Time is Money - Tales of the Cocktail

SHAKESTIR.COMFeaturesHome > Features > Time is MoneyTime is MoneyBy Lindsay Nader on 12/27/2011There is an undeniable allureattached to objects from the past.Antiques and collectibles take usback in time, whether a youngerus was there to experience themat their conception, or ourimaginations are called upon tofill in what we do not know andwrite the story over again. Likethe transportive power of a goodbook or movie depicting a worldthat no longer exists, for many, abottle of booze may hold asimilar power.The spirits world is seeing a turnin what is considered valuable.The connoisseur of fine spiritshas risen out of the consumerwho has been told that fineCognacs and Armagnacs as wellas limited edition, vintage, singlebarrels, cask strength and rareblends of Whiskies (all of which are either very expensive to make or made only in verysmall amounts) are the most valuable spirits to own and consume. We are now seeing anemergence of a new breed of cocktail connoisseurs who appreciate each individual spiritthat coincides in the glass for its own inherent value.While auction houses like Christie's are probably still stocked with 50 year oldMacallan and Dalmore 64, there is another market for collectible spirits embraced bybartenders, enthusiasts, and the educated consumer, where bottles of Tequilas, vermouths,

liqueurs and many other categories are selling on eBay for a pretty penny. The cocktailconnoisseur understands the history behind these spirits and takes interest in theirevolution over a period of time. An original bottling of John D Taylor's Velvet Falernum,which to many holds the nostalgic value of the birth of Tiki and also gains value as moreand more people turn their attention to it, as early as 5-10 years ago may have justcollected dust in a bodega before being tossed in the trash.With the cocktail resurgence comes excitement for craft distillates that were moreskillfully made before larger companies got their hands on them, like Campari forexample before it was artificially colored. Once a spirit is purchased by one of thejuggernauts, production methods often change to accommodate increased demanddictated by new marketing, which in turn places a higher value on older marks anddefines them as being more artisanal. We saw this happen with Herradurra once it wasbought by Brown-Forman. What many remember to be a classic, distinctive and wellcrafted Tequila morphed into something that just doesn't taste the same, and to thechagrin of many bartenders and Tequila lovers, is now drifting into the world of Tequilaindifference where Cuervo, Sauza and Patron have been living for a very long time.Speaking of which, a friend of a friend recently found a bottle of ancient Original JoseCuervo in his wife's grandparents liquor cabinet when it was still made by Siete Leguas.So old in fact that the bottle's label defines Tequila by saying "A distillate from theMezcal Plant, a variety of the Maguey" as perhaps the general American populace wasstill coming to understand exactly what Tequila was. Fascinating. Because Tequila is arelatively new category, many keep their eyes peeled for all kinds of pre-conglomeratebottles, like Cazadores before Bacardi and El Tesoro before Beam Global.Understanding spirits chronologically stimulates nostalgia and entices enthusiasts torevisit old bottles they have only heard about. In some cases, a bottle is only worth asmuch as it is to someone personally, but in many other cases collections are starting to bebuilt that may one day take the place of venerable Cognacs and Whiskies at auctionhouses like Sotheby's. This movement is bolstered by the opening of craft liquor storesand limited edition blends being created for bars.Not only is the spirit collecting world embracing more obscure bottles like Cynar,Chartreuse and Strega for their historical value, but as production comes to an end formany brands, the last bottling, if preserved, will only increase in value over time. ThePimm's Collection is a good example, which once produced fruit cup variations 1-6, allwith a different spirit base. The company hit a rough patch in the 1970s and all but No. 1has been discontinued, while No. 3 transformed into Pimm's Winter Cup and No. 6 isonly produced in very small quantities.Categories like Tequila and rum which rarely got serious consideration not too long ago--having been dominated by multinational brands of inferior quality--are now moving tothe forefront. Newer brands like Ocho, a Tequila released in vintages, is already gainingsignificant value as bottlings from 2007 and 2008 are being sniffed out and hunted downlike some kind of illicit contraband (not unlike the Pappy Van Winkle's that released a

few weeks ago). Mezcal as an emerging category is also of great interest tocollectors. Del Maguey, for example, has produced single village/single vintage Mezcalsince its inception, and the earlier generation bottles are highly coveted. While themoney-palettes will turn to thousand-dollar bottles of French oaked Tequila in handblown crystal (which tastes more like brandy than agave), those who 'get it' will gravitatetoward the authenticity and age-ability of products like Ocho and Del Maguey.Interestingly, for rum--what's old is new. The most coveted bottles for spirit collectors(aside from pre-prohibition Cuban) tend to be old Rhum Agricole; and appropriately, themost interesting contemporary rums tend to be the same. Rhum J.M. has someridiculously divine vintage released bottlings going back to the '90s, which are moreapproachable than Rhum Agricole from the '30s. And who can forget the madness overthose last few cases of the original Lemonhart 151. It was as if the very fate ofhumankind was in jeopardy, as opposed to a $20 bottle of rum with a nondescript labelthat you couldn't give away before the recent Tiki resurgence.There's no better time than the present to hold on to what will soon become the past; mynew bottle of Campo de Encanto Distiller's Reserve Single Vineyard Quebranta won't beopened any time soon, if ever.And what came from the past will never again be made like the present, so on your nexttrip to visit the grandparents you might find a gem in their liquor cabinet. Or next timeyou're kicking back in your favorite dive, take a look at their back bar. You may besurprised at what's collecting dust.http://www.shakestir.com/features/id/160/time-is-money