opinionated alchemist

Have a look on this documentary. Yeah - I know, it is very long. However it really explains, the gigantomanic madness, of creating Bacardi rum. And yes - I am still not a huge fan for Bacardi. However I just understood now, how Mr. Facundo understood [and adapted] to the alcohol industry and I am pretty impressed: Yeast management:  Beers as well as wines and other alcoholic beverages used already cultured yeasts to Facundo times [Bacardi was founded 1862] - however rum just used wild yeast. Mr. Bacardi-Masso adapted cultured yeast for his rum. Barrel management: Every barrel is different. Facundo understood that, and not only implemented a consistent blending process, but also implemented standards, how to use and process the oak [bourbon] barrels. Distillate blending [and this I really understood just now]: Bacardi is produced by two different distillates - the only one column distillation [you cannot say one time distilled, as column distillation is not batc...

There is one statement, which I directly have to do, when it comes to this topic: I hate if bartenders consistently tasting all their drinks! And even worse is, when the rest of the staff is also tasting. I believe that this is not professional. And why tasting? You do have verified recipes, which makes pretty much tasting superfluous. Some could argue, that fresh juices, especially lemon and lime juice aren't consistent. But I found, that lemon and lime is quite consistent, if you are selecting the same genus. But yes, other juices might be not as consistent- if you are pressing fresh orange juice, the oranges might widely vary- from sweet, to zesty and sometimes just not so great (that is why you have to try all fresh ingredients all the time before the shift and even mid-shift. For a 20 ml pour, the difference might not be that great - however if you are using such juice as filler, it makes a major difference! The perfect method would be a refractometer... But I guess that ...

So Jack Daniels want to make us believe, that it is not a bourbon - but it meets all standards of a bourbon - only it is better?! Half of it is true: Jack Daniels meets all qualification points for a bourbon. And yes it is true, that they add one more step - the charcoal mellowing. However this doesn't make it not  a bourbon. Well - point is, that the question is not really adequate. The answers to the rather vague question: "Is Jack Daniels a Bourbon?" is driven by semantics and interpretations. What you could ask is: Can Jack Daniels rightly be called bourbon? And the answer is: yes, it can. It meets all points to be even a Straight Bourbon [however please note the differentiation to Kentucky Straight Bourbon - as this is again a regional denomination, which Jack Daniels obviously doesn't meet]. The video is explaining exactly the laws. Before Jack Daniels also stated very proud, that they are sour mash. This was a bit... misleading, as most American S...

Lately I am visiting more bars again. This definitely has something to do, that nobody waits anymore at home for me [respectively comes at the same time home]. In a bar, cocktails can be great. However it depends on the recipes of the bar and even on the bartender. Unfortunately in Dubai, there is a rather big chance, that you won't get a great cocktail. Another point is, that it takes time. And if you know the bartender, you don't want to be a dick, to order a cocktail, while he is busy. Whiskey and respectively whisky is also great. But usually it works much better in a real cozy bar, where you are sitting down and maybe have a cigar, than a bar, where you are socialising and walking around [at least, it is the case for me]. Rum falls into the same category. Longdrinks and highballs are usually boring [when done the "popular" way] - or cannot be found [made the artisan way, with house-crafted ingredients etc]. And vodka? C'mon - you should know me bette...