Tag: cocktails

Welcome to Margaritaville

How is it possible that here in Texas, we have no officially designated state beverage? Only 32 of our 50 states have bestowed that title on their beverage of choice, and I must say, I’m roundly unimpressed by those efforts too. Twenty of those went with milk and one (Indiana, I’m looking at you) chose water. Water. Who voted on this?

At least some are trying to pick up the slack, selecting both a plebeian potable and a cocktail or spirit. Much respect to Wisconsin and their preference for a brandy old fashioned, Maryland, Virginia, and Alabama sidling up to the bar for whiskey, Maryland coming back for an Orange Crush which they also share with Delaware, and Nevada inviting everyone to the party with Pisco Punch.

With such a rich history of drinking under our belts, I’d like to start a bid to make the margarita the official beverage of the Lone Star State. Not a single establishment serving alcohol would omit such a staple from the menu, though it’s such an obvious choice that some don’t even go through the trouble of putting it in print. Ask for a margarita and you shall receive. Beyond Texas, it’s the single most popular cocktail in the entire country, in fact; we just like to think that we do it best.

While we wait for Texan bureaucrats to realize that the margarita is the only logical candidate for the job, I’ve found a way to bring that tangy, tequila-spiked spirit to the dessert table. If we can’t legislate the cocktail into the state archives yet, we can certainly bake it into the local culture.

Slice-and-bake margarita shortbread cookies capture the fun of happy hour without the risk of a hangover. Yes, there is a splash of tequila in the mix, but it shakes out to roughly 1/6 teaspoon per serving. Total teetotalers can simply swap in water, if that amount remains a concern. More importantly, to mimic the complex citrus profile of a top-shelf pour, the dough is heavily perfumed with both lime and orange zest. It’s the bright, aromatic punch you expect before the first sip. Each log of dough is rolled in coarse colored sugar before slicing. It creates a shimmering, crunchy crust that perfectly imitates the iconic salt rim, albeit in a sweeter way.

While the “Indiana approach” to beverages might be safe and hydrating, Texas deserves a profile with a bit more bite. These cookies offer a loophole to the legislative lag, serving up our currently unofficial state cocktail one citrusy, sugar-rimmed slice at a time. Until Texas finally puts a ring (or a rim) on it, these shortbreads are the most delicious way to cast your vote for the margarita.

Continue reading “Welcome to Margaritaville” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)12 Comments

Chartreuse With Envy

All spirits come with a good bit of lore and legend, though few come even close to the mythos surrounding Chartreuse. More than a color, “chartreuse” also refers to a region, Carthusian Monks, and of course, the liqueur. Part of the allure is the scarcity, raising prices to the realm of top shelf bottles, if you can even get your hands on it at all. At the end of the day, when happy hour rolls around, its inimitable flavor cements its place in modern mixology.

An Elixir For Long Life

Fortunately for us history buffs, the origins of Chartreuse are well documented. In 1605, a mysterious manuscript containing the recipe for an “elixir of long life” was presented to the Carthusian monks in Paris by François Hannibal d’Estrées, Marshal to King Henry IV. The document described an elaborate preparation using 130 plants, flowers, roots, and spices. It was so complex that it would take the monks more than a century to fully interpret and bring to fruition.

It’s said that this was the number of ingredients because it simply encompassed every single potentially beneficial flower, spice, bark, root, and berry known at that time. The contents of that manuscript have been kept a closely guarded secret ever since. Intended to be purely medicinal, none of these men of God could have imagined the debauchery it might one day inspire.

Shades of Green and Yellow

Due to lack of access, most people think of Chartreuse as having only two varieties: green and yellow. While they’re not wrong, there are more variants of each one, differentiated by blending and aging.

Élixir Végétal

Small adjustments were made for the next 100 years, until 1737 when Élixir Végétal De La Grande-Chartreuse was officially bottled for sale. This concentrated tonic remains exactly the same to this day, aside from the tiniest reduction in ABV, from 71 – 69%, rumored to fit through a loophole allowing it in carry-on luggage. Made from a neutral alcohol traditionally distilled from beet sugar, a few drops can perk up any cocktail, much like bitters, or even be enjoyed straight-up. With top notes of anise, a subtle bitterness yet balanced sweetness, it has a complexity that’s impossible to describe in a few short sentences. Anything I write sounds polarizing, off-putting, or at odds with any conventional flavor pairings, and yet the actual tasting experience is anything but.

Core Colors

Green Chartreuse, the most iconic expression of the art, came soon after. This “health liqueur” gets its color naturally from chlorophyll, befitting of its herbaceous, slightly spicy flavor. Yellow Chartreuse uses more sugar and is lower proof, producing a downright syrupy consistency that could replace any additional sweeteners in a cocktail with greater nuances of citrus and delicate florals.

1605 and MOF

Launched in 2005 to celebrate 400 years of distilling, Liqueur d’Elixir 1605 pays tribute to an alternate creation, Liqueur de Santé, which was later renamed Green Chartreuse in 1840. Blending a small amount of the powerful Herbal Elixir de la Grande-Chartreuse into the standard green Chartreuse base, gives it the familiar intense botanicals of green Chartreuse with a less sweet finish. Similarly Chartreuse MOF is a collaboration between the Carthusian monks and France’s prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) sommeliers, released in 2008. Dryer than the classic yellow, it’s intended as a digestif after dinner, never to be muddied as a mixer. And you had better sip slowly, because both will ring up at over $200 per bottle.

V.E.P. Green and V.E.P. Yellow

V.E.P. stands for “Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé,” otherwise known as Exceptionally Prolonged Aging. These are the rarest of all expressions as they must rest in oak barrels for up to 20 years, though no one but a few monks could tell you exactly how long. Smoother and more mellow as a result, while still carrying the original character of the green and yellow base. Each bottle is a real investment though, easily reaching price tags well into the thousands, if you can find it in the first place.

Liqueur Worthy of Devotion

Leveraging sales of the tonic to support monastic life, the monks began to produce just enough of the famed alcohol to allow a life dedicated to prayer, study, and silence. They could easily double or triple production, or completely outsource the process to strike it rich, but that’s never been the point of Chartreuse. Today, only two monks know the full formula and oversee the blending of those classified 130 botanicals. Their work happens largely out of public view, and that air of secrecy only deepens the mystique.

Ironically, that humility and devotion has helped transform Chartreuse into some of the most coveted bottles around. As cocktail culture has exploded in the past two decades, bartenders have rediscovered just how irreplaceable it is. Classics like The Last Word, Bijou, and Alaska cocktail rely on its unmistakable herbal intensity; there is simply no substitute. This elixir is indeed proving to have a very long life, with no end in sight.

Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

¡Olé! ¡Oleo Saccharum!

Oleo saccharum sounds like it belongs on a dusty apothecary shelf, christened with an antiquated Latin name and sealed up tight. While it’s true that the technique was created centuries ago in the heyday of medicinal potions veering curiously close to the realm of witchcraft, this is one concoction that’s every bit as welcome at the bar today. Calling it “syrup” like any other plain sugar solution does a disservice to the full bouquet of flavor found within. Oleo saccharum tastes like fruit that has given up its very soul into a sweet, glossy elixir.

What is Oleo Saccharum?

Oleo saccharum predates cocktail culture and even refrigeration itself. Made from scraps, it was a thrifty way to prevent waste and preserve citrus flavor long after the fruit itself had vanished from the market.

Literally meaning “oil sugar,” oleo saccharum is osmosis in action. Granulated sugar and citrus peels, not the fruit or juice itself, are always at the foundation. Sometimes that’s all it is, other times, anything from fresh rosemary to sliced jalapenos could be invited to the party. Over the course of one or two days, without any further intervention, the crystalline sweetener liquefies, infused with the pure aromatic essence locked inside the zest. What you’re left with is a syrup that tastes brighter, perfumed rather than sharp, ideal for making balanced yet bold cocktails.

How to Make Oleo Saccharum

Use a vegetable peeler, not a microplane, to slice wide ribbons of zest with as little white pith as possible. Toss them with an equal amount of sugar by weight and roughly muddle to release the essential oils. Then, all you have to do is cover and wait. By the next day, the sugar will be damp. By the following, the peels will be fully submerged in the thick, sticky liquid. Strain out the solids, pressing to reclaim every last drop, and store the syrup in the fridge for the greatest longevity. It should keep for anywhere from 1 – 3 months.

Ingredient Cheat Sheet

When you want to experiment with different additions, consider the following, but bear in mind that citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc.) should always take up the bulk of the solution. Add complimentary flavors sparingly:

Fresh Herbs

  • Rosemary – piney, savory, unexpectedly elegant with grapefruit or lemon
  • Thyme – subtle and grounding; great for cocktails and glazes
  • Basil – fresh, green, almost floral with orange or lime
  • Mint – bright and cooling, especially nice with lime or lemon

Florals

  • Lavender – extremely potent, a little goes a long way
  • Rose petals – romantic and soft, especially with orange
  • Orange blossom water – citrus squared, but gentler

Spices

  • Vanilla bean – instant dessert energy
  • Cardamom pods – citrus’s best friend, especially with lemon or orange
  • Cinnamon sticks – cozy, round, and familiar
  • Pink peppercorns – floral warmth without aggression
  • Coriander – lemony and nutty
  • Fennel seed – sweet and licoricey, great with orange peel
  • Juniper berries – ideal for pairing with gin cocktails

Wildcard Accents

  • Cacao nibs – bitter chocolate perfume, great with orange
  • Coffee beans – a few crushed beans add depth and roastiness
  • Cucumber peels – light and refreshing
  • Sliced jalapeños – sharp, bright heat

Sugar Swaps

  • Demerara or turbinado sugar – deeper molasses notes
  • Palm sugar – earthy, complex, and faintly smoky; excellent with mezcal

I’ve also heard tales of swapping out the citrus base for things as wild as banana peels and apple peels, but you’re on your own with those experiments.

Where Oleo Saccharum Shines

Oleo saccharum is a bartender’s best friend, perfect for using instead of less potent simple syrup, but that’s far from the end of it. beyond cocktails, consider:

  • Mixing into mocktails
  • Brushing on cakes before frosting
  • Whisk into vinaigrettes
  • Blend into ice cream or sorbet bases
  • Sweeten pudding, mousse, or even oatmeal

Oleo saccharum is an old fashioned antidote to modern waste. If you, too, can look at a pile of discarded peels and see potential instead of trash, oleo saccharum is for you. Extracting every last drop of life from what we usually throw away makes the transformation all the more gratifying. Anyone with a bit of sugar and patience can pull off such a feat. All you need to do is get started.

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments