Before the war started many months ago, Magazine Editor Erica Schachne had suggested that I write about some new drinks that our readers can enjoy. Now, with the war still raging, we decided not to wait any longer. Let’s face it: In times of stress, alcohol does help.
It’s important, though, to set limits. Alcohol can give you a breather, can help provide a moment or two when stress can be controlled or forgotten. But don’t overdo it.
Keep your tippling to the level of enjoyment, not oblivion. “You’re a beer person; I’m not,” the editor reminded me at the time. “I like wine and cocktails.
So when you write about beer, make it also about cocktails.” I wasn’t sure what the editor meant by this, but after some quick Googling, I discovered that cocktails and beer actually have a long history together. As a semi-professional beer geek, I naturally recoil at the thought of making beer just an “ingredient.
” But as I learned, the very varied colors, flavors, and strengths of craft beers make them excellent for cocktail mixers. Luckily, I met a professional bartender who knows these ins and outs. Guy Krieger is the head bartender and co-partner at The Rabbit Hole cocktail bar in Jerusalem; he is truly the face of the bar.
Before the war, Krieger was mixing cocktails most every night – often until the last customer left. The bar is still open, even though Krieger was drafted into the reserves. “Beer can be as great an inspiration for cocktails as any other i.