Two At The Most » Fun

Age Your Own Whiskey

Stevi — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:00:39 +0000

My Whiskey Barrel

Along with sudden explosion of new distilleries, there has been a proliferation of white dog whiskeys on the market in the last few years.

White dog is unaged whiskey. Like vodka, it’s a popular first product for a new distillery as it can be immediately bottled and sold to start bringing in income.

Rather than making us wait for their finished product, Woodinville Whiskey gives us the chance to share in the experience with their Age Your Own^tm Whiskey Kit.

The kit features a two liter aging barrel with stand, two 750ml bottles of 110 proof Headlong White Dog at 110 proof (55% ABV), a funnel to get everything inside, and two Glencairn tasting glasses to see how things are going.

Prepping the barrel is easy. Fill it up with good clean water. Then let it sit somewhere that won’t be damaged by any leaks, until no leaks are evident. The point is to let the wood swell with to close any gaps, while not losing any precious liquor.

There was almost no seepage from my barrel from the start, so after a day I drained the water. I tasted a little, which had just the faintest tinge of brown, and was amused to discover there was a slight hint of both oak and sweetness. In went the white dog, and the waiting began.

A key decision in aging spirits is the location of the barrel. The ideal spot will change temperature. This helps the liquor expand into the wood and then contract. This is the whole purpose of barrel-aging. The liquor extracts various chemicals from the charred wood, changing the character of the final product. It also oxidizes with the air that manages to permeate the oak fibers. These processes change the original distillate. It’s up to you to decide when it has reached its prime.

Thirsty Angels

I was tempted to place the barrel on the plant shelf outside my window, but was warned against putting it anywhere it would get direct sunlight. I chose a shelf out of the sun but located where it would gain the most from the heat of the day and the cool of night.

I managed to wait a whole week before my first taste of my experiment. It’s so much easier to take tastes from aging liquor than it is from fermenting beer. The high alcohol levels mean that sanitation is not a huge concern, and oxidation is considered a plus in this process. Simply remove the bung from the top of the barrel, place your glass under the spigot, and turn the spigot on, and you have a taste!

After just one week, the whiskey was noticeably sweeter, with some very raw oak flavor, as well as a light straw color. I continued tasting about once a week. Some weeks it seemed like it was getting really great. And some weeks, it seemed really awful. Talking to Orlin and Brett at Woodinville Whiskey reassured me. They joked about the occasional panicked call to their mentor, Dave Pickerell, former master distiller at Maker’s Mark, about how suddenly the whiskey was ruined. He’d reassure them that it was all part of the aging process.

As different chemicals wax and wane through the process, the taste improves and worsens. The skill of the distiller of an aged product is finding that sweet spot that maximizes the benefits of wood aging while minimizing any negatives.

Finally, after three months, I was satisfied. My whiskey had strong oaken notes, but a nice smooth finish. I choose to bottle at the same strength it went into the cask, rather than adding any water to reduce the proof. While I knew I’d taken a few ounces out of the barrel for tasting, I wasn’t prepared for just how much was lost. I had poured 1.5 liters of white dog, and bottled under 900 ml.

I was very happy with what the angels left me. At bottling proof, it has a slightly stronger wood taste than I like in general when tasted straight. But pouring a jigger over a nice piece of ice brings it into a great balance. I especially like using my whiskey in old fashioned, especially with cinnamon syrup and chocolate bitters.

Of course, I couldn’t leave that barrel empty! I’ll write about my additional experiences in barrel aging. As soon as I put this old fashioned down.

Aging your own whiskey is a great way to appreciate what is really involved in making any aged product. I have a renewed appreciated for the art of the distiller. I can’t wait to see what Orlin and Brett have done on their own. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too long. On November 19, they are releasing their long awaited Bourbon, as well as an American whiskey. I can’t wait to compare it to my own whiskey. Provided I have any left.

Portland Cocktail Week 2011

Stevi — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:44:23 +0000

I had a great time at Portland Cocktail Week last year. Naturally I’ve been eagerly awaiting its return.

My waiting has not been in vain. This year’s event is October 20-23. Check out the schedule for all the great events. I’m particularly looking forward the open night party at Wilf’s and the Speed Rack competition on Sunday.

There’s also a chance to do some good during the festivities, by participating in the Bartenders’ Run to Kick Cancer’s Ass on Friday morning. Novo Fogo Cachaça will be sponsoring the participation fee for any bartender. All proceeds will be donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Once again, PDX Cocktail Week takes place at the same time as the Great American Distillers Festival. Looking over the list of participating distilleries, this is going to be a great chance to taste many great, unique products.

I’m also looking forward to spending time with my friends in Portland, not to mention a goodly portion of Seattle’s bartending community.

Be sure to check the @PDXCocktailWeek twitter feed as well as my own for details and shenanigans throughout the great events.

Seattle shouldn’t be sad, however, as the very first Seattle Cocktail Week will be held the week after, October 27 – 30. Seattle Cocktail Week will focus on many of the top bars in Seattle and environs offering drinks specials. Stay tuned for more details!

I barbacked at Rob Roy

Stevi — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:00:16 +0000

…and all I got was this little t-shirt.¹

Shake for the Camera. Photo courtesy of Rocky Yeh.

Despite all my pre-event hand wringing, the Jim & Rocky Barback Pro-Am turned out to be a lot of fun.

Of course, this wasn’t your usual barback shift. At least, I’m told most don’t start with a round of Jägerbombs at the joint across the street.

My job as barback was to make sure patrons had sufficient water,² clear their glasses as they finished their cocktails, keep the counter clean, and help the bartender in whatever way he asked. This ended up including dry shaking, breaking large ice blocks into ones small enough to fit old fashioned glasses, and fetching salt when someone³ asked for an off-menu margarita. Also participating in a round of shots whenever Jim or Rocky deemed it was time to do so.

I learned many lessons during my shift. A few of the most memorable:

The cameraman promised me he’d get out of my way. He was not always able to live up to that promise.
Cobbler shakers confound me. I can’t keep them tightly sealed while shaking them. I can’t get them separated once the drink has been strained out. That’s why I switched to Boston shakers. Naturally, someone⁴ lent cobblers to Jim for the evening so I got to struggle with cleaning them all night.
I do not have a knack for remembering who ordered which drink when. It was embarrassing enough when the bartender asked me for whom I called the drink. It was even worse when several minutes later I was politely asked by the customer whatever happened to that Industry Old Fashioned he ordered.
If I don’t want to use my hands, never attempt to manhandle ice into a glass using a metal ice scoop while standing over the ice bin.⁵
No matter how amusing it seems in the context of the current bar trash talk, when the bartender yells, repeatedly, “THAT’S NOT DONE” — he is almost certainly referring to that surprisingly full mixing glass I am dumping into the sink

A huge thank you to everybody who came to Rob Roy to join in the fun. Thanks to Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh for inviting me to participate. Thanks to Rob Roy for hosting, and to Jamie Boudreau for allowing us to give him time to go eat dinner at Canlis’ pop-up restaurant.

Check out Rocky’s photos for great shots from all the events, and keep an eye on Small Screen Network to see what they do with all the footage they shot.

And no, I don’t think I’ll be changing careers for any time soon. I’ll bide my time in front of the stick⁶ for the time being.

[1] Actually, I did get a larger shirt at the end of my shift. And lost the red one somewhere between Zig Zag and home.
[2] And goldfish crackers, this being Rob Roy.
[3] Damn you, Evan Martin!
[4] Damn you, Jamie Boudreau!
[5] Luckily, I was stopped before anything bad happened.
[6] See what I did there?

Come Cheer Me On at the Seattle Barback Pro-Am

Come Cheer Me On at the Seattle Barback Pro-Am

Stevi — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:00:32 +0000

It started with a text. “Jim and I are doing a thing w/ Small Screen to invite a few bloggers and enthusiasts behind the bar to barback while Jim guest bartends.”

Jim and Rocky and victim

Next thing I knew, I was signed up to barback at Rob Roy on February 27.

I blame the fact I was in the second week of a three week cold that I failed to ask for details before saying yes. Instead, I discovered what I had blithely agreed to when I saw the press release. It begins

Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh of Vessel in Seattle, renowned bartenders and spirits professionals, will hit the road from Seattle to San Diego challengining amateur mixologists, or as we call them “victims”, to step behind the bar, show their skills and see if they can mix it up all night.

The Jim and Rocky show has already burned a swath from Portland down to San Diego. Now they refuse to be daunted by la Niña as they race back to Seattle to put me and Papa Paul Clarke through our paces. And Small Screen Network will be there to make sure it’s recorded.

As I have no doubt they will make it back, and I will be forced to follow through with my word, all I can ask is that you come to offer moral support on this Sunday night. The fun starts at Rob Roy on Sunday, February 27, at 6 pm. From all reports from the previous events, promises to be fun for everybody…but me.

TDN Tiki — Our First Anniversary

Stevi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:00:33 +0000

It’s hard to believe, but Thursday Drink Night (TDN) has been around for a whole year.

An entire year of cocktail enthusiasts getting together once a week to invent new drinks on the fly. Dozens of themes have been tested. Hundreds of recipes have been tried¹. Thousands of Your Mom jokes have been told.

To celebrate, this week the Mixoloseum Bar is having a special Tiki TDN, with Special Guest Beachbum Berry! Jeff Berry has joined us before and is both a delightful person and font of vast tiki knowledge. Come armed with questions about kitsch culture and mixing up rums, because Jeff is the man to ask.

And there’s more. Because it’s our anniversary, there will Fabulous Prizes. Now, we have had some pretty fantastic prizes over the past year, but this TDN will have some serious loot: a gold Japanese bar spoon, all six of the newest classic cocktail book reprints from Mud Puddle Books, a signed bottle each of Obsello Absinthe and Port of Barcelona gin, and a bottle of Old New Orleans Cajun spice rum.

I need to learn how to invent a tiki drink and FAST.

This promises to be a fantastic TDN. The fun starts this Thursday Night (September 3) at 7 pm EDT (4 pm on the Best Coast). Be sure to join us at the Mixoloseum bar for all the fun!

[1] Some have actually been keepers!

Jerry Thomas Night at Vessel

Stevi — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:33:44 +0000

My passion for cocktails and mixology was in part inspired by From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas by David Wondrich. In discussing Jerry Thomas, America’s first celebrity bartender, Wondrich also covers some of the most important basics in creating great cocktails.

Jerry Thomas makes a Blue Blazer

I’m not alone in my admiration for Mr. Thomas. Vessel, one of Seattle’s top cocktail bars, is trying to create a bartender’s holiday in his name. That’s why this Presidents Day, Monday, February 16, from opening at 4 pm until close, Vessel is hosting Jerry Thomas Night, in honor of the Founding Father of bartending.

Vessel bartenders Jim Romdall and Zane Harris¹ are working with other Seattle bartenders to create a great list of Thomas’ cocktails for the event.

What promises to be even more fun is they’ll be asking all bartenders who attend to get behind the bar and make one of Thomas’ signature drinks, the Blue Blazer.

Blue Blazer

2 1/2 oz rye or bourbon whiskey or Brandy
2 1/2 oz boiling water
1 tsp powdered sugar
lemon peel

Use two large silver-plated mugs, with handles. Put the whiskey in one mug, and the boiling water into the other, ignite the whiskey and, while blazing, mix both ingredients by pouring them from one mug to the other. If well done, this will have the appearance of a continued stream of liquid fire. Sweeten with sugar and serve with a piece of lemon peel. Serve in a four-ounce stemmed mug.

The result is a whiskey toddy, with a great show to boot.

It promises to be a great night. I’m looking forward to it, and if you’re in the area, I hope to see you there!

Jerry Thomas Night
Monday, February 16, 2009 (Presidents Day)
Vessel
1312 5th Avenue
Seattle, WA
Google Maps

[1] Call Zane a mixologist. I dare you!

Happy Holidays from Two at the Most

Stevi — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:09:58 +0000

Here in Western Washington, we’re getting a new layer of crisp white snow, making for a rare white Christmas.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season, however you celebrate it!

And if you are looking for a festive drink, I highly recommend Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s egg nog recipe. It takes less than 10 minutes to make (although the hour rest to let the flavors blend is highly recommended), no egg seperating required, and has earned rave reviews from my family this holiday. Cheers!

Happy Discovery

Imbiber’s One Hundred

Stevi — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:31:14 +0000

Over at Art of Drink, Darcy O’Neil has come up with a drinker’s response to the Omnivore’s 100. I thought I’d fill it out and keep it around for ideas of new things to try.

Instructions:

Copy this list into your blog, with instructions.
Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed.
Cross out any items that you won’t touch
Post a comment here and link to your results.

If you don’t have a blog, just count the ones you’ve tried and post the number in the comments section.

List of Drinks You Must Try Before You Expire

1. Manhattan Cocktail
2. Kopi Luwak (Weasle Coffee)
3. French / Swiss Absinthe
4. Root beer
5. Gin Martini
6. Sauternes
7. Whole Milk
8. Tequila (100% Agave)
9. XO Cognac
10. Espresso
11. Spring Water (directly from the spring)
12. Gin & Tonic
13. Mead
14. Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale¹
15. Chateau d’Yquem
16. Budwieser
17. Maraschino Liqueur
18. Mojito
19. Orgeat
20. Grand Marnier
21. Mai Tai (original)
22. Ice Wine (Canadian)
23. Red Bull
24. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
25. Bubble Tea
26. Tokaj
27. Chicory
28. Islay Scotch
29. Pusser’s Navy Rum
30. Fernet Branca
31. Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
32. Bourbon
33. Australian Shiraz
34. Buckley’s Cough Syrup
35. Orange Bitters
36. Margarita (classic recipe)
37. Molasses & Milk
38. Chimay Blue
39. Wine of Pines
40. Green Tea
41. Daiginjo Sake
42. Chai Tea
43. Vodka (chilled, straight)
44. Coca-Cola
45. Zombie (Beachcomber recipe)
46. Barley Wine
47. Brewed Choclate (Xocolatl)
48. Pisco Sour
49. Lemonade
50. Speyside Single Malt
51. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
52. Champagne (Vintage)
53. Rosé (French)
54. Bellini
55. Caipirinha
56. White Zinfandel (Blush)
57. Coconut Water
58. Cerveza
59. Cafe au Lait
60. Ice Tea
61. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
62. Vintage Port
63. Hot Chocolate
64. German Riesling
65. Piña Colada
66. El Dorado 15 Year Rum
67. Chartreuse
68. Greek Wine
69. Negroni
70. Jägermeister
71. Chicha
72. Guinness
73. Rhum Agricole
74. Palm Wine
75. Soju
76. Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
77. Belgian Lambic
78. Mongolian Airag
79. Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
80. Sugarcane Juice
81. Ramos Gin Fizz
82. Singapore Sling
83. Mint Julep
84. Old Fashioned
85. Perique
86. Jenever (Holland Gin)
87. Chocolate Milkshake
88. Traditional Italian Barolo
89. Pulque
90. Natural Sparkling Water
91. Cuban Rum
92. Asti Spumante
93. Irish Whiskey
94. Château Margaux
95. Two Buck Chuck
96. Mulled Cider
97. Akvavit
98. Rye Whisky
99. German Weissbier
100. Daiquiri (classic)

If you have any questions on what something is, please post a comment on Darcy’s site. Any items you think are missing?

[1] I actually have a bottle in my fridge right now, ready for the right moment to taste. Look for a review soon. Thanks, Matt!

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Black River Sidecar and Thursday Drink Night

Stevi — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:06:35 +0000

This past Thursday Drink Night at the Mixoloseum was a resounding success.

And not just because my submission, the Black River Sidecar, was named best off-the-cuff drink of the night.

But I’m thrilled at the wonderful write-up Rick did over at Kaiser Penguin, including a great photo.

Black River Sidecar

1 1/2 oz cognac
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz pimento dram (St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram)
1 tsp. agave nectar

shake over ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with whole allspice berry tied in lemon twist

The St. Elizabeth’s is very potent; people who have tried with their own homemade recommend upping the dram to 1/2 oz, at which point you may be able to drop the agave nectar, which I used to balance the lemon juice. You can always just reduce the amount of juice, if you want.

Thanks to Rick for the nice post, thanks to Gabe for creating and hosting the Mixoloseum, and thanks to everybody who participated in TDN. Please join us Thursday nights to get in on the fun!

likker quiz

Stevi — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:44:00 +0000

97%ALCOHOLIC

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