Boozehound - Jason Wilson [61]
The Bloody Mary was invented by a bartender named Fernand Petiot at Harry’s Bar in Paris during the 1920s. After Prohibition ended, Petiot moved to New York and served drinks at the bar in the St. Regis Hotel. Concerned that more conservative American patrons might be offended by the name, the St. Regis rechristened the drink the Red Snapper. With equal parts vodka and tomato juice and a squeeze of lemon juice, I believe the Red Snapper is the superior expression of the cocktail—nothing like the goopy tomato-gravy disasters you usually get. The “Nordic” rendition here calls for aquavit instead of vodka.
NORDIC SNAPPER
Serves 1
2 ounces aquavit
2 ounces tomato juice
¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes celery bitters
Pinch of fine sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Lemon peel twist, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the aquavit, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery bitters, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Shake well for at least 30 seconds, then strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with the lemon peel twist.
NOTE: Two more thoughts: Forget the celery stalk; do not forget the lemon juice.
Beyond Bloody Mary variations, however, aquavit cocktails can be hard to find. “Aside from being a kind gesture to visiting Danes, and so on, it is practically uncalled-for in mixing.” That’s what Charles H. Baker wrote about aquavit in his famous 1939 book, The Gentleman’s Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book; or Around the World with Jigger, Beaker, and Flask.
However, I have found one aquavit cocktail I often enjoy. This surprisingly complex cocktail gets its name from the way the savory, herbal tastes of the aquavit, the botanicals of the gin, and the touch of sweet in the maraschino liqueur complement one another. It is adapted from a recipe of Hardeep Rehal, bartender at Bar Rouge in Copenhagen, who won a local contest with it. He calls for the Danish Aalborg brand, but feel free to use any high-quality aquavit, preferably a taffel, or clear, aquavit. I recommend Plymouth gin, which is more subtle than a juniper-forward gin like Beefeater’s or Tanqueray. As always, do not confuse or replace maraschino liqueur with the juice from maraschino cherries.
COMPLEMENT COCKTAIL
Serves 1
1½ ounces Plymouth gin
¾ ounce aquavit
2 dashes maraschino liqueur
1 sprig dill, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker two-thirds full with ice. Add the gin, aquavit, and maraschino liqueur. Shake vigorously, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the dill sprig.
Adapted from a recipe by Hardeep Rehal of Bar Rouge, Copenhagen, Denmark
CHAPTER 7
TERROIR-ISTS
… THIS THIRST FOR A KIND OF LIQUID WHICH NATURE HAS ENVELOPED IN VEILS, THIS STRANGE DESIRE THAT ASSAILS ALL RACES OF MANKIND, IN EVERY CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE …
—Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
TERROIR, THE TERM THAT FOR YEARS has been mispronounced and misunderstood and has caused endless arguments in the wine world, has now gained serious currency in the world of spirits. To wit, Scotch whisky now exhibits terroir. Ditto cognac. So do the various eaux-de-vie made from orchard fruit throughout the Alps. But it’s not just European Union DOCs boasting of terroir. Kentucky bourbon claims it. So does tequila. Peruvian pisco? Yep: terroir.
In the simplest terms, terroir refers to the special characteristics that a geographic place imparts on an agricultural product. I knew “terroir of spirits” had absolutely gained traction when I saw spirits represented at the huge Slow Food Nation blowout in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend in 2008. “A spirit is an agricultural product,” I was told by Greg Lindgren, the curator