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Gilroy Cocktail 1/6 Lemon Juice. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Lemon Juice) 1/6 French Vermouth. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) 1/3 Cherry Brandy. (3/4 oz Cherry Heering) 1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin) 1 Dash Orange Bitters. (Regan's) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. I liked this one. Seems like it might be one of those fairly decent cocktails saddled with an unfortunate name. Sources indicate the Gilroy recipe had been published in one of Harry McElhone's guides previous to the Savoy. Surely not named after the town of Gilroy, Garlic capital of the world. Gilroy would have been at most a one horse fly speck on the map in the 1920s. Though, hmmm... I see one of the first Anglos to settle in San Ysidro, (the Spanish settlement that would become Gilroy,) was a Scotsman named John Gilroy. As another Scotsman, perhaps the story intrigued McElhone enough to name a cocktail after him? From wikipedia:

I like the idea of the Ward 8! Meyer Lemons definitely have an affinity for rye. About the only cocktail I'm really kind of tired of is the Bronx, so I'm not a good judge there. I love, love, love calmondins in caipirinha variations. They are so much tastier than those annoying kumquats. But, again, the ones I get here are really variable in tartness. Sometimes they are super tart and sometimes pretty sweet. You can't really buy them commercially, only from Asian fruit and vegetable stands at Farmers' Markets.

Robert Hess just Posted over on the DrinkBoy MSN Forums: Soon we'll all know how it performs in cocktails!

I find the acidity of Meyer lemons to be highly variable depending on the length of time the fruit has hung on the tree, and the time from picking. Meyer Lemons that haven't been on the tree for long do have a similar acidity to regular lemons, though with a less assertive flavor. As they hang longer their mandarin genes really start to show. The fruit gets much sweeter and more orange like in flavor. Still, the thing that bugs me the most about them is the smell of the peel. It is so very different from the clean bright smell of eureka, lisbon or poderosa lemon zest. Drives me nuts when people use it on cocktails. edit - clarify about flavor and forgot my favorite lemon variety, lisbon. mandarin, not clementine...

Ha, well don't knock it until you've tried it! Why just Monday night I was talking to a certain New York bartender with stars in his eyes over the cornucopia of fresh produce and herbs easily available here. And then he even went on to make me a cocktail with Thai Basil in it! A New York bartender!

The odds of you having Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur are probably slim, but I liked this cocktail when I made it a couple years ago. Saaz Junior 2 oz Sazerac 6 year 1/2 oz Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur 1/4 oz Meyer Lemon Juice dash angostura bitters dash rich simple syrup Stir, strain. I called it Saaz Junior because I was using the Sazerac Straight Rye and the flavor reminded me a bit of hops.

Did you see Gary Regan's column last month? When life gives you Meyer lemons, make a Midnight Smash Two factors: the juice tends to be less sour and the peel can have a gamey, thyme-like flavor/scent. The flavor of the peel is often not as intense with store bought meyers, as they have been well washed and waxed or oiled. But, to me, that peel flavor/scent makes them nearly useless in any cocktail that hasn't been specifically designed with Meyer Lemons in mind.

Yeah, I agree. With Plymouth this would have been better around 60-40 than 50-50. It is just too soft to stand up to that much vermouth. Regarding the onion, since Craddock and the Savoy editors are often lax when it comes to remembering to include garnishes I was checking through various Gibson recipes. Amusingly, P.G. Duffy, who does tend to be fastidious about accurately transcribing recipes and including garnishes, suggests a cherry in the 1934 edition of "The Official Mixer's Manual." By the Beard edited 1940s edition that has changed to an onion. The Gibson is also one of the cocktails pointed out in Beard's introduction to the newer edition. He says something like, "we don't make our Gibsons with that much vermouth any longer." Oh how I dread reading "expanded and revised" on the cover of an edition of a classic cocktail book.

Just in case you're in the market for a drink, Philip Ward of New York's Death and Company is bartending at Alembic for a few days early this week. He and Daniel Hyatt are making a number of drinks from the Death and Company menu, while Thomas Waugh is off in New York making Alembic drinks at Death and Company. It is part of a bartender exchange program between Death and Company and other bars.

Usually, I have more sense than to have a spirituous nightcap. But, when non-sense prevails, I'll go with a sipping whisk(e)y or r(h)um. Maybe with a splash of water, depending on the spirit. Red Breast Irish Whiskey neat is probably the most likely suspect. Recent experiments with late night Absinthe and consumption have been, uh, interesting...

Oh right, Wondrich's "Imbibe"! I had a vague memory of a Gibson recipe with no onion and a story about it, but couldn't remember where it came from. I didn't look in "Imbibe" as the Gibson seems more like a 20th Century invention. I'll check tonight when I get home, or if anyone has the book handy, please post.

Gibson Cocktail. 1/2 French Vermouth. (1 1/2 oz Dolin Dry) 1/2 Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top. (Garnish with cocktail onion.) Interesting that the Savoy Recipe neglects the cocktail onion garnish. Or maybe they just forgot it. Colleen Graham over at About.com has written a nice piece debunking some of the stories about the Gibson Cocktail. The Real Gibson Story According to Miss Graham, she received a note from the family of W.D.K. Gibson, claiming he invented the cocktail around 1898 at the Bohemian Club in San Francisco, some 30 years before Charles Dana Gibson claimed to have invented it.

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 Rick over on his blog Kaiser Penguin The theme is Limit One. To quote Rick from his explanation of the topic: If you would like to participate, please write up a cocktail in this topic before Monday, March 17th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and email them to the organizer. The man is just evil!

A Scotsman named Harry finds the road to Tipperary

Genevieve Cocktail 1/3 Hollands Gin. (3/4 oz Anchor Genevieve Genever style Gin) 2/3 Hercules. (1 1/2 oz Byrrh Assemblage, 1/2 teaspoon Marteau Verte Classique Absinthe) Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. I was really quite excited to be able to make the Genevieve cocktail with Anchor's Genevieve Gin. Not only that, but this cocktail turned out really well. Just darn tasty. With the elegance of the Byrrh and the Juniper and Star Anise notes of the Anchor Gin working incredibly well with the Anise and savory notes of the Marteau Absinthe. Unfortunately, recent developments have thrown the nature of Hercules back into flux. Likely this interpretation is completely wrong, from the red wine base of the Byrrh to the dash of Absinthe. Le Sigh. If you want to give it a try, more or less, as above, Byrrh is a bit of a hard thing to come by. I'd suggest substituting a lighter style ruby port (Warre's Warrior or similar) and a drop or two of Angostura Bitters.

eGullet member jazzyjeff PMd me to say he'd uncovered some clues about Hercules. Well, I'd say that is both pretty interesting and amazing! I guess that's the nail in the coffin of the Absinthe substitute idea. Also, "pink" makes it sound like it might have been on a white wine rather than red wine base.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, March 08, 2008 Unconventional wine expert says the number of taste buds determines your wine preferences, Stacy Finz THE SIPPING NEWS: Oakville Winegrowers release their Cuvee, Lynne Char Bennett Italian wine online, Amanda Gold It's almost asparagus season, Lynne Char Bennett Winery Watch: Falcor in Napa, Stacy Finz In Our Glasses: What we're drinking Beer: A different glass for every brew can add to the drinking experience, Derrick Schneider The Cheese Course: Capri Classic Blue Log sports blue on the outside, Janet Fletcher Letters to Wine: Defying gravity Tasting Room: Family schools tasters in traditional, modern wines, Carol Ness Pairings: Mediterranean dish a nod to Sangiovese Italian roots, Lynne Char Bennett Recipe: Eggplant & Tomato Saute Pairings: The Chronicle Wine Selections: Domestic Sangiovese and Supertuscan-style blends, Lynne Char Bennett 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Theo's Cheesesteak Shop, Cindy Lee " Philadelphia has the infamous Pat's and Gino's cheesesteak stands. Over in the Rincon Center, we have Theo's, which offers a similar sandwich of thinly sliced beef grilled with onions, topped with cheese and served on a soft 7-inch Amoroso roll from Philly. Some say it comes pretty close to the real deal." Bar Bites: The Mum's, Cindy Lee "Inside Hotel Tomo in Japantown, carnivores unite. When you first walk in, you have no idea what to expect inside this retro space with orange plastic ceiling moldings that resemble Lego blocks, a big circular window cut out on one side of the wall and soft lighting that casts an orangish hue. At night, on each of the 16 tables is a Bunsen burner with a cast-iron pot filled with flavored broth, the perfect setting for shabu-shabu, a Japanese hot pot that consists of cooking vegetables, noodles and thin slices of meat in the broth and dipping them into a light, citrus soy sauce or nutty sesame sauce."

Highly indicative of the "relative intellectualism" no? ← Good one! Reading the article, Tunney reminds me a bit of a certain not very popular and recently departed San Francisco Giant.

...and in addition to the list being compiled, the Emerson [which as part of our home list of regulars is heavier on the gin than as it appears on CocktailDB.This rare opportunity for me to add a snippet of information does double duty as a cover for thanking you for the sterling work you are undertaking [don't want to come across as too 'fanboy' ] I'm really enjoying your progress; of course it's work - all that careful measuring and acquisition, those occasional strain to drain results... ← Derek, thanks for the kind words and encouragment. Huh, the Emerson is a bit of an odd cocktail. Old Tom Gin, Lime Juice, Sweet Vermouth, and Maraschino. A bit similar to Fluffy Ruffles, I suppose. What Gin do you tend to use? Does it need a touch of extra sweetener for balance and make up for the lack of Old-Tom? Or is it sweet enough with the Rosso Vermouth and Maraschino?

Gene Tunney Cocktail 1 Dash Orange Juice. (1 tsp. Blood Orange Juice) 1 Dash Lemon Juice. (1 tsp Lemon Juice) 1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) 2/3 Plymouth Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin) Shake (stir?) well and strain into cocktail glass. Well, that is a bit odd... Gene Tunney After invoking Dempsey in the previous cocktail, it turns out Gene Tunney was the man who defeated him in 1926 to become the new heavy weight champion of the world. Not sure what to say about the cocktail, in the presence of so many heavy weight boxing associations. It is certainly no "Dempsey Cocktail." I'd almost go so far as to say it's kind of a proto cosmo. I mean, it is very much a Martini with a touch of citrus juice. I did over pour a bit on the citrus. It should really have been just a half teaspoon or less of each of the juices. Since Blood Oranges were in season, there was absolutely no way I could resist putting them in this cocktail.

Too bad the authorities in Britain didn't have the benefit of this study before they changed the bar times... Britain's extended pub hours no cure

I don't pay for a subscription to the industry site just drinks, so can't read this whole article, but this headline got my attention: JAMAICA: Appleton rolls out 30 year old rum

Chuckle, the Ginger Rogers is a real modern classic. Marco Dionysos (aka cocktailgeek) was so far ahead of the curve with the cocktail menu at Absinthe. After 10 years, I think it is still one of the best selling drinks at Absinthe, and it's a gin drink!

I've been enjoying this season mostly. Watched the Romania episode last night, and I'm not quite sure what the big deal is. Both the meals from pigs looked good. The thing I do find irritating this season are all the arty montage sequences. I mean, the show is only 30 minutes long (probably less than 20 with commercials removed) do they really have to spend these two minutes of time telling us what we're going to see or what we just saw? Why not just get to it and show us something? Oh, and I also hate behind the scenes footage played during commercial breaks. I guess they aren't so bad on travel shows, but the fact that some networks throw these things into shows with a plot and narrative flow drives me nuts.

Indeed, indeed. Hercules, Absinthe Substitute? Red Wine Aperitif? The current state of the art regarding Hercules is that it was a aromatized wine based aperitif. We know it was flavored with Yerba-Mate, but beyond that is anyone's guess. The only known glossary type description is from Stan Jones' "Jones' Bar Guide", which states it was an "Absinthe Substitute." Companies are starting to market alcoholic energy drinks again, not to mention Absinthes, so perhaps it is only a matter of time before Hercules makes its way back to the market.