Drinks (2009–2011)

[vice]

Beat the heat with a homemade gin & tonic:

A bit heavy on the quinine, but man is it nice on a hot day.

Some like it heavy. Recipe for the tonic?

[Chris Amirault]

It's been Dale DeGroff Whiskey Peach Smashes all weekend with Bulleit bourbon. Yum.

[deensiebat]

Beat the heat with a homemade gin & tonic:

A bit heavy on the quinine, but man is it nice on a hot day.

Some like it heavy. Recipe for the tonic?

Here's my take on tonic water, adapted from a great recipe by Jeffrey Morganthaler. This particular batch of cinchona bark was especially potent -- it's nicely bitter on such a hot day, but definitely makes itself heard above the other ingredients. But if you favor the bitter, it's perfect. I've also tried a nicely bracing grapefruit variation.

Edited July 26, 2010 by deensiebat (log)

[bostonapothecary]

a rendering of fish house punch as a single serving

1 oz. smith and cross

.75 oz. cognac (gaston de lagrange)

.25 oz. kuchan barrel aged peach brandy

1 oz. lemon juice

bar spoonful of sugar

this turned out really great. all three spirits add up to an awesome tonal effect.

the kuchan brandy is tricky stuff. the distilled peach aroma easily conjures up bubble gum and aromas you would think are artificial. i actually can't enjoy it on its own. it really seems to require a high acid context like fish house punch to escape that negative symbolism.

kuchan wasn't really the first modern peach eau-de-vie. bonny doon made a fantastic one using a nectarine cultivar a few years back. however skill fully produced, the product flopped and supposedly there is still a warehouse full of it. for some reason when i wrote about bonny doon's product a few years ago i thought it was an unfermented eau de vie, but a nectarine definitely has enough sugars to make a distillable wine. i have no idea what i was thinking back then.

[KD1191]

Mo' Bitter Bronx:

2 oz Tanqueray No. 10

1 oz Punt e Mes

1 oz Cocchi Americano

1 oz Orange Juice

Dash Angostura

Count me among those in love with the Cocchi Americano...everything it touches turns to gold.

[KatieLoeb]

A splash of Cocchi Americano in a margarita sweetened with agave and served in a glass misted with Laphroaig single malt scotch is a good facsimile of a drink currently on the Oyster House cocktail menu:

False Alibi

Laphroaig in atomizer

2 oz. El Jimador reposado

.5 oz. L'Alibi (a french aperitif wine similar to Cocchi Americano)

.75 oz. fresh lime juice

.33 oz agave nectar

Long grapefruit twist

Mist chilled cocktail glass 2X with Laphroaig. Add next 4 ingredients to iced shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into glass and garnish with grapefruit peel that has been expressed over surface of drink. Enjoy.

Looks like this:

[bostonapothecary]

1 oz. van winkle 20 yr. bourbon

1 oz. kuchan indian blood peach eau de vie

1 oz. lemon juice

spoonful of sugar

this eau de vie has enough aroma to over shadow that of the lemon and make you think you are drinking a glass of peach juice & whiskey. if this were the dead of winter i could imagine the experience being even more refreshing. a great drink, but the van winkle brings some shade of wood aroma that i don't particularly find ideal. i'd either try it again with a younger bourbon or maybe a martinique rhum.

[haresfur]

On a ginger wine kick recently. So here's a take off on a sidecar. I couldn't think of any clever name relating ginger to motor cycles so I decided to name it after an indie band I like. Maybe they will google themselves and discover this!

Ginger Envelope

1 1/2 oz Brandy

1 1/2 oz Stone's Ginger Wine

1/2 oz lemon

Shake, strain, lemon twist tossed in.

I had a bit of a hard time balancing this one. I'm more used to lime with ginger but with some experimenting I think I got it. Of course your citrus may vary. Enjoy!

[EvergreenDan]

You've piqued my curiosity about Stone's Ginger Wine. I had assumed it was pretty awful, and have a very vague memory of having been served it once as sort of a "this is all we have" kind of thing, but perhaps I'm wrong. What does it taste like? Can its flavor be simulated with other ingredients? I'm wondering about say Canton and sweet vermouth or something. I'm trying to avoid expanding my liquor cabinet beyond all reason.

[lancastermike]

1 oz. van winkle 20 yr. bourbon

1 oz. kuchan indian blood peach eau de vie

1 oz. lemon juice

spoonful of sugar

this eau de vie has enough aroma to over shadow that of the lemon and make you think you are drinking a glass of peach juice & whiskey. if this were the dead of winter i could imagine the experience being even more refreshing. a great drink, but the van winkle brings some shade of wood aroma that i don't particularly find ideal. i'd either try it again with a younger bourbon or maybe a martinique rhum.

With all due respect,

If I had a bottle of Van Winkle 20 year old, I would NOT be mixing it with anything.

[haresfur]

You've piqued my curiosity about Stone's Ginger Wine. I had assumed it was pretty awful, and have a very vague memory of having been served it once as sort of a "this is all we have" kind of thing, but perhaps I'm wrong. What does it taste like? Can its flavor be simulated with other ingredients? I'm wondering about say Canton and sweet vermouth or something. I'm trying to avoid expanding my liquor cabinet beyond all reason.

I've never tried Canton. Stone's is godawful sweet - I think I read that it has a currant wine base. Can't see drinking it straight. Maybe ginger simple syrup would work. The lemon not only balances the sweetness but brings out the ginger bite.

I like the ginger wine, not only for its taste, but for it's British Empire cachet and because it's inexpensive. Must be taxed as wine, not spirits (a bottle of Jim Beam white will run you around $35 here - gag!). So I'm taking it as a challenge to make interesting drinks with simpler ingredients. I'll leave the multiple layers of obscure bottlings to the professionals like bostonapothecary (although I'm a 2 hour train ride from a good bar).

[KD1191]

You've piqued my curiosity about Stone's Ginger Wine. I had assumed it was pretty awful, and have a very vague memory of having been served it once as sort of a "this is all we have" kind of thing, but perhaps I'm wrong. What does it taste like? Can its flavor be simulated with other ingredients? I'm wondering about say Canton and sweet vermouth or something. I'm trying to avoid expanding my liquor cabinet beyond all reason.

Just tasted Stone's and Canton side-by-side.

The aroma of Stone's is weak...what I do get is vegetal/green, young ginger. Canton is bolder, spicy but with a medicinal tinge (Chloraseptic, specifically).

Stone's is milder in flavor as well, not as spicy, sweet or hot as Canton. Stone's is dime-store candy sweet (there and gone), has a lot of the same flavor profile as a slightly more gingery ginger ale, but nothing close to the heat of a high-quality ginger beer. Canton is syrupy and lingers, it has a burn but the ginger flavor is a bit artificial.

50:50 Canton and M&R Sweet might be a workable sub for Stone's, though the ginger flavor is still considerably hotter and the aroma is much more intense.

ETA: Tried 50:50 Canton & Cinzano Bianco and it was not an improvement.

Edited August 4, 2010 by KD1191 (log)

[haresfur]

Just tasted Stone's and Canton side-by-side.

The aroma of Stone's is weak...what I do get is vegetal/green, young ginger. Canton is bolder, spicy but with a medicinal tinge (Chloraseptic, specifically).

Stone's is milder in flavor as well, not as spicy, sweet or hot as Canton. Stone's is dime-store candy sweet (there and gone), has a lot of the same flavor profile as a slightly more gingery ginger ale, but nothing close to the heat of a high-quality ginger beer. Canton is syrupy and lingers, it has a burn but the ginger flavor is a bit artificial.

50:50 Canton and M&R Sweet might be a workable sub for Stone's, though the ginger flavor is still considerably hotter and the aroma is much more intense.

ETA: Tried 50:50 Canton & Cinzano Bianco and it was not an improvement.

Another way to go would be to use ginger-infused vodka and simple. That way you could adjust the ginger intensity and the sweetness separately. When I infused vodka I used candied ginger so it had some sweetness. If you keep it in the freezer the ginger hotness seems to stay for quite a while (and the left over candied ginger is great when put on halibut and baked).

[KatieLoeb]

My fabulous Sous Chef came to me yesterday and said he had an abundance of gorgeous raspberries from our farmer. What to do? I suggested he make some raspberry shrub and give it to me to play with at the bar. An hour later I had a quart of delicious shrub made from two pints of glorious berries, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup Champagne vinegar and a splash of water, boiled and sieved to remove seeds. It's delicious! I had some in club soda with a splash of lime juice and it was like the best, most refreshing raspberry soda, EVER!!

After a bit of mucking about, a cocktail was created that will be going on the menu later this week. I give you the Raspberry Point:

2 oz. VO Canadian Whiskey

.5 oz. Raspberry Shrub

.5 oz. fresh lemon juice

.25 oz. Demerara simple syrup

Dash Peychaud bitters

Club soda

.25 oz. Cognac

Shake whiskey, shrub, lemon, simple syrup and bitters together and strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Top with club soda, stir and float cognac on top. Garnish with a lemon wedge and/or raspberries.

The Raspberry Point is named after oysters that come from the northernmost point of Prince Edward Island, hence the reference to the Canadian whiskey as well as a sly nod to the restaurant. This drink is the perfect way to enjoy whiskey in a refreshing summer cocktail format. I'll post a photo as soon as the particulars are worked out. It's pretty as well as tasty.

[Chris Amirault]

The newly employed bartender also notices that VO is a swell base spirit to use in a special, pricepointwise.

I've been trying to find ways to use this Suze I've got, and tonight's drink seems like it's worth reporting. No name.

2 oz Rittenhouse rye

1/2 oz Suze

1/2 oz Aalborg Jubilaeums akvavit

barspoon Licor 43

dash Fee's 2007 OF bitters

Stir, up. Orange twist if you've got it.

With the Rittenhouse and akvavit, it's got lots of grainy, sneaky power, with a long tail thanks to the Suze. Most people wouldn't like it much, but if I were serving some smoked salmon, rye bread, and red onion, I could do a lot worse than serve this.

[KatieLoeb]

Chris:

That sounds mighty tasty. And yes - Canadian whiskey is a very price friendly spirit that takes quite well to mixing. Did I send you my aquavit recipe? It's not too tough to make one's own if feeling motivated to do so.

After a bit more fiddling, the Raspberry Point remains as posted above, but we've increased the proportion of shrub to 1 oz. for dazzling color and flavor. Sold several today. The drink has gotten the most repetitive praise I think any cocktail has in memory. "That could be dangerous...", they all say.

[bostonapothecary]

.5 oz. kuchan blood peach brandy

1.5 oz. unaged rum from paul valley, santiago, cape verde

1 oz. taylor's velvet falernum

1 oz. lemon juice

dash angostura

i used lemon juice instead of lime to not overshadow the contributions of the falernum or peach brandy. the blood peach brandy contributes to an overall strange fruit expression that is pretty cool. the unaged rum brings serious sophistication with its intensely fresh, sugarcane pungencies.

some old books on distillation make the claim that in the olden days rums sometimes would be made with a mix of molasses and sugarcane juice. makes you wonder if that was what made clear rums like havana club special. if its the case, you can get a glimpse of the effect by mixing a fresh sugar cane rum with an all molasses like cruzan.

i can't go back to anything unaged and molases. its only cachaca and cape verdean novas for me...

[Dan Perrigan]

This is totally hitting the spot right now...

The North Star Cocktail:

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Flor de Cana Gold

5 drops Angostura Orange

Build in rocks glass (in order listed) over two large rocks. Swirl once or twice. Enjoy.

Dan

[KD1191]

A Blinker riff.

2.5 oz Wild Turkey 101 Rye

1.5 oz Grapefruit Juice

1/2 oz Cassis des Pères Chartreux

1/4 oz Simple

First sip was pretty standard Blinker, a bit boring. I topped it off with a few drops of Bittercube Blackstrap bitters...took the drink in a whole different direction. Added nice spice and depth, brought out the rye and the fruit.

[John Rosevear]

2 oz Hendrick's in a rocks glass filled with ice cubes, top with Polar tonic water from a can (which I don't think I've ever had before tonight, but which happened to be at hand). No lime, didn't seem to need it. I've never been a big Hendrick's fan, but this combo is seriously good, like they were made for each other. Fascinating.

[J_Ozzy]

29 degrees Celsius today in Calgary, so it was time for a hot weather drink.

Ti Punch. For me, it's the hot-weather Old Fashion.

1.5 oz La Favorite Blanc

0.25 oz 1:1 demerara simple syrup

small squeeze of lime (a little off spec, but I love my citrus)

round of lime peel

ice cube

mmm. A drink you have to respectfully sip to keep your wits about you.

[FireAarro]

This is totally hitting the spot right now...

The North Star Cocktail:

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Flor de Cana Gold

5 drops Angostura Orange

Build in rocks glass (in order listed) over two large rocks. Swirl once or twice. Enjoy.

Dan

Good call! Made this with Havana Club Especial and TBT orange bitters, serves as a slightly mellowed dram of Cynar with powerful orange aromas.

[haresfur]

This is totally hitting the spot right now...

The North Star Cocktail:

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Flor de Cana Gold

5 drops Angostura Orange

Build in rocks glass (in order listed) over two large rocks. Swirl once or twice. Enjoy.

Dan

Good call! Made this with Havana Club Especial and TBT orange bitters, serves as a slightly mellowed dram of Cynar with powerful orange aromas.

Hey Fire,

Where are you buying your HCE & Cynar?

[plattetude]

Ransom Old Tom, neat. Whoa. Late to the game, but man how frickin' incredible this stuff is.

Followed by an Ephemeral cocktail (sort of)

1 1/2 oz Ransom Old Tom

1 oz Dolin blanc vermouth

1/3 oz St. Germain

2 dashes Angostura bitters (because I have no celery bitters)

Christopher

[Chris Amirault]

That looks mighty fine.

As my last Carpano Antica Formula drink -- only 1/2 oz left -- I made a very tasty Leap Year, courtesy of Harry Craddock, and thought about the possibility of drinking CAF in 48 months:

2 oz gin (Beefeater)

1/2 oz sweet vermouth (CAF)

1/2 oz Grand Marnier

1/4 oz lemon juice

Stir; strain; lemon twist.

Sigh.