Brandy Basics

Intro:

Brandy derives it's name from the Dutch word brandewijn meaning "burned wine" and is a liquor distilled from wine or other fermented fruit juices. Most brandy is 80 proof (40% alcohol)and has been enjoyed for centuries as a cocktail and cooking ingredient. This spirit is not the one to be choosen based solely on price because a low-quality brandy can ruin an otherwise great cocktail.

Production:

While the process to make brandy varies between the varieties there are four basic steps needed. First the fruit is fermented into wine which is then distilled into alcohol. Once the distillation process is complete the aging process begins. This step is the key to differentiate both the quality and variety of the brandy as even the type of oak used in a cask can determine if the outcome is Cognac or Armagnac. The final step in brandy production is to blend the liquor to taste.

Cognac:

One of the most familiar brandies from the Cognac region of France, Cognac is a grape-based spirit that must be made of 90% ugni blanc, folle blanche and/or colombard grapes. The wine produced from these grapes is high in acid and low in alcohol and gives Cognac its attractive flavor. Cognac is a popular base ingredient in many of the original cocktails.

Armagnac:

Limousin and Troncais oak are used for the casks in which Armagnac is aged in the Gascony region of France and are essential to the spirit's strong flavor and distinguishes it from Cognac. Too strong for most cocktails, it is not recommended that Armagnac be used as a substitute for other brandy but would enhance a Alabazam or D'Artagnan cocktail.

Spanish Brandy:

From the Andalusian region of Spain, Spanish brandy was originally developed for medicinal purposes. The most popular Spanish brandy today is Brandy de Jerez that uses the solera system of adding young spirits to older barrels while aging. These brandies tend to be sweeter than other grape varieties.

Pisco:

Pisco is a brandy from South America, primarily Peru and Chile, that is gaining popularity in recent years. There are four styles of pisco, determined by the grapes used: Pisco Puro, Pisco Aromatico, Pisco Acholado, and Pisco Mosto Verde. Read more about pisco on South American Food on About.com. The most important cocktail made with pisco is the Pisco Sour.

American Brandy:

Most American brandy is produced on the West Coast from the grapes grown in the region. While less expensive brands tend to be overly sweet, there are many quality American varieties available. There are no regulations as to the grapes used in these brandies so the differences between brands can vary greatly. High-quality American brandy can be used in any cocktail that calls for brandy.

Flavored Brandy:

Using wines or other fermented fruit juices of various fruits produces a number of flavored brandies, each with their own distinct taste. Apricot, cherry and peach brandies are popular for many cocktails like Golden Dawn and Zombie. Other flavored varieties include Ouzo, a Greek brandy with an anise base, Kirsch, a delicious cherry brandy, and Calvados, an apple specialty from Normandy.

Eau-de-vie:

Eau-de-vie is a French term for fruit brandy and translates to water of life. The fruit flavor is typically very light and the spirit is clear, colorless and unaged. Eau-de-vie is made from a variety of fruit, most common are apple (de pomme), pear (de poire, peach (de peche), pomace (marc) and yellow plum (de mirabelle). It is typically served chilled as a digestif and is used as a base spirit for liqueurs such as Domaine de Canton and St. Germain.

Brandy Labels:

Brandy has a rating system to describe its quality and condition, these indicators can usually be found near the brand name on the label.

• A.C.- aged 2 years in wood.
• V.S.- "Very Special" or 3-Star, aged at least 3 years in wood.
• V.S.O.P.- "Very Superior Old Pale" or 5-Star, aged at least 5 years in wood.
• X.O.- "Extra Old", Napoleon or Vieille Reserve, aged at least 6 years, Napoleon at least 4 years.
• Vintage- Stored in the cask until the time it is bottled with the label showing the vintage date.
• Hors D'age: These are too old to determine the age.

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The Gist of Gin

Intro:

Gin was created by Dr. Franciscus Sylvus, a Dutch chemist, in the 16th century as an attempt to cleanse the blood of those suffering from kidney disorders. Sylvus named his creation genièvre, French for juniper. Mass production of gin in England soon followed as King William III used his grudge against France to ban expensive liquor imports from that country and made gin affordable for the masses.

Production:

Gin is a light-bodied, liquor made of a mash of cereal grain, usually corn, rye, barley and wheat that has few congeners. The main flavor and aroma notes are contributed by juniper berries. Other botanicals that are often used in gin include coriander, lemon and orange peels, fennel, cassia, anise, almond and angelica. Gin ranges between 80 and 94 proof and manufacturers cannot, by law, qualify their gin by age.

London Dry Gin:

London Dry is the benchmark of quality in the world of gin. The flowery and aromatic characteristics of this type of gin are a result of botanicals added during the 2nd or 3rd distillation. The vapors from these flavoring agents reach the alcohol as they pass through a specialized still with an attachment called a gin head. Dry gins are preferred for making Martinis.

Plymouth Gin:

Plymouth Gin is a clear, slightly fruity, full-bodied gin that is very aromatic. This style of gin originated in the port of Plymouth on the English Channel, but only one distillery, Plymouth, Coates & Co., has the right to produce Plymouth Gin now. A few cocktails like an Admiral Benbow and Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail specifically call for Plymouth Gin.

Old Tom Gin:

Old Tom Gin is a sweeter version of London Dry Gin. Simple syrup is used to distinguish this old style of gin from it's contemporaries. Old Tom was the original gin used for Tom Collins and the gin of choice in the 19th century. Eventhough it was unavailable in the United States as of the 1950's, Old Tom Gin is still sold in England.

Dutch or Genever Gin:

Genever Gin, or Schiedam, is the Dutch version of gin. This variety is distilled from malted grain mash similar to whiskey and tends to be lower proof (70-80 proof) than it's English counterparts. Genever Gin is often aged in oak casks for 1-3 years and comes in two styles. Oude (old) Genever is the original style with a straw hue and is relatively sweet and aromatic, while Jonge (young) Genever has a drier palate and lighter body. Enjoy Genever in cocktails like Sweet City.

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A Guide to Popular Gin Brands

The theory behind deciding which bottle of gin to pick up at the store is much the same as vodka: find a gin that fits the style of drinks you mix most. If you're on a budget and tend to make flavorful drinks like an English Rose or a Biltmore you can get away with a value brand, though one does want to choose carefully to get a good tasting gin (see recommendations). For the most part, you can not go wrong if you stick with premium or super-premium gins which, are more versatile in a variety of cocktails. Remember that it is very easy to ruin a Martini with bad gin.

Here some popular brands of gin...
Not all brands are listed and price points are based on an average, dependent on particular markets.
Readers recommend: Which Gin Finds Its Way into Your Martini?

On a Budget - Gins Around $10

These gins are inexpensive and commonly found in commercial bar's well stock. While these may not be the cleanest tasting gins, there are some budget-friendly beauties here. For the most part I would mix these in tall mixed drinks with strong flavors like fruit juices.

• Aristocrat - US
• Balfour Street Dry - US
• Barton London Extra Dry - US
• Booth's London Dry - England
• Burnett's London Dry - US
• Fleischmann's Extra Dry - US
• Glenmore London Dry - US
• Gordon's London Dry - US
• McCormick Dry - US
• New Amsterdam Straight - US
• Seagram's Extra Dry - US
• Taaka Dry - US

Budget-friendly gin cocktail suggestions: Floradora, Pomegranate Gin Fizz

Top Picks for Budget Gins

Favorites that Don't Break the Bank - Gins Around $20

When you are willing to spend around $20 you will find the quality of gin takes a dramatic leap. This price range is where you will find some of the favorite brands that are not only versatile for a variety of cocktails and mixed drinks, but are nice introductions for those developing a palate for the botanicals of gin.

• Beefeater - England
• Beefeater Wet - England
• Bombay Dry - England
• Boodles London Dry - England
• Broker's London Dry - England
• Clearheart Gin - US
• Greenall's London Dry - England
• Iceberg London Dry - Canada
• Quintessential Dry - England
• Tanqueray London Dry - England
• Tanqueray Rangpur - England
• Tower of London - England

Gin cocktails for beginners: Leap Year, Union Square

Martinis with Style - Gins Around $30

Now we get into the Martini-worthy gins. These are the gins that are going to go well in almost any gin cocktail you want to add them to. Also, with some of these boutique brands you are going to get very different flavor profiles (i.e. Hendrick's and Aviation), some that even tread the fine line of the definition of gin.

• Aviation - US
• Bafferts - England
• Bluecoat American - US
• Bombay Sapphire - England
• Bulldog - England
• Cascade Mountain - United States
• Citadelle - France
• Damrak - Holland
• DH Krahn - US
• Hendrick's- Scotland
• Juniper Green Organic - England
• Junipero- US
• Mercury London Dry - England
• Martin Miller's London Dry - England
• Plymouth Gin - England
• Quintessential - England
• Right Gin - Sweden
• Tanqueray No. Ten - England
• Tru2 Organic - US
• Van Gogh- Holland
• Zuidam- Holland

Other than the Martini, try these in: Eagle Cocktail, Massey Cocktail

Luxurious Botanicals - Gins Over $40

Again, these gins are ideal for almost any cocktail and are truly ideal for the simple, well-defined concoctions that gin is known for being a part of. Many of these are high-end, classically styled London dry gins, though some are of the new style of gin designed to lure a softer palate into the category.

• G'Vine - France (grape flower base)
• Kensington London Dry - Scotland
• Leopold Bros. American Small Batch - US
• Magellan - France
• Old Raj - England
• Right - Sweden
• The London Gin No.1 Original Blue Gin - England

Luxurious cocktails to try: Aviation, Champagne Antoine

Genever Brands

Genvers are a special category of gin that was the original gin. If you enjoy a true variety of gin cocktails, especially many of the classic recipes, I recommend having at least one bottle of genever on hand alongside a London dry or one of the new American style gins.

• Bols - Holland
• Boomsma - Holland
• Filliers - Belgium
• Genevieve - US
• Hertekamp - Belgium
• Petermans - Belgium
• Zuidam - Holland

Recommended genever cocktails: Gin Daisy, Hot Bols Genever Punch

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Introduction to Rum

Intro:

It is rather hard to define the entire rum family as a group because of the variety of rum produced. Each of the light, gold, dark and spiced rums have their own distinct characteristics and furthermore the rums produced in each country differ from one another due to varying laws and tradition in production.

History:

After Columbus's introduction of sugarcane to the West Indies in 1493 the first rum was produced in Brazil, Barbados and Jamaica making rum the first spirit of the New World. By the mid 1700's rum was being made throughout the Carribean and South America. It soon became popular in New England and was produced there as well. The Rum Sling made of rum, sugar, water and lemon juice is considered the first American cocktail.

Distillation:

The use of sugar cane distinguishes rum from other liquors. The sweet juices from the sugar cane are turned into molasses and this syrup is then fermented into rum. Rum is then aged in casks, the type of cask used is the determining factor on the color of rum produced in the end.

Light Rum:

Light-bodied rum is sometimes referred to as White or Silver and is a very subtle liquor, much like vodka with a sweet tooth. These rums are generally aged in stainless steel tanks for up to a year and filtered before bottling. This process gives light rums their clean, light flavor and makes this variety the most common rum for cocktails.

Gold Rum:

Medium-bodied rums are often called Gold or Amber rum and are rich and smooth. This is a result of either the production of congeners (organic compounds produced during production) or the addition of caramel. Gold rums are often aged in oak casks which also contribute to their dark, smooth characteristics. Gold rums make a smooth sipper and can be used in place of light rum in some darker cocktails.

Dark Rum:

Heavy-bodied or dark rums are typically used in rum punches and are combined with light rum in many cocktails such as a Hurricane. These are the richest rums that recieve their flavor from being aged in charred oak casks. Besides adding a rich, sweet flavor to cocktails, dark rums are the preferred sipper of the rum family, especially Angostura 1824 and Barbanco 15 year.
A subcategory of dark rums are those called blackstrap. These are produced from the darkest molasses produced by the third boiling while refining sugar and the resulting rum is equally as dark, rich, and thick. Examples of blackstrap rums are Cruzan Black Strap and Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum.

Flavored Rum:

Flavoring rum by adding spices and aromatics during the distillation has become popular in the latter part of the 20th century. Beginning with coconut and spiced rums, the variety of flavored rums has grown to exceed the number of flavored gin and vodka options available.

Overproof Rum:

Overproof or high-proof rum is often only used as a float or dash in cocktails. This potent rum is 75% pure alcohol (150 proof) and can be dangerous to the human body if it is not diluted in some way. Never use overproof liquors of any kind in cooking or near an open flame.

Cachaça:

This Brazilian rum differs from others because it skips the molasses stage and uses pure sugar cane juice in the distillation process. Cachaca is the sweetest rum available and can best be tasted in a Caipirinha. Read more about Cachaça and find more cocktails.

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Mixology v. Bartending

On Rolling in the Deep

Bartenders: In packed neighborhoods teeming with nightclubs (Chelsea, The Village, MPD, LES, Bedford), filled with weekend bridge-and-tunnel drunkards, bartenders are expected to handle a bar 3 or 4 deep for hours, without suffering a mental breakdown or losing money. 

Mixologists: Doesn’t happen.  A lot of mixologists hone their skills either in boutique or high-end hotel bars – places like PDT and Apotheke, and The Four Seasons, Le Bernadin, and Le Cirque.  They take their sweet-ass time, blending Employee Manual certified house cocktails to perfection.  However, put them in a club setting, with an extremely loud DJ, and shirtless cokeheads begging for Goose-Redbull and a Gatorade, and they’d run crying for their Mamas.

 

Wine, Beer and Spirits

Bartenders: Sadly, most bartenders I’ve come across over the years have little interest in or knowledge about the varieties or origins of booze. They’re simply in a massive hurry for you, the customer, to place your order, pay and move on.  Time is money.

Mixologists: You’d be hard pressed to not mistake a mixologist for a Sommelier or Brewmaster.  Unlike clubby barkeeps, a ton of mixologists are extremely well-versed in (1) wine pairings (2) the differences between Lager, Ale and Stouts and (3) base ingredients and processing of various spirits.  Get them going, and they’ll happily school you for an hour on Sour Mash v. typical corn Bourbon, or Potato v. Corn Vodkas and distillation frequency. They speak incessantly of weird stuff like top/bottom fermentation, IBU, texture, pith, tannins, mossy, legs and will bore you to tears with talk of hops, charred oak and metal barrels, temperature and time, etc.

Benefits

Bartenders: You’re joking, right? Most will never have any type of written job security, insurance, mid-shift breaks, paid vacation, or any other nice perks corporate drones enjoy.  Aside from bartending’s guilty pleasures, the biggest benefit they get from the house, is the occasional hookup the kitchen throws in their direction – a dry old hamburger that they woof down in the dishroom when the manager’s not looking.

Mixologists: There are a handful of highly sought-after union gigs at some of the upper echelon hotels.  Mixologists sometimes occupy these positions. IMO, unions are beyond evil – especially for the small business owner.  For example, most union electricians, carpenters, and iron workers I know bilk the system terribly and make projects and products cost three times as much as they should. Union mixologists live high on the hog.  Those jobs are extremely rare.  They’re the antithesis of your average bartending gig.

House Cocktails

Bartenders: Every bar I’ve worked in has required me to memorize anywhere from 10 – 50 house specials.  This is not unusual.  They’re not terribly complicated in most cases.  Some require considerable prep time – which can slow you down when you’re in the weeds.  Try as you might to memorize ingredients, the only real way to actually get down with them is to make the actual drink.  For this reason, the bar has a direct investment in you, as you waste a considerable amount of liquor and time familiarizing yourself with the house cocktails.

Mixologists: They have to commit a whole lot more to memory than bartenders.  The owners are usually sticklers when it comes to consistency or veering from the documented preparation.  The house cocktails are unique – part of what the establishment is known for.  There is typically an extremely high degree of pride going on there.

Beverage Programs

Bartenders: More often than not they will have little say in house cocktail programs.  It’s rare that a bartender will contribute to a cocktail menu in a fast-paced club or a packed bar.

Mixologists: In contrast to bartenders, mixologists are obsessive-compulsive types in terms of attention to detail with craft drinks.  Bartenders usually focus on pumping out a drink as quickly as possible and moving on to the next customer.  Mixologists are often owners/managers themselves and come from years or even decades of experience, having paid their dues at other bars. They have a high degree of influence in putting together the house cocktail list, if not concocting it outright.  Often, they’re hired to put one together from the get-go.

Rings

A “ring” is industry-speak for how much, in dollars, a particular bartender has sold.

Bartenders: At busy spots, the higher-end bartenders can easilly ring  four, five or six thousand dollars alone.  It can sometimes go even higher if bottle service comes into play.

Mixologists: The focus here is on quality over quantity.  Craft cocktails are typically higher in price than your average bevvie at McGinnley’s corner pub. They’re usually not as pricey as what you’d pay for a call or premium Martini, let’s say, in a fashionable West Side club.  As a result, the ring in these spots tends to be lower.

Longevity

Bartenders: As a rule of thumb, bartenders don’t stay in one place all that long – especially in seasonal gigs.  It can take years to find a quality gig where you make consistent money and enjoy decent working conditions.  There are a lot of dues to be paid and you have to be really lucky with timing when looking for a job. Bouncing around from one club to the next is the norm for a number of us.  One benefit of doing so is that bartenders in this town get to know a lot of industry people – opening doors that are otherwise inaccessible.

Mixologists: They tend to stay put significantly longer than bartenders.  The money they make comes in on the regular.  It may not be club money but you can bank on it like a Swiss watch.  Work atmosphere trends towards a fun, laissez-faire party rather than a shift on an assembly line.  There also tends to be significant notoriety and respect as their reputations build and they develop rapports with regulars – something which is highly improbable in a club setting.  As result, mixologists are often happier and stay put longer.

Eye Candy

Bartenders: Bottom line: us guys are pigs.  Boobs reign supreme almost all the time at just about every gig. Even my friends in management are guilty of bypassing talent in favor of the hot-ass chick (who can’t bartend to save her life).  This business is overrun with massive discrimination in favor of young, foxy girls. They draw men. Smart management will have a good balance of chicks and super efficient male bartenders, doing the heavy lifting.  That’s not to say that chicks can’t be speedy and tend bar as well as men, but in my decades in this business, that’s generally not why they’re hired. A foxy girl who is a wonderful and lightning-fast bartender, and who can stack full kegs all night, is a rarity.

Mixologists: This is one area where the playing field is leveled. Guys, particularly older guys, take back the reigns.  By older I mean, someone beyond their 20′s or 30′s.  Eye candy isn’t a consideration. It’s all about (1) personality (2) attention to detail and (3) knowledge. “Sexy” is not a job qualification.

On Obscure Drinks and Brands

Bartenders: Sure – there are a handful of us here and there that can properly make you the odd French 75, Pimm’s Cup, Americano, or the Martinez.  There are even those whose game you can’t throw off by ordering simpleton drinks, with unusual names like: a Salty Dog, Cape Codder, Greyhound or Cuba Libre (all very easy to make).  Ask a Bartender for a Hot Toddy, and they won’t even ask you which Whiskey or Cognac you might like.  They might return with some Jamesons and hot water in a coffee cup – that’s all.

Mixologists: They understand what “Up Against the Wall” means. I’ve never met a bartender, other than myself, who’s familiar with this term (think the tallest liquor bottle at the bar).  They also know what “With a Bang” translates to, as well as “In and Out” and “Perfect.” Ask for a single malt Scotch, and you won’t hear usual suspects: Lagavullin, McCallan, or Glenlivet. Want a really flavorful bourbon? They won’t recommend Makers, Jim Beam or even Knob Creek.  Instead, you’ll get boutique, small-batch, deliciously obscure brands in pretty bottles and they’ll tell you why you should opt for one or the other. Ask for a Hot Toddy in this setting and they’ll suggest a particular Rye or Brandy. They’ll come back with your beverage in a stem glass, served with a spoon, honey on the side, dried anisette and cinnamon and full lemon wheel stuffed with cloves.  They’ll instruct you to give the lemon a light squeeze, and drop it in the concoction.

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White Peach and Basil Margarita

Here's a little history on this cocktail - I was inspired by a drink called "Peaches and Herb" from this book (which I love and totally reccomend, btw). The original drink called for peaches, sage, and brandy, but the peach and sage combo didn't really do it for me (peaches - delcious; sage - meh), so I decided to try it with peaches and basil. And substitute tequila for the brandy, since peaches and tequila are always a winning combination. I used white peaches because - that's what they had at the grocery store. So there you go. Necessity is the mother of invention?

For starters:
5 slices of white peach (a little more than 1/4 of the peach)
3 basil leaves (harvested from the back porch!)
splash of agave nectar (what the heck is a splash, I always want to know? here's what I do: about 1/8 of an ounce.)
splash of lemon juice
1.5 oz tequila
.5 oz triple sec

What you do:
Put the peach slices, basil leaves, and agave nectar in the mixing glass of your shaker. (I'm assuming you have a boston shaker, but a plain old shaker will work just as well.) Muddle (or smoosh with the back of a spoon) the peaches and basil until they make a nice mush. Fill the glass with ice, and then add the tequila, lemon juice and triple sec. Shake it all up. (Most people will say shake until a frost forms on the shaker, but I like to shake until the shaker is so cold I can barely hold it anymore. The ice melting into the cocktail is important because that's what smoothes out the burn of the alcohol.) Strain into a cocktail glass. Cheers.

Verdict: The color is beautiful, pale and peachy, and the flavor is kind of similiar - lovely, smooth, more subtle than you'd expect from a margarita. I'd like another.

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A particularly easy (and satisfying) method for making crushed ice.

Since my next cocktail calls for crushed ice, I thought I'd share this super-easy way I've discovered to make crushed ice. My previous method was: buy something at whole foods. Ask for one of the little bags of ice they give you to keep your groceries cold on the way home. Voila! Crushed ice! Only there are a few problems, like the difficulty of getting the ice home without it melting into a huge clump of non-crushed ice. Also the fact that you can't just run to whole foods whenever you want a cocktail.

Enter method B:
1. Place a few cubes of ice in a gallon ziplock bag.
2. Place the bag on your countertop.
3. Beat the bag mercilessly with a rolling pin.

After a short time, you will have a bag of crushed ice. And probably a lot less pent-up agression.

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