Underhill-Lounge

BLUE BLAZER

Use two large silver-plated mugs, with handles.
1 Wineglass Scotch Whisky. (2 oz Whiskey)
1 Wineglass Boiling Water. (About 1 oz Boiling Water)

Put the Whisky into one mug, and the boiling water into the other, ignite the Whisky with fire, and while blazing mix both ingredients by pouring them four or five times from one mug to the other. If well done, this will have the appearance of a continued stream of liquid fire. Sweeten with one teaspoonful of powdered white sugar (superfine or caster sugar), and serve in a small (tempered!) bar tumbler (Or coffee mug), with a piece of lemon peel.

The Blue Blazer dies not have a very euphonious or classic name, but. it tastes better to the palate than it sounds to the ear A beholder gazing for the first time upon an experienced artist compounding this beverage, would naturally come to the conclusion that it was a nectar for Pluto rather than Bacchus. The novice in mixing this beverage should be careful not to scald himself. To become proficient in throwing the liquid from one mug to the other, it will be necessary to practise for some time with cold water.

Tips:

1) Have a fire extinguisher handy and remove all flammable objects from the area.

2) You will note I had to put the whiskey in a pan and warm it a bit to get it to light. In a change from the above instructions, I suggest you add the boiling water to the whisk(e)y before trying to light it. The combination of hot water and whiskey will raise the temperature enough to create alcohol vapor and allow you to easily ignite it with a match. Using cask strength spirits also helps to get the fire going.

3) While preparing this, one guest remarked, “Oh, that is a Blue Flame, it’s not as hot as regular fire.” I am afraid that the temperature of an alcohol flame is just as damn hot as that of pretty much any other flame. Those mixing tins get very, very hot. Do not touch them directly until they have had a chance to cool down.

4) Burning alcohol makes a fine finish remover for tile floors. Other wise men have suggested, in the future, that I place damp towels underneath the area where I am mixing Blue Blazers.

I don’t have any barrel proof Scotch, so I decided to use the Buffalo Trace Antique collection barrel proof George T. Stagg Whiskey instead. It’s 140.6 Proof, so I figured I wouldn’t have much trouble lighting it.

Unfortunately, this cocktail is very difficult to capture this with the lights on. Also, you really need smell-o-vision to properly appreciate how the hot whiskey aroma fills the room. Aromatherapy be damned, just make a Blue Blazer.

It’s hard to beat a flaming whisk(e)y toddy!

Comments from the evening’s guests were, “Oooo, that’s really good!” and, “It warms you all the way down to your toes!”

So, yeah, I’d say the Blue Blazer was quite a hit.

Some of the guests suggested I could make good money preparing Blue Blazers at parties.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.