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Bitters - (Snob Version)
A couple of years ago Nancy and I were vacationing in France. While in
Lyon we had a drink in a bistro in mid-afternoon. There was only one
waitress there; in her late 20's working on a degree in anthropology or
something. She spoke impeccable English. So I took the opportunity to
ask her about a curiousity: In many aperitif menus I saw PIcon in
reference to beer. She explained that a common drink for them was to
put an ounce or two of Picon, or sometimes another bitter liqueur, into
a beer glass, then the fill it up with beer. It makes a more piquant
beer. She sorta dismissed it as the folly of young men.
She was quite charming and gave us the low-down on all sorts of real
world information about French folk, including the lifestyles of gypsys
(which she was studying), the practical realities of visiting nearby
countries by natives, and the level of marijuana and hashish usage.
At home I had been slowly working my way through every recipe in the
newest fattest version of Old Mr. Boston's bar guide, and I had
occasionally bumped into oddities like Picon, Amaro, Cynar and other
oddities that I generally can't get in bars. I would sometimes track
down a bottle of it only to find it was pretty difficult to drink as
is. And pretty difficult to use up a 750ml bottle while putting a
tablespoon in a complex gin drink.
I did buy a few mini-bottles of such stuff as Fernet Branc and tasted
some other bitters in well-stocked Italian restaurants. On a whim I
bought a bottle of Luxardo Bitters, Torani Amer, and others. So I've
bought a few bottles of various "bitters".
Remember, these are not to be considered part of that strata of highly
reduced bitters like Angustura, Peychaudde and others that are measured
by drops and shakes as adjuncts in more cocktails. That's a completely
different type of "bitters". Additionally the Brits call their pale ale
"bitter", which is kinda surprising because the over-hopped India pale
ale is vastly more bitter than regular pale ale.
What I've got are these full bottles that are usually drunk in small
amounts as a digestif. They aren't particularly "appetizing" so I
doubt they're frequently used as aperitifs, but technically as a
liqueur, I suppose they qualify.
Amaro, the generic Italian version of this stuff, is way dense. There
are jillions of them apparently produced with different secret
compositions every five miles down the road in Italy. These are also
amazingly diverse drinks. The few I've tried are really quite
interesting. But these things aren't "easy sipping" beverages, they
really demand your attention. Regular users seem to think they are
providing some healthful qualities. I met a bartender that was
surprised I had heard of Fernet Branca. He said he liked to drink a
shot every morning. "You like it?" I asked. "Not really", he
answered, "But I feel like it's good for me. I can't say why."
So we flash forward a couple of years. I still have a couple of
generally unused bottles of this stuff. And I usually keep beer on
hand. I'm beginning to tire of the over-hopped California boutique
IPA's, and I've started moving towards less imposing tastes. As part of
a Swedish food get together I got a few six packs of Carlsberg. Most
drank the aquavit, so I had plent left. This is some mild beer. With
some left over, I thought that I might pop a shot of Amer into a mug of
this stuff.
Wow! I really liked it. It puts back some of the sass that hops might
have added if it were IPA. But with IPA this can remain on the palate
for a good long while and can become quite acrid. There are some, like
Green Flash, which you can taste 20 minutes later. But the bitters
don't do that when in a beer. They bite a bit, just like IPA, but then
they get the hell out of there.
I think I'm a fan. Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
of the Luxardo Bitters.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:32 -0700, gtr <[email protected]> wrote:
> I think I'm a fan. Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
> of the Luxardo Bitters.
Where do you plan to buy it in California?
--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
gtr wrote:
> I did buy a few mini-bottles of such stuff as Fernet Branc and tasted
A staple, I still remember the tv ads when I was a child, with the eagle
"Sopra tutto, fernet branca", which is "above all, fernet branca" but can be
also translated as "most of all, fernet branca".
> What I've got are these full bottles that are usually drunk in small
> amounts as a digestif. They aren't particularly "appetizing" so I
> doubt they're frequently used as aperitifs, but technically as a
> liqueur, I suppose they qualify.
Yes, amaro is drank after meals
> Amaro, the generic Italian version of this stuff, is way dense. There
> are jillions of them apparently produced with different secret
> compositions every five miles down the road in Italy. These are also
> amazingly diverse drinks.
It's an universe. There are some mainstream products (fernet, averna,
montenegro...) which all derive from once-local amari, and then lots of
local ones. For example, here in my area one finds nocino (from walnuts),
laurino (from laurel berries), vov (akin to eggnog), bargnolino (from
blackthorn berries), while in Naples area there are limoncello, crema di
limoncello and many others I don't know of. Usually they're made with
sugar+water sirup mixed with alcohol which has been infused with the
particular fruit or berry or herb, or water which gets added to the flavored
alcohol+sugar mix. Take nocino for example: you pick ut the walnuts as
they're still green on 24th of June, San John's day, cut them in quarters
and soak them in alcohol and sugar for 40 days in direct sunlight, then
mixed with water, maybe soem more sugar, and then bottled and aged at least
untile Christmas.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
In article <jpfegr$o9l$[email protected]>, "ViLco" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> A staple, I still remember the tv ads when I was a child, with the eagle
> "Sopra tutto, fernet branca", which is "above all, fernet branca" but can be
> also translated as "most of all, fernet branca".
A shot of Fernet with a wedge of lemon was used as a hiccup suppressor
in a bar I used to frequent in the sixties. The bartender served it free
when it looked like you might depart with hiccups and not stay for more
libations.
leo
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
>> A staple, I still remember the tv ads when I was a child, with the
>> eagle "Sopra tutto, fernet branca", which is "above all, fernet
>> branca" but can be also translated as "most of all, fernet branca".
> A shot of Fernet with a wedge of lemon was used as a hiccup suppressor
> in a bar I used to frequent in the sixties. The bartender served it
> free when it looked like you might depart with hiccups and not stay
> for more libations.
Lol, a very interesting use, I might try that some day
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On May 22, 12:16*am, "ViLco" <villi...@tin.it> wrote:
> gtr wrote:
> > I did buy a few mini-bottles of such stuff as Fernet Branc and tasted
>
> A staple, I still remember the tv ads when I was a child, with the eagle
> "Sopra tutto, fernet branca", which is "above all, fernet branca" but canbe
> also translated as "most of all, fernet branca".
>
> > What I've got are these full bottles that are usually drunk in small
> > amounts as a digestif. *They aren't particularly "appetizing" so I
> > doubt they're frequently used as aperitifs, but technically as a
> > liqueur, I suppose they qualify.
>
> Yes, amaro is drank after meals
>
> > Amaro, the generic Italian version of this stuff, is way dense. There
> > are jillions of them apparently produced with different secret
> > compositions every five miles down the road in Italy. *These are also
> > amazingly diverse drinks.
>
> It's an universe. There are some mainstream products (fernet, averna,
> montenegro...) which all derive from once-local amari, and then lots of
> local ones. For example, here in my area one finds nocino (from walnuts),
> laurino (from laurel berries), vov (akin to eggnog), bargnolino (from
> blackthorn berries),
I see bottles of Vov all over San Francisco's North Beach
neighborhood, but never knew what it was.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
spamtrap1888 wrote:
>> It's an universe. There are some mainstream products (fernet, averna,
>> montenegro...) which all derive from once-local amari, and then lots
>> of local ones. For example, here in my area one finds nocino (from
>> walnuts), laurino (from laurel berries), vov (akin to eggnog),
>> bargnolino (from blackthorn berries),
> I see bottles of Vov all over San Francisco's North Beach
> neighborhood, but never knew what it was.
Which brand do you find there? Here the store bougth is all from Pezziol
distillery in Padova, but many people continue to make their own. Many
elders learned to make it from nuns, and nuns came from many parts of Italy
so vov is widespread, at least in the north.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On May 22, 7:31*am, "ViLco" <villi...@tin.it> wrote:
> spamtrap1888 wrote:
> >> It's an universe. There are some mainstream products (fernet, averna,
> >> montenegro...) which all derive from once-local amari, and then lots
> >> of local ones. For example, here in my area one finds nocino (from
> >> walnuts), laurino (from laurel berries), vov (akin to eggnog),
> >> bargnolino (from blackthorn berries),
> > I see bottles of Vov all over San Francisco's North Beach
> > neighborhood, but never knew what it was.
>
> Which brand do you find there? Here the store bougth is all from Pezziol
> distillery in Padova,
That's it! The white bottle with Vov in yellow letters. (I used image
google)
> but many people continue to make their own. Many
> elders learned to make it from nuns, and nuns came from many parts of Italy
> so vov is widespread, at least in the north.
I have friends who make their own limoncello.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On 2012-05-22 06:56:52 +0000, sf said:
> On Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:32 -0700, gtr <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I think I'm a fan. Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
>> of the Luxardo Bitters.
>
> Where do you plan to buy it in California?
For the obscurities I usually go to Hi Times Wine in Costa meas (
hitimewine.net ).
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On 2012-05-22 07:16:42 +0000, ViLco said:
> It's an universe. There are some mainstream products (fernet, averna,
> montenegro...) which all derive from once-local amari,
These are the ones I've encountered in stores. There is also a local
Italian restaurant with a vast storage of wine and liqueurs. I have
tried probably 8 or 10 types of grappa there that I've never seen
elsewhere. They also sell wine by the bottle, so I managed to special
order a bottle. They can probably do the same for Amaro.
> ...and then lots of local ones. For example, here in my area one finds
> nocino (from walnuts), laurino (from laurel berries), vov (akin to
> eggnog), bargnolino (from blackthorn berries),
I've heard of nocion but not the others. I'm doubt that all of these
would go well mixed with a bottle of Carlsberg!
> …while in Naples area there are limoncello, crema di limoncello and
> many others I don't know of. Usually they're made with sugar+water
> sirup mixed with alcohol which has been infused with the particular
> fruit or berry or herb, or water which gets added to the flavored
> alcohol+sugar mix. Take nocino for example: you pick ut the walnuts as
> they're still green on 24th of June, San John's day, cut them in
> quarters and soak them in alcohol and sugar for 40 days in direct
> sunlight, then mixed with water, maybe soem more sugar, and then
> bottled and aged at least untile Christmas.
These particularly sound inappropriate mixed with beer!
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
gtr wrote:
>> ...and then lots of local ones. For example, here in my area one
>> finds nocino (from walnuts), laurino (from laurel berries), vov
>> (akin to eggnog), bargnolino (from blackthorn berries),
> I've heard of nocion but not the others. I'm doubt that all of these
> would go well mixed with a bottle of Carlsberg!
No doubt they would be in the wrongest place ever
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On Tue, 22 May 2012 08:03:16 -0700, gtr <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 2012-05-22 06:56:52 +0000, sf said:
>
> > On Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:32 -0700, gtr <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> I think I'm a fan. Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
> >> of the Luxardo Bitters.
> >
> > Where do you plan to buy it in California?
>
> For the obscurities I usually go to Hi Times Wine in Costa meas (
> hitimewine.net ).
>
Thanks
--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.
-
Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On May 21, 11:56*pm, sf <s...@geemail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:32 -0700, gtr <x...@yyy.zzz> wrote:
> > I think I'm a fan. *Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
> > of the Luxardo Bitters.
>
> Where do you plan to buy it in California?
>
I see BevMo carries the Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (on sale for
$26.99).
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
gtr wrote:
>
> I did buy a few mini-bottles of such stuff as Fernet Branc and tasted
> some other bitters in well-stocked Italian restaurants. On a whim I
> bought a bottle of Luxardo Bitters, Torani Amer, and others. So I've
> bought a few bottles of various "bitters".
>
> As part of
> a Swedish food get together I got a few six packs of Carlsberg. Most
> drank the aquavit, so I had plent left. This is some mild beer. With
> some left over, I thought that I might pop a shot of Amer into a mug of
> this stuff.
Carlsberg is the comany that first isolated the standard brewing yeast
now in use world wide. It seems that almost all beer yeasts are now
selectively bred descendents.
> Wow! I really liked it. It puts back some of the sass that hops might
> have added if it were IPA. But with IPA this can remain on the palate
> for a good long while and can become quite acrid. There are some, like
> Green Flash, which you can taste 20 minutes later. But the bitters
> don't do that when in a beer. They bite a bit, just like IPA, but then
> they get the hell out of there.
>
> I think I'm a fan. Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
> of the Luxardo Bitters.
Beers and ales bittered with herbs other than hops are called "gruese".
I don't bother to pronounce the umlauted U. All sorts of bittering
herbs work.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On May 22, 9:44*am, Doug Freyburger <dfrey...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> gtr wrote:
>
> > I did buy a few mini-bottles of such stuff as Fernet Branc and tasted
> > some other bitters in well-stocked Italian restaurants. On a whim I
> > bought a bottle of Luxardo Bitters, Torani Amer, and others. So I've
> > bought a few bottles of various "bitters".
>
> > As part of
> > a Swedish food get together I got a few six packs of Carlsberg. Most
> > drank the aquavit, so I had plent left. This is some mild beer. *With
> > some left over, I thought that I might pop a shot of Amer into a mug of
> > this stuff.
>
> Carlsberg is the comany that first isolated the standard brewing yeast
> now in use world wide. *It seems that almost all beer yeasts are now
> selectively bred descendents.
Nuh-uh. It was a man, a Viennese of Schwabisch descent known to
history as Anton Dreher.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
spamtrap1888 wrote:
> > Carlsberg is the comany that first isolated the standard brewing yeast
> > now in use world wide. *It seems that almost all beer yeasts are now
> > selectively bred descendents.
>
> Nuh-uh. It was a man, a Viennese of Schwabisch descent known to
> history as Anton Dreher.
One source says Doug is right:
"One brewer who took Sedlmayr’s yeast home with him was JC Jacobsen of
the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen. There, from 1880, Emil Christian
Hansen worked in the brewery laboratory, discovering that normal
“pitching” yeasts used in brewing were a mixture of several different
strains. Hansen set to isolating single cells of yeast to get a pure
strain, multiplying them and testing them for their beer-making
properties.
Eventually, in 1908, Hansen isolated one strain that he felt performed
best of all, and which he named after his employer, Saccharomyces
carlsbergiensis."
<http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/a-short-history-of-yeast/>
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On 2012-05-22 16:40:09 +0000, spamtrap1888 said:
> On May 21, 11:56*pm, sf <s...@geemail.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:32 -0700, gtr <x...@yyy.zzz> wrote:
>>> I think I'm a fan. *Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
>>> of the Luxardo Bitters.
>>
>> Where do you plan to buy it in California?
>>
>
> I see BevMo carries the Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (on sale for
> $26.99).
ACK! Don't confuse those. Maschino (not to be confused with
grenadined cherries), is a fabulous amazing and mysterious liquor. Goes
well in small doses in lots of interesting cocktails. But it is a very
sweet item indeed.
Adding this one to a beer would be like limoncello, the most
inhospitable home imaginable!
The one I have is labeled "Luxardo Original Italian Bitters". It also
says "liqueur" and the "Torreglia - Padova - Italia". It's alc. 28%.
The Marschino comes in a bottle wrapped in basket material and says
"Luxardo Liqueur, Pr. Fabbrica 'Exelsior.. Girolmo Luxardo". That's
right, two periods. On the side it says Il Maraschino Originale. It
alc. 32%.
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
On Tue, 22 May 2012 09:40:09 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On May 21, 11:56*pm, sf <s...@geemail.com> wrote:
> > On Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:32 -0700, gtr <x...@yyy.zzz> wrote:
> > > I think I'm a fan. *Or at least I'm going to be a fan until I run out
> > > of the Luxardo Bitters.
> >
> > Where do you plan to buy it in California?
> >
>
> I see BevMo carries the Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (on sale for
> $26.99).
Oye! Whatta deal.
--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.
-
Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
spamtrap1888 wrote:
> Doug Freyburger <dfrey...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Carlsberg is the comany that first isolated the standard brewing yeast
>> now in use world wide. *It seems that almost all beer yeasts are now
>> selectively bred descendents.
>
> Nuh-uh. It was a man, a Viennese of Schwabisch descent known to
> history as Anton Dreher.
Then why is the species name Carlsberg-ensis? Wierd detail of history
somehow?
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Re: Bitters - (Snob Version)
Il 22/05/2012 16:51, spamtrap1888 ha scritto:
>>> I see bottles of Vov all over San Francisco's North Beach
>>> neighborhood, but never knew what it was.
>> Which brand do you find there? Here the store bougth is all from Pezziol
>> distillery in Padova,
> That's it! The white bottle with Vov in yellow letters. (I used image
> google)
LOL, just that. I bougth one a couple of months ago, it's perfect for
winter, expecially if warmed. I use a kind of bainmarie method with the
glass covered by film because I fear the alcoholic content could evaporate.
About vov in Frisco, did you see it recently or many years ago?
--
Vilco
And the Family Stone
Sei al secondo auting oggi.
Io foss'in te mi fermerei qui,
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