Capillaire

Intro

Capillaire is defined as a sirup prepared from the maiden hair (Adiantum capillus Veneris), formerly supposed to have medicinal properties.  Definition two suggests is can also be made with orange flowers.  Now, if we believe the old foodie, and we have no reason not to, then “A spoonful of orange-flower water and some honey was often added to make the medicine go down more tastefully, and eventually the fern became optional and capillaire became ‘a syrup flavoured with orange-flower water’.”

The solution can be made with orange flower water or Neroli essential oil.  Neroli can be picked up at Amazon.com and is one of the ingredients in the alleged x7 recipe, the secret ingredient of coca-cola.   I chose to make a batch, primarily for the purposes of mixing up an Oxford Punch recipe (albeit without the geletin).

Recipe

1/2 cup filtered water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon Orange Flower Water

I used Mustafa’s Orange Blossom Water, which I picked up at the local Metropolitan Market but you can also purchase them at Kalustyans.com.  While I didn’t measure the recipe’s yeild precisely, it produced about 300ml or so (ample room remaining in my 375 ml bottle).  What struck me, however, was just how much flavor remained with the syrup given its relatively light concentration of flower water.  I plan to try the recipe with the Neroli as well and will update this page once I have a side-by-side comparison.

Uses

Anything that calls for simple syrup has the potential to benefit from Capillaire.  I find it quite satisfying in a Sazerac, and it has been suitable for all the punches I’ve made of late.  But the best use I’ve discovered thus far has been in the Stars Fell on Alabama cocktail, first introduced to me last year by Ted Haigh’s article in Imbibe Magazine.  When used with Prichard’s “Lincoln County Lightning” Tennessee Corn Whiskey, the capillaire rounds out the drink in a way that mixing the same cocktail on the fly just doesn’t do.  To make the Stars Fell on Alabama cocktail, mix 2 oz of Corn Whiskey (50 proof or higher) with 1 barspoon of capillaire.  Add 3 drops of your best absinthe and 2 dashes of each Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters.  Build it in a small rocks glass completely full of (moderately) crushed ice.

by on August 15, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by Anthonw on August 15, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=301

Punches (Three Different Ones)

Picture of three punches in carrierIntro

Taking some inspiration from the Bon Vivants, and since I was invited to my brother’s pig roast, I thought I would try Pigs & Punch on a smaller scale.  I put together three punches to take to the event, each recipe reduced to 400ml.  The punches were prepared around 10:30 AM to provide ample time to chill before the event.  I’ve shared the reduced repices below, but I would certainly encourage everyone to seek out the originals.

Philadephia Fish-House Punch

Fish House Punch2.48 oz Lemon Juice
4.96 oz Dark Rum
2.48 oz Cognac
0.31 oz Peach Brandy (made by infusing 1 peach in 375ml of brandy for 1 hour and straining out)

Muddle the peel (no pith) of 1 lemon with 3 rough cut brown sugar cubes until the oils are extracted.  Pour in additional ingredients and stir or shake thoroughly.  Dilute with 2-3 oz of water and optionally add 1/4 tsp of capillaire (2:1 simple syrup with a dash of orange flower water).

Rack Punch (Arrak)

Arrak Punch Flavor Wheel1.1 oz Lime Juice
3.4 oz Batavia Arrak
2.3 oz Dark Jamaican Rum
6.8 oz Water

Dissolve 3 rough cut brown sugar cubes with the lime juice.  Add other ingredients and stir.  Use ice cold water if you’ll be serving immediately.  Otherwise, allow 1-2 hours to chill in fridge.  Nutmeg should be grated on top and I chose to add 2 drops of Scrappy’s cardamom bitters, bringing the flavor more inline with Swedish Punsch.

Oxford Punch

Oxford Punch Flavor Wheel1.7 oz Lemon Juice
0.7 oz Orange Juice
1.4 oz White French Table Wine
2.7 oz Cognac
2.7 oz Jamaican Rum
4.3 oz Clement Orange Shrubb
0.1 oz Capillaire

Muddle one third the peel of the orange (Seville preferred) and the peel of 1 lemon (no pith) with 4 rough cut raw sugar cubes.  Mix in additional ingredients and shake thoroughly.  This one was probably my favorite of the three.  I wasn’t sure with the Orange Shrubb being so high profile and I had particular concerns on whether the wine would really blend in.

 

 

by on August 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by Anthonw on August 13, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=284

The Individual Spread Eagle Punch

Intro

Spread Eagle Punch Single Serve CocktailI’ve been reading the 2010 (should be) bestseller, Punch, by David Wondrich. Of course, many of these recipes are designed to be made in large bowls. And while I have plenty of large bowls, I don’t have enough drinkers nearby to justify dumping 8-10 bottles of liquor and wine into an experiment. Besides, what if we didn’t like it?

The only real option is to try and successfully reduce the recipe.  While the Arrak punches looked particularly tempting, I’d come across Michael Neff’s blog post on “You Are What You Drink,” and noticed the recipe he attached to it (for those with daring tastes) looked strikingly similar to the Spread Eagle Punch in the Wondrich book.  I decided I would try reducing Wondrich’s recipe into a single cocktail size serving, given that someone else was already trying something similar.  As much as I like both Islay Scotch and Rye, I honestly didn’t expect the two to blend well.

However, given that I am posting it here, I can assure you that this was a phenomenal combination of Rye’s spiciness and Islay’s peatiness.  The oils of the lemon, combined under pressure with the sweetness of the Demerara, round out the drink’s overall flavor without the sour flavor typically found in the actual lemon juice.  For me personally, this was a break-thru recipe and has changed the way I prepare any drink with lemon juice.  From now on, I will always muddle the peel and sugar before adding the juice.

Recipe

Spread Eagle Punch Flavor WheelI made the recipe with Lagavulin 16 and Bowmore 10.  I preferred it with the Bowmore and it makes the drink considerably more affordable and easy to acquire.  The flavor wheel is based on the Bowmore.

Ingredients

1 oz Islay Scotch
1 oz 100 proof Rye Whiskey
3 strips of lemon peel
1 Demerara sugar cube
1/2 oz hot water

Preparation

Cut three vertical strips from a medium sized lemon (3 in) using a vegetable peeler, trying not to get much of the white pith.  Invert each strip by rolling it in your fingers and place it in the mixing glass so the outside of the peel is up.  Put the sugar cube on top and muddle thoroughly.  The hot water is optional (can be cold or omitted), but you’ll likely need it to dissolve the sugar cube completely.

If you have the time, allow this mixture to sit a few minutes before combining the whiskies and ice.  Fill the glass half full with crushed ice and add the spirits.  Once you combine them, shake the ingredients until they are very cold and the ice is 1/3 melted (about 30 seconds).  Strain into a cocktail glass.

 

by on August 5, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Whiskey
Tagged , ,
Posted by Anthonw on August 5, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=177

The Mississippi Punch Project

Intro

The first time I made Mississippi Punch was in 2009.  I came across the recipe and mixed it up without much consideration for the brands or spirits.  I really liked the recipe, but failed to record it.  I tried ordering it at a bar in Memphis and was treated to an outstanding mixture of Couvroisier, Oronoco, and Maker’s Mark.  But when I tried to reproduce the recipe with the same ingredients, I just couldn’t get it exactly right.  I let it go for awhile.  In the summer of 2011, I rediscovered it, needing a break from the Tiki recipes I had been working on, but still wanting something that tasted like summer.  I started with the Memphis recipe but it still failed me.  I decided I would record my brand combinations until I got the recipe exactly right (for my taste buds).

Recipe

I am using the David Wondrich adaptation of the recipe which calls for only 4 oz of liquor (allegedly, the original recipe could be intrepreted to call for 8 oz).

2 oz Congnac
1 oz Bourbon
1 oz Rum
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 tsp superfine sugar (or using 1/2 oz simple syrup)

The Brands

7/29/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Old Grand Dad 114, and Wray & Nephew Overproof White Jamaican Rum.  My goal with this project was to start with something extreme and overproof spirits seemed like the way to go.  The freshness of the Jamaican rum overpowered the other two spirits.  It’s possible, however, that such was the intention, but it didn’t work for me, at least not in this combination.  The sugar and lemon stayed in the background, where they belong, but I felt the spirits lacked the balance intended in the original recipe.

7/30/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier Exclusif, 10 Cane Rum (Trinidad) and Knob Creek Bourbon.  The spirits seemed to be in much better balance.  Each could be individually tasted on the tongue but this particular recipe seemed burdoned by the lemon and sugar.  I think it needed to be sweeter (disclaimer: I am naturally sweet toothed).  I could’ve been a little heavy on the lemon (maybe as much as 3/4 oz) but the drink definitely was more enjoyable than the 7/29/11 batch.  I am concluding that the Trinidad rum brought the drink into balance, but I would like to try the same recipe with a rougher Bourbon.  I might even consider a sweeter Trinidad rum (like Zaya) in the next batch.  I will also switch to muddling the lemons quarters instead of squeezing and using sugar instead of syrup.

7/31/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Zaya Grand Reserve 12 year (Trinidad), and Old Grand Dad 114.  Muddling the lemons with a Demerara sugar cube was definitely the way to go, even with having lost some measuring accuracy (I used one half a small ripe lemon – I would guess it yeilded just under an ounce).  The flavor of Demerara, lemon and Cognac come strong at the beginning of the drink.  The rum picks up the middle and the drink finishes with a slight after taste of Bourbon.  Not sure that the Old Granddad was the best choice in this combination.  I selected it because Steven (Memphis bartender) had suggested that two sweet liquors needed something rough to balance the drink (hence his choice for Maker’s Mark).  The Zaya is a very sweet rum, almost a blackstrap or Demerara flavor and Courvoisier is pretty neutral.  I think for my next iteration, I want to swap out the OGD114 for Buffalo Trace.

8/1/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Zaya, and Buffalo Trace.  Switching to the Buffalo definitely makes a difference in the drink’s finish.  In some ways, we’ve taken a step backward.  This is closer to the 7/30 iteration, but I definitely can taste a hallowness at about the 66% mark.  Not sure if that’s the end of the rum or the beginning of the bourbon.  Unfortunately, I think this means we need to switch the rum.  After some poking around on the web, I found Wondrich’s Esquire article that specifically mentions dark rum.  Therefore, the right combination to try next is Goslings (not quite Jamaican, but back in that direction) with the Buffalo.

8/2/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Goslings (Bermuda) and Buffalo Trace.  Still not as good as the 7/30 combination and the problem still seems to be found somewhere between the rum and the bourbon.  Realizing it’s completely inappropriate to change two variables at once, I have a feeling that Smith & Cross Jamaican might go well with the Kirkland Signature Single Barrel Bourbon.  The Costco brand is a rougher version of the Knob Creek which may have been the ingredient to keep in the 7/30 recipe.  I am beginning to think of this project as a double-elimination tournament bracket.  I’ll have to work on that concept.  I also decided that with 5 iterations, this entry was ready for publication.  I will continue to update and republish the post as the project continues.

8/3/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Smith & Cross (Jamaica), and Kirkland Signature Single Barrel Bourbon.  Another change based on the 8/2 recipe is that I added two Demerara sugar cubes when muddling the lemons.  I think this is just about perfect.  It’s actually better after the ice has had some time to catch up.  It’s a bit more Jamaican than I would like, but the flavor tastes as historically accurate as I can surmise from what little I’ve read on the subject.  The Kirkland Signature Bourbon is perfect for this recipe.  It has the assertion I was seeking when I moved to Old Granddad but still mixes well with the others.  I would imagine that moving to an Appleton Estates just might perfect the drink.  However, I am not about to allow this post to end without even considering switching brands of Cognac.  I am already pretty certain that good Cognac won’t help me here.  But I do think I will give Pierre Ferrand a try.  I will start with the 20 year, but I would really like to try again with their new bottling of 1840, if for no other reason than its historical significance.  But for now, perhaps just one at a time.

8/5/11: Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Appleton Estates 12 year, and Kirkland Signature Single Barrel.  Okay, I expected this to be the end-all be-all.  It’s not bad, but the Appleton 12 year is simply too light.  So much so, I would argue, that the Bourbon is interfering with the Cognac.  The rum flavor seems to be almost completely missing.  Yes, I can taste it, but only as a complement to the Bourbon.    It no longer bridges the Cognac and Whiskey.  I am actually considering trying the Brazilian rum (Oronoco), which is sweeter than the Jamaican.  After the initial tastes, I added a sprig of mint on the advice of my wife (who tasted it with some Wrigley’s in her mouth).  I must say the mint sprint was meant for the drink and complements far better than Raspberries, which was Mr. Wondrich’s suggestion.  I may need to add that to the recipe (but all tastes will continue without it, first).

8/6/2011: Recipe made with Courvoisier Exclusif, Ononoco, and Kirkland Signature.  The Bourbon definitely stands out in this mixture, whereas the other two blend seamlessly.  I am practically back to my 7/30 recipe, but I must say that this particular combination has been the best so far.  Now that the first two ingredients are blending well, I may have to try moving back to Knob Creek (or one of the other premium Bourbons) to bring the drink into complete balance.

8/7/2011: Recipe made with Courvoisier Exclusif, Oronoco, and Knob Creek 9 year.  Not being one to keep focused and only change one variable at a time in my experiments, I made some modifications to the preparation process.  I peeled the lemon before juicing it.  I also dropped the Demerara sugar in exchange for pure cane rough cut raw brown sugar cubes.  I mixed the peels and cubes until some oils were extracted.  Then I added the juice of the lemon and finished the dissolution process of the sugar.  The drink was the best I’ve ever experienced.  I think I got it.  But what’s interesting is that I don’t think it had anything to do with the premium brands of liquor.  I think it was all about process.  I immediately tested this theory by altering the ingredients and keeping the process.  Version 2 included Courvoisier VS, Appleton Estates White Rum, and Maker’s Mark.  It would be dishonest to say this was as good as the first, but it was definitely better than many of the other combinations tried and certainly a valid combination as a standard fare cocktail.  Though I prefer the sweetness given by the Oronoco, this likely tastes truer to the original recipe.

 8/8/2011: Okay, maybe one more contiguous day.  Recipe made with Pierre Ferrand 20, Flor de Cana 21, and Woodford Reserve.  This is a good drink, but the individual elements compete too much, as would be expected with too many high-end brands in the same drink.  As the same time, it seems silly to use one premium with two midgrades.   But I said I would do it.  In all fairness, it’s really just the Pierre Ferrand that’s causing the problem.  It’s taste is dryer than the Courvoisier and dominates over the rum to conflict directly with the Bourbon.  I think I could bring back the Exclusif or just the VS and the Nicaraguan rum would do just dandy.    Not exactly sure where the Woodford fits in.  I don’t feel like I can taste it at all.  Maybe it would make a good substitute for either the Knob Creek or the Maker’s from the 8/7 recipes.

8/16/2011: Well, it turns out I might have been missing the most obvious answer.  Recipe made with Courvoisier VS, Appleton Estates Dark Rum, and Maker’s Mark.  However, the differentiating factor that I hadn’t even considered was the lemon.  It turns out, my good friends at Costco Wholesale have found someone in New Zealand that grows Meyer Lemons.  That means Meyer Lemons will now be available at Christmas and in August.  Very exciting, but back to the punch.  When made with the Meyer Lemon, with or without the oleo-saccharum, this is the perfect combination.  The Meyer Lemon is just the right balance of sweet and sour.  I made a second version with Appleton White and Woodford Reserve for my wife.  I think it was even better.  After an eight day break, I am certainly once again excited for the experimentation opportunities now afforded me by the Meyer Lemons.

by on August 2, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Brandy, Rum, Whiskey
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted by Anthonw on August 2, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=215

Bitter Devil

Intro

Maurin Quina Liqueur was created in 1906 by Auguste Maurin in Le Puy, France.  It is created by macerating wild cherries, quinine and bitter almonds in fortified white wine, and then blending it with cherry brandy, lemon juice, and cherry juice.  About the same proof as vermouth, Maurin is considerably lighter, in flavor, color and viscosity.  Taste-wise, it is like a lighter bodied, less sweet version of Cherry Heering, with an incredible Cinchona bark finish.  The label of the bottle features a green devil fiendishly opening a bottle of the banned absinthe (historically).  The artwork of Leonetto Cappiello, the label is perhaps more widely recognized than the drink, particularly in the United States as Maurin Quina became available only recently.  Not one to miss new products, and having read about the possible arrival of this French treasure, I made sure to get mine as soon as it was available.

Maurin QuinaCarpano AnticaAlthough meant to be drunk straight (and it certainly tastes fine that way), Maurin Quina also makes a good substitute for vermouth in some recipes.  It’s light quinine flavor may ruin some drinks for the purests, but I’ve found it an excellent substitute in the Negroni.  It works in other cocktails as well, but it definitely prefers those drinks with a bitter overtone.  It’s very difficult not to compare with vermouth, despite being so radically different.  If you haven’t had a chance to try it, I’ve tried to give you a means to evaluate it against Carpano Antica, a very rich sweet vermouth.  As depicted by the flavor wheels on either side,  it shares some common “bitter” characteristics with vermouth, but is far fruitier and less herbal.

The real question, of course, is what to do with a bottle, should you find yourself in possession of one.  I’ve already mentioned the Negroni; I don’t think I would recommend the Manhattan (unless you’re doing an orange bitter variant); but I did stumble upon a recipe that I was quite pleased with.  I am naming it the Bitter Devil.

Bitter DevilRecipe

Based on the Negroni, the Bitter Devil does require some homework if you don’t have the Jamie Boudreaux Amer Picon substitute available.  I feel like I’ve talked about or used his recipe a lot lately.  But it has been the most useful “tinctures” to have around and boasts a very pleasant taste.  The Bitter Devil marries the quinine flavor in the Quina with the bitterness of Campari and orange accents of the Amer Picon substitute.

Ingredients

2 oz Maurin Quina
1 oz Campari
1 oz Amer Picon Substitute

Preparation

Prepare cocktail glass with a a few pumps of an atomizer of orange tincture (left over from your Amer Picon recipe).  Garnish the glass with an orange peel (lemon also works).  Combine ingredients with ice in a mixing glass.  Stir until well chilled and strain into cocktail glass.

Notes

The three elements mix nicely, each bringing its part to the equation.  The citrus of the Amer Picon overwhelms the cherry flavors of the Maurin Quina, but the bitter elements of both marry nicely and complement the bitterness of the Campari.  In spite of the fact that all three ingredients are heavily bittered, the drink itself is well balanced among sweet, sour, and bitter.

 

 

by on July 31, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Liqueurs - Bitter
Tagged , ,
Posted by Anthonw on July 31, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=212

When Size Matters

Intro

Being an outsider in the cocktail revolution has its challenges.  I don’t have facial hair; I don’t wear vests and I’m a middle-aged principal consultant who deploys email systems in state and local governments across the western United States.  I’ve never even worked at a bar, but I do have some food service experience.  But these aren’t nearly as challenging as my need to reduce recipes for home use.  This became particularly apparent the first time I tried to reproduce Jamie Boudreau’s recipe for Amer Picon.  I love this recipe, by the way.

Solution

If you’ve ever read Jamie’s post, you’ll immediately notice that it is intended for people making a lot of Amer.  Seven and a half cups of orange ticture (that takes several weeks to make by itself) and 3 bottles of Amaro.  If you’re just a little home bartender like me, you have two problems.  The first is whether you’re even going to like the recipe.  The second is, assuming you do like it, you’ll ever be able to finish 6.72 bottles of the stuff.  I needed a way to reduce the recipe with precision.  I developed the Excel spreadsheet pictured below (pre-populated with Jamie’s recipe).

Picture of Reducer Spreadsheet

The functionality is pretty basic.  The large yellow area is for putting in quantities.  You may need to standardize a little.  For example, Jamie calls for 3 bottles of Amaro.  You need to put that in liters or mililiters.  At the top, specify the final size of your reduced recipe (375) and the units of the final bottle (ml).  You can also specify another unit  to display the recipe in (oz) in case you don’t have mililiter measuring tools.  Dashes will also have to be converted to teaspoons as well.

Once you’ve put in the recipe and conversion information, the spreadsheet displays four columns.  The first column normalizes the recipe.  It converts all the ingredients to the same unit of measurement for consistency in the other columns.  The reduced recipe shows the quantity of each ingredient that must be combined to produce exactly 375 ml.  The third column converts the reduced recipe from ml to oz, so you can use your standard US measuring tools.  The reducer works as a multiplier as well.  For example, you can convert a single drink into a recipe sized for a 375 ml bottle (for taking to the pool or something).

Finally, the fourth column is really separate from the other three.  It is used to multiply the recipe driven by the actual quantity of drinks, instead of the desired size of the container.  The original quantities and multiple by fields can be altered to produce fractions, if desired.

Take a look and let me know what you think.  I can’t tell for sure, but you might need Excel 2010 to use the “convert” function that does unit conversion.  If not, you’d have to put together your own spreadsheet that uses my macros for unit conversion (note: this isn’t exactly easy for most people).

Cocktail Reducer and Resizer

by on July 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Administration
Posted by Anthonw on July 28, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=171

Krakow Witch

Intro

Krakow Witch CocktailFor as much as it sometimes feels like I travel, I really don’t travel.  At least, I don’t go to interesting places for the express purpose of consuming exotic spirits.  But the last couple of years have afforded us the opportunity to visit France and Italy a couple of times.  Spirit hunting with children pretty much sucks.  You can’t really drag 4 additional people to a building in the middle of nowhere because it might have some distillery-only products to sample or buy.  You’re kind of limited to the stores (caves in France) within a few blocks of where you’re staying. My first trip was not particularly fruitful.  I was still stuck on the fact that Chartreuse was only $30, but I did pick up some Daniel Bouju Cognac.  Armed with a little more information on my second trip (as well as a side trip to Paris this time) I specifcally sought out genuine Polish Zubrówka.

In Europe, Zubrówka is made with bison grass, which contains high levels of coumarin – a natural substance that has been banned in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Not wantint to lose share to the vast US vodka market, Polmos Bialystok, the makers of Zubrówka, have created a coumarin-free US version of the product.  ”It is flavoured with a proprietary all-natural blend of ingredients assembled by the distillers at Polmos Bialystock in Poland to identically replicate the flavors of bison grass.” [ref]

I am a liquor snob.  I don’t fall for the ridiculous notion that a $30 bottle of vokda is better than a $20 one.  Nor do I consider flavored Vodka a spirit worthy of my palate (but I will admit, I have about six flavored vodkas in my collection – but I ceased growing that number years ago).  I want to make the case that Zubrówka is different; especially if you can pick it up in Europe.  Traditional vodka isn’t vodka until it is free from flavor and color, which clearly Zubrówka is not.  To me, Zubrówka is more like gin than vodka; maybe not as complex as gin, but it has a flavor that doesn’t taste like candy, which must count for something.

So I have my Parisian purchased bottle of Polish Vodka and I try it and I like it, but not really enough to enjoy as a before dinner drink.  I had a cocktail book that wouldn’t make any historians proud, but it does have a lot of well done recipes of good cocktails, indexed by ingredient, and a bottle bibliography (which highlights about 200 different bottles that every fan should try).  That was where I discovered the Krakow Witch.

Recipe

This is a simple recipe served in a traditional cocktail glass.

Krakow Witch Flavor WheelIngredients

2 oz Zubrówka
1/2 oz Strega

Preparation

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, garnished with a lemon peel.

Comments

There isn’t much to this cocktail, ingredient-wise, but when served really cold, it does make for an interesting and complex flavor combination.  And unlike most Vodka drinks, it actually tastes like alcohol.  I’ve tried shaking this recipe to determine its effect.  Shaking will cloud the drink slightly, but I think it might be worth it, given how much colder the skaing process can make it.

 

 

by on July 21, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Vodka
Tagged ,
Posted by Anthonw on July 21, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=77

Rising Star

Intro

The Rising Star was the last ship to leave the aquatic planet of Picon with survivors of the Cylon holocaust.  Once they realized what was in store for them, perhaps survival was looking overrated, unless you were military, who had ample supplies of ambrosia.  But I suppose real life has enough sour and depressing stories that it seems silly to lament the fantasies of a Ron Moore-created universe.  I am not a TV watcher, but the reimagined version of Battlestar Galactica had to be the best television series I’d ever seen.  It seemed appropriate that I name a drink in its honor.

But it didn’t really start out that way.  The drink really started out as a way to combine my cardamom bitters and my Amer Picon recipe when I wasn’t making Liberals.  Initially, I was making a drink by mixing 2 oz of the Amer with some sugar, lime and bitters.  It wasn’t bad, but the cardamom seemed to wear on the palate a bit too much.  You know those drinks that make you tired in the taste buds, don’t you?  The first sip was amazing, but by the last, I’d wished maybe I made something else.

About 3 months later, I was sweeping out the liquor cabinets, making room for new flavors, when I came across my bottle of the North Shore Aquavit (batch 27, in case there by variations).  I really want to like aquavit.  And actually, I don’t mind it.  But I suppose it just hasn’t been cold enough in the Seattle area for me to really acquire the taste.  If I am going to drink something straight, I much prefer a bitter.  Anyway, I have three or four bottles of aquavit and they just don’t get much use.  It had been a couple of years since I tried the North Shore aquavit, so I was going to taste it to see whether it should continue taking premium real estate in the bar, or be moved to the closet (I’d put it in the freezer, but simply haven’t the room).

Rising Star Cocktail

Recipe

One problem you might have with this recipe is that it requires Amer Picon, which is pretty hard to find as of this writing.  I’ve been using the Jamie Boudreau substitute recipe with a 151 proof orange tincture.  But plan ahead.  That recipe takes about 6 weeks to complete.

Rising Star Flavor WheelIngredients

1 oz North Shore Aquavit
1 oz Amer Picon Substitute
1/2 oz gomme syrup (simple works)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in mixing glass with ice; shake vigorously.  Serve very cold in a cocktail glass with a twist of orange.  For a slightly stronger orange essence, spray the glass first with the orange tincture using an atomizer.

Comments

Aquavit mixes in cocktails about as well as Scotch.  Every now and then, you can discover just the right flavor combination, but I can tell you that this recipe does not necessarily work with other aquavits like it does with  North Shore’s.  I belive the main reason is that the North Shore aquavit is heavy flavored with cardamom, but brings about enough complimentary flavors that it actually dampens the cardamom bitters and prevents them from overpowering the drink.

 

by on July 20, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Gin, Liqueurs - Bitter
Tagged ,
Posted by Anthonw on July 20, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=116

Monterosso

Intro

Whether it’s the statue of Neptune, that was bombed during the second world war, or the sandy beaches of Fegina, or even old town’s rustic streets and merchants, the first day in Monterosso cannot be forgotten.

For me, a single day didn’t feel like enough.  Although we stayed in Cinque Terre for 6 days total, we stayed in Rio Maggiore and only had one complete excursion into Monterosso.  And traveling with children, especially when one of three is only three, never affords us the time we’d like to spend talking to merchants or browsing the isles for that rare bottle not easily found in the states.

In the 8 minutes or so I had to scour the local wine cave before children would become restless, I came across the Macallan Travelers Series; a collection of specialty bottlings that reproduced the flavor of the Macallan from the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.  As of this writing, I still haven’t opened mine.  I was quite excited by this discovery.  Not because the bottles represent anything special, but more because it was my first realization that spirits were again for real.  Where else would the idea for high priced periodic replicas come from?

History

After returning from Cinque Terre, I had some Limoncello, Amaro, and my Macallan Travelers Series.  I still wasn’t super well read on all the different aromatic liqueurs and bitters, but I loved the taste of the Amaro Nonino.   I knew it had to be an accent flavor and gin seemed like the best candidate for a base.  Absinthe was also playing an influential role at that stage of my development.  The drink could easily do without, were you not an anise fan, but I like the way the absinthe hides in the back of the drink, especially if you use the atomizer to coat the glass, versus measuring and mixing.

The hardest part for the drink was coming up with a name.  I wanted to tip my hat to the little wine cave in Monterosso whose name I didn’t know.  So, I did a little reseach on Monterosso itself, which was where I learned that the beach itself was named Fegina.  Sophomoric humor alert!  Of course I would call it the Monterosso.  Nothing better than talking about the sights, sounds and smells of Fegina in a crowd of casual listeners.

Monterosso Flavor WheelRecipe

The Monterosso is served in a cocktail glass.

Ingredients

2 oz Gin (Bombay Sapphire)
2 dashes Orange bitters
1 tsp gomme syrup
1/2 tsp Amaro (Nonino)
1/4 tsp Absinthe (Pacifique)

Preparation

My preference is to use an atomizer to shoot a few pumps of absinthe onto the cocktail glass.  Ideally, if the patron is sitting at the bar, the atomizer should fill their sinuses with the glorious combination of wormwood and anise.  The other ingredients should be stirred with ice and strained into the cocktail glass.  I typically garnish with a lemon peel or rolled lemon peel (cut from the fruit and rolled like dough to slightly express the oils in the peel).

 

by on July 4, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Gin, Liqueurs - Bitter
Tagged , , ,
Posted by Anthonw on July 4, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=73

Brazilian

Chaulk Drawing of Brazilian WomanIntro

I’d seen a few recipes over the years calling for Licor 43, including one or two that I really wanted to make, but couldn’t without this citrus-vanilla liqueur.  By the time I found it, it was purchased more on a whim than a hunt.  I knew I had a recipe I wanted to try and I knew this elixir was a necessary ingredient.  I brought it home, tasted it, liked it, and then went searching for the recipe.  Never did find it.  So, I looked to the index of some of my contemporary bar manuals.  The first drink I decided to try was the Spanish Margarita, which subs 43 for Cointreau.  The French would be appalled, but the drink works well.

What doesn’t work so well has been any attempt to categorize this liqueur on the tongue.  It’s clearly sweet.  It’s definitely European, like the marriage of Cointreau and Tuaca.  But it also has a flavor profile that just belongs in a Tiki drink.  When I came up with the Brazilian, it was to be featured at a cocktail party I was hosting for the volunteer group of a local school.  We were covering the evolution of the American cocktail, which included 3 different menus, changing each hour, to cover the late 1800s through the present.

A few of the guests had heard the reception would include a hosted cocktail party and came in believing they could stun the crowd with their cucumber vodka martini thing.  They were a little disappointed to learn that vodka was only being served in the second hour (labeled the dark ages).  The first hour proved the biggest challenge.  Many of these people weren’t accustomed to being told what they would drink, let alone that the drink would be a Sazerac or Gin drink.

A Brazilian wasn’t introduced until the third hour and became the most popular drink of the night.  That’s not surprising, as the women out-drank the men 2:1 at this party (which, in my experience, seems to be becoming the trend).  By the time hour three rolled around, I think I’d lost everyone’s attention for appreciating the way the vanilla tones of the 43 played off the Falernum and how the almost Cachaca-like qualities of the Brazilian rum acted as referee.

Recipe

Brazilian Flavor WheelIf you’re part of the cocktail bourgeoisie, please don’t prepare this recipe and then comment about how it lacks sophistication or is too sweet.  My target for the drink is the margarita drinker, who is a step up from the cosmo drinker, but still someone rather virgin-esque to the proliferation of flavors that are available today.

Ingredients

2 oz Brazilian Rum (Oronoco)
1/4 oz Licor 43
1/4 oz Falernum
1/2 oz fresh lime juice

Preparation

Shake and strain into a cockail glass.  If you’ll be making a few, pre-mix the Licor 43 and Falernum in a 1:1 ratio.  That makes pouring the half ounce (or even quarter ounce if you’d like it dry and subtle) a little easier.

Comments

The key to this drink is the Oronoco rum.  You might also use a white Jamaican rum or other quality rum dashed with some cachaca to give it the Brazilian flair.  I’ve also tried the recipe with Bacardi White rum and I couldn’t recommend it less.  Maybe you could sneak the Bacardi in if you double the other ingredients, but Bacardi by itself is too bland and alcoholic to be enjoyed in a cocktail like this.

Another variation worth trying is to apply the David Embury rule of sours.  Use the premix of 43 and falernum such that the 1-2-8 ratio works out to 1/4 oz of mix, 1/2 oz of lime juice, and 2 oz of the rum.  I actually prefer the 1-2-8 variation with Appleton White Jamaica Rum.  It has a lighter and crisper flavor than the Oronoco.

by on July 3, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Rum
Tagged , , , , , ,
Posted by Anthonw on July 3, 2011

http://zeitguys.us/?p=70

« Older Posts
Newer Posts »