But it also had to please and impress the crowd. That would be a challenge because of the varied tastes–from Shannon’s sophisticated palette, to my mom’s “just a half a glass of wine please” moderation, to my sister-in-law’s “frozen margaritas are the best” attitude (just kidding Pam…you can make fun of me in the comments below!). I also knew there were those who exclusively drink gin. And those who exclusively drink vodka. And I, personally, find Rose’s Lime Juice repellent. So what to do?

Rather than inventing something entirely new I decided to experiment with something that appears on a variety of cocktail menus, the Basil Gimlet, as follows….

The Basil Gimlet

• 3 parts good quality Vodka or Gin
• 1 part fresh key lime juice (the little limes)
• 1 part basil simple syrup

Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake vigorously. You definitely want this one cold, especially in the 105-degree Arizona heat. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a small basil leaf. If you like a stronger basil flavor I recommend muddling basil leaves in the cocktail shaker. A few bits of leaves may get into the drink which, I think, is a nice touch.

To make the basil simple syrup make a 1:1 simple syrup and add a lot of fresh basil that you’ve crushed lightly in your hands. Be generous with the basil–at least the volume of the syrup itself. Cool the syrup with basil and let sit in the refrigerator over night. Strain out the basil leaves before using.

The Results?

The Basil Gimlet was big hit at the party. I think everyone had at least two, with a slight preference for the vodka-based version. Which left plenty of gin for me! In any case I highly recommend this cocktail for a party especially on a warm day. It is easy to make one the simple syrup is made, versatile (you can make it sweeter by using a touch more syrup or enhance the basil flavor by muddling a few leaves in the shaker) and attractive. And, as you can see, fun was had by all…

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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

The challenge with Canton is to embrace the intense almost peppery ginger flavor, but to also balance it so that it doesn’t overpower the drink. Pear juice was the initial counterpoint, but I found that it needed something more to balance the ginger, and fortuitously Michael had a bottle of vanilla infused simple syrup lying around just looking for a drink to call home. So I added that, dropped the lemon but kept the lime, and with the final addition of a crystallized ginger garnish converged on the ingredient list that stands today. That convergence occurred, interestingly enough, on an evening that I was hosting a TV viewing of a major boxing match between the great Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. Now I’m not normally a fight fan, but my wife’s family is Filipino and in the Philippines Pacquiao is a living God, so I was only to happy to host the party and, of course, serve cocktails. Since the drink came together in its near final form that night (ratios were later tweaked slightly), I initially called it the Pacquiao Punch. While that name was very popular with my fine brothers-in-law and fitting for that evening given that Pacquiao thoroughly pummeled Cotto, it soon became clear that a name for a wider audience would be required. So I started thinking about the ingredients and where that place that I wanted the drinker to be transported to was–somewhere on the vast Asian steppe, centuries ago, on a camel caravan transporting pears and ginger and vanilla beans from China to the Mediterranean with the blood orange sun melting into the distant horizon. And so I arrived at The Silk Road, the end of this journey and a drink that I feel truly delivers on its inspiration. Let it transport you.

The Silk Road

• 4 – 4 ½ parts vodka
• 1 part Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 1 part pear juice
• ½ part vanilla simple syrup (Sonoma Syrup Co. or homemade)
• ½ part lime juice
• Crystallized ginger slice

Shake all ingredients vigorously in a shaker two thirds full of ice and strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with long strips of crystallized ginger.

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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

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 first is Mixology Monday. The conceit is that once a month, on a Monday, a “host” choosed a theme for the day (for example, “Vodka is Your Friend“). And then various bloggers around create posts related to that theme. In their own words:

Got a blog? Great — on or before the next scheduled Mixology Monday, simply put up a post on your blog related to that month’s theme. Most people like to post a cocktail recipe, others explore the ingredient with in-depth tasting notes, still others have written long meditations on the theme. Do whatever you like (as long as you keep it on the topic and in the spirit of the event); just have it up by the end of Mixology Monday, then notify the host via e-mail or in a comment on their blog…

Simple enough. Rob and I haven’t played along on this one (even this much structure is challenging for us) but perhaps we’ll keep an eye on it in case any of our experiments happen to coincide with the monthly theme.

The second blog worth mentioning is Two At The Most. In addition to having some great posts and recipes (I, for one, will be whipping up a Campari Dolce soon), its name has a shared origin with the name of this blog. The author, Stevi Deter, lives on the west coast in Washington. Steve, if you’re ever in the SF Bay Area we’d love to have you over for a drink.

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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!

Related posts:

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

But I really knew we were home when Rob called after work one day and asked if he could come over with a cocktail. He arrived with shaker and garnish in hand and proceeded to stir up a beautiful and tasty Tropical Gin Fizz.  I don’t have the recipe, but I do have this fantastic picutre.

Tropical Gin Fizz

Rob, care to contribute the details on preparing this beauty?

UPDATE: Yes, in fact, Rob has responded with a comment including the recipe. I’m including it here as well:

Tropical Gin Fizz

• 2 parts gin
• 1 part lime juice
• 1/2 part orgeat syrup
• 1/2 part pineapple gum syrup
• 1/2 egg white (per drink)
• Chilled soda water
• Mint sprig and lime wheel garnish

Related posts:

1. Guava Lemon Drop, Passion Fruit Margarita, Mandarin Cosmopolitan