"The PDT Cocktail Book"

[FrogPrincesse]

For me, another grapefruit cocktail: the Edgewood with Plymouth gin, grapefruit juice, Punt e Mes, Lillet blanc, and a pinch of kosher salt.

I guess this makes it a Kina Cocktail variation with grapefruit (I am currently indexing the Savoy Cocktail book for Eat Your Books).

The grapefruit is a little more assertive in this one (which is fine by me). The salt is essential, it's suble but it adds a savory touch. Adding a couple of grapefruit bitters works great too in this one.

[FrogPrincesse]

The Leapfrog: Plymouth gin, lemon, simple syrup, R&W apricot liqueur, orange bitters, mint.

It tastes like a delicious variation on the Southside. The apricot liqueur and orange bitters add a nice touch.

[FrogPrincesse]

For him, the Gold Rush (created at Milk & Honey): Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon, honey syrup, lemon juice

Quite simple but the honey and lemon extract a lot of flavor out of the bourbon, including some interesting orange notes.

[FrogPrincesse]

A Cin Cyn with dry instead of sweet vermouth, the Berlioni.

The recipe specified Tanqueray but I substituted Junipero.

It's very reminiscent of the Negroni, which I love.

[FrogPrincesse]

For him, the Newark: applejack (I had to substitute calvados), Vya sweet vermouth, fernet-branca, maraschino.

It is relative of the Red Hook, with an extra long finish and more funk, both courtesy of the fernet. Applejack as specified in the original recipe would probably work better than the calvados which is a little subdued and hardly noticeable as the base spirit.

[FrogPrincesse]

The PDT cocktail book has been indexed on Eat Your Books (here). That should be very helpful to search for cocktails by specific ingredients.

[thirtyoneknots]

For him, the Newark: applejack (I had to substitute calvados), Vya sweet vermouth, fernet-branca, maraschino.

It is relative of the Red Hook, with an extra long finish and more funk, both courtesy of the fernet. Applejack as specified in the original recipe would probably work better than the calvados which is a little subdued and hardly noticeable as the base spirit.

Is Laird's Bonded not available in your area? Calvados is a poor substitute, besides being more expensive.

[FrogPrincesse]

For him, the Newark: applejack (I had to substitute calvados), Vya sweet vermouth, fernet-branca, maraschino.

It is relative of the Red Hook, with an extra long finish and more funk, both courtesy of the fernet. Applejack as specified in the original recipe would probably work better than the calvados which is a little subdued and hardly noticeable as the base spirit.

Is Laird's Bonded not available in your area? Calvados is a poor substitute, besides being more expensive.

Laird's bonded is available in my area. I used to have a bottle that I finished some time ago.

I actually don't care for it in most drinks, this one being one exception. It's a little too rough for my taste, so I decided not buy another bottle.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last week I tried the Coda: aged rum, rhum agricole blanc, lime juice, allspice dram, demerara syrup, whole organic egg, grated nutmeg.

For the aged rum, the book specified Ron Pampero Aniversario from Venezuela (which I have never tried). I substituted El Dorado 12. The El Dorado 12 is good but has a tendency to get lost in mixed drinks as it is very smooth and understated. I think that's why I don't use it more. But it's quite reasonable at about $30 a bottle and has a good flavor.

For the rhum agricole blanc, I had the Neisson that the book calls for and that I've been using mostly in Ti Punches or daiquiris.

I decreased the amount of St Elizabeth allspice slightly (from 1/2 oz to ~ 1/3 oz) based on the comments from mukki and EvergreenDan.

The blend of rums was harmonious. The allspice was also very good. I actually think I could have used the entire amount of allspice instead of the ~ 1/3 oz that I used, especially once I realized this was essentially a tiki drink. The cocktail could easily have been a Donn Beach creation with the assertive allspice/cinnamon flavor, and the clever mix of rums. Next time I will serve it in tiki-appropriate glassware.

[ChrisTaylor]

De La Louisiane. My first cocktail from the book. Very good. Used Punt e Mes instead of Dolin because I have *that* much left in the bottle and don't really use vermouth often enough to keep more than two bottles--one red, one white--open at a time.

[Keith Orr]

Anyone else made the tonic syrup? I thought the ingredients list didn't match the final quantity. They stated 24 oz each water and sugar plus the rest of the ingredients and you'd end up with 24 oz of syrup. I used 16 oz each of sugar and water plus the rest of the ingredients as listed.

I made a gin and tonic as the recipe stated and found it a bit bland, but still superior to commercial tonic. Looking at some other recipes for homemade tonic syrup it looks like the PDT recipe makes a lighter product than some which use more cinchona and a bit of citric acid and lime juice and a little less sugar.

[FrogPrincesse]

My husband was out last night so I made PDT's version of the Rosita - I seem to always go for the Campari when he is out (no wonder, he abhors Campari despite all my attempts at converting him).

This version of Gary Regan's creation has the particularity of including a dash of Angostura bitters.

The cocktail is really gorgeous in the glass; a beautiful color. It was bitter (as expected) and quite boozy (as expected). It was also intensely herbal with some weird notes that I did not especially enjoy. Maybe it was my selection of brands that was not optimal, I am not sure. It just did not really come together in a harmonious way for me.

[FrogPrincesse]

I tried the Beachbum last night, a cocktail created by John Deragon (johnder) as an homage to Jeff Berry. It is a classic tiki cocktail with a combination of two rums (Flor de Cana white and Mount Gay Eclipse amber, for which I substituted El Dorado 12 year), together with pineapple juice, lime juice, apricot liqueur and (homemade) orgeat.

I liked the fact that the pineapple and apricot were in the background enhancing the rums, rather than taking over the drink. The orgeat rounded everything up. It is reminiscent of a Mai Tai, with the pineapple juice and apricot liquor replacing the curaçao.

[FrogPrincesse]

One of the first flops for me was PDT's take on a classic cocktail called the Jimmie Roosevelt. With V.S.O.P. Cognac, Champagne and a float of green Chartreuse I was expecting something exceptional. The brown sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters took a while to dissolve so I was hoping that maybe the cocktail would improve over time. The cocktail was balanced but fell flat and did not have an interesting/distinctable taste unfortunately. I don't think that it's my choice of brands because I used the same Cognac that is specified in the recipe, and a perfectly decent French Champagne.

I am a bit puzzled because Jim Meehan says that it is one of his favorite cocktails to make (see this interview for example). It is fun to assemble but why bother if the end result is not up to par? The interview mentions a demerara rinse that I did not see in the book. There may be other tricks to making this cocktail that are not included in the book and would improve the recipe.

[Keith Orr]

One of the first flops for me was PDT's take on a classic cocktail called the Jimmie Roosevelt. With V.S.O.P. Cognac, Champagne and a float of green Chartreuse I was expecting something exceptional. The brown sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters took a while to dissolve so I was hoping that maybe the cocktail would improve over time. The cocktail was balanced but fell flat and did not have an interesting/distinctable taste unfortunately. I don't think that it's my choice of brands because I used the same Cognac that is specified in the recipe, and a perfectly decent French Champagne.

I am a bit puzzled because Jim Meehan says that it is one of his favorite cocktails to make (see this interview for example). It is fun to assemble but why bother if the end result is not up to par? The interview mentions a demerara rinse that I did not see in the book. There may be other tricks to making this cocktail that are not included in the book and would improve the recipe.

In the interview Meehan refers to a Demarara Sugar rinse, but doesn't mention a sugar cube soaked in bitters.

One other thing I have to mention about the PDT book that frustrates me - The ingredient listings are often incomplete. In the recipe for the Jimmie Roosevelt, Champagne is not listed in the ingredients. I've noticed that this is fairly common with recipes that call for Champagne in the book, but there are other examples.

BTW, Frog Princess - I really enjoy your posts and excellent photos. Please keep up the great work.

[FrogPrincesse]

In the interview Meehan refers to a Demarara Sugar rinse, but doesn't mention a sugar cube soaked in bitters.

One other thing I have to mention about the PDT book that frustrates me - The ingredient listings are often incomplete. In the recipe for the Jimmie Roosevelt, Champagne is not listed in the ingredients. I've noticed that this is fairly common with recipes that call for Champagne in the book, but there are other examples.

BTW, Frog Princess - I really enjoy your posts and excellent photos. Please keep up the great work.

Keith,

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

Regarding the Jimmy Roosevelt recipe, it is true that the sugar cube is not mentioned in the interview. However I believe that both the rinse and the Angostura-soaked sugar cube are used at Pegu Club where Jim Meehan used to work (see Sam's description here). I am guessing that this is the version referenced in the interview, but I could be wrong.

I've noticed the same thing about the PDT cocktail book - the ingredient listings are incomplete and Champagne is not included with the other ingredients, only in the instructions. I had the pleasure of proof-reading the indexing entries for this book for Eat Your Books, and unless you read the instructions for each recipe, you can easily oversee a critical ingredient.

[Keith Orr]

Sam's description is crystal clear - they should have used that for the recipe in the book.

I'm hitting a local watering hole on Friday and one of the bartenders is an ex PDT employee - I'll have to ask him to mix me up a Jimmie Roosevelt.

[FrogPrincesse]

This weekend I made the Airmail cocktail per the PDT specs using Banks rum. I had tried the Airmail before with Flor de Caña (see the Champagne thread here) and had been delighted by this drink. It was very light with subtle stone fruit undertones, a great interplay between the light rum and the Champagne. With the Banks rum (same brand of Champagne), the character of the drink changed completely. I used a slightly more assertive honey as well which worked well with the spice in the rum. In the end however, I felt that the drink was heavier and less charming with the Banks rum. The Banks rum is a departure from a typical white rum. Some people have compared it to a rhum agricole but I don't think that it has the characteristic intense grassy notes; for me the batavia arrack flavor in it is prevalent. I think that it could work well in some tiki drinks, especially the ones that already have a lot of spice. It seems like an unusual rum to specify in many recipes of the PDT cocktail book including the classic Daiquiri and its variations though. I will have to try it. I don't believe that this is disclosed in the book, but I read that Jim Meehan had been involved with the creation and promotion of Banks rum.

[Darcie B]

Got this book and David Wondrich's Imbibe last week and have been enjoying both of them immensely.

I've already made a Bee's Knees, Jack Rose (from Imbibe), and the latest was the Algonquin (Rittenhouse Bonded Rye, Dolin Dry Vermouth and pineapple juice). I had to substitute Bulleit Rye and Noilly Prat.

I'm definitely going to need to visit the liquor store soon with a fistful of dollars.

Edited September 6, 2012 by Darcie B (log)

[janeer]

Got this book and David Wondrich's Imbibelast week and have been enjoying both of them immensely.

I'm definitely going to need to visit the liquor store soon with a fistful of dollars.

Your glass definitely deserves whatever you spend.

[FrogPrincesse]

First, a couple of melon-based drinks from the book. Melon in a cocktail does not really appeal to me but I was curious.

I did not care for the Melon Stand, a long drink with Plymouth gin, watermelon juice, lemon juice, aperol, simple syrup. It is not that it was especially bad; it was just a little one-note. I was hoping for some kind of surprise but it was not particularly interesting, the kind of drink that you get from the first sip and does not get better over time. It would probably work well for people who are afraid of Aperol though, in a way similar to the Introduction to Aperol.

The Aguila Azteca on the other hand... What an improbable list of ingredients on paper: tequila blanco, melon juice (I used a very ripe cantaloupe, the recipe called for honeydew), ginger liqueur, crème de violette. Very odd. But it made perfect sense after the first sip. It is complex and a little spicy (the ginger in the background), the sweetness from the melon is balanced by the tequila and ginger. The floral notes of the violette contribute to the finish but are subtle enough to not be cloying. The melon + ginger + violette combination works really well.

The Mexicano (tequila reposado, Campari, cucumber, champagne) was very good too - something to try if you like Campari. It reminded me of a Negroni Sbagliato, but the interplay between the spice of the tequila reposado and the bitterness of Campari was where this cocktail got memorable for me.

And last but not least, the White Negroni that I discussed in the Lillet thread. The extra 0.5 oz of (Plymouth) gin in the PDT version makes it is a little less intense than what I am used to. Typically I use a 1.5/1/0.75 gin/Lillet/Suze ratio (PDT calls for 2/1/0.75). But since the drink is served up so the proportions make sense. It's such a great drink; with this version it makes me think of a very elegant bitter Martini.

Edited August 30, 2018 by FrogPrincesse
typo (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

I am a sucker for Chartreuse, although cocktails with Chartreuse as one of the main ingredients can be overwhelmingly sweet and herbal which can result in rapid taste-bud fatigue. However this one, the Vauvert Slim, does not fall into that category. It combines grapefruit juice, lime juice, green Chartreuse, mint, and egg white, and a Laphroaig rinse. It is crisp and refreshing with the amazingly long smoky finish from the Laphroaig. Plus it is very attractive in the glass.

[ChrisTaylor]

Conquistador without the egg. I just don't like egg in cocktail.

[FrogPrincesse]

Dry County Cocktail. A summer Manhattan with Tennessee whisky (book calls for Dickel, I used Gentleman Jack), dry vermouth, ginger liqueur, and lemon bitters (I used grapefruit). Crisp and citrusy.

[ChrisTaylor]

Left Hand w/ Buffalo Trace stepping nicely into the bourbon role.