cocktail virgin slut

pink tea

2012-01-27T16:38:00.006-05:00

2/3 jigger Dry Gin (1 oz Martin Miller Westbourne)
1/2 jigger Orange Pekoe Tea (3/4 oz Oolong)
3 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
3 dash Lemon Juice (1/4 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist.

After the Toulouse-Lautrec, I decided to make the Pink Tea recipe I found in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. The drink stood out as most recipes during this time period, other than Punches and Hot Toddies, did not call for tea. Since the name Pink Tea caused me think of Pink Gin, the nautical implications of that drink made me reach for the Martin Miller Westbourne Strength Gin. The tea and lemon juice ingredients also reminded me of another sea-themed drink, the Lioness of Brittany, that we created for a Grand Marnier event two years ago.The Pink Tea began with a lemon oil aroma that led into a lemon sip that contained a hint of grenadine. The tea notes dominated the first few swallows including a dry tannin finish. After a few sips, the swallow began to reveal the juniper and other gin botanicals as well. Overall, the Pink Tea tasted like iced tea with lemon for the gin rather lurked in the background.

toulouse-lautrec

2012-01-27T15:36:00.003-05:00

1 oz North Shore No. 6 Gin
1 oz Atholl Brose or Drambuie (Drambuie)
1/2 oz Absinthe (Kübler)
1/2 oz Cane Syrup (JM Sirop)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake without ice and then with. Strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with a few drops of Angostura Bitters.After purchasing some cane syrup earlier in the week, it was time to make the Toulouse-Lautrec from Gary Regan's Bartender's Gin Compendium. The drink, created by Timothy Lacey of Chicago's Drawing Room, honors the artist's love of absinthe which he used as a comfort to his bodily woes and as solace for his unsightly appearance.The Toulouse-Lautrec's Angostura Bitters garnish donated cinnamon and allspice aromas to that of the absinthe's anise. The sip was a creamy honey and lemon flavor, and the swallow began with the gin's botanicals. After the gin, the absinthe presented itself followed by floral notes from No. 6 Gin's lavender and Drambuie's heather on the aftertaste.

brown is the new black

2012-01-26T16:24:00.004-05:00

1/2 oz Cruzan Blackstrap Rum
1/2 oz Dark Rum (Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva)
1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Bénédictine
1 Egg

Shake without ice and then with ice. Strain into a cocktail coupe containing 2 oz of chocolate stout (Harpoon). Stir gently and garnish with 5 drops of Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters (sub other aromatic bitters).Last week for Thursday Drink Night in the Mixoloseum chatroom, the theme was "blackout" in honor of all the SOPA/PIPA protests occurring across the web that week. In thinking about black ingredients to work with the theme, my mind went quickly to the family of dark amaros. One drink in particular that stood out was Ben Sandrof's Battle Royal Fizz which pitted Fernet Branca against Cynar in the form of a Royal Fizz lightened with stout beer. Instead of shooting for something as intensely herbal, I split the drink into half amaro and half dark rum; with the amaros, I went with the less aggressively flavored Averna and Bénédictine. The chocolate notes in Bénédictine made me reach for a chocolate stout to lighten the drink. When I lamented that the drink turned out brown instead, Andrea came to the rescue with the name.The Brown is the New Black greeted the senses with a cinnamon and chocolate aroma. The rich, smooth sip offered up caramel and chocolate notes, and the rum, especially the blackstrap molasses notes, joined with the herbal flavors on the swallow.

boukman daiquiri

2012-01-26T15:35:00.004-05:00

1 1/2 oz White Rum (Tommy Bahama White Sand)
1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup (BJ Reynolds)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge.Two Wednesday ago, I decided to make the Boukman's Daiquiri from the Imbibe Magazine drink database. The recipe was created by Alex Day when he was working at Philadelphia's Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company, and he named the drink after an 18th century priest, Dutty Boukman. In 1791, Boukman's religious ceremony in Haiti served as a catalyst to the slave uprising that began the Haitian revolution. Instead of the blood allegedly drank in that ceremony to secure the participants' loyalty, the Boukman Daiquiri supplements the original Daiquiri with Cognac and cinnamon flavors. The drink began with lime and cinnamon aromas. While the sip contained the traditional lime and rum notes found in a Daiquiri, the swallow proffered the brandy's richness and cinnamon's spice to make for a rather elegant and flavorful variation.

red rackham

2012-01-25T17:22:00.003-05:00

2 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum
1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Batavia Arrack
2 dash Balinese Bitters (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
(*) An equal parts Balinese peppercorn tincture and Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters mixture.

Tuesday last week, Andrea and I had dinner at Rendezvous in Central Square. For my first drink, I asked bartender Scott Holliday for the Red Rackham. The drink was named after the pirate captain in Tintin story who in turn was named after an early 18th century pirate, "Calico" Jack Rackham. I was quite curious about the bitters Scott crafted for this drink, and he explained that they were aromatic bitters combined with a tincture of Balinese Long Pepper. Compared to normal peppercorns, the Balinese ones are more floral, earthy, and complex with heat, fruit notes, and spice notes reminiscent of cardamom and nutmeg. Sticking to the theme, the recipe was based after the classic Pirate's Cocktail (rum, sweet vermouth, Angostura) with the addition of complexity from Batavia Arrack and the peppercorn tincture.The addition of Batavia Arrack paid dividends in the aroma where its funkiness joined the sweet vermouth's richness and the aged rum's barrel notes. The vermouth's grape and rum's caramel notes filled the sip; next, the swallow began with rum and Batavia Arrack and concluded with spice on the finish including cinnamon and peppercorn. Like in the traditional Pirate's Cocktail, the aged rum worked well to complement the sweet vermouth.

polo

2012-01-25T16:28:00.003-05:00

2/3 jigger Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Sazerac 6 Year)
1/4 jigger Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz Noilly Prat)
1 dash Maraschino Liqueur (1/4 oz Maraska)
1 dash Apricot Liqueur (1/4 oz Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I garnished with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Two Mondays ago for a nightcap, I began perusing Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 when I spotted the Polo cocktail. While I have had and written about numerous horse racing-themed drinks, I have never had one in honor of this lesser spoke of equestrian event. In addition, the recipe reminded me of the Brooklyn with the Amer Picon swapped out here for apricot liqueur and orange bitters.The Polo began with a rye and Maraschino aroma that led into a malty sip modified with orange notes. On the swallow, the rye was joined by the Maraschino and apricot; interestingly, the apricot functioned to modify the Maraschino more than standing out as a distinctive flavor.

christmas grouse

2012-01-24T15:00:00.003-05:00

2 oz Famous Grouse Blended Scotch
1/2 oz Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur
1/2 oz Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
For our second drink at Green Street, bartender Derric Crothers wanted to showcase one of his creations, the Christmas Grouse, that he developed for this past holiday season. The drink began with lemon oil and honey aromas, and the honey continued on into the swallow where it mingled with the Scotch's malt notes. The Scotch including its smoke notes appeared more in the swallow along with the Zirbenz's pine, and the honey reappeared as a pleasing aftertaste. Strangely, the Christmas Grouse had an intriguing pear flavor at first that we partially attributed to the Bärenjäger; later, the balance shifted to a more piney one as the drink warmed up. Overall, I was quite impressed at how well the Scotch and Zirbenz paired up; perhaps this is very similar to Craigie on Main's Northern Lights which paired Scotch with Clear Creek's Douglas Fir Eau de Vie.

edisonian

2012-01-24T14:11:00.004-05:00

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Note: for the Combustible Edison, shake the Campari and lemon juice with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Heat the brandy in a chafing dish and ignite; pour the flaming spirit into the cocktail glass.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I decided to visit Green Street for drinks and dessert. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Derric Crothers for the Edisonian. I had first tried the Edisonian in early 2008 after DrinkBoston's Lauren Clark wrote about it in the LUPEC Boston column. While her post did not attribute the drink recipe to any source, she did give credit to Brother Cleve and the Combustible Edison band for teaching her the recipe. Both the Edisonian and the Blue Blazer take on it, the Combustible Edison, appear in Paul Harrington's Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century. Harrington glosses over the Edisonian but seems to attribute the Edisonian to Brother Cleve's band as well. At first, Harrington offers up the Edisonian in case one was not brave enough to do the flaming version; however, in the side bar, he suggests the Edisonian for the cocktail hour and the Combustible Edison for the "late evening."The Edisonian greeted the senses with a Campari and lemon oil aroma. The tart lemon on the sip was joined by the non-bitter fruity flavors of the Campari. The more bitter aspect of the Campari then appeared on the swallow along with the Cognac. Indeed, the brandy really took the edge off of the Campari which did not seem as intense or bitter as it normally can.

el nacional

2012-01-23T18:13:00.002-05:00

1 oz Mezcal (Sombra)
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3 dash Chocolate Bitters (Housemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and 2-3 drops of a smoky Islay whisky (Laphroaig 10).

We finally spotted Sombra Mezcal at Gordon's in Waltham and purchased a bottle. While it runs about the same price as (if not a few dollars cheaper than) Del Maguey Vida and has unique packaging, it is still part of the Del Maguey sphere of influence for Ron Cooper worked with two others to bring this product to market. Of the two, Sombra is the smoother and more balanced mezcals at this $30-35 price point. For a use, I decided on Casey Robinson's El Nacional that appeared in Imbibe Magazine a year ago.El Nacional proffered a smoky aroma that seemed to be more Scotch than mezcal driven; in addition, this was brightened by citrus notes from the lemon twist and the orange in the Ramazzotti. The sip contained a caramel orange flavor, and this led into a smoky mezcal, chocolate, Campari, and herbal swallow. Later, iodine and other minerally notes from the mezcal appeared. Overall, El Nacional was not dominated by the Campari; in fact, it was not a very Campari drink at all such that Andrea inquired if the recipe contained Aperol instead.

albert mathieu

2012-01-23T16:06:00.003-05:00

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin (Cold River)
3/4 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
3/4 oz Green Chartresue
1 barspoon St. Germain (1/8 oz)
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.After the Zumbo, I started perusing the PDT Cocktail Book and spotted the Albert Mathieu. The drink was created by Eastern Standard's own Kevin Martin and we wondered for a second how this drink got there. Then we realize that this was part of the missing link! Back in 2008, there was a New York City-Boston bartender exchange organized by Philip Ward and subsidized by Rob Cooper of St. Germain in terms of travel and lodging expenses. While we lent out Kevin for a few days, we got a chance to taste New York by acquiring PDT's Daniel Eun for a three night stint at Eastern Standard. Both Andrea and I wrote about the drinks we had including their Dewey D, Mariner, and Number 8, and we quite enjoyed the experience of mixology travel without leaving the city. We never bothered to ask Kevin what he made; instead, we heard tales of what it was like to work with Kold-Draft Ice before the technology took off here and how New Yorkers prefer their drinks a bit stiffer and less diluted than imbibers do in Boston. The cocktail of Kevin's that got in the drink book perfectly symbolized the cross pollination. Albert Mathieu was a French mining engineer who in 1802 first proposed a tunnel to span the English Channel. While the idea which included horse-power, oil lamps, and the like was too daunting in the 19th century, the concept later came to fruition in 1994 when the Chunnel connected the two countries. Moreover, the combination of French and English ingredients in the recipe rounded out the affair.The Albert Mathieu's nose presented an herbal burst from the Green Chartreuse that was brightened by the orange oils from the twist. While the sip was light, sweet, and citrussy, the swallow packed a potent combination of the gin and Green Chartreuse. Furthermore, the St. Germain's floral notes worked well with the Chartreuse at the end of the drink. Overall, the Albert Mathieu was akin to a gin instead of Bourbon Endeavor or a Lillet instead of sweet vermouth Bijou.

zumbo

2012-01-20T15:12:00.004-05:00

1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Knockabout)
1/6 Sweet Vermouth (1/2 oz Vya)
1/6 Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz Noilly Prat)
1/6 Curaçao (1/2 oz Senior Curaçao)
2 dash Fernet Branca (1/8 oz)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added an orange twist.

Last Friday, we started the evening with the curiously named Zumbo from 1700 Cocktails for the Man Behind the Bar. The book provided no information of whom or what Zumbo was, but there was a famous art nouveau ceramist Dominique Zumbo that was still active around the time that the book was published in 1934. I was rather intrigued by the recipe since it looked like a juiceless Bronx or Satan's Whiskers embittered with Fernet Branca, and therefore, I needed to try it out. The Zumbo began with an orange oil aroma with a hint of herbal notes. The orange and grape sip introduced the gin swallow that contained light Fernet Branca menthol and other herbal and bitter notes. Soon it dawned on me that the Zumbo reminded me of Eastern Standard's Heather in Queue, albeit one created 70 years earlier.

monarch

2012-01-20T14:34:00.003-05:00

1 oz Light Style Gin (Cold River)
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/2 oz Bénédictine
1/2 oz Aperol

Stir with ice and strain into a sherry glass. Garnish with a large lemon twist.After the Brunswick, I searched through Gary Regan's Bartender's Gin Compendium and found an adaptation of Neyah White's Monarch that he created at Nopa in San Francisco. For a gin choice, I decided to try out my new bottle of Cold River Gin, a spirit made in Maine from potatoes, that I bought after finding it on sale. In the drink, the oils from the lemon twist combined with the Aperol to generate an almost apricot aroma. On the sip, the Cocchi Americano and Aperol provided a pleasing citrus and rhubarb flavor, and this led into the Bénédictine and gin finishing with a chocolate and herbal swallow. While the Monarch was rather light, it was perhaps a touch too sweet to classify as a perfect aperitif. The ingredient that made the drink shine for me was the Bénédictine which added a wealth of complexity that helped to unite the other elements.

brunswick

2012-01-19T16:13:00.003-05:00

2/3 Cognac (1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/3 Dry Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Pratt)
1 dash Bénédictine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Picon Bitters (1/4 oz Amer Picon)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist.

Wednesday last week, I was browsing the brandy section of Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 when I spotted the Brunswick. With Cognac, vermouth, and Bénédictine, the drink reminded me of a Fioupe Cocktail at first; however, the Brunswick had dry instead of sweet vermouth as well as an additional component of Picon. With the spirit, dry vermouth, and minor components of Picon and another liqueur formula, the Brunswick soon seemed more like a Cognac Brooklyn instead.The Brunswick's aroma offered bright lemon oils over the Cognac, and the Amer Picon's orange notes joined the dry vermouth flavor on the sip. The beginning of the swallow showcased the Cognac and more of Amer Picon's dark caramel-orangeness followed by the Bénédictine's herbal notes at the end.

mexican turnover

2012-01-19T15:50:00.003-05:00

1 1/2 oz Añejo Tequila (Siete Leguas)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz St. Germain

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

After the Pimmeron, I opened up the Cocktail Collective book and spotted a drink that was very similar to Craigie on Main's Libretto called the Mexican Turnover. While the Libretto had sweet vermouth and chocolate bitters, this drink created by Jacob Grier contained dry vermouth, an orange twist, and a little less St. Germain. Otherwise, the two recipes were very similar in proportion, but as it turned out, they came across in very different ways.On the nose, Andrea detected orange and Cynar notes and I got orange and tequila ones at first with Cynar aromas once the drink warmed up. The Mexican Turnover's sip presented a pleasant white wine note with the St. Germain adding to its fruit aspect; later, as the twist infused into the drink, orange notes began to appear here as well. Next, the combination of tequila and Cynar on the swallow led to a savory, herbal finish. Compared to the Libretto, the Mexican Turnover was less full bodied since it lacked the robustness of Carpano Antica, and it seemed more herbal due to the dry vermouth and perhaps less St. Germain in the mix. Furthermore, the drink's orange twist brought out a brighter and fruitier focus to the drink compared to the darker, richer ones from the Libretto's chocolate bitters.

pimmeron

2012-01-18T18:34:00.003-05:00

1/4 Pimm's #1 (1 oz)
1/4 Swedish Punsch (1 oz Homemade)
1/2 Dry Vermouth (2 oz Noilly Prat)
1 dash Lemon Juice (1/8 oz)

Shake with ice and strain. I added ice cubes and a lemon twist.

As dinner was cooking Tuesday last week, I decided to make an aperitif that I had spotted in 1700 Cocktails for the Man Behind the Bar called the Pimmeron. While half of the content was dry vermouth, I was intrigued that the other half was a combination of Pimm's and Swedish Punsch. It was an odd but curious pairing, and the closest that I have experienced was Russell House Tavern's Battle of Trafalgar that matches the Pimm's with Batavia Arrack, one of the components of Swedish Punsch. While the Swedish Punsch I used was homemade, I did spot Haus Alpenz's Kronan Swedish Punsch at the Fresh Pond Mall's liquor store in Cambridge; therefore, it is no longer necessary to smuggle this liqueur in from Sweden or craft it yourself.The Pimmeron presented lemon aromas along with the funk of the Punsch's Batavia Arrack. The fruit aspect of Pimm's combined with dry vermouth's wine notes on the sip, and the swallow contained the Punsch's tea, rum, and smoke notes along with some light herbal ones. The Pimmeron possessed a pleasing crispness to it from the lemon, dry vermouth, and tea tannins; moreover, it worked rather well with our dinner once it was served.

metamorphosis

2012-01-18T17:34:00.003-05:00

1 1/2 oz Becherovka Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and double strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I went to Eastern Standard for dinner after my DJing gig. The drink that caught my eye was one of the earliest drinks on the Eastern Standard menu, the Metamorphosis, that was created there back in 2005 or 2006. While I had tasted Andrea's that she ordered in 2007, I had never had one of my own and the recipe has been sorely lacking here. At first I found it curious that the drink was in the "heritage" section of Eastern Standard's menu, but once I remembered that it was a Becherovka instead of gin Bee's Knees, I realized it fit right in. Also in this section was the l'Amerique, their take on the Green Point -- a modern classic that was created about the same time as the Metamorphosis. With a Czech connection of the Becherovka liqueur, the drink was named after Czech-born writer Franz Kafka's best known work.The Metamophosis that bartender Seth Freidus made for me began with a lemon oil aroma that led into a honey and citrus sip. Instead of juniper and other gin botanicals in the classic Bee's Knees, the swallow here proffered clove, cinnamon, and other spice notes. I could definitely see how the success of converting the Bee's Knees into this tasty beverage using Becherovka also lured the Eastern Standard staff into recently crafting the Kyselý, their spice-driven take on the classic Pisco Sour.

khartoum

2012-01-17T16:14:00.004-05:00

1 oz Cardamaro
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum

Build in an ice-filled Highball glass with a long Horse's Neck-style orange peel garnish. Top with ~2 oz soda water, stir, and add a straw.

For my second drink at Brick and Mortar, I decided to stick with the tall drink theme and try the Khartoum. While the cardoon (a relative of the artichoke) in Cardamaro might trigger the name Khartoum, the reason why the drink was named after the capital of Sudan was unclear. Perhaps the concept is tied together by the long orange peel garnish. Khartoum may be derived from the Arabic kartūm meaning the end of an elephant's trunk; geographically, the trunk would be the narrow strip of land between the Blue and White Nile Rivers leading to the city. So perhaps instead of calling it a Horse's Neck garnish in the instructions, an Elephant's Trunk one would be more appropriate.The Khartoum's bouquet contained caramel notes from the Amaro Montenegro and rum notes from the Smith & Cross; as the glass' volume diminished and more of the garnish was revealed, the drink began to provide orange aromas as well. The sip proffered a crisp, carbonated caramel and rum flavor. The funkier aspects of the rum came out in the swallow where they joined the complex herbal wine notes of the Cardamaro and bitter notes of the Amaro Montenegro. Of all the flavor pairings, the Amaro Montenegro's herbal caramel richness complementing the Smith & Cross' bolder notes was the most impressive.

lido shuffle

2012-01-17T15:26:00.003-05:00

1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with ~2 oz soda. Garnish with an orange twist and add a straw.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I paid a visit to Brick and Mortar where we found seats in front of bartender Misty Kalkofen. For my first libation, I asked Misty for the Lido Shuffle from the tall drinks section of the menu. The recipe for the Lido Shuffle was created by Evan Harrison when he wanted to develop a lower in alcohol option while working at Deep Ellum. Once the recipe reached the Brick and Mortar menu, it was renamed by owner Patrick Sullivan not for the stumbling walk of patrons leaving Club Lido in Revere, but for Boz Scaggs song from the 1970s.The Lido Shuffle's orange twist contributed greatly to the drink's aroma. The crisp, carbonated citrus sip led into an Aperol swallow that was affected by the lemon and Yellow Chartreuse. Interestingly, the flavor combination came across as an herbal orange flavor.

trans-europe express

2012-01-16T16:49:00.003-05:00

3/4 oz Macallan Single Malt Scotch (Glenrothes 1991)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Regan's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass rinsed with Green Chartreuse.

After having the equal parts Mystic Marvel, we moved on to another basically equal parts one from Beta Cocktails. The Trans-Europe Express created by Arizona's Ciaran Wiese had more to do thematically with Bergamot's Assembly Cocktail for each name reflects the multinational sources of its main spirits. Or perhaps that Ciaran is a Kraftwerk fan as well?The Trans-Europe Express' bouquet offered up white pepper, fennel, and something floral perhaps from the Scotch and Yellow Chartreuse. While the sip showcased the Scotch's malt and Punt e Mes' grape, the swallow proffered a bounty of complex flavors including Punt e Mes' and Campari's bitter flavors, Scotch's smokiness, and hints of Green Chartreuse's coriander note. Indeed, the Trans-Europe Express was a rather complex and well-balanced sipper that made for an excellent nightcap.

mystic marvel

2012-01-16T16:03:00.003-05:00

1/4 Brandy (3/4 oz Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1/4 Calvados (3/4 oz Morin Selection)
1/4 Drambuie (3/4 oz)
1/4 Lime Juice (3/4 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

After having Bergamot's Assembly Cocktail, I was reminded of a drink I spotted earlier in the week in the 1934 drink book 1700 Cocktails for the Man Behind the Bar. The drink was called the Mystic Marvel; with brandy, Drambuie, and citrus (albeit one with lemon and the other with lime), the last equal part component here was Calvados instead of the Assembly's sherry. The name Mystic Marvel was rather curious and I could only surmised that it was named after a famous magician during that time period, a William Alma a/k/a the Great Pharos, the Mystic Marvel. Whether or not Alma's fame would have spread enough to capture the attention of the creator of the recipe, the drink still remains an interesting trick. The orange oils from the twist worked well with the Mystic Marvel's lime and Drambuie nose. The sip contained lime, apple, and honey flavors, and the swallow presented brandy and Drambuie's Scotch elements that ended with additional lime notes. Even with the Drambuie's sweetness, the Mystic Marvel's balance was pleasingly on the crisp side of things.

a few of my favorite things

2012-01-15T16:08:00.003-05:00

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1/2 oz Vergano Americano Chinato
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Aperol
1 dash Bitter Truth Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.For a second cocktail at Bergamot, bartender Paul Manzelli made me A Few of My Favorite Things. With the name based off of a song from The Sound of Music, there were none of the things Mary Martin or Julie Andrews loved. Luckily, Paul's favorite things were more in my mood than raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. The drink's aroma presented the Aperol and orange oils with a darker note from either the Cynar or Vergano at the end of the inhale. The sip was rather full flavored with grape and Aperol notes, and the swallow concluded with rye and Cynar elements.

assembly cocktail

2012-01-13T16:20:00.003-05:00

3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
3/4 oz Grant "La Garrocha" Amontillado Sherry
3/4 oz Drambuie
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 barspoon Honey Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Thursday last week, I found my way over to Bergamot where bartenders Paul Manzelli and Kai Gagnon were working. After requesting the Assembly Cocktail on the menu, I asked Kai if the drink was in reference to a Somerville landmark, namely Assembly Square, akin to their Beacon Fix. While Paul was amused by that suggestion and expressed a fondness for what the Assembly Square Mall used to be, Kai commented that it was merely an assembly of three different nations' spirits.The Assembly Cocktail greeted my nose with lemon juice, orange oil, and sherry notes. The lemon and honey sip contained some of the sherry's grape flavors. The sherry shone through more on the swallow where it joined the Cognac and Drambuie's Scotch notes on the rather smooth finish. Overall, the Assembly Cocktail reminded me of a remixed Hoop La albeit with less citrus and more delightful honey, whisky, and nutty grape notes.

libbey cocktail

2012-01-13T15:50:00.003-05:00

2 dash Raspberry Syrup (1/4 oz)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
1 liqueur glass Dry Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
2 liqueur glass Brandy (2 oz Courvoisier VS)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added an orange twist.For a nightcap two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make the Libbey Cocktail in Louis' Mixed Drinks from 1906. What seemed at first like a very simple cocktail turned out to be a quite enjoyable and elegant number. The Libbey began with orange and brandy notes that led into a dry sip that contained a light degree of fruit or berry flavors. The swallow then proffered the Cognac along with raspberry and orange notes. I was impressed at how the dry vermouth worked with the syrup to create some tangy berry notes at the end.

union cocktail

2012-01-12T17:06:00.005-05:00

2 oz Michael Collins Irish Whiskey
1 oz Blandy's Rainwater Madeira
1/2 oz Meletti Amaro
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

Tuesday last week, we were in Union Square, Somerville, for dinner and we decided to stop into the Independent for a drink. There, the menu item that grabbed my attention was a recipe created by Brother Cleve for the Somerville Arts Council's new book, Nibble. Brother Cleve described the concept behind the drink in a comment, "The Nibble book features recipes of the various ethnic groups of Somerville. I created the Union cocktail to honor Somerville's early immigrants: the Irish, Portuguese, and Italians. That was the idea behind mixing whiskey, Madeira, and amaro. As for the bitters... hey, I like bitters, ok!"The Union Cocktail greeted me with an orange oil aroma. The sweet grape and malt sip gained caramel notes from the Meletti over time. Next, the swallow began with the Irish Whiskey and finished with the Madeira, the richness and herbal complexity of the amaro, and orange notes; over successive swallows, the Angostura spice notes crept into the picture as well.

little devil

2012-01-12T16:33:00.003-05:00

1/6 Orange Juice (1/2 oz)
1/6 Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1/6 Cointreau (1/2 oz)
1/6 Bacardi Rum (1/2 oz Atlantico Platino)
1/6 oz Dry Gin (1/2 oz Death's Door)
1/6 oz Caloric Punch (1/2 oz homemade Swedish Punsch)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.For a nightcap two Monday's ago, I decided to make the Little Devil that I spotted in the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild's Approved Cocktails book. Its quirky 3 spirit Daisy structure got the better of my curiosity. The Little Devil began with an orange, gin, and rum aroma that led into a slightly crisp orange sip. What started slightly sweet on the sip ended drier with rum, lemon peel, tea tannin, spice, and gin notes on the swallow. The Punsch helped to tie together the disparate gin and rum components; while the two spirits worked well in the Fog Cutter, my choice of Death's Door, an unusual and strongly flavored gin, might not have been the best option here.