Wynand Fockink Rum Punch?

August 15, 2011

Andrew Nicholls Wynand Fockink Rum Punch , , , 1 Comment

Decanted Wynand Fockink Rum Punch

I entered Wynand Fockink armed with a little bottle of Nestle Pure Life Purified Water, filled not with it’s original content, but rather with a sample of Rum Punch decanted for me a my State side friend; Jake Parrott.

Just over three weeks ago we were in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail and Jake (in true Jake style) whipped out this gem of a bottle, possibly dating to around 1917. The content was black and had the consistency of a runny syrup and had been open for just under a week (cork was well preserved), but was pretty oxidized. That aside, it was still full of “punch” and on the nose had pronounced notes of Pedro Ximinex Sherry, plumbs, vanilla and dancing all around them was the ever present character of Rum.

The palate was as the nose suggested, oxidized notes of plum, raisin, vanilla and Dutch pancake syrup. Its texture was thick and and certainly lingered. The aftertaste went right back to full bodied notes of vanilla, plumb, rum and more of a molasses note than Dutch Pancake Syrup.

Jake had given me sample to bring back to Amsterdam and ask the guys at WF if they could shed any light on the origin, recipe or lets be honest, any information they could share. I was fairly hopeful they would have something…

The Outside of Wynand Fockink

A tall gentleman made his way down the stairs, shook my hand, tasted the Rum Punch and simply stated, “Thats interesting, but we have no information on it.”

I was sure there must be something so probed a little further and eventually he agreed to check the archives upstairs. On returning, he had three, beautifully hand written books filled with recipes from the 1800‘s, none of which were a recipe to our now mysterious Rum Punch.

We did find a note stating how WF prepared their rum for use in various products such as the Punch. Rum was purchased from the Caribbean and redistilled at WF, relieving the liquid gold of many of the unwanted heads and tails. Much of the rum back then was harsh to say the least so I can see why this would have been necessary to achieve a balanced product. The gentleman from WF then went on to tell me that he couldn’t be 100% sure that this rum would have come from the Caribbean due to the fact that Batavian style Arrack was prominent at that time as well. He then went on to say that if it was rum from the Caribbean, he would have no idea which part, because they imported from all over the Caribbean.

Wynand Fockink Rum Punch (circa 1917)

Based on my tasting, I don’t think the main ingredient was Batavia Arrack, but what I think may have happened is rum was imported from the Caribbean (I don’t think it was French Rhum), distilled again at WF, infused with plumbs and vanilla and colored with molasses or a very raw form of syrup. It’s worth pointing out that a small piece of the decrepit label shows reference to American Law so was clearly intended for the American market.

Apparently Bols owned WF in the 1950’s so I’ve asked if they can check their archives to see if anything pops up. Hopefully they will…

All in all, we right back at the start. We still know very little about Wynand Fockink Rum Punch…

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The Influence of the VOC on Modern Bartending

August 11, 2011

Andrew Nicholls This Influence of the VOC on Modern Bartending , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Click on Image to view Presentation Slides

The second seminar I was involved with at Tales of the Cocktail was all to do with was the VOC (Dutch East Indies Trading Company) has done for the modern bar. The moderator for this seminar was/is a great friend of mine called Misja Vorstermans from Global Bartending and ISAAC Company.  The link to the seminar slides will give you bullet points which were elaborated on in far more detail during the seminar, but this should give you a rough idea on what was touched on.

We were joined by Eric Seed from Haus Alpenz who also happened to be our sponsor for the session and provided everyone with great information on the production of Batavia Arrack, Swedish Punch as well as the trials and tribulations that sometimes come with both. Thank you Eric…

It was fascinating researching this seminar, diving into archives and even paying a visit to the Coffee plant who’s snippets were taken by the Dutch to Surinam and from there, to almost all of South America, the Carribean and even parts of Africa. Holland is indeed a small country, but as you’ll see through the bullet points in the presentation slides, it’s influence has been mega.

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In House Soda Program

August 8, 2011

Andrew Nicholls In House Soda Program , , , , , , Leave a comment

Click on Image to view the Tales Site

For most in the Northern Hemisphere, July represents a break from the bitter cold. It’s signifies what should be the beginning of a few months spent basking in the sun, sprawled out like some kind of super chilled leopard. For bartenders however, July is somewhat of a holy month, resulting in a annual pilgrimage to what must be one of the world most unique cities. The event we all congregate for is called Tales of the Cocktail (affectionately called “Tales”), the city is New Orleans and when I say bartenders flock there, I’m not kidding…this year there, it is reported that as many as 22 000 people attended the “celebration of Spirits”.

A major part of Tales is education and this year I had the opportunity to appear on stage for a second time with Darcy O’Neil (www.artofdrink.com) in a sold out seminar, explaining the process (technical and creative) behind creating your own in house soda program.

Click on Image to View Presentation

There’ll more info coming soon regarding another seminar I was involved with and a bit of general info regarding Tales. Feel free to fire your soda questions in the comment area.

Cheers.

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Fun with New Vesper Drinks

January 6, 2011

Andrew Nicholls Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I tend the bar in a very quaint establishment called Vesper in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam and those who have visited us will know just how intimate (small) the room is.

The picture on the left shows the front of the bar and our head bartender Fjalar Goud crushing ice before the onslaught of cocktail thirsty locals come trickling through the door. The soft lighting, gentle music and simplicity of the place create a placid environment, encouraging guests to sit back and enjoy a well made cocktail among friends or indeed, the company of the bartender. It’s a kind of “no worries’ vibe with great service and drinks…

Anyway, up here in the Northern Hemisphere, the last few months have been cold to say the least and it doesn’t look as though it’ll be warming up any time soon. With that in mind and digging deep into my bag of bartender’s responsibilities I, like so many bartenders in the past (and present it must be said) decided the good people of Amsterdam and all those visiting her need a good glass of winter warmth. Yes it’s cold outside, with the variety of delicious seasonal ingredients available to us at this time of year, it’s difficult for a bartender not to get a little (very) excited. I’m referring to nuts, fruits such as apples and pears and all the spices which suit them so well; cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and the likes.

The problem with the bar scene in Amsterdam is very few bartenders seem to embrace the seasonal change and the treasures which come with it. It’s winter and still, strawberries are being ordered in the same quantity as they would be in the heart of summer. Please tell me you see the utter stupidity in this…

I’m not saying people should divert from their favorite drinks, but rather that they should try a seasonal variation of that drink. For example, if you are someone who would normally order a strawberry margarita, ask your bartender if he or she could please make you a pear margarita. Pears work beautifully with the tequila in a margarita (you have to trust me on this!) and because they’re in season you’re getting fresher, more flavorsome fruit. Now doesn’t that sound grand?

At Vesper, we decided to take this little matter into our own hands and come up with a few drinks really worth trying. This week we shall be in the final stages of “tweaking” the balance of each drink and by next week, you will be able to come in and order some or all of the following:

Roasted Chestnut Mint Julep

Fresh Chestnuts roasted in-house and infused into Bourbon Whisky with Mint and a touch of Sugar.

Spiced Pear Margarita

Pears poached in Spiced Port and infused into 100% Agave Tequila, shaken icy cold with Cointreau and fresh Lime Juice.

Winter Bourbon Sour

Bourbon Whisky infused with house roasted Walnuts, Cinnamon Sticks and Cloves, shaken with fresh Lemon Juice, a touch of Sugar, Fresh Egg White and a drizzle of Pedro Ximez Sherry.

Dutch Winter Wallow

Bacon Fat Washed Jonge Jenever (Young Genever), shaken with fresh Lemon Juice, Home Made Pineapple Syrup and Spiced Pear Winter Port.

Making the ingredients was great fun and incorporated a few techniques taught to me by Tony Conigliaro, owner of 69 Colebrook Row in London. The bar was recently awarded Best Cocktail Bar in the UK for 2010 and if you have not been there yet, I strongly suggest you get moving…

Infusions for the new Vesper drinks involved more than simply throwing ingredients into a bottle and leaving them to marry for a week or so.

We made use of a Sous Vide technique, common to many modern kitchens whereby the ingredients are placed under vacuum and into a Bain Marie at a specific temperature for a specific period of time. By controlling the elements, you have greater control over the balance of the infusion and the consistency with every new batch.

A pretty big problem for us was the budget we were given for equipment, but in true bartender style, we got resourceful!

A bain marie with accurate temperature settings was way out of budget, so we found a €30 deep fat fryer, filled the basin up with water, put a digital thermometer in the water and with a bit of fiddling around, managed to find the point on the dial which stuck more or less at the temperature we required. You have to adjust it slightly about once every 15 minutes but it’s pretty stable other than that.

Next challenge was creating a vacuum without a vacuum machine. All I can say is thank the Big Guy up there for Ziploc Bags. Place ingredients in the bag, squeeze as much air out as possible and suck any remaining air out with a straw. The trick is zipping the bag closed without letting more air in. Once you get the knack of it, it’s quite easy and you’ll have a pretty interesting head rush…

After it’s time in the bain marie, strain the solids from the liquid, bottle the liquid and start making drinks.

As you can see in the picture on the left, our infusions are in old Maker’s Mark bottles and a Ketel Een Jonge Jenever bottle. Creating your own ingredients even gives you a reason to do a bit of in-house recycling of bottles…

Drop by for a taste and maybe even get your own local bartenders to start thinking seasonal.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seasonal Ingredients: January

January 3, 2011

Andrew Nicholls Seasonal Ingredients: January , , , , , , Leave a comment

Here’s a list of some of the many seasonal ingredients available to bartenders in the Northern Hemisphere during the month of January.

I’ve also included a few dates from different parts of the world which might make for an interesting themed evening or two.

 

 

 

Seasonal Ingredients: December

December 8, 2010

Andrew Nicholls Seasonal Ingredients: December, Uncategorized , , , , Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of using seasonal produce on the bar and to be quite honest, I am pretty disappointed by the number of bartenders who don’t seem to understand the benefits of using the best a season has to offer. I recently asked a few bartenders why they don’t go the seasonal route and their answer was pretty straight forward in that they simply did not know what was in season at this particular point in time.

Taking matters into my own hands, I have put together a basic seasonal ingredients page for the month of December (relevant to the Northern Hemisphere) and hope it will be of some use to anyone reading this.

I the little section of this months food for thought, you can see a few upcoming dates with if nothing else could make a sound excuse for a party or two…

Tales of the Cocktail 2010

August 6, 2010

Andrew Nicholls Tales of the Cocktail 2010 , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

For me, this year’s journey to the beautiful city of New Orleans was filled with excitement. I had been accepted to present three seminars over the course of the five days and couldn’t wait to get started.

I have been told the over the course of the five days, roughly 7000 drink enthusiasts descended on the Big Easy. Everything from breakfast to dinner and beyond involved some sort of tipple and being bartenders, we somehow managed to convince one another of the nutritional value behind many of the ingredients used. Clearly, none of us are looking to enter the medical profession any time soon, though some would argue a bartender is finest sort of doctor there is…

I’ll drink to that!

For those of you not familiar with Tales of the Cocktail, it’s an event that takes place every year in New Orleans, which showcases the best of the international drinks industry and is very often the place where next years trends are uncovered. Of course, being bartenders and the likes of, we all get to discuss the lessons learnt while slowly spinning round the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone Hotel. Truly an experience everyone should go through at least once in a lifetime.

The list of personalities presenting seminars this year along with their chosen topics was truly impressive and it was an honour to be presenting next to many of the people I look up to in the industry. My first seminar was with Darcy O’Neil (www.artofdrink.com) and our chosen topic was the History, Science and Creativity of Essential Oils and Extracts. Darcy is somewhat of a Guru on the topic and has recently released a book entitled Fix the Pumps, which covers pretty much everything the average mortal needs to know on the topic. If you are a bartender and have not yet read the book, do it!

Click here if you would like to see the presentation slides from the seminar.

Second on the agenda was one I did on my own and was entitled Subconscious Drinks. In this seminar I take a look at what effect aspects such as the bartender’s body language, colour and light, aroma and sound have on the overall experience of venturing out for a drink. I am of the impression that body language in particular is crucial to the modern bar and yet, is arguably one of the most neglected aspects of the work environment. It was fascinating researching this seminar and mark my word, you will hear plenty more from me on this topic in the not too distant future.

Click here if you would like to see the presentation slides from the seminar.

My third and final seminar was with a fellow Amsterdam based bartender named Timo Janse (head bartender at Door 74) and the creator of Geranium Gin, Henrik Hammer. Our topic of choice was the much feared egg and the seminar was entitled, The Eggpire Strikes Back. Here we took a look at many of the myths behind the egg and why there really is no substitute for fresh eggs on a bar. I think this is a classic case of taking the time to understand an ingredient and how to use it correctly. If this is the case, you’ll never look back.

Hopefully the presentation slides for this seminar will be available for viewing shortly.

Another highlight of Tales is the Awards Ceremony. This year, the following people, drinking establishments and products were rewarded:

World’s Best Drink Selection

Bar Lebensstern in Cafe Einstein, Berlin

Best American Cocktail Bar

Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best Cocktail Bar

Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar

Mayahuel, New York City

World’s Best Hotel Bar

The Connaught Bar, The Connaught Hotel, London

American Bartender of the Year

Murray Stenson

International Bartender of the Year

Agostino Perrone

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

Best Cocktail Writing

CLASS magazine

Best New Product

Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

Death & Co, New York City

Best Bar Mentor

Dale DeGroff

Best American Brand Ambassador

Charlotte Voisey, William Grant & Sons Portfolio

Best International Brand Ambassador

John Gakuru, Sagatiba

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award

Brian Rea

Big Congratulations to all!

New Orleans really is a remarkable city, with amazing jazz bars tucked away in every corner, food that will leave you begging for more, a drinks culture rich in history, but above all, that fine southern hospitality. The streets are roasting hot during the summer months, but you won’t mind one little bit as you stroll the through the quaint streets of the French Quarter on your way to the banks of the Mississippi River and a large glass of iced chicory.

If you’re hungry when you get there and cant make up you mind what to try first, give the Jambalaya a shot. As my friend Jake Parrott said, “it’s Risotto with a purpose!”

As for what to drink, my top three are (all were created in New Orleans):

Sazerac

Vieux Carre

Ramos Gin Fizz

Thank you Tales and see you next year…

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