MixMo Theme for August ‘08: Local Flavor

   I live in Seattle so a coffee cocktail for this months MixMo came to mind first but it’s too obvious and I’m not a big fan to begin with.  What else is really northwesty….  I know, apples, of which 60% sold in the United States are grown in Washington!  I wanted to do something different though, mostly because I have had very little trust for “apple” cocktails and want to rid the world of apple pucker.
   The problem with apples is that they are mostly water, about 80% depending on the variety and the rest is air (that’s why they float.)  Because of the high water content I find it tough to transfer the mild/slight flavor of the apple over to a cocktail.  Then I remembered the baked apples my mom would make every once in a while.  They made the house smell amazing and tasted even better, especially with vanilla ice cream.  I’ll save a spiced baked apple cocktail for the fall but here’s a summer version using all local flavors.

       Baked Northwest Apple Purée
       4 good baking apples
       12 red raspberries (Washington is also a major supplier of raspberries)
       Cane Sugar
       1 cup boiling water
       Preheat oven to 375 degrees
       Cut apple tops off and scoop out the core, (a melon baller works great) fill each apple with about 3 raspberries and a heaping tablespoon of sugar on top.  Place in a baking pan with high sides adding the boiling water.
       Bake for 30 minutes covered loosely with aluminum foil and 5 minutes uncovered, the apples are ready when the skin is soft
       Take out of the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes
       Put liquid and apples into a blender and purée for a couple minutes
       Strain mixture back into blender or container adding about 1/2 cup water and refrigerate
       You should have about 21/2 cups

       The Washington Orchard Cocktail
       11/2 oz dry fish gin (distilled in Eastern Washington)
       3 oz baked northwest apple purée (apples and raspberries from Washington)
       1 oz simple syrup
       2 dashes lemon bitters (this would be great with homemade apple bitters?)
       Combine all into boston shaker and shake long and hard, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an Aplet made right here in Washington State.

   The raspberries add a slight tart flavor to the apples and the sugar blends both together to make a great tasting sauce.  The drink is on the sweet end for sure but I bet a little lemon juice would balance the drink, I like it sweeter though.  I fine strained this into the glass but it took a minute for it all to filter.  It’s pretty much apple sauce so if you where to do this in volume I would fine strain in advance to a 750ml bottle…Prost!

Article and Drink by: Mark Sexauer

The Mango Quarter

   Well summer is a bad time to be a blogger, lots going on and not a lot of time.  I have missed the last Mixmo but also figured I’d let the Tales of the Cocktail blow over before posting my late Mixmo non-entry.
   I saw a jar of mangos at a store here in Seattle and had to buy it.  It was just a matter of time before I broke into it dying to make a cocktail with the mango slices soaking in sugar water.  I don’t think you can beat any fresh fruit or vegetable in a cocktail but sometimes it is just not cost effective and these mango slices taste fine.  It is a huge jar with about 30 slices inside marinating in a sweet sugary water.  Another plus with the bottled mango is the fact that they are softer then fresh mango breaking up almost completely in my boston shaker.
   Starting with a brandy base I muddled a mango slice with cointreau.  The result was so-so, I wouldn’t order another one.  Brandy and mangos work really well together though, it didn’t take much experimenting.  Here is what I came up with at the end, give it a whirl, I think it’s a great drink.

       The Mango Quarter
       2 oz good brandy
       2 mango slices
       1/2 oz mango sugar syrup/water
       1/2 oz lemon juice
       1/2 oz cointreau
       Shake hard and long to break up the dense mango, double strain into a cocktail glass

 

Article and Drink By: Mark Sexauer

Makers Mark and Anti-Cola

   If you enjoy Makers Mark as much as I do you can sign up at their website to become an “Ambassador.”  It’s mostly a marketing strategy but you get in line to have your name on a plaque which they put on a barrel.  When it’s ready years later they call you up and you make your way down to the distillery to buy your own personal barrel of bourbon, pretty cool!
   I cringe every time someone comes into the bar and orders a Makers & Coke.  I’ve seen worse… 14 year Oban and Coke (I can’t make this stuff up!!!)  I used to think that people wanted to cover up the taste of the bourbon, rum, whisk(e)y, or any other spirit but I don’t think that is true.  It’s obvious they just want to dilute the spirit and it’s possible they are just creatures of habit and don’t want to venture out into other drinks.  I finally conceded to the fact that people like the taste or they wouldn’t order five in a row, so the issue then is the Coke (or Pepsi) itself.
   That is where the problem lies, like tonic water, these commercial syrups and sodas are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup.  I’m far from a health guy but a lot of scientists think it is the root of all evil.  Even if you forget the health issues, it is such a strong sugary taste that it excessively covers up the taste of the spirit.  There are numerous web resources on homemade cola and I have to say that I feel my version is better than Coke!  Like anything, it is a matter of taste and you can adjust the recipe as needed.  I cooked up a batch that I tried with Makers and thought it would be perfect to submit to this month’s MixMo.  Notice the amounts are similar to my tonic water recipe.  This makes creating a Makers & Coke at the bar easy to remember by using the same amounts of spirit, syrup, and soda water as the tonic syrup, or close to it.

 
       Anti-Cola Recipe

       4 cups water
       4 cups sugar
       2 Tablespoons citric acid
       Zest and juice of 1 lime
       Zest and juice of 1 lemon
       Zest and juice of 1 orange
       2 teaspoon ground dark coffee beans (about 15 beans)
       1 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
       1 teaspoon coriander
       1 teaspoon cream of tartar
       1 teaspoon unsweetened chocolate powder
       1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
       2 cloves

       Mix all ingredients except sugar and cream of tartar together into a large pot.  Simmer for about 30 minutes covered to infuse flavors and then let cool about 10 minutes.  Strain (rinse pot) and then put back onto heat.  Add the sugar and cream of tartar heat on medium heat covered for another 20 minutes.  Strain into bottle and refrigerate.

 
       Makers and Anti-Cola
       
       11/2 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
       2 oz soda water
       3/4 oz anti-cola syrup

       Build in an Old-Fashioned filled with Ice

 
   You can taste the sugar and there is a good deal of it in this syrup but the clean fresh taste you get from this is unmatched from any soda you can buy at the store.  This is relatively easy to make and intrigues your average customer.  A quick note on the color, it’s not a deep dark brown like most sodas but most people like it without comment on the color.  I think this can help bring soda out from being somewhat of a filler ingredient to a useful tool behind the bar.  Make sure you taste this with all the spirits in your bar and try upping the lime juice when used with good rum.  Mess with the recipe as much as you would like, but not before trying a Makers Mark and Anti-Cola.

Article and Drink By: Mark Sexauer