eje

Isn't "cocktail sherry" sweeter than that? Like an oloroso? ← I've only ever had one Oloroso (I think it was the Rey Fernando de Castilla Antique Oloroso) and it was awesome but I found it to have no apparent sweetness on the palate (though there is of course RS). Does the sweetness of Oloroso vary between producers? ← "Oloroso" refers to production methods. While Oloroso sherries are often used as a base for sweet style sherries, this isn't necessarily the case. They do tend to be richer in flavor, but not necessarily sweet. The one I've used from time to time in cocktails, Emilio Lustau Solera Reserva Dry Oloroso, isn't very sweet at all. From a wikipedia article on Oloroso: On the whole, I tend to assume the sherries called for in cocktails, unless otherwise specified, are supposed to be dry style sherries.

Huh, now that I think about it, that is very similar to this cocktail I read about in in the Jan/Feb Imbibe Magazine:

[Moderator note: This topic became too large for our servers to handle, so we've divided it up; the earlier parts are here: Stomping Through the "Savoy" (2006–2007) and Stomping Through the "Savoy" (2007–2008)] Someone asked me, "What's up with the Savoy topic?" The short answer is, I'm taking a half time break. I've made approximately 450 out of the 900 or so cocktail in the book and the Savoy and I need some time apart. The longer answer is, this year I'm interested in accumulating a bit more real world experience in cocktail making. It's fun and interesting to make the cocktails, do the research, and publish them online. But after a while, I've gotten an urge to somehow apply this knowledge to some practical exercise. To that end, I've been helping Alembic Bar relaunch their monthly Savoy Cocktail Book nights. Follow the Alembic Blog for dates, details and information. The events are a blast and it's pretty crazy to see what drinks people will pick when confronted with a whole book of cocktails to choose from. Death & Co has 75 cocktails on their list? Piffle, we've got 900 on Savoy Night! Of course, Death & Co has 75 good cocktails... In addition, I've somehow convinced a bartender friend that I'm a good gamble and will be working as a bartender for him a night a week. I'm pretty excited about this as well, as it will scratch my itch to get back into the restaurant industry in some way, shape, or form. Not to mention a chance to learn from some of San Francisco's most talented bartenders. So there we are. I hope your New Year is as exciting and promising as mine! The Stomp will be back, never fear!

Still enjoying "reverse" Manhattans. Latest variation: 1 oz Michter's Straight Rye 2-3 oz Punt e Mes 4 dashes Angostura Build over rocks in tumbler. Garnish with an orange twist if you're feeling fancy. Great after a heavy meal, but I could drink these all night.

I believe there is a company in the San Francisco area run by a local bartender... Oh what's it called? Oh yeah, Small Hand Foods. That Sicilian stuff mentioned up topic, may have been the last hold out. But it doesn't look like A.G. Ferrari imports it any more.

Interesting points about looking down at the liquid in the Oxo measuring cup. I use the doubled set of conical metal jiggers, instead of the mixed ones the gentlemen from the East Coast use: 1/2oz-1oz, 3/4oz-1 1/2oz, 1oz-2oz One point I will make, and that I ignored for a long time: There is a huge variety of jiggers on the market in the US and most of them aren't marked or perhaps even accurate. If you're making recipes with absolute measurements, at least take the time to figure out what size those mystery jiggers are. That is one place the Oxo measuring cup comes in handy.

I have to respectfully disagree with this, Mickael. As a Brandy fan, one of the fun things for me has been experimenting with different Brandies and Cognacs in various Savoy cocktails. Seeing which work out well and which I lose interest in before finishing the bottle. To me, using Grand Marnier instead of Cognac and Orange Liqueur, is similar to using B&B instead of Brandy and Benedictine. The Brandy in B&B is OK brandy. But there is no way it is going to match the interest of a well chosen stand alone Brandy in the drink. I feel the same about the Cognac used in Grand Marnier's manufacture. I'll use Grand Marnier where it is called for, and sometimes experiment with it where Orange Curacao is called for, but I'm not going to use it to replace the Cognac (or Brandy) and orange liqueur in a drink. Well, maybe, if I was stuck with a choice between Grand Marnier and bad brandy combined with awful triple sec.

Fair enough. Here's a question, though. In these books, you see all these recipes for ersatz versions of such and such. Or ways to stretch the actual products, in the case of whiskeys and brandies. What do you think would be more likely to have been used in the 19th Century American bar, an actual imported Curacao or a forged one? That is to say, would you have a more authentic 19th Century Curacao by soaking orange peels in pot distilled alcohol and diluting with strong syrup or by buying Grand Marnier? And at what point is it worthwhile? I know that an "authentic" Mai Tai is maybe with DeKuyper Curacao, Commercial Orgeat, and Rock Candy Syrup. The rum is, of course pretty much gone, sadly. But a much better Mai Tai is made with Bols Dry Orange Curacao (which we should get them to import to the US), homemade Orgeat, etc.

Don't you have the Giffard products available up there in Canada? Hmm, I guess not in Ontario. There is something called Bols Red Orange Curacao, whatever that is, available in limited quantities... I guess I'd just use Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

The point of reproducing the recipe from Jerry Thomas was to point out that it is pretty unlikely that anyone in America was using anything like Grand Marnier as Curacao. And the region called Malines is in Holland, so using a Dutch Curacao seems more authentic than a French one. Lovely though Grand Marnier may be, I really don't think it has any real claim as an authentic Curacao for American recipes from the 19th Century. And we know that Trader Vic created the Mai Tai with DeKuyper Curacao. So again, Dutch Curacao is what we're looking for here. It's just too bad that most of the Dutch brands available in the US currently are so mediocre. Personally, I still think the best option for Orange Curacao is Luxardo Triplum. It's about the only one of the bunch with both the sweetness and orange intensity to be worth using in "dash" quantities.

I'm not really sure anyone needs Grand Marnier, unless they are inordinately fond of B-52s and the like, but it doesn't hurt to have it. Remember, any Tiki Type recipe is likely calling for something like the DeKuyper or Bols Curacao, which are neutral spirits based. In regards 19th Century drink making, I was reading through the Mud Puddle re-release of the 1862 The Bartender's Guide: How to Mix Drinks: A Bon Vivant's Companion and came across recipe 188 in the first section (not Christian Schultz) section of the book: Any insight into the function of alum and potash? Is that just to clarify and preserve?

I believe most Italian Vermouth is made on a base of a white wine, say something like Muscat Canelli. The color comes from caramelized sugar/caramel coloring. There are some Italian aperitivos, like Barolo Chinato, which are made on a red wine base.

After enjoying a couple Jack Rose cocktails at Alembic the other night, Mrs. eje requested something similar for tonight's before dinner drink for our Arizona Christmas. Desert Rose 1 1/2 oz Fine Calvados Cardinal 3/4 oz Prickly Pear Syrup 1/2 oz Lime Juice Splash Pom Pomegranate Juice Shake, Strain, Cocktail Glass. Was quite surprised at how shockingly pink this turned out. Tasty, though, and met with approval on all fronts. Even Mom and her new boyfriend. edit... And I'm drinking Vermouth Cocktails with heavy bitters and a stick (Saz Jr.) after dinner. Nice digestiv.

As a home drink maker, it took me far too many inconsistent and bad drinks to realize that I do need to measure. Well, that and that a cocktail with 4oz of booze isn't necessarily better than a cocktail with 2oz of same. Having learned these couple things, I try to pass the lessons on, but it is often hard going, even in the face of obvious facts, to get friends to start measuring their drinks. To a lot of them, I think, it just seems stingy or anal. "Why aren't you giving me more booze?" I've heard some of the same, I suppose, from bartenders and patrons. Measure with a jigger into an empty clear pint glass and it just looks like less booze than if you free pour into ice. Even if the amount you end up straining into the glass is the same. Ultimately, counting and jiggers are just tools to get to the same place: consistent well made drinks. Do either with style, panache, and authority and it looks impressive. Do either badly, and I'll stick with a beer, thank you very much.

Yeah, I gotta do a side by side soon. Pick up a few sweet vermouths and try them together.

Because syrup making is so much like sorbet making, I really like the idea of changing the phase of one of the syrup ingredients in a cocktail. You sort of have to change the function of the syrup, because both the cocktail and the sorbet need to be balanced enough to enjoy them on their own. But when it works out, you can get a cocktail that is interesting and evolves as the solid and liquid portions combine. The other week, I'd read a dessert recipe in our local paper, Pomegranate Granita with Cardamom Cream & Rose Meringues and thought, damn if there isn't a good drink hiding in that dessert, I'm not a crazy Drinky Sorbet maker. Maybe a spiced Jack Rose type cocktail with a small scoop of Pomegranate sorbet in the middle of the glass. First thing I set about making was Pomegranate Sorbet. Unfortunately, holiday errands prevented a trip to the Farmers' Market, so I ended up buying Knudsen Just Pomegranate instead of using fresh. I've used the Knudsen Just Pomegranate in Grenadine before, and thought it OK. But whenever I've tried the juice on its own, I've found it incredibly tannic. For a while, I thought that was just the way natural pomegranate was supposed to be. That is, until I tried fresh squeezed pomegranate juice from the Farmers' Market. Admittedly, there is an evolution through the pomegranate season, from young and tart Pomegranates to sweet and ripe late season softballs. But no fresh juice I've ever tried has anywhere near the tannic character of the Knudsen. But I thought, if it works OK in grenadine, it will work OK in a sorbet. Well, the short answer is you never know which flavors will be suppressed by temperature and which will be enhanced. Dear god was that a tannic and medicinal tasting sorbet. As she had just finished a glass of the Just Pomegranate, Mrs. eje said, "Yes, that is an exact and enhanced version of the Knudsen juice." Thinking about it, they must have some sort of technological flaw with their juicing process. Too much of the white flesh or seeds are being crushed and contaminating the juice. It's the only thing I can figure out. So sadly, no spiced changed phase jack rose like cocktail for me this month.

We had the Dry and Rouge (aka Sweet) Dolin Vermouths in CA previous to the arrangement Haus Alpenz has reached with the manufacturer. The Rouge is less carried in liquor stores, so you have to try a bit to hunt it down. I'd tasted the Dolin Rouge on its own out at a bar. Intrigued by that taste, I'd picked up a bottle of the Dolin Rouge a couple months ago, but hadn't had a chance to use it in Savoy cocktails. Recently finished a bottle of Carpano Antica, so I took the opportunity last night to make myself a Fourth Degree with the Dolin Rouge. I tried both my usual 4-1-1 and the traditional 1-1-1 version using Dolin Vermouths and Junipero. My initial reaction is, "In a cocktail this doesn't work at all like any other sweet vermouth I've tried". It is lighter in sweetness and stronger in herb/spice/bitterness. The bitterness is almost at Punt e Mes levels. I'm still kind of puzzling out whether I think it will work as an "Italian Vermouth" in Savoy Cocktails, but my initial reaction is, "probably not". At least not without recipe adjustment. I'm curious what others think about using the Rouge in classic cocktails. Does it work better with certain spirits?

Couple months ago I was out at Alembic with some friends. Chatting with Daniel Hyatt about this and that. I wasn't sure if they were still doing their Savoy Cocktail Book nights, so I asked about it. He said they hadn't for a while, but then suggested perhaps that I get involved somehow and we could relaunch them. That it might somehow be good for both the bar and for my interests. Of course I said, "uh yeah!" I felt like asking him, "What is this, Make a Wish Foundation Night?" I would totally love to be involved. But being raised in the Midwest, I have been trained to expect the worst. That he wouldn't call back or was just pulling my leg. We got together again, talked some more, examined our schedules, and thought perhaps the 14th of December might work. Well, OK then.... Unless some freak storm destroys all of the Upper Haight in the next couple days, it appears Sunday, December 14th, 2008 will see the triumphant return of the Savoy Cocktail Book night at Alembic Bar. That day, starting at about 3 PM, should you choose to stop by Alembic, instead of choosing from their normal assortment of wonderful libations, you will instead be able to choose from the length and breadth of the Savoy Cocktail Book. You want a Bosom Caresser, we'll make it. You want a Damn-The-Weather, we'll make it. You want a Hoop La! we'll make it. Or well, do our best. I'm not sure of the exact fine print. And, yeah, apparently a certain middle aged cocktail enthusiast will be involved in some manner or another. At the very least, I'm bringing the Orgeat. So all this week, I've been practicing making Savoy Cocktails using a few speed pourer topped bottles filled with water. But the other night I got to a cocktail I've been looking forward to for years and just couldn't resist. The Nose-Dive Cocktail Take one hooker of Gin (Beefeater's), place in it an olive (Picholine Olive), then deposit the glass carefully in the bottom of an ordinary tumbler. Fill the said tumbler with Water, Ginger Ale, or What Have You (Fever Tree Bitter Lemon), until almost to the top of the small glass, then down the whole thing quickly. That is, everything but the small glass. Note: This Cocktail is very among pilots on American Flying Fields. In his prohibition era tome, "Here's How!" Judge Jr. notes this was, “Contributed by “Billy” from Wheeler field, Hawaii. This is the aviator’s favorite—let’s go.” Not sure where you're thinking of flying to, but if your tank's low and you're near the Upper Haight, San Francisco, CA, USA, Sunday, December 14th, be sure to stop by Alembic. We'll have just about all you'll need to refuel and get you prepped to weather the holiday turbulence.

Here's my heretic question for the week: Why do I need to use a julep strainer? I have hawthorn style strainers that fit in all my tins. All drinks are double strained through a tea strainer. I just find julep strainers to be a pain. Especially if you're cracking your cubes, little pieces of ice always get around the sides of the strainer. Other than tradition and they look kind of cool, someone give me a good reason to use one.

Since the OXO strainer fits snugly over a 16 and 18 oz metal tin or tempered bar glass, another possibility is to pour the drink out of the smaller tin of your boston shaker set.

It's best guess, for the most part, unless you've got a hydrometer. I microplane the peel and after infusing squeeze it out as much as possible in a cheese cloth before further filtering. As far as I can tell, there's not much liquid left in the peel. It's not as possible to squeeze the peel if you just use a vegetable peeler to separate it from the rest of the orange. There are a couple commercial cream 'cellos on the market, but I have to admit my general aversion to dairy hasn't given me much interest in sampling them. Not to mention my aversion to commercial 'cellos.

If any of you read (or write) blogs which cover cocktails, you might know that Paul over at Cocktail Chronicles has been organizing a monthly online cocktail event he calls Mixology Mondays. This month's event is being hosted by Craig over on his blog Tiki Drinks & Indigo Firmaments The theme is Spice. To quote Craig from his explanation of the topic: If you would like to participate, please write up a cocktail in this topic before Monday, Dec 15th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and email them to the organizer. Savory or sweet, raid the spice cabinet and let's get mixing!

Haus Alpenz has begun importing Dolin Vermouth into the US. According to what I've read, there are three varieties, Dry, Sweet, and Blanc. I'm familiar with the Dry and enjoy it in most classic cocktail applications calling for French Vermouth. To me it has an especially appealing way of disappearing into a drink and at the same time accenting the flavors. One of the few dry vermouths where I feel like I can actually taste the Artemesia. A Fifty-Fifty with Junipero, Dolin Dry, and a couple dashes of orange bitters is one of my favorite Martini-like cocktails. I haven't had much chance to experiment with the Sweet in cocktails, but enjoyed it when I tasted it a while back. From what I remember it had much less caramelized sugar character than the Carpano Antica I tried it against and a bit more herbal complexity. I wasn't aware that Dolin made a Blanc variety, but look forward to trying that as well. I am curious though what reactions anyone has gotten when substituting the Dolin Dry for other Dry Vermouths. Or if you have hints for cocktails where the Dolin Vermouth doesn't seem to work well.

The Nevada Cocktail 1 Hooker of Bacardi Rum. (1 1/2 oz Montecristo White) The Juice of 1/2 Grapefruit. (Shoot, should have measured.) The Juice of 1 Lime. (Juice 1/2 lemon) Powdered Sugar. (Scant teaspoon caster sugar) 1 Dash Bitters. (1 dash Angostura) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. This is another one from Judge Jr.'s prohibition era tome, "Here's How!" Actually probably the best drink of any from that book so far. Really highlights the floral flavors of the rum, grapefruit, and bitters. About all I'd say is it's a bit too large. Divided in two, this would be a good appetizer cocktail. Bittersweet and tart. This large and it gets a bit acid-ey on the stomach by the end.

I haven't tried the new American version of Noilly Dry yet. I have seen the Noilly Sweet in the new bottles, so I imagine it is right around the corner. I'm curious, but to be honest I don't really care that much. It's Bacardi, fer cripes sake. I'd rather not buy anything from them if I don't have to. I've been using Dolin Dry for about a year now and have enjoyed how it works in about every cocktail I've tried it in. ...And Eric Seed doesn't even pay me to say that... I am curious though what reactions anyone has gotten when substituting the Dolin Dry for other Dry Vermouths. Or if you have hints for cocktails where it doesn't seem to work well.