What I’m Drinking: The Baltimore Bracer

Sometimes, you need a quick bracer in the morning of a particularly stressful day, one you know might test your, let’s say, patience a bit (side note: do people still say “bracer” when referring to drinks? If not, why not, cause it’s an amazing word. If you start doing it now, bringing it back, so to speak, I’m sure it’ll catch back on, cause you’re cool, right? Right!). For me, today I think is that day, and so I’m starting with one of my favorite bracers, the one named after the fair city of Baltimore. It’s got the nice smooth kick from brandy, a swell helping of anisette (which goes well with brandy historically) that adds loads of flavor and tones down that brandy umph a bit, and then an egg white, which not only makes it frothy smooth but brings us back to this being an egg-cellent (hehe) morning drink, one that’ll brace you up for whatever the day holds. Unless the day holds driving large equipment or flying a plane or doing surgery. Then maybe stick to coffee.

Baltimore Bracer

Cracked ice

1-1/2 ounces brandy

1-1/2 ounces anisette

1 egg white, preferably organic

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add the brandy, anisette, and egg white. Shake well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Brace up.

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What I’m Drinking: Underlined Passages

Though we’re well past Valentine’s Day, really, if you’re a perfect paramour or partner, you should be showing the love every day, right? Right! And what’s the best way to show the love? Making that favorite person of yours a dandy cocktail, perhaps one a bit sweet to show you think they’re the sweetest? Too much? Well, it makes for an interesting intro idea to this cocktail, which isn’t overly sweet, mind-you, thanks to the bountiful base of brandy (the most under-utilized base spirit). One top of which are two other dancing partners that might be a stitch sweet, but also deliver lovely (!!) flavors: Navan vanilla liqueur and the Italian charmer Dumante Verdenoce pistachio liqueur. Those three alone play together quite cozily, but adding an egg white, as we do here, gives a wonderful silky mouthfeel (as they say), one that’ll have you and yours canoodling happily any day of the year as you sip it.

Underlined Passages, from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz

Ice cubes

1-1/2 ounces brandy

1 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur

1/2 ounce Dumante Verdenoce pistachio liqueur

1 egg white, preferably organic

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the brandy, Navan, Dumante, and egg white. Shake exceptionally well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

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Cocktail Talk: Mystery of the Dead Police

I do so love me a good Pocket Book (not “pocketbook” as in the old-timey word for a smallish purse, at least usually), both the initial-capped brand of books made mainly in the middle of last century, and made to naturally fit in a pocket, but also the many books of the same size but not under the actual kangaroo-reading-a-book-with-a-backup-book-in-the-pouch-logo’d brand. For one, many of this ilk fell into the mystery genre (which I like), though sci-fi, romance, westerns, all found their way into pockets. But also, just the idea of a non-massive book that was easily totable for the bus, or the park bench, or the couch, or anywhere, so you were always ready for reading – I like, that too! Add in that many of the books have grab-your-eyes covers (it was all about getting those newsstand eyeballs), and, well, me and pocket books (branded and not) get along. Which isn’t to say I like every single pocket-sized book, as there are of course as many clunkers in that book-size-genre as any other. Even the book I’m going to Cocktail Talk from today, the Mystery of the Dead Police, didn’t set my world on fire. An interesting set up (London police being killed at random), but the main characters just didn’t grab, and neither did the writing in the main. However, being a pocket-sized book, it wasn’t an inordinately long read, and still had some good twists here and there, but most of all it has the below quote, where two characters drink White Ladies (after mulling about drinking some other choice classics). How often do book characters drink White Ladies? Not enough! Honestly (why not!) speaking of “not enough” I don’t think there are enough White Ladies being consumed today – I’ll bet half the bars within say 20 minutes of me even in Seattle (home of genius bartenders) wouldn’t know what a White Lady was (gin, lemon, Cointreau, egg white), sadly. But at least our pocket-book pals below know!

“What about a cocktail,” said Nicholas Revel, and sat himself down to face her. His hand pressed the bell push upon the table leg.

Jane, as she has confessed, goggled.

“I . . .” she began. “What . . .”

Giulio came hurrying.

“Dry Martini?” said Nicholas Revel. “Bronx? Sidecar? White Lady? . . . Try a White Lady – yes, a White Lady’s just the thing for this morning. Giulio, two large White Ladies – not too much lemon, and make it snappy.”

— Philip MacDonald, Mystery of the Dead Police

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What I’m Drinking: The We Have to Be in Bed by 10 P.M.

It’s April, so you might be thinking – why would anyone want to be in bed by 10 p.m. when spring is starting to spring, and the light is slowly shedding more light on the day? But hey, some of us still have to work, and age weighs heavy on shoulders, and, well, I like to go to bed early-ish and read (comics), and maybe have a sip here and there while I read. And this is a sweet drink for being in bed at this time, due to its usage of The Bitter Truth Pink Gin, a beautiful combining of well-crafted gin and aromatic bitters (and you know you can trust the Bitter Truth folks when it comes to that), combined with orange juice (good to citrus up before bed, as it’s healthy and all), an egg white (which bring a lovely nighttime texture, as well as a bit of protein), and simple syrup – that kiss of sweetness you want before tucking yourself in for a night of sweet, sweet, dreams. Now you may want to go to bed a little early with one of these, too!

The We Have to Be in Bed by 10 P.M.

1-1/2 ounces The Bitter Truth Pink Gin
1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
1 egg white
1/2 ounce simple syrup

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the Pink Gin, orange juice, egg white, and simple syrup. Shake really well.

2. Strain (through a fine strainer if you have one) into a cocktail glass. Drink and dream.

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What I’m Drinking: The SPF (or, Silver Port Fizz)

Suns out! You know what that means? Sunburns. Okay, it means other things, too, like summer drinks and summer fun and summer romance and summer reading-in-the-back-yard-with-one-of-those-drinks. But I do pick up sunburns pretty quickly, which is why I always have sunscreen with a good SPF (sun protection factor). And also why I always have a nice chill SPF, too. For the latter, I mean a Silver Port Fizz.

Jump back! I can hear you saying (you do say that, right?), and loudly, what do you mean drinking port in summer? Isn’t port a winter, or fall at least, drink that you have indoors after a meal, say, or with some tasty cheese? Sure, it is that, but now-a-days, port is actually showing up on a lot of summer sipping menus, too. It makes sense (I think, when you think about it), because port in its various forms does deliver a lot of flavor, and doesn’t weigh one down too heavily, so when mingled with the right ingredients, I believe it’s a natural for the days when the sun is high in the sky and the temperature is also rising. Lucky for me, a bottle of Sandeman Tawny Porto 10-year-old version, showed up in the mail the other day, so I could test the port theory I’m expounding.

And while making up a new summer-y drink with port being a main player is very, very attractive (I’ll probably do it soon!), I decided to start by putting port in as a player in a classically-minded mix, the fizz. I love a nice, simple fizz, and the frothier silver fizzes (though sometimes today you see the silver slipped out of the monikers, which is okay, but here it fit perfectly), which adds egg white. And that’s what I did here, and the result is ideal for August, refreshing, fun, and full of the Sandeman Tawny’s nutty, fruit, rich-bodied brilliance. Try it, and test the theory.

The SPF

Cracked ice
2 ounces 10-year-old Sandeman Tawny Porto
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1 egg white

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add the Porto, juice, sugar and egg white.

2. Fill a Collins or comparable glass with ice cubes. Strain the mix into the glass.

3. Fill glass with club soda. Stir briefly. Chill out.

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What I’m Drinking: Baltimore Bracer

It’s morning, and nearly the beginning of summer, which means I (as I always do) am going to sit myself down and have a Baltimore Bracer and read Thomas Osborne Davis’ “The Sack of Baltimore:”

The summer sun is falling soft on Carbery’s hundred isles,
The summer sun is gleaming still through Gabriel’s rough defiles;
Old Innisherkin’s crumbled fane looks like a moulting bird,
And in a calm and sleepy swell the ocean tide is heard:
The hookers lie upon the beach; the children cease their play;
The gossips leave the little inn; the households kneel to pray;
And full of love, and peace, and rest, its daily labor o’er,
Upon that cosy creek there lay the town of Baltimore.

Well, at least that first stanza. Hmm, I sorta think I may be reading at least one word differently than he meant it.

Baltimore Bracer

Cracked ice
1-1/2 ounces brandy
1-1/2 ounces anisette
1 egg white, preferably organic

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add the brandy, anisette, and egg white. Shake well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

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What I’m Drinking: Underlined Passages

Somehow I came up with this when reading J. Robert Lennon stories. And it’s a darn good drink. A wee sweet, but well-balanced by the richness of the egg and the kick of the brandy. Dang, that’s sorta like Lennon. Maybe? Maybe. You read him and find out and let me know. One thing that’s totally for sure (like, for sure), is that if you want to create a drink this amazing, you’d better delve into the J. Robert Lennon oeuvre. You’d better.
Underlined Passages, from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz

Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces brandy
1 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur
1/2 ounce Dumante Verdenoce pistachio liqueur
1 egg white, preferably organic

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the brandy, Navan, Dumante, and egg white. Shake exceptionally well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

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What I’m Drinking: Hays at 7 AM

Following up on the even earlier-in-the-morning drink created for superstar Kansan Eric Norris (writer-librarian-by-day, detective by night – well, that’s my dream, anyway), who was looking for a coffee-based libation, is the following. Since it’s for 7 AM, instead of 6 AM, I thought I’d need to add some protein, in the form of an egg white, to this drink. It also makes it deliciously frothy, without sacrificing a good coffee taste. A little gin and a little simple syrup balance everything out beautifully. Eric, drink up pally! Oh, the rest of you drink up, too – this time of year, everyone may need a good morning cocktail, or two.

Hays at 7 AM

Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce chilled espresso
1/2 ounce simple syrup
One egg white

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, espresso, and simple syrup.

2. Carefully add the egg white. Shake really really well, for a good 5 to 10 seconds.

3. Strain into a cocktail glass.

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