Inventory for December 3rd, 2017

Hi friends! Are you cuddled up at home, by the fireside, sipping on a warming whisky? We certainly hope so! This week a bar in Louisville shuts its doors after its owner was accused of sexual misconduct, Time Out magazine puts together a list of New York’s oldest bars, Melbourne’s The Everleigh’s bar releases its limited edition run of “Antique Collection” cocktails made with historical spirits, and a bunch of thieves steal $800,000 worth of whiskey. Cheers!

Forget the disgusting candy cane flavored vodka brands try to unload onto unsuspecting consumers come December. This year, make your own version of “fruity booze” if you feel so inclined. Tasting Table has got a list of of fun, festive recipes that are easy to DIY at home. From strawberries and champagne (a classic), to pineapple and rum (no brainer), and back to jalapeños and tequila (a match made in heaven). They’ve got you covered this holiday season and you shan’t be drinking tooth-achingly cloying vodka. Not today Satan, not today!

Louisville’s Haymarket Whiskey Bar Closes after Sexual Misconduct Allegations

A gossip site has been calling this almost daily reveal of new sexual misconduct allegations all over the world, in all different industries, the “Predator Advent Calendar” and it certainly seems like it. Not a day goes by without more women coming out of the woodwork and sharing their #metoo story. This time around, the owner of Louisville’s Haymarket Whiskey Bar Matt Landan was accused of sexual misconduct. After the allegations went viral in a Facebook post on November 15th, every single one of the bar’s employees, 11 regular staffers and four DJs, quit the bar immediately.

The Haymarket Whiskey Bar is closed indefinitely under current ownership, though apparently it’s Landan’s eventual goal to reopen. Landan denies any allegations of illegal or inappropriate conduct. No charges have been filed, which means there is no current investigation. This is not an isolated incident in the industry and we’re sure to see more doors open in the gruesome house of horror advent calendar.

New York’s Oldest Bars

If you’re a history buff, into booze, and you happen to find yourself in New York, then surely you’re keen to go on this bar crawl set up by Time Out magazine. The publication compiled a list of every borough’s oldest bar, from Manhattan’s McSorley’s Old Ale House, which opened in 1854, to the Yankee Tavern in the Bronx which opened its Yankee-branded doors in 1927, over to Neir’s Tavern in Queens, “a favorite of both patrons and filmmakers alike, having served the former since 1829 and the latter in a little production by the name of Goodfellas” that’s been around since 1829. History in America, folks.

Cocktail Time-Travel with The Everleigh’s Limited-Edition “Antique Collection”

Melbourne’s Michael Madrusan, who owns The Everleigh and Heartbreaker bars, has launched ‘The Antique Collection’: a set of four bottled cocktail classics from the 1950s through to the 1980s. Cocktails are made with antique spirits and the run is limited to a mere 200. Broadsheet reports that “Madrusan came up with the concept after sourcing several bottles of Gordon’s London Dry Gin from the 1950s for Martinis at The Everleigh (the bar introduced a Vintage Spirits menu earlier this year).” The collection includes a Martini, a Vesper, a Negroni using Plymouth gin and Campari from the 70s, and a Bobby Burns, made with Aberlour scotch whisky and DOM Benedictine from the 1980s. Sourcing is said to have taken a couple of months. “‘That Martini and the place it takes me to when I’m drinking – it’s just all the right things,’” Madrusan says. ‘I get to be somebody else in that time – like one of those Madison Avenue ad men at lunch.’”

Paris Thieves Steal $800,000 Worth of Whiskey

Grub Street reports that La Maison du Whisky was robbed last month and thieves made off with 69 bottles, worth $800,000. “The biggest get was a vintage bottle La Maison had displayed in a showcase — a 1960 Karuizawa known by collectors as ‘the Squirrel.’ It’s the oldest Japanese single malt, one of only 41 ever put out by the cult distillery, which closed in 2011 and often gets credited with making the world’s rarest whiskeys.” That bottle will be hard to resell though, because it’s unique due to a physical peculiarity, which makes it traceable. Drinking is it a solid Plan B, though.