the quick & the bitter

3/4 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The first of the Blue Room's Whiskey & Amari nights featured the bartending duo of Tyler Wang of No. 9 Park and John Henderson of Scholars and soon of Fort Point's Tavern Road. Andrea and I chose a pair of drinks from Tyler's half of the menu for our first round and a pair of drinks from John for the second. While Andrea selected one of Tyler's drinks, the Triumph of Pompei, that I had tried at No. 9 Park a few months ago, I opted for one of his new ones called The Quick & The Bitter. At first I figured that the drink was a riff on the movie that was playing that night, but "The Quick & The Dead" is a more modern movie and was not the one on the television screen. Instead, that movie was "A Fistful of Dollars."
The S. Maria al Monte's menthol joined the syrup's cinnamon notes on the nose. A lemon, grape, and caramel sip was followed by a swallow that began with rye. Next, the swallow offered an herbal flavor that was smoothed out by the sweet lemon and ended with a minty finish.

gloom lifter

1 jigger Irish Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Knappogue Castle)
1/2 tsp Brandy (1/4 oz Foret)
Juice 1/2 Lemon (1/2 oz)
1/2 spoon Sugar (omit)
1/2 pony Raspberry Syrup (1/2 oz)
1/4 pony Egg White (1 Egg White)

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

After the Lankershim Fizz, I still had lemon juice left over, so I began to peruse the Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book for a good use of it. The one I spotted was an Irish whiskey and touch of brandy version of the gin-based Clover Club called the Gloom Lifter. Since the Clover Club is one of my favorite egg white drinks, I decided to give this variation a try.
The whiskey contributed to the Gloom Lifter's aroma along with a vague fruit note from the lemon and raspberry. The malt and lemon on the sip was joined by a tart berry note, and the whiskey led off the swallow that ended with a raspberry finish. The whiskey seemed to take the drink in a different direction than the Clover Club such that it was less raspberry and citrus driven.

lankershim fizz

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a Fizz glass containing 2 oz soda water, garnish with a lemon peel, and add a straw.
Two Saturdays ago, we started the evening with a Silver Fizz that I had spotted in Imbibe Magazine called the Lankershim Fizz. The drink was concocted by Marcos Tello and Aidan Demarest at the Bow & Truss in Los Angeles. Lankershim was the earlier name for North Hollywood from the late 19th century until 1927. The Fizz offered up a lemon aroma with hints of gin on the nose. Next, a creamy, carbonated sip contained lemon and grape flavors, and the swallow was all about the raisiny sherry and the gin's botanicals.

brandy champerelle

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo LXX) was picked by Stewart Putney of the Putney Farm blog. The theme he chose was "Inverted" based off of his enjoyment of Julia Child's upside-down or inverted Martini that goes very heavy on the vermouth. Stewart began to ponder the term, and he wrote, "What does 'inverted' really mean? Well, here is the definition, 'To turn inside out or upside down; to reverse the position, order, or condition of.' Hmm... it appears that the definition is pretty broad. It seems that 'inverted' really just means something 'flipped on its head.' And that can mean almost anything, and leaves plenty of room for creativity... You can invert the ratios of spirits, liqueurs or bitters in a cocktail, but we suggest you go beyond that and 'invert' whatever you want. Spirits, name, ingredients, proof, color, geography, garnish and glassware are all fair game... The only thing we expect is the unexpected. Have fun."
Having just come down from a burst of creativity from the menu items I crafted for the Women of the Wild West night that I bartended at the Blue Room earlier in the week, I decided to see what recipes were already in the historical literature. Actually, it was my wife who was looking through 1869 Cooling Cups & Dainty Drinks, and one of us spotted the Brandy Champerelle. With equal parts of brandy, curaçao, and bitters, it seemed pretty inverted to me. The Brandy Champerelle appears in Jerry Thomas' 1862 The Bartender's Guide: How To Mix Drinks in a very similar format save for the measurements being "1/3 small glass" each and calling for specifically for Bogart's Bitters. It gives very little in the way of instruction which is why some books have it as a stirred drink and others have it as a layered drink à la Pousse-café such as in Harry Johnson's 1888 Bartender's Manual. The Cooling Cups & Dainty Drinks version was a stirred one, and that format held more interest to me in terms of flavor and the theme. Moreover, I had already made a layered Champerelle a few years ago from Boothby's World Drinks and How to Mix Them.

Brandy Champerelle
• 1 wineglass Brandy (3/4 oz Foret)
• 1 wineglass Curaçao (3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry)
• 1 wineglass Bitters (3/4 oz Angostura)
Stir with ice and strain into a glass.

Essentially, this recipe was an inverted Fancy Brandy Cocktail with the otherwise minor orange liqueur and bitters ingredients given the same volumetric weight. The only regret is that I had run out of lemons, for a lemon twist seems like it could set up the drink rather elegantly. Without a twist, the aroma was orange and spice. The sip began rather orange when the drink was cold, but as it warmed up, it became more cherry from the Angostura Bitters. Finally, the swallow offered the brandy and the bitters' allspice and clove. Overall, it was surprisingly refreshing, and the balance of orange liqueur to bitters reminded me of the Dragon's Mouth that I had at Beaker & Flask in Portland. Moreover, the combination made me think of the Genever-based Red Light from Beta Cocktails.

So thank you to Stewart for not only hosting this month's Mixology Monday but picking such an interesting and abstract-yet-approachable theme. Cheers!

up to date

1/2 Sherry Wine (1 1/4 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso)
1/2 Rye Whiskey (1 1/4 oz Rittenhouse 100)
2 dash Grand Marnier (1/2 oz)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After the Tiger Lily two Friday's ago, I opened up my reprint of Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks and found the Up to Date. I remembered spotting the drink in the PDT Cocktail Book before, and they opted for a manzanilla sherry, different proportions than I used, and added a lemon twist. Perhaps the lemon twist would be a great addition, but I think that my choosing a darker sherry worked better with the rye for my tastes. In retrospect, perhaps Lustau's East India Solera sherry would have been a good selection too albeit in a less funky, nutty, and old school feeling way.
The sherry in the Up to Date dominated the nose, and this worked with the Grand Marnier to almost come off with a hint of Maraschino from the oloroso's nuttiness and the Grand Marnier's fruit. A dry grape and malt sip was followed by the rye whiskey and the nutty sherry on the swallow. Finally, the drink ended with a spiced orange finish.

fannie porter

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
3/4 oz Nardini Bassano Amaro
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

Another of the drinks that Katie Emmerson created for the Whiskey & Amari Night at the Blue Room was the Fannie Porter. The formula was one that she had tinkered with in the past, and I had a gin version at the Hawthorne that she called the Young Blood. This time, the recipe used rye whiskey and chocolate bitters, and the combination perhaps worked even better than the gin. For a glimpse of Fannie's life, I'll repost what I wrote on the Facebook event page:

Another of the amazing women that Katie and I will be honoring on Monday is Texas madam Fannie Porter. Wait, did I say madam -- er, the U.S. census listed her establishment as a "boarding house" and not a brothel. So perhaps she was a famous landlady instead? Besides the five ladies that lived there, they also sheltered quite a few outlaws on the run; famous and often frequent visitors included Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, and other members of the Wild Bunch gang. She not only protected her girls but her outlaws as well.

Fannie was born in England but traveled with her parents to the U.S. at an early age. By age 15, she was already working as a prostitute in San Antonio, Texas. Her business acumen brought her to owning her own brothel by age 19 or 20 that was always filled with attractive girls with excellent hygiene and immaculate appearances. There was some turnover through the years since there was a good bit of matchmaking going on as outlaws would fall in love with the women.

Fannie was pretty well connected and ran her establishment without too much interference from the law. She was arrested once for "vagrancy" which is a police-speak for prostitution. It is surmised that it might have been linked to the time she chased a policeman from her establishment and threatened to beat him senseless with a broom.

So if you decide to partake of the libation bearing her name, we will use the utmost discretion for any and all occurrences that night. And hopefully, we do not have to chase you out with a broom.

The last drink that Katie crafted for the event was a tall drink, and it was the perfect option for anyone looking for something either refreshing or without bitter liqueurs. The special touch was a Rangpur lime marmalade that she had made that week. From the Facebook event page:

"I ain't afraid to love a man, I ain't afraid to shoot him either."

One of the most famous women we're honoring tomorrow at the Blue Room is Annie Oakley. Born Phoebe Ann Oakley Moses, she was shooting like a pro by the age of 12. Her time in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show included such acts like shooting a playing card the thin way and shooting ash off of a cigarette while it was being smoked. Through her career, Annie worked to empower women by teaching over 15,000 of them to shoot guns, not only for the exercise but as a way to defend themselves.

If you're looking for scandal, there was the 1904 story published about her getting arrested to support her cocaine habit. Unfortunately, it was a burlesque performer who told the police that her name was Annie Oakley, and the newspapers took off with the story. The real Annie spent years winning libel lawsuits but only breaking even with legal fees.

Instead of posting a besmirching quote and fearing Annie's vengeance, here's an uplifting one: “Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.”

Just don't do too much shooting after the first or second of the drink named after her...

The recipe for the Annie Oakley was:

Annie Oakley
• 1 1/2 oz Blended Scotch
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
• 1 heaping barspoon Rangpur Lime Marmalade
Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass filled with ice. Top with soda water and add a straw.

calamity jane

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Amaro Abano
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with 2 orange slices and ice. Double strain into a cocktail glass.

One of the drinks that my partner-in-crime, Katie Emmerson from the Hawthorne, created was a tribute to Calamity Jane. That night in service, I used the mnemonic of Calamity Gin to remember which recipe the name referred to. For an amaro, she opted for Luxardo's Abano, but the ingredient that got the most praise was the ginger syrup which was freshly juiced ginger with sugar. People figured that the "ginger" in the ingredient list was a more subtle ginger liqueur, although that would work in a pinch here. My favorite part of the recipe was the inclusion of two orange slices in the shake that reminded me of Sam Ross' Too Soon?. While I only got to straw taste the drink and thus have no written tasting notes, people seemed to enjoy this libation tremendously that night. Instead, I can offer my notes from the Facebook event page:

Another of the drinks on Monday the 11th is named after Martha Jane Canary, or more specifically after her nickname Calamity Jane. Back in the day, women were not allowed to do certain jobs; therefore, Martha began to dress in men's clothing and built up a reputation as a hard drinker (see the event photo of her) who could out swear, out spit, and out shoot any man. She became a solider to explore the Black Hills and during an Indian ambush, she gained the name Calamity Jane when she rescued her injured captain and brought him to safety.

Her colorful life included nursing the victims of a smallpox outbreak in Deadwood, but it was joked that those that she cured would end up with other diseases as a crack about Calamity working a brothel or two amongst her many other professions. After her time saving stage coaches, swimming across rivers to deliver communications, and the like, she became a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show -- at first as a sharp shooter and horse rider, but later as a storyteller. This lasted for a bit with the stories getting bigger each time until she was fired for her frequent drunkenness and the antics that followed.

She led a good life and for that we should toast her! And she got her dying wish -- to be buried next to Wild Bill Hickok, a man she was infatuated with but would not return her affection. The drink named after her is spicy, rich, and complex and Calamity Jane wouldn't want it any other way.

Besides the ginger syrup, Katie also prepared a pineapple syrup for pineapple as many darker amari pair quite well with it. She was running low on time, and I recommended a choose-your-own (or bartender's choice) amaro Fix. For a recipe, she based it off of the Fernet Fix and figured out that Averna was one of her favorites in this combination. The biggest fan perhaps was Deep Ellum's Max Toste who ordered this drink a few times with a different amaro each drink. For a name, she wanted something trampy -- someone from the Wild West who got around (given the open nature of the recipe). For a name, Katie opted for Kitty Leroy who was performing in dance halls and saloons by age 14. By age 15, she was married for a brief time; the marriage failed for she was promiscuous and too wild. Later, she became a card dealer and often dressed in men's clothes. After becoming a skilled gambler and then a saloon owner, she was on to her third husband. The two of them got into an argument and she attacked him; when he would not fight back and strike a lady, she returned dressed in men's clothing and attacked again. This time with a gun, and she shot him dead. Actually, he was not her husband then and not quite dead yet, but they got married in the few days left in his life after the incident. A little bit of prostitution, gambling, and another two husbands before one of them shot her dead. To make this promiscuous drink:

Kitty Leroy
• 2 oz Amaro
• 3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Fill with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with berries in season.

diddlin' dora

1 oz Dry Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur

Build in a Highball glass, fill with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with an orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg.

The fourth drink I created for the Women of the Wild West night was one to fulfill the tall drink category. Instead of a Highball, I decided to do a Cobbler; the sherry, vermouth, and Pimm's all seemed to take to Fernet Branca rather well which aided in fitting in with the Whiskey and Amari theme. To bolster the Pimm's that was losing out slightly to the grape products, I added a little Maraschino to bring out more of the Pimm's fruit notes. For a name, I decided to honor Dora DuFran, or more specifically one of her four brothels. I think that night during service, people enjoyed ordering the drink for the name alone -- Diddlin' Dora, and the tasty Cobbler that came with it was just a bonus. Here is what I wrote on the Facebook event page as a teaser:

One of the drinks on the 11th is a tribute to Dora DuFran, one of the most successful madams in the Wild West. She started her life in the West as a dancehall girl, and once the Gold Rush hit, she became a madam and moved her way up to owning four establishments in different cities. My favorite of the bunch was called Diddlin' Dora's and the sign on the right is a reproduction of an advertisement for that establishment. Diddlin' Dora's advertised itself as "Three D's -- Dining, Drinking and Dancing -- a place where you can bring your mother" although one cowboy commented that, "I wouldn't want my mother to know I had ever been there." Luckily, this tribute will be something you might not mind telling your mother about...

The nutmeg and orange twist notes filled the Diddlin' Dora's aroma. The grape sip contained some berry notes, and the swallow offered a nuttiness from the sherry and Maraschino and a light menthol and herbal finish. Refreshingly light yet flavorful.

stagecoach mary

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1 pinch Salt

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

Jumping over to the last drink I created for the Blue Room's Women of the Wild West-themed Whiskey and Amari Night is the Stagecoach Mary. I will do the fourth drink tomorrow, but I figured that this pink and chocolaty drink is the closest I will come to a Valentine's Day recipe, so I might as well print it early. One of the amari that had not received any love in the night's recipe collection was Campari, and the pairing that I eventually focused on was Campari and crème de cacao which worked so well in the Carletti. I wanted to tone down the Campari a touch, so I added a pinch of salt to the recipe. After trying a few base spirits, Pisco seemed the best match for the funky salt-smoothed Campari-cacao combination, and the drink was perhaps influenced by Love Makes You Feel 10 Feet Tall. I think I picked Stagecoach Mary because I figured that I needed to take a break from women engaged in the more sinful professions for one in a more honorable one. For some history on Mary, here is what I wrote up for the event:

No, not all of the women we were honoring on the 11th earned their money through illegal trades, but some like Mary Fields a/k/a Stagecoach Mary had honorable jobs. Mary was the first African-American employed as a mail carrier in the United States, and the second woman to work for the United States Postal Service! Born as a slave, she was freed after the Civil War and made her way West to Montana to work which led her to an Ursuline nunnery as a laborer. Part of Mary's job was to haul goods and materials to the nunnery by horse-drawn wagon. While she lost the job getting into a shootout with a co-worker that gave her grief, it led to her carrier as a mail carrier at age 60 for she was the fastest candidate to hitch 6 horses. She gained a reputation for delivering the mail no matter how bad the conditions were, and protecting it with her guns and accurate aim.

When Mary wasn't working, she was a hell of a woman and hellraiser. At 6 foot 200 pounds, she fit right in with the tough frontier life. Sporting a 6 shooter and a flask of whiskey in her apron, a cigar in her teeth, and a large bore shotgun, she took no shit. With her short temper, she was known to let fists fly, and the Great Falls Examiner claimed that she broke more noses than any other person in central Montana. In fact, she had a standing bet until her death at 82 that she could knock out any man at the bar with a single punch for some money and whiskey.

"She was one of the freest souls to ever draw a breath or a .38."
- Gary Cooper

And for that, we should raise a glass! And hope that we don't give the ghost of Stagecoach Mary the wrong kind of look.

Once mixed, the Stagecoach Mary's twist contributed bright lemon oils that mingled well with a fruitiness from the pisco. A richness from the cacao paired with the vermouth's grape notes. Next, the funky pisco was followed by the less bitter Campari-chocolate combination on the swallow.