Entries tagged with 'cocktails'
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In yesterday’s Washington Post, drinks writer Jason Wilson looks at one of the more neglected products in American bars: Dubonnet. Typically lumped in with its close relative, vermouth, Dubonnet is one of the few remaining vestiges of a once dynamic style of aperitif wine known as quinquinas. With origins dating to the 1830s, quinquinas were developed as a palatable way to deliver a medical dose of quinine to malaria-plagued French colonials in North Africa (much the way that gin’s favorite quinine-tinted consort, tonic water, was developed to aid British colonials in their own tropical outposts). Flavored with an array of botanicals including cinnamon, citrus peel, coffee beans and, of course, the bitter quinine, Dubonnet once enjoyed great success throughout France,...
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©iStockphoto.com/TSchon In last Sunday’s New York Times, drinks writer Jonathan Miles relates the story behind Nick Fauchald’s sad discovery one recent Christmas: after years of serving his guests a hot, mulled wine upon their arrival, he realized that nobody ever came back for more. Fauchald’s realization? “It’s hot wine [...] it’s not that good." The holidays are a time when all kinds of special recipes get trotted out for an annual airing, and like those red-and-white sweaters with little reindeer buttons, some of them should be tossed out along with that string of lights that no longer works. Everybody has their own issues with certain seasonal dishes—I, for one, have never understood the desire to consume cranberry sauce—and the...
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Photograph from Maitri on Flickr When your house or apartment is filled with people this season, and everyone’s trying to snag an hors d’oeuvre, find or avoid the mistletoe and, above all, grab a drink, the last thing you want them to do is wait for you to pour glasses for the crowd. Fortunately, there’s punch. In this month’s Saveur, wine and spirits editor David Wondrich gives a brief history of the flowing bowl. Punch originated centuries ago as a simple and straightforward mixture of citrus juice, sugar, water, spice and, of course, liquor. Today, the model is still essentially the same, although the basic formula has been tinkered with to make room for richly flavored liqueurs, tea, champagne,...
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Normally at this time of year, glasses are being lifted in a joyous celebration of the winter holidays—or at least we usually pretend that’s the case. This year, however, with the economy in a tailspin and with the future looking grim, it’s less a case of “God bless us every one” and more a case of “God, I could use a drink.” Be sure to spread some of the season’s spirit this year, but since times are tough, don’t break the bank—instead, do some strategic shopping for the home mixologist on your list. 'Tiny Bubbles' by Kate Simon Magnums of fine French bubbly may be a scarce sighting during hard times, but it’s easy to get festive with a...
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Those of you who listen to the radio will recognize the line: "Ribena, I know what you're drinking" from the "American Boy" duet between Kanye West and Estelle. Kanye, the American boy, seduces Estelle, the English girl, by buying her a Ribena. As a girl who has been separated from the sweet, condensed black currant "squash" by the Atlantic Ocean, that pick-up line just might work on me. Kanye may know what Ribena is, but I would venture that most Americans don't. It's a condensed black currant (the Concord grape of England) juice meant to be diluted with water that is shoved under kid's noses when they are young so that they will grow into sweet, black-currant adoring adults....
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While everyone else is getting ready for Christmas, Hannukah and the whole winter holiday experience, those who enjoy a good drink are gearing up for their own celebration: Repeal Day, December 5. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the 18th amendment and the end of Prohibition. Until recently this was merely a minor historical footnote, but over the past few years, thanks in large part to bartender & blogger Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the anniversary has gained greater significance, as bars, bloggers and spirits brands commemorate the end of 13 long, dry years....
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Photograph from Eduardo Mueses on Flickr I'm all about mixology, but even I'll admit that while there are certainly exceptions, cocktails are best suited as a pre- or post-prandial enjoyment. And while others are weighing the benefits of Thanksgiving-friendly wines, Jason Wilson at the Washington Post reminds us of a seasonal, suitable and historically appropriate accompaniment to the meal: cider. As Wilson points out, cider has a bad rap: most commercial brands are overly sweet, excessively carbonated and downright insipid. Cider deserves much better. During the colonial era and the nation's early years, hard cider was popularly consumed by people of all ages and classes. More flavorful and, in many cases, safer than water in those pre-treatment days, cider...
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In this month's The Atlantic, Wayne Curtis delves into one of the most polarizing products in the spirits world: Fernet Branca. A digestivo that's part of the class of Italian bitter liqueurs known as "amari," Fernet Branca is unlike any other spirit on the shelf—and that can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on which side of the Fernet Branca battle you're on. The flavor is engagingly bitter, memorably potent and as Curtis notes, almost indescribably complex. Despite these vagaries, Fernet Branca has a double-barreled character that tends to inspire strong passions: as Curtis writes, "in 1960, Betsy von Furstenberg was suspended from Actors' Equity for spiking Tony Randall's onstage drink with it. Randall believed he had been...
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Interest in classic cocktails and creative mixology continues to grow at a phenomenal pace, even as the economy has taken a dive. But as bartenders and home enthusiasts explore new or forgotten products and flavors, it’s not unusual that they run into a wall: the range of commercial products, while growing, is still somewhat limited. In response, these folks are increasingly turning to the kitchen to create their own ingredients—syrups, bitters, liqueurs, and other spirits and mixers that can exponentially expand the number of options available when mixing drinks. Last summer I chaired a panel discussion at Tales of the Cocktail that touched on making everything from simple infusions to complex liqueurs and compound syrups, and this week—as part of...
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oldtomgin.co.uk In last Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle, spirits writer Camper English dips into the rebirth of classic-style gins. We've recently noted the return to the U.S. market of Bols Genever, a Dutch-style gin that predates the typical London dry gins found in most bars, but English also covers the debut of another style of gin that’s been even harder to find for much of the past century: Old Tom gin. Hayman’s Old Tom Gin began production in the UK in 2007, but only in the past few months has it begun cropping up in American liquor stores and bars....
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