Daily Archives: July 22, 2016

Alcohol, liqueur

Vermouth: Bar Nemesis?

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vya-3-packIF YOU LOOK up the word malign in any standard English dictionary, you’ll find the following definition: to speak harmful untruths about; speak evil of; slander; defame.  If I was in charge of choosing the descriptive pictures that accompany some words in the dictionary, I’d place a picture of a bottle of vermouth next to the word malign.  Nothing on Earth has been more maligned than vermouth, except maybe Wes Craven’s movie The People Under the Stairs.  With a renewed interest in classic cocktails, I thought that it would be a good idea to take a look at the most disparaged bottle on the bar so that we can understand what it is and why it is an integral part of some of the best known classic cocktails.

Vermouth is a fortified wine to which botanicals are added.  The name vermouth is derived from the German word wermut or the Anglo-Saxon word wermod which both mean wormwood.  Wormwood was known by ancient civilizations in Rome, Greece, and Egypt for its medicinal powers.  Since wormwood is extremely bitter, sugar and spices were combined with it to make it more palatable.  During the late 18th century an Italian named Antonio Carpano began fortifying cheap wine with a distilled spirit, most notably brandy, in an attempt to not only improve its flavor, but to extend the life of the wine.  He would then add wormwood and other spices such as cloves, juniper, nutmeg, citrus peel, coriander, ginger, sage, chamomile, cinnamon and hops.  It is thought that he was inspired by a German wine flavored with wormwood and this is probably why he called his creation vermouth.

There are several different types of vermouth, ranging from the dry vermouth used in martinis, to the very sweet vermouth that is consumed as an aperitif.  As early as the 1830’s, vermouth began to appear in the U. S.  During that time, dry vermouth was referred to as French while sweet vermouth was called Italian.  This distinction was based on their country of origin, but these days those terms are no longer in vogue.  It is known that by 1853, the French company Noilly Prat was shipping its dry white vermouth to places like New Orleans and San Francisco.  This should not be surprising since both cities were heavily populated with citizens of French decent.  By the 1860’s, sweet red vermouth from Italy had made significant inroads in New York.

Before long, people started to take notice of this vino vermouth.  This led to experimentation by the bar-men of the day in New York City and culminated with the creation of the Vermouth Cocktail — a very simple drink consisting of two ounces of sweet vermouth with a piece of lemon peel and a few cubes of ice served in a stemmed tulip-shaped glass.  Like many of the cocktails of that era that included ingredients containing herbs and spices, the Vermouth Cocktail was quite often prescribed as a remedy for hangovers.  It was also preferred by those who did not like to start the day with a hangover because the low alcohol content of the drink made its consumption less painful the next morning.

The creation of the Vermouth Cocktail came at a time when an interesting transition for bartenders and their clientele was beginning to occur.  Bar patrons’ palates began to mature and  their tastes began to move away from cocktails that were made simply by pouring liquor over ice and adding a few dashes of bitters to it.  Sometime around the mid-1860’s, someone began blending sweet vermouth with brandy, rye, whiskey and gin.  These new concoctions were complex and flavorful with less of an impact on one’s ability to leave the bar under one’s own power after consuming a few of them.  The first of these amazing cocktails was the Manhattan which paved the way for the Martinez and the king of all cocktails — the Martini.

So why has something so important to the creation of three of the most important classic cocktails become so reviled?  That’s a good question.  One theory is that not only is vermouth misunderstood, but also mistreated.  Since vermouth is a wine, it should probably be treated as such.  Once opened, it will oxidize in a relatively short time.  That means that its flavor will change in short order.  Consequently, if you’re not there when the bottle is opened, you’re probably not going to get the vermouth when it’s at its best.  To remedy this, once opened, do not throw away the cap.  Air causes oxidation, so putting a pour spout on the bottle will not help your cause.  Next, when not in use, store it in the refrigerator.  It’s probably also a good idea to chill it before you open it for the first time.  Chilling it will slow the oxidation process.  Also, tasting the vermouth when you open it for the first time gives you a sense of its flavor profile giving you a point of reference that allows you to determine when it may be time to replace it.

Another thing to keep in mind is quality.  When vermouth was created, it was as a way to salvage really bad wine.  These days, that is not the case.  Artisan vermouth producers such as Vya are making well-crafted products that are not only great for making cocktails, but good enough that many chefs have begun to replace white wine with dry vermouth for cooking.  These same chefs are even pairing vermouth with meals as either an aperitif or digestif.

So, there you have it — vermouth un-vilified.  As vermouth begins to reemerge on bars and become more appreciated as a legitimate ingredient in cocktails and as a aperitif and digestif, I hope that more of you take the opportunity to experience this red-headed stepchild of the cocktail world.  If you’re feeling daring this weekend, stop by your local liquor outlet and purchase a small bottle of sweet vermouth.  It can be enjoyed just as you’d enjoy a glass of port or sherry and it’s very good.  Maybe you’re preparing a meal that calls for white wine as an ingredient.  Why not substitute that ingredient with dry vermouth?  Martini & Rossi has been around for well over 150 years and has a great reputation, while new comers like Vya are breaking new ground with their high-quality artisan creations.  As always, whether you’re enjoying a cocktail that blends your favorite liquor with vermouth or you’re trying it as an aperitif or digestif, please drink responsibly.

Alcohol, Scotch

Single Malt Scotch — Unloched

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Recently, I was asked the following question:  “What, exactly, is Single Malt Scotch?”  I love these kinds of questions the most.  Not because I know the answer, but because the answer is usually a surprise for the person that asked the question.

Single Malt Scotch is a type of whisky, distilled by a single distillery, usually in a pot still, using malted barley, in Scotland.  All Scotch whisky, including Single Malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years.  Most Single Malts are matured for much longer.  The word single indicates that all the malts in the bottle come from a single distillery.  The word malt indicates that the whisky is distilled from a single malted grain.  In the case of Single Malt Scotch, barley is always the grain used.

The distillation of whisky has taken place in Scotland for at least 500 years.  The first written record of it dates back to 1494 with an entry on the famous Exchequer Rolls.  The years that followed saw the various governments of Scotland taxing the production of whisky to the point where most of Scotland’s whisky was produced illegally.  By 1823, the Scottish Parliament passed an act making the commercial distillation of  whisky more profitable, while imposing severe punishments on landowners with unlicensed distilleries on their property.  A man by the name of George Smith was the first to receive a license for a distillery under the new law.  This distillery, Glenlivet, was founded in 1824 and still exists today.

All Single Malt Scotch goes through a batch production process.  At the time that it is bottled, various batches are mixed together to achieve consistent flavors from one bottling to the next.  Water is the most important ingredient in the production of single malts and is used in each phase of  the process.  It is first added to the barley to promote germination.  It is mixed with ground barley to create mash.  It is also used to dilute the whisky before it is mature and again before bottling.  Most distilleries use different water sources for the different steps.  Most modern distilleries use distilled water for diluting the whisky before it is put into casks.  They also use distilled water to dilute the whisky to 40-46% alcohol by volume before bottling.  Some distilleries, like Bruichladdich, use local spring water for dilution before casking.

Barley is the other key ingredient in single malts.  Barley is malted by soaking the grain in water for 2-3 days and then allowing it to germinate in order to produce the necessary enzymes required to convert starch into sugar.  Before modern techniques were developed, most distilleries had their own malting floor.  The germinating seeds were regularly turned there.  These days, distilleries use commercial malt companies that make malts for individual distilleries to their exact specifications.  After 3-5 days, the germination process is stopped.  Then the germinated barley is dried using hot air produced by burning oil or coal or by using an electric heating source.  At this point, peat smoke is introduced to add phenols, a smoky aroma and flavor to the whisky.  The best examples of this  type of Single Malt Scotch come from the Isle of Islay.  I’ve tried a couple of them, most notably Lagavulin and Laphroaig.  Lagavulin is very smooth and delicious.  Laphroaig, on the other hand, has a very peaty aroma and taste.  It’s definitely unique among the Single Malts I’ve tasted.

Once the malt is dried, it is milled into a coarse flour, known as grist.  It is then added to hot water to activate the enzymes which will convert the starch to sugar.  The long starch chains are broken down into glucose, maltose, and maltroise.  The sugary liquid that is produced is called wort.  Yeast is added to the wort which is then contained in large vessels, usually thousands of liters in size.  They are either made of stainless steel or Oregon Pine.  The yeast consumes the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.  You’ll probably recognize this process.  It’s called fermentation and we’ve seen this in the production of beer.  When this process is complete, we are left with something known as wash.

The wash is pumped into a copper pot still, a wash still, for distillation.  It is heated to boil off the alcohol.  The vapor is captured in a condenser that has been submerged in cool water which causes the vapor to condense back into a liquid.  This liquid has an alcohol content of 20-40%.   From here, the liquid is pumped into a second still, a spirit still, and distilled a second time.  This final spirit, called new-make spirit, has about 60-70% alcohol content. It should be noted that some spirits get a third distillation.

At this point, the new-make spirit is placed in oak casks to mature.  Scottish law requires that all Scotch whisky must be aged a minimum of 3 years in oak casks in Scotland.  You’ve probably noticed that most of the Single Malt Scotches at your favorite bar are aged much longer.  It’s not uncommon for a Single Malt to be aged for 20 years or more.  Like cognac, which I’ve written about recently, the alcohol content decreases during the maturation process in the cask due to evaporation.  And like cognac, this loss is referred to as the angels’ share.

The type of casks used for aging have a profound effect on the finished product.  Single malts are too delicate to be aged in new oak casks because new oak can overpower the whisky with vanillin (the primary component of vanilla bean extract) and tannin.  Instead, used casks are used.  The most common practice is to purchase used casks from American whiskey makers.  You may recall that U. S. law require bourbon and Tennessee whiskey to be aged in new oak casks, so after their first use they are taken out of service.  Another recent trend is the practice of using sherry casks.  They are far more expensive than bourbon casks, so they are rarely used.  One of the benefits of using sherry casks is that it imparts the flavor of the sherry and gives the whisky a heavier body and a deep amber color.  Single Malt Scotch that has been matured in sherry cask are highly sought after.  Macallan Distillery actually builds casks, leases them to sherry cellars in Spain, and then has them shipped back to Scotland to be used to make Scotch.

Finally, after a bit of aging, the whisky is bottled.  The bottle can only contain malted barley produced at a single distillery.  Otherwise, the contents are referred to as a vatted malt or a blended malt.  Single malt whisky mixed with grain whisky is called blended Scotch whisky.  There is no law to dictate who bottles the finished product.  They can either be bottled by the distillery or by an independent bottler.  The age on the bottle refers to the age of the youngest malt in the mix.  Mixing of whiskies from several different years is done in order to maintain consistency.  One recent trend has been to bottle cask strength or undiluted whisky which can have a alcohol content approaching 60%.  There are also Single Cask offerings which is whisky bottled from a single cask rather than blended from multiple casks.

Before I finish, I wanted to add a couple of final notes.  Unlike wine, once bottled, whisky does not continue to mature.  Also, its quality doesn’t diminish once opened.  Lastly, Drambuie, the honey and herb flavored golden Scotch liqueur, also made in Scotland, is made with a Single Malt Scotch called Talisker. Talisker is made on the Isle of Skye and is my personal favorite when Single Malt Scotch is my flavor of the day.

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Shaken or Stirred?

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OF ALL THE things that bartenders do behind the bar, unnecessary use of the shaker is the one thing that annoys me the most.  For most, the sound of the shaker is music to their collective ears.  It signifies that the bartender is preparing the cocktail that they just ordered.  But is he or she really preparing it, or is he or she destroying it?  Believe it or not, there is a clear set of rules to determine whether a drink should be shaken or stirred.  Most of today’s bartenders don’t know that these rules exist, so they don’t follow them, and as in real life, when you don’t follow the rules you usually get unexpected results.

So, what are the rules?  There are only two rules and they are very simple.  Shake a cocktail if the recipe includes fruit juice, sour mix, simple syrup, cream liqueurs, eggs, dairy, or any other thick or flavorful mixers.  Examples of this are the Mai Tai, Cosmopolitan, Brandy Flip, and the Margarita.  Stir a cocktail if the recipe includes distilled spirits and very light mixers only.  Examples of this are the Martini, Manhattan, Gibson, Gimlet, and Sazerac Cocktail.

You’re probably thinking that if these are the rules, then why don’t bartenders follow them?  I was never taught these rules when I was first promoted to bartender all those many years ago.  I read about them as I became interested in the history of cocktails.  My guess is that not many bartenders are aware of the rules these days.  Those who are aware of them ignore them because they are lazy.  Yes, lazy.  Doing everything the same way cuts down on steps and allows the bartender to seemingly be more efficient.  However, there is a problem with this approach.

Cocktails like the martini were developed with the method used to make them in mind.  Martinis are meant to be clear.  Stirring this cocktail doesn’t change it, it just blends the ingredients.  Shaking it not only clouds it, but changes it fundamentally.  To prove this scientifically I did an experiment.  I made two martinis, one shaken and one stirred, with the resulting cocktails strained into martini glasses.  The results are worth noting.  After about 20 seconds, the most obvious difference was that the martini that was stirred remained clear while the martini that was shaken was cloudy, but there were other subtle differences.  The shaken martini was 26 degrees Fahrenheit, 22 degrees colder than the stirred martini.  This affected the taste of the drinks.  The shaken martini was too cold for me to be able to discern the nuances of the blending of gin and vermouth.  The stirred martini was far more flavorful at 48 degrees Fahrenheit.  The most startling difference was the volume of liquid in the individual glasses.  The shaken martini had an ounce more volume than the stirred martini.  The difference was shards of ice and air introduced from the shaking process.  Obviously, the ice shards eventually melt and dilute the drink, but the introduction of air also makes a difference with respect to volume as well.  Do you really want your $17 martini to be too cold and too diluted for you to be able to enjoy the perfectly balanced blend of gin and vermouth?  Probably not.

Shaking a cocktail like a Mai Tai or a Hurricane does no harm.  Again, these drinks were developed with the knowledge that they would be shaken, so the blend of fruit juices, distillates, sugar, etc. does not fundamentally change the drink.  It does introduce the same air and ice shards, but the thickness and the flavor of the ingredients overcome this.

I’ll anticipate your next question and answer it as well.  Why does James Bond order his signature martini shaken, not stirred if the rules state that a martini should be stirred.  James Bond is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in 1953.  Since the rules for making drinks had been around for a while by the time Mr. Fleming began writing and since he was probably aware of them, I will assume that he used that fact to help create the Bond persona — a brash, heroic, womanizing rule breaker.  He orders his drink that way, not just because he likes it that way, but because it’s not the way it should be ordered.  You, the observer, know that he should know better, which somehow makes him even more suave and debonair than he appears on the surface.  I have to believe that Fleming was clever enough to know the rules and use them to his advantage.  This is obviously just a theory, but careful consideration will show that I’m probably on to something here.

So, there you have it, cocktails shaken and stirred.  Things are so much simpler when you break them down scientifically.  These days the line between shaking and stirring has been blurred.  Mostly because things have been done differently for so long that no one knows the difference any more.  The thing to keep in mind is that most cocktails, at least the classics, were developed with the rules in mind.  That means that bending or breaking the rules takes away from the delicate balance that was intended when the cocktail was created.  A Manhattan, an Old Fashioned, a Mint Julep, a Mojito, and a Sazerac Cocktail should always be stirred.  They should not be cloudy, frothy, or bubbly when they arrive at your table.  A Hurricane, a Margarita, Mai Tai, and a Singapore Sling should always be shaken.  But if that doesn’t happen, don’t yell at the bartender.  Just ask him if he wouldn’t mind making it differently the next time.  When he asks what you mean by differently, you can say shaken or stirred– which ever is appropriate.  Then compare the differences between the two preparations.  You’ll be surprised.

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Q & A

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bitters

I’VE GOTTEN QUITE a few interesting questions over the last couple of days, so I thought I’d take the time to answer them.  Let’s see what we have in the inbox this week.

What is bitters?

Believe it or not, bitters is classified as an alcoholic beverage.  Despite being available on your grocers’ shelves, it weighs in at about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV).  That’s 90 proof if you’re counting at home.  The most common bitters, known as Angostura bitters, was developed in 1824 by a German physician living in Venezuela, Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, as a cure for sea sickness and stomach ailments.  It was later exported to England and Trinidad, where some creative minds began using it in cocktails.  Among its many uses, bitters can be used to stimulate your appetite.  When used in apéritifs and digestifs, bitters settles your stomach before a meal or before a night of drinking.

The most common ingredients in bitters are angostura bark, cascarilla, cassia, gentian, orange peel, and quinine.  The flavor of both Angostura bitters and Peychaud’s bitters is derived from gentian, a bitter herb.  Bitters is made by either infusing or distilling aromatic herbs, bark, roots, and fruits known for their flavor and/or their medicinal properties.

Several cocktails use bitters as a key ingredient.  Among those are the Sazerac Cocktail, the Manhattan, the Old Fashion, and the Pink Gin.  Brands of bitters that are most often used these days are Peychaud’s, Angostura, and Gammel Dansk.  Other beverages that fall under the category of bitters are Campari, Fernet Branca, Ramazzotti, Pimm’s No. 1, and Luxardo Amaro.

What are the other quality grades for Cognac?

As I mentioned recently, the official quality grades for Cognac were set forth by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC).  The grading system helps give you an indication of the age of the liquid in your favorite bottle of Cognac.  The following list should help you understand what the letters on the bottle mean.

VS (Very Special) – This means that the youngest Cognac or brandy in the bottle has been stored for at least two years in a cask.
VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) – This means that the youngest Cognac or brandy in the bottle has been stored for at least four years in a cask.
XO (Extra Old) -This means that the youngest Cognac or brandy in the bottle has been stored for at least six years in a cask, but average much closer to twenty years.
Napoleon – This grade is equivalent to XO.
Extra A – Cognac or Brandy with this grade are aged for a minimum of six years.
Vieux – This grade falls between VSOP and XO.
Vieille Réserve – This means that the grade for this Cognac or brandy is beyond XO.
Hors d’âge (beyond age) – The BNIC states that this grade is equivalent to XO, but in practice this term is used to describe Cognac or brandy of the highest quality and its grade is beyond the official age scale.

What is Ouzo?

Ouzo is an anise-flavored apéritif that is produced in Greece.  It is made by distilling pure ethyl alcohol that is 96% ABV with anise in a copper still.  Other ingredients such as cinnamon, clove, and star anise can also be added.  Ouzo production does not include multiple distillations or fermentation.

The precursor to Ouzo, Tsipouro or Rakia, was consumed during the reign of the Byzantine Empire and continued to be enjoyed throughout the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire.  A group of 14th century monks living in a monastery on Mount Athos are said to have helped develop what we know as Ouzo.  One of the many recipes that they used to make Tsipouro was flavored with anise.  This particular recipe eventually came to be known as Ouzo.  The Greek isle of Lesbos lays claim to producing what is considered modern Ouzo.  When the world-wide ban on Absinthe took place during the late 19th century, Ouzo was one of many anise-flavored products that gained in popularity.

The best way to enjoy Ouzo is straight up.  That’s my preferred method of consumption.  The traditional way to consume it is by pouring it over ice and mixing in a little water.  This causes the Ouzo to become cloudy and white, a process known as the Louching Effect.  It is a harmless reaction triggered by adding cold water to a beverage that contains anise.  It is a strong visual indicator that the beverage has been sufficiently diluted, making it less potent.  In the case of Ouzo, dilution isn’t necessary, but for those who enjoy Absinthe, dilution is vital since it is much more potent than Ouzo.  For those who don’t want to sip Ouzo alone, it pairs very well with appetizers such as calamari, clams, fried zucchini, salads, and sardines.

One word of caution when consuming Ouzo.  It is quite often referred to as a rather strong drink despite the fact that its ABV isn’t very high when compared to other liquors.  What makes it appear to be strong is its sugar content.  Sugar delays the absorption of ethanol in the stomach, giving the unsuspecting drinker the idea that he/she can drink more because they don’t feel drunk immediately.  Eventually, the cumulative effect will hit, thus the onset of sudden inebriation.  It is best to consume Ouzo with foods, especially those foods that contain fats or oils.  The presence of these foods in the upper digestive system prolongs the absorption of ethanol, which should ameliorate intoxication.

What is surfeit water?

Surfeit water is a medicinal liquid designed to alleviate the effects of overindulgence in eating or drinking.  The essential ingredients in these concoctions are alcohol, usually in the form of brandy or Aqua Vitae, dried fruits and poppy flowers.  Believe it or not, Papaver Rhoeas (corn poppy, field poppy, and red poppy) were often used.  This might not seem unusual at first, but it should be noted that this variety of poppy does not contain the alkaloids found in other opium producing varieties.  Evidence does suggest that there may be some mild sedative properties imparted by this particular species of poppy, which is probably one of the reasons it was used in this particular remedy for digestive discomfort.  Surfeit water was generally an aid prescribed by your local barkeep, not by your doctor.  The earliest documented use of the term surfeit water dates back to 1633.  It should be noted that during that century, there was very little distinction between a doctor and a barkeep.  The modern equivalent to this sort of remedy would be bitters or bitter liqueurs such as Fernet Branca and Ramazzotti Amore.  Cordials such as these are perfect digestive aids after a long evening of excess.

What is a Mickey Slim?

This question took a lot longer than I thought it would to be asked.  I intentionally mentioned it in my post on American-made gin just to see if anyone was paying attention.  I stumbled across the recipe while doing research and I was mildly surprised that such a drink could have ever existed.  But, I should never be surprised by the lengths that humans will go to in order to find the next out of body experience.  The Mickey Slim was a cocktail that had a short-lived existence during the 1940’s and 1950’s in the United States.  It was made by combining gin with DDT.  Yes, the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.  The drink met its end when most countries banned the use of DDT because it was linked to numerous health problems.  Those who enjoyed this fine beverage claimed that its effects were similar to those experienced when consuming absinthe.  I shake my head at the thought of consuming this drink today.  I’m not even sure that I’d have tried it back then either.  One of the interesting notes on mixing it suggests using very small amounts of DDT because it’s not very water soluble.  That should have been a clue, not that its use as an insecticide wasn’t a big enough clue already.