Welcome back, friends - it's Anders.
Today is a fun episode, and I hope that I'm not digging in too deep here,
but -
bear with me because we are gonna go on an exciting adventure
through the land of Deshler!
Deshler is the name of the cocktail. That's what we're making today.
We're making three Deshlers - if you can call the last one at Deshler.
I'll explain later.
The Deshler is a classic cocktail that I love. It's spirit-forward, it's sipping, it's wonderful,
and I've never had the original version of it. This will all make sense after I talk about all kinds of stuff.
We are going to touch on what a Deshler is, a crucial ingredient in the Deshler,
and we're going to talk about the importance of creativity behind the bar -
and how much room do we allow for that to happen?
We've got a lot to unpack.
I would advise you all to keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times.
So stick around if you like a manhattan because this is kind of in that vein.
If you are new to the channel, thank you for being here.
Hit that subscribe button for more sips, tips, and recipes -
and let's go rediscover a classic. The Deshler.
To the bar.
[intro music]
The Deshler Cocktail is over a hundred years old. You see first print in 1917 in Hugo Ensslin's book,
Recipes for Mixed Cocktails.
No.
Recipes for Mixed Drinks.
You see it a long time ago.
This drink was rye whiskey, Dubonnet Rouge, orange liqueur - specifically Cointreau, and Peychaud's Bitters
which were to be shaken with citrus zest.
Now, some point later, the recipe evolved to be more rye-forward and stirred - much like a manhattan.
The drink is said to have been named after a lightweight boxer named Dave Deshler
who was 5'3, 133 pounds. A compact fighter who packed a punch!
Although I don't know that he was that great of a boxer. But he did get a drink named after him.
But what I find to be interesting are the components that make up the drink - specifically Dubonnet Rouge.
And what Dobonnet Rouge is, is a red, fortified and aromatized wine -
very similar to sweet vermouth. Now, it was created in 1846 by a pharmacist in Paris.
Sir Joseph Dubonnet. The original intention of this was to get
quinine to colonies in North Africa to fight off malaria. Medicine for malaria was quinine.
And he wanted to make it palatable, so he added herbs and botanicals and red wine, and people loved it.
And it spread beyond France. It was popular worldwide - even in the United States.
But in the 1940s there was a problem.
See, the United States could no longer get Dubonnet because of World War II.
Dubonnet came from France - which was occupied by the Germans, and they couldn't get it shipped to the United States.
Well the Americans had an answer for that, and they started making their own Dubonnet.
But they didn't have the original recipe so they made something that was kind of similar.
Long story short, Dubonnet Rouge in the United States at the time was different than the Dubonnet in France.
And therefore, if you were to order a Deshler in the United States it was going to be different than the Deshler that you would get in France.
In 2018 they finally reformulated the recipe to more closely resemble
the original Dubonnet Rouge recipe, and it's delicious.
Now, I was introduced to the Deshler in 2010, and that Deshler had absolutely zero Dubonnet Rouge in it.
It had Lillet Rouge, which is another red, fortified, and aromatized wine that has quinine in it.
And it was wonderful.
And this is the drink that I would make when people would come to the bar and order a Deshler, but the question is,
at what point is a Deshler no longer a Deshler if you start switching out ingredients?
Now, I should also point out there are other things that we changed about this drink.
We used bourbon whiskey instead of rye whiskey, we used a different orange liqueur than Cointreau
even though the original recipe called specifically for Cointreau.
So the greater question is, at what point is a classic cocktail no longer that same classic cocktail?
If you order one cocktail at one bar and go to the next bar and order the same drink,
there's a good chance that drink's going to be different.
Whether it's how they balance the drink, maybe they're using a different ingredient.
Some of these recipes are hundreds of years old. People's tastes have changed.
They may have been using a completely different vermouth than the vermouth that you have in your bar today.
So I think, yes, there is some leeway, and I know that there are a lot of classic cocktail enthusiasts
that will question whether or not it's right.
I have my opinions about this. I do think that bartenders are creative people,
and that there are some boundaries that we, as bartenders, should push.
Now, if you start making really big leaps, you're gonna create a different cocktail - obviously,
but where that happens - that's the question that I'm asking.
There. I think I've said enough.
Now, we're gonna make three Deshlers.
We are going to make the first one by the book, the original recipe - the way it was meant to be,
then we are going to do a modern rendition of that recipe which has become the standard for the Deshler,
and then we're going to make the third one which will be my bastardized cocktail thing that is really good.
[laughter]
Now the booze.
For the first two Deshlers we're going to use rye whiskey,
Dubonnet Rouge,
Cointreau,
and Peychaud's Bitters.
Now, for the wrong Deshler we'll use that same Peychaud's Bitters,
bourbon,
Lillet Rouge,
and curaçao.
In terms of the Dubonnet, this is the updated version that you can get in the United States
which is closer to the original recipe, and I do prefer this to the previous rendition of Dubonnet.
Both the Dubonnet and Lillet Rouge - treat these like vermouth.
So if you open them up, store them in the refrigerator and they are going to last for two months.
In terms of flavor profile, the Dubonnet is more "dried fruit" sweetness, and then a dry finish.
Whereas the Lillet is a little bit more tannic, you get red fruits, bitter finish.
Comparable, but they are different.
In terms of the orange liqueurs, the curaçao is going to be a little bit richer than the Cointreau.
If you do want any of these bottles, you can get them at Curiada. Check out my collection. I'll leave a link down below.
Now that I've probably further confused you, let's build.
Oh! Man.
In addition to all of these bottles of booze, you're gonna want an orange and a lemon.
So let's start with the original recipe that Hugo Ensslin put in print, in his book.
The original recipe says we are to shake it.
Let's start with the skin of the fruit.
One swath of lemon. Simply going to express the oil into the shaking tin, and drop it right in.
Then two swaths of orange. Do the same thing - express the oils, drop it right in.
Three quarters of an ounce of rye whiskey, three quarters of an ounce of the Dubonnet Rouge.
So it's equal parts rye whisky to Dubonnet.
Then two dashes of Peychaud's Bitters, and two dashes of Cointreau.
Now two dashes is a very small amount. I'm going to eyeball this one.
I'm just gonna set this off to the side, and we can move on to the next one
which is the modern, commonly accepted, Deshler recipe.
We're gonna stir this one, so into a mixing glass, one swath of lemon - express the oils, one swath of orange - do the same,
two ounces of rye whiskey, one ounce of Dubonnet Rouge,
then quarter of an ounce of Cointreau, and two dashes of Peychaud's Bitters.
Excellent!
Set that one off to the side, and now the third one.
We're gonna stir this one as well. So, uh, grab your other mixing glass.
One swath of lemon - express, dropped right in,
one swath of orange - express drop right in, then we can do two ounces of bourbon,
one ounce of Lillet Rouge, half an ounce of Curaçao, and finally two dashes of Peychaud's Bitters.
I'm going to stir these two and shake this one. Start by stirring - about 30 seconds.
Keep an eye on the orange and lemon swaths - they want to work their way up. Keep them in the drink while you stir them.
Set these off to the side. Now we can shake the other one 10 to 15 seconds.
Grab your glassware, double strain into your cocktail glass.
I've got a smaller glass for the shaken cocktail because it's just a smaller amount.
And strain off the other two into their respective glasses. All three of these are gonna be served up -
although I know these two are also very good on the rocks.
All three of these will get orange zest right on top. A fresh zest for each cocktail.
All right, we've got three variations of the Deshler. I'm going to invite Az on to get her objective opinion.
I think what would make sense is to start with the original, original, original - which I've never tasted.
Go!
If I may.
You may.
Cheers!
Mmm
Okay, I'm not gonna say anything. Az, you go for it.
Okay.
I think I liked two and three - compared to number one. This one I found to be sort of thin.
I would agree. The first one is light and soft, and there's hardly any burn of alcohol,
but it's a little thin for me, and less flavorful. All spirit cocktails - you typically would stir those.
Of course, rules are meant to be broken, but I was thinking I would like it more than I did.
The second Deshler is much bolder, drier, it's well balanced, and I love this one. I'd recommend it if you like a manhattan.
That one, I think, was a step in the right direction, and I think that was a great improvement.
And this is why I think that bartenders should work with the ratios, and making it taste just so.
The, uh, the bastardized version. Deshler number three is a lot like Deshler number two,
but it's juicier - you get more fruit, still full flavored, and balanced, and I would recommend this one if you want a variation on the Deshler.
It is fruity. It's juicy somehow, but it's still spirit-forward.
Now, having tasted this, would you call that a Deshler?
I am a - I am, but a lay person. I think they are similar enough.
I still call this a Deshler. I think it fits that flavor profile.
Honestly the odd one out is the first one - which is the actual original one.
I thought this was great. I love this sort of thing.
Let me know in the comments if this was too much. Az, take it away.
Oh! Okay. If you like this video, like and subscribe. Ahh - what else?
Hit that notification bell!
Hit that notification bell if you - like it - well, no.
If you like this video, like and subscribe. Hit that notification bell if you wanna be notified.
Or if you -
if you wanna be noti -
Hit the notification bell -
[clearing throat] What Az is trying to say -
If you like this video, like and subscribe. Hit that notification bell
if you want to be notified the next time a video comes out,
and we will see you next time.
Cheers!
Cheers! [laughter]
But I like yours better.
Ahhhh
[music fades]