This cocktail was created by Jamie Boudreau, of Canon in Seattle, who’s work I really admire. For more great cocktails check out his show, Raising the Bar on the Small Screen Network. The following recipe is an adaptation of the … Continue reading
Caorunn is distilled at the Balmenach Distillery which dates back to 1824. It was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be licensed to product Scotch. Simon Buley oversees every step of the distillation process. Caorunn’s recipe includes six … Continue reading
When thinking of gin many people’s minds immediately leap to London Dry. And while this will continue to be the case for some time, Edinburgh gin is continuing the long and storied history of Scottish gin. In fact in the … Continue reading
The Nolet family has been distilling for over three centuries. The company was founded in 1691 by Jan Lucasse Nolet and has been in business ever since. Currently it is the oldest distillery in Holland and is most known in … Continue reading
Upon first reading the press release I was extremely skeptical about the product. The question remained: would it be a great innovative product or a spectacular failure? This innovative product is the brain-child of Ryan Chetiyawardana of the Whistling Shop. … Continue reading
The Appletini was pretty much synonymous with everything that was wrong about drinking in the eighties and nineties: those neon colored, artificially flavored, cavity-inducing sweet cocktails featured nothing a bartender from earlier generations would recognize as belonging in a cocktail. … Continue reading
Sometimes you want something that is simple to prepare, light, and refreshing for those hot summer days. Many people turn to Gin and Tonic as that classic summer sipper or a crisp white wine. For that reason I have taken Gin and Proscecco in order to create the:
The Journey to Eden
8 ozs London Dry Gin (Gordon’s)
3.5 ozs Rhubarb Syrup
2 ozs lemon juice
8 dashes Peach Bitters (Fee Brother’s)
2 dashes Grapefruit Bitters (Fee Brother’s)
12 ozs Prosecco (La Marca)
Notes:
It is crisp, light and without being cloyingly sweet. The bitters dance in unison with the sparkling wine as it has notes of fresh summer peaches and ripe grapefruit. The rhubarb and gin unite, creating a uniquely satisfying flavor. It is like summer in a glass with both floral and fruity notes tickling your nose and soothing. A note on the Prosecco, it is a steal at around $12/750ml. It is light and crisp. The flavor is ripe and fresh, full of citrus, peaches, apples, and grapefruit with hints of spring flowers on the nose.
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Comb 9 gin is unlike any other gin on the market. While most gins are made with a grain based alcohol, Comb 9 is made from distilled honey.
Orange blossom honey is made into a light and dry honey wine, then distilled into vodka. This vodka comes out flavorful with notes of orange blossom, combating the common belief that vodka must be odorless and tasteless. The vodka base is then redistilled with 9 botanicals including: juniper, licorice, coriander, rose petals, galangal, and lavender. The honey floral base plays a supportive role that helps to unite the botanicals together producing a smooth finish.
This is a well made spirit that is well worth the money considering the time and effort that went into it’s production. Added to this, its the only gin on the market that uses honey as its base.
The first cocktail is a simple refreshing libation created by me just in time for the summer season.
Love Turned Bitter
2 oz Gin (Comb 9)
1 oz Aperol
.75 oz Grapefruit Juice
2 dashes of Orange Bitters
1 dash of Grapefruit Bitters
5 oz Ting
Shake the first 5 ingredients with ice and strain into a ice filled highball glass. Top with Ting and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Notes:
The botanicals and orange blossom flavors of the gin combine well with the bittersweetness of the Aperol. The drink has a subtle candy like sweetness (reminds me of the original bubblegum flavor) that is kept in check by the Aperol and bitters. A great drink to sip on a warm summer day.
The next cocktail was created by Kyle Davidson of the Violet Hour in Chicago.
Easy Out
1.5 oz Gin (Comb 9)
1 oz Grapefruit juice
.5 oz Raspberry syrup
.5 oz Aperol
.25 oz Campari
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass and stir. Strain over large ice chunk in rocks glass.
Notes:
Usually when you see a drink that contains citrus juice the instructions often call for shaking the drink. However, according to the creator he feels that stirring this drink creates a richer body. As always try it both ways to see which you prefer.
Campari and Aperol go great with grapefruit and combining this with fresh juice which helps to accentuate that flavor profile. The sweet and tart flavor of the raspberry syrup help to keep the bitter flavors from overpowering the drink. I tried subbing out the raspberry syrup for homemade hibiscus grenadine which adds sweet floral notes. Another refreshing cocktail.
The Communist
1 oz Gin (Comb 9)
1 oz Orange Juice
.5 oz Cherry Brandy (Cherry Heering)
.75 oz Lemon Juice
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Notes:
I came across this cocktail in the book: Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh.
Depending on the sweetness of your orange I would experiment with adding a touch of simply syrup (.25oz) or cutting down on the lemon by about the same amount. The drink has an interesting tart cherry flavor with botanicals of the gin in the background.
The Martinez has been around since the late 1880′s and has gone through an array of variations. All of them contain the same 2 essential ingredients: Gin and Sweet Vermouth, albeit in different ratios. The origin of this cocktail still remains a mystery, with no one person being able to claim the drink as his or her original creation. Despite its origin being clouded, it’s clear that in some respects it gave birth to the iconic martini. It is a wonderful drink that deserves to be enjoyed.
Martinez
2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cinzano)
1 oz Old Tom Gin (Ransom)
1 tsp Maraschino or Curaçao (Luxardo)
1 dash of Aromatic Bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Notes:
I like the vermouth heavy version of yesteryear. The modern drinks tend to put the gin forward instead of allowing it to play a supporting roll to the vermouth. In some modern versions the proportions are 2:1 in favor of the gin.
The drink is sweet and aromatic, with the botanicals of the gin coming through without overpowering the vermouth. The maraschino lends a light touch of added complexity to the drink that is just discernible in the background. If using curaçao it adds a subtle fruit note. This would be a great cocktail to introduce someone to gin.
For another version check out:
Modern Martinez (Jamie Boudreau)
1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
1.5 oz Old Tom Gin
2 barspoons of maraschino
2 dashes Fee’s Orange Bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
The New York Sour was making the rounds in the late 19th century. According to David Wondrich the drink was known as the Continental Sour and the Southern Whiskey Sour, before the name of the New York Sour stuck and … Continue reading
