If there’s one thing I hate about living in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the stretch of time from late October until late June, when the sun makes only the most occasional of appearances. I typically pack on an extra 10-15 pounds during those rainy months, party due to over-consumption of wintertime drinks like dark beer, egg nog, hot-buttered-anything and wassail. I wanted a drink for the winter that I could add to my cocktail menu that was more like the light, café-style cocktails I typically gravitate to during the summer.
Jerry Thomas prescribed a drink called “sangaree” that, to the best of our knowledge was a colonial adaptation of the Spanish “sangria”. The recipe, which calls for anywhere from 1½ to 4 ounces of port, Madeira, gin or brandy dolled up with sugar and dusted with nutmeg in a glass sounded less than exciting to me, but the challenge of updating this old chestnut sounded like a fun January task.
We began with ruby and tawny ports but found both way too sweet. White port got us much closer to our target, but it wasn’t until a healthy dose of dry vermouth was applied that we knew we were on to something. To provide additional depth and hint at the drink’s colonial origins we sweetened with a maple-nutmeg syrup and finished the whole thing off with a teaspoon of allspice liqueur and orange oil.
The Dry Vermouth Sangaree
3 oz dry vermouth
½ oz maple-nutmeg syrup*
1 tsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 large strip orange peel
Shake everything – yes, even the orange peel – with ice until well-chilled and strain into a cold cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh strip of orange peel.
*To make maple-nutmeg syrup, combine 8 ounces each of Grade B maple syrup and water, and 1 tbsp freshly-grated nutmeg. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Let cool, strain out solids, bottle and chill.
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.
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 debate rages on: Should we try to look cool and crack open the Boston shaker or be tidy professionals and use the Hawthorne strainer the way God intended? Be sure to leave your two cents in the comments section.
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.
I’m a big fan of my friend Eric Tecosky and his company, Dirty Sue. So when he asked me to judge the upcoming Dirty Sue Cocktail Competition, I accepted without hesitation. Also, he’d just said some nice things about me on the internet, so I felt obliged.
Anyway, here’s the deal. Grab yourself a bottle of Eric’s Dirty Sue Olive Juice and whip up an original creation that uses at least ¼ ounce of the stuff. Then send your creation to info at dirtysue.com
Then Eric’s going to strip all your names off of the submissions, send them to me, and I’m going to make each one in my kitchen and pass them around my apartment to my friends. We’ll critique and belittle your creations, all the while trying to stay coherent enough to grade them and select the best drink recipes.
The first place winner will win $250, a year’s supply of Dirty Sue, and some Dirty Sue merchandise, which I can personally attest is pretty sweet – seriously. Second place gets a hundred bucks and some merch. Third place? I’ll publish your recipe here on my website. Sweet deal, see more info below.
Comments
17 Responses to “I’m Bored, Give Me Something to Do”
Pearl Specialty might have it, and if you live near a Cost Plus, they tend to carry it. However, I’m trying to get Mr. Tecosky to chime in here and answer all of your questions.
Thanks for the direct question and opportunity to start a nice pitch! The olive juice in 99% of olive jars is a low grade pack brine, meant only to keep the olives from drying out and rotting. Once FDR decided to add some to his martini, jars began to be drained. Dirty Sue is twice filtered premium olive brine (olive juice). I would liken it to using fresh squeezed orange juice vs. a carton of juice from concentrate. Besides the upgrade in quality, bartenders can enjoy the ease of use – put a pour spout on and away you go. Also, by not draining olive jars, bars and home users can keep their olive fresh instead of having a jar full of rotting olives with no brine. And how many times has a bartender heard, “I want my martini filthy,” only to realize you’ve come to the last drops of olive juice. Now you have to run back to the store room, fumble with that gallon jar and waste time to make the drink. Hope this info helps.
Cheers,
Eric
Why not muddle an olive? Forget the brine. I eat the olives, why not drink them? It’s something about the pimento, brine and olive I think, but who am I anyway?
Just know when you come across that one recipe thats 2oz. Dirty Sue, .5oz. Fernet, & .5oz campari, please enjoy.
26 Mar 2009 at 9:44 am 16. joshua
you guys and girls are missing out! the best drink is the good ole fashioned screwdriver with a hint of peppermint and just a little bit of blueberry juice!!!
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20 Feb 2009 at 4:50 pm 1. Craig Hermann
My good sir, could you recommend any Portland locations where we could purchase Dirty Sue Olive Juice?
20 Feb 2009 at 4:55 pm 2. dshenaut
Where do we get it? F6 D
20 Feb 2009 at 5:00 pm 3. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Pearl Specialty might have it, and if you live near a Cost Plus, they tend to carry it. However, I’m trying to get Mr. Tecosky to chime in here and answer all of your questions.
20 Feb 2009 at 5:07 pm 4. Eric Tecosky
Hey guys,
If you are in the Portland area, try Oregon Liquor Stores or World Market or contact our distributor – Lucky 7…
caseythomas@wbcable.net
He can either direct you or deliver to you.
If you’re lazy and don’t like to leave the house, try Amazon.com or many other web retailers.
Hope that helps. Cheers, Eric
20 Feb 2009 at 6:35 pm 5. the modern serf
you know, a lot of folks have been saying that vinegar is the hot ingredient this year, but i bet that brine’s the thing for ‘09.
Dirty Negroni, all the way.
20 Feb 2009 at 7:10 pm 6. Jeff Frane
I wish not to be a dumbarse, but what the [] is Dirty Sue Olive Juice and why would I not just pour something out of a jar of olives instead?
21 Feb 2009 at 12:08 am 7. Jessica Hutchinson
That stuff just caught my eye at Pearl Specialty yesterday!
21 Feb 2009 at 2:03 pm 8. Eric Tecosky
For Jeff Frane,
Thanks for the direct question and opportunity to start a nice pitch! The olive juice in 99% of olive jars is a low grade pack brine, meant only to keep the olives from drying out and rotting. Once FDR decided to add some to his martini, jars began to be drained. Dirty Sue is twice filtered premium olive brine (olive juice). I would liken it to using fresh squeezed orange juice vs. a carton of juice from concentrate. Besides the upgrade in quality, bartenders can enjoy the ease of use – put a pour spout on and away you go. Also, by not draining olive jars, bars and home users can keep their olive fresh instead of having a jar full of rotting olives with no brine. And how many times has a bartender heard, “I want my martini filthy,” only to realize you’ve come to the last drops of olive juice. Now you have to run back to the store room, fumble with that gallon jar and waste time to make the drink. Hope this info helps.
Cheers,
Eric
22 Feb 2009 at 4:19 pm 9. d.clark
um…”brine in ‘09″? I think I like it!
24 Feb 2009 at 11:30 am 10. Kelsey Crenshaw
Why not muddle an olive? Forget the brine. I eat the olives, why not drink them? It’s something about the pimento, brine and olive I think, but who am I anyway?
;)
25 Feb 2009 at 4:15 pm 11. Jimi Jambu
does anyone know any UK suppliers?
25 Feb 2009 at 5:59 pm 12. Eric Tecosky
Hey Jimi,
We are not distributed in the UK just yet. You may want to try Amazon and see if they will ship there.
Best,
Eric
28 Feb 2009 at 7:17 am 13. Adam
I carry Dirty Sue in my store in the Boston area, but if folks are having issues tracking DS down I could ship it out to you.
Webstore isn’t up yet (SOON!), so it isn’t a click-n-order – but if you contact me via the website we can work it out.
Also carry other cocktail goodness (tools, ingredients and books – no booze) for those in need.
Cheers!
a.
28 Feb 2009 at 2:18 pm 14. Eric Tecosky
Thanks Adam. Here’s another great spot on the web -
Ultimatebarchef.com
02 Mar 2009 at 5:55 pm 15. Kevin Langmack
Just know when you come across that one recipe thats 2oz. Dirty Sue, .5oz. Fernet, & .5oz campari, please enjoy.
26 Mar 2009 at 9:44 am 16. joshua
you guys and girls are missing out! the best drink is the good ole fashioned screwdriver with a hint of peppermint and just a little bit of blueberry juice!!!
26 Mar 2009 at 9:45 am 17. joshua
but kevin has a good choice as well!!!