ThinkingBartender

A cake, perhaps?

I think discussion of the garnishes, for a Manhattan, would be in order; of which I have found only lemon (slice or twist) as being pre-1900. When did the cherry get popped into the drink? And who is responsible for the sweet=cherry, dry=twist dictum?

I think one of the problems is the spirit-centric view that people have; the whiskey is seen as the main ingredient, whereas I feel it is the vermouth that is the focal point of a Manhattan. Before Manhattans came along, people were drinking whiskey cocktails; when Vermouth became the big thing in America, the Manhattan came along. The Manhattan is all about the Vermouth. The 1:2 Manhattan is a hell of a drink; I recommend using a strong abv bourbon to go with all that Vermouth. Cheers! George

Dear All, It seems to me that as some Cocktail "experts" are advocating using less and less vermouth in their Manhattan Cocktails that there is a need to redefine the terminology to be used in association with this classic mixed drink. Personally I think there is a need for vermouth heavy Manhattan recipes; it, of course, comes down to what it is you are trying to highlight in the flavour profile of the mixed drink. The older recipes did not shy away from vermouth; so this should be seen as a sign that vermouth is to be highly regarded in this drink, and not relegated to a mere whisper; simply present, perhaps, to allow it to be technically called a Manhattan, rather than a Whiskey Cocktail (in a dirty glass!-) My suggestions: Heavy Manhattan 1 1/2 shot of 50%abv American Whiskey (Bourbon or Rye). 1 1/2 shot of Vermouth (Sweet or Dry). dashes of Angostura Bitters (non-optional) dashes of Absinthe (optional)* dashes of Grenadine Syrup(optional)* dashes of Orange Liqueur (optional)* dashes of Maraschino Liqueur (not the syrup)* Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a twist of Lemon. *any, all or none of these ingredients can be used. Light Manhattan 2 shots of American Whisky (Bourbon or Rye) 1 shot of Vermouth (Sweet or Dry) dashes of Angostura Bitters Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a twist of Lemon. Very-Light Manhattan 2 1/2 shots of American Whisky (Bourbon or Rye) 1/2 shot of Vermouth (Sweet or Dry) dashes of Angostura Bitters Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a twist of Lemon. For anyone wondering, there is no room in my recipes for so-called "Perfect" Manhattans; its either or, not both; choose the one vermouth you want; sweet or dry; with default being the Sweet Vermouth. Cheers! George S. p.s. If you want to see some old Manhattan recipes, then click here!

Red Admiral 1-1/2 fl oz Havana Club 3yo Rum. 3/4 fl oz White Creme de Cacao. 3/4 fl oz Fresh Lime Juice 1/4 fl oz Raspberry Puree. Eggwhite Shake with Ice, and then strain into Cocktail Glass; Garnish with a Raspberry, it should be floating on the surface foam. Keywords: Cocktail, British ( RG1877 )

http://www.sismondo.blogspot.com/ Is she just another internet cocktail pundit?

A dyslexic man might see the G as a C; Gowanus is a name that is just asking for trouble.

I guess Lemon Vodka could be used instead of Gin in the Peach Collins.

Peach Collins; Gin, Lemon Juice, Peach, soda-water. Lychee Collins; Gin, Lemon Juice, Lychee, soda-water. Blackberry Collins; Brandy or Bourbon Whisky, Lime Juice, Blackberry, soda-water.

As well as choosing the sour in a Collins to compliment the spirit better; the same will be true of Fruit Collins (i.e. Collins made with the addition of fruit!-). Most fresh fruits or purees work better with either lime or lemon. A Raspberry Collins, using this idea, would be Vodka or Rum, Lime Juice, Raspberry, Sodawater. A Strawberry Collins, would be Gin or Scotch Whisky, Lemon Juice, Strawberries, Sodawater. Cheers! George

Of all the books in Stavanger Library, I never expected to find a 1976 edition of the Savoy Cocktail Book. Needless to say, it is in front of me now. As I was veiwing it I came to the Collins section: "The Savoy Cocktail Book," by Harry Craddock, 1976 Edition Collins. Rum Collins. Juice of 1 Lime. 1 teaspoon Powdered Sugar. 2 oz. Rum. Shake with ice and strain into collins glass. Add ice, fill with carbonated water, and stir. Decorate with slice of lemon and a cherry. Serve with a straw. Tom Collins. The Juice of 1/2 Lemon. 1/2 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar. 1 Glass Dry Gin. Shake well and strain into long tumbler. Add 1 lump ice and split of soda water. Tom Collins Whisky. 5 or 6 dashes of Gomme Syrup. The Juice of 1 Small Lemon. 1 Large Wineglass Whisky. 2 or 3 Lumps of Ice. Use small bar glass. Shake well and strain into a large bar glass. Fill up the glass with plain soda water and imbibe while it is lively. Vodka Collins. Make same as Rum Collins but use Vodka instead of Rum. Overall the inconsistent specifications of glasses (collins, large bar glass, long tumbler) is quite strange. But more interesting is the use of either Lemon or Lime in the recipe; possibly down to the suitability of each to the spirit being used. This is cool. The ingredients dictating the sour to be used in the recipe, rather than the name of the drink dictating. This reminds me of a Webtender Discussion Thread Sours, Collins, whatever, the spirit should decide. Cheers! George S. http://www.wiki.webtender.com/wiki/

As you got the Boulevard from Dale's book, there is the possibility that a Flamed Orange Peel is not the original garnish.

Does anyone have a copy of this 'New York Sun'? ← The New York Sun is a newspaper; G. Selmers fougner was the Cocktail Columnist who would ask his readers for their recipes. The chances are that the Boulevard is one of the recipes from the New York Sun readers; this explains why it is not listed in books other than DeGroffs; it is a modern resurrection of an old, though not classic, recipe. If Milk and Honey got the recipe from DeGroff's book, then you could try contacting him; or David Wondrich (NYC cocktail historian).

Well without the ice (and therefore extra dilution) they must be even more deadly than they already are. Or maybe its just me.

Erik, I would assume that the whole point of reverting to the Old Fashioned Style of Whiskey Cocktail was a revolt against the Shaken with crushed ice drink. No-one shakes their Whisky Cocktail anymore, so this was a smart move. Even serving a straight up Old Fashioned would seem a little odd to me. Cheers! George

Try contacting Milk and Honey; as they have the Boulevard on their menu. kirsten@mlkhny.com or jd@mlkhny.com

Erik: When do you envisage reaching the last cocktail in the Savoy Cocktail Book? Perhaps you should write a companion to the SCB; a reader or something like that.

The Sour seems to have included a squirt of sodawater in the early recipes. The Jerry Thomas Daisy Recipes are even more strange as there seems to be very little in the way of common ingredients. If you arrange all the ingredients in your favour and sub in the right main spirit, then you can come up with Margaritas (trans into Spanish as "Daisy") and Side-cars. And when you get to dashes of red ingredients you come up with a Cosmopolitan (top right of scan)

I don't think that William Schmidt originated the "float some Chartreuse on top", as his reference to it is very dismissive; he refers to it only in passing, and was probably not a class of drink that he particularly cared about. If he did care about it, then he might have listed a full recipe, regardless of whether it is similar to a Sour or not. Jerry Thomas is strange, as he doesn't seem to think that readers will find certain drinks so similar as not to matter; and therefore doesn't bother to differentiate between types of drinks. Also which areas of the US was the daisy originated in? where was it popular? Why did it suddenly become red? was this due to Grokusko in 1908? which must be noted as being the most un-daisy-like daisy in the whole list. I feel that the Daisy was just included by some to fulfil a sense of completeness to their bartender manuals, without the author truly knowing what it was. This subject requires more study; as the Daisy seems more influential than the Crusta in modern Cocktails.

X-posted from Drinkboy forum: I am working on an article which will feature the Daisy, but some early recipes say that it is simply a Sour with the addition of curacao, or chartreuse (yellow). Does anyone have a selection of recipes for the Sour that they can post? One of the reasons I am asking is that Jerry Thomas' Sour recipe is hardly sour at all, calling for 3 dashes of Lemon Juice, while the Daisy recipe calls for the juice of half a lemon; this is quite a difference in flavour. The JT sour does seem to just be a Punch but why did it get classified as a Sour? Also when did the squirt of soda get phased out from the Sour category? I have compiled an extensive list of Daisy Recipes over on the webtender wiki, and would love to do the same for the Sour, anyone care to help me in this endeavour? Just post your recipes here, and I will add them to the wiki. Thanks! George

Some of the recipes don't have soda, some have soda to dissolve the sugar in, while some have a squirt of soda at the end.

The "Sour" used to have a squirt of sodawater also, but it lost it too; same with the daisy recipes I cited before.

Erik, This is a phenomenon that I have experience many times, and really it all boils down to whether a particular person what's to give credit where credit is due; and thus diminish their own prestige. Cheers! George

The Cosmo (1934) seems to have just been another name for a Gin Daisy; looking through other Daisy Recipes I see that it is nothing out of the ordinary daisy-wise. Its just a Gin Daisy, so the chances are that it wasn't changed from another spirit. Although non-bartenders, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way, might have trouble coping with the idea, the Cosmo (1934) is not that different from the Cosmo (1988). Bartenders do this kind of swapping around of ingredients all the time; it sometimes seems like they prefer this than to actually make a cocktail properly. Gin swapped for Vodka, albeit Absolut Citron. Cointreau stays. Lemon juice changed for Lime Juice. Raspberry Syrup changed for Cranberry (its just for colour remember). As for correlating recipes, and by this I assume you mean a Gin Daisy that is also entitled "Cosmopolitan, the answer is no (not yet!-)

Larchmont I think this has been covered sufficiently by Wondrich. Side-car The first two references to the Side-car are from 1922, and they both name MacGarry. MacGarry who? no idea. Though the Buck's Club still exists: Buck's Club: 18 Clifford Street London, England W1S 3RF. 020 7734 2337. Cosmopolitan Toby Cechinni himself says that he did not invent the Cosmopolitan. Cheryl Cook says that she was approached by the Absolut rep to make something new with the recently released Absolut Citron (1988? ref: wikipedia). However, a recently revealed recipe from 1934 for a Cosmpolitan, contained in the Daisy section of a Gin only cocktail recipe book, has the following: "Pioneers of Mixing Gin at Elite Bars 1903-1933," by American Traveling Mixologists, 1934 Cosmopolitan * Jigger Gordons Gin * 2 Dashes Cointreau * Juice of one Lemon * Teaspoon Raspberry Glass No. 4 Shake and strain Too similar to be a coincidence IMHO, especially with the same name. 1988, the launch of Absolut Citron, is before the internet, and I doubt that Cheryl Cook had the slightest inkling that she would be found out.