Bigscotty Drinks

I usually don’t kick things off with cocktails (and sweet cocktails at that), but here we go.

Pisco Punch
I’ve been trying to dial in my recipe for Pisco Sours, and thought I’d change gears a little bit by ordering a Pisco Punch at Las Primas on North Williams (they seem to have no web site). The Pisco Punch (or this Pisco Punch) was just way too sweet, and I’m guessing that it was the sugar or a sugary syrup mix or possibly sweetened pineapple juice. It’s supposed to be a sweet drink, but this was so sweet that I just didn’t like it. Finishing it was work. The food at Las Primas is well worth exploring and the sangria is a nice balance of flavors and sweetness. I recommend the Butifarra sandwich, and a churro (or two). I’m not sure how Las Primas stacks up to real Peruvian street food, but we’ll be finding out in September.

Springtime in Paris
St. Germain, rhubarb bitters and champagne. I’m always game to try anybody’s play on the French ‘75 despite the fact that it can be quite the gamble. Extra Special KDB and I tucked ourselves into The Driftwood Room after seeing a show at Artists Repertory Theatre. The main note in this cocktail was the St. Germain with the effervescence of the champagne making for easy drinking. Good stuff, but I would have liked the rhubarb bitters to be cranked just another dash for just a touch more complexity. Still, a great drink, and I was reminded of The Stones in Paris ‘76, a spin on this cocktail that I had at Beaker and Flask or Pix Patisserie…I don’t recall. I want that one again.

Portland ‘85
Another champagne cocktail with Clear Creek Pear Brandy and their Pear Liqueur. It was just too sweet and a little overwhelming on the palate. I don’t know what the ratio of ingredients was, but reducing the liquor by half and letting a little more brandy come to the front would be nice. It’s not a bad drink, but side-by-side with the Springtime in Paris, it was just too sweet.¹

And on to the beer…

Southern Oregon Brewing Na Zdravi Pils
A very light bodied pilsner with almost no sign of hoppiness until it slowly makes its presence known way in the back of the mouth. Really, really good stuff, but it looks like they’re not bottling it. Oh, and Na Zdravi is apparently Czech for Cheers!
ABV: 4.8%

As usual, I’m late to the game. I’ve always enjoyed my coffee and coffee drinks hot. The few times I wanted my coffee served cold, it always began as hot coffee or a pulled shot that was poured over ice. No more. That changed a few weeks ago.

It started when I saw a tweet about the Hourglass Coffee Maker. I did some quick research, and came to two conclusions. The second best thing about the Hourglass Coffee Maker is that it’s a stylish way to make cold brew coffee. The VERY BEST thing about the Hourglass Coffee Maker is that it’s currently backordered. That’s great, because you don’t need it. In fact, you don’t need anything passing itself off as a system for making cold brew coffee.

What you need is ground coffee, water, a french press and a little over 12 hours. A mason jar and coffee filters can stand in for the French press if you don’t have one. 

Here’s my standard brew method with an 8 cup French press (refined after about two weeks of experimentation):

1. Grind 0.25 lbs of coffee beans.
2. Place the ground beans in a French press.
3. Fill the French press half way with cold, filtered water.
4. Stir the grounds thoroughly in the water.
5. Fill the French press nearly to the top with more filtered water.
6. Cover the French press.
7. Sleep, go to work, get things done for 12 hours (or 18 or even 24 hours).
8. Drop the plunger on the French press.
9. Pour the coffee into the serving container. I use a glass tea pitcher.
10. Refill the French press with cold, filtered water.
11. Stir the grounds every 5 minutes for 30 minutes.
12. Drop the plunger on the French press.
13. Pour the coffee into the serving container, and stir.
14. Enjoy cold brewed coffee.

This method yields about 64 ounces of cold brewed coffee, and it will keep for several days. My experience though is that it doesn’t stay around very long.

My favorite way to serve it is to put ice in a large rocks glass, pour in some cold brewed coffee and float a little heavy cream on top.

NOTES:

Use a French press or glass jars. Avoid plastic.

I grind my beans at the 30 setting on a Rocky grinder. To be clear, that’s 30 if the grinder is set to true zero. If you don’t have a grinder, just grind them at the store or coffee house where you buy beans, though I’m a proponent of not grinding beans until they’re actually needed.

Just to be clear, Sanford is the ginger kitty, and Harrison is the W.H. Harrison Governor’s Reserve Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

It was Saturday, cheat day on my diet, so I wanted some bourbon. Okay, I wanted a rye, but I’d picked up the Harrison earlier in the week and thought I should give it a taste (or four).

First Taste (Neat)
My palate wanted a rye, so my split second reaction was disappointment followed by a velvety mouth feel and a spicy finish at the front of the tongue that kept heating up for several seconds. I felt guilty about that split second of disappointment, because I think this stuff delivers the best of what bourbon can offer with just enough hints at rye that it can easily please fans of both.

Second Taste (On the Rocks)
Suddenly, the spiciness is all over the palate which is very nice, but that velvety mouth feel subsides noticeably. It acts more like a rye. Yay! This taste turned into an extended few minutes with a book and extended sips.

Third Taste (Manhattan)
I totally blew the Harrison off the palate with this one using a tad too much Carpano Antica Formula.

• 2oz. Harrison
• 1oz. Antica Formula
• 2 dashes Dandelion & Burdock Bitters

Stirred with a dried fig for garnish.

Fourth Taste (Old Fashioned)
Since we’re playing with a bourbon that walks the rye line, I ended with an Old Fashioned. The Harrison holds up well, yielding an Old Fashioned that’s sweet and spicy. I had to make two…Extra Special KDB stole the first one I made.

• 2oz Harrison
• .25oz Simple Syrup
• 2 dashes Dandelion & Burdock Bitters

Muddled tangelo peel and garnish (sorry purists, it’s the only citrus I had)

Final Thoughts

I got a Batch 1 bottling that came in at 114 proof, and I’m glad I got to taste this with a few folks around. I like it, and will be playing with it some more very soon (next cheat day). I like it…a lot. The only thing I’m not sure about is the price point. At $63, I can think of 3-4 other things in the $70 range that I’d put on my shopping list above it (Thomas Handy Sazerac, Pritchards Double Barreled, Whistle Pig). If you have a well stocked cabinet, GO FOR IT. If you’re looking for some hard ‘n fast ryes, maybe skip it (if only for now). If you’re out some place that can make you an old fashioned with it, GO FOR IT.

Actually, just go for it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

The latest copy of Imbibe grabbed my attention yesterday, not so much because it’s the Southern Issue, but because of its talk on rye, Kentucky distilleries close to where I grew up, a pretty exhaustive overview of Bourbon and some cocktails that feature many of my favorite spirits

I’ll look at these in some more as the week goes by, and provide some tasting notes on a few things mentioned that I just happen to have on hand.