April 1, 2014
I’ve had a few Cocktail Talk quotes from Lawrence Block books before – I tend to like the older ones, some of which have awesomely been reprinted by the awesome Hard Case Crime folks. The Girl with the Long Green Heart falls firmly into the latter category, as it was originally published in 1955, then reprinted in 2005, and as it’s full of cons, dames (one real serious dame, really), back-dealings, and drinks. No foolin’, just check out the below quotes:
The maître d’ beamed his way over to us, and Evvie said something about Mr. Gunderman’s table, and we were passed along to a captain and bowed through a cocktail lounge and a large dining room into something called the Terrace Room. The tables were set far apart, the lighting dim and intimate. We ordered martinis. “You might as well order big,” she told me. “He’ll be unhappy if I don’t give you the full treatment. This is quite a place, isn’t it? You don’t expect it in Olean. But they have people who come from miles to eat here.” The martinis were cold and dry and crisp. We had a second round, then ordered dinner. She touted the chateaubriand for two and I rode along with it.
—The Girl with the Long Green Heart, Lawrence Block
March 28, 2014
It’s sad that people only remember St. Patrick on March the 17th – and that people only tend to really get enthusiastic about Irish contributions to cocktail culture then (sadly, I myself may fall into that a bit. Forgive me). But we, friends, can get together and drive these oversights out, much like St. Patrick himself drove the snakes out of Ireland. But to do it, we’ll need a serious drink – this drink, right here!
It’s highlighted by two great Irish products, Clontarf 1014 Irish whiskey (which I talked about in the Dublin 8 recipe post), and Celtic Honey liqueur. The latter is inspired by an ancient recipe (as many good things are) and is supposed to bring you luck when drinking. I can’t say for sure on that, but can say that the liqueur’s combination of local Irish honey, spring water, Irish whiskey, and secret herbs is tasty.
The Snake Banisher
Cracked ice
2 ounces Clontarf 1014 Irish whiskey
3/4 ounce Celtic Honey liqueur
1/4 ounce Punt e’ Mes
2 dashes Scrappy’s Saville Orange bitters
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add everything. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Start banishing snakes.
A Note: You could use another orange bitters instead of Scrappy’s Saville Orange bitters (which is otherworldly good). But you might want to have some snake anti-venom on hand.
Tags: Celtic Honey liqueur, Clontarf 1014 Irish Whiskey, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Irish drinks, Punt e' Mes, Scrappy’s Saville Orange bitters, The Snake Banisher Cocktail, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Liqueurs, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
March 21, 2014
I found this beast (in the best way) of a drink in David Embury’s classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. However, he doesn’t say where the name is from, and I’ve never managed to track it down in Bible, Talmud, Blake, Milton, Hobbes, or other spot (those all seemed like they could have a Leviathan 477). Where the name comes from is a secret that Mr. Embury may have taken to the big bar in the sky.
One thing on our side, though, that Mr. Embury sadly missed, is Westland Distillery’s new First Peated American single malt whiskey. And probably so will most others (hah) as it’s a limited release. But, the distiller’s regular peated whiskey is soon to follow, and I’ll bet it will also be amazing in this drink. The First Peated has a deep smoky peatedness, but also an underlying chocolate, leather, shortbread mix with little hints of citrus and cherry. It’s a fine whiskey, and one that is delicious solo. You might not even think of it as a spirit to have in cocktails, but let me tell you, mixed into the below it shines and helps deliver a drink worthy of the monstrous name (in the best way, of course).
The Leviathan 477, from Good Spirits
Ice cubes
2 ounces Westland First Peated American single malt whiskey
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the remaining ingredients. Shake smoothly.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Sip. Sip. Sip.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Good Spirits, The Leviathan 477 cocktail, Westland Distillery, Westland First Peated American Single Malt Whiskey, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Good Spirits, Recipes, Whiskey
March 18, 2014
If you live in Washington State, you (like me) should feel pretty happy about the distillery explosion over the last few years, cause it’s delivering a host of dandy local spirits and liqueurs. The list includes a number of single malt whiskies, and recently I was lucky enough to talk to a bunch of distillers making said whiskey, and write about it for Seattle magazine. And now I’m passing that luck on to you, since the Washington State Distillers Embrace American Single Malt Whiskey article (and a few single-malt picks) is just a click away.
March 14, 2014
If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a fashion that truly honors the St. and the Irish (and you should), then I have the ideal drink for you: The Dublin 8. This Irish special (by way of the Midwestern U.S.) owes its birth to Jeremy Sidener, bartender extraordinaire and manager of the 8th Street Taproom in Lawrence, KS. It’s a fantastically refreshing drink, one that won’t weigh you down, but it also boasts a ton of flavor. Especially when made with Clontarf 1014 Irish Whiskey.
If you don’t yet know it, Clontarf 1014 Irish whiskey is a triple distilled, bourbon-barrel aged blended beauty. It’s amazingly smooth and sippable, but still carries a solid honey and nutty flavor with hints of oak and citrus, all of which mingles perfectly with the citrus and ginger in this recipe. It’s also named after a famous battle, and carries the slogan “Live Like a Warrior” – which is pretty cool I think. You should definitely try it solo as well as in this drink. (Oh, one last thing – it’s freakishly reasonable on price. Which is a bonus).
Clontarf 1014 is also one of the brands behind the Irish to the Core contest, where you can win a trip to Ireland or $10,000 – both of which sound great to me. So, enter up.
The Dublin 8, from Good Spirits
Ice cubes
2 ounces Clontarf 1014 Irish whiskey
3 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
3 ounces chilled ginger ale or ginger beer
Lime quarter for garnish
Lime slice for garnish
1. Fill a highball glass, or similarly-sized glass, three quarters up with ice cubes. Add the whiskey.
2. Add the orange juice and ginger ale, at the same time, so that we don’t have any arguments over who’s more important to the effort.
3. Squeeze a lime wedge over the glass, and then drop it in. Stir gently. Garnish with the slice of lime.
Tags: Clontarf 1014 Irish Whiskey, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Good Spirits, Jeremy Sidener is awesome, St. Partrick's Day drink, The Dublin 8, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Good Spirits, Recipes, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
March 11, 2014
It’s that time here on the Spiked Punch blog, where I unroll my latest blog posts for the Seattle magazine, in case you missed any and wanted to catch up (which would certainly make me happy and maybe you too). While some of these are attached to a particular time, the drinks within are good year round. Promise.
• Four Drinks to Make for Your 2014 Oscars Party
• Talking Vodka, Bacon Bloody Marys and Beyond with Reyka Vodka’s Daniel Brancusi
• Four Delicious Drinks Perfect for Valentine’s Day
• Five Fantastic First Date Bars
• Super Seahawks Super Bowl Drinks
• New Locally Made Spirits, Liqueurs and More
• Super Small Seattle Bars
• New Year’s Cocktail and Spirit Resolutions
March 7, 2014
I can’t lie to you, dear readers, so I’m going to admit that I’m not much of a golfer – outside of mini golf, which I do like if it’s one of those courses that has castles and stuff. But, my lack of skills on the links doesn’t keep me from enjoying a classic cocktail named after golfing – oh no, not at all. For example, I recently made the delicious (but sadly not well known) Hole in One Cocktail. However, I used Peychaud’s bitters, for kicks, instead of the traditional orange bitters, and so altered the title. The end result was super tasty, thanks in large part to using Cutty Sark’s new Prohibition Edition blended Scotch. This Scotch has got loads of lovely toffee-and-pepper flavor, with a super smooth and warm (it’s 100 proof) finish, and it mixed dandily with the sweet vermouth and such below.
The Ace
Ice cubes
2 ounces Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition scotch
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1. Fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice cubes. Add the scotch, vermouth, lemon juice, and bitters. Shake well, while thinking about the proper place to use a 3 iron.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass.
PS: This photo was taken at Jeremy Holt’s house. He’s a good one to golf and drink with.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition Whiskey, Friday Night Cocktail, golf drinks, Scotch, sweet vermouth, The Ace cocktail, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Recipes, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
March 4, 2014
Though it’s hard to believe for all but my mother (who of course always believes), the amazing Seattle magazine is still letting me write a column highlighting a different bar each month. Yeah, I’m lucky! But so are you, because you can read said columns and figure out where you and your pals are going go this weekend to kick up your heels with a dandy drink. Without further palavering then, here are three fine bars to read about:
• Teachers Lounge, Greenwood
• E. Smith Mercantile, Pioneer Square
• Witness, Capitol Hill
–See all of my Seattle magazine articles
Tags: Bar Hop, bar news, Bar-Hopping, Bars, E. Smith Mercantile, Seattle Bars, Seattle Magazine, Teachers Lounge, Witness
Posted in: Bar Hop, Bars, Cocktail News, Seattle Magazine
