29 Sep 2023: Whiskey Rebel

When I’m looking for something other than a classic cocktail, I have several go-to resources. This one, The Whiskey Rebel, comes from Be Your Own Bartender by Carey Jones and John McCarthy. It’s a great guide to creating cocktails that appeal to your personal tastes!

I had a bottle of Pimms No. 1 in the fridge, and was looking for a way to use it - other than the Pimm’s Cup of course.

A little reminiscent of a whiskey sour, this one checked all of the boxes tonight.

1 1/2 ounces of rye (I used Rittenhouse)

1 ounce Pimm’s No. 1

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

3/4 ounce simple syrup (I used agave - easier to mix)

Lemon wedge for garnish

All the ingredients go into the shaker, add ice, and shake (I went for 30 seconds). Pour into a lowball glass with ice. Garnish with the lemon wedge.

30 Aug 2023: Raspberry Bee's Knees Mocktail

While I enjoy an adult beverage prelude to dinner, sometimes that takes the non-alocholic form of a mocktail.

Personally, I don’t care for faux spirits, so when I look for mocktails, I gravitate toward drinks that don’t use things like non-alcoholic gins or rums or whiskeys. This recipe comes from barmini, José Andrés restaurant in Washington, DC.

Unfortunately, most of the honey ended up at the bottom of my shaker. Next time around, I think a dry shake followed by shaking with ice might solve that for me. But, no matter, this was still a delightful, refreshing, and definitely beautiful drink.

Ingredients

• 1 oz filtered water

• 1/2 oz. lemon

• 1/2 oz honey

• 2 raspberries plus one additional raspberry as a garnish

Put all of the ingredients except one raspberry (the garnish) into a shaker. Here’s where I would dry shake the ingredients before additing the ice and shaking a second time. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with one raspberry.

29 Mar 2023: The Buster Brown Cocktail

As a bourbon sour, this one appealed to me. The original recipe I followed called for - in my opinion - too much lemon juice. Next time around, I’ll even out the proportion of lemon to simple syrup.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace)

• 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice (see headnote - this seemed like a lot)

• 1/4 oz. simple syrup

• 2 dashes Orange bitters

Put all in a shaker, add ice and shake for about 15 seconds. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass - no garnish needed.

27 Sep 2022: Ginger Gold Rush Cocktail

Cocktail ingredients can become an investment, so one week this past summer, I decided to attempt to make two liqueurs - chocolate and ginger. They were surprisingly simple to make and the Ginger Liqueur, in particular turned out to be quite delicious. If you are thinking of attempting it, here is the recipe I used from Serious Eats.

So, armed with a supply of Ginger Liqueur, I just needed to find some cocktails to use it.

This one, Ginger Gold Rush, comes from Garnish With Lemon’s webiste and was just the right blend of bourbon and firey ginger for cooler early Autumn cocktail hours. The original, on which this cocktail is based, comes from Domaine de Canton and uses Elijah Craig Whiskey.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon

• 1 oz. Ginger Liqueur (see link above)

• 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glas. Fill with ice and stir for 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with lemon zest. (Note the Domaine de Canton version garnishes with a Luxardo cherry).

11 June 2022: Empress 1908 Gin Sidecar

Empress Side Car

Link to the original Love to Know cocktail by Allison Freeman below.

Although I’ve seen Empress 1908 Gin Sidecar cocktails in several places, this creation from Love to Know was the winner of tonight’s home bar Saturday Cocktail concoction. Yes, a “traditional”, classic Sidecar is made with brandy, but the beauty of the Empress 1908 Gin called me to try something new and unusual. That is exactly what this drink turned out to be - a delicious gin-based cocktail with some subtle orange and lemon notes. Delicious!

This post in Love To Know has 11 cocktails based on Empress 1908 Gin - all developed by Allison Freeman.

Ingredients

• Lemon wedge and sugar for rim

• 1½ ounces Empress gin

• ¾ ounce orange liquor (I used Cointreau here)

• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

• Ice

How to mix

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.

2. To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lemon wedge.

3. With the sugar on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the sugar to coat.

4. In a cocktail shaker, add Empress Gin, orange liqueur, and lemon juice.

5. Shake to chill.

6. Strain into prepared glass.

08 August: Tabernacle Crush

When a drink gets a five-star rating in Food & Wine Magazine, well, that’s a drink you definitely want to try. Tonight’s cocktail was light, refreshing, and peachy, which of course fits this time of year when fresh peaches are readily available here in Massachusetts. A muddled blend of peaches and basil give this drink, developed by Linton Hopkins, an end-of-summer freshness. Great for hot August evenings!

Tabernacle Crush

Ingredients

• 1/2 large peach, sliced (I also peeled, but that’s definitely not necessary)

• 6 small basil leaves, plus more for garnish

• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

• 1-1/2 ounces gin

• 1 ounce Lillet (blanc)

• 1/2 ounce simple syrup

• Ice

• Club Soda

How to make it

In a tall glass, muddle the peach with 6 basil leaves and the lemon guice. Add the gin, Lillet, and simple syrup. Add ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with basil.

04 July: French 75

In place of picnics and parades this year, we are staying within our bubble, so it made sense that tonight’s cocktail would include bubbles. We’ve both had several variations on The French 75, but this one I believe may be the last word. It comes from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. If you want to learn the history of a cocktail, this is the book to own. Along with some terrific drinks from bygone eras (by-the-way, what exactly is a “gill”?), one can learn about the history of long lost ingredients,

So, here is our homage to the French who helped turn the tides on the Revolution - the French 75!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin

• 1 oz lemon juice (fresh is best)

• 1 tsp simple syrup

• champagne (we used a brut rose which gives this a nice salmon hue)

Method:

• Put a cocktail shaker in the freezer and also ice the champagne flute

• Pour gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into the shaker filled with ice. Shake for a good 30 seconds.

• Pour into an iced flute and top with champagne

• Stir gently and garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral (and a cocktail cherry if you like)

20 June: Bebbo

If you get in to the history of mixed drinks (Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh is a good start), the Bebbo is a descendent of the Bee’s Knees - a honey-infused gin drink from a hundred years ago. I like the citrus-y flavor of this gin-based cocktail, and served in a chilled coupe, it is perfect for summer evenings.

Bebbo (based on this recipe from liquor.com)

Ingredients

•  1/2 ounces London dry gin (used Tangueray, but find one you like and use it)

• 1 ounce honey syrup which is equal parts honey and water (I pre-mixed this in a shot; suggested from other sources: use orange-blossom honey)

• 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice (no, don’t use the bottled stuff)

• 1/4 ounce fresh blood orange juice

• Garnish: lemon twist

What to do:

Fill a shaker half-way with ice. Add all of the ingredients. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into a frosted pre-chilled coupe, add a twist of lemon for garnish.