Cocktail Hacker

Ok, here’s a quick riddle for you. What has no coffee in it and isn’t technically a cocktail? Give up? It’s this week’s drink, the Coffee Cocktail. So named not because of its ingredients but rather for its appearance when mixed properly. Why not a true cocktail? Well when the word cocktail originated it meant a blend of spirits, sugar, water and bitters. You’ll note in the recipe no bitters, thus not really a cocktail. But, that also applies to a lot of favorite drinks. So to hell with the old school rules, I’m calling it a cocktail and it’s going to be delicious.

The Coffee Cocktail (Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

1 oz Brandy

1 egg

2-3 oz Ruby Port

1 tsp Sugar

1) Pour brandy into an ice filled shaker

2) Add egg, port and sugar

3) Shake and strain into a goblet

4) Top with grated nutmeg

There’s one particular part of this week’s recipe that has really piqued my interest. Namely, the inclusion of an entire egg. I’ve done plenty of drink with an egg white, but the only beverage I’ve had with a full egg is eggnog. Intriguing.

One thing that never ceases to impress me about distillers is their passion for what they do. A few weeks back I took a trip north to Dancing Pines Distillery in Loveland, CO. Walking through the front door I met with another display of that passion. The still is right up front, Kimberly Naslund (one of the co-founders and distillers) was eager to answer any questions I had and, most notably, their products were highlighted everywhere you went. This isn’t an operation built for the sole purpose of making money. This is the result of great passion being unleashed on a dream.

The folks at Dancing Pines, despite having only been producing for a few months, have lofty ambitions. Already on the market are their white and aged rums. In process and on the shelves soon are a spiced rum, espresso liqueur and chai liqueur. And, not to rest on their laurels, they also have a gin and bourbon in the works. Very impressive from a small craft distiller. Though, like many craft distillers their immediate goal isn’t world (or even country-wide) domination. Rather they’re focused on making a really good product and keeping their loyal, local customers happy. So, what of those products? I got to taste a bunch, here’s the low down.

White Rum – 80 proof – A combination of black strap and grade A molasses give this rum a complex flavor. Exactly what they were looking for. Having sampled rums from Cuba and other less common locales the distillers were looking for a flavor that wasn’t as deeply distilled and more reminiscent of the starting sugar. The goal of this endeavor was to create a rum that was complex and bold enough to stand up to mixers. They met that goal while creating a rum that wasn’t too rough. I think this could be really interesting in a Mojito.

Aged Rum – 94 proof – Aged with charred oak spirals, a technique used in wine making, the Dancing Pines aged rum has solid vanilla notes that come through in the nose and in the flavor. The sweetness and flavor of the molasses are still present, but more muted than what I found in the white rum. Another tasty choice, this one plays nicely in a Daiquiri.

Spiced Rum – A spiced rum where you can really taste the real spices that were used in the mix. Quite refreshing. Interestingly, they also add some teas to the spice mix for added depth and complexity. In addition, Dancing Pines adds a touch of additional molasses for sweetness and flavor. Overall, the spice flavors are well balanced and tasty.

Chai Liqueur – This definitely smells like a good chai. Really nice sweetness level and a good blend of tea and spice flavors. In the aroma you get nice hits of cardamom and tea, just as you would in a chai tea. I really like this liqueur, it’s complex and not overly sweet.

Espresso Liqueur – Like the chai this smells just like a good cup of espresso. Again, not overly sweet with a nice coffee flavor that’s bright, clean and not overly processed.

I had a great time at Dancing Pines and really enjoyed sampling their spirits. I’ll be very interested to taste how their bourbon comes out when it’s bottled some time next year. And, a pot stilled gin you say? Now I’m really interested.

If you’d like to check out their products and operation for yourself, they offer tours, samples and cocktails every Friday from 4-7pm. The cocktails change and if you buy one you get the cost reimbursed when you buy a bottle. They’ve also got some events and contests that they run through their Facebook page.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

Serendipitous timing, I should think. There is a video on Raising the Bar with Jamie Boudreau over at Small Screen Network right now featuring a Blue Blazer Style Hot Toddy. Pretty cool technique. I’ve not mustered the courage to give it a go yet. Fiery hands sound bad. Any of you brave enough?

Cocktail Hacker is Foodista’s Featured Drink Blog of the Day today! :) Cruise on over to the site and check out some of the other great food & drink blogs and features. Very cool site.

Vanilla extract is one of those ingredients that we all have sitting in our cupboards and, I would venture to guess, most of us don’t know the first thing about it. I certainly didn’t. That is, until I started learning digging in to the facts about vanilla a year or so back. But let me back up a bit.

As a kid I was always into cooking and baking. In my travels, well, more correctly stated, sedentary TV watching, I remember watching a ton of TV Food Network (what is now simply Food Network) one summer. I watched anything and everything that came on. During one of the programs I remember a brief discussion about the vanilla that was being put into the recipe and how one should use pure vanilla extract rather than vanilla flavoring. The latter having been derived from wood rather than actual vanilla beans. So, being a curious kid, I checked our cupboard and lucked out, we already had pure vanilla extract.

Though I was a changed lad. From that point on, whenever I needed vanilla, I was always careful to buy the good stuff and that’s where the story gets boring. At least until last year. Sometime last year I read a blog post on making your own vanilla extract. Sadly I can’t remember where I saw it, but it got me thinking. I had a few vanilla beans at home that needed application and I knew I could get some more good ones from my local spice shop. On top of that, the process was easy enough; combine your alcohol of choice with some sliced vanilla beans, shake and wait. No problems at all.

That is, until I went to Savory to get those additional beans and was a bit startled by what Dan told me. He said that commercial vanilla extracts use about 140 beans per gallon of alcohol. I was floored. In reading the wikipedia article, and subsequently the FDA site, about vanilla extract Iwas able to confirm what he had said. Specifically, per the US FDA, vanilla extract must contain at least 35% ABV and no less than 13.35oz of vanilla beans per gallon. Which works out to ~8-9 beans per cup. It started making more sense why vanilla extract is so expensive at the store. Despite my shock, I wasn’t deterred and here’s the recipe I ended up using.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

8 Vanilla Beans

1 cup Gold Rum

1) Slice the beans lengthwise to expose the seeds inside

2) Cut the resulting long slices into 2-3" bits

3) Combine the vanilla beans and rum in a glass container

4) Shake weekly for 8 weeks

Dirt simple and, if you buy your beans in bulk from an internet source or local spice shop, not all that expensive. Plus you get some serious benefits that you don’t from the commercial products. First, you know exactly what’s going into the final product. Second, you can choose the type of vanilla bean you like. If you’re unsure, go with bourbon vanilla beans. Third, you get to choose the spirit you like. I go with rum because I think it has a very complimentary flavor and the sugary notes really go well with the vanilla. However, you could just as easily go with vodka for a more pure vanilla flavor or whiskey if you want to mix things up a bit. Fourth, you get little vanilla seeds with the extract. True, this won’t be a plus for everyone, but I like it. I think it makes things more natural.

A couple final notes before I let you go. When you start to deplete your extract supply simply top up the jar with alcohol and add an appropriate number of fresh beans. You can pull out the old beans if you need the room. Please don’t dump the vanilla hulls if/when you pull the out of the jar. Dry them and put them in with sugar to make flavored vanilla sugar. Mmmm…vanilla sugar topped creme brulee.

So, there you have it, my vanilla extract journey. I’m certain I’ll be making homemade going forward. It’s really good and I love being able to make my ingredients at home.