The fabulous Parker Hotel

Well that was fun.

For a couple of weeks in February recently I was living the dream in Palm Springs California, hanging out with some very fine folks and experiencing some of the best that this glamorous city has to offer.

You’ll recall I flew over to present some Martini masterclasses for my friends at US Modernist as part of their annual Mid-Century Modern program of open houses and other special events.

I was made very welcome, and in the week leading up to my sessions was able to visit some amazing places, and sample widely the cocktail scene there with some truely awful Martinis and a couple of standouts.

the regular vintage market is a must visit

One thing was clear on arrival though, the anticipated bar, along with all it’s equipment was not an option, as it was being renovated!  So we had to scramble around the city and beyond to get not only enough glasses, but also props and more, to transform and otherwise dire breakfast room into a glamorous cocktail lounge, which we managed to do.

Luckily,  I brought over my own mixing set – just in case.

me in action!

As I visited every vintage shop in the area to find glasses word had clearly gotten around, it’s not a big place afterall, and I was often greeted with “you must be that Aussie Martini guy!” and we ended up chatting about the finer points of making the best Dirty Martini first thing in the morning, as you do.

some of my own creations…

Happily, my guests loved my cocktails as I took them not just on a journey of the cultural history of the Martini but made the full spectrum of styles for everyone ranging from the Gibson to the Espresso Martini.

The sessions were both sold out, and I felt a little cheeky being an Australian telling Americans about the cocktail they created in California, it’s birthplace no less!

But it was a lot of fun, and I had some great feedback, including offers of doing some private events which I also did whilst I there.

Also a US based documentary maker, Jess Bushyhead was in town working on his new film about Modernism and captured my event, so I had a camera in my face all the time, and we’ll see if I make the cut!

Palm Springs is the natural habitat of the Martini, and it was not strange to see them sipped at all hours, why not? One burger joint event has a lunchtime special with fries, burger and martini!

Most of the ones I sampled were workman like, appearing in seconds in some cases, shaken of course, whilst a few were beautifully crafted stirred with excellent gin and vermouth, and of course I made a bee-line for the iconic Melvyn’s restaurant and bar on arrival in the city, after all it was a 24 hour long journey non-stop, so I was very thirsty!

Not to mention some improvised pro-tip sessions for some bar staff who clearly needed a little help every so often, so I leaned in a little there to give them some free advice along the way. Hospo folks around town were also clearly tracking my daily updates on my Instagram and so I was getting invitations to swing past their bars and say hi, which was very good of them.

I plan to return, the invitation to do more special events, both private and public, is there, and it’s a great place to visit when you have entry into the best places and people as I was fortunate to have, naturally I felt right at home.

Inside the Kirk Douglas residence for a private event

But all good things come to an end, and so I had to head home after a week or so, via Hollywood, including the famous Musso and Frank Grill with local cocktail celebrity BarmaxLA for martinis and steaks, old school style, so more on that adventure next time!

living the dream…until next time!