What’s shakin’ cocktail fans?
Welcome to Episode 205 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!
Thanks for tuning in to this interview episode, where we track down the best and brightest minds in the spirits and cocktail world so that we can share their secrets with you. This time around, we catch up with booze author, spirits judge, and friend of the podcast Eric Zandona to talk about his most recent book, The Atlas of Bourbon & American Whiskey: A Journey through the Spirit of America.
In this fascinating deep dive on American Whiskey, some of the topics we discuss with author and spirits judge Eric Zandona (@ezdrinking) include:
A quick rundown of a few pivotal points in our country’s whiskey history, including “The Taft Decision” and the pioneering female distiller who made her mark on the sour mash process.
How early geographical and climatic constraints set the stage for the traditional whiskey styles that would come to define local drinking cultures in various regions of the US.
Then, we get regional. We talk about the differences between Pennsylvania-style and Maryland-style rye whiskey, we look at Texas’s unique barrel aging conditions, and we investigate the funky, new world Single Malts of the Pacific Northwest.
We also talk about some emerging legislation at the state level that classifies certain geographically limited categories, like Kentucky Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey, and the new and intriguing Missouri Bourbon category.
Along the way, we talk about why craft whiskey is so much better than it was five years ago, why more people should be talking about barrel entry proof, who serves the best Martini in London, and much, much more.
Like many of our favorite books in the spirits and cocktail space, Eric’s newest project draws from historical and contemporary research to make a few new and important points about traditional and emerging styles of American whiskey. But, before we start talking about heritage mash bills, local cooperage, and terpene-driven single malts, let’s give you a chance to make yourself a drink.
This episode’s featured cocktail is the Texas Grog. To make it, you’ll need:
2 oz (or 60ml) Bourbon (bonus points if it’s Texas bourbon)
2 oz (or 60ml) cold water (preferably filtered or distilled)
½ oz (or 15ml) orange juice (fresh squeezed if possible)
½ oz (or 15 ml) simple syrup
2 dashes of an Aromatic bitters like Angostura
Combine all these ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously for about 10 or 15 seconds, then strain into a double-rocks or bucket glass over ice, and enjoy.
According to Eric Zandona:
“In the 19th century, several travellers observed Texans drinking in a wide array of grog shops, taverns, saloons, and ornate hotel lounges. Texan grog shops were most likely simple drinking establishments that served beer and a few simple cocktails, ‘grog’ being a term used to describe a mixture of spirits, water and citrus juice. Given that grapefruit, oranges and a variety of other citrus fruits have grown in the Rio Grande Valley on Texas’s southern border since the time of Spanish colonization, and early Texans were known for their fondness for whiskey, it’s not a stretch to imagine locals mixing these simple ingredients to make a refreshing drink.’
We love this cocktail not just because it’s a laid back proto-cousin of the whiskey sour, but also because it features ingredients that naturally occurred in a very specific environment. You go to the Caribbean, you drink rum. You go to Japan, you drink Sake and Shochu. When you go to Texas, there’s two things you can reliably count on: there will be whiskey, and you’ll more than likely be able to get your hands on some local citrus.
This episode was made possible with editing and sound design by Samantha Reed and Bourbon and American Whiskey insights courtesy of Eric Zandona. This has been a Modern Bar Cart production, copyright 2021.
This episode is also brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life.
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