orange peel

A Connoisseur’s Revenge

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A-Connoisseur's-Revenge-2

If your french relatives were in the mood for an Irish Whiskey cocktail, this would be it. This boozy sipper has bright flavours, herbaceousness, and a nice long finish. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey plays very well with Calvados making this my second favourite split base for Teeling. Throw in the gentian and herbes from Salers, fabulous botanicals from Boker’s Bitters and you’ve got A Connoisseur’s Revenge.

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A Connoisseur’s Revenge

  • 1 1/2 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
  • 1 oz Christian Drouin Calvados
  • 1/4 oz Salers Aperitif
  • 1 dash Boker’s Bitters
  • Garnish: Orange Peel

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

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Yummmmmmmm, I am so ready to drink this!

Thanks to The Baddish Group for this delicious bottle of Teeling Irish Whiskey! 

Carpano Dry, my new Best Friend

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Carpano-Dry

We’ve gathered together today to talk about Carpano Dry, my new fave Vermouthy. That’s right, from the house of Carpano, makers of the universally beloved Carpano Antica, comes a terrific Dry Vermouth. I love Vermouthy, I always think about Vermouthy, Vermouthy is a very dear friend of mine.

Flavor Profile:

Nose: Citrus, spices, coriander, fruit
Tongue: Lemony, long finish, acidic, “winey”, green apple, citrus fruits
Impression: smoother than all other Italian Dry Vermouth I’ve tried, not as dry as Dolin Dry, a tad sweet, citrus fruit notes abound. Am highly likely to use it in a Negroni, Martini with a bright Gin and a Lemon twist, drink it alone on ice with a Lemon twist.

For real though, I’ve probably made at least 7 or 8 Carpano Dry on the rocks with a Lemon twist, it’s so good on its own. In fact, I just had one with my homemade Black Truffle Chicken Papardelle. (Thanks to my excellent girlfriend for the excellent dinner!)

And now, the cocktails:

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In the same way that when we get a new Rum, we make a Daiquiri, when we get a new Dry Vermouth, we make a Martini. In this particular case, we make A Brighter Martini. I chose NOLET’S Dry Gin because it’s a very bright Gin, full of fruit, floral notes and exactly the one to pair with Carpano Dry.

A Brighter Martini

  • 2 1/4 oz NOLET’S Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Dry Vermouth
  • 2 dashes Regan’s No 6 Orange Bitters
  • Garnish: Lemon peel

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

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If it works well in a Martini, then Carpano Dry must also work well in a classic style cocktail. This is sort of a Brooklyn meets an Improved Whiskey Cocktail and is really bright and cheery. Perfect for Spring.

Washington Avenue

  • 1 1/2 oz Rye
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Dry
  • 1/4 oz Pernod Pastis
  • 1/4 oz Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
  • 2 dashes Hella Bitter Citrus Bitters
  • Garnish: Lemon & Orange peels

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

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Lastly, we’re gonna use Carpano Dry in a classic cocktail: Arsenic & Old Lace. There are several different specs for this drink with the Crème de Violette ranging from 1/4 oz to 1/2 and the Absinthe Vert from a rinse to 1/2 oz! I’m going with a more Vermouth heavy recipe and lighter on the Violette and Absinthe. Again, Carpano Dry is perfect in this drink .

Arsenic & Old Lace

  • 1 3/4 oz Old Tom Gin or English Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Dry
  • 1/4 oz Crème de Violette
  • 1/4 oz St George Absinthe Verte
  • 2 dashes Regans’ No 6 Orange Bitters
  • Lemon Peel

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

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Dreamy, springy, light, bright and wonderful, Carpano Dry, you are my new Best Friend.

Thanks to the Baddish Group for the wonderful bottle of Carpano Dry Vermouth!

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

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The-Bookseller-2

Happy St Patrick’s day to you all with a Teeling Irish Whiskey cocktail: The Bookseller!

On my way to creating the above cocktail, I read through a bunch of classic Irish Whiskey recipes for inspiration. A couple of them are too good not to post so here they are! I will definitely be making one of them at home today!

Belvedere Cocktail (The Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Louisville 1917)

  • 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
  • 1/2 oz Dry Gin
  • 1/2 oz Red Vermouth
  • 2 to 3 dashes Absinthe

Shake with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass. This cocktail is attributed to the Hotel Belvedere in Baltimore, MD. (source: Martin’s New & Improved Index of Cocktails & Mixed Drinks.)

Black Thorn (Harry Johnson, 1900)

  • 1 oz Irish Whiskey
  • 1 oz Dry Vermouth
  • 3 to 4 dashes of Absinthe
  • 3 to 4 dashes of Boker’s Bitters (or Aromatic Bitters)

Stir with cracked ice and strain into a wine glass. (source: Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual.)

Irish Cocktail (Harry Johnson, 1900)

  • 2 oz Irish Whiskey
  • 2 to 3 dashes Absinthe
  • 1 dash Maraschino Liqueur
  • 1 dash Orange Curaçao
  • 2 dashes Boker’s Bitters (or Aromatic Bitters)
  • Garnish: Lemon Peel and an Olive

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Express Lemon Peel and garnish, try it with the Olive. The salt and brine from the Olive will balance out the sweet. (source: Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual.)

Shamrock Cocktail (Hugo Ennslin, 1917)

  • 1 oz Irish Whiskey
  • 1 oz Dry Vermouth
  • 3 dashes Chartreuse Vert
  • 3 dashes Crème de Menthe
  • Garnish: Olive

Stir over cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with an Olive. (Source: Martin’s New & Improved Index of Cocktails & Mixed Drinks.)

Cool right? I love that back in the early 20th C the answer to balancing out sweetness was to add an Olive garnish. Brilliant. I am really into the Irish Cocktail btw.

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Now, back to St Patrick’s Day 2015: I decided to make a Manhattan Variation with Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey and Averna. I knew that I wanted to use Carpano Antica as the vermouth because it goes so well with Averna. Who am I kidding, Carpano Antica goes with everything! I was looking for a finishing touch and a way to bring out all those Rum notes in the Teeling and St Elizabeth Allspice Dram called to me from on top of the fridge*.

The Bookseller

  • 2 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
  • 1/2 oz Carpano Antica
  • 1/4 oz Averna Amaro
  • 1 dash St Elizabeth Allspice Dram
  • Garnish: Orange peel

Combine ingredients and stir over ice until proper dilution has been achieved. Strain into coupe. Express Orange peel and garnish.

*Yes, a lot of my liquor is kept in a nice red tray on top of the fridge. Remember, 500sq ft apartment y’all!
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It’s like you and your bottle of Teeling took a trip to the Caribbean and ordered a Manhattan. Yes.
Thanks again to The Baddish Group for the delicious bottle of Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey!

It’s Mardi Gras! Let’s drink that Creole Sazerac!

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It’s Mardi Gras y’all! Happy Fat Tuesday to all y’all and to all y’all about to get into that Lent Lyfe, I say, “good luck!”

I love Mardi Gras because my mom’s side of the family is from Mississippi, I lived in Alabama for 10 years and I love wild parties. I had a great decade living in the South, great food, great friends, many many huge parties. I was a fairly busy DJ while I lived in BHM, and so most anything Southern reminds me of the good times. Nostalgia!

If you read that post I wrote for a Negroniac, you know I have a THING for Sazeracs and their variations. For this Mardi Gras’ Sazerac, I was inspired by the 18.21 Spicy Creole Bitters. These bitters are straight Tony Chachere’s! Mamoo used to cook with these spices all the time growin’ up! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, the 18.21 Spicy Cajun Bitters are like a firey infusion of Cajun Spices in a bottle of bitters. Perfect for a bayou Sazerac variation.

Creole Sazerac

  • 2 oz Rye
  • 1/2 oz Campari
  • 1/4 oz St George Absinthe Verte
  • 2 dashes 18.21 Bitters Spicy Creole Bitters
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Barspoon Turbinado Sugar
  • 1/4 oz Water
  • Garnish: Orange Peel

Combine ingredients and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add ice and stir again until drink has chilled. Strain into chilled rocks glass. Express Orange Peel and garnish (or don’t garnish, it is a Sazerac and therefore up to you).

*Note: In this variation, I felt the Campari would play well with the Creole bitters. I also felt that Peychaud’s would not stand up to Campari quite like Angostura does. I did not follow the traditional Sazerac formula of two glass mixing and therefore the 1/4 oz of Water is crucial.

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Thanks again to 18.21 for the Spicy Creole Bitters! 

Valentines & the Hanky Panky

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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!”

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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.

Dirty-Puzzle

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)

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

Fernet-Branca

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

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

Auntie Edna

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Auntie-Edna-1

Y’all, we’re getting pretty close to Xmas and I know errrybody’s Aunties are making ALL the desserts. In fact, Auntie Edna is making so many desserts that even when she’s not making dessert, she’s thinking about dessert. So she took a break from making fruit cakes, made this drink and then went right back to making more cakes! Auntie Edna is so crazy! But damn she does make some sensational cakes and drinks!

Auntie Edna

  • 1 1/4 oz Calvados
  • 3/4 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth gin
  • 1/2 oz Chartreuse Vert
  • 1/2 oz Berentzen Pear Liqueur
  • 1/4 oz Cranberry infused Dolin Rouge
  • 1/4 oz Carpano Antica
  • 3 drops Black Walnut Bitters
  • Clove studded Orange peel

Combine ingredients over ice and stir. Strain into coupe and garnish with Clove studded Orange peel.

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Boots & Flannel

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It’s Friday, it’s Wintry out and it’s time for Boots & Flannel. Winter Uniform is here y’all: I’ve been wearing some J. Crew lady flannel and Mono black Dr. Martens 1460s with black Jeggings. I feel cozy and ready for this chilly weather.

I was in debate about which bitters to use and nearly went with Orange bitters. However, Peychaud’s works really well here because it adds another level of flavour to this cocktail. Also, you can’t stop the Santa Maria. It cannot be stopped! It won’t let me stop! I’ve been taken over by Santa Maria!

Boots & Flannel

  • 1 1/2 oz Rye
  • 3/4 oz Santa Maria al Monte Amaro
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Antica
  • 1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
  • 1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
  • Orange peel
  • Freshly grated Nutmeg

In tin, combine Rye, Amaro, Carpano, Cinnamon bark Syrup and Peychaud’s over ice and stirrrrrr. Strain into Rocks glass over ice. Garnish with freshly grated Nutmeg and Orange peel.

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Holiday Bottled Cocktail: I Just Called To Say I Love You

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I thought to myself, “I have all this leftover Bourbon from ThanxG, why don’t I just turn it into a Bottled Cocktail to give as a gift for the Holidaze!” Then I added more ingredients from all those Holiday Infusions I just did et voilá! Something that should have been a Boulevardier is now the most complicated and magical Holiday Bottled Cocktail ever.

*Note to self: Dear Self, next year, just make a Boulevardier or Negroni and MOVE ON WITH YO’ LYFE. #NegroniWeek

**This recipe is for one Cocktail and these particular bottles hold two Cocktails. Therefore, I doubled the recipe.

I Just Called To Say I Love You

  1. In tin, combine ingredients, express and add Orange peel, add ice.
  2. Stir until proper dilution has been achieved. Strain into Bottle and give it to someone you like a lot!
  3. I would recommend that the recipient chill the bottle, possibly serve on the rocks if they feel the drink is too strong.
  4. I would also recommend a fresh Orange peel in the glass they drink from.

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Cheers to you and all your friends! 

Just Look at This List: Dudley’s

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The other night some friends and I went to Dudley’s in the LES for cocktails and it was pretty sensational. I mean, just look at this list! Each drink we had was so delicious that I nearly re-ordered a drink. We chatted a lot with the very nice barman who’s name is Tom Roughton, very fun and very topknot. He was kind enough to share two of his recipes from that night’s menu with us: Keat’s Apothecary and the special drink of the night Hail Mary.

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Keat’s Apothecary

  • 3/4 oz Apple Brandy
  • 3/4 oz Rye
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Antica
  • 2 dashes Fernet Branca
  • 2 dashes Chartreuse Vert
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Orange peel

Combine ingredients in tin over ice and stir. Strain into ice filled rocks glass, express Orange Peel and garnish.

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Hail Mary

  • 1/2 oz Chartreuse Vert
  • 1/2 oz Averna Amaro
  • 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
  • Pernod Absinthe rinse
  • Doc’s Cider float

Rinse rocks glass with Absinthe and chill. In tin, combine Chartreuse, Averna and Honey syrup over ice and shake. Strain into rinsed glass, add rocks and float cider.

Tasty tasty times!

You’re So Kind: Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned

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Cocktail-Crate-Spiced-1

Alex Boyd the very kind founder of Cocktail Crate gave me a bottle of his Spiced Old Fashioned at the Brooklyn Winter Flea last weekend. Isn’t he kind? He’s really kind! YOU’RE SO KIND COCKTAIL CRATE MAN!

This Craft Mixer is totally perfect for the holiday season. It tastes like autumnally spiced simple syrup and is just begging to be used in Old Fashioneds and variations on Classic Cocktails. I love it. I’ve used it in nearly every drink I’ve made since last weekend.

Hint: this would make an excellent gift for any Home Bar Gurl or Dude!

Now for the cocktails:

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First, I followed the instructions on the back of the bottle and made a Spiced Old Fashioned. It was the bomb! Perfect!

Spiced Old Fashioned

  • 2 oz Bourbon
  • 1/2 oz Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned Mixer
  • Orange Peel

Add Bourbon and Mixer to glass with ice. Stir a few times. Express Orange Peel and garnish.

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Here we’ve got Apple Brandy as the spirit, bitterness from the Cynar and Angostura and a rich foundation of spice from the Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned. The name for this cocktail comes from my good friend and excellent poet Brit Blalock. I asked her to help me name the drink and she suggested several Robert Frost poem titles. The Sound of Trees is such a fitting name for this cocktail.

The Sound of Trees

  • 2 oz Apple Brandy
  • 1/2 oz Cynar
  • 1/2 oz Spiced Old Fashioned Cocktail Crate Mixer
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Apple Slice

In tin, combine Apple Brandy, Cynar, Mixer and Bitters over ice and stir. Strain into coupe and garnish with Apple Slice.

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Here’s a fabulous hot toddy with that Flor de Caña Rum I can’t stop talking about, Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned, Lemon Juice/Wheel and Cardamom bitters.

Rum Spiced Hot Toddy

  • 2 oz Aged Rum
  • 3/4 oz Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned Mixer
  • 1/4 oz Lemon Juice
  • 1 dash Cardamom Bitters
  • Hot Water
  • Lemon Wheel

To mug add Rum, Mixer, Lemon Juice, Cardamom Bitters and Hot Water. Stir a few times and add Lemon Wheel.

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Lastly, I’ve got a variation on a Manhattan which I’ve named Long Island City because that’s where Cocktail Crate is made! Happy Craft Mixing to you all!

Long Island City

  • 2 oz Aged Rum
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Antica
  • 1/2 oz Cocktail Crate Spiced Old Fashioned Mixer
  • 2 dashes Orange Bitters
  • Orange Peel

In tin, combine Rum, Carpano, Mixer and Bitters over cracked ice and stir. Strain into coupe, express orange peel and garnish.

Well, that’s it for now! Thanks again to Alex and be sure to get this mixer into your Home Bar. Totally worth it! This has been You’re So Kind, the post where someone nice gives me a bottle and I review it!