Bourbon Theater

Lincoln, NE – March 14, 2012

During my last trip to Lincoln I found several nice places that made up for my disappointment with Marz.  However, hands down, the best of the bunch is the Bourbon Theater.  I can assure you the next time and every time I’m in Lincoln I’ll be stopping by to see Luke Edson!

The Bourbon Theater is an interesting venue – a music club (the night I was there featured a DJ playing house, very loudly) along with an amazingingly well stocked bar and the very talented Luke Edson behind the bar.

For openers, I enjoyed that fact that Luke spent a few minutes chatting with me to find out what I like in a drink.  After our conversation he made me his twist on a Rob Roy.   Featuring Skye scotch along with Dubonnet, orange bitters and an orange twist, this was an amazing cocktail – and better than the original Rob Roy.  This wonderful smokey scotch with the orange flavors was very cohesive and well done. 

The next drink Luke made for me was the Mont Blanc, an original of his.  Here it is.

  Mont Blanc

• 1-1/2 oz St. Remy brandy (or better)
• 3/4 oz Bianco vermouth
• 1/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
• 1/4 – 1/3 oz Averna

In my notes at the time I wrote “OMG amazing!”  It’s like a boozy dessert.  Vanilla notes, a hint of cherry and an almost creamy texture.  This is, without a doubt, one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. 

By the way, if you want to make this at home (and I will be!) you will need the use Bianco vermouth, not dry vermouth.  Bianco is a sweetened white vermouth and using dry will not yeild the same result at all!

Cheers!

Lola

Germantown, WI – December 17, 2011

I  met her in a club down in old Soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola…

So Gwen and I hit Greg and Patti’s house tonight for cocktails and movies.  Greg was in the mood for something made with Sailor Jerry and so we did a quick check of the Sailor Jerry website.  And there it was, just waiting for us to make.

Well I’m not that dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man

A quick run down the ingredient list.  Sailor Jerry – check.  Sweet vermouth – check.  Agnostura bitters – check.  Cherry cola – check.  Get the glasses and ice out and start mixing!

Well I’m not the worlds most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes well I almost fell for my Lola

    The Lola

• 1-1/2 oz Sailor Jerry rum
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Agnostura bitters
• Cherry cola

Combine all the ingredients over ice in a highball glass and stir.  Garnish with an orange slice.

A neat alternative to the run of the mill rum and coke.  Both the sweet vermouth and cherry cola compliment the Sailor Jerry in a delightful way.  After three of these, you won’t care of if the boys are girls and the girls are boys!

Cheers!

Back to Black

Amy, Amy, Amy…

I was saddened, although not surprised, by the news of Amy Winehouse’s death yesterday.  I’ve been a big fan since her release of “Back to Black”.  After getting familiar with that work I went back to also pick up her 2003 release, “Frank”.  I thought both were engaging, smart, musically interesting and I adored her voice and the sound she had.  Many of the posts on this blog were written with her music providing the soundtrack.

As her slow motion self destruction rolled inexoribaly forward I kept hoping she would pull out of the nosedive, pull herself together and be able to get back to the studio and tour again.  Alas, it’s not to be.  It turns out that she really did cheat herself, like she knew she would.

The Unknown Cocktail

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Well, I found this picture on my camera a couple of days ago…it’s dated May 14.  It looks delicious, doesn’t it?  I just wish I knew what the heck it is!  Obviously, made with Hendricks….

Wait a minute.  I just flipped through the spiral bound notebook that I use to write down new recipes and write my notes as I drink cocktails … and … I think I found it.  I’d swear that I’d looked before through my notebook and didn’t find this cocktail, but I’m sure this is it.  With Alzheimer’s moments like these, it’s no wonder that I’m getting AARP cards in the mail every other day.

  Mint Love and Happiness

• 3 cucumber slices
• 4-5 mint leaves
• 1/2 oz bar syrup
• 2 oz Hendrick’s
• 1 oz St. Germain

In a mixing glass muddle the cucumber, mint and syrup.  Add ice and the Hendrick’s and St. Germain.  Stir to mix and chill.  Double strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with a lemon peel floating on a mint leaf (fancy, I know). 

Ahh, a twist on one of my favorite spring/summer cocktails, this takes the Love and Happiness a step further with the addition of the mint.  The flavors of the Hendrick’s, cucumber, mint and St. Germain were just made for each other – sorta  like Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice (did I really just write that?).

As you mix this baby up, put the Raveonettes latest release “Raven In The Grave” on the old Pioneer and listen to “Forget That You’re Young” while you sip.  The aural experience will match the taste experience, I promise!

(Really – this post is written exactly as my mind worked through it – I really didn’t know what the drink was in the picture as I uploaded it – do you really think I could make this stuff up?)

The Village Idiot

April 26, 2010 – Maumee, OH

With apologies to Samuel Clemens, the rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated (and thankfully so!).  Adapting to a busy travel schedule, however, has been a bit of a challenge, but I think I have it close to figured out.  So, without further adieu, here we go.

I was in Toledo at HQ last week for training.  In addition to learning about the new job and company, I also had the chance to sample a couple of local nightspots.  On Tuesday night I found myself at The Village Idiot  with several of my new colleagues.  1 part sports bar, 1 part pizza parlor, 1 part rock ‘n roll music haven, the Idiot is as eclectic as it gets.  With a basic bar and some good local and regional beers on tap, you won’t go thirsty.  However, the draw is the pizza, and while I didn’t have any (having had a forgettable dinner earlier), it looked and smelled great. 

I’ve always enjoyed a place that has a live band.  You just can’t beat the energy a band generates, and this held true on Tuesday with the Chris Shutter Band on stage.  A Toledo favorite, Chris and his band play a mix of classic rock covers and their own original songs.  They offer an upbeat tempo that got the crowd into the music and moving on the dance floor.  He also draws a very mixed crowd, with the audience running from 20 somethings in jeans and t-shirts to 60 somethings in business casual, and everything in between, all brought together by the great music being played. 

The bottom line?  If you find yourself in Toledo with an evening free, definitely take the short drive out to Maumee and check out The Village Idiot or find out from the locals where the Chris Sutter Band will be playing.  You can’t go wrong with either choice!

Liz Reprise

Day 271, Cocktail 274

Liz Phair rocked at Turner Hall last night!  And to really make my night she mostly played cuts from her “Exile in Guyville” disc, which is my favorite!  The only song I she didn’t play that I would have really liked to have heard was “Flower”, but hey, I guess you can’t always get what you want.

After the show I headed home and found our friends Patti and Greg down in the Lounge with Gwen.  I was just in time to help out with the last round of cocktails.  Before the show I had come up with my Liz Phair cocktail.  While I was working on it, in the back of mind, I had a similar drink that I wanted to call Flower in honor of the song.  So I tried it out….and it didn’t work.  I used the Knob Creek again, but replaced the orange bitters with Peychaud’s and tried St. Germain instead of the Luxardo maraschino.  It was not very good.  The St. Germain and the bourbon clashed and the Peychaud’s just didn’t jibe with either in this drink.  I made a note to myself last night to try adding Cointreau, and maybe that would help, but I doubt it. 

Fortunately, the concert was much better than my post show drink!

Cheers!

Liz Phair

Day 271, Cocktail 273

I’m going to see Liz Phair tonight at Turner Hall Ballroom in downtown Milwaukee, and I am psyched!  I’ve never seen her live and she is one of my all time favorites!  I’ve been listenening to her music since Exile in Guyville and I just love her music.

Sooo, I began to think, just what would Liz Phair drink before or after her show?  I’m pretty sure she’s not a girlie cocktail kind of gal.  No, she be drinking like the guys.  But not beer.  Probably tequila or bourbon I figure.  So it’s time to dump Brandi (sorry girl, you were such a fine girl, but your week is over) and I reached into the cabinet for the Knob Creek bourbon.

  Liz Phair

• 2-1/2 oz Knob Creek bourbon
• 1/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
• 2 dashes Agnosturo orange bitters

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir vigorously to mix and chill.  Let the drink sit for a moment or two (OK, more like 30 – 60 seconds) to give the ice a chance to melt a bit.  Meanwhile, prep a rocks glass with an ice ball.  Strain into the rocks glass over the ice ball.

Of course Liz drinks her bourbon with an ice ball – she’s the epitomy of balls for heaven’s sake!  And the extra melt is important to help take the edge of the bourbon.  Overall, a good cocktail, although I did have to sneak up on the amount of Luxardo in it.  It has a nice kick from the bourbon a just a hint of cherry and orange flavors from the Luxardo and Agnosturo orange bitters. 

Maybe I’ll sneak back stage and make for Liz Phair tonight…or maybe I’ll just worm my way up to the front of the stage and dance my butt off instead!

Cheers!

Menage a Trois

Day 269, Cocktails 269, 270 & 271

As I was preparing tonight’s post I couldn’t help but chuckle over the thought of my favorite Seinfeld episode.  It’s the one that has Jerry dating one gal, but he’s grown tired of her and is interested in her roommate.  Jerry and George spend all night in an attempt to devise a plan for “The Switch” when George comes up with the most brilliant idea he ever had – the Menage a Trois with the girlfriend and her roommate.  The idea is that the girlfriend will turn him down and break up and the roommate will be titillated by the notion that Jerry wanted to include her.  The plan “backfires” when the girlfriend and roommate are into the idea and Jerry backs out!  That’s the point at which I start screaming at the TV, unable to believe that Jerry is passing up the opportunity of a lifetime. 

So what does that have to do with brandy cocktails?  Not much, but I do have three of them for you tonight.  So let’s get to it.

  Fantasio

• 1-1/2 oz brandy
• 1/4 oz Cointreau
• 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1 dash Agnosturo bitters

Rub the rim of a cocktail glass with a lemon wedge and then sugar the rim.  In a mixing glass combine all the ingredients with ice and stir to mix and chill.  Strain into the sugar rimmed cocktail glass.

The cocktail is excellent, I could do without the sugared rim.  I still don’t know what possessed me to do it (just because the recipe called for it doesn’t mean I will).  I ended up clearing a spot with my first few sips and sticking with that cleared path to drink from.  I’m just not a fan of salted or sugared rims.  (Spinners and rim jobs, on the other hand …).  Anyway, back to the cocktail.  It was delicious with just enough of the maraschino to provide a nice cherry flavor pop that had hints of orange from the Cointreau.  Oh, and yeah, I could also taste the brandy as well as the base for this cocktail.  Given my love of maraschino, it’s no surprise that I liked this one (Gwen thought it was too boozy).

  Cherry Blossom

• 1-1/2 oz brandy
• 1 oz kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 1/8 oz grenadine

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Another very nice, cherry flavored cocktail.  In fact, I’d have to say that this is the best cocktail I’ve ever had with kirschwasser.  By itself, I find kirschwasser (a cherry brandy, often German in origin) to be harsh with quite a bite.  In this drink, however, the lemon juice and Cointreau mellowed the kirschwasser out, leaving a lovely, almost (but not quite) cherry flavor accented by the orange of the Cointreau.  I’m sure the grenadine also helped smooth this cocktail out – and be sure to use the real stuff!

  Brandy Cassis

• 1-1/2 oz brandy
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz creme de cassis

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

This is where I should insert the photo of the really, really sour face.  Way too much lemon juice in this one, it completely overpowers the drink!  I even double checked the recipe after I made it and was drinking it (as I’m writing this) to be sure – I really thought I had made a mistake.  Sadly, I did not.  If I were to make this again I would cut the lemon juice in half or add a 1/4 oz of bar syrup.  I’d favor just cutting the lemon juice in half since even if sweetened it would still overwhelm the cassis. 

So, as Meatloaf once sang, two out of three ain’t bad.

Cheers!

Brandy, Fetch Another Round!

Day 265, Cocktails 265 & 266

There’s a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes

And there’s a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin’ whiskey down
They say “Brandy, fetch another round”
She serves them whiskey and wine

The sailors say “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea”
(dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)

This 70’s classic by Looking Glass seems as good a way as any to introduce a week of Wisconsin’s favorite, brandy.  More brandy is consumed (by far) in Wisconsin than any other state (40% of Korbel’s total output of brandy ends up here), but the bar at the hotel where one of my friends stayed did run out of brandy, along with Miller Lite.)  So with winter in full swing and several bottles of brandy in the Twilight Lounge liquor cabinet it seemed like a good time to explore this Wisconsin favorite.

  Saratoga Cocktail

• 2oz brandy
• 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 1/8 oz lemon juice
• 1/8 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1 dash Agnosturo bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a cherry.

I amped the pineapple up from 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz after making my first one.  The pineapple just seemed lost without the extra 1/4 oz.  My modified drink was good with a very complex and layered flavor profile.  The brandy, maraschino and pineapple all blend harmoniously.  Towards the end it did start to get a little syrupy sweet the way some drinks with pineapple can get, but overall I thought this was a winner.  By the way, for those of you keeping score at home I used Korbel brandy and Luxardo maraschino liqueur.

The Saratoga on the left and Pisco Punch on the right.

For my next brandy drink I decided on the Pisco Punch.  Pisco is an acquired taste.  It is a brandy distilled from white muscat grapes and has a sharp flavor to it, somewhat similar to kirschwasser.  So why choose it?  Well, I had a bottle left over from New Year’s Eve courtesy of Christian and Meredith and had some pineapple juice left from the Saratoga.

  Pisco Punch

• 2 oz Pisco brandy
• 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 2 dashes Angosturo bitters

Combine all the ingredients with 1/2 cup of cracked ice in a blender.  Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled wine glass.  Garnish with a cherry or lime slice.

I had to let this one grow on me.  This drink, although it looks frilly, is not.  Between the pisco and the bitters it is a sour son of a gun.  As I expected, it was a complete no go for Gwen.

Well, that’s it for today.  Off to watch the Packers with all my brandy swillin’ friends at Ivee’s!

Cheers!

 

It’s Martini Time

Day 192, Cocktail 190

Wednesday night marked the return of the Men’s League.  The Reverend Horton Heat at Turner Hall Ballroom was on the menu – I really like his hard driving rockabilly style and what’s not to like when you have not just a song but a whole album named It’s Martini Time? 

As usual, the first stop of the night was Bryant’s for a cocktail.  John Dye was behind the bar when we arrived and I asked for something in gin.  John whipped up a no name (read – original) cocktail that consisted of Hendricks, Aquavit (a caraway flavored neutral grain spirit), Cointreau and lemon juice.  The caraway really pops in this, giving the drink a spicy, almost peppery flavor.  It was a very interesting combination and went down all too easy.

Unfortunately, we only had time for one at Bryant’s before moving on the show.  The Reverend was fantastic, pounding out all his favorites, including It’s Martini Time, Suicide Doors and Big Red Rocket of Love. 

Cheers!