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Bringing Sour Back

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Sour Mix Image

This is the bottle that sank a thousand cocktails…

I was eating lunch with a couple other bartenders this week, and I told them that I was working on an article about sour mix. Both of them cringed, no doubt with bottles of sickly yellow, highly processed liquid floating through their head. This has been what most of our parents, and many of us, were used to getting when we asked for a drink that required sour mix at a bar. Long Island Ice Teas, margaritas, Lynchburg Lemonades, so many cocktails that were drenched in this stuff. August 25th is National Whiskey Sour Day, and the story of sour mix plays into the story of the cocktail quite nicely.  It was not always something people would raise their nose at.

“Sours” are a class of cocktails that was been revived with the craft cocktail movement. The first sours were introduced in a book that is on every serious bartender’s bookshelf, How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon Vivant’s Companion, by Jerry Thomas. These cocktails started simply, using only a base spirit (like whiskey), lemon, and simple or “gumme” syrup. This basic recipe was so popular it spawned a wide variety of other cocktails, switching ingredients in and out but maintaining the same basic formula. It became the work horse of the late 19th century, spawning classics like the sidecar, margarita and daiquiri are all examples of cocktails that are part of this group. Cocktail historian David Wondrich notes it was one of the most popular cocktail types for over a century, especially the whiskey version, from the 1860’s to the Mad Men era of the 1960’s.

Through the 20th century, two major events happened that sullied the reputation of these fine cocktails. The first was Prohibition, which drove out all of the professional bartenders in the country, and with it all of their knowledge. The second is the development of prepackaged and premade food and drink. We developed into a society that was not going to wait, as well as one that was thrilled with anything new that science could invent.  During the 50’s and 60’s, fresh squeezed juices were falling by the wayside in favor of premade juices that would last longer on the shelf. This included cocktail mixers that were easy to pour over a single liquor to make a drink. Who needs all of that tedious squeezing and mixing when you can just pour it out of a bottle?  It was faster for bartenders, but it did not taste as good or as fresh. Combine that with a distilling industry that was just getting back into the swing of things, and you had a rough time for cocktails.

Whiskey Sour in a cocktail glass

THAT…is a lovely whiskey cocktail.

At the beginning of the craft cocktail boom, a seed of hatred was planted into cocktails that used premade mixers. This seed grew, with sour mix and all cocktails made with sour mix: the focus of mixologist’s ire. Their simplicity was disregarded for more complex and exotic flavors. But that simplicity is what originally made this cocktail category, and the whiskey sour itself, so popular. You did not need many ingredients to make it, and the ingredients you did need were easy to get. Because many bars and restaurants are not making cocktails with fresh juices, it is far easier to enjoy these cocktail as they were envisioned about 140 years ago: liquor, some lemon juice, and some simple syrup.

When you are making a sour cocktail, you should keep in mind that the lemon and the simple syrup are going to overpower the liquor you choose. I would never recommend using something like Old Dan Tucker or Kentucky Gentleman, but there is no need to break out the Pappy Van Winkle. A nice Jim Beam or Maker’s Mark would do nicely. If you want a little more spice, you can use a rye whiskey as well.

Whiskey Sour

2 oz. bourbon
.75 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. simple syrup

Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake it well. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry. You can make it look fancier by adding a lemon wedge. You can also enjoy it, as many people do, over ice in a non-chilled glass.

For any bartenders reading, or other cocktail enthusiasts, you may ask “Where is the egg white?” Many people will argue that a tablespoon or two of egg white should go into it, which would give the cocktail a smoother, thicker mouthfeel and add some foam when you shook it with the other ingredients. It is also a potential health hazard. It is disputed whether or not that ingredient should be added, but you may if you wish. Jerry Thomas did not add it, so neither will I.

Whiskey sours, and sours in general, are light and refreshing drinks that are about due for a major comeback. Simpler cocktails are making a comeback, and this is one of the simplest there is. Combine that with the bourbon boom that is happening, and soon the whiskey sour could be back among the most popular cocktails in the country. Ready to start the trend?

 

Keep the Rum Coming

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Portrait of George Washington

Yes, I would love to have a glass of rum. Thank you for asking!

George Washington is remembered as being one of the most respected individuals in American history. He was the General of the Army that defeated the British, he was the first President, and he was one of the great provocateurs before the American Revolution. He was a distiller, making his own beer and whiskey. He also knew quite well what spirits the people of colonial America liked to drink. He ordered 28 gallons of a particular spirit to distribute while he was running for the House of Burgess in Virginia. He also demanded it as a ration for his troops during the brutal winter they spent at Valley Forge and made sure that the fighting men got it before the officers did. When the war was over and Washington attended his inauguration, he (illegally) had a barrel of the finest imported. Whiskey was not a major American drink until after the war.  The spirit that Washington, and all colonists were so fond of, was rum.

Rum was rough when it was first made. It was called kill-devil by most, but also referred to by several British slang words like rumbustion or rumbullion, both of which were terms referring to an upheaval. As it started to rise through the gentry, it became more refined with very basic distilling technology. It also became more popular as a drink to take on long voyages. Most ships of the era were outfitted with large supplies of beer and water. Rum did not go bad like the beer eventually did, nor did it suffer the same contamination that water was suspect to. Moreover, it was discovered that the long trips to Britain and America in oak barrels mellowed the rum and made it a much better quality liquor. It became a staple not only in the British navy, but on the pirate ships that were attracted to the Caribbean area for its developing wealth. The British were not prepared for the strength of the new spirit over beer. Rum started to be mixed with water, brown sugar, and lime. This had two effects: it stopped the sailors from being dead drunk and it gave them enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy. This gave the British a distinct advantage in sea combat. It remained a staple until 1970, when having buzzed sailors and modern weapons seemed to be a bad idea.

Barrels of rum stacked on each other

Barrels of rum aging.

America loved it as well. Rhode Island created rum that was as good, if not better, than rums coming from the tropics. The colonies were awash with it. Rum was in punches and any other drink you could ask for while traveling. It was also part of the slave trade, with people selling molasses to the colonies to get money to buy slaves. On average, colonists were drinking about four gallons per person per year. England took note of that, and imposed the Molasses Act in 1733 and Sugar Act in 1764, taxing the ingredients that helped to make rum. In 1775, the American Revolution began, and the rum started to flow out of America. Molasses became harder to come by. Not long after the revolution, as Americans moved west, whiskey started to be made in larger quantities in Ohio and Kentucky. Rum fell out of favor for a very long time, making a brief reappearance during Prohibition, then again after World War Two during the Tiki drink craze that swept the fifties and sixties.

Rum is distilled from one of two sources, either of which must come from sugar: molasses or sugar cane juice. Sugar cane juice is a little rarer (and known as rhum), so the bulk of the rum we all drink is made from molasses. It makes sense; the original rums were distilled from molasses, which was no more than a sticky, hard to dispose of byproduct when people were making sugar. There was just enough sugar left in it, with the help of some yeast, to turn it into something that was drinkable. Since rum was originally distilled among the many islands of the Caribbean, there is no one way for any particular rum to be created. Different yeast strains, stills, and methods are all employed by the various companies, making no two rums alike. It is hard to categorize all of the rum that is available in the market, but these are some common distinctions:

  • Light (silver) rum – They are milder and sweeter in general than most rums. The bulk of silver rum comes from Puerto Rico or Brazil (called cachaca). These are the ones you will find in most cocktails.
  • Gold rum – They usually have been aged in charred oak barrels, which gives them a little more color than the younger silvers. These barrels usually come from bourbon, which adds richness to the flavor.
  • Dark rum – Deep brown or red in color, these are more often used in cooking. They are aged longer, adding richer molasses and caramel tones to them. Dark rums usually come from Jamaica, Haiti, or Martinique.
  • Overproof rum – Gold colored rum with a very high ABV (Alcohol by Volume), usually around 151 proof.
  • Spiced rum – Spices are added, usually to gold rums, to enhance the natural flavor of the rum. They can also be darkened with caramel color.
  • Flavored rum – Usually silver in color and lower in ABV, they make up for it with added flavors. The flavors selected, usually tropical in nature, blend well with the natural sweetness of the rum. They are usually added to a mixer as an enhancement.
Fish House Punch in nice glassware

Fish House Punch, a staple of the Founding Fathers. This may explain some of the government.

Some places still offer gunpowder rum (exactly as it sound: run mixed with gunpowder), and there are many fine sipping rums as well that are made in pot stills and very small batches.

Rum is starting to make a comeback from a very long hiatus. The craft cocktail movement, with its love of the classics, has brought this spirit back. The first cocktails were made of rum, littering the early years of America with recipes. Fish House Punch, flips, shrubs, and daiquiris (who have their own day on July 19th) all are cocktails that have a strong rum base. Mojitos are a wonderful summer cocktail, and the mai tai is considered a classic of the tiki era. Everything about rum invites fresh and tropical, perfect summer sipping. The complexity of rum offers an excellent base for cocktails.

From pirates to presidents, rum has been a spirit that has stayed close to the hands of people who enjoy a cocktail or two. Bourbon is considered the “spirit of America”, but the people who built America were fonder of their rum than whiskey of any sort. In recognition of the spirit and the day, find a restaurant with a patio that will make you a classic daiquiri. Summer is only going to last for so long, so enjoy!