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

This is something I decided to do while thinking about what cocktail to serve on Thanksgiving. The winner was definitely the Turkey Daze, but I also decided to infuse some vodka with cranberries and orange peel. It was a beautiful color and, given the cranberry and orange, I decided to start by mixing a Cosmo. It’s actually quite a good cocktail when made properly but for a long time it wasn’t made properly (too sweet) and had, in any case, completely jumped the shark. For reference, the International Bartenders Association specifies the recipe as follows:

• 4 parts Citron Vodka
• 1.5 parts Cointreau
• 1.5 parts Fresh Lime juice
• 3 parts Cranberry juice

This makes a pretty decent Cosmo. You’ll notice that there is a good amount of fresh lime juice and that pure cranberry juice is specified. The only real sweetness comes from the Cointreau and when you mix this up you’ll find it is decidedly not a very sweet drink. The too-sweet versions that were so popular last decade either cut way back on the lime juice or used a “cranberry juice blend” (which can be very sweet). In any case, here is my recipe:

• 2 parts Cranberry-Orange Vodka (see below)
• 1 part Cointreau
• 1 part Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 part Cranberry Juice

Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice, shake vigorously and pout into a martini glass. Garnish with a twist of orange. Very, very simple.

To make the Cranberry-Orange vodka take a heaping cup of cranberries and cook them lightly in a 1/4 cup of water with a tablespoon or two of sugar. Add a big wide strip (1″ x 2″) of orange peel. Cook just until the berries burst…it doesn’t really matter.  Dump the whole mess into an airtight container with a bottle (750ml or 1 litre) of good vodka (I use Stoli) and let sit for 3-5 days. Strain first through a mesh sieve and then again using cheesecloth or a coffee filter–there will be sediment from the cranberries.

Now you might be thinking….do I really need to do this? Doesn’t the cranberry juice do the trick? Well, I haven’t done a scientific experiment but I’d say you’re missing out. If nothing else the vodka is a gorgeous color and the resulting drink is a nice red rather than sickly pink. And the vodka also makes an interesting gimlet as my Dad discovered.

Happy Holidays!

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• 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

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

The Valencian link is only the name, The Pensionista.  Shannon’s mom got the “retired person’s” discount at a number of attractions. The staff at the museums called her a pensionista and we all started referring to her in that way. The actual ingredients are more French in nature and came about from a failed last minute attempt at getting the ingredients we needed to make a Corpse Reviver #2. Believe it or not we couldn’t find Lillet, a French apertif, in any of the local shops. Instead Shannon came back with a bottle of Pineau, an apertif from the Cognac region that is made by combing the “must” for wine (grape juice, essentially) with eau de vie (in this case essentially brandy).  And instead of Absinthe she came home with Pernod (a fine substitute for Absinthe, at least in mixed drinks, in these days of tighter budgets).

And so, to work, starting with the basic recipe for the Corpse Reviver #2. The first batch was a bit too sweet. This we attributed to the Pineau which, I guess, is a bit sweeter than Lillet.  The second batch was just right. The third batch was even better although our senses certainly were a bit altered by that point. Here are the approximate proportions:

• 2 parts gin
• 1 part Pineau
• 1 part Cointreau
• 1 part fresh lemon juice
• 1 capful of Pernod for every 2 cocktails you’re making.

You’ll need to experiment a bit with the Pernod. Start with less…you can always add more. You want a very slight anise flavor. Your audience should say “what is that?” rather than “I really like (or hate) anise!”.

And you might have trouble finding Pineau.  Theoretically, port would be a substitute.  But it doesn’t really taste like port to me. Maybe a sweet sherry would work, but I’m hoping Rob will find a local source before we return to the US in June.

Enjoy!

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One Saturday night while on a tour of the newest cocktail lounges in downtown Oakland with my lovely wife Joyce and good friends Cyndie, Bill, and Simone, one of our stops was at Flora, a newish restaurant bar with an Art Deco vibe and superlative cocktail list.  Their offerings include drinks like the Queen Park Swizzle, the French 75, and the spectacular drink that seems to get mentioned in all their reviews (drum roll please…), the Corpse Revivor #2. It’s at the top of their list, and once we saw that it combines gin, Lillet, Cointreau, lemon, and absinthe, we immediately ordered up a round. The results were a unanimous ‘Wow’! The combination of the orange/lemon/gin base spiced up with a hint of licoricey absinthe was complex, potent, and tasty all at once, providing that elusive synergy that makes a truly great cocktail. Of course I made an immediate note to myself that this would have to be recreated at home.

Now I’d actually already come across the Corpse Reviver #2 recipe in Joy of Mixology and chuckled at the name, but had no idea of how amazingly good it could be. So my first pass utilized Gary Regan’s recipe, which he cites as being based on Craddock’s 1930′s classic The Savoy Cocktail Book: 1 part gin, 1 part triple sec, 1 part Lillet Blonde, 1 part lemon juice, and a dash of absinthe. Instead of the lemon twist garnish they’d used at Flora, I substituted the brandied cherry that I’ve found to be such a big hit in my version of the Aviation Cocktail. In any case, this first mixture, though a little different that what we’d had at Flora was deliciously good. So good, in fact, that in my usual fashion I found myself experimenting with the mix on an almost nightly basis in order to fine tune the recipe to my own taste. Well it’s been a couple of weeks now, and I’m still finding the Corpse Reviver #2 to be the ideal cocktail to take the edge off after a long day’s work (or a long weekend day chasing the kids around).  And I feel like I’ve refined the recipe to a near perfect balance for my taste, which has also been a hit with my guests. My only complaint about the Corpse Reviver is the name. While humorous, it doesn’t really do justice to this incredibly refreshing elixir. In thinking of alternatives, Michael has suggested the Reanimator, which has a certain ring while staying true to the original concept, but I’m not 100% convinced. So while you’re enjoying your own version of this magical cocktail, I urge you to try to think of a more inspiring and fitting name for it. But whatever the hell you want to call it, the Corpse Reviver #2 is a magnificent drink. Enjoy!

Rob’s Corpse Reviver #2

• 1 1/2 parts gin
• 1 part Lillet Blonde
• 1 part triple sec (Cointreau if you have it)
• 1 part fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. absinthe (or absinthe substitute)
• Brandied cherry for garnish (I use Les Parisiennes)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously until very cold, strain into martini glasses, and garnish with a brandied cherry (and a teaspoon of the juice). Welcome back from the dead!

Related posts:

1. The Albert Hofmann Cocktail
2. The Post-Script

• 2 parts apple brandy
• 1 part Meyer lemon (really Meyer lemons are the best for cocktails)
• 1 part orange liquor (we like Citronage from Patron)

Shake in a cocktail shaker and serve up, with a twist of lemon. We both agreed this was better than the standard Sidecar.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. The Sidecar: I finally get it!
2. The Exodus
3. Lemon Mint