Alcademics.com

Shrubs For Dummies

Last week I took a shrub-making class, lead by Jennifer Colliau of Small Hand Foods and Aaron Gregory of 15 Romolo.

(Blueberry-Raspberry-Thyme Shrub Ready for Vinegar)

 The class was co-hosted by CUESA,  Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, who puts on the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, farm tours, and educational events and Urban Kitchen, a group that hosts affordable, single-purpose classes and workshops themed around the DIY Slow Food concept. 

(Jennifer Colliau and Aaron Gregory)

Here is what I learned: 

The word shrub comes from a Persian word for a syrup with citrus and fruit in it, which is  also the base of the word sherbet. Originally, shrubs did not have vinegar in them, but as they spread around the world they began to incorporate it. Why? Because Persia had citrus fruit and other countries did not. Citrus provides the acidity that helps preserve these syrups, and so does vinegar, which can be made from non-citrus fruits. So vinegar was a citrus substitute. 

That explains why we see some recipes for shrub syrups with and some without vinegar. Blueberries, for example, need the extra acid; pineapple does not. I had always wondered about that. Mystery solved. 

Furthermore there is a separate type of shrub related to the switchel. According to Colliau, the switchel dates back to Roman times. It was water mixed with vinegar and perhaps sugar that was used to hydrate the slaves. Wikipedia seems to pick up the trail of the switchel as it enters nascent America, where it was used similarly for hydration rather than as a preservative syrup. 

Making Shrubs, Fast and Easy

They made it incredibly easy for us to make our own shrubs in this class. They put out a bunch of berries, stone fruits, herbs, and spices. We filled mason jars with our selection of them. Then we poured hot vinegar to fill the jars. 

Done. Next we wait a week, giving the jar a little shake each day. Then we add sugar and stick it in the fridge -ready to drink! 

I made a blueberry-raspberry-thyme shrub and a strawberry-pepper-coriander shrub. I CAN'T WAIT TO DRINK THEM!

Vinegar tip: Colliau says don't use distilled white vinegar, use wine/champagne or fruit vinegars. Be wary of apple cider vinegar as the flavor can be overpowering. 

Thanks for a great seminar guys. To San Franciscans: check out the activities calendar for more booze and food event with both CUESA and Urban Kitchen. 

Good on Toast, Great in Drinks

(Photo courtesy of That's My Jamm)

David Ruiz of Mr. Smith's makes jams and preserves just for cocktails. I wrote about it with a quick note about jam in cocktails historically, and in which bar you can find a mezcal drink with strawberry-raspberry-jabanero jam. Yumz.

Read about That's My Jamm on Tasting Table. The story is here.

 

Almond Milk Enters the Cocktailsphere

I have been tracking how different not-obvious products and categories have been entering the world of cocktails, as I think this is a good indicator of how culturally important cocktails have become. Everyone wants a piece of the action. 

(Related: I got a ridiculous pitch today for cocktails made with the neon-colored Alize liqueurs that are somehow supposed to be era-appropriate for Mad Men. This says a lot about the cultural impact of Mad Men, and also a thing or two about the people marketing Alize...)

I've tracked before how cruise lines, airlines, tourism boards, the National Peanut Board, a tomato juice company, and the Wisconsin Cheese Board are all jumping on the cocktail bandwagon. 

More in the realm of mixers, along with coconut water, POM pomegranate juice, and the Cranberry Marketing Board, all of which have gone after the cocktail market, Almond Breeze brand almond milk has entered the fray. I just got a press release with a recipe for two drinks: a hot chocolate and an almond milk Hot Toddy. 

I am guessing they could do a lot more with the product. For a while now I've been considering experimenting with almond milk to make a low-alcohol Mai Tai. 

So, So Many Orange Liqueurs

(Craig Lee / Special to The Chronicle)

My latest story from this Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle is now online.

Quest for best orange liqueur comes full circle

 Camper English, Special to The Chronicle
 Friday, July 9, 2010

When a critic complained that the orange liqueur in the margarita at Tacolicious had an "off flavor," owner Joe Hargrave decided to do something about it. The margarita is the Marina district restaurant's top-selling cocktail.

"After I was finished being (ticked) off, I decided we should see if this has merit," he said. Hargrave arranged a blind tasting of margaritas with different orange liqueurs to find the best replacement for the bargain-priced Bols triple sec he was using.

With a flood of new orange liqueurs on the market, picking a reasonable number for the tasting was no easy task.

My story about all the new orange liqueurs on the market- and the thrilling result of the orange liqueur taste test at Tacolicious- can be found by following the link.

There's also a recipe for a drink (see picture above) from Kevin Diedrich of the Burritt Room. 

For more information on the history and differences between triple sec and curacao, this discussion has some good information. And for the biggest orange liqueur comparison on the internet, see Jay Hepburn's blog posts.

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

Glossy Booze: Mid-August Edition

Glossy Booze is a regular Alcademics feature in which I note the coverage of alcohol in glossy magazines.

Fine Cooking (August/September) has a story on beer cocktails written by Lew Bryson.

Sherman's Travel (summer 2009) lists which Napa wines to buy now.

In Gourmet (August) David Wondrich writes a story about (wait for it, wait for it, wait for it...) punch!

Mutineer (August/September) has a multi-bartender feature shot at Edison in LA, wine date ideas, breakfast drinks, and minimalist cocktails by blogging's own Rick Stutz. 

 Sunset (August) has a story on Canada's Okanagan Valley wine region and another on summery wine cocktails. 

Men's Journal (September) has a story on San Francisco's breweries and distilleries, and another on better cocktail mixers like Fever Tree bitter lemon and Q Tonic.

Details (September) also gets into mixers with a story on craft sodas including Maine Root and Dry Soda.

Food & Wine mentions SF's Rye on the Road, Portland's Beaker & Flask, top California wine for $15 and less, and Red Hook Winery. 

Every Day with Rachael Ray (August) has recipes for a citrusy beer cocktail, a Caipirinha, a Tomate (water, pastis, grenadine), Pineapple Shave Ice, Almond Float, and four other shave ice flavors.

Bon Appetit has a very, very long recipe for a Bloody Mary with 16 ingredients- plus garnish.

In Readymade (August/September) Alex Day makes drinks with cinnamon, honey ginger, and lavender syrups.

Glossy Booze: Late July Edition

Glossy Booze is a regular Alcademics feature in which I talk about the alcohol coverage in magazines.

Gourmet (July) has a ton of liquor content this month: an essay on cocktail parties, a Negroni recipe, a brief mention of big ice, a recipe for Fresh Tomato Bloody Marys in a brunch story, Fresh Mint Juleps in an American party story, a Black and Tan recipe in an afternoon meal story, and several recipes for cocktail-flavored ice pops. (More ice pop recipes here.)

Saveur (July) has six drink recipes on one page: Book Club Sangria, Kentucky Club Margarita, Michelada, Longhorn Bull Shot, Cucumber Cooler, and the Chico.

Food & Wine (August) lists light wines for hot days and big balanced reds.

Chilled Magazine, which is more of a drinking magazine for nightclub types, has several stories on vodka and stories on the Thirsty Traveler, Sam Adams, molecular mixology, and flair bartending.

GQ (August) has a quick note on lower alcohol wines for summer. In the July issue, they list recipes for the Ramos Gin Fizz, Rum Fizz, and Gin Fizz.

Entrepreneur (July) has an entirely lackluster cover story interview with John DeJoria of Patron.

 Bon Appetit (August) has a great profile of Boston bartender Misty Kalkofen, a quick recommendation of swizzle sticks, a story on fizzy drinks, and perhaps the spookiest picture of a Bellini ever taken.

Ginger Beer Gives a Buck more Bang

My latest story in the San Francisco Chronicle (from Sunday's paper) went online today. Read it here.

Ginger beer gives a buck more bang

Camper English, Special to The Chronicle

Friday, July 24, 2009

When ginger ale or beer is mixed with citrus in a drink, it is - or more accurately, was - known as a buck.

Early cocktail books list recipes for the gin buck or London buck cocktail, and variations of rum bucks were called the Shanghai buck, Jamaica buck or Barbados buck, depending on the type of rum used. If you squeeze your lime garnish into a Dark 'n' Stormy, you've got a rum buck.

"The buck is one of those cocktails that works with every base spirit," says Erick Castro, beverage director at Rickhouse, the new Financial District bar. "Most cocktails don't work with gin and scotch and vodka and rum."

Read more about bucks and mules and get the recipe for Erick Castro's Kentucky Buck here.