A steak dinner often suggests a robust red wine.  Instead, what about a cocktail that makes you want to have a bite of steak?  The goal when pairing cocktails with food is to craft a drink that makes one want a bite of the food with each sip of the drink.  This is exactly what we have with our Manhattan au Poivre!  It’s basic Manhattan using bourbon.  We split the vermouth with the rich and fruity Cocchi Vermouth di Torino and the bittersweet Punt e Mes which we infused with coffee.  For the “au Poivre,” we use freshly cracked black peppercorns and finish the cocktail with black garlic salt.  The black garlic salt brings a touch of salinity and savory background. The result is a rich and complex cocktail that cries out to be savored with a steak.  The nose is bourbon, orange, fruit and Holiday spice.  The taste is savory with candied fruit, orange, cherry, cranberry and hints of coffee and black pepper.  The finish is smooth and savory.

The Manhattan au Poivre

Please note the directions regarding the black peppercorns and black garlic salt.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Your Favorite Bourbon
• 3/8 oz. Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
• 3/8 oz. Coffee infused Punt e Mes (see below)
• 1 barspoon Grand Marnier
• 3-4 cracked black peppercorns
• 1 pinch Black Garlic Salt (see note below)
• Brandied Cherry for garnish
• Orange peel for garnish

Directions:

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Coarsely crack the black peppercorns and drop them into the bottom of your mixing glass.  Be careful not to grind the peppercorns so that they don’t pass through your strainer into the drink.
3. Add the bourbon to the mixing glass and let sit 10-15 minutes.  You can do this step ahead of time to easily make several cocktails.
4. Add the vermouth, Punt e Mes and Grand Marnier to the mixing glass.
5. Add ice to the mixing glass then the pinch of black garlic salt.  Immediately stir until chilled and double strain into your chilled cocktail glass.
6. Drop in the brandied cherry and express the orange peel over the drink.  Float the orange peel.

Cheers!

Coffee Infused Punt e Mes

This will vary based on your choice of coffee.  I suggest you try it first with 250ml.

• 250 ml Punt e Mes
• 30 gm cracked whole coffee beans

1. Combine Punt e Mes and coffee in a lidded jar.  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, shaking a few times.
2. Double strain and enjoy.

Flavored Salts

Prior to using any flavored salt in cocktails I suggest you empty the container of salt into a fine mesh strainer over a sink.  Bang the strainer with you other hand to sift out any small bits that could pass through your strainer into your cocktail.

Whether you like your Martini with Gin or Vodka, and dirty or down right filthy, Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters is the secret to making this Dirty Martini deliciously savory.

• 2 oz. London Dry Gin or Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 – 1/2 oz. Olive Juice or Brine to taste
• 1 – 2 Dashes Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters
• Garnish with olives

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine ingredients, except garnish, in a mixing glass with ice then stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish with olives

Cheers!

This Old Fashioned is best described as a bite of pecan pie, a taste of coffee, a nibble of dark chocolate, and a sip of fine bourbon.  Always a hit at the events and pop-ups we’ve done, it is one of my personal favorites. Simple to make, you can easily adjust the sweet/bitter balance. I prefer a high rye bourbon with this cocktail, but you should use your favorite.

The flavor profile of Doc Elliott’s Mixology™ Coffee Pecan Bitters is bitterness and spiced coffee on the front, soon followed by pecan with notes of dark chocolate as the bitterness rapidly fades.  The finish is coffee, pecan, and chocolate.  For this reason, we use agave, which is fructose, bringing sweet to the beginning then quickly fading, making it the perfect complement to our Coffee Pecan Bitters in our Coffee Pecan Old Fashioned,

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Bourbon
• 5-6 Dashes Doc Elliott’s Coffee Pecan Bitters
• 1/2 – 1 barspoon Agave Nectar – to Taste
• Orange peal for garnish

Directions:

1. Chill a single Old Fashioned glass with ice and water
2. Combine all of the ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled glass with fresh ice
4. Express the orange peel over the drink and float the peel

Cheers!

This beautiful Martini combines the herbal qualities of Gin and Chartreuse.  We used Gin Mare, which has a balanced juniper note and is distilled from olives, among other botanicals, all of which play perfectly with Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters.

The nose presents juniper with touches of woodiness, herbs and citrus. The taste is soft juniper with citrus, herbs and a hint of anise.  The finish is savory from the Olive Bitters with a bit of spice.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Gin Mare
• 1/2 oz Quality Dry Vermouth (or 1/4 oz Dry and 1/4 oz Bianco Vermouth)
• 1 bar spoon Chartreuse
• 1 Dash Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters
• Olives for garnish

Directions:

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice
3. Stir to combine and chill
4. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass

Whether fruit or vegetable, rhubarb heralds Spring. The Rhubarb Blush is fresh and light like the new season.

This a simple pomegranate gin sour.  Pomegranate juice is tart and not overly sweet.  It pairs well with rhubarb and ginger, which is why we chose Whitley Neill Gin.  The Whitley Neill Gin is distilled with rhubarb and ginger along with other botanicals, or you can substitute your favorite gin.  The nose is pomegranate, juniper, and herbs.  The taste is gin and pomegranate with subtle rhubarb and a touch of ginger.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Whitley Neill Gin
• 1 3/4 oz. Pomegranate juice
• 1/4 oz. 2:1 Simple Syrup
• 1 bar spoon Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
• Lemon peel

Directions:

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Express the lemon peel over the drink and discard the peel

Cheers!

I like my martini’s 2 1/2:1 or 3:1 Gin to Vermouth.  Whatever your favorite ratio, try combining Dry and Bianco 50/50 for the Vermouth.

This is a play on the Perfect Martini.  One that combines both dry and sweet Vermouth.  Rather than sweet Vermouth, I used bianco, 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 have used London Drys, Herbal, and “American Style”.  I like them all!

When it comes to the garnish, I think that citrus and olives, individually or together, drastically enhances this martini.

Doc’s Classic Martini

• 1 1/2 oz. Gin – You’re favorite premium brand
• 1/4 oz. Carpano Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 oz. Carpano Bianco Vermouth
• Dash of Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters
• Olives and/or Lemon peel for garnish

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine the gin, vermouth’s and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish with Olives and/or Lemon peel

Cheers!

This makes a perfect Valentine’s cocktail.  It is a simple pomegranate gin sour.  Pomegranate juice is tart and not overly sweet.  It pairs well with juniper, olives and oranges.  Thus, our selection of ingredients.  For the Gin we used Gin Mare*, which has a balanced juniper note and is distilled from olives, among other herbs.  For the orange, we added a touch of Grand Marnier.  The flavor is tart with just a touch of juniper and citrus.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Gin (We used Gin Mare)
• 1 3/4 oz. Pomegranate juice
• 1/4 oz. 2:1 Simple Syrup
• 1 bar spoon Grand Marnier
• Lemon peel

Directions:

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass
4. Express the lemon peel over the drink and discard the peel

Raise a glass “to L’Amour”

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

This is a rich, bittersweet version of an Irish coffee.  I’ve used coffee syrup, which is easy to make and works much better than hot brewed coffee in cold cocktails.  The flavors are coffee first with a background of bittersweet and a creamy texture.

• 2 oz. Cold brewed coffee syrup – see below
• 1 oz Irish whiskey – I used Tullamore Dew Special Reserve 12 yr.
• 1 oz. Licor 43
• 1/2 oz Montenegro
• 1/2 oz 2:1 Simple syrup
• 1/2 oz Cream
• Coffee beans for garnish

1. Chill a large Coup with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients, except garnish, in a cocktail shaker with ice
3. Shake to chill
4. Double strain into chilled glass
5. Allow the foam to rise to the top for 15-20 seconds then carefully drop three coffee beans on top for garnish

Cheers!

This cocktail has all of the flavors of your favorite gin Martini with the added herbals of Kina al Avion d’Or.  Plus, the botanicals in the vermouth are enhanced by creating the vermouth syrup. Curl My Toes has become one of “Doc’s Greatest Hits” at parties and Pop Ups.

While making beer syrup standing at the stove stirring, my eyes fell upon an open bottle of vermouth on the counter awaiting its use in cooking.  I had read about and tasted beer syrup, but I’d never heard of vermouth syrup.  A quick Google consultation confirmed no results.  After some experimentation, I settled on equal parts dry vermouth and sugar

To my palate, dry vermouth is more herbal than sweet vermouth.  So dry vermouth syrup tastes nothing like sweet vermouth.  In this cocktail, the dry vermouth syrup brings a touch of sweetness to offset the bitter Kina and a nice mouth feel.

I have tried this with multiple gins including London Dry’s and the new style herbal gins.  I’ve even subbed Kinsmen Rakia for the gin.  It all works.

Curl My Toes

• 2 oz. Premium gin such as Uncle Val’s Botanical
• 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth Syrup – see below
• 1/4 oz. Kina al Avion d’Or
• Fresh herbs such as thyme and sage plus a dried lemon wheel for garnish

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Add all ingredients, except the garnish to a mixing glass with ice
3. Double strain into chilled glass
4. Spank the herbs in your palm and float on the dried lemon wheel or on the drink

Vermouth Syrup

• 1 part Dry Vermouth
• 1 part Sugar

1. The best way is to combine vermouth and sugar in a blender and blend on high several minutes until the sugar is dissolved.  You maintain the flavors of the vermouth if you don’t heat the syrup.  But, if you don’t have a blender, you can combine vermouth and sugar in a sauce pan and heat just until the sugar dissolves.  Do not allow the syrup to boil.
2. Either way, strain through fine mesh strainer into a glass bottle.  Keeps refrigerated for about a few weeks.

Cheers!

I enjoy paring cocktails with food, especially if creating a new drink.  We were serving salmon and asparagus the other day.  Since asparagus does not pare with any wine, this seemed the perfect opportunity for a cocktail!  Cue the Flavor Bible.  (If you cook, and or make cocktails, you need this book!)  I simply looked up salmon and asparagus comparing them for complementary flavors in common.  I chose thyme, lemon and carrots.  Yes, carrots.

Fish in general tastes best with a light, dry beverage.  Heavy or sweet can hide some of the subtle flavors inherent to fish.  In this case, I chose a gin martini.  You could substitute vodka for the gin, but you will lose the herbal notes that work so well.  I selected Ki No Bi gin for its flavors of kumquat, orange oil, juniper, spice and a slight bitterness of wormwood.  I used Reisetbauer Carrot Eau de Vie that has an intense bright taste of carrots.  Lemon peel expressed over the drink and fresh thyme as a garnish completed the complementary flavors.

The Mad Hatter Martini

As noted above, I used Ki No Bi gin.  Your favorite gin will work quite nicely in the cocktail.  I would avoid the highly herbal gins as they might overpower the subtle carrot.  If you find this too bitter for your taste, decrease the amount of vermouth or make it a perfect with 1/2 bianco vermouth.

The nose is thyme, lemon and citrus.  First flavors are clean, herbal, with a touch of spice.  Then you note subtle carrots and juniper.  The finish is long and dry.

• 1 1/2 oz Gin
• 1/2 oz Premium dry vermouth (or 1/4 oz dry & 1/4 oz. bianco vermouth)
• 1/4 oz. Reisetbauer Carrot Eau de Vie
• 2-3 drops Bitter Truth Olive Bitters
• Lemon peel for expressing
• Fresh thyme for garnish
• Dried lemon wheel for garnish (optional)

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Combine the gin, vermouth, eau de vie and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Double strain into the chilled cocktail glass
4. Express the lemon peel over the drink and discard
5. Spank the thyme and float it on the dried lemon peel

Cheers!