Cocktails - Total Beverage

THE MAGAZINE OF FINE WINE, SPIRITS, AND LIVING
SUMMER 2013
Cocktails
for a Crowd
Drinks to get the party started
$3.99
­43
A Gin Renaissance
World-Class South African Wines
Cool Companions: Wine with Salad
Welcome
Summer
Moments
E
ven though “summer” may not mean the same carefree three-month vacation
as when we were kids, summer still means more carefree precious moments
in between all the grown-up things in our busy lives: moments for drinks on
the deck, grilling with friends and family, concerts in the park, or a quiet time
between just you and your favorite adult beverage at the end of the day. For all that you
do—or don’t do—this season, we’ve got just the thing for you.
Looking for wine to match food? Summer is the perfect time
to enjoy a cool salad, whether as a side or the main course. And
while it’s often been said that salad is unfriendly to wine, there
are many ways to help your wine and salad play nice—from
more wine-friendly dressings to matching the components.
We’ve been seeing more wine from South Africa lately. Most
wine experts believe that South Africa has the soil, climate, and
winemaking skills needed to produce world-class wines, and
more of it has been showing up on shelves in the United States.
Gin’s unique juniper essence, not to mention a host of other botanicals, makes it a cool
winner for summer cocktails. And now is the best time in a long time to be drinking
gin. Just when every possibility seems to have been exhausted, the imagination takes
this remarkable spirit to new places.
The laid-back attitude of summer also needs easygoing drink options—and that’s
where cocktails for a crowd come in. Whip up a batch of a cool creation—including a
riff on the Arnold Palmer with a vodka kick, raspberry mojitos, sangria, and more—
and have plenty of time to relax with your guests.
We’re all about making it easy for you to enjoy those precious moments this summer. We hope you enjoy this issue, and our knowledgeable staff is here in the store
to answer any questions or recommend a wine for dinner. Thank you for choosing
Westminster Total Beverage!
Here’s to a great summer!
John Fredrickson, Store Manager
“Drinks Are What We Know”
9359 Sheridan Boulevard, Westminster, Colorado 80031 • 303-426-4800
www.totalbev.com
drinks 1
Beer
Twist Hops
You be
the judge:
What to look
for in fruit beer
Fruit beers dance with fresh tastes for summer.
Y
ou’ve probably squeezed
many a lime or lemon slice
into the mouth of a beer bottle—or at least seen others
do it. That little twist of fruit adds a
nice touch to a refreshing brew—especially in summer. If you like the taste of
fruit in beer, trying to squeeze apples,
peaches, cherries, watermelon, and such
into that little opening of a bottle would
be another story. But, luckily many
brewers these days are doing it for you
with a larger selection of fruit beer in a
produce-aisle range of offerings.
2 drinks
www.totalbev.com
Fruit has the potential to balance an
otherwise heavy beer style or add extra
freshness and flavor to the lighter styles.
Fruits have been added to beer for centuries, especially with Belgian lambic
styles, which commonly add cherries
(kriek), peach (peche), and raspberries
(framboise) to the brew, and recently
new variations such as currant (cassis).
Many brewers have gone the Belgian
route to offer some refreshing options.
Some of these are seasonal brews and
others are available year-round. You’ll
find raspberry or peach wheat beer,
blueberry ale, and cherry lager—and
it doesn’t get more summery than a
watermelon wheat beer.
The fruit beer category has been
one of the fastest growing at the Great
American Beer Festival in recent years.
In addition to the tried-and-true you’ll
see blueberry, apple, pear, apricot, and
even banana are being used.
In most of these beers, whole, macerated fruit is added after the initial
fermentation is complete, and a second
fermentation of the fruit sugars begins.
Some breweries may add flavored
extracts to the finished product rather
than ferment with fruit.
Both ales and lagers are made with
fruit and the body, color, hop character,
and strength depend on the type of fruit
used. Like their Belgian counterparts,
American fruit beers tend to be created
from a wheat beer base. Malt flavor is
typically hidden with a low hop bitterness to allow the fruit to come through.
Beer is a natural partner with a great
range of food, and Brie or Camembert go
quite well with fruit beer, as do chicken
and fish. Many have just the right tartsweet blend to help top off a meal alongside pie and other fruit dishes.
Get a whiff of fruit on the nose?
Notice a bubbly gush of fruit on the
palate followed by a tart and dry
finish? What about a malty finish? A
look at following highlights of the Beer
Judge Certification Program style
guidelines for fruit beer will have you
sipping—and talking—like a pro.
Overall Impression: You should find "A
harmonious marriage of fruit and beer.
The key attributes of the underlying
style will be different with the addition
of fruit; do not expect the base beer to
taste the same as the unadulterated
version. Judge the beer based on
the pleasantness and balance of the
resulting combination.”
Aroma: As with all specialty beers,
the aroma should be a harmonious
balance of the featured fruit(s) with
the underlying beer style. The fruit
should add an extra complexity to the
beer, but not be so prominent as to
unbalance the resulting presentation.
Flavor: As with aroma, the distinctive
flavor character associated with the
particular fruit(s) should be noticeable,
and may range in intensity from
subtle to aggressive. The balance of
fruit with the underlying beer is vital,
and the fruit character should not be
so artificial and/or inappropriately
overpowering as to suggest a fruit
juice drink. Hop bitterness, flavor,
malt flavors, alcohol content, and
fermentation byproducts should be
appropriate to the base beer and be
harmonious and balanced with the
distinctive fruit flavors present. Some
tartness may be present if naturally
occurring in the particular fruit(s), but
should not be inappropriately intense.
Fruit generally adds flavor not
sweetness to fruit beers. The sugar
found in fruit is usually fully fermented
and contributes to lighter flavors and a
drier finish than might be expected.
Mouthfeel: Fruit generally tends to thin
out the beer; the resulting beer may
seem lighter than expected for the
declared base style.
Find your “pleasantness and balance”?
FIRST ROUND
[ WHAT’S NEW IN THE WORLD OF WINE & SPIRITS ]
FIRST RoUND
Time for moscato
The popularity of Moscato wine is exploding. In fact, last year it jumped
to the third most-popular white wine varietal in the industry, according
to Nielsen, with sales growing 73 percent in 2012, the largest gain of any
varietal. Capitalizing on the growing popularity of the grape, Skyy Vodka
recently introduced Skyy Infusions Moscato Grape, a vibrant infusion of
the Moscato grapes with the premium vodka.
“Until now there has not been the option to serve Moscato as part of
a premium cocktail other than simply mixing Moscato wine with vodka,”
says Jason Daniel, brand director for Skyy Vodka. “Always pushing the
envelope with trends and innovation, Skyy Vodka is the first to infuse
the Moscato grape directly into premium vodka, combining the two
nightlife favorites and providing cocktail enthusiasts and party goers
with an easy delectable cocktail experience.”
Moscato Thyme
Created by Mixologist Lindsay Nader of
Elysium Craft Cocktail Services in Los Angeles
2 ounces Skyy Infusions
Moscato Grape
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
3 medium watermelon chunks
1 thyme sprig
In a cocktail shaker, muddle
thyme and watermelon. Add
the rest of the ingredients.
Shake and finely strain over ice
in a rocks glass. Garnish with a
thyme sprig.
drinks 5
FIRST ROUND
DEWAR’S
Highlander Honey
With its newest whisky, Dewar's
has set the spirits world abuzz. Earlier this year Dewar's introduced
Dewar's Highlander Honey to the
United States market. This unique
spirit is crafted by infusing handselected Scottish honey with natural flavors into the original Dewar's
White Label blended Scotch whisky.
The honey used to infuse Highlander Honey is harvested near the
Dewar's distillery in Aberfeldy, Scotland. The composition and local approach to the taste of the honey is
terroir driven. Local bees draw their
honey profile from the rugged terrain
of the Scottish Highlands
and the plants that give it
a silky, warm texture. The
infusion of this Scottish
honey reveals a velvety,
mellow character in the
whisky, with influences of
juicy citrus fruits. Dewar's
Highlander Honey is the
first of a range of Highlander products that will
include unique expressions of the blended
whisky infused with natural flavors that will showcase indigenous Scottish
ingredients.
In 1795, Jim Beam’s founding distiller Jacob Beam began the bold tradition of distilling white whiskey. Now,
218 years later the “spirit” of the Beam family legacy
lives on in its newest whiskey: Jacob’s Ghost. “Jacob’s
Ghost represents both our past and future,” says Fred
Noe, Jim Beams seventh-generation master distiller. “It’s
a tribute to my family’s ancestry and our first distiller,
while also showing our chops at innovation by perfecting what Jacob first created into a whiskey that’s unlike
anything out there today.”
It’s not moonshine or un-aged white dog. Jacob’s
Ghost is a clear, aged whiskey made from the same
mash, only it has been rested for at least one year in
white oak barrels, presenting a unique flavor unlike any
other white whiskey. This light-bodied, 80-proof whiskey presents a clean, crisp aroma with light vanilla and
sweet corn undertones. Its taste is also smooth and
sweet, with hints of smoke, and rounded out with soft
barrel notes at the finish.
While Jacob’s Ghost can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or chilled, it
is also a versatile mix for any number of traditional whiskey cocktails.
Or create your own new variations by including it in cocktails that are
typically made with white spirits such as vodka or tequila.
Ghost Cosmo
Created by Bobby “G” Gleason, Beam’s Master Mixologist
2 parts Jacob’s Ghost White Whiskey
1 part John DeKuyper & Sons O3 Liqueur (orange liqueur)
1 part white cranberry juice
1/2 part fresh lime juice
Build all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass, shake
and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lime wheel
or cranberries.
A sparkling summer apÉritif
Italian, light, and sparkling, Prosecco is quickly becoming one of today’s more popular wines, especially
as a refreshing summer apéritif. Named for a geographical identification of the Italian region in which it’s
produced, this dry bubbly wine, produced from Glera grapes, has experienced tremendous growth since
being introduced into the American mainstream in 2000. In June, Voga Italia added Prosecco to its
collection, which includes Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Moscato, Sparkling and Baby Sparkling, and Doce Rosso.
Made primarily in the district of Veneto near the town of Conegliano, Voga’s Prosecco is produced with
an extended Charmat method (in which the secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks)
producing a sparkling wine that is refreshingly balanced with citrusy fruit flavors.
6 drinks
piquantly pleasant
peligroso
the ghost is clear
Bordeaux
Legends
Some wines are held in such high
esteem across the world they
have simply become legend, as
the title of a new book on the
subject can attest: Bordeaux
Legends: The 1855 First Growth
Wines of Haut-Brion, Lafite
Rothschild, Latour, Margaux
and Mouton Rothschild. Written
by noted wine educator and journalist Jane Anson, the book tells
the fascinating 500-year story
of the five renowned Bordeaux
wines known as first growths,
four of which were crowned
in 1855, and the Mouton Rothschild joining them more than a
century later. Anson provides
sweeping historical detail and
revealing anecdotes to reveal
what it means to be a first growth,
what makes the wines so good,
and what these wines mean
to the merchants, dealers, and
wine lovers who enjoy them; no,
revere them. With stunning photography, along with a forward by
Academy Award-winning director
and winery operator Francis Ford
Coppola, Bordeaux Legends examines the complexities of five
wines that are considered among
the best in the world.
This summer, Peligroso Tequila is introducing what it believes to be the world’s first 84 proof cinnamon-flavored
tequila: Peligroso Cinnamon. Infused with 100 percent
cinnamon, along with some secret ingredients, Peligroso
Cinnamon presents a distinct warm and savory flavor profile, with spicy aromas and a light, sweet
heat at the finish. The tequila is made with Weber blue agave, and every batch is taste-tested
to guarantee quality. Each bottle is hand made,
certified, numbered, and produced in Mexico. “We
recognized a demand for something new in our rapidly growing category,” says Keith Ross, Peligroso
Tequila president and CEO. “When we discovered
the complex flavor that resulted as we infused cinnamon with our tequila, we knew we had something
exceptional on our hands.”
savory cilantro
Absolut Vodka has released a new product into its flavor portfolio:
Absolut Cilantro. With a flavor profile that combines an aromatic essence of cilantro with notes of ripe lime, Absolut Cilantro opens the
door to creative mixology this summer.
“Savory ingredients and culinary cocktails are
the top anticipated trends in 2013,” says Maxime
Kouchnir, vice president, Vodkas, Pernod Richard
USA. “The distinct taste and artistic design of Absolut Cilantro are sure to turn heads and inspire
professional and at-home bartenders alike to craft
a whole new level of inspired cocktails this year.”
Inspired by the staple ingredient in Latin cuisine, the
new flavored vodka pairs well with food.
Cilantro Lemonade
1 part Absolut Cilantro
3 parts fresh lemonade
Club soda
Build vodka and lemonade over ice in
a tall glass, and top with club soda.
Garnish with a lemon wedge or wheel.
drinks 7
mixology
summertime
fruit punch
lemonade
Nothing is better than watermelon in
the summertime. Watermelon creates
texture in this summer cocktail; while
the vodka and sparkling lemonade
opens its liquid. Aromas of parsley
lend whispers of summertime scents
as agave nectar and lemons are added
for balance.
11/2 ounces Cîroc Vodka
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce agave nectar
4 chunks of watermelon
5 parsley leaves
Sparkling pink lemonade
Sugar for the rim
Assorted fruits and lemon
twist for garnish
In mixing tin, muddle watermelon,
strawberries, blackberries, and
parsley. Then add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Rim a collins
glass with sugar, then double strain
into the glass and top with sparkling
pink lemonade. Garnish with assorted
fruits and a lemon twist.
8 drinks
Image courtesy of CÎROC, recipe by Top Mixologist Billy Ray
SUmmertime Fruit
punch lemonade
LIQUID ASSETS
Cool down
roller rock glass courtesy of HomeWetBar; drink chillers and wine pearls
courtesy of Uncommon goods; Vinoice courtesy of vinoice;
Keep your drinks chilled this summer,
without watering them down.
Roller Rock Glass, ice ball whiskey glass with mold, $21,
www.greatgiftsformen.com; Drink Chillers (set of 2),
stone cold drop-ins and drink rests, $44,
www.uncommongoods.com; VinOice, stainless steel
wine bottle chill rod with pour spout, $28,
www.corkpops.com; Wine Pearls, stainless steel
wine chillers, $25, www.uncommongoods.com.
drinks 9
Crowd
Pleasers
By Kara newman
Popular Drinks in Party-Sized Batches
Nothing gets the party started like a delicious cocktail. In her new
book, Cocktails for a Crowd, mixologist Kara Newman provides
tips for making great drinks in large batches so you don’t have to
spend the entire evening behind the bar.
Tipsy Palmer
Serves 16 to 18
A riff on the classic Arnold Palmer, this recipe is courtesy of
Stephen Savage, general manager and beverage director at New
York City’s Tipsy Parson restaurant. Savage serves this in a glass
Mason jar—the type used for home canning. To serve it to a crowd,
look for a large glass jar with a spigot toward the bottom. For a
while, Ball (a canning jar manufacturer) made one-gallon jars like
this. If you can find a couple of those, they would be ideal.
52 ounces (61/2 cups) hot water
10 orange pekoe tea bags (such as Lipton)
One 1-liter bottle (41/4 cups) sweet tea vodka
(such as Firefly)
16 ounces (2 cups) freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 ounces (1 cup) Mint Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
or Simple Syrup
7 to 8 cups ice cubes
16 to 18 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
16 to 18 lemon wheels, for garnish
In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the tea bags and let
steep for about 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags, pressing
gently to extract the liquid before discarding. Let cool to room
temperature.
Pour the steeped tea into a container that holds at least 6
quarts. Add the vodka, lemon juice, and mint syrup and stir
until thoroughly blended. Add the ice and stir well to chill.
To serve, pour into pint canning jars or similar-size glasses
and garnish each drink with a sprig of mint and a lemon wheel.
Mint Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
8 ounces (1 cup) water
1 bunch fresh mint, separated into sprigs
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook
over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is
dissolved. When the syrup starts to boil, lower the heat to
maintain a simmer. Gently roll the mint between your hands to
release the aromatic oils, then add it to the syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature,
then remove the mint sprigs and strain the syrup if need be.
Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, the syrup will
keep for about 2 weeks.
Raspberry Mojitos
Serves 8
Part of this cocktail can be mixed well
ahead of party time, but add the club
soda and mint leaves just before serving.
That way you’ll have maximum fizz, along
with fresh mint aroma, rather than wilted
herbs at the bottom of the pitcher. For
plain mojitos, omit the raspberries.
8 ounces (1 cup) freshly squeezed
lime juice
1 cup superfine sugar
16 ounces (2 cups) light rum
11/3 cups fresh raspberries
16 ounces (2 cups) club soda
1 bunch fresh mint, separated
into sprigs
4 cups ice cubes
In a pitcher that holds at least 12 cups,
combine the lime juice and sugar and stir
until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rum
and raspberries and stir gently.
Just before serving, pour in the club
soda and stir gently. Gently roll the mint
between your hands to release the aromatic oils, then add it to the pitcher. Add
the ice and stir gently to chill.
To serve, pour into tall glasses, such as
Collins glasses, and offer straws.
Tipsy Palmer
10 drinks
drinks 11
Bobby Burns
Serves 8
Bobby Burns
This drink—perfect for Scotch lovers—is named for the
famed Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote “Auld Lang
Syne.” Since this drink is essentially all spirits (with no juice
or mixers), traditionally it would be stirred rather than
shaken. The method here, for making a bottled version,
deviates from that rule, but it’s effective for serving a large
group. It’s also rather strong!
12 ounces (11/2 cups) Scotch
12 ounces (11/2 cups) sweet vermouth
(such as Carpano Antica)
5 ounces (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) water
2 ounces (1/4 cup) Bénédictine
8 lemon twists for garnish
In a pitcher that holds at least 5 cups, combine the
Scotch, vermouth, water, and Bénédictine and stir
well. Using a funnel, decant into a 1-liter liquor bottle or
two 750-ml liquor bottles. Cap tightly and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours, until chilled.
To serve, set out a bowl or wine bucket filled with
ice. Shake the bottle to ensure the cocktail is well
mixed, then set it in the ice so it stays chilled. Pour
into coupe or martini glasses and garnish each drink
with a lemon twist.
Want more or less? The Scotch and vermouth are
poured in equal parts, with just one-sixth part of
Bénédictine. That formula makes it easy to mix up
the cocktail in any size batch.
Other Scotch variations:
And with a few small variations, you can make a number of other Scotch-based
drinks in party-batch sizes
using similar formulas.
Here are some examples:
Rob Roy: 2 parts Scotch
and 1 part sweet vermouth,
with a couple of dashes
of Angostura bitters per
drink, served on the rocks
in old-fashioned glasses,
garnished with a maraschino cherry.
Rusty Nail: Equal parts
Scotch and Drambuie,
stirred with ice and served
in old-fashioned glasses
(some variations call for
a little more Scotch than
Drambuie).
Loch Ness: 11/2 parts
Scotch, 1 part Pernod, and
1/4 part sweet vermouth,
stirred with ice in oldfashioned glasses.
In the industry, this scaling up
of proportions and mixing drinks
is referred to as “batching.”
photos and recipes from cocktails for a crowd
by Kara newman; Photography by Teri lyn fisher;
Copyright © 2013; published by chronicle books, $18.95.
12 drinks
drinks 13
Southern
Has the time finally come for South African wines?
by Roger Morris
cape town
14 drinks
drinks 15
T
hys Lombard takes a forkful of what he declares
is a typically South African roasted tomato and
pesto tart, then follows it with a sip of Sauvignon
Blanc from a relatively new South African wine producer
of which he is manager, Quoin Rock. Lombard is also a
guest and speaker at this lunch celebrating South Africa
at the annual Mid-Atlantic Food & Wine Festival in
Wilmington, Delaware.
“Our country is becoming known now in the United
States for our Chenin Blanc wines,” Lombard says, “and,
of course, Pinotage–our exclusive wine–for the reds.
It helps consumers if they remember you for one thing,
like Malbec for Argentina. But,” he continues, “I believe
there is a value in diversity in wines just as with the diversity of our people, and I think that we are capable of
making Bordeaux style wines–both red and white–that
are world class.”
While those dual attributes may be a bit of a conundrum when it comes to forging a single South African
brand image, they can also be viewed as good news for this
country that has had more than its share of hurdles for its
wine industry over the past 50 years.
Today, most wine experts believe that South Africa has
the soil, climate, and winemaking skills needed to produce
world-class wines, and that they have been doing so for
several years. After the apartheid system was ended in
that country more than 20 years ago, there was a curiosity
among United States wine lovers to try these wines that
had long been forbidden as a result of world economic
sanctions against importation of South African products.
Unfortunately, the wines that were immediately available
were not always the best wines.
Partly as a result, the growth of South African imports
to the United States has been slow, hovering at under a
million cases annually for the past several years, placing the
country at tenth on America’s “most-wanted wines” list.
By comparison, Italy ships 26 million cases to the United
16 drinks
States each year; Australia ships another 18 million cases.
Even New Zealand and Germany sell three times as much
wine in this country as South Africa.
“We got a bit of a positive hit when we hosted the
2010 World Cup soccer, but then it settled back,” says
Molly Choi of Cape Classics, which has been importing
South African wines for 20 years. “The biggest issue, I
think, is there is not a huge natural association between
Americans and South Africa,” Choi says. “Even Australia
had Crocodile Dundee and all the cute animals, while there
is no similar image of South Africa in the media.” Nor
was there any one large premium producer who could
put muscle behind a marketing campaign.
Yet those who travel to South Africa as tourists or work
in the wine trade certainly come back enchanted by its
beguiling Cape region, where most grapes are grown in
a swatch of land extending near the location where the
Atlantic and Indian oceans meet near Cape Town. In addition to the land’s natural beauty, the region’s climate is
temperate, and there are plenty of new wineries to visit.
But in our rediscovery of South Africa’s bounty, we need
to remember that it is not truly a “New World” wine coun-
drinks 17
try. The first vines were imported from Europe in 1655 and planted in
what was then a Dutch colony. The first wine was produced in 1659.
“Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape
grapes,” Jan van Riebeeck, head of the Dutch East India Company,
wrote in his diary at the time. A century later, a sweet white wine
called Constantia after its place of origin became the rage of Europe.
But as happened throughout Europe, phylloxera (a yellow,
almost microscopic, insect that feeds on grapevine roots and leaves)
destroyed the wine industry in the late 1880s, and the stark reality
of having to start over called for collective action, including forming
wine cooperatives. The most powerful of these was Koöperatiewe
Wijnbouwers Vereeniging van Zuid-Afrika (KWV), which was
formed in 1918. Although KWV was credited at the time with saving the wine industry, it also became known in the days of apartheid
for fostering quantity at the expense of quality, partly through its
stringent quota system.
KWV’s stronghold was ended with the demise of apartheid, and
there was a rush of new, independent producers establishing wineries. As is usually the case in newly opened areas, several European
investors began making wine there as well.
Roy and Dianne Goslin moved to the United States from their
native South Africa in 1998. It was difficult to find “wines that
matched up with the ones we knew there,” says Roy. “Plus there
was no consistent supply.” In 2005 he began importing wines through
his Minnesota-based Z Wines USA and today his business features
22 producers, most of them small family estates.
“Some people think we are an industry lost in the past, but we are
not,” Goslin says. “Our wineries are modern, and we have sustainable
practices.” Best-sellers, he says, include Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon
Blanc, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 2000, Wines of South Africa (WOSA), an independent, nonprofit company representing all exporters of South African wines,
was formed to build “Brand South Africa” internationally. “After 20
years, we really have some amazing wine-making properties,” says
Annette Badenhorst, marketing manager for WOSA in the United
18 drinks
States. “There is a whole new generation of winemakers, many of
whom went to Europe for training.”
Some of the more widely available brands in the U.S. include
Rupert & Rothschild, Glen Carlou, Meerlust, Thelema, Graham
Beck, Groot Constantia, Simonsig, Mulderbosch, Fleur du Cap,
Robertson and Rustenberg.
While the largest and best-known city in South Africa,
Johannesburg, is in the country’s drier interior, both the traditional
and the newer wine areas are located within a region of valleys and
mountains shaped like a geographic boomerang that flanks the coast.
The best known of these areas are Constantia, a small growing area
south of Cape Town on the peninsula whose end forms the Cape of
Good Hope, and Stellenbosch and Paarl, both farther inland east
of the city.
But don’t be surprised to see other places of origin on wine labels,
as many areas that were once considered marginal or simply weren’t
fully explored are producing fine wines. One of them, Swartland, was
once mainly known for grain production and its bulk wines. Even
farther south than Cape Town–the Cape of Good Hope is not the
southernmost point–is Walker Bay on the Indian Ocean. In all, there
are about two dozen specific wine districts. In addition to this plethora
of growing regions, a recent phenomenon has been the appearance of
specific vineyard designations on the labels.
The growing conditions vary according to elevation and distance
from the oceans, but the soils are prime growing terroirs with lots of
granite, sandstone, and shale. Rains are frequent, which permits some
areas to be dry farmed–that is, not irrigated. Winds are frequent and
are somewhat of a double-edged sword. In the spring they can hinder
fruit set, but during the wetter season they can dry out the vines before
damaging mildew catches hold.
Not surprisingly, most of the important European grape varieties grow well here, including the Bordeaux varieties–Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc–Syrah from the Rhône
Valley and Chardonnay from Burgundy. But it’s a Loire variety–
Chenin Blanc, which is called Steen here–that is the most popular
South Africa has the soil, climate,
and winemaking skills needed to
produce world-class wines
and the country’s hope to penetrate the American white wine-bythe-glass market. Although once grown widely in the Napa Valley,
most Americans today know the variety, if at all, as the grape that
produces the French Vouvray wine.
“It’s been a struggle, but someday I want people to order a glass of
Chenin Blanc at a wine bar the way they do Pinot Grigio, without
even asking for a brand,” Choi says. “I tell them Chenin Blanc is like
Pinot Grigio with spice and a hula skirt.”
The one red variety that is native to South Africa is Pinotage, which
has an interesting history. After phylloxera temporarily wiped out
the traditional varieties, in 1925 Professor Abraham Perold crosspollinated Pinot Noir with a workhorse variety from the South of
France called Cinsaut (or Cinsault) to make a new grape, Pinotage.
As Cinsaut is known on the Cape as Hermitage, Pinotage became
the combined name.
Unfortunately, Pinotage wines are not always easy to produce or
even easy to love. “It’s a very polarizing wine, as is Zinfandel,” Choi
says. “It’s not easy to make well, and even when it’s made well, people
don’t always like it when they first try it. And so they decide they
don’t like South African wines.” As a result, Pinotage is not always
cape town
the first wine to be poured at promotions for South African wines.
In some ways, apartheid was the political equivalent of phylloxera
for the South African wine industry. Not only did it cut off international markets, it also stifled quality operations within the country.
But often disasters have the positive effect of clearing the field for a
renaissance in production. There can be a new start.
“We’ve had amazing success with our sustainability programs at
the wineries,” Badenhorst points out. Indeed, its groundbreaking
Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) was initiated in 2004 to incorporate biodiversity best practices into the wine industry. By 2008 it
had reached its goal of conserving the footprint of 104,511 hectares
(258,143 acres) of vines or roughly all vineyard land within the Cape
wine area.
Cape Town is also part of the international Great Wine Capitals
network that promotes, among other goals, wine tourism and business cooperation between its members. Other members include San
Francisco, Bordeaux city, Florence, Porto, Christchurch, Bilbao,
Mendoza, and Mainz.
So there is good reason to believe that finally the stars may be properly aligning for South African wines to finally become better known
and better accepted among American wine consumers. And, as Quoin
Rock’s Lombard reminds us, “Diversity can be a strong point.”
Roger Morris writes about wine, food, lifestyles, art and culture, and travel for about 20 publications and travels several
times a year to wine regions worldwide. His newest book, The Brandywine Book of the Seasons, is about the culinary terroir
of the Brandywine region and was published in September 2012. He lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with his artist wife,
Ella Morris, and their five yard cats.
drinks 19
Dr. Cocktail
Spirited Infusions to Stimulate the Mind and Body
Want to relieve stress, boost energy, or
just make an amazing drink? So asks
organic chemist and master mixologist
Alex Ott in his new book Dr. Cocktail.
Dubbed the “sorcerer of shaken and
stirred” by The New York Times, Ott
shows how a combination of ingredients
can make you hungry, relax you, prevent
a hangover, hold back aging, wake you up,
enhance your libido, and even bring back
long-lost memories.
by Alex Ott
The Upper
Todos Santos
Serves 1
My friends Jorge Vergara and Angelica Fuentes had
an amazing wedding celebration in India and Mexico
a few years ago and they hired me to concoct some
special drinks for the beach party. After consuming all
the champagne at the beginning of the soiree, people
started to crash a bit even though the night was still
young. I prepared a special drink that could satisfy
people’s food craving and pick them up to get the party
going again. It did the trick! When I go out in New York
(or any other city), I choose this drink, the ingredients of
which are stocked in the kitchens of most restaurants.
Sprig of cilantro
11/2 ounces Fidencio Mezcal
(or Don Julio Blanco Rum)
3 ounces pineapple juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 Thai chili pepper (or jalapeño)
2 pinches of cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground ginger
Place the cilantro sprig in a cocktail shaker. Muddle
until you detect the cilantro scent and see a few
green drops of cilantro juice. This will give the
cocktail a light green color.
Add all remaining ingredients, plus ice, to the
shaker. Shake vigorously for about 8 seconds and
strain the mix over ice in a rocks glass. You will notice
a white froth on top of your potion. If there’s no froth,
put it back in the shaker and shake longer.
Pineapple juice is responsible for the froth. When
shaken hard it gives cocktails great texture.
Active Ingredient:
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is
our upper. It contains a
powerful phyto-chemical
called capsaicin. Capsaicin stimulates the body
without the threatening
side effects of increased
heart rate and high
blood pressure caused
by most “upper” drugs.
Capsaicin enhances
cardiovascular function
and boosts circulation,
making it a very strong
stimulant. Cayenne
pepper also contains
magnesium, one of the
body’s nutrients that
are lost during alcohol
consumption.
Garnish: Chili Pepper Rim
In the middle of a saucer pour 1/2 teaspoon of honey.
Around it, pour a handful of crushed chili pepper in
a circular motion so it resembles a 1/4-inch high ring.
Next, dip the rim of the glass into the honey and
rotate it to cover the entire rim. After an even honey
rim is achieved, dip the glass rim into the crushed
pepper ring and gently shake off the loose pieces.
20 drinks
drinks 21
The Magic Tincture
The Little Death
Serves 1
I designed this shot years ago after returning from Mexico
for the first time. As you have probably experienced after
coming back from vacation and enjoying a special beach
cocktail, it never tastes quite as good when you try to
recreate it at home. Why, you ask? Well, obviously the
atmosphere is more pleasant on vacation, but your palate is also more excited and stimulated when you are in
a foreign country and you are more open to new things.
This libation is designed to give you an experience of rare
flavor combinations.
Most people take tequila in a margarita or as a shot.
What’s in a margarita? Tequila mixed with orange liquor
and some lime juice. At most average bars, chances
are the margarita is made with triple sec, an artificially
orange-flavored, high-fructose corn syrup mixture with
alcohol, and sour mix, which in most cases consists of
artificial lemon/lime-flavored high-fructose corn syrup. No
wonder people end up having some stomach problems
and weight gain. Meanwhile, tequila shots are mostly
served with salt and lime, which closes your palate and
gives us a sour face. Neither method highlights the undertones and nuances of this wonderful spirit made from the
pineapple (piña) of the blue agave plant. If you’ve had bad
experiences with tequila in the past, the following recipe
will change your mind. You can use almost any variety of
tequila for this drink, but it works particularly great with
aged tequilas, the so-called añejos.
11/2 ounces tequila
1 orange
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pour the tequila into a shot glass and set it aside while
you prepare the chaser. First, cut off the end of the
orange and then cut a 3/4-inch-thick slice. Lay the slice
flat on a cutting board and cut the skin off to create a
perfect square with 90 degree angles. One square can
provide up to 4 chasers. If there are two doing a shot,
cut the square diagonally into two triangle-shaped orange chasers. Using your index finger and thumb pick up
a small amount of ground cinnamon and place a mound
on top of each chaser. Take your shot of tequila and
follow with the chaser.
22 drinks
Active Ingredient:
Tequila and Cinnamon
The potent active ingredient
in this is alcohol. Yes, that’s
it! Now, don’t tell your friends
that you’ve finally found
the magic potion. It is true
that alcohol works as a very
strong aphrodisiac since it is
a central nervous depressant.
It can relieve stress, muscle
tension, and pain; hence, the
cool cowboy drinking a swig
of whiskey before removing
the bullet. Its euphoric effects
combined with the decrease in
social inhibitions provided by
alcohol works as a very effective sexual stimulant indeed.
In men, alcohol consumption accelerates testosterone
production, making it a potent
aphrodisiac. In women, alcohol
increases their levels of the
hormone estradiol, the most
potent of all estrogen steroids,
leading to an overall interest
in sex. One might say that
this would be enough and
let’s wrap it up, but chemistry
is a wonderful thing, and the
plethora of feelings that phyto
chemicals evoke has to be fully
experienced.
Cinnamon increases sex drive
gradually. It allows more blood
flow to the genitals, because it
lowers blood sugar, resulting in
longer and better sex.
drinks 23
The Fountain of Youth
Aloe Mate
Serves 1
Grow an aloe plant in your room. You will thank me for it.
When you have a cut, slice off a piece and apply the gel
directly to your skin. Whether you have dermatitis, burns,
or cuts, aloe is the best catalyst for healing. This aloe
drink, which I invented for my mother, is insanely healthy
and one of my strongest anti-inflammatory potions. It has
an affect on both your insides and the outside—as in your
skin, the body’s largest organ.
10 red grapes
3 ounces aloe juice
2 ounces lychee juice (or pineapple juice)
1 ounce Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio
Splash of fresh lemon juice
Place the grapes in a shaker glass and muddle until they
are completely mashed. Add the remaining ingredients,
with plenty of ice, and shake hard for about 8 seconds.
Pour the entire contents into a wine glass.
Garnish: Aloe or Lychee
There are great garnish options for this potion. We can
either take a piece of aloe and put it on the rim or try to
find a rambutan, which is a type of lychee fruit. It looks
like a gremlin that has been fed after midnight. It is a
light gelatinous fruit with a nut inside which is encased
in a dark red shell covered with inch-long tentacle-like
hairs. When you slice the shell halfway open it exposes
the fruit. Squeeze the fruit on the rim of a glass.
photos and recipes from dr. cocktail
by Alex Ott; Photography by Evan
Sung; Copyright © 2012; published
by Running Press, a member of the
Perseus Book Group, $17.
24 drinks
Active Ingredient:
Aloe and Grape
Aloe has been used for more
than three thousand years as
a cosmetic and in medicine.
Best known for its cooling
effect, aloe makes the skin
feel renewed. It heels sunburn
and fights against acne. Aloe
also works internally when
ingested because its trace
minerals, vitamin A, and beta
carotene give it anti-aging
properties. It protects the
body from inflammation,
promotes bone growth, and
even helps against allergies.
Aloe juice contains amino
acids that the body needs.
Regular consumption of aloe
juice helps keep the intestines healthy because of its
antimicrobial and pain-killing
properties. Because pure
aloe juice tends to have a bitter aftertaste, I suggest you
sweeten it with honey.
Grapes, of course, are a
great base for alcoholic
beverages and fermented
juices, but they also contain a
wonderful polyphenol called
resveratrol. This is a
substance that blueberries
and grapes produce as a
natural defense against cold
temperatures and stress. It
also has anti-aging properties but most amazing of all,
resveratrol has been proven
to prevent cancer.
drinks 25
drinks 27
by Mary subialka
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy salad—and with a glass of wine.
From choosing a wine-friendly dressing to making a match with
the ingredients, there are many pairing options for this food often
considered unfriendly to wine.
This Pear, Stilton, and Bacon Salad
with Honey Glazed Pecans could
find a friend in off-dry Riesling or
Gewürztraminer with its cheese
and fruit components, or perhaps
Beaujolais or Pinot Noir for the
savory bacon element.
(Recipe page 29.)
Companions
cool
Find a Balance
As with all food and wine pairing, the key is to balance tastes
and intensity of flavor, whether your salad is composed of mixed
greens, roasted vegetables, or pasta. An acidic wine’s sourness can
be negated by the salad’s sourness, leading to a pleasant match.
Acidic wines such as dry German Riesling or Vinho Verde are
good options to balance with the salad dressing.
To diminish the acidity in dressing and make it more compatible with wine, you may want to forego red wine vinegar in favor
of more mellow options such as balsamic or rice wine vinegar. You
can also try a fruit juice such as lemon, lime, orange, cranberry,
or apple cider in lieu of vinegar. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio,
and Pinot Noir can then make pleasing pairings with the salad.
Or, solve the acidic salad dressing versus wine-friendly conundrum by adding honey to your vinegar-based dressing, suggests
cookbook author Marie Simmons. “Honey will neutralize the
acidity—without making the dressing sweet—making it compatible with a glass of wine. For an especially wine-friendly salad
dressing use a distinctive tasting wildflower honey with hints of
fennel, or a heady aromatic rosemary or thyme honey.”
Pick a Partner
Other ingredients in a salad can also make it more wine-friendly. Herbs in the dressing, for example, can help the salad pair
with Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. Even
28 drinks
those croutons can form an alliance with slightly oaky wines.
Greek kalamata olives can complement full-flavored fruity
wines such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
And cheese, the classic wine pal, can help boost the friendly
factor, too. Blue cheese crumbled into your salad can team up
successfully with slightly sweet off-dry Riesling, while toasty
and buttery Parmesan or Asiago can match nicely with barrelfermented Chardonnay.
The meat or fish components of a salad can affect the pairing
selection as well. Salmon may help it pair well with a lighter
unoaked Chardonnay, and turkey complements a light white
like Sauvignon Blanc or red such as Beaujolais. Even a peppery
Zinfandel can make an agreeable match when grilled steak is
added to the mix.
Other types of salads can find wine friends as well. The classic
Caesar needs a juice that can work with its garlic and saltiness
without overshadowing the Romaine. Sauvignon Blanc’s acidity
can counteract the garlic while its herbal quality matches the
greens. Gewürztraminer can also pair well with Caesar. Chicken
pasta salad in a mayonnaise-based sauce can find a friendly match
with a rosé. Lively Sémillon can cut through the richness of a
smoked salmon pasta dish and provide an interesting counter
point. And if a fruit salad is either the main dish or on the dessert
menu, Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, or
Gewürztraminer can top off the meal.
Those croutons atop salad can help
form a friendship with oaky wines.
Blue cheese crumbled into salad
makes a match with off-dry Riesling.
Pair a Pino Noir with a
fruit-based dressing.
To trim the fat in dressing,
substitute honey, which also
helps it pair with wine.
Kalamata olives in the mix? Uncork
a Chardonnay, Cabernet, or Merlot.
To dial down the aciditiy in dressing, try
balsamic or rice wine vinegar.
Savignon Blanc can stand up to
that garlicy Caesar salad.
Salmon on your salad?
Try an unoaked Chardonnay.
Fruit juices blended in dressing can
make it more compatible with wine.
Top salad with grilled steak and it can
find a friend in a peppery Zinfandel.
Acidic whites, such as dry German
Riesling or Vinho Verde, help
make a match with dressing.
O
n a hot summer day, salads may not just be the opening act for lunch or dinner but can take center
stage. While it’s often been said that salad is unfriendly to wine, the cool cucumbers, crisp lettuce,
and tangy tomatoes aren’t the ones picking a fight. The main reason the pair has been considered
“unfriendly” is due to the dressing, which can be highly acidic and fight with wine, making it taste dull
and flat rather than bright and crisp. But if you want to find the right companion for the cool star of your
meal, there are many ways to help your wine and salad play nice.
Pear, Stilton, and Bacon salad with Honey Glazed Pecans
Serves 4
I discovered years ago when writing a healthy cooking column that an easy way to cut the fat in salad dressing was
to substitute honey for the oil. As much as I love olive oil there are times when it might not be totally necessary for the
overall balance in a dish, especially when it has other ingredients that lend that fatty mouthfeel. In this salad, that is
provided by the Stilton cheese and crumbled bacon. The dressing is simply a mixture of red wine vinegar and honey
whisked with a bit of coarse salt. (The honey also softens the bite of the vinegar, making it more compatible with wine.)
It is necessary to “build” this salad on a platter, carefully arranging the ingredients, so they retain their integrity.
Note: Walnuts or another nut can be used in place of the pecans, if desired.
—Marie Simmons
Honey Glazed Pecans
1/2 cup broken pecans
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large or 2 small ripe Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc pears,
quartered, cored and cut into 1/4 inch thick wedges
4 cups torn mixed salad greens
2 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
4 ounces Stilton, cut into small cubes or crumbled
(about 1 cup)
1. To make the honey glazed pecans, tear off a 10 inch long sheet of aluminum foil. Place the
nuts in a small skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring, until hot. Decrease the heat to low
and drizzle with the honey. Cook, stirring, adjusting the heat as needed, to boil the honey. Cook
for 2 to 3 minutes, until the honey has coated the nuts and they begin to caramelize. Spread the
hot pecans on the foil. Sprinkle with salt and a grinding of black pepper. Set aside to cool.
2. To make the dressing, whisk the honey, vinegar and salt in a large bowl until well blended.
3. Place the sliced pear in a separate bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Reserve the
remaining dressing for the greens.
4. Add the salad greens to the large bowl with the remaining dressing and toss to coat. Spread the
dressed salad greens on a serving platter or in a large shallow bowl. Top with the crumbled bacon and the
Stilton. Arrange the pears around the edges and pour any dressing left in the bowl over the top of
the salad. Break the pecans into pieces and use to garnish the salad.
Adapted from Taste of Honey by Marie Simmons (Andrews McMeel 2013); salad image by Meg Smith.
drinks 29
A Gin
Excerpt from The Book of Gin
by Richard Barnett
30 drinks
Renaissance
The imagination of drinkers and the currents of
culture take this remarkable spirit to new places.
drinks 31
Strange as it may seem to say it, now is the best time in the last five centuries to be
drinking gin. Cocktails and cocktail culture are back in fashion, and a new generation
of mixologists is creating fresh twists on established favorites.
Older brands like Tanqueray and Plymouth have been revitalized, and newer distillers like Sipsmith’s and G’Vine are
making original and rewarding contributions to the market.
Open-minded drinkers can taste small-batch boutique gins
flavored with almost any botanical under the sun; independent thinkers can please their own palates with blending
kits; and those with more retro tastes can find recreations
of seventeenth-century Dutch genever and Victorian Old
Tom. This is a high time for gin and its drinkers, and we’ll
explore the factors which have fired this gin renaissance, and
take a tour through the still-rooms and laboratories of some
leading contemporary gin distillers.
The roots of the gin renaissance lie in the late Eighties,
as the U.S. drinks industry sought to arrest and reverse the
decline of spirit-drinking in the face of the health boom.
By 1988 distilling conglomerates spent more than eight
hundred million dollars per year on advertising, and were
diverting similarly large amounts into sports and arts sponsorship. In doing so, they hoped to restore the status of gin
and other spirits as aspirational consumables, the accoutrements of a stylish and cosmopolitan lifestyle. 1988 also saw
the appearance of Bombay Sapphire—the first new premium gin for decades. Created by Michel Roux of Carrilon
Importers, who was also responsible for another triumph of
lifestyle marketing with Absolut vodka, Bombay Sapphire
provided the model for dozens of subsequent boutique gins.
Recognizing that even the leading premium brands had lost
much of their individuality, Roux emphasized the quality,
character, and heritage of Bombay Sapphire. Made to a 1761
recipe in a nineteenth-century carterhead still, using Welsh
mountain spring water, and sold in an elegant blue glass
bottle, this was about as far from industrial mass-production
as a mainstream distiller could get.
In the same year attentive pop-culture observers might
have noticed the first stirrings of a cocktail revival, in the
shape of James Bridges’ film Bright Lights, Big City. Bright
Lights, Big City was hardly a recommendation of the virtues of gin-drinking, but it introduced many young filmgoers to the edgy, atmospheric potential of urban bars and
32 drinks
clubs. Building on this, the “Cocktail Nation” movement
of the early Nineties was yin to grunge’s yang, with bands
like Royal Crown Revue, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and
the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies paying affectionate tribute to
cocktail culture, lounge music, and swing dancing. Teens
and twentysomethings could be seen in Hawaiian shirts,
golf caps, and even the occasional zoot suit, and cocktails—
especially the martini—were back on the menu.
Cocktail Nation achieved a kind of apotheosis in another film—Swingers, released in 1996. Set amongst aspiring
actors living on the unfashionable east side of Hollywood,
Swingers starred John Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Heather
Graham, and its soundtrack featured swing classics and new
tracks by some of the leading Cocktail Nation bands. Partly
through the influence of Cocktail Nation and films like
Swingers, the Martini moved back into mainstream culture
through the Nineties—a shift marked by the appearance
of many new-tinis, from the Appletini to the Tartini and
even the Espressotini.
This fascination with all things Martini was given an
appropriately postmodern twist in Peter Moody’s “docudramedy” Olive or Twist, released in 2004. Paul Arensburg,
a Los Angeles barman, plays Nick Martini, a cycle courier,
who must take on the identity of a film noir detective in
order to understand the history and meaning of the Martini
(and also capture the heart of a beautiful and mysterious
woman). His adventures are interspersed with footage of
interviews with scholars, bartenders, and Martini enthusiasts, who extol the virtues of the drink. And fifteen years
after Swingers, the trend shows no sign of abating. In the
acclaimed TV drama Mad Men, which has gone through
[six] series since 2007, Don Draper and his stable of advertising executives lubricate their wheeler-dealing and womanizing with defiantly un-PC cigarettes and Martinis.
But as the success of Bombay Sapphire suggests, the gin
renaissance has not just been a matter of changing perceptions. Over the last twenty years many distillers have
returned to an older, artisanal style of distilling, one which
emphasizes quality over quantity, to create a wide and
idiosyncratic range of gins. The Coffey still, the Victorian
innovation which permitted large-scale continuous distillation, has lost ground, as has the practice of “cold compounding”—mixing neutral spirit with essential oils to side-step
the need for expensive rectification. Indeed, for distillers
who wish to meet the exacting standards of the European
Union’s Protected Geographical Indication status, now
awarded to London dry gin and Plymouth gin, pot-still
rectification is a necessity. Once dismissed as the preserve of
pre-industrial amateurs, this technique has become the heart
of premium gin production, and many brands are proud to
tell consumers that their gins are made in eighteenth- or
nineteenth-century stills. The “Old Tom” still at Gordon’s
has been in use for more than two hundred years, and at
Plymouth’s Blackfriars distillery, a 155-year-old still remains
in regular use. A single run usually takes seven hours or so,
with the master distiller in constant attendance so that he
or she can decide when to take the desirable “middle cut.”
As distillers have taken a new interest in older techniques
of distillation, so they have begun to pay closer attention
to the mix of botanicals. More than a hundred are in use
across the industry, though most gins contain no more
than seven or eight. Juniper—these days often grown in
the Balkan states—still predominates, but a modern premium gin might also contain Russian angelica root, Italian
almonds, French orris root, Moroccan coriander, West
African grains of paradise, or Javanese cubebs. Gordon’s,
Tanqueray, and Booth’s add the botanicals to the spirit in the
still, while Beefeater allows them to infuse in cold spirit for
twenty-four hours before heating, and in the production of
Bombay Sapphire, the botanicals are held in copper baskets
in the neck of the still. Many distillers also produce specialist
or seasonal gins with rare and exotic botanicals. In recent
years Gordon’s has added a Distiller’s Cut with lemongrass
and ginger, and at Greenall’s, Joanne Moore, the industry’s
first female distiller, supervises the production of Berkeley
Square gin, inspired by the plants grown in medieval herb
gardens, and BLOOM, a floral gin scented with honeysuckle. Tanqueray, meanwhile, has created a gin flavored
with Rangpur limes, and Beefeater makes a limited edition
winter gin, infused with warm, spicy botanicals.
Many leading British gin producers have enjoyed a new
lease on life as a result of the gin renaissance. In 1996, for example, four investors bought the failing Plymouth distillery, and
have since worked to restore its status and regain the patronage
of the Royal Navy. But the most vibrant strand in contemporary gin production is the work of small-batch distillers, each
making their own distinctive boutique gins. This movement
first took off in the U.S., where the number of craft distilleries
leapt from five in 1990 to almost a hundred by the end of the
Dirty Martini
21/2 shots London dry gin
1/2 shot brine from cocktail olives
1/8 shot extra dry vermouth
Shake ingredients with ice and strain
into glass. Garnish with an olive.
Dry Martini
1/2 shot extra dry vermouth
4 drops orange bitters
21/2 shots London dry gin
Stir vermouth with ice in a mixing glass
and strain to discard excess vermouth,
leaving only a coating on the ice. Pour
gin into mixing glass containing coated
ice, stir and strain into a chilled glass.
Garnish with an olive on a cocktail
stick or lemon twist.
Gin Fizz
2 shots London dry gin
1 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 shot sugar syrup
1/2 shot egg white
Soda water
Shake first four ingredients with ice
and strain into an ice-filled glass. Top
up with soda water and stir. Garnish
with lemon and mint leaves.
Claridge
11/2 shots London dry gin
11/2 shots extra dry vermouth
3/4 shot Cointreau or triple sec
3/4 shot apricot brandy
Shake ingredients with ice and strain
into a martini glass. Garnish with a
lemon peel twist.
drinks 33
gimlet
2 shots London dry gin
2 shots lime cordial
1/2 shot chilled water (optional)
Stir ingredients with ice and strain
into glass. Garnish with a lime wedge
or a cherry.
French 75
3/4 shot London dry gin
1/2 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 shot sugar syrup
Champagne
Shake first three ingredients with ice
and strain into a flute, then top with
Champagne and lightly stir. Garnish by
immersing a cherry into the glass.
Tom collins
2 shots London dry gin
1 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 shot sugar syrup
Soda water
Shake first three ingredients with ice
and strain into ice-filled glass. Top
with soda. Garnish with a lemon slice.
Bramble
2 shots London dry gin
11/2 shots freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 shot sugar syrup
1/2 shot crème de mûre
Fill a glass with crushed ice, add gin, lemon
juice and sugar syrup and stir. Top with
more crushed ice. Then lace drink with
crème de mûre by slowly pouring over
fresh ice. The mûre should make a pleasing “bleeding” effect in the glass. Serve
immediately. Garnish with blackberries
and a lemon slice.
34 drinks
century, and in the last decade many have been established
in Britain, with a cluster of leading lights in London. In the
front room of his house in Highgate, Ian Hart, a former city
trader, uses a low-temperature vacuum still to produce twelve
single-botanical spirits, which he then blends to create Sacred
gin. And close to the River Thames at Hammersmith, Sam
Galsworthy, Fairfax Hall, and master distiller Jared Brown
have established the Sipsmith distillery, based around the first
brand-new copper pot still to be installed in a London distillery
in more than two hundred years.
Bucking the trend for light London dry gins, Christian
Jensen has made a splash with his Bermondsey gin, based
on heavier, sweeter Thirties models, and Christopher
Hayman—a scion of the Burroughs family, who founded
Beefeater—produces a classic London dry gin, an Old
Tom, and a sweet, aromatic Gin Liqueur. Further afield,
the Blackwoods distillery in Catfirth on the Shetland Islands
uses botanicals from local meadows and dunes to create a
fresh and distinctive gin. Another Scottish firm, William
Grant & Sons, historically more famous for their whiskies,
makes Hendrick’s—one of the most successful new gins of
the last decade, flavored with cucumber and rose and sold in
a black, apothecary-style bottle. At the Langley distillery near
Birmingham, the hotel magnate and publisher Martin Miller
has developed a London dry gin which is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest premium spirits in the world,
and across the Channel Jean Sébastien Robicquet and Bruno
de Reilhac have broken all the rules of gin with G’Vine, a
grape spirit flavored with the flowers of the green vine.
The history of gin has always reflected the tensions
between ethics and aesthetics, culture and politics, local tastes
and global events. Having survived the gin craze and
Prohibition, gin can surely survive anything, and perhaps
the only thing of which we can be certain is that its meaning
and status will continue to change, no doubt for better and
for worse. Just when every possibility seems to have been
exhausted, the imagination of drinkers and the currents of
history and culture will once again take this remarkable
spirit to new and remarkable places.
Excerpt from the book of
gin by richard Barnett;
Copyright © 2012; published
by Grove/Atlantic, Inc., $24.
Wine Talk
Punch of Flavor
Fresh fruit and wine make a happy marriage in sangria.
Wine: The classic sangria is made
with red wine. There is no “right”
choice—but it’s not the time to crack
open your best bottle from the cellar
or use the least expensive, either. Start
with something you would normally
enjoy drinking. (For a heavy red wine
sangria with strawberries, black cherries, raspberries, and Grand Marnier
you might start with a rich Cabernet; for
a lighter white option, the base may be
Riesling or Asti Spumanti with peaches
and ginger ale.)
S
angria recipes vary widely but
the key elements—a wine you
enjoy, your favorite fruits, a
touch of sugar, a bit of liqueur,
and finish of fizz—is all you need. From
there, it’s up to you how you mix it up.
This wine punch may have a Spanish
name, but people had been making red
wine punches throughout Europe for
hundreds of years. A version called
Claret Cup was a staple at parties in
many social circles (this consisted of
red wine, lemon, sugar, and carbonated
water). Americans reportedly didn’t
get a good taste of sangria until it was
introduced at the 1964 World’s Fair in
New York City.
Since then, this cold, fruity creation
has become a popular summer party
staple. Not only is it a refreshing drink
but it’s a great make-ahead option to
get you out from behind the bar and
socializing with your guests. Although
we think of sangria as a light red wine
drink, sangria blanca is made with white
or sparkling wine.
Following are the elements needed to
whip up your perfect pitcher:
Red: Cabernet, Merlot, Rioja,
Zinfandel, Shiraz
White: Riesling, Pinot Grigio,
Moscato, Chardonnay, Albariño,
Chablis, Gewürztraminer
Fruit: Juice from lemons, limes, and
oranges creates a bright flavor base, then
mix it up with whatever fruit you enjoy.
Try: apple, pear, peach, melon,
pineapple, grape, kiwi, mango,
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
Sweetener: Use: honey, sugar,
syrup, or orange juice or lemonade.
Liquor/Liqueur: A few shots
of brandy or a fruit-based liqueur adds
depth to the flavor and a bit of "punch."
Try: brandy, rum, vodka, Cointreau, Grand
Marnier, Triple Sec, Peach Schnapps or
the many other flavored liqueurs
Fizz: Add just before serving.
Try: seltzer, lemon-lime soda, ginger ale,
or tonic water
Though sangria has become a summer
staple, it can be enjoyed throughout the
year with seasonal versions incorporating apple or pear for fall with a touch
of cinnamon, or cranberries and spices
for winter, for example. Once you know
what you like, you can play with sangria
mixes, adding in liqueurs and sodas to
make personalized creations. Sangria
is best served chilled—in sturdy glasses
rather than delicate stemware—and
it goes well with a wide range of food
including Manchego cheese, shrimp,
meatballs, and more. (It’s best to drink
it within a day or two of making.)
Classic Sangria
Makes 6 servings
1 (750ml) bottle red wine
(Cabernet, Merlot, Rioja
from Spain, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 orange, sliced into wedges
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
1 lime, sliced into wedges
2 ounces (B⁄e cup) brandy, triple
sec, or other liquor/liqueur
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups ginger ale, club soda,
seltzer, or tonic
Pour wine into a pitcher or large bowl
and squeeze the juice wedges from the
orange, lemon, and lime into the wine.
Add brandy or other liquor/liqueur. Toss
in fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if
possible) and add sugar. (Add soft fruit
such as raspberries and strawberries
just before serving for best results.)
Chill for several hours or overnight so
the fruit flavors meld. (If you’d like to
serve right away, make with chilled
wine and serve over lots of ice.)
Add chilled ginger ale, club soda, or
tonic just before serving.
Variations/Add-Ins: 1 pinch
cinnamon; B⁄d cup orange juice, rum, gin
or vodka in place of brandy or liqueur,
B⁄d cup frozen lemonade concentrate
For White Sangria: Follow classic
recipe, using 1 (750 ml) bottle white
wine and various fruit as desired.
www.totalbev.com
drinks 35
Staff Picks
Looking for a
recommendation?
W
elcome to the wine department. It’s a glorious place. Every week we
sort through a plethora of wine; swirling, sniffing, staring, tasting,
sloshing, spitting, and occasionally announcing “I’m not spitting this
one!” We forage wine periodicals and the Internet for points and scores
and stars and glasses and reviews, seeking out the most innovative newcomers, age old
icons, and off-the-beaten-path perennials. We toil with cases, stacks, pallets, and piles
in order to find a home on the shelves for that newest arrival,
so that you, our gentle customer, may perhaps discover a new
wine, or grape, or corner of the world that may, hopefully, find
a place in your home and then maybe your heart. And when
you hold a full glass of wine in your hand and pronounce
“this is my new favorite,” we sigh, and smile, and know, for
today, our job is done.
If you are looking for a suggestion, by all means, find
a member of our wine staff and just ask us. We’ll be
happy to help you adopt a new friend that will be
just right for you. But if you are shy, or in a hurry, or nervous because of
our good looks, we have come up with just the thing for you; our new
Staff Picks section. You’ll find it next to the Australian wines, just in
front of register number eight. Our wine staff will be rotating our personal favorites regularly, showing you what we’re individually excited
about. We hope this new section will help you find some new favorites,
and make some discoveries of your own.
Cheers!
Don Ryan, Assistant Wine Manager
36 drinks
www.totalbev.com
Find delicious recommendations
in our new Staff Picks section
near register number eight.