Frankly Wines: Tales from Behind the Counter

WINE YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED: From the Village of Cats & Old People

2015-04-15T13:17:00.000-04:00

This is perhaps the single best visit-to-a-grower story we have ever heard**. Luckily, the wine is also tasty, so we can tell the story and sell the wine. Because what good is the story if the wine is meh?

So here goes:

The Savio team heads off to a little forgotten part of Spain to visit Xico de Mandin, who Savio heard about while trying to figure out his map on the side of the road. So they get there and there's nothing except cats and old people. And Xico's tavern. Which isn't exactly teeming with customers. And Xico's vines are old and wild and crazy because, as Xico says, he's just SO BUSY that tending to them is apparently at the near bottom of his to-do list. But old vines have a way of taking care of themselves (Drought? Been there. Satanically hot summers? Done that?) And needless to say, given Xico's very busy schedule, the wine is old school minimal intervention (a.k.a. benign neglect) at its best. It's a blend of mencia, bastardo, and caino tinto (right, you've heard of those.) And it's very tasty. A little earthy, a little funky, but backed by enough fruit to keep it really drinkable. And there's this hint of something like orange rind, or citrus underneath it all that makes for a very intriguing bottle. The cats and old people would approve. Well, they would if they weren't SO BUSY!

Price: $24.99

** Note: Some of this story may not be completely true. But most of it is. At least we think it is.

GINUARY 31th: The Last Word

2015-01-31T23:25:00.001-05:00

The original cocktail was created at the Detroit Athletic Club during the prohibition era using bathtub gin. Today the club is using its own recreation of "prohibition era bathtub gin" (vodka, spices, herbs, citrus) for their signature drink. Some variations of the cocktail have sprung up. A particularly well known variation is The Final Ward created by the New York bartender Phil Ward, who replaced the gin with rye whiskey and the lime juice with lemon juice.

It’s only fitting we end our Ginuary celebration with this classic!

Ingredients:

1 oz. Dorothy Parker Gin

1 oz. Luxardo Il Maraschino

1 oz. Green Chartreuse

How to:

Build in a shaker filled with ice, shake, strain and garnish with boozy cherry!

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

GINUARY 30th: Gin Swizzle

2015-01-31T03:19:00.001-05:00

Swizzles have a long history, having been mentioned in a variety of literature since the mid 18th century. Typically they consisted of rum diluted with water, ice and other aromatic ingredients which was mixed by rotating a special forked stick made from a root between the palms. American naturalist and writer Frederick Albion Ober noted in 1920 that the swizzle was a combination of liquors, sugar, and ice whisked to a froth by a rapidly revolved "swizzle-stick" made from the stem of a Caribbean plant.

Swizzles were also noted as the drink of choice at what was purportedly the world's first cocktail party held in London, England in 1924 by novelist Alec Waugh!

Ingredients:

2 oz. Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin

1 oz. Velvet Falernum

1 oz. coconut water

Juice of ½ lime

Bar spoon absinthe

How to:

Fill tall glass with shaved or cracked ice and add all ingredients, using a bar spoon or swizzle rub end of spoon between your palms to create a mixing motion. Continue to swizzle till glass frosts, top with splash of soda and bitters.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

GINUARY 29th: The Aviation Cocktail

2015-01-29T10:21:00.000-05:00

I’m personally thrilled this cocktail has made a comeback. The Aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in the early twentieth century. The first published recipe for the drink appeared in Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Perhaps its unique sky colored hue inspired the name?

Ingredients:
2 oz. Greenhook Ginsmiths American Dry Gin
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
½ oz. Luxardo Il Maraschino
¼ oz. Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette
Boozy Cocktail Cherry for garnish

How to:
Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly till well chilled and strain into up glass. Garnish with a Boozy Cocktail Cherry.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy all your booze here. (Search on TYLER, LUXARDO, VIOLETTE)

GINUARY 28th: Southside Cocktail

2015-01-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

This signature drink of NYC’s 21 Club is really a riff on a mojito. The origins of this cocktail are a bit fuzzy but it’s rumored Al Capone and his gang sipped on these in Chicago!

Ingredients:
2 oz. Tylers Original City of London Dry Gin
Juice of one lemon
2 tsp. simple syrup
1 tbsp. of fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces

How to:
To prepare the drink, place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously to bruise the mint leaves; then strain into a chilled collins glass filled with ice.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Tylers Original City of London Dry Gin here. (Search: TYLER)

GINUARY 27th: French 75 with Rose Syrup

2015-01-28T01:10:00.001-05:00

There are many conflicting stories about the origin of this cocktail. Many believe this drink was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris, by barman Harry MacElhone. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun. It’s also called a "75 Cocktail", or "Soixante Quinze" in French. It was later popularized in America at the Stork Club.

Ingredients:
1 oz G’Vine Florisan Small Batch Gin
½ oz. fresh lemon
½ oz. rose syrup
Dry sparkling wine

How to:
In shaker filled with ice add gin, lemon juice and syrup. Shake and strain into chilled champagne flute, add your favorite dry bubbly.
Don’t be scared of the rose syrup. It’s another easy riff on the simple syrup recipie: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water simmered till clear. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons food grade dry rose petals. Let steep for 1 hour. Strain and refrigerate.)

Bonus tip: If you’re located in NYC check out Kalustyan’s for dried food grade rose petals and a dizzying array of other cocktail/syrup fixings. If not Amazon sells some that are a click away.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy G'Vine Florisan here. Search: FLORISAN)

GINUARY 26th: Foghorn

2015-01-27T23:54:00.001-05:00

This recipe is mentioned in Waldorf Astoria’s cocktail guide. You may see some early recipes that call for ginger beer, which adds a bit of flair. Whether you use ginger beer or ginger ale, spring for the good stuff, like Fever Tree or Q.

Ingredients
1 ½ oz Tuthilltown Half Moon Orchard Gin
Juice of ½ lime
Ginger ale to taste

How to:
Build in cocktail glass filled with ice, stir and garnish with lime.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Half Moon Orchard Gin here. (Search: MOON)

GINUARY 25th: Ramos Fizz

2015-01-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

This cocktail is pure New Orleans through and through! Huey P. Long (Governor of Louisiana, 1928-1932) was rumored to have brought a New Orleans bartender to New York to train servers, just so he could have a proper Ramos Fizz whenever he was in the city.

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Dorothy Parker Gin
1 oz. simple syrup
½ oz. each fresh lime juice and lemon juice
1 egg white (the freshest one you can find)
1 ¼ oz. fresh whipping cream
3 drops orange bitters
1 oz. Perrier sparkling water

How to:
Place all ingredients except Perrier in cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously for a few minutes and strain into glass. Top with Perrier and stir. Serve in large zombie glass with orange slice.

A note on the egg: Many early cocktail recipes include egg whites and it does make a difference in the froth and texture of the drinks. Please use only the freshest egg white you can find. And if you’re ordering at a bar, beware the powered egg white option!

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Dorothy Parker Gin here. (Search: PARKER)

GINUARY 24rd: Orange Blossom, Frankly Style

2015-01-24T11:40:00.000-05:00

A fresh spin on a classic Prohibition cocktail. Delicious… just delicious!

Ingredients:
4 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
2 oz. Tylers Original City of London Dry Gin
½ oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
½ oz. Dolin Blanc Vermouth

How to:
Build over ice in shaker. Stir briskly and strain into chilled up glass. Garnish with orange peel.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy booze here. (Search: TYLERS. Search: FERRAND. Search: DOLIN)

GINUARY 23rd: The Modern

2015-01-23T09:25:00.000-05:00

Created in the early 1900s this was a very cutting edge cocktail for its time. Make sure to use only the best liquors in this slightly spicy cocktail. (CF: A good sloe gin is especially important. If you’re still sitting on a dusty bottle of whatever that sloe stuff was you were drinking in college, dump it. And get yourself a bottle of Hayman’s immediately.)

Ingredients
1.5 oz. Black Bottle Scotch Whiskey
1.5 oz. Hayman’s Sloe Gin
1 dash absinthe
1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 dash orange bitters
Boozy Cocktail Cherry for garnish

How to:
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a Boozy Cocktail Cherry (or several) for garnish.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Hayman's Sloe Gin and Black Bottle Scotch here. (Search: HAYMAN. Search: BLACK)

GINUARY 22nd: Bronx Cocktail

2015-01-22T03:02:00.000-05:00

Everyone has heard of the Manhattan but Brooklyn and the Bronx have their own cocktails as well. This is actually just a perfect Martini with the addition of orange juice, but, so tasty!

Ingredients:
2 oz. Tylers Original City of London Dry Gin
1/4 oz. Dolin Dry White Vermouth
1/4 oz. Dolin Rouge Sweet Red Vermouth
1 oz. orange juice
Orange slice for garnish

How to:
Build over ice in shaker. Stir and strain into chilled up glass. Add the orange slice garnish. (CF: Finish with a Bronx Cheer!)

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Tylers Original City of Long Dry Gin and Dolin Vermouths here.
(Search: TYLER. Search: DOLIN)

GINUARY: Giving New Meaning to Bathtub Gin

2015-01-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

Why settle for a gin cocktail when you can have a bathtub full of the stuff?

@DemurringSomm & Gaston soak it up.

Photo credit: @jennydrinks

GINUARY 21st: Gin Rickey

2015-01-21T02:52:00.001-05:00

Sometimes simplicity is best. For those who don’t like tonic this cocktail is clean and refreshing. Try adding a cucumber slice or a few fresh basil leaves.

Ingredients:
2 oz. Tylers Original City of London Dry Gin
½ oz. lime juice
Perrier sparkling water

How to:
Fill tall Collins glass with ice. Add lime and gin, stir and top with Perrier and lime wedge garnish.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Tylers Original City of Long Dry Gin here. (Search: TYLER)

GINUARY 20th: Bees Knees

2015-01-21T02:32:00.000-05:00

The “bees knees” was a term reserved to describe the coolest people of the era. A honey base smoothed out the rough edges in the bathtub gin of the time. There are many variations but this is the classic. Try using different honeys to change the flavor of your syrup.

Ingredients:
Equal parts of each -
Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin
Honey syrup (dissolve your favorite honey in equal parts half water)
Fresh lime juice

How to:
Build over ice in rocks glass. Stir briskly!

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Barr Hill Gin here. (Search: BARR)

GINUARY: Welcome to the 20s!

2015-01-21T02:30:00.000-05:00

Wendy shows off her collection

of 1920s-era cocktail shakers.

As we head into the 20s of January, we’re also heading back to the 1920s… with 11 cocktails inspired by my favorite era, the golden age of flappers, speakeasy’s and NYC cocktail lore.

Channel your inner Texas Guinan (NYC’s infamous speakeasy hostess) and plan to make all of them!

- Wendy Crispell,
Certified Specialist of Wine

GINUARY 19th: Wendy’s Cardamaro Collins

2015-01-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

(Because why should Tom get to have all the fun?)

Ingredients:
2 oz. Tuthilltown Half Moon Orchard Gin
1 oz. cardamom syrup
1 oz. pineapple juice
¼ oz. Cardamaro Vino Aromatizzato Amaro
Perrier sparkling water

How to:
Build all ingredients except Perrier over ice in tall cocktail glass. Stir briskly, add Perrier to taste and garnish with boozy cherry and orange slice.

To make the cardamom syrup, prepare a simple syrup according to this easy recipe (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water). When you remove the plain syrup from the heat, just add 2 tablespoon cardamom, steep for 1 hour, strain and chill.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Half Moon Orchard Gin and Cardamaro here. (Search: MOON. Search CARDAMARO)

GINUARY 18th: Tom Collins

2015-01-18T17:49:00.002-05:00

Who the hell was Tom Collins anyway?

According to some historians Tom Collins was invented by a bartender that took advantage of a lame joke being played at the time. Read about this craziness here. If you’re on twitter it may sound familiar... (have you heard what your friends are saying about you???)

Ingredients:
2 oz. Xoriguer Gin de Mahon
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
4 oz. club soda

How to:
Build gin, lemon juice, syrup over ice in cocktail shaker. Shake until chilled, about 15 seconds. Pour into a chilled collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with lemon slice.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Mahon Gin here. (Search: MAHON)

GINUARY BONUS TIP: Boozy Cocktail Cherry Recipe

2015-01-18T16:39:00.001-05:00

It’s super easy to whip up a batch of Wendy’s boozy, sweet cocktail cherries. Practice now and when summer comes and the markets are full of baskets of cherries, you’ll be able to whip up bowls full. (We’ve always thought the saying should be life is just a bowl of BOOZY cherries!)

Check out Wendy’s full post for more ways to use these easy treats. You’ll even learn to make your own cherry pitter from a fork (because the hardest part of this recipe is pitting the cherries.)

Boozy Cocktail Cherries

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 inch piece orange zest
1 pound sweet cherries, pitted
1 cup of Luxardo Il Maraschino

How to:
Place sugar, water, lemon juice, zest and cinnamon in large sauce pot and simmer on medium heat till stirring occasionally. Let liquid come to a slow boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly add cherries to pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add maraschino liqueur. Let mixture come to room temperature uncovered. Transfer to sterile container and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Buy Luxardo Il Marachino here. (Search: LUXARDO)

GINUARY 17th: Tuxedo #2

2015-01-17T19:15:00.003-05:00

Originally created during the 1800s this tarted up version of the Martini resurfaced during Prohibition. Maybe the addition of cherry and anise helped to disguise the harsh spirits of the day? Whatever the reason this is red carpet worthy. Put on your formal wear and sip on this beauty, it may just make you feel like Gatsby.

Ingredients:
2 oz. Brokers Premium London Dry Gin
¾ oz. Dolin Rouge Sweet Red Vermouth
¼ oz. Luxardo Il Maraschino
2 dashes orange bitters
Absinthe rinse

How to:
Rinse inside of chilled cocktail glass with absinthe, discard. Combine all remaining ingredients over ice in shaker and stir for 15 seconds. Strain into rinsed glass and garnish with twist.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Brokers (and Dolin and Luxardo) here. (Search: BROKERS. Search: DOLIN. Search LUX)

GINUARY 16th: Mahoni Negroni

2015-01-17T18:42:00.001-05:00

Take your Negroni to the next level with this premium gin and Cappelletti, an old school alternative to Campari that is colored with Carmine, a natural dye derived from beetles.

Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. Xoriguer Gin de Mahon
¾ oz. Cappelletti Aperitivo Americano Rosso
¾ oz. Dolin Rouge Sweet Red Vermouth

How to:
Build over ice, shake and strain into up glass. Garnish with orange peel.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Mahon and friends here. (Search: MAHON)

GINUARY 15th BONUS: The Chief’s Hot Apple Cider Toddy

2015-01-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Diane from New York Distilling Company was in the shop whipping up some delicious hot toddies for us. The surprise boozy base? The Chief Gowanus New Netherland Gin - an American versions of an old-school Genever. Genevers were the Dutch precursor to more familiar gin. The Chief Gowanus is a rye base redistilled with juniper and hops and a little bit of time in oak. It's got a little more punch and stuffing than your typical gin - and makes an excellent base for this tasty winter treat.

Here's New York Distilling Company's recipe:

THE CHIEF’S HOT APPLE CIDER TODDY

Ingredient:
1.5 oz Chief Gowanus New Netherland Gin
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz honey syrup (1:1 ratio water:honey)
1 oz apple cider
Dash bitters

How to:
Add above to mug or cup and top with hot or boiling water to taste. Top with grated nutmeg (optional!) and garnish with a fresh lemon wheel and/or other favorite toddy garnishes such as cinnamon sticks and star anise.

We’d like to encourage you to PLAY with the recipe to make this Hot Toddy exactly what you want it to be - for example, try adding a little ginger or fruit liqueur .. or using a different sugar.

Buy Chief Gowanus New Netherlands Gin here. (Search: GOWANUS)

GINUARY 15th: Gin Blossom

2015-01-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. G'Vine Floraison Small Batch Gin
1.5 oz. Dolin Rouge Sweet Red Vermouth
1.5 oz. fresh orange juice

How to:
Build over ice in shaker. Shake briskly and strain into chilled glass. Yummm……

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy G'Vine Floraison and Dolin Vermouth here. (Search: FLOR. Search: DOLIN)

GINUARY 14th: Gin Soaked Sultanas

2015-01-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

My Grandfather swore eating these was the key to longevity. After a little research I discovered many eat these to combat daily aches and joint paint. I’m not sure if it works but Gramps lived a full life to the ripe old age of 95!

Ingredients:
Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin
Dried golden raisins

How to:
Fill shallow bowl with golden raisins, pour gin over till just covering raisins. Loosely cover with towel and let sit till liquid absorbed (up to 1 week). Eat nine soaked raisins a day for a supposed holistic remedy for joint pain.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

(CF: This may be my favorite “cocktail” of the entire month. Who cares if it works, the idea of counting out nine gin-soaked golden raisins a day and popping them like magic sunshine pills just makes me smile!)

Buy Barr Hill Gin here. (Search: BARR) For the sultanas, you'll have to head to a grocery store.

GINUARY 13rd: Gin and Juice

2015-01-14T02:17:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
2 oz. Xoriguer Gin de Mahon
2 oz. orange juice
2 oz. pineapple juice

How to:
Build over ice in large cocktail glass. Stir and enjoy.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Xoriguer Gin de Mahon here. (Search: MAHON)

GINUARY 12th: Gin Hound

2015-01-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

A riff on the Salty Dog and The Greyhound with gin as the main ingredient. Think of pink grapefruit juice as the ticket to brighten your grey January days!

Ingredients:
2 oz. Dorothy Parker New York Distilling Company Gin
2 oz. pink grapefruit
1 ½ oz. Dolin sweet vermouth
½ oz. lemon juice

How to:
Combine all over ice in large cocktail glass. Stir briskly and garnish with lemon slice.

- Wendy Crispell, Certified Specialist of Wine

Buy Dorothy Parker New York Distilling Company Gin here. (Search: PARKER)