Happy Hour: Hotel Nacional

Last week I shared with you the history and recipe of one of the most refreshing cocktails on the planet (in my humble opinion), the Daiquiri. Last Sunday, as I was sitting out on my Brooklyn balcony (read fire escape) and throwing one back I thought to myself, the readers deserve more Daiquiri action! So I decided to dedicate this week's Happy Hour to a close relative of the Daiquiri which also hails from Cuba, the Hotel Nacional cocktail.

As the name denotes, the Hotel Nacional was created at the historic Hotel Nacional in Havana. Opened in 1930 and still operating today, the Hotel Nacional was a luxurious destination for Western society's elite, especially prior to the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Over the years it hosted some of the most influential people in the world of politics, sports, and entertainment. Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Mickey Mantle, Buster Keaton, Rocky Marciano, and Ernest Hemingway were but a few of the notable names who frequented the hotel when in Havana.



In addition to the famous, the hotel has also played host to the infamous--most notably Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. It was at the Hotel Nacional in 1946 where heads of American and Italian crime families gathered for the infamous Havana Conference, which was later dramatized in The Godfather Part II.

The Hotel Nacional is like many other things in Cuba in that it has long outlived its glory years, yet still stands as a defiant reminder of that glory.





For whatever reason the story of the hotel is much easier to pin down than the story of its signature cocktail. Although the drink's origin is not in doubt, its exact name and its precise recipe don't appear to be so clear. Although I refer to it as the Hotel Nacional cocktail, I have seen it referred as the Nacional Cocktail, Nacional Daiquiri, and Hotel Nacional de Cuba cocktail, just to name a few.

Now, normally mere name distinctions matter little if at all, as this kind of thing is not uncommon with older cocktail recipes. The problem in this case however, is that with each name also comes a different recipe with differing ingredient amounts, and some even have ingredients not called for in the others. For example, although most recipes concur the drink consists of rum, lime juice, sugar, and apricot brandy, there is a recipe in Ted Saucier's classic tome Bottoms Up which calls for pineapple juice, which most other recipes do not call for. To add to the confusion, the book claims the Hotel Nacional as the source of its recipe.

Therefore in the absence of clarity I will be the decider (like G-Dubya, but with more thoughtful consideration and less disastrous consequences). Below are two recipes. The first is with ingredients and proportions that I think work best to keep the drink true to its Daiquiri roots. The second is the recipe from Bottoms Up which incorporates pineapple juice.

Hotel Nacional
1 1/2 oz white rum (Cruzan offers a splendid and affordable choice)
3/4 oz apricot brandy (Rothman & Winter is great)
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
ice

Tools: shaker, strainer

Glass: chilled coupe (pictured) or cocktail glass

Pre-chill glass by placing in the freezer. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds or so. Strain into your glass and enjoy!

Hotel Nacional de Cuba (from Bottoms Up by Ted Saucier)
1 1/2 oz Bacardi rum
2 oz pineapple juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp apricot brandy
ice

Tools: shaker, strainer

Glass: chilled coupe or cocktail glass

Place all ingredients in shaker. Shake well, pour into cocktail glass and garnish with stick of pineapple and a cherry.

What distinguishes the Hotel Nacional from the original Daiquiri, and makes it essentially a different take on it, is the apricot brandy. Believe me when I say a good quality apricot brandy makes all the difference. Skip anything that looks and tastes artificial, as it will totally ruin the drink.

Bear in mind that I prefer Daiquiri-style drinks on the less sweet, more citrusy side. I also like to double strain this drink in order to keep it clear of ice chips and pulp. But you should adjust amounts to suit your taste. In fact, that's probably why there are so many different recipes for this drink.

Lastly, remember that unlike the Mojito or Collins which are considered "long drinks" that can be sipped at one's leisure, the Daiquiri is intended as a quick, sharp kick to your thirst (and sobriety), and thus better gulped down with haste than slowly savored.


Here's to Cuba--past, present, and future. Cheers!

*Paystyle was born in Tehran and grew up in Los Angeles (aka Tehrangeles) before moving to Brooklyn with his wife and co-pilot Vanessa Bahmani who provides the photography of Pay's cocktail concoctions. Return every Wednesday for his weekly Happy Hour column.

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Daytrip to Calistoga: Cafe Sarafornia

Erin was in town for a few weeks and I went up to see her in her hometown near Santa Rosa. What a trip! We killed some roosters together, ate her first meat meal together, and enjoyed the gorgeous Sonoma County sun.

One day we decided to go "into town" to Calistoga- which is a quaint boulevard brimming with restaurants, a few bars, cafes, and hotels boasting hot springs mud baths. Oohh la la. We stopped into one of Erin's fave joints, Cafe Sarafornia.

According to local lore, Calistoga was nicknamed "Sarafornia" by the city's founder Sam Brennan back in the day, in a drunken slur of words between "California" and "Saratoga".



There is nothing fancy about Cafe Sarafornia, which calls itself the "Last old-fashioned diner in Napa Valley." It makes an effort to use local, organic ingredients (without marking up all the prices) and they have many great local beers on the menu. Here's one of my recent favorites, Lagunitas IPA, from Petaluma, CA (right down the road).



The other notably important trait here is that they serve breakfast ALL DAY!!!!!!!! Here's Erin with her spinach and feta omelette.



My cobb salad was no-frills, but I ordered a side of the special bananas foster pancake which was incredible.



How cute is this place?



CAFE SARAFORNIA
1413 Lincoln Ave
Calistoga, CA
707.942.0555

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The Umami Reader, vol. 064

- German chef blows off his hands after a home kitchen molecular gastronomy session with liquid nitrogen. Brings new weight to the term, "Don't try this at home." (Telegraph; via Ricky)

- Founder of esteemed cattle ranch Bill Niman's new venture BN Ranch, after being pushed out of the Niman Ranch enterprise. "I'm not willing to eat Niman Ranch beef myself." (Inc.)

- Totally slept on the Tuscan Whole Milk Amazon gag from 2006- the customer reviews are hilarious! Here's one:
"Harvested from the majestic Tuscan Unicorn, the Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 Fl oz has unexplained physiological effects and magical curative properties." (Amazon; via Peter S.)

- Above video: Culinary rock band fronted by Chef Frankie. Via Kiwa.

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Tokyo JUNKtion: Canned Crab Bar GUILTY of False Advertising

The Canned Crab Bar is guilty of false advertising. I almost forgave them for not serving any canned crab while dining on fresh, juicy crab legs and seafood-cream pasta... until I saw the bill.

We walked into the Canned Crab Bar located in a tiny alley in Yoyogi-uehara expecting canned crab. But instead the only canned crab in the store was used for decorative purposes. I am not complaining - I will take fresh crab over canned any day and this day was no exception. We ordered the two kinds of crab offered on the menu: zuwai (399 yen) and taraba (699 yen). As the price suggests, the taraba crab was much juicier and sweet in taste than the zuwai crab. There were an array of dipping sauces to choose from (too many in my opinion) and we selected a cream dill and a simple vinaigrette sauce. Both sauces were good and necessary for the zuwai, which was dry compared to the taraba. The taraba was so juicy in itself that it seemed like an insult to slather it in sauce.



After the crab, we were craving pasta. Surprisingly, there was no pasta on the menu. So we asked our server if they could make a pasta dish for us. The chef came out and asked us if a cream sauce consisting of cured mullet roe and crab was something we would like. It sounded right up our alley and OK'd the chef on the order. What arrived was fettucine coated with cream sauce that wasn't too heavy. The cream sauce brought out the sweetness of the crab and mullet roe.



The food at Canned Crab Bar was made with ingredients that are almost failproof - crab, fine cheese, wine. But the tab at the end of the meal, 7,900 yen, was proof that they felt inclined to charge enough to prove that they didn't use any canned products. I am always wary of places that place a "charge" (sitting) fee and the Canned Crab Bar charged 500 yen. Although the wine is very cheap at 280 yen, they pull you in with the expensive stuff that comes with drinking (i.e. food).

The menu



Sign propped up in front of the alleyway



CANNED CRAB BAR
3-21-1 Nishihara, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, Japan
T: 03-3466-2640

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Tokyo JUNKtion: Rice Krispies Treat Bakesale at Yoyogi-koen

June and I spent Saturday afternoon at Yoyogi-Park selling home-made Rice Krispies Treats. Despite Japan being a country with rice everywhere, Kellog's does not sell Rice Krispies in Japan. In order to realize our dreams of starting a bakesale trend in Tokyo, June brought back two boxes of Rice Krispies from the states last month.

We whipped up the treats and individually wrapped them in about 30 minutes and head over to the park. We had no customers for about an hour. Hardcore tumbleweeds. But then a curious customer apprehensively approached our sorry sign in bad handwriting that said "Rice Krispies Treats® 100 yen" (June later added some awesome copy and drawings to the sign). He was a Japanese guy with about four teeth who asked us several questions including "What are these?", "Are they sweet?" and "Are you guys Japanese?"

After careful consideration, he took out his coin purse and handed a 100 yen over to us. As he bit into the treat, I couldn't tell if he was enjoying it or not, but his bites kept getting bigger and bigger. He thanked us and walked over to a bench about 50 feet away. I was happy to see that he had eaten the whole thing.

Our next customer was an American guy who made the transaction while he was on his cell phone. He handed us a 100 won (Korean coin) by mistake, which looked strikingly similar to a 100 yen coin. He stuck the treat in his shirt pocket and walked away.

We still have a box and a half of Rice Krispies left, so we will surely be out in the park again a few times this summer.

June with the "storefront."

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UMAMIMART Relaunch is COMING!

Hey Everyone-

Sorry I've been off the radar- I've been working a lot and so haven't been in front of the computer much in the past few days. Plus, I spent an arduously few days making apricot jam!!! It was an intense project which I will share with you soon.

In case you're wondering, UMAMIMART is acting a big strange. Tmonkey is helping me move the site for our big relaunch!! The new site is entirely designed by Yoko!!! It's all very exciting, but means that there may be some glitches in the upcoming days. Please be patient and don't stop checking in! It'll all be worth the wait, I promise.

Love,

Kayoko

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(Un)edible Paper

My mom went to Paris and all I got was this lousy Edible Paper. Being a fan of everything fake and pink I had to give this a try.

Everyone across the world is probably constantly wondering: How do those French supermodels keep so beautiful and fit? What on earth are they eating? Well, here's the answer: they eat paper. And they are probably not having a great time doing it.



After having fought a straining battle actually trying to get the package to open (this is where the models get their workout from) I laid out the silky feeling sheets in the three assorted "flavours." According to the list of chemicals on the back of the package, these paper sheets sport the mainstream flaves Vanilla, Orange and Strawberry.



Biting into the pink paper, I immediately discover the fullness and flavour of... nothing. Just the plain texture of... paper. So no surprises there. There might be a slight hint of something fruity but it's flat and leaves an aftertaste reminiscent of wet cardboard boxes soaked in perfume factory sewage water.

So much for the eating process.



I then start doing the next best thing you can do with edible paper: make origami.

Already filled with high expectations, I dream about serving wonderfully decadent desserts draped on paper plates or crunchy paper planes drifting out from the the kitchen and landing gracefully on the Victorian ice cream filled dinnerplates of my guests.

Which is no success either - the so-called paper is unfoldable and falls apart when trying to bend it and it feels more like cheap crackers. Or maybe church oblates - the body of Christ - would be the perfect description. Although these babies were never touched by angels in any way.



I personally prefer not touch them again any more myself.



I'll wrap up the rest in a doggybag and send them off to Heidi Klum.

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Happy Hour: The Daiquiri

It is difficult to think of a classic cocktail that has gone through as many unflattering permutations--to the point where nearly all resemblance to the original has vanished--as the Daiquiri. That the word Daiquiri instantly conjures images of umbrella-laden, too-sweet-for-consumption slushees served to retirees on cruise ships only punctuates this point, since this modern-day mutation bares as much resemblance to the original Daiquiri as Rocky Balboa does to Rocky Marciano, or say, Justin Timberlake does to Michael Jackson.

So how did things deteriorate to this point? My normal inclination in these matters is to blame midwesterners with fanny packs, as they are natural scapegoats for many of society's woes, at least in my mind, but that doesn't really lead us to a solution. I suppose, then, that the most fitting way to ameliorate this is the old school approach, which is to simply set the record straight, one classic cocktail at a time.

Named after the small Cuban coastal town of the same name, the classic Daiquiri is a simple yet sublime combination of rum, lime juice, sugar, and ice--that's it. You can even skip the garnish altogether. In fact, you should.

As with many drinks that originated in a bygone era, there are numerous stories of the Daiquiri's origin, depending on who you ask. One version theorizes the Daiquiri as the inevitable progression of the concoction known as "grog" or "grogg," which was often made by mixing rum, lemon juice, sugar, and water, and originally served to British sailors in the 18th century. The citrus, in addition to preventing scurvy, helped make the harsh rum more palatable along with the sugar and water, and the rum was said to prevent the malaria-induced fever prevalent in the mosquito-abundant Caribbean islands. As this theory would have it, once ice became available a century or so later, it was used in place of the water, and thus the Daiquiri was born.

Another version of the story dates back to 1905 and credits Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working in Cuba, who is said to have invented this drink one night when he was expecting company and ran out of gin. Although this is a popular and oft-repeated tale of the Daiquiri's origin, it overlooks important details that would at best give Cox credit for the drink's name, such as the fact that rum, lime juice, and sugar were all ingredients readily accessible to native Cubans for centuries. If not by virtue of creativity, someone would have surely stumbled upon this combination accidentally prior to the 20th century.

Regardless of how the Daiquiri came to be, its fame quickly spread once it was introduced to American palates. In 1909 Admiral Lucas Johnson of the US Navy introduced this drink to the Army and Navy Club in Washington after trying it in Cuba. It became so popular there that they named their bar the Daiquiri Lounge. Despite the onset of Prohibition in the states, the drink continued to gain popularity as Americans traveled to Cuba to indulge their inebriative desires.

The Daiquiri's popularity is evidenced by the many references to the drink in literature, politics, and popular culture. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, characters so casually imbibe on Daiquiris that you would think this was their life-long tipple. Rum, which was once considered a vile spirit, became en vogue as tastemakers like President John F. Kennedy and actress Marlene Dietrich were seen enjoying Daiquiris.

The most famous and loyal advocate of the Daiquiri, however, was without a doubt Ernest Hemingway, who was said to have enjoyed half a dozen Daiquiris when merely being social, and who once boasted of drinking sixteen in one evening. So immense was his adoration of the Daiquiri that a special version was made just for him by the bartender at his favorite Havana hangout, El Floridita. That version is called the Papa Doble (also commonly called a Hemingway Daiquiri) and a version of its recipe, along with a recipe for the original Daiquiri, are both provided below.

The Daiquiri (pictured above)
1 1/2 oz silver rum (Cuban rum if you have it)
1 tsp fine sugar (or 2 tsp simple syrup)
juice of 1/2 lime

Tools: cocktail shaker, strainer

Glass: pre-chilled coupe (pictured above) or cocktail glass

If using sugar, first pre-dissolve the sugar in the lime juice. Otherwise, place all ingredients in a shaker along with ice and shake briskly. Strain into your chilled glass and enjoy. Be careful not to overshake, since the original Daiquiri is a bracing drink in which you want to chill without diluting.

Some enjoy Daiquiris perfectly strained without any ice chips or lime pulp, and if you also prefer it this way, simply double strain. Conversely, some enjoy theirs in the manner that bares the closest resemblance to today's abominable version, which is to say, blended. That's fine as well, provided you skip the umbrellas, cherries, bananas, strawberries, and other useless props and embellishments. Instead, either shake with crushed ice and pour directly without straining, or put everything in the blender.

If you've never tried a Daiquiri like this, you may think this drink needs to be sweeter. But as Charles Baker wrote in his classic tome The Gentleman's Companion, "A too-sweet daiquiri is like a lovely lady with too much perfume." If you must, you can adjust amounts to your own taste, but this is how the original drink is supposed to be, and subtly sweet is how I prefer it as well.

Traditionally a Daiquiri was not garnished, but if you must garnish this drink, a simple twist of lime peel will suffice.

Papa Doble (aka Hemingway Daiquiri)
2 ounces silver rum (Cuban rum if you have it)
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce Maraschino liqueur

Tools: cocktail shaker, strainer

Glass: pre-chilled coupe (pictured above) or cocktail glass

Place all ingredients plus ice in a shaker and shake well, again being careful not to overshake. Strain into a chilled glass and enjoy.

The above recipe for the Papa Doble comes by way of Jim Meehan of PDT. There are a number of recipes for this drink out there which differ from the recipe above with respect to the specific amounts of each ingredient called for. Some recipes call for 3 ounces of rum, and some call for even more; and there are recipes that call for the juice of half a grapefruit and two limes. While I cannot attest to the authenticity of any of them, nor claim to know exactly how Hemingway preferred his, I can personally affirm that the above recipe is the tastiest and the most balanced in terms of flavor, so that at least you will enjoy it.

As you can see from both recipes above that the Daiquiri is no daisy of a drink, despite its modern-day rep. If you don't believe me, try drinking a dozen. Then get back to me so we can set the record straight. Cheers!

*Paystyle was born in Tehran and grew up in Los Angeles (aka Tehrangeles) before moving to Brooklyn with his wife and co-pilot Vanessa Bahmani who provides the stunning photography of Pay's cocktail concoctions. Return every Wednesday for his weekly Happy Hour column.

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Lazyass Cookin': 8 Ingredients to Gazpacho (Traditional)

I was inspired to make this when watching Jacques Pepin make it on his show the other day. He just made it look so easy- it's a raw vegetable soup for god's sake! No pots and pans- just your knife, peeler and food processor. It's a lazyass cook's call from heaven.

I'm working at a Spanish restaurant right now that serves both the red and white gazpacho, and I asked the chef what's in both of them. I'll make the white one soon, but for this traditional one, she just rattled off these ingredients:



Count the ingredients: EIGHT. Just eight. That's 8. There are a number of gazpacho recipes online that have like a gajillion ingredients for this lovely Spanish summer soup, but for mine, I used only eight!

Approximately for about 4 servings:
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Green pepper
- 1/2 Onion
- About 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 1 slice of Bread

The biggest pain was peeling and seeding all the vegetables- but whatever, get a peeler. I wasn't sure if I should peel the pepper and tomato, so I did it anyway. Pitting the tomato was sad cause all the yummy juices flowed away, but oh well. I could have put it through a sieve, but this is a column for the LAZY!

Jacques suggested using a spoon to seed the cucumber.



Chop all the vegetables up- just in a way that they all fit into the food processor. At first, you want to puree only the vegetables!



I finally figured out how to use the processor, which truth be told, scares the shit out of me. I've never owned one before, and I've always wanted one, but it's an animal!!! It pureed all the vegetables in a blink of an eye! But keep it going for a few minutes, until you get the smoothness you want.

I actually put in too many vegetables cause the soup kept spilling over when it was pureeing. Oops. Next time I'll reduce the ingredients.



After all the vegetables are pureed, you want to then add the bread. The bread I had offhand was stale so I soaked it in water. Then also add the olive oil and salt.



I pureed everything for a total of about 7 minutes. Just keep doing it until you get the consistency you like, adding salt and more oil if you wish.

I put this in a nice teacup and garnished with fresh parsley.



I brought this over to Christi who would have liked it chunkier. My mama thought it needed more heat, so wanted me to add paprika or something. I'll try that. I thought it was too garlicy. Will keep researching!

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Tokyo JUNKtion: Ramune Kit Kat

Ramune is a traditional Japanese carbonated drink that is in a distinctly shaped bottle with a marble in it. The taste is a pretty generic lemon-lime soda flavor, but it's something about the glass bottle that makes it taste extra cold and special. Ramune is commonly sold at matsuri (Japanese festivals) where you will see children begging their parents to buy them one.

This week's Kit Kat flavor is ramune. I sensed that I would not enjoy this flavor just by seeing on the package that this Kit Kat is colored light aqua blue. Gross.



When I broke open the package, the whole room wafted of bubble gum scent. I was immediately turned off. As I bit into it, I almost gagged. It tasted like the bubble gum flavored flouride that the dentist tricks you into choosing as a kid because it sounds fun. But the coating for ramune Kit Kat is even worse than the flouride because it tastes like it is diluted with corn starch, and then it dares to drape itself all over a perfectly good wafer. What a waste.

The only thing ramune-ish about this wafer is the fact that the color of the flouride-tasting goop mimicks the color of a ramune bottle. If I were a ramune soda I would boycott these ramune Kit Kat - it's an imposter, and an extremely bad one at that.

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The Umami Reader, vol. 063

- Put your deposit down on a chicken or lamb from Awesome Farms in upstate NY! Delivered to the Brooklyn Kitchen once a month between now and October. Order online now. (Awesome Farms)

- A list of 10 crazy-looking hotdogs. Check out the totally nasty spaghetti dogs! And props to my friend Tam Ngo for getting her flowering dog on a stick featured- although her name is NOT Tom!!! (Woman's Day; via Lily)

- Former financial E-Trade dude turns a 6,000 square feet rooftop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn into a full-fledged farm! (Good Magazine)

- Will Allen founded Growing Power Farm in Milwaukee, a super-city garden tended by and grown for the community. Awesome profile on a true visionary! (NYT; via Amy T.)

- Above video: World's largest hamburger from Miyazaki, Japan, weighing in at 300 pounds. Oy. (via Eater)

EVENTS

GOOD BEER at BAM
July 29, 4pm
Kinda pricey at $45, but includes food, and beers by a dozen NY breweries, including a secret one by the Gramercy Tavern!

Conni's Avant Garde Restaurant
August 5-8
She's BAAACK! This time at the Ohio Theater in Soho, NYC. Dinner and theater, in five courses! You def want to buy tix asap before they sell-out!

The Umami Reader brings you the freshest food news, however outdated it may be. Please email links to what you're reading to umamimart@gmail.com. Follow UM on Twitter for more 24/7.

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Culinography: Elephant Garlic

Elephant Garlic growing in my family's garden in Northern California.

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