What’s shakin’, cocktail fans?
Welcome to Episode 223 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!
Thanks for joining us for another 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’re joined by Birk O’Halloran, creator of Rockwell Vermouth. Not only is Birk an accomplished winemaker, but he has also taken the plunge into the world of fortified and aromatized wines, and his journey through this artemisia-scented landscape will be the subject of this episode’s interview.
In this fragrant, vine-ripened deep dive with Birk O’Halloran, creator of Rockwell Vermouth, some of the topics we discuss include:
This episode’s featured cocktail is The Chrysanthemum. To make it, you’ll need:
Combine these ingredients in a mixing beaker with ice, stir until they’re well chilled and properly diluted, then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, garnish with an expressed orange twist, and enjoy.
The Chrysanthemum stands at the intersection of Pre-Prohibition and Prohibition-Era drinks. This is because it seems to first appear in Hugo Ensslin’s 1916/17 book, Recipes for Mixed Drinks, but the recipe above is taken from Harry Craddock’s epic 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. Importantly, for this episode, this is also the recipe listed on the Rockwell Vermouth website.
Now, let’s look at those dates: 1916 vs. 1930. That’s roughly four years before Prohibition is enacted vs. roughly 3 years before it is repealed. Ensslin was a New York bartender, whereas Craddock was based in London, which explains why this cocktail just managed to sneak through a very coincidental rift in the historical hedgerow. If you were in New York before prohibition, you could reliably source stuff like vermouth and imported French liqueurs. However, as soon as Prohibition kicked off…not only was bartending in the open forbidden, it was also a lot harder to get your hands on old-world ingredients…even if you were doing it illegally.
So it’s lucky for the Chrysanthemum that the recipe seems to have made its way to British soil in time for Harry Craddock to popularize it in a place where all the ingredients were still very much available. Otherwise, it might be listed among an even more obscure class of drinks that languished in obscurity due to the unfortunate timing of our nation’s poorly-executed ban on alcohol.
Today, you’ll see some bartenders looking to add a bit of brightness to the Chrysanthemum with a squeeze of citrus, but if you’re looking to recreate a more authentic version, simply stir a little longer so that the dilution can cut the sweetness and allow you to experience the rapturous aromas of the vermouth and benedictine dancing sensually with the expressed orange oils. It’s a relatively simple build, but the flavor profile is sensual in a way that you’re not likely to forget.
This episode was made possible with editing and sound design by Samantha Reed, vermouth samples and insights courtesy of Birk O’Halloran, creator of Rockwell Vermouth, and a little bit of interview magic by yours truly. This has been a Modern Bar Cart production, copyright 2022.
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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TAKE YOUR CREATIONS TO THE NEXT LEVEL
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