So I’m perusing Northern Virginia magazine while buying cat treats (don’t ask) and I see in their “(Relish)” (yes, it’s in parenthesis) section a “cocktail corner” by Natalie Bovis-Nelsen aka The Liquid Muse.
Hey that URL sounds familiar…oh yeah. It’s in my bookmarks.
She’s got two recipes in there from the “resident mixologist” for Bombay Sapphire. Since I was thinking of picking up a bottle of that (mostly for martinis) soon, I went ahead and picked up the magazine (well, for that, and for the article on take-out).
Here are the recipes.
White Sapphire Ginger Martini
1 ounce Bombay Sapphire
Slither of fresh ginger
8 white grapes
1/2 ounce fresh apple juice
Muddle ginger and grapes at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients, then shake with lots of ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
I’m not certain if I see the point of this one. You’ll get…sort of grape-ginger-apple flavor? I’m guessing that the Bombay Sapphire is going to be fairly overwhelmed by everything else, especially the grapes, though you might get a hint of flavor/burn. And by shaking, it’s going to be all cloudy, as the attached picture shows in the magazine, but I guess with 8 muddled grapes it’s going to look worse if it was stirred.
The suggestion is for it to go with rich, meaty crab cakes.
Sapphire Bubbles
1 1/4 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
1 teaspoon fine sugar
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces dry champagne
1/2 ounce mandarin liqueur
Mix lemon juice and fine sugar into stirring glass then fill with ice. Add gin and mandarin liqueur. Shake and strain into chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.
Again with the shaking! On his site, Robert Hess often complains about the grittiness that one can get from using sugar in a drink versus simpnle syrup. You may need to shake to get the sugar fully dissolved, but I’d rather stir (maybe) with simple syrup. On the other hand, maybe the bubbles in the champagne would cover up the sugar’s grittiness.
This is one I could see myself making for Cathy – though it may be too strong for her.
I haven’t had any experience with Mandarin liqueur. Any suggestions on a brand out there?
There’s also a review of a vodka that’s trying to be a gin called Sonnema VodkaHERB. I’m kind of wondering the point…
Regarding the sugar grit in the last recipe. Most cocktails call for “bar sugar” or “fine” sugar. This is just another term for powdered sugar. I think most people who make drinks at home and many bartenders tend to use table (aka granulated) sugar. This would account for the grittiness Mr. Hess and Sean points out. If you use “fine” sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar) and mix it with the lemon juice before adding everything, there will be no grit.
I think this is a fairly important point. Keep in mind that when adding simple syrup you are also adding water. Add to that the water that gets mixed in the drink when you shake or stir with ice and you have more water than intended. The proportions should be adjusted accordingly. But honestly, I still think simple syrup is the way I would probably go, even though I keep powdered sugar on hand.
As for the shaking. A good rule of thumb is if any ingredient in the cocktail is already cloudy/opaque (any form of fruit juice, diary products, cream based liqueurs, etc.) then shake. If no cloudy/opaque ingredients, then, as Sean pointed out, stirring is the way to go.
Hmmm . . . now what to make myself for this evening . . .
I’ve been wanting to experiment with the simple syrup vs. sugar routine a bit lately. How much water is too much? Given the imprecise amounts of water added via shaking or stirring (considering the types of ice, the amount of bubbles in the ice, the length of time doing either, etc.) it’d be interesting to see how much it affects the drink overall.
For drinks with a teaspoon of sugar – maybe. For less, would it really? That much?
Let’s experiment.
Hey -
Just ran across this – and so pleased you read NVM and occasionally peruse The Liquid Muse, too!
My 2 cents on the sugar versus simple syrup…
Simple syrup mixes easily whereas sugar doesn’t always dissolve completely — or takes a lot of shaking.
Personally, I like a bit of sugar in my mojito or caipirinha. its gritty – and I think that adds something.
However, if I’m making a fruit or herb martini, I want a hint of sweetness but no granules. Simple syrup is great for that.
But – everyone should experiment with what works for them, of course!
~ Natalie (The Liquid Muse)
Cool! Thanks for reading!
I’m actually going to try making the first one pretty soon. We’ve got a plethora of white grapes thanks to Cathy, so I’ll just grab some fresh apple juice and a bit of ginger and give it a shot.
If I get down to Schneider’s, I’ll do a check for the mandarin liquor.