Alcohol and medicine
Posted by The Raven in Reposts - Caw on August 1, 2009
Author’s note: For four years or so, I have been writing “The Raven’s Caw” as a regular feature for the BarNoneDrinks newsletter. With the inception of “Quaff the Raven”, we’ve gone to a new format for my articles. In an effort to make some of the old writings more accessible, I will be reposting some of the better material from the early Caw days here on the blog. If you’ve got a favorite you’d like reposted, leave a comment. I will be doing some editing, because, quite frankly, some of my old stuff is terribly written.
Welcome back, all. This month I’m going to touch on a topic which has become something of a taboo in the world of alcohol. This topic is not often discussed because it is almost always equated with addiction and dependence. I am referring to the medicinal qualities of booze. It is important to note, as you read this, that I am not a medical professional; the information I provide is simply gleaned from a basic understanding of alcohol’s effect on the body. I am providing historical and contemporary facts, but not suggesting that anyone try anything that they wouldn’t normally try without the advice of a doctor. All that being said, I trust that our readership is smart enough to know what is wise to try and what is not…
To understand the possibilities of alcohol, it is important to know, more or less, what it does to the body on a chemical level. Like any substance (even water and oxygen), large amounts of alcohol have a much different effect than small amounts. When drinking alcohol, some of its effects are immediately noticeable; your mouth may burn from the contact, or your throat may become numb. When the drink hits your stomach, it starts getting absorbed into the bloodstream. This is where the fun begins. One of the first effects is a mild diluting of the blood. On a cognitive level, this doesn’t do much — you may experience a slight calming effect as physical stresses are mitigated away with the lower blood pressure. Properly used, one drink (a standard drink) can be quite effective at getting rid of a headache at the end of the day. It is, again, important to note here that just as you would not pop a painkiller everyday without the advice of a physician, neither should you use a shot of booze every night to take the edge off. If you find that you have the headache whenever you don’t have the booze, seek help.
The next few stages of intoxication, up to and including drunkenness, are pretty similar from a medical standpoint. As more alcohol gets into your bloodstream, your inhibitions melt away. This often is interpreted as alcohol acting as a stimulant. The experienced stimulation, oft referred to as liquid courage, isn’t really stimulation at all; its actually a depressant effect, as your ability to moderate your behavior is depressed. But enough about that…
Throughout the years, alcohol has had many other uses as well. In many cultures, the plant that the alcohol is made from can give it aphrodisiacal effects. In Mexico, the bottlers of Damiana Liquor even bottle their libation in a bottle shaped as a pregnant Incan fertility goddess. Check them out, but be warned, Damiana is not for everyone, aphrodisiacal effects or not. Most scientific journals discount alcohol’s effects as a love drug for a number of reasons… I won’t bother going through them. Instead, I am reminded of a quote from William Shakespeare: Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance… (Macbeth, II,iii).
It is quite strange, and probably a testament to the nature of humans who learn only what they want, to know that in other parts of the world, namely Europe and its protectorates, alcohol’s poisonous effects were well known, and used on a fairly regular basis. Many people have heard the term Mother’s Ruin when referring to gin (gin has had a number of nicknames through the years, but many not so kind ones when it hit London’s East End). Now, many, like the author, probably attributed this to gin’s ability to turn many young boys and girls into drunken louts that would commit all sorts of atrocities, enough to ruin any mother. But, alas, this is not why it got the colorful moniker. Gin, with its entire debut splendor as a pleasant delivery for quinine, was used by the unscrupulous and the poor as an abortificant. Pump enough gin into a young girl carrying an unwanted child and, poof, you’ve got yourself a spontaneous abortion. Its amazing what some will do. (This is one of those points where I feel it is absolutely necessary to say that, even a century ago, this is a very dangerous way of ridding yourself of a child, and if you are so desperate to do this, please seek medical help. I’m not a doctor, this isn’t medical advice. It’s a history lesson!)
On to something more pleasant… a newly released study in the Hort
Technology journal has brought about some interesting uses of alcohol on a different sort of living things…house plants! In this study, the authors report that by diluting hard alcohols down to about 10% ABV and using them to water plants, they came up with some interesting results. The plant, its stalk, leaves and such were dwarfed by the alcohol, but the flower remained as large as ever. The study was conducted using a narcissus flower, and the results were clear; the shorter, stockier plant carried the flower much easier, without any drooping or breaking of the stalk. This has little real ramifications, except perhaps if youre interested in some unusual plants, but the author (of the study, and probably The Raven as well) intends to try this dwarfing experiment with vegetables. It is important to note that you cannot use beer or wine, they are often of the correct ABV but the residual sugar is thought to be too high. Also, I wouldn’t try this with irreplaceable plants…it’s not well tested.
Good readers, I must away, the inkwell is dry, and my glass is empty. Thank you for your time, and please join me again for another month of The Ravens Caw.
Raven’s TotC Awards
Posted by The Raven in Tales of the Cocktail on July 28, 2009
Folks, it’s been two weeks since Tales of the Cocktail 2009, and I’m just now getting around to doing my wrap-up. To be fair, I have officiated a wedding, started to move my apartment, decided not to move my apartment, and had to catch up with work. Nonetheless, I have a great deal of things to relay to you, and I hope that my stories make you salivate and immediately book your trip for next year. Every year, TotC hosts the Spirited Awards, in which such esoteric categories as “Best U.S. Bartender” and “Best Bar in the World” are awarded based on voting by visitors to the TotC site. (I am, of course, being facetious when I downplay the value of these awards, and if I ever make it to NYC I’ll be sure to visit P.D.T.) In the spirit of the awards ceremony, I now present my TotC awards, in no particular order, and in the categories I determine to be awardable.
Best Session:
The title of Best Session or Seminar is given to the most interesting, well-presented, or otherwise notable event that is offered only to paying guests (as opposed to free events). For the event to be considered, it must have been attended by the nominator (me, Dan, or Carine), which makes for a significantly shorter list than last year. I won’t bother with nominees – the winner is: Tell It Like It Is!
This seminar, hosted on the last day by Francesco Lafranconi of Southern Wine and Spirits, was dedicated to the senses of smell and taste, much to the confusion of the people who read only the title. We were treated to a fairly scientific discussion on the sense of smell, which I promise I’ll go deeper into in a future post. The best part of the session was the nearly two dozen olfactory samples provided for our perusal. You might never appreciate how the scent of beeswax figures in to your favorite whiskey until you’ve nosed them side by side. The end of the session was punctuated by a sampling of a product that I am very excited to be announcing, and it brings me to my next award:
Best New Product:
The Best New Product award is presented to a non-alcoholic product determined by Raven to be the coolest thing he saw that he’d never seen before. This year there were two nominees. The first nominee, and not the winner, is the Evolution Mobile Bar, which is a bar that fits into a case not much bigger than your standard suitcase, and which makes setting up a fully functioning bar possible almost anywhere. Way too cool, if a little expensive, these things were everywhere at Tales. Best for corporate-style events or really big parties; I’m not quite sure what you’d do with one in an apartment.
The winner of the Best New Product is Gläce Ice (pronounced ‘gloss’). Gläce is blasting open the market for luxury ice, and is doing it with style. Roberto Sequeira heads up the company (follow him on Twitter @GlaceLuxuryIce); a great guy. Gläce uses purified water, not artesian sources, to produce an absolutely flavorless ice cube. I’ve misspoken, of course, because Gläce creates perfect spheres of ice. Anyone who has ever had a cocktail ruined by ‘flavorful’ ice will appreciate that which Roberto and Gläce is doing for the world. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but worth it for a special event.
Best Marketing:
Surely a strange category to give out an award for, but given so many examples of marketing (some good and some bad) at TotC, I thought it worth mentioning a particularly great campaign. As a member of the ‘media’, I received many emails from various concerns prior to the event, but one particularly caught my eye. There was no immediate mention of a product, just an invitation to tailor my experience at TotC for unimaginablele pleasure. How does a red-blooded man not respond to that?
Long story short, I did respond, and was presented with a few choices of a gift to choose. The email made sure that I stopped by the tasting room, which leads right into the next category:
Best Tasting Room:
When considering the options for Best Tasting Room, I had to weigh many different facets – what criteria do you use? Is the decor more important than the product? Maybe the people – the ambassadors, marketers…the models? In awarding this honor, I have decided to use the quantity of samples consumed by me as the deciding factor (though the models – and the marketing team – didn’t hurt). The award goes to:
Xante. This new-ish product (it’s been in Europe for ten years) is a blend of cognac and Belgian pears. I’m going to keep my description short, as I hope to bring you a full review at a later date, but suffice to say that I had at least 6 ounces in the half hour I was in the room.
(For those that didn’t figure it out, Xante won the Best Marketing award too.)
Best Party:
This award is for the best invitation-only event. Rather than waste a bunch of time on exposition, I’m just going to jump right in. Benedictine turned the Broussard’s Restaurant into a monastery-inspired celebration, full of monks, alchemy, and chanting (mixed with lively, if disconcerting, dance beats.) Though I had to leave my souvenir glass behind (too much weight in the suitcase), I was able to alight with a few tokens of alms that I was supposed to trade for a reading of my fate. As party reviewing is not my forte, I’ll leave you with the knowledge that it was worth going to, and that you should try to get to Tales next year.
Most Amazing Product-Related Event:
This category is so-named because all of the other names I came up with would be better suited for future categories. I’m going to include this particular event into my follow-up post, but it deserved a mention here. The folks at Grey Goose offered a special tasting at midnight they called dans le noir or ‘in the dark’, because, well, it was completely in the dark. The staff were all equipped with night vision goggles. That’s how dark it was. You’ve never enjoyed the scent of an alcohol until you’ve deprived your eyes of their use. More later. I promise.
Best Bucket List Check-off:
Folks, I got to cross something off my bucket list. You know, those things that you just have to do before you die. Well, I got to do one. I got to walk down the streets of New Orleans accompanying a funeral, complete with a brass band playing “When the Saints Go Marching In”. I know that might seem a bit morbid to some people, but as a jazz enthusiast, the thrill of enjoying this microcosm of the roots of that great American music well outweighed the little fact that death was in the air. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the deceased was none other than the Red-Headed Slut, the cocktail chosen by Tales-goers to be buried in 2009’s funeral. If you’ve never heard ‘Saints’ on the streets of New Orleans, you haven’t lived.
Most Awesomest Experience:
This doesn’t exactly count as an award, and it’s an experience that is pretty much unique to me, but it is the kind of thing that can happen to you if you hang out long enough with cool enough people at Tales of the Cocktail. Dan, Carine, and I were watching The Chef and the Fat Man show, when we were asked to film and photograph the goings on by none other than the Chef and the Fat Man. If you listen to the first show from Tales (available on iTunes: go subscribe now!) you can hear the Fat Man give a shout out to lil’ ol’ me.
Now, I’ve never really been behind the camera (though I have been paid for it before) for a live event, but I was more than happy to join in the fun. I don’t know if the footage will ever make it to the wide world, but I recorded the entire second show. A most awesomest experience.
Best Dining:
In a city like New Orleans, awarding Best Dining is too much for one man, especially one as inexperienced as I, to attempt. With all the things that go into great dining, I can’t hardly claim to have tried enough to make a comparison. What I can do is tell you that Arnaud’s Jazz Bistro is worth eating at. Right off Bourbon Street, Dan, Carine, and I joined Kevin Jenkins (Fat Man) at Arnaud’s for an amazing meal, followed by a once in a lifetime presentation of Cafe Brule. I’ll grant you that I don’t drink coffee, but I enjoy watching fire run down an orange that causes cloves to glow red. Trust me, you need to see it.
Well, y’all, this is easily my longest post yet, so I’ll stop now. If I come up with more awards, I’ll put them up later. Please enjoy that which I’ve put forth. Please comment if you think I’m way off base, or if you like what I’ve said, or if you just want to say hi!
Day 3: part 1 (at least)
Posted by The Raven in Tales of the Cocktail on July 11, 2009
Friends, Friday at Tales of the Cocktail 2009 is a day I will have to work hard to forget. Aside from the incredible length of the day (breakfast at 8:30, bed sometime around 3a.m.), I had a slough of experiences that were memorable for their uniqueness and magnitude. I’ll try to bring it all to you here, but it will likely take multiple posts.
Friday started with a 4 cocktail breakfast hosted by Tres Generaciones at Brennan’s on Royal Street. Not being a tequila drinker, I was hesitant to go, but the food more than made up for any lack of drinks. Of course, the cocktails were great, but what else do you expect when Bobby G is making your eye-opener? The menu included a southern baked apple in heavy cream (which I’d walk over many, many people to get again), a duet of poached egg dishes, and a dessert of bananas foster, which I was unable to stay for because they started late and I had a can’t-miss session to get to.
Next, Dan and I headed over to the Cask Strength seminar. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we knew it’d be good. TotC isn’t known for letting people down, and this seminar was no exception. There is nothing that compares to tasting 12 high-proof liquors at 10:30 in the morning. I came to the realization that I’m maturing as a drinker: I actually tasted the products and set back half of the sample, rather than completely downing the offered quantities.
Then the day got exciting…but you’ll have to wait until I post more about that…
Day 2: part 2.
Posted by The Raven in Tales of the Cocktail on July 9, 2009
Alright, so I didn’t get the best night’s sleep, but I’m slowly recovering. I wanted to give y’all the rest of the story from yesterday. You’ll get the jalapeño shot later, but I did want to send a shout-out to the folks out at Ranch 616 in Austin, Texas for introducing this unique imbibation. (Woot! New word!) Anyone in the area should go check out the bar.
Moving right along, after this it was time for the Beefeater Welcome Reception. Dan, in all of his glory, neglected to secure a ticket, which meant I got to escort his lovely with Carine to the party. After last year’s soirée, I knew it was killing Dan that he couldn’t go, so I made sure to take pictures.
The bar set up at the Beefeater Reception.
Last year’s party was very good, so my expectations were high, and Desmond’s people did not disappoint. They even gave us all these really cool bowlers, which you can see if you look very closely at this picture:
The LOFT mistresses with a lovely model (who is a sophomore in college. I pay attention to these things...) Sorry you missed it, Dan.
I finished up at the reception and headed over to the Burlesque show, but it wasn’t for me and I split pretty quickly for the Mixo House with Craig of Dr. Bamboo. For those who aren’t here, this house is full of cocktail bloggers and has been well…sponsored. A screaming liver and too much good food prevented me from staying too long, but I hope to hop over there again before I leave NOLA.
I did run over to the TotC tweet-up arraigned by @livethelushlife before I collapsed for the night. I wish I could give some more info on the evening, but I was fried by then. I’m told it was a wonderful event, mostly by the hostess, but she’s got a trustworthy face, so I’ll recommend going to it again next year.
Gotta fly, more later.
Day 2: stumbling, but not fallen.
Posted by The Raven in Tales of the Cocktail on July 9, 2009
Yeehaw! Have I got stories for you.
Day one of Tales of the Cocktail is the Professional Series; the seminars are all geared towards proprietors of cocktalian establishments. As I am not one of these people, most of the seminars run a bit on the dry side. I went to the early seminar on starting a bar, where I did learn a fair amount on the trials of bar ownership, but after that I decided to stick to the tasting rooms and other events of the day. It was truly a day full of spectacle (which is my buzz word for the week, as in ‘the word I use a lot when I’m buzzed’).
To appreciate the atmosphere, I have to start at the beginning. I woke up at the unfortunate hour of 6a.m., with the intent of moving slow, showering leisurely, and breaking the nightly fast at a pace becoming of a proper gentleman who is staying at the French Quarter’s only 4-diamond hotel. I thankfully managed to achieve this schedule, and arrived down in the lobby about a half hour before Dan and Carine (whom I was meeting for the first time.) We ate breakfast at Le Cafe, the Monteleone’s enjoyable if slightly overpriced eatery. After breakfast we were off to register!
Registration was in a better place this year, actually warranting its own room, and the process was rather smooth. Somehow my name was missing from the media list, but the wonderful staff quickly fixed the problem and we were off to our next stop, the swag room. Now, it’s no secret that convention type events are full of swag, or that the swag gathered at Tales can be truly monumental, but this year they have outdone themselves. Rather than fill a bag with samples and gadgets from the various sponsors and distribute the bags to VIP’s (and oddly enough, us) they instead filled a room with swag and gave us empty bags to fill as our hearts desired. I have pictures, but for the interest of safety, I won’t post them until after Tales closes for the year.
There are a lot of things to love about Tales, and it goes beyond the swag. The Monteleone, built and adapted as it is, has many floors that are half stories up or down, which gives it an almost catacombed feel. Looking down a hallway, one find amazing hidden gems. Dan and I found one such gem in a hidden passage containing the good folks at Cointreau. After bluffing our way inside as members of the ‘press’, we watched a demonstration in which a molecular mixologist created little gel capsules of Cointreau. This process was absolutely fascinating, if painstakingly time-consuming, and the end result was truly amazing.
Hard to see, but cool up close.
This demonstration was put on by one Fernando Castellon, a man whom I expect none of you to know, but whom all of you should admire. Go ahead, admire from where ever you are currently. At this event, which was really more like a private party we crashed, we ran into a guy who, I’m not kidding, introduced himself as Ugly. He told me his real name, but insisted I call him Ugly. How could I resist? At one point he walked away from the demonstration, only to miss the best part, so when I saw him next, I called out “Hey Ugly!” Too fun…
The thing I really love about Tales of the Cocktail is that your glass is never, ever empty. I kid you not, I sat with my arm outstretched clutching a glass I’d just finished and turned my attention away a minute and no foolin’ someone appeared with a bottle to fill my glass.
I spent the early afternoon watching the live version of the Chef and the Fatman show. I can’t say much here except that these guys are really great people and quite fun to watch, and when you’re there live you get to taste what they cook up. They even shanghaied Dan, Carine, and me into doing some photography/videography for them, which was an absolute blast. During one of Dan’s many trips away from the booth to get a good shot, I was joined by Ted Breaux, head distiller for Lucid Absinthe. In one of the great moments of the day, he actually remembered who I was from the previous year. The best thing I can say is that good people deserve a fair shake, so if you’re in the market for absinthe, give Lucid a try.
Moving right along…I only need two words to get your attention my next tasting experience: jalapeño shots!
The Raven taking a hearty sup from a pepper.
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As it’s 1 in the morning, I can’t go into all the detail on these drinks, but I promise to follow up within the next month and show you how you too can contain your alcohol with vegetables.
Friends, I have to turn in. I may post again in the morning, or may just edit this post throughout the day tomorrow.
Caw!
Opening salvo, TotC 2009!
Posted by The Raven in Tales of the Cocktail on July 8, 2009
Folks, I’ve been here for a little more than five hours, and already I’m tempted to stay forever. I [heart] New Orleans. This is one hell of a town, and Tales is one hell of a festival. I’ve met up with about 70% of the people I had really hoped to run into, and I’ve already had too much to eat and drink. Just prior to this, I was sitting at the Carousel Bar, the only carousel that you have to be 21 to ride. (I stole that joke from Kevin, the eponymous Fat Man from Chef and the Fat Man; I’m sure he stole it from someone else.) I’ve made some new friends from the SF area too. That in itself may be the best part of Tales: there are so many people here, they all love booze, and they’re all very friendly.
Notable things so far:
*Since arriving, I’ve acquired two new followers on Twitter. Not a huge thing, but it’s my largest increase ever, and I only recognize one of the names. This place is great for networking.
*I just had a chat with Chris McMillan, the man behind that great mint julep video I told you about a few newsletters back. This is the kind of thing I live for: sharing a drink with a cocktail luminary.
*Benedictine tossed a wonderful reception in a great venue just down the street, replete with living statues, robed monks, and an intervention from the fates. They set the bar high for production quality, though one of the monks started dancing to a hip-hop beat, which was kind of odd. As far as a spectacle though, can’t say it took away.
*Found out Chef and the Fat Man is now available on iTunes. These guys are a blast to listen to, and I recommend that you all go there immediately head to that program and sign up for their podcast.
*Bloggers reception sponsored by Martin Millers’ gin. Some great cocktails there, though I’m totally unaware of what they contained. Gin, I suppose.
Anyway, this is shaping up to be an amazing week. I’m going to hope to have this posted by midday Wednesday as it will make less and less sense to post it as time goes on.
Beer from the 49th state!
Posted by The Raven in Newsletter on June 30, 2009
The Raven on a cruise ship. It does happen...
Alright folks, as some of you may know (those that get my Twitter feed do, #theravenbn) I just got back from a wonderful vacation to Alaska. I took a cruise with my girlfriend’s family on the Coral Princess, which picked us up in Vancouver and stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, and dropped us off near Anchorage. The trip witnessed a few firsts for me: my first trip to Canada (Vancouver), my second trip to Canada (a creepy little town in the Yukon called Carcross), my first sighting of a calving glacier (Marjorie was very active that day) and my first introduction to Alaskan Ale.
Based in Juneau, the Alaskan Brewing Co. has been in operation since 1986 and was, at it’s inception, the only brewery in Alaska. They produce 8 varieties of ale on a regular basis ranging from light to dark and including a summer and winter ale. The best known of their offerings is by far the Alaskan Amber, and for good reason: this is a really good beer and is available in most of the western states of the lower 48.
Alaskan Amber
This was the brewery’s first beer and is based off a recipe used over a century ago during the Alaskan gold rush. I’m not the best at verbalizing taste profiles, but the Amber is well-balanced, with the sweet and bitter parts mixing well. This beer is available at virtually every bar in Alaska, and is well worth a taste for any drinker.
Loyal readers will know that I’m not much of a fan of lighter beers, and I would be remiss if I did not spend some time discussing the darker end of the offering. Alaskan Brewing regularly offers two dark beers, the Oatmeal Stout and the Smoked Porter. The stout ranks very well among the craft beer stouts I’ve tried. It’s not as chocolaty as some, but easily a stout that I’d keep in my collection. The real story though is the Smoked Porter. I can’t tell the story quite as well as they do at the brewery, but it goes something like this: across the street from their facility is an old salmon smokehouse. One day, one of the brewers was sitting at a local bar with the owner of said smokehouse and the conversation started to drift to and fro, as conversation often does in a bar, and it came out that the smokehouse went dormant for part of the year, on account of the fishing seasons. One thing led to another and soon the two businesses had worked out a deal where Alaskan Brewing Co. would smoke their malt during the smokehouse’s off season.
The result is Alaskan Brewing Co.’s award winning Smoked Porter. The only way to really describe this flavor is to compare it other smoked foods…the first thing that hit my mind was salmon. (Note, this has nothing to do with my previous MxMo post; instead, I was in Alaska and had just enjoyed some smoked salmon.) That’s not to say that the beer tasted fishy, but rather the smoke imparted the same flavor on each of the base foods. It is worth noting that this beer requires that you like at least one of the components (porters or smoky flavor); those who aren’t fans of either probably won’t like this concoction. If you enjoy either flavor, I personally recommend trying this beer.
Just so no one accuses me of selling out, I must say that I discovered that I am not a fan of pale ales or IPAs, and their offerings didn’t change my opinion. I’m told that the Alaskan pales are quite good, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Alaskan Brewing Co. also has a program they call the “Rough Draft”, in which their brewers create small craft batches of varying flavors. A recent offering was based in jalapeno, and the current Rough Draft (which I may not be allowed to reveal yet, so I won’t tell you the name) is a very spicy (though not hot) beer. I was the only one in the group that really liked it, but I like strong flavors. The Rough Draft beers are generally only available locally, but I’ve heard rumors of some making it to Seattle.
John, Ben, Annie, Bonnie, Raven, and Tony (in the back!)
The brewery itself is an experience. They offer free tastings for all of their currently produced beers. I spent a good half hour discussing beer with Tony Hand, one of the brewers there. Anyone making the trip out to Juneau does themselves a disservice to miss the brewery, the tour, and the sampling.
MxMo XL: Ginger
Mixology Monday
I have a confession to make. I really wanted to participate last month, but posting in the month of May proved to be impossible. I’ll spare you the details, but three conflicting academic schedules made any attempt to create a new drink unachieveable…I barely had a chance to drink, let alone invent. So, for anyone who feels let down, mea culpa, but expect the same thing next year. On to ginger.
I suppose most folks are going to start with a discussion of what their inspiration was in selecting the method of ginger introduction. I won’t; I knew immediately what I was going to use for my gingered component(s). At last year’s Tales I met up with the a few ladies who had a new ginger product on the market. The ladies were the mistresses of the LOFT, and the bottle they opened was a Spicy Ginger Cello.
An important bottle, and hard to get!
This is where I do a little advertisement for LOFT. You can get a lot of information from their website, so I won’t recite the sales pitch. What I will do is tell you that their ginger cello is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. Served ice cold, the libation is sweet and finishes with a pleasant spicy tingle. I managed to secure a bottle from them before we parted ways; a fortuitous event, in that I haven’t succeeded in reconnecting with them. Nonetheless, I hope to succeed in securing another bottle at Tales (I’ve seen them on the sponsor list).
My second gingerific ingredient is as easy to determine as looking at my last post. I’ve just recently tried my hand at falernum syrup, and as we all know, falernum is flavored with lime and ginger. I know, it is quite serendipitous that I’ve got two great ginger ingredients, but why stop there? One of my favorite cocktails is the Moscow Mule, and I usually keep a fairly sizable inventory of ginger beer in my apartment.
Before anyone starts freaking out on me, I’m not going to use all my ginger ingredients in one drink. I’m not one who is known for liking things spicy (though I did like the suggestion of including a shredded picture of an anachronistic television starlet.) Fortunately, I found myself fresh out of ginger beer, so I couldn’t temp the fates with too much spicy root.
So, the drink:
The Raven's Loft; Spicy
.75 oz LOFT Spicy Ginger Cello
1 oz Yamazaki 12 year
.5 oz Falernum syrup (used my own, but tried it with Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, both good.)
.5 oz water (or less, nothing special. It adds a nice touch.)
3 or 4 drops of Campari
2 drops (maybe less) vanilla extract
The garnish for my contribution is a roll of thinly sliced smoked salmon, sliced thrice and skewered on whatever pointy instrument you have available. Prior to the garnishing, mix and shake with ice, then strain (remember that the LOFT should be stored in the freezer anyway).
And the name… Many people greater than I have pontificated on the struggle inherent in the pursuit of cocktalian nomenclature. I’ve always enjoyed the notion of mixing with LOFT, what with the connection between ravens and lofts, so I think I have to call that out. Though I’ll catch some flak from my friends for showing my geek card, I will have to go with the Raven’s Loft; Spicy.
As a final note, yes, I did really garnish this drink with smoked salmon. I find the salty, smoky flavor complements the whiskey and ginger perfectly. Of couse, I concepted the garnish before I actually tried it, but upon the writing of this paragraph, I have actually tried this and will consider other non-traditional options for garnishing future drinks. Try it, you’ll like it.
A special thanks to my testers for going through the mixological crucible that is me. Another big thanks to Matt at RumDood for hosting this month’s MxMo.
Caw!
Super Syrups!
Posted by The Raven in Newsletter on May 30, 2009
Well, my new life as a boozeblogger has forced me to expand my cocktalian knowledge in ways that I never could have expected. Over the last few weeks, I have been spending a lot of time with my contemporaries, and I’ve stumbled upon a weekly online cocktail event. Spending so much virtual time with people who are considerably more advanced than I when it comes to mixology. The first thing I noticed was that I was lacking in a few key bottles, which I’ve tried to remedy (see The Liquor Cabinet). The second problem I ran into was my lack of mixers, and not just any mixers: syrups!
As I sat and watched the chat room, I saw these cocktail enthusiasts talking about odd ingredients like orgeat and falernum. I was intrigued, and totally baffled. Thankfully, cocktalians are a generous bunch, and they pointed me toward a few recipes. That threw me for a loop…”Recipes?!” I said, “Where can I buy it?” They chided me for my ignorance and explained that the store-bought stuff is never quite as good as the stuff you make yourself. Dearest readers, you can guess what happened next…
But first, a quick overview of the syrups. The first syrup I decided to make was falernum, a lime and ginger concoction from the Carribean. Falernum syrup is rum based (duh) and is used most often in tiki drinks (and that family) (again, duh). That being said, a few minutes of watching the chatting opened my eyes to the myriad of uses of this delightful island beverage. I knew if I was going to have a chance at trying some of their drinks, I was going to have to make some falernum.
Enter the recipes. As this was my first time making syrups, I decided to use other people’s recipes. I was pointed to this recipe from Gabe over at cocktailnerd.com, and this recipe from Matt at rumdood.com, and this recipe from Rick at kaiserpenguin.com. I had three to choose from, and so I went with a combination of all three (but mostly Rick’s). My recipe:
Step 1:
All the stuff I used to make falernum.
Zest of 8 limes.
.5 cup of ginger (julienned)
50 cloves.
Whole nutmeg.
Ground allspice (this was due to the lack of whole allspice).
8 oz. of a good rum (I used Wray and Nephew, another find from my besotted buddies.)
Toast the spices for a few minutes. This was something I’d wished I’d looked at sooner; the ground allspice took on a burnt smell rather quickly, but thankfully the carbon flavor wasn’t in the finish. Steep all of this in the rum for a day or so (I got distracted and let mine go for almost 5 days…oops! Hopefully it made it better.) Strain and discard the aromatics.
Step 2:
Make a simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water). Let the syrup cool and combine with the steeped rum.
Isn't it lovely? Isn't it wonderful?
***
The orgeat was a much simpler story; I came across an article on the Mai Tai, and the recipe called for this almond syrup I’d never heard of. A little research made the travesty of my ignorance profoundly obvious. There are a number of people out there that will threaten you with bodily harm if you attempt to make a Mai Tai with anything other than orgeat. That being said, there are a lot fewer ingredients to orgeat syrup, but the process is a bit more involved. Unfortunately for everyone here, I’ve misplaced the recipe (which is boozeblogger speak for ‘I forgot to save the link).
The basic process goes like this: take some blanched almonds, soak them in water. Pull ‘em out and pulverize them, then soak them again. Strain the water through a cloth, wring the almonds well, then replace the mash into the same water. This last step confused me, but then I read further. The purpose of this process is to remove the oil from the almonds while passing the flavor to the water.
The base for the orgeat is either a brandy or vodka, and it’s mixed with a 2:1 simple syrup. Mine didn’t turn out that well, but it was my first attempt, and I’m going to try again.
It’s been a long month, and I have to apologize for my lack of posting. Between taking classes for my MBA and the academic calendar my 9-5 is inextricably linked to, May is a very busy month. I’ll do my best to get something more over the next month, and then of course July is Tales month…armed with my laptop, I’m going to attempt to transmit as much as I can through my mild intoxication.
Caw!
Blood oranges, not just for breakfast!
Posted by The Raven in Newsletter on May 1, 2009
So, for the last two years or so, Kate and her mother have been making this tequila infusion. I never really paid any attention to it, on account of not being a tequila fan, but they really seem to like the results, so I thought, “why not share it?” What follows is a step-by-step process on the infusion, as well as Kate’s neighborhood-famous blood orange margaritas.
First, the infusion. To start, you need a jar. The jar needs to be big, about a gallon…with a wide mouth. Glass works best. Next, acquire the ingredients:
*A pound to a pound and a half of blood oranges.
*A bottle of tequila. Blanco works best, and remember the quality of the infusion is based on the quality of the tequila.
*A jalapeño.
Blood Orange Tequila Ingredients. Photo by Annie McElwain
1. Slice the blood oranges, discarding as much of the pith as possible, without losing the fruit. Leave the skins on, though.
2. Split the jalapeño and discard the seeds.
3. Pack the oranges into the jar. Pack it so that the oranges aren’t crushed, but are still cozy.
4. Add the jalapeño, and make sure it stays towards the top.
5. Pour in the tequila. Fill it up to the top. If you need to, crack a second bottle.
Infusing the tequila. Photo by Annie McElwain.
Make sure you keep the bottles, you’ll need them to recapture the final product. After the first day, remove the jalapeño. When two weeks are up, run the tequila through cheesecloth back into the old tequila bottles. The color is amazing (you’ll have to trust me).
But what to do with the tequila now that it’s been made? Enter Kate’s special recipe…
____________________________________________________________
Kate’s Bloody (Good) Margarita
(Serves 4)
Kate's Bloody (Good) Margarita. Photo by Annie McElwain.
1 cup blood orange tequila
.5 cup Grand Marnier
.5 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp superfine sugar
Serve in a martini or margarita glass with a sugar rim.
Tales of the Cocktail
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