I had a good chuckle over The Wall Street Journal’s account of the recent “Tales of the Cocktail” convention in New Orleans. Author Eric Felten says the annual event is a duel between the classicists, who “strive to perfect the canonical cocktails” and the “culinary bar chefs” who are “debating which Sonoma farmers market is the best source for organic tarragon.”
What Felten calls “the convention’s official cocktail smackdown” featured six contestants who had 40 minutes to come up with original drinks. Drinks had to include either Grand Marnier or Navan vanilla liqueur (the contest’s corporate sponsors), as well as a secret ingredient announced just before the starter’s gun: Ginger marmalade.
The winning “chef” busied himself with black walnut liqueur, port wine, brown sugar, whipping cream, basil and a sauté pan. We’re left to wonder exactly how those ingredients played out in a cocktail. The second-place gent was clearly going for simplicity with the vanilla liqueur, the ginger marmalade, bitters and a smoky, single –malt Scotch.
However, as Felten coyly implies, it seems that the winner didn’t so much win as the loser lost…when he garnished his drink with what appeared to be toasty brown nuts. When the judges asked just what sorts of nuts they were, the contestant revealed that the crunchy treats impaled on a cocktail pick were actually air-popped grasshoppers.
Felten’s article delivered more than just a healthy shot of humor. He also shared with readers his favorite recipe for a cocktail made with marmalade. (Read the article for a fascinating account of how marmalades and grape jelly became part of the U.S. bar scene.)
I’m now a fan of the Omar Bradley, which Felten names after the renowned general who supposedly doctored his preferred Old-Fashioned with orange marmalade. It's pictured here.
THE OMAR BRADLEY
2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
1 teaspoon (heaping or not, to taste) orange marmalade
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Shake well with ice and strain into an Old-Fashioned glass with fresh ice. (Felten says to garnish with a cherry, but I say skip the fruit.)
Comments