The Three Best Things I Drank at Tales of the Cocktail 2016
This year's Tales of the Cocktail was no different from years past in many ways; new product releases, cocktails made to showcase them and enough Bourbon Street bad decisions to last a lifetime. Spirits companies employed countless bartenders from all over the globe to get their products into the hands and down the gullets of the masses. It takes a hearty soul to negotiate this sort of debauchery and find the great things among the middling but it had to be done and I would hate to let you down so I booked a flight, grabbed my notebook and a “go cup.” You’re welcome.
Let’s dive right in to the cocktails, shall we? I had the privilege of trying quite a few and three stood head and shoulders above the rest. The first was placed in front of me at a seminar (thanks to the CAPS for that!) entitled, “Integrating Craft Beer into your Cocktail Program.” Largely interested in canned, bottled and draught beer, this seminar briefly touched on the beer-cocktail trend that has become hugely popular recently. The cocktail chosen to demonstrate this trend was the “IPA-Mazing” from Porchlight. Bartender Dave Nurmi, was revealed as the mastermind behind the creation of this truly unique cocktail. He created a beer-cocktail that is so much more than a Fizz with beer replacing the soda component. Here Nurmi combines Tanqueray Gin, grapefruit, passion fruit, beer syrup and beer foam to create a cocktail that drinks like a fruit forward IPA while being as refreshing as a Gin Highball at the same time. While the recipe is not one for beginners (there are two syrups and a beer foam to make) this is the first beer-cocktail I’ve had that is much more cocktail than beer. This is what a beer-cocktail can and should be!
Next up is a cocktail served at the High West Spirited Dinner. All cocktails prepared for this dinner were great but it was the 200 Peaks Cocktail served alongside the first course that was the real winner. Bartender Jesse Carr deftly employed High West Double Rye and Campfire whiskey, Manzanilla sherry, honey, lime and honeydew. This drink was soft and pretty; a rare feat for a cocktail containing two whiskeys that poured neat could be described as broad-shouldered and spicy. The honeydew melon is the star here, reigning in the big whiskeys while helping to marry the citrus and the dry sherry. The garnish on this easy sipper was a reminder that drinks should always be fun. The 200 Peaks, garnished with two honeydew melon balls and a sprig of rosemary, paired perfectly with the Rocky Mountain oysters.
On the spirits side of things there is one that eclipsed all contenders. Plantation Rum has a portfolio with a ton of hits (including Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum, named this year’s best new spirit at The Spirited Awards) and no misses. Calling on luminaries from across the tiki-verse - Jeff “Beachbum” Berry,Martin Cate, Paul McGee, Paul McFadyen, and Scotty Schuder - along with David Wondrich - Alexandre Gabrielle has hit another one out of the park with the O.F.T.D Overproof. The Old Fashioned Traditional Dark stands ready to replace the previous Overproof offering from Plantation. The O.F.T.D’s blend of rums from Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana replaces the straight Trinidadian overproof that has become too scarce to continue offering. The O.F.T.D. registers at 69% A.B.V., just a few degrees lower than the previous offering (at 73% ABV), yet it is a huge step forward in flavor. The strong vanilla and chocolate notes make this rum drink much softer than it is. And, as with any overproof rum, this spirit will undoubtedly find its way into some potent tiki drinks and this one will hold up as well as anything available or unavailable (I’m looking at you, Lemon Hart) on the market today. The Plantation team is clearly aware of this as they showcased their new spirit in three different variations on The Zombie, the perfect place for a real overproof rum.
I couldn’t pick a favorite between these three offerings but I will be getting a bottle of the O.F.T.D. as soon as possible and I might just become a regular at Porchlight until The IPA-Mazing leaves the menu. As for the 200 Peaks? I’m gonna have to break out the juicer and make some to sip in the sun this weekend!
IPA-Mazing (Dave Nurmi, Porchlight)
- 1.5 oz/44 mL Tanqueray Gin
- 1 oz/30 mL Other Half IPA “Syrup” *
- .5 oz/15 mL Grapefruit juice
- .25 oz/7 mL Passion Fruit Syrup*
- 3 dashes Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters
- 3 dashes Suze Gentian Liqueur
- 4 drops Saline Solution (80/20 water/salt)
- Top with Other Half IPA foam *
Shake all ingredients over ice (except the foam), double strain into a 10.5oz collins glass w/ 4 Kold Draft cubes, top with foam. Serve without a straw. The idea is to sip through the foam as you would any beer in a glass.
*To be perfectly honest, this drink is great but not easily replicated at home. These syrups and foams require advance chemistry degrees and most home bars aren’t equipped with the right brand of Bunsen Burner and safety goggles to get the desired results. Better to leave this one to the experts so call an Uber and get thee to Porchlight!
Zombie (my adaptation of Don the Beachcomber’s 1950 version)
- 1 oz/30 mL Lime Juice
- 1 oz/30mL Lemon Juice
- 1 oz/30mL Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz/30 mL Passion Fruit Syrup
- 1 oz/30 mL Light Rum (Plantation 3 Star will do here)
- 1 oz/30mL Puerto Rican Gold Rum (although Havana Club works best here if you can find the real deal from Cuba)
- 1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D Overproof Rum
- 1 tsp Demerara Syrup (1:1 demerara sugar:water)
- 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin. Add ice and shake well to chill and dilute. Pour into a chilled Zombie glass (a Collins will do if you don't have one). Garnish with a Mint Sprig and any other silly things you’ve got lying around.