Sweet 16 of Mixology, Round 6

Perennial is hosting a good-spirited mixology competition among Chicago-area bartenders, and this week I was finally able to attend one of the head-to-head matchups.

This round, it was Adam Seger from Nacional 27 versus Tim Lacey from the Drawing Room. Both used Bacardi 8 as their base, with a variety of juices, fruits, liqueurs and bitters. Tim even brought his lovely wife Lisa, to play along with his Tiki-inspired drink on her ukelele.

It was a close, close match. The guest judge, Lin Brehmer from WXRT deemed it too close to call, and deferred to the popular vote among the audience. Once the ballots were counted, the tally was 49 to 47. Adam Seger won the nail-biter. Congrats to Adam, and well done, Tim!

Here are some photos from the night.

The Nose, 50 Year Old Scotch and Layoffs

50 Year Old Scotch, and The Nose
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a small luncheon with Richard Paterson (aka The Nose), the Master Blender for Whyte & Mackay. We were there to talk about and taste Scotch whisky from The Dalmore, which is owned by Whyte & Mackay.

I don't usually go to these things, but my friend Lori invited me and I've been meaning to learn a bit more about Scotch, so I went. It was a lot of fun, and The Nose is a very entertaining host.

Here are some highlights:

• What we tried - The Dalmore 12, the Gran Reserva, The Dalmore 15, and King Alexander III. Interestingly, all of these are made from the same distillate - the variations come from the duration of aging and type of wood used, and in the blending, which The Nose oversees. The Nose favors a wide range of casks - across these whiskys, they use sherry casks (and butts), used Madeira, marsala, bourbon, wine and other barrels, as well as first-fill oak . Someone in the know once said that 70% of a whisk(e)y's flavor comes from the wood, so these choices obviously have a big impact on the flavors.
  

• What I tried - I (and only I, at this lunch anyway), got to try the Dalmore 50, aged 50 years. It supposedly retails for $1,500 for 100 ml, so it was a rare treat indeed. Despite it's age, it was not overly woody - it had great depth and complexity, and a very long, rich finish. Loved it. Not sure I'd pay $1,500 for 100 ml, but was grateful to get to try it and won't soon forget it. Interestingly, the next day, I got a notice that Glenfiddich is also releasing a50-year old Scotch for $16,000 a bottle (not sure what size of bottle). Guess super-aged spirits are the new thing in the Scotch world.

• Tasting Technique - The Nose's tasting technique is completely different from the other whisky expert with whom I have sampled. In fact, I think the two might come to blows over it if they were to talk about it in person. The Nose does NOT want you to warm up the spirit, and is open to adding a few drops of water where appropriate. They agree on nosing with each nostril, and moving the spirit around, but have different approaches about what to do with the spirit in your mouth as well. This sounds like a great opportunity for me to practice my technique at home, me thinks.

• The Nose showed us a cool trick that I hadn't seen before. Fill a glass 2/3 with water. Then put a handkerchief or napkin (clean, please) on top of the glass. Poke your finger through a couple of times, to get the napkin wet. Then, pour whisky on top, slowly. Pull the napkin out quickly, like you would for that trick when you remove the tablecloth and leave the dishes behind. The whisky will be left floating on top. The Nose said you could even insert a straw and drink the water first, and it would stay separated. I'm sure this is just a trick with the densities, but it was cool nonetheless. I'm totally going to use that one.
  

Scotch Industry Layoffs
I used to be in HR, so I always keep an eye out for labor/employment stuff in the liquor industry. Lately, the ongoing recession is being blamed for significant cuts at some of the world's largest Scotch producers. At the Dalmore lunch, one of the topics that came up was the plant closures and resulting layoffs that Diageo (owner of Johnnie Walker, among others) is implementing. The decision has been covered widely in the drinks press, and there have been a number of protests against the actions, as well as analyst reports that it's not really due to the recession (the whisky industry has continued growing, after all). It's a tough situation, because the Scotch industry is so entrenched in some of the small towns where the plants are located, in both the history and the economy. However, with the consolidation in the liquor industry, most of the brands are owned by a global conglomerate like Diageo, which will continually seek to streamline, optimize and consolidate it's operations across business groups and brands, especially in a tough economy.

At the time, Whyte & Mackay had not yet announced their own layoffs, which were announced this week. Interestingly, they made a profit last year, and not an insubstantial one (£25.6m pretax profits over 18 months). Yet they are still being hit with cuts. Sounds a little like big-firm politics to me - sometimes the big conglomerates have to offset losses in another area with costs from a profitable business unit, which is especially frustrating to the individuals in that unit.

From the scuttlebutt following these announcements, additional layoffs and closures may happen in the Scotch world. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, and sip, in the meantime.

Mixologist Lynn House

From the beginning, Lynn House struck me as a great bartender and avid cocktail historian. She has a true passion for sharing the history and preparation of great cocktails. When we met, I was at the Drawing Room with some friends, and Lynn made drinks for our group (most of whom were not then as nerdy about cocktails as me). My friends were completely enraptured with Lynn’s presentation, in a way I had never seen before. In fact, I still hear stories about that night from time to time, she made such an impression.

I knew immediately that I wanted to write about Lynn here, but didn’t get around to asking her or actually setting up an interview for entirely too long. A few things have changed for Lynn since that first encounter. She’s now running the drink program at Graham Elliot, a truly innovative restaurant here in Chicago, and she just won a prestigious cocktail competition. She also just recently started living on her own again, after her daughter got her own apartment nearby.

Life on the Stage, a Little Work on the Side
Lynn grew up in Columbus, OH (I still like her, even though she’s a die-hard Buckeye). She studied theatre in college, and studied at the British American Drama Academy after graduating from Miami University of Ohio with a BFA in Theatre.

She spent many years as a professional actor and writer, primarily in live theater. She won acclaim for many roles, including a 2000 Best Actress award for her portrayal of Ruth in The Gift Horse at the Goodman Theater. She worked with many accomplished directors, writers and performers, including one of her mentors, Regina Taylor. I wish I could have seen her on stage – I am sure she'd be fantastic, and it comes through in her work now.

Like many of us, Lynn worked at a restaurant during college. She continued working in the restaurant business after college as well, to supplement her pursuit of acting. She mostly waited tables, and became a head trainer at Spring. She became more interested in beverages there, and started researching wines, beers and spirits, and teaching classes to the staff about them.

A Fork in the Road
About three years ago, Lynn found herself at a crossroads. A seven-year relationship was ending, and she enrolled in Bridget Albert’s Academy of Spirits and Fine Service (the same class that has been so influential for others in Chicago). She was so inspired by Bridget, and by the class, that she dug much deeper into cocktails and beverages. She was waiting tables at Chalkboard at the time, and created her first original cocktail – the Chalkboard 75, which is reportedly still on the menu.

Dreams, Cooking, Music
It’s been 2½ years since she stepped behind the bar full-time, and she hasn’t looked back. After leaving Chalkboard, Lynn honed her skills at the Drawing Room, which is where we first met. She later joined the opening team at Graham Elliot, which just celebrated its first anniversary. Lynn runs the beverage program at GE, and these days finds her greatest inspiration in her dreams, in cooking and in music. Those seem like natural inspirations, especially at Graham Elliot. One of Lynn’s favorite cocktails, London Calling, was inspired by the song and became enduringly popular – it will be included in Gary Regan’s upcoming book, The Bartender's Gin Compendium.

In Lynn’s cocktails, you won’t find a ton of extravagant, unusual ingredients – she favors balance first, and a rationale and purpose for each ingredient in the drink. She takes influence from classic cocktails, but aims to put her own distinctive spin on them. One of her other favorites was the Blueberry Hill, a gin-based variation on the classic frappe with crushed ice, but served in a cocktail glass.

Creating Her Own Work
Regina Taylor gave Lynn a pivotal piece of advice – to “create your own work.” In the theater, it meant writing and collaborating with others to create meaningful roles and characters, and Lynn pursued those paths in the theater. She continues to write now, when she has time and inspiration. She finds that the advice is even more meaningful to her at GE, though - she is creating her own work in a different medium, and she is loving the opportunity to create great cocktails and share them.

Cocktail Champion
Although she doesn’t live for competition, Lynn has entered a couple of cocktail competitions recently. In her latest outing, she won the Illinois round of the GQ/Bombay Sapphire competition last month, and will soon be going to Las Vegas for the national competition! Here’s her winning cocktail:

Summer Siesta
1½ oz Bombay Sapphire
¾ oz Thatcher's Cucumber liqueur
¼ oz fresh lemon juice
¼ oz simple syrup
2 diced strawberries

Muddle the berries and syrup, add other ingredients and stir. Serve over crushed ice and garnish with strawberries and cucumber.

Fast Facts

• Find her: at Graham Elliot on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday – guaranteed to be there between 5 and 8 pm, and often there later, but she might be behind the scenes
  

• What to order at her bar: Rites of Spring was a recent favorite, it’s one of her most creative drinks to date. However, she’ll likely have some fantastic summer drinks on the menu now, so I recommend going over to check it out.

• Hobbies: When she’s not at GE, she can often be found in her home garden. She is an avid gardener, growing tomatoes, herbs, asparagus, onions, and more – some of it for use at the restaurant in her cocktails. She’s an avid cook as well, and sometimes puts her homemade ingredients into beverages as well- such as the homemade apple butter she used in the London Calling.

• Hangouts: She loves Kuma’s Corner for burgers, Bar Louie for beers, and her back porch for most everything else.

• Test Drink: If she has confidence in the bartender, she might order a Mojito or Manhattan. If not, a beer. Her favorite cocktail, when made well, is the Margarita.

• On a Deserted Island: she’d want pictures of her family, guacamole, and chilled Champagne (preferably Egly-Oruriet)

• Personal Life: Lynn is single.

• Something you probably don't know: She definitely doesn’t look it, but Lynn is a grandmother! Her beautiful daughter Lexi (short for Alexia) was named after Alexander the Great, and Lexi has two beautiful daughters of her own– Leilani and Aaliyah. Lynn dotes on her granddaughters, and loves spending as much time with them as possible.

Photo credits: first photo is by Jim Columbo, second photo is mine, third is by Carlos Cuarta.