Professor Cocktail

Ask the Professor: Allergic to Yeast and Corn

Jacqui M. writes in to ask:

I have recently developed a severe allergy to corn and yeast. Can you imagine how difficult it is to find something to drink for a cocktail? Help would be greatly appreciated. I love vodka. Can you recommend a brand that would be safe for me?

I'm not qualified to give medical advice and you'd be crazy to take it. But I can comment on the booze.

One thing I can say for certain is that all alcohol is made using yeast. It is the key ingredient in transforming sugar (glucose) into alcohol (ethanol). Once the process of fermentation and distillation is finished, however, I do not believe there is any yeast left in the final product. But whether or not it is safe for you to consume is a question for your doctor

Vodka is distilled from starch/sugar of one kind of another. It can be made from corn, other grains (like wheat or rye), potatoes, grapes, sugar beets and God knows what else. The same goes for gin (which is basically vodka that is infused with various botanicals like juniper).

In the United States, all vodka and gin must be labeled with the commodity from which it was produced. However, the statements don't have to be terribly specific. So if you have a vodka "distilled from grain," you wouldn't necessarily know if it was made from corn or wheat.

If you stick to potato vodka (e.g., Chopin or Luksusowa) or grape vodka (e.g., Cîroc), you can be sure it won't have any corn in it. Some other vodkas trumpet their source ingredient -- wheat with Grey Goose, rye with Belvedere -- so those would presumably be safe as well.

As for other spirits...

Bourbon and corn whiskey are, by law, made from corn. Rye whiskey often has corn in it, although there are some 95% rye whiskeys out there (the other 5% is malted barley) and even a few 100% ryes.

Single malt Scotch is made from malted barley. But other whiskeys -- blended Scotch, Irish or Canadian -- could potentially contain corn.

Brandy (and Cognac) is made from grapes.

Tequila is distilled from the agave plant. However, unless the label states "100% agave," it can include other substances and spirits, including vodka. (This is the case with the basic Jose Cuervo expression, for example.) So if you want tequila that you're sure isn't made from corn, look for the 100% agave label. (You should do this anyway, as mixto tequila is vile.)

Rum is distilled from sugar cane or sugar cane byproducts like molasses. So in generaly it doesn't contain any corn. You should be aware, though, that rum can legally have a small amount of additives in it. So I suppose they could slip some corn syrup in there, although it's unlikely.

Most liqueurs and cordials -- the fruity, spicy, nutty, sweet stuff that goes into cocktails -- are made from a vodka base, so they could contain corn.

I hope that helps!

Cocktail of the Day: Caramel Apple Cosmo

Caramel Apple Cosmo

1 1/2 oz Van Gogh Wild Appel Vodka
1/2 oz Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice

Shake with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

A lot of cocktail people look down their noses at vodka, especially flavored vodka. I don't get it myself. I've always been a fan of vodka, and I enjoy experimenting with the flavored variety in different drinks. They're certainly not the first thing I reach for, but that doesn't mean they should never be used.

This was based on a recipe I found in Gaz Regan's book. It has delicious fall flavors and has quickly become one of my wife's favorite drinks.

You don't need to use the Van Gogh brand vodkas, although I've found these varieties to be very tasty. The Sobieski Karamel is also good.

If you don't have any Licor 43, you can replace it with a little simple syrup. It's not going to taste quite the same -- the Licor 43 has a very nice sweet vanilla flavor -- but it'll give you the general idea.

Cocktail of the Day: Red Berry Delicious

Red Berry Delicious

1 1/2 oz Raspberry Vodka
1/2 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Licor 43
3 Large Srawberries
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Sugar Syrup

In a mixing glass, muddle the strawberries with the lemon juice and sugar syrup. Add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (If you don't want little pieces of strawberry floating in it, you can double strain it.)

Adapted from a recipe by Charlotte Voisey.

Vodka Review: Platinum 7X Vodka

Platinum 7X Vodka
American Vodka
Final Grade: B+
Price: $10 (750ml)

I don't write about vodka very often, a reflection of the fact that I don't drink it nearly as often as I used to. I still like vodka -- I just don't find it as interesting as other spirits. But there's no denying its flexibility and effectiveness. Vodka is the perfect spirit for when you're feeling lazy or uncreative, or just looking for something simple and to-the-point.

Platinum 7X Vodka has been on the market for a while, but it's recently been rebranded by its producer, the Sazerac Company. The key selling point to Platinum 7X is that it is distilled seven times, leaving a very pure spirit.

Its appearance in the glass reflects this: clear and flawless, like rainwater. It has a slight odor of alcohol, but that's it. As soon as you take a sip, the alcohol makes its presence known. It's not as smooth as Stoli, my favorite vodka, but it's also not unpleasantly hot.

Platinum 7X Vodka is made from American corn, but the distillation process leaves it with essentially no flavor. It tastes like, well, vodka. Pure, clean ethanol. There's not much point in drinking it straight (although if you do, it should be ice cold). However, it makes for a solid mixer, and works well in the standard vodka drinks like a Screwdriver or Cape Cod.

So why bother to discuss this vodka? Because it's cheap! I've seen it on sale for under $9, even cheaper than my standby Sobieski. At that price, you usually get something that tastes like rubbing alcohol. But Platinum 7X is significantly better than that.

Platinum 7X is not a vodka that's going to blow you away. But for the price, you'll find few, if any, that are better.

Report Card

Quality Grade: B
Value Grade: A
Final Grade: B+

The "Mad Men" and Their Cocktails: A Guide

Mad Men, the acclaimed AMC drama that recreates the smoky world of a 1960s Manhattan ad agency, returns on Sunday after a hiatus of nearly a year and a half. It's a great show: rich and textured, with sharp writing and strong acting. Plus, they drink a lot!

In case you're thinking about throwing a Mad Men cocktail party to celebrate the show's return -- or if, like me, you're just planning on drinking along -- here are easy recipes for some of the drinks that Don Draper and friends loved to imbibe.

The Manhattan is one of the best drinks you'll see on the show, and Don's daughter, Sally, mixes a mean one -- but she always forgets the bitters.

Manhattan

2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Can also be served on the rocks. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

 

Outside of the bedroom, Don tends to be a pretty conservative guy. So it comes as no surprise that his favorite cocktail is the Old Fashioned.

Old Fashioned

2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice in an old fashioned (rocks) glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

 

A favorite of Roger Cooper, the Gibson is a Martini made with a cocktail onion instead of an olive. It's traditionally made with gin -- but if Roger's trying to land the Heublein account, maybe he'll order it with vodka instead.

Gibson

2 1/2 oz Gin or Vodka
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth

Stir with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail onion.

 

Betty Draper Francis, Don's ex-wife, may have lousy taste in men: but she knows a good cocktail when she sees one. She's partial to the Gimlet.

Gimlet

2 oz. Gin
1 oz. Rose's Lime Juice

Shake (or stir if you'd rather) with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

 

In Season 3, Roger and his wife throw a Kentucky Derby party, where naturally they serve Mint Juleps (the race's official drink). This Southern classic is a sweet and delicious treat.

Mint Julep

2 oz Bourbon Whiskey
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Leaves from 4-5 Mint Sprigs

Add simple syrup and mint leaves to a silver julep cup or collins glass. Muddle gently. (Be careful not to work the mint too hard.) Add bourbon, then fill with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprigs.

 

Joan Holloway is a fan of one of my favorite drinks: the Tom Collins. Cool and refreshing, it's the perfect summer drink -- but it also goes down very well in March.

Tom Collins

2 oz Gin
1 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 Lemon Juice
Club Soda 

Shake with ice, then strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a half orange wheel and marschino cherry.

 

The Bloody Mary is the perfect drink for brunch, and this classic hangover cure has appeared in several episodes. But as Peggy Olson shows above, it can be enjoyed at other times as well.

Bloody Mary

1 1/2 oz Vodka
4 oz Tomato Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 Dashes Tabasco Sauce
1 Pinch Kosher Salt 

Roll with ice (i.e., pour back and forth) between both halves of Boston shaker. Strain into ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with celery stalk.

 

In one episode, Peggy and the boys brainstorm ideas for a Bacardi marketing campaign, during which they drink Rum and Cokes (Cuba Libres).

Cuba Libre

2 oz White Rum
Cola

In an ice-filled highball glass, add rum, then top with cola and stir. Squeeze a lime wedge into the drink, then drop it in. 

 

I don't recall if anyone's ever drunk a Daiquiri on the show, but it's definitely the type of cocktail that would have been popular at the time, especially with the show's female characters. 

Daiquiri

2 oz White Rum
1 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

 

Here's what you need to get for your party (total cost of the liquor is around $110 if you just get one of the whiskeys):

• Bourbon Whiskey -- Maker's Mark ($23) is the perennial crowd pleaser. (Don has a fondness for Canadian Club, which is Canadian Whisky, but not many people drink it these days.)
• Rye Whiskey -- Rittenhouse ($23) or Wild Turkey Rye ($26) are both good brands. 
  • (If you don't want to buy two types of whiskey, you can interchange bourbon and rye in most of these cocktails. Rye has a spicier flavor than bourbon; bourbon is smoother than rye. Rye is less than ideal for a Mint Julep, although it was long the preferred preparation in Maryland.)
• Vodka -- Smirnoff ($15) would be most appropriate for the era. If you want to go upscale, get Stolichnaya ($22), which Roger mentions in one episode. (He declines to share the contraband vodka with a guest.) For a good, cheap, modern alternative, get Sobieski ($11).
• Rum -- Bacardi ($13) would have been the popular pour of the day, and it featured prominently in one episode, but their modern product leaves something to be desired.  Buy some Cruzan Light ($13), a good, affordable alternative.
• Gin -- Beefeater ($19) or Tanqueray ($20). Both are excellent -- get whichever's on sale. (Beefeater was more popular at the time, but Tanqueray actually appears in one episode.)
• Sweet Vermouth -- Martini & Rossi ($5) is a good brand. Buy a half bottle.
• Dry Vermouth -- Noilly Prat ($5) is my favorite. Buy a half bottle, if you can find one.
• Lemons and limes. Squeeze them fresh for juice.
• Orange and celery for garnish.
• Tomato juice. Yes, you can use bottled. (Cook's Illustrated says Campbell's is the best.)
• Simple Syrup -- Make it yourself. Heat 1 cup of water in a saucepan and dissolve 1 cup of sugar in it. Don't let it boil.
• Maraschino Cherries -- Try to find a brand without high fructose corn syrup, if possible.

See you Sunday night!

Recipe: The Death Rattle - a cocktail memorializing the Blackberry smartphone

My brother sent me a link last night to a story on CNN.com about the troubles that RIM is having in North America with their Blackberry service. His comment wondered if this would be the end of the Blackberry, something that has been looming on the horizon for a while now.

Naturally, this inspired me to think about cocktails and how I could commemorate the end of this once-great brand in liquid form. This is what I came up with:

 

Death Rattle

Shake with ice:

1 1/2 oz. Death's Door Vodka
1/2 oz. Blackberry Brandy
1/2 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

 

I tried to think of ingredients that would go together in a pleasing fashion, yet also be symbolic of the Blackberry and its impending doom. The result is both tasty and tongue-in-cheek.

Although I don't often make vodka cocktails, the base spirit in this one was a no-brainer, as was the Blackberry Brandy (I used Bols), which adds some sweetness. The Elderflower Liqueur doesn't have any symbolism with regards to the theme of the drink, but it gives it a pleasing floral quality that pairs very nicely with the blackberry flavor.

Cheers!

Worlds Collide: James Bond and the Vesper Martini

Perhaps no one in thriller literature, or literature in general, is as associated with the Martini as James Bond. With just three short words he launched countless thousands of Martini drinkers off into the arms of Bacchus: "shaken, not stirred."

I won't go into why this is the wrong way to prepare a Martini -- actually, I will: briefly, it spoils the crystalline purity that is one the drink's sublime pleasures -- nor will I offer a diatribe on how Bond convinced so many drinkers that a Martini should be made with vodka instead of gin. (Something akin to making cookies with peanut butter and calling them chocolate chip.)

No, the purpose of today's post is to discuss something that Bond -- actually his creator, Ian Fleming -- did right: he created a new drink.*

Here is the relevant passage, from Casino Royale (1953), the novel that introduced 007. Bond walks up to a bar, accompanied by his CIA contact, Felix Leiter, and orders a drink:

"A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

 "Oui, monsieur."

 "Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?"

Bond called the drink the Vesper, after the book's love interest, the beautiful double agent, Vesper Lynd.

It's basically a Dry Martini with vodka substituted for some of the gin in order to mellow out the flavor a little. Kina Lillet, used instead of vermouth, was a French aperitif flavored with cinchona bark (quinine), giving it a slightly bitter taste, but leaving it still a little sweeter than the typical dry vermouth.

All in all, a tasty way to make a Martini. Sadly, Bond never drank it again. The book does not end well for Vesper Lynd -- it never does for Bond's ladies, does it? -- and he discarded the drink along with her memory.

Here is the recipe:

The Vesper Martini

Shake with ice:

3 oz gin
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a lemon twist for the garnish.

Bond liked his cocktails on the large size (see below), so this will make a hefty drink. You can adjust the quantities if you'd like. Just keep the ratios the same.

For the gin, I recommend a strong-flavored London Dry, like Tanqueray. This will approximate the flavor of the British Gordon's gin of Bond's time. (A different animal from the Gordon's sold in the U.S. today.)

For the vodka, Bond preferred Russian or Polish, but distillied from grain, not potatoes. So you might use Stolichnaya or Sobieski. (In the movies Bond usually drank Smirnoff, but that's because Heublein paid the studio a lot of money for product placement.)

For the Lillet, it gets more complicated. The Kina Lillet that Bond requested is no longer available. The company now makes an aperitif called Lillet Blanc, which is similar, but doesn't have the quinine (and thus the bitterness) of the original. The drink will still have the same basic flavor profile, but it will be slightly different.

One possible substitute, first proposed by Jason Wilson, is to use Cocchi Americano instead. Cocchi Americano is a French aperitif wine akin to Lillet Blanc, but flavored with gentian root, giving it a similar bitter flavor to the original Kina Littlet. I have not tried this combination, but it sounds promising.

Regardless of how you choose to prepare your Martini, I will leave you with one final piece of advice, also related by Monsieur Bond in Casino Royale:

"I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad."

Sound advice from a man who knows.

*According to Dale Degroff, the recipe was actually created for Fleming by Gilberto Preti, who tended bar at Dukes Hotel in London. Ted Haigh, however, says this is doubtful.

Vodka Review: Sobieski Vodka

Sobieski
Polish Vodka
Final Grade: A-
Price: $11 (750ml)

Reviewing vodka can be a challenging task. How does one praise a vodka? "This tastes even less than the last one I tried!" But while vodka is often described as being tasteless, odorless, colorless, etc. -- rather like the perfect poison gas, now that I think about it -- it's not true. To put the lie to this old saw, just place a glass of vodka next to a glass of water and see if you can't tell the difference.

Even beyond that, there are differences amongst different brands of vodka. The differences are not as profound as with other spirits, but they do exist. Vodka is a challenging spirit, though, even more so than with most of the liquor industry, because vodka is 75% marketing and hype. (Witness Grey Goose, a rather ordinary vodka that sells for $30 a bottle.)

So while it's easy to overpay for vodka, in essence making a charitable donation to the company's marketing budget, you don't want to underpay either. If you do, you'll end up with something like Popov that's better suited to stripping paint or polishing silverware than actual human consumption. What you're looking for is something in the middle, the sweet spot where drinkability and price are maximized.

That sweet spot is inhabited by Sobieski. There are others in the neighborhood that I've enjoyed as well. (Svedka and Burnett's come to mind.) But the best one I've found yet is Sobieski.

Sobieski is a Polish vodka distilled from rye. Nothing fancy or unusual, just a typical grain and a typical distillation process. The result is a smooth spirit that still has a nice bite to it.

Angus Winchester told me recently that, "We [Americans and Brits] don't drink vodka properly." He made the point that it's best consumed in the manner that the Russians do: very cold, neat, and in relatively small quantities at a time. (The Russians drink a lot, but they do so in small shots each time.) They also accompany their vodka with food, often lots of it.

So for this tasting I sampled Sobieski à la Russe. I put the bottle in the freezer for a couple hours to get it nice and cold, and poured myself a shot (about an ounce and a half in a tall shot glass).

The aroma is pure alcohol, understated and pleasant. It doesn't smell like something you'd use to clean out a cut.

The taste -- well, it tastes like vodka. Like vodka's supposed to taste, I should say. Clean, slightly viscous, with a hint of grain. It has just enough burn going down to let you know you're drinking alcohol, but not enough to be unpleasant. The finish lingers on the tongue in a pleasant way. Simple, smooth and elegant.

As you'd expect, this vodka also works well in all the usual cocktails. I particularly like it with just a splash of cranberry juice. Again: simple.

Sobieski doesn't rank as highly for me as Stolichnaya -- probably my favorite vodka -- but it's loads better than Absolut. And much cheaper than both.

I'm always on the lookout for spirits that are inexpensive, yet demonstrate real quality. Sobieski definitely falls into that category.

Report Card

Quality Grade: B+
Value Grade: A
Final Grade: A-

Worlds Collide: Martin Cruz Smith and the killer vodka

In my non-spiritous life, I write about mystery and thriller novels and the people who create them. There is a lot of crossover between the world of thrillers and the world of spirits, both among the characters and stories, and among the authors themselves. (Yes, a lot of writers really do drink as much as reported.) I thought it would be fun to chronicle that intersection in Worlds Collide (with a hat tip to Seinfeld for the name).

Here is an amusing story from Martin Cruz Smith's Polar Star (1989), a thriller featuring his series character, Arkady Renko (first introduced in Gorky Park):

Arkady sat at the edge of the flames, arms out to cup the heat. He remembered a picnic he'd once had in Siberia of frozen fish whittled into shavings, frozen reindeer sliced into strips, frozen berries formed into patties and Siberian vodka that had to be constantly turned, first this side and then that, towards the fire. The year before, an Intourist guide had taken a group of Americans into the taiga and laid out an even more splendid lunch but had forgotten to turn the bottle. After many toasts with warm tea to international friendship, mutual respect and closer understanding, the guide poured glasses of nearly frozen, almost congealed vodka and showed his guests how to drink it in one go. "Like this," he said. He tipped the glass, drank it and fell over dead. What the guide had forgotten was that Siberian vodka was nearly two hundred proof, almost pure alcohol, and would still flow at a temperature that would freeze the gullet and stop the heart like a sword. Just the shock was enough to kill him. It was sad, of course, but it was also hilarious. Imagine the poor Americans sitting around their campfire, looking at their Russian guide and asking, "This is a Siberian picnic."

I'm not sure that would actually happen, but I'm with Arkady -- it is hilarious.