January 17, 2014
In a way, I feel if I say the phrase “An American Bobby Burns” I should be talking about a poet, taking the long absent mantle of political-drinking-lyrical combination of sorts from Robert Burns, who goes from grain to glass in a singular way (probably it would be Ed Skoog, I suppose, as he’s the best poet in the world anyway). But instead, I’m talking about the Bobby Burns cocktail, one of my all-time favorites. Its traditional mingling of Scotch, sweet vermouth, and Bénédictine is a truly beautiful thing. However, I recently made one not with Scotch, but instead with an American single-malt whiskey, specifically Seattle-based Westland distillery’s inaugural release, Deacon Seat single-malt whiskey. Deacon Seat is a very approachable, layered whiskey, with citrus and pastry and marmalade flavorings that match amazingly with the herbal-ness of Punt e’ Mes sweet vermouth (my vermouth pick this time) and the spiritual savoryness of Bénédictine. I have to think any poet would approve.
The American Bobby Burns
Ice cubes
2-1/2 ounces Westland Deacon Seat single malt whiskey
1 ounce Punt e’ Mes sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce Bénédictine
Lemon twist, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the Deacon Seat, Punt ‘e Mes, and Bénédictine. Shake well.
2. Strain the mix into a cocktail glass. Squeeze the lemon twist over it and let it float into the glass.
A Note: You can also stir this one over ice, instead of shaking. But I think the poets like to show off their shaking skills.
Tags: American single malt whiskey, An American Bobby Burns, Benedictine, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Punt e’ Mes sweet vermouth, Westland Deacon Seat single malt whiskey, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Dark Spirits, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
January 3, 2014
Recently, I had a query about a drink featured in my book Good Spirits, a drink called the Lily. As Good Spirits is from a few years back (but not old by any means, and still I hope darn fun and useful), I hadn’t actually made the Lily in awhile, and so was pretty excited to revisit the drink. The question came around the use of crème de noyaux, an almondy liqueur made from apricot pits, and an ingredient not as readily available – it also has a signature pinkish color. The drink-maker was having a hard time tracking it down, and wondered about subbing. My first thought was amaretto, also made usually with apricot pits or almonds. So, for fun, I tried making the Lily with both. And you know what? Both versions were darn tasty. The main difference really was the color, which is wildly different (the noyaux is the pink one naturally in the pic), but the flavor was very similar, with the crème de noyaux version a smidge sweeter, and the amaretto nuttier on the back end. I suggest you try both, and see what you think.
The Lily
Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce crème de noyau
1/2 ounce Lillet
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon twist for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, crème de noyau, Lillet, and lemon juice. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist after twisting it over the drink.
A Lily
Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce amaretto
1/2 ounce Lillet
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon twist for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, Crème de Noyau, Lillet, and lemon juice. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist after twisting it over the drink.
Tags: A Lily, amaretto, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, crème de noyau, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Lillet, The Lily, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Good Spirits, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
November 15, 2013
Hello students of the cocktail, and welcome to another episode of the finest series on cocktails, drinking, and good times ever: The Cocktail to Cocktail Hour. In this episode, our favorite foreigner, Alastair Edwards, is back with another drinking problem, one I solve with the help of the Trilby Cocktail, a bit of an undiscovered treasure featuring Broker’s gin, Dolin dry vermouth, and crème Yvette.
PS: Special thanks to Natalie Fuller, Jeremy Holt, Beatrice Holt, Markie Butler – perhaps the finest actors this side of Stratford, and the wizardry of director Dr. Gonzo.
Tags: Alastair Edwards, Broker’s gin, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail video, Cocktail Videos, crème Yvette, Dolin dry vermouth, Friday Night Cocktail, Jeremy Holt, Mark Butler, Natalie Fuller, Trilby cocktail, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail Videos, Gin, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Liqueurs, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
November 5, 2013
My un-stopping love for the great English novelist Anthony Trollope continues with each of his books I read (there are a lot, luckily). Recently I finished the lesser-known treasure Is He Popenjoy?, all about class and legacy and inheritance in multiple ways. What I wish now is that some fine bartender out there would make up a drink called The Popenjoy. I would pay a pretty penny for that, if it was awesome. It would have to contain cherry brandy, which is mentioned in the books, as well as curaçao, which is in the dandy quote below (oh, if you do make up a drink here, go with Pierre Ferrand curaçao, please). If you create The Popenjoy, please let me know asap.
She was in the habit of sitting by him and talking to him late in the evening, while he was sipping his curaçao and soda-water, and had become accustomed to hear odd things from him. He liked her because he could say what he please to her, and she would laugh and listen and show no offence.
–Anthony Trollope, Is He Popenjoy?
October 25, 2013
Pals, it’s getting chilly. No way to escape it, in the general sense. But in the specific sense, the best way to escape it is to cuddle up with someone cuddly and have this very drink, which is a warmer meant to be had while cuddling. And yeah, it uses both Drambuie and schnapps, which may bother your snootier sensibilities. But if so, no one wants to cuddly with you anyway and you can ignore this whole thing.
The Late Date, Recipe from Good Spirits
Orange Wheel
Lemon Wheel
2 ounces Drambuie
1/2 ounce cinnamon schnapps
3-1/2 ounces hot water
1. Add the orange wheel and lemon wheel to a sturdy mug. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, gently muddle the rounds.
2. Add the Drambuie and cinnamon schnapps to the mug. Stir briefly. Add the hot water, and stir again.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Drambuie, Friday Night Cocktail, Good Spirits, Late Date, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Good Spirits, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
October 15, 2013
A few posts ago, I talked about my recent purchase of The Compleat Imbiber #5, and said there’d be more to come from it – and I didn’t lie, because now here we are and have another delightful Cocktail Talk quote straight from that august compendium. This particular one is from a story called A Party for the Girls, by H.E. Bates, in which a hero is tasked with making a Moselle Cup, but he can’t quite remember how it goes. So, foraging his path via experimentation, he ends up with a drink that ends up being “genius.” Sometimes it takes a little luck . . .
‘You said mint. What about mint now? Shall I go and get it? We’ve got lemon mint, too, I think’
Horace, who was trying hard to remember the exact proportions of the cup’s ingredients, put a dozen cubes of ice in a jug and coloured them with a golden film of brandy. Hesitant about something, he stood biting his lip. Oughtn’t there to be a dash or two of curaçao? Something seemed to tell him so.
‘You haven’t a spot of curaçao, I suppose?’
No, but they had maraschino, Maude said, and she thought also a little Cointreau. By now Horace was mildly confused. He couldn’t remember for the life of him whether it was curaçao, Cointreau, or maraschino that the cup demanded and again he stood biting his lip with that shy perplexity that affected Maude far more sharply than any look of open appeal.
–H.E. Bates, A Party for the Girls, The Compleat Imbiber 5
October 4, 2013
Buon giorno cocktail fans, and fans of cocktail videos, and Italian fans, and fans of good drinks, and fans of good translations, and welcome all y’all to another episode of the Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, the world’s best cocktailunmentary show. This episode is extra special, as we have a guest who’s traveled all the way from Italy to share a special recipe with us. So, watch up, and ciao until next time.
PS: Special thanks to AK Translation Services for the immaculate translating.
Tags: Aperol, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail video, Cocktail Videos, Friday Night Cocktail, Prosecco, Spritz, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: aperitif, Aperol, Champagne & Sparkling Wine, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Italy, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
September 27, 2013
I recently was talking to a friend, and they mentioned that they didn’t like Chartreuse. I was flabbergasted. I didn’t, like, knock them over the noggin with a three-legged stool or anything, but I did decide then and there to never talk to them again (okay, maybe not – but that would have been sorta great). I also decided to go right home and make myself a Chartreuse Daisy, in honor of the lovely herbal French liqueur/aperitif that had been maligned by my one-time friend. I think you should do the same. We certainly don’t want Chartreuse to feel bad, after all.
Chartreuse Daisy, using the recipe from Ginger Bliss
Cracked ice
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 ounce grenadine
1 ounce yellow Chartreuse
Strawberry, for garnish
Orange slice, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add the gin, lemon juice, and grenadine. Shake very well, until the shaker gets frosty.
2. Fill a goblet three-quarters up with cracked ice. Strain the mixture over the ice. Stir briefly. Float the Chartreuse over the ice, and stir again briefly. Garnish with the strawberry and the orange slice.
Tags: Chartreuse, Chartreuse Daisy, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
