What happens when you design a building like a bottle? What happens when you design a bottle like a building?

Which is more effective in making an impression in the minds of its user, client, audience, patrons, and viewers? Is scale the defining factor — does size matter?

Design is fluid and transmits across languages, cultures, land, and ocean. Whether you design an object tall enough to view from miles away, or effervescent enough to bring a crowd together in celebration…know that its quality will be measured in units that neither the architect or vintner used. You cannot measure personal satisfaction.

“A lot of architects design a lot of details,” Taniguchi was saying. “I try to conceal details.” His brand of modernism doesn’t always express its structure; instead, his buildings tend to have a lightness of being, defying the steel, glass, concrete and stone it took to make them. Their exquisite craftsmanship is legendary, and Japanese contractors are proud to oblige him…

Later, ordering drinks before dinner, Taniguchi talked about how different building methods are in America. But he never really answered the question of why such a famous architect at home had taken so long to design outside Japan. “You are psychoanalyzing me,” he said with a slight smile.

Then his cocktail arrived. It was a Manhattan.

— Excerpt from “Red Hot MoMA: New York’s great modern museum is reborn, thanks to $425 million and an unlikely architect named Taniguchi,” by Cathleen McGuigan, Newsweek

(Source: annyas.com)

The importance of language is sometimes taken for granted. In the world of instant messaging, shorthand, text messaging, and TweetShrinking, there is more than enough opportunity for certain parts of the King’s English to slip through the cracks and be forever lost. Luckily, there are tools that enable the lexicon of drinking culture to remain steadfast in personal communication.

Speaking of tools, what are they really worth to a craft? As most DJs have accepted the utility of Serato in their repertoire, the turntable is most likely on its way out of practice in future years. Contemporary musicians have shown their ability to record on computers — when was the last time you heard of an artist shipping a collaborator a two-inch reel to lay down a hook? Architects always say, “Learn how to draw by hand — what happens when the power goes out??” Answer: everyone will put their laptops on “Hibernate” and head to the local Starbucks and soak up some Wi-Fi!

One thing that bartenders have done for eons is pour drinks. It’s the essence of the craft and there is no other way around it…until those robots learn the difference between a Manhattan and a Rob Roy — but I digress. In order to pour, you must know how much you’re pouring — isn’t that an inherent part of the equation? One thing about our aluminum friend is that he doesn’t always say how much volume he holds, whether it’s a half-ounce, three-quarters of an ounce, a full ounce, ounce-and-a-half…you just might have to do your own measuring to be sure. But where do those measurements come from in the first place? A look back through history will show that the aptly-named Jigger Pony was traditionally used to measure one-ounce and ounce-and-a-half amounts of spirits — a pony and a jigger, respectively. So no matter if you’re battling yourself over using a jigger pony or not, or if you’re using a very snazzy and geometric one like in the photo above, you’ll know exactly what those amounts are and what they refer to linguistically. Bartenders do speak in the language of love, no? The spirits are known to warm hearts…

*walks into The Congenial Hour in all-black clothing*

We’re gonna talk turkey today, people.

The Congenial Hour usually skims the surface of cocktailing, preferring to wade in the infinity pool of drinking culture. But today, we’re getting straight to the point: what does balance mean to you with a cocktail? If there are all these notes going on, how should the glass sing them? Should the cocktail agree with Teddy P and not be 70/30, not 60/40, but 50/50?

C’mon bartenders, don’t all speak up at once. All y’all mixologists, somebody gotta know SOMEthing!!

*starts circling The Congenial Hour with stuffed Snoopy doll*

Everyone knows there should be harmony in a cocktail. All these different elements have to work together, but allow each of the various components to be heard, right? And what about these “perfect” cocktails — the Perfect Manhattan, the Perfect Martini? How does balance affect those? Are there any other cocktails that can be made “perfect”?

Yeah, somebody got to know something…mm hmmm, all y’all that read the post on a proper Gimlet. All you bitters-lovin’ folk know how to balance out your cocktails’ flavor. If you drink an Old Fashioned, you DEFinitely know how you want your drink balanced.

Don’t everybody speak up at once…don’t nobody know NOTHIN’???

What image does “retro” have in your mind? Is “modern vintage” an oxymoron or can those two terms mutually exist? In the search for the next best thing, is the past something we should casually review or extensively cull from?

Many attempts are made to reach this combination of present and past, through a multitude of cultural objects. The Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, and Ford Mustang all reached for the old school/classic car enthusiast in all of us, harkening back to the days of pure-bred, American muscle. The tragic story of Amy Winehouse recalls many rock legends who passed at an early age, and her mid-20th century rhythm and blues situated her right in line with singers of that era. As many architects and interior designers that have a distinctly sharp modern aesthetic, there are countless others that utilize the warm feelings of past styles as their point of reference.

The success and intercultural influence of the 50s/60s-era period piece Mad Men reflects popular culture walking the tightrope between “now” and “then”. The TV show is literally transforming into a “brand”. Banana Republic looked to the vintage fashion to reinvigorate its clothing line, creating a “special release” Mad Men-inspired collection. It has sparked a renewed interest in mid-20th century cocktails, libations borne of The Hour — dry martinis, Manhattans, Sidecars, among many others — that AMC published a cocktail guide on its homepage. While the glassware selections and instructions might make some mixologists raise an eyebrow, the effect is certain: this train is beginning to pick up some steam. If people begin to generate interest in classic bases of cocktails, and discover that every drink doesn’t have to include sour mix or some pre-mixed/sugarrific/powder base, that the spirituous ingredients have wondrous flavors that should not be masked, you’ll soon see your local bartender smiling a bit more as you belly up to the bar.

(Source: The Huffington Post)