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

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1. Lemon Mint

Alas, no luck on the cocktails in Bathurst. When I asked folks where one would get an authentic Australian cocktail, the answer was simple: Anywhere! The authentic Australian cocktail is beer! This is not the answer I was hoping for. I’m at fault because I didn’t do my homework. There is actually a local craft distillery, called Stone Pine, very near where I was staying. But I didn’t discover this until it was too late to plan a visit! I’m disappointed in myself.

Back in Sydney it was, of course, easy to find a nice range of cocktails, including an excellent Clover Club enjoyed by Clay, my colleague who was traveling with me. Nothing that I’d call particularly evocative of Australia though.

On the way back to the US I found myself with some Australian currency. Not wanting to get shafted by the currency exchange folks I decided, instead, to get shafted by the Duty Free folks. And in the liquor section I found a few different varieties of a New Zealand vodka called 42 Below. So I picked up a bottle of the kiwi flavored vodka (what else?).

42 Below has a variety of products (honey, passion fruit, feijoa) and an irreverent marketing style, as evidenced by this video (this one is also hilarious).

In any case I needed to come up with something to go with the Kiwi Vodka. I had a little leftover 5-spice Simple Syrup which, at first, didn’t seem like a good idea. But then I walked by a 4-pack of Fever Tree Ginger Beer at the store and I thought….just maybe….

So here’s what I came up with, as yet unnamed and in need of a garnish:

• 2 oz 42 Below Kiwi Vodka
• 2 oz Fever Tree Ginger Beer (not ginger ale. ginger beer.)
• 1/2 to 1 oz of 5-Spice Simple Syrup (depending on your taste, I like it towards the 1 oz end of the spectrum)

Mix vodka and simple syrup in a short glass full of ice. Top with the ginger beer and give it a stir. Enjoy!

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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 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!

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Cucumber and gin are a classic cocktail combination that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve. One good example is Pimm’s #1 cup, a gin-based concoction, which is often combined with some kind of cucumber. We’re fond of both gin and cucumber in our house and one of our favorite local restaurants, “Grasshopper” (now closed and replaced with the equally good Wood Tavern) served a gin and cucumber cocktail they called a “Water Lilly”. Luckily their bartender moved down the street to Pearl. You can probably get her to make one for you. Pearl (and the bartender) are worth a trip regardless of the availability of the Water Lilly.

We also had a great gin-cucumber cocktail at the St. Regis hotel in San Francisco. We forget what they called it, but it was fantastic. It was a combination of gin, cucumber “water” and rosemary-lemon grass simple syrup. We made some tonight and it definitely lived up to our memories…

• 3 parts gin (Boodles is the house gin)
• 1 part cucumber water
• 1 part rosemary-lemongrass simple syrup

Shake over ice and serve up with a slice of cucumber for garnish.

To make the cucumber water, puree a cucumber (or two, which we recommend because you’ll like the result) in a blender or food processor. You should peel the cucumber almost completely. If you want the drink to be bright green then leave a bit of cucumber peel (it doesn’t take much). If you want it pale green then remove all of the peel. Cut the cucumber into large pieces, drop in the food processor with 1/2 teaspooon of salt, and puree until it liquifies. Then strain the result for 30-60 miniutes to get the liquid and discard the solids.

To make the simple syrup, bring a cup of sugar and a cup of water to a gentle boil. Then add a couple of sprigs of rosemary, lightly crushed, and the smashed ends of three stalks of lemongrass. Let the rosemary and lemongrass steep in the simple syrup until it cools. You don’t really want to boil the rosemary or lemongrass…steeping them like a tea will do the trick.

This is a great St. Patrick’s day option. If you make the cucumber water with enough peel the cocktail will definitely be green. And it will taste far better than any Chartreuse-based cocktail or green beer. We expect to see a lot of folks drinking this next March.

Enjoy!

Michael and Shannon

cucumber image by niznoz

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