tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23937629638874132822023-11-16T03:12:47.080-08:00DrinksBurghMike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-31676171447440582342017-02-20T12:04:00.001-08:002017-02-20T12:04:17.696-08:00MxMo Irish Wake<div dir="ltr">
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It's always bittersweet when things come to an end. And now, after over a hundred Mixology Mondays, it's time for the monthly cocktail party to come to an end. In honor of that end we're celebrating with an Irish Wake. In the midst of the online discussion leading up to the deadline the discussion the degree of difficulty got ratcheted up a notch to Irish whiskey tiki.<br />
The early discussion instantly led to a variant on an Eastern Sour, Bourbon's shining beacon in tiki. However, I wanted to go another way. I decided to go a different way. My first thought for Irish Whiskey in a cocktail defaults to Irish Coffee. So with that in mind I set about making a tiki drink with coffee flavors. I started with a Mai Kai classic drink, the Black Magic. In addition to the coffee flavors I wanted to bring a lot of tiki spiced flavors.</div>
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Irish Magic:<br />
2 oz Irish Whiskey<br />
1 oz lime juice<br />
3/4 oz coffee liqueur<br />
1/2 oz grapefruit juice<br />
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup<br />
1/4 pimento <u>dram</u></div>
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The spice comes through but doesn't dominate and the coffee really shows up on the finish.</div>
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I'll miss the camaraderie of the online cocktail party that is MxMo. I admit that I haven't been as active as in the past, but that doesn't mean that it won't be missed. </div>
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Thanks to Frederic over at <a href="http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2017/02/mixology-monday-announcement.html">Cocktail Virgin</a> not only for hosting this month, but for keeping it alive a while longer. </div>
Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-49038388414732032522016-03-03T14:27:00.000-08:002016-03-03T14:38:01.215-08:00ACSA Good to the 'Burgh<p dir="ltr">The American Craft Spirits Association is holding their annual conference this week and their awards ceremony was last night, March 2. Pittsburgh's distillers spent a lot of time getting out their seats to go on stage. Maggie's Farm entered six spirits and came home with 8 awards, (more on that in a bit). Wigle entered 17 products and came away with 12 awards.<br>
Pittsburgh Distilling, makers of Wigle, won a couple of golds with best in category Wheat Whiskey and Best in category Genever. They were also awarded 3 silver including 2 for their Waipsie bourbons. Their total haul of a dozen medals places them 2nd behind Ballast Point for the most awards.<br>
But the big winner was Pittsburgh's own rum distillery Maggie's Farm. Allegheny Distilling won 2 bronze for their white and spiced rums, 2 silver medals for the Queen's Share white and bourbon barrel aged, 2 gold for the Queen's Share rye barrel aged and for Single Barrel aged. That Single Barrel also won the overall rum category. The night finished off with the Best spirit of the show being awarded to Maggie's Farm Single Barrel rum. Which led to perhaps the best tweet out of the show from Tim: "WE WON EVERYTHING!"<br>
In total Pittsburgh's distillers came home with 18 medals, if you add in Disobedient Spirits in Homer City that's another 5 medals, (1 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze). Going even farther out to include Manatawny out of Pottstown you get an additional (3 silver and 2 bronze)<br>
The other Best In Class Winners in each category included:</p>
<p dir="ltr">Whiskey:  Still 630, for Double Barrel RallyPoint</p>
<p dir="ltr">Gin: New Holland Artisan Spirits, for Barrel Aged Knickerbocker Gin</p>
<p dir="ltr">Liqueurs and Distilled Spirits Specialty:  Huber’s Starlight Distillery, for Starlight Distillery Blueberry Liqueur</p>
<p dir="ltr">Vodka: Ballast Point Spirits, for Fugu Vodka</p>
<p dir="ltr">There were over 450 entries from 39 states, making the number of medals from a control state all the more impressive.<br></p>
Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-25785362415626340192015-10-19T14:56:00.002-07:002015-10-19T14:56:58.042-07:00MxMo CII Spooky SipsThis Month's<a href="http://mixologymonday.com/"> Mixology Monday</a> is being hosted by friend and fellow tiki-phile JFL over at <a href="http://ratedrcocktails.com/">Rated R Cocktails</a>. Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I couldn't in good conscience pass it up. Even though participating did mean having to take a break from carving pumpkins and making tombstones for the yard. Almost instantly I had a name for a drink pop into my head, the Karloff Colada. In case your knowledge of horror movies stretches only as far back as Paranormal Activity 4, Boris Karloff was one of the classic horror great actors. He played the Monster in Frankenstein, the Mummy in the Mummy, and numerous other horror roles, (also he voiced the Grinch in how the Grinch stole Christmas).<br />
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For the drink itself I decided to riff on the Pina Colada, and specifically riffing off another riff the Angostura Colada.<br />
2 oz Pineapple juice<br />
1.5 oz Coco Lopez<br />
1 oz lime juice<br />
1 oz Amber Martinique rhum (Neisson Eleve Sous Bois)<br />
.5 oz Navy Style Rum (Lost Spirits Navy Style)<br />
.25 oz Pernod<br />
6 oz crushed ice<br />
blend the above ingredients and float .25 oz black rum on top, (I used Goslings, but dark Jamaican would work as well)<br />
top with grated nutmeg<br />
There are a few things that change this up from a regular Pina Colada or Painkiller. The lime juice helps to make the drink more tart and less sweet. The anise flavor of the pernod sits there at the finish to again offset the sweetness of the Coco Lopez. What I feel like you end up with is a very well balanced drink that still has the Pina Colada characteristics.<br />
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Be sure to check out the other drinks for this months MxMo<br />
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Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-67587315033363208132015-07-27T18:43:00.002-07:002015-07-27T18:46:51.355-07:00Ice to See You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm back again for what seems to be one of the few things that actually gets me to blog on occasion, <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/">Mixology Monday. </a> This month's theme is ice, so naturally I took my post title from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx7qEn9q2Rc">McBain movie</a>. Ice is one of those things that alot of bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts like to obsess over. This time I only have one picture but I have three tips.</div>
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The first tip is on making shaved ice. Pittsburgh has something of a local icon in Allegheny Commons with Gus and Yia Yia's shaved ice. When the family and I stopped there the last time I noticed how they shaved the ice for the snow cones. They had a large block of ice and something in their hands that produced a find shaved ice in short order. A bit of research and I discovered that the tool for shaving ice was available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Campeon-92155-Ice-Shaver/dp/B004444Y1O/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1438046211&sr=1-1&keywords=mexican+ice+shaver">Amazon</a> and it was cheap. I tacked one on to an Amazon order and was ready to make some shaved ice. Rather than buy a block of ice, I took one of the wife's metal cake pans filled it with water and stuck it in my beer fridge's freezer. A day or so later I had a home sized block of ice to shave. Me being a rum fiend, a shave ice daiquiri was my first thought. As you can see in the below photo the shaver produces a fine white fluff of ice crystals, though it is adjustable so you can produce different sizes. I should have filled the glass more full to create a full glass of shaved ice, but frankly, my arm was tired. If you were to try this for yourself, I would suggest that you do like I did get the ingredient ready first, then shave the ice, so it doesn't melt while you put the drink together. I also made a nice cool treat for my 2 year old daughter with some shaved ice and homemade Fassionola I had for a Cobra's Fang. </div>
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Tip number two was on how to make a clear ice ball in the home freezer. Basically I used Camper English's technique with a travel mug and a silicone ice ball mold. The travel mug was free with something or other, so it wasn't the best quality mug. The trick with this is to have the hole in the mold pointed down into the full mug. This will slow the ice formation beneath the mold and for the air bubbles into that chunk of ice and out of the ice ball. </div>
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The third tip is even simpler, and it was given to me recently when I found myself with two spare pineapples. I used one of those nifty little pineapple corers to pop out the center and leave myself with two pineapple cups. Rather than using these right away, I put both of them into the freezer so that when they are used, the drinking vessel itself is frozen and it won't water down the drink as it thaws. </div>
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Check some of my older posts for techniques like <a href="http://drinksburgh.blogspot.com/2013/06/mxmo-74-cherries.html">making an ice shell</a> and also my <a href="http://drinksburgh.blogspot.com/2014/02/ice-to-meet-you.html">break down of the melting rates of different sizes of ices</a>.</div>
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Thanks to the Muse of Doom herself over at the <a href="http://feu-de-vie.blogspot.com/2015/07/mixology-monday-xcix-ice-ice-baby.html#.VbbeyflViko">Feu de Vie</a> for hosting this month. </div>
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Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-35891688287375250792015-03-29T17:10:00.000-07:002015-03-29T17:10:45.631-07:00Independent Science<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Adam Henry isn't your normal Pittsburgh bartender. For one thing he's only behind the stick about once a month these days. For another he's actually a practicing lawyer. But when he is manning the bar at <a href="http://www.independentpgh.com/">The Independent Brewing Co.</a> it's guaranteed to be something special. Whether that's a Hunter S Thompson theme night or Tiki X Molecular drinks you know he's bringing science and skill. He's also maybe the only bartender in Pittsburgh making a vermouth fog or Campari Cotton Candy. Because his time behind the bar is limited, pay attention to the Independent's cocktail menus and watch to see when he is working, though you are sure to get a quality cocktail no matter who is there, it just might not be smoking.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-71805258067909137482015-01-25T13:27:00.000-08:002015-01-25T13:28:17.406-08:00Winter Blues'Tis time for another <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/">Mixology Monday</a> (and also time to abbreviate 'it is') and the theme this month is "blue." Naturally, being a tiki guy this meant it was time to break out the blue curacao. But that was only the beginning.<br />
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Of course for my drink I turned to the old standby for blue drinks, blue curacao, but that's probably the most mundane of the ingredients in this drink. </div>
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<b><u>Winter Blues</u></b></div>
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1 oz Guanbana syrup</div>
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1.5 oz Silver Rhum Agricole</div>
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1 oz Pineapple Rum</div>
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.5 oz Blue Curacao</div>
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.5 oz Orgeat</div>
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Shake with crushed ice. </div>
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There is a lot there that I need to explain in that recipe. Let's start off with the guanabana syrup. Guanabana is known by many names: guanabana, soursop, cherimoya, custard apple or good old <i>Annona Muricata. </i>It is a tropical fruit prevalent throughout the Caribbean, Africa, southeast Asia and the Pacific and the taste is... unique. As the soursop name indicates it is an acidic tasting fruit, so it's being used here in place of the usual citrus component. It has also been described as having a taste like a cross between a strawberry and a pineapple. Most important for me was that when you don't look closely the bag of frozen pulp looks like it says guava. That's how I came to have frozen guanabana pulp in my life. I decided to treat it like I would passionfruit pulp that I wsa making into syrup and defrost it, mix it with equal parts simple syrup, and then strain it to make it nice and smooth. Tasting a sample I picked up on the pineapple tastes and I decided that my drink needed to have pineapple in it. This gave me an excuse to use the pineapple rum that I made over the summer.</div>
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Not being provided with a bottle of Stiggin's Fancy by Plantation Rums, like some people were, I took some fresh pineapple that I had laying around (like I said, tiki guy) and decided to infuse a bottle of gold rum. </div>
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The guanabana also has a certain... 'funk' to it that I felt would best match up with an agricole rhum as opposed to, say, a drier white rum. I tasted the pairing so far and felt that it needed something to help round it out just a little bit, thus the orgeat. Though I feel like coconut cream would have also been a good choice. </div>
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.ginhound.com/">Ginhound</a> for hosting this month, we'll see you in February. </div>
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Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-30735018970241738282014-11-17T18:11:00.000-08:002014-11-17T18:13:58.078-08:00MxMo: Shims<br />
I'll admit it, it's been a while since I've added to the ol' blog. I could give the standard bevy of excuses, family, work, Cocktail Week, but that's only part of the story. It's not that it doesn't interest me or anything, but I'ver really been much more interested in getting deeper involved with the local stuff and building my own knowledge. So I started up a Booze University group where we went through and read 9 cocktail books and talked about them like a college level reading course. I plan on doing it again in the Spring focusing on booze history. But you aren't here for me to talk about myself, you're here for the drinks.<br />
I am once again participating in this month's <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/">Mixology Monday</a>.<br />
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This month's MxMo, brought to us by <a href="http://bibulo.us/">Bibulo.us</a>, is all about shims. These low alcohol cocktails are the session drinks of the spirits world. Now, I'm a tiki guy by trade, and those aren't exactly known for their subtlety. Someone recently asked if I new of any lower alcohol tiki drinks, the best I could come up with only had 1.5 oz of rum. I was perusing Remixed for the 705th time and came across a drink called Omar's Delight and I was almost instantly inspired. I have two bottles of ruby port sitting around leftover from cocktail week that I didn't know what to do with. I saw that Omar's Delight was in reference to Omar Khayyam, the Persian scholar most famous in the West for his poem the Rubiyat. Thus was born the Ruby Yacht:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjoknOjd6pHWWGmvrjaaKRR0eVjIMNgTaTMa-3lfl0XqTrU3XziwdpGiAnI9raybXM27NIhHMFQ5aFyKl9bkm4eHUzOvbATC9DiUDVxp6cPMCAScX25EpsIJsZWFWYBNMGMowxhN2W0w/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ruby+Yacht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjoknOjd6pHWWGmvrjaaKRR0eVjIMNgTaTMa-3lfl0XqTrU3XziwdpGiAnI9raybXM27NIhHMFQ5aFyKl9bkm4eHUzOvbATC9DiUDVxp6cPMCAScX25EpsIJsZWFWYBNMGMowxhN2W0w/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ruby+Yacht.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Ruby Yacht:</div>
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2 oz Ruby port</div>
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1/2 oz lemon juice</div>
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1/2 oz Grand Marnier</div>
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1/2 oz Peach Brandy</div>
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1/4 simple syrup</div>
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Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top. </div>
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The lemon, peach, and orange reflect the flavor profile in Omar's Delight. As for how it tastes? i only had a brief taste of the drink before I lost it to my wife. She pronounced it to be quite nice and kept it for herself. So I went and made a Saturn for myself, it was a light tiki drink, only having 1.5 oz of gin. </div>
<br />Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-30181000190185497432014-07-20T15:41:00.001-07:002014-07-20T15:41:44.562-07:00Spodee Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJaYF0YyY1k7Q6LTpswn_9olhT9Z1mTsvO__IEiSQ9mEMgD7HyChemHL8QCptN8y2xsIOLwHuAKRX0Gnoy-mgxG8D6CjI3nDNFEc6HbkGefixALhx6kzF_sTu21xOqsHMp6L6tFd1isU/s1600/Drinksburgh+Spodee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJaYF0YyY1k7Q6LTpswn_9olhT9Z1mTsvO__IEiSQ9mEMgD7HyChemHL8QCptN8y2xsIOLwHuAKRX0Gnoy-mgxG8D6CjI3nDNFEc6HbkGefixALhx6kzF_sTu21xOqsHMp6L6tFd1isU/s1600/Drinksburgh+Spodee.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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The Liqour Fairy recently dropped off some <a href="http://www.spodeewine.com/">Spodee White</a> for a review. After surviving the Rum B Que, the Fifth of Ju-Luau, and various other commtiments, a nice little drink that I don't need to mix was particluarly appealing. For those that haven't heard of it before, Spodee is a wine fortified with white whiskey as "depression era hooch". The white version has added pineapple, coconut, and other flavors, like amaretto. Basically this makes it a cocktail in a bottle, and having sipped some over ice, it works well for that, sort of a premade tropical drink. </div>
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For me though, a fortified wine with tropical flavors and spices? Sounds like a tiki vermouth. I first tried it in a cross between a martini and an el Presidente.</div>
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1.5 oz gold rum</div>
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1.5 oz Spodee White</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">2 dashes orange bitters. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">As expected the Spodee plays well with the rum and the bitters keep it balanced. The extra flavors from the Spodee White livens things up and gives it a tropical feel.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I stepped things up a bit for the second cocktail and looked to the past again. I decided to riff off of the Queen's Park Hotel Super Cocktail:</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">1.5 oz gold rum</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">1 oz Spodee White</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">1/2 oz lime juice</span></div>
1/2 oz Grendine<br />
4 dashes Angostura Bitters<br />
What I particularly love about the Spodee White in this cocktail, and the one above, is that you get tiki-like flavors without a 12 ingredient recipe list and it will still fit in a coupe.<br />
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I like the Spodee, and while it's fine by itself, I really like it in cocktails.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-62485262553460147672014-06-02T14:25:00.003-07:002014-06-02T14:26:52.511-07:00The Gypsy Bartender<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYKReNKYGOz_IIg6IQ1YQOJ-KPEvWwaILTX_o8XV18l3XrrSwFgr0lfT9Vpzh2n_qXSUxlFC1rFOHdytOtWgMeM09HaCgVh27Zum3PVsEAq2VKWrSwCyLOCBHXGTXLJXrRjae7yKg9m8/s1600/Drinksburgh+Giuseppe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYKReNKYGOz_IIg6IQ1YQOJ-KPEvWwaILTX_o8XV18l3XrrSwFgr0lfT9Vpzh2n_qXSUxlFC1rFOHdytOtWgMeM09HaCgVh27Zum3PVsEAq2VKWrSwCyLOCBHXGTXLJXrRjae7yKg9m8/s1600/Drinksburgh+Giuseppe.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Giuseppe Capolupo has a name straight out of the 19th century. Instead of being an immigrant bartender who learned his trade in Florence before coming to Pittsburgh in 1898, Giuseppe took the route of first being an internationally touring drummer before starting as a bar back at Bar Marco. He learned his trade there and worked his way up to heading up the program in the strip. He's so dedicated to the life that Bar Marco has let him achieve that he has their logo tattooed on his arm. Stop in and tell him what you like and let him mix you up something.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-31675712046551116572014-04-28T14:34:00.000-07:002014-05-05T09:18:12.018-07:00Frankly My Dear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcTYOsSVJk4-VAfolcS7hIogA7HSDzD5CKSyULJ_vYkmFB_Xk6WjLvYm3VGN6MkRPqDcg9lUHl7wKlg6eH9OIi2MZpwd-4_J7VIwKU888AdTeJ9scGBCEAxlfl8T_KUpr35-Rz5ByvmE/s1600/Drinksburgh+Matrozza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcTYOsSVJk4-VAfolcS7hIogA7HSDzD5CKSyULJ_vYkmFB_Xk6WjLvYm3VGN6MkRPqDcg9lUHl7wKlg6eH9OIi2MZpwd-4_J7VIwKU888AdTeJ9scGBCEAxlfl8T_KUpr35-Rz5ByvmE/s1600/Drinksburgh+Matrozza.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<a href="https://twitter.com/Chriswithoutyou">Chris Matrozza</a> mans the bar at <a href="http://franktuary.com/">Franktuary</a> and is one of curators of their collection of cocktails both classic and original. Their classic list offers three options for each cocktail. A house version, a classic version, and most importantly a local version with all the spirits coming from Boyd and Blair, Wigle, and Maggie's Farm. Hit them up for some of the best hot dogs in the city and enjoy your locally made cocktails.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-21037566456902556232014-03-09T14:17:00.002-07:002014-03-09T14:19:38.898-07:00Grenadine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
An interesting thing happens when you start hosting events. The amounts of ingredients suddenly goes up. When we at Pittsburgh Cocktail Week planned and hosted the grand opening event at Maggie's Farm Rum I found myself making enough simple syrup and grenadine to outfit a brand new bar to make drinks for 4 hours for 30 people. (Note, this is much more of either than I make for home use.) The downside afterwards was having about 20 oz of fresh grenadine to hopefully use before it goes bad. Thus began my quest for grenadine heavy drinks, and there aren't a ton of them out there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1xnkGN3kRoNzJpBBZZnmkFGco8GvI7BNjnE-nARPpRYsj9-bgiA60It-SPkd-K52cWtnHMf3SzydOr2kqQRkO2ji-CZuZFB2ocIj99_6YB4AswqQVKBkm07Z0FOu1VKtw68qzvgjBSQ/s1600/Drinksburgh+Grenadine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1xnkGN3kRoNzJpBBZZnmkFGco8GvI7BNjnE-nARPpRYsj9-bgiA60It-SPkd-K52cWtnHMf3SzydOr2kqQRkO2ji-CZuZFB2ocIj99_6YB4AswqQVKBkm07Z0FOu1VKtw68qzvgjBSQ/s1600/Drinksburgh+Grenadine.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
Before we get to the drinks though, let's talk about the grenadine itself. Like many other boozenerds it started out with Pom Wonderful. In this case, 32oz to be exact. I decided to try and use Morgenthaler's recipe over <a href="http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2009/how-to-make-your-own-grenadine/">here</a>. I measured out an equal amount of sugar, (by weight not volume,) stirred that in to the pomegranate and then heated it in the microwave to speed things up. I didn't boil the syrup just heated it, this is important as Morgenthaler points out, boiling the syrup gives you brown grenadine. Now here is where i differ slightly from the illustrious Mr. Morgenthaler. He calls for pomegranate molasses and orange flower water. I didn't have any pomegranate molasses and lacked time to track any down. I did add orange flower water but also rose flower water. 1/4 teaspoon of each to entire batch. The flower waters really added a noticeable floral quality to the finished product, without either being overwhelming. Since then I've been trying to use grenadine in bulk with things like Cesar's Rum Punch (pg 120 Beachbum Berry Remixed) which uses a full ounce to offset the lime juice and Rhum Barbancourt. My wife has been particularly enjoying it as I end up with a lot of pink drinks which she finds "pretty". I'm still working on other recipes that call for grenadine, and I'm striking out from just drinks. You wouldn't think that grenadine goes with Kung Pao chicken, but you would be wrong. (I take no responsibility should you actually add grenadine to Kung Pao chicken)Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-38843223716746154742014-02-17T08:32:00.000-08:002014-02-17T08:32:34.762-08:00MxMo 82: Sours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/">MxMo</a> <a href="http://www.ginhound.com/2014/02/mixology-monday-no-82-february-17th.html">Ginhound</a> invited us to examine sours. Sours are one of the most easily adaptable classes of drinks, to go from a daiquiri to a margarita to a whiskey sour to any number of other drinks requires only a little bit of tinkering. And this month, it seems like everyone is examining their fresh copies of Potions of the Caribbean as I've seen no less than 4 people talking about the Queens Park Super Cocktail. With that in mind I decided that I didn't want to just talk about existing cocktails, though I did want to work through the La Florida daiquiris. Instead I decided that I needed to create something new.<br />
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With that in mind I set out to finish reading my own copy of Potions, while setting the depths of my little brain to work on putting together something. Simultaneously, I also have way too much grenadine in the house and need to use (more on that later). So I started thinking about how to use the grenadine in a sour. I decided that I would follow the lead of such luminaries as Trader Vic, and start with an established cocktail. What I ended up with is the Eden Sour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-hPtx6M5gLjTe3Vugv6D9l0YfBQk_KzpMpmjts5o34lUGgtJHTMEeWegQL0LRd5NQAtrQtb16phyNwPmM8Nvd7MprWAUHI_EGxG5wVxHjP7HRmsoEnSkYratkrIxi3qiUoIpwUhLwgM/s1600/Drinksburgh+Eden+Sour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-hPtx6M5gLjTe3Vugv6D9l0YfBQk_KzpMpmjts5o34lUGgtJHTMEeWegQL0LRd5NQAtrQtb16phyNwPmM8Nvd7MprWAUHI_EGxG5wVxHjP7HRmsoEnSkYratkrIxi3qiUoIpwUhLwgM/s1600/Drinksburgh+Eden+Sour.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Eden Sour<br />
1 oz Dark Jamaican rum<br />
1 oz amber Martinique<br />
3/4 oz grenadine<br />
1/2 oz lime<br />
1/2 oz demerara syrup<br />
1/4 oz orgeat<br />
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Does the recipe look like a Mai Tai to you? That's the basis for this drink, I toned down the lime and orgeat and added grenadine. The grenadine adds a certain tartness to the drink that is different than the lime juice. It's not too sour, and the grenadine also adds a floral note. While this isn't a Trader Vic original it does appear, to me at least, like something he would have tried at some point.<br />
<br />Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-19858941802422190742014-02-09T17:38:00.000-08:002014-02-09T17:38:32.379-08:00Ice to Meet YouI was asked to write a review of a new product recently. I was asked to take a look at <a href="http://arcticchillproducts.com/">Arctic Chill Ice Ball </a>makers. I decided that I would review them, and while I was at it I would do some experimenting with Ice in general while I was at it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsJn8atg2qwsKUjRdFOztsNa7LHzzpM4b4kAjySSYWFm-e6fEZQQDX3fAi25rdfybDRf7cR8JrIC-6bqYzN7Fm2RjCKREzr05THCn-7qmMvpU2AGgrTfJ0zoY7bF_EZJ8yqCWHUWQtsk/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ice-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsJn8atg2qwsKUjRdFOztsNa7LHzzpM4b4kAjySSYWFm-e6fEZQQDX3fAi25rdfybDRf7cR8JrIC-6bqYzN7Fm2RjCKREzr05THCn-7qmMvpU2AGgrTfJ0zoY7bF_EZJ8yqCWHUWQtsk/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ice-2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Chills Ice Ball Makers</td></tr>
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First off, let's talk about the Ice Ball Makers. they are blue silicon and come in a pack of four. The MSRP is a thrifty $19.95. They are a rather simple design, from the outside looking like one of those stress balls. The bottom is flat which keeps them from rolling all over your freezer. They are filled through a hole in the top. this already is a plus in my book. I have some of the Tovolo Ice Ball molds too, and they are a pain to fill. To fill the Arctic Chills I simply stick them under the faucet and chuck them in the freezer. They are also easy to remove from the mold, because the mold is silicone it stays soft in the freezer and they pop right out. My Tovolos require running them under water to get them to release from the mold. So far they are easier to fill and unmold, is there a downside? Yes, but it is minor. The hole in the top tends to leave a nub on the top of the ice ball, so it isn't a perfectly round ball. Also, I have noticed that all four of my molds popped open a little bit along the hemisphere, leaving a ridge around the middle of the finished balls. Both of these could be easily remedied by pouring a little bit of water out before placing them in the freezer. Overall, I like these ice balls makers, they are easier to use than my Tovolos and a better deal. They are available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Chill-Ice-Ball-Maker/dp/B00COM0AX4">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HpNdPSLud6bPUew4I3r5CSpoAPPzRbGMXodDnG5zxIU0bZl7_tLs80N4nc9TCAG4xddv5R16ZVKVtAzSFyMwIO4frYbI_VhIQC6CZoxspxqlRSnBowrcWeTYNn_g3PrKJ2RP4yWJUuk/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ice-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HpNdPSLud6bPUew4I3r5CSpoAPPzRbGMXodDnG5zxIU0bZl7_tLs80N4nc9TCAG4xddv5R16ZVKVtAzSFyMwIO4frYbI_VhIQC6CZoxspxqlRSnBowrcWeTYNn_g3PrKJ2RP4yWJUuk/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ice-1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: At the beginning of the experiment</td></tr>
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Now, I also wanted to take a look at the different strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of ice. I decided to do a head to head comparison test with some actual data collected as well. Here are the research parameters: I took 6 pint glasses, (mainly because these are the only 6 glasses I have that are all the same). Each glass had 4 oz of colored water, more on why it was colored in a bit, to which there were 5 different kinds of ice. The water came from the filtered water dispenser in my fridge so it was already chilled. The first glass was left iceless to serve as a control. The second glass had 4 oz of crushed ice, the third 4 oz of cube ice. Both the crushed and cubed came from the ice maker in my fridge. Next to that was a single large ice cube at 1 inch square. The fifth glass had an ice ball fresh out of the Arctic Chill maker. The last glass had 4 whiskey stones, small cubes of soapstone that are supposed to chill your drink without diluting it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBz7n6w6e7-gfNmxIfldSiD5QimlFwC2ZZcm9tuCxOrT3jZMOLTqS9EAveRE2ALdFlc2DpFwx5QzCj1jMJlsDruomQgWZ5EXWZ4yuy6-H0scE45s5IGI66K1j9aOWFDMGKKAdlLhozSE/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ice-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBz7n6w6e7-gfNmxIfldSiD5QimlFwC2ZZcm9tuCxOrT3jZMOLTqS9EAveRE2ALdFlc2DpFwx5QzCj1jMJlsDruomQgWZ5EXWZ4yuy6-H0scE45s5IGI66K1j9aOWFDMGKKAdlLhozSE/s1600/Drinksburgh+Ice-3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: 1 hour later.</td></tr>
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I used colored water to be able to compare the rate of dilution, the ice wasn't colored so the water would be become paler as the ice melted. I measured the temperature of the drink in each glass at the start, and then after 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes. I also decided to stop the testing when the drink hit 60 deg F. There were some interesting results, I won't post the whole chart here, but it is available if you are curious. With the exception of the control and the stones, each drink hit it's lowest temperature through the first ten minutes. As expected the crushed ice was the coldest at first, but after 40 minutes all but the largest pieces were completely melted. The ice cubes were comparable to the crushed ice in temperature and lasted longer with slightly less dilution. The big ice cube and the ice ball were comparable in temperature through most of the test, with the ice ball being slightly colder. After 30 minutes, however the ice cube was noticeably smaller and the drink was correspondingly diluted. The Ice ball was still about 80% of original size after an hour. The Whiskey Stones were virtually useless. They started off only 4 degrees colder than the iceless control and after 20 minutes was only a degree or two lower than the control through the rest of the test. Maybe they work better with a pre-chilled drink. To summarize the findings: if you wanted the drink to chill quickly crushed ice is the way to go, likewise if you want the ice to dilute quickly (i.e. many Tiki drinks) crushed ice is the answer. If you want a drink that is chilled with some dilution, but over a longer period, the ice ball is the proper choice.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-8542555773062117682014-01-20T12:45:00.002-08:002014-01-20T12:45:57.860-08:00Por Cuba Libre!Ok folks, hold on for the ride for this post, mainly because I don't really know where I'm going with it and I definitely don't know how it ends.<br />
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This month's <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/">Mixology Monday</a> is all about highballs. (Given the polar vortex earlier in the month, I'm sure that lots of us had high balls, but that's probably different.) Since a highball is a pretty basic drink, generally just spirit plus fizzy stuff, I didn't bother trying to come up with a new recipe, but rather take a look at Cuba and one of their more famous drinks, the Cuba Libre.<br />
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Rum and coke is probably one of the first and most common drinks for teens and college students, there's no mixing required, the coke brings plenty of flavor to the party, and it works with just about any quality and style of rum. However, that doesn't mean that it's not good. I still drink these on occasion and every time that I do it reminds me of my trip to Cuba.<br />
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In late December 2000, as part of a college class, we flew to Havana out of Toronto and spent 2 weeks taking classes in the morning and touring the country the rest of the day. I wish now that I was old enough to truly experience it properly,though from a cocktail nerd perspective it certainly seems like I checked all the boxes. I toured a cigar factory, visited a rum distillery, went to the Hotel Americano, drank a Daiquiri at El Floridita, and had a Mojito at La Bodeguita del Medio. Despite all of that the drink that I most associate with Cuba is still the Cuba Libre.<br />
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Whether it's because they used Havana Club rum, Mexican Coke, or local limes; they were some of the best Cuba Libres I've ever had. I suspect that the most likely reason is the proportions. In Cuba, the Havana Club was cheap, my bottle of silver was $3, but the Coke imported from Mexico was expensive, ($5 a liter). So when mixing the drink it was a whole lot of Cuba, and just a little bit of Libre. I remember specifically the drinks that we had at the resort at the Bay of Pigs, (yes that Bay of Pigs) the Cuba Libre was mostly rum with just enough Coke to color them.<br />
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If you insist on a recipe try this:<br />
Bahia de Cochinas Cuba Libre<br />
4 oz Havana Club silver<br />
1 oz Mexican Coke<br />
1 lime wedge.<br />
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Stir with mixing straw in a disposable plastic cup and serve to German tourists and stupid college kids.<br />
Thanks to Joel over at <a href="http://southernash.com/">Southern Ash</a> for hosting this month.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-49369700460089222332013-12-22T13:09:00.003-08:002013-12-22T13:09:28.597-08:00Christmas Drinking<br />
The Holidays have rolled around again, and whether that holiday is Christmas, Festivus, Saturnalia, or all of the above that means getting together with family. And for pretty much everyone (at least that reads this) that necessitates drinking. As to whether you drink with your family or drink because of your family that's up to you, we don't judge here. Of course the classics for holiday drinking will pretty much always work, and if you turn down eggnog, wassail, mulled wine, or possibly just shots I will judge you in a lesser light.<br />
That doesn't mean that there isn't room for new drinks, and with that in mind I set out to create a cocktail for a gathering of local food and booze impresarios. I wanted to make a drink that just screamed Christmas, obviously pimento dram had to be included, gin for the piney influence and finally cranberry juice for the flavor and the color.<br />
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<u>Saturnalia Sling</u></div>
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1.5 oz Gin</div>
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1.5 oz Cranberry Juice</div>
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.5 oz Pimento Dram</div>
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Once again I must be off... On<a href="http://tenderpgh.com/"> Tender</a>, On <a href="http://acaciacocktails.com/">Acacia</a>, On <a href="http://sousapgh.com/harvard-highland/">Harvard and Highland</a>, <a href="http://www.butcherandtherye.com/">Butcher and Rye</a>!</div>
Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-64205877551994785732013-11-10T10:21:00.001-08:002013-11-10T10:22:37.238-08:00Rum in the Strip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUlb-rVnyqws1FoegVnOwuNJ3xWK387a6NEix1rzqrUINI0pJtRT6XJCY9udPybAxtwj2EmHN2vZoGvvunqMr6hxAAqlCWWV428UI3B2UWdn8NNc03Y4E7B_St6H6VKve_D0MuBarzog/s1600/DrinksBurgh+Maggies+Farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUlb-rVnyqws1FoegVnOwuNJ3xWK387a6NEix1rzqrUINI0pJtRT6XJCY9udPybAxtwj2EmHN2vZoGvvunqMr6hxAAqlCWWV428UI3B2UWdn8NNc03Y4E7B_St6H6VKve_D0MuBarzog/s640/DrinksBurgh+Maggies+Farm.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
It's no surprise that I am a rum guy, whether that rum is in a Tiki drink, a classic cocktail, or even straight; I always enjoy rum. Which is why I am so happy that Pittsburgh has a new distillery in the strip that makes rum. Tim Russell made the news locally, nationally, and even internationally after his label approval was delayed by the government shutdown. After being brought up in Congress as part of the efforts to refund the government <a href="http://maggiesfarmrum.com/">Maggie's Farm Rum</a> received label approval and is ready to be sold. The first batches will be appearing behind local bars first but Tim hopes to have the rum available for sales to the public at the distillery by Black Friday.<br />
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I've also had a chance to sample this rum, and it's a very nice white rum. There aren't many white rums that i would sip straight but this might be one of them. It's made from turbinado sugar and distilled to a lower proof leaving it a lot of body and a little residual sweetness. I haven't had a chance to mix with it yet, but it should do very nicely with recipes where a white rum really shines, such as a daiquiri.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-17201399800620313452013-10-14T09:24:00.000-07:002013-10-14T09:24:26.089-07:00Pittsburgh Cocktail WeekThis September 16-22 marked the first annual Pittsburgh Cocktail Week. The week's events were geared towards the industry professionals during the day and to the general drinking public at night. As one of the co-founders of the week I somehow managed to make it to almost every event. I'll give you a brief visual rundown of the week. As always, click the pics to see them larger.<br />
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Jeff Catalina provided a seminar on Agave spirits, providing a rundown of the spirits beyond tequila and mezcal. </div>
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Later, Verde bartenders taught customers how to make their own margarita. They provided the ingredients and instruction on how to mix the perfect margarita. </div>
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Tuesday, Giuseppe from Bar Marco showed us all how to cut ice, and in a remarkably brave turn of events he passed off the chainsaw to let participants try it. </div>
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Wednesday was Wigle Wednesday, and Eric taught a class on the aging process. Which included a chance to taste each of the aged whiskeys Wigle has produced to date. </div>
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Thursday we took a group out to Glenshaw to tour local Vodka producer Boyd and Blair. </div>
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We invited Johnny Foster from Smooth Ambler Whiskey up to talk about the difference between a craft distiller and a craft blender. </div>
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The Butterjoint and Will Groves hosted a sold out class on shrubs and preserving for cocktails. Each participant came home with the makings of a pineapple-ground cherry shrub. </div>
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On Sunday night during our wrap party we announced the winner of the week long cocktail contest. <a href="http://drinksburgh.blogspot.com/2012/11/jigger-fingers.html" target="_blank">Erika Jiggerfingers Joyner</a> won the event for Salt of the Earth. She was presented with a certificate and a prize pack by Andrea from <a href="http://www.steelite.com/" target="_blank">Steelite</a> and Chip from <a href="http://rhomania.com/">Rhomania.</a></div>
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There are many more photos from Cocktail week over at my <a href="http://500px.com/RedFoxPhoto/sets/pghcw">500px</a> site.</div>
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<br />Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-74844153555819837182013-09-03T14:25:00.000-07:002013-09-03T14:26:16.469-07:00Benefits of Aging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let me set you at ease, this post has nothing to do with my own impending fatherhood or indeed about me growing older. I am still going to celebrate my 25th birthday next July, (for the ninth year in a row). Instead this post is about small barrel aging at home. Going back to my last 25th birthday in 2012 one of my presents was a 1 liter oak barrel for at home aging. I started almost right way in aging rum. I selected a pretty innocuous rum, DonQ Cristal, with the intent of aging it for almost a year with the idea being of turning it into a roughly 12 year old rum. Alas, I underestimated just how greedy the angels are, particularly in a small barrel, so when I opened it up at 9 months I had less than a 750ml bottle left. It was also over-oaked, it tasted far too much like licking the barrel. Not to say that it doesn't work in certain tiki applications. What I haven't already drunk is visible on the far left in the photo.<br />
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Next I noticed that the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had Neisson Agricole Blanc on clearance, so I went and picked up two 1 liter bottles. This was an easy decision to add the liter bottle of rum to the liter oak barrel. This time I was more judicious and removed it from the barrel after 6 weeks. This had a most interesting effect as now there is a distinct banana flavor in the nose and it is deliciously smooth. You can see the unaged Neisson on the left of the barrel and the now golden Rhum on the right of the barrel.<br />
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Once again though the barrel was empty. Time to try something else. It was also at around this time that the El Presidente really came back onto my radar. This Manhattan-like rum drink makes a delightful after dinner drink and as a bonus I can make it without having to squeeze a lime. I pulled up <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/aged-el-presidente" target="_blank">Jeffrey Morgenthaler's recipe</a> and went with it. I used a bottle of Bacardi 8 that I had sitting around and Noilly Prat dry vermouth. It sat in the barrel for about a month and I just drained it into the bottle seen on the right. The oakiness is noticeable, but not overwhelming. The convenience is amazing though, I can have a really nice cocktail by doing nothing more than pouring 3 ounces over some ice to chill it and then strain it into a serving glass. This will be most useful during my impending fatherhood.<br />
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Once again though the barrel is empty and I need to find something else to put in it. I'm leaning towards another rum cocktail or a batch of bitters. Feel free to add suggestions below.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-10039363913164487362013-08-18T14:56:00.001-07:002013-08-18T14:56:41.419-07:00MxMo Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's time for <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/" target="_blank">Mixology Monday</a> once again and this time we're <i>en fuego</i>. The theme for this month is fire, thought up and hosted by the <a href="http://feu-de-vie.blogspot.com/2013/08/mixology-monday-lxxvi-announcement-fire.html#.UhE6CJK-2uI" target="_blank">Muse of Doom</a> herself.</div>
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There is a story involved with my drink this month, more so than normal. In addition to boozy subjects I also have been known to photograph sailboats of various sizes. It is for that reason that I found myself getting up at 6 AM to drive to Cleveland on a Saturday in July. I had secured myself a place on a yacht for the Leukemia Cup races (you can see those photos <a href="http://500px.com/RedFoxPhoto/sets/cleveland_leukemia_cup_" target="_blank">here</a>). However I am an efficient man with a nose for rum. Rumors of a Cleveland distillery making rum on the shores of Lake Erie had reached me and I wanted to look into it for myself. I found <a href="http://www.portsidedistillery.com/" target="_blank">Portside Distillery</a> and looked through their porfolio of spirits. Rums like Maple Vanilla and Hop infused rums served to inspire my creative drink juices, but I also wanted to be sure that the drinks had a definite Cleveland theme to them as well. </div>
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One of the Portside Rums is a spiced rum, and I have been playing around with spiced rums a bit myself by substituting it for gin in classic drinks. My thinking there is that the basic idea behind spiced rum and gin is reasonably similar. With that in mind I came up with a Cuyahoga Fizz inspired by the Cuyahoga River that runs through Cleveland into Lake Erie. </div>
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<u>Cuyahoga Fizz</u></div>
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1.5 oz spiced rum</div>
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1 oz lime juice</div>
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1 egg white</div>
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.5 oz demerara syrup</div>
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1 oz cream</div>
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2 oz soda</div>
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Combine all ingredients save the soda in a shaker with ice and shake until you can't feel your hand anymore. strain into a tall glass and then top with soda water. The claim to fame of the Cuyahoga river is that it has a tendency to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuyahoga_River#Environmental_concerns" target="_blank">catch on fire</a>. Yes, the river has caught on fire no less than 13 times. With that history of inflammation it hardly seems right to leave the top of the drink a pristine white meringue. instead sprinkle on a little brown sugar and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, then get out your torch and brule that sucker. Not only does the brown sugar caramelize and form a crispy crust (like on a creme brule) but the generous application of heat to the bitters brings out a fruity quality that I had never noticed before. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5z2dt-SJVzCBOvcKsHA7zT9I2FntGdcSpGA50bRGH9Rrrl1Km0uLo1J-HRdAw5fovozqrsZHGvvvff63moyrRL2em-dDochL8XwAIrXPkeBjbodWzGF3EKxxH-ai9iNBAvScXwH0_680/s1600/DrinksBurgh+MxMo+Fire_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5z2dt-SJVzCBOvcKsHA7zT9I2FntGdcSpGA50bRGH9Rrrl1Km0uLo1J-HRdAw5fovozqrsZHGvvvff63moyrRL2em-dDochL8XwAIrXPkeBjbodWzGF3EKxxH-ai9iNBAvScXwH0_680/s640/DrinksBurgh+MxMo+Fire_.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hey! Still reading? Good. There's a reason why the old blog has been a little slow this year. I've been part of the committee putting together <a href="http://www.pghcocktailweek.com/" target="_blank">Pittsburgh Cocktail Week</a> (and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PittsburghCocktailWeek" target="_blank">Facebook</a>). If you are available to to check it out it looks to be a good time.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-2020427125804190842013-06-16T11:18:00.002-07:002013-06-16T11:18:27.798-07:00MxMo 74: Cherries!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://mixologymonday.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYQVbhVaxMmzgIgvcaogM339VW6BKyK5Gdml_w5GrIWS9R2yRqjOQj7Nudo-2YL1rNAnZFsLUpK_EVOBcPGpgwEGuFYqpKg8pvXeVjomPmN6FZzAoug38OAsghoZjqTNG5dPliYxcXmg/s1600/mxmologo.gif" /></a> <span style="text-align: left;">Time again for another Mixology Monday. This time the theme is cherries and hosted by Andrea of </span><a href="http://ginhound.blogspot.dk/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Gin Hound</a><span style="text-align: left;">. While this could be an interesting opportunity to break out a shrub or a cherry infusion, I've been much more interested in classic cocktail both 'normal' and Tiki. So as I've been reading up and researching classic drinks I kept bumping up against a single ingredient that I didn't have. It was getting annoying. So I finally went out and picked up that ingredient. That mystery ingredient: Maraschino Liqueur. Since most of the people who will read this post already know and love this liqueur it can be easy to forget that it's not that widely known among the commoners. This was well illustrated for me when the cashier at the store, actually asked me what it was and what you do with it. I just smiled and said that it's used in a lot of classic cocktails and left it at that. </span></div>
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Anyway, I have been playing around with finally having a bottle of Luxardo and mixing drinks like Papa Dobles and Aviations because I could all the while chiding myself for not getting it earlier. So when the cherry theme came around this month I knew what I wanted to use for this month. A quick trip through <a href="http://www.grogalizer.com/" target="_blank">Beachbum Berry's Grogalizer</a> showed me a nice selection of tiki drinks that also used the lovely maraschino liqueur. I chose the Gold Cup recipe from Remixed. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_IOmh9Yjl__MlmcTfhetncUOguLa2VoRnbenaJxrz9A3Y3qxXbqfoAmh1th2D_mP555t_LcaXeu4SFkAVLs5jJAFFtColT0qmtszOXqXBV_1CbXsBhMcCuhXvBaXRW_d2BAW7bg6uGw/s1600/DrinksBurgh+MxMo+Cherry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_IOmh9Yjl__MlmcTfhetncUOguLa2VoRnbenaJxrz9A3Y3qxXbqfoAmh1th2D_mP555t_LcaXeu4SFkAVLs5jJAFFtColT0qmtszOXqXBV_1CbXsBhMcCuhXvBaXRW_d2BAW7bg6uGw/s400/DrinksBurgh+MxMo+Cherry.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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3/4 oz Lime Juice</div>
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3/4 oz simple syrup</div>
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1/2 oz maraschino</div>
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1.5 oz gold Jamaican</div>
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teaspoon Pernod</div>
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3 drops almond extract</div>
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The ice shell for the glass was surprisingly easy to make with a little help from Dr Bamboo's advice on <a href="http://drbamboo.blogspot.com/2008/09/luau-grog.html" target="_blank">ice cones</a>. I froze my blender to make sure that it was nice and cold so that when I made some snow the ice didn't immediately melt leaving only water and large chunks. This is an amazing drink with a depth that defies the simplicity of the recipe. </div>
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It's definitely been useful studying up on the classics to see how just the right mix gets you an amazing drink. Look for more coming forward as part of a project that I'm slowly trying to put together. </div>
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<br />Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-63836309511647391432013-06-09T11:24:00.000-07:002013-06-09T11:24:39.853-07:00Like Butter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3a5FF9gGoBBpYAishSFuWXhBZ1ToB8VYRr9f6amnoN8u5ePiss-12kageHlrWXRq2nQdlb1vQkIzm14Y50mJONu4Ir3DFfdkg6UMDlpc-j-JryuqdebZI5QeDeRo_QUTChgbEVTne43Y/s1600/DrinksBurgh+Groves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3a5FF9gGoBBpYAishSFuWXhBZ1ToB8VYRr9f6amnoN8u5ePiss-12kageHlrWXRq2nQdlb1vQkIzm14Y50mJONu4Ir3DFfdkg6UMDlpc-j-JryuqdebZI5QeDeRo_QUTChgbEVTne43Y/s400/DrinksBurgh+Groves.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Will Groves had a decision to make. He could continue to be the General Manager for successful Pittsburgh restaurant and worry about things like being short on hours for the week; or he could be a bar manager and have to figure out what to do with large amounts of locally grown strawberries fresh from the farm. So now when you go to the <a href="http://thebutterjoint.com/" target="_blank">Butterjoint</a> and you have the strawberry infused tequila, be glad that Will chose wisely.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-84012482336893113572013-05-06T16:02:00.003-07:002013-05-06T16:08:31.926-07:00Craft Beer Week 2013Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week has rolled through once again. Like last year there were a ton of possible events, too many to make it to all of them. I managed to make it out to a few events myself. As always click on the pics to see them embiggened.<br />
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Like last year there were collaboration brews from the local breweries working together. I went out to <a href="http://www.pennbrew.com/" target="_blank">Penn Brewery</a> for their Collaboration Celebration to try and sample all of the brews.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CDo_EOHXgjR08PkHCRhlBMsXqvRwGWY7PLy8_y0p8_RYhi6FBhXO5r-0g5y7RtVBntA2_nRCVyTAX3-h-YSY8K-yoHSBRzrLDTs5DDxDSGB2uuq0MlUhrkgokI3GFY7TI4Ctg94Z2Tk/s1600/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CDo_EOHXgjR08PkHCRhlBMsXqvRwGWY7PLy8_y0p8_RYhi6FBhXO5r-0g5y7RtVBntA2_nRCVyTAX3-h-YSY8K-yoHSBRzrLDTs5DDxDSGB2uuq0MlUhrkgokI3GFY7TI4Ctg94Z2Tk/s320/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Unfortunately I underestimated the attendance and overestimated the volume of the beers and by the time I showed up 3 out of 5 were tapped out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxosfpA5TE4a5coWjYJIFNWALXadMY4TbBqcRZAyQhG7pmmqNekUCiRoBVvlGIgQuytFZjV8CDwpdJxbKVUUVqPXVwbgYH-npibNuJPD9kTUl1ueY6Dy4jxTLXTTau1niNgGhSKZuCkrE/s1600/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxosfpA5TE4a5coWjYJIFNWALXadMY4TbBqcRZAyQhG7pmmqNekUCiRoBVvlGIgQuytFZjV8CDwpdJxbKVUUVqPXVwbgYH-npibNuJPD9kTUl1ueY6Dy4jxTLXTTau1niNgGhSKZuCkrE/s320/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the unique events was a chocolate and beer pairing. That by itself isn't that unusual, however the chocolates, made by <a href="http://sinfulsweetsonline.com/" target="_blank">Sinful Sweets</a> actually featured Brooklyn Brewery beers as ingredients.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtzCRnB54y0QIw6KOoIAUjvAWGoJ9UyVywm68JWD89BYeKoS27S59Aw93Ahrtv9WACmJusmV1dNCCaQVd7Pa4E5lbWDoVLWgLlODIWSglhVZl3BBGYQFLJfmJ_mCiL6GnWJWhC9LDaRY/s1600/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtzCRnB54y0QIw6KOoIAUjvAWGoJ9UyVywm68JWD89BYeKoS27S59Aw93Ahrtv9WACmJusmV1dNCCaQVd7Pa4E5lbWDoVLWgLlODIWSglhVZl3BBGYQFLJfmJ_mCiL6GnWJWhC9LDaRY/s320/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-3.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Tapping into my geek nature a little bit more I trekked out to <a href="http://www.myrivertowne.com/brewing/index.asp" target="_blank">Rivertowne Brewing</a> to meet up with Pittsburgh's own superhero, <a href="http://www.steel-man.com/" target="_blank">Steelman</a>. Thanks to the collaboration of Rivertowne and <a href="http://www.ndcomics.com/" target="_blank">New Dimension Comics</a> Steelman not only has his own comic book but his own beer, a smoked stout.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyEmc5DcALKNroy6nGieIzAEcCVOAxNxhG7lX7kg4FCVhDaN4YMpqlSfbgWVZzWkog0Zgx9CtUBl93-swC4lfwRPOq8Bx0as2rSln0rt3R0KhWOjlaD9KXspPltAmVW5WZ3eQjqsZS7g/s1600/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyEmc5DcALKNroy6nGieIzAEcCVOAxNxhG7lX7kg4FCVhDaN4YMpqlSfbgWVZzWkog0Zgx9CtUBl93-swC4lfwRPOq8Bx0as2rSln0rt3R0KhWOjlaD9KXspPltAmVW5WZ3eQjqsZS7g/s320/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of course East End Brewing once again announced that their Pedal Pale Ale was available by holding their Keg ride event. (As a side note, this may be the best group to ask for energy bar/beer pairing recommendations.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdX4zFX9tkyKivxolEgayLAbZEwmO5PB-VilXEhkPoWUzDyQfvVYYA3LR478JM9C2yQsvRbN5ZX7k4tlmKzI16V4SW23gzkfDcJJoL2N1P_pXLVvs-PKDzbHDyl6HJAgkK-aQryiqVWE/s1600/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdX4zFX9tkyKivxolEgayLAbZEwmO5PB-VilXEhkPoWUzDyQfvVYYA3LR478JM9C2yQsvRbN5ZX7k4tlmKzI16V4SW23gzkfDcJJoL2N1P_pXLVvs-PKDzbHDyl6HJAgkK-aQryiqVWE/s320/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-5.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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This year the destination was Schenley Park, taking over the circle and partnering with the Porch. </div>
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Once again the costumes were creative and plentiful as hundreds of bikers showed up to accompany the first kegs of spring. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULOCm7OPRueMnWc5u8D58QgddvnVYef1gSyU9S5y7WSGDaxb06MJpdjK-MdTtJDhEV0713FgpBbA63wajuYenz_Ei1cEygXQhI75BIonLwEnWiFG3KPSrWfRhZmnWuvK79wqtflKJiSw/s1600/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULOCm7OPRueMnWc5u8D58QgddvnVYef1gSyU9S5y7WSGDaxb06MJpdjK-MdTtJDhEV0713FgpBbA63wajuYenz_Ei1cEygXQhI75BIonLwEnWiFG3KPSrWfRhZmnWuvK79wqtflKJiSw/s320/DrinksBurgh+PCBW2013-7.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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This year they even had a portable soundtrack courtesy of <a href="http://www.zomboworld.com/" target="_blank">DJ Zombo</a> and <a href="http://greengearspedicabs.com/" target="_blank">Green Gears Pedicabs</a>.</div>
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Once again if you couldn't find an event that caught your interest during Craft Beer Week you had to have been willfully ignoring it. </div>
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<br />Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-65161359615141170162013-04-21T08:43:00.001-07:002013-04-21T08:44:32.048-07:00Tends to Be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most native Pittsburghers still have trouble with the idea of people moving to Pittsburgh intentionally. Fredrick Arnold is a perfect example of why Pittsburgh is becoming a cocktail destination though. After working in New York City Fredrick moved with his girlfriend to Kansas City where he managed the R Bar, one of Esquire's top bars in America. Deciding that neither New York nor Kansas City was right for them the pair decided to pick a new place to live. They Flew to New York and drove back to Kansas City stopping along the way and scoping out cities along the way. After just 6 hours they knew Pittsburgh was the place. Through a bit of serendipity on Craigslist, Fredrick found Tender just as they were hiring and developing their drinks menu. With that, another 'tender was found for Tender.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-3924937672869479002013-02-24T15:58:00.002-08:002013-02-24T18:46:36.022-08:00In Defense of Vodka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In general vodka is ignored or ridiculed by craft cocktail lovers. With brands bragging about how many times it's been distilled, creating flavors like cake, Swedish Fish, and Froot Loops, and purposefully having no taste it's easy to see why. However, it can be used in craft cocktails to good effect. Such cocktail authorities as Beachbum Berry and Ted Haigh have published recipes with no spirit other than vodka in them.<br />
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The important thing to remember with alcohol is that it is a solvent and thus causes some flavors to be heightened and better expressed. The obvious and most common use is in infusions, where any and every thing can be soaked in vodka to infuse that vodka with unusual flavors. But, you can do that same thing within the drink itself. Say you have yourself some <a href="http://www.natronabottlingcompany.com/" target="_blank">locally made, cane sugar sweetened, spicy ginger beer </a> now you could make yourself a Dark n' Stormy but as we all know that's<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/fashion/05shaken.html?_r=0" target="_blank"> illegal</a> if you happen to be out of Gosling's. But if the liquor fairy dropped off a nice, crisp vodka, (<a href="http://www.platinum7x.com/" target="_blank">Platinum 7x</a> in this case,) well then you have the makings of a Moscow Mule. The effect of drinking the ginger beer with vodka highlights some of the flavors from the ginger beer that are either not noticed if drinking it straight or lost if drinking with rum. Likewise if you have a nice vermouth some of the subtler flavors could be lost with a strong gin in a Martini. Perhaps the most important time for vodka in a drink is brunch. There are flavonoids in tomatoes that are only soluble in alcohol (which is why my spaghetti sauce recipe finishes with a shot of vodka,) so the vodka plus tomato juice mix for a Bloody Mary releases flavors that aren't there otherwise. This is why I will always have some vodka in my bar.Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393762963887413282.post-76556108239398980912013-02-17T13:53:00.000-08:002013-02-17T13:53:06.987-08:00MxMo Invert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's <a href="http://mixologymonday.com/" target="_blank">MxMo</a> time again. And this week the theme is Inverted Drinks. While the prospect of renting out the Vomit Comet to take pictures of upside down drinks did have some appeal, it turns out that the idea is turn the recipes upside down somehow. In the announcement post over at <a href="http://putneyfarm.com/2013/02/04/announcing-mixology-monday-lxx-inverted/" target="_blank">Putney Farm</a> Stewart threw out the challenge of making a clear Manhattan adding "good luck with that." Well that was enough of a challenge for me. And with that I immediately sprang into action, first mixing a clear Manhattan, (left,) and then a clear Sazerac (right) just for the added degree of difficulty. My secret weapon, <a href="https://www.wiglewhiskey.com/" target="_blank">Wigle Whiskey's</a> white rye, the 95% rye in this case. Now on to the recipes:<br />
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<i>Clear Manhattan</i><br />
2 oz Wigle White Rye<br />
1 oz Dry Vermouth<br />
2 dashes Barrel Aged Bitters<br />
Stir over ice, strain into a chilled glass.<br />
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A few notes on this one: first my somewhat unconventional recipe comes straight off the glass that I mix it in. I was given a "vintage" portable bar set for Christmas a couple years back and the glass has drink recipes on it. The Manhattan Recipe calls for that 2:1 whiskey to vermouth ratio, and that's what I've always used. Also key in maintaining it as a clear drink is to make it a Dry Manhattan, rather than a more traditional sweet version. To further invert this drink one can use aged bitters with an unaged whiskey.<br />
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<i>Clear Sazearc</i><br />
1.5 oz Wigle White Rye<br />
.5 oz simple syrup<br />
Herbsaint<br />
3d Bittermen's Burlesque bitters<br />
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Rinse a chilled old fashioned glass with a small amount of Herbsaint, (Pernod, or Absinthe,) in another glass stir the rye, simple and bitters. Discard the excess Herbsaint, (I usually read this as drink it straight,) and pour in the chilled whiskey/simple/bitters into the glass. While the traditional recipe calls for Peychaud's bitters, I really love the Bittermen's bitters in this drink.<br />
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(Bonus points to anyone who clicked on the photo for a bigger view and noticed that the globe has North at the bottom.)<br />
<br />Mike Basistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00475208094958966765noreply@blogger.com0