I'll be facilitating a Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky tasting and seminar at HyVee Oak View on Thursday 12/10 at 6:30pm
I'll be facilitating a Classic Malts of Scotland tasting event at Spirit World on Friday 12/11 from 5:00 until 8:00pm
I'll be conducting the next Libation Association Live event at Liv Lounge on Monday 12/14 at 8:30pm
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Bar Chat - Chris Engles, Boiler Room
Bar Chat – November 2009
I had an opportunity recently to sit down with Chris Engles, lead bartender at The Boiler Room in the Old Market. Chris’s dedication to the craft of bartending and the art of creating truly amazing cocktails is remarkable and must be experienced first-hand in order to be fully appreciated. Here are the results of that interview.
Describe the restaurant
“One of my favorite things about the restaurant is that instead of semi trucks pulling up and unloading frozen goods, we have pickup trucks driven by farmers from the surrounding area delivering their products, their vegetables. Risosphere Farms is one. They have excellent produce. Their tomatoes are the best I’ve ever had. TD Niche is where we get our pork. We use Red Wattle pork which is closer to red meat than normal pork, and it’s local and it’s organic. We have Bluff Valley Lamb, which is located in southeastern Nebraska. They’re very particular about their lambs’ surroundings. They talk to their neighbors to make sure their lambs aren’t inhaling any chemicals. Our chef, Paul Kulik, has many contacts in the local, small farm community. The Farmers Market in the Old Market. He reaches out to many of them and tries to establish business relationships with them.”
“The menu changes every day. It’s all about freshness. We’re local and organic, but we serve a lot of seafood, which is obviously not local. We have the freshest seafood in town. We serve whole fish as a dinner for two. I just think it’s a unique way to eat. We strive to be unique. We strive to show people possibilities and execute them as well as possible. We’re on the fine dining side, and we give the best service we can give, but the most important thing is the product. We take a lot of pride in the food and drink that we serve. Jesse Becker is our Master Sommelier. He’s the only Master Sommelier in the state. Looking at the wine cellar, you can see he takes a lot of pride in his list.”
What is your philosophy in terms of the overall bar & cocktail profile?
“It’s craft bartending. When you’re making a cocktail, it’s all about technique and good ingredients. So we have fresh juice. I juice every day, and I make my own syrups. I make my own grenadine. But then it comes to technique, how long to shake and how to stir. Steven Cole from the Violet Hour in Chicago, which is a great cocktail place, is friends with Chef Paul. He came in, and just one night of mentoring from him really opened my eyes to what it takes. One thing he stressed was uninterrupted stirring, being able to do that. So that was one of the first things I really worked on.”
Ice selection is an often overlooked element of cocktail creation. How important is ice selection to a cocktail?
“Our machine produces pure ice. Instead of using an ice machine where the water gathers in a tray, with this one the water shoots up, all the impurities are stripped away and you get nice big solid cubes. (NOTE: the machine Chris refers to is a Kold-Draft ice machine, which employs a very unique upside-down horizontal evaporator ice-making system. Based on observing the cocktails Chris constructed for me, the ice looks great and performs just the way he describes). They get colder, they stay colder and they don’t melt as fast. It’s more about making the drink cold as opposed to watery. So stirring and shaking, when you do that, water absorption into the cocktail is important. You want it to be just right. You don’t want it too strong or too thick, and conversely you don’t want it watery. Nobody likes that.”
Describe the response you’ve received from customers? Have you gotten the response you’re looking for?
“Yes and no. We still have people coming in and asking for Budweiser. I personally enjoy Budweiser, but that’s not what we have. And we don’t serve Jack Daniels here, which to some people is some sort of a sin, but we go for small-batch bourbons. If you like Jack Daniels, come and check out our bourbons. We have excellent bourbons! What is shocking is how upset people get when we don’t have Jack Daniels. It would be great if people were just to try something new. Simply walking through the door here is trying something new, so when you sit down, I’ll make you a great cocktail and every dish here is excellent. There’s no reason not to try it. For instance, Lamb Brain Ravioli is something we’ve been featuring lately. It’s gone over very, very well. Even the timid eaters have really enjoyed it.”
Chef Paul adds, “So that’s the negative and the positive. The negative is that people come in, I think, with a very strong prejudice about what a restaurant should be, regardless of setting and atmosphere, and we buck that a little. But the plus side is that when people leave, the overwhelming response, 95% of the time, maybe 97% of the time is that they’re not just satisfied, they’re extremely excited about what they’ve just had. Maybe Chris has made them a gin cocktail and they normally don’t like gin, they like Grey Goose or something, and then they try gin and, “Well, that doesn’t…that’s nothing like…” and these moments of awakening happen, and they happen when you try lamb brain. Not that everyone is going to try lamb brain or drink gin, but the bottom line is we’re not trying to feed you bad stuff. We’re not trying to make you drink bad stuff. That’s not our goal. There was initially some pushback about what we were doing, and I think now people are very enthusiastic about us and I think that’s because people have been, not warned, but forewarned that you should leave your prejudices at the door.”
You’re making your own bitters. Can you describe that process?
"You infuse your alcohol with many different things, botanicals, herbs that I’d never even heard of. Infuse each one separately from the other ones and then the final bitters is a ratio of those liquids combined. It gives you greater control when you’re pairing different things together that way."
What’s the most recent product or development that has inspired you?
"Well, I just beat Chef Paul at chess for the first time, so that’s exciting!"
I had an opportunity recently to sit down with Chris Engles, lead bartender at The Boiler Room in the Old Market. Chris’s dedication to the craft of bartending and the art of creating truly amazing cocktails is remarkable and must be experienced first-hand in order to be fully appreciated. Here are the results of that interview.
Describe the restaurant
“One of my favorite things about the restaurant is that instead of semi trucks pulling up and unloading frozen goods, we have pickup trucks driven by farmers from the surrounding area delivering their products, their vegetables. Risosphere Farms is one. They have excellent produce. Their tomatoes are the best I’ve ever had. TD Niche is where we get our pork. We use Red Wattle pork which is closer to red meat than normal pork, and it’s local and it’s organic. We have Bluff Valley Lamb, which is located in southeastern Nebraska. They’re very particular about their lambs’ surroundings. They talk to their neighbors to make sure their lambs aren’t inhaling any chemicals. Our chef, Paul Kulik, has many contacts in the local, small farm community. The Farmers Market in the Old Market. He reaches out to many of them and tries to establish business relationships with them.”
“The menu changes every day. It’s all about freshness. We’re local and organic, but we serve a lot of seafood, which is obviously not local. We have the freshest seafood in town. We serve whole fish as a dinner for two. I just think it’s a unique way to eat. We strive to be unique. We strive to show people possibilities and execute them as well as possible. We’re on the fine dining side, and we give the best service we can give, but the most important thing is the product. We take a lot of pride in the food and drink that we serve. Jesse Becker is our Master Sommelier. He’s the only Master Sommelier in the state. Looking at the wine cellar, you can see he takes a lot of pride in his list.”
What is your philosophy in terms of the overall bar & cocktail profile?
“It’s craft bartending. When you’re making a cocktail, it’s all about technique and good ingredients. So we have fresh juice. I juice every day, and I make my own syrups. I make my own grenadine. But then it comes to technique, how long to shake and how to stir. Steven Cole from the Violet Hour in Chicago, which is a great cocktail place, is friends with Chef Paul. He came in, and just one night of mentoring from him really opened my eyes to what it takes. One thing he stressed was uninterrupted stirring, being able to do that. So that was one of the first things I really worked on.”
Ice selection is an often overlooked element of cocktail creation. How important is ice selection to a cocktail?
“Our machine produces pure ice. Instead of using an ice machine where the water gathers in a tray, with this one the water shoots up, all the impurities are stripped away and you get nice big solid cubes. (NOTE: the machine Chris refers to is a Kold-Draft ice machine, which employs a very unique upside-down horizontal evaporator ice-making system. Based on observing the cocktails Chris constructed for me, the ice looks great and performs just the way he describes). They get colder, they stay colder and they don’t melt as fast. It’s more about making the drink cold as opposed to watery. So stirring and shaking, when you do that, water absorption into the cocktail is important. You want it to be just right. You don’t want it too strong or too thick, and conversely you don’t want it watery. Nobody likes that.”
Describe the response you’ve received from customers? Have you gotten the response you’re looking for?
“Yes and no. We still have people coming in and asking for Budweiser. I personally enjoy Budweiser, but that’s not what we have. And we don’t serve Jack Daniels here, which to some people is some sort of a sin, but we go for small-batch bourbons. If you like Jack Daniels, come and check out our bourbons. We have excellent bourbons! What is shocking is how upset people get when we don’t have Jack Daniels. It would be great if people were just to try something new. Simply walking through the door here is trying something new, so when you sit down, I’ll make you a great cocktail and every dish here is excellent. There’s no reason not to try it. For instance, Lamb Brain Ravioli is something we’ve been featuring lately. It’s gone over very, very well. Even the timid eaters have really enjoyed it.”
Chef Paul adds, “So that’s the negative and the positive. The negative is that people come in, I think, with a very strong prejudice about what a restaurant should be, regardless of setting and atmosphere, and we buck that a little. But the plus side is that when people leave, the overwhelming response, 95% of the time, maybe 97% of the time is that they’re not just satisfied, they’re extremely excited about what they’ve just had. Maybe Chris has made them a gin cocktail and they normally don’t like gin, they like Grey Goose or something, and then they try gin and, “Well, that doesn’t…that’s nothing like…” and these moments of awakening happen, and they happen when you try lamb brain. Not that everyone is going to try lamb brain or drink gin, but the bottom line is we’re not trying to feed you bad stuff. We’re not trying to make you drink bad stuff. That’s not our goal. There was initially some pushback about what we were doing, and I think now people are very enthusiastic about us and I think that’s because people have been, not warned, but forewarned that you should leave your prejudices at the door.”
You’re making your own bitters. Can you describe that process?
"You infuse your alcohol with many different things, botanicals, herbs that I’d never even heard of. Infuse each one separately from the other ones and then the final bitters is a ratio of those liquids combined. It gives you greater control when you’re pairing different things together that way."
What’s the most recent product or development that has inspired you?
"Well, I just beat Chef Paul at chess for the first time, so that’s exciting!"
Libation Conversation - An interview with Maurice Hennessy
Libation Conversation – November 2009
Maurice Hennessy, eighth-generation of Hennessy Cognac founder Richard Hennessy, paid a visit to Omaha recently. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Maurice learning more about his family and about Hennessy Cognac, and he was kind enough to grant me an interview. Here are the results of that interview.
How did Cognac come into being?
Cognac came to be because of the success of the wine made in the region. This wine was low in alcohol and very acidic. In the 17th century Dutch people started to distil it (the word Brandy is Dutch). The success of the distilled wine grew ever since. The name cognac came as the main source for this spirit was the town of Cognac. In fact at the beginning it was called ‘eau de vie de Cognac’, i.e. ‘spirit from Cognac’.
How does Cognac differ from brandy?
Most spirit can be called brandy. There are no precise laws to determine what is brandy, what it is made of (it can be made out of any alcohol), or how it is made.
Cognac is made according to rules and regulations determined by law and monitored by the French government. From the land were the grapes are grown, to the wood of the barrels, and the time of aging, everything is precisely monitored.
Hennessy has been producing Cognac. for nearly 250 years. Can you give us some insights into your family’s history?
Richard Hennessy was an Irish gentleman who, after a period in the Irish regiment of the King of France, started a firm in the town of Cognac in 1765. I am now the eighth generation of Hennessy working in the firm.
Hennessy has retained the same family of master blenders for over 200 years. Can you explain the blending aspect of creating Hennessy Cognac?
The Hennessy cognac quality must be high and constant. Only a large reserve of good, aging cognac and the talent of the blenders can insure this. The Fillioux family has been working for us for more than 200 years. This family has a gift for tasting, and also an amazing tradition for knowing not just the cognac, but everything and everyone behind it. Hennessy is the only firm with such a long family tradition of blending.
Cognac is aged in oak barrels. Does Hennessy have specific requirements regarding the design & management of the barrels?
The law is very precise about it and we follow it. Hennessy is certainly the largest buyer of traditional hand made barrels in the world
Are there any recommendations you can make to people who are interested in cooking with Hennessy Cognac?
Do use cognac, and a good brand of it too. The quality of the cognac in your food must match the level of the other ingredients. Poor quality cognac does not add anything in your dish. Better a small quantity of the right stuff!
As long as we’re on the subject of food, are there any Cognac and food pairings you particularly enjoy?
Hennessy and chocolate, Hennessy and Asian food, Hennessy and Foie Gras… there are a lot of great pairings.
Over the past 250 years, there must have been technological advances in the production of Cognac. How does Hennessy balance tradition and technology in producing and marketing Hennessy Cognac?
The base has not changed. For example we used to use coal to heat the pot still at the beginning of the last century. Now we use natural gas, a cleaner, more manageable energy source. But the pot still is exactly the same, and the cognac has not changed.
What is it that makes the Cognac district so favorable for producing the world’s finest brandy?
In the region of Cognac you have about 75,000 hectares of vineyards producing white wine, mostly Ugni Blanc, and the region is divided into 6 growth areas, more or less. Grande & Petite Champagne are regions that are very chalky and produce a very elegant cognac that takes a long time to age. The earth is white because there is no earth, only rock. Just chalk. Then you have Borderies which is between the Champagne and the Bois regions.
The soil there is more limey and flinty. Borderies makes cognac that is very flowery, very delicate. Then you have Fins Bois, which is more flint stone, more lime, richer earth, hence the name ‘Fins Bois’. ‘Bois’ means ‘forest’. ‘Champagne’ basically means ‘field’. Nothing grows because there is not enough soil. Only vineyards can grow. They are happier when they suffer, and they suffer correctly there. Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaire have plenty
of soil and beautiful vineyards but do not produce such elegant cognacs. We don’t buy Bois Ordinaire or Bons Bois cognacs.
Hennessy offers several expressions or ‘marques’ of Cognac beyond Hennessy VS. Can you tell us what they are and what makes them unique?
Hennessy Privilege (VSOP) is a very light, elegant cognac aged up to 15 years. It is often consumed alone, but a lot of it is consumed the way I do it, which is with Pellegrino water and ice made with non-chlorinated water. This is a very refreshing drink for the summer.
Hennessy XO is a very robust and spicy cognac. It is a blend of about 100 different cognacs aged up to 30 years and beyond, coming from the four best growing regions of Cognac. It was created in 1870 for my great-great grandfather, who was also called Maurice Hennessy, by his master blender. It was initially created for him and his family, not for sale, but by 1872 it was being sold all over, including places like Shanghai. It is the original XO and for 100 years it was the only XO cognac made.
Hennessy Paradis Extra is made from stocks of cognac from our Founders Cellar. In this cellar we have our finest cognacs. All of them are over 50 years old and some date back to 1800. The cognacs, 100 or so of them, that are used for Paradis are up to 130 years old. Very old.
Richard Hennessy is an homage to our founder. It contains cognacs made by members of all eight generations of the Hennessy family and blended by members of all seven generations of the Fillioux family. I think no one else in the world can make that claim. We’ve managed to put a whole family in a bottle.
What’s next for Hennessy Cognac?
Hennessy Black, which will be released in Nebraska this coming summer.
Maurice Hennessy, eighth-generation of Hennessy Cognac founder Richard Hennessy, paid a visit to Omaha recently. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Maurice learning more about his family and about Hennessy Cognac, and he was kind enough to grant me an interview. Here are the results of that interview.
How did Cognac come into being?
Cognac came to be because of the success of the wine made in the region. This wine was low in alcohol and very acidic. In the 17th century Dutch people started to distil it (the word Brandy is Dutch). The success of the distilled wine grew ever since. The name cognac came as the main source for this spirit was the town of Cognac. In fact at the beginning it was called ‘eau de vie de Cognac’, i.e. ‘spirit from Cognac’.
How does Cognac differ from brandy?
Most spirit can be called brandy. There are no precise laws to determine what is brandy, what it is made of (it can be made out of any alcohol), or how it is made.
Cognac is made according to rules and regulations determined by law and monitored by the French government. From the land were the grapes are grown, to the wood of the barrels, and the time of aging, everything is precisely monitored.
Hennessy has been producing Cognac. for nearly 250 years. Can you give us some insights into your family’s history?
Richard Hennessy was an Irish gentleman who, after a period in the Irish regiment of the King of France, started a firm in the town of Cognac in 1765. I am now the eighth generation of Hennessy working in the firm.
Hennessy has retained the same family of master blenders for over 200 years. Can you explain the blending aspect of creating Hennessy Cognac?
The Hennessy cognac quality must be high and constant. Only a large reserve of good, aging cognac and the talent of the blenders can insure this. The Fillioux family has been working for us for more than 200 years. This family has a gift for tasting, and also an amazing tradition for knowing not just the cognac, but everything and everyone behind it. Hennessy is the only firm with such a long family tradition of blending.
Cognac is aged in oak barrels. Does Hennessy have specific requirements regarding the design & management of the barrels?
The law is very precise about it and we follow it. Hennessy is certainly the largest buyer of traditional hand made barrels in the world
Are there any recommendations you can make to people who are interested in cooking with Hennessy Cognac?
Do use cognac, and a good brand of it too. The quality of the cognac in your food must match the level of the other ingredients. Poor quality cognac does not add anything in your dish. Better a small quantity of the right stuff!
As long as we’re on the subject of food, are there any Cognac and food pairings you particularly enjoy?
Hennessy and chocolate, Hennessy and Asian food, Hennessy and Foie Gras… there are a lot of great pairings.
Over the past 250 years, there must have been technological advances in the production of Cognac. How does Hennessy balance tradition and technology in producing and marketing Hennessy Cognac?
The base has not changed. For example we used to use coal to heat the pot still at the beginning of the last century. Now we use natural gas, a cleaner, more manageable energy source. But the pot still is exactly the same, and the cognac has not changed.
What is it that makes the Cognac district so favorable for producing the world’s finest brandy?
In the region of Cognac you have about 75,000 hectares of vineyards producing white wine, mostly Ugni Blanc, and the region is divided into 6 growth areas, more or less. Grande & Petite Champagne are regions that are very chalky and produce a very elegant cognac that takes a long time to age. The earth is white because there is no earth, only rock. Just chalk. Then you have Borderies which is between the Champagne and the Bois regions.
The soil there is more limey and flinty. Borderies makes cognac that is very flowery, very delicate. Then you have Fins Bois, which is more flint stone, more lime, richer earth, hence the name ‘Fins Bois’. ‘Bois’ means ‘forest’. ‘Champagne’ basically means ‘field’. Nothing grows because there is not enough soil. Only vineyards can grow. They are happier when they suffer, and they suffer correctly there. Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaire have plenty
of soil and beautiful vineyards but do not produce such elegant cognacs. We don’t buy Bois Ordinaire or Bons Bois cognacs.
Hennessy offers several expressions or ‘marques’ of Cognac beyond Hennessy VS. Can you tell us what they are and what makes them unique?
Hennessy Privilege (VSOP) is a very light, elegant cognac aged up to 15 years. It is often consumed alone, but a lot of it is consumed the way I do it, which is with Pellegrino water and ice made with non-chlorinated water. This is a very refreshing drink for the summer.
Hennessy XO is a very robust and spicy cognac. It is a blend of about 100 different cognacs aged up to 30 years and beyond, coming from the four best growing regions of Cognac. It was created in 1870 for my great-great grandfather, who was also called Maurice Hennessy, by his master blender. It was initially created for him and his family, not for sale, but by 1872 it was being sold all over, including places like Shanghai. It is the original XO and for 100 years it was the only XO cognac made.
Hennessy Paradis Extra is made from stocks of cognac from our Founders Cellar. In this cellar we have our finest cognacs. All of them are over 50 years old and some date back to 1800. The cognacs, 100 or so of them, that are used for Paradis are up to 130 years old. Very old.
Richard Hennessy is an homage to our founder. It contains cognacs made by members of all eight generations of the Hennessy family and blended by members of all seven generations of the Fillioux family. I think no one else in the world can make that claim. We’ve managed to put a whole family in a bottle.
What’s next for Hennessy Cognac?
Hennessy Black, which will be released in Nebraska this coming summer.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
September events
I'll be conducting the following events this month:
Sat, Sept 12 (330-530pm)- Tea Cocktails demo at The Tea Smith at the Shops at Legacy in Omaha
Mon, Sept 14 (830pm) - Libation Association Live at Liv Lounge at Askarben Village in Omaha
Thu, Sept 24 (500-800pm) - Classic Malts of Scotland feature at The Still in Lincoln
Sat, Sept 12 (330-530pm)- Tea Cocktails demo at The Tea Smith at the Shops at Legacy in Omaha
Mon, Sept 14 (830pm) - Libation Association Live at Liv Lounge at Askarben Village in Omaha
Thu, Sept 24 (500-800pm) - Classic Malts of Scotland feature at The Still in Lincoln
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Libation Association Live
Last night, we conducted the very first Libation Association Live event at Liv Lounge in Omaha. Attendance was much better than I expected. I had a great time, and I hope the attendees enjoyed themselves as well. It appears we'll be conducting these events on the 2nd Monday of each month at 8:30pm at Liv, which would make the next event September 14th, 2009. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Libation Conversation – Rediscovering the Classics
Classic cocktails have become classics for one very compelling reason. When made properly, they’re delicious. However, though they are widely known (or perhaps because they are), the average cocktail consumer is subjected to a broad continuum of ‘interpretations’ of these classics, many of which fail to demonstrate the true beauty of the actual cocktails upon which the interpretations are based. This failure stems chiefly (but not exclusively) from the common practice of substituting pre-made cocktail mixes for the actual ingredients and techniques called for in the original recipes. While this is a somewhat understandable concession to efficiency in most cases, it is nonetheless regrettable. High fructose corn syrup, coloring agents, and such culinary gems as sodium metabisulfite have no place in a truly great cocktail.
One sure way to afford these cocktails all their rightful glory is to make them yourself according to the original (or as close to it as can be ascertained) recipes. Let’s take a look at the recipes behind a few popular classics.
The Mojito (recipe from The Craft of the Cocktail – Dale DeGroff)
2 tender sprigs of fresh mint
1 ounce Simple Syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water, shaken together until the sugar dissolves)
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 ½ ounces light rum
2 dashes Angostura bitters (optional)
Soda water
Muddle one mint sprig with the simple syrup and the lime juice in the bottom of the mixing-glass half of a
LC Notes:
-Creating a balanced Mojito can be deceptively challenging. Fresh mint and lime juice both possess prominent, distinctive flavor profiles. The sweetness of the simple syrup is required in order for the other elements to coexist peacefully, but it can be easily overdone. The bitters can add a welcome depth and complexity to the drink, but it must be applied with prudent restraint. And of course, the better the rum, the better the cocktail.
-There is no need to pulverize the mint during the muddling process. A firm bruising of the leaves is sufficient to extract the essential oils from the mint leaves.
The Margarita (recipe from Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant, San Francisco)
2 ounces 100% blue agave tequila
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 ounce agave syrup
Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or over ice in a rocks glass. Salting the rim of the glass is optional.
LC Notes
-As it is the most popular cocktail in
-I tend to favor the use of reposado tequila over blanco in this recipe, but whichever suits your tastes is the correct choice for you. If the mood strikes, I may add a touch of Grand Marnier to my Margarita for added depth and richness.
-I prefer to enjoy this cocktail with an unsalted rim, as the intensity of coarse salt buries the delicate freshness of the cocktail on my palate, but again that’s just me. Experiment with both. If you’re making Margaritas for a group, try salting half the rim, thus leaving the decision in the hands of your guests. Do your best to apply the salt only to the outside rim of the glass. This will keep salt from falling into the cocktail, thereby altering its flavor balance. I also like to garnish my Margaritas by topping them with a pinch of fresh grated lime zest delivered via a Microplane.
The Martini (recipe from The Joy of Mixology – Gary Regan)
2 ½ ounces Gin or Vodka
½ ounce Dry Vermouth
1 pitted olive or lemon twist, for garnish
Add ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add garnish.
LC Notes
-Many liberties have been taken regarding the use of the term ‘martini’. Nearly all the drinks served in these glasses are technically just ‘cocktails’, except of course an actual Martini. Yet a great many of these concoctions have had the word ‘martini’, or the inescapable ‘(fill in the blank)-tini’, incorporated into their names. At the end of the day, it’s your booze and your glass. Call it whatever makes you happy. The purpose of this discourse, however, is to attempt to shed light on the true Martini. The Martini is a descendent of the
-In my own humble opinion, a Martini is made with 4 to 5 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth, it is stirred thoroughly (not shaken) and served up in a chilled cocktail glass (a.k.a. ‘martini glass’), and it is garnished with a single pitted olive. Gins vary fairly widely in flavor. Some are sweeter than others, some display prominent citrus notes, and some are more noticeably juniper-influenced, offering distinct, cooling ‘pine-y’ notes. Experiment with several gins to find your preferred flavor profile. Or use vodka, and shake your Martini to pieces if you like. After all, it’s your drink.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Omaha Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards
My ‘Libation Conversation’ column for Food & Spirits Magazine took 2nd place in the Best Magazine Column division at the recent Omaha Press Club ‘Excellence in Journalism’ awards. The magazine as a whole won seven awards in all. Details are below.
Food & Spirits Magazine Releases Scratch ‘N Sniff Sixth Issue, Wins Seven Awards
Food and Spirits Magazine, ‘The Omaha Metro’s Best Guide for Food, Dining, Spirits and Wine’, provides thousands of readers in the metro area with rich, engrossing and informative articles on the food and dining scene in Omaha.
Since 2007, FSM has been recognized by local industry professionals for the publication’s quality of both editorial and design, winning numerous awards in the past year alone.
This past June, FSM added to its already impressive awards list. During the Omaha Press Club’s ‘Excellence in Journalism’ Awards Competition, held June 6th and judged by the Denver Press Club, FSM was granted seven of ten possible awards for magazines, including first and second place finishes in the categories of ‘Best Magazine Column’ and ‘Best Magazine Feature Story’. FSM also finished first in ‘Best Magazine Layout’ and ‘Best Blog’ while taking second place in ‘Best Magazine Cover’.
Now, with the recent release of their sixth issue, Food and Spirits Magazine continues to raise the bar, presenting a magazine that smells as good as it looks.
That’s right: scratch or rub the cover of their latest issue to fill your nose with the scent of buttered popcorn. Such a feature has arguably never been done by other local publications and is sure to bring a smile to your face.
“Before this magazine came out, we had no real idea what it (using scented ink) would turn out like but we couldn’t resist... and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results,” says Erik Totten, owner and publisher of Food & Spirits Magazine.
This latest issue can be found free of charge at well-known venues throughout the Metro area from now until early August. You can also purchase a copy or subscription online. Those who are hungry for more can visit http://www.fsmomaha.com/ for additional content, including editorial from past issues and a chance to participate in their active, award-winning blog. You can reach Erik Totten directly by calling 402-203-6145.
Individual ‘Excellence in Journalism’ Food & Spirits Magazine Award winners:
Best Magazine Feature Story – 1st Bill McKenzie, 2nd Brian O’Malley
Best Magazine Column – 1st John Fischer, 2nd Dan Crowell
Best Magazine Layout – 1st Food & Spirits Magazine (designed by Chris Kolberg, Matt Goddard)
Best Blog – 1st Food & Spirits Magazine
Best Magazine Cover – 2nd Food & Spirits Magazine (photo by David Ahlquist and designed by Chris Kolberg and Matt Goddard
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