Alcademics.com

New History on the Pisco Sour

 Guillermo Toro-Lira is probably the US's leading pisco historian, devoting years' worth of study to drinks such as the Pisco Punch and Pisco Sour. The latter drink was created by Victor Morris, an American who moved to Peru with the mining trade and opened a bar. Toro-Lira got hold of the register of Morris' bar, and this revealed many truths about the history of the Pisco Sour.

For background, the Pisco Sour is a simple sour, made with pisco, lemon or lime, sugar, and often an egg white and bitters. It is no revelation, based on the traditional sour recipe, but in this case we have a good idea of its origin. Pisco is a grape brandy from Peru and traditionally distilled in pot stills and unaged, as opposed to Chilean pisco that is a latecomer, usually distilled in column stills and sometimes briefly aged.

To read Toro-Lira's recent discoveries and theories based on Morris' bar register, check out the article here.

Montego Bay, By Way of Heaven's Dog

I can't stop thinking about the delicious drink I had during Tiki Week at Heaven's Dog. So I asked bar/general manger Erik Adkins for the recipe and he was nice enough to share.

"The Montego Bay is listed in Beachbum Berry's 'Intoxica'.  He says that it is a Don the Beachcomber Drink from the Hotel Sahara in Las Vegas 1940's."

The version they made at Heaven's Dog is this:

Montego Bay

(adapted from Beachbum Berry's Intoxica by Erik Adkins of Heaven's Dog)
1/2 oz lime
1/2 oz grapefruit
1 oz honey syrup (1 to 1 dilution with water)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
4 dashes absinthe
1/4 oz all spice dram
11/2 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican rum

Shake all ingredients and strain over crushed ice.

This is one of those drinks where Smith & Cross completely makes the drink. So funky.

SF Event: San Francisco Beer Week February 5-14, 2010

Beer lovers should go ahead and block out the week of February 5-14, 2010 for about twelve zillion beer events in San Francisco. Events include:

• Beer dinners at The Republic, Beretta, and Monk's Kettle, Cafe Biere, and The Boilerhouse
• A beer brunch at Barclay's
• The Beer-Chef's beer and chocolate dinner on Treasure Island
• A opportunity to Meet the Brewer: Russian River Brewing Co. Brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo is doing a doubleheader at Toronado followed by Pi Bar.
• Tastings of Italian beer at Delarosa, cheese and beer at Rogue Public House, sour beer and bitter chocolate at City Beer Store, Spanish cheese and cask-conditioned beer at ThirstyBear
• A brewery Tour at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Co.
• A homebrewing demonstration at Jack's Brewing Co.
• A beer-cocktail party at 15 Romolo

And they've just announced an official beer for the week:

The beer is a collaborative brew from the SF Brewers Guild. Yesterday morning, we mashed in at 6 AM at Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, and by the end of the day, 30 barrels of Imperial Common had been brewed. A lager fermented at SF's ambient temperature, it's going to be a beautiful, copper-colored, 10% abv beer aged in St. George Spirits whiskey barrels. A little juniper might sneak into the barrels, too. There'll be a tapping ceremony at the SF Brewers Guild Opening Gala on February 5th, and the beer will be on tap during SF Beer Week at great beer bars and restaurants throughout the Bay Area. Get thirsty.

For more information, check out the website for San Francisco Beer Week 2010.

Winning with Sherry

The Vinos de Jerez cocktail competition is one of the most prestigious mixology contests in the nation, luring many of the country's the top bartenders who no longer usually compete in these things to try their hand at the prizes- trips to Jerez and scholarships to the B.A.R. course.

This year's winner was Charles Joly of Chicago, who is winning everything lately. Runners up were Todd Thrasher and Phil Ward. The other finalists read like a who's-who of American mixology.

Here is Charles Joly's winning cocktail:

 
Bread & Wine by Charles Joly
1 oz Lustau “Don Nuño” Dry Oloroso
1 ½ oz Balvenie Scotch Doublewood 12 year
5 dashes Absinthe (preferably Sirene Absinthe)
½ oz fresh lemon juice
¼-1/3 oz maple syrup (depending on tartness of lemons)

Fill Old Fashioned glass with ice, dash with absinthe and set aside to season.
Combine Sherry, Balvenie, lemon juice and maple syrup in mixing glass.  Add ice and shake well. Empty Old Fashioned glass, coating sides with absinthe. Add Kold Draft or large pieces of ice. Strain cocktail into glass. Cut a strip of orange zest using a vegetable peeler.  Mist top of glass with orange oil, rub rim and place decoratively in glass. No straws please.

The runner-up recipes will be online at the Secret Sherry Society website.

New Booze: Antiguo Tequila from Herradura

Herradura has launched a new line of 100% agave tequila, Antiguo. They already have the high-end Herradura line and the more price-friendly El Jimador line that is the top-selling tequila in Mexico. It looks like Antiguo falls in the middle, as the suggested retail price for the blanco tequilas are $19.99 for el Jimador, $29.99 for Antiguo and $39.99 for Herradura. 

I pestered their kind PR guy, David Page, about the differences in production and he replied with this very informative chart. I would love to know if there are any production differences in the selection/handling/baking of agave, but can't really complain about the level of information provided.

You'll notice that while Herradura and El Jimador are twice pot distilled, they're keeping quiet on the distillation of Antiguo. I'd guess that means a column still is involved. 

Some newer low-cost brands are using column distillation or a blend of pot and column-distilled tequila. Personally, I'd rather have column distilled 100% agave tequila than pot-distilled mixto tequila (mixto is a mix of fermented agave sugar and "other" sugars). If producers can get 100% agave prices down to near mixto level, I say we start seriously petitioning to phase out mixto entirely. You with me?

(Click the image to enlarge to a readable size.)

(Click the image to enlarge to a readable size.)

As far as the taste of Antiguo, I have tried the line and pronounce it good enough.The blanco is creamy and fruity like pear custard on the nose, followed by more pear fruitiness on the palate, but is less tropical than other brands- less of that mango pineapple aspect. Black pepper notes begin to come out in the reposado along with some of the tropical tree fruit like bananas and that mango. The anejo has a more baked aroma, like dried banana chips with a hint of brown butter, and this is consistent on the palate.

Overall, this tequila was designed to be lighter on the palate and it very much is. The flavors are pleasing but not terribly deep, and the texture seems much thinner than the Herradura line. There is nothing that I dislike about this tequila, but there is nothing that I love about it either. Frankly, I'd pay the extra $10-$20 per bottle to upgrade to Herradura for sipping. This will probably make for a very unobtrusive mixing tequila, though, and hopefully bring some tequila-shy drinkers into the fold. 

A Treasure Trove of Todd Thrasher Recipes

Todd Thrasher of PX in Alexandria, VA is known for making all of his bar's mixers, from sodas to tonic water to bitters and tinctures.

In a story this week in the Washington Post, Jason Wilson gathered up many of Thrasher's recipes. I can't wait to try the cranberry juice, which is so simple it's embarrassing.

The story is here.

Recipes:

My Tahitian Dream

Winter Tonic Water

Jack Mauve

Provincial

Homemade Cranberry Juice

Cold Buttered Rum

Spiced Rum

Homemade Grenadine

Candied Key Limes & Lime Syrup

Hibiscus-Vanilla Liqueur

Tequila Cocktail Fun Fact

From the Mixellany newsletter:

Do you know there are 14 tequila cocktail recipes in the rare 1937 British cocktail tome The Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. Only 1000 copies were ever published. It was UKBG president WJ Tarling's rebuttal to former UKBG president Harry Craddock's publication of the Savoy Cocktail Book.

The list includes: Picador, Mexican Eagle, Mexico, Metexa, Matador, Jalisco, Toreador, Tia Juano, Tequardo, Sombrero, Senorita, Rio Grande, and Pinequila. Quite impressive considering the date of publication and country of origin.

We got permission from the UKBG to republish the book in 2008. A portion of the net proceeds go to The Wine and Spirit Trades' Benevolent Society in the UK (www.thebenevolent.org.uk). The Benevolent was founded in 1886 to make a real difference to the daily lives of those who have worked in the drinks industry and now need help. Today, The Benevolent houses more than 500 people, providing one off or regular financial grants, sheltered accommodation, care home facilities, advice, support and friendship.

Cool, I had no idea. You can buy the book from Mixellany here or from Amazon.com here: Café Royal Cocktail Book

Alcademics Giveaway: JagerShop Stuff

The latest Alcademics giveaway is two items from Jagermeister's store JagerShop.com.

Whether you're last minute holiday shopping or you just like branded swag as much as I do, you should really check out the JagerShop. They have logo-laden clothing like track jackets and board shorts, sports gear including a snowboard, and bar stuff like ice buckets and bottle cozies.

Better yet, I'm giving away two of the best items from the store: a cooler that holds six bottles of Jager and dispenses shots, and a ski-shaped shot glass holder. If only you could win them both you'd be all set for both winter and summer.

To win one, sign up for the Alcademics A-Plus email list (all prizes, no spam, roughly once a month) and follow the directions when I send out an email tomorrow, Dec 15th.