Camper English's Blog, page 43

Overproof, ABV's Fancier New Upstairs Bar

San Francisco bar ABV has opened Overproof, a spacious experience in the balcony. It operates on reservations (unlike downstairs), so you book a bar or table seat (I believe reservations are for 2 hour slots) and order from a different food and drinks menu than the bar downstairs. 

All photos credit Grace Sager

They offer tasting flights (drinks served all at once), a tasting menu (a coursed experience, and what I'd recommend for your first visit), as well as cocktails a la carte. Rather than $15 cocktails downstairs, they are $16-$22 upstairs (all creative riffs on classics) and made with high-end spirits. They also have a selection of upscale and rare spirits for sale, but I was too distracted by the cocktails to look at the back bar. 

Food is mostly not vegetarian, with tinned seafood like sardines and caviar the specialty of the menu. However the salad and potatoes I had upstairs were both great- they do a good job when they try. 

On my visit I did both of the cocktail tasting menus ($40 for 3 drinks or $75 for all 6, per person). Here the drinks are a bit more creative than downstairs (where they tend to emphasize heavy spirits), with coconut-infused McCarthy's whiskey, corn and tortilla-infused mezcal, and homemade Pimm's. The Sauna Cocktail comes with pu'erh syrup and a cedar 'steam' made with dry ice beneath the glass. That's as close to razzle dazzle as you'll ever find at ABV! 

Overall, I really like the new incarnation of Overproof (you may remember it used to be a timed pairing experience with no substitutions) - you have a little more space, some new food and drink options, and you can do it according to your schedule. It's a touch fancier than downstairs but this is no Artesian/impress-the-client hotel bar but more of a date night spot- the prices aren't outrageous by any means, and it's the same great staff. The only trick to it is remembering to make a reservation in advance. 

 

 

New Cocktail and Drink Books for Winter 2019

It's time for the big list of pre-holiday cocktail book releases! These books have all just launched (and in some cases, are just about to) to capture your holiday shopping dollars. TREAT YOSELF.

As usual, the links are to Amazon to purchase the books, and the descriptions are not reviews by me but text from the publishers. There are so many great books here I'm going to have to hibernate all winter to read half of them. 

 

Just the Tonic: A Natural History of Tonic Water by Kim Walker and Mark Nesbitt

Tonic water elicits images of sparkling drinks and stirred concoctions, but it has a history that reaches beyond the bar. Its roots go back centuries, starting with the Andes and the cinchona tree, and it had its start as a natural medicine instead of as a tasty mixer. Quinine, tonic water’s signature ingredient, was once used to treat Malaria and is still used by some to soothe leg cramps. From the Quechua people and Spanish colonists, to French chemists and British officers, the journey from botanical discovery to cocktail staple is a fascinating story.

Just the Tonic is an accessible yet informative history of tonic water, written by leading experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew—which is home to one of the largest collections in the world of historic cinchona. It takes us through the discovery and development of quinine and its eventual meeting with sparkling water. It also introduces us to the basic botany and development of the cinchona tree.
The iconic gin and tonic cocktail is not forgotten in these pages. The authors look at the changing role of the drink, tracing the rise and fall, and rise again, of cocktails straight from officers’ messes of British India, the art deco cocktail bars of the 1920s, through to the Mad Men era and the recent resurgence of gin as a drink of choice. A final chapter on cocktail recipes provides instructions on how to make delicious alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks using an array of different tonics and spirits. Mixed into the book are reproductions of stunning historical artwork, posters, and photographs.
This is the first authoritative book on the history and role of tonic water, making it the perfect addition to both bookshelves and bar carts.

 

 

The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius by Bob Batchelor

On the 100th anniversary of The Volstead Act comes the epic, definitive story of the man who cracked the Prohibition system, became one of the world’s richest criminal masterminds, and helped inspire The Great Gatsby.

Love, murder, political intrigue, mountains of cash, and rivers of bourbon . . . The tale of George Remus is a grand spectacle and a lens into the dark heart of Prohibition. Yes, Congress gave teeth to Prohibition in October 1919, but the law didn’t stop George Remus from amassing a fortune that would be worth billions of dollars today. As one Jazz Age journalist put it, “Remus was to bootlegging what Rockefeller was to oil.”

Author Bob Batchelor breathes life into the largest bootlegging operation in America—greater than that of Al Capone—and a man considered the best criminal defense lawyer of his era. Remus bought an empire of distilleries on Kentucky’s “Bourbon Trail” and used his other profession, as a pharmacist, to profit off legal loopholes. He spent millions bribing officials in the Harding Administration, and he created a roaring lifestyle that epitomized the Jazz Age over which he ruled.

That is, before he came crashing down in one of the most sensational murder cases in American history: a cheating wife, the G-man who seduced her and put Remus in jail, and the plunder of a Bourbon Empire. Remus murdered his wife in cold-blood and then shocked a nation winning his freedom based on a condition he invented—temporary maniacal insanity.

 

 

YES WAY ROSÉ A Guide to the Pink Wine State of Mind by Erica Blumenthal and Nikki Huganir

Get in the pink wine state of mind with Yes Way Rosé, the ultimate guide to drinking and entertaining with the blush beverage, from the creators of @yeswayrose!

Fresh, easygoing, and a little bit whimsical, rose is more than just a wine -- it's shorthand for an entire lifestyle. And nothing embodies the lighthearted joy of "drinking pink" more than the wine and lifestyle brand Yes Way Rosé.

Equal parts informative and celebratory, Yes Way Rosé is both a wine primer and a source of lifestyle inspiration. Readers will learn the ins and outs of rose production, as well as the major wine-making regions, before diving into food pairings, rose cocktails, and even rose-inspired astrology.

From Rosé 101, tasting notes, and recipes, to tips on maintaining "rose vibes" and throwing an incredible soiree, Erica Blumenthal and Nikki Huganir translate their vibrant, humorous, and well-informed passion for rose into an irresistible gift book. Overflowing with full-color photographs and cheeky illustrations, Yes Way Rosé is the perfect read for anyone who has ever fallen under the alluring spell of pink wine.

 

The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek

An illustrated collection of nearly 300 cocktail recipes from the award-winning NoMad Bar, with locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

Originally published as a separate book packaged inside The NoMad Cookbook, this revised and stand-alone edition of The NoMad Cocktail Book features more than 100 brand-new recipes (for a total of more than 300 recipes), a service manual explaining the art of drink-making according to the NoMad, and 30 new full-color cocktail illustrations (for a total of more than 80 color and black-and-white illustrations). Organized by type of beverage from aperitifs and classics to light, dark, and soft cocktails and syrups/infusions, this comprehensive guide shares the secrets of bar director Leo Robitschek's award-winning cocktail program. The NoMad Bar celebrates classically focused cocktails, while delving into new arenas such as festive, large-format drinks and a selection of reserve cocktails crafted with rare spirits.

 

Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2020: North American Edition by Jim Murray

This is the world’s most influential book on whisky. Thanks to industry guru Jim Murray and his internationally acclaimed annual Whisky Bible, the Japanese are now running out of their own single malt and people have fought in Toronto liquor stores to grab the last bottle of his World Whisky of the Year. Rye, Irish Pot Still and Bourbon have all seen a massive resurgence in recent years not least thanks to the visionary campaigning of the world’s first-ever full time professional whisky writer. Murray has tasted nearly 20,000 different whiskies for the Whisky Bible since it first hit the shelves in 2003. For this 2020 edition, he reflects on over another 1,200. The 4,700 whiskies included in this 2020 edition range from Scottish Single malts to Australian; from Canadian to Austrian. The whiskies from over 30 different countries are included. And evaluated in his forthright, honest, amusing, fiercely independent and non-pretentious style.

 

 

 

 

 

The Aviary: Holiday Cocktails  by Grant Achatz, Nick Kokonas, Allen Hemberger

From acclaimed Chef Grant Achatz and the award-winning team that created THE AVIARY COCKTAIL BOOK comes the perfect pairing for the holiday season.

Over 30 all-new delicious recipes that are fun and easy to make at home
The perfect guide to drinks for the entire holiday season, from Halloween through the Super Bowl
Filled with gorgeous, large-format photography, and printed and bound using the most cutting-edge technologies
Measuring approximately 8.5"x11.5"x0.5", this softcover cocktail journal is brimming with creative, unique ideas to enjoy at home or to share with loved ones at your next holiday gathering.

 

 

Minimalist Tiki by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith

Tiki expert Matt Pietrek of Cocktail Wonk fame demystifies the Tiki recipe pattern via a simple, ingredient-based analysis of classic Tiki recipes like the Mai Tai, Zombie and Navy Grog. (There are charts!)

Part 2 imparts advanced knowledge about the recipe improvisation, exotic garnishes, and advanced topics like Tiki fire and dry ice.

The book features 100 original recipes like the White Zombie, Commando Grog and Disco Banana from two dozen world-class bartenders and bars such as Lost Lake, Pagan Idol, and Three Dots and a Dash.

 

How to Cocktail: Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best Drinks by America's Test Kitchen

All the kitchen secrets, techniques, recipes, and inspiration you need to craft transcendent cocktails, from essential, canonical classics to imaginative all-new creations from America's Test Kitchen.

Cocktail making is part art and part science--just like cooking. The first-ever cocktail book from America's Test Kitchen brings our objective, kitchen-tested and -perfected approach to the craft of making cocktails. You always want your cocktail to be something special--whether you're in the mood for a simple Negroni, a properly muddled Caipirinha, or a big batch of Margaritas or Bloody Marys with friends. After rigorous recipe testing, we're able to reveal not only the ideal ingredient proportions and best mixing technique for each drink, but also how to make homemade tonic for your Gin and Tonic, and homemade sweet vermouth and cocktail cherries for your Manhattan. And you can't simply quadruple any Margarita recipe and have it turn out right for your group of guests--to serve a crowd, the proportions must change. You can always elevate that big-batch Margarita, though, with our Citrus Rim Salt or Sriracha Rim Salt. How to Cocktail offers 150 recipes that range from classic cocktails to new America's Test Kitchen originals. Our two DIY chapters offer streamlined recipes for making superior versions of cocktail cherries, cocktail onions, flavored syrups, rim salts and sugars, bitters, vermouths, liqueurs, and more. And the final chapter includes a dozen of our test cooks' favorite cocktail-hour snacks. All along the way, we solve practical challenges for the home cook, including how to make an array of cocktails without having to buy lots of expensive bottles, how to use a Boston shaker, what kinds of ice are best and how to make them, and much more.

 

Great Northern Cocktails by Shawn Soole

Hidden in the vast northern reaches of North America, Canadian bartenders have been shaking, stirring, building, and throwing some of the finest drinks the world has ever savoured. Yes, there’s more to Canada’s mixed drink repertoire that its national beverage, the Bloody Caesar! Victoria barman and author Shawn Soole proudly presents the people and drinks that introduce readers to this widening scope of concepts and concoctions in Great Northern Cocktails.

“Canada has always been that big, snow-covered country to the north of the United States where people live in igloos and ride moose to school,” Soole remarks. “Obviously, this is an exaggeration on Canadian stereotypes but our culture, climate, and people are some of the most diverse in the world. Canada is rich in world cultures and in the last ten to fifteen years has slowly and apologetically become a cocktail culture powerhouse.”

With over 140+ drink recipes plus syrup, tincture, and infusion formulae, Soole introduces veteran and new Canadian drink talents who preside in the nation’s bars from Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia and their recipes, along with bartending tips, a range of easy-to-follow homemade ingredients, and a glossary so even novice mixers can follow along.

About Shawn Soole:

Shawn Soole’s experience and advancement of the bar industry have been prolific. He co-authored the 2013 book Cocktail Culture and provides ongoing contributions to publications including Liquor.comandEAT Magazine.He has increased public awareness of spirits produced in British Columbiaand continues to advocate his mission ‘to make the industry better for everyone’ through his Post Shiftpodcast. His input has been vital to the launch and/or ongoing success of numerous bar and beverage programs. Shawn founded Soole Hospitality Concepts (SHC)—a network of industry leaders with decades of multi-faceted experience. Together they provide innovative responses to all the needs of hospitality-oriented businesses. His latest undertaking is the conceptual development, systems implementation, and launch guidance for Miss Fitzand Roxy, two bars under the SOS Groupbanner in Singapore.

The Bucket List: Beer: 1000 Adventures " Pubs " Breweries " Festivals by Justin Kennedy

Finally--a beer-centric bucket list! Celebrating beer worldwide, this is a must-have for any beer aficionado. Whether you're planning a pub crawl, a weekend in the country, or a longer vacation, this book is a trove of ideas for the beer lover.

As is to be expected, this lively guide to beer-related travel contains a comprehensive list of hundreds of breweries large and small--both long-standing and freshly minted--that are open for tours and tastings along with an in-depth look at their different approaches to brewing, philosophies about flavors and ingredients, and what makes their beers special.

But this book digs deep into the world of beer and includes a multitude of ideas for exploring the world's best beer destinations: the Pacific Northwest's gleaming modern taprooms; atmospheric English pubs; iconic breweries including San Francisco's Anchor Steam and the Czech Republic's original Pilsner; boisterous festivals from Munich's Oktoberfest to Denver's Great American Beer; and other points of interest such as Germany's pop-up beer gardens or a pub crawl in Dublin where you can hoist a Guinness at James Joyce's favorite pub.

The book is liberally illustrated with atmospheric photos and reproductions of beer labels and logos and includes information on beer styles, food and beer pairings, drinking traditions, glassware, and a primer on brewing.

Drunk in China: Baijiu and the World’s Oldest Drinking Culture by Derek Sandhaus

China is one of the world’s leading producers and consumers of liquor, with alcohol infusing all aspects of its culture, from religion and literature to business and warfare. Yet to the outside world, China’s most famous spirit, baijiu, remains a mystery. This is about to change, as baijiu is now being served in cocktail bars beyond its borders.

Drunk in China follows Derek Sandhaus’s journey of discovery into the world’s oldest drinking culture. He travels throughout the country and around the globe to meet with distillers, brewers, snake-oil salesmen, archaeologists, and ordinary drinkers. He examines the many ways in which alcohol has shaped Chinese society and its rituals. He visits production floors, karaoke parlors, hotpot joints, and speakeasies. Along the way he uncovers a tradition spanning more than nine thousand years and explores how recent economic and political developments have conspired to push Chinese alcohol beyond the nation’s borders for the first time. As Chinese society becomes increasingly international, its drinking culture must also adapt to the times. Can the West also adapt and clink glasses with China? Read Drunk in China and find out.

 

The Art of the Garnish by Leeann Lavin

Full of tips, tricks, and instructional illustrations about how to prepare a wide range of cocktail garnishes, The Art of the Garnish is a mixology must-have!

The perfect cocktail is a sight to behold, and it is often enhanced both in flavor and appearance thanks to a garnish. Learn the ins and outs of garnishing your drinks with The Art of the Garnish. Full of tips, tricks, and instructional illustrations on the right way to prepare a dizzying array of garnishes, from herbs and citrus to nuts, candy, meat, and jewelry, this book is a must-have for the aspiring mixologist! Like all the books in the “Art of Entertaining” series The Art of the Garnish offers easy-to-follow recipes and colorful photographs; the beautiful images detail how these garnishes enhance cocktails and will help make you the star of happy hour.

 

Fancy AF Cocktails: Drink Recipes from a Couple of Professional Drinkers by Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval

Bravo's hit show Vanderpump Rules, which Vogue recently called "America's perfect reality show," is a spin-off of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The show is centered around the crazy, booze-fueled lives of the staff at Lisa Vanderpump's wildly popular SUR restaurant in West Hollywood. Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval, two of the show’s stars, fell in love on the show and have stuck together through it all. They've been talking about writing a cocktail book on the show for a few seasons, and now they're finally delivering the goods with this book that has drinks for every situation. It features a mix of classy cocktails for fancy special occasions and trashier recipes for those times when you just have a few random ingredients in your kitchen and want to keep the buzz going. Shots and recovery recipes are also included, so your pregame and morning after will be covered too. Woven throughout are brand-new photos and behind-the-scenes stories crafted with the help of Bravo insider and co-author Danny Pellegrino, making this a true must-have for fans of the show.

 

A Rum Tale: Spirit of the New World by Joseph Piercy 

Steeped in a long, diverse history, rum is a spirit that has meaning in cultures across the globe, from its home in the Caribbean and Barbados, through the ranks of the Royal Navy, to the Australian rum rebellion. Here Joseph Piercy delves into the rich history of rum, from the invasion of the Caribbean to the real pirates of the Caribbean who gave use some of our best known brands of rum today, such as Henry "Captain" Morgan. He explores the legend of Nelson's blood (whose body was said to be stored in a rum barrel for transport) and the rum-running of U.S. Prohibition, which stoked the Bacardi family's rise to fame and fortune. As it experiences a long-overdue resurgence in popularity, alongside a fascinating history, Piercy shares his experience of this versatile spirit, listing rums not to miss and delicious rum-based cocktails you can try at home. This is a fun little book that no drinks connoisseur should be without.

 

 

The Postmodern Bartender by Hayden Wood

Find a new favorite drink in this bartender's guide that offers a novel approach to the simple cocktail. Organized by flavor profiles, this volume explores the range of possible mixed drinks based on personal tastes. Over 1,000 recipes, from the simple to the fresh squeezed, from the classic to the trending, are all detailed here. Also profiled are beers, whiskeys, sakes, and more. Written by famed Australian drinksmith Hayden Wood, there is also plenty of good barkeeping advice, instructions and illustrations for flair pouring, and a short literary supplement of Bukowskiesque, true-to-life stories from bartenders around the world.

Simple Starter Seedlip Recipes - Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

I make hundreds of non-alcoholic cocktails each year for tech events, at which a fair percentage of event attendees do not consume alcohol. I've made it a policy to have drinks that are of equal quality to the alcoholic ones, and for that Seedlip has come in very handy. 

Many people have issues with Seedlip - it's pricey for one, they call it a "non-alcoholic spirit" which annoys people, and more importantly people tend to try it as a gin and put it into tonic water so I think it's mostly a lack of understanding.  Trust you me that is not its best use! So below I've put some super simple recipes I often make with Seedlip. These are so good! 

In general, I find Seedlip can be a touch perfumy which is both its strength and weakness. The trick to using it is usually to put it up against strong flavored syrups - below I use maple syrup and passion fruit syrup in drinks. But that Daiquiri is just terrific with simply lime and sugar. 

 

Garden Cooler 
This is merely a Daiquiri using Seedlip Garden, and it is magnificent - it will convert all skeptics. If I were making something like a Mojito at the event I would toss in some soda water and mint in this recipe much like converting a standard Daiquiri to a Mojito. 

1 oz Lime Juice 

.75 - 1 oz Simple Syrup

2 oz Seedlip Garden

Shake with ice or just mix together (for events I never shake cocktails but I may add some dilution, this one can take some water)

Pour over ice and garnish with a lime wheel

 

Passion Punch
This drink pairs Seedlip Spice's "winter spice" notes with passion fruit, much like you can do with Angostura Bitters. If I'm doing an event with drinks served over big 2-inch ice cubes, I'll use this drink as the non-alcoholic "stirred" cocktail despite its ingredients. I'm a huge, huge fan of Small Hand Foods passion fruit syrup so I'd definitely stay on-brand with this if you can.

I used to also add The Ginger People's ginger juice to this drink, but about a year ago their juice started tasting really pasteurized (I assume it is pasteurized, it just didn't taste like it). It's a great improvement to add something spicy against the passion fruit so you may consider an alternative or infusing ginger into Seedlip perhaps? 

2 ounces Seedlip Spice

.75 ounce Small Hand Foods Passion Fruit Syrup

.75 ounce Lemon Juice

Shake (or just mix) with ice and pour over a large ice cube. (Regular ice cubes are fine too.)

Garnish with a lemon peel expressed over the top of the drink and dropped in. 

 

N/A Maple Cooler
I make a super popular Rye Maple Sour for events (rye whiskey, maple simple, lemon) and this is my non-alcoholic alternative with a similar taste profile. Honestly it might be better than the boozy version. 

1.5 oz Seedlip Spice

.75 oz Lemon Juice 

75 oz Maple Simple Syrup (1:1 with water)

Shake (or just mix) with ice  and pour over ice.

Garnish with a lemon peel expressed over the drink and dropped in. 

 

Please give these drinks a try- they not only validate Seedlip, they are delicious on their own and will please drinkers and non-drinkers alike. 

 

Non-Alcoholic Spirit Brands List

Here is a list of non-alcoholic spirits brands. There are a lot more of them out than I realized. 

Did I miss any? Please let me know. 

Seedlip (UK) / Aecorn /NoGroni 

Ceder's Wild (Sweden)

Surendran & Bownes (UK) Labdanum

Stryyk (UK)

Herbie Virgin (Denmark)

Pentire (UK)

Three Spirit (UK)

MeMento (Italy)

Fluere (Netherlands)

Ritual Zero Proof (Chicago)

The Bitter Note (Italy)

Lidl CeroCero 

Sea Arch (UK)

Lyre's

Atopia

Monte Rosso

Xachoh

Borrago

Everleaf (UK)

Caleño

Ginsin/Ronsin/Versin/Whissin

Junip

Silk Tree (Ireland)

The Driver's Tipple (UK)

Senser

Celtic Soul

Feragaia

Arkay

ASDA Botanical Drinks

Ecology & Co (New Zealand)

Blutul vermouth

Abstinence (South Africa)

Nine Elms

Crafted Spirits

Spirits of Virtue (Scotland)

Punchy Non-Alcoholic Spiced Rum

Amplify

Nona (Belgium)

Lumette (Canada)

Spiritliss (Canada)

Brunswick Aces (Australia)

Saint Non-Alcoholic Gin (South Africa)

ISH Spirits GinIsh/RumIsh 

Proteau (USA)

Kin Euphorics (USA)

Bax Botanics (UK)

ALTD (Australia)

 

Some Sources where I found these:

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2018/08/top-seven-non-alcoholic-spirits-brands/

https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/best-non-alcoholic-sprits/

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2018/11/is-greater-transparency-needed-in-non-alcoholic-spirits/

https://www.alcademics.com/2019/10/report-from-bar-convent-berlin-2019.html

https://www.shortlist.com/lists/best-non-alcoholic-spirits-400564

https://drydrinker.com/

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trending-five-non-alcoholic-spirits-for-teetotallers-g5sr85g0g

 

More Eyeball Ice Balls and Ice Fangs for Halloween

I made more fun ice for Halloween. Recently I put some bouncy eyeballs into ice balls and froze a Halloween mask into an ice block.

This time I put some big glass eyes into ice balls and put vampire fangs into other ice balls. The glass eyes were an idea from bartender Ramon Pinon - they are available on Amazon at this link. I got these super large ones that fit into the ice ball mold that I use atop the Thermos Funtainer similarly to how I made these bugs and spider ice balls last year. 

 

For the vampire fangs, I found colored ones at CVS and put them into the IceOlogy ice ball trays. The trick here is to put them in sideways so that air pockets don't form underneath them. 

 

 

Anyway, good times, enjoy. 

 

A Fascinating Interview with Remy Martin Cognac Cellarmaster Baptiste Loiseau

I was recently in Calistoga to meet with Baptiste Loiseau, cellarmaster for Remy Cognac. We had a quick interview early in the day but I wanted more info, so I ended up monopolizing his time after dinner. We spoke for a very long time (I promised it was "quick questions" but I think it went an hour) and I learned so, so much!

(However, please note that I wrote up this post working from my brief notes, rather than from a transcript, and it has not been fact-checked. )

The trip was to introduce the new permanent expression to the Remy line, Tercet. In this post I'll talk about the points of uniqueness of Tercet as well as Remy Martin cognac in general.

Tercent sits in the range as such:

VSOP  $46

1738  $60 

Tercet $110 

XO $200

Plus the older/fancy bottlings. Tercet is aged to the legal VSOP level (4 years) but is closer in average age to an XO, according to Loiseau.

Baptiste Loiseau. All images provided by Remy Martin.

The marketing emphasizes "three artisans," - the wine master (grower), the master distiller, and the cellar master. The flavor profile notes emphasize it being "fruit-forward," "fresh," and with a "long and complex finish." And to me, the bottle evokes earthiness/rusticness/artisanship.   

As always, I'm interested in why a brand story and flavor profile are described a certain way.  In the process of asking what is unique about Tercet and why it's positioned in this way I learned tons of information. 

The Why of Tercet

The brand found that many drinkers didn't know where cognac comes from or that it's made from grapes, even many fans and regular drinkers of cognac. (This is the case for many of the world's strongest spirit brands- people who drink Patron don't know it's tequila, people who drink Jameson don't know it's whiskey.)

Loiseau said, and this is the only direct quote I have in this whole huge write-up, "People are enjoying a brand or a category, but if we want them to choose cognac in future years [if/when they become more educated drinkers] we have to emphasize what makes it special."

To accomplish this goal, Tercet emphasizes grapiness/freshness in flavor, and the three producers on the label. And by emphasizing the producers on the label, this is a visual key to how it's made: it's made from Wine that is Distilled and Aged. 

As to how Tercet is positioned in the line, Loiseau said that the 1738 blend more emphasizes woody notes while Tercet emphasizes the fruit. 

Tercet is bottled at 42% ABV, which is higher than nearly all cognac. I asked Loiseau if the marketing department had come to him with a brief of needs list of a higher proof, but he said that no - he approached marketing with his desired proof for Tercet and they liked it as a point of differentiation. 

 

Winemaking

Loiseau's history is as an agronomist and oenologist - in other words, an expert in winemaking. The marketing copy seems to imply that Loiseau  discovered wines from the artisan winemaker Francis Nadeau that were super interesting and he put some aside for special experimentation, but the reality is a different (not a huge surprise there, but much easier to explain). Loiseau estimated that Nadeau's distillates make up just about 1% of the liquid Remy buys overall. 

On the other hand, Nadeau sells about 90 percent of his eau de vie to Remy, and his father and grandfather sold to the house also. So the company and the winegrower have a close and great working relationship, as well as an expertise in winemaking. 

The new blend Tercet doesn't have a distinctly large amount of wine from Nadeau's vineyards - his emphasis on the packaging/marketing of the new release is a nod to his involvement of growing/pressing/fermenting/distilling the specific style of grape/wine used in the Tercet blend. 

Sidebar: For the wines purchased by Remy Martin, the winegrowers distill at their own properties. Remy only distills wine from their own wineries. 

Loiseau said that when he was working on this project, previous cellar master Pierrette Trichet expressed concern that when the distillate aged and evolved, it might not match the Remy Martin house style. But it all worked out: They followed this eau de vie along as it aged until they felt it was ready to take the spotlight. Then they had to make more of it. 

Remy buys wine from about 800 winegrowers. They grow the grapes, press the juice, ferment, and distill them. They do this in the style of the cognac house they will sell to - for example some cognac brands distill on the lees (yeast and grape skin bits post-fermentation) and others do not. So going into the harvest, the winegrowers are given directions from the brands they plan to sell to about how they should make their distillates. Loiseau mentioned an "annual winemakers meeting" which sounds exciting to me, but you know, I'm special. 

Many growers sell to multiple brands, so they are making different styles of eau de vie in one facility. (Fascinating! My idea of how this works was that after distillation various brands come and just pick and choose what they want from a bunch of vats of eau de vie, but rather it's "here's your order, make sure it's to your specifications, and then pay us!") 

So Loiseau and his team must talk to all the growers each year and give them directives - not just specific to their house style, but specific to the wine produced at each vineyard: his team will taste the wines made at a vineyard and tell the local distiller to remove X amount of heads when distilling. A winemaker with a very good wine may be told to keep in a larger part of the heads, while a bad batch of wine will result in being advised to keep a much smaller percentage of the heart and discard more of the heads. Loiseau says that only more skilled winemakers can achieve the style of wine they're looking for (I think he was saying the type of wine specific to Tercet at this point in the conversation), so not everyone is advised to distill their wine the same way. 

Only after newly distilled eau de vie is produced do people from Remy evaluate it and choose to buy or reject the eau de vie, so the the winemakers don't actually have to take this advice on how to make it. Remy pays more for distillate that has a potential for longer aging, so I wondered if winemaker/distillers try to include more of the heads than they should. Then the winemaker would have more distillate to sell if they keep in more of the liquid, but Loiseau essentially dismissed this as something that doesn't really happen. They work with winemakers every year to ensure they know what the parameters are going in, so why risk it? 

 

Aging

Remy has two different types of contracts, for aging either at the winemaker's site, or aging in Remy's cellars. In either case, it's aged in Remy-purchased casks. Loiseau says the reason for not aging it all themselves isn't necessarily space issues, but for diversity of cellars and resulting flavor. 

Cognac is aged in a combination of dry and wet cellars, but Loiseau says that the balance between cellars is not a point of differentiation for Tercet anyway. The barrels they use for Tercet are the point - they're older and give less wood impact in order to let the fruit shine through. 

 

Make It Rich

Tercet is also meant to have a richness to it, coming from distilling on the lees that bring more fatty acids to the final product. However when you distill on the lees, you have to pay extra careful attention to saponification  - when you dilute a spirit too quickly it can make unwanted soapy flavors. Loiseau says that for cognacs not distilled on the lees you can do a faster dilution scheme compared with the stuff distilled on the lees. 

Another thing I learned is that you don't proof in the barrel directly due to the fear of saponification - those molecules (don't recall what type they are) tend to stick to the barrel and particularly when you reuse barrels the next thing to age in it is impacted by soapy flavors sticking around. 

Even within a line of products from one maker, there are different dilution rates - unlike in some spirits, producers do not simply let a cognac age then add enough water to bottling proof. The richer products aging for longer get a slower rate of dilution: They add some water before putting the fresh distillate into barrels, then more at certain lengths of aging, then slightly adjust the proof before bottling. 

Loiseau said that this gentler dilution rate also impacts barrel proof: To cognacs that are destined for younger products, you add water before putting them into the barrel the first time. This meets the ideal or target entry level proof found to best in cognac (overall in the industry - much like in bourbon, barrel entry proof was studied and a common standard was determined). Remy VSOP and 1738 go into the barrel at this standard proof. 

So, for future fattier Tercet, less water is added at the outset, resulting in a higher barrel proof. Higher barrel proofs (higher than the ideal standard) do not, as you'd assume is the case, mean more wood extraction from the barrel, but less. So this means that there will be less wood flavor impact on this blend. And this helps ensure that the blend has the less-wood-more-fruit flavor they're going for. 

Loiseau used the word "gentle" to describe how Tercet is produced to reach the desired flavor profile and said they use a gentleness in other ways too: There's a gentle pressing of the grapes to get a clearer juice/wine, a slower fermentation (temperature controlled) to keep more delicate aromas in the wine, a slower speed of distillation (longer warm-up), and slower water reduction scheme. So we can see that a cognac maker can identify the end product that they want to make and adjust many factors that will steer it toward that end - in the fermentation, distillation, aging, and dilution. 

Dear Reader: This was so much new, exciting, revealing, and mind-blowing information - and most of it explained to me over the course of a single hour - that I was jacked up on science at 11pm and couldn't get to sleep for hours, despite all the cognac.  Of course, on rereading this post I could add another 20 questions about how Tercet's wine, distilling, and aging schemes differ from those of 1738 in particular, but that will have to wait for another opportunity I hope to get one day. 

 

The Flavor of Tercet and Why

As mentioned above, Tercet is meant to emphasize fruitiness, freshness, and a long finish.

Distilling on the lees is meant to give the cognac body - softness and also a nuttiness, in addition to a potential for longer aging. 

The grape and fruity flavors are emphasized by gentle handling of the liquid to ensure more of the raw material notes stay in the liquid rather than become covered up or evaporate off. 

The fresh: notes Loiseau is talking about are actually tropical/exotic fruit notes like banana, pineapple, mango, and lychee. 

The higher proof of 42 percent ABV helps these notes pop out first - on nosing they quickly pop. And then it's time for that long finish - tons of Christmas cake, ginger, nutty, nutmeg and spice notes come out. These come in part from the fatty acids there from distilling on the lees. Loiseau noted that the base notes are present in Tercet while the woody, tannic notes of the barrel are not emphasized in the blend. 

This long and spicy finish comes from using older cognac in the blend that has had time to develop this complexity and a rancio notes. When we added ice to the cognac (which I was hesitant to do) the extra 2% ABV helped it stand up better to dilution, the creamy body remained in the brandy in the glass, and leathery sort of notes and that ginger dominated. It had the notes of many peoples' ideal Old Fashioned. 

 

Thanks to Remy Martin and Baptiste Loiseau for an awesome opportunity to geek out on cognac!

 

50 Iconic Cocktails in San Francisco - The 2019 List

Once again I was tasked with picking the 50 most iconic cocktails in San Francisco for 7x7 Magazine. The list used to be called The Big Drink: 50 Things to Drink in San Francisco Before You Die, but I, for one, am happy that we took death out of the equation. 

When coming up with the list I need to include every possible neighborhood, which can be a challenge (GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, NOE VALLEY). Then I generally look for very special cocktails that have become such classics at their bars that they essentially can never come off the menu. 

It's not a list of the best cocktails nor the best bars in SF, but a focus on the getting around town to try exciting, iconic drinks. This year's list reflects the "tiki is the new speakeasy" trend with Last Rites, Tonga Room, Pagan Idol, Smuggler's Cove, and Zombie Village all on the list. That's a bit excessive! 

The drinks/bars I'm most proud of (weird to say since I didn't do anything but pick them) getting include the Paloma Slushy at The Lark Bar, the Panyo Panyo at Kaiyo, and The Spritzzz at The Detour.

Anyway have a look at the list. You'll notice that there are a 51-53 appended to the list by the brand that sponsored it. Those seem like fine drinks but they're not my picks. 

Read the whole list here!

 

 

Grains of Peril: The Frivolous Florida Gin Lawsuit and Adulterant Analysis by Lance Winters

You may have heard that a lawyer in Miami is suing Bombay Sapphire gin because it includes grains of paradise in the recipe. 

The suit is due to a 150 year old law meant to prevent potentially dangerous adulteration of alcoholic beverages. Also included in the law were several other "adulterants." As posted to the HoochLaw blog, the law reads: 

Whoever adulterates, for the purpose of sale, any liquor, used or intended for drink, with cocculus indicus, vitriol, grains of paradise, opium, alum, capsicum, copperas, laurel water, logwood, brazil wood, cochineal, sugar of lead, or any other substance which is poisonous or injurious to health, and whoever knowingly sells any liquor so adulterated, shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree.

When I saw this, I realized cochineal, a common red coloring derived from scale insects, would also render many spirits illegal in Florida if grains of paradise are.

One of those spirits is St. George Spirits' Bruto Americano, an Italian-inspired aperitif liqueur colored with cochineal.

Lance Winters, President & Master Distiller for St. George Spirits, sent me an email with his (amazing!) analysis of the situation. 

Winters wrote:

To adulterate something is to corrupt it, often in an effort to perpetrate fraud by creating a counterfeit of something. In 1860 when this law was written, there were small rectifiers and liquor compounders across the country who would often "create" one spirit out of another.

For example, a "French brandy" could be made from a mixture of high proof grain spirits, Cognac oil and coloring. Another recipe in Lacour advises on making Cognac: "One barrel of whiskey, say forty gallons, add tincture of grains of paradise, one quart; powdered catechu, three ounces; mucilage of slippery elm bark, two thirds of a pint; oil of lemon, eighty drops; well rubbed in an ounce of dry white or brown sugar, and added to the liquor; then add six ounces of acetic ether".

As these recipes show, ingredients like those listed in the Florida law were often used to create imitation versions of spirits, hence the use of the term adulteration. Grains of paradise in particular were used for hundreds of years to make a spirit seem stronger than it actually was, allowing an unscrupulous compounder to label a spirit with a higher alcohol content than was actually in the bottle. Capsicum, also listed in the regulation, was often used to give the false sensation of a higher alcohol content.

The statement that the use of grains of paradise was "unconscionable" relates to [the lawyer's] prior claim of the spice to induce abortion. Grains of paradise are not an abortifacient. Their intense flavor was often used to mask the taste of abortifacients which were administered without the knowledge of the pregnant woman.

Cocktail Geeks will know that in the back of the original Jerry Thomas' Bar-Tenders Guide was the Guide to Manufacture of Cordials, Liqueurs, etc., which had similar recipes for adulterating neutral spirit to make gin, whiskey, etc.. 

Lance Winters then went on to describe what the other illegal ingredients were used for in adulteration: 

Cocculus indicus was added to beer to promote a sense of giddiness. It's now commonly used as a homeopathic remedy for motion induced nausea.

Vitriol is good old sulfuric acid, used for the "beading" effect in liquor in an effort to further falsify alcohol content. If it's so dangerous, why is there so much food grade sulfuric acid available?

Grains of paradise were also known as Guinea pepper. In "Lacour, on the Manufacture of Liquor" (1853), an old how-to for both genuine purveyors and shysters, the author states that "Of the different varieties of pepper, none answers for the purpose of giving a false strength to liquors, except Guinea pepper; a tincture prepared from this variety has a taste analogous to alcohol, whereas the taste from the other varieties remains on the palate a considerable length of time after being swallowed."

Alum was used to intentionally impart roughness to wines, again (I assume) to give the sense of a higher alcohol content. We most often use it in pickles.

Capsicum was another tool to falsify alcohol content. It's also food. Packed with vitamin C. Say goodbye to pepper flavored vodkas in Florida.

Copperas is an Old-Timey name for iron II sulfate. Probably used to color spirits that were supposed to have some sort of herb content or to stabilize same. Now found in supplements for people with iron deficiencies.

Laurel water was distilled from the leaves of the cherry laurel and consisted chiefly of prussic acid. Probably used to give almond notes to artificial kirsch. Totally poisonous. Not going to argue that one.

Logwood is a dye, brown, red and purple. Not sure about its toxicity, but was probably used to give the impression of barrel aging.

Brazil wood would have been used in the same way.

Cochineal, same use, currently used to color foods and cosmetics.

Sugar of lead? C'mon, that's just silly. And toxic. And already prohibited.

 

Thanks to Lance Winters for his analysis/rant in the form of detailed information!

As is probably obvious to all but the lawyer in question, the spirit of the law seems to be to prevent using these ingredients to fool customers into purchasing counterfeit and potentially dangerous alcohol. Most of the ingredients are Generally Recognized as Safe by the US government, so they're permitted in the standard production of food and beverages. 

 

 

Report from Bar Convent Berlin 2019

I attended Bar Convent Berlin 2019. This was probably my sixth trip to Berlin for this most excellent bar show. My talk on CocktailSafe topics had a standing-room only crowd, so my trip was a success. 

Below are a few observations from the show. 

Ginsanity

There was so much new gin at the show I didn't bother to try to discover any new ones. In the show guide 164 gin expressions were listed - and I think that undercounts how many were actually there by a lot. It's just a complete overload with companies producing six+ expressions each.  It seems the minimum line is a regular gin, a navy strength, and an Old Tom style gin, but a lot of these brands have a range of flavored gins bordering on trashy. Is gin the new flavored vodka? Yes, absolutely without a doubt gin is the new flavored vodka. 

 

Luxury Liqueurs from DeKuyper

I hadn't really noticed this shift but now it's clear that DeKuyper has their eyes on the long game, using famous bartenders to introduce new luxury liqueurs to the world. At the beginning of this year Muyu liqueurs launched. It is a line of three liqueurs with from each of Alex Kratena, Monica Berg and Simone Caporale.

And just in the past month, they've also launched a chocolate liqueur with Joerg Meyer of Le Lion de Paris called Dutch Cacao, and a mint-ish liqueur called Acqua Bianca with Salvatore Calabrese. 

I know that at least the last two were developed with Rutte Gin distiller Myriam Hendrickx, so chances are the first three were too. 

 

Mexicorn

The team behind Ancho Reyes (that Campari just took a majority stake in, announced while at the conference) have put a new focus on Mexican corn. They're close to launching Nixta Licor De Elote (corn liqueur), in the most spectacular bottle. I posted it to Instagram and it kind of blew up, so I guess I should produce more corn-related content there. 

They've also built a corn whiskey distillery and are launching the first product soon. The brand name is Abasolo Whisky but it appears the website isn't up yet. A scan of the flier is below. I'm not sure if this distillery and future brands are included in the sale to Campari, but from the press release it does not appear so. Nixta licor is produced at this distillery, according to the flier. 

 

 

Small Gin Math 

I also had the opportunity to try the Hayman's Small Gin - In the era of "non-alcoholic spirits" (see below), Hayman's took an extremely interesting approach. Recognizing that alcohol is the necessary ingredient for botanical flavor extraction, rather than producing a 0% ABV spirit, they made an extreme gin concentrate at 43% ABV so that you only need 5ml (1/6th ounce) of Small Gin in a Gin & Tonic, rending it pretty close to non-alcohlic. The little bottle comes with a thimble to use as a jigger. 

I think this is cool as the other n/a spirits do alcoholic extraction then dilute it down to less than .5% ABV with water and preservative ingredients to be legally non-alcoholic, while this is somewhat more pure and honest by keeping it at the alcohol level at which it can function. Just for fun, I decided to do a rough calculation of how much of Hayman's Small Gin it would take to make a 700ml bottle of non-alcoholic gin:

.5% of 700 ml = 3.5 ml of pure 100% alcohol. 
so this is 43% alcohol so we'll round up to 50% and roughly double the amount, giving us about 7ml of Hayman's Small Gin required in a 700ml bottle to make it legally non-alcoholic. 

Since the recommended dose of Small Gin is 5ml per drink, it would be far too watered down in flavor with only 7ml in an entire bottle. Which goes to show that the non-alcoholic spirits are actually working quite hard to pack in that much flavor at such a low proof - and I have newfound respect for the skill of their makers! Math is fun. 

 

A Push for Purity

Purity Vodka is my go-to recommendation when people ask me for basically "vodka, but expensive" gift for their friends - it's great quality and wins all the awards. The brand standard is the 34 times distilled expression - which was the only product for the first few years of its existence back when I visited the distillery.  I've never been a fan of counting the number of plates in the still as number of distillations, but was the brand has expanded into new 17 times distilled and 51 times distilled expressions it makes more sense. Tasting the line against each other really shows how vodka can change in flavor profile from an expression of its raw ingredients into a more neutral (they'd probably say 'refined') spirit. 

I spoke with CEO Mathias Tonnesson who said that in the USA, they're concentrating on consumer markets in specific areas with good sales. Apparently Atlanta is a big market for them. 

Purity is also launching a line of gin - a London Dry style, a Navy Strength, and an Old Tom style. It's amazing how the touch of sugar in the Old Tom really pushes forward the botanical mix. They're also launching a "spritz" that is meant to be consumed on it's own or mixed with sparkling water, sparkling wine, or tonic. 

 

Armagnac Priced to Mix

The Rooster Factory developed with Armagnac Castarede Gaspard de M. Armagnac Distiller’s Cut armagnac. There's a year-rested blanche and a young aged armagnac, both priced for use in cocktails. This could help give armagnac the push it needs to take its place among the great mixing brandies. 

 

Non-Alcoholic Spirits Explosion

I knew coming in to BCB that there would be a number of "non-alcoholic spirits" in the style of Seedlip to sample. Most of these brands are probably just looking for distribution so don't expect to find them on store shelves, especially not in the US, any time soon. 

Speaking of Seedlip, I was able to try their Aecorn  line of aperitifs and really enjoyed them. They also announced a bottled NoGroni Negroni variation that I can't wait to try. I found with Aecorn, the Bitter Note, and other products that the more complicated aperitif/digestif spirits seem more interesting/fully realized than the n/a base spirits - but not all products are trying to be versions of gin, vodka, etc, but something else to stand in for those base spirits while bringing real flavor to the eventual cocktail. 

 

So that's it for this quick report. I'm pretty jetlagged right now. 

 

 

Creepy Halloween Mask Frozen In Ice Blocks

I'm up to my silliness again. I had the idea that I could freeze masks into ice blocks for decoration, so in advance of Halloween Superstores opening around town, I bought some masks on Amazon. 

I bought this terribly ugly Frankenstein mask, but as it's made of foam it just floats on top of the water rather than freezes inside the block. 

I also bought a set of cheap plastic "drama party kids face masks" and tried those. They sink inside the cooler (by the way, I make them similar to how I did this dinosaur head ice block using Directional Freezing in an Igloo cooler) so I was going to suspend it in the Igloo cooler from the elastic string on the mask, but instead I just left a tiny bit of air under the part of the forehead of the mask - you can see it pokes out from the block. The mask stayed suspended in the ice block pretty well. 

I left it to freeze for a few days and if I do it again I'll let it go a shorter time as the cloudy part of the ice formed on the bottom (behind the mask). But anyway it came out pretty cool. 

 

After I thought I was done with the experiment and taking pictures,  I was rinsing off the block in hot water in my sink. As I was able to pull the mask out of the block I found that the mask left the impression of the face in the block! It looked super creepy and now I'm thinking for future experiments I should see about other shapes I can press into ice blocks... 

If you like this post, you might also like:

Dinosaur Head Ice Block

Eyeball Ice Balls for Halloween

and as usual, the complete Index of Ice Experiments on Alcademics is here.