evo-lution

This ad from 1940 talks about bottle-aged cocktails;

Undoubtedly the trend sweeping bar-rooms across the globe and thought by many to be a modern creation, this advert from 1910 should be of interest;

Well said, it really shouldn't annoy me but these recipes for bitters that don't have a bittering agent really frustrate me. They're not bitters!

This is very intriguing! I've tried Boker's Old Fashioneds with practically every spirit but not with White Dog, will have to give it a try. What ratio did you try it in?

With the news that the French government is lifting the ban on the sale of Absinthe (see the following BBC article for more details) I'll be raising this drink I created just a few days back; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13159863

Wanted to share a bunch of new recipes (using Boker's, Dandelion & Burdock and Limited Edition Spanish) from all around the globe;

Funnily enough I've already ordered that book, thanks for recommending anyway.

Started reading Doxat again last night. In the first chapter he briefly touches upon the subject of drinks culture during the World Wars (specifically in Europe) and it's got me thinking of a couple of things, the impact it had at the time and in the years after the event/s, and whether I can drink Martinis all day today. It seems to be something that's rarely spoken about when discussing the history of mixed drinks and I'm now curious to know if there are any writings/musings/resources that cover the subject which I'm currently unaware of? Prohibition is rightly mentioned as having had a negative impact on culture in the US but War in Europe, around the same few decades, seems to never be mentioned for whatever reason. I suspect this may be due to the US-centric attitude toward cocktail history in respect of the fact that we have a clear understanding of drinks during the 1800s up to Prohibition, which is where cocktail history typically ends other than the brief sojourn with tiki drinks, and now the renaissance over the last two-three decades. Anyway, I digress... Considering the countries involved (UK, Germany, France, Italy, et al), the products they produce/d, the many lauded bartenders plying their trade at the time, and the adverse effect on the general public, it seems to me that it's something that would've impacted hugely, before, during and after the Wars. For example, I remember reading somewhere about the effect the bombing of London Docks had on a number of rum producers, which goes to show how wide the affect would have been. So, are there any society members who have any knowledge of what is undoubtedly going to be a wide subject? Any that are aware of literature I should check out? Looking forward to your thoughts...

You have good taste Chris. Been working on a recipe the last couple of days and finally nailed it; Highly recommended!

Why the obsession with infusing tobacco into spirit? I've yet to taste any tobacco bitters, liqueur or infusion that is/was any good, and that's before you take into account that it's really, really not good for you...

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-03-15/features/sc-food-0311-uncorked-bitters-20110316_1_bitters-fee-brothers-angostura

Any pre-conception is based on the reality of what should be expected from a bitters. I've mentioned it on this forum before but there is a real double-standard and hypocrisy when it comes to this specific category, however it runs throughout the drinks industry as a whole to be honest. Sounds ridiculous...

Adding some form of bittering agent to to classify them being branded as bitters would be a good start...

Been enjoying this drink the last couple of days; Suppose you could reference it as a variant on Paul Harrington's Jasmine cocktail...

My Limited Edition Spanish Bitters are now released and are popping up around the globe; You can pick them up at Cocktail Kingdom, The Meadow in Portland and New York, Dranken Unie (Netherlands), DeLaurenti's (Seattle), Haromex (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), LMDW (France), S&B Gastro Team (Czech Republic), Speciality Drinks (London), Rossi & Rossi (Italy), Sprit & Co. (Denmark) and more TBC in the coming days.

Dr Adam Elmegirab's Roasted Almond Orgeat Makes approximately 700-750ml bottle of orgeat syrup; ----- 250g Sliced almonds (no skin) 400ml Water 350g Caster sugar (unrefined preferably) 25ml Brandy/Cognac 25ml Grand Marnier 15ml Orange or rose flower water (optional) Pre-heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Add almonds to roasting tin, place in middle of oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Do not grease the tin or add any oil. Remove almonds, and allow too cool. Once cooled, place the almonds in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the water then use a blender or food processor to chop the almonds to a fine grind. If you need to assist the chopping process, add a little water to the food processor. Transfer the crushed almonds to a large bowl and mix them with 400ml fresh mineral water and let stand for two hours. Place a damp cloth, cheese cloth or muslin cloth over another bowl, and strain the almond and water mixture. Squeeze the cloth to extract all the liquid. Put the chopped almonds back into the almond water, let stand for another hour and then strain again. Repeat a third time if you wish. This will get all the oils/milk/flavour out of the almonds. Discard the almond pulp, then pour the strained liquid into a saucepan, add the sugar and simmer over a gentle heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat when the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool for fifteen minutes and then add the brandy and the orange flower or rose water. Once cooled, shake well then transfer the orgeat into a clean glass bottle and refrigerate. ----- Tips; - Use sliced almonds in the first soak, then crush in a food processor. - As an alternative to roasting, you can dry fry ensuring you do not burn almonds. - Before straining ensure you moisten the muslin cloth. I recommend moistening with the liquid you are about to filter. - Do not allow orgeat syrup to boil, dissolve sugar over a low to medium heat. - Adding a small piece of vanilla pod to the saucepan adds to the complexity. - The addition of orange or rose flower water is optional but recommended. - Shake well before use as the syrup may separate.

http://www.fineexpressions.co.uk/news/2007-Nov/single_malt_flavour_map1.html I have something like this for each spirit category however it's not something I'd want to share at the moment as it wouldn't make sense to anyone but me, a bit rough around the edges to say the least. If I was to spend a bit of time I could knock something up to cover the gin/genever category.

For me, pretty much the perfect drink; Every so often I'll aromatise the glass with a spray of absinthe, and I have been known to add a teardrop of Grand Marnier or sugar syrup if I want something a little sweeter.

I recently stayed very close to Pulteney but sadly didn't make it to the distillery although intend heading that way again in the summer as it's very far north and can get bloody cold, I know the two whiskies very well though

Yesterday I visited Glen Garioch (which was a really good trip - selection of pics below); Mash tun at Glen Garioch - http://yfrog.com/h4eczhgj The South African Yeast used by Glen Garioch - http://yfrog.com/h78csnij Wash Back Room - http://yfrog.com/h4qcnxknj Where the magic happens - http://yfrog.com/hs9i0zyj Wash still with Spirit stills 1 & 2 in the background - http://yfrog.com/h483xbvj Spirit stills 1 & 2 - http://yfrog.com/gz4l6clj Glen Garioch Distillery, Distillery Road, Oldmeldrum - http://yfrog.com/h8pp0izj and Strathisla (which was closed, the lazy so and so's). Picked myself up a bottle of Glen Garioch 1991 whish is quite sensational. I'd write more about it but at the moment I'm too busy drinking it so you'll have to wait I'm afraid... Got a number of trips planned over the next couple of months, Aberlour and Glendronach to name two.

As Ago is the brand ambassador for Galliano he's come up with a number of cracking recipes, some of which were featured in an article in CLASS magazine. When I get the chance I'll try and post some up.

Thought I should share a drink I recently came across calling for my Dandelion & Burdock Bitters I'm working on a blog posting for Bruichladdich's Botanist gin that'll be up tonight and it works wonderfully in this cocktail.

I've just linked to a couple of documents in my Boker's Bitters thread and thought it may be worth sharing another document with you, even if just one of you find a use for it it makes it worthwhile. http://www.scribd.com/doc/35195869/Evo-lution-Product-Portfolio The portfolio I originally uploaded is geared toward spirits however it can easily be adapted to wine, beer, and so on. I highly recommend saving the file and printing them off should you ever attend a product tasting session. It does become a great resource and reference point. Cheers Adam

When you say 'celery flavour' what exactly do you mean as I've seen you post this before? The TBT celery bitters tastes very much like Celery seed to me, and Celery seed is very different to Celery stalks. I have been working on a blogpost for quite some time which is going to cover the expectations of flavoured bitters, what they originally were and what you should expect. From what I've found with regards vintage bitters, the name of the bitters doesn't necessarily correlate to the actual taste of the end product but instead to its medicinal value. So for example Peach Bitters shouldn't and didn't necessarily taste of 'Peach'.

The main reason is that I want to stay true to techniques that were employed in the original hey-day of bitters production, using only natural botanicals and high-strength spirit. On top of that I want my bitters to be truly hand-crafted and for me to be involved in every element of production where possible. I will explore other production techniques (such as distillation) and intend to experiment later this year but Boker's, Dandelion & Burdock and Spanish will always be made by way of cold-compounding/maceration. If I ever release a product that has been distilled then I will make sure that everyone knows.