the mixologist
—by Solomon Siegel
THE CRAFT OF THE COCKTAIL
Cocktails are returning to their pre-prohibition roots, lovingly made with the finest ingredients and utmost attention to detail.
We are in a new age of drinking. The age of the craft cocktail. Craft cocktails are not the insipid blue and purple, this-doesn’t-taste-like-alcohol drinks that filled every “martini” list in the 1990s. Instead you will find craft cocktails pouring from the shakers of barmen and women whose minds and palates are more that of a chef or artisan. Attention to detail is what makes a craft cocktail. Thought is put into every aspect of the drink—base spirit choice, fresh juice, bitters, homemade ingredients, proper technique, ice, right down to the choice of glass. The passion building behind these intoxicating libations is palpable. Not only are we seeing more cocktail competitions, but whole festivals are now becoming popular. Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans is the mainspring of the cocktail-festival world, and more keep popping up. The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, a five-day event in New Your City, just had its first and very successful run last May. And the Art of the Cocktail festival, right here in Victoria is now preparing for its second year of promoting craft cocktails with an event October 1618. To Shawn Soole, from Clive’s in Victoria, a craft cocktail is a classic drink with a gourmet twist. Shawn takes cocktails that may have been around for a hundred years or more and adds a homemade ingredient. Like his classic Manhattan cocktail with a dash of homemade cherry bitters. In the golden age of bartending, 1862-1920, bartenders made most of their mixing ingredients themselves. Fresh ginger beer, homemade bitters, raspberry and pineapple syrups from scratch were the order of the day. It was not just a matter of pride, it was the only option. In recent decades, bartender have taken the easy way out: grenadine that has nothing to do with pomegranate, sour-mix that tastes more like Tang than citrus, and, of course, those legendary atomic red cherries. All of these shortcuts are akin to having a gourmet chef who uses bouillon cubes, MSG and cheese in a spray can. The craft cocktail movement is trying to set this to rights by returning cocktails to their pre-prohibition roots, lovingly made with the finest ingredients and utmost attention to detail. “A true craft cocktail is prepared with care and an educated technique,” says Simon Ogden of Victoria’s Veneto Tapa Lounge. “Each component ingredient is balanced and present on the palate, and tasked with enriching the spirit at its base.” Ogden’s words are exactly what bartenders need to think about when they take part in competitions like Art of the Cocktail’s Best Bartender of the Pacific Northwest Presented by EAT Magazine on October 17. When presenting their drinks, veteran bartenders like Odgen offer the judges sound reasons behind every ingredient and every step of the assembly. Ogden’s Serenity cocktail is the perfect example: Hennessy V.S., Silk Road philosopher’s brew tea, elderflower, mint, and a splash of Chandon Blanc de Noirs. The Serenity is not built upon just any brandy; it is geared towards bringing out the floral notes in the Hennessy V.S. cognac. Lauren Mote of The Refinery in Vancouver says this about making craft cocktails: “I’m thinking like a chef or an artist because the end product should be pleasing to the eye, erotic to the nose, velvet and complex on the palate, and super unique.” If you ever get a chance to have her “Charred Bourbon Sour”, you will see what she means. Mote took her tasting notes on Maker’s Mark bourbon and deconstructed them, then reconstructed them into a cocktail, mixing the bourbon with house-made charred American oak and caramelized coconut syrup and homemade bitters. If you’re ever in doubt about whether you’re drinking a craft cocktail, Brad Stanton of Uva in Vancouver has some advice. “You know you have a craft cocktail when, after the bartender sets the drink down on the bar, you feel obligated to pause as a show of respect before you delve into the first sip.” Truly we are living in a great time to go out for a few drinks. It’s been a hundred years since there have been so many great bartenders taking care with their craft. Just as much as chefs and kitchens have benefited from the myriad of fresh and interesting ingredients available, so too have bartenders and the bar.
Ghetto Punch 2 oz El Jimador Blanco tequila 1 oz strong Silk Road gunpowder green tea (brewed strong and iced 3/4 oz Giffard Ginger of the Indies liqueur 1 oz. Madeira 3 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters
6 332, 2,
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Double old fashion glass with 2 large ice cubes Combine ingredients, stir and strain. Garnish with an orange slice, a lemon slice and a mint leaf.
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EAT MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2010
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