EMBURY COCKTAILS

Happy Birthday Eau de Vie, & Some Experimentations from Philip Gandevia

Here at Embury our affection for Sydney's Eau de Vie is well documented, both here and in The New York Times. (The really smashing Sydney-centric cocktail blog Everyday Drinking confirms our high opinion of the team's  mad skills in a series of posts here.) On the eve of the stellar bar's one-year anniversary soon-to-be lead barman Philip Gandevia sent along "several experimentations" that employ our Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters. We were inpired to finally bottle the bitters to share with Team Eau de Vie, and their very name alludes to a trans-hempispherical bitters exchange with this bar on the other side of the world. So we're incredly pleased to see them put to such high level use by Gandevia.


SMOKEY 'Ol SEOUL LOVE

50ml Reposado (Ocho works well, DJ just fine)
12.5 Grenadine (the good stuff... Pomegranate juice and all 15 kills it in sweetness, but 10ml is not quite enough)
3 dashes Peychauds (the drink's gotta be pink)
Liberal with Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
10ml (or so - barspoons a bit shy, but dont let it dominate) smokey single malt goodness (or something illegal...)

Stir with love. Garnish with a lemon twist - but discard and donate to some lacklusture gin drink. Add a cherry if you feel it needs it, but the drinks pretty enough as is.

THE CONTENDER

50ml Tanqueray (or solid London Dry)
3 Fresh strawberries
20ml Lemon
20ml Apple juice (go cloudy if possible)
2 Chunks mandarin
Srig of rosemarry (no stem just leaves)
Dash egg white
15ml honey water (organic)
Tspn corriander seed

Crush then shakey shakey (Can infuse strawberrys in gin ala tequila por mi amante) and Brooklyn Hempispherical Strawberry Bitters to top.

THAI LADY BOY MEETS THE SCOTTISH GENT

45ml Reposado
30ml Aperol
20ml Cinzano Rosso
2 Thai Basil leaves
Brooklyn Hemispherical Rhubarb Bitters (go nuts)
Smokey rinse.

Stir, orange twist

WAITING ON THE WORLD

50ml Finlandia Grapefruit
25ml Lemon juice
20ml Honey
Egg white
Brooklyn Hemispherical Meyer Lemon Bitters on top....


Eau de Vie

Everyday Drinking

Brooklyn Hemipsherical Bitters

 

Friday Night Cocktails: Baby Basil Queenette

This cocktail comes from Embury Director of Photography Chad Mumm (all his videos here). Chad and his fiance Ashley live in the East Village and their kitchen has a narrow window that looks out at the opposite building about 4 feet away. But sunllight does come through the window for a couple hours every day, and Ashley has a a fine little herb garden working. The star of the garden is the robust baby basil queenette (l) with small leaves of delicate flavor, far less pronounced than the larger varietal. On a recent night Chad threw some of the baby basil into a mixing glass with Plymouth and Campari. Just a few rosemary leaves muddled in added an interesting earthy element, and Fee Bros' glycerin-based grapefruit bitters supplied just the touch of something sugary that anchored the whole thing, and the grapefruit nose completes the story. A tea strainer (a must for the home bar!) separates the floating bits of ice and leaves and leaves you with a chilled pink drink, ascerbic and herby but with an overlay of welcome sweetness. This all reminded me of how key it is to have fresh herbs in your home--even in small pots, soaking up sun on cold winter days safely behind glass. A beautiful secret weapon for impromoptu cocktailing and experimentation. J.R.

BABY BASIL QUEENETTE

2 oz. Plymouth gin
1 oz. Campari
1/2 oz lemon

In a mixing glass muddle a few sprigs of rosemary, top with ice and add liquid elements, tearing up some baby basil to the top. Shake well, and strain with a tea strainer into a coupe. Add a dass or two of Fee Bros. Grapefruit Bitters and serve.

Photos: Chad Mumm

Eeu de Vie Offerings: The Taming of Ardberg

 

Pursuant to my piece in the New York Times T Magazine on the Small Bars of Sydney we'll be running cocktails from the bars included therein. First up is Eau de Vie, the snug, elegant and damn near perfect speakeasy in Darlinghurst. Barry Chalmers, a wry Scotsman,  runs the show there, and we spoke about how the crew had been cherry-picked for their respective strengths.  The personalities behind the bar are quite diverese and complement one another both in style and specialties. It's a well cast gang, all with immense cocktailing skills and deep knowledge of spirits. Barry's made this cocktail for me  while I was there, an audacious attempt to fashion a cocktail around of the profoundly peaty Islay single malt, the Ardberg Ten Years Old. Having partaken of the very cocktail Barry's making in the above photo I can attest to his  success with this endeavor.

THE TAMING OF ARDBERG

40 ml Ardberg Ten Years Old
20 ml Martini Rosso
10  ml Averna
1 Bar spoon Muscovado sugar
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
1 Bar spoon Kirsch

Stir down, serve up with an orange twist.

Bitter Sweet Symphony

Photo: Jonathan Kamouris

My piece on cocktail bitters for Out magazine is up at Out.com here with lots of killer recipes from some of my favorite ace bartenders, most of whom we've featured here on Embury before. My original intro for the piece was a bit too long and the bits about the history of bitters were cut for space. Below is the original draft of the piece, but do head over to Out.com for lots of bitters extras, including 9 recipes in which bitters play an integral part.

Along with the global rebirth and reinvention of the craft cocktail over the past twenty years, revivals of classic cocktail bitters and a host of new bitters are amplifying layer to this drinking revolution, one that fuses historical arts with cuisine sophistication. Bitters can add a crucial additional layer, or layers, to a flavor profile of a drink without significantly altering it’s basic make-up, transforming it from flat to dynamic, from plain to bewitchingly complex and lively with just a few dashes; they are a highly effective flavor delivery system. They're often called the salt and pepper of cocktailing, but they can be even more: an incredibly well-stocked spice rack for the bar.

Bitters, essentially, are complex blends of roots and herbs mascerated in high proof spirits and then filtered, leaving a sediment-free (generally) dark distillate, rich with vegetal and herbal flavors and aromas.Their origins date back as the 1600s, when hundreds of varieties of bitters were made and used across Europe as very old school DIY homeopathic remedies, employing the epoch’s profound understanding of roots’ and herbs’ medicinal qualities. They first crossed over from the medicinal to the recreational around 1806, when some clever fellow, in a brilliant bit of re-purposing, realized that the intense flavors of bitters could not only mask the flavor of dubious-tasting spirits, but could make something quite new and delicious, with the addition of just a few dashes of the flavor-rich potions. The earliest definition of a cocktail from 1806 actually describes a combination of spirits, water, sugar and bitters. Over the centuries bitters have ebbed and flowed in cocktailing, falling to the wayside after Prohibition. For decades the old reliable Angostura Bitters were about the only kind you could find, but a new wave of inventive and surprising artisanal bitters are afoot, both commercially and privately, as a wave of mad scientist-style creativity taking place in bartenders’ kitchens and garages across the world. J.R.

And here are a couple videos featuring 2 of the 9 recipes in the article.

Scott Pilgrim vs. Will Foster

Back when Edgar Wright was still deep into production on the uncommonly charming and wildly entertaining "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" we commissioned a drink in the director's honor from Will Foster, Embury's man in Shoreditch. The resulting Edgar Wrightini payed homage to the man's intensive, almost Balzacian consumption of caffeine on set, using Patron XO, reposado and espresso (see recipe here), and it can be ordered at Foster's Casita Bar. A couple months back Nick De Semlyen from the U..K.'s go-to mag for smart fanboys and girls Empire got in touch with us, wanting to use the drink in their feature on the film and we were only to happy to facilitate. They asked Will to create additional cocktails in honor of auteurs as well, and he  came through with some killers--homages to Mssrs. Scorsese, Lynch, Mann & Nolan. Empire's graciously given us permission to post the entire feature, including cocktails, here on Embury, and my hope is that in reading through it folks will get a sense of how ambitious and epically cool the film is--or, as their US tagline reads: "an epic epic of epicness". For some reason the film hasn't had much success at the US box office; a little Michael Cera backlash could be to blame. But the film dusts off Cera's hapless, hoody wearing persona and re-invogorates it, reinvents it, even. And Wright's defined a new kind of screwball humor--he's a hipster Preston Sturgess here, although his kinetic directing style is anything but hipster-slacker-mumblecore laconic. I'll say it again: he's this generation's Sturgess. Even without all the awesome manga and gaming inspired effects and action sequences there's an incredibly witty film here.  Also: checking showtimes on Fandango in NYC turned up no local listings, but upon walking past the Union Square Regal Cinema yesterday afternoon the sign told the story, so it's still out there  And for Key Westers, my continual harrasment of the Tropic Cinema seems to have paid off--the film opens there this Friday, October 8th.

A file of the entire article is here: Download Empire Mag Wright Foster; we've also got it laid out page by page in the second part of this post (here). This should whet your appetite for the embarrasment of riches that the film offers. Below you'll see the final page of the piece where Will's recipes reside--fun to see him next to Cera, both wielding their weapons of choice. Cheers! J.R.

Further New Traditionalists & The Debut of the Indian Summer

 

Last Thursday while twin tornadoes ripped across Brooklyn knocking down over 1,000 trees, Team Embury was setting up for its first event of the fall at ne0-retro furniture outfitters The New Traditionalists, in their cozy--and safe--showroom in Soho. Despite a late start due to city-wide apprehension over the intense storm the faithful still made the trek and by 7 p.m. the party was in full swing. I had the chance to demo a new cocktail I'd come up with called "Indian Summer", using Cynar, Beefeater Summer Edition and a puree of equal parts fresh red peppers and pickled sweet and sour mixed peppers--pretty damn tasty, if I do say so myself, and several guests declared its potent foodiness to make it a great alternative to a Bloody Mary. Huge respect to Nic Hirsch of Cellar Bar at Andaz 5th Avenue for his recipe Cynar Rosso (see our post here) that's the source of my original inspiration, and to John Byrd for suggesting the addition of the sweet and sour peppers. Hirch's original recipe calls for Martin Miller's Gin and the crisp, almost biting citrus notes partnered beautifully with the red pepper he muddled it with. But the elderflower, hibiscus flower and blackcurrant notes of the Summer Edition give the sweet and sour vinegared peppers something complex and earthy to work with, and the Indian Summer feels like a great late harvest drink.

 
INDIAN SUMMER

3/4 ounce Cynar
2 ounce Beefeater Summer Edition Gin
1.5 ounce puree of fresh red peppers and sweet & sour peppers*
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce turbinado syrup

I made a punch with the recipe and shook individual servings. As a combination garnish and ice cube I froze some colorful habaneros in a take-out container.
*I used "Peperoni in Agrodolce" from Il Mongetto-can be purchased at BuonItalia in Chelsea Market--they don't seem to be on the website yet but can be ordered by phone at 212-633-9717, and they're about $12.

Amy McNally of Brooklyn's Camp bar and Embury's main man Mark Buettler were on hand. Mark was mixing up something we'd worked on together, a spicy riff on a Paloma, using our still-in-development sriracha bitters.

Clicking on the recipe cards below should give you a nice big printable file.

 
Jaime Salas of Milagro manned a station, serving up the Mora y Sylvia  with blackberries and Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters.

  

Cynar Cocktail Contest & The Search for Delicious

I attended the first ever Cynar cocktail competition the other night at the Trump Soho (which is nowhere  as tacky as you'd expect!) I took a friend who'd never experienced the Italian aperitivo that's made from a blend of artichoke leaves and herbs infused in an alcohol base. He declared all five entries to be delicious, and I'm not sure how much of his response came from how good the cocktails were (all very good) and how much from the uncommonly harmonious combination of  savory and sweet the spirit acheives. Both, probably. The big surprise to me was how well the spirit mixes--5 cocktails, 5 varied approaches, and I daresay 5 complete successes. And, for the most part, quite easy to make at home with some simple prep. I was also reminded of Kirk Estopinal of Cure in New Orlean's and his sumptuous "The Search for Delicious".  That's below, and below that is the complete list of entrants in the Cynar contest, with recipes.

The Search for Delicious

2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
15-21 drops of lemon juice
6 dashes Regan's bitters
2 pinches sea salt
5 swaths of lemon peel

Start with one "baker's" pinch of salt in a rocks glass. Add the Cyanr and briefly stir. Add the Punt e Mes, bitters, lemon juice and ice. Stir briefly to incorporate. Taste, looking for only the faintest hint of salt. If the drink tastes salty, throw out your first attempt and adjust your salt levels. When the salt level is correct, express the oil from five swatch of lemon peel onto teh sruface of teh cocktail, dropping one in along the side of teh galss, skin side facing in. An 1/8 rim of salt will allow your guest to experiment with a few salty sips. Making the following sips pleasantly sweet, which will not make your brain hurt.

IL MIO RAGAZZO (MY ITALIAN BOYFRIEND) Pictured above, and winner of First Place, created by Tina Michelle Braunstein, Empire Rooftop, NYC. Winner selected by party guests.)

1 1/2 oz  Cynar.
1  oz  Martin Miler's Gin.
1  oz Trader Joe's orange, mango, peach juice.
2  dashes Regan's Orange bitters.
Splash Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice.
Sicilian sea salted cucumber (for garnish)

Stir over ice everything but the garnish  =  the Cynar,  the gin,  the 2 juices and the bitters.  Then serve straight up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cucumber wheel salted with sicilian sea salt, floating on top.

 
TEAM CYNAR: (Clockwise, starting lower left) Raphael Reyes, Tina Michelle Braunstein, Jessica Butt of Heaven Hill, Jonathan Pogash of USBG, James Menite, Justin James Noel & Nic Hirsch.

COMPLETE LISTING OF RECIPES AFTER THE JUMP

Market Fresh Cocktails: Greg Seider's 'Ground To Glass'

As the dog days of summer kick in and anyone who can afford to get out of town does, those of us left behind turn to other means of alleviating the oppressive swelter. Drinking helps. Incorporating fresh produce into your drinks helps even more, bringing a bit of countryside to the bar. Summit Bar's Greg Seider came up with this great little recipe--if you can't puree the red pepper do muddle it up very well, and when he says hard shake he means hard. This also works as a frozen drink, almost too well. I didn't have hickory smoked salt on hand and used Murray River Pink Flake Salt, to no ill effect. Red pepper works so well in here you'll be tempted to start tossing it into all sorts of cocktails. Go for it.

GROUND TO GLASS

2 oz Patrón Reposada Tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. agave mix (1 part water to 1 part agave syrup)
3/4 oz. Red pepper puree (or muddle 3 slices of red pepper)
2 dashes orange bitters
Hickory salt

In a cocktail shaker muddle one cucumber round. Build rest of ingredients.  Add ice, hard shake for 10 seconds. Rim half of glass with hickory smoked salt. Double strain on ice in double old fashioned or rocks glass.

Rhubarb Bellini: Martha's Vineyard Edition

Photos: Sharon McGauley

The trans-hemispheric quest to create a rhubarb bellini came to fruition on a recent afternoon in Martha's Vineyard, with a crystal blue sky and brilliant sunlight and an wedding by the sea. Discussions about and experimentation with the mythical bellini had taken place in Los Angeles and Brooklyn, then continued in Melbourne, carried on through Sydney, were picked up again back to New York and ultimately crescendoed on Chappaquidick. The version that coalesced that day was a bit different from what I'd imagined it would be a week prior, when I was across the international date line on the other side of the equator. Some brilliant scheming in Australia went a bit awry and never quite came to fruition in time for the wedding--as Joni Mitchell might say, 'things conspired.' But to paraphrase Julia Childs: you'll never be a great chef if you always follow the recipe. In the end working with available elements yielded charming bellinis that refreshed wedding guests parched from the intense rays of the sun with a a welcome sweetness. (The heat and the vivid sun were elements that we may have not considered on that rainy evening in autumnal Melbourne.)  Below is the recipe I landed on that afternoon, and in the second half of the post some of the twists and turns that led to this iteration, for those who are interested in such cocktail questing. And while all the other variations certainly had their virtues, this one that came to be on the day that my longtime friends were getting married seems to have been exactly what was supposed to have been  all along.

RHUBARB BELLINI, MARTHA'S VINEYARD EDITION

1 cube demerrara sugar
3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
3 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters #6
3 dashes Fee Bros. Rhubarb Bitters
1/4 oz. fresh orange juice
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

Drop the demerarra cube into a tall flute, douse with all the above bitters. Add orange and lemon juice and fill-carefully, as it will be extra bubbly when it comes into contact with the sugar and the citrus-with champagne. Add a substantial orange twist, and one final dash of Fee Bros. Rhubarb Bitters on top for the nose.

Things That Are Nice To Receive In The Mail: Bitter Truth's "Cocktail Bitters Traveler's Set"

Bitter Truth's new "Cocktail Bitters Travelers Set" serves as a great sampler of the brands' verite approach to bitters, too-for a novice it's a great introduction, for a pro it's an insanely useful, highly toolkit. You can take them on the plane--the 20 ml bottle they are well below the 3 oz. cut off, yet still contain enough bitters to shake up more than enough cocktails to keep the VIP lounge swinging. There are five pet set: Creole, Orange, Old Time Aromatic, Celery (with which you can make a Perfect Louis) and the collaboration, Bitterman's Xocolatl Mole Bitters (with which you can make the Y Tu Mole Tambien a.k.a. Tarnished Halo).  Available now in Europe, they'll starting becoming available in the States in September.  And retailing for around $20 USD.  Quite possibly the greatest cocktail related stocking stuffer of all time.

 

Bitter Truth's "Cocktail Bitters Traveler's Set."