Redfacery

Other Drink Blogs - The Drunken Moogle

2012-05-16T23:11:00.000-04:00

Just a quick shoutout to a super-geek drinking blog I just discovered, the Drunken Moogle.

Just the two most recent (currently) posts get me all tingly, I will definitely be making the Vera. I've watched Firefly through, and love Castle, so a manly-ass drink named after a sweet Space Cowboy Gun sounds great.

Anyway, check out the Drunken Moogle, it's fun, and while you're at it, check out some of the other drinking blogs on the right side of Redfacery

Cheers,
Redface

Red Wine - Resveratrol and the Search for the Elixir of Life

2012-05-04T19:06:00.000-04:00

Well, that clears everything up for me. According to a new study in Cell Metabolism, there's still hope for winos everywhere that a life of swilling red wine will keep you healthy. In short, it was found that whether given in small, medium, or large doses, resveratrol, a naturally occurring "dirty molecule," helped American* mice live longer.

ScienceDaily.com

They can't yet identify what exactly is going on, but this article marks a positive turn in the experimental-drug-development phase for big pharmaceuticals hoping to find the anti-aging pill. I don't know about you, but I plan on sitting back with a few boxes and not worrying at all about this until they can inject the solution into my Orange Tyson Chicken or something.

Seatle Times - Think Inside the Box

*American here refers to the high-fat diet with which they are fed

Drink 'till your face matches the wine!
Redface

Kentucky Colonel

2012-04-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I feel like all of my mixing and drinking cocktails has given me some kind of power to predict what a cocktail will taste like before it's mixed. That's part of my strategy for getting through undesired meetings (and worked well back in college too!). As I try to invent new cocktails, I imagine the taste combination. I could never have predicted the spicy, up front taste of the Kentucky Colonel.

from Dale deGroff's book:
Kentucky Colonel
2oz Bourbon
3/4 oz Benedictine (not B&B)
Dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir and serve either up in a cocktail glass or on the rocks in a whiskey glass.

This cocktail is delicious. If you've got set in your mind that "whiskey burns," then you are in for a surprise with this one. It doesn't burn even a little bit. I couldn't taste the orange bitters specifically until like the third sip, when the aroma of orange took over.

Put some color in your face,
Redface

It's Hop Season!

2012-04-01T23:28:00.001-04:00

Spring is springing, with lots of rain and the occasional sun poking through the clouds... it is time to plant your hop rhizomes, good friends!

Mine are in containers so that I can attempt to move them with me to another region this summer, but most anywhere in the USA is ripe for planting in the ground about now as well... so get growing you green-thumbed growler-guzzlers!

Hoppily happy,
Mr. Beerd

Primary - Simcoe/Citra Hopbursted DIPA; Parti-gyle pt. 1 DIPA; Parti-gyle pt. 2 Weak English Bitter

Aging - Edwort's Organic Apfelwein; Witch's Brew Double Pumpkin Ale; Scotchadelica
On tap - Chilly FeBREWary Lager; Rastafar-Rye

Musical Beer Bottle

2012-03-16T19:06:00.000-04:00

I hope these guys find a larger brewer and distributor, this idea is amazing!

Tuned Pale Ale

Beer bottles labeled so you know how much to drink for each musical note. Way cool idea, and to quote them: "Get some friends together with a case, start a band, and get Tuned"

I saw this on Laughingsquid.com

Stormy Whiskey

2012-03-13T19:06:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for a bourbon drink. This cocktail packs an old-fashioned soda taste and seems to get refilled far more often than an afternoon libation really should. A Stormy Whiskey is a simple whiskey variation on a Dark and Stormy. I've put in some Creme de Cassis for a sweet floral counter-taste to the bitter ginger and the warm and tangy Wild Turkey. Kick-Ass way to finish off an afternoon after work in the spring!

Stormy Whiskey
2oz Bourbon Whiskey (Wild Turkey 101)
1oz Creme de Cassis
4-5oz Ginger Beer (Reed's is what I had on hand)

Fill Collins Glass halfway with ice, pour in ingredients and give it a quick stir with a barspoon. Sit back, sip, and get sloshed!!

Mmminty Cocktails

2012-02-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

Before the bottom of my first bottle, Creme de Menthe has become an ingredient I should have bought long ago. After drunkenly adding it to a shot of brandy a few nights back because I wanted a stinger to go, I decided I should go ahead and try out a few good looking recipes that make different uses of Creme de Menthe.

First off is the Consolation Cocktail. I chose this to start because of my love for gin and the simple ingredients. With ingredients only a step removed from a Gin Cocktail or a Gin Sour, the Consolation does a great job of smoothing over a bunch of pretty strong tastes.

Consolation Cocktail
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Creme de Menthe
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Dash Angostura Bitters

I thought the lemon was a little too much, so I lowered it to only 1/4 oz the second time around. I think this is a better balance of the four, but whatever you prefer. The refreshing quality of the mint goes well with the juniper taste of good strong gin. I'd drink one of these again!

Image from Absolut website recipe

Although I'm fairly certain it is not a problem too many men encounter, I'm sure there are times when your ladyfriend needs to be reminded not to be a bad girl? Anyway, I can't seem to find any information on where this cocktail comes from or what gives it its name. The base of brandy and sweet vermouth is such a palate pleaser that there are dozens of variations you can add to them to make a suave-tasting cocktail.

Lady be Good
1 1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Creme de Menthe

The Lady be Good did not surprise me. It tasted like a Stinger with sweet vermouth, and I'll gladly try this one again.

Congratulations, Yuengling!

2012-02-12T11:20:00.005-05:00

D.G. Yuengling and Son is now the largest All-American brewery, having just passed Boston Beer Co. in production a few weeks ago. Thankfully, Budweiser and MillerCoors do not count since they are no longer American companies and some of their production is overseas.

As a personal fan of Yuengling lager as well as Yuengling Black & Tan, I tip my glass to them. It is refreshing to see such a successful family owned & operated business.

-Mr. Beerd
Primary: Chilly FeBREWary Lager; Rastafar-Rye
Aging: Witch's Brew Double Pumpkin Ale; Edwort's Organic Apfelwein
On tap: Chilly Guestroom Lager; Dunkeldude; Shovel I.P.L.

Happy FeBREWary!

2012-02-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

So I had a freezer bag of huckleberries hiding in the back of my freezer. Knowing that frozen berries always turn mushy after thawing (due to the destruction of cellular tissue in the freeze-thaw process), I decided to try an experiment that now will definitely become a new constantly rotating side-project to my home brewery... fresh fruit liqueur! (Legal notice: The method I am illustrating here is for information only. To my knowledge "freeze-concentrating" is not the same as distilling as it requires no still, and is thus legal. If you decide to do it yourself, it should be strictly for personal use and not for sale or distribution.)

This method works with almost almost any fruit or berry as long as it is not extremely acidic (i.e. don't try this with lemons) as it will be harmful to your precious yeast.

Step 1: Freeze your fruit, for a while so you're convinced the cells have no chance of surviving the next step.
Step 2: Thaw your fruit (or berries).
Step 3: Mix approximately equal portions of your fruit (by volume, not mass) with water and corn sugar.
Step 4: Bring up to a boil to homogenize your solution and to kill any pesky lactobacteria.
Step 5: Allow to cool to room temperature, then pitch some champagne yeast into it.
Step 6: Wait a few weeks for the fermentation to stop bubbling. Then wait a few weeks longer.

Step 7: Strain out your fruit-wine. If you want to just stop here, that's your choice. Mmmm.... wine.

Step 8: Pour into a vessel & stick in the freezer for a few days.
Step 9: The freezing point of alcohol and of juice are both lower than that of just water, so when you take it out to thaw, the alcohol and juices should thaw first before the water. It'll take some time, but pour out all of the good stuff you can even if it means towards the end it's looking water because you can repeat step 8 again for more Oomph.
Step 10: Imbibe responsibly! What was once around a 10-13%ABV fruit wine is now over 30%ABV. I plan on enjoying this drink with the person who so graciously gave me her spare huckleberries!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some new equipment to test out... all-grain batches of greater volumes of beer ahoy! Why is it that the only month whose name commands me to brew is also the shortest month?

Cheers,
Mr. Beerd

Primary: Shovel I.P.L.
Secondary: Witch's Brew Double Pumpkin Ale
Conditioning: Dunkeldude
On tap: Chilly guestroom lager; Slippery willy

The Irish Settler

2012-01-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

This one is a straight cocktail recipe. I was after a boozy concoction that used Creme de Cassis a few nights ago and could only find a few recipes I had the materials for on hand. So I did what anybody in my situation would do - I adapted one of the ones I couldn't make to have my own invented cocktail.

The Settler (or Settler Highball)
2 oz Brandy
1 oz Creme de Cassis
Seltzer

Shake brandy and Creme de Cassis, then pour into a highball glass and add the seltzer

Not having any unflavored seltzer around, or any unflavored brandy, I opted instead for an Irish version. The result, the "Irish Settler," is delicious, aromatic, and definitely a keeper.

Irish Settler
2 oz Irish Whisky
1 oz Creme de Cassis
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur

Shake and pour into a small brandy snifter. The cocktail is purple, smooth, and has the botanical flavors of the elderberry and orange. Put another way, it tastes dandy, packs about 2 drinks worth of alcohol into a cup, and gets a nod of approval from my hardest-to-please taster.

Enjoy!

Revisiting Ouzo

2012-01-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

It was a while ago that I first tried Ouzo - see the Satanic Cocktails post about it here - and I have been slowly working my way through bottle after bottle ever since. Most often I drink a tall glass of it as I cook dinner.

Take a quick read of Kerasma.gr for good info

Following Zane's experience in the Episode on Lesbos (Yes, I know I've mentioned that episode already), I pour a half a glass of ouzo on a few ice cubes and then add a few dashes of cold filtered water until it starts to emulsify. If 'emulsify' means nothing to you, watch the darn episode already! If three or four shots of 80º liquor is more than enough to put you over the edge before dinner, stick to a smaller glass.

To try out my ouzo in a few different and faster ways, I went for a few of these ouzo-based shooters. Overall, I still prefer a straight glass of ouzo, but since I have been taking more shots than mixing cocktails the last few months, these certainly did the trick.

World Famous TKO

One shot into the list I knew I was in trouble. The TKO seems odd by ingredient, but is smooth and warm. The combination of strong and herbal tastes in the tequila and ouzo was offset well by the coffee liqueur. After four or five of these, I started to have a little trouble getting the proportions right, and the taste suffered.

TKO
1/3 Tequila
1/3 Kahlua
1/3 Ouzo

When I'm taking a shot of a liquor I like, I tend to give it ever the slightest swish in my mouth. Contrary to a stiff shot of shitty whiskey or warm vodka, I like to treat a shot of something I enjoy sipping just like a larger than average swallow from a rocks glass. Whenever I try this with shooters I am a little wary - if someone has gone through the effort of publishing a recipe that doesn't always mean they have the slightest clue about whether something tastes good. I can't be the only one who's ordered or received some dishwater shooters in the past.

The Vulcan Mind Probe Shot was next - well technically I didn't make it past the TKO the first night so "next" really means a few days later in this case. Due to my trouble mixing smooth TKOs later into the night, I hoped that a recipe that's 1/2 and 1/2 ouzo and rum would be easy enough for my thick fingers to pour.

Vulcan Mind Probe
1 Part Ouzo
1 Part Rum

This works well as a double shot, though I would say the taste is anything but easy to take down. The combination of the black rum and ouzo I used made for a powerful taste that stayed in my throat. It was not especially pleasant, so I went back for more TKOs afterwards. In the end, I didn't really mind the powerful taste of bitter chocolate licorice I got from this, since by the time I'd had two or three of these, I was deep enough into my drinking night that it was fine.

Good luck trying some Ouzo. It's well worth it.

Rick Santorum - Beer Lover

2011-12-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend unlikely GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum did something I wish more candidates would do. And he did it without the hilarious and pitiful result that Hillary had four years ago.


From Chicago Sun-Times

Santorum went to Millstream Brewery in Iowa and waxed lyrical about beer. I appreciate a candidate who can actually taste a beer and decide if it's any good. I can't describe typical American Beer consumption as anything other than lazy. Why oh why would you settle for Miller/Bud/Coors every time when five seconds of tasting a six pack that's almost as cheap (and possibly cheaper based on alcohol content) will tell you what types of beer you enjoy.

As Santorum went on, he displayed one of my main issues with social conservatism - he's willing to think about some important things like beer and be totally thoughtless on others. At the bottom of the Huffington Post article, he bares his stripes: "Instead of the story of the prince and the princess, there will be stories about two princes." Yeah, because gay marriage being made legal (or, more precisely, it was declared in violation of the state's constitution to ban it) will totally make it so all children are corrupted by stories about gay princes. The creepy stories we already have definitely make all kids sleep with 7 dwarfs, wear glass footwear, and stay in castles with large hairy and violent beasts. Not to mention kleptomania induced sing-alongs with Robin-Williams blue genies. Stick to drinking beer Rick, you won't have my vote ever.

2011-11-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

I am ashamed at myself for missing this story. I do not even know where to start on this one. I guess most things in North America go back to how much Canadians love hockey. Being a proud drinker of my birth state's beer, I heartily approve of President Obama's choice of a case of Yuengling to supplement the mandatory case of Molson.

Here's to a US victory over Sidney and the Canadians next time around!

Drink the Best Wine First - Or Just Stick to Cheap Wine. Your Call.

2011-11-17T20:00:00.000-05:00

While I may heartily agree with Nanuchka, I also don't think the best wine has to be expensive. Given my past swilling break-even Welch's, I can honestly say I have enjoyed cheap wine on many an occasion.

Recently, however, I have fallen victim to what appears to be an American trend in wine purchasing: Almost every bottle I buy is $12-$18. While I sometimes plan on buying a cheap magnum of wine, I am seduced by the rack upon rack of wine and when my eyes are dragged to the sale bottles, I end up thinking "$11.99 down from $15.99, that's a steal" when I should really be thinking "If they can sell it for 3/4 the listed price, I could probably find something that tastes as good for 1/4 the price."

A recent Slate article prompted me to write on this topic. Also, according to Slate, one of the biggest complaints some people have (I've never really minded this) about cheap wine - the inconsistent quality - is no longer a factor because of "falling market share over the last 15 years."

So, here's to drinking cheap wine from large glasses and getting flushed without paying much.

Di Saronno

2011-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

With a heady and unexpected smell, my first drink of Disaronno a few weeks back was delicious. I had always thought of it as a little too flashy of a liqueur because of their commercials a few years back. The cocktail I was making was the penultimate on my goal to try all 10; The Godfather. I have no plans currently to try the Zombie, though I'm sure I will eventually. If it warrants, perhaps it will return on a post about the undead?

Found on Drink Studio

Much to my surprise, Disaronno is a delicious and unique drink. Dating back hundreds of years, Ameretto now appears to me to be a nice addition to the homebar. While not yet worthy of a 'core' liqueur status, I certainly don't regret adding a bottle of Disaronno like I do that bottle of Floe Gin from a while back. Update: DON'T expect a post about making my own Sloe Gin, that stuff is not good.

Git' Drunk

Additional Amaretto A-Links
Cocktail DB on Amaretto

Wikipedia on Amaretto

Actual Wikipedia on Disaronno

Cocktail - Stinger

2011-10-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

While this cocktail is listed as a nightcap, I find it has a lot of potential in other situations as well. The thing about how your mouth tastes late into a night of drinking is that you're too drunk to care that your barbecue chicken tequila rum beer milk breath is gross. Luckily, I recently came across the Stinger. It's simple to make and uses ingredients that will (at least for me) stick around for a while. Plus, when you're done, your mouth is fresh and your belly cool and settled.

Stinger
1 Part Brandy
1 Part Creme de Menthe

Shake hard with five or six ice cubes; err on the side of less ice in the shaker. The sloshing, foaming consistency you want requires a harder shake and less ice. Pour into any rounded glass, ice and all.

Was reminded of this from The 10 Manliest Cocktails. I didn't like their recipe as much as I like an even proportion, but as Cocktail DB says, "NOTE: Vary proportions to alter sweetness level"

It's Pumpkin Time

2011-10-14T16:20:00.001-04:00

Boo-zers! It is that time again... this year's hop harvests are wrapping up and the pumpkin harvest is beginning to crank up! But what to do with all that pumpkin... make some ale! The first ale that yours truly ever brewed was a pumpkin ale, and it is still a seasonal favorite, and not just because of my love affair with the Great Pumpkin.

This season, I am rising the Great one up from the patch with four different batches of pumpkin ale, just so he knows I've been patiently brewing and waiting for him all year long.

With that said, allow me to discuss with you some things that, to me, make the distinction between optimum red-faced pumpkin madness and just your regular old boozehoundery.

First and foremost: USE REAL PUMPKIN!
Disturbingly often, one will hear of people trying to get away with making a pumpkin ale that contains 0.00% pumpkin, and instead creating the flavor of a pumpkin ale with spices only. A few notable benefits of using real pumpkin include: higher alcohol content, thicker texture that is characteristic of a fine pumpkin ale, and extra badass points for using big vegetables in your boil.

I've spoken with some brewers who are afraid to use pumpkin because of all the mess it makes, and thus, don't know how to use it. Thus, here's a quick run-through of how to do it right:

a) Get pumpkins: small sugar pumpkins are best, but a medium size like the one pictured furthest to the right will do as well

b) cut into halves, remove seeds and guts
(optional) add pumpkin pie spice

c) bake skin-side-up on 375F for ~90min.
The flesh should be cooked now. Take it out
and remove the skin and the stem. Now, add
it to your beer when you start boiling*

*Boiling your pumpkin for 60 minutes is pretty standard, but you will lose all the pumpkin flavor and gain all its fermentable sugars and the thick texture. I have heard of people adding pumpkin at the last minute for flavor, but I cannot speak in favor if this latter technique.

With that out of the way, let us now delve into the rest of what makes a pumpkin beer unique... the spices!

Typical pumpkin beers include such spices as cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I'm always experimenting with when and how much, but generally using 1-2 tsp (per 5gal of beer) of your preference of spices in the flavoring-aroma stages of the boil (30-10 minutes left). Adding a dash of vanilla extract at bottling is also occasionally done, I'll be trying this for the first time soon. I have heard of people adding powdered lactose (non-fermentable milk sugars) after fermentation ends as well, to really thicken up the flavor, but I just don't have the heart to do it. Ultimately, it's a matter of pumpkin-y preference, so do what sounds the most delicious to you!

That is all of my gourd-derived wisdom for you libation-lovers today. Spend this October and Halloween drinking pumpkin ales and getting into drunken mischief; may the Great Pumpkin be with you!

Infernally fermenting,
Mr. Beerd

[primary: Palouse Pumpkin Porter]
[secondary: Big-Ass Pumpkin Beer]
[tap 1: Rye Pale Ale]
[tap 2: The Great Pumpkin's Ale]

The Maple Froth

2011-10-11T19:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back I played a small but pivotal role in turning a relaxed picnic-dinner party for 35 into a 2AM affair. I overheard the host talking to a deputy host about how the wine was running low but he didn't have time to go get more. When the deputy replied with "We'll just wait to put out the last bottles, one per table with the main course" I cut in to offer my services on a liquor run.

Forty-five minutes later I returned with enough bottles of wine for the party to remain in full swing. With me also was the reason for this post, a bottle of maple rye. While the bottle was greeted publicly with derision by other guests, and privately by myself as well, I waited to open it until I got home. After a few drinks, I must confess I've added it to three or four different cocktails and found it to be an excellent rye whiskey variation.

Unlike the cheap-ass ginger brandy I bought earlier this summer, this is "not too sweet, ridiculously smooth." I couldn't describe it better than the Cabin Fever Homepage

The Maple Froth
5 oz Cold Black Coffee
5 oz Cold Milk
1 oz Cabin Fever
1 oz Coffee Liqueur
2 tbsp Ovaltine Powder

Fill a shaker halfway up with ice. Do not overfill. Pour ingredients into mixing glass - do not overpour these, as the cocktail will froth up and explode all over your mixing surface. Shake for a generous 20 seconds and then strain into a pint glass. I haven't yet mastered the pour on this one, I end up wiping the glass down with a wet rag before drinking because it bubbles up as you pour.

This delicious (and odd as hell) cocktail doesn't fit a category easily. It has a light flavor - with the ovaltine, liqueur and maple syrup all providing sweetness. The coffee and rye bite is offset by the sweet ingredients and the milk. I am a long time fan of a Redface White Russian, which this drink loosely resembles.

Redface White Russian
6 oz Vodka
2 1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
24 oz Milk

Pour vodka and coffee liqueur into (clean) tall vase. Add a few ice cubes for looks and fill with the milk. Suck it down like it's a glass of chocolate milk and you are a 7 year-old who just came in from playing outside all afternoon. Repeat.

Try a few of these with bourbon instead of syrup....

Inventive Brewing - "The Bacon Deluge"

2011-10-04T23:00:00.000-04:00

An Uncommon Beer for the Uncommon Brewery. I don't have much to say about this other than that I love bacon, and I will be checking my end of the I-80 corridor for the pounders of bacon beer later this year. Expect an update when I get a taste - or get me a taste and I'll get you an update.

Cheers to inventive brewers.

Redfacery Post #101; A New Introduction

2011-09-24T11:11:00.013-04:00

Greetings boozers!

Mr. Redface has graciously invited me to write guest columns on beer and brewing. My designated mission is to share my adventures in home brewing with you, the debaucherous public. Hopefully, my experiences honing the art can serve to better inform you drunks on the other end of the boozing spectrum, where all the ingredients are mixed into your drink weeks (or months) prior to intoxication.

In future posts, you can expect to read about experimental brews I'm testing out as well as tips on improving your batches. I will also use this blog to document progress on larger brewing projects that I'm working on (coming this winter... my switch to all-grain & increasing my batch volumes; coming this spring... building a fermentation chamber).

I look forward to pouring you the bubbly, carbonated knowledge for which you are all thirsting. I will leave you for this time with a few photos of my most recently finished project...

After four long years of washing and cleaning bottles, I recently made the jump to investing in a kegging system.

This is a look into the mini-fridge.

In order to fit the kegs, the freezer
compartment had to be bent down
and into the back of the fridge, and
some plastic and insulation had to
be cut and removed.

This is the business end: the CO2 regulator, tank, and gas lines.

The fruits of my labor, my very first homebrew pint on tap!

A rye pale ale, it pours perfectly and tastes like
you could drink a dozen and still crave more.

Brew On!

Mr. Beerd

[Primary: The Great Pumpkin Ale]
[Secondary: empty]
[Bottles to drink: G13 Ginger beer, Copper ale, Slamboom Imperial Stout]
[On tap: Rye pale ale]

Oh Nein Meine Trauben

2011-09-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week an awesome/awful crime was committed. Around 5,500 lbs of premium grapes were stolen in the middle of the night from a German vineyard. The gutsy thieves brought their own harvester and escaped with nothing but tracks in the mud.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/bild-787436-263023.html

Instead of the desperate work of professionals, I personally hope it was a pair or trio of home-brewers out to make the wine batch of their lives. How cool would it be to have a couple years worth of premium pirated wine locked away in your cellar? Just saying.

Brewmaster in Chief - Medal of Honor

2011-09-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Click Here for the first post on the Brewmaster in Chief

The Medal of Honor is only given to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."Army Decorations Guide

There are only three living recipients of the Medal of Honor, and more than half since WWII have been awarded posthumously. Last Friday, President Obama obliged the request of the most recent recipient, former Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer, and had a beer with him on the Oval Office patio.

Meyer's choice of Budweiser was replaced by none other than the Brewmaster in Chief's "White House Honey Blond Ale." Whew, dodged a bullet there Mr. President - switching out the adjunct-laden Bud for some good ol' fashioned homebrew. This summer the President and his (likely the guys behind 90% of the brewing) lackeys put down some Honey Porter. Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, has been giving help and suggestions to the White House, since they are just "experimenting."

All pictures and information were taken from the White House's own blogger site, http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com

A Day of Rosiness - Alpenglow

2011-09-08T20:30:00.000-04:00

Brett did not turn up, so about a quarter to six I went down to the bar and had a Jack Rose with George the bar-man. Brett had not been in the bar either, and so I looked for her upstairs on my way out, and took a taxi to the Café Select. Crossing the Seine I saw a string of barges being towed empty down the current, riding high, the bargemen at the sweeps as they came toward the bridge. The river looked nice. It was always pleasant crossing bridges in Paris.

-Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (1926)

I saw this quote in Dale Degroff's Essential Cocktail, and it seemed to add the perfect connection to this cocktail. I always love retracing a literary giant's steps, and if I can somehow manage to do that while mixing a kick-ass cocktail, it's a good day. On to the Day of Rosiness...

You've made it this far. Don't stop now - finish that afternoon beer and move on towards the twilight of your day of drinking. Before it's time to get into some serious drinking later in the night.

Jack Rose
1.5 oz Applejack
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
.5 oz Grenadine Syrup

The Jack Rose is so surprisingly good it deserves its place among the cocktail greats, even though it is relatively unknown. I can't verify this, but according to Wikipedia several Washington Post writers got sloppy drunk attempting to order Jack Roses at 60 or so bars in DC. If I were those writers, I'd attempt to get an assignment researching as many cocktails as possible that way.

I have always been a little puzzled that Applejack faded from its colonial glory. As you can see, our first president is "rumored" to have approved heartily of Laird's Apple Jack. When the alternative was Frontier Whiskey, you can imagine that he must have loved the slightly sweeter Apple-based liquor.
I have always carried a bottle of Applejack with any bar I set up, I think of its flavor addition as a welcome surprise in many cocktails. The apple finish it adds can smooth out a drink that would otherwise be too sour or have to much alcohol burn.

Other Apple Jack or Jack Rose resources:
Blog Post on Sloshed
Imbibe Article on Applejack

She was only a Whiskey Maker but he Loved her Still

2011-09-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Some drinks are meant to be sipped slowly. Full appreciation of these drinks requires attention to detail with drink ingredients and proper glassware.

Just in case you don't have time for all of that foofarah separating sober you and sauced you, there's always the one line jokes of drinking - shots. Not too much shakes your face like a nice stiff shot of high-octane ethanol. A good shot of whiskey down the hatch will tingle and burn up every limb. Toss back a few tequila shots and feel the now-rounded edges get slick.

While I do not usually drink shooters, I will mention the best one I have encountered in my time, the Liquid Cocaine Shot. A couple of these shots will get you a different brand of hosed than any traditional shot.

Liquid Cocaine
3/4 oz Jaeger
3/4 oz Goldschläger

Pour Jaeger into shot glass then slowly layer on Goldschläger. If done right the two will remain unmixed (don't worry, you don't need to be all that steady to get it to stay unmixed - if you have trouble, use the back of a bar spoon).

N.B. There are a bunch of other recipes for this, usually with Rumplemintz or º151, usually shaken with ice then strained into a shot glass. I only chose this one because it's the one I know, I can't honestly recommend any of the others having not tried them. Credit for the recipe goes to my friend Jake Itzkowitz.

I'm off to down a shot or two of Rye Whiskey. It's good to be back to Redfacery again.

Absinthe Revival on the way

2011-05-24T19:29:00.002-04:00

I remember the first time I had absinthe very clearly. Wait, let me correct that. The first time I remember having absinthe is very clear:

Sitting in a bar in South Africa a large bartender with dreadlocks responded to my query for a good strong cocktail with "I'll make you my personal invention, a flaming goblin." He then proceeded to pour a shot of absinthe and a few dashes of a dark but aromatic high proof liqueur into a shot glass, light it on fire and toss it back - just to show me how it worked. Four or five hours and twice as many Flaming Goblins later, I had a new favorite bar in Jo'Burg.

A few years ago, when the laws in the US changed to make absinthe legal again (see this comprehensive Salon article), I investigated getting a bottle. But with prices what they are, I have no desire to buy a 60$ bottle lacking thujone.

In the end though, I think good absinthe is on the way soon. This week France finally lifted the last part of the 100 year ban and allowed Absinthe to be called Absinthe again. A dash of absinthe figures prominently in many historical cocktails, and for good reason. While a cup (even properly prepared) of absinthe can be difficult to approach, the depth and finish it can add to a carefully crafted cocktail is invaluable.

Redface Tip:
Check your local liquor store - I've only ever found this in one particular store in NJ - but if you are lucky enough it might be locally available. I know I pay $22-$24 for it.

Also, check out FKR's article on the Return of the Green Fairy