609 replies to this topic

[Vesper Lynd]

Brandy Cocktail

2 Dashes Curacao (3 dashes Cointreau)
¾ Wineglass Brandy (2oz Dorville XO)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

This was a really nicely balanced drink with the Cointreau providing subtle undertones of orange.

Edited by Vesper Lynd, 20 February 2007 - 03:23 AM.

[Vesper Lynd]

Homemade grenadine is an improvement over Rose's that cannot be overstated, and the cost is about the same in the end. I would recommend retrying it with some homebrew.

-Andy

Do you have a recipe for home made grenadine that you can share with us?

I've been using some French Grenadine Syrup made by Teisseire which I don't find to be as sweet as some of the others I've tried.

Edited by Vesper Lynd, 20 February 2007 - 03:23 AM.

[thirtyoneknots]

Homemade grenadine is an improvement over Rose's that cannot be overstated, and the cost is about the same in the end. I would recommend retrying it with some homebrew.

-Andy

Do you have a recipe for home made grenadine that you can share with us?

I've been using some French Grenadine Syrup made by Teisseire which I don't find to be as sweet as some of the others I've tried.

To avoid getting off-topic I've posted my recipe here.

-Andy

[Vesper Lynd]

Brandy Blazer

1 Lump Sugar (1 Sugar Cube)
1 Piece of Orange Peel (1 Piece of Orange Peel)
1 Piece of Lemon Peel (1 Piece of Lemon Peel)
1 Glass Brandy (2oz Dorville VSOP)


Light with a match, stir with long spoon for a few seconds and strain into a cocktail glass

This can be drunk whilst still alight if so desired.

Until recently I had been sceptical of the value of burning good alcohol. However the action of the flame on the sugar and the peel, caramelises the sugar slightly and seems to liberate some additional flavours from the peel, adding an intensity to the drink.

I flamed and served my drink in the same glass, so a word of caution is necessary if you plan to follow my lead. The brandy took some warming with a lighter before it would burn continuously, so the glass was rather warm (hot) when it was served. I snuffed the flame by placing a folded damp tea towel over the mouth of the glass.

All in all a spectacular (once you get the brandy up to temperature) and tasty drink.

Edited by Vesper Lynd, 21 February 2007 - 01:38 PM.

[Vesper Lynd]

Brandy Crusta


3 Dashes Maraschino (3 dashes Maraska Maraschino )
1 Dash Angostura Bitters (1 Dash Angostura Bitters)
4 Dashes of Lemon Juice (4 Dashes freshly squeezed lemon juice)
¼ Curacao (½oz Cointreau)
¾ Brandy (1½ox Dorville VSOP)

Use small wine glass. Moisten the edge with lemon and dip edge into caster sugar which frosts the glass. Cut the rind of half a lemon spiral fashion; place in a glass. Fill Glass with cracked ice.

Stir well and strain into prepared glass, adding slice of lemon


We followed the recipe up to the point of filling the prepared glass with cracked ice. We simply strained our drink into the rimmed glass with the lemon rind and then added a slice of orange.

There is a little bit of prep work involved if you don't have a glass rimming kit, but it's well worth it as this was another great drink.

[eje]

Boy, we're really cruising now!

I hope no one minds if I go back to re-try some of these great sounding cocktails!

[David Santucci]

Boy, we're really cruising now!

I hope no one minds if I go back to re-try some of these great sounding cocktails!

Yeah, really--I've got a lot of catching up to do. Maybe we could try to identify the 'Best of' cocktails, so we know which ones definately not to skip. Oh, and the Breast Caresser, by the way, would not be on the list.

[Vesper Lynd]

Boy, we're really cruising now!

I hope no one minds if I go back to re-try some of these great sounding cocktails!

Sounds good, it would be great to get a second opinion on some of the recipes we've tried

[eje]

Bosom Caresser Cocktail*

The Yolk of 1 Egg
1 Teaspoonful of Grenadine (uh, oops, I forgot the grenadine)
1/3 Curacao (3/4 oz Brizard Orange Curacao)
2/3 Brandy (1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
(dash Regan's orange bitters - eje)

Shake well and strain into medium size glass. (Squeeze Orange Peel on top. - eje)

*This might be called the "Bobby Jones" or the "Francis Ouimet" Cocktail, as these two gentleman, usually so chary of expressing preferences, distinctly expressed one for this concoction.

Bobby Jones and Francis Ouimet were well known American golfers. I can't tell if the quote above is some sort of swipe at them. Lady's Men? Golf balls are similar to egg yolks?

The cocktail is pretty tasty, in a rich, egg-ey, orange-ey, (phlegm inducing,) kind of way. I guess my missing the grenadine robbed me of a subtle pink hue. A float of grenadine (or pama) might be cool. I can't say I feel inspired to go back and try it again, though, at least tonight.

Edited by eje, 24 February 2007 - 10:10 PM.

[David Santucci]

Brandy Gump
1 Hooker of Brandy (1 3/4 oz Rémy Martin VS)
The Juice of 1 Lemon (1/4 oz, strained)
2 Dashes Grenadine (1 tsp, homemade)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Garnish with a twist of lemon.)

This one was a long time coming. First there was the incident with using Middle Eastern Orange Flower Water in my homemade grenadine. Then I bought a bottle of Martell VS brandy, which was terrible. So, I got myself a decent mixing cognac, made a new batch of Grenadine (with just pomegranate juice and sugar), and got back on track.

If a hooker is really a small shot, then this drink would end up with almost as much lemon juice as Brandy. I tried it like that, and, predictably, it was awful. So I made it just like I would a Jack Rose. As long as the ratio of Cognac to sweet and sour was high enough, this was a very nice cocktail, and one worth considering some night you are craving a Sidecar and want to shake things up a bit (but not too much).

[eje]

If a hooker is really a small shot, then this drink would end up with almost as much lemon juice as Brandy. I tried it like that, and, predictably, it was awful. So I made it just like I would a Jack Rose. As long as the ratio of Cognac to sweet and sour was high enough, this was a very nice cocktail, and one worth considering some night you are craving a Sidecar and want to shake things up a bit (but not too much).

David... Quite an adventure, sounds like! Thanks for persevering.

re: hooker. Check the Savoy receipt for the "Nose-Dive Cocktail". In it you place a "hooker" of gin in the bottom of an "ordinary tumbler", then fill the tumbler with ginger ale, "until almost to the top of the small glass."

The whole thing is then quickly downed. "That is, everything but the small glass."

From that recipe, it seems to me a hooker has to be a small-ish shot glass.

I was wondering about the name, Brandy Gump. Along with being slang for a stupid person, according to the wikipedia and several airplane websites, GUMP is "an acronym for 'Gas,' 'Undercarriage,' 'Mixture,' and 'Propeller.' It is a mnemonic to help a pilot to check four critical items in an airplane prior to landing."

I wonder if the Brandy Gump is another WW I flyboy cocktail?

[eje]

re: Brandy Gump Recipe

Certainly an odd one. Skimming the Savoy Cocktail book, it's the only cocktail I could find that calls for the juice of a whole lemon. Most sours and fizzes call for the juice of a half a lemon.

That fact does make me wonder if it's a typo, a missing ingredient, or just the preference of someone who liked really sour cocktails.

While unsweetened citrus cocktails do exist among the recipes, I'd be inclined to be generous with the grenadine and maybe even give it a squirt of soda.

[Splificator]

That fact does make me wonder if it's a typo, a missing ingredient, or just the preference of someone who liked really sour cocktails.

The recipe in the Savoy book is lifted verbatim from the 1927 Here's How, by Judge, Jr., a popular little American cocktail booklet that Craddock appears to have known (the French 75 is also in it, and pretty much nowhere else).

As for the name, I suspect it was a play on "Andy Gump," a popular cartoon character of the day.

[slkinsey]

The Gumps on Wikipedia.

[Vesper Lynd]

.......
I was wondering about the name, Brandy Gump.  Along with being slang for a stupid person, according to the wikipedia and several airplane websites, GUMP is "an acronym for 'Gas,' 'Undercarriage,' 'Mixture,' and 'Propeller.' It is a mnemonic to help a pilot to check four critical items in an airplane prior to landing."

I wonder if the Brandy Gump is another WW I flyboy cocktail?

A nice theory but unlikely given that aircraft of the day (WWI) had fixed undercarriage, and variable pitch propellers were not commonly used until the 1930's

[eje]

Cool!

So, a cartoon fan who liked very sour brandy cocktails!

Noted...

I still think it would be improved with some soda. But, that is my personal preference, not an historical speculation.

[eje]

I tried a Brandy Crusta sort of half way between the Savoy and the Jerry Thomas recipe. Quite enjoyed it.

Brandy Crusta for 2:

4 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Brizard Curacao
Juice 1/2 lemon
2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Boker's Bitters (Bother them, maybe they'll make another batch!)

Followed Thomas procedure shaking with cracked ice, and straining into small sugared glasses with a half a pared lemon peel each. Unfortunately, pictures didn't really turn out very well. Need to work on my sugared rim technique and sharpen my paring knife.



Sadly not pretty.

Tasty, though.

Edited by eje, 01 March 2007 - 04:14 PM.

[eje]

Brandy Special Cocktail

3 or 4 Dashes Gomme Syrup (1 cube demerara sugar)
2 or 3 Dashes Bitters (Angostura)
1 Wineglass Brandy (2 oz Korbel VSOP Brandy)
1 or 2 Dashes Curacao (2 barspoons Brizard Orange Curacao)

(Soak sugar cube in bitters and crush with muddler in bottom of old fashioned glass. Add Curacao, and stir. Add brandy, stir.) Squeeze lemon peel; fill one-third full of (cracked) ice, and stir with a spoon.

Growing up in Wisconsin, the Curacao here is a bit twee, not to mention the use of Korbel VSOP. Doesn't hurt, though, and gives a bit of leeway to us city folk.

Anyway, if you can master this simple formula, (or find a bartender who does,) you may not find much cause to sample other cocktails.

[eje]

The above "Brandy Special Cocktail" is pretty much the verbatim recipe for the "Brandy Cocktail" from Jerry Thomas' "How To Mix Drinks".

Brandy Cocktail
(Use small bar-glass.)
Take 3 or 4 dashes of gum syrup.
2 dashes of bitters (Boker's or Angostura).
1 wine-glass of brandy.
1 or 2 dashes of Curacoa.

Fill the glass one-third full of shaved ice, shake up
well and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a small
piece of lemon rind in it and serve.

The only real difference being the Savoy doesn't mention straining it into a cocktail glass. Is that the "Special" part? Or is it just assumed you will strain it into a cocktail glass?

I have to admit I kind of prefer it with ice in the glass, whether cracked or cubes. It makes it more of a leisurely drink. I also think using dry sugar is a nice touch. The sugar doesn't all dissolve at the start, and the drink remains balanced and interesting as the ice melts and dissolves more of the sugar.

In point of fact, you could create a matrix with every liqueur, liquor, bitters and sugar in your cupboards, make the above cocktail with them, and probably come across few bad drinks. You might even find some interesting new combinations.

[eje]

Brandy Vermouth Cocktail

1 Dash Angostura Bitters
1/4 Italian Vermouth (3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso)
3/4 Brandy (2 1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac Ambre)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass

For some reason I didn't have much hope for this cocktail. Maybe the not very original name? Or perhaps I expected the Italian Vermouth to overpower the Cognac?

In any case, here's another Savoy cocktail that defied my expectations.

Tasty and complex. The vermouth nicely underscores elements of the Cognac without overpowering it. The dash of bitters punches it up slightly. The elements combine for some subtle cherry-ish flavors you wouldn't expect from any of the components. Nice.

[evilhomer]

this reminds me of the affinity which mixed scotch and sweet vermouth into something surprisingly synergistic. Those have been a welcome regular since you brought them up (in july?) and I'm very eager to try this aptly named concoction too.

[eje]

Brazil Cocktail

1 Dash Angostura Bitters
1 Dash Absinthe (1/4 barspoon Verte de Fougerolles Absinthe)
1/2 French Vermouth (2 oz Noilly Prat)
1/2 Sherry (2 oz Lustau Solera Reserva Dry Oloroso Sherry "Don Nuño")

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.

The Absinthe and Lemon add a nice flavor to the Sherry and Vermouth. The flavors were actually more interesting as it warmed in the glass than when I first poured it. Still, not something I would likely choose to sample again.

[eje]

Breakfast Cocktail

1/3 Grenadine (3/4 oz homemade)
2/3 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)
The White of 1 Egg

Shake well and strain into large wine glass.

A slightly grenadinier "Pink Lady"? Nom de cocktail so men can order grenadine and gin without being embarrassed?

I'm fond of grenadine and gin, so had no problems drinking this down.

[eje]

Broadway Smile Cocktail

1/3 Creme de Cassis (Brizard Cassis de Bourdeaux)
1/3 Swedish Punch (Facile Swedish Punch)
1/3 Cointreau

Use liqueur glass and pour carefully so that ingredients do not mix.

Of the layered liqueur cocktails I've tried so far, I have to say this is my favorite. Unfortunately, it involves a nearly impossible to find ingredient, Swedish Punch.

The kindness of internet strangers has resulted in my possession of a tiny amount of real Swedish punch and I have used a good bit of it here.

The only problem with now having tasted Swedish Punch is that I realize how far off my attempt to replicate it was. Well, that and the realization that Batavia Arrack has as much to do with Sri Lankan Arrack as Austrian Rum as to do with Jamaican Rum. That is to say, almost zilch.

Perhaps someone with a wider range of drinking experience will have a suggestion for something to replace the Swedish punch here. I'm coming up blank.

[eje]

Broken Spur Cocktail

1 Egg Yolk
2/3 White Port (2 oz Quinto do Infantado White Port)
1/6 Dry Gin (1 oz Tanqueray)
1/6 Gancia Vermouth (1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth)
1 teaspoon Brisard (sic.) Anisette (1 teaspoon Anis del Mono Dulce)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. - eje)

Once again, my poor grasp of fractions betrayed me. I thought the vermouth seemed a bit heavy in the flavor profile.

The drink seemed a little flat to start out with. The nutmeg, (not pictured), punched it up greatly, and I highly recommend adding it as a garnish.

The drink itself is one of the better eggey flip-ey things I've tried. Liked it much more than I expected.

Edited by eje, 15 March 2007 - 09:18 AM.

[Vesper Lynd]

I'm interested to know if the Quinto do Infantado White Port, is sweet or dry. From my reading I understand that white ports are often quite dry.

[eje]

I'm interested to know if the Quinto do Infantado White Port, is sweet or dry. From my reading I understand that white ports are often quite dry.

Yes, it is a dry white port.

This is only the second white port I've tried. I think the other might have been Churchill's. It was some time ago; but, I believe this one is quite a bit drier than that one was.

It's interesting, despite their ostensible similarities, I find white ports much more to my taste than Fino Sherries. Not sure exactly why, as my tasting of both classes of wine has been pretty limited so far.

[David Santucci]

Bronx Cocktail

The Juice of ¼ Orange (¾ oz. fresh-squeezed, strained)
¼ French Vermouth (¾ oz. Noilly Prat)
¼ Italian Vermouth (¾ oz. Cinzano Rosso)
½ Dry Gin (1½ oz. Citadelle)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Stir, garnish with orange twist.)

One can easily see why this drink was so popular. It tastes strongly of Vermouth, but the Orange Juice helps all the ingredients to blend, which they do nicely. I tried another version (David Embury's), with more Martini-like proportions: 6 parts gin to 1 part everything else. It was awful—there is a reason Sweet and Medium Martinis are not very popular. Stick to the classic proportions on this one and you will have a drink that all but the most Vermouth-averse will enjoy.

Edited by David Santucci, 15 March 2007 - 10:12 AM.

[eje]

Broken Spur Cocktail

1 Egg Yolk
2/3 White Port (2 oz Quinto do Infantado White Port)
1/6 Dry Gin (1 oz Tanqueray)
1/6 Gancia Vermouth (1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth)
1 teaspoon Brisard (sic.) Anisette (1 teaspoon Anis del Mono Dulce)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.  (Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. - eje)

Some things I discovered this AM. Apparently there is a very similar cocktail (slightly different vermouth to gin ratio and a whole egg) called the "Broker's Flip". There is a cocktail made with unspecified port, sweet vermouth, and curacao also called the "Broken Spur". The port, vermouth, and curacao version appears to be nominally more common, at least in a cursory search of internet sites which collect cocktail recipes. In the cocktaildb, the Savoy version of the Broken Spur is called the "Broken Spur Variation".

Though I've never seen it in my travels, Gancia Vermouth appears to still be made. Not sure why it is specified here. Whether its inclusion just means it is important to use a decent Italian Vermouth, if there is some special quality to the Gancia, or if it was an ad/sponsorship thing like the Booth's gin in some of the recipes.

Edited by eje, 15 March 2007 - 11:13 AM.

[eje]

Bronx Cocktail

The Juice of 1/4 Orange (Juice 1 Page Mandarin)
1/4 French Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth)
1/4 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Carpano Punt e Mes)
1/2 Dry Gin (1 oz Beefeater's Gin, 1 oz Tanqueray Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Ahem, this did end up a bit on the extra-large size. But, really, the Bronx is one of my favorite cocktails and I was thirsty. Anyway, I figured David had covered the basics, so I could feel free to do whatever I wanted.

I hardly ever get to use Punt e Mes for anything, so its bitter kick seemed like a good idea. Finished off the nearly empty Beefeater's and Tanqueray bottles. The orange we had in the fridge was in worse shape than I had remembered, so the mandarin had to stand in.

I've read a number of sources that say the Bronx was something of a cocktail non grata in the 40s and 50s. I don't really understand why. Especially, if you squeeze athe quarter of a juice orange right over the mixing shaker, the light fresh orange juice flavor and the smell of the slightly sharp orange oils are quite pleasant, combining with the gin and vermouths. I'll admit I am slightly more partial to the "Income Tax" or "Bronx with Bitters" so using Punt e Mes gets me closer to that drink.

Is the derision heaped on the Bronx because of too much orange juice? Bad syrupy orange juice from concentrate? Bathtub Gin hangovers? Something we can blame on Anita Bryant?

Probably not; but, ditch the Minute Maid from concentrate, and rediscover this classic the way it's meant to be.

Edited by eje, 16 March 2007 - 11:42 AM.