hallelujah

1 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Aged Rhum Agricole (Vale d'Paul)
1 tsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Grenadine
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Saturdays ago, I opened up the new May/June issue of Imbibe Magazine and spotted the Hallelujah presented by Thad Vogler of Trou Normand in San Francisco. Thad adapted a 1929 recipe from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s The Gentleman's Companion that Baker acquired from his friend Max Bilgray of Colon, Panama, who owned the Tropic Bar and Cabaret. At Bar Agricole, Thad utilized Armagnac as the brandy instead of the original's Cognac. Using Spanish brandy here (a decision I made before I knew the Armagnac and Cognac options of the adaptation and the original, respectively), the Hallelujah proffered lemon aromas over barrel-aged caramel brandy notes. On the tongue, a grape tinged sip was accented by lime and pomegranate flavors, and the swallow began with brandy and grassy rums and ended with an orange and spice finish.

it's raining men

1 1/2 oz Zacapa Rum (Diplomatico Exclusiva)
1/2 oz Rainwater Madeira (Blandy's 5 Yr Verdelho)
2 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a Collins glass with ice.
Since I already had opened up the pineapple juice, I decided to make the winning recipe from April's ShakeStir New England competition that had been announced earlier that day. The drink was called It's Raining Men which was in line with the April showers contest theme, and this egg white number was created by Kayleigh Speck of the Grange in Providence, Rhode Island. With dark rum, Madeira, and pineapple juice, this libation seemed like it would be quite flavorful and refreshing. Once prepped, the It's Raining Men offered a pineapple aroma that led into a creamy pineapple sip. On the swallow, the caramel-driven aged rum, Madeira's dark grape, and the bitters' spice came through to donate quite a bit of character.

soldadera

1 oz Mezcal (Montelobos)
1 oz Blanco Tequila (Piedra Azul)
1/2 oz Averna
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Royal Combier (Grand Marnier)

Build in a wine glass and stir to mix without ice. Garnish with 3 mists of Angostura Bitters (glass pre-rinsed with a dash or two) and a flamed orange twist (not flamed). Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.
Two Fridays ago, I specifically bought pineapple juice to make a drink I spotted on the Del Maguey Mezcal site's recipe collection. The drink I was lured in by was Bobby Heugel's The Brave that he created early at Anvil Bar & Refuge and remains on the list to this day. I was partially drawn in to the recipe not just because it was a room temperature cocktail, but one that also included fruit juice in the mix; the only other one I had was the Pequod Sour from the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book. After I made the drink and put it on Instagram, Bobby commented back that the recipe was an error and there was no pineapple juice whatsoever.

The Brave
• 1 oz Mezcal
• 1 oz Blanco Tequila
• 1/2 oz Averna
• 1/4 oz Royal Combier
Build in a wine glass and stir to mix without ice. Garnish with 3 mists of Angostura Bitters and a flamed orange twist. Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.

I was a little dismayed that I had made the wrong drink due to the misprint, but the results were rather delightful especially with how the pineapple worked well to tie together the rich caramel notes of the amaro and the earthy spiciness of the agave spirits as well as soften the spirits' heat. Indeed, the erroneous drink had taken a life of its own. For a name, I kept the concept of "brave" and the Mexican origin of the distillates and dubbed this the Soldadera after the female soldiers who fought alongside the men in the Mexican Revolution. Not to let this fortuitous blunder slip unwritten, here are my tasting notes. The Soldadera began with clove, smoke, and orange oil aromas. Next, the sip offered that great pairing of caramel and pineapple, and the swallow began with smoke, agave, and pineapple flavors, and ended with an orange peel note from the liqueur.

sea dog

2 oz Sercial Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Mole Bitters
2 Orange Twists

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Wednesdays ago, I was flipping through Food & Wine: Cocktails 2013 and spotted the Sea Dog created by Kirk Estopinal of New Orleans' Cure and Bellocq. While I previously skipped over this simple recipe in the book's liqueurs and fortified wines section, my interest in Madeira has increased given my bar's Colonial focus on brandy, rum, and said fortified wine. I envisioned this drink more in Cobbler format as they would do at Bellocq, but I made it in a rocks glass as described instead of the more traditional Cobbler's tall glass and a straw. Once built, the Sea Dog's lemon twist brightened the drink's presentation and preceded the grape with orange-noted sip. Finally, the swallow was a bit more complex with dried fruit and chocolate aspects.

the idle class

1 oz Aged Rum (Plantation 5 Year Barbados)
1 oz Dry Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho) (*)
1 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
1 barspoon Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
(*) Sercial or Verdelho would work best. Read more about Madeira styles here.

Two Mondays ago, I began to ponder what I could make with the new bottle at work, Amaro Ramazzotti. Looking through the various Ramazzotti recipes on the blog, I honed in on Ben Dougherty's Chaplin that he created at ZigZag in Seattle. I first learned of the Chaplin when Katie Emmerson at the Hawthorne made me Alex Day's riff La Viña from Death & Co. From the original, I took the Bourbon and dry sherry and swapped them for aged rum and dry Madeira and kept everything else the same. For a name, I dubbed this one The Idle Class after one of Charlie Chaplin's movies from 1921.
The Idle Class began with a lemon oil aroma over a dark grape note at first that later became more candied orange. The amaro and rum's caramel came through on the swallow along with a dry grape element, and the swallow showcased the rum, orange, and more caramel flavors with a clean, high acid finish.

the king's mistress

1 1/4 oz Tequila (Espolón Blanco)
1 1/4 oz Pineau des Charentes (Chateau de Beaulon)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Saturdays ago, I was inspired by my work-bar getting in both Pineau des Charentes and Floc de Gascogne which are unfermented grape must fortified with Cognac and Armagnac, respectively. The sweet grape juice and the spirit's ABV puts both of these contenders in the same ABV as other Lillet Blanc (16-22%) but somewhere between Lillet and triple sec in sweetness. One of the first Pineau des Charentes cocktails that I made at home was the Pompadour from Frank Meier's 1934 The Artistry Of Mixing Drinks which pairs the Pineau with rhum agricole and balances its sweetness with lemon juice. The Pompadour in question was an old brand of Pineau des Charentes called for in the classic recipe. As a starting point for a riff, I decided to switch the rhum to tequila since I have not tinkered much with it since I crafted the Chutes & Ladders. While the Pineau des Charentes did a great job bridging the gap between rhum agricole and lemon juice, I figured that I could relieve it of some of its chores by switching to a more complementary lime juice here. And the whole mix seemed like a good candidate for some orange bitters as well.
For a name, I honed in on the Pompadour. While I could not make a great drink name connection to the hairstyle itself or the defunct liquor brand, there was a famous Madame de Pompadour who was a member of the French court. She was trained from childhood to be a mistress and later rose to being the official chief mistress of Louis XV. Therefore, the King's Mistress seemed like a good homage to all her hard work advising the king, organizing his schedules, and making nice with the queen! Once mixed, the cocktail offered tequila and floral notes. Next, white grape and lime on the sip gave way to tequila with a clean, mineral grape finish.

:: mixology monday announcement ::

MxMo XCVII: I'll Take Manhattan!

With no volunteers for May, I'll step in again to host Mixology Monday to keep this feline wrangling party going. The month of May usually makes me think of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic which had been running strong since 2009. Unfortunately, the event was sold off after the 2014 event and the new buyer dropped the ball on things this season. Also on my mind is that I will be finding myself in Manhattan next week on either side of attending Gaz Regan's Cocktails in the Country a bit more upstate. With previous Mixology Monday themes of Martinis and Old Fashioneds, why not Manhattans?

Turning to David Wondrich's Imbibe! for some historical reference, he bandied back and forth about possible creators and locales for this classic's creation. Perhaps it was created many places and many times, for sweet vermouth was the new hot ingredient of the 1870s and 1880s as St. Germain was in 2007 and 2008 (and arguably even to today). Wondrich quoted from the anonymously penned 1898 Cocktails: How To Make Them, "The addition of Vermouth was the first move toward the blending of cocktails." In my mind, the Manhattan takes the Old Fashioned one step further. Not only does it replace the sugar with sweet vermouth, but this sweetener ties its herbal notes to those of the bitters and its spice notes to the barrel-aged whiskey (especially rye whiskey) as well as the bitters again. Furthermore, the addition of a hint of fruit and caramel flavoring is a welcome addition to the mix (I will not directly draw any link to the vermouth's fruit and the cherry garnish though). While there have been a variety of Manhattan variations through the years such as the Preakness and the Brooklyn, most of the twentieth century saw this drink unchanged, in theory that is. I know that I have gotten a cocktail glass full of frothy Bourbon and ice shards at a place that I should have stuck to beer; indeed, both the vermouth and the bitters have fallen out of fashion to some degree at average bars. Other Manhattan experiences used only a splash of vermouth; when I complained, one bartender declared that he did not put too much in. I countered that it was not enough and repeated that I wanted a 2:1 Manhattan. That bartender would not let himself add more and handed me the vermouth bottle so he could be relieved of responsibility in the matter. However, the last decade or so has seen a renewal in the drink begin made correctly. Moreover, I would point to New York City cerca 2005 as the re-birth of the Manhattan variation with drinks like the Red Hook being born.

For this theme, actuate it any way you'd like as long as the drink resembles a Manhattan. Want to take 19th century Manhattan recipes or variations to the test? Want to figure out what the best whiskey to vermouth pairings and ratios are? Or perhaps subbing out the whiskey or vermouth for another ingredient or adding in a liqueur or other modifier or so to the mix? Awesome, you're right on track! There are plenty of Manhattan and Manhattan variations out there in the literature, and there's plenty of room to explore and tinker if that's your thing, too.

Here's how to play:

• Find or concoct a recipe that looks and feels like a Manhattan Cocktail.
• Make the drink and then post the recipe, a photo, and your thoughts about the libation on your blog, tumblr, or website or on the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum.
• Include in your post the MxMo logo and a link back to both the Mixology Monday and Cocktail Virgin sites. And once the round-up is posted, a link to that summary post would be appreciated.
• Provide a link to your submission in the comment section here, tweet at @cocktailvirgin, or send an email to yarm-at-verizon.net with the word "MxMo" somewhere in the subject line.

The due date is Monday, May 18th which I will interpret as whatever gets posted before my next day off which could be the 19th or 20th (and yes, I will tack on late entries since it is part of the act of cat herding).

Cheers,
Frederic

oahu gin sling

2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis (G.E. Massenez)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 tsp Sugar (omitted)

Shake with ice and strain into a Pilsner glass containing 3 oz soda water, a long wide lime spiral, and ice.

After making the Ginger-Lime Rum Daiquiri, I was still in a rum mood so I reached for Beachbum Berry's Remixed. Instead of getting lured in by another sugar-cane spirit-driven recipe, it was a gin one. The Oahu Gin Sling struck me as a cross between a Mississippi Mule (gin, cassis, lemon -- a combination that Misty Kalkofen used in her Temporary Fix) and a Straits Sling (gin, Benedictine, Cherry Heering, lemon, soda). Berry attributed the recipe to Thomas Mario, the food and drink editor of Playboy Magazine circa 1970.
The long horse's neck lime garnish added a bounty of lime oil notes to the dark fruity aroma from the cassis. Next, the sip was a carbonated lime and dark berry flavor that led into a gin and Benedictine herbal swallow with black currant to round off the drink with tart bass notes. Overall, the Oahu Gin Sling was rather gin forward with the Beefeater, and the cassis in place of cherry took the Singapore Sling-style drink in a novel direction.

ginger-lime rum daiquiri

A few weeks ago, author Warren Bobrow asked if I would accept an advance copy of his new book, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails, and try out a recipe for the blog. As I read through all the recipes, one of the shrubs that grabbed me the most was the ginger-lime shrub. Besides the flavor profile sounding delightful, I had everything needed to start the project in my refrigerator. While some of the recipes in the book are rather quick shrubs, Warren recommended that this one and several others take its time to develop. So my post about the drink from the advance copy of the book is ready today, May 1st, when the book actually launches (see Amazon link above).

Ginger-Lime Shrub
• Peeled zest of 1 lime (discard pith)
• 1 lime (same one as above), quartered
• 2 oz sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 oz) grated ginger
• 2 oz apple cider vinegar
Combine lime zest, lime flesh, sugar, and ginger; stir and leave 1-2 days. Muddle the lime and ginger; strain into a jar and add the vinegar. Store in a bottle for 3-4 weeks before using; mix every day or so until sugar is fully dissolved. Note: this recipe was scaled back 4x from the book.

I ended up scaling back the recipe a bit from the book's batch as well as reducing the 4 week incubation to 2 weeks. Resources and deadlines, you know. With this one shrub recipe, Warren provided 5 different drink recipes that can act on their own or serve as catalysts for future experimentation. From that handful, I was tempted by the egg white and Green Chartreuse-laden Twisted Cachaça Sour, but I ended up feeling the need for a Daiquiri.
The recipe for the Daiquiri pictured above is:

Ginger-Lime Rum Daiquiri
• 2 oz Rhum Agricole
• 1 oz Ginger-Lime Shrub
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Once prepared, the Daiquiri offered grassy and funky rum aromas with a hint of fresh lime and savory vinegar. The sip was rather delightful with lime notes and a fruitiness very similar to peach. Finally, the swallow came through as expected with grassy rum and ginger flavors with a vinegar zing. Overall, Bitters & Shrub Syrup Cocktails is less history-driven compared to Michael Dietsch's Shrubs book but is loaded with culinary ideas and flavor combinations.