Cocktail Whisperer
Hot Toddy Time!
Frosty weather is coming quickly and in keeping with his German heritage, Klaus has a fire burning in the fireplace to take the chill off the morning. Mornings in the old house are usually punctuated by the sound of crackling fires in the dining room fireplace. Comforting and warming, a nice fire is taking the chill off the air out in the garden.
Although it’s still warm during the day, the mornings can be rather chilly!
Steve Fette (Allied Distributing)WB in action
Ginger Beer is a highly personal thing. Since the USA is a melting pot of cultures and countries, so to is the art of ginger beer. There are ginger beers that span the globe, from Los Angeles (Birthplace of the Moscow Mule, to Moscow, Russia (where they’ve never even heard of such cocktails) to Bermuda (where it’s mixed with caramel colored rum) to the deck of your armchair- watching America’s Cup videos while sitting in your easy chair, to Cleveland, Ohio- birthplace of the Pickett Brothers- founders of Pickett’s Ginger Beer.
Whitney MillerMagical Butter Kit
Over there, out on the perimeter of the inter-webs, a great deal of information is being disseminated and accepted by the masses as the only way to do very important- yet completely misunderstood things pertaining to Cannabis. There are dozens and dozens of internet magazine articles and books on the market that explain how to make infused foods- but have you seen any about infused beverages? Probably not because there are very few tested ways to infuse spirits safely with THC. It’s always advisable to start with small amounts of Cannabis when infusing, then build up from there in a thoughtful manner. It’s easy to scan over the reams of misinformation and accept it as correct- especially if this misinformation is on the internet! This can be a real problem when dealing with Medical grade Cannabis, primarily because of the expense. Organic, lab-tested Cannabis is extremely expensive and the afflicted will not want to make any cooking mistakes with their hard earned money. Now, the availability of ultra high quality, microprocessor controlled machinery, such as the MB2E, has succeeded in making life easier for the end-user. The MB2E is such a product that has broad-reaching flexibility, especially when it comes to infusing craft spirits with fully decarbed THC for medicinal purposes. There has to be an easier way to do this task that the slow-motion infusion process that clogs the inter-webs. Each method has its time and place, but the MB2E method is far superior.
Sherryfest is returning to New York!
Some notes from this weekend’s ‘Virtual Cruise of Scotland
Single Malt Tasting’
Whisky or Whiskey?
What is Single Malt Scotch?
McClelland’s Lowland Single Malt Scotch.
Hazelburn 9 year (Barolo Cask)
Talisker 10 year Single Malt
.Massive slurp of peat and iodine
Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Unpeated
Caol Ila 12 year Single Malt
The Original Sloppy Joe: Town Deli, South Orange, NJ photo: Warren Bobrow
It’s so thin! Why so much dry Cole Slaw? What is that orange stuff on there? What is that, tongue? (What is tongue anyhow?) And ham? And Cheese,… AND why is the crust cut off the bread?
Photo by Sandy Aknine/Getty Images
If I was to suggest several must haves for Father’s Day, I would recommend some items that are esoteric, yet attainable on the national market. And why my recommendations? I have, according to many, the abilities as a “taste-maker” so please allow me that small slice of an opportunity to share some of my Father’s Day gifts for the home cocktail bar.
Read more at: https://thefreshtoast.com/culture/8-absolute-must-have-bar-accessories-dad-wants-for-fathers-day/amp
Bartenders and mixologists love the versatility of STROH. At the Miami Rum Festival 2015 (USA) we met a dedicated mixologist who calls himself the “Cocktail Whisperer” and who is known among American mixologists for his special cocktail creations.
Warren Bobrow, who is a dedicated fan of STROH, has written several books (e.g.”Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails) and hundred magazine articles globally. He knows how to present the smooth STROH aroma in drinks and we are delighted to share some of his cocktail creations with STROH on our website.
Where to buy Warren Bobrow’s books:
http://www.qbookshop.com/authors/17884/Warren-Bobrow.html
This week the Golden Notebook bookstore, 29 Tinker Street, Woodstock, brings us two gastro-literary events.
The first, at 4 p.m. Saturday, December 3 at the bookstore features Award-winning food writer and chef Elaine Khosrova reading from and discussing her book “Butter: A Rich History.” From the ancient butter bogs of Ireland to the sacred butter sculptures of Tibet, Butter is about so much more than food, she tells us. She includes the essential collection of carefully developed core butter recipes, from beurre manie and croissants to pate brisee and the perfect buttercream frosting, and provides practical how-tos for making various types of butter at home — no churning necessary.
Then, in what may be a perfect complement to the Butter event, Warren Bobrow brings us Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics, this one at 6 p.m. Saturday, December 3 at the Golden Notebook.
Bobrow is the creator of the blog cocktailwhisperer.com, and he’ll teach you how to create your own cannabis infused cocktails. He insists that combining cannabis and cocktails is a hot new trend and he’ll show you the essential instructions for de-carbing cannabis to release its full psychoactive effect. He’ll urge you to ‘look beyond cocktails and create successful tonics, syrups, shrubs, bitters, compound butter and exotic infused oil to use in any drink. Start your day with coffee, tea, and milk-based cannabis beverages for healing and relaxation. Get your afternoon pick-me-up with gut healing shrubs and mood enhancing syrups.’ Bobrow is the author of Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails and Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails. He has taught classes on spirits and cocktails all over the world, including an advanced class on rum at the Moscow Bar Show.
For more information, call 845-679-8000 or see www.goldennotebook.com.
http://hudsonvalleyone.com/2016/12/01/authors-talk-butter-cannabis-cocktails-in-woodstock/
Back in the day before we were all born, Mezz Mezzrow was playing jazz clarinet in the normally segregated jazz clubs around the United States. He wasn’t well known, and his history may have escaped all but the most die-hard Jazz aficionados if it wasn’t for one rather large fact.
He was Louis Armstrong’s weed dealer.
In order to properly pay homage to this figure in the Jazz age, who played with Sidney Bechet, (one of my favorite Jazz musicians) I created a cocktail that is featured in my 4th book, Cannabis Cocktails.
The Mezzrole Cocktail
I’m a huge fan of Manhattan-style cocktails; they make great aperitifs. This one is named after Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, a jazz musician who lived in Harlem in the 1920s. And, as Mezz himself would have known, the term for a well-rolled cannabis cigarette was a “mezzrole”—so I just had to commemorate both man and medicine in this elegant cocktail. It combines cannabis-infused sweet vermouth, handmade cocktail cherries, and quality bourbon into a small, but well-formed, libation that’s deeply healing. When you’re infusing your vermouth, consider choosing a Sativa-Indica hybrid strain called Cherry Pie. It’s redolent of sweet and sour cherries, and it complements the toasty, oaky flavors inherent in the liquors. As for making crushed ice, it’s best to place the ice in a Lewis bag—a heavy canvas bag that’s made for the job—before whacking it with a wooden mallet or rolling pin.
INGREDIENTS
• 4-6 Greenish Cocktail Cherries (we infused Barrell Bourbon with a quantity of Cannabis in an infusion, then soaked Rainier Cherries in the thc infused liquor for a month- hence Greenish Cocktail Cherries)
• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) cannabis-infused vermouth, such as Uncouth Vermouth’s Seasonal Wildflower Blend
• Handful of crushed ice
• 1 ounce (30 ml) bourbon whiskey
• Aromatic bitters
Muddle the Greenish Cocktail Cherries with a wooden muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, then top with the vermouth. Continue to muddle for 30 seconds to combine the flavors. Cover with the crushed ice. Top with the bourbon, then dot with aromatic bitters. Don’t have two: one should be more than enough. And never more than one per hour!