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Diageo's World Class USA: Last Month to Sign Up

Hey American Bartenders! The deadline is fast approaching to complete your application for Diageo's World Class. The application process involves three training modules and a video, so don't procrastinate any longer! The application deadline is April 30th, 2013. 

Other important dates: 

• US Finalists will be announced during The Manhattan Cocktail Classic May 17-21 in New York. 
• The US Winner will be announced at the end of the World Class US finals June 3-4, 2013 in New York.
• The winner goes on to the Global Finale July 4-9 sailing along the French Riviera and representing the US against 50+ winners from around the world

For those of you following along at home, the 2012 American finalist Ricky Gomez is tweeting up a storm - Keep up on the action at @RickyGomez_NOLA.

Here's a sample of what you're in for should you be lucky enough to win for the US:

 

 This post was sponsored by Diageo's World Class. 

New Bars in Copenhagen, Winter 2013

I was in one of my favorite cocktail cities- Copenhagen- again last month and was able to catch up on most of the notable new bars in town, with the exception of Strom that wasn't open.

I wrote up these bars for CLASS Magazine at DiffordsGuide.com. 

They include:

• Madam Chu's, from the Union/Bureau folks
• Lidkoeb, from the people behind Ruby
• The Barking Dog, a tequila and mezcal-forward bar
• Ourselves Alone, a bar that feels like a gentlemen's club

Short answer: they are all great! Read the story here.

If you're interested in reading more about Copenhagen, some previous stories are:

• One Night in Copenhagen
• A Cherry Heering Tour of Copenhagen's Best Bars
• An Unexpected Flavor Trend in Copenhagen
• A Visit to the Nordic Food Lab

Cocktail Menu: Goro and Gun in Houston

Opened last night in Houston, Texas is Goro and Gun [twitter], with a cocktail menu by Alexander Gregg.

I see: orange-salt bitters, piloncillo sugar, cookie milk, Botox.

HIGHBALLS

Shoe Maker...........................$8
Genever, Old Tom , London Dry,
Orange-Salt Bitters, Tonic
(Restaurant slang for an individual who is particularly lazy, always looking for a shortcut, and trying to get away with shoe maker-y stuff)


The Lifer................................$8
Blended Scotch, Lemongrass, Bitter Lemon Soda
(Service Industry slang for someone who has spent their entire career in the industry and likely will retire in the industry. Lifers often once had dreams of being
musicians, designers, photographers, fine artists -and many still are, at least at heart.)


Short Timer...........................$8
Botanical Vodka, Cucumber Water, Lime, Agave Nectar
(Short timers are employees who have put in their notice at their current job and generally quit giving a hoot, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel)


Line Cook................................$8
Bourbon, Tamarind Bitters, Ginger Brew
(Line cooks are regularly the hardest working individuals in the building, and usually don’t make very much money even though they work ridiculously long hours in blisteringly hot kitchens. To spot one look for scars from knives and burns and a glass of bourbon)


S.A............................................$8
Tequila, Grapefruit Soda,
Lavender Bitters, Lime, Piloncillo
(Server assistants, often called SA’s , are the line cooks of the foh- they do the unglamorous jobs: run food, bus tables, fill waters, etc. They are an integral part of restaurant operations. Next time you encounter one, thank him/ her for making service happen)

House COCKTAILS

Here We Are Now......................$9
(Entertain Us)
New western dry Gin, Lemongrass, Lemon, Peychaud’s, Soda

Life is beautiful ....................$12
Antica Carpano, Aquavit, Lemon, Orgeat, Egg White, Fernet

Balinese Room..........................$10
Blackstrap Rum, Jamaican Rum, Olorosso, Mezcal

Post Requisite............................$9
Blanco Tequila, Lime, apricot, Islay,
Thai Chili Bitters

Cookie Monster........................$10
White Rum, Cookie Milk, Piloncillo,
Angostura

Due Dilligence......................$8
vodka, cassis, mint, lime, ginger brew


Industry Standards


Margarita..........................$12
Blanco and Reposado Tequilas, Lime, Dry Curacao, Orange-Salt Bitters, Piloncillo

Bloody Mary........................$9
Botanical Vodka, Tomato, Roasted Garlic, Ginger, Balsamic, Thai Chili

Zombie..................................$11
House Rum Blend, Maraschino,
pastis, Lemon, Lime, Pineapple,
Passion Fruit, Angostura

Surfer on Acid...................$10
jagermeister, white rum, pineapple, coconut, lime

Cosmo.....................................$9
Botanical Vodka, Dry Curacao,
Cranberry, Raspberry, Lime, Botox

Mojito....................................$8
Light Rum, Lime, Mint, Piloncillo, Soda



SANS LE BOOZE

Craft
Ahh Yes Indeed......................$5
Salt Preserved Lemon, Fresh Lemon, Thyme, Soda

The Gambler.........................$5
Grapefruit, Lime, Sage, Blackberry, Soda

Alpha Acid Phosphate......$6
dry hopped root beer, Lemon, malic and phosphoric acids, soda

El Fabz...................................$7
Milk, Egg, Raspberry, doppleganger soda, lavender bitters*

 

Cognac Meant for Mixing

In my latest story for Details.com I wrote about the new cognacs designed with mixology in mind. 

I ended up rewriting the story to be less nerdy than the first version, but the first version has more dates and price specifics. I pasted that stuff below, but you'll want to visit Details for the intro.

But a few brands are coming around. One of the first to do so was Courvoisier, which launched Exclusif in 2007, and was billed as “the only cognac designed specifically to be mixed.” But bartenders balked at its $50 retail price. It was discontinued, and last year replaced with C by Courvoisier for the much more doable $35.

Hennessy came out with Hennessy Black in 2009, their first new product to the US market in about 50 years. It was targeted more at the Cognac-and-Coke nightclub crowd than at mixologists, and was developed to have a “lighter and fresher” profile than their other products. Taking the opposite approach with a “bold flavor” that shoves through the soda instead was D’USSE Cognac, which launched last year.

Most of these new cognacs eschew the standard VS/VSOP/XO age statements, but are quite young in order to keep costs down. D’USSE is a rare exception that puts its age category – VSOP – on the label. It’s more expensive than most of the mixable cognacs at $45, but is marketed as a club luxury product whether you mix it or not, complete with Jay-Z-hosted launch parties.

Remy went in a radically different direction with the launch of Remy V in 2010, which is a clear, unaged cognac that can’t legally be called cognac. It can use cognac’s caché, however, to try to win over Grey Goose bottle service drinkers at clubs, or at least that seems the plan.

A few new cognacs are playing fully to the high-end cocktail crowd. H by Hine, launched at the end of 2012, was “crafted with mixology in mind” as the cellar master consulted with a French bartenders association to create it. 

The story continues with information about high-proof cognacs and a few things to do with these products. 

 

Make Easter Egg Ice for Easter

Check out this post from a few years back on making ice shaped like Easter eggs. 

Short answer: water balloons. 

Cocktail Recipe: The Brown Trout by Dave Newman

I sort of didn't care what was in a cocktail called the The Brown Trout, because the name is so awesome I would have probably ordered it regardless. 

But the ingredients are... intriguing anyway. Gin, scotch, Aperol, gentian liqueur, and elderflower - what could go wrong? Everything!

But the drink was very nice - give it a try sometime. 

I ordered this drink at Pint + Jigger during Hawaii Cocktail Week and it was my favorite drink that night.

 

The Brown Trout
By Dave Newman

1.5 oz Hendrick's Gin
.5 oz Johnnie Walker Black
.5 oz Aperol 
.75 oz Bonal
.25 oz St Germain

Stir with ice until well chilled, strain into a chilled coupe glass with an orange twist expressed over the top and then discarded.

 

Drinking Boston by Stephanie Schorow: Book Review

I've mentioned the book Drinking Boston by Stephanie Schorow here on Alcademics twice already, so clearly I've found it useful:

• Once when I was researching When did Grenadine Become an Artificial Ingredient? 
• Once when I was looking at the Ward Eight cocktail. 

But I haven't given the book a proper write-up yet, so here's this. 

The book is a history of drinking in Boston, from the earliest days of the tavern culture in th 1600s right up through today's cocktail renaissance. The first 70 or so pages take us through the taverns of Boston and their crucial role in the American politics and revolution.

Then we take a step back and look at Prohibition, from early movements through to national Prohibition of 1920-1933 and the thriving speakeasy culture. Prohibition takes us another 50 pages. We then look at a history of Boston's beer brewing, its neighborhood bars, and modern cocktail history. 

Because the chapters are thematic and not all a linear narrative history, there tends to be some repeated information in different chapters. That's nothing I'll mind on subsequent reads when researching a particular topic, but it was a little annoying when I read the book from beginning to end. No biggie. 

The early history of the tavern culture in Boston is done well, but for a more thorough look at this (and of American bar history in general), pick up the wonderful America Walks Into a Bar by Christine Sismondo. 

Because of my familiarity with the earlier information, I was most excited for the brewing history, the era of the big nightclubs in the 1940s, the Great Molasses Flood,  some of the modern bartenders' history, and the new characters and events of which I was previously unaware. After I put the book down, my Amazon Wish List grew by about 8 books on subjects inspired by this reading. 

I think that no matter your interest level in different historical eras or aspects of bars, bartenders, or drinks, you'll find new information in Drinking Boston to add to it and to inspire further reading.

 

Global Booze Brands Embrace Small-Scale Strategies: Absolut's Our Vodka Program

Diageo is experimenting with crowdsourcing and Absolut has set up a boutique distillery in Berlin.

The following story comes from Mixology Magazine in Germany. It was written by Helmut Adam and was originally published in German here. It was translated into English by Kirstin Müller. Below is an edited version of the translation.

Bartenders participating in Diageo’s World Class Programme [in Europe] are encouraged to submit their ideas for a [new spirit or liqueur]. In May 2013, a jury of Diageo professionals and industry heavy-weights such as Salvatore Calabrese and Jörg Meyer is going to evaluate the submissions and select a winner. The prize is a 5% share of earnings after tax or an installment of £ 25.000 (about € 29.000) alternatively. 

Pernot Ricard, Diageo’s strongest competitor in many markets, is taking a different route.  Last Friday, a boutique distillery producing a new vodka has opened its doors in Berlin’s trendy hot spot Kreuzberg.

The new product is called “Our/Berlin”. The distillery is run on its own terms, independently from Pernot Ricard Germany. Initiators behind the “start-up”  are The Absolut Company and the international holding of the corporation, the Pernod Ricard Group. In order to simulate start-up-criteria, the new vodka is not available via the usual distributing channels of Pernod Ricard. At the same time, Berlin clubs and bars are major target markets, as the company’s website states. With 37,5 % Vol. and at 350 ml per bottle, “Our/Berlin” is obviously meant to cover a different segment than Absolut Vodka, its bigger brother in the cooperation.

From a PR-Agency with love

An agency called „Paul Sanders“ is Pernod Ricard’s partner in crime. They list “consulting, production, press relations and guest management” as their main areas of expertise and have so far been involved in fashion and lifestyle projects. On their website, the agency describes their cooperation: “Pernod Ricard provides the distillery, the recipe and the ingredients. Paul Sanders are in charge of production, sales and marketing.”

Can corporations reinvent themselves as start-ups?

Åsa Caap, „Director for Global Innovation Projects“ at Pernod Ricard and in charge of the project – in spite of the theory described above – believes her company grew from innovation. In an interview with MIXOLOGY ONLINE, she said: "Since I've been working in that position I've seen a lot of innovation inside Pernod Ricard. The origins of Pernod Ricard are entrepreneurial, as both Ricard and Pernod were innovative entrepreneurs."

The idea for „Our/Vodka“, as the project’s umbrella brand is called, came to life over two years prior. According to Caap, developing a strategy on how Pernod Ricard could locally produce a vodka, that would have actual local market relevance, was a lengthy process.

„We decided very early that Berlin was a good market to start from”, Caap explains. The German capital is indeed the first major city to test the concept. If successful, „Our/Stockholm“, „Our/Detroit“ or „Our/Paris“ might soon follow suit.


The production process of Our/Vodka

How exactly is “Our/Berlin” Vodka produced? According to Åsa Caap, the final product is part locally purchased alcohol of regional descent, part centrally produced distillate using a secret type of yeast (“Low wine”) and part local water. The distillate is then refined to drinkable alcohol (“High wine”) in the Our/Berlin Distillery. The pure grain alcohol may consist of various agricultural bases, such as sugarcane or grain, depending on the market. Further details are not yet being disclosed. The 350 ml bottle of Berlin Vodka is sold for € 13.

Caap is surprisingly open when addressing the obvious reservations to a major cooperation meddling with grassroots craft: "Probably it is a contradiction and the only way to get around it is to be totally transparent." In her opinion the fact that the project is “one part global and one part local” makes it so special. “No other brand has that”, Caap says. In Berlin, “Our/Berlin” Vodka is produced and marketed by the Tioli Gmbh & Co. KG. Tioli is a wholly owned subsidiary of V&S Vin and Sprit AB, the Swedish branch of Pernod Ricard, which also owns Absolut Vodka.

It is vitally important, Caap says, that the project be co-run by locals, who get their fair share of the profits. The partners are independently responsible for sales and marketing. Hence, the market positioning of the brand will vary greatly from city to city.

Landmines at the Berlin testing grounds

Is this new type of „global boutique distillery“ going to prevail? The direct local environment for the first edition of Our/Vodka definitely has it’s stepping stones. The very area, where the new distillery was set up, is currently under fire as a major battlefield in gentrification-conflicts. In Schlesische Straße, a residential building was squatted recently. Plans for the Guggenheim Lab, which was set to occupy the open space in Cuvrystraße were overturned by local residents. And close by at the East Side Gallery, demonstrations are condemning plans for tearing down parts of the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. Everything reeking of “upgrade” is at best met with skepticism by the local population.

Will Pernod Ricard’s balancing act succeed to break into Berlin’s sub and club culture? Can a global spirits company really mask as a start-up? Will people see the product as a trendy party accessory or as a corporate wolf in sheep’s clothing? Since last Friday, when the showroom of “Our/Berlin” officially opened, industry professionals and barflies can make up their own minds. And for those looking to enter the micro distilling vodka business themselves, Pernod Ricard has put up a message on their global Our/Vodka website: “Are you interested in opening an Our/Vodka distillery in your city, let us know!”

Go here for more information (in Egnlish) about Our Vodka.

 

This article first appeared in MIXOLOGY magazine. MIXOLOGY is a bar and beverage magazine based in Berlin, Germany.

Author: Helmut Adam http://about.me/helmutadam
Translation: Kirstin Müller http://oeaeue.wordpress.com/