I recently came across Singapore based food blogger Sarah Huang Benjamin's show Must Try! Asia. I found this show on the Discovery Plus app. Sarah has on her Instagram page a recipe for a delicious sounding cocktail for this past Chinese New Year called the Mandarin Ginger Gin Fizz. You can see the reel at the bottom of the post for the ingredient list and how to make the cocktail.
What drew my curiosity was the brand of gin that she used for the cocktail. Sarah uses a brand of gin called Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin. I've never heard of the Four Pillars brand so I decided to do a little hunting.
Started in 2013, the Four Pillars Distillery is a small distillery based in Australia that is known to make some real unique kinds of gin. on their homepage is a listing for their newest gin, the Fresh Yuzu Gin. Looking at their wares they have a Pink Dry Gin, Bloody Shiraz Gin (steeped with Shiraz grapes,) an Olive Leaf Gin, a Spiced Negroni Gin, a Spiced Trade Gin inspired by the spices of India and for the basis of this post the Rare Dry Gin.
The Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin is the first gin created by the Four Pillars distillery. This gin clocks in at 41.8 abv and has a flavor profile composed of orange, star anise, Tasmanian pepperberry and lemon myrtle among its botanicals.
While I'm in the middle of crafting a new posts, I wanted to keep your appetite whetted with a quick and simple post. I was recently playing the Elder Scrolls Online MMO and the following came up with a conversation with an in-game character.
Oenophile? I don't think I've ever heard that word before. I decided to check the Merriam-Webster dictionary web page for a concise answer. What I found out is that an Oenophile is a lover or connoisseur of wine. Interesting. I would have thought the word describing a lover or connoisseur of wine would have the word wine within it. And I wasn't wrong. It just wasn't the word wine from the Latin that is describing it.
Digging a bit deeper on the Merriam-Webster website's listing for an Oenophile, I discovered the following:
"The truth about the word wine is that it goes back to Latin vinum, but it is also a distant relative of the Greek word for wine, which is oinos. Indeed, Latin borrowed from the Greek to create a combining form that means "wine," oeno-. Modern French speakers combined oeno- with -phile (Greek for "lover of") to create oenophile before we adopted it from them in the mid-1800s."
The study of the science of making wine is called either Oenology or Enology (more common today.) An expert in making wine is called an Oenogist or Enologist (also the common term used.)
Wine knowledge is something that is missing from by bartending skill set. So its always a good thing to learn something new. Never let it be said that you can't learn something new from a video game 😉.
Keep an eye out for my next post. Something new and original is on the way!!!!
Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking, SiscoVanilla
I was recently talking to a customer and we were talking about Bacardi Rum. I asked them if they had heard about Bacardi's lawsuit in 1937 that established the precedent that any cocktail that was to be known as a Bacardi Cocktail such as a Bacardi and Coke has to be legally served with Bacardi Rum. The person had no clue what I was talking about. I had posted about it in my older NYCHistory blog entitled A Cocktail By One Name But Includes Something Else dated May 10, 2012. I've decided to reprint the post here with an update to the images of the print ads from the period that mention this lawsuit and decision in favor of Bacardi. I a number of future posts, I will highlight two other legal proceedings that established Goslings as the official rum in a Dark and Stormy and Pusser's in a Painkiller. Until then, here is the post from May 10, 2012:
"A Cocktail By One Name But Includes Something Else
The custom of ordering a specific spirit in one's cocktail is something
we do as second nature. But a court case came up in the New York Supreme
Court in 1936 (and upheld in the New York Appellate Court in 1937) that shed light on a practice that set the standard for
how drinks are made. The case was brought upon by the Compañia Ron
Bacardi. In said suit, the Bacardi family sued a number of New York City
bars and restaurants of which the Barbizon-Plaza Hotel and Wivel
Restaurant (on West 45th Street) were the defendants on the basis
that customers ordering a Bacardi cocktail were not being served what
they ordered. In other words, the customer ordered lets say a Bacardi
and Coca Cola and were given another brand of rum and Coca Cola. The
suit was based on the idea that the Bacardi rum was the popular spirit
at the time post-Prohibition.
To be honest, the whole thing sounds a bit odd. The case was littered
with weird testimonies as to how a chicken sandwich is made whether with
chicken or other poultry meat and how beef stew is actually made with
beef or beef trimmings. To add to the weirdness factor, the lawyers for
the Bacardi family called to the stand the bartender of the New York
Athletic Club and the Deal Golf Club, Andre Guex to testify on how he
served the presiding Judge, Justice John L. Welsh (who was a member of both clubs) his Bacardi cocktails. The Bartender stated that he served the judge a Bacardi cocktail with Bacardi and nothing else.
After all was said and done, Justice John L. Walsh, ruled:
"Beyond a reasonable doubt subterfuge and
a fraud is subjected on the purchaser when BACARDI rum is left out of a
drink listed as a "BACARDI" cocktail."
The decision led to an injunction being filed against the defendants and
Bacardi drinkers getting their Bacardi in the Bacardi cocktails that
they order. What follows below are a series of print ads for Bacardi
after the case was decided.
Tuesday proved to be a very interesting night at Finns Corner Pub (660 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 (347-663-9316)). We had a nice vibe at the bar. People were happy and giving off good energy.
I had a bartender at the bar that works at two of the top cocktail bars in Puerto Rico come in with a friend. It was nice to shake off some of the cocktail rust in talking shop with her. At the same time we had a couple sitting at the bar from Utah that was in earshot of the conversation and asked if they could join in. Hey, the more merrier I always say.
They actually had some great questions for us. One they asked was "When is it a good time to ask the bartender for a recommended drink." I answered that it depends on how the room is. A relatively slow and steady night is a good time to ask. A bar that is three deep is never a good time for questions and indecisiveness. Read the room folks.
The one they posed to the bartender from PR was "What is the most popular cocktail at her bars in Puerto Rico." Without missing a beat she said "La Piña Colada!!!"
Ah, La Piña Colada. The cocktail who took over the name of the Rupert Holmes song "Escape" and goes hand-in-hand with getting caught in the rain. Don't know it? Come on!!!!
Even the kids know the song since it plays right after the scene where the Magic Mirror introduces us and a martini drinking Lord Farquhard to Princess Fiona in the first Shrek movie.
But the question made me wonder: Who created the Piña Colada?
So as the story goes, once upon a time in the tropical paradise of Puerto Rico a bartender by the name of Ramon "Monchito" Marrero was slinging drinks at the Beachcomber Bar that was located in the Caribe Hilton luxury hotel. Why he put together rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice and heavy cream is beyond me. But the combination worked and the drink took off like wildfire.
For 35-years Monchito served his signature drink while at the Beachcomber. The cocktail was so popular that in 1978, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico made the Piña Colada the official cocktail of the island. Here is the official recipe for the Piña Colada from the Caribe Hilton website:
Original Piña Colada Recipe
2 ounces white rum
1 ounce coconut cream
1 ounce heavy cream
6 ounces fresh pineapple juice
½ cup of crushed ice
Add the rum, coconut cream, heavy cream and pineapple juice in a
blender. Add the ice and blend until smooth for about 15 seconds. Serve
in a 12-ounce glass. Garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge and a
maraschino cherry.
I highly recommend that you watch the following video that's a touching celebration of Monchito by many of the bartenders that worked with him throughout the years at the Caribe Hilton.
But as with the history of many cocktails, there is a little controversy concerning its origin and creation.
The Barrachina Restaurant in El Viejo San Juan lays claim to being the place with the Piña Colada was created. They state that the cocktail was created by Ramon Portas Mingot in 1963. The following video from Cheap Caribbean interviews Barrachina bartender Jorge Ayala, who explains the origins of their Piña Colada.
48 oz Pineapple Juice – Cans 15 oz of Coconut Cream (Coco Lopez or Goya) 10 oz of Water (If you use ice and a blender, do not add the water)
Barrachina recommends that you do not mix the blend with ice. Instead freeze the mix stirring occasionally until frozen. Then add rum (to your taste) into a glass and add the frozen mix. Decorate with a cherry and pinaeapple chunks.
Have you had any of these famous Piña Coladas? If so, drop me a comment letting me know how you liked them. Finn's is still serving our Pina Colada as the weather remains warm. So swing on by and get yourself one.
Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
I was looking for a work shirt to wear for my shift this past Tuesday at Finns Corner Pub (660 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 (347-663-9316)) when I came across this beauty. I got this shirt courtesy of the fine people Vintage Beer Shirt Club and to take a page from my alterego Historysisco here's a quick history lesson on this particular brewski.
North
Star Beer was originally brewed by the North Star Brewery which was
located in the Twin City of St. Paul, Minnesota. The brewery had the
distinction of being one of the only non-German breweries in a part of
the country that was predominantly made up of German immigrants.
North Star was founded in 1855 by by Edward Drewry and George Scotten, who
were Scottish and English immigrants respectively. Originally the
brewery was simply known as 'Drewry & Scotten’ and later taking on
the name of North Star Brewery. The brewery was built over an area that
had natural caves that were used for aging and refrigeration in an era
where mechanical refrigeration was still a number years away. Drewry and
Scotten both deviated from the Germans by brewing Ales over Lagers.
Their time as heads of the brewery was short. The brewery was sold a
number of times before eventually becoming part of the Jacob Schmidt
Brewing Co. The original location of the North Star Brewery fell victim
to fire in 1900.
And to quote Sean Connery as Malone from the Untouchables: "Here endeth the lesson."
Interested
in getting your hands on some vintage beer shirts? Well do I have a
deal for you. Sign up for the service at vintagebeershirtclub.com and
use referral code FHILA75561 and you'll get get $5 off your first order.
Sounds good? Damn right it does. Go get yourselves some cool beer
tees!!!
Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
With today being Election Day, I wanted to highlight the day with three vintage beer ads highlighting the American day of Democratically electing our representatives in government.
If only it was this cordial in this era of partisanship. People could
learn from the emblems of the Democrats and the Republicans.
This one below seems more like the way things are today.
Regardless where you stand politically, do your civic duty and GO VOTE!!!!!
Listen to Uncle Sam
Have a great day!!!! See you all soon.
Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
Hey peeps. What's up. I hope everyone is safe and healthy. I was recently watching an episode of Chopped on Food Network and for those of you who aren't familiar with that show, chefs are given a basket with secret ingredients and they are to make a meal with the ingredients. In this episode, one of the ingredients was Clove Liqueur.
What is Clove Liqueur? Great question. Aside from the obvious answer of a Liqueur made with Cloves, I have no idea. For me the thought of cloves invokes Christmas, winter and the allure of Hot Toddys. But Googling "Clove Liqueur" doesn't give an exact answer.
One recipe entitled DIY Orange and Clove Liqueur from the Hallmark Channel website. The liqueur is made with brandy and sugar with a suspended orange poked with cloves. This method is similar to how Limoncello is made by having the oils from citrus naturally drip over time into the brandy and sugar mixture. Very interesting method of infusion.
I also came across liqueur type generally known as Tentura which is a based on the kind of liqueur that is traditionally made in the Greek city of Patras. Cinnamon, cloves, citrus and nutmeg are some of the common spices used for infusion. As with the above recipe, Brandy is the common spirit used for infusing through if you were to make your own, any spirit of your choosing would do. I've infused rum with similar spices to make a spice rum and I've also infused an unfiltered apple cider with cloves and other spices.
I'll keep looking out for Clove Liqueur in my travels. Anyone ever drink some? Let me know what you thought of it in the comment box.
Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,
Started in 2013, the Four Pillars Distillery is a small distillery based in Australia that is known to make some real unique kinds of gin. on their homepage is a listing for their newest gin, the Fresh Yuzu Gin. Looking at their wares they have a Pink Dry Gin, Bloody Shiraz Gin (steeped with Shiraz grapes,) an Olive Leaf Gin, a Spiced Negroni Gin, a Spiced Trade Gin inspired by the spices of India and for the basis of this post the Rare Dry Gin.
