Teatime for cocktails

When Rye House opened in Manhattan late last fall, a quick glance at the drink menu gave many indications that this was a bar where cocktails were taken seriously. The list of bourbons and ryes is appropriately long, befitting the establishment’s name, and the cocktail menu is filled with the contemporary bartender’s favorite ingredients: bitters, house infusions, amaros, egg whites.

Taking prime position is the Rye House Punch, featuring chai-infused rye along with lemon, grapefruit, bitters and absinthe. It’s just another sign that tea, in all its guises—chai, black, green, white, herbal tisanes, fruit-flavored, smoked — is increasingly moving onto the cocktail-ingredient list.

It’s not a revolutionary change; Colonial-era American punch recipes, now returning to the bar scene, were traditionally built on a base of freshly brewed tea that knit together the tang of citrus, a bit of sugar and the zap of brandy and rum. Since punches started appearing on menus in the speakeasy and pre-prohibition-themed bars now springing up across the country, tea has been beckoning other bartenders as well.

Hot tea spiked with a little whiskey is as old as, well, whiskey, but until recently, hot-tea cocktails were overshadowed by winter drink menus favoring fancy, dessert-like coffee and cocoa mixers. At 508 Restaurant & Bar in Manhattan, however, bar manager Nick Freeman last winter offered such tea drinks as Blueberry Fields, with black tea, amaretto and Grand Marnier. The Norwegian Wood combines orange pekoe, dark rum and vanilla vodka, and Freeman’s Jalice features chai, bourbon and lemon juice. With 508 located on the windy Hudson River side of Manhattan, chilly guests welcome the handcrafted hot drinks.

“I enjoy the idea of working with natural flavors,” says Freeman. “I also enjoy the time spent on a drink’s construction; there’s a distinct pleasure in the steeping process and in making a proper cocktail. The enjoyment of working in a restaurant setting is [that you have] a generally more captive and appreciative audience. Experimentation with anything, including recipes, requires one to play with proportion and order.”

(Read the rest of the story below, originally published in a recent issue of Flavor and the Menu.)

Tea and Cocktails
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Successful Beverage Management

I keep pretty busy writing about cocktails, spirits, wine, bars and restaurants. But getting involved with writer and consultant Robert Plotkin last year on his latest project, “Successful Beverage Management,” is one of my favorite things now, although presenting in front of an audience with the Tasmanian devil can be quite a work out. We sold out our session at the recent NC&B Bar Show, and soon we’re making the next step and taking the show on the road. 

First stop: back in Las Vegas in partnership with distributor Wirtz Beverage Nevada, where at the end of the month we’ll be helping bar owners and bartenders looking for help fighting the effects of the slumping economy. Those in the area have an added bonus – Wirtz is footing the bill for all qualified attendees, though they must register first. The all-day “Successful Beverage Management” profitability seminar will be held April 27, 2010 at Wirtz headquarters.

Attendees will learn how to reduce costs by preventing internal theft and waste, tracking sales productivity, analyzing pour costs, controlling inventory and effectively managing payroll. Other sessions provide advanced strategies for increasing beverage sales by enhancing drink quality and appeal, smarter pricing, premium product use, improving guest service, taking advantage of beverage trends, increasing effective in-house marketing and building repeat business. For more info or to register, contact Robert Plotkin at robert@barmedia.com, call Wirtz Beverage at (702) 699 8851, or visit www.barprofits.com. See you there.
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Rum Business

Last week, I judged at the International Rum Fest (results here,) an annual affair that often attracts entrants from countries not usually associated by Americans with rum making. Still, some have shown terrifically in the past, but not always. In this year's tasting, one of the aged rums reeked of a sulphury note, and we asked for a new pour of the spirit from the secondary bottle we always ask for in case of accident or if one of the judges believe the first bottle is off.

It happens - sometimes a bottle is corked with TCA, which gives off a moldy, damp newspaper aroma that's hard to forget. TCA is usually associated with wine, but it does appear in spirits and is most notable when the bottle holds vodka, since vodka has little natural aroma. Like with wine, though, the problem is that cork taint often isn't strong enough to be discernible, but can dumb down a bottle and leave consumers with the impression that the spirit smells and tastes the way the distiller and blender planned.

I don't know if it was guilt by aromatic association or if the second bottle still seemed too rotten eggy to the judges, but the rum which has scored extremely high in the past didn't do as well this year. Afterwards, Luis Ayala and I talked about the problem - according to Luis, who consults frequently with rum companies, it's not only inconsistent distillation methods or shoddy warehouse control or poor barrel management that can cause problems like the one we confronted.

He worked recently on a project for a company that had started seeing a light green tinge in their white rums. Turns out an efficient and industrious distillery worker found a leaky pipe and replaced it with a pipe that fit the size requirements perfectly, thereby saving the plant the added cost of ordering a new part and waiting for it to be shipped in. But the copper pipe was contributing an  unattractive green color as the rums ran through it at high proof, and it reacted with the copper.

What's the solution if you get a bad bottle? For consumers. it's hard enough to get retailers to take back flawed wine bottles. When it comes to spirits, I doubt many retailers would even believe your complaint. But earlier this year, the folks at Van Gogh vodka shared the tale of how the recipe of one of their flavored vodkas had been changed, as in the rum above, by a distillery tech. So it happens more than you'd think that spirits are different than you remember. So much for the idea of spirit production as an industrial monolith churning out endless streams of identical liquid.  
  
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Asked and Answered #2

Claire Smith, head of spirit creation & mixology for Moet Hennessy’s Belvedere Vodka, came to work on the brand last year after working on Belevedere in London and the UK for many years. Now that brand ambassadors are everywhere in the U.S., it seemed a good time to check in with former bartender Smith about the differences in working with American and U.K. bartenders, and the vodka business.

You’re now working with American bartenders as a brand representative after some time doing the same in the UK – what are the main differences you see in general between the two groups?

Claire Smith: Firstly, let’s start with the similarities. Both the U.S. and UK ‘serious’ bartender set share a deep and passionate love of their craft. It is especially exciting to see areas outside of the London/New York areas developing increasingly strong cocktail cultures. Examples would include Edinburgh, Leeds and Glasgow while in the U.S., Boston, LA and Miami are all burgeoning cocktail hotspots, created by passionate bartenders who wanted to generate a scene of their own. It’s very exciting to witness.

Now for the differences. I do believe there are a few fundamental distinctions between the two groups of bartender and while it is always a challenge to generalize, the differences seem to be acknowledged on both sides of the Atlantic:

1) Freedom of expression. While this is a firmly upheld constitutional right in the US, ironically the UK bartenders tend to run a little freer and wilder with their cocktail creations. In contrast, the US bartender is very much grounded in history and provenance of the drinks they create and as a consequence we tend to see a lot more reworking of Jerry Thomas’ revered creations in the US and more creative license being exercised in the UK. That being said, of course there are new and innovative cocktails being created in the US just as much as there are studious applications of Thomas’ recipes in the UK, but in general terms the former feels confident and comfortable working with historical references and breaths new meaning into them, while the latter will feel just as comfortable using the references as a spring board for creativity.

2) Dress sense. Hands down U.S. bartenders win, although there is something of a uniformity of fashion when you get into the upper echelons of bartender in the U.S. Facial hair, braces and dapper little suits all seem to feature highly in a U.S. bartender’s wardrobe and while there are fewer female bartenders, their look is always extremely polished. There is generally a more relaxed approach to dressing for your job in the UK. While bars such as London’s Connaught Hotel excel in their presentation of a team, overall the British bartender is simply more relaxed wearing jeans and a tee-shirt. Perhaps again reflecting their less conventional approach to cocktailing.

3) Fun. For some reason there seems to be a lot more fun and silliness in a UK bar than I tend to find a US cocktail bar. There is something of a seriousness or reverence of the cocktail in the US that you rarely find in the UK. At bars such as Mahiki, Portobello Star and Kalloo Kallay, all very successful, their grounding is in entertainment while still managing to deliver sublime drinks. But perhaps I just haven’t found the silly fun stuff here yet. All suggestions welcomed! 

What's the biggest challenge for you working in the U.S.?

Smith: The sheer size of the U.S. I’m not sure it ever really became obvious to me until I moved here how vast a country this is. The U.S. is essentially 50 mini countries in their own right if you consider cultural and consumption differences as well as cocktail relevance and communication of a brand message. Fortunately however, Belvedere is enjoyed all over the U.S. so there is always a commonality wherever I visit, but also there is always a slightly different approach to communication or focus depending on where one is, which is both refreshing and a little daunting at the same time!

What has surprised you about working with U.S. bartenders?

Smith: Their generosity and openness. I spent seven years building a great network of fabulous bartenders and friends in Europe and left them in order to start all over again in the U.S. In a way, it has felt a little easier to start all over here because the majority of bartenders I have met have been gracious and willing to hear me out. Despite the many bars that restrict entry or make you wait outside in the cold or pouring rain, the hostility you may feel outside a bar or club is immediately reversed once you get in and start chatting to U.S. bartenders. Most want to share their craft with all they meet and the door restrictions are there to permit dialogue and interaction, something you recognize when you can actually have a conversation with a bartender.

Outside the major markets, how do you view the level of American bartender skill?

Smith: Overall very good, in places excellent. It would be great to see more of a consistent delivery across mid tier bars and restaurants, but it is our responsibility as brand ambassadors to continue to inspire and innovate in order to raise the bar through education and communication. In this way we constantly help develop and improve budding bartenders and help provide a fertile breeding ground for exceptional talent to grow and advance.

In some parts of the bartender community, there’s been a vodka backlash, with some of the more cutting edge bars doing without. How do you overcome that attitude when working with Belvedere, your brand?

Smith: Belvedere is always a quality choice and while it is true that a very small number of bars have decided to do without vodka for the short term, in the long term this only benefits a brand such a Belvedere that stands for heritage, consistent quality and provenance. The vodka backlash has allowed bars to consolidate their vodka offering and as such they are choosing to be more particular about the brands they carry, preferring to move away from overly marketed or gimmicky brands to vodkas that represent tradition and authenticity. While of course I don’t want to encourage a backlash per se, it has been interesting to note that Belvedere is often the vodka of choice for those bartenders that claim not to drink vodka; I think this has as much to do with our provenance, heritage and flavor delivery than whether or not vodka is currently ‘in’ or ‘out’.

All the media focus is on the high-end mixologist, but vodka is traditionally more popular at the nightclub side of the business, where volume is important. Do you work much there and if so, what sort of insights do you focus on there?

Smith: As with most things in life it is always essential to maintain the optimum balance. Belvedere is fortunate to have relevance and credibility in both the nightclub and cocktail bar environment. In terms of how our focus differs in the nightclub environment, Belvedere is seen to constantly provide an excellent drinking experience and so we work hard to maximize this through education and mixer recommendation. We do not endorse energy drinks, for instance, with our bottle service and while we acknowledge this is a popular mixer choice, we love to see Belvedere served with fresh juices and premium mixers such as Fever Tree sodas. These really enhance the positive characteristics of Belvedere rather than overshadow it, and so even though Belvedere is being consumed in different environment than a cocktail bar or lounge, the experience should still essentially be one of quality.

Your current favorite cocktail?

Smith: The Pickled Gibson

2oz Belvedere Intense

3 cocktail onions muddled and shaken with Belvedere over ice.

Double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an atomizer of sea salt water.

PS. Only drink if your date is drinking one also!

(This interview originally ran in the current issue of Mix.)

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Tequila Trades Up

David Suro has been in the hospitality business long enough to remember the days when getting customers to think “quality” when they ordered tequila was no easy task.

Suro, who owns Tequilas restaurant in Philadelphia, has been trying to make that connection for nearly 25 years, and for him, the change in awareness over the last few years has been surprising…and encouraging.

“Today, many, many times, the customers who come into our place already know more than our servers, about the various distilleries and regions as well as how tequilas are made and aged. It’s so exciting to see this and realize how far we’ve come.”

Suro has also witnessed this from the seller side, as he, like other agave-loving entrepreneurs, brings in his own brand, Siembra Azul. We spoke in the midst of another sign of the remarkable Mexican spirits evolution: on a cold January morning in Manhattan, dozens of bartenders clustered around a dozen or more sampling stations at the bar and restaurant Los Feliz. The brand reps at the tables, stocked with mostly new or small production tequilas and a dozen mescals, served alone and in cocktails, were doing a brisk business with the crowd eager to get a handle on the various spirits. New York until very recently hasn’t been known much as a tequila haven, but Suro says the organization that oversees tequila industry figures that Gotham is now the biggest market for premium and above tequilas. The attendance at the seminar, put on by bartender John Pomeroy of Brooklyn’s The Hideout, was just another sign of how well tequila is doing.

Dori Bryant has hosted the Spirits of Mexico Festival in San Diego since 2004. “Through those years, I have noted a steady, constant upward trend, not only in the number and quality of agave spirits on the market, but in consumer awareness and savvy. The consumers are not asking, 'What's a reposado?', they're asking 'What distillery is it made in? How long is this reposado aged? What barrels are used for aging? Is this tequila made from agaves grown in the highlands or elsewhere?’”

Like no other spirit, tequila has benefited from an uncoordinated but devoted educational effort by bartenders like Tony Abou-Ganim and restaurateurs like Suro and Julio Bermejo of San Francisco’s Tommy’s. At hundreds of small and large restaurants and bars across the country, tasting dinners, frequent sampling clubs, agave classes and, most beneficial, tequila flight programs have set the contemporary standard, having hit home with consumers while bringing tequila front and center as a quality spirit.

Brands have done their best to educate customers, sending distillers to the US time and again on tour for samplings and events. Recently, tequila suppliers have started appointing bartender brand ambassadors, like Brian Van Flandern for Don Julio, to speak the gospel of tequila as both a sipper and a cocktail ingredient beyond the Margarita. And it’s working.

Take what Ivan Iricanin, bar manager for Mesa 14 in Washington, DC, is up to. He not only carries every 100% agave tequila he can find in the area (currently 126); he also brings in a handful of brands on his own, a collection from small family distilleries in 375 ml bottles, like Don Celso, El Caudillo, Arette Unique and Penacho Azteca, and is selling them in flights.

“Guests are ordering these tequilas more than I expected – we haven’t really been trying to sell them, and at half an ounce per glass you’re not really getting a lot but guests have been more than willing to try,” says Iricanin. He offers the standard option of a vertical flight through a brand, a region or an age statement, or customers can pick their own three to sample. Recently, he added an extra anejo flight for $35, a deal considering a few of these tequilas wholesale for as much as $300. He sold five flights the first week.

But no mixto tequila at all? Not even for house Margaritas? Not for Iricanin, His special Margarita uses only blanco tequila blanco, agave syrup and fresh lime – no sweet and sour mix and not even orange liqueur. “It’s very simple and very crisp, and people really like it.” More and more this style of Margarita is making its presence felt. His Paloma is made with Patron, grapfruit juice and half a lime,

Customers, as Suro suggest, are beginning to be able to tell the difference, and even in slushy frozen Magaritas, a cash cow for many restaurants, a little upgrade can do wonders and make a program stand out among many competitors. He’s also established a tequila lounge at Masa, where he serves cocktails such as the Red Star with Herradura tequila, Chambord, Agave Nectar, raspberry pure, fresh lime juice.

Competition in such cities as DC is fierce: Jose Andres’ Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, last year became the first restaurant in Washington and one of only 15 or so in the country to receive the Agave De Oro, the highest certification from the Tequila Regulatory Council. (Establishments are judged on staff training, proper storage and display of tequilas by category and type, menus, proper service and staff knowledge.)

Tequila producers like what is happening and are responding to the opportunity this tequila revolution offers. Some are finishing their spirits in wine barrels, though most employ used bourbon barrels. At least one tequila new to the US is distilled four times. Limited release, vintage, estate produced and even single barrel tequilas emerged onto the market last year, and finally, even the mescal producers are figuring out that times have changed. At the recent New York tasting, in addition to Del Maguey, Sombra and Ilegal mescals, bartenders sampled the unsmoked Fidencia. Like other recent imports, these spirits showed that mescal is a legitimate sipping spirit, and potentially a killer cocktail ingredient. Cutting-edge bartenders like Phil Ward of Mayahuel in New York are building their businesses with new and creative cocktails based on tequilas and mescals.

Even operations not traditionally known for having a smart tequila program are on board with the contemporary way to feature tequila. Last fall, Southern Hospitality BBQ in New York hosted a tasting featuring 37 or so tequilas, including Patron Gran Burdeos, which retails for around $500 per bottle. Beverage director Chris Russell was on hand to discuss participating brands 1800, Maestro Dobel,
901, Gran Centenario, Cazadores, Corzo, Herradura, and Casa Dragones among others.

He’s found that his customers connect easily to the stories of tequila’s history, craftsmanship and artistry, creating excitement in a way brands would die for.

With about 25 tequilas on their list, Southern stocks more than most bars, and Russell carries only one mixto. Even their machine Margaritas are made with 100% agave tequila – in this case, Cazadores , while the house Margarita is made with Herradura. Customers are even getting picky about all the ingredients in their Margaritas. T’s jst another sign, he says, of the sophisticated American tequila drinker. “In the last 15 years there’s been an exposure to super premium spirits in general and tequila is one of those that has become much better known as a sophisticated spirit.”

( A slightly different version of this story appears in the March issue of Nightclub and Bar.)
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Asked and Answered

Charles Joly heads up the mixology program for The Drawing Room at Le Passage in Chicago, as well as a number of bars and lounges for Three Headed Productions there. Recently, he took top honors at the annual Sherry cocktail competition, so I thought it worthwhile to check in with him about the contest, recipe development and the state of things in the Windy City.

You recently won the annual Vinos de Jerez Sherry cocktail competition put on by the Sherry Council and Steve Olson - do you participate in many of those? What about working with sherry appealed to you?

Joly: I compete as often as possible. Creating cocktails for different competitions drives you to try new things, work with new products that you may overlook otherwise. There are so many opportunities out there - I've been able to travel the world to compete. It's an amazing time to be behind the bar. As far as sherry is concerned, I think it's a fantastic cocktail ingredient. There are such a wide array of styles available; everything from dry and nutty to sticky, rich dessert varieties. You're seeing a ton of reusage of sherry barrels as well; the Scotch industry in particular has embraced this finish. Sherry is a somewhat unexpected ingredient that can play a number of roles.

You're responsible for beverages at a number of operations, all very different - how do you make that work?

Joly: I oversee operations for five different concepts. I'm 100% hands on at the Drawing Room. There we have a very forward-thinking beverage program and I can really push the limits to do whatever we want. Several of our other venues are more neighborhood bars, great party bars where you're more likely to have a draft and excellent "bar food". I don't try to fit a square peg in a round hole there. You have to know your clientele and tailor the program to them. In a very high volume environment, speed and consistency are king. I'm taking baby steps with all of our venues to take them to fresh juice programs, at the very least- I have three of five on board so far.

The Drawing Room, though, is the place where cocktails matter - How would you describe your approach to creating the cocktails on the menu?

Joly: I was part of the conceiving team for the Drawing Room. Although I was working in a pre-existing space (so I had limited bar design options), I had carte blanche with the beverage program. With each menu change I learn a bit more. We'll change seven-eight times a year to keep seasonal- in spring and summer my chef and I will be at the farmers market weekly and update menus accordingly.

I get inspiration for cocktails in many ways. Maybe it’s a flavor combination I've been thinking of or a dish I had in a restaurant. I keep a concise, balanced menu with classics and originals. I try to put on drinks that represent the gamut- from classic, brown and stirred drinks to fresh, bright options. We are very interactive with our guests to find them something that will wow them.

Chicago's long been known as a fine dining destination, but it was a little slow to get in on the cocktail revolution - how would you describe things there now?

Joly: The cocktail scene in Chicago has been kind of a sleeping dog. We're here and quietly shaking some of the best cocktails in the country. Several of our top mixologists are involved in restaurants, but new cocktail lounges are opening all the time. I know of three that either just opened or are slated to very soon. We have a great blend of styles here, both embracing cocktail history and the classics and pushing the envelope to create interesting new libations.

What are your three favorite spirits/categories to work with and why?

Joly: Rum- there are so many styles available in this category. From funky Smith & Cross pot-stilled to La Favorite Rhum Vieux to a solid Flor de Cana 7 Year Old and cachaca, there are some beautiful statements out there. I love that prices haven't gotten out of control in this category- you can get some truly amazing rums for $25-40 and often less.

Mezcal- Watching this spirit category blossom has been great. The spirits that Ron Cooper & Del Maguey are bringing in are nothing short of fantastic. This smoky, hand made sauce is one of the most flavorful, balanced and intriguing around. Customers are asking for it and bartenders are embracing it. I'm excited to see new labels show up in this realm.

Rye Whiskey- I always go back to this standby. When you nose a glass of good rye, it's America in a glass. Either as a base in a cocktail or just sipping neat, there are some truly remarkable spirits in this category. Our distillers are bottling some whiskey that can stand up against the best Scotches on the market.

What's your current favorite cocktail?

Joly: We just rolled out a new late winter menu. There are two on the list that I'm really enjoying. One is called the "Red Light"- 1 1/2 oz. Bols Genever, 1 1/4 oz. Grand Marnier, 1/3 oz Underberg Bitters. Stir and serve up. It's ridiculously simple and has a very classic feel.

We also just rolled out one called "Ethel", with locally distilled North Shore Aquavit, Galliano l'Authentico, Absinthe Sirene, orange marmalade and some fresh citrus. There are layers of flavor in this drink that are really pleasing, plus it's introducing some less familiar spirits to guests.

(A version of this interview was originally published in the Mix newsletter.)

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My Favorite Things #1

I had an hour to kill in Avignon once, and that hour changed my drinking life. Well, at least my Manhattan drinking life. Now at the end of the day when the Manhattan mood strikes, I use half as much sweet vermouth and swap in Figoun, an aperitif made from red wine, sugar, figs, bitter oranges, angelica, mandarin oranges, vanilla and wormwood. Figoun, produced by Liquoristerie de Provence, is not available in most U.S. markets (my current bottle arrived through much chicanery courtesy of the charming Laurene Bourges), but it's worth seeking out if you like an old style aperitif: the vanilla and sugar well balanced by the tart citrus, the slightly dusty and white pepper aromatic pop engaged with the moderately ripe and restrained figginess. If you take to Figoun as I have, you'll find any recipe that calls for sweet vermouth or any other fortified wine might benefit from a little figounification.
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First Taste: Ardmore Traditional Cask Highland Single Malt Scotch

Just as whisky neophytes have gotten their minds around things like the Scotch tasting map, where Islay and other whiskies are on the smoky and maritime side and Highland whiskies are soft, smooth and sweet, Ardmore comes along to remind us that production methods trump all other distinctions. Ardmore claims to be the only Highland distiller fully peating their malt, and so of course, this non chill-filtered whisky starts out with an aromatic experience familiar to Islay lovers – a burst of smoke resembling a leaf fire on a windy day. But behind that is a pretty caramel and cream softness and richness, not the sinewy leaness of an Islay. On the palate, smoke again and a bit of saltiness to accompany a bourbony vanilla and oak sweetness - salted caramels, even. Ripe apples and pears emerge near the finish of this full bodied but not overpowering Scotch, and it climaxes with the brisk tang of fruitwood smokiness. While the edges could use some rounding and the vanilla and smoke can somehow seem a bit at odds, I'm looking forward to trying the other expressions from Ardmore. 46% abv (Beam Global)

My score: 7
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Pimp My Julep

As promised, Pimp My Julep, performed by Francesco Lafranconi, Doug Frost and Eric Alperin. Jump ahead to about 1:30 on the vid to see the full performance.


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The Hornet

The premise at the third annual Cognac Summit was the recreation of classic drinks first made with Cognac – Sidecar, Sazerac, Julep –into cocktails suited for 21^st century tastes. For many of the drinks, deciding which direction to go was the hard part for the teams assembled randomly. But for my table, the first thought of most of the bartenders seemed to be “How do I get out of this?” Yeah, the Stinger was ours to play with, and the gloom that painted their faces was worse than any hangover stare.

But we soldiered on, at least the bartenders did – Shervene Shahbazkhani of the Voodoo Room in Edinburgh, Arnd Heissen of the Shochu Bar in Berlin, Eric Fossard of consultancy LiquidLiquid.org and Jozef Roth of Bratislav, president of the Slovak Republic Bartender’s Association. I tried to rally the troops, who were faced with the one drink in the range that had no fans, no adherents, no spokespeople. That’s not a surprise; as we found out later that week when someone produced bottles of 1920s era Cognac and Peppermint Get, both cordials and cognacs were much less sweet in the days (turn of the 20^th century?) when the drink was created. But today, a cocktail made with two parts Cognac and one part crème de menthe is not only out of fashion, even as a digestif, but it’s a sticky, sickly, breath mint bomb, unpleasant and almost nauseating.

It’s not Cognac’s fault, though it can be argued that any recipe using Cognac created 40 years ago or more requires adjustment due to the much rounder and sweeter contemporary qualities of the spirit. Whether that’s due to changes in blending techniques, barrel management, subtle but legal product tweaks or technological advances that have finely tuned production, I don’t know. But contemporary cocktail trends demands a more balanced and angular drink than anyone can manage with just these two ingredients.

What did we do? Yellow Chartreuse came into play, as did green-, Earl Grey- and orange pekoe-infused Cognac, slices of ginger, mint leaves of course, simple syrup, etc., etc. Our range was limited, and we worked on fine-tuning what was becoming a very interesting drink, but as the deadline approached, Roth came up with a simpler version, closer to the original but balanced out with acid and fresh mint. It works as a modern digestif, we thought, and so here’s the final result of our two days work, called The Hornet.

1 3/4 oz X.O Cognac

1/2 oz white crème de menthe

1 barspoon cane syrup

3 mint leaves

1 lemon peel

1 lime peel

In a mixing glass, pour the cognac, the crème de menthe and the cane syrup. Add and muddle for 15 seconds the three mint leaves, the lemon and lime peels. Add ice to fill. Stir well for 30 seconds. Fine strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a mint leaf and small strips of lemon and lime peel

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Cognac Summit

What happens when you bring to Cognac dozens of bartenders from the US, UK, France, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and environs, and turn them loose on recreating the major classic cocktails based on the French brandy? Yes, lots of late nights, lies being told, ego measuring, drinking (Cognac of course, but at day's end, as with winemakers and distillers all over the world, beer at the local bar), but also a concerted effort on the part of the gathered mixologists to bring those cocktails  into the 21^st century.

The first bartender Cognac Summit, as it’s grandly called, two years ago yielded a drink of the same name. This year, the challenge was to drag the Side Car, Mint Julep, Cognac Sour/Collins, Stinger, Mojito #3, Alexander and the Blue Blazer into the 21st century. Split into working groups, the bartenders and journalists were assigned by lot; my table was charged with creating a Stinger suitable for the modern palate. When others asked me what my table ended up with, I simply made a sad clown face - to a person, they smiled and said "Stinger?"

The gloom from being selected for the mixological equivalent of parking cars at the drag race made our team start slow, but gradually we  figured out the best route – reduce the sugar, increase the potency, incorporate acid, manage mint – and final result was a surprisingly drinkable after-dinner drink, one I’d serve confidently to any guest looking for a minty after-dinner quaff. The folks in Cognac are expected to release recipes shortly, and I'll post ours soon.

After a day or so of multilingual brainstorming, recipe fiddling, even a few personality fender benders, the new versions of the seven drinks –  – were presented to the local and international press. Best moment: the intro by spirits and wine maven Doug Frost, Southern Wine and Spirits’ Francesco Lafranconi, and Alperin of their “Pimp My Julep.” As soon as the video emerges from the censors, I’ll post, but be sure they rocked the house.

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Cognac summit 2010 news flash

Bit of news from Cognac - Eric Alperin of LA's The Varnish gets top marks for the best Summit recipe - the Summit was created at the first Cognac Summit two years ago.
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Distillers Gone Wild!

Think of the American whiskey business as old-fashioned and home-spun, filled with crusty characters who resist change and stick to the tried and true? Then think again.

Whatever retrograde sensibility clings to American whiskey is more a marketing remnant than a reflection of reality. Today, most distillers making bourbon and rye behave less like rigorous guardians of sour mash wisdom and more like mad scientists, tinkering with some whiskey rules and even smashing them into smithereens. A surging interest in American whiskies in their various flavor profiles, strengths and age expressions has revealed a desire among American drinkers to embrace the unusual, and, building on that whiskey conneiseur market, these tinkerers have broadened and enhanced the range of their wares.

Take what’s going on at Buffalo Trace, for instance, where master distiller Harlan Wheatly currently has dozens of oddities maturing for possible future release, including whiskey now aging in Mongolian, Japanese and Canadian oak. It’s not the only experiment he’s up to - in honor of the Mongolian oak, Wheatley has whipped up some Kentucky style moutai (a traditional Chinese spirit made primarily from sorghum) to age in American oak – turnabout being fair play.

Buffalo Trace each year issues a limited number of cases of their more successful results, the most recent aged 15 years in fine grain barrels from slow-growth oak and coarse grain barrels from fast-growth oaks. (For the record, the fine oak is said to be rich and sweet with a syrupy character, while the coarse grain is said to be dry with smokiness, wood and herbal qualities, heavier and complex.)

More than 1,500 barrels worth of experiments are at rest in the company’s warehouses, and Wheatley now has a micro-distillery of his own to play with. Buffalo Trace may be the most public about their experiments, but other distillers are also hard at work developing new products that take whiskey to its outer limits.

Heaven Hill, for instance, has recently issued two whiskies in styles unheard of as little as ten years ago: Parker’s Heritage Collection Golden Anniversary, marking distiller Parke Beam’s 50th year in the business, made from a marriage of bourbon barrels distilled over five decades, including a tiny amount from the 1960s; and the third and final bottling Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel Rye, a 27 years old, 100 proof powerhouse (3,000 bottles will be shared among the US and select international markets.)

Who else? Wild Turkey has just released Tradition, a limited edition, 14-year-old, 101 proof bourbon, the third in their Master Distiller Selection. (Only 14,000 bottles are available for the U.S., with a suggested retail price of $100.)

Like Russell’s Reserve, Tradition is pulled from what master distiller Jimmy Russell calls the “center cut” of Turkey’s oldest warehouses, but aged longer and in more heavily charred barrels. It’s the first new item from Wild Turkey since Russell crafted Russell’s Reserve Rye two years ago.

Russell, who has particular ideas about whiskies – he prefers those aged eight to 12 years – occasionally locates promising barrels that benefit from being moved around the warehouse to control the aging process. In Tradition, he says, the classic Wild Turkey spiciness and power has been enhanced by more caramel, vanilla, fruit and nut flavors.

Kentucky isn’t the only state pulling its weight in bourbon production. Tennessee, long known as Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel country, is now home to Pritchard’s distillery, and upstate in New York, Tuthilltown Spirits has a portfolio including Hudson Baby Bourbon, a single grain bourbon made from 100% New York corn, the first bourbon to be distilled in the state.

It’s difficult not to be positive about American whiskey today; even in a down market, straight whiskey was up in 2008. The big brands do the heavy lifting - Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam alone account for more than half of the category, with fast grower Evan Williams also topping a million cases a year.

The revival of the cocktail and a growing interest in American made spirits have contributed to the growth, but so did the development nearly twenty years ago of small batch and single barrel whiskies, which brought greater attention to the possibilities of whiskey. As the trend spread, vintage whiskies, like Evan Williams Single Barrel, caught consumer attention. Other variations attracted intense press attention. Now, further spurred on by the resurgence of rye and the growth of micro-distillers, Kentucky is awash with interesting whiskey.

These products are generally difficult and expensive to produce, but that makes them fun in distillery world, says Chris Morris, master distiller of Woodford Reserve. Response has been gratifying. “It’s very encouraging that the trade and the consumer are looking for new types of products and expressions at a premium price - that’s very healthy,” he says. “The business side of our company supports it, and they actually have created a little pressure to increase these items.”

Woodford Reserve’s annual one-off, the Master’s Selection Seasoned Oak Finish issued in late October, is the fourth, following a sweet mash, a four grain and a whiskey finished in chardonnay barrels. It’s the result of wood research and some good luck; a stash of very old oak turned up in the Brown Forman Cooperage. Most of the oak used to age bourbon is seasoned three to five months, but the staves and heads in the Seasoned Oak Finish reachedup to the ripe age of five.

“All the research shows as wood naturally seasons out of doors and slowly dries as it’s exposed to the elements, certain characteristics are stripped out and simultaneously added, creating wonderful flavors,” said Morris.

“This is a new playground that we in the American whiskey business are playing in, and it’s not lost on us that people are willing to pay a lot of money,” says Larry Kass, director of corporate communications, Heaven Hill. “Quite a few of us are coming out with very limited editions, with very unusual attributes and barrel char to them that tell a story of rarity and exclusivity.”

This sort of experimentation has long existed in the single malt Scotch world, notes Kass, where even casks from shuttered distilleries would be enhanced and sold by private bottlers, and distilleries such as Glenmorangie pioneered finishing whiskies in various used barrels.

“We continue to learn new and interesting information from these experiments, and we only releases the ones that turn out well,” says Wheatley. “We never know how they are going to turn out.”

Most of the whiskey experiments receive little or no marketing attention, no case cards or POS, instead riding the wave of interest and excitement in the category. Those with larger capacity, like the wheat whiskey Bernheim that Heaven Hill introduced six years ago, received marketing support along with simultaneous word of mouth excitement as a whiskey style unknown in modern times.

At Beam, where news of a shortage earlier this year of small batch Knob Creek made headline news, whiskey innovation is once again on the front burner, with rye Ri(1) and Red Stag the first new whiskey introductions since Jim Beam Black in 1996, says Kelly Doss, senior director, U.S. bourbon and whiskey for Beam Global

“We’re actively looking at ways to turn more people on to bourbon. Were really focused on how we can drive innovation in a way that will help consumers understand the bourbon category more. There are a lot of places to go within bourbon, a lot of opportunities and innovation is limited by our own imagination.”

The new products can create an interesting halo around old brands, reviving them in some ways. Old Forrester is an example of a whiskey whose sales staggered as the demographic was aging. “Then we came out with super premium version Birthday Bourbon, and all of sudden markets and consumers who ordinarly wouldn’t consider it in their portfolio of choices wanted that new

type of expression,” says Morris. 

Morris is enthusiastic about the annual Woodford limited editions, and like Wheatley and other distillers, he’s looking at new ways to grow. He’s particularly interested in how a grain recipe he thinks has never been used before to make bourbon will do. And wood finishes really have him excited “We have some dynamic finishes were working with that I promise will blow people away.”

(A slightly different version of this article appears in the January Beverage Media magazines

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