Rick Santorum - Beer Lover

This weekend unlikely GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum did something I wish more candidates would do. And he did it without the hilarious and pitiful result that Hillary had four years ago.

From Chicago Sun-Times

 Santorum went to Millstream Brewery in Iowa and waxed lyrical about beer. I appreciate a candidate who can actually taste a beer and decide if it's any good. I can't describe typical American Beer consumption as anything other than lazy. Why oh why would you settle for Miller/Bud/Coors every time when five seconds of tasting a six pack that's almost as cheap (and possibly cheaper based on alcohol content) will tell you what types of beer you enjoy.




As Santorum went on, he displayed one of my main issues with social conservatism - he's willing to think about some important things like beer and be totally thoughtless on others. At the bottom of the Huffington Post article, he bares his stripes: "Instead of the story of the prince and the princess, there will be stories about two princes." Yeah, because gay marriage being made legal (or, more precisely, it was declared in violation of the state's constitution to ban it) will totally make it so all children are corrupted by stories about gay princes. The creepy stories we already have definitely make all kids sleep with 7 dwarfs, wear glass footwear, and stay in castles with large hairy and violent beasts. Not to mention kleptomania induced sing-alongs with Robin-Williams blue genies. Stick to drinking beer Rick, you won't have my vote ever.

I am ashamed at myself for missing this story. I do not even know where to start on this one. I guess most things in North America go back to how much Canadians love hockey. Being a proud drinker of my birth state's beer, I heartily approve of President Obama's choice of a case of Yuengling to supplement the mandatory case of Molson.

Here's to a US victory over Sidney and the Canadians next time around!

Drink the Best Wine First - Or Just Stick to Cheap Wine. Your Call.

While I may heartily agree with Nanuchka, I also don't think the best wine has to be expensive. Given my past swilling break-even Welch's, I can honestly say I have enjoyed cheap wine on many an occasion.

Recently, however, I have fallen victim to what appears to be an American trend in wine purchasing: Almost every bottle I buy is $12-$18. While I sometimes plan on buying a cheap magnum of wine, I am seduced by the rack upon rack of wine and when my eyes are dragged to the sale bottles, I end up thinking "$11.99 down from $15.99, that's a steal" when I should really be thinking "If they can sell it for 3/4 the listed price, I could probably find something that tastes as good for 1/4 the price."

A recent Slate article prompted me to write on this topic. Also, according to Slate, one of the biggest complaints some people have (I've never really minded this) about cheap wine - the inconsistent quality - is no longer a factor because of "falling market share over the last 15 years."

So, here's to drinking cheap wine from large glasses and getting flushed without paying much.

Di Saronno

With a heady and unexpected smell, my first drink of Disaronno a few weeks back was delicious. I had always thought of it as a little too flashy of a liqueur because of their commercials a few years back. The cocktail I was making was the penultimate on my goal to try all 10; The Godfather. I have no plans currently to try the Zombie, though I'm sure I will eventually. If it warrants, perhaps it will return on a post about the undead?

Found on Drink Studio

Much to my surprise, Disaronno is a delicious and unique drink. Dating back hundreds of years, Ameretto now appears to me to be a nice addition to the homebar. While not yet worthy of a 'core' liqueur status, I certainly don't regret adding a bottle of Disaronno like I do that bottle of Floe Gin from a while back. Update: DON'T expect a post about making my own Sloe Gin, that stuff is not good.

Git' Drunk

Additional Amaretto A-Links
Cocktail DB on Amaretto

Wikipedia on Amaretto

Actual Wikipedia on Disaronno

Cocktail - Stinger

While this cocktail is listed as a nightcap, I find it has a lot of potential in other situations as well. The thing about how your mouth tastes late into a night of drinking is that you're too drunk to care that your barbecue chicken tequila rum beer milk breath is gross. Luckily, I recently came across the Stinger. It's simple to make and uses ingredients that will (at least for me) stick around for a while. Plus, when you're done, your mouth is fresh and your belly cool and settled. 

Stinger
1 Part Brandy
1 Part Creme de Menthe

Shake hard with five or six ice cubes; err on the side of less ice in the shaker. The sloshing, foaming consistency you want requires a harder shake and less ice. Pour into any rounded glass, ice and all.

Was reminded of this from The 10 Manliest Cocktails. I didn't like their recipe as much as I like an even proportion, but as Cocktail DB says, "NOTE: Vary proportions to alter sweetness level"

It's Pumpkin Time

Boo-zers! It is that time again... this year's hop harvests are wrapping up and the pumpkin harvest is beginning to crank up! But what to do with all that pumpkin... make some ale! The first ale that yours truly ever brewed was a pumpkin ale, and it is still a seasonal favorite, and not just because of my love affair with the Great Pumpkin.

This season, I am rising the Great one up from the patch with four different batches of pumpkin ale, just so he knows I've been patiently brewing and waiting for him all year long.

With that said, allow me to discuss with you some things that, to me, make the distinction between optimum red-faced pumpkin madness and just your regular old boozehoundery.

First and foremost: USE REAL PUMPKIN!
Disturbingly often, one will hear of people trying to get away with making a pumpkin ale that contains 0.00% pumpkin, and instead creating the flavor of a pumpkin ale with spices only. A few notable benefits of using real pumpkin include: higher alcohol content, thicker texture that is characteristic of a fine pumpkin ale, and extra badass points for using big vegetables in your boil.

I've spoken with some brewers who are afraid to use pumpkin because of all the mess it makes, and thus, don't know how to use it. Thus, here's a quick run-through of how to do it right:

a) Get pumpkins: small sugar pumpkins are best, but a medium size like the one pictured furthest to the right will do as well

b) cut into halves, remove seeds and guts
(optional) add pumpkin pie spice

c) bake skin-side-up on 375F for ~90min.
The flesh should be cooked now. Take it out
and remove the skin and the stem. Now, add
it to your beer when you start boiling*

*Boiling your pumpkin for 60 minutes is pretty standard, but you will lose all the pumpkin flavor and gain all its fermentable sugars and the thick texture. I have heard of people adding pumpkin at the last minute for flavor, but I cannot speak in favor if this latter technique.

With that out of the way, let us now delve into the rest of what makes a pumpkin beer unique... the spices!

Typical pumpkin beers include such spices as cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I'm always experimenting with when and how much, but generally using 1-2 tsp (per 5gal of beer) of your preference of spices in the flavoring-aroma stages of the boil (30-10 minutes left). Adding a dash of vanilla extract at bottling is also occasionally done, I'll be trying this for the first time soon. I have heard of people adding powdered lactose (non-fermentable milk sugars) after fermentation ends as well, to really thicken up the flavor, but I just don't have the heart to do it. Ultimately, it's a matter of pumpkin-y preference, so do what sounds the most delicious to you!

That is all of my gourd-derived wisdom for you libation-lovers today. Spend this October and Halloween drinking pumpkin ales and getting into drunken mischief; may the Great Pumpkin be with you!

Infernally fermenting,
Mr. Beerd

[primary: Palouse Pumpkin Porter]
[secondary: Big-Ass Pumpkin Beer]
[tap 1: Rye Pale Ale]
[tap 2: The Great Pumpkin's Ale]

The Maple Froth

A few weeks back I played a small but pivotal role in turning a relaxed picnic-dinner party for 35 into a 2AM affair. I overheard the host talking to a deputy host about how the wine was running low but he didn't have time to go get more. When the deputy replied with "We'll just wait to put out the last bottles, one per table with the main course" I cut in to offer my services on a liquor run.

Forty-five minutes later I returned with enough bottles of wine for the party to remain in full swing. With me also was the reason for this post, a bottle of maple rye. While the bottle was greeted publicly with derision by other guests, and privately by myself as well, I waited to open it until I got home. After a few drinks, I must confess I've added it to three or four different cocktails and found it to be an excellent rye whiskey variation.

Unlike the cheap-ass ginger brandy I bought earlier this summer, this is "not too sweet, ridiculously smooth." I couldn't describe it better than the Cabin Fever Homepage

The Maple Froth
5 oz Cold Black Coffee
5 oz Cold Milk
1 oz Cabin Fever
1 oz Coffee Liqueur
2 tbsp Ovaltine Powder

Fill a shaker halfway up with ice. Do not overfill. Pour ingredients into mixing glass - do not overpour these, as the cocktail will froth up and explode all over your mixing surface. Shake for a generous 20 seconds and then strain into a pint glass. I haven't yet mastered the pour on this one, I end up wiping the glass down with a wet rag before drinking because it bubbles up as you pour.

This delicious (and odd as hell) cocktail doesn't fit a category easily. It has a light flavor - with the ovaltine, liqueur and maple syrup all providing sweetness. The coffee and rye bite is offset by the sweet ingredients and the milk. I am a long time fan of a Redface White Russian, which this drink loosely resembles.

Redface White Russian
6 oz Vodka
2 1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
24 oz Milk

Pour vodka and coffee liqueur into (clean) tall vase.  Add a few ice cubes for looks and fill with the milk. Suck it down like it's a glass of chocolate milk and you are a 7 year-old who just came in from playing outside all afternoon. Repeat.

Try a few of these with bourbon instead of syrup....

Inventive Brewing - "The Bacon Deluge"

An Uncommon Beer for the Uncommon Brewery. I don't have much to say about this other than that I love bacon, and I will be checking my end of the I-80 corridor for the pounders of bacon beer later this year. Expect an update when I get a taste - or get me a taste and I'll get you an update.

Cheers to inventive brewers.

Redfacery Post #101; A New Introduction

Greetings boozers!

Mr. Redface has graciously invited me to write guest columns on beer and brewing. My designated mission is to share my adventures in home brewing with you, the debaucherous public. Hopefully, my experiences honing the art can serve to better inform you drunks on the other end of the boozing spectrum, where all the ingredients are mixed into your drink weeks (or months) prior to intoxication.

In future posts, you can expect to read about experimental brews I'm testing out as well as tips on improving your batches. I will also use this blog to document progress on larger brewing projects that I'm working on (coming this winter... my switch to all-grain & increasing my batch volumes; coming this spring... building a fermentation chamber).

I look forward to pouring you the bubbly, carbonated knowledge for which you are all thirsting. I will leave you for this time with a few photos of my most recently finished project...

After four long years of washing and cleaning bottles, I recently made the jump to investing in a kegging system.

This is a look into the mini-fridge.

In order to fit the kegs, the freezer
compartment had to be bent down
and into the back of the fridge, and
some plastic and insulation had to
be cut and removed.

This is the business end: the CO2 regulator, tank, and gas lines.

The fruits of my labor, my very first homebrew pint on tap!

A rye pale ale, it pours perfectly and tastes like
you could drink a dozen and still crave more.

Brew On!

Mr. Beerd

[Primary: The Great Pumpkin Ale]
[Secondary: empty]
[Bottles to drink: G13 Ginger beer, Copper ale, Slamboom Imperial Stout]
[On tap: Rye pale ale]

Oh Nein Meine Trauben

Earlier this week an awesome/awful crime was committed. Around 5,500 lbs of premium grapes were stolen in the middle of the night from a German vineyard. The gutsy thieves brought their own harvester and escaped with nothing but tracks in the mud.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/bild-787436-263023.html

Instead of the desperate work of professionals, I personally hope it was a pair or trio of home-brewers out to make the wine batch of their lives. How cool would it be to have a couple years worth of premium pirated wine locked away in your cellar? Just saying.

Brewmaster in Chief - Medal of Honor

Click Here for the first post on the Brewmaster in Chief

The Medal of Honor is only given to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."Army Decorations Guide

There are only three living recipients of the Medal of Honor, and more than half since WWII have been awarded posthumously. Last Friday, President Obama obliged the request of the most recent recipient, former Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer, and had a beer with him on the Oval Office patio.

 Meyer's choice of Budweiser was replaced by none other than the Brewmaster in Chief's "White House Honey Blond Ale." Whew, dodged a bullet there Mr. President - switching out the adjunct-laden Bud for some good ol' fashioned homebrew. This summer the President and his (likely the guys behind 90% of the brewing) lackeys put down some Honey Porter. Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, has been giving help and suggestions to the White House, since they are just "experimenting."

All pictures and information were taken from the White House's own blogger site, http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com 

A Day of Rosiness - Alpenglow

Brett did not turn up, so about a quarter to six I went down to the bar and had a Jack Rose with George the bar-man. Brett had not been in the bar either, and so I looked for her upstairs on my way out, and took a taxi to the Café Select. Crossing the Seine I saw a string of barges being towed empty down the current, riding high, the bargemen at the sweeps as they came toward the bridge. The river looked nice. It was always pleasant crossing bridges in Paris.

-Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (1926)

 

 I saw this quote in Dale Degroff's Essential Cocktail, and it seemed to add the perfect connection to this cocktail. I always love retracing a literary giant's steps, and if I can somehow manage to do that while mixing a kick-ass cocktail, it's a good day. On to the Day of Rosiness...

You've made it this far. Don't stop now - finish that afternoon beer and move on towards the twilight of your day of drinking. Before it's time to get into some serious drinking later in the night.


Jack Rose
1.5 oz Applejack
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
.5 oz Grenadine Syrup

The Jack Rose is so surprisingly good it deserves its place among the cocktail greats, even though it is relatively unknown. I can't verify this, but according to Wikipedia several Washington Post writers got sloppy drunk attempting to order Jack Roses at 60 or so bars in DC. If I were those writers, I'd attempt to get an assignment researching as many cocktails as possible that way.

 I have always been a little puzzled that Applejack faded from its colonial glory. As you can see, our first president is "rumored" to have approved heartily of Laird's Apple Jack. When the alternative was Frontier Whiskey, you can imagine that he must have loved the slightly sweeter Apple-based liquor.
I have always carried a bottle of Applejack with any bar I set up, I think of its flavor addition as a welcome surprise in many cocktails. The apple finish it adds can smooth out a drink that would otherwise be too sour or have to much alcohol burn.

Other Apple Jack or Jack Rose resources:
Blog Post on Sloshed
Imbibe Article on Applejack

She was only a Whiskey Maker but he Loved her Still

Some drinks are meant to be sipped slowly. Full appreciation of these drinks requires attention to detail with drink ingredients and proper glassware.

Just in case you don't have time for all of that foofarah separating sober you and sauced you, there's always the one line jokes of drinking - shots. Not too much shakes your face like a nice stiff shot of high-octane ethanol. A good shot of whiskey down the hatch will tingle and burn up every limb. Toss back a few tequila shots and feel the now-rounded edges get slick.

While I do not usually drink shooters, I will mention the best one I have encountered in my time, the Liquid Cocaine Shot. A couple of these shots will get you a different brand of hosed than any traditional shot.

Liquid Cocaine
3/4 oz Jaeger
3/4 oz Goldschläger

Pour Jaeger into shot glass then slowly layer on Goldschläger. If done right the two will remain unmixed (don't worry, you don't need to be all that steady to get it to stay unmixed - if you have trouble, use the back of a bar spoon).

N.B. There are a bunch of other recipes for this, usually with Rumplemintz or º151, usually shaken with ice then strained into a shot glass. I only chose this one because it's the one I know, I can't honestly recommend any of the others having not tried them. Credit for the recipe goes to my friend Jake Itzkowitz.



I'm off to down a shot or two of Rye Whiskey. It's good to be back to Redfacery again.

Absinthe Revival on the way

I remember the first time I had absinthe very clearly. Wait, let me correct that. The first time I remember having absinthe is very clear:

Sitting in a bar in South Africa a large bartender with dreadlocks responded to my query for a good strong cocktail with "I'll make you my personal invention, a flaming goblin." He then proceeded to pour a shot of absinthe and a few dashes of a dark but aromatic high proof liqueur into a shot glass, light it on fire and toss it back - just to show me how it worked. Four or five hours and twice as many Flaming Goblins later, I had a new favorite bar in Jo'Burg.

A few years ago, when the laws in the US changed to make absinthe legal again (see this comprehensive Salon article), I investigated getting a bottle. But with prices what they are, I have no desire to buy a 60$ bottle lacking thujone.

In the end though, I think good absinthe is on the way soon. This week France finally lifted the last part of the 100 year ban and allowed Absinthe to be called Absinthe again. A dash of absinthe figures prominently in many historical cocktails, and for good reason. While a cup (even properly prepared) of absinthe can be difficult to approach, the depth and finish it can add to a carefully crafted cocktail is invaluable.


Redface Tip:
Check your local liquor store - I've only ever found this in one particular store in NJ - but if you are lucky enough it might be locally available. I know I pay $22-$24 for it.

Also, check out FKR's article on the Return of the Green Fairy

A Tribute Cocktail to the 1927 Mississippi Flood

As will typically happen given the reality of 24-hour news coverage, I got bored with stories about the Mississippi river flooding several days ago. Having lived through one serious flood in my life, I certainly empathize with those effected, but don't have any need to hear the same story thirty-five times in a row.
That said, Wednesday afternoon I heard a story with a different take on NPR - the music of the 1927 flood. What really caught me was when they played a section from Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy's "When the Levee Breaks". The legendary Led Zeppelin song - yeah - it was a cover of this song.

 

Inspired by the music of the 1927 flood, and in honor of the current flooding, I present to you my very own Muddy Delta Cocktail. 

Muddy Delta
1 oz American Honey (Wild Turkey Whiskey)

3 Tbsp Demerara Sugar

1/2 oz Dark Rum

Guinness

I know this recipe is in a funny format - I put them in the order you prepare and not the way I usually put things down. 

First pour the whiskey into a pony shot glass (1 oz glass). Set aside. Spoon the Demerara sugar into a wet ~10 oz rocks glass. Swirl the glass to make sure the sides are coated about 3/4 of the way up. Add the dark rum and then pop open your Guinness and pour it in. Before the Guinness has cleared, turn to whomever you are drinking with and say: "If it keeps on rainin'"- Eliciting the response: "Levee's goin' to break" - Drop the whiskey in and take a long slow drought.

A few notes about this cocktail: You may use brown sugar or raw sugar if you don't have Demerara laying around. Though a few bucks at a natural food market will get you enough Demerara to last you a year or two. There is (obviously) too much sugar in this cocktail. The intention is for you to have some sediment on the bottom and froth all down the glass when you finish.

Finally, here is the original recipe I started with, which got the response "Uck, it tastes like muddy water" from my taster.

Muddy Delta 1.0

2 Tbsp Demerara Sugar

3-4 Dashes Fee Brothers Bitters

Guinness

1.5 Oz Scotch

Beer Fast and Bacon

Ever since I came across the Modern Drunkard article on beer fasting, I have wondered what the experience would be like. I did a fast once - only 72 hours, but it was enough to go through a few of the thought processes that seem to go through fasters' brains and bodies. And no, this is not the part where I tell you about my bowel movements.

A recent successful beer fast by J. Wilson for lent was impressive. He brewed his own beer for the experiment, pictured above, and kept an inspiring blog throughout his fast. And, he finished it all off with a bacon smoothie.Check out his blog for the full details, but here is his video post for his 40th day.

Cheers to you J. Wilson.

Shackleton's Scotch Replicated

Stranded out in the cold - frostbitten and hungry. With nothing to eat but dried seal meat, few supplies and ambitions dwindling. Nothing to drink but delicious scotch. Sounds like a hell of a good life, huh?

As a follow up to my previous post, more on Shackleton's Scotch below:

According to tasters of Shackleton's 100+ year old scotch, the frozen whisky was far from swill. In fact, it was delicious enough that the Whyte and Mackay Distillery has produced 50,000 bottles replicating its taste.

The "new" scotch is "well-balanced, with soft fruity characters and a touch of smoke." While it sounds like he's reading a cheap wine label, and 'smoke' is code for 'metal carboys' I'd drop a fair amount of money on a bottle of that in the event that they make more of them.

A Day of Rosiness - Midday Tincture

That's right, it's time for the second installment of rosy drinks to get you through the day. Hopefully your Morning Effusion has put you in a perfect place to appreciate your very own Midday Tincture:

This drink started its life as a Rosy Deacon, but quickly morphed into something different. At first taste, the Rosy Deacon is a little jarring to me. The gin and grapefruit juice certainly pair nicely, but the sloe gin is too sweet and thick in your mouth and throat. Instead of leaving you hungry for more, it almost makes you want to - gasp - clear your mouth with some water.

Rosy Deacon
3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Sloe Gin
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
Sugar to Taste

Rosy Deacon (Try 2)
1 oz gin
1/2 oz Sloe Gin
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
Sugar

For the second try, I went with frosting the glass with sugar rather than actually mixing any into the drink, as the original was more than a little too sweet. This one was better, but still not a cocktail I'd recommend. I liked the dryness of the grapefruit juice, but since I know I won't usually have grapefruit juice on hand, I tried out a new recipe that substitutes vermouth for the fruit juice. The result is a cocktail I could happily drink to keep me Rosy.

Rosy Layman
1 oz Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Sloe Gin
1/4 oz Grenadine Syrup
Sugar

Once again, I frosted the glass with sugar, which was very successful. The Rosy Layman has a sour taste, but the sugar from the rim sweetens it up just a little bit. The combination of dry vermouth and gin are crisp enough that they cut through both the sloe and the grenadine. I was a little afraid that this would be little more than a gin martini, as the scent when I make it is very similar. That ended up being a totally unnecessary worry, and the Layman is its own beast.

Until Alpenglow, stay rosy.

A Day of Rosiness - Morning Effusion

In several parts, I would like to present to you a day's worth of cocktails that will keep you rosy. To start things off, we have the Morning Effusion, a Rosy Navel:

Morning Effusion:

Rosy Navel
4 oz Rosé Wine
1 oz Curacao
2 oz Orange Juice
Lemon-Lime Soda

Add the wine, curacao, and orange juice to a shaker half full with ice and stir languidly. Do not shake, as this will really mess up the taste from the rosé (unless you're throwing a party with this stuff and you've gone for box o' wine in which case who the hell cares if you shake it?) Pour into collins glass with some ice, then top with the soda. Garnish if you wish with a lemon wedge.

This cocktail is obviously light on liquor, which makes it perfect for an early start to the drinking day. A few glasses of this will add the requisite glow to the morning and get you ready for our Midday Tincture.

Barware - Citrus Squeezer

I recently bought my own hand juicer. For several years, I've always just used a knife and my hand to squeeze out the juice whenever I need fresh lemon or lime. I don't mind washing off the juice, and I enjoy the tactile aspect of squeezing fresh juice for a cocktail.

Recently, however, I have been using a borrowed glass juicer. While it is easier to get the juice out of the lemon/lime, in the end it works less well. I never used to worry about pulp - which is one requirement of not using a juicer, you must be okay with suspicious floaties in your final concoction. However, as I have played around some with the texture of various cocktails (see Demon of Destiny for example), I sometimes want to strain out all of the pulp.
With the glass one I am borrowing, that poses quite a task. I use the barspoon to lift out the bigger bits, and then try to strain it through the spoon as I pour into a shotglass to measure. I usually wind up with either a sticky counter or no idea how much juice I put in.

This hand juicer gives me the satisfaction of squeezing the crap out of something - and yet the juice just pours right out, free of pulp. I hold it right over my jigger, squeeze, and then pour into the mixing glass. It's as easy as that.

If you run across one of these and you don't currently have a juicer of any sort, it's a good purchase - I got mine for $10, not the $13.99 + shipping on Amazon. Happy mixing!

Kirin Brewery Hit Hard by Tsunami

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan spared nothing and no one - not even breweries! Kirin's brewery in Northern Japan was hit hard. It sits right on the harbor and you can see the giant tanks of beer that have been knocked down. I just hope the next picture that comes out of this brewery is the workers having lashed the tanks together and creating a drunken raft to float on to safety...

Map of Kirin's Brewery in Northern Japan
Wikipedia Article about Kirin Brewing Company 

Brewmaster in Chief

Barack Obama - The United States first Brewmaster in Chief

Last month at the White House Super Bowl party something historic occurred. For the first time ever in American history, the President served beer brewed on site. The beer, which was the "White House Honey Ale," was made using honey from the White House beehive.

At the party, there were approximately 100 12oz bottles served, and there are plans in the works not only for more beer, but TO GROW HOPS IN THE WHITE HOUSE GARDEN.

All pictures and information were taken from the White House's own blogger site, http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com

Blame it on the Alcohol

 

I don't normally tune in to Glee - I have watched a few episodes from each season, usually when I am in the mood for 40 minutes of pop songs actually sung and performed well - and I'm doing something else at the same time so Glee is just background. The most recent episode, S2 E14, is all about drinking, and I loved it. Anytime I get to hear "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," I'm not complaining too loud.

I am not encouraging you become a fan of the show (and its crappy high school drama storyline), but if you have enjoyed music videos before, and like alcohol, you should check out this episode. It's on Hulu

The Wise Man's Fear

Patrick Rothfuss' second book came out today - The Wise Man's Fear

His first, The Name of the Wind, is a truly well written book.

You would do well to take a look at the first and pick up the second if you like it.

I don't drink but when I'm thirsty or when the wind's blowing

Page 578, The Name of the Wind

Satanic Cocktails - Demon of Destiny

A vortex of taste greets your pallet - the scent is undefined, but crisp and fiesty. You get a feeling like there is someone waiting behind you, or is that just the hair on the back of your neck standing up as your tongue goes numb with the next sip?

The effervescent cocktail before you beckons you with riches, it's golden shade mocking your impoverished soul, daring you to dream of the riches your hellish desires contain.

You may have just been shown your demonic destiny.

Demon of Destiny
1.5 oz. Gin
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
.5 oz Absinthe
.25 oz Tequila
.25 oz Agave Syrup

Add all ingredients into a shaker half full with ice. Shake like you want the minions of hell to break out of their fiery (icy) tombs. Double strain to remove all of the small ice chunks - you want this cocktail to glisten. Let the demonic struggle begin as the tequila, absinthe, agave, and gin all fight tooth and horn to be the last taste left in your mouth.

Progenitor: Destiny Cocktail

Midori Challenge

I bought a bottle of Midori in a weak moment a few months back - I'd heard quite a few recipes that used them, and though none of the recipes seemed like they were my type, I figured it had to have some redeeming qualities.
 When I got to the end of the Behind the Bar episodes I was interested in, I listened to some of the ones that didn't interest me at all - and since I can usually trust a Mr. Martini recommendation, I was unwisely swayed to buying Midori (Episode 27).  After several recipe tries, I can't yet find any that work - and this is in part because of its color.  It has that sickening sweetness of other products like sloe gin and Ecto-Cooler.  Ugh.  But worst of all, it's alien green.

One bad decision led to another - I took my first try directly from the little booklet that comes with a bottle of Midori. I figured, hey, that ain't a bad place to start...

And that leads me to the CHALLENGE:
Design and test a Midori drink that works.
Name it, post it here in comments, or send me an email with the details. I'll test it out if the ingredients aren't too hard to come by, and if I agree, I'll put it up.

White Dog

According to my research, the bottle of White Dog Whiskey I just picked up is a sign of the new small distilleries coming to the whiskey scene.  I have to make a stunning confession - I've never had moonshine.  I know, shocking, right.  Well, this is a 62.5% bomb that will burn your taste buds like a flask of 151º at Hallomass

Recipe attempts:

2 oz white dog
3/4 oz lemon juice
spoonful sweet vermouth
1/2 oz agave syrup (or simple syrup)
1 dash orange bitters

Taste not complete, strong white dog finish


2 oz white dog
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz agave (or simple syrup)
2 dash angustura bitters

Taste still not complete


1 1/2 oz white dog
1 1/2 oz london dry gin
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz lime juice
1 egg white
1/2 oz agave (or simple syrup)
2 dash angustura bitters


1 1/2 oz white dog
1 1/2 oz london dry gin
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz agave
2 dash angustura
1 egg

I wrote down these recipes months and months ago when I first bought White Dog. I got drunk making this post and never finished it. I decided to post it despite not having a complete recipe to present. At some point I plan on finishing it and presenting a Redface Original.  TBA.

Inaptly Judging a Drink - Color

In my opinion, too many drinks are judged by one of these three things, when they should be judged by their taste, liquor content, and history.

Color

Glassware

Name

I'll tackle color first - once you've made a few different types of cocktails, you start to recognize the colors and textures of different types - the telltale creaminess of a drink with egg whites, the (surprising) rosé of a whiskey cocktail, the silky-clear top to a gin drink. If you drink Manhattans often, you might have already had this conversation before:

You walk into the room or across the bar with a nice Manhattan in a cocktail glass
"Whatcha got there, girlie-man?"
"A Manhattan."
"What's in it? Unicorn tears and heartstrings, why not drink a real drink?"
"Whiskey. Vermouth. Bitters. A few of your teeth soon."

The problem is, even with the recent renaissance in the cocktail world, few people even know the history of the word cocktail, let alone the storied past of drinks ranging from the Pink Lady to the Papa Dobles. Here in America, the birthplace of the cocktail, a drink that isn't clear or silty brown comes with the presumption of feeble drinking abilities.

Now, sometimes it is appropriate to judge - or at least assess - a cocktail based on its color. However, you should first verify your suspicions by a hearty taste, and perhaps a request for a trial cocktail on the house. Once you know for sure that the yellow-green-neon concoction with a parasol and a fruit bouquet is indeed dreck, then go ahead and assume all the matching drinks on the premises are of similar quality.

All of this goes to the point that while a Duchess might look girly, it's 1/3 absinthe, and the other 2/3 vermouth, so back off you dolt.

Guest Column - Fair Well Through the Stormy Seas

I have never been one to drink the same thing time in and time out, so it's nice to have new suggestions to try. However, I recently rekindled a fond relationship that has been dormant as of late. She goes by the name of Dark and Stormy, not sure if you are familiar with her but I thought I'd share.

http://www.goslingsrum.com/home.asp

Start with one of my favorite rums, Gosling's Dark Rum (or any dark rum for that matter). Gosling's isn't too strong, but it's inexpensive and I love the sweet finish. Then all you need is some ginger beer. The Gosling's brand will do in a pinch but I recommend Reed's if you can find it. Reed's is less sweet and more bitter/gingery, which I feel compliments the rum more, which is already sweet enough.

Dark and Stormy   
6oz Ginger Beer
4-6oz Dark Rum

I like to keep the rum in the freezer as apposed to shaking it with some ice to avoid watering it down but either will suffice. Ginger beer goes in first, then the rum, don't stir, and enjoy. The rum will settle at the top at first, making the glass seem like a dark horizon, but will eventually mix as you drink. Hope you like it.

-Lager 

Bobby Burns

Over the last month and a half or so, I must apologize for my lack of posts - its been a busy few months, and I have been reduced mostly to swilling liquor neat or quaffing Stellas.  I know, life is hard, right?  Today, however, I'd like to pull out an old classic I've had a few times before, and in the last few days have made a bunch of times:  The Bobby Burns.

I can't find a recipe online that is quite what I've been using from Dale Degroff's paragon of drinking insight, The Essential Cocktail.  I won't reprint his here, but I will say, he favors more Scotch than vermouth or benedictine - most recipes online seem to favor either splitting it three ways, or keeping the scotch and sweet vermouth even.

Bobby Burns
Scotch
Sweet Vermouth
Benedictine

Add to shaker, stir, pour, and sit back and enjoy.

This one is obviously a close cousin to the Manhattan, so if you enjoy a silky, cool Manhattan at the end of the day, try out a Bobby Burns.  With the woody/oakiness of the scotch, and the tangy finish of the Benedictine, this drink differs from the Manhattan in its finish.  Usually on my first sip, it has a taste nearly indistinguishable from a Manhattan. It is often not until the second or third taste that I can pull out that it's scotch, and has the telltale bitter finish of benedictine. 

Since I recently ran out of Benedictine, I've been making the last few with B&B, which mellows the flavor a little.  I like it better without the brandy, but it's pretty good either way.

Scotch and Shackleton's Stash to be Studied

Aged Scotch dating to the 1907 Nimrod Expedition to Antarctica, led by Ernest Shackleton was flown by private jet to a lab in Scotland for testing and tasting. 

http://www.coolantarctica.com/images/shackleton.jpg

Researchers could hear the Scotch sloshing around despite the -22ºF.

I like my whisky almost any way, from rocket fuel to smooth and smoky, but I can't imagine how rich this stuff must taste.  My only problem is, I am the chagrined owner of a case of 'aging' dandelion wine.  Now this dandelion wine is home-brew as most of you know. My concern with this Nimrod Whisky is that no matter how excited you are about a bottle that's been hidden away, that doesn't mean it's any good.  Well, that's what I'm telling myself anyway, since the scotch being tested and tasted for six weeks before going back into cold storage.

World's Oldest Winemaking

History has always pointed to how venerable alcohol is, but new evidence published by the Journal of Archaeological Science suggests that wine may be even older than we thought.

In a cave in Armenia, "A shallow, thick-rimmed, 3-by-3 1/2-foot clay basin appears to be a wine press where people stomped grapes with their feet." NYT Article.  How cool is that?  over 7,000 years ago, people already knew the effects of cultivating the sweet nectar of grapes - and even built a specialized facility for making it.

Download the journal entry for all the science behind how they know it was cultivated wine - some interesting data about syringic acid contents then and now as well as plenty of other archaeological practices.