I'm going through the PDT cocktail book this month whenever I decide it's time for a cocktail at home. My generaly choice involves flipping through the book until i come upon a recipe which I happen to have all the ingredients for and seems like a good winter drink.
Having gotten through the A's and B's over the last couple weeks (resulting in ~4 cocktails I wanted to make) I flipped through to the D's and came upon the Deshler, a drink credited to Hugo Enslin, author of Recipes for Mixing Drinks (1916). The drink, named after period lightweight boxer Dave Deshler, is a Dubonnet based variant of the Manhattan.
Deshler
1.5 oz Rye
.75 oz Dubbonet Rouge
.25 oz Cointreau
2 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters
Stir in a mixing glass, strain, and garnish with an orange twist.
So, no pictures of this one, seeing as I drank it with dinner before I remembered. The drink was quite good, although it really didn't compare to the elegant simplicity of a perfectly proportioned Manhattan made with quality ingredients. That being said the rye mellowed the quinine notes of the Dubonnet (which have offended my taste in previous cocktails) and stood above all the sugar present in this drink. Overall it tastes like a Manhattan with cointreau, except you also can't really taste the exact elements of the whiskey itself; they are masked by the other ingredients. Whereas in a truly good Manhattan the vermouth works to highlight the chosen whiskey.
I'm most certainly making this again, but I'm never going to be using any extravagantly good rye in it (whereas a Willet Rye Manhattan is, at the moment, one of the most tantalizing things I've ever tasted).
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Negroni - Round 2
Once upon a time, in a reality far far away, a younger version of myself ordered a Negroni, which was on special at a good bar. Upon tasting the potion served to me, I cried out in shock, oh-my-god this is bitter?! Who would drink such a travesty?...and then it was back to vodka cranberries for 2 months.
Not 2 months down the line I had my first whiskey sour (made w/o sour mix), which I still remember vividly. This introduction to the rabbit hole of cocktails lead me down an interesting road and I am now back to wrestle with the bitter Italian digestivo that is the oh so popular Negroni.
Composed of equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, stirred and garnished with an orange peel, this drink is, indeed, bitter. While my first sip reminded me of my previous experiences with Campari, I very quickly overcame the bitterness and noticed all the subtle floral and orange notes I had previously missed. Not only that, but my now emblazoned palate was now perceiving sweet notes in the drink as well....offsetting the bitterness. I think previously I was just overwhelmed by the quinine-bitter notes to the point of excluding all other flavors. As it is now I am still not sure how to characterize this drink exactly...but if you like bitter drinks or Italian stuff in general definitely give the Negroni a try, and if you don't like it keep an open mind and try it again in a year or two.
Below is my slightly modified version
Negroni
1 1/3 oz gin (Bombay Sapphire)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini)
3 dashes Regan's orange bitters
Stir and garnish with orange peel
Not 2 months down the line I had my first whiskey sour (made w/o sour mix), which I still remember vividly. This introduction to the rabbit hole of cocktails lead me down an interesting road and I am now back to wrestle with the bitter Italian digestivo that is the oh so popular Negroni.
Composed of equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, stirred and garnished with an orange peel, this drink is, indeed, bitter. While my first sip reminded me of my previous experiences with Campari, I very quickly overcame the bitterness and noticed all the subtle floral and orange notes I had previously missed. Not only that, but my now emblazoned palate was now perceiving sweet notes in the drink as well....offsetting the bitterness. I think previously I was just overwhelmed by the quinine-bitter notes to the point of excluding all other flavors. As it is now I am still not sure how to characterize this drink exactly...but if you like bitter drinks or Italian stuff in general definitely give the Negroni a try, and if you don't like it keep an open mind and try it again in a year or two.
Below is my slightly modified version
Negroni
1 1/3 oz gin (Bombay Sapphire)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini)
3 dashes Regan's orange bitters
Stir and garnish with orange peel
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Missouri Mule
I am currently making roast chicken with roasted carrots & onions plus some sauteed spinach. Having used the zest of one lemon to make an herb butter to roast the chicken with I got ambitious and decided to search kindred cocktails for a drink using Lemon Juice and Bourbon. The result? The Missouri Mule
Apparently created for President Truman the drink is named after his home state and the Democrat's mule mascot.
Missouri Mule
3/4 oz Bourbon (Bulleit)
3/4 oz Laird's Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cointreau
Shake then serve up in a chilled glass
The resulting cocktail smelled predominantly of campari & lemon and those were the main things i tasted in the drink. Sweet cointreau, lemon juice and campari all worked to hide the bourbon and applejack in the background. This made the drink rather monotonic in my opinion, and while a refreshing summer or fall cooler to be sure, my own tastes harken towards stronger or bitter-er drinks. I added a tad bit of bourbon after tasting the concoction and that helped a bit. If i ever make this again I most certainly will experiment with adding various bitters to small samples.
Summation is that this is an interesting drink that balances campari lemon juice and triple sec well which is fortified with bourbon and applejack. I most certainly will try it again, but some tinkering is needed next time.
Apparently created for President Truman the drink is named after his home state and the Democrat's mule mascot.
Missouri Mule
3/4 oz Laird's Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cointreau
Shake then serve up in a chilled glass
The resulting cocktail smelled predominantly of campari & lemon and those were the main things i tasted in the drink. Sweet cointreau, lemon juice and campari all worked to hide the bourbon and applejack in the background. This made the drink rather monotonic in my opinion, and while a refreshing summer or fall cooler to be sure, my own tastes harken towards stronger or bitter-er drinks. I added a tad bit of bourbon after tasting the concoction and that helped a bit. If i ever make this again I most certainly will experiment with adding various bitters to small samples.
Summation is that this is an interesting drink that balances campari lemon juice and triple sec well which is fortified with bourbon and applejack. I most certainly will try it again, but some tinkering is needed next time.
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Latest Word
So I am back in Vancouver, which means access to my 60 or so bottles of accumulated booze and my newly aquired bitters. I've been meaning to try "The Last Word" for a loooong time, but since it's winter the time never seemed right for a cocktail made from equal parts Gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Green Chartreuse and Lime Juice. However, after imbibing a bit too much whisky last night (seeing as I had a couple new bottles to test from NY), I wanted something light and refreshing that would also give me enough of a buzz to head to a dance bar (try going to a dance bar sober...its not very fun, at all).
The Latest Word uses Genever instead of Gin, and I chose it b/c I'm not quite in the mood for my juniper forward Tanqueray, although I suspect that would taste good as well.
The Latest Word
1/2 oz Genever - Boomsma
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur - Luxardo
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2oz Lime Juice
Shake, serve up in cocktail glass
This is quite the amazing drink. My first whiff brought me back to my first memories of really good citrus sorbet (or gelato, I can't remember which) - which i now realize most likely had some gin or vodka in it. It smells refreshing and almost begs for a lightly crushed sprig of mint to be used as a garnish whilst sipped outside by a pool when pretentiously judging others for whatever vodka based silliness they just ordered.
When tasting the first thing one notices is a blend of maraschino liquer and gin, deliciously strong, but by itself almost offputting. The body, and essence in my opinion, of this drink is the moment when the heavy maraschino notes start to drift away and the funky herbal qualities of the chartreuse kick in. I am a huge chartreuse fan, yes, but it really is the star of this drink. The finish is a bold note of lime (which you realize has been there all along), which curbs the agressive herbal notes of the chartreuse and leaves me with a very complete feeling. I do not really want/need to reach for the glass again, i just want to wonder at every single taste this drink conveys and stand in awe of its complexity (and sheer simplicity). This truly is a fantastic creation.
I do note that my glass was not properly chilled and about half way through the drink i noticed that the complex balance was slightly upset by the effects of warmth. All of a sudden the sugar imparted by the maraschino liqueur and chartreuse became more prevalent and detracted from the earthy flavors i reverenced. Either drink quickly in small quantities or properly chill your glass like your supposed to in order to enjoy the true magnificence of this cocktail.
The Latest Word uses Genever instead of Gin, and I chose it b/c I'm not quite in the mood for my juniper forward Tanqueray, although I suspect that would taste good as well.
The Latest Word
1/2 oz Genever - Boomsma
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur - Luxardo
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2oz Lime Juice
Shake, serve up in cocktail glass
This is quite the amazing drink. My first whiff brought me back to my first memories of really good citrus sorbet (or gelato, I can't remember which) - which i now realize most likely had some gin or vodka in it. It smells refreshing and almost begs for a lightly crushed sprig of mint to be used as a garnish whilst sipped outside by a pool when pretentiously judging others for whatever vodka based silliness they just ordered.
When tasting the first thing one notices is a blend of maraschino liquer and gin, deliciously strong, but by itself almost offputting. The body, and essence in my opinion, of this drink is the moment when the heavy maraschino notes start to drift away and the funky herbal qualities of the chartreuse kick in. I am a huge chartreuse fan, yes, but it really is the star of this drink. The finish is a bold note of lime (which you realize has been there all along), which curbs the agressive herbal notes of the chartreuse and leaves me with a very complete feeling. I do not really want/need to reach for the glass again, i just want to wonder at every single taste this drink conveys and stand in awe of its complexity (and sheer simplicity). This truly is a fantastic creation.
I do note that my glass was not properly chilled and about half way through the drink i noticed that the complex balance was slightly upset by the effects of warmth. All of a sudden the sugar imparted by the maraschino liqueur and chartreuse became more prevalent and detracted from the earthy flavors i reverenced. Either drink quickly in small quantities or properly chill your glass like your supposed to in order to enjoy the true magnificence of this cocktail.
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Years Day (Gingerale & Bitters)
This post in no way encourages drinking amounts of alcohol that vastly exceed the body's capabilities. However, if there were ever a time to do so it is/was New Years Eve, which makes New Years Day national hangover day.
Hangover cures and other such snake-oils have been marketed for ages and if there was one sure fire way to cure headaches resulting from lack of sleep, over-consumption and general supposed debauchery I'm sure we would have heard about it. The following, non-alcoholic suggestion was first imparted to me as such a remedy, which is first degree huey, but there is something great about ice cold Gingerale & Angostura Bitters after a night of fun...and as someone who avoids soda/juice because they really don't fit into any sort of diet, every time I drink gingerale nowadays it has bitters in it, because it, quite simply, tastes amazing.
So while it isn't a hangover cure, and only drinkable on "cheat" days, if ever there was a time for the, psycho-somatic, stomach settling effect of a cold gingerale and bitters, it is New Years Day. May 2012 be better than 2011, and drink in moderation ;)
Hangover cures and other such snake-oils have been marketed for ages and if there was one sure fire way to cure headaches resulting from lack of sleep, over-consumption and general supposed debauchery I'm sure we would have heard about it. The following, non-alcoholic suggestion was first imparted to me as such a remedy, which is first degree huey, but there is something great about ice cold Gingerale & Angostura Bitters after a night of fun...and as someone who avoids soda/juice because they really don't fit into any sort of diet, every time I drink gingerale nowadays it has bitters in it, because it, quite simply, tastes amazing.
So while it isn't a hangover cure, and only drinkable on "cheat" days, if ever there was a time for the, psycho-somatic, stomach settling effect of a cold gingerale and bitters, it is New Years Day. May 2012 be better than 2011, and drink in moderation ;)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Years Eve
This year was my first time in NYC for New Years Eve and it lived up to all expectations. Nothing especially noteworthy, however, a night of reconnecting with old friends and making new acquaintances in tandem with the sense of place that only NYC provides was amazing.
I was the "barkeep" of the evening, ruling my corner of a granite tabletop with a handle of Jim Beam, a bottle of Smirnoff, a 26 of Sauzo Blanco and a couple bottles of extra dry prosecco. While I spent the majority of the night drinking old fashioneds with various bitter combinations (usually Angostura and Regan's Orange #6) I was making drinks for a group that generally stuck to vodka highballs and that sort of drink.
Lacking any mixing ingredients aside from simple syrup, agave nectar, 8 different bitters, lemons, limes (only 4), oranges, cranberry juice, coke and gingerale I had to resort to making some things up as I went along to give them drinks that weren't your standard vodka cranberries. The result was, I believe, that some of them are going to buy a bottles of both Angostura and Regan's Orange bitters by next week...but then again I always enjoy talking about bitters. The drink of the night was what i temporarily dubbed variation on a theme (although, yes, I know it isn't original in the slightest).
Variation on a Theme (Cosmopolitan variant)
2.5 oz Smirnoff Vodka
1.25 oz Squeezed Lime Juice (some were cut with Lemon after I got low on limes)
~1 oz Simple Syrup
~1 oz Cranberry Cocktail (Ocean Spray)
4-6 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
(optional: 2 drops Bitterman's Tiki Bitters or a dash of Scrappy's grapefruit bitters)
Shaken vigorously and garnished w/ Orange or Lemon Peel
The drink was actually rather delicious despite my very limited experience creating drinks on the spot, in fact some of the better ones that were made were much closer to my tastes than the "proper" Cosmopolitans I have had. I chose the Cosmo as my impetus merely because I believed it shows off exactly how good a proper cocktail can be to the habitual vodka highball drinker. The simple syrup and cranberry juice measurements varied wildly through the night as I couldn't quite keep track of everyone's tastes and the bottles were sitting on the counter to allow for some improvisation on the part of my friends. Overall I was very happy with the results (which is unusual for me considering the drink doesn't have whiskey in it) and I'm sure I converted a few people.
Other cocktails made through the night included
Margaritas
2.5 oz Tequila
1.25 oz Simple (or agave nectar syrup)
4 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Optional 1 dash Scrappy's Grapefruit Bitters.
Shaken for ~30 seconds and garnished with orange peel.
Bittered Whiskey Sours
2 oz Jim Beam
1.5 oz Simple
~1 oz Lemon
2-3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Shaken Vigorously 15-20 seconds
(I also made versions with 2:1:1, although overall wasn't really happy with any of my sours, but it introduced some people to whiskey in an approachable manner which made me feel better about making so many vodka cocktails :p)
Old-Fashioned
2.5 oz Jim Beam
.66 oz Simple
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
2 Dashes Regans Orange Bitters
Built and garnished with expressed Lemon Peel
This is one of my favorite drinks (instructions are a rough guideline) and I wish I had better whiskey, but I was the only serious whiskey fan in the room so I was making these quickly for myself while chatting and making other drinks, although I did make everyone taste the better variations that I made throughout the night and got some pretty positive feedback considering their drinking profiles.
The drinks were, of course, not the highlight of the night, but good cocktails and prosecco on New Years Eve is not something to turn one's nose up at. I hope everyone else had as good a time as I did last night and good luck in the New Year.
I was the "barkeep" of the evening, ruling my corner of a granite tabletop with a handle of Jim Beam, a bottle of Smirnoff, a 26 of Sauzo Blanco and a couple bottles of extra dry prosecco. While I spent the majority of the night drinking old fashioneds with various bitter combinations (usually Angostura and Regan's Orange #6) I was making drinks for a group that generally stuck to vodka highballs and that sort of drink.
Lacking any mixing ingredients aside from simple syrup, agave nectar, 8 different bitters, lemons, limes (only 4), oranges, cranberry juice, coke and gingerale I had to resort to making some things up as I went along to give them drinks that weren't your standard vodka cranberries. The result was, I believe, that some of them are going to buy a bottles of both Angostura and Regan's Orange bitters by next week...but then again I always enjoy talking about bitters. The drink of the night was what i temporarily dubbed variation on a theme (although, yes, I know it isn't original in the slightest).
Variation on a Theme (Cosmopolitan variant)
2.5 oz Smirnoff Vodka
1.25 oz Squeezed Lime Juice (some were cut with Lemon after I got low on limes)
~1 oz Simple Syrup
~1 oz Cranberry Cocktail (Ocean Spray)
4-6 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
(optional: 2 drops Bitterman's Tiki Bitters or a dash of Scrappy's grapefruit bitters)
Shaken vigorously and garnished w/ Orange or Lemon Peel
The drink was actually rather delicious despite my very limited experience creating drinks on the spot, in fact some of the better ones that were made were much closer to my tastes than the "proper" Cosmopolitans I have had. I chose the Cosmo as my impetus merely because I believed it shows off exactly how good a proper cocktail can be to the habitual vodka highball drinker. The simple syrup and cranberry juice measurements varied wildly through the night as I couldn't quite keep track of everyone's tastes and the bottles were sitting on the counter to allow for some improvisation on the part of my friends. Overall I was very happy with the results (which is unusual for me considering the drink doesn't have whiskey in it) and I'm sure I converted a few people.
Other cocktails made through the night included
Margaritas
2.5 oz Tequila
1.25 oz Simple (or agave nectar syrup)
4 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Optional 1 dash Scrappy's Grapefruit Bitters.
Shaken for ~30 seconds and garnished with orange peel.
Bittered Whiskey Sours
2 oz Jim Beam
1.5 oz Simple
~1 oz Lemon
2-3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Shaken Vigorously 15-20 seconds
(I also made versions with 2:1:1, although overall wasn't really happy with any of my sours, but it introduced some people to whiskey in an approachable manner which made me feel better about making so many vodka cocktails :p)
Old-Fashioned
2.5 oz Jim Beam
.66 oz Simple
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
2 Dashes Regans Orange Bitters
Built and garnished with expressed Lemon Peel
This is one of my favorite drinks (instructions are a rough guideline) and I wish I had better whiskey, but I was the only serious whiskey fan in the room so I was making these quickly for myself while chatting and making other drinks, although I did make everyone taste the better variations that I made throughout the night and got some pretty positive feedback considering their drinking profiles.
The drinks were, of course, not the highlight of the night, but good cocktails and prosecco on New Years Eve is not something to turn one's nose up at. I hope everyone else had as good a time as I did last night and good luck in the New Year.
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