Bio-Fuel Cocktails: The Corn N’ Oil

This one is a hard one to sell at the bar. Ears of corn and bottles of Quaker State generally don’t invoke impressions of delicious cocktails. What’s worse is that when promoting this Bajan cocktail I inevitably face the question, “Well, why is it called a Corn N’ Oil?” Without a valid response, the perceived association with some type of crazy biofuel and the consequential risk of escalating oil prices being controlled by a Houston bartender can be just too much for some. That’s too bad because this cocktail is awesome.

Frequently, the greatest cocktails are the most simple. This cocktail has three basic ingredients: rum, falernum, and Angostura bitters. The rum option of choice among enthusiasts who have written about this cocktail previously is Cruzan’s Black Strap, a very dark and deep rum. Cruzan’s darkest rum is made from Blackstrap molasses, which is produced from the third stage of boiling syrup yielding the darkest form of molasses. The rum has great flavor, but it isn’t the most versatile of options out there. It can be difficult to find cocktails to use this rum in, but rest assured, once you make yourself a Corn N’ Oil with the Black Strap, you’ll go through the bottle quick enough.

Unless you want to make your own, the Falernum options are basically confined to two brands: John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum and Fee Brother’s West Indian Style Falernum. Falernum is a liqueur traditionally flavored with clove and lime and, depending on your perspective, almond and/or ginger. This inconsistency may seem unusual when various brands and homemade recipes are compared side by side, but I love that the different types of falernum create distinct options for different cocktails. Of the commercial brands, the Fee Brother’s falernum has a very different, tangier character when compared to the Taylor brand. Generally, I tend to take the advice of Ted Haigh here and use the Taylor falernum with more traditional island cocktails and reserve the Fee for American tiki drinks.

Be aware however of the recipe for the Corn N’ Oil on the back of the John D. Taylor bottle. It suggests a 3 ½ parts falernum to one part rum ratio, which seems too sweet to be true. It is; trust me. You can stomach it if you really like falernum, but at this point, you’re having candy, not a cocktail. This is frequently the case with company recipes for spirit brands. Rarely do I find a cocktail supplied by a producer that uses the ingredient in a balanced manner. Quantity matters most, despite the fact that introducing people to well-constructed cocktails would likely increase sales in the long term. Here’s the ratio you should use in my opinion:

Corn N’ Oil

2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
½ oz John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a larger lime wedge, to be used, not just sit on the rim.

I find falernum difficult to work with for some reason. I really like it when I try it independently and always think it has endless potential, but for some reason, my attempts to use falernum in original cocktails always fall short. Perhaps, my inadequacies with falernum can be attributed to how much I like this drink. If the Corn N’ Oil is the standard for falernum cocktails, it is unlikely that anything else will measure up. No corn; no oil – just a tasty cocktail.

Southern Star Brewery’s Pine Belt Pale

Great news! Houston (Conroe) has another micro-brewery and they are making some great beer. Southern Star Brewery in Conroe, just outside of Houston, finally released their first beer, Pine Belt Pale, last week, and I must say I am a big fan. If Southern Star is able to live up to the precedent set by this release, we are going to have another great Texas beer to add to our increasingly powerful local beer lineup.

The Pine Belt Pale is an American Pale Ale that is canned, not bottled. Rumor has it, Southern Star has chosen to go the can route, which has been getting a lot of positive methodological attention lately, because the Southern Star guys are big fishermen. The canning approach, on top of being a growing micro-fad, is just plain safer for outdoor activities and the environment. I’d like to give all sorts of political praise to this approach, but my position as bartender keeps me from revealing my political views to most. I’m supposed to be the guy who makes everybody happy and hands out drinks, not political lectures. Either way, I like the entrepreneurial blend of taking a great product and adding one’s own individual style and preferences. It gives the beer character and an ideology that is essential to any great product, and this definitely comes out in the brew.

The beer pours a bright amber color with an office filer folder-colored head. The nose on the beer is extremely intriguing and complex. It has a wonderful offering of citrus, caramel, hops and malt. With such a big promise to keep, the taste of the beer falls a bit short of the nose, but this should in no way prevent you from getting your hands on this brew. The beer is extremely easy to drink and balances a malty, caramel flavor with an unusual hoppy element I haven’t been able to compare with any other beer. The finish isn’t that extensive, but I think this works well with the easy-drinking quality of the beer, and it is the subtleties in the beginning that make this a great brew.

From what I’ve been told, the odd hop flavor may arise be from Southern Star’s use of a type of high-quality Japanese hop. With major producers and established micros having contracted out what left of the world’s hops during this shortage, alternative hops were a better option for the new brewery. With some of my favorite beers like the Breckenridge 471 small-batch IPA hitting the $13 mark a freaking six-pack, I hadn’t found any advantages to the hop crisis until now. But, I must say that this alternative hop, which is obviously a response to the shortage, has lead to a differently styled American Pale Ale that rocks. Southern Star is throwing a bit of diversity into not only the Texas beer market with this beer, which seems to be diversifying more and more everyday.

If you haven’t had the Pine Belt Pale from Southern Star yet, you can pick some up at Spec’s downtown store, or you can come into and have some. We also have plans to get a keg of Southern Star very soon (the order is in now), for those of you that want to try the beer on tap. Either way, make sure you get out there and support your newest micro-brewery. I can’t wait for the next release, which I hear is going to be a “logger”. When this comes out, check back here for more information, or come into the bar because we will definitely be carrying this as well. Congratulations Southern Star on a wonderful initial release. I expect great brews from you guys.

Allagash Musette Oak-Aged Scotch Ale

I love being back in Houston. After 2 years in the cocktail backwoods of North West Arkansas, where a bottle of the local watery beer and a Jager bomb toped my list of great drinking experiences, and 4 years before when I passed my time shooting Jack and kicking back Coronas in a mostly dry region of West Texas, I find it refreshing to be crafting drinks at a bar where we are given the freedom to explore the Rosetta Stone that is the Savoy Cocktail book. However, I have recently discovered that one of the best things about being back in Houston is also one of the most threatening establishments to one’s personal finances, Spec’s Liquor Warehouse. I have been finding it harder and harder to walk out of there for less than two hundred dollars, which wouldn’t be all that bad if I was throwing a big party or if I was doing it once a month, but sadly this is not the case. I might be what some would call an uncontrollable collector; therefore, I have made a new rule: I will not shop with a cart Spec’s. I will only buy what I can carry with my two hands. Facing such limitations I find myself weighing the cost of a bottle of booze against the quality of said bottle, and last week I found a bottle of beer that was well worth the price. When is a bottle of beer worth $17? When it is as good as the most recent offering from Allagash Brewing based out of Portland, Maine. You see, the Allagash Musette Oak Barrel Aged Scotch Ale is the reason why I made the no cart rule.

Allagash is small, but powerful brewery out of Portland Maine that was born out of the American craft brewer’s movement of the mid 1990’s. Allagash owner Rob Tod set out to bring the ever complex and diverse Belgium beer styles to the American population. After the success of the brewery’s first two beers, Tod and his growing staff began researching the historical art of méthode champenoise. The technique calls for two fermentations, one in the Brewery’s fermenting tanks and the second in the bottle itself. It is this second fermentation that produces a notable increase in carbonation, a softer mouthfeel, and beers of remarkable complexity. This method of bottle conditioning leaves a small amount of yeast in the bottle, creating what is known as a “living” beer. As a result, these styles have a greatly enhanced shelf life and some styles will age exceptionally, much like a fine wine. Just as the styles originate in Belgium, so does the package itself. To insure authenticity, Allagash imports the bottles and corks directly from the same country that designed the techniques. This enables the beers to reach carbonation levels similar to champagne while allowing the corks to “pop” characteristically upon serving. Today, Allagash still remains one of very few breweries in North America using this distinctive package.

Born from this historical and time honored brewing method comes Allagash’s newest brew the Musette an Oak-Aged Scotch Ale that Weighs in at 10% ABV and is only available in very limited batches. To be honest, I am surprised that there isn’t some crazy Texas Law that bans such beers, but I’m gong to drink as much as I can before someone passes one. The beer pours dark amber. Watching the liquid flow from the bottle into the glass you can tell that this beer is going to be worth the money. The nose is light but as the beer warms the careful notes of wood and spice begin to come out. The oaky smell shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the spiciness is somewhat unexpected. Deciphering the spices from the nose alone if difficult, but a careful balance becomes clear as you breath in the brew.

As the beer comes rushing out of the glass a think white head form that is built out of tiny bubbles. The creamy yet fizzy head settles down after a few minutes into a thin white hat that stays on top of the brew the whole time. The lacing of the head is long and leggy and generally endures for the time that it takes to drink the beer.

At first taste, the beer is all about malts and oak. The oak flavor is an underpinning, not the main story line which is nice. I have found with oaked beers in the past that the woodiness takes over and ruins the beers many flavored plot line. The malts on the front end give the beer a pleasant round mouth feel. The oak flavors act as a clean transition from the front of the taste to the tail, playing the role of fair boat captain, and the beer moves from the front of the tongue to the back. On the finish is when the spiciness joins the party. It is on the finish that the spice shows its true form of ripe fruit, the beer smacks of fresh raisins and bananas.

Overall, I found this beer to be delicious. I can safely say that this is my favorite beer of 2008 so far. With that in mind, the real scary part is that I believe this beer will be better after it has rested a few years. If you are a fan of big beers or great Belgium’s you will love this beer. This beer sets up an expectation that some would call unreasonable yet leaves you wanting more. It was this belief that made me take a return trip to spec’s pick up a few more bottle to add to my collection. So, although I have put the brakes on large volume purchases, it has just made me more discerning and willing to pay for what taste good. That and for some reason, I keep making all these damn trips to Spec’s lately. Hey, I said no cart, but I didn’t say I couldn’t make multiple trips…