COWBOY COFFEE - THE PONY ESPRESSO, PART TWO

 By Bennett Owen

Photo courtesy of J. Stephen Conn

Now here’s a recipe, time tried and true
For chuck wagon coffee, a buckaroo’s brew
Add water and coffee in equal parts
Then set on a fire, that’s how the deal starts
Boil hard for two hours then into it toss
A well-rusted horseshoe from a clubfooted hoss
Stare into the pot a few minutes steady
If the horseshoe ain’t floatin’ your coffee ain’t ready

Kathy Lee  (Thank you, whoever you are!)

© From the collection of Gordon Berry

OK, part one was the history lesson, now here’s the “how to.”  First up, the Colorado Cattle Company:

And here’s another one from the icon of cowboy coffee, Arbuckles’.  Make a pot of coffee and clean your socks at the same time! Mmmmm, Good:

Photo courtesy of the Utah Historical Society

Neither of the above recipes mentioned the infamous eggshell and yet many cowboy brewers swear by this ingredient. Some say it’s to settle the grounds, while others will tell you it’s to take the bitter edge off.  Well, here’s the definitive answer by none other than author John Steinbeck:

“I went into my house and set coffee to cooking, and remembering how Roark Bradford liked it, I doubled the dosage, two heaping tablespoons for each cup and two heaping for the pot. I cracked an egg and cupped out the yolk and dropped shells and white into the pot, for I know nothing that polishes coffee and makes it shine like that.

The air was still very cold, and a cold night was coming, so that the brew, rising from cold water to a rolling boil, gave the good smell that competes successfully with other good smells.”

John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley         

That’s not a recipe for coffee. That’s a recipe for happiness.

President Roosevelt's cowboy breakfast at Hugo, Colorado. Library of Congress

This song is by ‘The Arbuckle Boys’ from Texas…give it a listen and you’ll see why.  The video is chock full of gorgeous images and well worth the three minutes:

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

Cowboy Coffee – The Pony Espresso

by Bennett Owen

The West wasn’t won by tea drinkers.

Photo courtesy of Library of Congress.

It was the winter of 1863-4, one of the most brutal ever recorded in what is now Montana. In the gold rush town of Bannack, about one thousand miners, many with significant “pokes” were snowed in, running short of supplies. William A. Clark, who would later become one of America’s richest Robber Barons, seized an opportunity that was truly golden. He braved road agents, Indians and the elements, making his way to Salt Lake City, 400 miles to the south. And several weeks later he returned with a wagon stocked full of …food? Grain? Victuals? Surely you jest! A shrewd judge of his customers, Clark’s wagon was laden with booze, tobacco and…coffee (merchandise one naturally associates with Salt Lake).

"Bannack, Montana. A gold miner, one of few remaining residents of Bannack when it was the capitol of the state." Photograph by John Vachon. Image courtesy of Library of Congress.

Our resident expert, Cowgirl on Coffee, notes that cowhands used to drink coffee fresher than we enjoy today, since the chuck wagon cooks used green coffee beans roasted in a frying pan over a campfire. 

But in 1865, Pittsburgh grocer John Arbuckle and his brother came up with a process of glazing roasted beans so they’d keep their flavor…and soon cowboys at campfires across the west wouldn’t mount up until after they’d had their cup of  “Arbuckles.”  

Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com

The precious commodity was shipped in big wooden crates. Each package of Arbuckles contained a peppermint stick so whenever the cook needed the coffee beans ground, they’d call out, “who wants the candy?” and some cowboy with a sweet tooth would come a runnin’.

As for taste, the final product was considered strong enough if you could float a horseshoe on it. Stage Coach stations were notorious for selling “clear coffee” … an indicator that the grounds had been used one time too many.

Arbuckles is still in business and, yes, each package still contains a stick of peppermint.

Cowboy Coffee is not rocket science but there ARE several intriguing variations on the theme that we’ll introduce next week, and we will attempt to answer once and for all that vexing question of the ages…WHAT ARE THE DAMNED EGGSHELLS FOR?

Image courtesy of CowboyActionTown.com

In the meantime, here’s a version of Winchester 73, with just the coffee scenes spliced together. It’s nearly 12 minutes long!  Starring James Stewart and…in a supporting role…Rock Hudson, playing “Young Bull.” 

PUTTIN’ THE ‘HIGH’ n HIGH COUNTRY

By Bennett Owen

The High West Distillery, Park City, Utah

“Don’t mix good whiskey with water – unless you’re out of good whiskey…” - Texas Bix Bender

Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

How do you critique a whiskey you’ve never tasted? How do you reflect on flavor and aroma and finish when your preferences in booze have always favored quantity over quality? Well, you defer to the sober opinions of the experts. Wine Enthusiast Magazine gave High West Rendezvous Rye its highest recommendation and the following enthusiastic write-up:

Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

“Strong but intriguing. Has rich aromas of burnt orange and caramel. The flavor also reflected burnt orange and caramel plus a spicy tinge reminiscent of cassia burk or Red-Hot candies. The finish lingers, pleasant, inviting and warm. Might be good for Manhattans – a touch of fruit or sweetness would go well.” 
-    Wine Enthusiast Magazine Dec. 2010

Owner David Perkins samples his whiskey. Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

And it just so happens that High Country features its own recipe for a Manhattan, with a hat tip to Winston Churchill’s Mum!

Mix 1.5 oz. High West Rendezvous Rye, 0.75 oz sweet vermouth, 3-4 dashes Angostura bitters with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with whiskey cherries.

Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

Rendezvous Rye is High West’s signature product but the distillery boasts a variety of Ryes ranging in age from 12 to 21 years, Vodka 7000 (as in feet high) and something called US Grant Centennial Celebration.  And unlike many of its Park City customers, High West spirits are NOT free.

High West touts itself as the world’s first and only ski-in gastro-distillery. It’s located at the bottom of Quittin’ Time ski run in Old Town Park City.  “Ski in, stumble out,” as the help like to say.

Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

That said, people who have eaten there and whom I trust, describe the food as “extraordinary.” Owner David Perkins founded High West in an old livery stable and insists that fact has no influence on the taste of his spirits.

Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

He describes his saloon as “a quaint, family restaurant and bar where patrons can refuel on contemporary Western food.” With a dram of rocket fuel on the side.

Photo courtesy of High West Distillery.

It’s a far cry from our neighborhood bar in Polaris, Montana - the Polar Bar. Its proprietor, Old Walt Melcher (RIP), had a two-drink repertoire … the Whiskey Ditch … bourbon, ruined with water … and the Sagebrush…bourbon neat. Melcher claimed he could speak German too but would never do so for fear his false teeth would fall out.

Waddell Trading Company - Fine Native American Jewelry

by Bennett Owen

What started out as this…

West Y Trading Post Gallup, New Mexico circa 1940′s. Image courtesy of Waddell Trading Co.

Is now this…

Interior of Waddell Trading Company. Image courtesy of Waddell Trading Co.

A family-owned success story spanning three generations, the humble 1940s trading post in Gallup, New Mexico has evolved into the Waddell Trading Company of Scottsdale, Arizona, source of the most marvelous and innovative array of collector quality Hopi and Navajo art and jewelry available. Waddell is the sole representative of the incomparable Lee Yazzie, considered to be among the finest contemporary Navaho designers. 

14k Gold Turquoise and Coral Inlayed Ring, Artist: Lee Yazzie; Tufa Cast Coral Bracelet, Artist: Andrew Alvarez

Monument Valley Inlayed Bracelet, Artist: Alvin Yellowhorse; Sterling Silver 6 Strand Ring, Artist: James Bahe

Mediterranean Coral Necklace, Artist: Kee Nez; Overlay Hopi Village Bracelet, Artist: Victor Coochwytewa

Look at the forearms on those guys. They’re miners, not designers.

Mike Waddell, Natalie Waddell, Ann Waddell, Gene Waddell, Lisa Waddell, and Erik Van Itallie. Image courtesy of Waddell Trading Co.

The turquoise has to come from somewhere. And that somewhere is their mine near Tonapah, Nevada. Amazing how such delicate beauty is born on the blade of a D-8 Cat.

Dragonfly Bracelet, Artist: Cody Sanderson; Lone Mountain Turquoise Cross Necklace, Artist: Joe Piaso Jr.

A selection of the finest Waddell products will be on display at the Autry Museum Jewelry Trunk Show (see also here) in Los Angeles starting February 5. The official title: Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale Weekend. 

Coral Flower Pin/Pendant, Artist: Joe Piaso Jr.; Sterling Silver Inlayed Bracelet, Artist: Gibson Nez

It’s billed as “the country’s most important Western art show.”