eje

Yeah, it's a Swedish Punsch made by Henrik Facile in Stockholm, Sweden.

Americano experiment numero due was the Campden Cocktail. 1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Boodles Gin), 1/4 Cointreau (3/4 oz Cointreau), 1/4 Kina Lillet (3/4 oz Cocchi Americano). eGullet user David Santucci had found this cocktail to be a bit on the sweet side. While I get that, it is an interesting interplay with the Cocchi. You get the initial sweetness, orange and spice, and then the lingering bitterness of the quinine. The spice element, primarily cinnamon-like flavors, is becoming more apparent to me as I become more familiar with this aperitif. Not at all unpleasant; but, quite strong as a smell, especially in the emptied glass.

C.F.H. Cocktail 1/6 Grenadine (1/2 oz homemade) 1/6 Cederlund's Swedish Punch (1/2 oz Facile Swedish Punch) 1/6 Calvados (1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy) 1/6 Lemon Juice (1/2 oz fresh lemon juice) 1/3 Burrough's Beefeater Gin (1 oz Boodle's Gin) (Shake and strain into cocktail glass - eje) Oddly, this recipe has no method instructions and I couldn't dig up anything on the name. Anyway, it's really quite tasty. A sort of more sophisticated Jack Rose. Really enjoyed the interplay of the spice elements of the gin and Swedish Punsch with the Apple Brandy and Lemon.

Cecil Pick-Me-Up Cocktail The Yolk of 1 Egg 1 Glass Brandy (2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre) 1 Teaspoonful Castor Sugar Shake well and strain into medium-size wine glass and fill balance with Ayala (Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne Rose ''Perle d'Aurore'', a bit past its prime. - eje) Champagne. This is quite eggy. It is tasty, and all. Still the first impression is a big taste of egg yolk. Later the champagne and brandy make themselves apparent. Weird, really. A breakfast drink, I suppose!

Chuckle, well, you'll have to give him a hard time about his fractions, the next time you see him. I had the bottle of Plymouth Navy Strength in my hand; but, after thinking about 3 oz of overproof gin for a second, I reconsidered. I still had some chopping to do for dinner, and didn't want to lose any fingers.

I gave the Americano a try in a Vesper and quite enjoyed it. Used the David Wondrich recipe from the esquire article, James Bond Walks Into a Bar... My that's a large cocktail! I guess I'm used to my 3 oz Savoy jobbies. Americano seems more assertive both in spice and bitterness than the Lillet. I guess I'd have to do a double blind of some sort to really tell, if it's not just wishful thinking. In any case, whether it is more or less like the original cocktail, it is certainly enjoyable. edit - clarify the parts which were my comments in the recipe.

Both are the Maraska and Stock are pretty uncommon out here, so I'll have to take your word for it. I think I've really only ever seen the Maraska in bars, and I don't think I've ever seen the Stock. But, yeah, you do have to be careful not to overdo with the Luxardo. Katie, your right, I forgot about Sambuca until you mentioned it. I could see more liqueurs being sold as digestivs in bars attached to restaurants. But, does that happen in bars not associated with restaurants? I'm more curious than anything else.

I gotta echo slkinsey's sentiments. Purposely picking a brand because it is easier to mix? Instead of what? Training your staff to use it properly? I call "Bullshit". Likely, it's a pour cost issue. I also think it's a bit odd to say that Luxardo Maraschino is better sipped on its own. Aside from Jagermeister, do bars get any calls for straight liqueurs?

Why yes! Just last night we had a quite nice, slightly orange tinted, pinot noir rose from Toulouse in Mendocino. Went very well with smoked salmon, leek, and fennel pasta.

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 Anna on her Morsels and Musings blog. The theme is crème de la crème. To quote Mr. Clarke: If you would like to participate, please write up a cocktail made with cream or a cream based liqueur in this topic before Monday, June 18th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and mail them to the organizer. Moo! Honor the Cow!

Thinking about this, this morning on the way to work, I remembered there are some current Absinthe-like products that add Gentian into the mix of herbs. Versinthe is the one I am most familiar with. Though, the text which accompanies the cocktail, makes me wonder if it wasn't something like a bitters based on a wormwood maceration. It says something like, "If you can drink this you can drink anything -- A newly laid egg placed in it will immediately become hard boiled." Sounds really appealing doesn't it?

thirtyoneknots... The vast majority of the recipes in the Savoy Cocktail book were culled from pre-prohibition sources. Absinthe was banned in the US in 1912 and in 1920 in France. Pernod's wormwood-free product didn't really exist until around 1928 (unconfirmed date), so most of the recipes would have pre-dated both the ban and the existence of Pernod's Pastis. According to the cocktaildb, Hercules was an Absinthe substitute. If I see Hercules in recipes, I conclude I should use use "Pastis" instead. I'll quote Martin Doudoroff's previous post:

The Sazerac calls for "Angostura or Peychana" bitters. Anisette, Hercules, Anis del Mono and Absinthe are the anis flavored liquors and liqueurs called for. I don't know if it's worthy of note; but, Absinthe was never actually illegal in Britain. I don't think Pernod had yet released its eponymous wormwood free product concurrent with most of the recipes in the book.

Not sure, Doc! I knew there was a reason I was asking. But, didn't remember until I looked at the upcoming recipes in the Savoy tonight, that it was the appealingly named Choker Cocktail (6 people): 4 glasses Whisky, 2 glasses Absinthe, and 1 dash Absinthe Bitters. Maybe Whisky, Absinthe, and Peychaud Bitters?

One way of looking at the Cock-tail, is as a bittered sling. Another way to look at the Cock-tail, is, as a dose of bitters whose flavors have been diluted with more alcohol, and whose bitterness have been tempered with sugar. Remember, Antoine Peychaud was a Pharmacist and most bitters sold in American at that time were tonic bitters (or supposedly medicinal.) I doubt Peychaud was the only Pharmacist who realized he could sell more of his patented bitters by sweetening and diluting them a la minute, for the customers in his store.

Thanks for stopping by, Doc! The funny thing about thirtyoneknots post, was that I came to the exact same conclusion about a year ago after seeing this image in the banner on the Cocktaildb site: Secrestat Absinthe Spoon Though, if yer still around, on a related note, when cocktail recipes call for "Absinthe Bitters" do you (or anyone else) know if they mean plain old Absinthe, or was there a class of bitters flavored similarly to Absinthe?

No, the Gancia Americano appears to be a wine based aperitif, as well. Gancia Website It is bright red, though.

Is anyone familiar with Cocchi's Aperitivo Americano? Aperitivo Americano It has been staring at me from the shelf of the liquor store for a while now. Cocchi also makes an excellent red wine based "Barolo Chinato" digestiv, so I knew it would probably be good. Didn't know what I might do with it, though. However, when I read a description of it comparing it to Lillet, I began to wonder if it might be more like the original Lillet, pre-80s reformulation. It does have very similar flavors to Lillet Blanc. A much stronger quinine/bitter note, though. While it is more than enjoyable on its own, I'm definitely going to give it a try in some cocktail recipes that call for Lillet. Anyone have ideas why it might be called "Americano"? Googling, I see Gancia also makes an "Americano". However, it is bright red, like Campari.

There's an In-N-Out Burger in Kettleman City. And then Andersen's Pea Soup in Santa Nella. But, really, it's good to pack a lunch for that stretch of highway.

Cats-Eye Cocktail (6 people) 1/2 Glass Fresh Lemonade (1/4 oz Lemon Juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar) 1/2 Glass Water 2 Glasses Gin (1 oz Boodles Gin) 1 Dessertspoonful Kirsch (Dash Trimbach Kirsch) 1/2 Glass Cointreau (1/4 oz Cointreau) Not quite 2 Glasses French Vermouth (Not quite 1 oz Noilly Prat Dry) Shake well and strain into cocktail glasses. Serve with an olive. Skipped the olive. A tasty cocktail. A bit like an Aviation crossed with a Martini.

Castle Dip Cocktail 1/2 Apple Brandy (1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy) 1/2 White Creme de Menthe (1 oz Brizard Creme de Menthe) 3 Dashes Absinthe (1/2 barspoon Verte de Fougerolles Absinthe) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass. An interesting combination of flavors. Very much a dessert cocktail, however.

.Monkman's Slaughter Extra Special Bitter was one of the beers featured last month in our Beer club. Was sad to drink the last bottle last night. Really like this beer. It has a slight sourness that is fairly unusual for an English beer. Almost like a light Belgian. Very drinkable stuff.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, June 08, 2007 THE SPICE IS RIGHT, Jon Bonné, Olivia Wu Recipes: Cardamom Nankaties Tangy Shredded Cabbage Salad Black-Eyed Peas in a Spicy Goan Curry Everyday Yellow Dal Lamb in Creamy Curry Sauce Seafood in Green Curry THE SIPPING NEWS: Biofuel blows drink budget Raise a golden goblet Sweetness and spice BOOKS / Joy of reading about drinking In our glasses Uncorked:Rock star's second act, Stacy Finz Wine Business Insider: California wines set sales record in '06, Cyril Penn The Cheese Course: Teleme's production returns to California, Janet Fletcher The Tasting Room: Funky winery in the Sierra Foothills, Laura Compton Chronicle Wine Selections: Wines to Pair With Indian Food, Jon Bonné Wine-friendly Indian restaurants, Alex Malamud 96 Hours Bar Bites: Perbacco, Tara Duggan "Want to hang with the Financial District movers and shakers? A number of them can be found at this fine-dining Italian restaurant that took over the Gold Coast restaurant space last fall. Perbacco's bar offers a more casual way to sample chef-owner Staffan Terje's hand-crafted specialties while still providing an opportunity to pull out the Gucci loafers or not-a-Prada handbag. While the white-tablecloth restaurant can be on the stuffy side, the bar is more laid-back and stylish, making you want to nibble on spiced Marcona almonds ($4) and sip on Campari cocktails while wearing oversize sunglasses." Bargain Bite: Starvin Marvin, Amanda Gold "The cheesesteak ($5.95) at Starvin Marvin offers Philly natives a little taste of home, featuring curls of thin beef tucked into a soft roll with grilled onions, provolone and just the right amount of grease."

Casino Cocktail 2 Dashes Maraschino (Luxardo) 2 Dashes Orange Bitters (generous couple splashes Regan's Orange Bitters) 2 Dashes Lemon Juice (Juice 1/8 lemon) 1 Glass Old Tom Gin (2 oz Junipero Gin and a dash simple) Stir well and add cherry. Skipped Cherry and am quite cheery about it. A very oddly flavored cocktail and one of the better features of orange bitters I've tried.