Classic Cocktails: Army & Navy + Variations

2015-04-012015-03-31 / Dani DeLuna / 3 Comments

Many moons ago, I had my first trip to The NoMad Bar with a whole bunch of newly acquainted friends. It has since become my favourite bar in NYC because they simply have the most adventurous and yet totally drinkable cocktails in the city. They consistently surprise, inspire and encourage me to push the envelope while remaining true to form. (i.e. They frequently use Fino Sherry and Amari in Tiki drinks. Brilliant.)

They also make a damn good Army & Navy.

I am a huge fan of Gin Sours in any form but something about the combination of Orgeat and Lemon Juice really moves my taste buds to flight! Oh and I highly recommend this B.G. Reynolds Orgeat, it’s a bit toasted, has just the right amount of floral notes and is quite tasty. Let’s make an Army & Navy right now, shall we?

Army & Navy (from David A Embury, Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. 1948.)

2 oz English Dry Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish: Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it up! Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherries. Sip and smile.

Wasn’t that tasty? Yes, yes it was so damn tasty! Wouldn’t you like to drink another? Hold off on that ’cause we have a couple of variations:

So obvi the Army & Navy is a drink begging for rum. I decided to split the base with Flor de Caña 7 and Hayman’s Old Tom Gin. The Old Tom then inspired me to use some of those Boker’s Bitters that I love so dearly.

Sir Joseph Porter

1 oz Old Tom Gin
1 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters
Garnish: Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it up! Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherries. Sip and grin.

Yes! The Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears are back!

If an Army & Navy variation was begging for rum, the next logical step (in my island themed brain) was to take it to Tiki Paradise! I’m obviously very excited about this drink. It’s just fabulous. Really, any excuse to use Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin in a cocktail is a dream come true for me.

Captain Corcoran

1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
1 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin
3/4 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dropper Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters
Garnish: Three Maraschino Cherries and Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it up! Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherries and Bunny Ears. Sip and giggle.

Did you get the joke? The variations are named after characters from the HMS Pinafore. Clearly I think everything in life should be a tad silly but nary an April Fools prank shall I make.

Enjoy your Army & Navy and HMS Pinafore Variations! Cheers!

Valentines & the Hanky Panky

2015-02-092016-02-16 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

So, it’s the week of Valentines, or as I like to call it, Valenspoons. I have no idea why I started calling it Valenspoons, perhaps it was because I like the way it sounds, it’s a silly sounding word. Perhaps I changed the name during one of those years when I did not have a sweetheart and was frustrated that this holiday even existed! Perhaps it was to mock the notion that there should be a Hallmark Holiday which encourages people to hit one another up on Tinder and have a dinner date + some Hanky Panky.

Speaking of Hanky Panky…

Do you all love Fernet-Branca as much as I do? Do you get that “Bartender’s Handshake” after a long night out? Do you drink Fernet-Branca after meals to savour the incredibly complex flavours and help settle your tummy? Do you think the Toronto is the best Manhattan Variation? Cause I do!

The Hanky Panky is one of my fave classic Gin cocktails, right up there with a Martinez, French 75 and Martini. Bonus: this drink was invented by a lady! Wooooo! Laaaaady! Ada Coleman was the head bartender at the Savoy American Bar in the early 20th C and the story goes that she created this cocktail for Sir Charles Hawtrey. When he had his first sip, he drained the whole glass and said, “By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!”

Hanky Panky

1 1/2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin or London Dry Gin
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Fernet-Branca
Garnish: Orange peel

Combine ingredients and stir with ice. Strain into coupe, express Orange peel and garnish.

And since it’s Valenspoons, I’ve got a little variation for y’all! I decided to dry it out with Plymouth Gin, different specs, swap out the Orange peel for a Blood Orange peel and add some Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters. Totes a Valenspoons drink now y’all! Fire up the Tindering!

Dirty Puzzle (Hanky Panky variation)

2 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Fernet-Branca
2 dashes Scrappy’s Chocolate bitters
Garnish: Blood Orange peel

Combine ingredients and stir with ice. Strain into coupe, express Blood Orange peel and garnish.

Luv u Fernet-Branca. Luv y’all. Happy Valentimes.

Thanks to The Baddish Group for giving the opportunity to make these delicious drinks!

Classic Cocktails: Aviation

2014-12-232017-02-01 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

I have a lot of feelings about this drink. I went on a 2.5 year Aviation challenge during which time I went to many different bars, in many different States of the good old USA, ordered an Aviation, and took notes. Most of the time, these “Aviations” were WAY TOO lemony. Even bars I really respect used too much Lemon Juice in the drink and Lemon Peels as garnishes. HELL NO.

Where is your Maraschino Cherry? Where are your correct proportions? These are the questions and I’ve got the answer.

Honestly, the very best Aviation I’ve ever had (on more than one occasion) is made by Angel Negrín and here is his perfect recipe.

Aviation

2 oz / 60 ml Plymouth Gin
2 tsp / 10 ml Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
1 tsp / 5 ml Crème de Violette
1/2 oz / 15 ml Lemon Juice
Maraschino Cherry

In tin, combine ingredients and shake over ice. Place Maraschino cherry in coupe, double strain liquids into coupe.

Bonus: Aviations make sensational Fizzes and even better Silver Fizzes.

Aviation Fizz: Make the Aviation, strain into Collins glass and add ice, Club Soda and Cherry.

Aviation Silver Fizz: When making the Aviation, use 2 tsp Violette and add Egg White. Dry shake like hell, add ice and shake again. Add 1 oz Club soda to Collins glass, add ice and Cherry, strain Aviation into glass. Top with more soda.

Aviation Royale: Make the Aviation, strain into coupe, add cherry and top with Champagne.

Muhhhhhhhhhhhgh. This drink is so so amazing. I can’t handle it…when it’s made properly. 🙂

You’re So Kind: NOLET’S Silver Gin

2014-12-052014-12-05 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

I would like to once again thank those kind people at MBooth Marketing for giving me the opportunity to work with such a fantastic product. Aren’t they kind? THEY’RE SO INCREDIBLY KIND!

Ok, wow, like really wow. NOLET’S Silver Gin is sensational! It’s unlike any Gin I’ve ever had and if you’ve read the My Home Bar page of this blog, you know that I am INTO GIN! When tasting it neat, the nose is some outrageous combination of Turkish Rose, Peach and Raspberry, then comes more familiar Gin botanicals. The palate is smooth and silky Gin beautifulness. Truly, I was blown away.

I feel like NOLET’S Silver and I are going to have a long and fruitful relationship. I’m planning to do some strange and wonderous things with this Gin, I’m planning to use it with lots of fruit, hell, I’m planning to drink it neat with a Lemon twist. Right? It’s so good neat!

And now, the cocktails:

It’s an Improved Martini except because NOLET’S Silver is so different from any Gin that I’d usually use in a Martini, it’s NOT A MARTINI! I swapped out Dolin Dry for Dolin Blanc and added a rinse of St. George Absinthe Verte. Brilliant right? Just wait and see!

Half Light

2 1/2 oz NOLET’S Silver Gin
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
2 dashes of Regans’ No. 6 Orange Bitters
St. George Absinthe Verte Rinse
Lemon Peel

Rinse coupe with Absinthe and chill. In tin, combine Gin, Vermouth, Bitters over cracked ice and stir. Strain into coupe, express Lemon peel and garnish.

This is a Variation on a Sunflower Cocktail which is a Variation on a Corpse Reviver No. 2. I swapped out the Cointreau for Berentzen Pear Liqueur, ditched the Absinthe, adjusted the ratios a touch and added an Asian Pear Slice as garnish. Divine. A fabulous shaken Wintry Cocktail!

Winter Blossom

1 oz NOLET’S Silver Gin
3/4 oz Berentzen Pear Liqueur
3/4 oz St-Germain
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
Asian Pear Slice

In tin, combine Gin, Pear Liqueur, St-G and Lemon Juice over ice and shake baby shake! Double strain into coupe and garnish with Asian Pear Slice.

Silver Gin, Silver Fizz. Just cause it’s chilly, doesn’t give us any excuses for not making a Silver Fizz! Ohhhh, what a Silver Fizz this is too! I wanted to add complexity to the Fizz formula and build on NOLET’S Silver’s already fabulous flavour profile. Enjoy!

NOLET’S Silver Fizz

1 3/4 oz NOLET’S Silver Gin
1 dash Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Barkeep Lavender Bitters
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Simple Syrup
Egg White
Club Soda

In tin, combine ingredients and dry shake until Egg White has emulsified. Add ice to tin and shake again. Add 1 oz Club Soda to Collins glass first, then ice on top of that. Double strain contents of tin into Collins glass, top with Club Soda. *This version of Soda first, Double Strain, Soda last will give you a nice foamy top to the Fizz. Cool baby, cool.

CHEERS!

Don’t you just wanna drink like a million of these? I do.

You’re So Kind + Recent Acquisitions

2014-11-262014-11-26 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Just a quick post to update y’all on all of the new booze I’ve gotten recently. No recipes this time, but I wanted to get everyone excited about all the things I’ll be posting on during the Holidaze and Winter Times! Cheers to you all!

Berentzen Icemint Schnapps: Look at it? Isn’t it beautiful? It’s also 100 proof and the mint flavor is so clean that I have to say…I like it even more than Wondermint! I’ve been sipping Icemint Schnapps neat, on the rocks and am working on a few cocktails!

Berentzen Pear Liquer: In the same way that the Bushel & Barrel is fruit forward, crisp and clean, the Pear Liqueur kills it! Very fresh and bright pear flavors! I’ve been using it a lot with Gin.

Today in the mail, I got these four beautiful bottles of delicious possibilities courtesy of MBooth Marketing. Aren’t they kind? I think they’re pretty kind. YOU’RE SO KIND MBOOTH! Y’all I’m gonna make a LOT of Holiday Cocktails with these!

Campari: You know it, you know I love it. Negroni for life! But Campari isn’t just Negroni, it’s the best citrus bitter Liqueur! I’m gonna use it in punches!

Brugal Especial Extra Dry: This is a totally tasty dry Rum and such a bang for your buck! Toasted marshmellow, vanilla, coconut and citrus. I’m gonna use it in ALL the hot cocktails I possibly can!

NOLET’S Dry Gin Silver: I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I IMAGINED! Seriously though, such a fabulous gin. Raspberry, Turkish Rose and Peach notes are happening and NOLET’S is super smooth. I’m gonna use this every day? In every cocktail? Maybe! Definitely going to make some Martinis and a Martinez with it.

Patrón Cafe Incendio: I’ve been wanting a Chocolate liqueur and with my endless quest for spicy foods and drinks, Incendio fulfills my every need! Chocolate first, Chili spice next and the spice sits nicely on the tongue. I’m definitely planning to use it in Coffee Cocktails, with Añejo Tequila and with Rum.

And then, here’s the recent acquisitions that I bought from the store!

Corralejo Añejo: I LUV Corralejo. Their Reposado is my favourite one to sip and so now that it’s Añejo season, I simply had to get this bottle. I’ll be using it in Old Fashioneds, with the Patrón Cafe Incendio, and sipping it neat.

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram: Holiday spice in a bottle! So much Allspice! Like the NOLET’S gin, I’m probably going to use this every day in every cocktail I possibly can: Rum, Gin, Bourbon, Añejo, Apple Brandy. All of it. Allspice Dram forever!

Santa Maria al Monte: This is my favourite Amaro and I just couldn’t wait any longer to have it! I feel like Santa Maria is somewhere between Averna and Fernet but drier and less intimidating. Easy to sip neat. If you can have a taste, do it. If you can buy a bottle, do THAT instead. I’ll be sipping this all winter long!

Thanks for reading! The cocktails will be coming soon!

The Terroir Martini

2014-11-142014-11-14 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

I know we’ve talked about St. George Spirits but have we specifically talked about their Terroir Gin? This is the Gin that started it all. The Gin that got me hooked on Gin. The Gin that made me sob for 30 minutes in my Brooklyn apartment. You see, this Gin, THIS GIN, is from Marin, the Mt Tamalpias Gin. The botanicals in the Gin were selected on Mt Tam and when you open this bottle of Gin, you actually SMELL Marin County, California.

Mt Tamalpias, Marin County. Photo via Summit Post. Don’t you just want to die? I do. Prettttttty.

For me, it was just too much. Just too TOO much. I’d spent over 10 years living somewhere that wasn’t Marin County, California and smelling those smells brought my entire childhood back to me. I saw myself walking in the hills, going to Stinson Beach, running cross country, hiking, riding bicycles, going to high school, the whole thing.

I smelled the Eucalyptus, Bay Laurel, Sage, Pine, Grasses, Sunshine, Ocean air. And I cried. I’ve never cried after opening a bottle of Napa Valley or Calistoga Wine before, but I started crying as soon as I smelled this Gin.

Therefore, I consider St George Terroir to be sacred and as a sacred spirit, I add little to it. Often I drink it neat or on the rocks. Sometimes I have it as a Fizz with Mint Simple Syrup and Lime juice. On even rarer occasions, I make it into this martini.

It is the greatest and most complex Gin that I’ve ever tasted and with absolute reverence I present to you:

The Terroir Martini

2 1/2 oz St. George Terroir Gin
1/2 oz Pear Eau de Vie (a dry Pear Eau de Vie is best)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
Basil leaf garnish

In tin, combine Terroir Gin, Pear Eau de Vie and Dolin Dry over cracked ice and stir. Strain into chilled coupe, slap basil leaf between your hands and use as garnish.

The Oldest Living Confederate Widow

2014-11-102014-11-09 / Dani DeLuna / 3 Comments

This drink is possibly the greatest version of a Gin Sour to ever exist. Ever. It’s truly refreshing, so very dangerous and I want to drink them all year round! I got the recipe from Angel Negrín, my mentor in Birmingham, AL who got it from Toby Malone at the Violet Hour in Chicago. It’s a fabulous cocktail and “super healthy” as Angel likes to say. Get ready to shake, shake, boogie!

The Oldest Living Confederate Widow

2 oz Plymouth Gin or Bombay Dry Gin
1 1/4 oz Honey Syrup*
1 oz Lemon Juice
2 dashes of Orange Bitters
2 dashes of Absinthe or Pernod Pastis

In tin, combine ingredients over cracked ice and shake, baby, shake! Strain into coupe. Feel the awesomeness. Try not to take down the whole cocktail in one big gulp, ok?

*Honey Syrup: I like to make my Honey Syrup in a 1:1 ratio and shake it until the honey has dissolved. I find that if you heat the water and honey, some of the awesomeness in the honey is lost.

Variations on a Theme: Negroni Bianco

2014-11-032014-11-03 / Dani DeLuna / 4 Comments

The Negroni Bianco: So many Variations, so many options, so little time. After acquiring some Cocchi Americano and Salers Aperitif, I knew, I just knew that I would be destined to make at least a dozen Negroni Bianco Variations in a very short amount of time. Don’t worry, I won’t force you to read through all of my trials and tribulations, just the top 4.

These cocktails are all stirred on cracked ice and served up.

Variazioni #1: Salers Bianco

1 oz Mayfair London Dry Gin
1 oz Dolin Dry
1 oz Salers Aperitif
Celery Bitters

The Salers and Celery Bitters really shine through on this one. Very Herbaceous, very Gentian, very Provençal.

Variazioni #2: Mt Tam Negroni

1 oz St George Terroir Gin
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1 oz Dolin Blanc
Lemon Peel

St George Terroir Gin is the star of the show here. Cocchi Americano and Dolin Blanc create a nice undercurrent of subtle flavours upon which the supremely awesome Mt Tam botanicals rest.

Variazioni #3: New York Negroni

1 oz Dorothy Parker Gin
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1 oz Cocchi Americano
2 dashes of Orange Bitters

This totally tastes like what any serious Martini-type New Yorker would drink if they wanted a different cocktail. Dorothy Parker comes through first, Dolin Dry second and then Cocchi Americano and Orange Bitters. Sublime.

Variazioni #4: DiLuna Negroni

1 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Dolin Dry
1 oz Suze
Lemon Peel

I’ve made it a habit of ordering this particular variation at bars which serve Suze and on multiple occasions have been asked by the bartender, “Wow! Did you make this up?” Yes, yes I did. One bartender at Marco’s in Brooklyn even strongly suggested that I name it before someone else does.

Enjoy these variations and please submit any of your own in the comments or send them to homebargirl@gmail.com!

Improved MarTEAni

2014-10-302014-11-01 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

photo by Virginia Linzee. Makeup Artist extraordinaire.

While at a lady Tea Party for ladies today, I made my own improved version of Pegu Club’s MarTEAni. This is already a fantastic cocktail and my improvements simply consist of using a Whole Egg instead of Egg White and adding St-Germain.

Improved MarTEAni

1 1/2 oz Black Tea Infused London Dry Gin*
3/4 oz St-Germain
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Whole Egg
Lemon Peel

In tin, combine Gin, St-Germain, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and Egg. Dry shake vigorously for appoximately 30 seconds to emulsify egg. Add ice and shake vigorously again.

*Black Tea Infused London Dry Gin: place approx 1/4 cup of loose tea into a 750ml Bottle of Gin. Shake, then let sit for approximately 2-3 hours occasionally shaking. Strain and bottle.

Gin-Gin Crisp + Crispin Pear Cider

2014-10-302014-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

So a month ago I bought some Crispin Hard Pear Cider. Being a fan of their Hard Apple Cider, I could not wait to taste this bottled goodness! But then, it sat in the back of the fridge whilst I made Raspberry Liqueur, a ton of drinks with Salers Aperitif, entered a Bourbon Manhattan competition and tried to find the best Negroni Bianco Variation. (P.S. I may have found it and will post my discovery soon!)

Well today, I could not take it any more! I had to open that bottle! And Ohhhhhh sweet Stars, this Pear Cider is so wonderful. Made from 100% Pear juice, the Crispin Pear is so dry and crisp and California and PEAR and muhhhhhhhhhhhh. I would literally drink this every day if it wouldn’t kill me. Best of the Best. Five Stars.

But, being the Home Bar Girl that I am, I immediately thought about how to use it in a cocktail. What came to me was: Gin, Ginger, Lemon, Pear. WHOOP! This drink is truly crisp and delicious while still being Autumnal! High Five! We did it!

Gin-Gin Crisp

2 oz Smooth Gin (Plymouth Gin used here)
1 oz Ginger Liqueur (Domaine de Canton used here)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Crispin’s Pear Cider or other Pear Cider suitable cider will do
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Lemon Peel

In tin, combine Gin, Ginger Liqueur and Lemon Juice over Ice and shake baby shake. Strain into Collins glass with ice, pour Pear Cider on top and add 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters. Express Lemon Peel and garnish.

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