May 6, 2014
Every time I find a new Day Keene book, I’m a happy man (check out past Day Keene posts). Recently, I found a reprint book that contains not one, but two Day Keene amazements – and instantly became doubly happy. Put out by Stark House, who does a bunch of other classic pulp reprints, it contains Framed in Guilt and My Flesh is Sweet. Both are worthy reads, in the fast-paced, thrilling way Mr. Keene always played out his mysteries, thrillers, and pulpy goodnesses. The quote below is from the latter book.
After the air conditioned bank, the street was like an oven. Elena blew up a lock of hair the heat had plastered to her forehead. ‘How,’ she asked, unsmiling, ‘would you like to buy me something tall and cold and filled with gin?’
–Day Keene, My Flesh is Sweet
April 25, 2014
Don’t yell at me. Usually I stay away from blue curaçao, because it’s only blue due to some chemical additions, and not the addition of some secret herb only found hidden in the jungle. But here, it’s balanced out by true orange curaçao. And this drink tastes awesome, so screw it, blue curaçao. Also, I’ve heard this drink was created for an award given to the liner making the fastest Atlantic crossing; variously held by British, French, German, and U.S. ships. So, get out your white admiral’s yachting cap and white trousers for this one, friends.
The Blue Riband (from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz)
Ice cubes
2 ounces gin (something sorta British is best, like Plymouth)
1 ounce Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao
1/2 ounce blue curaçao
Lemon slice, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, orange curaçao, and
blue curaçao. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon slice if that will make your voyage more enjoyable. And it will.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao, The Blue Riband, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
February 18, 2014
There are a number of things we miss in the modern age: Myrna Loy, zoot suits, un-ironic swing bands, speakeasies that aren’t just trying to be trendy, and more. We also miss the chance to have “bootlegger” on our resumes. Ah well, at least the unmissable Compleat Imbiber # 2, itself a bit old (from 1958) lets us relive the bootlegging days in an essay it contains. An essay from which I present to you the below quote.
The first violinist, an expert chemist, skillfully diluted the contents of gin, rum, Scotch whisky, Bénédictine, and Cognac bottles which he bought at the crew’s fifty per cent reduction from the second-class barman. (In those days of Honesty, it was ‘second’ and not ‘cabin’ class.)
—Joseph Wechsberg, Confessions of a Bootlegger
Tags: Benedictine, Cocktail Talk, Cognac, Complete Imbiber, Confessions of a Bootlegger, Gin, Rum, Scotch whisky, The Compleat Imbiber
Posted in: Cocktail Talk, Gin, Rum
February 11, 2014
I’ve had a few fair cocktail talk posts from Mr. Raymond Chandler, one of the few true masters of American detective and hard-boiled stories. And I’m guessing you know him already, because he’s pretty knowable, and, well, I think a lot of you. So, I won’t stand here gabbing, and instead just go into this amazing gin quote from The Lady in the Lake (which the New York Times no less called “one of his best”). I’ve felt a bit the way Mr. Marlowe feels below (and yes, I’m calling a fictional character “Mr. Marlowe.” But I think he deserves that, real or not).
I smelled of gin. No just casually, as if I had taken four or five drinks of a winter morning to get out of bed on, but as if the Pacific Ocean was pure gin and I had nose-dived off the boat deck. The gin was in my hair and eyebrows, on my chin and under my chin. It was on my shirt. I smelled like dead toads.
–Raymond Chandler, The Lady in the Lake
January 24, 2014
I’m just gonna come out and say it – I hold you in high esteem. First off, because you’re reading this blog (hah! Thanks). Secondly, cause I’m holding out hope that you’ll try this drink, which shares a name with the feeling I have for you. Jeez, is this still making sense? I hope so. Anywho, if you do try this drink, you’ll like it I’ll bet. And then hold me in high esteem as well. Then everything will have completed the boozy circle.
The Esteem, from Champagne Cocktails
Ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Meletti anisette
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
Chilled brut Champagne
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, anisette, and lime juice. Shake while smiling.
2. Strain into a two flute glass and fill almost to the rim with chilled Champagne.
Tags: Champagne & Sparkling Wine, Champagne Cocktails, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Meletti Anisette, The Esteem, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Champagne & Sparkling Wine, Cocktail Recipes, Italy, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
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
December 20, 2013
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.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, coffee cocktail, egg white, espresso, espresso cocktail, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Hays at 7 AM, simple syrup, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
December 13, 2013
Recently, an old pal-of-mine name of Eric Norris, poet-writer-reader-library-man-deadeye-shooter-guy (he sounds like a detective in a way – I hope that on his rare down hours he is solving crime where he lives in lovely Hays, KS), dropped me a note asking about a coffee drink idea. He’s a swell fella, and I’m guessing an early riser, so I understood his need for a cocktail that tastes good and operates as a pick-you-up. Cause I believe in choices, I actually came up with two coffee drink ideas, the below, and one that I’ll roll out in a week. This one has a good espresso boom but also some nice herbally action via the sweet vermouth and Bénédictine. Oh, and some gin, cause gin is nice in any morning.
Hays at 6 AM
Cracked ice
1-3/4 ounces gin
1/2 ounce chilled espresso
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce Bénédictine
3 coffee beans, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add everything but the beans. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with 3 coffee beans.
Tags: Benedictine, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, coffee cocktail, espresso, espresso cocktail, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Hays at 6 AM, sweet vermouth, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
