American Falernum and the continuing rise of artisanal spirits · Friday May 29, 2020 by colin newell
A long, long time ago (before COVID19) Andrea and I sat at Don the Beachcomber, the legendary Kona, Hawaii bar at The Royal Kona Resort off of Alii Drive.
Between sips of Mai Tai and savoury nibbles out of a bucket of shrimp, we were regaled by a passionate and knowledgeable bartender on the subject of Tiki drinks.
I quickly learned about the finer points of what makes a great Orgeat syrup (the simple roasted almond syrup that gives the Mai Tai its nutty and warming bite) and a Falernum – the sweet, spicy and mysterious building block for the classic cocktail called the “Corn n’ Oil.”
This discovery of warming spice, citrus and roast nut infusions of simple syrups started me on a journey that has led me to a home bar that has dozens of bottles of aromatic bitters and exotic syrups.
Martin Geijer (pronounced “yay-er”) of San Francisco, California’s Geijer Spirits, walked me through a master-class of 21st Century artisanal spirits. “I have a family history of Swedish spirit making that goes back four generations,” and continues, “My grandmother had a still in her backyard for making moonshine!”
Martin’s Swedish Gran also created a beloved seasonal liqueur known as Glögg that was popular around Christmas for its “warming properties.” Glögg has found its way into numerous cocktails in the west. But first, some backstory!
Glögg liqueur is based on a 19th Century Swedish family recipe. Spice notes include cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, while hints of almond and bitter orange harmonize to create a flavour profile recognizable from the beach bars of Trinidad, Tobago and Jamaica. These profiles form the foundation of many “Tiki” drinks.
Martin Geijer reminds us of the importance of family history, the integrity and purity of recipes handed lovingly through time and the importance of being mindful of their origins while being playful or, dare I say, whimsical about re-interpretation.
Martin could have rested on the initial success of his Glögg, but he listened to his friends and industry insiders and challenged the boundaries that exist between simple bar syrups and classic aperitif and digestif liqueurs.
California Falernum is a superb example of this re-thinking process. Take a classic warm-spice infused syrup and supercharge it with a finely crafted California-interpretation of a proprietary Jamaican rum. So finessed are the warming notes of allspice with hints of lime, so delicate a bouquet, that the California Falernum stands alone and proudly in a brandy glass or snifter. Don’t be afraid to mix it into your favorite Tiki recipes or cook up your own signature drinks.
Lesson learned: Liqueur, aromatic bitters and syrup selections have a long and colourful history that warrant study.
Our recipe: The classic Southern cocktail, the “Corn n’ oil”.
2 ounces Blackstrap rum (preferably Cruzan)
1/2 ounce California Falernum
1/2 ounce lime juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Shaken or stirred, it’s best served in your best vintage rocks glass on a single large ice cube.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
We declared after the first sip: “Well hello Stranger!”
Don’t take my word for it – you can track down some of this good stuff at Vision Wine and Spirits
The Audio Interview Download – California-FALERNUM-final-cut-2020.mp3
Colin Newell is a resident of Victoria B.C. Canada and has been writing about food, coffee and cocktail culture for over 25 years.
Fresh Fig and Blueberry Bars in the Springtime · Saturday April 18, 2020 by colin newell
We had some fresh figs gifted to us a Christmas time – they were fresh frozen and in the freezer. It was time.
These are, arguably, amongst the tastiest fruit squares that we have ever made. By themselves, with just the fresh figs, they are mighty tasty – by adding the antioxidant rich blueberries, they get a bit of balance and unlike date squares, they are less “instantly filling…” and you can eat more than one at a time!
Ingredients
For the crust
1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
For the filling
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cup fresh figs chopped
1 cup dried blueberries
For the topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
In small bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer until well blended.
On low speed, beat in 1 cup flour until soft dough forms.
Press dough in bottom of pan and bake 10 to 15 minutes or until center is set.
Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, cook filling ingredients over medium-high heat 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until figs are tender and most of liquid is absorbed. Blueberries will get rehydrated.
Spread over crust.
In small bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, the brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter, using pastry blender or fork, until crumbly.
Stir in oats and pecans.
Sprinkle over filling.
Bake 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rowsColin Newell is a Victoria resident and talker on the subject of coffee, cocktail and food culture. He created the CoffeeCrew.com website some 25 years ago and still loves that hot frisky beverage.
Sourdough Bread 101 - Chapter 1 - Cheese Bread · Saturday January 25, 2020 by colin newell
Welcome to 2020 – a New Year and hopefully lots of adventures on the blog – by the time you read this, you may have heard some of my fellow bread makers on the CBC talking about the resurgence of bread making at home. If you are just checking in now – as in today – well, that feature is still in development.
Sourdough – My starter goes back to around 2008 – as handed to me in a ziploc bag by friend and colleague “Corey” – despite my best attempts and neglect, I have yet to kill my sourdough starter.
We’ll call this chapter 1 on the subject despite the fact that I need to offer a complete tutorial on sourdough breads and starters — that is, if you are not inclined on looking up a myriad of resources about the subject online and on YouTube.com. But, for my own edification, I should really write it all down in my own words if only to get a better understanding of the subject. It’s not rocket science but things can go awry if you don’t observe a few cautions about the subject. Anyway – let’s get to it with this little recipe.
Ingredients
50 g OR ¼ cup Sourdough starter
365 g OR 1 ½ cup + 1 tsp warm water
280 g OR 2⅓ cups bread flour
200 g OR 1¾ cups all purpose flour
20 g whole wheat flour
Option: Use 500g bread flour and skip the variety of flour types.
9 g OR 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
Optional – 50 g OR ⅓ cup sliced pickled Jalapenos
135 g OR 1 heaped cup Sharp cheddar cheese cubed into ¼ inch
Optional – 12 g OR ¼ cup minced chives
Instructions
In a large bowl add starter and water and mix well.
Saturday evening – Add all purpose, whole wheat flour and bread flour combine everything and set aside for 30 minutes -
Me – I actually just used all bread flour – but mixing up the different grain types is ok.
Add salt and mix again and set aside for another 8-12 hours in a room with an air temperature of 17-23 Degrees ©
Sunday morning – mix in cheese, jalapenos and chives then shape and transfer to banneton or steel bowl.
Proof at room temperature or in fridge for 4 – 8 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 450F. Transfer the dough to a suitable oiled steel or glass (pyrex) bread pan.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450F and then reduce the temperature to 425 F and bake 25 minutes.
Bake until loaf develops a golden colour + when you tap the loaf it makes a hollow sound or registers 95C-210 F internal temperature.
Cool the loaf for 10-15 minutes – cut it into slices and enjoy.
Colin Newell has been a Victoria resident and coffee expert for 25+ years and dabbles in food and cocktail culture.
Garden end-of-summer Pasta with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes · Saturday October 19, 2019 by colin newell
This time of the year, as Summer fades to Fall and Fall to Winter, a whole window of seasonal cuisine opens up – It’s time to get out to the garden and see what is fresh. And what’s fresh in our garden in October are the last of the tomatoes and lots of basil!
Grab some fresh pasta, broth, white wine, mushrooms and some amazing Parmagiano Reggiano cheese and get ready for great tastes!
Ingredients:
12 medium sized cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup fresh Basil chopped
6 large mushrooms sliced thinly
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup of white wine
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 servings Penne pasta
1/2 cup Parmagiano reggiano cheese
Salt, Pepper and Italian seasoning to taste
Directions -
Put pasta on to boil
Saute pan on to heat with a splash of olive oil and butter.
Saute mushrooms – season with salt and pepper
5 minutes before pasta is finished cooking, pop the halved tomatoes into the pan.
Add Italian seasoning – and extra pepper if necessary
Added 1/4 cup of white wine to steam tomatoes – add 3/4 of the Basil
Let cook down for 1 – 2 minutes and add the chicken broth.
Making Pasta!
Summer-Pasta-2020.mp3
