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.

The Ramos Gin Fizz & The Evening of Enlightenment

A while ago, my wife and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary in New Orleans. A few months before, I had begun to develop an interest in classic cocktails after an accidental trip to a well-known watering hole in San Francisco. So, after a decent amount of research, I knew that we had to make it to the Swizzle Stick and Library Lounge for drinks before we headed back to Texas.

After a weary and somewhat over-stimulating evening experiencing Bourbon Street after a Tulane/LSU football game, we headed north on Canal and dropped our tired asses in a couple of chairs at the Library Lounge in the Ritz Carlton. At this point, I had enough knowledge about classic cocktails to know a few of their names, but I was also just arrogant and ignorant enough to order a Sazerac from the bartender, specifying that I wanted it the “traditional way”—with Rye, not Bourbon.

Although Bourbon Street looked like a miniature Mardi Gras, the Library Lounge was virtually empty, minus a couple of lone souls in the corner. As the words came out of my mouth, “Rye, not Bourbon”, the bartender immediately stopped what he was doing and looked up at me saying, “It is NEVER made with bourbon.” Then he resumed his work. Internally, I just wanted to slink out of there unnoticed, but then he started making my Sazerac. I would love to describe the beauty of that process, but it will have to wait for another post.

As he was making my Sazerac the “right way”, I noticed his nametag—“Hmmm…Chris McMillian…that sounds familiar, but I can’t rightly place his name.” I took our drinks to the little table and was looking through some of the internet literature that I had printed when I read, “Chris McMillian, master mixologist and one of the country’s leading authorities on pre-prohibition cocktails…”

I felt like a complete tool. I told my wife about what had transpired, and we soon realized that the only way to save face was to make our way to a bar seat and hope to earn his forgiveness. What took place over the next two hours changed my world-view of cocktails.

Since it was a slow evening, I guess Mr. McMillian took us on as his “project”—something for which we will both be forever grateful. After two drinks, we were butter in his hands. We basically said, “Take us on journey and assume we know nothing.” Several drinks later he asked if we were ready for our next while politely prefacing, “If you come in here and it’s busy, don’t request this.”

He then introduced us to a popular New Orleans classic, the Ramos Gin Fizz. To watch Mr. McMillian make this drink in person is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There are a lot of versions rolling around the internet, but I cannot imagine one that is more authentic or better-tasting than his.

The Ramos Gin Fizz
(by Chris McMillian)

1 ½ oz. Bombay London Dry Gin
½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream
1 oz. Simple Syrup (1:1 without heat)
3 drops Orange Flower Water (careful here…a little goes a long way and too much can wreck the whole drink)
3 drops Quality Vanilla Extract (apparently controversial, but I really liked it)
1 fresh egg white
Seltzer

Now, the mixing instructions. As Mr. McMillian states in the video, this drink was originally said to have been shaken for up to 12 minutes, or until the texture becomes ‘ropy’. For anyone who has attempted to shake a Ramos Gin Fizz for more than a minute or two, they know that it is a ton of work. Perseverance pays off, but at what cost? I mean now you have your fizz ready, but you cannot lift the glass because your arm won’t stop cramping.

While at the Alembic Bar in San Francisco in February, I picked up a little trick for shaking cocktails containing egg. Some people have suggested making this drink in a blender, while others have sworn by milk frothers. The guys at Alembic shake their egg cocktails without ice at first (nothing new there), but they add a little something before they close the shaker.

Go to your drawer and take out your Hawthorne strainer. Notice how that spring can conveniently be taken off? Remove it and add to your shaker with the wet ingredients (sans ice). Essentially, we now have a whisk inside the shaker to work for us as we shake our brains out. The first time I did this, I ended up with a “meringue” so nice I could have scraped it off my drink and onto a pie. I still shook the drink for at least two minutes, but the results were incredible. After the dry shaking is done, remove the spring, add a lot of ice to chill the drink, and vigorously shake again. Then strain it into a glass big enough to hold the contents of your shaker. Top the drink off with seltzer. As Mr. McMillian points out, this drink should NOT be served over ice as that is a major difference between a Fizz and a Collins-style drink.

A few months ago, Jamie Boudreau offered a variation on the Fizz on his blog, Spirits and Cocktails. If you went out and bought a bottle of Crème de Violette after last week’s post on the Aviation Cocktail and now have no idea what to do with the rest, let not your heart be troubled.

Fizz a la Violette
(from Jamie Boudreau)

2 oz. Gin
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ oz. Creme de Violette
½ oz. Cream
½ Fresh Egg White
1 Tsp Simple Syrup
Seltzer

Shake drink ingredients in the same manor as the Ramos Gin Fizz. Strain and top with seltzer. Serve garnished with a flower.

Now a note to the ‘”fat-o-phobes”:

This is a drink that is obviously an indulgence. DO NOT make this drink if you are not willing to commit to the heavy whipping cream. The fat content of the whipping cream and the proteins in the egg white give this drink the texture that it is known for. If you even dare thinking about making this with fat free milk do this drink a favor and don’t make it. And for the love, this cocktail is not intended for vegans. If the thoughts of soy milk or fake egg whites crossed your mind as suitable substitutes, you’re just going to have to miss out on a better drink.

The Aviation Cocktail

On the heels of my unintentionally pot-stirring article about Texas wine, I figured I would run with the controversy and write about one of the most talked about and highly debated cocktails of late: the Aviation. Mention its name in the presence of anyone at all interested in cocktails, and you invite upon yourself a dissertation’s worth of material regarding its history and, of course, enough recipes on what makes a “proper” Aviation to fill a cookbook. The Aviation probably isn’t the gin drink that converts the vodka and water folks, but it definitely has its place in cocktail history.

Four years ago on the famed eGullet Spirits & Cocktails forum, a thread was started that began an exhaustive discussion about the Aviation Cocktail. I’ll do my best to be a little more concise and save you from having to read through six pages and 150 posts in order to get a recipe that might make you happy after a hard day at the office.

The problem with the Aviation, as is the problem with many other highly debated cocktails, is its simplicity. Most people can agree that the aviation ingredients consist of gin, a type of maraschino liqueur (pronounced marr-?-SKEE-noe, because it is freakin’ Italian and their diction calls for a hard ‘ka’ sound on ‘ch’ combinations), and lemon juice. For you people that are already ahead of me, I’ll address Crème de Violette in a little bit (oh and that one goes something like ‘krim do vee-oh-leht’). So there you have it, three basic ingredients, gin, maraschino, and lemon juice. Now, what brands? What proportions? Well, good luck with that, I hope you find something that works…

Just kidding. I couldn’t do that. The gin choice as well as the cherry liqueur choice are two of the most important items to consider. Because the quality of both ingredients determines whether the final product is one that you may soon forget, or one that is imbedded in your memory as a life-changing experience…ok, maybe that is a bit extreme, but it makes a LOT of difference.

First, the gin. This drink needs a good quality gin. My old stand-by for mixing is typically Plymouth Gin, and although it is perfectly at home in the drink, we might be able to do better. It is a good idea to stay away from the Dutch sweet gins as well as the a-typical infused gins like Hendricks and Old Raj (although fine gins they are, the rose & cucumber of the Hendricks, and the saffron of the Old Raj, take this drink in a much different direction than was probably originally intended). Another popular gin these days, No. 209 is tasty, but not bold enough. I’ve settled on a gin that we’ve been able to get for sometime now here in Houston. Made in San Francisco, Anchor Distillery’s Junipero gin is perfect.

Now that we have the base spirit knocked out, let’s figure out what cherry liqueur to use. What are our options? Luxardo Maraschino, Stock, Kirsch? I’ve even read where some people like Cherry Heering. In my opinion, there is only one suitable choice. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur is one of the funkiest distillates available on the market. From Luxardo’s website we learn that, “It is one of the very few liqueurs in the world produced by distillation. It is obtained from the marasca, a sour cherry variety exclusively cultivated by Luxardo. The distillate is allowed to mature for two years in Finnish ash vats (this wood does not lend its colour even after many years of maturing), and is then diluted and sugared.” Not only does Luxardo distill the cherries themselves but also the crushed cherry pits, which lend some almond notes and general funk to its flavor. To some people, Luxardo Maraschino might be an acquired taste, but I feel it is what has helped the Aviation stand the test of time as a classic cocktail. Also, being one of the oldest available brands, it is likely that Luxardo was used in the early classic cocktails calling for a maraschino liqueur.

Rick, over at Kaiser Penguin did a superb job of combining several recipes from the bartending dream team. If confronted in person by any one of those masters, I would have a hard time telling them that their version of the classic didn’t really do it for me. I must agree with Rick though, that Mr. Regan’s proportions suited my tastes perfectly. If you are still too lazy to click over there, here is the recipe:

From The Joy of Mixology, by Gary Regan

The Aviation Cocktail (#2)

2 oz. Gin
½ oz. Maraschino Liqueur
½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
(I added a brandied cherry for garnish)

Combine in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

These proportions are refreshingly tart, yet they still allow the juniper to shine through as well as the funk of the Maraschino.

So now, we can sit back and relax while we sip our properly-balanced Aviation cocktail, right? WRONG! The oldest recipe that cocktail historian David Wondrich was able to find for an Aviation is in the vintage cocktail book, Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin (1916). It includes an elusive liqueur, Crème de Violette. Again, we find the same ingredients in the Old Mr. Boston Cocktail Book (1934). Talk about setting the cocktail geek world on fire…

Mr. Ensslin’s Aviation was written as follows:

1/3 Lemon Juice
2/3 El Bart Gin
2 dashes Maraschino
2 dashes Creme de Violette

Shake well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I had to go to Wikipedia when I was first learning about this one just to find out what Crème de Violette was. This only quenched half of my curiosity, so of course I did not rest until I had found and purchased this obscure liqueur to add to my already-exorbitant collection.

So what does one do? It sounds as if the Aviation could be two different drinks entirely. The version without the Crème de Violette has been an accepted Aviation for years and years, but it seems like the original drink was indeed made with the flower liqueur. To add more confusion, there is also a related cocktail called the Blue Moon which leaves out the maraschino entirely, leaving the gin, lemon juice, and crème de violette (the original Blue Moon recipe called for crème yvette—a now-defunct liqueur containing violet flowers and possibly vanilla; crème de violette was often substituted).

To avoid miscommunication, I think it would be safe from here on out on this website, to address the Aviation variations as two different drinks. We’ll refer to the cocktail containing gin, maraschino, lemon juice, and crème de violette as the Aviation #1, since the earliest-known recipe contained the latter ingredient. Gin, maraschino, and lemon juice can be referred to as the Aviation #2.

Coming up with proportions for the Aviation #1 can be tricky because maraschino and crème de violette are very powerful in their own right. Too much maraschino and the violette gets covered up. Conversely, as Toby Maloney of the Violet Hour in Chicago put it, “[Too much crème de violette] and it is like licking a French whore’s neck, in a bad way…” Mr. Maloney just rinses the glass with the violet liqueur, but personally I feel like the drink in the following proportions can stand up to more.

The Aviation #1

(thanks to Sam Kinsey for this recipe)

2 oz. Gin (Mr. Kinsey uses Tanqueray. I really enjoyed Junipero)
½ oz. Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Maraschino (I prefer Luxardo)
¼ oz. Crème de Violette (I use Rothman & Winter because it is most readily available to me)

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Honestly, when I made my very first Aviation, I didn’t really care for it too much. After months of online reading about the drink, I would have thought that it was the ‘end all and be all’ of cocktails. I was a bit disappointed, but kept persevering while thinking, “With as much press and controversy surrounding this drink, there has to be something that I am not getting.” Finally, after trying Mr. Regan’s version and then Sam Kinsey’s, I understand its beauty. In a side-by-side taste test of our two Aviations, I cannot say that one is really better than the other.

In conclusion, I feel they are both really great for various reasons. I think it is important to delineate the differences between the two though. In spite of their similar ingredients, the final drinks stand well by themselves and have sharply distinct flavors. Because of this, I feel that we should not let one fall by the wayside in favor of the other. Both have their place in cocktail history.

The Last Word

It is ironic that a drink called the Last Word has resulted in endless discussions on cocktail blogs all over the net. Attempting to knock the Aviation off the internet cocktail dork throne, this drink became an even popular topic of discussion following its appearance on Robert Hess’ video cocktail endeavor, the Cocktail Spirit. With such excellent coverage devoted to a singular cocktail, it might seem a bit repetitive to put together another homage to this wonderful classic, but I also think that this cocktail is a great classic to play with, making it a great option for this Mixology Monday.

To begin, let’s look at the components of the Last Word. This drink is extremely similar to another classic, the Aviation. The Aviation can be a tricky drink to make, as the maraschino can easily dominate the cocktail. Understanding this relationship is important as it is a vital consideration in the Last Word as well. If you’re new to the cocktail blog thing, here’s how to make the Aviation:

Aviation

2 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Maraschino

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a homemade maraschino cherry.

Simple drink really, but one that can change and require some practice especially when different gins are used. I love a good Aviation, but the Last Word is much better in my opinion.

The Last Word

3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Now there are some obvious changes here namely the diminished proportion of gin, the addition of green Chartreuse, and the substitution of lime juice for lemon juice. Maybe I just haven’t done enough reading on other blogs or forums, but I don’t personally like all these differences.

First, I prefer more gin in my Last Words. Hell, I want more gin in my cereal, but I really think it is needed here. As the drink stands, it is far too sweet because there is just too much maraschino in the drink. Sure, we could bump the maraschino down a bit, but I do like how it balances the Chartreuse. Combined however, the Chartreuse and maraschino dominate the rest of the drink in my opinion. More gin is definitely needed. I like a healthy dose of a heavy, well-balanced gin like Junipero. The green Chartreuse is a welcome addition to the standard Aviation, but it needs to know its role in the drink.

The other green companion, however, is out of place. Limes? Why does this drink use limes? I just don’t think they fit at all. The drink is much better with lemons. I dare you to make two sets of Last Words side-by-side and tell me the one with lime is better. Again, maybe I’ve just lost sight of the drink and gone down the path of my own preferences, but I don’t think so. My bar guests tend to agree, and I have stopped making Last Words with lime juice entirely.

I think the result of tinkering with the Last Word in the manners described creates a much more refined and balanced drink that utilizes the gin properties of the Aviation while capitalizing on the use of green Chartreuse. I don’t up the citrus as much as a traditional Aviation would, but it is important to let the gin be the star. Here’s how I make mine:

Refined Speech

1 1/2 oz Junipero Gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Now, clearly we have a very different drink than the original Last Word, but I think that changing ratios of this classic and switching citrus is well worth the experimenting. I rarely follow a recipe from a book. Sure, I start there, but ultimately the unique characteristics of the world’s spirits require adjustments in all cocktails. A good cocktail is the product of someone’s understanding of all the spirits and how they work together. A couple of others have tinkered with the Last Word as well; I hope I didn’t miss anyone:

Rick at Kaiser Penguin substituted St.Germain for Green Chartreuse and also used lemon juice. Good job Rick; this sounds interesting and will definitely be on the try this soon list…if only St. Germain were available in Texas. Rick definitely fits into the category of understanding a drinks’ individual components and their union, so I think you might want to test this one as well. C’mon, you didn’t have anything important to do tomorrow anyway.

Then there’s Jamie Bourdeau, who burns up rosemary and turning the Chartreuse into a torch. Don’t get this guy on your bad side; make sure you always tell him you like his drinks, or man, who knows what will happen to you. Not that there would be a situation when you wouldn’t like the drinks, as this one too looks awesome. If I ever make it to Seattle and can visit Vessel, this is the one drink I want to try more than any other. He calls it the Rubicon, and it also uses lemon juice instead of lime and ups the gin portions as well. I didn’t mean to come too close to Jamie’s recipe in my alteration, but I guess this suggests that the changes are somewhat agreeable. I hadn’t even seen Jamie recipe on his site until I had almost completed writing this, which is odd because I generally read everything he posts, so it was good to see some confirmation about my thoughts on the changes.

Now, go do a taste test of the two (or three or four) versions and tell me which one you like the best. I might be dead wrong, and I’m fine with that. I’m going to drink my modified version regardless of what you think. Every sip will tell me this is one of my favorite drinks, something I can’t say for the original version. Also, I tried to make sure that a similar cocktail made of gin, maraschino, green Chartreuse, and lemon juice doesn’t already exist. I don’t think it does, but this wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong. If you know something I don’t, let me know. Happy taste-testing. Now head back over to Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour to see everyone else’s variations on classics.

North Shore Gin No. 6 – The Bartender’s Gin

The legacy of Teddy Roosevelt is littered with contradictions, yet his hypocrisy was most blatant towards alcohol. A devoted absinthe drinker, Teddy seemed to enjoy the pleasures of a drink. However, having learned his lesson one night after consuming too much, he swore to never drink in excess again. According to all accounts, Teddy fulfilled this promise. It was absinthe after all. Despite his lifelong love for the green fairy, Roosevelt campaigned for the prohibition of alcohol since his political career began in New York. Nevertheless, Teddy’s Rough Riders and the Spanish American War are inextricably linked to the Cuba Libre and an increased interest in rum among Americans during this period. This contradictive history hardly suggests how Teddy and his big stick would react to the modern world of alcohol. However, one thing is certain - Teddy Roosevelt would be pissed!

The most important impact of Roosevelt’s political career was his defiance of large corporations. The ongoing purchasing of smaller distilleries by large corporation has become the single greatest threat to the micro-distillery movement that is critical to the reinvigorated interest in cocktails. While the growth of micro-distilleries appears to be duplicating the microbrewery movement, the critical difference between these two industries appears to be that most breweries have relished in their independence, while many smaller distilleries seem to be established for the intended purpose of selling to a larger corporation. This trend has been particularly common among tequila producers in Jalisco and Russian vodka companies, each which have ended in disastrous results (please read my posts on the tequila industry and Russian vodka industry for more information). While it is difficult to fault larger corporations for acting appropriately and with good business sense, the impact of acquisition has influenced the quality of many spirits. Other producers have been redirect towards popular trends that defiantly contradict past traditions, diminishing any previous imagination and creativity. The pillar of innovation in this global takeover remains the independent distillery.

It is important that those of us who value quality spirits that push the boundaries of the industry in positive manner show support for smaller companies. This activism does not mean that you should never drink and Tanqueray and tonic again, but these circumstances do demand that when a quality independent product is developed, support needs to be shown. Conversation and grassroots support remain the most critical component of the success of these distilleries in a heavily advertised commercial market. Relying on others to provide this publicity can only result in the failure of this entrepreneurial spirit.

One of the many distilleries nationwide producing amazing spirits is the North Shore Disillery, located near Chicago in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Founded by Derek and Sonja Kassebaum, this distillery has developed several wonderful products which will impress anyone who appreciates quality spirits. Here is a list of the spirits that North Shore produces:

Gin –
Distiller’s Gin No. 6
No. 6 Mingled with Dates
No. 6 Mingled with Ceylon Tea
Distiller’s Gin No. 11

Vodka –
North Shore Vodka
Tahitian Vanilla Vodka

Artisan Collection –
Aquavit - Private Reserve

The list speaks for itself. The list of gins alone is intriguing enough. Distiller’s Gin No. 6 is in my opinion one of the best on the market, yet the infusion of their gin with dates and Ceylon tea is a first for the industry. Not only are they pioneering the infusion of gin, but the choices of dates and Ceylon tea provides a unique product that cannot be found in any other spirit. Aside from making new flavors available to mixologists, Distiller’s Gin No. 11 is produce solely for restaurants and bars and is not available in stores, emphasizing a relationship between the distillery and any bartenders willing to try and talk about a great product. The vanilla vodka infusion is the best on the market, hands-down no questions asked, but my favorite product made by North Shore is the Aquavit. I wrote a whole post on how much I love this stuff – check it out! I know that there a bunch of quality independent distilleries out there, but I can’t think of one that produces such diverse and consistent line of quality spirits.

The one product that needs to get more attention however is Distiller’s Gin No. 6. Many bartenders really seem hyped up on Hendrick’s (I love it too), but Hendrick’s lack a critical spice dimension that prevents it from exhibiting all of the best characteristics of gin. Nevertheless, as part of the non-traditional gin movement, Hendrick’s popularity is based largely on its ability to inspire new uses in cocktails. North Shore has similar characteristics and makes some amazing cocktails, but it adds the spice dimension that Hendrick’s lacks. Additionally, unlike other newer gins, the use of citrus fruit is not too dominant. Citrus fruit should be a crucial component in any gin, but stressing citrus too much threatens the spectrum of flavors that a gin exhibits. I get some lime out of No. 6, but the juniper remains the backbone of the gin and serves a foundation for other elements (another principle that new wave gins often violate to their own detriment). The herbal properties of the gin are excellent, but as with Hendrick’s, the floral components are really distinguishing. The cardamom and lavender particularly stand out. The spice elements are magnificent as well; cinnamon is emphasized in this gin with excellent results. I love this gin and drink it neat all the time. The finish of the gin is unlike any other and focuses on the floral and peppery properties of the gin.

Despite specifically targeting bartenders through Distiller’s Gin No. 11, I think that Gin No. 6 is an amazing mixing gin. The diverse flavors work so well in so many cocktails, but their equal balance allows for certain elements to impact cocktails individually. A martini made with North Shore is my favorite, as I mentioned in the “9,204 REAL Martinis and Counting…” post, but I have tried this gin in several classic cocktails and really found these to work well:

The Bebbo Cocktail

1 ½ oz North Shore Gin No. 6
1 oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Honey
2 Teaspoons Orange Juice
1 Maraschino Cherry for Garnsih

Stir all the ingredients together without ice until the honey dissolves. The honey dissolves quicker if its viscosity is lessened through heating. After this process, shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

This cocktail was saved from extinction by Dr. Cocktail (Ted Haigh) in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails and is a variation of the Bee’s Knees Cocktail, which does not include the OJ. The gin works so well with the honey and really makes this drink reach the next level!

The Aviation

2 oz North Shore Gin No. 6
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
½ oz Lemon Juice
Shake all the ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass.

This drink is usually made with a more traditional, juniper propaganda-styled gin, but because the juniper is still very active in North Shore it still works well here. I also cut back on the Maraschino Liqueur for two reasons. First, I use Stock because it is most available, and the dryness of Stock works better in a lesser quantity here (this Aviation tip came from Gary Regan in The Joy of Mixology). Also, the Maraschino Liqueur can dominate some of the more subtle properties of the gin if too much is used.

Shores Up North

2 oz North Shore Gin No. 6
½ oz Ginger Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice
Tonic Water
8 Mint Leaves
Lime Wheel for Garnish
Mint Sprig for Garnish

Muddle the mint leaves in the base of a tall glass with the ginger syrup. Fill the glass with ice and add the lime juice and the gin. Top the glass with tonic water and pour the drink into a shaker. Stir gently (don’t agitate the tonic and flatten it) but thoroughly. Strain into a an ice filled glass and garnish with the lime wheel and mint sprig.

I like this drink and made it after messing around with the Ginger Rogers in Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz’s The Art of the Bar. I was going to make a Ginger Rogers, but I didn’t realize I had depleted all of my homemade ginger beer until it was too late. Not that it would have mattered; I was out of siphon cartridges as well, so I couldn’t even do a blander soda substitute. All I had was bottled tonic water, but the drink was awesome. I liked it so much I keep making it unaltered, tonic water and all! This is one of my favorites, and I have been drinking it frequently in this Houston heat!

Update: After the comments made about Audrey Saunders’ drink the Gin Gin Mule, it became apparent that her drink was strikingly similar to the drink I had made out of necessity and lack of ingredients. Here is her recipe:

 

Gin Gin Mule

½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
6 Mint Sprigs
¾ oz Ginger Beer
1 ½ oz Gin
Splash Soda Water
Lime Wedge for Garnish

Muddle the lime juice, syrup, and mint. Add gin and ginger beer and shake well. Pour over ice in a highball glass. Top with soda and garnish with the lime wedge. From Dale DeGroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail.

 

Try these drinks and the gin; you won’t be disappointed. I rarely give a complete endorsement to a single company or brand, but the North Shore Distillery not only deserves it, they belong to a group of companies that need community interest. North Shore is still predominantly available in Chicago and surrounding areas, but their website has information on how you can get your hands on some. North Shore Gin No. 6 is is featured in this post because the online community needs to provide more support for these types of products. Relying on the industry is insufficient. While gaining positive reviews from several sources, the North Shore company was underappreciated at the San Francisco Spirits Competition, receiving only a Bronze Medal. While some independent distilleries were treated more fairly at the competition, the SFSC was again used to exhibit larger brands and provide commercial opportunities for larger spirits (check out my post on the lack of objectivity of this “competition”). This is the most blatant example of why independent distilleries need more grassroots assistance. Try the gin, mix the gin, but above all, talk about it. Clearly, North Shore and others rely upon individuals and objectivity for their ongoing success. But, what is often ignored is that the industry as a whole relies upon companies like North Shore for innovation and evolution. Teddy would agree. Who knows - maybe he would raise a glass too.

9,204 Different REAL Martinis and Counting…

In The Joy of Mixology, Gary Regan makes the argument that the Manhattan is “the best cocktail on earth.” His rationale is partially based on “digesting all the variables” that influence a Manhattan’s taste. Gary probably knows more about this cocktail than anyone on the planet, and he argues that the best Manhattans consider the properties of their whiskey appropriately. For example, a spicier whiskey, such as a rye, needs more vermouth to correctly balance the drink. Milder whiskeys, such as a wheated bourbon, needs less vermouth. Therefore, to successfully create an ideal Manhattan, the bartender must have an extensive knowledge of whiskies, vermouth, and bitters. More importantly, to become a cocktail artisan, one must understand how the ingredients work together. Amid these circumstances, it is easy to understand why Gary claims the Manhattan to be the “best”.

Now, I would certainly never attempt to refute anything that Gary Regan has said. The man drools more bartending knowledge in his sleep than I posses. However, the term “best” is rather opinionated, allowing for me to add my own two cents. Additionally, Gary’s arguments for Manhattan supremacy have recently become applicable to the Martini. Now, I am not going to claim that the Martini is great because it was one of the first or is more iconic. Instead, let’s just consider the same concepts of complexity with the Martini.

THE MARTINI

3 oz Gin
1 oz Vermouth
2 Dashes Bitters (Orange Preferred)
Olive for Garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a tin and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the olive.

Simple enough? Maybe so - 10 years ago. Gin’s popularity was in the gutter and few brands were available to consumers. What a difference a decade has made! Gin has gained so much popularity that it is hard to keep up with all of the available brands. Consequently, the impact on the Martini is diversity. Just as the Manhattan is influenced by the abundant number of whiskies available, the Martini has become exponentially complex as new gins have developed. Bitters manufacturing has expanded as well, which equally influences both the Manhattan and the Martini. The combinations seem endless, but I came up with a ROUGH calculation of the possibilities for the Martini drinker.

The Rules: This task was a little more difficult than I expected. I generally keep track of most new products, especially gins, that are hitting the market, but, WOW, there are just so many more than I thought. I started listing them of the top of my head initially, got to about 30, and decided I needed some help. After surveying a few online merchants with huge selections, I settled on the list below, which I am sure is still incomplete. I excluded crap gins (such as Skol, McCormick, and any other company that produces a type of each major spirit and makes me want to vomit) and gins that are not traditionally used in Martinis (such as Holland’s gins). A lot of discussion has been made about whether some newer gins make good martinis and even count as gins. Some of my favorite articles covering this issue have been written by Gary Regan in the San Francisco Chronicle and Eric Asimov in the New York Times, but for the purpose of argumentation, let’s just count those gins that meet a minimum quality standard and could conceptually be used in a Martini. Vermouth has to be French Vermouth, and the bitters have to be either a basic (generally angostura flavored or similar) or orange, which was used originally. We will let Stirrings Blood Orange bitters in to be fair, but Collins chemical-orange-death-mixture is out. Other flavored bitters, while great in Martinis, are excluded just to draw the line somewhere. Alright, here’s the list of options:

TYPES OF FRENCH VERMOUTH

1. Boissiere
2. Cinzano
3. Dolin
4. Gallo
5. Kedem
6. Lejon
7. Martini & Rossi
8. Noilly Prat
9. Stock
10. Tribuno
11. Versasi
12. Vya

TYPES OF GIN

1. Aviation
2. Bafferts
3. Beefeater
4. Beefeater Wet
5. Blackwood’s
6. Blackwood’s 60
7. Bluecoat
8. Bombay
9. Bombay Sapphire
10. Boodles
11. Broker’s
12. Bulldog
13. Burnett’s
14. Cascade Mountain
15. Citadelle
16. Cork
17. Damrak
18. Desert Juniper
19. DH Krahn
20. Dogfish
21. G’Vine
22. Gabriel Boudier
23. Gilbey’s
24. Glenmore
25. Gordon’s
26. Gordon’s Distillers Cut
27. Hampton’s
28. Hendrick’s
29. Iceberg
30. Indigo
31. Juniper Green
32. Junipero
33. Kensington
34. Magellan
35. Mercury
36. Miller’s
37. Miller’s Westbourne Strength
38. No. 209
39. Northshore
40. Old Raj (46% ABV)
41. Old Raj (55% ABV)
42. Parliament
43. Plymouth
44. Plymouth Navy Strength
45. Quintessential
46. Rogue Spruce
47. Sarticious
48. Seagram’s
49. Seagram’s Lime Twisted
50. Seagram’s Reserve
51. South
52. Tanqueray
53. Tanqueray Rangpur
54. Tanqueray Ten
55. Tower of London
56. Van Gogh
57. Whitley Neill
58. Xoriguer
59. Zuidam

TYPES OF BITTERS

1. Angostura
2. Angostura (Orange)
3. A.V. Wees
4. A.V. Wees (Oranje)
5. Bitter Truth
6. Bitter Truth (Orange)
7. Fee Brother’s
8. Fee Brother’s (Orange)
9. Hermes
10. Hermes (Orange)
11. Peychaud’s
12. Regan’s (Orange)
13. Stirring’s (Blood Orange)

POSSIBLE MARTINIS: 9,204!

That’s right; with no repetition, there are 9,204 possible different combinations of 1 type of vermouth, 1 type of gin, and 1 type of bitters! And, as with the Manhattan, different degrees of vermouth work better with different strengths and flavors of gin. One could even make the argument that the variations in gin are more extreme than whiskies because of the diverse amount of herbs and other spices used. Further, not all gins work well with all vermouths. My favorites in each category are Vya Vermouth and Old Raj for example, but these two simply don’t work well together in my opinion. This is partially because Old Raj’s saffron elements seem to clash with some of Vya’s complexity; use Noilly Prat with Old Raj instead. This is just one example of the adjustments that need to be made for different ingredients.

Previously, when gin was more uniform in taste, the alterations were less essential. But as the gin market expands, bartenders need to be more aware of the relationship between their ingredients. So which is more difficult, the Manhattan or the Martini? Who knows? Gary’s original argument probably still applies because gin has yet to outnumber types of whiskies and probably never will. However, all other issues aside, the increasing diversity of gin makes the Martini a flexible contender. The question ultimately is unimportant; instead find out which of each you like the best. Here’s mine:

MY FAVORITE MARTINI (CURRENTLY)

2 ½ oz Northshore Gin
1 oz Vya Vermouth
3 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
Lemon Twist for Garnish

MY FAVORITE MANHATTAN (CURRENTLY)

2 ¼ oz Sazerac 6 Rye
1 oz Vya Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
1 Maraschino Cherry for Garnish

Are they the best? Is one better than the other? Who knows, but they are my favorites right now. I have had a lot of Martinis, but nowhere near 9,204. I won’t try some by choice, and others I probably won’t have the opportunity to experience. If I just tried one of the possible combinations every day, it would take over 25 years to complete the list of combinations, and new gin brands are certainly going to continue to appear as well, making this objective impossible. Nevertheless, the quest for the unobtainable holy grail of the Martini is more about the journey than the drink.

Follow-Up Note: In a strange sort of coincidence that would almost only happen with the best of cocktails, a couple other blogs I am big fans of wrote on the Martini when I was working on this post or just before. I like each of these blogs and wanted to go ahead and recommend them as other readings related to this post and as great blogs! Check out Married with Dinner and Oh Gosh! if you liked this post.