Santa arrives early as Utah DABC rolls out sales for December 2013

Try an Aviation cocktail made with Aviation Gin

There are over 600 items on Special Price Adjustments (SPA) for the December holidays, so when Utahans walk into the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores this month, they will expect to hear Santa chuckling.  These deals are great for gifts (given or received), or for stocking your bar.  (Note: later in the month there will be a separate post on pre-New Year’s price adjustments (actually available all December) on sparkling wines.)  Need a Christmas gift for Dad (or Mom)? Don’t forget to look at the gift items that are often found on the top shelf of the Utah State Stores. These gift packages usually contain a bottle of liquor and items like glasses or a shaker for about the same price as the bottle without the gift. Some of them are pretty nice, others might be a little tacky.  Shop early in the month for a better selection and buy one for a lazy relative to give you for Christmas.

First: great news for Gin lovers: the DABC is now stocking Aviation Gin (CS 400413, $30).  This highly rated American Gin makes a great Martini or Aviation cocktail.  Give it a try (call ahead to see if your local store carries it).  This month there is a variety of Gins marked down, most of the good ones around 10%, plus or minus.  Gins with price adjustments include offerings from Bombay Sapphire®, Tanqueray®, Beefeater®, and even the surprisingly good, bargain Gin: New Amsterdam (1750ml for $24).  While you’re picking up a nice bottle of Gin, pick up a bottle of Campari (on SPA this month) and try one of my favorite Gin cocktails, a Negroni.  You can look up all of the prices for yourself by clicking through to the “SPA Product List” to open a price book in PDF format that shows all of the markdowns for the current month; then search on “gin” or the product of your choice.  Oh, and there are 24 non-flavored Vodkas marked down this month too, if that’s your thing.

Now for the Whiskeys: There are 70 Whiskeys on SPA this month, so it’s a great opportunity to stock up. 18 different Bourbons:  Most of the major brands are represented; try Buffalo Trace ($22), and there are single barrel offerings from Blanton, Eagle Rare, and Evan Williams.  Four Irish that normally retail around $25 are marked down around 10%.  Kick back on Christmas Eve and enjoy a nice Bourbon Manhattan.  There are 23 Single Malt and Blended Scotches marked down, including 10 twelve year olds and Glenlivet French Oak 15 year.  This is your big chance to cheer up and impress your old man with a gift he’ll enjoy.

Now is your chance to stock up on your favorite Liqueurs or buy them as gifts; 30 are on SPA this month.  Try Di Saronno Amaretto ($23) over ice, or a favorite for cocktails: Amaretto Di Amore ($11); both are marked down.  Godiva Chocolate Liqueur ($27) and Kahlua Coffee Liqueur ($16) are on SPA, along with a variety of Irish Cream Liqueurs (great gifts for light drinkers) and Liqueurs like Alize and Midori.  A favorite Triple Sec substitute: Gran Gala Orange Liqueur ($20) is on SPA, or feel free to go upscale with Cointreau ($34.3).  There are only 10 (non-spiced) Rums on sale this month.  Appleton Estates VX Jamaica Rum is the best of the bunch, or you can try Bacardi 8 for $16.  Sadly there are no high-end premium Rums to put under your tree.

As to any other sale or clearance items, if you see anything at your local state store that other cocktailians might enjoy, post a response to this article.  See the following list “Suggested by the author” for information on how to use the Utah DABC website.  You can check out what else is on sale (e.g. the wines etc.) by clicking through to the “SPA Product List” to open a price book in PDF format that shows all of the markdowns for the current month.

Cocktail ingredients Utah update – November 2013

Vodka Martini with a twist and an olive

Salt Lake City cocktailians will be disappointed to see that the Special Price Adjustment (SPA) list this month is a lot leaner than it was last month (down from 422 to 301).  This is the normal pre-December slump that we experience every November; Santa Claus comes in December, and his SPA list is usually very generous.  We will soon be presented with a cornucopia of liquor oriented gift items and sparkling wines for New Year’s celebrations.

Remember: November is the time to start looking up… to the top shelf, that is.  Boxed gift items that are usually found on the top shelves of the Utah State Stores. These promotional packages usually contain a bottle of liquor and items like logoed glasses or a shaker for about the same price as the bottle without the gift.

If you were hoping for some Gin this month, you’re almost out of luck.  One good bet is Tanqueray Rangpur Gin, marked down from $25 to $22. Try it in a Tom Collins.  New Amsterdam Gin, an excellent economy Gin, is marked down this month (CS# 031475 down 20% to $12).  If you have an open bottle of sparkling wine and you’re in the mood for something a little stronger that a Champagne cocktail, try it in a French 75 – a reliable Champagne (and Gin) cocktail that is sure to have just the kick you need. 

For those who love Vodka Martinis, this month it’s bottles of Tito’s Handmade Vodka that are marked down from $40 to $35.  There are also a bunch of other Vodkas and the usual large number of flavored Vodkas on SPA.  The standout Tequila deals this month are a pair of El Jimadors: the Reposado and the Blanco are both marked down from $20 to $17.  Regular readers will know that a good Silver (or Plata or Blanco) is an essential ingredient in the ever popular Margarita, but this Reposado also makes outstanding cocktails.

November is not totally devoid of deals in the cocktail area, however.  If you’re into Bourbons, and if you like something a little pricier, Jack Daniels® Single Barrel (CS# 026906) is available for $46 (that’s a generous $3 off) should make a great Bourbon Manhattan.  All (both!) of the Scotch Whiskies marked down this month are blends, so if you’re looking for something to put into your Rob Roy you can get a large (1750 ml.) bottle of Dewars® White Label marked down 8% to $46.

As to any other sale or clearance items, if you see a great deal on anything at your local state store that other cocktailians might enjoy, post a response to this article.  See the following list “Suggested by the author” for information on how to use the Utah DABC website.  You can check out what else is on sale (e.g. the wines, etc.) by clicking through to the “SPA Product List” to open an online price book in PDF format that shows all of the markdowns for the current month.

Cripple Creek rocks out at Portland Cocktail Week

Cripple Creek mixes and pours cocktails live on stage.

Tuesday night’s Portland Cocktail Week (PDXCW) bash was “An Evening with Cripple Creek” at the Star Theater in Portland, which was billed as a “live multi-sensory cocktail experience”.  While a key component of PDXCW is Bartender Education, and the well-attended classes show how important that is, a cocktail week would not be a cocktail week without a shaker-full of parties, too. 

The event is a total cocktail experience, with loud music, rock-star bartenders, cocktails with coordinated scents, paired lighting and DJ'd music by Michael O'Rourke, and a turned on audience.  While Aaron Polsky of Amor y Amargo, Damon W. Boelte of Prime Meats, and Mayur Subbarao of Bittermens Spirits and Dram cavorted and mixed cocktails on stage, PDXCW volunteers waited to dash along roped-off access routes to get cocktails to every member of the audience almost instantly.

The size of the audience dictated that glassware not be used, so while a large batch of cocktail was being mixed by the rockers on stage, six or eight large trays full of one-ounce plastic glasses were ferried in and placed on tables at the front of the stage, ready for the pour.  These might be empty, or contain ice, or perhaps a garnish.  When the theatrically mixed concoction was ready, it would be carefully (LOL) poured into the mini-glasses and then run up to the crowd by the volunteers.  Audience members were encouraged to drink as many of the mini-cocktails as they wanted.  All things considered, most were fairly good and only a couple were so-so (out of around eight); not bad, actually.

The process seems to poke a little fun at molecular mixology and rock-star bartenders, with dry ice, fog, grated truffles, drops of liqueur dribbled or mists of scent broadcast into each of the one-ounce cups (and there were a lot of them!).  At the same time it showed what you could do with these tools.  Cripple Creek seemed to combine known cocktails with some originals (or original ingredients) to create a fun, multi-sensory evening.

US launch of high-end Beefeater Burroughs Reserve Gin at PDXCW

Beefeater hosted a tasting of its new Burrough’s Reserve Gin Wednesday as part of Portland Cocktail Week (PDXCW) and the Gin’s American launch.  Master Distiller Desmond Payne was present at The Rookery at Raven & Rose in Portland to present his new Gin and to talk about its development.  The new, hand-crafted, ultra-Premium Gin is named in honor of Beefeater founder James Burrough and begins by using Burrough’s original 1860s recipe and an original copper pot “Still Number 12” that has a capacity of only 268 liters (about 70 gallons).

Mr. Payne has been making Gin for 46 years and, as designer of Beefeater 24, definitely knows his business.  He believes that Gin is coming back in fashion, and wanted to create a Gin that would appeal to specialists.  Beefeater still uses the original recipe from 1860s, but in more industrial size batches.  One of Payne’s first discoveries was that when he made the much smaller batches in the original pot still, it changed the character of the Gin.  He reported that the first time he tried putting it in wood, he didn’t really like the result, but experimentation and perseverance bore fruit when he tried used French oak Jean de Lillet (an aperitif) barrels.

The barrels add a new dimension to the Gin, but they may only be used twice before their taste contribution is exhausted.  Even then, the second fill doesn’t taste quite like the first, so barrels from the two fills are blended to achieve the final result: an excellent, ultra-premium sipping Gin.  Special, two-part glasses were designed for tastings to show off the different characteristics of Burrough’s Reserve (see photo).  Payne states that the Gin is best when stored in the freezer and sipped undiluted.  We were given two portions of Gin: one in the top saucer-like glass and the other in the lower columnar glass.  The top glass brings out more fruitiness and some of the wood, while the bottom glass brings out even more wood and emphasizes the contribution of some of the botanicals.  The bottom glass delivered my favorite sensory combination, and I soon poured my top glass into the bottom to enjoy more of my favorite flavor.

Burrough’s Reserve is intended to be sipped, and goes well with dried fruit and cheese.  It is pale gold in color, it is rested in wood, but not aged like a Whiskey.  Cocktail recipes are available, but I recommend enjoying this one as intended.  It is expected to retail for around $70 a bottle in the US, but the small batch size (each bottle bears the number of the batch and the number of the bottle) means it may be hard to find.

Vraie Absinthe tasting at St. Jack in Portland for PDXCW

Pernod has announced the re-launch of its original Absinthe formula, and hosted a comparison tasting of the two products at Portland Cocktail Week (PDXCW) Monday.  After Absinthe was outlawed in the early twentieth century, the “real deal,” when it could be found, was known in France as “la vraie Absinthe.”  Absinthe was reputed to have hallucinogenic powers due to the presence of wormwood and would be banned for almost a century.  In reality, Absinthe is not any more dangerous than other distilled spirit, although its high ABV (as high as 74%) probably made it popular among alcoholics who might have been prone to hallucinations anyway.  It is also true that the French wine industry wanted it banned because people were drinking more Absinthe and less wine.  (Learn more of the history of Absinthe on Wikipedia.)  Within a few years, the Pernod company had a pastis available that contained less alcohol and no wormwood (as did other makers) and that’s how things remained until almost the present day.

Around the turn of the century it was found that many countries did not have a formal ban on the ingredients in Absinthe because none of them were harmful, and a revival began.  More and more countries began to allow Absinthe and brands proliferated.  Pernod released a new Absinthe, but there was a demand for the original formula. 

Pernod has expended some effort researching the recipe from original documents and trying to make the product as authentic as possible.  The base spirit will be wine-based (not grain), made with grapes from Languedoc as it was in the original.  The wormwood will be cultivated in Pontarlier, France, the historical home of Pernod Absinthe, and the Absinthe will be naturally colored through maceration of green nettles.

The tasting was held at St. Jack restaurant in suburban Portland.  This small, French restaurant features French café food, and their cocktail hour is called “The Green Hour” in a nod to the Green Fairy, Absinthe.  You will be happy to hear that Pernod’s effort has paid off.  The new “original formula” compares well with the current product.  It seems slightly sweeter, but also more mellow.  The taste of wormwood and anise, combined with other herbal notes, is what Absinthe is all about.  Absinthe aficionados will want to give this one a try. (ABV 68%, $68)

Bartenders pick up advanced bar techniques at Portland Cocktail Week

From the left: Angus Winchester, Derek Brown,
Sam Ross, and Joaquin Simo 

Living up to its billing as a conference organized by and for bartenders, Portland Cocktail Week (PDXCW) is placing heavy emphasis on bartender education this year.  The four major courses of study being offered by the Portland Bartender Institute are Advanced Craft Cocktail Bartending, Beyond the Bar, Bar Ownership, and Product Development. Classes are intended to improve bartenders’ technical skills as well as help them plan their long-term career aspirations.  The students take these classes seriously and take plenty of notes during the sessions.

On Monday, the Advanced Craft Cocktail Bartending track opened with a session titled “Advanced Bar Technique” that was a panel discussion featuring Derek Brown of The Passenger and Mockingbird Hill, Joaquin Simo of Pouring Ribbons, Sam Ross of Attaboy, and Angus Winchester, Tanqueray Global Ambassador.  This session was interesting because it expanded the concept of technique beyond what most people think it is.  Derek Brown kicked-off the class by proposing that technique is everything we do to create cocktails, and that we must keep four P’s in mind:

• People (including reading your guests, staff development, and interpersonal skills)
• Property (including bar design, Mis en Place (where you put the items required to make a cocktail), and equipment)
• Profit (we’re in this to make money, but how well you do on the other P’s will drive this one)
• Product (it is not just the craft cocktails you’re creating, it’s also the food and the ambiance)

The presenters were very entertaining (they are all bartenders, after all) and had plenty of tips and good advice for their bartender students. Here are some notes that stood out in the wide ranging discussion:

• Customer relations are paramount to your success, and it’s not just how you treat people, it’s also how you make them feel.
• Top level bartending is like a sport, practice is necessary.
• Everything in your back-bar should be there for a reason; to impress people is not a good reason.
• Many popular, inexpensive liquors are still around because they are good products that have amortized their physical plant, don’t look down on them.
• Mis en Place is important to efficient service and will ultimately drive profits.
• Customers are a lot more knowledgeable than there were ten years ago, and there are a lot more craft cocktail bars for competition.