Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

MxMo XVIII


eje

Recommended Posts

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 Gwen on her Intoxicated Zodiac blog. The theme is Mixology Monday 18 is Orange

To quote Mr. Clarke:

Host this round will be Gwen at Intoxicated Zodiac Blog, and Gwen’s theme is Orange (actually, the origins of the theme are somewhat more complicated than that, but for the sake of simplicity and for making Darcy’s life easier when he crams the theme’s name in that little box, we’ll call it “Orange” — the rest, I’ll let Gwen explain). Juice? Triple Sec? Curacao? I’m sure some wag will go for orange bitters (I’m lookin’ at you, Michael) — hell, if you can use an orange twist and make it interesting, then you’ve got no reason not to join in. Head over to Gwen’s for details, and I’ll see you there August 13.

gallery_27569_3448_744.jpg

More information from Gwen:

The theme is orange because this particular fruit happens to be ruled by the astrological sign of Leo. The zodiacal top cat also rules juniper...mango (a little obscure, no?), rice (sake, perhaps…), tomatoes, olives, walnuts, marigolds, saffron and any plant that thrives in full sun areas of the garden, or that bears a heavy physical resemblance to the sun.

If you would like to participate, please write up a cocktail you first read about on a blog or website in this topic before Monday, August 13th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and mail them to the organizer.

Orange you glad to participate?

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

maybe i can come up with something origional but i'm really tired.... orange never really excited me even though i'm a leo and all.... my favorite orange cocktail is something that i read about in a blog so long ago that i've forgotten where.... maybe i can be reunited with the owner to thank them because i've enjoyed it so many times....

sunset gun....

2 oz. clove whiskey (rye perhaps... infused with cloves)

1/2 oz. creole shrub (my opinions of orange liqueurs are well known)

a couple dashes of reagan's orange bitters.

served on the rocks

the clove whiskey on its own is so dull...but then the sugars of the shrub awaken it... and with so little fuss you get a cocktail that is real serious....

my favorite marriage with orange.... which sign rules clove? maybe thats where i should be looking for compatability....

abstract expressionist beverage compounder

creator of acquired tastes

bostonapothecary.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since Gwen gave us the option to create a cocktail that "...must contain is the warm and passionate essence of the sun, vibrant ruler of the proud cat," I was thinking about the fruit that most represents the sun to me.

Since local citrus is kind of winter/spring in these parts, that seemed like a tenuous connection to this spoiled California Farmers' Market goer.

On the other hand, peaches, nectarines, and apricots, seem to me like the essence of captured summer sunshine.

From the first time they start appearing at the various vendors, we start tasting them, in their various stages. First they are little tart. Then a little watery. Finally there is that one or two blissful weeks where they are at their peak and you eat a dozen, yellow juice running down your chin. Then the inevitable disappointment as they turn mealy and soft.

The apricot season is so brief, and it seems like there are so few vendors growing them anymore, that some years it seems like we skip a week at the farmer's market, and miss the good ones altogether.

So how excited could I be when I tasted a liqueur that really seemed to capture Apricots at their best?

Well, very excited really.

Rothman and Winter Orchard Apricot* is a new liqueur based on Apricot Eau de Vie blended with Apricot Juice. It is far less sweet than most of the big commercial brands of apricot liqueur, and carries not just the flavor of apricot; but, because it is based on a Apricot Eau de Vie, it also captures the scent of the fruit.

I've struggled finding a place for it in cocktails, as I thought I should treat it with kid gloves, to preserve the delicate flavor of Apricot.

However, I recently read about a cocktail they are serving at the Flatiron Lounge in New York City called, "The Slope". It is composed of Rye Whiskey, Punt e Mes, and Brizard 'Apry' Apricot liqueur.

Rye Whiskey, Bittered Vermouth, and Apricot liqueur seemed like unlikely bedfellows; but, I figured I'd give it a shot.

I took a snort of the R&W Orchard Apricot, held the scent in my mind, and headed down to the basement to sniff out the appropriate rye.

Happily (or unhappily) the first one I grabbed was the Pikesville Rye. I took one sniff of the opened bottle, and knew I didn't need to go any further. A nice smell similar to yeasty bread combined with hints of cherries and other stone fruit.

I started to think that those folks at Flatiron were onto something.

Back upstairs I cracked some ice cubes, measured out the ratio eGullet member Nathan had prescribed, and settled down to enjoy.

Oh, yes, this is quite nice. The light sweetness of the apricot liqueur tempered by the bitter of the Punt e Mes. Both meeting together with the Pikesville and not a single element dominating or conflicting.

It's definitely up there with my favorite brown liquor cocktails, like the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Red Hook. Really, kudos to the folks at Flatiron for seeing the potential of this combination.

gallery_27569_3448_40514.jpg

Theoretical Slope**

1 1/2 oz Pikesville Rye

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

3/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

*Full disclosure, I know Eric Seed the proprietor of Haus Alpenz and importer of Rothman and Winter Orchard Apricot. But, if you can't give your friends a shout out when they do something right... For the record, I don't really like his Walnut liqueur.

**I'm calling it "Theoretical Slope", as Nathan was speculating on the composition of this cocktail without a recipe. It has since come to light that the actual ingredients of the Flatiron Slope cocktail are: 2 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye, 3/4 oz Punt e Mes, 1/4 oz Apry, Dash Angostura bitters. If you're using the Brizard Apry liqueur for this cocktail, I would recommend sticking with those proportions.

edit - ack, I can't believe I used the word "actual" 3 times in one sentence. Added image.

Edited by eje (log)

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i had the cocktail made for me this afternoon at eastern standard.... 2/1/2 oz. overholt... 3/4 oz. punt y mes... 1/2 oz. apry because the alpenz apricot isn't available here yet...(though i did land some creme de violette)

the drink is cool because the apry lightens the flavors as opposed to swopping it out for things like maraschino that make it heavier in things like a read hook or like bourbon that is heavier than rye or like benedictine which is pretty heavy. all these heavy things get bunched up and only taste like chocolate.... which to me is like a flaw due to over mixing. the slope makes things lighter and with patience you get notes in there of coffee which is a maillard flavor lighter than chocolate.... divine. a super sexy cocktail due to be timeless....

abstract expressionist beverage compounder

creator of acquired tastes

bostonapothecary.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...