18 Under 30 Part 6 & 7: Bitter Truth Travellers Set /Glenfarclas 10 Year Old

Christmas shopping in Central London is probably one of the most unfulfilling experiences one can ever live through.  Granted, only an idiot would decide to leave it until the eleventh hour, but we've all been there- (if not in London, then A.N.Other major city) sharing the desperation of similarly frantic shoppers, as they flail about looking for gifts that look thoughtful, but don't smack of 'last minute'.

This year, I decided to buck my rather lackadaisical approach to present buying and popped down to Oxford Street at 10.30am today-  and imagine my surprise!  The high street was practically empty, with the likes of Debenhams, Selfridges and John Lewis (all gleaming meccas for the terrified Christmas shopper) perfectly accessible and dare I say it - enjoyable...  Once inside, I managed to get pretty much everything that was troubling me before 11.15, just in time to celebrate with a 'Six Item' breakfast and a pot of tea -  extraordinary.

Of course, there are many other things on my Christmas list that require a little more effort than simply heading to a department store and seeing what takes one's fancy.  On the liquid front, I've already placed my order for a few exciting christmas wines, some wonderful tawny port (which will be one of our forthcoming 18 Under 30 editions)  and this year's edition of Ballantine's Christmas Reserve (the last two editions have come to symbolise the flavours of Christmas in the Caskstrength office, alongside the classic Snowball cocktail and box of 'Eat Me' dates.) It seems that Christmas Reserve is a little tricky to track down in the UK this year (and also a smudge over £30) but for all you festive fans who live across Continental Europe, China, Taiwan Thailand and Mexico, your luck's in and from the sample we recently tasted, this year's batch is rather superb.

For this post however, we're focusing on things that are much easier to obtain, yet equally exciting.

The Bitter Truth are two very talented chaps based in Germany, who back in 2006 decided to revolutionise the fairly stagnant cocktail bitters market by drawing on a wealth of research into the history of these essential high strength elixirs.  After creating a big buzz amongst bartenders across the globe with their our personal favourite,  Professor Gerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters (based on a recipe used in the 1860s by the seminal US bartender of the same name), the guys went on to produce probably the ultimate collection of bitters for the aspiring home bartender -  the Traveller's Set. 

Here, five 10cl bottles of their most exciting flavours are tastefully packaged up, giving you the opportunity to experience just how different varieties of bitters can have a profound effect on the type of drink you're making.  From celery and chocolate to creole-influenced flavours, this set works with just about any spirit you can think of (the chocolate bitters will transform anything using tequila and add a wonderful aromatic note to rum cocktails) and the beauty is that it will probably last you till next Christmas - we're still using one from 18 months ago and we drink A LOT of cocktails in our office!

Our recommendation is to try spicing up your Whisky Sour or Manhattan with a dew dashes of the creole and the orange bitters -  also using a sherried Scotch whisky in place of a bourbon or rye- (yes, purists out there will say that this is called a 'Rob Roy', but purists seldom pay for a round of drinks... and when we're buying, it's called a Manhattan.)  The results are simply superb.
This is where Glenfarclas 10 year old fits in nicely.  For an extra sherried hit, the 15 year old nails the festive flavours perfectly, but you'll be paying around £37 for the privilege.

Caskstrength Festive Manhattan (ok, Rob Roy!) using Glenfarclas 10 year old and Bitter Truth Bitters

In a mixing glass, add:  50ml Glenfarclas 15 yo, 25ml sweet vermouth (Martini Rosso is an excellent choice, but for a spicier, more aromatic note seek out Punt e Mes) 3 dashes of creole bitters and 2 dashes of orange bitters)  

Add fresh ice and stir for around 20-25 seconds, until the drink is chilled and nicely diluted (but not too watery) and strain into a chilled Martini or Coupe glass.  Express a little orange zest over the glass and garnish with a sumptuous Luxardo Marischino cherry.  

The Bitter Truth Cocktail Bitters Traveller's Set is available for £16.29 at The DrinkShop. Click here for more details.

Glenfarclas 10 year old is available for under £30 here and here.

Time To Get Soured Up....

Somewhere on the internet, there must be a calendar, which is solely dedicated to the celebration of significant dates for drinks. If there isn't, i'll offer to create one!!

What I mean is that pretty much every week, there's a new National 'insert drink name here' Day or an important birthday, which gets PR teams around the globe in a frenzy, with 5 good reasons why you should be celebrating with a bottle of their spirit. At Caskstrength, we recently celebrated National Absinthe Day (even though it appeared it was just in the USA), Black Tot Day, the tragic loss of rum from our Naval Fleets and even International Pisco Fortnight.

Ok, we made the last one up, but yesterday another one landed in our inbox, which on face value looked like cynical ploy to part with your hard earned cash to celebrate another spirit.

But wait! We actually took notice of this one. Partly because it involves whisky and partly because it involves caskstrength's favourite cocktail of the moment- the Whisk(e)y Sour.

Quite who defined the 25th August as 'National Whiskey Sour Day' is anyone's guess. The people behind Michael Collins Irish Whiskey were the ones blowing the party streamers and it all sounds pretty made up, but then again, who cares! Nearly every day for the last 2 weeks has been National Whisky Sour Day in Caskstrength Towers - a small surplus of both blended whiskies and single malts had been accumulating on the sideboard and Mrs Caskstrength was starting to get a little antsy. What better way than to have a 'Sour Off'

Recipe No. 1 Classic Whisky Sour, using Johnnie Walker Black Label

2 measures Johnnie Walker Black Label

1 measure freshly squeezed lemon Juice

1/2 measure of plain sugar syrup (home made)

1/2 fresh egg white

Add all ingredients into a Boston Shaker and shake vigorously until frothy. Strain over ice into a chilled tumbler glass. Add 6 drops Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (or Angostura) onto the foamy top. This allows a wonderful permeation of aromatic flavour throughout the drink...(many thanks to Mark Jenner at the Coburg for this great tip)

Garnish with a twist of Lemon peel and if so desired, a cocktail cherry. Whisky Exchange do Griottes, which are superb and far cheaper than Griottines (amazing flavour for a cocktail cherry, but 3 times the price!)

I don't think you can really go wrong with this recipe. The addition of the egg white into the cocktail shaker gives a fabulous creamy froth. I have taken to part whisking the egg white first, then adding into the shaker, but it's really however you prefer it. A simple, yet wonderfully refreshingly rich/aromatic and sharp drink indeed. The Johnnie Walker doesn't overpower the other flavours, giving a slightly smoky note, with some rich butteriness to boot.

Recipe No.2 Whisky Sour, using Smokehead

1.5

measures Smokehead

1 measure freshly squeezed lemon Juice

1/2 measure of honey syrup (home made)

1/2 fresh egg white

several dashes of Angostura Bitters

As the whisky is quite dominant, you don't need as much, but this offers a slightly different take on the classic. Worth trying with the honey syrup too.

Recipe No. 3 Whisky Sour, using a sherried Speyside - the wonderful Glenrothes 1985

2 measures The Glenrothes 1985

1 measure freshly squeezed lemon Juice

1/2 measure of dark orange marmalade syrup (home made)

1/2 fresh egg white

3 dashes of Fee Brothers Whisky Barrel Aged Bitters

Garnish with a slice of slightly burnt orange zest. The wonderful orange aromas blend extremely well with the fruity, bittersweet Glenrothes and the whisky barrel bitters give a really spicy, woody note.

Happy National Whisky Sour Day!!

Looking forward to 'International Manhattan Month'....

New for 2010

Hello folks, - we're back in the land of the living now, after a tremendous Christmas and new year. Before we commence with our glad tidings for 2010, I was going to post details of a New Year's Eve whisky cocktail which went down well at our festive celebratory party, but I completely forgot, so here's the recipe:

Based on the premise of a baked apple, I fancied trying to get that fruity, buttery, boozy, aromatic flavour into a glass, reminding me of a great childhood dessert. Have a go and see what you think - I was calling this the 'Baked Winter Apple', for lack of a better name!

50ml Clynelish 14 yo, infused with butter. (basically, heat the whisky gently in a pan, adding a small nob of butter) Chill and then filter off the extra fatty bits with a mini sieve when making the cocktail.

30ml pressed apple juice (cloudy style)

25ml quality English cider

15ml maple syrup (for an extra-sweet treat, try making a rich Muscovado sugar syrup to use instead!)

15ml fresh lemon Juice

3 dashes of Boker's or similar cardamom bitters

1 dash of Aromatic bitters (Bitter Truth or Angostura)

2 Bar spoons of egg white (to give you a lovely froth)

Shake with lots of ice and serve in chilled Martini glasses, garnished with a thin slice of apple on the side (which you've pre-rubbed around the rim of the glass) and a grating of nutmeg.

The bitters, syrup and the butter-infused whisky all combine really well with the aroma and flavour of the apple. After a couple by the fire, I was definitely transported back to the Ridley homestead and my mother's baked apple dessert!!

Anyway... Happy New Year! hope you had a great Christmas and are now preparing for a productive 2010- here at Caskstrength we certainly are.

This year, will be endeavoring to bring you even more new whisky reviews, interviews and a couple of new sections- as well as some guest posts from several friends of ours (more to come soon!)

Also stay tuned for a special Bruichladdich tasting special, as well as some super releases from Berry Brothers & Rudd and, (with any luck) a feature on the first English whisky for 100 years, St Georges. As soon as we can get the horseless carriage running, we'll be taking a trip out to Norfolk to see for ourselves just what all the fuss is about!

Until then, we'll leave you with something we got to grips with over the festive period. Having rated the 1989 and 1990 editions highly, we were eager to try this, the most recent bottling.

Lagavulin - Distillers Edition - Distilled 1993 - bottled 2009 - 43%

Nose: Classic, sweet Laga smoke, with a hint of carbolic soap and some stewed apple (perhaps another whisky to try in the above cocktail, eh!). The finishing hasn't dominated the whisky at all, adding a little musty PX sherry cask notes but it remains extremely well balanced.

Palate: Demerera sweetness enters the palate first, which definitely indicates how active the sherry has been, but this soon subsides into some menthol, then a wonderfully fudge'y peat flavour, some cereals and a little fruity note- again baked /stewed apple. Really festive and simply delicious.

Finish: Apple and demerera/muscovado notes, lead into a full flavoured and lengthy finish.

Overall: I picked this up at duty free on the way back from edinburgh before Christmas and have waited patiently for the right time to open- it was a perfect wintry, holiday dram and is certainly helping me ease into a new year, which holds much promise.

Anyone got any resolutions? This year, I only have 2.

1. To master the Flugelhorn
2. To try more whisky like this....

Have a great 2010 readers and here's to a year of stupendous whiskies!!

And now for something completely different...

Recently, i've been installing a home bar at caskstrength HQ, partly to appease Mrs Caskstrength, who was beginning to resent losing her living room to half empty bottles and boxes of varying age, description and aroma. But mainly i'd fancied trying my hand out at a few old cocktails in the correct surroundings, after a chance encounter with a certain Professor Jerry Thomas.

You see, to the uninitiated, Mr Thomas can probably be described as the godfather of the cocktail, the pioneer of many of our most sacred and classic drinks, still enjoyed around the world today.
His book, 'The Bartenders Guide- How To Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant's Companion' was recently reissued and is a truly remarkable read. more about this in a minute...

I fancied designing a saloon style affair in the back of the house and busily started spec'ing everything up, until I realised it was financially impossible to replicate the famous Harry's bar in Venice.



So, on the friendly advice of a neighbour, I found a rather splendid early 50's cocktail bar which fitted perfectly into the allotted space. Glassware was duly purchased, alongside some vintage cocktail shakers and the accoutrements needed for turning out some classics. Now all I needed was some recipes... Enter Mr Thomas and his wonderful 'Saratoga Pousse-Cafe', created in roughly 1862... Here's how I got on...

For this 'fancy cocktail', I had originally followed the recipe to the letter, using a 'fine old brandy' as the main spirit, but i think I preferred the Mark II, in which I used a 'fine old whisky' - namely a generous measure of Balvenie Portwood finish.

Saratoga Pousse-Cafe - discovered by Mr Jerry Thomas and duly tinkered with by me.

One-fifth Curaco,(well I plumped for Absinthe)
One-fifth Benedictine,
One-fifth Raspberry syrup (crushed fresh raspberries with a little plain sugar syrup)
Two-fifth's fine old whisky (something fruity and a little old works extremely well)
One teaspoon of vanilla cordial on top. (i didnt have one, so mixed a small amount of vanilla essence with plain sugar syrup)

The essence of a 'pousse' is apparently to try to keep all the ingredients separate in the glass and requires a 'steady hand and careful manipulation'

After delicately layering the ingredients in a small wineglass, I came up with this... Not bad I thought for my first attempt!



The essence is to apparently achieve a fine rainbow like appearance. Nearly there I think!!

Next time- see me attempting Jerry Thomas' signature cocktail- 'The Blue Blazer'- for those of a nervous disposition, it will involve setting fire to some whisky....