Applejack was originally created in colonial times by leaving fermenting apple cider outside in the wintertime to be freeze-distilled (“jacked”) into a higher-proof spirit. Since alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water, producers were able to remove water content (and thus concentrate the alcohol content) by going out and discarding the ice as it…
Tag: bartending
Oleo Saccharum: Lemme Tell You Oil About It
Want to instantly up your cocktail game without too much effort? Look no further than oleo saccharum. This old-school ingredient, literally translating to “oily sugar”—or “sugared oil”—was used as far back as the seventeenth century. It’s believed that British sailors made punch with the ingredients largely available to them while traveling—rum, citrus, and tropical spices—then…
Behind the Vino Labbra
We sat down with Carla Rivera to chat about her work, low-ABV cocktails, and her drink for November’s That’s Amaro! Box, the Vino Labbra! S&S: Is there an ingredient or technique you’re currently fascinated with? CR: I like to cook, so I spend any spare time making syrups, shrubs, reductions, jams, and more. I like the idea…
Behind the Slippery Slopes
We sat down with Sother Teague of NYC’s Amor y Amargo to chat all about his work and his drink the Slippery Slopes! S&S: You’re most well known, at least to us, as an expert on all things amaro, but you’ve worked at bars ranging from tiki to molecular. Is there anything you don’t do? ST: That’s flattering…
The Amaro You Know
Not too long ago I went on a date to an Italian restaurant with an extensive amaro selection on its bar menu. The date? It was a one-time deal. But I’ve been interested in learning more about amaro ever since. Amaro, meaning “bitter” in Italian, is a liqueur traditionally consumed as both an aperitif and…
That’s Amaro!
Oh, amaro, that dark, often bitter beloved of bartenders the world over. Why such strong feelings? Perhaps because it’s complex, mysterious, and misunderstood . . . like an irresistible bad boy (though luckily this one can be tamed). What is amaro, anyway? It runs the gamut from intensely bitter and medicinal all the way to…
Wash You Talkin’ About?
Several years ago, when I was first developing my appreciation for swanky bars masquerading as modern-day speakeasies, I went to one in Manhattan’s East Village. I wanted to order something for myself that I hadn’t had before, and that I thought would be difficult to acquire or otherwise make on my own. I didn’t know…
Austin Without Limits
The public television music program Austin City Limits (the only TV show to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts) helped the city of Austin earn the title of “Live Music Capital of the World” and then spawned an annual festival that happens each October—a very busy time for Austin and its bartenders. We…
Behind the Ma Sour
We sat down with Caer Ferguson of Austin’s The Roosevelt Room and The Eleanor to chat about her work, Austin’s craft cocktail scene, and her drink for October’s Austin Without Limits Box, the Ma Sour! S&S: What’s your specialty? CF: If I had to choose a spirit that I specialize in, it would be tequila or agave-based…
Behind the ’Chata
We sat down with Frank Kurt Maldonado of NYC’s Employees Only, to chat about his work and his cocktail for September’s Rum Away With Me Box, the ’Chata! S&S: Is there an ingredient or technique you’re currently fascinated with? FKM: I’m always exploring and playing with new ingredients, I try to use ingredients that no other bartender…
Rum Away With Me
When mixed with the right delicious ingredients—provided in September’s Rum Away With Me Box, of course—rum sure makes for one hell of a cocktail. Frank Kurk Maldonado created this delightful concoction to bring some of his home country’s flavors to you. With the zing of lime juice, some velvety Small Hands Foods orgeat (or-what, you…
Use Your ImaGINation
What makes gin, gin? The one real requisite is the distilling of a neutral grain alcohol with juniper, and that’s actually pretty much it. What distinguishes the various gins from one another, on the other hand, is a far more interesting question! With so many distinct flavors, no two gins are truly alike (luckily we…
Shaker & Spoon Blog 