Dale DeGroff was the moderator, and kept the session fun and on track. Alain Royer started off with a brief overview of how Armagnac is made. Cognac is known for being highly influenced by the chalky soils of its region. Bas-Armagnac has clay-sand soils that lead to light, fruity brandies. Armagnac-Ténarèze has clay and limestone soils which leads to more full-flavored brandies that age very well.

Alain then translated for Philippe Gironi, a roving distiller from Armagnac. A château must distill its eau de vie on the property to meet labeling requirements. The still Philippe uses is unique in design, and he even brought one of the still plates so we could see the beautiful copper artisanship.

The wine is not boiled directly. Instead, it is gravity fed into one part of the still, where it is used to cool the serpentine coils that contain the alcohol that has already been separated. This heats the wine, which then through pressure enters the main column, which contains a series of uniquely designed plates that allow a continuous distillation process to occur.

In addition to this very unique still, Armagnac is usually distilled to proof, usually around 52% ABV. It is usually aged in new, toasted white oak casks. The oak of this region has a wider grain than that used to age Cognac, resulting in more evaporation from the casks and interchange with the wood. Chateaus frequently use both a wet (high humid) and dry aging room.

Doug Frost gave us some overview tasting notes based on his considerable experience. We were able to taste five different Armagnacs. The first two were 2006 and 2008 vintages from Chateau du Busca, which is in Ténarèze. For comparison, we then tasted a Armagnac from Darroze, which is in Bas Armagnac. We followed with two more from Chateau du Busca, including an Hors d’Age. All the Armagnacs were delightful to sip. We had the chance to really taste how the wood adds character and depth as the brandies age.

This was an excellent seminar, and I hope I can find more Armagnac to taste, now that I can appreciate the full process of creating it.

Related posts:

1. Armagnac at Tales of the Cocktail
2. Metaxa Seven Star and the Moschaton Cocktail
3. Off to Tales of the Cocktail

Alain Royer, a native of Cognac, is the founder and former owner of A. de Fussigny, and now brings the Armagnacs of Château du Busca to the United States. He will explain the long history of the original brandy.

Philippe Gironi is a roving distiller, and this will be his first visit to the United States. He will explain the traditional process of bringing the still to the grapes and how Armagnac is produced.

Doug Frost, Master Sommelier and Master of Wine, will share his wide experiences of both the wines and brandies of Armagnac and explains what sets them apart and how to appreciate them at their fullest.

I’ve had little opportunity to experience Armagnac myself, so I am looking forward to attending this seminar at the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail. I’ll take lots of notes and taste all I can.

Related posts:

1. Learning about Armagnac at Tales of the Cocktail
2. Off to Tales of the Cocktail
3. Tales Blogging

Caipirinha

Caipirinha

2 ounces cachaça
1 1/2 barspoon sugar or 3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 lime, quartered

Build in glass: add lime and sugar to an old fashioned glass. Muddle well. Fill glass with ice. Top with cachaça. Give quick stir to incorporate.

Using a shaker: in shaker, muddle lime and sugar. Fill old fashioned glass with ice, add ice to shaker. Add cachaça, shake well, pour back into old fashioned glass.

If you substitute rum, you have a caipirissima. If you substitute vodka, you have a caipiroska. If I have other fruit on hand, I will usually muddle that in as well, to add even more layers of flavor.

Do take it easy on the sugar. You can always add a little more in, especially if you’re using simple syrup. Be sure to let the wonderful grassy flavor of the cachaça shine through.

Personally, I prefer to build it in the glass. I don’t really see how building in the shaker is any faster, but I hear it referred to as the “bartender way.”

No matter what way you make it, you must always muddle to get the flavor of the lime zest in your drink. If you use straight lime juice, you’re making a daiquiri. And you must always take it easy, because this is a casual fun drink.

In the BarSmarts video, David Wondrich shows a new-to-me method for preparing the lime. I’ve usually just cut in in half through the equator, and cut each hemisphere into quarters.

Instead, he recommends cutting it half through the poles after removing the tops, then removing the central pith, then cutting the lime into six parts. While this method takes a little longer, I think it gives more pleasing results, both in the glass and in the mouth.

What’s your favorite way to prepare a caipirinha?

Related posts:

1. Leblon Cachaça and the Caipirinha
2. Boca Loca Cachaça
3. Clover Club

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

1.5 ounces vodka or gin
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
4 dashes Crystal hot sauce
2 dashes celery bitters
1/8 tsp horseradish
pinch salt and pepper
0.25  ounce lemon juice
4 ounces tomato juice

combine all ingredients in mixing glass, roll back and forth with a second mixing glass or metal half of Boston shaker until well mixed. Pour into ice-filled glass. Garnish with whatever strikes your fancy.

I’ve long had a bit of a mental block about tomato juice in general. I love tomato soup. I love salsa. I’m even OK with the occasional gazpacho. But something about tomato juice has always turned me off.

I don’t think I had ever tried a Bloody Mary before the Pacific Distillery dinner last summer, when one of the drinks was a Bloody Mary made with their Voyager gin. While it wasn’t my favorite drink of the night, I had to admit I found it pleasant.

In preparing for BarSmarts, I decided I should tackle this drink. The standard recipe does call for vodka, but in a drink that should be savory, how could I not substitute gin? Some claim gin was the original liquor in the drink, others that using gin makes it a Ruddy Mary. Regardless, it’s a great choice.

I also liked the idea of adding horseradish to the mix, as well as celery bitters. And apparently the choices worked well for me, because I’ve happily consumed this brunch staple beverage, and am seriously considering a second round, and what other flavors I’ll try. For certain, I want to see how wasabi works in place of the horseradish.

I’m pretty excited to discover that this is a drink, so long a personal bugaboo, is something I can enjoy. Experimenting with spices and garnishes for this drink can be a lot of fun, and it’s an easy way to add more vegetables to my diet!

What’s your favorite take on the Bloody Mary?

Related posts:

1. Aviation Cocktail
2. MxMo XLI: Vodka is Your Friend — The Mike Romanoff Cocktail
3. The Campari Dolce

Blood and Sand

Blood and Sand

1 ounces blended Scotch whisky
1 ounces orange juice
0.75 ounces cherry brandy (Cherry Heering or Cherry Marnier)
0.75 ounces sweet vermouth

Shake all ingredients well and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist or brandied cherry.

This recipe doesn’t look like it could possibly work. And yet it does, and when well balanced, it works very, very well. The scotch is strong enough to stand up to the cherry brandy and sweet vermouth, while the orange juice gives a nice balance throughout.

This is frequently given as an equal parts recipe (as it is in the BarSmarts workbook), but I find that version too sweet and heavy. Increasing the Scotch and orange juice creates a nice blend of flavors, allowing the Scotch to show itself without overpowering the whole drink.

While I frequently double strain orange juice cocktails, I like how the pulp gives the “sand” look to this drink.

This cocktail packs a lot of flavor punch, while being relatively mild in terms of alcohol; Cherry Heering is 24% ABV/48 proof.

I haven’t yet seen the namesake 1922 movie, which is based on a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez in which Valentino plays a bullfighter who rises to the top, marries is sweetheart, has an affair, and dies in the arena. Nor have I seen the 1941 Tyrone Power remake. I hadn’t even heard of the 1989 remake staring Sharon Stone as the mistress. I shall put at least the Valentino original on my Netflix list, and will be sure to sip a delightful Scotch cocktail while viewing it.

Related posts:

1. Communist Cocktail
2. MxMo XXXV: Broaden Your Horizons — The Paquimé Cocktail
3. If I Could Only Have 10 Bottles

Bellini

Bellini

1.5 ounces white peach puree
4 ounces prosecco
1 dash grenadine

Add peach puree to champagne flute and top with prosecco. Give gentle stir to incorporate.

Given that I live well outside of the peach tree’s comfort zone, and peaches tend to ripen from May to August, I wasn’t surprised I couldn’t find any fresh peaches. Instead, I relied on frozen peach slices.

Peach Puree

1 bag frozen peach slices (white if possible)

Let peach slices begin to thaw, then blend into a puree in a food processor.

I couldn’t find any white peach slices, so I relied on the more common peach, which is more tart than the white. I added a dash of grenadine to add some extra sweetness.

Overall, I find this an odd choice for a definitive list of cocktails. It’s really quite simple and bland. I can see how it had risen to the category of brunch staple. I’ll take a French 75 or Mimosa instead.

If I ever get the chance to try one with fresh white peach puree, I’ll be happy to reevaluate my opinion. Perhaps I need to take a trip to Venice, to visit Harry’s Bar, where the drink was invented. While there, I’ll be sure to take in the works of painter Giovanni Bellini, the Venetian artist for whom the drink was named.

What’s your favorite brunch cocktail?

No related posts.

Death in the South Pacific

Death in the South Pacific

0.75 oz. Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old rum
0.75 oz. Rhum Clement VSOP rum
0.5 oz. Grand Marnier
0.33 oz. Trader Tiki’s Orgeat Syrup
0.33 oz. Fee Brothers Falernum
3 dashes Absinthe
0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz. Fee Brothers Grenadine
0.5 oz. Cruzan Blackstrap rum

Add all ingredients except for the grenadine and Cruzan Blackstrap to a Zombie shell glass and fill with crushed ice. Swizzle the drink well to mix and frost the glass and then pour in grenadine. Overfill the glass with crushed ice and then pour in Cruzan Blackstrap.

Garnish:
Take a bamboo skewer and put a brandied cherry through at the very top followed by 1 pineapple leaf (insert through the middle) and then cut off skin from 1 large orange slice and then cut the strips in half. Insert the ends through the skewer having them hang on opposite sides of each other. Then insert the straw through the loop in the bamboo skewer. It should look like a guy hanging off of the drink (cherry=head, pineapple leaf= arms, citrus peel dangling away from each other are the legs)

Evan is a great bartender, and I consider myself lucky that he’s at Naga Cocktail Lounge at Chantanee Thai in Bellevue. Even better, it’s a fantastic drink. He made it for me right after the finalists were announced, and I have to say, I’m not surprised it won. Evan did a great job of creating an accessible, easy-to-drink cocktail that is still complex and rich. He combined a Zombie and Death in the Afternoon to come up with a great tiki cocktail.

As you can see from the photo, I didn’t get the full dead guy garnish. But I did get a very delicious drink, and I’m sure I’ll have a few more over at Naga between now and Tales.

If you’re in the Seattle area, be sure to drop in to Naga to congratulate Evan Martin, and then put him to work making you one to try!

Related posts:

1. Pacific Distillery Dinner at Prohibition Grille
2. MxMo XLVI: Absinthe — The Atlantic
3. National Rum Day and the El Presidente

The Aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin and appeared in his 1916 book, Recipes for Mixed Drinks. 

Aviation Cocktail (Original) 

1/3 Lemon Juice (1 ounce)
2/3 El Bart Gin (2 ounces)
2 Dashes Maraschino (0.25 ounce)
2 Dashes Creme de Violette (or Creme Yvette) (0.25 ounce)

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass 

I find this base recipe to far too sour for my tastes, so I reduce the lemon juice to 0.75 ounce or less, and up the Maraschino to 0.5 ounce.

I managed to get a bottle of the newly released Creme Yvette, and it makes a great substitution for Creme de Violette in the Aviation. Given that the best known drink that uses Creme Yvette is the Blue Moon, I am surprised that it consistently adds a reddish hue to drinks. Still, it has the floral violet notes, while being less sweet than the Rothman & Winter violette that is easiest to find in the US market.

Two Aviation Cocktails

The BarSmarts recipe is the modern Aviation. As early as The Savoy Cocktail Book, the drink had lost the violette, which doubtless became impossible to get during Prohibition.

Aviation Cocktail (Modern) 

2 ounces London dry gin
0.5 ounces Maraschino liqueur
0.5 ounces lemon juice 

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass 

This version is a gin sour that takes advantage of the funkiness of Maraschino that I for one love. 

The history-loving cocktail geek in me wants to prefer the original Aviation. Still, the version I usually make at home is the modern recipe. The floral notes of the violette (or yvette) are nice on occasion. But the modern Aviation is a solid standard, and I have to agree, it’s a cocktail every bartender should know.

Related posts:

1. Magellan Gin and the Aviation
2. The Air Florida
3. Bloody Mary

In the meantime, take a look around the Saloon. There are some flash games to play, message boards, recipes using Buffalo Trace, and something called Bourbunnies.

And what’s in it for me? They’re also hosting a blogger contest. Sign up after clicking the link above, and I’ll be entered to win Fabulous Prizes! Actually, they sound pretty cool – a swag package for the top 25 blogs in terms of referrals of new signups, and VIP passes for the top 10 to White Dog Days at the distillery. And listen up, my Seattle-area friends — for the top traffic-driver, Buffalo Trace will come throw a party. So go sign up, add me (stevideter) as a drinking buddy, and have fun checking out the site.

No related posts.

This month she’s chosen the topic that’s near and dear to my heart:

The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and its future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe.

Atlantic Cocktail

I seriously thought about just writing up the absinthe drip for this month, as that’s my favorite way to enjoy the liquor. I decided instead to hunt for a new cocktail that shows off how little absinthe it takes to transform a dull collection of ingredients into a fantastic drink.

I stumbled upon the Atlantic on the CocktailDB, which gives credit for its creation to “H. Losappio.” I searched through all my cocktail books, and have not yet found another reference for it.

Atlantic Cocktail

1 ounce gin (Voyager)
1 ounce white rum (Ron Matusalem Platino)
0.75 ounce Cointreau
2 dashes absinthe (Pacifique)

Stir over ice until cold as the North Atlantic and strain into cocktail glass.

If you shake it, it becomes a White Lily, which I find listed in several other online cocktail databases, but also find no hint of in any of my cocktail books. This is an all clear spirits drink, so naturally, I opted to stir. The high amounts of liqueur gives it a mysterious lightly cloudy look that goes well with the name.

The original recipe calls for equal parts gin, rum, and Cointreau, and only one dash of absinthe. I found that a tad too sweet. Dialing back the Cointreau makes for a much drier drink I’m tempted to call the North Atlantic.

When making this, I mixed everything but the absinthe and stirred until properly chilled and took a taste. It was an ok, if uninteresting cocktail.

Adding one dash of absinthe really brought the gin and rum flavors out. Adding one more dash let the absinthe play in the background with hints of anise. I chose to use Pacific Distillery’s Voyager gin and Pacifique absinthe, which naturally pair well together, as the gin uses many of the same botanicals as the absinthe.

The Atlantic is a great example of how it takes just a little absinthe to bring a cocktail to life.

Thanks, Sonja, for a great topic. Be sure to drop by Thinking of Drinking to see the complete MxMo round-up!

Related posts:

1. MxMo XXIX: New Orleans — Absinthe Suissesse
2. MxMo: Limit One — Mahjongg Cocktail
3. MxMo: Rum — Nassau Cocktail