Falling into the Season

Fall is officially upon us. Here in Reno, the weather has drastically shifted and there is a new scent in the air. With September over and October upon us, a plethora of new flavors shift into our minds as the leaves begin to change.
For me, The Italian Festival here in town marks the beginning of Fall. Being Italian myself, I always think of my grandparents and the way things used to be when I was growing up. Memories of family dinners and lots of cooking simmer into my mind. In Fall, I am always at my best in the kitchen. I'm swimming with memories of Halloween (a family favorite holiday)--- which in my family means lots of tasty treats, both savory and sweet. And thinking of Halloween always leads to thinking of Thanksgiving and all of the wondrous delights that come along with that.
Behind the bar, this translates to the use of rich spices, dark fruits and rustic vegetables. Today I began my decent into Fall by making one of my favorite Cocktail enhancing syrups, a combination of the Cherries that I brandied this summer and my most loved fruit of all, Pomegranates. I pour some of the left over juice from the Brandied Cherries and muddle in the seeds of two whole pomegranates along with some lemon zest. I add sugar, water, a splash of wine, cloves, cinnamon and fresh ground black pepper and let it simmer away. I call the syrup "Original Sin," something about the combination of Cherry and Pomegranate relates back to connotations found with the two fruits. When finished, this syrup lends a hand to many great Cocktails and can be versatile in many different flavor spectres and liquor combinations. Here are a couple examples:

Charlie & Eva (My Grandparents, if you were wondering)
1.5 oz Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon
.5 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
.75 oz Original Sin Syrup
.75 oz Pumpkin Puree (I only use the fresh stuff)
.75 oz Egg Nog
Dry shake the entire mixture until frothy, then add ice to the tin and shake again, strain and served up in a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with some fresh grated Nutmeg

Rizzoli Red Rocks (My family name is Rizzoli and Rizzoli Red Rocks was the slogan for the trash company that we used to own and operate-- go figure, right?)
1.5 oz Vanilla Infused Vodka
.75 oz Amaretto
.5 oz Lemon Juice
Splash Soda
.5 oz Original Sin Syrup
.5 oz Cream
Build in order, over ice in a tall glass--- should be slightly layered and have the appearance of an Italian Soda
Garnish with a Lemon Twist

Leaves of Change (My Grandparents had a mining claim not far from Reno and as soon as fall hits, the Aspen Trees turn bright yellow,orange and red. I think you will find a likeness in the hue of this cocktail.)
1.5 oz Gin (I like Plymouth here)
.75 oz Yellow Chartreuse
.75 oz Campari
.75 oz Original Sin Syrup
.5 oz Lemon Juice
Give this a fast hard shake, double strain and serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Flamed Orange Zest

More Fall inspired cocktails to come...

With Age Comes Wisdom

The Not So Noble Experiment

For those of you who don't know, "The Noble Experiment" is a reference to Prohibition. In this context, the word "Noble" oozes with the stench of government control and a shitty, better than you condescension. Denied the basic right to take pleasure in enjoying a well deserved libation, the underground revolt took our country by storm through bootlegging and speakeasies. Many of the cocktails that are making modern headway are reflections of this time period. So here we are immersed in a world of Classically Inspired Cocktails. I've been playing with all liquor cocktails, reminiscent of the Martinez, Manhattan and Negroni, I am enraptured with the sheer simplicity.

Inspired by two of my regulars, Pat and Tom, I created this cocktail:

22 Years Later

2 oz Knob Creek
1 oz Luxardo
1 oz Grand Marnier
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

The name comes from Tom counting the amount of years until both of my kids are out if college and I could become his live in bartender. 

So the cocktail was born on a summer night and I began to think... 

I have read about barrel aged cocktails and have been searching for a suitable candidate to go under the surgical wooden knife. Unfortunately, I hadn't yet obtained any barrels to work with. 

A secondary thought popped into my head, I could test my theories of aging through a different means with a very small and manageable batch. I could age in glass.

I combined one bottle of Knob Creek, half a bottle of Grand Marnier and Luxardo and dashed in the Angostura until I was satisfied with the flavor and aroma. Not very scientific, but measuring has never been my strong point. I generally go by taste and experience rather than precision. 

Now that I had my base, my creativity gene started to get the best of me. It wasn't enough to just age the cocktail in glass. I peeled for oranges and sank the rhine and tossed in two vanilla beans. I lit a wooden match and blew it out, trapping some smoke in the jar before sealing it. The premise was to combine infusing techniques to draw out specific flavor profiles, then remove these agents and continue the aging process.

I waited a month, occasional swirling the mixture. 

Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer and had to taste it. I swirled it briefly over ice and dove in for my first sip. What I found was an impeccably smooth elixir laced with subtle notes of vanilla and a well rounded bitter component that balanced out the sweetness of the Grand Marnier.... Potential!

I quickly mixed up a fresh cocktail for a side by side comparison. It seemed that the bitterness of the pith battled with the residual sugar of the Grand Marnier. The vanilla helped to advance the complexity and depth of the Luxardo while all of the components worked together to tame the unruliness of the Knob Creek. 

The aged version was infinitely more delicious with a silky mouth feel and layers of complexity to experience with each pass over the palate. A success. I removed the orange and vanilla and reassure the jar.

I had every intention of putting it back up on the shelf, but I couldn't suppress my desire to share the experiment with my regulars, and any one who asked what was in the jar. It took about a week for the concoction to disappear, and about that long for me to start a different brew. I did manage to put away one tiny bottle to age and save for later. It is aging on a Hudson Whiskey oak stave, I plan to pull it out in about six weeks. I'll let you know how it goes. 

For now, I have started another glass aging process, this time with a modified Negroni. Equal parts of Nolet Gin (which is very floral and much softer than most gin), Campari and Sweet Vermouth. I also tossed in grapefruit rhine and grapefruit bitters. And an oak stave. 

I intend to leave it alone for at least three months, we will see if I can be that patient. 

I am also in the process of acquiring some mini oak barrels so I can try my hand at the real deal.