Beefeater 24 Unveiled

Desmond Payne, master distiller of Beefeater 24, before and during a sip.

Sometimes in New York City, despite the hustle and bustle of rush-hour commuters and torrential downpours, beautiful things happen. Consider the other night for instance. The rain was heavy, and we feared that the clogged drains on our terrace would once again be the abettors in the standoff between us and Mother Nature. Mother Nature won the battle: As we opened the door to our apartment, our super was standing in our den, placing wastebaskets below the streams of roily water bursting though our ceiling. Our living room ceiling fell victim too. April is indeed the cruelest month.

But now for the beautiful portion of our tale. Hosts David Kaplan, an owner of the wondrous Death and Co. in the East Village, and Simon Ford, a spirits ambassador who knows a thing or two about gin, invited some fellow travelers to EN Brasserie, a Japanese Restaurant on the Village–TriBeCa border, to hear three beverage-industry notables wax poetic about tea; tea cocktails; and our raison d’etre, the launching of a new Beefeater gin, bestowed with the moniker “24” by its inventor and master distiller, Desmond Payne. Why tea? Well, it finds itself in the creation of this beguiling new gin. So first up, we would learn a little about the little leaves that have been cherished by the world.

Sebastian Beckwith from In Pursuit of Tea spoke at length about the different types of tea, stressing that herbal teas are not tea. Tea all comes from one main plant type, and the different types of tea we drink—white, green, oolong, black (or red, to the Chinese), and Pu-er (aged)—stem from the time at which the leaves are picked and the length of time they are dried. Add to this list terroir (where the plants grow), and for how long and at what temperature the leaves steep, and each tea boasts its singular character. All in all, you were wrong if you thought making a cup of tea was not a science experiment, designed to create the perfect cuppa.

Next up was Joaquin Simo of Death & Co., our bar master of the evening, who spoke about punches, and how many of these early recipes included tea. Tea in all its forms is a great addition to cocktails because it adds more character to the spirits’ flavor profiles. One by one, the drinks were served in between courses of sashimi, tofu, sushi, black cod, and sundry Japanese appetizers—a feast fit for hungry and thirsty souls.



Kew Gardens Cooler
Kew Gardens Cooler
(created by Joaquin Simo)
2 oz. Beefeater 24
1/2 oz. Scarlet Glow syrup (1 part Scarlet Glow tea to 1 part sugar, reduced)
3/4 oz. grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. Aperol
cucumber slice, muddled
cucumber ribbon, as garnish
Shake all except garnish with 3 ice cubes. Strain into highball glass with crushed ice. Garnish with cucumber ribbon.

Black Market Sling
(created by Brian Miller)
2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. market spice tea-infused Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth*
1 dash angostura bitters
club soda
cherry, as garnish

Shake all except soda in ice and strain into a highball glass. Top with soda. Garnish with cherry.

* Take a one-liter or 750ml bottle of vermouth and infuse it with 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons (depends on the size of the bottle) of market spice tea (can buy the loose leaf on amazon.com) and let it sit for 1 1/2 hours. Strin and keep refrigerated.

Joaquin then gave the floor to the delightful Desmond Payne, who shared his tale of creating Beefeater 24. At the start, he stated, “Being consistent is what I’ve been tasked to do all these years.” So finding a new recipe for Beefeater that would not only appeal to his tastes, but the tastes of a brave, new public versed in spirits and cocktailiana, would be his task. This recipe would have to be made consistently each and every distillation process. Desmond had been fascinated by the flavors of mixing gin and tea, and having attempted at first to use tannic black teas (assam and darjeeling), alas their strengths proved too dry for the palette. So why not green teas? And so, green teas (Japanese Sencha and Chinese), with their slightly sweet grassy notes, became companions to the grains and other botanicals used in the distillation. The other botanicals added to the pot are Seville orange and lemon peels, angelica and orris roots, coriander, bitter almond, angelica seed (which has a tea-like flavor), juniper (naturally . . . it isn’t gin without it), licorice, and the redolent sweet-and-sourness of grapefruit peel.

You’ve probably wondered by now why “24”? Well, if you’ve counted up the ingredients that go into the mix before distillation, you only reached 12. This new Beefeater actually stews for 24 hours before the distillation process is begun, ergo its moniker. The macerated redolent mash is what gives Beefeater 24 its slightly-sweet and perfectly balanced flavor profile. A cousin to Old Tom gin, but with more layers enticing us with its subtly spiced slightly malted essence. (Only its distillation heart, the central part of the distillation, is used.)

During the evening, we sat with Dan Warner, a charming Beefeater brand ambassador from Britain, and Desmond’s right-hand man at the event. He offered us a tip over dinner on how to mix a martini using Beefeater 24.

Beefeater 24 Martini
(created by Dan Warner)
2 1/2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin
1/2 oz. Lillet blanc
dash Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6
Grapefruit twist, as garnish

Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add garnish.



Beefeater 24 makes its presence known via a gorgeous Arts-and-Crafts-Movement-inspired etched bottle.

(Special thanks also to Allen Katz who helped organize this event.)

Mixology Monday XXXVIII: Superior Twists“The Manhattan Gets a Makeover”

The Black Manhattan, a dark and rich cousin of the classic cocktail.

After years of stirring and shaking, infusing and mixing, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Manhattan is our favorite cocktail. We’re not saying we want one all the time—only when the need for a high-octane jolt of whiskey and vermouth dashed with a little bitters begs to be imbibed. But sometimes, when switching out rye for a bourbon or using Carpano Antica instead of sweet vermouth isn’t enough of a flavor-profile change, we like to open up the Averna and make a Black Manhattan. For those of you who have never had Averna, do. Averna is a Sicilian amaro, a bitter lower-alcohol liqueur distilled from and mixed with natural ingredients. It’s very Italian and is a part of many natives’ daily ritual, drunk with soda, to stimulate the appetite (think Campari). Some drink it after dinner, to aid the digestion. Averna in particular is on the sweeter side, very dark, with hints of caramel, cocoa, coffee, and menthol. Once considered solely a digestivo, Averna is now found in cocktail bars and restaurant bars throughout the U.S.

Making a Black Manhattan is simple: just use Averna instead of sweet vermouth. For our recipe, we like to use Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters instead of Angostura.

Black Manhattan
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients

2 ounces rye (or bourbon)
1 ounce Averna
2 dashes whiskey bitters
brandied cherry, as garnish

Method

Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add cherry.

The first thing you notice about the Black Manhattan is its color: shimmery almost-ebony. The second thing you notice is its aroma: complex, sweet, herbal. The third thing you notice, the taste. It’s a potent drink, stronger than a Manhattan, so be careful because you may not be able to stop at just one.

Once you’ve had a Black Manhattan, it’s difficult to get Averna out of your head (or tastebuds, rather). We started experimenting with Averna mixed with other spirits, and Steve came up with a recipe that puts Averna in the fore. He calls it Il Bravo, and its another dark cousin to the Manhattan, only he uses cognac.

Il Bravo
(created by Steve Schul)

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces Averna
1 1/4 ounces cognac
3/4 ounce. Grand Marnier
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
lemon peel, as garnish

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add peel.

You can always lighten up Il Bravo by adding some ice and a splash of soda.

(hosted by Tristan, The Wild Drink Blog)

photo © Cocktail Buzz

Cooking and Drinking, Polish Style

Pierogi are worth the effort. Fried, boiled, or steamed, they come to life with some caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, and go perfectly with Z Martinis.

Because we love to cook and come up with new recipes, we have a blog on our Cocktail Buzz Web site called Well Fed. Recently we made a trip to the Brooklyn Heights home of Cousin Barbara and her happy-in-the-kitchen husband, Jon, for some lessons in making pierogi, those ubiquitous polish dumplings that are always stuffed with hearty old-world comfort (think sauerkraut, potatoes, farmers cheese). No strangers to melding eras and clashing cuisines, Steve and I decided to up the ante a little in our pierogi fillings. We brought in some New Orleans-style Andouille sausage and mixed it with some old-school Polish prunes, plopped a dollop into the pierogi dough, and made some pillowy dumplings that, when shallow-pan fried, cooked to a golden-brown exterior that when bitten, gives to a slightly spicy, slicy sweet interior. We even included some Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine in the mix for some flavor balancing, and a splash of Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon for good measure. We think you’ll love the results. And if you don’t have a whole afternoon or a group of four to make the pierogi dough, well you can cheat like we sometimes do and use premade dumpling wrappers. Your guests do not need to know. But if you have the time, and crave a little culinary adventure, then by all means start the pierogi-making process. You will be Polish-proud of the results.

And if you’re wondering what to imbibe with some pierogi, they pair perfectly with our Z Martini, which uses Żubrówka vodka, that slightly chartreuse Polish bison-grass vodka that always reminds us of caramel-drenched flan.

Mixology Monday XXXVII: Feels Like the Very First Time

The Oriental Cocktail, a perfect beginning to a lifelong obsession.

We are always asked by beer and wine guzzlers, “What cocktail do you recommend for a neophyte?” to which we have always replied, “An Oriental.” The Oriental, an unsung hybrid of parents Manhattan and Margarita, graced our home many years ago when we were looking for an American whiskey alternative to a Manhattan. Combing through the Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide (our first cocktail recipe book), we came across The Oriental, a spiky blend of whiskey, sweet vermouth, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. We were in luck that day since we just made Margaritas the night before and had a bunch of limes lying around the kitchen counter just screaming to be juiced.

Everything about The Oriental shines: its color glows a red-amber; as you raise the glass to your lips, you smell the perfect blend of whiskey mingling with the orange sweetness of the triple sec, and then you lose yourself to the citrusy lime and the piquant sharpness of the sweet vermouth; only 1 1/2 ounces of whiskey are used, so you save a little during these hard times; and the ingredients are easy to find; and there's no garnish, so you save more time and money!

The important thing to remember is that The Oriental changes depending on what whiskey you use. We recommend Rittenhouse rye, an inexpensive but boldly zippy whiskey that smells like deep dark caramel. Other whiskeys work just as well, but you should start first with whatever you have lying around the house or nearby at your liquor store. As far as sweet vermouths go, we recommend Carpano Antica, but if this is difficult to find, a Martini & Rossi or Cinzano will do just fine. And for triple sec, you should start out with one that is low proof, such as Hiram Walker 30 proof. At 15% alcohol, you won’t feel any burn when you sip your Oriental. If you want, you can work up to a 60 proof triple sec, or even an orange liqueur that is 80 proof, such as Cointreau or Combier Liqueur d’Orange, but if you do, perhaps you may want to choose a whiskey at 40 proof, such as Jim Beam.

The Oriental
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces rye or bourbon
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce triple sec
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Method
Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Simple, tasty, and habit-forming. Enjoy. And if you have a few minutes, please watch our video on preparing an Oriental. It pairs perfectly with lightly seasoned sweet potato crisps. And if you don’t have any limes handy, but do have some lemons, why not try one of our creations, The Occidental. We use Canadian whisky in an Occidental, but we won’t tell if you use bourbon or rye.



photo © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Bitters Is Better: The Bitter Truth Mingles with Bols Genever at Clover Club

Four down, five to go, but Paul’s just sipping this time.

Let me start by saying that, although I very much wanted to, I did not even come close to finishing the nine cocktails served to me at the recent Bols Genever Classic Cocktail Series: The Influence of Bitters. Even though bringing each coupe to my lips was like tasting history, I only took two sips of each drink (three if I really liked it), and gently pushed them away from me as I listened to the estimable Stephan Berg, who cohelms The Bitter Truth company in Germany. He began his presentation, behind the bar at Brooklyn’s newish classic cocktail hot spot Clover Club, by saying, “I’ll tell you anything you’d like to know . . . except the recipe for The Bitter Truth.” For those of you not familiar with The Bitter Truth, Stephan Berg and business partner Alexander Hauck travel around the globe promoting their excellent line of cocktail bitters (Steve and I have two in our collection: Orange and Celery). They are amazingly balanced, well-crafted bitters, and have spiced up cocktails throughout the free, drinking world for several years now. Germany, which once only had Angostura bitters available, now has a host of flavoring agents to be proud of. While at the event, I was lucky enough to try the hard-to-find, small-batch Jerry Thomas’s “Own Decanter Bitters,” A piquant blend of citrus fruits and clove, derived from a recipe from the 19th century’s master bartender, Jerry Thomas. A truly masterly concoction. (I even got to try a Holland’s Pride Cocktail, made with the extinct Boker’s bitters—a rare treat, indeed!)

Holland's Pride
(adapted by Stephan Berg, mixed by Brian Miller)

Ingredients
2 ounces Bols Genever
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters
1 dash absinthe

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe.


Stephan Berg shares cocktailiana with his rapt audience.

We began sipping bartender extraordinaire Brian Miller’s take on one of the first published cocktails, the Brandy Cocktail, a simple and flavorful classic, and then moved into cocktails highlighting Genever, an old-school maltwine-based gin that Bols has reintroduced to the world in the form of a smoky-gray bottle containing this unique spirit (the smell reminds one of yeasty, fresh-baked bread). Bols rep Tal Nadari had explained to us in his opening remarks the history of Bols Genever and its reemergence into the world of cocktailiana, and now we were about to taste Genever in action with our second sipper, the Gin Cocktail . The Genever truly is a revelation, closer in flavor profile to a dry whiskey than a London dry gin. Just adding a dash of bitters, some curaçao, and some simple syrup to create the Gin Cocktail was only the racehorse out of the starting gate. I couldn’t wait to see what drinks would come out next, and which ones would be my favorites.

Brandy Cocktail
(adapted by Stephan Berg, mixed by Brian Miller)


Ingredients
2 ounces brandy
1/4 ounce simple syrup
1/8 ounce orange curaçao
2 dashes The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.



Those that did stand out were the early Martinez Cocktail (a Manhattan essentially, but with Genever substituting for whiskey), the early Martini Cocktail (not to be confused with a current-day bone-dry Martini—this one contains Old Tom gin, a sweeter and mellower cousin of Genever, and a dash of absinthe), and the Bamboo Cocktail (a mix of dry vermouth, sherry, orange and aromatic bitters, garnished with an olive).

Martinez (19th c.)
(adapted by Stephan Berg, mixed by Brian Miller)

Ingredients
2 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Bols Genever gin
1/8 ounce orange curaçao
4 dashes Angostura bitters

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe.

Martini (19th c.)
(adapted by Stephan Berg, mixed by Brian Miller)

Ingredients
1 ounce Old Tom gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce simple syrup
1/8 ounce absinthe
3 dashes The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters*

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry, olive, or lemon twist.

Bamboo Cocktail
(adapted by Stephan Berg, mixed by Brian Miller)

Ingredients
1 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce oloroso sherry
2 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

❤ ❤ ❤

During the seminar, we listened to Stephan expound the different eras of the cocktail, backed up by a photo presentation (my favorite: an old snap of bitterly stern Temperance Movement ladies underneath the banner “Lips That Touch Liquor Shall Not Touch Ours”—the poor dears looked as though they had never been touched by anyone, or anything, except perhaps the catarrh). It was comforting to see some familiar faces at this event, such as those attached to the able bodies of Erik Ellestad (Underhill-Lounge), Joaquin Simo (Death & Co., and one of Playboy Magazine’s top 10 bartenders of the year), Jonathan Pogash (The Cocktail Guru), Zachary Sharaga (Louis 649), Michael Anstendig (food and lifestyle writer), Francine Cohen (Food & Beverage Magazine), and Dave Wondrich (Imbibe!, the book).


Giuseppe Gonzalez, head bartender at Clover Club, and Tal Nadari, the man behind the bols Genever Classic Cocktail Series.

And it was equally delightful to meet some new comrades, especially the two amicable gentlemen sitting next to me: Giuseppe Gonzalez (the head bartender at Clover Club), and Chris Stanley (Foodbuzz Featured Publisher, An Exercise in Hospitality); also Greg Boehm (mastermind behind the re-release of classic cocktail books from MudPuddle Books), and the charming Julie Reiner, the lady with her finger on the pulse of the Cocktail Renaissance and owner of Clover Club. Without her help (and gorgeous bar), and the talents of Stephan, Tal, and Brian, I would not have been able to spend a sybaritic afternoon in my favorite place on Earth—Brooklyn—with some of the nicest folk around. Here’s to Bols Genever, The Bitter Truth, and Clover Club. Cheers and Bottoms Up.



P.S. My slight hangover the next morning was only cured later in the evening by a cocktail at the new Prospect Heights bar, Cornelius. Good luck and welcome to the ’hood.

* Because the Jerry Thomas bitters is difficult to come by, you can substitute it for another bitters, such as Regan's Orange Bitter No. 6, or perhaps a combination of Angostura and The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters (you want both citrus and spice flavors). —Cocktail Buzz

photos © Cocktail Buzz

Mixology Monday XXXVI: Drink Tips for the Recession-Addled Tippler

A new highball finds its way into the hearts of two guys from Brooklyn.

Matthew Rowley of Rowley’s Whiskey Forge has lost his job. As a man of the spirituous world, he will need some helpful hints to get him through his hard times. Cocktail Buzz offers four easy ways to help stretch your wallet while we try to rid ourselves of eight years of misguided legislative decisions. Follow these simple Steps and you will find peace, enlightenment, and super savings as we battle the pernicious spread of recession.

Step #1: Drink (and eat) at home. The price of a fancy cocktail at boutique bars is, well, exhorbitant during these trying days. You may find that staying at home to drink will save you big time. Don’t stop going to your favorite watering hole altogether (you’ve built cherished relations with the men and women behind the bar and they will surely miss your meticulously researched inquiries into their craft). Drinking at home all the time will definitely raise eyebrows, though. You will want to keep your communication skills active, so head to the bar on payday. And regarding dinner, we put eat in parentheses above since many times you would forgo dinner if too much effort was involved in eating at home; after all, if you’re used to making three separate Manhattans using the new fancy whiskeys you picked up during your trip to Louisville, you won’t be doing much of that anymore, so dinner at home is not only viable, but practical. (And put down that phone—we are not talking about delivery.)

Step #2: Split your drink. And if you don’t have anyone to split your drink with (since you’re drinking more at home now), make half-cocktails. This will help improve your math skills when you are trying to figure out how much half a dash is. If you’ve lost your job, add math skills to your resume. We know you want to drink more to cushion the blows that your 401(k) keeps inflicting on your future, but you must replace foolish notions with mature practice. Drinking less will lower your tolerance; therefore, less is needed to get you to the point of feeling that click of peacefulness, as Brick so eloquently puts it in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Step #3: Use Paper Towels. Use a paper towel to soak up any spills, then squeeze the spirits back into the bottle or glass that has lost its precious cargo. (Make sure you buy them in bulk at Costco or Sam’s Club for more savings.) For extra credit, rinse your paper towel and hang it over a makeshift clothesline in your bathroom that you’ve McGyvered using a piece of string and two screw hooks. If guests ask, “What gives?” tell them you are creating a backdrop for your next cocktail photo shoot. Their initial horror will turn to admiration.

Step #4: Make Highballs. Highballs are a perfect way to stretch that bottle of booze. Just add an ounce ora n ounce and a half of your favorite (or available) spirit, fill that glass with some seltzer (very cheap if you buy the no-brand brand), and forget the garnish. If you need extra flavor, try some of those old spices that have been hanging out in your cupboard. You know, the ones that you’ve been using a little more of now that you are cooking at home. This is also a good opportunity to use some of those dusty-bottled liqueurs that have lain hiding in the back of the sideboard. Mix two together, add soda, and voilà, you have yourself a new cocktail. Give it a fun name and serve it to guests who are awed by your knowledge of spirituous arcana.

We hope that our tips have been helpful. And if you’r eever in Brooklyn, and want to get together for a drink please bring over a bottle. We’ll be happy to add some soda and forgo the twist.

photo © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

The Power of Ginger: Domaine de Canton Tasting at Louis 649

If ever there was a liqueur that captured the palates of mixologists and imbibers alike, it is Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, a bewitching mix of Vietnamese baby ginger and cognac. The other night we were faced with five cocktails celebrating the virtues of this versatile elixir. Not only that, we got to experience a bar that was new to us. Did we drink all five? Yes (but they were not full cocktails—give us some credit). Did we like them all? Yes. And we were even blessed with a bonus cocktail from one of our esteemed bartenders of the evening, our friend from the City by the Bay, Danny Ronen (pronounced Donny), who we’ve recently dubbed our “San Francisco Treat.” Why? Because he is a wit, and after a few cocktails, wit wins the day.

Danny invited us to the event, which was held at Louis 649, located just East of Tompkins Square Park in the mysterious nether regions of Alphabet City. Danny is the newly appointed West Coast Ambassador to Domaine de Canton, and he was eager for us to sip some ginger-spiced drinks, created by some crafty mixology–bartender types. Louis 649 proved to be the perfect location for such an event (they have these events on Tuesdays for you to become familiar with a certain liqueur or spirit, a varietal of wine, or craft beer). Although it’s located far far east of the subway, we hopped on the bus bound for the East River to avoid the bitter cold. As soon as we arrived, there was Danny, at the bar, waving for us to come in to warm up. He proffered his fist in Barack and Michelle fashion, and Paul announced to the bar, “Oh, we’re fisting now?!” A round of laughs, followed by a round of our first drink, the Ginger Rye Toddy, created by the young hipster Chris Raab of Le Poisson Rouge in NYC (he’s there on Mondays). Perfect to defrost our frozen fingers and get the blood flowing.



Ginger Rye Toddy
(created by Chris Raab)

1 ounce Domaine de Canton
2 ounces rye
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce agave
lemon wheel, for garnish.

Add to a heat-proof glass. Top with hot water. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

❤ ❤ ❤

Our tour guide for the evening, the delightful Gianfranco Verga, explained to us how Louis 649’s Tuesday Night Tastings Series works. (It’s well worth the $25 you need to shell out—you will be taken care of by the knowledgeable bartenders with plenty to imbibe, and Louis 649’s ambience is comfortable, well-lit, unpretentious, and chill.) Thanks to Verga and his association with its affable owner, the welcoming Zachary Sharaga, the two expanded the character of Sharaga’s bar in the past six months by crafting these tasting events, and they have drawn new people to the space to make it a destination for cocktail lovers. Louis 649 boasts both classics and contemporary drinks (a little something for everyone), and, most important, an amazing ice machine that will keep your cocktails nice-cold, but not watered down. They have a wide collection of spirits, liqueurs, and other quaffs to imbibe, many of those which grace our liquor cabinet at home. We think we’re going to like it here!



We then were tempted with the Domaine de Canton Cocktail, a drink that truly highlights the flavors of this spicy yet smooth liqueur.

Domaine de Canton Cocktail

2 1/2 ounces Domaine de Canton
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
splash of soda
lemon wedge, for garnish

Shake vigorously on ice. Strain onto fresh ice, splash with soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

❤ ❤ ❤

We then met the East Coast Rep for Domaine de Canton, Jennifer (JC) Craig, who warmed us up with fun facts and delightful tales surrounding the almost devotional ways people use the ginger liqueur. After chatting and sipping for a while, she gave us a delightful book on the history of Domaine de Canton, with oodles of cocktail and food recipes—the Spicy Hamachi Ceviche is already at the top of our list.

Spicy Hamachi Ceviche
(created by Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin)

1/4 cup Domaie de Canton
12 ounces oh hamachi fillet, skinned
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon Thai chili paste
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, julienned
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Slice the hamachi as thinly as possible and reserve slices in refrigerator. In a mixing bowl, stir together the Domaine de Canton, coconut milk, lime juice, ginger and chili paste. Season the sliced hamachi with salt and pepper and add to the mixing bowl. Gently toss to coat evenly. To serve, divide the ceviche evenly between six small bowls, garnish with basil and toasted coconut flakes.

Serves 6.

❤ ❤ ❤

John Cooper, the developer of Domaine de Canton, arrived and JC introduced him to a crowd that already had three drinks down the hatch. (Chris Raab made us his Canton Kiss [see recipe at end of post], and yes, the cocktail is accompanied by a real kiss, but you have to ask.) John self-effacingly stated, “I can’t mix a cocktail to save my life,” but he clearly knows what he likes. When creating the ginger liqueur, he strove for “something that spoke ginger, but with a neutral pallet.” He “wanted to provide bartenders and mixologists with the right product” that would be easy to mix and draw out the flavors of a cocktail’s components, but allow the Domaine de Canton to shine. And if you’ve experimented with the liqueur, you’ll know how easy it is to work with. Its inherent spiciness is easily tamed by fresh juices, and, of course, ice. Domaine de Canton was used in our “Create Your Signature Cocktail” class, mixed with bourbon and orange bitters, by a couple who had visited India and wanted to create a drink that would remind them if its flavors. We’ve used it ourselves in a riff on the classic, and sadly neglected, Stinger:



Rum Ginger Stinger
(created by Paul Zablocki, Cocktail Buzz)

2 ounces aged rum (try Flor de Caña 18-year)
1/2 ounce Domaine de Canton
1/4 ounce white crème de menthe
1 teaspoon simple syrup
small mint leaf, as garnish

Stir all but garnish in a mixing glass filled halfway with ice for 30 seconds. Strain into ice-filled rocks glass. Add garnish.

The Rum Ginger Stinger starts out with a strong twang of menthol–mint, but as the drink progresses, and the ice slowly dissolves, the ginger quietly takes control, and the finish is a feast for the taste buds.

❤ ❤ ❤

After the speech, we spoke with John Cooper, and while we were making small cocktail talk, Danny slipped us another drink using Domaine de Canton that wasn’t on the bar list. It was developed by his friend and fellow San Franciscan, Jackie Patterson:

Fleur du Monde
(created by Jackie Patterson)

1 1/2 ounces Don Julio silver tequila
3/4 ounce Domaine de Canton
1/2 oz. Riesling

Stir for 30 seconds in an ice-filled mixing glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

❤ ❤ ❤

Tequila and ginger make for a dynamic duo [see also Canton Kiss recipe below], spiky upon first sip, smooth in the finish as the flavors meld and mellow. But we had to pace ourselves in this Dionysian orgy, for we had two cocktails to go, and we were already feeling the effects of long work days and little food. At the end of our evening, we were offered another drink by the reps from Domaine de Canton, but, unfortunately, had to refuse. It was almost 10 o’clock, and dinner was awaiting us at home in the form of reheated Chicken Parmesan. We waved good-bye, hopped in a cab, and blathered endlessly about what a good time we had. We’re looking forward to another Tuesday Night Tastings at Louis 649, and a stab at our new Domaine de Canton recipes. Try them and let us know what you think.

Canton Kiss
(created by Chris Raab)

1 ounce Domaine de Canton
1 ounce Partida Blanco Tequila
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup (3 parts honey to 1 part water, heated, then allowed to cool)
soda

Shake first three ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Add a splash of soda, and top with syrup.



photo © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz