Just a quick word before I move on: viruses suck.

Now that I’ve explained my absence from posting for much of the past week, I’ll note that while I was under the weather the San Francisco Chronicle scooped me on a topic I’ve been really excited about: some excellent new small-batch bitters coming out of New York, traveling under the name of Bittermens Bitters.

I say “coming out of ” in a loose sense; you can’t buy this stuff yet. The makers are still working to obtain approval from the feds, and expect their bitters will be on sale in time for Tales of the Cocktail this summer. But their products — a spicy Xocolatl Mole chocolate bitters; a Sweet Chocolate bitters; a hopped-up Grapefruit bitters; and a rotating seasonal bitters (for the fall they had “Squirrel Nut” pecan-vanilla; winter has brought “Elemakule Tiki Cocktail” bitters, flavored with falernum-style spices) — are already popping up in some of the best bars in the country: Death & Company and PDT in New York, Eastern Standard and Green Street in Boston/Cambridge, Alembic in San Francisco and Milk & Honey in London. And now, thanks to a wonderful care package sent my way by the good folks behind Bittermens, their bitters can be found at Zig Zag Cafe and Vessel in Seattle, as well as in my kitchen (and, should you come across him around town, Robert Hess is also packing some samples).*

I’m always excited to see a new artisan cocktail product come out; unfortunately, however, I’ve learned to temper this enthusiasm, primarily because so many small-batch spirits, bitters and other creations have proved themselves interesting and unique, but not necessarily good.

So it was an even greater surprise to discover how delightful these bitters really are. Many small-batch bitters I’ve tried err in one of two directions: the flavor is either too delicate and fades the instant it’s hit with spirits; or the maker has overcompensated and bulked up some aspect of the flavor (usually bitter) in an effort to keep these fades from occurring. Bittermens Bitters manages to walk this fine line: the Xocolatl, especially, has a very complex balance of flavors ranging from the brightness of cinnamon to the spark of chiles to the depth of bitter chocolate, and when you throw it in a mixing glass with full-flavored spirits, it sails through just fine, with no loss to the balance.

Wanting to see how tough these bitters really were, I even tried a couple of the recipes from Bittermens website, that called for mixing one or the other of the chocolate bitters with full-force bittering agents such as Campari or Amer Picon, or with a full-flavored liqueur such as yellow Chartreuse. In each case, the bitters sailed right through, lending their distinctive flavor to the drink without taking over the show or losing their character.

I’m still in the early stages of using these bitters, but I see a lot of busy winter nights ahead. If you’re near one of the bars listed on Bittermens website, go see for yourself what these bitters are about. Or, if you manage to score a bottle, try a little experiment I’m calling the Camerone:

Camerone

• 2 ounces reposado tequila (I used Don Julio)
  
• 3/4 ounce Amer Picon (I used Jamie’s replica)
• 1/4 ounce Licor 43
• 2 good dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Bitters

Stir well with ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass.

The vanilla of the Licor 43 and the chocolate of the bitters work so well together; to keep it from getting too cloying, the Picon puts a nice orangey bitterness in the middle of everything, and it’s all set against the delicate lusciousness of the reposado.

* One more bar in Seattle will have the Xocolatl, once I finish the last of my deliveries.

Tags: Drinks, Special Projects, Tequila by Paul
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Just as I was preparing for Mixology Monday came a reminder that I have another blog event I need to step up for: the third installment of Raiders of the Lost Cocktail.

Launched at The Spirit World in late 2007, the Raiders event addresses cocktail ingredients that aren’t in heavy use today, but deserve a closer look. In the words of Robert Hess, “The objective of this exercise is to re-examine some of the slightly more obscure products which might be gathering dust on the shelves of bars across America (if not the world), and to see if our intrepid little band of explorers can uncover some forgotten gems of recipes which might breathe new life into those products.”

Here’s how it works: Participants post drinks using a specified ingredient by the deadline, and the cocktails must come from a previously published source (which should be included in the post, though the drink doesn’t have to be unique to that publication) — we’re revisiting classics here, so hang onto your original creations for other events. And since we’re trying to spread the good word, preference is given to drinks that use more common ingredients and are not too complex to prepare, so ideally you’ll be able to order the drink in as large a number of bars as possible. The winning cocktail is selected by the host, and the blogger behind the winning cocktail becomes the host for the next round … and the circle continues, ad infinitum.

The first round was devoted to Strega, and the winning cocktail was contributed by Anita and Cameron at Married…With Dinner (as if they haven’t won enough competitions recently). For the second round, which wrapped up in December, Anita and Cameron chose Benedictine as the theme; thanks to the boozy excellence of the Cocktail a la Louisiane, I wound up with the honor of helming the third round.

And here we are. Now that I’m pulling myself out of my post-holiday sluggishness, I remembered my duties as host and hereby announce that for the third round of Raiders of the Lost Cocktail, the ingredient is: apricot brandy.

Wha? Yes, apricot brandy (or, more accurately, apricot liqueur) – a stroll through most any vintage cocktail manual will turn up a number of drinks that called for a touch of apricot, typically provided by a sweetened, apricot-flavored grape brandy that gives drinks a sweet, fruity touch. Less typical are drinks calling for a “true” apricot brandy (aka eau de vie, or barack palinka), so for the sake of this exercise, let’s stick with the sweet stuff.

I don’t know which is the chicken and which the egg, but one correlate of apricot brandy’s decline can be seen by its placement in the liquor store: notably, on the bottom shelf. But thanks to the recent appearance of the excellent Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot liqueur in bars and liquor stores across the country, along with elusive sightings of the much-storied Marie Brizard Apry (and much rarer Giffard Abricot du Rousillon), I think it’s high time to re-examine what apricot brandy brings to mixology.

So here it is: come up with your drink and post a link to it in the comments section (don’t forget to mention the publication where you found it) by February 15. Following that deadline I’ll work my way through the recipes before emerging several days later — looking much the worse for wear and smelling strongly of apricots — to announce a winner.

So start your shakers and get going – let’s see what a little ambition and a little apricot liqueur can do.

Tags: Events by Paul
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It’s snowing.

That may not sound like a big deal to those of you in places that actually have winter, but here in Seattle, it doesn’t happen all that often. This winter, however, we’ve seen snow more than usual (including, memorably, on Christmas Day), though it’s usually just a wet, sloppy half-inch that covers parked cars and fence posts for a couple of hours while making the standard Northwest winter puddles all the colder and drearier.

As is the case tonight. Thank god there’s brandy.

Wait – let me amend that: thank god there’s brandy, port, David Wondrich’s latest book and Mixology Monday to take the chill off. Foreseeing the kind of frigid misery many of this month’s participants would no doubt be enduring, our kind host Marleigh – who, it should be noted, lives in sunny Southern California – proposed “Brandy” as the theme for this round. Since tomorrow it’s supposed to hit 70 degrees in Los Angeles, I hope Marleigh is getting quite a giggle as the rest of us shiver our way through tonight’s post.

I’ve long been a fan of the Sensation, which appeared in David Wondrich’s Esquire Drinks (now out of print; thankfully, the Esquire Drinks Database has recently rejoined the living). With its base of port backed up with half as much brandy, and a dash of orange juice for brightness, the Sensation is a gentle, soothing companion for the dead of winter.

Wondrich revisited the drink (or its ancestor, anyway) in IMBIBE!, this time running it as the St. Charles Punch, named after a fine old New Orleans hotel. This version lost the OJ but introduced the juice of 1/4 of a lemon, along with enough sugar to take the edge off. (It was also served over shaved ice with fruits in season, whereas the Sensation was served straight up, but I’m not going to dwell on that right now.)

This is still a lovely drink, but sometimes you need something capable of warming you to your rafters, even if it’s served ice-cold. That’s when it pays to start digging into the explanatory text that follows each recipe in IMBIBE! (Seriously, that’s where I’m finding some of the best stuff: need proof? Take his suggestion to top the Morning Glory with Champagne. Jesus.)

In this case, Wondrich idly tosses out the Enchantress, which he informs us appeared in American Barkeeper in 1867. A modest change in recipe, but a very pleasing one: the brandy is doubled, but the soft lusciousness of the port keeps it from getting out of line, and some curacao in place of the sugar adds a little flourish around the edges (you may wish to dial back the ingredients accordingly, so your drink actually fits into a sensible-size glass). Served up in a wine goblet (or champagne flute, as Wondrich suggests — though it’s absolutely fine in a cocktail glass, as my photo should attest), the Enchantress isn’t disheartened by a wintry night outside. If only I could say the same for myself.

Enchantress, adapted from IMBIBE!, by David Wondrich

• 1 1/2 ounces ruby port
• 1 1/2 ounces cognac
• Juice of 1/4 lemon (about 1/2 ounce)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange curacao (to taste, based on the lemon juice)

Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled wine goblet or champagne flute.

And, since I mention them, here are:

Sensation (alias Brandied Port), adapted from Esquire Drinks

• 2 ounces ruby port
• 1 ounce brandy
• Dash fresh-squeezed orange juice (optional)
  

Shake well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass; garnish with twist of lemon or orange peel.

St. Charles Punch, adapted from IMBIBE!

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ounces ruby port
• 1 ounce brandy
• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon

Shake well with ice, pour into a tumbler, adorn with fresh berries.

Thanks for joining us this round, and thanks to Marleigh for hosting and for pulling me out of my now-typical post-holiday rut. Head on over to SLOSHED! to see what other folks have been up to this Mixology Monday.

Tags: Brandy, Drinks, Mixology Monday, Port by Paul
6 Comments »

There were a lot of things I wish I’d blogged about in 2007 but never got around to; here’s one of them.

Last summer, while wandering the hallowed halls of eGullet’s Spirits & Cocktails forum, I came across a post in the apricot brandy thread about one of the riffs on the Manhattan / Brooklyn / Red Hook called a Slope. Being located about 3,000 miles from the nearest bar serving one of these things (Flatiron Lounge, in this case), I had to wait until somebody posted a recipe before I could give one a spin for myself.

Fortunately, the recipe was posted — several times, with variations, even in a Mixology Monday thread (thanks, Erik!) — and I wound up enjoying a really tasty cocktail that I absolutely meant to blog about, but always, always forgot when I sat down at the keyboard. That’s a shame, and I assure you I’m hanging my head right now. The Slope is a fantastically enjoyable cocktail; the apricot and Punt e Mes join together in a curiously engaging match of bitter and sweet, while the rye – well, it just keeps the whole thing driving along (Flatiron suggests Rittenhouse bonded, always a wise choice, but Erik recommended Pikesville Supreme, which also gave great results).

As I understand from the thread, the Slope was originally made with Marie Brizard ‘Apry’, about a quarter ounce for the drink; not having that readily available in Washington, I’ve substituted the Giffard Abricot du Roussillon in the same amount, with excellent results, as well as the Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot, which also makes for a great drink. As Erik helpfully pointed out, the Rothman & Winter is drier than other liqueurs, so increasing the proportion is advised; I use equal parts R&W and Punt E Mes, and have no complaints.

All the New Yorkers and eGulleteers who stop by here probably got tired of drinking these six months ago, but I’m still enjoying it, and I needed to scratch something off my “2007 Regrets” list before we got too far into the new year. Consider it scratched.

Slope (a hybrid of recipes from eGullet)

• 2 ounces rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounce Punt e Mes
• 1/4 ounce apricot liqueur (increase if using a drier product like Rothman & Winter)
• Dash Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Tags: Drinks, Rye by Paul
6 Comments »

I thought I should chime in with a hearty “Happy New Year” before the first of the year rolls right on past (I’ve still got an hour or so to go here on the West Coast), and give thanks to the many folks it was my pleasure to interact with in 2007.

But first, what an incredible year it was for good cocktails. If you spent last New Year’s hoping to mix up an authentic Aviation, Absinthe Cocktail or Arrack Punch, or if you were jonesing for a little elderflower flavor in a cocktail you were tinkering with, you would’ve been out of luck. But thanks to a handful of incredibly talented and motivated folks, you can now stroll into your local liquor emporium (assuming you don’t live in a backward government-run liquor control state like mine) and put bottles of absinthe, creme de violette, Batavia arrack and St. Germain in your basket. While looking for ways to mix this stuff, we also received brilliant new books from Jeff Berry, David Wondrich and Eric Felten in 2007. And here on the home front, my drinking attracted media attention with pieces popping up at Salon and Yahoo Picks, and led me to provide slurred quotes to news stories and magazine pieces around the country; and as if writing about drinks for one blog wasn’t enough, I’ve also been contributing two posts a week to the fantastic group food blog, Serious Eats.

And if you thought 2007 was a doozy, wait to see what happens this year. Already there’s a commercial pimento dram coming down the pike, along with a rising wave of absinthes (both foreign and domestic) headed for the market. And maybe the long-fabled Angostura orange bitters will finally show up on shelves in the U.S.

But what good is this talk about booze if not for the high-class boozers I met this past year. Tales of the Cocktail allowed me to finally get to know many of my fellow cocktail bloggers and writers, and at WhiskyFest in San Francisco, I met even more. Whether on the road or here in Seattle, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to encounter a fantastic array of dedicated cocktail aficionados too numerous to mention, and I hope 2008 brings much more of the same.

For 2008, I’m also looking to make a few changes around here. The site design is getting a bit dusty, but I’m working on some minor changes that oughta spruce up the place a bit (assuming I can figure out the damn code). I’m also thinking of new directions; for example, I’ve never been one to post much about product reviews and tasting notes — last winter’s rye extravaganza being a notable exception — but I’m starting to think it’s an aspect that’s missing on this site.

After two and a half years of keeping this blog, I’ve fallen into my routines, but I’m open to suggestions from folks who stop by on what you’d like to see. So what about it — you’re the ones who have to put up with what I’m posting; what would you like to see?

Anyway, here’s to another year. Thanks for your time, attention and kindness in 2007, and a happy new year to you all.

Tags: General by Paul
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