Cordials: What The Heck Are They?

As you all know we have a Cordials license, something which is fairly unique to Massachusetts.  The first licenses of our type were issued in the early to mid 90’s, and legend has it that they were initially granted by then-Mayor Menino to appease the restaurateurs of the North End who were getting tired of getting busted by the liquor commission for offering their guests the traditional Sambuca or amaro at the end of their meal.  An addition to the wine and malt license was then made available, encompassing what was perceived to be low octane, less dangerous spirits.  

Cordials or liqueurs are the historical descendants of herbal medicines prepared by ancient civilizations around the globe.  They are a subset of the distillate family generally characterized by intense aromatics, strong flavors, and a relatively high residual sugar content or sweetness.  There are records of herbal infusions used as medicine as far back as 600 BC in China and at least as far as the ancient Greeks in Europe.  Cordials as we know them were made in Italy as early as the 13th century and were often prepared and sold by monastic orders (e.g. Chartreuse and Benedictine) as health tonics to local citizens and travelers.

Liqueurs and cordials are made worldwide and are served in many ways: by themselves, poured over ice, with coffee or other soft drinks, or mixed with spirits, cream, or other mixers to create cocktails.  The tricky part of our license is that there is a large grey area surrounding what precisely constitutes a cordial and that the range of styles is huge.  A good way to begin to navigate what constitutes a cordial is to try to sort them into classes.

The most obvious category is the single-flavor based cordials: this is what most Americans think of when they hear the word.  These particular beverages are essentially drinkable spirits meant to evoke a single flavor, and tend to be on the sweet side.  The dominant traditional styles are either nut based (think Amaretto, Frangelico), fruit based (Triple Sec, Poire Williams), or floral (Creme de Violet, St. Elder).  There are also many dessert style cordials that are prominent elsewhere but don’t appear on our back bar (Irish Creme, Creme de Menthe, Godiva White Chocolate, etc.)

The majority of the cordials that we work with come out of the European tradition, similar to the way we take the inspiration for our cuisine from Italy.  They are a little more challenging to the palate, typically an infusion of roots, herbs, flowers, barks, or all of the above.  The instinct is to lump them all together in the category of “herbal liqueurs,” but that’s not particularly descriptive given the wide range of textures, flavors, and abv’s exhibited.  Chartreuse, Braulio, and Meletti could all be herbal liqueurs, but they’re not the same at all.  Let’s break it on down.

In the European tradition, cordials were consumed either at the start or the end of a meal, and the time at which they were consumed dictated a lot of their style.  Drinks served before a meal are apéritifs or aperitivi, and those served afterward are digestifs or digestivi.  

An apéritif is meant to stimulate the appetite, and therefore it's usually dry and low in alcohol. Dry vermouth, aromatized wines, and dry sherry are common aperitifs in Europe. A cocktail can count as an apéritif, too, if it fits the parameters of the category.

Examples on our list include:

Aperol Spritz (cocktail)

Lillet Blanc (aromatized wine)

PImm’s #1 (cordial)

Fino sherry

St. George’s Absynthe

Other famous aperitifs:

Dolin Dry and Dolin Blanc (dry and white vermouths from France)

Corpse Reviver #2 (cocktail)

Prosecco

On the other side of the coin, a digestif is meant to stimulate digestion. They are usually heavier, bitter, and have perceived medicinal qualities.

Digestifs on our list:

Chartreuse, green and yellow

Benedictine

Sambuca

Becherovka

Other common digestifs:

B&B (Brandy and Benedictine)

Limoncello

Toronto (cocktail)

Whiskey

From here there tends to be a lot of overlap.  Dry vermouth can be an aperitif, while sweet vermouth can be either an aperitif or a digestif depending on the season.  So what is vermouth?  It is a fortified, aromatized wine.  Or, in layman's’ terms, wine that is spiked with neutral flavored spirit (usually grape-based brandy) and has sugar and herbs added to it for flavoring.  Most vermouths clock in at around 18%, putting them firmly in reach of our cordial license.  They are delicious on their own, served chilled, or on the rocks with a twist.  They also make fantastic components in cocktails because of the body and aromatics they add to a cocktail.  Vermouth, unlike other cordials, is still wine-based, which means that it will oxidize, albeit substantially slower than a bottle of wine.  Keep vermouth in the fridge, and it should maintain its designed flavor for 4-6 weeks.  We carry Cinzano Rosso, Carpano Antica, and Punt e Mes.

The next two categories are in some ways subcategories of the digestifs and whether their constituents belong to one category or the other is hotly debated.  Amari and Bitters are predominantly drank at the end of the meal.  Amari are Italian cordials of varying degrees of bitterness developed to prevent “agada,” a broad sort of term for anything negatively affecting the digestive process.  It seems like every town in Italy has its own native secret recipe, closely guarded, that the locals swear is THE perfect health tonic.  Famous amari include Fernet Branca, Averna, Nonino, Braulio, and Montenegro.  As to whether anything that comes from outside of Italy can be an amaro...well, don’t ask the Italians but most authorities say yes.  Some people include the Chartreuses, Becherovka, and Underberg, some don’t.  

Amaro does translate to “bitter” from Italian.  So why the second category? I find “bitters” as an independent category to be useful primarily when thinking about cocktails.  Something is a bitter to me when it’s primary use is in cocktails and it’s incredibly unlikely that someone will drink it by itself.  Campari, Gran Classico, and Kummel are prime examples on our back bar: while Campari is branding itself as an amaro these days to get in on the trend, I’ve met precious few cocktail nerds who want to sip on it neat like a whiskey.  Kummel is straight out of the question in that regard as well.  Like all cocktail nerdery, this is all incredibly fluid and makes for a spirited debate (puns intended).  These are just the ways I tend to break it all down in my brain to make sense of everything as I try to navigate a guest through the spirits that we do have.

On Tap: Turn It On, Nugget Nectar, Hoppy Table, Unified Press, Nelson Free Rise

NOTCH, TURN IT ON

Style: Session IPA

Abv:  4.3 %

Size, Price:  16 oz., $7.50

A draft only offering from Notch, our friends up in Salem, MA.  Notch produces exclusively session style beers.  

Nose: Intense tropical fruit and citrus

Tasting Notes: Bright, citrusy, and slightly creamy due to the use of a British malt.  

TROEGS, NUGGET NECTAR

Style: Imperial Amber

Abv:  7.5%

Size, Price:  16 oz., $8.00

This is a spring seasonal from Troegs.  They add whole-flower Nugget hops to their hopback vessel during the brewing of their imperial amber.

Nose & Flavor: Intensely hoppy, exploding with citrus, resin, and pine aromatics.  A slightly sweet undertone due to the amber malt, but definitely a beer for hopheads.

ALLAGASH, HOPPY TABLE BEER

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Abv:  4.8%

Size, Price:  16 oz., $7.50

While Hoppy Table Beer was inspired by the Belgian tradition of low-ABV, easily drinkable beers, it still occupies a hop-forward spot all its own. Brewed with our 2-row malt blend, Maris Otter malt, and oats, the beer is then spiced with a subtle addition of coriander. We ferment it with our house yeast for classic Belgian citrus aromas. Hoppy Table Beer is hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Comet, and Azacca hops, then dry hopped with more Comet and Azacca.

Nose: Mildly hoppy, grapefruits

Flavor: Light bodied.  Pine, stonefruit, balanced out by a clean, slightly bitter finish.

CITIZEN, UNIFIED PRESS

Style: Cider

Abv:  6.9%

Size, Price:  16 oz., $7.50

Made from 100% locally sourced apples, never from concentrate, the Unified Press is Citizen Cider’s flagship cider that keeps you wondering where it’s been your whole life. This naturally gluten-free cider is made from apples grown and pressed at Happy Valley Orchard in Middlebury, VT.  Suggested pairings include pork (we have that!), soft cheeses (that too!), spicy food, smoked fish, and rustic bread&butter.

Nose & Flavor: Crisp, clean, and slightly off-dry.  Tastes and smells just like those beautiful New England apples it is made from.

TRILLIUM, NELSON FREE RISE

Style: Saison

ABV: 7.3%

Size, Price: 16oz, $8.75

This special edition of Free Rise, one of our signature farmhouse ales, highlights locally sourced Danko Rye from Valley Malt and Nelson in the dry hop.

Nose  & Flavor: Zesty lime & citrus hop profile is balanced with subtle, nutty malt character and a delicate black pepper spice. Light in body, with a clean, bone-dry finish.

New: Coppa Serrano, Zampone, Twig Farms Washed Rind

COPPA SERRANO

The Coppa of the pig is seasoned with salt, pepper, pimenton (paprika) and hung to cure for 6-12 weeks.  Sliced thin on the Berkel.  In texture and appearance it will resemble speck with slightly more fatty marbling.  These particular pigs are raised in the same area as Spanish Blackfoot pigs, but cannot be called Iberico as it is a different breed.

ZAMPONE

A stuffed pig’s trotter! The trotter is deboned and the meat is removed.  The meat is chopped and seasoned with salt, pepper, grains of paradise, grapefruit, and Campari.  The meat is then stuffed back into the trotter, it is sewn up, and cooked in the combi.  The trotter is thinly sliced on the meat slicer.

TWIG FARMS WASHED RIND

A raw goat’s milk cheese washed with salt water and aged for 2-3 months.  

Twig Farm Washed Rind Wheel is a raw goat's milk farmstead cheese made by Michael Lee and Emily Sunderman at their farm in West Cornwall, Vermont. It is also sometimes made with raw Jersey cow's milk sourced from Joe Severy's organic dairy in Cornwall. The wheels are aged for 65 days, during which the rinds are washed with brine made with lees from hard apple cider and whey. This gives it a semi-soft texture and a full flavor.

Flavor: floral, full-flavored, grassy, meaty, savory, tangy

Aroma: barnyardy, earthy, goaty

Polenta Taragna Deconstruction

“Polenta Taragna”

Polenta as a dish is a descendant of “puls,” a dish popular during the Roman empire, consisting of farro, millet, or some other form of grain cooked down in water.  Corn as a species originated in the new world, making its way back to northern Italy in the 1600’s via the wealthy city-states’ access to overseas trade routes.  Polenta is only truly a part of northern Italian cuisine, and not southern, due to that Renaissance era wealth.  “Taragna” meanwhile, is etymologically related to the word “tarai,” the name for the wooden paddle used in the Valtellina (Lombardy) to stir the polenta in a large copper pot.  We add buckwheat to our corn polenta because they do so in the Valtellina as well: though they started growing corn and adopted milled corn into their diets, the Lombards maintained a taste for the ancient puls and married the two to form polenta taragna.

Our Grains: Anson Mills

Anson Mills was founded in 1998 by Glen Roberts in Columbia, South Carolina.  Roberts began as a farmer who sought to preserve the fabled yet disappearing Carolina Gold rice breed, a native species that is prized for its unique flavor.  He developed an interest in other native grains, and heard a rumor of an almost extinct Carolina White Mill Corn.  He spent 2 years searching for seed, eventually finding it in the fields of a bootlegger who used it to make his moonshine.  This same style of corn is traditionally picked in the field after the first snow and milled immediately.  Milling grains generates a lot of heat, and if the corn was at room temperature and not naturally frozen by the weather, the delicate flavor would be damaged as the heat from the milling process cooked the grains.  Anson Mills has adopted a cold milling process as a nod to this practical tradition: after harvest, the corn is frozen and then milled to prevent cooking and flavor degradation.  Since 2000, Roberts has traveled all over the world, collecting heirloom grain to grow and mill to make Anson Mills’ prized flours, while simultaneously promoting the continued planting of heirloom varieties in commercial agriculture.

Our polenta is made of an Italian corn and a Japanese buckwheat.  We cook our polenta in lightly salted water, adding in just a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese to emphasize the flavor of the corn.

The Veg

Our mushrooms are foraged locally by a gentleman named Tyler.  He brings us whatever he finds, so we really can’t guarantee precisely what species of mushrooms will be in the dish at any given time.  We roast the mushrooms and then make a reduced mushroom stock out of them to create a sauce for the dish.

The cippolini onions are roasted whole, skins on, until the outer layers blacken and char.  We then peel off all of the blackened layers, so you get that super sweet caramelization and a little bit of smokiness without the char overwhelming the dish.  Brussels are also roasted whole.  The mushrooms, cippolinis, and sprouts are all dressed in the mushroom stock sauce and topped with a gremolata.

Gremolata is essentially a dry pesto.  It always consists of a citrus zest, garlic, and herbs, without any oil.

That Egg.

Slow poached eggs were discovered (developed?) by Andoni Aduriz, chef/owner of Mugaritz.  He spent two years researching the cooking method of eggs at different temperatures and lengths of time, looking for the perfect consistency.  He discovered that there are 13 different proteins in an egg, all of which respond to heat differently and are divided heterogeneously between the yolk and the white.  He wanted to find the ideal temperature for ALL of the proteins, not just those found in the yolk or those found in the whites.  If you hold an egg at an even 60-65 degrees for 45-60 minutes, you end up with that perfect set yet soft texture in both the yolk and the white.  On a side note, food scientist Cesar Vega found that eggs held for 2 hours or more develop a fudgy texture, eventually moving toward a slowly gelling reaction.  Time matters.

Maintaining constant temperature for an extended period of time is difficult to impossible with a traditional pot of water on the stove.  Most people will use an immersion circulator: a heating column that is placed in a water bath and circulates water around the bath, to keep it moving and heated to a uniform temperature.  Most people associate circulators with sous vide, giving rise to the misnomer of the “sous vide egg.”  We are not serving a sous vide egg.  That is actually impossible, because to sous vide involves cooking at an even temperature inside a vacuum-sealed bag.  Just think about what would happen if you put an egg in a vacuum.  You’re definitely not getting a separated yolk and egg.  

To make our slow poached egg, we use the combi.  We place the eggs inside, fill it with steam, and set the temperature and a timer.  What comes out is a thing of beauty: modernist techniques used to perfectly attain something that feels both familiar and comforting.

Taleggio

Taleggio is a cheese named for the Taleggio valley in Lombardy, where the style originated sometime in the 9th century.  It has a certified DOP (designation of origin protection).  The cheese itself is made from either raw or pasteurized cow’s milk, acidified to curdle (a fairly unique cheesemaking choice), and aged on wood in caves for 6-10 weeks.  The rind is washed once per week in sea water.  The cheese is marked by a strong smell, but substantially more mild taste.  It is traditionally made in the fall and winter only.  The dish is therefore finished with a traditional, northern Italian cheese just shaved over the top of the same region’s style of polenta.

Fennel Sausage Sandwich

Fennel Sausage Sandwich

Pork sausage (pork, pork fat, pork skin, garlic, salt, pepper, fennel, fennel pollen, fennel seed), is stuffed into a casing, cooked in the combi, then grilled to order. Served with roasted garlic, provolone, pickled fresno chilis (fresno chilis, white vinegar, sugar, water), and peperonata (red peppers, onions, garlic, golden raisins, olive oil, and sherry vinegar), all on Iggy's ciabatta. Choice of Cape Cod chips or greens.

Allergies; dairy*, allium

New Cheese -- Colston Bassett Stilton

Stilton

First made in the 1780's, Stilton is one of England's most famous cheeses. It is PDO protected (Protected Designation of Origin, offered by the EU) and must be made with local pasteurized cow's milk cheese. By law Stilton cannot be produced in the town that gave it its namesake as this sits outside of the counties named in the PDO. There are only 5 dairies licensed to make Stilton. Our's is from Colston Bassett Dairy, a member of the Neal's Yard Dairies. Once formed, the cheese is pierced with stainless steel rods and exposed to the open air, allowing the natural molds in the cave to penetrate the interior of the cheese. This cheese rich and buttery, definitely a little sharp, with the classic brioche notes that characterize Stilton.

Menu Change: Gnocchi, Brussels, Butcher's Cut, Ventresca Pizza

Gnocchi

Potato gnocchi (potatoes, egg yolks, flour), are cooked to order, and tossed in brown butter, along with roasted parsnips (parsnip, sage, black pepper), walnuts, speck, and sage, garnished with Parmesan, and grated fresh horseradish.

Allergies: gluten, egg, nuts*, nonvegetarian*, dairy*

Brussel Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts are fried, then tossed in a dressing made from sliced garlic, red onion, chives, white wine, lemon, and 'nduja povera.

Allergies: Allium*, alcohol*, nonvegetarian*

Butcher’s Cut

Rotating cuts of pork will be served with a carrot puree (carrots cooked in orange juice), farro salad (farro, castelvetrano olives, meyer lemons, blood orange, parsley, pistachio), roasted rainbow carrots, shaved carrots and radish tossed with a carrot top salsa verde (carrot tops, parsley, tarragon, garlic, orange zest), garnished with crispy shallots and a pistachio crumble.

Allergies: gluten*, nuts*, allium*

Ventresca pizza

Ricotta, sauteed escarole (garlic, chili flake, white wine), ventresca (pork belly seasoned with salt, brown sugar, sage, rosemary, chili flake, and fennel pollen), red sauce is dolloped over top of the pie. After cooking the pizza is garnished with salt, pepper, Parmesan, and lemon zest.

Allergies: nonvegetarian*, dairy*

RED SAUCE IS BACK! all new Red Sauce and Valentine's day descriptions 2/14/17

Red Sauce (and Valentine’s) Descriptions

Garlic Knots

Pizza dough, portioned into 1 oz knots, is fried and tossed in a garlic beurre monte (butter, water, and roasted garlic). Then tossed with parmesan, pecorino, and chili flake, finished with fresh black pepper. 4 to an order.

Allergies: gluten, dairy, allium

Caesar Salad

Gem lettuce, which is baby Romaine, is cut into wedges and dressed with our house made Caesar dressing (anchovy, parmesan, pecorino, egg yolk, lemon, garlic, and black pepper.) Topped with white anchovies, croutons and Parm crisps.

Allergies: fin fish*, dairy*, egg*, gluten*, allium*

Meatballs

Pork and beef meatballs with garlic, parsley, pecorino, parmesan, and a panada of egg, breadcrumb, and half and half. 3 to an order served in a crushed tomato sauce (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, and bone marrow), garnished with fresh basil, parmesan, and lardo.

Allergies: allium, dairy, egg, gluten

Fried Calamari

Tempura (rice flour) battered calamari with beurre blanc (white wine, cream, butter, olive oil, chili flake, lemon and capers, and peppadew peppers). The calamari comes from Point Judith, RI.

Allergies: Dairy*, Seafood. Gluten free but fried in the same oil as products with Gluten*

Rigatoni alla Vodka

Rigatoni pasta  (short ridged cylinders, durum, semolina, 00, water) We're using pureed san marzano tomatoes, along with our crushed tomato sauce (san marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil basil), pancetta, additional garlic, chili flake, vodka, and creme fraiche (classically yo

u would use heavy cream but the creme fraiche brightens the dish up a bit). The sauce is finished with parmesan, basil, and olio verde.

Allergies: gluten, dairy*, allium

Fusilli Alfredo

Fusilli Pasta (corkscrew, durum, semolina, 00, water), is tossed in a sauce made from creme fraiche, egg yolks, parmesan, stock, garlic, chili flake, and lemon juice, also tossed with the pasta is roasted chicken, and blanched broccoli rabe, finished with parmesan and lemon juice.

Allergies: gluten, egg, dairy, allium*

Fettucini Bolognese

Fettucini (a long flat noodle, durum, 00, eggs, egg yolk), is tossed with a traditional bolognese style ragu, made from pork, beef, house lardo, mirepoix, tomato paste, white wine, stock, nutmeg, and cream. Finished with parmesan cheese, butter, and olio verde.

Allergies: gluten, egg, dairy*

Bucatini Putanesca

Bucatini (spaghetti like pasta with a hole in the middle, durum, semolina, 00, water) is tossed in a sauce made from garlic, anchovies, capers, olives, chili flake, parsley, san marzano tomato sauce, olive oil. Parmesan to finish.

Allergies: fin fish, allium, dairy*

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken breasts are deboned, cut in half and pounded into cutlets. The cutlets are then breaded (flour, egg wash, bread crumb with parmesan and oregano) and pan fried in olive oil. Once crisped on the outside the cutlets are topped with our crushed tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese and baked in the pizza oven. The two cutlets are plated and garnished with fresh basil, parmesan, sea salt and olio verde. A portion is one single chicken breast, this is a slightly smaller portion than a standard entree as it does not come with any sides.

Allergies: gluten, egg, dairy*

Lasagna del Giorno

Weekly rotating lasagna, house egg based pasta dough (durum, 00, eggs, and egg yolks)

Sausage and Peppers

Italian sausages (pork, pork fat, pork skin, fennel, fennel seed, fennel pollen, garlic, black pepper) are grilled to order, sliced and plated atop anson mills polenta with pepperonata (peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, raisins, and sherry vinegar). Garnished with parmesan.

Allergies: allium*, dairy*

Stromboli

Pizza dough, stretched and filled with prosciutto cotto, eggplant, mozzarella, provolone, and basil. Rolled into a cylinder and baked,  topped with fennel pollen and oregano, served with a side of red sauce.

Allergies: dairy, gluten*

Rapini Pizza

Prosciutto cream base, fontina, broccoli rabe, lemon zest and roasted garlic. Topped with ricotta salata, salt and oil.

Allergies: dairy, allium

Quattro Formaggi Pizza

Four cheese pizza, mozzarella, provolone, fontina, and ricotta, along with shaved potatoes, and rosemary. Topped with parmesan, and salt.

Allergies: dairy, gluten

Diavola

Red sauce base, chilli flakes, and pickled fresno chilis, fried eggplant, provolone. Garnished with fresh oregano, salt and parmesan.

Allergies: dairy*, gluten