Looking for an excuse to imbibe cocktails every day this is a venture by Adam Elmegirab of Evo-lution Bar Consultancy (www.evo-lution.org) and Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters (www.bokersbitters.co.uk) to recreate and rediscover the libations from Professor Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bartender's Guide, 'How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant's Companion', as well as feature interesting tidbits from the beverage industry...
Many of you will know the story behind the creation of Christmas Bitters, something that ranks as one of the best and most thoughtful presents I've ever been given, but assuming some of you don't it's worth explaining a little of the history;
Before you begin, please click play on the video above, then continue reading.
In October 2009 during a conversation regarding the trials and tribulations involved in the production of a quality bitters, Heather told me she believed she'd learnt so much by following my progress, and listening to me talk about the subject incessantly, that she was confident she could make bitters. I had no doubt that Heather had listened intently and had picked up various tidbits having helped throughout the early days of my research into, and experimentation of, Boker's Bitters(which then spawned Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters), but I doubted whether enough had been stored away. "You can't make bitters," I declared, underestimating just how talented she is...
Unbeknown to me Heather decided to do everything possible to make the bitters she promised she could, in this instance a Christmas Bitters. In order to keep this present under wraps she contacted Santa Claus (no, really) who allowed her to borrow two of his Elves so long as he had them back by Christmas Eve (seriously). One of the Elves set about designing a beautiful label so that the bitters would stand out, whilst the other let Heather use his grotto and some tools from his workshop. Lastly, Heather focused on devising a recipe and set to work. Let's just say that I may have had a wee tear in my eye on the morning of 25th December 2009 when presented with a few bottles of Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters. Who was to know that humble pie was a Christmas delicacy?
Though a handful of Heather's original batch made their way to bars in Scotland, England, France and America, the next 24 months were spent fending off requests for Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters, right up until October 2011 when some mysterious happenings started taking place in and around my house.
It all started when I received some junk-mail addressed to 'The Elves'. Like most of you will have experienced, all sorts of rubbish starts dropping through the letterbox in the lead-up to Christmas so I didn't really think anything of it.
Then, whilst carrying out a stock count, I spotted that some botanicals and bottles had gone missing. Again, I didn't read too much into it and put it down to an oversight regarding a delivery that hadn't arrived yet.
The next oddity was the appearance of botanicals, namely currants and cranberries, that I couldn't recall purchasing. I'm always experimenting with recipes for products and have hundreds of botanicals in my workshop so presumed I'd forgotten about an earlier idea I'd had hence why they had come to be in amongst my existing stock.
Things changed on the morning of 31st October when I was awoken by what sounded like my office window closing. Scottish weather in October is a time where you'd rarely open windows during the day let alone leave them open at night so I knew something wasn't right. I ran through to find nothing untoward, the window was closed as expected and everything seemed in order. That was until I spotted a small green & red hat (like the one pictured above) outside my office window. "Surely not..."
Weighing everything up there was only one explanation for it, The Elves had returned and they had unfinished business. I knew what they were after so I decided to set-up a trap for them. Gathering a few bottles and some festive spices, I left them on my kitchen worktop and headed to bed to wait.
Within minutes the sound of tiny footsteps could be heard, I crept through to my kitchen, held my camera round the corner and took a picture (above). Caught. In. The. Act. This was when I realised that The Elves and Christmas Bitters were back...
The Elves didn't want to give too much away regarding the bottlings though I eventually learnt that themselves and Heather had used overproof rum as a base spirit, with three different roots as bittering agents. Dried cranberries and currants are offset with a host of freshly ground festive spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and star anise. A citrus edge is provided by dried orange and lemon peels, extra depth from cacao nibs, mace blades and coriander seed, finally finishing with a hint of port to round everything off.
Macerated for no less than two weeks, the Christmas Bitters then go through an exhaustive filtration process before being bottled. The first handful have been bottled with another 250 to be produced for release in early December before The Elves have to head back and prepare for Christmas day with Santa Claus (I'm not making this up).
Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters
Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters capture the spirit of Christmas in a bottle. Initially created in 2009, these have been reborn by a handful of Elves who didn't want to see Heather's work left in the past.
Elf-crafted, elf-bottled and elf-labelled, Christmas Bitters are a unique addition to any bitters collection adding depth to simple serves such as a Horse's Neck, a point of difference in classics such as the Pink Gin or Corn & Oil, or in original libations such as the award winning Rum-Plum-stiltskin.
Tasting Notes: Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters are dark ruby-red in colour with an enticing nose of freshly baked gingerbread, clove, and spiced fruit. An initial soft sweetness swiftly moves into a complex middle with clove-studded-orange and a host of festive spice all dancing on your tongue before a long bitter finish welcomes the return of hot gingerbread, spiced cookies and clove.
To round things up I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of Heather. If the music above is still playing please scroll up, press pause, then scroll back and listen to Heather singing, with her dad Bryan on guitar and backing vocals, instead. I did tell you she is talented...
There's also a couple of recommended serves provided, one of which was created by Heather, whilst the other is a twist of a favourite of the new doctor in town.
Rum-Plum-stiltskin
50ml / 2oz Havana Club Especial 25ml / 1oz Ruby Port 4 Dashes Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters 25ml / 1oz Freshly squeezed lemon juice Fresh egg white 20ml / 0.75oz Homemade Plum Syrup
Method: To your mixing glass, add egg white, lemon juice and plum syrup in that order followed by remaining ingredients. Dry shake for five seconds then with ice for a further ten seconds Glass: Chilled wine goblet Garnish: Snap orange zest over drink and discard Ice: N/A Notes: Heather's winning cocktail from the Havana Club Cocktail Competition at Mim Bar & Lounge
Christmas Tree
50ml / 2oz English Harbour 5 year old 12.5ml / 0.5oz Falernum 4 Dashes Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters Barspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Method: Add all ingredients to glass, fill with crushed ice and swizzle. Top with crushed ice and swizzle again if necessary. Glass: Highball Garnish: Lime zest spiral (use a vegetable peeler to create a long strip) Ice: Crushed Notes: Adaptation of the classic Corn & Oil and aptly named after an oil well Christmas Tree
For purchasing information please contact me directly at adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org as these won't be available with my distributors or retailers, they're going fast and before we know it the festive season will be over.
Why not buy your favourite bartender a bottle for Christmas?
Arguably the modern bartender's holy grail, the following passage is taken from a book that very few have encountered in the physical sense. The book, by Cuban writer Héctor Zumbado, first came to my attention a few years back due to this exact passage and since then I've spent considerable time in the search for a copy. As it stands I've had no such luck.
This was until recently when a good friend (whose name I'm sparing as they'd be bombarded by pleas from bartenders and collectors) has promised that they will try and obtain a copy of this book for me, should this happen I will be eternally grateful as my search has proven both fruitless and frustrating. The latter due to the fact I originally believed the book was written by the author who first penned this definition of the perfect bartender, when in fact he was one of Héctor's influences and Héctor included it in his book. Funny thinking about it now, not so much at the time.
If there is a better definition of the professional bartender I've yet to read it.
"Diplomatic, polyglot, like skilled ambassadors... discreet and reserved... They have a good feel for psychology, and a deep understanding of human nature. They are father-confessors, competent advisors on a multitude of complex and delicate issues. They are stoic, capable of enduring with unlimited comprehension and courtesy, all the incoherence of the mad world that sometimes condenses in a bar.
They have the elegance of a symphony conductor, the precision and calm of a surgeon ready to operate. They are the chemists of today, the botanists of the eighteenth century, and the alchemists of the middle ages, capable of willing the creation of cool, shining gold.
They are experts in the topics of sport and international politics, but they never give into passionate discourse. They are philosophers, and when need be, telepaths… and to top it off; they need the memory of an elephant."
- Fernando Campoamor
As featured in El Sexto Sentido Del Barman (The Barman's Sixth Sense) by Héctor Zumbado Argueta.
You'll notice a lack of imagery in this posting as I've no image of the book, Héctor or Fernando to share so I'll leave you with a fitting video featuring 'Papa' Fabio Delgado who sadly passed away in 2004 but whose legacy lives on, not just in his home country but around the World;
Let's raise a Palmetto (a.k.a Cuban Manhattan) in honour of Fabio, Héctor and Fernando;
Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds. Julep strain. Glass: Frozen cocktail glass Garnish: Cocktail cherry Ice: N/A
No, Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte aren't making another film, this is in fact the absolute minimum number of hours I estimate I worked behind a bar between 2001 - 2010;
10 years x 52 weeks x 50 hours per week (on average) = 26,000 hours
The next figure is 10,400 hours. That is the absolute minimum number of hours I estimate I've spent reading related literature, attending trainings, practising my hobby and conversing with fellow industry colleagues in that same timeframe (2001-2010);
10 years x 52 weeks x 20 hours per week (on average) = 10,400 hours
Total figure = 36,400 hours which I have dedicated to my career choice between 2001 and 2010, primarily relating to cocktails but encapsulating all things Food & Beverage. I'm confident the actual figure far surpasses that but we'll stick with it for now.
"Why is this relevant?" you say. "What are you rambling about?"
I have a theory that (for the most part) there's no such thing as natural-born-talent, it's all about hard-work, dedication, a want to improve, and a desire to learn. Continue reading and all will be revealed.
I'm proud to call myself a bartender. No fancy filth-flarn-filth name here, I'm a bartender and I'm good at what I do. As you'll see from the hours above I've spent considerable time, "in the trenches," as they say. I've had the ice-machine pack in at 9pm on a Saturday night when the bar is four-deep, I've had girls show me their breasts (and more), and a guy show me his penis (Scots in kilts are a tricky bunch), I've had to be the court jester, I've been given phone numbers (from both sexes), I've had drinks bought for me, I've had drinks thrown at me, I've been offered jobs, and marriage proposals, I've made friends, I've lost friends, I've cut-off friends, I've cut-off family damn-it, I've held back hair as people have thrown-up, I've then had my hand down that same toilet to unblock it, I've worked 100+ hour weeks, I've been on the open on the 1st January, and the close on Christmas Eve, I've been the photographer, the party-planner, the magician, the shoulder to cry on, the mixologist, the plumber, the pacifier, the historian, the bouncer, the children's entertainer, the politician, I'm the guy who ends up in the kitchen at a party making fucking drinks. I'm the bartender. It's what I do. It's quite an enjoyable experience truth be told.
I learnt the basics on the front-line at TGI Fridays and worked my last bartending gig at Yatai where we were offering libations on par with (in my humble opinion) the best that London and Edinburgh have to offer. Yatai is in the middle of a sabbatical with new premises on the horizon but I can confidently say that the beverage program I was putting in place was unrivalled in this part of the World. If only the premises owners had the long-term vision...
Unsurprisingly, many of the spirits, drinks and drink's styles introduced to that wee 25-seater bar have since cropped up on other local bar menus. I would even go so far to say that the Yatai menus along with the menus I've written for Mim (which I'm updating and showcasing to the owner next week) have been imitated in other local venues, many drinks repeated again and again. Many bartenders telling porkies about where they learnt that drink. My old shaking style also mimicked, which then led to me later being told by the same bartender/s (who started long after me and who I trained) that they came up with it. Even though I adopted it from one of my peers who is rightly mentioned in most training sessions I host. That peer is Angus Winchester, whose time in the trenches is likely the same as above, but with another 'zero' on the end. He's getting old, but he's fucking good. The other day Craig Harper referred to Angus as the modern day Charles H. Baker and I couldn't have put it better myself.
Skip to 1:41 to see that shake. In fact, don't, just watch the whole vid;
Imitation. Flattery. You know how it goes. It's when you're not prepared to give credit that people will lose respect. I digress.
I'm also proud to say that my menus have been featured around the World, notably in homage nights at Clive's Classic Lounge in Victoria, headed by bartender Shawn Soole and this year nominated for World's Best Hotel Bar at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail Awards in New Orleans. That's a pretty humbling experience for someone who is primarily self-taught and from a city whose cocktail culture is no older than a decade. When I started the Mojito was like an alien to people. Nowadays? It's the norm to find Aberdonians sipping Last Words, Flips and Brandy Crustas. All beverages I introduced to the local scene and are now mainstays of menus in the better cocktail bars.
My influences come from far and wide and not just in the drinks industry, everyday life influences everything I do, I hoard drinks menus from all over, I pester the game-changers, the face-melters, the trend-setters, the ones truly at the forefront of the modern renaissance of cocktail culture, I have a book collection my bank manager disapproves of, I scour and collect rare spirits so I can recreate drinks as they were meant to taste, I am a regular contributor to forums such as Barbore, e-Gullet and The Chanticleer Society, there is a wealth of great videos on Youtube with hardly any views and the views they do have have been from me on more than one occasion, I attend trainings and seminars all over Europe, I don't go for a drink I go for an education. You get the idea, I am immersed in this shit. It's my life and I love it. "I'm going to get a real-job now!" I hear people declare. Why the fuck would you do that? Real job. Real job? Why have a job when you can have a life.
In 2006, halfway through those 10 years as a bartender, I set-up my own bar consultancy, training and events business. Evo-lution is now in its seventh year of trading making it one of the longest running consultancies of its kind, not just in the UK, but around the World.
I've consulted for a number of venues including Mim Lounge, Yatai and Dusk. These bars have been some of the main drivers in the ever-growing cocktail culture in my hometown.
I've trained hundreds of bartenders in traditional pubs, cocktail bars, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels, many of which continue to pursue successful careers in the Food & Beverage Industry despite never planning to stay in it.
I've set-up and run hundreds of events from themed corporate parties to cocktail evenings, private whisky dinners to tutored tastings, cocktail masterclasses to corporate entertainment. These have ranged in numbers from as little as four people attending to the many hundreds. Where there's beverages and food to be served, I've served it. And it's been bloody great fun.
I've only ever had one client that I've never worked with again and that was down to them not paying the agreed contract. This was my first client and the one that triggered me into setting up Evo-lution. You learn from your mistakes. Since then, every client I've ever worked with has either returned to me for business or referred me on to someone who has used my services. Not many companies have that success rate.
Evo-lution has later encapsulated the ever-growing Dr. Adam Elmegirab's... which is now running into its third year and is very much at the forefront of my career. I'm a full-time producer, brand ambassador, marketer and PR company all rolled into one. Expansion is in the works though for now, this baby is mine and she's quickly growing into a beautiful girl.
What started as the most in-depth research into the history of the Boker's Bitters company (due to this very project, which is only one-tenth completed) and a picture of five bottles posted online, has now grown into a global brand portfolio with four bottlings now being distributed in no less than sixteen global markets. To date, all my bottlings have scored between 4 and 5 out of 5 in highly respected industry magazine CLASS.
As I understand it I'm in the top five cocktail bitters producers in the World; behind only Angostura, The Sazerac Company, The Bitter Truth and somewhat on par with Bittermens. I've never spent a penny, a nickle or a dime on advertising. And still people ask what it is I do for a living. Go figure.
I aim to revolutionise the bitters market and consolidate it as a category in its own right. Along with the good work being done by those aforementioned it's already happening somewhat. It is us, the producers, that are responsible for the perception of a category and it is us who are now charged with giving the end consumer the knowledge they're after.
I think I've easily spent five-figures (in hours) on the bitters category, that goes back at least five years. Go look on Webtender if you don't believe me. My username there is Adam Elmegirab. Even taking this all into account, I've had bartenders tell me I'm wrong when offering advice with regards their housemade bitters. Advice they asked for in the first place. I'll touch on this in another article soon. Back on topic...
I'm currently working on new bottlings for my own portfolio (not just in the bitters category) and I'm in ongoing discussions with companies (that I can't name here) who are looking to use my expertise. I've also been outsourced by a handful of the most revered bars and bartenders the World has to offer with regards producing bespoke products. These are people with five-figure numbers in excess of my 36,400 asking me for advice. This pleases me. this pleases me greatly. The hard-work is beginning to really pay-off. There's those words again, hard-work.
All in all I think I've done alright so far in my short career. I've worked damned hard, I've still lots to learn, and lots I aim to achieve, but it'd be fair to say I've exceeded anything I've set out to do thus far. And probably worked harder than I knew I could.
Okay, okay, I'm getting to that. A few weeks back I was speaking with a local-bartender, an eager young whipper-snapper whose number won't even be in the high hundreds yet. I think he'll do alright, though I did lose a little faith in him when he made a remark similar to the following;
"It's not fair that you're such a good bartender and that you get to go on all these trips and win comps and stuff, why don't I get to go? I know a lot and I think I'm as good as anyone here."
Later he remarked, and asked;
"Some are born with it, do you think I'm one of them? Or maybe you're just lucky?"
I laughed this off. Lucky? He's lucky I didn't slap him up side his head, the cheeky sod. It made me think of this famous quote;
"The harder I practice, the luckier I seem to get." - Gary Player
Fucking luck. 36,000 hours and this is luck apparently. Pfft. I'll show him. So, I've been thinking a lot about what he said. Thinking about my career, and the careers of those that I respect, those at the top of our game. Then awards season rolled into town with both the CLASS Awards and the Mixology Awards taking place in the same week, and I'm seeing the same bartenders complain that they're not nominated. Complain that they haven't won. Complain that they've not been recognised. Complain that they're not respected. Complain that it's the same guys winning the comps and awards. And it got me thinking, why is that? We live in a time where people demand recognition and respect and it is a real ugly side of the bar industry, though it's prevalent throughout society.
By the same token I see the same people congratulating the winners and nominees. The same ones buying drinks and bending elbows with the winners at the award shows. These people are the ones that didn't win. These people are those that will go away and come back next year. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. And they will likely win. Their time will come. And it got me thinking, why is that?
Then I thought back to the, "Some are born with it," comment and similar thoughts I've seen in recent times with both an increase in the use of social media and in sharing ideas and techniques. Coupled with my belief that there is no such thing as natural-born-talent I started to look at recurring trends within the winners and trend-setters I refer to above.
The same names kept popping into my head. The first of which you'll all know, Erik Lorincz.
He's like the Cristiano Ronaldo of bartending, highly-skilled, highly-respected, revered, good-looking. It's almost as if the man's blessed. Anyone that's seen Erik work will straight away tell me that he isn't exactly proving my point. He's so fluid, so slick, so fucking cool, that you can't learn it. You're born with it. What he's got is God-Given.
Well, you're wrong. What Erik's got is an immeasurable desire to be the best that he can be. A desire to work as hard as required to get to the top. He wasn't born with a barspoon and jigger in his hands, he's looked at the best around and worked exceptionally hard to get himself to a similar level. He mastered the hard-shake by going to straight to the source in Japan, Kazuo Uyeda. His mastery behind the bar is practiced and learned by a combination of hard-work and exposing himself to work in a variety of different bars, travelling to expose himself to the best bars and bartenders you can find in Germany, France, USA, the United Kingdom and Japan to name but a few countries. He's worked alongside some highly-talented bartenders, exposing himself to their skills and knowledge and showing him what he needs to do to get to the top of his profession. Key-words here, exposure and hard-work.
Whenever Erik's come into conversation the same words are used regarding him; gentleman, humble, driven, passionate, hard-worker. Having met the man on a number of occasions I can testify for all of these things. You are hopefully seeing a recurring theme here. Here's a direct quote from the man himself;
"For me it's not a job. It's not work. It's a passion, and a lifestyle."- Erik Lorincz
I'm confident that Erik has a similar five-figure number. I know he's also worked his hours in the trenches. I'm confident he would put his success down to hard-work.
To further my thoughts on bartenders such as Erik, the other day the following video appeared in my Facebook feed and it cemented another of my suspicions regarding those at the top;
Exposure. From a young age Erik was already learning skills that would assist him in later life. It never surprises me how many great bartenders have been exposed to the industry in some way, shape or form from a young age. Whether it be the likes of Gary Regan whose dad Bernard owned a pub, or the likes of Erik who had a grandparent making their own liqueurs, the exposure to the skills that would later shape their careers can't be a coincidence. Study this quote about Tiger Woods from the excellent article, 'The Talent Myth';
"The most talented player of all time," was the assessment of one pundit. But now consider that Woods was given a golf club five days before his first birthday; that by the age of two he played his first round of golf; that by five he had accumulated more hours of practice than most of us achieve in a lifetime. Far from being a golfer zapped with special powers that enabled him to circumvent practice, Woods is someone who embodies the rigours of practice."
Tiger Woods, the man oft-referred to as the most naturally-talented golfer of all time was in fact exposed to the game at a young age and put through an abundance of practice hours. In recent years his aura of invincibility has slipped somewhat, his rivals have had to put in the practice to match Tiger and eventually they caught him. Tiger's roar is more of a whimper now. The bar was raised but others have reached it. If Woods wants to return to the top, he will have to revisit his game and improve.
This is the same throughout the World and everyday life, music, sport and in this instance, bartending. Childhood prodigies are a myth. They more often than not have pushy-parents, opportunity, and the two things I've been referring to over and over in this article, exposure and hard-work. You want recognition and respect? You put the hours in. Simple really. If at this point you find that you're still not getting the respect and recognition it's because others are putting in more hours so you have to up your game yet again. The same faces at the competitions and award shows are there for a reason. Hard-work.
Still not having it? I refer you back to Matthew Syed, author of 'Bounce' and the article I linked to earlier;
"If you are still unconvinced by the power of practice, consider again my journey in table tennis. To many enthusiasts my skills seemed nothing less than a miracle. But was it?
When I hit the top of the England rankings, most of the other top players in the nation were not merely from the same town as me, but the very same street: Silverdale Road in Reading. Had some ping-pong virus spread through the area without touching the surrounding roads and villages? Of course not: the success was about the coming together of factors of a similar kind to those that have, from time to time, elevated other tiny places into the sporting ascendancy (Spartak, an impoverished Moscow tennis club, created more top 20 women players between 2005-2007 than the whole of the US).
In particular we all had access to a top coach (who happened to be a teacher at the local primary school) and to the only 24-hour-a-day club in the county. We started out as ordinary table tennis players but through a peculiar set of circumstances we were transformed into extraordinary players. The evidence is overwhelming: excellence in sport is not explained by talent, but by hard work, will and opportunity."
In an industry that is currently booming, to stay at the top and to stay relevant you've really got to work damned hard, but I really think the warning signs need to be put out. This article will upset some and those are the people it's aimed at. I can guarantee that those who have done their time will be nodding in approval. Don't get me wrong, this is not a tirade of old-school versus new, I'm merely pointing out the undeniable facts regarding those who are rightly held in regard in this wonderful industry. I've heard it argued that information is so widely available that less time is needed to move on and be successful. I disagree, as most information out there isn't worth considering and you're going to have done all the right things to be well-informed. Even then part of life is learning from mistakes, you learn more when things go wrong than you do when it's right all the time.
When we have bartenders hanging up their bar-blades and bar-spoons after less than a year's bartending to call themselves consultants that's problematic. That does nothing to help the industry and only ends up with bars not living to their true potential. It's damaging for what is a credible career. In nearly every other business that calls on consultants the minimum requirement is 10,000 hours, or five years full-time work. Think about the most common timeframe covering a university course and a year's placement. 5 years.
5 years x 52 weeks x 40 hours = 10,400 hours
The best consultants around have this as a minimum. In fact, they often surpass it. Tristan Stephenson, 2011 CLASS Bartender of the Year, I salute you.
When there are brand ambassadors who know less about their product than those they're supposed to be nurturing things aren't right. Brands need to address this, and bars and bartenders shouldn't accept it. The best bartenders around are dedicating a lot of time and money to learn about products and categories, so if you're a brand then your ambassador better know more by putting in the hours of hard-work. The best ambassadors around do this, they know who they are. They're time-served and more often than not got their position due to respect and recognition. Julien Lafond, 2011 CLASS Brand Ambassador of the Year, I salute you.
When there are those more interested in their fifteen minutes of fame than satisfying their guests needs it ruins the good image that bartending is currently gaining. We're bartenders, so stop trying to rename yourself to create a relevance. You are relevant, but not by calling yourself a Cocktologist, a Bar-Ninja, or a Mixtender, but by putting in the hours and the practice. Create menus specific to your bar and not to seek approval from your peers. They are where they are because they understand the business and will know straight away whether your menu is fit for purpose. They aren't interested in a fifteen minutes, they're filming a blockbuster and it's fucking hard work. Mal Spence, 2011 CLASS Best Bar Menu, I salute you.
And to the endless list of game-changers and face-melters I haven't mentioned and could've mentioned, keep up the hard work.
This posting has been a work in progress for the last three weeks but due to a need for experimentation I'm only getting round to sharing now so apologies for the delay.
On Thursday 28th July I was invited to Bramble in Edinburgh to join a select group of drinks writers, enthusiasts and industry stalwarts to attend the launch of their new cocktail. Yes, you did read that right, the launch of a new cocktail.
There aren't many bars in the World who'd make me want to change my week's plans to attend a launch of a new beverage but after I received the invitation from Bramble I knew this was going to be worth making the effort for. When I discovered that this was their first foray into the World of aged cocktails the want to attend increased ten-fold given the coverage this trend has received in recent months. It took all of four seconds to convince my girlfriend to join me, she loves that place. To put it into perspective, if Bramble was a man I'd be worried...
After a fantastic dinner at The Bon Vivant we made our way down to the bar where we were quickly joined by a group of 20+, all there for the reveal of Bramble's Barrel-Aged & Bottle-Aged cocktail. Our host for the evening was Bramble bartender Tom Walker (pictured above with a drink in front of him, no surprise really), otherwise known as The Heavily Tattooed Bartender because he is a bartender and he is heavily tattooed. Clever bunch huh?
Tom spoke passionately about this venture and it was clearly something he couldn't wait to have us try. Tony Conigliaro and Jeffrey Morgenthaler were rightly cited as being influential in the revival of this trend however Tom was quick to acknowledge that we as bartenders are, "...bringing back the old", referencing the history of aged cocktails, in particular Club Cocktails. I'd like to think he'd read my earlier post on this subject.
Adding to what was already set-up to be a great evening was the discovery that Bramble had been working closely with Dr. Bill Lumsden (pictured above - head of whisky creation for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg Whisky) was also in attendance to share his expertise. Instantly I knew I'd made the right decision to head down. Bramble aren't the sort to do things by halves and to have somehow roped Bill Lumsden into the production process was something of a master-stroke, the guy is a genius when it comes to whisky creation and his knowledge and understanding of barrel-ageing would be vital in producing an aged cocktail of unrivalled quality.
Bill spoke of the many projects he's often asked to be involved with recalling one memorable, for all the wrong reasons, "shit drink," which included whisky and tomato. Innovation is something that Bill is noted for and this particular project was one that excited him due to its nature. Ageing spirits is his forte but he was happy to admit that the idea of ageing a cocktail was new to him.
At one point during the evening I joined a small group of whisky aficionados (tweeds and 'taches, and that was just the women) who were intrigued as to why Bill wanted to be involved in this project and I have to say I did raise a wee smirk when he responded, "that the whisky industry would be naive not to look at alternate vehicles to get people trying their bottlings." So much snobbery surrounds the whisky industry that surely the only thing that matters is that people are drinking the damned stuff. Anyway, I digress...
The early development stages were of notable interest as there are many barrel-ageing cocktails without putting any thought into what they are doing. It was refreshing to see a great deal put into the production of the cocktail and also enlightening that the bar had the experience of Bill Lumsden to call upon.
The launch previewed the first batch which is aged in New American Oak barrels (medium toast), with three further bottlings to be released, two more in New American Oak barrels (a light and heavy toast) and lastly in New French Oak (medium toast). I asked Bill why they'd opted to use New Oak to which he answered, "that both myself and Bramble are after a high level of control and consistency," which he felt they would not have by ageing in a used barrel. He didn't write-off the idea suggesting that it may be something they'd look at in the future as they learn more about the process but for now it was New Oak that was their main interest.
The barrels selected are 4 1/2 litre New Oak barrels sourced from Willie Taylor at the Speyside Cooperage. Bill touched upon the differences between the two oak barrels, American offering softer characteristics leaning toward vanilla, sweet spices and coconut in some instances, whereas the French Oak would be slightly more aggressive with savoury notes and an astringency as well.
For the cocktail Bill spoke of the need for a higher abv to keep the barrel sterile, telling us that ageing a drink with a low abv and a high level of sugar would not make for a great end-product.
The cocktail selected by Bramble for barrel-ageing was the Affinity, which first came to prominence around the turn of the 19th century. The oldest reference I've found to it is from The New York Sun printed on 29th October 1907;
"There's another new cocktail on Broadway. They call it the Affinity. After drinking one, surviving experimenters declare, the horizon takes on a roseate hue, the second brings Wall street to the front and center proffering to you a quantity of glistening lamb shearings; when you've put away the third the green grass grows up all around birds sing in the fig trees and your affinity appears. The new ambrosia contain these ingredients: One medium teaspoonful of powdered sugar, one dash of orange bitters, one jigger of Scotch whisky and a half jigger of Italian vermouth. These are shaken in cracked ice, cocktail fashion, until thoroughly blended and cooled, then strained and quickly served."
Like many cocktails of the time later recipes for this drink would change somewhat with the removal of some sweetness, in this case the sugar, and the addition of French vermouth making for a slightly drier and crisper potation. The above picture is taken from the Savoy Cocktail Book printed in 1930 which calls for equal parts Scotch whisky, French vermouth, Italian vermouth and two dashes of bitters.
Nabbing myself a couple of bottles (New American Oak medium toast for the purposes of this article and a bonus NAO heavy toast) I was eager to compare the Aged-Affinity to a freshly made variant as well as a bottle-aged cocktail (noting how Bramble have opted to serve it). Tom discussed that they are embracing consumer demand for heightened interaction with cocktails so Bramble have adopted a unique serve as follows;
Serve 100ml bottle straight from fridge alongside a frozen cocktail glass misted with orange bitters. Garnish with a housemade cocktail cherry and a strip of fresh lemon zest on the side. The Affinity is not diluted in any way.
A further element to take into consideration is that this drink is twice-aged, barrel then bottle-aged. After the initial 4-7 week cask-ageing process, 100ml bottles are filled by hand at Bramble with their labels detailing the date barrel-ageing commenced, the day of bottling, and who filled the bottles.
So, I guess the most important aspect is how the end product tasted in comparison to a fresh Affinity and a bottle-aged Affinity. This is where I come in and my thoughts are as follows;
Affinity Variant 1 (fresh)
37.5ml Glenmorangie Original 25ml Byrrh 25ml Noilly Prat Dry
Method: Add all ingredients to cheater tin. Fill a Boston with crushed ice and a touch of soda water then insert cheater tin into the large Boston to create an ice bath of sorts. Stir (without ice) until drink is well-chilled. Thoughts: The Affinity is a drink I'm fond of but I have to confess to having never tried it undiluted or with Glenmorangie. It made for a very light, but bright, drink, pleasing on the palate with citrus prevalent. A pre-dinner cocktail if ever there was one. The benchmark had been set...
Moving onto;
Affinity Variant 2 (twenty-day aged)
37.5ml Glenmorangie Original 25ml Byrrh 25ml Noilly Prat Dry
Method: Add all ingredients to glass bottle, seal and keep refrigerated for twenty days. Thoughts: Whilst only resting for two weeks the drink has undeniably mellowed in that time with a clear path of complex flavour. The integration of flavours and apparent mellowing doesn't take anything away from the cocktail with the characteristics of Glenmorangie still prevalent (fresh citrus, softly sweet, vanilla, floral) however it's as if the flavours have tied themselves together rolling across the palate as one. I can't explain why but the drink didn't seem as light and also seemed to have added body, almost chewy.
And lastly, the barrel-aged and bottle-aged;
Affinity Variant 3 (Bramble's Unique serve)
New American Oak Cask - Medium Toast - 6 week ageing
37.5ml Glenmorangie Original 25ml Byrrh 25ml Noilly Prat Dry
Method: Add all ingredients to 4 1/2litre new oak cask and rest for four to seven weeks. When ready, filter through coffee filter paper to remove any sediment then bottle and wax seal. Thoughts: Upon pouring the liquid into the glass you're immediately hit with a waft of toasted wood, similar to the aroma when you walk into a room with a coal-fire burning. Again the characteristics you'd expect are there although the sweetness has changed, reminiscent of treacle toffee. It's also packed full of warmth, toasted spices with a subtle hint of smoke throughout, the finish just seems to go on and on. You can see why Club Cocktails linked their barrel-aged drinks to Christmas time. This is perfect as an after-dinner drink, or even to wind the evening down.
In conclusion... I don't really have much more that I want to add. Many will ask which was my favourite but the simple answer is that there wasn't one. Think of it as someone asking you, "What's your favourite jacket?" You may think you know but the true answer is that your favourite jacket is the one you need for any given occasion dependent on the circumstances. You may look dapper in your bespoke Brioni suit jacket but it isn't going to keep you warm in winter-time is it?
Before I sign off I'd like to say a thank-you to Bramble owners Mike and Jas for inviting me down to the launch, as well as extending the thanks to Paul, Niall and Terri who regularly take care of my imbibing needs. Should you find yourself in Edinburgh get yourself along to Bramble and try their Aged-Affinity for yourself, and if you see me at the bar I'll also take one alongside the bottle of Brooklyn you'll have to buy me as well.
Aged-Affinity Cocktail £9.00 (can also be taken away for £7.00 prior to 10pm) Bramble Bar & Lounge Edinburgh 16A Queen Street EH2 1JE Tel: 0131 226 6343 Email: mike@bramblebar.co.uk
On Wednesday past I attended the CASK Liquid Marketing cocktail competition at Lulu in Edinburgh. Forming part of the CASK roadshow these are two-day events held in five cities across the UK in which CASK are looking to connect with the UK’s top bartenders, influencers, key journalists and bloggers.
CASK have only recently appeared on the scene but the experience already at the company alongside a stunning portfolio (including Merlet, Elements Eight and Ocho to name but three of their brands) means they are one to watch in the coming years.
Some people have commented that it's odd that, as a brand-owner myself, I'm still competing in bartending competitions but I still regard myself as a bartender and I'm currently researching and putting together details for a bitters competition of my own, stay tuned for details.
I couldn't make it to day one of the event which incorporated a master-class and cocktail training with the likes of Tony Conigliaro (Kigo), Luc Merlet (Merlet), Tom Estes (Ocho) and Carl Stephenson (Elements Eight) in attendance but having earlier qualified for the Scottish final after submitting a drink online I headed down to Edinburgh for the second day's cocktail comp. At stake was a trip to Cognac to compete in the UK final...
The rules were pretty straight forward, we had to prepare four drinks (as detailed below) in ten minutes, two of which also had to include Merlet fruit liqueur. The judges for the day were Nushi Wijewardena (Imbibe UK), Luc Merlet (Merlet), Scott Gemmell (LA Group) and Stuart Ekins (CASK).
My drinks were as follows;
1. Arrive with a ready-made infusion of Ocho Blanco or Reposado to use to create a unique drink with a unique serve
Method: Add lemon juice, egg white and gum syrup in that order then add remaining ingredients, shake without ice for five seconds then fill with cubed ice and shake hard for a further ten seconds Glass: Chilled coupette Garnish: N/A Ice: N/A Inspiration: As I produce bitters this round was one I really enjoyed given that we had to infuse a spirit. I wanted to stay away from the usual suspects (vanilla, chilli, lemongrass, etc.) and with my knowledge of botanicals opted for something a little different, in this instance apricot seeds. Prior to adding them to the tequila I lightly toasted them in a dry frying pan before crushing to a powder in a blender. I then added 10g of this toasted apricot seed powder to every 100ml of Ocho Reposado, macerating for eight hours at room temperature. The apricot seeds offered a depth of flavour including almond, apricot and marzipan, with a complex perfumed aroma that worked fantastically well with the earthy, spicy and citrus notes in the Reposado. Tom Estes couldn't get enough of this which is always a good sign...
Given the spirit I now had as the base I wanted to compliment and enhance the flavour profile with the ingredients I chose; Merlet Peche which is juicy, sweet and subtly spicy, fresh lemon juice for the citric backbone, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole which pulled together the deep spicy notes and also added warmth, then finally fresh egg white and gum syrup for added texture. The aroma was so rich that no garnish was required and the colour, reminiscent of peach, was so striking that the cocktail stood up on its own.
As for the name, well that came from the time I finally decided on the recipe, although it may also relate to the tequila I'll imbibe when I wake first thing.
2. Create a rum cocktail with Elements 8 that captures the spirit of St Lucia as well as your own home town, explaining the reason behind the drink
Guyana Toddy
50ml Elements Eight Platinum 12.5ml Merlet Triple Sec 50ml Fresh coconut water 12.5ml Gum syrup
Method: Build over ice and stir Glass: Highball Garnish: Fresh grated nutmeg and mint sprig Ice: Cubed Inspiration: Trying to find a common link between St. Lucia and my hometown of Aberdeen was very difficult at first but I quickly found something to build on; Elements Eight uses sugar cane from Guyana and Aberdeen (as a port-town) has a long history connected to rum, namely demarara rums. The region of Demarara was found in what is now known as Guyana so that gave me my first link.
Secondly, I've been researching the Toddy (spirit, water and sugar) these last few months and found some really interesting tidbits relating to toddy-drinking in Aberdeen in the 1700s, rum & coconut water is a truly exceptional drink that I imagine is regularly consumed in St. Lucia thus giving you a Toddy of sorts, though replacing water with coconut water. The Toddy can also be served hot (Scottish climate) or cold (St. Lucian climate) so again the link stood up for me.
With regards the other ingredients in the drink, the Merlet Sec offers citrus notes to compliment the rum and coconut water, the gum syrup an incredible mouthfeel lifting the creamy texture found in coconut water, the nutmeg a wood spice that brings out the toasted-oak from the rum, and the mint a fresh aroma which was a perfect way to finish off this cocktail.
3. Create your own interpretation of the Sidecar using Merlet Cognac and Merlet Triple Sec
Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass and shake hard for ten seconds Glass: Chilled vintage cocktail Garnish: N/A Ice: N/A Inspiration: The Sidecar, as published in Robert Vermiere's Cocktails: How to Mix Them (1922) was a drink of equal parts Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice, served in a cocktail glass with no sugar rim and credited, like many other drinks, to Malachy MacGarry of the Buck's Club in London.
Where I took my Sidecar inspiration from was a quote in Embury's Fine Art of Mixing Drinks where he mentions that the Sidecar, "as originally concocted contained some six or seven ingredients." I've never found any definitive resource which points to a Sidecar recipe with this number of ingredients however some do believe he is referring to the Brandy Crusta (Cognac, Curacao, lemon juice, Boker's Bitters, sugar syrup) which does hold some weight but doesn't really sit well with me due to the fact Embury doesn't link the two in his book and that's something I'd imagine he would've done given the way he wrote. The other drink often linked is a Brandy Daisy (Brandy, Rum, lemon juice, Curacao, gum syrup and soda)
I opted to create a drink staying true to the original Sidecar whilst giving a little doff of the cap to others like the Daisy and Crusta. Another drink I took inspiration from was Jerry Thomas' Japanese Cocktail of 1862 (Cognac, orgeat syrup, Boker's Bitters, lemon peel). The name pays homage to Joseph Santini, the creator of the Crusta.
4. Provide an innovative short-serve for the judges
Panacea
75ml Merlet Cognac 37.5ml Stones Green Ginger Wine 5ml Jade Edouard Absinthe 5ml Merlet Creme de Cassis
Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass without ice. Stir briefly then funnel into a hip flask Glass: Hip flask Garnish: N/A Ice: N/A Inspiration: In Scotland we don't go to the chemist, we reach for the hip flask.
I finished third overall which, although it's always good to take top spot, I was relatively happy with as my drinks were very well received. The winner was Adam Neal from Rick's in Edinburgh, many congrats to him and best of luck for the final in Cognac later this year where he'll be competing for a trip to St. Lucia or Mexico.
I'd also like to extend my thanks to the guys from CASK who put together a very well run competition. My only grievance would be regarding the time-limit rule as the eventual winner went way over the allotted time and would've had to have a host of points deducted. Bartending competitions are very professional nowadays with bartenders putting a lot of time and effort into their presentations so it can be a little frustrating when your presentation is geared toward a specific parameter that isn't adhered to by all competitors. Time-limits should either be in place or not. In saying that I wouldn't have liked to have seen anyone lose out in that way.
The CASK Roadshow and Competition continues in Leeds (6th September), Manchester (8th September) and London (21st September). Visit the website for more details...
At the weekend I worked some bartending shifts at one of my consultancies, Mim in Aberdeen, and found myself puzzled by the difference between two drinks that were practically identical save for the fact one was alcoholic and the other non-alcoholic.
A guest at the bar ordered two Mediterranean Fizzes, a cocktail on the menu that is available as both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage, requesting both variants.
Mediterranean Fizz
50ml Ciroc Vodka 6 White grapes 6-8 Basil leaves 25ml Fresh lemon juice 20ml Vanilla sugar syrup Top with soda water
Method: Muddle grapes in mixing glass to extract all juice. Add remaining ingredients other than soda and fill with cubed ice. Shake until ice cold, fine strain, and top with soda water. Glass: Collins/Highball Garnish: Basil leaf Ice: Cubed
At the point of serving I noticed that the non-alcoholic variant had taken on a considerably darker colour of green compared to the drink with alcohol. I tried both to ensure I'd made them right and found no problem whatsoever and didn't really think any more of it. Luckily these guests ordered the same round a further three times and on each occasion I found the colour to be exactly the same, darker for the non-alcoholic drink, lighter for the alcoholic version
Over the last couple of days I'd thought about it some more and it also reminded me of something I learnt in Germany last year about Joerg Meyer's Gin Basil Smash (pictured above) and the way they prepare it at Le Lion. Joerg discovered that shaking this drink with metal-on-metal tins versus metal-on-glass made for a darker green beverage. As far as I'm aware he still doesn't know why.
I posted the following question;
"When preparing two Mediterranean Fizzes at the same time (1 alc and 1 non-alc) the non-alc cocktail was always greener in colour. Same number of leaves/amount of liquid in both, so why was it greener? What was the non-alc 'extracting' that the alc wasn't?"
on Twitter this afternoon which piqued the interest of Tristan Stephenson and Scott Spolverino.
Our discussion covered a number of potential explanations with the likely conclusion that ethanol is a better solvent than water so the chloropyll (the pigment that gives basil its green colour) is soluble in alcohol. Now I'm no scientist but that makes perfect sense to me, however where the colour goes doesn't? I'm hoping someone can explain...
Just as we had seemed to hit upon an explanation Tristan raised the rather good point that the increased opacity of extra lemon juice and syrup added to the non-alc Mediterranean Fizz possibly made for what looked like a darker drink. Back to square one and in need of (a liquid) lunch, I decided to construct an experiment using Tristan's suggested method of water in place of gin in the non-alcoholic drink. I hoped this would give me some clarity to the green issue...
As chlorophyll is present in nearly all plant-life, and I had a box of freshly-picked mint leaves in my fridge, I opted to make a Southside to see if the results were the same as the Mediterranean Fizzes from Saturday. I tried to make the drinks identical barring the base (gin and water) but in no way do I profess to be a scientist so if there's something amiss please let me know and don't shout me down for my poor scientific methodology!
Alcoholic Southside
50ml Tanqueray Gin 25ml Fresh Lemon Juice 20ml Sugar Syrup 15 Small mint leaves
Non-alcoholic Southside
50ml Water 25ml Fresh Lemon Juice 20ml Sugar Syrup 15 Small mint leaves
Variables I took into consideration:
- All ingredients were added to a metal shaker before being filled with 200g of ice - All ingredients were measured and/or weighed - Both were shaken in a Boston (metal-on-glass) - Both drinks were shaken for 10 seconds simultaneously (left hand and right hand) before being fine-strained. - The lemon juice was squeezed from the same fruit - The sugar syrup came from the same bottle - The ice came from the same bag and almost every cube was the same size
Here is a picture taken immediately afterward. The alcoholic Southside is on the left...
As you'll see the result was exactly the same, for whatever reason the alcoholic version is lighter in colour which I find fascinating. Some will likely think I'm crazy but it's an interesting consideration for anyone who creates cocktails as colour plays a huge part on an individual's perception of a drink. Having the knowledge to anticipate the colour when mixing alcohol with herbs would be useful to know whether it be for bitters, liqueurs or in a cocktail.
Anyway, I'm passing this over to the many scientists out there who may be able to give me a definitive explanation to what is making the colour difference between the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variants?!? And just what is happening in Joerg's metal-on-metal tins? I'm sure he'd appreciate an answer as well...
This post is dedicated to anyone who has ever rocked up to a whisky bar in search of a dram and in fear of getting the pronunciation wrong opted to go for a shot of Grouse. Well, never again, now you can order your whisky in confidence...
I was recently asked to clarify some Scotch Whisky pronunciations on Twitter and it got me thinking about the vast number of distilleries in Scotland whose names can be a challenge even to those that reside in this beautiful country of ours.
Having trawled through the internet I was surprised to find no one resource that detailed phonetic spellings of each distillery/whisky. There were various sites that had the odd bit of info but nothing extensive covering each and every distillery so I decided to take it upon myself to put something together. I've listed the distilleries dependent on the specific region they're found; Speyside, Lowland, Island, Islay, Highland and Campbeltown.
Please note that the pronunciation of ch (phonetically written ck) in some of the words below is pronounced how we Scots say Loch. I have marked these with an *. There's a good example here although sound is required.
I compiled this to the best of my knowledge and in some cases contacted the distilleries direct or referred to pronunciations from renowned whisky experts in Youtube videos for clarification. Should anyone wish to correct a phonetic spelling or query anything please do so in the comments below. If there are any distilleries missing or one that you'd like to see added please let me know.
Speyside (Spay-side)
Aberlour Ah-burl-ow-er
Allt a'Bhainne Olt a-vain
anCnoc / formerly Knockdhu ah-nock / Nock-doo
Aultmore Olt-mower
Balmenach Bal-may-nack*
BenRiach Ben-ree-ack*
Benrinnes Ben-rin-ess
Benromach Ben-ro-mack*
Cardhu Car-doo
Cragganmore Crag-an-mower
Craigellachie Craig-ell-ack-ee*
Dailuaine Dall-yoo-an
Dalwhinnie Dal-whinnay
Drumguish Drum-oo-ish
Dufftown Duff-t-ow-n
Glenallachie Glen-alla-key*
Glenburgie Glen-bur-gee
Glendronach Glen-dro-nack*
Glendullan Glen-dull-an
Glen Elgin Glen Elg-in
Glenfarclas Glen-fark-lass
Glenfiddich Glen-fidd-ick*
Glenglassaugh Glen-glass-ock*
Glen Grant Glen Grr-ant
Glen Keith Glen Key-th
The Glenlivet Glen-liv-it
Glenlossie Glen-loss-ay
Glen Moray Glen Mor-ay
Glenrothes Glen-roth-iss
Glen Spey Glen Spay
Glentauchers Glen-tock-hers*
Inchgower Inch-g-ow-er
Kininvie Kin-in-vee-oo
Knockando Knock-an-doo
Linkwood Link-wood
Longmorn Long-morn
Macallan Muck-al-un
Macduff Mack-duff
Mannochmore Man-ock-mower*
Miltonduff Mill-ton-duff
Mortlach Mort-lack*
Roseisle Rose-eye-l
Speyburn Spay-bur-n
Strathisla Strath-eye-lah
Strathmill Strath-mill
Tamdhu Tam-doo
Tamnavulin Tam-na-voo-lin
The Balvenie The Balv-en-ee
Tomatin Tow-mat-in
Tomintoul Tom-in-towel
Tormore Tor-mower
Lowland (Low-lund)
Annandale Ann-an-dail
Auchentoshan Ock-en-tosh-en*
Bladnoch Blad-nock*
Glenkinchie Glen-kinch-ee
Island (Eye-lund)
Abhainn Dearg Aveen Jer-uck
Arran Ar-ran
Highland Park Hi-lund Park
Isle of Jura Eye-l of Joo-rah
Scapa Ska-pa
Talisker Tal-iss-kur
Tobermory Tow-bur-mower-ay
Islay (Eye-lah)
Ardbeg Ard-beg
Bowmore Bo-mower
Bruichladdich Brook-laddie / Broo-ick-laddie*
Bunnahabhain Buh-nah-hav-enn
Caol Ila Cull-eela
Kilchoman Kil-ho-man
Lagavulin Lah-gah-vool-in
Laphroaig Lah-froyg
Port Charlotte Port Shar-lot
Port Ellen Port Ell-en
Highland (Hi-lund)
Aberfeldy Ah-bur-fell-dee
Ailsa Bay Ale-sah Bay
Ardmore Ard-mower
Auchroisk Ar-thrusk
Balblair Bal-blair
Ben Nevis Ben Nev-iss
Blair Atholl Blair Ath-ull
Clynelish Kline-leash
Dalmore Dal-mower
Deanston Deen-stun
Edradour Ed-rad-ow-er
Fettercairn Fett-uhr-care-n
Glencadam Glen-cad-am
Glen Garioch Glen Gee-ree
Glengoyne Glen-goyn
Glenmorangie Glen-morrun-jee
Glen Ord Glen Ord
Glenturret Glen-turr-et
Kilkerran Kill-ker-ran
Loch Lomond Lock Low-mund*
Oban Oa-bun
Old Pulteney Old Pult-nay
Royal Brackla Royal Brack-lah*
Royal Lochnagar Royal Lock-nah-gar*
Teaninich Teen-in-ick
The Speyside The Spay-side
Tullibardine Tully-bard-in
Campbeltown (Cam-bell-town)
Glen Scotia Glen Skoh-sha
Springbank Spring-bank
Since the initial posting I've had some requests to add a list of distilleries that are no longer producing whisky (for whatever reason) so I've added these below. Many thanks to Sandy Kennaway from Deeside Drinks for helping compile the list.
Mothballed Distilleries
Braes of Glenlivet Brayz of Glen-liv-it
Convalmore Kon-val-mower
Coleburn Coal-bur-n
Glen Albyn Glen Al-bin
Glen Mhor Glen Mower
Glen Avon Glen Ay-vahn
Glenlochy Glen-lock-ay*
Glenugie Glen-oo-gee
Glenury Royal Glen-oo-ree Royal
Rosebank Row-z-bank
St. Magdelene / Linlithgow Saint Mag-dah-lin / Lin-lith-go
Brora Bro-rah
Mosstowie Moss-t-ow-ee
Millburn Mill-bur-n
Killyloch Kill-ay-lock*
Now that you have mastered Scotch Whisky pronunciations why not fix yourself a Toddy (the precursor to the cock-tail, just add bitters) as recommended by Professor Jerry Thomas in his 1862 Bartender's Guide;
134. Whiskey Toddy
1 teaspoonful of sugar. 1/2 wine-glass of water (1 ounce, 25ml) 1 do. of whiskey. (2 ounces, 50ml - Glen Garioch 1991 54.7%abv) 1 small lump of ice. Stir with a spoon.
