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Better Know a Classic

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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Learning to Fly

 

Aviation

2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur <Luxardo>
1/4 oz lemon juice (up to 1/2 oz if you like your citrus)
(the classic recipe calls for 1/8-1/4 oz Creme de Violette. I don’t have it at home, so I omit it, at no detriment to the drink though).

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

If the Manhattan was the drink that had me sticking my toe in the classic cocktail pool, the Aviation made me want to take a running start and do a cannonball in there.

Continue reading “Learning to Fly” →

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The Manhattan Project

New Amsterdam

2 oz Bourbon <Woodford Reserve>
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Cointreau
Few dashes orange bitters <Fee Brothers>

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

When I thought about how to start this whole blog thing off, there was only one drink to write about…the Manhattan.  You could call it my gateway cocktail. Continue reading “The Manhattan Project” →

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