August 16, 2013
Even if you don’t live in Hidalgo, as it’s August, it’s fairly possible that you are, indeed, hot (unless you live on the other side of the equator, in which case you might as well save this one until next time it is summer in your neighborhood. Or, you could just have it in a sauna, or in a room with a heater, or under the blankets with that special someone. Up to you, of course). And while this isn’t one of those super cool-down kinds of affairs, it matches up so well with higher temperatures and shorter outfits (if you know what I mean) that summertime is the time to have it pals and gals. So, I guess, the heat is on.*
Hot Night in Hidalgo (from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz)
Ice cubes
2 ounces dark rum
1-1/2 ounces Damiana
3/4 ounce fresh pineapple juice
Pineapple chunk, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the rum, Damiana, and pineapple juice. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the pineapple chunk, in a smooth manner. *I know, that was cheesy. But I had to say it. Had to. Contractually obliged.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Damiana, dark rum, Friday Night Cocktail, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Hot Night in Hidalgo, pineapple juice, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Liqueurs, Recipes, Rum, What I Wish I Was Drinking
August 9, 2013
When the alien robots from Plant X land in my backyard, brother, I’m gonna be ready with a shaker of Atomulas for all and sundry. Cause this, scientific one, is the ideal drink in those robot-alien-yetis kind of situations. Don’t trust me? Fine. But when that day comes, don’t say I didn’t warn you right here and now.
Atomula (with the recipe from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz)
Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces dark rum
1 ounce Becherovka
1/2 ounce rosemary simple syrup (see A Note below)
Rosemary sprig, for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the rum, Becherovka, and rosemary simple syrup. Shake well.
2. Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the rosemary sprig.
A Note: To make rosemary simple syrup add 1 cup fresh rosemary leaves, 2-1/2 cups water, and 3 cups sugar to a medium-size saucepan. Stirring occasionally, slowly bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low to medium heat. Then lower the heat a bit, keeping the mixture at a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the syrup completely cool in the pan. Strain through cheesecloth or a very fine strainer, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tags: Atomula, Becherovka, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, dark rum, Friday Night Cocktail, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, rosemary simple syrup, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Liqueurs, Rum, What I'm Drinking
August 2, 2013
The Alexander, if for some insane reason you don’t know it already, is the emperor of sweet cocktails, dessert drinks, and the year 1914. If you pretend you don’t like sweeter drinks, cause it makes you feel macho, or what-have-you, then A: I feel sorry for you, B: get off your high horse, C: try this anyway, cause you’ll love it. If you aren’t afraid to admit you like pie, as well as a dessert-y drink, then you will already love the Alexander, naturally. But dig this – it’s now even better, thanks to the fine folks at Sound Spirits here in Seattle. Because they recently came out with a new crème de cacao that knocks the socks off most commercially available varieties. It’s under their “Depth” line of liqueurs, and that moniker sums it up nicely: pure chocolate aroma, deep chocolate taste, some sweetness, but not too much. It’s also made with chocolate nibs that are added in the distilling process, and said nibs are from local Theo’s Chocolates. All great things! But even better is how great the classic Alexander tastes when made with Sound Spirits Depth Crème de Cacao and Sound Spirits Ebb + Flow gin. But don’t take my word for it. Try it why dontcha (using this recipe from Good Spirits).
The Alexander
Ice cubes
1 ounce Sound Spirits Ebb + Flow gin
1 ounce Sound Spirits Depth Crème de Cacao
1 ounce cream
Strawberry slices for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice cubes. Add the gin, cream de cacao, and cream. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry slice, or two if you’re still waiting on dessert.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Sound Spirits, Sound Spirits Depth Crème de Cacao, Sound Spirits Ebb + Flow gin, The Alexander, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail News, Cocktail Recipes, Distillery, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
July 26, 2013
I’m not gonna lie – drinks that take the names of other drinks instead of having their own individual name, well, that irritates me. Call me an old stick-in-the-something, or shake your head at my nuttiness, but I think creative drink makers also need to be creative drink namers. That’s just my thing, baby. But it doesn’t keep me from drinking really good drinks that hold less-than-awesome names. Such as the Purple Basil Gimlet, from Paul Abercrombie’s wonderful book Organic, Shaken and Stirred, which is packed with tasty drinks that utilize organic ingredients (as you might guess, if you were anything but an awful guesser). Its spice and citrus flavor is swell. Try it, and see if I’m wrong (PS: I’m not wrong).
Purple Basil Gimlet
2 ounces Bluewater Halcyon organic gin (or other organic gin)
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice
1/2 ounce organic agave nectar
5 organic purple basil leaves
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, lime juice, agave nectar, and 4 purple basil leaves.
2 Shake vigorously, then fine strain the mixture into a martini glass. Float 1 more basil leaf on top of the drink.
July 19, 2013
One of my favorite old-timey books of cocktails and drinks is called Crosby Gaige’s Cocktail Guide and Ladies Companion. It’s by Crosby Gaige (hah!), who was a bon vivant about town in the early-to-mid part of last century. The book is a gas, as well as having bunches of good recipes. Recently, I tapped into it when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to imbibe, and found a fine recipe called Ants in the Pants, in The Old Gin Mill section – which makes sense, cause I wanted some gin. There was one wrinkle, however. The recipe called for Grand Marnier, which I was somehow out of (quick, Grand Marnier people, send me a bottle. Oops, too slow). Which led to me subbing in Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao, which yeah, I know is different, but it’s so so so good. And you know what? The drink ended up delicious, and I think Mr. Gaige himself would have approved. Oh, the change did make me alter the title, as you can see if you can read, and why would you be here if you couldn’t? Because where I come from, drinks have individual names, like people. And individual gins, which here should be Alpinist Gin, from the Seattle Distilling Company, if you can find it. It’s got the juniper hopping, but also has some other herbally and botanical goodness that adds a lot to the drink.
Pants in the Pants
Ice cubes
2 ounces Alpinist Gin
1/2 ounce Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth (I used Cocchi Torino, and suggest it)
1 dash fresh lemon juice
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add it all why dontcha.
2. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass.
Tags: Alpinist gin, Cocchi Torino, Cocktail Guide and Ladies Companion, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Crosby Gaige, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Pants in the Pants, Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Crosby Gaige, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
July 12, 2013
I am not, as stated in other places, a medical doctor. Neither am I Doctor Johnny Fever. I do know that according to many many old wives, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, however. I am not trying to sew discord between old wives and doctors, either, but am saying that even if a true doctor wouldn’t prescribe this drink, the fact that it contains apple cider means that it does, according to old wives, have some medicinal properties. Oh, it has rum, too, which many folks once thought was healthy, unless it was being forced on you by pirates. If that wasn’t enough for you to realize the healing factor of this drink, let me add that its third ingredient is Sidetrack Distillery Nocino, the finest Nocino made outside of Italy. Nocino, if you need to know, is a green-walnut liqueur, well and famous in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. And everyone knows that walnuts are healthy. Maybe doctors really would order this, after all. At least Doctor Fever would.
What the Doctor Ordered
Ice cubes
2 ounces dark rum (Mount Gay works nicely)
1/2 ounce Sidetrack Nocino
3 ounces Seattle Cider Company Semi-Sweet cider
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the rum and Nocino. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Top with the cider. Stir carefully and briefly. Enjoy the good health.
Tags: cider, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, dark rum, Friday Night Cocktail, Nocino, Seattle Cider Company, Sidetrack distillery, What I'm Drinking, What the Doctor Ordered
Posted in: cider, Cocktail Recipes, Italy, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
July 5, 2013
Sometimes, very little needs to be said. This is one of those times. I’m drinking Dark and Stormys cause July, especially, demands them. Don’t disagree, or I’ll cut you off. There, I said it. Now drink your drink and keep quite. Oh, use the below recipe from Dark Spirits. Now back to your drink.
Dark and Stormy
Ice cubes
2 ounces dark rum (I think Mount Gay is dandy here)
Chilled ginger beer (Rachel’s is the best in the land, so works well here)
Lime wedge for garnish
1. Fill a highball glass three-quarters full with ice cubes. Add the rum.
2. Fill the glass with ginger beer, but don’t be wacky about it (no drink becomes a favorite if it bubbles over and stickies up the counter).
3. Squeeze the lime wedge over the drink, and then let it slide on in. Stir, but briefly.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, dark rum, Dark Spirits, Friday Night Cocktail, Rachel's Ginger Beer, The Dark and Stormy, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Dark Spirits, Rum, What I'm Drinking
June 28, 2013
It’s late June, a sleepy sort of summertime, full of days where waking up early and going to work seems downright silly. Though maybe you have these feelings all the time? Anyway, a good suggestion* for overcoming that feeling is starting things off right with a London Fog – this very drink. For celebrity endorsement, Burgess Meredith used to swear by this concoction as a morning pick-you-up. And Norton Pratt, who edited the Boston Telegram once up a time, says this will cure you when you feel “like a basket of busted bungholes.” I can’t think of anything to say that would top that, so just go make the drink whydontcha?
London Fog (from Good Spirits)
Cracked ice
2 ounces gin (something London-y, of course, like Voyager)
1/2 ounce Pernod
1. Add about a cup of cracked ice to a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Add the gin and Pernod.
2. Stir well (so well that it seems you’re frappe-ing the mix). Pour everything into an Old Fashioned glass. Drink quickly, before the body realizes what’s going on.
*The actual validity of the “good” here varies depending on the job naturally. I’m sure not suggesting you drink before operating heavy machinery. But if you’re just heading to the cubicle farm? Why not?
Tags: a basket of busted bungholes, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Good Spirits, London Fog, Pernod, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Good Spirits, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
