I’m Moving!

You can now find me at my very own site:

A Drink on the Rocks

All of my current content has been carried over to the new site, and I look forward to posting frequently!

Vintage Cocktails #15: The Brandy Crusta

The Brandy Crusta. Perhaps one of the most important cocktails of the late 1800 to early 1900′s. This family of cocktails, a fancy version of the venerable cocktail formulation of sugar, spirits, bitters, and water, eventually faded into obscurity in favor of simpler drinks.  However, from the Brandy Crusta we were given the Sidecar, and from the Sidecar we were given the Margarita, one of the most popular cocktails worldwide.

The recipe as follows taken from Jerry Thomas’s Bartender’s Guide (1862)

Brandy Crusta
1 lemon
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
Sugar
2 oz Cognac
1 tsp Orange Curacao
1 dash Boker’s Bitters

• Cut the lemon in half
• Pare the full peel off half and squeeze juice from lemon
• Moisten glass rim with juice and rim with sugar
• Insert the lemon peel into the glass
• Mix the liquors in a cocktail shaker of ice.  Shake and strain into the prepared glass
• Add 1 small lump of ice, and serve.

Since Boker’s Bitters has been unavailable for many years, Angostura or Orange bitters may be used.

Vintage Cocktails #14: The Derby Cocktail

Before baseball, basketball, or football, there were 2 great sports in the United States.  One was boxing, a game of wit, skill and physical strength.  The other was the track.  The races were where the otherwise upstanding gentlemen would gamble away their hard earned (sometimes easily earned) cash, and celebrate amongst themselves with drinks and cigars.  And while the Mint Julep has become the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby, there were other forgotten cocktails named after races and their winners.  The Derby cocktail was one of them.  Trader Vic in his Bartender’s Guide (1947) lists three variations of the Derby.  I will list all three for reference, but the first one is found in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

The Derby
1 oz Bourbon Whiskey
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
3/4 oz Lime Juice

I found the Derby to be an astounding cocktail. Well served before a meal as an apertif, the drink has a fruity sweet first sip which gives way to the bourbon and finishes with an astringently sour finish.

The Derby (#2)
1 1/2 oz Gin
2 dashes Peach Bitters
1 sprig Mint

The Derby (#3)
1 oz Brandy
2 dashes Curacao
2 dashes Pineapple syrup
1 dash Orange Bitters

New Belgium Lips of Faith: Eric’s Ale

Yesterday while browsing through the beer aisle at my local grocers, I came across a new brew from New Belgium that I had to try. Eric’s Ale is a sour peach ale, and in their own words, “a sour ale for those who don’t like sour ales, and a fruit ale for those who don’t like fruit ales.”  While I can agree with the fruit statement, I don’t think I can really agree with the sour statement.  This is definitely a sour ale.  If you don’t like sour ales, you probably won’t like this one either.  Not that it’s bad in any way.  Compared to New Belgium’s La Folie sour brown ale, this beer is mild in the sour dept, but still packs a pretty good kick.

Eric’s Ale pours a clear amber with minimal head, taste is of sour apple and honey, Acidity is present but not overpowering in any way, which is a plus for this beer.  Finishes long and dry with a taste of unripe peaches.  The Ale weighs in at 7% ABV, but doesn’t quite seem that heavy, probably due to the fact that its a sipping beer, not a chugging beer.  Eric’s Ale would pair nicely with bbq dishes, teriyaki, or any other dish that was heavier on the sweet and needs some acidity to balance it out.

Imbibers 100 (Updated)

Originally posted by Darcy O’Neil, Art of Drink, this is the top 100 liquid items you should consume before kicking the bucket. I say items, because some of these cannot really be classified as beverages in the traditional sense of the word. If you want to participate, please do. It’s great fun.

Instructions:

1) Copy this list into your blog, with instructions.
2) Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed.
3) Cross out any items that you won’t touch
4) Post a comment at Art of Drink, and link to your results.

OR

If you don’t have a blog, just count the ones you’ve tried and post the number in the comments section.

List of Drinks You Must Try Before You Expire

1. Manhattan Cocktail
2. Kopi Luwak (Weasle Coffee)
3. French / Swiss Absinthe
4. Rootbeer
5. Gin Martini
6. Sauternes
7. Whole Milk
8. Tequila (100% Agave)
9. XO Cognac
10. Espresso
11. Spring Water (directly from the spring)
12. Gin & Tonic
13. Mead
14. Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale
15. Chateau d’Yquem
16. Budwieser
17. Maraschino Liqueur
18. Mojito
19. Orgeat
20. Grand Marnier
21. Mai Tai (original)
22. Ice Wine (Canadian)
23. Red Bull
24. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
25. Bubble Tea
26. Tokaji
27. Chicory
28. Islay Scotch
29. Pusser’s Navy Rum
30. Fernet Branca
31. Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
32. Bourbon
33. Australian Shiraz
34. Buckley’s Cough Syrup (unfortunately I have had the pleasure of this unique Canadian product)
35. Orange Bitters
36. Margarita (classic recipe)
37. Molasses & Milk
38. Chimay Blue
39. Wine of Pines (Tepache)
40. Green Tea
41. Daiginjo Sake
42. Chai Tea
43. Vodka (chilled, straight)
44. Coca-Cola
45. Zombie (Beachcomber recipe)
46. Barley Wine
47. Brewed Choclate (Xocolatl)
48. Pisco Sour
49. Lemonade
50. Speyside Single Malt
51. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
52. Champagne (Vintage)
53. Rosé (French)
54. Bellini
55. Caipirinha
56. White Zinfandel (Blush)
57. Coconut Water
58. Cerveza
59. Cafe au Lait
60. Ice Tea
61. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
62. Vintage Port
63. Hot Chocolate
64. German Riesling
65. Pina Colada
66. El Dorado 15 Year Rum
67. Chartreuse
68. Greek Wine
69. Negroni
70. Jägermeister
71. Chicha
72. Guiness
73. Rhum Agricole
74. Palm Wine
75. Soju
76. Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
77. Belgian Lambic
78. Mongolian Airag
79. Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
80. Sugarcane Juice
81. Ramos Gin Fizz
82. Singapore Sling
83. Mint Julep
84. Old Fashioned
85. Perique
86. Jenever (Holland Gin)
87. Chocolate Milkshake
88. Traditional Italian Barolo
89. Pulque
90. Natural Sparkling Water
91. Cuban Rum
92. Asti Spumante
93. Irish Whiskey
94. Château Margaux
95. Two Buck Chuck
96. Screech
97. Akvavit
98. Rye Whisky
99. German Weissbier
100. Daiquiri (classic)

Since  November of 2008, I have added an additional 11 items to my checklist bringing my total to 69 of 100.  31 out of 100 seems like a pretty doable challenge, especially since their is nothing really prohibiting me from trying several item’s on the list other than I haven’t bothered too.

Vintage Cocktails #13: The East India Cocktail

This next cocktail is an interesting one, in that there is some confusion around the name and ingredients of this very old drink. First appearing in the New and Improved Bartenders’ Manual (1882), the original recipe calls for the use of pineapple syrup. Some recipes also called for chunks of pineapple to be added. By the 1930′s the drink had dropped the maraschino as evidenced by The Savoy Cocktail Book. Also found in the Savoy, is a drink called the East Indian Cocktail, which contains sherry and vermouth, and later drops the “n” and becomes another version of the East India Cocktail. Shown below is the original recipe as credited to Harry Johnson, with the substitution of raspberry syrup for the pineapple syrup.

East India Cocktail
3 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
1 Tsp Orange Curacao
1 Tsp Maraschino Liqueur

Obviously this is a strong drink, and is simply a dressed up spirit, so the quality of the spirit will reflect on the quality of the drink. I chose Hennessy for my brandy as I feel it is a dryer spirit than some others and would pair better with the raspberry and curacao. It makes for an enjoyable cocktail and the raspberry pairs nicely with the brandy. I will try the original recipe with the pineapple, but I think the raspberry will remain preferable to me.

Vintage Cocktails #12: The Communist Cocktail

The Communist Cocktail
1 oz London Dry Gin
1 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Cherry Heering

To me this was simply a good drink, not great. I enjoyed it to be sure, but it just did not wow me. I guess that’s ok, not every drink can be a love or a hate, there have to be some in the middle ground. The orange juice provides the backbone to this drink in my opinion. Perhaps if I had used fresh squeezed orange it might have been better, but nonetheless I tried. The gin plays a nice aromatic role in the beginnings of the drink followed up by the cherry heering on the finish. The lemon juice definitely keeps the drink in balance by tempering the sweet flavors of the orange and cherry heering.

MxMo: Vintage Cocktails #11: Fish House Punch

Try as I might, I have never been prepared for a mixology monday.  I always know about it for weeks  and then forget, clamoring at the last minute to put something up.  This month is similar in that I am  sitting here, at 9pm mixing up my beverage.  However, I have known for a while what I wanted to put  up.  This month’s MxMo is hosted by Mike at Hobson’s Choice, and his theme is Punch.  As  I am  working through Vintage Spirits, I noticed that there were several punches listed, and since I am making each and every drink in the book, I thought it was only fitting that this entry combine the two.  First off, lets look at what punch is.

Punch is a loanword from Hindi panch and the drink was made from five different ingredients: spirit, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.  Sounds very similar to the definition of a cocktail.  The drink was brought back from India to England by the sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early seventeenth century, and from there it was introduced into other European countries.  The term punch was first recorded in British documents dating back to 1632. At that time, most punches were of the Wassail type, or with a wine or brandy base, but by around 1655, when Jamaica came out with rum, the ‘modern’ punch was born and by 1671, there were references to punch houses.

Perhaps one of the most famous punches, supposedly partaken by many of the founding fathers of our nation, was created at the Schuylkill Fishing Company also known as the “Fish House”.  Out of that famed gentlemen’s club comes the Fish House Punch.  The Fish House Punch recipe has had many variations over the years, but I will go with the one listed in Vintage Spirits.  A similar recipe can be found in Jerry Thomas’s Bon Vivant’s Companion.

Fish House Punch
2 Quarts Jamaican Rum (Appleton 12yr)
1 Quart Brandy (Hennessy VS)
1/2 Pint Peach Brandy
1/2 Pint Maraschino Liqueur
1 Quart Green Tea
1 Pint Lemon Juice
1 Lb Powdered Sugar
1 Bottle Champagne
Serve over ice.

Maybe not obvious, but I did not mix the large recipe up for this post, but instead mixed up a batch for about 5 drinks.
The punch is very forward on the rum, but pairs excellently with the brandy. The fruit flavors linger in the background, with the maraschino adding the small amount of bitterness to keep the drink in balance. All in all, a great concoction which is historically accurate to the origins of punch, and which may see an appearance at my next party.

You can find the round up for this month’s MxMo here

Vintage Cocktails #9: The Barbara West Cocktail

A classic martini styled cocktail, the Barbara West is sure to please those who love the original martini. Starting with fruit flavors provided by the sherry, and finishing with a dry mouthfeel, this is a great drink for after work while you are reading the paper. (Which coincidently is what I did. How very old mannish of me.)

The Barbara West
2 oz Gin
1 oz Sherry
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a lemon twist

Vintage Cocktails #8: The Bebbo Cocktail

Next up we have the Bebbo Cocktail. Based upon the Bee’s Knees Cocktail, this drink is another variation on a classic sour formula. It is exactly the same as the Bee’s Knees with the addition of some OJ. Instead of using sugar or simple syrup for the sweetener, we will be using honey. The secret here is to heat the honey to lessen its viscosity and then dissolve the honey in the other ingredients before shaking with ice.

The Bebbo Cocktail
1 1/2 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Honey
2 teaspoons Orange Juice
Garnish with a cherry