France (Europe) tends to have leg up on America when it comes to the comprehension of delayed gratification. Most Americans have trouble understanding that good things come to those who wait. I'm not denouncing America as a horrible place to live, it just happens to have a culture that promotes instant gratification. If you want it now, buy it. If you can't afford it beg, borrow, or steal. The temporal difference between delayed and instant gratification can have a profound effect on the level of enjoyment. Lets just take for example, beef stew.
Cooking pieces of cubed meat with vegetables and spices in water or broth creates your average beef stew. It's cheap, quick, nutritious, savory and is a staple in many American homes. Spending a little more money on pre-cut meat and pre-packaged frozen vegetables or buying the the pre-made stew in a bag is seen as increasing the stew's desirability. Spending more money for the sake of eating sooner will increase your enjoyment of the stew. Instant gratification. Let us now look at beef stew in France.
The dish is called Boeuf Bourguignon (boof boor-gee-nyawn) and it contains very similar ingredients to the American stew: Cubed meat, vegetables, spices, and broth.The only major ingredients not included would be the brandy and the red wine. This is negligible as I am not comparing flavors (yes I am) and it contributes to the argument. The brandy is used to flambé the spiced vegetables and the wine is used as the liquid for cooking. Both need to be carefully selected for quality. As a French man one told me "If you wouldn't drink it from a glass you shouldn't put it in your food." That's a lie, the internet told me that, but it sounds good! Spending time and money shopping for specific ingredients, careful and precise preparation , and the use of time consuming cooking methods are all seen as an increase in the Bourguignon's desirability. Delayed gratification. The emphasis is on the quality of the end product not the speed of its preparation.
The relationship between beef stew and Bourguignon is analogous to the relationship between triple sec and Cointreau (kwan-tro); people are willing to settle for less right now than more down the road. Many people assume they are the same as they are both orange flavored liqueurs. Unfortunately, many triple secs are cheaply distilled and made only to be used as an inexpensive sweetener in sub-par cocktails. Sub $20 triple sec will only provide you with sad margaritas and flushable cosmopolitans. If you are income-challenged like me you should bite the bullet, stuff your piggy bank, and buy the good stuff less often.
With a $40 price tag you know Cointreau is not just a simple mixer. The spicy sweet citrus smell of the liqueur dances in the air during the pleasingly thin pour. The initial flavor is pure orange essence, bright and smooth. It feels like it disappears on your tongue during the swirl from sweet to bitter. It starts like an orange Starburst candy but is quickly balanced by the amazingly complex bitter orange. It reminds me of the white membrane on the outermost part of the meat. Perfect balance of sweet and bitter. The finish is a very comfortable warming sensation, showing you the quality base alcohol used in the drink.
I found my new favorite digestif with this bottle. Cointreau.com calls it a Cointreau Bubbles: Cointreau, tonic, and lime. The quinine adds a little bit of bitter that tones the sweet down to really showcase the bitter orange. Yummy! This stuff is fun in a bottle. I shall give it 9 baguettes out of 4. Margs, cosmos, long islands, you name it Cointreau will improve it. Food recommendations vary depending on how you drink this. Margs and long islands handle spicy foods well while more delicate drinks need some space of their own. Bright pop or some good trance would be perfect. I'm off the see the wizard.
Cointreau Bubbles
- 2oz Cointreau
- Tonic
- Muddled limes
cheers
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