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.

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