Hello! Welcome back to another boozy monthly summary.
I apologize for being quiet as of late, and I know I am a touch behind on getting my posts out for the Beta Cocktails mini-series, all for a good reason. My home "office" was surrendered a year ago to my wife, who does much more important work than I do—since then, writing space around the house is hard to come by. It is also the same reason why The Nightcap Show and podcast are paused.
WELL, THAT IS ALL ABOUT TO CHANGE!
I recently found a small office a quick walk from home that will become the new Cocktail Doodle headquarters. When I have had my last vaccine shot, and the current tenant moves out in a month or so, I will have a place of my own dedicated to writing...and a bar cart...and maybe some records…you should stop by!
The new office will have a set of distractions seeing as it is near all my favorite vices. It is located above a coffee shop, across from a tobacco store, and around the corner from a beer and whisky bar, but I will be able to close my door and enjoy some solitude rather than fighting two poodles for couch space so I can hammer out a newsletter.
So that's my little update! I appreciate all the new subscribers this past month, and I am thankful that all of you take the time to scroll through these monthly reviews.
Lets go!
The Cocktail Doodle Review
Drinks From April
I usually talk about cocktails from the past month here but seeing as one of the oldest and largest cocktail/sporting events is tomorrow, I figured I should give the Julep some attention.
I won't bore you with too much history, but the Julep is a very old concoction. We can go back as far as 1634 and see the Julep mentioned in John Milton's Comus. In terms of cocktail books, it appeared in Jerry Thomas' The Bon Vivant's Guide or How to Mix Drinks in 1862 as a Cognac and rum drink. Then the Georgia Mint Julep, sticking with Cognac but adding peach brandy, shows up in print a few years later in the 1887 copy of the Bar-Tenders Guide.
As time goes on, rye whiskey slowly slips into the drink, and after prohibition, Bourbon takes its place as the main ingredient. Before I get to the recipe I prefer (and the one I will be mixing up tomorrow with some borrowed mint from my neighbor's backyard) I should say that I have never had a bad Julep. I have had plenty of watery Martinis, over vermouth-ed Manhattans, warm Negronis, sugary Old Fashioneds, and too sour to drink Gimlets. Still, I have never suffered through a Julep regardless of ingredients.
So tomorrow, feel free to mix up a Julep in any way you prefer. Use brandy, or Maidera, or whiskey, or rum, or any combination you like. Mint and fruit and berries, heck, you can even use agave nectar to sweeten it! No matter what, it will taste great after mellowing over crushed ice, and that is the magic of a Julep. I can assure you that whatever you make will be better than the bottled Julep mix of sweetened Early Times they are serving at Churchill Downs unless you spring for the fancy one with Woodford, and even then, I bet you beat that one by a few lengths!
I follow a more traditional recipe, and you can hear Chris McMillian talk about it below (he gets mixing at 4:35):
For the recipe (or to keep up with Chris as he makes his Julep in the video above), you'll have to follow this poem from the late 1800s written and printed in the Lexington Herald, "The Mint Julep" by Joshua Soule Smith.
Then comes the zenith of man’s pleasure. Then comes the julep – the mint julep. Who has not tasted one has lived in vain. The honey of Hymettus brought no such solace to the soul; the nectar of the gods is tame beside it. It is the very dream of drinks, the vision of sweet quaffings.
The Bourbon and the mint are lovers. In the same land they live, on the same food are they fostered. The mint dips its infant leaf into the same stream that makes the Bourbon what it is. The corn grows in the level lands through which small streams meander. By the brook-side the mint grows. As the little wavelets pass, they glide up to kiss the feet of the growing mint, and the mint bends to salute them. Gracious and kind it is, living only for the sake of others. Like a woman’s heart it gives its sweetest aroma when bruised. Among the first to greet the spring, it comes. Beside the gurgling brooks that make music in the fields, it lives and thrives. When the bluegrass begins to shoot its gentle sprays to sun, mint comes, and its sweetest soul drinks at the crystal brook. It is virgin then. But soon it must be married to old Bourbon. His great heart, his warmth of temperament, and that affinity which no one understands, demands the wedding.
How shall it be?
Take from the cold spring some water, pure as angels are; mix it with sugar till it seems like oil. Then take a glass and crush your mint within it with a spoon – crush it around the borders of the glass and leave no place untouched. Then throw the mint away – it is a sacrifice. Fill with cracked ice the glass; pour in the quantity of Bourbon which you want. It trickles slowly through the ice. Let it have time to cool, then pour your sugared water over it. No spoon is needed; no stirring allowed – just let it stand a moment. Then around the brim place sprigs of mint, so that the one who drinks may find taste and odor at one draft.
Then when it is made, sip it slowly. August suns are shining, the breath of the south wind is upon you. It is fragrant, cold and sweet – it is seductive. No maiden’s kiss is tenderer or more refreshing, no maiden’s touch could be more passionate. Sip it and dream – you cannot dream amiss. Sip it and dream – it is a dream itself. No other land can give so sweet solace for your cares; no other liquor soothes you in melancholy days.
Sip it and say there is no solace for the soul, no tonic for the body like old Bourbon whiskey.
Enjoy the race tomorrow and enjoy your Juleps! I'll be using Makers Mark 101 and some borrowed mint in a freshly polished silver Julep cup filled with crushed ice. I make my Julep exactly as Joshua Smith writes out in that lovely poem.
Oh, and my money is on Rock Your World!
The 147th Kentucky Derby is tomorrow, Saturday, May 1. Post Time: 7:01 p.m.
If you haven't ever seen Secretariat run for the roses in 1973, I highly recommend you do. It'll take you a hair less than two minutes to watch, a record that holds to this day.
Who's your horse, and what do like in a Julep?
For more cocktails, check out The Cocktail Doodle Cocktails Google doc.
Current Reading
I picked up some really cool books this month, and I'd love to share them with you:
Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors by Lloyd Rutzky and Joel Levin
I grabbed this book with baseball in full swing, not knowing I was getting a book full of photos, and they are amazing. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the anonymous beer vendors that have worked the aisles of the Friendly Confines over the years. The photos are great, and it is neat to see the beer prices go up every few years.
Paris in Winter: An Illustrated Memoir by David Coggins
This is a beautifully written and illustrated memoir about a family's Christmas trips to Paris over the years. I am reading a chapter before bed every night and it is helping stifle my want to get on an airplane to anywhere. Soon enough! Great book full of fancy nights out and lots of bubbly!
New Products
Dos Equis releases Lime & Salt Variety 12-Pack
Cutwater Spirits release co-branded packaging with 6 MLB teams
S.Pellegrino Essenza adds coffee-inspired flavors
Smirnoff Pink Lemonade Vodka
Sierra Nevada Summer Break Hazy IPA
Limited-time release from Baileys delivers vacation vibes
A Complete Guide to the New Spiked Seltzer Releases of 2021
Absolut Vodka Watermelon
EFFEN Vodka celebrates Pride with 2021 Pride 365 Bottle
Luxardo Amaretto gets new design and lower ABV
Beefeater launches lower-ABV spirit drink
Fishers Island Lemonade releases canned cocktails, frozen pops
Lone Star Brewing just unveiled an agave hard seltzer that's a Texas exclusive
White Claw is launching Surge, a higher alcohol seltzer for summer 2021
Buenavida Hard Seltzer
Gordon Ramsay's 'Hell's Seltzer' Proves We've Reached Peak Hard Seltzer
Heineken to have 2 zero-alcohol options in most markets by 2023
Prima Barista Hard Iced Coffee
Buffalo Trace Distillery releases Baijiu Style Spirit as part of Experimental Collection
Heineken re-introduces Minis
RY3 Whiskey
DRY Botanical Bitters & Soda
In Other (Booze) News
Champagne – James Bond’s royal flush
New Zealand Is The Latest Country To Set Whisky Definition
Wine Tariffs to Be Replaced by Wine Glass Tariffs?!
2020 Bordeaux Is Shaping Up to Be a Worthy Addition to Any Wine Cellar
Delta Is Bringing Back Its Snack And Drinks Services To Flights This Month Including Canned Cocktails
Calls Grow to Abandon Regulations Eased Under Covid
E. & J. Gallo Winery acquires Agave Loco LLC
How major investments will shape alcohol e-commerce
Sazerac announces plans for Early Times whiskey
At Sotheby’s, Rare Whisky Is Taking Over the Auction Block
Napa Launches $42m Fire Prevention Plan
Is the British Pub Really Dying?
French Wine Production Ravaged by a Devastating Frost
Underwater wine ageing: Why are wineries doing it?
Bardstown Bourbon Co. expands capabilities with bottling facility
What Is Hospitality? The Current Answer Doesn’t Work.
The Problem With Celebrity-Backed Tequilas
Heineken sets out plans to be carbon neutral across value chain by 2040
Soda Jerks and Craft Bartenders Come From the Same Ribald Lineage
Rootstock Spirits’ New York State Apple Jacks + Apple Brandies
UK, Makers Mark collaborate to sustain American white oak with repository and genome mapping study
The Deciders vs. the Influencers – A saga for espousing wine in the new era
Do consumers prefer no-alcohol over low-alcohol products?
Talk soon!
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Have a great month!
2021 Cocktail Doodle Reviews:
Jan Review
Feb Review
Mar Review
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Email: hi@cocktaildoodle.com