fifteen mile flip

2 oz Butter-infused Berkshire Mountain Distiller's Corn Whiskey (*)
1 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 barspoon Amaro Ramazzotti
1 Egg

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a wine glass and garnish with 3 drops of Fee's Aromatic Bitters.

(*) Butter-infused whiskey: Melt 8 oz butter in a saucepan, and heat on medium flame until the butter has turned golden brown. Add browned butter to a bottle of whiskey, and let sit for 6-8 hours. Freeze the whiskey-butter mix, and strain through cheesecloth.

The final course at Lineage's cocktail-paired dinner last week was an intriguing and delicious dessert of Anson Mills' grits with sweet corn ice cream and pine nut brittle. To accompany the dessert, Lineage's head bartender Ryan Lotz presented the Fifteen Mile Flip. When I first heard the name, I wondered if it was a combination of a 12 Mile Limit combined with the 3 Mile one in flip format. But alas, Ryan had named the drink after what the Berkshire Mountain Distiller sales rep had told him. He was told that all of the corn for the whiskey had been grown within 15 miles of the distillery; however, Chris Weld, the distiller, later informed him that it was a 3 mile radius, so perhaps the Fifteen Minute Flip would be more accurate of a name. For a starting point of the drink, Ryan used his Butterscotch Flip that had been on the Lineage menu and swapped out the Cognac for the Berkshire Mountain whiskey as the butter-carrying vehicle.
Indeed, the corn in the whiskey (90% corn, 10% barley in the mash) and the butter in the fat wash complemented the corn and ice cream in the dessert. The Fifteen Mile Flip's nose was vanilla from the housemade syrup and cinnamon from the Fee's Aromatic Bitters on top of the egg froth. The sip was rich, sweet, and malty with a hint of bitterness on the swallow from Ramazzotti liqueur.

puritan's punch

1 1/2 oz Berkshire Mountain Distiller's Ragged Mountain Rum
3/4 oz Spiced Honey Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

(*) Spiced Honey Syrup: Muddle 14 cardamom pods and 5 cinnamon sticks. Combine with 5/8 cup finely chopped ginger, 32 oz clover honey, and 32 oz water water (5 fold scale down: 3 cardamom pods, 1 stick cinnamon, 1 oz ginger, 6 oz honey, 6 oz water) in a sauce pan. Bring to just under a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes with frequent stirring. Let cool, strain through cheesecloth, and bottle.

The second dish at Lineage's "Endless Summer" cocktail-paired dinner was a combination of heirloom tomatoes from Ellery Kimball's farm, Island Creek Oysters, cucumber, and daikon. I cannot tell you about the oysters for I got a saladized version, but Andrea and the other diners seemed to enjoy them. Kevin Martin of Eastern Standard matched this dish with his drink, the Persil, using Berkshire Mountain Distiller's Ice Glen Vodka. With a name like Persil -- the French for parsley -- we knew Kevin was going to take an herbal route. He matched the vegetable aspect by using fresh tomato water and the oyster aspect (I assume) by lemon juice, Tabasco, and salt.

The Persil
• 1 1/2 oz Berkshire Mountain Distiller's Ice Glen Vodka
• 3/4 oz Heirloom Tomato Water
• 3/4 oz Parsley & Tabasco Syrup
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 pinch Salt
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

In essence, Kevin created a Bloodless Mary. While I cannot say how it paired with the shellfish aspect of the dish, it was an enjoyable savory cocktail in its own right. My notes say that it "smelled like a garden (in a good way)." Recipes for how to make tomato water exist, but you are on your own in figuring out the proportions of the parsley and Tabasco syrup.

The third course starred Bobby McCoy of the upcoming Island Creek Oyster Bar, and it was no surprised that he picked Berkshire's rum (although he surprised me with his gin drink at the Bartenders on the Rise event in March). Bobby paired this drink with a tea-cured duck breast, Cortland apple, baby turnip, and cilantro dish, but I can only speak of how well it went with the cavatelli (when the waitress asked if this substitution was okay, I enthusiastically said yes, since I have greatly enjoyed Lineage's pan-fried cavatelli before).
The Puritan's Punch was essentially a spiced Honeybee (rum, lemon, honey akin to the gin-based Bee's Knees). The punch's nose was a delightful nutmeg and honey aroma. Next, the sip had a grandly rich mouthfeel from the honey and was not overly sweet due to the drying effects of the lemon juice. Finally, rum and spices were notable on the swallow to round out the drink.

the native rose

1 1/2 oz Berkshire Mountain Distiller's Greylock Gin
1/2 oz Royal Combier
1/2 oz Mint Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
5 drop Rose Water

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a mint leaf.

Last Wednesday, Andrea and I attended a cocktail-paired dinner at Lineage in Brookline. The bartender line-up included not only Lineage's Ryan Lotz, but the Franklin/Citizen's Joy Richard, Eastern Standard's Kevin Martin and Jackson Cannon, and the future Island Creek Oyster Bar's Bobby McCoy (presently still at Eastern Standard). The drinks that night were all made with Berkshire Mountain Distillers products -- their gin, vodka, rum, and corn whiskey; distiller Chris Weld was there as well, and I had a chance to talk to him about his distillery and future projects including their Bourbon that has been aging in barrels for a few years now.
The drinks that night started with a Rooibos tea-laden punch that Jackson Cannon whipped up. It was the perfect thing to take the edge off of my post-drive angst -- the traffic was pretty horrific as gamenight travelers to Fenway tied up the roads until we finally made it into Allston. After a bit of mingling with the other dinner guests, we took our seats for the food was going to be served soon. The first dish was late summer melons from Stillman's Farm served with sheep's milk feta, radish, and Thai basil. Joy Richard matched this dish with a cocktail using Berkshire Mountain Distiller's Greylock Gin. The Native Rose started with a mint aroma with floral hints. The sip was crisp, citrusy, and slightly herbal such that it matched the melon appetizer quite well.

[mokulele flip]

1 1/4 oz Bernheim Straight Wheat Whiskey
1 1/4 oz Rum, 3 Year (Caribbean)
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Heavy Cream
1 Egg

Shake once without ice and once with. Double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish the froth with Tiki Bitters.

For my second drink at No. 9 Park last Tuesday, I asked bartender Ted Kilpatrick for an egg drink and allowed him to improvise. Ted decided to head in a Tiki direction; while he did use rum, he took an interesting turn by using an equal part of wheat whiskey. It seems odd, but I have had other whiskey Tiki drinks that were successes including Drink's Creole Fizz (well, part Sazerac, part Tiki), LUPEC Boston's Ken-Tiki, and one version of the classic Suffering Bastard (the other version is a Cognac one).
The Tiki Bitters that floated on the egg and pineapple froth contributed greatly to the aroma of this drink. The sip was malty from the Burnheim whiskey and the swallow was mainly pineapple. Overall, the drink was relatively dry and contained a good deal of richness from the egg and heavy cream. As the drink progressed, the Tiki Bitters integrated into the flavor of the drink especially as a cardamom note.

bishop

2 oz Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc
3/4 oz Claret (Château de Respide, Grave Rouge 2006)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Last Tuesday, Andrea and I were in the mood for cocktails so we made a trip over to No. 9 Park where bartender Ted Kilpatrick was presiding. For my first drink, I ordered the Bishop off of the menu. While Jerry Thomas' Bishop does not contain red wine, later versions of this drink include it in along with the rum. For a rum-wine pairing, a rather minerally rhum agricole, Neisson Blanc from sugar cane grown on volcanic soil, was matched with a Grave Bordeau known for its flinty minerality. Ted described the drink as "juicy and dry" and the "closest thing to sangria [that No. 9 would have on its menu]."
The Bishop's nose was full of lime oil and rhum agricole funk and grassiness. Indeed, the drink was very minerally, and it was akin to a Daiquiri enriched and dried out by red wine and Angostura Bitters. Moreover, it was surprising how well the wine's tannins and the lime flavors coupled.

coctel noz de coco tropical

2 oz Fundador Brandy or Cognac (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Maraska)
1 - 1 1/2 oz Coconut Cream (1 1/2 oz Goya)
Juice 1/2 Small Lime (1/2 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
2 Maraschino Cherries (Luxardo)
1/2 cup Crushed Ice

Frappe in a blender and pour into a tall glass. Instead of using a blender, I muddled the cherries and added rest of ingredients. I then shook with ice cubes and double strained into a glass filled with crushed ice.
The drink I wanted to make the other day from Baker's South American Companion: Up & Down the Andes with Jigger, Beaker, & Flask had to be delayed since it required a shopping trip to purchase some coconut cream. Actually, Baker provided a recipe to make the cream from a coconut, but I took the shortcut and went with store bought. The drink I picked, the Tropical Coconut Cocktail, was served to Baker at the Fabulous Rio Jockey Club in Brazil. To make up for taking the shortcut on the coconut cream, I eschewed the blender methodology for some old fashioned muddling, shaking, ice crushing, and fine straining. Perhaps the texture of the ice was different, but the flavor should be otherwise the same. The sip was filled with funky cherry and coconut flavors that were followed by lime and brandy's richness on the swallow. Indeed, the Maraschino notes added an interesting flavor twist to this delightful tropical concoction.

red ant

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse 100)
1/2 oz Kirschwasser
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1 barspoon Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
[1/2 tsp Cinnamon Syrup (*)]
2 dash Mole Bitters (Homemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or 3 (Luxardo Maraschino) speared on a cocktail pick to resemble an ant.
(*) Note that Imbibe in 2010 did not include this and thus I made it that way here, the 2014 Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktail Book later included it.
For a cocktail on Sunday, the Red Ant in Imbibe magazine had caught Andrea's eye, and indeed, it would make good use of our newly purchased bottle of mezcal. The Red Ant was created by Thomas Waugh when he was at the Alembic in San Francisco (he is now at Death & Co. in New York). He named the drink after the Rio Hormiga Colorada or Red Ant River in Oaxaca, Mexico, which flows through the land where mezcal is made. Waugh called for a three cherry garnish to represent the body parts of an ant, and it reminded me a bit of Camper English's Olive Centipede, albeit a less sinister one.
The Red Ant's nose was a combination of cherry, rye, and mezcal aromas. Cherry and rye flavors appeared on the sip, mezcal on the swallow, and chocolate as an aftertaste. The Cherry Heering did donate a full mouthfeel, but overall, the drink was pretty dry due to the rye and other ingredients.

pisco-apricot tropical

2 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
Juice 1/2 Small Lime (3/8 oz)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 - 1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (3/8 oz Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Last Friday, I wanted to try something a little bit more tropical than the Georgetown Club Cocktail from Charles H. Baker, Jr.'s South American Companion: Up & Down the Andes with Jigger, Beaker, & Flask. The pisco drink I found was made for Baker at the Lima Country Club in Peru. The pineapple juice was listed as optional but it seemed like it would make a delightful addition; furthermore, Baker listed alternatives for the apricot liqueur including Curaçao, Cointreau, peach liqueur, or either Chartreuse. We chose to stick with the apricot; however, the idea of yellow or green Chartreuse in this drink seemed like it would definitely score as a win. The drink started with a lot of pisco aroma with some pineapple and apricot notes. I was impressed at how aromatic and flavorful the Macchupisco was especially compared the bottle of César we had just finished. The pisco and lime juice did a good job of drying out the drink such that it was pleasant but not overly sweet. Moreover, I was a little surprised that the pineapple and the apricot flavors were hard to differentiate in the mix, but they did help contribute to the Pisco-Apricot Tropicál's round fruity flavor.

defensio

1 oz La Favorite Rhum Agricole Ambré
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth

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

For my after dinner cocktail at Rendezvous, Scott Holliday wanted to make me a drink that his sous-chef Ben came up with. It was a take on the Lucien Gaudin Cocktail that they found in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails where the gin was substituted for an aged rhum agricole. Lucien Gaudin was a famous fencer in the 1920's, and they named the variation the Defensio after the Latin root for fencing.
The Defensio started with an orange and Campari nose with hints of the rhum agricole peeking through. Cointreau and the rhum appeared on the sip followed by a bitter swallow from the Campari and an aged funk of the La Favorite. Like the Lucien Gaudin, the pairing of orange liqueur and Campari had a wonderful synergy, but the rhum in the Defensio added a funkiness and minerality to the mixture that worked rather well. The mineral element paired with the Campari shifted the conversation to another spirit we were just discussing, Chinaco Blanco Tequila. We surmised that it would work just as well in a Lucien Gaudin or perhaps a Negroni variation.