Ahhhh . . . Mixology Monday XLVI.  I’ve never been good at roman numerals, so I’m not even going to guess what that translates to in normal non-roman number type things.  Regardless, it’s that time again and this month we are being hosted by Sonja at Thinking of Drinking.  Sonja’s chosen theme is absinthe and a fitting theme she has chosen, especially since Sonja is the brain behind North Shore Distillery’s Sirène Absinthe Verte.  Sonja’s instructions:

The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and it’s future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe.

For this task, I turned to a myriad cocktail books to find a new drink to present to you good folks.  Looking through the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail Recipe Book, I found a very tasty looking tipple.

Green Fairy Sour
1 oz Absinthe (I used Vieux Carre)
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz mineral water (I used plain ole filtered water)
.75 oz simple syrup (2:1)
1 dash Angostura
half an egg white

Dry shake all nice a long.  Add ice and shake like a 19th Century absinthe addict.  Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

First, I’d like to point out that this was the best foam I’ve ever gotten on a drink with egg white.  Woot!  Second, this is a fantastic drink!  It isn’t too sweet or too sour.  The absinthe is front and center but not overpowering by any means.  Honestly, I think I’d like to try it with a little extra absinthe in the mix.  Maybe another dash of bitters.  Regardless, this is a damn fine tasty drink.

I can’t wait to see what other beverages folks write about utilizing absinthe.  But, as is our want, we like to give you at least one more drink for your consumption.

So I’m going to use this opportunity to pimp my favorite cocktail yet again.  Plus there is the added benefit of having the New Orleans Saints as Superbowl Champions to celebrate while drinking this down.

Cocktail a la Louisiane
1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Benedictine
.25 oz absinthe
3-4 healthy dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Stir all ingredients until frosty cold.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist some lemon peel over the drink.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a lemon twist.  Yes, I like both lemon peel and a cherry.  Sue me.

There you have it.  A few great uses for absinthe.  Thanks again to Sonja for hosting and I’ll see you at the bar!

Cheers!

Last night in TDN was “Bad Names” and Rachel Sergi had pointed out the names of two drinks she and Ted had come up with – the Canker Sour and Tuna Colada.  Now, I ain’t even gonna THINK about a damn tuna colada because just the thought of it makes me nauseated.  But we brainstormed on the Canker Sour and came up with what ended up being a very delicious beverage.

And thanks to his help with the name, and the fact that cocktail bloggers haven’t seen this level of excitement since the last time a new bitter came out thanks to his upcoming 2nd edition of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails (hope you’re bringing a ton of ‘em to Tales!) I thought we should make the Canker Sour the official Dr. “Ted Haigh” Cocktail.

And lookee at this:

yummy yummy yummy I've got Chartreuse in my tummy

The Canker Sour
1 1/2 ounces mezcal (Ilegal)
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce agave syrup
1 whole egg (minus shell, of course)
Dry shake the first four ingredients to incorporate, then add ice and shake for at least 2 minutes.  Strain into a green Chartreuse-rinsed unchilled coupe glass and top with a drizzle of green Chartreuse.

Admittedly we invented it last night – but we thought it was GOSHDARN DELICIOUS HECK YEAH.

[Nineteenth in a series of drinks named after bloggers, mixologists, and random others who'll hopefully be at Tales. The first post in the series is here.]

Making a drink for Gina Chersevani would be difficult for me, I knew, because I’d be so wanting to get it just right.  I’m not saying that it’s any different than anyone else – really, I want everyone to enjoy their drink, or in the case of a few coming up at least get the joke – but of all the mixologists here in DC Marshall and I have probably spent the most time hanging out with Gina.

That started with her cocktail class and continues with her at PS7.  There, it’s not just her, but the delicious food that Peter Smith makes up in the kitchen, and he’s been a great guy to meet.  So I had to work on it.

I actually had to write down the genesis of this drink before I could sleep the other night.  When I went to make it tonight for Thursday Drink Night I realized I had to make a different variation.  That, basically, led to two drinks named after Gina.

Though that’s actually three, because the third one – with its name – was one I couldn’t resist, and a variation off the second.

For some reason for this drink I’ve had creme de cassis stuck in my head.  Gina, I don’t know why, but for some reason, your drink demanded creme de cassis.  We first start with the Gina Fizz #1.

Oh you see a hint don't you?!

Gina Fizz #1
2 ounces gin (Martin Miller)
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce creme de cassis (Lucien Jacob)
1 dash Angostura
Miller Lite
Shake everything but the Miller Lite together.  Strain into a double old fashioned glass (chilled) and top with Miller Lite.  Yes, you can use club soda if you want, but if you love Gina, you’ll use Miller Lite.

It was on my way to make the first drink for TDN tonight that I realized “Gina’s drink needs beer in it, and it should be a Miller brand!”  I don’t keep High Life in the house but you could use that, too, though I do have Miller Lite.

Originally when making this I used 1/2 ounce of lime juice instead of the Angostura bitters; I think this change is better.  In the chat room, one person had this suggestion:

9:33 PM [Buffalonian]: SeanMike, really liking your Gina Fizz #1; subbed lime juice for lemon and almond syrup for simple. added ice because my lemon lime seltzer wasn’t chilled

That’s quite a bit of a change but sounds good to me!

oh my goodness!

I went to go back and make a drink that JohnTheBastard made but realized I still must, had to, gotta do it – make the original idea for the Gina Fizz.  This is basically a straight riff off of a Ramos Gin Fizz, with a slight change.  Maybe not enough to make it a full drink on its own but I’ll tell you what – it was DELICIOUS.

Gina Fizz #2
2 ounces gin (Martin Miller)
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce creme de cassis (Lucien Jacob)
1-2 dashes orange flower water (Fee’s)
1-2 dashes orange bitters (Regan’s)
1 egg white
1 ounce cream
Combine the ingredients in a shaker and shake the living heck outta of them for longer than you want, longer than you expect, until it hurts.  Strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass, top with club soda, then shake on chipotle chocolate powder on top.

McCormick’s makes a chipotle cocoa powder that I’d add sugar to if using for this; also, I’d double the amount you see on my drink, as I ended up doing, and I also stirred it into my drink.

I’m using a powder that Gina made for the cocktail class and so I might be a bit wrong on the description of it but that’s basically it.  I’d originally planned on using the  McCormick’s but realized I was out.

Finally, I came up with a third variation.  This is based off the second one.  Instead of a garnish, make a dark chocolate cup with chipotle in it and serve the drink in that.  Also, take out the egg white, make it a merangue (I know, spelling), and shake and strain the other ingredients into the chocolate cup, topped with the merangue.  I call it “Peter’s Lament” because I’d imagine that it’d give Peter Smith even more to do in the kitchen to help out Gina!

Cheers and enjoy folks!  If you try ‘em, make sure you let me know what you think!

[Eleventh in a series of drinks named after bloggers, mixologists, and random others who'll hopefully be at Tales.  The first post in the series is here.]

Cachaca is a sugar cane based liquor from Brazil.  It’s most commonly associatd with a drink known as a Caipirinha, which I can’t pronounce worth a damn, but it’s finding its way into more and more drinks these days.

I knew I wanted to make a cachaca drink for today but couldn’t decide who to associate it with.  When I got further ideas about what to make with it, taking inspiration from the Pisco Sour, I remembered how Adam likes to work with rhum agricole, and in my humble and probably wrong opinion, there are some similarities there.

Not that it really matters, ’cause I’m making the drinks, and thus the rules, up as I go!

So, anyways, taking inspiration from last night’s TDN (Muddle!), and the Pisco Sour, I present The Bernbach.

The Bernbach
2 ounces cachaca (Boca Loca)
1 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 star anise
Cut up the pepper and remove the white ribs and the seeds – leave a bit in if you like a bit of heat.  Put into a mixing glass and add the cachaca, lemon juice, and simple syrup.  Muddle the pepper, then add the egg white and dry shake for 30 seconds.  Add ice and shake for another 1-2 minutes.  Double strain into a glass and garnish by drizzling the Angostura bitters on the top then adding the star anise.

That's a decorative pattern, I didn't just "drizzle", heathens.

As soon as I cracked the shaker I knew this drink would be good – the aroma of the jalapeno just drifted out of there.  I did a good job cleaning out the ribs and the seeds, so there was very little heat in the drink whatsoever.

There you have it – The Bernbach.  I hope Adam likes this drink as much as I do!

[Fifth in a series of drinks named after bloggers, mixologists, and random others who'll hopefully be at Tales.  The first post in the series is here.]

]]> http://scofflawsden.com/blog/2009/06/12/international-cachaca-day-and-a-new-bar-manager-at-proof/feed/ 0 http://scofflawsden.com/blog/2009/01/20/mixology-monday-broaden-your-horizons/ http://scofflawsden.com/blog/2009/01/20/mixology-monday-broaden-your-horizons/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:58:12 +0000 SeanMike http://scofflawsden.com/blog/?p=744 The theme for this month’s Mixology Monday was “Broaden Your Horizons”.  The first one for 2009, it’s being hosted by The Scribe over at A Mixed Dram.  So, before I forget – thanks “The Scribe” for hosting this month!

It was kind of a tough topic.  Basically, The Scribe wanted us to think of an ingredient or technique we hadn’t used before and explore it.  I don’t want to act all jaded and like “oh, you know, I’ve been there and done that, har!”  But I was also like “uhh…what to do?”

That’s ’cause I’m typically the type of guy that if there’s something I want to try I just go ahead and try it.  I do the same thing with buying stuff, so it makes me hard to buy presents for, I’ve been told.

There’s one recipe however that I found in Harry Johnson’s classic bar guide that I’ve been wanting to try mostly for one big reason: it uses an egg yolk.  Not the white…just the yolk.

He has pictures in his book of various drinks and there’s one picture of a layered drink with an egg yolk in it so I knew exactly how I wanted it to look.  I had the liquor ingredients – green Chartreuse, maraschino, and Benedictine – so I went to the store, bought a fresh batch of eggs, and got ready to make the drink!

The recipe:

Widow’s Kiss
(Use a medium size wine glass)

1 yolk of a fresh egg;
1/3 glass of maraschino;
1/3 glass of green chartreuse;
1/3 glass of benedictine, and serve.

(Courtesy of Harry Johnson’s New and Improved (Illustrated) Bartender’s Manual and a Guide for Hotels and Restaurants, copyrighted 1900, reprinted 2008 by Mud Puddle Books.)

Wow.  Hit a few issues right away.  I didn’t have a great cordial glass for this (like the ones in Harry’s illustrations).  I wasn’t certain how much to use of each liquor and couldn’t be bothered to look that up in something like David Wondrich’s Imbibe!.  I also wasn’t certain which order to layer them in because Gary Regan’s The Joy of Mixology only had Benedictine listed of those three drinks.  His book did list ingredients in order to layer them in so I figured, hey, what the heck, I’ll try it that way.

But before I actually made the drink, I thought I’d get the yolk out first.  The first egg I managed to break the yolk of and so I didn’t want to use it.  The second egg I was much more careful with and the yolk was intact.

Then it was a glass.  I ended up grabbing a tasting glass from Horton vineyards; it was one of the smaller glasses I have and it seemed like it’d be a good shape and size for the drink.  It holds six ounces, so in a bout of not-thinking-things-through-completely (see below) I decided to use one ounce of each liquor.

Grabbing my bar spoon and measuring glass, I poured out the drink.  I put the maraschino in first, then the yolk – basing that off some random thing I’d read during the day – then the Chartreuse and last the Benedictine.  Looking at the picture, it might’ve been the wrong order to do them in.

But the drink looked neat!

As you might be able to tell, the chartreuse appeared to float up to the top right away.  The egg yolk didn’t stay perfectly in the middle – there might’ve been a bit of egg white left – but hey, I thought it looked kind of cool.

Then I realized something.

How in the name of Captain Tightpants was I supposed to drink this monstrosity?!

I took a sip off the top and really, that just gets you Chartreuse.  Not that I mind a nice dose of Chartreuse, but it wasn’t going to work (particularly when I’d get to the maraschino – ick!).

So I manned up, took a deep breath, and drank that #%()!-ing thing in one long pull.

THAT WAS THE WRONG THING TO DO AND DON’T DO THAT UNLESS YOU USE SMALLER PORTIONS.

Let me reiterate that:

DO NOT DO THAT.

My eyes watered.  My throat choked up.  I haven’t reacted that poorly to a shot in a long, long time.

I can’t even tell you what it tasted like – let’s just say, uh, wow, it was intense, and I would consider trying it again if I made it smaller.  (And if you want to make a “that’s what she said” joke, go for it, just … well, that’s the kind of thing that’d happen more likely maybe over in the Mixoloseum chat room, I’d bet.)

While I had gone through all that I’d made up a new batch of simple syrup.  This syrup I was going to modify a bit.

You see, I love vanilla.  I don’t know when that happened – I guess as I grew up, I discovered a big love for vanilla.  Kind of like when I realized that my favorite color was no longer black or blue (emo SeanMike for the win!) but red.  Weird.  And — I’ve never used vanilla simple syrup in a cocktail.

I tried my best to polish off my demerara sugar and let it cool off as a simple syrup then I added some Penzey’s double strength vanilla extract.

It cooled, I added an ounce or so of 100 proof vodka to help preserve it and add in about 1/4 of an ounce or so of the vanilla.  Tasting it straight, I thought it tasted pretty vanilla so I decided to try a drink with it.

In the middle of my debates inside the aforementioned chat room, wondering what to make with it (and getting very good suggestions from Stevi for dacquiris and French 75s) a horde of future in-laws showed up and I was forced to shut down my computer rapidly less they see some of the less-than-family friendly site titles in my Windows bar.  DARN YOU VISTA!

I thumbed my way through The Joy of Mixology and through Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails before suddenly thinking: HEY!  A Sazerac!

You know how I love a Sazerac.

I grabbed my Old Overholt, the Peychaud’s bitters, my little dripper bottle of absinthe, and a lemon.

If you know my favorite recipe for a Sazerac, you know how I made it.

Sazerac

3 ounces rye
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 solid dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Mix the rye, simple syrup, and Peychaud’s over ice.  Rinse out a chilled rocks glass with absinthe, dump out the absinthe, and strain the stirred mixture into the glass.  Squeeze a lemon peel over it and toss out the lemon peel.

(Recipe based off Gary Regan’s in The Joy of Mixology.)

The drink wasn’t bad – though the vanilla tones to it were really wiped out after the bitters and rye.  I might need to add more extract to the mixture.

But before I do that, I’ll probably have to go ahead and make a French 75.

I’m sure it’ll be delicious.

Anyways, thanks again to The Scribe over at A Mixed Dram for hosting this month.  Me, I’m going to walk back over to my precious, precious vanilla syrup.  What?  You want me to mix you up with an egg yolk in a some kind of layered drink that doesn’t have the same ingredients as before?  Hmmmm….