The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

Thanks for the great videos, Robert!  I love this drink as it has so many possible variations.  I’ve made a delicious Caipiroska using limes, brown sugar and Absolut Citron vodka.  What brands of Cachaca do you recommend?

Matt,

One of the problems with Cachaca brands across the country (US) is that sometimes beggers can’t be choosers. Here in Washington State, finding any Cachaca in the liquor stores is often a hit-or-miss opportunity.

Sagatiba is a brand that is starting to make some pretty good inroads, and I think it works quite well. But Boca Loca, and Leblon are also good, with each of them having some fairly different characteristics.

One of the things that I always recommend to anybody who is trying to zero in on the “right” spirits to use, is to simply pick “a” spirit to start with, and make the drinks that they know which use that spirit, and when the bottle starts to get empty, pick up a “different” brand to replace it with, and do a taste comparison between the old and the new (both sipped straight, as well as in the “drink of choice"). This will help you get a better handle over the characteristics of the spirit, as well as which of those characters you seem to favor.

-Robert

The “ch” in cachaça is actually pronounced like “sh”.  Also, the caipirinha in supposed to be made with crushed ice.  Other than that, great job, and nice instructional video.

Thanks Brian, I try to remember to use “sh” instead of “ch"… but sometimes the visualization of the word overtakes my linquistic skills. I sometimes forget and say “mar-a-shee-no” instead of “mar-a-skee-no” as well…

What about tools for cutting fruit?  I am terrible at making twists.  It looks like you have a cool gadget you use.  Any advice?
Thanks
Chris

For cutting think curls of citrus for twists and such, it is common to use what is known as a “Channel Knife”. The knife usually has a small v-shaped wedge sticking out of it which can slice out a thin string of peel. With a little practice you can spirial cut the peel off an entire fruit in one long piece, without leaving hardly any colored skin on the fruit itself. Of course a spiral that long is almost worthless as a cocktail garnish intact.

For cutting larger slices of peel, like I would for a drink such as the Old Fashioned, I use a common vegetable/potato peeler. Then once the peel is cut, I square off the ends and edges with a normal knife to create a long rectangular peel.

Any suggestions on where to find the smaller glasses?  The smallest I can find is 7oz and I would really like to find something around 4 oz.  Thanks!

I periodically find smaller glasses at places like Pier 1 Imports, or Cost Plus. Many common glass manufacturers make smaller glasses, but they usually sell them only through restaurant supply stores. Check to see if there is a restaurant supply store near you and see what they might have to offer. Note that you’ll probably have to buy a full case (12+)

Another option is to check out antique shops, you can often find some lovely glasses there.

Robert,

First off, thank you for your wonderful videos. Your passion for “crafting” a drink rather than just mixing one is a breath of fresh air. It’s unfortunate that so many people treat the craft of bartending with such blatant disregard when they are standing behind the bar. I make it a priority to keep traditional cocktail techniques alive behind my bar while also trying to employ the newest products off the market. I look forward to staying tuned into your shows, but as a collector of bar paraphrenalia I must ask for more information regarding that beautiful Hawthorne strainer with the huge, tightly wound coil that sits in the pint glass on your bartop in every show. Is it antique/vintage enough to where I won’t be able to find one or can you guide me to where I might be able to obtain one? Thank you so much.

Cheers,
Scott

Scott,

Yeah, I’m such a tease. :->

I picked that strainer up many years ago from an austrian bar/hotel supply company, I rarely use it, partially because it is so beautiful, and partially because the springs in it are so big and loose that it doesn’t work well in any of my mixing glasses.

However… you are in luck.

A good friend of mine, David “Mr. Mojito” Nepov, recently started selling some strainers very simliar to this on his site (http://www.MisterMojito.com). He has both a silver version (http://www.mistermojito.com/shaker-set-silver.php), as well as a less expensive one made out of stainless steel (http://www.mistermojito.com/strainer-stainless-steel.php), both of which fit wonderfully in the Mixing glass he sells as well (http://www.mistermojito.com/mixing-glass-with-lip.php).

Tell him you heard about it here :->
-Robert

Thanks for these episodes. I used the lessons learned from the Cairipinha to do a little guerilla bartending last night. The “bar” at a charitable event was stocked with blended scotch, vodka, wine, beer some OJ and sodas. I muddled some lime garnish with a packet of sugar from the coffee service (a long neck Bud makes a passable muddler) than added some ice and vodka. All of this in a wine glass. Not precise, but a much better drink than I would have had otherwise. With knowledge comes power - thanks