Promises, promises

Dissertation Sour

1.5 oz D&T White IPA Whiskey

0.75 oz fresh orange or tangerine juice

0.25 oz lemon juice

3 fresh cherries

0.25 oz black peppercorn simple syrup

1 small egg white

Club soda

In a small mixing tin, muddle cherries into the syrup and then squeeze in your juices and measure in the whiskey. Separate the egg white into the larger mixing tin to avoid getting shells into booze, accidentally, and then discard the yolk and shell.  Pour contents of the small tin into the large tin with the egg, seal, and give it a vigorous dry shake with no ice (careful: without ice, the froth will try to pop the tins open…RESIST!).  Carefully crack open the tin and add ice to what should be a pretty, pink, frothy mixture and shake it again…preferably until the tins are so cold it hurts to hold them any more.  Double-strain into a cocktail, fizz, or taster glass.  You can top off with club soda, or add the soda to the glass before you strain (if you already have a feel for the portions).  Optional: drop some Angostura onto the top to make a pretty pattern on the foam and give a nice woody contrast the the tart fruit on the nose.

If you ever find yourself relatively tipsy at 2 in the morning: them’s the best times to try drink recipes.
When I get the chance, I’d like to experiment with some stone fruit like white peaches or nectarines and basil. It’s a little hard to gauge exactly what will partner well with this whiskey…but damnit; I’m determined!

Hawt.

Before we get rolling: my deepest thanks to Ms. Kara Newman of Spice & Ice for a lovely write up following our brief interaction in regards to my looking for a proper protocol for making habañero simple syrup (results after the jump).  Her blog is chock-full of tasty recipes and tipple tips which I’m sure you’d all do well to peruse at great lengths.   …GREAT LENGTHS.

In the meantime, however: the RESULTS of perusal, followed by the brainchild of my spicy-tooth:

Habañero Simple Syrup

•  4 fresh habañero peppers

•  1 cup water

•   1 cup sugar

Much like every other simple syrup, birthing this one plays out nearly the same; bring water to boil; stir in sugar until dissolved; take off heat and immediately throw in peppers to steep while letting the solution cool, stirring occasionally.  2 very important things to mention, however …  when handling habañeros, I STRONGLY encourage you to wear some disposable polymer-based (latex…or in my case, commandeered nitrile) gloves as you need to cut the tops off of the peppers (and preferably slice them in two) in order to expose the seeds before steeping them.  The seeds and juice have the highest concentration of capsaicin which - due do it’s molecular structure - likes to stick around greasy areas such as YOUR SKIN.  So either be very careful to wash your hands with plenty of soap before touching anything else (eyes/genitals/loved ones…I have - nor want - any knowledge of how you live your personal lives) or wear yer dag gum PPE.

I am a hypochondriac.

The Serenity or “River Tam” Cocktail

(If you get it - great - if not, do not waste your time looking for the ‘Tam River’ on a map. Thanks to Gabe for suggesting the alternate naming)

•   1.5 oz rye or blanco/reposado tequila

•   Juice from 1/2 lime (about 3/4 oz)

•  1/2 oz habañero simple syrup

•  2 slices fresh ginger root

•  club soda

Pulverize 2 slices of ginger in habañero syrup, followed by adding spirit and squeezing in the lime.  Add ice and shake.  Pour into a low ball glass filled with ice (with strainer if you don’t want to chew on bits of ginger…which I tend to like) and top it off with club soda and give it a quick stir.  If you want, you can garnish with an extra wheel of lime, but - in all honesty - I only did it for show.

You’d never be able to tell from the aroma, but this beauty isn’t for the weak of heart.  It packs a punch, BUT…it is delish (I DO say so myself).  The heat from the syrup lingers and warms the gullet after the spiciness from the fresh ginger wake up the front of the palate.  Don’t be frightened, tho - all of this fire is pleasantly quenched by the lime and soda water as the rye (or tequila) lends a large hand balancing out what would otherwise be a hell of an alternative head-cold remedy.  Hmmmm, maybe THIS should have the pharmaceutical moniker.  Hot and refreshing.  You’ve been warned.

Improptu Mixology

 As a gentleman of science (not to be confused with a gentleman of leisure, whom also tend to have colorful - if not slightly less toxic - stains on their clothes), I am a sucker for experimentation.

So.

After haphazardly whipping up a batch of tellicherry peppercorn simple syrup* inspired by the first episode of Good Eats (how I love you and your bald spot, Alton), I decided to invite another fellow gastrochemist, Trenten, to aid in finding new and delicious ways to exploit it.  Here are the highlights from the night:
The New Fashion

•  3 fresh pitted cherries

• 3 oz pikesville rye whiskey

• 1 barspoon tellicherry simple syrup

Muddle fresh pitted cherries with black pepper simple syrup.  Add the rye with 4 cubes of ice and stir with bar spoon briefly.  Strain into a lowball with fresh ice.

Basil Martini

• Tellicherry simple syrup

• Junipero gin

• 4 springs fresh basil

Muddle syrup and basil leaves briefly and add ice and shake with 1 jigger gin. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with small basil leaf.

*Black Pepper Simple Syrup

Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water by boiling in a medium saucepan.  Once all the sugar has dissolved and the water is at a rolling boil, remove the pan from the heat and quickly add 1 cup tellicherry or other desired (whole) peppercorns.  Stir briefly, then let sit and cool while intermittently stirring the peppercorns around every couple of minutes.  Once at room temperature, pass the syrup and peppercorns through a fine mesh strainer (or cheesecloth) into an airtight container. Refrigerate. Voilá.
Naturally, failures are an integral part of discovery, and I’d be a right git if I left you thinking that my cocktail-making abilities were somehow infallible (that cliché about learning from your mistakes? Very true).  That being said, I bore witness to a couple of horrors which - for the sake of your sensibilities and my ego - I will not share here.  I will note - however - that if you’re going to use barrel-aged balsamic vinaigrette in a drink, make sure you do so using a bottle that costs at least $40.

Dang.

A Corny Evening Deserves A Corny Headline

Two months ago K&L Wine Merchants hosted a Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd. tasting at my favorite (Hollywood) brew house, with both the distributors and a whiskey sommelier pouring and discussing the specifics of what differentiates bourbon from other whiskeys (easy), as well as how and where each of their specific bourbons are made and aged (spiffy!). So, like a moth to a flame…wait, no that’s a bad metaphor…like a moth to a linen suit I was there; snifter and Moleskine tasting book in hand.

I’ll spare you most of the unimportant details; but in a nutshell, the night went like this: between 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm on a Tuesday evening, my spirit-savvy friends and I had tasted 7 bourbons and 1 rye (all but one being completely new to me).  12 bottles were emptied between a total of 45 people. And - as is always my luck - after all of the posh, rosy-faced yuppies had left in their Lexus SUVs, the portly, grey CEO at K.B.D. (who – for some reason or another – was suspiciously rosy-faced, himself) began getting rather heavy handed with the most expensive bottle of whiskey they had (Vintage 21 Year Rye) with the remaining patrons (namely: Stephen, Sarah, Oliver and I).  All-in-all an educational, inebriating, and enjoyable evening; full of laughter, merriment and hugs...some of them awkward.

I had originally intended to report back on a few select brands from the night that really caught my fancy, but then opted to fall in line with my aforementioned ‘blogkreig,’ by offering a quick and dirty description of all of them, or at least the ones I remember/jotted down notes for.  Alright let’s DO THIS:

Kentucky Vintage (90 proof)

A good starter. Very light on the nose and the palate.  Subtle maple and nutmeg, noticeably high rye content.  Pleasant overall.  I’d recommend this to anyone who want’s to break away from the more approachable wheated bourbons (Makers, Basil Hayden, etc.).  $32 / 750mL

Vintage 17 Year Bourbon (102 proof)

Sweet and delicate honey on the nose, much less dense than most bourbons.  Also unlike most bourbons, the 17 year fronts a more sophisticated, brighter palate; replacing the characteristic chewy, oaky sweetness with  more herbaceous flare: light maple and honey with touches of mint and coriander that linger long after the first sip.  Not many other people took to this one, but - being a fan of the perplexing - I really enjoyed it.  $80 / 750 mL

Rowan’s Creek Bourbon (101 proof)

I had overlooked this the first time I tried it at the 7 Grand, which I will chalk up to socializing, which always takes precedence.  Here, though, is probably one of the sweetest of any bourbons I’ve ever tried: rich with cherry, dried apricot and vanilla.  Surprisingly dense mouth-feel.  $45 / 750mL

Johnny Drum Private Stock (101 proof)

Solid, medium to full-bodied bourbon.  Rich layers of smoke and chocolate complimented by a delicious, velvety mouth feel.  I definitely need to revisit this one.  $30 / 750mL

Pure Kentucky XO Bourbon (107 proof)

 Heyo!!  Hot and spicy rye mingling with maple and oak on the nose that dissolves on the palate into creamy buttermilk and caramel.  Honestly - imagine a fresh-baked old-fashioned doughnut.  Bought me a bottle of the stuff (actually, it was for my lab) right then and there.  Yummmmm. $42 / 750mL

Noah’s Mill (114.3 proof)

Don’t let the high ABV dissuade you from trying this one.  Mellow, earthy tones of tobacco and oak on the nose which carry on to the palate.  After a rye kick, the tobacco returns, with subtle but delicious notes of cut grass, orange peel, vanilla and créme brulé.  Apparently these last two bourbons were our dessert.  I may or may not have purchased a bottle of this, as well. (Don’t judge me).  $50 / 750mL

Vintage 21 Year Rye (92 proof)

Well, this one woke us all up.  Huge rye on the nose, and an intensely aromatic, beautifully layered flavor profile.  I say “beautiful,” but I think I might mean “crazy-pants-ridiculous.”  Cherry pits, charred oak, turmeric, anise and a bit of turpentine were prominent, though I’m pretty sure there are many a varying interpretation to be had of this one.  Granted, by this time our palates (not to mention most other senses) were glossed over with all the characteristic sweetness of +6 bourbons, so I’m not sure if my recollection of this one is all too accurate despite the extra pours we were getting by the end of the evening (not complaining!).  Deserves a revisit (pending available funds).  $90 / 750mL

Next week, I plan on collaborating with my brother-in-arms-in-bars, Ryan Julio of You Me & Iowa fame as we  compare and contrast our own bottles - each representing two different batches/barrels - of 4 Roses Single Barrel Bourbon.  If you’re not giddy with anticipation, you have much less to worry about than I.

this is mainly for my grandpa…

there’s usually a pessimistic if not altogether mocking tone attributed to most news-reels associated with alternative energy. especially solar power. i was delighted not to be upset at this one, however (barring the self satisfied “you can’t think about silica chips…you have to think about potATO chips!” quip from dr. born-in-the-30’s-humor at caltech…har har).

gives a brief yet easily understandable perspective on solar power and the reality behind making it work, both scientifically, and within our fossil fuel-driven economy.

Relative-activism

“It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.”
-Albert Einstein

the amount of latent or non-existent activism there is amongst the chemistry student body has always bothered me. you’ll be hard-pressed to find a chemistry grad student picketing at a human rights march. i can name a a few people who are actually intimidated by the teaching assistant student union recruiters.

i refuse to believe - however - that this aversion to activism is an inherent quality you will find in the minds of any scientist. i’ve been pondering over this behavior and came up with a theory (scientific process…it works, bitches): that this reluctance to take part in humanist endeavors outside of academia stems from preexisting stigma revolving around the scientific community and it’s past involvement in what can only be considered “anti”-humanistic projects. after all, in an otherwise altruistic endeavor to probe the correlation between time, matter and energy, Einstein’s discoveries were ultimately used (and - to quite a few people - remembered solely) as a tool of war rather than a key to understanding. in light of this, i think it’s popular for most students (and professors) to disregard the repercussions of their work. or the fact that there is a market for such work in the first place. after all, Einstein was fully aware of the horrors his research ultimately saw through, and it haunted him until his dying day. that’s not to say that all academic thought is purely philanthropic; some would gladly turn a blind eye to the rest of the world in lieu of a six-figure sum (corporate mentality).

but about those of us who aren’t vain, inconsiderate assholes (bitter)… are we scared? are we scared of being labeled as hypocrites? can a synthetic chemist who works for big pharma be an active proponent of universal health care? (answer: yes…and yes…..and also, yes).

throughout history, significant scientific discoveries have either been vehemently shunned or shamelessly exploited. i - myself - saw this pattern as a caveat and to get myself involved in research that would be the least likely to make me ashamed of my field (organic photovoltaics can be used to power soldiers’ tents in iraq, sure, but my guess is that it will benefit modern society much more significantly). for all other chemists, engineers, biologists, etc. i think it’s imperative that they not stifle their moral beliefs; otherwise i fear that the process of discovery will always allow itself to be dictated by the greed of investors instead of the passion for knowledge.
activism is about change; science is about change. i know an effin’ creationist biologist with the chutzpah to continue their research in lieu of their moral beliefs; but at least it provides a different perspective. to hell with being a hypocrite. think like you wanna.

as a reminder: i still plan on starting a bar with my PhD. (haaaaaaa).