The Evolution of American Whiskey

With construction work on Anvil moving ahead at a feverish pace, I have found it next to impossible to sit down and string together a post for months. The blog updating which Robert and I hoped would continue with one or two posts a week has been traded for refining countless details at Anvil. Thankfully Robert has been able to keep writing a little, while I on the other hand have stopped writing, shaving, and maintaining any professional appearance whatsoever. Read more

Anvil Bar & Refuge - Poison Girl Classic American Cocktail Gathering

There are five American whiskey cocktails that you must try at least once in your lifetime. And no, making any of them with spoiled vermouth or ordering them out of boredom while you endure a layover at O’Hare does not count. These landmarks in cocktail history deserve good brands, bartenders, and bars. In this spirit, Anvil Bar & Refuge and Poison Girl invite you to enjoy these cocktails this upcoming Thursday, December 18th, from 6:00-9:00. The entire Anvil staff will be slinging drinks at Poison Girl, and we hope to see everyone for a preview of Anvil style-bartending armed with Houston’s best whiskey selection. Read more

The Champagne Cocktail & Houston Wine Bar 13 Celsius

I just wanted to let everyone know that, Houston wine bar 13 Celsius is going to feature champagne cocktails with an Anvil Bar & Refuge twist. While the Champagne Cocktail is an outstanding libation in its original form, these variations have a special feature I am certain you will enjoy. Not only will they be made correctly (a strong deviation from most popular drinks using champagne these days); they will use some of our bar, Anvil’s House Vanilla-Lavender Bitters. Read more

Jim Beam New (ri)1 Rye Review

After spending most of the last decade of my life surrounded by shelves of liquor, I have come to the definitive conclusion that different spirits have distinctive personalities. And, up until today, I was pretty sure who rye was. Now, I’m not so sure. There was a day when I knew everyone in the bar, and I then this whole new Jim Beam (ri) thing happened. Now I’m wondering what the heck is going on and re-evaluating everyone trying to figure out who is who. Read more

The Expansion of the Cocktail

Someone asked me today how my trip to New Orleans went. After describing the hazy evenings and all of the wonderful people I met, I faced the same question that seems to be reoccurring in all my conversations about Tales – “So what’s the cool new thing in cocktails?” Now admittedly, I missed the seminar put on by Camper English that directly addressed this issue, but I must say that the one of the most encouraging aspects of Tales was the lack of any singular trend or ideology. The cocktail is alive, and it is growing in many different directions that I feel like being a part of the evolution now is as exciting as ever. Taking all this in over the past week, I wanted to write a reflective post about Tales after a few days of absorption. After working behind the bar again for almost a week, I must say that despite my period of sobriety, there really is no firm theme about the cocktails at Tales, and I think that is a theme itself. There has never been a time with more diversity and quality in cocktails.

I keep coming back to four major categories of cocktails were primarily discussed at Tales this year in my opinion as a way to make a decision about what drink to focus on next. I think that noting these different categories, while reflecting on the event is valuable in that it makes me think about how closely these categories mirror movements in bars and literature across the globe. Paying attention to each genre of cocktails, especially for those of us in the industry, is a great way to improve drinks of all types.

Molecular Mixology

I attended the molecular mixology seminar at Tales with what seemed like half of the conference to listen to take in the wisdom of Jamie Boudreau, Eben Freeman, and others. I think most of us sought out this event hoping to learn more about molecular mixology methodology, but the setting and equipment didn’t really lend the presentation to this approach. What did occur however was a healthy discussion about the role of molecular mixology in the cocktail community. It seemed at times that some of the speakers were somewhat defensive about molecular mixology and its predictable longevity.

This rhetoric might suggest that molecular mixology is losing some of the glamour and intrigue it once had. I’m not sure this is the case, but the declining popularity of molecular gastronomy might convince some that this is happening in mixology as well. This is unfortunate because we shouldn’t consider molecular mixology or any cocktail or culinary movement, especially those that focus on methods, as anything but a different methodological perspective. Molecular mixology is simply a method that delivers flavor, even if the medium is less than traditional. I hope that through events like Tales, exposure to this type of mixology encourages others to experiment with alternative cocktails and molecular mixology becomes more mainstream.

Classic Cocktails

For a variety of debatable reasons, at some point in history, America and much of the world became disinterested in the cocktail. This allowed flavorless cocktail, like the notorious “vodka martini”, to become mainstays, and the classic cocktail suffered the most. Fortunately, events like Tales, and those who frequent it, have done so much that the classic cocktail in some cities has become the hp, new cocktail again. When was the last time someone referred to the Aviation as trendy? I actually heard this the other day!

The host city of Tales certainly lends itself to discussing the classics as so many of them originated in New Orleans. If you’re interested in New Orleans classics, or any others for that matter, it’s hard to find a larger character or someone more knowledgeable than Chris McMillon. His session on New Orleans cocktails stood as a pillar for discussing the classics amid countless events. The regeneration of so many classic ingredients, such as absinthe, means that the value of understanding the classic cocktail will continue to increase.

Tiki Drinks

No single specific category has grown more among the cocktail scene over the last year than Tiki drinks. This growth is inspired by notable experts such as Jeff Berry, great cocktail blogs focusing on the subject, Tiki bars, and above all, a more mainstream appeal of the Tiki cocktail. Amid all of the refinement the cocktail endured over the past decade, elements that can be perceived as pretentious or uppity have become part of making quality cocktails. There’s really nothing that can done about it, as this is a direct result of the opposing nature of the quality cocktail to the popularity of trendy liqueurs, such as apple pucker.

But, this does mean that cocktails that maintain higher standards, while being perceived as down to earth, create more pathways for people to accept well-constructed cocktails without feeling as though the drink is “too fancy”. Tiki cocktails accomplish this through the inclusion of a culture that is anything but overly formal. Their very existence stresses, “Chill out; drink out a skull.” Consequently, the role of tiki drinks at Tales seemed to fill a similar need for relaxation. While tiki drinks often get overlooked in bars that don’t specifically focus on them, I think it is important for all bars to note the growth of the tiki cocktail and the important role it plays in our community.

Modern Cocktails

Each of the previous categories had a genre that would easily identify specific cocktails, but the modern category is a bit broader. In this case, I am referring to cocktails that use quality spirits, fresh ingredients, and innovative flavor combinations and methods. There are so many great cocktails being served across the globe every day that it is nice to come to Tales and get exposure to so many different original creations. Tales serves an important role of documenting these drinks and sharing them with others. Today, we rely on certain literary gems, like the Savoy Cocktail Book, to help up find the drinks of the past. Without the documentation of books like these, so many wonderful drinks would have been lost to time.

Tales does such a great job of providing a stage for the country’s great mixologists, and with so many exciting changes happening everywhere, I think it is vitally important that we take a moment to document some of the recipes that are continuing to push the cocktail forward. Among so many that come to mind, Audrey Saunders really stood out to me at Tales because of her attention to detail, specifically demonstrated at the aromatics seminar. Her precision and pursuit of perfection are models that all of us trying to create cocktails should model ourselves after. And, that is really what the exposure to modern cocktails provides – inspiration and encouragement.

I had a blast at Tales of the Cocktail this year, and I really just wanted to take a moment to reflect on everything that I learned and, well, drank. I can’t wait until next year, and I hope that we can further define more aspects of the cocktail community that may have been less obvious this year. The success of the cocktail revolution relies chiefly on the ability of enthusiasts and professionals to continue to find different sources and methods for drink construction. We might all have our favorite type of cocktail, but we need to be supportive and understand the value of each in making the cocktail more progressive.

Air Infusions: Smoked Rye

I’ve got two obsessive hobbies: cocktails and large South American tropical fish. The .0005% of the world’s people who appreciate the cocktails don’t understand the fish, and the .0005% of the world’s people who appreciate the fish don’t understand the cocktails. I might be the only link between these two strange groups of hobbyists. Generally, my two hobbies have nothing to do with one another - the fish don’t like to drink I guess - but, I finally found a way to use my fish and cocktail knowledge together. The result was a delicious bottle of house-smoked Sazerac rye whisky.

This idea was hatched a few months ago when I was exploring the concept of smoked cocktails. While I have refined the idea of incorporating smoke into cocktails quite well since those writings, I still wanted to try my original idea of smoking a bottle of liquor itself. The problem with most other methods for incorporating smoke into a cocktail is that the smoke must piggy-back on some other medium, like a syrup, fruit, herb, etc. This introduces an additional flavor to a drink, that while tasty at times, limits the element of smoke to cocktails that use these types of ingredients. Unleashing the full potential of smoke in cocktails requires the introduction of smoke into a spirit without altering the spirit in any other way.

Enter the fish tank aerator. This device is usually used to force air into a fish tank in order to provide fish with air. The aerator simply collects the surrounding air and forces it into an airline which is connected to an airstone or airbar placed inside of a fish tank. This aerator is generally surrounded by clean, oxygen friendly air, which makes happy, healthy fish. A deadly error made by fish keepers, however, is spraying Lysol or other aerosols around fish tanks or aerators. The Lysol is taken in by the aerator forced into the tank, and the owner’s precious fish die, because Lysol kills germs…and fish. They should put this whole sequence on a commercial and point out that if the fish don’t have a chance, neither do the germs.

Now take these same principles and place that aerator on a smoke stack. And, instead of running the airline into a fish tank, place the end of the line in a bottle of Sazerac rye. The aerator takes in the smoke and forces it into the rye. The smoke, which is alcohol and water soluble, takes hold of the spirit and slowly changes it over time into a tasty beverage even Samuel L. Jackson would be proud of. The only thing to watch for here is the potential for the aerator to overheat. Make sure that your stack is not too hot and use a smoker that has a large distance between the fire and chimney opening. Taste your rye or whatever you desire every 30 minutes or so and pull the line out when you’ve reached your desired smokiness.

Some have suggested using liquid smoke instead of smoking a spirit as a method for accomplishing the same result. However, liquid smoke is far more intense and difficult to control. Air infusing a spirit takes time and allows for one to stop the introduction of smoke at any point, creating more control over the final result, and eventual cocktails. Moreover, smoking a spirit yourself allows for you to use any type of wood to obtain a more specific smoke profile. Our rye was smoked with the smoker at the bar for example, and we used the same wood we smoke all of our meats with, maple and red oak. Any wood would work so, the potential for using all sorts of different wood, like mesquite or some other crazy foreign wood I haven’t heard of, could create some extremely complex spirits with as much subtlety or boldness as one would desire.

I love smoke elements in cocktails, and I think that smoke properties are an overlooked trait in mixology. Between the air infusion presented here and my other posts on smoked cocktails, I think the methodology for adding smoke to cocktails has been presented somewhat extensively. I would love to hear what others are doing with smoke and find out if anyone has heard of any new smokey cocktails since my last posts on the subject. Also, please try this out and tell me how your air infusion works. I’m pretty sure this idea is a first, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there where other fish/cocktails fans out there.

 

How To Make Your Own Bitters

I want to be like Antoine Peychaud. After finally confronting the realization that I will never live up to the old “Be like Mike commercials”, I lived in a world without a role model and guidance for several years. This void in my life, filled by a perilous journey towards a purposeless end (Masters degree), eventually had to end. So, as of today, I want to be like Antoine. And, no, nothing rhymes with Antoine or Peychaud, so this doesn’t have the same catchy Jordan slogan characteristic – get over it. Man, I sound like some sort of bitter old man; I guess that’s the point. This is a post about bitters after all.

I have long thought of bitters as the salt and pepper of cocktails. While a proportionally small additive to any cocktail, bitters serve the vital role of balancing drink elements and heightening the complexity of cocktails. Ten years ago finding any bitters aside from the traditional Angostura brand was virtually impossible. Today, the bitters market has exploded with everything from Regan’s Orange Bitters to the soon to be released Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters. These are all great options for the cocktail enthusiast, but if you really want to go crazy, you have to start making your own bitters.

The are plenty of articles available online, many from other bloggers, describing how to make your own bitters, but there really isn’t a source of possible basic bitters ingredients. Sure, you can find a recipe calling for Fringe Tree Bark, but what the heck is that anyway? For the record, apparently, it is a type of tree that grows in the Eastern US that when in bloom has beautiful white flowers. Awesome! Let’s chop it down and put it in some bitters with a bunch of other stuff. (Blog loses environmentalist-minded readers.)

The liquor components

All bitters start with a spirit base. When selecting liquor for this bitters project, we wanted to use liquors that are easy to obtain, come at a low price point, and have a high proof. The high proof is the most important part of the liquor selection, as it allows for a longer shelf life and may extract more flavor during the infusion process. Due to the fact that you will never use more than a few drops of the bitters in a cocktail you shouldn’t worry about the high proof throwing of the balance of a drink. In our situation, we opted for three different high proof liquors:

Everclear: This pure grain favorite of frat boys all across the country is perfect for this bitters project. It weighs in at a sensory overloading 190 proof, it doesn’t bring any flavors with it so it will work well with the ingredients we want to stand out.

Gosling’s 151-Proof Black Seal Rum: We had a few options when it came to high proof rum, but we made the call to go with the Gosling’s because we thought that it would add a depth of flavor that you simply can’t get from other high proof rum. We’ll go for distinction any day.

Wild Turkey Rye: This might seem like an unlikely choice, with a lower proof, but we really wanted to use the spiciness of a rye in combination with some of the earthy and bitter components we had at our disposable. The choice to use the Turkey was easy; it is our go-to rye at the bar. Texas doesn’t have the greatest of rye selections, so we are left with a very small amount of options. A few months back we had a very informal, drunken rye tasting and the turkey came up on top; plus, you can’t beat the price point.

The Herbal Components

This is where the list can get a little ridiculous, and it did. We put this list together based off of recipes we found online, and things we thought would just be fun to try. One void we found with many bitters recipes is that while some give good how to advice, none really explain what it is they are using and why. We by no means think this list is all inclusive, as no list should be. But, we think you could use this post as future resource for when you decide to make your own.

Let me preface this with the following statement, “We are not botanists, we do not know about plants or herbs, but we do know how to use the internet, and our taste buds work, so if you are a botanist or a herbologist (is that a word?) and you find any of these statements to be incorrect please let us know and we will remedy the situation.” Actually, that whole chop the tree down comment probably made all of those people leave by now; no real concern there. On to the herbs:

Wormwood: With the recent return of Absinthe to American shores, it seems as if everyone has heard of this herb. Wormwood is a tall woody plant that grows well in dry sunny conditions. While not related, fully grown wormwood plants look like hemp plants. Wormwood was often planted around the edges of other fields because it does a good job of acting like a natural pesticide.

Birch Leaf: Birch leaf, just as the name suggests, is the leaf of a Birch tree. Birch leaf and Birch bark are very traditional herbal medicines that are usually used in teas or paste to treat joint discomfort, warts and lower urinary tract infections. The Birch leaf has a sweet nose and an earthy taste.

Dandelion Leaf and Bark: The Dandelion is a flowering plant that is native to Africa, Asia and Europe. They are about 30 million years old and have been used by humans as a food source for all of recorded history. The dried leaves have a spicy earthy nose; the taste is a mix of fresh soil and grass. The root is chewy and sweet with hints of earthy soil. We use both the root and the leaf because many of the recipes we found only called for dandelion and did not specify which part. If you use the root be careful to not use too much, in its dry state it will soak up a large amount of liquid. So you might lose a large portion of any liquor you mix with it.

Fringe Tree Bark: The fringe tree is a small flowering tree found in the Eastern United States from Tennessee to Pennsylvania. It flowers in the late summer and looks like a cross between a Dogwood and a Magnolia. The bark is the only part of the plant that was used if frontier medicine. It finds its use in bitters because of the lightly bitter oils the bark contains. It is historically used in conjunction with Barberry Root Bark.

Barberry Root Bark: Barberry has been called one of the best medical plants in North America. It was first used by American Indians along the Eastern side of the country. It is used to increase the body’s production of bile and thus help improve liver functions. The flavor is a light bitterness mixed with sweet and spicy notes.

Milk Thistle Seed: As you might expect, Milk Thistle Seed comes from the Milk Thistle plant. The seeds are used to help improve overall body functions because they contain high levels of antioxidants. The seeds are small and black. They have almost no taste, but when infused you can get elements of bitterness from them.

Burdock Root: Burdock is a thistle, which is native to Europe and parts of Asia. Burdock is related to the Artichoke. Cynar anyone? When we talk about Burdock root, we are referring to the taproot of a young burdock plant which can be eaten as a root vegetable. While the use of Burdock in European cuisine has fallen out of popularity, it is still very popular in Asia. When fresh, Burdock is very crisp and has a mild sweet yet pungent flavor. You can most easily find Burdock in its dry form; in this state, it loses some of its crispness but the flavor remains with the addition of a more tannin undertone. Dandelion and Burdock is a popular soft drink in the UK.

Black Walnut Leaf: The Black Walnut is native to Eastern American, with a range that stretches from Ontario in the north, Florida in the south and as far west and Eastern Texas. Generally, the tree is prized for its fruit (Walnuts) or its dark heartwood, which as a history of being poached from public lands. One of the first recorded uses of Plant DNA testing was used to convict a poacher in East Texas. The leaf is much cheaper to buy and you wouldn’t find yourself in jail for picking it. The oils found in the leaves can be a dark dye that is hard to remove from cloths and hands.

Quassia Wood: This is where the bitter party really starts. Just chew on a piece and you will know what I mean. It is a tree that is native to Jamaica; it is a natural insecticide and has sometimes been used instead of hops when brewing beer. I would guess that we might see more of this as the price of hops continues to rise in the US.

Lavender: Sounds like a strange ingredient to add to bitters; well it is. We’re not sure what the lavender will do but you might find us using it as an aromatic additive. Lavender is an herb which finds itself as a member of the mint family. The plant is native to Europe, Africa, India and the Mediterranean. However, because it is a favorite among American gardeners for both is aroma and natural insecticide properties, you might find it growing wild in the US as a local garden escapee. Lavender has found uses as a part of salad dressing, marinades and garnishes. While the flower petals are purple, they turn an eerie green when combined with high proof liquor.

Fennel Seed: Fennel is a special case. It is the only plant that is an herb, a vegetable and a spice. The leaves are a common herb, the bulb is the vegetable and the seeds are the spice. What we’re not forgetting one, are we? Of course the pollen, fennel pollen is one of those few spices that is worth more than liquor, drugs or gold sometimes costing $35 an oz for the good stuff. We use the seed because it is easy to store when dry and carries a lot of flavor.

Citrus: We use 3 types of citrus; lemons, oranges and grapefruits. If we talk about the zest we are referring to the fine zest you get with the use of a micro plane. You use the zest when all you want in the flavor of the oils from the skin. When we talk about peel we are referring to the thin outer peel. Us your twist knife to get long strips that have the zest, the oils and just a little pith. We use the peel when we want to introduce the bitterness that comes from the pith.

Apples: You can use whole dried apples. But we simply micro planes the skin off so that we good we the flavor, color and bitterness without adding bulk or sugar.

Hibiscus Blossoms: Many classic bitters recipes call for the use of dried roses or some other edible flower. Kevin had Hibiscus growing in the backyard so we decided to go with what we had. Hibiscuses grow very well in warm temperate climates all over the world. The flowers are used in teas, as medicines and even as a natural antidandruff shampoo. The bark contains strong fibers that are used in wigs and grasses skirts.

Hops: I could write a book about hops, in fact people have so I will just direct you here for more information.

The Spices

The spices we used were chosen for one of two reasons. First they are tradition bitters ingredients, second we just really like them.

Cinnamon: This is pretty strait forward, or so you think. Cinnamon is the bark of a cinnamon tree after it has been coppiced (the act of cutting the tree down very close to the ground after it is a few years old, the next season many small shots will have grown on the stump). Ok, now this tree thing is getting out of hand. For the record, we are pretty green people. Cinnamon has a history that is closely tied to war and conquest. In the age before globalization, the spice of grown is only a few places and the trade routes that crossed Europe and Asia were constantly in dispute. It was in fact a disruption in the spice supply to Europe from Asia brought about by the rise of Mamluk Sultans and the Ottoman Empire in the east that forced Europe to find alternate routes to Asia. While this history is all about the cinnamon most conman spices share the same back story.

As the East India Trading Company was becoming powerful they found it easier to grown their own spice instead of importing it. They also began looking for alternatives to spices such as cinnamon. With the discovery of cassia the importation of True Cinnamon almost totally stopped. In fact in American today if you buy ground Cinnamon what you are really getting is ground cassia. Cassia is harder and strong smelling and tasting then True Cinnamon. In fact for this project we went with whole Cassia that is labeled as cinnamon because it is easier to get and more familiar to the American palate.

Coriander: Coriander seeds are those small round little things that look like smooth tan pepper corns. But they are in reality the seeds of the Coriander plant better known to Americans as Cilantro.

Anise: A member of the holy trinity of Absinthe. The Chinese believe that as long as you have a whole perfect star in your home your marriage will be a good one, god forbid the star breaking. Anise is prized as both a garnish and a flavoring, adding a deep black liquorish taste.

Black Peppercorns: We like to use just a little fresh black peppercorns in most spice combinations because they add an extra flavor dynamic.

Cloves: Cloves are a dried flower bud. The name comes from the French clou, a nail, because the bud resembles a short nail. The cloves are picked late in the season when the green flowers have turned red. Cloves are native to India, Pakistan and Madagascar.

Allspice: As children you might have thought, as we did, that allspice was a mix of several different spices. Well if you did don’t be embarrassed the reason allspice has its name is that early European explorers thought the same thing when they were first introduced to the Jamaican Peppercorn. They believed that the ground powdered version was a mix of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

Whole Green Cardamom: We like to use the whole pod because the bitter husk balances well with the spicy seed. Cardamom is a member of the ginger family. We did not grind them as is the common practice but simply lightly cracked them with a hammer.

Juniper Berries: We are very Gin-centric and really wanted to use a high proof gin, but because there was not one available we decided to get some juniper and make a high proof infusion and create a gin-like homemade spirit.

What do we have in the jars?

Jar #1: Milk Thistle Seed, Black Walnut Leaf, Birch Leaf and High Proof Rum (HPR). This is a modification of a recipe from Jamie Boudreau. We used equal portions of each and then filled with the HPR.

Jar #2: Apple peal and Pure Grain Alcohol (PGA). The micro planed peels from 3 Washington Apples and fill the pint jar with PGA.

Jar #3: Cinnamon Stick, Anise Star, Clove, Allspice, Vanilla, and PGA. Once again thanks Jamie.

Jar #4: Fringe Tree Bark, Burdock Root, Milk Thistle Seed, Dandelion Leaf/Root, Barberry Root Bark, Fennel Seed, Wormwood and HPR. Sounded like a good idea.

Jar #5: Grapefruit zest and PGA. The fine zest of 2 large Grapefruits and filled with PGA. Started to turn a pinkish yellow color.

Jar #6: Orange zest and PGA. The fine zest of 4 navel oranges and filled with PGA.

Jar #7: Juniper Berries, Dandelion Leaf/Root and Rye. We think the earthiness of the Dandelion will work well with the spice of the rye and the pine treeiness of the Juniper.

Jar #8: Wormwood and HPR. The really bitter wormwood and the smooth rich rum should play well.

Jar #9: Juniper and PGA. We will use this to try and make a high proof gin of sorts. The thought is that after the infusions is done with can add it to an 80 proof gin and get something in the ballpark of 130 proof without watering down the gin flavor.

Jar #10: Cherry Pits and Rye. This is a complete experiment we will keep you up dated.

Jar #11: Quassia and HPR. Same thought as Jar #8.

Jar #12: Star Anise, Wormwood, Fennel and Rye. Absinthe meets Rye Whisky.

Jar #13: Nugget Hops and Rye. This is the nastiest looking thing ever, it looks like dark green vomit but it smells like a spicy hoppy IPA. So we have high hopes.

Jar #14: Cardamom, Peppercorn, Burdock, Allspice, Lavender, Cinnamon and HPR. This was Robert’s home bitter combination.

Jar #15: Lemon Zest and PGA. The fine zest of 6 lemons and a fill of PGA.

Jar #16: Lavender and PGA

Jar #17: Coriander, Peppercorn, Vanilla, The peel of 2 navel Oranges, The peel of 3 lemons and Rye. The best flavors of Kevin’s favorite Belgium beers and rye, yummy.

Jar #18: Hibiscus Petal and PGA.

We’ll keep you posted on how these turn out. When completed, we plan to blend various jars together and tinker with tons of different recipes. We have been infusing the spirits for about two weeks now, so we are around halfway there. We are also trying to track down a charred barrel so that we can barrel age these bitters for even more complexity.

So, no unlike a classic Jordan baseline move, these bitters aren’t going to be quick and instantly gratifying. This process takes time and dedication, but every great cocktail does. Until then, we will just stick to the available brands, after all, we can still make a killer Manhattan and that’s certainly enough to live off of.

This post was written by Robert Heugel and Kevin Floyd. You can try these bitters at our bar.

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.

North Shore’s Sirène Absinthe

The lovechild of Derek and Sonja Kassebaum, North Shore Distillery in Chicago, has plans to release its new absinthe Sirène next week for those of you who live in and around the Windy City. I used to be able to get my hands on North Shore products when living near Chicago about a year ago, but nowadays, I have to settle for my few remaining ounces of their Distiller’s Gin No. 6. I knew I was going to miss out on more North Shore products when I moved away, but their absinthe plans seems to have been classified until just recently. This absinthe will make North Shore the second domestic absinthe produced since shifts in absinthe regulations occurred. The first was St. George Spirits‘ Absinthe Verte, and two other American distilleries, House Spirits and Integrity Spirits, both from Oregon, plan to release an Absinthe later this year.

North Shore’s absinthe appears to have been developed in two styles, a verte and a blanche. Verte absinthes are the more traditional bolder, green absinthes, while blanches are usually white and lighter in flavor. Here’s what North Shore had to say about the upcoming release:

“We take a very traditional approach to creating Sirène. We use the traditional trinity of absinthe ingredients along with a proprietary blend of additional herbs and spices to create Sirène’s richness and complexity. The process requires a significant amount of time, preparation and botanicals, but the result is worth the effort.”

This sounds like there is some potential here. If you can’t get your hands on any North Shore products yourself, the very least you can do is check out Sonja’s blog, Thinking of Drinking. For more information on the green fairy, check Drink Dogma’s posts on absinthe or visit The Wormwood Society.

Carpano Punt E Mes

I consider one of my purposes in life to introduce Campari to as many people as possible. I just think you should try and make a difference in the world before you go. But, helping people to appreciate Campari is kind of like teaching a child to play catch. You know you’re going to hit them in the face, but this is something they need to learn so they can enjoy future experiences. Similarly, it can be difficult to lead someone down the pathway towards Campari as bitterness is often a powerful and distinct flavor. So, I start with a softer ball of bitterness, Punt E Mes.

Punt E Mes is a type of Italian vermouth that has a bitter component similar to Campari. Punt E Mes, which literally translates to “point and a half”, was named after a stock market jump which was commemorated through the Italian aperitif. The bitter qualities of this delicious libation basically add another dimension to a traditional, bold sweet vermouth. This can, when used correctly, form a more complex structure in cocktails as well.

If you like trying different types of vermouth instead of settling for everyday staples, I would strongly recommend picking up a bottle of Punt E Mes to play with in your favorite cocktails calling for sweet vermouth. This approach helps to demonstrate the unique qualities of Punt E Mes because there is an established standard for comparison between the newly created cocktail and the standard recipe. If you want to try a cocktail that calls for Punt E Mes; check this one out (from Sammy Ross of Milk and Honey I think):

Red Hook

2 oz Rye
1/2 Punt E Mes
1/2 Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Red Hook (not to be confused with a brewery that was once making good beers before being bought by the beer leviathan, A.B.) is one of those outstanding cocktails that carefully utilizes each ingredient in a manner that is extremely well-balanced, despite its varied spectrum of flavors. The bitterness in the Punt E Mes is held in check by the sweetness in the maraschino; essentially, you get an awesome cocktail similar to the Manhattan with a wider spectrum of flavors. I like to also add 2 dashes of Regan’s Orange Bitters and 1 dash of Angostura to my Red Hooks. I find that like Campari, small amounts of orange flavors compliment the bitterness in Punt E Mes extremely well.

Punt E Mes is one of those ingredients that is overlooked far too often by cocktail enthusiasts. It adds an entirely different dimension when used in cocktails, that otherwise would lack a bitter component. My ongoing efforts to share the beauty of Campari with the world may not appear to be the most noble of pursuits, but man, it is soooo good. You’ve just got to want to share it with people if you have a humanitarian bone in you.

Unfortunately, my approach of using Punt E Mes as a gateway aperitif is a bit unfair to the vermouth. Punt E Mes shouldn’t just be a Campari sidekick. Actually, they are very distinct, and, aside from their bitter elements, don’t really have all that much in common. Punt E Mes is independently a wonderful ingredient that needs to be used for its precise makeup. Perhaps, it is ignored because of people like me opting for Campari too often. This is a grave mistake that is destroying the possibility for countless great cocktails with less focus on bitterness. Ok, new mission, share the Punt E Mes with the world.

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