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.

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

Vintage Cocktails #7: The Aviation

Much can be said about the Aviation cocktail. First appearing in Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1916), This is a drink that has many variations, and is one of the drinks that started the classic cocktail renaissance. The original recipe is similar to the one I have posted below, with one exception. The original drink called for the addition of crème de violette, a violet liqueur that can be difficult to find. Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), omitted the crème de violette, whether on purpose or by accident, and for the most part the drink has been made without it ever since.

The other unique ingredient in the Aviation is Maraschino Liqueur, a bittersweet, clear liqueur flavored with marasca cherries, which are grown in Dalmatia, Croatia, mostly around the city of Zadar and in Torreglia (near Padua in Northern Italy). The liqueur’s distinctive earthy flavor comes from the marasca cherries, and the distillate is allowed to mature for two years in Finnish ashwood vats, and is then diluted and sugared. The two most popular brands are Luxardo and Maraska.

The Aviation
2 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2-3 dashes Maraschino Liqueur
Lemon twist garnish

Vintage Cocktails #4: The Blackthorn

So apparently going through the book in order is out, as some ingredients are proving difficult to acquire, and some just make sense to do together.

Henceforth comes the Blackthorn. Since I had the bottle of Dubonnet opened, I figured I might as well use it while it was good.

The Blackthorn Cocktail
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Dubonnet
1/2 oz Kirschwasser

This drink is not a winner for me. It was a fine, well balanced drink, just not suited to my tastes.

The Moroccan Mint Fix

Continuing my exploration of teas and their uses in cocktails, I came up with this idea of not only infusing spirits with mint tea, but also combining the spirits. My inspiration for this came about as I was thinking of my favorite spirits and drinks. This last summer I had toyed with doing a remix of the mojito using gin, mint, and rosemary, but it never came to pass. Lately I have been mixing my 2 favorite spirits, gin and rum, to make a sort of gin/rum sour. So I thought, why not combine all of these ideas.

I started with the spirits, gin and rum, in a 4:3 ratio infused with morrocan, spearmint, and a little peppermint. I let it soak in for probably 6 hours. Mint doesn’t tend to get overly bitter when steeped, so I wasn’t really worried about that, I just soaked until the aroma was what I felt it should be.

Mint Liquor
400ml Tanqueray Rangpur (I used this for the lime flavor hoping that it wouldn’t limit me too much by having that additional flavor)
300ml Cruzan White Aged Rum
2 Tbsp Morrocan Mint Tea
2 tsp Spearmint
1 tsp Peppermint
Infuse mint in spirits for 4-6 hours, or until flavor profile is to your liking.

After I had this prepared, I was thinking through different ideas and I really had a hankering for some ice cream, so I thought I would mix up a substitute. This was a trial run and will need some tinkering, but here’s what I came up with.

Moroccan Mint Fix
1 1/2 oz Mint Liquor
1/2 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur
1 egg white
2 oz cream
Shake long and hard with ice, strain into cocktail glass and top with a splash of soda water

I liked the first attempt, but I thought that it was not quite bold enough. All in all a drink that was rich and creamy with some chocolate mint playing around the edges, but not exactly what I had tasted in my head. Originally I had omitted lime juice, fearing that it would be too much, but I think that the drink needs a little lime juice, as well as a little fresh mint to brighten up the flavors.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Vintage Cocktails #2: The Alamagoozlum

First appearing in The Gentleman’s Companion, or Around the World with Jigger, Beaker and Flask (1939) by Charles Baker,
The Alamagoozlum Cocktail is the next exploration of the vintage spirits. Reportedly created by the one and only J.P. Morgan, this is an unusual drink in that it calls for an extraordinary amount of ingredients, as well as an unusually large dose of bitters.

This particular cocktail will probably be one that I will leave to the books and not partake of for a long time, if ever.
While I am a fan of gin and rum together, as well as using egg whites in cocktails, The large amount of bitters, coupled with the chartreuse created a drink that for me was far too spicy and complex. Perhaps either dialing down the bitters, and/or reducing the Chartreuse may create a drink more to my liking, but as far as J.P.’s cocktail, this one is a bust for me.

The Alamagoozlum
1/2 Egg White
2 oz Genever Gin
2 oz water
1 1/2 oz Jamaican Rum
1 1/2 oz Chartreuse
1 1/2 oz gomme Syrup
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
Shake long and hard in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into several chilled glasses.

A note on gomme syrup. Gomme syrup is purely simple syrup combined with gum arabic. The gum arabic was added to the simple syrup to add a smoother, silky feel to the cocktail. My feeling is that in this drink, the egg white adds plenty of texture, and plain old simple syrup will suffice.

MxMo: Tea

This month while I knew of the topic of mixology monday far in advance, I failed to allow the creativity to flow in the appropriate amount of time. Therefore, I shall be posting a little lame drink and following it up with some more original cocktails. The topic this month is Tea, chosen by the cocktail virgin.

First off, I would like to share the Irish Mist. This is an original creation and may be made two ways. We could go for the slightly alcoholic version, or the I am for sure a man but I also drink tea version. This drink is based on whiskey for the strong, and irish cream for the weak.

Irish Mist
2oz whiskey or irish cream
6oz Earl Grey Tea
1/2oz Vanilla Syrup

Steep your tea for a full 5 min. Add whiskey or irish cream to warmed mug, add Vanilla syrup, and fill with tea.
A favorite of mine, and I like both versions, although I favor the weaker one as I love the rich flavor and texture that the cream imparts.

Next up is the Earl Grey MarTEAni, created by Audrey Saunders of the Pegu Club in NYC. This drink is essentially a tea infused gin sour, but is an excellent example of tea in a cocktail, and also a drink that is balanced in such a way to taste all of the different “tastes” that should be in a good cocktail.

Earl Grey MarTEAni
1 1/2oz Earl Grey infused Gin
3/4oz lemon juice
1oz simple syrup
1 egg white

MxMo XLII: Dizzy Dairy

It’s time for another round of MxMo, and this month’s hosts are the peeps over at eGullet of whom Chris is the man with the topic: Dizzy Dairy. As he puts it:

Any drink using a dairy product is fair game: milk, cream, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt, curds, you name it. Given the importance of dairy products in drinks dating back centuries, there are lots of opportunities for digging through vintage receipts for a taste of the past, and as always innovation is highly encouraged.
We hope that you’ll measure out your portions as best you’re able: better to indicate a tablespoon or ounce of egg white, for example, than to say “egg white.” In addition, be sure to share any tips and techniques that benefit your booze — “dry” shaking without ice for a good meringue, say, or stealing Society member Dale DeGroff’s whipped cream trick for Irish Coffee. Disasters as well as successes are heartily encouraged.

It rained today. I’m sure it is just the beginning of the dreary fall and winter that shall be mine, so I decided to recall the early days of spring one last time before bringing out the dark and heavy spirits in abundance.
This summer the Ramos Gin Fizz has been a favorite of mine, so I have decided to go on a variation of the gin fizz. As with the Ramos, this drink features both cream and egg. Since we all know how great all that fat in cream is for you, I thought I might as well whip something up that might burn a few of the calories that I would soon be consuming. So I present the Rubus Fizz.

The Rubus Fizz

2 oz Dry Fly Gin
.75 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
8 Raspberries
8 Mint Leaves
1 oz Egg White
2 dashes Vanilla
2 oz Heavy Cream

Muddle Mint and Raspberries in mixing glass.
Add remaining ingredients and dry shake to emulsify.
Fill shaker with ice and shake for a minimum of 30 seconds.
Strain into wine glass or champagne flute and top with soda.
Garnish with mint or raspberries.

I chose to use the Dry Fly, as the elements of mint and vanilla in the gin really complement the drink. Depending on your raspberries and lime juice the simple syrup can be adjusted to balance the drink. I find that my raspberries can be quite tart, so I may add syrup or decrease the lime slightly.

MxMo XXXVII: First Time

It’s time for Mixology Monday again, something that I have not participated in for a couple of months.  I have been on a little uncreative spree, so I figured this could be a good way to get back into it.

The theme for this month is “First Time”, chosen by the ladies of LUPEC Boston.

What drink do you suggest for the delicate palate of the cocktail neophyte? Something boozy and balanced, sure – but one wrong suggestion could relegate the newbie to a beer-drinker’s life. To which go-to cocktails do you turn to when faced with the challenge?

To this all important question I have several answers.  First of all, although I am relatively new to the cocktail world, I prefer well made classics to the syrupy/sugary messes that are served at most bars, and as such consume most of my drinks at home because I don’t feel like paying $10 for a drink that tastes like soda water and 7up.

When mixing up a drink for a friend, I will inquire as to their tastes.  Are they a big beer drinker?  Do they prefer wine?  White or Red?  Are they feeling adventurous, or just looking for a little refreshment.

The most common drink I will make for a newbie will be a Collins.  Simple to make, can be adjusted for their tastes, and can be made with different spirits.  Essentially a Collins is a variation on a sour, and is made by adding soda water to the sour’s ingredients.  My personal favorite would be the standard Tom Collins.

Tom Collins
2oz gin
1oz lemon juice
3/4oz simple syrup

Shake up gin, juice, and syrup in a shaker with a lot o ice.
Strain into a collins glass filled with ice, and top with soda water.

This drink can also be made with other base spirits such as vodka, rum, or whiskey. For a slightly stronger drink I would serve up a fizz or sour, although I think that there are a lot of great drinks that be used to open someone up to the world of cocktails.