Ward 8

Day 218, Cocktail 216

Yesterday was a quiet evening at home with a ton of stuff to catch up on after Paula and Cookie’s visit.  So a simple cocktail was in order and this little number from the Ultimate Bar Book seemed to fit the bill. 

  Ward 8

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 bar spoon grenadine

Fill a rocks glass with a couple of ice cubes.  Add the ingredients, stir and then top the glass with ice.  Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

What can I say, I just love the combination of orange and rye.  I used Jim Beam rye for this one and it was delicious.  The lemon really made this tart.  Next time I think I’d add a dash of bar syrup and perhaps a dash of bitters as well. 

Cheers!

Heart Stoppers

Day 217, Cocktail 215

Ugh, these guys are gonna’ be the death of me!  I went to Ivee’s, as usual, for the Browns game on Sunday.  What made it different, and a lot more fun, was that Cookie was with me, there to cheer his Steelers on.  We were both feeling pretty good when our teams jumped out to big leads then nearly had heart attacks as the Browns won when the Panthers missed a field goal as time expired and the Steelers won in OT as a Bills reciever dropped a game winning TD pass.  Whew!

To celebrate the twin victories Cookie ordered up a variant of the classic vodka cranberry that I’d never had.  He had a splash of sour mix added to the drink – and I liked it.  The sour cut the sweetness of the cranberry just a bit and made it a very enjoyable cocktail.  Thanks Cookie!

Cheers!

Out on the Town

Day 216, Cocktails 213 & 214

Saturday night was a night out on the town for Paula, Cookie, Gwen and me.  We started by stopping by Bryant’s for a cocktail before dinner.  Proprietor John Dye was manning the bar when we arrived and I asked John for something with rye and ginger beer.  He came up with an original cocktail on the spot that has no name.  It consisted of Old Overholt rye, Gosling ginger beer, Branca Menta, Peychaud’s bitters and lime juice.  It was very tasty and had just an overtone of mint, which I originally guessed as creme de menthe, incorrectly so as it turned out.  The mint flavor came from the Branca Menta, which is a mint version of Fernet Branca.  Very herbal, almost bitter tasting, it helped round out the cocktail John made in a way that creme de menthe would never be able to do.

After our drink at Bryant’s we headed to Casablanca for dinner.  The food was excellent and the atmosphere was interesting.  We’ll definately return soon!

After dinner we headed to another favorite, the Foundation Tiki bar in Riverwest.  There I enjoyed a Blue Moana.  This tasty treat consists of vodka, blue curacao, lime juice with hints of orange and almond.  I’m sure the almond comes from orgeat syrup but I couldn’t quite figure if the orange was coming from orange juice, triple sec or Cointreau.  I also did not have a chance to quiz the bartender as shortly after we arrived a busload of pub crawlers arrived and the bar was hopping for the next hour!

All in all a great evening as we got to take my mom and Cookie to two of my favorite bars in Milwaukee.  We’re already looking forward to their next visit!

Cheers!

The Ohio State University

Day 216, Cocktail 212

The Ohio State – Michigan game is always a big game for me.  Growing up in Ohio, The Ohio State University is the team I follow in college football.  And Michigan is the rivalry game for the Buckeyes.

With the game on today, I looked around for an appropriate cocktail.  I found something called the Buckeye Martini, which is my basic martini using a black olive as the garnish.  Interesting, but I couldn’t see myself swilling a martini while watching a football game.  I found another drink called the Buckeye that used Red Stag Cherry Bourbon.  Well, I don’t have any of that, but thought it could make the base for this drink.

  Buckeye Fizz

• 2 oz Evan Williams bourbon
• 1/2 oz Cherry Heering liqueur
• 1-1/2 oz lemonade
• seltzer water

Fill a pint glass about 1/3 of the way full with ice cubes.  Add the bourbon, Heering and lemonade and stir.  Fill the glass the rest of the way with ice and top with seltzer water.  Give a quick stir and enjoy.

A nice blend of the smokey cherry flavor of the Heering and the sweetness of the lemonade.  A nice, if not slightly more potent, alternative to a beer while watching the game.

Oh, and the results…The Ohio State University 37, Michigan 7. 

Cheers!

Clark Griswold

Day 215, Cocktails 209, 210 & 211

Ahh, the day after Thanksgiving.  It’s Black Friday (a day that sounds like the plague) and like lemmings, Gwen and I got up at 5:40 to head to the local Menard’s for their 6am opening and a $100 TV.  We figured who would be at a home improvement store that early?  Well, as we drove up, the parking lot was full and the line at the door extended for several hundred feet.  We kept right on driving and went back home.  Thus, for the 3rd time now I’ll again vow to never shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The day after Thanksgiving also means putting up the exterior decorations.  (The inside stuff is also going up, but that takes Gwen the whole weekend and then some).  It was a brisk, but sunny day as I pulled out the lights and ladders.  With Cookie’s help we banged it out in just a couple of hours and then admired the lights from the curb after it got dark.  It’s my first year replacing my old fashioned C9 bulbs with LED C9 bulbs.  I know I’ll save a ton of electricity, but they are just not the same.  I’m sure I’ll get used to them, it’ll just take some time.

With the lights up and a movie on after dinner, it was time for a cocktail.  Since I had just finished putting up the outdoor lights, Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold seemed like the perfect inspiration for a new drink.  Bourbon seemed like the ideal base.  Remember the scene after the squirrel attack when Clark asks his dad how he got through the holidays and his answer was that he had a lot of help from his friend Jack?  Well, I don’t have Jack but I do have bourbon.  But what to add with it?  Peach is a flavor that works well with bourbon.  I tried a mix of 2 oz Maker’s Mark, 1 oz Stirrings peach liqueur and a dash of Peychaud’s bitters.  Hmmm, even Gwen thought that this was too sweet.  We also agreed that this wasn’t very emblematic of Clark.  This one will go back in the hopper and I’ll play around with it in the future.

So, what would a Clark Griswold taste like.  We batted around a few ideas and decided it would be cherry and chocolate flavors.  Back to mixing I went and tried 2 oz Maker’s Mark, 1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur and 1/4 oz Kahlua.  I know, Kahlua is coffee flavored, but it ends up tasting like chocolate to me when mixed with bourbon.  I tested this out on Gwen and she though the maraschino was too strong and that it was still too sweet.  I enjoyed it (big suprise there) but did agree that the maraschino overpowered the rest of the drink.

The third time was the charm.

  Clark Griswold

• 2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
• 3/8 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
• 1/4 oz Kahlua

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cherry.

We both enjoyed this one.  Even my mom thought it was good.  Just the right blend of bourbon with cherry and chocolate overtones from the maraschino and Kahlua.  So now every time we watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation we’ll be able to enjoy our very own Clark Griswold.

Cheers!

Turkey Day

Day 213, Cocktails 207 & 208

Happy Thanksgiving!  Today is that day for us to gather and reflect on what we have to be thankful for…for me it is my family and friends, my health, and…the hope for a Brown’s win on Sunday!  We’re having several friends over along with Paula and Cookie.  Not sure if I’ll get into any new cocktails today as I plan on serving up Caramel Apples and Pecan Pies.  If I do, you’ll read all about in the next post.

Yesterday was a day for a couple of new drinks.  Much of the day was spent in final preparation for today.  By dinner time we were winding down and playing shut box down in the Twilight Lounge.  I mixed up a drink I found on the CocktailDB.

  Southern Bride

• 1-3/4 oz gin
• 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
• 1/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur

Combine the ingredients in a shaker and shake, shake, shake to combine and chill.  Strain into a coupe.

My first observation is that this is a dainty ‘lil ‘ol thing, only filling my coupe about 2/3 of the way with a nice, pink hue.  It is a tasty cocktail with the maraschino taking front and center, followed by the grapefruit and then gin as a supporting platform.  I used Plymouth gin for this one.  If you want more “bite” from your gin, use Bombay or Beefeater.

Later in the evening we headed over to Brett’s house for his night before Thanksgiving party.  We don’t get to see Brett outside of Ivee’s nearly enough and he always throws a good bash.  Last night held true to form.  After several bourbon and cokes Gwen cajoled Brett into making up his own speciality cocktail.  It’s called Brett’s Passion Fruit Mojito and consists of Cruzan Aged Rum, lime juice, mint, powdered sugar and seltzer water.  Wow, was this ever delicious!  The Cruzan has a nice, silky and slightly smokey flavor.  The passion fruit and mint blend wonderfully together and it was just sweet enough.  Well done Brett!  If you want, give me your exact recipe and I’ll publish it!

Cheers!

All In The Family

Day 212, Cocktails 205 & 206

Yesterday was filled with anticipation.  My mom Paula and step dad Cookie were due to arrive from Pennsylvania in time for dinner.  The whole family was looking forward to their arrival since we hadn’t seen them since Paula’s birthday celebration in August.  The girls in particular always enjoy Grandma’s visits.

After an excellent dinner of Gwen’s homemade lasgana we headed to the Twilight Lounge for cocktails and a chance to get caught up.  Paula was very impressed with the new floor and then settled in at the bar with Cookie and Gwen.  I mixed up a Caramel Apple for Gwen and a Greg’s Kringle for Paula.  She thought both of them were delicious but chose to stick with the Kringle.  Meanwhile, I began to experiment with another of the flavorings I had picked up at the bake shop a couple of weeks ago.  Here’s what I came up with.

  Maker’s Root Dram

• 2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
• 3/4 oz Drambuie
• 2 drops root beer flavor extract

Combine in a shaker and shake, shake, shake to mix.  Strain into a chilled coupe.

I really liked this one.  Inspired by the Charles Hires Old Fashioned from a Bryant’s Sporting Fraternity event, it has a subtle root beer flavor behind the Drambuie and Maker’s Mark.  There are several layers of flavor that give this drink a nice complexity.  I’ll probably tinker with it a bit more, but I did like it.  The next cocktail was a classic from the Ultimate Bar Book.

  Waldorf Cocktail

• 1-1/2 oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz Pernod
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 dash Agnosturo bitters

Combine in a shaker and shake, shake, shake to mix.  Strain into a chilled coupe.

This classic is a variation of the Sazerac.  I enjoyed it, but the Pernod is a bit strong for my liking, making this a one and done for me.  I just wouldn’t be able to drink these all night long like a could a martini or manhattan.

By the time I finished this it was getting late and we were all ready for bed.  I’m sure that there will be more cocktail fun this weekend though!

Cheers!

Pardon Me Roy

Day 211, Cocktail 204

On Monday I decided to continue my Rob Roy exploration with the original cocktail.  But before I get to that, just how did this classic cocktail come to be called the Rob Roy? 

A bit about Rob Roy, the man.  He was a Scotsman, born around 1671 and died in 1734.  He was known as the Scottish Robin Hood, although he pretty much ended up destitute and died a poor man. 

So how does that get us to a drink?  The cocktail originated in Manhattan in the 1890′s at the same time that an operretta about Rob Roy was playing in a local theatre.  It is also coincidental with the arrival in Dewar’s scotch in America, so perhaps a creative Dewar’s sales rep also played a hand.

So what about the cocktail?  Let’s try it out and see.

  Rob Roy

• 2-1/2 oz scotch
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 dash Agnosturo bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir.  Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

The sweet vermouth is at the front of this cocktail with the scotch filling in behind it.  I still get flashes of an odd aftertaste, but this is better than the dry Rob Roy I had Sunday.  On the whole, though, I wouldn’t drink one of these again – it’s just too much a waste of good scotch in my book.

Cheers!

That’s Mighty Dry, Rob

Day 210, Cocktails 202 & 203

As I was writing my blog post last night I decided to enjoy a cocktail that would be the feature for today’s post.  Being adventurous, I hit CocktailDB and use the random drink feature.  It’s kinda’ like eating from a box of chocolates…you just never know what you might get.

What I got was a variant on the Rob Roy cocktail.  I’ll delve into that classic in tomorrow’s post.  This post is about the Dry Rob Roy.  The first one I tried was 1-3/4 oz scotch (I used Cutty Sark) and 3/4 oz of dry vermouth, garnished with an olive.  While I did manage to drink it all, boy, it wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences.  I couldn’t tell if it was the olive or just the mix of scotch and vermouth, but it had an odd, almost medicinal aftertaste.  I love scotch and like dry vermouth with my gin, but this baby just wasn’t working for me.

However, being the intrepid soul that I am, I decided I could make something of this cocktail.  So, I tried again using the same proportions of scotch and vermouth, added a dash of Agnosturo bitters and swapped a lemon twist for the olive.  And?  It really wasn’t any better.  Thus, for one of the few days of my quest I came up goose eggs with not one, but two cocktails that I just can’t recommend.  Live and learn!

Cheers!

Open for Business

Day 209, Cocktails 200 & 201

Well, it was an interesting week, to say the least.  A good chunk of my time was spent starting up a job search, which has me excited but also nervous.  I also spent a fair bit of time finishing up the new floor at the Twilight Lounge.  I’m glad that project is over and the new cork look floor looks great!    Finally, it was a whole bunch of other little things as we get ready for my mom Paula and Cookie’s visit to us for Thanksgiving.  Whew!

To celebrate the reopening of the Twilight Lounge our friends Greg and Patti came over for dinner.  It’s always fun to get together with them for good food, games, conversation and cocktails.  Inevitably, the evening goes much longer than planned and Saturday was no exception!

I started the evening off with the Caramel Apple and it went over well with Greg and Patti.  Greg noted that it would be a great cocktail to sip while smoking a fine, full bodied cigar.  Frankly, I agree!  After a couple of these tasty treats we moved on to dinner.  After dinner it was time for a liquid dessert and I broke out the Pecan Pie.  Again, a bullseye!  Even Greg enjoyed it, even though he doesn’t like pecan pie! 

As the night wore on the music got louder, the new floor was given a dance workout and a couple of new cocktails were invented and enjoyed.  The first came about as we were talking about blending flavors and sniffing some of the various liquors and liqueurs in the Twilight Lounge.

  Greg’s Kringle

• 1-1/2 oz Kajmir
• 3/4 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz Amaretto

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a coupe and garnish with an orange peel.

Yummy is the only way to describe this drink!  Greg’s immediate reaction was that it tasted like a kringle, a Wisconsin favorite.  He was right too.  This comes out slightly nutty, slightly vanilla and just the right amount of sweet to be a great after dinner cocktail.  We’ll be having this one again!

While Greg was enjoying his kringle, I was ready for more rye and orange flavors.  Here’s the result.

  No Name

• 2-1/2 oz Russel’s rye whiskey
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz Domaine de Canton
• 2 dashes Agnosturo orange bitters
• 1 bar spoon bar syrup

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a large cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Again, another winner!  The ginger of the Domaine de Canton adds a new dimension to the rye and orange that is slightly exoctic.  The orange bitters help tie it all together and the bar syrup softens the rye just a tad but does not make this a sweet cocktail by any stretch.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t inspired with a name for this one — but I’m open to suggestions!  Give me your ideas and I’ll publish the winner and personally make it for you!

From this point on it got late enough and sloppy enough to switch to rum and cola’s…between the music and dancing we didn’t leave ourselves any time for proper cocktails.  All in all it was a great evening with great friends!

Cheers!