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Inventory for April 26th, 2015

Welcome to this week’s Inventory! Today Jeffrey Morgenthaler lets the world in on a secret cocktail that threatened to defeat him, Helmut Adam talks about his experience at Portland’s Brewers Conference, Camilla and Charles open a new scotch distillery, Munchies takes a look at the importance and future of alcohol labeling, and Brighton Gin tries its hand at a craft, hangover-free spirit.

Take a deep breath, because all of your oyster eating dreams have come true. Next Sunday, May 3rd, you’ll find oysters with all its accoutrements at Kreuzberg’s Fette Auster. Beginning at 11am they’ll be serving up some serious deliciousness. Expect Bloody Marys, oysters, mussels on toast, pancakes, and margaritas.

1) The Cocktail that thwarted Jeffrey Morgenthaler

The great cocktail legends aren’t usually blessed with humility, though Jeffrey Morgenthaler has set out to prove that wrong. In a column for Playboy he describes his experience with a classic cocktail – The Bumblebee, which is a rum sour sweetened with honey and made rich with egg white. Long ago he thought he’d perfected it when a customer came in and ordered the drink, proclaiming it her favourite, but when asked what she thought of his answer gave only a non-committal ‘pretty good’. A reply that stings.

Morgenthaler asked his buddy, who the customer thought made the actual best Bumblebee out there, for his recipe. This version is found online and deemed as the best of the best. But Morgenthaler, in his infitintely kind ways, adds a last line to his article mentioning that the customer came in again, he made it for the way she preferred it and she still remained unimpressed. A great with the humility of a bumblebee.

2) Reports from Portland’s Beer Conference

Last week Mixology’s own Helmut Adam visited Portland’s Craft Brewers Conference. He experienced the conference as well organized and executed, even with over 11,000 visitors. He says journalists love the Brewer’s Association because they readily hand out facts and numbers. Here are three facts he learned.

  1. American US craft beer export has grown from 36% in 2014 with the biggest markets being Canada, Sweden, the UK, Australia, and South Korea
  2. Craft beer’s market share in the States has grown 18% in 2014, while the overall beer sales grew by 0,5% during the same time. It is currently at 19,4% market share overall.
  3. Overall, brew pubs and microbreweries have experienced the biggest growth. Pubs/restaurants that produce beer saw a 33% growth while small breweries grew by 17%.

3) Camilla and Charles open New Scotch Distillery

The Duchess and Duke of Rothesay in Scotland unveiled Ballindalloch’s commemorative new plaque and fitted bungs into two casks last week. The Spirits Business reports that the whisky will be bottled in 10 years time. Ballindalloch markets itself as Scotland’s first single estate distillery and creates whisky using barley grown on the estate and water sourced from the same land. Proceeds of bottles sold will be donated to a charity of Camilla and Charles’ choice. Thank goodness they still have 10 years to sit on that decision.

4) Alcohol Labels and their Impact

When British alcohol giant Diageo announced its plan to voluntarily begin placing nutritional information per serving on its packaging the Brewers of Europe stated that it too, would pledge to voluntarily provide nutritional information on either packaging or online. Last week Munchies took a look at the reasons why and problems that might arise with this. Alcohol producers are claiming that they just want to be transparent and open to the consumer.

But in business, when has the consumer ever come first? It reeks of self interest. Most people aren’t too bothered with the caloric count of their drinks, alcohol is not treated the same way as we’ve come accustomed to in our health-conscious society. Humans tend to drink to get drunk, a bacchanalian feast where no mind is paid to labels. In the States, Craft producers might have problems with the labels. Cider for example can be seen under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug administration and requires labeling already now. But once a cider contains malted barley, for example, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Two federal agencies, two different sets of problems. That’s outdated laws for ‘ya.

5) Brighton’s Hangover-free Gin

Two years ago Brighton-based Kathy Caton, a former restaurateur, set up an independent distillery producing gin together with a spirits industry guru, a laser physicist, a drinks writer, and a local coffee shop entrepreneur. Munchies spoke to her about the forgiving qualities of gin, as the spirit is distilled several times most hangover-causing impurities are removed, and what the future looks like for of one of Great Britain’s few independent distilleries. Brighton Gin combines the ubiquitous juniper berry with notes of fresh orange, lime, and milk thistle. The thistle is native to England’s southeast and is proved to protect the liver against damages from alcohol-related toxins.

This combination helps BG proclaim itself as ‘hangover free’, though surely if you drink enough of it you’ll end up feeling rough the next day. Brighton laser physicist Ian Barry helped build the gin’s consistency and accuracy regarding ingredient qualifications. Up until recently the process of applying a license was so long and tedious no one bothered. Until 2009 when London-based distiller Sipsmith fought for theirs for two years and thus set a precedent which allowed the founders of Brighton Gin to obtain their license within only three months. The plan for the immediate future is to focus on their local market, to ensure that Brighton Gin is loved by Brightonians first and foremost.

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Helen Chesshire and Kathy Caton of Brighton Gin Brighton Gin Jeffrey Morgenthaler

 

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Credits

Foto: Men on a pool table via Shutterstock

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