Suffering Bastard - How to Make the Classic Tiki Drink & the History Behind It
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- Опубліковано 3 гру 2017
- How to make the Suffering Bastard, the Egyptian Tiki cocktail made with Gin, Brandy, Lime Cordial, Aromatic Bitters, Ginger Beer, with a Mint Sprig and an Orange Wheel for garnish. It’s in the class of drinks along side the Moscow Mule, Mamie Taylor and Dark ’N Stormy. It’s the Horse’s Neck meets the Gimlet. And, as unlikely as it seems, it became a mid-century Tiki standard.
The Bastard was born far from the faux Polynesian world of California Tiki culture and it certainly did not follow the Don the Beachcomber (Planter’s Punch) exotic drink template. It was born in 1942 in British-controlled Cairo at the Long Bar in the Shepheard's Hotel. The drink was created by Joe Scialom, an Egyptian native, who at one time, was one of the most famous bar keepers in the world.
He created the drink as a Corpse Reviver or a hair-of-the-dog drink, one meant to cure your hangover. In 1942, nearly all of North Africa was being effected by World War II. Supply-lines were cut. Scialom was forced to work with less than great spirits. But for this drink, he managed to beg, borrow and steal quality versions of each ingredient. Most importantly, the lime cordial was homemade and the ginger beer was really spicy.
In the mid-1950’s the British lost control of Egypt. During the upheaval, Scialom was thrown in prison under suspicion of being a spy. When he was let out a month later, he grabbed his family and fled the country. However, Conrad Hilton, who had been charged with helping make Puerto Rico a tourist destination, was building a new hotel in Puerto Rico and he needed the best bartender in the world to head up the exotic bar in the hotel. Hilton hired Scialom and they remained partners for decades. Scialom opened bars and trained staff for Hilton in dozens of cities throughout the world. Everywhere he went, the Suffering Bastard followed and it became a standard on tiki menus.
The story behind this was uncovered by Tiki historian, Beachbum Berry. A large chunk of his book, Potions of the Caribbean, is devoted to Scialom. There’s a lot more about Scialom and about the history of rum and tiki and all kinds of good stuff in that book. The stories about Scialom alone make the book worth buying.
For the Lime Cordial, Beachbum Berry recommends in his books that you use Rose’s Lime Juice, however, you’re going to love it a lot more with a homemade Lime Cordial and the best recipe for that comes from The 12 Bottle Bar. It’ll make the best Gimlet you’ve ever had and it’ll be hard to beat in this one too.
As for the ginger beer, you really wanna hit that perfect balance of not too citrusy, not too sweet and fiery as hell. Fentiman’s is good. Fever Tree is excellent. But if the ginger beer you have on hand isn’t spicy enough, you’ll want to hit it with a little ginger syrup to help bring it up to the right level. If you have a Caribbean ginger beer that’s heavy on the citrus, maybe dial back the lime cordial a touch.
This drink is really good when done right, but it was invented by a guy who trained as a chemist, so it’s balance is precise. It’s easy to throw it out of whack with too much sugar, too much citrus, not enough ginger, etc. It may take a little tweaking for you to nail it at home, but it’s worth spending a little extra time in the lab. Okole Maluna!
Recipe:
1 oz (30 ml) Gin
1 oz (30 ml) Brandy
0.5 oz (15 ml) Lime Cordial
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
4 oz (120 ml) Ginger Beer
garnish Mint Sprig
garnish Orange Wheel
Shake all the ingredients except the ginger beer. Strain over ice in a collins glass. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with Mint Sprig and Orange Wheel.
Music:
Trouble in Paradise by Andreas Ericson
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:
Ford’s Gin
bit.ly/2Arn7eP
Copper & Kings Brandy
bit.ly/2qD25E3
Lime Cordial
• How to Make Lime Cordi...
Angostura Bitters
amzn.to/2jHG5G7
Fentimen’s Ginger Beer
amzn.to/2A2IS7B
The 12 Bottle Bar by David & Lesley Solmonson
amzn.to/2npmUFT
Potions of the Caribbean by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
amzn.to/2rfjffU
Bar Tools:
Schott Zwiesel Collins Glasses
amzn.to/2q3GUyD
OXO Angled Measuring Cup, Mini
amzn.to/2pazwfR
OXO SteeL Cocktail Shaker
amzn.to/1pJgEF0
Bamboo Paper Straws
amzn.to/2sw20WG
Cutting Board
amzn.to/1QgQTSW
Small Knife
amzn.to/1KDFQoc - Навчання та стиль
This is easily the must underrated cocktail channel on UA-cam.
This is great to hear. Glad you like it.
Like many other's have mentioned, the detailed history makes this video stand head and shoulders above 99% of the cocktail videos om youtube. Great job!
I appreciate that. Thanks for the love.
I like it when Distinguished Spirits turns into a Metal Gear cut scene.
Your voice makes it feel like I'm being briefed for a mission in WWII Cairo.
War.. has changed.. a lot of cocktail recipes.
Haha. I haven't thought of that game in a long time. My favorite character is OG Snake.
media.giphy.com/media/l0IycSDCzNp4JvSFy/giphy.gif
I am consistently impressed by the historical content in these videos. Tremendous stuff. Informative and mouthwatering!
Thank you! This one is one of my favorites. So, much interesting backstory uncovered by Beachbum Berry!
Did not expect this amazing mini-documentary!
I was just as surprised when I was first reading about it how wild this story was. Glad you dug it.
Wow! One of your best vids, hands down! The history, the archive footage, the homage to Joe Scialom, and, jeeze, even the fantastic music. On top of all that... now I know how to make a delicious cocktail! Just gets better, and better. Cheers!
Thanks! This is probably my favorite video so far. It was a lot of work, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Glad to hear you thought it was worth it. Cheers!
Hey Man, I've watched all of your videos at least half a dozen times. Somehow I had missed this one, made my day!
Head and shoulders your best video! And now I'm off to honor the man.....cheers!
Cheers!
I have yet to watch a video of yours that doesn't make me want to try the drink. Hats off to you
Haha. Cheers! Glad you dig them.
I love the fact that you add so much history to a drink! Together with "how to drink" you are my favorite cocktail channel. One is really breasy and the other is just a in depth look into drinks!
Cocktail Chemistry isn't bad either
Olli true, je had great info but I find his presentation a bit dull
Thanks! I appreciate the love. Cheers!
This was unexpectedly awesome. Loved the history of the drink
Glad to hear that this was a pleasant surprise. The history in this one was incredible and there are more good stories about Scialom in that book. Wild stuff. Cheers!
Hope your channel blows up one day because the quality of your videos is on par (and id say greater) with much more popular channels
Cheers. Thank you so much for the kind words. It means a lot.
I love the history of each drink you bring to your channel. Fascinating stuff. 👍🏻🥃🍸
Cheers! Glad to hear you appreciate it.
I enjoy the history you do on these cocktails so much, it’s always amazing to see how the things we take for granted have come around to be. Appreciate the effort you put in! Cheers!
Thank you. That's great to hear. I really enjoyed making this one. It was fun digging through and finding the historical footage for this one.
Fantastic drink and an even more fascinating history behind it. Great video, as always!
Cheers!
The best history I heard for a cocktail so far. Even a bit interesting than Mai Tai! Awesome video!
Excellent. Glad you dug it. Cheers!
A true classic from one of the greatest bartenders in history. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
For sure. Glad you dug it!
Another great one! Love the history! That Joe Shalom sounded like one cool cat
Great! Glad you liked it. Yeah, Scialom was an interesting dude and lived through some amazing stuff. He also made a few great drinks from time to time. I'll have to do a couple more episodes on his drinks. Definitely at least one more. He has another drink that I really like. Cheers!
Super interesting. You do a great job at delivering well thought out content.
Thank you. Glad to hear you dug it. Cheers!
Excellent video....about to make this right now !!! Perfect for a hot Friday evening in Boston.....
Hell yeah, it is! Enjoy!
And I thought that the Zombie had an intriguing history!
Haha. Well, you were right about both. Cheers!
Love your videos, working my way through all of them. History and booze, that's one hell of a combination. Kanpai!
Awesome! Let me know which ones you like the best. Cheers!
Great! Video thanks!
Cheers! Thank you. Glad you dug it.
This is your best video. I will try this very soon!
Thank you! Glad you liked. It was a lot of work, but definitely a fun one. Let me know how yours turns out (with Fever Tree Ginger Beer). Cheers!
These are fantastic videos. You deserve more subscribers.
Thank you! Glad to hear you dig the videos. Cheers!
I was skeptical at first, but the home-made lime cordial really makes this drink. It's well worth the effort
That’s what I’ve been saying! Haha. Glad you agreed. Cheers!
Great job on this one's background.
Thanks. Beachbum Berry did all of the heavy lifting. I just dug through a lot of newsreels for the b-roll. Check out that book, Potions of the Caribbean (amzn.to/2rfjffU), for a lot more on Scialom and others. It has some great stuff in it. Cheers!
Just made this one today. I used the same gin and brandy since I just so happened to have them. I used Trader Joe's ginger beer but thought it needed some more citrus (probably more ginger, too) so I added half a fresh lime and turned out great. I'm missing your new videos and have had to resort to your archived vids for inspiration! Hope to see new ones soon!
Right on. Glad you liked it. I'm writing a new episode right now. Stay tuned...
I totally hear DS's comments in his voice
Hear this!
Another great video buddy! When are we going to see drinks you've created?
Cheers. Glad you liked it. I have a bunch of videos on drinks I've created, but the next drink is also one I created. So, stay tuned!
lol this seems like a short documentary movie. I am wondering how do you find this history and background for every cocktail. Respect & keep up the good work!
Thanks. Glad to hear you dig the history. Each video has different sources. This one was mostly from the hard work of Beachbum Berry in his book, Potions of the Caribbean (amzn.to/2rfjffU). It's a great read with a lot of amazing details about the history of Tiki. Cheers!
The days of the empire on which the sun never sets. What a gem of a story.
Yeah. It was fascinating. Scialom always happened to be around when major historical events were happening. He was like the Egyptian Forrest Gump. He's got a lot more to his story and Beachbum Berry breaks it all down in his book. Definitely worth checking out. Cheers!
Best drinking channel on youtube. I have been doing more right than I assumed but I read a couple good books back in my youth that had me in the obvious right direction. I have one question. Is it worth the trouble to chill a glass that way? I just normally pop my glass in the freezer while I prep things. I have had glasses chilled with ice water in a bar it works well. It just always seems to me that a person adds a bit of water to the drink no mater what. Just curious if I am missing something. Thank you Mr. Berry White (making love to that drink) of cocktail making..
Thanks for the love. Yeah, you can chill the glass in the freezer instead. That'll be fine. The amount of water left behind from ice chilling the glass or ice and water that chill the glass and is dumped out is pretty negligible. I wouldn't worry about that changing the taste of the drink in any noticeable way. Cheers!
Thank you for the timely response.. My wife and I enjoy the way you work in the history with the mixing. Na Zdrowie!...
Doskonały. Na Zdrowie!
This is awesome. I just fear that if you were to try and put this on a menu people with look at it as a riff on a mule simply because it has ginger beer.
Put it on the menu for sure. The Moscow Mule was supposedly invented around the same time in LA. Perhaps it was a zeitgeist. But the Mamie Taylor and the Horse's Neck pre-date both the Mule and the Bastard. The Mule just swaps the Scotch in the Mamie for Vodka. At least this one has some exotic flare to it. The Bastard really is a mashup of a Gimlet and a Horse's Neck. It's pretty wild that it works. Anyway, I'd say put it on the menu and if anyone thinks it's just your riff on a Mule, you can set them straight...assuming they want to hear an hour long history lesson. 😉👍
If anyone is in doubt about home made lime cordial, after I made it I'll never use the store bought stuff again. The best Gimlet in town. I cant wait to try this one
Rose's Lime Juice Cordial, made in England, is much better than RLJ in the US. It uses sugar instead of HFCS and significantly improved a Gimlet I made with it.
Sorry I live in England, Rose's Lime Juice Cordial, made in England has Sodium Metabisulphite and Carotenes and Green S coloring. And is no where near as good as the home made version recommended by Distinguished Spirits. Believe me it's worth the effort
I didn't clarify that I was referring to store-bought Lime Cordial. I'm sure that the home made version is the best of all.
Couldn't agree more. Particularly if you make the crazy good Lime Cordial referenced in the video. I tend to make a batch and then burn through all the drinks I can think of that call for it. So when I make a batch, it doesn't usually last long.
Hello there! I wonder is brandy the original recipe part? Because as far, as I tried s’bastards within different bars, they are using bourbon? Is bourbon available switch for brandy at my home bar? And with what can I replace the lime cordial?
Lime cordial, you can make at home (ua-cam.com/video/ktmXc6gaPmk/v-deo.html), but if you do not want to make a cordial, just use fresh lime juice and simple syrup.
Bourbon was used in later versions of the recipe (the Dying Bastard and the Dead Bastard), but if you do not have brandy at home, you can try subbing in bourbon. I'm sure you will still make a great drink.
Let me know how it turns out. Cheers!
*Poke Poke*
Hey guys, I think the tiki drinks got to him!
ua-cam.com/video/pcWVBC9wY70/v-deo.html
Here are a few ideas for future videos - the Chancellor, the Suburban and the Betsy Ross. These are all great classic cocktails and maybe you can also furnish us with the history of these three great cocktails.
Are those all Port cocktails? I haven't heard of the Chancellor and am only vaguely familiar with the others. Where did you come across all of these drinks? Just looking for Port drinks?
The Suburban and the Chancellor cocktails were featured back in 2005 on Esquire.com with commentary from David Wondrich, one of the foremost authorities on cocktails and author of Imbibe. As for the Betsy Ross, UA-cam put it on a recommended list (as in videos on everyone's right) when I was checking out some other cocktails not from your channel. But I want to hear what you think of these three cocktails and what you can find out.
Yes, they are all cocktails with port in it. The Chancellor uses scotch as its base spirit. The real question regarding the Chancellor is blended vs single malt and how smoky should the scotch be? The Suburban uses rye whiskey as its base spirit. As for the Suburban is will bourbon work in this case? The Betsy Ross uses equal parts cognac and port. As for the Betsy Ross, who much should one spend on the cognac or brandy? Port is certainly the theme for my suggestions, but I was not explicitly looking for Port drinks.
Blended is fine. I'd imagine that the Chancellor was originally intended for a non-smoky dram. However, something that is lightly peated might work well in the drink. It seems like it'd be along the lines of a Smoky Grove.
As far as the Suburban is concerned, I'd stick with Rye. If Bourbon is all you have, it will work, but the drink was intended for Rye.
Brandy is tough one. You don't need to go overboard if you're mixing it, but you want something with an excellent flavor. Pierre Ferrand 1840 is $40-$45. That's a good one, but on the expensive end. Remy VSOP and Hennessy VS are in the $30-$35 range. The Brandy I used in this video, Copper & Kings, is really good. It's $25. All of those will serve you well.
Thanks for the tips. I was actually hoping you would include these advice in your video for the relevant drink.
Does the dying and dead bastard sub in bourbon and bourbon and rum respectively, or add?
Here you go:
DYING
0.5 oz (15 ml) Gin
0.5 oz (15 ml) Brandy
0.5 oz (15 ml) Bourbon
0.5 oz (15 ml) Lime Cordial
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
4 oz (120 ml) Ginger Beer
garnish Mint Sprig
garnish Orange Wheel
DEAD
0.5 oz (15 ml) Gin
0.5 oz (15 ml) Brandy
0.5 oz (15 ml) Bourbon
0.5 oz (15 ml) Light Cuban-style Rum
0.5 oz (15 ml) Lime Cordial
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
4 oz (120 ml) Ginger Beer
garnish Mint Sprig
garnish Orange Wheel
Since it has been over a month since you posted a new video, I most sincerely hope this is not the end of this great project. Anyone who follows this channel know that you normally post two to four new videos every month except in November and December when you posted only one new video. I had posted three suggestions for new videos in my comments for this video a while back. So we know that you are not out of ideas for new videos. So this begs the obvious, is this the end?
Charles Hung I hope not I just subscribed last month to find something other than tipsy bartender to watch
If you like learning about cocktails and making cocktails, you should check out the cocktail spirits with Robert Hess until his little hiatus is over. So far, there is a limited amount of common recipes. Hope this helps.
I made this drink and it was really good. Better if I didn’t have to used Roses lime juice
Hell yeah it is. Let me know what you think after you make a batch of that Lime Cordial. And of course, you have to try it in a Gimlet as well. Haha.
And then I made some lime cordial and made this cocktail again
Success
Is that Barry Fitzgerald @1:29 ?
好棒！👍🏻 这些书在哪里买？
说明中有链接（视频下方）。 这是一本很棒的tiki书的链接。
amzn.to/2rfjffU
谢谢你！我看见了，可惜我买不到，中国区的亚马逊没有这个商品，我看见了可以买到有The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem它好吗？？@@DistinguishedSpirits
www.amazon.cn/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?__mk_zh_CN=亚马逊网站&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Beachbum+Berry%27s+Potions+of+the+Caribbean&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ABeachbum+Berry%27s+Potions+of+the+Caribbean 这里没有，所以我没有办法买到，你能帮助我邮寄过来吗？@@DistinguishedSpirits
试试这个。
bit.ly/2Cfzope
该网站称他们将运往中国。
New videos when
Soon. Working on one now. Cheers!
When you don't have a name for your newly born cocktail, then you remember you're working in an alcohol forbidding country.
You mean British-colonial Egypt during WWII? Nah, they drank and the problem was that they drank too much, which is how the drink got its name.
where's the I miss you button?
Haha. Dropped a new video today. Good timing.
Distinguished Spirits woooo, I hope this means your back, your videos are excellent
Since it has been over a month since you posted a new video, I most sincerely hope this is not the end of this great project. Anyone who follows this channel know that you normally post two to four new videos every month except in November and December when you posted only one new video. I had posted three suggestions for new videos in my comments for this video a while back. So we know that you are not out of ideas for new videos. So this begs the obvious, is this the end?
Not the end. Just a hiatus. Busy time for me. I have plenty of ideas and am still pursuing a bunch of them. It's just about finding the time to do them. This is an overblown hobby for me, not a profession. Haha.