Posted by Paul Clarke, May 14, 2008 at 4:45 PM
I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but here in Seattle, summer is taking its time to roll around. On Friday, though, the forecast says we’ll be in the 80s, and with Memorial Day fast approaching, it looks like gin & tonic season is here.
Too bad I hate them like poison.
Well, maybe I should put that in past tense. Until recently, pouring a gin and tonic typically entailed cracking the lid on a plastic liter bottle, and pouring a fizzy, somewhat oily mix of carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup and assorted flavorings over ice with a good belt of gin. To my taste, it’s too sweet and synthetically bitter at the same time, and on those occasions when I’ve been handed a cup of gin & tonic at a barbecue, I always wind up trying to drink half the mess good-naturedly in gulps so I won’t taste the tonic, then conveniently losing my cup when I just can’t take any more.
In recent years, however, there’s been a growing movement to rescue tonic's reputation. Put off by the sickly sweetness and artificial flavors of mass-produced commercial tonic water, adventurous bartenders such as Daniel Shoemaker at Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Oregon, have been crafting their own tonic waters using natural ingredients. Some entrepreneurs and artisinal producers are following suit, introducing small-batch tonic waters that taste of real botanicals and are lightly sweetened—a vast improvement on the stuff hiding behind yellow labels in the grocery store.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, May 7, 2008 at 3:45 PM
If last Sunday’s New York Times T magazine is to be believed, Batavia arrack is one of the "New Staples"—one of the top ingredients of the season. If that’s the case, then never has one spirit gone so far so fast, from a century-plus of obscurity to must-have status in the liquor cabinet.
Produced since at least the early 17th-century on the island of Java, Batavia arrack is rum’s funky ancestor. Made from sugarcane and fermented red rice (one quibble with the Times story: while Sri Lankan arrack made from palm sap has a similar name, it’s a totally different creature), this smoky, aromatic spirit was a mariner’s favorite for years, and was an essential ingredient in punch until well into the 19th-century. Eventually supplanted by rum, Batavia arrack faded from the back bar and the liquor store; in recent years it was primarily found close to its Asian roots, as well as in parts of Northern Europe, where it appeared in chocolates, desserts and sweetened, flavored punches.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, May 2, 2008 at 4:15 PM
A few weeks ago I put up a post about drinking on the cheap during tough economic times. I’m obviously not the only one giving thought to the virtues of affordable booze.
In last weekend’s Wall Street Journal, Eric Felten walked through a blind tasting of six affordable bourbons. While regular readers of the WSJ aren’t likely to be reaching for the rotgut shelf anytime soon, Felten wanted to step away from the boutique bourbons that typically get all the ink, and try a few brands that are available at most any bar in America. To raise the stakes (somewhat), he tasted the bourbons blind, so any prejudices against particular labels or price points would ideally be eliminated as a factor.
His top pick? The humble Evan Williams, which Felten picked up for about $10; this venerable whiskey bested more upmarket brands such as Wild Turkey and Maker’s Mark, which Felten described as tasting "thin, raw and twangy."
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Posted by Lucy Baker, April 16, 2008 at 10:00 AM
He has his own cereal, his own salsa, and his own steak sauce, and now Paul Newman also has his own wine. Last month, the philanthropic foodie introduced a 2006 Chardonnay and a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, each priced at around $16, in partnership with the Rebel Wine Co. Like all Newman's products, all the profits and royalties after taxes are donated to charity.
I was curious. Producing a decent jar of marinara is one thing; a bottle of wine is another. Would Newman's be any good?
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Posted by Paul Clarke, April 9, 2008 at 3:15 PM
It’s tax time, and once you’re done sweating over the paperwork and writing out your check, you could probably use a drink. Ah, but there’s the rub—the IRS just walked away with your wallet, there’s a recession staring us in the face, and, to top it all, the real estate market is peeking into the abyss. At times like these, it’s hard to saunter out of the liquor store with a $50 bottle of scotch in your hand when within a few months it could turn out to be worth more than your house.
But that’s okay (well, it’s really not, but let’s pretend it is for now)—you can still have friends over for a perfectly satisfying and relaxing drink without cracking into the kids’ college fund. Here are a few ways to accomplish this (beyond the patently obvious "drink less"); be sure to join us in the comments section with any ideas you have.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, April 9, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Are you still thinking about making that bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup cocktail but don't know where to begin? Watch this video of Don Lee making the Bacon-Infused Old-Fashioned in which he explains each step, including how to make the bacon-infused bourbon.
It's three of your favorite ingredients in one: bacon, maple syrup, and hard liquor! Just in time for maple syrup season, New York Magazine shares Don Lee's recipe for his bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup cocktail served at East Village bar PDT.
Posted by Paul Clarke, April 2, 2008 at 2:45 PM
In case you’ve somehow missed all media coverage of drink trends in recent years, let me fill you in on something: gin is in. In today’s Los Angeles Times, staff writer Betty Hallock notes the continuing fondness for the juniper spirit among bartenders nationwide.
For decades, starting in the 1950s, it looked like gin was on the ropes, its once-strong grip on the culture of mixology eclipsed by the more approachable vodka. But with the current cocktail renaissance, gin is again in vogue. A quick glance at the shelves of your liquor store could tell you this much: new brands and bottlings of premium and artisan gins are continuing to push the tired cases of Seagram’s and Gordon’s aside.
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My brackets got royally screwed after Georgetown's tragic loss, let's forget that b-word and embrace another: beer. The Washington Post has been updating a Beer Bracket with leagues divided by Lagers, Ales, Specialty & Fruit, and Dark. They're a bit ahead of the NCAA schedule with the Elite Eight already decided. It includes Flying Dog Old Scratch, Raven Lager, Stone Pale Ale, Troegs HopBack Amber Ale, Ommegang Hennepin, Oxford Raspberry Wheat, Sam Adams Honey Porter, and Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown. Would your bracket win?
Posted by Paul Clarke, March 19, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Photograph from on jmilles Flickr
When it comes to sweetening a drink, many times sugar alone just won’t hack it.
The current issue of Imbibe includes a short article I wrote about one of the alternative sweeteners being rediscovered by bartenders: maple syrup. Yeah, I know, many people find the idea of mixing their Log Cabin with their Grey Goose absolutely revolting, but pure maple syrup mixed with a rich brown spirit, such as bourbon, dark rum or apple brandy, is capable of bringing much more flavor and character to a drink than a spoonful of sugar ever could.
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Posted by Amanda Clarke, March 13, 2008 at 11:00 AM
A nonic pint (left) and a tulip pint (right) flank fish and chips at Mc Donagh's, Galway, Ireland
Not all pint glasses are created equal.
In Ireland and Great Britain the internal volume of so-called "pint glasses" is regulated by state authorities in accordance with the imperial system of measure. As such, a state sanctioned pint glass (indicated by an official mark etched on each glass: a crown in the U.K., a circle bisected by a wavy line in the Republic of Ireland, or, in accordance with recent standards set to unify the mark throughout the European Union, the letters “CE” *) must hold a minimum of 20 imperial fluid ounces (the equivalent of about 19 US fluid ounces, or about 1.2 US pints), but the glasses are generally designed with slightly larger capacities than the minimum, ensuring plenty of room for a full imperial pint of beer topped off with an ample head of foam.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, March 12, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Since when did the low-class hooch known as kirsch become the stuff of the connoisseur’s table? That’s a question that underscores Eric Felten’s recent “How’s Your Drink?” column in the Wall Street Journal.
Distilled from fermented cherries, pits and all, kirsch is part of the larger category of eau de vie—fruit brandies, typically unaged, that are dry in flavor and intensely aromatic. As Felten points out, a century ago kirsch was, when paired with coffee, a not-uncommon French workingman’s lunch, and the stuff drunk by criminals in grubby Parisian bars.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, March 3, 2008 at 2:15 PM
How does a visually impaired person pick out a can of beer from other canned non-beer beverages? By feeling the braille on the top of the can—if you're in Japan, at least.
Beer manufacturers in Japan have started stamping braille on the top of cans that spells out "alcohol" or, if made by Kirin Brewery, "Kirin Beer." Whether this will increase the number of drunk blind people on the streets is not yet known.
Photograph from preetamrai on Flickr
Posted by Paul Clarke, February 27, 2008 at 3:00 PM
It seems that every time I step into a liquor store, a new gin has appeared on the shelf, from new formulas promoted by established liquor giants to microdistilled boutique gins flavored with ambitious—and sometimes unpleasant—new combinations of botanicals.
But as Jason Wilson pointed out last week in the Washington Post, many gin and cocktail aficionados are ignoring the new gins in favor of something old: in this case, a gin known as genever.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, February 20, 2008 at 2:45 PM
In today’s New York Times piece, "Eat 300 and Say 'Spherification'", Pete Wells looks at a big development in one of the most attention-getting aspects of contemporary cocktails: molecular mixology.
Following in the footsteps of Ferran Adria at El Bulli, adventurous bartenders have, in recent years, been working with assorted chemicals and lab techniques that enable them to change the appearance, texture and styling of cocktail ingredients—think gelatinous cubes of Campari, and scoops of “caviar” made from gin. But even as these techniques have inspired a certain degree of gee-whiz admiration, the number of bartenders skilled in the techniques has been until recently quite small.
That could soon change. As Wells writes, liquor behemoth Remy Cointreau is introducing a kit that has everything a bartender needs to convert the company’s signature orange liqueur into tiny tapioca-like pearls, which may then be spooned into a Cosmopolitan or a glass of champagne. The company plans to introduce this kit at 20 bars in New York, including several that are the reigning regents of cocktail culture.
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I've heard of chicken soup to heal colds, but sake and egg? Tamagozake, or egg sake, is a traditional home remedy in Japan for the cold. Mix together 3/4th cup of sake, an egg, and a tablespoon of sugar and heat until just before boiling. Serve with chopsticks. And let the healing begin! [via Peter Payne]
Ballantine Ale may no longer be a hit beer—the glory days fell apart during the '60s—but if you close your eyes, an Olde English 800 should do the trick. Once the fourth largest brewer in the 1940s and 50s, the ale later became a pop culture icon in an SNL skit in 2003, and two years later, a Notorious B.I.G. reference in his hit, "Long Kiss Goodnight." As Biggie Smalls professes: "distribute to kids who, take heart like Valentine, drink Ballantine, all the time." So drink up, kids.
Posted by Paul Clarke, February 13, 2008 at 3:30 PM
In Sunday’s New York Times, Alex Williams wades into a modern minefield of a topic: parents who bring their children into bars.
Williams’ article, “Look Who’s Getting Rolled Out of the Bar,” takes a look at parents who like to bring the wee ones into the local for a quick cold one. Concerned about stroller pileups and liability issues, some bars are asking parents to pass on by (or at least leave the Maclaren at home), while bar patrons' arguments have grown increasingly heated on both sides of the debate (for proof, just check out the comments that have been showered on the article). Williams’ story focuses primarily on parents and establishments in New York, where neither city nor state laws ban minors from bars; other places, of course, take a different approach.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, February 6, 2008 at 4:00 PM
As the interest in fine spirits and cocktails has grown in recent years, demand has likewise increased for Italian amaros. The garnet-red Campari has long held a place of prominence, and recently the milder flavored Aperol has earned fans in the cocktail community. Now, the Sicilian herbal tonic called Averna—already the leading amaro in many parts of the world—is hoping to become the next indispensable ingredient in the American bartender’s arsenal.
With a recipe dating to the 1860s, Averna is a much different style of bitter spirit than the more familiar Campari. Where Campari is sharp and bright (essential elements for an aperitivo), Averna is deep and rich, with a gentle, slightly sweet bitterness and a full, firm body that makes it great as an after-dinner drink.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, January 23, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Earlier this week at The Spirit World, cocktail expert Robert Hess addressed the history of that most iconic barroom vessel, the Martini glass. You know the one I mean: its V-shape sleek and modern, easily rendered in neon and often seen in the company of an olive.
While the V-shaped glass is certainly the most prominent type of stemware found in the cocktail kingdom, this wasn’t always the case: a tour of old cocktail manuals and bar catalogs reveals an array of glasses designed to deliver a short one, ranging from Marie-Antoinette coupes to tulip-shaped goblets.
But what really got my attention is the way sizes have shifted. Look for a cocktail glass in the housewares section of a department store and you’ll find 9- to 12-ounce monstrosities more suitable for use as birdbaths than for serving a respectable drink. Here in Seattle, one of the most popular bars in town draws its name from the gargantuan size of its drinks, poured into glasses so obscenely large that a woozy patron could topple forward and drown in one. If Morgan Spurlock were to reprise Supersize Me in many American bars, his liver would give out halfway through the film.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, January 16, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Dedicated lovers of Scotch whisky may wish to look the other way right now.
In his "Shaken and Stirred" column in Sunday’s New York Times, Jonathan Miles addresses one of the touchiest topics in mixology: the crafting of cocktails using single-malt Scotch. Miles writes, “As a Scottish proverb says: ‘There are two things a Highlander likes naked, and one of them is malt whiskey.’ But we New Yorkers are islanders, not Highlanders, and adulteration befits us.”
Outraged purists aside, Scotch is already a very difficult spirit to mix. A handful of cocktails achieve success with blended Scotch—the Rob Roy, Cameron’s Kick and Blood and Sand among them—but these victories are badly overshadowed by the failures. These losses can be seen in the cases of good whisky squandered in undrinkable concoctions that must have seemed promising at first, had it not been for Scotch’s near-sociopathic inability to get along with others.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, January 9, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Orange is one of the most popular and venerable flavors for liqueurs. Early versions of the Manhattan and Old Fashioned called for dashes and drips of orange-flavored spirits, and without these liqueurs it’d be impossible to mix a proper Sidecar, Mai Tai, or Margarita. From the crisp austerity of Cointreau to the lush richness of Grand Marnier—with side trips to Gran Gala and Prunier La Lieutenance, and through a dizzying array of brands of triple secs and curacaos—there is no shortage of boozy citrus options to choose from.
Here’s one more: Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb is another addition to the shelf of orange spirits, but one that distinguishes itself in a couple of ways. While most orange-flavored liqueurs are based on neutral spirits or brandy, Creole Shrubb uses rhum agricole, a distinctive type of rum from Martinique that is made from sugar-cane juice rather than molasses, the base material for most other rums. Rhum agricole has a sharper, more peppery aroma and flavor than do molasses-based rums, and this feature gives the Creole Shrubb an unusually crisp character. Flavored with bitter orange peels and a mix of spices, the Creole Shrubb is lean and sharp, with the rich orange notes typically found in curacaos but without the over-the-top sweetness that mars many other liqueurs.
It may take some searching to track down a bottle of Creole Shrubb, but the result makes the effort worthwhile. I’ve enjoyed using it as a component in exotic rum drinks and as an extra flavor boost in a glass of Champagne, and that’s just the start.
Does anyone else have experience with the Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb? How do you take it?
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 2, 2008 at 6:00 PM
That is one buzzed-looking robot. He probably drank too many of Never Bashful With Butter's Robot Graveyards—a mix of six juices, two sodas, and a shot of rum. [via Tastespotting]
Posted by Paul Clarke, January 2, 2008 at 3:30 PM
In today’s New York Times, Michael S. Sanders explores one corner of an often neglected world of spirits: Armagnac.
Widely enjoyed in Gascony and largely an afterthought almost everywhere else, Armagnac is Cognac’s less-famous sibling. With its distinctive robust flavor, Armagnac is often thought of as the country bumpkin cousin to the more sophisticated Cognac. Quoting Marc Darroze, whose family has been buying some of the best vintage Armagnac from French farmers and selling it worldwide for more than 50 years, Sanders writes, “If Cognac is feminine, Armagnac is masculine, dense, powerful, individualistic, reeking of terroir.” Where Cognac can be sweet and fruity, Armagnac can be rich and earthy, a close relative with its own inimitable character.
More than 500 bottles of Cognac were imported into the U.S. last year for every bottle of Armagnac. But at a time when the American palate is becoming more adventurous, seeking out regional delicacies with distinctive flavors that set them apart from their more familiar relatives, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more people exploring Armagnac in the next couple of years (and in many fine restaurants and bars, a growing interest can already be seen).
My own experience with Armagnac is woefully limited. Any fans of this intriguing brandy out there who’d like to share their experiences and their favorite bottlings?
Posted by Paul Clarke, December 26, 2007 at 3:00 PM
Gin is typically thought of as a British tipple, and no wonder—take a stroll through your local liquor emporium, and you’ll see the gin labels are full of derby hats, regal symbols, uniformed Beefeaters, and the face of Queen Victoria. But while “London Dry” still has a near monopoly on the market, gins from the New World are freshening up the venerable category.
One of the newest and most acclaimed gins to arrive is the Philadelphia-distilled Bluecoat. Described as an “American Dry” gin, Bluecoat uses organic juniper, citrus peels and other botanicals to create a crisp, bright spirit. More herbal and citrusy than more juniper-heavy gins such as Tanqueray, the pot-distilled Bluecoat is an addition to the growing category of “New Generation” gins, a group that includes other highly acclaimed spirits such as Hendrick’s and Aviation.
When I first sampled Bluecoat neat, I was taken aback by the pronounced citrus note. But returning to the spirit, both neat and mixed in a Martini, I’ve come around to its charms: Bluecoat is certainly different from the typical dry gin, but its distinctive mix of citrus, juniper and spice finds a great partner in a decent vermouth; while I haven’t tried Bluecoat in a Vesper yet, I imagine the mix would work quite well.
Bluecoat is gradually expanding into markets across the country. Who's tried it? And what are your thoughts on Bluecoat?
Posted by Paul Clarke, December 19, 2007 at 3:00 PM
“A merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss our affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob! Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!”
A Christmas Carol
regularly gets trotted out this time of year (or DVDs of Scrooge McDuck cartoons do, anyway), to mark the holiday with Dickens’ tale of redemption. While Tiny Tim’s treacly “God bless us, every one!” is enough to set my teeth on edge, I have to admit that this reference to Smoking Bishop in the closing scene at the Cratchits puts me in the holiday mood.
The old Smoking Bishop is one of a family of once-common drinks that now make their sole appearance during the holidays, if then. But this near-forgotten class of punches is worth rediscovering, for both culinary and social reasons. As Eric Felten writes in How's Your Drink?
, “Of all the outward signs of the miser’s redemption, the final confirmation of Scrooge’s transformation comes when he takes ladle in hand to serve up the Bishop.”
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Posted by Dr. Vino, December 14, 2007 at 3:30 PM
What better time for some celebratory sipping than the holidays? Our gift guide for the wine lover will brighten the spirits of oenophiles or those struggling with what to give them. Prices don't include shipping unless otherwise noted.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, December 12, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Nothing puts your guests in the holiday spirit like a little holiday spirits. From books to bottles to shakers and bitters, there are plenty of gift ideas from the cocktail world that can add pizzazz to celebrations throughout the year.
Prices don't include shipping unless otherwise noted.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, December 5, 2007 at 5:00 PM
In a recent article in the Washington Post, Jason Wilson reminisces about the time a friend of the family took him to a nice hotel bar—where he was apparently a regular—and announced to the bartender that the time had come to switch to his winter drink (a Stinger, in case you were wondering).
Reading this story reminded me of a rule I read on an online message board back when I was first starting to explore mixology: As the seasons change, so should your drink.
Since reading that instruction, I’ve happily taken it to heart—besides, December is no time to be ordering a mojito. While I’m always exploring different recipes, I typically have one or two favorites that I keep returning to, but those favorites change as predictably as the calendar. Spring to me is typically gin, often with citrus such as in the moody, meditative Corpse Reviver #2, but just as often without, as in the crisp and slightly bitter Hoskins. Summer is the season of rum, with variations on the venerable daiquiri high on my list of preferred drinks, and autumn brings the return of brown spirits such as applejack and Calvados, with Fallen Leaves and Stone Fences seeming very attractive.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, November 28, 2007 at 4:00 PM
Sunday’s New York Times tells of how small distilleries – once an anomaly in an era dominated by global brands and arcane liquor laws – are now cropping up across the country at the rate of 10 to 20 a year. And while the laws – not to mention culinary culture – in states such as California and Oregon have encouraged the growth of small-scale distilling, regulators in Midwestern states are increasingly seeing the appeal of licensing local distilleries, which can add considerable value to all those acres of grain.
Early craft distillers such as Fritz Maytag of Anchor Distilling in San Francisco and Steve McCarthy of Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon, have garnered international praise for the quality of their gins and rye whiskies (for Anchor) and fruit eaux de vie and single-malt whiskey (for Clear Creek).
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Posted by Paul Clarke, November 21, 2007 at 5:00 PM
In Sunday’s New York Times, Jonathan Miles fleshes out the story of a cocktail being served at Primehouse New York. Cocktail designer Eben Klemm took the restaurant’s steakhouse concept seriously while creating the recipe for the Dirty Bull, a carnivorous take on the dirty martini that is made with vodka, olive brine, and a dollop of veal stock, then garnished with a piece of beef jerky.
It would be easy to dismiss the drink as a gimmick, except December’s issue of Food & Wine features an article on Eben Freeman, currently tending bar at Tailor in Manhattan, who is also blurring the boundaries between the charcuterie plate and the cocktail shaker. While demonstrating the process of “fat washing”—in which a liquid fat such as melted butter is mixed with an alcohol such as rum, then chilled until the fat congeals and can be removed, leaving its flavor but not its greasiness behind—Freeman says that any fat can be infused into spirits, and goes on to prepare a bacon-infused bourbon.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, November 14, 2007 at 5:15 PM
While the Wednesday food section long ago cemented its role as a staple of big-city dailies, regular columns devoted to the bibulous side of gastronomy—especially to things spirituous (let's forget wine for now; those guys get all the press)—lag much further behind. While drinks are largely an afterthought in many papers, there are a few notable exceptions: the San Francisco Chronicle has long been home to cocktail columns by Gary Regan, and more recently spirits writer Camper English has taken the reins for Friday features on drinks; the Los Angeles Times has occasional, but often noteworthy, features on drink as part of its food section; and the infrequent Wednesdays when Eric Asimov steps into the spirit world over at the New York Times, the result is always something that ranks near the top of the Times’ “Top E-Mailed” stories list for the day (and while the paper’s Sunday “Shaken and Stirred” column was once the place to find unforgettable cocktail coverage by William Grimes and William Hamilton, recently it’s … well, don’t get me started.)
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Posted by Paul Clarke, November 7, 2007 at 3:15 PM
In Sunday’s New York Times Style Magazine, Toby Cecchini tackles a spirit that’s seen better days: sloe gin.
Chances are if you’ve had sloe gin in the United States, you’ve either been somewhat disappointed in the product, or young and exuberant enough that you didn’t really care. Traditionally made from gin that has been flavored with an infusion of sloe berries—the fruit of the blackthorn tree, which grows wild in the U.K. and Ireland but is mostly if not entirely absent from these shores—and then sweetened, sloe gin has now slunk to the bottom rack of the liquor store, its bright, fruity flavor abandoned in favor of cheaper, artificially colored and flavored alternatives.
If your sole exposure to sloe gin is from drinks with gaudy flavors and tawdry names—such as the Alabama Slammer or the Sloe Comfortable Screw—a sublime drinking experience may not have been what you were looking for at the time; but for classic and delectable drinks such as the Sloe Gin Fizz or the Blackthorn Sour, a cheap sloe gin can ruin the entire experience.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, October 31, 2007 at 5:00 PM
This is where “covering current events” merges with “shameless self promotion.”
In the November-December issue of Imbibe magazine, there’s a feature I wrote called "Sherry on Top," about—you guessed it—sherry. Now I’m a dyed-in-the-wool spirits and cocktails guy, and sherry is usually the province of the more oenologically inclined. But sherry is such a strange bird, with its multitude of styles and its solera blending process, that it appealed to the part of me that likes murking about with different combinations of flavors.
Among the things I learned from writing the piece: I really, really like amontillados and olorossos. My previous experiences with sherry had mainly been with either the super-dry finos or the sweet and rich dessert sherries like the creams and the noteworthy Pedro Ximenez; exploring the classes of dry yet robust wines really gave my palate something to get excited about, and I’m hoping to learn more.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, October 24, 2007 at 5:45 PM
From left: Fred Noe and Richard Paterson
I’m on a quick trip to San Francisco to enjoy the bounty of WhiskyFest, which is—well, it’s called WhiskyFest, which should give you a pretty good idea of what goes on. Think of a big hotel ballroom filled with tables stacked with bottles of whisky (the pour list topped 250, if you include the handful of rums and gins tossed into the mix), typically served either by guys in kilts, with rich Scottish accents, or by guys in jeans and boots, with thick Southern drawls.
This stylistic dichotomy was not lost on event organizers, who pulled together a recurring seminar-cum-riot called "Scotch...or...Bourbon?" featuring two of the more passionate advocates of each style of the spirit: Fred Noe, great-grandson of Jim Beam and representative of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection; and Richard Paterson, master blender for The Dalmore.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, October 10, 2007 at 1:30 PM
It may not carry the same fear-inducing firepower as challenging foods like tripe, brains, or other "variety meats," but there's an ingredient in occasional use behind the bar that sometimes rattles the unsuspecting customer: raw eggs.
Mixing eggs with liquor has a long heritage. A prime mover at colonial taverns was the flip, a drink typically made with a spirit such as rum, cream, and raw eggs (other ingredients such as hot beer or sherry were not uncommon); and while it's now thought of primarily as a holiday tipple, eggnog was once a fairly common concoction to call for across the bar. Egg whites became a staple ingredient in drinks such as the gin fizz and the whiskey sour, adding foam and body to the drink while slipping a little sustenance to the imbiber. And for sheer decadence there was the Knickerbein, composed of several liqueurs in a glass topped by the unbroken egg yolk and a mound of whipped egg white; the drinker was instructed to first inhale the froth, then drink the liquor while leaving the yolk untouched, and finally to gulp the remaining spirits while breaking the yolk in the mouth.
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Posted by Paul Clarke, September 12, 2007 at 5:00 PM
As if you needed an additional reason for having a drink or two this month, by official decree of the U.S. Senate, September is National Bourbon Heritage Month.
Bourbon was first declared “America’s Native Spirit” in 1964, and the spirit certainly inspires thoughts of handsome old Colonels rocking on the porch while sipping mint juleps and sniffing the fragrance of the magnolia trees on summer afternoons (we’ll ignore the whole doing-shots-of-Jim-Beam-in-a-frat-bar thing for now). And what could be more all-American than a whiskey that claims the rolling hills of Kentucky as its birthplace, and lists names such as Elijah Craig, Jim Beam and Pappy Van Winkle among the giants of its long history? (Okay, we'll ignore rye whiskey for now, too.)
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Posted by Paul Clarke, August 29, 2007 at 3:15 PM
This one’s promoted from the comments on the Aviation. Noting the liqueur used to sweeten that drink, emily20008 asked a good question:
What is maraschino liqueur? Don’t tell me it’s that sugary syrup they soak those evil red cherries in...
Everyone’s familiar with those neon-red orbs that perch atop sundaes and dwell in the depths of Manhattans. While I’m now kinda freaked out by the chemicals and processes that turn a natural piece of fruit into a freakish, preserved-for-eternity caricature of itself, I’ll admit to an inordinate fondness for them back in the day when my mom had to drive me to swim lessons and I considered Dr Pepper the ne plus ultra of liquid refreshment.
But is there a link between these gaudy globules and the engaging, esoteric liqueur that acts as a defining ingredient in so many classic cocktails? The answer, of course, is "kind of."
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Posted by Paul Clarke, August 15, 2007 at 3:00 PM
Few things in the world of drink inspire as much curiosity—and as much breathless hysteria—as absinthe. Banished from the U.S. in 1912 as a warm-up exercise by Prohibitionists, absinthe was absent from the U.S. market (legally, at least) until just this past spring. When Viridian Spirits rolled out Lucid, the first (and so far, only) absinthe to meet regulatory approval in almost 100 years, newspapers and magazines immediately began to circulate many of the old, exaggerated claims and contemporary urban myths about the spirit called the "green fairy."
Last week, the Colorado Springs Gazette joined the fray, but with a difference: Reporter Mark Arnest sought to lay many of these rumors to rest, ranging from the Prohibitionist rhetoric that absinthe causes insanity (Vincent van Gogh's gruesome self-mutilation is the perennial example) to the modern-day thrill-seekers belief that it can make a drinker hallucinate (example from the story's Q&A section: "Q: Will it make me hallucinate? A: Ironically, absinthe's reputation as a psychoactive liquor is largely a result of the ban. [...] Q: But what about van Gogh's ear? A: Drunk people sometimes do really stupid things.") In doing so, the story underscores a point that one of Arnest's sources states directly: Absinthe is simply a strong, alcoholic beverage—no more, and no less.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, July 18, 2007 at 5:01 PM
While dining in Paris, Dorie Greenspan saw her waiter put a silver spoon in an opened bottle of Champagne before storing it in the refrigerator.
Sticking a silver spoon in an opened bottle of Champagne to preserve the fizz is an old wives' tale, but at least one waiter in Paris (among others) swears by this trick. Research has found (of course there's been research) that spoons don't do a whole lot but are better than recorking, that neither spoons nor corks are needed, as long as the bottle is refrigerated after opening, and that the only way to avoid losing fizz is to drink the whole bottle at once or seal it with a hermetic cork.
One of my friends explained that the spoon acts as a heat sink, thus cooling the inside of the bottle and causing a slower release of carbon dioxide.
Or maybe it's just urban mythology.
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 12, 2007 at 3:30 PM
From a glossary of hangover categories on The Observer's Word of Mouth blog:
Angsty Hangover — in which flashes of the deeply dangerous dialogue that you shared with inappropriate people (colleagues, family members, close friends, exes) return with awful clarity at half hourly intervals through the course of the following morning.
There's also "Blatherer's Regret," "The Film of Shame," "Karaoke Hangover," and "The Black Hole," among others.
Photograph from iStockPhoto.com
Posted by Ed Levine, May 15, 2007 at 11:30 AM
According to a new study, moderate alcohol intake may be good for your health. In the New York Times: "Researchers have long known that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol appear to be less likely to develop heart disease. Much of the benefit has been attributed to the higher levels of HDL cholesterol, often referred to as the 'good cholesterol'—found in moderate drinkers. The lipoproteins in this kind of cholesterol are believed to help the body fight off heart disease."
The new study suggests that "moderate drinking may encourage the formation of larger lioprotein particles in both HDL and LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol associated with cardiovascular problems."
Posted by Lia Bulaong, May 4, 2007 at 5:30 PM
I'm a carnivore who doesn't drink very much wine so it never really occurred to me that wine could be vegetarian or vegan, but it turns out that the majority of wines are fined (clarified, softened or stabilised) with clay, milk or egg products like casein or albumen, which are vegetarian but not vegan; some wines are fined with gelatin or products made from fish and shellfish and are not vegetarian at all. The Observer's Tim Atkins picks out twelve solid vegetarian wines so you can stick to your diet without compromising your tastebuds, and if you can't find them at your local shops the Vegan Wine Guide lists where to best order wines online in the US and UK.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 6, 2007 at 2:28 PM
BusinessWeek's Kerry Miller discusses an upcoming lower-priced wine brand that "classifies its wines not by how they're made, but by what foods to pair them with":
The bottle's label doesn't list the wines' primary grape or vintage—details most buyers are accustomed to looking for, even if it doesn't mean much to them. Instead, the back label is a mini wine-pairing lesson in grid form, with simple descriptions explaining the intensity, acidity, tannin, and flavor of the wine. The aim: to win over foodies without alienating newer drinkers who might be scared off by more esoteric tasting-notes.
"Wine That Loves Pizza," for example, reads, "Pizza crust can create a dry mouth feel, so the right wine needs to be low in tannin," and "Because of the tomato sauce, pizza demands a wine that is red-fruit dominant." Gardner says the descriptions were designed to answer the big question most people have when they're buying a bottle of wine—"What is this going to taste like?
The San Francisco-based Amazing Food Wine Company is still looking for distributors for its Wine That Loves brand, but plan to start selling it from their website by the end of the month. Besides pizza, the other foods Wine That Loves loves are Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Roasted Chicken, Grilled Steak and Grilled Salmon; bottles should retail for about $12.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 21, 2007 at 5:26 PM
"When restaurant patrons browse through tequila lists offering dozens of choices, that's a clue. When liquor stores carry high-end tequilas at prices usually associated with single-malt scotch, that's another. But when aficionados toss around terms like "floral notes," "layers of complexity" and "hints of caramel and vanilla" to describe a beverage that used to be knocked back with a lick of salt, a bite of lime and a wince of esophagus-searing pain, there can be no doubt: tequila has arrived." Jack Broom of the Seattle Times discovers there's more to tequila than the nasty shots we all did back in college.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 21, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Julia Child once said, "If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one," but in today's New York Times Julia Moskin says cheap wine works just fine.
She did a blind taste test of three risottos, each made with a different red wine. The most expensive was a $70 Barolo, the cheapest was a Charles Shaw cabernet sauvignon Trader Joe's shoppers know as Two-Buck Chuck. Barolo is "made entirely from the nebbiolo grape, is a legendary Italian wine; by law, it must be aged for at least three years to soften its aggressive tannins and to transform it into the smooth aristocrat that fetches top dollar on the international wine market." Not only did the risotto made with Two-Buck Chuck come out on top, but none of the judges had the risotto made with Barolo as their top choice.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 19, 2007 at 2:27 PM
Last week I wrote about cooking with beer, so today it seems only fair to point to Josh Rubin of the Toronto Star on pairing food with beer with Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, who "enjoys going toe-to-toe with sommeliers when it comes to food pairings. Cheese is a favourite tool for his battles, but he has also used stews, cassoulet, seafood and dessert."I've had some Iron Chef-style events where I'll be matching foods with beer, and the sommelier will be matching the same foods with wine," says Oliver. "But beer against wine is like fighting someone with one hand tied behind their back. I haven't lost yet, and the people in the audience doing the judging are usually wine people or friends of the sommelier." You could say no one's more qualified to speak on the subject than Oliver, who's written a book about it titled The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food.
It's also no coincidence that this story is from the Toronto Star—the city has a restaurant called the Beerbistro, where not only are 80% of menu items cooked with beer, but there is a "suggested beer pairing with every menu item along with a separate beer menu that includes product backgrounds, explanations of beer styles, and beer tasting notes, assists diners in exploring our large and carefully-researched selection of beers." They have twenty beers on tap, hundreds in bottles, and will recommend beer pairings to your tastes beyond what's on the menus. Chowhounders speak well of their food!
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 15, 2007 at 3:36 PM
Mary Vuong of the Houston Chronicle talks to chefs and brewers about how cooking with beer can enhance the flavor of food. But if beer is so great to cook with or in food pairings, why does everyone always choose wine? "Marketing, Wagner replies. "Beer historically has done a lousy job" of selling itself as a serious beverage. People associate it with hot dogs, pizza, buffalo wings, bikini-clad women, juvenile humor, sporting events — nothing that suggests you stop and appreciate the drink."
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 14, 2007 at 6:08 PM
Lauren Chapin of the Kansas City Star says craft beers are getting more popular, and the people who drink them are getting more selective:
To drink better, they’re willing to pay a premium. A Rogue Imperial India Pale Ale from Newport, Ore., goes for $13 for 750 milliliters, a price more comparable to wine than a six-pack. Even the O’Fallon Smoked Porter, which is best enjoyed with barbecue ribs, rings up at $4 per 22-ounce bottle. Boulevard craft beers will cost $7 to $13 for 750 milliliter bottles (about 24 ounces).
A growing segment of the population wants more flavorful products, more premium products,” Gatza says. And, like wine, "they will have several different beer styles in the refrigerator, from several breweries, so that they can match beer to the occasion."
Posted by Lia Bulaong, January 30, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Garbage Bag + Rice Cooker = Alcohol Still: "A still has two parts, a boiler and a condenser. A rice cooker/warmer makes a great boiler. It's got a rubber gasket so all the steam goes out the vent. It's insulated so all the heat goes into the mash. A plastic garbage bag makes a great condenser. It's got lots of surface area, cooling and condensing the vapor very quickly." I've never thought of bootlegging as glamorous exactly, but garbage bags and rice cookers are not materials I think of as mysterious or sexy—your mileage may vary.
[via MAKE: Blog]
Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 18, 2007 at 11:55 AM
How about hangover-free alcohol? Or programmable soda whose flavor you'd control by twisting the cap a certain way, like a locker combination? Someone's actually working on this. Whose priorities are these? Personally, I wish they'd tackle the hangover-free alcohol instead.
