In today’s interview we sit down with Troy Sidle of Pouring Ribbons which recently opened in NYC. In just a short time it has become one of my favorite bars in NYC due to its welcoming atmosphere coupled with exceptional … Continue reading
15 Romolo is a North Beach bar in San Francisco that has been open since 1998. They aim to provide great cocktails and delicious locally sourced food without the attitude. The Cocktail list is an ever rotating list of house … Continue reading
The original Mudslide was allegedly invented during the 1950s at the Wreck Bar in the Cayman Islands. In its heyday the frozen drink was often made with a mix that came in a plastic bottle. Classy, right? It’s time to … Continue reading
I know that as of late my writing on this blog has been inconsistent. There is a very good reason for this. I had been working with the great website Seriouseats.com on a column idea and today is the inaugural … Continue reading
Mixology Monday, the online cocktail party, has returned for another installment. This months party is hosted by Wordsmithing Pantagruel and the theme is: (it’s not easy) Bein’ Green. Here is the description:
With the warm days of summer now fading off into the distance in our rear view mirrors, let’s pay one last tribute to the greens of summer before the frosts come and our outdoor herb gardens give up the ghost for the winter. For our theme for this month, I have chosen: (it’s not easy) “Bein’ Green.” (Perchance due in no small part to my predilection for Green Chartreuse.) I’m giving you a wide berth on this one, anything using a green ingredient is fair play. There’s not only the aforementioned Chartreuse; how about Absinthe Verte, aka the green fairy. Or Midori, that stuff is pretty damn green. Crème de menthe? Why not? Douglas Fir eau de vie? Bring it! Apple schnapps? Uh…well…it is green. I suppose if you want to try to convince me it makes something good you can have at it. But it doesn’t have to be the liquor. Limes are green. So is green tea. Don’t forget the herb garden: mint, basil, cilantro, you name it – all fair game. There’s also the veritable cornucopia from the farmers market: green apples, grapes, peppers, olives, celery, cucumbers…you get the idea. Like I said, wide berth. Base, mixer, and or garnish; if it’s green it’s good. Surprise me. Use at least one, but the more the merrier.
The field was literally open to anything. With this in mind I really wanted to make a Japanese Garden from Bar High Five in Tokyo: “a mix of single-malt Nikka 10-year Yoichi whisky (only available in Japan), Midori Melon Liqueur, Suntory Green Tea Liqueur, and a prototype green tea bitters of Hidetsugu’s own creation”.
Instead I turned my trusty bottle of Green Chartreuse for inspiration and came up with the:
Hazy Morning
1.5 oz Reposado Tequila
.75 lime juice
.5 oz pineapple gomme syrup
.25 Green Chartreuse
Mezcal Rinse
Combine all the ingredients except the Mezcal with ice, shake, and strain into a mescal rinsed cocktail glass.
Notes:
Mescal, Tequila, Pineapple and Green Chartreuse all in one cocktail glass create one big happy family. Rich and silky with a touch of smoke.
The next drink is from the Imbibe website. In reality the original recipe, Put the Lime in the Coconut is actually for shaved ice and not a cocktail. Now its time to add some rum.
Siren’s Song
1 Cup Coconut Cream (Coco Lopez)
.5 Cup Lime Juice
.5 Cup Rich Simple Syrup (2:1)
Zest of 1 Lime
Combine the coconut cream, lime juice, simple syrup and lime zest, stirring well. Overfill a small cup or dish with shaved ice and drizzle with the coconut-lime syrup. Garnish with lime zest and a lime wedge. For my boozy boozy variation add:
1.75oz Lemongrass Infused White Rum (Oronoco) per serving.
Notes: A refreshing treat that takes you back to the warm days of summer. The lime really cuts through and adds a bright and zesty flavor with the lemongrass adding its soft touches in the background.
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Today is the last day of this series, so what better way to celebrate the official last day of summer then with a bottle of champagne.
Depending on which cocktail book you examine there are a wide variety of recipes for the Airmail. They include different proportions of ingredients, type of rum, and type of Champagne. There are even disagreements on the type of glass to serve it in including the coupe glass, the collins glass as recommended by David Wondrich in Esquire, and even a variation from Jim Meehan which is served in a glass teacup over a sphere of ice.
Despite the many variations of the recipe there is little to be found in the way of history on the cocktail. According to David Wondrich, cocktail historian, “It simply turns up, as if by spontaneous generation, in our 1949 Handbook for Hosts.” On the other hand Payman Bahmani stated that in a conversation with Greg Boehm, owner of Cocktail Kingdom, the “Airmail was actually first created by the folks at Bacardi (or at least their corporate mixologist) and was featured in a Bacardi recipe pamphlet published in the 1930′s.”
Airmail
2 oz. añejo rum (Rhum Barbancourt 8 year)
.75 oz. lime juice
1 oz. honey syrup (1:1)
1 oz. Brut Champagne/Cava/Sparkling Wine (Freixenet Brut)
Combine the first three ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and top with champagne.
Notes:
This is a rich and effervescent cocktail with a delicious backbone of orange blossom honey. A perfect way to wave goodbye to the long warm days of summer and usher in the cool crisp days of fall.
If you missed yesterdays post on the Look Normal and the Freshman Daiquiri you can find it here.
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This drink is an original creation of Matt “Rumdood” Robold a bartender at 320Main and creator of the Rumdood.com blog. When it comes to rum, his blog is my go to source for answers and from the limited interaction I’ve had with him on the web he seems like a really down to earth guy.
Look Normal
2 oz White Rum
.75 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Orgeat
2 tsp Absinthe
1 tsp Maraschino
1 tsp Simple Syrup
Shake with ice, strain into an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange twist.
Notes:
Despite the small amounts of Maraschino and Absinthe they both make their presence known and add extra complexity while the orgeat adds a smooth and rich goodness. You will notice that the directions for making the drink are slightly different then the ones that Rumdood wrote about on his blog. He says to shake with both cubed and crushed ice. After speaking with him he stated that it was something that he picked up after reading a book by Wayne Curtis. It was a pain to do and it didn’t really add anything different to the drink. For this reason I shook mine with cubed ice and strained over crushed ice.
After mixing up the Look Normal I went searching for another daiquiri variation that contained orgeat because I love the silky richness that it adds to a drink. I came across the Freshman Daiquiri which incorporated both falernum and orgeat, created by Theo Lieberman of Lantern’s Keep and Milk and Honey in NYC. How could it go wrong? 
Freshman Daiquiri
4 oz. White Rum (10 cane)
1.5 oz. Lime Juice
.75 oz. Orgeat
.75 oz. Velvet Falernum
2 fresh orange wedges
Combine all ingredients, shake with ice, strain into two chilled glasses and garnish with a lime wheel
Notes:
The orgeat smooths out the drink with the falernum adding its trademark spice. The orange wedge adds hints of orange flavor in the background and a touch of bitterness in the finish.
Tomorrow is the last day for the series, 7 Daiquiris in 7 Days. The last cocktail is the Airmail.
If you missed yesterdays post: Royal Daiquiri
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The Royal Daiquiri is a tasty twist on the original daiquiri. The proportions and preparation of my drink are different from the ones originally offered by Don the Beachcomber.
Crème Yvette is a violet, citrus, and vanilla liqueur that was first produced in the 1890′s. It went out of production but was revived by the Cooper Spirits Company, the makers of St.Germain. It is a combination of 4 berry fruits (blackberry, raspberry, cassis, strawberries) that is blended with dried violet petals. At the end of the maceration process honey and orange peel is added. It has rich sweet berry notes balanced out by a delicate violet flavor. Lingering in the background are touches of orange and hints of silky vanilla.
The Royal Daiquiri
2.5 oz Gold Rum (Ron Abuelo 7 Year)
1 oz Lime Juice
.75 oz Crème Yvette
1 dash of Orange Bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass filled with crushed ice.
Notes:
Despite the hefty amount of Crème Yvette the drink is not sickly sweet. The floral notes from the Crème Yvette add a nice delicate touch and the vanilla complements the flavors of the rum. There is a delicious berry aroma and flavor that makes you yern for the long warm days of summers.
7 Daiquiri’s in 7 Days continues with the: Look Normal and a bonus drink, the Freshman Daiquiri
If you missed yesterdays Daiquiri Post: La Florida Cocktail
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The original drink appears in Trader Vic’s Bartenders Guide from 1972 and is sometimes referred to as the Floridita Cocktail. The La Florida Cocktail is the creation of Constantine Ribailagualt and was one of the signature drinks of the La Florida bar in Havana, Cuba.
It’s name is strikingly similar to the Floridita Daiquiri but they are two different drinks. The daiquiri contains maraschino liqueur while the cocktail uses crème de cacao, sweet vermouth, and grenadine as the sweeteners. This particular version of the drink appears in the PDT cocktail book and is the creation of Jack McGarry.
La Florida Cocktail
2 oz Banks 5 Island Rum
.75 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Crème de Cacao (Marie Brizard)
.25 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cinzano)
1 barspoon Grenadine (Hibiscus Grenadine)
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy.
Notes:
The drink is well put together and despite the .5 oz of Crème de Cacao the chocolate flavor is still subtle and interwoven with the herbal qualities of the vermouth. The final flavor is not one you would except but its delicious and well worth exploring.
7 Daiquiri’s in 7 Days continues tomorrow with the: Royal Daiquiri
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To the modern drinker, this is the most widely known variation of the daiquiri. Usually it’s served frozen, with a topping of whipped cream or a sugared rim. Rarely are there even fresh strawberries in the mix. So in creating the strawberry daiquiri I offer 2 variations; one which contains fresh strawberries and the other a wonderful strawberry shrub made from fresh strawberries.
Strawberry Daiquiri
2 oz White Rum (Brugal Blanco)
.5 oz Lime Juice
.25 Triple Sec (Luxardo Triplum Triple Sec)
5 or 6 Strawberries hulled and quartered
Muddle the strawberries with the lime juice and triple sec in a cocktail shaker to create a thick paste and extract all the juice. Add the rum, ice, shake, and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Notes:
Double straining is crucial for this drink in order to keep the muddled and pulverized bits of strawberry from ending up in the drink. This is tart and refreshing without being overwhelmingly sweet. The strawberry flavor remains fresh and crisp, complemented by the funky qualities of the rum. The triple sec helps take a slight edge off the drink while adding an underlying orangey sweetness.
Bonus Alert! This daiquiri uses the homemade strawberry shrub that I wrote about in a previous post.
Strawberry Shrub Daiquiri
2 oz White Rum
.5 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Strawberry Shrub
.5 oz Simple Syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice an strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Notes:
This drink is a delicate pink and not the deep red of its sister. The strawberry shrub works beautifully in this drink with the zing of the vinegar wonderful nuance.
7 Daiquiri’s in 7 Days continues tomorrow, 9-19-12 with the: La Florida Cocktail
Yesterdays Daiquiri Post: The Hemingway Daiquiri or Daiquiri #3
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