Steve Unwin, Lot18
Now we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty. First, we talked about dirt; next, we talked about climate; today, we’re going to take a look at some specific examples of regions and how their own individual traits express that very special something we call terroir.
A Big, Intense New World Region
Somewhere that is near and dear to my heart is the Red Mountain AVA in Washington State. This humble 4,000-acre bump in the Columbia valley is home to some of the best grapes in the Pacific Northwest such as the Ciel du Cheval and Tapteil vineyards. I bring up Red Mountain because it is by far the region that I am most familiar with, having given countless vineyard tours to purple-toothed Seattleites suffering from a mild cases of heat stroke in the summer.
Fifteen thousand years ago a giant glacial flood came smashing through the area and in the process deposited a helluva lot of silt, loam and calcium carbonate (that’s chalk to you and me). After eddying around Red Mountain, what remained was a hill covered in gravelly, loamy, carbonate-rich soil – something that our little grapy friends love and hate.
On top of that, the region has a solidly continental climate. The winters are something out of a snow globe, and the unforgiving summers are sunny and hot. Add to this that the region slopes to the southwest and into the Yakima River, so all of the grapes get tons of late, hot afternoon sun and don’t get to hang on to much water. In fact, Red Mountain is by far the hottest AVA in the entire Columbia valley in terms of total heat units collected by vines over the course of a season. Add to this the fact that (optimistic real estate agents claim) there are around 300 days of sun a year. All of this makes the grapes a little miserable, but people like this.
What kind of wine does this leave us with? Intense, tannic, structured reds that are built for serious aging. See, all of that heat and sun cause the grapes to reach a high level of phenolic ripeness (tannin town!) around the same time that they develop the right amount of sugar to be harvested, making for some seriously structured <link to post> juice. Some winemakers swear the region’s wines have an inherent note of Grand Marnier (file that Who Knows Why?), and others cite a chalky minerality (possibly owing to the carbonate soils, but more on this kind of thing later). All I know is that the juice that comes from this region’s grapes is delicious. It’s a distinctive wine region, even if it’s impossible to find a decent cocktail within 50 miles.
A Cool, Restrained Old World Region
And now for something completely different! Mosel is by far one of Germany’s most prized wine regions, and the source of some of the best Riesling on the planet. Certainly better than any I’ve made in my bathtub (want to see Stunwin Trockenbeerenauslese on the site? Tweet at Dini!).
The region is defined by the Mosel River, which has spent the last few millennia carving a deep, curving path through the region. What we’re left with are extremely steep slopes that drain down into the river with the help of the porous slate soil composition.
Mosel is located just south of the 50th parallel, placing it at what is basically the northern barrier of Vitis vinifera’s comfort zone. Luckily there are a couple of factors that mitigate this. First, the sun reflects off of the river and up into the vineyards, and second, there are some fortunate vineyards that are situated, like on Red Mountain, on southwest facing slopes, netting them some extra heat as sun sets on Castle Wolfenstein.
At the end of the day, the cool weather and slaty, well-draining soil leave us with a characteristically clean, crisp, high-acidity wine. Cool weather causes the grapes not to synthesize as much sugar relative to the amount of acid they contain, and the excellent drainage keeps the water content down. Less hydrated grapes make for a concentrated, intense flavor profile.
Controversy!
There are many who swear by “Mosel Slate” as a defining characteristic of these wines, something that instantly gives away these wines’ origin with one sniff. Now that is just a lovely idea, but that would somehow mean that some kind of flavor compound is being extracted from the soil, metabolized by the grapes and preserved throughout vinification and aging. That sounds like something worth debating. Perhaps something a certain Cork Dork might like to grossly oversimplify for the sake of comments, which you can conveniently leave below. Hrmmmmm…
Follow me on Twitter @Stunwin
Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18
I’m not one for Hallmark holidays. I observe only the time-honored classics; those steeped in tradition and significance. Today is one such occasion: it’s National Margarita Day! Here’s what I’ll be putting in my cocktail shaker momentarily:
The Original
Whether this is true or not, I have no idea, but the most prevalent explanation of this heavenly drink’s origin revolves around a Dallas socialite named Margarita Sames. As the story goes, Margarita frequently invited guests to Acapulco for ragers at her vacation home. On a few of these nights in the late ’40s, she served up her own cocktail made from the locally available Tequila; her favorite liqueur, Cointreau; and fresh lime juice. Obviously it was delicious, and an attendee named John Wayne spread the word.
2 oz. Tequila Blanco (or 1 ¾ oz Reposado or Añejo for a more robust cocktail)
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Shake over plenty of ice and serve on the rocks in a salt-rimmed glass.
The Original con Sage
No reason to spin your wheels over new and creative Margs. This is one of those cocktails where the simple addition of a couple leaves makes it a whole new animal – if animals found a way to taste as good as liquor. Don’t stop with sage – though it’s my favorite – and try mint or cilantro.
2 oz. Blanco Tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
2-4 Sage Leaves
Muddle the sage in the lime juice then add the other ingredients, shake with plenty of ice, serve up and garnish with another sage leaf.
Chris’s Own Happy-Lady Maker
I came up with this modified Margarita for a Greek restaurant’s cocktail list many years ago, and they named it something über-cheesy like a Santorini Sea. I’ve never called it by that name again, but I have always kept this recipe in my back pocket because, well, women dig it. It also works equally well with tequila skeptics that have “had a bad experience.” There’s some mango and a little agave nectar, but with this added sweetness comes some bitter balance in the way of Cynar, an Amaro made with artichokes.
1 ½ oz. Añejo Tequila
1 oz. Combier (in lieu of Cointreau)
¾ oz. Lime juice
½ oz. Cynar
½ of a ripe mango, diced
A tiny drizzle of Agave nectar
Muddle the mango in the Cynar, then add the other ingredients, shake with plenty of ice, strain over rocks and garnish with a lime wheel.
Fine Print
For best results use fresh lime juice. Lord help you if you don’t use fresh lime juice. The quantities of lime juice in these recipes are based on Persian limes (the thick-skinned variety most prevalent in the U.S.), so if you’re using a Key lime, use ¾ of the suggested quantity. Only use 100 percent Agave-based Tequila. Advil help you if you don’t use 100 percent Agave-based Tequila.
Follow me on Twitter: @ChrisHallowell.
Mindy Joyce, Experiences Curator, Lot18
Sometimes you just have to go to an expert. In preparing for our Bordeaux Unlocked: Coveted Château Tastings and Tours, I chatted with Caroline Matthews of Uncorked Wine Tours in Bordeaux to get insider tips on visiting châteaus.
Do you recommend making appointments before visiting châteaus?
With more than 8,000 châteaus in the Bordeaux wine region, you might think that there is no shortage of places to visit and that winemaking properties will welcome with open arms anyone who happens to drop by. You’d be wrong. Although some properties provide tours and tastings, the majority require appointments, and many admit only professionals who work in the wine trade or those “in the know.”
It’s not that the average Bordelais château owner or manager is unfriendly, but that they have very different standards. A large percentage of châteaus simply don’t have to worry about selling their wine – local wine merchants shoulder that responsibility. And many don’t have the staff and facilities to accommodate many visits, so they often limit tours to two to four per day, often with a maximum of 15 people. Some of the top châteaus limit access to maintain a level of exclusivity.
The biggest mistake most people make is thinking that the châteaus are open on weekends. Although some properties do offer visits on Saturdays during the summer, Sunday appointments are rare. To avoid disappointment, plan to take your tours on weekdays.
Will châteaus open for two people, or is it necessary to visit as part of a larger group?
Those châteaus that offer visits are generally happy to make appointments for couples or small groups, but you may have to pay extra for the privilege or join another group of visitors. Each château has its own policy, however, and some are happy to conduct a private visit for two people.
What is the best way to decide which châteaus to visit?
The easiest answer is to work with local wine tour company. If you have the time and inclination, you can also check out the websites of the châteaus that pique your interest, or request lists from the local tourist office (e.g. for St.-Émilion on the Right Bank) of the area you plan to visit.
At least one a year, châteaus in the main Bordeaux wine regions open their doors to visitors. These “Portes Ouvertes” weekends do not require appointments, but some of the tours are in French only.
How many châteaus are open to tasting?
The number of properties open to visitors can vary depending on the time of year. Some are closed during harvest or in August during the traditional French summer holiday season.
As a rule of thumb, you should expect to make an appointment for any château you wish to visit.
How far in advance do we need to book tasting appointments?
For some properties, you can never book far enough in advance. During the high season from April to October, it’s wise to book at least two weeks before your planned visit.
Am I going to have a problem if I don’t speak French?
The châteaus that are open to visitors will have English-speakers on staff, so it should not pose a problem “si vous ne parlez pas le français.” You may, however, encounter a problem if your satellite navigation fails to locate the winery and you need to ask for directions.
Is there any kind of special etiquette for wine tasting in Bordeaux or France generally?
General good manners apply to visiting a château. Arriving at the appointed time and turning your phone to silent are <i>musts</i>. With regard to attire, shorts and jeans should be avoided even in the warm months, but smart casual clothing is appropriate.
Spittoons are on hand in château tasting rooms. Although using them is not obligatory, you might want to appoint a designated driver in advance if you opt not to use them. Police patrol the roads of the wine routes for a reason.
What is the biggest difference between visiting wineries in Bordeaux and those in the U.S.?
Many U.S. wineries in areas such as California have made a conscious decision to open their doors to tourists. They earn revenue from providing tours, and selling wine and related accessories in their gift shops.
In Bordeaux, châteaus that have staff fully dedicated to wine tourism activities and that sell wine and gifts are in the minority. This is unlikely to change radically in the near future, although some properties are recognizing that wine tourism can be a source of income in its own right and therefore and moving toward investing in the activity.
One final point is that not all châteaus have a beautiful building on the property; château is the equivalent of winery, and not understanding that fact can sometimes result in disappointment – especially when Château X turns out to be a modern shed!
Have travel questions? Tweet @MindyJoyce.
All images are courtesy of Caroline Matthews at Bordeaux Uncorked
Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18
It’s hard to show sophistication during Mardi Gras celebrations. Who can expect refinement when you’re busy thinking of ways to land you a string of beads? Now that you’ve sufficiently disgraced yourself over the past week, and with Fat Tuesday quickly approaching, it’s time to class it up a little bit with some thoughtful food and drink pairings that are sure to put you back in your friends’ good graces – or at the very least, pairings that taste good. Now obviously you can’t go from 0 to 100 at the drop of a hat, so we’re going to take it slow and pair alcohol with everyday, down-and-dirty Louisiana delights.
A Bowl o’ Crawfish
A crawfish – or scramp, as it is traditionally pronounced – might be the single most delicious thing you’ll have in New Orleans, especially if it’s in an étouffée. But on its own, there’s little that would be better than an Abita, except for Oregon Pinot Gris. The texture of the Pinot Gris will mimic the succulent flesh of the tasty crustacean while the wine’s ripe fruit acts as a foil to the Costco-sized vat of Old Bay you should have tossed them in.
Roast Duck Po’ Boy
This was my first meal in New Orleans, and I found it to be really representative of everything else there: cheap, delicious, plentiful and bad for you. My jaw hit the floor as I paid $6.50 and was given a huge French bread loaf overflowing with duck that had been roasted so long, it was falling apart. Even in October it was muggy and sweltering, so at the time I paired this with about a gallon of water. But if I had had the foresight to hydrate on the plane, I would have paired this with a Pinot. A Burgundy like this Givry is a perfect fit: Its acidity will cut through the fat and its earthiness will bring out the sweetness of the meat.
Oysters
Though your mind might go directly to fried and on a po’ boy, it’s hard to escape NOLA without having at least a half dozen on the half shell. The obvious way to go would be Champagne, but you spent too much on Hurricanes last week to be able to afford that. The next best thing in wine is Muscadet from the far west of France’s Loire Valley. This austere, mineral-driven white, made from Melon grapes, echoes the briny flavors of the oysters while its high acidity keeps pace with mignonette or any other accouterments. My favorite pairing with oysters, however, is Islay Scotch. Islay peat is generally composed of compacted seaweed, so it should come as no surprise that this salty and smoky whisky should totally go with seafood.
Gumbo
Whether it be seafood, sausage or okra, the best gumbos tend to have their fair share of chili powder. When there’s any sort of spice involved, my mind goes straight to Riesling. Pick a kabinett from the Mosel; its sweetness will make the gumbo’s spice more flavorful and less hot. If you’re gumbo isn’t as intense, try an Aussie Shiraz. Its ripe, blue fruit should handle whatever spice there might while its earthy pepper notes will kick off the sweetness of the andouille sausage.
Katherine Ramos, Features Editor, Lot18
Presidents’ Day is just around the corner, and your day off is a great time to look to some of the Founding Fathers’ favorite tipples. While I’d recommend against trying to keep up with the thirst of wine drinkers of the time — it’s a wonder anyone managed to get anything done — you can still enjoy the types of fortified wines that were wildly popular.
Port: This is the fortified wine you’re likely most familiar with, and it’s become somewhat fashionable for California winemakers to create their own takes on the style. But make no mistake: If it’s not from Portugal’s Douro Valley, it’s not Port. Thanks to frequent conflicts with France that led to less available French wine, Port has historically been extremely popular in England. And therefore, wealthier colonists came to the Americas with a thirst for this wine.
Port comes in a broad range of styles that are either bottle-aged, like Ruby Ports, or barrel-aged, like Tawny Ports, and better lots are bottled as Vintage or LBV (Late Bottle Vintage).
Sherry: Sherry’s popularity, like Port’s and Madeira’s, was at least in part a holdover from British roots. Sherry also had an important place in early cocktails, with drinks like the Sherry Cobbler — a simple concoction of Sherry, sugar, muddled orange and ice — serving as global ambassadors for this new and distinctly American class of drinks. And America played a very special role in shaping this wine’s future: The phylloxera infestation that was brought back from the New World reduced the number of grape varieties that go into Sherry from nearly 100 to a mere 3.
Sherry hails from Spain’s Jerez region. Believe it or not, it is produced in a range of styles wide enough to suit virtually any palate, from the light, bone-dry Manzanilla to the rich, intensely sweet Pedro Ximénez.
Madeira: This was the Pinot Noir of the time in terms of popularity. Jefferson and Washington bought it by the cask. And in all likelihood it’s what they would have toasted with at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Hailing from the archipelago of Madeira off the coast of Portugal, this is one of the friendliest wines for collectors. Why? For one, it lasts virtually forever. The unique winemaking style actually requires oxidization — it would get plenty of air exposure on the ships headed to the New World — so it’s impervious to this as a fault. This, along with its relatively high alcohol level, means you can pop open a special bottle and enjoy it over months or years, not days. It’s ability to hold up in a cellar is pretty much unmatched — I once had the remarkable opportunity to try a Madeira from 1894, and shockingly, it was still very lively. And perhaps best of all, because this wine has grown more obscure, incredible vintage bottles at retail and at auction can be surprisingly affordable.
Madeira is made in four basic styles. Sercial (light, off-dry) and Verdelho (darker, medium-dry) both make delicious aperitifs, while Bual (dark, sweet) and Malmsey (very dark, very sweet) are bold dessert wines.
Steve Unwin and Katherine Ramos, Lot18
You’re in a restaurant, and you’ve confidently ordered off the wine list. The sommelier brings your bottle, hands you the cork and pours you a small taste. Now what? Stay calm. Don’t sniff at that cork. This ritual isn’t just to see if you like the wine — there are a few basic questions you should ask yourself as you swirl, sniff and taste:
Is this wine cooked? Ideally all wines are stored around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Once they’re exposed to any temperature above that, they begin to age at an accelerated rate. Too hot and they’ll be pushed over the edge and ruined. What you’re looking for is a total lack of fruity characteristics, or the aromas and flavors that make wine taste like wine. What you’ll be presented with is an inky, alcoholic liquid that is nothing like the Pinot you ordered.
Is this wine oxidized? After heat, the next enemy of wine is oxygen. Sure, swirling and aerating in the glass can be good to open up a wine when you’re drinking it, but if the seal on the cork isn’t good (which can often be a result of the overheating we just mentioned), the wine will slowly be exposed to way too much oxygen and be radically altered. At its most mild, oxidized wine will take on a faint, out-of-place caramel/maple syrup smell, but at its worst those notes will be augmented by things like acetic acid, which is basically vinegar. The final stage is something akin to “model airplane glue” but if anybody serves you that, you should probably be worried about your entrée too!
Is this wine corked? Finally we have the issue that is, perhaps, the easiest to identify, and the one that causes the most faux pas. Corks are made from the bark of the Cork Oak tree. As a natural product, they can be subject to all kinds of biological compounds that exist in nature, but the one that we’re worried about is 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, or TCA. Many people can detect this chemical in minute quantities, so even the smallest amount can ruin a bottle. What you’re looking for here is a quality very similar to wet newspaper or cardboard — some say wet dog. Moreover, the wine will be lacking in fruity characteristics and seem generally flat.
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, your wine has a flaw. Politely inform the sommelier, and they’ll bring you a new bottle.
Bonus round: What not to worry about. We said it earlier, and we’ll say it again: don’t bother sniffing the cork. It’s not going to tell you anything that the wine won’t. And if you see gunk on the underside of the cork, it is totally fine. You might see some crystals, they’re called tartrates, and they’re 100 percent normal. Same goes for any gunky kind of sediment. In fact, the practice of presenting the cork to the buyer actually has its roots in verifying the validity of the bottle and proving that it wasn’t emptied, filled with cheap swill and re-corked, rather than checking it for flaws. The only thing that should really worry you is if it looks totally dried out and desiccated. Then you have a problem (see oxidization above).
Katy Andersen, Gourmet Curator, Lot18
A funny thing happens when coffee roasts: It pops. The beans don’t explode like popcorn, but they do let out a loud snap. It’s this “first crack” that roasters have listened for over the centuries, and the sound I waited to hear during a coffee-roasting lesson at Brooklyn Roasting Co.
Brooklyn Roasting Co. is steeped in coffee-roasting history. The roaster sits on the foundation of Arbuckle’s, the first commercially successful coffee roaster in this country. And inside lie coffee-roasting equipment and the answers to all my coffee-roasting questions, answered by Michael Pollack, the roaster himself.
To appreciate the efficiency of the modern process that turns green coffee beans into their recognizable chocolate-colored hues, a short roasting history illustrates the improvements.
Back in the late 1800s, coffee was fire-roasted in tiny batches using machines like the Jabez Burns, where four perforated barrels rotated over an open flame as beans heated inside. San Francisco cult coffee roaster Four Barrel pays homage to coffee roasting’s history with its name.
The German company Probat entered the coffee scene in the early 1900s to add scale and consistency to the process. By introducing a much larger solid metal drum that roasted coffee through conduction, not an open flame, coffee roasted more evenly. Probat still thrives today: both Sightglass Coffee and Ritual Coffee, two other revered coffee roasters in San Francisco, roast on a Probat.
The latest roasting improvements come from Loring, a company in Santa Rosa, Calif., whose modern roaster sits in the back of Brooklyn Roasting Co. The Loring is essentially a convection oven, where 40-pound batches of beans rotate in a piping-hot drum, shaking like a baby’s rattle as the drum heats up and then cools.
It’s the roasting process that drives different flavor profiles of coffee as much as the terroir of the beans itself. As the beans heat up, they lose moisture. Aromas of wet hay and then yeast, like baking bread, waft through the room. The steam begins to turn to smoke as the beans brown, and roasters listen for the “first crack” (SNAP!).
At this point, the beans take on a soft brown hue, with toffee aromas signaling a light roast profile. As they continue to heat, just before the “second crack” (CRACKLE!), the beans take on the milk-chocolate undertones of a medium-roast profile as their sugars start to caramelize. And after the second crack, if the beans continue to roast, they take on the crisper deep-brown color and intense, pure “coffee” aromas of a traditional dark or “Italian” roast.
It takes a certain fanaticism with coffee roasting – an interest in the old and an obsession with the new – to get the perfect cup. And with a snap, maybe a crackle, and at some point, a full stop, coffee beans hit that perfect roast level for a flavorful sip.
Follow my epicurean adventures on Twitter @KathrynAndersen
Mindy Joyce, Experiences Curator, Lot18
Some things are better for singles. And believe it or not, travel can be one of them. If you’re single this Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect time to look into flying solo, literally. I’ve seen too many people decide that because they don’t have anyone to go with, their dream vacation has to wait. But read on – if you don’t have someone to come along, you can have an even better trip.
My trips to the Amalfi Coast and Northern Spain were, hands down, the best travel experiences I’ve ever had – and I went by myself. What made my solo travel so great? I met more locals, learned more about the culture, was forced to speak the language and made my own schedule. But even more than this, I gained a real sense of self-sufficiency and freedom by doing it on my own. It’s hard to put a price on that, and it wouldn’t come easily from a trip for two.
For those of you ready to get out of your comfort zone, here are some tips to keep in mind:
• Plan trips around your passions. When opposites attract, it’s almost impossible to plan a trip both will enjoy. So this is your chance to indulge in something you’re passionate about without having to worry about keeping someone else entertained. Cooking schools, wine classes, golf coaching and biking trips are all things you can do solo, and you can get more out of them this way.
• Pack only what you can carry. You never know when you’ll have to haul your bags yourself, so be prepared. Take only bags that you can carry all at one time, and use carry-on-size suitcases with wheels. Try to pack as lightly as possible.
• Ask for an upgrade – you’re more likely to get it. Frequent fliers rejoice! It is much easier to get an upgrade by yourself than as a couple. And if you’re still traveling in coach – even if you already have a seat assignment – ask the gate agent if there are any parts of the plane with empty seats – you may just get a row to yourself.
• Join a walking tour on your first day in the city. I’ve found that walking tours are a great way to meet people and get acclimatized to the city. And because these last only a few hours, you don’t run the risk of getting stuck with a weeklong tour group you may not otherwise choose to hang out with.
• Do not order room service. This is a big no-no in my book. Make sure you sit at bars whenever possible, and make friends with the bartender. Alternately, make sure you have a good book on you at all times, and find a café with outdoor seating. In places like Paris, this is a great opportunity for meeting people and taking in the city.
• Take advantage of single rates at hotels. Many tour companies and cruise lines will ask you to pay the dreaded single supplement – if you are booking a group tour, this is completely normal if you want your own room. However, hotels are a different story. If you are booking a room abroad, single rooms are often priced lower than doubles. Be sure to ask about this.
• Eat what you want, when you want. When no one else is calling the shots on which restaurants to go to and when to eat, you have a great chance to explore the places you want to try. And I always recommend stopping for those gelatos and espressos. Little treats during the day keeps the energy level up and give you more opportunities to observe the local way of life.
• Take a guided wine-tasting tour. Not only will you meet other likeminded people, but you’ll also avoid driving and be able to make the most of the tasting appointments. Holme Grown tours, in Napa Valley, for example, offers a luxury wine-tasting day trip with an expert guide. You’ll join up to five other people and visit some of the “hidden gem” family-owned wineries that you might not otherwise know about.
• Try an overnight getaway first. If the thought of a long-haul trip is still a bit scary, try a weekend or an overnight to warm yourself up to it.
If you’re home alone on Valentine’s Day and pondering your single life, take it as a reminder that you need to put your travel plans in gear. Put your thinking cap on. and let me know what’s on your travel wish list @mindyjoyce.
Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18
Historically, bitters have served cocktails as salt has cooking. Just one or two drops can heighten all the other flavors in the mix, while a lack can leave even an otherwise balanced cocktail flat, bland and without direction. Recently, however, boozy drinks have enjoyed a surge in popularity, and by extension, so have bitters. With new and more exotic recipes on shelves everyday, bitters are more than just a seasoning; they’ve become cocktail muses. The Bitter Truth’s celery bitters have certainly swayed me towards a Bloody Mary in lieu of a Martini on more than one occasion, and just the sight of Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters inspired a whole night of cocktail creation – obviously followed by an entire day of recovery and regret.
Now, on some level, I think I equated that – the mother of all hangovers – with the purchase of artisanal bitters. So I bypassed that purchasing phase and began making my own. Is the logic sound? Of course not, but I did it anyway, and with some success. A smarter man would make homemade bitters for one of two reasons, and they sure as hell aren’t to save money. This month-long undertaking, which requires expensive ingredients, is for those that want subtle and unique additions to truly personalized cocktails, or if you live in Brooklyn, you simply aren’t cool until you have a hobby that revolves around vinyl, domestic alcohol production or the acquisition of vintage Pabst Blue Ribbon swag.
So if you’re still interested, the sky is the limit: orange bitters, strawberry rhubarb bitters, or if you’re as completely ridiculous as me, a vintage bitters made from branches of your family’s Christmas tree each year (a lovely addition to most gin-based drinks). Now this is what you’ll need to get started:
• Mason jars or thoroughly cleaned wine bottles
• About 3 cups (one 750ml bottle) of a base spirit
• A grand total of about 4oz of bittering agents
• Whatever spice, fruit, herb or other flavoring you want
• A month’s time
Base Spirit
This is what you will infuse with delicious bitter flavor. It must be high proof. The higher the proof, the easier, faster and more complete the infusion. The first thing that comes to mind is my old foe, the bane of my early college years, grain alcohol. This jungle juice staple is actually as close to a perfect maceration stimulator as can be found; it has no real flavor of its own, the end product will turn a pretty hue of light red to dark amber, and the sky-high alcohol will leach out all the bitter compounds from whatever ingredients you choose. Plus, it’s cheap.
My favorite, and maybe this is because I consider whiskey a food group, is Wild Turkey 101 rye. The proof leaves a little to be desired, but the whiskey adds a ton of depth to your bitters, giving them the frame of a prizefighter, to which Everclear-based bitters feel dainty. Not to mention that the inherent spice of the rye seems to give bitters synergy. I find the best of both worlds is to make a large batch of a bitter base with Wild Turkey 101 Rye and then macerate smaller batches of headlining flavors (e.g. oranges in the case of orange bitters) separately in grain alcohol and mix the two. This yields bitters with a sturdy base and optimal infusion of the flavor you want to highlight.
Bittering Agents
The possibilities for flavoring bitters are endless, but all recipes have one thing in common: they’re bitter. You need to begin your homemade bitters by starting a bitter base. Get out a Mason jar or wine bottle and fill two thirds of it with the Wild Turkey 101 Rye. The rest is really up to you. While there are thousands of herbs you can use – basically, if it’s unpleasant to chew on, it will work – the OGs of the bittering game are gentian root, a flowering plant used as a natural pesticide; quassia wood, the main flavoring agent in tonic water and a natural pesticide; and wormwood, the infamous ingredient in absinthe, and yes, a natural pesticide. Bugs may not like them, but toast equal parts of these herbs in a frying pan until they become aromatic and you have the beginnings of the perfect cocktail accessory. Fill up the remainder of the bottle with the herbs, cork it and leave it, shaking occasionally. After two weeks check the mixture by taste, but it will likely need another week or two. Other bittering agents that are commonly used are milk thistle seeds (also excellent for hangovers), calamus root, black walnut leaf and chamomile. Personally, I would use chamomile only if using a grain-alcohol base. If you don’t use super-high alcohol with this sleepytime-tea favorite, the resulting spirit will taste muddy instead of bitter. Also, throw in a cinnamon stick and two pods of star anise for good measure in all batches.
Headliner
If you were going for a solid, simple house bitters, then you’re done. But this is the stage where you can really be creative. The directions are simple: fill up another container halfway with grain alcohol and the rest with whatever you want and let sit for two weeks.
Personal favorites
• Orange bitters: Peel the most under-ripe oranges you can find, wave the peels briefly (like four seconds) over an open flame and throw them in the bottle.
• Cherry Lavender: Fill up the bottle with mostly cherries and some lavender. If you like your bitters, well, more bitter, just use the cherry pits.
• Spicy blends: More cinnamon and anise, peppercorns, caraway, fennel seed, maybe a slice of Serrano pepper, or whatever you want. Word to the wise: ginger is always an incredible addition, but you only need a little bit.
• Apple Cardamom Rose: A couple apple cores, a tablespoon of briefly-toasted cardamom pods and a handful of rose petals. You’re welcome.
After both the base and the headliner are done macerating, mix them to taste (usually about three quarters base and one quarter headliner). That’s it. Make a lot of base and a lot of smaller batches of headliners to fill out your collection.
I recommend Starwest Botanicals for an ingredient source. Never use powdered ingredients.
Bonnie Graves, GirlMeetsGrape
One of the best sommeliers I know in the business is also one of the nicest – but just how Richard Betts manages to combine serious mezcal with marathoning (let alone being a dad!) is a mystery. I first met Richard nine years ago, when he had just passed the Master Sommelier exam AND won the coveted Krug Cup in the process. Passing the MS exam normally requires years of practice and attempts, but Betts did it on the first try – he’s like that. Richard designed the award-winning wine program at Aspen’s beloved Little Nell and has mentored many an aspiring wino in the business. I knew he was my kind of brainy, law-school avoidin’, accidental sommelier from the start. But I especially like the ways that Richard has taken his many years of “working the floor” and reinvented his career. When restaurant hours no longer seem as appealing, what’s a somm to do?
Betts is a great example of successful transition. When you spend years and years evaluating wines made by others, it’s natural to want to try your hand at making your own. Betts & Scholl, a partnership with art collector Dennis Scholl, was Richard’s first foray into winemaking with vineyard sources from Hermitage to the Barossa. This is a man who’s logged a lot of airport time. The wine business is very much about relationships – access to high-caliber fruit is often predicated on who you know and frankly, whether they like you or not. Richard’s a likable guy, and likability is a helpful career tool. Other wine projects include Scarpetta and CC, which make a triumvirate of cool brands that have established Richard’s breadth as a businessman. Betts & Scholl was recently sold, but rumor has it that Richard has a new wine project debuting this summer. So stay tuned for that development. It’ll be great juice.
Apart from wine, Richard has also become something of an expert in the world of mezcal. Far from an Entourage, Justin Timberlake vanity tequila play, Betts’s foray into fermented maguey (the agave from which both tequila and other types of mezcal are made) is a thoughtful one. Sourced from high-altitude areas in Oaxaca, his “Sombra” mezcal is made in the traditional fire-pit method using native yeasts. This slower, more labor-intensive process results in a smoky-smooth spirit that is light-years away from industrial stuff with worms, or worse, floating in the bottle. I have always claimed that I “hate” tequila, but sipping some Sombra appeals to my sommelier side; it speaks to a sense of place and tradition in the way that the best wines do. Terroir is the character of a place shining in a glass, and it’s nice when the people behind the glass shine too. Check out these wines and Sombra, they’re worth your time and dime.
Below are three of Richard’s suggested recipes for mezcal-based cocktails – que las tome con cuidado!
THE OAXACAN
2-1/2 oz 2008 Betts & Scholl Eden Valley Riesling
3/4 oz Sombra
1/2 oz Canton Ginger Liqueur
2 dashes of Bitter Truth Orange Bitters
Add everything to a mixing glass, then add ice.
Stir and strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
A BEER AND A SMOKE
1-1/2 oz Sombra
3/4 oz lime juice
pinch of celery salt
4 dashes of Cholula
pinch of kosher salt
grated lime zest
grated orange zest
12 oz of lager: Corona, Pacifico, etc.
Rim a pilsner glass with celery salt and ground pepper.
Add the Sombra, lime juice and spices.
Top with beer and garnish with freshly grated orange and lime zest
EL COLONIAL
1-1/2 oz Sombra Mezcal
3/4 oz Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Allspice Liqueur
1/4 oz Brizzard White Crème de Cacao
Add everything to a mixing glass, then add ice.
Stir and strain into a chilled coupe (no garnish).
