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!

To the six people. Then run for your life.

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:

Erik Ellestad: Wondering if the Thunderclap Cocktail, equal parts Gin, Whiskey, and Brandy, can be salvaged. Thinking not.
July 30 at 9:54am
Genie Gratto: Whoa. That’s a fairly frightening combination.
July 30 at 9:55am
Brian Mac Gregor: I think it could. Use an extremely mild gin, a bourbon or rye that is over 10 years old, and a really rich brandy such as armagnac… I will be working on this at the Jardiniere tonight.
July 30 at 10:02am
Erik Ellestad: I was thinking unaged whiskey, unaged grape spirit, and geneve. And maybe a dash of gum syrup. Might be cheating.
July 30 at 10:05am
Louis Anderman: Doubtful. But at least it sounds better than the Earthquake.
July 30 at 10:06am
Erik Ellestad: Brian, I do have to stop by HD on my way home… Hm, not too far from Jardiniere!
July 30 at 10:19am
Jenny Adams: shudder ….
July 30 at 10:36am
Neyah White: add 1/2 oz of a honey liqueur or benedictine, it will smooth right out for ya.
July 30 at 10:46am
Brian Mac Gregor: would love to have ya sitting at my bar tonight…
July 30 at 11:13am
Erik Ellestad: Damn, change of plans, won’t be downtown tonight after all. We shall have to work separately and compare notes later. I look forward to hearing what you come up with!
July 30 at 12:44pm
Jason Randell: sounds wasteful
July 30 at 2:01pm
Erik Ellestad: 3/4 oz DD White, 3/4 oz Bols Genever, 3/4 oz Grappa Marolo Moscato… If you like super dry martinis you can stop there, however I found it significantly improved with a half teaspoon small hand foods gum and a dash of some old fashioned cardamom heavy bitters.
July 30 at 5:50pm

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.

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

Swizzles Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book No Responses »
Jul 242010

Swizzles Cocktail
The Juice of 1 Lime. (Juice 1 lime)
1 Dash Angostura Bitters.
1 Glass of Gin. (2 oz Tanqueray Gin)
1 Teaspoonful of Sugar. (1 tsp Caster Sugar)
Stir with swizzle stick until it foams.

Well, that certainly is interesting!

I had thought the Swizzle was primarily the domain of Rum drinks like the Queen’s Park Swizzle, but here we have a Swizzled Rickey.

Sadly I am lacking in proper swizzle sticks, so I shall have to do this my own way…

Fill glass with ice. Pour ice from glass into blender or food processor and top up with a few more cubes. Add all ingredients except angostura bitters, and pulse until well frappeed. Pour into glass and top with dashes of Angostura Bitters. You may want to do some additional swizzling.

Oh my god! I thought blenders were the domain of rum and tequila drinks! Surely no man would contemplate a blender version of a gin rickey!

I can. I have. And it is good. Refreshing even! I dare you to try it!

Dear lord, what is next, slushy machines full of Corpse Revivers?

No, I don’t think so, but now that you mention it, this would make quite a tasty sorbet. “Hello, is this the Humphry Slocombe flavor suggestion line?”

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

Mr. Eric Sutton's Gin Blind Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book No Responses »
Jul 182010

Mr. Eric Sutton’s Gin Blind Cocktail
6 Parts Gin. (1 1/2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin)
3 Parts Curacao. (3/4 oz Clement Creole Shrubb)
2 Parts Brandy. (1/2 oz Germain-Robin Fine Alambic Brandy)
1 Dash Orange Bitters. (1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters, 1 Dash Fee’s)

Invented by THE Mr. Sutton. Chelsea Papers please copy. This is a very troublesome form of refreshment.

I went with a quarter ounce per “part”.

Well, if there was ever a cocktail that needed a “hard shake”, it’s this one, simply based on the proof of the ingredients involved. Though, aside from the measurements and strength, I’m don’t know what is so very “troublesome” about this “refreshment”. A tad sweet, but nothing particularly evil or insidious…

Looking up Eric Sutton, I’m not sure who this might be named after. Google is not particularly helpful.

There was a gentleman of that name who worked translating many books, notably Sartre and de Maupassant, into English in the 1920s through the 1950s. Though now that I look closer, it seems he translated books for Constable & Co, the publishers of the original version of the Savoy Cocktail Book! Oh ho!

One friend suggested that Carl Sutton, of Sutton Cellars fame, and myself should get together, drink a bunch of these, and get into some trouble. Knowing Carl, I believe that would be the outcome, no matter what we might be drinking.

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Summer Time Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 1 Response »
Jun 292010

Summer Time Cocktail
3/4 Gin. (1 1/2 oz Sarticious Gin)
1/4 Sirop-de-citron. (1/2 oz Homemade Sirop-de-Citron)
Shake well and strain into medium size glass; fill up with soda water.

You may recall my schtick on the South-Side Cocktail: soda if you’ve got some time and straight up if you don’t.  Well, in this case I was trying to get a Savoy Cocktail made and photographed before heading out to meet some friends.  No time for soda!

Kind of regretted that decision.  Where I can see how this would have been OK as a long drink, as a short drink it was too sweet and concentrated.  A lemon life saver of a drink.  A half ounce of lemon juice would have brightened this a lot, and gone a long way towards making it palatable.

I used the Sarticious Gin, solely because I knew in the near future I would be trying the new gin from the same distiller, Blade, and I wanted to have it fresh in my mind.

Trying the Blade, there is a serious family resemblance.

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , ,

Strike's Off Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 1 Response »
Jun 252010

Strike’s Off Cocktail
1/4 Lemon or Lime Juice. (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)
1/4 Swedish Punch. (3/4 oz Underhill Punsch)
1/2 Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Created by Harry Craddock on May 12, 1926, to mark the end of the General Strike.

Maybe someone should have reminded Harry about the Biffy when he claimed to have made up this cocktail to commemorate the end of the General Strike!

Well, to be honest, “Strike’s Off” is probably a better name.

From the Wikipedia article:

The 1926 General Strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted ten days, from 3 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners.

All very complicated, economic conditions following WWI leads to worsening conditions for coal workers, culminating in the General Strike. Classes divided over whether to support the strike or oppose it.

The cocktail is actually quite delicious, in an odd, “who knew gin and swedish punch would work together” kind of way. I recommend it! In it’s other incarnation, The Biffy Cocktail, I actually served it a couple years ago for a Tales of the Cocktail presentation about homemade ingredients. Everyone seemed to enjoy it at the time, and it’s another sweet-tart favorite of Mrs. Flannestad’s.

But, hey, cool! A poem by Idris Davies about the strike was what Pete Seeger used for his lyrics for the song Bells of Rhymney.

However, I suppose, covered most famously by the Byrds on their album, “Mr. Tambourine Man”.

I guess all you socialist worker sympathizers know what to put on, while drinking the cocktail! Maybe grab the Billy Bragg box set while you’re at it, and make a night of it. You lived to fight another day. As for you big business fat cats, I doubt you need much of an excuse to light a cigar and celebrate the collapse of the strike.

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

Stanley Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 3 Responses »
Jun 112010

Stanley Cocktail
1/6 Lemon Juice. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Lemon Juice)
1/6 Grenadine. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Small Hand Foods Grenadine)
1/3 Rum. (3/4 oz Rene Alambic Rum)
1/3 Gin. (3/4 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Oh, fun! This recipe specifies neither the type of Rum nor Type of Gin! Carte Blanche!

I found this odd Alambic Rum at a small liquor store in the city of Napa, California. I have no idea about the nature of the beast, other than that the bottle notes it is, “Distilled by Solomon Tournour Co. Capella, CA 95418.” It is, for an 80 Proof Rum, rather flavorful and delicious. It appears to have some color, so must have seen at least some small amount of time in the barrel. I keep going back and forth on whether I think it is Molasses or Sugar based. My guess is Molasses, but it is very well distilled and tasty. It does almost taste like a Rhum Agricole.

Anyway, funky Napa R(h)um, and what Gin to mix with?

Ha! Obviously it needs a funky Gin! And as funky Gins go, I can’t think of one more appropriate than Ransom Old Tom, from Portland!

What does this combination of unusual ingredients result in?

Well, it sure as hell isn’t a Bacardi Cocktail!

Kind of Tasty, though, if I don’t say so myself! Mr. Stanley may have been on to something!

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Spring Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 6 Responses »
Jun 072010

Spring Cocktail
3 glasses Gin. (3/4 oz Junipero, 3/4 oz Genevieve)
1 glass Quinquina. (1/2 oz Bonal)
1 Glass Benedictine. (scant 1/2 oz Benedictine)
Before shaking (I’d stir) add a dash of bitters and serve with an olive (Nicoise Olive).

As usual, to convert this “party cocktail” to a single serving, I am dividing the “glasses” in half and then counting them as ounces.

I never quite know what to use when a recipe calls for “Quinquina”. I don’t know if there was a specific product called “Quinquina” at the beginning of this century or if there was a specific brand of Quinquinas which was used when this appeared in cocktail recipes. To me, Quinquinas are a class of French wine based aperitifs which contain Quinine. Unfortunately, this is a fairly wide variety of products, from Lillet Blanc to Dubbonet Rouge. If you cast your net a bit wider, there are about a million wine and neutral spirit based beverages from around the world which potentially qualify as “Quinquinas”, due to the fact that they contain Quinine as a bittering agent. All have very different results when used in cocktails.

Haus Alpenz has begun importing an interesting wine based Gentian and Quinine aperitif called “Bonal”.

From their website:

Since 1865, this delicious aperitif wine has stood apart for its exceptional complexity, delightful flavors and stimulating palate. Serious to its role as aperitif, it was known as “ouvre l’appétit” – the key to the appetite. Found popular with sportsmen, Bonal became an early sponsor of the Tour de France. It is made by an infusion of gentian, cinchona (quinine) and renown herbs of the Grand Chartreuse mountains in a Mistelle base. Traditionally enjoyed neat or with a twist; also may enhance classic drinks in place of sweet red vermouth.

I would describe the flavor as similar to a more extreme version of dry or blanc/bianco vermouth. The botanicals seem more herbal than spice based. There seems to be little citrus. The middle flavors are similar to savory, culinary herbs with a strong gentian bitterness at the fore and lingering quinine bitterness in the finish. Quite nice.

Well, give a boy some new booze and ya gotta mix with it, especially when it seems appropriate in the recipe.

Scouring the refrigerator, I discovered I was out of Green Olives. Horror! How do things like this happen? In fact the only olives I had were Nicoise olives. Well, ya gotta do what you gotta do.

Thinking about these flavors and with the generic specification of “Gin”, I was reminded a bit of the savory combination of Junipero and Genevieve I had enjoyed in the Some Moth. Let’s try that again.

Huh, actually, the Nicoise Olive is quite tasty in the Spring. The savory brininess working well with the funk of the genevieve and complexity of the Bonal. About all I’d say is even a scant half ounce is a little much Benedictine for me. I think my ideal for this would be about 3/4 oz Junipero, 3/4 oz Genevieve, 3/4 oz Bonal, 1/4 oz Benedictine. Your Mileage May Vary.

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

South Side Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 2 Responses »
May 262010

South Side Cocktail
The Juice of 1/2 Lemon. (Juice 1/2 Lemon)
1/2 Tablespoonful of Powdered Sugar. (Heaping teaspoon Caster Sugar)
2 Sprigs Fresh Mint.
1 Glass Dry Gin. (2 oz Tanqueray Gin)
Shake well and strain into medium size glass. Add dash of siphon soda water.

These days, the South Side is almost always made as an up cocktail, with no soda. A mint Gimlet.

However, the Savoy version of the drink includes, “a dash of siphon soda water,” which is more or less how I made it.

Looking at Harry McElhone’s recipe for the South Side makes the drink’s origins as a minty Fizz even clearer:

“Juice of 1 Lemon, 1 teaspoon of Sugar, 2 or 3 sprigs of Fresh Mint, 1 glass of Gin (Gordon). Shake well and strain into a medium-size tumbler, and add Syphon.”

Double the lemon, decrease the sugar, and serve it in a “medium-size” tumbler. Basically a fizzy, ginny, minty, lemonade.

Depending on the weather, I can see the merits of either version. A hot day, you’re sitting on the porch in the country. Sipping the long version sounds awfully appealing. Dark day in a metropolitan city, sitting at the bar, who has time for that sort of thing? All we need is the flavored booze, thank you very much, and we will be on our way to our next engagement.

Guess it depends on your mood.

Are you just passing through or here to stay?

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Southern Gin Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book No Responses »
May 232010

Southern Gin Cocktail
2 Dashes Curacao. (5ml/1tsp Brizard Orange Curacao)
2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters)
1 Glass Dry Gin. (2 oz Junipero Gin)

Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Squeeze Orange Peel over glass and drop in.)

Wow, well, while, like the Aviation Cocktail, this comes from Hugo Ensslin’s “Recipes for Mixed Drinks”. Unlike the Aviation, I don’t think you’ll be seeing it on any bar menus in the near future. Talk about your gin Cock-tails, this is exactly that, a literal 19th Century style “Gin Cocktail”. If you don’t really enjoy the gin you’re mixing with, this cocktail is not going to fix it.

Most importantly, should you order this cocktail tonight, May 23, during the next Savoy Night at Alembic Bar? You know, with an Old Tom or Genever, this might be an interesting cocktail. But with a Dry Gin, this is pretty much just a big, cold, glass of slightly orangey gin. Unless you’re ready to deal with that, this is probably not the cocktail for you.

Hope to see you tonight from 6PM on, at Alembic Bar, next to the Red Vic, in the Upper Haight!

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.

Posted by erik at 11:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

Sonza's Wilson Cocktail

Savoy Cocktail Book 1 Response »
May 192010

Sonza’s Wilson Cocktail

1/2 Gin. (1 oz Square One Botanical*)
1/2 Cherry Brandy. (1 oz Clear Creek Kirsch)
4 Dashes Lemon Juice or Lime Juice. (10ml Lemon Juice)
4 Dashes Grenadine. (10ml Small Hand Foods Grenadine)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Well, after using Tequila in the last cocktail, what do I have to lose?

This is another cocktail in the “Rose” family, which, by all rights should be composed of 1 oz of Gin, 1 oz of Cherry Heering, dashes of lemon, and dashes of Grenadine.

I’m sorry, but that didn’t sound very appealing at all. So I decided to throw that idea to the wind, and give this a twist.

Square One Botanical is a vodka infused with various botanicals and then distilled. But for the fact that it has no Juniper, it could almost be a gin. When I decided to use Kirsch for this, I also thought, hm, Square One Botanical!

However, as Square One Botanical did not exist in 1930, I suppose I should think of another name…

How about this?

Rosa californica**

1 oz Square One Botanical
1 oz Kirsch (Cherry Eau-de-Vie)
2 10ml/2tsp. Lemon Juice
2 10ml/2tsp. Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

And goddamn, I was as right with this idea as I was wrong with the Sonora. Floral, light, and delicious. Very nice. Though, technically, if I really want to make a cocktail called “Wild California Rose”, I should be using a Kirsch from this state. Doesn’t St. George make one?

Most importantly, should you order this cocktail during the next Savoy Night at Alembic Bar, May 23rd, 2010? Well, unless you ask specifically for the underhill version, you will probably get the rather sickly sweet sounding exact Savoy recipe. I am also not sure if Alembic even has Square One Botanical. Seems like pretty dodgy chances.

*The Square One Botanical in this cocktail was sent to me by Square One. It works quite well in this cocktail. Unfortunately, it’s fairly unique, so I have no real substitution suggestions. Hendrick’s maybe, though it would be a very different drink.

**The “Scientific” name for the Wild California Rose. Hrm. OK, fine, Mr. Stickler man, it’s actually the Linnaean classification for the Wild California Rose.

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.

Posted by erik at 8:00 am Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Older Entries
© 2010 Underhill-Lounge Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline