dolin dry

My Infamy

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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This is one of those slow sippers which happened after a night of tinkering in my kitchen, aka My Home Bar. The inspiration for this drink was to combine Chartreuse Jaune and Branca Menta in a delightful and not overpowering way. Both liqueurs have Saffron notes and I wanted to put the Minty Herbaceousness of the Branca with the Floral Herbaceousness of the Chartreuse. Very nice, it’s a very nice combo. I decided Rittenhouse was the right base spirit and then dried it out with Dolin Dry.

My Infamy

  • 2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
  • 1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
  • 1/2 oz Chartreuse Jaune
  • 1/4 oz Branca Menta
  • No garnish

Combine ingredients and stir over ice until proper dilution has been achieved. Strain into coupe. Sip slowly with a good book.

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It’s hard for me to do this, but sometimes a drink just doesn’t need a garnish. Like, if your hair is amazing, why wear a hat?

Thanks again to the Baddish Group for the fresh and fabulous bottle of Branca Menta. 

Blonde Bertie & Teeling Whiskey

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

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It’s March! We made it! Hopefully this crazy cold weather will begin to let up and we can return to our regularly scheduled programming.

It’s time for Whiskey, ALL the Whiskey. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is a complex bottle of whiskey aged in Rum casks. Here’s my impression:

Nose: Vanilla, spices, Rum, grains, corn, honey
Tongue: Caramel, woody, Rum, apple, a tad peaty or “Moorish”, vanilla
Finish: Rich, oily, full bodied, spicy

With all those Honey notes, I decided to go in the grown n’ sexy Gold Rush direction. Also, as Teeling Irish Whiskey is a revival Whiskey, along with the notes from Rum casks, I wanted to pair it with Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters. I wanted that Old Timey feeling and Blonde Bertie definitely has that. This cocktail is a tad sweet, a tad dry and very very tasty.

Blonde Bertie

  • 2 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
  • 3/4 oz Dolin Dry
  • 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
  • 2 dashes Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters
  • Garnish: Lemon Peel

Combine ingredients and stir over ice until proper dilution has been achieved. Strain into coupe, express Lemon peel and garnish.

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Yes, the name of the drink is a Mad Men reference and thanks to The Baddish Group for the delicious bottle of Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey!

Mr Thomas with 18.21 Earl Grey Bitters

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Hellooooo February, you strangely spelled month you. The month of bitter cold, lots of chocolate and luvvvvvvvv. It’s nasty as all hell outside in Brooklyn this morning, so let’s dive right into this bright, shimmery stirred cocktail with 18.21 Bitters! For my posts on 18.21 Bitters, I’ve decided to change the format from one giant “You’re So Kind” post to individual posts.

The 18.21 Earl Grey bitters are everything I wanted them to be, namely, they are potently Earl Grey. When I opened the bottle and sniffed the fabulous Earl Grey aroma, my brain said “GIN”, so I agreed. Then my brain said, “in the style of a martini but with just a touch of Sunshine” (aka St-Germain) and here we are.

Mr Thomas

Combine ingredients over ice and stirrrrrrrrrrr. Strain into coupe, express Lemon peel and garnish.

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Thanks to 18.21 Bitters for these wonderful Earl Grey bitters! They’re so kind! I will be using the Earl Grey with more Gin, Tequila and Pimm’s. I just need to get the Pimm’s back in my home bar! 

You’re So Kind: Berentzen Pear Liqueur

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As I’ve stated before, the very kind people at Berentzen sent me a fabulous bottle of Pear Liqueur. Aren’t they kind? I think they’re pretty kind. YOU’RE SO KIND BERENTZEN!

This Liqueur is a total knockout. I love it. It’s so fruit forward, crisp and refreshing. Pear all the way but in a totally different universe than many other Pear Liqueurs. This is not dry, subtle or mysterious. It’s PEAR! It’s happening! It’s fresh! I love it. I been using it with Gin, Tequila, Dolin Blanc, Soda, Tonic, Bourbon, Rum, EVERYTHING! Berentzen Pear Liqueur is awesome!

Bonus: now that it’s winter times, #PEARSEASON! Get into it!

And now, for the cocktails:

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Portrait of a Lady

  • 2 oz Smooth Gin (Plymouth used here)
  • 1 oz Berentzen Pear Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
  • 1/4 oz Lemon Juice
  • Cinnamon Garnish

In tin, combine Gin, Pear Liqueur, Dry Vermouth and Lemon Juice over ice and shake. Double strain into coupe and garnish with Cinnamon.

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A Long Hard Look In The Mirror

  • 2 oz Bourbon
  • 1/2 oz Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned Mixer or Allspice and Cinnamon Simple Syrup
  • 1/2 oz Berentzen Pear Liqueur
  • 1 dash Black Walnut Bitters
  • Maraschino Cherry

In tin, combine Bourbon, Spiced Old Fashioned Mixer, Pear Liqueur and Bitters over cracked ice. Stir and strain into Rocks glass. Add Ice and Cherry.

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The Feeling of Flight

  • 2 oz Dolin Blanc or Lillet Blanc
  • 3/4 oz Berentzen Pear Liqueur
  • 3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
  • Grapefruit peel

In tin, combine Blanc Vermouth, Pear Liqueur and Grapefruit Juice over ice and shake. Double strain into coupe, express Grapefruit peel and garnish.

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Sandals in Winter

  • 1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila
  • 3/4 oz Berentzen Pear Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Cointreau Triple Sec
  • 1/4 oz Bonal Aperitif
  • 1 dropper Elemakule Tiki Bitters
  • Grapefruit peel

In tin, combine Blanco Tequila, Pear Liqueur, Triple Sec, Bonal and Bitters over ice and shake. Double strain into coupe, express Grapefruit peel and garnish.

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Woo, this Liqueur is all worn out and taking a nap now. So many uses, so many possibilities. This has been You’re So Kind, the post where someone nice gives me a bottle and I review it!

The Terroir Martini

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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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.

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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.

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Variations on a Theme: Negroni Bianco

/ Dani DeLuna / 4 Comments

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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