Cocktail Hacker

During the brief time I give each cocktail here on CH there are times when some things get overlooked, glossed over or simply ignored. This coming week I’m going to take a look back at some of the drinks I’ve covered prior and explore some areas that were glossed over previously.

I’ve got four things I want to look at but I’d welcome suggestions/requests of others. Here’s what I’m planning at this point:

1. Tequila por Mi Amante (It’s ready)
2. Cointreau vs. Triple Sec (Is the cost worth it?)
3. Dan’s Martini (Check comment #1)
4. Paloma with Jarritos Toronja

Anything you’d like me to revisit?

We all know the iconic phrase uttered by Bond each time he orders his, now traditional, Vodka Martini. Some of us even have friends who have ordered the drink using the phrase (yes, there was laughing, at said friend). You see Bond always wants his cocktail “shaken, not stirred”. But why? This request goes against all things right and proper in the cocktail chilling world. One never shakes a cocktail made completely with clear spirits. Again, I must ask why.

Shaken (left) and Stirred (right)

I’ve heard a few answers. First, shaking introduces much more ice crystals to the drink which do two things. One, they cloud the drink (which is readily apparent in the image above) and two, they dilute the drink (which is also noticeable). Second, shaking chills the drink far more than stirring, more about that in a bit. Third, and I’d say most interesting, shaking introduces more ice (and thus more water) and therefore fundamentally changes the cocktail. Cocktail recipes are usually tuned for the technique when they’re developed. A clear drink, such as the Martini is developed with the knowledge that it will be stirred and as such the ingredients are added in sufficient quantities to balance this.

I decided to put these to the test. My method was as follows:

• Equal Quantities (3 oz Gin, 3 Ice Cubes)
• Same Hardware (Shaker Tin)
• Same Time (30 seconds)

The results really amazed me. First the temperatures. 30 seconds of shaking produced 26F gin where 30 seconds of stirring only produced 46F. 20 degrees is a huge difference, not just in the flavor of the cocktail but also in how long it will remain pleasantly cool while sipping. Second was the clouding. Not much I can say here. It’s quite clear (pun fully intended) from the picture how much additional ice and air was introduced by the shaking process. Finally, the additional volume really floored me. The shaken cocktail appears to have gained as much as 1 oz of water and air. I can’t say for certain how much of each is present, but I’d guess nearly 50% is air.

Baffled by the not-so-low temp of the stirred cocktail I executed one final test, stirring for 60 seconds. This brought the gin down to 32F which is in the same range as the shaken cocktail, but it still remained crystal clear. However, it did melt more ice and therefore increased in volume more than the 30 second stir. I’d say about on par with the shake.

So, some interesting findings from this one. It seems to me that one should certainly stick with the general rule of stirring drinks composed exclusively of clear spirits. If for no other reason than the visual appeal of the final product. While shaking for 30 seconds produced a much colder cocktail I think going forward I’ll be making sure to stir my drinks for at least 60 seconds to get them down to temperature and to melt some additional ice. Water, although not explicitely stated, is a key ingredient in all cocktail recipes, you know. One final note. Shaking a metal shaker tin will bring your hand to a new level of cold. In my case actually slightly freezing it to the tin. I have a much deeper level of respect for those who shake tins all night long. I know not how you deal, but I am awed.

On Tuesday I showed you an example of how wonderful the creation of a Mint Julep can be. Like most things in life where there is light there is also darkness. Today I’d like to expose you to the Julep form of that darkness. We all have Jeffrey Morgenthaler to thank for unearthing this YouTube gem.

There are so many things wrong with this recipe it’s hard to even know where to begin. Instead I’ll give you some pointers. One, if you or a loved one is mixing a Mint Julep and you reach for a) limes, b) Rose’s lime or c) sour mix you’ve had enough cocktails, time for some nice soothing water. If you’ve somehow gotten to the point where these have been combined with mint and you then decide to add some reasonably decent bourbon to the mix you’ve gone way too far. Step back, breathe deeply and go looking for that aforementioned glass of water.

Water, sugar, mint, bourbon, ice. That’s it. Nothing more. Sorry I had to expose you all to this but I felt it only right that you see both sides of the cocktail coin.

NOLA.com put together a series of videos highlighting New Orleans’ best cocktails. Many of them feature Chris McMillian from the Library Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. This recording of Chris making a Mint Julep and reciting a beautiful piece of prose is one of my absolute favorite cocktail videos. Enjoy.

If you’d like to read the poem a fellow cocktail blogger contacted Chris and got a copy, you can read it here. Thanks for sharing Shank!

Since I’m covering a coffee based cocktail this week it seems only fitting that I should fill you in on my love of coffee, or lack thereof. I don’t drink coffee, at least not unadulterated and even then, rarely. I enjoy coffee’s smell a great deal and love coffee flavor in other things. I even enjoy Frappucinos, Vietnamese style coffee, and other sweetened creamy coffee knock offs. So imagine my Dad’s surprise when I called him Tuesday morning and let him know that I had just sat down with a steaming mug of what I’ve been known to refer to as “fecal squeezings.” To say the least he was a bit taken aback.

I felt to truly approach this cocktail from the ground up drinking coffee soloh was something I had to do. There must be a reason why people like this fragrant brown brew and I was hoping to get to the bottom of it. So, before I start in on my thoughts let’s take a brief look at my process.

Reese's Cup of Coffee

9 oz Water

3 Tbsp Freshly Ground Coffee

1) Add coffee to press pot.

2) Boil water in microwave on high for 2 minutes.

3) Allow water to cool slightly to bring temp down to ~200F.

4) Pour water over coffee grounds and steep for 3 min.

5) Gently press to strain.

6) Pour.

7) Enjoy?

Now, many of you may be thinking why does a guy who doesn’t like coffee have a coffee grinder and press pot? I direct you to the coffee lover indicated above, namely my Dad. He had a couple spares and I figure it’s always good to have them on hand in case a guest would like a cup. However, having these tools is not the same as knowing how to use them. Monday night I looked around on the web to find directions on how to use my press pot as I had never made a cup of coffee before.

My first sips of this brew were straight up. The aroma struck me first and was absolutely wonderful. I was getting ready for a tasty cup of coffee. The flavor was very lightly bitter but not in an at all unpleasant way. There was the coffee flavor I like so much in other things, like delicious tiramisu. But, although the flavor wasn’t too bad and the aroma was great, I still didn’t like it. As I confessed in my Hot Drunken Cider post, I don’t really like hot drinks and I think that dislike may be at work here. There were other points though. I didn’t like that the coffee flavor stuck in my mouth for what seemed like eons and I really didn’t like the coffee flavor solo.

At this point, having consumed about 1/3 of my cup straight up, I decided to add some condiments. I added about 1 1/2 tsp of heavy cream and 2-3 tsp of simple syrup. Now fully adulterated my cup of coffee was easier and more pleasant to consume. First, it was cooler, which was nice. Second the added sweetness really increased the drinkability for me and the cream just rounded it all out.

I think I could really get to like fully adulterated coffee and I think it could eventually lead to deeper, darker things. Specifically straight up coffee. I’d call this version a gateway coffee. But, despite all of those things I still felt like I was cheating. I was drinking a cup of decaff coffee that had a not insignificant amount of sugar and cream added to it. Oh well, maybe I’m just destined to not be a coffee lover. Now, you Irish up that coffee and we’re talking a whole different story.