Our next drink was created by 1930′s journalist Tommy Millard to toast the boundary of U.S. territorial waters. Although prohibition was still in force, all it took was a little distance to free yourself from the laws that you disapproved of. That and a friend with a boat of course. Cheers!
Twelve Mile Limit
1 oz White Rum
1/2 oz Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
While the Sidecar is really no stranger to the cocktail world, this particular variety is truly a vintage cocktail. This cocktail can (as far as I know) only be enjoyed at the birthplace of the Sidecar, the Hotel Ritz in Paris. What makes this cocktail unique is that is uses an extremely rare Ritz Reserve Cognac, produced from pre-phylloxera grapes. It has said that no wine or brandy produced since the great blight can match the former in taste and complexity.
In the late 19th century the phylloxera epidemic destroyed most of the vineyards for wine grapes in Europe, most notably in France. Phylloxera was introduced to Europe when avid botanists in Victorian England collected specimens of American vines in the 1850s. Because phylloxera is native to North America, the native grape species there are at least partially resistant. By contrast, the European wine grape Vitis vinifera is very susceptible to the insect. The epidemic devastated vineyards in Britain and then moved to the mainland, destroying most of the European wine growing industry. In 1863, the first vines began to deteriorate inexplicably in the southern Rhône region of France. The problem spread rapidly across the continent. In France alone, total wine production fell from 84.5 million hectolitres in 1875 to only 23.4 million hectolitres in 1889. Some estimates hold that between two-thirds and nine-tenths of all European vineyards were destroyed.
In France, one of the desperate measures of grape growers was to bury a live toad under each vine to draw out the “poison”. Areas with soils composed principally of sand or schist were spared, and the spread was slowed in dry climates, but gradually the aphid spread across the continent. A significant amount of research was devoted to finding a solution to the phylloxera problem, and two major solutions gradually emerged: grafting cuttings onto resistant rootstocks and hybridization.
Use of a resistant, or tolerant, rootstock, developed by Charles Valentine Riley in collaboration with J. E. Planchon and promoted by T. V. Munson, involved grafting a Vitis vinifera scion onto the roots of a resistant Vitis aestivalis or other American native species. This is the preferred method today, because the rootstock does not interfere with the development of the wine grapes, and it furthermore allows the customization of the rootstock to soil and weather conditions, as well as desired vigor. Unfortunately not all rootstocks are equally resistant. Between the 1960s and the 1980s in California, many growers used a rootstock called AxR1. Even though it had already failed in many parts of the world by the early twentieth century, it was thought to be resistant by growers in California. Although phylloxera initially did not feed heavily on AxR1 roots, within twenty years, mutation and selective pressures within the phylloxera population began to overcome this rootstock, resulting in the eventual failure of most vineyards planted on AxR1. The replanting of afflicted vineyards continues today. Many have suggested that this failure was predictable, as one parent of AxR1 is in fact a susceptible V. vinifera cultivar. But the transmission of phylloxera tolerance is more complex, as is demonstrated by the continued success of 41B, an F1 hybrid of Vitis berlandieri and Vitis vinifera. The full story of the planting of AxR1 in California, its recommendation, the warnings, financial consequences, and subsequent recriminations remains to be told. Modern phylloxera infestation also occurs when wineries are in need of fruit immediately, and choose to plant ungrafted vines rather than wait for grafted vines to be available.
The use of resistant American rootstock to guard against phylloxera also brought about a debate that remains unsettled to this day: whether self-rooted vines produce better wine than those that are grafted. Of course, the argument is essentially irrelevant wherever phylloxera exists. Had American rootstock not been available and used, there would be no V. vinifera wine industry in Europe or most places other than Chile, Washington State, and most of Australia. Cyprus avoided the phylloxera plague, and thus its wine stock has not been grafted for phylloxera resistant purposes.
If all else fails and you aren’t in Paris and can’t afford the $500+ price tag for the drink, any old good quality Cognac will suffice.
The Ritz Sidecar
5 parts Cognac
3 parts Cointreau
2 parts Lemon Juice
Besides having the world’s largest ice cream factory (which I am a huge fan of), the city of Bakersfield, California has made popular one of the forgotten cocktails, The Picon Punch. Picon Punch is the national drink of the Basque people, and there are enough of them in Bakersfield to make this drink the most popular cocktail in the city.
So what is Picon Punch? Well, it is based on the bitter orange spirit Amer Picon, which is pretty much impossible to obtain today apart from a quick flight to France. Currently owned by spirits giant Diageo, Amer Picon is not distributed in the US for some reason, and not only that, in the 70′s its proof was lowered from 78 to 39, resulting in a change in flavor. However fear not, as you currently have two options if you live here in North America.
First option: Make your own. It can be done, and apparently tastes almost exactly like the original Picon. Jamie Boudreau created this version called Amer Boudreau, and you can find all his info here.
Your next option is brought to you by the Torani syrup company. Yes, the same ones that make overly sweet and sugary additions for your morning latte. Ths version of Amer Picon, called Torani Amer, has a similar flavor and the same proof as the original Amer Picon. Still relatively hard to find (I got mine from Bevmo in California. It can also be found here and here.) this makes an excellent substitution for real Amer Picon.
Now on to the drink. The Picon Punch is an excellent apertif cocktail that will really open up your palate into trying and enjoying some of the more bitter cocktails.
Picon Punch
1 tsp Grenadine
2 1/2 oz Amer Picon
Soda Water
1 oz Brandy
Up next we have the curiously named Blue Paradise cocktail, which was created by Belgian barman Emil Bauwens. I’m not really sure about the naming of his drinks, as it is not blue in any shape or form. The forgotten spirit in this particular drink is Parfait Amour.
Parfait Amour is a purple liqueur, usually created from a curacao base and flavored with rose petals, orange blossom, vanilla and almonds. While Parfait Amour is not too common, it is produced both by the House of Lucas Bols in the Netherlands, as well as Marie Brizard in France.
Blue Paradise
2 oz Cognac
1 oz Dubonnet Rouge
4 Dashes Parfait Amour
Well, here we are. One Quarter of the way through Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. I have tried many a drink that I otherwise would never have tried, and have purchased many an ingredient that I have wanted, but never had the need for. Really, if I had the money, I would buy the whole liquor store. It is that cool. Enough rambling and on to the drink.
The Milk Punch is traditionally a breakfast (or dessert) cocktail. I think it functions well in both applications, as well as for a hot summer day. I have actually had this drink many times, but usually around the Christmas season, as the blend of dark spirits and nutmeg go well with the holiday atmosphere. The milk punch is refreshing, with the brandy providing a nice backbone, and the rum adding its flavors along the edge. I prefer using a super dark rum such as Cruzan Blackstrap or Goslings Black Seal for the extra molasses flavor, but any dark rum will do fine. One note on preparation: if you shake this drink, you will get a nice thick foamy layer on top. If that is not your preference, you may also stir the drink, just make sure it still gets mixed up well.
Milk Punch
1 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Dark Rum
2 tsp Simple Syrup
2 dashes Vanilla Extract
4 oz Whole Milk
