Usually, in winter I get a hankering for a dark rich porter.  But this winter, I find myself craving cocktails.  Maybe it’s the hidden bars, or rash of artisan infused liquors springing up, but I’m longing for that nostalgic bootlegger era when virtually all of the classic cocktails that we now drink are named. “I’ll take a Tennessee Williams and Gibson for the Misses, barman, and make it snappy” 

With my at home martini experiments, well… failing (pepper spiced pickle brine does not a good “artisan” martini make), I’m think it’s time to travel for my next drink.  If cocktail tourism is the next big trend – one item on my travel list would definitely be Rick’s Bar in central Edinburgh, Scotland.

This cocktail bar with rooms was voted by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the coolest hotels in the world.  I’d think their 20 page drink menu would have something to do with that.  It is inspired by some solid research and classic cocktail havens like prohibition-era Havana, Manhattan, New Orleans, and interestingly, the outposts of the British Empire (The Pegu Club cocktail was invented in the 1920s in Burma).  There’s even a fascinating section on Punch Bowls-evidently the earliest form of cocktail.

My favorite from the list has to be the Alamagoozlum Punch (try saying that three times fast after a few cocktails) or as it’s known by it’s full name, J.Pierpoint Morgan’s Alamagoozlum; the Personal Mix Credited to that Financier, Philanthropist & Banker of a Bygone Era” (or that!).

Bet you never thought you’d hear that.

Famous Jellymongers Bompas & Parr, who are the creators of the U.K.’s first walk-in cocktail (a sauna-like room of vaporized gin and tonic), are teaming up with Courvoisier to create the world’s largest, drinkable, punchbowl as part of their Architectural Punch Bowl competition.  Contestants who submitted their recipea for the Courvousier cocktail competition will have the opportunity to see 4,000 litres of their punch – the equivalent of 25,000 serves – in the world’s largest punchbowl – and Londoner’s are invited to have a glass and even boat across the surface of the punch on a raft.

Bompas & Parr will be using new techniques and technology to flood an entire building and then throw a party – “It’s going to be a mighty structure and is not without its complexities. At one stage we were worried that the weight of punch would cause the building to collapse!”

Bompas & Parr, one of Britain’s premier Jellymongers (great title for a business card, no?) explore how the taste of food is altered through synaesthesia, performance and setting.  They have conceived events ranging from breathable cocktails, to  glow in the dark Jelly club nights,  to custom jelly molds – even one of the entire United States out of Jell-O for Kraft.

The Architectural Punch Bowl will be open on 8th, 9th and 10th December at 33 Portland Place. Tickets are a mere £6.50 and on www.jellymongers.co.uk.  Proceeds with benefit charity.

And in case you thought this concept was somewhat fruity -”there is strong historical precedent for the Architectural Punch Bowl. In 1694 the admiral Edward Russell created a punch bowl so large that it took 2,500 lemons to make the punch that was served by a small boy in a boat.”

That’s justification enough, for me.

contributing editor – Jurek Lipski