Post Your New Cocktail Creations Here

[slkinsey]

Erik, what bourbon are you using? Maybe if you went to a lighter base spirit? Something like Old Overholt might work nicely, as it has a relatively light body compared to most bourbons and it's not nearly as sweet. And, of course, I couldn't help thinking that it sounds like it might be pretty good with a gin base. Actually, I'd be tempted to try it with a linie aquavit base.

[eje]

Erik, what bourbon are you using?  Maybe if you went to a lighter base spirit?  Something like Old Overholt might work nicely, as it has a relatively light body compared to most bourbons and it's not nearly as sweet.  And, of course, I couldn't help thinking that it sounds like it might be pretty good with a gin base.  Actually, I'd be tempted to try it with a linie aquavit base.

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Sam,

I usually mix with W.L. Weller 12 year. It's a reasonably priced, wheated bourbon that has a nice vanilla character and isn't too aggressive.

I did try a couple other usual suspects, Plymouth Gin and Wild Turkey Rye, and didn't find they were even worth reporting about. Though, those cocktails were 2 oz liquor. Perhaps with a smaller proportion of liquor and/or one of the milder ryes it might be more notable.

I didn't think of trying Aquavit, that might be interesting. It isn't uncommon for some of those flavors to be combined in scandanavian cooking. Though it is sometimes tough to sell Aquavit cocktails to guests.

In any case, I think pumping up the sadly deficient blueberry flavor will be key.

[slkinsey]

See, I think both the Weller bourbon and the Wild Turkey rye are pretty full-flavored spirits. If you like the blueberry-with-whiskey idea, and if can get your hands on some, give it a try with Old Overholt. It's lighter, softer and dryer than those others. The other thing you could do is forget about the blueberry liqueur and either muddle blueberries or use a blueberry syrup (or some combination thereof).

[eje]

Hard Rain (Guttering Bush)

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I'm not a big fan of the Vodka cocktails; but, this one, an up variation on Mr. Wondrich's Delancey is pretty nice. Sadly, there was no way I could get the Herbsaint to burn, even after combining it with some vodka. Just be sure to leave only the barest scent of Herbsaint in the glass, or it will overwhelm the vodka.

2 oz vodka (preferably Rain vodka from the Sazerac company)

1/2 tsp rich simple syrup

1 dash Peychaud bitters

1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Herbsaint, to coat glass

Lemon Zest

Add a splash of Herbsaint and a little vodka to a chilled old-fashioned glass, coat the inside, and shake it out very well. Combine vodka, simple syrup, Peychaud, and Regan's in a cocktail shaker. Ice and stir to chill for a good 15 seconds. Strain into your now mostly dry glass. Twist lemon zest over the top, rub the rim to scent, and discard.

edit - fixed grammar and recipe details.

Edited February 17, 2006 by eje (log)

[Gary Regan]

I've posted this recipe before (a sidecar variation), but thought it was worth another mention:

1.5 oz. solera (Spanish) brandy

1 oz. Liquor 43

0.75 oz. lemon juice

shake with ice, garnish with a fat lemon twist

and something I tried last night but needs work:

1.5 oz. scotch (a moderately peaty Highland Park)

1 tsp. warm honey

1 sprig lavender, de-stemmed

dissolve the honey in the scotch, then muddle with lavender.

shake over ice, then strain (with a fine-mesh).

perhaps it would work better as an infusion?

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Both of these drinks look very interesting. Are you serving them at a bar?

On the honey front, it seems like you're heating the honey for better consistency, though I could be wrong. I've taken to making a simple honey syrup (1:1 with water) in the microwave. It helps with consistency, and it's also a little easier to work with on the sweetness front since honey can easily overpower a drink.

(The honey syrup idea came from a variety of bartenders in USA & London who seem to be using honey this way.)

[eje]

and something I tried last night but needs work:

1.5 oz. scotch (a moderately peaty Highland Park)

1 tsp. warm honey

1 sprig lavender, de-stemmed

dissolve the honey in the scotch, then muddle with lavender.

shake over ice, then strain (with a fine-mesh).

perhaps it would work better as an infusion?

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For what it is worth, my favorite culinary lavender for sweet applications is Lavandula angustifolia, 'Munstead'. The variety more commonly used in French cooking, 'Provence', has a more perfumey flavor. Also, if you really want to be anal about it, you can just use the flowers and not the flower bracts, which have a slightly harsher flavor. I made a pretty awesome sorbet last year by briefly infusing a couple tablespoons of fresh 'Munstead' flowers in a sugar syrup. I was thinking of trying some cocktail applications with this summer's crop.

Some other flowers I've been thinking of trying for cocktail applications are Rosemary and Pineapple Sage.

[Rob Simmon]

I've posted this recipe before (a sidecar variation), but thought it was worth another mention:

1.5 oz. solera (Spanish) brandy

1 oz. Liquor 43

0.75 oz. lemon juice

shake with ice, garnish with a fat lemon twist

and something I tried last night but needs work:

1.5 oz. scotch (a moderately peaty Highland Park)

1 tsp. warm honey

1 sprig lavender, de-stemmed

dissolve the honey in the scotch, then muddle with lavender.

shake over ice, then strain (with a fine-mesh).

perhaps it would work better as an infusion?

←

Both of these drinks look very interesting. Are you serving them at a bar?

On the honey front, it seems like you're heating the honey for better consistency, though I could be wrong. I've taken to making a simple honey syrup (1:1 with water) in the microwave. It helps with consistency, and it's also a little easier to work with on the sweetness front since honey can easily overpower a drink.

(The honey syrup idea came from a variety of bartenders in USA & London who seem to be using honey this way.)

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I'm just playing around for pleasure and to entertain my friends. I considered the honey/water mixture, but didn't feel up to making a batch-it did take the warm honey quite a while to dissolve in the scotch. I've also thought about Barenjaeger, but haven't picked any up yet.

[eje]

Tangled up in Blueberries

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This version turned out well. Look out for the "just blueberry", though. It stains like you would not believe. Any fresh blueberry experiments will have to wait until they are in season, as they are ridiculously expensive right now.

1 1/2 oz bourbon

1/2 oz Knudsen Just Blueberry (or other blueberry juice)

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz Creme de Myrtille (blueberry liqueur)

dash fee's bitters

Edited February 18, 2006 by eje (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Tonight's effort:

A Jacked Up Peach

2 oz. Laird's Applejack

1.25 oz. Peach nectar (I use Goya)

.50 oz. fresh lemon juice

one barspoon grenadine

dash Orange bitters

Ginger ale

Shake over ice and dump into rocks glass with the ice. Fill with ginger ale. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.

I think it would work even better with pear nectar, but I already had the open can of peach from some earlier bourbon experiments and needed to use it up.

I will report back when I purchase some pear nectar.

edited for thinking ahead of myself and forgetting ingredients

[trcroyle]

I invented this last year right at the tail end of bergamot season. This year I'm freezing as much juice as I can fit in the freezer:

1.5 oz gin

.5 oz yellow chartreuse

1 oz bergamot juice

splash of campari (enough to turn the drink a delicate orange)

Shake with ice and strain into a coctail glass. Garnish with a twist of bergamot peel.

I'm still trying to come up with a name.

[Chef Shogun]

From the "I guess you could, but...." files, I subject you to:

Not The Dogsled

3/4 oz Yukon Jack

3/4 oz Canadian Club

1/2 oz Gran Gala

1/2 oz Lemon juice

Alright, it was supposed to be entirely Yukon Jack, right? No, wait...come back! Thank you...And be called The Dogsled (It's like a sidecar, you see? See??). But I didn't have as much Yukon Jack as I thought (it's popular at parties, you see. LATE into parties, mind, but still....popular), so I was like "I need something else that's Canadian or the drink won't be thematically sound anymore!"

Long story short...this isn't bad! Little sweet, little sour (too much lemon). More Yukon Jack, less on the Gran Gala. Maybe on the rocks with soda instead of up. I give it 6.5 stars out of a possible 10.75. Seriously, it was alright!

--Matt

May Your Drinks Be, If Nothing Else, Basically Thematically Sound

[crabbjay]

UPTOWN

- 1.25 oz. Makers Mark Bourbon

- 1 oz. Hangar 1 Raspberry Vodka or your own house-infused Raspberry Vodka

- 1/2 oz. Licor 43

- 1/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth

- Optional: 2 drops of Angostura Bitters

- Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

- Garnish with 2 Raspberries or Brandied Cherries

* I love Manhattans, raspberries, and licor 43, so I decided to see if they could "play well together." They do! I love bitters in my Manhattans, but I prefer the UPTOWN without. Cheers

- Jay -

Edited March 9, 2006 by crabbjay (log)

[Rob Simmon]

My girlfriend hopped over the border from New Mexico to Paloma, Mexico and brought back some tequila and crema de membrillo (quince). Seemed like a good combination, so:

The Paloma

1 oz. Reposado Tequila

1 oz. Crema de Membrillo

3/4 oz. lemon juice

garnish with a lemon twist, or perhaps a dash of an aromatic tincture? The mebrillo is mild, so a sweeter and/or heftier liqueur would likely need to be used more sparingly.

[Graphix]

Ali, its an interesting recipe, i just wonder, do you remove the seeds from the bird peppers. a thai bird pepper has the same skovel rating as a habanero, i can imagine that after enjoying your nice refreshing lemongrass and lime cocktail, taking a bite of one of those peppers would be far to strong compared to the drink. It would actually i think be a cool garnish to lay across the top of a tequila shot or something. something with tequila (i guess, even though its a thai pepper, who would know :-) ) If it were me, id make a slice down the pepper and use a little tool to strip the seeds out, tehn candy it. it would probably be more palatable this way.

B

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

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[Rob Simmon]

My girlfriend hopped over the border from New Mexico to Paloma, Mexico and brought back some tequila and crema de membrillo (quince). Seemed like a good combination, so:

The Paloma

1 oz. Reposado Tequila

1 oz. Crema de Membrillo

3/4 oz. lemon juice

garnish with a lemon twist, or perhaps a dash of an aromatic tincture? The mebrillo is mild, so a sweeter and/or heftier liqueur would likely need to be used more sparingly.

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Proving that it's a small world, and I have the memory of a flea, the last drink I mixed before crafting this--out of Wondrich's Killer Cocktails--was already named the Paloma, so I'm going back to the name drawing board.

[Bill Miller]

Somebody may have done this but it is new to me!! Combine one cup of tomato juice, 1/2 cup vodka, 1 Tbls of pesto, hot sauce (crystal) to taste in a blender until smooth. Put a small mozzarella cube and 1/2 cherry tomato in each of 6 shot glasses. Fill with vodka mixture. Garnish with basil chiffonade. Serve on a bed of ice.

Caprese Shooters.

[Ktepi]

This isn't at all a creative cocktail, but I am very very happy with:

Rum and Coca-Cola Blak

1 ounce Prichard's spiced rum

4 ounces Coca-Cola Blak

twist of lemon

No ice, cold rocks glass.

I think orange would work better than lemon, but I didn't have any handy.

Next I'm trying Blak with Auburn vanilla liqueur and Jack Daniels.

[eje]

Sorry for again using an obscure herb... It's taking over my back yard and I have to find something to do with it.

Gilead Smash

2oz Rye Whiskey

1/2 tsp simple syrup

6 leaves lemon balm

dash angostura bitters

Bruise lemon balm in simple syrup and bitters. Pour in whiskey, and shake until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Resist the urge to garnish with lemon twist, as you will overpower the subtle charms of the lemon balm.

[eje]

This variation on the Monkey Gland cocktail was nicely potent, if a bit "pink".

2 oz gin (plymouth)

juice 1/6 grapefruit (probably 1/2 oz or so)

bar spoon grenadine

generous bar spoon green chartreuse

Shake until chilled in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into cocktail glass.

edit - add amount for grapefruit.

Edited May 4, 2006 by eje (log)

[KatieLoeb]

The latest creation....

Provençal Sidecar

1 oz. Courvoisier

1 oz. Belle de Brillet Pear liqueur

1.25 oz. fresh lemon juice

.75 oz Lavender simple syrup*

Shake together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Glass can be rimmed with lavender scented sugar if you want to get jiggy wit' it.

*Boil 1 cup sugar and one cup water for three minutes until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/3 cup food grade lavender blossoms that have been lightly bruised by running a rolling pin over them. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Strain.

[Rob Simmon]

yet another unamed cocktail:

2 oz. lavender infused canadian whiskey

1 oz. Barenjaeger

shake & strain

I infused a "handful" of lavender leaves with 4 oz. canadian whiskey for 4 or 5 days. The result is surprisingly flavorful (and a bit medicinal) I probable left it too long. The lavender dominates the resulting drink, probably better with scotch, which was my original idea, but I wussed out, thinking the lavender would be too mild. Hah!

[Rob Simmon]

The latest creation....

Provençal Sidecar

1 oz. Courvoisier

1 oz. Belle de Brillet Pear liqueur

1.25 oz. fresh lemon juice

.75 oz Lavender simple syrup*

Shake together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Glass can be rimmed with lavender scented sugar if you want to get jiggy wit' it.

*Boil 1 cup sugar and one cup water for three minutes until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat and stir in 1/3 cup food grade lavender blossoms that have been lightly bruised by running a rolling pin over them.  Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.  Strain.

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That's nice! I used Monin lavender syrup instead of home-made.

[KatieLoeb]

Rob:

Glad you liked it! Definitely one of my better efforts of late.

I've recommended the Monin Lavender syrup to those that don't wish to fuss in the kitchen and make their own, but having no experience with it, did my proportions work out the same way? Or is the commercial syrup more fragrant/sweeter?? I'd appreciate your perspective on this.

Thanks.

[KatieLoeb]

yet another unamed cocktail:

2 oz. lavender infused canadian whiskey

1 oz. Barenjaeger

shake & strain

I infused a "handful" of lavender leaves with 4 oz. canadian whiskey for 4 or 5 days. The result is surprisingly flavorful (and a bit medicinal) I probable left it too long. The lavender dominates the resulting drink, probably better with scotch, which was my original idea, but I wussed out, thinking the lavender would be too mild. Hah!

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Don't give up Rob! Lavender is my latest "kick" and I've definitely been having some fun with it. It's a lovely "springtime" flavor that needs the appropriate platform from which to shine.

I made a Lavender Sour with grape-based Ciroc vodka, lavender simple syrup and fresh lemon juice with half an egg white. I shook the hell out of it until it was really chilly, thickened and foamy and it was quite delicious. I imagine it being very lovely garnished with an edible flower of some sort.

I think Candian whiskey is kind of hard to work with because it's the most "in between" of all the whiskeys. The blending process of corn, barley and rye makes it hard to match flavors to, since it isn't as distinctive on its own, as say Bourbon or Rye. I think the floral aromatics of lavender needs fruit and/or similar florals to pair with or it just gets lost. I think that's why it works with the grape-based aromatic vodka.

Lavender. It's not just for guest soaps anymore...

[Rob Simmon]

Glad you liked it!  Definitely one of my better efforts of late.

I've recommended the Monin Lavender syrup to those that don't wish to fuss in the kitchen and make their own, but having no experience with it, did my proportions work out the same way?  Or is the commercial syrup more fragrant/sweeter??  I'd appreciate your perspective on this.

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I don't have any home-made (the lavender is on the porch, waiting to be planted) so I don't know how it compares. I suspect the Monin is both more fragrant and sweeter, so I reduced the proportion a little bit, to somehwere between 0.5 and 0.75 oz. The drink wasn't perfectly balanced, but it was my last of several experiments on the night, so I was "tired" , and I used a different brandy (Asbach Uralt), which is itself quite different than a cognac.