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San Francisco’s Second-Oldest Drinking Spot

The bar Elixir was recognized this weekend as being the second oldest (known) drinking location in San Francisco by the wacky historical/drinking club E. Clampus Vitus (aka The Clampers).

The oldest is the Old Ship Saloon, which was literally a ship dry-docked in what is now the Financial District that was turned into a bar.

Elixir dates back to at least 1858 and it has been continually operated as a drinking establishment since then (we know this thanks to the thorough research by The Clampers) - with the exception of the 1906 earthquake and fire when it burned down and was rebuilt, and during Prohibition when it was a soda fountain.

The Mission seems pretty far out for an old drinking establishment, but keep in mind that Mission Dolores nearby is the oldest surviving building still standing in SF dating back to 1791.

I attended the event and took a couple of snaps. It was fun because The Clampers are ridiculous and also because the bar's owner, H. Joseph Ehrmann, has been a long-time Clamper himself. Also, there were two-dollar shots of whisky so I didn't get much else done that day.

March 21, 2017
Iceberg Animal Ice Molds Let you Experience Local Cooling in your Glass

Forgive me, I struggled with that headline.

Hey, I found these new kind of ice cube trays (on my regular search of new ice cube trays) that are pretty fun, if not totally clear. (I tried to hack them to make them come out clear, not very hard, but it didn't work.)

They're animals on top of ice cubes so that they float above the surface of your drink. It's like they're stranded on the rapidly-dissapearing polar ice caps- ADORABLY!

As your friendly neighborhood ice reviewer, I felt it my duty to purchase and test these trays. I bought two of them – a larger one and a bargain model. First, that latter.

The Fivebop Silicone Polar Ice Cube Molds come in Penguin and Polar Bear shapes. They only cost 13 dollars on Amazon (follow that link). They are smaller than the Monos brand ones – so if you put them in a warm drink they might not last long. I suspect that they're not quite as sturdy as the other ones but they worked well enough!

The monos 3D Ice Cube Mold Savanna comes in two versions: Lion & Hippopotamus Set and the Elephant & Gorilla Set. (They also have a Penguin and Polar Bear set that looks exactly like the Fivebop one but it's not available – not sure what's up with that.) I bought the Lion and Hippo one, as you can see from the below.

Good times with ice!

For all of the ice experiments on Alcademics, including how to make perfectly clear ice with Directional Freezing, see the Index of Ice Experiments Page.

Related articles

Clear Ice Cubes Using a Tray in a Cooler

January 19, 2017
Oxymel: The Other Vinegar Drink

I've reported on shrubs (vinegar-based fruit syrups) for years, and only a couple years ago learned about switchels. Now I've just learned about Oxymel.

A while back I posted on the difference between a shrub and a switchel, thanks to Brandon Wise of Imperial in Portland, OR.

Recently, Humberto Marques, Owner/manager of Curfew Cocktail Bar in Copenhagen, sent me a recipe with oxymel in it. I needed to know more.

A quick internet search reveals this definition from Emily Han, author of the book Wild Drinks & Cocktails: Handcrafted Squashes, Shrubs, Switchels, Tonics, and Infusions to Mix at Home:

DRINKING VINEGARS AT A GLANCE:

• SHRUB = VINEGAR + SWEETENER + FRUIT … AND SOMETIMES HERBS AND SPICES

• SWITCHEL = VINEGAR + SWEETENER + GINGER … AND SOMETIMES RUM

• OXYMEL = VINEGAR + HONEY + HERBS

Darcy O'Neil also has a good post about oxymel and other vinegar drinks.

Marques repeated some info he posted at Liquor.com here, plus shared a recipe.

Here is is:

Scarborough Fair by Simon & Garfunkel (by Humberto Marques of Curfew Cocktail Bar)

3cl Parsley, sage , rosemary and thyme Oxymel
5cl Tanqueray gin
3cl apple& rosehip marmalade
4cl lemon juice
1,5cl frangelico

Shake all the ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish: hazelnut powder floating

Herbs oxymel- 1 liter
in a blender:
2- sprig of parsley, sage , rosemary and thyme
1 litter of acacia honey
280ml apple cider vinegar

Liquidise in the blender , strain and filter , keep refrigerated.

Thanks Humberto!

Related articles

Natural Food (And Drink) Coloring Notes and Future Experiments

January 11, 2017
Water Chemistry at Deanston, Bunnahabhain, and Toberymory Distilleries

Several years ago I visited the Deanston and Bunnahabhain scotch whisky distilleries. Click on those words to read about the visits.

At the time I was there I was really obsessed with the effects of water in distilled spirits (not that I'm over it), so I followed up with some super specific questions about the pH and TDS of the water sources. I never ended up putting up a blog post about it but now it's about time.

Note that the Highland and Islay distilleries have slightly basic water (above 7.0), while the Island of Mull distillery water is slightly acidic. It would be more typical for Islay water to be acidic, as it typically runs through decaying vegetation through peat bogs, but at Bunnahabhain they collect the water upstream, two miles from the distillery. (Read more here.)

Deanston (Scottish Highlands slightly north of Glasgow)

Water Source: River Teith

Ph 7.1

Total Hardness ( mg CaCO3/ L ) 19.5

Colour (mg/L Pt/Co scale ) 20

Calcium ( mg/L ) 6.18

Bunnahabhain (Islay)

Water source: Margadale underground river

Ph 7.2

Total Hardness 120.7

Colour 50

Calcium 29.5

Tobermory (Isle of Mull)

Water Source: Gearr Abhainn

Ph 6.2

Total Hardness 21.4

Colour 175

Calcium 5.02.

To see how these water sources compare against typical Highland/Islay water, see this post as well as the whole Water Project series here to see how different water sources change the flavor of whisky before and after distillation.

January 10, 2017
Lunch in a Teepee, Dinner in a Castle: A Luxe Trip to The Glenlivet

Two years ago I went on a quick press trip with The Glenlivet single malt scotch whisky for the release of the first Winchester Collection, a series of 50-year-old whiskies from the brand. It was a vintage 1964 release.

While on the visit we were also able to taste the 1966 vintage that has recently come out and is the second bottling of the collection.

As this has just hit the market, I decided it was a good time to revisit my visit. Those notes are below.

The press release describes the new release:

The Vintage 1966 is the second release from Winchester Collection, The Glenlivet’s first ever series of rare and precious 50-year-old single malt Scotch Whiskies.

The Vintage 1966 is a precious whisky that uses sherry casks to enhance the trademark soft, sweet and sumptuous complexity that The Glenlivet is best known for. The result is a remarkable single malt that layers the soft, smooth notes of The Glenlivet with delicate taste of spice – a teasing intermingling of cinnamon and liquorice – and offers an exceptionally long, smooth finish with a pleasing hint of dryness.

Only 100 bottles of remarkable Speyside single malt, priced at $25,000 each, have been carefully guarded and cared for by generations of The Glenlivet Master Distillers and are currently on sale around the world in limited distribution.

An Afternoon Trip along the Smuggler's Trails

The hills and fields around The Glenlivet distillery has a series of walking trails called The Smugglers Trails, in tribute to the tradition of pre-legal distilling in the area. We had a day of activities leading up to the distillery visit, and then a dinner evening at a local castle. As one does.

In the afternoon we rode ATVs around the countryside, with a view of The Glenlivet distillery off in the valley. We had a picnic in a giant portable teepee (as one does), and enjoyed a display of falconry (as is typical).

The Glenlivet Distillery Visit (Nerd Stuff)

Next we headed downhill toward the distillery located in the middle of the valley. Though Glenlivet is the first licensed distillery in the Highlands (in 1824), this is the second location of the distillery after the first one burned down. The second was erected in 1858.

We first stopped at Josie's Well, one of the many wells used as a water source for fermentation at the distillery. The waters from the various wells are blended before use. Alan Winchester (for whom the Winchester Collection is named) says that The Glenlivet is a hard water distillery.

On the way into the distillery, we pass a duck pond that is used to cool the condenser water coming off the still- and I'm sure the ducks enjoy a warm pond to swim in.

Barley for the whisky is purchased from Scotland and abroad, and it is (as you'd guess from the soft and fruity flavor profile) unpeated. Winchester says the grind of the barley determines a lot of the final whisky flavor too – a point I'd not heard many distillers discuss (versus just maximum alcohol extraction). I'd like to investigate this more in the future.

For every ton of barley that comes into the distillery, one third ends up as whisky, another third as CO2 fizzed off by fermentation, and the final third is spent solids sold as cattle feed.

After the barley is ground, it goes to the mash tun where it is washed three times with hot water to pull out all the fermentable sugars. They don't stir it before pulling off the clearest liquid here, as this produces a less cereal-flavored (and presumably more fruity-flavored) whisky.

Next the clear liquid is transferred to the Oregon wood wash backs for fermentation. After 50 hours it reached about 8.5% ABV.

There are 14 stills at The Glenlivet, not just the six pretty ones you see on the tour. A lot happens out of sight or off-site, given that the distillery is relatively small. This is the second best selling single malt scotch whisky brand so they produce a lot here. There are aging warehouses located around Scotland, and things like watering down to barrel proof also happen elsewhere.

Demineralized water is used both for barrel proofing and for bottle proofing, as is typical.

Aging takes place in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, "traditional" (reused) barrels, and new French oak barrels.

Dinner in a Castle

After sampling a couple of 50-year-old whiskies at the distillery, a castle was a natural choice for dinner. It helps that there are a lot of castles around.

But the castle that we ended up in is Fyvie Castle, which dates back to at least 1211. We had bagpipes, suits of armor, the whole shebang.

It was a nice way to end a quick-and-lovely trip to The Glenlivet.

Related articles

Distillery Visit: Deanston Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Range of Kavalan Whisky, Thoroughly Described

Distillery Visit: Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey in Denver – Alcademics.com

Distillery Visit: Bunnahabhain Single Malt Scotch Whisky on Islay

January 5, 2017
What to Drink When You’re Not Drinking, According to Bartenders
It's January, and maybe you're taking a break from drinking so much or maybe you've resolved to drink less. Here are some suggestions on what to drink instead.

I asked my bartender pals on Facebook what they drink when they're not drinking alcohol. I didn't expect 100 of them to reply! I put them into various categories mostly based on their first answer to the question. There are some conclusions at the end. It is very long.

Water! And Coconut Water

It seems that people who like plain water also like herbal tea.

Daniel Castro of La Banane in Toronto, Ontario: Water. I'm getting older, I get migraines, and so looking after my health is #1. Herbal, peppermint tea is another go-to.

John Lermayer, Sweet Liberty, Miami: Alkaline water and green tea (together and separately)

Paul Bradley of Dubai: Large amounts of water, St Clements, lashings of ginger beer. And coconut water

Jabriel Donohue of Circadia, Seattle: Plain soda water, herbal tea, non alcoholic beer

Robert Freeman of Sidecar in Jacksonville FL: Acqua Panna with fresh squeezed lemon.

Charles Steadman: Mayim sparkling water and sencha tea from JoJo tea

Nonna Titulauri of Hakkasan San Francisco: If I'm out but not drinking, if I'm at a restaurant bar, I either drink hot/cold tea or a coffee beverage. And if I'm at a single standing bar, I just drink water with no ice. I like to keep it simple. I often times go visit my friends after my shift at bars where they work and just have a glass of water.

Chris Grimm of Sugar & Olives, Norwalk, CT: I try to drink a couple of litres of water, during a shift. My non-alcoholic, non-water go-to is Pellegrino Pamplemousse.

Ricardo Albrecht: Coconut water

Topo Chico Sparkling Water

Mindy Kucan of Hale Pele Portland, OR: Topo Chico!!!! I always have a case of topo in my car! Iced tea- sometimes I sweeten it. Black tea, golden milk, and I make this coconut water-banana-cocoa powder-Hawaiian sea salt smoothie that does the trick.

Pamela Wiznitzer of Seamstress, NYC: Topo Chico when available. Otherwise, I drink loads of tea and very into matcha these days!

Brad Bowden of Lounge Here Dallas, TX: Topo Chico for sure! HOLY Kombucha is up there on my go to list.

Donnie Pratt: Tap water, Topo Chico or Mountain Valley Springs and espresso 1000 Faces out of Athens, GA are my favorite.

Stuart Humphries of The Pass & Provisions, Houston, TX: Topo Chico, a highly effervescent agua mineral hard to find outside of Mexico and Texas, goes great with everything, esp. tacos and hangovers

Greg West: Topo all the way. Topo with hint of lime. So good.

Cameron George: Topo chico and Ango.

Kyle Zimmerman, Hutch on Avondale, Oklahoma City: Topo Chico with bitters and an orange slice. I feel like the minerality of topo really plays well with the bitters.

Will Croxville: Topo Chico if possible, but if not just regular old seltzer water for me.

Rich Heider II: Topo Chico

Sodas or Soda Water with Splashes of Something

Paul Russell of Hugo's, Portland Maine: Cinotto by San Pellegrino. Also, what I call the hydrito…an N/A mojito with a heavy hand of ango.

Danny Ronen, Consultant: I go for effervescent with little to no sugar, so: Perrier Grapefruit, Coconut water (preferably the one Robert Pallone has been working on for the past few years, it's so GD delicious and some of the lowest sugar content i've seen), Hot water, fresh lemon juice (neighbor's tree).

Tony Morandi of 900 wall/the Capitol. Bend OR: Coffee. Half soda water/half water. Tea is awesome mid day and night. Veggie based smoothies. Coconut water. But for special occasions, well made/ interesting sodas in limited quantities. Made a pineapple allspice soda the other day that was killer

Jason Laidlaw of The Shameful Tiki Room, Vancouver: Water, splash of pineapple if I need an energy boost (and the opened can(s) of soda water at the end of the shift. Not at work: coconut water (no added sugar), kombucha, water.

Travis St Germain of Clover Club, Brooklyn: Soda water lime juice and salt.

Matt Roberts of London: 1 lime, Mexican elbowed, pinch salt and soda water during service. Pot after pot of pu'erh tea helps keep the focus on line clean day too!

Josey Packard of Bar Mezzana, Boston: I make a tamarind syrup that has brags vinegar in it, a no-sugar St John's "syrup," and a sarsaparilla syrup.

Andy Griffiths: Sparkling water with yuzu juice!

Jamaal PatronJames Bowen: Clayton's Kola Tonic, splash Ginger Ale and 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters for good measure

Elliot Clark of Trick Dog, SF: Soda water, pineapple juice, and Peychauds bitters.

Alastair Burgess: Lemon, lime and bitters, actually available as a canned soft drink in the Caribbean. Other wise, ginger juice, lemon juice ango bitters and soda water.

Kailee Asher of Counter Intuitive/Undertow in Phoenix AZ: I'm pregnant right now so no drinking for a while… Clausthaler N/A beer, club soda and ango, dealer's choice N/A cocktail at a cocktail bar – had a really good smash at Otium in LA!

Odd Strandbakken of Himkok, Oslo. Norway: soda, ice, grapefruit bitters and grapefruit zest!

Francis Schott of Stage Left & Catherine Lombardi a restaurants, New Brunswick, NJ: Blenheim Ginger Ale (not-so-hot) out of the painted glass bottle (never plastic) or Elderflower syrup and soda. 2 oz in 6 oz seltzer- my favorite brand is Austrian by Nikolaihof. Elderflower syrup in German is Holunderblütensirup (available through Michael Skurnik Wines). Fun to drink – fun to say. I keep a bottle in my refrigerator at all times.

Zachary A. Evans: Fresh squeezed lemonade, ginger ale, and cran. Equal parts.

Ole Buddrus: Technically speaking bitters contain alcohol, that aside my favorite is still ginger ale and angostura, preferably East Imperial.

Ben Johnson of The Imperial Life, Asheville, NC: I find myself drinking a lot of Coke, or specialty soda in general. When I go out to eat or to a bar, my go to is almost always Peach Nehi soda if they've got it (and most places in Western North Carolina do). I'll also crush a soda water with lime after a long shift. And if I'm at a real dive, I'll generally go for a grapefruit juice (out of a can) and soda, as it looks more like a drink. There's really no reason to be at a dive bar if you're not drinking, so I find it best to mask it at these types of places.

Tonic Water, Modified

Jacopo Rosito: 54 Mint, San Francisco: Cranberry, tonic, lime !

Mike Henderson of Edible Beats (Root Down), Denver: Tonic, Lime, and Angostura Bitters. Preferably Q or Indi tonic.

Jay Villafana of The Slanted Door, San Francisco: Grapefruit and Tonic

Blair Frodelius. Mid-Century Lounge. Syracuse, NY: Fever-Tree Tonic water and a squeeze of lime, Orangina or Lavender Dry Soda all served on the rocks.

Brian Means, Michael Mina Group: Seedlip and tonic is delicious!

Tyler Fry: Tonic on anything, especially grapefruit. Juices and tea. Chai-spiced cider.

Jessi Mess, Absinthe, SF: grapefruit & tonic, sometimes with ango.

Paul Mathew of The Hide/The Arbitrager, London: House tonic syrup, orange bitters, squeeze of lime, soda, long w/lots of ice. And shots of 50:50 maple syrup and lime juice for a pick-me-up.

Coffee, Please

Fred Yarm of Loyal Nine in Boston: My number one nonalcoholic drink is coffee, hot and black, although I have no problem drinking it room temperature such as during a shift or if I have left overs from yesterday's pot. Otherwise, the majority of my nonalcoholic drinking consists of water either still or sparkling. And medicinally (besides its use for making Bucks and Mules), ginger beer such as a ginger-forward one like AJ Stephens is my go to.

Adam Patrick K of Rothbard Ale & Larder, Westport, CT: Bulletproof Coffee, tisanes, kombucha

Tom Zyankali of Zyankali Bar, Berlin: Café au laut with Vietnamese coffee

Anthony DeSerio: Coffee… lots and lots of coffee. Verners ginger ale when i can get it.

Or Geshury: Espresso tonic. Cold brew from coconut water. Jasmine green speedballed with chamomile/peppermint depending on the time of day. Coconut water + activated charcoal + sea salt (hangover preventative). Fevertree sodas. Mexicoke. Bitters lime and soda when at a bar and not drinking.

Tea and Iced Tea

Bill Brooks, The Cannibal Liquor House, Manhattan: I am a big fan of sun tea in the summer. I have 2-3 empty clear growlers that I fill with water, various fruits (watermelon, lemon, raspberry, peaches, etc), spices (mint, lemon verbena, basil), and some really good quality tea. Leave it out in the sun for a couple of hours and I will go thru a jug every 2-3 days. Love my sun tea.

Gary Crunkleton of The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, NC: Sweet Tea

Christian Suzuki of multiple bars, San Francisco: Genmaicha, Oolang (iced for summer, hot during winter), coffee (black…like my soul)

David Bonatesta: Genmaicha tea , Evian Water or San Pellegrino. Vitamin Water, Carrot Juice, Espresso

Trevor Easter of Normandie Club, Los Angeles: Bhakti original and coldbrew chai blend.

Bethany Ham: If it's cold out – green tea with honey and lemon or chai tea with a little hot almond milk. If it's hot out – bitters and soda #ftw, iced tea or ice water with a splash of fresh sweetened ginger and ango.

Jared Hirsch of Sidebar, Oakland, CA: At work: Arnold Palmer the way he liked it (3:1 iced tea : lemonade.) At home: Harney and Sons' Paris tea, or Lapsang Souchong tea, or Dr. Browns' Cream Soda.

Matthew Rowley, writer: For me it's tea. Iced tea all year and, when the mercury dips, hot tea in an old 500 ml West German beer stein. First one goes down usually before dawn. Second by 7am or so. A third only if I'm not going to the gym that day. Between hot and iced teas, I usually dispatch 2-4 liters per day. I may have a tea problem.

Andreas Künster: Black tea (the English way), cold milk, calpis or calpico with soda and a lot of non sparkling water

Tim Morrison of 4th Street Bar & Grill, Lake Mary, FL: I'm a tea addict. Hot or cold or any kind. I go thru more unsweet iced black tea than anything.

Christopher Day: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Niquito Constan: mate-cocido (a famous argentinean infusion) with milk and mascabo (red sugar), coffee with milk and honey, ginger beer whenever I can lay myself on one. I tend to mix tonic with juices. Homemade guarana soda, or homemade pomegranate with soda! From time to time I go full on zombie mode and drink guarana flavoured energy drink called V.

Jen Ackrill, Top of Waikiki, Hawaii: Technically when I'm "not drinking" I'm drinking Dolin Blanc with soda and a grapefruit zest, but when I'm NOT drinking it's Yogi Egyptian Licorice Tea, hot or cold!

Weird Miscellany

Cari Hah of Big Bar in Los Angeles: Korean Corn Silk Tea

Blake Pope of Kindred, North Carolina: Switchel. It's composition is incredibly simple – usually, just three ingredients: seltzer, apple cider vinegar, and either honey, molasses or maple syrup. I love the simplicity. Kindred currently has a pomegranate switchel on tap and I can’t get enough.

Thor Bergquist of PS40 in Sydney, Australia: Smoked lemonade made in house

Dan Brink: Apple cider vinegar, honey, cinnamon, ice

Leilani Vella: I don't find the trade of sugar for alcohol to be a healthier choice. So kombucha, bitters and soda, lemon grass mint tea, orange slice with fresh mint a splash of lemon juice and soda, or fresh juiced ginger, lemon apple and greens.

Ariana Vitale: Verjus

Cordula Langer: Joghurt with soda and homemade smoothies

Alex Smith, Whitechapel, SF: I have a favorite recovery drink when I go to the gym – when I am coincidentally also "not drinking." Combo of the following: some concentrated cold brew coffee w/ chicory (4 oz), hemp milk (2 oz), natural cane ginger beer (2 oz), coconut water (10 oz), and some Bob's Red Mill chocolate protein powder (3 tbs).

Conclusions

So if you wanted to take something away from this, here is what I see. Bartenders like:
- Tea, perhaps even more than coffee. I did not know this.
- Grapefruit and Tonic – If you're a tonic water brand you're going to want to release this as a combination flavor.
- Topo Chico is so, so hot right now. (I introduce it to my friends as 'bartender water.') Here's a good NYT story about it's new popularity.
January 2, 2017
How to Make the Death Star Ice Mold Turn Out Clear
Update: Learn more about this in The Ice Book, out May 2023!

Did you receive one of those cool Star Wars Death Star ice molds as a gift (or buy one for yourself), only to have it come out looking not like the advertisement:

Image from the ad on Amazon.

But more like this?

Yeah, more like post-Skywalker Death Star.

Don't worry, I have a fix for you. The trick is take advantage of Directional Freezing, a technique I pioneered here on Alcademics.com.

In a nutshell, the regular way ice ball will freeze is from the outside-in. The ice "wants" to be clear in a nice neat organized lattice so it pushes trapped air into the center of the ball, where it appears cloudy and also cracks as it expands. With Directional Freezing, we make sure the ice ball freezes from the top to the bottom, pushing that trapped air out the hole in the bottom.

We accomplish this by using a Thermos Funtainer (or other similar insulated mug, but this one fits the 2.5" ice ball molds perfectly and takes up the least amount of space in your freezer).
1. Fill the Thermos with water
2. Fill the Death Star ice ball mold with water (I use water from a Britta filter)
3. Hold your thumb over the hole in the Star Wars ice ball mold and turn it upside down, setting it on the Thermos with the hole facing into the thermos.
4. Put it in the freezer and wait 12 20 hours or so for it to freeze, depending on your freezer.
The ball should now be super clear.

Common issues are that it comes out more egg-shaped or that it's a touch cloudy on the last part to freeze (where the hole is). If you're experiencing that, try:
- Move it so that the hole is either directly down in the center of the thermos, or a little on an angle towards one side (depending on if your freezer is excessively cold or warm)
- Beware excessive vibration/jostling the container in your freezer, usually caused by opening and closing the door a lot. This can cause bubbles and stop the directional freezing process.
- Some super-obsessed Alcademics readers claim that to get every last cloudy bit out of the ice ball (often the last part to freeze is slightly 'frosty' in appearance), use bottled water. We haven't figured out why this would make any difference, but they claim it does.
- Most sink faucets have a aerator on them – even if your water doesn't need to be filtered, letting it sit a while or removing the aerator can help if the ice is still cloudy and freezes fast.
Enjoy your super clear Star Wars Death Star ice balls, and may the force of Directional Freezing be with you.

To see all the many, many ice experiments on Alcademics, follow this link to the Index of Ice Experiments.
December 24, 2016
Distillery Visit: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey in Denver

This December, I visited the Stranahan's single malt Colorado whiskey distillery in Denver, in order to partake in the fun and insanity of waiting in line overnight for the annual Snowflake whiskey release.

The previous night, however, we were given a tour by Stranahan's distiller Rob Dietrich.

Background

Stranahan's was launched by Jess Graber, who along with George Stranahan came up with the original recipe and product launch. This was back in 2004-2006, and in 2010 the brand was sold to Proximo (created by Jose Cuervo and owner of stylishly-branded brands including The Kraken rum and Boodles Gin).

In Denver, there is clearly no animosity towards Proximo's ownership, as the Snowflake whiskey release events show. Likewise, Jess Graber's newer whiskey brand TinCup is "finished" at Stranahan's (and I believe owned by Proximo), so that relationship remains in good standing as well.

Production

Stranahan's is an American single-malt, meaning it's distilled from 100% malted barley. The barley they use is mostly a "bulk" barley, plus three other "specialty" barleys making up their custom recipe.

The barley is milled on-site, then put into the mash tun to extract sugars for fermentation. Water is added. Next it goes into a "boil kettle" that kills bacteria/sterilizes it basically. This is not typical in bourbon or scotch production, but comes from the facility's historical use as a brewery. This is the stage at which hops would have been added.

I'm guessing that between what they call the mash tun and the boil kettle, it's doing the same thing as the mash tun and wash back of scotch whisky (soaking the grains and washing out the fermentable sugars with hot water), minus the filtering of the liquids (which at Stranahan's comes in the next step).

Then it goes into a "whirlpool," another brewery tool, which spins it to separate the liquids from the solids and gets "clean distiller's wort" out of it.

Fermentation is in closed-top, temperature-controlled stainless steel fermenters that are 5500 gallons in size. These also come from the former brewery. The yeast Dietrich says is an unusual strain, chosen not for producing high alcohol content necessarily, but for flavor production. Fermentation lasts six days. The ABV after fermentation? They won't say.

Interestingly, the water they use for fermentation is charcoal-filtered city water, while the water they use to dilute post-distillation to barrel-proof and bottle-proof is Colorado Springs mineral water. Typically, it's the other way around – the "special" local water is used for fermentation, then the reverse osmosis filtered city water is used for the rest. Interesting.

After fermentation, they suck out everything except the spent yeast and keep it in the "wash storage" until they're ready to distill it.

There are three large wash stills. One is the distillery's first still that they used to use for everything. They've since expanded to three wash stills for the first distillation, and two smaller spirit stills for the second distillation (as there is less volume of liquid to distill after the first distillation is done).

As you can see, both sets of stills are pot-column hybrid stills. If I recall correctly, Dietrich said their hybrid still was the first of its type used to make whisky in the state.

After the first distillation the spirit is 40%, and the spirit comes off the second distillation at 150 proof (75% ABV).

The spirit is then diluted with water from Colorado Springs and put into the barrels at 110 proof (55%). Amazingly, this spring water for barrel and bottle proofing is El Dorado Springs water, purchased in 5-gallon bottles, same as you'd buy for the water cooler in your office. There was a huge rack of them in the distillery. So I guess if you wanted to make matching ice cubes or bourbon and branch water, you'd know exactly which water to use.

In Colorado's weather, the alcohol percentage rises in the barrel, so after 2-3 years it comes out of the barrel at 114-166 Proof. The barrels are all new oak barrels, toasted first then charred with #3 alligator char by Independent Stave.

After aging, the spirit is put through a 5-micron filter just to keep out barrel char, then diluted with water from Colorado Springs for bottling. None of the whiskies are chill-filtered.

Stranahan's Whiskeys

The three Stranahan's releases are distilled the same way – same recipe and process. The difference between them is in age and finishing.

The Stranahan's Original single-malt is aged a minimum of two years in new American oak barrels. The majority of the liquid is two years old, with some 3-, 4-, and 5-year whiskey blended in.

The Stranahan's Diamond Peak is all aged four years in new American oak barrels.

The Snowflake whiskies are annual releases first aged in new American oak barrels, then finished in a variety of casks that held other wines/spirits and blended. Those are available for one day and then gone for the year.

December 22, 2016
I Waited in a Long Line for Whiskey, or, A Heroic Tale of Endurance
6 AM, December 3, Denver: While using the port-a-potty, my glasses fogged over with the steam rising from my pee. I knew at that moment I had made the right decision.

A couple weeks earlier, I had been invited to the Stranahan's distillery for the release of their annual Snowflake bottling. The press trip would involve a helicopter ride into the snowy mountains and then waiting outside overnight along with hundreds of other people for the whiskey to be released at 8AM.

Cold weather? Heights? Waiting overnight in a line for drinks? These are all things I very much do not like, yet I very much *do* like to be made uncomfortable. Count me in.

Arriving in Denver, we were told the helicopter ride would not be happening due to poor weather. I was relieved and disappointed as you'd expect. The point of the helicopter ride was to visit Crestone Peak – the Rocky Mountain peak after which this year's Stranahan's Snowflake whiskey was named. (Each annual bottling is named for a different peak, and this year is the 100th anniversary of the first successful summit of Crestone.)

Luckily the clever public relations team found a new way to arouse my discomfort, by taking myself and the other journalists on the trip to a western wear store to buy a cowboy hat, and then to perhaps America's least vegetarian-friendly restaurant. Well-played, team.

The store in question is Rockmount Ranch Wear, and there I picked up a snazzy new hat without too much fuss. The restaurant is The Buckhorn Exchange, Denver's oldest restaurant, taxidermy museum, and server of elk and yak meat. While I didn't eat much there, nor have more than one cocktail (their Old Fashioned has ginger ale in it), I did enjoy plenty of whiskey with Stranahan's distiller Rob Dietrich. I peppered him with nerdy distillery questions that I'll talk about in a future post. (post is here)

Howdy.

At 5AM the next morning, we headed out to the distillery and took our place in line. There were already hundreds of people there, in the very, very cold, near-pitch-dark line that wrapped all the way around the distillery then looped around the roads surrounding it.

The point of the trip was to experience this phenomena- the cultish devotion to the brand by locals (and a few people who came from pretty far away). The first person in line was there on Thursday afternoon for the Saturday morning event – and it turns out it's his thing to always be the first in line.

The previous nights the line already wrapped around the building- you can see a couple tents.

Most "StranaFans" were in small groups of four or so people, huddled together in lawn chairs wearing heavy winter clothing. Many were in sleeping bags, some had space heaters, there were some tents, a lot of people had been drinking, and I would expect that more than a few had partaken in the state's legal marijuana. At five in the morning, though, most of the line was more mellow and sleepy/asleep than wild.

In our group, we had a small tent with a space heater in it, a little boom box, and people to grill up food for us. It was as genteel as you could make it, but damn it was still cold! I had not expected to start drinking whiskey by 5:30AM, but umm, I needed it. By the time I'd get near the end of an ounce and a half or so of whiskey in my tin cup, both the liquid and the cup itself would be uncomfortably cold. (I was also hoping not to use the port-a-potty but after a lot of liquid I needed it, and had embraced my fate.)

Still life with whiskey, sneakers, and space heater.

Soon enough though, the sun began rising and people started stirring. After a few drinks, our little place in line got a tiny bit loud. Others got up and started stamping their feet to shake off the cold. Eventually towards 7AM or so (forgive me for inaccurate timing reports, I had consumed a fair amount of whiskey at this point), then line started moving.

They handed out tickets for the number of bottles that people wanted to purchase (maximum of two), so that when it reached the point where no more bottles would be available, people would know they'd not bother getting in line.

The fast-motion videos below should give you an idea of just how long the line was.

They began letting people into the distillery, directing the line along probably the longest route through it so that people could warm up while waiting. They had entertainment inside including live bands, and everyone was in a jolly mood at that point. (Not that anyone was in a bad mood at any point… there was a lot of whiskey around.)

The line wriggled all the away around the warehouse and back to the front counter, we were able to purchase our bottles of whiskey and have them signed by distiller Rob Dietrich.

First guy in line I think, walking out with his bounty as we were getting to the front of the building.

Then, very tipsily, the group of journalists piled into some Ubers with our newly-aquired, hard-earned whiskey, and headed out to a much-needed breakfast. With discomfort, comes success!

About Stranahan's Snowflake Batch 19: Crestone Peak

Each year Stranahan's Colorado single-malt releases a special Snowflake batch (no two are the same- get it?), named for one of the peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

The whiskey begins as Stranahan's Original (mostly two-year-old single malt with some 3- 4-, and 5- year mixed in) that is finished in a variety of casks. The press release notes, "Rob has chosen to celebrate Crestone Peak – Colorado’s seventh highest summit – by marrying the whiskeys from seven different barrels to create this edition of Snowflake."

The seven barrels in this year's single-malt blend are:
- 1 Syrah Amador wine cask
- 1 Madeira wine cask
- 1 Old Vine Zinfandel wine cask
- 1 Saint Croix Rum cask
- 2 4-year old Stranahan’s whiskey casks
- 1 5-year old Stranahan’s whiskey cask
Of course, the annual Snowflake release is already sold out, so if you didn't get one, you didn't get one.

Read about how Stranahan's makes their whiskey with my distillery visit blog post here.
December 19, 2016
All the Cocktails and Spirits Books Published in 2016 for Reading or Gifting

I love books! Here are all the books on cocktails and spirits I know of (please do comment if I've missed something) published this year. Give some gifts or just stock up on your winter reading for the cold months. I've got stacks to get through myself.

Whiskey Books

Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey by Fred Minnick

More Kentucky Bourbon Cocktails by Joy Perrine and Susan Reigler

The Big Man of Jim Beam: Booker Noe And the Number-One Bourbon In the World by Jim Kokoris

Whisky Japan: The Essential Guide to the World's Most Exotic Whisky by Dominic Roskrow

Iconic Whisky: Tasting Notes & Flavour Charts for 1,500 of the World's Best Whiskies by Cyrille Mald and Alexandre Vingtier

Whiskey: A Spirited Story with 75 Classic and Original Cocktails by Michael Dietsch

The Manhattan: The Story of the First Modern Cocktail with Recipes by Philip Greene

Miscellany

Made of Iceland: A Drink & Draw Book by Reyka Vodka, Snorri Sturluson

Inside The Bottle: People, Brands, and Stories by Arthur Shapiro

The Craft Cocktail Coloring Book by Prof Johnny Plastini

Drinking with Republicans and Drinking with Democrats by Mark Will-Weber

The Moonshine Wars by Daniel Micko

Drinks: A User's Guide by Adam McDowell

Shrubs: An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times (Second Edition) by Michael Dietsch

A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World by Robert Simonson

Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our Drunken History by Steven Grasse

DIY Bitters: Reviving the Forgotten Flavor – A Guide to Making Your Own Bitters for Bartenders, Cocktail Enthusiasts, Herbalists, and More by Jovial King and Guido Mase

Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons

Drink Like A Grown-Up by The League of Extraordinary Drinkers

The Coming of Southern Prohibition: The Dispensary System and the Battle over Liquor in South Carolina, 1907-1915 by Michael Lewis

American Wino: A Tale of Reds, Whites, and One Man's Blues by Dan Dunn

Distilled Stories: California Artisans Behind the Spirits by Capra Press

Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art & Identity by Allan T. Shulman

Craft Spirits by Eric Grossman

Cocktail Books, General

Cocktails for Ding Dongs by Dustin Drankiewicz (Author), Alexandra Ensign (Illustrator)

Zen and Tonic: Savory and Fresh Cocktails for the Enlightened Drinker by Jules Aron

Pretty Fly For a Mai Tai: Cocktails with rock 'n' roll spirit

Cocktails for Drinkers: Not-Even-Remotely-Artisanal, Three-Ingredient-or-Less Cocktails that Get to the Point by Jennifer McCartney

Aperitivo: The Cocktail Culture of Italy by Marisa Huff

The Complete Cocktail Manual: 285 Tips, Tricks, and Recipes by Lou Bustamante and the United States Bartenders' Guild

Shake. Stir. Sip.: More than 50 Effortless Cocktails Made in Equal Parts by Kara Newman

101 Cocktails to Try Before you Die  by Francois Monti

Drink Like a Man: The Only Cocktail Guide Anyone Really Needs by Ross McCammon and David Wondrich

The New Cocktail Hour: The Essential Guide to Hand-Crafted Cocktails by Andre Darlington and Tenaya Darlington

Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau

Eat Your Drink: Culinary Cocktails by Matthew Biancaniello

Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations by Warren Bobrow

Tiki with a Twist: 75 Cool, Fresh, and Wild Tropical Cocktails by Lynn Calvo and James O. Fraioli

Cocktail Books from Bars or Places

The Canon Cocktail Book: Recipes from the Award-Winning Bar by Jamie Boudreau and James O. Fraioli

Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske and Georgette Moger-Petraske

Brooklyn Spirits: Craft Distilling and Cocktails from the World's Hippest Borough By Peter Thomas Fornatale and Chris Wertz

Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin Cate and Rebecca Cate

Cuban Cocktails: Over 50 mojitos, daiquiris and other refreshers from Havana

Brooklyn Bar Bites: Great Dishes and Cocktails from New York's Food Mecca by Barbara Scott-Goodman

The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book by Frank Caiafa

Lift Your Spirits: A Celebratory History of Cocktail Culture in New Orleans by Elizabeth M. Williams and Chris McMillian

Science!

Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey by Rob Arnold and Eric Simanek

Distilled Knowledge: The Science Behind Drinking’s Greatest Myths, Legends, and Unanswered Questions by Brian D Hoefling

Classic Cocktail Book Reprints

THE HOME BARTENDER'S GUIDE AND SONG BOOK {By Charlie Roe and Jim Schwenck}

AMERICAN BAR {By Frank P. Newman}

LOUIS' MIXED DRINKS {By Louis Muckenstrum}

Beer (A few beer books slip through the cracks and come to me)

The United States of Beer: A Freewheeling History of the All-American Drink by Dane Huckelbridge

The Beer Geek Handbook: Living a Life Ruled by Beer by Patrick Dawson

MY BOOK!

Please consider supporting Alcademics by purchasing a copy of my book Tonic Water AKA G&T WTF. It's a gift to yourself, and a gift to me.

Want to see some of the previous years' books? Well, here they are:

More Than 40 Drink Books Published in 2014 for Reading or Gifting

All the Cocktails & Spirits Books Published in 2015, For Reading or Gifting

December 12, 2016