The joke is probably about my photography skills.

Well, just in time, I got back from Orlando for Repeal Day!? HUZZAH and stuff.

This year Gabe from cocktailnerd.com joined Rick from kaiserpenguin.com in joining us here in DC.? Unfamiliar with the protocols of renting a tuxedo, you can see in the picture to the left that Gabe went for the redcoat outfit.? Rick rocked out the Watson look while Marshall – well, what can I say?? The guy just is a snazzy dresser.

Me, I rocked the same tuxedo as last year, but my pics (that I remembered to take) don’t have me in them because, uhh…well, you know, I took them.

After a Friday night hitting a number of places (PS7, Proof, Poste, The Gibson) then playing Rock Band 2 until 4:30 AM and torturing Rumdood with my singing, we hit 2 Amy’s (I’d never been!), Ace Beverage (of course), and a costume store, plus Goodwill, before having a couple of pre-event cocktails.? From my house we met up with Sylvie, Kelley, and JR at Eatonville, then to the party.

The party was fantastic.? Lots of spectacular mixologists served up an array of delicious beverages in rooms themed to decades.? Rachel Sergi did a clementine based one, while Adam Bernbach and JP Fetherston did a Mad Men room with sloe gin fizzes and martinis.? Jess Crandall and Jason Strich rocked out with lemon drops in the ’80s, while nearby Owen Thomson and Gina Chersevani had on jumpsuits and bubble-wrap in the future.

David Wondrich, Dale DeGroff, and Tal Nadari

Not everyone was DC-based.? Jeffrey Morgenthaler from Clyde Common in Portland, OR, shared a table with local Chantal Tseng of the Tabard Inn – him with his amazing eggnog and her with a killer bathtub gin punch.? Other great folks in the cocktail world such as David Wondrich, Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Dale DeGroff, and Tal Nadari were there.

And, of course, there were all kinds of folks from around town – I mean, honestly, if you’re not working that night, you needed to be there.

I made it about 15 minutes, maybe, into the after-party before I needed to leave.? Same as every year, I’m lame, whatever.? I can always make up an excuse for each year.? I have a great one for this year!

Next year I’m hoping to see even more of our blogger brethren there.? You should start planning now!

If you did go, what was your favorite drink?? (And don’t say what was in people’s flasks!)

So we’ll start with that:

The Express
2 oz Cruzan blackstrap
1/2 oz Flor de Ca?a 4 yr old
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew
3/4 oz orgeat
1/2 oz? lemon juice
1 oz lime juice
1 dash Bitter End Bitters Thai Bitters

Shake with ice, pour unstrained into a cored out pineapple.? Garnish with a bit of mint if you’d like.

From there it was time for my trip.? I was off to Portland, Oregon, for Drink.Write 2010, our CSOWG conference, coinciding with Portland Cocktail Week and the Great American Distillers Fest.? I’d never been to Portland before and I was very eager to experience it.

I’m going to put it in short: it was awesome.? Hanging out with Darcy O’Neil and Ryan Magarian at the Driftwood Lounge, which turned into a visit to the House Spirits distillery; seeing Jeffrey Morgenthaler in his native Clyde Common slinging drinks; hanging out with folks like John The Bastard, Stevi Deter, Rick Stutz, Matt Robold, and Gabriel Szaszko; meeting tons of new folks (too many people to list here), and in general, I had some of the best drinks, food, and fun I’ve had in a long, long time.

Who are those sexy people? HINT: ONE IS ME

(Picture stolen from the Mixoloseum Facebook page.)

All kinds of folks gave lectures – Erick Castro, the aforementioned Rumdood, Morgenthaler, Darcy, the ever-fabulous Camper English, Craig Hermann, and, of course, Blair “Trader Tiki” Reynolds.? I could go on and on and on about the in-jokes, the fun, how to make ingredients, but hey.? I did name one drink after Craig, and I have an idea for another one; once I dig them both up, I’ll post them on here.? Just to warn, the first one is named “The Grapefruit Fleshlight” (please don’t Google “fleshlight” from work) and the other one is similarly mature.

Unfortunately, I had to leave on Saturday to fly to Orlando, Florida, for work, where the best I can say (drinks wise) is that I explored almost the entire Scotch selection at the Doubletree Resort – though I did have dinner one night at a place called Hannibal’s, and the wine there was very tasty.? I was at the IACP show, then by Wednesday I could head back to my home just outside of Washington DC in Arlington, VA.

Saturday, of course, there was a ton of Halloween parties out and about.? I went to my co-blogger’s house and he had a a whole menu worked up with the Halloween theme.? Hopefully he’ll be posting those on here soon.? Sunday I spent a good bit of time wandering Clarendon with a friend before watching my beloved Steelers lose.

So now I’m back home, watching Monday Night Football.? I’ve got a brain full of ideas that I need to get articulated and out onto the blog.? Repeal Day is coming up on December 4th, and of course, your Scofflaws will be there along with an all-star cast such as Derek Brown, Gina Chersevani, Todd Thrasher, David Wondrich, Beachbum Berry, Jeffrey Morgenthaler (man, that guy gets around!), Dale DeGroff, and possibly, quite possibly, some other cocktail bloggers.

Maybe.

Me, right now, I’m finally feeling like I’m home for a while – and I’ve got entire WEEKS before I have to travel again.? I’m sipping a Tempranillo that I used to wash down my porterhouse and baked potato, thinking about having a cigar – I’m running low again finally, and realized I won’t be able to go to the Rocky Patel event tomorrow at Virginia Pipe & Tobacco in Seven Corners – and thinking about working with some of these new bitters to come up with some more drinks.

What have y’all been up to?? Have any good cocktails lately?

Feel free to chuckle or what have you.

Obviously, I was posting pretty hardcore up until Tales last year.? Then we hit Tales, then soon after that I was sent to Korea for a month, and then…well, it’s been busy.? However, I’ve been redoing a few things the past few weeks, one of which means cleaning and redoing a lot of my apartment (thanks to mom and dad a lot for that) and it’s made it much easier for me to cook and make drinks in my place.

Thus, right now, I’m sipping a freshly made mai tai while smoking a Rocky Patel Edge Lite on my balcony.? Why a mai tai?

I’m using the Mr. Boston recipe for it, not the original Trader Vic recipe: 1 ounce each light and gold rum (I used El Dorado 3 year old and Scarlet Ibis), 1/2 ounce orange curacao (Creole Shrubb), 1/2 ounce lime juice (fresh squeezed mojito lime from Wegman’s), and 1/2 ounce orgeat, shaken, topped with one ounce of dark rum (Coruba) and garnished with a maraschino cherry (Luxardo – mine didn’t go bad like Marshall’s did).? But it’s the orgeat that made the drink for me.

For Christmas I bought myself (and Marshall) a selection of Trader Tiki‘s syrups.? He’s even having a TDN using the syrups February 11th – be there, or be square, or something like that.? Oh shoot – I’ll be in San Francisco that week!

Trader Tiki, of course, is a friend of the Den and a member of the CSOWG, and so when I saw he was making the syrups, I had to get some.? Also, the only orgeats I’ve had were from Fee’s, and I really wanted to try someone else’s.? I had bought some almonds to make my own but hadn’t gotten around to doing it yet.

Well, tonight I decided I wanted a drink with orgeat in it.? A mai tai came to mind, and a mai tai I did make it.? It wouldn’t fit in a lot of the smaller, vintage cocktail glasses Marshall got me for Christmas but that’s okay.

It’s still quite delicious.

Other than that I haven’t done much non-beer home drinking.? I’ve gone out to the Passenger a few times – and Eventide a few times, PS7 once or twice.

Repeal Day was at the beginning of December and if I thought last year’s was good, this year’s was even better!? Jeffrey Morgenthaler was the MC for the event, we had drinks from all over DC – and bartenders from all over the country – making fabulous drinks, great food from PS7, I wish I’d written this earlier so I could remember more of it.? One of my favorites was a thick, scotch-based drink with oats and I can’t remember what all else, made by the kilt-wearing Dan Searing (and which went great with my cigar from Curtis Draper in the heated cigar tent).? All in all, it’s a night that you shouldn’t miss.

I was also happy to introduce people to stuff that I can get readily in the DC area lately.? I gave my buddy Dan a bottle of Chairman’s Reserve rum, which is a great, well-priced rum that just hit the market (and for the next few months, a portion of its proceeds will go to help Haiti).? My granddad got a bottle of Highland Park 15 year old Scotch which it sounds like he’s enjoying a lot, and I gave my parents a couple of nifty bottles.? That’s my favorite thing about this whole hobby, to be honest – introducing new people to all the stuff that’s out there (like getting my brother hooked on Dark & Stormy-s) that they might not have known about.

I’ve also got a bunch of samples I really need to work up write-ups about, so hopefully you’ll see some of that coming up.? That being said, let me make sure I caveat something just in case you didn’t realize, and also to help cover our butts with the FTC.

From time to time, marketing folks like to send people free samples.? For the most part, we accept almost any samples, though Marshall is a bit pickier than I (and I still feel really guilty about drunkenly making fun of one offered sample back to the marketing person involved – I mean, I just feel bad about that, that’s unprofessional, though “unprofessional” is not an uncommonly used adjective around me).

HOWEVER, a sample does not mean we will necessarily cover it unless we specifically agree to ahead of time and NEVER means we agree to give it a good review.? We will review it as we find it.? We will review stuff we buy on our as we find it.? We will talk about drinks and products from bars, people, etc., that we get, no matter how it’s gotten, truthfully.? The advantage of us accepting samples from marketing folks is that it gives us more of a chance to tell you, our readers about it, and also to use our own money to “fill in the gaps” as it were.

And sometimes it’s also a second chance to try something we might not have wagered the money on again.? I’ll use Bulleit bourbon for an example.? I’d only tried it straight, from a mini bottle, and wasn’t impressed with it.? Mike Manning hooked me up with a sample of it, and I experimented a bit more and found it rather useful in a number of cocktails thanks to its flavor profile.? It’s not a straight-drinking bourbon, it’s a mixing one, but it works well as long as you keep in mind that it’s also not a SWEET bourbon.? The folks representing Bulleit have been very nice and generous, but if someone asks me for a bourbon to drink on the rocks, I’ll be suggesting something else.? If someone asks me for a bourbon to use in a Suffering Bastard, though, or a bourbon that likes to act like a rye, then I’ll say Bulleit.

Okay, enough of that.? It’s making me thirsty for whiskey.? What time do the Saints play?? That sounds like a good time for some Sazeracs…

Sean, Rick, myself, Jeffrey

Celebrating 76 years since Prohibition, the DC Bartenders Guild is throwing the 2nd Annual Repeal Day Ball on December 5th.? This year the festivities are being held at one of the Scofflaw’s favorite haunts, PS7 from 9pm til Midnight.

Last year’s Ball was a blast with Repeal Day founder Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Lenell Smothers, Tony Abou-Ganim, and the best bartenders DC has to offer.? I think last year’s Ball was the largest Repeal Day celebration in the U.S.? and this year’s looks to be even bigger and better – with (hopefully) a few surprises along the way!

The DC Craft Bartender?s Guild is holding the Second Annual Repeal Day Ball on December 5th at 9 P.M. to midnight for general admission and 8 P.M. to midnight for VIP ticketholders, celebrating the 76th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. Enjoy craft cocktails from DC’s best mixologists and food from renowned chef Peter Smith while dancing along to the prohibition-era sounds of the Red Hot Rhythm Chiefs.

This year’s black tie Repeal Day Ball is at PS7′s restaurant, across from the historic first meeting place of the Anti-Saloon League, which launched the legislative agenda for prohibition. We are here to announce our own agenda–to have fun! We will celebrate our freedom in style and have dubbed this year the ?Spirit of 76,? featuring our own ?Founding Drinkers? dressed as the founding fathers.

So put on your tuxedo or gown and indulge in cocktail creations from the city?s top bartenders such as Gina Chersevani, Derek Brown and Todd Thrasher, to name a few, along with special guests–bartending legend Dale Degroff, Tad Carducci and toastmaster Jeffery Morgenthaler.

Tickets can be purchased here. There are two levels of tickets, $100 general admission and $150 VIP admission.? The VIP admission gets you into the Ball 1 hour earlier, at 8pm, heavy hors d’oeuvres, a first release copy of The Lush Life: Portraits from the Bar by Jill Degroff, and access to VIP after-parties at some of DC’s top cocktail bars.

No, the tickets aren’t necessarily budget friendly, but believe-you-me, this is one party that is a can’t miss.? If you are in the DC metro area and love a good cocktail or a great party, this is it.? If you aren’t in the DC area – get your butt to PS7 on December 5th.

Question for readers – Did you go to last year’s Repeal Day Ball?? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!

(I tried to think up something witty to say there but alas, it was not to be.? What I will say is that I made his eggnog recipe the other day and it was damn delicious.? Of course, I also saw his coverage of Repeal Day and man, I need to learn how to pose for the camera like he’s learned so well to do…)

But enough about that.? If you missed it, you missed out, ha ha!? It was quite possibly the most fun party I’ve ever had in DC.

Back on topic.? Earlier this week I was logging in to work where my browser, be default, goes to www.msn.com for whatever reason (possible reasons: I’m too lazy to change it, it is IE after all, PopCap.com would be too obvious).? There they had a link to “95 Chic Cocktail Recipes for the Holidays”.? Me being me, I felt compelled, after viewing a few of them, to go through and comment on EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM just for you, our loyal readers.

And because I’m such a nice guy, I’ll put it after the cut.

First off, a definition.? I use the term “marketing cocktail” a lot in here.? What do I mean by that?

What I consider a marketing cocktail involves the following aspects:? It usually has a cute name that doesn’t identify the drink well (or at all), it’s made using very specific ingredients (or, at least, main liquor) by brand, and it is extremely unlikely that it is in any well-used bartending guides.? A marketing cocktail may, over the years, become a mainstay of the cocktail world, but right now is used for advertisers to say: “Look at these cool drinks we make with our great stuff in exotic, cool bars”, for people to say: “It’s so cool to drink this drink” and for bartenders to say: “What the #%*! did you just order?!” and curse marketers.

Note that many bartenders will also specify brands, so as to make sure the drink tastes the same as when they make it, so telling what’s “Use OUR brand” versus “It needs to taste like this” is a matter of my own, personal judgment.? And no telling if the bartender is paid by the companies involved…

Given that this IS “95 Chic cocktails” – alas.

1. The Dijon Sidecar – basically a sidecar replacing the triple sec with creme de cassis.? Interesting.? I like the idea, might have to try it some time.
2. Warhol Crush – this is right out of a Martini & Rossi press release I’ve already covered.? I guess it looks Christmas-y with the rosemary and the red and stuff.
3. Gingerbread apple cocktail – thank you for calling it a martini!? It has vanilla vodka in it, so the cool kids might beat me up for saying this, but hey (whispering) it might be kind of tasty.
4. Bailey’s Spiced Coffee – Bailey’s + pear flavored liquor, layered.? Sure, whatever.? Sounds like a marketing cocktail to me.
5. Hot Buttered Rum – a classic recipe.? Appropriate for the season.
6. Bolshoi Basil – A number of these look like they were provided by Russian Standard Vodka (as they all call specifically for that vodka and, to me, appear to be marketing cocktails).? Why vodka and basil in the winter?
7. Cointreau Teese – definitely a marketing cocktail, leveraging Dita Von Teese and Cointreau.? I have to admit, however, that I keep thinking “what if you used creme d’violette…”
8. Bonbon of the Vanities – Another from Russian Standard, what’s with the crazy proportions (.85 oz?? 2.7 oz?) and it’s basically “let’s dump a bunch of stuff together” kind of drink.? And is it holiday themed or what?
9. Banana Caipirinha – I hate bananas with a passion.? Don’t see what this has to do with the holidays, either.
10. Royal Fusion – More Russian Standard, more wacky proportions, more Greek references, no holiday references.? Marketing cocktails unite!? Form of…
11. Grown Up Grape Soda – the slightly more rare “hotel” marketing cocktail, it appears.? Where’s the holiday connection again?
12. Mocha Nog Punch – at least this one has a holiday connection.? It might be an MC but, then again, I tend to overly guess at that when vodka (aka poser fluid) is involved.? (And this might be good!? But it’s probably going to be made using store bought eggnog, ick.? Maybe this would make the eggnog passable…)
13. Basil Gimlet – this sounds really good.? But am I missing something, and is basil a traditional holiday thing?? I am confused.
14. The Kasbah – another Russian Standard marketing cocktail with no connection I can tell with the holidays.? Seriously.? How much of this guide did the editors just cut and paste from press releases?
15. The Flash – from the same place as the Basil Gimlet, I tried not to groan too loud when I saw “organic simple syrup”.? Again, it sounds good, but what holiday connection does it have?
16. Smoked Anise – this sounds really … weird.? I’d like to try it, I think.? And it seems kind of holiday to me, maybe it’s the garnish of a star anise.
17. Bloody Martini – well, they say it’s perfect for holiday brunches, at least they tried!? No attribution to the recipe, so maybe it’s a marketing cocktail from Belvedere (given the requirement for Belvedere Cytrus, too), but it might not be too bad.
18. Bourbon Crusta – well, a really classic cocktail.? It doesn’t seem holiday-ish, but for some reason, when I think about it, I think it’s the garnishing that makes me say “hey, I could see this at a holiday party.”
19. Sweet Tail – another thing about marketing cocktails: putting one brand in all-capital letters.? Yet another thing: describing in florid sales talk about how the liquor tastes.? Since I’ve never had or even heard of “BULLDOG GIN” I have no idea if I could make this or how it’d taste.? Again, to me, it screams “we didn’t bother to look at the cocktails, we just cut-and-paste”.
20. Depaz Hottie – clearly a marketing drink (brand name in the name of the cocktail, usage of Depaz brands only in the ingredients) but it does evoke a holiday feel.? And it’s not like you can go wrong with those ingredients.
21. Lillypad – Another “I don’t know what this has to do with the holidays” drink but interesting idea – however, Lillet Rouge?? Makes me think it’s a marketing one, who drinks Lillet Rouge?? I thought it was always “Lillet Blanc, Dubonnet Rouge”.? But maybe it’s good.
22. Kiwifruit Lychee Sparkler – Kiwi and Lychee?? A brand name kiwi something in the ingredients in all caps?? Should I put a certain passage into my AutoText a la TMQ?
23. French Martini – called thus because it’s…uh…vodka, Chambord, and pineapple juice?? WHY CALL IT A MARTINI?!? And blah blah blah “no holiday connection that I can see” blah blah.
24. Cappucino Up – Probably a marketing cocktail.? No real holiday connection.? On the other hand, probably goshdamn delicious.
25. Depaz Winter Mojito – well, see #20, but hey – it has winter in the name, too, and cranberries in it.? So one for, one against.
26. Mad Bellini – okay, it’s a Bellini variation.? So…?
27. Velvet Edie – See #2.
28. Tinsel Bellini – marketing cocktail, no holiday connection except name, no connection really to a Bellini except champagne.? Why not call it the “Kir Tinsel” or something?
29. The Cavitini – a vodka martini, no vermouth, is called what class?? That’s right.? Straight vodka.? Like the difference between the Gibson and the martini, this one is just garnished differently.
30. PAMA Pine – Marketing cocktail with a holiday connection.? And this one calls for 8 OUNCES OF LIQUOR!? SERIOUSLY.
31. Home Made Coquito – very interesting drink with a Puerto Rico/holidays connection.? I wonder if it’s advertised by the people who make the “La Abuelita Coquito” mentioned below it…
32. Wild Apple Pie – marketing cocktail.? Straight American Honey with a garnish and rim.? The flavors are vaguely holiday.
33. The French Kiss – ignoring the lack of holiday, I’d make that for a lady who didn’t know what she wanted in a drink…
34. Sazerac – possibly probably my favorite cocktail.? I don’t see why it’s a holiday one, though.
35. Sweet Standard – marketing cocktail.? Says it’d be good by the fireside in winter.? Okay.
36. Chambord Manhattan – OH MY GOD A DRINK WITH BITTERS.? Honestly, this one sounds like a legitimate Manhattan variation, though see Sazerac as per: holiday connections.? Maybe just the Chambord is (which would explain #33).
37. Cozy PAMA Cider – marketing cocktail with a winter/holiday connection.? Okay.
38. Eggnog – clearly the Mount Gay advertising version of eggnog.? More cooking required than Morgenthaler’s.? Might be better for large groups.
39. Belvedere Sparkle – marketing cocktail, limited holiday connections (cranberries, I guess,? and it’s red).? Next.
40. Versailles Cocktail – 1.? RIM IT WITH WHAT?!?!? 2.? Probably a marketing cocktail.? 3.? WAITAMINUTE isn’t this a sidecar?? IT IS ONLY WITH TOO MUCH LEMON JUICE.? 4.? Definitely a marketing cocktail, then.
41. G’Vine Frost Bite – marketing cocktail, winter themed name, … lemon pepper zest?!? Eh.? Whatever floats your boat.? Or bite.? Whatever.? (Given that I’ve greatly enjoyed black pepper gin rickeys, it’s really not that big a deal, and is probably tasty.)
42. Cranberry Spice – huh.? Neat idea.? See cranberry re: holidays.
43. Rum Butter Cider – I will ignore the Bols Butterscotch, or more importantly, my feelings on it.? Sounds like a solid holiday idea.? Very precise ingredients, but I wonder if that’s more the person who makes it wanting to keep it straight.
44. Bohemian Cocktail – if I remember correctly, see #2.
45. The Marie Claire Cocktail – okay, so this whole list is courtesy of Marie Claire, and I’m going to go out on a limb and assume this one is made FOR the magazine.? I have to say that I like the idea of it and might actually consider making it.? And it has bitters!? Yay!? However, past that – no holiday theme to it.
46. La Roma – no real holiday theme, and one of my pet peeves – “juice of one lime” is maddeningly imprecise to me.? That’s probably the big difference between bloggers and most bartenders – they are more likely to free pour and use counts, or use “1/2 lemon” or whatever, while bloggers often meticulously measure everything out.
47. Absinthe Frappe – mmmmmm, tasty.? I think more summer than winter on these but with the Kubler absinthe it kind of looks like snow!? Also, this is an old school cocktail.
48. The Flirtini – Hee hee hee, can I have one of those flirtinis?? OH MY GOD it’s almost midnight we have to cheer and then kiss! (retch)
49. French Bulldog – see #19.
50. Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Martini – NO
51. Cranberry Dram – holidays: has cranberries.? Marketing cocktail: Probably not.? Delicious: Quite possibly, I love me some allspice dram.
52. Mexican Cosmopolitan – Holidays: no (well, splash of cranberry juice, but since they’re naming it after the Cosmo I’m DQ-ing that.? My blog, my rules).? Marketing cocktail: Maybe, let me check my Agavero material when I get home…nah, I’m too lazy.
53. Mexican Coffee – But I’m getting very suspicious.? Hello…Agavero.
54. Delicious Night Blackberry Martini – NO NO NO.
55. Bailey’s Cherry Cafe – Holidays?? I’m not feeling it.? Marketing cocktail?? Probably.? “Maraschino cherry juice”?? Red food dye + high fructose corn syrup that has had reconstituted cherry balls soaking in it.
56. Passion Potion – We jumped from 52 to 53 to…here…maybe?
57. Crouching Tiger – Guess where my dragon is hidden?? Sorry.? No holiday connection, and – dunno.? Sorry.
58. Royal Pomme Punch – this one sounds disturbingly good…oh, it’s from PDT!? Cool.? The punch thing could work for parties, I guess, and it’s red.? And bubbly.
59. Spanish Cobbler – this in no way, shape, or form represents a holiday cocktail.? But in summertime I bet it’d be good!
60. Marnier Chocolate Bonbon – Another sign of marketing cocktails is often a lack of attribution to its creator.? This one has that as well – but, to be honest, sounds pretty tasty.
61. Ave’ Martini – okay, I get the joke.? Cute name.? I don’t know with the rest of it, however.
62. Banana Flip – another PDT one, ewwww bananas, and whatever on the holiday connection, again, I don’t see it.
63. Cinnamon Fig Martini – OH COME ON GUYS IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO A MARTINI.
64. Black Pearl – Scotch + Apricot + Pomegranate Sour syrup (what is that, even) does not equal HOLIDAYS.
65. Brandy Bird – looks like a marketing cocktail, but they included how it fits in to the holidays and, well, I guess that’s about it.? Interesting to have what is basically a shooter on here (so it appears).
66. La Canne Creuse – I’m guessing marketing, given that the only specific ingredient is Pernod Absinthe, but it does seem like a pretty traditional cocktail.? Again, though – for the holidays?
67. Diamonds & Pearls – created by Charlotte Voissey (le sigh) and using Hendrick’s, so unfortunately – well, you know.? But it doesn’t sound bad.? Or Christmas-y.
68. G’ingle Bell – marketing cocktail with a holiday related name and I really want to know what the G’vine Nouaison is!? I like G’vine gin a good bit.
69. The Ginger Caipirissima – Heh.? Okay.? Sure.
70. Ginger Jubilee – maybe ginger is a holiday spice?? I guess it is…that doesn’t mean EVERYTHING with ginger in it is a holiday thing, though.
71. Hennessy Sidecar – marketing version of a classic with too much lemon juice.
72. Winter Wonderland – a tasty sounding drink from a well-known bartender.
73. Kahlua Mayan Passion – such a marketing cocktail that it has marketing speech at the bottom.? Again, nothing with the holidays.
74. Kobe Punch – I mean, I guess, holidays = parties = let’s have punch, and you have no idea how much I wanted to type “panties” in there at some point.
75. Ginger Drop – AUGH WITH THE GINGER AGAIN.? And nothing else, really.
76. Merry Christi – am I losing my holiday buzz?? Yes, this one works…the name is a play off the vodka it’s made with, too, and I’m starting to feel stabby.? Only a few to go!
77. Ginger Soju – (sobs uncontrollably)
78. NAVAN Orchid Martini – (crawls into the fetal position under his desk)
79. Vanille Bourbon – (pulls himself back up to his chair) … huh, that doesn’t sound bad…
80. Cozy Cafe con Crema – (twitches)? What’s “1 espresso” and how much is a “touch of Kahlua”?
81. Chandon Fizz – calls for a specific kind of champagne but seems like an okay drink.? Still – holidays people.
82. Ruby Sipper – I wonder if they meant slipper.? Sigh.
83. Yuletide Punch – I only suggest it as a marketing drink thanks to the fact that they use the whole name of Sobieski, but other than that, seems to be fairly ok.
84. Somerset Sidecar – another variation of a classic, this one by a fairly well-known bartender (see #72), and inspired by a holiday tradition.? Okay.
85. Spicy Pear Mojito – (head hits desk)? IT DOESN’T EVEN USE *#%)!-ING RUM!? IT HAS VODKA!
86. Teddy Tini – (tears are flowing again) another chocolate martini sort of kind of drink hiding lots (over 3 oz) of liquor.
87. Wall Street Crush – reminds me a bit of certain variations of the Old Fashioned, but with Marie Brizard Grand Orange, which I think is a triple sec (correct me if I’m wrong).
88. The Pama Kiss – NO NO NO NO NO.
89. Belvedere Tangerine Twist – at least it’s not called a martini.
90. Minted Memory – ooo, a Pimm’s drink just in time for TDN tonight.? And it’s Pimm’s night.
91. White Russian – Obviously the “Russian Standard Vodka” version, and they carefully layer it.? But why, for the love of Lebowski?? And, like the previous one…two…three…four…five…six…seven…drinks, how does it relate to the holidays?
92. Chambord & Champagne – Isn’t this just a Kir Royale?
93. Purus Organic Rasputini – OH DEAR GOD NO
94. Santiago Sun – Might be tasty, but kumquats + falernum do not equal holidays.
95. Love on the Rocks – no, it’s straight Agavero on the rocks.? What are we, back in the #50s?

And dear lord, is it over?? IT IS!

So here’s the deal: Delish seems to claim the holidays cover Thanksgiving through New Year’s.? That’s okay, though this wasn’t posted – or, at least, it wasn’t advertised as posted on MSN – until after Thanksgiving.

What’s Thanksgiving like, if we’re being gracious?? Turkey, football…pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, etc.

Christmas is often more of the same, plus sweets and the such.? Hanukkah – well, I don’t know.

One may argue that any cocktail that contains champagne can be considered a New Year’s cocktail but I call shenanigans on that.

And the thing is, it could just be “hey, these are the ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ and ‘radical’ cocktails out in the world right now” kind of thing, since it is “chic cocktails”, but they specifically listed it as “95 spirited drink recipes perfect for the holidays.”? You would think, then, that they’re designed for the holidays, not just random ones like the Warhol ones or various tropical drinks.

So I’ve counted.? Some drinks, like Sidecars and the bourbon crusta, are not specifically holiday drinks, but have that “feel” to me – I think the sugared rims help, but whatever, I’m willing to be open.? I’m thinking of the big three holidays here (that I know, personally) Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, but Thanksgiving I’ll be tougher on.? If I’m trying to have a holiday party, which of these would I have?

I did a rough count and tried to be generous.? I counted 34 that I’d consider a “holiday” drink, and that means 61 weren’t.

But hey – 95 cocktails for the holidays sounds better than 34, I guess!

And if I think about it – the drink I’m making for a Christmas party is apple cider, applejack, Irish whiskey, and allspice dram, plus bitters.? But I did try to include “apple” drinks in with the holiday ones…

As I’ve mentioned before – you’ve got to give The Gibson a shot if you haven’t yet.

We tried to go to Bar Pilar afterwards but it was just packed; we got to speak with Adam briefly but then hailed a cab and headed back to Virginia for pizza and relaxation.

One of my favorite moments of the weekend came Friday night, however.? Owen was showing off some really cool liquors and cocktails all night, but at one point Chris (and I’ll explain about this in about a week or so) had Marshall and I buy a drink.? He got his favorite, the cocktail a la louisiane, and I got a Sazerac.? Chris had never had a Sazerac so he tried one and absolutely loved it.? It’s always great to see someone try a new drink and see their eyes light up like that!

2.? Repeal Day is up to $90 for a ticket and coming up soon – December 5th.? Hope to see y’all there, I’m really excited about it.

3.? Phil Greene asked us to post an announcement about the Holiday Cocktails seminar at Bourbon on December 9th.? It is presented by the Museum of the American Cocktail and will feature the dynamic trio of Derek Brown (The Gibson), Justin Guthrie (Central Michel Richard), and Owen Thompson (Bourbon) as well as Phil Greene.? $35 in advance, $40 at the door, and that includes light appetizers and sample sizes of the cocktails.? I know Marshall will be there!

You can register here.

4.? TDN – sponsored by Leblon Cachaca – was a heck of a time!? There were a lot of good drinks made and while we wait for the recap (AHEM) I thought I’d share one of the drinks I came up with that people seemed to like.

The Braziliagroni
1 ounce Leblon cachaca
1 ounce Carpano Antica
1 ounce Aperol
2 dashes Fee’s Rhubarb Bitters
Shake over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I have to admit that I wasn’t a big cachaca fan before Thursday night but I’ve definitely learned to enjoy some of the complexities of the spirit.? Check out the TDN round up when it’s posted and look also for my Brazilian Frog – it’s an orange flavored drink that needs a bit of tweaking but I think turned out pretty well also.

5.? A friend invited my brother and I over to watch football yesterday and asked that I bring some “tasty drinks”.? I pieced something together and made it which ended up being a big hit.? It was fairly improvised, but the basic recipe is here and we’ll be making both cold and hot versions of this for our Christmas party (we only made cold ones yesterday).

Apple Cider Heaven
2 ounces applejack
1 ounce Jameson’s
1/2 ounce St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
2 dashes Fee’s aromatic bitters
4 ounces apple cider
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.? Alternatively, build over ice in a collins or pint glass using 50% more of each ingredient and stir, then serve.

That’s about enough for now, I think.? This week is Thanksgiving so everybody think of what you want to give thanks for and have a good time with your friends and family!? Remember: don’t drink and drive.? Which means – don’t drive.

Sorry.? I’ll try to distract y’all away from the horrors of my singing.

Tonight is Thursday Drink Night (TDN) at the Mixoloseum – and for the first time, it’s sponsored, this time by Leblon cachaca.? I’m very excited about some stuff with that!

I’ve not experimented a lot with cachaca but I’ve got some real ideas in store.? And speaking of “in store”, I still need to go to the store.? I also need to get a haircut, but that’s for something special that we’ll tell you about soon enough.

It’s also almost the weekend.? We’ve got trips to Bourbon and The Gibson planned, so obviously, that should be a lot of fun.? If you see us out, say hi!? Then it’s Thanksgiving, and I’m thinking of something to take home with me, and then there’s Repeal Day…not to mention my brother and his fiancee’ want me to come up with cocktails just for them for their wedding…

I’ll be putting up some of the drink ideas we come up with using cachaca after TDN.? Not necessarily tomorrow, that’ll be dependent on hangover, I guess…

Sorry.

2.? Congratulations to mbrownerhamlin, who won the TDN from about two weeks ago (Irish whiskey) for his Knacker’s Conference.? If you see this before I get ahold of you, shoot me an e-mail with your address and your choice of prize.

3.? REPEAL DAY!? December 5th is the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.? There’s going to be a bunch of super awesome bartenders there, plus cool folks Tony Abou-Ganim and Jeffrey Morgenthaler and others, and tickets are $80 before November 20th, and $90 after.? You can get them via the DC Craft Bartender’s Guild or RepealDay.org.

This month’s Mixology Monday is hosted by Jeffery Morgenthaler and the theme is “Prohibition and Repeal Day”.

My first instinct with this theme was to go for gin.  After all, gin was one of the popular liquors of Prohibition, and you would figure that on Repeal Day that it’d be one of the more common drinks as it would be possible for more people to have it.  On the other hand, as pointed out somewhere that I’m completely blanking on but I think it was in Straight Up or On the Rocks that people were simply sick of gin by that point.

Me, I”m on a big gin kick, but I’m weird, I guess.

Obviously if you’re reading this you know the name of our blog.  The term “scoff law”, according to Dr. Cocktail in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, was invented during Prohibition in 1924 as a way of describing people who, well, scoffed at the law.  He says that within 2 weeks there was a drink called the Scoff Law:

1 1/2 ounces rye
1 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce grenadine

(Recipe is approximate; I forgot my copy of the book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails where I used the recipe from – and both CocktailDB and Drinkboy have different recipes, and different from what I used…)

Now, if you remember correctly, I’ve tried this cocktail before, using Robert “Drinkboy” Hess’ recipe, and I complained that the whiskey taste was nearly non-existent.  Dr. Cocktail argues that the only reason why people suggested blended Canadian whiskey was due to the fact that it had “some” rye in it, but not even that much, and that using rye would make it better – and I agreed with him.

(Yep – same glass as the ones I gave

tmfiii

.  In all honesty, they were a rather good deal from KegWorks.)

I liked the drink – but wasn’t a huge fan of it.  I’m not certain what I’d do differently.

After some Thai food (no, that doesn’t fit the theme, but the ped pad gra prow from Pilin Thai is just so good…) I went for something different.  I decided to do a Jack Rose:
1 1/2 ounces applejack
1 ounce lime juice (the juice of 1/2 a lime; I don’t know what was wrong with mine, but it didn’t come anywhere near that…)
2 dashes grenadine

(Again, approximate until I can edit and correct.)

Now let’s look at CocktailDB’s recipe:
1 1/2 ounces applejack
1/2 ounce lemon or lime juice
1/2 ounce grenadine

Mine didn’t come out nearly as red as I expected, perhaps thanks to the lack of grenadine (comparatively) – I put in 1/4 of an ounce, approximately.

It wasn’t that bad, but really British, errr, limey.  (Just kidding!)  The lime was quite strong.  It didn’t need that much, and needed more grenadine.

But the Jack Rose is another classic Prohibition cocktail using a classic American ingredient that is perhaps finally starting to get its due – applejack.  And the lime should prevent scurvy.  Not that it was a huge problem during Prohibition, I think.

Finally, I had to satiate my urge for gin.  Vodka didn’t really take off until after repeal, but had it been available, this next drink, perhaps a bit modified depending on the availability of Lillet, would’ve been a good Prohibition drink.  You may have already guessed what I’m going towards by the ingredients:

The perhaps more famous now drink – the Vesper.  James Bond’s original drink, in fact.
3 ounces gin
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce Lillet
garnish with a large swath of lemon peel (easier said than done for me)

I’d never had Lillet before, so before making the drink, I had a little taste of it.  YUMMY.  I really need to make a martini with it soon!  (And do that sacre blue martini that a friend suggested before I run out of blue cheese…)

This was a big drink.

It was good, but … yeah.  Oof.

I think, like Bond, I’ll save that for when I just want one pre-dinner drink.

And that’s it for this month!  Hope you enjoyed!  We’ll see y’all later!

December’s Mixology Monday is graciously being hosted by Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Thanks Jeff!) and the theme is Prohibition (cue the scary music now . . . ) and Repeal Day.

If your history is a little fuzzy or you want to know the horrors that were inflicted upon the United States when the Feds and those wayward state leaders decided on January 16, 1920 that we needed a Constitutional Amendment outlawing “strong water” and bestowed upon us the 18th Amendment, check out this wikipedia entry.  But thank the good man above for Franklin Roosevelt and cooler heads that led to the repeal of the 18th Amendment on December 5, 1933 with the signing of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.  

Stories have long been told by older members of my family about Prohibition.  Specifically certain great uncles who ran whiskey and moonshine through the hills of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York to help supply the speakeasies in cities such as New York, Washington and Boston.  Tales of cars with double gas tanks, empty wheel wells and compartments hidden within and under seats were exciting to hear as a young kid.  Could some of it be hyperbole?  Maybe.  But I like to think that my family had a direct hand in keeping our country well lubricated during these dark times.  It also could explain why some of my great aunts and uncles would curse anytime they heard the word “Kennedy.”  But I digress . . . 

I wanted a drink for this month that highlighted a brown liquor to honor the whiskey of my forefathers.   While leafing through David Wondrich’s new book Imbibe I came across a cocktail called the “Star Cocktail.”  I read through the ingredients . . . apple brandy (David suggests Applejack) and sweet vermouth make the main ingredients.  Now I love me some applejack, but the vermouth gave me a pause.  I am still overcoming my vermouth aversion and completely agree with my compatriot

runoknows

 that once I get better vermouth (I currently only have Martini & Rossi) all will be right with the world.  But, in the spirit of Repeal day, I decided this would be my drink for MxMo.

Star Cocktail
(Courtesy of Imbibe by David Wondrich)

0.5 tsp simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1.5 oz Applejack
1.5 oz sweet vermouth
(optional dash of orange curacao)

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass half filled with cracked ice, stir until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Twist a small piece of lemon peel on top.  

I’ll tell you something, if any drink makes me yearn for vermouth, this is it!  The drink may look very similar to a Manhattan and truth be told it is very similar.  The mixture is absolutely fantastic.  The vermouth and bitters provide an herbal note that doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the simple syrup and applejack.  The curacao plays a note that is almost imperceptible, but brings a brightness that would sorely be missed.

Mr. Wondrich tells us that this cocktail was in vogue just before Prohibition was enacted.  He also tells us that one of the establishments serving the drink preferred orange bitters.  I’ve made this cocktail with Angostura and orange bitters and both versions taste very good.  But in my opinion, if you want to gild the lilly just a bit, use a 2 to 1 ration of Angostura and Orange bitters.  

One note on the glass in the picture.  My cohort Sean gave me two rocks and two chimney glasses as a christmas present with “Scofflaws Den – Cocktails and Cigars” laser etched on them.  A very classy gift from a classy guy.  Surely vessels worthy of the deluxe potables of the current era.  

Well folks, that is it for another Mixology Monday from this half of The Scofflaw’s Den.  Be sure to read Sean’s MxMo post here in the Den and don’t forget to check out the round-up on Jeffrey’s page. 

Cheers!