Drink Matron

Month: January 2014

  • What Does On the Rocks Mean?

    whiskey-High_quality_HD_Wallpaper_1920x1080While some drinking terms are commonly known, sometimes even the most basic terms need an explanation.

    Knowing bartending terminology is an essential for any good bartender. By learning these basics, both old and new bartenders will have an easier time taking on new recipes and ensuring the best quality drinks. The more you know, the more customers will notice and continue to patronize your services and suggest that their friends do so as well.

    When ordering a drink it’s also important to know the correct vocabulary to use in order to get exactly what you want. Saying straight-up when you really wanted your whiskey on the rocks might be frustrating, but can be easily deterred if you learn what each of these terms means.

    On The Rocks

    Liquor served over ice with no wash (note: wash is another term for “mix“).
    Example: Scotch on the rocks.

    Neat

    A drink served neat is liquor served straight from the bottle without ice or wash.
    Example: Jack Daniels neat.

    Straight Up

    A straight up drink is liquor served up without ice or wash.
    Example: Vodka, straight up.

    Up

    A drink served up should be mixed with ice and then strained so there is no ice in the drink when it is served cold.
    Examples: Martini and Cosmopolitan

    Wash, Mixer

    A wash, or mixer, is a non-alcoholic beverage used in mixing cocktails.
    Examples: Cola, orange juice, sweet and sour mix, soda water, or tonic.

    Rim

    To rim a glass, coat the rim of a glass with salt or sugar.
    Examples: Margarita and Lemon Drop

    Chaser, Back

    A beer or non-alcoholic drink served alongside a strong shot or cocktail is called a chaser or a back.
    Example: Bloody Mary with a beer chaser

    Twist

    A twist is the peel of a lemon or lime twisted into and placed on the rim of a cocktail glass, or dropped into the drink.
    Example: Scotch, on the rocks, with a twist.

    Splash, Dash

    A splash, or dash, is a small amount of liquor or mixer added to a drink.
    Example: Add a splash of grenadine

    Muddle

    Muddling involves crushing and mixing ingredients to release flavor.

    Float

    To float, poured a small amount of alcohol carefully on a drink so that it will float on the top.

    Layer

    Layering means to pour liquor in a drink in layers, usually with the heaviest on the bottom.

    Jigger

    A jigger is a shot-sized cup used to measure alcohol.
    Example: Add a jigger of peach schnapps

    Pony

    A pony is a measurement in mixology that equals one ounce.

    Shake

    When shaking, you use a cocktail shaker to mix ingredients together more thoroughly.

    Blend

    To blend, mix cocktail ingredients in a blender with or without ice.

    Garnish

    Garnish by adding a vegetable or fruit to a cocktail for additional flavor or decoration.
    Example: Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

     

     

  • Superbowl Cocktails: Colorado vs Washington

    We’re coming up on Superbowl Sunday, and this year, the Denver Broncos will go up against the Seattle Seahawks for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. There will be plenty of beer drinking, punch swilling, and crowd screaming to go along with what will be a great night of football and expensive adverts.

    A great way to make your Superbowl party special is to serve drinks popular in Washington, Colorado, or both! No matter what, if you’re serving these, your party is sure to score all seven points.

    Colorado

    treeline-thumb-550x413The Tree Line

    This “signature cocktail” of Colorado was developed in 2011 to celebrate the state’s centennial. A contest held by the Colorado Distillers Guild and the Colorado Bartenders Guild pitted mixologists against one another to see who could come up with the best Colorado based cocktail, and Marnie Ward of Denver’s Avenue Grill came out on top with the Tree Line.

    Ingredients:
    2 Bing cherries
    2 oz Leopold’s Small Batch Whiskey
    .5 oz Leopold’s Three Pins Alpine Herbal Liqueur
    .5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
    .5 oz simple syrup

    Muddle cherries, lemon juice and simple syrup; add whiskey and Three Pins; add ice and shake. Serve up. Garnish with round slice of lemon peel (to replicate the Colorado sun). Drink and enjoy!

    Beer

    The number one brewing state in the United States, Colorado is home to 139 breweries, including top craft brewers, Left Hand Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing, and Oskar Blues Brewery.

    Washington

    washington appleWashington Apple Martini

    A popular drink in Washington due to its use of, and taste similar to, the Washington Apple. I may not be the official drink of Washington, but it’s certainly close enough.

    Ingredients:

    1 oz Crown Royal
    1 oz Sour apple liqueur
    1 oz Cranberry juice

    Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake well. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with sugar and cinnamon. Garnish with a slice of Washington apple.

    Hawk Bomb

    Why not take shots for every touchdown? The folks of Seattle love to do so with this tasty blue and green bomber. In fact, it’s so popular it’s literally on the menu in some Seattle bars.

    Ingredients:

    1 part mandarin or orange vodka
    1 part blue curacao
    Red Bull

    In a cup, pour 3-4 oz of Redbull (depending on how much the drinker prefers). In a separate shot glass, combine vodka and blue curacao. Drop the shot glass into the cup and drink.

  • Apple Jack Update

    It’s been a long time since we talked about our Apple jack experiment, so I thought I would toss up an update.

    Over the last year and a half, we’ve made, from scratch, our own apple cider. It sat for quite a long time waiting for us to complete the recipe, and about two weeks ago, it was finally done. Adrian then re-racked it and let it sit until the rest of the resin from the apples and yeast had settled to the bottom. Yesterday, he started the process of turning it into Apple jack.

    We are utilizing the traditional method of freeze distillation. Freeze distillation is a process of concentrating the alcohol in a fermented beverage by freezing it, then removing the frozen material. Because water freezes before the alcohol, the more the beverage is frozen, the more water is removed, leaving a higher concentration of alcohol when the freezing process is complete. In other words, we’re going to freeze the liquid and pour off whatever liquid is left over, and repeat the process until we reach our desired alcohol content.

    We will keep you abreast of the process and its ups and downs. Hopefully it will all work out exactly the way we hope, although when it comes to our crafting experiments, nothing every really does.

  • The rise of the beer can

    It’s National Beer Can Appreciation Day, and a celebration is in order! Rising up from its reputation of classlessness, the beer can has made its way into the hearts of minds of the beer elite, proving itself to be the next big thing in craft beer.

    Dales.RoyalPint1Oskar Blues

    Most of the craft beer industry has taken a long time to embrace canning beers. The exception to the rule has always been Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyon, Colorado. In 2002, they launched their first packaged beer, Dale’s Pale Ale, in 12 oz cans. From then on, every beer that has come from Oskar Blues has been packaged in cans and kegs, no bottles allowed. They’ve since expanded their can selection, selling some beers in 16 oz tallboys, others in resealable cans with twist-off caps, and most recently a 19.2 oz “stovepipe” can. Their brewpub in Lyon, CO also serves “Crowlers,” which are basically canned growlers.

    Benefits of Canning

    bottle-vs-canWhile no one else takes their canning to this extreme, the trend of canning craft beer has exploded over the last few years. To date, 381 breweries can 1352 beers in the United States. Canning beer has benefits that bottles just don’t offer. They protect beer from light and oxygen, and are airtight and oxygen-free. While dark bottles keep most light out, there is still the potential for light to degrade the taste and scent of the beer, giving it that skunky taste you so often hear about. With bottles, there’s also the potential for oxygen to get under the cap and ruin the taste. With an air tight, properly sealed can, the problem is alleviated.

    Beer cans are also ideal for storing. A standard six-pack of 12 oz cans takes up less room than a six-pack of bottles. More room = more beer, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

    Beer Can Takeover?

    It seems unlikely that all craft brewers will completely switch from bottles to cans, but it’s clear that many breweries will add cans to their line ups in some way. This could potentially bring craft beer to people it’s never touched before, and maybe even bring the beer elite and the Big-Three loving masses together.

  • Boozey Tea (for you and me)

    When tea comes to mind, seldom does one think of booze as well. It’s a relaxing drink, made to cure ailments, calm nerves, and make the British highly tolerant of bullshit. However, like anything that people love, booze can be added to make it even more intoxicating. Keep calm and booze on.

    Tea Toddy

    1 cup Earl Grey tea
    1 tsp sugar
    1 shot Baileys Irish cream
    1 dash Scotch whisky

    Make tea as you usually do. Mix it with the sugar to taste. Add Baileys and, if desired, whisky. Enjoy.

    Bourbon Slush

    7 cups water
    3 cups bourbon whiskey
    12 oz frozen lemonade
    6 oz frozen orange juice
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    2 cups strong tea

    Mix all ingredients together in a freezer safe container and freeze overnight. When ready to serve, put desired amount in blender and blend until slushy. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

    Artillery Punch

    1 qt strong black tea
    1 qt rye whiskey
    1 bottle red wine
    1 pint Jamaican dark rum
    1/2 pint brandy
    1 jigger benedictine herbal liqueur
    1 pint orange juice
    1/2 pint lemon juice

    Combine all the ingredients in a large punch bowl with a block of ice. If found too dry, sugar syrup may be added. Decorate with twists of lemon peel. Enjoy.

    Cranberry Tea Hot Punch

    8 bags tea
    4 cups boiling water
    2 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
    2 cups apple cider
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 cinnamon stick
    1/2 tsp ginger
    4 cloves

    Make strong tea with teabags and boiling water. Add cranberry juice, apple cider, brown sugar, and spices. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Garnish with orange slices, and enjoy.

    Indian Tea

    1 oz gold rum
    3/4 oz amaretto almond liqueur
    5 oz hot black tea
    1 tsp sugar

    Gently simmer tea and peel in a small saucepan for 1 – 2 minutes. Add liquors and pour, with peel, into a cup. Enjoy.

  • The Story Behind the 18th Amendment

    Today marks the 94th anniversary of the 18th Amendment. So much of how Americans think about drinking today stems from the prohibition, so it’s important to not only celebrate its repeal, but learn about what caused the country to add the amendment in the first place.

    A Plague of Drunkenness

    saloonFor nearly a decade prior to the 18th amendment, much of the country was plagued by drunkenness. I don’t mean good old fashioned Friday night cocktails where someone has to take a cab home and passes out on the floor in the kitchen. I mean men getting paid on Friday and heading to the saloon (where women were not allowed, by the way) and drinking away every single penny of their earnings. To make matters worse, the men who made it home (many often ended up in gutters or alleyways), often beat or berated their wives and children. The concept of divorce, marital rape, and help for battered women hadn’t even crossed anyone’s mind yet, so you can imagine what sort of things went on that no one ever talked about.

    Women Take Up a Cause

    teetotalerThat is until the temperance movement came along. The movement was started by many of the women who were most negatively affected by the plague of drunkenness, and they did a great job convincing lots of municipalities, saloon owners, and other regular people – men and women – to take up moderate drinking or Total abstinence from alcohol. In fact, it is from the latter that the term Teetotaler stems (capital-T Total abstinence turned to teetotaler).

    The Anti-Saloon League

    The fight to get rid of the saloons and drinking went through plenty of phases throughout the 19th century, but it wasn’t until the Anti-Saloon league showed up on the scene in 1893 that it really started to make a real difference. The reason? The Anti-Saloon League was run by men, and men could vote. It also didn’t hurt that they were powerful guys who had no problem making deals and hurting anyone who got in their way.

    Making an Amendment

    18th amendment ratifiedMostly a state issue throughout the early 20th century, the temperance movement went into action after the start of World War I. Since many American brewers were German, the Anti-Saloon league took advantage of anti-German sentiments and went to work on the U.S. Congress. The 18th Amendment passed in December 1917 with many progressives believing it would not receive the state ratification (three-fourths) it needed in the time allotted – six years. It took only one.

    Ratified on January 16, 1919 and officially put in affect on January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment banned “the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States and its possessions.” It did not make owning or purchasing alcohol illegal, and individuals could keep any booze already in their possession.

    A misnomer of the 18th Amendment is the Volstead Act. The Volstead Act was actually a separate law detailing the enforcement of the 18th Amendment.

    In the end, despite a solid original goal of ridding the country of drunkenness and the family-hurting saloon, the 18th Amendment was a disaster, causing more organized crime, corruption, and hypocrisy than the U.S. had seen to that point. It was repealed on December 5, 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

  • The Galileo Cocktail

    Today marks the 404th anniversary of the day that Galileo discovered the four moons of Jupiter. Seems like as good of a reason as any to go ahead and drink. In fact, I’ve got a cocktail just for the occasion!

    Galileo

    Ingredients:

    1 part Galliano
    1 part triple sec
    1 part vodka
    10 oz orange or pineapple juice
    1 oz grenadine
    1 lime, wedged

    In a shaker, combine Galliano, triple sec, vodka, juice, and juice from one wedge of the lime. Shake well and pour into a glass over ice. Top with grenadine. Garnish with lime wedge.

  • Cuddle up and stay warm with Tom and Jerry

    I’d say it’s pretty apropos that today is National Cuddle Up Day, given that in most of the U.S., the temperatures have plummeted to ridiculous lows. Here in New York City, we’re expected to have a low of -8 tonight, officially ruining the day of everyone tricked by the warm 49 degree morning that melted away most of the weekend’s winter storm.

    The good news about cold weather is that it’s really the best excuse to drink tasty warm cocktails. Of course, there’s hot buttered rum, mulled wine or cider, a good old Irish coffee, or if you’ve got some friends or a whole lot of roommates, crock pot cocktails, but I think the best way to warm away all the cold weather is a midwestern favorite of mine – The Tom and Jerry.

    Tom and JerryThe Tom and Jerry has nothing to do with the beloved cartoon cat and mouse, and it’s not a vague reference to the cocktail king of old, Jerry Thomas. The name is taken from a book written by Pierce Egan, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom , and the subsequent stage play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London. The drink itself was invented to promote the play.

    Similar to homemade eggnog, the Tom and Jerry is quite popular in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and you might be hard pressed to find anyone who knows what it is outside this region. This is only a problem if you have no interest in making your own batter, or if you don’t drink cocktails of which you’ve never heard.

    For those of you who have some time or a grocery store that carries ready-made batter, let’s get started, shall we?

    Tom and Jerry

    Ingredients for batter:

    12 eggs, separated
    1 pound sugar (if you’d like it sweeter, add more)
    2 ounces aged rum
    1/2 tsp ground cloves
    1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
    1/2 tsp ground allspice

    Ingredients for Serving:

    Brandy
    Aged rum
    Hot milk
    Boiling water

    Beat the egg yolks well, then gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the rum and spices. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the yolk mixture until well mixed. Keep batter refrigerated until serving.

    For each drink, put 2 ounces of batter into a mug. Add 1 oz each of brandy and aged rum, and fill with equal parts hot milk and boiling water. Top with grated nutmeg. If using a small coffee cup or classic Tom & Jerry mug, you can cut the serving size in half. Serve with a spoon.

    Just a note: While this recipe is for making your own Tom & Jerry mix, in case you have no time or no urge to make it, frozen batter can be found in bakeries or the dairy coolers at grocery stores, in liquor stores or on the internet.