|
Ardent Spirits is a free e-mail
newsletter for anyone and everyone with an interest in cocktails, bars,
bartenders, distilled spirits, and beverage-related topics. If you were
forwarded this letter from somebody else, then to become
a subscriber, just click
here to sign up.
|
Ardent Spirits e-letter
Volume 9, Issue 17, October 18, 2007
by Gary Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan
© 2007 Reganomics, Inc.
This issue of the Ardent Spirits e-letter is sponsored in part by each
of these fine products.*
So click on ‘em why doncha? Help us keep ‘em happy
In This Issue:
Cheap Date
For those of you who weren't able to make it to the Ile
de Bendor for Mardee and Gary's workshop last month, here we bring you some of
our very fave snapshots from the adventure. There were all sorts of neat
European bartenders there. And they made lots of mischief as well as some
dynamite cocktails
The Hosts: Gary, Mardee, Anistatia Miller, Eric Fossard, and
Jared Brown
oh, yes,
Myles Davies from London helped, too. He helped a lot, in fact.
The luverly
Anne DuBois from
the Mahiki Bar, London was
closely watched by
Tom
Jakschas from the
Rubinrot Bar in Cologne
Pasquale Fais from
Pinchito,
London, displays his talents to Lukasz Pilch, from the
Hawksmoor
Sorry we don't have room for more pics in this newsletter,
but you'll find a slew of them
here
Gary and Mardee would like to thank all the great bartenders
who attended the workshop, and very special thanks also to everyone on the
Ile de Bendor, all at
IBBS, and
Anistatia Miller and Jared
Brown*, of course, who took them into their home, and hearts, while we were
there.
*read more about what these guys are up to
here
The Cocktailian
image courtesy of the good folks at
quanya
Creme de Violette Lifts Aviation to the Moon
September 28, 2007
A couple of years ago I wrote a column
about the Aviation Cocktail, a doozy of a drink that, at the time of writing, I
believed had been created sometime in the 1930s. I was wrong. I was partially
right about the recipe, though, but only partially. . .
Hot Links
Will Robert Hess never stop with his cool web-TV series, The
Cocktail Spirit? We hope not. Here are links to some of his latest
offerings.
The French 75
posted October 1 The French 75 is a delightful champagne cocktail, which first
appeared in "The Savoy Cocktail Book" by Harry Craddock in 1930. The drink get's
it's name from the 75 millimeter field gun used in the first world war.
The Old
Fashioned posted September 24 The Old Fashioned represents what is perhaps
the oldest form of cocktail known. Unfortunately it has fallen out of favor
these days, and I rarely see people ordering it. I suppose this could be
partially due to the fact that most bartenders don't know how to properly make
it anymore. The atrocities I often see inflicted on this drink include leaving
out the bitters, and topping it off with water or soda. Please, stop the madness
and let's start making this drink properly again!
The
Cosmopolitan posted September 17 First arriving in the mid 80's, the
Cosmopolitan was "the" cocktail of the 90's. While it is still popular today,
some may avoid it less they be seen as simply "following the pack". Since the
Cosmo follows the classic-style formula of such great drinks as the Sidecar,
Margarita, Daiquiri, and Aviation, there is nothing at all wrong with this
drink, just be careful to make it with good quality ingredients.
Potent Quotables
Abandon All Rank, Ye Who Enter Here
The following has been excerpted from an article
about Armistice Day, now known as Memorial Day in the U.S.A., written by our good
friend, Herb Silverman. Herb has been writing about spirits for quite a
few decades. He’s a true trailblazer. In this excerpt Herb is
writing about soldiers in the trenches during WWI:
“ . . . there was an oasis of
peace in the nearby village of Poperinge 10 miles west of Ypres just behind the
front lines. ‘Pops,’ as the Tommies called it, was a welcome change from
trench routine at Ypres which they termed ‘Wipers.’ Since rest and relaxation
were vital for the troops, the Reverend Philip Clayton, known as ‘Tubby,’ opened
a soldiers club where everybody in uniform was always welcome to the ‘Everyman’s
Club’ in Talbot House.
The 17th century house was named for Lt. Gilbert
Talbot, son of the Bishop of Winchester, who died at 23 in the Ypres Salient.
Using the army signalers’ code of the day the troops abbreviated Talbot House to
Toc H.
‘Tubby’ had a gift for making everyone feel at home.
A sign at the entrance announced ‘Abandon all rank ye who enter here.’ The club
offered showers, beer, and a chapel located in a large attic with a carpenter’s
bench as an altar, the facilities said to have used in that order. Another sign,
‘If you spit on the floor at home, feel free to do so here’ had the desired
result.
Poperinge, once called
“Little Paris,” maintains Talbot House as a museum and a center for worldwide
peace efforts.”
Herb is a veteran of WWII, a member of the American
Legion and Disabled American Veterans, and he’s one of our very favorite people.
Special thanks, also, to his better half. How do you put up with him,
Betty?
Bar Code
s'
Regans' Orange Bitters' No. 6
Picture courtesy of Rafael Ballesteros, Spain
was released in early 2005, so
here we are, over 2 years later, finally bringing you a web page dedicated to
this very fine product. We've included a nice little bedtime story about the
creation of the bitters, some cool cocktail recipes, links to order bitters on line, and
we've even included links to the competition's web site. Yes, that
includes the Unstoppable Joe Fee's company. Just can't shake the guy.
Click
here for all the info
WhiskeyWatch
It's that time of year again. New whiskeys are
hitting the shelves like wildfire. We're betting that they'll leave the
shelves at the same rate--there's some real good stuff in this batch (check out
Parkers' new bottling, for instance).
Here's the rundown:
WILD TURKEY® BOURBON RELEASES AMERICAN SPIRIT
Limited Edition, 100 proof, 15-Year-Old Bourbon
Wild Turkey has just released Wild Turkey American
Spirit, a limited edition, 100 proof, 15-Year-Old bourbon created by legendary
master distiller Jimmy Russell and his son, associate distiller Eddie Russell.
Befitting its extremely limited production as a
super-premium bourbon, Wild Turkey
American Spirit will be packaged in a unique bottle, sealed with a strip stamp
reminiscent of the “bottled in bond” seal and commemorative wooden box.
It’s available in very limited quantities in the U.S. in a 750ml size at a
suggested retail price of $89.99.
RUSSELL’S RESERVE® RYE WHISKEY RELEASED
Austin Nichols Master Distiller Jimmy Russell and his
son, Associate Distiller Eddie Russell, have joined forces to create Russell’s
Reserve Rye, a handcrafted six-year-old, small-batch rye whiskey, again
showcasing their preeminence as America’s premier whiskey makers. With their
combined 80 years of distilling experience, Jimmy and Eddie Russell have crafted
a benchmark in rye whiskey – full-bodied and robust, yet uniquely smooth.
Bottled at 90 proof, Russell’s Reserve Rye has a
rich, tawny color with notes of almond and allspice. Its crisp, lively taste
works in a smooth, complex palate, destined to impress whiskey aficionados with
the possibility of an expertly crafted aged rye whiskey.
HEAVEN HILL RELEASES SIGNATURE SERIES OF AMERICAN WHISKEYS
"Parker's Heritage Collection" will be cask-strength Bourbon available in
limited quantities
Parker Beam, who oversees all aspects of whiskey
production at Heaven Hill alongside his son Craig, much as Parker did with his
father Earl, has selected 68 barrels of very special Bourbon for the first
edition. "The barrels I have selected for this series represent some of
the finest and most diverse whiskeys I have produced in my 45 years as a Master
Distiller," said Parker Beam. "I think they will pique the interest of
many of today's whiskey aficionados."
This first edition, which will be appear on retail
shelves in September and October, will be a cask-strength 1996 Bourbon that has
mellowed over 48 Kentucky seasons on the fifth floor of Rickhouse Y in
Bardstown. The bottling was drawn from a lot of 68 carefully selected
barrels, which were dumped in three "very small batches" of 22, 22 and 24
barrels each. The Bourbon is then bottled at barrel-proof, marking the
first time that Heaven Hill has released a barrel-proof Bourbon in the US.
The first bottling of Parker's Heritage Collection
will be available nationally in major metro markets at a retail price of $80 for
a 750ml bottle.
Note: This is Gary's favorite new bourbon of the
year. Bar none.
BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY RELEASES
THE 2007 ANTIQUE
COLLECTION
It’s that time of year again. More new whiskeys
from Buffalo Trace are about to be released at the end of this month, so get
your orders in now. Here’s the Fall line-up of five limited-release
bottlings.
Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old
Two time winner of the “American Whiskey of the Year”
award, the whiskey for the 2007 release has been aging in Warehouse K on the
first floor. The first floor enables the barrels to age slowly and gracefully.
This vintage has the same mature spicy taste as years past.
Eagle Rare 17 Year Old
These barrels were distilled in the spring of 1988
and have been aging in Warehouse C. This bourbon was actually 19 years old at
the time of bottling giving it a delicate body with a dry woody finish.
George T. Stagg
This vintage of George T. Stagg was found on the
first floor of Warehouse I. This bourbon was distilled back in the spring of
1992 and weighs in at a healthy 144.8 proof—the strongest ever! This whiskey is
big and rich and not for the faint of heart!
William Larue Weller
William Larue Weller is the Antique Collection’s
uncut, unfiltered wheat recipe bourbon. The barrels were aged 10 years on the
ninth floor of Warehouse I. This year’s William Larue Weller registers at 117.9
proof. It tastes of sweet molasses with a hint of cinnamon.
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac
Handy is the newest addition to the Antique
Collection. It is an uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey. The barrels were
aged six years and five months on the fifth floor of Warehouse L with a proof of
134.8. It’s very flavorful with bold allspice and a hint of sweet ginger.
For more information visit
www.greatbourbon.com
or contact Kris Comstock at
kcomstock@buffalotrace.com or (502) 696-5936.
FOUR ROSES
Releases
Limited Edition ‘Barrel Strength’ Bourbon
To celebrate Master Distiller Jim Rutledge’s 40 years
in the industry, Four Roses is releasing its first limited-edition bourbon, Four
Roses Barrel Strength Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
The distillery is producing approximately 1,700
hand-numbered bottles, selected from individual oak barrels aged 13 1/2 years,
uncut and not chill filtered, with possible barrel sediment remaining.
Ardent Spirits would like to congratulate Jim on his 40 years of service to
the bourbon industry. Did they really send you to work when you were five
years old, Jim? :)
Worldwide Bartender Database
If you haven't joined yet, you won't know about the gigs we're letting our
members in on, will you?
You might want to join now so you don't miss the next issue
of the Worldwide Bartender Bulletin.
Join the
Worldwide Bartender Database
Wanna see where some of our members work?
Click
Here
For details on advertising rates, etc., please contact
theguys@ardentspirits.com
