Month: September 2016

Chalk Talk

Adam (aka Mr. Muddle)1 Comment

Set the Edge

1 1/4 oz Reposado Tequila <Espolon>
3/4 oz Pimm’s No. 1
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Few dashes celery bitters <Fee Bros.>

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a chilled cocktail.  Garnish with lemon spiral.

One of the things I enjoy most about looking through my journal of recipes is determining what season I came up with a drink based on the name.  Sure, seasonal ingredients are an obvious clue, but sometimes there are two or three drinks on the page that all share a common naming theme.  Recently I came across three drinks that I clearly came up with a few autumns ago, because they all had football related names.  Since we’re heading into Week 4 of the NFL season, I figured now is the perfect time to write about one.

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Striving for Perfection

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Perfect Plex

1 oz Bourbon <Woodford Reserve>
1 oz White Whiskey <Bully Boy>
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth <Dolin>
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth <Dolin>
Few dashes Angostura Bitters
Few Dashes Orange Bitters <Regan’s>

Stir ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cherry (or two).

If I could only order one drink for the rest of my life, it may very well be a Perfect Manhattan.  There is something wonderful that happens when you put sweet and dry vermouth together in the same glass.  A subtle tweak that really changes the personality of this classic. Continue reading →

Mixology Monday CXI – Geekin’ Out

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Alkali Lake

2 oz Blended Scotch
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
Angostura Bitters
Peychaud’s Bitters
3 Blueberries

Muddle the blueberries and bitters in a mixing glass.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir with ice.  Strain into an empty rocks glass.  Garnish with a blueberry and lemon claw.

mxmologo     This month’s mixology monday is for all the obsessives out there.  Beca at The Shrubbery recognizes that people like to obsess over many things, not just cocktails.  Her challenge is taking that same passion and translating it into a drink, showing that nerdiness doesn’t stop at the bar.  She goes on to define a nerdy pursuit as …”anything from or related to science, science fiction, fantasy, video games, role playing games/characters, or comics”.

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Skankin’ and Drankin’

Adam (aka Mr. Muddle)2 Comments

54-46

1 1/2 oz Gin <Boodles>
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1 barspoon (~1/8 oz) Apricot Liqueur <Rothman and Winter>
Lemon-Ginger Bitters <Hella Bitters>

Stir with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with half a dried apricot.

When I’m out at bars and restaurants, I try to order things I can’t actually make at home. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for an expertly made Perfect Manhattan or Last Word.  But discovering new flavors is one of my favorite parts of bellying up to a bar. After a few successful encounters out in the wild, I’ll hone in on a particular bottle and bring it home.  That’s where the real fun begins.  If things go well, I may have a new staple on my hands (looking at you Benedictine and Becherovka).  Other times, the getting-to-know-you period can be a bit more challenging, as I discovered when I finally purchased a bottle of apricot liqueur. Continue reading →

This Ain’t No Disco

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The Big Suit

2 oz Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an empty rocks glass.

In my opinion, the topic of best live concert film ever is basically a two horse race.  For shear star power, The Band’s The Last Waltz is mindblowing. Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Dr. John, Bob Dylan…and that’s barely half of all the cameos.  The show depicts The Band’s last concert, and they use their musician pals not just to re-imagine their own hits, but also play backup on a number of covers with the original artists as well. And from a purely musical and performance standpoint, we have The Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense.  Stitched together from performances across three nights, this is peak Talking Heads.  The show slowly builds from their early art-pop-punk songs to the  groove-oriented prog-funk arrangements (thanks to some help from Bernie Worrell) of the Remain in the Light era.  At this point you’re probably wondering what this has to do with cocktails.  Don’t worry, I’ll get there.

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Mixology Monday CX Roundup – Vinegar

Adam (aka Mr. Muddle)2 Comments

Daaar-ryl…Daaar-ryl

1 1/2 oz Brandy
3/4 oz Strawberry Shrub
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/4 oz St. Germain
Hopped Grapefruit Bitters <Bittermen’s>

Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass over ice.  Garnish with strawberry wheel.

mxmologo

It’s finally here, the Mixology Monday CX -Vinegar roundup (better late than never, amirite?).  It looks like this theme really sparked some creativity, as we had several people with multiple submissions this time around.  On to the drinks!

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Game Night

Adam (aka Mr. Muddle)2 Comments

Two for His Heels

3/4 oz Genever <Bols>
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth <Dolin>
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth <Dolin>
3/4 oz Amontillado Sherry <Lustau>
Barspoon Orgeat <Fee Bros>
Orange bitters <Regan’s>

Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cherry (or two).

Friday nights are usually cocktail nights in the Muddle household (and Saturday too, if I’m being completely honest…and sometimes Thurdsays…).  While we sip our drinks, board games and card games often make their way to the table.  A few drinks and some friendly competition make for quite an enjoyable evening.

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