When I run into a cocktail recipe, there are several things that make me feel more comfortable about it right from the beginning.  Now good, veteran mixologist don’t need most of this information because they generally know what is expected based on the ingredients.  For the rest of us, being held by the hand a little bit goes a long way in concocting a truly dazzling cocktail.

Here are some of the things I look for:

• Name
• Alternate Names
• Glassware
• Method
• Garnish
• A Great Color Picture

Now without having in any idea what the actual ingredients are, I know a lot about how the drink will be created.

A will give a vary common example:

GIN AND TONIC (GT, Gin Tonic)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 parts gin
• 5 parts tonic water

GLASSWARE: rocks/lo-ball/old fashioned

METHOD: build

GARNISH: lime wedge

DIRECTIONS:

• Fill glass with ice.  Add gin.  Add tonic water.  One or two quick stirs with bar spoon.  Slightly squeeze lime wedge over drink, run once around the rim and drop into drink.

Gin and Tonic

Unfortunately, there are not standard names for bar glassware, so I have tried to list the common ones.  Not everyone’s glassware is the same, so use what you have and what makes you happy.

I purposely did not list ounces, milliliters, measures, pours or jiggers for the amounts of each ingredient.  The most important part is the ratio.  Furthermore, there is no true standard size for a jigger these days.  Traditionally it was one ounce, but 1 1/4 oz. and 1 1/2 oz. are also very common now.  Whatever size your measure is, the ratio will come out right!  Now no recipe is set is stone and the ratios should vary a little based on what brands you use, so have fun playing with the ratios especially in a common cocktail like this.

Finally, if someone asks for a gin and tonic at a bar, this is what is known as a well drink.  Bartenders have a group of spirits in front of them at waist level that are ready to go as soon as needed.  This tray is called a speed rail.  Unless a bar has a premium well with better brands of spirits, you will not be getting the highest quality gin.  Now if you ask for something like a Tanqueray and tonic, this is known as a call drink because you are calling out the type of gin you would like used.  You know that you won’t be getting bottom-shelf gin, it will taste better and it will generally cost you a little bit more–but isn’t it worth it?

Drink responsibly!

"Slap Ya Mama"

“Slap Ya Mama” is the secret ingredient in making truly authentic Cajun creations.  There is barely a restaurant or kitchen you can walk into in Cajun country that doesn’t have a shaker of this incredible spice mixture within arm’s reach.  In the not too recent past, a trip to Louisiana was in order to obtain this seasoning miracle, or at least find a friend who was will to bring you back some.  Fortunately it is now available through many national chains including:  Winn Dixie, Albertson’s, Krogers, Wal-Mart, Super Wal-Mart, Super Target, Market Baskets, Champagne’s, Piggly Wiggly’s, Super One, Rousse’s, Matherne’s, Mac’s Fresh Market, County Markets, Appliance Parts Companies, Pic-n-Sav, New Orleans French Market and Trader Joe’s.  If the area you live in doesn’t have it at your grocery store, you can usually have them get it for you within a week or so.

It adds immediate authenticity to classic Cajun dishes such as jambalaya, crawfish, étouffée and gumbo.  “Slap Ya Mama” is also right at home in many dishes where a little zing makes everyone wonder how you did it like chili, dips, french fries, potato salads and soups.

The next time I make shrimp and oyster po’ boys at home, I am definitely going to be adding a couple of healthy pinches of “Slap Ya Mama” to the dredging flour!  My mouth is watering for it already….

Bon appetit!

The Beer Book

If you are interested in getting trashed, going to a thirty kegger, slammin’ pounders, beer bongs, keg-stands, playing quarters, or anything of that nature, this is definitely NOT your book!  If, on the other hand, you are interested in learning more about many great beers from around the world, this should be your first destination.

This book has been a lost get so far.  It just came out around the end of 2008, so I am wondering why there hasn’t been more press about it.

This book is visually stunning.  Well, at least as stunning as a bunch of glass beer bottles can be.  And to prove my point, this is a DK Publishing book, so the visual quality has to stand head and shoulders about its peers.

Sample Spread from The Beer Book

The book is generally grouped into countries with the bigger beer producing countries toward the front; and as the beer production shrinks, sections become grouped by regions of the world.  Next level of segregation is breweries with craft breweries dominating through out and monster breweries usually receiving just a tip of the hat.  Interspersed among the breweries are one and two page features focusing on some aspect of beer.  For each brewery, two to four beers have been highlighted.  The specific beers mentioned receive brief comments focusing on their characteristics rather than stating whether the reviewer loved or hated a particular beer.

• Length: 352 pages
• ISBN: 0756639824
• List Price: US$25.00
• Amazon Price: US$16.50
• Author/Editor: Sam Calagione
• Editor: Tim Hampson

While you won’t find every beer in the world that is brewed, you will find most of the ones worth searching for.

Cheers!

Commercial Mead

For those of you who are not familiar with mead, it is just fermented honey. It is sometimes referred to as honey wine; but since since pure mead does not contain grapes, it is a misleading name. Mead is also the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world since honey left out (and rained on a little) will ferment spontaneously with wild yeast.

Mead changes its name based on what is added to it. I am going to give a quick run down of the more common names and what additions have been made.  They all contain honey and water of course.

• Melomel – fruit or fruit juice
• Metheglin- spice, herbs or petals
• Braggot – malt or ale
• Cyser -apples (specific type of melomel)
• Pyment – grapes (specific type of melomel)
• Morat – mulberries (specific type of melomel)
• Acerglyn – maple syrup
• Capsimel – hot peppers
• Hippocras -grapes and spices (usually including cinnamon)
• Maltomel – fruit and malt
• Malteglin – malt and spices
• Rhodomel – rose petals

More names exist, but most are related to their country rather than their ingredients.

Like wines, meads can be sweet, semi-sweet or dry depending on the amount of residual sugar after fermentation.  Likewise, meads can be either still or sparkling.apes and

Jeni Britton Bauer

If you read the title of this article and you are doubtful, then you have never tasted Jeni’s Ice Cream.  This is truly one of the great treats of just being alive.  And I don’t say this lightly–I have tasted a lot of ice cream in my day.  Jeni has this perfect balance of flavor, fat and sugar that is virtually un-rivaled. Many ice creams that are available today just go overboard with flavorings, fat and sugar to the point where it is the same as getting hit in the head with a lead pipe; subtlety is non-existent.  It is like most ice cream out there is made for a 12-year old, or at least an adult with the palette of a 12-year old.

And Jeni is finally receiving the national and international recognition she so rightfully deserves.  She just was interviewed on Martha Stewart Radio last week.  Last summer she had a two-page spread in the middle of the Dean and Deluca catalog; also, she was the only one pictured other then Dean and Deluca themselves.  She was just reviewed in the Boston Globe.  And she has appeared several time in Bon Appetite.  And these are just a few of the things I am aware of; I am sure the actual list is much longer.

Jeni recently married and had a child.

Jeni’s is now up to five stores (North Market, Short North, Dublin, Grandview and Bexley) in the Columbus metropolitan area.  But don’t fret if you are not in central Ohio; Jeni’s ships all over the country!

Jeni’s background is not quite as lofty as her biography might suggest.  Her main two vocational bases were stints working at La Chatalaine Bakery in Columbus and at Cincinnati-based Graeter’s Ice Cream.  Fortunately, Jeni was able to overcome the average-ness of Graeter’s through her own great sense of flavor and by attending the famous Penn State Creamery Ice Cream Short Course.

Another Fine Dip at Jeni's

Although it will surprise most people who have been to a Jeni’s, this is not her first foray in the world of hand-crafting ice cream.  She also owned an ice cream shop in Columbus’ North Market entitled “I Scream” along with Grandview Heights Earth Elements’ owner Kyong-Son Pae.

The first thing that people notice when they enter Jeni’s is the unique diversity of her flavor menu.  From her signature Salty Carmel to Olive Oil with Sea Salt Pepitas, the choices are mind boggling.  And every flavor is a winner; Jeni doesn’t have any clunkers or fillers in her line up.

Jeni also gave out a recipe to Food and Wine Magazine which I am suspecting is pretty close to what she uses in the store.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (we used 1 tbs. vanilla extract)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

• Fill a large bowl with ice water.  In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.
• In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean and seeds.  Bring the milk mixture to a boil and cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves and the vanilla flavors the milk, about 4 minutes.  Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.  Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
• Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.
• Strain the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the ice cream into a plastic container.
• Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the vanilla ice cream until firm, about 4 hours.

The ebb and flow of my interests is great, but there are many topics I know I will touch upon frequently such as coffee, mead, gardening items you can’t buy in the store (unless you are VERY lucky), homebrewing beer, absinthe, beekeeping, retro cocktails, Japanese food and chili.

Readers’ feedback will definitely alter the course that I follow, so let me hear what is on your mind!

Cheers!

Todd

Borage Blossom

When most people first hear of the herb borage, they kind of cock their heads sideways in disbelief.  I first heard of borage in print, so I pronounced it incorrectly for a little while; the correct pronunciation rhymes with “porridge”.

While there is nothing ugly about the appearance of most herbs, borage blossoms definitely fall into the realm of beautiful.  So beautiful in fact that they are worthy of being grown in your garden as a flower rather than just an herb.

Commercially, borage is primarily grown for its oil, but it is virtually impossible to find in the produce section of an average (or even above average) grocery store.  Fortunately, borage is very easily grown in most gardens.

I primarily use borage for three things: cocktail ice cubes, candied and as an addition to soups and salads.  The leaves smell of cucumber, while the flowers have minimal fragrance. Both the blossoms and leaves are edible, but I try to stick with the younger leaves since the older, larger leaves can sometimes get a bit on the stringy side.

For most mixologists, but amateur and professional, borage will only add visual appeal to your creations and never any appreciable flavor.  The most common way to add the beauty of borage to your cocktails is to freeze it in the middle of your ice cubes.  The clearer the ice, the more the borage will shine; sometime in the future I will write about how to make crystal clear ice cubes for your concoctions.  Try and use a smaller size ice cubes. so that the blossom will be visible regardless of the frozen water’s orientation.  First, fill your ice tray about one-third full of water and place in the freezer.  Also, dip the blossoms (minus the greenery) in cold water and place them in the freezer on wax or parchment paper.  When both have completely frozen, place the flowers on top of the frozen water in the ice cube tray and top off with very cold water and place the tray back in the freezer (make sure they don’t pick up any off flavors).  When it is all solid, you will have the cubes ready to go to decorate your next summer spritzer.

To make candied or crystallized borage blossoms, wash off the freshly picked flowers and make sure that none of the stem is remaining.  Lightly brush the petals with foamed egg white and sprinkle sugar lightly over all of the petals.  Let dry in a low-humidity environment; this may take up to two or three days if you live in a humid area.  Now you can use the candied flowers to garnish your favorite cakes and sweets.

Finally, I like to use larger borage leaves in salads; just make sure they are not tough or stringy.  A few smaller leaves make a nice garnish for summer soups, especially gazpachos, bisques and vichyssoise.

Let me know how this works out for you of if you have any other great uses for borage.