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Archive for category Drink of the Day

A House Great Divide’d

Feb 15

Posted by danielOut in Beers, Drink of the Day | 3 Comments

Drink of the Day #00017 from Daniel Auchenpaugh on Vimeo.

Three beers from Great Divide here in Denver. On the table today is their Hades Belgian-style Ale, Denver Pale Ale, and their Wild Raspberry Ale. All great beers, so check it out! Again, if your feed reader of choice (or facebook) doesn’t properly display the flash player, use the link to watch it over at Vimeo.

Sorry for the hiatus; I had guests in the house and a class to finish, but now we should be back on track. Well, at least for a week. Then I head to DC for a week, so if you know any places I should visit while I’m there for a quality beer, wine, or cocktail then let me know!

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Alcohol & You: A Healthy Relationship

Jan 31

Posted by danielOut in Beers, Cocktails, Drink of the Day, Wine | 3 Comments


Drink of the Day #00016 from Daniel Auchenpaugh on Vimeo.
In today’s Drink of the Day, I cover the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout from Anderson Valley Brewing, the Belgian Framboise Raspberry Lambic from Lindemans Farm Brewery, and the Crianza 2006 Tempranillo from Campo Viejo.

There are a lot of horrible things that alcohol does to your body if you consume it in vast quantities. However, if you’re a responsible drinker, then alcohol can improve your health over non-drinkers. The key, like with many things is life, is moderation. So, to illustrate this, I’ll provide some fun facts. However, to give us a common groundwork, first let’s define one drink. One drink is 5oz of wine, 12oz of beer, or 1.5oz of spirits. Keep in mind that if you’re drinking some really high alcohol content beers (around wine levels, 12%+) or any spirit that is beyond 45% ABV (90 proof) then you’ll need to make adjustments to that calculation. Now, a “moderate drinker” is a female that has one drink per day, or a male that has two drinks per day. Sorry ladies, I didn’t make up the science, I just relayed it. Also note that this does not mean if you have no drinks during the week then you can stack up a ton of the weekend; that would still tax your body pretty heavily.

A moderate drinker, both for males and females, lowers their chance of heart-related medical problems. The alcohol can help with converting bad cholesterol to good cholesterol as well. The heart health issues are the most commonly known and studies proving the correlation have been around for decades. Also note that red wine contains more antioxidants than white wine, so studies show that it might be more effective in the heart health department than other drinks.

A few other fun facts about moderate drinkers over non-drinkers or heavy drinkers: moderate drinkers show a decreased risk for dementia, type 2 diabetes, and various anxiety disorders; moderate drinkers have a 35% less chance of contacting the common cold than non-drinkers; while moderate drinking has been linked to increased chance of some cancers, it has also been linked to a decrease in others.

So, these are just a couple handy health facts to illustrate that responsible drinking can be better than no drinking, and is certainly better than excess drinking. And always, drinking and driving makes you a fucking moron, and you should be dragged in to the street and shot.

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Purity vs Creativity: The Beer/Wine Debate

Jan 23

Posted by danielOut in Beer Brewing, Beers, Cocktails, Drink of the Day, Wine | 2 Comments

Tradition often comes in to play in the beverage industry, and most of us are guilty of being party of it. My own personal love of classic cocktails drives me to find new cocktail recipes that date back to the pre-prohibition era; for some reason that “traditional” way of making drinks just appeals to something inside me. Modern society has somehow pushed us to return to the classic way of doing things. Personally, I think some of this is good. When modernization degrades the quality of a product, then I believe a more classic approach should be used. However, if it helps the quality of a product (Scotch was never blended until the mid 1800s, and was only done to improve the consistency of flavors from one year to the next) then I think new and innovative approaches should be utilized to their fullest potential. So how does that relate to the beer and wine industry?

The craft beer industry has embraced a level of creativity in their products. New, unique brews are coming from craft breweries all the time. These brewers are not afraid to experiment with their recipes and add all sorts of unique things to mix: coffee, vanilla, oak, fruits, sours, and many more. However, the wine industry has stuck by their tried and true traditions of wine making. It is rare to find a wine that has had a spice or fruit added to it so a unique flavor profile can be created. The legacy of wine, and the tradition, has stifled the creativity of the industry. Image a coffee cabernet; the rich, acidic grape flavors mingling with a hint of earthy, toasty undertones from the coffee. Or perhaps an orange riesling; the sweet notes giving way to a slightly citrus finish. Rarely, if ever, can you find a wine that has been made with anything other than grapes, time, and yeast. They just don’t hold popularity these days, and who are we to question tradition?

Where am I going with this? Well, the real point is to see what your opinion is. How would you view a beer or a wine that has been made with unique additions to create innovative profiles? Is it acceptable in one genre, but repulsive in another? How would you handle being presented with a wine that was fermented with cinnamon in the fermenter? I’m very interested to hear your opinions on this post, as soon I would like to attempt another home wine brew. If you had the chance to make your own wine, and could go absolutely nuts with the recipe, what would you create? Perhaps, with the help of my awesome readers, we can create a wine that defies the tradition and comes up with something altogether more wonderful; or, perhaps, we shall agree to stick to the traditional method, because that is a better way of doing things.

In today’s Drink of the Day episode I cover two offerings from Shmaltz Brewing Company: Messiah Bold and Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah. I also open another one of my homebrews to compare it to last week’s opening. We will keep this trend up to see how the beer ages over the coming weeks! Also, in the video I mentioned I was curious what hops went in to the Jewbelation; well, if you check out the website it tells you what malts and what hops went in to the beer! How handy; thanks Shmaltz!

Also, thanks to my good friend Travis, over at SIEGE Films, who was kind enough to provide the intro for the episode. Much like my new love of homebrewing, Travis has recently fallen in love with film making. He’s recording his journey here, and I highly recommend you check him out. I’ve known Travis for 14 years, and can promise his creative prowess and perfectionist personality will result in some really great films. Please add their blog to your reader so you can provide him with comments and feedback, much like I request here!

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In Honor of Canada!

Jan 20

Posted by danielOut in Cocktails, Drink of the Day | No Comments

So, I was absolutely exhausted last night and did not get a chance to include a Drink of the Day segment in my post. So, instead, you get it a day later. I hope I make it up to you by bringing two awesome cocktails that use grain based spirits. One of which leads to me dedicating this episode to my good gaming buddy Ryan up in Canada. Check out the video for more!

Drink of the Day #00014 from Daniel Auchenpaugh on Vimeo.

Today’s DotD is about two cocktails! The Maple Leaf and the Bronx Golden

In this video I talk about the Bronx Golden and the Maple Leaf – recipes for both are as follows.

Bronx Golden

  • 1.5oz Gin
  • 0.5oz Dry Vermouth
  • 0.5oz Sweet Vermouth
  • 0.75oz orange juice
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Shake without ice until foamy; shake with ice and strain in to glass
  • Glass: wine

Maple Leaf

  • 1.5oz bourbon (any whiskey will do, really. Even Scotch)
  • 0.5oz lemon or lime juice (pick your favorite!)
  • 0.5oz pure maple syrup (seriously, go for the good stuff!)
  • Shake and strain in to glass
  • Glass: cocktail or brandy snifter

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Beerfecta

Jan 17

Posted by danielOut in Beers, Drink of the Day | 6 Comments

So I’m a little torn; I enjoy doing the new video posts (more so since you guys seem to enjoy them) but they take longer. I need to work on streamlining the process a little more. Regardless, today will be another post that is merely a Drink of the Day video, since I spent too much time fiddling with that already. I hope you enjoy it.

The beers from today’s video come from Dry Dock Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, and Left Hand Brewing. Also, I’m sorry I screwed up the original idea of this episode, which was lagers. Again, if you’re having problems with the video showing up in Facebook, then jump on over here to watch it.

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Video Killed the Webernets Star

Jan 14

Posted by danielOut in Beer Brewing, Drink of the Day, Soda | No Comments

Since you all asked for it, here is the first try at a video version of drink of the day. Since this was my first shot, that is all the post will be today. Let me know what you think!

Drink of the Day #00012 from Daniel Auchenpaugh on Vimeo.

Drink of the Day Video Episode 0001. After the feedback from my awesome readers, I’ve decided to give the video blog a try for my Drink of the Day segments. Please let me know your opinions!

If this video doesn’t show up in Facebook, check it out on the actual website by pointing your browser to The Actual Site!

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Bottle Shock

Jan 10

Posted by danielOut in Beer Brewing, Beers, Drink of the Day, Winemaking | No Comments

The 'B' stands for BADASS BEER... okay, so maybe not.

48 bottles of the English Brown Ale

While unrelated to the post, the movie “Bottle Shock” is awesome. So check it out sometime. Moving along, I’m sorry for the lack of posting. things have been busy around here, but you don’t care about my excuses. You just want posts, I know. So I’m going to meet you needs, kind of. I’ll probably be on a more limited posting schedule for the next six weeks due to real life issues; sadly, you shouldn’t expect more than two or three posts a week during this period.

Yesterday Sam and I set out to tackle the task of bottling the English Brown Ale; naturally this started with lots and lots of cleaning. Cleaning bottles, cleaning caps, cleaning hoses, cleaning cleaning cleaning. Not sure if you’ve noticed a trend with this brewing stuff, but cleaning is pretty high priority. Next, while I was still working on cleaning all those bottles, Sam got the primer ready.

If you don’t have a method of force-carbonating your beer (read: a kegging system with CO2) then you need to do it the old fashioned way: create fermentation in the bottle. Called bottle conditioning, this is done by dissolving some fermentable (sugar, malt, etc) in to some water, and adding it in to your bottling bucket. Next, siphon the beer in to your bottling bucket with minimal splashing, bubbling, etc. as to not get oxygen in the beer. So now the yeast is going to have a little (very little) more sugar once it gets in the bottle, and will release CO2. Eventually the pressure will make the CO2 mix with the beer, carbonating it. Hooray for science!

CRAZY DRILL POWER, ACTIVATE!

Using the drill to stir up CO2

Then attach a bottling wand, which is essentially a plastic tube with a spring-loaded stopper at the end that only releases beer when depressed, to the spigot of the bottling bucket. Open the spigot, grab your first bottle, and start bottling. Our assembly line was me sitting on the floor of the bathroom with the bottling bucket on the counter. Next to me was the caps, and next to them was Sam with the capper. I’d fill the bottle, pass to her, and she’d cap and put in the box. We got pretty good, and knocked out 48 bottles in less than a half hour once we were up to speed. Now we just wait 2-4 weeks and let the magic of fermentation happen, and we’ll (hopefully) have some awesome English Brown Ale.

Next I needed to add clarifying agents to the wine. Over the past couple of days, I verified that the SG wasn’t dropping any more (it stabilized at 0.993) and so it was time to clarify. Adding some clarifying chemicals isn’t all; for them to do their job effectively you need to drive off all the CO2 from the wine. This took forever in the carboy, and I ended up having to transfer it back to the bucket to get it to clear the CO2. So that’s sitting around in the bucket for another couple weeks while the chemicals drag all the particulates down to the bottom.

Also, I started two more beers today. Sam really wanted an IPA, and demanded that I start one. Being a husband that enjoys sleeping in the bed and not on the floor, I agreed. I’m using the American IPA kit from The Brew Hut. I also started a Hefeweizen for my class; by the time we’re done in six weeks, the Hefe should be ready. However, when I was at The Brew Hut they only had the hops I wanted in 2oz bags, and I just needed 1oz for the Hefe. Now, luckily you can keep hops in the freezer until you need to use them. Of course, I didn’t do that. I tossed the extra in to the IPA, since Sam likes her IPA’s to have killer levels of hops. So the Hefe has 1oz of hops, all used as bittering hops. Where as the IPA has 2.5oz of bittering, and 2oz of flavor hops. I think the difference is pretty clear here. However, I should note that the hops I bought were my first experience with whole hops, rather than hop pellets. Really, there didn’t seem to be much difference either way.

Someone stole that glass from a resturaunt; I think it was one of Sam's friends

U-Boat Hefeweizen from Dry Dock Brewing

Drink of the Day

Dry Dock Brewing doesn’t bottle their beers. This is a sad and terrible thing, but I understand. They’re a small brewery, and they can only do so much. However, thankfully, you can get a growler (64oz jug) if you stop by their place. It will start to go flat after a weekend, but with the quality of their beers I doubt it will stay in your fridge that long anyway. The photo illustrates a “sloppy” pour to generate head; I wanted to highlight the impressive head retention of their U-Boat Hefeweizen. In the glass on the right you can see the beautiful golden color, not impeded by a poor pour.

This beer smells like summer. Bananas, flowers, and maybe a little like the beach. Really, though, the banana aroma and flavor is pretty strong in this hefe. It blends well with the small amount of bitterness present, and the creamy body. It finishes strong and refreshing, and really does well on the tongue. Sam and I both enjoyed this beer this weekend, and will take the empty growler back again for some more sometime. Maybe next weekend while she’s gone I’ll fill it with their Baltic Porter… mhmm….

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Stop Whining and Start Wine-ing

Jan 6

Posted by danielOut in Drink of the Day, Winemaking | 2 Comments

He really loves that Mother's Milk

Wine: Not always serious

I hope you guys didn’t miss me too much yesterday; I just had too much to do for an update to happen. Most likely Tuesdays are going to just be that way; sorry, I hate to say it, but I have far too many hobbies for me to realistically update every day. Regardless, since I know you whined about it… we’re gonna talk wine.

Thanks to Daniel Hammond (pictured) for illustrating that wine doesn’t have to be so serious. Ask anyone who has shown up at one of my wine parties. I think serious is one of the furthest things from our minds, unless you’re going to associated serious with “seriously awesome”, in which case we’re serious all the time. For me, wine is about the same kind of things that any drink is: delicious flavors, new experiences, and sharing adventures with friends. Some people in the wine industry would disagree, and try to make it in to a black-tie beverage, but they can shove it. One of my favorite wine descriptions (courtesy of Travis Phillips) involved a football helmet, rainwater, and socks. Though to be entirely honest, I can’t remember if it was good thing or a bad thing. But whatever, right?

The first key to enjoying wine is knowing what you’re doing when tasting it. You could read fifty books on wine, and all of them will have a different way to do it. No worries, but here are a few pro tips. First, smell what you’re drinking. Wine is one of the best smelling things in the world. Seriously, why are there not candles scented like wine? The aroma (or “nose”, if you’re a wine person) is a really telling aspect. Think of it as the movie trailer to your wine. It doesn’t tell you everything about it, but you can figure out roughly what you’re in for. Some people also check the color, either before or after smelling. If you’re interested, go for it. If not, whatever. You aren’t some kind of worthless peasant if you don’t. Well, not much of one, anyway. Now drink it, damnit! It is why you bought it in the first place! What took you so long? Oh, wait, woah. Don’t swallow it, what are you doing? Let it sit for a second. Swishing the mouth is optional, but I enjoy doing it. It coats your mouth in that lovely wine flavor, and makes sure all areas of your tongue are exposed to the wine. Think about what the flavors remind you of, and “grapes” or “alcohol” are totally acceptable answers. Note how “heavy” it feels on your tongue, that’s the “body” of the wine. Body is also used pretty extensively to describe beers, so hold on to it and you can be the next beer nerd at a party. Swallow, and check out the finish. Does it hang around a long time kind of like in-laws, or is it like the money in your checking account and there is no trace of it left? Bam, there you go. You’re now a professional, trust me.

Of course, more goes in to wine that just that. But really, just try it next time someone puts a glass in front of you. Some people go through the tasting process just for their first sip or two, but I like to swish every sip. Just really expresses the flavors across your mouth, and isn’t that part of why we’re drinking things? So how do you end up with something in front of you that you’re going to like? Well buying wine is a lot easier than people think. Hell, for the first few years of my wine-lust I just bought stuff with cool labels. However, I made a mistake when I was new to wine. I kept buying single varietals of grapes I enjoyed. I’m still guilty of staying away from blends, and I really have no good reason for it. So what grape to go with? Well, there are a ton of them. I could keep a whole blog going on the different styles of grape for well over a month. If you’re really interested, I’d tell you to pick up The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil; probably the best wine book I’ve ever read. A much more fun, and effective, method is to just go buy one you haven’t tried. I’d make sure you visit the “other whites” and “other reds” sections of your wine store, too. That’s usually where you find the not-so-popular styles, though in smaller numbers. Find one with a reasonable price and a good label, and go with it. Please don’t think you’ve got to drop $30 or more on a bottle to find a good wine. Pillar Box Red is a great example; it is not terribly hard to find, and retails around $10. It has done excellently even with the big wine reviewers, and really kicks some serious ass. For a $10 wine, it is a steal.

So that is it, really. There isn’t some huge post about traditions, customs, etc that goes here. Wine is simple, but people have complicated it over time. Seriously, it is old grape juice, how can that be so snooty? No one is making a big deal about 5 year old Coke, so why should we about wine? Just open, enjoy, and write about it. Speaking of writing about things, drop your favorite grape varietal in the comments… for reference, mine are Tempranillo (red) and Grüner Veltliner (white). Check them out if you get a chance.

I had to drink it because the bottle kept scaring me when I opened the fridge

6 malts, 6 hops, 6.66% alc - Shmaltz Brewing

Drink of the Day

I know, you’d think it would be a wine? However, and I didn’t realize this until I figure out what tonight’s post would be, I was out of wine. That sucks, and is a real problem. How did that happen? Oh, wait, I know… a hojillion dollars of brewing equipment. Regardless, our Drink of the Day tonight is from the fine people over at Shmaltz Brewing, the same people who make HE’BREW. I grabbed this bottle on sale, clearly a Halloween leftover, and thought I’d go ahead and pop it open tonight. I was surprised when I poured it… that shit is red. Not like amber, but like red. It didn’t come out in the picture, but even the head is red. It is a seriously red beer, and I have no idea how they pulled it off without the aid of food coloring. Impressive, truly.

It is really malty on the nose, and only a hint of hops sneaks in there. Also, the malt flavors are really prominent. Don’t get me wrong, the six hops do make a showing. However, it was clearly small amounts of the six. This isn’t a very bitter beer, so saying you put in six hops is kind of silly. The body is nice; just what I’d expect from something with that aroma and flavor. I think that is probably where they did the best. The malty taste is good, and has a little grain element to it. I like that. However, on the finish a little hint of cleaner (windex?) sneaks in at the end. It isn’t major, or something to make me toss the beer out, but it prevents me from giving this a “totally awesome” kind of thing. Plus, having had their Genesis Ale and Messiah Bold, I expected a lot more out of this beer. If it is on sale, grab it. You won’t be sad. However, at full price I’d probably grab one of the other beers from Shmaltz if you hadn’t had them; they’re just better beers.

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Secondary Fermentation Across the Brewing Nation

Jan 4

Posted by danielOut in Beer Brewing, Drink of the Day, Winemaking | No Comments

It could be a band name, too

The wine and beer in secondary.

So today I felt good enough with the rate of fermentation in the beer and wine to check the SG of each and see if it was time to move them in to secondary fermentation. Sanitized my gear, of course, and let the fun begin. The Brown Ale was at 1.014, so I sanitized my remaining carboy and siphoned the beer. Of course, I had a sample out of the beer from the hydrometer. So of course, Sam and I had to taste it. This is where the concern starts.

The aroma was great; it smelled like beer! However, it tasted a little watered down. Like beer, but like beer with water in it. Hopefully this goes away after time. Anyhow, it is now sitting happily in the secondary, and fermentation has slowed to a crawl. It is clearly almost done eating up all those yummy sugars, and I’ll probably bottle it after a week. One thing I learned is the value of other sized carboys. I was having a hard time understanding why anyone would want anything but a six-gallon, but as I see now if you’re racking to secondary you’d really probably be better off with a 5 gallon, so you have less air at the top. In primary fermentation the beer is throwing out a ton of CO2, and that pushes the air out of the top. However, now it is barely bubbling, and the amount of space has increased. That is a whole lot of oxygen this little beer has to push away with very little sugar left to do it.

It is really fun to watch.

Tiny fermentation bubbles, hooray!

Now, with that done, it was time for dinner. Of course, I had a beer. How could I not have one, really? We had a pilsner; it was delicious. Also, Sam cooked a delicious chicken breast in rosemary vinegar with spinach salad, peppers, and onions. Awesome.

Anyhow, after dinner, it was wine time. The SG of the wine was 1.008, which was perfect. Exactly where I wanted it to be when I moved to secondary. Sample placed in to a glass and the siphon started. Smelled the wine, and woah… not what I expected, or wanted. Smelled almost like vinegar. The taste wasn’t bad, but not as strong as I would hope for a tempranillo. I’m really nervous about this one; fermentation did start a little cold, but it did start, so I wasn’t worried. However, I’m now pretty glad I’ve moved these up to the guest bathroom. Warming them up to about 72 hopefully will help. Still, there needs to be an aroma miracle in the wine for it to come out good. I’m really upset about this one, and trying to track where things might have gone wrong. Either way, the porter seems to be doing well, so that is good news.

It didn't really fade; it started out black

Stout Ale from Left Hand Brewing

Drink of the Day

So, here it is, the drink of the day. I wanted to hit Dry Dock up today, but I just didn’t have time. So instead I pulled out one of the New Years leftovers to give it a try; the Fade to Black Ale from Left Hand Brewing. You know, this beer had me a little worried. The label isn’t my favorite, and seems like it is trying too hard to be awesome. I knew I should have left my judging somewhere else when I poured it and smelled rich caramel, malty, coffee, smokey goodness.

So much smoke! I love it. Look, let’s say we were going camping. Yeah, you and me. We are toasting some marshmallows. (Aside: Up until just now, I spelled that word “ell” instead of “all”) Do you just warm it up, lightly brown it, golden brown, or light it on fire and let it burn a while? If you answered last, then do what you can to get your hands on this beer. Call your local decent beer hut and tell them to get it… or else. I’m pretty sure that means they have to; at least, if movies are to be believed. This beer tastes like all the best parts of a charred marshmallow. Smokey sweetness combined with toasted caramelization flavors. They should pick a new label for this one, but it is a damn good beer. Now I’m going to seek out more stuff from Left Hand, because if they got this one right…

Oh, and as a word of warning… I’ll be really busy tomorrow, and thus… no blog post! I know, I’ve done so well so far, but Tuesdays are just slammed for me. It would take some kind of crazy get-off-work-super-early miracle for me to find time to post tomorrow.

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The Bitters Truth

Jan 3

Posted by danielOut in Cocktails, Drink of the Day | 2 Comments

You bitter believe I love them!

Just one of many types

I apologize for the really bad pun the title today, but after reading that I intended to do a bitters post, you should have seen it coming. Or maybe you don’t even know what bitters are, and then that is awesome. First, my goal is to convince anyone that doesn’t have at least one bottle of bitters in their house to go get one. Second, if you already have bitters, maybe I can provide a delicious recipe or two for you.

Bitters, essentially, are herbal essence infused spirits. However, they typically have a very, very strong flavor. Most drink recipes that call for bitters measure the amount in dashes, not ounces. So clearly we are dealing with some heavy drink-altering flavors. Bitters come in a variety of flavors, but I’ll preface the list with my favorite: angostura bitters. To me, they really taste like a pre-WWI bar in a fledgling metropolis. I know, it sounds silly. However, there is something pleasingly old fashioned about them, and they really do create a drink that sets itself apart from what you’re going to get at a typical bar. Besides my favorite, bitter flavors include orange, peach, mint, cherry, blood orange, lemon, and more. This is a major problem with bitters; once you get one bottle, you’ll want to get more. Check out this post over at Kaiser Penguin if you don’t believe me. Due to a variety of other expensive hobbies, I’ve managed to limit myself to the Angostura and Orange.

Originally they were created as a magical herbal cure for all things from aches to upset stomachs. Now, I wouldn’t be one to question the medical accuracy of any 1800s medicine man, but I will take a moment to thank them. Of course, what you want to know is how to make good drinks with your new toy, right? Well, let’s start simple.

Bittered Lemonade [Booze free!]

If you read Wikipedia article on bitters, you’ve already seen this one. Though they cite it with sparkling lemonade, and thus call it a Campbell, you can use any kind of lemonade you have handy. Really it is something to be tried; the added complexity makes an already great drink (what? lemonade is awesome) even better, and takes a little of that sweetness down. To note, while I have tagged it booze free at the top, angostura bitters do contain alcohol. However, the quantity in the bitters vs the size of the drink means the total alcohol percentage is damn close to 0%.

  • Three dashes of your favorite bitters, I recommend Angostura
  • Lemonade of your choice (Angostura and pink lemonades make a great rust color)
  • Ice
  • Glass: Whatever! It is lemonade, and should go in a glass that reminds you of summer. No bigger than12oz, though, or you’ll need to adjust the bitters.

Scofflaw

This cocktail’s name has a rich heritage, and I think the story was just too good not to include the drink here. Back in 1923, Delcevare King started a contest. You see, he was a member of the Anti-Saloon League, and invited people to submit a word that could be used to describe a person who drinks illegally. Well, in January of 1924, it was announced that two people (Henry I. Dale and Kate L. Butler) both sent in the winning word “scofflaw”. In just under a week, Harry’s New York Bar in Paris has developed a new drink, and they named her “Scofflaw”.

  • 1 oz whiskey
  • 1 oz dry vermouth
  • 1/4 oz lemon juice
  • Dash grenadine
  • Dash Angostura Orange Bitters
  • Ice, stir
  • Glass: Cocktail
  • Garnish: Orange twist, though I wouldn’t worry too much about this if you aren’t entertaining.
Or a whisky sour, both spellings are correct

A personal favorite, the whiskey sour

Whiskey Sour, also the Drink of the Day

One of my all time favorite drinks is a whiskey sour. Not the crappy kind you get from a generic bar, but a real one made with care. Also, most of the ingredients are something you probably already have at home. The only exception would be the bitters, and the whole point of this post is to get you to buy some. This simple recipe can be tailored a variety of ways to fit different tastes, so feel free to experiment with the ratios below, or maybe even add something new! However, if you stumble across a gem, let me know in the comments.

  • 1/2oz fresh lime juice (or lemon, squeezed if you can or bottled if you can’t)
  • 1/2oz simple syrup (google it, make some. 10 minutes making it will last you months)
  • 1 egg white (just the white; keep the yellow out of your shaker)
  • 2oz whiskey
  • Shake all of the above with no ice really, really hard. This lets that egg white work the magic and create a silky, foamy texture
  • Add ice, shake more. The longer you can shake, the better the foamy goodness will be.
  • Pour in to glass, add two dashes bitters (again, I recommend Angostura)
  • Glass: Old Fashioned or Highball

Hopefully you’ve learned a little bit about premium cocktails, and how to make something vastly superior to the bar at [insert local generic restaurant] for you to enjoy and impress your friends with. Bitters are a great addition to many cocktails, so try new things with them, and don’t be afraid if the results don’t always work. Without a bit of adventuring and experimenting, you won’t find that recipe your friends keep coming over to try. After all, if you don’t impress them with drinks they’ll probably leave you for someone cooler. Seriously, watch out.

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