Alcademics.com

Blogging from Bar Convent Berlin

For the next week I'll be in Germany working as one of the official bloggers of Bar Convent Berlin, sponsored by Mixology Magazine. (I'm a regular contributor to Mixology these days- for some reason I find it very cool to be translated into German.) Hopefully I'll also get to visit a few of the great bars in town as well. 

I'll also be speaking at this industry convention about Future Trends in the Global Bar Scene along with the wondrous Phillip Duff. (And despite what it says on the website, we will not be speaking in German.) 

Other speakers at the convention include Dale DeGroff , Charles Schumann , Angus Winchester, Tony Conigliaro, Matthew Bax, Eben Klemm, Dave Arnold, Anistatia Miller & Jared Brown, Henry Besant, and Ian Burrel. I am in very good company. 

My posts will be on the Mixology Blog, so please check in with me over there. 

Also, see the Mixology Facebook page and the Twitter account.

The Cocktail Bloggers' Convention

Come join me in Portland, Oregon October 20-24. I'm speaking at and attending Drink.Write 2010, the cocktail bloggers' convention. 

The convention is put on by the Cocktails and Spirits Online Writers Group, a collective of some of the top cocktail bloggers internationally. 

More information is available here, and tickets are for sale here.   

The topic I'm speaking on is this one:

Cocktail Blogging: Where do we go from here?

Explore the evolution and future of cocktail blogs with panelists who have successfully adapted their blogs and writing to leverage social media, support their own special projects, connect with new readership and maintain existing readership.

Panelists: Darcy O’Neil and Camper English

The conference is really just two days, October 21 and 22, with three sessions per day.

However, we've planned it to coincide with Portland Cocktail Week that has a range of events happening at the same time. That way you can learn by day, and find something to blog about at night. 

The end of PDX Cocktail Week is the Great American Distillers Festival, even more events celebrating small-batch distillers from around the nation. 

If you've been considering a visit to Portland to check out the fantastic local cocktail and distilling scene, you couldn't pick a better week to do it than October 20-24. I hope to see you there. 

Freezing Objects in Ice

As you know I've been making clear ice at home. I've got a lot more experimenting to do, but for now I thought I'd try freezing a bottle inside a block.

I started with a mini bottle of Chambord, since it's the flashiest one I own. I tied a piece of fishing line around the neck of the bottle and suspended it in my ice-making cooler. I tied the top around a ruler to hold it above the cooler.

Happily it stayed in place while freezing. I popped out the block.

This block was cloudier than usual. I'm not sure if that's because of the object in the ice or not.

It looks a little better close up, so I cut the ice closer to the bottle.

It's not perfect, but it would make a great chunk of ice for a punch bowl.

How Long Does Sherry Last?

Sherry is a wine, albeit a fortified one, that does spoil after a certain time being open. It also typically doesn't improve once it is put into the bottle so here's how long to keep it around. 

According to the Consejo Regulador of Sherry, the wine should be stored for the following times: 

 Fino or Manzanilla: in a sealed bottle it will last for 12 to 18 months. If the bottle is opened and stored in the refrigerator, it will last one week. 

Amontillado and Medium Sweet Sherries in a sealed bottle will last for 18 to 36 months. If the bottle is open they will last 2 -3 weeks.

Oloroso and Cream Sherries in a sealed bottle will last for 24 to 36 months. If the bottle is open they will last 4 -6 weeks.

Pedro Ximenez in a sealed bottle will last for 24 to 48 months. If the bottle is open it will last 1 -2 months.

Sherry is Not Just for Sipping

In the new issue of Fine Cooking Magazine, Tara Q. Thomas has a story on sherry with food pairings (preview mode so far- full story should appear at the link later). To pair with the feature on the FineCooking.com drink blog, I list a simple recipe for the Sherry Cobbler.

 

Should you want more complicated recipes, I recommend stopping off at the  Secret Sherry Society website for drinks from the likes of Charles Joly, Erick Castro, Danny Valdez, Thomas Waugh, and Phil Ward. 

New Fall Cocktail Menus at Clock Bar and Bourbon & Branch and Rickhouse and Presidio Social Club

So many new drinks, so little time:  Clock Bar,  Bourbon & Branch, Rickhouse, and Presidio Social Club launched new cocktails for fall in the past week. All have a ton of good-looking drinks.

Clock Bar

General Manager Phillip Barcio sent me some highlights:

"We are proud to be using some amazing local urban honey from Liz Murray of Sweet Thieves, from her hive on the roof of her house in Haight Ashbury. Drinkwell made a delicious lacto-fermented apple soda for us this season. It's in our Autumn Fizz. We have a cherry reduction and fresh pears from Frog Hollow Farm, heirloom tomato salt from Eatwell Farm, and Tommy came up with a killer home-made pumpkin spice syrup for "The Smashing Pumpkin.""   

SEASONAL COCKTAILS

NUTS & SPICE SEASON / SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER

AUTUMN FIZZ............................................................... 12
yellow chartreuse, apple soda, egg white, leopold’s apple liqueur, fresh orange juice, cherry bitters served tall with brandied cherries

BUBBLY THYME........................................................... 12
junipero gin, benedictine, fresh lemon, maraschino liqueur, champagne grapes, fresh thyme served up with lemon twist

FLIP TO NUTS.............................................................. 12
bols genever, pecan infused whiskey, orgeat, coriander syrup, st. elizabeth allspice dram, whole egg served tall

GILLIGAN’S WISH ......................................................... 12
gosling’s 151• rum, gosling’s black seal rum, fresh ginger, cane syrup, fresh lemon served up with candied ginger

THE SMASHING PUMPKIN........................................... 13
hennessey vs, house-made pumpkin spice syrup
served hot

JOLLY DASH DASH DASH ........................................... 13
bookers bourbon, plymouth sloe gin, fresh lime, nonino ue grappa, cherry reduction served up with brandied cherries

SMOKEY CLINCH MOUNTAIN...................................... 13
high west bourye, qi black tea liqueur, house-made cinnamon syrup, maraschino liqueur served neat

ALL OUR SWEETEST HOURS ...................................... 14
macallan cask strength scotch, michter’s rye, haight ashbury urban honey, fresh lemon, gran classico bitters, fresh pear served on the rocks

WHEN THE LEAVES FALL ............................................ 12
montecristo spiced rum, fresh orange juice, house-made maple/walnut syrup, egg white served up with orange twist

BEET GINGERATION.................................................... 13

bols genever, canton ginger liqueur, house-made tomato/beet/brown sugar reduction, fresh grapefruit, fresh ginger, heirloom tomato salt served up with lemon twist

Bourbon & Branch

First, some employment news. Congratulations on the new gigs, everyone.

"After almost 3 years of service as the General Manager of Bourbon and Branch, we are pleased to announce that Joel Baker will be moving onwards to take his place as the Beverage Director for our parent company FutureBars.

With that being said, Joel will be leaving Bourbon and Branch in the capable and trustworthy hands of Ian Scalzo and Jayson Wilde as the respective General Manager and Bar Manger. "

Fall Menu

"William Won't Tell" by Jayson Wilde
Black Maple Hill, Smoked Apple Calvados Liqueur, Carpano, Benedictine

"The Golden State" by Darren Crawford
Sazerac Rye, Germain-Robin Craft Method Brandy, Pear Shrub, Lemon Juice, Egg White

"Cloak and Dagger" by Ryan Hazen
Bushmills Black Bush, Dolin Blanc, Maple Liqueur, Cinnamon Pear Gomme, Old Fashioned Bitters

"Plum Line" by Tony Devencenzi
Plum and Tarragon Infused Gin, Benedictine, Honey Syrup, Lemon Juice, Old Fashioned Bitters, Soda Water

"Lolita" by Ian Scalzo
La Gitana, Lemon Juice, Bartlett Pear and Mission Fig Syrup, Peychauds, Egg White

Rickhouse

BRAZILLIANAIRE #2 11
Cachaca, Sloe Gin, R&W Apricot, Lime
Juice, Grenadine, Simple, Sparkling Wine
Much like bossa nova, the Brazillianaire is a modern interpretation of a classic. The cachaca plays the underlying rhythm while the flavors of apricot and sloe gin complete the ensemble. (Trevor Easter)

BONITA APPLEBUM 9
White Rum, Cognac, Yellow Chartreuse,
Lime Juice, Apple Butter, Simple, Cinnamon
A cocktail with curves; the luscious apple butter supports the spice top notes while the rich cognac and sweet cane round out the bottom. (Jessica Tanaka)

SUNSET SWIZZLE 9
Beefeater Summer Gin, St. Germaine,
Lime Juice, Pineapple Gum, Aperol
A tip of the hat to a time in drinking history rarely referenced by today’s enthusiast, lest they be thrown to the wolves. It’s a sunny, summer day in the city and come sunrise we’ll we working but come sunset, we’ll be drinking. (Joe Alessandroni)

SMOKIN’ SWIZZLE 12
Old Tom Gin, Bonal Quinquina, Orange
Juice, Lemon Juice, Islay Scotch
While cool and refreshing like a swim at the beach, it’s sweet and smoky, like a kiss from Grandma.
(The Late Owen Westman)

THE REAL THING 9
Amaro Nonino, Averna, Lemon Juice, Maple
Syrup, Simple, Egg White, Mole Bitters
Nestled cozily between bitter and sweet, you’ll find the Real Thing, a tipple worth a second sip.
(John Ottman)

FLORADORA 9
Gin, Lime Juice, Raspberry Syrup,
Ginger Ale
Perfect summer simplicity, ironically undressed. The Floradora is every bit as seductive as it sounds. Sit back and savor the beautifully blended results.

WESTERN EDITION 9
El Tesoro Tequila, Campari, Dolin Blanc
Vermouth, Lime Juice, Pinch Salt
A cocktail Clint Eastwood would be proud of: the tequila is soft-spoken and laconic like the Man with No Name while the Campari packs a punch like a slug from “Dirty” Harry Callahan’s .44 Magnum.
(Trevor Easter)

TROPIC THUNDER 9
Pisco, Lime, Crème of Coconut, Ginger,
Angostura Bitters
As the cool weather begins to set in, daydreams of warm, sunny beaches fill our minds. This libation brings you one step closer to that reality. (Dan Stahl)

Presidio Social Club

Sazerac - Pikesville Rye, Peychaud's Bitters, Sugar (1840)

Martinez - Ransom Old Tom Gin, Carpano Antica, Maraschino (1884)

Pisco Punch - Pisco, Lemon, Lime, Pineapple, Gum Syrup & Bitters (1890)

Dry Martini - 2 Parts Gin, 1 Dry Vermouth & Orange Bitters (1910)

1916 Aviation - Gin, Lemon, Maraschino & Crème de Violette 

Southside - A Gin and Mint Delight (1920's)

12 Mile Limit - El Dorado Rum, Rye, Cognac, Lemon & Grenadine (1920)

Last Word - Gin, Lime, Chartreuse & Maraschino (1921)

Boulevardier - Bourbon, Carpano Antica, Gran Classico (1927)
 
1930 Aviation - Gin, Lemon, & Maraschino
 
Corpse Reviver #2 - Gin, Lemon, Cocchi Americano, Triple Sec (1930)

Thistle - Laphroaig 10yr Scotch, Sweet Vermouth, Orange Bitters (1930)

Hemingway Daiquiri - El Dorado Rum, Lime, Grapefruit, Sugar (1930)

Hoop-La - Lemon, Brandy, Triple Sec, & Lillet (1930)

Brunelle - Absinthe, Lemon Juice, Sugar (1930)

Preakness - Rye, Sweet Vermouth, Splash Benedictine (1939)

Moscow Mule - First Popular Vodka Drink - Vodka, Lime, & Ginger Beer (1946)

100 Reasons Rye - Manhattan Variation with Triple Sec (2008)

The Savory Steakhouse Cocktail Menu

Alexander's Steakhouse was born in Silicon Valley, a land where venture capitalists can buy $135 Wagyu steaks (pdf menu) on the corporate credit card. By several accounts I've heard, it's worth the money.

Last week they opened a San Francisco outpost in the former Bacar space on Brannan Street. I went in to try the cocktails.

The drinks here lean heavily towards savory flavors including carrot, cucumber, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, and other fruits and herbs. I'm glad to see it- so many San Francisco bars have moved away from the "salad in a glass" model of fresh ingredient mixology into an all-stirred-spirits format once found mostly on the east coast. 

Beyond that the drinks are made with mostly familiar base spirits including Knob Creek, Hendrick's, Dewar's, and even Jack Daniel's. Lead mixologist Jessamine McLellan explained her philosophy: lure in the customers with several ingredients that they know and like, and tempt them with an odd combination or an ingredient with which they're not familiar.

Of course, she's coming from the Silicon Valley restaurant where people need to be tempted into trying cocktails. In San Francisco that shouldn't be a problem when customers are used to being confronted with menu items with no recognizable ingredients to the layman, such as "yamazaki 12yr, amontillado sherry, patxaran, maraschino liqueur, cacao nib tincture" (an actual drink from 15 Romolo). 

She may have an easier time selling them than expected.

My favorite drink by far was the Scarborough Faire- a gin Gimlet with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (get it?) muddled in and strained out. I suppose it's the next evolution of the cilantro or basil or mint gimlets of a few years ago.

I also enjoyed the Bengal Tiger with carrot and turmeric, which gave it a lovely finish.

The Flapjack is a take on a breakfast cocktail with maple syrup, orange juice, bourbon, and a warm candied bacon garnish. (I had it without the bacon.)

I also enjoyed the Coffee and Cigarettes. The coffee comes from a liqueur and the cigarettes is the smoked salt and pepper rim. The combination of salt and coffee was terrific. I kind of want to salt my coffee at home now.

And the Saturn was good too- I was surprised by how much I liked the Amaretto in the drink. (The drink is named for the rings of orange peels in the glass- clever!)

See the full menu and a many more pictures by clicking on the link below.

Breaking: Jose Cuervo is a Small Craft Distillery

I don't often pick on bad press releases, but this one made my jaw drop in its chutzpa. Apparently Maestro Dobel tequila is part of the growing trend of small-batch craft distilling.

Never mind that the brand comes from NOM 1122, which is the distillery where they make such other small batch spirits as Jose Cuervo, 1800 Tequila, and Gran Centenario.

Get a load of this press release that just came in (emphasis in bold mine):

Craft spirits remain a tiny niche in the U.S however, consumers are always looking for exclusivity when it comes to liquors.  Craft distillers, small scale operations that are similar to microbreweries, cater to consumers’ appetite for artisan and local markets.  This elite sector in the spirits world is making a come-back as the recession is letting up.

What makes a craft distiller?  These hands-on, hand-crafted operations make spirits in small batches, often producing less in a year than larger distilleries bottle in an hour. Craft distillers provide an opportunity to add uniqueness to the spirits industry, most of the time, in extremely limited quantities (the average craft distiller might produce 6,000 cases a year). Exclusive sprits like Maestro DOBEL tequila that produce only 2,000 exclusive cases per year, are no exception.

As such, Maestro DOBEL, has mastered the craft of producing top tequila.  As an exciting blend of three aged tequilas, Resposado, Anejo, and Extra Anejo, the entire distillery process is done by hand from filling to individually numbering each bottle. 

Then the email concludes with an offer to interview a tequila maestro and tells how the brand was created by Juan Beckmann from "the world's most prominent tequila-producing family."

No kidding.