May 13th, 2009
A man named James Espey visited Boston recently to promote a rare Scotch whiskey that costs $2,000 a bottle. Called the Last Drop, it came from a hidden treasure that Espey and partners Tom Jago and Peter Fleck–all three are seasoned moguls of the international spirits trade–discovered in a dim corner of Scotland’s Auchentoshan distillery. Their find? Three sherry butts of whiskey blended in 1972 from 70 malt and 12 grain spirits distilled no later than 1960. Two-thirds of the barrels’ contents had evaporated or otherwise disappeared. The partners transferred the remainder into 1,327 bottles, which are now being sold to rich folk around the globe.
What does a 50-year-old, $2,000 whiskey taste like? Heavenly. Most mortals will never in their lives sip a beverage this complex and elegant: a symphony of toasty, oaky, dried-fruit flavors laced with smoke, leather and spice, with an epic finish. But, really, when you get into the thousands-of-dollars range for a bottle of hooch, the defining characteristic is rarity. Nothing heightens flavors and aromas like knowing you are swallowing a historical artifact. Of course, many of those who buy a bottle of the Last Drop are not going to drink it; they’re eventually going to auction it on eBay for at least 10 times the original price. Espey, who held onto a case of the stuff for himself, acknowledged as much.
In a funny contrast to the rarefied beverage he was publicizing, Espey frankly came across as more businessman than connoisseur. One of the highlights of his career is having invented Malibu Rum. Sporting a pair of cufflinks that together spelled CHILL OUT, he spoke in the vocabulary of market research and cases sold rather than distillation and barrel aging. When he told the story of the Last Drop (whose tagline, “Before there is no more,” belabors the point), it was clear that he was as enamored of the new brand he created as the whiskey it showcased.
Good luck procuring a drop of this elixir for yourself. Only eight bottles have been allocated to the Massachusetts market. I don’t know whether any have sold yet, or to whom. You may have better luck if you fly to Hong Kong. Espey will soon entertain 50 executives there and was confident that every one of them would snap up a bottle of the Last Drop.
Permalink | 2 Comments | Filed under Whiskey | Tags: blended, Last Drop Distillers, luxury, scotch
May 9th, 2009
Welcome to drinkboston.com’s shiny, new package. A simple, default WordPress template served the site well for three years. But it was time for a more expansive design with cooler fonts and added features, like a randomly generated cocktail recipe and space for promoting events.
I gave web designer Noah Kuhn a stack of old magazines from the ’40s through the ’70s for inspiration. I’m happy with the result. Your thoughts?
Permalink | 20 Comments | Filed under drinkboston in the news | Tags: drinkboston re-design
May 3rd, 2009
The odds of my drinking like a lady at yesterday’s “Run for the Roses” party at Drink were about as long as those of Mine That Bird winning the Kentucky Derby. The name of the first-place horse could have been the party’s slogan, the bird in question being Eagle Rare bourbon. The whiskey flowed so lavishly that John Gertsen mixed a giant Mint Julep in a silver punch bowl just because he could.
For me, a good party was made even better by the fact that I got to enjoy my bourbon alongside one Mr. Paul Harrington, who happened to be in town for the weekend from the West Coast. In the ’90s, as a San Francisco bartender and the authority behind cocktailtime.com on the now-defunct web magazine HotWired, Paul was among a small handful of people who planted the seeds of the classic-mixology revival. He co-authored Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century (unfortunately out of print), a seminal book for many of today’s bartender-mixologists in Boston and elsewhere. Those influencees include Patrick Sullivan, who consulted Paul’s book when he opened the B-Side Lounge in 1998 and who, as it turned out, met the author last night for the first time. I’m getting verklemmpt.
Paul is a sharp, charming guy with an easygoing manner, and he is plainly impressed by the level that the bartending profession has reached in places like Drink. What he, Dale DeGroff, Robert Hess, Ted Haigh, Audrey Saunders and others helped start took a while to catch on, but now it’s fully in bloom. The good thing is, Paul’s no cocktail geek extolling mixological prowess above all. His advice to today’s barkeep is to remember that a bar should be fun and welcoming; combine that kind of vibe with expertly made drinks, and you’re golden.
Paul, here’s to getting your book back in print and opening up a joint of your own someday.
Permalink | 3 Comments | Filed under Books & resources, Whiskey | Tags: bourbon, Drink, Kentucky Derby, Paul Harrington
April 28th, 2009
Eric Felten’s last two drink columns for the Wall Street Journal have referred, directly and indirectly, to some of Boston’s best bartenders. April 18’s A Welcome Sign of Vodka’s Decline describes a development for which I have been beating the drum for some time, and it singles out Misty Kalkofen‘s mezcal-based recipe for Food & Wine’s Cocktails ’09 — the Maximilian Affair — as “an instant classic.” (Thanks to those readers who tipped me off about this article, and congrats to you, Misty.) Felten also mentions an original cocktail by Jackson Cannon, the Fernet-laced Heather in Queue, as an example of a gravitation toward bitters.
April 25’s Women Behind Bars compares the male-only saloon culture that largely kept women employees out of bars until well after WWII with the prevalence of female bartenders in today’s “culinary cocktail” scene. Felten begins by mentioning this year’s James Beard Foundation culinary gala, whose theme is Women in Food. “More than a dozen prominent female bartenders will be mixing original drinks at the May 4 dinner in New York,” he writes. Guess who will be among those “prominent female bartenders.” Yep, Misty rides again, and she’ll be accompanied by her Drink colleague Josey Packard. Have a blast, girls — can’t wait to see the pics!
Misty Kalkofen (adapted by Eric Felten of the WSJ)
1 1/4 oz mezcal (preferably a smoky, single-village mezcal such as Del Maguey)
3/4 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz sweet vermouth (preferably Punt e Mes)
1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Heather in Queue
Jackson Cannon (invented at Eastern Standard)
1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz Martini and Rossi Bianco vermouth
1/2 oz Bauchant Orange Liqueur
1/4 oz Fernet-Branca
Stir well over ice and serve straight up. Garnish with flamed lemon twist. This cocktail is named for a regular Friday-night customer who was standing "in queue" when Jackson created this drink for her as a replacement for the Hoskins, "as I was running out of the then famous 164-bottle stash of Amer Picon that I picked from a dusty corner of the Martignetti warehouse."
Permalink | 4 Comments | Filed under Booze in the news, Cocktails, Vodka | Tags: Eric Felten, Jackson Cannon, josey packard, Misty Kalkofen, women bartenders, WSJ
April 26th, 2009
One of the things I like about this town is that events in bars have evolved. Of course, it is still often the case that “event” + “bar” = a liquor or beer company decorating the room with plastic banners and table tents and handing out keychains. If you’re really lucky, you get a T-shirt and maybe your photo taken with someone dressed as, say, the St. Pauli Girl or Captain Morgan. It’s not much different from one of those themed birthday parties for six-year-olds.
But now we have bar events that embrace adulthood and a bit of tradition, like the Run for the Roses party this Saturday, May 2 — a.k.a. Kentucky Derby Day — at Drink from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Don a stylish spring hat, strap your bourbon-drinking liver on, grab a racing form, and join in the excitement of one of America’s most storied sporting events.
Drink’s skilled bartenders will serve up classic bourbon cocktails (Mint Juleps, Old-Fashioneds, Horse’s Necks, and more), canapes will be passed, and the race will be broadcast live. Tickets are $40 per person and include the eats, three drinks and a vintage cocktail glass (tax and gratuity extra). Advance purchase of tickets is recommended; to reserve, call Drink at 617-695-1806.
For inspiration (and hat ideas), check out this great series of Kentucky Derby party photos that Alfred Eisenstaedt shot for LIFE in 1937. See you there!
Permalink | No Comments | Filed under Events, Whiskey | Tags: bourbon, Kentucky Derby, Mint Juleps
