Event: High Wire Distillery debuts Hat Trick Gin

Charleston is a city that loves to drink. We aren't New Orleans drunk, but the liquor does flow fast, and our mixologists (which apparently does not translate to bartender with an ironic mustache) combine regional ingredients in unique ways to form inspired cocktails. Recently they have been able to up the "local" ante by using liquors birthed right here in the Holy City.

High Wire Distilling Co, who brought the production of craft liquors to Downtown Charleston back in September, launched their new Hat Trick Botanical Gin last night. To introduce their newest offering they chose one of Charleston's hottest new bars, The Warehouse.

Hat Trick does something amazing; it makes you love juniper.  This isn't a gin that tastes like one of those Christmas Tree air fresheners, nor is it the vodka-like tasteless gin of some major label offerings. Hat Trick takes the light rosemary and citrus essence of high quality juniper and accentuates it without overplaying the pine flavor. The result is a gin best served over the rocks with a twist. A proper martini will also benefit from the lightly herbal and subtle flavors.

The Blood Orange Tonic, the night's signature gin cocktail, was tasty but slightly overwhelmed the beautiful gin. The second cocktail of the night, the Light & Stormy (featuring High Wire's Light Rum) was much more of a success, highlighting the rum's unusual and extremely satisfying blue agave notes. Think of an ultra-high end tequila in flavor, but not abandoning the core flavor that makes a light rum so dang tasty. This is a rum that will cure you of the Bacardi blues.

While I was imbibing copious amounts of premium gin, I decided to sample a board of the rotating house-made charcuterie ($14). Tonight's offerings were (from left to right) smoked brisket, apple and fennel sausage, crispy pork rillete, and Canadian ham. While the rillete was the clear and crispy winner, all the offerings were tasty and just salty enough to satisfy.


The Hat Trick Gin (along with the fantastic Rum and a Vodka I have yet to try) are all for sale at the distillery, coming soon to liquor stores, and by the glass at the Warehouse.

And after a glass or two try your hand at the bloodsport known as foosball.

Recipe: Croque Madame Muffin

Is there any dish in French cuisine more wonderfully child-like in its whimsy as the Croque Madame? The delightful grilled ham and cheese sandwich, topped with a fried egg, is one of my favorite brunch dishes. This updated version, in muffin form, is tasty on its own or paired with a dressed arugula salad.

Ingredients:

4 Slices white bread, crust cut off
4 eggs yolks (reserve the whites for light omelets tomorrow)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 oz ham cubed

For the Mornay Sauce:

3 Tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan reserved for garnish

To Make the Mornay Sauce:

Melt the butter over medium heat, add onions and sweet till translucent. Add flour, stirring until it forms a paste. Add Salt and pepper. Gradually add both broth and cream over low heat, stirring constantly until combined and thickened. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring to prevent the cream from burning. Stir in cheese until melted, remove from heat.

To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350º, Then flatten the slices of bread, brushing both sides with melted butter. Press the bread into a muffin tin, the bread should overhang the top of the tin. Add 1/4 oz of ham to each slice of bread, then add egg yolk. Cover with Mornay sauce, about two tablespoons, and sprinkle with reserved grated Parmesan. Bake for 13 minutes for a loose yolk, 20 minutes for a firm yolk. Serve immediately.

Tonight's Episode: Closing a Door

Ask most Charleston natives over the age of, oh I don't know 30 maybe, their thoughts on Big John's Tavern and you are likely to hear "Oh that sketchy place that lets teens drink?" Now ask the same question of your random 20something and you are likely to hear "You mean the bar at The Green Door?" That change is significant. The day food truck vet Cory Burke opened his funky little slice of culinary heaven, the entire vibe changed for Big John's. Suddenly, this place that seemed better suited to a Law & Order: SVU episode became a destination. People talked about it again. It mattered. But not for long.

The Post & Courier's Hanna Raskin set the Charleston food scene ablaze last night when she broke the news that The Green Door was getting the boot. In the follow-up article we meet the building's owner, Ryan Condon. See Ryan bought Big John's from it's struggling owner John Cannady to keep the spirit of the bar the same. What made Big John's so special? According to Mr. Condon it was the kind of place parents felt safe letting their teens drink. Let that sink in for a moment. He took the bar back from his nephews, who had been running it, because "That's just not what the business was intended to be." I'm assuming he means the menu at The Green Door, not the enforcing of the legal drinking age, but that seems open to interpretation. 

Mr. Condon isn't new to the Charleston food scene. He co-owns the Charleston Crab Shack chain, most famous for providing mediocre fried seafood and crab legs identical to any other such chain across the country. It is that mediocrity that Mr. Condon feels is best for his business. He wants to return it to its glory. From Hanna Raskin's article we hear this:

“I want to return Big John’s to what Big John’s was when I started going there,” says Condon, who started hanging out at Big John’s as a high schooler. “If Big John would ever have seen The Green Door, he would have rolled over in his grave. I don’t even know what the hell grilled kimchee is; I just want to restore Big John’s the way it was.”

What, other than having high schooler's like Mr. Condon getting drunk, made Big John's so special? Ham sandwiches and football on TV. Yes, Mr. Condon hopes Big John's can fill that void in Charleston of places to get a ham sandwich and watch TV. 

Listen, I do not begrudge a businessman doing what he thinks is best for his business, but if THIS is the move he wants, then the failure he will endure will be of his own making. I also don't think Chef Cory is without blame. I hope he has learned a valuable lesson about getting it in writing.  I hope Chef Cory keeps his funky eclectic food in Charleston. We need someone to help tip the scales of generic mediocrity that the Ryan Condon's of the world want to spread. 

PS- The Girl thinks Ryan Condon deserves to stub his toe AND get a paper cut in the same day.

Recipe: Bourbon Sorghum Glazed Ribs

Maple syrup is EXPENSIVE. No way around it. If you want to get a good glaze on your ribs you're going to have to shell out some big bucks to do it. Unless you use that sweet Southern staple sorghum. At 1/2 to 1/3 the price, this iron and vitamin dense molasses replacement is perfect for my Bourbon ribs.
(If you can't track down Sorghum, use a 1:1 ratio for molasses)

What You will Need:

1 Slab of Pork Ribs

1 1/4 Cup Sorghum Syrup

1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar 

1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Bourbon (Like with wine only cook with what you would drink)

1/4 Cup of Sea Salt

2 Tsp White Pepper

1 Tsp Chili Powder

1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Salt

1 Tsp Paprika

1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 Tsp Cumin

I'm Serious when I say only cook with what you drink, I go with Bulleit

Step 1:

Clean your Ribs! The membrane on the back of your ribs has to go. Just use a paring knife to cut it away to ensure maximum flavor penetration.

Step 2:

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. This is your rub. Commence rubbing. Every last inch of your ribs needs a liberal rubbing. This is the base for your flavor, and without it you will have sad ribs. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Step 3:

Pull your ribs out so they can reach room temperature, and preheat the oven to 275. Yes I said oven. These ribs are NOT going to touch the grill.

Step 4: 

TIGHTLY wrap the ribs with heavy duty aluminum foil, and place in the oven for 2 hours.

Step 5:

At the half-way point combine the cider, Bourbon, and sorghum in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, stirring on occasion until mixture has reduced by half into a beautiful glaze. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 6: 

Remove the ribs from the oven. Place a lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drippings. Unwrap ribs, glaze on both sides,  place on top rack, and drop the temperature to 250. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, glazing every 25 minutes. 

Step 7: 

Once the meat starts to separate from the bone, turn the broiler to high. 3-5 minutes under the broiler will crisp up the ribs giving them that perfect grill taste.

Step 8: 

Carve, hand out napkins, and serve with your favorite potato salad!

Tonight's Episode: Anything you can do I can do better!

America loves a classic. America loves a modern take on a classic. The Southern General  uses this conciet as the basis of their John's Island sandwich cafe. And boy does it pay dividends.

Take the humble Cheese Steak. Why not make it with Pot Roast with braised sirloin and bourbon mushroom gravy? Sounds like a great idea to me. But what if you (like The Girl) just want a traditional cheese steak? Well......serve that, too! That is what makes The Southern General such a uniquely fun joint. They take the Harvey Dent approach to a menu; give them both faces. A classic shaved sirloin with peppers and onions will set you back $8.5, and so will the modern take.

How about a burger? What is more classic than that? For $8 you can do the 1/2 pound Angus burger.....or you can be like me and spend $9 for the Brat Burger. House made bratwurst patty with a spicy beet cheese mustard and broccoli slaw. The slight bite of heat is balanced by the cool slaw. One of the more fun takes on a burger that I've ever seen.

Even the classics can get a slight update. With the Pulled Pork ($7.5), a sweet tea BBQ sauce lends that cool bite you expect from a black tea. Or you can go the new school route with the Super Butt ($8.5) with smoked sweet onion mustard relish, spicy sweet potato cream cheese, and house potato chips.

The house potato chips also go well with the smoked sweet onion dip ($7). Super thin herbed chips bring a nice saltiness to this VERY onion forward dip. And I mean that as a compliment, though $7 seems a touch high for this particular dish.

Another tasty plate to share is the Poutine ($9). This Canadian classic has herbed fries and gravy, with fried cheese curds. Would be nice if the curds were a little smaller, but tasty all the same.

And thanks to our waitress Holly I now know to check the menu board. Otherwise I would have missed the adult Sloppy Joe ($8) with spicy ground pork, red Creole sauce, and pimento cheese. I.....LOVE....this sandwich. I mean in a creepy stalker kind of way. The perfect balance of childhood memories and a modern palate.

The Girl and I stopped in the second time on our way out to Edisto, and I think it is best to point out that the location MAY be hard to find. It is in the back of a shopping center with another restaurant and an Irish Pub. If you find yourself on John's Island, or just want to try a little something different, completely worth a stop. The fact that they serve full menu til 1am Friday and Saturday doesn't hurt either.

The Scores:

Ambiance: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Food: 8.5/10
Value: 5/5

Overall: 21 out of 25 Fun funky little sandwich joint with a split personality.