Credit: Courtesy Sable

The first time Mike Jones had Jell-O shots, he was in college, drunk and underage at a friend’s house. The host made orange and red Jell-O shots; everyone got plastered. The next morning, Jones woke to his friend attacking the floor with scissors, desperate to get the vivid Jell-O stains out of her carpet.

Most people’s encounters with Jell-O shots resemble Jones’s — it’s the kind of drinking you want to forget. Yet in recent years Jell-O shots have appeared on the menus of craft cocktail bars across the country, featuring upscale spirits and sophisticated flavors. At Sable^[1] in Chicago, where Jones is a bartender, he produces a trio of Jell-O shots in the style of classic cocktails. A mojito? Rum and sugar Jell-O topped with lime and mint foam, sprinkled with a dusting of powdered mint. When Louisville bar Meta^[2] received their annual allotment of Pappy Van Winkle a few years ago, they gently mocked the Pappy hype by making Old Fashioned Jell-O shots with the bourbon. In New York, all of The Meatball Shop’s^[3] six locations sell $4 seasonally rotating Jell-O shots. Last year, they sold 30,000 of them (see below for two of their signature recipes)

The 3 Frozen Drinks You Need to Make This Summer^[4]

“Don’t you love Jell-O?” asked Daniel Holzman, The Meatball Shop’s owner. “Jell-O is one of my favorite desserts. We wanted to tell our customers, ‘Hey, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we want you to have a great time.’ ”

People have been combining gelatin and booze since at least 1862, when Jerry Thomas included a recipe for jelly punch in How to Mix Drinks^[5], America’s first cocktail guide. (Don’t serve it to ladies, he warned: “Many persons, particularly of the softer sex, have been tempted to partake so plentifully of it as to render them somewhat unfit for waltzing or quadrilling.”) No one’s exactly sure when the Jell-O shot as we know it today was invented. One legend, according to Gordon Crews in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol, attributes it to musician Tom Lehrer, who mixed orange Jell-O with vodka before a 1955 Navy Christmas party to thwart the party’s alcohol ban. “Military police, guards, and senior officers did not think it strange when so many were moving orange Jell-O from one location to another... or even when it was being consumed during ‘work hours,’ ” wrote Crews after interviewing Lehrer.

The treat eventually became synonymous with trashy parties and teen drinking — a 2010 study showed that 21.4% of teens studied had consumed a Jell-O shot within the month. But by the early 2000s, the craft cocktail revival had begun, inspiring bartenders to reinvent lowbrow cocktails and add unusual ingredients like tinctures, aquafaba, and yes, gelatin, to drinks.

Now, fancy Jell-O shots are a way for bars to show their creativity while providing an approachable entry to the world of elaborate cocktails. Plus, they’re cheap and not too boozy. “If you do five shots, you get shitcan drunk,” said Holzman. “[But] you and your friends can have five Jell-O shots and have a great time.”

At Portland’s Interurban^[6], they make Jell-O shots nodding their hats to cocktails like Satan’s Whiskers and the Ramos Gin Fizz (the layered shot incorporates gin, orange blossom water, and cream). Manager Jon Green regularly serves rounds of them to groups. “Grandmas will have Jell-O shots with their kids,” Green said. “We’ve got $120 an ounce whiskeys, and we’re selling $3 Jell-O shots. It's letting people know that we like to have fun, but you’re still getting a good product.”

If you want to upgrade the college delicacy into something more adult, start by ditching the store-bought stuff. “Don’t use Kool Aid and artificial ingredients,” Jones said, recommending powdered gelatin to control your flavors and sugar content. Holzman recommends starting with something simple: “Take a lemonade or juice that you like, and spike it. Or take a classic cocktail and jelly it.” 

How to Make The Best Brunch Cocktails ^[7]

But most importantly? Have fun, and experiment until you’ve forgotten the time you puked red, white, and blue Jell-O during that one Fourth of July barbecue. “There really isn’t anything that you can’t do,” said Green. “Jell-O makes everything better.” (One caveat worth noting: You may love the idea of a Negroni Jell-O shot, but no one likes bitter Jell-O.)

Greyhound Jell-O Shot [Makes around 30]

Courtesy of The Meatball Shop

• 2 cups vodka
• 1.5 cups grapefruit juice
• 1 cup simple syrup
• 13 grams gelatin

1. Combine simple syrup and juices in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin on top.
   
2. Allow the gelatin to soak for five minutes or until completely saturated.
   
3. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until gelatin is fully dissolved.
   
4. Remove from heat and stir in the vodka.
   
5. Pour into shot glasses and refrigerate.
   

Aviation Jell-O Shot [Makes around 30]

Courtesy of The Meatball Shop

• 1.5 cups gin
• 4 oz Crème de Violette
• 2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
• 1.5 cups simple syrup
• 1 cup lemon juice
• .5 cups water
• 12 grams gelatin

1. Combine simple syrup, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin on top.
   
2. Allow gelatin to soak for five minutes or until completely saturated.
   
3. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is fully dissolved.
   
4. Remove from heat and stir in the gin, Crème de Violette, and Maraschino Liqueur.
   
5. Pour into shot glasses, garnish with lemon zest, and refrigerate.
   

References

1. ^{^} Sable (www.sablechicago.com)
2. ^{^} Meta (metalouisville.com)
3. ^{^} The Meatball Shop’s (www.themeatballshop.com)
4. ^{^} The 3 Frozen Drinks You Need to Make This Summer (www.mensjournal.com)
5. ^{^} How to Mix Drinks (www.amazon.com)
6. ^{^} Interurban (www.interurbanpdx.com)
7. ^{^} How to Make The Best Brunch Cocktails (www.mensjournal.com)

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The stress of air travel often calls for a glass of alcoholic relief. Commonly, your respite comes in the form of a pungent G&T, Scotch, or, increasingly, a tasty craft beer. But as U.S.-based airlines gradually bolster their beer offerings, European airline KLM (typically a more comfortable way to cross the Atlantic) is investing in gimmicks instead of better brews.

The 9 Best Craft Beers on Airlines^[1]

The Holland-based carrier just announced that in August it will begin serving fellow Dutch brand Heineken on tap. The problem is, the beer won't really be "on tap," or a better option than a fresh can.

Heineken appears to not understand the logistics of serving beer on a plane. In an interview with Fox News^[2], Heineken’s Edwin Griffioen, who designed the product, said it was no easy feat to overcome the challenges of dispensing beer under the conditions of a cabin. “Because the air pressure is so much lower in an airplane than at sea level, a traditional beer tap will not work, as it will only dispense a huge amount of foam,” he says.

Wrong. Any normal keg and tap system from a typical bar would work in an airplane, says Ray Daniels, founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program. Draft beer merely needs to be dispensed at a slightly higher PSI to make up for the typical cabin pressure of about 8,000 feet. "Altitude isn't really the problem.” More likely, Heineken couldn't get away with the size and weight required for your average draft system. The compressed CO2 that pushes beer from a keg might also raise red flags with aviation officials.

Instead, the world's third largest brewer designed an insulated service cart (essentially a Thermos on wheels) that keeps the beer cold without a cooling element or CO2 canister to coax the beer out. Our best guess is that Heineken has fitted the cart with a battery-operated air compressor to push beer out of the keg. It’s not truly draft beer, but if they're using key kegs, they'd at least prevent the compressed air from oxidizing the beer and making it taste stale. The key keg holds the liquid within a layer of plastic that air then pushes against to dispense beer.

The only advantage of what’s going on here could be environmental, but even that’s a stretch. “Typically a keg is the most ecologically friendly package a brewer has,” says Neil Witte, field quality and training manager at Duvel USA. “There is virtually no waste, as the keg itself is returned to the brewer for cleaning and refilling over and over again." Unfortunately, this is not the case if they are using a key keg, which can't be reused.

What Heineken and KLM are doing here may be a nice gimmick, but it seems like a waste of energy and beer — what happens to the extra lager when the keg warms? We'd much rather see KLM pick up one of the Netherlands' stellar craft beers like the incredible monk-brewed La Trappe or the ever-inventive De Molen. In the meantime, we'll stick to that Scotch, or just order Heineken by the can.

References

1. ^{^} The 9 Best Craft Beers on Airlines (www.mensjournal.com)
2. ^{^} interview with Fox News (www.foxnews.com)

...

Credit: Wildair

There’s a reason smart people order spritzes in the summer — they’re light, refreshing, and ridiculously easy to make (perfect for that epic backyard bash you’ve been planning^[1]). And really anyone with a bottle of vermouth and some sparkling wine, or club soda, can experiment with the ratio between these two ingredients (though experts recommend two parts vermouth, one part sparkling) and any combination of fruit garnishes to come up with their own riff on the classic drink. But if you’re really smart, you’ll try the recipe behind this particularly delicious spritz, brought to us by Jorge Riera, wine director for both Wildair^[2] and Contra ^[3]in New York City. “The right amount of bittersweet herbaceous from this vermouth, with the zippiness of the bubbles, is what makes this spritz so refreshing and addictive,” he says.

5 Cocktails to Honor St-Germain Creator Robert J. Cooper^[4]

Riera uses Mauro Vergano Americano for the vermouth. “It’s a great bitter vermouth from Asti, Piedmont, made with a base wine from Grignolino grapes.” For the sparkling component, he opts for Petillant Naturel — natural sparkling white wine often shortened to “Pet’Nat” — made from Chenin grapes. “A dry Chenin base sparkling wine is great because the bracing acidity and crispness is the perfect complement to the Vergano Americano. Vermouths have varying amounts of sweetness and herbals, so it’s best to mix it with bubbles that are quite dry and have bright acidity.” He uses Pet’Sec Pet’Nat, but if you don’t have a natural sparkling white at your disposal, just stick to any dry Prosecco or cava.

Lastly, an orange twist to bring out all the flavors.

“All the naturally made components of this spritz — the freshness from the Pet’Nat and the Americano’s sweet herbaceous flavor profile — bring us a fresh, thirst-quenching drink. It’s just the right amount of wine-based alcohol to keep it light and make the perfect summer drink.”

How to Make The Best Brunch Cocktails ^[5]

VERGANO AMERICANO SPRTIZ

• 2/3 Americano Vergano Vermouth
  
• 1/3 Pet’Sec Pet’Nat
  
• 3 cubes of Ice
  
• orange twist
  

Build in wine glass, stir. 

References

1. ^{^} backyard bash you’ve been planning (www.mensjournal.com)
2. ^{^} Wildair (www.wildair.nyc)
3. ^{^} Contra (contranyc.com)
4. ^{^} 5 Cocktails to Honor St-Germain Creator Robert J. Cooper (www.mensjournal.com)
5. ^{^} How to Make The Best Brunch Cocktails (www.mensjournal.com)

...

In an initiative^[1] to encourage awareness among beer drinkers of what’s in their bottle or can, the largest beer companies in the country (including Anheuser-Busch, HeinekenUSA, and MillerCoors) will begin printing nutrition information on their beer labels. The move comes from The Beer Institute^[2], a trade group that counts the country's biggest brewers and importers as members. In the new guidelines proposed by the Beer Institute, labels will list calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat alongside alcohol by volume. Labels will also include ingredient disclosure.

The 100 Best Beers in the World^[3]

"Beer is the most popular alcohol beverage in the United States," said Jim McGreevy, the Beer Institute’s chief executive officer, in a statement. "Providing meaningful information will ultimately empower the consumer when making decisions regarding the beer beverage of their choice."

Overall, bringing more transparency to beer is a good thing, but we don’t expect a lot of craft brewers to follow suit. Testing the nutritional content isn't cheap, and brewers would be losing label space typically used for unique design and art. What's more, most craft beer drinkers may not care how many calories are in their beer.

For microbrewery Spiteful Brewing^[4] in Chicago, and other small craft brewers, it’s not about secrecy. Spiteful co-founder Jason Klein is happy to provide information, if anyone ever asks. "I agree that transparency in anything is generally a good thing, but I’m not sure this applies here," says Klein. "[Inquiring about nutritional info] has only come up once, in my memory, with a customer. I don't think the craft beer drinker is really asking for this."

As of now, only the Beer Institute and its big-name brands are for the addition of calorie counts, and the move is voluntary. "If we were required to add this information on packaging, then of course we would do it, but it would just be another hit to small businesses," Klein says. "The big guys are already doing it, so of course they are for it. They know it hurts craft beer and helps them in the fight for consumer’s dollars."

For small business owners who are competing in a market of giants, every dollar counts. Brewers would have to get every beer tested and analyzed in order to have accurate nutritional data. "As a small business that has come out with more than 100 different beers, this would be a major hit for us to take," says Klein. "And to what end? If it isn't a safety concern and there doesn't seem to be a demand for it, then what’s the point?"

Poll

References

1. ^{^} an initiative (www.beerinstitute.org)
2. ^{^} The Beer Institute (www.beerinstitute.org)
3. ^{^} The 100 Best Beers in the World (www.mensjournal.com)
4. ^{^} Spiteful Brewing (www.spitefulbrewing.com)

...

Sam Calagione made his name growing the "off-centered ales" empire of Dogfish Head Brewery, but the New England native's latest venture comes from his life-long love of the ocean — and its delicious bounty. His new seafood restaurant, Chesapeake & Maine in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has one of the most impressive raw bars on the Atlantic, with oysters from Maine to Maryland, and what are perhaps the first smoked raw oysters in the world.

Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione Squares Off Against Budweiser^[1]

Over a tray of his Smoke in the Water oysters, which get a bacon-like infusion from smoked salt, Calagione demonstrated how to properly shuck an oyster and offered an alternate method (purists might call it a cheat). And while Calagione forgot to bring his shucking glove to the demonstration, he recommends always wearing one.

The Traditional Shuck

1. Hold the oyster level (you don't want to lose the tasty liquor), with the flat, top shell facing up.
   
2. Dig the shucking knife into the back hinge of the shell at a 45-degree angle.
   
3. Holding the shell in place, gently rotate the knife back and forth (clockwise and counter clockwise) until you can pop the top shell open.
   
4. Pass the knife over the oyster to cut the top muscle and release the top shell.
   
5. Run the knife under the oyster to cut the bottom muscle. 
   

The Shuck Hack

1. Pinch the front of the oyster across the shell lip with a needle nose pliers.
   
2. Rotate the pliers down until a black-grey line appears.
   
3. Work your knife into that line to open the shell.
   
4. Cut the top and bottom muscles.
   

References

1. ^{^} Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione Squares Off Against Budweiser (www.mensjournal.com)

...