erik

Tipperary Cocktail (No. 1)

Sep 022010

Tipperary Cocktail (No. 1)
1/3 Italian Vermouth. (1/2 oz Carpano Antica)
1/3 Green Chartreuse. (1/2 oz Green Chartreuse)
1/3 Irish Whisky. (1 oz Bushmill’s 10 Year Single Malt, 1/4 oz Gordon & MacPhail Highland Park 8 Year)
Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass.

The other day I was picking up some supplies at Cask Store, chatting with my favorite Amandas, when another customer picked up the business card from Cask’s sister bar Rickhouse. On the back of the card is the recipe for Owen Westman’s cocktail The Laphroig Project.

The customer’s jaw dropped, “What? They are using Single Malt Scotch in a Cocktail!? That is just so wrong!!!”

As if the only proper use for an Islay Malt is to pour it reverently into a glass, with maybe a bit of water freshly dipped from a stream in Scotland, and savor it on its own.

While I do believe there is often a point of diminishing returns with using excessively expensive products in Cocktails, using a half an ounce of Laphroig in a cocktail isn’t going to cause the world to end. No Scotsmen were harmed in the production of the Laphroaig Project.

When I got to the Tipperary Cocktail, I had a couple problems.

Like the recipes for the Opera, The Widow’s Kiss, and the Jewel, equal parts of booze, vermouth, and liqueur is just a bit too rich for me. I needed to dry this out a bit, and allow the whiskey to shine, before I could start to enjoy it.

My other problem was I am supremely unimpressed with most Irish Whiskey in mixed drinks, especially this one, Bushmill’s Single Malt 10 Year. As far as I can tell, you might as well be adding vaguely malt flavored water, for all it contributes to most mixed drinks. Clearly it is not a “mixing whiskey”.

Thinking about what to use to “punch up” the Bushmill’s, I cast my gaze about the basement booze supply. American Whiskey? I think they would over shadow whatever pale character existed in the Irish. Other spirits? Again, hard to think of something that would get along and not run it over. What about Scotch? Hm, there is even a Peated Irish Whiskey, maybe Scotch wouldn’t be too much of a stretch…

So let’s fix it, and piss off some Scotch Whiskey Nerds at the same time.

But what Scotch? It would have to be something not too crazy and over the top in it’s Peaty Smokiness.

How about Highland Scotch? It tends towards the characters I like in Single Malt Scotch, without overwhelming with extremes of Peat and Smoke. Honing in further, I really like Highland Park‘s Whiskies, which are technically from Orkney. (I’ll make a Tipperary for anyone who can identify the source of following quote without resorting to google, “Snow storms forecast imminently in areas Dogger, Viking, Moray, Forth, and Orkney.”) Normally, I keep the Highland Park 12 Year Old around the house, but this Gordon and MacPhail Highland Park 8 Year is a new favorite. Introduced to me by David Driscoll, the Spirits buyer at K&L Wines, there is a lot of the same character you find in the 12, but it has a little bit more youthful punch. It is also a fantastic deal for the money.

Second, I decided, instead of an equal parts cocktail, we’d make it a 2-1-1 version. That isn’t far from some of my favorite Manhattan Variations, so it seemed a safe bet.

And damn, if that isn’t tasty! Hit this one exactly in my aromatic cocktail sweet spot. Lightening the Vermouth and Liqueur changes this from an after dinner candy, to a digestiv. The added interest of the Scotch brings both whiskies to life.

Give it a try with the Highland Park, or another Scotch Whisky, and let me know what you think. Don’t be afraid to piss off some Scotsmen or the Irish. Though we might have to call it “Tipperary Cocktail (No. 3)”.

Tantalus Cocktail Name Speculation

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Sep 012010

Interesting insight from Randy of Cocktail Journal regarding the naming of the Tantalus Cocktail:

Cool, I didn’t even bother to google the name Tantalus, as I figured it had to do with the figure from mythology, but that’s interesting that it might have been named after the Tantalus Range of Mountains in Hawai’i!

I look forward to reading your tasting notes regarding Forbidden Fruit liqueur!

Tinton Cocktail

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Aug 312010

Tinton Cocktail
1/3 Port Wine. (sink 3/4 oz Warre’s Warrior Porto)
2/3 Applejack or Calvados. (1 1/2 oz MONTREUIL RESERVE CALVADOS)
(dash Angostura Orange Bitters)
Shake (Stir, please) well (the Calvados and orange bitters) and strain into cocktail glass. (Over the back of a spoon, pour the Port Wine down the side of the glass as a “sink”.

When I first made the Princeton Cocktail, I didn’t realize that properly made, the Port Wine should be added as a “sink”. Attempting to rectify that situation, I have applied that methodology to the Tinton. I think it looks, and tastes, kind of cool.

A few years ago, when I was first getting to know my mother-in-law, I discovered her displeasure at having her Old-Fashioned glasses cleared before she felt she was finished with them. She enjoyed lingering over the dregs of the cocktail, the diluted bitters and whiskey, which collected in the bottom of her glass. Woe betide the waiter, who cleared that glass without asking.

When thinking about that, I started thinking about the tautology of the life of a cocktail. You want it to be enjoyable to the drinker for the whole time they have it, not everyone is “one and done” with their drink.

Which also got me to thinking about cocktails which evolve while you drink them.

The Old-Fashioned is a good example. Usually, when it is put in front of you, the ice has only begun to melt. It should sting a little. As you savor, the ice melts further, chilling and diluting the drink. By the end, you are left with mostly water, which on a hot, humid day in Wisconsin, isn’t a bad thing.

In a similar way, ‘Ti Punch is another drink which can be a bit of a bear the first few sips, the heat and fire of the Rhum Agricole needs time to be tamed by the melt from the cubes and to blend with the cane syrup and lime peel.

In a more obvious way, the Princeton changes as you drink it. The first few sips will be almost entirely cold Gin. Then as you tilt it back, you find it being more mixed with the Port. The last few sips will mostly be Port.

This works just as well, orignal recipe intention or not, with the Tinton. And I do think the Orange Bitters were a nice addition.

Admittedly, most cocktail drinkers, we hope, down their cocktails quickly, while they are still cold.

But some drinks are meant to be lingered over, to enjoy the puzzle provided by the evolution of the spirits, ice, and flavor as they mingle over time.

MxMo--BBS

Savoy Cocktail Book 5 Responses »

Aug 302010

To be honest, variations on the Manhattan Cocktail are just about my favorite cocktails in the whole world. So when I heard Lindsey from the blog, “Brown, Bitter, and Stirred,” was hosting a Mixology Monday, I knew I had no choice but to participate. But what to feature? Well perhaps my favorite new bitter substance, Gran Classico, from Tempus Fugit Sprits.

According to the importers, Gran Classico is a “Bitter of Turin”, as is Campari. It is a bit similar to Campari in some ways, but in others more interesting. Campari’s bitterness is very single noted, almost entirely Quinine and Gentian, without much additional subtlety. Gran Classico, on the other hand, is deliciously complex, with quite a bit more varied herbal notes than Campari.

With the recent release of Gran Classico, a lot of people have been resurrecting the Old Pal Cocktail: Equal parts Rye, Campari, and Dry Vermouth, but replacing the Campari with Gran Classico. It is gosh darn delicious.

While I was thinking about which Campari recipes worked well with Gran Classico and which didn’t, another of my favorite cocktails came to mind: The Brooklyn.

Now I’ve been known to mess up the Brooklyn recipe, it is true, making it by accident, or intention, with Sweet Vermouth or Punt e Mes instead of Dry Vermouth.

So I thought I’d mess with it a bit more.

Eighteenth Cocktail

2 oz Rye
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc
1/2 oz Gran Classico Bitter
1 barspoon Luxardo Maraschino

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel over glass and drop in.

As it is traditional to name Brooklyn variations after neighborhoods or districts, I cast about for some inspiration. I made up the cocktail at our house, in Bernal Heights. As much as I love Bernal Heights, this really didn’t seem like a “Bernal Heights” cocktail. Maybe after the area where Heaven’s Dog is located? Nope, “SOMA Cocktail” even less appealing than Bernal Heights.

I asked the importer of Gran Classico the name of the neighborhood he lived in. He replied, “Bahia”. I was like, wha? Maybe if this was made with aged Cachaca or Pisco instead of Rye Whiskey… After a long bit of back and forth involving home towns, neighborhoods, and other sundry geographical designations, I finally asked him the neighborhood where his business partner lived in Paris. “He lives in the 18th, or Dix-Huitième in French.” Whew, finally, something I can hang with! The Eighteenth Cocktail. Mysterious enough to be puzzling, but not obscure. The fact that it was his partner’s neighborhood even gives it a good story. That works!

Now I like this cocktail as it is, but some have said it is a tad sweet. It’s not far from most modern Brooklyn variations, like the Slope or Greenpoint, but if you are a person who prefers aperitif type drinks, it is also good as a more literal Brooklyn, using Dry Vermouth instead of Blanc. Give the Eighteenth Cocktail a try either way, and let me know what you think.

Thunderclap Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 1 Response »

Aug 292010

First, just a reminder that tonight, Sunday, August 29, 2010, we are holding our monthly exercise in folly, Savoy Cocktail Book Night at Alembic Bar. If any of the cocktails on this blog have captured your fancy, stop by after 6 and allow the skilled bartenders (and me) to make them for you. It is always a fun time.

Thunderclap Cocktail

Thoroughly shake up 2 Glasses of Brandy (3/4 oz Marolo Grappa Moscato), 2 of Gin (3/4 oz Bols Genever), and 2 of Whisky (3/4 oz DD White Whiskey). –Serve!

Well, another fun one from Judge Jr’s prohibition era recipe book, “Here’s How”. Equal parts Brandy, Gin, and Whisky… I set myself the challenge of somehow making the damn thing tasty.

The following facebook exchange was helpful:

Going from the Previous “New Car” Cocktail, I knew there was some hope with a bit of re-imagining. First, I pretty much decided on Unaged Whiskey and Genever, which left only one variable, the Grape Spirit.

Having used Pisco in the New Car, I knew that was an option which would work OK, but wasn’t over sold. Casting about a bit for other grape based spirits, I came across a box I had received from a firm promoting various Marolo Grappas. I sniffed through them and found the floral nature of the Moscato Grappa the most appealing.

I mixed it without sweetener and gave it a try. Tasty, but whew, that certainly is a Thunderclap of booze. Tossed it back in with the ice and a barspoon of Small Hand Foods Gum. Better. A dash of Bitter Truth Repeal Day Bitters, and we were cooking with gas. Actually, quite nice.

Nice to get some input, and even better to be able to salvage this very unpromising cocktail.

Thunder and Lightning Cocktail

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Aug 272010

First, just a reminder that this Sunday, August 29, 2010, is our monthly exercise in folly, Savoy Cocktail Book Night at Alembic Bar. If any of the cocktails on this blog have captured your fancy, stop by after 6 and allow the skilled bartenders (and me) to make them for you. It is always a fun time.

Thunder and Lightning Cocktail
The Yolk of 1 Egg. (1 Egg Yolk)
1 Teaspoonful Powdered Sugar. (1 teaspoon Caster Sugar)
1 Glass Brandy. (2 oz Chateau Pellehaut Armagnac)
Shake well and strain into medium size glass. Dash of Cayenne Pepper on top.

Well, aside from the use of Gum Syrup instead of powdered sugar in the Thunder and the instruction to put the Cayenne Pepper on top of this one, there’s really no difference between the Thunder and Thunder and Lightning Cocktails.

The use of a Medium size glass for a Savoy recipe, however, usually means that the cocktail has a dash of selzer on top. So I added one. Kind of lightened things up a bit, so there you go! If you really wanted to add some zip to this, you might add some Champagne. You’ll be seeing stars!

…

In light of the recent Salmonella in eggs news, I suppose I should say something about eggs in cocktails.

Some people maintain that Salmonella only comes from contamination on the outside of the egg. This is not true, if the egg laying chickens are sufficiently infected, the whole egg will contain Salmonella bacteria.

Other people maintain there is some “disinfecting” property in alcohol that kills the bad bacteria in eggs. While high proof alcohol is an effective topical disinfectant, the odds of contaminated egg material being exposed to high enough proof alcohol for sufficient time to kill all bacteria in a contaminated egg are slim, as far as I can tell.

I buy my eggs from a chicken farmer at the Alemany Farmers’ Market. Organic, Free Range, Cage Free, Pot Smoking, Happy, Hoppy, Hippy Chickens. Blah, blah, blah, do I live in California or what?

I guess I would say, if the thought of a minor bout with Salmonella puts you off, unless you know where your eggs come from, it’s best to go with Pasteurized in the shell eggs for cocktails.

Thunder Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 2 Responses »

Aug 252010

Thunder Cocktail
1 Teaspoonful Gomme Syrup. (1 Teaspoon Small Hands Food Gum Syrup)
The Yolk of 1 Egg. (The Yolk of 1 Egg)
1 Glass Brandy. (2 oz Chateau Pellehaut Armagnac Reserve)
1 Sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper (1 Sprinkle S&B Nanami Togarashi)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Well, that’s a bit odd, a Brandy Flip with Cayenne? I guess this would have been some sort of morning Pick-Me-Up.

Chuckle, well, why not use this interesting Japanese Pepper blend? Sure, it has Seaweed and Black Sesame Seeds, but what the heck? A little Umami never killed anyone.

It’s not a drink I will likely make again soon, but neither is it bad. Other than heat, the spice blend doesn’t contribute a lot to the cocktail, but it is enough to be noticeable.

A spicy flip? Why not?

Three Stripes Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 4 Responses »

Aug 232010

Three Stripes Cocktail
3 Slices Orange. (3 Slices Orange)
1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)
2/3 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Corsair Gin)
(Muddle Orange Slices, add ice and…) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

A Martini with muddled slices of oranges? Yeah, that’s just a bit odd. However, it’s not exactly unappealing. In fact I think it is safe to say, I kind of prefer it to an Orange Blossom or Screwdriver, definitely on the dry and refreshing side.

A friend, David Driscoll, gave me this Corsair Gin to try, and I’m not quite sure what to think. While fairly traditional in flavor profile, it’s very strongly aromatic. Not at all unpleasant, there is still a little something in the middle flavor sensations that is a bit off putting to me. It seems to be pretty well made, but there is something not as clean as I would like in the expression of the botanicals.

It is interesting that they say they make it in a method similar to Bombay Sapphire, with a “Head” to contain the botanicals instead of a direct steep. Not sure if anyone else in America has experimented with that technique yet.

Three Miller Cocktail

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Aug 212010

Three Miller Cocktail

1 Teaspoonful Grenadine. (1 Teaspoon Small Hand Foods Grenadine)
1 Dash Lemon Juice. (1 Dash Lemon Juice)
2/3 Brandy. (1 1/2 oz Cognac Park V.S.O.P.)
1/3 Bacardi Rum. (3/4 oz Rene Alambic Rum)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

In Harry McElhone’s book “Barflies and Cocktails”, a drink with these ingredients is called “The Three Mile Limit”, referring to the distance a ship had to be from shore to evade the long arm of the law. McElhone also notes, “This cocktail was invented at Harry’s New York Bar, Paris, by “Chips,” Brighton, the popular Bartender. One of the effects of the Volstead Act, people get busy when outside of the three miles.”

While, “The Three Mile Limit” is a fine, if somewhat literal, name for a cocktail, it doesn’t really roll off the tongue. You can certainly imagine that name being shortened rather quickly to, “The Three Miler”. What happened for Craddock to rename it “The Three Miller”, we will never know, but it is a rather better name than either Three Miler or Three Mile Limit.

The cocktail itself is of the mostly booze sort, which, aside from the Super Extra Dry Martini, has largely gone out of fashion with modern drinkers. Probably, if someone were to ask me for this in a bar, I would make something like: 1 1/2 oz Brandy, 1/2 oz Rum, 1/2 oz Lemon, 1/2 oz Grenadine. Or if they were young, maybe even, 1 oz Brandy, 1/2 oz Rum, 3/4 oz Lemon, 1/2 oz Grenadine, 1/2 oz Simple Syrup. But either way, we’re getting pretty far from the almost all booze of the original formulation, which I even found a bit hard going, basically a glass of cold Brandy.

Some Reservations

Rambling No Responses »

Aug 202010

Was recently watching an episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain traveled to Kerala, India.

In the episode he visited two establishments which gave me pause, a Toddy Shop and a Tea Shop.

While I know the idea of “Punch” was likely adapted by the British from Indian Roots and the Indians have a pretty good claim on being among the first to distill spirits for consumption, I hadn’t given much thought to what else they may have contributed to drink culture.

Toddies and Slings, (more about Toddies and Slings in another post shortly,) are booze plus water, sugar, and maybe a garnish. Along with Punch, they were among the most popular drinks in America during the early years of the country.

In India, Toddy Shops are bar-like places that serve Palm Wine and food. Palm Wine is a fermented beverage made by harvesting the sap of Toddy Palm Trees. It spontaneously ferments, making a low alcohol beverage similar to Mexican beverage Pulque. These shops are gathering places for men, and often serve food as a sop to their Toddy, or maybe Toddy as a salve to the spicy Indian Food. One way, or another, they are gathering places, where men, food, and alcoholic beverages converge.

It puzzles me how the word “Toddy” may have migrated to or from India, to refer to a ubiquitous American beverage of the 18th and 19th Century.

Another interesting visit was to a Tea Shop. Much like the Toddy Shop, the Tea Shop was a social gathering place, where you would go to get your tea, have a snack, and converse with your neighbors and the proprietor to get the most recent local news and gossip. Aside from this similarity to Taverns, I was struck by another interesting technique used by the women making the tea. When they are pouring and mixing it they aerate it by pouring it between two metal mixing cups. Called Yard Long Tea it was strange to see the mixing technique from the Blue Blazer and other famous 19th Century Bartenders being used to mix tea in India.

While Wayne Curtis’ recent article in the Atlantic, “Who Invented the Cocktail?“, traced some of the roots of bar culture and cocktails back to England, this episode of No Reservations got me wondering how much of what he credits to England in the article was borrowed from Indian culture.

Older Entries

erik

Tipperary Cocktail (No. 1)

Tantalus Cocktail Name Speculation

Tinton Cocktail

MxMo--BBS

Thunderclap Cocktail

Thunder and Lightning Cocktail

Thunder Cocktail

Three Stripes Cocktail

Three Miller Cocktail

Some Reservations

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