Sure — I’ll play along with Dietsch’s “Don’t Be Bitter” contest. After all, the gentlemen from The Bitter Truth have supplied some of the best bitters in my liquor cabinet, and the opportunity to win a bottle of their Beefeater 24 Bitters — which apparently aren’t for sale — is too good to pass up.

According to Dietsch’s rules, to enter the contest I have to blog about another drink blogger who inspires a sense of bitterness in my jaded soul. Oh, but where to start — I could express bitterness that Jimmy Patrick has let Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour go to pasture, but how can you feel bitter about a guy who drunkenly nuzzles your neck at Heaven’s Dog after Whiskyfest? And how about guys like Rick and Jamie, who shoot better photos for their blogs than I ever will, despite the nifty camera I’ve been playing with for the better part of a year but still can’t seem to figure out? Possibly…. But when it comes down to true envy, there’s one cocktail blogger that keeps coming to mind:

Jay.

What got this rolling is that on at least three occasions in the past year, I’ve been on the edge of shaking off my laziness long enough to blog about a tasty new drink I just tried only to notice that, DAMMIT, Jay just posted the drink I was about to cover. Need more reasons? Oh look! Jay conducted a tasting of Old Tom gins, including a variety unavailable outside London — and look! Jay’s going to European bar shows, and visiting Le Lion and a host of bars in the UK, France and Germany that I’m dying to visit but so far have not had the opportunity — oh, and there’s also Jay’s online videos about assorted aspects of the world of mixology, not to mention his skills as a photographer that make my blog, in comparison, look like I’m shooting everything with the beat-up Brownie I started with as a kid. And then, to top it all off, Jay just has to screw up my need to be bitter by being a genuinely nice guy. I just can’t win.

Anyway, hats off to Jay for his excellent blog, and thanks to Dietsch for putting this bitters challenge together. And if you want to see true bitterness, just check on my mood if I don’t win this contest……

Tags: General by Paul
1 Comment »

I’ve been a bad blogger recently, what with the infrequent updates and all (though I’m still writing regularly over at Serious Eats), but even after spending a busy day writing about booze and a busy evening judging a cocktail contest for Domain de Canton (congratulations, Jay!), I’ve still got to log in to WordPress for two basic reasons: first, it’s Mixology Monday, and I have yet to miss a MxMo post in the three-plus years it’s been going (we’ll ignore that whole “isn’t Paul hosting the July event?” thing from this summer, when I foolishly offered to host right after Tales of the Cocktail); and two, this event is hosted by Vidiot at Cocktailians, and he has selected a topic that’s truly close to my drinkin’ heart: Vermouth.

In addition to writin’ about vermouth and talkin’ about vermouth at events like Tales of the Cocktail, I’m a fan of drinking vermouth — both on its own as an aperitif while I’m cooking dinner, and in big glugs or tiny dribbles when making cocktails. But there’s one thing I wish there was more of in this world: cocktails that used vermouth as the primary ingredient.

Oh, sure, there are the assorted aperitif cocktails — your Bamboo, your Adonis, and things of that nature — but drinks that use the mild character of vermouth as a foundation for stronger-flavored spirits and liqueurs are relatively few in number.

I’ve already written about a couple of my favorite vermouth-based drinks, the Trilby and the Appetizer a la Italienne; here’s another that was introduced to me by Jim Meehan from PDT, a drink I touched on a couple of years back in an article about absinthe I wrote for Imbibe (the photo of this drink that accompanied the story is shown in this screen shot, and was taken by the immensely talented Stuart Mullenberg — I’m showing it partially because it’s freakin’ awesome, but also because I’m way too lazy to set up a photo after such a long day) and that I still like to pull out from time to time: the Chrysanthemum.

I’m hardly the first blogger to prepare a Chrysanthemum, but the drink is so damn tasty I hope I’m not the last. As I mentioned during our recent Vodka-oriented Mixology Monday, in drinks like the Chrysanthemum dry vermouth plays a role not unlike that played today by vodka in drinks like the Drink Without a Name or the Gypsy: it’s a relatively quiet ingredient that serves to diffuse the flavors of louder ingredients such as, in this case, Benedictine and absinthe. But unlike vodka, vermouth serves a couple of other functions: first, it’s lower in alcohol, so it reduces the bombast further, helping a combination of strong-flavored ingredients merge together; and it has its own flavor and complexity, which brings more to the bibulous table than simple alcoholic firepower — in this case, a kind of lean floral aspect that complements the herbaceousness of the Benedictine without challenging its alpha-dog properties.

Anyway, don’t take my word for it — mix one and see for yourself. But a note on the preparation: the Savoy Cocktail Guide and other books of its vintage list this as a two-to-one vermouth-to-Benedictine drink. Depending on your taste, this may weigh in on the sweet side; Meehan recommended shaving the Benedictine back to a quarter-ounce, and your palate may find joy anywhere between those two levels — in other words, play with it until you find what works for you.

Chrysanthemum

• 2 ounces dry vermouth (Dolin’s all the rage right now, but Noilly Prat shouldn’t be underestimated in this drink)
• 1 ounce Benedictine
• 1 teaspoon absinthe

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Deploy a large swath of orange peel over the drink and use as garnish.

That’s where I like to go with vermouth-based drinks nowadays. Head on over to Vidiot’s place to see what other folks came up with for this round of Mixology Monday.

Tags: Absinthe, Drinks, Mixology Monday, Vermouth by Paul
1 Comment »

I’m running late in getting this announcement up, but considering the theme for October’s Mixology Monday (which takes place Monday, October 26), I’m guessing most regular (and new) participants already have the stuff on hand.

The details: This month’s MxMo is hosted by Vidiot at Cocktailians, and for the theme Vidiot has chosen a subtance that’s absolutely essential to any home or professional bar: Vermouth.

As Vidiot notes in his announcement post (which you should click through and read in its entirety):

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to present a delectable vermouth cocktail for us all to drool over. Sweet/Italian or dry/French vermouth are fair game of course, as are quinquina, aperitif wines like Pineau des Charentes, or for that matter any fortified, aromatized wine such as Lillet (red or white), or Dubonnet (ditto.) Have fun, and leave the link in the comments to [the announcement post] by midnight PDT (no, not this PDT) (3am EDT) Tuesday, October 27th.

Got it? Great! So dig out your Carpano Antica or your Noilly Prat, or that last bit of Dolin blanc you’ve been saving for a special drink, and get to mixing. Put your drink up on Monday, October 26, and then check back later to see what everyone came up with. Cheers!

Tags: Mixology Monday by Paul
No Comments »