SCIENCE OF COCKTAILS 2012

Though Science of Cocktails may be on hiatus next year due to the Exploratorium‘s big move to the Embarcadero, this year’s party is worth highlighting. Attending since the inaugural event three years ago (my review here), Science of Cocktails gets better each year.

I’m not sure if the new VIP area added much other than a bird’s-eye view from above with a few additional bites and drinks, the bulk of food being downstairs. Edible options were more enticing than ever in the uber-cool museum space (mini Reubens, sushi, Chinese dumplings, In-N-Out-inspired burgers with Thousand Island dressing). The cavernous space easily holds hundreds of people without feeling packed. Here one can interact with exhibits, kid-free, cocktails in hand.

Drinks were poured by some of the Bay’s best bartenders and distillers, sporting white lab-coats, delivering concoctions from test tubes, beakers and hand-crafted contraptions. Cocktails were served in pre-bottled, liquid nitrogen, jello, even powdered forms. Let us not forget the shiny, porcelain toilet spouting Speakeasy beer.

The biggest treat of the evening was a special barrel from distiller Dave Smith at St. George Spirits in collaboration with bartenders Darren Crawford (Bourbon & Branch) and Russell Davis (Rickhouse). The three of them call the endeavor the Manhattan Project, a tribute to Frank Oppenheimer, founder of the Exploratorium. He also worked on the Manhattan Project, producing the first atomic bomb, with its director and his brother Robert.

No bombs here, however. Only fine whiskey. Using St. George’s new Breaking & Entering Bourbon (B&E), the dynamic trio aged Manhattan cocktails with their own precise blend of vermouths (Punt E Mes, Dolin Rouge, Carpano Antica), serving a balanced, aged Manhattan. The unexpected came when they followed that up with a p0ur of B&E bourbon finished in the barrel used to age the Manhattan.

Whispers of spice and bitters from the Manhattan up the B&E whiskey experience. This beauty won’t be for sale but you might just see the like of it at special drink events such as this.

My favorite cocktail of the night was Christina Cabrera’s (Michael Mina) Roses Foxtrot. Made with Four Roses bourbon, Calvados apple brandy, Gran Classico, Benedictine, Angostura bitters, and her own cardamom pear syrup and coffee tincture, the pièce de résistance was a finish of thick absinthe foam and gently fried sage leaf. Lush and light, the absinthe foam endowed a creamy crown and anise spirit to the cocktail. I could eat the foam and softly sugared sage leaves all on their own (and did). As a whole, the drink melded into a textural, breezy pleasure.

Other highlights included Jennifer Colliau’s (Slanted Door) mocktails using her own unmatched Small Hand Foods line of gum syrups, grenadine and the like. Leave it to skilled hands to make some of the best drinks of a cocktail event sans alcohol (I was in love with her coconut water/orgeat drink).

It’s a long wait until 2014, but here’s to many more years of Science of Cocktails in the new Exploratorium.

Beautiful table set in SoMa loft for Kitchit dinner

KITCHIT House Dinner with Chef Christopher Kostow

Kitchit, “home of bespoke dining”, is not another pop-up dinner. In fact, the company, founded by Brendan Marshall, a Stanford grad who was just named one of Forbes “30 Under 30″ in the Food & Wine category, is more like a private dinner party with a world class chef.

In my case, it was a dinner in a private SoMa loft with none other than Christopher Kostow of 3 Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa County (currently closed through March for renovations). Browsing chefs on Kitchit, one chooses a chef to come to a home or chosen space and create a multi-course dinner. It’s surreal watching the Meadwood team cook, create cocktails, and serve us at a long dinner table in a gorgeous home. Our main course was a rare, roasted leg of lamb in sumac, with many courses served family style.

Chatting with Marshall, his inspiration is not merely to enjoy great food, but about the community this daily ritual fosters… hence the personalized themes and home settings. Not unlike my own philosophy, this approach lays the foundation for an unforgettable dinner party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ON THE DAIRY FARM

On a recent misty morning in Point Reyes, then inland for a Petaluma afternoon, I visited two of our most beloved creameries. The damp earth of a dairy farm in dark, early hours is oddly intoxicating, while sampling fresh cheese in various stages of ripening is sheer pleasure. These dairies make me proud of the familial, forward-thinking, humane food practices that have been going strong in the Bay Area for decades from pioneers such as these.

Straus Family Creamery

One look in the eyes of cows at Straus Family Creamery and you’re changed. If you did not care care where your milk came from, you do now. Petting baby cows, tagged with names such as Wilma or Eve (above), you become attached, even protective, of these peaceable animals. It inspires hope to see cows treated as well as they are here, a rarity in the mainstream dairy market.

Organic before it became a “trend”, Bill Straus began farming this coastal Point Reyes land in 1941 with 23 cows (there’s now over 300 milk cows). His wife Ellen read Rachel Carson’s game-changing Silent Spring in the ’60′s, mobilizing them both in lifelong commitment to environmental sustainability. They were the first certified organic dairy farm west of the Mississippi in 1994, leading in sustainable farming practices.

Early on a soft, grey weekday, I trekked up to the farm via scenic winding roads, not unlike those of the Scottish Highlands I’d just returned from a day before. Directly on Tomales Bay, the farm rolls down to the shore, often foggy in the mornings, with sun peeking through by afternoon. The air smells funky with cows, yes, but also bracingly of earth, water, grass.

Bill and Ellen’s son Albert Straus now runs the farm. Majoring in dairy science, he launched their ice cream line (he’s a real aficionado), continuing to grow Straus Creamery in sustainable practices like composting solids and waste to fertilize their land (or that of nearby biodynamic wineries).

Straus keeps a “closed herd” so no infection/disease gets transported to the cows. While he works with 300 milking cows, he’s simultaneously raising 250 young cows who begin milking after two years.

There’s not a lot of profit to be made allowing the natural process  vs. increasing milk flow by injecting cows with hormones. It is heartening to see those like Straus, who care more about the quality and health of the product for consumers, along with the animals and their land, than the bottom line. But this level of care costs.

As prices of basics like grain and production have gone up at least 25% in the last couple of years alone, there’s now even less to gain by doing it “right.” But Straus presses on, under standards for organic farm certification that are stricter than for any food product. Straus is pleased to note that organic farms in Marin and Sonoma now make up around 50% of those counties’ farms, indicating the area as an industry leader (learn more about the organization formed in part by Albert and Sue Conley of Cowgirl Creamery, Marin Organic, now celebrating 10 years and responsible for promoting much of the region and industry’s growth).

With a mission to maintain and preserve family farms, Albert is willing to take risks and try new approaches: “Most farmers are pretty risk averse, but I seem to continue to go the other way,” he laughs. Coming from a family line of risk-takers in dairy farming, we all gratefully reap the benefits.

Cowgirl Creamery

A day spent with Cowgirl Creamery founders, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, among the finest cheesemakers in the country, is a delight. With close ties to the Straus family (they not only source milk from Straus, but Sue was in part inspired to launch Cowgirl by her relationship with the Strauses).

Both from rich culinary backgrounds, Peg and Sue created highly-lauded cheeses like that triple-cream dream, Mt. Tam, and earthy, unique Red Hawk. Their shop in SF’s Ferry Building is a cheese destination, with production now mainly in a larger creamery in Petaluma (a town boasting other major creameries like Clover and Cowgirl’s building neighbor, Three Twins).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They produce ten different cheeses, seven in Petaluma, and three in their original (smaller) Point Reyes facility.

Peg notes that in Europe keeping cheeses regionally uniform (like Camembert in Camembert, France, for example) means strict style regulations. “We are lucky to have such great variety of cheeses here,” she says, claiming freedom of experimentation led to some of their most popular cheeses.

Besides an idyllic lunch at Sue’s house, the day’s high point came in sampling Mt. Tam in numerous states of age, from hours’ old, just-brined, tasting salty-sour-tart, to a meaty, acidic phase at seven days, finishing with a creamy, nutty thirty-two day Mt. Tam (it is usually sold in the mid 20-30 day ranges).

Schedule a tour of Cowgirl (tours resume in the Spring) or Straus farm (group tours only), and you may come away as I did, with an increased appreciation for cheese, cows, our diverse region, and the artisans who strive to create the best… and change the world while they’re at it.

Holiday Feast at Fifth Floor with Bar Agricole Guest Chef Brandon Jew

Upscale dining destination Fifth Floor hosted a series of guest chefs last week for the holidays, each one cooking meals inspired by their heritage and culture. A brilliant idea with chefs as notable as Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn and Hoss Zare of Zare at Fly Trap. A portion of each of the $95 dinners went to the guest chef’s charity of choice.

Each menu intrigued, making it painful to choose one. In the end, scheduling decided the night I went and it was Brandon Jew of Bar Agricole.

Working closely with Fifth Floor chef David Bazirgan, a seven course feast unfolded with sommelier Amy Goldberger’s ever-thoughtful pairings (and infectious spirit). Here are a few highlights in photos from the night… and here’s hoping they’ll revive this tradition annually.

Insects & Mezcal Dinner

DON BUGITO DINNER at HEADLANDS CENTER for the ARTS, Marin

Nestled near the ocean in the wilds of the Marin Headlands sits Headlands Center for the Arts, an artists’ haven in a reclaimed military barracks that is inspiring just to be in, as it must be for its artists in residence. Known for the culinary care and special event meals they host in their warm, open kitchen and dining room, I was intrigued to check it out. So what better excuse than for a five course insect and mezcal dinner?

You heard right. Don Bugito, a new La Cocina business that premiered at SF Street Food Festival this August (which I wrote about here, in my SF Bay Guardian column, and Grubstreet), hosted this unique meal.

Paired with Mexican juices, a take on the Michelada (a beer and spice-based imbibement), and the Mission’s De La Paz Coffee, the drink highlight was San Honesto Mezcal, a bright, grassy, gently smoky mezcal that is not yet available in the US but should be by early next year.

Having eaten mealworms and wax moth larvae with Don Bugito before, I was hoping for even further challenges at this meal. As an intro to bugs, the textures and tastes of the five insects served were inoffensive (yes, even to those who fear bugs), even tasty, proving the points made in a pre-dinner educational session: eating insects is nutritional, ecological and sustainable. One could see this being a micro movement in urban centers such as ours, just as beekeeping and urban farming have been.

Don Bugito owner, Monica Martinez, says, “Our goal is not to introduce insects as a novelty, but as something that will last.” I’d say with the palatable insect-tinged dinner we experienced, she is introducing an approachable, realistic way to eat insects.

The Headlands Center’s next dining event is December 7, a speakeasy-style, small plates cocktail party with cocktails from the incomparable Bon Vivants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recapping WHISKYFEST 2011

Another year, another WhiskyFest. I’ve been attending a number of years now, ever relishing an opportunity to try unexplored whiskies, refresh my taste memory on others, and connect with whisk(e)y industry folk and distillers here from Kentucky to Scotland.

A number of options listed as VIP tastes (more than ever this year) were not, in fact, available at all. Some purveyors said these bottles hadn’t reached the States yet (like Isle of Jura’s Shackleton or Pierre Ferrand Ancestrale Cognac), but I find this a problem, particularly for those paying more to hit VIP hour for these rare tastes ($135 regular tickets; $185 for VIP hour).

One that WAS there however, was the soft, layered, fruity yet slightly oaky, Tamdhu 30 year from Gordon & MacPhail. Their Benromach 10 yr (available all night, not just during VIP hour) is surprisingly complex, with essence of cedar, nuts, smoke, and spice. Aged in bourbon casks, then finished off in sherry, it does not taste a full 20 years younger than the Tamdhu. I chatted with the company’s friendly managing director, Michael Urquhart, one of 3rd and 4th generations of the Urquhart family who own the company and have been making single malts long before they were ever marketed as a category.

My favorite VIP taste may have been Ardmore’s gorgeous 30 yr Scotch. Surprisingly light, it evokes coffee, caramel, dried orange and a long, gently peaty finish. I found this beauty at the Laphroaig table, where I also enjoyed another taste of Laphroig’s Cairdeus and Triple Wood whiskies).

Italian company Samaroli imports a number of special edition whiskies, but of greater interest to me were their unique rums, some layered and elegant, others funky, but all fascinating, particularly Caribbean2003, a rum that is predominantly Cuban, and a French-style rhum agricole: Guadaloupe 1998.

Bruichladdich, who wins for hippest, out-of-the-norm packaging, is doing some interesting things, particularly with their new gin (yes, I said gin), The Botanist. Though containing far too many botanicals (22 in all, from bog myrtle leaves to apple mint), somehow it manages to come together in a cohesive, smoothly refined whole. Their unique Black Art 2 whisky, an uber-secretive recipe that purportedly only distiller Jim McEwan knows, was aged in a range of unlisted barrels, possibly sherry, even wine casks, just like the first limited edition of Black Art.

High West Distillery in Park City, Utah, has a new bottled Manahattan cocktail. Though it’s a decent product, I couldn’t fathom preferring it to a freshly made (or barrel-aged at a bar) Manhattan. All initial barrels in Utah sold out in 8 days, so they launched the product beyond. I sampled their new 21 yr Rocky Mountain Rye, but actually preferred another new bottling:  OMG (meaning Old MononGahela, a Western Pennsylvania river) Pure Rye Silver Whiskey. They left the heads and tails left in, giving it a rugged, green profile of Meyer lemon citrus and rye spice, best enjoyed neat at room temperature.

Tequila Corrido, a tequila line I enjoy from start to finish, poured their new Extra Anejo from the first barrel to ever leave the distillery. It tastes of lemongrass, oak and chocolate, with agave actually detectable (a fault of many anejos when wood drowns out the agave).

Great King Street, a blended Scotch made by the Compass Box Whisky Company wasn’t my top taste of the night, but is a smooth blend of Lowland, Highland and Speyside single malts, lightly toasty with vanilla and spice. It’s fresh, classically modern packaging and approach of bringing back respect for blends make it stand out.

WHISKYFEST Seminar with Parker Beam & Alain Royer

My seminar of choice was the evening’s highlight, led by one of my whiskey heros, Parker Beam (who I had the privilege of meeting last year and chatting again with this week), and master Cognac blender Alain Royer of the Renaud Cointreau Group. Beam and Royer discussed Parker’s Heritage Collection 2011 release: a 10-year bourbon aged first in charred American white oak barrels, then 6 months in used Limousin oak Cognac casks. You wouldn’t know it’s a bracing 100 proof, as it goes down smooth, sweet and silky with maple, apple, and gentle spice. It might not be as revelatory as Parker’s Golden Anniversary or 27 year whiskeys, but alongside last year’s robust Wheated Bourbon, it’s yet another winner in Beam’s impeccable collection.

Only Heaven Hill, the company that makes Parker’s Heritage Collection (among my top bourbons of all time), can claim that since 1934 every drop of whiskey from their distillery (all their brands) is overseen by Earl, Parker or Craig Beam of the esteemed Beam family. They produce 900,000 barrels of whiskies out of 49 rickhouses across 30+ acres.

Parker ever charms with his slow-as-molasses (or maybe even slower) Southern drawl belying his feisty sense of humor. Keeping it real, he says, “If you want to make good bourbon, you make it in Kentucky. If you want to sell it, you damn well make it in Kentucky.” He sips one of Heaven Hill’s most popular, affordable whiskeys during his down time, however: “At home I kick back with our Evan Williams single barrel.”

In regards to joining forces with Parker to make Parker’s Heritage Cognac Barrel-finished Bourbon, Alain states: “When I tasted Parker’s bourbon, it reminded me of Borderies.” Known for their floral richness, Cognacs from Cognac’s Borderies region are often elegant beauties with heart, just like Parker’s Cognac Bourbon.

Parker talked about the process of deciding what this year’s special release would be (each of his annual releases are rare, limited editions): “We had some older products [older than his 27yr bourbon] that wasn’t up to snuff. I didn’t like it, anyway… To make Cognac bourbon we went gung ho, as we knew the bourbon was gonna be good… and we trusted Alain’s selection of barrels”.

Next to the final product, we sampled Heaven Hill‘s Bourbon Rye Mashbill (10yr bourbon, 100 proof) from new charred white oak barrels. Even in its raw form, the rye exhibits fullness and spice, coconut and vanilla. We also savored Alain’s Chateau de Fontpinot XO Cognac, aged an average of 18-20 years and produced on one single estate from ugni blanc grapes. It’s seductive with apple and apricot, subtly earthy with hay and wood notes, a sophisticated Cognac.

2011 SF COCKTAIL WEEK Cocktails

Here just a few photo highlights from this year’s bigger-than-ever SF Cocktail Week… read about the event here.