Bartending has evolved quite a bit from the original
barkeeps who stood behind the bar simply pouring draft beer and slinging
whiskey shots to the present where even the name of this now noble profession
has changed. Most of those holding court behind the bar are no longer simply
bartenders but are now known as mixologists. Creating craft infused liquors,
house made shrubs and their own bitters. In fact national craft cocktail
creators Dale DeGroff and Tony Abou-Ganim not only have their own cocktail
books and James Beard awards but also are featured guests at local and national
dinners and are promoted as any other celebrity chef would be highlighted. Quite
an evolution from simply just slinging beer.
And this trend also has expanded to the 50th
with Chandra Lum-Lucariello of Southern Wine and Spirits, Kyle Reutner of the
Hawaii Bitters Co, Dave Newman of Pint & Jigger and Christian Self of Bevy.
One or all of these local mixologists are usually featured at food and beverage
events in Hawaii and it’s not uncommon that they also create cocktail lists for
establishments without their own famed mixologist.
So I think it’s apparent by now that I love all things
wine. Red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, fortified wine. Foods that pair
with wine. Wine glasses, wine carriers, wine chillers, wine art. You get the
picture. But I also like to occasionally enjoy a cocktail. Like a perfectly
shaken Negroni to conclude a nice Italian meal. Or a perfect Manhattan to start
a meal at a steakhouse. Or something that simply sounds like the perfect
mixture of sweet, bitter, sour and liquor. Perhaps this penchant has to do with
my profession. What does booze have to do with pharmacy? Well, creating liquid
flavoring agents to mask bitter medications has everything to do with pharmacy.
Back in the days when Mr Gower ran the Bedford Falls pharmacy, most medications
were only available as powders or liquids. And since most prescription
medications had their origin in plant products, they often were quite bitter.
So pharmacists had to create solutions and suspensions that could mask these
bitter flavors. The only difference with mixology today is a lot of those
flavored solutions and suspensions also contain alcohol. Pharmacist and
mixologist… same difference.
Of course, sometimes the “patient” made his own flavoring
agent which is the case for one of the greatest and simplest cocktails today,
the gin and tonic. You see, in the early 20th century when the sun
never set on the British Empire, some of the empire was located in the tropics
where Plasmodium infected Anopheles mosquitoes would transmit
malaria. It was known that quinine from the Cinchona
bark could prevent the dreaded chills and fevers if you were bitten by infected
mosquitoes. The problem was getting people to take quinine as it is quite
bitter. Well, those crafty Brits discovered that adding a splash of gin and a
squeeze of lime made the quinine much more palatable. Eventually the quinine
was made into tonic water and since it needed to be taken daily, a new British
cocktail tradition was started. Who said “just a spoonful of sugar” makes the
medicine go down?...
So I guess it’s now apparent that my liquor of choice is
gin. But what is gin? At its most basic, gin is simply vodka that has been
infused with juniper berries. Yes, those purple pea sized berries you might see
on your juniper plant. Like vodka, the base alcohol that creates gin can start
with any grain or fruit that ferments to initially create a crude barley or
wheat or potato or rice or grape “wine”. This “wine” is then distilled to
remove crude impurities to create a highly alcoholic liquid. Most high end
vodka and gin is distilled somewhere between 4 to 7 times to create a very
clean primary alcohol which is then diluted to a final strength somewhere
between 40% and 50% alcohol. Before you attempt to create your own liquor,
DON’T. While you are allowed to create your own wine or beer at home for
personal consumption, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms strictly
enforces the production of liquor. You don’t want to be visited by BATF agents
in full bullet proof armor breaking down your door at 3:00am to confiscate your
“moonshine” and distilling devices. So unless you have the proper permits and
licenses, DON’T distill your own liquor even in small personal quantities.
That being said, while I do enjoy artisanal gins like the
blue-tinged Magellan (from iris petals being added during the final
distillation), the perfumed and floral Martin Miller and the citrusy Uncle
Val’s Botanical, I also create my own gin. WHAT? “Didn’t you just say liquor
production is illegal?” Liquor distillation is illegal, liquor production, if
all it involves is infusing liquor with various herbs and spices is totally
legal. And all it takes to make your own gin is store bought vodka, juniper
berries and whatever spice and herbs for that extra je ne sais quoi. So if you want to create your own gin, first find
vodka that’s been distilled multiple times for a purer product – there are
“supermarket” vodkas distilled up to 7 times that are very affordable. Add
about a ¼ cup of juniper berries to the vodka (I usually smash the berries a
little for maximum infusion) and let it sit for 24 hours. Then add herbs and
spices that you like and let it infuse (along with the juniper berries) for
another 12 hours. Then strain and rebottle for your own personally created
artisanal gin. The gin will be a dark golden hue – the reason why store
purchased gin is clear is they also do additional distillation between the
flavor infusions but since we’re not allowed to distill liquor, just think of
the color as additional flavor molecules in your finished product.
Since you’ve gone through the trouble of either
purchasing an artisanal gin or creating your own, I would also suggest finding
a good tonic water. No, not the stuff with the yellow label that’s simply laden
with high fructose corn syrup and very little quinine. My personal favorite is
Q-Tonic which is sold at most supermarkets because it has that nice bitterness
from the Cinchona bark and just enough sweetness from agave syrup so it doesn’t
overwhelm your gin. If you think about it, anywhere from 60 to 80% of your gin
tonic is tonic water so shouldn’t your tonic water be of the same quality as
your gin? If Q-Tonic isn’t sweet enough or too bitter, then alternatives would
be either Fever Tree or Fentiman’s which also is carried by a couple of the local
supermarkets.
Beyond gin and
tonic
I first sampled this cocktail right after completing a
medical procedure for those who hit the half century mark so I was only allowed
a small sip from the Mrs. Therefore though the cocktail menu stated what was in
the cocktail, everything in a craft cocktail is all about proportions which was
hard to determine with just one sip. But the Envious Green Martini had it all,
a little herbal, a little vegetal, a little sour, a little sweet. I’m still
trying to figure out the perfect proportions of the Hendricks gin, cucumber
juice, lime juice and green Chartreuse but sometimes the journey is the reward
and not the actual destination.
I have determined the perfect proportions for this
classic cocktail supposedly created by Fosco Scarselli for the Count Negroni
who wanted a little “stiffer” Americano. The club soda was replaced with gin
and the cocktail was garnished with an orange twist instead of the usual lemon
twist in an Americano. Of course, there’s no real balance in this cocktail as
it’s bitter, bitter and more bitter and my rendition further reduces any
sweetness by replacing sweet vermouth with dry vermouth. But if you’re game for
a great aperitif to start or end your meal, mix 1 part Campari, 1 part gin (my
favorite for the Negroni is Bafferts gin) and 1 part vermouth using 2/3 dry,
1/3 sweet vermouth. Shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker over 7 frosty ice
cubes then pour in a martini glass garnished with a “swirl’ of orange peel and
serve immediately so that the fine ice line is still present in the glass.
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