PREFACE
Vermouth 101: The Old Hickory

+++

Well now that you have an appetite inducing “qualifying round” under the belt, time to move to the first course. When it comes to vermouth cocktails, the next logical step in expanding ones appreciation of what the spirit can do is to go back to the beginning. In the time line of modern cocktail history, there are only a few that showcase vermouth’s qualities and still deliver a high proof kick. Cocktails such as the Turf Club (equal parts sweet vermouth and gin with bitters) or the El Presidente (equal parts dry vermouth and white rum, with curacao, grenadine, and bitters) only give vermouth equal billing. Meet the cocktail that puts vermouth in the front of the room and happens to be the Grand Daddy of the modern Martini: The Martinez Cocktail.

The Martinez is a predecessor to the Martini that is allegedly attributed to Jerry “The Professor” Thomas as its creator. It is important to note that the drink does not appear in Thomas’ original 1862 printing of How to Mix Drinks or the Bon Vivant’s Companion but then it appears in the 1887 edition, which has led to speculation as to its true origins. It is not clear who “Martinez” was or whether he existed at all. Like any good bar tale or creation myth, there are plenty of theories of who invented the libation. One thing we do know, the Martinez fell off the radar of bartenders once dry vermouth became plentiful around turn of the century and the dry Martini became king.

Since the fin-de-siecle, the Martinez cocktail has been relegated to the history books but is making a legitimate comeback thanks to the recent cocktail revival. This dark period is understandable, since the caliber of vermouths available in the last few decades has not been conducive to making the Martinez palatable. As I mentioned in the previous posting on the Vermouth Cocktail , the quality of the vermouth is critical when mixing a cocktail where vermouth plays the base spirit.

THE DRINK
The Martinez’s construction is rather simple with only four ingredients: Italian vermouth, Old Tom gin, maraschino liqueur, and aromatic bitters–stirred, and served up a citrus peel. In an attempt to get the historical taste profile spot on, I recommend using the following spirits when mixing the drink:

First, use a sweet or “Italian” vermouth that follows the original vermouth formulas of the nineteenth century. Brands such as Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth or the newly released Vermouth di Torino by Cocchi not only bring a robust flavor profile to the Martinez, they are similar in composition to the vermouths used by the likes of Jerry Thomas the sporting bartenders during the cocktail’s heyday. I actually prepared a Martinez using one of the mass produced brands in my research for this article–take it from me, there is no comparison to the Carpano or Cocchi products.

Second, use artisan Old Tom gin such as a version produced by Ransom distillers of Sheridan, Oregon. Ransom Old Tom gin is a historically accurate replica of mid-1800s recipes developed with the guidance of cocktail historian David Wondrich. It is produced in small batches, alembic pot distilled, 88 proof (44% alcohol by volume), and has a distinct malt flavor that blends well with vermouths. Old Tom is a variety of gin that is a sweetened that predates the now ubiquitous London Dry gin.

THE MODIFIERS
Maraschino liqueur: Luxardo is a premium brand maraschino liqueur made from marasca cherries of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. The liqueur which has an ancient pedigree has origins in the Dominican monastaries of the region. The award-winning Luxardo recipe dates from 1821 and is produced in Torregue, outside Padova in Italy.

Bitters: Try to get your hands on Dr. Adam Elmigirab’s Boker’s Bitters, a revival of the original Boker’s company recipe dating from 1853 is the authentic choice. If Boker’s is out of reach, I suggest the Bitter Truth’s Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanted Bitters or Angostura aromatic bitters.

THE MARTINEZ

2 oz Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
1 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
1 Tsp of Luxardo maraschino
Dash of Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanted bitters
Lemon peel

Tools: bar glass, bar spoon, Swiss peeler, strainer, and coupe glass

Method: Combine ingredients in mixing glass, add cracked ice, stir rigorously until proper dilution achieved, and strain into chilled cocktail glass, then release the citrus oils from an lemon peel and discard.

Insider’s Tip: Substitute a thicker bodied gin of the Holland Gin variety such as Bols Genever Barrel Aged for a unique update on this classic. Typically, Holland gin does not mix well with sweet vermouth, however, the Barrel Aged Genever picks up many notes which exist in whiskey, and thus make for a better partnership.

*Photograph by Vanessa Bahmani

**Got a cocktail question? Reach Fredo on twitter @loungerati, email me at fredo(at)loungerati(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below!

***Fredo Ceraso is the editor-at-large of the lounge lifestyle blog Loungerati.com. He is head cocktailian and a co-producer of The Salon parties. Fredo is a member of the USBG New York chapter and rolls drinks at many Lounge, Swing, Jazz Age, & Burlesque events in New York City.

Being out of the country for nearly a month has a tendency to adjust a person’s perspective of “home.” Home has had various meanings and geographical locations in various moments in my life. Conceptually, it means numerous–and sometimes conflicting–things at one time, and all this really came to light on my recent trip to Iran. Depending on how the question is asked, for me home can either mean Iran (where I was born), Los Angeles (where I grew up), or New York City (where I now live).

In the final days of my trip, it was the lattermost of the three homes that was most on my mind. I once heard someone refer to NYC as the great Roman Carnival, a place where the spectacle is ordinary, and even if the spectacle is unsightly, it’s one you can’t walk away from. The rat on the subway track may as well be the city’s mascot, because it so neatly encapsulates the love-hate relationship many residents feel toward this city: that even those disgusted by it are unable to turn their eyes from it. Those who live, or have ever lived, in this city for a significant amount of time might understand what I’m referring to.

On my flight home I felt as if all that I loved and hated about NYC was rolled up in one great tangled ball of string. Below is my attempt at untangling that ball.

Good Morning Heartache
1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater 24 is ideal because of its tea botanicals)
3/4 oz fresh tangerine juice (I used honey tangerines)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz lapsang-honey syrup (see recipe below)
1/2 oz egg white (organic farm fresh eggs)
6 dashes Bar Keep Baked Apple Bitters

Garnish: small pinch lapsang souchong tea leaves, heated 20 seconds in microwave
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: chilled coupe or cocktail glass

Add the gin, egg white, and honey syrup to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice) vigorously for 15 seconds to emulsify and froth the egg. Add the remaining ingredients along with lots of cracked ice and shake again until the drink is well mixed and chilled, about 10 seconds or so. Strain into your glass and garnish by adding atop the drink a pinch of dried lapsang souchong tea leaves that have been heated in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Lapsang-Honey Syrup
In a small pot bring one cup water to a boil. After water boils, turn off heat and add five teaspoons lapsang souchong tea leaves and allow the tea to steep for five minutes. Make sure tea leaves are submerged in the water and stir every minute or so to ensure teas give off maximum flavor. After five minutes strain out the tea leaves and discard. To the remaining tea add an equal amount of honey and stir to fully dissolve. You now have a smoky, sweet syrup that’s ready to use in the cocktail.

+++

Good Morning Heartache is my ode to all that is New York City–it’s good, bad, pretty, and ugly. Now judging by the way this cocktail looks and tastes, it’s clear I have more love than hate for this city. That’s because to me, even the ugly in this city is pretty, if not altogether more beautiful than the pretty itself. When I went about creating the recipe I wanted to represent that, and I tried to create something that engaged multiple senses.

This cocktail is inspired by couple of things that are unique to this city. First, it is an homage to old New York, the city we think of when we describe the great Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age. Those of you familiar with that era will instantly recognize that the name of the cocktail comes from a classic Billy Holiday song.

There are few people I can think of who better represent that era than Lady Day, as she lived and breathed the city in so much of her music. Although I’ve never heard the song Good Morning Heartache officially interpreted in this way, I’ve always thought it was an extended metaphor for New York City; that the lover she’s singing to in the morning, the one that she can’t stand to be apart from despite the grief he’s caused her, is the city itself. And in that sense the song was the perfect name for this drink.

I also wanted to invoke this theme by engaging the senses, and I did so via the various ingredients I used, such as the lapsang-honey syrup. Imagine if you will the sweet voice of Billie Holiday in a smoke-filled Harlem nightclub in the 1930s—that was a big inspiration for combining the smoky lapsang tea with the honey, and also why I use the heated dried tea leaves as a garnish atop the drink. Not only do you get a sweet smoky sensation on the palate, but also on the nose as the aroma wafts above the drink.

Secondly, this cocktail is inspired by a classic New York tradition, brunch. Sure other cities have brunch, but in New York brunch is a religion.  It is the city that turned the word brunch into a verb. The cocktail not only represents that in its name, but also in its ingredients. Tea, honey, tangerine juice, and egg, are all items you’d find at a traditional brunch table. This cocktail, as the sum of those parts, is also intended to be right at home on the brunch table.

Here’s to the beautiful decay that is home.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

“Floreant Agni” (May the Lambs Flourish)
- Motto of the original Lambs theatre club

The month of March is supposed to end like a Lamb but Mother Nature is not playing nice–it is still 30˚F outside! Nevertheless, this week’s cocktail captures winter’s last stand and book ends the month quite nicely! The Lambs Club Cocktail is midway between the light crispness of a spring cocktail and a heavy aromatic cocktail of the winter. The proportions are 2:1 vermouths to gin–a “perfect” martini if you will. Gin, a popular spirit for warmer months is tempered by the fortified flavor of not one but two variations of vermouth. The monastically produced Bénédictine blesses the cocktail with bar spoon of herbal sweetness.

The Skinny: The original Lambs Club cocktail dates from 1915 and is an East Coast cousin of the Martinez. The cocktail originates at the Lambs Club, a private theatrical club in New York. According to their website, the list of notable Lambs including Fred Astaire, Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, W.C. Fields, Will Rogers, John Philip Sousa, and the list goes on.  I’m sure these gents had no problem throwing back the signature cocktail. The thespian society was originally located at 130 West 44th Street but moved to north to 51st Street in 1974. The new Chatwal Hotel’s restaurant bar is at the original location and is named Lambs Club to honor the initial tenants. In this incarnation, the club has a distinct mid-century theme with red leather deco booths, a blazing fireplace, and bartenders in white jackets.

The Drink: Let’s start with the gin. A smooth crisp London Dry gin like Plymouth or Beefeater blends perfectly with the vermouths. The original recipe uses Plymouth so that is a good place to start. However, in this cocktail, the gin takes a supporting role. Since the vermouths take front and center, there is no sense skimping on quality. I recommend vermouth in the range of Dolin Vermouth de Chambrey or Noilly Prat.

Dolin comes from Chambery in the Savoy province of southeastern France. The sweet vermouth or “rouge” retains a complex flavor through the myriad of secret ingredients (including wormwood and chincona bark) and is lighter that most sweet vermouths. Many craft bartenders favor Dolin because of its characteristics, not to mention the producers have been using the same recipe since 1821.

Noilly Prat dates from 1813 and has been the “go to” dry vermouth in since the mid-19th century. In 2009, Noilly Prat changed their bottle design and started importing their original style formula to the United States. Apparently, the brand had been selling Americans a modified version of their dry vermouth. What did it matter anyway since dry vermouth is practically a rinse in martinis? Well, the advent of craft bartending changed vermouth’s perceptions. Once again we can savor the original Noilly Prat with its’ straw color and unique herbal flavors. In the Lambs Club cocktail you truly taste the difference!

Bénédictine is produced by the Benedictine order of monks in Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, France. The liqueur’s secret recipe contains 27 herbs and spices but has a distinctive sweet taste. Bénédictine stands in for bitters and adds a touch of sweetness. The original Lambs Club recipe calls for 1/8 tsp of Bénédictine, but I feel a generous bar spoon helps balance the drinks better. Otherwise, the Noilly Prat dry vermouth pushes forth as the most dominant flavor. In addition, a lemon peel, oils extracted and added to the libation bring a hint of citrus to the equation.

LAMBS CLUB COCKTAIL
1 oz Plymouth gin
1 oz Dolin Rouge
1 oz Noilly Prat dry vermouth
Bar spoon of Bénédictine

Tools: Mixing glass, bar spoon, jigger, Julep strainer.

Combine vermouths, Bénédictine, and gin in mixing glass. Stir well with lots of ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Insider’s Note: If you order a signature Lambs Club Cocktail at the eponymous bar in the Chatwal Hotel on New York, you may receive a what amounts to a Bourbon Bee’s Knees (aka The Gold Rush) served over a serious hand carved ice ball.  Make no mistake, this variation (which I call Lambs Club Cocktail #2) is delicious, but I prefer the original 1915 recipe as it captures the essence of the martini’s evolution at the beginning of the 20th century. Plus it is damn good gateway drink as March leads us to il Primavera.

*Got a cocktail question? Reach Fredo on twitter @loungerati, email me at fredo(at)loungerati(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below!

**Fredo Ceraso is the editor-at-large of the lounge lifestyle blog Loungerati.com. He is head cocktailian and a co-producer of The Salon parties. Fredo is a member of the USBG New York chapter and rolls drinks at many Lounge, Swing, Jazz Age, & Burlesque events in New York City.

***Payman Bahmani will return in April for his weekly Happy Hour column and is honored to have Fredo tend the bar while away.

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

“Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter.

Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he explained, “I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.”

—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

James Bond could do many things exceptionally–and simultaneously–well. His ability to disarm a nuclear weapon while driving a stickshift Aston Martin down a narrow cliffside road at 100 mph while dodging machine gun fire from enemies in an approaching helicopter while simultaneously pleasuring a Bond girl in the passenger seat, all with nary a millimeter’s shift in the fold of his always crisp-white pocket square, has helped forge Bond’s image as the epitome of the fictionalized ideal man. If you’re an American male college grad looking to upgrade your game by learning the gentlemanly arts, chances are you’ve taken a few pointers from 007, be it his personal style, flair with the ladies, or cool temperament in sticky situations.

But of all the things Bond is emulated for, there’s one which leaves much to be desired: the way he took his cocktails. Sure, the man is to be commended for his willingness to consume high alcohol spirits while on a risky assignment. Hell, most people won’t even have a beer during lunch. And he’s also to be commended for being mindful about the types of drinks he enjoys depending on the occasion, time of day, etc. But his choice of cocktails, and particularly his preferred method of preparation, need not be emulated.

Take the ultra-dry, “shaken, not stirred” vodka Martini. Many serious cocktail drinkers (men and women) consider this a drink for pussies (in a previous post I mentioned how Bond’s preferred Martini has become the false standard bearer for Martini preparation). I mean, if you’re going to drink a Martini, then have a real one, with gin. When I’m behind the stick, not a night passes without at least one guy ordering an “ultra-dry, ice-cold vodka Martini, shaken,” in the most hyper-masculine voice he can muster. Unfortunately what he doesn’t realize–what they never realize–is that he’s basically asking for a flavorless, massively watered down beverage. I mean, do you really think your 10oz. steakhouse Martini glass is all liquor?

Now it’s been pointed out to me by my friend, style maven, cocktailian extroardinaire, blogger, and all around swell guy Fredo Ceraso of Loungerati that Bond’s drinking decisions were an elaborate part of his cover, and enabled him to blend in the scene while remaining alert enough to execute the mission. Most guys, however, are on a mission to get laid, and not commit espionage, so ordering Martinis a la Bond is just a foolish display of faux grown-upness, like the little girl who dresses in her mother’s oversized clothing and imagines herself as a grown woman in front of the mirror.

So you might be asking why I’m featuring one of Bond’s cocktails if I find them so disagreeable? The answer is that in the world of cocktails, minor adjustments can be the difference between the sublime and the second-rate, and that’s what I intend to show here.

007 eventually settled on the name Vesper for the cocktail he described, naming it after Bond girl Vesper Lynd. As it stands, it’s a recipe for a very dry and flat tasting drink. Sure you get flavor from gin, but the Lillet (which is not the same as the Kina Lillet asked for; Kina Lillet’s not been available for quite some time) is hardly noticeable. And then it’s shaken, which further waters down the drink and destroys the last thing the drink had going for it, it’s mouthfeel (texture).

Vesper
3 oz gin
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Lillet Blonde (Kina Lillet’s no longer available; Cocchi Americano even better choice if you can get it)
lemon peel for garnish

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe or Martini glass and twist lemon peel over and into drink.

Now let’s set upon improving this drink. You could certainly start by stirring it instead of shaking, but we would still need to go further. David Wondrich, of Esquire magazine, recommends flipping the gin and vodka proportions, so that it’s 3 oz vodka to 1 oz gin. At first glance this seems counter-intuitive since we’re trying to bump up the character of this drink, not make it more bland by increasing the proportion of the most tame ingredient, the vodka. But Wondrich reasons that the gin tramples the Lillet, so switching the gin and vodka proportions allows the Lillet some room on stage to play out its role. After having tried this version, I still think it could be elevated a touch more by adding a few dashes of orange bitters. The bitters add much needed depth as they play up the gin and Lillet and give some backbone to the vodka.

Improved Vesper
3 oz vodka (I recommend Purity, a Swedish vodka made from winter wheat and barley)
1 oz gin (I recommend Beefeater Winter if you can get it)
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano would be an even better option if available)
4 dashes Bitter Truth Orange Bitters
lemon peel for garnish

Stir! Stir! Stir ingredients in a mixing glass filled with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or Martini glass and twist lemon peel over and into drink.

It helps to use a vodka with some character, which is why I chose Purity. Karlsson’s is also a good choice but it’s potato-based, and Bond was actually onto something when he mentioned that a grain-based vodka would be slightly better in this cocktail. I also really like the unique botanicals in the new Beefeater Winter gin offering (cinnamon, nutmeg, pine, in addition to traditional juniper), which stands up excellently in this cocktail despite the single ounce portion.

Mais n’enculons pas des mouches.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

“Slash sat me down at his house and said, You’ve got to clean up your act. You know you’ve gone too far when Slash is saying, ‘Look, you’ve got to get into rehab.”
- Charlie Sheen

What do you do when you have trouble coming up with a name for a cocktail you’ve created? Well, in these situations it pays to recall the solid gold advice of Dionne Warwick who noted, “that’s what friends are for.” So I decided to summon the help of a friend who has no trouble coming up with creative cocktail names, fellow cocktail wizard and NYC bartender Hal Wolin (who also publishes the spirits and cocktails blog A Muddled Thought).  Before I even got a chance to tell him the ingredients in the drink, he quipped, “call it the Charlie Sheen!”

“Why Charlie Sheen? Don’t you wanna hear what’s in it first?”

“Nope, you should call it the Charlie Sheen.”

I liked the suggestion a lot, but I knew I needed to step up the cocktail to match the winningness of the name. The drink was pretty good as it stood but it needed something more. Unfortunately I didn’t have any tiger blood on hand (the Bronx Zoo was all out) so I thought of the next best thing, a product which has been the delight of many a mad genius throughout history, widely regarded for its ability to induce superhuman abilities but also feared for its potential to arouse madness–absinthe!

The Charlie Sheen
2 oz gin (I used Bluecoat)
3/4 oz mandarin juice
3/4 oz lime juice
2 tsp cinnamon syrup (Trader Tiki is a good brand)
2 tsp pineapple gomme syrup (Small Hand Foods makes an excellent product)
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp absinthe (I used Vieux Carre)
5 dashes Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters (you can substitute Fee Bros.)
Seltzer to top

Tools: shaker, strainer

Glass: collins, highball, or other tall glass

Fill your glass with ice. Place everything but the seltzer in a shaker and shake until well chilled. Strain into glass, top with seltzer, and give a light stir. Serve with a straw. I used a large 10 oz collins glass so adjust your proportions accordingly if using a smaller sized glass.

This drinks goes great with a line of coke, and you can put the straw to double duty in that case. It’s also the perfect highball to pair with your speedball.

Now go out there and win!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

I recently read an article by Gary Regan about a couple of modern cocktails he predicts will eventually become classics, and it made me think about exactly what makes a cocktail a classic. The answer may seem fairly obvious in that it just needs to taste awesome, but I’ve had many newly created cocktails that were quite awesome tasting and yet I wouldn’t even think to categorize them as classics.

So it begs the question, when does a great cocktail become considered a classic? Or better yet, when does a modern cocktail gain such immortal status? What does it take for the cocktail cognoscenti to confer the crown on a particular drink created within our generation? Of course there is no particular rule, nor even a definitive list of classic cocktails, but the query’s still an intriguing one.

I don’t feign to know the answer, but I presume it has something to do with achieving the critical mass of consensus that flings certain cocktails into the stars to live forever and leaves others to wither on the bar (or blog page). So often at some of the city’s top craft cocktail bars we see complicated drinks involving a dizzying array of ingredients. Perhaps this is a natural byproduct of constantly pushing the envelope, because you certainly won’t see any creativity at your average shot-and-beer bar. Yet while we might be awestruck by the creativity employed in some of these enevelope-pushing potions–and they may even taste amazing–we don’t really see these ultra-complex cocktails achieve the status of the two modern classics Regan discusses in his article, the Gin Gin Mule and the Cable Car.

Of these two modern creations, the Gin Gin Mule created by Audrey Saunders of NY’s Pegu Club is one that figures most prominent in a discussion of modern classics. Created about a decade ago, this clever yet simple combination of gin, ginger beer, lime, sugar, and mint has rightfully achieved such an exalted status among cocktailians that most of the top craft cocktail joints in the world will be able to make you one if you ask. Now that’s bragging rights, to say the least.

What’s really interesting is that both of the cocktails that Regan mentions are riffs on other classics, which speaks volumes about the importance of keeping it simple. The Gin Gin Mule is basically a cross between a Moscow Mule and a Gin Gin Cocktail, with the addition of mint. So maybe that’s the primary lesson here, that a drink can’t have a shot at staying power if the person who created it is the only one that can execute it, either because of esoteric ingredients, technical difficulty, or some combination of both.

So with that idea in mind I played around with the Gin Gin Mule and came up with the Gin Gin Sour. Now let me first state my intention is to showcase the virtues of simplicity, and not to create a potential classic cocktail. All I did was take a “long” drink (the technical term for highballs and such because you can take a longer time drinking them since there’s ice in the glass to keep things cold) and make it a “short” drink (the technical term for cocktails served up, because you ought not take too long to drink them, for they’ve no ice to maintain the chill). The point is to illustrate how creating a delicious and refreshing cocktail doesn’t always require egg whites, wine reductions, and amazonian tree bark tinctures.

Gin Gin Sour
2 oz gin (recommend G’vine Floraison here)
3/4 oz ginger syrup (recipe below)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
Lemon or orange twist for garnish

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: coupe or cocktail glass, pre-chilled

Combine everything except garnish in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist the lemon or orange peel over the drink to release its oils and place as garnish.

Ginger Syrup (makes about 4 cups)
2 cups chopped ginger
2 cups sugar (I like using demerara aka raw sugar)
2 cups water

Place everything in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Reduce to a slow simmer and once the sugar has completely dissolved, turn off the heat and let it sit for at least a half hour, both to cool the mixture and to allow the ginger flavor to fully infuse. Strain out the ginger pieces through a cheese cloth or fine sieve into a jar or bottle. Add about an ounce of 80 proof spirit (Vodka if you don’t want to alter the flavor) which will help keep it longer, and store in the fridge. Remember that like garlic, the intensity of flavor that ginger gives off depends on the size of the cut pieces–the smaller the pieces, the more flavor it gives off. So if you like more intense ginger flavor in your syrup, place it in the food processor, or for seriously intense flavor juice it or grate it and add the juice and ginger pieces to the pot. Conversely if you like a less intense flavor, slice the ginger into larger pieces.

In this cocktail you can use any type of gin you prefer, though the varying botanicals in various gins will result in subtle differences of flavor. I particularly like the G’vine Floraison in this particular cocktail because of the noticeable hint of ginger on the palate of the gin itself, which gives the cocktail a bit more depth of flavor and rounds out the sharp edge of the ginger in the syrup.

The more you try different spirits the more you’ll begin to see how they work to produce different outcomes in cocktails depending on the other ingredients the spirit will be interacting with. Naturally this can mean endless tooling and tinkering, which for someone like myself is where most of the fun is. And of course sometimes we can let our creativity carry us away, but if the example of the Gin Gin Mule teaches us anything, it’s the power of less quite often being more.

Keep it simple, kid.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

Last night I visited Vandaag (Dutch for “today”), a new Dutch themed restaurant in the East Village which I had been hearing lots of good things about, including a 2 star review by Sam Sifton of the NY Times. Though I knew the food would be good, my interest was of course piqued by their drink menu, particularly their cocktails, which Sifton described as “thought-provoking.” Being a Dutch themed joint, it was obligatory for the menu to list a variety of Dutch beers, and of course cocktails made with the Dutch spirit genever, also known as Holland gin, or as I call it, the O.G. (Original Gin).

And thought-provoking the cocktails were indeed. Sipping them reminded me of how long it had been since I wrote about genever (back in June ’09 in fact), and that perhaps another post on the Dutch spirit was due, especially considering how U.S. sales of the spirit have skyrocketed since it’s reintroduction to the American market a few years ago. So I scrapped my previously planned cocktail for this week’s post and decided I’d write about a genever cocktail instead.

If we are to compare London Dry gin (the style of gin most popular today) as essentially juniper flavored vodka, then genever best compares to juniper flavored whiskey. Of course that’s a much too simplistic view, but it should give you a sense of the difference in flavor and body between London Dry gin and genever.

While both styles of gin share the juniper berry as the cornerstone of their flavor profiles, the road splits from there. London Dry is as the term denotes, a “dry” style that’s almost always complemented by notes of citrus on the nose (and often the palate as well) and is much lighter bodied, thereby drawing the comparison to vodka. Genever on the other hand draws a better comparison to whiskey because it has much more body than a London Dry, has a touch of sweetness, and has the distinctive funky aroma and taste of the malt and grains from which it was made.

Genever, or Holland gin as it was widely called, was the popular style of gin in America up until the late 19th century when the modern London Dry style became all the rage. Over the last few years genever has mounted a quiet comeback, having become the darling of the craft cocktail set for its unique flavor profile and how well those flavors play in the right cocktail made by someone with the right talent.

The cocktails I had at Vandaag were definitely spot on, made by bartenders with real talent, but I was unfortunately too busy throwing them back to remember to ask for the recipes. So instead I’m sharing a recipe for a genever cocktail from another bar that knows a thing or two about Dutch spirits, Door 74 in Amsterdam.  Created by proprietor Philip Duff, the V.O.C. is a great example of incorporating genever with ingredients that stand out but still allow the base spirit to really shine through. First the recipe, then a little about the drink’s name.

The V.O.C.
1  1/2 oz genever (I used Bols)
1/2 oz demerara syrup (equal parts demerara sugar and water)
1/4 oz apricot liqueur (I used Rothman & Winters)
1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1 barspoon Zen green tea liqueur (approx. 1 tsp)
orange or lemon twist

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: small coupe or cocktail glass

Shake all ingredients until well chilled and strain into your glass, which would ideally be chilled in advance. Squeeze the twist over the drink and place it as garnish.

V.O.C. stands for Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, known in the English world as the Dutch East India Company.  Established in 1602, it was the world’s first multinational corporation, and once the largest company in the world.  Chartered with the task of representing the colonial interests of the Dutch government abroad, it had the power to raise its own army, declare war, print its own money, set up colonies and act on behalf of the Netherlands in foreign trade negotiations.  The Dutch East Indies Company represented the climax of Dutch colonial power in the world, with their merchant and navy boats ruling the high seas centuries before the Brits took that crown.

Keep it O.G.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

Our Editor has named “death” as the theme for the remainder of October here on Umamimart, and it’s quite fitting because for most readers death is an apt description of the state of the Happy Hour column. As some of you know I haven’t written in over a month, having started a sabbatical to begin preparing for the B.A.R. course and exam, which is one of the most intensive spirits and mixology education programs that exists and offered only once a year at the end of September.

Over the course of the month of September I put practically everything–Happy Hour, bills, marriage, social life–on hold to study and prepare. You could see all my student loan lenders by simply glancing at the list of missed calls on my cell phone. And even though the course and exam concluded several weeks ago, I needed some more time to tend to all the things that were swept under the rug.

Thankfully the Happy Hour column is not dead, largely due to the effort of friend and fellow booze blogger Fredo Ceraso of Loungerati, who swooped in at my request to administer the necessary CPR that kept Happy Hour alive. If you haven’t read his two Happy Hour posts yet, you really ought to, as he provides wonderful cocktails for the Autumn season. Needless to say you should bookmark his blog if you’re a fan of great style and great cocktails.

Now that I’m back I figured I’d share a bit about my experience at the B.A.R., and afterwards share a recipe for an original cocktail I recently created while away.

Having taken and passed both the New York (two days, six hours each day) and California (three days, six hours each day) Bar Exams, I can confidently assert that I’m not easily phased by the rigors of academic examinations. That said, the B.A.R. exam administered on the final day of a week-long intensive course was not like any examination I had taken before; neither the Bar Exams, nor the LSAT or SAT compare.

The primary difference is that unlike previous academic tests, this one wasn’t purely academic.  In fact, the academic portion was the easiest section of the exam. The remaining sections (five total, and you must pass each section to pass the entire test) tested an array of skills from the ability to mix classic cocktails with speed, dexterity, and congeniality (yes the ability to converse matters in real bartending) to the ability to tell the difference between different classic cocktails or different spirits in blind tastings. And by “taste the difference” I mean not only be able to discern one spirit type from another (e.g. Bourbon from Rye whiskey), but also be able to say something about the relative proof, age, and other critical elements of each spirit. Not easy.

It’s not enough to memorize different taste and aroma characteristics of various spirits, as one must also be able to detect them physically on the palate. In this way it is the interaction between the cognitive (knowledge) and neural (sensory) functions that made this exam a different animal altogether, and those best able to negotiate that intersection were the most likely to pass.

How did I do? The truth is I don’t know yet–none of us do, and we probably won’t find out for another few weeks. In that agonizing regard, it is very similar to the Bar Exams.

Regardless of my performance on the exam, I can confidently say I exited the course with an exponentially higher level of knowledge than when I entered. That’s because the entire week was a grueling affair, with each day’s class beginning at 9am and concluding at around 9pm. Over the course of each 12 hour day we learned everything there is to learn about the history of alcohol distillation, the history and evolution of the cocktail, and the rules and regulations governing the production of all the major spirits categories which exist today. Peppered throughout these lessons were multiple sessions of spirits tastings, often beginning first thing in the morning, so that by week’s end we easily tasted over 100 different spirits (I lost count by day 2). Tough, but delicious, as I got the chance to taste many rare and expensive spirits that probably cost more than my life. The toughest part was spitting them back out (on Cognac day I learned a valuable lesson on the importance of spitting, having gotten nearly wasted before lunch).

The greatest lesson from this whole experience was coming to realize how little I knew, affirming more than ever that famous phrase, “the more you learn, the less you know.”

But enough dribbling on about academic stuff, it’s time for a cocktail. This week’s recipe is for a cocktail I call the Bear Trap, made with gin, mezcal, honey liqueur, and a couple other good measure modifiers.

Bear Trap
1 1/2 oz gin (I used G’vine Nouaison)
1/2 oz honey liqueur (Barenjager works)
1/2 oz mezcal (Mezcal Vida is a great, well-priced choice)
1/4 oz Pelinkovac (used Maraska brand)
1/4 oz Vermouth Perrucchi Blanco
2 dashes Bitter Truth Xocolatl Mole Bitters
Lemon twist

Tools: mixing glass, bar spoon, julep strainer
Glass: chilled coupe or cocktail glass

Pour all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until very well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist the lemon peel over the drink to release its oils then place in drink as garnish.

You can use any brand of gin you like in this cocktail, but I much prefer the G’vine Nouaison here if you can get your hands on it. What distinguishes this gin is that whereas gin is usually a grain-based distillate (distilled from beer), this is a grape-based distillate (distilled from wine, like Pisco) flavored with the botanicals commonly found in gin. Specifically it’s distilled from the Ugni Blanc grape so it’s actually closer in relation to Cognac prior to being placed in barrels for aging; and the specific botanical notes in the gin are of green grape flower, nutmeg, coriander, ginger root, liquorice, cassia, dried lime, and of course, juniper berries. It’s less juniper-defined than the traditional London Dry category of gin, and has floral and very strong coriander top notes that work well in this cocktail.

This cocktail utilizes a few ingredients that might seem obscure to some of you, so let me try my best to offer alternatives for those who can’t find some or all of the products in this recipe. If you can’t locate Barenjager liqueur try substituting Drambuie instead, which is more commonly available. Mezcal is much more easy to acquire and any smoky mezcal will do the job here, although I particularly like Vida from Del Maguey for its flavor profile, quality, and relatively low price point. If you can’t find a Pelinkovac simply substitute another digestif amaro like Del Capo, Ramazzotti, Cynar, or even Jagermeister (yes, the much maligned Jagermeister is an amaro). As for the Vermouth Perucchi Blanco, if you can’t find it substitute Lillet Blanc, Cocchi Americano, or even a Pineau des Charentes; they’re not perfect substitutions but they’ll allow you to end up with a generally balanced cocktail that’s a rough approximation of the one above. Lastly, if you can’t find the Xocolatl Mole Bitters then just make the drink without it, as there’s really no adequate substitute. Again it won’t be the same but it won’t be the end of the world either.

It’s great to be back!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

PREFACE:
Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 1
Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 2
Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 3
Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 4
Tales of the Cocktail Recap Part 5

Alas my friends, as all good things eventually come to an end, so did this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, and so does this series of recaps. This was both my first visit to New Orleans, and my first time attending Tales, and without a doubt my time there was nothing short of a glorious bacchanal of all things cocktail.

NEW AMSTERDAM GIN COMPETITION

But before it was time for me to say goodbye to Tales and head to the Louis Armstrong Airport (Kennedy’s a cool name but can we change La Guardia to something cooler like Miles Davis or Coltrane International?), I had one final event to attend on that final day of Tales, and it was at 10:30am on a Sunday (you already know where this is going). I was scheduled to participate in a cocktail competition sponsored by New Amsterdam Gin.  But unlike the Catdaddy Bar Chef Challenge a few days earlier in which  the best recipes were selected to compete, this competition was more like a Top Chef quickfire challenge in which contestants had only 10 minutes to create and present a cocktail using only New Amsterdam Gin and a spread of ingredients on a table.  Up for grabs for the winner was a catered dinner for ten at their abode. Not bad I thought. I like catered dinners, and I like my abode, so I figured it’d be good to win this.

But there was one hitch: it was slated for 10:30am on a Sunday. A regular Sunday poses problems for me because it always follows Saturday night, so you know a Sunday morning at Tales would be an issue. So some time around 10:45am I wake up to a phone call from Laura Bruskin, who handles the PR for New Amsterdam Gin, asking me whether or not I still planned on attending. Although I wasn’t hungover (I was still drunk, the hangover comes after the drunkenness subsides), I was more exhausted than a lone hamster in Richard Gere’s apartment. But because I consider it really important for people to see me as a man of my word, I begrudgingly decided to get up, splashed some cold water on my face, put on something presentable and promised I’d be down there in ten minutes.

Short story long, I arrive just as they’re preparing to start, take my position at my station, come up with some batshit crazy concoction, shake, strain (I would’ve preferred to double strain but somebody snatched the double strainer from the table), garnish just as time runs out, then win. Yeah. Win. Again. I was happy.

Below is the recipe for the drink I created called the Creole Market (yeah the name’s kinda weak but I had to think of something, and I ain’t good with names).

Creole Market
2 oz gin
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz agave nectar (actually go just under an ounce on the jigger)
1/2 oz fresh peach puree
1 barspoon Angostura
3 or 4 bell pepper slices
1 pinch sandalwood
1 pinch turmeric
1 pinch dried thyme

Glass: cocktail
Tools: shaker, strainer, double strainer if you have one, muddler, barspoon

Place the bell peppers, sandalwood, turmeric, and thyme in a shaker and muddle until the bell pepper is well smashed and its juice is extracted.  Add the remaining ingredients plus ice and shake like a catered dinner at your abode depends on it. Strain into your cocktail glass and enjoy.  Although you can’t tell from the photo, I actually garnished it with a flower from the judges’ table, though you can garnish it with whatever you like, or don’t garnish at all.

Chief brand mixologist Alex Ott explaining the rules of the competition.

Analyzing the spices and ingredients made available.

The spread of cocktails from all the competitors.

SPIRITED AWARDS 2010

As I explained, the main reason why early Sunday mornings aren’t so easy is because of Saturday nights. The Saturday night at Tales is the opportunity to epically party for a final time before returning home. Much of the partying is fueled by celebrations from the winners of the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, which is the craft cocktail industry’s equivalent of the James Beard Awards. The winners partied hard in celebration, the losers partied hard to forget their loss, and the rest of us partied because we were there and it was the final night. Below is a list of the nominees by category, with the winner listed at top in bold. As usual, it was a good night for NYC. 

World’s Best Cocktail Bar

• The Bar at The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
• 69 Colebrooke Row, London
• Death & Company, New York City
• Quo Vadis, London

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar

Mayahuel, World’s Best New Cocktail Bar 2010

• Mayahuel, New York City
• Dutch Kills, Queens
• Rickhouse , San Francisco
• Cure, New Orleans (this place is overrated)

Best American Cocktail Bar

• Death & Company, New York City
• The Clover Club, Brooklyn
• Rickhouse, San Francisco
• The Varnish, Los Angeles

World’s Best Hotel Bar

• The Bar at The Connaught Hotel, London
• Artesian Bar at The Langham, London
• The Florida Room at The Delano, South Beach, Florida
• The Bar Hemingway at The Ritz, Paris
• Am I the only one who finds it strange that The Bar at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast wins World’s Best Cocktail Bar but isn’t even nominated in the World’s Best Hotel Bar category?

World’s Best Drinks Selection

• Bar Lebensstern in Café Einstein, Berlin
• Artesian Bar at The Langham Hotel, London
• Macao Trading Co, New York City
• The Widder Bar, Zurich

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

• Death & Company, New York City
• The Lonsdale, London
• Mayahuel, New York City
• Rickhouse, San Francisco

American Bartender of the Year

Murray Stenson of Zig Zag Cafe, Seattle

• Murray Stenson, Zig Zag Café, Seattle
• Eric Alperin, The Varnish, Los Angeles
• Kenta Goto, Pegu Club, New York City
• Sam Ross, Milk & Honey, New York City

International Bartender of the Year

• Agostino Perrone, The Connaught Hotel, London
• Brian Miller, formerly of  Death & Company, New York City
• Salvatore “The Maestro” Calabrese, formerly Fifty, London
• Sam Ross, Milk & Honey, New York City

Best International Brand Ambassador

• John Gakuru, Sagatiba Pura Cachaça
• Angus Winchester, Tanqueray Gin
• Dan Warner, Beefeater Gin
• Jacob Briars, 42 Below Vodka

Best American Brand Ambassador

• Charlotte Voisey, Hendrick’s Gin
• Jacques Bezuidenhout, Partida Tequila
• Jamie Gordon, Absolut Vodka
• Tal Nadari, Bols Genever

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book

• Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh
• Beachbum Berry Remixed
• Gin Compendium by Gary “Gaz” Regan
• MudPuddle Books by Greg Boehm

Best Cocktail Writing

• CLASS magazine
• Gary Regan
• Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller
• Naren Young

Best New Product

• Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth
• Cocktail Kingdom’s barware
• Crème Yvette by Cooper Spirits
• Meehan Cocktail Bag by Jim Meehan (I really really want this bag)

Best Bar Mentor

• Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff
• Robert Hess
• Sasha Petraske
• Tony Abou-Ganim

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award

• Brian Rea
• Gary Regan
• Murray Stenson
• Tony Abou-Ganim

LESSONS FOR NEXT TIME

Although I don’t have any regrets, there are a few things I’d do differently next time:

1.) Buy a case of electrolyte-enhanced water (or even better, coconut water) upon checking into the hotel room. I actually planned to do this but in the excitement of arriving I forgot and never got around to it.

2.) Stay hydrated.

3.) Stay at the Hotel Monteleone. We stayed at the Windsor Court Hotel, a first rate hotel that I got a really sweet deal on, and only a 10 minute walk to the Monteleone which is Tales homebase, but I slightly feel like I was left out of the party. I lost the advantage of being around the whole buzzing scene of it all, so undoubtedly there were last minute hotel parties and such that never made it to my ears. Not to mention how much easier it makes going back to your room between events for much needed power naps.

4.) Stay hydrated.

5.) Either bring an extra suitcase, pack less clothing, or arrange for shipping of all the swag that you’ll accumulate down at Tales. As you can see below, between Vanessa and I we ended up with lots of goodies (K, I got some good stuff saved for you next time you’re in NY), but I could’ve certainly done without the panic and stress from last minute packing and repacking to avoid the steep baggage weight fees. The swag game at tales is pretty gangsta, and if you want a good recap of the best of the best checkout Camper English’s Fourth Annual Tales Swag Awards.

6.) Stay hydrated

7.) Make a more focused effort to remember the people who’s business cards I received. I’m already very terrible at this (I told you I ain’t good with names) and it’s even more difficult when under an alcohol-induced haze, but if I’m to truly get the most out of the networking at Tales, then I have to remember the faces and contexts of the conversations associated with the business cards I accumulated. And believe me, I got A LOT of business cards. Jotting down instant notes, snappng a photo (as bad as I am with names, I’m a genius with faces and can recall a face more than a decade later), whatever, as long as when it comes time to write that email a week or two after Tales, that biz card is more like a flash card.

8.) Stay hydrated.

9.) Either relax the schedule a bit (which I’ll probably never do) or get to New Orleans a few days before the hustle and bustle of Tales to get a chance at really enjoying the city.

10.) Did I mention stay hydrated?

FINAL FAREWELL

Finally, a great shout out to Mr. and Mrs. Tuennerman (aka Mr. and Mrs. Cocktail), Michelle Dunnick, Christina Gaspari, Melissa Young, and the rest of the Tales of the Cocktail organizing crew that made losing my Tales virginity a memorable experience. The seamless way in which the organizers pulled of multiple seminars, events, and spirit tastings for every hour of the festival made it a feat worthy of instant admission in the Logistics Hall of Fame.

To the Tales of the Cocktail crew and the entire city of New Orleans I tip my hat.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

Last week I gave the foolhardy impression that I could give a daily recap of the events at Tales of the Cocktail, while still down at Tales. Instead, I left you high and dry as I ate and drank and partied and competed and sat in seminars with a hangover, then ate and drank and partied and competed some more, while giving short shrift to my responsibilities to those looking to enjoy Tales by proxy.

The truth is, my schedule was packed way too heavily with seminars (I didn’t just party you know) and events, all combined with a serious deficiency of sleep which made it nearly impossible to give the coherent level of feedback necessary to do this type of once-a-year event justice.

For that, I am genuinely sorry. I’m also sorry for missing yesterday’s scheduled post. I had no idea just how long it would take to edit down and incorporate the sheer volume of photos I had, and it doesn’t help that the Flickr app for WordPress sucks, nor does it help that WordPress itself really sucks.

But all excuses aside, to make up for the lack of real time information, I’m giving you a multi-part recap of the highlights of my activities down there (sans the embarrassing parts), with lots of photos. Sometimes a little delayed gratification has its rewards.

BEEFEATER GIN WELCOME RECEPTION

To kick things off, the folks at Beefeater Gin threw an “Alice in Wonderland” themed bash at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center. They did a pretty awesome job of decking out every nook and cranny of the space to resemble the surreal dream world Wonderland. Tim Burton would’ve been proud, and maybe Lewis Carroll too.

Two of the many cocktails being served that night, the French Negroni and the Beefeater 24 Martini. And who says you have to drink from a cocktail glass? Proper women in Wonderland drink out of top hats, didn’t you know?

And though I had the chance to drink out of a Fez hat, I chose instead to sip my cocktails from nifty rocks glass shaped tea cups and saucers, being the dignified chap that I am.

But by the event’s end (which was barely 9pm, and only the first of two parties that night) I felt more like a hotard than a dignified chap.

So they put me on the Hotard bus (you can see from the picture that I’m not joking, and I may have had a serious Larry David moment when I made fun of the bus in front of the bus driver) which took us to the William Grant & Sons House Party at the Elms Mansion.

Me and the rest of the hotards…

WILLIAM GRANT & SONS HOUSE PARTY AT THE ELMS MANSION

When we arrived at the mansion, we had no idea what to expect, other than freakish amounts of food and booze.

The picture below is the reason why the Hendrick’s Gin on the scale above kept getting lighter.

We were in New Orleans after all, and the musicians definitely repped some of the old time Nola standards.

Mr. Enzo Lim rocking the cocktails in the usual delicious manner. Catch him at Minetta Tavern in NY’s West Village if you have a chance. He’s by far the best bartender there.

Inside the Elms Mansion was more food and much, much more booze.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 featuring the results of the Catdaddy Bar Chef Challenge in which I was one of the finalists!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.