"Pegu Club Cocktail...a confirmed classic"

I have seen this cocktail in several of my classic cocktail books, but in truth, I have never made it...until now.  Earlier today I purchased a set of vintage Fostoria Art Deco Era etched cocktail glasses and wanted to christen them with a drink worthy of such beauty.  

*Fostoria Art Deco Era etched cocktail glass

The Pegu Club and it's namesake cocktail have all but disappeared from it's present day Myanmar, however there has been a resurgence due to tourism.  The cocktail first appears in Harry McElhone's "Barflies and Cocktails" (1927) then again in the "Savoy Cocktail Book"  (1930) by Harry Craddock and yet again in Patrick Gavin Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual" (1934).  The recipe is relatively the same in each book, but the measurements vary...here is my first go with this cocktail...

*Three of my classic cocktail reference books

Barragan's Pegu Club Cocktail

2 oz Boodles Gin

1 oz Pierre Ferrand Orange Curacao

1/2 oz Lime Juice

dash of Angostura Bitters

dash of Regan's Orange Bitters

"La Fheile Padraig...more commonly knows as The Feast of Saint Patrick"

The Feast of Saint Patrick is celebrated on the traditional death date of the foremost patron saint of Ireland, March 17th.  For starters, Patrick was born into a wealthy Romano-British family from the Roman provence of Britania c.AD 385.  His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church.  At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland.  During the 6 years of working as a shepherd he "found God" and managed to escape and find his way back to Britania.  According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity.

Saint Patrick is often associated and credited with expelling the snakes out of Ireland.  This is just a metaphor for expelling the pagan beliefs and converting them to Christianity.  In addition, the shamrock was used to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish pagans.

Time to grab an Irish beer or whisky, in my case both, and Slainte!

"Cocktail a la Louisiane"

New Orleans is the birthplace to some of my favorite cocktails...meet the Cocktail a la Louisiane.  This is the special cocktail served at the Restaurant de la Louisiane.  This cocktail is a very spirit forward one,  reminiscent of a Sazerac or a Vieux Carre (details on this beauty coming soon)...this cocktail can be found in the Famous New Orleans Drinks and how to mix 'em by Stanley Clisby Arthur 1937.

*A great book for classic cocktails

The original recipe in the book calls for equal parts rye, vermouth and Benedictine, but I find this to be a deservedly rye based cocktail so I mix it as such...

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Rye)

1/2 oz Italian Sweet Vermouth (Punt E Mes)

1/2 oz Benedictine

bar spoon of Absinthe (Mata Hari)

2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

2 dashes of Peychauds Bitters

stir all the ingredients together in a beaker with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a giant ice cube

garnished with a Luxardo Cherry

Cheers!

http://www.lalouisiane.com/la-louisiane-history

"Sabrage...the gentle art of Sabering"

The technique of Sabrage is known to have been popular in France during Napoleons era.  The saber was the weapon of choice for Napolean's light cavalry, the Hussars.  In one of the more spirited tales about sabering, Madame Clicquot used to entertain Napoleon's officers in her vineyard and they would open the champagne bottle with their saber to impress her.

The physics behind the sabrage...a Champagne bottle holds between 70-90 psi or as we are taught as sommeliers "a pressure of 5 to 6 atmospheres".  At the opening of the bottle, there is a lip that creates a stress concentration.  On the vertical seem of the bottle there is a thin, faintly visible seam, which creates a second stress concentration.  At the intersection of the seam and the lip, both stress concentrations combine and the strength of the glass is reduced by more than fifty percent.  The impact of the saber on this weak point creates a crack that rapidly propagates through the glass, fueled by the momentum of the saber and the pressure in the bottle.  Once the crack has severed the top from the bottle, the pressure inside the bottle and transferred momentum from the saber will send the top flying, typically 15-30 feet.

"Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it."- Napoleon Bonaparte

"Hail to the King of Sauvignon Blanc in Santa Barbara...Fred Brander"

The Brander name is a staple in Santa Barbara wine country.  Fred Brander first planted primarily Bordeaux vines in Los Olivos in 1975.  His first Sauvignon Blanc harvest in 1977 won Santa Barbara County's first gold medal at a major wine competition.  Two years later, Fred began construction of his winery. 

The Brander tasting room

The brander collection still deals with primarily Bordeaux varietals, but a little Syrah, Pinot Gris and Riesling have all found their way to Fred's lineup.  These wines do not disappoint and I particularly loved the Cabernet Franc and Colson Canyon Syrah from his 2012 vintage.

Beautiful garnet color, Chinese 5 spice, violets, lilacs and dried currants...ahh Cab Franc

The next time you are passing through the Santa Barbara area, do yourself a favor and sample through these delicious wines and you are sure to find something to suit your taste buds.  If you find yourself tasting other Santa Barbara Sauvignon Blancs, there is a good chance it came from one of Fred's clippings.  Cheers to the King!

http://www.brander.com/

"Epic Brewing going on in Salt Lake City"

I remember the first time I tasted through Epic beers.  In the midst of putting a new bar program together, a gentleman walked in and asked if I would be interested in tasting through his line-up.  Always willing to try new and interesting products I said, "why not"?  He began by saying that the brewery was located in Salt Lake City, I knew of another brewery in Salt Lake and had come to love it, so now I was really intrigued.  The line-up did not disappoint!

*This was the original line-up that I tasted through on that day

Epic Brewing began shortly after Utah's brewing laws changed in 2008.  David Cole and Peter Erickson had started an international aquaculture company in Utah in 1992, but now they were able to pursue their longtime dream of opening a strong beer microbrewery in Utah.  Along with Brewmaster Kevin Crompton, this trio is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

I was fortunate enough to visit this brewery in the Spring of 2013.  We visited the "Tap-Less Tap Room" and the most interesting aspect was the fact that you can see the spires of the Salt Lake Temple from the front doorstep to the brewery.

The beers of Epic are exciting and will reward those who seek em out!

http://www.epicbrewing.com/

"The Chardonnay that stunned the world...Chateau Montelena"

If you have ever seen the movie "Bottle Shock" you will know what I am talking about...sad part of the movie is that much of it is Hollywood fiction.  Fact...Chateau Montelena did stun the world.  Fact...Chateau Montelena did make the number one Chardonnay that beat some of the finest producers from Burgundy in the 1976 Taste of Paris.  For more on the real story seek out the "Judgement of Paris" by George M. Taber.

*Cover for the Bottle Shock movie...I did enjoy the movie

*The real story behind the movie...a must read for wine enthusiasts!

Chateau Montelena was first planted in 1882 when Alfred Loving Tubbs planted vines just North of Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena.  With the outset of Prohibition, winemaking ceased and the grapes were sold.  Then in 1958 a Chinese electrical engineer, Yort Wing Frank,  purchased the estate and built a garden in the style of their homeland.

*Chinese garden on Jade Lake built by Yort Wing Frank

In 1968, Lee and Helen Paschich along with James L. Barrett purchased the property.  Barrett replanted the vineyard and installed winemaking equipment in the historic buildings and began producing wine in 1972.  Miljenko "Mike" Grgich was hired as the winemaker and the rest is history!

Chateau Montelena is one of the most esteemed Napa producers and should be on every Napa visitors list.  As a nod to Mike's wine making prowess he was able to go on to open his own winery after the Taste of Paris (more on this story to come in a future post), but not before turning over the responsibility to his apprentice, Bo Barrett, Jim Barrett's own son.  Seek out their wines with confidence...they are delicious and well worth the hefty price tags!

Cheers to all the people who helped create one of finest examples of Napa wines!

http://www.montelena.com/