The Daily Tippler

As mentioned; yesterday the blender was invented in the 1920’s and we’re not sure who the first person to put ice & booze in it was, but we do know who made it popular. In the 1930’s and 40’s Constante Ribalagua, head barman at the Floridita in Havana, adopted the Blender as almost a high powered cocktail shaker. Unlike today’s concoctions Ribalagau would strain as much of the crushed ice out of the drinks as he could using a mesh sieve,  in effect just chilling the drinks with the machine.

Constante is purported to have made more than 10 million daiquiris in 5 variations including the non-blender Hemingway Daiquiri  (for more info checkout NYT), but below is a nice blender variation:

Daiquiri No. 2

Apdapted from El Floridita, Havana

-2 ounces White Rum
-1/2 Teaspoon Curaçao Liqueur
-1 Tablespoon lime juice
-1 Teaspoon orange juice
-1 Teaspoon sugar

Place all ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup ice, preferably in small cubes. Blend about 5 seconds. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass, straining out ice with blender’s lid (or for a particularly refined daiquiri, a sieve). Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel balanced on the glass’s rim.

With July 4th coming up this weekend I thought I would take this opportunity to celebrate the Blender for all your BBQ/Party needs.  Long disdained by bartenders the Blender has recently returned to the bar along with the Tiki Drink. Despite what classical bartenders say the home bartender has no need to hide the Blender, however if these cocktail aren’t your thing check out BBQ week. And now to the Blender, according to Wikipedia:

It is popularly believed that Dr. Oliver Johnson Schofield, an English engineer and entrepreneur, invented the first electric blender in 1921. However, Stephen J. Poplawski, owner of the Stevens Electric Company, patented the drink mixer in 1922 to make Horlicks malted milk shakes at soda fountains. He also introduced the liquefier blender in 1922.  Stevens Electric was sold to Oster Manufacturing, a manufacturer of barber equipment, in 1946. Oster commercialized the liquefier blender under the trademark Osterizer.

I’m not sure when someone decided to throw ice and booze in the thing but I imagine it didn’t take long. The following is a great recipe for the 4th because it has Bourbon, which is American, and Cherries, which are in season (be sure to get fresh cherries) .

Cherry Crush:

-2 oz. Bourbon
-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
-2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
-3 Pitted Cherries
-1 Tablespoon Sugar

Mix all ingredients with 1 1/2 cups ice in a blender and blend until smooth, about a minute or two. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with a mint sprig.

There is a rumor that it is actually supposed to be nice this weekend; albeit with the usual scattered thunderstorms. But I think some people are going to try to squeeze in some beach time and this drink is perfect if you are heading out to the Hamptons or somewhere else fancy. The Pimm’s Cup is not only defined as an Aperitif, but it fits the requirements; as mentioned above: cool, dry , refreshing. These factors also make it a great summer drink. Pimm’s No. 1 Cup was invented in London by James Pimm in the 1820’s. He mixed Gin with a secret herbal blend and severed it with tonic at his Oyster House. All though less common in the United States it has become a legacy in Britain. It is a staple drink at Wimbledon, the Henley Royal Regatta and the Glyndebourne opera festival, and is also the standard cocktail at British and American polo matches. There are some variations in Pimm’s Cup recipes, but I like this one:

The Pimm’s Cup

-2 oz. Pimm’s No. 1 Cup
-Lemon-Lime Soda or Ginger Ale to fill
-1 Strawberry
-2 Slices of Cucumber

In the bottom of a shaker muddle the strawberry and cucumber. Add the Pimm’s and stir. Pour the whole mix into an ice filled Highball glass and top with Lemon-Lime Soda or Ginger Ale. Garnish with a lemon Wedge.

So far we have had plenty of Dry Vermouth and a little Sweet Vermouth in our Aperitifs, so let’s go ahead and bring them together. Here is another ancient and seldom heard from Classic: The Duplex. One theme I have noticed in my research from this week is that you don’t see a lot of these Aperitifs anymore. I think a lot of people tend to fall back on their regulars before meals and rarely seek out something so specific. At any Rate:

The Duplex

-1 oz. Gin
-1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
-1 oz. Dry Vermouth
-2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice and starin into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

How would the Italians do it?

If you wanted to make an Italian version of the Bamboo Cocktail simply replace the Dry Vermouth with Sweet and call it an Adonis. Adonis, of Greek mythology, is an annually-renewed, ever-youthful vegetation god, a life-death-rebirth deity whose nature is tied to the calendar.

Right, well whatever it is it makes a good Aperitif.

Adonis:

-1 1/2 oz. Dry Pale Sherry
-1 1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
-2 Dashes Orange Bitters
-2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over it to extract the oil and garnish with the peel.

Here is another classic cocktail that adheres to the necessary dryness of an Aperitif but is hardly heard from anymore; The Bamboo Cocktail. Sometime between 1890 and 1900 Louis Eppinger created the Japanese Martini to be the signature drink of the Grand Hotel Yokohama. Eppinger, who made his fame stateside at many a saloon and hotel, was procured by US Naval Officers, who had taken a vested interest in the hotel, to Westernize the place. And here is how he did it:

The Bamboo Cocktail:

-1 1/2 oz. Dry Pale Sherry
-1 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
-2 Dashes Orange Bitters
-2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over it to extract the oil and garnish with the peel.

All this week I will be featuring Aperitifs; or drinks to start off a meal. Like most types of drinks we discuss here at The Tippler there is no definitive creator or story behind the Aperitif. Some say that consuming  an alcoholic beverage before a meal dates back to the Ancient Egyptians, but they first appear in print around the late 1700’s. All I know is that  liquor before a meal tends to make me hungry in a way that wine and beer do not. Most Aperitifs tend to include ingredients like Gin, Vermouth and Bitters. The drying effect of these liquors and, of course, the stomach settling effect of Bitters drives the hunger. The Italians seemed to have made an out-sized contribution to the lexicon of Aperitifs probably due to their usually out-sized meals. We’ll start the week off with the invention of the Italian General Pascal Olivier Count de Negronia: The Negroni.

Negroni:

-1 oz. Gin
-1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
-1 oz. Campari

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and stain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

“When American meets American then comes the Whiskey Sour.”

Atlanta Daily Constitution, 1879

I don’t think I have already mentioned this; Bourbon is the official Spirit of the USA, by act of congress. It was part of the 1964 resolution and they actually declared it: “America’s Native Spirit.” Furthermore, just this week Congressmen Yarmuth & Gurthrie of Kentucky established the “Bourbon Caucus” in the House of Representatives. Seventeen other Reps. have signed on as members of the caucus which pledges to support the concerns of the bourbon industry and to protect Bourbon’s image around the world. I’m totally serious, you can’t make this stuff up, it was on the news, here check it out: CNBC. Seriously though the Bourbon industry has been an integral part of our economy for a long time and provides a lot of needed jobs.

So, with that I give you the Whiskey Sour to end out the week. This drink was really popular in the US up until some time in the 1960’s. Around the decade when bars probably started to make them with bottled sour mix or even worse sweet & sour mix. Below is how it should be made and if you have never had it with Bourbon give it a shot.

Whiskey Sour:

-2 oz. Bourbon
-1 oz. Lemon Juice
-3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
-Soda Water to top

Combine in a shaker over ice and strain into a chilled Sour glass. Top with Soda Water and garnish with a lemon.

Jack Daniel’s, and also George Dickel, are Tennessee Whiskey. Jack Daniel’s meets all of the US Government requirements to be a Bourbon, but it under goes an additional stage called the Lincoln County Process (named for Lincoln County in Tennessee). In the process the unaged Whiskey is filtered through a column of charcoal; in the case of Jack Daniels the charcoal is made from Sugar Maple trees. The US government only says that Bourbon has to be made in the America from 51% Corn mash, aged at least 2 years and bottled at a minimum of 80 Proof. It does not say that it must be made in Kentucky or that it can’t be charcoal filtered. In most cases, out of respect, Bourbons made outside of Kentucky are sold under the label of American Whiskey. All though there are some excellent Corn Whiskies being produced in the Hudson Valley one of which is sold under the moniker “Hudson Valley Baby Bourbon.” As for the filtering Bourbon people will tell you it shouldn’t be done and Jack Daniels people will tell you they are Tennessee Whiskey not Bourbon, so no harm no foul.

Lynchburg Lemonade:

-1 1/2 oz. Jack Daniel’s
-1 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
-1 oz. Lemon Juice
-1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
-Lemon-Lime Soda to top

Build in an ice filled Highball glass and stir once. Garnish with a lemon wedge. 

In 1964 the United State Government legally recognized Bourbon as an American Whiskey with distinct character; much like Champagne in France. The definition of Bourbon is that is must be produced in the US from a grain mash of at least 51% corn (most producers use 65%-70%). After distillation it must be aged a minimum of 2 years in new, charred, oak barrels which impart flavor & color. The longer the Bourbon is aged the the darker the color and the more mellow and complex the flavor. After aging it is diluted to a minimum of 80 Proof, with the aforementioned Branch Water, and bottled. The Sour Mash process is an important aspect of Bourbon distilling. In the process an older batch of Mash, with an all ready active strain of yeast, is used to start the fermentation in the next batch of Mash.

OK, but were did they get the very first batch from?

Remember the Maine:

-2 1/2 oz Bourbon 
-1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
-Splash Maraschino Liqueur
-1 Bar Spoon Absinthe
-Dash Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.