Curing What Ails You

Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic has written about a topic that I've been sort of channeling the past four weeks: patent medicine.  Oils, cures, tonics, bitters.  I, for one, follow Alexis for his discussions of technology (he is, after all, the technology editor).  But having just participated in a course detailing the universe of bitters, it felt serendipitous. 

The antiquated look and charm of these products from that era can be seen in our time, as Alexis explains.  From what I can see, our society has evolved to the point that it repackages the historical.  Consumers are looking for the "authentic."  Some sell their goods as an authentic experience, and its very profitable (see Joseph Pine's discussion of this at TED).  Home-made bitters in a bar that specializes in hand-crafted cocktails is an example of that.  Some businesses just apply this idea farther than others.

Interestingly, the owners of Tonic (where I am employed) seem to fancy that Vaudevillian, side-show, snake-oil salesman motif.  Bottles of patent medicines can be found decorating the building.  It is a successful concept.  They did own and operated one of the district's beloved freak shows, Palace of Wonders, which I wrote about earlier this year.  I find it interesting, though, that the owners of Tonic do not accentuate their menu to this theme or draw off the consumer's desire for that authentic, patent medicine-related product.  Imagine the possibilities with cocktails.  From my vantage point, this appears to be a missed opportunity.

The Columbia Room: Bitters Class Part II

We returned to The Columbia Room for the second part of Derek Brown's bitters class.  In the last session, we discussed the basic composition and process for building a bitters baseline.  The topic of the evolution bitters in the first class was followed up by a discussion in the second class about the turning point for bitters.  That turning point was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. 

It seems the implementation of this legislation, as well as the Volstead Act fourteen years later, in many ways rendered most of the bitters business unsustainable.  Naturally, as time progressed, the ingredient lost prominence among bartenders.

Until recently...

Anyway, as with our last session, cocktails were prepared to exemplify the many applications of bitters.  Derek's associate, JP Fetherston, prepared the second session's refreshments.  As he prepared, it was noted that Fetherston spends a noble amount of time experimenting and advancing the craft of the bar.  The first tipple that he presented us was The 4th Regiment Cocktail.

The 4th Regiment Cocktail 

- 1 oz rye whiskey
- 1 oz of sweet vermouth
- 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters
- 1 dash of orange bitters
- 1 dash of celery bitters

Glassware: chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass

Combine ingredients in a glass with ice and stir. Pour into a chilled glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy.

What makes The 4th Regiment Cocktail a great volunteer for the class is how the drinker is left having to peel back the different layers of flavor.  And the most notorious flavor in the bunch seems to have been delivered in some part by the celery flavored bitters.  The uniqueness of the celery bitters with the robustness of the sweet vermouth is very clever. 

We discussed the flavor profile of the 100 proof vodka used for the maceration process after sampling it.  Derek never resists involving his audience in any degustative experience.  This inclination is a hint about the world in which Brown lives.  Everything must be examined.  Take nothing simply at face-value.

As an intermission, Fetherston prepared to demonstrate an aspect of the so-called molecular gastronomy using nothing more than an iSi whip cream dispenser.  If you are very familiar with these devices, I ask you: is there any trick this tool cannot perform?  Any person who knows the method by which Jose Andres creates his spherification masterpiece, the mojito, will understand why I ask.

 

And Mr. Fetherston himself is indeed impressive.  He treated the class to a demonstration of instant or rapid-fusion; a concept borrowed from Cooking Issues and mentioned here.  Within minutes,a few ounces of neutral grain spirit had the rich citrus-orange flavor as though it had been there from the very beginning.

When the time finally came, the host and his assistant prepared the bitter and aromatic ingredients for the students to begin the task of creating their own bitters.  Derek encouraged each person to strike his or her own preferred balance by adding more of the former or the latter from their respective pitchers.  Regardless of the amounts, the idea seemed to be control - greater control over the process by initially maintaining two seperate bodies of flavor.

Most of us seemed to pour equal amounts from the aromatic pitcher and the bitter pitcher.  Then, the various extracts and syrups were passed around for possible inclusion into the mixture.  I went with tamarind.

Satisfied with the tamarind flavor, I escalated the water content to dilute the concoction and brighten it up slightly.  As a proof of concept, it worked. 

Derek concluded his lesson and each student took with him or her a customized jar of bitters.  While everyone drifted away, I lingered with the two mixologists on a tangent and was tempted to bait them into extending the hour.  Instead, I knew I'd have another chance and saved any wandering inquiry for another appointment. 

In the coming weeks, I hope to venture into the cola bitters process.  If successful, I'll experiment with a malty cousin to the cola and beer beverages.  This soft drink has such a vexing flavor that I have not had the courage to bring it anyone's taste buds as a cocktail.  Stay tuned.

Thanks again to Derek Brown, Angie Salame, JP Fetherston, Katie Nelson, and Adriana Salame-Aspiazu for flawlessly executing an educational (and entertaining) set of classes.   

The Columbia Room: Bitters Class Part I

In the summer of 2010, I missed several opportunities to secure a spot in one of Derek Brown's classes in the Columbia Room. The class was a tutorial on everything bitters. A wait-list was available which I joined. And in September, Derek revealed the dates for the fall/winter bitters classes (there are two sessions to fulfill the entire lesson). I eagerly signed up and prepared to absorb as much as possible about one of the most mysterious items in American taverns, even to many barkeeps themselves.

Bitters once occupied a realm in society that is somewhat recognizable to the contemporary imbiber: snake oils, tonics, curatives, et cetera. In other words, they supposedly supplied a remedy by which human beings could affect their "humors" and, by consequence, their constitution. An assertion, Derek noted, that has since been discredited.

But what about the bar?

Like the Archaeopteryx to rest of the dinosaurs, bitters sits perched on the bar shelf like some transitional fossil from the cretaceous epoch. Never truly concluded on whether it is a spirit or some kind of condiment, some bartenders pretend it's not even a part of their cache of ingredients. I guess some could say bitters became lost.
        

But as Bob Dylan once said: the times they are a-changin'. Clientele are becoming more aware of a whole market of bitters brands besides the ubiquitous Angostura. They are being exposed now to mixologists who specialize in different iterations of bitters. Among the more unconventional examples, successful flavors include tobacco, leather, cola, and cannabis. That’s right… cannabis.
             

Students took their seats to place-setting of raw materials. From the top left, down: bitter orange peel, anise, caraway, cinnamon. From the top right, down: gentian root, dandelion, quassia bark, wormwood. Together, Derek told us, these elements constituted the greatest commonality between the various bitters.

The class was a whirlwind of information for booze lovers. All the while, the two darling assistants, Katie Nelson and Adriana Salame-Aspiazu, fashioned the students a bourbon-based drink called the Seelbach:

The Seelbach

- 1 oz bourbon whiskey

- 1/2 oz curacao

- 7 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

- 7 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice. Strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with sparkling white wine. Garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy.

      

 A Manhattan cocktail without bitters is kind of like the Manhattan island without skyscrapers: flat. Derek demonstrated this feeling perfectly serving his class two Manhattans, one with and one without bitters. Any student could have distinguished the richness of the beverage by studying the color alone. The Manhattan with bitters possessed a robust amber pigment while the one without appeared pale and sickly (but still consumable... it is whiskey after all).

Amazingly, the drink sans the spice tasted neutered and absent of the savory flavor that makes the Manhattan sui generis. The point was made and the significance of bitters began to take root, so to speak.
 

 

The final cocktail of the evening (at least as far as this bitters class was concerned) rested on a full 1 1/2 oz of Angostura Sour.  While that amount was quite the declension from the typical amount of bitters used, I was captivated by the concept.  The volume of the Angostura and the inclusion of a small egg white, among the other ingredients, demonstrated a pleasantly unique taste. 

"Let's taste them all together," Derek concluded as he passed around each bottle in his menagerie of bitters. He encouraged everyone to dribble a few drops of the ink-like liquid onto their hands to try. Impressive as Derek is at crafting a drink, his incredible generosity and curiosity far outshines the talent or the attention to detail he so obviously possesses.  He also has to be one of the tidiest bartenders I have ever met. 

Sadly, the class was running close to its allotted time. Each bittering agent was added to vodka (a neutral grain spirit) for maceration. In two weeks, when we return to the Columbia Room, Derek will resume the final half of the lesson with home-made bitters.  Look for Part II of this post in the weeks ahead.

I am really hoping the lesson will include a detailed unit on that cannabis bitters.  Maybe, just maybe, if I wish hard enough…