Mixing with Experimental Cocktail Club

[FrogPrincesse]

I've been eying this book since I heard about its upcoming release. For me, a cocktail book with a French slant is a hugely appealling. I flipped through it at my local bookstore and was compelled to buy it when I saw a recipe calling for Byrrh, along with a few re-interpreted classics. The recipes are not overly complex and generally don't call for esoteric ingredients. If you have Sam Ross' Bartender's Choice app, it's in the same vein but with a definite French (and international) touch, with recipes calling for things like Suze, Armagnac or Japanese whisky.

 

Measurements are given in milliliters and ounces, and were probably conceived in metric so they can be a bit unusual sometimes, but this is not a big deal at all. Each recipe is provided with a little background about its creation or general concept, which I always find the most interesting part of these types of books.

 

The first thing I mixed was the Byrrh cocktail of course. It had quite a few other ingredients, but luckily I had everything already on hand.

 

Handsome Jack (Chris Tanner) with Rittenhouse straight rye, Pierre Ferrand 1840, Aperol, Byrrh, green Chartreuse, maple syrup, Angostura and Peychaud's bitters.

 

As indicated in the notes, it is slightly on the sweet side but it has a slight bitterness that compensates for that (from the Byrrh and Aperol). The flavor is deep and complex. There is almost like a chestnut note with the maple syrup and cognac, and a nice kick from the rye. A very good fall/winter drink.

 

 

 

Review of the book on Eater.

 

 

Edited June 13, 2016 by FrogPrincesse
typo (log)

[Rafa]

Thank you for making me want to purchase this book.

[FrogPrincesse]

I know, right? Hard to resist another cocktail book.

 

Here is Winnie the Pooh, a rum-based relative of Eeyore's Requiem, aka a Negroni variation with a Cynar & Fernet kick. Plantation 3 Stars + batavia arrack (substituted for Banks 5 Island white rum), Campari, Dolin white vermouth, Fernet-Branca, Cynar, Fee West Indian and Regan's orange bitters.

 

Edited November 25, 2015 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Third up is the Nourishment, on paper a weird mix of tequila, dry vermouth, violet and citrus. It felt like the right thing though. I have a gorgeous bottle of Ocho plata that is super aromatic, and I was in the mood for a sour, for a change.

 

The drink is described as a Corpse Reviver No. 2 relative (it is in its structure, for sure) but its taste is actually more reminiscent of an Aviation to me. I've had tequila-based Aviations in the past (where you just substitute tequila for the gin) and they are not that great. But here the dry vermouth closes the gap between the tequila and the violet; it was very harmonious and even the absinthe blended in instead of standing out like a sore thumb.

 

There is some commonality with a very nice drink from PDT which also scuccessfully pairs violet and Tequila, the Aguila Azteca.

 

Nourishment with 2014 Ocho blanco tequila, Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth, lime, lemon, R&W violette liqueur, St. George absinthe.

 

Edited June 13, 2016 by FrogPrincesse
typo (log)

[tanstaafl2]

Not sure if post are still indexing or if some things have been lost during the upgrade but my previous post seems to be gone. Was curious how this was made. Is it a 1:1:1:1 with absinthe rinse like a Corpse Reviver as you suggested?

[FrogPrincesse]

17 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

Not sure if post are still indexing or if some things have been lost during the upgrade but my previous post seems to be gone. Was curious how this was made. Is it a 1:1:1:1 with absinthe rinse like a Corpse Reviver as you suggested?

Yeah, a few things got lost in the upgrade!

 

Below are the specs for the Nourishment.

 

Also, you had asked about mezcal instead of tequila, and I had responded that a grassy non-smoky one might work. The cocktail is essentially about clean vegetal flavors, so I would try to keep it in that direction.

 

1 oz tequila

1 oz dry vermouth

2 tsp lime juice

2 tsp lemon juice

1 oz violette mix* (reduced to 1/2 oz)

6 dashes absinthe

*violette mix = 2 parts violet liqueur, 1 part simple syrup.

[tanstaafl2]

Sounds good! The Mezcal Vago Tepeztate might work. Really nice citrus-y notes and not too much smoke. But I can probably dig up an interesting tequila to try as well.

[FrogPrincesse]

From the "Friends" section, a modern take on the Dark & Stormy, The Perfect Storm (Alastair Burgess) with dark rum (Lost Spirits Polynesian-inspired rum), vieille prune aged plum eau-de-vie (Etter), lemon juice, honey syrup, ginger juice (BG Reynolds ginger syrup). I had tried it before with El Dorado 8. It's wonderful with the Polynesian-inspired rum - you get pineapple and banana notes (the ginger blends really well with the other ingredients and isn't obvious at all), it's boozy and very complex.

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Another one from the "Friends" section, the Meat Hook (Shaun Layton) with Rittenhouse 100 rye whiskey, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, Laphroaig 10 year Scotch whisky. It's a great Red Hook variation!

 

 

 

 

[EvergreenDan]

@FrogPrincesse Probably my favorite Red Hook variation is:

 

1 1/2 oz rye

1/2 Islay

1/2 Maraschino

1/2 Punt e Mes

1/2 Dry vermouth or sherry.

good cherry

 

Sounds very similar to the above.

[PassionateAmateur]

Just starting leafing through this book on Sunday. Lots of unfamiliar bottles -- which just makes me happy as it's a reason for fresh avenues of research and the perfect excuse for purchases to support said research!  For science.

[FrogPrincesse]

Classic Ripoff (Alex Skarlen) with High West Double Rye! straight rye whiskey, Martini Gran Lusso vermouth, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, lemon, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters.

 

The addition of lemon juice to something that was build based on a Manhattan / Brooklyn was interesting. It gave it a lighter feel.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Brazilian Prescription with Leblon cachaça, Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth, St Elizabeth allspice dram, acacia honey, lemon juice.

 

This cocktail was inspired by the Sangaree, a type of drink typically made from wine which predates the Sangria. In this example, it is build with cachaça which immediately gives it a different, lighter vibe. Pairing cachaça with dry vermouth is unexpected but somehow it works, with the allspice liqueur adding a healthy dose of spice.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Arrackiri (Damien Aries) with batavia arrack, lime juice, agave syrup, yellow Chartreuse, Vida mezcal, Boy Drinks World serrano tincture.

 

This drink is not to be confused with Phil Ward’s drink, the Arrackuiri, a sour with batavia arrack and pomegranate molasses that is described in the Death & Co Cocktail Book.

 

Kudos on making something harmonious on a base of batavia arrack, which is notoriously difficult to work with. This may be the best example I’ve tried to date.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Vieux Rectangle (Arthur Come) with Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, Martini Gran Lusso vermouth, Aperol, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, St. George absinthe.

 

This is a great example of a drink build on the Vieux Carré template. This re-interpretation uses cognac alone as the base, and swaps out the Benedictine for some Aperol and absinthe.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On ‎6‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 8:03 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

Brazilian Prescription with Leblon cachaça, Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth, St Elizabeth allspice dram, acacia honey, lemon juice.

 

Could you give the ratios used?

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Actually, searching diligently on amazon yields the Brazilian Prescription recipe from the book.  I substituted Sercial (Blandy's) for the vermouth, and gum ( @feste ) for the honey.  Madeira seems so much more connected to Brazil than France does.  Besides, I don't like vermouth.  The result was rather sweet for my taste so I added the remainder of the half lemon over the ice.

 

I'd make this again.

 

The picture was not worth posting since I have no passion fruit for garnish.

[FrogPrincesse]

Here is the recipe in the book:

 

1.5 oz cachaça Yaguara

0.5 oz Noilly Prat dry vermouth

1/2 tsp allspice liqueur 

3/4 oz honey

3/4 oz lemon juice