ndestructible by a second world war Doodlebug bomb that destroyed most of his street,  or years of his breakfast of champions, speedballs, undefeated by the “Man” worldwide may I add, including Nixon,    here’s to the bloke that survived  as he puts it several lifetimes and 50 years of rocking to make it to this ripe old age, yes the man hisself, Keef Richards, guitar god,    eternal bad boy and inspiration for many a wannabee turns 69 today! How he did it remains a mystery, did he sell his soul for rock n roll? Quite likely or maybe its his love for the music that  keeps him going , but what could be his elixir for longevity is bourbon whiskey. Ever notice that his other most oft carried accessory aside from his geetar  and probably most turned to friend on the road was that Tennessee gentleman Jack Daniels? It is said that the medicinal properties of bourbon are many, as well as imparting an all over warm feeling of goodness there are claims that bourbon whiskey is a powerful stimulant to the heart, arteries and general nervous system, hardens lung tissue,  counteracts malaria , tuberculosis and consumption. Taken properly it makes a person feel hopeful, buoyant and ambitious, case in point take a look at this video of the man guitar chopping a  marauding zealot, he’s on fire! Yes, I like to think he owes a lot to gentelman Jack although in popular culture Jack is less a genteelman and seen more as  the bad boy of spirits, he is the hard loving and living sidekick to many equally hard living characters. Am not a huge fan of the formula I have to admit, there are so many more Bourbon whiskeys on the market these days that are smoother and tastier , however the marketing campaign that launched Jack into the spotlight and made it become a favorite of not only Sir Richards but Sinatra and the Rat Packers and Paul Newman’s Hud is quite clever and worthy of a few words methinks on this glorious anniversary.

The distillery was founded in 1866 by one Jasper Newton Daniel a descendant of Scots-Irish immigrants, the recipe however dates back to 1850 or so, the only time it ceased being produced was during prohibition and World War II when corn was scarce.  Up until the 1950s, sales of Jack Daniel’s grew almost entirely through word of mouth, boosted by occasional media attention. In 1951 Fortune published an article on Jack Daniel’s that chronicled its growth and appeal to such disparate figures as the 1950 Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner, British prime minister Winston Churchill, and Hollywood director John Huston. A similar 1954 article inTrue, one of the most popular magazines of its day, put even greater emphasis on its being the favorite drink of entertainment celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, and Ava Gardner. Sinatra called Jack Daniel’s “nectar of the gods,” and he sometimes wore a blazer with a patch for an imaginary “Jack Daniel’s Country Club.”

“The first modern ad for Jack Daniel’s,” says Nelson Eddy, the brand historian, “was a small black-and-white ad simply pointing people to read a magazine article.”

What is especially interesting about Jack Daniel’s beginning to advertise regularly is that demand then exceeded supply. “From the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, it was on allocation, kind of like the rare Pappy Van Winkle line of whiskies today. The sales reps would  go into an establishment and let them know how many bottles or cases they could have. When other companies would pull back from advertising, Jack Daniel’s spent money on ads to tell people they couldn’t get it.

The approach followed a 1955 one-page marketing plan drafted at the behest of Art Hancock, the brand’s first marketing director, and Winton Smith, its first national sales director, who envisioned a future based on the heritage that Jack Daniel defined. The one-page plan, Nelson says, “codified Jack Daniel’s as authentic, made by real people in an out-of-the-way place.” Their ads are distinctive not only for what they say but also for what they show: “black-and-white photography of these people in Lynchburg, Tennessee, who aren’t in smoking jackets, [but] work clothes they wear every day to make the whiskey.”

Ever since that one-page marketing plan, there’s been a singular focus on telling the lore and legend around Jack Daniel’s. The stories use Lynchburg and its people but the takeaway isn’t Lynchburg. It’s those universal messages about pride in being independent, making your own way in the world, and standing for something authentic, no surprise its a favorite of Keith’s. The special role of Lynchburg in the Jack Daniel’s brand experience led to opening the Jack Daniel Distillery to public tours. More than 200,000 people now visit the distillery every year. The irony of this story is that though Jack is the highest selling American whiskey in the world it is produced in a dry county where law prohibits its purchase except for commemorative editions such as its original No.7 blend.

While Jack Daniel’s remained available only on allocation through the 1970s, popular culture continued to associate it with maverick independence. Paul Newman’s antihero title character in the 1963 movie Huddrinks only Jack Daniel’s, and rock musicians of the 1960s and 1970s gravitated to it just as Frank Sinatra did. No celebrities have been photographed more often holding, or next to, a Jack Daniel’s bottle than our Keith or metal guru Slash. The biggest- selling song of 2010, “Tik Tok,” by Ke$ha, includes a verse about brushing her teeth with Jack Daniel’s. Nelson Eddy  says, “When Hollywood scriptwriters want to use short-hand to show that a character is somebody to reckon with, they still put Jack Daniel’s in their hands.”

For July 4, 2011 Jack Daniel’s launched a huge, multimedia campaign to celebrate the independent American spirit. A poster from this campaign reads, “56 men signed the Declaration of Independence, one man put it in a bottle.” That about puts it  in a nutshell!

Since Jack is such a versatile character, bonding with politicians as well as movie stars , rock gods and the girl next door alike I have put together a few cocktails to suit several  occasions  be it a summer barbie, the great seduction or a drink with the lads as well as one or two that Sir Keith might enjoy too. Here’s to you man and Happy Birthday!

Jack &  Smokin Coke 

2 oz Jack Daniels or other bourbon of choice

Bottle of Mexican coca cola ( better ingredients than the canned version)

Miracle Mile Chocolate Chilli bitters

tools: Poly science Smoking Gun ( see issue #005 on all things smoke) and hickory    wood chips

Take a couple of swigs out of your bottle of coke to give you room to add the smoke. Take your wood chips and add them to your smoking gun per the instructions. Insert the tube from the gun into the top of the coke bottle and blast the coke with the hickory smoke for about a minute, take the tube out and cover the bottle opening with plastic wrap, swish bottle around , not too violently or you will end up with an explosion, allowing the smoke to permeate the cola. In a glass of your choice toss in some ice and your bourbon, add 4 drops of chilli bitters and top with your smokin coke. Because I love sweet and salt sometimes  I like to add a  smoked salt rim to my glass, up to you if you want to try it.

Lynchburg Sour

2 oz Jack Daniels, or again whiskey of choice

1 oz egg white

1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur

1/2 oz simple syrup ( 1:1 ratio sugar to water)

2 dashes Miracle Mile sour cherry bitters

tiny pinch of fine salt ( brings out the caramel flavors of your bourbon)

throw it all into a Boston shaker and dry shake without ice for about 15-20 seconds, this will emulsify the egg white and wake up its wee molecules to make them light and airy. Add your ice and shake again for about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupette or sour glass, no need for garnish it has enough going on.

Cool hand

2oz Jack Daniels

1/2 oz agave syrup

3/4 oz John D Taylor’s Velvet Falernum

1 oz fresh lime juice

2 oz pineapple juice

4 drops Bitter End Morrocan Bitters (drops not dashes, this is strong stuff mind)

Corral all your ingredients into a Boston shaker with ice and shake for 30-40 seconds or until you get a nice frost on your shaker. Strain into an ice filled  vessel, garnish with mint sprig.

The Right Honorable

1 1/2 oz Jack Daniels or whiskey of choice

1 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano

1/2 oz Fernet Branca

1 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torrino 

dash Angostura bitters

lemon peel to garnish

Add everything except the peel to mixing glass and stir for a good 40 seconds with ice until the glass is good and cold, strain into a chilled coupette glass , spritz with the lemon oil from peel and garnish with the twist.

*******

A note on the Groupies

Luxardo Maraschino is one of the very few liqueurs in the world produced by distillation. It is obtained from the marasca, a sour cherry variety exclusively cultivated by Luxardo. The distillate is allowed to mature for two years in Finnish ash vats – a wood that does not lend its color even after many years of maturing – and is then diluted and sugared. Though similarly named, this Maraschino liqueur bears little resemblance to the unnaturally colored cherries that come on your sundaes – this cherry liqueur is complex, aromatic and balanced.

Serve Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur neat or on the rocks as an after-dinner drink, with iced tonic water, or in a variety of cocktails. Drinks that can include Maraschino liqueur as an ingredient are the Mary Pickford, Cuba Libre, Daiquiri, Screwdriver, Derby Royal, York Special, Dewey Flip, Cider Cobbler, Gilmore Punch and Martinez (the Martini’s predecessor). This is a must-have for all classic cocktail enthusiasts.

John D Taylor’s Velvet Falernum has limitless possibilities in mixology. This unique liqueur, displaying flavors of lime, almond, vanilla, ginger, and clove, is an essential component in Caribbean cocktails including the Mai Tai and Zombie.

Next up…. how to celebrate Hogmanay

he wind is whipping though my hair as the silver bullet of an Aston Martin careens around the corner, “James, slow down” I hear myself saying whilst secretly my heart pounds  as the adrenalin pumps through my veins, always been a lover of fast cars and manly men. We screech to a halt at the end of a lane overlooking a lake, I see in front of me a table set just for us two, candles flickering in the late summer evening breeze, he takes me by the hand and leads me to my seat at this idyllic setting, a Nightingale starts its evening lament somewhere off in the distant trees. Ah, absolute bliss! “Darling” he says “would you care for a drink? Perhaps I can mix you my favorite tipple “. I stare into his cool blue eyes “what’s in it my love?”  Though am pretty sure he could convince me to drink lighter fluid at this very moment. .” Three measures of Gordon’s gin, 1 measure of Vodka and 1/2  a measure of Kina Lillet”.  I lick my lips, “Oh go on then”  I watch as he skillfully  shakes the drink and gives me a wink as he hands me my glass of  chilled perfection,   I stop myself from saying he would get a much colder drink had he stirred it but who am I to correct him,he does after all have a license to chill, I mean kill. I stare at his hands and let my imagination run away with me. “But first my darling” he says ” a toast and a kiss” my heart starts beating faster as his face approaches mine, somewhere I hear church bells ringing, our lips touch “Oh James”,  I sigh as the ringing bells get louder and closer , I ignore their clamor and let myself fall into his arms. “Oh James!” Still the bells get closer, sounding more like an alarm now, could I be mistaken, is there some sort of fire somewhere other than the one burning in my heart. I feel someone pulling me away, “Oh James, you’re so perfect”  I say as my arm gets yanked ” What is it! Stop that! Oh James!” I hear myself again as my arm gets yanked for the third time,  this time unable to ignore it I spin around, the scene  vanishes and as my eyes focus I come face to face with my dark bedroom and my bemused room mate who’s about to throw a glass of water over me!

Okay, yes am a cheeseball, I’ve had a mad crush on James Bond since I can remember, Sean Connery’s hairy chest used to make me giggle as a school girl and the way he would  say “Miss Moneypenny” would just give me goosebumps. But his latest incarnation brought to us by the studly yet vulnerable  Daniel Craig has me in raptures! I know its only make believe but Oh James!

Mr. Bond’s most popular tipple of choice is the Vesper , named after his double agent lover its a riff on the classic Martini, which in turn was a riff on another classic and its predecessor the Martinez. The Martini was a dry version of a Manhattan, made with gin instead of bourbon and  French dry instead of  Italian sweet vermouth, its interesting to see how the drink evolved as newer products were introduced to the American market in the late 1800′s . The Vesper however uses Kina Lillet as a sub for the vermouth, which was first produced in  1872 by a couple of French brothers from  just south of Bordeaux. The base spirit is  85% white Bordeaux wine, usually Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion or Muscadelle and the remaining 15% a blend of infused liqueurs, the main ingredient of the infusion would be Cinchona bark from Peru that contains the medicinal Quinine , Kina is  again another drink that started as a medicinal tonic.In the last couple of years  a bevvy of Cinchona and Gentian ,another bitter herb, have been used as the  base of  liqueurs that have hit both the European  and American markets, Europeans have been imbibing these bitter concoctions for centuries ( see last issue  006 on Amaro) so they have several variants to choose from, its only recently that American taste buds have come to appreciate the bittersweetness of both Kinas and Amari and so there has been a recent influx of Kina type spirits on the American market.

And so since Skyfall was recently released and bitters being one of my favorite pre and post sippers, I chose this issue to be an exploration of how to imbibe bitters, were it not a drinks blog I can assure you it would be on all things Bond , from his blue eyes to his talented pinky finger!

Cinchona

The birth of Homeopathy was based on cinchona bark testing. The founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, when translating a latin medical journal, noticed   that Peruvian bark was known to cure intermittent fevers. He took daily a large, rather than homeopathic, dose of Peruvian bark. After two weeks, he said he felt malaria-like symptoms. This idea of “like cures like” was the starting point of his writings on homeopathy. The Quinine derived from Cinchona has since the 1800′s been the main ingredient of the humble bitter tonic water which was drank originally in south east Asia with gin to make it a more palatable  malaria medicine , do you think maybe thats were  Miss Mary Poppin’s got her anthem from, only a spoon full of sugar being replaced by a thimbleful of gin.As far back as the 1500′s cinchona bark has been used to calm fever owing to its muscle relaxing capabilities, an early form of Valium, no wonder the G&T rose to such popularity amongst the uptight Brits( I am one so I think its OK for me to make fun of em).

Kina Lillet 

Lillet belongs in a family of aperitif known as tonic wines because of the addition of  Cinchona bark . Lillet is matured in oak casks and available in red ,  white  and just recently  on the market rose versions. While it has been produced since the late 19th century, the current formulation dates from 1986. The formulation was changed only to lower the sugar content; the level of quinine has remained the same. In France its drank over ice with a slice of orange, in the UK and US its use is more as a mixer in several classic cocktails, The Corpse Reviver #2, 20th Century, Bond’s Vesper, and the Old Etonian. During this last summer the rose became a favorite of mine to use in a jacked up sangria.

Exhibit # 1 Little Sparrow

2 oz Lillet rose

1 oz basil infused gin ( a bunch of fresh basil infused in a 750ml bottle of gin for a day, vodka or silver tequila can also be used)

1 oz peach or apricot liqueur (  peach schnapps is too sugary for this drink)

1/2 oz honey syrup  1:1 ratio honey to hot water

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

basil flowers for garnish

throw all your ingredients into a boston shaker with ice, shake for 30 seconds or so and strain into a ice filled collins or highball glass, garnish with a sprinkle of basil flowers.

Kina l’Avignon D’or

The late 19th to early 20th century was the “Golden Age” of French aperitif wines known as Quinquinas or Kinas. Although originally created to make quinine more palatable when administered to soldiers in the colonies, they gained popularity as producers found combinations of ingredients that were more appealing to the public. These aperitifs took on their own styles following the tastes of the regions in which they were produced.

Created in an “Alps-Provence” style, Tempus Fugit “Kina L’Avion D’Or” is produced by infusing white wine with Cinchona bark, orange peel, wormwood and other exotic spices. The result is a perfectly balanced aperitif with a deep golden hue, aromas of quince and fine marmalade, and a complex, mildly bitter flavor that leads to an elegant sweetness on the finish. Though delicious chilled or over ice, Kina L’Avion D’Or is spectacular in classic cocktails such as the 20th Century or the Corpse Reviver #2. The recipe I use it in below has the same specs as a classic Negroni

Exhibit # 2 Oro Blanco 

1 1/2 oz Kina L’Avignon D’or

1 1/2 oz Vida Mezcal

1 1/2 oz fresh oro blanco juice ( a type of grapefruit available in late winter, early spring)

4 drops Bittermen’s Grapefruit bitters

Into the Boston shaker they go, shake, shake, shake for about 30 seconds, strain into a chilled coupette and garnish with grapefruit peel that has been rubbed on the rim of the glass.

Homemade Tonic 

I had a go recently at making my own tonic syrup since I love saving a penny and learning something at the same time. If you can get your hands on all the ingredients its a doddle to make.

I used  Toby Cecchini’s recipe for Quinine syrup from the NY Times

Add 1-2 oz of the syrup depending on how strong you want it to about 6 oz of soda water, drink as a soft beverage alone or add to gin or vodka for a ruddy colored sipper.

Gentian

Gentian is a flowering plant that grows in Alpine regions of Europe, Asia and America, the name is a tribute to an Indo-European king , Gentius, who first discovered the herb had tonic properties. The Swiss use the root of the plant to distill a beverage called Gentian, it is also used in the soft drinks, Bundaberg the Australian brewing company uses it in their bitter lemon lime soda. French liqueurs Suze, Salers and Aveze are made principally from yellow gentian. It is also an ingredient in the Italian Aperol and in the aromatic  Angostura bitters. Gentian has long been used in digestive tonics, Angostura was invented by a German doctor to help the appetites and digestion of soldiers in the 1800′s , over the course of time it was used by the kings of Europe as an aid to digestion. Angostura bitters are now employed in many a classic cocktail , check out issue 006 for my own Ango based cure all, Gentian was also  used in the Middle Ages as an antidote to several poisons. Following are a few drinkies that employ Gentian based liqueurs. To your health!

Suze Gentian Liqueur

Suze Gentiane Liqueur was first created in 1889 by distillery owner Fernand Moureaux and has been traditionally prepared in accordance with the original recipe for over a century. Wild gentian is harvested from the mountains of the Jura and Auvergne regions, which are then macerated with a medley of aromatic plant extracts before being distilled. The result is a complex, highly aromatic aperitif with notes of bittersweet herbs complemented by subtle accents of vanilla, candied orange and spice.

The classic Vesper is made as mentioned above 3 parts gin, 1 part vodka, 1/2 measure of Kina, I have played with a couple of versions and one of my favorites was made using Suze.

Exhibit #3 Here’s a riff on the classic Vesper

The Lambretta

1 oz London dry gin ( Beefeater is my go to mixing gin)

3/4 oz lemon infused vodka                                                                                                                    ( 3 lemons skinned, the peels of which get thrown into a jar with 1 750ml bottle of vodka, infuse for about 2 weeks shaking from time to time)

3/4  Suze

1/2 oz simple syrup

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

2 drops Miracle Mile Yuzu bitters

throw everything in your mixing glass with cracked ice, stir for about 50 seconds, strain into a chilled coupette or martini glass, garnish with lemon twist.

Cocchi Americano

One of my  current favorite ingredients is the Italian aperitivo Cocchi Americano from the house of Asti, its the gateway from wine to liquor since it contains a small amount of added alcohol. Infused with amongst other things gentian and bitter orange peel its can be drank alone over ice or plays well with others in all sorts of cocktailian games. I tinker with the flavor somewhat adding fresh bay leaves or infusing with thai basil, sometimes I toss in a vanilla bean.

Exhibit #4 Crusta cocktail variation

The Crusta is considered the game changer in the cocktail world, before it was invented a “cocktail” usually comprised of sugar, water, some kind of bitter and some kind of alcohol. Joe Santini a New Orleans barkeep invented the Crusta by adding an acid, a weak spirit and a sweet spirit to the pot.

Self Preservation Society

Chill a steep sided wine goblet and rim the edge with sugar, I like a deep rim of about 1 inch. Peel a thick strip of lemon zest and coil it around the inside of your goblet.

1 1/2 oz London dry gin

1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur

1 oz Cocchi

3 dashes of Peychauds bitters

barspoon of Fernet Branca

1 oz lemon juice

splash of champagne

Throw it all in a Boston shaker with ice, shake for about 30-40 seconds or until a nice frost forms on your shaker tin, strain into your lemon twist lined goblet.

Salers Aperitif

Salers Aperitif is a classic French beverage created from the roots of Gentiane Lutea, a wild plant that grows at high altitudes in the Auvergne region of France. The roots are steeped in a neutral alcohol base for several months, which is then distilled with an assortment of herbs and matured in Limousin oak casks. The result is a distinctive bittersweet liqueur with earthy vegetal notes complemented by hints of citrus peel, mint and anise. I like to use it in a version of a white Negroni , in fact it works well in place of Aperol or Campari in a few drinks, or drink it alone over ice on a hot summer day and imagine you’re in your villa in the South of France  a la Keith Richards in Nelcote, well thats where my imagination runs of to anyway.

Exhibit # 5 is again based on the classic Negroni

Blanche Neige

1 1/2 oz Old Tom gin such as Haymans

1 1/2 oz Salers

1 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth

3 drops Bittermens Boston Bittahs

lemon twist to garnish

In a mixing glass add your ingredients and ice, stir for about 30-40 seconds, strain into a chilled coupette and garnish with lemon twist.

Next up…….a salute to another  bad boy Brit

y Pops, Iggy(  his real name Ignacy ) used to tell me a story when I was a but a little spud about the fable of stone soup, how a weary traveller carrying nothing more than a pot and a stone came to make the most delicious meal the basis of which was mostly roots. Immigrant Italian fishermen in San Francisco had a soup too, the word Cioppino the story goes ,originates from the Italians not being able to pronounce the phrase “chipping in” when the American fishermen at the docks would be making food they would ask for the crew to chip in an ingredient. Though a Cioppino does not contain any root veg except for maybe the odd carrot to flavor the broth I like to think that this method of making a meal from bits and pieces was also used in the Italian’s love for Amaros, or would the plural be Amari??? On the back of  every bar I’ve worked  the backbone mixers are mostly Italian , French and sometimes German potions, made by flavoring a base spirit or wine with a medley of herbs, roots and spices, did these revivers and digestif elixirs  start I wonder as a  communal boozie root and spice based “soup” with humble  beginnings,  a  bit  of  that,  a  bit  of  this. Then there’s the potato, you don’t get more of a humble warrior than that yet its been distilled in Poland and Russia for centuries into the drink of Kings as well as the common man to become Vodka and in Denmark to make Aquavit. I  admire  the  way  the  poor  man  ( and women) around the world have a way of making something spectacular out of nothing in particular, a piece of ginger  root ( ginger  is a miracle worker on the digestive tract) a stick of bark,a pinch of fennel, magic, alchemy, you get the picture.

So since  Thanksgiving has just passed , with it the memory of  bright jewel like yams or sweet potatoes glistening in all their buttery maple glory  still haunting us and since  the root veggie is such a staple of our winter menus I figured what better subject to give thanks to than the humble , hardworking root.

lets give thanks to…Amaro.In Italian the word means bitter, as I mentioned before Amari are drunk as an after dinner digestif , they have a bittersweet taste and tend to have an alcohol content of no more than about 35%. Amaro is produced by macerating, herbs, roots, barks and sometimes citrus peels in neutral spirits, sometimes in wine, this is then filtered and sugar is added to sweeten and make more palatable and a lot less like some  indigestion cure you picked up from the dragon lady in China Town. Quite a few of the Amari on the market can trace their history back to the 19th Century where many were first produced in pharmacies or by Monks in monasteries as medicinal cures. Amaro is usually drank alone , sometimes on the rocks or with a slice of orange.  More common  Italian brands that are available are Averna which is at the milder end of the bitter spectrum, Cynar ( my love), CioCiaro, Amaro Nonino and Fernet Branca which is on the stronger end of the spectrum and will slap you around a bit if you are not used to its punch.From France there is Amer Picon and Germany Becherovka and Jaegermeister ( yes you heard right). Calistaya is a modern version that is produced in Eugene ,Oregon and can be drank as an aperitif or digestif. I am an Amaro addict, I confess I love to eat foods that disagree with me, believing that feeding my soul  eternally with the memory of good food far out weighs an upset tum for a couple of hours, I usually finish a large meal with a shot I concocted at the bar I work at and now regularly dispense it to guests in need who have been known to call me “the Doctor”, quite ironic since my dream job as a ten year old was to be a pharmacist , only rock and roll and rebelling a catholic upbringing put those academic dreams to an end.

The Doctor is in ( no prescription needed)

2 oz Fernet Branca

1/2 oz angostura bitters

1/2 oz ginger  root syrup

1 oz soda water

pour it all in a glass without ice, stir briefly and shoot it in one gulp, relief will ensue in mere minutes I promise!

The Nighthawk #2 ( my go-to nightcap)

2 oz Rye whiskey

3/4 oz Cynar ( pronounced “chinar”)

1/2 oz CioCiaro Amaro

3 drops Miracle Mile chilli bitters

orange oil and twist for garnish

In a mixing glass add all ingredients except for the orange twist, add ice and give a good stir for about 30 seconds or until the mixing glass gets nice and frosty. Strain into a chilled coupette glass, spritz the orange oil  from twist over drink and plop twist inside glass.

Here’s a link to an article about this drink on Social & Cocktail from Scotland

If you are feeling adventurous here’s a recipe for homemade Amaro

DIY Amaro

You will need:

• 1 teaspoon anise seeds
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 6 fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves (about 1 sprig’s worth)
• 1 allspice berry
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon gentian root
• 3 cups 151-proof neutral grain spirit
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups water

*******

lets give thanks to…carrots & beets. Most folks that know me also know I am a juice lover, no am not talking about the chemical shite that a certain and now infamous athlete who shall not be named used to conquer the world of competitive cycling, the juice I refer to is veggie juice, my morning tipple of choice which without my digestion is sluggish and  my energy lacking, I’ve been hooked for some 15 years. About a year ago I was working on a making a new brunch cocktail list for a restaurant, I wanted it to be based on the idea of the classic Corpse Reviver, the drink created for gentlemen in the Thirties as a post binge pick me up, since my juices always make me feel so good and lively I figured why not add them to spirits  to make “Hair of the Dog” style morning elixirs, health freaks please stop shaking your head, everything in moderation which includes sometimes doing something not so good for you . The most successful flavors came from carrots, beets and celery, though celery I’ll leave you for another time since the spotlight this week is not to be yours. The juice is used raw and filtered so as not to be surprised by a chunky drink and can be used as a substitute for tomato in a Bloody Mary or made sweet and spicier by adding yet another root concoction ginger syrup.

Beet and Lemon Shrub

The history of the shrub goes back to colonial America, in the 18th Century they were used to make a refreshing precursor to modern day soda, a shrub can also be called a fruit vinegar which is usually 1 part fruit + 1 part sugar + 1 part vinegar, apple cider, champagne or red wine vinegar are the mellowest vinegars  of the bunch and less likely to make you feel like you just sucked on a lemon. The vinegar was originally added to make a digestive tonic as well as prolonging the shelf life of the sugar macerated fruit. Once the shrub is complete you can add it to plain old soda water or try experimenting with it in a cocktail, one of my favorites is a simple gin spritz.

Beet shrub recipe:

You will need:

1 cup  filtered beet juice ( remember you don’t need a chunky drink)

1/4 cup simple syrup (1:1 ratio cane sugar to water) add more to taste if its too tart for you.

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup lemon  juice

1 twist of lemon peel

Add all ingredients to a screw top mason jar and shake, leave for a day to infuse peel and dissolve sugar.  Remove lemon peel and use.

G&B Spritz

2 oz Gin, I like to use Ford’s gin or the British classic Beefeater

1/2 oz Beet shrub

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup 1:1 ratio sugar to hot water

1 oz Cocchi Americano

Add all ingredients to your boston shaker with ice and shake for 30-40 seconds till you get a nice frost on your shaker tin.

Strain into a champagne glass and top with your favorite champagne

Read more in the LA Times article on shrubs

Red Headed Stepchild

1 1 /2 oz fresh carrot juice

2 oz of aquavit or vodka, typically I use  Linie Aquavit or a good polish potato vodka like Luksusova or Uluvka

3/4 oz lemon juice

3/4 oz ginger syrup

3 dashes of Bob’s Cardamom Bitters

fennel frond  or cilantro flower for garnish

throw everything into your boston shaker with ice and shake for about 30-40 seconds or till a nice frost forms on your tin, strain into a chilled coupette or martini glass and garnish.

*******

Lets give thanks to…sweet potatoes because for one its rich in dietary fiber , and face it we all need some fiber, beta carotene for vision as well as  being packed full of vitamin C and B. In the US the sweet potato is often confused with the yam which is a completely different species and is also only a distant relation to the potato, the sweet potato is actually part of the same family as the Morning Glory that lovely forget-me-not blue  bell like flower that you see on garden hedgerows. Am a huge fan of the sweet potato but even I can’t manage to eat all the sweet potato leftovers after a Thanksgiving feast so recently I’ve started making these orphans into a sweet potato syrup that is a lovely companion to all types of whiskey as well as brandy and rum.

Sweet Potato Syrup

You will need:

1 cup of chopped roasted sweet potatoes, I roast mine with cumin and black pepper which adds a nice earthy spice to the mix.

1 1/2 cups water

optional 1 chai tea bag ( my choice is usually a chai rooibos or red bush which is caffeine free)

1 cup of cane sugar

Add the water , sweet potatoes and tea bag if using to a small pan and bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then let sit to infuse without heat for about half an hour.  Discard the tea bag and mash the potatoes with a fork or ricer into the liquid . Strain and add the sugar. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Here’s a couple of drinkies to put it in.

Rye & Almond Ramos

2 oz Rye whiskey

1 oz sweet potato syrup

1 egg white

1 oz fresh lemon juice

3 drops orange flower water

3 oz almond milk  , healthier option that the  original cream version, the almond milk turns this almost into a boozie Horchata.

soda water

star anise garnish

Add your ingredients except for soda and cinnamon to boston shaker and dry shake without ice for 20 seconds, add ice and shake again for  about 40 seconds, strain into a tall chilled glass, top with soda water and sprinkle of cinnamon

Sinnerman #2

2 oz Cognac or Brandy

1 oz sweet potato syrup

1 oz fresh lemon juice

spritz of absinthe or Anise ( not Sambuca)

2 dashes of angostura bitters

mint sprig garnish

Add ingredients to your boston shaker with ice and shake for about 30 seconds , strain into an ice filled old fashioned glass, finish with a wee spritz of absinthe , garnish with lemon twist.

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Lets give thanks to…Dandelion & Burdock roots. Back in the Seventies ( yes ok am aging myself) there was a soda delivery service up north in England called the Alpine Pop company, my Popsi would not allow fake stuff in the house with all that sugar but my Aunt was less strict and had a huge catholic brood that needed watering often and the Alpine brew was inexpensive, in fact now I come to think of it maybe she got one kid free with every 50 bottles of Alpine soda, they went through at least that many bottles a week. My cousins were a motley crew but they were deemed cool because round their house they were allowed  Alpine’s Dandelion & Burdock soda , even though its a traditional olde English drink there was something very exotic about the flavor,  similar to  rootbeer but not so medicinal and a lot less sweet. In Ye Olde Blighty its a drink that has been imbibed since the middle ages ,thats about 700 years ago ! Originally as a beer fermented from the roots of said Dandelion and Burdock plants, over time it became less alcoholic and more of a soft beverage .Not only does it contain vitamins A and C and iron, it has also been claimed to improve liver metabolism and bile production, yum bile! Fans appreciate it for its unusual flavor, described sometimes as earthy or reminiscent of licorice. I found an old recipe for the beer from The Guardian in the UK thats supposed to be quite true to the original, its attached below. I buy my herbs and roots online at Dandelion Botanicals, they have a huge selection of plants and barks. If you want to get a taste of the brew before you go forth with this project Fentiman’s does a nice version, it makes for a great summer soda or try adding it to ice cream for an ice cream float.

D&B Beer recipe

You will need:

3/4 cups of Burdock root (about 150g)
1/4 cup of dandelion roots (about 50g)
2 1/2 cups of cane sugar
2 tablespoons of black treacle
Juice of one lemon
Teaspoon of copper finings (carragheen) to help clarify the beer – optional
A beer yeast ( I usually buy this from Culver Brew supplies in Los angeles)
4.5 litres of water

Boil your roots  with half the water (and the carragheen if using) for half an hour. Experience the aroma of an unpromising vegetable stew.

Take off the heat, add the remaining cold water, the sugar, treacle and lemon and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Strain the liquid into a clean fermenting bucket and cover.

When your brew reaches room temperature add the yeast, keep covered for up to a week then bottle in strong swing top bottles. Another week and it will be ready to drink, though it is well worth easing the top off of a bottle every now and then to check for potentially explosive levels of fizziness. Once ready it is a good idea to keep the bottles in the fridge to prevent further fermentation.

The bottle pictured above was quite sweet with a low alcohol content and a touch cloudy because I did not use finings. The flavour is mildly bitter and aromatic with a now pleasant hint of that vegetable stew

D&B Syrup recipe

You will need:

2 teaspoons of ground dandelion

2 teaspoons of ground burdock root

2 dry star anise roots

4-5 small chunks of peeled chopped ginger root

3 pints of water

cook the mixture in  water for about half an hour. It will be a very strong-smelling and bitter brew; add sugar gradually until it’s sweet enough for your taste. When serving, add club soda for fizz and to adjust the strength.

time for a bath

dandelion steam facial

SouthSea Swizzle

2  oz demerrara rum

1/2 oz smith and cross rum

barspoon or half a teaspoon of absinthe

2 dashes angostura bitters

about 8 mint leaves for muddling

1 oz fresh lime juice, key lime or Persian lime juice adds a fragrant note to this sipper and are currently in season in Southern Cali

1 oz D&B syrup

mint sprig and half a key lime for garnish

swizzle stick for stirring or  a bar spoon can also be used

the human blender

gently muddle the mint with syrup in  a high ball or collins glass, add rest of your ingredients except for garnish plus  crushed ice, insert  stirring tool and twirl the handle end of it in between the palms of your hand for about   30-40 seconds  or until a nice frost forms on the glass. Add more ice if needed , for garnish poke a hole in the half of the key lime with a skewer, thread the stalk of the mint sprig through the hole and nestle the bottom of your lime half in the ice, add straw to drink.

D&B Egg cream

1/2  cup of cold whole milk

1 1/2 oz D&B syrup

barspoon acid phosphate ( used to add a tart zingy  quality to drinks without using citrus juice ,traditionally used in American soda fountain drinks not usually in the NY egg cream but I think it adds a little spark to the creaminess)

1 cup cold bottled seltzer water

optional  1 1/2 booze, I find whiskey works really well, but then I find whiskey works really well anywhere, Scotch or Rye preferred

Add the syrup and the milk to the glass with the phosphoric acid, give a good stir, top with the cold seltzer water, no ice needed if your ingredients are good and cold.

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Lets give thanks to…the potato. It is after all part of my Polish heritage and has been produced there since  the early Middle ages. At the time the word “Wodka” referred to chemical mixtures such as medicine and cleansers , whilst the popular beverage was known as “gorzalka” which literally translates to mean “to burn” or heat. As a kid I suffered from hideous headaches, my witch doctor granny would soak a towel in 100% proof Polish vodka that the old timers called “spiritus”, she would wrap it around my head whilst chanting some sort of incantation to draw out the demons from my pain filled noggin. I don’t know if it worked, I usually nodded off probably as a result of all those alcohol fumes anaesthetising  my brain, gran also rubbed the magic potion on our gums when we had toothache, is it honestly any wonder I became a bartender! A pharmacist back in the early days asserted that vodka could serve to increase fertility and awaken lust! Hmm so maybe the numerous cousins in our family were the result of  my aunt and uncle’s vodka fueled night time operations. Who knew they seemed so puritanical!

Some Polish Vodka brands also go back centuries, the first Vodkas were distilled from Rye, Zubrowka  dates from about the 16th Century, Goldwasser ( German translation “goldwater”) from the early 17th Century. The nobility of Poland were granted a monopoly on producing Vodka in their lands which was a substantial source of their pockets. Early production methods were pretty basic and not as high in alcohol as it is today, usually it was distilled three times then water was added to lower the alcohol content, it wasn’t until the late 19th Century that potatoes were used to make this aphrodisiac. Here’s  a couple of riffs on classic cocktails made with Wodka…

Moscow Mule variation

2 oz of vodka

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz ginger syrup

Pilsner beer to top it off

mint sprig for garnish

Shake all ingredients  except for  beer in a Boston shaker filled with ice. Dump contents into a chilled glass or if you’re lucky  a chilled copper mug ( copper is a good conductor of heat and cold so it keeps your drink colder longer). Top with your beer and garnish with a mint sprig.

Smoky Martini

2 oz smoked vodka ( see issue 005 on all things smoked)

1 oz Dolin dry vermouth

dash celery bitters

green olives for garnish,if you want stuff them with smoked gouda

In a mixing glass add vodka , vermouth, bitters and ice, give a good stir for about 30 seconds, strain into a chilled coupette or martini glass and garnish with your olive/s.

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Thanks also to the most excellent photography of Patrick O’Brien-Smith, his are the moody,  sexy  pics that bring my page to life. He so good he can even make a cup of carrot juice look seductive, check more of his work out here

Lastly thanks must go to  my Pops, thank you for all your stories and for your your patience with my inquisitive side. Am curious too if I was the result of copious amounts of the Polish lusty elixir, maybe its best that I dont know. Love you Popsi!

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Bar Basics

Swizzle stick

 The Swizzle stick, used mostly for stirring drinks that contain crushed ice

Trident Barspoon

 The Trident spoon has a lovely weight to it and spins perfectly , its my favorite companion on the bar

yarai mixing glass

The Yarai glass is lovely and  a sturdy tool for your home bar

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Boozie Basics

Cynar is a lovable oddball. This bitter liqueur is naturally flavored with thirteen herbs, most prominently–and strangely–artichoke. It also happens to work marvelously as both an aperitif and a digestif, unlike just about every other amaro we’ve come across. Introduced in 1952, it’s a relative newcomer to the bitter market, but it will quickly become a new favorite.

Fernet Branca Though created as an herbal tonic in 19th-Century Milan, Fernet-Branca has gained tremendous popularity in Argentina served with cola. Flavored with more than 40 herbs and spices–including myrrh, chamomile, aloe, cardamom, and saffron–Fernet-Branca is an aromatic, bitter, and utterly intense aperitif. While certainly an acquired taste, this bracing liqueur will inspire you to come back for a second try.

This storied liqueur, sold for numerous ailments throughout its lengthy history, was one of the few commercial alcohol brands still available as “medicine” under Prohibition. Today, you don’t need a prescription to enjoy it straight, on the rocks, or served with ginger ale.

Old Overholt Rye is a great introduction to rye whiskey, and makes an excellent base for cocktails like the Manhattan or Sazerac. An earthy whiskey with slight spice notes on finish.

 Linie Aquavit , produced from potatoes, is flavored with caraway, dill, aniseed, sweet fennel and coriander. Matured in Oloroso sherry casks, the oak gives this Norwegian aquavit a golden color and soft notes of vanilla, and the remaining hints of sherry provide a subtle sweetness. Oxidation softens the herbs and spices, contributing to a rounder, more mellow taste. The casks are then stored on the deck of a ship as it travels around the world. Every bottle of Linie Aquavit carries the details of its journey: you will find the date of departure from Norway, the date it returned after crossing the Equator twice, and the name of the ship.

 
Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica rum has a light mahogany amber color and is incredibly aromatic, flavorful and fully characteristic of 100% pot still rums with all of the associated heaviness (admittedly acquired tastes for many people).  Tropical fruits notes like pineapple, papaya, orange peel as well as  mild spices like clove, cinnamon, coriander and saffron.  Dried tobacco, damp musty leather, a subdued brown sugar sweetness and mild vanilla add complexity.

Distilled on Jamaica, produced in the UK. Blend of two rums, the first is aged for less than one year, the second is split between 1 1/2 and 3 years.”Navy Strength” refers to the  British Royal Navy’s requirement that shipboard rum be bottled to a strength of at least 57% alcohol by volume.  If the ship’s magazine were to have rum sloshed onto it, the gunpowder would still be able to be ignited.

If you’re looking for an overproof rum with that real old world flavor to jack up your rum drinks, stop when you’ve found Smith & Cross.

Next up….more Bitter truths

kay okay, so I borrowed the pic above from LA times , I could have tried to replicate it at home in my brown 70′s kitchen but I doubt it would have resulted in such a dramatic, sexy photo. I am guilty as charged, its a fair cop mate and all that!

My other admission is I have a penchant for a bit of the old smoke, be it from an  earthy Mezcal, a peaty bottle of Scotch whiskey, wood smoked bacon or just standing next to a bonfire will usually satisfy my senses, even if momentarily.It must be a primal thing, as a species we’ve been fascinated by fire and smoke since the days of the  cave man, smoke adds a hearty , almost comforting flavor to whatever it touches and fire serves to intensify flavor. In Scotch making Peat fires are used to smoke the barley for whiskeys from Islay, Mezcal the sultry more serious  Oaxacan sister of  Tequila derives its flavor from the agave hearts that are roasted in underground  pit ovens before being fermented and distilled. Even teas can be smoked, the Chinese tea Lapsang Souchong is made by smoking the tea leaves over pine fires, its not the prettiest of flavors I will admit but add some sugar and wee dram of whiskey it enlivens your senses and makes you think of crisp winter evenings by the fireside , or at least it does that to me. If you want to take the Lapsang challenge I have a recipe below in bar basics  for a quick smoked tea liqueur, let me know what it makes you think of, I wish I could say prize awarded for the most imaginative, maybe a cup of tea round my house with a pack of Hob Nob biscuits and a deep discussion with my room mate on Independent cinema . But I digress, the Chinese go one step further with the tea and use it to smoke food, tea smoked tofu or fish or fruit, they do it by adding tea,uncooked rice and sugar to the base of a wok then adding a basket  over the top that holds whatever they want to smoke. Genius Chinese, its an incredible flavor!

All this smoke whispering got me to thinking how I could incorporate said smoke into  beverage making.On a recent project I was given I decided to try my hand at smoking Tequila, a co-worker and well respected bartender gave me a wink and said “you know you could use Mezcal instead” for this instance  though I wanted to capture that just off the bonfire flavor so for me only wood smoke would do.I also smoked some tomato water to do a twist on a Chelada ( Mexican beer drink that includes tomato juice). The smoke heightened certain notes of the tequila and added a lovely nuance, for a bit of the old theatrics I added a curl of smoke to each glass before serving, it lingered in a ghostly wisp inside the jar

Its not as hard as it sounds,though I recommend doing this outside rather than in your fire alarm rigged house,  I was taught this technique by a butcher: take a metal baking pan , in one corner add a pile of damp wood chips ( the water is needed to make more smoke) on the opposite side of the pan insert a smaller metal bowl with the liquid you want to smoke inside it, make sure it will not spill out and drown your wood chips. Cover the whole shebang with saran making sure that there’s enough coverage on the sides so that when the warm air from the smoked wood rises  it does push the smoke out of your ill wrapped pan. Set the pan on an even surface with the wood chippy end hanging off, you need to hang off so you can aim some heat at it in the form of a torch, Enter stage right: the culinary torch, ($19.99 from sur la table or in LA, Surfas) light the torch and direct the flame at the underbelly of your pan where the wood is sitting, it will take a moment to see the smoke starting to curl, I usually do in 1 minute bursts, testing the flavor in between each torching.

An alternative method would be to use the Smoking Gun from Poly Science, its an investment of around $100 but if you plan to use it often it will pay off for its ease of use and fast results. Mind its not nearly as fun and science projecty as the pan method above.

As well as smoked tequila try scotch and bourbon or gin and vodka for smoky martinis(try an orange twist to complement your martini instead of lemon),or even Coca Cola, how about a a smoked Jack and Coke  or smoked rye and Rootbeer, or just smoke your glass before adding ice and cocktail, use a wood chip , bay leaf, pile of tea or spice,place it on a small plate, set it on fire and place your cocktail glass over the top to collect the smoke kind of like a bell jar. A couple of clever bartenders in San Fran throw the smoking bay leaf into the glass and top it with ice so it traps the smoke, there’s no wrong way to do it and its fun I think to try different methods. I even used eucalyptus leaves from the tree outside my door, the leaves were young so they added a lovely citrus scent to my cocktail. The best results I’ve found come from bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise pods and chai tea, try experimenting too with different woods , apple, cherry, hickory most popular, wood soaked in sherry works lovely too as does cotton wool soaked in essential oils thats then set alight. Be warned some dry herbs make your house smell like Dr. Green has made a house-call if you know what I mean.

If all this sounds like too much hard work you could always resort to just using a  smoky Scotch or Mezcal in your drink making. Islay in Scotland is called the capital of smoke for producing the largest amount of smoky scotches, the smoke comes from drying damp barley over burning peat fires. The scotch I turn to the most is Laphroaig, this was my Pop’s favorite holiday nightcap and the one thing my Dad and brother could agree on so understandably I have a soft spot for it, though it took me a while to appreciate but now I cant imagine a great scotch cocktail without it,  its a gorgeous partner to citrus especially orange and Japanese Yuzu. Or Mezcal, try your next salt rimmed margarita with Mezcal instead of Tequila and let me know what you think, Mezcal is a great companion to savory, such as celery or cucumber but can also be mixed with florals and aromatics, its a pretty versatile addition to the liquor cabinet if you ask me.

Here’s a couple of drink ideas for you:

El Guerro

1 oz Vida Mezcal

1 oz Ballantines blended scotch whisky

1 oz Cocchi Americano ( see previous post for flavor profile)

3/4 oz agave syrup

1 oz lime juice

grey or smoked salt and cucumber slices for garnish

1 bay leaf for smoking

Add all of you ingredients except for the garnish into your boston shaker, shake over ice until you get a nice frost on your tin , about 40 seconds should do, meanwhile have your bay leaf, ice cube rock and glass ready, set fire to the bay leaf and place into your glass, add your ice cube/s strain cocktail into the glass, garnish with sprinkle of salt onto ice cube and finish with couple of slices of cucumber, I like Persian or hot house English varieties.

Eastern Promises

2 oz smoked Ballantine’s blended scotch whiskey

1 oz lapsang liqueur

1 oz Oj (fresh squeezed makes all the difference and is less acidic)

1/2 oz amaro Cio Ciaro

1/2 oz egg white

4 drops Miracle Mile chilli bitters or Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters

star anise pod and orange twist for spritzing

smoking star anise to scent glass

On a small non flammable surface place your anise pod, set it alight then place your inverted glass on top of it, the flame will extinguish and the smoke will fill up your glass. Leave until ready to fill glass with cocktail. In your Boston shaker add all ingredients except for the orange peel and star anise pod , dry shake (without ice) for about 20 seconds to whip the egg white and aerate it, add a couple of small ice cubes and give a good shake for about 40 seconds. Grab both your wire and coco strainers, strain though coconut strainer into your smoky glass, finish with orange oil spritz      ( take peel and give it a squeeze so oils drop onto glass and drink) from your peel and top with the burnt anise pod.

The Flintlock

2 oz Ballantines or Famouse Grouse blended scotch

1 oz lapsang liqueur

chocolate chilli bitters ( Miracle Mile or Bittermens do nice versions)

1/2 oz Laphroaig single malt

orange twist for garnish

applewood chip for smoking

Flaming orange peel

On a non flammable surface such as a small plate place your wood chip and set alight, place your cocktail glass over the top inverted like a bell jar. In a mixing glass add your scotch, bitters and tea liqueur, add ice and stir for about 40 seconds. Up turn your cocktail glass and quickly add your ice cube/s to trap smoke, strain cocktail into glass and garnish with a flamed orange twist, do this by squeezing the orange oils from a strip of zest over a match, the heat will intensify the oils as they drop onto the drink. Rub the twist on the rim of the glass and plop into the glass to rest on top of the ice.

Contrary   Mary

2 oz of your choice: tequila, vodka, mezcal, aquavit, gin

2 oz smoked tomato water

1/4 – 1/2 oz hot pepper sauce or paste, I love Japanese Yuzukosho for its fragrance and pepperiness.

1 oz lime juice

1 oz celery juice

pinch grey or smoked salt ( softer and less punch in the face salty)

pinch pimenton or Spanish Espellete ( smoked paprika will do too)

4 dash celery bitters, I prefer Bitter Truth‘s version

olives of your choice for garnish

beer of your choice to top off, about 1 1/2 oz needed, I tend to use mexican beer like Pacifico but also love Hitachino Red Rice ale.

miss Contrary Mary

Throw everything into your glass or mason jar except for beer and olives, add ice and give a good stir, the reason you are not shaking is that you don’t want to dilute the tomato water too much. Top off with beer, a pinch more salt and pimenton then add your crucified olives on their skewer.

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Bar Basics

Strainers:

Coco strainer, used for a double strain to eliminate ice shards from “Up” drinks as well as globs of egg white in sours etc.

bog standard Hawthorn strainer, the basic but trusted and inexpensive version.

the Wusthof badass strainer, if you’re into gadgets and showing off this one will make you happy, no bells and whistles really just dead sexy!

Lapsang tea liqueur

You will need:

4 ounces lapsang souchong tea

6 cups boiling water

6 cups organic cane sugar

1 750 ml bottle of white rum, such as Cruzan

Make It:

1. Steep tea in boiling water for an hour.

2. Strain infusion through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer and discard tea leaves.

3. Pour tea then rum into a large saucepan. Simmer the mixture — but DO NOT let it boil -

- for about 10 minutes.

4. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves.

5. Strain tea and decant it into bottles.

Read the  what the LA Weekly  has to say about it in this article

Smoked Tomato Water

You will need:

6 juicy ripe tomatoes, if Heirlooms are in season use those their flavor is sublime

strainer lined with cheesecloth or in a pinch kitchen towel

smoking gun with applewood chips

1.Wazz your tomatoes in a blender.

2.Toss into your towel lined strainer and set over a bowl.

3.Cover the strainer and bowl with plastic wrap and set in fridge overnight, yes sorry,no magical instant results here  but its well worth it.

Blitzed tomatoes

Once you have about  2 cups of the tomato nectar collected in bowl, you have a choice either keep the liquid clear or add a couple of teaspoons of the red pulp back in for color, up to you if you want your mary looking bloody or anaemic. For the purpose of a prettier photo I added some pulp back in then covered the bowl with fresh plastic wrap, cut a small slit in top and inserted the smoking gun’s tube into hole, sealing it with masking tape. Ignite your applewood chips in the smoking chamber and let it do its thing for about 30 seconds – 1 minute. Remove tube and reseal slit in plastic and gently rock the bowl to mix the liquid and smoke molecules into a state of Osmosis    (where molecules interchange, in this case so that smoke flavor transfers into tomato water) . Leave for about 5 minutes and you’re pretty much done and ready to make your Contrary Mary.

tomato nectar….wish there was a scratch and lick app, means you just gotta try it yourself!

SMOKIN!!!

Photography by Patrick O’Brien-Smith          

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Boozie Basics

CioCiaro Amaro, originally produced in 1873 from a carefully guarded botanical recipe, Amaro CioCiaro is a a deliciously bittersweet Italian liqueur. Though most often enjoyed as a digestivo after dinner, Amaro CioCiaro’s earthy, herbal character makes it a great cocktail component. Amaro is typically produced by macerating herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and/or citrus  peels in alcohol, either neutral spirits or wine, mixing the filtrate with sugar syrup, and allowing the mixture to age in casks or bottles

Vida Mezcal, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcals are created in extremely small quantities following traditional production methods developed in the 16th century. The hearts of the agave are roasted over hot stones in a put in the ground for three to five days while covered in earth, ground to a mash using horse-powered stone mills, and then naturally fermented in wooden vats. The spirit is then created using two slow distillations in wood-fired clay or copper pot stills. The result is unlike any spirit you have experienced before. Smoky, earthy, and stunningly complex, each bottle is a unique experience.

Crafted in the small village of San Luis Del Rio, “Vida” is Del Maguey’s way of providing high quality mezcal at a more affordable price. On the nose, Vida boasts bold aromas of fruit and honey backed by roasted agave and a hint of vanilla. Vibrant notes of ginger, cinnamon, banana, and tangerine on the palate soften on the long finish.

The baskets covering each bottle of Del Maguey “Vida” were hand woven by the women of Oaxaca. Each basket is a work of art and requires skill, dedication, and many hours to complete.

Laphroaig Islay Scotch, Laphroaig is produced from malted barley that has been smoked over a peat fire, lending rich aromas and flavors unique to Islay Scotch Whisky. Laphroaig is known as some of the most peat-influenced whisky from this region. Enjoy Laphroaig neat or with a few drops of water.

The Quarter cask is matured in small barrels and never chill filtered, Quarter Cask was created to emulate the style of the Laphroaig Whisky produced in the early 19th century. On the nose, this unique Scotch displays peat with a hint of coconut cream when water is added. The additional oak influence from the quarter casks has created a soft sweetness and velvety feel accompanying the intense peatyness so unique to this Islay distiller. The finish is very long and alternates between the wood sweetness, the classic phenolic “peat reek,” and a creamy yet zesty orange note. Its the kind of Scotch whiskey you can imagine my Scottish hero Sean Connery himself drinking, manly and puts a wee bit of hair on yer chest!

Next up…….the root of it all

he irony of the apple, at once innocent , the symbol for all things good and wholesome, yet used through history as a tool for darker deeds, remember Snow White’s undoing, and Eve’s?  Damn that serpent for sullying this innocent’s reputation!

As a child no doubt many of us had apple sauce as one of our first “moving into solids” meals, as  an art student it was for me the first thing I was given to draw and replicate the contours of. There’s a lot of firsts for this baby, the apple gets everywhere, I mean its even on the back of my computer as I write this and yet I think  the apple often gets taken for granted, its the rosy cheeked girl next door that gets overshadowed by the long legged brazilian supermodel miss passion fruit.

Since apple harvest is upon us, I think its time the apple got its due, or at least in my world it is.  Remember the saying an apple a day, do you think the good doc would care how we consumed the apple?  As long as we’re getting our daily quota of quercitine (medical snippet: enzyme in apples that helps build immunity especially from allergens)  who cares how it goes in, right? For me the apple has always been a giver of life, wether its the apple I juice daily with my veggies or the apple pie my mum makes for Christmas, its satisfying sweet yet crisp tartness lends itself to many a reviving potion.

One of my favorite tipples is a  wee dram of whiskey, I lean these days more to American rather than Scotch, a lovely vanilla imbued Bourbon or deep and spicy Rye, the apple is the perfect complement to their dulcet tones, so come Autumn I have for the past few years started making apple cinnamon bourbon. A simple process really,  want me to show you how simple? Am not even sure the illustrations are necessary but since we’re  a world  fixated on  visual stimuli, explicit  especially, here’s some porn…

watch as this kentucky gentleman kisses the soft skin of the pink lady…..

I took four pink lady apples, quartered them and chucked them into a screw top jar with a 750ml bottle of bourbon and a couple of cinnamon sticks. Shook the crap out of it every so often for 5 days at the end of which the resulting nectar is at once fruity, woodsy with a hint of sweetness. Strain off the liquor and store in the fridge if you want to give it a longer life span, assuming of course it lasts long enough to have something that qualifies as a span. Can be drank alone or on the rocks, though am not a fan of adding water to my whiskey,works really well in a version of a manhattan, in a simple old fashioned or in something more playful like my Moscowitz grog.

My preference for an inexpensive yet tasty bourbon is Buffalo Trace, produced in Frankfort ,Kentucky they also have a fine line of antique collectables also released around apple harvest time , that are rare to find on shelves, but their basic bourbon whilst not as smooth and sweet as the antiques has way more levels and nuances than your average $20 bottle of bourbon. Four Roses also produces  a fine inexpensive bourbon that makes for a great mixer as well as for drinking alone, more details below in bar basics.

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My second apple based tonic would be an apple shrub, or fruit vinegar, the precursor to modern day soda invented in pre colonial times. Its a way of keeping seasonal fruits available all year round. The shrub is added to soda water, or for a grown up tipple can be added to sparkling wine and subbed for citrus in many a cocktail. I found this recipe on the fantastic Food52 site, here’s the abbreviated version, for the full article go to

http://food52.com/blog/4672_fresh_apple_shrub

For the shrub you will need:

3 medium apples such as Pink Lady or Honey Crisp

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup of cane sugar

Grate the apples on a box grater, add to a wide mouthed lidded jar, top with the sugar and vinegar, screw on lid and give a good shake. Store in the fridge for 5 days or so giving the jar a shake every so often. Once ready strain out the liquid pushing as much of the apple juice out of the shreds. Store in an airtight container back in the fridge, I use it below in my apple grog.

Apple Bourbon Old Fashioned:

1 white sugar cube

3 dashes angostura bitters

2 oz apple bourbon

splash soda water

mist of absinthe (mini atomizers can be picked up at drug stores)

This is a bit of a cross between two classics, the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac

Take the sugar cube and place in an old fashioned or rocks glass, dash the bitters on the top, to help dissolve the sugar cube add splash of soda water, muddle to dissolve sugar and incorporate bitters. Add your ice, preferably one big cube since it melts slower and slows down the dilution of your drink. Add the apple bourbon and stir for about 25 seconds or so. Finish with a mist of Absinthe and garnish with a lemon twist ( traditionally the Old Fashioned gets an orange twist but lemon pairs better with the anise flavor of Absinthe.

Sheepshead Bay

 A riff on the classic Manhattan

2 oz apple bourbon

3/4 oz Kummel ( recipe below in  bar basics)

1/2 oz Benedictine

1/2 oz Dry Vermouth

1 dash angostura bitters

lemon twist to garnish

Add all ingredients to your mixing glass, add your cracked ice and stir for about 30- 40 seconds until the  drink is well blended and chilled.

Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or martini glass and garnish with  lemon twist

Moscowitz Grog

Inspired by Phil Moscowitz from the movie “Whats up TigerLilly”

2 oz apple bourbon 

1/2 oz apple shrub

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

3/4 oz five spice  syrup (recipe below in bar basics)

2 drops Scrappy’s cardamom bitters

2 oz Belgian Lambic ale preferably apple

1 oz dark rum for floating on top

sliced apple for garnish

Throw first three ingredients into your boston shaker with ice and shake for about 40 seconds or until a nice frost forms on your shaker tin, strain into an ice filled highball glass and top with the Lambic ale, finish by floating the dark rum on top, add lime wheel as finishing touch.

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Bar Basics

Here’s a couple of apple based spirits you might like to include in your bar.

The first would be Applejack, this particular version is from Cornelius, the apples are harvested from Hudson County, the apples are pressed, fermented in bourbon barrels and carefully distilled in small batches which are numbered.

The resulting spirit displays subtle notes of apple and vanilla and has clean spiced finish. Can be drank alone on the rocks with a lemon twist or used for mixing. Try it in the classic Sidecar cocktail.

The second offering would be an hard apple cider, again this one comes from the east coast, Warwick Valley Winery is New York State’s first fruit distillery since prohibition. Located in the Hudson Valley area, they produce a wide range of all-natural quality products. Created from pressed New York state apples, this semi-dry hard cider is crisp and fruit-forward with a tangy, refreshing finish.

Try it to top off the Moscowitz grog above or mix half cider half pilsner lager for the UK  summer favorite the Snakebite.

Kummel Recipe 

You will need:

3 cups of vodka, my go to would be Luksusowa or Uluvka

1 tablespoon crushed toasted fennel seeds

2 table spoons crushed toasted caraway seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cups sugar

1 cup hot water

Kummel is a popular liqueur in both Germany and Eastern Europe where it is drank as a digestif after meals, its an excellent companion to bourbon and whiskey in mixed drinks.

In a screw top jar add the vodka and spices, store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks shaking from time to time. When ready strain off the liquid through a coffee filter. Mix sugar and hot water together till sugar dissolves, once cooled add to the spiced vodka and shake till incorporated.

Five Spice Syrup

You will need:

1 1/2 cups cane sugar

1 cup hot water

1 teaspoon chinese five spice powder

Add sugar to hot water and mix until dissolved, add the five spice powder and steep for 5 or six hours, when ready strain through a coffee filter to remove any residue, store in an air tight container.

A wee note on the extras

Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Deep amber color; elegant aromas of buttery caramel, toasted
nuts, and brown spices;  honeyed toasted cornbread , intense brown spices. Great for mixing drinks or just for a wee nip after dinner. Priced at around $24 for a 750ml bottle.

Dolin Dry  Vermouth  de  Chambery and Cocchi Americano, Cocchi  technically  an aperifif  wine  rather  than a vermouth wine but can  be  substituted out where  recipes call  for  dry  vermouth  but  will  add  more  sweetness  to your cocktails.

Dolin Vermouth de Chambery is made of fine wines and botanicals found in the Alpine meadows above Chambery. Together they impart a fresh and elegant nose, with a subtle and complex palate. Dolin Vermouths are notably lighter, drier and less pungent than their larger commercial counterparts. The particular mixture of plants found near Chambery give a fresh, restrained and elegant nose, with a subtle, complex palate. Dolin Dry makes an excellent cocktail, but is also a fantastic aperitif.

Cocchi Americano Aperitif has been produced since 1891. It is based on an all-natural recipe containing white wine, sugar, and alcohol-infused herbs and spices, including Artemisia flowers, gentian roots, and peels of bitter orange. Small batches of wine are spiced and then left to age for a minimum of one year. This excellent aperitif wine has long been a staple of Asti, and is now an important ingredient in numerous cocktails.

Absinthe was banned in the United States for nearly a century, and Kubler is the first genuine Swiss absinthe to be released in the U.S. market since. It comes from the Val-de-Travers where absinthe was invented in the late 19th century, and it is produced according to its original formula. Kubler 53 is distilled with herbs grown in the Val-de-Travers; Artemisia Absinthium–more commonly know as wormwood–is the primary ingredient in a formula that also includes coriander, mint, anise and fennel among other herbs and botanicals.

                 Next issue…… smoke and fire