December 18, 2015
There’s a key to this particular garden that might be hard to wrangle if you don’t happen to live out northwest way. But you could come visit! We’d be happy to see you. Oh, to jump back, the key. It’s Salish Sea’s Thyme-Coriander liqueur, which is a rich, culinary-esque sipper, and which could do well as a marinade and such, but also makes a very particular cocktail ingredient, one that plays surprisingly well with particular others – here, those others are gin (I used Bluewater Halcyon gin, an award-winner also from up this-a-way), and monastic herbal hit Bénédictine. And a touch of lemon oil, courtesy of a twist. Dang, this is a good drink. You may need to move here.
The Bosun’s Garden
Cracked ice
1-1/2 Bluewater Halcyon gin
1 ounce Salish Sea Thyme-Coriander liqueur
1/2 ounce Bénédictine
Lemon twist, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the gin, Thyme-Coriander liqueur, and Bénédictine. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon twist.
Tags: Benedictine, Bluewater Halcyon gin, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Salish Sea Thyme-Coriander liqueur, The Bosun’s Garden, Washington distillery, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Distillery, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
December 11, 2015
Ho, ho, ho! This is what Santa drinks to stay warm as he’s delivering the gifts to all you (of age) boys and girls out there. At least the ones that have been good all year. And it’s also a drink that I created for a happening holiday hoe-down at the zesty Zinc recently. If you don’t know (well, why dontcha, first?), Zinc is an art, design, and interiors store in Edmonds, WA, perhaps the finest art, design, and interiors store anywhere ever. EVER! It has (as they say), an eclectically-curated selection that’s truly one-of-kind, and is the best stop if you need gifts. Then, you can also be like Santa, delivering great gifts while having one of these (as long as you aren’t delivering gifts in your car, of course. Don’t be silly.)
Speaking of gifts, I made this the first time with The London No. 1 gin, a small batch beaut made in the heart of London with 12 botanicals, a list including things like juniper (natch), and orange peel, to other more off-the-beaten-gin-path items like bergamot and cassia. All of which means a very individual gin, with layers of flavor. You may want that as a gift for yourself.
Sleigh Bells Ring
Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces The London No. 1 gin
1 ounce Strawberry Gold liqueur (See Note 1 below, and this is from Luscious Liqueurs)
1/2 ounce Red Hembarig (See Note 2 below)
2 dashes Fee Brothers cranberry bitters
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add everything but the reindeer. Shake well.
2. Strain through a fine strainer into a cocktail glass. Ho, ho, ho indeed!
Note 1: You should really pick up Luscious Liqueurs, but if you don’t have time today, here’s the recipe for Strawberry Gold, making about two pints. Gently wash 3-1/2 cups fresh strawberries and dry them on towels. When dry, remove the stems from the strawberries (I cut off the top of the strawberries, stems and all, due to the flesh around the stems being often not as sweet as the rest of the strawberry), and any blemished spots. Coarsely chop the strawberries and then add them (you should have 3-1/2 cups here) to a large glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Add 3 cups vodka to the container and stir well. Seal and place in a cool, dry spot, away from the sun. Let it sit, whirling the strawberries around the jar every 3-1/2 days. Add 1-3/4 cups simple syrup and 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla, stir and reseal. Return it to its spot. Let it sit for two more weeks, whirling the contents every other day. Filter the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Strain through double sheets of cheesecloth into a pitcher, jar, or other easy-pouring vessel. Strain again through 2 new layers of cheesecloth into bottles or jars that have good lids (or one large one).
Note 2: Red Hembarig is a raspberry-vinegar syrup that made people very happy in the past. And it will now make you happy, too. To make it, start by briefly muddling two cups raspberries in a bowl, then add 1-1/4 cups apple cider vinegar and stir briefly. Let it sit overnight. Then add the raspberry-vinegar combo plus 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cups water to a saucepan. Heat to a simmer and then let simmer for 10 minutes. Take the mix off the heat and let it cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, place it in a refrigerator and let it sit overnight. Then strain the Red Hembarig through a fine strainer. Keep it in the fridge.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Fee Brothers Cranberry bitters, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Luscious Liqueurs, Red Hembarig, Sleigh Bells Ring, Strawberry Gold liqueur, The London No. 1 gin, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: bitters, Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Liqueurs, Luscious Liqueur, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
November 27, 2015
It’s the day after Thanksgiving – there’s no other drink to have outside of the Gizmo, created by my pal, the genius, Jeremy Holt. It manages to be delicious and use up leftovers. The perfect thing for post-Thanksgiving couch lounging (which every good American loves).
The Gizmo
Ice cubes
2-1/2 ounces gin (an American gin, like Bluecoat, or Voyager, makes sense here)
1 ounce homemade cranberry sauce
1/2 ounce simple syrup (optional)
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin and cranberry sauce, and syrup if using (if you’re not into the sweets, omit the syrup). Shake exceptionally well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a turkey leg. Or, for vegetarians, a hunk of stuffing on a toothpick.
A Note: Not sure about making homemade cranberry sauce? Try this (also courtesy Mr. Holt): Add 1 bag cranberries, the juice and zest of 1 orange, and 1 cup sugar to a saucepan. Heat until required sauce texture is reached.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, cranberry sauce, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, holiday cocktail, Thanksgiving cocktail recipe, The Gizmo, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
October 16, 2015
This drink comes from one of my favorite old cocktail books, Crosby Gaige’s Cocktail Guide and Ladies Companion. If you can track it down, it’s well worth investing in, as it’s jovial as a good cocktail party, and it has some random but delicious recipes that I haven’t seen elsewhere. One of those is this one, Headlong Hall.
It’s really a distant cousin of the Martini, as it’s heavy of gin and half-as-heavy of vermouth, but then taken down a curvy boozy road by the addition of two whispers: one of Bénédictine, and one of absinthe. Which gives it a personality all of its own.
Of course, with the main players being such to the front of the stage (wow, I am all over the place on the metaphors and such), however, you need some serious actors – or, seriously flavorful gin and vermouth. Recently, I was in the UK, and in the lovely city of Bath, in a lovely little wine and liquor store, I picked up a bottle of Psychopomp Wōden gin, which is made at a “micro-distillery” in Bristol, not far from Bath. The gin is singular – don’t get me wrong, it starts with a rich juniper, but that’s backed by a mingling of coriander, grapefruit zest, angelica root and cassia bark, and fennel seed, the last of which really delivers on the back end when sipping. If you’re in the UK, track it down.
To go with it, I picked La Quintinye Vermouth Royal, the extra dry version (full disclosure and bragging – I received this in the mail not too long ago). Made in the Charente region of France, La Quintinye extra dry vermouth is crafted from 27 plants and spices on a base of white wines and Pineau des Charentes Blanc. Lush is a good way to describe it, with floral and citrus notes all coming together and delivering a result that’s fantastic in cocktails (especially I think matched with a flavorful gin), but also dandy before dinner over one or two pieces of ice. Combined with the Wōden gin and our two whispers in this drink? Well, try it, but I sure found it all fantastic.
Headlong Hall
Cracked ice
2 ounces Psychopomp Wōden gin
1 ounce La Quintinye Extra Dry Vermouth Royal
1 teaspoon Bénédictine
1/2 teaspoon absinthe
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add everything. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Drink, but not in a headlong manner (no matter the title. Sorry Crosby).
Tags: absinthe, Benedictine, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, dry vermouth, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Headlong Hall, La Quintinye Vermouth Royal, Psychopomp Wōden gin, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: absinthe, Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, vermouth
October 9, 2015
I’m not afraid (of anything except spiders, robot gorillas, driving tests, the dread Dormammu, and old lemons). That means, I’ll try to make cocktails with all kinds of ingredients. Recently, I was lucky enough to get some fermented probionic “tonics” from Seattle’s Firefly Kitchens. And I made a delicious cocktail using one!
If you don’t know, Firefly Kitchens makes raw and naturally-preserved fermented foods, which are freakishly healthy due to the good bacteria proliferating during fermentation, producing lactic acid, keeping the goods naturally fresh, keeping out bad bacteria, creating enzymes and more good bacteria or probiotics. What’s that really mean? The Firefly kimchis, krauts, and more are good for you. Really good! And now, they’re also producing Probionic Tonics, made during the fermentation process (they also have a book, Fresh & Fermented, you should get so you can learn more).
The tonics are where I came in – specifically in this case the Emerald City Kraut tonic. Zesty! Brine-y! Organic! This tonic is great as a daily shot, dressing, marinade, all things you’d expect. At first, it might (between us) seem too powerful and personality-filled to play well in cocktails. But after a fair amount (between us, again) of testing, I found a mix of ingredients that’s not only full of flavor, but I’m thinking healthier than you could imagine. The key was realizing the tang would go good with lemon, and perhaps better with juniper than other, more obvious spices. Well, that and deciding to go all local! Local things seem to play better together.
You might have to work at it, but track yourself down some Emerald City Kraut tonic, some Kur gin, and some Letterpress limoncello. And start your day right*!
Fires at Dawn
Cracked Ice
1-1/2 ounces Kur gin
1 ounce Letterpress limoncello
1/2 ounce Firefly Kitchens Emerald City Kraut tonic
Lemon twist, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add everything but the twist. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with the twist.
*Not only good in the morning! Also in the evening. And midday. And before bed.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Emerald City Kraut tonic, Firefly Kitchens, Fires at Dawn, Friday Night Cocktail, Letterpress limoncello, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
September 18, 2015
The other day, some whippersnapper said something like “but you’d don’t like Martinis, do you?” If I wasn’t a gentleman of the old school, I would have shown them the back of my hand, all close up like. I may not have Martinis that often, but of course I love them (when made right and all that)! Martinis are lovable. Since I don’t have them super regularly though, I try to make my Martini-ing a memorable affair. When at home, that means I use a gin that’s really going to bring some personality. Today, that’s Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin, which is bursting with a host of flavors: juniper, spice, botanical, berry, monkey. You can read more about it in this post on The Lord Suffolk (a worthy drink). But let it be said that when connected amiably with Dolin dry vermouth and a lemon (I’m a lemon guy, like all right-thinking people), that’s a memorable Martini, friends. And I loved it. You should try the same, and if any silly person has the temerity afterwards to intimate that you don’t like Martinis, punch ‘em in the snoot.
The Martini
Cracked ice
2-1/2 ounces Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin
1/2 ounce Dolin dry vermouth
Lemon twist, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the gin and vermouth. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the twist.
Tags: Classic Martini, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Dolin dry vermouth, Friday Night Cocktail, Martini recipe, Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
August 21, 2015
Before you say anything – I know I’ve featured this drink-named-after-an-Olympic-fencer on the Spiked Punch blog before! I know it, and that’s okay, me thinks, because it’s such a fine drink that naturally it would be What I’m Drinking more than once. Also, a reader and drinker named sassy Scott has been hankering after more Campari drinks (even if he hasn’t directly requested it, he has talked about his love of Campari drinks, and from that I surmised he probably needs some other options). So, with all that said, here we are, the Lucien Gaudin. En garde!
Lucien Gaudin
Cracked ice
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce Campari
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Orange twist, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the gin, Cointreau, Campari, and dry vermouth. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange twist.
Tags: Campari, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Cointreau, dry vermouth, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Lucien Gaudin, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Campari, Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
August 11, 2015
I picked up a box set of Dorothy Sayers not long ago, a four-pack of Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and it’s been fun. I can’t plow through a bunch of Lord Peters in a row, due to there being a bit too much French in some of them (hah, I kid). No, no, it’s that, while I like them (and Whose Body? is my favorite of the bunch), I’m not so into them that I wanna read four in a row. You dig it. Whose Body? does start with a naked, unknown, body in a bathtub, and takes some interesting turns, so I can heartily recommend it. Especially because of the below quote, that reminds us what being gentlemanly means.
One of the young ladies came up to me and said, didn’t I dance, and I said ‘No,’ so she said wouldn’t I stand her a drink then. ‘You’ll stand us a drink then, darling,’ that was what she said, and I said, ‘Wasn’t it after hours?’ and she said that didn’t matter. So I ordered the drink – a gin and bitters it was – for I didn’t like not to, the young lady seemed to expect it of me, and I felt like it wouldn’t be gentlemanly to refuse when she asked.
–Dorothy Sayers, Whose Body?
