November 6, 2012

Lillet and the Good Life

Well, wouldn’t you know it—even James Bond gets older. It seems his first film came out about 50 years ago. What does this have to do with anything outside of giving me a chance to make the point that Sean Connery is the finest James Bond and anyone who disagrees is a ninny? Well, it also leads to the fact that the lovely French aperitif wine-thing Lillet figures into the Bond mythos. Which also then leads to a little Lillet article I have in the most recent Good Life Report, which also has an article about Bond. And now it’s all tied up in a mystery even Timothy Dalton could solve (I kid, I kid. Dalton is aces with me).

February 29, 2012

What I’m Drinking: Great Secret

Sometimes, you have a little secret that you like to hold close like a puppy (one I have is that I actually don’t drink. Nah, I’m kidding. How does the fact that I’m a Martin Lawrence devotee work?). Sometimes, you have a larger secret that’s oodles of fun that you can’t tell but that you hold close to youself to like a favorite key (naturally I have these, but I surely can’t tell you about them). And then, sometimes you’re associated with a great big secret, like this recipe, or like when you get abducted by aliens and discover leap year is an alien plot, or when you wear a cape and fight crime at night using mystical powers. Of course, now this delicious recipe isn’t a secret at all, since I’m telling you it to you. But it’s still great. And we’re still sharing it. So, that’s something almost as good, right?

Cracked ice

2 ounces gin

1 ounce Lillet Blanc

Dash of Angostura bitters

Orange twist, for garnish

Orange slice, for garnish (optional, used instead of above twist)

1. Fill a mixing glass or cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Add the gin, Lillet, and bitters. Stir well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Twist the twist over the glass and then drop it in. Shhhhh.

PS: Though this Great Secret is featured in Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz (a beautiful book you should really have), I found it in Patrick Gavin Duffy’s The Official Mixer’s Manual (Alta, 1934).

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August 18, 2011

What I’m Drinking: The Earl of 15th Avenue

Here’s something long-time readers (all three of you) of the Spiked Punch don’t see very often: a drink recipe with vodka. It’s true, I find most mass-produced modern vodkas a wee smidge, well, boring. Flavorless, even. This has probably and sadly kept me away from some modern craft-y vodkas, ones I would enjoy. Until recently, that is (and that, friends, is what we call an “ah-ha” moment). Recently, I’ve been lucky enough to try some of the new local vodkas, those created around the Seattle and WA area, and I’ve been blown away–complex vodkas with intriguing flavor profiles? Amazing. I’m talking about vodkas like Bainbridge Organic’s Legacy vodka, Woodinville Whiskey’s Peabody Jones vodka, and Sound Spirits’ Ebb+Flow vodka. The latter is what I used in the below drink, because it’s flavor, which comes from using 100% malted barley, mingled well with some tasty Earl Grey syrup I received from the fine folks at Deluxe Foods. Deluxe isn’t selling their syrups yet (I don’t think–though if you’re in Seattle you should stop by a Farmer’s Market and ask), but keep checking the Deluxe Foods site for when they do. The Earl Grey syrup has a subtle-but-evident tea taste and a nice medium sweetness. Sorry to list a recipe that might have hard-to-find ingredients, by the way, but you know what they say: fate favors those who track down hard-to-find-ingredients. Or something like that.

 

Ice cubes

2 ounces Ebb+Flow vodka

1/2 ounce Deluxe Foods Earl Grey syrup

1/4 ounce Lillet blanc

1/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add everything. Shake well.

 

2. Drain the mix into a cocktail glass and enjoy to the fullest.

 

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