Is everything going organic?
Perhaps even your favorite cocktail? The first organic cocktail book ever has
now been written by Paul Abercrombie called
Organic, Shaken and Stirred: Hip
Highballs, Modern Martinis, and Other Totally Green Cocktails. Paul has
written for The
Washington Post,
Wine Enthusiast and
National Geographic Traveler. He joins us on a podcast interview on
BourbonBlog.com.
BourbonBlog.com: Are you
drinking a cocktail right now?
Paul: I'm having a Manhattan at the
moment.
Is it an organic Manhattan?
Not until someone produces an organic version of Bourbon.
There is a Bourbon called Old
Whiskey River
and supported by Willie Nelson; I've heard he used the by products to fuel his
tour bus.
I think he smokes it
actually.
What gave you the idea to
do an organic cocktail book?
I started getting into
organic foods. A few years back, I was writing for Wine Enthusiast magazine
and I met mixologists who were tinkering around with organic spirits. I thought
it might make a good book.
What do you do with
Bourbon whiskey? I read something about a Roasted Red Pepper Julep, what is in
that?
It has a purée. You have to being willing to play with it a little bit. About
half the recipes in the book are pretty easy. Another fourth are a little more
difficult. And then the other fourth you have to geek out to make. With this
Julep, you have to make a Roasted Red Pepper Purée. But you get an excuse to
completely indulge in your pyromaniac side. You can put those peppers on a
broiler or even roast it on top of a stove top. It also has bourbon, mint, and
simple syrup in it.
Tell me about some other bourbon recipes.
Cherry Snaps is a
ridiculously simple. A full bottle of Bourbon, 6 cups of organic black cherries
stemmed and pitted, 4 ounces of ginger infused simple syrup and it all becomes
a punch. Combine ingredients and put in the refrigerator overnight. There is
another one called Kentucky Christmas which is rather austere [it’s] made with
organic cranberries, cranberry juice and Bourbon.
Many people might ask
you, “Why write an organic cocktails book?”
The organic distillers who
care how these spirits are made usually take the time to make good booze. Then you add other organic ingredients like
fruits and vegetables which make for a tasty drink. Some of it is a matter of
the ecology of it with no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and the other
part is that it simply tastes better.
What are some organic spirits you have your eyes on right now? Even aside from
Bourbon.
Cachaça, the Brazilian sort
of rum, is getting more and more popular. Gins may as well. The Bainbridge
Distillery in the state of Washington
will be making some great organic whiskey once they release it. There are a
number of organic whiskies out there with several in Scotland. Some of them are
incredibly small batches and nearly impossible to find the States.
What has the feedback
been like on this book and where has it taken you?
I'm flabbergasted how many
people have posted reviews on Amazon. They are remarkably flattering; I almost
feel embarrassed and I'm amazed that people would write 500 to 1,000 word
reviews. Magazines will ask me to write for them occasionally. Actually, I've
mostly seen that friends and acquaintances will ask me to bartend their
parties.
How long did the book take you to compile and where did you get the recipes
from?
It took a few years. From the time I sold the project to publish, almost two
years. Most of the two years were spent very productively making and seeking
out drinks, mooching them from all corners of the Earth. Mooching recipes and
expertise and tormenting people for recipes. I have so much booze in my house
that I have a speakeasy here. If you want a drink then walk by house and I can
probably pull off anything.
Where do you want this
book to take you and the organic cocktail movement?
Organic cocktails have become the
last bastion of the kitchen and table that have not gone organic until now. Part
of the inspiration for this book was seeing these wonderful organic meals of
fruits, vegetables and meats in restaurants. However, they would start the meal
with a cocktail that was so artificial that it was not even close to something
you had seen in nature. I couldn't understand the disconnect of starting with
awful and then going to sublime. I'm hoping that people who are into organics
will find this as a gateway to learning more about cocktails and what they can
make behind the bar.
What is an organic cocktail
experiment of yours that either went really well or really not so well?
I made one with organic snap peas which I thought would be horrifying but
actually worked. It has black pepper in it too. A recipe is just a starting
point. You can do whatever you want to it. If you like it sweeter, do that. It
is not that orthodox. It's just a drink, so make it taste like you like it. For
every cocktail that you invent, that is wonderful, you'll probably have ten
more that aren't so great.
To listen to our entire interview with Paul and for a few of his recipes, visit BourbonBlog.com. Organic, Shaken and Stirred can be
purchased in most bookstores and Amazon.com.
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