The Gimlet

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but sometimes I get the idea that I just don’t like something about a cocktail, and I will never try one. I’ve never had a martini (shocking, I know), for instance, just because I have the idea that I won’t like it (why, I have no clue—gin, I like, dry vermouth, sure, so what’s the problem?). I don’t like olives, so I think that’s where my skepticism of the martini lies, but I am tempted to try one with a lemon twist rather than olive juice. I’ll keep you posted on that front, but another drink I’ve thought I won’t like is the gimlet. Once again, no idea why. It could be because I think Rose’s Lime is a weird color. Anyway, a few years ago, Darci tried to get a gimlet at a bar here, and the bartender had no clue how to make one. We sent the server back with a recipe, and the horribleness that came back was enough to turn us both off of gimlets for awhile. I’ve had a revelation, though, thanks to an article by Troy Patterson over on Slate. You should pop over to that site and check out the article; it was very informative and piqued my interest in the gimlet.

I try to keep my bar well-stocked, so I tend to buy lots of little add-ons that I might use in the future. Rose's Lime Juice is one of these things, so I've owned a bottle for probably two years now. It has never been opened, due to the previously-mentioned blah feeling I had about gimlets. After reading the Slate article, I knew what drink I would be making that evening. I came home and mixed up a glass, not using the Raymond Chandler recipe (half gin and half Rose's Lime and nothing else), but instead the recipe off the Rose's Lime bottle. I threw in some orange bitters and wow! I plan on knocking more than a few of these back, at least until I run out of Rose's Lime. The ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz gin (I went cheap cheap cheap and used Trader Joe's Jail-House Gin, which is actually quite tasty)
• 1 oz Rose's Lime Juice
• 2 dashes Bittercube Orange Bitters

In an old-fashioned glass, add ice, then gin, Rose's Lime Juice, and the bitters. Stir well and add a slide of lime to garnish.

I was completely blown away by how tasty this gimlet is. It's refreshing and is very simple to make, two things I appreciate. Most of the cocktail blogs or recipe sites I saw are pro-Rose's and anti-fresh lime juice in the gimlet, although I bet they'd be really tasty if you made your own version of Rose's Lime (I think you could mix 1 part 1:1 simple syrup and 1 part lime juice to make a reasonable facsimile, but I'm sure someone else has already done this and has posted about it somewhere on the Internet). Anyway, read that Slate article, check out some other recipes, and mix up your own version of the gimlet.

The Bronx Cocktail and the Income Tax Cocktail

I recently bought a set of four Thin Man movies. For those of you who aren't familiar with the film series, just know that the first one was released in 1934, is based around a detective (Nick Charles) and his wife (Nora), and includes a LOT of references to drinking. I highly recommend it--it's an excellent cocktail movie. Anyway, at one point, Nick Charles is at a bar, talking to some bartenders while he orders a Martini. He instructs the barkeeps, "The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now, a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time." I'd heard of a Bronx cocktail before (I love a Manhattan), so I decided to mix up a few of these. 

There are a couple of theories about who came up with the Bronx. Some people think Joseph Sormani created it in Philadelphia around 1905. Other sources credit Johnnie Solon (a bartender in Manhattan), sometime around 1899-1906. Check out the Wikipedia page about this cocktail out; the Solon theory has an entertaining creation story.

I generally don't trust the cocktail recipes on Wikipedia, so I hit the cocktail books and found this in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. It was filed under a different drink, the Income Tax. One of my favorite things about cocktails is the history of the cocktail or how cocktails relate to each other. For example, the Manhattan (sweet vermouth and bourbon) became the Martinez (sweet vermouth and gin) became the Martini (dry vermouth and gin)...I just find this incredibly interesting (this is an excellent story about just this genealogy). From the standpoint of a very amateur barman, these connections make it easier to add drinks to my "memorized cocktail" list, just by slight adjustments. The Income Tax is just a Bronx, but with two dashes of Angostura bitters. 

The Bronx

• 1 1/2 oz gin (I used Gordon's)
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 3/4 oz dry vermouth
• Juice of 1/4 orange, freshly squeezed (This is obviously really vague. I used 1/3 of an oz.)

The Income Tax

• 1 1/2 oz gin 
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 3/4 oz dry vermouth
• Juice of 1/4 orange, freshly squeezed
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

I quite liked both of these drinks. I would call the Bronx a citrus-y cousin to the Manhattan--the orange mellows the booze a little, but it is still pretty strong. As for the Income Tax, the bitters add a little sophistication and a lot of depth to the drink. These are ingredients that are pretty common, so you probably already have everything to make them, so that's a nice bonus that rarely happens. 

Philadelphia Fish House Punch

This past weekend, we got an invite to a little pre-Thanksgiving pie party and I volunteered to bring a cocktail, because, well, it's kind of what I do. I did some digging around and settled on Philadelphia Fish House Punch. Imbibe Magazine did a good write-up of some of the history of the drink; make sure you click that link. The punch was created in 1732 (1732!!) in a Philadelphia fishing club, the State in Schuylkill. The father of our nation, one George Washington, was fond of the punch, and it's said that he once drank so much Fish House Punch that he couldn't write in his diary for the next three days. After this experience, I can't say I blame him.

I always feel like making a drink at a party without testing it out first is risky, but I flew by the seat of my pants with this one. The list of ingredients (peach brandy, rum, and brandy) led me to think that it would be safe, so I took the plunge. I got this particular version of the recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, but there are a ton of different versions out there, including one in that Imbibe article and one in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. The recipes are all fairly similar, with slightly different ingredients and ratios.

The recipe I made was (and you're going to need a really big bowl to mix this up):

• 1 1/4 cup of sugar (mix this 1:1 with hot water to make simple syrup)
• 1 liter of Jamaican Gold rum (I used Appleton)
• 2 cups cognac (Disclaimer: I know nothing about brandy or cognac, but I do know that cognac was way more expensive than brandy. I went with brandy, specifically Korbel XS.)
• 1 1/2 cups lemon juice
• 1 cup peach liqueur (I have no shame--I used Mr. Boston's Peach Schnapps.)

First off, you're going to want to make a big block of ice. We have a bunch of peaches in the freezer, so we put some in a Bundt pan with some thyme springs (the recipe called for this, I certainly didn't make it up), added water, and froze. This actually turned out pretty cool. Now that your ice is freezing, you can combine the ingredients. Add in the simple syrup, rum, cognac (or brandy), lemon juice, and peach liqueur. Throw in AT LEAST six cups of cold water. You could really probably add like eight or nine cups and it would not cut the strength of the punch. I have a Soda Stream, so I fizzed up a couple liters of water so I could use fizzy instead of flat water. I used about a liter and a half (about 7-ish cups if my math is right), but I should have put both liters in. The fizzy water was a nice addition. Stir everything thoroughly and carefully place the ice block in, peach side up.

This was a bigger hit than I was expecting at the party (these folks tend to be wine drinkers for the most part). The only real downside is that the punch is deceptively strong, it doesn't taste boozy at all. By the time I finished two small cups (approximately one cup each), I was pretty well drunk. The darn thing was just so tasty and I felt like the water didn't thin it too much (it was slightly syrup-y)--this is why I think more water would be a good addition, to make it less syrup-y and less potent. It was peachy and sweet and a tiny bit sour all at once. If you don't want to make a big batch, I bet there are recipes out there that cut it down to single-serving sizes.

The Seelbach

I'm from Kentucky, and around here, everyone starts talking mint juleps in May, at Derby time. I have never liked mint juleps, and frankly, I don't know many people who do like them, but we all drink them on Derby Day. A couple of times, I got by with putting bourbon and ginger ale in my julep cup, but then I discovered the Seelbach cocktail. This cocktail is named for the Seelbach Hotel, where it was introduced in 1917 at its famous bar.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was once kicked out of the Seelbach for having a bit too much bourbon, and Al Capone was a regular there, as well. Movie stars and presidents have stayed there, and it's on the National Register of Historic Places. I decided that the Seelbach cocktail is an even better tribute to the beautiful city of Louisville, where the Derby takes place, and considerably more delicious than a mint julep, so now that's what I drink on the first Saturday in May.

1.5 oz bourbon
1/2 oz Cointreau
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychauds bitters

Stir with ice in a mixing glass, strain into a cocktail glass or a flute glass, and top with champagne. Garnish with an orange peel.

Yes, that's 14 dashes of bitters.

The Seelbach is probably my favorite bourbon cocktail, and one of my favorite of all cocktails.

The 20th Century

The 20th Century is an unusual cocktail. It was named for the 20th Century Limited passenger train, that ran from New York to Chicago, and in 1937 introduced a new ultra-modern streamlined design for trains that started operating in 1938. The train was considered the epitome of modern luxury and sophistication. Ted Haigh in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails says the 20th Century cocktail is "exactly what Art Deco tastes like."

The first time I saw the recipe for this cocktail, I couldn't wait to try it, just because it seemed so odd.

1.5 oz gin
3/4 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz white creme de cacao
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The recipe is very similar to the Corpse Reviver #2, with the lemon and Lillet, but replaces the Cointreau with creme de cacao. First, I will say that it does not really taste particularly chocolatey. The creme de cacao just gives the drink a delicious "what is that" quality. Ted Haigh also says that cocktail legend Gary Regan calls this his favorite "lost" cocktail. I think it's one that definitely deserves more attention.

The Sazerac

I have a real fascination with the history of New Orleans and in particular, the cocktails of the area. Our last post was the Stormy Morning, created in New Orleans. I'm going to continue the NOLA thread with the Sazerac.

At its core, the Sazerac is a variety of an Old Fashioned--it has a spirit, bitters, and sugar--but this goes a bit farther with the addition of absinthe. Traditionally, the drink is mixed using two glasses. The glass the drink is served in has an absinthe rinse (that means you pour a little in the glass, swish it around, and dump out whatever doesn't stick to the glass) and the second glass is where you actually mix the ingredients together. The drink is then poured into the rinsed glass and served.

Originally, the Sazerac was made with cognac, specifically, Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. Around 1850, Sewell Taylor sold his tavern and began importing this cognac. The fellow (Aaron Bird) who bought Taylor's bar renamed it the Sazerac House and started serving, you guessed it, the Sazerac Cocktail. The cognac was joined by Peychaud's Bitters, which were created right down the street by Antoine Amadie Peychaud, a local druggist. The cognac switched to rye around 1870, during a Phylloxera epidemic in France that devastated their grape crops. Supposedly, the Sazerac is America's oldest cocktail, whether that's true or not is probably up for debate, like most cocktail history. Regardless of that, though, the Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans, and that's pretty cool.

Currently, the Sazerac Company owns Sazerac Rye, Peychaud's Bitters, and about twenty different bourbon distilleries. Their website is pretty amazing, in an Internet circa 2001 sort of way, so you should really check it out.

I pulled this recipe from the Savoy Cocktail book, but there are obviously a ton of variations out there, including one from the Sazerac page. As a note, if you're using the Savoy, you'll notice that the measurements are, well, a bit odd. There are units of measurement like wine-glass, dessert-spoon, and hooker (!). I did a quick search and found this very useful page: Traditional Units of Measure Pertaining to Mixology. I bookmarked it; you should, too. Anyway, the ingredients:

• 1 Lump of sugar
• 1 Dash Angostura or Peychaud's Bitters (I used Peychaud's)
• 1 Glass rye or Canadian Club Whiskey (I used Sazerac Rye)
• 1 Dash of absinthe (I used Absente)

Mix all ingredients except absinthe in a glass, strain into a chilled glass, and top with one dash of absinthe. Garnish with a lemon peel. 

This is definitely a very aromatic drink. I would say the absinthe is mainly an olfactory addition; the rye covers the taste of it fairly well, although the tiniest amount of absinthe has the ability to cut through basically any other liquid. The bitters are also an aromatic addition, but you can taste both the absinthe and the bitters ever so slightly. I love this drink, but the first time I made one, I was completely overwhelmed by the absinthe. After that first shock, though, it grew on me, and now I have them on a regular-ish basis. So, if you make one and you think, WHOA, don't give up! Think on it for a few days and make another because you might be surprised.

Stormy Morning

Two of my favorite liqueurs are St. Germain, which is an elderflower liqueur, and Creme de Violette, a violet-flavored liqueur. In a search for a Creme de Violette cocktail, I came across the Stormy Morning, a drink created at Bayona in New Orleans. The images from other sites listing this recipe really drew me in--the dark purple that transitions to a hazy light violet evokes the name of the cocktail amazingly well. The whole time I was drinking it, I had "Stormy Weather" (the Martha Wainwright version) stuck in my head. Not exactly the same, but close enough.

The ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Creme de Violette (we use Rothman & Winter)
• 1 1/2 oz St. Germain (or elderflower syrup)
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 4 oz Champagne or other sparkling wine (Many of the cocktails I've seen recently call for topping off with bubbly, so last time we were at Trader Joe's, we picked up a variety of cheap sparkling wine. The kind I used here is some Italian Asti that was like 5 bucks a bottle.)

Fill a Tom Collins glass or tumbler with ice and slowly pour in the ingredients, starting with the Creme de Violette, the St. Germain, the lime juice, and topping off with Champagne. Slightly (very slightly!) stir and enjoy. 

When you start to drink it, it's mostly just Champagne, but as you drink further down, you're hit with the other flavors. By the time you get about halfway down, it gets sweeter, more floral, and fruitier. This is a really spectacular drink and I love anything that lets me use more than 1/2 oz of Creme de Violette. I think this would make an amazing brunch drink...we had it before dinner with some cheese and crackers and it really hit the spot.

The Old Fashioned

If I had to pick my favorite cocktail, I'd say it is the Old Fashioned. There are a number of reasons for this choice: number 1, I really like bourbon and rye (you can use either of these); secondly, they are super easy to make and I almost always have all the ingredients; third, this drink was named in my hometown, Louisville, in the late 1800s. Also, I like the OF because I really don't have to measure anything. I drop a sugar cube in a glass, add a little soda water, throw in some bitters, muddle a bit, and then pour some bourbon in a glass. I only dirty the glass and the muddler, and they are quick to make. The Old Fashioned has a long history--the drink has its origins in the early 1800s and was essentially any combination of a spirit, bitters, sugar, and water. As time went on, other ingredients were added and by the 1880s, this original recipe was called the "Old Fashioned." The rumor goes that this name was given to the bourbon-based version in Louisville at a club named the Pendennis Club.

As I said, the original recipe could include rye, bourbon, whiskey, brandy, gin, and so on. In fact, in The Savoy Cocktail Book, Harry Craddock says, "This Cocktail can be made with Brandy, Gin, Rum, etc., instead of Rye Whiskey." Modern-day Old Fashioneds, though, generally use some whiskey (bourbon, rye, or plain ol' whiskey) or, if you live in Wisconsin, brandy.

That takes me to the monstrosity known as a Wisconsin Old Fashioned (see this New York Times article on the matter). The main difference with this is, of course, the brandy, but there is also the trouble with what should be seltzer water. Wisconites take their Old Fashioneds in a couple of different ways: sweet, with 7-Up instead of seltzer; or sour, with sour mix or Squirt instead of seltzer. Both versions are flat-out too sweet, because they aren't just using a splash of the 7-Up or Squirt, they top off the whole drink with that. Warning: wicked hangover in the works. This state loves these so much you can even buy them premade, in a bottle.

If this is your preferred variety of Old Fashioned, well, to each their own. I, too, came to this drink from a decidedly not old fashioned route--the fruit salad version of the Old Fashioned. These came to popularity in the 2000s and involved muddling an orange slice, a cherry, etc., in with the sugar, bitters, and soda water. I drank the OF this way for a few years before I finally took the dive and started drinking them the Don Draper way. Let's not ignore the popularity of Mad Men as an important turn in the history of the Old Fashioned. That's how I was introduced to this glorious mix. Don and I will always have this drink in common.

Anyway, to the recipe:

• 1 sugar cube (or 1/2 teaspoon loose sugar)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters (Angostura is just a suggestion; I like orange bitters in mine, which could be Angostura Orange, Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6, or Bittercube Orange bitters)
• 2 oz spirit of choice (I am a big fan of Bulleit Rye in these, but for this one, we used Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon)
• Splash of club soda (or seltzer)

In an old-fashioned glass (get it?), add the sugar cube, bitters, and club soda. Muddle to a slurry using a muddler or wooden spoon. Add ice and bourbon or rye. Give a slight stir to the mix, but keep the slurry in the bottom. Garnish with a large orange peel.

I like bourbon and rye on the rocks, and this is just a nice extension from that. By not stirring the sugar slurry in, you get a nice kick of sweetness on the last drink. The orange from the bitters and the garnish makes it citrus-y, and the bourbon or rye gives it a nice caramel-y and vanilla flavor. This is a drink you can really make your own; you can try different bitters (but I'd stay in the aromatic or citrus families) and different spirits until you find a mix you can call your own. 

The Aviation and the Blue Moon

Much like the Negroni and the Americano belong to the same family of cocktails, the Aviation and the Blue Moon are kissing cousins. The first documented recipe for the Aviation comes from Hugo Ensslin's seminal cocktail book Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Published in 1916, Ensslin's compendium of cocktails provides an interesting historical perspective on what are now established traditional cocktails. Ensslin's version of the Aviation includes gin, lemon juice, and both maraschino liqueur (such as Luxardo) and Crème de Violette (a liqueur made from violets); however, Crème de Violette, soon after the Aviation's debut, became increasingly difficult to find. As a result of this scarcity, by the time the Savoy Cocktail Book was published, the ingredient had been eliminated entirely. Thanks to Rothman and Winter, however, Crème de Violette is once again in regular production. 

This brings me to the Blue Moon. In Ensslin's book, the recipe calls for another difficult-to-find liqueur, Crème Yvette. Like Crème de Violette, it is also made from violets, but also features other aromatics like vanilla and orange peel. And, unlike Crème de Violette, Crème Yvette will give your cockatil a pinkish hue instead of the more periwinkle color of Crème de Violette. Rumor has it that Crème Yvette is now back in production--I've yet to see it, but I would love to get my hands on some!

On to the most important details--how they taste. The Aviation is a bit stringent for my tastes--we've been making it according to the Savoy recipe and to be honest I think it would benefit from a few dashes of Crème de Violette. The Blue Moon on the other hand is probably my favorite (of all the favorites) cocktail of the vintage cocktails we've been drinking. It's sweet, floral, and citrusy. The Crème de Violette reminds me of the violette pastilles I used to buy during my study abroad in France. I love how the gin is so perfectly complimented by the other elements in the drink. We use a basic London Dry, but I can imagine this is probably also very good with a more floral gin like Hendrick's. 

The Aviation (according to the Savoy Cocktail Book)

• 2 1/2 oz gin (we used Plymouth)
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice2-3 dashes maraschino liqueur

Shake in an ice cocktail shaker, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with lemon twist.

The Blue Moon (according to Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

• 2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz Crème Yvette (or Crème de Violette)
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake in an ice cocktail shaker, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with lemon twist.

**Note: Sometimes we don't have lemons--I suppose there's no good excuse except for the fact that they are not native to Wisconsin, are frequently expensive, and we cannot be bothered with juicing them. So, based on Melinda's recommendation, we've been buying Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice and using it when we don't have fresh lemons. To be perfectly honest, I can't generally tell the difference between this bottled juice and fresh lemon juice. 

Blood and Sand

Recently, I was at a local bar, and the bartender and I were discussing mixed drinks made with Scotch. I'm a total Scotch novice, especially cocktails with Scotch, and she recommended a Blood and Sand. I had never heard of this, but since then I've noticed it in multiple cocktail books, including The Savoy Cocktail Book, which I just got today. I wanted to try something from the book, so I went with this drink.

A little history: this cocktail is named after a Rudolph Valentino movie from 1922, Blood and Sand. Valentino plays a bullfighter (hence the blood). The Wall Street Journal did a write-up of this drink and its history in 2008; check out that article here.

Just a word of advice--you should probably check to make sure you have all the necessary ingredients before you start dumping stuff in a glass. I could have sworn I had a bottle of Scotch, but nope, no such luck, so I made this one with bourbon. Oops.

The real ingredients for the Blood and Sand are:

• 1 part orange juice
• 1 part Scotch whisky (whiskey vs whisky; I used Rebel Yell Bourbon)
• 1 part Italian vermouth (red/sweet vermouth--I used Vya)
• 1 part cherry brandy (I used Cherry Heering)

Mix all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Now, I have no clue what this would taste like with Scotch, but I am pretty pleased with how this turned out with the bourbon. Surprisingly, it's not very sweet. Actually, it doesn't even have much of an overwhelming flavor of anything. I like it, but the next time I make this I'm going to have to get some Scotch so I know what it really tastes like. 

Negroni and Americano

Lots of people go for years seeing the bottle of bright red Campari on a shelf behind the bar, or at the liquor store, and wonder what in the world you do with it. Some of those people discover Campari by way of one of the most classic of cocktails, the Negroni. It's a 1:1:1 cocktail, like the Sidecar, but its flavor profile is completely in the opposite direction of that other classic.

1 oz gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth

Stir in a mixing glass and strain into a short glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a wide swath of orange peel, which you should squeeze over the glass before dropping it in.

You may notice that the drink in my photo --it's the one on the left -- is missing the orange peel. Sometimes you realize you really want a Negroni, even if you don't have any oranges in the house. Brad Thomas Parsons, in his excellent book Bitters suggests a few dashes of orange bitters to bring out the flavor, so I thought that might be good, in the absence of the peel. The peel is fantastic, don't get me wrong. But it's a shame to forgo a Negroni for want of orange peel.

I used Aviation gin, because it's an American-style gin, which means it's slightly less juniper-heavy, so I thought it would play nice with the bitters. I also used Punt e Mes, which is probably one of my favorite things in the whole Booziverse. "Punt e Mes" means "point and a half", which refers to the fact that Italians traditionally like to put bitters in their vermouth, and Punt e Mes is Italian (sweet) vermouth with bitters already added. It's delightful with soda and a slice of lemon. You may certainly use whatever sweet vermouth you like. Punt e Mes with Campari might be just too much bitters for some, but we love bitters in this house.

On the right side of the photo above, you'll see the Negroni's cousin, the Americano.

1.25 oz Campari
1.25 oz sweet vermouth
soda water
twist of lemon peel

It's like a Negroni with soda and no gin. You might wonder in what circumstance you would want "no gin", but sometimes that's what hits the spot.

A note about the soda water: I have seen the Americano made as a highball, with more soda. I read in How to Drink by Victoria Moore that less soda is better with bitters than more soda. She claims that you might think you can soften the bitter taste of Campari by diluting it with more soda, but what actually happens is you dilute the sweetness, which only sharpens the bitterness and throws off the balance. I have tested this myself, and it's true. So when I make an Americano, I stick with the short glass, and add just a bit of soda.

A few words from The Savoy Cocktail Book

A Few Hints for the Young Mixer (from The Savoy Cocktail Book)

1. Ice is nearly always an absolute essential for any Cocktail.
2. Never use the same ice twice.
3. Remember that the ingredients mix better in a shaker rather larger than is necessary to contain them.
4. Shake the shaker as hard as you can: don't just rock it: you are trying to wake it up, not send it to sleep!
5. If possible, ice your glasses before using them.
6. Drink your Cocktail as soon as possible. Harry Craddock was once asked what was the best way to drink a Cocktail: "Quickly," replied that great man, "while it's laughing at you!"

A few additional words from me:

Many people seem to underestimate the importance of ice. As quoted above, ice is clearly one of the most important features of a cocktail. A lack of ice is a real detriment to a party; make sure you stock up! Get a bunch of ice, a couple of ice buckets, some booze, and you're good to go. Even straight alcohol benefits from some ice, so use it liberally.

Rhubarb Blush

Tonight's cocktail is the Rhubarb Blush, yet another drink that Peyton brought home from his adventures in Portland. Like the Tamarind Whiskey Sour, the Rhubarb Blush is a Pok Pok invention. Aperol is sort of like the sweeter and less sassy little sister of Campari. Not only does it have a lower alcohol content (only 11%), it's also substantially less bitter than Campari. This is not to say that I don't love Campari's bitterness, it's just that in some drinks I can see the advantage of having a Campari-like component that is a little less aggressive. 

But, enough about that and on to the Rhubarb Blush. This is a really delightful little cocktail--I think it might make a great aperitif in that it's rather low in alcohol and fairly modest in size. The flavor is slightly floral and citrus-y. Although there is a fair amount of lime juice in the drink, it is not overwhelmingly tart. The best part of the drink, however, is the rhubarb bitters. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little obsessed with them. For weeks now, I've been drinking Fees Rhubarb Bitters with soda water. I love both the flavor and the scent of the bitters--they perfectly compliment the Aperol and the gin in their floral and citrus profiles as well. 

Ingredients:
1 ounce London dry gin
1 ounce fresh lime juice from about 2 limes
1 ounce Aperol
1 dash Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters
Garnish: orange twist

In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, lime juice, Aperol and bitters. Fill shaker with ice and shake until fully chilled, about 15 seconds. Pour drink, ice included, into glass and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

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French Gin Rickey

I know it's November and we're supposed to put away our gin and ice cubes, but I had a stressful day today and it was dark and gray outside, and what I really wanted was something sweet and fizzy. This drink doesn't have a clever name, and it's just about as basic as it gets. Traditionally, a Gin Rickey is just gin, lime juice, and club soda, like a gin & tonic with no tonic. But if you went into an old-timey soda fountain, if you were lucky enough to be able to go into an old-timey soda fountain, and you ordered a Lime Rickey, you'd get something with lime juice, syrup, and seltzer, and no gin. So, I think for that reason, a lot of people make a Gin Rickey with sugar in it, even if it's not the original formula. I myself find the gin & soda version a little flat, and the times I've had it, I felt like I wished the soda was tonic.

You could probably make this with any number of things for the syrup, like simple syrup, Cointreau, grenadine, or any other kind of flavored syrup or sweet liqueur. Elderflower always tastes cheerful to me, and as I said, I was looking for a mood-lifter.

2 oz gin (a London dry style stands up well to the syrup)
1 oz lime juice
1 oz elderflower syrup or St Germain liqueur

Shake well with ice and strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. Top with club soda and throw a hunk of squeezed lime shell in the glass.

Note: I like St Germain. But it's expensive, and I'm cheap. I like to buy the elderflower syrup from IKEA to use in cocktails that call for St Germain. It's cheap and it tastes great.

The Tamarind Whiskey Sour

Another drink I discovered in Portland was the Tamarind Whiskey Sour. I had one of these fabulous creatures at Pok Pok, a pretty spectacular Thai joint. Pok Pok (and their sister bar, Whiskey Soda Lounge) specialize in drinking vinegars. Honestly, I don't even really understand what these drinking vinegars are, but they are tasty. Pok Pok has multiple varieties, from apple to honey to tamarind and a bunch in between, and they use these in cocktails. You can buy a bottle of the concentrate and make your own at home. I wasn't able to find a recipe for the Tamarind Whiskey Sour anywhere, so I took a stab at recreating it myself. From the menu, I knew the ingredients were tamarind drinking vinegar, bourbon, palm sugar, and lime. Based on what I have at the house, this is what I came up with:

• 2 oz bourbon (I used Evan Williams)
• 1/2 oz tamarind drinking vinegar concentrate
• 1 1/2 oz soda water
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup (1:1 syrup)

Mix all ingredients in a old-fashioned glass, fill with ice, and serve. I garnished with a slide of lime. Honestly, I can't remember what the real thing tasted like, but this was a pretty tasty facsimile. The lime makes the whole thing refreshing, and while the tamarind isn't overpowering, you can definitely tell it's there. Buy your own drinking vinegars here and try this one yourself. Anyone who knows the real recipe, please let me know! I'd like to know how close I got to the real recipe, considering I did this 2 weeks after my trip. I also have a bottle of Jarritos Tamarind soda that I've been hanging onto to make into a cocktail, and this has given me a little encouragement to take the plunge and try something out.

Scofflaw

Ever since I started making cocktails, I have had a running list of drinks I wanted to try but had to hold off on because I didn't have any grenadine. Now, grenadine is a common ingredient, and you're probably thinking that you've seen grenadine in every liquor store, so what's the problem? Well, the bottles you see most often, usually Rose's, are really just corn syrup with red dye. Grenadine should be made out of pomegranates -- the name is actually derived from the French word for pomegranate. I have seen recipes for making my own grenadine from pomegranate juice, but not only have I not gotten around to doing that, I'm slightly reluctant, because homemade syrup has a limited shelf life, even in the refrigerator. I'll make homemade simple syrup, because if I have to throw some out, it's no big deal, but I have been more hesitant about anything that involves more pricey ingredients, and a bottle of pomegranate juice is going to make a batch of grenadine so large I would never finish it.

I have searched around and read reviews online, to see if there are any commercially-available grenadines that are made from pomegranate and have an authentic and, more importantly, tasty flavor. I read good things about Sonoma syrups, and the last time I'd been at our local liquor store (the big one) they'd started carrying some of the flavors, but no grenadine. Today, we went to the store for some gin, and I checked to see if they'd gotten the grenadine -- and they had. I felt like I finally had the key to that great big room full of cocktails that I'd put off until I acquired some grenadine!

One that I'd marked in my copy of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is the Scofflaw. I wanted to start here, because this cocktail has a pretty hefty dose of grenadine, and not just a dash or two. The recipe in the book calls for rye, and I do like rye -- but I don't have any at the moment, and since I was so excited to finally be holding a bottle of grenadine, I decided I didn't want to wait until someday when I get around to getting another bottle of rye. I figured it was okay to substitute bourbon, as we usually do when we're making Manhattans and we're out of rye. It was delicious!

1.5 oz rye (or bourbon)
1 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz real pomegranate grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass (I double-strained through a fine mesh tea strainer, to catch any solids from the lemon juice, but it's not mandatory). Garnish with a lemon twist.

A note about dry vermouth: I was never a fan of dry vermouth until I tried Dolin. It has a lot more complex flavor than the usual dry vermouths. It will change the way you think about martinis! But that's another post...

The Communist

Today, we made our bimonthly (as in every two months, not twice in a month) trip to Andy's Liquor in Rochester, MN, to find some new kinds of booze and to stock up on favorites. Our shopping list included Cherry Heering, Carpano Antica, Vya sweet vermouth, Plymouth gin, and a case (!) of Darci's favorite wine, Predator. I had seen a good number of recipes for Cherry Heering in some of my cocktail books, so I was excited to find a bottle at Andy's. I really cannot rave enough about Andy's...they have amazing customer service (they carry the booze to your car!), the selection is pretty unbeatable, and they are just generally nice folks. Also, they have a good number of sample bottles of the stuff they carry, so if you are unsure about something, they'll often give you a taste.

Cherry Heering sort of smelled like cherry cough syrup, but it didn't taste anything like that. According to Imbibe, you can use Cherry Heering where you would use cherry brandy, but it really is not the same thing as a brandy. Anyway, the drink I decided to make is the Communist. This is a drink I saw in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. This is originally from a 1933 pamphlet called "Cocktail Parade." I tried to find more information about the pamphlet online, but no luck. The ingredients:

• 1 oz gin (I used Tanqueray)
• 1 oz orange juice (I used fresh squeezed, but I would use bottled in a pinch)
• 1/2 oz Cherry Heering
• 3/4 oz lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker, shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. This is quite sticky so watch out. We garnished with an orange peel. It's tart and tangy, and slightly sweet, although it might be sweeter if we used bottled orange juice instead of fresh-squeezed. I don't know that I could pick out any of the ingredients except the gin, so they worked well together. Tanqueray seems a bit floral/herbal to me, so I think next time I will use something that's a little more neutral. Overall, I enjoyed this drink and can't wait to try more Cherry Heering drinks.

The Corpse Reviver #2

In honor of the spookiest of nights, tonight our cocktail is the Corpse Reviver #2. I'm pulling this recipe from the book I used for the Boulevardier, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. The Corpse Reviver is more of a class of drinks than just one drink--as the name implies, these are drinks intended to cure hangovers. After drinking one of these, I'm not sure how much curing it does, other than the fact that it extends how long you are drunk (thus, no hangover, at least for the time-being). The famous (infamous?) cocktail book, The Savoy Cocktail Book, originally published in 1930 by Harry Craddock, warned of this drink, "Four taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again." Yeah. I'm pretty sure he was right about that.

The ingredients:

• 1 oz gin (I used Plymouth)
• 1 oz Cointreau (we are out of Cointreau so I used Grand Marnier)
• 1 oz Lillet Blanc
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 3 drops of absinthe or pastis (I used Absente)
• Garnish with one unstemmed cherry dropped in the bottom of the glass

Combine all ingredients (except the cherry) in an ice-filled shaker, shake until chilled, and serve. I actually used a shaker for this one, so go me. I've found that the absinthe can sometimes be really overpowering, but the lemon knocks the oomph out of it in this drink. It's quite tart and that masks the flavor of the booze, which can be dangerous (hence, the four in a row unreviving the dead). This is a tasty cocktail, and I'll be adding it into my normal rotation more often.

Bourbon Renewal

Tonight's cocktail is one that Peyton brought home from Portland, the Bourbon Renewal. If you're like us, you sometimes just collect interesting liqueurs. At the risk of sounding utterly ridiculous, I insisted that we buy a bottle of creme de cassis because I have fond memories of studying abroad in France and drinking more than my fair share of Kir Royals, but that's a story for another time.

The Bourbon Renewal is the invention of Jeffery Morgenthaler, bar manager at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon. What I love about this drink is that the black currant flavor sort of rubs up against the caramel and vanilla notes in the Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon. And, at the risk of being too sweet, the lemon juice adds just the right amount of acidity and brightness to the cocktail. Needless to say, it is a new household favorite. Here are the ingredients:

2 oz bourbon (We used Four Roses Single Barrel, my favorite bourbon)
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz creme de cassis (There are a number of brands, all of them are inexpensive. We used Mathilde's Creme de Cassis.)
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
Ice

Shake ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice into an old-fashioned glass (or, if you're Peyton, just combine everything and stir until cold). Morgenthaler recommends garnishing with a lemon wedge, or, if in season, fresh currants, but we have been drinking them sans garnish. Salut!

The Boulevardier

Tonight's cocktail is the Boulevardier, close cousin to the Negroni. This is a classic recipe, but the particulars of this one come to you from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh, AKA Dr. Cocktail (this book is AWESOME, by the way and I highly recommend it). According to the good doctor's research, the Boulevardier first appeared in print 1927, in Harry McElhone's (ex-barman at the Plaza Hotel and owner of Harry's New York Bar) Barflies and Cocktails.

For this one, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 oz bourbon (I've used Evan Williams, which is probably one of my favorite mixing and plain old drinking bourbons, but you could use anything)
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth (again, the Carpano is suggested, but any sweet vermouth will do in a pinch)
• Garnish: Cherry (we have some really fancy Luxardo cherries that I like to use), lemon peel, or orange slice
• Ice

Throw the bourbon, Campari, and vermouth in an ice-filled shaker. Shake until chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Put the garnish in and enjoy.

This is basically a Negroni with bourbon instead of gin, and honestly I prefer this to the Negroni. I feel like the bourbon sweetens up the Campari, whereas the gin keeps it fairly bitter. I like both drinks though, so make sure you try 'em both and see which you prefer.

I feel like I have to come clean about the shaker business here--I rarely (and I mean rarely) use a shaker. I really only ever use one if someone is having a Martini (which I never do, but occasionally my sweetheart likes a Gibson) or if we have company and I want to be classy. I usually just put everything in an old-fashioned glass, fill it with ice, and stir until it is chilled. I will admit there is something nice about using a shaker, mainly that your drink gets COLD fast, but I tend to struggle with not making a mess. So, if you don't use a shaker, don't feel bad, because I'm right there with you.

Chet Helms

The latest issue of Imbibe Magazine had a pretty big section devoted to pisco. I'd never had it, and the only drink I'd ever heard of using it is the Pisco Sour. The egg in a PS makes me kind of nervous (I'm still new to eggy cocktails) so I looked for another recipe using pisco and found the Chet Helms on the Imbibe website. I always feel really good about myself when I have all the ingredients for one of these cocktails.

• 1 1/2 oz pisco
• 1/2 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz Campari
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 3 dashes rhubarb bitters (I like Fee's)
• Club soda
• Ice

Put the pisco, vermouth, Campari, lemon juice, and bitters in a shaker filled with ice. Shake it up and strain into an ice-fille collins glass. Fill it the rest of the way with club soda and garnish with an orange wedge and mint. 

This has become a house favorite. It's boozy, but not overwhelmingly so and it is quite refreshing. I highly recommend this one.

The Cheeky Negroni

I've been a fan of Campari for awhile now and I wanted to try its cousin, Aperol. I picked up a bottle yesterday and set to finding a recipe for a drink to test it out. I came across the Cheeky Negroni on Serious Eats and I had all the ingredients (well, except for the garnish), so I mixed it up. 

The ingredients are pretty simple:

• Ice
• 1 oz Hendricks Gin
• 1 oz Lillet Blanc
• 1 oz Aperol
• Grapefruit peel for garnish

Fill up a shaker with ice; add the gin, the Lillet Blanc, and the Aperol. Give it a hearty shake and strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass. Twist the grapefruit peel over the drink to release the oils, plop the peel into the drink, and bottoms up.

I could definitely taste the relationship to a Negroni, but this wasn't quite as bitter. The Hendricks was a nice addition, but I might try a regular London Dry next time (this house enjoys Plymouth), but I'm happy with the way this came out.