October 11, 2019
I recently wrote about a drink called The Mighty M, which featured a trio of Washington-made treats, one of which was Salish Sea’s Maple liqueur. Which is delicious, and perhaps the only maple liqueur? The only one I’ve had at least! It’s just very lush, rich, maple-y, nutty-ish, and delish. I was trying to think of more things to do with it, and had one of those booze-y light bulb moments – why not try subbing it in for the crème de cacao in a classic Alexander? Boom! Light bulb boom! So, I brought in another Washington pal (Seattle Distilling Company’s gin, which is an ideal gin, made with eleven botanicals, and a swell and welcoming juniper, spice, nut, thing happening), and the cream, and it all turned into a dessert-y dream. A dream I tell you!
The Mapleander
Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces Seattle Distilling Company gin
1-1/2 ounces Salish Sea Maple liqueur
1-1/2 ounces heavy cream
Sprinkle of chocolate powder
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, liqueur, and cream. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle with a light dust of chocolate.
Tags: cocktail recipe, cocktails, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, heavy cream, Salish Sea Maple liqueur, Seattle Distilling Company gin, The Mapleander, Washington distilleries, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Liqueurs, What I'm Drinking
October 4, 2019
Okay, hopefully this isn’t annoying (too much), but I’m going to lay out a perfect chilly-fall-night drink, but it has not one, but two ingredients that might not be easy for all to get – however, they are worth getting, so get on your buggies (or whatever you use for transportation) and perhaps time machines (or whatever you use to travel through time). The first is from the swell sweethearts at Seattle Distilling Company, a whiskey made from Washington-grown rye (the best rye, I’m guessing), called Brockway Hill, which has a lovely rye spice flavor and umph and is well worth sipping solo as well as in this cocktail. However! That’s not the end of the story, as this delight was named for a Vashon Island bootlegger from back during the sad time called prohibition. Does that story make it taste better? Yep, yep it does! Our second ingredient alluded to above is another WA-made delight: Scrappy’s Seville Orange bitters. A seasonal Scrappy’s (hence the harder to get, and maybe the need for time machines), it as-you’d-expect utilizes Seville oranges, the peels specifically, and delivers cozy marmalade and winter spice action. Watch for it as the snow falls. Our last ingredient in this Manhattan-y trio is actually more available now than it was – because it’s fairly new and wasn’t available at all in the dark days of the past: Cynar 70. If you haven’t had the amazing and fairly-legendary Italian artichoke-based amaro Cynar, then shame on you. Have it now, and then have its higher-proof sibling, Cynar 70. The latter still brings the herbally goodness, but with a bit of a stronger kick, a kick that can be nice to have in cocktails such at this one. Drink up (but not when driving that buggy).
Rye on Earth
Cracked ice
2-1/2 ounces Seattle Distilling Company Brockway Hill whiskey
1/2 ounce Cynar 70
2 dashes Scrappy’s Seville Orange bitters
Blackberry, for garnish*
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ices. Add our trio of stalwarts. Stir well.
2. Add your blackberry to a cocktail glass. Strain the mix into said glass.
*You could go a cherry here. But blackberries are cool. And you wanna be cool, right?
Tags: blackberry, cocktail, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, cynar 70, Friday Night Cocktail, Rye, Rye on Earth, Scrappy's Bitters, Scrappy's Seville Orange bitters, Seattle Distilling Company, Washington distillers, What I’m Drinking, Whiskey
Posted in: bitters, Cocktail Recipes, Italy, Recipes, Rye, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
September 20, 2019
Fall officially starts in three days, and I can feel it (this happens when you get to be my age – it could also just be a good thing to say) deep inside. And what does one sip when the fall is about to start and you can feel it, and winter behind it, always, coming? Well, a Whiskey Sour seems like a good choice, with that heft of whiskey and the citrus zing underneath, and then an echo of sweet (to remind you and spring, also always, follows winter). At least that’s the route I’m running today!
The Whiskey Sour
Ice cubes
2 ounces Four Roses straight bourbon
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Lemon slice, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the bourbon, lemon juice, and syrup. Shake well.
2. Strain through a fine strainer into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.
Tags: cocktail, Cocktail Recipes, Four Roses Bourbon, Friday Night Cocktail, lemon juice, simple syrup, The Whiskey Sour, What I’m Drinking, Whiskey
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Recipes, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
September 13, 2019
Ah well, all good things must pass – even the sunny days of summertime. The least we could do was have a drink to celebrate, and to do it right, the drink should probably have perhaps my favorite summertime treat in it (there are many! But this is tops), blackberries from the Lazy River Farm. This particular farm is not only home to the best blackberries in the world (big, fat, juicy at a level I’d never had before), but also home to Sidetrack Distillery, one of my all-time favorite distilleries anywhere. You should visit! Here, I use a bunch of blackberries to bring the flavor, then a few other friends to add a little of this (vodka), and that (Narancello, for a bit of orange), and that other (lemon, for the tang). It’s a nice treaty, and a good way to honor – and say so long to – summer.
The End of Summer
6 blackberries
Cracked ice
2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce Narancello orange liqueur
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Blackberry, for garnish
1. Add the first 6 blackberries to a cocktail shaker. Muddle well to just really get the juices flowing.
2. Fill the shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the vodka and lemon juice. Shake well.
3. Strain through a fine strainer into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the final blackberry.
Tags: blackberries, cocktail, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, lemon, Narancello, orange liqueur, The End of Summer, vodka, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Liqueurs, Recipes, vodka, What I'm Drinking
September 6, 2019
Here’s a question that I’m curious about – in our modern (and here, I’m thinking super modern and recent, in the last years) drinking world here in the U.S., why hasn’t genever become more of a regular base spirit for drinks? I mean, I understand it wasn’t widely available until said recency, and sometimes it’s hard to change, and for a while, even I only really knew about one brand (Bols Genever, which is a dandy spot to start, and which I used recently in a Genever Julep recipe). But recently, I was able to sample a whole range, and it’s really interesting that there are many variations on the theme. If you don’t know (and again, don’t feel bad if you don’t – recency and all. But now you will), genever has been consumed for health and happiness since the 1500s, and is made from malt wine. Think malty-ness a bit like whiskey, but a juniper and herbal profile like gin, with all the variations therein. It was used more, I think, way back in the day, and so I’ve been going the classic route, and it’s still late summer, so I’ve also been hitting the G&Ts (I don’t need to tell you how G&Ts and summer go together). Then it hit me – why not Genever & Tonic? I used Bobby’s Schiedam Jenever (side note: sometimes you see Jenever as well as Genever), which utilizes that malt wine base and then a juniper, cubeb pepper, lemongrass, cardamom herb package. Yummy! But, admittedly, not super available over here yet – don’t worry! Other genevers, and I think Bols, for example, would be delicious here. But you need to have a great tonic, and I used locally-made &Tonic, a tonic syrup (if you’re not on top of tonic syrups, read this tonic syrup article), handcrafted and ridiculously good. Try this drink, as soon as you can!
Genever and Tonic
Ice cubes
1-1/2 genever
1/2 ounce &Tonic tonic syrup
3-1/2 to 4 ounces club soda
Lemon twist, for garnish
1. Fill an Old Fashioned or comparable glass with ice cubes. Add the genever and tonic syrup. Stir briefly. Add the soda (use a little more or less as taste drives you). Stir.
2. Garnish with the twist. Think about how awesome the modern drinking world is.
Tags: Bobby's Schiedam Jenever, cocktail, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Genever, Genever and Tonic, Tonic, tonic syrup, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
August 2, 2019
Holy where-does-the-time-go! It was eleven years now that I wrote on this very blog (you can pat me on the back for my longevity later) about drinking Margaritas via a trolley in my backyard. ELEVEN YEARS! My mind is blown. And the trolley has fallen to ruin, and I haven’t had a Margarita since.
No, no, I kid, cause that would be insane. I’ve had a fair amount of this classic tequila charmer that’s known near and far and then near again. However! I hadn’t until sort-a recently had one made with wonderful WA distillery (sidenote: WA has the best distilleries in the world) Brovo Spirits wonderful Orange Curaçao. And I feel bad (though many weren’t bad) for the various me’s from history who drank their Margs without it, as this orange curaçao brings said classic drink up even another level when used as the crucial orange component, thanks to a trio of dried orange peels: sweet Californian, bitter Laranha from Curaçao itself, and legendary Seville from Spain. Those mingles with spices and Maui brown sugar on a base of neutrals: cane and grain. End result: rich and balanced orange action underpinned by just the right amount of spice. Try it in your next Margarita, but be warned. You’ll like it so much, you’ll want to make a giant jug of it.
The Margarita with Brovo Spirits Orange Curaçao
Ice cubes
3 ounces tequila blanco
2 ounces Brovo Spirits Orange Curaçao
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime slice, for garnish
1. If making one, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the tequila, Brovo Spirits Orange Curaçao, and lime juice. Shake well.
2. Strain through a fine strainer into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime slice.
A Note: My Margaritas tend to be pretty and strong. Just as an FYI.
Tags: Brovo Spirits Orange Curaçao, cocktail recipe, cocktails, Friday Night Cocktail, lime, Margarita, Tequila, The Margarita, this Margarita is better than yours, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Distillery, Liqueurs, Recipes, Tequila, What I'm Drinking
July 26, 2019
Yeah, yeah, I hear you – it’s summer, who sits around drinking brandy in the summer? Shouldn’t it be sipped in drawing rooms post-dinner during the chillier months? Shouldn’t you be wearing a cravat of some sort, or at least a dinner jacket, and not shorts and a t-shirt? You keep on tut-tut-ing in your corner and putting drinks into buckets, and I’ll keep on sipping whatever sounds good at this moment and enjoying myself. Deal? Deal!
And what sounds, tastes, and is good even this July moment is the delicious brandy released not too long ago by the swell Seattle Distilling Company. WA state should have way, way more delicious brandies, due to our wonderful wine industry (and I don’t need to tell you how wine and brandy go together). But, sadly, not yet. However, the (as I mentioned, swell) folks at the Seattle Distilling Company’s brandy is a WA-state treat, using grapes grown here, and aged five years in casks that previously held Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s smooth and worth savoring, with a fig, vanilla, raisin-ness, along with the underlying good grape-y-ness. Something just right to linger over any time of year, me thinks. You can’t disagree until you’ve tried it, which, sadly, might be tough as it was a limited-edition brandy release – though perhaps there are a few bottles left, so get to tracking one down. You deserve it!
July 19, 2019
Recently, I was talking about bottles to buy dad for Father’s Day on the mighty and mighty fun New Day Northwest. It was great, as I got to highlight some fantastic spirits and liqueurs made right here in way-out Washington state. And, I also got to make a special cocktail for dad using a number of those bottles. But here’s the thing – the drink, which is called Thy Noble Father (from Hamlet, you know), is a dandy one for any time of year, any day, with Woodinville Whiskey straight bourbon, Brovo Spirits Orange Curacao, Seattle Distilling Company brandy, and Scrappy’s Black Lemon bitters. I’m not sure I can conjure many better quartets than that for you, if you’re the type of person who like cocktails layered with flavor, underlined by two base spirits, cocktails with lots of earthy and celestial citrus, along with spice notes, and a little friendly sweetness that isn’t overly sweet, just an echo. And, you can make it for dad whenever you want – it’s not like he doesn’t deserve a good drink multiple times a year, right?
Thy Noble Father
Cracked ice
1-1/2 ounces Woodinville Whiskey Co. Straight Bourbon
3/4 ounce Brovo Spirits Orange Curaçao
1/2 ounce Seattle Distilling Company Brandy
Dash Scrappy’s Black Lemon Bitters
Wide orange twist, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add everything but the twist. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail or coupe glass. Garnish with the twist. Toast all the dads!
Tags: bitters, bourbon, Brandy, Brovo Spirits Orange Curaçao, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Drinks named from Shakespeare, Friday Night Cocktail, orange curaçao, Scrappy's Black Lemon bitters, Seattle Distilling Company Brandy, Thy Noble Father, Washington distillers, What I’m Drinking, Woodinville Whiskey Co. Straight Bourbon
Posted in: bitters, Brandy, Cocktail Recipes, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking, Whiskey
