eje

One of the things that has always bugged me about Senior's Curacao of Curacao, is their spurious claims to be the "authentic" curacao liqueur. I love their liqueur, but it seems to me their claims to be the "authentic" or "original" Orange Curacao just pretty silly. It is true that they are the only liqueur distillery on the Island of Curacao. However, it appears, from their website or another, that the company wasn't even founded until some time in the mid 1800s and both Cointreau and Grand Marnier were making their eponymous products by that time. Anyway, so I asked Philip Duff, who has a relationship with Bols, how long he thought that company had been making Curacao. His response:

Kola Tonic Cocktail 1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Broker's Gin) 2/3 Kola Tonic. (1 1/2 oz Rose's Cola Tonic) 2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (Dash Fee's, Dash Regan's Orange Bitters) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. When I was thinking about this during the day today, I thought it would be pretty awful. But, I thought there would be enough there for me to find it interesting and re-do it as a long drink over ice and with an orange twist. It might be a cultural thing, but I found it just too medicinal to even play with. I'll admit I tried a Burdock natural soda the last time I was in England that wasn't far from these flavors. And the drink is less off balance than I expected. There is a nice bit of bitterness. However, it totally tastes like cough syrup to me.

I guess it would come down to The Bitter Truth, which I haven't tried, and Hermes (I have the Orange, but not the Aromatic bitters). I'm thinking of making another batch of orange bitters, and tweaking it to try and bring some of that Cocchi magic to Lillet cocktails. So, up the cinchona, add a little cinnamon, eliminate and/or reduce the coriander and caraway.... I'm still working this one out in my head. ← TBT Aromatic Bitters are good, have a very nice flavor profile, but I find them to be a little lacking in concentration and thus somewhat tricky to use (it seems to be very easy to make a drink too bitter without adding enough flavor). Hermes aromatic on the other hand, might be the blandest bitters I have ever tasted. ← Rats. Well, I guess it's time to make my own Kina Lillet clone. Though, by the way, the nice folks at Corti Bros tell me they expect to have Cocchi Americano back in stock some time next week. Crossing my fingers!

This middle aged man who is too vain to use reading glasses and carry a flaslight can't wait to visit again...

Knock Out Cocktail 1 Teaspoonful White Crème de Menthe. (Brizard White Creme de Menthe) 1/3 Absinthe. (3/4 oz Absinthe Verte de Fougerolles) 1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Beefeater Gin) 1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Garnish with a spanked Mint Sprig.) Well, this is a lot better than the Glad Eye, and maybe demonstrates a bit better than that cocktail the power of the combination of Absinthe and Mint. Still, the name is pretty apropos...

Knickerbocker Special Cocktail 1 Teaspoonful Raspberry Syrup. (Monin Raspberry Syrup) 1 Teaspoonful Lemon Juice. 1 Teaspoonful Orange Juice. 1 Chunk of Pineapple. 2/3 Rum. (1 1/2 oz Inner Circle Green Rum) 2 Dashes of Curacao. (2/3 tsp. Luxardo Triplum) (Muddle pineapple in juices and spirits. Ice, shake, and double strain into a cocktail glass.) According to Mr. Wondrich's book, "Imbibe!" The Knickerbocker was a popular cocktail in the mid to late 19th Century. Jerry Thomas included a version of the drink in his 1862 book, which went like so: Uh, oops. Well, if I had known that when I was making it, I would have given this drink the same controversial treatment I gave the King Cole! Wondrich goes on to add about the Knickerbocker, "With its rum and its lime juice, its syrups and liqueurs, the Knickerbocker is the spiritual progenitor of the Tiki Drink. Think of it as an 1850s Mai Tai--similar drink, different island." Even in its, "somewhat bastardized form," here in the Savoy Cocktail Book it is a very good drink for a hot day. A tad girly with the raspberry syrup, but with a pleasing and harmonious flavor that belies the seriousness of the rum lurking in the background. edit - fixed instructions a bit.

I know, I was being a bit silly by giving that example. Still, if you travel outside of a few cities, this sort of "all candy, all the time" bar menu is far more common than the rarefied mixology of places like Death & Co. Most of the time, I'd settle for a well made Manhattan, and most of the time I'm disappointed.

And I'm not saying that I don't think that the talented young men at Death & Co don't pull off their large menu. It's just, usually, when I see a long menu, I don't find execution across the board on all the cocktails to be stellar. I mean, long menus usually look something more like this: Smoky's Club Menu Oh yes, scroll past the delicious supper club fare, down to the after dinner cognac. Hmm... That's odd. Why would they list "Ice Cream Drinks" next? The Grasshopper is an "Ice Cream Drink"? Reaching the "Special Ice Cream Drinks" you may start to get a bit nervous. You may break out in a cold sweat as you read the list of "Frosted Margaritas and Daiquiris"? In what sense is a Pina Colada among "Refreshing Exotic Delights"? Perhaps the presence of the "Journalist" at the beginning of the "Martini" section will reassure you. Go no further, if you are a sensitive soul. For page after page of choco-frangel-tastic-berry-tinis await. The horror! Oh, the horror!

Aside from any quality control issues, personally, as a customer, I find a list of more than 20 cocktails a bit overwhelming. When a bartender or server hands me an extensive bound booklet of cocktails, I kind of wonder what I am supposed to do. Usually they expect you to make a decision while they are waiting. Are you supposed to just open to a page and point? Read through the whole thing before ordering? I usually just end up asking the bartender to make something. I'd rather see a list of 20 featured cocktails that changes frequently. Something I can read through in a couple minutes and make a quick decision.

Now if only Death & Co would use a large enough font for their menu, so that middle aged men could read it in the relative dark without getting out their reading glasses and a flashlight... Vain, I know...

Knickerbocker Cocktail 1 Dash Italian Vermouth. (1/2 tsp Carpano Antica) 1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) 2/3 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin) Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top. A perfectly fine and enjoyable Martini or Martinez variation. The first of two Knickerbocker cocktails, this one is very similar to the Golden Ermine. I was interested to discover how much the flavor of the Sweet Vermouth comes through, even in such a small amount.

← I always forget to bring these things all the way around. A spoon would be a fine idea to include along with the sweet, bitter, boozy, fruit salad in a glass that is the King Cole Cocktail.

Kingston Cocktail (6 People) 3 Glasses Jamaica Rum. (1 1/2 oz Appleton V/X) 1 1/2 Glasses Kummel. (3/4 oz Gilka Kaiser Kummel) 1 1/2 Glasses Orange Juice. (3/4 oz fresh Orange Juice) 1 Dash Pimento Dram. (Very Little St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram) Shake carefully and serve whilst, frothing. I had feared this might be rather over sweet. But it isn't really. Perhaps due to some nicely tart Valencia Oranges. I liked it quite a bit, but then I am fond of caraway flavors. I was enjoying it so much, I gave a taste to Mrs. eje, who got a very puzzled look on her face. So perhaps it isn't a crowd pleaser.

Haha! And they take the bait! I had hoped the heat of that remark might kause some of the more kranky kolonels to pop off the kobb with kome backs! One serving note I think interesting in the illustrations of Harry Johnson is that most cocktails are ornamented with fruit and served with a spoon. This is also suggested in some editions of Patrick Gavin Duffy, though it may have been a Beard addition. At the beginning of the section of "Cocktails--Whiskey Base" he gives the following instruction.

Garlic salt, nah, cardoon, nah, dijon mustard or mustard powder though, hmmm...

King Cole Cocktail 1 Glass Rye or Canadian Club Whisky. (2 oz Bonded Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey) 2 Dashes Syrup. (1/2 teaspoon Depaz Cane Syrup) 1 Dash Fernet Branca. 1 Lump of Ice. Stir well and decorate with slices of orange and pineapple. Oh happy day, I get to make an Old-Fashioned! And not only that, but one with fruit and Fernet. Oh how very California! Or is that how very New York? I took the opportunity to, "decorate with berries, in season," as Harry Johnson or Jerry Thomas would say. Mmmm... Booze soaked fruit! I dare you to call that "garbage".

brinza, Thanks for reminding me of your previous KCB adventure. I totally forgot. The Savoy recipe is just a bit too boozy for me. When I was drinking it, I thought something closer to the Hop Toad would be more appealing. Your recipe would be more appealing, as well. It's pretty unlikely that it would have originally been called the KGB Cocktail after the Soviet internal security organization, as from what I can tell that organization was called the OGPU at the time the Savoy was published.

Kina Cocktail 1/4 Kina Lillet. (1/2 oz Cocchi Americano) 1/2 Dry Gin (1 oz Beefeater Gin) 1/4 Italian Vermouth. (1/2 oz Carpano Antica) Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. To compare and contrast, per our previous discussion in the Lillet Topic, I also tried making this thusly: 1/2 tsp. Luxardo Maraschino 2 Dash Angostura Orange Peel 1/2 oz Dolin Vermouth 1 oz Beefeater Gin 1/2 oz Carpano Antica It should be no surprise to anyone that I really liked both of these cocktails. On the surface they are quite similar in level of bitterness and overall character. I squeezed a long strip of orange peel into the tin and then dropped it in, stirring the drink with it. Nicely imitated the orange character of the Cocchi. The Cocchi seems to be using a richer and sweeter wine base, which might be imitated with the simple addition of a dash of gum syrup. While the spices of the bittering agents are close, the contrasting characters of the warm quinine bitterness of the Cocchi Americano and the sharp gentian bitterness of the Angostura is more of a problem. I know jmfangio suggested perhaps Fee's Aromatic Bitters might be a more appropriate bittering agent. Which of the other various bitters currently available has the most quinine character?

From the website, it looks like the first batch will be available July 10th. The Modern Bartender's Guide The Mixicologist Recipes of American and Other Iced Drinks Bartenders' Manual Barflies and Cocktails Robert's book is slated for September 15th. Embury slated for October 1st, and Thomas for October 20th.

The Barflies & Cocktails book is actually by Harry McElhone, not Harry Craddock and I would highly recommend it. Much more interesting than the ABC of Mixing Cocktails and some nice pictures inside. [...] ← Oops, my mistake!

Kicker Cocktail 2 Dashes Italian Vermouth (1 teaspoon Carpano Antica) 1/3 Calvados. (3/4 oz Calvados Reserve Roger Groult) 2/3 Bacardi Rum. (1 1/2 oz Flor de Cana Extra Dry) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Add a Cherry.) Again, something from the 1920s for the fans of the Super Extra Dry Cocktail. I get cocktails like this from time to time when I order Manhattans, and I have to admit I just kind of wonder what the bartender is thinking (or not.) This combination of decent rum and a very good young Calvados certainly beats the heck out of a luke warm Maker's with a dash of M&R. All the same, it doesn't beat it by much. I'd rather just sip a glass of the Calvados.

Mud Puddle Books is releasing a number of out of print classic cocktail books with new introductions by some of the brightest stars in today's cocktail firmament. My understanding is that if these do well, they will release others. (Crossing fingers for Hugo Ensslin!) Current releases include: Barflies and Cocktails, Harry McElhone Bartender's Manual, Harry Johnson Recipes of American and Other Iced Drinks, Charlie Paul The Bartender's Guide, Jerry Thomas The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David A. Embury The Mixocologist, C.F. Lawlor The Modern Bartender's Guide, O.H. Byron In addition, they have a new book from Robert Hess (aka DrinkBoy) called, "The Essential Bartender's Guide". edit - mis-typed author of "Barflies and Cocktails".

Or even more apropos, Mr David A. Embury, whose classic book, "The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks" is now available from Mud Puddle Books. The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (Link to their online store.) I am inclined to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen: "I've read David A. Embury. David A. Embury is a favorite of mine. Mr. Bittman, you're no David A. Embury."

They make a similar Sloe Gin Fizz to this at Flora in Oakland, except they gild the lily and top it up with a splash of sparkling wine. Yummers.

K.C.B. Cocktail 1 Dash Apricot Brandy. (1/3 tsp. Rothman & Winter Orchard vs. Haus Alpenz Blumme Marillen) 1 Dash Lemon Juice. (1/3 tsp. Lemon Juice) 1/4 Kirsch. (1/2 oz Trimbach Kirsch) 3/4 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz North Shore Distiller's No. 6) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Patrick Gavin Duffy suggests you, "Stir well in ice and strain. Twist of Lemon Peel." I tried it both ways, and to be honest, I'm not sure the stirring matters that much, (I know I should have double strained,) but I do suggest you follow his advice for the lemon peel. Among the possibly meanings of "K.C.B." is that of the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. Oddly, it does appear, to mean literally "bath" as in bathing. More information on wikipedia: Order of the Bath Pretty serious stuff! Ahem, well, it's too bad for Humuhumu we didn't make it to this drink, as there is no trace of vermouth! I tried it with both Apricot Liqueur and Apricot Eau-de-Vie. There's so little volume, that the liqueur had very little impact in the cocktail. The Eau-de-Vie seemed to contribute more. If you've got it around, I'd suggest it. Though, I don't know who to suggest making this cocktail for. Maybe lovers of Super Extra Dry Gin Martinis looking for a little spice in their cocktail life?