George Washington Loved His Hooch

With the 4th of July quickly approaching, I found myself thinking about the cocktail and America and how the two have been intertwined since our great nations birth.  Up until the the American Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783),  rum had been the spirit of choice for the then American colonists. While most of the rum consumed in the colonies came from the British controlled Caribbean, smaller quantities of rum was also being produced domestically.  When the British navy blockaded the importation of Caribbean rum, sugar and molasses, resorsefull colloniests  turned to their abundant supply of corn and American whiskey quickly became the spirit of choice.

In late 1790s George Washington ran one of the country's largest rye whiskey distilleries. Washington began his venture into destilling spirits in June 1797 with the below correspondence to his Scottish plantation manager James Anderson,

Distillery. Is a business I am entirely unacquainted with; but from your knowledge of it and from the confidence you have in the profit to be derived from the establishment, I am disposed to enter upon one....

At the peak of production, Washington's destillery produced  about 11,000 gallons of rye sold at 60 cents per gallon, netting Washington a profit of $7500 in 1799 (which is $136,363.64 in 2012 dollars), sold mainly to his thirsty local community.  According to archeological dig records, Washington's Mt. Vernon destillery was only a 75-by-30-foot distillery.  Diring its time, it was  was among the largest structures of its kind in the eighteenth century.

(In researching this post I came across an fantastic event east coast burbon fans should try to attent.  The Mt. Vernon estate is featuring a whiskey tasting and dinner event on August 3, Gentleman Distiller.  This sounds like a great way to  learn more about Washington’s role as “Distiller-in-Chief.”)

Feeling patriotic, I decided to toast our great founding father by making a cocktail with great history (and one of my favorite rye based drinks) - the Sazerac.  The Sazerac is known as the oldest American cocktail and has its roots in pre–Civil War (1861 - 1865) New Orleans, Louisiana.  I am certain George would approve.

The Sazerac

2.5 oz Rittenhouse 100 proof rye whiskey 
half teaspoon brown sugar
half teaspoon simple syrup
Peychaud's bitters
Angostura bitters.
Herbsaint (substitute for Absinthe)

Season a rocks glass with Herbsaint (I use an small atomizer but you can swirll the liquid around the inside of the glass and then discgard the excess) then chil.  In a seperate mixing glass add both sugars and saturate with 3 to 4 dashes of Peychaud's bitters and 1 to 2 dashes of Angostura bitters.  Mix the sugars and bitters into a gritty paste, add the rye and then stir gently.  Add a generous portion of ice and continue stirring.  Strain into the chilled rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Drink of the Week- The Archangel

The warm weekend weather got me in the mood for summer. Personally, summertime cocktails are refreshing, thirst quenching libations. Thumbing through my cocktail recipe books for inspiration, I found a drink in the that I just had to try- The Archangel

Start with a few slices of cucumber and muddle well in a shaker. Add 2.25 ounces of Plymouth gin and .75 oz Aperol. Shake and serve up with a twist. If you are Mrs. Thirsty Lawyer, add .5 oz fresh lemon juice.

Tequila Surprise in a Town Known For Wine



Alebrijes' Infused Tequila



Recently Mrs. Thirsty Lawyer and I were visiting some friends of ours who live in Lodi, California. Lodi is in San Joaquin valley, which produces more wine grapes than any other part of California (yes, even Napa). It's a gem of a town for wine lovers; lots of great wineries pouring quality wine, great restaurants and one of my favorite resort hotels, Wine and Roses. While the ladies were being pampered at the Wine and Roses spa, my friend and I set out to grab lunch and a drink (or two).  I thought for sure we would find ourselves visiting a few of the numerous downtown tasting rooms. Instead my friend - knowing I enjoy a good cocktail - took me by Alebrijes Mexican Bistro to sample their wide selection of infused tequilas. They had a few of the standard tropical fruit infusions, but the majority of infusions were unique and inspiring (more on that later...).

I started off with a margarita made with rosemary and pomegranate infused tequila, fresh lime juice and fresh agave nectar. I personally would have liked to taste a bit more rosemary, but I certainly can see myself drinking a few of these over the summer. Next I ordered a shot of the coconut and cucumber infused tequila - it just blew me away. The refreshing taste of the cucumber and the slightly sweet coconut were a nice balance against the earthy flavor of the tequila. We were having so much fun sampling these infused tequilas that we never made it to any of the tasting rooms.

Cucumber-Ginger Infusion

Inspired by experience, the next morning I broke out the trusty old mason jar and put together a cucumber ginger tequila infusion.  Here's the recipe 

Half a cucumber, pealed and sliced;

1 tsp chopped ginger;

1.5 cups silver tequila (Hornitos) 

Shake daily and let is sit in a cool place for 2 weeks.

Another Thirsty Lawyer Travles to England

Another thirsty lawyer, Jim Clarke, traveled to England and Ireland this week for a spot of fun (when he is in Ireland, its a wee bit 'o fun).  He promised to send me updates of his cocktail adventures and this is his first.

It it's 11:30 PM  gmt Thursday.  I have been up since 0700 AM PST.  Jet lag has been successfully beaten.

Tonight after a few pints of the sweat nectar of the gods with my London chums, we went out for a late night dinner at a Turkish place in the Regdnt Park area. Food was ok.  It is not going to make me forget about dinners in Nishantasi. 

I had some Turkish red wine with dinner. It was light and fruity.  Similar to a Beaujelais.  A good accompaniment to the dinner.

St. Patrick Day Cocktail Contest

Yesterday I had the good fortune to be one of three judges in a St. Patrick's day cocktail contest in which  ten of the area's best bartenders competed head to head in a bracket format competition.  Each judge would choose from one of five different cocktails - Irish whiskey based of course.  The bartenders would compete for time, with the judges adding time no time for perfect cocktail to up to thirty seconds for a fatally flawed drink.

One of the more challenging drinks was the Tipperary #1.  The recipe called for 1 oz Jameson Irish whiskey, 1 oz. sweet vermouth and 1 oz Green Chartreuse, stirred, strained and garnished with a lemon twist.  In the initial rounds all of the judges agreed that the recipe called for to much Green Chartreuse, and it wasn't until the final round where the bartenders were able to get the balance right.  It's a shame I didn't think to ask; I guess that just means I will have to experiment on my own.

The Weeski

One of the cocktails I very much enjoyed and will add to my regular rotation is the Weeski - 2 oz Redbreast Irish whiskey, 3/4 oz Lillet Blanc, 1/4 oz Trip Sec, one dash orange bitters, one barspoon of simple syrup, stirred, strained and garnished with an orange twist.  In the early rounds, to heavy of a hand with the Trip Sec and simple syrup made the drink to sweet.  In later rounds, where the bartenders didn't freepour and focused on exact measurements, we were able to appreciate just how complex and well balanced this cocktail is.

The Paddy Cocktail

Another favorite is the Paddy Cocktail which is really in Irish whiskey take on a Manhattan.  The recipe calls for 2 oz Redbreast Irish whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, one dash Angostura bitters, stir, strain and garnish with a lemon twist.  Personally I found that one ounce of sweet vermouth can overpower the taste of whiskey.  After giving this comment in the first round, the bartenders scaled back the amount of sweet vermouth they used (probably to 3/4 an oz) bringing the taste of the whiskey forward and making the drink well balanced.

Cocktail of the Week - The Rob Roy

The Rob Roy is a classic cocktail that, despite the resurgance the cocktail, you don't see it very often.

The History:  First created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The drink is named after the Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor who became famous for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.  Don't feel bad for Robin Hood; he has a cocktail named after him but it certainly isn't as well known. I wonder if the two could trade places for Rob Roy would rather be known for his acts of humanity - like Robin Hood - or for his namesake cocktail

The Recipe: 

• 2.5 oz Scotch.  I pref(er The Famous Grouse.  It's a very nice blended scotch that won't break the bank.)
• .75 oz Sweet Vermouth.
• A few dashes of bitters. (Angoustoura is traditionally used, but blood orange works equally as well.)
• Stir with ice and serve up in a cocktail glass
• Garnish with a twist or cherries (or do as I did and garnish with a twist and bourbon soaked cherries)

Falernum - New Item For The Bar

I recently discovered the wonders of John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum.  Falernum is a sweet  tating spirit that is primarily used in Caribbean and tropical drinks. It contains flavors of almond, ginger and/or cloves, and lime.  I recently enjoyed it in a classic rum drink, the Corn n' Oil: (Cruzan Black Strap Rum, John D. Taylor‟s falernum, fee‟s old fashion bitters)