evo-lution

I've uploaded a couple of documents to Scribd that you may be interested in. The first is my bitters product portfolio which details all relevant info behind my bitters with regards the key ingredients, production process, tasting notes (and a blank area for tasting notes to write your own), recommended recipe, and so on. Product Portfolio - http://www.scribd.com/doc/35534031/Dr-Adam-Elmegirab-s-Bitters-Product-Portfolio The second document is detailed info regarding the key botanicals in my bitters; Botanical Information - http://www.scribd.com/doc/46837267/Dr-Adam-Elmegirab-s-Botanical-Information Would appreciate your thoughts on what I regard is a very useful training/educational tool.

Another Boker's Bitters recipe for you by Christos Kyriakidis from the Vanilla Rooms in Cardiff, created for Diageo's 'World Class' competition... http://www.worldclassuk.com/ViewCocktail.aspx?c=2807

With regards the Blue Blazer, this is a pretty sensational throwing technique. Been pondering whether this would be achievable with flaming liquid... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcuEkldGs5M

Good point you've brought up there, for drinks that are 'snap-and-discard' a channel knife may/can be the best alternative as they rarely dig deep enough into lemons to extract pith so you can direct the spray of zest over the drink/stem/etc. without having to use your fingers.

PART VI

PART V

PART IV

PART III

PART II

http://thejerrythomasproject.blogspot.com/2010/11/life-and-times-of-jerry-thomas.html With the growing interest and research into our cocktail forefathers and vintage libations, particularly the punch category, I thought it'd be appropriate to share the following article by Herbert Asbury, first published in December 1927 in H.L Mencken's American Mercury. Asbury's article is a fascinating look at the life of Professor Jerry Thomas, written right at the heart of Prohibition in America which goes some way to explain the tone adopted by the author. Asbury later reprinted Thomas's work in 1928 and went to the effort of returning the book to its original state after being bastardized in the 1887 reprint. This really is a must-read for anyone that has an interest in cocktails and cocktail history, particularly those who have read Dave Wondrich's outstanding Imbibe. The article is broken down into six parts so you may want to nip away from your computer now to fix yourself a couple of glasses of Gin Punch, however if you can't make it in one sitting then please bookmark the link and return at a later date. For those that wish to compound any of the recipes included in the article please see the following Table of Measurements which is included again at the bottom of this page. Enjoy! PROFESSOR JERRY THOMAS by HERBERT ASBURY PART I

I swear by Victorinox peelers, the problem isn't always the peeler though but the thinness/thickness of the citrus skin. Sometimes you'll take some pith away and there's nothing you can do about it, just needs to be cut away as Sam mentions.

Been digging out some vintage Boker's recipes so thought I'd share them here;

Just back from the Glenfiddich UK Final* so I'll post some tasting notes later today as well as some cocktails using the whiskies that have been created by yours truly and Jason Scott of Bramble in Edinburgh *Regarding the cocktail comp, I once again finished in second place which now seems to be a recurring theme. I won my first three comps this year but since then it's been a run of second places with a single third place breaking the trend. This was my drink; Albannach 40ml Glenfiddich 15 year old 12.5ml Dubonnet 12.5ml Chase Rhubarb liqueur 1 Dash Regan's Orange Bitters #6 Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with hand-cracked block ice and stir for 15-20 seconds Glass: Vintage cocktail Garnish: Snap orange zest over drink and on stem, wipe rim and discard Ice: N/A

Just threw this together and it's pretty damn good. No name as such though; 50ml Darnley's View gin 12.5ml Bols Apricot Brandy 12.5ml Dubonnet 25ml Fresh lime juice 12.5ml Homemade raspberry syrup Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and shake hard for ten seconds Glass: Frozen cocktail Garnish: Fat strip of orange zest Ice: N/A

I think this would depend wholly on the style of bitters, the botanicals in the recipe, how they've been stored and if they're opened/unopened. There's always a little evaporation and I'd expect there to be a little flavour loss from certain botanicals. The Khoosh seem to have lost a little flavour but still pack a punch. I really need to do some digging into the company to find out more about how they were made and what botanicals were used. I've just opened the Egon Braun Hamburg Amargo Bitters and they are quite sensational. There was a little evaporation here but the sediment present would probably sustain some flavour. This was a corked bottle but dipped in wax so that has helped them keep their flavour I'd guess. They've kept a fair amount of flavour which I think is down to the fact they predominantly consist of spices such as clove, cinnamon, anise and so on. Having messed around with dozens of 'Angostura' recipes from old science/medical journals and the like I know exactly what these are about. A simple comparison regarding their flavour profile would be a combination of Angostura Aromatic and Fee Brother's Barrel-Aged Bitters, but toning down on the sweetness.

So these arrived today; Not opened them (yet) but been examining the bottle and I'm pretty confident these were kicking around during Prohibition as there is a stamp on the bottle which reads as follows; A very interesting find considering the close proximity to Repeal Day and the fact I'm going to be in Hamburg for it. These bitters were originally called Egon Braun Angostura Bitters and were changed to Egon Braun Amargo Bitters for the US market. As you may or may not know, the Angostura Aromatic we know of today were originally called Dr. Siegert's 'Amargo Aromatico' (translates to 'Aromatic Bitters'), with Amargo then being used by other companies as a generic term.

Now that I've finally shaken off the cold that's been bugging me recently I've had the chance to sit down and write some detaied tasting notes for the Khoosh Bitters. Colour: Gold (almost identical in colour to the bottle of Black Bush I have on my whisky shelf) Nose: Multi-layered and intriguing. The first thing that springs to mind is rum and raisin ice cream, but there's also notes of Coffee Creme chocolates and a little spice. Very similar to dark rum. Palate: Intensely bitter and sharp, an initial hit of sweet sherry and citrus moves into coffee fudge, hazlenut and bitter dark chocolate. Finish: Long and warming with bitter coffee dominating hints of sherry and oak. Is this a newer bottle of Underberg (wrapped in paper from head to toe) or an older bottling (with a regular label)? I recently acquired an older bottle of Underberg myself. £0.99 on eBay.

I sincerely hope you stripped the orange of its zest then moved onto Rob Roys?

Picked up another vintage bottling yesterday*, Egon Braun Hamburg Amargo Bitters. Unopened and labelled. Should drop this week... *Much to the annoyance of Ritty.

Funnily enough, I actually addressed this just a couple of posts before yours;

I think Banks will change your mind on that (unless you've tried it and are not a fan).

Adam - I was going to just message you directly, but I do think that this discussion is germane to the topic, so I'll response here. In no way am I or my site claiming the above. All I provide is an entry point for someone who is, maybe, uneducated on the subject of cocktails or a bit intimidated by it. My goal is to get readers excited enough about one or two drinks that they then move on to bigger and more interesting things. So, am I saying "only these"? No. But unless people start their journey somewhere, they'll never wander down the dark alleyways of discovery. Just like the starter Lego sets only make us want the bigger, more complicated ones. This is how my personal experience has been -- I started off with a bottle of Angostura which I never used because no one taught me what it was for or why it was good. I learned the basics, became more excited, and ultimately found my way here -- chatting bitters with you and the group here. I think the process has worked out beautifully. I absolutely agree with your thoughts here, apologies if my gripe appeared to be aimed at you as it wasn't intended to be. When it comes to recommending or starting off with any product - bitters, gin, rum, whisk(e)y, and so on - the only guaranteed bottles you should keep in your cupboard are the ones that fit the drinks you often consume. The days of using London Dry in any drink calling for gin, Angostura Aromatic in any drink calling for bitters, or bourbon in any drink calling for American Whisk(e)y are gone. We now have the opportunity to make selected and informed opinions based on the wealth of products at our disposal. Too much information can dazzle, but a gentle push in the right direction will open up doors you never knew were there...

I could give you a long answer to this but I'm going to try and give you a shorter one; The bittering agent is one of the most important aspects of a good bitters (such a shame that it's often left out or not used in larger quantities*) . Which bittering agent you decide to go for is entirely dependent on the other botanicals present in your recipe and the steeping time you intend on using. For example, my Dandelion & Burdock bitters both call for Dandelion & Burdock (as you'd expect). In their own right they are bitter botanicals but I would not put them into the bittering agent category as they have other qualities that supercede their bitterness. Another bittering agent is required to lift them to the required bitterness I'm after, but it doesn't need to be an overtly bitter botanical to get to it where I want to. To understand the effect of macerating/compounding different botanicals I would recommend starting out with separate infusions, however when you're making your batch I would highly recommend infusing the botanicals together. If this means you have to infuse botanicals before/after the rest so be it. *The problem stems from a misunderstanding of the category and people making their decision/opinion of a bitters by trying them on their own as opposed to in a mixed drink.

Two of my favourite malts right here, and luckily just an hour or two from my house. I picked up the a'bunadh a couple years back for my girlfriend and she'll be lucky if she's actually had any. If those are the type of malts you reach for then I'd recommend Glengoyne 12 year old Cask Strength if you can get your hands on it. Spectacular bottling. Took delivery of some new bottlings this morning, courtesy of Wemyss Malt's. Peat Chimney, Spice King and Smooth Gentlemen. Not had the chance to crack them open yet but I'll likely dabble this evening.

Hearing lots of good things about Templeton, is this a bottle I should go out of my way to pick up? I typically drink the likes of Sazerac, Rittenhouse Bonded, Old Overholt, Thomas Handy, but wouldn't mind trying something new.