Switzerland, Pioneer of the Modern Cocktail
The Embassy of Switzerland in Conversation with Dwight Grimm.
The Embassy of Switzerland and the U.S. Botanic Garden teamed up for a #SwissTouch evening devoted to Swiss medicinal herbs and cocktails. Dwight Grimm — a professional mixologist — talked about the history of Swiss medicinal herbs and how they have shaped the modern cocktail, and he discussed what is important when mixing and drinking cocktails. We sat down with him and asked him a few questions before he showed us how to make the Delmonico, one of his favorite cocktails based on Swiss herbs.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about yourself?
DG: My name is Dwight Grimm. If I had to give myself a job title, I think that would be “rural entertainment entrepreneur.”
How does one become a “rural entertainment entrepreneur” or, in other words, what is the Dwight Grimm story?
DG: I started taking a mixology class in either 2013 or 2014 at the Herbal Bear Botanical Medicine program in the Catskills. That is where I met Susan Pell, who is at the U.S. Botanic Garden. My focus was primarily on traditional tonics and bitters. Over the past few years, I have created a variety of both tonics, bitters, vermouths, and a few other things. I’m really interested in the intersection of herbs, alcohol and medicine, which is why I became very fascinated with creating herbal elixirs.
In 2015, my wife and I took over an American drive-in institution called the Greenville Drive-In. It is an outdoor movie theater located in the northern Catskills. To freshen up the business, we built a beer garden and a cocktail garden at the drive-in. Our vision was to build a place where one could get beverages that were local in origin and had a unique aspect to them. As I was a film and video producer prior to taking over the drive-in, I have built the brand called Cinema with a Twist. The brand encompasses a radio show as well as a print column in our local paper. So today in summary, my whole life operates at the intersection of movies and cocktails.
You are very interested in Swiss herbs in particular. What makes Swiss herbs so special?
DG: In my opinion, Switzerland in particular does not get enough recognition for its contributions in the area of herbal elixirs. What is special about Swiss herbs is that some are only available at particular altitudes and climates. For example, the Genepi is only available at 3,000 meters or higher. The only place in the world where it can be found is in the Alps. Vermouth was born out of the foothills of the Alps. It was born in northwestern Italy and many of the herbs that go into vermouth are Alpine herbs. It is fascinating that all of these herbal elixirs — be it vermouth or absinthe — they are blends of a variety of herbs. It is not a single unit, so there is this wonderful apothecary element to it. The art lies in the mixture and balance of the different tastes. Hence, each herbal elixir is a unique artwork of the distillers creating them.
What is your go-to cocktail?
DG: That is an incredibly tough question and really depends on the day. I have created my own drink called “Carrie’s Decent.” It is a combination of Armagnac, rock candy syrup, orange curaçao and just a hint of Chartreuse elixir. The few drops of Chartreuse elixir turn the drink into a magnificent floral explosion of taste. I named it after a friend who was cycling through the Alps. She brought me a particular elixir I needed for the drink that I could not get in the United States. Apart from my own drink, I am a big fan of “The Last Word,” whose origins trace back to the Oakland Athletic Club in 1930. It is a mix of maraschino liqueur, Chartreuse, gin and lime juice — and it is perfect.
And what is your favorite Swiss alcoholic drink?
DG: Appenzeller is a phenomenal herbal digestive. It is similar to two other digestives, but in my opinion, nothing really compares to Appenzeller. On Appenzeller’s website, you can find a drink recipe combining Appenzeller and apple juice. I have taken that recipe and added a little twist to it by adding celery bitters. Mixing in bitters is a real art form because it is tough to get people to enjoy it. The easy solution is usually to balance it with sugar. The more difficult alternative is to add more panache. Contrary to almost every bitter liqueur, Appenzeller seems to have put a much lower priority on sugar — which makes it such a wonderful beverage.
From a historical perspective, I think absinthe — as the most famous Swiss herbal elixir — has a very interesting story to tell.
Why do you think absinthe has such an interesting story?
My personal feeling is that absinthe is what has created the sort of modern cocktail movement. The reason why I say that is because of what happened when absinthe was made illegal. In the United States, it was made illegal in 1912 even before the Prohibition movement. It was outlawed in almost every country in the world at the start of the 20th century.
When the Soviet Union fell, it allowed for some of the traditional craftsmen of these elixirs to come out of the woodwork. One of those places was Prague. Absinthe became available in Prague in the mid-1990s. As Prague was cheap and now open to the West again, many backpackers went there. Going there, absinthe became “the underground thing to do.” This reawakened the idea of these classic herbal elixirs. The caveat with absinthe is that it is difficult to drink in the sense that you would “have to clear your schedule if you’re drinking absinthe.“ Hence, people had to find ways to use absinthe in other cocktails to make it drinkable, as opposed to drinking it straight. This search became part of my journey, too, when I found absinthe in my late 20s, which was in the late ‘90s.
In my personal opinion, absinthe is sort of the “gateway” to all these other classic cocktails because after people brought back absinthe, they also started to investigate the question, “What else can we bring back?” This started the movement of “cocktail archeology,” where people were trying to find these old recipes to give a rebirth to something that had been gone due to Prohibition. Hence, in my opinion, it’s absinthe — the traditionally Swiss beverage — that caused this resurgence of all those forgotten recipes.
What are the main factors to consider in the experience of drinking a cocktail?
Two factors should be considered: number one is that the cocktail should be balanced. For example, one of my favorite cocktails is the Pisco Sour from South America. I love it because it contains all the parts of your tasting senses simultaneously. It creates a balanced taste in your mouth and when you get that balance, it is just wonderful. Number two is that you want the cocktail to be agreeable to the environment and to the people you are with. Sometimes you have a wonderful cocktail, but you are in an environment with people that does not match the cocktail — and it falls flat. When you get the right cocktail in the right place, it is perfect.
What makes the U.S. Botanic Garden a special place to give a presentation?
The U.S. Botanic Garden is an absolute treasure here in Washington, D.C. The atrium is by far one of my favorite places to give a presentation. Being able to talk about the history of herbs and plants as they relate to both medicine and cocktails is perfect because you are ensconced in the environment, surrounded by plants. It’s literally a living classroom.
What makes you excited about tonight’s Swiss Touch event at the U.S. Botanic Garden?
I am looking forward to this event in particular because it is interesting to talk about the history that Switzerland has contributed to these particular herbs and these particular cocktails. To most people, a cocktail is just something in a glass. But there is a story of how it got into that glass. For this particular event, Switzerland has been an important author of that story. I think being able to tell that story helps you appreciate what you have in the glass. Hence, it is not just something you’re drinking. You are literally drinking history when you are drinking some of these cocktails.
The Delmonico is one of those cocktails. There is so much history in that particular one: not just in terms of the restaurant and in terms of the ingredients that are in the Delmonico. It is a straightforward classic cocktail. I think what happens a lot — especially in modern cocktail mixology — is that people try to make it too complicated. But very often, when you have a true classic cocktail, you are like, Boom! That is the way — keeping it simple, use good ingredients, good presentation and enjoy it with the right people in the right place.
With that being said, I am looking forward to tasting some new Swiss alcoholic drinks at the event tonight.
