Mixologia

Single Village Mezcal, Maybe too Precious?

2016-09-21T11:51:00.001-04:00

I picked up the Del Maguey brand Mezcal from my local liquor store. I was attracted by the "single village" designation. Due to the popularity of Tequila, Mezcal is upping its game. Mezcal now has a domination certificate. This is one step further. This is the bottle that I picked up: http://delmaguey.com/vida/.

This reminded me of the first mezcals that I tried on my first trip to Oaxaca. I bought a few unmarked bottles back from the side of the road, brought them home and enjoyed them over time. This mezcal is rustic tasting, slightly smoking, neat finish, but nothing like the smokiness of Zignum Anejo, http://zignummezcal.com/eng/home.php. It was pleasant. I don't know if it was $40 pleasant, but it's certainly not mass-produced, commercial-grade neutral spirits either.

The Del Maguey website has some sample recipes on their website, feel free to try them: http://delmaguey.com/recipes/. From that site, this recipe caught my eye as it did not require extremely exotic ingredients:

Kahlo

Lindsay Nader: Harvard & Stone, Hollywood
2 oz. Del Maguey San Luis del Rio
1 oz. Lime Juice
3/4 oz. Orgeat, http://amzn.to/2d8YuHv
3/4 oz. Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse

Shake, strain over fresh ice in a Collins Glass. Top With Ginger Beer. Garnish with candied ginger.

As for me, I ended up making a simple Mezcal Sunrise for my wife:

Not-So-Sweet Mezcal Sunrise

3-4 ice cubes
1 favorite tumbler
1 part Mezcal
2 parts Honest Organic Mango Lemonade, http://amzn.to/2dhbRGl
1 very carefully-poured splash of grenadine (so that it sinks to the bottom), http://amzn.to/2cmmB3O

Honest products are, as I mentioned, not very sweet. This drink had dryness, a tannin flavor, to it. It still had the appearance of a sunrise.

Unas Cubitas Mezclas or ("Unas Mezclas de Cubas" per Eric Maag's suggestion)

2016-09-14T12:03:00.003-04:00

There has been three recipes based on reasonably available Mexican ingredients that I've been working on. Remember to strive for excellence not perfection.

The Delta Bravo (spicy)

Rim a large shot glass with chipotle powder,
How to Rim, http://mixthatdrink.com/how-to-rim-a-glass/,
http://amzn.to/2caH8NE and https://goo.gl/PBsrkW
Pour in 1 measured shot of mezcal, https://goo.gl/PBsrkW
Zignum is a fantastic mezcal for the price, the anejo is a sipping mezcal, but the silver is better for this project
Add 1/2 teaspoon of tamarind concentrate, http://amzn.to/2cewBj5
Stir ingredients to combine
A chopstick works well or a small plastic fork, http://amzn.to/2cXVWMW
Enjoy!

The Adult Cocktail

Add 3 large ice cubes and 2 parts aromatic gin to a shaker (about a 8 count for 2), http://amzn.to/2cXV62E
I prefer Green Hat gin, http://greenhatgin.com
Add the juice of 1/2 a squeezed lemon,
http://amzn.to/2cnnnPf and http://amzn.to/2cmMLtH
I tried lemon, limes and mandarines, lemons worked best
1 part guayabana liquor (about a 4 count for 2),
https://goo.gl/uVsh5K
4 dashes of cardamon bitters, http://amzn.to/2ceA8Or
This is the key ingredient, the aromatics are what makes the drink, the bitters put it in overdrive
Chill in the freezer for a few minutes
Shake and serve into 2 cocktail glasses, http://amzn.to/2ceCvAR
Garnish with lemon wheels, https://youtu.be/RkBlrqVBNpQ

Limebra

Muddle 1 tsp of pickled ginger in the bottom of a shaker,
http://amzn.to/2cXXerk and http://amzn.to/2cXYZoc
Add 3 large cubes of ice, http://amzn.to/2caKOzf
Add 2 parts standard gin (about a 8 count for 2),
Bombay Dry Gin (not Sapphire works), https://goo.gl/D85DiO
Also attempted this with Sipsmith, http://www.sipsmith.com/london-dry-gin
Add the juice of a small lime, http://amzn.to/2cXTB4D
Add 4 dashes lime bitters, http://amzn.to/2ceA8Or
Add 1 tsp of agave syrup, http://amzn.to/2caHJix
Serve in a cocktail glass garnished with a lime wheel, http://amzn.to/2cmRM5v
Also try it in a high ball with sparkling water, http://amzn.to/2cxcAld

3 cocktails using 3s.

2012-07-20T20:01:00.001-04:00

You Did What?
1/2 peeled Meyer lemon
1 tsp honey
handful of mint leaves
1 sprig of mint for garnish
4 oz bourbon
8 oz soda water
3 ice cubes

Muddle the peeled lemon, honey, mint leaves, and a splash of bourbon,
Add bourbon, ice, and seltzer, stir,
Add mint for garnish

Teqiña Colada
3 oz tequila
3 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
3 oz pineapple juice
3 oz of coconut milk
3 ice cubes
lime wheel for garnish

Add ingredients, serve in highball, garnish with lime wheel.

Lem-Tammy-Lime
3 oz tequila
1 tsp tamarind extract
1/2 fresh squeezed Meyer lemon
1/2 fresh squeezed lime
3 oz carrot-orange juice
3 splashes of Peychaud's bitters
3 ice cubes

Add ingredients, stir, serve in old fashioned glass.

More on the Dark n' Stormies

2012-02-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

On the occasions that we've entertained lately, I've only made Dark and Stormies. I tried Barritt's Ginger Beer, get it from the bottle not the can, and Ginger People Ginger Beer. These are both unfiltered ginger beers and both worked quite well with the Kraken, less so with the Cruzan Black Strap.

You can see the original post here.

Mixing fails

2011-07-15T21:55:00.001-04:00

Drinks that didn't work out:
Aranciata or Limonata + vodka = fail.
Root beer + vodka or spiced rum = fail.
Honest Kids + vodka = fail.

Irish Caffè Macchiato and Red Skies at Night

2011-03-24T21:25:00.008-04:00

Irish Caffè Macchiato
Into a demitasse add

1 oz whiskey
1 oz coffee
1 oz warm, frothed milk

Allow drink to settle, serve.


Hazelnut Irish Coffee, mixed on 3/22/11

I used Virginia not Irish whiskey because that's what I had on hand. I used my Bodum milk frother to make the frothed milk, but I could have easily used one of the Aerolatte wands (see link above). I also used hazelnut coffee which is probably the biggest faux pas. Then again, I wouldn't have wasted Yirgacheffe on a drink .... The glasses really made the drink very pretty with a nice head that settled upon it. You can see the head settling in the picture below.

The drink was inspired by three different drinks, Irish coffee, obviously; caffe' macchiato, literally a coffee stained by milk; and caffe' corretto, a coffee "corrected" by liquor, usually grappa. I had the Irish coffee at the Buena Vista on the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco a few years ago. It was the first time that the drink wasn't mediocre. In fact, it was delicious and totally overshadowed the tourist trap experience.

There are two types of macchiato coffee drinks in Italy, the one mentioned above and a latte macchiato. A latte macchiato is a glass of steamed milk stained by an espresso shot. I first had the drink here. I had just arrived in Perugia, with no idea what to order, so I just picked something off the bar menu and was very pleasantly surprised. Someone later told me that right after World War II, impoverished Italians would drink this instead of eating dinner. So, in a sense, I ordered the right thing. If you order a caffe' macchiato here in Washington, you usually get a cappuccino for half the price. Something to consider. If you order a macchiato at Starbucks, you get a very sweet latte drink with caramel all over it.

I only had a caffe' corretto at a bar once. They put something called Zwack in it. It was revolting. Don't drink Zwack. It doesn't build character. It doesn't make you stronger. It just doesn't ... I am also not a fan of grappa, although I still fondly recall the wonderful brandies/grappe/rakias from Sarajevo and Herceg Novi. If you're going to put liquor in your espresso, use whiskey, preferably bourbon.

Red Skies at Night
Place a martini glass in the freezer
Coat a cobbler shaker with

A dash of bitters
A dash of orange flavor

Fill shaker with ice and add:

3 oz vodka
1 tbsp Santa Cruz Mango Lemonade or equivalent
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp powdered sugar

Mix shaker and place in freezer for 5 minutes
Remove shaker and glass
Shake drink and pour into glass
Add a splash of grenadine into the center of the drink
Garnish with an orange rind


Red Skies at Night, mixed 3/18/11

This seems like a very complex recipe and it follows along the lines of some of the previous drinks that I have been mixing. It is a sweet drink with enough sourness to make it interesting. It will also works well with tequila (use 100 percent blue agave tequila). After all, it's practically a tequila sunrise. Note, I didn't use a cobbler shaker for the drink (see image, above), but after making it, I realized this would work better.

There Will Be Blood Oranges ... 40 Posts, I should publicize this thing!

2011-03-12T00:24:00.003-05:00

Blood Simple
Place a martini glass in the freezer
In a shaker filled with ice add:

3 oz vodka
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fresh blood orange juice (with some pulp)
½ tbsp simple syrup

Place the shaker in the freezer
Wait at least 5 minutes
Serve in frozen martini glass
Garnish with an orange twist

Blood Simple, mixed on 3/11/11

I love blood orange juice; there are very few things that I love more. One thing that does annoy me about making blood orange juice is the pulp, it gets in the way. I feel like you lose half the orange to the pulp. I attempted to incorporate pulp in this recipe in the hopes of retaining more blood orange. It clogged my shaker as a result. Were I to attempt this drink again, and I think I will, I will use the Boston shaker with the caveat that a Boston shaker is harder to put in the freezer. We shall see ...

Still working with the bootlegger drink ...

2011-03-08T22:28:00.001-05:00

Boot Liquor
Named in honor of SomaFM's Boot Liquor internet radio station
Pour 1 tbsp of real maple syrup into an old fashion glass, then add:
4 or 5 ice cubes
3 oz of rye whiskey
Fill with apple juice
Sprinkle cinnamon on top
Stir the top of the drink lightly to mix in the cinnamon.

This drink has an amazing finish with the maple syrup. You may not be into it at first, but once you hit the syrup it gets dangerous.

Boot Liquor, mixed 3/8/11

Pink Cherry

2011-03-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

Pink Cherry
Squeeze a large lemon wedge into a mug filled with ice
Add 4 oz vodka
Fill with Black Cherry Soda
Add a dash of grenadine to the center of the drink
Garnish with a small lemon wedge
Enjoy.

I used Blue Sky soda because it's clear and thus, the grenadine would really show through. Grenadine would probably add little to a darker soda.

Cherry Pinker, mixed on 3/7/11

Vodka Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip & Tequila Mockingbird

2011-03-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

Vodka Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Chill a martini glass in the freezer.
In a shaker add:

1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk
1 egg's worth of egg white

Stir vigorously until mixture becomes a sludge
Fill shaker with ice, then add:

2 oz vodka
1 tbsp creme de menthe
1 tbsp Amarula

Cover and shake vigorously, really go at it to mix up the chocolate powder
Place shaker in freezer and wait about five minutes
Remove glass and shaker
Give another few good shakes for good measure
Strain into martini glass
Garnish with a few chocolate chips

Vodka Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip, mixed on 3/5/11

My wife wanted a dark beer; we had no dark beer. It was 9:45pm and the District prohibits the sale of alcohol after 10:00pm. In short, she was not going to get a dark beer. I threw this together on the fly and she enjoyed it. What woman doesn't enjoy chocolate? It had a thick consistency and a foamy head not unlike a good stout. I used my real camera and a flash -- as opposed my usual cellphone shots -- because the drink really had a gradation in color. While the picture itself is not pretty, it gives an accurate depiction of the drink.

Tequila Mockingbird
In a shaker full of ice add:

3 oz tequila, use 100 percent blue agave for your own health and wellbeing
1 tbsp ginger spread
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 dash of orange oil

Serve in a margarita glass
Add 1 tbsp of brown sugar simple syrup
Sprinkle cayenne pepper on top of the drink


Tequila Mockingbird, mixed on 3/1/11

El Jefe was over and he gives me creative license to make drinks. I decided to make something that approximated a martini with tequila instead of another white spirit. Since I still have no vermouth (there is a tequila martini recipe similar to a regular martini), I dug around and put this together. It worked and it was interesting.

Cuba Libre a la Campechana, Brandy Buck, Brandy Daisy and the Epiphany

2011-02-22T23:12:00.000-05:00

The problem is the brandy; fortunately, I finished the Jerez brandy and I'm excited to try something else. I tried a Brandy Daisy and was not blown away. The Brandy Buck worked, but that's not surprising because I have good ginger beer. So here are the recipes:

Brandy Daisy
Fill a highball glass full of crushed ice
In a shaker full of ice add:
2.5 oz brandy
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp grenadine
Shake and pour into the highball glass
Garnish with a lemon twist

This seems like it would be a better cocktail if properly diluted with crushed ice. Since I was too lazy to get the ice crusher from the basement, I "made" crushed ice with my Boston shaker. The ingredients in our drinks seemed to be very pronounced which speaks to the need for more ice.

Brandy Buck
Squeeze a lemon wedge into a highball glass
Fill the glass with 4 to 5 ice cubes
Add 2 oz brandy
Fill glass with ginger ale

It's no Dark and Stormy, but it's a perfectly good drink. I like the idea of adding the lemon juice into the drink before you even get going. It almost screams for a chilled mug as opposed to a highball glass.

Cuba Libre a la Campechana
Squeeze a lime wedge into a glass of awesome
Fill with ice and add:
2.5 oz of spiced rum
Fill the glass halfway with cola
Fill the remaining glass with sparkling water

El Jefe told me about this variant of a campechana from Mexico. The idea is you get the taste of cola without diluting the natural taste of the alcohol. This is a good drink. You'd be a better person for drinking it.

Lastly, I made something that worked. Here it goes:

The Epiphany
Place a martini glass in the freezer
Add half a lemon's worth of lemon wedges into the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle
Fill shaker with ice and add:
3 oz vodka
1 tbsp triple sec
1 tbsp simple syrup made from brown sugar
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
2 dashes of orange oil
Shake vigorously and set in the freezer
Strain into the martini glass
Add a dash of grenadine to the center of the glass

The Epiphany, mixed on February 22, 2011

Sidecar and Olympic Cocktail

2011-02-13T00:04:00.000-05:00

Another first tonight, I rimmed some cocktail cups with granulated sugar to make a Sidecar. The recipe below referenced the section on rimming, so I thought I would give it a glance. It proved quite interesting, you dip the rim of the glass into an ingredient in the drink recipe, in this case triple sec, and then dip it into the garnish, in this case sugar. Then you place it in the freezer for as long as possible. The book said an hour. The recipe also said to use a better triple sec for the recipe. I did not have any Cointreau or Grand Marnier on hand; so this was the drink's main weakness.

Sidecar
Rim a martini glass with granulated sugar
Pour the below ingredients into a shaker full of ice
2 1/2 oz brandy
1 tbsp decent triple sec
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Shake and strain into glass.

So this is a standard cocktail, one you see all the time on menus. I've never had one and neither have many of my close cohorts. It was fun to try something that, even though it is a standard drink, I have never had the urge or compunction to order. By the way, as I was searching the internet for recommendations for a good mixing brandy, I came across this recipe called the Brandy Special which seems worth pursuing.

Most of the recipes that I come across, such as the next entry, are more archaic. After serving the Sidecar, I looked for something with similar ingredients and came across this:

Olympic Cocktail
3 tbsp brandy
1 tbsp triple sec
1 tbsp fresh orange juice

I used freshly squeezed blood orange juice, so it was a hit. Just now, I found a fascinating article about the drink here. It is not a glowing review, but it has some fascinating anecdotes about drunken Olympians.

Muddled Citrus Martini and Tequila Sunrise

2011-02-10T14:38:00.000-05:00

The crux of the matter is that I ran out of vermouth. Now, if I want to make a martini, I have to improvise. This recipe worked. Having thought about it some more, I now have some ideas to make it a better drink.

Muddled Citrus Martini
Put a clean martini glass into the freezer.
Add a dash of orange oil into a cocktail shaker.
Swirl the oil around to coat the inside of the shaker.
Fill the shaker with ice and pour the below ingredients in:
4 oz vodka, and
2 oz triple sec
Seal and put the shaker in the freezer.

Cut an orange, lemon, and lime wheel.
Make a slit into each wheel.
Cut out the fruit, trim the pith off leaving three long rinds, set aside.
Use a muddle to crush the remaining fruit.

Remove the glass and shaker from the freezer.
Shake the shaker vigorously and pour contents into the glass.
Use a strainer to pour the juice from the saucer into the glass.
Attempt to coat the entire surface of the drink with the juice.
Rim and garnish with the three rinds.

Seems more complicated than most of the recipes that I post. Actually, it is not that complicated just uses a different approach than most of the other drinks that I've seen.

In other mixing news, I have had good success with Tequila Sunrises. I have a more natural recipe that I have yet to try from a Mexican cocktail book given to me by my mother-in-law, aptly named Bebitas Mexicanas (second item in the list). I made the drink both in a hi-ball and old fashioned glass. The drink looked better in the old fashioned glass even though the recipe called for the hi-ball.

Tequila Sunrise
In a old-fashioned glass filled with 5 ice cubes add:
4 oz tequila (use a liquor with 100 percent blue agave for your own well-being)
2 oz triple sec
Top off with orange juice
Stir briefly
Add a dash of grenadine to the center of the glass.

The drink should give the appearance of a graduated red sunset over an orange sky. I'll blog the other recipe once I've tried it out.

Cocktail cups and company

2011-02-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

We've had visitors out the wazoo with the arrival of our baby girl. This has been a wonderful excuse for me to dust off my liquor bottles and whip up some new recipes just before dinner. My sister-in-law gave me some Schott Zweisel cocktail cups for Christmas and this occasion was a great excuse to take them out of the box. Two out of three of these cocktail were made for these glasses.

Jockeys on Snow
based on the Jockey Club cocktail recipe from Classic Cocktails of the Prohibition Era
Pour the below ingredients into a shaker full of ice
2 oz gin
1.5 tbsp white creme de cacao
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp powdered sugar
Strain and serve in above cocktail cup

This was not a hit, so nice try ... I think that I was eager to add the powdered sugar to get the cloudy effect in the glass. There was just nothing noteworthy about it. It tasted like a powdered lemon donut bathed in gin ... in a bad way.

The Beauty Spot
Pour the below ingredients into a shaker full of ice
2 oz gin
1 tbsp white creme de cacao
1 egg white
Pour into a cocktail cup, and
Add a dash of grenadine in the center of the glass

This had essentially the same ingredients as the drink that I made the day before, but came out much better. The grenadine is supposed float on top, but for me, it sat in the bottle of the glass. My mom loved the drink, my godmother thought it too sweet. I appreciated the aesthetic of it and enjoyed the challenge/risk of using egg whites, something I've never done before. Worth a shot, if you're looking for something new and you have the supplies.

Interestingly enough -- this is a segue, it actually isn't that interesting -- I just viewed an eHow video on making this cocktail. It was nothing like the recipe above and it had no beauty spot! Now, I fully understand that these recipes were created during prohibition and probably vary, but the recipe in this video looks like a Bronx cocktail with grenadine. See it for yourself and you decide.

Morning Glory Fizz
Pour the below ingredients into a shaker full of ice
2 oz vodka
1 tbsp white creme de cacao
2 tbsp light cream
4 fl oz club soda
Strain into a tall glass full of ice, and
Add ground nutmeg on top

This cocktail was well received even if I didn't care for it. It was light and refreshing, but still very creamy. Maybe early February is not the best time to make such a drink. I was going to make three drinks and then a fourth person showed up unexpectedly, so I changed proportions midstream. I'm not sure that I got them correct and I may make this drink again, just to try it out.

Spicy Orange Gin Martini ... well, sort of

2011-01-31T00:08:00.000-05:00

I came up with this recipe on the fly, but it contains the essential ingredients of an orange martini.

Fiery Redhead
Chill a martini glass
Pour into a cocktail shaker half full of ice

4 oz gin
2 oz triple sec
2 oz orange juice blend (see previous post)
dash of cayenne pepper
splash of orange oil

Shake and put in freezer
Wait a few minutes
Remove glass and shaker, shake and pour
Garnish with an orange wheel

Vodka drinks with ginger ale

2011-01-28T23:56:00.000-05:00

In a previous post, I blogged about Moscow Mules. Along with the Mexican Mule (substitute tequila for vodka), I attempt to create other recipes using materials that I had on hand, including prune juice of all things. Here are two recipes that worked:

An Orange on a Toothpick:
In an oversized high ball glass
fill with 5 or 6 ice cubes
squeeze in one large lemon wedge
4 oz vodka
6 oz ginger ale
2 oz orange juice blend
splash of orange flavor
garnish with a lemon wheel

Fig Newton:
In an oversized highball glass
fill with 5 or 6 ice cubes
4 oz vodka
6 oz ginger ale
4 oz prune juice
juice of 1/2 lime
garnish with a lime wheel

New Recipes

2010-12-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

Two straight recipes, best in a high ball with ice. Use a three count of liquor and fill the glass with juice.

Izze Sparkling Apple soda and bourbon.
Elmo Fruit Punch and vodka.

Coming soon: Alexey's Campari Concoction. Stay tuned!

End of line.

Mash Up

2010-12-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

Haven't had any revelations in the mixing department recently with the exception of one recipe. This is a combination of two drink recipes that I blogged about in the past.

Mash-Up
In a highball glass with five ice cubes
2 oz bourbon
2 oz red (sweet) vermouth
4 oz ginger ale
4 oz apple cider
Garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange slice on a toothpick

Okay, this recipe is sweet, but every ingredient seems to cut through. What we have here is essentially a bourbon and ginger mixed with a vermouth and cider.

Turkish Delight

2010-08-21T00:50:00.000-04:00

So I realize that I haven't included many martini recipes on the blog. This is partially because martinis have simple ingredients and there are much better guides online than I can provide. Part of what I do is an attempt to scrounge together disparate ingredients into interesting and appetizing combinations. Martinis are the essence of simplicity, so these ideals somewhat collide. In any case, I did make this recipe and highly recommend it:

Turkish Delight
Chill a martini glass in the freezer
Pour the following contents into a shaker:
4 oz vodka
2 oz white creme de cacao
4 dash of rose water (go easy on the rose water)
Place shaker in freezer
Remove glass and rim it with chocolate powder
Remove shaker from freezer, vigorously shake, and pour it into the glass

It's freaking delicious. Recipe adapted from the oft quoted book Martinis by Ben Reed.

PS I was looking for a link for Creme de Cacao and I was led to Marie Brizard. They apparently have a range of alcohol-free aperitifs and cocktails. Good to know.

Shady Grove, a cider drink

2010-08-21T00:38:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this recipe for several winters and never got it completely right. I think that I'm getting close. In a previous post I spoke about using cider with sweet vermouth. I've also often mixed whiskey with cider, but the ability to enhance it with an apple liquer is intriguing. So here's what I have thus far:

Shady Grove:
In an ~~old fashion glass~~ mug
~~4-5 ice cubes~~Warm 8 oz apple cider for in the microwave.
Note: the liquid should be hot, but not scalding since microwave temperatures vary.
Add 2 oz ~~vodka~~ bourbon (actually don't use a bourbon as good as the link)
Add 2 oz apple liqueur, such as Licores de Zacatlan or Vino Dulce Manzana (link coming)
Add a cinnamon stick for garnish and stir.

The apple liquor is made from the Zacatlan region in the state of Puebla, Mexico. My mother-in-law comes from Puebla, hence aquired the first bottle as a present and I requested the second bottle when someone recently went down there. It's about 14 percent alcohol and it tastes like altar wine made from apples. Here is a link about the Apple Fair if you are indeed curious about the sidra (Mexican cider) and the city.

Shandies ... sort of

2010-07-20T11:24:00.000-04:00

It's hot! If you want to be outside in the afternoon, it's nice to have a cool drink (and some bug spray). A shandy is light and refreshing and appropriate for such an occasion. I don't know the proper recipe for a shandy, but I raided the cupboard and made the following drink:

Pour the following contents into a frosted mug:
Fill the mug with a about a quarter of Beer (2 oz)
Fill the rest of the mug with Ginger Ale (6 oz)
Add a shot of grenadine (0.5 oz)
Rim and garnish with an orange wheel

Enjoy!

For the non-alcoholic version, I substituted the beer for orange juice.

Pama, Kettle One, and Soda

2010-06-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, my wife and I attended the closing performance of the DC Jazz Festival, "Paquito D'Riviera and the Jelly Roll Morton Latin Tinge Project". After the first show, we were able to have a drink on the terrace and take in a view of the city. The bartender poured us two drinks with Kettle One vodka, Pama (a pomegranite liquor), and San Pellegrino sparkling water. The ingredients themselves were probably too good for a mixed drink, but it was quite pleasant.
There are a variety of fruit liqueurs available, just look at the Edmund Briottet page. So, if you are willing to throw down some cash, you can experiment with other liqueurs. I have tried Pama a few times and it's a decent mixer. I'm sure there's a better -- less marketed -- pomegranite liqueur out there.

The Pomegranite Tinge Project
2 oz vodka
1 oz pomegranite liquor
4 oz soda water
Serve with ice in a clear plastic cup ;-)

Virgin Piña Coladas

2010-06-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

I purchased Lakewood's Piña Colada juice blend. I shook it with ice in a Boston shaker, served it in a chilled margarita glass with a wedge of pineapple. It's good stuff!

Pimm's Cup v3 & Mint Lemonade (NA)

2010-06-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

Here's the classic Pimm's Cup recipe, and in my opinion, the best. I got it from Williams-Sonoma The Bar Guide which is my go-to guide for mixing.

Pimm's Cup v3
4 oz Pimm's No. 1
1 cup ginger ale
1 sliver of cucumber rind
Place the Pimm's, ginger ale, and some ice in a frosted mug. Stir. Add the cucumber rind.

Yes, a cucumber rind ... so, I had to buy a cucumber. Second, I had to figure out how to cut the slivers. I didn't want to waste the whole cuke, so I cut about a quarter of it off and cut that sections into eight wedges. Since the recipe called for the rind, I cut out the fruit and seeds. I obviously had to save four of these rinds for later.

The drink was great! It had same satisfying texture and bite of a draft root beer. This particular mix is really nothing but a cocktail of spices. The Pimm's is a spiced gin that you are mixing with ginger and the bitterness of the rind. Whereas the first recipe was refreshing and light and the second recipe was balanced, this recipe was a novel and satisfying.

I linked to the Blenheim ginger ale. I have only had the opportunity to have this once. My neighbor gave it to me. This drink is so strong that you'll cough the minute it touches your lips. I don't know if it's the strength of the ginger or what, but it is certainly intense. It would be interesting to incorporate it into one of these recipes.

This recipe from Gourmet adds basil, mint, and lemon as garnish. I have no problem adding additional garnish as they won't drastically alter the flavor of something that tastes good. It did say that you could substitute ginger ale for lemon soda. This seems to be more like the second recipe.

Next on the agenda is Mint Lemonade. Yesterday afternoon was hot and humid. Some friends came over. I mixed up this non-alcoholic drink which turned out great.

Mint Lemonade
10 sprigs of mint
30 oz of mint-flavored sparkling water
20 oz lemonade
2 handfuls of ice
Muddle the mint in a large pitcher. Add the ice, mint-flavored sparkling water, and lemonade. Serve.

It was difficult to muddle the mint because I'm used to muddling with a bit of simple syrup. If I made this again, I would put some lemonade in the bottom of the pitcher, too. I wanted this drink to be hydrating, sweetened only by the lemonade, and contain mostly sparkling water. I appreciate that you may not be able to find the soda mentioned above. You could easily use normal sparkling water and add some mint extract.

Lastly, I'll attempt to put more illustration on my site this week.

Pimm's Cup v2

2010-06-05T01:43:00.000-04:00

My wife brought home a page from a Martha Stewart magazine at work. The page has no reference to the issue and it might not even be on the website. I searched her website and only found different recipes by the same name. This particular page had recipes for three different drinks, two of which I've already covered in previous posts, and one, the Watermelon Cooler, that we just happen to have all the ingredients to make it. I hope to make it for brunch on Sunday.

Anyway, I made Martha's Pimm's Cup recipe last night. The proportions from the magazine were for entertaining a party of six to eight people; so, I converted it to a single, lonely, drink. Here it is:

Pimm's Cup v2
4 or 5 ice cubes
4 oz lemonade
2 oz ginger ale
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
1 oz gin
Garnish with a lemon wheel

The drink was actually very balanced and it's hard to doubt Ms. Stewart as she has a staff seasoned experts. So give this one a whirl, it's quite good. In related news, I procured a cucumber, so I'll attempt the third recipe of this drink and inform my fickle audience.