Wednesday, October 31, 2018

SiscoVanilla Has a Satan's Whiskers at Finns Corner October 30, 2018

Welcome back everyone and Happy Halloween!!! For today's SiscoVanilla's Special Daily Cocktail entry, I decided to make a cocktail that is wickedly entitled Satan's Whiskers. I found the aptly named cocktail apropos for the day at hand. This cocktail was listed in the Old Man Cocktails book by Robert Schnakenberg and will be part of the challenge to make and drink all of the cocktails that are found in that book.


This old school cocktail can be found in Henry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book, which was originally published in 1930. The article Satan’s Whiskers by Daniel Krieget from the Punch website adds another level to the backstory to this old school cocktail:
Satan’s Whiskers first appears in print in Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930, but many attribute the drink to the Embassy Club in Prohibition-era Hollywood. The speakeasy was opened by restaurateur-cum-playboy Adolph “Eddie” Brandstatter, and played host to his personal entourage of starlets and high rollers.
For more on Brandstatter and what would be known as "the Brandstetter Touch," I recommend reading the article Brandstatter brought the party to old Hollywood by Charles Perry from the Los Angeles Times dated April 14, 2011. But back to Satan and his whiskers.

As the above listed recipe from the Savoy Cocktail book, there are two versions to this cocktail. The one I made is the Straight whiskers of Satan. If you replace the Grand Marnier with Orange curaรงao then its known as a Curled Whiskers...like those waxed curly whiskers you would find on the upper lips of NYC hipsters.

Here's the recipe I used which I found in the Old Man Drinks book:


The only difference in the recipe from the book was that instead of Orange bitters, I used Fee Brothers Cardamon Bitters: Boker's Style. So what did I think?



I like it. The cocktail has a pleasant fruity aroma on the nose and nice amber color. The ingredients blend together nicely as as with the Bronx Cocktail, the addition of freshly squeezed orange juice rather than store bought O.J. makes a big difference in the flavor of the cocktail. The addition of the Cardamon bitters gives the cocktail another layer of flavor with a nice kick of spice. I'm glad I remembered that this cocktail was in the Old Man Drinks book. ✅ that one off the list.


Happy Halloween everyone. ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŽƒ๐Ÿ‘ป๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿฌ

Until Then Keep Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
#SiscoVanilla
#SiscoVanillaIsStepping
#SiscoVanillaHitsTheBricks

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Sisco Vanilla Has a Dirty Plymouth Gin Martini at The Grand Central Oyster Bar Circa 2015

A few weeks ago I found myself in the mood to consume a few gin martinis. Now, I'm not sure why but I chalk it up to a combination of having a long week at work, the debut of the recent 007 film (Spectre) and the need to be around people in a bar setting. Since Momma-San is on a gym kick as of late, I wanted to find a place near the gym where she goes to near Grand Central Station. So what better place to go to in Grand Central than the iconic Grand Central Oyster Bar (Grand Central Station, Lower Level, 89 East 42nd Street, NY NY 212-490-6650). Surprisingly, for as many times as I have walked past the Oyster Bar, I have never walked in. What a good way it off the "Need to visit" list.

The Oyster Bar opened its doors in 1913, the same year that Grand Central Station opened for operation. Located midway between the main and lower levels, its is surprising on how big this establishment it. I'll go into that a bit later. With train travel being paramount in the United States during this era, businesses such as the Grand Central Oyster Bar flourished providing a necessary stop for passengers to enjoy a meal and cocktails in between trains. But with the development of such innovations as automobiles, interstate highway systems and affordable jet travel the dependency on traveling by train diminished. Hand-in-hand with the decline of the trains went the decline of eateries in train depots such as the Oyster Bar. By the early 1970's, the Oyster Bar was relegated to coffee shop status before going bankrupt and closing its doors. In came Jerome Brody.

According to the History of the Oyster Bar page on the Grand Central Oyster Bar website, owner Jerome Brody describes what he came across when he was asked to take over the fading restaurant:
In 1974, when I was approached by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority to take it over, the old restaurant had been bankrupt and empty for two years, having become in its last days not much more than a sad, old coffee shop. Reluctantly, I inspected what remained of its former grandness. The elegant marble columns you see in the restaurant today were then painted aquamarine over wallpaper. The wall covering was yellow Cello-tex™. The furniture was upholstered yellow, in unsettling contrast with the red table cloths. 
Despite the obvious drawbacks and failures of the old restaurant, I thought that if we could develop a strong merchandising concept, the 440 seat capacity had real potential. But it would be up to us to invent a new restaurant—from menu to decor—which would make us a destination restaurant.
Brody was responsible for the management of such New York restaurants such as Four Seasons, the Rainbow Room, Gallagher's Steak House and The Forum of the Twelve Caesars at Rockefeller Center. So guidance of the Oyster Bar was in good hands and as per his words, the Oyster Bar rose from the ruins. A destination restaurant it indeed became and almost 40-years later, the bar caters to both the business and casual diner/drinker. The place is massive with a small bar right near the entrance. More traditional seating to the left of the entrance. Luncheonette style reminiscent of Woolworth's dining area (yes, I am dating myself here) to the right and after that a room called the Saloon which is packed with diners and drinkers looking for more of a pub feel with two separate bars servicing the clientele. Since I thought I was meeting Momma-San, I decided to sit in a visible location. I waited for her at the small bar directly at the entrance. I was not disappointed.

The bartender Marcelo is what I would categorize as an old school, classic bartender. Probably having made drinks in a variety of bars and restaurants over a number of decades, Marcelo is nothing but a professional. To move people around his small bar with the simple act of moving their drinks AND not getting any flak from them for doing so is simply amazing. But, this is something he would do in order to accommodate the clientele that was at his bar for at least one drink. And speaking of the drink, being in a classic place as this, I wanted to go with something classic: The Gin Martini. After looking at the selection, I decided to choose to have Plymouth Gin for my cocktail.

Plymouth Gin can trace its roots back to 1793. According to the Plymouth Gin website:
Plymouth Original Strength is a unique, protected style of gin originating from the city of Plymouth, South West England. Since 1793 it has been distilled from a unique blend of 7 botanicals, soft Dartmoor water and pure grain alcohol at the historic Black Friars Distillery - the oldest working distillery in England
THE TASTE 
Plymouth Gin has a great depth of flavour with deep earthy notes and a wonderfully fresh juniper and lemony bite. It has a slight sweetness with extraordinary concentration and complexity. No single botanical dominates the overall flavour. The finish is long and dry. 
TASTING NOTES
Colour - Crystal Clear.
Nose - Rich, fresh aroma of juniper followed by notes of coriander and cardamom.
Palate - Extremely smooth, creamy and full bodies with a slight sweetness.
Finish - Elegant, long, fresh and aromatic
Though it really took an error in ordering my second cocktail to find out how good Plymouth Gin really is. For me, ordering a dirty martini is a blast of flavor for my tastes buds. Doing so with a lesser gin hides the harshness that you might find from some gins that are juniper heavy in terms of botanicals. But the brine in a Plymouth Gin martini doesn't do the gin any justice.

The second cocktail came to be a standard martini and I have to say that it was arguably the smoothest gin martini that I have ever had. It was crisp and clean and while you can feel the botanicals on the tongue, you couldn't say that it was heavier in any one particular flavor. It was truly a delight on the palate. I would find it hard to order another gin martini without having Plymouth as my go-to.


Unfortunately Momma-San never showed, having missed my text messages so we weren't able to partake in any cocktails. So I ended my time at the Oyster Bar at four martinis. I highly recommend visiting the Oyster Bar if you want a quick cocktail or want to have a few oysters before you catch the commuter rail home. Just keep in mind that the last seating is a 9:30pm and the restaurant closes on Sunday. So no Sunday Funday at the Oyster Bar.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
#SiscoVanilla
#SiscoVanillaIsStepping
#SiscoVanillaHitsTheBricks
#SiscoVanillaAtTheMovies

***Author's Note: This is a post that I had put together and for whatever reason, I didn't post it. It was complete and for whatever reason, it fell through the cracks. Now I do remember that it was from 2015 and to be honest, I'm not sure if the bartender I mention in the article is still at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Regardless, enjoy the post.