cocktailgeek
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I was in my local Hispanic supermarket today picking up some dried chilies when I spied the Jamaica. I've had agua de jamaica before, as well as the Jarrito's jamaica flavored soda. But I have never made it before at home. So, I picked up a half pound bag.
For those not totally familiar, Agua de Jamaica is made from the hibiscus flower. It's made like brewing tea. The dried flowers so into hot water, along with sugar, to steep. The end result is a tasty beverage that is very popular south of the [u.S.] border. Popular in the USA, too.
The flavor of it is tart. Like cranberry juice. The color is dead ringer for it as well. I immediately wondered if this could work in cocktails the way cranberry juice does. I was thinking a variation of the Cosmopolitan. Use the jamaica "tea" in place of the cranberry. I think it may also work nicely in a margarita. Just a little splash of it.
Has anyone else ever used this in cocktail?
I've used hibiscus to make a syrup, then used that in cocktails. I steep the hibiscus in hot water, then strain out the flowers and make a 1:1 syrup with sugar.
1.5 oz gin
.75 oz. lemon juice
.75 oz hibiscus syrup
shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
top with champagne.
lemon twist.
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Missed Thomas Waugh from Alembic (in San Francisco) at Death & Co. this week but I did catch this article in the recent Food & Wine (http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/new-must-try-cocktails).
I'd be quick to agree with the overall point of the piece that New Yorker bartenders of note are classicists who emphasize technique while Californian cocktailians are more inspired by trips to the farmer's market. However, I would posit that NYC cocktail bars are extremely imaginative in incorporating non-spiritous ingredients into the drinks but in the straight-up, classic cocktail form.
In regard to this, I haven't been to the West Coast in a while would anyone on this forum say this is generally true from first hand experience?
"In New York, we’re obsessed with historical drinks and techniques. Out West, they’re shopping the markets. You probably won’t find them reading old cocktail books at home and pondering the difference between a flip and a sling."
As a cocktail geek, I find plenty of kindred spirits in SF to discuss historical origins and such, but agree that our access to fresh produce is a key element of the local cocktail scene.
What are these "non-spiritous ingredients" of which you speak?
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Dude. How many cases of Malacca do you have back there? You bastard!
How I wish it were true! Actually it's a trick of a bad photographic angle. In reality what you see are the remnants of 2 sleeves of Malacca nips that are sitting on the bar just behind the mixer. I might have 20 left and I use them (almost) only for Pink Gins.
But a floor stack of Malacca cases...now that's the stuff that dreams are made of.
myers
While touring the 209 gin distillery here in SF, I peeked into a side room whose door was ajar and spied dozens of bottles of Malacca...
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Wow.
That's just amazing. Whodathunk such a thing was necessary. You'd have to be pretty lazy to need a gizmo to stir or shake for you. Not like it's that much effort for your average able bodied person...
This is just the thing for those people who circle the parking lot to find the closest possible parking space to the front door... of the gym.
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I know you said you knew about PDX places, but Molly @ Roux has a grapefruit bitters, and the guys at Teardrop Lounge make their own as well...
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We are splitting hairs. To be technical so is Grand Marnier, but I was really referring to well brand triple secs (Bols, DeKuyper, etc)A good bartender should know that Cointreau IS a triple sec.Actually, Grand Marnier isn't a triple sec, it's an orange liqueur with a cognac base. Cointreau is a high-quality triple sec. I think what kills a margarita most of the time is the use of Rose's Lime and Sweet & Sour mix. If you use 100% agave tequila and fresh lime juice, Bols triple sec may be just fine.
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I do not want to have to specify Cointreau over Triple sec if I order a higher end tequila - good bartender should know.
A good bartender should know that Cointreau IS a triple sec.
I prefer the Negroni as my litmus. If I get a beer ("you DID say Peroni, right?"), I move on. Bonus points for not looking it up in the rolodex. More points for reaching for the orange, not the lemon, for garnish.
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If anyone is interested, Clear Creek is the subject of the New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov's most recent blog posting, here:
When I lived in Oregon, it seemed as if there was never enough of the Clear Creek Pear Eau de Vie with the pear inside. The explanation offered was that the rednecks in eastern Oregon near the orchards thought it great sport to shoot the bottles off the trees from their pickup trucks...
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Has anyone had Clear Creek's whiskey? None of their products are carried here (in fact, this thread made me realize that the NH liquor stores do not appear to carry any eau de vie), but I have a friend in Portland who's going to pick up a few of their items for me in the fall.
As they state on their website, it's VERY peaty. The peated malt is brought over from Scotland and made into a mash by Widmer. They compare it to Lagavulin, but I think it is more like a young Laphroaig. It IS only 3 years old...
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This sounds ridiculously good to me, but I'm a little sissypants-ish about dropping fifty bucks for 375 ml. Has anyone here tried it?
I'm not sure which you are referring to, the Clear Creek Framboise Eau de Vie, or the Clear Creek Raspberry liqueur. On the website, the eau de vie is listed for $24.95 and the liqueur for $21.95 (both for the 375 ml.).
http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com
Sorry, just figured out your source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/paci...2005/taste.html
And I got the price wrong on the eau de vie. It is around $50. I musta been looking at the Kirsch
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Right, so if I had a beer-and-wine-only liquor license, I could still offer an "Americano" to my guests, even though I can't carry Campari.
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The Gancia Americano is likely a reference to the Americano highball (Campari/Sweet Vermouth/Soda).
Enrico's had a cocktail on the menu made with Cocchi Americano and Prosecco, but that was almost 10 years ago, and I don't recall the name.
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Proof is calculated differently in the US than the UK. In the US, we simply double the ABV and call it proof (100 proof is 50% ABV). In the UK, 100 proof is 57.15% ethanol. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_%28alcohol%29 )
For "is" read "was." In the UK, proof used to be measured as alcohol by weight, not by volume. A proof spirit was 50% alcohol by weight. Since alcohol is lighter than water, this yielded a spirit that was 57 to 58% alcohol by volume.
The degrees of proof you saw on those old bottles were the percentage of that 57% by weight that was in the bottle. There are plenty of conversion charts for this on the internet.
I think UK degrees proof are still measured the same, only now bottles are labeled with ABV instead. For instance, The Plymouth Navy Strength Gin is labeled 100 Proof/57% Vol. but the Plymouth Damson and Sloe Gins are labeled 26% Vol. with no mention of proof.
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Note that Plymouth Navy Strength "100 Proof" is actually 57% abv.
If someone could take pity on my poor fraction enfeebled brain and explain in simple terms, I would appreciate it!
100 Proof is what ABV? ABW?
In the US, my understanding of 100 proof is that it is 50% alcohol. I guess that is by volume?
70 Proof is what ABV? ABW?
Proof is calculated differently in the US than the UK. In the US, we simply double the ABV and call it proof (100 proof is 50% ABV). In the UK, 100 proof is 57.15% ethanol. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_%28alcohol%29 )
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On the Left Coast, most pro bartenders use one of Mr. Mojito's muddlers.
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I have started to realize that I have a bit of a jones for anise-tinted drinks. Yeah, I know the stuff can take over, but it's a wonderful partner in the right combinations.
Rouge no. 10
1 3/4 oz. black pepper gin
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
2-3 small strawberries (or 1 giant one)
1/2 oz. Pastis
Muddle 2-3 strawberries with simple syrup. Add gin and lime juice and shake vigorously. Rinse chilled cocktail glass with Pastis. Double strain cocktail into prepared glass. Garnish with a strawberry and fresh ground pepper.
(Infuse a bottle of Plymouth with a handful of black peppercorns for no more than 24 hours.)
I stole this recipe from Todd Smith of Bourbon & Branch.
After I added the Pastis he stole it back.
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And there are some categories where you just aren't going to find a good example of the spirit for $25. The easiest examples I can think of are the ones I gave above, 100% Agave Tequilas and Absinthes.
John Walker on Sutter (www.johnwalker.com) has Pueblo Viejo Blanco for 22.99.
BevMo has the Dos Manos 100% Agave Blanco for 19.99.
Absinthe I can't help you with.
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Unfortunately, I don't know. I'm not even sure if this is an older classic cocktail or a newer "classic" invention. I have also had the drink at the San Francisco restaurant, Range, but as I understand it, one of the Range bartenders is working at Bourbon and Branch so it may have been a local "transfer".
I think it's a Thomas Waugh original that he first made at Range. I believe he may sometimes work at Bourbon and Branch; but, they have a number of new cocktails created by local and international bartenders on their menu.
Thomas has never worked at B&B, but you're on the right track. Dominic Venegas works at both B&B and Range as well as John Walker & Co. (one of the best liquor stores in the city). I believe the 1794 is his creation. I'll ask around, and will post a retraction if I'm wrong...
I was @ b&B tonight, and I stand by my previous post. Dominic was surprised to see orange bitters in the recipe, but endorsed a ratio of 2:1:1.
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Unfortunately, I don't know. I'm not even sure if this is an older classic cocktail or a newer "classic" invention. I have also had the drink at the San Francisco restaurant, Range, but as I understand it, one of the Range bartenders is working at Bourbon and Branch so it may have been a local "transfer".
I think it's a Thomas Waugh original that he first made at Range. I believe he may sometimes work at Bourbon and Branch; but, they have a number of new cocktails created by local and international bartenders on their menu.
Thomas has never worked at B&B, but you're on the right track. Dominic Venegas works at both B&B and Range as well as John Walker & Co. (one of the best liquor stores in the city). I believe the 1794 is his creation. I'll ask around, and will post a retraction if I'm wrong...
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I think we agree on this point, at least.
As far as Sidecars go, I have made one with Louis XIII and it was spectacular. I wouldn't do it again, but then I wouldn't pay the going rate for a glass of the cognac.
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There are in my mind two questions here:
1. at what point is is it pointless to use a superior product in a cocktail?
2. When trying an unknown drink, what quality spirit should we use?
I work in a tequila bar with over 100 tequilas, all 100% agave. Our Margaritas are made with only tequila, fresh lime juice, & agave nectar. I believe that the flavor of the tequila is not compromised by our recipe. I am asked every day whether it is worth using a better tequila in a margarita, whether you can taste the difference. Using our (Julio's) recipe, the difference between tequilas is noticeable, and this is how I would answer the first question: When the quality of the ingredient used in a cocktail is no longer perceptable, I would substitute a lesser product. The issue then becomes: if I can't taste the quality of the base spirit, the cocktail is unbalanced or poorly made. It is said that you can't make a great cocktail with inferior spirits. Also that you should never cook with any wine you wouldn't drink. Having said that, in some categories of spirits the differences between good and great are nuances that would be lost in a cocktail with strong flavors.
When trying a new cocktail, I would use a base spirit I am familiar with, so that my focus is the new combination of ingredients, not a new spirit. The quality of the spirit should be a known quantity. I don't know why you would keep around bottles of spirits you have deemed "lesser ingredients", I use them as drain cleaner.
We all know that a Cocktail is the sum of all its parts, and the best cocktails usually contain the freshest, highest quality ingredients.So at what point does the law of “Diminishing Returns” kick in and the best ingredient, becomes too good to be used in a cocktail? What criteria do you use to determine this point?
This is a point we have pondered from time to time when we are trying new/unknown drinks. Do we use the best on the shelf, or one of the lesser ingredients?
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I know many of you are also vodka haters. Have you had success minimizing the use of vodka or completely eliminating it from your cabinets?
The only vodka cocktails that I make are White Russians and Bloody Marys. I think I can use white rum in the White Russian and maybe gin or tequila in the Bloody Mary.
I don't see why an Oronoco White Russian wouldn't satisfy a vodka drinker. Lots o' vanilla, which would seem to go well with that drink. Tequila or gin will make a better drink than vodka in a Mary, since each will bring something to the table besides strength (hmmm flavor...). I don't hate vodka, just find it boring, since it is almost always mixed into a drink where it can't be tasted. There are certainly situations that call for vodka (usually straight), but if you are mixing cocktails it can certainly be done without.
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I was at Cortez a few weeks ago and the bartender there told me that Todd Smith, the ex-bar manager at Cortez, is one of the people behind Bourbon and Branch. Not sure if he's one of the owners or just working there, but he does make very good drinks.
True, Todd Smith is a partner in Bourbon & Branch with the guys behind Anu and Swig. There is an extensive cocktail menu, with a heavy emphasis on the classics (lots of bourbon & gin). Like Milk & Honey, there are house rules, which include: "Don't even think about ordering a Cosmo".
Hibiscus (aka Jamaica) in Mixed Drinks
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
Correct on the sugar. Also on the French 75. That was the inspiration. For some reason, the hibiscus seemed like an asian ingredient, so I called the drink a Tokyo 75. I now know that hibiscus grows from Mexico to Egypt. Ah, well.