Got Grapefruit?

I love the humble white grapefruit and the wonderful nectar it produces. The bitterness/ sweetness balance is exactly what I appreciate in a citrus fruit. It works great in simple cocktails - both gin and tequila are natural companions with their inherent citrus notes.

If you're in possession of white grapefruit juice, either fresh squeezed (preferred, obviously) or from a bottle (I prefer Ocean Spray white grapefruit juice, which is surprisingly good for a bottled product and has no added sugar) and are wondering what to do with it, here are my two favorite recent grapefruit juice-based beverages for your consideration:

The first is a mash-up of a gin (the "english") greyhound and a pink gin. The second is essentially a Paloma made with grapefruit juice instead of soda (thus the "still")

They're both super easy to make. Try mixing up the ratios a bit for your optimal drink.

Pink English Greyhound
~2 oz. Gin (Beefeater (regular or 24))
~2 oz. white grapefruit juice.
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
Fill a double old fashioned glass with ice cubes. Fill 1/3 to 1/2 with gin. Top with grapefruit juice. Stir. Float 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters.

Still Paloma
~2 oz. blanco Tequila (El Jimador)
~2 oz. white grapefruit juice
1/4 lime
Fill a double old fashioned glass with ice cubes. Fill 1/3 to 1/2 with Tequila. Top with grapefruit juice. Squeeze lime into glass. Stir.

Tonic Water Taste Test

As a kid, I loved bitter and sour beverages. I can remember Sunday dinners at my parents' house - while my Dad and Grandpa had a "scotch and soda" (which to my Grandpa really meant scotch on the rocks) I would often be treated to a sour mix, OJ and grenadine drink. Tonic water was another treat that I would have occasionally. While many bristle at the thought of drinking tonic water straight, I actually rather enjoy the balance of citrus, sweetness and bitterness that can be found in a good bottle.

In the summer, a gin and tonic made with Beefeater gin (I prefer the crispness of Beefeater to the full-bodied character of Tanqueray) with a slice of lemon or lime (I vacillate between the two or sometimes even add a small squeeze of each) is a great thirst quencher and really sets the mood for a mid-late afternoon patio party.

For this post, I assembled a rather large group of tonic waters, ranging from my previous gold standard, Schweppes, to some pricey newcomers boasting artisanal ingredients and manufacturing methods, such as Fever Tree, Q tonic, Fentiman's and Stirrings. Below is a listing of the nine tonics selected.

1. Hansens
2. Schweppes
3. Whole Foods 365
4. Q Tonic
5. White Rock
6. Stirrings
7. Fentimans
8. Schweppes Indian Tonic (Holland)
9. Fever Tree

Note: Canada Dry is intentionally absent. After much experimentation, I have determined that I have a strong preference Schweppes (domestic) to Canada Dry which has a sweet, cloying flavor and not enough bitterness. For that reason it didn't make it to the finals.

All tonics were packaged in small glass bottles except Hansen's and 365 which were served in a can. Schweppes (domestic) and White Rock had plastic screw-caps while all the other bottles had a classic crown-type bottle cap. Purists tend to like the small glass bottles and believe that they offer superior carbonation.

The tonics were tasted blind by Rob and me. Following are our tasting notes and scores. Where tonics were close in score, I attempted to differentiate by tasting back to back to confirm the ranking.

1. Hansen's
Matt - light citrus, not much bitterness, medium sweetness. Score - 88
Rob - Unctuous, full-bodied. Could be a little more carbonated. Medium bitterness, not very sweet. Score - 90

2. Schweppes
Matt - light flavors. Some bitterness. Sweeter than #1 but less flavorful. Score - 87
Rob - Not much on the opening taste, but then finishes with a bitter attack. Good carbonation. Score - 85

3. Whole Foods 365
Matt - Citrusy, sweet, not much bitterness, though. Nice flavors. Score 86
Rob - Sweeter with light bitterness. Not super flavorful, but pleasant. Score - 89

4. Q Tonic
Matt - Not much going on here - not sweet, some bitterness. Score - 85
Rob - Very little tonic flavor. Some astringent bitterness on the finish. Almost soda water. Score - 75

5. White Rock
Matt - Sweet with some bitterness. Not a lot of citrus, but a decent overall balance of flavors. Score - 89
Rob - Light opening with a pleasantly bitter finish. Score - 87

6. Stirrings
Matt - Light flavors, medium bitterness. Some soapiness. Light sweetness. Score - 86
Rob - Light. Not much flavor. Short finish. Score - 80

7. Fentiman's
Matt - Full-flavored, medium bitterness. Medium+ sweetness with a lot of pleasant citrus notes. Score - 90
Rob - Full-bodied. Definite citrus flavors. Finishes with bitterness. Complex. Could be a bit more carbonated. Score - 91

8. Schweppes Indian Tonic (Holland)
Matt - Wow! Complex flavors, nice fizz, nice bitterness. Medium sweetness, good citrus and an almost herbal quality. Score - 94
Rob - Complex flavor with a mineral finish. Almost a mediciny, soda cracker-like flavor. Score - 89

9. Fever Tree
Matt - Lemon-lime soda, light bitterness. Simple, somewhat uninteresting. Some minor off-flavors. Score - 87
Rob - Simple but good tonic flavor. Won't get in the way of your gin. Score - 88

Final Rankings:

Matt
1. Schweppes Indian Tonic (94)
2. Fentiman's (90)
3. White Rock (89)
4. Hansen's (88)
5. Schweppes/Fever Tree (87, tie)
7. 365/Stirrings (86, tie)
9. Q Tonic (85)

Rob
1. Fentiman's (91)
2. Hansen's (90)
3. 365/Schweppes Indian Tonic (89, tie)
5. Fever Tree (88)
6. White Rock (87)
7. Schweppes (85)
8. Stirrings (80)
9. Q Tonic (75)

Conclusions: We both agreed that Fentiman's was an extremely fine product - Rob had it as his #1 and I had it at #2. It was the only product that scored in the 90's by both of us. At $3.50 for 125 ml, however I'm not sure how much of this I'll be buying in the future. The Lilliputian bottle is so cute though... Thanks to Rachel for picking this up at Galco's Soda Stop in LA.

The Schweppes Indian Tonic was a revelation for me. I loved the complex flavors and gave it extra points for character. Rob liked the complex flavors as well, but was somewhat put off by the mediciney finish. Unfortunately this product is mostly unavailable here in the US. Rarely seen in stores, I considered it a coup to find this at the Beverage Warehouse in Marina Del Rey. How long they will carry it is anyone's best guess. I may have to stock up.

Hansen's did surprisingly well. I usually do not care for it in a gin and tonic because it is not bitter enough. Which, by the way, brings up an interesting point with respect to this tasting; specifically, how will these tonics rate in a classic Gin & Tonic? To answer that, Rob and I have tentatively planned to conduct a comparison of our top picks of these tonics, mixed in a G&T, in the future.

White Rock was an interesting and tasty newcomer that turned out to be my #3 pick. Another rarity picked up at Beverage Warehouse.

Schweppes (domestic) was a disappointment to me. I have long respected its quinine bitterness as a superior ingredient to a proper G&T. In this tasting it did not shine. I will be very interested to compare it with some of the others when we try them mixed in a drink in the future.

365 was only o.k. to me. Rob liked it a bit more and had it tied for #3. It would definitely be worth trying for anyone near a Whole Foods.

Fever Tree had a mediocre showing despite my high hopes for it. It just didn't stand up to the more complex offerings and Rob and I agreed that it had a fairly simple lemon-soda flavor.

Stirrings was uninteresting and a general underperformer, and therefore would not be recommended due to its premium price.

Q Tonic was suprisingly flat in flavor. I found it lacking in character. Rob found it downright offensive. This was probably the second most expensive bottle in the tasting, so I will probably not be buying this in the future. That said, it is being heavily marketed and is probably worth a try for those wishing to try some of the exciting new tonics out there.

Final Notes: This was a long time coming and I had a really good time comparing flavors and ranking this broad range of tonics. I look forward to the "next phase" where we'll have the opportunity to rank these tonics based on their performance in a G&T.

Tootin' Root's Horn

Blog friend Mikey sent me a note asking if I had heard of a new liqueur called Root. I hadn't, so I did a little research and discovered that it is an exciting liquid project from the folks at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. I first heard about this company after receiving a cool T-shirt as a gift from Rachel and Jeremy, but did not fully appreciate how eclectic their product range was at the time.

According to the company: Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction firmly believes in empowering artists producing high quality work marked by fine craft and intellectual rigor. We do so by applying the fruits of such labors to the cultural forms of everyday life, granting those who wish to engage the opportunity to do so in his/her own environment. Rather than exist at a distance in the white cube of the gallery space, we weave our offerings into the collective surface of myriad personal contexts. In this troubling epoch of industrial commodification, standardization of reproduction, and fomentation of a society of shallow spectacle, Art In The Age issues a challenge and rally cry. We fight fire with fire, subsuming the onslaught of watered down facsimiles and inaccessible displays with thought-provoking products of real cultural capital.

As far as Root is concerned, the company offers an interesting history of root-based beverages in the US. They don't really go into any detail as to who was the creative force behind the launch of this interesting new product which I, for one, would have found interesting.

The website as well as the bottle tag describe the history as follows:

In the 1700’s, it was called “Root Tea.” An herbal remedy made with sassafras, sarsaparilla, birch bark and other wild roots and herbs. Native Americans taught the recipe to colonial settlers. As it was passed it down from generation to generation, it grew in potency and complexity. Particularly in the Pennsylvania hinterlands, where the ingredients naturally grow in abundance.

At the close of the 19th century, as the Temperance movement conspired to take the fun out of everything, a Philadelphia pharmacist removed the alcohol from Root Tea and rechristened it (ironically) “Root Beer”. He did this so that hard drinking Pennsylvania coal miners and steelworkers could enjoy it in place of true alcoholic refreshment. He introduced his “Root Beer” in a big way at the still legendary 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. The rest, as you know, is flaccid history.

Here at Art in the Age, we thought it would be interesting and fun to turn back the clock and recreate a true pre-temperance alcoholic Root Tea. We’ve even made it certified organic, since back then, everything was organic. This is the opposite of corporate culture. It’s a genuine experience rooted in history and our own landscape. It is a truly interesting and contemplative quaff. Certainly like nothing else we have ever tasted before. It is NOT Root Beer flavored vodka or a sickly sweet liqueur.

Root is packaged in an attractive bottle and includes a nice label on the back with an artist's rendition of the major consituents in the brew. See image, right.

In terms of flavors, it is definitely reminiscent of root beer - think of a craft brew like Virgil's, but not as sweet. It does have some sweetness, but it is not syrupy or cloying at all. Those who enjoy a good birch beer such as Boylan's will recognize the strong birch bark character. There is also wintergreen which forms another of the primary flavors. In the background and not individually distinguishable, are a bevy of spices such as allspice, nutmeg and anise.

I tried Root on its own, sipped from a shot glass for the first few experiences. It's good and this just may be my primary form of consumption in the future. On the other hand, a number of very creative Root-based cocktails are listed on the Art in the Age website. A few which caught my attention, whether sampled or not, are listed below:

Dr. Hadley's Root Restorative
0.5 oz. Demerara simple syrup
6 large mint leaves
1.25 oz. Lairds Bonded (100 proof) Applejack
1.0 oz. Root Liqueur
.5 oz. Benedictine
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
2 dashes Fee Brother’s Aztec Chocolate bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: Mint sprig Muddle mint in simple syrup. Add ice and other ingredients. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with a spanked mint sprig.
Created by Katie Loeb of Oyster House.

The Root cocktail competition winner, Dr. Hadley's Root Restorative sounds interesting and includes a lot of ingredients I like (Apple Bond, Benedictine, Demerara simple syrup) but I don't have the chocolate bitters (yet!) so I didn't make it and therefore cannot vouch for it. May be reason to order some bitters in the future though.

The Medicine Lodge Cocktail
1/2 oz. simple syrup (used turbinado)
1 1/2 oz. ROOT
2 oz.. Laird’s 71/2 Aged Apple Brandy (used 1.5 oz. Apple Bond)
1-2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
splash of ginger beer (used Bundaberg)

Stir ingredients and garnish with fresh ginger.
Created Christian Gaal of Noble American Cookery

This is pretty good. The ginger beer and Root is a nice combination. The Apple Bond is a little lost in this, though.

Dr. Root
2 oz ROOT
4 oz. Dr. Pepper (used Dublin Dr. Pepper with Imperial Cane sugar in a bottle)
A Splash of cream
Pour ROOT into a tall glass of chilled Dr. Pepper. Add a splash of cream & enjoy.

OK, I enjoyed... Definitely a dessert type of experience - creamy and rich.

Root 'n Ginger
2 oz ROOT
4 oz. ginger beer (used Bundaberg)
ginger slice (omitted)

Pour ROOT into a tall glass of chilled ginger beer. Garnish with sliced ginger.

This is GOOD. It delivers exactly what it says - it's Root and Ginger beer. No nonsense - nice combination.

Forbidden Root
3/4 oz. ROOT
3/4 oz. TRU vodka (used SKYY)
1 oz. fresh squeezed white grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
dash of Angostura

Shaken and strained into a cocktail glass.
Created by Nic Jarrett

This drink gets props for being a play on the obscure and now defunct liqueur, Forbidden Fruit, which came in a bottle similar to Chambord (from the same company) and was based on grapefruit - see image to the right. I can't say that I'm surprised to find this interesting. I really like the Root flavors next to the grapefruit and Maraschino. I ususally find Maraschino overpowering - but it works here at the level the recipe specifies. This cocktail does justice to its ingredients - each plays a distinct and pivotal role - the hallmark of a successful drink. Definitely worth a try.

To buy Root, which I'd recommend, you either need to live in Philadelphia where it is distributed locally or purchase online through Hi-Time. When Rachel called Hi-Time, they mentioned that there was a lot of interest in Root and was out of stock at that time. But we got on the list for a few bottles which we were fortunate to be able to get a few days later.

Final Notes: I'd definitely recommend Root to anyone looking to expand their liqueur horizons. Excellent on its own, it also makes for an interesting mixed drink - my favorites being the Root n' Ginger and Forbidden Root.

Batavia Arrak and Swedish Punsch

For my birthday, I got a bottle of Van Oosten Batavia Arrack among other interesting Haus Alpenz products. I've been wanting to try this sugarcane and fermented red rice-based spirit due to its long history of use in punches such as the famous Swedish Punsch.

According to Wikipedia,

It is the "rum" of Indonesia, because--like rum--it is distilled from sugar cane. It is a pot still distillation, a type of still which was influenced by the Chinese, who brought the distillation process to Indonesia.

To start the fermentation, local fermented red rice is combined with local yeast to give a unique flavour and smell of the distillate. It is distilled to approx. 70% alc. vol. Like rum, Batavia Arrack is often a blend of different original parcels.

It should be noted that "Arrack" is a generic term for eau-de-vie in parts of the world, and Batavia Arrack bears no relation to Sri Lankan Arrack or Lebanese Arrack. Also of interest, Batavia Arrack is stored in teak vats, which undoubtedly provide some of the unusual flavors found in this spirit.

On its own, Batavia Arrack smells like rum, but with a distinct woodsy smoky note along with a distinct floweriness. It's not exactly something that I would want to drink straight, but it's quite interesting - unlike anything I've tasted, so comparisons are difficult. As previously mentioned, it's most commonly used in cocktails, most notably punches, with the most famous being Swedish Punsch.

The history of Arrack in Sweden dates back to 1733, per Wikipedia, when the Swedish East India Company starting importing it to Gothenburg. Since that time, it has held a prominent place in Sweden's drink heritage, mostly as a base for punsch. Originally served warm, once commercial versions starting appearing in around 1840, it became more common to serve it chilled.

Swedish punsch combines Batavia Arrack with lemon, tea, sugar and sometimes other spices such as vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. A number of commercial versions are available, but none in the US at this time. The brand Facile has been planning a launch of their punsch in the US this Spring, but their website is out-of-date and it is uncertain when it will arrive. Also, there has been some word that Haus Alpenz will be introducing a Punsch to the US this summer. Cocktail bloggers everywhere are trembling in anticipation.

For my first punsch, I've chosen a recipe that I found posted on the TikiCentral Forum by Eric Seed of Haus Alpenz.

According to Eric, this is an adaptation of a commercial recipe for Swedish Punsch, and quite close to the Facile Punsch (I haven't tried the Facile punsch yet, but am eager to try).

Punsch "Josephine" Liqueur, 375ml @ ~24%
180ml Batavia Arrack
100ml Water
135g Sugar (Bakers)
3/4 tsp Natural Vanilla Extract (Trader Joe's)
6g Tea Leaves (Assam; equiv to 2 typical teabags)
Peel from one lemon, fresh ground cardamom (I used nutmeg)
Prepare the cardamom: open the pods and crush the seeds. Either add to loose tea leaves or, if you want minimal sediment, place into a tea bag/sachet. Prepare the tea with the cardamom and lemon peel - by this amount it should brew to twice normal service strength. After 4 minutes, remove the cardamom, tea leaves/bags and peel and mix together with the sugar, stir until syrup-like, then add the Batavia Arrack and vanilla. Give a quick stir to further dilute then immediately bottle.

Another recipe that I will most definitely try in the future is from Erik Ellestad's Underhill Lounge blog here.

The Swedish Punsch is intriguing. Despite the fairly heavy use of lemon peel, tea and vanilla, none of these elements are really conspicuous in the punsch. The Arrack is noticeable, but it has been significantly softened by the other ingredients. There is a little bit of a wet-dog smell thing going on here, but I'm not finding it offensive (really). This is good, but again, I'm not sure if I would really drink this on its own. Searching CocktailDB, I came across a number of recipes that sounded good and served as a starting point for experimentation:

Bombay Cocktail (Swedish Punsch, lemon juice)
Boomerang Cocktail (dry vermouth, Swedish Punsch, Bourbon or rye whiskey, lemon juice, Angostura bitters)
Diki Diki (apple brandy or Calvados, grapefruit juice, Swedish Punsch)
Doctor Cocktail (Swedish Punsch, Jamaican rum, lime juice)
Havana (apricot flavored brandy, Swedish Punsch, London dry gin, lemon juice)
Pooh Bah Cocktail (Swedish Punsch, white rum, gin, apricot flavored brandy)
Waldorf (Swedish Punsch, London dry gin, lime or lemon juice)

Tasting Notes -
Bombay Cocktail - wonderful combination of the punsch with the lemon. Could even use a little more lemon for tartness.
Boomerang Cocktail - Bourbon sort of covers up the flavors of the Swedish Punsch resulting in a sweet and fairly uninteresting beverage.
Diki Diki - did not make due to lack of Calvados at this time.
Doctor Cocktail - excellent with the dark rum (used Lemon Hart) still shows a lot of Swedish punsch flavors with nice tartness from the lime.
Havana Cocktail - way too sweet. Not what I want in a cocktail
Pooh Bah Cocktail - I love the name and the feeling of being a Grand Poobah, but the cocktail is merely ok. Better than the Havana but still a little sweet and lacking tartness for balance
Waldorf Cocktail - still on the sweet side, but with the extra lemon/lime juice (used 1 oz lemon, 0.5 oz. lime) a much better balanced drink. Very nice.

Final Verdict -
I like Batavia Arrack - mostly as an ingredient to Swedish Punsch - which I like mostly as an ingredient in cocktails. I can't really see drinking the Arrack or the Punsch on their own. As far as the cocktails, my top recommendations among the ones I've tried so far are the Doctor Cocktail, the Waldorf Cocktail and the Bombay Cocktail. A nice and interesting new addition to my cocktail arsenal.

**Update** - After a trip to Penzey's for some vanilla and cardamom pods, I repeated the recipe above but this time I soaked the lemon peel in the Batavia Arrack for about 6 hours instead of brewing it along with the tea. This drew a lot more of the oils from the peel and resulted in much more lemon zest character in the punsch - an improvement, IMO.

Damiana

After reading about Damiana - the interesting herbal liquor from Mexico - in David Rosengarten's book Taste many years ago, I made a mental note to find some of this stuff and give it a try. Well it has taken several years for me to finally come around to procuring a bottle and I've done a little bit of experimenting with it over the past couple of days.

In his book, Rosengarten recommends adding "a few drops" to a margarita (made with 1/1/1 lime juice, Cointreau and blanco Tequila -my house standard, FYI) for "an authentic Mexican touch"

According to Damiana's website:

Damiana Liqueur is a light herbal-based liqueur from Mexico. It's made with the damiana herb that grows in Baha California, Mexico. It has great mixability and tastes great as a shooter. The bottle is uniquely shaped and is modeled after an Incan Goddess. The Damiana Margarita is very popular in the Los Cabos area of Mexico and Mexican margarita folklore says that the very first margarita ever made was made with Damiana Liqueur (not that silly French liqueur).

Given the wealth of information on the Damiana shrub available elsewhere, the website is fairly disappointing in its cursory depth on the subject.

According to the Wikipedia entry, Damiana (Turnera diffusa, syn. Turnera aphrodisiaca) is a shrub native to Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. It is a relatively small shrub that produces fruits that are similar in taste to figs. The leaves have traditionally been made into a tea which was used by native people of Central and South America for its aphrodisiac effects. Damiana today is conventionally made into a tea and is used to treat conditions ranging from coughs to constipation to depression. The herbal supplement is reputed to help with Fibromyalgia, energy, emphysema, low estrogen, frigidity, hot flashes, impotency, infertility, menopause, Parkinson's disease, PMS, inflammation of prostate, and Lou Gehrig's disease.

Interesting enough, but to quote a famous Monty Python tagline, what's it like? On its own, the liqueur is a bright yellow, and gives off an interesting aroma of herbs. It's hard to distinguish exactly what's going on here, as I really have no reference. On the palate, I get some interesting bitter herbs, notions of Galliano (although it does not have an overt licorice or anise flavor), but with a lot more spice - some curried-fruit flavors and I want to say mesquite bean candy, although I only have faint recollections of what that tastes like. It is a very complex and dynamic liqueur.

The liqueur is apparently very popular in Los Cabos where it is used in place of the Triple Sec. I have tried that version, and find it to be a little too far of a departure from a classic margarita. I really do need that "silly French liqueur" Cointreau in my margaritas. (I'll go on and on about Cointreau in another post later) I've also tried Rosengarten's "few drops" version and really find that the Damiana flavors get lost.

The optimal use of Damiana in a Damiana margarita, per my experimentation so far, is to simply add about 1/4 oz. to a standard margarita. My friend Jeremy uses a slightly different recipe, making use of Trader Joe's margarita mix instead of the lime juice, which I'll have to try in the future as well.

Damiana Margarita
1.5 oz. good blanco Tequila
1.5 oz. Cointreau
1.5 oz. fresh lime juice (add simple syrup to taste, if desired. I ususally omit)
1/4 oz. Damiana
Shake ingredients with cracked ice and pour unstrained into an old-fashioned glass. Salted rim optional.

Pimento Dram

Pimento Dram - a Jamaican allspice-flavored liqueur is getting a lot of attention these days for its delicious spice flavors and versatility in cocktails. Interesting articles can be found in SF Gate's "Hot Dram..." and in Imbibe magazine's "Gone but not Forgotten" article, both by Paul Clarke.

Allspice, a dried unripe berry from the Pimenta dioica plant is very complex in flavor and combines the taste profiles of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

Previously Wray and Nephew produced a rum-based Pimento Dram in Jamaica - now labeled "Berry Hill" and made with neutral grain spirits instead and sold online through Reggae Treats. Some cool vintage and contemporary images from CocktailDB can be seen here.

Haus Alpenz recently launched an "Allspice Dram" (I think the marketers eschewed the term "Pimento") made from a young pot still Jamaican rum and Jamaican allspice, and produced by an Austrian distiller.

A number of home-made Pimento Dram recipes abound on the web. I have a batch of Chuck Taggert's Pimento Dram #3 (scroll down to Feb 17) aging in the house right now (tasting notes will be provided in the future).

As far as Pimento Dram-related cocktails go, below are a few of what I've found to be some excellent representations of the versatility of this liqueur. The Navy Grog and the Nui Nui are Tiki-style mixed drinks with lots of ingredients and specific rums and are served with lots of cracked ice. The Lion's Tail and Jasper's Jamaican are more traditional style cocktails, served straight-up in a cocktail glass

Navy Grog
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
3/4 oz. honey mix (1:1 honey and water - used Trader Joe's Mesquite honey)
1/4 oz. Pimento Dram (used St. Elizabeth)
dash Grand Marnier (1/4 tsp)
1 oz. gold Jamaican rum (Appleton V/X)
1 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Coruba)
1 oz. Demerara rum (Lemon Hart)
Shake well with cracked ice and pour, unstrained, into a double old fashioned glass.

The Navy Grog is akin to a spicy version of the Mai Tai, but with more rum as well as some of the other obvious differences (no Orgeat, etc). The Grand Marnier is totally optional and not really traditional, but I've started making them with it and like the results. Also, I've tried simple syrup and the honey mix provides a better cocktail, with richer flavor and smoother flavor integration. Some reference Navy Grog links here, here, here, and here.

Nui Nui
4oz Cruzan Estate dark rum (used 3.5 oz. Bacardi Gold, 0.5 oz. Coruba)
1/4oz pimento liqueur
1/4oz vanilla syrup
1/2oz cinnamon syrup
1oz lime juice
1oz orange juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake well with crushed ice and pour into a fun cup (used a highball glass)

This recipe was taken from Kaiser Penguin's blog. It's classic Tiki and requires the use of vanilla syrup and cinnamon syrup. I used homemade versions of both. This is a larger drink with a lot of rum. Lots of complex flavors coming together on this to great effect.

Lion's Tail
2 oz. Bourbon (Maker's Mark or Knob Creek)
1/2 oz. pimento liqueur (used St. Elizabeth)
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon 1:1 sugar syrup (turbinado sugar)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

Recipe from CocktailDB

Jasper's Jamaican
1.5 oz. gold Jamaican rum (used Appleton V/X)
1/2 oz. pimento liqueur (used St. Elizabeth)
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon 1:1 sugar syrup (turbinado sugar)
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

Recipe adapted from Dr. Bamboo.

Final Notes - I am really enjoying the flavors of the St. Elizabeth allspice liqueur - the only version that I have tried to-date - and look forward to some further cocktail experimentation. I'm also anxious to try my homemade version after its requisite month or so of aging. Although I don't really drink this liqueur on its own, I do find myself sneaking sniffs of the bottle whenever I pass by the cabinet, taking in the intoxicating aromas of rum, sugar and allspice.

As far as the drink recipes go, both the Navy Grog and Nui Nui Tiki-style drinks above are enjoyable, and definitely offer different experiences worth trying. Of the two straight-up cocktails, I was expecting to like the bourbon-based Lion's Tail more (tried both Makers and Knob Creek), but ultimately felt that the rum in the Jasper's Jamaican, really blended better with the other flavors in the drink and was a slightly more enjoyable beverage.

Falernum etc.

Falernum seems to be today's "it" ingredient among Tikiphiles. A lot of debates are being waged about the quality of commercially available Falernums and how to properly use them. Looking through a number of my favorite cocktail blogs, it would seem that anybody worth their salt as a mixologist is making their own Falernum (and not necessarily just one version, either).

Ok, so what is this stuff?, you ask. Predominantly flavored with lime juice/zest, clove, ginger and almond, Falernum is used in a broad number of Tropical drinks and provides a citrus tang along with sweetness and spices. It is available as both a liqueur as well as a syrup. There is a prevailing wisdom that the liqueur version is better in simpler cocktails in which the Falernum features prominently; and that the syrup, is better for Tiki drinks, where it plays more of a supporting role, accenting the flavor of the rums and other ingredients.

Today, for the first time, I bought a bottle of each of the two most widely available versions: Fee Brother's Falernum syrup (non-alcoholic) as well as the John D. Talyor's Velvet Falernum (11% vol.). I sampled each and made a couple of the more famous of the Falernum-based cocktails.

As for the flavors of the basic products, both have similar impressions upon first nosing - primarily clove with some lime and other spices in the background. On the palate, the Taylor's is smoother and better balanced. The Fee Brothers' is significantly more tangy and citrusy and also very sweet, with a slightly processed character. I like the tanginess of the Fees', but overall there is more going on with the Taylor's.

First up in cocktails is the Corn n' Oil, a simple drink made only from rum, Falernum and a dash or two of Angostura bitters. Some will add a lime squeeze. Forget the recipe on the back of the Taylor's bottle - that is way too self-serving an amount of Falernum. Better is one of the links on the Wikipedia site (the drinkdogma site - and don't fail to follow all the embedded links). Cruzan Black Strap rum with its strong molasses flavors is getting rave reviews by many and is where I have decided to start this journey.

Corn n' Oil
2 oz. Cruzan Black Strap or Lemon Hart 80 proof Demerara rum
1/2-1 oz. Taylor's Velvet Falernum
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Pour into a cocktail shaker half filled with cracked ice. Shake and pour, unstrained, into a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Ok, I have absolutely no idea why this is called corn n' oil. Clearly there is no corn in it, nor oil and I don't really think that it tastes of either. But what I will tell you is this. Corn n' Oil = pretty damn good. With the Cruzan Black Strap rum, there is a STRONG molasses flavor to this. The falernum is in the background, even with 1 oz., but definitely provides some sweetness and an extra flavor dimension to the drink. A very interesting tipple - one worth exploring in the future, maybe with a lighter rum.

- So just after typing this, I've decided to move on to another one made with Lemon Hart Demerara 80 proof, a great mixing rum. It's definitely showing more falernum character (again using 1 oz. of Taylor's) along with the classic Lemon Hart burnt demerara sugar flavors, and now even the Angostura bitters are showing through. Clearly different beasts, both versions are eminently enjoyable, but I'd say the Lemon Hart version creates the better overall drink with each of the ingredients playing a noticable supporting role, resulting in a better overall balance. The back of the bottle recommends Doorly's rum - a Barbados brand possibly worth trying in the future.

Next up is the Jet Pilot. The inspiration for making this cocktail came from the Kaiser Penguin blog, where he lists this as one of his favorite Tiki drinks (How could he neglect the Mai Tai? - well, I left my comment...). Yes, it involves a dizzying array of ingredients, including a few which he painfully makes himself, including the Falernum (KP loves Thomas Kelleresque recipes - see his pearl diver's punch cocktail - yikes). I forewent the home-made Falernum, but I did make the cinnamon syrup per his recipe using cinnamon from Penzey's and plain white cane sugar. The Jet Pilot recipe on KP is the same as on Wikipedia and originally comes from Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Sippin' Safari Tiki tome.

Jet Pilot
1/2 oz lime juice (used fresh squeezed)
1/2 oz grapefruit juice (used fresh squeezed)
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup (I made KP recipe, link above)
1/2 oz falernum (Taylor's Velvet or Fee Brothers)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 oz dark Jamaican rum (I used Coruba)
3/4 oz gold Puerto Rican rum (I used Bacardi)
3/4 oz 151-Proof Lemon Hart Demerara Rum (I used LH 151)
6 drops Pernod (I used Herbsaint)
4 oz crushed ice
Put everything into a blender, adding crushed ice last, and blend at high speed for five seconds. Pour into an old-fashioned glass and add cracked ice to your preference.

Wow - now this is a tropical drink that I can't believe I've been missing all these years. A bevy of flavors going on in this - quite a different brew than my typical tropical drink with the cinnamon syrup and falernum, but awesome balance of sweet and tart with some nice spices going on. I love grapefruit, and it fits in to this drink nicely.

I made two versions, one with the Taylor's falernum and one with the Fee Brothers' falernum. My first impression was that both of these made a fine drink. The drink with Fees' was slightly brighter with more tangy citrus notes (like the individual product) . Julie preferred the Fees' favoring its citrusy, fruity profile over the slightly more bitter Taylor's. I felt that the drink with Taylor's Velvet Falernum was more even-keel with better overall balance and complexity. Edge to Taylor's Velvet Falernum for me.

Final Notes - Falernum is an interesting and different mixer. Anyone with an interest in tiki cocktailology(?) owes it to themselves to try this and make a few cocktails with it. This was my first time having both the Corn n' Oil and the Jet Pilot. The Jet Pilot epitomizes all that is great about tropical drinks - depth of flavors and complexity, along with refreshing and fruity qualities. It deserves its place among the top tier of tropical drinks. The Corn n' Oil is really a showcase of rum and falernum. While I don't necessarily think that this will become my favorite drink, it is an interesting beverage which certainly merits an occasional visit.

Campari Comparo

During some research on my previous post on Campari, I (re)discovered that Campari's signature deep red hue comes from Cochineal carmine, a purified dye made from insects. I also discovered that Campari has recently changed their formulation, at least in the United States (not sure at this time if the carmine colored product is available in Italy) such that it is artificially colored. After reading a number of troubling reports -

On chowhound
On eGullet

- on the distinct differences in flavor profiles between the two versions, I decided to conduct my own tasting and report my results. I found a mini bottle of the carmine colored version at my local Bevmo and picked up a fresh bottle of the new artificially colored recipe from Trader Joe's. Below are my tasting notes. The Camparis were tasted blind, at room temperature, in Riedel Vinum port glasses.

Campari #1 (artificially colored)
Nose - bitter notes of orange, cherry fruit. After nosing #2, some off, chemical aromas appear.
Flavors - light, much less mouth filling than #2
Finish - shorter than #2
Score - 85

Campari #2 (natural carmine colored)
Nose - same subtext as #1 but no chemical aromas and distinctly more herbal and vermouth-like
Flavors - unctuous, mouth filling flavors of bitter orange and herbs. Very smooth with flavors well integrated and complex.
Finish - Long and complex
Score - 93

Final Notes and observations - Honestly folks, I was hoping that all of the hype about how bad the artificially colored version was would be unfounded and that the sanctity of Campari was preserved in the reformulation. Unfortunately, it was not. This is disturbing how much of the body and flavor has been lost in this reformulation. I keep going to the glasses sitting before me and keep getting consistent notes. With this big of a difference, I strongly suspect that a lot more has changed beyond just the coloring.

I think someone at Campari has made a bad decision and has ultimately sacrificed the quality of a classic product. I tried leaving a comment on their website here but I'm not sure if the message made it through as it appeared something wasn't working properly.

Sweet Vermouth

As part of the Rye Whiskey tasting, Rob and I decided that we needed to do a head-to-head vermouth challenge. This tasting focused on the merits of the vermouths as stand-alone beverages. More to come in the future with ratings in mixed drinks.

An interesting, if controversial vermouth tasting on Cocktailnerd's blog here. Controversial because of Martini & Rossi's poor showing. I maintain that he got hold of a bad bottle. All of the vermouths in this tasting were fresh with the exception of the Punt e Mes, which was probably at least a year old (but has been stored in the refrigerator).

The contenders:

1. Martini & Rossi
2. Noilly Prat
3. Cinzano
4. Carpano Antica Formula
5. Carpano Punt e Mes

Tasting Notes:

1. Martini & Rossi
Matt's Notes
Sweet with some complex spices and nice bitterness. A nice balance.
Rating - 90

Rob's Notes
Thyme and dark fruits on the nose. Cola and cherry on the palate. Short finish
Rating - 85

2. Noilly Prat
Matt's Notes
Sweet plum fruit. Cloying sweetness - too flowery and lacking in depth.
Rating - 86

Rob's Notes
Ralph (barf) on the nose. Clean on the palate with a slightly bitter finish.
Rating - 81

3. Cinzano
Matt's Notes
Aromas and flavors of pizza sauce. Cloyingly sweet and spicy.
Rating - 84

Rob's Notes
Grassy and herbaceous on the nose. Funky mid-palate.
Rating - 83

4. Carpano Antica Formula
Matt's Notes
Heavy licorice elements on the nose. Some mulling spices (clove) on the nose and palate. Very complex on the palate with a nice balance and clean finish
Rating - 93

Rob's Notes
Underberg (Swiss bitters brand) aromas with clove and allspice on the nose. Nutmeg and cinnamon on the palate. Cloves on the finish.
Rating - 90

5. Carpano Punt e Mes
Matt's Notes
Murky with scents of molasses on the nose. Nice sweetness and bitterness on the finish.
Rating - 90

Rob's Notes
Soy on the nose. Darker on the palate with a sweet tang.
Rating - 85

Overall Ratings:
*** First Place ***
Carpano Antica Formula (93/90)

Unanimously voted the best of the bunch. Great complexity. Not too sweet with lots of spice, great balance and a clean finish. The only one of the bunch we would consider sipping on its own.

** Second Place (tie)**

Carpano Punt e Mes (90/85)

Martini & Rossi (90/85)

Both Rob and I had these tied for second place. The Martini & Rossi was the clear leader of the "standard" sweet vermouths for use, while the Punt e Mes offered a slightly richer and more bitter character.

* The Rest *

Matt

#3 Noilly Prat (86)

#4 Cinzano (84)

Rob

#3 Cinzano (83)

#4 Noilly Prat (81)

Final Notes - I had a slightly higher slant toward my scoring of these vermouths. This was both of our first times trying Carpano Antica Formula which was an excellent vermouth. This tasting confirmed Martini & Rossi as our favorite "standard" red vermouth (which I was concerned about after reading Cocktailnerd's review). Carpano Punt e Mes offers a richer, more bitter character for those inclinded toward such a thing. Noilly Prat and Cinzano were average performers and based on my infrequent use of sweet vermouth, are unlikely future purchases.

Final Final Note - I'd like to leave you with the quote from the bottle neck tag on the Carpano Antica Formula: ...Its special taste will conquer you for its refinement and rare bitter-sweet persistence. Consider me conquered.

Ginger Beer

Rob and I conducted a tasting of ginger beers, the classic ingredient to such cocktails as the Dark n' Stormy and Moscow Mule and generally very interesting to drink on their own. As per the usual process, the sodas were tasted blind and there was some discussion during the tasting to compare tasting notes, without giving away our scoring.

The contenders:

1. DG Old Jamaican Ginger Beer
2. Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer
3. Maine Root Ginger Beer
4. Sprecher's Ginger Ale
5. Reeds Extra Ginger Brew
6. AJ Stephan's Jamaican Style Ginger Beer
7. Boom Chugga Lugga Cherry Ginger Beer
8. Buderim Ginger Beer
9. Blenheim "Not so Hot" Ginger Ale

Attached are our tasting notes and rankings:

1. DG Old Jamaican Ginger Beer
Matt's Notes
Cloudy white. Nice ginger nose with some good ginger spice. Some typical ginger soapiness/floweriness. Very sweet compared to the competition.
Rating - 90

Rob's Notes
Super sweet. Spicy ginger finish which stays with you. Woodsy nose (cedar)
Rating - 91

2. Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer
Matt's Notes
Medium dark gold, clear. This one really made me sneeze the most during nosing. A lot of cologne/perfume elements. Rob mentioned lemon cleaning products (bingo!). Nice spice, but a bit chemically overall.
Rating - 84

Rob's Notes
Lemon cleaning products (in a good way). Fairly dry with some astrigency on the finish
Rating - 87

3. Maine Root Ginger Beer
Matt's Notes
Cloudy yellow. Spicy, vegetal (sushi seaweed). Nice flavors and overall balance.
Rating - 88

Rob's Notes
Nice lemon-ginger nose. Funky mid-palate building to a spicy finish.
Rating - 89

4. Sprecher's Ginger Ale
Matt's Notes
Cloudy white. Chalky with some ginger soapiness. Very dry compared to the rest. Slightly bitterish. I think this one suffers (maybe unfairly) for its dryness compared to the rest.
Rating - 83

Rob's Notes
Very dry compared to others. Builds to a pleasant soapy gingery finish with some spice
Rating - 87

5. Reeds Extra Ginger Brew
Matt's Notes
Honey, honey and more honey. Sweet and honeyish, with the honey dominating the character as compared to the playing field.
Rating - 80 (rated as a ginger brew, not in terms of general enjoyment as a soda)

Rob's Notes
Smells like mead. Honey continues on the palate, leading to a mildly spicy finish. Not gingery enough.
Rating - 86

6. AJ Stephan's Jamaican Style Ginger Beer
Matt's Notes
Nice ginger nose. Pretty spicy. Nice balance of tartness, sweetness and ginger. A lot going on, with a very spicy finish.
Rating - 91

Rob's Notes
Soapy (in a good way) lemon-ginger nose. Gingery flavors. Very spicy finish (maybe a little too much). Sneezy.
Rating - 90

7. Boom Chugga Lugga Cherry Ginger Beer
Matt's Notes
A conspicuous rosy hue. Cherries on the nose. Nice tartness and fairly sweet with a lot of cherry flavor.
Rating - 88 (for rating purposes only, this was not ranked as a ginger beer due to its uniqueness)

Rob's Notes
Cherry on the nose and plate. No real ginger flavors but very pleasant.
Rating - Not Rated

8. Buderim Ginger Beer

Matt's Notes

Some bitterness. A fair amount of ginger flavors. Something earthy-woodsy. Very pleasant with a decent balance of flavors.

Rating - 87

Rob's Notes

Not much on the nose. Sandy, sandalwood on the palate. Finishes with a mild to mid-spicy ginger flavor.

Rating - 88

9. Blenheim "Not so Hot" Ginger Ale

Matt's Notes

Not a lot going on on the nose. Sweet but very light with a nice ginger finish

Rating - 86

Rob's Notes

Not much on the nose. Dry with little flavor. May be suffering from comparison to sweeter brews.

Rating - 84

Overall Rankings

Matt

#1 AJ Stephans (91)

#2 (tie) Maine Root and DG (88)

#4 Buderim (87)

#5 Blenheim (86)

#6 Capt'n Eli (84)

#7 Sprecher (83)

#8 Reed's (80)

Rob

#1 DG (91)

#2 AJ Stephans (90)

#3 Maine Root (89)

#4 Buderim (88)

#5 (tie) Capt'n Elis and Sprecher (87)

#7 Reeds (86)

#8 Blenheim (84)

Final Notes - Rob and I had the same top 4 which is not unusual for us. There were a couple of ginger brews that had some issues relative to their peers in this format of a tasting: Sprechers was notably dry with a lot less sugar than the others which led it to somewhat of a disadvantage in this setting. (Thanks to Rob's girlfriend Ali for getting us the Sprechers and Boom Chugga Lugga to try) Reed's, which I enjoy frequently really stood out as being honey dominated next to the competition. And Blenheim, was just too light to stand up to these ginger beers, although it is a bit richer and spicier than typical ginger ales.

Grapefruit Soda

I'm not a daily soda drinker, but I do like the stuff. When I drink it, usually around lunchtime on the weekends, my preference is for brands in small glass bottles and made with cane sugar instead of HFCS when possible. Grapefruit soda has a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness.

In college, I was a big fan of Squirt. These days, my typical go-tos are Ting and Villa Italia from Trader Joe's. Previously I enjoyed the canned "Pompelmo" Italian soda from Trader Joe's but it is no longer sold. Grapefruit soda is an essential ingredient to a Paloma - a refreshing highball made with tequila and lime in addition to the soda.

I assembled 7 sodas and conducted a blind tasting to evaluate my preferences.

1. Villia Italia (Italy, Trader Joe's)
2. Whole Foods Natural Pink Grapefruit Soda (Italy)
3. Ting (Jamaica)
4. Penafiel Toronja (Mexico)
5. Squirt (US)
6. Filbert's (US)
7. Fizzy Lizzy Lone Star Grapefruit (US)

Two of these sodas were pink, the Whole Foods and the Fizzy Lizzy, the rest were a cloudy whitish color. Tasting notes follow:

Villa Italia - Cloudy yellow. Nice grapefruit aromas and flavors. Nice finish.

Whole Foods - Cloudy pink. Nice and bitter. Fairly sweet with a berry/candy element to it.

Ting - Cloudy yellow. Not a lot on the initial nosing, but has a nice flavor with some tang. A nice grapefruity finish.

Penafiel Toronja - Cloudy white. Holy moly is this sweet with no real grapefruit flavors going on. Abysmal.

Squirt - Cloudy white. Light in flavor, not a lot of bitterness, but nice flavors and a decent finish. Some grapefruit character here.

Filberts - Better than the Penafiel, but this tastes sweet with no real grapefruit character.

Fizzy Lizzy - Murky reddish pink. Smells of grapefruit concentrate and tastes the same. I do not like the taste of grapefruit juice from concentrate.

Ratings and Overall Impressions

*** First Overall ***

Villa Italia

This has a lot of grapefruit character and the best overall balance of sweet and tart. 10% juice.

** Second Place **

Ting

This tasted a little more processed, but hadnice grapefruit flavors and good bitterness. 6% juice.

* Third Place *

Whole Foods

Had good grapefruit flavors along with some candied berry notes. 12% juice.

Fourth Place

Squirt

Lighter in flavors, but some good grapefruit bitterness on the finish. 1% juice.

The Rest

Filbert's

I found this acceptable, but not a lot of character

Fizzy Lizzy

I found this too reminiscent of grapefruit juice concentrate which I do not like. Do not recommend. 70% juice.

Penafiel Toronja

Awful, just awful. Super sticky sweet with no grapefruit flavors or bitterness. Totally lacking in any sort of balance. Do not recommend.

Final Notes - I'm not surprised that the Villa Italia was the leader in this tasting. It's my go-to house brand for good reason. One surprise was that the Squirt did as well as it did. I expected with all of the more boutiquey sodas that it would not show well, but although 4th overall, I found it to be quite enjoyable with a nice bitterness and would definitely recommend it as a respectable grapefruit soda. For making a Paloma (one of my favorite uses for grapefruit soda), my recommendations would be Villa Italia, Ting and Squirt (I like my Paloma non-pink).

Ginger ale

Ginger ale is a refreshing and enjoyable beverage. I find the so-called "dry" styles listed below generally best on their own, but they can also make a nice mixer if paired up with a lighter whiskey (think Maker's Mark bourbon or Jack Daniels). The ginger ales listed below are all fairly lightly-ginger-flavored as compared with their ginger brew/beer counterparts (separate post). I took the opportunity to taste test a flight of fairly common ginger ales and record notes below. While I don't typically drink ginger ale very often (or even ginger beer, which I prefer to ginger ale), it is nice to have a go-to product when the occasion is right.

The contenders:

1. Canadry Dry Ginger Ale
2. Schweppes Ginger Ale
3. Vernor's Ginger Ale
4. Fever Tree Ginger Ale
5. Whole Foods 365 Ginger Ale
6. Hansens Ginger Ale

Ginger ales were tasted blind in freshly cleaned tumblers.

1. Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Meduim color compared to the group. Smells like lemon-lime soda (7-up) No discernible ginger component. Tastes fairly sweet with more lemon-lime. Pleasant, but ginger ale?

2. Schweppes Ginger Ale
Medium color compared to the group. Not much on the nose. Tastes like ginger ale cut with club soda. Drier and crisper than the Canada Dry. Maybe(?) some hint of ginger, but not a lot of flavor.

3. Vernor's Ginger Ale
Darkest color of the group. Cream soda-ish sort of nose, flowery, almost a bubble gum quality. Fairly full flavored and sweet, more of the cream-soda elements. No ginger to speak of.

4. Fever Tree Ginger Ale
Second lightest color of the group. Getting a rooty/leafy/woodsy smell. Earthy flavors, slightly medicinal with a lot of ginger character. Compared to the other drinks, this one stood out, but the earthiness was a bit much.

5. Whole Foods 365 Ginger Ale
Lightest color of the group. Ginger and some complex spices. Sweet and crisp with delicate flavors of ginger. Comes off as drier than most of the others except maybe the Fever Tree.

6. Hansen's Ginger Ale
Second darkest color of the group. Lots of ginger on the nose. Dark aromas of spice and ginger. Fairly well rounded and full of flavor.

Observations and conclusions: As with any comparative tasting, this was an interesting experience. Vernor's, Canada Dry and Schweppes, while enjoyable enough as a beverage, just simply did not taste of ginger and were therefore effectively disqualified. Of the remaining, I offer the following:

***Best Overall***

Whole Foods 365

This one had a nice ginger character in a crisp, dry style.

**Runner-Up**

Fever-Tree

This had a lot of ginger character, but I was a little put off by the earthy woodsiness. The driest of the group.

*Second Runner-Up*

Hansen's

A different style than the rest, with its dark color and spicy aromas, but this tastes of ginger and is an interesting soda.

Final note on sugar content - it turns out that the 365 actually has slightly more sugar than the Canada Dry and the Schweppes, but uses cane sugar vs. HFCS. Fever Tree was the only other product to use cane suger. In terms of sugar content (per 12 oz.), driest to sweetest: Fever-Tree (30g), Schweppes (33g), Canada Dry (35g), Hansen's (36g), Whole Foods 365 (37g), Vernor's (39g).

Campari

After enjoying a Campari and OJ tonight I started to reflect on my affinity for this complex aperitif. I was originally introduced to Campari by my Dad who always drank it uncut on the rocks with or without a lemon zest; this was the way that I drank it for years until discovering some other quite delicious uses for this versatile product.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the history of Campari began in Novara, Italy, in 1860, with the invention by Gaspare Campari of the recipe that is still in use today... Among the ingredients are quinine and other bitter herbs, rhubarb, spices, ginseng, bergamot oil, and orange peel. It is known that the colour came from natural Carmine Cochineal E20. Cochineal is actually an insect(!) from which carmine, a purified dye, is made.

When Julie and I were in Italy visiting our friends Trisha and Davide, it was common practice for friends to order an Americano (or two) as an aperitif. This is one of several of my favorite Campari cocktails.

Campari is somewhat of an acquired taste in that it is quite bitter. It is also fairly sweet with an orange zest element to it. It is very complex in flavor and therefore works well on its own, but also marries well in the drinks mentioned below.

Here are five of my favorite things to do with Campari in no particular order:

#1 Campari on the rocks
2 oz Campari
1 lemon slice, zest or orange slice
pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Garnish with citrus of choice.

#2 Campari and Soda
2 oz. Campari
3-4 oz. Soda to taste
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Top with soda and stir. Citrus garnish optional.

#3 Campari and OJ
2 oz. Campari
2-4 oz. Orange Juice, Tangerine Juice or Blood Orange/Orange/Grapefruit Juice (fresh squeezed is best)
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Top with OJ and stir.

#4 Americano
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Martini & Rossi (lighter) or Carpano Punt e Mes (stronger) sweet vermouth
2-3 oz. Soda (in Italy, Schweppes club soda in little glass bottles)
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Add sweet vermouth. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with orange slice.

#5 Negroni
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Martini & Rossi (lighter) or Carpano Punt e Mes (stronger) sweet vermouth
1 oz. Gin (Beefeater)
Pour Campari, vermouth and gin into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon zest.

These are all great aperitifs with the possible exception being the Campari & OJ which may be a little heavy before a meal. It's more of a mid-late afternoon refresher.

Passion Fruit Nectar

Passion fruit nectar figures prominently in many tropical drinks created by the inimitable Trader Vic. In his Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide, Revised, he states:

If you have occasion to buy some passion fruit nectar (we distribute it), you can pretty well be assured that any drink made with it will be good...

Trader Vic does indeed sell a product called Passion Fruit Syrup, which up until about a year ago was a reasonably quality product made with real fruit juice. Ingredients are HFCS, water, passion fruit concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors, xanthan gum, red #40 (11% fruit juice).

Unfortunately, the Trader Vic brand has decided to replace this product with a new recipe made from artificial ingredients. I have not tried this newer version based on some of the comments here in the Tiki Central forums. I tried a bottle of Finest Call passion fruit syrup, but this turned out to be a sub-par, if not, just-plain-bad call.

Instead, as with grenadine, I was left to devise my own recipe for passion fruit nectar.

The starting point for this effort is a bottle of Looza brand passion fruit Nectar. It is readily available at many specialty stores such as Whole Foods. It is a Belgian brand and contains only water, concentrated passion fruit juice and sugar (25% juice). Many of the recipes for passion fruit syrup that I ran across on the forum required some amount of cooking. As with the grenadine, I tried to avoid any heating, lest it strip the acidity and give the resulting syrup a more "cooked" flabby flavor. Using the "cold process" involves simply shaking the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.

Comparing sugar levels, the Trader Vic's contains 21g/oz. Looza contains 4g/oz. Cutting the Looza with 50% water (12.5% juice) results in 2g/oz. Therefore each oz. of Looza syrup requires an extra 18g or so of sugar or 1.5 tablespoons of cane sugar.

The resulting product is clean and fruity with a definite passion fruit flavor that is more focused than the Trader Vic's version, but not overpowering. It is notably less viscous, owing to the lack of xanthan gum, but I have not found this to have a negative impact on any tropical drinks made with it.

Passion Fruit Nectar
2c Looza Passion Fruit Nectar (approx. 1/2 bottle)
2c Bottled or otherwise neutral pure Water
3c White granulated sugar
2 drops red dye (totally optional, only if you're going for the original look)

Combine ingredients in a glass bottle or pour-top plastic juice bottle (closable top recommended) and shake vigorously until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate. Substitute 1:1 per Trader Vic recipes.

Grenadine

I never really liked the taste of Rose's grenadine. Besides the high fructose corn syrup and obfuscatory list of ingredients, it just doesn't really taste like anything. Since the Sangrita recipe that I chose includes grenadine, I took the opportunity to do some research into what grenadine really is - pomegranate syrup. After reading through several recipes, many of which involved cooking, I decided that I would try something as fresh as I could, but without the hassle of actually trying to juice a real pomegranate (which I'm not ruling out trying in the future).

Enter POM 100% pomegranate juice. Although it is "from concentrate" it only lists as its ingredients pomegranate juice and natural flavors. Also according to the POM website, it:

• contains no added sugars, preservatives or colors
• is a good source of potassium
• is gluten free
• is flash pasteurized to retain both flavor and nutrients
• is certified kosher

One recipe suggested equal parts POM and sugar, so I did some math to compare sugar levels. Using a 1:1 juice to sugar ratio yields a syrup with 28g of sugar per oz. Rose's has 21g of sugar per oz. Not exactly what I was looking for, so instead I opted for a 2:1 POM juice to sugar recipe which has 16g of sugar per oz. All you do is add the sugar and shake vigorously until it dissolves.

You are left with a bright, fresh syrup which tastes like pomegranate with the acidic tang and a little bit of tannin from the skins. I tasted the Rose's next. It tastes of cloying candied sweetness, with no real discernible fruit flavor and certainly lacking that crisp acidity you get from the fresh version. It reminds me of the results from my homemade version of Trader Vic's Passion Fruit Nectar.

I made about 6 oz in this first production batch which should make several batches of Sangrita. It will be interesting to use this recipe in some tropical drinks when milder temperatures arrive.

Pomegranate Grenadine
2 part 100% pomegranate juice
1 part cane sugar

Combine ingredients into a glass container and shake vigorously until sugar dissolves. Store in refrigerator. Shelf life TBD.