May 13
I almost didn't make it to this party at Pranna, since I found myself working late, but I still decided to make it down there only to find out once again, that really, people in the bar industry don't know anything like late, or going on too long. So even though I'd walked in approximately 2 hours late, the party was still going strong.
Wait...is that John Hodgman? Why would John Hodgman just be chillin'here...
Anna Jovovice of handcrafted PR informed me that indeed, I was looking at John Hodgman, and that John Hodgman and Dave Wondrich are friends.
"Of course they are," I thought myself. For some reason I was not surprised at all by this revelation. In fact, if someone had told me that the cocktail historian wasn't friends with the guy responsible for crafting "The Areas of My Expertise," I would've been highly disappointed.
Bartenders worked as teams at Pranna's bar, each shift's team making drinks using a sponsor's ingredient. In all honesty, I didn't get a drink for like the first hour because the bar was 2-3 people deep. I eventually managed to grab a Pisco Punch (pisco, pineapple syrup, gum arabic, fresh lemon juice) from Naren Young when he was at the bar with his team of bartenders. I also tried an Old Fashioned that Tal Nadari made. It tasted different, not just because it had genever in it, but there was something else. Tal fessed up that he'd accidently used aloe rather than simple syrup in the one he gave me. I smacked my lips for a second or two. It actually wasn't a bad mistake. So I went on drinking.
I've been told that one way to get out of being in photos is to volunteer to take photos. Which is exactly the technique Don Lee used on me in this photo here, so now *I'm* in this photo, and I'm usually uncomfortable about being photos. From l-r: An uncomfortable me, Tal Nadari, Jeff Grdinich, Joaquin Simo
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