13 Sep 2023: Savoy Cocktail #1

I’m pretty much a fan of any cocktail that uses a form of gin as the base, the juniper-y the better. So after spotting this beauty of a riff on a Martini on Liber & Co’s website, I knew I would be trying it.

Liber & Co. makes some really wonderful syrups for mixing up cocktails or mocktails, or just plain making beverages more interesting. Their version of grenadine is authentic and tasty - and for those of us not inclined to make our own grenadine syrup - the answer to our prayers.

In place of adding a barspoon of absinthe to the mix, I prefer to spritz the glassware, which is what I did for this drink. Spritzing the rim imparts the absinthe without it become overwhelming.

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin (my current dry gin of choice is Bombay)

• 1 oz dry vermouth (Dolin)

• 1/4 oz grenadine

• Barspoon of absinthe (see head note)

Put all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir for 20-30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

03 Aug 2023: Summer Vibes Mocktail

JM Hirsch, the travel writer, food writer, and editorial director for Milk Street, creates some of the most intriguing alcoholic cocktails! Recently I’ve discovered he also develops delicious mocktails. The video for this one, Summer Vibes, can be found on his Instagram account and meets one of my criteria for good non-alcoholic imbibing: no fake booze - something I detest.

The only thing I would change from my first go-round is to absolutely crush the ice, which probably would make adding ginger ale unnecessary. Otherwise, a tropical, refreshing summer mocktail which I plan to put on repeat.

Summer Vibes

A Mocktail by J.M. Hirsch

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsweetened coconut water

• 2 ounces pineapple juice (since my local Market Basket didn’t have this (!), I used what I could get in small sizes. That turned out to be a pineapple-mango juice)

• 1/2 ounce grenadine (buy - or make this version from Anders Erickson - something high quality. You won’t regret it)

• Dash of orange bitters

• Dash of Angostura bitters

• 6-10 granules kosher salt (It makes a difference. Really.)

• OPTIONAL: Ginger ale (I used sugar free)

Add the first 6 ingredients to a mixing glass and mix thoroughly without ice. Pour into a highball glass (or what have you) filled 2/3 with ice (see my headnote). Top with ginger ale if using.

06 May 2022: Atta Boy Cocktail

We bought some new Grenadine from Liber & Co. this week. It’s the real thing, not that sugary syrup one finds in grocery stores. So, because I had a new ingredient to play with, I went in search of a cocktail with some grenadine in it.

A classic cocktail book, worth reading for the interesting mixtures and measurements, is Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book. Tonight’s cocktail, the Atta Boy, come from here, and because it is a “classic”, I served it up and in one of my Aunt’s cocktail glasses. Beautiful pink color - and a nice dry gin-base. The only change I might make is to serve it with a twist of lemon.

I do love when a cocktail recipe makes me appreciate my math education. Because Craddock’s book mostly uses ratios, I just translated every part (1/3) to 1 oz. and went from there.

Ingredients

• 1/3 French (dry) vermouth (used Dolin)

• 2/3 Dry gin

• 4 dashes of grenadine (I used about a tsp total)

Shake well and strain into a (chilled) cocktail glass.

03 Mar 2022: TGV

For those of us who have traveled to France, TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse,) means high-speed train service. Having ridden on the TGV from Paris to Lyon, it is a pretty sweet mode of transportation. Compare the 2 hour train trip from Paris to Lyon (288 miles) to the 4-hour trek from Boston to Manhattan (216 miles). Yeah, we in the US should invest more in Amtrak. But, I digress.

This cocktail is not at all about high-speeds, or even about transportation, although it is pretty awesome all on its own. The TGV cocktail is found in David Lebovitz’s Drinking Fench,. While an internet search will yield an endless number of variations, this one was smoky (thanks Tequila) and refreshing.

And the meaning of TGV? Well it’s right there in the ingredients.

TGV Cocktail

2 1/2 ounces blanco or reposado tequila

1 1/2 ounces dry vermouth (used Dolin)

1/2 tsp grenadine syrup (Drinking French has a recipe for homemade grenadine on p 214)

Lime wheel for garnish

Stir the tequila, vermouth, and grenadine in a short tumbler or rocks glass. Fill the glass three-quarters full with ice (bigger cubes, less dilution). Garnish with a lime wheel.