An Evening at Bryant’s

Milwaukee, WI – March 7, 2012

So I’m sitting at the bar and I hear, in this low, almost whispering voice, “Nice pants.”  I look around and there’s no one within ear shot, so I shrug it off and take another sip of my drink.  But then I hear the voice again, “Great looking haircut.”  Again, I look around and nothing.  I try to shrug it off, but when a few minutes later the voice asks “Have you lost weight?” I call the bartender over.

“Brett, I keep hearing this voice saying things like “nice pants” and “great haircut”.  What gives, are you screwing with me?”

Brett looks me right in the eye and tells me, “It’s the peanuts, they’re complimentary.”

One of the nice things about Bryant’s (South 9th and Lapham, Milwaukee) is that you don’t have to worry about either random hours or complimentary nuts distracting your taste buds from the cocktails.  Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had occasion to stop by and enjoy these two outstanding creations by Emily.

First is the Glamour Shot, pictured above.  When Emily asked what I was in the mood for I quickly answered gin, but that I didn’t want something run of the mill or a classic.  So, out came the Plymouth gin, Domaine de Canton liqueur, Cynar liqueur, bar syrup and lemon juice.  An interesting combination I thought, between the ginger Canton and the bitter Cynar, with is derived from, among other things, artichoke.  The result was a terrific cocktail that leads with the ginger of the Canton then quickly follows with a slightly bitter bite.  The bar syrup and lemon juice round out the drink and give it balance so that it’s boozy, but in a mellow way.  An excellent offering from Emily.

The second drink is her Milwaukee Manhattan.  This drink was designed for a contest that Emily had entered (and, incidently, won) for the best variation on the classic Manhattan.  Featuring Bulliet rye whiskey with the usual sweet and dry vermouths (making this on perfect) and both Agnostura and Peychauds bitters, the twist is the addition of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur (which I love!).  Again, a very well constructed cocktail that tasted incredible.  The cherry from the Luxardo was out in front on this one, with the sweet vermouth, bitters and rye filling in behind it.  This is a complex cocktail, with layers of flavors to be discovered.  Again, kudos to Emily for a job well done.

Cheers!

The Famous Final Scene

Milwaukee, WI – January 26, 2012

“Feeling different feeling strange
This can never be arranged
As the light fades from the screen
From the famous final scene”

My apologies to Mr. Seger and the rest of the Silver Bullet Band.  However, having played the “Stranger In Town” album until I wore it out as a teen, how could I resist a drink named “The Famous Final Scene”? 

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Mark Stoffel and I decided a Men’s League night was long overdue and headed downtown for a man date and a few good drinks.  We started at Umami Moto where I had their Shanghai Mule.  A twist on the classic Moscow Mule, this cocktail substituted TyKu Soju for vodka.  It was mild and refreshing cocktail, and actually would be a great poolside sipper on a warm day.  My original notes called it innocuous, which may have a little harsh, but there wasn’t a lot memorable about it (actually, if it were not for my notes, I wouldn’t be writing about it here because I did forget about it).

After our start at Umami, it was on to Distil, our primary objective of the evening.  Distil is one of Milwaukee’s latest hip cocktail lounges, serving up true cocktails, including several that are homemade, along with a great selection of hard to find and rare bourbons and other assorted spirits.  “The Famous Final Scene” was the cocktail that caught my eye, and not just for the name.  Consisting of Bulliet Rye, sweet vermouth, HUM Botanical liqueur and orange bitters, it reminded me of some of the rye cocktails I’ve conjured up at the Twilight Lounge.  I’m a fan of rye and orange bitters, and was really looking forward to trying this out.  Unfortunately, this cocktail (pictured above) was overwhelmed by the spicey ginger flavor of the HUM liqueur.  I couldn’t detect the rye or the orange bitters, and the vermouth helped sweeten it, but also wasn’t really discernable.  I’d love to try this drink with half the amount of HUM in it, but unfortunately, this cocktail is mass produced by the bar manager and stored in jugs waiting to be ordered, so the bartender on duty couldn’t tinker with the recipe to see if we could get it right. 

Fortunately, not all was lost for the evening.  Mark and I also ordered up a taste of the George T. Stagg 15 year old.  This cask strength bourbon clocks in at around 140 proof, but you’d never know it by how smooth and mellow it was.  Nice notes of charcoal and vanilla to my nose made this a delight.  Adding just a drop of water mellowed it even more so and allowed cherry notes to emerge as well.  All in all, an excellent sipping bourbon!

So, 1 out 3 got Albert Pujols $240 million … and all it did was keep me from getting a hangover!

Cheers!

Minneapolis

Day 146, Cocktail 142

Back at last (to posting that is).  A very busy week on the business front (and leaving my laptop in Milwaukee while in St. Louis) has kept me offline.  Rest assured though, I’ve been keeping up.  I’m skipping ahead of some of my St. Louis explorations to last night.  Gwen and I drove to Minneapolis for a weekend of mixed business and pleasure with another couple.  Last night we met my business associate and friend Ashish and his wife Lori for dinner and cocktails.  At Ashish’s suggestion we went to the Bradstreet Crafthouse, located in the Graves Hotel. 

I’ve got to tell you that this is my first visit to Minneapolis since the early 80’s and wow, this city is amazing!  The downtown area was alive and vibrant last night with all kinds of night life and a Twins game going on at Target Field.  I was drooling as we passed by one cocktial lounge and restaurant after another.

Back to the Bradstreet Crafthouse.  This establishment is dedicated to the art of the craft cocktail and features a number of classics and new mixes created locally.  You can also select a variety of small plate dishes from the extensive menu (try the satay and lamb sliders!).  My first drink of the night was the Vincent’s Ruin.  This features Bulliet Bourbon, lemon, St. Germain and Pernod.  (Yep, the combination of bourbon and St. Germain is what caught my eye.)First, a terrific presentation as the drink was served in a rocks sized glass with a generous lemon peel and the large, round ice ball – about half the size of a baseball.  I’ve seen this before at Bryant’s in Milwaukee and its a very neat and stylish way to keep you drink cold.  It’s also practical as the ice melts much slower, reducing the amount of dilution.   As for the flavor, it was amazing!  Each flavor was subtle on its own and perfectly blended to create a very harminous drink.  With the slightly smokey bourbon providing a solid foundation the elderflower, lemon and anise flavors were each distinct but not overwhelming. 

I could have drunk this all night, but there was more to explore.  Unfortunately, that will have to wait as it’s time to get going to the tailgate before the Minnesota – USC game this afternoon.

Cheers!