Gingered Gentleman

[Chris Amirault]

At one of our local haunts, a "Gingered Gentleman" was up on the drink board, and I tried it. Gingered simple syrup, bourbon, lime juice, topped with soda. They also had a sprig of mint in it.

I've been fiddling with the ratios some (right now, about 2 bourbon, 1 lime juice, 1 simple syrup, all muddled with grated ginger and then strained through a fine mesh, poured into a high ball glass with soda and ice), but I can't find any references anywhere. It's not in google, for crying out loud!

Is this a different name for an old bourbon drink? Or the product of an oddly prescient mixologist?

[M.X.Hassett]

I would try infusing the bourbon(with ginger 1*) for maybe 3-5 weeks and then playing with it. In additon you could make a simple syrup with sugar and ginger, but instead of using h20 use everclear or high proof vodka let it sit for a month. Then you would have a nice infusion to dash into other libations. (chives make a nice addition IMHO)

The ginger tincture may add a better taste to it as opposed to a muddled version. I would highly suggest making a tincture of ginger.

(Ignore the spelling and other mishaps. My powerbook power adapter broke. Henceforth I am using a Treo. So until I receive the adapter from A.Care have a good one.)

Edit: 1*(with ginger 1*)

Edited November 18, 2005 by M.X.Hassett (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Matthew, have you ever heard of this drink?

[slkinsey]

Chris, it sounds to me like it might have been created at your local.

[KatieLoeb]

It sounds delicious to me! Ask your local bartender if it's one of their own creation.

Another way to get good ginger flavor into cocktails is if you have a source for Jamaican Ginger beer, which is really more like ginger juice and thick and fibrous like pineapple juice. I've made some pretty tasty drinks using that as the ginger component, like a lemon-ginger cosmopolitan with Lemon vodka. Makes for an ass-kicking Dark and Stormy too.

[Zucchini Mama]

Maybe look at the recipe for a Moscow Mule at Epicurious.com, and tinker with that, substituting the vodka for bourbon. You can make the "ginger ale" in an hour, instead of the 3-5 weeks for the tincture (although the tincture sounds brilliant). That way you can control the ginger and the sweetness.

Zuke

[eje]

There's a "Gentleman's Cocktail" that is typically 1.5 oz Bourbon, 1/2 oz brandy, 1/2 oz creme de menthe, and topped with club soda in a highball glass. Not so far off.

Though, ultimately, with the addition of the citrus juice and ginger syrup, it is closer to a Gin Gin Mule or Ginger Rogers made with Bourbon. Sounds nice and refreshing!

Edited November 19, 2005 by eje (log)

[Mister2]

Sounds vaguely like a bourbon Pres with lime juice and simple syrup added.

[Chris Amirault]

One discovery from the past week: Reed's ginger brew makes a better topper than the soda. I've settled on 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz lime juice, 1 oz gingered simple syrup over rocks, topped with the Reed's.

[Alchemist]

I do belive that Ginger (simple) Syrup is the way Milk and Honey, has been making thier Moscow Mules, Gin Gin Mules, Rye Press's (I used the secular term so as not offend anyone) Bourbon, Apple & ginger's, ect. for a little over six years.

[Rebecca263]

I had a drink made with fresh ginger, bourbon, simple syrup and lime at a party a few years ago. The fellow giving the party was trying to infuse his Asian theme with some hard liquor of interest, and he also made the drinks with vodka, if you asked. I felt very flushed a few minutes after downing it. I guess ginger isn't for gulpers! Do you get that kick of heat from your Gingered Gentleman?

edited for poor grammar

Edited January 3, 2006 by Rebecca263 (log)

[slkinsey]

I do belive that Ginger (simple) Syrup is the way Milk and Honey, has been making thier Moscow Mules, Gin Gin Mules, Rye Press's (I used the secular term so as not offend anyone) Bourbon, Apple & ginger's, ect. for a little over six years.

Interesting. For some reason I thought M&H used ginger juice (or maybe they also use ginger juice?). I wonder how often the ginger syrup is made and if it is a cold or hot infusion. I've found that ginger syrup loses its bite after a day or two -- but of course sometimes you want the ginger flavor without the bite. I suppose one could use a round and mellow hot-infused ginger syrup for flavor and then muddle fresh ginger to order for a customized amount of bite.

[Alchemist]

Yes, they do use ginger juice plus sugar. It's not ginger infused simple, it's simple made from the water that comes from juicing the ginger. Maybe ginger syrup is a better name.

[Chris Amirault]

Just to clarify, what I meant above was the following: 1c/1c simple syrup that has a good inch or so of ginger grated into it to steep hot for 5-10 minutes and then left to cool. Strain when you're ready to use it, or not. If you toss in some sliced pieces too, one is left not only with the syrup but also with candied ginger, btw.

Sam's right: even if you do a cold steep with the ginger, the flavor rounds out pretty quickly. So, to get the bite, you need a bit of fresh ginger muddled in. My first batch went moldy on the counter after about a week or so, and the rest have been in the fridge.

Oh, also, for those who aren't mojito'ed to death, a long sprig of mint makes a nice garnish.

[slkinsey]

Yes, they do use ginger juice plus sugar.  It's not ginger infused simple, it's simple made from the water that comes from juicing the ginger.  Maybe ginger syrup is a better name.

Interesting. So it's like a 1:1 syrup using ginger juice instead of water? If that's made up fresh every day, I'm sure it has plenty of bite. Sounds awesome, although impractical for home use due to the aforementioned loss-of-bite issues unless one will be making a lot of ginger drinks for a specific occasion.

Ginger gets its spicy bite from the compound gingerol, which is a relative of capsaicin. Heat (and presumably degradation over time) transforms gingerol into the compound zingerone, which is not spicy-hot like gingerol but is rather an aromatic flavor compound. Zingerone is not present in fresh ginger.

[Chris Amirault]

How much ginger juice can one get out of, say, 1 lb of grated ginger?

[slkinsey]

This is something for which I think you'd need a good quality juice extractor.

[lostmyshape]

Sounds awesome, although impractical for home use due to the aforementioned loss-of-bite issues unless one will be making a lot of ginger drinks for a specific occasion.

Ginger gets its spicy bite from the compound gingerol, which is a relative of capsaicin.  Heat (and presumably degradation over time) transforms gingerol into the compound zingerone, which is not spicy-hot like gingerol but is rather an aromatic flavor compound.  Zingerone is not present in fresh ginger.

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interesting... the ginger simple syrup sounds great! but i would miss the bite. i guess adding a touch of fresh ginger (as mentioned) would do the trick.

what about gari, that japanese pickled ginger that comes with sushi. it seems to retain a bit of that bite. personally, i can't get enough of the stuff. i bet that could be used as a nice garnish. maybe dropped at the bottom of the glass... or wrapped around an olive? seems like that spiciness might go well with saltiness... maybe with a bourbon. how about a good, spicy tequila? a ginger margarita? hmm... just musing out loud.

[eje]

This is something for which I think you'd need a good quality juice extractor.

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Was reading a recipe for a home made ginger beer on my lunch break and the following procedure occurred to me.

Make a 1:1 simple syrup and cool to room temp.

In a blender jar combine simple syrup with a half cup or so of sliced ginger. Puree.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth, and strain combined syrup and ginger through. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

I'll try it tonight; but, I bet you'd get pretty good uncooked fresh ginger flavor.

[BTR]

In a blender jar combine simple syrup with a half cup or so of sliced ginger.  Puree.

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Ginger is kind of hard to puree, since it's so fibrous--I tried doing that for a ginger liqueur a year or so ago and I ended up just using a microplane grater. You might have more luck with something like that (unless your blender is more powerful than mine, which wouldn't be too hard).

[eje]

Didn't get to my ginger syrup tonight; but, this week's cocktailian column includes an Aviation variant with Lemon Grass syrup called the Thai Lady. Sounds yummy.

It's magic: Turn a White Lady into a Thai Lady in one step

If I make it with Ginger Syrup instead, is it a Shanghai Lady?

[drunkenmonkey]

grating and strainig is essentially what a juicer does though more efficient. if you have a juicer, i would recommend this method and no heat as the juicer will do all the straining for you and the raw (uncooked/unheated) juice seems to retain its zing a great deal longer and better ( i think the sugar may act as a preservative). also, raw ginger juice is so potent that a little mellowing is not necessarily a bad thing. try making a small amount (all you are likely to get from a pound or two) and tasting it over several days.

when buying your ginger look for the smoothest shiniest wettest seeming ginger. if you have access to a widely varied market, baby ginger is an excellent option as well and will produce more juice pound for pound.

for extra freshness , try germinating your ginger in the fridge by wrapping in a moist towel.

[Chris Amirault]

I'm still screwing around with the base of this drink. Tonight, I came up with a pretty well-balanced cocktail that didn't have any soda/ginger ale in it:

2 oz bourbon

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 gingered syrup

big dash orange bitters

big dash Peychaud's bitters

It needs a name (or, if it exists, an attribution). It's sort of crusta-y, though without that Maraschino backbone. Very nice indeed.

[Mayur]

Juicers make fine ginger juice, by the way. It is my experience that ginger juice is easy enough to use *frozen*; pour a little in an ice cube tray and drop it into the shaker (or a spare bowl) when you're making cocktails.

As with many other syrup bases, I highly recommend just blending ginger juice and sugar over the heat-infusion method. Juicers just do a better job, IMHO (this applies to lots of other cooking preparations as well, but that's a long story).

Much as I'd like to recommend Massenez gingembre, I find that it really just doesn't actually taste like ginger; more like bitter.

Edited July 27, 2006 by Mayur (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Getting ready to make a few tonight for a cookout and realized that I hadn't updated with the recipe I've been using consistently:

2 oz bourbon (Wild Turkey 101)

3/4 oz lime juice

3/4 gingered syrup

big dash orange bitters

big dash Peychaud's or Angostura bitters

2-3 sprigs mint plus garnish

Reed's ginger beer

Muddle mint lightly then add bourbon, lime juice, syrup, and bitters; shake with cube ice. Strain into highball glasses containing fresh ice and top with the beer. Garnish with mint and serve with a straw.

This is a pretty dry, spicy version; for the timid you can reduce ginger syrup and/or add simple, use a tamer ginger ale, and dash in less bitters.