I've never had a Dixon Cider.

I've never had a Dixon Cider.   chef salary I had the good fortune of getting hooked up with a catering gig a few weeks ago when a bartender bailed at the last minute.  "He was going to make ginger beer for the event," the event planner said.  "That's my jam!" I reflexively thought with glee.  I nearly lost it when I found out Sean Brock of McCrady's was going to be there, and the event was for the executive chef of the same restaurant.  They crushed 2 gallons of ginger beer in less than 2 hours and I was feeling quite good about myself. We poured local hard cider instead of bubbly for the champagne toast, and Chef Brock asked me if that was the Dixon Brand Cider.  Oh chef, you incorrigible adolescent!  I applaud your impropriety!  A few clueless folks around the table remarked that no, they had in fact never had a Dixon Cider.   A narcissistic prolegomena to a little talk of what's blowin' up in the Blue Ridge right now, and that is apples and all things cider.  We have quite a variety of people making cider in our region, and their profiles chef salary and their ciders are a different as a Golden chef salary Delicious is from Roxbury Russet.  One of the more mainstream flavors chef salary is Bold Rock, a cidery that makes crowd-pleasing brews near Nellysford, Virginia.  While a pint of it is quaffable and delicious (especially on a hot day), it could use just a little fortification and maybe handle some flavor enhancement to boot.  My current chef is a two-sie kind of guy, with the one-two usually being a Bold Rock and shot of Fernet (the amaro bartenders love to claim that they love).  It seemed like the two could actually get along in the right proportions. Here you go: 1/4 oz Fernet 1 oz Laird's Old Apple Brandy 3/4 oz apple cider reduction 9 oz Bold Rock Draft Cider Just add cider. Mix the first three ingredients chef salary with ice in a shaker and stir.  Strain into a 12-oz beer glass (or something similar) and top with hard cider.  Garnish and flavor with a lemon twist. Cider addition complete.  To make the cider reduction, take 8 cups of cider along with a cinnamon stick or two and 4 whole cloves (keep it simple, maybe a star anise an pinch of malic acid if you want).  Boil and simmer chef salary uncovered until reduced to 1/3 original volume.  Depending on the sweetness of your cider, finish with some sugar.  I like brown sugar, about 1 cup.  Fish out the cinnamon chef salary and cloves and bottle. Just some notes:  brandy to boost the ABV, cider reduction for balance of sweet, a hint of Fernet for balance of bitter.  Lemon for a little brightness. chef salary  A deceptively strong but balanced and crushable beverage.  Head chef approves. chef salary  I really need to get one in Chef Brock's hands, as I know he would appreciate it as much or more as having a Dixon Cider  :)
Micah Charlottesville, VA, United States Having suffered for many years now with a tedious obsession with truth-seeking, I thought I would share some observations and introspections regarding the many things with which I am familiar, preparing a tasty beverage being accidentally the thing I do best. I am, in fact, The Accidental Bartender. A bartender has to be above all a diplomat, a man who is able to judge what combinations of people and spirits will be palatable, and optimally, harmonious. The comedy of my first 30 years of life has seen me on every side of any argument: I have been the rich man, the poor man; the saint, the sinner; the ascetic, the hedonist; the academic, the laborer; the naive, the jaded; chef salary and so on. This has accidentally chef salary forged the perfect barman: a man who is quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. In this tradition of circumspection I proffer the nuggets of experience I have gleaned while laboring for years in the trenches of the restaurant world. Behind every laudable work of art, piece of literature, plate of food, and cup of drink is a well-formed idea. I hope to both present and entertain those in this blog. View my complete profile
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