It's like antidisestablishmentarianism, but with more bourbon...

Bourbon + Tartan

A Drunken Sailor?:
So, I recently went to Flora for the first time.  I got a currently-off-menu-but-soon-to-return cocktail called the Trailer Smash.  It was awesome, and a bit different, so I decided to attempt my own tonight.  The word (from Phil, bartender extraordinaire) is that it's simply Buffalo Trace, lemon, maple syrup, and mint, muddled (shaken?) and strained into a rocks glass.  A little googling led me to find many recipes for classic 'smash' cocktails, along with a few locals trying to recreate the Flora original.  Here's my first attempt, along with some thoughts on it's hits and misses...

Recipe:
2 oz Buffalo Trace
1 oz Maple Syrup
.85 oz Lemon Juice
1 Sprig Mint

Combine ingredients and muddle in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake well.  Strain onto fresh cubes in a rocks glass.  Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Thoughts:
First of all, this is a great cocktail, and a tip of the hat goes to Phil, or whichever cocktailor at Flora created this one.  However, I think it's slightly too sweet as I prepared it.  A lot of 'smash' recipes seem to call for a 4-2-1 ratio of liquor-syrup-acid.  Commonly it's some type of whiskey, a simple (1:1) syrup, and lemon.  Maybe I'm just a huge lush and perpetually stricken with scurvy, but I actually added about 70% more lemon juice than most recipes (and in truth, a touch under 1 oz of maple syrup), and I still think it could be brighter and bourbonier.  Yup, bourbonier.  That said, I still enjoyed it.  And as the ice melted a bit the cocktail definitely opened up.  Also, the fresh mint with the lingering rich maple...yeah buddy!

Sap Racism:
An important note on maple syrup...if you buy "Grade A" (Fancy, Light Amber, or Amber) maple syrup, you might as well just hand me your wallet and give me power of attorney; you have no business tending to your own affairs.  "Grade B" (dark) real maple syrup is generally cheaper, has way more maple flavor, and will literally kick your ass if you try to put it on an undercooked waffle.

With this bean, I thee wed.

The Challenge:
As anyone who has ever known true love can attest, it ain't easy.  I have found myself in a very trying relationship over the past few months.  I admit, I am partly to blame for the current dissonance...my eye has been wandering a lot.  I find myself fantasizing about rich and foreign blondes, even some of the sweet brown locals.  Yes, beer, I long for you.  But what of my dear life-partner Bourbon...I love her still.  Maybe it's time to spice things up at home?  Play some new games with her?  Can I coax her into a morning quicky?  Afternoon assignations?  Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

The Solution:
So how does an unapologetic bourbon lover find new and socially acceptable ways to raise his spirits? Vanilla.  It's a brilliant plan, if I may.  Use bourbon to create amazing vanilla extract, then put that extract in everything from pancakes to brownies to BBQ sauce to chili (veggie chili in my case), and even beer.

Vanilla is a polar bear on a tropical island...it's misunderstood, shocking, and ends up being forgotten when the smoke monster comes.  Most people know very little about the various kinds of vanilla, the many compounds that make up it's "peculiar bouquet", or even the fact that it is the fruiting body of an orchid.  So let's talk about some of the finer details...

The primary cultivars are Madagascar, Mexican, West Indian, and Tahitian.  

Madagascar is sometimes called "Bourbon" vanilla, but has nothing to do with my raison d'etre.   There is an island near Madagascar that used to be called "Ile Bourbon".  This vanilla is a cultivar from the species V. planifolia, which originated in the Americas.  The bulk of real vanilla extract is made from this cultivar.  It's good, familiar, but not the best.  The beans tend to have more of a raisin or fig quality than I'd like.

Mexican vanilla is the native cultivar of the V. planifolia species.  Mexican vanilla production is apparently low because some greedy bastards try to doctor it with tonka bean extract, which causes liver damage.  These beans are definitely available readily from your local vanilla monger.  What?  You don't have a vanilla monger?  Shame on you!

West Indian vanilla is from a different species in the Vanilla genus, V. pompona.  I don't think I've ever tried it, nor have I ever seen it available for purchase.  If you find a confirmed source for true V. pompona, please let me know.

Tahitian vanilla is from the V. tahitiensis species.  Tahitian vanilla gives me a semi-chub.  It is the only reasonable evidence of intelligent design.  Sorry Phillip E. Johnson.  Tahitian vanilla makes every other vanilla it's bitch.

So, assuming you're not a moron, you are currently searching Amazon for whole tahitian vanilla beans.  Yes, they are quite expensive right now.  The last time I bought 12 beans for $8.99.  Now they're about $5 per bean.  Still worth every penny.  I can also attest to the quality of the beans from Beanilla...they were slightly plump, moist, and ungodly fragrant.

The best strategy I've found for actually making the extract is to simply slice the beans from head to toe and drop about 10-12 beans into a 250ml-375ml bottle.  If it's a short bottle, or particularly long beans, you may need to cut them in half, but there's no need to scrape out the seeds/pulp inside.  Now fill the bottle with a good, cheap, neutral bourbon.  I love Ancient Age for this.  It's surprisingly good for the price (as my double-blind tasting proved), and soaks up the vanilla like a jersey girl soaks up tanning bed rays.

Give the bottle a shake every day or two, and in a week it will be good.  In a month it will be great.  In 3 months you'll want to marry it.  Use it in everything.  Seriously.  I will bet you $20 if you dab a little on your neck you'll get compliments all day long.  Yes, I'm telling you to rub bourbon on your body.  You are welcome.

P.S.  Every time you notice the level dropping, just top it off with some more bourbon and give it a day to get friendly.

Bee Sharp: If you're down with B. Well, then you're down with me!

What's that?  I broke my hiatus?  Nah, I'm pretty sure I just sprained it...
Let's talk about that great band The Rentals.  There's this guy, Matt Sharp, who was the original bassist (and backup singer) for Weezer.  He also had a band called The Rentals.  They never found the level of success that Weezer enjoyed, but they had one hit single in 1995/6 called Friends of P.  It's super catchy, and immediately transports me back to a great moment in my life (no, I will not go into detail).  So, after hearing the song recently, I decided to craft a cocktail in honor of Matt Sharp...I call it the Bee Sharp.

Ingredients:
3 oz Bourbon - I used 2 oz Buffalo Trace & 1 oz Baker's
1 oz meyer lemon juice
1/2 to 1 tsp local honey (depending on the sweetness of the lemons)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (preferably homemade & tahitian)

Preparation:
Add bourbon, lemon juice, honey and vanilla to a cocktail shaker.  Stir well to mix.  Add ice and shake.  Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist, lemon 'navel', or vanilla bean.

Description:

The Bee Sharp is one of those kids that looks just like his dad.  Born of the Hot Toddy and Whiskey Sour, it is a simple, balanced cocktail.  As I've mentioned before, both vanilla and lemon are great accompaniments to bourbon, and this cocktail leans on each equally.  The meyer lemon lends more sweetness and complexity than a sunkist would, while the tahitian vanilla is simply unmatched for it's floral, earthy complexity.  Of course, the honey brings a key sweetness to balance the citric acid.  It also plays the dance partner to the vanilla.  Silly description?  Try it, you'll see.

Double-blind Bourbon Tasting - Part 2

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.  ~ Winston Churchill 

Beginning of the End:
It should come as no surprise that I am just now posting the results of the (first annual?) Double-blind Bourbon Tasting.  With a sampling of 8 bourbons (plus cocktails avant et après) it was not a night to be quickly evaluated and spit out.  I needed to rouse the sober reflection that only comes with time.  Oh, that, and I couldn't decipher the chicken-scratch tasting notes my dear friends left strewn about my apartment.

Line-up:
Here is the final list of bourbons in the order in which they were tasted:

1. Buffalo Trace - $23 (750ml)
2. Elijah Craig 12 year - $25 (750ml)
3. Redemption High Rye - $27 (750ml)
4. Baker's 7 year - $48 (750ml)
5. Hudson 4 Grain - $50 (375ml)
6. Maker's Mark - $22 (750ml)
7. Ancient Age - $7 (750ml)
8. Bulleit (French Oaked) - $26 (750ml)

Summary:
As would be expected, there were wildly different palates and opinions among the 8 participants.  However, there were also some strongly shared feelings about particular bourbons (both good and bad).  As I mentioned in the pre-tasting post, the prices ranged from $7 to $100 (normalized to 750ml), and the spread certainly opened some eyes.  I think the biggest shock was the universal appeal of the poor boy, Ancient Age.  This one-eyed dog managed to capture 2 "best" votes, and was in almost everyone's top 3.  When you consider the price, this is a clear value winner...by a lot.  Though the expectation of jeers at the bar may keep this bourbon in the back of everyone's liquor cabinet/sideboard/office filing cabinet.

Details:
Buffalo Trace - $23 (750ml)
This has been a go-to bourbon for several of my friends, and certainly considered familiar.  It didn't manage to pull in any #1 votes, but found the top 3 or 4 on several lists.  Common notes included a clean nose with little vanilla or complexity, back-of-palate warmth, and the perception of being bright and young, if not a bit simple.

Elijah Craig 12 year - $25 (750ml)
Elijah proved to be one of the more divisive bourbons in terms of appeal, but showed the most commonality of language in the tasting notes.  In other words, everyone detected it's Scotch-like smokiness, and it's slightly subdued alcohol...but a couple of people disliked that about it.  It did get top nod from 2 tasters, and plenty of recognition for being different.  Common notes included smokiness, Scotch-like, smooth oak, raisin, molasses, and age.

Redemption High Rye - $27 (750ml)
It took a lot of checking and rechecking the notes on this one...they're all over the place.  Though no one ranked it particularly high (one #4 was the best it got), it wasn't anyone's least favorite.  Notes ranged from "sweet oak water" to "swill, sour".  Several people noted a nondescript burn in the throat.  The only thing I can think is that the high rye mash bill was noticed, but registered differently for different palates.

Baker's 7 year - $48 (750ml)
Baker's got three 1st votes and three 2nd votes, which, following precise bourbon calculus, makes it the overall winner.  In my words, a fat, lovable pirate.  It's a little sweet, complex, might bite you, and has a strong wooden leg (which hit me as a mix of oak and sandal wood).  The other common note is of a pleasant vanilla in the nose.  While highly ranked by almost everyone, this was also the second most expensive bourbon.  Maybe this is one to enjoy neat when the boss offers to buy a round?

Hudson 4 Grain - $50 (375ml)
So Mr. Fancypants, what exactly does your expensive, wax-sealed neck have for us?  A lot, but no one cared too much.  Hudson ended up in the middle of the pack for almost everyone.  Common notes included: different, crazy, complex, smooth, and a couple 'anise'.  This bourbon was so universally described as 'different' that several people assumed it was the Redemption High Rye.  In the end, it was more of a curiosity than a favorite.  A couple people actually requested a second taste of this (after completing all 8), still unaware of what it was.  I'd say this is the perfect bourbon for a tasting, since you'll be wowed at the uniqueness, and you'll be happy to have shared the cost.

Maker's Mark - $22 (750ml)
As the "most commercial" bourbon of the group, Maker's made a fine showing.  One person ranked it 1st, and most people thought it was 'good'.  Everyone made comments about it's strong, alcohol-forward bite, and clean finish.  Also noted, a nice vanilla sweetness, grainy body, and 'balls'.

Ancient Age - $7 (750ml)
As I mentioned above, Ancient Age was the real darling after the reveal.  It scored well (two 1st, and general acknowledgement of quality), and had people guessing it was the Hudson or the Baker's.  Comments included: clean, nice, really smooth, spice nose, and drinkable.  The lowest score it got was a '5th' vote.  I was shocked.  Until now, I had pretty much only used Ancient Age for my homemade vanilla extract...no wonder those blondies are so good!

Bulleit (French Oaked) - $26 (750ml)
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Okay, I guess I have to address this...everyone hated this.  Something went horribly wrong.  As an avid homebrewer, I have done a couple batches of Oak-aged Bourbon Porter.  The first batch was the best beer I've made to date, and universally liked by friends and guests.  In order to make it, I have to soak toasted french oak cubes in bourbon for a week or two in order to sanitize the wood, and to absorb some nice bourbon flavor.  But what does one do with that bourbon, which has picked up a fair bit of toastiness?  Well, I filtered it and saved it.  It was strong, smokey, sweet, and an interesting foil for the common bourbon cocktail.  But, after being set aside for almost a year, compounds in the oak must have oxidized, or simply grown giant asses and shit all over the place.  It was truly awful.

As a bit of a footnote, I just brewed another batch of the Oak-aged Bourbon Porter, and the bourbon coming off the fresh oak is good, which is to say, it doesn't taste like regurgitated moldy cardboard with rotten-egg caramel sauce.

Double-blind Bourbon Tasting - Part 1

Background:
As someone with 6+ years of business schooling behind him, I'm well aware of the common disconnect between product pricing and quality.  There are countless examples of products that are essentially indistinguishable commodities save for the varying degree of marketing muscle placed behind them.  'Premium' often means higher price and more marketing, not necessarily any measurable quality difference or additional utility.  Monster Cables, Exxon gas, Tropicana orange juice, they're all differentiated by marketing, by spin, and even misdirection.  They succeed not byway of better performance, but by the perception of better performance.  It doesn't matter if Pepsi wins 90% of blind taste tests if Coke buys people's hearts and minds with polar bear ads and sports league endorsements.

So, is this the case with Bourbon?  Does a $100 bottle of bourbon taste better than a $7 bottle?  Or does it just look prettier and make you feel better about having spent your hard earned money?  This is a tough question, because it's truth lies hidden in the subjective.  My gut (and mouth) tells me that while there are meaningful differences in the taste of bourbons, perceived quality has more to do with price and packaging than with taste.  Does the emperor wear clothes while sipping a 25 year old Michters?
Preparations:
I've chosen 8 different bourbons ranging in price from about $7 per 750ml to $100 per 750ml.  That works out to under one cent per ml to over 13 cents per ml.  Most of the lineup represents what I would consider the midrange, around $20-$30 per 750ml.  As an experiment, one midrange bourbon (Bulleit) has been aged (by me) on toasted french oak cubes for about a week, at an expense of about $1 at the local homebrew store.

Each bourbon will be tasted (double-blind) by a panel of 7-10 people who will evaluate and take notes on flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, etc.  We'll have freshly ground coffee to help cleanse the nose, and various mild crackers and non-alcoholic beverages to cleanse the palate.  Come back for Part 2 where I will examine the results.

Line-up:
Ancient Age - $7 (750ml)
Baker's - $48 (750ml)
Buffalo Trace - $23 (750ml)
Bulleit (French Oaked) - $26 (750ml)
Elijah Craig 12 year - $25 (750ml)
Hudson 4 Grain - $50 (375ml)
Maker's Mark - $22 (750ml)
Redemption High Rye - $27 (750ml)

The Strawberry Blonde

Ingredients:
2 oz Bourbon - Redemption High-Rye Bourbon
2 oz Strawberry Puree - fresh

1/2 oz Coriander Syrup *

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice - fresh 

Preparation:

Puree about 3 heaping tablespoons of fresh strawberries in a blender.  Add puree, bourbon, coriander syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with crushed ice.  Shake vigorously and double-strain into a small cocktail glass. 

Description:
It starts with a bit of lemon and rye in the nose, with surprisingly little strawberry aroma.  Then an incredibly smooth mouthfeel, with strawberry and coriander up front, followed by a nice long strawberry and bourbon finish.  It leaves a slightly tingly rye spice on the tongue.  I think the Redemption works well here.  It really grew on me, though I'm not sure it was worth the trouble.  Strawberry Blondes rarely are.

* I promise I will have a post about syrups soon.  It's an incredibly easy way to add tons of depth and character to your cocktails.

Under The Cherry Moon

Ingredients:
2 oz Bourbon - Buffalo Trace
1 oz Sour Cherry Syrup - D'Arbo

1 oz Lime Juice - Fresh (one average lime)

Preparation:

Add bourbon, lime juice, and cherry syrup to a cocktail shaker with crushed ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into your favorite glass.  Twist some lime and rub the rim of the glass...and of course, enjoy!

Description:
A friend recently asked me about options for making a simple, "easy to enjoy" bourbon cocktail. It got me thinking, and somehow this was the result.  I may be biased, but I think this is one of the best "easy" bourbon drinks I've ever had.  Each ingredient is identifiable, with its own clear voice, while serving to build a brilliant chord.  The lime brightens the bourbon and tames the alcohol.  The cherry carries the vanilla and oak of the bourbon, while sweetening up the lime.  The bourbon brings a little warmth and earthly grounding to the nose and tongue.  It's a dangerously good roshambo of a cocktail.

I usually try a new recipe with a couple different bourbons, but the Buffalo Trace works well, and I only had time for one drink.  I'll probably try again with the last of my french-oaked Bulleit just to see how the balance holds up with a very different bourbon, but I'd guess just about any bourbon would taste good in this drink.

And while I normally prefer to make my own syrups for cocktails (more on this topic soon), the Sour Cherry from D'Arbo is outstanding.  Not sure where the wife bought it, or for how much, but the internets have heard of it, so there's no excuse for you not to buy some.