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Inventory for September 17th, 2017

Welcome friends! This week Team Lyan teaches the Punch reader how to incorporate dairy into cocktails, Imbibe takes a look at the Martini glass’ origin story, an anonymous writer goes on a rant about the use of the word “masterclass”, and the NFL finally allows advertisements for hard liquor to flimmer across the screens of millions while they watch grown men willingly damage their brains. Cheers!

A new beverage is sweeping the Minnesota State fair: Dill Pickle Ale. The Barley John’s Brewing Company from Wisconsin came up with this, what sounds like, delicious concoction. The Ale is dry hopped with dill, horseradish, and all the spices classically used to brine pickles. It’s said to be a toned down version of carbonated, alcoholic pickle juice. Here.for.it.

How to Use Dairy in Cocktails

Punch has been working on a fantastic collaboration with Team Lyan, over the last couple of months they’ve brought us articles on how to make better frozen drinks and how to incorporate acidity without using citrus. Now they’re back with more and this time the team around Ryan Chetiyawardana explains how to best use dairy in cocktails: “Texture has long been a key motivator for mixing dairy into cocktails. Here, the team behind London’s Dandelyan and Cub on how to incorporate milk, cheese, whey and more into drinks.” They take the reader into the minute detail of using cream and milk in alcohol creations (turns out, you don’t need a lot of either to make an impact) and how to make your own whey. The article ends how to best pair butter and cheese with liquids (add a cube of something soft and flavorful to a sour formula) and is well worth a read for any cocktail nerd.

The Martini Glass’ Origin Story

Wayne Curtis took us on a historic trip down memory lane this week, by explaining the origin story of the martini glass. Before there was the glass, there was the cocktail. To be precise, around forty years before the glass existed the Martini was invented. The glass is apparently a natural development from the Champagne coupe (which is often said was inspired by the curves of Marie Antoinette’s breast). While the Martini enjoyed a surge in popularity in the American 1940s, so did the glass it came in. It telegraphed to the room that whoever was drinking it was swank and modern. “The glass’s clean lines soon became a universal symbol, as recognizable as a circle with a slash through it. Bars around the world worked its profile into signs and logos. Anyone could sketch just five lines of equal length—basically a “Y” with a line across the top and the bottom—on a scrap of paper, pass it to a colleague during a tedious meeting, and he or she would brighten knowingly and accept your post-meeting invitation with a subtle nod”. It was popular until it was not. It became ubiquitous and it became uncool and Curtis even calls for a completely different new direction: “The Martini glass is weary and worn. We should acknowledge its debt to a past full of haste and scientific style, then mix up a Martini (2:1, with a dash of orange bitters, please) and serve it in an elegant coupe, slowly, as nature and nurture intended”.

Stop Abusing the Word ‘Masterclass’

The term “Masterclass” has become incredibly overused. Not just in the spirits world though, in general. A word that’s meant to be dripping with importance and grandeur it’s been reduced to just another marketing gag. A anonymous Whisky Veteran agrees with this and wrote a rant on this very topic for ScotchWhisky.com. They say “if a Master Blender or a Master Distiller or even a Master of the Quaich is hosting a tutored tasting, then by all means call it a Masterclass. If, however, someone who has been in the job three months and has read a few books on the subject [insert disparaging comment about shovel toe shoes, high street tweed and beard oil here] is presenting you with an entry-level NAS whisky, a 10-year-old at 40% abv and a limited edition, travel retail special, 11-year-old herring cask finish – for God’s sake, please just call it a tasting”. Hard to argue with that.   

NFL Changes Advertising Policy

Earlier this year the US’ national Football League (NFL) changed its advertising policy to allow distilled spirits to be aired during TV commercials. Which means that most distributors are currently jumping for joy at the thought of the new season (which, if we understood correctly, just begun). “An NFL executive told the outlet the league is treating the policy as a “one-season test” but expects it to continue”. The NFL is set to air up to four advertisements for hard liquor during each game. This decision was made on, what else, a worry for revenue. Fun fact: “products like birth control, energy drinks, gambling venues and marijuana in states where it’s legal remain banned”. All ads for distilled spirits must come with  a “prominent social responsibility message”.

Credits

Foto: Photo via Shutterstock.

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