Author Archives: Payman Bahmani


August 18, 2010

Happy Hour: Cherry Samba

by Payman Bahmani

Since returning from New Orleans it seems like the pace of my life has only sped up, so I was thankful to be able to take a breather last week and have Kayoko fill in for me with an awesome post about Savoy Night at The Alembic in San Francisco. Truth be told, I would […]

August 5, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales Recap Pt. 6 (New Amsterdam Gin Competition, Spirited Awards Winners, Lessons for Next Time, and Final Farewell)

by Payman Bahmani

PREFACE: Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 1 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 2 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 3 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 4 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 5 Alas my friends, as all good things eventually come to an end, so did this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, […]

August 4, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales Recap Pt. 5 (Bax vs. Clift)

by Payman Bahmani

  PREFACE: Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 1 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 2 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 3 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 4 Of all the seminars I attended down at Tales of the Cocktail, the most memorable had to be a seminar called Bax vs. Clift: Progressive […]

August 3, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales Recap Pt. 4 (Highlights and Lowlights)

by Payman Bahmani

PREFACE: Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 1 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 2 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 3 I had never been to New Orleans prior to going down for this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, so when it came to deciding where to eat and drink (which are always my […]

August 2, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales Recap Pt. 3 (John Besh + Kermit Ruffins = happy mouth & ears)

by Payman Bahmani

PREFACE: Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 1 Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 2 New Orleans is perhaps most famous for its great food and rich musical tradition. They’re what folks often point to as the most tangible markers of a New Orleans culture that’s sometimes too intangible to define. So despite a schedule packed […]

July 30, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales of the Cocktail Recap Pt. 2 (my liver will make yours quiver)

by Payman Bahmani

PREFACE Tales Recap Part 1 Anticipating that I’d have a hangover the size of a punch bowl, and knowing that I’d be competing as a finalist in the Catdaddy Bar Chef Challenge in the afternoon of my second day at Tales of the Cocktail, I intentionally lightened my schedule to allow some breathing room.  In the […]

July 29, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales of the Cocktail Recap Pt. 1 (my liver is ballsy, yours has cerebral pallsy)

by Payman Bahmani

Last week I gave the foolhardy impression that I could give a daily recap of the events at Tales of the Cocktail, while still down at Tales. Instead, I left you high and dry as I ate and drank and partied and competed and sat in seminars with a hangover, then ate and drank and […]

July 21, 2010

Happy Hour: Tales of the Cocktail! (Day 1)

by Payman Bahmani

Ok so here goes the beginning of an effort may prove fruitless and waning. Today’s the first official day of Tales of the Cocktail, the biggest mixology fete/conference in the world, and my earnest plan is to provide daily updates for folks who couldn’t be here to witness it in person. There’s no substitute for […]

July 14, 2010

Happy Hour: Name That Cocktail

by Payman Bahmani

  Last week I wrote a post on the CKTL Jam event that took place at the Astor Center in NY, and I promised that this week I would share the recipe for the second of the two improv cocktails I created, as soon as I figured out what to call it.  I still haven’t figured out […]

July 7, 2010

Happy Hour: CKTL Jam! (Plus It’s Hot As Fuck!)

by Payman Bahmani

As I mentioned last week, the theme here all month long is HOT HOT HEAT! And judging by the mercury-topping temperatures this week here in New York, it appears Mother Nature keeps up with this blog, because she’s definitely doing her part to keep the theme as relevant as possible. But unlike all the whiny crybabies out […]