slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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Hmm. That's interesting. If you consider that JT was really talking about making a Julep in a pint glass, with only around 3 ounces of spirits plus a dash or two of rum for aroma, it would have been a pretty weak drink. Or, I suppose, most of the top half of the glass would have been ice with no liquor and the customer would have simply sipped only the part on the bottom?
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Was the Boston shaker in use back in those days? These days the glass portion of a Boston shaker is approximately a heavy pint glass. I have a hard time believing this was equivalent to a large bar glass 150 years ago.
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In JT's book, the difference between a Julep and Smash seems to be primarily the size of the glass, with the former calling for "large bar glass" and the latter for "small bar glass" (he writes: the smash is simply a Julep on small plan"). The Juleps seem to call for approximately 50% more liquor, so I'd assume that a small bar-glass is around 50% smaller. I somehow doubt that JT's large bar glass was the familiar pint glass we see today.
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Liquor store and bar managers, and interested consumers: Empire's code for Laird's Bonded is # 577974
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Re the ice size: Jerry Thomas says:
<blockquote><b>Mint Julep.</b>
(Use large bar-glass.)
Take 1 table-spoonful of white pulverized sugar.
½ table-spoonfuls of water, mix well with a spoon.
1 ½ wine-glass full of brandy.
Take three or four sprigs of fresh mint, and press them well in the sugar and water, until the flavor of the mint is extracted ; add the brandy, and fill the glass with fine shaved ice, then draw out the sprigs of mint and insert them in the ice with the stems downward, so that the leaves will be above, in the shape of a bouquet; arrange berries, and small pieces of sliced orange on top in a tasty manner, dash with Jamaica rum, and serve with a straw.</blockquote>
Note: "fine shaved ice."
Erik: Looking at the picture of your Julep, I'd say it could benefit from around triple the amount of ice. This is a hard drink to make in what is, for this drink, an oversized glass, though.
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I'm not sure about the wine glass part at all. Go to the cocktailDB recipe search page and search for "cooler." It will bring up over 100 recipes, just about all of which are served in a large (14 oz) "tall glass." This accords with Erik's idea that "cooler" is just a generic name for an oversized, sweeter highball.
For example, this Brandy Hiball calls for 1.5 ounces of brandy, ice, a lemon twist and a fill of soda water or ginger ale in a 9 ounce highball glass. This recipe for a Brandy Cooler calls for 2.5 ounces of brandy, ice, a lemon twist and a fill or ginger ale in a 14 ounce tall glass. In comparing highballs to coolers at cocktailDB, it also seems that the coolers are more likely to have multiple ingredients. For example, This recipe for an Applejack Hiball is much the same as the Brandy Hiball: 1.5 ounces of applejack, ice, a lemon twist and a fill of soda water or ginger ale in a 9 ounce highball glass. The Applejack Cooler, on the other hand, in addition to being served in the 14 ounce tall glass, includes lemon juice, sugar and floats of brandy and grenadine.
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Julep makers: Do you find, as I do, that the crush of the ice has a tremendous effect on the quality of the Julep?
I've often made them with ice crushed on the finest setting of my Ice-o-Matic electric ice crusher. This gets the ice pretty fine -- right around what I've seen in most pictures and what I get in my favorite bars around town. But I got to thinking that ice rasped off of a big block would be a lot more fine than that. So, I've experimented with pouring my crushed ice into a tea towel and having at it for a minute or so with a meat mallet, which produces something a lot closer to snow. The result was a lot better, IMO.
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fair enough. but just for the record, there is no crossover between fresh and canning tomato markets. it's not a matter of a selection of which tomato will go to which, they are separate varieties grown, harvested, packed and shipped separately.
Interesting. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I suspected that might be true. Either way, it seems that the crushed product is going to be comprised of the "too ripe for whole" and also "not ripe enough or otherwise damaged/inappropriate for whole" tomatoes.
Also, my cans of Progresso crushed say there is puree added, which is raw juice, not paste, which has been cooked and reduced. You may well object to either. I obviously have no problem with added puree.Question: What information do you have that says tomato puree can't be made from paste? 21 CFR 155.191 says:
Sec. 155.191 Tomato concentrates.(a) Identity--(1) Definition. Tomato concentrates are the class of
foods each of which is prepared by concentrating one or any combination
of two or more of the following optional tomato ingredients:
(i) The liquid obtained from mature tomatoes of the red or reddish
varieties (Lycopersicum esculentum P. Mill).
(ii) The liquid obtained from the residue from preparing such
tomatoes for canning, consisting of peelings and cores with or without
such tomatoes or pieces thereof.
(iii) The liquid obtained from the residue from partial extraction
of juice from such tomatoes.
Such liquid is obtained by so straining the tomatoes, with or without
heating, as to exclude skins (peel), seeds, and other coarse or hard
substances in accordance with good manufacturing practice. Prior to
straining, food-grade hydrochloric acid may be added to the tomato
material in an amount to obtain a pH no lower than 2.0. Such acid is
then neutralized with food-grade sodium hydroxide so that the treated
tomato material is restored to a pH of 4.2<plus-minus>0.2. Water may be
added to adjust the final composition. The food contains not less than
8.0 percent tomato soluble solids as defined in Sec. 155.3(e). The food
is preserved by heat sterilization (canning), refrigeration, or
freezing. When sealed in a container to be held at ambient temperatures,
it is so processed by heat, before or after sealing, as to prevent
spoilage.
(2) Optional ingredients. One or any combination of two or more of
the following safe and suitable ingredients may be used in the foods:
(i) Salt (sodium chloride formed during acid neutralization shall be
considered added salt).
(ii) Lemon juice, concentrated lemon juice, or organic acids.
(iii) Sodium bicarbonate.
(iv) Water, as provided for in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(v) Spices.
(vi) Flavoring.
(3) Labeling. (i) The name of the food is:
(a) "Tomato puree" or "tomato pulp" if the food contains not
less than 8.0 percent but less than 24.0 percent tomato soluble solids.
This seems to say "cooked for concentration" (as you say) and also seems to leave open the possibility of making it by thinning out paste. Or would using paste be disallowed because it's made from tomatoes and not "juice"? Given the fact that crushed tomatoes are not thin and watery, I have to believe that they're supplemented with high percentage tomato puree (low percentage would actually produce a thinner product than 100% ground tomatoes), which would suggest quite a bit of concentration.
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Russ, I agree that a lot of what gets sorted out must be the softer/riper (and therefore better-flavored) tomatoes. But, of course, a lot of what gets sorted out must also be the not-ripe-enough tomatoes that aren't good enough for sale as fresh, etc. I have to believe that the average quality of tomatoes used for crushed tomatoes is lower than those used for whole by the same canner. But this may not be true 100% of the time or for 100% of tomato canners. I'd probably be a lot more up on using crushed tomatoes if they were actually mostly crushed tomato and didn't include a significant addition of tomato paste, which only serves to further lower the average quality of the tomatoes in the can.
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Hah! That's awesome.
Not a bad buy at 70 bucks. That would be something like a 10 year supply of Grand Marnier for me.
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you and slkinsey raise an interesting point: is it better to buy whole tomatos and then crush or dice them as required, or is it better to buy them crushed, etc? or do some of you think this really is a secondary issue?
There are several factors here:
First, when you start with whole tomatoes, you can determine the texture of the finished product depending on how you want to treat the tomatoes. Significantly, you have the option of keeping out the seeds (just cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out into a fine strainer).
Second, when you are in the business of making canned tomato products, you go through a selection process. It's not like the same tomatoes are going into the canned whole tomatoes and tomato paste. The best tomatoes are going to be kept whole, and the lesser-quality ones are going to find their way into the other products. I've never found a crushed tomato product that is comparable in quality to whole tomatoes I run through the coarse disk of my food mill (although, as I wrote above, this difference can be masked by the use of other strong flavors such as garlic, onion, herbs, sausage, etc.).
Third, it's not like canned crushed tomatoes are nothing more than whole tomatoes that are crushed. Rather, they take some ground tomato pulp and mix it into a base made of tomato paste. This is something I'd rather do myself.
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Boy, it really seems like Mint Juleps are the cocktail of the moment!
Yea, happens pretty much every year right around this time.
Not sure why the recipe calls for "powdered sugar" since I can't imagine the recipe is meant to be made with modern-day powdered sugar (surely it's supposed to be superfine sugar).
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I wish some of these new companies would come out with mixing-appropriate (in terms of price point and flavor profile) whiskies, but they all seem to try for the superpremium sipping whiskey niche. Assuming small Manhattans with 2 ounces of rye and 1 ounce of vermouth, each one made with Hudson Manhattan Rye would have around six bucks worth of whiskey in it. By volume, it's more espensive than Michter's 10 year.
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Satan's Whiskers (Straight) is a good one. I've seen it as equal parts gin, white vermouth, red vermouth, orange juice and Grand Marnier (use regular orange curaçao instead of Grand Marnier and it's "curled") plus a few dashes of orange bitters. Some people like to dial back a bit on the orange juice and Grand Marnier.
cocktailDB has many recipes with Grand Marnier that might interest you.
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That stuff is awfully expensive for mixing, even in something as elemental as a Manhattan. I've seen it around for something like 35 bucks a bottle -- a 375 ml bottle!
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Yikes! You're not kidding! The Monkey Gland video has gin, orange juice and grenadine (no absinthe or absinthe-substitute) with ice in a highball glass!
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I tend to buy Le Valle DOP San Marzano tomatoes at Fairway, where I can get them fairly inexpensively. I find these to be sweeter and less acidic than most other brands.
I like to buy whole tomatoes rather than crushed. It gives me the option to decide what texture I would like, and I think they're higher quality than the tomatoes that go into the crushed product (which afaik is usually thickened with tomato paste).
How much difference the quality and nature of the tomatoes make depends tremendously on what you do with them. Using tomato sauce as an example, it makes a big difference in a simple sauce of tomato and butter but not so much differnce in a sauce that includes softened garlic, onion, carrot and celery plus some herbs.
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Here's a link to the NYT article. It's mostly a description of the Julep as made by Chris McMillian at the Ritz-Carlton hotel's Library Lounge in New Orleans. In fact, I'd say the article is really more about McMillian than it is about the Julep, per se. He is a bartender of the (good) old school, and apparently given to reciting J. Soule Smith's ode when preparing a Julep at a leisurely pace.
"Chris is a rare living link to this amazing old-world profession," said Dave Wondrich, drinks correspondent for Esquire and the author of the forthcoming book "Imbibe!" (Perigee Books, $23.95). "There are plenty of creative younger bartenders who know how to mix, but very few who have mastered the lore and demeanor of the old days."Mr. McMillian delights in holding court with quasi-educational bar patter. A dedicated amateur historian, a born storyteller and a co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail here, Mr. McMillian stockpiles esoteric tidbits of cocktail history. Every round opens up fresh possibilities for a short lecture on the lasting impact of Prohibition, Hammurabi’s Code or the public drinking spaces of ancient Pompeii.
His Julep recipe is for a peach bourbon Julep:
<blockquote>12 to 15 leaves : fresh mint,
1 oz : peach syrup (Monin is recommended)
2.5 oz : bourbon
Superfine sugar and mint sprig for garnish
Gently muddle mint leaves and 1/4 ounce peach syrup in a julep cup or old-fashioned glass, working the leaves up the sides of glass. Pack the cup or glass with finely crushed ice, add bourbon, drizzle with remaining peach syrup and garnish with mint sprig lightly dusted with sugar.</blockquote>
There's also a mint Julep recipe in the current issue of New York Magazine, featuring a recipe from LeNell Smothers. LeNell's Julep is also a whiskey Julep, but strays quite a bit further from the accepted Julep orthodoxy with the inclusion of bitters and an unusual sweetener.
<blockquote>LeNell Smothers's Granny's Whiskey Julep
1 tsp: Granny's Not So Simple Syrup* or Pedro Ximénez cream sherry
2 dashes : Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters
5 leaves : fresh mint
2 oz : 100-proof bourbon or rye
Splash : Prichard's Tennessee rum
* Add pound of golden raisins to a quart jar, cover with gin and wait two weeks.
Gently muddle the mint leaves together with the syrup and bitters in a julep cup or old-fashioned glass, then remove and discard the mint. Fill most of the way with crushed ice and add the whiskey, stirring until frost appears on the outside of the glass. Fill up with crushed ice and top with a splash of rum, then garnish with sprigs of mint. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar.</blockquote>
This sounds interesting. I like bitters in a Julep. I wonder if her "Granny's Not So Simple Syrup" is missing an addition of sugar, however. Unless the raisins give off a lot of sugar (anyone?) it doesn't seem like it would be very syrup-like to me.
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omg. 2 oz. of simple syrup.... i'm sweet enough....
That's for two big slushy drinks. Not so much, when you consider that low temperatures inhibit perceptions of sweetness.
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FWIW, Lucy Brennan is no slouch. Here is her bio and here is the drink menu from her place in Oregon.
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I have to assume she calls it a Daiquiri because it includes rum and is a slushy ice drink (which is what 99% of America thinks a Daiquiri is).
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The hidden gems in Manhattan, if there are any, are all above 96th Street. And they're hidden precisely because blogs like Eater (and most of eGullet, I should hasten to add) aren't paying attention to what's going on up there. Granted, there are good reasons for this (like the fact that there is much less of interest).
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Yea, a number of weird things there. What's the deal with lemon-lime juice? Is it her version of "fresh sour mix" once combined in equal parts with simple syrup? (This is, by the way, a good fresh substitute for sour mix should you come across a recipe that calls for it.) Why not use lime juice for the Margarita and lemon juice for the Sidecar? I agree with Nathan that lemon in a Margarita probably wouldn't be a deal-breaker, but lime in a Sidecar? Bleah.
What I don't understand is why she minimizes the role of orange liqueur in those cockails. Orange liqueur is an important part of both. One way to think about these recipes is to combine the triple sec and simple syrup into what would be an ounce and a quarter of low intensity, low alcoholic strength, shitty quality "triple sec." If you think of it that way, the ratios aren't horrible. They're both just a bit sweeter than 2:1:1. THe problem is that they're both missing out on the orange. Do you suppose this is the author's attempt to "focus the drink on the base spirit"?
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Great article! And great to see that they actually tasted a spirit intended for chilling and mixing, well... chilled and mixed. I'll have more to say on this once I have a few more minutes, but there's one thing that puzzles me. The author makes a point of mentioning the higher proof gins, noting that Old Raj comes in at 110 proof and then saying that "Tanqueray and Tanqueray No. 10 at 94.6 proof were the next highest." Except he forgot Junípero, which is 98.6 proof. This must be an error in his notes, because the ratings section has it at only 86 proof.
I was happy to see Plymouth and Junípero rated so highly, although I was surprised that Tanqueray wasn't more appealing. I was also quite surprised to see Old Raj rating so highly. I may have to try that one again.
Grand marnier drinks.
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
I like to sub Grand Marnier for orange curaçao sometimes, but often find that I have to rebalance the drink because it is substantially less sweet than orange curaçao. For example, a Pegu Club made 4:1:1 with orange curaçao balances just right, but there have been a few times I've had to use Grand Marnier in this drink and 4:1:1 ends up quite a bit over on the sour side of balanced.