Aquavit Week returns, last call for Cocktails on Tap
Plus: really, really old whiskies
Hi friends! A brief newsletter today, mainly because I’d like to invite you to the return of Aquavit Week. Started in 2012, this mobile festival grew from a single bar in Portland to a transatlantic event taking place throughout the US, Germany, and Scandinavia at its peak. Then 2020 happened. But now, finally, we are so back. Thanks to Portland’s own Krogstad aquavit coming on as the new sponsor, we will be hosting aquavit events in Portland, Seattle, New York, and Washington, DC.
Things kick off tomorrow at the new Broder Nord in Portland, home to what’s probably the largest aquavit selection in the US (excluding my ridiculously overstocked home bar). Tickets and details for the week are at the website. I’ll be attending all the events, so if you’ll be in any of those cities, hopefully I’ll see you there!
Sipping very, very old scotch
Lately I’ve had the opportunity to sample what may be the oldest and most expensive whiskies I’ll ever taste. These included two independent bottlings from Gordon and MacPhail, a 72-year-old from the Milton Distillery (now known as Strathisla) and a 74-year-old from from Glen Grant. I talked to Stuart Urquhart, Gordon and MacPhail’s operations director, to find out what goes into selecting whiskies to age for seven decades without losing their liveliness or becoming overwhelmed by oak. Read about it in Inside Hook.
Last call for Cocktails on Tap
I published my first book, Cocktails on Tap: The Art of Mixing Spirits and Beer, back in 2015. It was intended to be the definitive book on beer cocktails, which I think it accomplished. My main regret for the book is the title. We tried to be clever, but lots of people thought it was a book literally about putting cocktails on tap, which is an even more niche topic than the one I wrote about. (A few people have told me over the years how much they enjoyed my book on draft cocktails, which was always funny. I also got a gig out of it from a big liquor company that didn’t read to the subtitle to realize that I had no knowledge of the thing they hired me for.)
Anyway, I’ve been informed by the publisher that the most recent print run has sold out from the warehouse and that it may not be reprinted, so if you want a copy, now is the time to grab it. Amazon currently shows a few copies available, but buyer beware if shipping from independent sellers: after nearly eight years in print, the book finally got its first one-star review from someone who ordered a “new” copy and got one that arrived pretty beat up. Sorry, Olga in Germany, but this was not my fault!
You’ll find some really unique cocktails in the book, from vintage ale punches and hot flips to more contemporary drinks using all kinds of modern styles of beer. I also love the photography from the late David Reamer, who went above and beyond for the shoots.
Dealer’s choice
To drink: To entice you to try mixing with beer, here’s a punch recipe from Cocktails on Tap. One of the things that surprised me while researching the book was the frequent appearance of ale punches in old books like Oxford Night Caps, Early American Beverages, or The English and Australian Cookery Book. My friend Erick Castro contributed a modern take on the idea from Polite Provisions in San Diego. It’s a little wintry but works for all seasons and it’s great for parties. It’s called the Abbey Street Punch:
8 oz Irish whiskey
8 oz Irish stout
8 oz club soda
6 oz fresh lemon juice
6 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
4 oz funky Jamaican rum
2 oz allspice dram
freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
lime wheels, for garnish
Combine in a punch bowl and chill with ice. Erick used one cup of crushed ice and a big block, but best practice depends on how rapidly you plan to serve this. Expect this to serve 6-8 guests.