Hey! There's A Quail On The Fireplace!

English charm is at the forefront of this week's visit into the bar scene of St. Louis: the cozy Fox and Hounds, located in the lobby of The Cheshire Inn.  A quick warning: groups larger than four cannot be accommodated on most weekends and parking can be a chore (though for a few bucks, a valet is an option).  This place is the epitome of small; there are about four bar stools, a couch positioned in front of a fireplace, a circular table that can hold about six people, a few wingback chairs, and a scattering of tables that hold two people each.  The place feels even smaller because of the piano-bass jazz duo that somehow fits into a corner.  The adjective 'intimate' is under selling the feel of the tavern.  The tavern is just that; decorations consisted of taxidermy (quail, caribou, etc.) and rustic wood paneling.  

When we approached the bartender, I asked for a Manhattan for my wife and an Old-fashioned for me.  To my chagrin, the bar lacked rye whiskey, upon which both of the drinks I ordered are dependent.  Rye is becoming more and more popular, so the fact that the Fox and Hounds didn't carry any was disappointing.  After settling on Maker's Mark, we found ourselves a place on the couch.  It struck me immediately that the bar was far understaffed.  With one bartender and one waitress taking orders, the time in between drinks was lengthy.  There is no specialty drink menu, and when I asked for a Tom Collins, I was told that the bartender could not make one because he didn't have any lemonade.  The inability to create any custom order (like, you know, a proper Tom Collins) definitely put a damper on the experience.  I eventually settled on a White Russian that wasn't made with cream (it was still good, but I'm a sucker for Kaluha).

If you want to experience the Fox and Hounds, you might want to try on a weeknight.  And don't expect too much; the drinks will be average, the service less than average, and most likely you will be knocking knees with a stranger (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on the bar experience you desire).

Oh, and have a Tom Collins; they are refreshing.    

Tom Collins

Two parts gin
One part lemon juice
1 tsp Simple Syrup
Soda Water

Fill a Collins glass with the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.  Stir, and add club soda.  Garnish with a cherry.

In Memorandum: The Monarch

For those of you who have been following the birth of this blog, you will know that I recently reviewed a few of the drinks at The Monarch in Maplewood.  It pains me to say this, but, unfortunately, The Monarch is closing its doors for good on March 11^th.  Obviously this is sad for the owners and staff of the restaurant, but in past few months I had really enjoyed popping in to the bar for a drink or two.  The Monarch contained a bar that was able to pay homage to traditional cocktails while also being able to concoct new, daring creations.  One of my favorites was Purgatory, a devilish mix of whiskey, Chartreuse, and Benedictine herbal liquor that one could not consume two of without starting to think about obtaining a ride home.   In the drink description on the menu, it reads: “If you drink very many of these in succession, you will experience this drink's namesake. You have been forewarned.”  They are not kidding.

In keeping on the traditional side, The Monarch was able to drudge up long forgotten memories of the cocktails of yesteryear and replicate them in the most accurate way possible.  The Sazerac is not for the faint of heart, as you can tell from the recipe:

Sazerac

1 sugar cube

3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

2 oz rye whiskey

¼ oz absinthe, Herbsaint, or Pernod

Lemon twist

Fill old-fashioned glass with ice. Muddle sugar and bitters in second old-fashioned glass.  Add whiskey and stir.  Discard ice from first glass.  Add absinthe to chilled glass, swirl to coat inside, and discard excess absinthe.  Pour whiskey mixture from second glass into chilled glass.  Twist lemon over drink, but do not add to glass.

When I first tried the Sazerac, I was incredibly leery of the absinthe.  However, this cocktail has such a small amount, there is only a hint of the black licorice flavor imparted by the absinthe; a subtle kiss of anise that when mixed with the spicy rye, is just the perfect amount.  The Monarch made this drink better than most, and while I can’t say that it’s the best Sazerac I’ve ever had, I can tell you with full confidence that you would not be disappointed if you had one from there.

All in all, a big thanks to the folks of The Monarch.  To the bartenders, the waiting staff, the chef, and the owners, we wish you luck in your future endeavors.  Thanks, and cheers.

The Monarch

The Monarch is a top notch restaurant, and its bar matches the high standard of dining.  Set on the corner of Manchester and Sutton in downtown Maplewood, Monarch provides a bartending staff well suited for the creation of, well, whatever you want.  At $10 for every cocktail on their menu, Monarch becomes a special occasion bar for most.  It wouldn’t be the best idea to order a Jack and Coke here, so if you are looking for simplicity, this is not your place.  If, however, you are looking for upscale, you have found your heaven.

Upon first arrival, the bartender presented us with a great menu of cocktails.  The menu was divided into classic cocktails, seasonal cocktails, dessert cocktails, and the Monarch’s own recipes.  The time-sensitive nature of the seasonal cocktails enticed me to select from that portion of the menu.  I noticed a drink called “K-T Flip.”  Here is where everything gets a bit hairy.  The ingredients are as follows: 

Four Roses bourbon, Tuscany red wine, simple syrup, bitters, and one whole egg  
(A whole egg?  Why in the world would you put an egg in a cocktail, other than a dire need for protein?  I’ll address the concept of “flips” in a future post.)

The drink is shaken together with ice and served in a Chardonnay glass.  It looks like latte; after the egg is shaken, the drink creates a foam layer that floats on the rest of the coffee colored drink.  Bitters are added on the top of the foam as an aromatic.  After asking the bartender about the drink, he informed me that it was a version of a coffee cocktail, which is also available at The Monarch.

Coffee Cocktail

1 ½ ounce port

1 ½ ounce brandy

1 teaspoon simple syrup

1 whole egg

Shake hard with ice and strain into a wine glass.  Garnish with grated nutmeg.

The texture of the K-T Flip is slightly deceptive, as the foamy head implies a creamy consistency.  However, none of the ingredients add this creaminess, and the drink goes down similarly to a chilled glass of wine.  As the glass is tilted, the foamy head moves aside, allowing the rest of the drink to pass to the lips.  The drink is quite smooth, and there is enough bourbon in the cocktail to prevent it from being overly sweet.  There is not an alcohol bite, which makes this drink suitable as a dessert drink.

Have you ever been to the Monarch?  Have you ever tried a coffee cocktail?  Let me know what you think of both in the comments.            

The Scottish Arms

Welcome to my first (documented) venture out into the St. Louis bar scene.  First on the docket: The Scottish Arms.  Located on the east edge of the Central West End, The Scottish Arms is best known for their exhaustive offerings of (what else) scotch whisky.  

Quick tangent: ever wonder some brands are ‘whisky’ and others are ‘whiskey?’  It all depends on where the spirit is produced.  American and Irish brands are the only ones that spell it whiskey.  All other brands (Scottish, Canadian, etc.) are spelled whisky.  Why, I hear you ask?  I have no clue.  Maybe in another post I will tackle that question.

Scotch is an acquired taste, and as such, I have failed to acquire it.  It seems like it would be right in my wheel house; it is whisky, after all.  At family gatherings, it is always available, and I always partake, yet, I have not found a special place in my heart for it as I do with bourbon. However, like the dutiful blogger that I am, I feel that I need to experience each and every bar’s main feature.  So, of course, I get a sampler of three scotches.  I let my kilted, bearded waiter drive my choices, as I know nothing about the different regions or brands.  I was presented with Cragganmore, Dalwhinne, and Bunnahabhain brands from the Speyside, Islay (pronounced eye-lay), and Highland regions, respectively.  (If you are geographically curious, the map at the start of the post will help.)  Three scotches, three very different experiences.  Flavors varied from honey to smoke to floral to leather.  The most profound moment of the tasting occurred when trying the Bunnahabhain.  My waiter described it thusly: “It’s like being punched in the mouth, but then that same person makes out with you after.”  At first, I smirked at the seemingly over-the-top description, but after tasting, I realized that his statement was very accurate.  The alcohol bite of the Bunnahabhain was at first overwhelming, but the honey flavors smoothed out the finish, almost to the point where it could be considered sweet.  Granted, it still had a leathery taste to it, but overall, I would gladly order a dram of it.

Seeing as how this blog is supposed to be about cocktails, I then decided to browse the Arms’ cocktail menu.  The first one to catch my eye was called “The Redundant.”  The menu description:

Based off the Alcoholic’s White Russian which used Bailey’s instead of cream, we though a lightly smoky scotch such as Johnnie Walker Red would play nicely and it does.  So what to call it?  Originally we called the Drunken White Scotsman[sic], but we thought that was a bit redundant.  Johnnie Walker Red, Kahlua, Frangeilco[sic], Bailey’s.

I love White Russian’s, so this was an exciting variation; in theory, at least.  While the Bailey’s is a fun idea, it takes away the richness that heavy cream would provide.  The smoky flavor imparted by the Johnnie Walker is barely noticeable, but the Frangelico provides a welcome nutty flavor.  Overall, I would rather just have a White Russian, but maybe my taste buds are not trained enough to enjoy the scotch addition.  And if you like Bailey’s, then definitely give this drink a try.

In relation to the previous post, my wife ordered the Rye Manhattan from the cocktail list.  They put a ton of bitters in their version, almost to the point where the sweet vermouth is nullified.  My wife ordered two, if that is any indication to the quality of the drink.

Ever been to The Scottish Arms?  How was your experience regarding the drinks or otherwise?  Leave your opinions in the comments.

Also, I started a Twitter account as a way to announce new posts.  Feel free to comment or ask questions @rebellionwhisky.