Mixology Monday

Well, it’s Mixology Monday and this Month’s theme is “Spring Break.”  Brought to us by the Southern Gentleman himself, Joel DiPippa of the Southern Ash blog, we are challenged to imagine winter is over and turn our thoughts to Spring Break.  I know that Spring Break generally evokes thoughts of sandy beaches, warm water and something with rum that you can hide in a Solo cup.  But for me, we always took the kids Spring Skiing.  Now I really love to ski.  But snow skiing in my mind requires snow.  So, for me, Spring Break meant sliding down the ice in the early morning followed by a couple of hours of really great snow.  Then, after lunch, that great snow turns to slush and I’m done!  Thus, I would find a deck on the mountain and sit in the sun wearing a short sleeve shirt.  There I would enjoy the site of the sun on the snow and the magnificent blue sky, listening to the melting snow form little streams, all while sipping an appropriate libation.  I also gained great vicarious pleasure watching people try to ski in the slush which was more like swimming with sticks on their feet!  With that in mind, I wanted to create a cocktail to complement that location and season.  A cold coffee drink sounds perfect.

I prefer to make cold coffee cocktails with cold brewed coffee.  This cocktail will work with whatever coffee syrup you like to use for cold coffee.  I used a DIY syrup using Starbucks Sumatra.  With the Sun and Snow, you have the flavors of coffee, coconut and vanilla with a hint of cinnamon and a touch of smokey spice from the chipotle.  Take it easy with the agave, unless you like it sweet.  Here then is the recipe:

Sun and Snow

• 2 oz. Cold brewed coffee syrup – undiluted
• 2 oz. Water
• 1 oz. Kalani Coconut Liqueur
• 1 oz. Licor 43
• 3/4 oz. Cream
• 1 dash Agave syrup
• 1 pinch Cinnamon
• 1 pinch Chipotle powder

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to chill and froth the cream – about 20-30 seconds
3. Double strain in to the chilled cocktail glass
4. Try not to get sunburned

Cold Brewed Coffee Syrup

• 3 1/2 cups coarsely ground coffee
• 5 cups water

1. Combine coffee and water in a container stir well and let sit for 12 hours at room temperature.
2. Strain, first through a fine mesh filter, then through a paper filter
3. Keeps refrigerated for 1-2 weeks

PS: It’s 80º today in San Antonio, so I’m headed out to sit in the sun!

Cheers!

This cocktail is simply a Blood and Sand with a little smokey twist.  According to an article by Gary Regan on Liquor.com, the Blood and Sand first appeared in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book and was probably named after the 1922 silent movie.  History aside, the Blood and Sand is an elegantly simple cocktail.  It’s equal parts scotch, Cherry Herring, sweet vermouth and orange juice, shaken and served straight up.  You can change the flavor of this drink a little by switching around different types of vermouth but the key ingredient is scotch.  I prefer a Highland Single Malt or a smooth blend for this cocktail.  The complexities of a Speyside are lost in this drink and an Islay can be over powering, but a touch of smoke is a great addition.  This version of a Blood and Sand gets that smokey twist from a mist of Laphroig as a garnish.  Just fill an inexpensive atomizer, (available here) with Laphroaig and you’re good to go.

• 3/4 oz. Monkey Shoulder Blended Scotch
• 3/4 oz. Cherry Herring
• 3/4 oz. Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
• 3/4 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
• Mist of Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch
• Orange peel for garnish

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to chill
3. Double strain in to the chilled cocktail glass
4. Express the orange peel over the drink and float the peel
5. Apply 2 or 3 mists of Laphroaig from the atomizer over the drink
6. Serve immediately

Cheers!

Mixology Monday

It’s Mixology Monday CV and we’re excited about hosting!  The theme, “Brace Yourself,” is a challenge to concoct a cocktail that will fortify the will to venture forth into Winter.  With the fun and games everyone is having this weekend on the East Coast, it’s a fitting theme.

This month we offer two drinks, (actually 2 shots), to provide the liquid courage required for our outdoor adventures.  Both use a spirit that is rarely even mentioned in cocktail circles.   Since I am likely the only contributor to Mixology Monday that has a bottle of this stuff, a back story is required.  We were at Parliament in Dallas a while back and started chatting about their barrel aging program.  They gave us a shot of an aged drink to see what we thought.  It was definitely whiskey, but was mellowed with a hint of spice, vanilla and cloves.  We weren’t able to guess, so we asked what it was:  Fireball Whiskey!

We use our barrels to age successive cocktails/spirits/fortified wines.  The fun is in the adventure of how each cocktail affects the next inhabitant of the barrel.  Being a little uncertain about what I’d put in a barrel after Fireball, I went with the barrel stave in the bottle.  It took a little longer than I expected, but after 4 weeks the Fireball was approaching the flavors we’d experienced at Parliament.  Now for the shots:

Into the Wind

I thought of this immediately after our trip to Parliament. Porter’s Fire, which is a Canadian Whiskey with “cinnamon and hints of vanilla,” posted a drink combining it with amaretto.  So, substituting the new and improved barrel aged Fireball for the Porter’s Fire, you get the sweetness of the amaretto cut by the spice of the aged and mellowed Fireball.  Toss in Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Bitters for a little added complexity.  If it’s still too sweet for you, reduce the amount of amaretto.

• 3/4 oz. Barrel Aged Fireball Whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Amaretto
• 2 Dashes Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Bitters

1. Combine ingredients in a shot glass
2. Serve

Frost Buster

Amaretto is good so why not Jägermeister?  The clove and vanilla with the remaining spice of the cinnamon in the aged Fireball, blends with the herbs in the Jägermeister.

• 3/4 oz. Barrel Aged Fireball Whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Jägermeister

1. Combine ingredients in a shot glass
2. Serve

I served both of these shots this past weekend and got thumbs up all around.  So sip’m or slug’m, they’ll keep you warm for at least a minute or two!

Cheers!

The theme for this month’s Mixology Monday, brought to us this month by Dagreb of the Nihil Utopia blog, is Forgiving Cocktails, as in a “little too much of this and a touch to little of that.”  The challenge is to submit a cocktail that is tolerant of a bit of sloppiness in its preparation.  This lack of precision is, of course, exactly the opposite of what we generally do for this online cocktail party. While things like Rum and Coke or Jack and Coke came to mind, I decided on the Rusty Nail. In the past, I firmly believed that Scotch should be mixed only with ice or a few drops of water, if that.  This belief also included the doctrine that real Scotch wasn’t blended!  Well, I finally saw the light and discovered that good Scotch can make a great cocktail and that well made blends can make a great Scotch.

Mixology Monday

Sometime back, I posted the Smokin’ Nail.  This is a tea smoked combination of Single Malt Scotch and Drambuie.  I have seen Rusty Nail recipes use anywhere from 4:”1 Scotch:Drambuie to 1:1.  For the Smokin’ Nail, I used 4:1.  Since the exact ratio is variable, you should get a decent cocktail even from an inexperienced bartender.  In addition, you can add bitters and/or a twist of lemon.  Dave Stolte muddles a lemon peel and bitters in an old fashioned glass, and then builds the drink  adding ice, Scotch and Drambuie.  At this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, the folks from Monkey Shoulder were serving up a delicious Rusty Nail.  This is my version of that cocktail:

• 1 1/2 oz. Monkey Shoulder Blended Scotch
• 3/4 oz. Drambuie
• 1 dash Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Bitters – optional
• 1 lemon peel – optional

1. Chill an Old Fashioned Glass with ice and water
2. Combine the Scotch, Drambuie and bitters (if using) in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled glass over a large fresh ice cube
4. Express the lemon peel over the cocktail and discard the peel.

I like adding the bitters.  They decrease the sweetness of the Drambuie without detracting from its flavors.  The lemon peel adds further complexity.

So, a fresh glass, a chunk of ice, some Scotch and a little Drambuie – you’re good to go!!

Cheers!

Mixology Monday

This Month’s Mixology Monday is upon us and the theme is “Standoffish.”  Brought to us by the folks at Booze Nerds, the idea is to add an ingredient to a cocktail that is not included with the main ingredients and is not a garnish.  At the same time, this ingredient needs to add something to the final drink.  Well, we love foams and foams can fill these requirements!  We have two cocktails to offer, but before I get to them, I want to ramble on about foams for a moment!

I generally limit the foaming ingredient, ( the surfactant), to egg whites.  Gel sheets produce a prettier and more stable foam, but they take a little more effort than I usually wish to invest.  Egg whites are quick, stable enough and reliable.  I also generally use pasteurized egg whites for our foams.  I think that they are better for this application than are fresh egg whites.

The foams I make are from one of two ratios:

• 2 egg whites: 6 oz. of liquid
• 3 egg whites: 5 oz. of liquid

The 3:5 ratio produces a creamier and, therefore, thinner foam.  While the 2:6 ratio creates a light and fluffy foam.  For these cocktails, I used the 2:6 ratio for the daiquiri and the 3:5 for the shooters.

Now, on with the drinks!  We have chosen a seasonally appropriate shooter that can either be a cocktail or an appetizer and is easily adjusted to accommodate the non-drinkers in the crowd.  The other probably reflects my wish to either hold onto summer or to head for the Islands!

The Hemingway Deconstructed

This cocktail is our Z Daiquiri, which is along the lines of a Hemingway, but without the grapefruit juice.  So we simply incorporate the grapefruit juice in the foam.  The foam is tart and a touch bitter.  It combines very nicely with the not too sweet daiquiri.  While on the the topic of sweetness, you may want to adjust the amount of simple syrup based on the tartness of your lime juice.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. good aged rum
• ¼ oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 2 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• Hemingway foam – see below

Directions:

1. Chill a martini glass with ice and water.
2. While the glass chills, combine all of the ingredients, except the foam, in a shaker.
3. Shake with ice until shaker is fully frosted: 10 – 15 seconds
4. Strain into the chilled martini glass.
5. Carefully float the foam from your iSi whipper and serve immediately

Hemingway Foam

• 2 egg whites (3 oz. pasteurized egg whites) lightly beaten
• 2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 4 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice – double strained
• 2 Dashes Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters

1. Add all ingredients to an iSi Whipper
2. Seal the whipper and shake to further break up the egg whites
3. Double charge the Whipper with N2O, shaking after each charge
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours before use.  Will keep refrigerated for a few days.

Pumpkin Bisque Shooters

First, a big “Thank You” to Booze Nerds because without this MxMo, I might not have thought to add the Applejack foam to these!  I love pumpkin and I’ve always been a fan of pumpkin bisque.  I like mine to be savory.  Save the sweet for the pie!  Since I have a more than passing infatuation with rum, I simply looked to combine two of my favorite flavors.  I tried this warm, with bourbon and with dark rum.  Not great in any combination.  Cold bisque and gold rum were the perfect match.  The bitter sweet flavor of the apple brandy foam is perfect with the savory, slightly spicy pumpkin bisque.

For 2 Shooters:

• 2 oz. Cold Pumpkin Bisque – see below
• 1/2 oz. Gold rum such as Cruzan or Mount Gay
• 1 dash Simple syrup
• 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
• Apple Brandy Foam – see below

1. Combine pumpkin bisque,rum simple syrup and bitters in a mixing glass without ice and stir to combine.
2. Divide between 2 tall shooters
3. Gently float the Apple Brandy Foam on the shooters
4. Serve immediately

Apple Brandy Foam

• 3 egg whites (4 1/2 oz pasteurized egg whites)
• 3 oz. Applejack Brandy
• 2 oz. Fresh Orange juice – double strained
• 2 Dashes Bar Keep Apple Bitters

1. Add all ingredients to an iSi Whipper
2. Seal the whipper and shake to further break up the egg whites
3. Double charge the Whipper with N2O, shaking after each charge
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours before use.  Will keep refrigerated for a few days.

Pumpkin Bisque

• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 2 Cups Diced Onion
• 2 cloves Chopped Garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbls. Butter
• 1 – 15 oz. Can Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. Salt to Taste
• 1/4 Cup Dry Sherry
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream

1. Saute the onions in the butter until translucent – about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 30 sec.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cream and simmer for 30 min
3. Place the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Return the puree to the pot, add the cream and continue to cook until heated through.
5. Serve immediately or cool for the above shooters.

Cheers!

I’m sure most of you know that this past October 21, 2015 was “Back to the Future Day.”  That was the date that Marty McFly traveled to the future in the second movie.  (and the Cubs won the World Series!)  Well, in the first movie, Marty traveled to the past – specifically November 5, 1955.  So, to mark this auspicious date, I would like to share my version of a Mid Century Martini.  You know, the type where you say the word, “vermouth!” **  Since Marty’s father was in High School at the time and was too young to drink, I’m assuming his father, Marty’s Grandfather, would be the one to enjoy a 1950’s Martini.  Thus the name “Grandfather McFly 55.”

This cocktail calls for a whisper of dry vermouth and a London style Gin.  I have chosen Bombay Sapphire.  Ford’s, Beefeater or your favorite will all work just fine!  Any dry vermouth will also do as well.  To make it truly authentic, you can open the vermouth, re-close it and let it sit at room temperature for a few months, (just kidding – sort of!).  So, here’s to Space-Time Continuum’s, Flux Capacitors and really cool Deloreans!

Grandfather McFly 55

• 1 1/2 oz. London dry Gin
• Dry vermouth
• Olive for garnish

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Pour a little vermouth into a mixing glass and swirl to coat.  Empty the mixing glass into the sink.
3. Add the Gin to the mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
4. Strain into the chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the olive.

** During WWII, the World’s supply of vermouth was held hostage by the Axis Powers.  Tradition has it that Winston Churchill would raise his Martini, sans vermouth, toward France and say “Vermouth.”  It wasn’t because he didn’t like vermouth, it wasn’t available!

Cheers!

This, in retrospect, is a play on the Perfect Martini.  One that combines both dry and sweet vermouth.  I came up with this idea after the vermouth seminar at Tales with Jared Brown.  He had us combining various types of vermouth and discussing how to make them.  After combining Carpano Dry and Carpano Bianco, I was hooked.  These two styles of  vermouth have become my go-to for anything calling for ‘dry.’  At first the Carpano Bianco seems slightly sweeter than the usual premium dry vermouth.  I attribute this to the rich wine flavor that comes through along with citrus and a little tropical fruit.  The Carpano Dry is a bit surprising.   The nose is wine, lemon, candied fruit and spices, but the taste is bone dry.  Alone, or in combination, these fortified wines are amazing.

I like my martini’s 2 1/2:1 or 3:1 Gin to Vermouth.  Obviously you should use your favorite ratio.  However you make them, try combining the Carpano Dry and Bianco 50/50 for the vermouth.  I have tried this with Ford’s, Plymouth, 209, Aviation, Hendrick’s and Botanivoire.  I like them all!

When it comes to the garnish, I think that citrus and olives, individually or together, drastically alter this martini.  I prefer one or two fresh herbs floating on the surface.

The Carpano Squared

• 1 1/2 oz. Gin – You’re favorite premium brand
• 1/4 oz. Carpano Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 oz. Carpano Bianco Vermouth
• Fresh herbs such as thyme and/or sage

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine the gin and vermouth’s in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Spank the fresh herbs and float them on the cocktail

Cheers!

Here I go offering another cocktail crafted with Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee White Whiskey*.  As I’ve written previously, it is single distilled from a mash of corn, barley and wheat which gives it some subtle, but distinct, differences from other premium white whiskeys.  I think Nelson’s Green Brier is slightly sweeter and contains a malt/chocolate note, but still present is the ‘bite’ you would expect from white whiskey.  A lot of recipes try to cover up the ‘bite’ of white whiskey with fruit juices or other sweeteners. I wanted to highlight the hint of chocolate without increasing the sweet.  While I consider this a dessert cocktail, it isn’t cloying and allows the ‘bite’ to add character to the party.  Adding 4-5 drops of Bittermens Mole Bitters will decrease the sweetness and increase the complexity.

• 1 0z. Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee White Whiskey
• 1 oz. Frangelico
• 1 oz. Crème de Cocao
• 1/4 oz. Ancho Reyes
• Optional 4-5 drops Bitterman’s Mole Bitters

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled glass

Cheers!

* Doc Elliott’s Mixology receives no compensation for brands mentioned.

This margarita is a new favorite because of its subtle taste of jalapeño with the slightest bit of heat on the finish.    It was popular at our last party…and we knew we had a hit when the rest of the cocktails went untouched!  The simple syrup takes only a few minutes to make, but does require time to cool.  So plan ahead!

The Jalapeño Margarita

• 2 oz. Premium plata tequila such as Milagro
• 2 1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
• 2-3 slices of fresh jalapeño  – seeds removed
• 1 1/2 oz Jalapeño Simple Syrup – see below
• 1/4 oz. Cointreau or triple sec

1. Chill a margarita glass with ice and water
2. Add the lime juice and jalapeño slices to a shaker and muddle
3. Add the remaining ingredients with ice and shake to chill – about 15-20 sec.
4. Double strain into chilled glass
5. You can rim the glass with salt and/or garnish with a lime if you wish

For a frozen variety – see below

Jalapeño Simple Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 jalapeño stemmed and coarsely chopped

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over med-low heat.
2. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes (be careful, sometimes this will foam up and boil over)
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool
4. Strain into a jar, bottle or squeeze bottle and store refrigerated – it will keep a couple of weeks.

Frozen Jalapeño Margarita

1. Chill a margarita glass with ice and water
2. Add the lime juice and jalapeño slices to a mixing glass and muddle
3. Double strain the lime juice into your blender
4. Add the remaining ingredients along with 8 – 10 oz. ice
5. Whir it up and serve in your chilled glass

Cheers!

I enjoy gin drinks and bitter drinks.  I also appreciate cocktails that are herbal and complex.  The Mélange d’Or combines the flavors of Hendrik’s Gin, Carpano Blanco, Carpano Dry and Tempus Fugit’s Kina L Avion d’Or.  Then I threw in Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters for an additional level of complexity.

Here’s the recipe:

• 2 oz. Hendrick’s Gin
• 1/4 oz. Carpano Dry
• 1/4 oz. Carpano Blanco
• 1/4 oz. Kina L Avion d’Or
• 2 – 3 drops Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters
• Fresh Sage leaf or lemon peel for garnish

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine all of the ingredients, except the garnish, with ice in a mixing glass.  Stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish and serve

Cheers!