Aperol Negroni

Aperol. I love it. Most people think of Aperol as a spring-time aperitif. Aperol is most commonly used in an Aperol Spritz. Maybe because I enjoy its sweet but bitter orange and simultaneously slightly herbaceous flavor, I am happy to drink it pretty much anytime.

A typical Negroni has 1 part gin, 1 part Campari, and 1 part sweet vermouth. I confess, I am not a huge fan of Campari. I find it a little too floral. When overused, I find cocktails with Campari to approach a bowl of potpourri. Campari can really take over a cocktail. True, Aperol is much sweeter than Campari, but that can be partially offset by the addition of more citrus. Plus, bitter orange is just a better flavor than potpourri. Additionally, when paired with a bolder flavored gin, here I used Tanqueray, I think an Aperol Negroni is just plain better than a traditional Negroni.

Aperol Negroni

• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce Aperol
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth

Orange Giuseppe

In honor of Grandmummy's birthday I made my take on a drink from The Violet Hour, where my family celebrated her birthday a few years ago. The Violet Hour made a drink called a Bitter Giuseppe, which was 15 drops of lemon juice, a lemon peel, 2 ounces of Cynar, 3/4 ounce of sweet vermouth, and 2 dashes of orange bitters. Here, I use a different aperitif, Aperol instead of Cynar and increase the lemon because Aperol is sweeter.

Orange Giuseppe

• 25 drops of lemon juice
• 1 lemon peel
• 2 ounces Aperol
• 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Stir ingredients and lemon peel.

Ward 8

The Ward 8 was sweet, sour, and hand a small hint of bourbon on the end. When I make it again, which I will because it was a good drink, I think I'll back off the simple syrup by a 1/4 ounce, and maybe also back off the lemon juice a 1/4 ounce to make the cocktail more bourbon-y.

Ward 8

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce grenadine

Combine, shake, strain into a coupe.

Champs Elysees

Last Saturday night (yes, I know it has been a long time since I last posted) we had Paul and Karla over for dinner. I made a lot of cocktails (Kentucky Colonel, White Lady) but I tried a new one: Champs Elysees. The cocktail is clearly similar to a Sidecar, but both more interesting and more boozy because it has Green Chartreuse rather than Cointreau. It's definitely worth a try.

Champs Elysees

• 1 1/2 ounces cognac
• 1/2 ounce Green Chartreuse
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1/2 ounce lemon

Gin and It

We survived another week and that accomplishment called for a cocktail.

A Gin and It as a really simple cocktail. It's sweet and floral and not too boozy for a cocktail made entirely of booze. I didn't love it but I did enjoy it.

Gin and It

• 1 1/2 ounces gin
• 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine, stir, serve in a cocktail glass.

Between the Sheets

I took Piper in for her three month checkup today. She is 12 pounds, 15 ounces which is the 50th percentile for her age. In contrast, her head size is the 93rd percentile. Somehow, Piper was still able to impress our doctor with her ability to hold her head up high while she was on her tummy.

To celebrate Piper's checkup and the week approaching its end, I made a Between the Sheets. This cocktail is clearly similar to a Sidecar, which I really enjoy. But here half the cognac of a Sidecar is dark rum. While I really enjoy a Sidecar, my Between the Sheets was far too tart upfront. It had an okay finish, but not the same smoothness and richness as a Sidecar. I think either the lemon I used just happened to be extremely sour or a 1/4 ounce of simple syrup would have gone a long way.

Between the Sheets

• 3/4 ounce cognac
• 3/4 ounce dark rum
• 3/4 ounce Cointreau
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

Stir, strain into a cocktail glass.

Amaretto Daiquiri

We've almost made it through our first week back. Piper has cooperated and slept through the night each night this week, as she has been doing for the past six or eight weeks. Teresa is liking her new job. I am enjoying being back in the office.

An Amaretto Sour is bourbon, amaretto, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It is also a really underrated drink. A Daiquiri is rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. This drink just swaps the bourbon in an Amaretto Sour for dark rum. But "Rum Amaretto Sour" doesn't sound as good as "Amaretto Daiquiri." I really like amaretto and if you do to, you will like this easy-drinking cocktail.

Amaretto Daiquiri

• 1 1/2 ounce amaretto
• 1 1/2 ounce dark rum
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup

Shake ingredients; serve on ice.

Gin Mule

On Tuesday, Teresa and I both returned to work. It was nice to see everyone. It was also nice to be in the real world again. Even though life is now much busier, I wanted to make sure I made at least one cocktail this week.

A Gin Mule is, as the name suggests, a Moscow Mule, but with gin. I am almost always happy to use gin rather than vodka because it adds more flavor. But in this drink, gin works especially well.

Gin Mule

• 5 mint leaves
• 1 1/2 ounces gin
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 simple syrup
• 2 ounces ginger beer

Shake mint, gin, lime juice, and simple syrup; strain into a rocks glass; top with ginger beer; garnish with mint.

Elder Fashioned

It's the end of an era. Tomorrow I head back to work. I think I made 40 different cocktails. And that list does not include a Banana Pina Colada (add 1/3 of a banana to the Pina Colada recipe in a previous post) and a few other cocktails that I've made recently. That also, of course, does not include any of the beer or wine I drank. Overall, it has been a great three months.

The days have flown by. I'm sad to be going back to work but also excited to rejoin the adult world. My current plan is to work from home every Friday. I actually hate working from home. We'll see how that goes.

I am also planning on continuing this blog. I probably won't be able to make quite as many new cocktails but I'm going to try. I will also be consistently updating the Dad's Reading List on the top left of the weblog (I don't think it is visible on mobile devices). So, stay tuned.

I ended my leave with an Elder Fashioned. A classic Old Fashioned has a small amount of sugar. Here, the sweetness is provided by the St. Germain which also adds a floral note. It is a really nice drink -- spirit forward but with a smooth finish.

Elder Fashioned

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1/2 ounce St. Germain
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters

Combine ingredients; stir.

The Second to Last Word

A brief word on Chartreuse, which is making its first appearance on DadDrinks. Chartruese is a liqueur, with a storied history dating back centuries, made from 130 herbs and plants. People say (now the blog reads like a Donald Trump tweet) that no one person knows the entire recipe or that the two people who do know the entire recipe are not allowed to fly on the same airplane.

If you go to a good bar, it is unlikely that you will be able to read a cocktail menu without finding Chartreuse.

There are two kinds of Chartreuse: green and yellow. Green Chartreuse has more alcohol (55% versus 40%) and is less sweet. Chartreuse is herbaceous and anise-y. I've read the suggestion that one could use Benedictine or Galliano as a substitute but I am skeptical, although Galliano might work as a substitute for Yellow Chartreuse, not because the color, but because both have more sweetness. (Note to self: try using Benedectine or Galliano as a substitute for Chartreuse).

Anyway, if you like Chartreuse, be sure to check back in the next few days or follow DadDrinks by e-mail by entering your e-mail in the box at the top right of the homepage because I have a really great Chartreuse drink planned.

The Last Word is equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice. Here, I remove the maraschino liquor and use a half part of St. Germain and a quarter par of Framboise. I liked the drink. It was tart and herbaceous. It might've had a little too much Chartreuse though -- Teresa thought it was medicinal.

The Second to Last Word

• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce Green Chartreuse
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 ounce St. Germaine
• 1/4 ounce Framboise