29. December 2010 by Dan.

We were making eggnog drinks at the bar last weekend, and someone asked how it got its name and why it’s only available during the winter holidays.  As with most drinking lore the answers are unclear.  There are plenty of stories about the etymology of the words nog and noggin from jolly old England as far back as the sixteenth century, but frankly they’re not very interesting.  (Hey, I’m a bartender, not an historian.)

As for availability, the Smith’s Dairy web site reports “Experience has shown us that eggnog sales drop off to nearly nothing immediately after the New Year holiday.”  The Smith’s Dairy has been in business for over one hundred years, and those folks are way too clever to make a perishable product that you’re not going to buy. So now you know.

Like all things ephemeral, we should enjoy it while we can.  More importantly, it’s an excuse to make tasty cocktails.  Here are some suggestions…

• Eggnog is thick and can be stubborn, so drinks made with it should always be shaken (not stirred) even if you are going to serve them on ice.  Proceed at your own peril if you choose to ignore me on this.  I learned by doing it wrong.

• For a traditional libation, use one and one half ounces of light or spiced rum, four ounces of eggnog, and add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.  Enjoy this on the rocks or neat (neat means “in a glass without ice”, also “not spilled all over the counter.”)

• Our customers liked a shot of butterscotch schnapps shaken with three ounces of eggnog and half an ounce of Godiva chocolate liqueur, served over ice and dusted with cocoa powder.

• You can make an impressive cocktail by coating the rim of a chilled martini glass with cocoa, and filling it with your shaken mix of one and one half ounces of chocolate vodka, three ounces of eggnog, and a teaspoon of cinnamon schnapps.

I hope your New Year celebration is the best ever.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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22. December 2010 by Dan.

So, winter “officially” arrived this week.  That probably seems a little arbitrary if you live in the Northwoods, since we’ve been shoveling snow for a month, the December low temperature so far is minus 23 degrees, and the snowmobile trails have been open for a week.  By any measure though it’s a good time for warm beverages, so I thought we should think about hot chocolate options.

The cocoa we know today had its origins with the Aztecs, who used roasted cocoa beans to make a beverage mixed with wine and chili peppers.  They drank it cold, but they probably wouldn’t  have if they lived here.  Also, they would have needed warmer clothes.

Today we have more options for adding some zip to our cocoa.  A regional favorite is hot chocolate mixed with peppermint schnapps, sometimes called a peppermint patty or a mint mocha.  Top this with whipped cream, then drizzle a half teaspoon of green cream de menthe over the top and you’ll feel the winter chill start to melt.  You can substitute a dusting of cocoa powder for the cream de menthe if you prefer, and one of those candy canes you have lying around this week might look nice in there too.

Butterscotch schnapps also make a good base for a hot chocolate beverage, but don’t limit yourself.  You could try Kalhua for a coffee flavor or Frangelico for a hazelnut character.  An Irish cream liqueur would be smooth and rich, or use cognac for a bracing and sophisticated restorative.  You can also include your young ones in the party by substituting extracts for the liquor and being generous with the whipped cream.

My best wishes for a happy holiday,

-Dan

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17. December 2010 by Dan.

As we’ve talked about before, the basic elements of a cocktail are the base liquor, modifier(s), and flavoring and coloring agents.  Garnishes fall in the flavoring and coloring category, and can make a big difference in the presentation, character, and taste of the final product.  Here’s a list of the most common, along with some of their traditional uses…

Maraschino cherries are not a strain of fruit, they are light colored sweet cherries that have been marinated in real or artificial maraschino liqueur to brighten and preserve them.  This process is descended from one created in what is now Croatia in the days when fruit preservation options were limited.  They are commonly used in a Manhattan, a Tom Collins, in drinks with an apple flavor, and along with an orange slice in an Old Fashioned.

Limes are used with rum drinks, gin or vodka highballs with tonic, Cosmopolitans, Margaritas,  and anything with a coconut or banana flavor.  I garnish these drinks with lime as a matter of course, as do most of my colleagues, so if you want something else you should let us know when you order.

Lemon wedges go with vodka lemonade, Long Island Iced Tea, and Sloe Gin Fizz.  Lemon twists are commonly ordered with scotch or with dry martinis.

Olives stuffed with pimento, blue cheese, anchovy, almonds, or garlic are often called for in  Martinis and Old Fashioneds.  Along with the aforementioned lemons and limes, they belong in a Bloody Mary.

Orange slices like to be paired with cocktails that use orange juice, and are served with some brands of wheat beer.  Orange zest makes a nice finish for Chocolate Martinis.

The range of less commonly used garnishes is almost endless, but includes apple, pineapple, banana, coffee beans, berries, mint leaves, pickles, onions, mushrooms, and grapes.  When you coat the rim of a glass with sugar or salt or chocolate or finish with a dollop of whipped cream you are adding a garnish.  The idea is to use what you have available to complement the taste of your base and modifiers, and to add visual appeal.

The photo above was taken by Jon Trainer, and shows a beautifully garnished Vesper Martini he made at home.  Jon is a software developer**, not a professional bartender.  Apparently geeks are not just inheriting the earth, some of them can make pretty impressive cocktails too!

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

**Visit Jon at http://outerlevel.com/

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15. December 2010 by Dan.

My job with this blog is to make you feel like coming to the Bear Trap is a good idea.  I figured posting this picture of servers Jen and Sam ought to do it. I don’t think I need to explain why.

If you do need further incentive, we just received some bottles of Godiva chocolate vodka and chocolate raspberry vodka that will make for some awesome holiday cocktails.

See you soon.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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3. December 2010 by Dan.

This Sunday represents an important day in cocktail history, as it marks the anniversary of the official end of Prohibition.

Efforts to outlaw alcohol in the U.S. began in the late 1800s.  They were heavily supported by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union,  whose members believed that doing so would put an end to drunkenness, crime, mental illness, and poverty.  Certainly they had supporters in the federal government, but at the time liquor taxes represented almost one-third of federal revenues - too much to give up.  By 1919, however, the recently enacted federal income tax system had become lucrative enough that Prohibition was politically feasible.  The 18th Amendment to our Constitution was passed, outlawing the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Over the next thirteen years a sophisticated infrastructure of organized crime developed to meet our demand for alcohol.  Violence and drunkenness actually increased while federal revenues and beverage quality decreased.  Confidence in government reached an all time low.  It appeared that Americans’ tolerance for alcohol was greater than their tolerance for social engineering.  The “Noble Experiment” that Prohibition was supposed to be was losing steam.  (Next time you really foul something up at work because of some lame idea you had, try explaining it away as a “noble experiment.”  Let me know how that works out for you.)

In 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for and was elected President on a platform that included repeal, and on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified.  It’s final wording was direct enough…”The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.”  Oddly, this language won out over the more descriptive proposal, which was something like “We’re keeping the income tax and organized crime, but you can drink again.”

And so by act of Congress, our right to enjoy cocktails was restored.  This doesn’t mean we can consume them irresponsibly, of course.  If anything it returns the responsibility for our associated behaviors to us as individuals, where it should have been all along.

This weekend I plan to raise a toast of thanks to President Roosevelt, and to hold a good thought that we take to heart the lessons of our past mistakes.  I hope you’ll join me.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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