vieux from the flor

1 1/2 oz Tequila Ocho Reposado
1/2 oz Cardamaro
3/4 oz St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur
1/2 oz Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry

Stir with ice and strain into a glass and garnish with an orange twist.
The third drink that I had at the State Lines: A Portland & Providence Pop-up event at Thirst Boston came straight from the Cook & Brown cocktail list in Providence. The Vieux from the Flor, a stirred and complex drink and not the one above being shaken by bar manager Gillian White above, combined tequila, sherry, and coffee flavors with some added complexity from Cardamaro, so it definitely called out to me from their short list. Once in the glass, it presented a bright orange oil aroma over that of coffee with hints of tequila poking through. A dark grape sip was likewise followed up by a coffee, tequila, and herbal swallow.

:: the re-emergence of rum ::

One of the next talks I attended at Thirst Boston was "The Re-Emergence of Rum" moderated by Misty Kalkofen and sponsored by Privateer Rum. The panel consisted of writers and rum historians David Wondrich and Wayne Curtis, distiller Maggie Campbell, and bartenders Charles Joly and Joaquin Simo, and the topics spanned the changes in rum production styles through the years, how rum perception by the public has varied, and how to improve rum for the future. Overall, there was definitely a New England angle for the talk. For a good primer on rum styles, please see a talk from last year's Thirst Boston entitled "Rum: The World's Most Versatile Spirit."

As Curtis explained, the history of rum in the New World got its start with Christopher Columbus bringing sugar cane to Hispanola in 1493, and luckily, this honeyed grass grows like crazy in the Caribbean. Sugar became king there and soon few other crops were planted; food and lumber often had to be brought in to the islands all at the expense of sugar. A key moment was when the molasses, the industrial waste product in sugar production, was no longer solely dumped into the ocean as people realized that it could be used to feed yeast in a ferment and then distilled. A second key moment was due to England colonizing Caribbean islands. While sugar was sent back to England and Europe, much of the molasses was shipped to New England in trade for food and other supplies. Over 160 rum distilleries sprang up in New England in addition to the ones further north in places like Newfoundland. England's hand in this trade caused rum to collapse after the Revolution.

A third key moment in rum was in the late 19th century when the Bacardi family came along and took the generally nasty, oily spirit and figured out how to refine it via filtration, better distillation, and other techniques. The 1950s unfortunately brought about the fourth key moment when rum became closer to vodka. America lost its taste for full flavored and funk in the age of processed foods and spirits that would leave you "breathless." Luckily, the fifth key moment was in the last 20 years with the rediscovery of what rum can be. In 1991, the Old New Orleans Rum Company started up and produced some intriguing spirits, and a few years later Phil Pritchard started in Tennessee.

Most New England rum was not considered as good as Caribbean rum (with a few exceptions). Wondrich surmised that the secret lay in Leonard Wray's (of Wray & Nephew Rum) Practical Sugar Planter book from 1848 with the quote, "Rum is the spirit which is made on sugar estates from the molasses and skimmings resulting from the manufacture of sugar." The secret here is the skimmings -- the foam on top of the boil that is removed; while not needed in the further production of sugar, it has a lot of the flavors of fresh sugar cane juice and can contribute a grassy note to rums. On the islands, rum was made from molasses, skimmings, and dunder (the remainder from the last still run), whereas in New England, they lacked the sugar cane and thus the skimmings and could only make "molasses brandy." Sadly, the Caribbean is making this same molasses brandy now since most of its raw materials are coming from Brazil. Therefore, the good news is that New England can be at parity with Caribbean rums, but the bad news is that there is no more terroir in much of Caribbean rums (at least the molasses-based ones where they are buying the raw materials at market). Campbell continued on the theme by describing how the Caribbean imports a lot of the raw materials for they produced too much rum volume to keep up on the agriculture end. Rum has often been quick, fast, and cheap, and its popularity post-World War II also saw the decline of flavor. "With the speed of molasses," there is a slow return to rum having more flavor, and this is getting craft bartenders excited.
Simo explained that the desire to drink Rum & Cokes does not yield many branded calls for rum. However, there is much variety out there. Donn the Beachcomber used to say, "What one rum can't do, three rums can!" Wondrich explained that rum can be very varied and it can mimic the qualities of much of the spirit world out there (see quote above). Campbell expounded that while distillers are on an even playing field in terms of bringing in molasses, the real question is what rum are distillers going to try to make? Campbell explained that she could make a different style of rum each year (as a one-off) for the rest of her life and still not repeat a style.

Simo brought up a Camper English post on the Alcademics blog about how much sugar is added to rums -- a shocking amount! Eastern Standard bartender turned Privateer Rum rep Kevin Martin declared, "It's a bartender's job to add the sugar (to cocktails)." For example, Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco was mentioned for its immense sugar program where they carefully choose which sweeteners to mix with their spirits. So how does one know quality when there are few labeling laws as to additives? Campbell looks first for flaws; heads come across as nail polish burn and tails as pencil shavings, while level of sweetness suggests how much the producer is trying to hide these flaws. She also looks for quality: concentration and complexity of flavor, amount of heat, and whether it is still- or wood-derived for the variety of flavors.

While bartenders and rum aficionados look for such complexity, bar guests often look for sweetness. Unsweetened rum is often too harsh for tasting straight. Simo's reply was that, "'Ooh, that's smooth' is the worst tasting note ever" for it favors the bland and inoffensive. More flavor, for example, can be generated with longer, slower ferments, fermenting with dunder from prior batches, and fermenting to lower ABVs. The higher the alcohol content in the ferment, the more heads that get carried over; lower alcohol content is cleaner since the yeast are "less drunk" and produce fewer off flavors since they are less stressed. Rum is a lawless and rogue world; rum is made in too many places with too few laws and restrictions. As a counter example, Curtis mentioned Ed Hamilton's rums where the codes on the labels takes transparency to an extreme for it provides photos and details for each rum's production.

Wondrich brought up a point about a New England A.O.C. for rum that spanned the historic zone of Providence up to Portland. At the Boston Cocktail Summit in 2012, Wondrich and Curtis in the "Medford Gold" talk concluded that the new style of New England rum has the consensus flavor of molasses notes and a dry tang at the end, and that it should try to join the ranks of Bourbon in designation.
During the talk, we were given four unlabeled wine glasses of white rum. Smelling and tasting them all, I could easily tell that #3 was Privateer -- part because they were one of the sponsors and part because my bar at Russell House Tavern chooses to feature that spirit as our well white rum. Two definitely reminded me of Bacardi with its clean style and woody note, and I was not wrong. I was correct on the first glass by thinking Brugal; I was not confident in my guess, but I figured that it had to be one of the better known rums out there and it did remind me of Brugal. The fourth was El Dorado (not sure whether the three year or the lower tier white rum); while I do own El Dorado 3 Year at home, nothing triggered my mind that this was a Demerara rum. Finally, Joly spoke to the bartenders and commanded that we need to do the homework and make wise choices at the backbar to educate our customers better.

velvet washington

1 1/2 oz Gosling's Family Reserve Rum
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail or single Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon or orange twist.
Another of the drinks I had at the State Lines: A Portland & Providence Pop-up event at Thirst Boston was from Aurora in Providence called the Velvet Washington. An image search on the web could not confirm the existence of a velvet painting of George Washington, so I assume that the velvet aspect is the falernum, and perhaps the Washington part is for the apple component. Once mixed, it offered a dark aroma with a hint of bright citrus oil. On the palate, a dark grape sip gave way to dark rum swallow with clove notes and lingering caramel, char, and apple flavors on the finish.

:: the aperitif hour ::

One of the first talks I attended at Thirst Boston was The Aperitif Hour hosted by Naren Young and Nick Korn and sponsored by Campari. The event guide's description declared, "Where once 'stirred, brown, and strong' was the inspiration for many bartenders, now it is low alcohol aperitifs that are again providing inspiration for new creations while resurrecting old classic drinks that deserve our respect." Naren began by stressing the importance of aperitifs especially in restaurants; the word aperitif comes from the French aperire meaning "to open" such as the palate. Perhaps bartenders should begin the conversation with guests with the question "Where are you in your evening?" to figure out what drinks to make or suggest for people. Before or after meals, needing lighter libations when out with colleagues, etc. are all perfect moments for aperitif style cocktails.

Naren split the talk into two aspects. The first was the more expected -- suggesting aperitif recipes, while the second was how to heighten the experience by making it memorable. For example, why put a Dry (Vermouth) Martini on the menu? If you can do it well or unique, call it out. At Saxon & Parole, Naren's 5:1 Martini was listed as "Dry Martini Service" with gin, vermouth, and "accoutrements." An old school sized glass, a sidecar carafe with the rest of the drink stored in crushed ice, and a trio of garnish possibilities of an olive, onion, and a knotted lemon twist all aesthetically displayed. Instead of relying on store bought pickled olives and garnishes, why not make them in house with matching botanicals?
Even the classic Gin & Tonic can be a playground of variations. In addition to making your own house tonic water, Collins ice molds produced by Cocktail Kingdom can be utilized to add seasonal touches like cucumber water, chili water, or ginger water ice. At Bacchanal, Naren honed in on the Spanish interest in the G&T where some places have as many as 150 gins and menus with 25 or more G&T combinations with different garnishes listed. Even elevating the drink with a frozen glass, a metal straw, and fresh citrus garnish can assist in making the drink alluring to the senses.

While Fernet Branca may be the bartenders' shot, the Negroni has become the bartenders' cocktail over the last 5-6 years. It is a safe drink and good even when made poorly. Naren's preference is a little extra gin heavy at 1:3/4:3/4 to help to dry out the sugar-laden amaro and vermouth components; moreover, stirring on ice and straining over fresh ice, especially a single large ice cube, is his go-to technique. Also take a step backward from Negroni and consider the Americano a/k/a Torino Milano for an aperitif. At Bacchanal, Naren served a variety of seasonal Negronis on tap such as the Chocolate Negroni:

Chocolate Negroni
• 1 oz Gin
• 3/4 oz Campari
• 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1 dash Creme de Cacao (or other white chocolate liqueur)
• 2 dash Chocolate Bitters (to dry out the drink)
Serve with a dehydrated orange wheel garnish (quicker to garnish with attractively during service) and fresh orange oil (so that the fresh twist does not need to look perfect).

The Boulevardier and the Old Pal, the rye Negroni variations with sweet and dry vermouth, respectively, from 1927's Barflies and Cocktails are other classic ways of tinkering with the Negroni. Two other variations, the Negroni Sbagliato (1 oz each Campari, sweet vermouth, prosecco) from 1972 and the Negroni Bianco (1 oz gin, 3/4 oz Aperol, 3/4 oz bianco vermouth, 2 dash lemon bitters) were also noteworthy. In addition, Naren shared his thoughts on the bottled Champagne Negroni (pictured below). Bottling equipment is rather cheap and most of the work is backend time. While guests wait for tables on a busy Friday or Saturday night, it will boost the guest experience. Moreover, the staff will love making the sale with the only front end work being popping a cap.
The revival of punch is another aperitif idea. The communal experience allows the bartender to prep a single bowl instead of a hodgepodge of drink orders for a group. Other drinks mentioned were the Bamboo, Aperol Spritz, pastis drinks, Upside Down Dirty Gibsons, Classic Champagne Cocktails, Highballs, and Horse's Necks. The final drink I have in my notes is the Jasmine; besides the proportions in that link, Naren offered his ratio of 1 1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz Campari, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz lemon juice, and garnished with an edible pansy.

rhinestone cowboy

1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Benedictine
2 dash Fee's Gin Barrel Aged Orange Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass with ice. Top with 1 1/2 oz Maine Root Sarsaparilla and garnish with a lemon twist.
One of the drinks I had at the State Lines: A Portland & Providence Pop-up event at Thirst Boston was the Rhinestone Cowboy. This recipes was one of the three offerings at the Sonny's Restaurant of Portland table, and I was game to try it to see if sarsaparilla paired with Fernet just as well as Moxie did in the Improved Toxic Moxie. Once prepared, the Rhinestone Cowboy shared a lemon oil aroma over a light air of herbal notes. Next, a root-tinged caramel sip gave way to most of the rootbeer flavors on the swallow with a menthol finish. Indeed, both the Benedictine and the soda worked well to tame Fernet Branca and keep all the aspects in balance.

:: highlights of thirst boston 2014 ::

Earlier today, the Bartender's Breakfast marked the conclusion of the second annual Thirst Boston, but for me the event ended with the afterparties on Sunday night for I needed to work and open a bar on Monday morning after taking the whole weekend off from Friday evening on. I have only taken a few short moments to reflect on the past few days given the whirlwind adventure between my barshifts on Friday and Monday, and here are some of the highlights:
• Best Part of The Thing: The Secret Bar. For the first The Thing, there were three rooms: an entry vestibule, the main hall, and then the #DTO room. This year, there were only two; however, somewhere towards the end of the night, a small window -- something between a coat check or a cafeteria window in style -- opened up and there was Charles Joly serving "A Cocktail." I did see photographic evidence that Jon Santers was making drinks too, but I only caught Charles making an agave Corpse Reviver.
• Old Faces: A good number of Boston ex-pats came back to attend and/or volunteer for the weekend. For example, I was impressed that Lea Madda and Chad Arnholt traveled from California to be there and give their time to help out.
• Best Recurrent Concept: Pop-ups! The first cool one was on Saturday for the State Lines: A Portland (Maine) and Providence (Rhode Island) Pop-up. Several bars both cities had tables demonstrating their tone, displaying their food and drink menus, and showcasing a trio of drinks to try. Best swag from that event was an Allen's Coffee Brandy knit hat from the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club in Portland. Moreover, on Sunday night was an Amor y Amargo pop-up featuring bartender Souther Teague and the Fernet Branca portfolio (pictured below). The Boston Shaker pop-up store was a great thing for those visiting, but a good deal of us are blessed with having that store so close by and accessible.
• Best General Talk: The Re-emergence of Rum. Besides a star-studded cast of characters -- Misty Kalkofen, Charles Joly, David Wondrich, Joaquin Simo, Maggie Campbell, and Wayne Curtis -- it was a great mix of distiller, bartender, and historian that gave a great perspective on the spirit that was a good supplement to last year's Rum: The World's Most Versatile Spirit talk. I will be covering that talk in greater detail soon.
• Best Industry Talk: The Three Phases of Hospitality. With Andy Seymour as the spirited moderator, Joaquin Simo, Jon Santer, and Sean Kenyon spelled out great concepts from how your bar is laid out to menu design to help make the guest feel more comfortable. Of course, in addition to how to productively interact with guests to make them feel at home. I won't spoil too much of this talk now, so have patience for when I can do it justice with a long write-up.
• Not What I Was Expecting Talk: The Aperitif Hour with Naren Young and Nick Korn. I was expecting more about the history and importance of aperitifs, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it was more about making these drinks special for our guests. From seasonal variations to care in garnish as well as from bottling cocktails to unsung heroes of the aperitif hour like the Jasmine. Naren's point could be summed up in the quote, "Everyone can make great drinks. Remember, we're selling experiences."
• Best Snide Comment from Matt Schrage: Yes, this needs to be a category. Matt Schrage, founder of the Mocktail Virgin/Slut blog, at the "From Medicine to Libation: The Art of Preparing Vermouth" seminar commented about my early vermouth blend, "Smells like you're washing your terrier (dog) in Sprite™... Good job, Fred!"
• Great Way of Thinking About Cocktails: While Stephen Shellenberger has divided the lot as whether people like the softer taste of Snapple™ or the acid backbone of wine, Diego Loret of Barsol Pisco at "Importing Awesome - The World's Next Great Spirits" made the differentiation of "Do you love green apples or red?"
• Blast from the Past Moment: Reaching into the pocket of my smoking jacket that I wore to The Thing and finding the pamphlet guide from the LUPEC's Boston Tea Party speakeasy event from fall 2007. It was LUPEC-Boston's first event and wearing that jacket landed me on the DrinkBoston blog; several of the LUPEC-Boston broads were at The Thing and were quite touched by seeing that keepsake!
• Absurd Drink Award: Not sure whether Ran Duan handing me a Piña Colada in a green coconut cup replete with a two foot neon straw in the front room of The Thing or the 50-50 Martini laybacks in the back room of that event.
• Surreal Bar Remake: The Absolut/Pernod Ricard afterparty at the Hawthorne where they converted it to a Studio 54 tribute!
• Coolest Find: Finding photos of the old carousel Boston that was in Boston (in the hotel Thirst was held in) -- see my Tweet for the image. I knew that there were many carousels in the world and that Boston had one (although the Monteleone one might be the only one left), I didn't realize that I would be in that hotel and in that room this past weekend!
• Biggest Confusion: No, it wasn't how to get to Copley with various parts of the Red and Green Lines down for the weekend (thanks MBTA!), but it was in going to work this morning. I tried to catch my wife up on my weekend and was about to head out the door with my trusty backpack that served me quite well all weekend (as well as daily carry to work) when she pointed out that I hadn't picked out or packed a dress shirt, vest, and tie combo. Whoops! I guess that's what too little sleep will do for you...

chauncey depew

Jigger 2/3 Sherry (1 1/2 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso)
1/3 Italian Vermouth (3/4 oz Dolin Sweet)
Dash Angostura Bitters
Orgeat Syrup (3/8 oz)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the wine section of Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and got lured in by the Chauncey Depew. Depew was a United States Senator from New York from 1899-1911, and perhaps the Chauncey from the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book was named after him too. The latter book only provided the speculation that it "must have been named after the most distinguished person of that prenomen, a famous orator and wit." What drew me in was the fact that the Chauncey Depew cocktail reminded me of a sherry-(and vermouth)-ified Japanese Cocktail minus the lemon twist!
The cocktail provided a nutty grape aroma that was supplemented by the orgeat syrup as well a hint of spice notes from the Angostura Bitters. A sweet grape sip then gave way to a nutty sherry and almondy orgeat swallow with a spice finish. Overall, the Chauncey Depew was softer and less Old Fashioned-like than the Japanese Cocktail (as I interpreted the vague recipe), and the pairing of oxidative sherries and orgeat is always a synergistic win.

brazilevardier

1 oz Cachaça (Seleta Gold)
1 oz Punt e Mes
1 oz Aperol
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Two Saturdays ago, I turned to Gaz Regan's The Negroni book and spotted a cachaça-based one. The Brazilevardier crafted by Matty Durgin of the Green Russell Bar in Denver was a crafty play on the Boulevardier. Indeed, the format with Punt e Mes made me think of Dave Delaney's Bitter in Brazil, but that one was with Grand Marnier instead of Aperol. But looking back through the recipes, the closest recipe would be the cachaça Negroni, the Lua Bonita, served at the Franklin Southie's Leblon industry night. Once mixed, the Brazilevardier presented an orange oil aroma that brightened the Punt e Mes' dark notes and the cachaça's funk. Next, a grape and orange sip gave way to a more complex swallow containing funky grassy cachaça flavors and a combination of Punt e Mes' bitter and Aperol's orange-rhubarb notes.

allies

2/3 jigger Sherry (1 oz Lustau Amontillado)
Dash Vermouth (1/2 oz Dolin Sweet)
2 dash Creme de Cacao (1/4 oz Marie Brizard)
2 dash Lemon Juice (1/4 oz)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Two Fridays ago, I peered into the wine section of Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and uncovered the Allies. With the creme de cacao and lemon juice, it came across as a sherry and vermouth version of the gin-based Mady with perhaps shades of a sherry Twentieth Century. After stirred and strained from my mixing glass, the Allies brought a grape aroma with a hint of chocolate to the nose. A crisp lemon and grape sip prepared the mouth for a nutty and chocolate swallow with a hint of orange on the finish.