Habanero Infused Margarita paired with a NY Strip

If you haven't noticed from my Instagram feed, I deal with stress by cooking.  I also celebrate good things by cooking.  And I cook when I'm bored.  Basically, it's about time I started adding some food pairings into my blog.  This is the first of many cocktails to be paired with food of some variety.

Steak:
-NY Strip
-Sea Salt
-Black Pepper
-Black Truffle Oil
-Sriracha

Make sure you get a steak with marbling.  This is not good marbling, but it's not bad.  Publix kinda let me down.  Note that if you get a grass-fed steak that isn't corn finished, it won't have marbling.  It will be healthier.  It won't taste as good, though.

 Season with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  Be very liberal on the salt.  This does science/magic things to the steak to make it taste better.  Either trust me on thus or check out any of Kenji Alt-Lopez's various columns on steak over at Serious Eats.  He's a fantastic human being.

While this is going down, preheat a skillet on about medium-high.  I prefer a cast iron because it's hardcore (this one is well-worn but well-loved through the generations of my family) but you can use a regular skillet, too.  I don't think the Maillard Reaction* works as well in a non-stick pan, but I have no science to back me up on that.


*The Maillard Reaction is the browning process that happens when meat is cooked at high temperatures and develops that amazing crust/char you want on your steak.

I like to cook the sides of the steak first, particularly the fat.  This produces some fantastic juice to cook the steak in.  Rotate the steak to get a nice sear on all sides.  Once the sear develops, start cooking each of the main sides of the steak.

Contrary to popular belief, it's okay to flip your steak more than once.  You won't lose any flavor or whatever people say happens.  But I don't, because I'm a baller.

Look at that char.  Beautiful.  When cooked to your desired temperature, pull the steak.  I was feeling medium so I went with about a 135F internal temperature.  

Let is rest for about 7 or 8 minutes.  Juices will collect so be sure to have something to catch them, like a piece of aluminum foil folded up around the edges.  While this is happening, work on the cocktail.

 

I've been watching a lot of Breaking Bad lately so I was in the mood for some Tequila.  This is a habanero pepper infused margarita that I like to call The Heisenberg.  

-1.5 oz tequila reposado

-.5 oz Aperol

-.5 oz ginger syrup

-Juice of a lime

-1 habanero pepper

-2 mint leaves

-1 large ice sphere

Slice and remove the seeds from the pepper.  Add it and the tequila to an ISI whipper.  Charge with 1 NO2 charge.  Shake and release gas after 30 seconds.  This results in a good, medium heat.  The longer you wait to remove the gas the more heat the tequila takes on, so be warned.  If you're not using an ISI whipper, here's a decent guide to doing it the old fashioned way:

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/08/how-to-make-your-own-spicy-tequila-habanero.html

After that, add everything but the ice and the mint to the shaker.  Stir with ice. Look at everyone getting friendly in there.  Mmmmmm.

Pour and double strain (Hawthorn and fine mesh) over the ice sphere in an Old Fashioned glass.  Firmly slap both mint leaves in the palm of your hand.  Rub one around the rim of the glass and garnish the drink with the other.

Beautiful.

Now back to the steak.  Slice that sucker up.  

Pour the juice that collected in the foil over the top of the steak.

Now anoint the steak with a thin line of black truffle oil across the middle of the steak.

See the beautiful pink center.  Get excited.  Plate it with some sriracha.

Boom.  Get at it.  The heat of the sriracha plays well with the heat of the tequila.  The savory notes the pepper adds to the tequila also has some nice synergy with the truffle oil.  I've done this two nights in a row now, but with a barrel aged Manhattan the other time.  Doesn't work as well with the sriracha but there are few things that can beat a steak and a Manhattan.  If I try that again, I might swap the sriracha for a pepper sauce of some sort.

Prosit! 

Mixing Scotch or: How to Play Well with Others

There's a stigma involved with the mixing of Scotch in cocktails.  The idea is that it's just too good to adulterate with anything else.  Now, I'm as much a fan of Scotch as the next guy, if not more so.  However, I think you miss out on some fantastic possibilities if you don't let your Scotch play with its other friends in the liquor cabinet.  So, in the spirit of playing well with others, I experimented with mixing one of my favorite whiskeys with a great Scotch.

I chose a nice blended Scotch that wasn't too peaty and a bold, spicy, Rye that would be strong enough to dance with the Scotch without being overwhelmed.  A little cinnamon syrup and coffee bitters round out the drink.  A twist of orange as a garnish lights up the cocktail and adds aromatics.

This is certainly not something that you can only do with these two drinks.  Pairing different whisk(e)y is an art form.  Some distilleries have mastered it, or at least gotten pretty darn good at it.  For some examples, check out these blends:

http://www.corsairartisan.com/triple_smoke.html

http://www.highwest.com/spirits/new-campfire/

"An Unwritten Life"

1 oz. High West Rendezvous Rye

1 oz. Great King St.

1/4 oz. Cinnamon Simple Syrup (see previous posts)

1-3 dsh. Coffee Bitters (see previous posts)

Apple Manhattan (or: What to Do with a Lot of Bad Bourbon)

I've recently had a lot of bad bourbon on my hands.  As I've hinted at in previous posts, I'm working on barrel aging cocktails.  For this to happen, I had to prime the barrels - one with bourbon and one with port.  Being the poor grad student that I am, I'm not dropping a ton of $ on bourbon just for the sake of flavoring a barrel.  So, I got 2.5 liters of Very Old Barton and 2.5 liters of that very cheap port that they make somewhere in the US (hence not Porto) that's generally reserved for cooking.  After two weeks in my adorable charred oak barrels, I now have an overabundance of both.

Now, if you know me well you know that having a lot of an ingredient that kinda of sucks is a de facto challenge of my culinary/drink making skills.  So, Very Old Barton, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

There are a number of cocktails that are essentially pillars of the drinking community and that serve as the basis for a number of variations.  The Old Fashioned, the Martini, the Negroni, the Daiquiri, and of course, the Manhattan.  So, sticking with something tried and true, I decided to channel the regal Manhattan.  I started with 1.5 oz of the Very Old Barton, .5 oz of sweet vermouth (not pictured for some reason), and bitters.  Coffee bitters were my first choice and worked pretty well, though Angostura is also a natural pairing with the apple.  Peychaud's wasn't bad, either, but the other two were better. Next, I went for an apple because I had a bunch in my fridge.  I'm nothing if not economical (read as: lazy).  I took half the apple, cut it up sans skin, and muddled it in a shaker.  At this point I thought I'd throw in some simple syrup to maybe mask the nastiness of the bourbon.  I used a cinnamon* variety I made recently, about .25 ounce.  I then added the other ingredients and shook with ice.  Double strained (hawthorne and tea strainers) into a martini glass.  Finally, garnished with a slice of apple because this is a classy establishment.  At least on Tuesdays.

1.5 bourbon (Can be scaled up)

.5 oz sweet vermouth

1/2 a small(ish) apple, muddled (I'd recommend a sweeter apple like Golden Delicious to go with the vermouth)

.25 oz cinnamon simple syrup

Garnish with apple slice

OPTIONAL: dash of Cognac.  I've tried it with it and without it and it honestly wasn't too different.  Slightly smoother.  I think a half and half of Cognac and bourbon would be great here, but I'm trying to burn the bad bourbon, not the Cognac.

I was pleasantly surprised how well this turned out.  Very fresh, very smooth.  You get a lot of apple and a lot of spice.  Not overly sweet at all.  Fresh apple juice from muddling the fruit does wonders over using a processed substitute.  Perfect seasonal drink that costs a pittance to make.  Tastes even better with Aziz Ansari in the background.

*To make your own cinnamon simple syrup, just make a 1::1 simple syrup and simmer it with some cinnamon sticks in it for 30 minutes.  It lasts longer if you add a splash of rum or vodka.

P.S.  Barrel Aged Cocktails are coming soon.

Sterling's Gold

In honor of one of the greatest TV characters of all time, my boy Roger Sterling, I made a martini (ish thing) to go with my dinner.

Yes, the martini, one of the most abused and bastardized beverages in the world of booze.  These days it seems anything in a martini glass will be called a martini no matter how much blue curacao or sour apple schnapps you dump in it.  Even when you get closer to the heart of the drink, there is still dispute.      There's a segment of the drinking world that gets offended if you call a vodka martini a martini instead of a kangaroo.  I'm not that picky.  If it's got a few ounces of gin or vodka (maybe both, Mr. Bond), a little vermouth, and maybe a dash of bitters, I'm a happy camper.  Tonight I was feeling feisty, though, so I went a little crazy.  Okay, not too crazy, but definitely something a little different.

 I started with my go-to vodka, 42 Below.  Yeah, there's better stuff out there like Tito's, but for the price point and as low on the alcohol chain as vodka is for me, 42 Below is perfect.  For my vermouth, I added Cocchi Americano.  It's technically a fortified wine, but it acts like a vermouth.  It's also on the sweeter side and I normally stick with dry vermouth for a vodka martini.  However, like I said, feeling feisty.  My last ingredient was a few dashes of some black peppercorn bitters I recently made (see previous posts for a general bitters recipe).  Combine, stir with ice, and pour into a chilled martini glass.  Finished with a garnish of jalapeno pepper slices.

I hope Roger, would be proud.  Yeah, yeah, it's not exactly gold in the picture, but it does have a gold tint in real life, my phone's camera just sucks.  I also had to go with a clear spirits because that's how Roger roles.

3 oz Vodka

1/4 oz Cocchi Americano

3 dashes peppercorn bitters

Garnish with jalapeno slices

The pepper really comes out strong with this one.  It plays really well with the Cocchi in a way that I didn't exactly expect.  The mild sweetness of the vermouth is subtle and melts into the peppery bite at the end.  Not a bad way to enjoy a Braves game.

Harkening in the Beginning of Fall

Normally I save really unique and innovative stuff for this blog, but I just made a fantastic drink that I feel deserves being shared.  It's nothing flashy or overly complicated but I think it's a great way to get into the mood for Fall.

1 oz Redemption Rye (don't use a 100 proof rye like Rittenhouse, but a substitute is okay)
1 oz Amer Picon
1/2 oz St. Germain
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 cinnamon stick

Stir with ice.  Burn the tip of the cinnamon stick, catching all the smoke in a chilled rocks glass.  Add an ice sphere or large piece of ice.  Pour the drink over the ice and serve.

This is one of the best drinks I've ever made.  Dark chocolate, cinnamon, cardamom, orange, a little pear, and a whole lot of smooth  Sadly, you can't buy all the ingredients on one continent, but oh well.  I'm enjoying the bejeezus out of it right now. I'll worry about remaking it later.

Here's to the changing seasons.

Prosit!

Infusing Spirits

Today I play with my isi whipper a little more.  This time I'm infusing spirits.  Specifically, I'm infusing a nice reposado tequila with cilantro then making an Oaxaca Old Fashioned.  I'm going to throw the spirits and herbs into the whipper and inject it with NO2.  The process of nitrogen cavitation will quickly infuse the herbal flavors into the booze.  And by quick I mean literally 1 minute.  No storing stuff in a jar for two months.

2 oz reposado tequila

3/4 oz mezcal 

1/4 oz agave nectar

3 dashes falernum bitters (see previous posts)

Handful of fresh cilantro w/ larger stems removed

Start by pouring the spirits into the isi whipper.

Add a handful of cilantro.  Remove the bigger stems.  The nitrogen cavitation process really brings out the bitter flavors in the stem part, otherwise.  Whatever you're infusing, just be wary of the fact that it will bring out the flavor of whatever you put in there, so make sure whatever goes in is exactly what you want infused into your booze.  So basically watch out for stems and excessive pith, in general.

Add the NO2 charge, shake, lit sit for a minute, pour through a fine mesh strainer.  Then you just make the old fashioned from there.  Add all the ingredients, stir with ice, pour over a large ice sphere and garnish with a cilantro stem.

Nice, smokey, savory, and a healthy, herbal splash of cilantro.  Simple and fantastic for a Friday afternoon.

P.S. If you're not into buying expensive toys for booze like an isi whipper, a similar flavor can be achieved by gently muddling the cilantro in the mixing glass with the agave nectar before adding the booze and ice instead of infusing it.  Not quite as nice, in my opinion, but definitely not bad and worth trying.

P.P.S. I just bought two charred oak barrels for aging cocktails and spirits in.  I hope someone out there is as excited about this as I am.

St. Germain Cocktail Foam (Alcoholic Whipped Cream)

Well, it's been too long.  I wish I had an excuse aside from laziness, but it's all I've got.  That being said, this post is all about cocktail foams, or as my friends have started calling it, "alcoholic whipped cream." Whatever you want to call it, it goes great on top of your drink or your waffle.

 To make a cocktail foam, you need an isi whipper (pictured below).  I realize this makes for a less-accessible drink, but it's a worthwhile investment if you like messing around in the kitchen as there are tons of cooking and/or drinking techniques you can utilize with it.

Anyways, your basic recipe will be 2 oz lemon juice, 2 gold gelatin sheets, 3 oz St. Germain, 4 oz egg whites, 6 oz 2::1 simple syrup (that's a 2 to 1 ratio of sugar to water).  Kathy Casey gets credit for this general recipe.  You'll then use two NO2 charges to inject into the whipper and start the emulsion process.

Begin by getting each ingredient prepared separately.  Start with the egg whites.  If you use actual eggs, make sure they're fresh and make sure you strain out any of the unsavory bits of the egg.  Using egg white mixture is much easier, but you can do either.  I've made it both ways and both turned out great.

 Fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Always go fresh, always strain.  Beehive juicer pictured.

Get 2 gold gelatin sheets.  Soak them in a bowl of ice cold water for 10 minutes.  Take them out and squeeze out any excess water.  They'll be gushy.   

Simple syrup is sugar water.  Nothing more.  You well usually see reference to the ratio of sugar to water.  Here, I use a 2:1.  Also, in normal drinks, using better sugar like turbinado sugar is recommended, but here it's not as important.  Add the sugar to the water and heat it over medium to dissolve the sugar into the water.

Once you get everything ready, add the simple syrup and lemon juice to a pot.  Heat on medium for a couple minutes.  Add the St. Germain and gelatin sheets (once they're bloomed!) to the pan and stir until the sheets are dissolved.  DO NOT BOIL.  Once it's dissolved, remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.  Then, add the egg whites.  If you don't wait for the mixture to cool first, you will scramble eggs.  Mmmmmm.

Stir, and strain into the isi whipper.  I run it through a mesh strainer into a funnel for ease.  After it's all in (make sure you don't go past the fill line, which this recipe won't) charge the isi whipper twice with the NO2.  Shake thoroughly after each injection.  Chill for 5 hours or overnight.  

Once you have your St. Germain foam, you've got to use it!  I decided to try a few different variations.  First, I tried a modified Sazerac:

1 oz rye

1 oz Cognac

3 dash Peychaud's bitters 

1 dash absinthe

1 sugar cube

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Garnish with lemon twist.

Do an absinthe rinse in a chilled class, add about 2 fingers of the foam, then add the rest of the cocktail over the foam.  If there is a hole, cover it with more foam.  Garnish with lemon.

This was good.  The normal Sazerac was too strong of a contrast so I added an old school Sazerac ingredient, Cognac, in place of half the rye to mellow it out.  Plus the juice of half a lemon.  Definitely a fun variation on the Sazerac, but not my favorite.  I'm also a purist, so I might be a little biased.  St. Germain, rye, and cognac do go well together, though. 

Next I tried something of a modified French 75 where I cut the gin entirely and used a half and half blend of Lillet Blanc and Cocchi Americano instead.

.75 oz Lillet Blanc

.75 oz Cocchi Americano

.5 oz 1::1 simple syrup

.5 oz  mango lemonade 

Champagne

Shake everything but the champagne with ice, pour into a champagne flute, top with champagne, but leave room for the St. Germain foam.  Garnish with grapefruit zest. 

This was nice.  Good brunch cocktail.  Very elegant.  The foam pairs naturally with pretty much everything here, except maybe the Cocchi, but it works well here.  Mango lemonade was used instead of lemon juice because I ran out of lemons.  Nice variation, but lemon worked great, too, when I got more.

Next on the list was a variation on a mezcal old fashioned.

2 oz mezcal reposado

.5 oz pomegranate raspberry tea simple syrup (see previous posts)

3 dashes falernum bitters (see previous posts)

Juice of half a lime

Shake with ice, pour over a large ice sphere, top with St Germain foam, garnish with an orange twist.  This was good, but the mezcal is just too potent.  It needed more juice to cut the mezcal.  Maybe the juice of half a grapefruit.  Something needs to bridge the gap between the mezcal and the St. Germain.

Finally I did a rum variation.  For some reason I forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients.  Sorry, my loyal two readers.  I really let you guys down, I know.

2 oz Crusoe Rum (brand matters here...the vanilla notes just work so well with the foam).

.5 oz pomegranate raspberry tea syrup (see previous posts)

3 dashes falernum bitters (see previous posts)

Juice of half a lime

Juice of half a grapefruit 

Shake with ice, top with St. Germain foam, garnish with fresh ground cinnamon.  This was the collective favorite of everyone who tried these, including myself.  Best blend of flavors.  Also, the cinnamon on top was a great addition.  This one's a keeper in my cocktail repertoire, for sure.

That's all for now, thanks for reading.  Next update will not take as long, I promise.  Either quick infusions via the isi whipper, new bitter experiments, or fat washing.  Haven't decided yet.