Sauce Spotlight: Creole Shrub

So it's Saturday and we don't have college football to look forward to til the fall. What are we going to do? Well perhaps we can interest you in trying a wonderful Orange Liqueur. For our Saturday Sauce Spotlight, we would like to present Rhum Clement Creole Shrub.

Now with any bar, it is essential to have an Orange Liqueur. Orange liqueur is a great nightcap that can be sipped Neat for that warm sensation on those cold nights or Straight Up to end a day with a relaxing, chilled, flavorful nip. It is also a neccessary ingredient in most drinks like Margaritas, the 57 Chevy, any "Blue" cocktail like a Blue Hawaiin, or Cosmos amoung others. So why not stick to the common Triple Sec, Blue Curacao, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier? Well, you can but Rhum Clement Creole Shrub offers a whole new level of flavor that is unmatched by the others.

As New Orleans Modern Drunkards, we are already fans of Creole Seasonings and Spices that are common place in our great food here in New Orleans. Rhum Clement follows along with the idea of adding great creole spices and bitter orange peels to their Sugar Cane based Rhum made on the Carribbean Island of Martinique. (Rhum is the term used for rums from French-speaking locales).

While drinking it Neat in a small snifter, as we prefer it, you will first notice it's Golden Orange color and thick body that coats a glass like warm honey. It's bouquet is a dark orange fragrance with hints of peppery spices that will surely clear out any sinus issues that you maybe experiencing. However, despite the wonderful Creole aroma, it's taste is remarkably smooth with a creamy orange finish that is far better than the common and popular Grand Marnier or Cointreau finish.

We recommend that you lightly sip it if served neat cause the tasting offers a wonderful warming sensation as it rolls down into your belly. You can also add it to your favorite cocktail recipes as a replacement for any Triple Sec or Cointreau like orange Liqueur. Rhum Clement has a fun Variation on the Kir Royal where you mix Champagne with Creole Shrub that we think would be a fun party drink with some bite!

It comes in several varieties: Regular, VSOP, a Premier Cane, Homere', and their X.O. In general, you can find their Regular Creole Shrub and most cocktail bars and restaurants and we highly recommend that you add it to your home bar.

So have you ever tried Creole Shrub? What do you think about it? Do you have a favorite cocktail that you use Creole Shrub in? Let us know what you think by adding a comment below.

Sauce Spotlight: Space Beer

Well we already have space ice cream and space orange juice or tang, so it was only a matter of time before we have were going to "SPACE BEER"! Ok so it not really beer made in space but it's the first step toward Cosmic Cocktails!

Leave it up to those crazy russian cosmonauts to spend time growing barely instead of more important scientific research aboard the International Space Station. Actually, according to Sapporo, the space-barley research was done for “the purpose of achieving self-sufficiency in food in the space environment.” They also grew other vegetables like wheat, lettuce, and peas. In a collaborative effort between the Russian Academy of Science, Okayama University in Japan and Sapporo Breweries, barley was grown for the first time in a Russian laboratory on board the International Space Station during the 5 month mission. Then the Sapporo Breweries, one of Japan's major breweries, went on to use the crop of barley grown in space to create 100 litres of a 5.5 per cent proof beer ­aptly named Space Barley.

According to Junichi Ichikawa, managing directory for strategy at Sapporo Breweries, "There's really no beer like it because it uses 100 per cent barley. Our top seller is the Black Label brand, using additional ingredients such as rice. This one doesn't, and is really a special beer." According to the brewmasters, The beer features a mellow fragrance with a distinctive taste of roasted barley. It doesn't really have any special taste differences since according to analysis of the DNA from the barley grown on the ISS showed no difference from plants grown right here on Earth.

“This beer will be sold for charity, to contribute to the promotion of science education for children and the development of space science research in Japan and Russia, through donation of all proceeds to Okayama University,” Sapporo stated in a press release Dec. 3. The very limited results, just 250 precious six-packs, will be sold through a lottery for 10,000 yen or $115 American which makes it about $19-a-bottle.

So how about the hops? Don’t worry, those were launched into space in August. Now if we can only catch those damn, "PIGS IN SPACE!!" then we can have ourselves a great Galaxy BBQ. Can't wait to taste that stuff!

What do you think about Space Beer?

Sauce Spotlight: Peychaud’s Bitters

For today's Saturday Sauce Spotlight, we are going to discuss a mandatory staple in every New Orleanian's Bar: Peychaud’s Bitters. Peychaud’s Bitters is the cocktail bitter that may very well have started what we know as cocktails today.
These bitters were originally considered a tonic because of Antoine Amedie Peychaud Senior, an apothecary, gained fame in New Orleans not for the drugs he dispensed, but for the compounding of a liquid tonic called bitters. Like many early medicines, Peychaud’s was mixed with brandy as a stomach tonics and perhaps similar to any medicine, it treats symptoms just as much as anything mainly because it gave an added zest to the potions of cognac brandy he served in his pharmacy. Although Antoine Amedie Peychaud Senior invented it Peychaud Junior made it famous and the necessary ingredient for the Sazerac Coffeehouse’s signature cocktail: the Sazerac.
Now Peychauds Aromatic Cocktail Bitters looks bright cherry red in its small 5 or 10 fl oz bottles and transfers that color to any cocktail it's mixed in. When you smell it you should notice the aroma of Anise, black licorice, spices and cherry all blended together. That coupled with its flavor of slight Bitterness with an ansie flavour and a subtle sweetness. It is gentian-based bitters, with a subtly different and sweeter taste than the more popular Angostura brand. gentians are flowers that according to according myth, Gentian is a derivitive of the name of King Gentius (180-168 BC), the King of Illyria, said to have discovered the flowers healing properties. Some species are of medicinal use and their roots were harvested for the manufacture of tonic liquor like Suze or similar liquors like Peychaud's Bitters.
Obviously as a New Orleanian, Peychaud's Bitters are best know for its use in the Sazerac, but can be used in many other cocktails that use bitters. It can also be used in cocktails like a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned. Now remember, when using Peychaud's bitters in cocktails it is important to be cautious as a little too much can ruin the cocktail. Generally, bitters also have a high alcohol content and should never be used in non-alcoholic drinks. The alcohol content of Peychaud's is 35% alcohol by volume.
So go out and get a Sazerac with only Peychaud's Bitters or try another cocktail with Peychaud's and tell us what you think or what drink you tried!

Sauce Spotlight: Appleton Estate

Well Modern Drunkards, it's time for the Saturday Sauce Spotlight and today we are going to discuss a main ingredient found in Hot Buttered Rum. During the Christmas Season, you will find Hot Buttered Rum in many craft bars and restaurants like Bar Tonique, the Library Lounge, The Marginy Brasserie, & even the City Park Christmas Cafe during Celebration in the Oaks.

This warm winter cocktail recommends a dark Jamaican Rum to add a dark and slightly spicy flavor to warm the cockles of your heart & belly. Recently, we watched Chris McMillian's Youtube video from the Library Lounge where he teaches us how to make a delicious hot buttered rum and he recommends using Appleton Estates Rum.

Now with the Hot Buttered Rum, any of the Appleton Estates Rums will do, however, we prefer Appleton Estate VX Rum. The Appleton Estate VX Rum offers a spiciness up front while not being harsh. This rum is 80-proof and is made from sugar cane grown in Jamaica and is fermented with natural yeast found in Appleton sugar cane. It is a dark amber rum made with a blend of several other rums. The reason we find it a good match for Hot Buttered Rum is that it is herbal with notes of sweet butter.

You can usually find it priced from a minimum of $18.00 - $22.00 at Martin Wine Cellar, Elio's Wine Warehouse, Dorignac's, or your local grocery.

Try it out in a Hot Buttered Rum or another type of cocktail and tell us what you thing. Don't like it or prefer another type of rum for your Hot Buttered Rum? Let us know.

New Orleans Modern Drunkards

Hi, my Name is Eric Gamble & I had been stuck in a rut with the same old adult beverages. Everytime I would go to a bar I either order a Jack Sour (a whiskey sour with Jack Daniels), a Chimmey (a belgium beer), or just a regular beer. While most would people say that this is just you finding comfort in life, I disagree because I live in New Orleans where drinking is a great social experiment combined with unbelievable history and adventure.
Thus, I have been inspired by a great book that I recommend to anyone looking for interesting cocktails and history. This book, that came to inspire me, is an interesting look into the world of drinking called the Modern Drunkard by Frank Kelly Rich. The Modern Drunkard offers today's befuddled drinkers a comprehensive and instructive manual on how to drink-and how to do it well. This book campaigns to revive the lost art of tippling and taps a deep vein of boozy lore and legend through the ages, uncovering etiquette and expertise from some of history's greatest guzzlers.
Thus came an idea to create a social drinking club and a webshow in honor of this book and a great cocktail lifestyle found in our great city of New Orleans. The New Orleans Modern Drunkards blog and Webshow is a brainchild that was brought to life by my neighbors and several close friends who all are also in search of a new drink. In an attempt to expand our booze knowledge and a social activity, we had created a new society dedicated to the art of mixology. Each gathering, webshow, or adventure will spotlight a particular libation, a New Orleans location, history, education, and other wonderful Modern Drunkard tips. The name of the game is creativity & fun. However, this is not a puke-in-your-shoes-pass-out-in-the-gutter kind of gig. We're a classy society or will pretend to be one.
So what will you find in this Blog? Well everyday we hope to follow a theme:
Monday - Modern Drunkard Mall Review: Here we will review a product, books, music, booze, ingredients, apparel, & drinking paraphernalia
Tuesday - Top 5 Tuesday: Here we will announce the top 5 things to do with a Cocktail in New Orleans this week!
Wednesday - Where Are We Wednesday??: On Wednesdays Some of the Modern Drunkards will be out enjoying a few libations. We will post up a few clues and if you can find the Modern Drunkard out, we will by the first 2 people to approach us with the secret word or phrase a drink!
Thursday - Thirsty Thursday: On Thursdays, we will post up a New Cocktail recipe that we feel is worth drinking
Friday - Fun Facts Friday: Friday will allow us show the world that we just aren't a group of pretty pieces of meat but we have brains too. We plan on giving you definitions, history lessons, famous quotes, and tips found in Frank K. Rich's Modern Drunkard.
Saturday - Saturday Sauce Spotlight: As the New Orleans Modern Drunkards, we would be amiss to not share with you some of the hottest alchohols and beers that can be found in stores and bars within this magnificent city.
Sunday - Nothing: even the Lord rested on this day so give us a break won't ya!!