A fairly amazing-sounding Better Beer Society brown bag series event at Butcher & the Boar, some revised menus at local restaurants, a local foodie’s epic Mother’s Day feast, tasting notes for Summit Pilsner and Steel Toe’s Provider, the Star Tribune’s Taste 50, and a new urban farm in Minneapolis.
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
Why is it that the people with the least navigational skill are also the least likely to stop and ask for directions or consult a map? I’m not one of those people, but in the not so distant past, I might have arrived very late to a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch type of event, restive and muttering terrible things like, “Damned inconvenient of you to live some place I can’t find.”
Our hostess, designer and artist Sarah Bartl, simply ignored my intemperate grumbles and handed me a Jean Genie, a remarkably refreshing, ginger-infused drink that soothed my traveling woes and put me back on track — perhaps never to stitch, but at least to provide pleasant company.
What is this drink, I wondered, as I polished off my pint glass with gusto and held it out for more.
At some point in the mysterious transition from spring to summer, Bartl and her husband Spencer had determined that winter was actually over and they should switch to something lighter than whiskey to mix with the house favorite Reed’s Ginger Brew ginger ale. Entranced by its well-appointed apothecary bottle and delightfully odds-bodkins website, they chose Hendrick’s Gin, which they soon discovered was even tastier with the mellow spice of Gosling’s Ginger Beer, and dubbed it “Jean Genie” for the eponymous David Bowie song. (Bartl is clear that one should not confuse the Jean Genie for a Gin Buck, which is made with ginger ale and has a silly name, or the Gin Genie, which is made with sloe gin: “Now, that is wicked stuff. You don’t have to drink it to be sick; all you have to do is smell it.”)
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
They were pretty happy with the drink and would have stopped there had fate not intervened. One night, whilst dining at The Strip Club and craving the comfort of their now familiar cocktail, they asked bartender Dan Oskey if he would mind making a Jean Genie. “No problem,” he said, “but do you mind if I add a splash of elderflower liqueur?”
“And that was the magical moment,” says Bartl. “The Jean Genie was complete.”
If you mix this drink, you will discover that St-Germaine, the elderflower liqueur, is costly ($30 to $35), but worth it. You will truly add only a splash to each drink — otherwise, you might as well drink syrup — but that small amount smooths out the gin and ginger beer and adds a hard-to-place flavor, something akin to lychee nuts, lemons, and flowers. If that doesn’t tempt you, it has a cool story, involving giant sacks of wild elderflower blossoms carried down the French Alps on postcard-worthy bicycles ridden by elderly yet spry Frenchmen in wellies and wool caps. Also, every bottle is numbered and dated for the year the blossoms were plucked, which is always nifty.
In the end, this drink stole the Stitch ‘n’ Bitch, and we never did make anything — no, the once and future scarf project has stayed safely tucked in the knitting bag, but the Jean Genie has been a regular this summer, a new favorite drink.
Sarah Bartl’s Jean Genie
Serves one
1-2 oz gin
St-Germaine
Ginger beer
Ice
Lime
1. In a highball glass with ice, mix gin and a splash of St-Germaine elderflower liqueur.
2. Top with ginger beer and swizzle well.
3. Garnish with a lime. Cheers!
Note: Sarah Bartl prefers Hendrick’s Gin, which has a lovely slightly sweet, very dry, herbal flavor, and Gosling’s Ginger Beer, all of which we have found, along with the St-Germaine, at Thomas Liquors and Haskell’s in St. Paul and at Skol Liquors in Minneapolis. Reed’s Ginger Brew ginger beer is also nice, and I sometimes enjoy the drink with the intense, rather woodsy juniper berry flavor of North Shore Gin No. 11.
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
by Maja Ingeman on July 1, 2011
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Perhaps it’s the lack of competition in the tiki bar space… or maybe it’s the admittedly beautiful patio. For some reason, Psycho Suzi’s’ popularity seems to be inversely related to the quality of their drinks.
Working in North Minneapolis, happy hour with coworkers tends to gravitate toward the same few local bars — typically places with cheap beer, a minimal commute, and — for extra points — a sunny patio. Meeting all these criteria, Psycho Suzi’s tends to be a top choice — yet it took me months to come to terms with the fact that I have not yet found a “drinkable” (by which I mean sufficiently strong, clean-tasting, and only moderately sweetened) cocktail at a place billed as a tiki bar.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The Menu
Upon examination of Suzi’s drink menu, billed on their website as “Delightful, Delectable, Deplorable,” it’s clear to see where this one falls (hint: it’s not the first two). Each item’s description is more vague than the last, filled with evocative prose about headhunters and different colored tiki mugs — if you’re lucky, the description of your drink of choice mentions the inclusion of some rum or a cherry (as in the “Virgin Sacrifice,” quoted below).
“Everyday [sic] a disturbing spectacle of tyranny ensues. A gang of Elvis impersonators entices another virgin with fermented blue nectars, then throws her into the volcano… which is not very romantic. Served in a mean green tiki with the cherry intact.”
Given this (albeit amusing) description, what would you expect to be served? A virgin? A volcano? Elvis impersonators? As it turns out, the blue nectars are, in fact, relevant — as is the cherry — but a potentially blue-colored drink with a cherry on top (in a recent visit, the shriveled specimen below) tells little of its contents or flavor.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The Service
Typically, the frustration of an underwhelming menu can be mitigated by competent waitstaff. In the case of Psycho Suzi’s, each inquiry into the contents of a drink was met with a confused, “I don’t know, the stuff right there (pointing at the incredibly vague drink description).” Further questioning revealed that the waitresses we asked knew nothing of the drinks beyond a base-level assessment of sweet versus boozy – which, it seems, is more of a systemic problem than the fault of any waitress in particular, as one waitress confessed that she wasn’t allowed to watch the bartenders pour the drinks. While she did the due diligence to ensure that one member of our party could order a cocktail sans sour mix, the inconvenience of checking with three different sources could have easily been avoided with a more accurate menu. Continue reading Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge and Tiki Bar in Northeast Minneapolis »
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Nick Kosevich knows his gin. Anyone who tasted the Jackson Pollock at Town Talk Diner can attest to that. So when Surdyk’s announced that the bitters purveyor and one-time Heavy Table contributor was back in town to lead a class on mixing Bombay Gin cocktails, we jumped at a chance to see the master at work.
Now based in Milwaukee, he’s become, among other things, Bombay’s Midwest brand ambassador. Monday’s class focused on how each of the spices, roots, and herbs that flavor Bombay work to create a complete flavor profile. Kosevich’s foray into the world of bitters makes him the perfect authority to discuss the interplay of botanical infusions. Ginger Hop provided the setting for the class as well as some tasty appetizers.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Kosevich first briefed the class on the history of gin. It was first distilled for medicinal properties. Juniper berries, the most distinctive flavoring agent, were long believed to aid stomach and kidney functions, and still feature prominently in alternative medicine. Gin was a Danish drink, favored by mercenaries (hence the term “Dutch Courage”), that came to England when William of Orange ascended to the throne. From there it became the drink of the masses, made poorly and cheaply, and the famous scourge of Dickensian England.
Bombay emerged when American spirits importer Alan Subin looked to create a classier gin to appeal to the vast, post-WWII middle class. He created the name and branding before even having a recipe, eventually coming across the centuries-old recipe in Warrington, England. When vodka took hold in the US, he added two more exotic spices to the original Bombay Dry blend to create Bombay Sapphire.
The botanical blend used to make gins is oftentimes a closely guarded trade secret – the Colonel’s “11 herbs and spices” of the spirits world. Kosevich noted that Bombay is the first major gin to speak openly about its blend. Monday’s class lined up all 10 botanicals in both their raw and distilled essence form.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
In no particular order, the mystery ingredients are juniper, lemon peel, coriander, almond, licorice root, cassia bark, orris root, angelica root, and — the two unique to Sapphire — cubeb berries and grains of paradise. Considering each of the components separately proved revelatory. The juniper was not at all like pine needles, the licorice root was super sweet and nothing like anise. Cubeb berries were easily the most interesting spice. Grown under coffee plants in Indonesia, they have an incredible, unique flavor that’s equal parts menthol, nutmeg, floral, and chocolate. One aches to have a spice mill full of them. Continue reading Bombay Mixology with Nick Kosevich »
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
What do freshwater rum, ouzo, marc brandy, and honey liqueur have in common, other than alcohol content? Technically not very much beyond the fact that they’re all made, in Madison, WI, by an upstart craft outfit known as Old Sugar Distillery.
Run by 29-year-old Nathan Greenawalt (above), Old Sugar Distillery in Madison, WI, is part of a national rush into craft distilling that Spirit Journal recently called “a veritable Big Bang.”
Despite substantial legal hurdles that make the distillation and distribution of craft spirits more challenging than craft beer, young idealists from coast to coast are jumping into the field to push the limits of spirits — and possibly strike it rich by finding the perfect novel but delicious consumer-friendly formula.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Although Old Sugar is best known for its Honey Liqueur (which appears at numerous Madison bars and restaurants as a popular cocktail mixer), the crown jewel of Greenawalt’s current efforts may be Old Sugar’s Americanaki Ouzo (above). Many ouzos are a savage whipsaw of acrid, burning bite and then a sickly sweet finish — Old Sugar’s ouzo, by contrast, is deep and mellow, with pungency but no nasty edge, and a balanced level of sweetness. Despite being 90 proof, it’s so balanced that it’s pleasantly sippable straight.
“I might be the only one [making domestic ouzo] for all I know,” says Greenawalt. (For what it’s worth, we weren’t able to find any others, either.) “[The spirit] can be called sambuca, or anisette. I’m half Greek, so that’s why we’re calling it ouzo. I’m not an ouzo expert, but mine is actually pretty mild compared to a lot of them. It’s primarily star anise that gives it its flavor, and there’s a little bit of seed anise in there also. ”
The story behind the making of Old Sugar’s ouzo helps connect the distillery to its terroir.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
“I’ve done it somewhat untraditionally — we’re using local grapes,” says Greenawalt. “We picked about 1,200 pounds of grapes this year and separated the juice from the skins and stems and released a very small-batch grappa using the skins and stems.”
Greenawalt sold out of his grappa in a few weeks, and also made a marc-style brandy (which was just about sold out when we conducted this interview, a month ago) by aging the skins and stems in barrels. Continue reading Old Sugar Distillery in Madison, WI »
Lars Swanson / Heavy Table
The river of Eugene Liberman’s life runs from Moscow to the Mississippi, and many of the waves are crested with vodka.
The Liberman family owns and operates Moscow on the Hill, St. Paul’s only Russian restaurant (unless you count the infrequently open Russian Tea House). In recent weeks, they recognized the 19th anniversary of their immigration from Moscow to the United States, a traverse that first took them to Indianapolis before their move to the Twin Cities in the early 90′s. Eugene, the eldest of two Liberman sons, was nine years old when the family relocated and his father and mother abandoned professions as an orthodontist and neurologist, respectively, in their pursuit of the American Dream.
“The promise of a better life in America,” Eugene (below) now says of the relocation nearly two decades past. “In Russia, there’s that perception, pretty much, that you can’t make everything of yourself that you can here. You’re stopped by social prejudices. We’re Jewish; there’s lots of anti-Semitism over there. Even if you get wonderfully educated and become a doctor, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to have a great life like you would here if you were a doctor and became successful.”
Lars Swanson / Heavy Table
Prior to opening Moscow in the mid-90′s and doing so with no restaurant managerial experience, Eugene’s parents worked odd jobs (his father as a busser; his mother at a library and in a book store) as the family became settled and acclimated. “There [in Russia], it’s all about who you know, who you pay off and stuff like that,” Eugene continues. “In America: the harder you work, the better your life will be. It’s what you put into it.”
Since his family opened Moscow in the former “Quail on the Hill” French restaurant on Selby Ave, the modern-day manager has put everything into the family business. He’s worked there since the age of 14, serving in a factotum capacity as dishwasher, line cook, prep cook, bartender, bus-boy, and server.
Lars Swanson / Heavy Table
Whereas the Libermans once lived behind the walls of communism, they now stand before a wall of vodka. With nearly 300 different bottles, Moscow has one of the most unique vodka selections in the country. Of the collection — many of which arrived from the international travels of friends and family — Eugene states: “I’ve never seen anything close to the vodka collection we have here; certainly in the Midwest, but probably in the United States. In the city it’s not even close.”
Among the 300, one of most delicious rarities is the the United States’ first horseradish-infused vodka, Referent. The product is an homage to the Motherland that was re-born in St. Paul. Describing the Russian vodka backdrop of his boyhood, Eugene continues:
by Nick Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz on December 23, 2010
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
If you go shopping for a good liqueur, you’re essentially playing booze roulette; carefully crafted liqueurs made with quality ingredients sit beside neutral grain spirit-based liqueurs swimming in artificial colors and flavors. Packaging and pricing are suggestive of quality, but can also be deceptive. Fortunately, there’s a way to ensure that you get a great liqueur for a great price: Just make your own.
Learning a few basic techniques can allow you to create an arsenal of flavors for your home drinking experience and to share as gifts for friends and family.
In this article, we’ll write about two different processes. The first will involve heat, a technique generally used in citrus-based liqueurs. The second style of liqueur making works great with berries, cherries, and frozen fruits — it’s a process of maceration without heat. The two recipes are simple ways to get started on creating a variety of your own home liqueurs. These recipes are guidelines, so feel free to riff on them with your own ideas and ingredients.
Spiced Orange Liqueur
Orange liqueur is a very versatile product to have in your home cocktail arsenal. For the holidays, we’ve added some traditional holiday spices. This cordial will be nice on the rocks and in cocktails. Feel free to opt out of the spices or tweak which ones you use.
One important rule when working with these recipes — you can always add more at a later time, but it is much more difficult to take away. For instance, if you really like clove and add a heaping handful, you may be disappointed when all you taste is clove, but if you add a bit at a time, you can finish the process with more.
The Spiced Orange Liqueur recipe does have a bitter element coming from the pith — Come on, we’re Bittercube! Would you expect anything different? We recommend you try the recipe this way, but use a microplane to remove the zest from the oranges (instead of a peeler) to achieve a rich orange flavor with fewer bitter notes.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Spiced Orange Liqueur
Use a one gallon glass jar with a lid for this recipe Continue reading Homemade Liqueurs for the Holidays »
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