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 Erin Zimmer, April 8, 2008 at 2:45 PM
So is the new 'Bucks jolt juice as smooth as they say? We asked some coffee drinkers at the Starbucks branch in Rosslyn, Virginia, and heard a lot of mixed sentiments. Too strong. Smoother. Watery. Worse than Dunkin'. Worse than McDonald's. Free. Old-school. People, make up your minds!
- "No good. Pretty strong. I had to put a lot of cream in it to make it OK. I'd call myself a Starbucks drinker, but not this." —Sam
- "I like it. It's smoother. Normally Starbucks coffee seems to cater to the non-black-coffee drinkers. Too burnt-tasting normally. But this I could take black." —Malcolm
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 4, 2008 at 11:30 AM
After a sweaty workout, don't you just wanna reach for that refreshing bottle of liquefied Hungarian Goulash? When the fruity flavors get old, this chunk-less papriky stew should do the trick. Though authentic gulyás recipes call for water, this seems a bit excessive. If you're more of a liquid bread crumbs person, Meat Water also has an energizing Weiner Schnitzel formula. (No cutlery necessary)
That svelte Red Bull can won't just contain fluorescent yellow stuff anymore—it could have brown liquid in there too! The brand is launching a "strong and natural" cola alternative with crazy ingredients like mustard seeds, ginger, cloves, licorice, orange and cardamom. Following suit of Pepsi Raw and Retro, this could be part of a growing "healthier" pop trend. Maybe I want phosphoric acid in my cola, okay, Red Bull?
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 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 Paul Clarke, March 5, 2008 at 3:15 PM
One of the uncomfortable aspects of talking and writing about spirits and cocktails is the dark side of the topic. While other parts of the culinary world have unfortunate consequences that accompany over-indulgence—obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, to name a few—perhaps none has as an immediate, visible and potentially deadly a flip-side as does the consumption of alcohol.
I’ve been thinking about this recently, thanks to a post at the excellent Drink Boston blog titled “The Pink Elephant in the Room,” which questions why drink writers rarely (if ever) mention the intoxicating aspect of enjoying beer, wine and spirits. With two recent articles in the New York Times exploring the ugly side of alcohol consumption—Sunday brought us “Starving Themselves, Cocktail in Hand,” a look at the double-threat of heavy drinking and eating disorders; and on Tuesday, the paper ran “When People Drink Themselves Silly, and Why,” an exploration of binge drinking—and with another alcohol-sodden St. Patrick’s Day coming up on the calendar, talking breezily about the enjoyment of fine libations without looking at all aspects of the issue becomes even more difficult.
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Your favorite soft drink of the fictitious animated future may be coming to a grocery store near you! Slurm, previously only produced on the planet Wormulon as featured in the TV show Futurama, has been trademarked in order to be used with just about every kind of beverage that isn't alcoholic. I can't wait to get my hands on a refreshing can of Slurm! [via Boing Boing Gadgets]
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 Robyn Lee, February 8, 2008 at 2:30 PM
...after drinking thirteen different cans of energy drinks over the course of a long weekend I am convinced that my opinion is completely awesome and I could—if needed—run completely through the living room wall into the neighboring apartment.
And that's the effect that comparing and reviewing 13 energy drinks will have on you, folks.
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 Robyn Lee, January 28, 2008 at 2:00 PM
How would you like to gulp down a frothy, steaming glass of...beer? According to American expat in Japan Peter Payne Japanese beer company Kirin is introducing Hot Beer, beer that is heated to about 120°F and accompanied by a cinnamon stick and sugar cubes. "The heat of the beer is supposed to bring out flavors not present when served cold, including a deep aroma not unlike that of coffee." If you're curious enough, you can try this at home by microwaving your own beer.
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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Dave Cook of Eating In Translation was tired of drinking the standard coffee, tea, and hot chocolate over and over again, so he searched the New York City area for other hot drinks to get him through the winter. His list of 18 wintertime drinks hailing from a wide variety of cuisines should keep your taste buds toasty without tiring them out.
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 Erin Zimmer, January 8, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Inside a Sheetz gas station on U.S. Route 29 in Virginia, next to the predictable Slurpee machine, sat an almighty F'Real shake-maker this weekend. Something like a DIY malt shop from the future, it lets you pick from a mini-freezer of ice cream cups (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or a limited-edition egg nog) and thickness settings (extra, regular or less thick). After dropping my vanilla into the sleek blue machine and choosing extra-thick, the cup levitated to a shake-making heaven. Some bzzt noises later, and it dropped back down to our mortal world.
Creamy and chalky-white, it wasn't much more sophisticated than McDonald's vanilla soft-serve, but very satisfying with all that buttercream and host of scary chemicals. Cellulose gum, maltodextrin, carrageenan and dextrose. For $2.29, the most satisfying part, of course, was the futuristic, hands-on element. There's absoltuely no countertop, no glass case or no middleman of any kind between you and the shake! You're basically on par with Jimmy, the jolly-looking, old-timey mascot wearing his ice cream parlour lab coat, smiling at you. He must be thinking back to the dinosaur days of churning by hand. Ha!
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At least one barista at Starbucks is incensed about having to refer to drinks as "skinny," the term given to drinks made with sugar-free syrup, non-fat milk, and no whipped cream. She supports her stance by saying that the term is politically incorrect, confusing to customers, discriminating, and has a negative effect on people's self esteem. [via Gothamist]
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?
Does Brawndo really have what plants crave? Reading For Dummies plans to find out by conducting an experiment where two tomato plants will be fed carefully measured amounts of water and electrolyte-enhanced Brawndo for three weeks, or until one of them dies. Whichever comes first. Watch the experiment's progress through the magic of time lapse photography!
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 Ed Levine, December 19, 2007 at 7:30 AM
The holiday season is hot cocoa/hot chocolate season no matter where you live, so as a public service the Serious Eaters have endeavored to taste every hot cocoa and hot chocolate we could find at a reasonable price. That means we set a price ceiling of 75¢ a serving. That means delicious fancy-pants hot chocolate mixes like Jacques Torres and MarieBelle's are not included in this tasting. They do contain chocolate, they are delicious, but they're just too pricey. The Land O' Lakes Supreme Hot Chocolate, which was pretty good, is also too expensive for our survey, at 99¢ a serving.
The Ground Rules
Before we begin, we must define our terms. Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, a by-product of the chocolate-making process. What that means is that almost all hot cocoa/hot chocolate varieties we found in our price range contained no chocolate. Even some brands that called themselves hot chocolate, like Lake Champlain Chocolates' Traditional Hot Chocolate, are actually mislabeled because they contain no chocolate.
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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 Wan Yan Ling, November 26, 2007 at 12:00 PM
The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read her past market missions here.
I don't know about you, but I'm still full from Thanksgiving and it's mighty uncomfortable sitting for hours before the computer, trying to churn out a halfway decent paper while feeling (and looking, no doubt) like an overstuffed turkey.
Thankfully, I have company, and the company is just as stuffed. So, in between moaning about how we're ready to explode and helping prune each other's bloated academic prose, the Argentinean housemate and I have been taking turns brewing mate.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, August 30, 2007 at 4:10 PM
For people like me, who know almost nothing about the family of espresso-centric drinks, Lokesh Dhakar's illustrated guide to espresso drink composition may be helpful. The illustrations won't help you much if you want to make the drinks, but they're great for providing a simple overview of the ingredients. [via Boing Boing]
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 Robyn Lee, June 19, 2007 at 7:30 PM
InventorSpot give their list of the Top Ten Weird and Bizarre Japanese Drinks as proof that Japan is at the forefront of beverage ingenuity. Do you dream of cucumber-flavored Pepsi? They've got it! How about salad flavored water? Got that too! Kids want to join in on the beer-drinking fun? Just give them a frosty bottle of non-alcoholic Kidsbeer!
If you have a local Japanese supermarket ("browsing supermarkets" is one of my major pastimes, at least) be on the lookout for "interesting drinks that probably wouldn't survive in the US market." There are loads of them. Check out Dan's photos of bizarre Japanese beverages for inspiration.
Posted by The Paupered Chef, May 23, 2007 at 10:03 AM
While there are many different taste preferences for Tang around the globe, Kraft researchers have found that consumers’ perceptions of the brand are quite similar across all markets: Tang is a symbol of a mother’s love for her family. —Kraft Foods, on the company's Tang brand focus page
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Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 27, 2007 at 11:15 AM
My favorite beverage review site of all time, Kevin Fanning and Josh Allen's The Knowledge For Thirst, has finally started up again after a painfully long hiatus. I guarantee you've never in your entire life read a beverage face-off quite like the one they just put up of Mexican Coke Vs. Passover Coke. Accept no substitutes.
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."
