Two At The Most » Mixology Monday

MxMo LII: Forgotten Cocktails — Alaska Cocktail

Stevi — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:20:09 +0000

There are some Mixology Monday topics you can hardly believe haven’t happened yet. But Dennis at Rock & Rye found a great one, Forgotten Cocktails. In brief:

The challenge this month is to bring to light a drink that you think deserves to be resurrected from the past, and placed back into the spotlight. It could be pre-prohibition, post-war, that horrible decade known as the 80′s, it doesn’t really matter. As long as it is somewhat obscure, post it up. If possible try to keep to ingredients that are somewhat readily available. While we all appreciate the discovery of an amazing cocktail, if we can’t make it, it’s no fun for anyone.

Alaska Cocktail

While I have spent a lot of time persuing older cocktail guides, I knew the drink I wanted to include when I read the topic: the Alaska Cocktail. And given today my region is in the throes of a snowpocalypse, I felt inspired to make one.

I can’t remember when I first discovered the Alaska Cocktail. I know I’d made at least two at home before the time I went to Zig Zag, asked Murray for something with gin in, and he returned saying, “This is called the Alaska…” and I had to laugh, because I knew what was in it, and that I would love it.

Alaska Cocktail

2 oz London dry gin (Voyager)
1/4 oz yellow chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice until glacially cold, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

I have yet to find a good explanation for the name. The cocktail dates to at least the Savoy cocktail book, and probably before that. The Savoy recipe omits the bitters, and has a 3:1 ratio of chartreuse to gin. As written, it’s a fine drink, but I find going 4:1 makes a less sweet and more enjoyable drink, and adding orange bitters creates a nice balancing note. On occasion I will also use a lemon twist as a garnish, but really, with the chartreuse, the drink doesn’t need it.

This is a potent drink, as yellow chartreuse is 80 proof. Occasionally, I will substitute green chartreuse, which is OK, but as with the Widow’s Kiss, yellow provides a much more balanced and drinkable product.

Thanks to Dennis at Rock & Rye for a fun topic. Be sure to keep an eye out for the round-up!

MxMo XLVI: Absinthe — The Atlantic

Stevi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:05:51 +0000

This month’s Mixology Monday is hosted by Sonja Kassebaum over at Thinking of Drinking. In addition to running a fine boutique distillery, North Shore, with her husband, Sonja is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

This month she’s chosen the topic that’s near and dear to my heart:

The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and its future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe.

Atlantic Cocktail

I seriously thought about just writing up the absinthe drip for this month, as that’s my favorite way to enjoy the liquor. I decided instead to hunt for a new cocktail that shows off how little absinthe it takes to transform a dull collection of ingredients into a fantastic drink.

I stumbled upon the Atlantic on the CocktailDB, which gives credit for its creation to “H. Losappio.” I searched through all my cocktail books, and have not yet found another reference for it.

Atlantic Cocktail

1 ounce gin (Voyager)
1 ounce white rum (Ron Matusalem Platino)
0.75 ounce Cointreau
2 dashes absinthe (Pacifique)

Stir over ice until cold as the North Atlantic and strain into cocktail glass.

If you shake it, it becomes a White Lily, which I find listed in several other online cocktail databases, but also find no hint of in any of my cocktail books. This is an all clear spirits drink, so naturally, I opted to stir. The high amounts of liqueur gives it a mysterious lightly cloudy look that goes well with the name.

The original recipe calls for equal parts gin, rum, and Cointreau, and only one dash of absinthe. I found that a tad too sweet. Dialing back the Cointreau makes for a much drier drink I’m tempted to call the North Atlantic.

When making this, I mixed everything but the absinthe and stirred until properly chilled and took a taste. It was an ok, if uninteresting cocktail.

Adding one dash of absinthe really brought the gin and rum flavors out. Adding one more dash let the absinthe play in the background with hints of anise. I chose to use Pacific Distillery’s Voyager gin and Pacifique absinthe, which naturally pair well together, as the gin uses many of the same botanicals as the absinthe.

The Atlantic is a great example of how it takes just a little absinthe to bring a cocktail to life.

Thanks, Sonja, for a great topic. Be sure to drop by Thinking of Drinking to see the complete MxMo round-up!

MxMo XLV: Tea — Firenze

Stevi — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:27:06 +0000

It’s Mixology Monday yet again.¹ This month is being hosted by Frederic & Co. over at Cocktail Virgin Slut, and our topic is tea. Fred’s instructions:

Find or concoct a drink recipe that uses tea or tisane (a herbal “tea” which lacks tea leaves) as an ingredient. This can be hot tea, cold tea, tea syrups, or infusions and use it in a cocktail, punch, or other drink type. Be careful how long you infuse them (after 2 hours, things get really bitter!) if you go that route, and feel free to take a shortcut and use Beefeater 24 which has tea already in the botanical mix.

Firenze

My excuse for being late is that I was out doing research.² A few days ago I was at Coho Café and took a glance at their newest cocktail menu. The latest menu has some nice additions, including a bourbon rickey, that I look forward to trying.

Bartender Steve Shabro brought my attention to one of his drinks on the menu, the Firenze, which combines Earl Grey tea, Tuaca, and agave nectar. Earl Grey is one of my favorite teas. I love the scent of bergamot wafting out of my cup.

Firenze

1.5 ounces Tuaca
agave nectar (sub honey)
6 ounces Earl Grey tea

make a nice strong Earl Grey tea. Add Tuaca and agave nectar to taste. Stir, garnish with orange twist.

With the only alcohol coming from Tuaca, which is 70 proof (35% ABV), this is a pretty light take on a classic toddy. It’s very tasty, too. The tea can take a lot of sweetness. The agave nectar works well here as an additional sweetener, blending nicely with the other flavors. The orange in the Tuaca is a natural accompaniment to the bergamot in the tea, creating a smooth flavor profile.

Definitely a nice take on the tea ritual, and one I’ll add to my hot toddy rotation.

Thanks to Frederic for a great topic. Be sure to stop by Cocktail Virgin Slut for the full write up, as well as a constant stream of great cocktail recipes!

[1] Well, OK, I am a little late. Let’s call it Tipsy Tuesday³
[2] That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!
[3] AD: Kaite McGrew⁴
[4] AD — Attribution, Dammit!

MxMo XLIV: Money Drinks — Vanilla Whiskey Royale

Stevi — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:59:13 +0000

Mixology Monday is here again, and this month is being hosted by one of my favorite Seattle bartenders, Kevin Langmack.¹ Kevin has given us the theme of Money Drinks. We had two directions we could go. First:

A “Money” drink is something you can put in front of anyone, regardless of tastes or distastes about the spirits involved. Come up with a drink or a list based on spirits about drinks that would appeal to anyone. example: turning someone onto a Corpse Reviver #2 when they like lemon drops.

And second:

Drinks that you upgrade to the ne plus ultra: cocktails that for whatever reason (holiday, birthday, old friends come to visit, or just because you feel like it) you upgrade to superior; for example, taking your normal Sazerac with Rittenhouse and Herbsaint and, for a special occasion, turning it into a supreme-o Sazerac by breaking out the Thomas Handy Rye and the Jade Edouard absinthe. Due to the higher cost involved, and the spectacular results that should (hopefully) be found in the glass, this could also qualify as a “Money Drink”.

Vanilla Whiskey Royale

I hate it when the MxMo announcement post names the drink I’d most want to use, and in this case, Kevin hit my first choice for both versions. I have seen more than one “gin hater” realize the beauty of the spirit upon their first sip of a well-made Corpse Reviver #2. And one of my favorite recent indulgent cocktails was a Staggerac – a Sazerac made with George T. Stagg whiskey.

The path of the ne plus ultra appealed more to me. We spirit geeks will often declaim that some expressions are just too precious to mix with. And then we give in, and make an old fashioned with a great sipping rum like Zaya Gran Reserva. After all, a drink is only as good as its constituent parts.

I had the good fortune to time my first ever trip to Portland this past weekend during the annual House Spirits Booze Bazaar, and got to taste their three whiskeys. I couldn’t resist picking up a bottle of the whiskey in both the full cask strength (56.79% ABV/113.58 proof) and the subtler 44.99% ABV/89.86 proof version.² I’ll be saving the cask strength for sipping, but couldn’t wait to mix with the whiskey.

When I think of luxe drinks, champagne immediately comes to mind. Sparkling wine can make a simple combination like white wine and creme de cassis into a great sip like the kir royale. And while the Seelbach is the current newly rediscovered classic whiskey and champagne cocktail, I wanted to try something that let the whiskey express itself directly.

I ran across a recipe that called for a bourbon champagne cocktail that replaces the sugar and Angostura bitters of the classic with vanilla syrup. But why use syrup? I decided to try Navan vanilla liqueur instead.

I tried various combinations of too clever by half names, but decided to go with the most simple.

Vanilla Whiskey Royale

1 ounce whiskey (House Spirits Whiskey)
1/2 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur
champagne

pour whiskey and Navan in champagne flute, top with champagne. Sip contentedly in front of a fire with purring cat on lap.

This drink has the advantage of being incredibly delicious while being super easy to make. And so very luxurious.

Thanks to Kevin for a great topic. Be sure to check out Beers in the Shower for the round up post!

[1] despite the fact that to date, I haven’t actually had him make me a drink yet. Must remedy that. Off to Tavern Law…or Spur…or Sun…the man can be found at some great bars!
[2] I realized after getting through the whole line and getting outside that I failed to buy the white dog as well.

MxMo XLIII: Vermouth — The Visconti

Stevi — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:12:28 +0000

Fall is closing in fast, but October refuses to leave until we honor it with a Mixology Monday. Over at Cocktailians, Vidiot is hosting a most excellent theme, Vermouth. He bids us:

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to present a delectable vermouth cocktail for us all to drool over. Sweet/Italian or dry/French vermouth are fair game of course, as are quinquina, aperitif wines like Pineau des Charentes, or for that matter any fortified, aromatized wine such as Lillet (red or white), or Dubonnet (ditto.)

Vermouth is a true workhorse of the classic cocktail world. Without it, a martini is just be cold gin. Fortified wines are among my favorite mixers, and my refrigerator is bulging with various bottles of Lillet, Punt e Mes, sweet, blanc, and dry vermouth.¹

Visconti

One of my favorite ways to change up a drink is simply to switch the vermouth used. Like a martini with dry vermouth? I bet it willl be great with Lillet blanc! Can’t decide between a martini and a martinez? Make a perfect martini with equal parts of each!

Another favorite drink of mine is the Negroni, with equal parts London dry gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This is a great base to experiment with, as I have show several times here at Two at the Most. One of my most successful substitutions so far was the Rumgroni, simply using rum instead of gin.

Last time I was in the mood for a Rumgroni, my eye was caught by my bottle of Amaro Ramazzotti. I’ve covered Ramazzotti several times, because it’s a fantastic amaro. I decided to give it a whirl in place of the Campari. While the initial taste was great, to my surprise going full equal parts on the Ramazzotti seemed to make it too dominant — surprising to me since I think of it as much more mild than Campari.

Visconti

1 ounce Jamaican run (Appleton V/X)
0.75 ounces Amaro Ramazzotti
1 ounce sweet vermouth

Stir over ice until well chilled and strain into rocks glass with one piece of ice. Garnish with flamed orange peel.

Dialing the Ramazzotti back to 3/4 ounce and adding a flamed orange twist garnish made for a great balance. This is another drink that will go into rotation in my home bar. Full and rich, yet easy to sip, and made all the better because of the sweet vermouth. I decided to call it the Visconti after the House of Visconti, long time rulers of the Duchy of Milan. Since it’s a take on the Negroni, named after another duke, it seemed apt.

Thanks, Vidiot, for a great topic. Be sure to check out Cocktailians for the wrap-up!

[1] Please tell me you already know to keep your open vermouth in the fridge to make it last longer!

MxMo XLII: Dizzy Dairy — Kávé

Stevi — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:57:22 +0000

It may barely still be September, but it is definitely Monday, so it must be time for Mixology Monday! This month, we are hosted by the kind folk over at eGullet. Chris Amirault has chosen the topic of “Dizzy Dairy,” declaring:

Any drink using a dairy product is fair game: milk, cream, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt, curds, you name it. Given the importance of dairy products in drinks dating back centuries, there are lots of opportunities for digging through vintage receipts for a taste of the past, and as always innovation is highly encouraged.

It’s been a while since I’ve featured an original drink at Two at the Most, so this seemed like an excellent time to try something new.

Kávé

Aside from the occasional Ramos Gin Fizz, I rarely use milk products in cocktails, although I frequently use egg whites! I do have a favorite nightcap, which is an ever-changing combination of rum, milk, and creme de cacao.

For MxMo, I wanted to experiment with that idea, but create something a little more complex. I have been enjoying the bottle of Kahlúa Cream I received as a sample, and have enjoyed it with rum as well, so I used that as a base.

I haven’t worked too much with the bottle of Zwack I also received to sample, although I greatly enjoyed the lunch the brand sponsored for Drink.Write 2009. When I added it to my rum and Kahlúa Cream, I was surprised at how well it worked. I added my current favorite bitters, Bittermens Xocalatl, to add an additional layer of flavor, and was really pleased with the result.

Kávé

0.75 ounces dark Jamaican rum (Appleton V/X)
0.75 ounces Zwack
0.75 ounces Kahlúa Cream
2 dashes Bittermens Xocalatl mole bitters

Shake over ice until well chilled, then strain into ice-filled old fashioned glass.

The bitter herbal Zwack keeps the sweetness of the Kahlúa Cream in check, and the rich dark rums rounds out and ties the flavors together. I can also imagine trying these flavors together with warm milk for a nice winter drink.

What is your favorite way to use cream liqueurs?

Thanks to eGullet for this fun theme. Be sure to check the forum to see everybody who has participated!

MxMo XLI: Vodka is Your Friend — The Mike Romanoff Cocktail

Stevi — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:53:51 +0000

I appear to have fallen victim to the “just stop blogging after a major event” virus following Tales of the Cocktail, so I’m glad Mixology Monday has rolled around to inspire me out of my post-NOLA doldrums. And this month Amelia at Felicia’s Speakeasy has finally lain down the challenge we have so long avoided. That’s right, my cocktail snob friends, it’s time of face vodka!

The theme of August 10th’s Mixology Monday is “Vodka is Your Friend.” The recent high profile bashings of vodka interspersed with a few weak “yeah, buts…” left me wondering, is vodka the axis of evil, our most dangerous enemy? While it may not be the life of the party, experts agree: Vodka’s obituary does not have to be written just yet.

Mike Romanoff Cocktail

Now, here at Two at the Most, I have reviewed vodka, and even admitted to liking it in my Guilty Pleasure, a lemon drop. But I wanted to try a new-to-me-but-classic cocktail this month.

I paged through several of my cocktail books until I hit upon one in David Wondrich’s Killer Cocktails¹ — the Mike Romanoff.

Mike Romanoff Cocktail

2 ounces vodka
1.5 teaspoons Cointreau
1 teaspoon apricot liqueur
0.5 ounces lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake over ice and double strain into a cocktail glass.

Mike Romanoff was born Hershel Geguzin, but passed himself off as a nephew of Tsar Nicholas II. Purportedly the Hollywood royalty he hobnobbed with knew his own blood was not really blue. He did have a namesake restaurant, and this is his namesake cocktail.

As usual with Wondrich’s citrus drink recipes, I found the 3/4 ounce of lime juice he calls for far too tart, so I lightened it up to 1/2 ounce, and upped the Cointreau to 1.5 teaspoons for a little more depth and character. I do agree that adding bitters to this drink makes a difference, and it would be a great drink to experiment with different bitters. Next time I may try something like blueberry bitters.

While not a terribly complex drink, it is an easy sipper, and a nice way to use vodka as a simple background for playing with other flavors.

Thanks to Amelia for hosting this month. Be sure to keep an eye on Felicia’s Speakeasy for the roundup post!

[1] Did I mention I totally got to meet David Wondrich at Tales of the Cocktail?

MxMo XL: Ginger — Gingered Rum Old Fashioned

Stevi — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:14:42 +0000

This Mixology Monday was one I couldn’t miss — after all, RumDood included a link to one of my posts in his announcement! This month it’s ginger, and as I have noted before, I LOVE ginger. Our challenge, from dear Matthew is:

Find or concoct a cocktail recipe that uses ginger in one of its many forms as an ingredient. This can be muddled ginger, sliced ginger, ginger syrup, ginger beer (commercial or homemade), ginger liqueur, ginger candy, or pieces of a shredded photo of Ginger from Gilligan’s Island.

Gingered Rum Old Fashioned

To me, ginger is one of the most magical of flavors. It is one of the first things I turn to when feeling bad. Ginger in all its forms can make me feel better. But unlike most medicines, ginger actually tastes great.

Still, I find that many recipes rely on ginger as a panacea. I like to joke that Thursday Drink Night needs to have a “ginger beer free” night. A dose of ginger beer always tastes great – and hides many sins in your drink invention skills.

While I do like drinks with ginger beer, I find it takes more skill to mix a drink that uses the flavor as a highlight and not a major element.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. While this has been a darling of the cocktailian world for a while, I’ve only recently acquired a bottle of my own. In that sense, it is still new to me. I appreciate how it manages to capture the heat of raw ginger.

I’ve found it particularly useful as a replacement for rich simple syrup. In honor of this month’s host, I thought I’d use it in a rum Old Fashioned. And since RumDood would be willing to use Zaya on his pancakes, I thought I’d go high end with this one.

Gingered Rum Old Fashioned

2 oz Zaya Gran Reserva
0.25 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash Angostura orange bitters

Mix ingredients in old fasioned glass, add ice, and sip with greatest enjoyment.

I find the ginger compliments the spicy richness of Zaya, and really enjoy sipping this drink. I hope you will to!

Thanks, Matt, for a great topic. Be sure to check out Rumdood.com for the roundup post!

MxMo XXXIX: Amaro — Averna

Stevi — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:59:40 +0000

Another month, another time to sort out what Roman numeral comes next. It’s Mixology Monday, and this month our fearless host is Chuck Taggart, who blogs about food and cocktails over at Looka! on the Gumbo Pages. Chuck has asked us to tackle the world of potable bitters:

You could use something gentle, like the lovely Amaro Montenegro, or something in-your-face, like the aforementioned Fernet. You could go insane, like a few intrepid Chicago bartenders have done, and actually make cocktails with Jeppson Malört, which is the most mind-bogglingly, unrelentingly bitter liqueur ever. Or you could find something relatively rare, like a pelinkovac from Serbia or Croatia. Just remember we’re talking about a bitter liqueur you drink from a glass, not an aromatic bitters you add by the dash. [...] The world of bitters is your canvas.

That I have come to like bitter liqueurs is one of the biggest surprises for me in my growth as a cocktail geek. I’ve had great success mixing with Campari and Ramazzotti, and truly love Aperol. For this MxMo, I thought I’d talk about another favorite amaro, Averna.

Santo Spirito Cocktail

Made in Sicily, Amaro Averna is named for the family that has produced it since 1868, originally for house guests. The original recipe was reportedly created by Benedictine friars who gave the recipe to Salvatore Averna in 1859 as a thank you for his role as benefactor of the convent of the Abbey of Santo Spirito in his hometown of Caltanissetta. It was Salvatore’s son, Francesco, who started taking the amaro to fairs and creating a wider audience.

Averna is produced by soaking a secret blend of herbs, roots, and citrus rinds in a base liquor, after which a natural caramel is added for sweetness. It is bottled at 64 proof (32% ABV).

On the nose and the tongue, the caramel is definitely evident. There’s a slight citrus tang. The herbal profile is well balanced, so much so that I’m not absolutely sure what is there. I sense a hint of gentian and some cinnamon notes. It’s the sort of flavor profile that makes me want to train my palate better to pick out the specific constituents.

Over at A Dash of Bitters, Michael Dietsch demonstrates that Averna works well with Campari. This confirms my finding that sometimes the best way to mix with a flavorful spirit is to mix it with another flavorful spirit.

I wanted to have a drink that featured Averna more prominently. My favorite way to drink it is on the rocks, topped with sparkling lemonade. I also enjoy Aperol in a spritz with sparkling wine. So I decided to create a riff on the French 75, only using Averna instead of the simple syrup.

Santo Spirito

2 oz dry gin (Voyager)
1 oz Amaro Averna
0.5 oz lemon juice
sparkling wine to top

Shake first three ingredients and double strain into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine.

I resisted the urge to add some additional sweetener to this drink. Averna is fairly sweet for an amaro, and I think it brings enough to make this a well balanced sipper of a drink.

Thanks to Chuck for a great topic. Be sure to keep an eye out for the MxMo wrap up, which is sure to be full of other celebrations of the bitter side of liquor!

MxMo XXXVIII: Superior Twists — The Rumgroni

Stevi — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:29:45 +0000

This month’s Mixology Monday is being hosted by Tristan at The Wild Drink Blog. He’s put forth the following challenge:

This month’s Mixology Monday is all about twists on classic cocktails, that for one reason or another do an even better job than the drinks upon which they are based.

This could be as simple as a classic Margarita with a dash with a special touch that completes it, or maybe as complicated as a deconstructed Hemingway Daiquiri with a homemade rum foam/caviar/jus/trifle. It might be taking a classic like a Manhattan and using Tequila instead of Bourbon?

This was a difficult theme for me. Not because it is hard, but because in some ways it is too easy. Creating a new drink by subbing one ingredient for another is how I, like countless others, began my journey into inventing my own drinks.

Rumgroni

Usually I found that my greated substitutions had been discovered long before I tried them. I’ve even reversed engineered a classic or two by starting with the twist, not knowing it was a twist, and figuring out what the drink started as.

I was tempted to write up the Black River Sidecar, a drink of mine that won an early TDN. I had linked to Rick’s great writeup of the drink when he posted it (my prize for winning), but had never posted the recipe here. But I realized I’d never be able to match his funky garnish, and decided I wanted to try something new.

A drink I’m finding remarkably versatile is the Negroni. Initially it seemed to me that this combination of Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin would be hard to tinker with, working largely on its marriage of specific flavors.

Many experiments with it involve subbing another amaro, such as Aperol, for the Campari, or a different aromatized wine, such as Punt e Mes, for the sweet vermouth.

Then I discovered the Agavoni, which trades the gin for tequila, and creates an equally delicious, if very different drink.

Since I was able to participate in TDN Mount Gay XO at Vessel, I still have a fair amount of my bottle left. I realized that it, too, might have the strength to stand up to Campari and sweet vermouth. And so it did. And so I give you the Rumgroni.

Rumgroni

1 oz dark rum (Mount Gay Extra Old)
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth

Build over ice.

The molasses and oak from the MGXO are surprisingly dominant on the nose. This is a much drier drink than either the Negroni or the Agavoni. I might be tempted to add a little honey mix next time.

What’s your favorite variation on a cocktail classic? Check out the roundup of the opinions of this months Mixology Monday partipants over at The Wild Drink Blog!