Spirited Cocktails

Last week I told you about my trip to Rye House to celebrate Mardi Gras, New Orleans-style. I mentioned some of the cocktails we sampled, including the Sazarac and the Vieux Carre. I’d like to share one more staple of the Mardi Gras celebration – or any celebration for that matter – The French 75.

This cocktail is actually named after the French 75-mm field gun; a commonplace piece of artillery during World War I. Apparently this particular gun was known for its recoil system, which allowed for much smoother operation than had previously been possible. Once you try the cocktail, you’ll understand how appropriate that is. (History once again courtesy of Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails; a must-have for any bartender’s bookshelf.)

Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz gin
1oz fresh lemon juice
1/4oz simple syrup
Champagne

Combine the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice and shake well. Strain into a tall glass – either a Collins glass, or ideally, a champagne flute – and top with champagne (or other high-quality sparkling wine). Stir gently, and garnish with a long lemon peel. Some like to add a cherry as well, but I generally prefer to skip it. The choice is entirely yours.

This cocktail offers one of the more surprising combinations in the bartending world – gin and champagne. But with the lemon and sugar to balance things out, it works beautifully. And as Ted points out in talking about the appropriateness of the cocktail’s name, “….smooth, yet packs a wallop.” So true.

Cheers!

-Josh

The Sazerac is one of the oldest cocktails on record – and supposedly the first cocktail invented in America. It came into being in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1830’s, and was originally made with cognac and Peychaud bitters (created by Antoine Amédée Peychaud). The Peychaud bitters are still a key ingredient, but the most common preparation of the cocktail is now with rye rather than cognac (even though our friend @halw likes to mess with bartenders by ordering it with cognac anyway.)

I came late to the Sazerac, but was introduced to it by another friend, @livethelushlife, who counts the Sazerac among her absolute favorite cocktails. And it really came to life for me when I had the chance to sample the cocktail in its native environment – New Orleans – where the Sazerac is still an institution.

The combination of rye, sugar, and bitters (in an absinthe or Herbsaint-rinsed glass) makes for a smooth drink that’s reminiscent of The Old Fashioned, but with a unique quality all its own, and definitely worth a try!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

3oz rye
3/4oz simple syrup
3 dashes Peychaud bitters
1/4oz absinthe or Herbsaint to rinse the glass
Lemon peel for garnish

Start by chilling a rocks glass for a few minutes in advance. In a mixing glass, combine the rye, simple syrup and bitters with ice, and stir well.

Add a small amount (1/4oz or less) to your chilled rocks glass. Rotate the glass on its side just to coat the inside of the glass, then discard the excess. Strain the cocktail into the rocks glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. The Sazerac is served neat, so no ice in the glass is required.

In addition to The Old Fashioned, the Sazerac has become one of my favorite “brown spirit” cocktails. I encourage you to give it a try!

Cheers,

Josh

It’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite cocktail from my week at Tales of the Cocktail. The choices were so varied and plentiful that narrowing down  the list was a difficult task in and of itself. However, if I’m really honest with myself, one cocktail in particular rises to the top. It was prepared for my by Erin Williams, the Cointreau Brand Ambassador (formally of Pegu Club). In actuality, I’m not certain of the name of the cocktail, as it was custom made based on a survey I completed about my cocktail preferences (Tales was just so awesome!) I think the Rosemary Gin Sour adequately explains it though.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz gin (Erin used Hendricks)
3/4oz fresh lemon juice
1/2oz simple syrup
1/2oz Cointreau
2 slices of cucumber
1 sprig of rosemary (plus another for garnish)

In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle the rosemary and cucumber with the lemon juice and simple syrup. Add the gin, Cointreau, and plenty of ice, and shake well. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice, and garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

Many thanks to Erin Williams from Cointreau for mixing up my favorite drink at Tales of the Cocktail! Cheers!

The recipe for this cocktail is long overdue. I’ve been wanting to reconstruct it since I first tried it at the Gramercy Tavern a few months ago. I’ll skip the excuses and get right down to business, with the exception of saying the following: make this cocktail. You won’t be sorry.

The premise is simple: a Greyhound has long been recognized as a a spirit combined with grapefruit juice. The spirit is usually vodka, but you know we don’t use much of that here.

The Cruzan Silver Greyhound follows that premise with two minor variations: the addition of a little sugar, and the critical addition of grapefruit bitters. If you don’t have any grapefruit bitters, you can order them online (Amazon). They play a huge role in giving this cocktail the depth that sets it apart from the standard Greyhound. 

Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz aged white rum (I used Cruzan, as they provided me with this recipe)
3oz fresh grapefruit juice
1/2oz simple syrup (optional, if you prefer your cocktails on the sweet side)
2 dashes grapefruit bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into a tall glass over fresh ice.

When I enjoyed this cocktail at Gramercy Tavern, it was garnished with candied grapefruit peel. This was certainly a wonderful touch, and if you have candied grapefruit peel, I recommend including it as a garnish. Sadly, I didn’t have any lying around, so I omitted it this time.

Again, I really enjoyed this cocktail at Gramercy, and I’ve made it a number of times since recreating it. I really recommend you try it, and I look forward to hearing what you think!

Cheers!

Last week, I told you about a mistake I made in preparing the Queens Park Swizzle (I used gin instead of rum, but I learned a lesson!) Well, since I teased you with one of my favorite rum cocktails, I thought it was time we walked through it for real.

A quick aside: this is the first cocktail I ever had prepared for me at a “real” cocktail bar – Milk & Honey (of London and New York City fame). Milk & Honey is largely credited (and rightfully so) with reigniting the love for the classic cocktail in New York, and whether or not that’s true, they definitely lit the spark in me. The staff and Milk & Honey are infamous for matching their customers with their ideal cocktail. Before serving you, they ask insightful questions about preferred spirits, flavors, and even mood. The first time I went to Milk & Honey, this is the cocktail they prepared for me, so it will always hold a special place in my heart :-)

So let’s get started. Here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz aged white rum
1/2 of a lime
1/2oz simple syrup
2-3 sprigs of mint
A few dashes of Angostura bitters
Club soda
Plenty of crushed ice

The technique for this cocktail is a little different than anything we’ve used in the past. There’s no shaking involved, so we’re going to build the entire cocktail right in the glass. Start by squeezing half a lime into the glass. (Some people will choose to drop the shell of the lime in once you’ve squeezed it – your choice.) Next add the simple syrup, and the leaves of 2-3 sprigs of mint. Finally, add the rum, and fill the glass with crushed ice. The use of crushed ice here versus cubes is important – you want the ice to really mix with the ingredients. Once you’ve added the crushed ice, use a swizzle stick to – yes – swizzle the cocktail. That is, use the swizzle stick to agitate the ingredients along with the ice, which will not only help mix everything, but also chill it (you’ll notice a nice frost form on the outside of the glass within 30-60 seconds.)

After swizzling, top off the glass with some fresh crushed ice, an ounce or two of club soda, and a few dashes of Angostura bitters.

So this cocktail is slightly more work than some of the others we’ve tried so far, but I guarantee you it’s worth it. I’m anxious to hear what you think.

Cheers!

Today is International Cachaça Day. Who knows where these things come from, but I’ll take any excuse to make a cocktail! (Actually we do know – International Cachaça Day was started by Sociedade Brasileira da Cachaça, a Brazilian government organization. It was created to commemorate June 12^th, 1744: the day when Portugal, then the colonial authority in Brazil, outlawed the production and selling of cachaça. Duh.)

Cachaça is a distillation of sugarcane juice, which makes it something of a cousin to rum. Most cachaça is produced in Brazil (where it is incredibly popular). The most common use you’ll find of cachaça is the Caipirinha. The caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil, and is to cachaça what the mojito is to rum (in that both contain the spirit, sugar, and lime, and both are very over-produced.)

So while I’m not a fan of over-produced drinks, I do like creative variations. The folks at Cabana cachaça suggested the Royalton Caipirinha, a cocktail developed at Bar 44 at the Royalton Hotel here in New York City.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

1.5oz cachaça
1 whole strawberry 
1/2 a lime quartered
.5oz St. Germain
.5oz Simple Syrup

In the bottom of your mixer, muddle the lime and the strawberry then add the rest of the ingredients along with ice. Shake well, and pour the entire contents of your mixer (including the lime and shaken ice) into a rocks glass.

You’ll notice that last step is a little different (not using fresh ice), but it is the common style in cocktails like the mojito and caipirinha to include the shaken ice as well as the full muddled fruit in the glass.

So there you have it – a Royalton Caipirinha, suitable for all celebrations of International Cachaça Day.

Cheers!

Well sure, mistakes exist. But as far as I’m concerned, not when it comes to mixing cocktails. Just as in the culinary arts, recipes are templates. They’re guidelines that reflect the goals and tastes of the artist, but they’re never carved in stone. The purpose of the resulting dish (or cocktail, in our case) is to be enjoyed, and one must always adjust accordingly.

The other night, I set out to make a Queens Park Swizzle – one of my favorite rum-based cocktails – which I was preparing to introduce to you here. However, what I ended up making was a mixture of lime, sugar, mint, angostura bitters (all of which belong), and gin (which most certainly does not). I poured gin instead of rum by mistake. The funny thing about it is that I was already a sip or two into the drink before I realized it (I swear, I wasn’t drunk!)

What I ended up with was something very different than a Queens Park Swizzle. After all, rum and gin don’t have all that much in common when it comes to flavor. However, just because it wasn’t what I set out to make, that doesn’t make it wrong. Or bad. It was actually rather tasty (once I got over the fact that it wasn’t a Queens Park Swizzle). I don’t think this particular combination of ingredients and proportions already exists as a cocktail, so we may have invented something new. The King’s Park Swizzle? Of course, I could be wrong, and if I am, I hope one of you will correct me.

The moral of the story is that even though I made a mistake, I learned from (and enjoyed) the results, making it a lesson in my book. It’s also a reminder that experimentation – which is nothing more than a mistake made intentionally – is a very good thing.

The real Queens Park Swizzle to come soon. In the meantime, Cheers!