Manhattan, a delcious variation

Seriously, it is nearly 5 AM. Why am I still up? Because I am a fool, screwing around on the 'net rather than getting some sleep. I'm just now getting a bit sleepy. Anyway... didn't make my first drink until about an hour ago. A Negroni variation using Aperol instead of Campari. Why? It was a closer reach, and I was curious. Very tasty, and possibly appealing to those who find Campari too bitter. I wanted to make another, when I realized I was out of Gin. I grabbed the bourbon, and figured, let's see what happens.

What happened was deliciousness!

Manhattan

1.5 oz Old Granddad Bonded Bourbon

.75 oz Sweet Italian Vermouth

.75 oz Aperol

Since Aperol is somewhat of a bitter, I decided not to use any. Worked out perfectly. In essence, ad 1:1 Manhattan. It is a nicely incorporated drink that also allows each component to be detectable.

Now I'm sleepy.

Le Printemps Cocktail

From an unlikely source, the Metro, in an article on Lillet, comes this wonderful aperitif, Le Printemps cocktail. (Not a true cocktail, of course; is it a rickey?)

Le Printemps

2 oz Lillet (blanc)

1/2 oz Lime juice

1/2 oz Simple syrup

4 fresh Mint leaves

3 slices Cucumber

Muddle all but Lillet. Add ice and Lillet. Shake, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cucumber slice, and a mint leaf.

The article mentions being able to drink one at Bobo, in NYC, but I am uncertain whether it is a Bobo creation. Doing a search on the drink returned no results.

Perfect Stranger

I watched a not-good movie last night starring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis - Perfect Stranger. Typical of bad writing, they call too much attention to something that will be obviously used later. In this case, a "Hemingway Daiquiri."

The all-too-obvious scene has Berry rambling off the ingredients as:

The Perfect Stranger Hemingway Daiquiri

2 oz Light Rum

1 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Simple Syrup

A dash of Grapefruit juice

A float of Grenadine

Whoa, really? One whole ounce of simple syrup? And what's with those huge glasses? This isn't a Frozen Daiquiri! Or is it? Traditionally, yes, but Halle makes no mention of technique other than the ingredients.

So... how should this drink be made? Consulting Mr. Boston's 2009 guide... The Hemingway Daiquiri is otherwise known as a...

Floridita #3 (or sometimes just as a Floridita).

2 oz White Rum

3/4 oz Lime juice

1/2 oz Grapefruit juice

1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Seems more reasonable. As for the Maraschino, I am assuming they replaced that with grenadine, which people are more likely to know.

The drink was named after a famed Hemingway hangout, El Floridita in Havana, Cuba. According to The Hemingway Cookbook...

3 oz Bacardi of Havana Club Rum

2 Limes worth of juice

1/2 a Grapefruit worth of juice

6 drops Maraschino Liqueur

Blended with cracked or shaved ice.

Frequent Flyer

I picked up a new gin today. Being on a limited budget at the moment, I've been exploring cheaper gins such as Gordons, Gilbeys, Seagrams, and today Burnetts ($8.99). For the most part, they all work in a cocktail. I have yet to find a BAD one. I think the major issue is the proof, with most of the cheaper ones being only 80, making for a more flabby, less crisp drink.

But, with each new purchase, my first test is an Aviation. I made one with the Burnetts, and it was serviceably fine. Not great, not awful. When making, I accidentally used 1/2 oz Maraschino instead of 1/4 oz, so double all of my other ingredients to make a double. I poured one, and put the other in the freezer.

While sipping the first one, the oddness of the cocktail hit me. See, I have always liked the Aviation, but honestly, as not much more than a novelty act of a bygone era. For me, the Creme de Violette and Maraschino have always seemed at odds, like siblings from different marriages forced to live under one roof as a new family. This is when I had my A-Ha! moment. Not related to my previous post, as I was sipping the Aviation, it dawned on me that it begged for a touch of Apricot liqueur.

I finished the first Aviation, and then reached into the freezer to pull out the excellently chilled waiting one. I proceeded to do a float of French Apricot liqueur (over a spoon).

Wow. What a revelation. The apricot brings the two siblings together, as if all three were born of the same parents, but just have radically different personalities.

In tribute to the Aviation, I am dubbing it...

The Frequent Flyer

2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur

1/2 oz Lemon juice

1/4 oz Creme de Violette liqueur

1/2 oz Apricot liqueur

Stir in a mixing glass with ice. Pour, then float Apricot over a barspoon, into the glass.

Rum & Apricot Experiment

I just recently ran out of several major base alcohols. So, I did an improv.

2 oz Gold Rum (used Flor de Caña)

1/2 oz Dubonnet Red

1/2 oz Lime juice

1/4 oz Apricot liqueur

1 dash Simple syrup

It is quite good but rough and needs a little work. Maybe I should shake it with a spoonful of Apricot jam.

A lot potential. I am going to figure this one out. Maybe Applejack instead of rum.

To be continued...

Martini - Variation

Watching a movie on NetFlix Instant Watching, and finishing the evening with a "Martini." I personally believe it to qualify as a Martini.

1.5 oz Gin

.75 oz Noilly Prat dry vermouth

2 dashes Angostura Orange bitters

1 bar spoon Gomme Syrup

1 bar spoon Dubonnet Rouge

1 large swath Lemon peel

Very tasty. A lovely rosé color. And still a Martini.

19th Century - Japanese Variaton

Quick post. Concocted this when I sniffed my bottle of shochu and thought of how much like bananas it smelled. Which clicked off the idea of chocolate and banana.

Ni Ju Densha

2 oz Shochu

1/2 oz Lillet Blanc

1/4 oz Creme de Cacao

1/4 oz Lime juice

1/4 oz Gin

1/4 oz Raw Agave

Very tasty. Reminded me of something I'd find at PDT, flavorwise. Oddly, the flavor also reminded me of saké and pears. This fascinates me a little bit because 16+ years ago, as an uninformed 20-something, somehow the idea of saké and pear clicked in my head when I was visiting Brooklyn. It was a genius combo. Nowadays, it isn't an uncommon pairing.

I should note. For now, I am calling it the Ni Ju Densha. Which literally, though incorrectly, means, "19 Train." I am calling that for now as it is essentially a variation of the 1937 Twentieth Century Cocktail which was named after the new Twentieth Century Train.

Angostura Sour

From the title, one would probably guess that I am referring to Angostura Rum, not Bitters. But it is indeed Angostura Bitters.

It is a "rogue cocktail" from the guys at Cure in New Orleans.

Angostura Sour

1.5 oz Angostura bitters

.75 oz Lime juice

1 oz Simple syrup

Egg white

Dry shake the egg white and lemon juice. Add ice, the shake hard. Strain into a coupe.

Sound gut wrenching? I thought so too. But this sucker is delicious. Seriously. I wouldn't drink more than one at a sitting. It is very flavorful, and cocktails very little alcohol.

I think it helps me have a better understanding of Angostura. I will have to explore cocktails using more than a few drops or dashes.

Perfect Head

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were at Audrey Saunder's Pegu Club having perfect drinks made by the venerable Del Pedro. During our inebriated discussion, my friend mentioned not being able to get a nice foamy head on egg based drinks. I asked him to explain his method, and it sounded right to me.

Since them, several of the egg based drinks I made disappointed, not in flavor, but in the lack of distinct separation of frothy foam from the rest of the ingredients. I was perplexed, as I remember achieving a nice balance in the past. I wondered what was wrong, but didn't give it much thought.

The mystery revealed itself this evening, as if it was guided to me, my hand forced.

See, I am going through Ted Haigh's Vintage Cocktails and Forgotten Spirits, trying to pick off each of the 100 drinks. I've probably gone through a third of them so far. Tonight's drink was...

The Secret Cocktail

1.5 oz Gin

1/2 oz Apple Jack

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

1 Egg White

2 dashes Grenadine

I combined all of the ingredients over ice in a 16 oz shaker tin, realizing, "Oh, no!" I forgot to do a dry shake. I was tempted to strain and go for the dry shake, when I decided just to shake vigorously, more so than usual. When I strained it into a coupe, I noticed a distinctly different texture than my previous egg silvers. And it suddenly struck me that this was going to separate into a beautiful foam. I was right.

So, what was going on? It seems that only within the past several months did I discover the dry shake, a tip recommended by many to help emulsify the egg white more easily. But it seems that the dry shake may work a little too well, and prevent a perfect head.

Now, I have one more test to do to see if my theory is correct, which it may not be. But, it is too late now to do any loud shaking. See, after reading an article on shaking by Alex Day and Eben Klemm, I decided not to fill the tin full of ice, but rather on 5 or 6 cubes. So, it might be this rather than the absence of dry shaking. I will follow up tomorrow.

My Best Improv Drink Ever

In my previous post, I mentioned picking up a bottle of Aguardente Antioqueño, and my moderately successful try at an Junior Merino drink, Maiz + Aguardente.

Antioqueño is a bit like Sambucca, anise, and Absinthe, though drier, not syrupy, and milder. While I was sipping the drink, I looked up at my bar, and a light went off that it would pair well with Cruzan Black Strap Rum. Several hours after dinner, I took a shot at making something up, And it turned out beyond my expectations. Even while I was pouring various liquids together, I was thinking, "What the hell am I doing?" but somehow knew it was the right direction.

Black Strap Apple Jack (tentative name)

3/4oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum

1/2oz Flor de Caña Gold Rum

1/2oz Laird's Apple Jack

1/2oz Batavia Arrack

1/4oz Cherry Heering

1/4oz Velvet Falernum

2 barspoons Aguar Antioqueño

1 barspoon Yellow Chartreuse

1/2oz Lime juice

1/4oz French Orgeat

Macondo NYC

This past Saturday, my wife and I stopped at Macondo after seeing Chan-Wook Park's amazing new movie, THIRST. Macondo is a Latin restaurant/bar, with interesting mixed drinks created by Junior Merino. Merino worked at Rayuela, which is from the same owners. Incidentally, he also created the drinks menu at Tequilas in my hometown Philly. I didn't go there often, even though it was a block away. I wasn't into tequila back then, and it was always too crowded. And, I was never impressed with their drinks. Junior must have helped them out since I moved to the NY area.

Too cut a long story short, I had an interesting drink at Macondo.

Maiz + Aguardiente (proportions unknown)

Corn and Sage, muddled

Scorpion Mezcal

Aguardiente Antioqueño

Pineapple juice

Lime juice

Shaken, and poured over ice.

The flavor was fascinating, and unique. Almost a perfect Brazilian-style drink. Except in execution. The bartender seemed to half know his trade. His shake was no more than 3 seconds, and rather than straining the drink over fresh ice, he dumped it all into the old fashioned glass. He was a nice guy, and the food looks good, so I will definitely go back.

Today, by chance, when picking up a bottle of Gin, I noticed a bottle of the Antioqueño, along with other Aguardente, on the shelf.

I tried to recreate the drink this evening, and got about 70% there. I need to work on the ratio.

Fried Chick Peas

Food, you ask?

Yes, bar food. Each years' Food and Wine Cocktails Guide has an end section with bar food from various establishments from around the U.S. Flipping through the 2009 edition last night, I noticed a recipe from Boqueria Soho in Manhattan. My wife loves the Boqueria near Flatiron Lounge, a little ways uptown, so I thought it was a no-brainer to try this fairly simple recipe.

I won't go into the prep and cook details, but here are the ingredients.

Chickpeas (canned)

Canola oil

Chikpea flour

Smoked Spanish Paprika

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Ground Coriander

Salt

Flat-leaf Parsley

Chives

Basil

Lemon wedges

Being a bar snack, I added a little extra salt to make it almost too salty, which is perfect with a crisp beer. The beer happened to be Gaffel kölsch, an effervescent style.

Tomorrow, I am going to make the Shrimp Salad Sliders from Julie Reiner's Clover Club in Brooklyn. (I am not picking NY establishments on purpose -- I am going by what looks tasty, and what ingredients I have on hand.)

Raw Agave Daiquiri

So, it is 4 am. I hate to admit, I had drank too much today, but don't feel the slightest tired. WTF? However, one good thing has come out of this. A delicious new daiquiri using raw Blue Agave syrup. The best of the day, so I am happy to be finishing up with it. It is stunningly good.

Raw Agave Daiquiri

2oz Aged Rum (used Barbancourt 8)

Juice of one whole (small) Lime

1/2oz Raw Agave syrup

Shake, and pour into a chilled coupe.

One of the most enjoyable mixed drinks I've made lately. The raw agave gives it an impressive complex malty, depth. No doubt that the agave will work well in a Margarita.