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November 21st, 2008
A wonderful thing happened recently. I got whiskey in the mail. Rye whiskey. This never happens. Sure, I’ve received gin in the mail, and cachaca, and tequila. All were welcome. But whiskey — and this is a relatively high-end whiskey — people don’t just give that stuff out. But here I was, opening a sleek white box containing a bottle of … um … well, the label appeared to be some sort of mathematical equation or unpronounceable glyph, like the thing Prince changed his name to.
I had to read the promotional materials that accompanied the bottle to figure out that this whiskey, produced by Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., is pronounced “rye one.” The label and the contemporary design of the bottle could not have broadcast more clearly that this is not your grandfather’s whiskey. There’s no “old” in the name, no 1800s font.
“[Rye one] is a cutting-edge spirit for today’s top tastemakers and cocktail drinkers who are looking to expand their ultra-premium spirits repertoire,” Brand Manager Mara Melamed is quoted in the press release.
Playing the part of “top tastemaker,” I sampled the Rye One neat alongside a few ryes I bought myself: the bargain brands Old Overholt and Jim Beam, the premium Sazerac 6-Yr, and the increasingly rare Michter’s 10-Yr. In terms of complexity, depth and the spicy kick you look for in a rye, the Rye One came out ahead of Old Overholt and Jim Beam, stood about equal with (but was a bit hotter than) Sazerac 6-Yr, and was clearly not on the same plane as Michter’s 10-Yr. Later, Scott joined me in comparing Rye One to Old Overholt and Sazerac in a 3:1 Manhattan with a dash of Angostura bitters. Scott preferred the Sazerac. I was on the fence between the Rye One and the Sazerac.
Conclusions? I thought Rye One was pretty comparable in quality to Sazerac 6-Yr. But here lies the rub: Rye One is $46-$48 a bottle. Sazerac is $25-$30. What’s the deal with the high price of Rye One? I’m guessing that in packaging this rye to appeal to the Nightclub Set, Beam Global is simply borrowing a page from the vodka-marketing playbook: put your booze in a sexy bottle and charge conspicuously more for it than any of your competitors. This ploy has made premium vodka wildly profitable. It will be interesting to see if it works for whiskey.
Tags: liquor packaging, rye whiskey
Posted in Whiskey | 9 Comments »
November 18th, 2008
This is the time of year when every culinary scribe in the nation chips in to solve a seemingly widespread problem: What to Drink with Thanksgiving Dinner. Wine writers have made pinot noir a standard tipple to pair with turkey and stuffing. Beer writers are making inroads with the argument that, actually, craft brews offer way more variety for Thanksgiving pairings than wine. Historical purists would advocate drinking water, as that is likely all the Pilgrims had on hand during their 1621 feast with the Wampanoag Indians. I don’t know if hosts are really in as much agony over what to serve with gravy-soaked root vegetables as they’re made out to be, but if they are, I have an easy answer: Plymouth Gin.
Unlike, say, wine, Plymouth Gin actually has a connection to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. The Mayflower set sail from the original Plymouth, in England. Not only that, the night before they left for the New World, the Pilgrim Fathers lodged in a former monastery dating from the 1400s that is today known as Black Friars Distillery, a.k.a. the producer of Plymouth Gin. The ship that appears on the gin’s label? Yep, it’s the Mayflower.
I learned all this on a little junket I attended recently: a dinner in Eastern Standard‘s private dining room with Plymouth’s brand ambassador, British drinks expert Simon Ford. (For the record, I was a devotée of this crisp, balanced gin before the company plied me with product.) This was a multi-course Thanksgiving of sorts that paired Plymouth Gin-based cocktails with dishes that featured some of the botanicals used in distilling the spirit. Kevin Martin led the Eastern Standard bar staff in mixing up French 75s, Alaskas and Gin Flips, among others. Dishes included a coriander-crusted venison chop, rabbit terrine with juniper berries, and cardamom tapioca pudding. And, believe it or not, before dinner we were given a steamed towel scented with orris root. Fancy!
Reps from the Pernod Ricard company, which owns the Plymouth brand, informed me that Boston is a hot market for this gin. Given that every bar doing classic cocktails stocks the stuff (thanks largely to the pioneering B-Side Lounge), I’m not surprised.
Fun facts about Plymouth gin:
- Not long after it was first distilled in 1793, Plymouth Gin became the official gin of the British Royal Navy. And because the navy shipped it everywhere, it became one of the first global brands.
- Black Friars Distillery is the oldest working distillery in England, with records of spirit-making dating to the 1600s.
- Like Scotch whiskey and Cheddar cheese, Plymouth Gin has its own appellation contrôlée, which means the spirit can only be distilled in Plymouth.
- The pot still in which every drop of Plymouth Gin is made was installed in 1850.
- In 1896 the first printed recipe for a Dry Martini, in Stuart’s Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them, specified Plymouth Gin.
Tags: eastern standard, Mayflower, Pilgrims, Plymouth Gin, Thanksgiving
Posted in Cocktails, Gin | 19 Comments »
November 13th, 2008
A reader named Daniel emailed me recently asking what I knew of recent “bartender movement” around Boston, including what has become of the crew at the B-Side. Timely question, Daniel, because Boston drink-slingers are engaged in a lively round of musical bars right now.
Let’s start with the crew at the B-Side, which, it turns out, will not be opening again under new ownership as I wrote earlier. The lounge on the corner of Hampshire and Windsor in Cambridge is officially in limbo. Sad. From what I’ve heard, among the principal bartenders left standing when the place closed, Dave Cagle is heading to Deep Ellum, Al Harding is at the new-and-improved Cafe Marliave (along with ex-B-Siders Jackie Ross and Christopher Duggan, who’s also occasionally at the Indo), Russ is at the Beehive, and Rob … I totally forget where Rob’s going (update forthcoming). While I’m on the subject, the B-Side’s swan song, last Sunday, was an evening of fun insanity, with customers doing their damnedest to drain the place of every last ounce of liquor, and most of the above B-Side alums — plus Joe McGuirk and Claudia Mastrobuono, both now at Highland Kitchen — stepping behind the bar to help out.
As for the other bars with personnel in flux … Misty Kalkofen is moving from Green Street to Drink. That means Drink will now boast a ridiculous roster of talent including Kalkofen, John Gertsen, Ben Sandrof and Josey Packard, among others. Meanwhile, as Daniel informed me, Green Street has lured Emily of Deep Ellum across the river. She joins Andy McNees (formerly of Bukowski and Eastern Standard) and Bice (formerly of B-Side, Deep Ellum, etc.). Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, who earned renown at Eastern Standard, is now boss of the bar at chef Tony Maws’ new place, Craigie on Main, which is scheduled to open this Friday.
I know I’m missing a few other significant moves, here. I’ll post updates when I get them, along with reviews of Boston’s new star bars Drink, Cafe Marliave and Craigie on Main. In the meantime, best of luck to all you ‘tenders in your new gigs.
Tags: bartender movement, new Boston bars
Posted in Bartenders, Boston bars | 14 Comments »
November 8th, 2008
If you were reading drinkboston around this time last year, you may recall the post I wrote about one of the most fun parties ever: the LUPEC Boston Tea Party. The Boston chapter of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) took over a riverboat docked near the North End and turned it into a 1920s speakeasy, with vintage cocktails and music, oysters and appetizers from some of Boston’s best chefs, and a bunch of festive people in period dress. The party, along with the This One’s for the Ladies cocktail promotion at area bars, raised $10,000 for Jane Doe, Inc.
On Friday, November 21 (7-11 p.m.), the ladies are doing it all again — 1940s-style — with their second annual fundraising bash, the LUPEC Boston USO Show. This time, we’re taking over a larger, land-based venue, the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center (85 W. Newton St., South End, Boston), for a party inspired by the USO variety shows that entertained American troops during WWII. Rest assured, like the USO shows, the party is coed.
Entertainment will include swing music spun by DJ Brother Cleve, the burlesque comediennes Two Girls for Five Bucks, a Bob Hope impersonator (Boston comedian-actor Harry Gordon) and the Boston Derby Dames, who will skate around serving chocolates.
Vintage libations, like the classic rum-and-lime daiquiri (one of WWII veteran JFK’s fave cocktails), will be served by some of Boston’s best bartenders, and oysters and apps will again come from some of the city’s culinary stars.
Scour your local vintage clothing shops for 1940s-era attire, and do not — I repeat, DO NOT — miss this party. Unless you hate having fun.
This year’s proceeds from This One’s for the Ladies and the USO Show will benefit women at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans. Tix are $35 ($45 at the door) and include four cocktails and all the eats. And you can buy them online this year at grandthestore.com (includes a service charge) or in person at Grand, Toro or Tremont 647. Lots more details on the USO Show and This One’s for the Ladies are available on the LUPEC Boston blog. Hope to see you there!
Tags: 1940s, LUPEC Boston, USO show
Posted in Cocktails, Events | No Comments »
November 5th, 2008
At 11:00 p.m. last night at the Independent, it was like the Red Sox finally winning the World Series, only with more crying.
Holy crap, we just witnessed a turning point in American history. That happens, like, once or twice in a lifetime. And despite an assembly line of Ward Eights at the beginning of the evening, and shots of rye passed around after Obama gave his acceptance speech (man, is that guy steady), my memories of Election Night ’08 are clearly branded on my brain. Here are some photos from the drinkboston-Indo party celebrating the end — the new beginning, actually — of a two-year political saga.
CNN’s Dana Bash calls Ohio for Obama.
Partygoer Zack Hickman won a $25 Indo gift certificate for Best Election Night Getup.
The crowd is stirred as the winner is announced. That tall guy in the back looks familiar.
Barack Obama is announced President-Elect. Much cheering, toasting, hugging, crying. The DJ plays “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and people laugh and sing along.
We wish you luck, Mr. President.
Tags: 2008 election, barack obama, the Independent, Whiskey
Posted in Events, Whiskey | No Comments »
