Post Your New Cocktail Creations Here

[Jason Perlow]

This evening Jhlurie and I invented a new drink after opening a bottle of calvados and wondering how it might work in a stinger.  In a moment of sheer brilliance we realized that perhaps a cinnamon schnapps instead of peppermint might match well with the French apple brandy. It does.

I give you the Goldstinger.

2 shots vsop calvados

1 1/2 shots Goldshlager

in a shaker with crushed ice pour in the ingredients, shake well, pour and serve in martini glasses.

[jhlurie]

We have to work on a good drink involving use of hot pepper or chili oil (BESIDES a Bloody Mary, I mean). I'm trying to think of what combinations of alcohol and base liquids this would work with besides a vegetable base like Tomato juice.  I'm thinking that a Citrus/hot oil combo with some kind of soothing alcohol to counterbalance it might work...

Or not.

[MsSumida]

When I worked in a Mexican Rest. in Phila, many, many moons ago....we used to slice Jalepenos and let them marinate in gold tequila for a few days...then we would put a shot of that in a pony glass.

The pony glass stood in a clean ashtray.  On top of the pony glass we rested a slice of orange that had been dipped in 10x sugar.

Over that we pured 151 rum, and you got it, we lit it on fire and brought it to the table.

The idea was, the patron blew out the flames, did the shot of tequila, and then followed it by eating the slice of orange.  The sweetness of the orange killed some of the heat of the Jalepenos.

[Katherine]

How about: tequila, clam juice, lime juice, Peppar, tuong, etc. Garnish it with a lime wedge, a nugget of lobster meat, and a shrimp on a pick.

[GregORear]

OK, here's one I call the Vagabond, © 2003 Greg O'Rear.

1. Put some crushed ice in a shaker.

2. Add a splash of vermouth and a couple of generous dashes of Angostura bitters.

3. Shake well, then strain off the liquid.

4. Add an ounce or so of good gin (I use Tanqueray No. 10 straight from the freezer).

5. Shake well, then strain into a frosted martini glass.

6. Spear an olive and an onion with a toothpick and drop in the glass.

7. Top off the glass with very cold, very fresh club soda.

It's sort of a pink gin martini/gibson and soda, but the name derives from the recipe (more or less):

Vermouth

And

Gin

Angostura

Bitters

Olive

oNion

soDa

Pictures are here: http://gregorear.com/vagabond/

Remember, this recipe is copyrighted, so every time you drink a Vagabond, you owe me 10% of your inebriation.

[aliwaks]

I've drink we call it the Emanuelle named after the soft core porn movie(in keeping with the names most of our drinks the Naughty Kitty, Bliss , Love, Fling, Democracy Whisky Sexy, love bite golden cosmo)

Part one simple syrup infused with ginger, lemon grass & kaffir lime leaves; I cup sugar 2 1/2 cupr water 2inches grated ginger, 1 lemongrass stalk, chopped, 8 kaffir lime leaves chopped...heat gently let sit at least 1 day, strain. cool

Part two candied thai bird chilie: Heat 1 cup sugar till it caramelizes remove from heat (not that cook at the candy making so i would defer to an better source for temperatures) carefully dip peppers in to liquid sugar (I used chopsticks) set on cheet pan w. wax paper let harden keep in air tioght container

ok.

3 oz Hangar One kaffir Lime infused Vodka

( if you have not tried this yet it is a revelation blows any flavored vodka away thier Mandarin blossom is beautiful too I serve that up .w an edible orchard floating in it)

2 squirts from squirt bottle of infused simple syrup

shake with ice pour in to martini glass & granish w. candied chili & kaffir lime leaf

[slkinsey]

The Samhattan:

1.5 oz Maker's Mark bourbon

1.5 oz vanilla-infused bourbon*

.5 oz Vya sweet red vermouth

.5 oz Vya extra dry white vermouth

1 dash Fee Brothers aromatic bitters

Shake with cracked ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass and serve. Garnish with small piece of vanilla bean split 3/4 of the way down the middle.

A variation is the Orange Dreamsicle Manhattan: replace .5 oz of vanilla-infused bourbon with orange peel-infused bourbon. Garnish with orange peel.

*Make several small slits with a knife in 15 vanilla beans, place in a fifth of Maker's Mark and age ~3 months. Can add small amount of simple syrup.

[guajolote]

The Samhattan:

1.5 oz Maker's Mark bourbon

1.5 oz vanilla-infused bourbon*

.5 oz Vya sweet red vermouth

.5 oz Vya extra dry white vermouth

1 dash Fee Brothers aromatic bitters

Isn't this called a Perfect Manhattan (without the vanilla infusion)?

It sounds great. Is the vanilla bourbon "too much" if you don't dilute it with regular bourbon? Do you use the vanilla bourbon for any other drinks?

[beans]

Isn't this called a Perfect Manhattan (without the vanilla infusion)?

Sort of, this is how it would be ordered at a bar, should said bar have vanilla infused bourbon --

"Bar Flower, I'd like a Vanilla, Maker's Mark Perfect Manhattan with Vya vermouth, Fee's bitters, shaken and up please!"

I'd rather teach the barkeep the ingredients and the name Samhattan!

Hey, that *may* make our drink flip cards, if and only if we can convince someone to order up Vya vermouth, Fee Brother's bitters .... and step up our infusion efforts. I can already see our CEC putting a foot down on raiding his stash or asking for a larger order of vanilla beans.

[slkinsey]

The Samhattan:

1.5 oz Maker's Mark bourbon

1.5 oz vanilla-infused bourbon*

.5 oz Vya sweet red vermouth

.5 oz Vya extra dry white vermouth

1 dash Fee Brothers aromatic bitters

Isn't this called a Perfect Manhattan (without the vanilla infusion)?

It sounds great. Is the vanilla bourbon "too much" if you don't dilute it with regular bourbon? Do you use the vanilla bourbon for any other drinks?

Yes, on all counts. Especially if you sweeten the vanilla bourbon a little when you make it (to make it more a dessert liquor). I came up with the drink at @SCQ one night when I got bored of drinking Manhattans. I knew they had house-infused liquors on the dessert menu, so I asked the bartender to give this formulation a whirl. I do it at home with a less-sweet infused bourbon than @SQC uses, but a little sweetness is good (I also went for "perfect style" to cut some of the sweetness). I do think using all infused bourbon would be too much, regardless of sweetness, as I think it's nice to have a whisper of the vanilla rather than a sledgehammer. Obviously, it's a riff on the natural vanilla flavors already present in bourbon.

This is also good replacing the uninfused Maker's with a good vanilla vodka, which dries out the drink considerably and adds a different layer of vanilla flavor. At this point, though, it's pretty much a different drink.

[slkinsey]

Hey, that *may* make our drink flip cards, if and only if we can convince someone to order up Vya vermouth, Fee Brother's bitters .... and step up our infusion efforts.  I can already see our CEC putting a foot down on raiding his stash or asking for a larger order of vanilla beans. 

At @SQC, they turn over the bourbon-soaked vanilla beans to the pastry chef after they are used for one infusion. At home, I tend to just top up the bottle.

Works perfectly well with regular red/white vermouth and Angostura bitters, too... if Vya and Fee Brothers isn't something that would get much use otherwise.

For whatever it's worth, everyone I know who has tried it loves the drink, and @SQC promptly sold out of vanilla-infused bourbon. In fact, there is a gold mine's worth of manhattan-esque drinks to be made with infused liquors -- and ones that can be made much cheaper than vanilla-infused Maker's Mark. For example, infuse an applejack with dried apricots and use that instead of the vanilla bourbon. Garnish with a slice of applejack-soaked apricot. @SQC has a coffee bean-infused vodka they use to make a killer "coffee-tini." The list goes on...

[trillium]

I think I've mentioned this before, but I call it a Dolores since it's based on a Delilah, and the first time I made it we drank it alongside Marcona almonds fried in olive oil for nibbles. The second time was with deep fried zucchini flowers, which work well too.

La Dolores

1 3/4 oz gin

3/4 oz Seville/sour/bitter orange juice

3/4 oz Cointreau

dash of Fee Bros. orange bitters

Shake over cracked ice vigorously and pour into chilled cocktal glass. Garnish with a Seville orange twist. You could make it without the orange bitters if you can't find them.

regards,

trillium

[KatieLoeb]

I was experimenting with Ginger Beer (the non-carbonated Jamaican style which is more like ginger juice) in cocktails with my day bartender Sarah, and we came up with several.

The Slippery Slope (in the eGullet recipe archives)

3 parts bourbon

1 part Ginger beer

Shake and strain over ice and top with bitter lemon soda in a highball glass.

Ginger Sidecars - A splash of Ginger Beer added to classic sidecar recipe. Also good in a Calvados Sidecar!

Lemon-Ginger Cosmopolitans:

2.5 oz. Absolut Citron

1 oz. Ginger Beer

splash each cranberry juice, lime juice and triple sec.

Shake over ice and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Strawberry-Ginger Martinis

2.5 oz. Vodka

1 oz Fragolino di Nemi Wild Strawberry Liqueur (this stuff is yummy!)

splash Ginger Beer

whisper of dry vermouth

Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of strawberry.

I also make the best Jello shots of anyone I know because I think like a (drunken) bartender. Margarita shots with lime jello, tequila and triple sec. Pina colada shots with pineapple jello and Malibu rum, Madras shots with Cranberry jello and orange vodka, lemon drop shots with lemon jello and lemon vodka, etc. Yes - I realize that I'm a little bent, but it's part of my charm, I'm told

[cdh]

An old favorite that has become a classic amongst my friends that was christened the Homeskillet many years ago:

2 oz Rye (or bourbon if you're looking for something sweeter)

.5 oz red vermouth (anything but Martini and Rossi... echhhhh)

.25 oz Luxardo maraschino

2 dashes Angostrura

Shake over ice until really chilly. Serve up.

And a very recent invention as yet without a name:

1.5 oz bourbon over ice in an old fashioned glass

2 dashes Fees' peach bitters

top with Trader Joe's Apricot-Peach juice.

yummy.

[cdh]

The humidity and general meteorological unpleasantness of late had inspired a need for something chilly and refreshing... I was looking for the York peppermint patty effect, and where else to turn but creme de menthe. Inspired by thoughts of mint juleps, I took Bourbon as the base and poured two ounces over the ice in my shaker. Then topped that with a half ounce of clear creme de menthe and and a half ounce of creme de cacao... shook til it my metal shaker was too cold to hold, poured into a cocktail glass, and topped with three shakes of Fee's mint bitters.

It worked. Yum. We all know that chocolate and mint work very well... we know that bourbon and mint work well... and we know that bourbon and chocolate work well. We now know that all three together work really well.

The Cool Refreshing Breeze

2 oz Bourbon

.5 oz uncolored creme de menthe

.5 oz uncolored creme de cacao

3 dashes Fees Mint bitters

Combine the first three in a sharker with ice. Shake. Strain into glass. Top with bitters.

Edited August 10, 2003 by cdh (log)

[babyluck]

I was experimenting with Ginger Beer (the non-carbonated Jamaican style which is more like ginger juice)

Please tell us, what is the brand of this amazing find? I can't find a reference to non-carbonated ginger beer anywhere on the web. I'd love to try it -- if it's hot enough...

[DrinkBoy]

Non Carbonated Ginger Beer:

Technically, this is probably better refered to as a "Ginger Tisane".

Here is a recipe that I have for this:

Ginger Beer/Tisane

2 gallons bottled water

2 1/2 pounds gingerroot

1 cup hot water

4 limes (juiced)

2/3 to 1 cup light brown sugar

In a large, nonreactive stockpot, bring the bottled water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, working in small batches, place the ginger into a food processor and add 1 cup hot water to make mincing easier. Process until minced; pour the mixture into the pot. Continue until all of the ginger has been minced and added to the pot.

When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat off. Add the lime juice to the pot. Add the brown sugar and stir well to dissolve. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Strain the liquid through a fine strainer or a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Pour through a funnel into containers. Store for up to 1 month, but try to use when fresh, as the potency of the ginger fades with time.

I got this from Audrey Saunders, the Beverage Director of the Carlyle hotel in New York. She uses it to make her "Gin Gin Mule":

The Gin-Gin Mule

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

6 mint sprigs

1 oz ginger beer

1 1/2 oz Tanqueray gin

Club soda (optional)

Pour the lime juice, simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water shaken well), and mint into a mixing glass; muddle gently. Fill the glass with ice, and pour in the ginger beer and gin. Shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Add a splash of soda (optional). Garnish with a mint spring.

-Robert Hess

www.DrinkBoy.com

[chuck]

Oh thank god, no one's mentioned mine yet.

I am not the first to do this, I'm sure, but there are a couple of specifics. Pour about 1/2 oz good amontillado sherry into a cold martini glass, shake 4 oz gin until cold and pour over the top, then garnish with pimento olives. I know, I know. It's a martini with a larger amount of sherry substituted for a smaller amount of vermouth. So much different though. And I never go crazy on the brand of gin either. It's Gordon's for me.

One more. This is so fucking depressing. A good friend of mine doesn't like to drink wine. No one knows what the hell is wrong with him. He says it's too bitter. What a dick. I was over at his place the other day and noticed a half filled bottle of cheap merlot. At least he was trying to like it, I thought. I complimented him on his breakthrough, but he stopped me right away. Apparently he had been mixing it with equal parts Coca Cola. It really sweetened it up, he said. I'm not calling that guy for a while.

[slkinsey]

Recently made:

2 oz home infused lavender vodka

1 oz limoncello

.5 oz Vya extra dry vermouth

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with extra-long spiral of lemon peel cut with chanel knife.

Pretty good, but it lacks something... perhaps a touch of simple syrup. Really cool pale green color, though.

[mixmaster b]

Okay, I have a few to add.

These 2 were inspired by the mint plant going nuts on my front porch:

Mint Daquiri (I got the idea from Shulmann but adjusted for house tastes):

Handful of mint

Muddle the crap out of it (mortar & pestle are best)

with 2 tbs superfine sugar

Scrape into shaker with

3 oz dark rum

and the juice of 1 lime

Stir to dissolve sugar

Add lots of cracked ice

Shake

Serve up w/ lime twist

This one (ladylike sister of the libation above) remains nameless--I have not come up with a good enough handle for it yet:

Handful of mint

Muddle as above

with 2 tbs superfine sugar

Scrape into shaker with

1 1/2 oz Lillet

2 oz gin (Tanqueray 10 was perfect)

And the juice of half a large lemon

Add lots of cracked ice

Shake

Serve up w/ lemon twist

(Next version of this might include rocks and soda on a hot afternoon)

And some other drinks with Lillet, IMHO a very excellent cocktail component:

Calais

3 parts gin

1 part cointreau

1 part lillet

Shake over ice, serve up w/lemon or orange twist

Rudy

1 part Lillet

1 part red grapefruit juice

2 parts gin

Shake over ice, serve up w/lemon or orange twist

Vesper (Bond's original drink, before Smirnoff came on to the scene):

3 parts gin

1 part vodka

1/2 par lillet

Shake over ice, serve up w/lemon twist

*All measures are approximate.

*Our standard gin is Bombay Sapphire.

Cheers!!!

[Sazerac]

(I'm new 'round these parts ... hi, y'all. )

Here's one I came up with a few weeks ago, which has been enthusiastically accepted by everyone who's tried it so far (including the people for whom it was named, much to my relief). Subsequent researches revealed it to be a relative of the Fin-de-Siècle Cocktail and the Hearst Cocktail, but hasn't been done before as far as I can tell.

Some old friends from Cambridge, England were visiting for the first time in five years, and one of our friends challenged me to come up with a new cocktail in their hono(u)r. Given that they're gin fanciers, and that Plymouth Gin is their favorite after Tanqueray (and my favorite English gin, period), the drink is based on that spirit. The deal was, if they didn't like the cocktail, I'd drink it myself, change its name and make something else for them. Fortunately, that was unnecessary.

The only ingredient that might be a bit hard to find is the Torani Amer, a San Jose-made American substitute for the now-almost-impossible-to-find bitter orange aperitif Amer Picon (even though it's not quite the same). It's a great product, though, available for a good price via mail order from Beverages and More or Vintage Wines and Spirits. Once you've got it in your bar you can also make Picon Punch, Picon-Limón and more.

If you actually do have some Amer Picon, particularly the now-discontinued high-proof one, I'd love to hear how this cocktail tastes with that ingredient instead of the Torani.

The Hoskins Cocktail

2 ounces English gin (I like Plymouth).

3/4 ounce Torani Amer.

1/2 ounce Maraschino liqueur.

1/4 ounce Cointreau.

1 dash orange bitters.

Orange peel.

Stir with cracked ice for no less than 30 seconds, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Flame the orange peel over the drink, making sure you get a nice slick of

caramelized orange oil over the surface. Garnish with the peel, rind side up.

[KatieLoeb]

Beans:

Oh please print the Pumpkin Margarita recipe!!! That sounds delicious.

We came in second in a local cocktail competition last week with this entry:

Caramel Apple Martini:

1.25 oz. Seagram’s Apple Vodka

.5 oz. Jack Daniels

.5 oz. Torani Caramel Syrup

Splash each of Sprite, Pineapple juice, sour mix.

Shake over ice.

Rim cocktail glass with finely chopped roasted hazelnuts and serve “up”.

Another apple cocktail we came up with was this one:

Candy Apple Martini:

1.75 oz. Seagram’s Apple Vodka

.5 oz. Torani Caramel Syrup

Splash Grenadine

Sprite

Shake and strain into cocktail glass, garnish with Dried apple slice.

[Schneier]

We once made pickle daquiris in college. I'll spare you the recipe; it tastes about as you'd expect.

[slkinsey]

We once made pickle daquiris in college.  I'll spare you the recipe; it tastes about as you'd expect.

Yea... well college "cocktails" is another discussion entirely. Often something like this:

1 case grain alcohol

1 giant can Kool-Aid mix (something red, usually)

2 bags ice

Mix ingredients in clean (or mostly clean) trash can. Garnish with bra.

[cdh]

Recent experimentation has yielded another cocktail unrecorded in the literature so far as I can find:

1.5 oz Bourbon (I used Evan Williams)

.5 oz sweet Marsala

2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

This is a lovely variation on a Manhattan. The marsala and Peychaud make for a very interesting herbalness quite different from what you'd get from plain old sweet vermouth. Well worth a try for Manhattan lovers.