Imagine you’re seated at a bar, expressing a desire for a whiskey-based beverage. The bartender enthusiastically replies, “Fantastic, we currently have two whiskey cocktail offerings,” directing your gaze to a chalkboard displaying two options: a “Whiskey Cocktail” and an “Improved Whiskey Cocktail.” Which one do you pick?

Doesn’t this scenario feel like a sort of trick? Comparable to seeing an eatery named Excellent Eatery? To me, the Improved Whiskey Cocktail’s designation feels similar to playing the Old Maid card game with a child of eight, attempting to overlook the conspicuously elevated middle card that they are now slightly moving. I’ll clarify that it’s not a ruse; the Improved Whiskey Cocktail is a nuanced and magnificent version of the Old Fashioned. However, to comprehend the reason behind its quirky title, we need a history lesson dating back a couple of centuries to what might be referred to as the genesis in this context.

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In contemporary terms, the words “cocktail” and “mixed drink” are often used interchangeably. This, however, has not always been the case. In the past, a cocktail was not a category but a distinct recipe. First mentioned in 1806, a cocktail was described as “spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”. Therefore, when you asked for a Whiskey Cocktail in a tavern, you would be served a drink comprised of whiskey, sugar, water, or ice, and bitters.

The initial book on drinks, published in 1862, sees Jerry Thomas compile recipes for 13 varieties of these so-called “cocktails”. These recipes mainly revolved around different base spirits with nearly the same instructions. For instance, Brandy Cocktail, Gin Cocktail, Champagne Cocktail, and so on. In the 1876 edition of his book, he added an appendix with a new range of drinks. He proudly declared, “The following additional recipes include all the latest inventions in Beverages,” before introducing us to Collins’, Fizzes, and Daisies. Significantly, he also mentioned Improved Cocktails, which were named so due to the inclusion of maraschino liqueur and absinthe, two new trendy ingredients.

Absinthe was extremely popular, particularly mentioned by David Wondrich in his authoritative book Imbibe. He references a bartender, likely Jerry Thomas himself, stating, “pretty near every drink I mix has a dash of the green stuff in it.” Both absinthe and maraschino liqueur, present since a while, appear in Thomas’s 1862 book, showing their potential together, especially when used in small quantities. Absinthe is a strong spirit with licorice and wormwood flavours but can enhance and deepen any drink’s experience in small amounts.

The Sazerac cocktail, featuring a dash of absinthe, might seem familiar, but the Improved Whiskey Cocktail predates it by 30 years. This drink hails from a time when cocktails weren’t as many or as creatively named. Upgrading a standard Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail with a hint of maraschino liqueur’s earthy, fruity aroma and the depth of absinthe transforms it into an Improved Whiskey Cocktail, a name as straightforward as it gets.

2 oz. rye whiskey

0.375 oz. maraschino liqueur

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 dashes (or about ½ tsp.) of absinthe

Put as large a piece of ice as you have that will fit into a rocks glass. Carefully add the liquids and stir for about 10 seconds to combine and begin to chill. Take a lemon peel, express the oils over the top of the drink, give the peel a twist, and place it into the drink.

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS

Whiskey: It’s a given that Whiskey can be paired with almost any spirit, but for the ultimate experience, Rye is the way to go. Although Bourbon is an excellent choice, it can slightly overpower the taste of Maraschino. On the other hand, Rye Whiskey, with its mild taste, complements the Maraschino perfectly. After testing four different kinds of rye whiskey, Michter’s Rye turned out to be the top pick as it accentuated the taste of Maraschino and brought out a lovely cinnamon spice from the bitters. But frankly, any rye will work wonders.

Maraschino Liqueur: Don’t confuse Maraschino Liqueur with the shiny red cherries typically found in children’s ice cream. Instead, it’s a derivative of Marasca cherries, a sour variant found near the Adriatic sea in Italy and Croatia. Unlike other liqueurs which infuse flavours, Maraschino Liqueur is distilled from cherries. It retains a subtle fruity essence, but balances it with earthy, floral, and uniquely charming elements.

While there are various brands available, most stores will carry one or two, with Luxardo being the most common one. It has the aforementioned distinct taste, while Maraska is more fruit-forward, providing more of a cherry fruit taste than a cherry pit flavour. Both are excellent options for our purposes.

Bitters: Numerous online recipes suggest mixing a bit of Peychaud’s Bitters with the Angostura Bitters, seemingly in reference to the Sazerac cocktail. Doing so, however, can obscure the original flavour and give it a rather medicinal aftertaste. When it comes to choosing between Peychaud’s and Angostura, stick with Angostura. Though Peychaud’s is splendid and essential in a Sazerac, it’s best used there.

Absinthe: Absinthe is a botanical product, like gin, and even with similar botanicals, different absinthes can differ wildly based on the quality and type of botanicals, how and when they’re added, etc. My previous recommendation was to choose one absinthe and stick to it, as it’s expensive and it lasts for long as you’ll use limited quantity in cocktails. However, after managing an absinthe bar for a year, I’ve come to appreciate the effect different brands can have on various cocktails. Every cocktail has its “ideal” absinthe, and thinking that one absinthe is the best for all cocktails is unreasonable.

However, considering one’s budget and space, my advice is two-fold: For this cocktail, my favorite was a mild but expressive blanche like the La Fée Blanche or La Clandestine, but generally speaking, if you were to buy only one bottle, it would be some of “the green stuff,” like Butterfly Classic or Pernod.

Simple Syrup: There are several cocktail recipes that divide the small amount of sweetness into half maraschino, half simple syrup. I personally don’t agree. Maraschino can be a divisive flavor (you can refer the arguments about the Hemingway Daiquiri for more on this) but there’s so little of it here I would want more, not less. Thomas’s original 1876 recipe split the sweetness, so maybe some people are just being historically accurate or they disagree about the maraschino. Either way, feel free to ignore the simple syrup request. A little maraschino is sweet enough.

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On the eve of National Parks Week, Austin-based spirits brand Tito’s Handmade Vodka has made a generous donation of $250,000 to the National Parks Foundation (NPF). In a celebratory move, they have partnered with Southern California-based headwear manufacturer melin to produce a limited-edition hat for enthusiasts who take pride in their love for distilled spirits and National Parks.

The brand has also made a commitment that 100% of the proceeds from the sales of this hat will be donated to NPF and other like-minded organizations. Tito’s views this as an opportunity for individuals to contribute $80 to causes they hold dear and receive a branded cap as a token of appreciation.

The primary purpose behind Tito’s contribution is to further the cause of environmental conservation in National Parks all across America. Alongside these noble intentions, it will also lead to a notable tax benefit for the company, which has a history of doing numerous charitable acts.

Bob Petroccio, the director of national trade marketing at Tito’s Handmade Vodka, shared with GearJunkie, “Tito’s Handmade Vodka is pleased to contribute $250,000 to the National Park Foundation. We believe in the principle of quality craftsmanship and supporting environmental conservation, and hence have collaborated with the luxury headwear brand melin.’

The melin x Tito’s Odyssey HYDRO hat is a quality ballcap that’s versatile enough to be worn at various places, from trails to beaches, BBQs in the backyard, or to sporting events. It’s a navy-colored, hydrophobic, five-panel hat featuring a snapback closure. The hydrophobic material ensures water slides off the crown panels. Interestingly, it also carries a custom-molded rubberized patch and comes packaged in a dedicated carry bag.

Moreover, this hat symbolizes support for National Parks and fun-filled times. The message written on the logo caps it all: “Protect where we play. Pour more fun.“

Admittedly, $80 might seem a bit steep for a ballcap. But the real satisfaction stems from the fact that the entire sales amount gets directly contributed to one out of five different charitable organizations.

According to Petroccio, what stands out is that 100% of the net proceeds from the melin x Tito’s Odyssey HYDRO hat sales go to any nonprofit orgainzation of the customer’s choice that Tito’s supports. This way, our supporters not only get a premium product but also an opportunity to back organizations that bring about change.

Anyone who purchases a hat has the option to donate the proceeds to Emancipet, a nonprofit organization that is broadening access to affordable veterinary care. There’s also Hire Heroes USA, a group that equips veterans and service members to find success in the civilian workforce. You can choose to support Musicians on Call, which provides live and recorded music to patients in their hospital beds, or Southern Smoke Foundation, which offers aid to food and beverage employees during times of crisis.

Additionally, if you purchase a melin x Tito’s Odyssey HYDRO National Parks Week Hat, your donation will benefit the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official fundraising partner of the National Parks Service.

Tito’s brand has always had philanthropic leanings since its inception. The early days saw the company donating vodka to local nonprofit events in the Austin, Texas, area. This ethos of support has grown and evolved over the years and is now a fundamental part of the company’s mission.

Tito’s encourages its employees to contribute to their preferred causes with its product. These contributions often include a thank you note signed, “Love, Tito’s.”

That’s why the brand’s nonprofit branch is called Love, Tito’s. NPF has been a beneficiary of the Love, Tito’s merch store since 2023. This $250,000 National Parks Week donation and collaboration with melin highlight Tito’s commitment to amplifying the environmental message behind NPF. It wants to help preserve our parks. This money will help achieve that end.

To purchase your commemorative melin x Tito’s Odyssey HYDRO National Parks Week Hat and donate the proceeds, visit the Love, Tito’s website.

Yosemite Sweepstakes! Score Free Trip This National Park Week From MTN Dew, Vail Resorts

The post Tito’s Vodka Celebrates National Parks: Donates $250,000 for Conservation appeared first on GearJunkie.

Nate Oman and his pre-Passover haul. Photo by Nate Oman (courtesy)/iStock

By Benyamin Cohen

April 18, 2024

At any given point in time, Nate Oman has two bottles of wine in his kitchen, one red, one white. No more, no less. He only uses them for cooking, since he is a devout and lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which prohibits imbibing alcohol.

So it may come as a surprise that the day before last Passover, Oman, a 49-year-old law professor at William & Mary, drove from his home in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Philadelphia to purchase dozens of bottles of whiskey.

And vodka. And gin. And tequila.

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Also Fruit Roll-Ups, Entenmann’s donuts and a bunch of half-used boxes of breakfast cereal. There may have been some flatbread from Costco. After a while, Oman said, it was hard to keep track of his haul.

He made the 10-hour round trip in his “somewhat battered” black Toyota RAV4 to participate in the annual ritual of Jews selling their chametz, or leavened products, to a non-Jew for the eight-day holiday of Passover, when they are forbidden not only from consuming but also even owning such things. And he is hitting the road again on Sunday, to do it all again for this Passover, which begins on Monday at sundown.

While most observant Jews participate in these symbolic exchanges, which typically reverse after just over a week, through rabbis or online, Oman, a self-proclaimed “contract geek” with a focus on legal and religious matters, saw potential for a more personalized approach.

Oman was introduced to the tradition by his friend and associate, Chaim Saiman, who holds the Jewish law chair at Villanova University and is a participant in the The Merion Shtiebel, a congregation located in a suburb of Philadelphia. Saiman arranged for Oman to buy all the leavened items from the synagogue’s 50 households. One of the congregation members, a prosperous hedge fund manager, included his secondary residence in Israel, which was stocked with chametz during his Passover observation in Pennsylvania.

“As far as I could tell,” Oman recalls, “I had a completely legal rental agreement for a lovely residence in Jerusalem.”

Oman, a business contracts and sovereign debt lecturer, knew precisely what was happening. He found the whole experience quite enjoyable.

Arriving the night before the planned transaction, he stayed at a Hilton hotel so as not to interrupt the Saiman family’s pre-Passover scrubbing and vacuuming. “You don’t want your weird non-Jewish friend to show up in the middle and complicate that,” Oman noted.

The next morning, Oman and a few others gathered in the backyard of Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig, the head of the shul and a judge on the Beth Din of America. Rosensweig called Oman “an ideal chametz buyer” because “he appreciated this interface between ancient law and modern commerce.” 

Indeed, he delighted in the details, like when he realized upon reading the contracts that he had the right to walk into congregants’ homes during the holiday and pillage their pantries. “If he wants to access any of the homes,” Rosensweig said in an interview, “I’m duty-bound to get him the key, to get him the alarm code to any of those properties.”

For the purchase, Oman gave the rabbi $200 — in coins, to eliminate any doubt of the validity of paper money in Jewish law — plus a handkerchief, to close a halachic loophole that could potentially negate deals involving money with non-Jews. “That obviously would not be required under Pennsylvania property law,” Oman said.

The backyard handshake, the ancient holiday, the half-eaten Cheerios: It was all special for Oman.

“As a Latter-day Saint you grew up sort of thinking, ‘Boy, we’re really strict,'” Oman recalled. “And then I go to my Orthodox Jewish friends and I always feel like I’m a poser.”

For him, the journey was the physical manifestation of a thought experiment.

And what about the whiskey? Luckily, Latter-day Saints are allowed to own it, just not drink it. Which, of course, he didn’t.

“I’m hugely sympathetic to people who are attempting to develop means of leading devout and loyal lives in this contemporary era,” Oman shared with me. “The prospect of being able to assist, even in the minutest way, people to lead such a life in this age was enticing to me.”

The only drawback, as he put it, was the telephone conversation with the rabbi one hour post the conclusion of Passover, where he transferred the community’s chametz back. “Subsequently,” Oman quipped, “I relinquished my flat in Jerusalem.”

Benyamin Cohen serves as the News Director at the Forward. Follow him on Twitter @benyamincohen and subscribe to his morning newsletter.

I trust you found value in this piece. Prior to your departure, I would like to request you to kindly support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

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We are finally drying out, and while it will still be a little chilly out there this weekend, weve got a bunch of events going on you dont want to miss.

CHICAGO – We are finally drying out, and while it will still be a little chilly out there this weekend, we’ve got a bunch of events going on you don’t want to miss.

On Saturday, the Rum Festival returns for its 8th year. You’ll be able to try different kinds of rum and learn more about the alcohol in seminars. Here’s a fun fact: Illinois is one of the largest rum consumer markets in the country. The festival is at the Logan Square Auditorium starting at 1:30 p.m.

If alcohol isn’t for you, on Friday you can celebrate one of Italy’s most favorite foods — pasta! This is in honor of Eataly launching its own pasta line. You’ll be able to taste tradition by walking around the marketplace and trying more than eight kinds of pastas. It will also feature recipes from around the entire country of Italy.

How about some more carbs? There’s a new exclusive food experience called Grilled Cheese Fest! Bucket-Listers is partnering with the cheesiest spot in the city, Cheesies Pub and Grub in Wicker Park. General admission tickets include four samples and VIP tickets include eight. And you get bottomless tomato soup!

Some other events going on: The iconic Beauty Show is back for its 101st year! This weekend, over 21,000 licensed beauty professionals are reuniting for an event that shapes the future of the makeup industry. It will be at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

And the North Riverside Park Mall is hosting a Kids Club event. It’s the Reptile Party! Bring your kids to check out bugs, reptiles, and snakes. The event is on Saturday at 11 a.m.

All the news you need to know, every day

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by: Tonya Francisco, Marissa Bailey

Posted: Apr 18, 2024 / 10:54 AM CDT

Updated: Apr 18, 2024 / 10:54 AM CDT

The 8th Annual Chicago Rum Fest is back and better than ever this Saturday bringing together rum lovers from all over the country.

Adrienne Stoner, rum community liaison for Maison Ferrand joined us in studio with the details and a preview of what guests can expect.

Saturday, April 20th

Logan Square Auditorium
2539 N. Kedzie Blvd

chicagorumfest.com

Pineapple Daiquiri

2oz Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum

.75oz fresh lime juice

.75oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill it with ice, shake vigorously, then double strain into a coupe glass.

Mai Tai

2oz Planteray Xaymaca Rum

.75oz of fresh lime juice (keep the leftover lime hull for additional shaking)

.75oz Orgeat

.5oz Ferrand Dry Curacao *build all ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice, shake with half lime hull, strain over fresh ice into glass, place lime hull and expressed mint bouquet for garnish. Orchid/swizzle optional

Daytime Chicago airs weekdays on WGN-TV from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Δ

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Nate Oman and his pre-Passover haul. Photo by Courtesy Nate Oman/iStock

By Benyamin Cohen April 18, 2024

At any given point in time, Nate Oman has two bottles of wine in his kitchen, one red, one white. No more, no less. He only uses them for cooking, since he is a devout and lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which prohibits imbibing alcohol.

So it may come as a surprise that the day before last Passover, Oman, a 49-year-old law professor at William & Mary University, drove from his home in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Philadelphia to purchase dozens of bottles of whiskey.

And vodka. And gin. And tequila.

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Also Fruit Roll-Ups, Entenmann’s donuts and a bunch of half-used boxes of breakfast cereal. There may have been some flatbread from Costco. After a while, Oman said, it was hard to keep track of his haul.

He made the 10-hour round trip in his “somewhat battered” black Toyota RAV4 to participate in the annual ritual of Jews selling their chametz, or leavened products, to a non-Jew for the eight-day holiday of Passover, when they are forbidden not only from consuming but also even owning such things. And he is hitting the road again on Sunday, to do it all again for this Passover, which begins on Monday at sundown.

While most observant Jews do these symbolic deals — after all, the transaction is reversed after just over a week — through their rabbis, or online, Oman, a self-described “contract geek” who specializes in law and religion, thought it’d be neat to make the whole thing a little more personal.

He’d learned about the ritual from his friend and colleague Chaim Saiman, the chair in Jewish law at Villanova University, and a member of The Merion Shtiebel, a congregation in a Philadelphia suburb. Saiman set Oman up to purchase all the leavened products from the shul’s 50 families. One congregant, a wealthy hedge fund manager, included in the sale his second home in Israel, which was filled with chametz while he was spending Passover at home in Pennsylvania.

“As I understand it,” Oman recalled, “I had a perfectly valid lease on a really nice apartment in Jerusalem.”

‘Get him the alarm code’

Oman, who teaches classes on business contracts, and the occasional seminar on sovereign debt, understood it perfectly. And he enjoyed every bit of the experience.

Arriving the night before the planned transaction, he stayed at a Hilton hotel so as not to interrupt the Saiman family’s pre-Passover scrubbing and vacuuming. “You don’t want your weird non-Jewish friend to show up in the middle and complicate that,” Oman noted.

The next morning, Oman and a few others gathered in the backyard of Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig, the head of the shul and a judge on the Beth Din of America. Rosensweig called Oman “an ideal chametz buyer” because “he appreciated this interface between ancient law and modern commerce.”

Indeed, he delighted in the details, like when he realized upon reading the contracts that he had the right to walk into congregants’ homes during the holiday and pillage their pantries. “If he wants to access any of the homes,” Rosensweig said in an interview, “I’m duty-bound to get him the key, to get him the alarm code to any of those properties.”

For the purchase, Oman gave the rabbi $200 — in coins, to eliminate any doubt of the validity of paper money in Jewish law — plus a handkerchief, to close a halachic loophole that could potentially negate deals involving money with non-Jews. “That obviously would not be required under Pennsylvania property law,” Oman said.

The backyard handshake, the ancient holiday, the half-eaten Cheerios: It was all special for Oman.

“As a Latter-day Saint you grew up sort of thinking, ‘Boy, we’re really strict,’” Oman recalled. “And then I go to my Orthodox Jewish friends and I always feel like I’m a poser.”

For him, the journey was the physical manifestation of a thought experiment.

And what about the whiskey? Luckily, Latter-day Saints are allowed to own it, just not drink it. Which, of course, he didn’t.

“I’m hugely sympathetic to people who are trying to come up with ways of living pious and faithful lives in the modern world,” Oman told me. “Being able to sort of help, in some little way, people live that kind of life in the modern world was appealing to me.”

The only downside, he said, was the phone call with the rabbi an hour after Passover ended, in which he sold the congregation’s chametz back. “And then,” Oman joked, “I lost my apartment in Jerusalem.”

Benyamin Cohen is the News Director at the Forward. Follow him on Twitter @benyamincohen and sign up for his morning newsletter.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Please consider supporting the award-winning journalism the Forward provides this Passover before your departure.

In our era of mass misinformation, our services are more essential than never before. We are truth-driven in our reporting on the news of utmost importance to American Jews, rather than being driven by ideology.

Even as newsrooms are being closed or downsized, the Forward has decided to take down its paywall. This means that for the first time in our 126-year legacy, the journalism of the Forward is free to all, everywhere. In light of an ongoing war, increasing antisemitism, and a surfeit of misinformation that could impact the upcoming election, we firmly believe in unrestricted access to Jewish journalism.

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שפֿרה־קריינדל לאָווען האָפֿט אַז איר בוך וועט העלפֿן חסידים וואָס האָבן מורא צו מאַכן דעם איבערגאַנג