Cocktails in Berlin: Right This Way, Your Table's Ready

Put down the knitting, the book, and the broom. It’s time for a German holiday for the Speakeasy. But in the cabaret city of pilsners and weiss bier, can we, should we order a cocktail? Is there room for cocktail culture in the land of hops? Well, yes and no. Bitte and Nein, danke.

That Germany is well known for its beer is obvious. According to the German Beer Institute there are about 1250 breweries in the country, almost as many as there are in the United States, which may not seem initially impressive except that Germany is about the size of Montana. With so many beers — and of such quality — it may seem nonsensical to even think about a Manhattan in Berlin, but surprisingly there is a strong American cocktail presence in the city. The bad news is that most of it isn’t any good. At least not yet.

Many of Berlin’s countless cafes advertise cocktail specials, but they usually run the spectrum from the Mai Tai to the Long Island Iced Tea to the Sex on the Beach, which is not much of a spectrum at all. Steering clear of cocktail menus written on street corner blackboards, you can find an enjoyable beverage if persistent and patient.

At one Mexican restaurant (it’s harder to find traditional German food than you would think), Santa Maria’s on Oranienstrasse, I found a Margarita with tamarind. The language barrier kept me from finding out just what form the tamarind came in — tamarind seed powder can also be used for glue — but it’s likely that the addition was tamarind ade. It gave the margarita a more earthy taste than a more typical American margarita. I appreciated the chance to try something not completely different but different enough. The great torta and the entertainingly lively street helped the flavor of the drink too. More on the fascinating tamarind here.

At Oscar Wilde’s (I told you it was hard to find a traditional sitdown German restaurant), I ordered an Oscar Wilde cocktail because I had to. It’s about time someone concocted a drink in homage to the great writer. I imagine one sip and epigrams come streaming from the lips to the laughing delight of all dinner companions, something along the lines of “work is the curse of the drinking class.” Unfortunately this Oscar Wilde is also the curse of the drinking class. The drink is made of Irish Mist, Amaretto, and orangensaft (orange juice): the fabulous Mr. Wilde will have to wait just a little longer for worthy recognition. It did, however, appeal to the American teenagers in the group because it did not taste like alcohol.

The drinking age in Germany for distilled spirits is 18, 16 for beer and wine, and as low as 14 if accompanied by a parent. Germany’s “beer anytime, anywhere for anyone” atmosphere takes some getting used to for the American visitor.

Speaking of the youthful drinker, Berlin has a variation on the beer cocktail that appeals to the child in the imbiber. Berliner Weisse beer is a wheat beer that is often served with a squirt of syrup to balance out its sourness. Raspberry (himbeersirup) will give the cocktail a purple-pink hue (below) and woodruff (waldmeistersirup) gives the beer a shocking green, medicinal color.

Also on subject of the technicolor cocktail, Absinthe has a profile in Berlin as well. Unfortunately I found this place on a Sunday: it was closed because everything is closed on Sundays in Berlin. For being a cabaret city, a party city, Berlin is unexpectedly conservative on Sundays. I suppose that when your bars and clubs have no closing time, there must be a time established for rest. More on absinthe later; it deserves its own column.

Maybe the misadventure was doomed from the beginning, looking for a cocktail in the garden of bier, but, as always, the fun was in the journey. Besides, who can complain about anything when it is white asparagus season?

Auf wiedersehen!

Article originally published on blogcritics.org

Barbancourt: the Jewel of the Antilles

One of the few success stories coming out of Haiti lately is the perseverance of Barbancourt Rhum in the face of the country’s devastation. At first glance, the survival of a distillery may not be something to cheer about in contrast to the life and death struggles of millions of Haitians, but then again, Barbancourt, a pure sugar cane rum, has always been a source of pride to Haitians, and as such is a source of comfort for Haiti and those who love her.

Before the earthquake, Haitian expatriates and knowing visitors at the Toussaint Louverture Airport in Port-au-Prince would return to the U.S. loaded down with as much Barbancourt as allowable by law and bicep. Barbancourt’s survival is a symbol of survival for all Haitians.

CNN features a longer article on the distillery’s fortunes since the earthquake; Barbancourt figures it lost about a third of its yearly profit, four million dollars, in damages incurred during the 36-second earthquake. Closed for about four months for reconstruction, the distillery is back open. We salute the return of Barbancourt Rhum, one of the world’s best dark rums, with a rum punch.

I’ve had many a rum punch, some I remember, some I don’t, on the porch of the famous Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince. Following the Twitter patter of proprietor, Richard Morse, I’m happy to report the beautiful old hotel survived the earthquake, its wooden structure standing strong in contrast to the poorly reinforced concrete buildings of its neighborhood.

This is a recipe for the Oloffson Punch, lifted from the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails of Boston. They claim to be dismantling the patriarchy... one drink at a time. And I for one support that.

Oloffson's Punch

2 oz Barbancourt dark rum
1 tsp maraschino liqueur
3 oz orange juice
1 1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Serve with straws and garnish with twists of orange and lime.

Maraschino liqueur should not be confused with the juice from Maraschino cherries or other cherry liqueurs. Maraschino liqueur (Stock or Luxardo are two available brands) is made from Marasca cherries, pits and all, which gives the liqueur a clear, dry taste. If you cannot find maraschino liqueur — and a warning, it is hard to find — I suggest substituting a cherry liqueur (Heering is one) and eliminating the simple syrup. Cherry liqueur is sweeter than the maraschino liqueur.

Barbancourt not only makes a quality, consistentely medal-winning rum but it also serves as a model of how a business can be possible in the impossible state of Haiti. Before the earthquake, Barbancourt provided benefits for its employees, paid more than minimum wage, and offered scholarships and soccer fields to the town around its sugar fields. Here's hoping the company can extend that kind of community once again.

Mesi, Barbancourt, it’s good to see you back.

You have a year now to plan your vacation to NYC around the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, which wrapped up last night. The multi-day event in celebration of the cocktail is ever-expanding. It's an event not to be missed in 2011!

Article originally published on blogcritics.org

The Horses, the Horses, the Horses Are on the Track....

The word on the Kentucky Derby, and indeed on the whole summer racing season, is there are no quality horses this year. The economic downturn has greatly affected the thoroughbred industry with tracks and horse farms being put out to “pasture.” Here in New York State, we are facing the possibility of no Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown, the Derby being the first. The New York Racing Association has had to ask a loan from the state which is a month overdue on its own budget, so you can see where this is heading.

Another sign that the gift horse has clearly left the barn, our New York City Off-Track Betting Parlours, the country's biggest betting receiver with an estimated gain of one billion dollars annually, filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy. This is beyond understanding - an operation whose business is to collect losing bets and many of them - goes out of business. But I digress. Weren’t we talking about juleps? Weren't we talking about bourbon?!

There's no lack of quality bourbon around despite the economy. And maybe because of it.

It's the first Saturday in May. It's time for the grand Mint Julep.

This recipe is lifted from Bobby Heugel’s Houston Press Cocktail Blog:

The Mint Julep

2 ounces bourbon

1 bar spoon rich simple syrup (two parts sugar, one part water)

8-10 mint leaves

1 large, pressed mint sprig

In the base of a julep cup, or a smaller glass, gently muddle the mint leaves and simple syrup. Pour bourbon over the mint leaves and syrup and mix thoroughly. Fill the cup with crushed ice and stir briefly. Pile more crushed ice onto the cup, forming a dome above the brim of the cup. Take a mint sprig and press it until it becomes aromatic. Garnish the julep with the sprig.

Notice how Mr. Heugel uses a sweeter-than-usual, simple syrup - a syrup he calls a "rich simple" syrup. It is a two-to-one ratio, sugar to water rather than a typical simple syrup: one cup of sugar completely dissolved in one cup of water. In making the julep, he recommends a moderate bourbon meaning a bourbon not too sweet or "wheated, an example of which he cites is Maker's Mark, or too rich or "rye-heavy" like Wild Turkey. He recommends Buffalo Trace, but I am fond of Tuthilltown's Baby Bourbon with the julep. Drinker's choice: the trick is to have a equilibrium between the mint and sugar with the bourbon.

For a cocktail in the same family, but something a little different, mixologist Bobby Gleason came up with a drink that every trainer, jockey, owner, and exercise rider could use - The Good Luck Charm. An appropriate expert for race day, Mr. Gleason is one of the world’s fastest bartenders. Last year, he broke the Guinness World Record for most cocktails made in an hour. But take your time with sipping this by the rail. You don't want to do a Danny DeVito under the influence of the Limoncello.

Gleason's Good Luck Charm

2 oz. Jim Beam White Label.

1 oz. Limoncello

3 oz. fresh lemon sour

5-6 fresh mint leaves

Shake all ingredients with ice until well blended. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass with an optional sugared rim. Garnish with a lemon wheel. Please note that the little pieces of mint that should be floating around in the cocktail are little bursts of flavor that are considered good luck.

In making the fresh lemon sour, another variation on the simple syrup, I looked to Kathy Casey. Her recipe makes two cups of fresh lemon sour. It simply combines one cup of simple syrup with one cup of fresh lemon juice. Place in a large jar with a tight jar. The lemon sour can be refrigerated up to two weeks or even frozen.

Good luck with the ponies. Good luck to the ponies. Without them, there will be no mint juleps on the first Saturday of May.

Article originally published on blogcritics

Can I Interest You in Some Dessert?

O

nce upon a time, the martini was simple—gin with a wave of dry vermouth. Today’s martinis come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and none of them are simple. Indeed, the only resemblance between the classic drink of Nick and Nora Charles and today’s martinis is the glassware.

And, of course, now we have the dessert martini. Credit for this yummy alcoholic sweet? Perhaps after so many green apple martinis in Jolly Rancher colors, the idea of throwing some chocolate into a martini glass caught on—after all, adding chocolate to anything is usually a good idea. Still, dessert cocktails are nothing new, and the dessert martini did have more than one forebear. There was the 1950s White Russian, with its milk-vodka-Kahlua combination, and before that, the 1920s classic, the Brandy Alexander—brandy, dark crème de cacao, and half-and-half. But brandy was then; vodka is now.

Vodka used to be flavorless, odorless, colorless. How times have changed. Today, there are more than 200 vodkas flooding the liquor market to keep pace with the Technicolor world of the modern cocktail, and there is nothing flavorless about them. Chocolate, espresso, caramel, vanilla, coconut…this resembles the dessert cart rather than a well-polished mahogany bar. But who’s complaining? The Olde Stone Mill (2 Scarsdale Rd, Tuckahoe 914-771-7661) has expanded its drink menu to include many dessert drinks; even the venerable Manhattan has raspberry in it.

There are gender expectations for drinks like these—men usually order the Scotch, women the sweet drinks. At Martinis & Chocolates (425 White Plains Rd, Eastchester 914-361-1182), however, bartender Deanna Mancini occasionally makes sweet martinis like the International-tini (vodka, coffee liqueur, Amaretto, Frangelico, and Bailey’s Irish Cream) for the gentlemen. Regardless of gender, it’s dessert first and martini second.

Originally published in Westchester Magazine.

The Income Tax Cocktail: Some People Call Me Maurice

It's that time of year... when the nation bites its nails, and every sound you hear seems to say: "I owe what?!" April 15th looms, the tax filing deadline approaches, and the only sensible thing to do is drink. Responsibly, of course.

I haven't uncovered exactly why this drink is called The Income Tax Cocktail. I can only assume it is so named because it numbs the pain of filing a return. The Income Tax Cocktail actually began as the Bronx Cocktail, "a sister to the Manhattan," as described in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, because of its call for gin rather than whiskey.

To further complicate the genealogy research, The Bronx Cocktail is basically a Perfect Martini with fresh orange juice, and was at one time a very popular drink. By a Perfect Martini, I mean perfect with a capital "P" — gin with sweet and dry vermouth. In most cases now, if you order a Perfect Martini, a bartender will assume you would like a well-made dry martini. Such are the times.

Back to New York City's northern borough, the Bronx: in 1934, according to some sources, The Bronx Cocktail ranked number three in the world's top ten cocktail list, which just goes to show you how old David Letterman really is.

So if you are keeping score so far, gin with sweet and dry vermouth and freshly squeezed orange juice is the Bronx Cocktail. If you add some bitters, it becomes the Income Tax Cocktail! This recipe is lifted right out of Ted Haigh's most excellent book:

1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
juice of 1/4 of an orange (squeezed right into the shaker)
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange wheel.

This is a very easy cocktail to make at home but not that easy to find out and about. Even if you were to come upon a bartender who knew of what you speak, the chances of fresh oranges, squeezed at the bar, may be slim. But do try it if you find yourself at a haute cocktail lounge.

A note on the great Angostura Bitters stand-off: (Actually it deserves more than a note, probably a whole column, but this will have to suffice — I have to do my taxes.) Earlier this year, there was a worldwide shortage of this certain type of bitters that sent ripples through the bartending world. Due to a rift between the House of Angostura in Trinidad and its bottle supply company, production of Angostura Bitters stopped between November and February. People were frantically trying Fee Brothers aromatic bitters or The Bitter Truth brand bitters from Germany — both worthy alternatives but not the household name we know. Things are back to normal or so I've heard, and that's a good thing for hangover remedies that require ginger ale and Angostura Bitters, but you still might find the singular bottle scarce on some shelves.

Some old bartender guides will name the Income Tax Cocktail as the Maurice. Now the question remains: is it Morris as the British pronounce it or Maurice as Steve Miller deems it? Well, he is the pompitous of love, whatever that may be. My recommendation for how to order? Drop the Income Tax moniker. It brings up too many bad memories. Order a Bronx with Bitters and set a trend in motion.