A Guest edition
This issue features a guest essay from drinks and travel writer Yolanda Evans on 'The Art of Libation' along with a guest recipe for an alcohol-free Mint Julep from Sourced's own Zac Jones-Gomez.
Anna is on holiday and Chloe is headed to LA to visit family this week so we have a special guest edition of the Sourced paid newsletter for you! For our essay, writer Yolanda Evans shares her thoughts on the rituals and history of ‘pouring one out.’ Food and drink writer (and Sourced team member) Zac Jones-Gomez shares his recipe for an alcohol-free alternative to the Mint Julep which is characteristic of Kentucky Derby celebrations in his part of the world.
Some news to look out for!
Our second in-person event will be happening on Monday April 11 at e5 Bakehouse with a fireside chat between Sandrae Lawrence (Cocktail Lovers Magazine) and Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan) where they will discuss how we understand flavour profiles and the importance of expanding our reference points. Keep an eye on Instagram for more news on tickets!
The Art of Libation
Yolanda Evans
If you were a fan of hip hop in the 1990s, you probably remember the act of “pouring one out”for your dead homie in various songs and movies. When Doughboy was pouring some of his 40ounce on the ground to honor his dead friend in John Singleton’s Boyz in the Hood from 1991, he was performing one of the oldest known human customs, we just didn’t realize it. When the song Gangsta Lean (I thought it was called this is for my homie) by D.R.S came out in 1993, this group was singing their hearts out for their dead friends, and they pour some of their 40 to honor them when singing these lyrics in the video:
I tip my 40 to your memory
Take a drink, and I
Stop to think, and I
I know one day soon
We’ll be- We’ll be hangin’ out
They were essentially doing a ritual of “One for me, and one for my homies.” This ritual was also referred to in 2Pac’s 1994 song Pour out a Little Liquor. It's funny how people in contemporary times have been performing an old boozy ritual with roots going back several thousands of years and spanning across various ancient cultures and not knowing its history or origin.
“Pouring one out” or ‘tipping” is the modern version of libation. It’s more than just a fancy word that writer used to gloss up their articles when talking about drinking. It is actually a ritual that goes back to antiquity when people “poured one” out in memory of their dead family members, heroes, and Gods. The original definition of libation is to pour out a drink in offering to a deity, but it was later incorporated to include loved ones as well.
The first known reference of cultures indulging in libation can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, who used water instead of booze because it was symbolic of life. But booze, as well as honey, milk, and other liquids were used to celebrate the life of their dearly departed loved ones. This act of libation wasn’t just the norm to ancient Egyptians. Other ancient cultures like Greece, Rome, China, and countless African cultures all had their own version of pouring one out for their dead homie. Leave it to the Romans to be extra when they created libation tubes.
The purpose of this boozy tube was so that the dead could consume the food and wine that they were offering them. I’m guessing they’re reason was that being dead shouldn’t stop anyone from missing out on all the drinking during this ritual, so the tubes allowed them to join in on the fun so to speak.
To why this practice still thrives today, no one knows. Maybe the act of sharing a few drinks with friends and family to honor the dead has universal appeal. And considering these chaotic times we live in today, we more than likely lost someone near to us recently. So, grab some wine, beer, or a cocktail to honor your lost loved one and feel close to them once more sip by sip.
Yolanda is a cocktail and travel writer based in Berlin, you can follow her work on Twitter and read more of her work here.
Alcohol-free Mint Julep
Zac Jones-Gomez
As a sober individual living in one of the most alcohol-soaked cities in America, it's important to me to feel like I'm not missing out on traditions and festivities. With bourbon practically flowing through Louisville's streets like stormwater, I wanted to create an alcohol-free "bourbon" drink that could stand out amongst its boozy brothers. One of the most famous bourbon cocktails is the Mint Julep. Thousands of people enjoy it every May at the Kentucky Derby, to the point where it could be considered our official drink.
This alcohol-free version needed smokiness to mimic the rich flavor of aged bourbon, and there are a few ways to achieve that. We have producers here in Kentucky that are making high-quality bourbon-adjacent products using the wood from bourbon barrels. Bourbon smoked sugar and bourbon smoked black tea are two such products, and either can be used to inject the flavor this recipe needs to hold its own at the bar. If these products can't be sourced, try lapsang souchong, which is a smoked black tea that develops a beautiful complexity when brewed. As a last resort, a dash of liquid smoke (and no more than a dash!) can be added to the brewed black tea to offset the sweet and floral notes of lemon and mint in the final drink.
Armed with a glass of this, you're ready to enjoy a sunset in the garden or the most exciting two minutes in sports, without a drop of alcohol necessary. Cheers!
- A pinch of sugar, to taste (roughly 1/2 tsp)
an option here is to use bourbon-smoked sugar which will provide the smokiness needed, meaning you wouldn't need liquid smoke or bourbon tea mentioned later
- 6-8 leaves of your favorite mint variety
- 130 mL double-strength brewed black tea (bourbon tea or lapsang souchong if possible)
- a dash of liquid smoke, if bourbon sugar or tea can't be found
- 130 mL chilled lemon-flavored sparkling water
- Ice (for serving)
- Lemon wedges (for serving)
1. Muddle the mint and sugar together in the bottom of a tall serving glass until fragrant.
2. Brew your black tea double strength, and add 130 mL of it to the serving glass while still warm so the sugar dissolves. If using liquid smoke, add during this step.
3. Add the chilled sparkling water and stir to incorporate everything, and add ice and a squeeze of lemon juice as desired. Serve chilled, with more mint and lemon wedges on the side if desired.
Zac is the reason we’ve been able to post on socials more regularly and is also the mind behind The Kitchen Gent, where you can read more of his recipes and thoughts, you can also follow Zac on Twitter
What Anna ate and drank
Being and food and drink journo is mostly not glamour, but sometimes it is and truly I do appreciate I am living the dream - I love what I do. The other week the wonderful editor Bre Graham (who also has a lovely newsletter Just to Delight) commissioned me to write a piece for Courier mag which meant I high tailed it to Copenhagen for a few days.
I wrote in Jan newsletter that I wasn’t interested in the business of restaurants but I am interested in the intent. I think that Empirical are a company clear on their intent - to find ways of creating and playing with flavour, a scientific approach akin to deconstructing flavour. I think they approach what they do with intent and to always be better - in their process, their business structure, their supply chain… I think their products are tasty; do I think that because I find how they approach their work interesting, probably. Taste is always subjective.
I also ate at the incredible Koan, which plays with flavours from head chef’s South Korean background and the Danish setting. The non-alcoholic pairs where amazing. Although after 16 courses it was a blur!
I was also blown away with the meal at Jatak. Inspired by head chef Jonathan Tam’s Cantonese heritage, every bite was delicious. The best scallops I’ve ever eaten, a ‘char Sui’ main course that hit all the umami notes with grains (barley?) that gave all the vibes you want from rice, but also a nice change. A great wine pairing too. Best meal I’ve had in… a long time!!
Reading list:
The Scotch Industrial Complex by Robbie Armstrong
This look at terroir in whisky - is it possible?Anna has found the conversations over the years on this a great way into the idea of what is terroir in the first place, and this piece puts in the layer of corporatisation in to this question
Fruits of Labour by Katy Severson
What does good wine taste like, if the labour isn’t ethical? The focus on soil - and terroir - has often excluded ideas of labour, can a company be sustainable if it doesn’t participate in ethical practices throughout the chain and how do you do that?
A few from the archives:
Anna interviewed Seth Klann for our of our earlier seasons, who worked with Oregon State Uni on the barley terroir project mentioned in Robbie’s whisky terroir piece.
Miles Munroe, one of our original The Ten, has worked a lot with Seth and this is what he has to say about the barley he uses for distilling whiskey:
“I help create a regional product that relies on its provenance. Barley grows very well in the Pacific Northwest and the valley we're in provides an excellent climate for ageing single malt. These natural elements drive the creative decisions made at Westward and most of the makers around Portland. Oregon has a history of preservation and conscientious environmentalism.”