opinionated alchemist

 I have just watched how Martini produces their vermouths. It is extremely interesting. I always thought, that the company is using extracts of herbs which they just purchase externally. However I could learn, that they are making their own botanical spirit and adding this to the wine. It is for sure different than vermouth producers which are aging the neutral alcohol (or the wine) with the botanicals - but the method is different - not necessarily worse.  However this video sparked a question to me: what makes a good Martini cocktail.  First thing (sorry Martini & Rossi) - is a good vermouth. While Martini Rosso is not bad at all - and their Riserva Products are even quite good, I wouldn’t really suggest to use the normal Extra Dry. The Ambrato? Maybe - or Noilly Prat. Or Dolin Extra Dry... But here is the thing: how much vermouth are you using? Now we are arguing since decades about the ratio. Bat you know, what we haven’t really put into consideration: the gin!...

Look - there are a ton of recipes out there to make an Espresso-Vodka (aka Espresso Martini). It is a drink which gets into its 30's  but it is still very popular. Why I do pick it up now? Because of the brilliant video below of "How to Drink". Even those folks are often a bit off - the videos are brilliantly entertaining - and more often than not inspirational. What more to say? First of all the elephant in the room (which more and more is accepted by a lot of bartenders - but it is and stays an elephant in the room): The Espresso-Vodka (the original name of the EM) is not   a martini cocktail! Please, please, please - stop to mix up and confuse categories of drinks with the glasses they are served in (or other common denominators). A warthog is not an elephant - only because of its tusks (and the fact that it is a mammal, has 4 legs, 2 eyes, a small tail - you get it). How stupid would it be to assume that one animal is another animal only because o...

I am often really annoyed when I see people, making cocktails (blogging about cocktails, etc.). Look, I love cocktail culture - I believe, that it is worth to be preserved. And I believe, that there has to be respect - because otherwise there won’t be anything to be preserved. The Mojito is one drink, which gets molested all the time. And people don’t get it: there are drinks, which were consumed in a civilized environment (bars) - by more or less civilized people (at least they are civilized in the setting). And there are peasant drinks. A peasant drink can be great - I don’t judge, which drink is better - but latter is far more adaptable to changes. Comparing the Mojito versus the Caipirinha is pretty obvious: the Mojito is a bar drink. Very soon after its creation, it has been consumed in Cuba’s most recognized bars - probably by the most famous people at its time. Against that, the Caipirinha has been a drink of farmers and workers in Brazil. The difference is a pretty big...

via http://www.mountaindew.com/labelseries/ There is surprisingly less “soda variety” in the UAE - given, that a big part of the population doesn’t drink alcohol. The sin tax, which has been introduced in late 2017 didn’t helped the “soda game” (and admittedly I have to teeth-gnashingly agree, that it is a good thing: diabetes and other sugar related diseases are in the raise - especially here);  but yet in a country, which isn’t “fueled on beer and wine” there not much to choose from. Sure - there is Pepsi and Coca Cola - and their different flavors and products. But even my loved cherry coke (and strangely enough Pepsi Wild Cherry - I really like it - while I totally reject normal Pepsi) is a rather scare sighting. And yes - there is Canada Dry, Schweppes and Evervess (who needs this??) and occasionally Fevertree... Being part of the Pepsi-Co empire, Mountain Dew can be found here everywhere. Some specific varieties are though only obtainable in Petrol Stations...

Usually I am more into education and more into R&D when it comes to my blog. However every now and then, a product lands in my hands, which is remarkable (or the opposite) - and there it certainly calls for a review. Today it is a waiter’s knife. First off all let’s determine what it is: a waiter’s knife, waiter’s key, waiter’s friend - you can call it also just bottle opener (used in professional environments - usually the home bottle openers are designed differently). I have owned and bought in my career dozens if not 100’s of openers. Just like pens (in hospitality), you need them, but also quickly “loose” them. Colleagues (and at times guests) are “borrowing them” and don’t return them. You are forgetting them in your laundry and they get lost there, or they drop just out of your pocket on a very busy and tiresome day. Hence if you are not a sommelier in a high profile fine dining environment - where you can consistently take 100% care of your stuff - or if you are jus...

So Adam Teeter on Vinepair.com made a case, that Tennessee whisky isn’t Bourbon - due to the charcoal mellowing process. I have already debunked it before:  Is Jack Daniel's a Bourbon Whiskey? However since then, there is more circumstantial evidence, why Tennessee whisky isn’t an unique “denomination of origin (or simply a official style on its own): As mentioned: It is listed under NAFTA as Bourbon There is no specifications under the TTB Other (official)) Bourbons are using also a similar charcoal mellowing process (e.g. Evan Williams black label). Now these points are not mentioned in the previous article: At least Prichard’s, one more boutique Tennessee brand, is not using The Lincoln County Process (charcoal mellowing) - yet are officially considered Tennessee whiskey! That takes eradicates the argument, that Tennessee whiskey is a style! Jack Daniel’s also offers now a (Single Barrel) Rye Whiskey. Yeah - they are calling it Tennessee Rye Whiskey - but as...