Scotlaw

It's just a good drink.

Scotlaw

• 2 ounces scotch (Laphroaig)
• 1 ounce bianco vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
• 3/4 ounce grenadine
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

h/t: The Proper Pour with Charlotte Voisey

Something Like a Floradora Imperial

Something Like a Floradora Imperial

• 2 teaspoons grenadine
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1 1/2 ounces cognac (Ma)
• 1 1/2 ounces sparkling wine

Shake grenadine, lemon juice, and cognac over ice; strain into a Champagne flute; top with sparking wine.

h/t: Imbibe!

Grenadine Mint Sour

Elli thought the mint bitters made it taste funny. I didn't find that the mint came through that strongly. The reason I made the drink was to highlight the homemade grenadine, which was really tasty.

Grenadine Mint Sour

• 2 ounces vodka (Svedka)
• 3/4 ounce grenadine (homemade)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 2 dashes mint bitters

Central Standard Swizzle

Central Standard Swizzle

• 2 ounces aged rum (Diplomatico)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce Falernum
• 5 mint leaves
• Angostura bitters

Muddle mint in a collins glass; add rum, lemon juice, Falernum; top with crushed ice; swizzle until the glass is frosty; top with additional crushed ice; top with Angostura bitters; garnish with mint leaf.

h/t: Central Standard, Austin Texas via Imbibe Magazine

Spicy Dead Lady

This is one of the best cocktails I've made. I've also made a Spicy Dead Lady with a dash or two of hot sauce when I didn't have habaneros and it came out very well.

Spicy Dead Lady

• 3/4 ounce mezcal (I used Espolon Reposado Tequila)
• 3/4 ounce Aperol
• 3/4 ounce falernum (John T.'s)
• 3/4 ounce lime
• 1 thin slice of habanero

Shake ingredients over ice; double strain into a cocktail glass.

h/t: Grant Wheeler, The Garret, New York, New York via Imbibe Magazine

Root Beer Cocktail

I don't know what to say about this drink other than it is not nearly as bad as you might think but that it is also more interesting than good. It's worth a try for fun if you have some root beer sitting around.

Root Beer Cocktail

• 2 ounces gin (Beefeater)
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 4 ounce root beer (Dad's)

Apple Mule

This is my take on the Washington Applejack Mule at Canon in Seattle, Washington. I am sure that drink, based on applejack rather than a mix of vodka and apple brandy, is better. I made my Apple Mule with only 1/2 an ounce of vodka but I think it really needs more bite. The drink is sweet, and apple-y. It really relies on the brandy so the better brandy you have the better the drink is going to be.

Apple Mule

• 1 1/2 ounces apple brandy
• 1 ounce vodka
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 4 ounces ginger beer

h/t: Jamie Boundreau, Canon, Seattle, Washington via Imbibe Magazine

Shipwreck Cocktail

The best part of the Shipwreck Cocktail was that it gave me an opportunity to use my new Lewis Bag! I have to say, if you are going to make drinks with crushed ice, a Lewis Bag and wooden mallet are far superior to a kitchen towel or zip top bag and frying pan.

The cocktail itself was a little bitter (maybe my limes were past their prime?) and quite acidic. It just didn't have the balance I hoped for.

Shipwreck Cocktail

• 1 ounce bourbon (Old Forester)
• 1 ounce rum (Anejo 7)
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 5 mint leaves

Shake ingredients with ice; serve over crushed ice; top glass with crushed ice; garnish with a sprig of mint and 4 dashes of Angostura bitters.

h/t: Jamal Hassan via Imbibe Magazine

Chilcano Cocktail (aka Lima Mule)

The Chilcano Cocktail is just a Moscow Mule with pisco instead of vodka. I don't understand why it isn't called a Lima Mule. Anyway, it is fine. Nothing special but tasty.

Chilcano Cocktail

• 2 ounces pisco
• 1/4 ounce lime juice
• 4 ounces ginger beer

h/t: Nathan Dalton, Catahoula, New Orleans, Louisiana, via Imbibe Magazine

El Coranado

Tequila and Aperol make another appearance together because they are great together. That being said, my El Corandao (in which I had to substitute pineapple for passion fruit juice) was just okay. I'd like to try the real deal once I have passion fruit juice because I bet it would be better.

El Coranado

• 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila (Espolon)
• 1 ounce Aperol
• 1 ounce passion fruit juice (I tried 1 ounce pineapple juice with 1/2 ounce grenadine)
• 2 ounces coconut water
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice

Shake ingredient with ice; strain into a rocks or collins glass with fresh ice; garnish with citrus peal.

h/t: Imbibe Magazine

Jagertia

A Jagerita sounds disgusting. I get it. But, sometimes it makes sense to try something just for the sake of trying something. The result? My Jagerita was delicious. It started sweet with a nice underlying orange flavor from the Cointreau and moved to the bitter and herbal flavor of the Jager. It was well balanced, deep, and interesting. I really recommend buying a few mini bottles of Jager to try a Jagerita.

Jagerita

• 1 1/2 ounces Jagermiester
• 3/4 ounce triple sec (Cointreau)
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 2 teaspoons simple syrup

Shake; strain into a cocktail glass; garish with a lime wheel.

h/t: The Morgenthaler Method

Hawaiian Sunset

The Hawaiian Sunset is actually the first real vodka drink I've made and one of the best vodka drinks I've had (though admittedly, I don't order many vodka cocktails). The drink is sour, sweet, and refreshing with a nice, light alcohol finish.

Hawaiian Sunset

• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 ounce orgeat
• 1 teaspoon grenadine
• 1 1/2 ounces vodka (Smirnoff)

Shake ingredients with ice; double strain into a cocktail glass; garnish with a lime peel.

h/t: Beach Bum Berry's Sippin' Safari, adapted by Smuggler's Cove

"Monkey" Jam Sour

Piper is doing really well. In addition to feeding herself and drinking from a straw, she us pulling up. She continues to sleep well and smile often.

What a great drink. I first made a "Monkey" Jam Sour (suggested scotch: Three Monkeys) with Hamilton's, a mild and kind of thin-bodied scotch, typically good for being nondescript in mixed drinks. The "Monkey" Jam Sour was really good. I could taste the scotch but it was nicely balanced with the sweet and sour of the raspberry jam I used. Additionally, the jam creates a nice, thick mouthfeel.

Then I bought a bottle of Laphroaig, an extremely peaty scotch from Islay. My Monkey Jam Sour was even better! I guess that shouldn't surprise me because Laphroaig is much better scotch. But Laphroaig is also so peaty I was worried it might not work well. But I did need to worry. This Monkey Jam Sour was still really smokey, but remained incredibly well balanced. The peat also gave the drink an incredible depth. I will definitely make a Monkey Jam Sour again.

"Monkey Jam" Sour

• 2 bar spoons raspberry jam
• 2 ounces scotch (Hamilton's but preferably Laphhroaig)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Shake vigrously over ice; double strain into a rock glass with fresh ice; garnish with an orange peal.

h/t: The Proper Pour with Charlotte Voisey

Amber Road

My Amber Road was delicious. The bourbon comes through, the Aperol lends its distinct burnt orange sweetness, the lemon balanced that sweetness nicely without being overly sour, and the soda makes the drink longer, lighter, and more refreshing. The single dash of Angostura and maple syrup didn't really come through on their own but I think they added to the depth of the drink. The Amber Road (along with the Bufala Negra) is a great summery bourbon cocktail.

Amber Road

• 1 1/2 ounces bourbon (Filibuster Dual Cask)
• 1 ounce Aperol
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce maple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 2 ounces soda

Shake bourbon, Aperol, lemon juice, maple syrup, and Angostura bitters over ice; strain into a rocks glass; garnish with a lemon wheel and mint.

h/t: www.foodandwine.com

Debonair

If you have a bottle of Scotch, but maybe not the best bottle, I'd highly recommend the Debonair. The ginger liqueur smooths the drink out with a little sweetness and the spiciness from the ginger plays well with the bite from the scotch. I had pretty low expectations for the Debonair but really enjoyed it.

Debonair

• 2 ounces blended scotch (Hamilton's Lowland)
• 1/2 ounce ginger liqueur (Domain de Canton)

Stir, in a rocks glass over ice, scotch and ginger liqueur.

h/t: Craft of the Cocktail

Part-Time Lover

The elderflower liqueur barely comes through and I think the Aperol covers up the Angostura but this is still a great drink. Tequila and Aperol are, by themselves a great combination.

Part-Time Lover

• 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila (Espolon)
• 1/2 ounce Aperol
• 1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur (St. Germain)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake ingredients over ice; strain, over fresh ice, into a cocktail glass; garnish with grapefruit.

h/t: Joe Weimorts, Idle Hour, Los Angeles, via Imbibe Magazine

Lindenhayn Breakfast

Inspired by Salvator Calabrese's Breakfast Martini (50 ml gin, 15 ml triple sec, 15 ml lemon juice, 1 bar spoon orange marmalade), my Lindenhayn Breakfast was good. The gooseberry jam and pineapple worked really nicely together though the drink was either a little too gin-y or needed a softer, more floral gin (or I am just saying that to get Teresa to let me go but another bottle of gin). I don't think I'd make the Lindenhayn Breakfast exactly the same next time -- it was good but not great. I'll probably at least try using a different gin but could also see using rum as the base or splitting the base as a good option for improving the drink.

Lindenhayn Breakfast

• 1 heaping barspoon gooseberry jam
• 1 1/2 ounces gin (Beefeater)
• 1/2 ounce pineapple juice
• 1/2 ounce triple sec (Cointreau)

Shake vigorously over ice; double strain into a cocktail glass.

Willie Miller

Another drink similar to the Revolver, the Willie Miller is sweetened with Drambuie, a scotch-based honey liqueur with a slight floral flavor. It's really quite good. No, that is not actually Willie Miller.

Willie Miller

• 2 ounces bacon bourbon
• 1/2 ounce Drambuie
• 2 dashes orange bitters (Fee Brothers)

To make bacon bourbon see the post for Bacon Old Fashioned; stir bacon bourbon, Drambuie, and orange bitters with ice.

h/t: Bedlam, New York, New York via Behind the Bar

Suffering Bastard

The Suffering Bastard is light and tart but has a nice alcohol flavor -- especially at the end. I think the alcohol flavor comes from the gin. I made a handful of Suffering Bastards, and one made with a particularly grape-y cognac came out a bit sweeter and more fruity. Much of how good the drink is depends on the ginger beer. I prefer spicy ginger beer and anything too sweet would definitely muddy the other flavors in the drink.

Suffering Bastard

• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1/4 ounce demerara syrup
• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce brandy
• 3 dashes angostura
• 4 ounces ginger beer

Shake lime juice, demerara syrup, gin, brandy, and Angostura bitters over ice; pour into a double old fashioned glass; top with ginger beer.

h/t: Beachbum Berry Remixed via Smuggler's Cove

Humuhumunukunukunukuapia’a

The drink was good but not great. The gin doesn't really give you the real tiki flavor and the lemon was a bit powerful. Additionally, Peychaud's are probably not the best here. Angostura or tiki bitters might've made the drink better, more tropical, deeper.

Humuhumunukunukunukuapia'a

• 3/4 ounce lemon
• 3/4 ounce pineapple
• 1/2 ounce orgeat
• 2 ounces gin (Beefeater)
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

h/t: Marcovaldo Dionysos, via Smuggler's Cove

Pina Vodka Colada

What should you do if you see a minibottle of pineapple flavored vodka for 99 cents? Buy it and make a Pina Vodka Colada. Though, honestly and not surprisingly, a traditional Pina Colada is better. The Pina Vodka Colada misses the flavor you probably expect it to be missing: rum. The Tiki Bitters help make the drink more complex but, as you might've expected, pineapple flavored vodka is kind of a waste of money. At least it was only 99 cents.

Pina Vodka Colada

• 2 ounces pineapple flavored vodka
• 2 ounces cream of coconut
• 2 ounces pineapple
• Enough ice to fill a 12 ounce mason jar
• 2 Bittermen's Elemakule Tiki Bitters

Combine ingredients in a blender; blender longer than you think you should.

Grass Hopper

Some people enjoy cognac or port after dinner. Others prefer a Grass Hopper, which is essentially a slightly booze chocolate mint milkshake. Delicious!

Grass Hopper

• 1 ounce creme de menthe
• 1 ounce white creme de cacao
• 1 ounce half and half

Corn and Oil

Corn and Oil is essentially a Daiquiri sweetened with Falernum rather than sugar or simple syrup. It's better than a daiquiri -- thicker, more complex, Falernum-ier. I'll happily drink a Corn and Oil again.

Corn and Oil

• 2 ounces blended aged rum (Ron Abuelo 7 Year)
• 1/2 ounce Falernum
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir rum, Falernum, and Angostura bitters; pour over fresh ice.

h/t: Smuggler's Cove

Seelbach Cocktail

I like bitters. I love the Trinidad Sour, which has an ounce of Angostura. Maybe I am just not a huge fan of Peychaud's but I think the Seelbach Cocktail overdoes it on the bitters. I'd rather have a French 75 made with gin or cognac the next time I want a sparkling cocktail.

Seelbach Cocktail

• 1 ounce bourbon (Lazy River)
• 1/2 ounce triple sec (Cointreau)
• 7 dashes Angostura bitters
• 7 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 1/2 ounce sparkling wine

Stir bourbon, triple sec, Angostura bitters, and Peychaud's bitters over ice; pour into a champagne flute; top with sparkling wine; garnish with an orange twist.

h/t: Adam Seger, The Seelbach Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky, via Modern Classics

Final Ward

Above is a picture of Teresa, Piper, and Bacon -- just about the only things better than a good cocktail. I took a few pictures and this is the only one in which Piper was not staring at the bacon or grabbing it. Piper's got her bottom two front teeth in and it seems like some others are on the way. Her own piece of bacon is right around the corner.

I was pretty excited about the Final Ward. The drink is good. It's light bodied and sour with some bitter cherry flavor from the maraschino. I didn't think it was particularly medicinal, but Teresa thought it was too medicinal (granted, she really does not like Green Chartreuse). The rye comes through, but not very strongly and only at end, though Copper Pony is not exactly a big rye. I enjoyed my Final Ward but it's not on the top of my list of cocktails to make again in the near future.

Final Ward

• 3/4 ounce rye (Copper Pony)
• 3/4 ounce Green Chartreuse
• 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur (Lazzaroni)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

Stir over ice; strain into a coupe; garnish with a lemon peal.

h/t: Phil Ward, Pegu Club, New York, New York, via Modern Classics

Happy Wife

I made this drink specifically for Teresa who loves bourbon and tends not to like sours or drinks with amari. My inspiration for this drink is the Revolver, a drink that is essentially bourbon sweetened with coffee liqueur. Here, I sweeten the drink with demerara syrup which adds a little molasses flavor and then add the flavor with the Woodford Reserve Sassafras and Sorghum Bitters. The added benefit of these bitters is that Teresa really likes rootbeer so the sassafras works really well.

Happy Wife

• 2 ounces bourbon (Lazy River)
• 3/4 ounce demerara syrup
• 2-3 dashes Woodford Reserve Sassafras and Sorghum Bitters

Stir bourbon, demerara syrup, and bitters over ice; strain into a rocks glass.

Navy and Army

Essentially a variation on a Daquiri with the substitution of orgeat for simple syrup, takes the Navy and Army a notch above the Daquiri in my opinion. The nuttiness and spice notes of the orgeat make the drink far more complex and the addition of the nutmeg garnish, a nod to orgeat's use in tiki or exotic cocktails adds a great aromatic introduction. I will happily make this cocktail again.

Navy and Army

• 2 ounces spiced rum
• 3/4 ounce orgeat
• 3/4 ounce lime

Shake rum, orgeat, and lime; double strain into a cocktail glass; garnish with a lime wheel or grated nutmeg.

h/t: The Proper Pour with Charlotte Voisey

Elderflower Collins

It's a collins but just a little better.

Elderflower Collins

• 2 ounces gin (Beefeater)
• 1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur (St. Germain)
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 2 ounces soda

Stir gin, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice over ice; add soda; stir to combine; garnish with a lemon.

Trinidad Sour

Where to even begin. An entire ounce of Angostura bitters?! The drink is great. It's balanced, sour and aromatic, with strong clove and cinnamon undertones. The Trinidad Sour also has a nice velvety mouth feel, provided by the orgeat syrup. Orgeat (pronounce or-jhat) is a sweet syrup, mostly used in tiki or exotic cocktails. It is made with nuts (usually almonds) so has the same nutty undertones as falernum or amaretto -- though amaretto's nut flavor is far more pronounced. Orgeat also has orange water and rose water so it adds a floral component that is distinct. Although one could make orgeat, I use The Cocktail Experiment brand, which has a reasonable ingredient list.

Trinidad Sour

• 1 ounce (not a typo) Angostura bitters
• 1 ounce orgeat (The Cocktail Experiment)
• 1/2 ounce rye (Winchester)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

Shake ingredients over ice; double strain into a coupe.

h/t: Giuseppe Gonzalez, Clover Club, New York, New York

Spiced Rum Daisy

I've made a Gin Daisy, now I bring you the Spiced Rum Daisy. Both drinks are delicious. Two quick notes. First, both drinks are good without soda but the effervescence brings a real lightness to the drink. I used to think the soda simply diluted a cocktail but even just an ounce changes the cocktail fundamentally. Second, I have spiced rum but I've been convinced that spiced rum is a bad idea -- one can always take regular rum and add spices or, alternatively, make a syrup with the spices one wants. I will probably never buy spiced rum again! That being said, spiced rum is great in this drink.

Spiced Rum Daisy

• 2 ounces rum
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1 bar spoon grenadine
• 2 bar spoons simple syrup
• 1 ounce soda

Shake rum, lemon juice, lime juice, grenadine, and simple syrup; strain into rocks glass; top with soda; garnish with fruit.

h/t: Imbibe!

Georgia Gin Sling

My Georgia Gin Sling had a light peach flavor, somewhat light peach iced tea, followed by the alcohol from the gin. The cocktail also has a, "what is that?" depth from the Benedictine. The soda makes the drink light and summery.

Georgia Gin Sling

• 1 ounce peach brandy (E&J)
• 1 ounce gin (Beefeater)
• 1/2 ounce Benedictine
• 1 dash peach bitters (Fee Brothers)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 ounces soda

Mix peach brandy, gin, Benedictine, peach and Angostura bitters with ice; pour into a glass filled with ice; top with soda.

Mary Pickford

This past Saturday, Teresa and I left Piper with a babysitter we didn't know for the first time! It went well and we hope our new babysitter will come back soon.

Honestly, the drink mostly tasted like a rum and pineapple juice with a subtle cherry finish. Of course, rum and pineapple juice isn't bad but the drink wasn't particularly interesting. I will say, and you can see in the picture, that the drink came out with nice frothy-ness and a good mouthfeel. Overall, while the Mary Pickford was good, there are more interesting drinks to try.

Mary Pickford

• 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1 bar spoon grenadine
• 1 bar spoon maraschino liqueur (Lazzaroni)
• 1 1/2 ounces rum (Doorly's 5 Year)

h/t: Smuggler's Cover

Kaiteur Swizzle

The Kaiteur Swizzle is delicious: tart, refreshing, interesting. The first Kaiteur Swizzle I made I used a lightly aged white rum. However, when I went to make my third, I had almost run out of lightly aged white rum so I used my last ounce and the 1 ounce of a spiced rum that has strong vanilla notes. The two drinks came out very differently (and if you look closely, you cane see the difference in color in the picture). The Kaiteur Swizzle made the the spiced rum was sweeter, though definitely not too sweet. This drink will definitely go into my regular rotation.

A quick word on falernum, which makes it debut on the blog, and definitely sounds like it should be chased with penicillin. Falernum is a sweet liqueur with strong lime zest and ginger flavors and with nuttiness, clove, and vanilla rounding it out. There are multiple brands (John. D. Taylor's is the most common) and you can make your own. As a building block of a cocktail, one should think of falernum as a sweet ingredient first though it adds spice as well as a little alcohol.

Falernum is not really like Cointreau (the other most frequently used liqueur on the blog) but, just for the sake of explaining falernum, I'll compare the two anyway. Falernum is much sweeter than Cointreau, pouring almost like a syrup. Falernum is much less alcoholic than Cointreau, with only 11% ABV compared to Cointreau's 40%. Falernum is more complex than Cointreau. Falernum has multiple flavor notes, I find lime zest and ginger to be the most prominent but it also has allspice, which adds an unmistakable tiki or exotic cocktail flavor that is hard to obtain otherwise. Falernum also has a bitter almond or nut flavor which is akin to the flavor provided by Amaretto in the Castaway.

Kaiteur Swizzle

• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 ounce maple syrup
• 1/2 ounce falernum (John D. Taylor's Velevet Falernum)
• 2 ounce rum
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Fill glass 3/4 full of crushed ice; pour in lime juice, maple syrup, falernum, rum, and Angostura bitters; swizzle contents until the glass is frosty; top with additional crushed ice; insert a straw; garnish with mint.

h/t: Smuggler's Cove

Fernet Flip

Last Thursday, I took Piper for her second flu shot. She didn't even cry. Unfortunately, the appointment conflicted with her morning nap so she was pretty tired when we got home.

This weekend, we stayed home from the Women's March because we thought it'd be too tough to go with Piper. While I think that was probably the right decision, it was great to see all the pictures of our friends in D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.

The Fernet Flip did not taste anything like I expected. The first flavor I tasted, and it came through strong, was something like creme de menthe, which slowly developed into a muted, though more expected, medicinal and herbal flavor of Fernet. Finally, the vermouth came through with a light, floral finish. The floral-mint combination was strange but tasted much better than it sounds. The Fernet Flip had a nice creamy texture, courtesy of the egg. While the Fernet Flip is not going to go into my regular rotation, I will make it again.

Fernet Flip

• 1 1/2 ounces Fernet Branca
• 1 1/2 sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
• 2 dashes chocolate bitters (Fee Brother's)
• 1 egg white

Shake vigorously over ice; strain into a cocktail glass.

Revolver

I was supposed to be in Nashville but my flight was cancelled "due to weather" despite both D.C. and Nashville having fine weather. Then, my options for flights was severely limited (unless I wanted to spend almost $700) such that I'd have to either wake up at 4:30 a.m. or have less than 24 hours in Nashville. Neither of those options made sense. So I stayed home and drove T crazy moping around. She got sick of my moping and told me to leave the house. I went to the liquor store and spent a lot of money. It did make me feel better. But I still missed seeing my friends.

Piper continues to do well. She is really moving now. We definitely need to sweep more frequently. The picture included above is current. The one below, that includes the Revolver, is a few months old. The difference is staggering.

A cocktail I've been making (and recommending a lot), the Revolver is a great option if you like bourbon and you don't have citrus. The drink does not come off tasting of coffee. In fact, a few people for whom I've made it haven't even been able to place the coffee flavor. Rather, the coffee liqueur (I've actually use a few brands) provides the sweetness that simple syrup might otherwise provide. The result is a just slightly sweetened bourbon that has great depth.

Revolver

• 2 ounces bourbon (Bulleit)
• 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur (Kalhua)
• 2 dashes orange bitters (Fee Brothers)

Stir, strain into a chilled coupe.

h/t: Joe Santo, Bruno's, San Francisco, California via Modern Classics

Gin Daisy

I am keeping my new year's resolution to continue blogging. To that end, I made Gin Daisy.

A few nights ago it was cold and rainy. It was the kind of night one might want to dig into a warm bowl of spaghetti with meatballs, which is, in fact, what we did. By contrast, the Gin Daisy is bright, fresh, and summery. But a good drink is a good drink, and the Gin Daisy is a good drink. I made my Gin Daisy with Beefeater because I wanted something more mild than Tanqueray or Dogfish Head. I also used oranges and blueberries that were part of a fruit salad my sister made, so they were slightly coated in brown sugar and lime zest (and were great). After tasting the cocktail, which was delicious, I think the best gin for the drink would be something more floral like Hendrick's. Alas, I am probably not allowed to buy another bottle of gin until I finish at least one of the three I have. No matter, that task will be easier now that I've found the Gin Daisy.

A few days passed and I made a second Gin Daisy with Tanqueray. I think the Tanqueray Gin Daisy was slightly better but I didn't have the fresh fruit for garnish, which would've made it even better.

Gin Daisy

• 2 ounces gin
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1 teaspoon grenadine
• 2 teaspoons simple syrup
• 1 ounce soda
• Fresh fruit

Shake gin, lemon juice, lime juice, grenadine, and simple syrup; strain into glass; top with soda; and garnish with fresh fruit.

h/t: Imbibe!

Industry Sour

My resolution was to get back to blogging. It helps me focus on my drinking. So, here's to 2017!

But, before we get to the cocktail, a quick word on Piper. She is almost seven months old! She is crawling and starting to eat solid food. She still usually sleeps through the night. However, as she has had new teeth come in she does wake up some nights.

I want to post the Industry Sour for two reasons. First, it is so good it is in my regular rotation. Second, Fernet Branca is going on the list of overused booze in the near future (if it isn't already). Fernet Branca is an amaro -- an Italian bitter liqueur. Bitter is a hot flavor right now, see for example, the popularity of increasingly bitter IPAs.

But don't allow Fernet Branca's bitterness to turn you off the drink if bitter isn't your favorite flavor. Fernet Branca is aged in oak and has a bittersweet, herbal, medicinal flavor. Some people drink Fernet Branca straight. It's not bad on the rocks. But I think Fernet Branca is better in an Industry Sour.

The Industry Sour has a lot of everything. Two herbal and bitter liqueurs, along with a lot of sour and sweet from an ounce each of lime juice and simple syrup. All the flavors mix well and the cocktail is wonderfully bitter, sweet, and sour all at the same time.

Industry Sour

• 1 ounce Frenet Branca
• 1 ounce Green Chartreuse
• 1 ounce lime
• 1 ounce simple syrup

Shake, strain into a cocktail glass.

h/t: www.esquire.com