Using vermouth or another fortified wine, along with a base liquor and flavoring liqueur, is a simple way to make a good cocktail.  Jamie Boudreau calls this the “Golden Ratio.”  It is:

• 1 1/2 oz. Base Liquor (gin, vodka, rye, tequila, etc.)
• 3/4 oz. Fortified Wine (sweet or dry vermouth, Lillet, Punt e mes, Cocchi Americano, etc.)
• 1/4 oz. Liqueur (you can go wild here!)

This is the starting point.  A way to taste a new liqueur, develop a “custom” drink or recreate a cocktail you enjoyed.  For instance, I had a cocktail that contained Hendricks, sweet vermouth and Chartreuse.  Starting with the “Golden Ratio,” playing with green vs yellow Chartreuse, and tinkering with the ratio, I settled on this:

• 1 1/2 oz. Hendricks Gin
• 3/4 oz. Dolan Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse
• Lemon zest

Another “for instance”: I was trying Cocchi Americano in various drinks.  To me, Cocchi Americano does not have the spice of a premium sweet vermouth.  What it does have is an herbal/bitter note.  I chose St. George’s Botanivore Gin as the base – herbal but not as much as Hendricks. For the liqueur, I used St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur vs Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur.  Here are the finals:

• 1 1/2 oz. St. George’s Botanivore Gin
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Americano
• 1/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 4-5 drops Rhubarb Bitters
• Lemon zest

and

• 1 1/2 oz. St. George’s Botanivore Gin
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Americano
• 1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 4-5 drops Rhubarb Bitters
• Lemon zest

Both of these drinks are good.  Your guests will be impressed.  They may not order a second, but they will enjoy their first.

Now. lets push this a little further.  Substitute Aperol for the Cocchi Americano.  Aperol is not a fortified wine but it has a low ABV (11%) and is herbal/bitter.

• 1 1/2 oz. St. George’s Botanivore Gin
• 3/4 oz. Aperol
• 1/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 4-5 drops Rhubarb Bitters
• Lemon zest
• Sprig of fresh thyme for garnish

All of the above are stirred with ice in a mixing glass, strained into a chilled cocktail glass and garnished.

Now for one more stretch.  The first cocktail listed above with Hendricks, sweet vermouth and chartreuse.  Add cucumber and shake with ice and you have the Lido Martini.

Remember to use all premium liquors and liqueurs, and fresh premium vermouth.

Mixology Monday

This is my entry into the MixologyMonday LXXXIX, hosted by abarabove.   September’s theme is “The Unknown.”  The challenge is to venture out and do something new.  So I have chosen Kahlua Midnight and pecan infused tequila.

This drink is a testament to the fact that my wife and I are not good together in a liquor store.  Thus, not so very long ago in a liquor store not so very far away, she walks up to me and I point out a bottle of Ancho Reyes and say, “If you weren’t here, I’d buy this.”  Her response as she wonders down the aisle is, “Oh! We have to get this Hibiscus Liqueur.”  Then we both spot the Kahlua Midnight.  We ended up buying all three.  This is why I usually stop by the liquor store on the way home from work.  It’s less expensive.

The Ancho Reyes and Hibiscus liqueur were tried immediately with good results.  I’ve been thinking about the Kahlua Midnight.  Coffee, at least in my mind, goes with chocolate and pecans.  This led back to my thoughts of trying to infuse something with nuts.  Thus the Tequila Moonlight.

Tequila Moonlight

In the creation of this, I compared silver, reposado and anjeo tequilas combined with Cocchi Rosa, Dolan Sweet Vermouth, Punt e Mes, and Lillet Rouge.  The reposado and Cocci Rosa won with the sweet vermouth a close second.  The Punt e Mes was too bitter and the Lillet too mild.

I tried using nitrogen cavitation to infuse the tequila with pecan, cocoa and bitter orange.  The cocoa and orange came through but the pecan flavor was missing.  It took 7 days in a mason jar to adequately infuse the pecan flavor.

So here’s the drink:

Tequila Moonlight

• 1 1/2 oz. Pecan Infused Milagro Reposado Tequila – see below
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Rosa
• 1/2 oz. Kahlua Midnight
• Garnish: brandied cherry such as Luxardo and an orange zest

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Stir all of the ingredients, except the garnish, with ice in a mixing glass.
3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Drop the cherry into the drink, express the oils from the orange zest over the drink and drop it in.

Pecan Infused Tequila

Pecan Infused Tequila

• 8 oz. Milagro Reposado Tequila
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tbs Cocoa nibs
• 1/2 tbs Dried bitter orange peel (available on line)

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and seal.  Store in a cool place, shaking daily, for 5-7 days.  Pass through a fine mesh strainer, followed by a gold coffee filter and finally a paper coffee filter.  Decant into a bottle.  Will keep indefinitely,  but the flavor will fade after a few months.

Mayahuel was the Aztec Goddess of the maguey of which the agave is a type.  She was the mother of the “400 rabbit” gods of drunkenness.  This margarita plays on the agave with tequila, agave orange liqueur, and agave nectar.   I use Maestro Dobel Diamond Tequila or you can use Hornitos.  I find both of these tequilas one-dimensional with a spicy pepper note which actually plays well here.  You can easily use any good white tequila.

• 1 ½ oz. Maestro Dobel Diamond Tequila
• 1 ½ oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 oz. Agavero Orange Liqueur
• 1 1/2 tsp. Agave Nectar
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Chill margarita glass with a few ice cubes and water
2. To a shaker add all of the ingredients.
3. Shake with ice until shaker is frosted 10-15 sec
4. Strain into chilled glass

Cheers!

This drink plays on the faint cucumber note in Hendrick’s and doubles down with the herbal Chartreuse.  Allowing the ice cubes to muddle the cucumber in the shaker, produces just the right flavor intensity.  Unless, of course, you want your cocktail to taste like a salad!

• 1 ½ oz. Hendricks’ Gin
• ¾ oz. Sweet Vermouth
• ¼ oz. Chartreuse
• 3 -4 thin slices of English Cucumber
• Lemon Zest for Garnish

1. Combine all ingredients except the lemon zest in a shaker with ice cubes (not crushed). Shake for 30-45 sec.
2. Double strain into chilled coup or martini glass and express the lemon zest. Float the zest.

This drink requires Bad Dog Barcraft’s Fire and Damnation Bitters available here.  You want several dashes of the bitters to enable the flavors to come through.  Then balance the bitterness with the agave.  Be careful not to make it sweet.

• 2 ozs. Good aged bourbon such as Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old or Basil Hayden
• 3-4 dashes Bad Dog Barcraft’s Fire and Damnation Bitters – about 1 barspoon
• 1/4 oz  Agave Nectar or more to taste
• Lemon or orange zest

1. Chill a single old fashioned glass with ice and water.
2. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir.
3. Pour over a large fresh ice cube in chilled glass.
4. Twist zest over glass and discard