My hat is off to the committee who chose my 1st book, Apothecary Cocktails for a Spirited Award. It’s a HUGE HONOR…
Thank you.
http://talesofthecocktail.com/news/top-10-finalists-2014-spirited-awards-announced/
My hat is off to the committee who chose my 1st book, Apothecary Cocktails for a Spirited Award. It’s a HUGE HONOR…
Thank you.
http://talesofthecocktail.com/news/top-10-finalists-2014-spirited-awards-announced/
I didn’t set out today to do an article strictly on cocktails. After all, a man must eat something if he is day drinking. Day drinking- a lost cousin to day dreaming and the bastard son of the afternoon siesta or nap is not for everyone. But should you desire a well crafted cocktail, made with only the best freshly squeezed juices and craft spirits, then make your way over to the Yellow Plum. True they bought me my lunch and true they knew I was there representing the Devil… But with this said what I found on my trip was unexpected and therefore gorgeous.
The meatballs, pictured here are things of rare beauty. They are hand made, one at a time. There is Chorizo in there, lurking in the background. A subtle burn at the finish, tempered ever softly by the a marinara worthy of a bath. The very thought of taking a bath in marinara sauce is beyond my comprehension in polite company, but this marinara is something truly extraordinary.
I felt so honored to taste it. This sauce became a part of me. Part of my memory. Maybe the simple combination of flavors did it. I’m not sure. Simple, passionate food doesn’t take wizardry.
This food takes love. It’s obvious that there are smiles in the kitchen. You can taste them in every bite. The cocktails are equally passionate.
I tried two drinks. The first, a play on words, is the Brookdale Cocktail. Woven from a salubrious mixture of Plantation Five Year Old Reserve rum, ginger liqueur, muddled cranberries and lemon juice. This drink has nearly perfect balance. I see nearly because as a whisperer of cocktails, I like to unlock inner secrets in drinks. You do this with bitters. I might have used the Aztec Bitters from Fee Brothers, or perhaps the Mexican Mole Bitters from Bitter End. It needed something bitter against all that sweet. But I had no complaints with the strength of the drink. It was right in line with my expectations and it exceeded them handily with how beautifully this cocktail went with the food… Then there was the mac and cheese. ohhhhhhh…. Swoooon…
This was not mac and cheese of my childhood, this was sophistication and charm in every bite. I can’t tell you what poutin tastes like up in Montreal when it’s 40 degrees below zero, but this dish is so unctuous and bold….
I couldn’t finish all of it even if I wanted to. There was a slowly cooked shredded short rib meat. Oh, there I go… opening the to/go box and digging in. With my fingers! DAMMIT, this is good stuff!
The second drink was a spin on an icy road with bald tires and rear wheel drive. It was called the Fig Fashion. This drink is so darned simple. Three ingredients. Muddled Fig. Knob Creek Bourbon. Finally bitters. This drink is so darned dangerous. If the bar uses hand cut ice it would be the charmer on the menu. It’s that good. No, I don’t recommend driving on ice with bald tires. Too much can go wrong.
Leave the car at home and have a couple of the Fig Fashions. Ask them to make the drinks as doubles.
Chef Lukic has the chops that I look for in a cook. He has that calm under fire persona that comes from some dangerous experiences in the Marine Corps. He has spent much time behind the scenes in restaurants from childhood on.
He cooks as he speaks, quietly and with great authority. It’s his place. He doesn’t look for accolades nor the Montclair “scene,” nor flash in the pan- television stardom. What this cook does is follow his dreams. This restaurant is his invention. His passion and his lab. He’s not doing this food for flashy publications. He’s cooking from his heart because this is his metier, his passion!!!
I do want to dine there at dinner. The lighting will be lower, the room filled with laughing- sated, happy diners.
This is not trendy food although they certainly do modern cooking. Each taste is grounded in classical cooking technique. The French Culinary Institute was chef’s education, but I’m positive he was a chef even before he walked into the front door.
Come by the Yellow Plum. Enjoy a cocktail. Their wine list if cocktails are not your speed is carefully chosen by flavor. The list is a nice overview of styles that are priced well and are intriguing to both the neophyte and the expert.
This is not a snob place. It’s good food, carefully made with love.
Isn’t that why we dine?
(973) 893-3681
Yellow Plum will be participating in Bloomfield Restaurant Week 2014. Restaurant Week is August 3 to August 9 2014. Participating Restaurants will offer special prix Fixe menus for both lunch and dinner giving everyone the chance to experience the diversity of Bloomfield’s culinary scene. For full details visit the Bloomfield Restaurant Week website. Also be sure to like Bloomfield Restaurant Week on Facebook. Devil Gourmet is proud to be a Platinum sponsor of Bloomfield Restaurant Week.
Warren Bobrow is Devil Gourmet’s own Cocktail Whisperer. When he isn’t postulating about the good, bad and the ugly of cocktail bars in NJ for Devil Gourmet, he is the Food and Drink Editor of the Wild River Review located in Princeton, New Jersey. Like a good bartender who hears everything but shares little, Warren is not one to boast of his accomplishments. But that’s not going to stop us.
He writes for the “Fabulous Beekman 1802 Boys” as their cocktail writer. (Klaus, The Soused Gnome). He was one of 12 journalists world-wide, and the only one from the USA to participate in the Fête de la Gastronomie 2012 in Burgundy. Warren co-judged the Iron Mixology competition at the Charleston Wine and Food Festival (2012), was # 30 in Saveur Magazine’s 100 in 2010, for his writing about the humble Tuna Melt. Warren has published over four hundred articles on everything from cocktail mixology to restaurant reviews to travel articles. His first book, Apothecary Cocktails is now in its second printing and another book is in the works!
The best thing about Warren? He does mixology for groups and private lessons- ask! You may find him on the web at CocktailWhisperer.com
Make sure to speak of the Devil when you visit my favorite haunts. And, be sure to follow me and my Devil’s helpers on Facebook and Twitter @devilgourmet.
Klaus just returned from a lovely trip to Vermont. He’s very fortunate to have been invited to the Northeast Kingdom and make new friends along the way. One of these friends, Todd Hardie is a bee keeper and maker of a most marvelous group of spirit medicinals. The raw honey that goes into his marvelous vodka, gin and elderberry cordial speak clearly of his passion for healing.
Vermont is rife with family farms. It’s not easy to make a living here in this often harsh environment. Get away from the ski towns that live off the tourists and discover a place that is off the usual path. I suggest doing this by following food and drink.
Klaus thinks that if you want to win the heart of a beautiful woman you must ply her with his newest loves, Vermont maple syrup and Vermont cheeses. Of course Klaus tells me that there has to be some liquor in there too. That’s where Todd Hardie comes in. Klaus is smitten by the flavors exemplified in each sip of Barr Hill Gin and Barr Hill Vodka. You see, Klaus discovered that these spirits are actually made from something that comes from bees! In Germany and Caledonia bees were raised for their honey. This honey, when fermented and distilled is powerful medicine used by apothecaries for hundreds of years. Now in the modern age, this distillation of honey goes into Barr Hill products. It’s remarkable and delicious.
Vermont Maple Syrup is richly scented and deeply aromatic. It’s memorable from the minute it touches your tongue and the finish goes on and on.
I was fortunate to visit Jasper Hill and received a private tour of the cheese caves. Jasper Hill, if you are not familiar makes highly expressive cheeses that speak clearly of Vermont.
Klaus had to stay inside because of the FDA regulations about cleanliness. He would have had to receive a total sterilization. He wasn’t happy about that, so he took a nap instead.
Klaus just told me that with Valentine’s Day coming up, he thought a considerate gift of raw honey would be in order. Raw honey does many things, Klaus tells me. But I think what Klaus is really trying to say is that for Valentine’s day to be truly special there must be a drink to make basic conversation a bit easier. Why is that Klaus? He’s not talking right now. He’s napping. The trip up to Vermont was hard on the little guy. All those new faces to remember and all those kisses he received. Klaus if you are just discovering him is quite famous.
In keeping with the theme of Valentine’s Day and Klaus having only a ceramic heart, love doesn’t come easily to him. Oh sure, all the ladies love Klaus but I’m not sure that he can love them back. He certainly has enough admirers. Right Klaus?
As long as he has a drink nearby all is well.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to have more than one, within reason of course. Why is that? Because my (Klaus’s) drinks are quite intoxicating! He’s interested in flavor and aromatics from always-fresh herbs, even in the winter!
Klaus brought some gorgeous fresh sage the other day at the Asian market. He explained to me that this sage, when carefully lit on fire makes the most beguiling smoke. He went on to explain that if you have burning sage and you hold your Boston Shaker over the top, you can capture this smoke within the shaker! Klaus went on to explain that Barr Hill Vodka, (distilled from raw honey, of course) when mixed with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and smoked sage “smoke” makes for a colorful and potent cocktail. One nearly guaranteed to make “conversation” easier later in the evening.
The smoked sage and grapefruit juice act as a foil to the more potent, honey-tinged notes of this exceptional vodka. Those who have be following my writing know that I normally don’t write about vodka, so it has to be pretty darned exceptional for me to even take note. Barr Hill is that product. Klaus explains to me that happy bees make passionate spirits. I agree.
Klaus says that the happy bees make honey that has a memory. I said to Klaus that his Valentine’s Day cocktail is just brilliant. Perhaps he should have two or three at the least?
It’s up to him to fall in love somehow!!!
Captain Bickford Cocktail (Named for a hopeless romantic in the work of Robert Louis Stevenson)
Ingredients for two strong drinks
3 oz. Barr Hill Vodka
5 oz. Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit juice
2 oz. Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water in Lemon Essence
5 drops Wild Branch Foods Elderberry Syrup
Fresh Sage leafs
Hand cut ice
Preparation:
In a fireproof dish, light the sage on fire so it smolders
Capture the sage smoke in an inverted Boston Shaker
Add ice to the sage smoke
Add the Vodka and the grapefruit juice with the Elderberry syrup to the smoke and ice filled shaker
Cap and shake hard for 20 seconds
Pour into an old fashioned glass with one cube of hand cut ice
Pour Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water over the mixture into two glasses
Garnish with a sage leaf a few drops of the Urban Moonshine Maple Bitters to finish.
Klaus hopes to get lucky this Valentine’s Day…. With a few of these in his flask, he’s sure to do very well at something…. Klaus????? Oh, he’s wandered off again. Trying to find his true love.
By Warren Bobrow, Cocktail Whisperer
Martin for all you who don’t know was the founder of the highly individualistic gin company by the same name. His gin set the stage for many of the micro distilled brands of gin that we see on the market today.
The Martin Miller’s Gin & Twisted Tonic
Preparation:
Rub the grapefruit peel on the inside of each Collins glass, first burning it slightly against a match to bring out the natural oils
Add the hand cut ice to the glass
Add the tonic syrup and the gin over the top of the syrup
Add the Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
Top with the Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters and serve immediately after stirring with a long colorful straw!
Cheers from DrinkUpNY!
Article by Warren Bobrow, a nationally published food and spirits columnist who writes for Williams-Sonoma, Foodista and the Beekman Boys
I believe that ice is the most important ingredient in a well-crafted cocktail. Just imagine this scenario. You go to your favorite cocktail lounge; the bartender is making crafted cocktails. The first thing that you notice is the amount of tiny cubes he is putting in the drinks. It would appear that the glasses are filled to the brim with this frozen substance possessing neither form nor shape. The bartender adds liquor to this rapidly melting material. It appears that the entire glass is filled with liquor. You say to yourself, they sure pour a nice drink here. WRONG! What they are actually doing is filling your glass with water!
The ice melts so quickly giving the impression that the bartender filled you glass up with booze. Nothing could be further from the truth. What the bartender has done is fool you, making money for the house and surreptitiously given you the impression that your glass actually has something in it other than cold water and chips of ice. Maybe what you really have is just a waste of your hard earned money?
May I please suggest changing your ice? My little friend Klaus is around here somewhere. He suggests going to the store in Massachusetts named the Boston Shaker. They will help you with this dilemma. The Boston Shaker recently held a book signing for my new book, Apothecary Cocktails, Restoratives from Yesterday and Today. While Klaus and I were there making hot buttered rum, I had the chance to gaze wistfully over their well-stocked shop. There were many different items there for freezing perfect ice.
You can buy rounds or squares. They come in many varieties of sizes. May I suggest the 2×2 inch trays for your ice? Why should you care?
You see, when you use refrigerator ice, it often comes out chopped into small bits. Dilution takes place nearly immediately. This is unacceptable. I believe when your ice stays solid, hardly any dilution takes place. Your drink stays cold, yet it doesn’t dilute- at least it doesn’t turn to water quickly! When your ice stays solid, your money doesn’t turn to water as rapidly in your system. Thus you get your money’s worth.
Another example of superb design in gourmet hand-crafted ice is Glace Ice, made by my friend Roberto Sequeira. He has designed and implemented a truly gourmet ice cube that you can purchase already frozen. His brilliant product gives your cocktails that one-of-a kind, light catching look. There really is nothing I have seen in ice that is of this high quality, unless you make it yourself.
I continue to state and have gone on record to say that Roberto’s “Glace” ice is the best ice that money can buy. It’s not inexpensive, but the best things in the world are rarely cheap.
If you put one of the Glace rounds in a glass and poured a mere strand of Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey over the top in your hand cut crystal glass, I think you’d be greatly rewarded. Let me let you into a little secret. If you like rye whiskey, and who doesn’t, may I suggest Catoctin Creek Organic Roundstone Rye? It’s brilliant over one of Roberto’s Ice Squares. Just shimmering. Did I tell you it’s organic? Yes. This small batch, handcrafted spirit is one of a very few rye whiskies that are made with all organically grown ingredients. I like that and try to tell people about my passion for craft spirits when I can.
The Soused Gnome Gift Guide
Tuthilltown up in New York State also garners my attention during the Holiday Season. Their Half Moon Bay Gin distilled from local apples and wheat is so perfectly balanced that using mixers may not be necessary. Up in Vermont I’ve discovered a salubrious Maple Cream liqueur that has got me actually telling others about it. Vermont Ice Maple Crème Liqueur got my attention and a place in the fridge. Vermouth is hot this year and I have three, no four recommendations. I love from Channing Daughter’s in Long Island’s wine country their seasonally made VerVino. Each bottling exemplifies what is fresh in the woods and fields that surround the winery. Bianca Miraglia is out in the wild, hand-gathering herbs, spices and woodland secrets for her vermouths. It’s as if she captures her dreams into each bottle of Uncouth Vermouth. Perhaps the woodland fairies have offered their enlightenment to her.
Vya Vermouth from Portland, Oregon is making expressive products that are equal or greater than most of the vermouth coming out of Europe. I love the use of Oregon wine in the richly textured slurps of American passion and ingenuity.
Atsby Vermouth is also from New York.
There are two varieties that Atsby proudly produces. One is named Armadillo Cake and the other is named Amberthorn. The Armadillo Cake reminds me of the high quality, Italian made sweet vermouth named Carpano Antica. The Amberthorn is just far out stuff and my tasting notes are all over the road every time I try it. Drip a bit over a glass filled with Casa Noble Reposado Tequila. Warn the neighbors if you should shout out loud! Atsby Vermouth is heady on its own or mixed into a way-out Manhattan-style cocktail made with Busted Barrel Dark Rum from New Jersey.
New Jersey you say? Yes. There is rum being made again in New Jersey. And it tastes smoother and richer than some rum that I tasted from the Caribbean islands. It’s made one drop at a time in hand made stills located just off the West Essex airport. The building that the distillery resides was used to build aircraft during WW2. There is a very historic feel to the place and the handcrafted rum.
Vodka is on most people’s minds this holiday and the raw honey distilled vodka from Barr Hill in Vermont is the best vodka I’ve ever tried. Not because it tastes like water, far from. This is vodka that allows me to retrace my roots. Each sip is a revelation of terroir. There is nothing else like it on the market. And their gin is gushing with botanicals, all in perfect balance to the locally gathered raw honey. If you mix this gin with anything more than air (or a cube of hand cut ice) you’ll have Klaus over to your house in a skinny minute! Do not use corn syrup tonic water in this one. Bad things will happen!
Try finding tonic syrup like Jack Rudy from Charleston, SC. Or Tomr’s Tonic syrup from good old New Jersey works. What I like to do is use tonic syrup and seltzer with a pinch of fleur du sel at the end. Finally I can make a great G&T. Barr Hill Gin, handmade tonic syrup, Perrier Sparkling water. I’m in heaven.
Klaus will never forget. He never does. Throw out that corn syrup tonic water now!
I’m not really a Scotch drinker, but if you can find a Japanese Whisky you should try some. Perhaps you’ve found a smoked American Whiskey? Did you know that the domestically produced whiskies are overtaking the Scots at their own game? Add to the new whiskies that are being distilled in India. These are gorgeous examples of Scottish know-how being produced craft style on the other side of the globe?
Are you looking for cordials? Pur Likor is making a lush and memorable Blood Orange and Spice liqueur. Find it.
Fruitations in Massachusetts has both a cranberry and a tangerine syrup that should change the way you look at sweeteners.
My bet is on Royal Rose Three Chili syrup. Try it with Arrogante Tequila!
Bitters? Just try something other than the usual and experiment!
I know Klaus would love to see that!
Happy Xmas and Happy New Year! …and Cheers to All!
My bar is overflowing with lovely tastes and slurps for the holidays. I know it’s a bit late, but you never can do everything all at once, AND I’ve been a bit busy this year! First of all to bring you all up to speed, I’ve just released my first book (October) named Apothecary Cocktails, Restoratives from Yesterday and Today.
This book, my first was published by Fair Winds Press.
Another book is coming for October 2014 that I’m very excited about. Stay tuned.
So where do I start? What do you want for Xmas?
It doesn’t need much as a mixer so don’t even think of drowning the delicate flavor in corn syrup cola. This rum is perfect for a hot toddy, or perhaps for a few ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice. Don’t forget the nutmeg!
From Tailwinds Distilling in Illinois, may I suggest a rum from a most unlikely place? The Taildragger Amber Rum and the Taildragger White Rum offer bursts of cane sugar woven with tropical fruits and spices.
As with the Busted Barrel Rum, these are craft spirits, made from the best ingredients available. I am passionate about craft spirits and these rums exemplify the care taken to ensure that each sip is memorable. With the Busted Barrel Rum flavor profile firmly in my mind, I find the Taildragger is sumptuous and lush.
Perfect for a Great Lakes inspired Tiki Bar influence punch or with a splash or two of freshly squeezed tropical fruits or even in a hot toddy with butter and simple syrup. Sophisticated and worldly these rums are. They make a lesser known coffee rum, brimming with the seriously intoxicating flavors of medium roasted coffee. I’m completely taken by this coffee flavored rum over coffee ice cream.
They also produce a Blue Agave spirit that is sold either aged or un-aged. Not Tequila and not marked on the label as such, the Midnight Caye Silver and the Midnight Caye Rested is produced in small batches. Seek it out, you’ll be happy that you did!
An authentic NOM 1467 CRT Tequila Blanca from Rudo Tecnico is a 100% Agave spirit that is pure, lush and colorful in every sip. With a playful label showing the Luce Libre fighter/wrestler- Tecnico, you would almost expect this Tequila to be brash and overpowering. But it’s anything but. The Tecnico is soft, pure and citrus tinged. Again, as with the rums, this tequila doesn’t need much to shine. A squeeze of lemon, a hit of agave syrup and a splash of Arrogante Damiana in place of the usual triple sec. I never use triple sec. Awful stuff. Right up there with maraschino cherries. Ick. Don’t do it and throw those red things out. feh!
Get yourself a bottle of Casa Noble Tequila. It’s just so gorgeous. I recommend drinking it with a pinch of sea salt, a splash of Fruitations Tangerine and a finishing spritz of Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water in Pink Grapefruit. Three drops of Bitter End Bitters “Curry” over the top.
For bourbon, I think you should try to find the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. If you cannot, find the Buffalo Trace Wheated. (It’s like Pappy, really…) Willett’s is fun too. Breaking and Entering Bourbon from St. George in California is Kentucky royalty, blended and bottled on the left coast. Get some!
Four Roses Bourbon Whiskey is my go/to when I’m traveling. I know what goes into the bottle and it’s always the very best! I saw it in Italy!
Liqueurs? I’m a fantatic for pür•spirits. Their elderflower liqueur is a thing of rare beauty and form. The spice and blood orange a delight. GET SOME!!!
Creams? 300 Joules may well be the best “silk” liqueur that I’ve passed through my lips this year. They do a sumptuously decedent lemon that drips with acidity and structure, cinnamon that offers bursts of freshly scraped spices and the ginger that screams out for Scotch whisky and a bit of seltzer.
300 Joules is the truest form of craft, made with passion and care in New Jersey! I’m a HUGE FAN. I’m mixing 300 Joules Lemon with Campari and a bit of Barr Hill gin along with sweet Vermouth in a tip of the hat to the Negroni. It’s a creamy Negroni that you MUST taste!
I’ve located a Maple Cream that just rocks from Vermont. The Vermont Ice Maple Cream Liqueur is hauntingly good. Enrobed in sweet Vermont cream and grade B Maple Syrup, this cream is perfectly geared for sipping or even woven into adult “martinis” or a milkshake.
Vermouth is on my list for flavor this year with Uncouth Vermouth, Atsby, Channing Daughter’s VerVino and Imbue on my tasting list.
For Gin, I am drinking the experimental Barr Hill Barrel Aged Gin… Ok, so you can’t get it, but you can buy their raw honey distilled Vodka as well as their grain based (raw honey finished) gin.
Normally I don’t drink a whole lot of vodka. Bluewater from the left coast always charms me, as does Karlsson’s Gold Vodka which is ACTUALLY MADE FROM POTATOES!!!
Just so you know that I read the comments on Facebook, spiced rum???? well that’s a no-brainer. Sailor Jerry. I love the higher proof and the true Caribbean flavor. My absolute favorite spiced rum is not available in the United States. It comes from the island of Saba. They make spiced rum in a style that is sadly, nearly extinct. A fine adaptation of the style of “spiced-rum” is available on St. Barth. Usually it is Rhum Agricole with Caribbean-type spices. Most restaurants make their own rhum punches… but that’s something else entirely and will require a trip to taste them. Good idea.
Carpano Antica is my always go/to for a fun way to bring history into your glass!
If you’ve had a bit too much, FERNET BRANCA should be your GO/TO!!!
UNDERBERG if you can get it is the miracle cure!
Syrups… Fruitations in New England with their BRILLIANT, all natural fruit syrups has become one of my favorites along with Royal Rose (the rose is a favorite) and of course Sumptuous Syrups of Vermont with their Chocolate Mole. WOW!
Bitters: Of course Bitter End from Santa Fe. Bill York has got the lock-down on Curry with his India by the drop bitters. Tuthilltown’s Bitter Frost “Basement Bitters” is part of my kit along with Joe Fee’s historically delicious bitters. The Black Walnut is a favorite this year.
Whisky: Nikka from the barrel got my attention… Japanese Whisky that beats the Scots at their own game. Don’t agree? Try it.
Ah.. so many flavors… So little time!
If you want to find my book, Apothecary Cocktails, please click here…
By Warren Bobrow, Cocktail Whisperer
I can picture in my mind’s eye the first time I tasted Mezcal. I was down in Mexico – specifically in the Yucatan Peninsula, visiting the Mayan ruins with my family. Overflowing pitchers of green-tinged, icy cold drinks were set upon broad tables shaded from the tropical sunshine by the lush vegetation. Down in this part of the world an icy drink is a welcome diversion against the burning rays and the inferno-like heat of the sun.
I was perhaps sixteen and already well acquainted with Tequila from childhood forays into the seedy underbelly of overindulgences. But these pitchers held something more than just mysteries. The vessels contained fever-dripped dreams of another world, linked together with a thin veneer of char and smoke. It was a heady brew for anyone, much less a teenager with a serious thirst from the heat. After several cocktails in the hot sun, the world took on a deeper dimension – the Mayan temples seemed a part of my experience and the Mezcal spoke to me. But please don’t ask me what it said, because I don’t remember a thing!
Roasting agave at San Luis Del Rio |
Mezcal is made with similar ingredients as Tequila but it takes a twisted path up the side of the mountains through a method that involves the use of smoke. Mezcal is to Tequila as Scotch Whisky is to Bourbon. They both use similar ingredients but one is sweet in the nose and mouth while the other can be vividly smoky to the palate and especially the nose. I love Mezcal for precisely that reason. There is an obviously sophisticated method of making Mezcal. Although it mimics Tequila in the flavor profile, Mezcal takes on a characteristic all its own through the potent application of fire and earth.
As a rule, I’m very fond of Mezcal, in this case one named Mezcal Vida from Del Maguey. What Del Maguey has done is get high quality Mezcal into the hands of more consumers at a much lower price point.
During this mostly cool spring, citrus is at the forefront of my palate. I cannot seem to get enough of it. Oranges are at their peak right now and I love to lightly sear them in a dry sauté pan, let them cool, then juice them, releasing a perfume and spark that makes me salivate.
Perrier, you know – the pink grapefruit sparkling natural mineral water happens to work very well with grilled orange. Brightly aromatic, the citrus weaves around each bubble. The spark of the bubbles rises through the smokier elements of Mezcal and the grilled orange juice.
To make a Last Train to Brownsville Cocktail you must first get all the ingredients. Each comes together in a bold, multi-layered event in your glass and soon your mouth. My ice is the most important part of the Last Train to Brownsville (Texas) Cocktail. I ALWAYS filter the water through a Mavea “Inspired Water” pitcher and you should too – water just tastes better, soft, creamy almost. There is sensuality about the water that I cannot explain… You must drip it into your mouth or suck on an ice cube made with Mavea filtered water.
The Last Train to Brownsville (Texas) Cocktail
Ingredients for two VERY STRONG DRINKS:
• 4 oz. Del Maguey “Vida” San Luis Del Rio Mezcal
• 3 oz. Grilled Orange Juice (reserve a few slices for garnish)
• 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 4 oz. Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water (Pink Grapefruit essence)
• 3 oz. Valley Girls Grapefruit Soda Syrup*
• One very large hand cut cube of ice made from Mavea “Inspired Water” for each cocktail
Preparation:
1. To a Boston shaker add the liquors and the bitters.
2. Add the grilled orange juice and the Grapefruit Soda Syrup, then fill ¾ with plain ice.
3. Shake Boston Shaker for 20 seconds, it’s going to be quite frosty.
4. Pour into short rocks glasses with one really large hand-cut ice cube made of the Mavea filtered water ice. (There might be enough for a couple of shots as well, unless you use a tall glass then no shots for you.)
5. Top with a couple splashes of the Perrier Pink Grapefruit Sparkling Natural Mineral Water.
6. Garnish with a slice of grilled orange and a couple of shakes of Angostura bitters over the top.
7. Sip very carefully and have another immediately afterwards.
8. Marvel at the visual elements of this strikingly beguiling cocktail.
*Valley Girls from Sonoma are dedicated to handcrafted, small-batch cooking that preserves old-school methods of making food that tastes, tasty! The sales benefit Sonoma Valley Teens Services “Skills For Life” programs which benefit at-risk teens. http://www.valleygirlsfoodstuffs.com
Cheers from DrinkUpNY!
Article by Warren Bobrow, a nationally published food and spirits columnist who writes for Williams-Sonoma, Foodista and the Beekman Boys.