Recipe Round-Up: Champagne Cocktails

It's no secret that I love champagne cocktails. Coincidentally, I'm also a huge fan of New Year's Eve, and the two go together really well. This year we're having some friends over to our place instead of going out, so I'll be the one mixing the drinks. Here's a roundup of my favorite sparkling cocktails, any of which would be perfect for ringing in the new year!

1. Champagne Cocktail - It doesn't get easier or more classic than this. I love to enhance the original recipe (bitters, sugar cube, lemon twist, bubbly) with orange bitters and an orange twist.

2. Champagne Julep - This sparkling riff on a Mint Julep makes for a beautiful presentation, especially when served in a julep tin or cup with a metal straw.

3. Air Mail - Honey simple syrup adds beautiful richness and flavor to this sparkling Daiquiri riff. It's an impressive drink and a great crowd-pleaser. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.

4. Italian 57 - If you're up for something a little more complicated but well worth the effort, the Italian 57 is sure to surprise and delight your guests. Amaretto, a bit of gin, lemon, blood orange, orange marmalade, rosemary, and sparkling rose make for an incredibly aromatic and deliciously tart cocktail. Plus, I mean... look at it!

5. French 75 - Possibly the most classic champagne cocktail out there, the French 75 is a perfect go-to when you want to dress up your bottle of bubbly. There is much debate over whether the gin or Cognac version is best - I'm firmly in the Cognac camp with this one, but try them both and decide for yourself!

6. Old Cuban - This is another drink on my list of definite crowd-pleasers, which makes sense as it's actually quite similar to the Air Mail. You can't go wrong with aged rum, simple syrup, lime, muddled mint, and champagne.

7. Curative - This is one of my own recipes from last New Year's, a sparkling riff on the Penicillin. Scotch and champagne work surprisingly well together with a bit of honey-ginger syrup, and crystallized ginger makes a perfect garnish.

8. Strawberry Sparkler - I developed this one for South of Plum, working with the Air Mail and the Old Cuban as inspiration. It's basically a sparkling strawberry daiquiri. With it's lovely flavor and pretty pink hue, it's a great choice for guests.

9. Last Cocktail - This one requires a bit of extra prep, but it's completely worth it. A rosemary-pear puree along with a rosemary and clove garnish make an otherwise summery drink - gin, lemon, champagne - very appropriate for a wintry New Year's.

10. Seelbach - This is a whiskey-drinker's champagne cocktail. Don't let its rosy hue fool you: with bourbon, Cointreau, and lots of bitters, it's very boozy and not too sweet.

What will you be drinking this New Year's Eve?

Mixology Monday: The Innocents Abroad

Hello from Louisiana! GarnishGuy and I are back home until Christmas, spending time with family and eating far more than we ought to. We're hoping to sneak away to New Orleans later in the week to celebrate our anniversary (eight years!) and check out some bars. Until then, we've been having fun experimenting with the contents of my parents' liquor cabinet, which has definitely grown since I started this blog! Last night's cocktails were, appropriately, the De La Louisiane and the Vieux Carre - both big hits.

Since we were pretty busy leading up to our trip, I didn't have much time to experiment with cocktails for this month's Mixology Monday. Luckily, the theme of this month's challenge, hosted by Stacey Markow, is digestifs. And I've had an absolutely fantastic recipe for a digestif that I've been looking forward to sharing. It's not an original recipe, but it's so good I can't resist sharing it for this challenge.

There's an excellent new restaurant in Boston's South End called SRV. It's a "Venetian-style Bacaro and wine bar" from the folks behind The Salty Pig and Canary Square, two of our favorite spots. We first went there for a drink while we waited for a table at Toro. We ordered a couple of cocktails and several of their bar bites, and we were really blown away. The bar snacks were ridiculously good: salt cod brandade on black bread with herbs, soft boiled quail eggs with white anchovies and a crunchy garlic pangrattato, grilled octopus with pine nuts and preserved lemon... I need to stop talking about this, I'm making myself really hungry right now.

The cocktail menu at SRV is heavy on amari and vermouth, which I love. They have a vermouth of the day ("We always drink to world peace") and some really great cocktails. One of these is The Innocents Abroad: Fighting Cock bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Gran Classico, and Kina L'Aero D'Or. It's been a while since I was so blown away by a cocktail that I thought, "I HAVE to make this at home," but that was what I thought about The Innocents Abroad, and I didn't really care how many bottles of liquor I needed to buy (three, it turned out - four if I wanted to use the same bourbon). On our second visit, I worked up the courage to ask the bartender for the recipe, which he happily shared. I hope they won't mind me re-posting it here, so that others can know the joy of this wonderful drink.

The Innocents Abroad is a perfect digestif. We recently made it after dinner for a couple of friends, and it was wonderful: sweet with just enough bitterness. It has an almost syrupy texture, thick on your tongue. It's one of those cocktails where the ingredients knit together so perfectly and tightly that it's hard to pick them all out. It's nutty, citrusy, and herbal, with the lovely flavor of the Amaro Nonino in the middle of your sip and the distinctive bitterness of the Gran Classico and Kina L'Aero at the end. It's definitely one of the best cocktails I've tried this year.

History: This cocktail was created for SRV by David Spielburg. According to this article, it's a something of a riff on the Paper Plane. I imagine it must have been named after the book The Innocents Abroad, or the New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain, which tells the story of his travels through Europe and the Holy Land on a retired Civil War ship.

The Innocents Abroad

1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Fighting Cock recommended)
3/4 oz. Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz. Gran Classico
1/2 oz. Kina L'Aero D'Or

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe courtesy of SRV.

Pear Tree

I've got some very exciting news! I've been selected as one of Drizly's Top Shelf Bloggers. I kind of can't believe that I'm on the same page as so many awesome cocktail blogs that I've been following for a while: Apartment Bartender, Gastronomista, Holly & Flora, Stir & Strain... the list goes on! Be sure to check out some of the other bloggers on the list. And, seeing as it's freeze-your-nosehairs cold in much of the US right now, don't forget that Drizly will deliver booze right to your door!

Yes, the temperature has dropped and the holidays are here. I kind of can't believe it. I usually spend so much time looking forward to Christmas, and this year we didn't even get a Christmas tree! I'm seeing festive cocktails popping up left and right on Twitter and Instagram, and I haven't really had time to get into the holiday spirit cocktail-wise. So during last night's frenzy of packing - we're flying home to spend the holiday in Louisiana with our families, where I believe it's a balmy 60 degrees - I made this holiday-appropriate cocktail and named it in honor of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I even came up with a little verse for it:

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A cocktail made with sherry!

I'm pretty sure you could write a whole song here... Four Roses, Three Olives, Two... um... well, I haven't really thought it all through yet.

I just love the flavors in this cocktail. Amontillado sherry is one of my favorite new ingredients, and I think it works really well here, adding its nutty and fruity flavor without contributing too much sweetness. It blends beautifully with pear juice and bourbon. In lieu of regular maple syrup, I used some Noble Chamomile & Vanilla Maple Syrup, which was a subtle but nice touch - their Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup would also be awesome. And it turns out all the syrups at Muddle & Stir are 25% off right now! Use the discount code syrup25. If you need some stocking stuffers, the Noble Maple Syrups are perfect.

Happy holidays!

Pear Tree

1 1/2 oz. bourbon

3/4 oz. Amontillado sherry

3/4 oz. lemon juice

1/2 oz. maple syrup (I used Noble Chamomile & Vanilla Maple Syrup)

1/2 oz. pear juice

1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a candied pear*.

*For the candied pears, I adapted recipe from Adventuress (albeit in a very haphazard way - read on, but don't expect a precise recipe). I sliced the pear as thinly as I could, sprinkled both sides of the slices with sugar, and baked them on parchment paper at 300 degrees for at least an hour, maybe longer (it's going to depend a lot on the thickness of your slices). I checked them and flipped them roughly every 10 minutes. After 20 or 30 minutes, they had released a lot of juices, so I drained and replaced the parchment paper. I think I sprinkled on more sugar at 40 minutes or so. It took a long time to get them stiff enough to hold their shape when placed on the rim of a cocktail glass, and the thinner parts threatened to burn, so even slices is a must. Also, FYI, after 20-30 minutes they may not be stiff but they are delicious. Throw a few extra slices in for eating. :-)

Pale King

After finally feeling like I have a bit of a handle on the different varieties of gin and whiskey, I'm trying to learn more about rum.

My Bar School post about rum is really quite basic, and if I was to write an updated one, I would structure it differently. I've learned that the most important way to separate varieties of rum is by geography and the sugar source you start with. As different regions tend to have their own styles, these two things go hand in hand, and you can use one to infer the other. They can tell you a lot about how a rum is going to taste.

I used to think there were too many countries producing rum to learn what all of the different varieties were like, but it can be quickly simplified if you know whether the country in question was previously a Spanish, English, or French colony. The Spanish style of rum, produced in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Panama, is a lighter style made from molasses. Former British colonies such as Jamaica and Guyana use molasses or Demerara sugar as a base, and create darker, heavier, spicier rums. And former French colonies like Haiti and Martinique use sugar cane juice, producing dry, grassy rums.*

This French style of rum is known as Rhum Agricole, and it's mentioned specifically in many recipes because of its distinctive flavor. Many of the best brands come from Martinique, which is the only producer to have a specific designation ("Appellation de Origine Contrôlée") for its rhum agricole. But other countries do produce a similar style without the same official standards. I was happy to learn that Barbancourt, a brand from Haiti, is also an agricole-style rum. It's quite affordable ($20) and easy to find. I picked up a bottle of Barbancourt White, which the Death & Co cocktail book recommends as an option for a less vegetal-tasting agricole that's still got it's signature sharp, tangy flavor. It's quite good, and very different from the molasses-based white rums I've usually purchased in the past.

I was so enchanted by the specific flavor of the Barbancourt that I really wanted a spirit-forward cocktail that would put it front and center. I kind of wanted a rum martini, but I wasn't sure if that would work. But I remembered a great drink I had at Loyal Nine that was basically exactly that (going back to look at the menu, it was the Georgetown Club), so I knew it could be done. I used Lillet instead of vermouth, which I thought might help smooth out the sharp edges of the rum. A dash of grapefruit bitters and a lemon twist tied it all together. It was exactly what I wanted.

The color of this cocktail is a beautiful pale yellow, and this name just sprung into my mind. It's an homage to the novel by David Foster Wallace, which I freely admit I haven't read.

*If you want a great guide to rum basics, check out Inu a Kena's Rum 101, which does a great job of breaking down all this and more. It also has more information on each individual producer's style.

Pale King

2 1/2 oz. white rhum agricole (I used Barbancourt White)
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
1 dash grapefruit bitters (I used Scrappy's)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist: expel the oils and rub the peel around the sides of the glass, then discard.

Hotel Belvedere

I'm a little late, but I should mention that the roundup for November's Mixology Monday has been posted over at Doc Elliot's Mixology! Check it out for eight brunch-appropriate recipes that will meet all your day-drinking needs. My contribution to the list was the Bombay Sour, which was inspired by my bottle of Black Cloud Saffron Mango bitters. It was the third drink I made with my Black Cloud sampler pack, and today I've got a fourth. Only bottle to go! I found all the flavors in the pack very inspiring, but when I tasted the Charred Cedar bitters, I was really blown away. They've got an incredible woody, smoky flavor that is amazing with bourbon. They make a mean Old Fashioned, but I was looking forward to tailoring a cocktail specifically for these awesome bitters.

I definitely wanted to pair the bitters with bourbon, and I liked the idea of them with Benedictine. This put me in mind of a drink from The PDT Cocktail Book I made almost exactly a year ago called the Hotel D'Alsace, made with Irish whiskey, Benedictine, and Cointreau. I decided to work with the recipe to include the bitters and make it a bit more to my taste, as I found the Hotel D'Alsace a little too sweet. I replaced the Irish whiskey with bourbon and the Cointreau with orange bitters. The result is rich, sweet, herbaceous, and a bit smoky. I made the first one in a Glencairn glass because it was what I had clean and nearby, and I liked the way the shape of the glass brought the smell of the cedar to your nose and forced you to get a good whiff of the rosemary. I decided to keep it in a tulip-shaped glass.

Since this version of the Hotel D'Alsace has charred cedar and burnt rosemary, I started thinking about ruined hotels when it came time to name it. I was reminded of an incredible experience my husband and I had in Croatia when we were traveling after college. We were exploring the Old City of Dubrovnik (now popularized for its role as King's Landing in Game of Thrones). Looking out from the harbor, you can see how the coast curves around slightly to the southeast, forming a small peninsula. On its tip was a big, beautiful building, and we wondered what it might be. Later, we walked a ways up into the hills surrounding the city to get an aerial view of the town and decided to walk there and see what it was.

As we got closer, we realized that while the building had once been beautiful, it was now completely in ruins. We had stumbled upon the ruin of the Hotel Belvedere, a luxurious hotel that was destroyed by the Yugoslav People’s Army on October 3, 1991, during the Siege of Dubrovnik.

The Hotel Belvedere - you can see why we weren't aware it was in ruins at first. Photo from Untapped Cities.

We wandered around for a while, exploring the hollow buildings and taking photographs. The gutted buildings are covered in graffiti and stained with rust. It was such a sad embodiment of the region as a whole, a real and chilling reminder of the violence that had occurred there not so long ago.

To this day I'm surprised the ruin was so empty, and that we hadn't heard about it before stumbling upon it. It's such a prominent landmark when you look out from Dubrovnik. If you Google it, you can find a few blogs where other travelers describe exploring the ruins, and there are spectacular photos here, here, and here. Part of it was used for the battle between Prince Oberon and the Mountain in Game of Thrones. I was happy to find an article that says the ruin was recently purchased by a Russian billionaire who is going to turn it into a luxury hotel once again. As interesting as the ruins were, they were a monument to a terrible conflict, and I'm glad the region is healing and moving on.

The Hotel Belvedere's sign in the ruins. Photo from Untapped Cities by Thomas Löbig.

Finding the Hotel Belvedere was one of the more memorable parts of our time in Croatia, and I think it makes a fitting name for this cocktail. Whereas Paris' Hotel D'Alsace is bright and sweet, the Hotel Belvedere is charred and bitter - but still elegant and strong.

Hotel Belvedere

2 oz. bourbon
1/2 oz. Benedictine
1/2 dropper Black Cloud Charred Cedar Bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a tulip-shaped glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary. Briefly burn the tip of the rosemary so that it is smoky and fragrant.

Charles Lindbergh

One great bar in Boston that has been a cocktail inspiration for me is Island Creek Oyster Bar. As at its neighboring bars also run by Jackson Cannon, Eastern Standard and The Hawthorne, the cocktails at ICOB are never anything short of fantastic. It was the first place I ever tried an Air Mail, and it has since become one of my favorite cocktails. Last time I was there, I ordered the Charles Lindbergh, particularly because of the inclusion of Tempus Fugit's Kina L'Aero D'Or, one of my new obsessions. It was really good, and I knew I'd like to make it at home.

Luckily, it turns out the Charles Lindbergh is an old cocktail, dating back to the classic Savoy Cocktail Book, and the original recipe wasn't hard to find: gin, Kina Lillet, apricot brandy, and a dash of orange juice. Lacking the last two ingredients, I came up with my own variation using a dash of Cointreau and about 1/4 tsp. apricot preserves. I also used the Kina L'Aero, which is sweeter and more bitter than the Lillet Blanc on the shelves today, but probably more similar to the original recipe. The result is surprisingly similar to what I remember from the bar, and thoroughly enjoyable. You could just as easily make it with Lillet Blanc or even dry or blanc vermouth; you'd be in for a different experience, but I think it would still be a very quaffable cocktail. It's nicely balanced, sweet with a bitter finish, with flavors of citrus, apricot, and botanicals.

Charles Lindbergh

History: Charles Lindbergh was, of course, the famous pilot who flew the Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. He was only 25 years old. Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel in London invented this cocktail to celebrate the occasion. It would later appear in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.

Charles Lindbergh

1 1/2 oz. gin
1 oz. Kina L'Aero D'Or, Lillet, or Cocchi Americano
1 dash Cointreau
1/4 tsp. apricot preserves

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to mix in the preserves. Add ice and stir until chilled. Fine-strain into a coupe glass. Twist a lemon peel over the cocktail and discard.

Recipe adapted from Cocktail 101.

Holiday Gift Guide 2016

It's that time of year again! Last December I made a little holiday gift guide, and I've been thinking about what to put in this year's ever since. Here are some gift ideas for the cocktail lover in your life!

1. Noble Tonic 01: Tuthilltown Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. This maple syrup is positively out of this world. It's fantastic in cocktails and I think it would be positively divine on pancakes. $27.50 for a 16 oz. bottle.

2. Black Cloud Bitters Sampler. Bitters samplers are the best way to expand your collection, and I love the flavors in this pack from Black Cloud. It contains five varieties: Charred Cedar, Saffron Mango, Black & Blue, Prairie Rose, and Garden Party. I've been using them like crazy. $37 for five 1 oz. bottles.

3. Amaro Nonino Quintessentia. Whether you're buying a gift for a devoted amaro lover or someone who has never even heard of it, you can't go wrong with Amaro Nonino. This sweet, nutty, slightly bitter digestif is delicious on its own after dinner or mixed into cocktails like the Paper Plane. $40-50 for a 750 ml bottle.

4. Spirit, Mixer, Glass, and Garnish. It's not surprising that the Kickstarter for this gorgeous cocktail journal was funded in no time. It's custom designed for you to record your favorite cocktail recipes. Check out my post on it for more details. $27.

5. Shake. Stir. Sip. This little cocktail book by Kara Newman contains only recipes that use equal parts of their ingredients, from classics like the Negroni and Last Word to newer recipes like Amor y Amargo's Sharpie Moustache. With easy recipes and beautiful photos, it's great for cocktail-makers of all skill levels. $17.

6. Tovolo King Cube Clear Ice System. There are a lot of ways to achieve crystal-clear ice at home, but none quite so easy as this Tovolo ice maker. The insulated container and compartmentalized molds create one perfectly clear cube and one regular cube at a time. Also available in spheres. $22.

7. Hibiki Japanese Harmony. This is the Japanese whiskey that everyone seems to be talking about. Beautifully flavored and packaged in a gorgeous bottle, it makes a perfect gift for any Scotch or whiskey drinker. $60-70 for a 750 ml bottle.

8. Oak Bottle. Barrel-aging cocktails is all the rage right now, but if you're not ready to commit to an oak barrel and a few months of waiting, the Oak Bottle is the gadget for you. This bottle will oak-age spirits and cocktails in only days. It would be a great gift for the cocktail lover who has everything. $80 for a 750 ml bottle or $60 for the 355 ml mini version.

9. Copper Bar Tools from Cocktail Kingdom. I'm a sucker for pretty bar tools, and I think this shaker, julep strainer, barspoon, and jigger are about as pretty as it gets. They all come in other finishes, sizes, and styles (including a pair of weighted copper shaking tins). $133 for everything pictured.

What's on your wish list this year?

Bottle Buy: Amaro Nonino

A few months ago, I wrote about an amazing meal I had with some friends at Gramercy Tavern in New York. After dessert, our waitress recommended a couple of amari for us to taste. She brought out Amaro Averna and Amaro Nonino. Everyone else at the table seemed to prefer the Averna, but I liked the Nonino better. When I saw the price difference between them, however ($30 vs. $50), I made the Averna my first amaro purchase. But I suppose I was just delaying the inevitable - I finally bought a bottle of Nonino, and I think it was well worth the money. Its flavor is just beautiful. It's light and sweet and nutty, with flavors of vanilla, caramel, spices, and a bit of anise. I already snuck it into one cocktail, the European Vagrant, and I've got many more to come.

Amaro Nonino (officially Amaro Nonino Quintessentia) is made in Friuli in northeastern Italy. The Nonino distillery was founded there in 1897 by Orazio Nonino, who produced grappa, an Italian grape liqueur. Though the family has continued to produce grappa ever since, I was surprised to find out that Nonino is a fairly new product, born in 1992. It is made from an aged grape distillate infused with a number of herbs and spices including gentian root, saffron, bitter orange, licorice, rhubarb, tamarind, sweet orange, and carmelized sugar. It's traditionally served at room temperature after a meal as a digestif, but it can also make a nice aperitif when served on the rocks or in a cocktail. It's easily one of my favorite bottles in my bar.

Amaro Nonino

Price: $50
Alcohol Content: 35%
Popular Cocktails: Paper Plane, served up as a digestif

The Paper Plane is one of the better-known drinks that contains Amaro Nonino. Like the Last Word, it's an equal-parts cocktail with four ingredients: bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice. It's sour and tart, with a subtly bitter aftertaste. Nuttiness from the Nonino, bright citrus from the Aperol, and rich bourbon tie it all together. It's lighter and more refreshing than you would expect from its ingredients.

If you don't have Amaro Nonino and aren't ready to take the plunge (do it!), you could definitely try this recipe with other amari and see how it turns out. I've also seen a version that uses Campari instead of Aperol. There's definitely room to play around, but it's hard to beat the original.

History: The Paper Plane was created by Sam Ross at Little Branch in New York City. A former bartender at the famous Milk & Honey, Ross opened Attaboy with Michael McIlroy in the bar’s old space. He also invented the well-known Penicillin cocktail, so he’s kind of a big deal.

As I mentioned last week, I got to spend the weekend before Thanksgiving in New York City, crossing some amazing cocktail bars off my bucket list. One of these – my favorite, in fact – was Attaboy. I vaguely knew that Sam Ross owned the bar, but it didn’t occur to me to find out what he looked like or anything; for some reason I assumed that the big-name guys who own these bars never actually step behind them anymore. So when our bearded Australian bartender introduced himself as “Sam,” I just smiled and nodded and complimented the drinks. It was literally 48 hours later that the wayward neurons in my brain (no doubt a bit fried by the weekend of barhopping) made the connection, and I facepalmed pretty hard. No wonder the drinks were so perfect. Sam, on the off-chance you read this, thanks for a lovely time.

As for the Paper Plane, Ross named it after M.I.A.'s song Paper Planes, which he was listening to while he worked on the recipe.

Paper Plane

1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Amaro Nonino
1 oz. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. No garnish. Or get cute and fold a teeny tiny paper plane to hang on the glass.

Recipe adapted from Liquor.com.

Autumn Cocktail #2

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We're having one of the quietest ones we've had in a while. GarnishGuy is working a half day and we don't even have dinner plans yet. I've got a lot of work to do myself, so it doesn't really feel like much of a holiday. But I don't mind. We had our share of fun last weekend, when we went to New York with my sister and her husband. My travel companions let me drag them on a frantic quest to visit as many iconic cocktail bars as possible in three evenings. And we did a pretty decent job: Amor y Amargo, Death & Co., Dead Rabbit, Mother of Pearl, Mayahuel, Attaboy, PDT, and Dear Irving. Kind of a dream come true.

I think Attaboy was the highlight of the trip. From the hidden entrance and the atmosphere to the impeccable cocktails, it was just perfect. The drinks were even more impressive given that there wasn't a menu. I've had mixed success with that format at places like Drink in Boston, but our bartender at Attaboy was an utter genius; in the words of my sister, "He saw into my soul." For my first drink, I requested something bourbon-based with amaro, and he made me a drink called a Paycut with Fernet-Vallet, a Mexican(!) amaro I've never heard of. Every sip was heaven. I've got to figure out the recipe.

After drinks like that, my own offering for a fall cocktail feels a bit inadequate, but it's nice to have something to aspire to. Last year around this time I made my Autumn Cocktail #1, a fall-appropriate mixture of bourbon, apple cider, maple syrup, lemon, and cinnamon. For #2 this year, I kept the maple syrup and cinnamon and went with Laird's Applejack to bring in some apple flavor. The maple syrup makes this drink particularly special, because it's not just any maple syrup - it's Noble Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup.

Guys. This maple syrup. Oh my gosh. If you'd told me prior to tasting it that I'd be recommending a $27 bottle of maple syrup, I'd have said you were completely nuts. But this stuff is spectacular. Other maple syrup pales in comparison to its rich, deep flavor. It's incredible in cocktails, and as a big fan of all carby breakfasts I'd really like to try it on some pancakes. If you want to snag your own bottle, you can get it at Muddle & Stir. If you're in Boston, I also recently saw it at Boston General Store in Coolidge Corner.

After the Applejack, syrup, and cinnamon, I tried a few different ingredients in this drink, and I did not expect Cynar to be the one that worked. As I mentioned in my post on amari, this is a bitter, artichoke-flavored liqueur that's somewhat like a more vegetal Campari. It's surprisingly versatile, and I love the way it works with the other flavors, adding a wonderful bitterness and depth to the cocktail. It's a fragrant glass of apple, cinnamon, and spice - perfect for fall!

Autumn Cocktail #2

1 1/2 oz. Laird's Applejack or Apple Brandy
1/2 oz. Cynar
1/4 oz. maple syrup (preferably Noble Bourbon Barrel Aged)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients, including the cinnamon stick, in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with an apple slice and a fresh cinnamon stick.

Mixology Monday: Bombay Sour

This month's theme for Mixology Monday is quite close to my heart: brunch cocktails!! Gary at Doc Elliot's Mixology has chosen the theme "Bacon, Eggs, and Booze" this month, and I couldn't be more on board. I love brunch. It's easily my favorite meal. And as Gary reminds us, "A brunch without booze is just a sad, late breakfast." We all enjoy our Mimosas and Bloody Marys at brunch time, but there's a lot more to brunch cocktails than that, and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone whips up for some late-morning imbibing.

The timing of this challenge was quite fortuitous, because I already had a couple of cocktail recipes I was playing with that would be very brunch-appropriate. One involves some coffee-infused rye, which I managed to over-infuse into the realm of unpalatable bitterness, so that one is still in the pipeline. But this one is utter perfection, and I'm pretty excited to share it. It works for brunch because it basically contains a healthy breakfast: yogurt, mangos, and honey.

The inspiration for this cocktail was Black Cloud's Saffron Mango Bitters. The flavor made me think of a mango lassi, so I decided to include some yogurt in this recipe. I've been wanting to use yogurt in a cocktail for a long time, ever since this article from Liquor.com made it look so ridiculously good. And after trying it, I think it's definitely going to end up in more drinks in the future. It adds a thick, silky texture to your cocktail, along with a slight tang. It's really lovely.

Before we get to the recipe: my fellow home mixologists who are reading this might be interested in a cocktail contest that's being hosted by Durham Distillery. This North Carolina distillery produces Conniption gin and a number of liqueurs. Enter your cocktail recipe using their products or any gin or comparable liqueur to win $150 worth of prizes! It's open to everyone, not just bartenders. So get mixing!

Bombay Sour

1 1/2 oz. aged rum
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. honey simple syrup*
1/2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
3 large pieces of mango
2 droppers Black Cloud Saffron Mango bitters

Place mango and honey simple syrup in the bottom of a shaker and muddle well until the mango has released its juice. Add rum, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, bitters, and ice. Shake well to incorporate the yogurt into the cocktail. Strain into a rocks glass and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with saffron threads.

*For honey simple syrup, combine equal parts honey and water in a saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until honey is dissolved. Let cool entirely before using.

Bottle Swap: Ancho Reyes

It's week 2 of my bottle swap with Mr. Muddle! If you missed it, check out last week's cocktails made with The King's Ginger. This week we're working with the bottle that was at the top of my wish list, Ancho Reyes. Before you read on, be sure to check out Mr. Muddle's cocktail, The Pope of Chili Town!

Ancho Reyes is a liqueur is flavored with ancho chiles, which are dried and smoked poblano peppers. A neutral sugar cane spirit is steeped with the peppers for six months, then aged. According to the makers of Ancho Reyes, it's based on a recipe from 1927. Back then, cantinas in the town of Puebla, Mexico each served their own menjurjes, spirits made with local ingredients. The Reyes family created one with the local dried poblanos that was the inspiration for Ancho Reyes. But though the recipe is old, the spirit itself is quite new; it was created in 2014.

For a great virtual tour of the distillery and the process of making Ancho Reyes from field to bottle, check out Alcademics.

Ancho Reyes

Price: $40
Alcohol Content: 40%
Popular Cocktails: Ancho Margarita, Ancho Old Fashioned... basically add it to any tequila cocktail!

I knew Ancho Reyes would be great for adding a bit of spice to cocktails, but what I didn't expect was its complexity and drinkability. When you first sip it, you get the richness and sweetness of the aging process. Then the spice of the ancho chiles hits you, lingering on your palate. As cocktail ingredients go, it's pretty killer. It's an instant, spicy facelift to anything you add it to. The first thing I made with it was a Margarita, subbing it in for triple sec, and I couldn't believe how great it was. I'm not sure I want to make them without it anymore.

Since the thing that surprised me about Ancho Reyes were those flavors up front, and since they seemed kind of perfect for autumn, I decided to play up the spices and sweetness. I originally wanted to make a bourbon cocktail, but I have to say, the Ancho Reyes just sings with tequila. Tequila anejo aged in bourbon barrels gave me those same smooth vanilla and caramel notes while blending perfectly with the Ancho. I added mezcal for smoke and Besamim by Sukkah Hill Spirits for some autumn spices. (I'm guessing you could sub Allspice Dram but I'm not sure - I don't have a bottle yet. Bottle swap, anyone??) Punt e Mes helped bind it all together.

I think this is a pretty great cocktail. At first you get the sweetness of the Punt e Mes, the Besamim, and flavors of cloves, vanilla, and cinnamon. It drinks like a bourbon cocktail for a split second. Then the mezcal and Ancho Reyes hit you, and you get the smoke and spice at the end of your sip. I can't imagine anything more perfect for a chilly fall day. One of these will warm you right up.

Bonfire

1 1/2 oz. tequila anejo (I used Espolon)
1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes
1/2 oz. Punt e Mes
1/4 oz. mezcal
1/4 oz. Besamim or Allspice Dram

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with a burnt cinnamon stick.

Guide: Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. It's a day where we get together with family, eat a lot of great food, and think about how grateful we are for all the good things going on in our lives. Since moving away from my family in Louisiana, I've spent Thanksgiving a lot of different ways, usually with friends who are also from far away. I've yet to host my own Thanksgiving dinner, but it's definitely something I'd like to tackle. I'd probably leave the turkey to my husband, but I will definitely take charge of the drinks!

Lately I've been coming across a lot of cocktail-related products that are just perfect for Thanksgiving and autumn in general. So I thought I'd share a few current favorites that would be great additions to your Thanksgiving celebration:

1. Copper Hammered Beverage Tub. I went into Pier 1 for the first time in a while and I was impressed by all their lovely copper barware. This drink tub would be great for keeping beer or bottles of wine on ice. $70.

2. Morris Kitchen Spiced Apple Syrup. This syrup is made with apple cider and mulling spices for a perfect autumn flavor. Mix it into cocktails or use it to top ice cream. $13.25 for 8 oz.

3. Vino Marker Metallic Wine Glass Pens. If you're hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner, keeping everyone's drinks straight can be an issue. These gold and silver pens will write directly on your glassware and wash off with soapy water! $15.50 for 4 pens.

4. ParTea Orange Spice Booze Infuser. This kit will allow you to infused a 750 ml bottle of booze with a delicious orange spice flavor. I used it on a bottle of brandy and made lovely Orange Spice Sidecars. It's perfect for giving classic cocktails a twist. $15.

5. Letterpressed Thankful Coasters. These sweet coasters from Waiting on Martha have Thanksgiving decorations and spaces for your guests to write what they're thankful for. $32 for 100 coasters.

6. Bully Boy Old Fashioned. If you're lucky enough to live somewhere that sells products from this Boston distillery, their bottled Old Fashioned is a perfect cocktail to serve when you don't have time to be constantly mixing drinks. It's heavy on the Angostura, making it ideal for autumn. It would also make a nice gift for your hosts if dinner isn't at your house. $35.

7. Miracle Mile Toasted Pecan Bitters. Make any cocktail taste a little bit more like pecan pie with these bitters. Perfect for bourbon cocktails. $23.50 for 4 oz.

8. Copper Stainless Steel Coupe. The original reason I went into Pier 1 was to buy one of these for my Moscow Martini. The color just seems perfect for Thanksgiving. It's a bit large for your average cocktail, but I guess that means you'll just have to drink twice as much. $15 each.

9. El Guapo Sweet Potato Spiced Syrup. I haven't tried this syrup myself, but I love El Guapo bitters and this syrup just sounds too appropriate for Thanksgiving to pass up. It's definitely the first time I've seen sweet potato in a cocktail mixer, but think Pumpkin Spice. $14.25 for 8.5 oz.

10. David Wondrich Classic Collection Punch Bowl, Georgian Punch Glasses, and Ladle. This set from Cocktail Kingdom was designed by the famous cocktail historian as a tribute to the classic 19th century punch service. It's a bit pricey, but perfect for a true cocktail lover. $130 for the bowl, ladle, and four glasses.

Brooklyn

It's been a weird week, hasn't it? No matter what your politics, I think we can all agree that we deserve a drink after this election. And when the rest of the world seems a little off-kilter, there's nothing better than a classic cocktail to remind you how little a lot of things have changed.

The Brooklyn is, admittedly, not one of the most widespread classics. Its close cousin the Manhattan always steals the spotlight. I'd argue that there's a reason for this; I personally prefer the Manhattan with its sweet vermouth to the lighter Brooklyn. But the Brooklyn has inspired a number of spinoff cocktails that I really enjoy, most named after Brooklyn neighborhoods: the Red Hook, Greenpoint, Slope, Prospect Park, and many others. So it seemed like high time that I made one.

One reason I've avoided the Brooklyn until now is because it technically calls for an ingredient I don't have, a bitter orange liqueur from France called Amer Picon. It was invented in 1837 by Gaétan Picon, a distiller-turned-soldier who mixed up the quinine-laced bitters to cure the malaria he contracted while stationed in Algeria. It seemed to work, and the French army asked him to stay in Algeria and continue to produce it for the troops there. He opened multiple distilleries in the country, and when his "Amer Africain" won a major competition in London, he moved to Marseilles and began making the bitters under the name Amer Picon. They found their way into a number of turn-of-the-century cocktails, including the Brooklyn.

Unfortunately, the Picon company was sold around the 1970's, and the recipe for Amer Picon was changed and diluted (so much for nothing really changing). Besides a few precious bottles hoarded away by collectors, it's now impossible to taste the original formula. Even the altered version is not available for purchase in the United States. So you can't really make a "real" Brooklyn anymore. You can get around this problem by making your own Amer Picon substitute or just subbing in Angostura and orange bitters. I did the latter, including two dashes of each.

The Brooklyn is surprisingly light in flavor due to the dry vermouth. With the ingredients I used, it has almost a nutty flavor, with strong hints of cherry and vanilla. There was a lot of spice on the finish. It's a pleasant cocktail, but all in all it's not my favorite of the Manhattan family. I feel like it's crying out for sweet vermouth. But I'm still quite happy that I finally tried it. I'd like to replace the Amer Picon with some different amari and see how that improves things.

History: As I mentioned in my post on the Greenpoint, there are five cocktails that were created in the early twentieth century that were named after New York City's five boroughs: the Manhattan (rye, sweet vermouth, bitters), the Bronx (rye, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, orange juice), the Brooklyn (rye, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, Amer Picon), the Queens (gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, pineapple juice) and the Staten Island Ferry (rum, pineapple juice). It seems that the Manhattan came first and sparked a trend. Not to be left behind, Brooklyn bartenders began serving up a number of different cocktails named after their neighborhood.

The Brooklyn we know and love today was one of the earliest of these to appear on the scene. It popped up in J.A. Grohusko's Jack's Manual in 1908. It didn't really catch on at first (one could argue that it never really caught on, not the way the Manhattan or even the Bronx did), but it was included in Jacques Straub's 1913 Manual of Mixed Drinks and the famous Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. Still, bartenders continued to invent their own Brooklyns, either ignorant of this one's existence or unsatisfied with it. Though the recipe flew under the radar until very recently, it did survive, and now it has a number of descendants created during the recent craft cocktail renaissance.

For much more on the Brooklyn's history, check out this article from Edible Brooklyn.

Brooklyn

2 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. dry vermouth
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
1/4 oz. Amer Picon or a few dashes Angostura or orange bitters (I used two dashes of each)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with a brandied cherry.

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats. The history of Amer Picon came from Punch.

Bottle Swap: The King's Ginger

This post is going to be a little different from my usual Bottle Buys, because this time it's a bottle swap! Fellow Boston cocktail blogger Mr. Muddle and I, lamenting the fact that we can't buy every single cocktail ingredient out there without bankrupting ourselves, decided to do a bottle swap where we each bought a new spirit and shared half of the bottle. Today and next Thursday, we're both using our new ingredients in original cocktails. Be sure to check out Mr. Muddle's blog today for the Thoroughly Polite Dustup, his take on The King's Ginger (and possibly the best cocktail name I've heard in a while - reference for the uninitiated).

The King's Ginger was Mr. Muddle's suggestion for the swap, and I was very excited to get my hands on some of this ginger liqueur. It's made by macerating ginger root in a high-proof brandy. Honey, lemon peel, and a bit of whiskey are added as well. It's a thick, syrupy liqueur with an intense ginger flavor and a spicy bite.

I love a liqueur with an interesting history behind it, and as you might guess from its name, The King's Ginger has got one. According to their website, the royal physician of King Edward VII commissioned the ginger liqueur in 1903 "to stimulate and revivify His Majesty whilst exposed to the elements on morning rides in his new horseless carriage." It was created by Berry Bros., a spirits company that has existed since 1698 and is still operating today as Berry Bros. & Rudd. They have supplied wine and spirits to the royal family since 1720.

King Edward VII was the eldest son of Queen Victoria. He was quite the bon vivant; you may recall some of his antics from my post on the Prince of Wales cocktail, one of his favored drinks. He enjoyed good food, cigars, hunting, and the company of ladies. (As The King's Ginger tactfully puts it, "The encumbrance of marriage didn't curb the socialising to which Edward had become accustomed.") He also enjoyed driving. He became the first monarch to own an automobile in 1900, when he bought a Daimler. He bought several more during his reign. These were open-air vehicles, and the Royal Physician was very worried about the effects of driving on Edward's health. He asked Berry Bros. to create a liqueur that would warm His Majesty up after his morning drives. And so the King's Ginger was born.

Edward VII in his Daimler.

I'm a little unclear on exactly how long The King's Ginger has been on the shelves - it was sold as far back as the 1980's, but the current version has only been around since 2010 or so. I don't know if Berry Bros. started marketing it immediately or if it remained something of a royal specialty for a while. But thank goodness it's available to us commoners now!

I was really excited about this liqueur, as ginger is one of my favorite flavors in a cocktail. It seems to work with any spirit. I've made ginger syrup in the past, but fresh ginger definitely isn't something I usually have on hand, and I love that this liqueur will be a permanent fixture in my bar. Unlike Domain de Canton, which is quite sweet, The King's Ginger really has some bite to it, and a wonderfully natural-tasting ginger flavor.

King's Ginger

Price: $35
Alcohol Content: 41%
Popular Cocktails: No classics I know of; try it in any citrusy or fizzy drink

The King's Ginger is an extremely versatile cocktail ingredient - a million possible recipes popped into my mind when I tasted it. I decided to try something a little fun and do a riff on a cocktail I'm not really a huge fan of: the Moscow Mule. This mixture of ginger beer, lime, and vodka is undeniably refreshing but not really all that complex or special, copper mug aside. So I wondered what it would take to make a version I'd like with the King's Ginger. Since I generally prefer cocktails that are served up instead of on the rocks, I decided the fizz was going to go - I was going to martini-fy the Moscow Mule. And I have to say, I'm kind of in love with the finished product. This is definitely a vodka cocktail that I like!

And this one doesn't need a special glass, right? Oh wait... they sell copper coupes? Um, yeah. I had to get one of those.

Moscow Martini

2 oz. vodka
1 oz. King's Ginger
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with lime and crystallized ginger.

Historical information for this post came from The King's Ginger, The Whiskey Exchange, and Anchor Distilling.

Green Thumb

Lately I've been getting a lot of practice at inventing new cocktail recipes. It's not actually something I do a lot - when I come home at the end of the day, I tend to prefer to flip open a recipe book or turn to an old favorite. But between Mixology Monday, Instagram challenges, and collaborations with different brands, it feels like I've been coming up with new recipes left and right.

Getting inspiration for a new cocktail is kind of critical. If I just go stare at my bar and think "I should make something new," I'll never come up with anything. But a name, a theme, or an ingredient is often enough to get me moving. A focal ingredient is one of my favorite ways to start a cocktail. It's easy to taste it and think about what other things might work with it.



When I got this sampler pack of Black Cloud Bitters a couple of weeks ago, the wheels really started turning. The flavors were so inspiring, and I've almost come up with a new cocktail for all five. I already posted the Ginger Sage Smash with the Black & Blue Bitters last week. This week I decided to work with the Garden Party Bitters. These have strong flavors of cucumber and celery, along with lots of herbs and botanicals. They are distinctly savory, which I knew would be interesting in a cocktail.

I felt like the cucumber and celery in the Garden Party Bitters basically begged to be paired with gin. I decided to try and bring out their  herbaceous, vegetal quality with some muddled cucumber and Green Chartreuse, which fit perfectly in color and taste. Lime juice and simple syrup rounded it all out. The Green Thumb was one of those cocktails that basically made itself. It's sweet and citrusy at first, basically like a cucumber Gimlet, and then you taste the Chartreuse and the bitters at the end of your sip. That savory bitterness just makes it.

If you'd like to pick up your own sampler pack of Black Cloud Bitters, head over to Muddle & Stir and use the code MS10GB for 10% off and free shipping!

Green Thumb

1 1/2 oz. gin
1/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1 dropper Black Cloud Garden Party bitters
3 slices cucumber

Combine cucumber and simple syrup in the bottom of a shaker and muddle well. Add gin, Green Chartreuse, lime juice, and bitters. Fill shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Double-strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a cucumber rose and a mint leaf.