Imbibist

Being a good drinking and gambling man (or couple), Lovely Girlfriend and I spent the weekend of the 2009 Kentucky Derby at a favorite Nevada casino resort. I will refrain from mentioning the name of the resort, as it generally offers an enjoyable experience. Indeed, this property is one of the few remaining casinos in Northern Nevada that is not overrun by the fortified wine, malt liquor, and methamphetamine crowds. I would hate to shame a decent establishment over a silly bartending mistake, but the mistake deserves to be retold.
 

A Traditional Mint Julep, courtesy of Velo Steve via Flickr.

We watched the race – an intense come from behind victory by the 50-to-1 long shot Mine That Bird – from the anxious confines of the sports book. After witnessing the historic finish, along with the expressions of anguish and elation from the betting populace, we felt it necessary to imbibe the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby, the Mint Julep.
 

I realize there are many variations on this classic cup, but when I order a Mint Julep from a nondescript bar in a casino, I’m expecting Bourbon whiskey. After taking our order, the bartender filled two highball glasses with light rum and Sprite, and topped them with a sprig of mint. “There must be customers ahead of us,” I thought, until he presented the two glasses to me.
 

“Here you go,” offered the bartender.
 

“What’s this?” I replied.
 

“Mint Julep!”
 

“With rum and Sprite?”
 

“Yeah! Mint Julep!”
 

“I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to have Bourbon,” I said, carefully avoiding any accusations of ignorance.
 

Another patron chimed in. “That ain’t no Mint Julep, buddy. Yer supposed to use whiskey, goddammit!”
 

“No, Mint Julep! Here you go!” the bartender insisted.
 

And so we went, with drinks in hand and a new appreciation for local interpretation. Who were we to argue? In Reno, a flubbed Mojito and a Mint Julep are one and the same. For a more accurate and tastier take on the Mint Julep, see this entry from Imbibe Magazine.
 

It’s high time for another infusion project. The problem is that I have a full load of Real Life staring me down right now, so the project must be simple or there will be no project at all. Problem solved.
 

This is easily the simplest project I’ve taken on thus far: Vanilla Bourbon. Prep work: simple. Maintenance: simpler. Risk factor: essentially zero.
 

Find an empty 375ml bottle (I keep plenty specifically for this purpose). Split a vanilla bean. Place vanilla bean halves into said 375ml bottle. Fill 375ml bottle with, oh, about 375ml of Maker’s Mark. Cap bottle. Turn over bottle multiple times per day, for 48 hours. Strain bourbon, discard vanilla bean. Serve.
 

Why, no, that isn't Chartreuse.

Yes, I do realize there is a commercially prepared vanilla whiskey available, but it’s not exactly bourbon. A Bourbon/Canadian blend, sweetened, and marketed to vodka drinkers. Not my idea of fun.

While it’s easy enough to get a drink in a Las Vegas casino, you never know exactly what will be delivered to you. Hi-balls are a popular choice. But while one manager wants to get you drunk and sloppy, another is squeezing pennies and watering down. I’ve come to learn the Crazy Horse Bar in the MGM Grand makes a good and consistent Martini. And if I’m ordering from the blackjack table, I’ll stick with beer or a premium spirit, either neat or on the rocks. Finding a well made craft cocktail in a casino is an impossible task. Or is it? The rebirth of classic ingredients like bitters and fresh juices has found its way to a handful of Las Vegas casino bars. But can they execute? In the spirit of sacrifice and discovery, your favorite amateur cocktailian ventured out to Sin City in search of answers.
 

MGM Down
 

A recent trip to Vegas exposed my girlfriend and I to the two ends of the specialty cocktail spectrum at MGM Mirage properties. In case you’re not up on your Vegas corporate knowledge, MGM Mirage owns roughly half the megaresorts on the Las Vegas Strip (Caesar’s Entertainment owns the other half – yes, two companies control nearly the entire Strip). Their newest offering is CityCenter, a 9+ Billion Dollar complex featuring five distinct properties that are decidedly bland by Vegas standards. Anchoring CityCenter is Aria, a 4,004 room resort and, strangely enough, home to CityCenter’s only casino. Overly anxious to end our January detox, and curious to see what $10 Billion gets you these days, we left our modest South Strip digs and trekked up to Aria.
 

Aria at CityCenter Las Vegas. Courtesy of ChrisYunker via Flickr.

The first lounge we encountered, The Deuce, seemed a bit too “ooncha-ooncha” for our taste. The drink menu, however, left us both surprised and encouraged, as it boasted the use of fresh juices and – get this – specialty bitters. Yeah, I even spotted celery bitters on there. Whoa. Someone here either cares about the drinks, or the suits in Marketing noticed the term “bitters” trending higher on Google searches. Regardless, we moved on to City Bar, a more-inviting-yet-still-swanky casino bar situated in the middle of the action. Standing front and center on the bar was a bottle of Peychaud’s and, to its right, Fee Brothers. Whoa, again. My buzz quickly crashed into bewilderment, however, after I noticed the menu’s definition of a Manhattan: Bourbon and Sweet Vermouth. No bitters. What the hell is going on here? I figured it was time for a test.
 

Me: I’d like a Manhattan, but can I get it with Peychaud’s bitters?
Bartender: Sure. Wait, did you say Payshods?
Me: Yeah, Peychaud’s bitters.
Bartender: OK, sure, no problem.

The place was very busy, and I could not see him during the entire process. I did notice him checking the bitters bottles; apparently he didn’t yet know Peychaud’s is the small bottle with the white label. What was delivered to me was very pink. “How much bitters did he put in there,” I wondered. And upon tasting, I discovered he used much. I also found he used the wrong ice in the shaker, as the drink was watered down to children’s strength. I was very disappointed, and the color and the taste didn’t make any sense. My palate was out of shape from the detox month, and this hurdle had me perplexed.
 

Aria's Manhattan. Or Sazerac. Or neither.

“Just what in the hell am I drinking? It’s too bitter, but I knew that from the color. It’s watered down to all hell. It almost tastes like a Sazerac sans absinthe. Wait, it’s not sweet. It’s not sweet at all. Bingo.”

He left out the vermouth. He thought I wanted Peychaud’s in lieu of vermouth. And he used small ice, rendering the final product as flavorless as daytime television programming. Additionally, bitters is used in a number of house cocktails at City Bar, but not the Manhattan. What was it my Little League coach used to preach to me? Fundamentals first. Yes, that’s it. Fundamentals first. Fail.
 

MGM Up
 

The following day we found ourselves meandering further up the strip. We dodged the rain, gambled sporadically, played Drink Arbitrage at the video poker bars, just doing the Vegas thing. Eventually we found ourselves at another MGM property, The Mirage. Twenty years ago, the Mirage was the toast of the town, with its volcano and white tiger shows. It’s still a respected property and, in my opinion, more enjoyable than the $10 Billion behemoth down the Strip. I digress.
 

Upon entry we encountered Rhumbar, a clean and modern lounge specializing in – drumroll please – rum drinks. I’d read some good things about Rhumbar somewhere – I cannot recall where – so it was imperative we check it out. Some prominent features at Rhumbar are a bank of daiquiri machines and beautiful-yet-dingy girls ordering mojitos. These are not necessarily bad things, but I do not find them reassuring either. We pressed on to find an intimidating array of rums. As a self-professed amateur, I must confess I know little about rums. Indeed, I’m still working my way through whiskeys and gins. But I know a Hemingway Daiquiri is a good thing, and upon finding it on the menu, I made sure the bartender put one in my hand in short order.
 

The Latin Manhattan at Rhumbar

You’ll have to forgive me, as I didn’t take good notes here. I cannot elaborate too much on the two drinks I had, except to say they were both delectable. Perhaps a little on the sweet side, but strong and flavorful nonetheless. The Hemingway Daiquiri was delicious, and unlike its ungodly cousins, it did not come from one of those slush machines. My second drink, the Latin Manhattan, was a delight: Rum, vermouth, bitters, maraschino liqueur, and “Caribbean Spices”. I asked the bartender to elaborate on the Caribbean Spices and his response was an unsure, “Uh, Angostura, you know.” Outside of this deer/headlights moment, the experience was overwhelmingly positive. We would have opted for another round, but the sun was still up, and a strong buzz was festering itself upon us.
 

MGM Again?
 

It’s nearly impossible to avoid MGM properties while perusing the Strip, so the Vegas traveler will find him- or herself ordering a drink at these resorts at some point. The $15 price point on City Bar’s Testament to Confusion warrants avoidance for a good while. Rhumbar is worthy of a return, however. Even if the bartenders aren’t cocktail experts, they execute well on good recipes. But to emphasize the obvious, casinos simply aren’t craft cocktail destinations, regardless of their efforts. A shame, considering the strides they’ve made in the restaurant realm. Sorry MGM, but for now, the most luxurious room in Vegas is still at the Four Seasons, and the top destination for craft cocktails remains the Downtown.

Well this is a pleasant surprise.
 

After struggling through two (2) defeating rounds of Bathtub Gin, I’ve finally crafted a home project that begs to be repeated.  Simply put, Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon is WINNER.  The process was messy, the method questionable, but the results are fantastic.
 

After filtering and straining the bourbon from the pureed sludge, I cleansed my palate to the best of my abilities and tried a small glass neat.  To my (non)surprise, it smells of spiced pumpkin.  Hmmm, what could be in store for my taste buds?  (non)Surprise again: spiced pumpkin.  Yes, this bourbon smells and tastes of pumpkin and holiday spices. After the bathtub gin experiments, this predictability came as a very welcome revelation.
 

Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon. So good, I made two.

As someone who enjoys bourbon neat, my guess is Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon is better enjoyed mixed.  I found it hard not to associate the taste with pumpkin pie, as I usually dump a liberal amount of bourbon or rye into my homemade holiday custards.  Based solely upon this association, I felt the bourbon was missing an element of sweetness.  Perhaps I can grow into drinking it neat, but the point of making this concoction was to use it in holiday themed cocktails.  Once the cocktail experimentation begins, I will be looking for ingredients that complement and accentuate the flavors of the holidays, all the while avoiding the dreaded, sorority-girl-approved “pumpkin pie martini” label.
 

As mentioned above, the method was messy, but effective.

Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon
 

750 ml mid-grade Bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)
1 Can (2.5 cups) unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
2 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Whole Clove
2 sticks Cinnamon (I used Cassia)
Half a Nutmeg
 

Pour all ingredients into a liquid-tight container (plastic or glass). Shake once daily for seven (7) days. Strain mixture through multiple layers of cheesecloth TWICE. Filter once through a standard coffee filter. Re-bottle and enjoy. Renders about 675ml.

A word of caution: the coffee filter step is tedious. Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon strains through the filter very slowly, and a number of filters will be necessary to finish the batch. There are enough solids in the mix to clog the filter, which must be thrown away and replaced. I went through about ten (10) filters in my process. If you don’t mind a semi-cloudy bourbon, then skip this step. Opaque infusions aren’t your thing? Filter away.
 

Now, what to do with all the strained pumpkin puree? If you are anything like me, then you already know the answer. Look again at the recipe above. We started with 750 ml of bourbon, and are left with about 675. Yes, there’s roughly 75 ml of bourbon in that puree. Now get out your mixing bowl and make a pie, damnit.

The murky, yellowish-brown bottle on my counter labeled “No. 1” has not discouraged me.  Bathtub Gin No. 2 is currently in production.  And by “production,” I mean I have 750ml of neutral grain spirits steeping as we speak.  No. 2 started with a better quality base spirit and an improved steeping method.  It should be ready in about five (5) days.
 

Additionally, I’ve begun another project which should come out a winner:  Pumpkin Spice Infused Bourbon.  I’m looking forward to tasting this, as it is quite fitting for the season.  Not to mention that, given it is an infusion, it will be hard to screw up.  Unlike my misguided Bathtub Gin experiments.