Port Morris Distillery: San Juan Samurai

Port Morris Distillery Pirotto:

The San Juan Samurai

We are continuing to look at the world of Pitorro from Port Morris Distillery in the Bronx NY.  This time we have another one of our own creations (seriously there's nothing out there like this), which we have named The San Juan Samurai. 





What you will need:
-Port Morris Pitorro Shine
-Momokawa Ruby Junmai Ginjo Saké
-Chopped or ground ginger (softened)
-Shaker and Ice
-Cocktail Glass
-Optional: Symple Syrup (if you want less of a dry drink).

Despite being something we drink very seriously (and often), this is actually the first time that Saké (the indigenous wine of Japan) has appeared here in Pinky Mixology.  Mostly because of two reasons:
A: You don't see a lot of cocktails made with it, so we would end just up showing you a bunch of slides telling you how good or bad something is that you should be trying for yourself.
B: Some labels (not all) aren't thrilled about the notion of their product being used for mixing anything with, though they tend to be the really ego having super premium ones that have been around since 4million BC or whatever and blah blah blah. 

We have chosen a label which we buy most frequently, and it's actually produced in the USA, called Momokawa.  As you can see, they are not hung up about using their saké for creating cocktails.  We would love to do a look into all the types of saké that Momokawa offers, but that would involve us having to buy something like half a case of the stuff and ...yeah we can't really do that at the moment.






Making an infusion often requires a commitment of a considerable volume which you might not be too keen on tying up for days, so muddling can work in some cases, especially with ginger.








The Arctic Chill Muddler has some nice teeth on the end for mashing up stuff and works great for things like this.  See how we put it through the motions in our online review here.  We are the only cocktail site out there which will show you how to make garlic bread with a muddler... seriously.



Freezing (then thawing, obviously) ginger before you use it will soften it up significantly, and it will be much easier to work with here if you do that.  And since you're just using it for cocktails, you don't have to worry about freezer burn, so it is easy to store larger quantities in your freezer and get them out as you need them.



Saké is awesome, and the different types and regional offerings are almost just as varied as European wine.  They are also effected by terroir, however unlike wine, saké requires water to be added in its manufacture, so it is from that water which location plays a major role. 
There are so many out there to choose from and we recommend the offerings from Momokawa, out of Oregon.  They're very accessible and they make other flavored offerings as well.  Since we came of legal age, we were buying the stuff, and are partial to the Momokawa Ruby.  Give this a shot, even if you think you don't like Saké because maybe you had some mass produces junk at some sushi place at the airport in Cincinnati.  Momokawa is the real deal. 
















This drink is dry by nature.  However you can use some simple syrup (or a packet of stevia) to add some sweetness. 




So to recap:
The Real Version:
4oz Momokawa Ruby, Junmai Ginjo Saké
1 (or 1.5) oz of Port Morris Pitorro
Muddle with ginger and strain
Shake with ice and serve

We know that not everyone out there can find some of these ingredients or has the time to mix anything more complex than pouring things together so for you people:
The Lazy Version:
4oz Sake
1oz White Rum
1 tablespoon Ginger syrup
Shake over ice and serve

So there you go, the San Juan Samurai, a new cocktail inspired by Port Morris Distilling's Pitorro Shine.

NEXT UP:

We return to our infusions.

Port Morris Distillery Pitorro: The Eye of Port Morris

Port Morris Distillery Pitorro:

The Eye of Port Morris

So call it what you want, The Eye of Port Morris, Port Morris Light House, El Ojo, or the Island-Hop, this is a variation of the Hawaiian Eye recipe, using Port Morris Pitorro Añejo rather than Batavia and fresh juices.  This is not the one with 7 different kinds of liqueurs, 151 rum, and egg-whites, because that's nasty. 

This is an easy to make cocktail, and the recipe itself can be scaled up into a punch for all your friends to enjoy.  We'll suggest measurements in a little bit.




WHAT YOU NEED
Hardware:
Old Fashioned Glass.
Shaker and Ice.
Drink Strainer (if not built-in).
Sip Stick/Stir Stick

Software:
Natalie's Grapefruit Juice (don't try this with anything else, unless you've squeezed it yourself).
Guava juice (or guava nectar it's sometimes called). 
Port Morris Pitorro Añejo.
Bitters.  If you can, get Hella Bitters.  It's worth the bump. But Angostura is ok too.



So again, the Hawaiian Eye cocktail has two versions. The apparently lesser known one is the one we based this off of, and is fairly simple.  Check out a video of it here.  But unlike that one in the video, we add the bitters AFTER shaking, which is important as you will see.



Seriously, Natalie's juices from the Orchard Island Juice company are just great in so many ways.  Not over-sweet like so many other red grapefruit brands, they are always fresh, and always great served cold with so many kinds of foods (did you know Tropicana "ruby red" grapefruit has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it? It used to not have that in it). 

While we haven't had then chance to try all that Natalie's have to offer, this is the kind of accessible fresh juice that should be the go-to for anyone who takes their drinks more seriously than pouring dirt-vodka into a fruit punch bottle at noon on the L train just past Livonia Ave.  They don't do the flavor-packet thing, no added sugars, and they still keep so much of their original fruit qualities that they really do open up when the booze hits them. 

Just hunt it down and try it at least once, you'll thank us.



Spaceships are cool.



Ceres is a brand we hadn't tried before.  Coming from South Africa, it's the farthest imported thing in here, but after having other brands we thought we'd give the tetra-pack a shot.  Ceres Guava delivered and was very nice with a thickness that you would expect from something like guava (guava is kind of thick if you've never had it before... not like maple syrup but more than just regular old orange juice).  It's also great to just add to some carbonated water and enjoy as a less sweet but still fruity alternative to lemonade.





Now DON'T freak out.  We shot these in a different order so we didn't go through the whole thing in just 2 goes.  Although the
Añejo is much more suited to simply drinking neat, there are still a few other things you can do with it without overshadowing the good craftsmanship of it.


You should use a lot of ice.  Unlike other drinks we make like this, this one isn't going to have the ice put back into it.  It is not served on the rocks, so the more ice the better, it will cool down faster and minimize getting watered down by melt-water.  Remember, don't use ice made out of water you wouldn't drink on its own.  If your water is full of sulfur or chlorine, then why would you want that stuff in something awesome like this?  You can refrigerate everything before hand, or you can freeze some of the juice and make a smoothie version of this in the blender.






Yep, we banged up our backdrop something fierce.  If you would like to support Pinky Mixology, please email us and we'll tell you where to send the $2 for us to get a new one.


So with the bitters splashed on top, all Tequila Sunrise style, you get two dimensions to the same recipe.  You can sip it from the bottom and try it before the bitters get all in there, then you can mix it up and have them all in there doing their thing and all that.


We're actually thinking that "Port Morris Light House" sounds good, we were going to call it "El Faro" (The Lighthouse... but totally in Spanish so it sounds exotic and all that marketable stuff).  But we learned that the El Faro was a cargo ship out of Jacksonville on route to San Juan that sank with all 33 hands aboard on Oct 1 2015 in Hurricane Joaquin. So we're not gonna call it that.  


This recipe is probably the most extreme we would get with the Pitorro Anejo from Port Morris.  The extra dimensions in the aging process are still not lost with these great juices, and they bring their own profiles in without displacing the Pitorro's oaked notes.  If we used mass-produced stuff, it probably wouldn't have been as good, so make sure you go all the way on this one.

Like we mentioned earlier, being a simple recipe with fruit juices, this can make a great punch for gatherings and parties... or if you just want to fill up that 3 gallon water jug you keep in your fridge.

FOR PUNCH:
Take 2 jugs of the Natalie's (or a whole gallon), 1 container of the Ceres Guava, 2 bottles of Port Morris Pitorro (probably either one would work in this case), and half a bottle of bitters.  Optional are cinnamon sticks, or orange peels with cloves in them for that tropical holiday feel.  And remember to use the same ice trick we used in our Watermelon Margarita Punch. 
NEXT:
SAN JUAN SAMURAI

Port Morris Distillery Pitorro: The Nañejo / Nanejo

PORT MORRIS DISTILLERY:

PITORRO AÑEJO + NARANJA = NAÑEJO

Yes, we could have worked Mandarina in there somewhere, but... this seemed really catchy.





The Port Morris Distillery Tasting Room has a number of combinations which they offer, in order for you to get a good grasp of what they offer becomes when mixed with other flavors.  They favor carbonated beverages when pairing their Pitorro Añejo, and here are the main offerings you will find there:
The Uptown: Pitorro Añejo & Ginger Ale
El Toro: Pitorro Añejo & Red Bull (just FYI, alcohol + caffeine at strong levels like that can be harmful to anyone with hypertension).
Palito Libre: Pitorro Añejo & Cola

Three isn't a really big number, so we thought we would try to expand on their offerings by adding another very simple combination, and we call it: The Nañejo. It is something just about anyone can do without any fancy equipment or a whole bar full of ingredients.  You will need a few things though.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Port Morris Pitorro Añejo
Maine Root Mandarin Orange Soda
A glass to put it in.
Ice...probably.  See our post about Ice and stuff.  You'll learn stuff.

OK, so now you have your stuff together, let's see how easy it is to add 2 things together.  ...it's pretty easy.





Pitorro Añejo is one of those spirits that you are sometimes almost sad to add to a mixed drink, because it's so nice by itself.  But, unlike certain things like aged whiskeys or super-rum types, it really can play nice with others without losing its individual qualities.  It's the guy who shows up at a tango dance competition, but in the dark red tuxedo.  He definitely belongs there, but you are also definitely gonna remember him.   












While not 100% locally sources in terms of our Brooklyn location, Maine Root sodas are really some of the best ones you can find out there without having to put on a mining helmet and start really digging.  If your store doesn't carry it, see what you can do about pestering them enough to get at least the orange.






That's pretty much it.  It's a standard rum & coke type of thing.  

Next Up: 

El Ojo / The Eye.

Port Morris Pitorro Salma Hayek

The Salma Hayek

A cocktail based on an official recipe from the Port Morris Distillery menu.  It's a simple drink with fresh lime juice and a bit of spice.



What you will need:
HARDWARE:
Old Fashioned Glass
Shaker
Rimming Tray or something else to rim a glass over

SOFTWARE:
Port Morris Pitorro Shine (between 2 and 3 ounces depending on how you like it ...or more I guess if that's you're thing).
1 lime (best to have 2 in case they don't give that much juice)
4oz Ice.  Never use ice made out of water you wouldn't drink on its own.










We buy all our spices from Sahadi's in Brooklyn NY.  On Atlantic Avenue for 65 years, and in business in NYC for well over 100, Sahadi's has everything you need to keep making your grandma's recipes like it was the day she learned them herself.

Hey brewers and distillers out there, they do wholesale too!









We can't stress enough that fresh limes are the only thing to use in this one.   Using jarred or bottled lime juice, no matter how "organic" it is labeled, it just isn't the fresh stuff.  Just go buy $1 worth of limes and go to town.





















This is very similar to our original margarita recipe, but there is no sugar added here, as instructed by Port Morris Distillery on their menu.  We think it could use a bit of a different spice mix on the rim of the glass, but to each their own.  You should just go get some and try it out for yourself.

Port Morris Distillery: Pitorro

Port Morris Distillery:
PITORRO
So what is Pitorro.  It is a word in Spanish that is associated with a sugar cane distilled beverage particular to Puero Rico.  So, "Puerto Rican Moonshine" is more or less a good way to put it.  And where can you get the best Puerto Rican Moonshine?  In NYC of course.  More specifically at that Port Morris Distillery in The Bronx, NY, which is a short walk from the 6 train.  Yes, you tourists out there, it's safe to go to.  The gentle rocking of the Metro North and Amtrak trains that bring you back to your suburbia and your wonder bread, create a harmonic zone which is perfect for rattling the best of the flavors out of the ingredients and barrels for an amazing flavor experience.





Go here.



The Port Morris Distillery makes 3 main varieties of their Pitorro.

#1:  Shine.  A clear version which is rip roarin' ready to go almost straight out of the still.   But don't think you're going to get a paint-stripping moonshine that tastes like Cachaça, because you won't.  You will get a soft fragrant blank canvas of a liquor, all  thanks to their proprietary blend of cane, apples, and honey, along with corn in their mash. While delicious on its own, it's begging to take a few creative things into it as an infusion.  The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can add. 
#2: Anjeho.  Aged Pitorro.  They let their Shine sit in some serious oak until it picks up an oaked quality which intermingles with its unique taste.  Best had neat, but there are a few recipes it can work well in, as you shall see.

#3: Coquito.  This is the Pitorro as it is expected.  Infused with traditional spices and fruit.  It is traditional and popular around right the hell now (the x-mas holidays).  You WASP mofos will probably call it too "fruity" and dump a load of some weirdo bitters in there or try to mix it with some un-aged corn whiskey, but before you do that (and as a cracker myself I think something like that might not be so bad), just give it a real try by itself with good foods before you do that

And now, Port Morris Pitorro:














We met some of the family.  They are amazing and they really care about what their product come out tasting like.  When that's happening, you know you are in for some good stuff.





The Port Morris Pitorro Shine is one of the greatest blank canvases to work with in terms of infusion.  It was literally invented for such a purpose.  Port Morris Distillery encourages you to try your own creations with their Pitorro Shine.  Try some out, and show them off.






The Añejo is almost more of a reposado, but people always only think of Tequila when those terms are used, but they really are general words which mean "aged" and "rested" respectively.  In our opinion, this aged Pitorro is really good and can more than stand its ground against a Green Label.




Click here to learn more about Coquito.
































So, how did some non-preservative cherries last us this long?  Well, it wasn't just our fridge that did it, but rather 3 oz of Spirytus Staropolski (the 98% ABV vodka).  That kept it from going bad you better believe it.  You can also freeze them, but don't use a glass container.









So we shall see what those infusions will bring.  But, in the mean time, we will be checking out some great cocktail recipes, like the Salma Hayek.

See you tomorrow.