Spirited Cocktails

It’s been a while again, I know. But inspiration strikes, so I follow.

Today’s Mixology Monday is brought to you by one of our favorite people, Lindsey Johnson of Lush Life Productions. For this week’s MxMo, Lindsey has chosen the topic of her own blog, Brown, Bitter & Stirred. The criteria for participating posts? Cocktails that are, well, brown, bitter & stirred (the only criteria Lindsey chooses when ordering cocktails pretty much anywhere she goes.)

For my entry, I’ve chosen to share the Black Market Manhattan. It’s a simple cocktail, but with a twist on the classic recipe that creates some welcome complexity of flavor that’s sure to please. So without further adieu, here’s what you’re going to need:

2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. black tea-infused sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes Angostura or Bitter Truth Aromatic bitters
cherry garnish

The classic Manhattan is as simple as it gets. Combine your bourbon (or rye, if you prefer), sweet vermouth, bitters, and ice in a mixing glass. Stir well to chill, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry. (Manhattans can also be made with dry vermouth, or a 50/50 mix of sweet and dry, which is called a Perfect Manhattan. To me, though, a perfect Manhattan is 100% sweet vermouth.)

To make this a Black Market Manhattan, though, we make a few small tweaks to elevate the game. First, choose your bourbon well. This is always good advice, of course, but particularly so in a cocktail like the Manhattan, where the bourbon will be the primary flavor by far. So be sure to choose a bourbon that you would enjoy sipping neat; perhaps a nice small batch, single barrel edition like Hudson Baby Bourbon, Elijah Craig 18, Willett, etc.

Second, we’re going to infuse the vermouth with a strong black tea. Don’t be intimidated – this is incredibly easy. Take a full-size bottle of sweet vermouth (preferably Dolin or Carpano Antica), and add 1/4 cup of loose, black tea (nothing flavored; a simple English Breakfast or Darjeeling will do the trick). Let it sit at room temperature for 4-5 hours, then strain out the loose tea and return the vermouth to the bottle. You’ve got yourself some black tea-infused vermouth that’ll last you at least a month in the fridge.

For the bitters, Angostura work perfectly well in this cocktail, but if you’re looking for some variety, try the Aromatic Bitters from The Bitter Truth. They also work very well in this cocktail.

Finally, the garnish. A standard fare cherry will do, but trust me when I tell you, people will go nuts if you do this cocktail right and use Luxardo marasca cherries.  The quality of the cherry itself combined with the richness of the syrup provides that secret ingredient that brings it all together.

There you have it – the Black Market Manhattan; my contribution to the Brown, Bitter & Stirred edition of Mixology Monday.

Cheers,

Josh

Recently, I had the privilege to visit the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY. In this post, I’d like to share my experience, what I saw, what I learned, and what I tasted. In the interest of full disclosure though, I’d like to tell you right up front that the folks at Maker’s Mark did pay for the travel expenses for my visit (my airfare and hotel for one night). I was not financially compensated in any other way.

With that out of the way, I hope you’ll indulge me. I’m about to geek out about whisky.

If you’ve never been to a whisky distillery, stop what you’re doing (well, finish reading this post, then stop what you’re doing) and book a trip. The greatest concentration of distilleries in the US is in Kentucky, along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The process of making whisky is fascinating, and while not everyone enjoys it the way I do, I find the smell of a distillery intoxicating (even before I’ve had anything to drink!)

The distillery at Maker’s Mark is no different. And it has quite a history! I was able to spend most of my day with Victoria MacRae-Samuels, the Director of Operations, and Dave Pudlo, the Distillery Education Director. I took about 20 pages of notes, but I’ll try to distill it down to the essentials. (I know – awful, awful pun.)

The History

The distillery itself was first established in 1805 as Burks’ Gristmill and Distillery. It was purchased in 1953 by T.W. (Bill) Samuels Sr. and his wife Marjorie. The Samuels family had been distillers for generations, but they had recently sold their family distillery and trademarks. They purchased the Burks property simply to have an already-established location (which happened to have a reliable water source on-site) where they could continue to produce whisky in small batches, mostly for family and friends. 

They started to develop their recipe from scratch. The main criteria that Bill Samuels Sr. had laid out was a desire for a very “drinkable” bourbon – one that was smooth and round, without too much burn. Rather than produce a variety of different batches that would then need to be aged for years, Bill and Marjorie settled on their proportions of corn, wheat, and malted barley by baking batches of bread.

I was always curious about the Maker’s Mark name (and symbol). Victoria educated me on this one. Marjorie Samuels was apparently quite a collector of pewter objects. And apparently, the highest quality pewter always had a “maker’s mark” to identify its creator. Inspired by this tradition, Maker’s Mark got its name, and its symbol (which you’ll see embossed on every bottle). Being a fairly creative person, Marjorie played quite a role in the bottle design, as well. They used hand-torn labels, and dipped each bottle in wax to evoke the style of quality cognac. Marjorie even hand-lettered the first bottles (and her lettering design is still used today).

The first barrel of Maker’s Mark was bottled in 1958, and the recipe hasn’t changed since. It’s clear from talking to the staff at Maker’s Mark that the heritage of the brand is very important to them.  Much of my conversation with the staff centered around ensuring that Maker’s lived up to “the way Bill wanted it.”

The Whisky

We actually have two different bourbons to talk about today. First – the classic Maker’s Mark. As we talked about earlier, Bill Samuels was aiming for a very round, “drinkable” bourbon. One of the ways that goal is achieved is through the proportional blend of corn, malted barley, and red winter wheat. The attention paid to the sourcing and quality of the ingredients at Maker’s genuinely surprised me. Not that I expected them not to care, but for an operation of their size, I was surprised to still see the degree of hands-on individual attention that was paid, including actual people physically inspecting the ingredients upon their arrival. The staff are well educated about the sourcing of the ingredients, and they’re given broad latitude to refuse a shipment from a supplier if it doesn’t meet strict quality standards. And of course, careful attention is paid to the water, which comes directly from a lake on the property.

We won’t go through the whole distillation process here, but I’ll say again, if you’ve never had the opportunity to watch whisky being made, find a way to make that happen. Most major distilleries offer tours – take one. It’s a fascinating process.

Once the cooking, fermentation, and distillation is complete, the raw whisky (what we’ve come to call “white dog”) is put into new American oak barrels to be aged. It spends between 6 and 7 1/2 years in one of the 24 warehouses on the Maker’s property, each of which holds upwards of 20,000 barrels. Each warehouse is 6 stories. Barrels enter on the top floors, where the temperature is highest, and where they’ll generally spend three summers. Over the remaining years, the barrels will be rotated down to cooler temperatures as new barrels come in.

Tasting the original Maker’s Mark, you’ll find, I think, that it lives up to the spec that Bill Samuels established back in 1953 – a smooth nose, and a smooth taste, very drinkable, with hints of vanilla, caramel, and baking spices, followed by a nice round finish (a little quick for my normal taste, but in general, a very good quality in bourbon.) It makes for a great introduction to bourbon for those who insist they don’t drink whisky (in other words, those who just don’t know any better yet.) And given how well rounded it is, I think it also makes a great palette for building cocktails.

Maker’s “46”

Now we come to the real reason for my trip – to taste Maker’s 46. A key fact worth underscoring is that this is the first new expression from Maker’s Mark since they started producing bourbon over 50 years ago. Maker’s has become a classic recipe – a “known good” quantity – and the general philosophy at the distillery has been “don’t screw it up.” But after half a century or so, it was time for something new.

What I found most surprising about Maker’s 46 was that it begins as fully-matured Maker’s Mark. Rather than start from the very beginning, the Maker’s team were seeking a new expression of a classic recipe. To achieve this, they worked closely with Brad Boswell – a 4th generation cooper from the Independent Stave Company of Kentucky. They evaluated a variety of different wood profiles, landing finally on the 46th choice (yup… 46) – French white oak staves that are seared on each side very quickly, at very high temperatures. Ten or so of these staves are then added to a barrel of fully matured Maker’s Mark, which is then aged for an additional two or three months.

The result is a bourbon vaguely reminiscent of Maker’s Mark, but bolder in every way. The aroma is more intense, with more apparent spiciness and caramel. The flavor follows suit – with a very similar profile of vanilla, caramel, and baking spices like cinnamon, but expressed in a much more complex way. I particularly appreciate the spiciness, and the much longer finish – a lingering sweet and spicy mix that I much prefer, especially when sipping a bourbon neat (which I will tend to do occasion.)

I think Maker’s has once again achieved their goal – a drinkable, accessible bourbon that lives up to the values set forth by their founder, but at the same time, presents a bolder, modern choice.

In reading this, I know I sound gushy. All I can do is assure you that my sentiments are sincere. I don’t do “reviews” very often because I won’t write about things that I don’t enjoy (I leave the bashing to others). When I do enjoy something, I’m happy to share it with you. Though my bottle of Maker’s 46 is off limits. Get your own.

Thanks again to Victoria and Dave for showing me the ropes and giving me the history I so appreciate (I love a good story). Thanks as well to Natalie Stone, Herb Stucker, and the rest of the staff at Maker’s Mark who took time out of their day to indulge my inner whisky geek.

Cheers!

Josh

I’m not a terribly spiritual person, but I try as best I can to believe in the power of positive thought. If nothing else, thinking about good stuff tends to distract you from all the crappy stuff. Well, we’ve had a pretty hefty winter here in New York (February 2010 was the snowiest month on record), and as much as I like the change in seasons, I’m ready for spring. So I’m invoking the power of positive thought by way of a good cocktail, because, well, what better way is there?

In thinking about what cocktail would help make a smooth transition, and get the power of positive thought moving, I turned to the Gold Rush. This cocktail is essentially a cold version of a hot toddy, just without the wintery spices (which, as I try to channel warmer weather, is fine by me.)

Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz bourbon
3/4oz fresh lemon juice
3/4oz honey syrup

The honey syrup is very easy. My friend Meaghan Dorman, who has made this cocktail for me at Raines Law Room, suggests a ratio of 3:1 honey to hot water. To make a small bottle of honey syrup, I added 9oz of wildflower honey to 3oz hot water and just shook really hard. Worked like a charm.

Once you have the honey syrup ready, combine it with the bourbon and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake hard, and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Here’s to spring – it couldn’t come soon enough!

Cheers,

-Josh

Last weekend, we had our first snow here in New York City. It was a bitter, windy night on Saturday when I wandered into one of my favorite bars, chilled to the bone. This bar has an amazing cocktail menu, blending the best of classic cocktails and modern mixology, but as much as I wanted a drink, the idea of something shaken with ice at the moment was almost unbearable. What I wanted was a hot toddy.

Fortunately, I was in a high-end establishment where, despite not being on the menu, the bartender was kind enough to oblige my request. But there’s no need to venture out into the cold, wind and snow in order to achieve the satisfaction a hot toddy can bring. This is one of the easiest cocktails in the world to whip up at home.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz. bourbon
4-6oz hot water
1 bar spoon of honey
3-4 whole cloves
Lemon wedge for garnish

Optional:
A cinnamon stick
Grated nutmeg
Grated fresh ginger

Boil some water in a tea kettle. In a tempered glass or ceramic mug (something resistant to heat), add your bourbon, cloves and honey. When the water is hot, add that to the glass as well, and garnish with a lemon wedge (which I tend to promptly drop into my hot toddy to add a bit of citrus.)

As always, this recipe is just a basic template, and on its own fits the bill just fine for me. But there’s lots of room for experimentation and adjustment here. Many people will add a cinnamon stick whole, or perhaps grate some fresh cinnamon on top to garnish. You could also add some grated fresh nutmeg (which really brings out the holiday feel) or ginger (which adds a nice spice, and is also good for an upset stomach.) It’s really just a matter of taste.

Whatever your preference, this is the cocktail I constantly crave on cold winter’s nights. I’m also convinced (despite a total lack of fact to back this up) that the hot toddy is the cure for the common cold.

Cheers!

Josh

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I’m a big fan of whisky – bourbon in particular. And in my mind, there’s no better bourbon cocktail than the Old Fashioned. Truly a classic (dating back to Harry Johnson’s recipes in 1888), and beautiful in its simplicity, the Old Fashioned adds some complexity with the inclusion of a small amount of sugar and bitters along with a twist of lemon and orange, but it still allows the unique flavor of whichever bourbon you’re using to shine through. As a result, I enjoy test driving new bourbons using this cocktail (after sampling them neat, of course!)

The recipe couldn’t be simpler. Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz bourbon
1-2 sugar cubes (consider 2 if you’re using the small grocery store brand; only one if it’s a larger raw sugar cube)
A few dashes of Angostura bitters
Lemon and Orange peels for garnish

 

In the bottom of your Old Fashioned glass (a sturdy-bottomed rocks glass works well), place your sugar cubes and add a few dashes of Angostura bitters (generally 2-3 shakes is good, but you can experiment to taste; basically you’re just looking to soak the sugar cubes). Using a muddler, crush the sugar cubes and mix the sugar and bitters well until you have a syrupy liquid in the bottom of your glass.

Add 2oz of bourbon and several ice cues, and using your bar spoon, stir well. You want to stir this for a particularly good amount of time (generally at least a minute or so; some will argue for even longer), both to chill the cocktail, and also to dissolve the sugar/bitters syrup. Twist a peel of lemon and a peel of orange over the surface and around the rim of your glass, and drop them in to the cocktail. And voila – you’ve got an Old Fashioned.

Generally speaking, I don’t think this cocktail needs much in the way of embellishment. There is, however, one exception, and one I would only make for Jim Meehan and Don Lee of PDT. The Benton’s Old Fashioned at PDT takes the Old Fashioned to the next heavenly level, which can only be achieved through the addition of bacon. Yes, bacon. The folks at PDT infuse bourbon with a smoky bacon, separate out the fat, substitute high-grade maple syrup for the sugar, and deliver a supremely excellent cocktail. They were kind enough to share their recipe, by way of New York Magazine (including a video of Don preparing the cocktail).

Cheers!

I had the extreme pleasure this past July 4th weekend to journey 90 miles north of New York City to visit Tuthilltown Spirits – the home of one of my all-time favorite whiskeys, Hudson Baby Bourbon.

Physically located in the heart of the Hudson Valley, near New Paltz, NY, Tuthilltown Spirits is the spiritual center of a revival that has been a long-time coming. Humility takes over when distillery partner Ralph Erenzo talks about his craft. He says, “There’s nothing magic here – It’s just whiskey. Really good whiskey.” But one need only set foot on the grounds of Tuthilltown Spirits to know differently, and none other than the New York Times agrees.

Tuthilltown Spirits is the first producer of whiskey (or any grain whiskey for that matter)  in New York State since prohibition. And this is no mass-produced-industrial-conglomerate operation.  Every batch of bourbon, rye, corn whiskey, rum and vodka is hand-crafted, hand-bottled, hand-labeled, and hand-numbered (seriously – there’s just a guy with a red marker writing the batch and bottle number of each bottle as the wax seal dries.)

Gable Erenzo, a distilleryman himself (as well as brand ambassador, and Ralph’s son), took us on a tour of the operation. Tuthilltown uses two German copper-pot stills that they’ve installed in the old granary on the property. The rye, wheat, corn, barley, apples and other ingredients all come from either their own property, or local New York State farms. (The only exception is the blackstrap molasses they bring up from Louisiana to make the Hudson River Rum.) Every batch is then aged in small American Oak barrels before it’s bottled, sealed and shipped to those of us lucky enough to enjoy it.

After the tour, the crew was kind enough to allow those of us who were interested to help kick off the rye harvest for the season. Trust me – if you’ve never had the experience of using a sickle to hand-cut the rye that will go into your favorite whiskey, you’ve really missed out on something special. The cynics among us might think the staff was just looking for some free labor, but trust me, we weren’t really making much of a dent in their crop (there was still plenty left to cut by the time we were done.) As Ralph described it to us, their intent was really just to help us understand their process, and what really goes into making a quality spirit. Mission accomplished there – I had a great time (and got some good exercise to boot!)

Last but not least, what trip to a local artisan distillery would be complete without a tasting? After coming in from the fields, we had a chance to taste examples of what would become of the fruits of our labors. Here I had my first taste of raw corn whiskey – what some might call Moonshine. This is 100% corn whiskey right off the still – no sugar added, no aging required. It’s clear, with a soft aroma, but don’t let that fool you – it’ll put hair on your chest.

I also tried the Hudson Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey – made from rye, wheat, corn and malted barley. It’s a very robust bourbon, rounded out by the blend of flavors from the four different key ingredients. And I finished our tasting with what I knew to be my favorite – the Hudson Baby Bourbon, made from 100% corn. It’s relatively mild, and a little sweet, but very flavorful. You’ll often find it in my glass at the end of a long day.

Finally, I know I’ve been gushing a bit, so I feel the need to make something clear. One of the benefits of writing about spirits and cocktails is that you get invited to a lot of events, and companies send you lots of free samples of their product. That may tend to influence some people, but I always aim to be objective and neutral. Nothing I’ve told you about today has been tainted in anyway by the folks at Tuthilltown – I haven’t received a single dollar or a single bottle for free. My friend Terry and I took our own car up to Tuthilltown – nobody paid for our trip – and as we were wrapping up our day, I purchased three bottles of whiskey from Tuthilltown out of my own pocket. No samples. No discounts. I paid for it myself – it’s that good.

I’ll leave it at that. You can find the rest of the pictures from our trip on our Flickr pool. Many thanks to Ralph, Gable, Peter, and all the folks at Tuthilltown Spirits for a wonderfully enjoyable visit!

Cheers,

Josh

I just came across this article on a new black cherry infused bourbon coming from Jim Beam, called Red Stag. I’m intrigued.

As many of you know, I’m a pretty big bourbon fan, and I tend to be a bit of a snob about it, so my initial reaction was to cry heresy. Don’t mess with a good thing.

But the more I think about, the more anxious I am to try this. I worry that if it’s not done well, it could have an artificial, medicine-like taste. But if it really is an infusion of black cherries, that adds nice flavor without overwhelming the bourbon or being too sweet, it could be excellent.

I look forward to trying it. If any of you get your hands on some, let me know what you think!