sagerac

This month's Mixology Monday theme, "Witches' Garden" (MxMo LXXIII), was picked by Mark Holmes of the Cardiff Cocktails tumblr. Mark's challenge was, "As far back as we can look, the use of fresh herbs have been prevalent in the world of mixed drinks. From the early days of the julep, through Williams Terrington's 19th century Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks, to Don the Beachcomber's ahead of their time Tiki drinks, fresh herbs have always been at the forefront of mixology. So let's take influence from the bartenders that once ruled the world of mixology, raid your herb garden that too often gets neglected, and start mixing."

When reading over the theme's description about the herb garden, I thought about what herbs were already up. Since there was already a mint-themed Mixology Monday, I considered the thyme, chives, catnip, and sage that are already up. The concept of a tequila-sage pairing came to mind, and I set about to find a recipe to match. While I did find a recipe, it was actually created as a rye drink first, and after making both, I felt that the rye version was superior despite my predisposition to the pairing. That recipe was Jacques Bezuidenhout's sage Sazerac, the Sagerac, and after Jacques became the Tequila Partida bartender ambassador, he created the tequila variation. Note: the below recipe has been adapted and scaled down by a third to make it less of a spirit bomb.

Sagerac
• 2 oz Rye Whiskey (*)
• 1/4 oz Simple Syrup
• 3 dash Peychaud's Bitters
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• 4-6 Sage Leaves
Lightly muddle the sage leaves with the simple syrup and bitters. Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Herbsaint. Garnish with a fresh sage leaf.
(*) For the Tequila Sagerac, substitute 1 oz Reposado Tequila and 1 oz Blanco Tequila in place of the rye.

For the rye version, the sage and the Herbsaint's anise paired up on the nose to generate an almost minty aroma. A sweet, malty sip led into a rye swallow containing minty, anise, and spice flavors; finally, the swallow ended with lingering sage notes. The tequila version was not too much different, but the sip was less distinctive with only a slight aged flavor from the reposado tequila, and the swallow also began with the agave notes.
So thank you to Mark conjuring the witches but not having anyone turned into a toad during this month's Mixology Monday. Quite curious as to what other herbs people will select with for this event. Cheers!

black snake

1 1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Fizz glass. Top with 1 oz Coca Cola.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to Myers & Chang for dinner. Instead of a beer, I opted for a cocktail that I had spotted last time but passed on; this time, the combination of black strap rum, Cynar, lime, and cola was too curious to pass up. They had named the libation the Black Snake after the Chinese zodiac symbol for 2013. Cynar, black strap rum, and citrus have worked well in the past in drinks like Derek Brown's The Getaway, and Coke seemed like it would add some synergy to the mix.
The Black Snake proffered a lime and molasses nose that led into a lime and caramel sip. Most of the rum and its molasses flavors appeared on the swallow along with the Cynar-cola bitter notes. Over all, the Cynar and Coke worked rather well together, and the whole mixture came across like a more complex Kill Divil.

turn of the century

3/4 oz Kübler (or other blanche) Absinthe
3/4 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Marie Brizard)

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

Two Fridays ago for the cocktail hour, I opened up the new Food & Wine: Cocktails 2013 and found the Turn of the Century by Maxwell Britten of Maison Premiere in Brooklyn. Maison Premiere is an oyster bar with an emphasis on Champagne and absinthe, and from their two dozen absinthes, Maxwell selected Kübler to craft a variation of the 20th Century.
The lemon twist brightened the absinthe's anise aroma and prepared the mouth for the lemon sip that was softened by the Cocchi Americano's sweet wine notes. The absinthe reared itself on the swallow which finished with a hint of cacao at the end. Whether it was the recipe's balance or the choice of Kübler, I was surprised at how the Turn of the Century was rather soft for such an absinthe-forward libation.

[gens du monde]

1 1/2 oz Maurin Quina
3/4 oz Bookers Bourbon
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
4 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a snifter glass.
While I was enjoying my 2011 at Local 149, John Mayer made Andrea a Bourbon drink that was heavy on the Maurin Quina. Since it lacked a name, I later dubbed it the Gens du Monde after a book of caricatures that Leonetto Cappiello did a few years before he got famous for designing a Maurin Quina poster that is now the bottle's label. Once mixed, the drink proffered a cherry and Bourbon aroma. The cherry continued into the sip where it paired with the Amaro Nonino's caramel. Finally, the swallow began with Bourbon and bitter herbal complexity and ended with a sweet chocolate-cherry finish. Overall, I enjoyed my tastes of Andrea's drink, but perhaps the cherry could be dialed back to an equal parts Maurin, amaro, and whiskey drink.

2011

1 oz Campari
1 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Fidencio Mezcal. Twist an orange peel over the top.

For my second drink at Local 149, bartender John Mayer suggested something on the lighter side containing Bonal. Originally, he had named it an "Acquired Taste," but he later changed it to a year. I mentioned that his tribute to what was en vogue then was similar to the Bartender's Bingo that Luke O'Neil and Sam Gabrielli invented the year in between then and now. Moreover, the combination of Campari and Bonal was one that I enjoyed recently in the Streets of San Miguel.
The orange oil from the twist and the mezcal from the rinse greeted the nose. A grape sip shared a hint of orange, and a nutty, gentian, and Campari swallow rounded out the drink. Regardless of the year slapped on to the name, these flavor combinations still hold up rather well.

sock drawer sexuality

1 1/2 oz Luxardo Amaretto
3/4 oz Siete Leguas Añejo Tequila
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Thursdays ago, Andrea and I ventured over to South Boston to pay bartender John Mayer a visit at Local 149. For a first drink, John recommended a drink that he had been tinkering with; he had riffed off of a recipe of his called the Rest Stop by substituting amaretto for the St. Germain, and adding tequila to the mix. For a name, he called it the Sock Drawer Sexuality which made me think of Clio's Mary's Sock Drawer. John did remind me that his wife is a sexuality teacher, so ideas like Magic Wand Malfunction are just common topics of conversation at home. The Sock Drawer Sexuality also reminded me a little of No. 9 Park's Diversionary Dam given the liqueur-Angostura combination.
The Sock Draw Sexuality began with the amaretto's almond aroma. The amaretto continued on into the sip along with the lemon and into the swallow where it mingled first with a glimmer of the tequila and then the dry wave of Angostura spice. The balance of amaretto with bitter and citrus here also made me think of Trina's Starlite Lounge's Suze-E-Q.

elysian fields

2 oz VS Cognac (Pierre Ferrand 1840)
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Peychaud's Bitters
1/2 oz Orange Juice

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

Finally, after the Countless Night, I wanted a nightcap so I picked up the new Food & Wine: Cocktails 2013 and found Chris Hannah's Elysian Fields that he created an Arnaud's French 75 Bar. With a decent but not overwhelming portion of Peychaud's Bitters balanced by Yellow Chartreuse, Maraschino, and orange juice, I was definitely intrigued by this Cognac drink. I am split as to what might have influenced Chris to name this drink the Elysian Fields more. On one hand, I figured that he named it after the street in New Orlean's Marigny that runs parallel to Frenchman (and also home to the Mixoloseum's bed & breakfast in 2010); on the other hand, Chris has shown an interest in Greek myths before such as with his Thamyris. In mythology, Elysian Fields are the final resting places for the heroic and the virtuous people's souls.
Once mixed, the lemon twist joined the Cognac aroma and hints of Maraschino and Peychaud's anise. An orange and cherry flavored sip gave way to a Cognac and Maraschino swallow with a dry herbal finish. While the orange juice seems to donate a bit of smoothness here, it did seem to make the Yellow Chartreuse rather subtle in the drink.

countless night

1 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1/2 oz Fernet Branca

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

After the Archipelago Swizzle, I was really excited to chose a drink from Gary Regan's new The Negroni; while I got my copy through the Boston Shaker store, it is available at Amazon via the link above. In the book, besides my absurdist layered Knickroni, are drinks from Boston legends John Gertsen, Brother Cleve, Will Thompson, and Domingo-Martin Barreres, as well as other great bartenders across the country and world. For a starter, I picked Matt Seiter's Countless Night that he crafted at Sanctuaria in St. Louis. In this variation, he split the sweet vermouth into an intriguing combination of Fernet Branca and Bonal while holding everything else the same.
The Countless Night's oils from the orange twist colored the herbal aromas. A grape and somewhat caramel sip led into a gin swallow that showcased the Campari cross with Fernet's menthol-laden bitterness. With the Fernet and Bonal, the balance came across as drier than a regular Negroni despite what is probably a slightly higher sugar content.

archipelago swizzle

2 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup (BG Reynolds)
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum

Build in a Collins glass, add crushed ice to fill, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with a large bouquet of mint bound with a thin lemon twist and with 3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters. Add a straw.
Two Wednesdays ago, we began the evening with a drink that Colin Shearn created at the St. Charles Exchange in Louisville for the Bols Drink Around the World competition this year. I do not know whether I am a bigger fan of Swizzles or Colin Shearn's recipes, so when the two were in one, I was definitely game. Once mixed, the mint and lemon from the garnish joined the falernum and bitters' clove aroma. Next, a lemon and malt sip led into the Bols Genever flavors that were softened by the vanilla syrup. Towards the end of the drink, the bitters garnish entered into the taste profile and the Swizzle became rather dry and ripe with clove and allspice notes.