Binge Drinking: II

On a more subdued note, the NYT article on tonic induced that feeling the Germans likely have a word for of a good idea that you forgot about and someone else has realized. In The United States of Arugula, David Kamp describes "how we became a gourmet nation." If anything, he understates the scale of this process, which I think of as the Maker's Markization of America. In the winter, my mom usually has a whiskey sour as an evening cocktail. Once upon a time, the whiskey was Jack Daniels, and that was fine. At some point, the whiskey became Maker's Mark, and the world continued to spin on. Fleur de Sel, American Spirit cigarettes, heirloom tomatoes, Sam Adams, baby greens, free-range eggs, Parmesan not in a green can-- you can supply your own examples as you see fit, and indeed, there are cases where the process has happened more than  once in the same niche. Sam Adams, say  hello to my new friend, Smuttynose. Indeed, even Maker's Mark has been pushed out of its own niche by Knob Creek, leaving Maker's Mark as the Garrison Keillor of American whiskeys, neither embraced by the masses nor cherished by the elite.

From time to time, this process of Maker's Mark-ization happens in ways that are discernably wacky, viz Fleur -de-Sel gathered by the fairest virgins of Bretagne scattered on steaks from downer cows. Tonic is another example--as gins got more fancy and artisanal, the tonic stayed the same. About three years ago, I wondered about the absence of a ridiculously fancy tonic from the marketplace, but no more, and the ship with the tonic tycoons seems to have sailed. As one who has even been known to drink tonic straight, I'm looking forward to trying the fancy tonics. If one were cleverer, one could survey the food marketplace, and identify these kinds of asymmetries of luxury, and develop new products along the lines of the tonic that is just as conspicuous as the gin. All I got is this-- peanut oil. If you are paying $18/lb for a heritage bird, do you want to fry it in just any peanut oil? Feel free to steal this idea, though if possible suggest that the peanuts you use were developed by Thomas Jefferson. He is so popular right now.

Comments

[Eater]

The Japanese have made some inroads here, but obviously the third ingredient of a fine G&T is sustainably frozen, artisan-carved ice cubes.

[cinetrix]

This is why George Washington Carver died penniless and insane, still trying to play a phonograph record with a peanut.

[Skeen]

Cod, your reflections on drinking tonic neat set me to reminiscing on a childhood spent drinking Collins mixer. (Do they still make that stuff? Do people still drink Tom Collinses? If not, why not?)
I think that being raised by a widowed parent with a Hamptons summer house-share had something to do with it. Or was it a '70s thing?

[BK]

Have to say, of all the foodstuffs listed, parmesan in a green can is the one of best riddance. Also, though I'm not a big fan of Sam Adams per se, they ushered in far far tastier beer. I toast them for that. Though I continue to enjoy the wares of America's oldest brewery .

[Skeen]

"Though I continue to enjoy the wares of America's oldest brewery."

Yuengling?

[max]

Many years ago, before I broke my Bohemian siphon (it was a gift!), I had a fairly well-developed plan to acquire some quinine and make my own. I was of course far too lazy to implement it. I'm so glad I stopped drinking gin before some douchebag tried to sell me my (imaginary) idea for $15/drink.

But I will say that any serious gin drinker knows that the tonic ruins G&Ts. You can ameliorate the problem slightly by cutting the tonic 50-50 with soda.

[Eater]

Yes, I must say that, resistant though I may be to faddery, I have high hopes for these new febrifugal mixers. I love Schweppes on its own, and of course I love gin like a crabby sister, but together their charms are lost, in a cloying draught fit only for college youths.

[Rose's Lime]

Let's see... where to being.

(1) This may be ironic given my handle, but I've found Grenadine has gotten much more outre. Stirrings makes one that claims to include an actual pomegranite in the same building as the syrup is made for only 2x the price as the red-colored simple syrup. An important investment if you have discerning Shirley Temple drinkers in your household.

(2) I'd like to see Highlights for Drunks include a monthly section challenging you to match the whiskey to the public radio personality:

Wild Turkey Ira Glass
Dewars Roy Blount Jr.
Peachtree Schnapps Carl Kasell
Rebel Yell Sarah Vowell
Johnny Walker Terry Gross

(3)I recall when single malt scotch was more popular than texas hold-em, there was a company that offered ice cubes from glaciers so that you wouldn't have to taint your $100 scotch with Philly water ice cubes.

(4) I think part of the reason alchoholic beverages are the subject of so much innovation is only in part because there are so many drunks with napkins and pens at bars. The regulation of alchohol retailing prevents WallMart/WholeFoods from gaining a stranglehold on distribution. Which brings us to:

(5) Why hasn't some enterprising pickle magnate packaged pickled okra and green beans for distribution at liquor stores with the little booklet on an elastic string with serving suggestions. $0.50 a bean is pretty daunting for serving with sandwiches to your kids, but is a bargain for adding that certain je ne sai quoi to $2.00 worth of grey goose in a Swarkowski glass.

(6) After peanut oil, why not take on the home smoking market. I find it hard to find wood chips in any flavor but Mesquite and Hickory. I see Maker's Mark branded, used whiskey barrel wood chips.

[max]

RL, I am the proud owner of a bag of Jack Daniels oak barrel chips. I actually bought them because they were the only product at the store that wasn't infused with "merlot" or Summer's Eve or whatever.

[KMc]

Aren't these the ice cubes you're looking for? As for Artisan-carving we may be out of luck, but I did finally find some silicone ice trays that make actual cubes for that magazine-liquor-ad experience.