So you think it's easy to tell red wine from white?
Try doing it blindfolded sometime.
Some white-wine drinkers who rarely touch red are convinced that the differences between the types are deep and fundamental.
Consider the stereotypes: White wine is light, fruity and refreshing, an anonymous tipple for casual sipping. Red wine is strong, complicated and (although fine for connoisseurs, perhaps) hard to get to know.
Are the stereotypes valid?
Or are the differences overshadowed by the similarities between what are, after all, beverages made from fruit as closely related as red (or blue or purple) and white (or green or golden) grapes?
Prompted by a recent discussion on the subject among several friends communicating with personal computers on the CompuServe Information Service's Wine Forum, I decided to find out by taking the practice of "blind" tasting to its logical extreme.
I usually rate the wines for this column "blind," sampling the week's wine selection from plain, unmarked glasses poured out of my sight.
The point is to ensure that my objectivity is unmarred by prejudice or preconceived ideas. It's easier to be objective if I don't know know which glass contains the $20 boutique wine and which holds the $2.99 jug variety.
It's easy enough to arrange this kind of tasting: All you need is someone to pour the wine. It doesn't matter if you see what's in the glass.
It's a bit more complicated to compare red and white without looking, as a real (if temporary) loss of vision is required. I achieved the effect by asking my wife to wrap a red bandanna around my head.
I used four moderately priced wines - two white and two red - for the test.
I chose two California wines - a red 1981 Inglenook Vineyards Napa Valley Petite Sirah ($5.49) and a white 1985 Gundlach Bundschu Sonoma County (Rhinefarm Vineyards) Gewurztraminer ($6.49) - anticipating that these two wines would display marked characteristics that should be easy to choose.
To mix things up, I added a white 1985 Collavini Grave del Friuli Pinot Grigio from Italy ($5.79) and a red 1983 Premiat Dealul Mare Cabernet Sauvignon from Romania ($2.99), expecting them to be simple, fruity wines that might be more difficult to distinguish without benefit of sight.
The results?
Differences do exist, but they're more subtle than you might expect.
I found it fairly easy to tell the red from the white, but it would have been much more challenging without the benefit of quite a few years' tasting experience. As it was, it wasn't easy pegging all four wines to their specific labels.
Here's a summary of the notes I dictated to a tape recorder during the blind tasting.
Glass No. 1 (the Petite Sirah) was easy. Scents of green olives and black pepper and the mouth-filling, fruity and acidic flavor gave away the grape variety in this gutsy, full-flavored wine, the best wine of the four at a bargain price.
Dry acidity and a hint of oak were the tell-tale signs that Glass No. 3 (the Romanian Cabernet) held the other red wine.
I picked the two remaining glasses as white but misidentified their contents.
Glass No. 2 was obviously white. It could have passed for an inexpensive Rhine wine with a soft, faintly sweet taste. Its musky aroma, reminiscent of overripe canteloupe, wouldn't have been surprising in a Gewurztraminer, but the wine proved to be the Pinot Grigio.
A citrus quality with a faintly bitter aftertaste made clear that Glass No. 4 was white, but, misled by the Italian wine's muskiness, I failed to recognize this wine as "Gewurz;" it lacked the exuberantly spicy quality typical of this flavorful grape in Europe.
It was a useful lesson, and at least I salvaged my ego by correctly identifying all the reds and whites.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
STAGE 4
Learning to Taste by Closing Our Eyes
It was Monday morning, and the managing editor approached my desk with a gleam in his eye and what I hope was a smile on his face.
He wasn't waving my Sunday column around, but he might have memorized it.
"I will give you $1,000 if you can really smell and taste all those things you said you found in that wine," he said.
"I hope the check's in the mail," I shot back. "I could use the money."
"Apples and grapes," he harrumphed, ignoring me. "Figs. Coconut. Probably old shoes and wood chips."
About that time his boss strolled by, gave us a look and shook his head.
I think my boss was just kidding. He knows wine himself.
He's got a point, though. The complex aromas and flavors that distinguish fine wine are usually subtle and sometimes almost - but not quite - as elusive as the emperor's legendary new clothes.
It's not hard to learn to recognize these subtleties, but it takes practice, which makes perfect in wine appreciation as it does with just about anything else worth appreciating.
Bordeaux wine maker Alexis Lichine once said the best way to learn wine is by opening bottles.
I'd add that the best way to learn wine quickly and well is by frequently tasting wines "blind," judging comparatively without knowing what's in the glasses until you've made your notes and announced your conclusions.
Nothing concentrates the wine taster's attention quite as intensely as having someone waiting to rib you mercilessly if you can't tell a Chardonnay from a Chenin Blanc.
Gaze under such circumstances at two near-identical glasses of golden Chardonnay, and it won't take long to discern the nuances of gold, bronze and brass, apples, chestnuts, figs and yes, even coconut in the wine.
I rate the wines for this column blind for another reason: Even the most objective judge will be influenced to some degree by knowing what's in the glass. When you're comparing a $20 nectar against a $3 jug wine, it's a lot easier to be honest if you don't know which is which.
It was Monday morning, and the managing editor approached my desk with a gleam in his eye and what I hope was a smile on his face.
He wasn't waving my Sunday column around, but he might have memorized it.
"I will give you $1,000 if you can really smell and taste all those things you said you found in that wine," he said.
"I hope the check's in the mail," I shot back. "I could use the money."
"Apples and grapes," he harrumphed, ignoring me. "Figs. Coconut. Probably old shoes and wood chips."
About that time his boss strolled by, gave us a look and shook his head.
I think my boss was just kidding. He knows wine himself.
He's got a point, though. The complex aromas and flavors that distinguish fine wine are usually subtle and sometimes almost - but not quite - as elusive as the emperor's legendary new clothes.
It's not hard to learn to recognize these subtleties, but it takes practice, which makes perfect in wine appreciation as it does with just about anything else worth appreciating.
Bordeaux wine maker Alexis Lichine once said the best way to learn wine is by opening bottles.
I'd add that the best way to learn wine quickly and well is by frequently tasting wines "blind," judging comparatively without knowing what's in the glasses until you've made your notes and announced your conclusions.
Nothing concentrates the wine taster's attention quite as intensely as having someone waiting to rib you mercilessly if you can't tell a Chardonnay from a Chenin Blanc.
Gaze under such circumstances at two near-identical glasses of golden Chardonnay, and it won't take long to discern the nuances of gold, bronze and brass, apples, chestnuts, figs and yes, even coconut in the wine.
I rate the wines for this column blind for another reason: Even the most objective judge will be influenced to some degree by knowing what's in the glass. When you're comparing a $20 nectar against a $3 jug wine, it's a lot easier to be honest if you don't know which is which.
STAGE 3( HOW TO BE A GOOD WINE SOMMELIAR)
TASTE: More Than Just Swallowing
"Taste" doesn't mean only what we sense with our mouths.
The words also describes the quality of critical discernment, judgment and appreciation that separates most of us from animals at a trough.
We taste the joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat. We savor life and we sample the flavor of an experience.
Scientists tell us that our taste buds can discern only four basic flavors: Sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
What we think of as taste, however, is a much more complex sensory experience that combines what our taste buds tell us with the senses of smell and touch.
Yes, I said touch. The feel of the wine in your mouth, its sense of lightness or weight, a quality that may range from watery-thin to viscous and oily is very much a part of the experience of tasting wine.
Sourness is a fault in wine if it reeks of vinegar, the sign of a spoiled beverage (fortunately, you'll rarely find it nowadays).
In the form of crisp, sharp acidity, however, a sour sensation is a desirable trait, offering a brisk, acidic taste that's as amiable a companion to fish as a squirt of fresh lemon.
A wine with too little acid, on the other hand, may seem mellow at first, but it's bland and uninspiring, lacking the verve to stand up to food.
Sour and sweet tastes are mixed in many California Chardonnays, which at their best are crisp, almost dry, with just enough fresh-fruit sweetness to soften the cutting acidic edge.
Finally, sweet dominates the sour in "late harvest" and other dessert- type wines, in which a penetrating sweetness identifies the style, but the sugar is balanced against sharp acid that keeps the wine from cloying.
"Taste" doesn't mean only what we sense with our mouths.
The words also describes the quality of critical discernment, judgment and appreciation that separates most of us from animals at a trough.
We taste the joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat. We savor life and we sample the flavor of an experience.
Scientists tell us that our taste buds can discern only four basic flavors: Sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
What we think of as taste, however, is a much more complex sensory experience that combines what our taste buds tell us with the senses of smell and touch.
Yes, I said touch. The feel of the wine in your mouth, its sense of lightness or weight, a quality that may range from watery-thin to viscous and oily is very much a part of the experience of tasting wine.
Sourness is a fault in wine if it reeks of vinegar, the sign of a spoiled beverage (fortunately, you'll rarely find it nowadays).
In the form of crisp, sharp acidity, however, a sour sensation is a desirable trait, offering a brisk, acidic taste that's as amiable a companion to fish as a squirt of fresh lemon.
A wine with too little acid, on the other hand, may seem mellow at first, but it's bland and uninspiring, lacking the verve to stand up to food.
Sour and sweet tastes are mixed in many California Chardonnays, which at their best are crisp, almost dry, with just enough fresh-fruit sweetness to soften the cutting acidic edge.
Finally, sweet dominates the sour in "late harvest" and other dessert- type wines, in which a penetrating sweetness identifies the style, but the sugar is balanced against sharp acid that keeps the wine from cloying.
STAGE 2 (HOW TO BE A GOOD WINE SOMMELIAR)
Getting Your Nose Into Wine
Wine doesn't have eyes, ears or teeth, but some say it has a "nose."
I won't say the term is snobbish, but I'd feel uneasy about standing around, glass in hand, chatting about a wine's nose. This one's aquiline, that one's pug, the one over there's had an operation?
For that matter, I'm not too comfortable with the distinction some tasters make between a wine's "aroma," referring to the natural smell it takes from the fruit, and its "bouquet," the complex overtones it may develop with age in the bottle.
Three terms to refer to one sense? It reminds me of the Eskimos, who reportedly have scores of words to define subtleties in snow, from snowball-packing quality to bricks for igloos.
So let's strike a blow for clarity in wine language by agreeing to use plain English here.
I'll talk about how a wine "smells," and if I feel the need for synonyms, I might refer to its aroma or scent. I'll warn you if I find one that stinks.
One thing makes common scents: Smell is important to the wine taster. Much of what we think is taste really comes through our noses. If you don't believe it, try to enjoy a wine - or a meal - the next time you have a bad head cold.
When it comes to smelling, we take a distant second place to dogs and cats. Still, we humans can train our sense of smell, and you don't have to be an expert wine taster to learn to sniff out the differences among wines.
The aroma of Cabernet Sauvignon and the closely related Merlot grape, for example, often reminds me of cedar wood and pine needles mingled with a good fruit smell reminiscent of currants.
Some add hints that wine tasters call "vegetal:" green olives, green peppers, tobacco leaves or grass.
Aging the wine in oak may add touches of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and almonds. Extended bottle aging may lend a toasty quality and impart earthy scents as variable as mushrooms, old leather, roses and wildflowers.
Other grapes have their own trademark aromas: Zinfandel often evokes berries. Pinot Noir, the fine grape of Burgundy, may recall violets and spice. The pungently floral quality of freshly ground black pepper signals Syrah, the French Rhone grape.
Among whites, Chardonnay recalls crisp, ripe apples and may add notes of butter, coconut, figs and other tropical fruits, particularly if it's aged in oak.
Riesling, the queen of German grapes, may evoke apples, too, and sometimes citrus fruit, canteloupe and pine.
Sauvignon Blanc often shows a grassy smell and sometimes grapefruit.
Chenin Blanc reminds me of melons and, occasionally, orange blossoms. A smell of peaches identifies Muscat and Gewurztraminer; the latter may add elusive spice.
Wine doesn't have eyes, ears or teeth, but some say it has a "nose."
I won't say the term is snobbish, but I'd feel uneasy about standing around, glass in hand, chatting about a wine's nose. This one's aquiline, that one's pug, the one over there's had an operation?
For that matter, I'm not too comfortable with the distinction some tasters make between a wine's "aroma," referring to the natural smell it takes from the fruit, and its "bouquet," the complex overtones it may develop with age in the bottle.
Three terms to refer to one sense? It reminds me of the Eskimos, who reportedly have scores of words to define subtleties in snow, from snowball-packing quality to bricks for igloos.
So let's strike a blow for clarity in wine language by agreeing to use plain English here.
I'll talk about how a wine "smells," and if I feel the need for synonyms, I might refer to its aroma or scent. I'll warn you if I find one that stinks.
One thing makes common scents: Smell is important to the wine taster. Much of what we think is taste really comes through our noses. If you don't believe it, try to enjoy a wine - or a meal - the next time you have a bad head cold.
When it comes to smelling, we take a distant second place to dogs and cats. Still, we humans can train our sense of smell, and you don't have to be an expert wine taster to learn to sniff out the differences among wines.
The aroma of Cabernet Sauvignon and the closely related Merlot grape, for example, often reminds me of cedar wood and pine needles mingled with a good fruit smell reminiscent of currants.
Some add hints that wine tasters call "vegetal:" green olives, green peppers, tobacco leaves or grass.
Aging the wine in oak may add touches of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and almonds. Extended bottle aging may lend a toasty quality and impart earthy scents as variable as mushrooms, old leather, roses and wildflowers.
Other grapes have their own trademark aromas: Zinfandel often evokes berries. Pinot Noir, the fine grape of Burgundy, may recall violets and spice. The pungently floral quality of freshly ground black pepper signals Syrah, the French Rhone grape.
Among whites, Chardonnay recalls crisp, ripe apples and may add notes of butter, coconut, figs and other tropical fruits, particularly if it's aged in oak.
Riesling, the queen of German grapes, may evoke apples, too, and sometimes citrus fruit, canteloupe and pine.
Sauvignon Blanc often shows a grassy smell and sometimes grapefruit.
Chenin Blanc reminds me of melons and, occasionally, orange blossoms. A smell of peaches identifies Muscat and Gewurztraminer; the latter may add elusive spice.
STAGES TO BECOME GOOD WINE SOMMELIAR LIKE ME
Introduction: Looking at Wine
What's the point in tasting wine?
This is a reasonable question, if wine evokes for you the image of a wine snob, pinky extended, mouthing fancy talk.
Certainly no similar mystique surrounds Pepsi-Cola, iced tea or milk.
But wine is different.
It's the only beverage I know that appeals to both the senses and the intellect.
If you take the time to look for it, every glass contains a lesson in history, geography, agriculture, botany; sometimes anthropology, religion, psychology and more.
There's no reason to be snobbish about wine, and none to fear it. But it's well worth talking about and sharing with friends. (We call WineLoversPage.com a "snob-free zone" because we avoid taking wine too seriously, and we recommend that you do the same. This stuff is supposed to be fun. You don't have to pass a test to enjoy it, and you needn't learn a new language.
The idea behind wine tasting is as simple as this: Slow down. Relax and take the time to think about what you're drinking and to enjoy it with all your senses. (Well, all except hearing. Nobody listens to wine.)
Examine its color. Is it clear or hazy, transparent or opaque?
Take a deep sniff. Does it smell like fruit? Flowers? Road tar or sweat sox?
Got it? Take a drink. Take two. Swish it around your mouth, sensing not only its taste but its texture and weight. Don't worry about looks; you're enjoying yourself.
Put it all together in your head. Think about where it came from. Sip again and enjoy. You won't get all this out of a Pepsi!
Quick Wine Tasting CourseNext section
What's the point in tasting wine?
This is a reasonable question, if wine evokes for you the image of a wine snob, pinky extended, mouthing fancy talk.
Certainly no similar mystique surrounds Pepsi-Cola, iced tea or milk.
But wine is different.
It's the only beverage I know that appeals to both the senses and the intellect.
If you take the time to look for it, every glass contains a lesson in history, geography, agriculture, botany; sometimes anthropology, religion, psychology and more.
There's no reason to be snobbish about wine, and none to fear it. But it's well worth talking about and sharing with friends. (We call WineLoversPage.com a "snob-free zone" because we avoid taking wine too seriously, and we recommend that you do the same. This stuff is supposed to be fun. You don't have to pass a test to enjoy it, and you needn't learn a new language.
The idea behind wine tasting is as simple as this: Slow down. Relax and take the time to think about what you're drinking and to enjoy it with all your senses. (Well, all except hearing. Nobody listens to wine.)
Examine its color. Is it clear or hazy, transparent or opaque?
Take a deep sniff. Does it smell like fruit? Flowers? Road tar or sweat sox?
Got it? Take a drink. Take two. Swish it around your mouth, sensing not only its taste but its texture and weight. Don't worry about looks; you're enjoying yourself.
Put it all together in your head. Think about where it came from. Sip again and enjoy. You won't get all this out of a Pepsi!
Quick Wine Tasting CourseNext section
AVOID RED BULL COCKTAILS
Red Bull and Vodka
In the cocktail world there are lots of trends. Right now the classic cocktail seems to be on the rise
and the martini craze is slowly slipping into obscurity, thankfully. I hate when people come to the bar and ask; “What kind of martini’s do you have?” I have two, gin or vodka. Usually I’ll guide people away from the martini and into the world of cocktails served in something other than a martini glass. These people are easy because they have an open mind, the hard people are 20 something who think a Red Bull and Vodka is a cocktail and that’s all they drink.
I’ve only worked at bar that served Red Bull. But in this place they worked the kitchen guys so hard we often found a dozen or so empty cans of Red Bull in the cooler. Seems the kitchen staff needed a boost. Pop and coffee, free as it was, wasn’t to their liking it seems. So eventually Red Bull dropped off the list of available mixers. When this happened, the people who ordered a Red Bull and Vodka, and were told we don’t stock Red Bull, looked at us as if we weren’t stocking vodka or we had two heads.
In the time we stocked Red Bull, I’d watch people pound back six or more of these in a couple of hours. Now that’s about 480 mg of caffeine, which is fairly substantial. That’s enough to keep you going for most of the night. If you compared that to six Rum and Cokes, it would provide less than half the caffeine. When you order a double venti non-fat extra-dry cappuccino I’m sure you’re getting a whack of caffeine, but it’s not mixed with vodka, or Taurine.
But, getting people to order something other than a caffeinated alcohol mixture seems to be much harder than a martini seeker. It seems that they can’t enjoy a night without caffeine, let alone alcohol. Throw some illicit drugs into the mix and you sir have a serious problem.
So what’s the big deal? Well as a bartender you want to control the room. Basically you keep an eye out for annoying people and control their consumption. If someone is jacked on caffeine it can add to potential problems. Plus, people who have high caffeine intake tend to feel more sober than they really are. Then there are the potential health risks. The three chemicals in Red Bull, that may pose problems, are caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone. For review purposes, here’s what these additives do:
Caffeine (80 mg) is a chemical that interferes / blocks adenosine, which is a chemical that helps regulate sleep. Basically the caffeine molecule looks very similar to adenosine and fits in the same cell receptors as adenosine. But when caffeine binds to these receptors it doesn’t have the same affect and interferes with the sleep cycle, causing a temporary state of wakefulness.
Taurine (1000 mg) is a nonessential amino acid. This means the body can make this amino acid and you don’t require it from your diet. Taurine is used by the body to regulate the cardiovascular system, production of bile for digestion and is said to act as a mild sedative. This is probably the property the makers of Red Bull are trying to use to counteract the excited state caused by caffeine.
Glucuronolactone (600 mg) is a natural byproduct of glucose metabolism in the liver. It is purported to fight fatigue and provide a sense of well-being. However, it is not a mind altering stimulant.
As it stands now, there have only been a few isolated cases of serious issues with Red Bull, far fewer than those associated with just plain old alcohol. Even so, a few countries have banned the sale of Red Bull, and other drinks of the same ilk. But, the reality is that anything in moderation is probably ok, but when you pound back six or more, you might be pushing your luck. That’s when a bartender needs to keep an eye on you, and that just makes our life that much harder, liabilities and all.
Today, Red Bull seems tame compared to other energy drinks, like Monster, Rockstar, etc. For years people rallied against the use of chemicals in food products, now a whole multi-billion dollar industry has popped up based on the addition of chemicals. This new breed of drink contains all sorts of chemical stuff that theoretically provides a new kind of “high”. One of those ingredients is L-Carnitine, which is a prescription product in Canada, but not so in the US.
Basically, as a bartender we have enough things to watch out for. But aside from over consumption, illegal drugs and prescription drug reactions we need to watch out for the first time drinker being served Red Bull and Vodka. Oh well, we do what we can, but nothing is going to help that hangover, sorry about your luck.
In the cocktail world there are lots of trends. Right now the classic cocktail seems to be on the rise
and the martini craze is slowly slipping into obscurity, thankfully. I hate when people come to the bar and ask; “What kind of martini’s do you have?” I have two, gin or vodka. Usually I’ll guide people away from the martini and into the world of cocktails served in something other than a martini glass. These people are easy because they have an open mind, the hard people are 20 something who think a Red Bull and Vodka is a cocktail and that’s all they drink.I’ve only worked at bar that served Red Bull. But in this place they worked the kitchen guys so hard we often found a dozen or so empty cans of Red Bull in the cooler. Seems the kitchen staff needed a boost. Pop and coffee, free as it was, wasn’t to their liking it seems. So eventually Red Bull dropped off the list of available mixers. When this happened, the people who ordered a Red Bull and Vodka, and were told we don’t stock Red Bull, looked at us as if we weren’t stocking vodka or we had two heads.
In the time we stocked Red Bull, I’d watch people pound back six or more of these in a couple of hours. Now that’s about 480 mg of caffeine, which is fairly substantial. That’s enough to keep you going for most of the night. If you compared that to six Rum and Cokes, it would provide less than half the caffeine. When you order a double venti non-fat extra-dry cappuccino I’m sure you’re getting a whack of caffeine, but it’s not mixed with vodka, or Taurine.
But, getting people to order something other than a caffeinated alcohol mixture seems to be much harder than a martini seeker. It seems that they can’t enjoy a night without caffeine, let alone alcohol. Throw some illicit drugs into the mix and you sir have a serious problem.
So what’s the big deal? Well as a bartender you want to control the room. Basically you keep an eye out for annoying people and control their consumption. If someone is jacked on caffeine it can add to potential problems. Plus, people who have high caffeine intake tend to feel more sober than they really are. Then there are the potential health risks. The three chemicals in Red Bull, that may pose problems, are caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone. For review purposes, here’s what these additives do:
Caffeine (80 mg) is a chemical that interferes / blocks adenosine, which is a chemical that helps regulate sleep. Basically the caffeine molecule looks very similar to adenosine and fits in the same cell receptors as adenosine. But when caffeine binds to these receptors it doesn’t have the same affect and interferes with the sleep cycle, causing a temporary state of wakefulness.
Taurine (1000 mg) is a nonessential amino acid. This means the body can make this amino acid and you don’t require it from your diet. Taurine is used by the body to regulate the cardiovascular system, production of bile for digestion and is said to act as a mild sedative. This is probably the property the makers of Red Bull are trying to use to counteract the excited state caused by caffeine.
Glucuronolactone (600 mg) is a natural byproduct of glucose metabolism in the liver. It is purported to fight fatigue and provide a sense of well-being. However, it is not a mind altering stimulant.
As it stands now, there have only been a few isolated cases of serious issues with Red Bull, far fewer than those associated with just plain old alcohol. Even so, a few countries have banned the sale of Red Bull, and other drinks of the same ilk. But, the reality is that anything in moderation is probably ok, but when you pound back six or more, you might be pushing your luck. That’s when a bartender needs to keep an eye on you, and that just makes our life that much harder, liabilities and all.
Today, Red Bull seems tame compared to other energy drinks, like Monster, Rockstar, etc. For years people rallied against the use of chemicals in food products, now a whole multi-billion dollar industry has popped up based on the addition of chemicals. This new breed of drink contains all sorts of chemical stuff that theoretically provides a new kind of “high”. One of those ingredients is L-Carnitine, which is a prescription product in Canada, but not so in the US.
Basically, as a bartender we have enough things to watch out for. But aside from over consumption, illegal drugs and prescription drug reactions we need to watch out for the first time drinker being served Red Bull and Vodka. Oh well, we do what we can, but nothing is going to help that hangover, sorry about your luck.
Red Bull and Vodka
In the cocktail world there are lots of trends. Right now the classic cocktail seems to be on the rise and the martini craze is slowly slipping into obscurity, thankfully. I hate when people come to the bar and ask; “What kind of martini’s do you have?” I have two, gin or vodka. Usually I’ll guide people away from the martini and into the world of cocktails served in something other than a martini glass. These people are easy because they have an open mind, the hard people are 20 something who think a Red Bull and Vodka is a cocktail and that’s all they drink.
I’ve only worked at bar that served Red Bull. But in this place they worked the kitchen guys so hard we often found a dozen or so empty cans of Red Bull in the cooler. Seems the kitchen staff needed a boost. Pop and coffee, free as it was, wasn’t to their liking it seems. So eventually Red Bull dropped off the list of available mixers. When this happened, the people who ordered a Red Bull and Vodka, and were told we don’t stock Red Bull, looked at us as if we weren’t stocking vodka or we had two heads.
In the time we stocked Red Bull, I’d watch people pound back six or more of these in a couple of hours. Now that’s about 480 mg of caffeine, which is fairly substantial. That’s enough to keep you going for most of the night. If you compared that to six Rum and Cokes, it would provide less than half the caffeine. When you order a double venti non-fat extra-dry cappuccino I’m sure you’re getting a whack of caffeine, but it’s not mixed with vodka, or Taurine.
But, getting people to order something other than a caffeinated alcohol mixture seems to be much harder than a martini seeker. It seems that they can’t enjoy a night without caffeine, let alone alcohol. Throw some illicit drugs into the mix and you sir have a serious problem.
So what’s the big deal? Well as a bartender you want to control the room. Basically you keep an eye out for annoying people and control their consumption. If someone is jacked on caffeine it can add to potential problems. Plus, people who have high caffeine intake tend to feel more sober than they really are. Then there are the potential health risks. The three chemicals in Red Bull, that may pose problems, are caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone. For review purposes, here’s what these additives do:
Caffeine (80 mg) is a chemical that interferes / blocks adenosine, which is a chemical that helps regulate sleep. Basically the caffeine molecule looks very similar to adenosine and fits in the same cell receptors as adenosine. But when caffeine binds to these receptors it doesn’t have the same affect and interferes with the sleep cycle, causing a temporary state of wakefulness.
Taurine (1000 mg) is a nonessential amino acid. This means the body can make this amino acid and you don’t require it from your diet. Taurine is used by the body to regulate the cardiovascular system, production of bile for digestion and is said to act as a mild sedative. This is probably the property the makers of Red Bull are trying to use to counteract the excited state caused by caffeine.
Glucuronolactone (600 mg) is a natural byproduct of glucose metabolism in the liver. It is purported to fight fatigue and provide a sense of well-being. However, it is not a mind altering stimulant.
As it stands now, there have only been a few isolated cases of serious issues with Red Bull, far fewer than those associated with just plain old alcohol. Even so, a few countries have banned the sale of Red Bull, and other drinks of the same ilk. But, the reality is that anything in moderation is probably ok, but when you pound back six or more, you might be pushing your luck. That’s when a bartender needs to keep an eye on you, and that just makes our life that much harder, liabilities and all.
Today, Red Bull seems tame compared to other energy drinks, like Monster, Rockstar, etc. For years people rallied against the use of chemicals in food products, now a whole multi-billion dollar industry has popped up based on the addition of chemicals. This new breed of drink contains all sorts of chemical stuff that theoretically provides a new kind of “high”. One of those ingredients is L-Carnitine, which is a prescription product in Canada, but not so in the US.
Basically, as a bartender we have enough things to watch out for. But aside from over consumption, illegal drugs and prescription drug reactions we need to watch out for the first time drinker being served Red Bull and Vodka. Oh well, we do what we can, but nothing is going to help that hangover, sorry about your luck.
In the cocktail world there are lots of trends. Right now the classic cocktail seems to be on the rise and the martini craze is slowly slipping into obscurity, thankfully. I hate when people come to the bar and ask; “What kind of martini’s do you have?” I have two, gin or vodka. Usually I’ll guide people away from the martini and into the world of cocktails served in something other than a martini glass. These people are easy because they have an open mind, the hard people are 20 something who think a Red Bull and Vodka is a cocktail and that’s all they drink.
I’ve only worked at bar that served Red Bull. But in this place they worked the kitchen guys so hard we often found a dozen or so empty cans of Red Bull in the cooler. Seems the kitchen staff needed a boost. Pop and coffee, free as it was, wasn’t to their liking it seems. So eventually Red Bull dropped off the list of available mixers. When this happened, the people who ordered a Red Bull and Vodka, and were told we don’t stock Red Bull, looked at us as if we weren’t stocking vodka or we had two heads.
In the time we stocked Red Bull, I’d watch people pound back six or more of these in a couple of hours. Now that’s about 480 mg of caffeine, which is fairly substantial. That’s enough to keep you going for most of the night. If you compared that to six Rum and Cokes, it would provide less than half the caffeine. When you order a double venti non-fat extra-dry cappuccino I’m sure you’re getting a whack of caffeine, but it’s not mixed with vodka, or Taurine.
But, getting people to order something other than a caffeinated alcohol mixture seems to be much harder than a martini seeker. It seems that they can’t enjoy a night without caffeine, let alone alcohol. Throw some illicit drugs into the mix and you sir have a serious problem.
So what’s the big deal? Well as a bartender you want to control the room. Basically you keep an eye out for annoying people and control their consumption. If someone is jacked on caffeine it can add to potential problems. Plus, people who have high caffeine intake tend to feel more sober than they really are. Then there are the potential health risks. The three chemicals in Red Bull, that may pose problems, are caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone. For review purposes, here’s what these additives do:
Caffeine (80 mg) is a chemical that interferes / blocks adenosine, which is a chemical that helps regulate sleep. Basically the caffeine molecule looks very similar to adenosine and fits in the same cell receptors as adenosine. But when caffeine binds to these receptors it doesn’t have the same affect and interferes with the sleep cycle, causing a temporary state of wakefulness.
Taurine (1000 mg) is a nonessential amino acid. This means the body can make this amino acid and you don’t require it from your diet. Taurine is used by the body to regulate the cardiovascular system, production of bile for digestion and is said to act as a mild sedative. This is probably the property the makers of Red Bull are trying to use to counteract the excited state caused by caffeine.
Glucuronolactone (600 mg) is a natural byproduct of glucose metabolism in the liver. It is purported to fight fatigue and provide a sense of well-being. However, it is not a mind altering stimulant.
As it stands now, there have only been a few isolated cases of serious issues with Red Bull, far fewer than those associated with just plain old alcohol. Even so, a few countries have banned the sale of Red Bull, and other drinks of the same ilk. But, the reality is that anything in moderation is probably ok, but when you pound back six or more, you might be pushing your luck. That’s when a bartender needs to keep an eye on you, and that just makes our life that much harder, liabilities and all.
Today, Red Bull seems tame compared to other energy drinks, like Monster, Rockstar, etc. For years people rallied against the use of chemicals in food products, now a whole multi-billion dollar industry has popped up based on the addition of chemicals. This new breed of drink contains all sorts of chemical stuff that theoretically provides a new kind of “high”. One of those ingredients is L-Carnitine, which is a prescription product in Canada, but not so in the US.
Basically, as a bartender we have enough things to watch out for. But aside from over consumption, illegal drugs and prescription drug reactions we need to watch out for the first time drinker being served Red Bull and Vodka. Oh well, we do what we can, but nothing is going to help that hangover, sorry about your luck.
lets try variations in classicals like bloody mary
I’m going to take some of those modifications and apply them to a Bloody Maria, which in itself is a variation of the Bloody Mary.
For those that don’t know, a Bloody Maria is a Bloody Mary made with tequila, instead of vodka. A Red Snapper is gin substituted for the vodka, but with a little historical confusion, more on that in another post.
The variation here will be to substitute the tomato juice with mango puree. For this to work properly you need to get real mango puree, not mango nectar or mango flavour Kool-Aid crystals. The reason for this is that mango puree isn’t excessively sweet and has a similar texture to good tomato juice.
Now, the reasoning behind this variation is that mango’s grow so well in Mexico that combining them with tequila seems like a great idea. Also, mango’s go exceptionally well with hot spices, which is one of the underlying characteristics of a good Bloody Mary / Caesar.
Tequila Maria
1½ oz Tequila
3 oz Mango Puree
3 Dashes Tabasco
2 Dashes Worcestershire
Dash Salt & PepperSqueeze of Lemon Juice
Garnish with a lime.
Instructions: Pack a glass full of ice. In a cocktail shaker combine all the ingredients, add ice and shake. Strain into the glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
If you can find it, try White Wine Worcestershire sauce. One of the waiters I worked with absolutely loved this stuff. He used it in his Caesars and felt it brought the drink to a new level. But if you don’t have it, regular Worcestershire will do. Also, I used white pepper because I don’t like little black flecks floating in my yellow cocktail. I also used green Tabasco (mild) sauce but the regular stuff will work perfectly fine.
So how does it taste you may ask? Well, to me it is very, very good. It has a savoury quality to it and the sweetness of the mango’s is really subdued by the lemon/lime juice, but the mango flavour is very present. The spice from the Tabasco is present without being over powering. Of course if you really like spicy drinks, just up the Tabasco or use one of those "suicide sauces".
The tequila is what really makes the drink though, so don’t skimp and use the cheap stuff. Patron may be a bit pricey for what it is, but it is still a good tequila and works very well in this drink. It provides its own spicy touch that works amazingly well with the mango.
The Tequila Maria isn’t perfect, but as a simple variation on a standard drink, it is pretty good. But then again, I’m not a huge fan of tomato based cocktails, so working with something I like is a great way to vary recipes.
This months edition is being hosted at Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour, so check go over and check out the summary. I suspect I know where this topic came from when Jimmy and I crosses a quantum instance where we had the same idea for a variation of a drink. See the Bergeron Cocktail
For those that don’t know, a Bloody Maria is a Bloody Mary made with tequila, instead of vodka. A Red Snapper is gin substituted for the vodka, but with a little historical confusion, more on that in another post.
The variation here will be to substitute the tomato juice with mango puree. For this to work properly you need to get real mango puree, not mango nectar or mango flavour Kool-Aid crystals. The reason for this is that mango puree isn’t excessively sweet and has a similar texture to good tomato juice.
Now, the reasoning behind this variation is that mango’s grow so well in Mexico that combining them with tequila seems like a great idea. Also, mango’s go exceptionally well with hot spices, which is one of the underlying characteristics of a good Bloody Mary / Caesar.
Tequila Maria
1½ oz Tequila
3 oz Mango Puree
3 Dashes Tabasco
2 Dashes Worcestershire
Dash Salt & PepperSqueeze of Lemon Juice
Garnish with a lime.
Instructions: Pack a glass full of ice. In a cocktail shaker combine all the ingredients, add ice and shake. Strain into the glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
If you can find it, try White Wine Worcestershire sauce. One of the waiters I worked with absolutely loved this stuff. He used it in his Caesars and felt it brought the drink to a new level. But if you don’t have it, regular Worcestershire will do. Also, I used white pepper because I don’t like little black flecks floating in my yellow cocktail. I also used green Tabasco (mild) sauce but the regular stuff will work perfectly fine.
So how does it taste you may ask? Well, to me it is very, very good. It has a savoury quality to it and the sweetness of the mango’s is really subdued by the lemon/lime juice, but the mango flavour is very present. The spice from the Tabasco is present without being over powering. Of course if you really like spicy drinks, just up the Tabasco or use one of those "suicide sauces".
The tequila is what really makes the drink though, so don’t skimp and use the cheap stuff. Patron may be a bit pricey for what it is, but it is still a good tequila and works very well in this drink. It provides its own spicy touch that works amazingly well with the mango.
The Tequila Maria isn’t perfect, but as a simple variation on a standard drink, it is pretty good. But then again, I’m not a huge fan of tomato based cocktails, so working with something I like is a great way to vary recipes.
This months edition is being hosted at Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour, so check go over and check out the summary. I suspect I know where this topic came from when Jimmy and I crosses a quantum instance where we had the same idea for a variation of a drink. See the Bergeron Cocktail
RUM
This months topic is rum, which is a spirit I very much enjoy. I have a fairly decent collection of rum and most of it is purchased based on reviews, curiosity or recommendations. To celebrate Mixology Monday I decided to add another bottle of rum to my collection, and this time it falls under the “curiosity” category. Why, you may ask? Well, because the 2008 San Francisco Spirits Competition picked it as a gold medal winner in the dark rum category. “Big deal” you say, “everything wins a medal in San Francisco”. But this time it was a rum I’ve passed by many times, never giving it a second thought, but with that gold medal, they at least increased their sales by one bottle.
For the curious, the rum is Lamb’s Navy, a British classic, fermented around the Caribbean, and in this case, blended and bottled in Canada. It costs about $22 per bottle and doesn’t really standout on the shelf with its rather angular looking bottle from 1972. But I’ve always noticed it, just never had a reason to buy it. But I was curious to find out why it was a gold medal winner.
But we won’t be discovering that today, because I’m actually doing a highballesque drink for Mixology Monday. Sure, a rum review would have sufficed or maybe Dark n’ Stormy would be a great choice, but I think a few people picked that already. Rum and Coke has been done, Rum & Seven is a bit boring for me, so I’m doing something new.
It just happens that Loblaws, a large Canadian grocery store, releases a bunch of seasonal products every year, under the President’s Choice brand, and for the most part they are pretty good. Rob Mifsud at Hungry in Hogtown has written a few posts on these products and would probably concur that the PC brand does aim for quality, or at least unique flavour.
One of the summer releases is President’s Choice Naturally Flavoured Lychee Sparkling Soda, basically Lychee flavoured pop / soda. Of course curiosity insists that I try to make a drink from it, and since I have a new bottle of Lamb’s Navy Rum, I thought that I would try them together.
This highball is pretty simple and required the following:
1½ oz Dark Rum
4 oz Lychee Pop
¼ oz LIME JUICE
Apple Wedge
Instructions: Fill a 12oz highball glass with ice and add rum, pop and lime juice. Garnish with an apple slice.
This drink follows the Rum and Seven principal but comes out very different. Obviously there is a lot of tropic tones to this drink with lychee being predominant, but a strong mango flavour seems to appear out of nowhere. The rum is a perfect compliment and doesn’t really stand out on its own, it just plays well with the other flavours. The lime makes the drink a bit more refreshing and the apple is a perfect compliment to the lychee. Really, mix up some lychee and apples and you’ll understand. Plus the apple adds a little colour.
This is one of those drinks that you could really enjoy on a brutally hot summers day. It won’t even challenge you manhood because it just looks like a plain old highball. If you need something tropical, try this out. You should be able to find lychee soda in some Asian grocery stores.
This month it is being hosted by Trader Tiki, so when you are done reading here, head on over to read the summary.
For the curious, the rum is Lamb’s Navy, a British classic, fermented around the Caribbean, and in this case, blended and bottled in Canada. It costs about $22 per bottle and doesn’t really standout on the shelf with its rather angular looking bottle from 1972. But I’ve always noticed it, just never had a reason to buy it. But I was curious to find out why it was a gold medal winner.
But we won’t be discovering that today, because I’m actually doing a highballesque drink for Mixology Monday. Sure, a rum review would have sufficed or maybe Dark n’ Stormy would be a great choice, but I think a few people picked that already. Rum and Coke has been done, Rum & Seven is a bit boring for me, so I’m doing something new.
It just happens that Loblaws, a large Canadian grocery store, releases a bunch of seasonal products every year, under the President’s Choice brand, and for the most part they are pretty good. Rob Mifsud at Hungry in Hogtown has written a few posts on these products and would probably concur that the PC brand does aim for quality, or at least unique flavour.
One of the summer releases is President’s Choice Naturally Flavoured Lychee Sparkling Soda, basically Lychee flavoured pop / soda. Of course curiosity insists that I try to make a drink from it, and since I have a new bottle of Lamb’s Navy Rum, I thought that I would try them together.
This highball is pretty simple and required the following:
1½ oz Dark Rum
4 oz Lychee Pop
¼ oz LIME JUICE
Apple Wedge
Instructions: Fill a 12oz highball glass with ice and add rum, pop and lime juice. Garnish with an apple slice.
This drink follows the Rum and Seven principal but comes out very different. Obviously there is a lot of tropic tones to this drink with lychee being predominant, but a strong mango flavour seems to appear out of nowhere. The rum is a perfect compliment and doesn’t really stand out on its own, it just plays well with the other flavours. The lime makes the drink a bit more refreshing and the apple is a perfect compliment to the lychee. Really, mix up some lychee and apples and you’ll understand. Plus the apple adds a little colour.
This is one of those drinks that you could really enjoy on a brutally hot summers day. It won’t even challenge you manhood because it just looks like a plain old highball. If you need something tropical, try this out. You should be able to find lychee soda in some Asian grocery stores.
This month it is being hosted by Trader Tiki, so when you are done reading here, head on over to read the summary.
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