Irish Coffee

With St. Patrick's Day here once again, we look for the perfect cocktail for those with the good taste to avoid the green beer. After some deliberation, (and Joe's veto of my vanilla ice cream, vodka, and creme de menthe "Shamrock Shake" suggestion!), the classic Irish Coffee was unanimously decided upon!

How could this NOT be the Greatest Drink in the World this Week!?! A delicious hot mug of the brew with a shot or two of fine Irish Whiskey.

Coffee snobs and enthusiasts can use their favorite brew. Whiskey aficionados certainly have a preferred whiskey, (I tend to choose the Paddy's myself!) and I mean, "Begorrah!" What better way to start yer St. Patrick's Day festivities!?!

Joe's notes: I spent a couple of years working in a pub in Ireland, (I will get back to that in a minute.) This is how I was taught to make an Irish Coffee. First boil a kettle of water and rinse out a stemmed glass with the boiling water, (better yet if you have an Irish Coffee Mug!) This not only warms the glass but also helps prevents it from cracking. Into the glass put two heaping teaspoons of brown sugar and one teaspoon of instant coffee granules.

You, of course, can use brewed or whatever your coffee preference is, just make sure it is good and hot. Leaving the spoon in the glass pour in your boiling water and stir until the coffee and sugar have completely dissolved. Add a good shot of Irish whiskey.

In the pub we would used Paddy's or Powers but feel free to use any Irish Whiskey you like. Place your glass, (or mug,) on a small plate for serving. Over the back of a spoon float double cream on top of the coffee. You now should be left with something that resembles a glass of Guinness. If you plan on using cream from an aerosol can, or drizzling creme de menthe over the top...., don't.

Now, back to how I ended up working in a pub in Ireland. In the early seventies, when I was a mere fourteen, (yes, I'm that old,) my father, in his infinite wisdom, thought it would be a good idea to uproot our family and move it to the midlands of Ireland. Another stroke of genius he had, was to deposit me in a Catholic school run by the Christian brothers. My father was a staunch protestant originally from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, so I really don't know where his head was at this time. After a very short period of time, the "brothers" realized that I would never be a candidate for the seminary, and I was left to my own devices.

At fifteen, while still at school, I got my first bar job. I was, of course, delighted to have a few "punt" in my pocket at the end of the week. It also gave me great pleasure to flaunt my presence in the bar to the few lay teachers that came in.

Initially I was only allowed to serve drinks to the tables and clear away the empty glasses. But eventually, I was permitted to make drinks, including the ever popular Caife Gaelach and under strict supervision, build a pint of Guinness.

At closing time, while the "punters" where enjoying a "lock in", I was stationed at the front door leaning on a push broom.

After an hour or so, on spotting the police strolling in our direction, my job was to run into the pub shouting "Garda, Garda."

At this the singing would stop, and the pub would descend into semi darkness. The police at this time new exactly what was happening, they didn't care as long as the pub was cleared out when they walked back about twenty minutes later.

In fact, it was quite common to have an officer of the law sitting in the semi darkness finishing his pint.

Of course, this would never happen at the Passage. If you do happen to see me leaning on a push broom after closing, I am sorry to say that I am probably just sweeping up the cigarette butts.

Sláinte

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This week's video is from the Serbian band, "Irish Stew of Sindidun:" Why.

I dig this band - C:

The Passage White Russian

Every now and again, while "researching," I meet up with people who, while apparently conducting some field study of their own, are fairly deep in their cups. They see me taking photographs of cocktails and are compelled to ask why.

Never one to miss an opportunity to spread the word about the blog, I explain the work that Joe and I do.

On a number of times, whilst discussing this blog, I was told that I NEEDED to do "The Caucasian." (This title is a direct reference to the drink of choice of Jeff Bridges character in the movie masterpiece, "The Big Lebowski.")

Mind you, one need not be tipsy to appreciate this movie, but it seems that a libation or two does make one's recollection of this film all the fonder.

This classic cocktail has been a long time coming to us here at GDitWTW. Joe punches up the standard recipe with such a simple little addition, but the difference is amazing.

So, for those Lebowski, "The Dude," and Caucasian enthusiasts, "Here's mud in yer eye."

The Recipe

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice add:

- a 3 count of Vodka,

- a 3 count of Kahlua,

- 3 ounces of heavy cream

Shake, shake, shake!

- Strain over fresh ice,

- top with Van Gogh Double Espresso-Flavored Vodka

- garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Joe's Notes: Two "dudes" walked into my bar. No, this is not the start of a joke, I don't tell jokes. Well, that is not entirely true, the truth is I can't tell jokes. Every time I try to tell a joke I forget the punch line or miss out some vital component. After I have told a joke, instead of peels of laughter reverberating through the bar I am left with a stony silence until somebody says "I don't get it." I think it is genetic because my father couldn't tell jokes either, but unlike myself he didn't realize it. He continued to make people squirm well into his old age.

Anyway, back to the two dudes. One dude says, "Do you have a special recipe for a White Russian?"

So, I give them my White Russian. They nod in agreement, and write the recipe down in a little book one of them pulls from his jacket pocket. "Are you bartenders?" I ask.

"No, we're planning a White Russian Party and we are collecting as many different recipes as we can find."

The head dude hands over the little book to me. Intrigued, I flick through the pages. The book not only contained recipes but little side notes. For example:

• Colorado Bulldog White Russian; just add a splash of coke.

• Tastes like chocolate milk.

• Bartender Judy, cute, but looks too much like my sister to date."

• White Russian with Malibu. Hate coconut, but some of the girls might like it. wonder what it would be like with banana?"

• Disgusting! Gross! do not try this at home!

• Blonde Russian, replace cream with Bailey's. Very good, would stay for another but think the bartender (Mike) is hitting on me.

Amused, I hand the book back to the dudes. They go on to tell me that they have collected 23 different recipes so far, and that mine is one of their favorites.

I hope you dudes had a great party. I know that you planned on showing "The Big Lebowski " and would love to know what food you served. I hope it wasn't pizza and hot wings; I can't imagine the clean-up the following morning.

Joe the Bartender

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For this week's video, I decided against the "Jackie Treehorn's Gutterballs" version and went with the original Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In) by Kenny Roger & The First Edition.

Cheers!

C:

Brandy Alexander

From his now-famous "Classics Collection," Joe presented me with the Brandy Alexander, a stark, ghost-white cocktail that looks as innocent as milk, and tastes like a chocolate Fribble.

The Recipe:

While chilling a large martini glass, into a cocktail mixing cup full of ice, add:

- a 3 count of brandy, (a "V.S." should suffice. No need for a V.S.O.P or an X.O., as the other ingredients will make the difference negligible.)

- a 2 count créme de cacao

- a generous sploosh of heavy cream

- Shake a lot!

- Strain into the now-chilled martini glass

- Grate some fresh nutmeg over the top, (not too much!)

Chris's Notes: The Brandy Alexander was a favorite drink of John Lennon's during his eighteen-month long "Lost Weekend," (seen here enjoying a table full of them with Peter Lawford, then-girlfriend May Pang, and Harry Nilsson.) The ex-Beatle jokingly referring to the drink as a "Milkshake."

This metaphor should come as no surprise, as the Brandy Alexander is deceptively smooth, sweet, and chocolaty! As mine arrived, the first thing I noticed was the stark white color. As seemingly pure as the driven snow! (Hardly!) And therein lies its deceptive nature!

But fortunately, the Brandy Alexander is so rich and so heavy, that like any desert, drinking too many would not be any easy task, as these babies would fill you right up!

Senior Research Partner, Kerry, (who appropriated the rest of my drink!) admits that although this may not be a warm-weather cocktail, it would have been perfect to pass the time during her recent "Flood Day" - being house-bound due to a recent flash flood here in the Northeast.

Might have at least picked up the spirits!

Joe's Notes: The Brandy Alexander is a fine example of a classic cocktail. It is a variation on The Alexander cocktail. The Brandy Alexander substitutes brandy for the original ingredient of gin. There are many theories on the name but my favorite is the following.

Rector’s (a famous New York eatery before Prohibition) was having a dinner celebrating “Phoebe Snow ,” the fictional advertising character who traveled the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, always in her white dress.

Rector’s bartender, Troy Alexander, came up with a new, white drink for the occasion—gin, crème de cacao and sweet cream, and the cocktail took the name of it's inventor. The earliest known citation of the Alexander was in 1915.

This, as you can see, forces me to comment on an issue that I have avoided like the black plague: "The great martini debate."

Okay, before we get our knickers in a twist, let us pour ourselves a stiff drink, (preferably one from T.G.D.I.T.W.T.W. )

Fact one: A martini is only made with gin. A vodka martini is made with vodka.

Fact two: An Alexander is made with gin. A brandy Alexander is made with Brandy.

Simple really.

Stir it, (my preference), shake it, or agitate it in some fashion that mingles its ingredients, I don't really care at this point. Let us leave that discussion of another day.

What I do care about is the snobbery associated with the Martini. I have heard too many bartenders dismiss drinks presented in a martini glass as not really a martini. Well, we know that, but as long as the word martini is prefixed with another as in vodka, apple, chocolate, cucumber, or Vesper, I believe it is acceptable.

The martini has transformed, it has changed from its original concept, into a style of drink.

Now I know a lot of you, at this point, probably want to take to the streets with flaming torches and pitchforks and banish me as a complete heretic. But before you rally the good people of the village, hear me out.

Let us take as our example, the car.

Although both Leonardo Di Vinci's and Robert Anderson's notion of what constitutes a "car" has since dramatically been changed and improved upon, (let us, at this juncture, ignore the whole Toyota thing,) the basic concept has stayed the same. That is to say it is a passenger-carrying automotive vehicle. Yet we do not call an airplane a flying car or call a boat a water car. So at what point do we change the name? They are still both passenger-carrying automotive vehicles. Does the word car imply that it travels on the ground and must have a minimum of three wheels?

Let us get back to the Martini. The Vodka (ingredient) Martini (style of drink) tells both the bartender and the customer what the drink is, (just like the word “car.”) Should our snobbery surrounding martinis force us to change these now hundreds of martini drinks names just to please a few?

Or are you with the group that believe that the whole naming drinks “Martinis” is just yet another example of our society's decline in both its moral standards and etiquette?

Either way I would be very interested to hear back from our readers, as I have said this is a discussion and not a lecture, (I am not some sort of crazed megalomaniac.) And who knows? You may be able to change my opinion.

Good luck with that!

Joe