Futility Cure

Germantown, WI – December 18, 2011

Well, another 3 hours of watching the futility known as Cleveland Browns football.  The game started well enough with an opening touchdown drive that featured the bruising, no nonsense running of Petyon Hillis.  I actually felt like the Browns offense may have found a groove today between Hillis and his punishing running style and the athletic Seneca Wallace at quarterback getting the ball downfield to the Brown’s receivers. 

After that opening drive I decided to have a cocktail, and even though I want to feature gin over the next couple of weeks, I was inspired to have rye whiskey by watching Hillis.  Rye seems to match Peyton’s straight forward style of play.  Here’s what I came up with.

  Peyton Hillis

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 1/8 oz bar syrup
• 1 dash of orange bitters
• 1 lemon slice

In a rocks glass muddle the lemon slice with the bar syrup and bitters.  Add 5-6 ice cubes and the vermouth and rye and stir.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Mmm, I do always like the combination of orange bitters and rye, and I did again in this cocktail.  It is a takeoff on a traditional old fashioned, using lemon for a brighter taste than the orange in an old fashioned. 

Unfortunately, as I sipped my new cocktail creation I was again treated to the sight of the Browns unable to maintain their edge and losing yet again.  At least the cocktail was good!

Cheers!

Just Peachy

Saturday, May 7, 2011

I’m sure by now you know that Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby yesterday.  And I’m nearly as sure that if you had any interest in race at all that you had a mint julep while you watched it, wearing your best party hat, of course.  Gwen and I also settled in to watch the race, and yes, she did have a party hat on.  We also had mint juleps, but not your traditional julep.

Juleps were originally developed as medicinal “tonics” to cure whatever might be ailing you during the 15th century.  A mixture of herbs, sugar and water, eventually alcoholic ingredients such as brandy or Cognac were introduced.  Over time mint became the herb used in juleps and then in the late 1800’s Kentucky bourbon become the choice of liquor to use.  Thus, the modern mint julep was born. 

As with most classic cocktails, there are certain standards and controversy about how to make a proper mint julep.  If you really want to be proper you will use a silver julep cup.  Using a julep cup allows the outside surface to become frosted over from the ice in the cup and adds a touch of elegance.  However, if you don’t have a julep cup (I don’t) you can use any tall cocktail glass.  I used a collins glass for mine on Saturday. 

The second point of contention in the making of a mint julep is just where and how the mint is used.  Some will simply garnish the julep with a large bunch of mint leaves extending from the top of the glass.  This presentation gives you a nice scent of mint with each sip of the julep.  Others will muddle the mint in the bottom of the glass before adding the ice and bourbon.  And what do I do?  Why, both of course! 

I do enjoy a good julep, especially on Derby day.  However, this year I decided to make a variation of the mint julep to provide a bit more flavor.  Here’s my recipe for a Peachy Mint Julep.

  Peachy Mint Julep

• 5-6 mint leaves
• 1 bar spoon powdered sugar
• 1/4 oz Stirrings Peach Liqueur
• 4 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon

In the bottom of a collins glass gently muddle the mint with the sugar and peach liqueur.  Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the bourbon.  Stir to mix and chill using a bar spoon.  Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves extending above the rim of the glass and serve with a straw.

The Stirrings Peach Liquer adds just a hint of peach flavor and sweetness to complement the mint and the charcoal, smokey notes of the Maker’s Mark.  This is particularly a good way to get your non-bourbon drinking friends to try a julep since it is a bit mellower than a traditional julep.

Cheers!

I Lost My Virginity Last Night!

Day 341, Cocktails 344 & 345

Saturday night and it was, yet again, another NID night.  This month’s theme was Brazilian food, which meant cachaca was on the cocktail menu.  I’ve never had cachaca before, so I lost my cachaca virginity last night, as did everyone else there!

Cachaca is known as Brazilian rum, although the similarity to the rums we are used to from the Caribbean ends with the fact that it is distilled sugarcane.  It is generally distilled in pot stills and is not aged, leaving it fiery bite.  In fact, when I tasted the 51 brand of cachaca I was reminded more of pisco than I was of rum.  Extremely popular in Brazil, you can start to find cachaca in local liquor stores here in the US.

I was assigned the task of making two cocktails that used cachaca.  Here they are:

  Caipirnha

• 4-5 lime wedges
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 oz cachaca

In the bottom of a rocks glass muddle the lime and sugar until the sugar has dissolved in the lime juice.  Fill the glass with ice and then the cachaca.  Stir and enjoy.

This cocktail has a definite bite that the sweetened lime juice doesn’t completely tone down.  It has a fiery element, just like the dancing in the streets you’d see during Carnivale!

  Batida de Coco

• 2 oz cachaca
• 1/2 oz bar syrup
• coconut milk

Combine the cachaca and bar syrup in a shaker with ice.  Shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a collins glass filled with ice cubes.  Add the coconut milk and stir.

To my suprise, the coconut taste is mellowed out nicely by the cachaca and sweetness of the sugar (I am not a fan of coconut and this is the first recipe I’ve done with it).  Sweet and creamy, this was a nice compliment to the bite of the Caipirnha, and went much faster among the diners.

These two cocktails, along with some great Brazilian food made for a fun evening…in fact I seem to remember Gwen and Jenny on the bar (again) before the night was over!

Cheers!

Blood and Sand Reprise

Day 108, Cocktails 108 & 109

If Hollywood can make no less than three versions of the movie, I figure I can try three versions of the cocktail.  From the first sip of the first effort at the Blood and Sand I knew that, ultimately, this is the version I’d come up with.  Kind of like a love at first sight thing, do you know what I mean?

Those of you who know me well (that means you Stoffel) will say, duh, of course you were going to end up there.  Even you semi regular readers should not be suprised.

So just what the heck am I babbling about anyway?  Why, the use of Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur in place of the cherry brandy, of course.  That oh so tart maraschino flavor is perfectly complemented by the sweet vermouth and orange juice, with the smokiness of the scotch sitting in the background, nice and mellow.  I can just see the scotch, sitting in a wing backed arm chair, smoking a pipe, trying to decide which of his two loves, sweet vermouth or maraschino liqueur, to go home with.  Aw, heck, take ’em both home!

  Blood And Stan

• 3/4 oz scotch
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 3/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 oz orange juice

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and enjoy – no garnish necessary.

For the record, I’ve been using Cutty Sark scotch for all these variants.  Feel like something bolder?  Try Laphroaig instead to amp up the peat and smoke flavors.

I’m glad I got that out there and off my chest.  Really, I’ve been thinking about this cocktail since last Saturday!

Round two tonight was a cocktail for Gwen that was inspired by the show “Drink Up” on the Cooking Channel.  Yes, I know that one cooking network wasn’t enough and that we needed another.  At least these guys have shows about cocktails!  It was also helpful that I was able to use a couple of ingredients fresh from the garden.  Really, I mean fresh, as in about 2 minutes from being picked to being in the cocktail!  That’s one of the neat things about summer – there are so many truly fresh ingredients that you can work with right out of your own bar garden.

  Basil Collins

• 2 oz Hendricks gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz bar syrup
• seltzer water
• 3 cucumber slices, about 1/8″ thick
• 1 orange slice, about 1/8″ thick
• 1 basil leaf

In a mixing glass combine the cucumber, orange, basil and bar syrup.  Gently muddle.  The key here is gentle – you want to leave the basil, orange and cucumber relatively intact while extracting the flavors that each contains.  Add several ice cubes, the gin and lemon juice.  Pour back and forth between two mixing glasses several times to mix.  Finally, pour into a collins glass and top with seltzer water.  Garnish with an orange slice or wedge.

Yet another light, refreshing summertime cocktail.  The fresh basil and cucumber work very well together and with the citrus flavors.  The gin is there, but not overpowering at all.  Mix one up and let me know what you think – or better yet, let me know about your twist on this one!

Cheers!