Seelbach (Cocktail)

Seelbach

The Seelbach is a cocktail made from bourbon whiskey , triple sec (orange liqueur), champagne and an unusually high amount of bitters for cocktails .

history

In contrast to a wide variety of cocktails, the history of the saithe is comparatively well known. The drink was first prepared in 1995 by Adam Seger, the then restaurant manager at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky - today the Seelbach Hilton - and named after the place where it was first prepared.

For years, Seger claimed that the cocktail was created between 1912 and 1917, but was forgotten during Prohibition in the United States and wasn't rediscovered by him until 1995. The drink is said to have originated when a couple were visiting the hotel on their honeymoon. While the man asked for a Manhattan , the woman ordered a cocktail with champagne. However, the bartender mistakenly poured the champagne into the Manhattan and thus created the basis for the new drink and house cocktail. The story and the recipe have been quoted many times and have found their way into several cocktail books.

However, in 2016 it was revealed that the story was fictional. Accordingly, it is not the hotel's former signature drink , but a comparatively new creation. The reason given by Seger was that he was looking in vain for a drink that the hotel once served. Unable to find a recipe, he made up the story:

“I was nobody, I had no previous accolades in the bar world. I knew I could make a great drink. I wanted it to be this promotion for the hotel, and I felt the hotel needed a signature cocktail. How could you have a place that F. Scott Fitzgerald hung out in that doesn't have a damn cocktail? "

“I was a nobody, I haven't had any recognition in the bar world. I knew I could make a great drink. I wanted him to promote the hotel and I felt that the hotel needed a signature drink. How could there be a place that F. Scott Fitzgerald would drop in that didn't have a damn cocktail? "

- Adam Seger

After the revelations, the Seelbach Hotel announced that it would continue to sell the drink.

Preparation and variations

The details of the individual ingredients for the preparation of the cocktail vary. What is unusual, regardless of the recipe, is the large amount of bitters used and the resulting "distinctive flavor profile". For example, 3 cl bourbon, 1.5 cl Triple Sec, 7 dashes (spritzers) Angostura bitters and 7 dashes Peychaud's bitters as well as 15 cl champagne are recommended for preparation. All ingredients except for the champagne are stirred in a mixing glass over a lot of ice , then strained into a pre-chilled, small cocktail bowl and filled with champagne. Then an orange zest is hosed over the drink and added to the drink.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Marco Beier: The Seelbach Cocktail - From the generous use of bitters . In: Mixology. Bar culture magazine from May 7, 2013. Last accessed on December 22, 2016.
↑ ^a ^b ^c That Historic Cocktail? Turns Out It's a Fake. New York Times, accessed October 31, 2016 .
↑ Nils Wrage: The Seelbach remains the Seelbach! . In: Mixology. Bar culture magazine from November 2, 2016. Last accessed on December 22, 2016.

[Mixology-1] Marco Beier: The Seelbach Cocktail - From the generous use of bitters . In: Mixology. Bar culture magazine from May 7, 2013. Last accessed on December 22, 2016.

[NYT-2] That Historic Cocktail? Turns Out It's a Fake. New York Times, accessed October 31, 2016 .

[Mixology2-3] Nils Wrage: The Seelbach remains the Seelbach! . In: Mixology. Bar culture magazine from November 2, 2016. Last accessed on December 22, 2016.