Month: April 2012

Categories
Recipes Reviews Tasting Notes

Canadian Goose in the Window Cocktail

 

 

Royal Rose Syrup sent me a little package under the cover of darkness a couple days ago. This new flavor is strawberry and fennel. Immediately I started to shiver. Strawberries plucked fresh from the field, glistening with the morning dew and fennel grasping at the air and reaching for the sky. They have my attention immediately.

So please from my twisted “Cocktail Whisperer” sensibility, allow me to introduce the Canadian Goose in the Window Cocktail. What kind of name is that? Well, all day the geese have been circling outside in the wind without landing. They swoop by the window momentarily blotting out the light. They are huge and out of control.

Maybe they got into something and it made them crazy? Who knows.

The basis of this drink is a strawberry and the herb driven element- a burst of fennel twisted around a simple syrup made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup.

But what should follow? In this case all I can think about is White Rum from Atlantico. Their Platino Rum or Ron Artesanal is just gorgeous stuff. If you can find a bottle it is a thing of rare beauty. Combined with the sweetness from tiny plump strawberries and tied together by strands of fennel, this is a dream cocktail if you are thirsty. Crushed ice makes it a slushy and bitters from a recent discover called Bitters, Old Men completes the picture. I chose their Smoke Gets in Your Bitters, so named for the ingredients that include Lapsang Souchong tea and the essences of Prickly Pear…

Exotic meets exotic in a firing squad on your palate of sweet to savory to gorgeous.

If you have more than two of them, watch out!

Get a car service. Don’t drive. I warn you.

Canadian Goose in the Window Cocktail
Ingredients:
4 Shots of Platino Ron Artesanal (Rum)
Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Strawberry and Fennel ( Soon to be released… I hope!)
Freshly Squeezed lime and lemon juices
Grilled Strawberries or ones roasted in a cast iron pan until just charred
Fennel for garnish

Preparation:
Muddle a couple of grilled strawberries with the fennel
Add Simple Syrup or Simple Syrup of Strawberry and Fennel plus the muddled strawberries.. it’s up to you how intense you want this drink
Add 4 shots of the white Rum (Platino)
Shake and strain into a tall cocktail glass filled with crushed ice
Garnish with Fennel and a tall colorful straw

Drip a few drops of the Bitters, Old Men Smoke Gets in Your Bitters over the top and sip carefully

This recipe makes one cocktail of blinding strength or several smaller ones with lesser capacity for blindness!

Categories
Articles Recipes Reviews

Vodka Without Hangovers? Say it isn’t so?

Say it isn’t so?

 

Perfectly pure Vodka? What a claim. Can your spirit make that same claim? Well there it is. Right on the label. Certified by the United States Government. NO IMPURITIES in this Vodka.
Now, I’m not usually a Vodka drinker. Far from it. I mean, if someone pours me a Vodka and grilled muddled grapefruit, I’m certainly going to drink it.
There used to be a bar near South Station in Boston named the Blue Sands. It’s gone now, along with most of the patrons, young and old. I suppose they met their demise through drinking rock-gut Vodka mixed with grapefruit juice. 80 cents for a small juice glass. You could get absolutely wrecked for about five bucks.
Drinking Blat on the other hand… the uber-elegant Vodka imported from Spain is not the same thing. This is contemplative Vodka. Vodka with flavor all its own. You wouldn’t want to cover up the intriguing aromatics of fresh herbs and citrus zest with uncertain mixers.
I received a bottle last night and immediately set to testing the theory- not for the lack of a hangover, but to unleash the flavors hidden within this crystal clear spirit.
What makes this Vodka so unique? I’m not sure- but I would say, seek out a bottle. And don’t cover up the aromatics too much.
Don’t be afraid to drink it on the rocks, or with a twist. Perhaps you’d like to mix it simply like this?

The Door Opener Cocktail
2 Blood Oranges, sliced into rounds and then seared until crunchy on the flesh
2 Shots of Blat Vodka from Spain
A few shakes of Angostura Bitters
A squeeze of Milagro Agave Syrup

Muddle a couple of the Blood Orange rounds in a cocktail shaker
Add a some ice
Add the Blat Vodka
Add the Bitters
Squeeze a bit of Milagro Agave into the mix
Shake and strain into a shallow coupe’ glass
Enjoy!

Categories
Recipes

What Does Blat Mean in Catalonian?

Blat means wheat in Catalonian.  But to me, Blat means flavor.   It also means damned good wheat Vodka.

But what makes this Vodka better than the others on the market?

I’m not sure- but through a proprietary method of distillation, Blat Vodka reads, right on the label and certified by the US Government that it is pure. Chemically speaking there are zero impurities in this Vodka.  No impurities according to the owners of the company, equals no hangovers.

That seems to be a pretty broad ranging statement, but independent US Government Laboratories have certified on every bottle that.. well, here it is directly from the label:

We Guarantee, as a result of proprietary process, that this bottle was filled from has produced Vodka with Non-Detected Impurities.  The analysis has been carried out by the most accurate USA independent laboratory certified by the TTB.  The results have shown that typical traces of 1-Butanol, Active Amyl Alcohol, Isoamyl Alcohol, Isobutanol, Methanol, N-Propanol, or Acetaldehyde, EB Ethyl Acetate, were all non-detected.

So what are they saying?   “Achieving extraordinary purity without sacrificing the best traditional taste through a completely unique proprietary process.  Reaches where others cannot reach.”

But what does this Vodka taste like?

A dream.

A dream?  Yes.  A dream of aromatics.  I detect rosemary, citrus and white flowers.  This Vodka is pure and clean and it mixes with citrus in a most friendly manner.

This is a most friendly Vodka.

Just like the owners of the company.  They are as approachable as your own family.

There is something about this Vodka that allows it to marry well with citrus fruits. But not your typical Vodka and Orange juice type drinks.  I’m speaking of grilled citrus, like blood oranges, muddled with freshly snipped garden herbs like rosemary and fresh mint.

A whiff of the sea is in every sip.

They use a special type of water for the blending their Vodka.  Let’s just say that the recipe is a closely guarded secret.  I’d like to “spill the secret” but alas, even the wife of one of the owners does not know the formulary.

They say you won’t get a hangover by drinking Blat.  I’m not sure I’d like to test this theory, but it makes sense.

Take out the impurities and take away the chances of one of those behind the eyes is pure pain hangovers.

I’ve traveled to the region of Spain that this Vodka is named for.  Catalonia.  The region is rich with a very specific terroir.  Wheat is grown here and Blat Vodka is (in my opinion) the closest thing Vodka comes to Pappy Van Winkle.  If they create their cache’, it should be for the purity of the flavors in each sip.

This is Vodka that doesn’t stand in the way of getting your work done.  (my quote!)

So, I played around with my bottle of Blat this afternoon.  But as simplicity is my guide, I took the path less followed.  Bitters became my GPS in this experiment.

I call this little cocktail the Black Hat.  Named for a circa 1800’s top hat I own.  The last time I wore this top hat (many years ago) I became particularly wrecked on your basic Vodka on the Rocks.  Now, many years later, I still own this venerable top hat, but alas, it is too small for my head.

I think it makes a great prop though.  And the inspiration for this cocktail is the remembrance of the last time that I drank Vodka on ice. I’m quite sure that Vodka was not as pure as Blat.

The Black Hat Cocktail (Serves one or two, depending on how wrecked you want to be, but remember, no hangover!)

Ingredients for the Black Hat Cocktail:

Blat Vodka from Spain

Bitters, Old Men- Isaan Another Level Bitters (Comprised of Burdock, Lemongrass, Ginger, Kaffir Lime Leaf, Yuzu Peel, Birds eye chili, Fish Sauce and Sweet Soy)

Ice

Preparation:

Into a short cocktail glass add one or two large cubes of ice.  I used a large silicone cube form from Williams-Sonoma

Add 2 Shots of Blat Vodka (Wheated, just like Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon!)

Add exactly five drops of the Bitters, Old Men Bitters

Stir with a long piece of lemongrass, but crush the end first with the flat side of a chef’s knife to release the aromatics

I also created another cocktail based on strong Mexican Coffee with the unmistakable aromatics of Mexican Chocolate and smoke from one of the unmistakable Del Maguay Mezcals.

This salubrious drink- I named the Oaxaca Express.  It uses a couple of hits of the Mexican Mole’ Bitters from The Bitter End

This cocktail is also simplicity in motion.  Use the same proportions as the Black Hat, but substitute the Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters for the Bitters, Old Men Bitters

Instead of five drops of bitters, use only three drops of the Mexican Mole’ Bitters.

Add 1/2 shot of strong coffee to the vodka and then the Bitter End Bitters and a good splash of Agave Syrup for a sweeter finish

Add a large cube of ice

Finally, add 1/2 shot of Petuga from Del Maguey

Add the Mezcal directly over the top

Serve immediately to your friend and then make another for yourself to show your good manners!

Thank you Fabiola for being so kind to me.

 

Categories
Articles Reviews

Whip your Bellini into Shape! by: Cocktail Whisperer, Warren Bobrow

Whip your Bellini into Shape!

Like many of the great liquid legends of cocktail artistry, the greatest drinks seem to have the largest legends behind each pensive sip.  None hold as much mystique and intrigue as the Bellini.  I love the Bellini for what it is not.  It is not sugary sweet.  It is not trendy.  It is not difficult to make.  What a Bellini is and what it has become- is history in the glass.  I’m holding a bottle of Powell & Mahoney Peach Bellini cocktail mixer in my hands and I seek greater inspiration from the whiff of tiny white peaches and the “not too sweet” finish of “summer in a glass.”

This is very sophisticated juice- worthy of the finest sparkling wines or mixers.  To say that summer is only as far away as a bottle of Powell & Mahoney is not too far of a stretch.  You cannot physically force summer upon the outside world, but inside your cocktail glass it can be summer any time you open a bottle and mix a drink.

The original history of the Bellini has been told and re-told over the decades.  Venice, Italy- the famed “Harry’s Bar” and freshly picked white peaches, gently pureed and then strained with a touch of pure cane sugar makes the best cocktail.  What I do know about the Bellini is that a proper Bellini must be prepared with the best possible ingredients.  The Peach Bellini mix that I hope you have a chance to try is exceptionally refreshing in a glass, served plain as well as with a bit of freshly drawn seltzer.  You can make a brilliant Bellini with the sparkling wine of your choice- or any of a multitude of other ingredients.

The classic preparation includes Prosecco but yours might be something else entirely.  The hit of dry fizz to the savory sweetness of creamy, white peaches can be described simply as, memorable and essential!

My parents took me to Italy when I was in my early teen years.  They did not forbid me to taste alcoholic beverages- quite the opposite in fact, there was always wine on our table at home and more wine when traveling in Europe.  Our trip to Venice was one of the highpoints of my childhood.  We took a water-taxi to the famed glass factories of Murano where many of my cocktail glasses were crafted.  I do believe and my mind’s eye recalls many unique flavors on that trip so many decades ago.

I remember it was brutally hot on this summer trip to Venice.  The glass factories are not air-conditioned and my young thirst was only compounded by the lack of water or even wine as I recall.

To blow glass, vast amounts of fire is necessary, hence the furnaces glowing nearly white hot.  Images and feelings such as these never left my mind, watching glass blown by talented artisans in a time honored method has reverberated in my memory since those days.

It’s no coincidence that the vessels that hold my cocktails are hand-blown, some from Italy, others from crafts-people trained in Italy.

There is a certain polished elegance to real Murano glass that cannot be duplicated any place else in the world.

The glass galleries of Venice are located in vast palazzio that echo with history.  Millions of dollars of glass sculptures sit next to more humble reminders of the glass-blower’s craft.  The hushed elegance of these living museums is further exemplified by the serving of Bellini cocktails, many served in glasses blown just for this purpose.  You don’t have to drink a Bellini in a Murano hand blown glass, but it wouldn’t hurt!  As I mentioned it was one of those days in Venice that the air stood nearly still and the humidity rose off the canals in vast sheets of penetrating, rippling heat.  My parents were served tall (hand-blown) glasses of peach nectar with fizzy Prosecco poured over the top.

Of course I held my hand out for one to sate my young thirst.  I can picture the sweet, yet tangy flavor of white peaches, the staccato of the Prosecco and the glass emptying itself down my throat in one fell swoop.

“Yes please, may I have another?”

With this quality product, made in “Micro-Batches” by Powell & Mahoney, you too may duplicate the utter dream-state of being in Venice.  If it’s not summer where you are, turn up the heat in your home and find yourself a glass that befits a drink of the highest quality.  And try not to duplicate the seven deadly sins, unless you want to!

In my most twisted fashion, I’ve created a cocktail that befits the classic flavors and memories of Venice, and those of Carnival, when the city is masked in intrigue and passion.

This cocktail is firmly based on the classic history of white peach nectar and Prosecco, but in keeping with my twisted sensibility I’ve taken the path less followed and twisted things up quite a bit.

You may find after several, if you have any clothes left on they will be gone soon, hence the name the Seven Deadly Sins. ( Sette Peccati Capitali)

Ingredients for several clothing and mind liberators hence the name Sette Peccati Capitali:

1 shot glass of Tenneyson Absinthe

1 shot glass of Aviation Gin from House Spirits

1 shot glass of Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

4 shot glasses of Prosecco or any dry sparkling wine (It need not be Champagne, just light and refreshing)

3-4 shots of Powell & Mahoney Micro-Batch All Natural Cocktail Mixer

Bitter End Curry Bitters

1 cup Grilled Orange Juice (Slice oranges into rounds, grill over fire or sear in a pan then juice)

Preparation:

In a cocktail shaker, fill 1/4 with ice

Add liqueurs except for the sparkling wine

Add Powell & Mahoney Peach Bellini Mixer

Add a couple of ice cubes to each glass

Shake and strain into champagne glasses or long cocktail glasses

Add exactly three drops of the Bitter End Curry Bitters to each glass

Add the grilled orange juice, about 1 shot per drink

Add a couple of splashes of Prosecco to the glasses that contain the liqueurs, the peach Bellini nectar and the Bitter End Curry Bitters

Fully experience this cocktail by having several!

(I won’t be held responsible for your actions!)

http://www.cocktailwhisperer.com

http://www.wildriverreview.com/wildtable

Photograph by Warren Bobrow with the Leica M8/Summicron F2 50mm

Categories
Articles Reviews

Kilbeggan (The Oldest Operating Distillery in the World!)

Kilbeggan (The World’s Oldest Distillery)

April 4, 2012

Is the world’s oldest distillery in Scotland?  If you said yes, then you are incorrect.  The oldest operating distillery is in Ireland.

I’m quite fond of Irish Whiskey.  You may note that Irish Whiskey is not spelled Whisky like in Scotland.  Irish Whiskey has the addition of the E at the end in a fashion similar to the way Whiskey is spelled in the United States.

Why?  I believe through my research that the extra E is meant to discuss a higher quality spirit that those without the E. This was a historic reasoning that had something to do with quality of a specific spirit. I don’t care to discuss the personal history, you can do that yourself.  This history pit country against country.  It was certainly not inclusive.

Oh, they spell Whisky without the E in Scotland.  Whatever.  I think that the exclusion or inclusion of the letter E is confusing to the consumer.  But like any interesting puzzle the historical reasoning is out there on the web.

Onward…

Back in the late 80’s I had chance to travel to Ireland for the first time.  This lush country, with gorgeous,1000 shades of deep green vistas set against limitless skies. This is where passionate crafts-people, embrace the ancient methods of distillation.  The distillation arts in Ireland harkens back to a time when living off the land actually meant something.

I was fortunate to stay in Dublin- a young, raucous city filled with vivid splashes of color and light set against dark skies and brooding classical architecture.  It’s a magical place- well geared to intellectuals and also thirsty entrepreneurs.  There are authors and artists from all over the world that make their way to Dublin to study, to drink and to make history.  You can go into dozens of bars, listen to traditional music and meet poets, dreamers and best of all, drinkers.

The pubs are filled with lads and lassies who come to seek solace in a fine pint of dark and a glass of uisce beatha or water of life.  The pubs of Dublin and her denizens make this city go round and round.

I tasted Irish Whiskey for the first time at the historic horseshoe bar at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.  I was immediately hooked on the friendly, yet potent sweet water.

Ireland has amazing farmland well suited for growing grain.  The soil in Ireland is rich in many of the nutrients necessary to grow grains. Grain just happens to make excellent many alcoholic finished products.

You have a thirsty country, much rain- generally miserable weather in the winter… Made even more lovely with a finished product made from fermented grain.

With grain comes distillation- and with distillation comes Whiskey.  Irish Whiskey, is a unique product.  It tastes like no other Whiskey in my opinion and it helps me dream.  Dream you say?  Drinking Irish Whiskey for me- unlocks a liquid history of searching for round-towers and seeking lovely wool sweaters woven in specific ways to identify the wearer.  Irish Whiskey is part of the deeper social thread but is easily enjoyable in a lovely Irish Coffee.

I have the ingredients, but it’s just 8:53 in the morning.  Not a good time to start drinking when a man has writing to do!

Ireland is no stranger to the craft of distillation as witnessed by Kilbeggan.  Their handsome bottle reads 1757.  No, this is not a misprint. 1757 is when the distillery was established.  And 1757 means that this spirit is from the world’s oldest operating distillery.  Not surprising to me. Kilbeggan is a new brand to the United States although by the bottle not so new to the world!  Kilbeggan uses a 180 year old pot still.  I believe a pot still gives great character to a spirit.  There has to be something said to the distillation vessel.  It must contain memories of some sort.  It’s not just cold metal.  It has a soul.

But does this make the spirit within the handsome bottle good?  I think so.  Please let me tell you about my thoughts.

Open the tall narrow bottle, classically finished in dark lettering over a pale yellow label.  There is a hint of maroon and gold highlighting some important facts about the distillery.  Several places on the bottle the numbers 1757 appear.  The distillery is quite proud of their lineage and heritage.

Open the top and pour a healthy portion into a glass that resonates with you.  From very moment that the magical liquid hits the glass I can smell the aroma of honey and hand-scythed grains.  There is a bit of smoke way off in the finish, but nothing like drinking Scotch.

The beginning of the mouth-feel is peppery fire from the 80 proof spirit.  The aroma of Kilbeggan is haunting and centering in the room.  I want to have a taste.  It’s soft, creamy in the mouth and quite beguiling on the top of my palate.  Flavors of toasted nuts, fleur de sel, caramel and Irish Soda Bread (with extra raisins) predominate.

Add to this a healthy slathering of creamy yellow Irish butter, still warm over the toasted Soda Bread.  This tiny slurp of Ireland just goes on and on with a multi-minute finish.

This is very sophisticated stuff.  I’m especially enjoying the aroma in the room.  Bacon fat, maple syrup and hot tea.  Yum!

As a food writer I love to give the literary connections to flavors I’ve tasted in my childhood.  This directional ability seems to translate well to the world of spirits writing.

As a cook, I find it interesting, to identify many of the flavor profiles that are available in spirits.  Sure they all have brooding alcohol, that’s the point!  People drink for pleasure.  It tastes good and some even have a kick!

Flavor has everything to do with it.

Irish Whiskey is Irish history in every sip.  For me to taste creamy butter melting over a thick slice of freshly toasted Soda Bread is to encourage you to find a bottle of Kilbeggan.

 

Two Cocktails For Kilbeggan

1. The Sheep in the Road cocktail- meaning that group of sheep don’t appear to be getting out of the road!

Makes two rather lovely cocktails

Ingredients:

6 Oz. Irish Breakfast Tea- chilled

4 Shots Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

Local Honey Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio of Honey to water, heat, then cool. refrigerate)

Preparation:

To a cocktail shaker add the Kilbeggan and the Irish Breakfast Tea

Add 4 Tablespoons of the Honey Simple Syrup

Garnish with a lemon round and a sprig of mint

 

2. The Cow in the Road Cocktail- meaning, there is a cow in the road up there, watch out!

Makes two cocktails of bewildering strength from the use of warming liquids, you won’t taste the alcohol, so please be careful.

Ingredients:

Freshly Whipped Cream flavored with Kilbeggan

Hot Chocolate (your choice)

4 Shots of Kilbeggan

Sugar to taste

Preparation:

Make your hot chocolate and add to pre-heated mugs

Add the Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

Sip and when the cow jumps over that wall, know that there is a pub just up the way.  Someone will come to the pub and tell you to move your car!

 

Straight

2 Shots of Kilbeggan

Glass (preferably clean)

no ice

a bit of cool water

 

Preparation… Moisten your brow with the water, drink the Whiskey and have another

 

 

http://www.cocktailwhisperer.com

http://www.wildriverreview.com/wildtable