Molasses Cocktail

I really wanted to use molasses in a cocktail, to make a winter cocktail with Rum (preferably from Haiti), and to use bacon as a garnish in a drink. At first I couldn't get the Molasses to mix right and then realized I needed to first heat it with some water to make a molasses syrup and not just try to use it straight. The ratio of water to molasses is about 1:1 and I only heated it enough for it to mix thoroughly. Then...

2oz of Barbancourt Rhum

1oz of Canton ginger liqueur

Generous dash of molasses syrup

dash of

Fee Brothers Bitters

1/3 of a piece of Applewood Smoked Bacon cooked crisp

Shake the liquid ingredients 15 times with ice then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the bacon.

The ginger and rum are a good match for the molasses and the Fee Brothers Bitters should be called cinnamon bitters as that is what it predominantly tastes like. The flavors make for a good winter drink and the bacon stays crisp and is an excellent treat once you've had the last sip.

Holiday Cheer(s)

While visiting my inlaws in Lawrence, Kansas, I was questioned about what I had been up to since we last visited. When they heard about the blog, they were interested to know how I came up with ideas for cocktails. Since I am often inspired by ingredients on hand, they asked if I could make a cocktail with leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. And the Old Fashioned Cranberry Manhattan was born:

2 1/2 oz of Rye (I used Old Overholt)

Generous spoonful of Cranberry sauce preferably with some orange rind in it

Dash of Angostura Bitters

Dash of Lemon Juice

Shake 15 times with 3 ice cubes and pour into a low ball glass (or in this case a wine glass) ice and all.

Later I added the toasted marshmellows from the sweet potato casserole and a left over apple slice as a garnish. The Rye gives it a seasonal (harvest) taste but the cranberry and lemon juice are the overwhelming flavors. Just for kicks I added a dash of Frangelico to see if I could get a nutty flavor in there too, but it ended up rounding out the tartness of the cranberry too much and taking away some of the drink's depth.

Original Wedding Cocktail

My friend Marc and I enjoying the cocktails.

Wanting to give a unique gift to some friends who recently got married, I offered to create an original cocktail to be offered at the rehearsal dinner which all of the guests were invited to. The restaurant was happy to accommodate me since I would be picking up the tab for all of the guests who ordered the drink which meant more business for them. The groom loves gin, the bride likes fruity but not too sweet, and the wedding was the weekend before Thanksgiving. Here's what I came up with.

2oz of Gin (the bar had Bombay Saphire)

1oz of Apple Cider

1/2oz Nocello Walnut Liqueur

dash of lemon juice

Thin apple slice for garnish

Shake all ingredients 20 times over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add apple slice.

The sweetness of the apple cider is tempered by the gin and accented by the walnut liqueur. Judging by my bar tab I'd say it was a hit.

The English Nigroni

When I first decided to make mixology more than a hobby, one idea I had was to go into restaurants and bars in my neighborhood, look at their available liquor (and menu if they served food) and create a cocktail right there on the spot to be written on the back of my business card. My businesses cards were thoughtfully printed in a way that would facilitate this.

Base is the main liquor, Front is for any liquor or ingredient that would be tasted first (generally anything sweet or sour), Back is for any liquor or ingredient that is tasted last (generally anything bitter or savory). The last section, Flavors, is for an overall description of the cocktail from smell through aftertaste. My thought was to then offer the business card with the recipe to the owner while introducing myself and the blog. Should the owner be interested, he could use the cocktail for free and I would give the establishment billing when I wrote about the cocktail on this blog. It seemed foolproof. I was offering a free, original cocktail with ingredients already on the premises. In the end all I was hoping for was to be able to name a bar or two serving my drinks and to perhaps get the owner to comment on the blog as to whether or not the drinks were selling. So far I have only tried two places and I am 0 for 2!!

Here is the drink I created for an English Pub with very limited ingredients:

The English Nigroni


Base: 2 1/2 oz Beefeater gin
Front: 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
Back: 1oz Pimms

1 Maraschino cherry

Combine all of the ingredients except the cherry in a cocktail shaker with ice and stir aggressively about 20 rotations then strain into a cocktail glass. Add the cherry as a garnish.

Flavors: The sweetness of the vermouth barely mingles with the herbal qualities of the gin before the medicinal taste of the Pimms brings the cocktail to a gradual finish.

I'm still waiting for the owner to give me a call...

By the way, this would be even better with a dash of lemon juice but the bar had only Rose's lime juice.

Know a place that might be interested in using my services? Have them check out the blog and email me at dougheck@yahoo.com. I won't be free forever...

Asian Cocktails

Here is a list of original cocktail ideas I gave a neighbor of ours in hopes of inspiring some cocktails for a new Asian restaurant in our neighborhood. I did not include exact amounts of anything, just ideas I had. Let me know what you think...

Thai-phoon Mary – Tomato based cocktail with Cumin tincture, Thai chili paste, scallions, and cilantro (called coriander). It should also include celery salt (rim?), and fresh basil. Base could be Sake,Vodka, Rice Wine, or even Gin.

General Tsao – Pineapple, lemon, with a cherry for sure, sweet vermouth (Antiqua formula), and a brown base… bourbon? Rye? ...with peanuts in the glass.

Nan Ling Sling – a Singapore sling with pomegranate molasses, fresh guava (no Cointreau/orange or grenadine), and Nocello or other nut liquor… hazelnut?

Bitter Balinese – something with cucumber, anise basil or kaffir lime leaf, lemon grass, and maybe crushed, toasted sesame seeds around the rim. Gin base with Canton (or other ginger liquor), lemon juice, and Peychauds bitters.

.

Richard A L'Orange A.K.A. Dick A L'Orange

Recently I had the good fortune of creating a drink for a longtime friend of mine, Richard, whom I hadn't seen in about 8 years. Recently he turned 21 and settled on Bombay Saphire and orange juice as one of his preferred cocktails. Remember, he's young, only recently 21. After introducing him to the idea behind the various notes of a cocktail (simply put, what you smell, initially taste, what that taste is accompanied by, and finally its aftertaste), I created this drink for him to illustrate how the taste of gin and orange can be enhanced to include more depth. Here is the result:

The Richard A L'Orange
A.K.A Dick A L'Orange

2oz of Bombay Saphire Gin
1oz Combier or other orange liquor

1/2 oz of fresh squeezed Orange juice
dash of Reagan's Orange Bitters No6
rinse of Orange Blossom Water
Orange rind for granish

Rinse the cocktail glass with a splash of orange blossom water and then throw the water out. Put the remaining ingredients (except orange rind) in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake about 15 times then strain into the waiting, rinsed cocktail glass. Hold the orange rind over the glass and bend it to release its oils (can be done in front of a flame for added effect and a carmelized taste) then drop into the drink (running it around the rim first is also not a bad idea).

The drink was definitely orange, but with many more notes than simply Gin and Juice. It smelled sweet, almost perfumey (thank you orange blossom water), but the first sip tapped into the roundedness of the Combier, and the bitters sealed the deal replacing the sweetness with a burnt orange bitterness that lingered on the tongue. I can still taste it.

Bombay Saphire in a one liter bottle: $30, Combier Liquor: $32, fresh squeezed O.J: $5, Reagan's Orange Bitters No6: $9, Orange Blossom water: $5, orange rind: $1... spending time with Richard: Priceless.

C is for Cynar, That's Good Enough For Me

As I feared, I am having some trouble balancing everything in my life, and as a result haven't made the time to regularly update this blog. But, that doesn't mean I haven't been mixing. In fact, it is precisely all the mixing and accompanying merriment that have eaten (or more accurately, drank away) all of my time. No, I'm not drunk all the time, just inspired... and our friends are all too happy to reap the benefits of an inspired mixologist.

What has been so inspiring you wonder? For one, this whole blog was launched because of the cocktail I was asked to create for the Brooklyn Public Library's 13th Annual Gala: The Magic of Childhood. In exchange for creating an original, seasonal cocktail, they gave me space for an advertisement in the evening's program (above). Additionally my name and role was featured in several online write-ups of the event. Exciting! I had been wanting to take this hobby to the next level for quite some time and this really helped it along. My spouse even had business cards made as a surprise for my birthday. Look...

So... with the launch of this blog, their free advertising, and the purchase of business cards the event was successful even before it began. Furthermore, I made an effort to speak with every guest whom I saw drinking the cocktail and without fail, each one said that they were enjoying it.

Wanting to make future events as (or more) successful I can think a few initiatives. First, it is important to understand how the drink will be assembled and served on the day of the event, and to even meet with the bartenders prior to the event's start. This would allow them to see the proportions I use, and to see and smell the finished drink. Never underestimate the importance of smell in a cocktail. Much of the time it tells you all you need to know about how the drink will taste.

Finally, better aware of the importance of marketing, I will be more creative with how a drink is described. Since most people have not heard of Cynar I wish I had included a brief description to encourage each guest to try it. For this event I could have offered something like... "Experience the bright, sweet taste of the cider you drank as a kid, perfectly balanced with the gentle, herbal qualities of an Italian artichoke liquor", or, "The simplicity of childhood cider paired deliciously with the sophistication of a digestif".

Knowing there's room for improvement, I look forward to applying the lessons I have learned from this first big event. Meanwhile, stay tuned for entries on what I have been up to since then...

Cheers!
Doug.

The Johnny Appleseed a.k.a. One of These Flavors Is Not Like the Others

Base: 2oz Vodka (though bourbon, rye, gin, or rum works well too)

Front: 3oz of Apple Cider

Back: 1/2oz of Cynar

Thin slice of apple for a garnish

Pour all of the ingredients except the garnish into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake about 15 times, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Finally, add the apple slice for garnish. Feeling fancy? Use the apple slice to wet the rim of the cocktail glass before pouring the cocktail in, then turn it upside down onto a plate dusted with various fall spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, ground cloves, brown sugar, etc.). This will rim the glass with accompanying flavors prior to pouring in the cocktail.

This drink was commissioned for the Brooklyn Public Library's 13th Annual gala event celebrating the magic of childhood. The vodka base is hidden by the dominance of the apple smell and sweet cider taste which is immediately replaced with the rounded bitterness of the Crynar (an artichoke flavored Amoro). Since Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th anniversary, I was looking for a cocktail where one ingredient was not like the others.

At first I played with creating a sesame flavored simple syrup, but upon talking to the event planner it was clear that it would be difficult to make such a syrup for the event since I do not have a commercial kitchen and there is no kitchen at the Brooklyn Public Library. In using the Cynar I intended to craft a cocktail that was at once familiar, seasonal, and local (hence the apple cider), and that leaves the drinker wondering what that closing flavor is... perhaps initiating another round?

I was also trying to be mindful that many guests probably do not drink cocktails like I do, and might want something fairly subtle and approachable. When playing with the ratios I added lemon juice at one point, as well as sweet vermouth (Formula Antiqua). Each added to the flavor but took away from the apple that I was going for in the beginning. It is called the Johnny Appleseed after all.

And a special thanks to all my tasters... you know who you are!

The Bloomberg³

(3 main ingredients and 3 additives)

1 1/2oz Gibley's Gin
(1st term, the basics)
1 1/2oz Pear CIder(2nd term, adds flavor>
1/2oz Dry Vermouth
(3rd term, balances and completes)
Dash of Ginger Juice
(digestible)
Dash of Lemon Juice
(sharp and bright)
Dash of Peychaud's Bitters
(leaves a strong finish)

Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake about 15 times, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Or, pour the entire contents of the shaker into a lowball glass and enjoy on the rocks. The first taste reflects the sweetness of the pear cider complimented with the tartness of the lemon juice. Then, the ginger and dry vermouth quickly take over and your left with an aftertaste of the bitters coming through. Very drinkable on an early fall day... switch from gin to bourbon, and you've got a drink that can take you into late fall, early winter.

This cocktail was created for a Bloomberg re-election event held on October 16th at our home. The recipe was framed for guests to see and then given to Mayor Bloomberg, following the event (he did not attend). He signed it and it was returned to us the following week.