The IBA Project: Margarita

I'm a margarita. Drink me.

Grandfather story:

• The Margarita can be considered a Tequila Sour (Sour = base liquor, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener), or a Tequila Sidecar (replacing cognac).
• It could simply be a twist on the Daisy, (a classic long drink from the 1870s made with a base spirit, lemon juice, sugar or liqueur) - as Margarita is the Spanish word for daisy.
• In a British cocktail publication called Café Royal Cocktail Book published in 1937, the author mentions a drink called a Picador, which lists its ingredients as tequila, Cointreau and lime juice (the exact same recipe as a margarita!)
• The 1st official mention of Margarita in print in Dec 1953 was in the Esquire magazine with a quote "She’s from Mexico, Señores, and she is lovely to look at, exciting and provocative". The recipe called for an ounce (30ml) of tequila, a dash of triple sec and the juice of half a lime or lemon.
• Like most cocktail histories, there are quite a number of people who have claimed to have invented it, and if you'd like to know, here they are:
• Could have been created in 1930 by Doña Bertha, owner of Bertha's Bar in Taxco, Mexico (unlikely as Mexicans don't typically drink margaritas)
• A Vernon Underwood, who had started distributing Cuervo Tequila in the 1930s may have went to Johnny Durlesser, head bartender of the Tail O' The Cock in LA, and asked him to create something using his spirit, then named it after his wife Margaret (Margarita).
• Daniel (Danny) Negrete could have created the drink in 1936 when he was the manager of Garci Crespo Hotel in Puebla, Mexico for his girlfriend Margarita as a present.
• Francisco 'Pancho' Morales, while working in a bar called Tommy's Place in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, was asked to make a 'Magnolia' on the 4th July 1942, but couldn't remember it so created this drink.
• Carlos 'Danny' Herrera created the cocktail either in 1947 or 1948 at his Rancho La Gloria bar in Rosarito, Mexico, for an actress called Marjorie King who drank only Tequila. He added Cointreau and lime, and the unique salt rim that caught people's attention at the bar, then named his creation Margarita, the Spanish for Marjorie.
• A socialite Margaret Sames held a Christmas party in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1948, and created the first Margarita.

Taste: The Arran Single Malt Whisky

All the Arrans Available in Malaysia.

Background:

• Opened in 1995 - to put things in perspective, the oldest bottle that they technically can have today if barreled then is 19. So it is a relatively new distillery.
• It is located at the East of the village of Lochranza at the North of the Isle of Arran. Yes, the whisky took after the island's name.
• An independent distillery - ie privately owned and not owned by the big boys.
• Founded by Chivas Brothers’ retiring managing director, Harold Currie.
• The only malt whisky distillery on the Isle of Arran (since the last legally run distillery, ‘Lagg’, was closed in 1837... that's about 158 years ago!)
• Water used in the distillery is sourced from Loch na Davie, supposedly home to the purest water in all of Scotland.
• Its single malts are non-chill filtered, which means that it will cloud in a cooler temperature.

The IBA Project: Mojito

The Mojito - my mum ony drinks this.

The Grandfather Story:
- Likely birthplace in Cuba.

- There are 2 versions of its origins, pick one you like:
1) In the 1500s, its original recipe was used as medicine to cure scurvy aboard Francis Drake's ship where he learnt it from the South Americans. It was made with firewater (crude form of rum), lime, sugarcane juice and mint.
2) Could've been created by African slaves working in the Cuban sugarcane fields in the 1800 where sugarcane juice was in abundance (but the recipe was without lime).

- The name itself could apparently be derived from:
1) Mojar, a Spanish verb suggesting wetness.
2) An African word 'mojo', meaning spell.
3) Mojo, a Cuban seasoning made from lime and used to flavour dishes.
4) Mojadito (Spanish for “a little wet”) or simply the diminutive of Mojado (“wet”).

New: Haig Club Single Grain Scotch Whisky

Hi. I'm David Beckham. See how handsome I am. Drink my whisky And you might become handsome just like me.

So David Beckham graced us with his regal presence to launch a brand new whisky. Perhaps officially putting us down in the whisky map.. or not... but does it matter? Yes. Yes it does.

Most of the stuff you'll read about the local launch was unfortunately, mostly about David Beckham this and David Beckham that... hardly anything about the whisky, but I WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WHISKY!

Truth be told, I'm not sure how Beckham or even Fuller is associated with whisky. But maybe I'm just silly like that. 

Anyhoo, I digress. To cut through the clutter, here is some info about the Haig Club whisky which I've compiled from international press releases & websites. You're welcome! 

The IBA Project: Sazerac

The Sazerac cocktail with Cognac.

The Grandfather Story:

• Originated around the 1830s. 
• Could've been America's first known cocktail.
• Antoine Peychauds was an apothecary from New Orleans who created the now famous Peychaud's bitters, was said to have created the original Sazerac for a cure, not as a cocktail.
• The drink is named after its original base spirit, a cognac named Sazerac de Forge et Fils.
• It was originally a cognac based cocktail, but it seems like rye whisky is the popular base now. 
• The reason for the shift to rye whisky was either 1) cognac suddenly became scarce due to a bug problem or 2) American whiskey was readily available and very popular (and also very preferred by its local drinkers) so it was used in everything then.

Fun fact: In 2008, New Orleans proclaimed it to be its official cocktail.

The IBA Project: Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan  here IS pink. Really. I've got bad lighting. 

The Grandfather Story:
There are too many versions of its origins - so you gotta take your pick as to which one you'd prefer to believe:

1) The Cosmopolitan Daisy, found in a bartending  book from the 1930s, could've been its ancestor. While a lot of the basic ingredients were not quite the same, the end product was characteristically what today's cosmo looked like. Jigger Gordons Gin, 2 Dashes Cointreau, Juice of one Lemon, Teaspoon Raspberry (syrup)

2) Ocean Spray printed its version of Cosmopolitan in the 1960s called the "Harpoon" to sell more of its juice: 2 oz. cranberry, 1 oz. vodka or light rum or gin, over the rocks or tall with soda, with an optional splash of lime or lemon.

3) Apparently it was created by the gay community in the 1970s, by adding cranberry juice into a kamikaze.

New: Kilchoman Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

3 Kilchoman beauties in a row: Machir Bay, 100% Islay & Loch Gorm

The guys at Single & Available organised a couple of tastings to introduce this really new label into the Malaysian market.

First, we learned that Kilchoman is actually pronounced as Kil-HO-man. Must be a Gaelic thing?

Secondly, Peter Willis, who came all the way from Scotland to take us through the tasting, is actually the SON of one of the co-founders.

Isn't it awesome when these companies take some time off their busy worldly schedules to spare a few moments for this tiny insignificant market? This drinker appreciates it very much! :)

So Kilchoman is practically still a baby. The distillery began production in 2005 - it's just about 9 years old this year!

The IBA Project: Caipirinha

A wild Caipirinha!

The Grandfather Story:

• Caipirinha is derived from the Portuguese word - caipira (hick, hayseed, country bumpkin, rube...) and "inha" suffix (a word meaning little or small).
• Its beginnings can be traced back to around 1918.
• It is Brazil's national cocktail and it is drank anytime, anywhere.
• The ancestor of this drink was  a mix of lemon, garlic, honey - supposedly used as cure for the Spanish flu (still used for colds today). 

The IBA Project: Bacardi

The Bacardi Cocktail

The Grandfather Story:

The cocktail has been around since 1917 and made popular in the USA. The Daiquiri was actually the original Bacardi cocktail which became popular after Prohibition. But when bars ran out of Bacardi, bartenders made the cocktail with whatever rum they had in store. 

This displeases Bacardi a whole lot. So Bacardi said, enough is enough, and took matters to court. In 1936, the Bacardi cocktail was copyrighted. The ruling states that an authentic Bacardi cocktail must be made with using only Bacardi rum. Bacardi then decided to modify the original daiquiri recipe and added some Grenadine to make it THE Bacardi cocktail just to differentiate it from the daiquiri.

Fun fact: Bacardi is Cuban by birth, but it is not longer considered "Cuban" rum as it's not found in Cuba anymore as it moved its operation out in 1960 (this in itself, is a history lesson). Did you know that the Bacardi brand has been around since 1862? Well, now you do!

Launch: Affligem is Here!

Selamat datang, Affligem.

Kudos to GAB for bringing in a new beer, yeay! It's so nice to see them venture out of their Guinness and Tiger comfort zone. :p

Affligem is brought in by Heineken, which is part of GAB in Malaysia. Heineken actually has a slew of international and regional brands under its umbrella. Don't believe me? Check it out on wikipedia. Don't believe wikipedia? How about verifying it on the official Heineken international website.

Kirin Glamping Post-Event Report

(Warning, this is a picture heavy post. With loads of horribly taken pictures.)

Kirin ran a promotion through the month of September whereby with any purchase of their beer, you get a chance to participate in something called "Glamping" on 3 October.

Drink more Kirin.

If you're not too familiar with what Glamping means, it's actually a marriage of 2 words - glamorous and camping. So it's a form of camping where you spend some time away from the comforts of your own home in a sort of a retreat (mostly in the forest or nature reserve, like camping lah), but you don't forgo any luxuries like electricity, plumbing, the internet. etc (hence, glamorous).

The IBA Project: Gin Fizz

A  happy glass of  Gin Fizz

The Grandfather Story:
One of the oldest classic drinks originating from the late 1800s. A Fizz is pretty much a cocktail (the base spirit could be a gin, whiskey, brandy or vodka) which contains carbonated water and citrus. The Gin Fizz is actually a variation of the John Collins (also an IBA cocktail) - the only difference between these two cocktails is that John Collins is served in a highball glass with ice, and the Ginz Fizz is served in a chilled tumbler ( a smaller glass than a highball), without ice.

Strength:
Not strong. Sour and carbonated, it actually tastes like lemonade ... with alcohol.

The 2014 Oktoberfest Is Upon Us!

Yums!

More Yums!

What is Oktoberfest? It's technically a 16-day festival running from end September to early October. Historically, it originated as a celebration of the wedding between King Ludwig 1 and Princess Therese of Saxony back in 1810 in Munich, Bavaria.

Fastforward to today and what does that mean to us?  We're in Malaysia and that's thousands of miles away from Germany! Well, really, it's just an awesome nearly-month-long excuse to drink and party with awesome German beer and food. :)

Shots!

Sailor Jerry's New Look.

Source: www.thedrinksreport.com

Not to worry, the Hawaiian girl's still in tact. It's so minor you won't even notice it, did you? So, instead of one single label, it's been split into 2. Just thought you should know so you don't suspect that it's fake when it's finally release in this market. Should be available from this month onwards.

Funny thing is that it's so new, that even their own website is still featuring the old label, lol.






Absolut Andy Warhol.

Source: http://www.absolut.com/us/andywarhol/

Yup. It's yet another Absolut Limited Edition Bottle. Same ol' liquid, different clothes. But you just gotta get them all, right? I'm curious how you die-hard Absolut bottle collectors manage to keep up with the designs. Please, if you are one of them, I'm dying to know how your collection looks like. Hit me up!

For more: http://www.absolut.com/us/andywarhol/

Maker's Mark Cask Strength

Source: www.drinkspirits.com 

I'm a fan of Maker's Mark. More often than not, I reach out for it whenever an recipe calls out for Bourbon. If there is only one basic bourbon you should have in your home bar, it is this. Not only does it taste yum, it is not too painful in the wallet. The cask strength is at an ABV of 56.6% and I would love to get my hands on this but unfortunately it's only released in small quantities and in the US... and apparently only in its hometown, Kentcuky. Not cool, Maker's Mark. Not cool at all. Sigh x 10000.





Killer Queen Vodka.

Source: http://www.killerqueenvodka.com/

This is basically a vodka released by Queen (the band, not the monarch) as a tribute to their late lead singer, Freddie, who really enjoyed his vodka... and to celebrate the band's hit single of the same name - Killer Queen.

The Killer Queen Vodka is produced by Stoli, so you know it won't suck. I feel like getting one. Just because it's Queen... and because I'm a little bit of a sucker for the cool packaging... and it's because it's Queen! Check it out: http://www.killerqueenvodka.com/


Glenmorangie Taghta

Image: Glenmorangie.com

This "so-called" crowd-sourcing whisky will be ONLY at selected countries... and NOT available via online purchase in Malaysia. Is that a bummer or what? If you ask me, it is a HUGE bummer. Vexed does not even describe how I feel about this. And I say "so-called" because apparently "members" of the public tested and voted for this whisky... but if you go to their website from Malaysia, there is no way you can sign up to be any part of this "club". Yes, I am being VERY upset and vindictive. And also quite high from my overly strongly made White Russian (I used 2 shots vodka, 1 shot Kahlua... I was asking for it)

Seriously, they unapologetically INFORM you that they don't have it "TO YOUR MARKET": https://glenmorangie.com/en/caskmasters

Glenmorangie, you snub Malaysia? I AM VERY ANGRY AT YOU. And if I find out that you are available for online purchase at Singapore, I would be even MORE ANGRY at you.


Jack Daniel’s Rested Tennessee Rye

Source: www.drinkspirits.com 

There is just not enough Rye whiskies in the market, IMHO. The closest one can get to Rye Whiskey in Malaysia is probably the Canadian Club (which evidently uses a whole lot of rye in their blending).

While not usually something you'd drink straight, it's the main ingredients for 3 classic cocktails - Manhattan, Sazarec, Old Fashioned (Mad Men, anyone?).

Unfortunately, we will not be to get our hands on it....because it's irritatingly only available in the US and in limited quantities. RAWR! SO ANGRY! WHY WHY WHY!

For more: http://www.jackdaniels.com/whiskey/rested-rye


And that's a wrap! Enjoy the weekend!

Shots!

1. Glenlivet Brings You Even More Nadurra.

Image source: TheGlenlivet.com

I'm a big fan of Speysides and Glenlivet is one of them labels I personally enjoy. I've had a tiny taste of Nadurra a few years ago and loved it (I think it was a 16 year old one) - but back then it was only released in batches as limited editions (please correct me if I'm wrong, but you can check out Master of Malt and see if my understanding is wrong). But now Glenlivet will be making it a permanent offering.

So, Nadurra means "natural" in Gaelic. It's named so because expressions in this range are non-chilled filtered whisky (hence, most "natural" as it goes through less processing). It will also feature a higher-than-average ABV of 48% and above (single malts are usually bottled at 40-43%).

2 permanent expressions were launched this year. First it was the the Nadurra Oloroso in April, and the second, recently launched in September, is the Nadurra First Fill Selection. Both are No Aged Statements whisky. You can readm about them at The Glenlivet website.

With these, it seems like they may be phasing out the age-statement bottles. ARRGHRGRH! Quick! Get your grubby hands on the 16 year olds before they are gone! Or better yet, DON'T so I can get my grubby hands on them!


2. Guinness Launches 2 New Porters in Dublin.

Image source: MSN

From Diageo's press release:

"Guinness announces the release of two brand new beers - Guinness Dublin Porter and Guinness West Indies Porter. Inspired by authentic recipes, whose origins lie in the historic Guinness’ brewers’ diaries from the late 1700s and early 1800s, the new beers will be available in selected pubs and retailers from mid-September."

Of course when it says that it is available, it is only available in the UK. It is super odd that I can't find any info about it on its Great Britain website. But there are some mention of it on its Twitter acount via its #thebrewersproject hashtag. Hmm, interesting. I wonder if it'll ever reach our shores?


3. Burts Guinness-Flavoured Chips.

Image source: www.neogaf.com

Well, if you're sore that the 2 Guinness porters are not in Malaysia (yet?), here's a consolation prize.

Introducing the awesome got-money-also-cannot-buy (unless you're in UK, or crazy enough to order it through Amazon) Burts chips in Guinness flavour!

To be horribly honest, these chips tastes nothing like Guinness... though I can't really explain how it tastes like on its own because I inhaled the whole packet in drunken hunger.

But just think about the novelty of having one of these babies! For FREE (well, FREE if you purchase a certain number of pints... tee hee)! It should be available in any outlet that sells Guinness. I believe there's also a promotion running for a bulk order of Guinness too so don't forget to ask for your pack!


4. Stoli Has A New Ad Campaign.

Image Source: facebook.com/stoli

Don't worry. It's the same old vodka, just with a bright new.... marketing gimmick to commemorate their 80th birthday.

It's basically a reminder to you, dear alcoholic, that Stoli is still a very relevant, very young-at-heart, old man.

If you're bored, hop on over to their Youtube channel and check out their 2 really odd, kitschy ads.

Or you could just hop on to their very eye-catching website at  http://www.stoli.com/


5. Finally to End This Post - A Funny Wine Ad Poking Fun at Wine Snobs.
Check out this freaking silly and hilarious ad about wine snobs who act as if they know everything that is to know about wine, enjoy spitting out random "wine technicalities (aka random rubbish)" all over the place and think that everyone else who doesn't know anything about wine is beneath them. Do you personally know someone like that (not exclusively to wine snobs, but snobs of any other subject matter)? Don't you sometimes wish you could high five them.... in their face....with a chair? Hehe.

Anyway, always feel free to taste (or bond with) your own tipple in your own special way. It's a free world after all... as long as you don't mine me making fun of you!







I hope these ads made you smile. Have a great week ahead!

Click me for previous Shots! 

The IBA Project: Daiquiri

The Daiquiri

The Grandfather Story:
Supposedly created by an American engineer in the late 1800s and named after a beach near Santiago, Cuba. The original recipe specifically calls for BACARDI rum and recipe is as follows (for 6 pax):

juice of 6 lemons

6 teaspoons of sugar

6 Bacardi cups

2 small cups of water

plenty of crushed ice

Yes, those Tex-Mex ice blended, sickly sweet (more like diabetes inducing!), fruity versions which we are all too familiar with are basically bastardisations variations of the original recipe.

This is Hemingway's favourite drink. Legend has it that he goes through 12 glasses in a sitting (citation required). He liked it so much he created his own version aptly named after himself which has added maraschino and grapefruit juice, and even more rum (because he was a known alcoholic), with no sugar (because he was diabetic).

Shots!

1. 99 problems but beer ain't one

Image source: Thedieline.com

For some reason, this Texan brewery thought it was an awesome idea to release a 99-pack beer. You know what they say? Everything is bigger in Texas. Beer bellies too, I'm guessing.

Check out entertaining pictures of it on Google.

Brewery website: http://anytimeale.com/






2.  Harry Craddock's Birthday - 29 August

Image source: wbur.org

Harry Craddock (1876 - 1963) is one of the most celebrated prohibition bartenders.

Said to have created about 240 cocktails in his lifetime, he was the 3rd bartender of the The American Bar at the Savoy Hotel  - one of the earliest outlets to introduce American-style cocktails to Europe.

Harry is known for creating the White Lady (gin based) and Corpse Reviver (brandy based, hair of the dog) cocktails, and published the The Savoy Cocktail Book, the hotel's first cocktail book, in 1930. Read more about him here and here.


3. Kirin Glamping Event

Image source: Kirin FB page

Kirin Ichiban wants to bring you on a glamorous camping (glamping) trip filled with Japanese entertainment, food and beer on 21 September 2014.

All you have to do is 1)purchase the bottle, can or draught at any outlets between now and 21 September (does not include purchases from groceries ya!) 2) make sure you receive a Glamping scratch card and 3) register online at kirinichiban.com.my/glamping.

I personally want to go, but I haven't been lucky at getting the scratch cards. For some reason, some outlets are not participating in this or will not give you the card if you don't ask. So make sure you ask about the scratch card first before you buy your beer - otherwise you'll be severely disappointed like me.




4. One giant leap for whisky.

Image source: www.ardberg.com

Think you've tried all types of aged whisky that earth has to offer? Well how about a whisky that's been aged OUT of this world? Uh huh. Ardbeg sent their whisky into space to be aged back in 2011 and it's coming back on 12 September this year.

Scientists wanted to know if there were any differences between a space-aged whisky compared to its earth--based version. So there is a vial of un-matured malt that's been in outer space for 3 years, and there's another identical bottle at the distillery here to act as a control sample.

It was also a great excuse to launch (haha) Ardberg Gallileo, in commemoration of this first-of-its-kind mission. Of course it's limited edition.

Ardberg is really excited about it and asks you to check out the background and news of their experiment here: www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/ardbeg-in-space


5. A few big names for booze

Image source: thespiritsbusiness.com

• Iggy Pop is with Sailor Jerry rum to launch a limited edition clothing collection. Quite a good fit considering Iggy Pop is punk rock and Sailor Jerry's quite out there too. 
• Jeff Bridges, who was the star of the Big Lebowski, who enjoys White Russians cocktails, is working with Kahlua in a short film about (surprise surprise!) the White Russian cocktail. 
• David Beckham's is the face of a new single grain, NAS Scotch called Haig Club (by Diageo) because football and getting drunk go together, or something like that.

Looks like everyone, even big stars, need a little side income. :D

Have a great week ahead!

Click me for previous Shots! 

The IBA Project: Quick Intro, Between the Sheets

For a (lengthy) background of this project: check out  this post from back in 2013 <shy>. If you read or watch movies, this is akin to the Julie & Julia project. Except instead of French food, I'm learning to make cocktails, my name is not Julie and and I'm not following recipes created by Julia, and I have no plans to create a book .... or a movie. So .... wait, actually... it's actually.... NOTHING like the Julie & Julia project, hehe.

TLDR:  I'm on a quest to re-create a bunch of cocktail recipes.

I've been wanting to do this for ages but never really gotten around to doing it because of 1) the amount of research I have to do 2) the effort it takes to experiment with the different variations tfor each cocktail and finding one that I personally liked 3) just getting the ingredients for the whole list of 77 cocktails is a huge obstacle in terms of cost and - Eg: recipe calls for rum? what brand? what age? dark or light? where do I buy it? Can die right?

<cue: this is where you, my kind and generous good Samaritans, come in offering to donate me some bottles for a good cause!>

But enough of excuses. I'm gonna embark on this right now. A journey of a thousand steps begins with a single step. So here is the single step:

Between the Sheets