The Chanticleer Society

New found use of the word "cocktail" in 1798

Tony Harion — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:54:22 GMT

I came across this article on CNN mentioning a new found use of the word "cocktail" - in 1798, in London, eight years before the previously earliest-known use.

Can anyone add any info about this?

Baijiu Cocktail Research Project

Jeff Campbell — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:57:49 GMT

I am sure that the robust forward flavor of Wuliangye can be a great component of a cocktail. I am going to post my experiments on this thread, and I invite (and hope!) others jump in!

Experiment #1. Wuliangye has such a strong flavor so I though that I should dilute it (that, and it is 104 proof!) My first try was gin. A 4:1 martini using Wuliangye instead of vermouth, and 2 dashes of Regans orange bitters. That's a big drink, too big for me. I think these flavors may work, but I wasn't sure where to go with it, so it goes on the back burner while I think about it.

Experiment #2. I've just made a batch of Pineapple Gomme for Pisco Punch (the recipe reported by Wondrich, except half as much syrup to a whole pineapple, mostly just to save space in the icebox). I suspect that Wuliangye is filled with fusel alcohols (as was pisco, so they say). I made a Wuliangye Punch (3/4oz pineapple gomme, 3/4oz lemon juice, 2oz Wuliangye, shaken with ice). Not bad, but too, too much. THen I poured it over ice in a highball, and topped it off with soda. This wasn't bad, and I would like to know what others think.

Experiment #3. Since I think that Wuliangye pairs with gin and lemon, but needs diluted, what about using it in a Tom Collins? So I swapped out half the gin for Wuliangye in a Tom Collins (1oz Wuliangye, 1oz gin, 1oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup, shaken and topped with soda). Drinkable, but not quite there. My roommate says it reminds her of sour Gummi Savers. The baijiu flavors are very forward.

That is all the experiments I can do tonight.

Lemon Hart?

Robert Hess — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:32:26 GMT

There have been a variety of rumors, stories, references for over a year now about the discontinuation of Lemon Hart. Last I saw someplace was that the original producer/distributor (DDL, Demerara Distillers Limited, http://www.demeraradistillers.com) sold the rights to "Mosaiq" a Canadian company (actually, I believe "Pernod-Ricard" who owned the overall portfolio in which Lemon Hart existed sold it to Mosaiq). One of the challenges the Canadian company has is that the reference of "Demerara Rum" is still owned by the original company, and so can't be used, the other is that apparently the sell was of a bunch of brands and Lemon Hart was just included in the mix, and that the Canadian company isn't planning on producing the Lemon Hart 151 anymore, although I've also heard references to the Lemon Hart brand disappearing all together.

The Mosaiq website (http://www.MosaiqInc.com) lists "Lemon Hart Rum" as one of their brands (in what looks like a new bottle), but it appears to only be the 80 proof and not the 151 proof (or at least they don't specifically call that out).

Does anybody have any further details or information on this?

Carpinteria, CA! (it's like Santa Barbara...only better)

Chris Chinn — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:40:23 GMT

I'm currently behind the bar 5 nights a week at Sly's in Carpinteria, CA (about 10 minutes south of Santa Barbara). It's a sleepy little town with only 3 bars and the same number of stop-lights! Sly's is one of the few "scratch" bars within driving distance and we have a cocktail list...not a Martini List.

I really enjoy learning about all things bar/spirit related and I'm super excited to be able to find a group of people that are as interested in these things as I am. It's hard to find real cocktail geeks in my small little town. Santa Barbara is close and has a nice downtown area with a good number of bars to visit but they are usually full of the Long Island/AMF/ JagerBomb crowd.....I am not a part of that crowd.

So, here I am.

Some very interesting research on ice and chilling, shaking, and stirring.

JerryC123 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:46:11 GMT

I am not sure if this has been posted before, but I wanted to throw this out to the community.

Dave Arnold, Eben Klemm, and Thomas Waugh did a seminar at TOTC, and this posting is a summary of some of their research.

http://www.cookingissues.com/2010/09/02/cocktail-science-in-general-part-1-of-2/

It is a bit long, and scientific, and if you are like me, you may have to pause and reflect upon what you are reading. I think there are some really good points being made. And it also refutes a few things I've learned ( or more accurately, learned wrong) about ice and chilling a drink.

There are links throughout for more reading of previously published material, as well.

Greetings from Ireland

Paul Marsden — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:04 GMT

Hello from Ireland.

I am a newly joined member and a fanatical cocktail maker! Being from Ireland I love a nice, rich Irish Coffee after dinner. However, as with other cocktails, something is changing with the way Irish Coffee is being constructed and served. Here is a call to bring back the more traditional way of making this drink and enjoying it in the way it was originally intended.

As time goes on I am getting more and more unimpressed and bemused with the way Irish Coffee is generally being served in many establishments. Ireland’s contribution to the worldwide canon of cocktails and international coffees was invented in the 1940’s in Shannon Airport by chef Joe Sheridan. Joe realised that Transatlantic travellers arriving there were cold and in need of some sustenance. He also know they liked their coffee and the addition of a measure of whiskey warmed them to just the right degree.

Irish Coffee was never intended to be served in those heavy glasses with the handle. They are more appropriate for toddies or latté coffee drinks and can hold up to 10oz. Traditional Irish Coffee glasses are more akin to smaller stemmed wine glasses which hold a maximum of 8oz. If the larger glass with the handle is used then the proportions are all wrong. There is far too much coffee and hot water compared to the whiskey, sugar and cream. The drinker is missing out on the rich, velvety texture that is essential to the proper enjoyment of an Irish Coffee.

To make a traditional Irish Coffee First warm your glass with hot water. Discard the hot water, add one teaspoon of sugar (or check with the drinker how sweet they want it) and 2 oz of Irish Whiskey. Keep the spoon in the glass and top with hot coffee to about 1.5cm from the top of the glass, stirring well. The secret to the perfect cream top is as follows: Find a small plastic bottle and keep it for this purpose. Place cold, fresh cream into the bottle (about 25ml per coffee). Cap the bottle and shake sharply for about 15 seconds – no more and no less. Pour the cream gently over the back of the spoon onto the coffee. That will give you a perfect cream topping on your coffee every time. The idea is to drink the coffee through the cream to get the full effect.

Never use whipped cream (as some recipes specify). It is just too heavy and tends to fall into the coffee as you transport it. Above all never use that aerosol cream in the can.

The Irish Coffee, like the Old Fashioned, has changed into a different concoction over the years. For example, the use of fake and whipped creams, over size glasses, dusting with cocoa or flaked chocolate and topping with coffee beans! None of these should be in an Irish Coffee. Let’s bring back the traditional way of making some of these beautiful drinks.

Ok, just some thoughts. Would love to her your views.

Paul

Boker's Bitters

Evo-lution — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:00:50 GMT

My first batch is completed, bottled and labelled.

More details to follow...

Already started work on the second batch. I'll hopefully begin work on the third (and largest batch) in the next few days. Some free samples will be available, and the rest will be sold to bartenders/mixologists/cocktailians/geeks around the globe (hopefully).

Many thanks go to my good friend Christian Bell for the label design.

www.thejerrythomasproject.blogspot.com

Hello - Good cocktails can be found in Cleveland!

Victoria Lynn Vozar — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 02:26:20 GMT

I'm proud to state such.

I'm the brat that got booted from eGullet and was formerly known as "beans." lol I authored and presented Evolving Cocktails, parts I and II for the eGullet Culinary Institute in August, 2003.

I am working a variety of projects from doing PR work for a local tavern, consultancy with developing cocktail menus, inventory/loss prevention, bar training and have started dabbling in local bartender competitions with original cocktail submissions.

As a result of some limiting health issues, I've downsized from my working in the trenches 4-7 nights a week and refrain from working doubles, but sure will step up when pressed into service (and of course, a lovely mutually beneficial, situational opportunity), It is pleasing to see that with time my physical abilities increase and I've never missed a step behind the mahogany.

I look forward to learning, refining my craft, discussing and hopefully, contributing in this forum. Thanks!

Greetings discerning imbibers!

Chanfan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:12:41 GMT

Greetings -

I'm from the Seattle area (Everett). I've had a fairly long, amateur interest in mixology. I'm a fan of micro-brews - tending towards the dark end (porters, stouts). I enjoy single-malt scotch quite a bit (Laphroaig, Highland Park). I have enjoyed good wine selected by others, but my knowledge of it is pretty poor and it's not my regular tipple (apart from port). Of course, I also enjoy cocktails.

My very first forays were into basic mixed drinks, but eventually I grew to enjoy classic recipes. A friend and I pooled money into stocking a home bar back in the day, and we'd go through various bartending guides, trying out interesting looking drinks.

Cocktails I enjoy include the classic Martini (gin), either dry or older style. A Nigroni I find enjoyable as an aperitif. I like Mojito's, and enjoy making them at home. I've found I like a nice Old Fashioned. While I liked the Sazerac I had at the Zig Zag cafe (Seattle) in my first foray there the other night, I wasn't bowled over by it (like I was with the version I got at Milk and Honey (London). In my so far one and only trip overseas, I did make it to the American Bar at The Savoy for a drink.

This is not to say my tastes have always been refined - I did have a grand old time swilling mudslides at a weekend bash, back in my youth. But hey, there's always room for learning and growth!

Greetings from Poland

Filip Markovic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:16:42 GMT

Hi all,

I'm a cocktail enthusiast from Poland, not a professional by any means. I registered here to learn as much as I can from all of you :) Not many places in the internet where I could do that... I'll try to add my $0.02 from time to time too.

I've never ordered a cocktail in a bar. After making Old Fashioned in the Robert-Hess-style at home from the beginning (or margaritas in Chris-McMillan-style, or...) I'm afraid to try anything from people who can't see a difference between lemon and lime (or think that I can't see it)... don't hate me, polish bartenders, I'm sure there are great professionals among you. I'm just not brave enough to search for you by trials and errors, especially that I live in a small town, without a wide selection of good bars.

don't ask me for a favourite cocktail, I can't pick just one. or two. or five. it's searching for new tastes which I like best about cocktails.

cheers! or as we would say it in Poland - na zdrowie!

Vintage Liquor Ads

Robert Hess — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:56:46 GMT

Probably something others here have come across, but I recently was doing a little surfing and ran across a site selling a variety of vintage ads across different categories, including "liquor". These can be a handy reference sometimes.

http://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/adsliquorindex.html

-Robert

Happy 5th Anniversary Pegu Club!

Martin Doudoroff — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:24:00 GMT

It’s hard to believe, but we have arrived at the fifth anniversary of Pegu Club in New York City. Whether you have loved it or not—I certainly have—Pegu is undeniably a singular and broadly-influential institution. This is another one of those opportunities to reflect upon how far we’ve come with this cocktail revival. I intend to do just that over a French Pearl, or a Fitty Fitty, or an Intro to Aperol, or a Kill-Devil, or a …

Hot Buttered Rum

Robert Hess — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:21:31 GMT

When you look up recipes for "Hot Buttered Rum" you almost always seem to find recipes for a "batter mix" (http://drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=82), and it recently struck me that this is a drink that really doesn't need such advanced preparation. What's wrong with simply putting a pat of butter and brown sugar in hot water, stir to dissolve, add a shot of rum, and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and nutmeg?

Hello All

jmrtnko — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:07:45 GMT

Thanks for having me. I'm a budding cocktailian in San Francisco, converted a few years ago from mixed drink swill and spending every day from then on making up for lost time.

My introduction to true cocktails was through Erick Castro at Bourbon & Branch in the city. We'd been regular visitors since it opened and, after a while, he'd finally had enough.

"John, I'm not making you another vodka gimlet. You're going to start drinking Gin."

I hated gin. Couldn't stand it. But I relented and politely sipped the Old Tom gimlet. And that was it. I was hooked. Gin was obviously what limes were made for.

Unfortunately, my wife stole that drink and I had to order another, but it opened up a whole new world of cocktails. Enjoying those of others and making my own. I've taken a few classes with Erick and others and settled in to a... um... daily... short practice regimen that my wife has had absolutely no complaints toward.

I've been having a great deal of fun exploring, building my bar and playing with different spirits, liqueurs, mixing strategies and such, still focusing on the classics so far. But damn, there's still a long way to go. Two years and I've still barely made it through Gin, and Rye. I've not really even touched on Rum and Tequila yet. So much to learn (and to drink).

I look forward to talking with you all.

John

Eggy Wegs

gaz regan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:50:15 GMT

I'm starting work on a new book. gaz regan's Annual Manual for Bartenders: The State of the Craft, 2011.

Right now I'm writing about using eggs in drinks. If you can tell me stuff I don't already have I'll happily credit you in the book.

Vermouth Perucchi

Martin Doudoroff — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:58:04 GMT

Last night, Sam Kinsey and I did a tasting of three newish Spanish vermouths from a 19th Century brand called Perucchi: an “extra dry”, a white, and a red. I'm delighted to report that all three were winners, although not exactly in a mainstream sense.

The extra dry is indeed moderately dry and features ripe apples and reisling in the nose. This vermouth possesses no bitter or botanical character we could detect. The wine is pleasant to drink on its own. It played well with Tanqueray in a Fitty Fitty, but poorly with Plymouth in the same drink. Your mileage may vary.

The white vermouth is sweeter (but not overly so), more rounded, and richer, with a lot of cinnamon and a little clove in the nose. Really quite delicious on its own and probably my personal favorite of the three.

The red vermouth is also sweet, but drier and less syrupy than your Torino-style rosso. The botanicals are strongest here, but so well integrated they take effort to pick apart. Perfectly drinkable on its own and played fine with both Rittenhouse Rye and Wild Turkey in Manhattans.

The labeling of these products isn't particularly helpful. It's easy enough to distinguish the red vermouth from the other two. The "extra dry" has an additional label on it that states "extra dry"; if you don't see that label, you should assume the bottle is the white vermouth. Availability includes New York, Texas and California, at least.

It's been hard to come by much detail on the brand, the production, or its history, but I'm working on that. I called the US importer, but nobody there seemed to know much about the product! The brand owners has a rudimentary Spanish-language web site with a silly video in English (http://www.perucchi.info). The video seems to imply they're using barrel aging (old barrels: none of these vermouths are even remotely woody) to marry wine and mistelle with a botanical concentrate. In the video, they clearly pronounce "Perucchi" as "per-EW-tchee", not as "per-EW-kee", so that's what I'm going with. The producer appears to be from the Cataluña region.

Worth checking out.

Vieux Carré

Will — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:42:39 GMT

The Vieux Carré is one of my favorite drinks, but I've always wondered what the correct Creole pronunciation is, and also whether it's horribly pretentious to order it pronounced as it would be in French (vee-yeuh car-ay). I realize it's a New Orleans drink, not a French drink, but I can never bring myself to order a "voo carr-ah" as a lot of people seem to insist on pronouncing it.

For extra credit, what's your favorite recipe? Do you usually serve it up or on the rock(s)? I think the amount of the Bénédictine is the thing that seems to vary most - the other ingredients are usually equal amounts. I find that, maybe because there are so many different things going on, it's a difficult drink to balance -- one reason I frequently order this drink when testing out a new bar.

“Fix the Pumps” by Darcy O’Neil

Martin Doudoroff — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 13:54:04 GMT

The cocktail renaissance has been about the rediscovery and evangelism of the history, technique, achievements, personalities, arcana and culture of roughly 200 years of American mixed drink tradition (and, to be fair, its evolutionary strains in other parts of the world). The last fifteen years has delivered a growing stream of new books on the topic. Most fall into the evangelism category, some into the rediscovery category and some are just noise. Atop the rediscovery category—the domain of scholarly work—rest a tidy handful of books that can be termed revelatory. David Wondrich’s Imbibe! is a particularly prominent example, to which I would add—in no particular order—Jeff Berry’s Sippin’ Safari, Gary Regan’s Joy of Mixology, Lowell Edmund’s Martini, Straight Up, Wayne Curtis’ …and a Bottle of Rum, Dale DeGroff’s Craft of the Cocktail, and Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. I’m sure I’m unintentionally omitting some peers, but I’m equally sure these are as essential reading as exists.

To this list we can now add Darcy O’Neil’s Fix the Pumps. Rather than being a book about cocktails, Fix the Pumps addresses the topic of the pharmacy soda fountain, the history of which is contemporary with, closely parallel to, and frequently intersects with that of the bar and the mixed drink. As O’Neil documents, the soda fountain was the cocktail’s equally reprobate and mercurial cousin. Quite simply, reading Fix the Pumps will plug a gaping hole in your perspective that you most likely didn’t even know existed.

The book is concise. The core historical portion fits within about fifty pages and makes no attempt to be exhaustive. Rather, it erects a framework of essential facts with enough details to establish character before plunging into another hundred fifty pages of practical matter (e.g., how to properly produce soda water or concoct a true egg cream) and recipes for syrups, chemical additives, and other flavorings essential to the pharmacies of yore and, in many cases, adjunct to practitioners of today’s cocktail renaissance.

You will buy and read Fix the Pumps, and it will be part of your reference library for some time. I can think of nothing more to say that wouldn’t be superfluous.

Clear Creek Douglas Fir Spirit

Calamityville — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:03:36 GMT

The NY Times Proof Blog that Steve McCarthy wrote on Friday inspired me to revisit the bottle of Clear Creek Douglas Fir Spirit I had stashed away for a few years.

In the intervening period I've been exposed to cocktails and when I went searching for the bottle I was wondering how I might use it in a cocktail

The DF Spirit is a lovely pale green and the nose is like being in the woods. I'd sipped on it straight in the past and then it made it to the back of the cupboard for a few years.

I decided to make a Sazerac with it substituting the the Douglas Fir for Absinthe.

The DF Spirit is milder than Absinthe so it takes more to make it's presence known.

Coastal Douglas Fir - Pseudotsuga menzielii inspired

Pseudotsuga-rac

2 oz Rye - I used Rittenhouse
2 barspoons of Douglas Fir Spirit
1/2 teaspoon agave syrup
2 generous dashes of Peychaud Bitters.

Stir all of the ingredients together in a Boston Shaker without the ice. When the agave is dissolved in the rest of the ingredients add ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass.

I didn't garnish this with the lemon twist called for in a traditional Sazerac. The Douglas Fir Spirit has a slight citrus quality that I didn't want to overwhelm. I suppose I should have gone out in the yard and picked a sprig off the fir tree for a garnish.

NYTimes: From Bartender to Liquor Brand Promoter

Robert Hess — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:18:53 GMT

The New York Times recently published an interesting article which looked at the trend of bartenders moving into becoming brand ambassadors:

The New York Times

From Bartender to Liquor Brand Promoter

by Robert Simonson
August 10, 2010

"...Like more and more bartenders, [Erick Castro] has become what the industry calls a brand ambassador, and a layman might call a liquor salesman."

One thing I personally found interesting about this, is that it is an article which may have previously only been appropriate for something like NRN, Cheers, or other industry magazines, but here it is in a major newspaper that caters to the general public. I think the fact that the NYTimes sees this topic as being one of interest to the general public is an interesting insight.

Any good uses for Elisir M.P. Roux?

Tony Harion — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:43:14 GMT

Last year I acquired a bottle of Elisir M.P. Roux at Tales, but haven´t used it very much (read almost nothing at all).

I think it might have some potential, but there is an after taste that throws me off a bit when mixing.

Doing a search, I found only this thread that mentions the liqueur around here. I´ll give the Roux Carre from that thread a try soon.

Any one managed to mix interesting cocktails with it?

PS: According to the label the herbal liqueur is made from almonds, wild angelica, star anise (lots of it for what I can tell), garden balsam, cinnamon, lemon peel, coriander, damiana, fennel, ginseng, hyssop, nutmeg, marjoram, and balm.

Thanks for any input.

Blackberry Liqueur

Peggy Martino — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:16:30 GMT

I am just in the process of decanting a few liters of blackberry liqueur that has been on the fruit for 10 years. That is a bit of an excessive maceration time (long story and a bit of an accidental experiment), but it smells so good it almost makes me want to cry! As I sit here running the stuff through coffee filters, however, I started wondering if there were any classic cocktail uses I could put this stuff to. Anyone have any recipes that they would recommend?

Thanks so much, Peggy

Raise a glass for General Pascal Olivier Count de Negroni tonight!

Terkel Kleist — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:50:18 GMT

hi guys

I have been reading up on the origin of the Negroni lately and have as always come across the popular dates of 1919 and 1920.

but this time over, I have also come across the posts of a man named Noel Negroni who's bringing these new fun facts about General Pascal Olivier Count de Negroni aka Count Camillo Negroni. (Born: Castle of San Colombano 4 April 1829- Died: Alencon, Orne, 22 October 1913).

so was this drink enjoyed even earlier than we thought or did he have nothing to do with it??

anyway... a wonderfull excuse to have one tonight:)

http://ohgo.sh/archive/campari-take-four/

Have a great weekend

/Terkel

BBQ and Cocktails

David Steenkamp — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:07:21 GMT

BBQing is arguably as big a part of American culture and heritage as the cocktail itself.

(The topic is NOT about who invented the cocktail or BBQ for that matter just so we are all clear

Are there any ideas out there of what drinks (Classic or contemporary) go well with BBQ or can be associated with sun smoke and downright southern hospitality?

I can think of a few but my favourite Classic would have to be Mint Julep.

Rustic Refreshing and simple I love Makers and can sip them all day in the summer.

No Explanation necessary but my recipe would be a follows.

50 ml Makers Mark

15 ml Demerera 2:1 Syrup

Handfull of mint.

Shake (sue me), strain.

Over a mountain of crushed ice in a tine with a huge bunch of mint on top.

bruce wayne cocktail

Elvira — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:53:15 GMT

Hi there!

My nephews have asked me to make them a Bruce Wayne cocktail but we are a little unsure about the ingredients.We know it is a variation of the Shiley Temple but are not sure if it is made with grape juice of with grape fruit juice and ginger ale. Anybody knows?

Thanks in advance