low tai'd

2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/8 oz Absinthe (Butterfly)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
6 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig (mint sprig trio in a lime wheel).

After a long bar shift two Sundays ago, I knew that I needed a good night of sleep so I began plotting out a low ABV heat-busting refresher to end my evening. After having success with the dry vermouth Mojito that I dubbed the Low Heat-O, I wondered if dry vermouth would fill in for the rums in the classic Mai Tai. To bolster the dry vermouth, I included the barspoon of absinthe and the pinch of mint leaves that worked so well in the Low Heat-O. And as I walked home, I came up with the name Low Tai'd (Low Tide) for this shim Tiki libation.
The Low Tai'd welcomed the senses with a mint nose along with hints of lime and anise. Next, a creamy lime sip fell into orange, minty, and anise flavors on the swallow.

pleasant evening

3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis (Massenez)
2 dash Peach Bitters (Fee's)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass with 3 oz dry sparkling wine (flute with 3 oz Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Two Tuesdays ago, I was in the mood for something light, so I sought out The Art of the Shim by Dinah Sanders. There, I was lured in by Andrew Mitchell's Pleasant Evening that he created at San Francisco's Rickhouse in 2009. Once prepared, the drink shared a grapefruit oil aroma with a hint of dark berry from the cassis. Next, a crisp and carbonated grapefruit and white wine sip transitioned into a black currant swallow with a peach finish.

jeff's whimsy

1 1/2 oz Bonal Quinquina
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Calvados (Boulard VSOP)
1 dash Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, I was in the mood for something light so I turned to Dinah Sander's The Art of the Shim. There, I spotted Jeff Hollinger's low proof, straight spirits number that he created for Dinah at the Comstock Saloon in San Francisco circa 2010. Since Calvados and Bonal pair so well together such as in the Messenger and Belle Star, I was definitely game to try this recipe.
Jeff's Whimsy Shim began with a lemon oil note that brightened the apple and grape aromas. Next, sweet grape with a hint of apple on the sip transitioned into the rest of the apple flavors accented with bitter herbal and spice elements on the swallow.

mum's the word

1 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
3/4 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur (Salers)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Mezcal (Montelobos)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed coupe (Herbsaint), and garnish with lemon oil.

Two Saturdays ago, I turned to Food & Wine: Cocktails 2015 and spotted the Mum's the Word. I was quite surprised that this creation by Shannon Ponche of Manhattan's Mayahuel was not a Last Word variation like the Word to Your Mom. Instead, it was a blanc vermouth-driven aperitif or shim (although the Benedictine besides the mezcal is also rather proofy).
The Mum's the Word began with lemon, anise, and white grape aromas. The grape continued on in the sweet sip, and the swallow gave forth herbal, smoke, floral, and earthy flavors with a light anise finish.

take a minute

1 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

A few Sundays ago, I stopped into Backbar on the way home from my shift for Alex Homans was the guest bartender that night. The bar's drink of the day was Alex's Take a Minute; he described the concept as something he created for when people are out drinking and want to continue their night, so something with lots of low proof ingredients to recalibrate is needed. This shim (or low proof cocktail) intrigued me for I recall how well a slight amount of Cynar worked in the Fox Hunt (and despite my need for something more in line with uncalibrating my night after getting off work).
The Take a Minute shared a lemon aroma that gave way to a light, citrussy wine sip. The swallow though was full of strawberry and earthy bitter flavors ending in an orange peel swallow.

backpedal

1 1/2 oz Pineau des Charentes (Chateau de Beaulon)
1/2 oz Byrrh or Dubonnet Rouge (Bonal)
1/2 oz Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1 dash Blood Orange Bitters (1 dash each Fee's and Angostura Orange Bitters)

Stir with ice and strain into an absinthe-rinsed (Butterfly) glass; garnish with a flamed orange twist (not flamed).

Two Wednesdays ago for the cocktail hour, I reached for The Art of the Shim and spotted one that called for Pineau des Charentes called the Backpedal. The drink was created by Shaher Misif when he was at Cantina in San Francisco back in 2013; a year later, Shaher moved here to Boston where he now works at the Highball Lounge with such drinks as the Rubberband Man on the menu. I initially skipped over the drink for I lack either quinquina option listed, both Byrrh and Dubonnet Rouge, at the home bar, but I decided to make it with a third quinquina, Bonal, that currently graces my refrigerator shelves.
The Backpedal began with an anise and orange oil aroma. A floral and grape sip gave way to bitter orange elements on the swallow with a hint of anise on the finish.

:: fred's picks for the top cocktails of 2014 (in) ::

I will complete my fifth annual trilogy of year end wrap up posts by picking out the best recipes we tried at our home bar this year. I used to also tack on the best of my own creations at the end of the post, but I think I covered that in the first part of the trilogy. Thus, this list is dedicated to the best recipes created by bartenders, living, deceased, and unknown, from around the world all brought to me at my home bar (where pants are optional).

January: The top two drinks of the month were Dee Allen's Bitter Stripper, a White Negroni variation from Gaz Regan's Negroni book, and Brian Summers' Chicago Typewriter, a Genever and rye tribute to the Thompson submachine gun that I spotted on the Bols Bartending Facebook page.

February: The month's nod goes to a drink that pre-dated the name for the Vodka Martini also known as the Kangaroo. This Kangaroo from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 is like a gussied up Puritan. For runner up, Erik Carlson's Primrose Hill (pictured below) that I spotted in Imbibe Magazine was a solid Martini variation that had aspects of the Martinez and Hanky Panky playing out (with dry vermouth instead of sweet though).
March: My mind returns to the West Indies Punch that I found in Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink; guava paste brought out aspects of Jerry Thomas' Barbados Punch, and green tea and Madeira did no harm here either. For second nod, the sherry Negroni riff the Haberdasher from Josh Harris and Scott Baird as appears in The Art of the Shim book. Also for second nod, the quirky and intense Louis Special from 1940's The How and When equal parts the gin, Chartreuse, and Benedictine in a very modern style.

April: The hands down recipe for April is Meaghan Montagano's Persephone that I spotted on the ShakeStir website; it possessed a sparkling Seelbach-Lucien Gaudin sort of magic.

May: I went classic with my top choice of the month with the Fedora that sporadically gets ordered at work. Since I have never made one of these Sidecars with the brandy split with Jamaican rum and Bourbon for the blog, I went ahead and merged recipes from Harry Johnson's 1882 New and Improved Bartender's Manual and Stan Jones' Complete Barguide. Runner up was a sadly unattributed recipe from 75th Anniversary Edition of Mr. Boston called Count Camillo's Paloma (pictured below) -- yes, a tequila Negroni lightened with grapefruit soda!
June: A tough two to pick a winner, but the Bone Machine from Jeff Lyon via Liquor.com made for an elegant Manhattan variation with sherry and a pair of herbal liqueurs as accents. For a runner up in this tight race, Doff Your Hat from David Willhite via 75th Anniversary Edition of Mr. Boston combines genever, Cynar, and Grand Marnier rather well.

July: The nod for July goes to the Seelbach variation, Handbook for the Recently Deceased, created by Timothy Miner that I spotted on the OnTheBar app; the drink's name and movie allusion does not hurt its standing either. For second tier awards, Roman Milotivy's Visionary Cocktail from World's Best Cocktails was rather good with my gin-for-vodka substitution, but it might have taken the lead for July with a dark rum sub instead.

August: Another tough month to narrow winners down, but in the end the Lizard King from Carlos Garcia and CM Almeida via the OnTheBar app had alluring funky notes in Tiki format. For runners up, there was the more classic feeling Autumn Leaves, a Jeffrey Morgenthaler recipe I spotted in the 75th Anniversary Edition of Mr. Boston , and the modern eccentric riff Haji Sling (pictured below), Ian Loh's Angostura-heavy Singapore Sling variation from Gary Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails.
September: Two Tiki recipes got my attention this month. The winner was The Valdez from Parker Girard via the OnTheBar app that he describes as a cross between a Daiquiri, Jungle Bird, and Corn and Oil. Second nod goes to a classic Tiki from Beachbum Berry's Potions of the Caribbean, namely Joe Scialom's Sol y Sombra from 1957.

October: For top dog of October, I picked Amanda Elder's Midnight Matinee from this year's Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition due to its elegance and flavor complexity. For runners up, there was Eryn Reece's Broken Oath from the Death & Co. Cocktail Book with more sherry love -- this time with mezcal and espresso liqueur. And there was the Kentucky Island (pictured below), a Bourbon tiki number from Sanctuaria, the Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars book.
November: A quirky drink from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 called the Chauncy Depew caught my attention; the best way to describe it is a sherry Japanese! With the right nutty sherry-orgeat pairing, the idea is more solid than the Japanese Cocktail itself. The runner up for November stuck with the fortified wine idea with the Vermouth Cocktail from The Only William's 1891 The Flowing Bowl.

December: Tied for drink of the month are Erick Castro's hot toddy Boulevardier riff, the Babbo's Toddy via his Instagram, and Leo Robitschek's agave-sherry drink, the Repossession via Talia Baiocchi's Sherry book. For a secondary nod approval, I picked Theo Lieberman's Third Bird via the Amaro Montenegro Facebook page; this Tiki libation riffed on the Jungle Bird but added cacao and utilized a less bitter amaro in the mix.

vermouth cocktail

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo XCI) was picked by Dinah of the Bibulo.us blog. The theme she chose was "Shims" which seemed like a great topic as aperitif-style drinks are becoming hot both in bars and in literature such as her The Art of the Shim book that came out a few months ago. Dinah elaborated on the concept by describing, "This month's topic is near and dear to our hearts as it is our favorite type of lower-proof cocktails: shims! These drinks contain no more than half an ounce of strong spirits... Heavy-hitters are fun to drink, sure, but it's way too easy to over-consume and under-enjoy when you're playing hardball. Let's stretch out our evenings and get to sample a bigger variety by lowering the proof without lowering our standards. Shims don't require giving up on flavor, complexity, or--interestingly enough--even your favorite ingredients. Get a new understanding of your favorite high-proof spirit by using just a half or quarter ounce of it along with a milder leading player. Or take a low-proof character actor that usually supplements the main show and see if it can take the lead..."
For this theme, I began to recall all of the late 19th century recipes for cups, punches, and cocktails that featured fortified and aromatized wines as the main component. And then I recalled that the last time Dinah led Mixology Monday was back in September 2008 when Bibulo.us hosted MxMo XXXI "19th Century Cocktails," so the idea had a great logical connection to the past, but blogging and spiritous, as well. One of the first books I grabbed was The Only William's The Flowing Bowl from 1891. There, I spotted the Vermouth Cocktail which appeared more like an Improved Vermouth Cocktail for it had absinthe and Maraschino in the mix. For MxMo "19th Century," I did another absinthe and Maraschino-enhanced libation -- the Improved Gin Cocktail. While I believe that Jerry Thomas was one of the first authors to publish a Vermouth Cocktail, it does not reside in my 1862 edition reprint and most likely appears in the 1876 second edition. I did spot it in O.H. Byron's The Modern Bartender's Guide from 1884 as the Vermouth Cocktail #2 with the addition of gum syrup but no absinthe. William Schmidt's Vermouth Cocktail was as follows:

Vermouth Cocktail
• 1 drink Vino Vermouth (2 1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth)
• 2 dash Maraschino Liqueur (3/8 oz Luxardo)
• 1 dash Absinthe (1/8 oz Butterfly)
• 1 dash Bitters (Angostura)
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

In the glass, the Vermouth Cocktail shared a grape and nutty cherry aroma with hints of herbal notes from the absinthe. The vermouth's grape dominated the sip, and these notes continued on into the swallow where they were complemented and accented by nutty Maraschino flavors. Finally, the swallow finished with absinthe's and the bitter's herbal spice. Overall, I commented that the combination came across a bit like a rich Madeira, while Andrea replied that it "tastes like a full-strength cocktail."

So thank you to Dinah for picking the theme to challenge us to find tons of flavor despite lower ABV's as well as for running the logistics of this month's show, and thanks to the rest of the Mixology Monday participants for keeping the barspoons stirring and the spirit of the event alive!

rhum dandy shim

1 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Rhum JM Blanc
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 tsp Cane Syrup (JM Rhum)
2 dash Absinthe

Build in an Old Fashioned glass. Stir with crushed ice and garnish with grated lime zest.
Two Saturdays ago, we began the cocktail hour by making the Rhum Dandy Shim from the The Art of the Shim book. The recipe was crafted by Craig Lane at Bar Agricole in San Francisco back in 2010 by making a lower proof version of a Rhum Dandy. Once mixed, the freshly grated lime zest contributed wonderful citrus oils to the aroma. A lime and grape sip then gave way to a grassy rhum flavor that blended elegantly into the absinthe notes. Overall, the Rhum Dandy Shim came across like an absinthe and vermouth-tinged version of a 'Ti Punch.

haberdasher

3/4 oz Amontillado Sherry (1 oz Lustau Dry)
3/4 oz Gran Classico (1 oz Campari)
3/4 oz Carpano Antica (1 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth)
3 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a glass with an ice cube or two. Garnish with a lemon twist.

After the Louis Special, I turned to a newer creation, the Haberdasher, from the The Art of the Shim book. The recipe was crafted by Josh Harris and Scott Baird of the Bon Vivants in 2011 as the house aperitif for Trick Dog in San Francisco. I was intrigued for it came across like a Sherry Negroni that decreased the gin's proofy punch via use of a lighter yet flavorful fortified wine.
The lemon twist's oils accented the fresh herbal notes from the Campari. Next, the grape flavors from the sherry and vermouth mingled on the sip, and this led into a nutty sherry swallow that ended with Campari's herbal complexity. Overall, the Haberdasher reminded me a bit of John Mayer's Bonal-laden 2011 that he created at Local 149.

:: fred's picks for the top cocktails of 2013 (in) ::

I will complete my fourth annual trilogy of year end wrap up posts by picking out the best recipes we tried at our home bar this year. While I did create a few recipes this year both at home and at work, I will tack a few of my favorite ones at the end and keep this list solely to recipes created by bartenders, living, deceased, and unknown, from around the world.

January: It was easier to pick the top 3 drinks of the month than to sort out the order. In the end, I gave the nod to the tempered Fernet Branca La Yapa crafted by Jamal Hassan from the Ox Restaurant and Whey Bar in Portland, Oregon. For runners up, the Hemingway Daiquiri and Creole Contentment-like Throw The Horns from Jeff Baumann of the beer Mecca the Prohibition Pig in Waterbury, Vermont, and the seasonal Tiki-inspired Winter Daiquiri by Mindy Kucan of Hale Pele in Portland, Oregon, get the mention.

February: For a winner, I opted for the beer cocktail version of his Michigander, namely Jason Schiffer's Detroiter from 320 Main in Seal Beach, California. For a runner up, I narrowed it down to one, the Kirkwood by Miles Macquarrie of Leon's Full Service in Decatur, Georgia; the recipe triggers thoughts of Evan Harrison's Peralta and Stephen Schellenberger's Alto Cucina.
March: Making me think of Gilda and Underneath the Volcano, Chris Lane's Broken Flower at Lolinda in San Francisco acquires March's slot. For bronze and silver (in no particular order) are Colin Shearn's equal parts number Sideways in Reverse that he concocted at Philadelphia's Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., and Yao Lu's Campari-driven Swizzle, the Witchy Woman at Houston's Anvil Bar & Refuge.

April: Chris Hannah's amaro riff on the Martinez, the Amertinez, from Arnaud's French 75 in New Orleans captivated me with both Cynar and Averna variations. Also worth mentioning are Donato Alvarez's mezcal-cucumber Going Back to Mezcali from the Sixth Engine in Washington, D.C., and the lesser known Brown Derby from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933.

May: For a pick of the month, I selected Joaquín Simó's Mutiny Suppressor from Manhattan's Pouring Ribbons; a great complexity was generated with lesser used Galliano and Amaro Nardini ingredients. For runners up, both came from Gary Regan's The Negroni book, namely Joseph Boley of Paris' Red House's variation on Sam Ross' Left Hand called the Southpaw and Kevin Burke of Denver's Colt & Gray's salt-tempered amaro Bottecchia.
June: For the win, I picked Bobby Heugel's Cortez Julep, a tequila and sherry Julep he invented at the Anvil in Houston. For place and show (in no particular order) are the rum and Madeira Fix, the White House, from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, and the Fernet-containing Champagne cocktail the Imperial Delight from 1940's The How and When.

July: The quirky sherry-containing Pimm's Cup, the Moretta Cocktail, from The Mutineer Magazine's event at Tales of the Cocktail soothed the discomfort of not being in New Orleans for the event. For second honors, the refreshing aperitif, the Queen Elizabeth Cocktail, from The How and When, and the Scotch-Madeira 91st Division from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 got selected.

August: For a pick, I went with Jacob Grier's Cognac, smoky tea, and spice Lion's Share at Metrovino. For support, there are the Honeymoon- and Scofflaw-esque Argentina from 1934 Boothby's World Drinks And How To Mix Them and the Genever-amaro-maple Western Front by Adam Robinson of Portland's Rum Club.

September: Another beer cocktail grabbed me, namely the End of Days from Saison in Richmond, Virginia, that I spotted in Beer Advocate. The Hurricane-like Wicked Wahine from Brice Ginardi of Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge in Hawaii and the soft Irish whiskey-honey-citrus-vermouth Copywriter from Steven Weiss of Craftbar in New York City share the supportive honors.
October: The Lindsey's Whimsy got the slot for the October; this light sherry and herbal liqueur recipe was created by Lindsey Baird at San Francisco's Comstock Saloon and published in The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level. Also worth mentioning is Leo Robitschek's Daiquiri variation, the Heart of Stone, from Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan.

November: I guess this month was more of a go out for cocktails and stay home for beer type of month which might have had something to do with Thirst Boston occuring during this time period. The winner is the autumnal Manhattan variation, the Autumn Sunset, from Sanctuaria: The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars.

December: Timothy Miner of the Long Island Bar in Manhattan's Sherry Duval caught my eye on the ShakeStir website with the sherry, Cynar, and maple elements. Another one from ShakeStir gets honorable mention -- the Tiki Stranger than Paradise by Jade Brown Godfrey of Manhattan's Pouring Ribbons. In addition, there was the rum-sherry-bitters Act of Faith by Dan Greenbaum of Manhattan's The Beagle and Attaboy.
My favorite creations of 2013: I narrow it down to six drinks which was tough, but I did it in pairs. Two from the "Women of the Wild West" night at the Blue Room were the pisco-Campari-cacao Stagecoach Mary that I later competed with in the Bols Around the World competition and the quirky nondiluted room temperature cocktail, the Madame Mustache. Two that I created at home for no menu in particular were the Sherry Mai Tai and a Vieux Carré variation for Mixology Monday: Flip Flop, the Cocktail à la Salle, which took it in a tequila-sherry direction. And the two that I invented at Russell House Tavern were my menu items, the tequila-Swedish Punsch Chutes & Ladders as a riff of a drink from the Café Royal Cocktail Book, and the mezcal-apple brandy herbal Downtown at Dawn (which was a progression from my Blue Room Pearl de Vere).

lightly blighty

1/2 jigger Sherry (1 1/2 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado)
1/4 Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
2 dash Grenadine (1/2 oz)
2 dash Curaçao (1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Fridays ago, I opened up Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and found the curiously named Lightly Blighty. Given the time period, the name fall into line, for Blighty is an informal and affection term for England or more commonly British soldiers of World War I and II. After having a drink from The Art of the Shim book the night before, this recipe seemed like a solid follow up. Once mixed, it offered a grape and candied orange aroma. An orange and lime sip transitioned into a nutty sherry swallow with a sweet orange peel finish. In my chosen proportions above, the Pierre Ferrand Curaçao took a larger role that I desired; perhaps reducing the amount to a quarter ounce or switching to a less intensely flavored liqueur like Senior Curaçao would work better here.

lindsey's whimsy

1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau Dry)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Benedictine
3 dash Allspice Dram (1/4 oz St. Elizabeth)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I began to flip through my new purchase of The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level. The book was written by Dinah Sanders, a long time writer for the Bibulo.us blog and an old school participant in Mixology Monday (she hosted a great 19th century-themed one back in 2008). The idea for the book was to split the difference between boozy libations and alcohol-free ones like the ones found in Natalie Bovis' Pregatinis in order to provide recipes that allow for more socialization balanced with more control of one's senses. The book in defense of the style has a variety of good quotes from famous bartenders including Pouring Ribbons' Joaquín Simó who said, "There's a lot that goes into having a good night out and being grown up about it." And Neyah White's comment, "The more that a drink is seen as a culinary experience, the less it needs to be an exercise in self-medication to be recognized as good." Overall, the book contains a good techniques section and 53 recipes that span from classics to modern drinks. Sherry, vermouth, aromatized wine, beer, sparkling wine, and liqueurs take center stage here with a good number of the drinks containing a half ounce or less of standard base spirits for backbone.
The drink I made that night was Lindsey's Whimsy created by Lindsey Baird at San Francisco's Comstock Saloon. With the dry vermouth and Benedictine, it reminded me a bit of the Chrysanthemum Cocktail, and the addition of sherry and Amaro Montenegro did not hurt either. Once mixed, it offered a lemon oil aroma over a nutty grape and sweet herbal nose. A grape-driven sip gave way to a nutty swallow with a chocolate and spice swallow.