Subway Cocktail

[Splificator]

Today is the 100th anniversary of the mighty New York City subway system. Oddly enough, with all the drinks that are named after parts of New York City and its institutions--the New York, the New Yorker, the Manhattan (and the Manhattan Jr., and the Mr. Manhattan), the Bronx, the Bronx Terrace, the Brooklyn, the Queens, the Croton (named after the city's first aqueduct), the Fifth Avenue, et al.--there has never, as far as I can tell, been one dedicated to the subway. The closest mixology has come to it is the three versions (at least) of the "Third Rail," the earliest of which must've been inspired by the subway. Still, no Subway Cocktail. This absence, while deplorable, is also an opportunity.

Any suggestions?

--DW

[slkinsey]

Hmmm... three things immediately come to mind:

1. Using a base liquor historically associated with NY.

2. Using a combination of liquors from a variety of countries, since the subway is truly reflective of NYC as a multicultural melting pot.

3. Creating not one cocktail, but three: the IRT Cocktail, the BMT Cocktail and the IND Cocktail.

[Fat Guy]

Should there not be a "Straphanger"?

[slkinsey]

Thinking of #2 above, I've always thought that Chartreuse gave a cocktail a certain essence of far-away places. What about something like:

1.5 oz : straight rye whiskey (I'm thinking Wild Turkey 101)

0.5 oz : applejack

0.5 oz : fresh lemon juice

0.25 oz : green (or maybe yellow?) Chartreuse

1 dash : orange bitters

The rye and applejack seem old-school NY to me, while the Chartreuse is a "taste of multiculturalism." This could suck, of course, and might need some adjustment to balance the acid. But it's something that at least sounds interesting on paper.

[Fat Guy]

How about a tall boy in a paper bag?

[slkinsey]

How about a tall boy in a paper bag?

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Garnished with a used crack pipe?

[Splificator]

The first thing I ever drank on the subway was a Heublein "Brass Monkey"--a really very nasty bottled cocktail (do they still make them?)--that a group of city teens was drinking from styrofoam cups and thoughtfully offered to share with me and my girlfriend, who were in from the 'burbs looking for fun. We found it. For me, anyway, the Brass Monkey will always have a claim to the Subway Cocktail title, as will the tallboy in the brown paper bag, the ass-pocket bottle of Jack Daniels (also from high school) and the blunt.

But such things aside, I like the rye/applejack/lemon combination, but that does seem like an awful lot of Chartreuse, as much as I like Chartreuse.

Another New York spirit is genever gin (what with Manhattan being Dutch and all). Perhaps something with genever, tamarind (which brings in both Asia and the Caribbean) and sherry (Latin America)? If I didn't still have an afternoon's worth of writing to do I'd start mixing some drinks.

We may have to have an in-person shake-off to decide things.

[slkinsey]

We may have to have an in-person shake-off to decide things.

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Sounds like fun. We should.

[Splificator]

Oh yeah, and on second thought, the applejack? Since its other name is "Jersey Lightning" and it is, or was anyway, the state spirit of New Jersey, I think it must be disqualified from the competition. Strictly for "farmers," as New Yorkers used to call everyone from the Garden State, no matter what their employment. (Not that I harbor these attitudes myself, mind you, but one must take history into account.)

[FistFullaRoux]

I'll refrain from making bad jokes about screwdrivers (think about it....)

I do have a name for it... Third Rail

[Jason Perlow]

I think the Subway cocktail should be an interesting variation of the Manhattan.

Your basic manhattan is 4oz of Bourbon to 1oz of sweet vermouth. I'm thinking you could infuse the bourbon with an interesting flavor, like perhaps Laird's Applejack (for the "Big Apple" part) and garnish with apple slices. Or add NY State Apple Cider to it.

[Squeat Mungry]

I think it should be a combination of a Manhattan and a Brooklyn Cocktail. Maybe add dry vermouth and Amer Picon to a Manhattan? I like the apple garnish. Call it "The Hole in the Ground".

Cheers,

Squeat

[cdh]

Doesn't NYC have a long historical connection to rum as its booze? I seem to recall reading about some connection between the carribean sugar business and new york and new england...

So maybe the Subway could be a Manhattan made with Anejo rum in place of (or addition to) the whisky.

And it must contain Fee's aromatic bitters in place of the Angostura, for its connection to the rest of NY state.

[Al_Dente]

Are there any liquors with a urine aroma?

[Jason Perlow]

Doesn't NYC have a long historical connection to rum as its booze?  I seem to recall reading about some connection between the carribean sugar business and new york and new england...

So maybe the Subway could be a Manhattan made with Anejo rum in place of (or addition to) the whisky. 

And it must contain Fee's aromatic bitters in place of the Angostura, for its connection to the rest of NY state.

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Yeah, thats brilliant. An older rum (Maybe even use a domestic rum, like Pritchards or New Orleans Rum), perhaps infused for a couple of weeks with apple slices to impart a apple taste to it, with Fee Bitters and sweet vermouth, garnished with apple.

[Chef Shogun]

The first thing I ever drank on the subway was a Heublein "Brass Monkey"--a really very nasty bottled cocktail

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That funky monkey.

[slkinsey]

Oh yeah, and on second thought, the applejack? Since its other name is "Jersey Lightning" and it is, or was anyway, the state spirit of New Jersey, I think it must be disqualified from the competition. Strictly for "farmers," as New Yorkers used to call everyone from the Garden State, no matter what their employment. (Not that I harbor these attitudes myself, mind you, but one must take history into account.)

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I'd think that NYC's nickname "Big Apple" would be enough to make applejack acceptable in an NY-named cocktail, though. Mostly, though, rye and applejack struck me as two old-school spirits that are a little rough around the edges, so I thought it might be interesting to combine them. That neither one gets the attention it deserves is extra gravy, as far as I am concerned. Are we aware of a cocktail using both rye and applejack? I can't think of any, but of course that could be because they don't combine very well.

You're right about too much Chartreuse in my thought above (whatever it ends up being named, if it turns out to be good). Just rinsing the glass would probably do it, since it's a small drink at those volumes.

I like your genever idea, too. Trying to think of ingredients associated with ethnicities associated with NYC to consider:

Dutch: genever

English: dry gin

Asian: tamarind, ginger, sake

Irish: Irish whiskey

Italian: something like Strega could be interesting

Caribbean: falernum, rum

Latin America: rum, pisco, Cachaça

[Jason Perlow]

Actually Irish Whiskey like one of the better Jamesons would go really good with some apple cider and vermouth.

Most of the people who built the original NY subway were Irish immigrants, weren't they? I also recall that during the 40's-60's at least 50 percent ot the NY transit workers were Irish.

[slkinsey]

The problem with Irish whiskey is like the problem with Scotch... it just doesn't lend itself to blending.

[Splificator]

Dutch: genever

English: dry gin

Asian: tamarind, ginger, sake

Irish: Irish whiskey

Italian: something like Strega could be interesting

Caribbean: falernum, rum

Latin America: rum, pisco, Cachaça

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I hope you're not suggesting:

1 oz genever gin

1 oz London dry gin

1 oz Irish whiskey

1 oz tamarind juice

1/2 oz Falernum

2 dashes Strega

Shake well with cracked ice, strain into chilled large cocktail glass, float 1/2 oz of pisco on top and garnish with slice of rum-pickled ginger? (On the other hand, I've probably had worse. Those Brass Monkeys, for one.)

I'm not convinced that an adaptation of the Manhattan and/or the Brooklyn would be the best way to go, if only because that's so often the way things end up in New York: Manhattan and, to a lesser extent, Brooklyn claim they're speaking for everyone, while Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island don't have any actual say in the matter.

The apple-infused rum sounds like a better idea, although if it's gonna be a Subway cocktail you've got to be able to catch it in a hurry.

--DW

[slkinsey]

I hope you're not suggesting:

    1 oz genever gin

    1 oz London dry gin

    1 oz Irish whiskey

    1 oz tamarind juice

    1/2 oz Falernum

    2 dashes Strega

Shake well with cracked ice, strain into chilled large cocktail glass, float 1/2 oz of pisco on top and garnish with slice of rum-pickled ginger?

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Whoa! It's like you're reading my mind or something. Spooky.

You forgot: garnish with a well-washed, sterilized and polished NYC subway token.

[Splificator]

garnish with a well-washed, sterilized and polished NYC subway token.

Won't the drink take care of all of that?

[slkinsey]

garnish with a well-washed, sterilized and polished NYC subway token.

Won't the drink take care of all of that?

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Heh. Would have to include some 151 demerara rum just to make sure.

Actually... an interesting thought (although probably not useful): Subway tokens are made with copper, right? I assume that if one put a subway token into a shaker with some reasonable acidic ingredient and shook it up, it would impart a slight coppery flavor.

[Splificator]

I assume that if one put a subway token into a shaker with some reasonable acidic ingredient and shook it up, it would impart a slight coppery flavor.

I assume that it would. But here we must ask ourselves: do we want a slight coppery flavor?

Ladies and gentlemen of good will may be permitted to differ.

[Pan]

Actually Irish Whiskey like one of the better Jamesons would go really good with some apple cider and vermouth.

Most of the people who built the original NY subway were Irish immigrants, weren't they? I also recall that during the 40's-60's at least 50 percent ot the NY transit workers were Irish.

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I'm sure there were plenty of Irishmen involved, but I remember from the PBS documentary that many of the people who dug the tunnels under rivers were black. Also, my grandfather was one of the men who built the subway system, and since his last name was Cohen and not Cohan, I don't think he was Irish.