Episode 153

Haus Alpenz with Jake Parrott

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Haus Alpenz with Jake Parrott

Episode 153

What’s shakin, cocktail fans?

Welcome to Episode 153 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

This time around, we catch up with Jake Parrott (@jakehparrott) of Haus Alpenz – one of the premier spirits importers in the US, focusing on European spirits, liqueurs, and fortified wines. That last category is of particular interest, because it ain’t just vermouth or sherry we’re talkin, here. More on that later.

In this really informative chat with Jake Parrott, National Sales Representative for spirits importer Haus Alpenz, some of the topics we cover include:

How Jake took a hobbyist interest in spirits and turned it into a profession – in essence, the sort of story that a lot of our listeners might find inspiring.
How Haus Alpenz grew to become one of the foremost champions of spirits and fortified wines that don’t often make it to the US.
The story of Dolin Vermouth and how it changed the face of the mixed drinks scene at a key moment in the cocktail renaissance.
Then, we conduct a two-bottle tasting of Haus Alpenz spirits, including Pasubio Vino Amaro and Dolin Genepy.
We also cover a lot of the ins and outs of the spirits importation and distribution game – including how bottles make their way to the US from abroad and how various regulatory and logistical hurdles are cleared.
We also talk about the fascinating oxidized and rancio wines from Spain and the south of France (available via Sotolon Selections), what indispensable tool Jake carries on him at all times when doing demos, and much, much more.

This conversation has it all. Tasting notes, history, geography, culture, and some fun inside baseball that sheds light on often overlooked aspects of the spirits distribution game. Jake is a wealth of knowledge, and his palate is second to none, so we do recommend following him and Haus Alpenz on social media and calling your local liquor store to learn which of their labels are available in your neck of the woods.

Featured Cocktail: The Rose Cocktail

This episode’s featured drink is The Rose Cocktail. To make it, you’ll need:

2 ounces French vermouth (like Dolin)
1 ounce Kirschwasser (which is a cherry eau de vie)
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup (most popular as the key ingredient in the Clover Club)
And, if you’re a fan of our Embitterment Bitters, a dash or two of orange or lavender would be pretty nice in this drink.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir for about 20 seconds until everything is well chilled and diluted, then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and enjoy. There’s no traditional garnish stipulated here, so we’d recommend following the lead of whichever vermouth you’ve chosen to use and selecting a garnish accordingly.

It’s interesting that the only descriptor of the vermouth we could find for this drink is “French.” Now, that does tell us something – namely, that it’s a bit less sweet and often more floral than Italian vermouths. But it doesn’t tell us whether we should dope a sweet vermouth or a dry vermouth (or perhaps something like a white vermouth) into this recipe.

When we come up against situations like this in the cocktail world, we usually advise you to follow your heart. Which bottle do YOU think would pair best with Kirschwasser and raspberry syrup. In most cases, we think this is going to be a dry (or occasionally a white) vermouth, so if you’re on the fence, opt for one of those.

The Rose Cocktail is one member of Jake’s “Impregnable Quadrilateral of Low Alcohol Stirred Drinks,” so if that doozy of a title intrigues you, be sure to join us for the lightning round to find out what the other three members might be!

Show Notes

We’ve really been hoping to talk to someone in the distribution and importation industry for a while now because we think it really is one of the missing links in most people’s understanding of the spirits industry. It’s easy to think about a bottle being created by a distillery, but how it gets to be on the shelves at your liquor store or behind your favorite bar is a detail that sort of intentionally gets swept under the rug in many cases. In this chat, Jake takes us through the journey that a bottle undertakes in transit from Europe to the United States, and also what kind of value craft importers and distributors play in spirits supply chain.

What We Tasted

Pasubio Vino Amaro

This bottle is absolutely gorgeous and is a really compelling offering from Antica Erboristeria Cappelletti (best known for Aperitivo Cappelletti). Some of the botanicals and ingredients include a base of Marsala wine, alpine blueberries, smokey rhubarb root, and spices. The bright acidity from the blueberries and the marsala wine really helps this bottle to punch above its weight either in straight food pairings, or as a cocktail modifier. Coming in at just 17% ABV, it has the enviable position of working as a bitter fortified wine or as the cornerstone of a complex stirred cocktail. If none of that sounds appealing (first, we disagree), just make yourself a Pasubio and sparkling lemonade!

Dolin Génépy le Chamois Liqueur

This bottle is a member of a spirits category that is widely misunderstood in the United States – Genepy. These spirits are French alpine liqueurs produced in the east of France where the country shares borders with Italy and Switzerland. Like many amari and herbal liqueurs, genepy is part of a long-standing medicinal tradition, which can been seen through its production methods. This spirit benefits from pre- and post-distillation macerations with genepy and other alpine herbs, which lends this bottle a complex flavor profile and a pale green color.

Haus Alpenz with Jake Parrott

Featured Cocktail: The Rose Cocktail

Show Notes

What We Tasted

Pasubio Vino Amaro

Dolin Génépy le Chamois Liqueur

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