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Better Know a Classic

Better Know a Classic: Ti’ Punch

Ti’ Punch

2 oz Rhum Agricole [Clement VSOP]
1/4 oz Cane Syrup [Lyle’s]
Healthy squeeze of lime

Build in a rocks glass. Stir to combine, add ice if desired. Garnish with lime coin. Recipe adapted from Esquire

So the #tikithesnowaway instagram campaign came to an end last yesterday, but I’m gonna get one last post in. As a casual Tiki drinker, I really learned a lot this month about blending rums, outlandish garnishes, and sweet old-school mugs, but it’s time to simplify things as we bid this campaign farewell.

Continue reading “Better Know a Classic: Ti’ Punch” →

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Better Know a Classic: Rum Swizzle

Rum Swizzle

2 oz Dark Rum [Plantation]
2 oz Gold Rum [Short Path]
2 oz Pineapple juice
1.75 oz Orange juice
1 oz Triple Sec [Short Path]
1 oz Falernum [house]
.75 oz Lemon Juice
few dashes angostura bitters 

Combine ingredients in a glass and stir.  Fill a Collins glass 2/3 of the way with crushed ice, and add contents of mixing glass.  Swizzled or stir vigorously until a frost forms on the outside of the glass.  Top with more crushed ice.  Garnish with orange slice and mint (cuz I had some in my yard).  Add any kitschy swizzle sticks you may have and a straw.

* adapted from The Swizzle Inn website

Sorry (not sorry) for the lack of posts lately, but I have a valid excuse.  I was on vacation! A cruise to Bermuda to be exact.  While aboard the ship and on shore, I had many a tropical drink.  However, the one I’m spotlighting in this week’s entry into the Better Know a Classic series is Bermuda’s other famous drink – the Rum Swizzle.

Continue reading “Better Know a Classic: Rum Swizzle” →

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Better Know a Classic: Gin and Tonic

Kumquat Gin and Tonic

2 oz of your favorite gin
3/4 oz Liber & Co. Spiced Tonic Syrup
1/4 oz Lime juice
1/4 oz Kumquat juice
Few dashes Barrel Aged Citrus bitters [Fancy Tony’s]. Any citrus bitters will work, or they can be omitted.
Combine ingredients, shake with ice. Strain into an ice filled Collins glass. Top with ~3 oz club soda. Garnish with kumquat slices.

Classic Gin and Tonic

2 oz of your favorite gin
3/4 oz Jack Rudy Tonic Classic Tonic Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
Combine ingredients, shake with ice. Strain into an ice filled Collins glass. Top with ~3 oz club soda. Garnish with lime wheel.

Admittedly, I’m not going to blow any minds here.  The Gin and Tonic is so ubiquitous, it would probably be the number one answer to “Name a drink with gin” on Family Feud.  I’m sure there are plenty of people who don’t even consider it a cocktail, even as the recipe is right there in the name.  Gin, tonic, and maybe some lime juice if you’re feeling crazy.  But there are new developments in the land of G&T, and they are taking things to the next level. Continue reading “Better Know a Classic: Gin and Tonic” →

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Better Know a Classic: Pegu Club

Pegu Club

2 oz Gin [Bully Boy]
3/4 oz Grand Marnier (Cointreau works too)
4 lime wedges (~1/2-3/4 oz lime juice)
Few dashes Angostura Bitters

Put lime wedges, Grand Marnier and bitters in a mixing glass.  Muddle to combine.  Add gin and ice.  Shake, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with lime twist.

Recipe taken from The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to inspire people to make cocktails at home.  To some, it can be a daunting task.  All those recipes and bottles can be overwhelming, then you just end up reaching for a beer.  So I’m always trying to think of ways to help ease people in the door.  For the next few weeks, I’ll be talking about how you can make a surprising number of drinks with two base spirits and four other bottles (plus some bitters and juices).  You’d be surprised how many classics and originals you can make with just bourbon, gin, orange liqueur, maraschino liqueur, Aperol, and sweet and dry vermouth (since it’s my blog and I make the rules, I’m counting the vermouths as one bottle).  Those six bottles should run you a grand total of about $100, depending on which brands you buy.  Not bad for a starter kit. Continue reading “Better Know a Classic: Pegu Club” →

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Better Know a Classic: Bee’s Knees

Bee’s Knees

2 oz Gin <Boodles>
3/4 oz Honey Syrup*
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Combine ingredients and shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with lemon twist.  You can also change the amount of honey syrup and lemon to fit your palate.  Taken from Dale DeGroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail.

There are some classics that have quite the reputation, even to those not deeply entrenched in the cocktail world.  Your Manhattans, your Martinis, your Daquiris, and so on.  Then there are classics you discover when you get your first proper cocktail book, or when you go to a bar that has a whole portion of their menu devoted to Prohibition Era drinks (or even before) .  The Bee’s Knees falls into this camp. Continue reading “Better Know a Classic: Bee’s Knees” →

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Better Know a Classic: Americano

Americano

1 1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth <ideally an Italian one like Martini and Rossi, but any vermouth will do>

Combine Campari and Sweet Vermouth in a rocks or highball glass with ice, top with club soda and give a quick stir.  Garnish with orange wedge or peel

This post is the first (kind of*) in a series on classic drinks.  I’m using the term “classic” loosely here, as a way to refer to standard drinks that everyone should know.  They don’t necessarily have to be old to be considered classic, but they do have to be delicious.

* Of course I just thought of this series title, but some of my previous posts certainly meet the criteria 
Continue reading “Better Know a Classic: Americano” →

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Mr. Tomato Head

Bloody Muddle

Tomato Juice
Lemon Juice (and zest if you want)
Salt
Black Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
Horseradish
Smoked Paprika
Hot Sauce
Fish Sauce
Celery Bitters
etc…
2-3 oz (give or take) Chesuncook Botanical Spirit

Combine ingredients in a pitcher, adjusting flavors as necessary. Add liquor to pint glass filled with ice, top with Bloody Muddle. Garnish with celery stalk and pickle spear or whatever.  Top with a few dashes of celery bitters. If you don’t have Chesuncook, use vodka, gin, tequila, mezcal… you get the idea

I’ve had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with tomatoes.  Growing up, I would only eat them in sauce form, whether it be pizza or pasta.  The thought of a slice of tomato on a burger or sandwich made me shudder.  Luckily, a trip to Italy in college finally opened my eyes to their deliciousness.  After that, they slowly worked their way onto my subs and even into salads.  There was one hurdle I still couldn’t get over…the Bloody Mary.   Continue reading “Mr. Tomato Head” →

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Green is for the Money

Last Word

3/4 oz Gin <Boodles>
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur <Luxardo>
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cherry.

It’s almost April, which can only mean one thing…Masters Week!  I have the privilege of attending Wednesday’s practice round this year, and could not be more excited.  As such, I’ll be taking next week off*, but I knew whatever drink I wrote about today would be required to have Green Chartreuse in it, natch**.  What better cocktail to choose than the one that introduced me to this herbaceous, floral liqueur…the Last Word.

Continue reading “Green is for the Money” →

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Build a Better Bar Part 3: Tools and Tomes

Martinez

1 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
Few dashes orange bitters <Regan’s>

Stir with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

This classic is considered to be the father of the Martini, or at least a heavy influence on what would later become the more popular “Gin and Vermouth” drink.  Ever since discovering it a few years ago I have always enjoyed the sweet/dry interplay between the gin and vermouth.  A wonderful lesser known classic indeed.

We’re wrapping up this month’s Build a Better Bar series by talking about essential tools as well as some of my suggestions for worthwhile resources to keep around the house. First, let’s tackle the tools.  While you can get away without most of these, your life will be much easier with them.

Continue reading “Build a Better Bar Part 3: Tools and Tomes” →

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