One advantage I have in my career – and believe me, I thank my lucky stars every day for my good fortune in this regard – is that I travel a lot. And when I do travel, I get to visit the greatest bars in the world and spend time picking the brains of the world’s greatest bartenders.
The most recent drink to grace our cocktail list is the result of my travels.
Taking inspiration from many sources, my initial interest in bitter, sour and sweet with a distinctly tropical bent was taken directly from the ever-brilliant Giuseppe Gonzalez and his now-famous Trinidad Sour.
While I, and the rest of the world, was taken by the combination of bitter, herbal, sweet flavors, it never really struck me as a an extensible sort of drink style until I came across Andrew Bohrer’s amaro-based Mai Tai variation called the “Elena’s Virtue”. Now here was a drink with legs, and a hint of what was to come in the world of cocktails, in my humble opinion.
But what New York and Seattle do well, San Francisco often does better, and usually with a lot more Fernet Branca, and that’s the conversation I had with Josh Harris while competing in the Domaine de Canton finals in St. Maarten this spring. And after tasting his simple concoction of ginger liqueur, pineapple and Fernet Branca I knew it was time for me to get my feet wet and try my hand at the herbal tropical sour.
The result has been a smash hit at the bar, as it very much follows in the style of our restaurant bar, a reflection of the crafted European style of cooking that emerges from the kitchen on a nightly basis. In other words, earthy, sour, herbal flavors do very, very well where we work.
Put all of this together, throw in a desire to explore the dusty, neglected bottle of Drambuie, and an early morning racking one’s brain to come up with a drink name (the original intent was Brixton Club) and a star was born:
Kingston Club
1½ oz Drambuie
1½ oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice
1 tsp Fernet Branca
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake ingredients with ice and finish with 1 oz soda water. Strain mix over fresh ice into a chilled collins glass and garnish with an orange twist.
A side project, an experiment or just a simple curiosity that turned into a delicious phenomenon that we're still serving to much delight at our bar, barrel aged cocktails explore the gentle manipulation of a drink's flavors over time. This post details the inspiration, the history and the methods behind my barrel aged cocktails.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
Turned off by the glop you find in the grocery store, and unable to endure another long egg and cream whipping session, I set out to build an egg nog recipe from the ground up that retained the character of the orginal formula, was easy to make in a few minutes at home or at the bar, and tasted absolutely delicious. See if you agree with the result.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
We’re fortunate to have some great minds in absinthe here in the Pacific Northwest, and on Sunday a few of them came together to share their extensive knowledge with the attendees of the Great American Distiller’s Festival in a panel titled “Q&A on Northwest Absinthe”
The panel featured Gwydion Stone, founder of the educational organization The Wormwood Society and creator of the soon-to-be released Marteau absinthe, Marc Bernhard, creator of the soon-to-be released Pacifique absinthe, and Rich Phillips from Integrity Spirits, producers of the first Oregon absinthe, Trillium.
I’ve done a fair amount of reading about absinthe and tried to learn as much as possible on my own, but the panel was still informative and provided me with some great facts to fill in for the gaps in my knowledge. I’ll recap here:
Absinthe was banned in 1912 by Food Inspection Decision 147 of the USDA. It forbade the manufacture, sale or transportation of absinthe. Several events contributed to our rediscovery of absinthe:
An understanding of the term “thujone-free”, which relies on a test that comes with a 10 ppm (parts per million) margin of error.
The discovery that real, legitimate, pre-ban French and Swiss absinthes often contained less than 10 ppm.
A greater amount of interest in classic cocktails and lost ingredients, which was certainly fostered by communication between enthusiasts on the internet.
I wasn’t aware that sagebrush is a member of the same plant family as wormwood (artemesia), and that culinary sage actually contains more thujone than wormwood.
I didn’t really know where the green color present in verte absinthes came from, and now I do: after the final distillation, hyssop, lemonbalm and Roman wormwood are macerated in the absinthe to provide additional flavor and a pale green color. There was no mention of what might produce a neon blue color.
This one I knew, but I’d like to reiterate it here: The ritual of lighting a sugar cube on fire and dropping it into absinthe is inauthentic, a recent invention, and a potentially dangerous ceremony centered around the consumption of illegitimate absinthes of inferior quality. As Marc so eloquently put it, “Friends don’t let friends burn absinthe.“
Comments
15 Responses to “The Great American Distiller’s Festival: Q&A on Northwest Absinthe”
Not sure how these fine gentlemen contributed to a *gap* in your knowledge, but what the heck, I’ll roll with it.
What I thought was very important was the discussion around the so-called hallucinogenic properties of absinthe/wormwood, which can be summed up neatly thus: there ain’t none and never been none. The absinthe “high” is no different from any other high-proof liquor high, psychosomatic effects excepted. Frat boys go away.
Also interesting was Mark’s comment about sugar contributing to the mouth feel.
I’m also sure that burning a cube doused in high proof liquor on the spoon could cause some toxins as most that are served in most bars in the US come with a wimpy spoon on the box…Absente is one brand. I’ve experimented with different methods of drinking. I’ve tried the frat boy ritual and have poured it on ice and shaken it with and without sugar…I know the tradition and science and have been a guinnea pig. I prefer it Poured over the cube on the spoon then coolish water poured to melt the cube then I like th glass filled with ICE (the color is so nice with ice). It’s hot in FL!
Not only is that horrible absinthe neon blue, it tastes like Aqua Velva. Blech. But the Marteau is lovely!
27 Aug 2008 at 1:17 AM 6. Juno
Total commercially inspired nonsense created by individuals wishing to sell thujone free absinthe in the USA.
Thujone is a natural element in Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood) and in combination with alcohol has a pronouned effect.
Alcohol and thujone are opposites – as alcohol is a GABA agonist and thujone is an antagonist. Alcohol stimulates the production of this GABA neurotransmitter and causes drowsiness and sleep. Thujone on the other hand prevents alcohol from performing that functiom. Real absinthe – not these USA made copies – is actually a ’speedball’, it’s constituents promote the production of GABA and open its receptors, while at the same time closing those receptors off. This is why the lucidity of an absinthe drinker contrasts to the state of normal drunkness and the experience has been described during the Belle Epoque using the metaphor of the green fairy.
Well, it seems that the marketers of fake (i.e.Czech) “absinth” are monitoring the blogs to try and put their spin on the absinthe revival here in the US and Europe. I’d be willing to bet “Juno” is part of a group of guerilla marketers flooding any blog mention of absinthe. Never mind that current scientific testing of pre-ban absinthes have proven that the thujone theory is dead as a doornail. Never mind that the theory of Dr. Arnold was just that, a theory on the estimated thujone content of pre-ban absinthe and, he admits, never actually tested any absinthe for thujone. Be wary of any of these marketers spewing pseudo-scientific posts that try to prove that any of the new absinthes on the market are not real absinthes. Real absinthe tastes good, and doesn’t need a schlocky “fire ritual” to try to sell itself. Also, keep in mind that since here in the USA, there is no type or standard as to what can be put into a bottle and called absinthe. There are several “absinthes” on the market right now in the USA that, in my opinion, are not absinthe at all, and are hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product and cash in on the rising popularity of this historic drink.
27 Aug 2008 at 11:39 AM 8. Juno
“There are several “absinthes” on the market right now in the USA that, in my opinion, are not absinthe at all, and are hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product and cash in on the rising popularity of this historic drink”
Please can you tell me which ones, Marc? In your opinion…
“Juno” is an employee of a marketing firm that specializes in covert blog spamming.
Notice how he/she glosses right over the fact that pre-ban absinthe has been PROVEN to contain only trace amounts of thujone, many well within current US limits.
Studies have also shown that 19 out of 22 subjects couldn’t tell the difference between alcohol with 0, 10, or 100ppm of thujone.
Even the thujone-added Czech brands of “absinthe” which contain up to 100 ppm have no more “effect” than US brands.
Quote: “Juno” is an employee of a marketing firm that specializes in covert blog spamming
What proof do you have to back up this outrageous allegation? What marketing firm exactly? You should not make allegations about people, Mr Stone. Think before you write.
Pre-Ban absinthe has not been PROVEN to contain only trace amounts of thujone. The flawed report that you are using to make this claim has already been shown to be wrong using a basic test:
“Thujone is fairly volatile (BP 84 °C), and this small aliphatic ketone can be assumed to be rather reactive. We prepared a fresh 100-ppm standard of α-thujone (Aldrich 89231; 1058112 24706082) in a 50% ethanol/water solution to quantify levels of thujone in wormwood samples. The standard was stored in several tightly sealed glass vials to be used at a later date. After four months, these standards were found to contain less than 10 ppm thujone when compared with a freshly prepared solution”
It begs the question why you choose to make these claims. Perhaps because you are the manufacturer of a brand called “Marteau Absinthe de la Belle Epoque”?
If absinthe from the Belle Epoque era did contain levels of around 260ppm thujone – as has been suggested by Dr Arnold of The University of Kansas – then this would be s problem, no?
I look forward to hearing from Marc which brands of TTB approved absinthe are “hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product” and why. Out of interest do you share this opinion, Mr Stone?
You are aware that the source of your citation is the very study you call “flawed”, aren’t you?
All this citation suggests is that a fresh, undistilled thujone solution will decrease in concentration after four months, which means that all that alleged “100 ppm” absinthe sitting around in your warehouse is about 3 ppm by now.
On the other hand, absinthes properly distilled strictly according to 19th century formulas and processes—unsurprisingly—contain levels precisely similar to those of analyzed pre-ban samples.
Maybe you guys should try that distillation thing, instead of running affiliate sites.
28 Aug 2008 at 3:46 AM 12. Juno
When thujone degrades – it does – the following chemicals are produced see “Stability of Pulegone and Thujone in Ethanolic Solution”, Frölich and Shibamoto (1990)
“Under variable light and temperature conditions, pH values, and ethanol concentrations, the degradation products formed from the above chemicals were (E)- and (2)-isopulegone, the stereoisomer 8-hydroxy-p-menthones, 8-hy- dro~y-A*(~)-p-menthen-3-0ne, the stereoisomer3-methyl-7-methylenebicyclo[4.2.0]octan-l-ols, and (E)- and (2)-5-methylene-6-methylhept-2-ene.”
Would it be possible to know if tests have been carried out for the presence of the above?
I am still waiting for Marc to name and shame those TTB approved brands which are “hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product” and why. I am also waiting to learn if you share this opinion.
Your bizzare personal allegations are amusing but wrong. Absinthe should be fun and you certainly contribute to the laughs! Keep it up, you never know what it might lead to.
28 Aug 2008 at 1:39 PM 13. oregoncoastgirl
Wow. Not the discussion I’d hoped to/ thought I’d see when I clicked through from my RSS reader.
Good job, Morgenthaler. You have people talking. Somewhat.
Not to discredit Jeffrey, but this blog spammer hits every blog and news article that mentions absinthe. He/she works for a marketing company that runs affiliate websites selling fake absinthe by using thujone as a marketing gimmick, targeted at gullible druggies.
Once the word started spreading that they were hawking fake crap, they resorted to guerrilla marketing in blogs in a desperate attempt to shore up the waning belief in the thujone hoax.
“Under variable light and temperature conditions,”
Perhaps you’d be so kind as to favor us with a description of those conditions, and which of them apply to absinthes which have been stored in wine cellars for 90 years.
And I’m waiting for you to tell us what happens to a mere 100ppm after sitting in a clear bottle for four months.
Oh, you already did. You pointed out that after only four months it’s down to 10ppm. That suggests that a “100ppm” “absinthe” cannot be relied upon to actually contain that advertised 100ppm.
Like I’ve said countless times: thujone level is irrelevant to the quality of absinthe.
29 Aug 2008 at 5:10 AM 15. Kelsey Crenshaw
The first 4 comments are all about taste and history. Now I keep getting updates sent to my email about how some people have nothing better to do than up each other on the thujone levels in absinthe, There are way more things that are green to worry about in this world. I’m wondering why some people are so concerned with this post. I’m not that concerned about the levels of thujone in my absinthe. I know I’ve probably ingested at least 4,000 flies and other nasties in my life just from what the FDA allows in food. How about pollution, bleach in the water supply, air quality? I drink absinthe for the taste and history. If I wanted to get High I’d smoke weed!!!!!!!
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25 Aug 2008 at 1:44 PM 1. Chas. Munat
Not sure how these fine gentlemen contributed to a *gap* in your knowledge, but what the heck, I’ll roll with it.
What I thought was very important was the discussion around the so-called hallucinogenic properties of absinthe/wormwood, which can be summed up neatly thus: there ain’t none and never been none. The absinthe “high” is no different from any other high-proof liquor high, psychosomatic effects excepted. Frat boys go away.
Also interesting was Mark’s comment about sugar contributing to the mouth feel.
25 Aug 2008 at 2:09 PM 2. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Oops. That’s what I get when I try to write too quickly.
25 Aug 2008 at 2:36 PM 3. C.B.
If you’ve not read the Wired article about the microbiologist who “reverse-engineered” historic absinthes, definitely do.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/absinthe.html
26 Aug 2008 at 10:15 AM 4. Kelsey Crenshaw
I’m also sure that burning a cube doused in high proof liquor on the spoon could cause some toxins as most that are served in most bars in the US come with a wimpy spoon on the box…Absente is one brand. I’ve experimented with different methods of drinking. I’ve tried the frat boy ritual and have poured it on ice and shaken it with and without sugar…I know the tradition and science and have been a guinnea pig. I prefer it Poured over the cube on the spoon then coolish water poured to melt the cube then I like th glass filled with ICE (the color is so nice with ice). It’s hot in FL!
26 Aug 2008 at 11:41 AM 5. Marleigh
Not only is that horrible absinthe neon blue, it tastes like Aqua Velva. Blech. But the Marteau is lovely!
27 Aug 2008 at 1:17 AM 6. Juno
Total commercially inspired nonsense created by individuals wishing to sell thujone free absinthe in the USA.
Thujone is a natural element in Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood) and in combination with alcohol has a pronouned effect.
Alcohol and thujone are opposites – as alcohol is a GABA agonist and thujone is an antagonist. Alcohol stimulates the production of this GABA neurotransmitter and causes drowsiness and sleep. Thujone on the other hand prevents alcohol from performing that functiom. Real absinthe – not these USA made copies – is actually a ’speedball’, it’s constituents promote the production of GABA and open its receptors, while at the same time closing those receptors off. This is why the lucidity of an absinthe drinker contrasts to the state of normal drunkness and the experience has been described during the Belle Epoque using the metaphor of the green fairy.
27 Aug 2008 at 10:01 AM 7. Marc
Well, it seems that the marketers of fake (i.e.Czech) “absinth” are monitoring the blogs to try and put their spin on the absinthe revival here in the US and Europe. I’d be willing to bet “Juno” is part of a group of guerilla marketers flooding any blog mention of absinthe. Never mind that current scientific testing of pre-ban absinthes have proven that the thujone theory is dead as a doornail. Never mind that the theory of Dr. Arnold was just that, a theory on the estimated thujone content of pre-ban absinthe and, he admits, never actually tested any absinthe for thujone. Be wary of any of these marketers spewing pseudo-scientific posts that try to prove that any of the new absinthes on the market are not real absinthes. Real absinthe tastes good, and doesn’t need a schlocky “fire ritual” to try to sell itself. Also, keep in mind that since here in the USA, there is no type or standard as to what can be put into a bottle and called absinthe. There are several “absinthes” on the market right now in the USA that, in my opinion, are not absinthe at all, and are hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product and cash in on the rising popularity of this historic drink.
27 Aug 2008 at 11:39 AM 8. Juno
“There are several “absinthes” on the market right now in the USA that, in my opinion, are not absinthe at all, and are hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product and cash in on the rising popularity of this historic drink”
Please can you tell me which ones, Marc? In your opinion…
27 Aug 2008 at 12:04 PM 9. Gwydion Stone
“Juno” is an employee of a marketing firm that specializes in covert blog spamming.
Notice how he/she glosses right over the fact that pre-ban absinthe has been PROVEN to contain only trace amounts of thujone, many well within current US limits.
Studies have also shown that 19 out of 22 subjects couldn’t tell the difference between alcohol with 0, 10, or 100ppm of thujone.
Even the thujone-added Czech brands of “absinthe” which contain up to 100 ppm have no more “effect” than US brands.
Get the facts:
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org
27 Aug 2008 at 1:45 PM 10. Juno
Quote: “Juno” is an employee of a marketing firm that specializes in covert blog spamming
What proof do you have to back up this outrageous allegation? What marketing firm exactly? You should not make allegations about people, Mr Stone. Think before you write.
Pre-Ban absinthe has not been PROVEN to contain only trace amounts of thujone. The flawed report that you are using to make this claim has already been shown to be wrong using a basic test:
“Thujone is fairly volatile (BP 84 °C), and this small aliphatic ketone can be assumed to be rather reactive. We prepared a fresh 100-ppm standard of α-thujone (Aldrich 89231; 1058112 24706082) in a 50% ethanol/water solution to quantify levels of thujone in wormwood samples. The standard was stored in several tightly sealed glass vials to be used at a later date. After four months, these standards were found to contain less than 10 ppm thujone when compared with a freshly prepared solution”
It begs the question why you choose to make these claims. Perhaps because you are the manufacturer of a brand called “Marteau Absinthe de la Belle Epoque”?
If absinthe from the Belle Epoque era did contain levels of around 260ppm thujone – as has been suggested by Dr Arnold of The University of Kansas – then this would be s problem, no?
I look forward to hearing from Marc which brands of TTB approved absinthe are “hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product” and why. Out of interest do you share this opinion, Mr Stone?
Thanks.
27 Aug 2008 at 11:31 PM 11. Gwydion Stone
You are aware that the source of your citation is the very study you call “flawed”, aren’t you?
All this citation suggests is that a fresh, undistilled thujone solution will decrease in concentration after four months, which means that all that alleged “100 ppm” absinthe sitting around in your warehouse is about 3 ppm by now.
On the other hand, absinthes properly distilled strictly according to 19th century formulas and processes—unsurprisingly—contain levels precisely similar to those of analyzed pre-ban samples.
Maybe you guys should try that distillation thing, instead of running affiliate sites.
28 Aug 2008 at 3:46 AM 12. Juno
When thujone degrades – it does – the following chemicals are produced see “Stability of Pulegone and Thujone in Ethanolic Solution”, Frölich and Shibamoto (1990)
“Under variable light and temperature conditions, pH values, and ethanol concentrations, the degradation products formed from the above chemicals were (E)- and (2)-isopulegone, the stereoisomer 8-hydroxy-p-menthones, 8-hy- dro~y-A*(~)-p-menthen-3-0ne, the stereoisomer3-methyl-7-methylenebicyclo[4.2.0]octan-l-ols, and (E)- and (2)-5-methylene-6-methylhept-2-ene.”
Would it be possible to know if tests have been carried out for the presence of the above?
I am still waiting for Marc to name and shame those TTB approved brands which are “hijacking the name of absinthe just to sell a product” and why. I am also waiting to learn if you share this opinion.
Your bizzare personal allegations are amusing but wrong. Absinthe should be fun and you certainly contribute to the laughs! Keep it up, you never know what it might lead to.
28 Aug 2008 at 1:39 PM 13. oregoncoastgirl
Wow. Not the discussion I’d hoped to/ thought I’d see when I clicked through from my RSS reader.
Good job, Morgenthaler. You have people talking. Somewhat.
29 Aug 2008 at 2:20 AM 14. Gwydion Stone
Not to discredit Jeffrey, but this blog spammer hits every blog and news article that mentions absinthe. He/she works for a marketing company that runs affiliate websites selling fake absinthe by using thujone as a marketing gimmick, targeted at gullible druggies.
Once the word started spreading that they were hawking fake crap, they resorted to guerrilla marketing in blogs in a desperate attempt to shore up the waning belief in the thujone hoax.
“Under variable light and temperature conditions,”
Perhaps you’d be so kind as to favor us with a description of those conditions, and which of them apply to absinthes which have been stored in wine cellars for 90 years.
And I’m waiting for you to tell us what happens to a mere 100ppm after sitting in a clear bottle for four months.
Oh, you already did. You pointed out that after only four months it’s down to 10ppm. That suggests that a “100ppm” “absinthe” cannot be relied upon to actually contain that advertised 100ppm.
Like I’ve said countless times: thujone level is irrelevant to the quality of absinthe.
29 Aug 2008 at 5:10 AM 15. Kelsey Crenshaw
The first 4 comments are all about taste and history. Now I keep getting updates sent to my email about how some people have nothing better to do than up each other on the thujone levels in absinthe, There are way more things that are green to worry about in this world. I’m wondering why some people are so concerned with this post. I’m not that concerned about the levels of thujone in my absinthe. I know I’ve probably ingested at least 4,000 flies and other nasties in my life just from what the FDA allows in food. How about pollution, bleach in the water supply, air quality? I drink absinthe for the taste and history. If I wanted to get High I’d smoke weed!!!!!!!