Behold the Origin of the Martini – The Martinez

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 Mexican Squirrel: A Perfect Tequila Manhattan

The Manhattan is one cocktail which allows for endless variations. It’s ratios can be adjusted to suit each persons individual taste and other base spirits can be substituted to create an entirely different drink, while still adhering to the character …

Solera

I came across the Solera Cocktail on the Imbibe website. It was created by Dominic Venegas.
This cocktail makes an excellent use of sherry.

Solera
2 oz Santa Teresa 1796 Rum (Ron Zacapa)
1 oz Lustau Palo Cortado Peninsula
.75 oz Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
2 dashes of Regans’ orange bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the oils of an orange twist over the drink and drop in.

Notes:
The original drink calls for Santa Teresa 1796 rum. Unfortunately, I did not have any in my liquor cabinet, so I substituted it with Ron Zacapa 23. If you don’t have these particular rums, try and substitute another aged rum. If you don’t have the sherry, substitute with another sherry. The final taste profile of the drink will be different but you should get a glimpse at this drinks greatness.
There is orange on the nose due to the expressed oils floating on the surface of the drink. The richness of the rum and sherry are balanced out by the spiciness of the falernum and the bite of the bitters. The drink is a symphony of flavors that delights the palate and soothes the soul. A wonderful after dinner sipper.

Young’s Double Chocolate Milkshake

Before any other frozen beverage such as the: slurpee or smoothie there was the milkshake. The earliest printed reference to the milkshake was in 1885, but the drink contained whiskey. Furthermore it was served as a health tonic as well as a delicious cold treat.
Ivar “Pop” Coulson is often credited as the inventor of the milkshake. In 1922 he added ice cream to the traditional malted milk and the milkshake was born. From there it’s popularity has skyrocketed and it continues to soar with new variations based on this same formula.
For this variation on the milkshake I decided to go back to the milkshakes roots and create an alcoholic version.

Young’s Double Chocolate Milkshake
8oz chocolate stout (Youngs Double Chocolate)
1.5oz rum (Brugal Anejo)
.5oz port (Noval Black)
2 dashes chocolate bitters
2 scoops vanilla ice cream (Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean)
Combine all the ingredients an blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled pint glass or whatever you have on hand and enjoy

Notes:
The beer really shines in this drink. The chocolate and maltiness of the beer combine well with the creaminess if the ice cream. The rum gives a little extra backbone to the drink with the port adding a touch of fruitiness on very the backend leading to a dry slightly bitter finish. You can’t go wrong with this. Try it and let me know what you think.

Have you ever tried Young’s Double Chocolate Stout? What’s your favorite milkshake.

Elks Own Cocktail

I came across this cocktail on Cocktaildb.com

Elk’s Own (special) Cocktail
1.5oz rye whiskey (Redemption Rye)
.75oz Port (Noval Black)
.5oz lemon juice
.25oz simple syrup
1 egg white
Combine all ingredients and dry shake for approximately 10secs. Then add ice and shake for another 10. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a pineapple slice (I didn’t have any at home)

Notes:                                                                                                                                                  The rich purplish red color is extremely alluring with a soft cloud of egg white resting on top. The egg smooths out the drink and helps all the flavors to meld together. The port added a rich fruitiness to the cocktail with the rye and lemon juice keeping it from being overly sweet.

Mary Anne Cocktail

The Mary Anne
2oz spiced rum (Kraken)
1oz port (Noval Black)
.5oz lemon
.5oz lime
.5oz nutmeg syrup
.5oz cinnamon syrup
Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with 2 blackberries
Notes:
The spiciness of the rum along with the two spice syrups meld well with the sweet fruitiness of the port. The lemon and lime add just the right amount of bite to keep the cocktail balanced.

Naming cocktails is one of the hardest things about making new drinks. I named this after Mary Read and Anne Bonny. While never receiving the notoriety of such figures as Captain Kidd, they did attract a great deal of attention. The problem with learning about their background, is that there is little documentation of their early lives. The majority of what we know surrounds the last 1 or 2 years of their life.
One notable feature about them, is that they were the only 2 members of Calico Jack’s crew to offer any resistance when his vessel was captured by Captain Jonathan Barnett. For more information regarding their lives please see the books A General History of the Pyrates and Under the Black Flag

The New York Sour & The Brooklyn Sour

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 …