Sippin' 5 Tequila Bars to Find or Be Found in NYC via citYsip
'You don't find Mezcal. Mezcal finds you." - Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Mezcals
http://citysip.com/sippin-5/agave-please-sippin-5-tequila-bars-to-find-or-be-...
A Whiskey Rebellion |
Welcome to a whiskey rebellion. Have a seat. Relax. Would you like that on the rocks or with a side of water? |
'You don't find Mezcal. Mezcal finds you." - Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Mezcals
http://citysip.com/sippin-5/agave-please-sippin-5-tequila-bars-to-find-or-be-...
Nothing better than sippin' MargaDita's with the lovely @DitaVonTeese on Cinco de Mayo:
http://citysip.com/event/be-my-burlesque-guest-dita-von-teese-and-cointreau-o...
There are so many beer gardens cropping up in the city. A good thing. Here are my top 5 over at citYsip.com:
http://citysip.com/sippin-5/beer-me-the-sippin-5-beer-gardens-in-nyc-by-joshu...
Macao hosted their second "Drunken Dragon Night," this time with tequila as the poison-du-jour. My report over at CitYsip.com:
http://citysip.com/event/tequila-101-with-don-julio-and-macao-trading-co/
My report on Whisky Live over at citYsip.com:
http://citysip.com/event/whiskey-live-by-joshua-wortman/
Thanks to Ellie at greenietravels.com for the great photos!
This Friday, millions of deranged Yanks will awaken at an ungodly hour to the soothing sounds of Katie Couric wed-casting live from Westminster Abbey. While viewing, they will be munching on crumpets, scones, cucumber tea sandwiches and other scrumptious anglo-delicacies; today however, their dilemma is in deciding what to imbibe to celebrate this oh-most-glorious occasion. You can't break out the champers - much too French! Shall it be a good 'ol pint of english bitter ale? Nay, far too common! And in front of the Queen no less! Maybe a nice London Dry Gin, topped with a spritz of quinine? Bah, too boozy for such a serious occasion. Well, how about a Pimms Cup - light, refreshing, delicious and British? Aye, but maybe best for Royal Ascot. Mmmmm. Yes...
Such a dilemma. What to do?!
In thinking about the appropriate beverage, one must go back in history to a time when America's allegiances to the crown and to the colonies were very much in question. One must look to the life (and afterlife) of one famous early American who realized his true devotion was to glorious England and one must drink what he would drink. I present The Benedict Arnold "Cocktail" a.k.a. The Treason Toddy, which the below etching depicts the General whipping up with the Devil himself.
Toddys were immensely popular during the revolution and might very well have been the drink of choice of General Arnold and his traitorous bunch. Back then, it would have almost definitely been made with rum, and today I think Pusser's Navy Rum from the British West Indies would be appropriate, don't you? The below recipe is adapted from Jerry Thomas's 1862 classic toddy recipe published in "Imbibe" by David Wondrich.
The Treason Toddy
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
3 oz hot water
2 oz Pusser's Navy Rum
Stir with a spoon
Lani Kai and Liquor.com hosted a phenomal Rum tasting. My report at CitYSip:
I'm doing some guest-blogging over at CitYsip NY, a recently-launched site focused on the spirits and cocktail world in NY.
Hope to see some of you later at Whisky Live!
Whiskey, religion and politics. Three tastes that don't taste great together. The following is a St. Patrick's Day public service announcement to set the record straight on another nefarious whiskey myth: The Protestant and Catholic Whiskies.
I know certain die hard athiests who wouldn’t be caught dead in the Vatican, but heaven help the bartender who offers them anything other than their precious "Catholic" Jameson. And I also know menschy New York Jews who cringe when offered "Protestant" Bushmills. I always thought this was stupid. Generally speaking, I thought Bushmills was an excellent blended whiskey and for people to dismiss it altogether for “religious” reasons was hopelessly ignorant. At the same time, I didn’t really question the religious monikers. After all, Bushmills is distilled in Northern Ireland and Jameson in the Republic - North: Protestant; Ireland: Catholic - so shouldn't the whiskey be recognized from whence it came? In short: No.
Let us ignore for a moment that whiskey is a liquid and therefore unable to believe in any God. Yes, it is a spirit, and a complex one that has made many a soul question his or her religion, but, let’s get real, parishioners.
I had the opportunity to visit both Northern Ireland and the Republic a few months ago. Before I left, an Irish friend of mine warned me not to discuss politics with anyone. "They're not like the Israelis and Palestinians. They don't like to talk or argue about their ‘troubles.’ Not a good topic." Okay, I thought. Not that I was planning on discussing the IRA at a whiskey competition, but good to know. Note to self: don’t bring up the highly-charged topic of religious whiskey.
My friend was right. They don't like to talk about "it." And in typical Irish fashion they refer to "it" euphemistically as "The Troubles." Can you think of a better demonstration of cultural difference between the US and Ireland? We get attacked once and have the "War on Terror." They have thirty years of unending terrorism and violence and have some "Troubles."
Anyone heading to Northern Ireland has to pass through Belfast. Still a sad place unfortunately. Not much to do there. Our options were a Tour of the Troubles, a visit to Titanicville or hitting some famous bars. Troubles and sunken ships didn’t seem to be the kind of uplifting thing we wanted to do on vacation so we hit three classic drinking establishments: the Crown Bar, the bar at the Merchant Hotel and the Duke of York. What do they all have in common? Lots of Protestants drinking Jameson!
To be fair, at the Merchant, most people were drinking their world famous cocktails and at the other bars there were pints of Guinness everywhere (Guinness is from Dublin: Catholic beer!! Or is beer agnostic?), but still, lots of people drinking lots of Irish whiskey, much of it allegedly of the Catholic persuasion. The Duke of York had perhaps the largest collection of Irish whiskey anywhere, and as there are only four distilleries on the emerald isle, three of them on the “Catholic” side, you know what that means.
Hmmm. Maybe things have changed, I thought.
Next stop: Dublin. And whaddaya know? Bushmills everywhere. That’s right, a Protestant whiskey infiltration.
At this point I felt comfortable enough with one of my new Irish friends that I decided to broach this tabooed subject. Sean is from Dublin, good Catholic boy, bartender and Irish whiskey brand ambassador. I asked him if he had ever encountered any resistance from bars or retailers on "the other side." "Never," he replied. "Not a once." He told me that with his accent he would get his ass kicked or worse if he walked into the wrong bar in Belfast, but those guys that kicked his butt may just as soon go back to drinking their Jameson, Powers or Kilbeggan. “Irish whiskey is Irish whiskey.”
And there is was: An American Irish Catholic myth! Just when you think it can't get any worse than green beer, shamrock shakes, and "kiss me I'm Irish" tee-shirts, they come up with this.
But I still was not entirely convinced. Could we really be this petty to come up with such a ridiculous prejudice? I spent the rest of my time in Ireland in a few pubs, all of them multi-denominational - whiskey-wise that is - and chatted up the bartenders on this subject.
The conversation usually followed this script:
JW: “So, um, does anyone ever, um, not drink Bushmills because it is considered to be Protestant or does anyone only drink Jameson ‘cause it’s Catholic?”
Barman takes a step back, cocks his head and gives JW a confused squint as if he’s trying to get all three of JW’s heads in focus.
JW (continues): “Have you heard of this? Jameson…Catholic whiskey? Bushmills…Protestant whiskey?...Ring a bell?”
Barman (trying to catch his breath): “What?!...Protestant?…Catholic…whiskey?!! Are you serious, man?!”
JW shrugs shoulders and shakes his head apologetically as if to say, “I don’t know? Dumb American stuff? Please don’t blame me?”
Barman (shakes head in a sort of a combination of pity and fear, takes a long, deep breath and releases the wrath of God.): “IT’S WHISKEY, MAN! WHISKEY! IT’S IRISH WHISKEY!!”
JW (frantically apologizing and looking for the exit): “Yeah, it’s stupid. Something I heard in the States. Dumb St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans. It’s all good. I love both, personally. Don’t worry about it. Just wondering. And I’ll be sure to set people straight when I get back!”
Then I would usually leave the bar in shame.
By the end of my visit I was convinced. The “Catholic Jameson/Protestant Bushmills” allegiance not only does not exist in Ireland, but is in fact an American invention and affectation. Lovely, isn’t it?
So on this 2011 St. Patrick’s Day, can we please put this myth to rest? The people of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have great pride in all their whiskies and the official, internationally recognized definition of Irish Whiskey includes whiskies from both the Republic and the North, so let’s all just drop this made-up and divisive whiskey prejudice. John Jameson was a Scottish immigrant for crying out loud! And as far as economic boycotts go, for many years all the distilleries, including Old Bushmills were owned by the same parent company, Irish Distillers, so you were really just cutting off your nose to spite your face. Nice work.
The Irish and British/Northern Irish have a beautiful national product that transcends boundaries and religion. Ireland has a veritable historical stake in having brought to bear whiskey as we know it. The name whiskey comes from the Irish Uishe Beathe, meaning “water of life.” Medieval Irish Catholic monks brought their stills along with their religion to Scotland. The Irish also have an historical stake in American whiskey as Scots-Irish immigrants to Pennsylvania and Maryland brought their tradition of distilling resulting in the famous ryes of the Monogahela and Baltimore, creating essentially a national American spirit.
A final note to the thousands marching in the parade today: those Irish flag tattoos that you got freshman year – the green is Catholic, the orange is Protestant and the white in between is peace. In the spirit of body art and togetherness, next time you sidle up to the bar, enjoy some Irish whiskey with pride. If you don’t, I daresay: the terrorists have won.
Beannachtai na Feile Padraig!
Sláinte!
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. Here is the recent Beverage Media article on the state of the Irish Whiskey biz. There's also a quote from your favorite Irish whiskey drinker.
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
No Longer Just a St. Patrick’s Day Phenomenon, Irish Whiskey Thrives Year-Round
Alia Akkam
Last winter, after a long night, bartenders and industry insiders were seduced by the pickle back, a shot of Jameson followed by a chaser of pickle juice. As more and more customers stumbled upon the surprisingly delightful combination, the briny ritual lost its mysterious allure shortly after. Yet those months of buzz certainly helped propel the powerhouse Irish whiskey brand along.
Wayne Hartunian, Pernod Ricard USA’s VP Whiskey, feels the pickle back craze was a purely organic dynamic “driven by passionate bartenders” that has “proven to be more than a short-term trend.” While attention-getting at first, Hartunian believes that once people tried Jameson they tended to like it. “It is a challenge to try to identify its influence on sales, but clearly the continued and growing advocacy of bartenders for the Jameson brand continues to be a key success driver,” he says.
Jameson may have had the good fortune of being front and center in the bartender-generated pickle back, yet over the past year other Irish whiskey brands have found the limelight, too. It looks like Ireland’s beloved spirit is continuing to shed its St. Patrick’s Day-only rep.
Grabbing the Pot O’ Gold
In 2009, Irish whiskey was the clear category winner among all whiskeys. Granted, it’s only a tiny percentage of the overall whiskey category in volume—roughly 2.5% according to figures from The Distilled Spirits Council —but Irish volume increased by 10.2% over 2008. (By comparison, the total whiskey category declined by .7%). As it relates to gross revenues, in 2009, the Irish whiskey category was up over 12%, all of which was attributed to the high-end premium segment. Total Irish sales were approximately $200 million in 2009, amounting to 3.7% of the $5.34 billion total whiskey category.
Brand Power
One of the brands instantly equated with Irish whiskey is Bushmills—and rightfully so. “Bushmills is all about bringing people together—it’s an easy-to-mix, flexible, friendly whiskey—so it blends well with the current at-home entertainment trend,” says Yvonne Briese, Bushmills’ director of marketing. “Whiskey is as popular as ever, and the premium segment continues to garner steady sales.”
For Abaigeal Hendron, Michael Collins Irish Whiskey’s brand manager, the transformation of the spirit from “St. Patrick’s Day drink to a year-round favorite,” is because of “both continued investment in the brand (and category) as well as ongoing promotion.” Early this year, Michael Collins, part of the Sidney Frank Importing Company Portfolio, did just that with the nationwide release of its 10-Year-Old Single Malt, and an updated package with a bold new label for its blended version.
Other recent products to hit the shelf and keep the category going strong include the first bottling of Knappogue Castle’s 12-year-old Single Malt, also sporting a new label for the brand. Over the past 18 months, Tullamore Dew introduced its 10-Year-Old Single Malt and 10-Year-Old Reserve to its whiskey line-up, too. And, Jameson isn’t the only Irish whiskey brand that keeps Pernod Ricard USA busy. The portfolio also includes Midleton Very Rare, Powers, Paddy and Redbreast. Last fall, Redbreast introduced its 15-Year-Old Pot Still Irish Whiskey to the U.S—the only traditional Irish pot still whiskey available today—that is triple distilled and made with malted and unmalted barley. It is matured for a minimum of 15 years in a combination of old Spanish Oloroso sherry casks and fresh American bourbon barrels.
Meanwhile, beyond the pickle back, Jameson received tremendous news: it surpassed the one million case milestone in the U.S. for the first time (rolling 12 months). “Not only that, but it is the fastest growing premium spirits brand and the growth rate is actually accelerating even faster,” notes Hartunian. “With the scale that Jameson has now achieved, it is not only growing at a very strong pace in large cities like in New York, but it is also one of the top contributors among all brands to the growth of the entire spirits industry.”
Irish Whiskey 101
Irish whiskey may sometimes get overshadowed by scotch, but Kenneth Reilly, category marketing director at William Grant & Sons, points out that pre-Prohibition, Irish whiskey was actually the more popular brown spirit. It is this sense of history that Reilly feels is essential to tapping into the growth of Tullamore Dew, a newcomer to the William Grant portfolio. “Irish whiskey is a segment that has stood the test of time,” Reilly notes. “Tullamore Dew is 181-years-old.” With education of the category and brand as a priority, Tullamore Dew is actively looking at new packaging that can help increase the visibility of this rich heritage.
A program that has helped bring Bushmills into the spotlight is “Since Way Back,” in which the brand celebrated and captured the close friendship and camaraderie between individuals and social circles through exclusive films and a series of events. “This mirrors the focus of Bushmills, and its dedication to shape its community. Bushmills is a heritage brand telling the story of its past, while bringing a new chapter to life—a new generation was targeted through this campaign that introduced 400 years of brand legacy being passed on. The program garnered a lot of positive attention and the public was very receptive to learning more about Bushmills Irish Whiskey,” explains Briese.
“Ireland has a long history when it comes to whiskey. We talk about the country’s story and then discuss Michael Collins’ unique attributes,” notes Hendron, who uses the opportunity to point out they are handcrafted in small batches at the last independent Irish-owned distillery; have revived the tradition of double distilling; and are the only ones to use peated malt whiskey in their new 10-Year-Old. She continues, “We aggressively promoted Michael Collins to the media in months other than just March. For example, we highlighted the versatility of the category with cocktails created by top mixologists across the country. Additionally, we focused on key whiskey moments during the year such as National Whiskey Sour Day (August 25).”
The Gateway Brown Spirit
Reilly says that Tullamore Dew’s approachable taste makes it a nice gateway opportunity for those looking to cross over to brown spirits: “Our demographic is the younger consumer, the 24-25 confident male and female. They are looking for brands that mirror their own personality and values, and enjoy Irish whiskey because they can have it any way they want: a shot, mixed with ginger ale or in an ornate cocktail. Our broad range allows consumers to enjoy and take a journey.” Capitalizing upon William Grant’s solid roster of brand ambassadors, Reilly is looking forward to the rise of a Tullamore Dew brand ambassador who will be able to merge the brand’s past with modern interpretations of cocktails.
Hartunian on the other hand, continues to see the rise in popularity of a classic Jameson & Ginger Ale. “Besides being a great tasting product, consumers like it because it doesn’t mask the flavor of Jameson,” he says. “The highest volume Jameson on-premise account in the world is based in the U.S. (McCarthy’s, an Irish pub in San Luis Obispo, CA), and they have built a very successful business around making the Jameson & Ginger Ale drink the primary year-round promotional focus.”
Reilly says there is a natural affinity among consumers to seek traditional Irish beverages when in Irish pubs. This sense of conviviality and unpretentiousness found in pubs will be the theme of a new campaign in the works for Tullamore Dew.
Pernod Ricard’s Hartunian sees bartenders at these pubs and neighborhood joints reaching for Powers more often, too, and Jameson’s brand recognition might have something to do with that: “The growth of Powers is purely organic. There are several bars that are recognizing the very strong growth of the Irish whiskey category, and building upon their successful Jameson business with Powers.”
In The Mix
An energetic mixology scene means bartenders are looking at serving Irish whiskey in more ways than neat. At Louis 649 in New York City, bartender Joshua Wortman says he is seeing more demand for Irish whiskey at the bar. “It’s a sleeper category. The flavors generally speaking are softer than bourbons and scotch,” notes Wortman, who once competed to be an apprentice to the Bushmills master distiller. “I would love to have some cocktails with it on the menu, especially now that we’re playing around with ingredients like Chartreuse and amaros that tend to work well with Irish whiskey.”
Nearby, at Death & Company, bartenders make drinks like the “Northender” pairing Irish whiskey with muddled cucumber and Averna. “At Bushmills, we have a group of 15 Masters of Whiskey across the country that have all been trained by master distiller Colum Egan at the Bushmills Irish Whiskey distillery,” shares Briese. “Part of their job is to discuss the brand with bartenders. Additionally, ‘cocktail culture’ is still a big trend, and we’re thrilled that many bartenders are creating interesting cocktails using Irish whiskey. With five marques available in the U.S., there is a lot of variety for mixologists to choose from in the Bushmills family.”
Michael Collins has also dreamed up an array of classic and modern cocktails, including a Michael Collins Manhattan and a “Frisky Whiskey” with Bärenjäger honey liqueur and Angostura Bitters. Likewise, Kellan has made its Irish whiskey more approachable with cocktail creations including the “Bomb the Castle” with stout and Irish cream liqueur and the “Black and Green” with sweet vermouth.
With the arrival of boutique Irish whiskey brands like John L. Sullivan made at the renowned Cooley Distillery, aged four to 10 years in single-use bourbon barrels from Kentucky with a whimsical label bearing the image of its namesake, the last Bare-Knuckle Boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World, the category is continually infused with new passion. Wild Geese, the high-end brand currently available in Ireland, will launch in the states in 2011, bringing a more sophisticated twist to the category. Still, it’s nice to know that tradition has not been broken, and that St. Patrick’s Day will always be a time to up the sales of Irish whiskey. “It’s a segment that’s come into its own, but we still see a great rise in volume over the holiday,” says Reilly. “Along with Guinness, Irish whiskey owns St. Patrick’s Day.”
Josh Wortman’s passion for whiskey reaches back two decades and includes experience behind the bar and as a spirits and cocktail consultant. Following an abrupt but fortuitous departure from the world of Wall Street in early 2010, Josh decided to pursue his dream to work in the whiskey business, an adventure that brought him to Northern Ireland in August 2010 where he represented the USA at The Old Bushmills Distillery alongside eight other countries. While the road ahead may be fraught with uncertainties and congeners, one thing is certain: Josh will spread the love and enjoyment of whiskey to people around the globe, as he has already been doing for years.
Contact:
For any inquiries or to chat about whiskey, please send an email to jrwortman [at] gmail [dot] com.
