An online speakeasy of potent potables and other pabulam.

Well, it’s been a while, but it was time for Mixology Monday again!  This time it’s being hosted at Rock & Rye by Dennis.  Thanks, Dennis!

The theme is “Forgotten Cocktails”.  Given the resurgence in cocktail culture, and my relative lack of scholarship done “on my own”, I did what I figure most folks would – grabbed my copy of Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails (2nd edition, natch) and started thumbing through it.

I didn’t have to thumb through it for long.

Bourbon has always been a passion of mine.  Lately – and I blame Harry Turtledove’s “American Empire” series of books for this – I’ve been on a Calvados kick.  I don’t make a lot of drinks using Calvados because I tend to drink it straight (and usually while smoking a cigar) that doesn’t mean I avoid Calvados cocktails.

Speaking of sexy, it's Trader Tiki stuff!

The Avenue is one of the first cocktails in the book.  Immediately I noticed the bourbon and the Calvados, but what really got me interested was the third ingredient listed: passion fruit juice (or nectar), which Dr. Cocktail suggests can be replaced with passion fruit syrup.

Why, I have passion fruit syrup – the ever-so-delicious Trader Tiki variety – and I even have Trader Tiki grenadine!  Let’s see here.

The Avenue
1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce Calvados
1 ounce passion fruit juice (or nectar)
1 dash real pomegranate grenadine
1 dash orange flower water
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a carnation boutonniere.

Sorry.  I ain’t got no boutonniere, carnation or otherwise.

Oooo, golden! But no flowers.

The book suggests that you replace the grenadine with a dash of lemon juice if you use passion fruit syrup.  I really wanted to use the hibiscus grenadine, so I used a dash of it ANYWAYS and DAMN THE CONSEQUENCES.  Actually, I also added a dash or so of lemon juice, too.

The drink ended up still a bit sweet but tasty.  The texture is actually quite silky and I’m really digging it.

In fact, I’m very happy with how this drink came out!  It’s a departure from what I usually look for in a cocktail – it’s not bitter, for one – but on a cool fall evening, it works well.

I’m glad I went looking for a new forgotten cocktail, and I guess that means I have to thank Dennis for hosting this month’s MxMo!  I’d thank Paul, too, but don’t want it to go to his head too much.

What little-known or forgotten cocktails do y’all like?

Funny story behind this one.

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.]

Though none of y’all will really care about this bit of administrivia, this is my first post from my new high powered personal laptop, and man…I love me a new computer.  The fact that I also dragged myself away from WAR is an accomplishment, too…

I really probably wouldn’t have thought of this as a big gin week except for two major things – one related to a certain gin cocktail, the other a gin itself.

First off, I was at Marshall’s and decided to have a negroni.  Now, ever since I did my miracle fruit tasting of Campari I’ve been in love with it.  A Hendricks negroni in NYC was quite wonderful, but we went more traditional at Marshall’s – just Plymouth, I believe.  The trick was the additional ingredient.

You see, Marshall had gotten himself a bottle of the new Fee’s Rhubarb Bitters and added that to the negroni.  WOWZERS.  That added a whole new dimension to it which I loved.  I’d planned on getting some from Kegworks but our friendly local liquor store said that he’d be getting some in soon so I decided to wait.  He’ll also be getting in some of their new cherry bitters.

The other big thing that happened this weekend was a new kind of gin.  One I should’ve been expecting but had forgotten about it.  Something that made me very, very excited.

See how excited I was?  Hayman’s Old Tom Gin!  HUZZAH!

The first thing I made with it was what Jay Hepburn over at Oh Gosh! recommended, which was Jamie Boudreau’s recipe for a Martinez.  That is:

Martinez
1 1/2 ounces Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
1 1/2 ounces Carpano Antica
2 bar spoons Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Fee’s West Orange bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a twist of orange, if you have it, I didn’t, so whatever.

Wow.  What a great drink.  I made the second one with the Bitter Truth orange bitters and honestly, I think it made it better – I bet the orange Angostura bitters would work also.

The second drink I made with it was a Ramos Gin Fizz.  I used the recipe out of Gary Regan’s _The Joy of Mixology_.

Ramos Gin Fizz
2 ounces Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
1 ounce heavy creme
1 raw egg white
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce orange flower water
club soda
2 half wheels of orange, for garnish
Combine everything but the club soda and garnish into a shaker with ice.  Shake for a long time.  Until your hands hurt and arms get tired.  Keep shaking.  Don’t be a wimp.  When you finally do wimp out, and you better have gone for at MINIMUM 60-90 seconds HARD, strain into two champagne glasses if you’re the kind of person who does that kind of thing, or just strain it into one white wine glass if you’re me.  Top with club soda (I used Stirrings) and garnish (I did not).

Wow.  That drink hit the SPOT on a Sunday afternoon!  It was fan-freakin’-tastic.  I can’t get over that, even if I did have to walk outside to shake it so I wouldn’t wake up the future sister-in-law from her nap.  One recommendation I’d make: maybe go a bit less than 1/4 ounce of the orange flower water.  That’s very potent stuff.  You might also want to measure out the creme last; it can coat the measuring cup and make it hard to see for other ingredients until you thoroughly wash it.

The final gin drink was actually a bit later.  I was walking over to a friend’s house to watch the ‘Skins-Cowboys game and wanted a drink for the walk.  I made a double (almost) Negroni, using Zuidam genever gin, added in a couple dashes of orange Angostura, and topped it with the club soda I had leftover from the Ramos Gin Fizz.  Ahhhh – a tasty travel drink that set up as a nice apertif for the dinner later.

If you have the chance, I highly, strongly, almost blasphemously recommend that you go find yourself some Old Tom Gin.  The Hayman’s that I have is fantastic, and now I want to get more kinds and try them out, too.

This month our Mixology Monday is being hosted by Paul Clarke over at The Cocktail Chronicles. Paul decided that the theme would be New Orleans. Since most cocktail nerds attended Tales of The Cocktail 2008 (held in the Crescent City) many posts will contain delicious drinks from one of the wonderful sessions, some hilarious stories about drunken tom-foolery and possibly pictures of Jeff Morgenthaler camped out by the pool. (Seriously, did Morgenthaler really spend *that* much time by the pool?!?!?!?) Anyway, for those of us that weren’t lucky enough to attend this year, our instructions were to write about cocktails that originated in New Orleans or that are inspired by New Orleans.

The first drink I really wanted to make was a Brandy Crusta. A straightforward cocktail of brandy, curacao, lemon juice and bitters, the defining aspect of the Brandy Crusta was the garnish. We learn from Ted Haigh’s “Vintage Spririts & Forgotten Cocktails” that Joe Santini, a barman in New Orleans, invented the crusta style of cocktail. Taking a long strip of citrus peel and crusting the edge of the glass with sugar, a basic cocktail (spirits, water and bitters) was now something with a bit of flair and pizazz.

Brandy Crusta
2 oz cognac
1 tsp curacao
.5 tsp lemon juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Use a peeler and get a long strip of lemon peel. Moisten the rim of your glass with lemon juice and dip in sugar. Then roll the peel so it fits into the mouth of your glass. Shake all of the cocktail ingredients and strain into your prepped glass. Add one small lump of ice.

Again, this is a very simple cocktail with the garnishing really being with show-stopper. As for taste, it’s a bit like a Sidecar, although less sweet and with less citrus swinging about. This would be a great small cocktail to serve to someone who likes pretty looking things. But honestly, a bit too labor intensive to make a bunch. Just make a garage full of sidecars. An interesting note, both the Brandy Crusta and the Sidecar are within the family of cocktails named New Orleans Sours. Ha! Another New Orleans reference!!! This family includes margaritas, corpse revivers and cosmopolitans.

In keeping with tradition here at The Den, I wanted to leave you with another cocktail. If you have been following our exploits around here you know how much I love the Sazerac and how all seems right with the world when I’m drinking a De La Louisiane cocktail. But for this outing, I decided on another thoroughly New Orleans cocktail – Ramos Gin Fizz.

History tells use that the Ramos Gin Fizz was invented around the late 1880s by a New Orleans barkeep by the name of Henry Ramos. In The Joy of Mixology, Gary Regan tells us of how Mr. Ramos would hire multiple bar-backs to shake a single fizz, even to the point where it is reported that some customers would wait up to an hour to receive their drink! Well, I won’t make you wait an hour for the recipe, so here you go.

Ramos Gin Fizz
1.5 oz Gin (I used Plymouth)
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Lime Juice
2 Tbls Cream
1 Egg White
0.25 oz Seltzer Water (to be honest, I didn’t measure this, just using a short burst from the iSi)
1 Tbls Powdered Sugar
4 dashes Orange Flower Water

Combine everything except the seltzer water into a mixing glass. Top with the mixing tin and shake, without ice until your arms hurt (or for as long as you can stand.) Then fill the mixing tin with ice and shake until the drink is properly chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or wine glass and top with the seltzer.

The reason you do the first shake sans ice (also called a dry shake) is to emulsify the egg and achieve a nice thick foamy meringue that will eventually float on top of the drink. Speaking of the foamy meringue, once you strain about 3/4 of the drink into the glass, swirl the remaining inside the mixing time before straining it into the glass. This allows the remaining liquid to pick up the foamy meringue that has been sticking to the ice cubes inside the tin and will give you a better head on the drink.

Even though I wasn’t able to attend Tales this year, I’ve been reading everyone’s accounts and living vicariously. One of the sessions I know I would have loved was the one on garnishes. I like to think I garnish my drinks appropriately and with something my guests find interesting, edible or both. For this MxMo I wanted to do a little something special garnish on my Ramos Gin Fizz. Keep in mind that it is my first attempt and hopefully something that as I practice, I will improve. With that, I give you the MxMo Ramos Gin Fizz.

That’s it from this Scofflaw. Hope everyone enjoyed this MxMo. Thanks again to Mr. Mixology Monday himself, Paul Clarke.

Cheers!