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Archive for category Cocktails

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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The Grain Spirit Trifecta

Jan 19

Posted by danielOut in Cocktails | No Comments

Can't... keep... camera... level...

Our bar at home, looking a little barren

Spirits are a varied and complex thing, with a rich cultural history that predates the country I live in. The variety, complexity, and depth of spirits encapsulates far more than I could cover in just one post. However, thankfully, spirits can be divided along a variety of lines. Tonight I’m going to break out the grain spirits: gin, vodka, and whiskey.

The grain trifecta is made from, you guessed it, grains. The initial production of such spirits is very similar to beer; the grains are cooked and yeast is added to convert the sugars (that were once starches, but I’ll get back to that) in to alcohol. This is where the tricky part kicks in. Yeast will crap out at about 15% alcohol because the levels become too high, and thus they croak. So now you’ve got a 15% alcohol beer, essentially, and you want to make hard liquor. How do you do it? DISTILLATION! Distillation is the process that removes excess water from the spirit by heating or cooling.  There is a lot of science here, and you can find it in a million places on the web. Quick and dirty is that you can evaporate your alcohol off, collected the vapors, cool them until they condense, and there you go. If you want a lot more detail, read here. So what does that matter? Well, I’ll tell you.

Covering vodka first, it is sent through a distillation and filtration process multiple times. During this process, flavoring and coloring compounds are removed. In the US and Europe, law states that vodka must be a neutral spirit, and may not contain a distinctive aroma, character, color or flavor. To achieve this, the vodka often ends up at a higher alcohol percent than the typical consumer desires, usually in the 95% – 96% range. So, water is added to dilute the spirit down to a more drinkable range.

Next we’ll hit whiskey, which is much like vodka in the early process. Also, fun fact, the oldest written record of whiskey is from 1494. Sorry, got off topic. The flavor compounds in whiskey give it unique characteristics, thus they aren’t filtered off. The filtration process isn’t nearly as extensive, and post filtration the whiskey goes in to barrels to age. It is estimated that up to 60% of the flavor of whiskey is given to it by the barrel it was aged in. The barrels are many and varied, though it is interesting to note that bourbon whiskey must be aged in new, highly charred oak barrels to truly be bourbon. Like the above, whiskey usually it diluted down to a more drinkable range from around 85% alcohol, which is where it tpyically stands after the distillation process. Major whiskey producing countries include Scotland (duh; where else would we get Scotch!?), Canada, America, Ireland, and even Japan. In fact, Japan is on the upswing in the premium whiskey market, rivaling many produced at more traditional places.

Finally, we get to gin. An often neglected spirit these days, gin has fallen a bit out of style. Starting in a fashion like the siblings listed above, gin is then flavored with various botanicals. Juniper berries are the predominant flavor associated with gin, but many others can be thrown in, created wide variety in the flavor profiles of various gins. Again, typically gin must be cut with water to bring the alcohol percent down to a more reasonable range. A whole post could be dedicated to gins, but I do not have the time, expertise, or money for that enterprise. Just understand the difference, and do your own research if you’re curious.

I’m sure I got some facts slightly off in here, so feel free to correct. Until then, please leave your favorite grain-spirit cocktail in the comments! Raise a glass today to grain spirits, and their pleasing diversity and rich heritage!

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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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Cocktails, wooo-oooh!

Jan 2

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

12 beers enter... and they all win?

$12 for 12 samples (3oz) of beer? Yes, please!

This is the biggest problem I’ve ever had. I was all set to write a post today on bitters… I knew what cocktail I would make, I knew what I was going to say, and then a terrible thing happened. I went to make the drink (always a requirement before a post) and realized that I had no whiskey. Truly, a tragedy has stuck our home today. So, I’ve had to improvise. I’m going to, instead, write about the experience Sam and I had yesterday at Dry Dock Brewing and do a Drink of the Day. The main event, however, will be to touch on what you really need to know to start making cocktails at home.

First, and I would be remiss if I let another day happen without discussing this, I went to my local homebrew store yesterday. Interestingly enough, The Brew Hut is attached to Dry Dock Brewing, a local Aurora brewery. After purchasing our supplies, Sam decided we should at least have a beer there, since we seem to be stopping by often. After sitting down at the bar, the bartender gave us great news. They had 13 of their beers on tap (yes, you read that right, 13) and they did $6 sampling trays of 6 beers each. So all we had to do was pick one not to try, and there we had it. We omitted the Pumpkin Ale, because it isn’t October and I don’t like pumpkin. I could devote multiple posts to describing these beers, but if you’re in the Denver area you can check them out yourself. If you aren’t in the Denver area, then I’d just be cruel to taunt you with them. However, the highlights were a great Double IPA, a silky smooth Vanilla Porter, and a Apricot Blonde that just screamed to go with wings. There wasn’t a single “loser” out of the 12 beers that we tried; the guys over at Dry Dock really brew great beer.

Now, I know a lot of you like an occasional cocktail. Maybe your current favorite is Jack and Coke, or perhaps you really like a good martini. These things are really easy to make at home, I promise. You just need a couple of things, then you can probably make them better than a generic bartender. Of course, don’t get me wrong, a quality bartender with a whole commercial arsenal of tools, mixers, and knowledge at their fingertips will still out-do me any day. However, I can still make some pretty mean drinks at home. First, get a Boston shaker, please. They look badass, add a nice authentic feel, and really seem to keep the best seal when shaking. You can use any pint glass for the other half, though I have just an unmarked one for my shaker. The next thing you’ll need is a jigger, and the stepped variety is easier to read from above. However, if you’re like me, you think the stepped ones are ugly. I use a double-sided jigger that has half ounce on one side, full ounce on the the other. For quarters and eights, I guesstimate. Horrible, aren’t I? However, in reality, that small amount of liquid doesn’t have to be exact in a 5 or 6 ounce drink. Really, that is all you need in a bare-bones sense. However, getting a few bar glasses will really help your drinks stand out. My first, and still favorite, are these glasses from World Market. I really think you can get away with putting anything but a martini (or other non-iced drink) in them. They’re simple, feel good in the hand, and look like a classic. A few martini glasses for good measure, and then you can expand slowly over time.

Now, you have your shaker, jigger, and glasses. What else do you really need at your bar? Knowledge. I know, you’ve been making Jack and Cokes out of your fridge in your dorms for years. What could you possibly need to know? Well, what if (gasp!) you felt like something other than that one beverage some day? There are a mass assortment of quality cocktails out there, and playing around with various ingredients is part of the fun. One of the best parts of cocktails is the instant gratification; mix them up and you’ll know instantly if you’ve got a hit or a miss in the first sip. I’ve learned a lot from Imbibe magazine and from watching The Cocktail Spirit over at Small Screen Network. Sure, a lot of the recipes may include things you don’t have handy. Look for what you can accomplish, and try your best to adapt where you are missing ingredients. Really, I think cocktails embody the essence of this blog the best. They’re playful, they’re fun, and they’re about trying new things to see how it turns out. Also, and this may be a little too far too fast, but they’re a great way to see how flavors can intermingle and compliment each other. Plus, making a whiskey sour at home means that you’ll know you’re getting fresh simple syrup, fresh lime, quality whiskey, and any other personal touches you like (I put egg whites in my sours; ask if you’re interested) which may or may not happen at your local bar. So go forth, spend about $20, and let me know how your cocktail trials go!

With real cat pee scent!

Sunshine, with applicable sunshine yellow color

Drink of the Day

I like wheat beers. I really, really like them. I’m not even sure what lured me in at first, but they’re some of my favorites. Considering I’m typically a dark beer guy, this is really strange. As you can see, this wheat beer was really light. Most Belgian wheat beers have pronounced citrus flavors and a heavy orange nose; nearly all are spiced with coriander and orange peel. Tonight I sat down with New Belgium’s Sunshine, which was a leftover from the variety of beers I grabbed on New Year’s Eve. As evident by the giant blue sticker I forgot to take off (sorry!) it was off the Whole Food’s “create your own six-pack” shelf.

The first thing I noticed after pouring the glass was the really poor head retention; typically it is really easy to get a nice, fluffy head off the light beers. This one barely formed, and I was worried I wouldn’t get the picture taken before it had time to vanish. Also, it smelled like cat urine. We have three cats; I know this smell. This beer smelled like cat urine. Bad start. However, after the first sip, I was much more hopeful. The beer was light, crisp, and had just a hint of orange. Now, I’m a citrus fanatic; I know it, I accept it, and I deal with it. I would have loved a more pronounced orange flavor, but that is just a matter of taste. They really managed to blend the flavors well, even if it wasn’t exactly how I would have done it. After being nervous at first, I was rewarded with a really refreshing beer that would be great once it warms up outside. I trust, and enjoy, New Belgium, but I will disagree with them on this beer. They offer it to be an all-season beer, but I really think you should save this for hot summer day when your A/C breaks. It would be the perfect summer heat wave remedy.

Have a drink I should try for Drink of the Day? Want me to cover a topic on the blog? Just let me know, and keep on trying new drinks!

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