Crustas: The Topic

[Chris Amirault]

Ever since I read plattetude's reference to the Regans' bourbon crusta here in the Maraschino topic, I've been hooked on this drink. I know that Regan considers the crustas a key group in the New Orleans sour category, and I've spied other crustas here and there, but I don't have a clear sense of what makes a crusta a crusta.

For example, some folks here have referred to sugar rims, something which would throw off the balance of my bourbon crusta for sure. I've fiddled around with rye (basic Old Overholt) crustas to lesser success, and have started to wonder about using other stuff, too.

So what crusta tips or recipes can you share? Do you use the Regan recipe for yours, or another? What about base liquors? rims? garnishes?

[mrbigjas]

i use dale degroff's recipe from the art of the cocktail. i've made it with bourbon without the rim and loved it, but i'm thinking the sweetness of the bourbon and sugar together might overwhelm me if i had. i'll have to try it.

[lancastermike]

I believe that it has to have a sugar rim and a whole orange peel to be a crusta, at least according to the old recipe. However, I agree the sugar rim is too much for the borboun. Rye is better as is brandy. The only brandy I have used is just plain old Christian Bros.

Other bases that may work? Gin certainly. I wonder about tequilla. Have never tried it.

[Chris Amirault]

Regan thanks Dr. Cocktail for pointing out that a margarita is a tequila crusta on p 161 of Joy.

BTW, is it "CRUST-ah"? "CROOST-ah"? "Croost-AY"?

[JAZ]

Regan thanks Dr. Cocktail for pointing out that a margarita is a tequila crusta on p 161 of Joy.

BTW, is it "CRUST-ah"? "CROOST-ah"? "Croost-AY"?

←

Well, except that a Margarita doesn't have Maraschino. I thought the combination of triple sec and Maraschino was necessary for a crusta; is that not correct?

On the subject of bases, we had a great rum crusta a while back with one of the aged rhum agricoles that Ed Hamilton is importing.

[Chris Amirault]

I think that's right, Janet. Regan and Haigh were talking about the base/lemon or lime juice/triple sec combination as the base formula for all of what Regan calls the New Orleans sours.

[eje]

Isn't a Crusta much sweeter than a margarita? Also no bitters in margaritas.

Cocktaildb give the brandy crusta recipe as:

1 1/2 oz brandy

1/4 oz maraschino

1/2 oz Curacao

1/4 oz lemon

dash bitters

plus lemon rind hoo ha

A margarita is typically something like...

1 1/2 oz tequila

3/4 oz lime juice (more sour than lemon)

1/2 oz triple sec

[Chris Amirault]

I think Regan's point isn't about the exact ratios but the trinity.

[fatdeko]

And the Crusta, in its earliest iterations did not include Maraschino. Jerry Thomas' recipe (1862) describes the recipe as the same as a Fancy cocktail with a little lemon juice added and the Crusta's trimmings, (ie sugared rim and lemon peel) In the 1887 edition of Thomas' book, the Fancy Cocktail family was terminated and the "Improved" family of cocktails added. An "Improved" version of a cocktail included Maraschino, yet in this edition, Thomas (or his editor) includes a full description of a Crusta recipe without Maraschino. Further confusing things, the 1862 edition prefaces the cocktail and Crusta chapter with the observation that the Crusta is an "improvement" on the Cocktail, so with a little creative anochronism, one could read the 1862 preface and an 1887 cocktail recipe and voila! Crusta con Maraschino.

Full exceptance of maraschino in Crustas doesn't seem to occur until the turn of the century, and then, not universally. "Wehman's Bartender's Guide" of 1912 includes Crustas without Maraschino (with the exception of the St Croix Crusta), while "Drinks as they are Made" in 1904 universally adds Maraschino to their Crustas. Bitters is also an optional component that subtly distinguishes the Crusta from the rest of the New Orleans Sour family.

Put it in, Leave it out--dealer's choice, it's not the defining ingredient. As Thomas first describes it, it's just a "Fancy" cocktail with added presentational trimmings, so it's the crust of sugar that gives the Crusta it's "ness". So I say "Crust-uh" (With Maraschino)

myers

edited for clarity

Edited July 13, 2006 by fatdeko (log)

[slkinsey]

Right. I've never understood the Crusta as requiring maraschino. It's all about the sugared rim and the citrus peel collar going all the way around the rim.

Here's a page on the Crusta from Darcy's online version of JT's Bartender's Guide. One thing that a lot of people seem to forget about drinks like the Crusta or Old Fashioned is that it can also be made with gin. In fact, a Gin Crusta (or Gin Old Fashioned) is delicious. Same is true of Genever.

[mrbigjas]

this is interesting--i had always assumed that the maraschino was part of it.

as an aside, from that page you posted, sam, what's gum syrup?

[donbert]

According to Jerry Thomas:

Gum Syrup.

Take 14 pounds of loaf-sugar.

1 gallon of water.

Boil together for five minutes, and add water to

make up to 2 gallons.

Essentially it's simple syrup. The "gum" or "gomme" is from the use of gum arabica in the past.

Edited July 13, 2006 by donbert (log)

[slkinsey]

AFAIK, "real" gomme syrup should contain gum arabic, which imparts added viscosity.

[slkinsey]

Brandy Crusta

[snip]

Use small wine glass. Moisten the edge with lemon and dip edge into caster sugar which frosts the glass. Cut the rind of half a lemon spiral fashion; place in a glass. Fill Glass with cracked ice.

Stir well and strain into prepared glass, adding slice of lemon

This is, I think, an instance where the instructions don't quite tell you how to make the drink the right way. The whole point of the Crusta is that it has a) a sugared rim, and b) that the spiral cut of lemon peel goes all the way around the inside rim of the glass.

Here is a picture of a modern Brandy Crusta from the good folks at the Museum of the American Cocktail. I think it shows how the lemon peel should be deployed. Over here is a good look at the image of the Brandy Crusta from JT's book. eG has a thread on the Crusta here. Not sure when people started adding Maraschino to the Crusta. It isn't in the recipe JT gives.

[thirtyoneknots]

I don't want to stray too far off-topic, but I did want to add something re Crustas. I know that the crusta name stems from the 'crust' of sugar, but this is presentation, and therefore has little to do with the taste of the drink. In my mind the real thing that sets the crusta apart is the inclusion of both citrus juice and bitters, which gives a unique flavor profile. I have always thought that if the crusta category had survived as more than an archaic concept, drinks such as the Pegu Club would have fallen under it. Just my own little hairbrained musings.

-Andy

[Vesper Lynd]

This is, I think, an instance where the instructions don't quite tell you how to make the drink the right way.  The whole point of the Crusta is that it has a) a sugared rim, and b) that the spiral cut of lemon peel goes all the way around the inside rim of the glass.

Here is a picture of a modern Brandy Crusta from the good folks at the Museum of the American Cocktail.  I think it shows how the lemon peel should be deployed.  Over here is a good look at the image of the Brandy Crusta from JT's book.  eG has a thread on the Crusta here.  Not sure when people started adding Maraschino to the Crusta.  It isn't in the recipe JT gives.

←

I wish I had seen that photo a couple of days ago, the recipe makes a bit more sense now.

[ThinkingBartender]

I don't want to stray too far off-topic, but I did want to add something re Crustas. I know that the crusta name stems from the 'crust' of sugar, but this is presentation, and therefore has little to do with the taste of the drink. In my mind the real thing that sets the crusta apart is the inclusion of both citrus juice and bitters, which gives a unique flavor profile. I have always thought that if the crusta category had survived as more than an archaic concept, drinks such as the Pegu Club would have fallen under it. Just my own little hairbrained musings.

-Andy

←

A Crusta should be exactly the same as a Whiskey Cocktail (a la Jerry Thomas); Spirit, Bitters, Sugar, shaken with crushed ice, plus sugar rim and lemon juice.

I do not think that the spiral cut peel is all that important. I don't think that the MOTAC photo of the Crusta should be taken as gospel, how exactly are you supposed to approach the glass with that phalanx of lemon skin guarding the glass' edge?

Interestingly there was a term called "Lin Crusta" around during the mid-1800s, and that seems to bear a similarity to putting a crust onto a cocktail glass. I don't believe that the crust is optional, nor are the bitters.

The dashes of Curacao and Maraschino are just optional in my opinion, and should be seen as accents to the main flavour, rather than as the main sweetening agent.

The Crusta is definitely a misunderstood drink category.

Cheers!

George

Edited February 25, 2007 by ThinkingBartender (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

I guess I wasn't necessarily saying the crust was optional to define the drink so much as it was sort of pointless, at least from a flavor standpoint (I personally rarely use sugar rims unless requested by customers). If I understand your statement, if you add bitters to a whiskey sour (or lemon juice to a cock-tail) and serve it in a sugar-rimmed glass, it's a crusta. I am completely willing to believe that in the context of 19th century barspeak, this is true. But what, then, is the drink called without the 'crust'? In my mind, it could still be a crusta, which is distinctive flavor-wise because of the citrus and bitters. Or is it then an 'improved cock-tail'?

-Andy

[eje]

Brandy Crusta

[snip]

Use small wine glass. Moisten the edge with lemon and dip edge into caster sugar which frosts the glass. Cut the rind of half a lemon spiral fashion; place in a glass. Fill Glass with cracked ice.

Stir well and strain into prepared glass, adding slice of lemon

This is, I think, an instance where the instructions don't quite tell you how to make the drink the right way. The whole point of the Crusta is that it has a) a sugared rim, and b) that the spiral cut of lemon peel goes all the way around the inside rim of the glass.

[...]

←

To me the most obtuse part about the Savoy recipe for the Brandy Crusta, is that it is quite unclear which glass is filled with cracked ice.

The Savoy cocktail book makes it sound like the ice should go in the serving glass, and I've seen pictures of Crustas prepared that way.

On the other hand, in the Thomas recipe, it is pretty clear that you are stirring the drink with cracked ice, and then straining it into the glass.

Having the lemon peel all the way around the rim does seem a bit daunting. I guess you'd just poke it down into your drink to partake?

I don't agree that the big piece of peel is optional, though. Having that in the cocktail adds a lot more lemon intensity and flavor to the cocktail, than a simple channel cut peel or the more usual peel squeezed over the top.

[ThinkingBartender]

I don't agree that the big piece of peel is optional, though.  Having that in the cocktail adds a lot more lemon intensity and flavor to the cocktail, than a simple channel cut peel or the more usual peel squeezed over the top.

←

Well then we need to look at what the original recipe called for, rather than stating our own personal preferences. If the original recipe called for a sugared rim, bitters, and lemon juice, then that is what the original recipe is. The other recipes are just someone elses preferences.

This analysis of the Crusta should also bring into question (again) the actual amount of input that Jerry Thomas had on his named merchandise (i.e. the book). The Crusta/ Santina connection is always quoted from Thomas' book, is it not? So it would seem only natural, to me at least, to give greater credence to Thomas' recipe, unless Santina's actual recipe is quoted somewhere else.

Cheers!

George

[Splificator]

I don't agree that the big piece of peel is optional, though.  Having that in the cocktail adds a lot more lemon intensity and flavor to the cocktail, than a simple channel cut peel or the more usual peel squeezed over the top.

←

Well then we need to look at what the original recipe called for, rather than stating our own personal preferences. If the original recipe called for a sugared rim, bitters, and lemon juice, then that is what the original recipe is. The other recipes are just someone elses preferences.

This analysis of the Crusta should also bring into question (again) the actual amount of input that Jerry Thomas had on his named merchandise (i.e. the book). The Crusta/ Santina connection is always quoted from Thomas' book, is it not? So it would seem only natural, to me at least, to give greater credence to Thomas' recipe, unless Santina's actual recipe is quoted somewhere else.

Cheers!

George

←

I'm confused here. Here's Jerry Thomas:

First, mix the ingredients in a small tumbler, then take a fancy red wine-glass, rub a sliced lemon around the rim of the same, and dip it in pulverized white sugar, so that the sugar will adhere to the edge of the glass. Pare half a lemon the same as you would an apple (all in one piece) so that the paring will fit in the wine-glass, as shown in the cut, and strain the crusta from the tumbler into it.

What part of this suggests in any way that the lemon peel isn't part of the drink? There's even an illustration, with the peel right there as in the Motac photo.

[slkinsey]

What Dave said. That the lemon peel is an important and integral part of the Crusta seems self-evident from the instructions and illustration in JT's book. I hardly see how anyone could think otherwise.

[ThinkingBartender]

What Dave said.  That the lemon peel is an important and integral part of the Crusta seems self-evident from the instructions and illustration in JT's book.  I hardly see how anyone could think otherwise.

←

The reason I think that the twist, of the considerable length prescribed, is not neccessary is that it just appears to be an adornment, rather than an actual flavouring ingredient.

Strange that no mention is made as to whether or not the peel should be squeezed of its oils first. Simply placed into the glass, right?

The sugar rim is not optional, as it enables a la minute sour and sweet mixing in the bocular tasting cavity. This is a whole lot different from just balancing the sweet/ sour in the shaker. One sip can be slightly sweet, the next slightly sour, a truly dynamic taste.

Any comments on the idea that the curacao and maraschino are just there as accents rather for their sweetening qualities?

Any comments on the "Lin Crusta" theory?

Are there any other references to Joseph Santina, other than what is found in Thomas' book, or works derived from there?

Cheers!

George

[ThinkingBartender]

What Dave said.  That the lemon peel is an important and integral part of the Crusta seems self-evident from the instructions and illustration in JT's book.  I hardly see how anyone could think otherwise.

←

Jerry Thomas didn't invent the Crusta, Santina did. What were Santina's own instructions, for the Crusta, rather than those in the Jerry Thomas book. And considering the lack of influence of Thomas' Crusta recipe/ information on subsequent authors its seems only natural to question everything, with regards to the Crusta.

Cheers!

George

[Splificator]

The reason I think that the twist, of the considerable length prescribed, is not neccessary is that it just appears to be an adornment, rather than an actual flavouring ingredient.

[sound of head exploding]

Isn't this the same ThinkingBartender who's always ripping people new ones for relying on "seems to me" rather than what was actually written? Does not compute. You might not think that the lemon peel is an essential part of the Crusta, but judging from the only evidence available nineteenth-century American barkeepers certainly did.

Any comments on the idea that the curacao and maraschino are just there as accents rather for their sweetening qualities?

I cover this in my book, and my publisher will kill me if I keep giving away what they will be charging for.

Any comments on the "Lin Crusta" theory?

It is unworthy of you.

Are there any other references to Joseph Santina, other than what is found in Thomas' book, or works derived from there?

There are. His name was actually Santini. Final "i" tends to become a schwa in the Southern U.S. (e.g., several early Southern references to the Martini call it the "Martina"). As far as I know, though, Thomas remains the only source for his recipes.