Stomping Through the "Savoy" (2007–2008)

[bostonapothecary]

Erik, are you sure it "gelatinized"?  It sounds a bit more like "precipitated" to me.  Or are you saying that the entire volume of prune syrup reacted with the alcohol, clumped up and refused to mix?

Anyway, I have seen some things precipitate when added to alcohol.  Once I wanted to make an Old Fashioned with Red Hook rye (at around 136 proof) and gomme syrup instead of regular simple syrup.  As soon as I added the booze to the glass, the gomme (which usually mixed in completely transparently) threw off a cloud of white particulates that never re-dissolved into the drink, even after the proof had been diluted significantly by the melting ice.  This is similar to the louching that happens when water is added to absinthe, except that it's the water-soluble substances that precipitate when the proof is raised rather than the alcohol-soluble ones when the proof is lowered.

So... since prune juice is very high in soluble fiber, and considering that this generally means "water soluble" -- it's possible that the addition of high proof kirschwasser caused the soluble fiber to precipitate out of solution.

←

i've seen other things "precipitate" as well and give off that "devil's water" effect... if it gelatinized you could probably double strain off particles and if it precipitated all would probably go through a very fine strainer....

otherwise the flavors of the cocktail seem really interesting. i've never used any prune syrup before.

[limewine]

So apparently, "Prunelle" is a difficult to find liqueur made from Prune Plums.

←

How is this different (or is it) from a damson gin?

[slkinsey]

i've seen other things "precipitate" as well and give off that "devil's water" effect... if it gelatinized you could probably double strain off particles and if it precipitated all would probably go through a very fine strainer....

In case it is not familiar to everyone, when something "precipitates" that means that it comes out of liquid solution into a solid form. Often, but not always, this is in the form of extremely fine particles. If these fine particles do not cohere into larger pieces then, as bostonapothecary says, the particles are usually too small to be effectively filtered out by passing the suspension through a fine strainer. Just looking at Erik's picture, it's not clear to me that a fine sieve would have had much effect. On the other hand, had he added the prune syrup to all the other ingredients combined, instead of first mixing it with kirschwasser (I believe Trimbach is around 90 proof?), it's possible that the percent alcohol wouldn't have been high enough to precipitate out the soluble fiber. Once it did precipitate out, however, there was no putting it back into solution.

So apparently, "Prunelle" is a difficult to find liqueur made from Prune Plums.

How is this different (or is it) from a damson gin?

Just to clarify this a bit... prunelle is the French word for the fruit of the Blackthorn shrub, a/k/a "sloes." The French word for "plum" is pruneau. The prunelle/sloe is not the same thing as a damson. A sloe is Prunus spinosa whereas a damson is a subspecies (insititia) of Prunus domestica, which is where most domestic eating plums are found.

So, I suppose the question is how prunelle is different from sloe gin rather than from damson gin. From what I have been able to read, I suppose that sloe gin might be the best substitution if one can find the real thing. It's not clear to me how these spirits differ, except that prunelle is a creme liqueur made with a neutral spirits base whereas sloe gin presumably has a gin base (although usually not) and perhaps other flavorings. Perhaps prunelle is made by a different process than sloe gin (e.g., without the pits)?

Edited December 17, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[eje]

Oh, hmmm!

I had been looking at the picture of the Stock Prunella liqueur on the cocktaildb and saw the prunes on the label and been assuming it was a prune liqueur.

I did not realize that it might be a sloe berry liqueur or I just would have used sloe gin and vermouth for the Elk Cocktail.

Maybe French Prunelle and Italian Prunella are slightly different, given one has prunes on the label and the other blackthorn sloes.

In any case, to be exact, I put an ounce of kirsch in a bowl and then mixed about the equivalent amount of syrup from bottled prunes into the kirsch.

I'm familiar with substances precipitating out of unfiltered spirits (or Absinthe) when they are chilled or diluted.

This really was more of a thickening type action which formed a gelatinous substance similar to a loose jello or starch thickened sauce. And no, it really did not want to then mix with the cold gin and vermouth, staying more or less in broken solid globs.

[eje]

“Everybody’s Irish” Cocktail

3 Dashes Green Mint. (1/2 tsp. Brizard Creme de Menthe)

6 Dashes Green Chartreuse. (1 tsp.)

Irish Whiskey. (2 oz Red Breast Irish Whiskey)

(Stir well with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and...) Add a Green olive.

Note: Created to mark, and now in great demand on, St. Patrick's Day. The green olive suspended in the liquid, looks like a gibbous moon.

It isn't quite as "green" as it should be. I don't have green Creme de Menthe so just used the plain white.

All in all, a tasty (and quite potent) cocktail.

[eje]

“Everything But” Cocktail

1/4 Whisky. (3/4 oz Compass Box blended Asyla Scotch Whisky)

1/4 Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin)

1/4 Lemon Juice. (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)

1/4 Orange Juice. (3/4 oz Fresh Orange Juice)

1 Egg.

1 Teaspoonful of Apricot brandy. (1 teaspoon Rothman & Winter Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie)

Powdered Sugar. (scant teaspoon caster sugar)

(Combine ingredients in shaker without ice and shake for 10 seconds. Add big ice...) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Bunch of new technology here. First off, I finally scored a few 18oz cheater tins to top my 28 oz boston shakers. These are spiffy and seem nominally less messy when making egg drinks. Second we have the big sturdy tovolo ice cubes being employed instead of regular refrigerator ice. Third, I'm continuing my experiments with dry shaking. Fourth, given the size of this cocktail, I got to get out my bigger coupes.

Now, if the lovely texture of the egg in the first picture wasn't enough, this second one with a clear half inch of delicious foam should indicate progress is being made.

Regarding ingredients, many of the cocktails calling for simply "Whisky" in the "Savoy Cocktail Book" are from Judge Jr.'s 1927 "Here's How". In that book Scotch is specified. I went with the Apricot Eau-de-Vie instead of liqueur, as there was already plenty of sugar here, and I like Eau-de-Vies in egg cocktails.

I kind of thought I was getting tired of sour cocktails, but this one is quite tasty and fairly complex. "Velvety," would be a good word for it. I really enjoyed it.

Regarding the name, Judge Jr. sez, "This little drink is christened thusly because it contains everything but the kitchen stove!"

[mkayahara]

Oh, hmmm!

I had been looking at the picture of the Stock Prunella liqueur on the cocktaildb and saw the prunes on the label and been assuming it was a prune liqueur.

I did not realize that it might be a sloe berry liqueur or I just would have used sloe gin and vermouth for the Elk Cocktail.

Maybe French Prunelle and Italian Prunella are slightly different, given one has prunes on the label and the other blackthorn sloes.

In any case, to be exact, I put an ounce of kirsch in a bowl and then mixed about the equivalent amount of syrup from bottled prunes into the kirsch. 

I'm familiar with substances precipitating out of unfiltered spirits (or Absinthe) when they are chilled or diluted. 

This really was more of a thickening type action which formed a gelatinous substance similar to a loose jello or starch thickened sauce.  And no, it really did not want to then mix with the cold gin and vermouth, staying more or less in broken solid globs.

←

Don't you test for pectin by putting fruit puree in alcohol? Could that have been the culprit?

In any case, all this talk of prunelle has me intrigued. I'm planning a liquor run across the border into Quebec in the next couple of weeks anyway, so I'll have to grab a bottle of the Vedrenne Prunelle they carry while I'm there. Then, in the interests of "science," I'll try the Elk Cocktail with the prunelle and my homemade damson gin.

[slkinsey]

Don't you test for pectin by putting fruit puree in alcohol? Could that have been the culprit?

I bet that's what it was. Pectin precipitates in alcohol. Prune juice (and presumably also prune syrup) is high in both pectin and water-soluble fiber.

Edited December 19, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[eje]

Interesting!

So prune syrup or other high pectin substances could be used as a natural (and vegetarian!) gelling agent for jellied or layered cocktails?

Beats the heck out of cabbage slime (xanthan gum) or cow hooves!

Further experimentation is obviously required!

Edited December 19, 2007 by eje (log)

[eje]

Hey! We made pretty good time on the "D" Cocktails, from Daiquiri through Duppy.

The first highlight is the plain old Daiquiri Cocktail. Damn that's a nice cocktail when made with fresh lime and a decent rum.

The handsome Darb Cocktail was another early favorite, with its combination of Dry Vermouth, Gin, Lemon, and Apricot Brandy.

The Deuville Cocktail was a sidecar which mixed apple brandy and grape brandy.

The Deep Sea Cocktail is a delightful Fifty-Fifty variation, including a dash of absinthe and orange bitters.

Along the lines of the Deuville we also encounter the Depth Charge Brandy Cocktail, which includes grenadine as a sweetener instead of Cointreau.

I met up with Josey Packard at Alembic Bar and we enjoyed Devonias, Diki Dikis and her creation the Northern Spy.

The Dinah Cocktail was a nice whiskey break from the usual brandy and gin folderol.

We got to try a Dixie Cocktail, with Gwydion Stone's spanking new Marteau Verte Absinthe.

Then we travelled to Flora in Oakland, where Erik Adkins mixed Doctor Cocktails, Dolly O'Dares and his creation "Carter Beats the Devil."

Somehow the Dry Martini Cocktail snuck away from the rest of the Martinis, allowing us to enjoy it's delicious splendor a bit early in the alphabet.

The Dunhill's Special Cocktail, with it's combination of Sherry, Dry Vermouth, and Gin, proved a sophisticated tipple.

Lastly, the puzzlingly named Duppy Cocktail was a pleasant surprise, given the paucity of decent cocktails based on Scotch Whisky.

As always, I hope you're enjoying the ride as much as I am, and continue to stick around for the rest of the alphabet!

Cheers!

[eje]

Eye-Opener Cocktail

The Yolk of 1 Fresh Egg.

1 Teaspoonful Powdered Sugar. (scant teaspoon Caster Sugar)

2 Dashes Absinthe. (1/2 tsp Verte de Fougerolles)

2 Dashes Curacao. (1/2 tsp Brizard Orange Curacao)

2 Dashes Crème de Noyau. (1/2 tsp Amaretto di Saschira)

1 Liqueur Glass Rum. (1 1/2 oz Inner Circle Green Rum)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Sadly, my schemes to acquire Noyau de Poissy or Noyau de Vernon have so far come to naught, so I have substituted Luxardo's Amaretto.

Unlikely though it seems, this is a very nice cocktail, and will certainly open your eyes, should they previously have been closed.

Both this and the preceding "Everything But" would make tremendous brunch cocktails. If we find enough of these, maybe we can finally put those old saws, the mimosa and screwdriver, back to bed where they belong.

edit - If you're like me, you'll make this cocktail, taste it, and think of that open bottle of champagne in your fridge. Go for it. It's pretty tasty that way too.

Edited December 20, 2007 by eje (log)

[eje]

Well, "E" went even faster than "D"!

I guess it helps that it only has about 16 cocktails. Well, that and the fact that the bartender I interviewed insisted on making almost a dozen of them.

In any case, to start the letter "E" off auspiciously, I met up with Martin Cate at Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA. Of the 11 cocktails he made, I'd say a good 3 were above average and 6 or so pretty good. The 3 above average should include the Eddie Brown, East and West, and E. Nos. We also got to try the new, and definitely above average, St. George Absinthe.

Of the 4 remaining cocktails, the "Everybody's Irish" Cocktail, "Everything But" Cocktail, and Eye-Opener Cocktail were all very tasty.

That's going to be it for me and Savoy Cocktails for the year. I'm going to take the next couple weeks off.

I hope you have a happy holiday, whatever it might be you celebrate, and ring in the new year with good cheer!

I look forward to seeing you next year!

[eje]

Duppy Cocktail

Pour 4 1/2 glasses of Whisky (2 oz Asyla Scotch) into a large glass and soak in this a few cloves (for an hour or two - eje). Add 5 or 6 drops of Orange Bitters (Healthy Dash Regan's, Healthy Dash Fee's), and lastly put in 1 1/2 glasses of Curacao (3/4 oz Brizard Curacao).  Place the lot in the shaker; shake (stir, strain - eje) and serve.

[...]

←

So here's an odd thing!

Over the holiday I found a 1934 edition of Patrick Gavin Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual". In this book he gives the "Duppy Cocktail (6 People)" as:

Soak in 4 1/2 Glasses Whiskey; Few Leaves of Clover; 5 or 6 Dashes Orange Bitters; 1 1/4 Glasses Curacao; Shake well in ice, strain and serve.

Given that Mr. Duffy is often far more accurate with recipe transcription than Mr. Craddock, this does give me a bit of pause. From what I remember I didn't think clover leaves have a great deal of flavor. The flowers, though, appear to sometimes be used to Flavor Syrups and other such things. Puzzling. Well, it appears to be fairly commonly available as an herbal remedy, so I may have to give the Duppy another try!

[eje]

Fair and Warmer Cocktail

1/3 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Martini and Rossi Rosso Vermouth)

2/3 Bacardi Rum. (1 1/2 oz Havana Club 7)

2 Dashes Curacao. (1/2 teaspoon Luxardo Triplum)

Shake (stir) well and strain into cocktail glass.

I was going to use the regular Flor de Cana dry, but it seemed like all I would taste would be the vermouth. Glad to have an excuse to use the Havana Club, instead.

I've been using the M&R sweet vermouth for a couple months now, and I gotta say, it's kind of won me over. The Cinzano just tastes really cloying now, with vanilla notes that distract me from the flavor of the drink.

The Luxardo Triplum isn't a Curacao, strictly speaking, whatever that means, but it does pack the strongest bitter orange punch of the various orange liqueurs I currently have in the house.

Seemed like a drink that called out for a cherry, but these Silver Palate Maraschino Cherries (no artificial color) just suck. Might as well eat sugar coated red cardboard. I'm going to have to track down some more of those tasty Toschi Amarena Cherries. They rocked.

New supposed crystal glassware from ebay. A little top heavy and I find the stems a bit short, but I'm pleased to find them the perfect size for the neat drinks in the Savoy.

What's not to love about a "Cuban Manhattan"?

[Chris Amirault]

Seemed like a drink that called out for a cherry, but these Silver Palate Maraschino Cherries (no artificial color) just suck. 

Boy, I second that. Yikes.

[mkayahara]

To backtrack a bit to the Elk cocktail above, I cracked open my bottle of Vedrenne Prunelle this evening and pitted it against my homemade Damson gin. I'm sad to report that they taste nothing alike. At first, I couldn't understand it, because the Prunelle tasted closer to apricot brandy than anything else I could think of, with maybe some cherry in the mix as well...

So I made myself an Elk, which is an perfectly lovely drink. Then, as I was putting the bottle away, I re-read the label on the back. Lo and behold! It clearly indicates that the liqueur is made from "noyaux de prunelle," or plum kernels. (Incidentally, at least two of my French resources translate "prunelle" directly as "sloe". Don't know how accurate that is botanically.)

Anyway, I'm guessing that the closest approximation, absent genuine Prunelle, would be apricot brandy. Though surely there's already another cocktail in the same proportions as the Elk that calls for apricot brandy?

[thirtyoneknots]

I was going to use the regular Flor de Cana dry, but it seemed like all I would taste would be the vermouth.  Glad to have an excuse to use the Havana Club, instead.

←

More power to you for having Havana Club, but maybe try the less filtered offerings from Flor de Cana for the rest of us. I havent tried the 7 or 12 years but the rest of them from 4-18 years are excellent. I could see the 4 yr gold or 5 yr dark working here, depending on what you're looking for in the drink. I'm under the impression that Bacardi at the time made only what would be called white (Carta Blanco) and gold (Carta de Oro) rums. I'm not an expert on the subject but I've never seen any reference to prewar dark Bacardi rums.

Glad to see all this back underway!

-Andy

[eje]

To backtrack a bit to the Elk cocktail above, I cracked open my bottle of Vedrenne Prunelle this evening and pitted it against my homemade Damson gin. I'm sad to report that they taste nothing alike. At first, I couldn't understand it, because the Prunelle tasted closer to apricot brandy than anything else I could think of, with maybe some cherry in the mix as well...

So I made myself an Elk, which is an perfectly lovely drink. Then, as I was putting the bottle away, I re-read the label on the back. Lo and behold! It clearly indicates that the liqueur is made from "noyaux de prunelle," or plum kernels. (Incidentally, at least two of my French resources translate "prunelle" directly as "sloe". Don't know how accurate that is botanically.)

[...]

←

Now that is just confusing!

Prunelle is made from just the kernels of the sloes, not the whole fruit? I guess that would explain why it is lighter in color than sloe gin! Cocktaildb Image.

[eje]

Fairbanks Cocktail (No. 2)

2 Dashes Crème de Noyau. (1/2 tsp. Luxardo Amaretto)

2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (Dash Fee's, Dash Regan's Orange)

1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Vermouth)

2/3 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Beefeater's Gin)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass.

Note - We often wondered what Doug did it on now that we know we are going to try to do it ourselves.

In his 1922 book, "Cocktails: How to Mix Them," Robert Vermeire calls this the “Fairbank Cocktail” and uses equal parts ("¼ Gill") of French Vermouth and Gin. I'll assume that the Savoy author is referring to Douglas Fairbanks. Since evidence indicates Fairbanks was rather well known as a teetotaler*, I will note that Vermeire also gives the following information, "This drink is called after Senator Fairbank, a personal friend of the late President Roosevelt, of America." That would be Teddy, not Franklin, as this was written in 1922.

I have still failed to come across a decent Noyau, and refuse to buy the Hiram Walker, so substitute Amaretto here. Unfortunately, the Luxardo Amaretto is a nominally worse than average substitution, as they use actual almonds to flavor it, instead of the usual Apricot pits. C'est la vie.

As made, it is a subtle and tasty update of the standard Martini formula. Quite nice, with the hint of almond and bare touch of sweetness.

*From an article at the Douglas Fairbanks Museum, "...all the more surprising since Fairbanks himself was a lifelong teetotaler who didn’t even drink alcohol." From another article about Mary Pickford, "Douglas, an athletic, colossal star...A fanatical, snobbish teetotaler...disapproved of Mary's drinking..."

[mkayahara]

Prunelle is made from just the kernels of the sloes, not the whole fruit?  I guess that would explain why it is lighter in color than sloe gin!  Cocktaildb Image.

←

Well, my bottle looks different from the one in the CocktailDB image, but the contents look to be about the same shade of yellow. As for what goes into it, the label on the back of the bottle says "...distilled from selected aged spirits and wild sloe kernels." I'm not sure what goes into the "aged spirits" in question, but it does seem that it's only the sloe kernels, and not the fruit, that are involved.

[eje]

Fallen Angel Cocktail

1 Dash Angostura Bitters.

2 Dashes Crème de Menthe. (1/2 bar spoon Brizard Crème de Menthe)

The Juice of 1 Lemon or 1/2 Lime. (Juice 1 lemon)

1 Glass Dry Gin. (2 oz Aviation Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Note: It has never been made quite clear as to whether this is intended to be taken by the Angel before or after falling; as an encouragement or as a consolation.

Another of my favorite Savoy quotes.

The recipe is sort of odd. I mean the usual ingredient note for cocktails with choice of lemon or lime is, "Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon," so the fact that this recommends 1/2 lime or a whole lemon is a bit odd. Unfortunately, it's not a cocktail whose origins have yet been tracked down, so there's no real way for me to know if it is a typo or not. I chose lemon, and went a little easy on it.

I have to admit I expected to dislike this cocktail. I really didn't think it could possibly be palatable with that much lemon juice against that little sweetener. But, somehow it is. I dunno, I would call it refreshing.

edit - Picked the Aviation gin, as it seemed like its use of lavender in the herb bill might be interesting in the cocktail with the mint. I think it worked well.

Edited January 15, 2008 by eje (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

I actually tried the Fallen Angel last week and thought it was going to be really interesting, being, basically, a minty aviation. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but I think there's a truly fascinating drink hiding in that combination, if it were to be made dry like I like may aviations (ie with very little liqueur). As it stands the DeKuyper CdM I was using was very sweet, even in small quantities. This may sound like a cliche, but my friend I was drinking this with suggested replacing half of the Menthe with Cacao. I think it actually holds some promise, sort of like a 20th Century, but with mint up front to compliment the cacao in the finish.

And yeah thats a great quote.

-Andy

[eje]

Fancy Cocktail

(6 People)

Pour into the shaker 5 glasses of Cognac and a dessertspoonful of Angostura Bitters. Shake thoroughly and serve, adding a little champagne and a piece of lemon-rind after having rubbed the edges of the glasses with lemon syrup.

Fancy Cocktail disambiguation via David Wondrich's "Imbibe!"

You'll probably have noted that I have interpreted the "Fancy Cocktail" thus from this week's MxMo post:

Fancy Cocktail for one

Rub the rim of a cocktail glass with a slice of lemon. Frost the edge with superfine or caster sugar. Pour into the shaker 2 oz Cognac and a generous dash of Angostura Bitters. Stir with cracked ice until well chilled, and strain into the frosted glass. Top up with a bit of champagne, squeeze a piece of lemon peel over the glass and drop it in.

In Mr. Wondrich's book, he divides the types of "cocktail" into the following categories, "Original", "Plain", "Fancy", "Improved", and "Old-Fashioned".

"Original Cocktail", is ye olde bittered sling, specification of spirits, bitters, sugar, and water. Nutmeg optional.

"Plain Cocktail" is Gum syrup, bitters, spirits, and curacao served on the rocks with a twist of lemon.

"Fancy Cocktail" is Gum syrup, bitters, spirits, and curacao, stirred with ice, and strained into another glass and garnished with a twist of lemon.

"Improved Cocktail" is Gum syrup, bitters, spirits, maraschino liqueur, absinthe, stirred with ice, strained into another glass and garnished with a twist of lemon.

And "Old-fashioned Cocktail" is the "original" served with rocks instead of water and a lemon twist instead of nutmeg.

Anyway, he notes the "Fancy" category sometimes included a frosted rim, a la Crusta, or a top up of champanski. Hey, who would argue? Though, I wonder what sort of individual would say, "Excuse me barkeep, I will have a fancy brandy cocktail, thank you!"

As the "Savoy Cocktail Book" seems to have the most bad luck transcribing these pre-prohibition of cocktails, (see the Savoy "Coffee Cocktail" and "Brandy Crusta" for other poorly transcribed examples,) their "Fancy Cocktail" recipe makes almost no sense. I mean, how can you "rub the edges of a glass with lemon syrup"? Just sounds really messy to me. They have also decided to solidify on Cognac and leave out the Curacao. No tremendous loss there.

I've sort of gone with the Chicago method for the "Fancy Cocktail" and left it at that.

I like the "Chicago Cocktail" and I like the "Fancy Cocktail." Guess that makes me some sort of flannel wearing dandy. Woo!

edit - details

Edited January 17, 2008 by eje (log)

[eje]

I actually tried the Fallen Angel last week and thought it was going to be really interesting, being, basically, a minty aviation. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but I think there's a truly fascinating drink hiding in that combination, if it were to be made dry like I like may aviations (ie with very little liqueur). As it stands the DeKuyper CdM I was using was very sweet, even in small quantities. This may sound like a cliche, but my friend I was drinking this with suggested replacing half of the Menthe with Cacao. I think it actually holds some promise, sort of like a 20th Century, but with mint up front to compliment the cacao in the finish.

And yeah thats a great quote.

-Andy

←

Funny! Peppermint Patty with citrus and gin isn't tripping my trigger, but maybe it would be OK in execution. Let us know!

In my Fallen Angel, I did keep the mint down to a half a teaspoon which was pretty minimal. I dunno how the sweetness of the DeKuyper compares to the Brizard, but the balance of sweet and sour was right at the edge for me. You're right, it was very similar to a minty Aviation.

[eje]

Fantasio Cocktail (No. 1)

1/6 White Crème de Menthe.

1/6 Maraschino.

1/3 Brandy.

1/3 Dry Gin.

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

Fantasio Cocktail. (No. 2.)

1/6 White Crème de Menthe. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Creme de Menthe)

1/6 Maraschino. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Maraschino)

1/3 Brandy. (3/4 oz Brandy)

1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I've stared and stared at these two Fantasios and can find no difference between them, aside from the shaking detail. In the 1934 edition of Patrick Gavin Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual" they are actually both stirred, but the No. 2 gets a cherry. God knows why there are two versions of this cocktail in either book.

Gin and Brandy isn't one of those things that really pops into my head as a great combination, so I thought about this one for a while, comparing the gins I had in the house. Eventually, I decided to go with a Jonge Genever. It seemed like the slight maltiness would complement the brandy well.

I also nominally cheated on the recipe ratio. Just couldn't quite face that much liqueur.

Fantasio, slight variation

1/4 oz Brizard White Crème de Menthe

1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino

3/4 oz Cerbois VSOP Armagnac

1 oz Boomsma Jonge Genever

Stir, strain, cherry.

Maybe I'm on crack, but this isn't half bad. Sort of a more complex Stinger. The cherry is a nice touch and I like the flavors it brings towards the end of the cocktail after soaking in the booze.

The astute among you will notice the first appearance of a new Brandy. Going through the various Armagnacs available locally, I discovered that this one is produced by Ferrand, whose Cognac I quite enjoyed. I'll have to post more detailed notes over in the Brandy topic, but I am enjoying the flavor. Quite different from the various Brandies I've tried. It seems to have more complex flavor. Kind of tobacco/cigar-ish. Definitely intriguing.