A Better Idea

Day 129, Cocktail 129

Yesterday I explored the classic Algonquin cocktail, named for the Algonquin hotel and most likey imbibed by at least a few members of the Algonquin Roundtable.  I also mentioned that Mark and I were working on an updated version of this classic (mostly because he makes that “I hate the way this tastes screwed up baby face” when he tastes dry vermouth).  Last night we were fooling around with various combinations of rye, cheery heering and pineapple juice.    I continued the experimentation this evening and this is what I came up with.

Algonquin Revisited

• 1-1/2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
• 1/4 oz Cherry Heering
• 1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 1 dash Agnosturo bitters

Fill a shaker with ice cubes and add all the ingredients.  Shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a cherry.

This turned out pretty good – a nice, subtle, smokey flavor is imparted by the heering and just a touch of sweet cherry from the maraschino nicely blends with the pineapple.  By the way, many cocktails that use pineapple call for them to be stirred, but I like to shake them because the pineapple juice gets nice and frothy, giving the drink an extra visual appeal.

Have you ever updated a classic?  If so, let me know, I’d love to try it out!

Cheers!

These Badlands Are Treating Me Good

Day 128, Cocktail 128

First, the good news.  Not one, but two of my submissions for Colleen Graham’s August bourbon cocktail recipe contest at About.com have been published!  I’m really excited because only six cocktails have been published from the contest!  (Please don’t pop my bubble and tell me that their were only six submissions!)  Published on the web site were the Badlands and my Daddy-O Patio Bourbon Cooler.  Woo hoo!

Ok, got that out of my system – although I am still pretty stoked!

So Mark Stoffel stopped by tonight to drop of daughter number 2 after she had babysat.  He dropped on down to the Twilight Lounge and helped me with tonight’s cocktail.  I have some pineapple juice left over from last night, so I started searching for something that uses pineapple on the CocktailDB.  I found the Algonquin, a classic cocktail named for the Algonquin Hotel in New York.  In the 1920’s the Algonquin hosted a roundtable of writers and poets of the era including Dorothy Parker and Robert Sherwood.  This was one of their cocktails.

  Algonquin

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1 oz pineapple juice

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with 4-5 ice cubes and shake, shake, shake.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish (and this is optional) with a cherry.

This was actually the second verson of the Algonquin that we made tonight, and was the one I preferred.  This recipe came from the Ultimate Bar Book by Mittie Hellmich.  I thought this version was a little mellower, with the rye taking center stage.  The original recipe I tried tonight from the CocktailDB used 1-1/2 oz of rye, 3/4 oz dry vermouth and 3/4 oz pineapple juice.  In this version the vermouth was dominant and just didn’t seem to play as well with the pineapple and rye. 

What I find interesting about tonight’s experience is that this isn’t the first time that I’ve found different proportions of ingredients for classic cocktails.  The lesson for me is that if you don’t quite like the way a classic (or any cocktail for that matter) tastes, tinker with it so that you do like it.

Cheers!

Trey Tequilas

Day 127, Cocktails 125, 126 & 127

Whew, what a day!  We had planned to swim and grill out this afternoon and invited our friends Greg and Patty to join us.  When they arrived we all got into the pool and cooled off from another hot day (at least hot for us !) and got caught up with all the news.  About mid afternoon it was time to try out our first cocktail of the day (fortunately, I don’t have to twist Greg and Patty’s arm very hard).  I decided to give a drink recipe sent to me by a high school classmate Mary Sheldon Hyatt a try.  It’s called the Dia Del Amore (which is what Valentine’s Day in Mexico is known as).  As best I can tell, this recipe comes from the fine folks who produce St. Germain, so it should come as no suprise that it uses…ta da…St. Germain.

Dia Del Amor

• 1-1/2 oz Cazadores tequila
• 1 oz St. Germain liqueur
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 2 dashes Tabasco

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with 4-5 ice cubes and shake, shake, shake.  Prepare a rocks glass by salting the rim.  Add 4-5 ice cubes and strain the drink into the glass.  Garnish with a lime twist. 

This drink was fantastic!  Mary, thanks for sending me the recipe.  We all enjoyed it!  The sweet, elderflower of the St. Germain was a terrific compliment to the tequila.  I was pleasantly suprised by this as I have not worked with tequila and St. Germain before.  The tabasco added just a hint of smokey, pepper flavor, but really no heat at all.  This cocktail is really a great substitute for your typical margarita, and really blows away nearly any typical restaurant ‘rita made with overly sweetened mixes. 

While we were on the patio enjoying the Dia Del Amor, I handed Greg my new copy of The Ultimate Bar Book by Mittie Hellmich (and a huge thanks to Ashish for giving me this book – it is fantastic!).  Greg, not being one to miss an opporunity to drink my booze started flipping through the tequila section.  It didn’t take long before he started to quiz me. 

 “Do you have silver tequila?” 

“Of course.”

“Pineapple juice?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Angosturo bitters?”

“Yep.”

“Club soda?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because we should try a La Conga next.”

And try we did. 

  La Conga

• 2 oz silver tequila
• 1/4 oz pineapple juice
• 3 dashes Agnosturo bitters
• seltzer water

Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes.  Add the tequila, pineapple juice and bitters.  Top with seltzer water, stir and garnish with a lemon slice.

This is an unusual cocktail in that it is mixed directly in the glass.  That said, it didn’t really catch the fancy of any of us today.  The bitters really dominate the flavor of this drink and I don’t think it really had enough pineapple juice since we didn’t catch any flavor of it in the drink.  If I were to try this again I would double the pineapple juice and cut the Agnosturo to 2 dashes and see how that goes.

We took a break from cocktails to have some dinner, but it didn’t take long to head down to the Twilight Lounge and try our third tequila cocktail of the day, also from The Ultimate Bar Book.

  La Bomba

• 1 oz gold tequila
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz orange juice
• 1/8 oz grenadine

Combine the tequila, Cointreau, pineapple juice and orange juice in a shaker with 4-5 ice cubes.  Shake, shake, shake to combine and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add the grenadine. 

The grenadine ends up sinking to the bottom which gives the drink a very nice visual appeal (it’s the cocktail in the picture above).  It also adds a layer of flavor as you work your way through the drink.  This was another delicious drink that was very well balanced and enjoyed by all of us today. 

So, to paraphrase Meatloaf, two out of three ain’t bad.  Give these cocktails a try and let me know what you think.

Cheers!

A Chili Good Time

Day 126, Cocktail 124

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t as swank and swell as the picture, but we did attend a party last night that included drinks and dinner.  It was a fun night hosted by our friends Julie and Dave and there were 8 or 9 people there, so it qualifies as a party!

Chili was the main course and most of the guys (me included) brought beer to drink.  However, Dave also had mixed up a pitcher of margaritas (and then several more as the night wore on!).  I have to admit that I did have one (or three) as we moved into the party games after dinner.    One of the games was Imagine If – the object is to read a card, starting with Imagine if so and so was a store manager, would the store be … and then there are 6 choices that are read off.  I was absolutely shocked when one of the questions was “Imangine if you were looking for Stan at night” and my friends were unaminous in there selection of a bar as the place to find me.  Really?  Oh well.

So where was I…right, the margarita’s.  Dave used a recipe that I’ve used for years now whenever I need an easy to make crowd pleaser, the beer margarita.  This is simple to make by the pitcher or by the gallon (as I’ve done for BBQ’s and pool parties).

  Beer Margarita

• 12 oz can limeade
• 12 oz tequila
• 12 oz water
• 12 oz beer

Just combine everything in a pitcher, stir to mix and serve over ice.  Garnish with a lime wedge (just set a bowl of them out next to the ice).

Like I said, it’s tough to get much easier than this.  The key is to use a decent quality tequila and beer.  The tequila doesn’t have to be top shelf, but don’t reach for the store brand tequila on the bottom shelf either.  A good rule of thumb is that if the bottle is dusty don’t buy it!  As for beer, I like to use Sam Adams, but any good quality lager or ale will do.  In fact, play around with different beers to see what it does to the flavor before picking your favorite.

So fire up the grill, grab the party hats and have fun!

Cheers

Someday, I’ll Call Upon You To Do Me A Favor

Day 125, Cocktails 122 & 123

Kind, gentle grandfather or ruthless killer?  Or both?  Or just a great actor? 

Whatever Don Vito Corleone was I love watching the Godfather movies, especially the original.  From start to finish there’s not a slow moment and even though I’ve seen it a hundred times the tension leading to Sonny’s death, Michael’s assination of the police chief and competing mob boss or the attempt on Don Corleone’s life while he’s in the hospital is always there.

When Gwen and I watch the Godfather we like to have a cocktail or two (that is, if we are not already into a bottle of Chianti or a Tuscan red).  What is better for watching the Marlon Brando and company better than these two drinks?

  The Godfather

• 2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
• 1 oz amaretto

Combine the bourbon and amaretto in a shaker with 4-5 ice cubes.  Shake, shake, shake to combine and chill.  Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice.  Garnish is optional, but if you want one I prefer a lemon or orange twist.

The Godmother

• 2 oz Chopin vodka
• 1 oz amaretto

Combine the vodka and amaretto in a shaker with 4-5 ice cubes.  Shake, shake, shake to combine and chill.  Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice.  Garnish is optional, but if you want one I prefer a lemon or orange twist.

Ok, one guess as to which one I drink and which one Gwen drinks!  Yeah, I thought you’d be stumped.  I like both of these, but the bourbon Godfather version is just a bit more boozy and to my taste since the flavor of the bourbon stands up to and blends with the amaretto.  The Godmother has an overall sweeter and nuttier flavor since the vodka provides a base but doesn’t really have any flavor of its own to add to the drink.

Fire up the DVD player, put in your favorite Godfather movie and mix up a couple of these.  Let me know how it turns out!

Cheers!

Fox Force Five

Day 124, Cocktails 118, 119, 120 & 121

So Daddy Tomato, Momma Tomato and Baby Tomato are out for a walk.  Daddy Tomato has to keep turning around and telling Baby Tomato to walk faster.  Finally, Daddy Tomato walks back to Baby Tomato and stomps Baby Tomato into pulp.  “I said Ketchup!” he yells as he rejoins Momma Tomato.

I know you Pulp Fiction afficianodos didn’t me to mention the movie, but for the uninitiated that was the corny joke that Uma Thurman told John Travolta during their “date” to Jackrabbit Slim’s.  It was her big moment in the pilot of “Fox Force Five”, her one shot at TV stardom.  Alas, it wasn’t to be for Uma.

So what’s the connection?  Well, I’m running as hard as I can to “ketchup” – and tonight is a big step forward with four cocktails to report on.

Last night my business associate and friend Ashish Gandhi was in town along with Dan Krueger.  I met Ashish and Dan at Izumi’s for a drink and dinner.  As always, we threw ourselves at the mercy of the sushi chef and we were well rewarded with an outstanding platter of rolls, sushi and sashimi.  Of course, before starting dinner we had a drink at the bar.  I asked the bartender what he had that featured gin and his suggestion was a Gin Rickey.

  Gin Rickey

• 2 oz Bombay gin
• 1 oz lime juice
• soda water

Combine the Bombay and lime juice in shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.  Top with soda water and garnish with a lime slice. 

This is a nice alternative to the a gin and tonic, leaving the quinine behind for the clean taste of the selzter.  This allows the gin and lime to by the dominant flavors, and it works out quite nicely.  Additionally, it worked very well with the sushi that I had for dinner!

Once dinner was over, Ashish, who is quickly becoming a cocktail maven, wanted to head to Bryant’s for more classic cocktails.  We arrived to a rather full bar with Evan pouring the drinks.  Evan is a terrific bartender and about as unassuming as a person can be, and it’s always good to see him there.  For my first cocktail I was in the mood for bourbon and Evan suggested a depression era cocktail called the Mona Lisa.  This cocktail consisted of bourbon, creme de cacao, lemon juice and bar syrup.  It was mixed well and then served over crushed ice in a collins glass.  I have to admit that this wasn’t my cup of tea.  The creme de cacao really dominated this one and it was very chocolatey.  Not that there’s anything wrong with chocolate, I love it, but I think I was really in the mood for a man’s drink…and this wasn’t it.

By the time we were ready for round two, propietor John Dye had taken over behind the bar.  I asked John for something that would have whiskey and maraschino in it.  His original creation, done on the spot consisted of rye, maraschino liqueur, lime juice and chartreuse.  As I quizzed John about what was in it I nailed the chartreuse, but totally whiffed on the maraschino and rye.  I thought John had made something akin to a previous Chad Doll effort that used scotch and drambuie.  As John chuckled at my tasting ineptitude I asked him what it was called and he answered the Chad No. 1 as he headed to the other end of the bar to take of another customer.  The drink was delicious, and I figured that it was the chartreuse/maraschino combination that threw me off and had me guessing drambuie.

By the time we got to round three the crowd has started to thin out and we had a chance to chat more with John.  This time around I asked for something with bourbon, cherry heering and maraschino.  John was spot on with the perfect blend of the three that resulted in a deep, rich, slightly cherry flavor with the bourbon capably supporting the blend of heering and maraschino.  I wish I knew the exact proportions, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out one of these nights at the Twilight Lounge.

Well, there you go, a ketchup night if there ever was one.  Although I didn’t make it completely back up to par, I’m sure it won’t take too much longer!

Cheers!

You Gotta’ Live It Every Day

Day 122, Cocktail 117

Back in the saddle, finally!  The vacation was great with plenty of inspiring scenery, a few hikes and lots of family time.  The only thing the Black Hills weren’t terribly good at was providing cocktail opportunities. 

While driving back across South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin I had plenty of time to think about what would make a good Black Hills inspired cocktail.  I’ve got several ideas, and this is the first one.  If I say so myself, I think it’s a pretty good and is emblamatic of the Badlands – dry, smokey and featuring  bourbon.

  Badlands Cocktail

• 2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
• 1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/4 oz grenadine
• 1 drop liquid smoke

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with 5-6 ice cubes.  Shake, shake, shake to chill.  Strain into a chilled coupe.  No garnish required, just like the Badlands.

Be very careful with the liquid smoke – any more than a single drop will overwhelm the drink!  The smoke flavor evokes bison being grilled over a live flame while the bourbon represents the hard backbone that the Badlands provides.  The maraschino helps keep this drink dry while adding a bit of flavor that represents the bounty that this land once provided.  Take a trip to the Badlands and mix one up!

Cheers!

Custer

Day 118, Cocktail 116

The Rock Crest Lodge in Custer, SD has been home since Monday for us.  We’ve enjoyed some amazing sights, including Devil’s Tower, Mt. Rushmore and Badlands National Park.  We’ve had some less than amazing dining experiences and the new cocktail opportunities have been few and far between. 

One dining and cocktail experience that was above average was at the Buglin’ Bull right here in Custer.  They had a reasonable st0cked bar and were working on their speciality cocktail list.  Not wanting to miss a chance at something new I asked to see it.  Our waitress brought over a typewritten manuscript filled with cocktail recipes.  A cocktail called the bulltini immediately caught my eye since it included Lillet – pretty high end stuff.  Unfortunately, it also included Ketel One vodka and Beefeater Gin.  Sound familar?  It should since it’s the Vesper of James Bond fame!  A quick conversation with the bartender cleared that up.  They did have another cocktail that was their own creation that I did try. 

  Custer’s Stand

• Bacardi O Rum
• Tuaca liqueur
• lemon lime soda

This cocktail is served on the rocks and gives a nice blend of citrus and vanilla with a nutty tones.  A nice cocktail that was new to us!  This was the first time I’d come across Tuaca (although we have since seen it featured a number of tourist trap bars in Deadwood and Keystone this week).  It’s a brandy based spirit, infused with citrus and spices and it’s seventy proof.  I’ve yet to try it on its own, so that will come later.

I don’t know that I’ll have anything else new to report on until we get home Sunday.  In the meantime, we’re enjoying the mountain air and the antique tractor parade going by the lodge this morning!

Cheers!

Rocky Mountain Way

Day 116, Cocktails 114 & 115

Our vacation continues this week in southwest South Dakota.  We’re staying in Custer and from there visiting numerous sites including Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, Deadwood and more.  Yesterday we rolled through Sturgis where they locals were putting the town back together after this year’s bike week.  There were still a few stragglers and shirts for sale.  (As a side note, I couldn’t help but wonder if bikers look down on the guys driving the three wheelers.  I gotta’ believe they do.)

All this driving around Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota has put me behind with the reports (of course, the enjoyment of cocktails hasn’t slowed!).  This report goes back to last Sunday while we were still in Boulder.  Sunday evening found as at the 4580 Restaurant for a final, family dinner.  They have a well stocked bar and we took advantage of it.

The first drink we had was a speciality of the bar.

  Amelia Earhart

• Bombay Sapphire gin
• St. Germain
• Creme de Violette
• Lemon juice
• mint leaves for garnish

If there was ever a chick cocktail, this is it.  A very light purple color with the wonderful violet flavor of the creme de violette at the front.  The gin and St. Germain are in the background supporting the violette.  A very nice sipper on a warm evening.

If the Amelia Earhart is a chick’s cocktail, then this second one, enjoyed by Reno and I was the manly man’s cocktail.  It was simply a classic manhattan, but it was made with Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey.  This whiskey is distilled from barley and has a very distinctive flavor as a result.  Smooth and mellow, it has a malty flavor that comes through.  This is an excellent sipper and will soon find its way into my liquor cabinet.  If you are a bourbon or single malt whiskey fan then I recommend trying this distinctive whiskey.

That’s all for now, more from Custer later.

Cheers!

Mama’s Got A Squeeze Box

Day 112, Cocktails 112 & 113

The birthday bash for Mom continued today.  After a warm, sunny day at the pool something fresh and fruity seemed in order.  My brother Adam had been telling me about a gin, mango and ginger ale cocktail that he had recently had that sounded delicious.  Meanwhile, he was planning a seafood buffet for dinner this evening and I had told him about my Huiquin, a gin, sake and ginger flavored cocktail.  After some thinking, I asked Adam to pick up some mango when he went to the grocery store today.  My plan was combine the two cocktails we had talked about.  The result was the following two new cocktails.

  Momma’s Mangoes

• 2 oz Chopin vodka
• 1 oz Domaine de Canton
• 1 oz dry sake
• 2″ x 2″ slice of mango, peeled

In a shaker muddle the mango.  Really work the mango hard, nearly to a puree.  Add 3-4 ice cubes and the remaining ingredients.  Shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktial glass.  No garnish required!

Wow!  A terrific, perfect blend of flavors!  The Chopin provides a great base and the ginger flavor of the Canton and the sake work perfectly with the mango.  From the first sip to the last the layers of flavors worked well together.

The second drink was a fizz version using the same ingredients.

  Momma’s Mangoes Fizz

• 2 oz Chopin vodka
• 1 oz Domaine de Canton
• 1 oz dry sake
• seltzer water
• 2″ x 2″ slice of mango, peeled

In a pint glass muddle the mango into a puree.  Add the remaining ingredients and a couple of ice cubes.  Stir to mix.  Fill the glass with ice and top with selzter water.  Stir and enjoy.

A larger, refreshing version, great of cookouts and afternoon sipping.  Because of the selzter the flavors are not quite as bold, but this still works very well.

The neat thing about today is that it shows how easy it is to adapt a basic recipe to multiple uses.  Give it a try yourself and let me know how it goes!

Cheers!