I thought that a simple Old Fashioned with aged rum and bittersweet chocolate would work.  It does.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Barbancourt 12 yr old Rum
• 1/4 oz. Chocolate Simple Syrup – see below
• Orange peel for garnish

Directions:

1. Chill an Old Fashioned glass with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and stir with a spoon to dissolve the chocolate syrup
3. Add Ice to the shaker and shake to chill
4. Double strain into chilled glass, express the orange peel over the glass and serve.

Chocolate Simple Syrup

This is like eating a 97% cacao chocolate bar.  Only a touch sweet.  If it’s too thick, add some hot water.

• 1 oz. Water
• 1 oz. Coconut nectar or sub honey
• 4 tbls. Dagoba Drinking Chocolate mix.  You can substitute another brand but I used 130% of the amount to make 1 cup of drinking chocolate.
• 1 tbls. Sugar or to taste.

1. Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until dissolved
2. Cool slightly before use.
3. If it’s too thick, add some hot water.

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!

Good sipping rum, like any good sipping spirit, can make amazing cocktails as long as you’re careful not to bury those subtle qualities.  An old fashioned, Manhattan or martini can be a vehicle to express and play with the flavors of fine spirits.  This time I’m using Don Q Vermouth Cask Finished Rum, but another fine sipping rum can work equally well.

My friends at Jet Setter in San Antonio created for me an amazing rum old fashioned with Don Q Vermouth Cask Rum and Paranubes*. This is my version. I really enjoy Don Q Vermouth Cask Finished Rum neat or with a big rock.  It is a blended rum finished in Mancino Vermouth Veccio casks.  On its own, the Don Q is smooth, with a nose of vanilla and honey, and flavors of  light molasses and cinnamon, with hints of dried fruit from the vermouth.  The Paranubes is an agricole made from high altitude sugar cane near Oaxaca.  It brings a touch of funky and some vegetal notes.  You could sub with another rhum agricole. Keeping with the sugar cane theme, I used cane syrup as the sweetener.  Finally, I chose Doc Elliott’s Actually Bitter Orange Bitters because it is an orange bitter that is actually bitter.

The nose is vanilla and molasses from the Don Q with an interesting, funky vegetal note.  On the palate it’s light molasses, cinnamon and dark chocolate, with a little dried and tropical fruit from the agricole.

• 2 oz. Don Q Vermouth Cask Finished Rum
• 1/2 oz. Paranubes
• 1/2 oz. cane syrup
• 4-6 drops Doc Elliott’s Actually Bitter Orange Bitters
• Orange peel for garnish

1. Chill a rocks glass with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice and stir to combine.
3. Strain into the chilled rocks glass over a large ice cube
4. Express the orange peel

Cheers!

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

I really like bitters forward old fashioneds.  To me, bitters bring flavor and spice that you aren’t going to find elsewhere.  One way to get a lot of bitters into a cocktail without making it, well, too bitter, is to make a syrup with bitters as all or part of the liquid.  For this drink I have chosen Applejack, brown sugar and black walnut bitters to use in the syrup.  It is then combined with calvados, bourbon and rum.

This is a big drink in size, strength and flavor.  The taste of apple blends with the vanilla and spice from the rum and the combined smoky notes of the rum and bourbon.  The black walnut bitters really stand out.  I initially used Fees Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters, but I think that Angostura Bitters with the Fees Brothers Black Walnut Bitters and Orange Bitters is better.

You can easily lighten up this drink by substituting Cruzan Dark Aged Rum for the Zaya and/or Russell’s 10 year old Bourbon for the Basil Hayden’s.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 oz. Calvados
• 1 oz. Aged rum such as Zaya 12 Year Old
• 1 oz. Aged bourbon such as Basil Hayden’s
• 1 oz. Black Walnut Syrup (See below)
• 1 bar spoon honey syrup (1 part honey dissolved in 1 part water)
• 2 dashes Fees Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
• 2 dashes Fees Brothers Orange Bitters
• 2 dashes Fees Brothers Aztec Bitters or Angostura Bitters
• Thick orange peel for garnish

1. Stir all ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice.
2. Strain into a chilled old fashioned glass with fresh ice – preferably a single large cube or sphere
3. Express the orange oils over the drink and float the peel.

Black Walnut Syrup

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 oz. Applejack
• 1 oz. Fees Brothers Black Walnut Bitters

1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the liquid, stirring frequently.  Or you can put all of the ingredients in a blender and run on high for a few minutes.
2. Allow to cool
3. It will keep longer if you filter it through a metal coffee filter to remove any undissolved sugar crystals.
4. Will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks

Cheers!

Mixology Monday

It’s time again for the world’s best online cocktail party.  The theme for this month’s Mixology Monday is “Hometown Hooch,”  as set forth by Stuart Putney at Putney Farms.

You can read more at the announcement post here, but the idea is to use locally distilled spirits in a cocktail.  I have chosen Rebecca Creek Distillery for three reasons:

1. We use their Enchanted Rock Vodka as one of our go to’s
2. We have a great Old Fashioned using their Texas Whiskey
3. It’s the only Texas Hill Country distillery that I’ve heard mentioned in a Country song!

 I’m Not Dead Yet (Just Married)

This is a drink we featured at our Daughter’s wedding last year.  It was served at the Groom’s Whiskey and Tequila Bar, along with several other bourbon and tequila libations and hand rolled cigars.

Rebecca Creek Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey is very smooth with a little bite at the finish.  The flavors are primarily barrel notes of vanilla and herbs.  It is composed of young barrel aged Texas whiskey and 8 year old Kentucky Bourbon and comes off similar to a Canadian Blend.  In this cocktail, these flavors back up the Black Mission Fig Bitters and the smokey agave.  Made as a built drink, the initial taste is strong, but as it is sipped and swirled in your hand, the ice melts and the drink cools providing a enjoyably long, slow finish.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 1/2 oz. Rebecca Creek Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey
• 2 droppers full Brooklyn Hemispherical Black Mission Fig Bitters
• 1/4 oz. Agave syrup
• Orange peel for garnish

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in an unchilled, single Old Fashioned glass and stir
2. Gently add a large ice cube
3. Express the oil from the orange peel over the drink and float the peel.

Cheers!

I love a bitters forward Old Fashioned.  So, the March Mixology Monday theme of “Call me Old Fashioned” is right up my alley.  Thanks to Sass & Gin for hosting and choosing a most magnificent theme!

Mixology Monday

This drink requires Bad Dog Barcraft’s Fire and Damnation Bitters available here.  “Fire and Damnation” made me think of the old tent revivals and thus, the name.  (Besides, I’m certain that this is good for the soul!) You want several dashes of the bitters to enable the flavors to come through.  Then balance the bitterness with the agave.  I use agave nectar rather than making a syrup.  Different brands of agave vary in sweetness, so you may need to adjust the amount you use.  Be careful not to make it sweet.

I use Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old for this cocktail.  It is a little lighter on the oak but retains the spice and body you expect from a good bourbon.  Notice that this is essentially a built drink, a la Dave Arnold in Liquid Intelligence.  I found that this technique works very well for most Old Fashioned’s.  It’s a bit like Scotch on the rocks: the cocktail starts out strong and then cools and dilutes as you sip and gently swirl the ice.

Old Fashioned Tent Revival

• 2 ozs. Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old
• 3-4 dashes Bad Dog Barcraft’s Fire and Damnation Bitters – about 1 barspoon
• 1/4 oz  Agave Nectar or more to taste
• Lemon zest for garnish

1. Add everything, except the garnish, to an un-chilled, single old fashioned glass and stir to combine.
2. Carefully drop in a large ice cube.
3. Express the lemon and float it in the drink.

Cheers!

February 4 is National Create a Vacuum Day.  So, in cocktalian fashion, you need to create a vacuum today!  Ever wonder why your cocktail shaker is so hard to open after you’ve shaken your drink?  As you shake your drink with ice, the liquid and air in the shaker cool and contract – causing a vacuum to form.  This is what holds the shaker together and makes it hard to open.

Thus, you can make your very own vacuum.  Now try out a daiquiri, margarita, sour or something new, and SHAKE IT UP, BABY!!!  Here are a few suggestions:

The Z

The Z

This is one of our favorite daiquiris.  Simple, fresh ingredients and you can feel the warmth of the sun and the sounds of the surf!  Hemingway, here we come.

Get the recipe here

Ten Four

Ten Four

Combine fresh cinlantro and jalapeno with the magic of Chartreuse and Cinco Vodka.  Need a little Grover Washington to go with that?

Get the recipe here

The Mayahuel

The Mayahuel

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.

Get the recipe here

Whiskey Sour

Belle Meade Sour

Smooth, vanilla, caramel, smoke and all of the other wonders of bourbon combined with sweet/tart lemon.  Now we’re talking!

Get the recipe here

So, honor the day and create a few vacuums!

Cheers!

This cocktail combines spicy Rye with a hint of apple from the bitters.  Add to that a touch of smooth honey syrup and you have a drink that is light on the tongue but still bitters forward.  You may want to adjust the ratio of bitters to syrup depending on your taste.

Notice that this is essentially a built cocktail.  I stir it in a mixing glass without ice to combine the ingredients prior to pouring it over a large ice cube in an un-chilled single old fashioned.  Similar to scotch on the rocks.  Initially the flavors will be strong with very little dilution.  As you sip the cocktail and gently swirl it, the drink will chill and dilute.

• 2 oz. Rye whiskey such as Templeton or Sazarac
• 1 generous dash of Bar Keep Apple Bitters
• 1 barspoon of honey syrup (1 part honey, 1 part water)
• Lemon peel for garnish

1. Combine the rye, bitters and honey syrup in a mixing glass without ice.  Stir to combine.
2. Pour over a large ice cube in an un-chilled single old fashioned.
3. Express the oil from the lemon peel and drop it into the drink.

Cheers!

It is Mixology Monday for December and it’s all about apples.  This most excellent theme is the brain child of Frederic at Cocktail Virgin Slut, this month’s host. 

Once again, we have two drinks to offer: Cider Punch and the Plymouth Old Fashioned.

Cider Punch

This drink combines apples in the form of calvados and hard cider with the flavors of ginger and cranberries.  The aroma is apples and lemon.  The taste begins with apple and a touch of sweet ginger and cranberry, finishing with musty cider.

• 1 oz. Calvados
• 1/2 oz. Ginger Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Cranberry Syrup (see below)
• 1 oz. Chilled hard cider
• Lemon twist

1. Stir the first four ingredients in a mixing glass with ice until well chilled.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Express the lemon oils over the drink and discard the lemon.

Cranberry Syrup

This is from Chris Tunstall at abarabove.  The syrup is extremely easy.  You will need:

• 1 – 14 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup water

1. In a quart sized microwavable container, melt the cranberry sauce on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.
2. Meanwhile, using a small sauce pan on the stove, dissolve the sugar in the water.
3. When the the sugar is dissolved, add the melted cranberry sauce and stir to combine.
4. Allow to cool.  This will keep refrigerated in a sealed glass bottle for at least a week.

The Plymouth Old Fashioned

A few years ago, I came across a post by Jamie Boudreau where he described his “Old Fashioned Simple Syrup.”  He uses a base liquor, sugar and bitters for the sweetener.  Playing with his idea, I have made a number of drinks with various base liquors, sugars and bitters.  For this drink I have chosen Applejack, brown sugar and black walnut bitters to use in the syrup.  It is then combined with calvados, bourbon and rum.

This is a big drink in size, strength and flavor.  The taste of apple blends with the vanilla and spice from the rum and the combined smoky notes of the rum and bourbon.  The black walnut bitters really stand out.  I initially used Fees Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters, but I think that Angostura Bitters with the Fees Brothers Black Walnut Bitters and Orange Bitters is better.

You can easily lighten up this drink by substituting Cruzan Dark Aged Rum for the Zaya and/or Russell’s 10 year old Bourbon for the Basil Hayden’s.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 oz. Calvados
• 1 oz. Aged rum such as Zaya 12 Year Old
• 1 oz. Aged bourbon such as Basil Hayden’s
• 1 oz. Black Walnut Syrup (See below)
• 1 bar spoon honey syrup (1 part honey dissolved in 1 part water)
• 2 dashes Fees Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
• 2 dashes Fees Brothers Orange Bitters
• 2 dashes Fees Brothers Aztec Bitters or Angostura Bitters
• Thick orange peel for garnish

1. Stir all ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice.
2. Strain into a chilled old fashioned glass with fresh ice – preferably a single large cube or sphere
3. Express the orange oils over the drink and float the peel.

Black Walnut Syrup

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 oz. Applejack
• 1 oz. Fees Brothers Black Walnut Bitters

1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the liquid, stirring frequently.
2. Allow to cool
3. Will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks

Thanks to Frederic at Cocktail Virgin Slut for hosting this month’s Mixology Monday.  Go check out their site and be sure to come back for the roundup of Mixology Monday XCII.

Cheers!

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