mask of zorro

1 1/2 oz Spanish Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
3/4 oz Dry Sherry (Lustau Dry Oloroso)
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Galliano Ristretto)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup (BG Reynolds)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with a letter 'Z' made with drops of Angostura Bitters.
Two weeks ago, the theme for Mixoloseum's Thursday Drink Night was "action movies," and I was inspired to do a Spanish-themed one in honor of the Mask of Zorro. I did not originally picture the drink as an egg white one; however, I became obsessed with leaving the mark of Zorro as a garnish, and egg white froth made the perfect canvas. Once mixed, the Angostura garnish's allspice notes filled the aroma. The sip was a rich, creamy grape, and the sherry continued on into the swallow as a nutty note along with coffee, cinnamon, and spice flavors. Initially, the Mask of Zorro started out more coffee-driven but became more cinnamon forward over time.

irish mermaid

1 3/4 oz Irish Whiskey (Knappogue Castle 1995)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Aperol
1/4 oz Orgeat (BG Reynolds)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist and a cherry (either a black brandied one reduced with Cherry Heering or a Luxardo Maraschino one).

On Wednesday last week, I decided to make Max La Rocca's Irish Mermaid that he created at Barcelona's Ohla Hotel bar. While the Irish part was understandable from the spirit choice, Max explained the curious part of the name as a "homage to the statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen which is where Cherry Heering liqueur comes from." The mermaid was sculpted in 1913 in honor of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, and it soon became an iconic landmark in the city.
The Irish Mermaid greeted the nose with orange oils and Irish whiskey's soft malt notes. The Aperol combined with elements of the cherry liqueur to conjure an almost sweet vermouth like flavor on the sip. Next, the swallow began with the Irish whiskey followed by a delightful pairing of cherry and almond along with lingering spice notes. I was impressed at how well such a small amount of orgeat stood out in the drink perhaps due to being mixed with such a soft spirit.

a murder of crows

1 1/2 oz Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett Wine
2 oz Bertagnolli Grappa di Amarone
1/4 oz Lebanese Arak
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top and discard.

The other drink that bartender Ted Kilpatrick wanted to make for me was another of his wine explorations. This one was using a German Riesling from a special part of the Mosel region called the Spice Garden of Ürziger. The region's steep, red-soiled vineyards impart a spicy, tropical fruit, and earthy flavor to the wines. To complement these spice notes, Ted added Lebanese Arak; once mixed, the spirit's mild louching reminded him of a foggy night in London which might be how the drink got its ominous name.
The Murder of Crows offered a light lemon oil on top of a floral-pollen aroma with vegetal notes. The white grape flavors filled the sip, and the swallow showcased the return of the funky pollen note along with an anise finish.

bridge of sighs

2 oz Marco Bonfante Brachetto d'Acqui Sparkling Wine
1 oz Angostura Bitters
3/4 oz Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake the bitters, cacao, and juice with ice. Strain into a wine glass with the sparkling wine and gently stir to mix.
After the Martin Miller event, I made my way over to No. 9 Park where bartender Ted Kilpatrick greeted me. The drink he suggested was the Bridge of Sighs featuring an intriguing sparkling wine from the Piedmont called Marco Brachetto d'Acqui. The recipe was spawned from two guests at the bar who had studied at Cambridge University in England. They had described to Ted the Bridge of Sighs -- a covered bridge built on campus in the early 19th century. Often, the sighs came from the students who crossed the bridge to get their grades from the tutor's office. The brooding aesthetic of this academic landmark set the tone for the drink. The wine itself is a lightly effervescent, raspberryish red wine that traditionally is paired with chocolate and often spoke about around Valentine's Day. Besides the link of the wine with the cacao ingredient, Ted also found similar notes with Angostura Bitters which helped to fortify the drink with its hefty proof.
The Bridge of Sighs offered up an allspice, cherry, and chocolate aroma. The lightly carbonated lemon and chocolate sip had an intriguingly dry and thick mouthfeel. When chilled, the swallow showcased the Angostura's spice followed by a clean finish; as the drink warmed up, the clean finish transitioned into a lingering clove and allspice one.

the berry essence

1 1/2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/2 oz Dry Sack Medium Sherry
1/8 oz Boiron Raspberry Purée (sub 1-2 muddled raspberries)
1/8 oz Boiron Blackberry Purée (sub 1-2 muddled blackberries)
1/2 oz Boiron Blood Orange Juice (sub fresh)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
2 dash Orange Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice, add ice, and shake again. Double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a fresh raspberry and a rosemary sprig.

Tuesday last week, I was invited to attend a Martin Miller event held at the Back Bay Social Club to promote their gins here in Boston. In attendance was the delightfully eccentric Martin himself whom I had met at Tales of the Cocktail in 2009 when he hosted a bloggers' cocktail hour in 2009. And to further the Tales of the Cocktail connection, behind the bar was Miami's Freddy Diaz whom I had met the next year when he was promoting Dos Maderas Rums with the El Quijote and other cocktails. One of the drinks Freddy made with Martin Miller's gin was the Berry Essence which recently took first place at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America convention in Las Vegas.
The Berry Essence greeted the nose with a raspberry and rosemary aroma from the garnishes. The fruit notes continued into the creamy, tart sip that contained berry, orange, and grape flavors. Finally, the gin along with a citrus peel note wrapped up the swallow. While I expected the drink to be a lot like the Clover Club, the extra flavors from the sherry, blood orange, and perhaps other ingredients took the drink in a different direction.

florodora

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Raspberry Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Build in a Highball glass filled with ice. Stir to mix and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a lime wedge and add a straw.
(*) Green Street's raspberry syrup is only lightly sweetened and less sugary than a 1:1 simple syrup. Perhaps with a sweeter raspberry syrup, a 1/2 oz would be better here.
After Brick and Mortar, we crossed Mass Ave and paid a visit to Green Street Grill. There, bartenders Derric Crothers and Philip MacLeod were presiding over yet another Stout Sunday. Instead of beer, I asked Derric for the Florodora. The name makes reference to the Florodora Girls who were six singing and dancing ladies who started in London in 1899 before moving to Broadway in 1900. Over seventy girls who fit the specification of being 5 foot 4 inches tall and 130 pounds filled the spots over the years; since these pretty and petite girls were the object of much adoration, much of the attrition was due to male admirers, often rather wealthy, who persuaded them to leave the show. In fact, each of the original sextet snared a millionaire. As David Wondrich relates in Imbibe!, the drink was created one night after a performance. One of the sextet refused anything except for lemonade, unless it was something brand new created for her. Jimmy O'Brien was cited by the New York Evening World as the barman who created this Highball for her in 1901.
The Florodora's bright hue did not contradict its gin and fruit aroma. The carbonated lime sip was followed by gin and ginger flavors on the swallow. Moreover, the raspberry appeared as a lingering tangy note on the finish. Even with the color, it was still not the most femme looking drink I have had at Green Street; those honors go to the frothy, pink, and delicious Clover Club also made with their raspberry syrup. After the Florodora, I returned to an old favorite, the New York Flip, and updated the writeup with a photograph.

guelaguetza

1 3/4 oz Del Maguey Crema Mezcal (*)
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (white)
1/4 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
(*) substitute 90% mezcal (here Del Maguey San Luis del Rio Single Village Mezcal) and 10% agave nectar. This would be approximately 1 tsp agave nectar to 1 1/2 oz mezcal.

Two Sundays ago, we decided to visit a few bars in Central Square. We started at Brick and Mortar, and the Guelaguetza on the menu caught my eye. After bartender Kenny Belanger had made me one, I spoke with bar manager Misty Kalkofen about the cocktail's history. Misty had created the drink for a class she did at Barbara Lynch's Stir, and she named it after the Mexican tradition of reciprocity of gifts and services which was important in keeping tight-knit communities. Moreover, the Guelaguetza is an annual festival in and around Oaxaca that involves costumes, parades, and food to honor the survival of this community custom.
The Guelaguetza greeted the nose with a smoky mezcal aroma that was complemented by light chocolate notes. The lemon sip was followed by a smooth mezcal and cacao swallow that contained hints of herbalness. Indeed, I was impressed at how the sweetness from the crema mezcal and the liqueurs rather mellowed out the drink.

broken english

2 oz Gin (Cold River)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi Vermouth di Torino)
1/2 oz Strega
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1 barspoon (1/8 oz) Benedictine
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

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

After the Black Demure two Saturdays ago, I decided to try a challenging drink by Colin Shearn in Gary Regan's Annual Manual for Bartenders 2011 called Broken English. Colin created this cocktail at Philadelphia's Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company, and I knew from experience that his risky looking recipes turn out incredibly well. The Infernal Architect from Beta Cocktails and the Always Crashing the Same Car were but two examples of that.
The Broken English began with a grapefruit oil aroma that allowed some herbal elements to peak out from underneath. Next, the sip showcased the sweet vermouth's grape along with hints of citrus, and the swallow contained the gin and a medley of bitter complexity. Surprisingly, the drink did not stand out as a Fernet Branca or Strega cocktail which was odd since they are usually domineering and distinctive flavors. And overall, the Broken English was certainly not a train wreck but rather elegant in its balance, and it definitely made for a delightful nightcap.

the black demure

2 oz Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Crème de Mûre (Marie Brizard Blackberry Brandy)
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a Old Fashioned glass containing fresh ice. Garnish with a blackberry.

For Cinco de Mayo/Derby Day, Campari's PR group delivered a basket containing the new Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon, Espolón Tequila, and of course Campari. Inside was also a pair of recipes; one was for Eric Alperin's Bebida de Puebla which we made last year for Cinco de Mayo, and the other was for the Black Demure by Clover Club's Ms. Franky Marshall.  Since we lacked crème de mûre, I was almost going to put the recipe aside until I realized that we had blackberry brandy which might work in a pinch. Crème de mûre does have a deeper, richer flavor, so in retrospect, perhaps we should have doubled the volume of the blackberry brandy and decreased the simple syrup amount.
The Wild Turkey Bourbon's aroma greeted the nose along with a fruit note that was almost peach-like. The citrus elements from the lemon juice and orange liqueur joined the whiskey's malt notes on the sip, and the swallow began with the Bourbon's heat and the blackberry flavors and ended with a tart finish.