The Savvy Life

Autumn is officially here and with the cold weather there is nothing like having a cocktail with friends and family to keep some warmth in our lives. One of the great things about fall is the availability of harvest foods and flavors. I think the cocktails we enjoy in this season should reflect the season’s offerings.

The Maple Leaf

Maple isn’t produced in the fall, but the flavor always seems so ‘autumn’ to me.

2 oz Jim Beam Black bourbon

½ oz Real maple syrup (don’t settle for high fructose corn syrup with maple flavoring, get the real stuff, it is worth the price)

½ oz lemon juice

Add the Jim Beam Black bourbon, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a shaker over ice. Shake thoroughly and pour into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Pumpkin Martini

Pumpkins are closely associated autumn, there is no doubt about that.

1 oz Starbuck Cream Liqueur

1 ½ oz Stoli Vanilla vodka

½ oz pumpkin pie mix

Mix the ½ oz of pumpkin pie mix and ½ oz of the Stoli Vanilla vodka. In an ice filled shaker add the Starbuck Cream Liqueur, the rest of the Vanilla vodka and the pumpkin pie mix. Shake thoroughly and pour into a martini glass. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

I first heard of this unique beer brewed from ancient yeast from the NPR show Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and it captured my imagination.  The Fossil Fuels Brewing Co. of Northern California has done something amazing – I mean more amazing than brewing beer.  I think we can all agree that brewing beer is pretty amazing in and of itself.

Back in the beginning, or at least during the Eocine epoch, when the trees were growing, sap oozing forth, trapping life with its stickiness.  The sap hardened and over the span of time turned to amber.  Dr. Raul Cano took this amber and unlocked the elements of life it had captured.  Dr. Raul Cano and Chip Lambert isolated yeast strains from samples of amber.  These strains resembled Saccharomyces cerevisiae – common brewing and baking yeast.  The original research was creating a library of ancient organisms, the yeast was a glorious side discovery.  Chip Lambert described the process of going from discovery of the yeast to the creation of beer:

Some had biochemical profiles similar to typical brewer’s yeast, so the natural question was, “I wonder what beer made from these strains would taste like?”  The answer was, “very good”, as were breads made with some of the other strains.  It has taken a while to develop the idea, but the beer is excellent and…unique.

I couldn’t help but wonder about the first taste of a beer made with a yeast that is 45 million years old.  Chip assured me, “Of course there was trepidation, but like most chefs (I think, because I hate cooking, but I watched Paul Prudhomme do it once), you can always spit it out if you don’t like it.”  Luckily that was not necessary.  Chip’s reaction after that first sip was “Wow, this is really good beer!”

There still was something about this process I found a bit disturbing.  Could this yeast burst free from the lab?  Is it a threat?  I saw Jurassic Park.  I know what could happen.  Or at least my over active imagination assumed.  Chip straightened me out and gave me some scientific reassurance.

We call our strains the “Mothers of all yeasts” we work (cook, brew or make Vegemite) with today.  Physiologically, none of the ancient isolates are so unique that their modern counterparts are not identifiable.  Just as there are many organisms currently being isolated and cultured from extreme or unique environments on Earth (and Mars?) that humans have not or rarely have contacted and they do no harm, the ancient organisms utilize the same biological processes and succumb to the same stresses as the “modern” (that maybe a misnomer) microbes.

So that is the history of the beer, what do people really think of it?  Jay R. Brooks from Celebrator Beer News sampled Tyrannosaurs-Rat beer brewed by Guerneville’s Stumptown and compared it to an identical pale ale differing only in the strain of yeast.  “T-Rat is smoother, with softer fruity flavor characteristics and just a touch of lemony sweetness that isn’t tart.”

Sounds downright tasty to me.   Sadly, this unique brew is only going to be available at certain bars and pubs around Northern California.

I’m making it a personal mission to seek out this unique taste crafted with ancient yeast.  Part of the profit of the beer gets funneled into alternative fuel research, which makes the name of the brewing company, Fossil Fuels, a delightful pun.  I’m a sucker for puns.

A set of pictures of top 10 drinks men should never order. This is an arguable list, in my opinion, as I am not willing to give up my killer margaritas,

I have a few great memories of the holidays. Some of the memories are tied into tradition. One of the best traditions my family had regarding the holidays was saffron bread. I’ve tried dozens of times to replicate my mom’s saffron buns but never can get them to come out the same way. I think that is what makes it such a terrific tradition; it is tied forever to a key event, person, and place. My mom has moved out of her kitchen, the family doesn’t gather for Thanksgiving or Christmas anymore, and I will never taste saffron bread as good as what she used to make.

While that memory is a bit bittersweet, as all good memories should be, another memory and tradition stands out bright and beautiful. That is the memory of my first Tom and Jerry. Hearing the names Tom and Jerry usually conjures images of a cat and mouse, but this particular drink was created by the first celebrity bartender, Jerry Thomas. He designed this drink to be a winter cocktail and that is how it became my family’s traditional holiday drink to serve along with hot chocolate on those ice skating nights.

The Tom and Jerry

2 large eggs, separated
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon Cruzan dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 2/3 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon freshly grated whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg

In a small mixing bowl, whisk yolks briefly. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon rum, vanilla extract, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon, and whisk again. Set aside. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff and glossy. Fold whites into yolk mixture, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring milk to simmer and remove from heat. While milk is warming, briefly stir egg batter, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons to mug. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of remaining rum, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Fill mug with hot milk, stir, sprinkle with nutmeg, and serve.

Some variations you might want to explore:

* Instead of 1 cup of Cruzan Dark Rum, only use 1/2 cup of that and then 1/2 cup of Cruzan Vanilla Rum.
* Add an ounce of DeKuyper Hot Damn! cinnamon schnapps

I soak cloves in vodka to make a potent potable. I am eager add a bit of this to my Tom and Jerry this year.

This drink can be made ‘virginal’ by not using the rum at all and it will still taste just as great. What I love about a Tom and Jerry is it reminds me of eggnog but isn’t as thick and sweet. There is a place for thick and sweet in the holiday feasting but sometimes you just want warm and wonderful.

The brisk fall-like weather we’ve been having here in Chicago has triggered a craving – a craving for hard cider. Now those who know me will wonder how this craving is different than my normal craving for hard cider that I have in the summer… spring… winter…. To these inquisitors, I have only one thing to say: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. There is not one tiny bit of difference, but I needed a lead in for this article and I chose to do the seasonal thing.

Writing article after article on the glory of hard cider won’t be too interesting but I just happened to hear a song this weekend that made me think of something. There is an old Irish drinking song called Johnny Jump Up.

I’ll tell you a story that happened to me
One day as I went down to Cork by the sea
The sun it was hot and the day it was warm,
Says I a quiet pint wouldn’t do me no harm

I went in and I called for a bottle of stout
Says the barman, I’m sorry, all the beer is sold out
Try whiskey or paddy, ten years in the wood
Says I, I’ll try cider, I’ve heard it was good.

Oh never, Oh never, Oh never again
If I live to be a hundred or a hundred and ten
I fell to the ground and I couldn’t get up
After drinking a quart of the Johnny Jump Up

After downing the third I went out to the yard
Where I bumped into Brody, the big civic guard
Come here to me boy, don’t you know I’m the law?
Well, I up with me fist and I shattered his jaw

He fell to the ground with his knees doubled up
But it wasn’t I hit him, ’twas Johnny Jump Up
The next thing I remember down in Cork by the sea
Was a cripple on crutches and says he to me

I’m afraid of me life I’ll be hit by a car
Won’t you help me across to the Celtic Knot Bar?
After downing a quart of that cider so sweet
He threw down his crutches and danced on his feet

I went up the lee road, a friend for to see
They call it the madhouse in Cork by the Sea
But when I got there, sure the truth I will tell,
They had this poor bugger locked up in a cell

Said the guard, testing him, say these words if you can,
“Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran”
Tell him I’m not crazy, tell him I’m not mad
It was only a sip of the bottle I had

Well, a man died in the mines by the name of McNabb
They washed him and laid him outside on the slab
And after the parlors measurements did take
His wife brought him home to a bloody fine wake

‘Twas about 12 o’clock and the beer was high
The corpse sits up and says with a sigh
I can’t get to heaven, they won’t let me up
’Til I bring them a quart of the Johnny Jump Up

So if ever you go down to Cork by the sea
Stay out of the ale house and take it from me
If you want to stay sane don’t you dare take a sup
Of that devil drink cider called Johnny Jump Up

See this all comes from a time in Ireland when there wasn’t enough wood to make casks for whisky and casks for cider. So they took the old whisky casks and used them for cider. When whisky ages in a barrel, a significant amount of whisky is absorbed by the wood. Some of the whisky that was absorbed by the cask was released into the cider, giving it quite a wallop to those who were accustomed to the more gentle regular hard cider.

While I could easily present a cocktail that adds a shot of Irish whisky to a pint of cider, I decided that since this is National Bourbon Month according to the U.S. Congress, I should Americanize this concept.

Since I don’t have a keg of cider to pour a proper draught, I grabbed a bottle of ever-present cider from my fridge. I like all types, but this time around I had Woodchuck Cider. Woodchuck Cider is, in my opinion, one of the best American ciders. At some other time I will write about the virtues of cider, but for know, any type of hard cider is acceptable for this cocktail. For the bourbon, I chose Knob Creek. Knob Creek has a complimentary flavor that enhances the cider tremendously. I kept the ratio very simple, one bottle of cider and one shot of Knob Creek.

Bourbon lovers around the country are raising a glass to the U.S. Senate today for passing a resolution, just before it adjourned, officially declaring September 2007 “National Bourbon Heritage Month,” according to the Distilled Spirits Council.

“At a time when consumer preferences have led to a renaissance for premium bourbons, it’s great news that the Senate has recognized America’s distilling heritage by designating September as Bourbon Heritage Month,” said Distilled Spirits Council Senior Vice President Frank Coleman.

“America’s distilling heritage is intertwined with the history of the nation,” Coleman noted. “This legislation will help bring that history back into focus for many Americans, and help us celebrate our bourbon heritage — responsibly!”

Senate Resolution 294, sponsored by Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), and passed unanimously, calls on consumers who enjoy bourbon to do so responsibly and in moderation.

“The bourbon industry is a source of pride for Kentucky and its heritage and has served as a major part of the commonwealth’s economy for over 200 years,” Senator Bunning said in a statement.

Bourbon business is booming in the United States. Since 2003, high-end bourbons have seen revenue grow from $450 million to over $500 million, some 2.2 million cases, in the United States. High-end bourbon sales accounted for eight percent of total spirits growth in 2006.

From the colonial era, where whiskey had an important economic and social function in the fabric of the community to the Whiskey Rebellion and Prohibition, whiskey has played an important role in the cultural heritage and history of spirits in America. In fact, America’s Founding Father, George Washington, had the largest whiskey distillery in the early years of the nation.

Bourbon was first recognized as a distinctive product on the United States in 1964 by an act of Congress. Under federal law, bourbon must be made in the United States; consist of at least 51% corn; and be aged in new, charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years.

In 2004 the Distilled Spirits Council and Historic Mount Vernon launched the American Whiskey Trail, a national cultural heritage and tourism initiative featuring historic sites and museums in 5 states that showcase whiskey and distilling. The Gateway to the American Whiskey Trail is the new distilling museum at George Washington’s Distillery at Historic Mount Vernon. http://www.americanwhiskeytrail.com.

I made a promise to myself that I would stop just repeating what other bloggers and journalists are saying on the topics I claim to hold dear and start being more original. Yet, I do seem to keep running into articles and posts that state things so much better than I could that I can’t help but point people in their direction.

When I pulled up Hungry Man with Charles Passy I couldn’t help but guffaw out loud. Literally, I guffawed. It wasn’t pleasant for those who work around me. His blog post focuses on a PR pitch for Fashion Week that includes a cocktail recipe with Ciroc Vodka. Ciroc is a grape based vodka which provides a different sort of vodka drinking experience. My chatter is just preventing the payoff, so you can read the post by following this link: The Pointless Pitch (or Pathetic Moments in Food PR).

There are some who enjoy a glass of wine once in awhile. There are some who enjoy wine so much they develop a collection of different types to enjoy on different occassions. Then there are some who enjoy wine so much, they have a need to make their own. A select group goes a bit further and have a need to have their own winery.

Amazingly, it isn’t as hard to join that last group as one might think thanks to Crushpad.

The Custom Wine service is designed for non-traditional winemakers who work hand-in-hand with Crushpad staff and consulting winemakers to define and create their wine. You can choose from among our excellent grape sources or identify your own, and are encouraged to participate in the roughly 30 decisions necessary during the process. The end result is the finished product – a world class wine with your brand. Custom Wine customers are encouraged to visit Crushpad frequently and actively participate to gain the full experience – education is a key part of Crushpad.

Cost varies depending upon vineyard with most barrels (25 cases) ranging from $4500 to $9,900 ($15 to $33/bottle).

Crushpad takes care of all the technical and logistical details for their clients, allowing the vintner-to-be to focus on the stylistic elements of the wine. These elements are determined by what the site calls The Crushpad 30, thirty (give or take) decisions that need to be made in regards to the wine.

Some of the decisions include what style of wine will it be, how long will it age, and what type of bottle will the wine be put in when it is ready?

The price range puts this out of the hands of the casual speculator, but a small group of people could quite easily get together and create their own wine – if they can agree what the label will look like.

Yes, 68% of the Bloody Mary mix market is held by Mr. and Mrs. T Blood Mary mix and there are two reasons for that. The first is the mix itself isn’t bad. The second is people are lazy. It is easier to grab a bottle and let it sit in your fridge until you want to make a Bloody Mary.

The following recipe is my take on the Bloody Mary mix. Honestly, the Bloody Mary is a great drink to let personal ‘mixology’ shine through.

The very first thing I do is buy either spicy pickled carrots or make them. I use a variation on Alton Brown’s Firecrackers using carrot sticks instead of mini carrots.

These hot carrots combined with a mild cherry pepper make the garnish for the Bloody Mary and have little to do with the mix. They are just an important highlight.

When it comes to the mix, since I store my mixes in 8 oz water bottles (allows me to quickly chill the mix if needed and those water bottles are easy to come by), I tend to work in small batches.

Bloody Mary Mix
6 oz tomato juice (I actually use a generic Jewel brand vegetable juice, their rip-off version of V8. I find the overall flavor is better)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (skip this if you are using a V8 or other ‘enhanced’ tomato juice)
1 oz distilled white vinegar
1 tbsp hot sauce (don’t use tabasco, try to use something that is more than pepper sauce)
1 tsp black pepper

Give this a good stir, especially if you are using a thick hot sauce.

Bloody Mary
2 oz Absolut Vodka
2 oz Bloody Mary mix
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder

Set an 8 oz glass, fill it with ice, vodka, Bloody Mary mix, and lemon juice. Pour the drink into a shaker and give it a good chilling shake. Rim the glass with the combination of salt and chili powder. Now pour the drink back into the glass and garnish with one of the spicy carrots and a cherry pepper.

I adore wine. Wine is a drink that is about bonding, celebration, bringing people together. Sharing a bottle of wine is one of life’s better things. Knowledge of the wine being drunk can enhance the experience immensely.

Bleu over at Bitespot highlights an article by Eric Asimov where he discusses the methodology he is using to educate himself about wines. Eric advocates buying cases of assorted wines and learning about them by drinking and taking copious notes. Bleu details the article and points you to Eric’s blog where he goes into deeper detail about his wine experiences.

Bleu writes,

If you can’t afford a case (and at the moment, I can’t, otherwise I’d try and follow along with Asimov) there’s nothing wrong with buying by the bottle. The most important thing to understand is where to buy it and what a good wine shop is. As I heard Diana Hammond, the Wine Goddess of the Chopping Block, repeat over and over: the grocery store is not a good wine shop, nor is Whole Foods or the World Market.

All of this is great advice and I feel anything that increases exposure to new experiences is a good thing.