After a long hiatus, Rob finally has a new cocktail worthy of posting!  I was asked to create a signature cocktail for a Spanish-themed fundraiser for Tehiyah School, where my friend Joan’s daughter Sophie attends, and also to head up the bartending staff at the event.  They had an initial suggested recipe called the Sao Paolo Samba, consisting of Absolut Mandarin vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup.  I tried this and it was reasonably drinkable and refreshing, but not very nuanced.  And besides, we needed a Spanish-themed cocktail, not a Brazilian one, and I wanted to put my own stamp on the drink in any case.  So after the usual extensive experimentation and arduous sampling over several weeks, the Sevilla Mandarina was born.  The final recipe combines the lovely tangerine-flavored Absolut Mandarin with equal parts fresh tangerine juice, lime juice, Cointreau (thanks Shannon for suggesting), and simple syrup, and I believe it achieves the desired effect of a refreshing yet multi-layered quaff that with a little imagination transports one to the patio of a bodega on a warm night in Seville, contemplating the beautiful Moorish architecture while listening to flamenco music.  Ole!

Sevilla Mandarina

• 4 parts Absolut Mandarin vodka
• 1 part fresh tangerine juice (Trader Joe’s works well)
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• 1 part Cointreau
• 1 part simple syrup
• Garnish:  Skewered blueberries & strawberries or kumquat

Shake all ingredients vigorously in a shaker half full of ice, strain into cocktail classes, and enjoy.

Note that for ease of serving or transporting, you can pre-mix equal parts tangerine & lime juice and Cointreau & simple syrup,  then combine those mixtures with the mandarin vodka in a 2:1:1 ratio.  I used this trick to enjoy Sevillas all through a trip to Panama by traveling with a liter plastic bottle of  Absolut Mandarin and 2 half liter water bottles with the juice and Cointreau/syrup mixtures in my luggage…

Related posts:

1. Guava Lemon Drop, Passion Fruit Margarita, Mandarin Cosmopolitan
2. A Taste of Persia

When thinking about a Thanksgiving cocktail there are a variety of considerations. Thanksgiving is an American holiday so you need typically American ingredients. And November is in the thick of fall…so autumnal flavors are also a consideration. And, of course, if you can work in flavors associated with the traditional Thanksgiving meal you’re doing even better.

So, in this spirit, I present the Turkey Daze. Start with Rye Whiskey and incorporate fresh apple cider. Some fresh squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup round out the primary flavors. And add egg white to build a nice foam on top of the drink, whose main purpose is to present an attractive garnish of swirled bitters and grated cinnamon. As follows…

• 3 parts Wild Turkey Rye.
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 oz Fresh Apple Cider
• 1 oz Simple Syrup
• Egg white (1 per 2 drinks)
• Dash Angostura and Peychaud’s Bitters
• Cinnamon Stick

Combine the Rye, Lemon Juice, Apple Cider, Simple Syrup and Egg White in a cocktail shaker without ice. Shake vigorously to break up and froth the egg white. Add a small amount of ice (too much and the froth breaks down) and shake vigorously again. Pour into a martini glass and wait a few moments for the egg white to settle to the top. Put a dash of each type of bitters on top. Use the cinnamon stick to gently swirl the bitters into an attractive spiral shape. Use a micro-grater on the dry end of the cinnamon stick to grate a bit of cinnamon on top. Fresh ground nutmeg might be gilding the lily. Which I’ve been known to do on occasion.

You did notice, of course, the use of Wild Turkey Rye. Bourbon would work, certainly, but if you’re making this for Thanksgiving and you use a brand other than Wild Turkey then, well, you’re missing the point.

There was a bit of discussion about what to name this. I started with the Turkey Pardon (after the strange ritual of the President of the United States pardoning a Turkey each Thanksgiving). Rob suggested Turkey’s Reprive which has a nice ring to it. But Shannon eventually won the day with the double-entendre Turkey Daze. After two of them this evening I couldn’t think of anything better.

Enjoy!  And stay tuned for another Thanksgiving drink for those who don’t like whiskey….but that’s a tale for later daze.

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I’m so darn glad he let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin’
Till I reach the highest ground

What better inspiration for a new cocktail than the Stevie Wonder classic? The genesis of my latest creation was a commission from my friends Ann & Shawn to design a signature drink for a school fundraiser party they were throwing at their house. They had a rock cover band playing the gig, so the only requirements were that the drink be called The Higher Ground and that it should be easily made and served in large quantities to a party of 40+ guests. Oh, and of course the unspoken standard that it had to be really good so that everyone would imbibe heavily and have a great time.

As I thought about the rock & roll theme, I kept imagining Keith Richards swilling endless quantities of Rebel Yell bourbon from the bottle at Muscle Shoals Studio during the Sticky Fingers sessions. So bourbon would be the base. Then I thought about what would be refreshing and go down easy but still be strong enough to do the job, and preferably be servable on the rocks in a plastic tumbler and still look good. So that got me thinking about mint juleps and my previous Peach Whiskey Smash.  But both of those drinks are highly labor intensive, what with the muddling of mint and peaches and such. But bourbon, mint, and peaches sounded so good!  Flash of inspiration:  what about mint simple syrup that could be made ahead of time and some quality peach nectar?  Before I knew it, the Higher Ground had been born.

Michael and I tended bar at the party and the drink was a smashing success.  The guests took to the Higher Ground like Keith Richards to Rebel Yell and, well, whatever else. We ended up pouring almost all 5 liters of Maker’s Mark that had been allocated, and by the end we had a frenzy of bourbon-addled guests competing on the dance floor for who could reach the highest ground. So if you’re looking to kick your next party up a notch or for something really soulful and refreshing to sip on your back porch on the next hot day, I’d recommend that you take Stevie’s lyric to heart…

The Higher Ground

• 4 parts bourbon (Maker’s or other full bodied)
• 1 part lemon juice
• 1 part peach juice
• 1 part mint simple syrup
• Mint sprig and peach slice

Serve on the rocks with mint sprig & peach slice garnish and a sippin’ straw.

More Photos of The Higher Ground

Related posts:

1. Lemon Mint

• 1 part gin
• 1 part Luxardo (maraschino liquer)
• 1 part green Chartreuse
• 1 part lime juice

Served up, of course. I love the elegant simplicity of the equal proportions of each ingredient. It is a difficult combination to pull off, although the Negroni is a classic with the same elegance and Rob’s original Absinthe Triolet also achieves perfect balance.

Of course you might not have all of these on hand, although Luxardo should, by now, be a regular part of your bar setup (you do make an Aviation every now and again, don’t you?). But, as it happens, I found myself with neither Luxardo, Chartreuse nor lime juice. Aaack! But necessity is, of course, the mother of invention. So here’s what I came up with:

• 1 part gin
• 1 part triple sec (for the Luxardo)
• 1 part St. Germain (for the Chartreuse)
• 1 part lemon juice (for the lime)

The result is a fantastic, herbal libation that had Shannon nodding her head in agreement that it deserved a blog entry and a name. Since it was inspired by The Last Word, I’ve dubbed this drink The Post-Script.

Shannon also observed that, somehow, the combination gives birth to a lychee flavor. Very pleasant and intriguing. It can be served, like its inspiration, without a garnish, but I chose to add a brandied cherry and a bit syrup. You also might find it a bit too floral.  The solution to this is to back off on the St. Germain (subtract a 1/4 part) and add a bit more gin (add a 1/4 part). This does sacrafice the 1:1:1:1 ratio, which is a shame, but a small price to pay if you like the result better.

In any case…enjoy!

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It was also unseasonably cold and had even rained earlier in the day, so I thought about “winter” spirits like whiskey or brandy, and settled on a variation of a variation of an old favorite, the Sidecar. The classic sidecar is 3 parts brandy, 1 part triple sec and 1 part lemon juice, served up. I’ve recently tried Scott Beattie’s Mendo Sidecar variation which substitutes Cointreau and Luxardo for the triple sec and reduces the brandy by 1 part.

Here’s what I shook up last Saturday:

• 2 1/2 parts Brandy
• 2/3 part Citronage (I like this better than triple sec and it is less costly than Cointreau)
• 1/3 part Luxardo
• 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice

I premixed this in a pitcher and shook up 2 cocktails at once for the guests, garnished with an orange twist. Forgive me for the 2/3 part and 1/3 part (seeming) complexity. You can think of it as a total of 1 part sweet liqueur and simply use a mixture of Citronage and Luxardo. Experiment a bit with the mixture, although I find that Luxardo can be overpowering.

As it happens, I was also smoking some salmon for the party and it gave me an idea for the next time I make this. I wonder if putting the orange in the smoker briefly (30 minutes?) might add a nice touch to this drink? It would essentially be the equivalent of a dash of bitters. A future experiment…..

Related posts:

1. The Sidecar: I finally get it!
2. The Post-Script
3. The Exodus

We were having some friends over for dinner (smoke-roasted sirloin with yellow tomato chutney, but that’s another story) and I wanted something that would look dramatic and taste fantastic without requiring a ton of assembly work. I mostly succeeded.  Here are proportions for two cocktails:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces grapefruit vodka (I used Absolut). Orange vodka would work well too, as in the PomIranian.
• 1 ounce lime juice. The small, juicy Mexican limes are best for this.
• 2 ounces Spiced Grenadine
• 1 egg white
• 10-15 leaves of mint. I used Chinese hot mint, available at Berkeley Bowl. It added some additional zing that was terrific.

Muddle the mint in the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Add the egg white and give it a good long shake to emulsify. Add everything else and a good portion of ice. Shake again, vigorously, since you’re trying for a nice foam.  Serve in a champagne glass. No garnish necessary, but a curly orange peel over the rim would look nice.

To make the spiced grenadine, briefly roast approximately one tablespoon of cardamom pods, one tablespoon of crushed whole black peppercorns, 1 smashed nutmeg pod and 2 pods of star anise. Mix approximately 2 cups of pomegranate juice and 1.5 cups of sugar and bring to a boil (this is your grenadine). You can add more sugar if you like it a little sweeter. Add the spice mixture to the grenadine and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then strain the liquid into an airtight container, pressing on the spices to get as much flavor out as possible. Voila, spiced grenadine!

I’m happy to report that this was a big success and met with rave reviews from our guests. I was a bit disappointed in the color, which was light brown rather than red or pink (one guest asked, before tasting, if there was chocolate in the drink).  Homemade grenadine tends to be brownish red rather than candy apple red and I think the mint and egg-white might have moved the whole mixture towards brown. Everyone else liked the color, especially with the foam, but I’m puzzling over how to make it look a bit more red. Maybe abandoning the foam and finding another garnish would help.

Sorry, no pictures of this one.

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1. Lemon Mint

Like many cocktailians, I’ve been inspired by the availability of genuine imported and domestic absinthe since the U.S. ban was lifted in 2007. Michael and I actually co-invested in a lovely absinthe fountain that we’ve utilized at a couple of parties to provide traditional absinthe service with the serrated spoons, sugar cubes, etc. While a classic absinthe, sugar, & water is a fine thing on occasion, I’d been looking for a really good absinthe cocktail to get the mystical Green Fairy (as it’s been called) more into circulation among my friends. And while there are several well-known drinks that use a dash of absinthe as a finishing ingredient (e.g. Corpse Reviver #2, Sazerac, my own Albert Hofmann Cocktail), I wanted to feature it as a main ingredient and couldn’t find a suitable cocktail that did that. So I invented one. Inspired by a drink called the Sylph at the fine Berkeley restaurant restaurant Downtown, I experimented with combinations involving absinthe, vodka, Cointreau & lemon juice. After much research, that rare & wonderful thing happened where a simple equal balance of 3 strongly-flavored ingredients crystallized in a way that each held each other in check (in a similar way as the Negroni). The strong anise flavor of the absinthe is perfectly counterbalanced by the deep orange notes of the Cointreau and the sharp citrus of the lemon juice. The resulting synergy was surprisingly refreshing and smooth-drinking, and my absinthe cocktail was born:

The Absinthe Triolet

* 1 part absinthe (green for best color)
* 1 part Cointreau
* 1 part lemon juice
* Orange twist for garnish (preferably flamed)

Shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker half full of ice and strain into martini or champagne glasses. To flame the orange twist, squeeze the peel over the filled glass with the orange side out to release the zest while holding a lit match between it and the glass. This makes for a flashy visual effect and adds a nice burnt orange flavor to the drink.

Now a quick note on the name. For this, I turned to my French neighbors who were actually living in Michael & Shannon’s house at the time while they lived in Paris for a year. Over dinner one night, we enjoyed the new drink while I implored their help in coming up with a French name for it, based on the French origin of the Lucid Absinthe and Cointreau I was using. After a couple of tries (and a couple of rounds!), Antoine had an “aha!” moment and presented me with “triolet”, which means “triplet” in French. This seemed ideal because the drink is a perfect triplet of equal parts absinthe, Cointreau & lemon juice, and “triolet” (pronounced “tree-oh-lay”) sounds chic and is easy enough to pronounce in English. So with a nod to Dr. Chambaz for the name, my hope is that the Absinthe Triolet will someday catch on with the general drinking populace as a way for those who aren’t crazy about straight absinthe to enjoy it in a more accessible cocktail. It’s certainly become the preferred way to imbibe absinthe for me and many of my guests. If you agree, spread the word about the Absinthe Triolet to your friends. It’s an easy recipe to remember!

Related posts:

1. The Post-Script
2. The Perfect Cocktail: Corpse Reviver #2

It was warm last weekend (by Berkeley standards) and will be again this weekend, so the “Creole Watermelon” from Scott Beattie’s Artisanal Cocktails seems timely. As you can see from the picture to the left, there are some interesting ingredients in this one.

I adore spicy cocktails. Not on an everyday basis, but I do like them for a change. Recently I was at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge Mass (a great restaurant and a great series of grilling cookbooks from chef Chris Schlesinger) and had their Scotch Bonnet-infused Martini from Hell. And don’t forget the magnificent Carter Beats the Devil from the inspiring cocktail menu at the excellent Flora. But I digress. Which isn’t against the rules on this blog as there are no rules on this blog. But still.

The key to this drink is to get good watermelon. I’d look for very small heirloom watermelons that you should be able to find this time of year. It needs to be sweet.  The advance prep for this cocktail (a feature of many of the cocktails in the book) is to make frozen watermelon wedges and watermelon juice. For the wedges simply slice the watermelon (about 1/3 to 1/2 inch) and then cut into wedges. You may need to cut them down even further depending on the size of your watermelon. You want them to be small enough for several them to fit into a martini glass along with the cocktail. Put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and stick them in the freezer. An hour or so of freezing time is needed, so plan ahead.

For the watermelon juice simply remove the rind and cut the watermelon into small chunks. If there are lots of seeds you should remove them as they will impart a bitter flavor to the juice. Then briefly puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender, put the result in a strainer over a bowl or pitcher and let the juice run out for 30 minutes or so. Voila, watermelon juice. As Scott says this is a very fragile juice and it won’t keep for much more than a day (if that) even if refrigerated. So invite your friends, which I’m sure you’re doing anyways. Right?

Okay, now that you have all that together, here’s the recipe, which is a slight adaptation from Scott’s:

• 3 parts regular vodka
• 3 parts Hangar One Kaffir Lime vodka. This is expensive and worth it. Don’t skimp.  There is nothing better, by the way, than a gin & tonic made with this gin (or 50/50 with unflavored vodka).
• 2 parts lime juice
• 6 parts watermelon juice
• 1 part agave nectar (or use simple syrup)
• Cilantro leaves (5-10 per drink)
• Kaffir lime leaves (3-5 per drink, you can get them at Berkeley Bowl if you live in the area)
• A spice mixture consisting of 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Muddle the cilantro and kaffir lime leaves in the shaker. Add the liquid ingredients and about 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mixture per cocktail (start with less, you can add more if you want). Shake aggressively and strain into a martini glass. Add 5 or so frozen watermelon wedges, 5 or so cilantro leaves and a couple of kaffir lime leaves for garnish.  Then sprinkle on a bit of the spice powder for good measure.

I love this on a warm day. Not just because it is refreshing, but because the frozen watermelon chunks help keep the drink cold without diluting it in the same way ice cubes would (although this drink would be great on the rocks as well). And the watermelon ice cubes taste good once you’ve finished the drink.

I also think the drink looks absolutely fantastic.

You should really buy Artisanal Cocktails soon. Or now.

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The ingredients for making the foam include gelatin (“bloomed” in water), grapefruit juice, simple syrup and coconut milk. You pour the lot into a whipped cream dispenser, charge it, let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours and then dispense. I’ll let you buy Scott’s book for the exact details but even without the foam the cocktail is excellent. The cocktail itself is equal parts normal vodka, grapefruit vodka, tequila, grapefruit juice and lime juice, sweetened with a half-part of agave nectar. The rim is coated with a mixture of 5 parts sugar and 1 part red Hawaiian sea salt. Shake, pour and top with the foam.

It was delicious and highly recommended even if you aren’t in the market for a hangover remedy. The first batch was a little strong on the grapefruit flavor, so for the second batch I used more unflavored vodka and less grapefruit vodka. I was using Absolut Grapefruit vodka and my guess is that it is a bit less subtle than the Charbay brand that Scott recommends (and I couldn’t find).

The foam was less successful than I would have liked. It tasted great but the appearance was not what I was hoping for. The bubbles were larger than I expected and the resulting foam was a bit lumpy. I’m not sure why. Perhaps too much gelatin? Or my half-sized dispenser isn’t the right tool for the job? Any advice from experienced cocktail foam makers is appreciated. Back to the kitchen for another try!

Pelo Del Perro

Next up, the Creole Watermelon…..

Related posts:

1. A Taste of Persia

The perfect opportunity presented itself almost immediately. Our Parisian friends Amanda and Michel and their kids invited us to spend the night at their oceanfront rental house in Stinson Beach. Michel is not a cocktail drinker but Amanda is, so I knew she would be an enthusiastic audience. We were headed straight from Napa to Stinson and I wouldn’t have all my bar tools with me so I choose a fairly simple concoction, the Sunny and Dry. I won’t bother recapitulating the recipe because you can watch Scott make the drink!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDczAeZo63Q]

You can check out the recipe on the Nirvino blog. I used sunflower petals and I created the mint simple syrup using fresh mint instead of essential oils as Scott recommends. I haven’t tried his technique yet but certainly will. It would be convenient, certainly, to be able to create a flavored syrup without a trip to the grocery. I do have a sneaking suspicion that the fresh mint version is better. Plus it gives the drinks a nice green hue. And I soaked cucumber cubes in the mint syrup first before adding them to the drink. Scott recommends this in the book but doesn’t do it in the video. Either way, delicious and gorgeous!

Like all of Scott’s drinks it is a visual treat as well as being delicious. I really recommend the book, not just for the recipes but for the techniques he describes, especially on how to create foams (coconut milk? go figure) and how to build the beautiful floral concoctions the book is filled with.

Sunny and Dry(ish)

Of course those of you who have visited a Northern California beach during summer know that cocktail hour is often neither sunny nor dry. The fog rolls out late and rolls in early. And unless it is quite hot I generally prefer a cocktail served up, so I started thinking about an evening-time variation of this concotion. Taking further inspiration from Scott’s book and Rob’s Tropical Gin Fizz I thought it should be a bit foamy. Here is the result.  Still need a name for this one….

• 3 parts gin (I used Sarticious, which was new to me)
• 1 part mint simple syrup
• 1 part lemon juice (freshly squeezed, of course)
• Cubes of cucumber soaked (for 1 hour or more) in mint simple syrup. About 8 small cubes per drink
• Egg white, 1 per 2 cocktails

Put the egg white in the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. This should cause the egg whites to become frothy. Add cucumber chunks and muddle lightly. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice and shake vigorously again. Dispense into martini glasses. Garnish with a mint leaf or a thin slice of cucumber. Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. A Taste of Persia
2. Lemon Mint
3. The Post-Script