:: demystifying vermouth ::

The first talk I went to on Tuesday morning at Portland Cocktail Week was entitled "Demystifying Vermouth." The presenters were two vermouth makers, namely Neil Kopplin of Imbue and Giuseppi Gallo of Martini & Rossi, and one bartender, Junior Ryan of Clyde Commons. The seminar was divided between discussing vermouth as a spirit class and tasting vermouths.

In the United States, vermouth is mainly a mixer, and not a beverage meant to be enjoyed on its own. This changes how producers must think about crafting and marketing products for the American consumers.

European Laws:
1. Must contain at least one herb from the Artemisia genus. There are over 300 of which wormwood is the most famous.
2. At least 75% of the volume is derived from wine.
3. 14.5-22% ABV

European Sugar Content Laws:
• Dry - under 60 grams sugar / liter. (Noilly Prat, Dolin Dry = 50)
• Sweet - under 130 grams sugar / liter. (Most around 120)
• Extra Dry - under 30 grams sugar / liter.
• Bianco - around 100 grams sugar / liter.
• (Imbue Vermouth made in the U.S. is around 50 grams sugar added / liter plus natural grape sugars).

United States Laws:
1. Does not require Artemisia. It is preferred if wormwood is not used due to absinthe-related historical issues.
2. At least 75% of the volume is derived from wine.
3. 16-21% ABV
4. It must smell and taste like vermouth.

Vermouths are generally all about the region and the herbs and spices that can be found there. While French and Italian are produced in different countries, the vermouth regions are adjoining in Southern France and Northern Italy, so there are a lot of similarities.  Generally, in dry vermouth, flavor is added through a distillation process, and in sweet vermouth, flavor is a maceration one.
Vermouth can be characterized on two axes (a third for sweetness and dryness was not mentioned). One axis spans from more herbal to more spice driven. The other was more floral to more citrus. Most producers shoot for the middle ground for the average drinker, especially when the vermouth is drank unmixed. When a producer wants a new product for bartenders, they will shift the vermouth in one direction.

The vermouths were placed on the graph after the room had tasted them. There was not complete agreement on any one placing since it can be a judgment call as to whether a taster finds the herbal or spice notes stronger, for example. Some quick notes about each of these vermouths:

• Dolin Dry - rose petals, dry orange peels, dusty from forced oxidation
• Noilly Prat Dry - unique in that it is the only vermouth to use Blanc de Blancs. Salty as aged in barrels next to the sea (which would explain why the vermouth is often drank neat as an aperitif with seafood and oysters). 20% of product is used by cooks in the kitchen. Corriander, nutmeg, chamomile; spicy and herbaceous.
• Imbue Bitter Sweet - Pinot gris grape for abundance and high acidity (for flavor and preservative). Elderflower, cinnamon, clove, sage, juniper, orange peel, chamomile; no wormwood. Trying for a rustic, pine forest, spiced, and floral concept.
• Dolin Rouge - Cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, rustic, sweet, savory, Artemisia, toned down acid. Note: rosemary and oregano are standard to detect first in an European sweet vermouth.
• Carpano Antica - Note: we did not taste it, these are just conversation notes. Expensive, vanilla (derived from Tonka bean), white wine, a lot of sugar, flavorful enough to take over Campari in a Negroni.
• Martini & Rossi Sweet - Strong on Artemisia, dry orange peel, cinnamon, clove, oregano.
• Imbue Petal & Thorn - Note: we did not taste it, these are just conversation notes. Cinnamon bark, Oregon sugar beets for earthiness, chamomile, orange, gentian.
• China Martini - Not a vermouth, but a digestivo/amaro as alcohol-based and 31% ABV, but flavors similar to a vermouth. Cinchona bark, orange, gentian, mint, cascarilla bark, juniper, Artemisia, vanilla.

tipping point

1 oz House Rum Blend (*)
1 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz House Sweet Vermouth
1 tsp Combier Crème de Peche
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 dash Pau D'Arco Bitters (sub aromatic)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a mist of Allspice Dram.
(*) Equal parts Plantation 5 Year Barbados, Flor de Caña 4 Year White, and Novo Fogo Cachaça.

The second drink I had at Teardrop was one that bartender Daniel had created called the Tipping Point. Note, this was not the owner and bartender Daniel Shoemaker who was also there that night; I did have a chance to talk with Shoemaker about the talk he gave earlier in the day at the Portland Cocktail Week classes as well as about other Portland and Boston bar topics.
The Tipping Point's nose was complex with grassy notes from the cachaça, caramel ones from the Plantation Barbados, funky ones from the Swedish Punsch, and allspice from the Dram. The rum's caramel notes continued into the sip along with the vermouth's grape, and the swallow offered the cachaça's grassy freshness with a peach finish.

a new hope

3/4 oz Zacapa 23 Year Rum
3/4 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
1/2 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

After Clyde Commons, I headed south a few blocks to check out Teardrop. I was excited about visiting ever since trying their drinks at Tales of the Cocktail's Bar Room Brawl in 2011 and declaring the Thai Chi-Chi the best drink of the night. Even before that, we had tried and enjoyed their recipes like the Illuminations and the Ephemeral at home.
I asked bartender Daniel for the A New Hope as the rum, maple, and Benedictine combination seemed quite tempting. When I inquired about the name, Daniel described how the drink was created by bartender Tyler. It had originally named after his football jersey, but the staff renamed the drink as a Star Wars reference against his will. A New Hope led off with a nutmeg and citrus aroma. On the sip, the lime juice was countered by the full mouthfeel of the maple syrup. Finally, the aged rum and maple combined with the herbalness of the gin, Benedictine, and bitters on the swallow.

nasturtium

2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane Quinquina

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

After Beaker & Flask, Andrea was getting tired, so I dropped her off at the Ace Hotel where we were staying. When we passed by Clyde Commons which is below the Ace, I finally spotted some open seats, so I stopped in after returning from the room. The drink that caught my eye was the Nasturtium, and I asked bartender Jordan for this aperitif-like drink. I have a fondness for nasturtiums both in an aesthetic and culinary way. Besides using them in salads and as garnishes, I have also harnessed their peppery spice notes into cocktail bitters. Therefore, I was eager to see Clyde Common's homage to this flowering plant.
The Nasturtium's lemon twist provided much of the drink's bouquet. A honey sweet grape sip flowed into a ginger and gentian swallow. Indeed, the drink had a sort of spicy and peppery finish much like the plant's flower and leaf.

dragon's mouth

1 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Royal Combier Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
The second drink I had at Beaker & Flask in Portland was bartender Daniel's drink called the Dragon's Mouth. He wanted to create something big and bold, and he utilized Angostura Bitters and orange liqueur to substitute for Campari in a Rum Negroni-like cocktail. The Dragon's Mouth offered up grapefruit oil and Angostura Bitters' allspice and clove aromas. A dry grape and orange sip led into a rum and spice swallow that ended with an orange peel finish. Overall, the Dragon's Mouth had a parallel structure to a Negroni, but it was more spice than bitter driven.

devil in a boot

1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse Blended Scotch
1/2 oz Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Bols Triple Sec
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

After Portland Cocktail Week classes on Monday, we ventured over to Beaker & Flask for drinks. We had tried the night before, but alas, much of Portland's bar scene is closed on Sunday nights. The drink that caught my eye was the Devil in a Boot, for Scotch and Cynar always seem to make a great pairing. In retrospect, its recipe does remind me of the Smoking Jacket except with orange liqueur instead of Punt e Mes.
The Devil in a Boot presented an orange oil aroma over an iodine-laden smoke note. The orange notes continued on into the sip where it mingled with the Scotches' malt and the Cynar's caramel. Finally, the smoke and barrel elements of the Scotches appeared on the swallow where they played well with the bitter herbal notes of the Cynar.

:: the art & science of making delicious cocktail ingredients ::

The second talk I went to on Monday at Portland Cocktail week was given by Jennifer Colliau of Small Hand Foods. Jennifer started off by discussing the Mai Tai to provide a background of why she got interested in making syrups. She had gotten into an argument with another bartender back in the day about what the nutty ingredient in the drink was -- amaretto or crème de noyeau. Her research turned up that it was neither of those two liqueurs but orgeat syrup, and her taste testing found that all orgeat on the market at that time was pretty wretched. Tracing back syrups to Jerry Thomas' How To Mix Drinks or A Bon Vivant's Companion held a lot of the answers for her. However, Jerry did not write that section of the book, and there is a second title page crediting Christian Schultz (or the man behind the man). Here are some of the key points of her talk:

• In making simple syrups, the hot and cold mix methods produce two different syrups.
• Cold mix (stirring sugar and water until it dissolves without heat added) maintains the sucrose molecule intact, ends up sweeter, richer, more viscous.
• Hot mix (using hot water or heating the sugar and water on a stove) breaks sucrose into fructose and glucose, ends up thinner, lighter. Also, ends up more stable and less likely to crystallize.
• While measuring the sugar crystals and water by volume will work, doing it by weight is more accurate and will account for differences in crystal size and packing (superfine vs. coarse crystals vs. rock candy).
• Key for any bar: consistency. Whether it is cold or hot mix, volume or weight measure, 1:1 or 2:1, the syrup no matter who at the establishment makes it should be the same.  Otherwise, drinks will turn out differently.

• There are 4 main methods of accessing and preserving flavors:
1. Suspension: reduce the particulate size and add sugar and water. Raspberry syrup is a good example for after it is strained, it is clumpy and opaque.
2. Infusion: osmotic differences between inside and outside the fruit cells draws flavor out.
3. Extraction: high proof alcohol used to leech out flavor, often in bitters.
4. Distillation: includes water distillation which is used for making rose water and orange blossom water (especially since alcohol distillation requires special licenses).

• Infusion method:
a) For fruit infusions: simmer fruit in water to drag out the flavors, strain, and add sugar. Osmotic pressure will drag the flavor out of the fruit cells better when there is no sugar added.
b) For spice infusions: since spices are carbon-based flavor, use sugar to pull out the flavor, then strain.

• Shrubs: just like making a fruit infusion, pour heated vinegar over fruit, cover, and let sit with agitation daily. Strain out solids and then add sugar. For every cup of liquid, add 3/4 cup of sugar.
• Water distillation: make a tea and perform distillation. The distillation process removes bitterness, sugar, salt, and color.

• Storing syrups: all based on canning techniques.
1) Heat will sterilize so pouring hot syrups in a bottle will work. 180-190°F for one minute. Remember to cap it and either invert the bottle or lay it on its side to cleanse the cap and bottle neck.
2) Acidity helps prevent microbial growth, so investing in a pH meter might be a wise investment. Botulism grows in oxygen-free, low acid conditions, so below pH 4.5 is often considered safe.
3) Store syrups in the fridge.
4) High water activity (lots of sugar in solution) will prevent microbial growth. This is why honey will not go bad, but honey syrups will.
5) If the syrup gets fizzy, smells like cider vinegar, or develops mold, throw it out.

:: yes, you can make a career out of this! ::

The first talk I attended at Portland Cocktail Week was one on how to make a career in the spirits and cocktail industry. This was not a how to become a bartender discussion, but how to step away from the bar (if you were there in the first place) and find a new avenue in the industry. The panel was a collection of bar consultants, bar owners, brand ambassadors, and the like. The drink writing as a job was covered two days later at a Drink/Write talk called "Blogger to Writer." Here are each panelist's comments combined, and not necessarily demonstrative of the order in which they were presented.

Daniel Shoemaker - Bar owner of Teardrop Lounge in Portland
• Have the arrogance to build something that the world needs, then strip away the ego aspect.
• A protestant work aesthetic; put your head down and work hard.
• Find a mentor and shadow.
• Do not overshoot; know your short term and long term plans and visions.
• Put yourself in a position where good karma will come to you.

David Cid - Bacardi Rum's Brand Master
• Passion is key. Being in the moment and caring about what you do no matter what the task is, even if it is the most simplest of tasks like making a Highball.
• Stay positive especially about brands; you never know who is connected in this industry.

Josh Harris - Bon Vivants cocktail consultancy and event planners
• Being at the right place at the right time is something you have control of; put yourself in growth spots where opportunities can happen. Seize opportunities when they appear.
• Determine a niche as a direction.
• Being more amorphous opens yourself up to new opportunities.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler - Bar manager of Clyde Common in Portland
• Writing helped to get name out there which garnered speaking engagements and other benefits.

Corey Bunnewith - Brand management for Inspired Beverage; brand strategist for OnTheBar app
• Key to success is failure, but being relentless.
• Also, humanizing things so one can connect and engage.

Keith Waldbauer - Co-owner of Liberty bar in Seattle; consultant for Liquid Kitchen; writer
• Make your own luck. Things are never an accident so set yourself up to succeed.
• For example, get yourself up earlier in the day instead of sleeping in, and do not wait for people to knock on your door.

indian summer sour

1 1/2 oz Hennessy Cognac
1/2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a tulip beer glass.
The last drink Evan Zimmerman made me at Woodsman Tavern was the Indian Summer Sour. With the Calvados, lemon, and Benedictine, the drink reminded me a little of the Honeymoon Cocktail, so I was definitely game to try it. Once mixed, the Cognac aromas joined those of the Benedictine on the nose. The fruity lemon and apple sip was followed by a brandy and herbal Benedictine swallow. Though different from the Honeymoon Cocktail, it similarly could do no wrong and was perfect for the autumnal season.