Alcademics.com

Ilegal Infusions: The Word Gets Out

For the past month or so, San Francisco bars have been in a panic as the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) decided to crack down on a few bars for having infusions. These, it turns out, are technically illegal in California, as are homemade bitters, tinctures, and liqueurs like limoncello.

I decided it was best not to share this information with too many people, as maybe it's best the ABC doesn't know that half the bars in the city- including all the best ones- have some form of rectified spirits on the menu. But today the Chronicle put forth the news in a story that is now online.

Reza Esmaili, president of the Northern California chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, estimated that half the bars in San Francisco serve them.

So there we have it.

Why are they illegal? Here's why, from the same Chronicle story:

Infusion confusion

Bars and restaurants can mix and muddle drinks and serve them right away to customers, according to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. But they cannot engage in "rectification," which the agency defines as "any process or procedure whereby distilled spirits are cut, blended, mixed or infused with any ingredient which reacts with the constituents of the distilled spirits and changes the character and nature or standards of identity of the distilled spirits."

Bay Area bartenders say infused spirits typically take a few hours to a few days to take on the flavor of the fruit, vegetable or herb that is placed in the alcohol. They said the law could affect not only infusions but house-made tinctures, bitters, syrups and liqueurs.

Obviously, this is problematic. As one bartender said to me, "So the ABC thinks it's better to have artificially-flavored Sour Apple Pucker on the menu than apple-infused vodka?" Yep!

The law was written not to promote bad drinking but to protect consumers. It's the same law that prevents you from cutting Grey Goose with 50% water and putting it into a Smirnoff bottle to sell. You're supposed to know what you're getting.

There are also health concerns- will all that stuff floating in the jar spoil and make you sick?

Though the law is on the books with good intentions, it is very much out of date and out of touch with where cocktails are today. (Cocktails are a cuisine.) Possible solutions to this problem might include:

• Having any bar that serves infused or otherwise rectified products take a food safety course or certification program. Whether this would be for all bartenders, just the bar manager, or just the one person assigned to the rectified spirits could be determined later. This would take care of the food safety issue.
• Insist on clear menu labeling for rectified spirits, such as starring menu items and listing a footnote at the bottom of the menu that states, "This cocktail includes rectified spirits such as infused fruits or spices, which alters the flavor and may lower the proof of the base spirit." This would take care of the consumer warning issue. 

Regardless, the current laws on the books will likely take years to change, if they change at all. In the meantime the illegal state of rectified spirits such as infusions and sorta-not-really prosecution status for them allows for inconsistent and/or discriminatory enforcement of the law.

Absolut Berri Acai Versus Absolut LA: What's the Difference?

Both the limited edition Absolut Los Angeles and the new permanent flavor Absolut Berri Acai contain pomegranate, blueberry, and acai flavors. Are they the same flavor or different?

I asked PR representative Alison McGlone of Ketchum PR. She responded:

ABSOLUT Berri Acai is a blend of Pomegranate, Blueberry and Acai whereas ABSOLUT LA was Acai, Acerola, Pomegranate and Blueberry.

Thus, the difference is acerola, whatever that is.

I would suspect that this is just a labeling difference, but McGlone says no:

Despite the similar fruits, their aroma and taste are quite different and mix better with different ingredients as well.

Pictures from the 42Below Cocktail Competition in San Francisco

42Below Vodka held a regional cocktail competition at the Regency Center in San Francisco. The winners of this event will fly to New York for the national competition, then those winners will fly to New Zealand for the international competition.

 

The surprisingly hot ingredient of the night was fennel, which was used in three drinks out of ten entered, including the two winning drinks. Josh Harris used homemade fennel syrup, Chase Williamson used 42Below infused with fennel seeds, and Michael Callahan used fresh diced fennel root.

To see more photos and the winners of the competition, click the link below.The photos are high-resolution so they may take a long time to load. 

Chartreuse Goes Through The Roof

First, they came for our bitters. Then they outlawed our egg whites and our infusions. What more could go wrong for bartenders this year?

I'll tell you what: Chartreuse now costs $11 more per bottle. 

The wonderfully complex liqueur made by monks has been a favorite of bartenders who mix it into cocktails like the Chartreuse Swizzle and Laphroaig Project  at work and consume chilled shots of the stuff when not on the clock. Now those fancy cocktails are going to cost a little bit more.

I spoke with Antoinnette Cattani of Cattani Imports, the Chartreuse broker for the California market. She said that the unannounced increase is national and will affect prices both at retail outlets and in bars. The VEP (high-end versions) are also increasing. The VEP Green will now cost $119 and the VEP Yellow $118, says Cattani. 

But here's the good news: It doesn't look like all retailers have figured this out. While Beverages & More is now selling the Green Chartreuse for $62.99, a Google Shopping search revealed several online retailers still offering 750ml bottles of it for $40-$45.

So if your bottles are running a little low or you just want to stock up, it might be time to do some online shopping. 

*Breaking News Feb 23 1:51PM - It appears prices are being readjusted again. Still an increase, but perhaps a few dollars less than it was. I have also learned that because of retail mark-ups, the cost increase on retail bottles is likely to be even higher than it is to bars. Either way if you can still get it for cheap it's best to do it now.

*Update Feb 23 3:44PM - I've learned that the price increase has been reduced from the approximately $11 increase per bottle on Green Chartreuse to about $7 as of today. Retail increases will likely be a little more. Look for the sky-high prices to drop a bit soon.

Alcademics Giveaway: Whiskies of the World in San Francisco

The 11th annual Whiskies of the World event in San Francisco is March 27th, 2010 at the Hotel Nikko.

I will be giving away three pair of VIP admission tickets to folks on the Alcademics A-Plus email list. Sign up now for your chance to win!

If you don't win the giveaway, tickets are available for $110 general admission (6PM), or for an extra ten bucks, VIP tickets will get you in at 5:15PM and with access to some special whiskies poured only during this time. (Totally worth the upgrade.) All tickets include a buffet dinner, bands, and a lot of whisky to sample.

You can check out the list of whiskies being poured at the event here. And while you're at the event, you may wish to check out one of the educational seminars. Those are listed here. There are also a few pre-parties taking place around town, listed here.

Update:

Congratulations to Loren P., Dan D., and Christopher D. who won the tickets to Whiskies of the World in San Francisco March 27th from the Alcademics A-Plus giveaway. 

Photos from the Leblon Carnival Party at Rickhouse Feb 21, 2010

Leblon cachaca threw a heck of a party at Rickhouse last night. Here are some photos.

To see the rest, click below!

Hot: Potato Cocktails

I stumbled across two cocktails made with sweet potatoes in one week.

The first one I actually tried. It was served at Beso, Eva Longoria-Parker's restaurant that recently opened in Las Vegas. It was surprisingly drinkable.

The Jimador Spice contains Chinaco Reposado tequila, Orange Curacao, Sweet Potato Puree, Lime Juice, Maple Syrup, and Angostura Bitters, with a Cinnamon Sugar Rim.

The second was a contest winner for Benedictine, created by Daniel Victory of New Orleans. If you know how to make sweet potato au jus and have unflavored pop rocks sitting around, the rest is a cinch.

Daniel Victory – New Orleans

BÉNÉDICTINE Harvest Sensation
1 1/2 part BÉNÉDICTINE Liqueur

1 part sweet potato au jus
Splash of heavy cream

 

In a mixing glass, stir above ingredients with ice.  Next, pour into a pony glass with a “Rim of Magie”*.  Finally garnish with a sweet potato chip.

*Rim of Magie
Sweet potato hay
Sea salt
Unflavored pop rocks

But it turns out these aren't the only sweet potato cocktails ever invented. I found two others from 2008.

The first is by John Kinder of Chicago, and you'll see it's slightly complicated, involving Homemade Grilled Sweet Potato Spirit, Homemade Demerara-fino Sherry Syrup, Homemade Cinnamon-Pecan Tincture, and Homemade Pumpkins in Demerara Syrup.

The second was printed in the Washington Post, and was created by Tiffany Short at PS 7's in Washington DC. The recipe is here. It involves a sweet potato reduction, rum, and cream.

So when you have leftover sweet potatoes during the harvest this year, you'll know what to do with them.

Not New Booze: R. Jelinek Fernet

Fernet-Branca is not the only fernet in the world. I hadn't tried any others but recently I received a bottle of R. Jelinek Fernet. The bottle says, "Product of the Czech Republic. This digestive beverage was created during the period of the Hapsburg dynasty in the latter part of the 19th century in the region of central Europe near the famous health spa town of Luhacovice, Czech Republic."

The nose of it is clove-prune-mint (not in a bad way). In the mouth, the clove part dominates, with mint and raisin in the background. It's got a bitter finish but not a minty one. Meh.