Hacked By Imam with Love

My Whiskey Barrel

Along with sudden explosion of new distilleries, there has been a proliferation of white dog whiskeys on the market in the last few years.

White dog is unaged whiskey. Like vodka, it’s a popular first product for a new distillery as it can be immediately bottled and sold to start bringing in income.

Rather than making us wait for their finished product, Woodinville Whiskey gives us the chance to share in the experience with their Age Your Own^tm Whiskey Kit.

The kit features a two liter aging barrel with stand, two 750ml bottles of 110 proof Headlong White Dog at 110 proof (55% ABV), a funnel to get everything inside, and two Glencairn tasting glasses to see how things are going.

Prepping the barrel is easy. Fill it up with good clean water. Then let it sit somewhere that won’t be damaged by any leaks, until no leaks are evident. The point is to let the wood swell with to close any gaps, while not losing any precious liquor.

There was almost no seepage from my barrel from the start, so after a day I drained the water. I tasted a little, which had just the faintest tinge of brown, and was amused to discover there was a slight hint of both oak and sweetness. In went the white dog, and the waiting began.

A key decision in aging spirits is the location of the barrel. The ideal spot will change temperature. This helps the liquor expand into the wood and then contract. This is the whole purpose of barrel-aging. The liquor extracts various chemicals from the charred wood, changing the character of the final product. It also oxidizes with the air that manages to permeate the oak fibers. These processes change the original distillate. It’s up to you to decide when it has reached its prime.

Thirsty Angels

I was tempted to place the barrel on the plant shelf outside my window, but was warned against putting it anywhere it would get direct sunlight. I chose a shelf out of the sun but located where it would gain the most from the heat of the day and the cool of night.

I managed to wait a whole week before my first taste of my experiment. It’s so much easier to take tastes from aging liquor than it is from fermenting beer. The high alcohol levels mean that sanitation is not a huge concern, and oxidation is considered a plus in this process. Simply remove the bung from the top of the barrel, place your glass under the spigot, and turn the spigot on, and you have a taste!

After just one week, the whiskey was noticeably sweeter, with some very raw oak flavor, as well as a light straw color. I continued tasting about once a week. Some weeks it seemed like it was getting really great. And some weeks, it seemed really awful. Talking to Orlin and Brett at Woodinville Whiskey reassured me. They joked about the occasional panicked call to their mentor, Dave Pickerell, former master distiller at Maker’s Mark, about how suddenly the whiskey was ruined. He’d reassure them that it was all part of the aging process.

As different chemicals wax and wane through the process, the taste improves and worsens. The skill of the distiller of an aged product is finding that sweet spot that maximizes the benefits of wood aging while minimizing any negatives.

Finally, after three months, I was satisfied. My whiskey had strong oaken notes, but a nice smooth finish. I choose to bottle at the same strength it went into the cask, rather than adding any water to reduce the proof. While I knew I’d taken a few ounces out of the barrel for tasting, I wasn’t prepared for just how much was lost. I had poured 1.5 liters of white dog, and bottled under 900 ml.

I was very happy with what the angels left me. At bottling proof, it has a slightly stronger wood taste than I like in general when tasted straight. But pouring a jigger over a nice piece of ice brings it into a great balance. I especially like using my whiskey in old fashioned, especially with cinnamon syrup and chocolate bitters.

Of course, I couldn’t leave that barrel empty! I’ll write about my additional experiences in barrel aging. As soon as I put this old fashioned down.

Aging your own whiskey is a great way to appreciate what is really involved in making any aged product. I have a renewed appreciated for the art of the distiller. I can’t wait to see what Orlin and Brett have done on their own. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too long. On November 19, they are releasing their long awaited Bourbon, as well as an American whiskey. I can’t wait to compare it to my own whiskey. Provided I have any left.

I had a great time at Portland Cocktail Week last year. Naturally I’ve been eagerly awaiting its return.

My waiting has not been in vain. This year’s event is October 20-23. Check out the schedule for all the great events. I’m particularly looking forward the open night party at Wilf’s and the Speed Rack competition on Sunday.

There’s also a chance to do some good during the festivities, by participating in the Bartenders’ Run to Kick Cancer’s Ass on Friday morning. Novo Fogo Cachaça will be sponsoring the participation fee for any bartender. All proceeds will be donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Once again, PDX Cocktail Week takes place at the same time as the Great American Distillers Festival. Looking over the list of participating distilleries, this is going to be a great chance to taste many great, unique products.

I’m also looking forward to spending time with my friends in Portland, not to mention a goodly portion of Seattle’s bartending community.

Be sure to check the @PDXCocktailWeek twitter feed as well as my own for details and shenanigans throughout the great events.

Seattle shouldn’t be sad, however, as the very first Seattle Cocktail Week will be held the week after, October 27 – 30. Seattle Cocktail Week will focus on many of the top bars in Seattle and environs offering drinks specials. Stay tuned for more details!

Crown Royal Black and the Quebec Cocktail

Canadian whisky doesn’t get a lot of love from the craft cocktail community. So when I was given an opportunity to sample Crown Royal Black, I wanted to approach it with an open mind. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to improve my opinion of the category.

Crown Royal Black is being pitched as a darker, stronger version of Crown Royal. It is aged in charred oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV), compared to 80 proof for the original. The back of the bottle refers to “deep bourbon notes.”

The first thing I noticed is it’s surprisingly dark in color.¹ Compared to the other whiskeys in my bar, its color does have more black notes, as opposed to the deep reds I associate with aged liquors. I’m not quite sure how they achieved this color, except to note that Canadian whisky makers are allowed to add caramel and flavorings.

Smelling it, the strongest scents were a caramel sweetness, some wood, and vanilla. Taking a taste, the first thing I noticed was a strong pepper flavor, which lasted quite a long time. There was also a woody flavor. I detected a hint of charcoal, which surprised me – I think of charcoal as a filtering agent, not a flavoring one. They do highlight that it’s aged in charred oak barrels, but I don’t get this sort of burnt flavor from bourbon.

While the taste is reasonably well balanced between sweet and pepper at the front, that tapers off to an unpleasant astringency. Adding water through a single ice cube didn’t help much. It brought the sweetness out even more strongly, but not in a way that balanced the unpleasant flavors. I can’t imagine wanting to sip this straight.

Hoping to enjoy it mixed, I first tried it in a Manhattan. It failed miserably. The charcoal notes I tasted before were highlighted, as well as the astringency.

I searched high and low for a Canadian whisky cocktail to try. I’ve not yet hit on a recipe for the Scofflaw I really enjoy.² Searching the CocktailDB, I found the Quebec cocktail, which seemed worth a try. I thought the unique combination of additional flavors might balance the whisky out.

Quebec Cocktail

1 1/2 ounce Canadian whisky
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce Amer Picon
1/4 ounce maraschino

Stir over ice until as cold as the St. Lawrence during Carnival and serve up in a cocktail glass

I made it two sips into this cocktail before I gave up on it. Once again, the odd flavor of the Crown Royal Black made a mess of the party. It amplified the funky maraschino flavor in a most unpleasant way.

I can say one positive thing about Crown Royal Black. It is better than Crown Royal. But I say that with bitterness, because I actually purchased a 375 ml bottle of Crown Royal to taste side-by-side.³ Regular Crown Royal tastes predominantly of sugar and astringency to me.

I know there are some very nice Canadian whiskies out there. I look forward to trying them. Sadly, Crown Royal Black is not among them.

[1] Yes, I get it, they named it “Black”
[2] And Ted Haigh insists it really should be made with rye
[3] Why not a mini? I have no answer for that question.

…and all I got was this little t-shirt.¹

Shake for the Camera. Photo courtesy of Rocky Yeh.

Despite all my pre-event hand wringing, the Jim & Rocky Barback Pro-Am turned out to be a lot of fun.

Of course, this wasn’t your usual barback shift. At least, I’m told most don’t start with a round of Jägerbombs at the joint across the street.

My job as barback was to make sure patrons had sufficient water,² clear their glasses as they finished their cocktails, keep the counter clean, and help the bartender in whatever way he asked. This ended up including dry shaking, breaking large ice blocks into ones small enough to fit old fashioned glasses, and fetching salt when someone³ asked for an off-menu margarita. Also participating in a round of shots whenever Jim or Rocky deemed it was time to do so.

I learned many lessons during my shift. A few of the most memorable:

5. The cameraman promised me he’d get out of my way. He was not always able to live up to that promise.
4. Cobbler shakers confound me. I can’t keep them tightly sealed while shaking them. I can’t get them separated once the drink has been strained out. That’s why I switched to Boston shakers. Naturally, someone⁴ lent cobblers to Jim for the evening so I got to struggle with cleaning them all night.
3. I do not have a knack for remembering who ordered which drink when. It was embarrassing enough when the bartender asked me for whom I called the drink. It was even worse when several minutes later I was politely asked by the customer whatever happened to that Industry Old Fashioned he ordered.
2. If I don’t want to use my hands, never attempt to manhandle ice into a glass using a metal ice scoop while standing over the ice bin.⁵
1. No matter how amusing it seems in the context of the current bar trash talk, when the bartender yells, repeatedly, “THAT’S NOT DONE” — he is almost certainly referring to that surprisingly full mixing glass I am dumping into the sink

A huge thank you to everybody who came to Rob Roy to join in the fun. Thanks to Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh for inviting me to participate. Thanks to Rob Roy for hosting, and to Jamie Boudreau for allowing us to give him time to go eat dinner at Canlis’ pop-up restaurant.

Check out Rocky’s photos for great shots from all the events, and keep an eye on Small Screen Network to see what they do with all the footage they shot.

And no, I don’t think I’ll be changing careers for any time soon. I’ll bide my time in front of the stick⁶ for the time being.

[1] Actually, I did get a larger shirt at the end of my shift. And lost the red one somewhere between Zig Zag and home.
[2] And goldfish crackers, this being Rob Roy.
[3] Damn you, Evan Martin!
[4] Damn you, Jamie Boudreau!
[5] Luckily, I was stopped before anything bad happened.
[6] See what I did there?

It started with a text. “Jim and I are doing a thing w/ Small Screen to invite a few bloggers and enthusiasts behind the bar to barback while Jim guest bartends.”

Jim and Rocky and victim

Next thing I knew, I was signed up to barback at Rob Roy on February 27.

I blame the fact I was in the second week of a three week cold that I failed to ask for details before saying yes. Instead, I discovered what I had blithely agreed to when I saw the press release. It begins

Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh of Vessel in Seattle, renowned bartenders and spirits professionals, will hit the road from Seattle to San Diego challengining amateur mixologists, or as we call them “victims”, to step behind the bar, show their skills and see if they can mix it up all night.

The Jim and Rocky show has already burned a swath from Portland down to San Diego. Now they refuse to be daunted by la Niña as they race back to Seattle to put me and Papa Paul Clarke through our paces. And Small Screen Network will be there to make sure it’s recorded.

As I have no doubt they will make it back, and I will be forced to follow through with my word, all I can ask is that you come to offer moral support on this Sunday night. The fun starts at Rob Roy on Sunday, February 27, at 6 pm. From all reports from the previous events, promises to be fun for everybody…but me.

There are some Mixology Monday topics you can hardly believe haven’t happened yet. But Dennis at Rock & Rye found a great one, Forgotten Cocktails. In brief:

The challenge this month is to bring to light a drink that you think deserves to be resurrected from the past, and placed back into the spotlight. It could be pre-prohibition, post-war, that horrible decade known as the 80′s, it doesnâ€t really matter. As long as it is somewhat obscure, post it up. If possible try to keep to ingredients that are somewhat readily available. While we all appreciate the discovery of an amazing cocktail, if we canâ€t make it, itâ€s no fun for anyone.

Alaska Cocktail

While I have spent a lot of time persuing older cocktail guides, I knew the drink I wanted to include when I read the topic: the Alaska Cocktail. And given today my region is in the throes of a snowpocalypse, I felt inspired to make one.

I can’t remember when I first discovered the Alaska Cocktail. I know I’d made at least two at home before the time I went to Zig Zag, asked Murray for something with gin in, and he returned saying, “This is called the Alaska…” and I had to laugh, because I knew what was in it, and that I would love it.

Alaska Cocktail

2 oz London dry gin (Voyager)
1/4 oz yellow chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice until glacially cold, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

I have yet to find a good explanation for the name. The cocktail dates to at least the Savoy cocktail book, and probably before that. The Savoy recipe omits the bitters, and has a 3:1 ratio of chartreuse to gin. As written, it’s a fine drink, but I find going 4:1 makes a less sweet and more enjoyable drink, and adding orange bitters creates a nice balancing note. On occasion I will also use a lemon twist as a garnish, but really, with the chartreuse, the drink doesn’t need it.

This is a potent drink, as yellow chartreuse is 80 proof. Occasionally, I will substitute green chartreuse, which is OK, but as with the Widow’s Kiss, yellow provides a much more balanced and drinkable product.

Thanks to Dennis at Rock & Rye for a fun topic. Be sure to keep an eye out for the round-up!

In addition to winning TDN and competing in the PDX Cocktail Invitational, I had another exciting adventure at Portland Cocktail Week – participating in Shaker Faces.

Sponsored by Combier, Shaker Faces is a good-natured contest where bartenders (and the occasional aficionado) give their best shaker face and the public votes.

I was a bit apprehensive when Lindsey Johnson asked me if I wanted to participate. But it did help me take my mind off my impending competition. Leo Borovskiy of Lush Life Productions did a great job of explaining the process and making me feel comfortable. I had to stand for some still shots, then give my best shake for the the action shoot.

Today my video went live as part of Round Four. Head on over, and vote for me!

As mentioned in my previous post, my prize for winning the Live TDN at Portland Cocktail Week was a slot in the semi-finals of the PDX Cocktail Invitational. I had watched the finals of the 2009 competition live-streamed, and already knew many of the bartenders competing this year, so I knew it was a great event to be a part of.

Sun Temple at Pisaq

But I also knew the rules included bringing all your own equipment, and guess who had come down to Portland with no tools, not expecting to be in a competition at all? Yours truly. So when I found out at 9 pm on Friday night that I would be competing sometime the next day, a mad scramble began.

First was getting samples of the products I had to choose from to feature in my cocktail. I learned from Dänny Ronen that my cocktail needed to feature at least one of the three products from the Fair Trade Spirits Company. My choices were the FAIR. Vodka, Goji, and Café. Dänny helpfully brought over samples of each, and lent me some of his bartools so I could start experimenting with ideas.

While I enjoyed the Goji and Café liqueurs, I decided to focus on the Vodka.¹ This product is made from 100% fair-trade sourced quinoa.² It manages to keep hints of the nutty flavor of its base product, with a rich mouthfeel.

Given my short prep time, I decided to go simple in my final cocktail, and chose to do a riff on the perfect martini. I would be competing against bartenders who knew what they would be working with for more than a few hours, and would have more complex signature cocktails, likely including homemade ingredients. I decided that for my first live cocktail competition I would focus on featuring the product as well as I could, and, frankly, not embarrassing myself. This was my first chance to play with the big boys, after all!

The next big step was to gather additional ingredients in sufficient quantities. A big thanks to John the Bastard, who drove me to Pearl Specialty Market, where I was able to choose from several dry and sweet vermouths. Also thanks to Trader Tiki, who gave me his bottle of Urban Moonshine citrus bitters when I made a desperate call out.

Then it was back to my hotel room to make sure my idea would work. I decided to use Cocchi Americano, first because it’s an excellent product, and second, because I thought the cinchona flavor would help create a theme for my variation; as with quinoa, cinchona is a native South American ingredient. I also chose to go with Vya sweet vermouth, as I really enjoy its overall flavor profile and how well it mixes.

I have to say, I was very happy with the result. I felt the Urban Moonshine citrus bitters were aromatic enough to preclude the need for an additional garnish.

Pisaq Cocktail

2 oz FAIR. quinoa vodka
0.25 oz Cocchi Americano
0.25 oz sweet vermouth (Vya)
2 dashes citrus bitters (Urban Moonshine)

Stir over ice until as cold as an Andean glacier, strain into a cocktail glass.

I decided to name this drink after one of my favorite archaeological sites in Peru, Pisaq, located in the Urubamba valley.

Now having created the drink, I had to compete! I was pretty nervous, especially when I arrived at the Great American Distillers Festival, and realized I would be making drinks on a stage overlooking the whole event! Everybody with the Oregon Bartenders Guild was very reassuring, however, and before I knew it, I was up there, stirring and straining, and even talking reasonably amiably with the various attendees passing by for tastes.

Then I was told it was time for judging. I had to make a full size drink for each of my judges. Naturally, I didn’t have my own glassware, so the OBG provided me with wineglasses. I was amused to discover one of my judges would be David Pickerell, former master distiller at Maker’s Mark and mentor to Woodinville Whiskey.³ The judges were very friendly and put me at as much ease as I could possibly manage.

And then they were gone. I mixed a few more drinks for tasting, and then my 45 minute shift was over. I had competed in my first real cocktail competition, and hadn’t embarrassed myself, at least not that anyone would tell me.

Congratulations to the winners of the finals, Ali Tahsini (first), Tommy Klus (second), Art Tierce (third) and Trevor Easter (fourth). Thanks to the OBG and GADF for letting me participate. It was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to next years festivities.

1 I know! Whoda thunk it!
2 Yes, wurmouroboros, you were right, it’s not a true grain
3 It was no doubt bad form, but I had to ask him if it would it help my chances that I used his Headlong White Dog in the cocktail that got me into the competition. He laughed.

This past week was the first annual Portland Cocktail Week, and the CSOWG decided to hold Drink.Write 2010 in conjunction with the festivities. And since many of us were in Portland together, it was only natural to hold a live Thursday Drink Night.

Thanks to the valiant efforts of Lush Life Productions, we had a wide selection of spirits and a camera crew on hand to record the shenanigans. Jacob Grier emceed as several of gave it our best shot.

Giving a quick scan of the table, I discovered a bottle of Woodinville Whiskey‘s Headlong White Dog. I had my first taste of this product just the weekend before at their grand opening event, and was pretty excited with what I tasted.

I also saw a bottle of Dimmi, an Italian herbal liqueur I first tasted at Tales of the Cocktail 2009. It brings the sweetness of nebbiolo grappa with a rich blend of herbs.

Blending the two, I felt not much more was needed. I found some Scrappy’s grapefruit bitters completed the picture, and my drink was done.

Red Wood Road

2 oz Woodinville Whiskey Headlong White Dog
0.5 oz Dimmi Liquore di Milano
4 dashes Scrappy’s Grapefruit bitters

I named this strong, boozy drink with lots of flavor after the road I drive between Redmond and Woodinville. This was popular enough when I passed it around that it was voted best drink of the night.

My prize? I had a spot in the semi-finals for the Portland Cocktail Invitational. And that’s a story I will save for the next post.