October 18, 2013
So, the other night I was reclining in the big comfy chair, trying to decide what to have for my evening libation while paging through a pocket-sized book called The Standard Cocktail Guide: A Manual of Mixed Drinks Written for the American Host by Crosby Gaige, published in 1944. It’s a handy little book, if not as exuberantly fun at Mr. Gaige’s Cocktail Guide and Ladies Companion. But well worth picking up if you ever see it. I knew, before deciding on a drink, a couple facts. One: I wanted to make a drink using iced crushed in my new McSology Lewis bag (a dandy Lewis bag made here in Seattle out of 100% cotton canvas, and available for $48 for the professional-sized model and $26 for the home-bartender version, if after reading this you want one). Two: I wanted to make a drink I didn’t know. Three: I wanted to make a drink out of this book. Four: I wanted to use the last bit of mint from the mint plant out back. I ended up with the Santa Cruz Daisy, though admittedly I modified it perhaps nearly out of Daisy-dom, cause I went with a mint instead of fruit topping, and I used crushed and not shaved ice. But it was still massively delicious.
The Santa Cruz Daisy (Sort Of)
2 ounces white rum
1/4 ounce maraschino
1/4 ounce simple syrup
Crushed ice
Fresh mint sprigs
Splash of soda water
1. Add the rum, maraschino, simple syrup to a mixing glass and stir well.
2. Crush a bunch of ice in your Lewis bag and revel in the crushing.
3. Fill a goblet or other swell glass with ice, and strain the mix gently over it, topping with more ice as needed.
4. Add a splash of soda and garnish with mint sprigs.
Tags: Bar Tools, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Crosby Gaige, Friday Night Cocktail, lime juice, Maraschino, McSology, McSology Lewis Bar, Rum, Santa Cruz Daisy, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Crosby Gaige, Recipes, Rum, What I'm Drinking
October 10, 2010
This is somewhat of a (or almost exactly a) duplicate of a post on my Italy blog, which is called Six Months In Italy. But I figure the Spiked Punch readers may not have found that blog yet, and may be interested in the bar tools I lugged in my luggage recently. Oh, as a backdrop—I’ve moved to Italy, to be closer to local Amaros, Strega, Fernet Branca, and the other Italian boozes I love. Which is why this blog has been even lighter than normal lately. I just got here (here now being middle Italy. For gosh sake, go read the Italy blog if you want to know more or I’ll go on all day), and these are the tools I brought with me.
Oh, by the way, it’s not that I think I couldn’t make slurpable drinks during the next seven months without the following seven drink-making devices (at least I think I could), but I’d just feel so naked behind the bar (or at the counter). And not in the good “making-drinks-naked way.” So, here’s a look at some of what was in my suitcase.
1 and 2: Cocktail Shaker and Jigger
This is my most-utilized cocktail shaker, the WMF Manhattan stainless steel cobble-style shaker. I love both how it fits me, and how it has a little elegance in its lines. It also packs up nice, and since I’ve used it almost every day for the last 10 years, isn’t something I’d leave behind. The jigger alongside it keeps me honest on measuring, and also keeps the shake company.
3: Fine Strainer
A good fine strainer for drinks that contain fresh juice (which should be the only juice you use naturally). I wanted to bring a juicer to go with, but decided at the last minute that squeezing would work as long as I took the fine strainer to ensure no chunky-ness gets into the drink (or my teeth).
4: A Hawthorne Strainer
This is the Oxo strainer, very portable, and a necessary extra just in case the built-in strainer on my shaker gets overwhelmed by the amount of drinks being made, or the fruit in them, or anything else. Can also work if I decide to use another shaker when out and about. A generally handy item to have, and small enough to not worry about packing.
5 and 6: Pug Muddler and Stir Spoon
This and all Pug muddlers was made by hand with care by a gentleman named Chris Gallagher. It’s made from Mexican Rosewood (or Bocote), and is a substantial and beautiful thing, which between us, I paid probably more than I should have for—but look at it! Pug muddlers aren’t available in stores, but you can email Chris directly if you want one (and you should), at jcgallagher08 @ hotmail . com (removing the spaces). The stir spoon is one of many I have, but needed for stirring drinks.
7: Ice Cube Trays
I can admit it: I am addicted to these decently-sized perfectly square ice cubes. I can’t be completely happy without them (okay, okay, that’s going overboard. But I am awfully fond of them, and how them both melt slowly and crack perfectly when smacked with the Pug Muddler, making them the ideal ice for the home bartender). Mine are made in the the Tovolo Perfect Cube silicone ice cube tray.
