Spirited Cocktails

I’m not a terribly spiritual person, but I try as best I can to believe in the power of positive thought. If nothing else, thinking about good stuff tends to distract you from all the crappy stuff. Well, we’ve had a pretty hefty winter here in New York (February 2010 was the snowiest month on record), and as much as I like the change in seasons, I’m ready for spring. So I’m invoking the power of positive thought by way of a good cocktail, because, well, what better way is there?

In thinking about what cocktail would help make a smooth transition, and get the power of positive thought moving, I turned to the Gold Rush. This cocktail is essentially a cold version of a hot toddy, just without the wintery spices (which, as I try to channel warmer weather, is fine by me.)

Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz bourbon
3/4oz fresh lemon juice
3/4oz honey syrup

The honey syrup is very easy. My friend Meaghan Dorman, who has made this cocktail for me at Raines Law Room, suggests a ratio of 3:1 honey to hot water. To make a small bottle of honey syrup, I added 9oz of wildflower honey to 3oz hot water and just shook really hard. Worked like a charm.

Once you have the honey syrup ready, combine it with the bourbon and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake hard, and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Here’s to spring – it couldn’t come soon enough!

Cheers,

-Josh

Those of you who know me well, know that my father is a die-hard fan of Frank Sinatra. And as much as I tried to prevent it from happening as a child, my father’s love of the Chairman of the Board has been passed down to me. So when I heard the waitress at Raines Law Room mention a cocktail called The Tramp while listing their specials a little while back, I’ll admit, the lyrics “She gets to hungry / for dinner at eight…” started playing in my head immediately. Thus, I had to try the drink.

The Tramp is a simple, tasty little cocktail. Here’s what you’re going to need.

1.5oz gin
1.5oz sloe gin
1.5oz apricot brandy
Club soda
A lime wedge for garnish

Combine your ingredients in a shaker along with ice, shake well, and strain into a tall glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda, and garnish with a slice of lime.

Where this recipe might need some adjusting largely has to do with your apricot brandy.  Not all apricot brandy is made the same, and strength and flavor can (and will) vary. I found that the particular brand I chose here was quite strong in flavor, which may have warranted dialing the amount back a bit (perhaps to 1oz instead of 1.5oz). Using equal measure of all three core ingredients, though, should give you a good place to start, and you can experiment and adjust to suit your taste.

So, now we know why that lady was a tramp. It wasn’t because she liked the theatre, or never bothered with people she hates… it was too much sloe gin!

Here’s to Ol’ Blue Eyes.

Cheers!