Mixellany's Annotated Bariana

Mixellany's Annotated Bariana by Charles Vexenat

Originally published in 1896, Bariana: Recueil pratique de toutes boissons Americaines et Anglaises by Louis Fouquet is regarded as the second French cocktail book ever published. But there is no question that Bariana is the first heralded French cocktail book: Unveiled in the 1898 edition of the popular Almanach Hachette encyclopaedia, a handful of Fouquet's recipes were published along with the comment that "Thanks to Mr. Louis Fouquet, the skiilful barman from the Criterion (121 r. St-Lazare) American and English beverages can now be prepared by everyone as easily as combining anisette and water."

Translated into English and annotated by award-winning mixologist Charles Vexenat, Mixellany's Annotated Bariana displays Fouquet's passionate dedication to the art of bartending to a new audience of cocktail aficionados. Besides providing readers with keen insights into the Golden Age of cocktails in Paris, this book demonstrates how vintage recipes such as Fouquet's Whiskey Snapper and Martinican Cocktail come alive when adapted for modern palates and for execution by the new generation of mixologists.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Vexenat's love affair with liquid started when he was only six years old, mixing syrups and lemonade behind the bar at his grandparent' brasserie in Dijon.

When he moved to London in 2000 to learn English he naturally gravitated to the bar industry to earn his keep. Starting as a kitchen porter and food runner, he worked his way up through the business learning from an international array of the industry's best mentors.

He has since worked in London's top bars: Hush, Eagle Bar Diner, Che, Lab, La Floridita, and Lonsdale as well as at Tres Agaves in San Francisco plus PDT plus Death and Company in New York. He also collaborates on regular basis with top bar consultants involving himself from concept through to training and design.

His passion for cocktail books started early in his career and keeps evolving to the present day. He has won many bartending competitions, including two awards in 2007 for Best Bartender in the UK. He has visited and worked in different distilleries around the world, notably in Mexico.

Charles currently freelances as a trainer and bar consultant, delivering inspiring training sessions and creating drinks around the world.