Over at The Art of Drink, Darcy lists a few cocktail blogs that he regularly frequents (including, I’m flattered to say, this one).
When I first started The Cocktail Chronicles, coming up on a year ago now, blogging about cocktails was a pretty lonely business (folks such as Chuck Taggart, Drinkboy and Slakethirst had pioneered the craft, but still, it was kind of quiet out there). Now, with home-bartender sites such as Kaiser Penguin, Boston Cocktails and DC Drinks around (not to mention Darcy’s site), it’s easier than ever to pick up a contact buzz without ever leaving the computer.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been wondering about the possibilities of a group activity of sorts–something along the lines of what food bloggers do with Is My Blog Burning? and wine bloggers do with Wine Blogging Wednesdays. To wit, an occasional (monthly? six-weeksly?) event in which, on or about a particular day, all willing participants mix a drink (or have a drink mixed for them), according to a pre-determined, fairly broad set of parameters, and then blog about it. The purpose, of course, is purely for fun.
There’s a set of suggested guidelines on how the foodies do it, and it doesn’t seem too complicated. A broad theme–say, drinks with pastis, or “kind of like a martini but not really a martini,” just for example–is chosen at least a month before the event. One blogger hosts the event, and all participants (anyone can join) help spread the word in advance. On or before the day of the event, each participant blogs about the drink, and posts a link to the blog “hosting” that day’s event (participants who aren’t bloggers can still join in, sending comments to the host blog). A day or two after the event, the host posts a roundup, with links to all participants and a brief overview of how it went.
If several other folks are interested (and, hopefully, have a catchy name for the event), I’m willing to get the ball rolling by hosting an event in May–just let me know in the comments or by e-mail. And if folks aren’t interested…well, I’ll mix a drink and sit with my cats.
Info on “Is My Blog Burning” (and a bunch of related events for dessert folks, food photographers, etc.) here.
Info on Wine Blogging Wednesdays is here.
I think that’s a great idea!
Blog Carnival might be a good option: http://blogcarnival.com/bc/.
I agree, it’s a great idea. Count me in.
Well, I figured I’d go ahead and just do it. Hopefully, I’m not stealing your thunder:
http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_273.html
Do submit for the first edition!
Hi Paul,
I was quite excited to see this post when I woke up this morning. You must have either read my mind or my recent comment on The Art of the Drink.
Definitely count me (and Kaiser Penguin) in.
I like your idea of having a specific theme. I’ll second the vote for pastis being the first one.
Hello Paul,
That’s great idea. We can work on it collectively and see what happens. I’ve got a bottle of Henri Bardouin that I haven’t done much with.
Darcy
Great! I’ve been hoping to do this for a while, and Rick’s comment over at Darcy’s site jogged my memory and prompted me into action. I think among the talented mixologists now blogging (and no doubt, soon to start), we’ll have some lively evenings.
Mike–good work starting a carnival site, but I was actually envisioning something more exclusively cocktail, spirit & mixology oriented–but that’s the beauty of the Web: we can have both!
I’ve set up a site at blog carnival as well (they’re the same folks who host the events I mentioned in my post), and I’ll post later tonight with a call for submissions for “Mixology Monday,” focusing the first round on pastis (thanks, Rick and Darcy, for going with that).