Another Cocktail Blog

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Another Crazy Idea - Hulk Smash! - MXMO LXXXVII

Seems like forever since my last post here... Oh, right. It has been forever... Anyhoo, following several months of barely missing MXMO deadlines (or worse, being struck with theme-appropriate inspiration a week after the fact), I absolutely HAD to contribute to this one. The Smash is a fantastic yet underused cocktail template, and is the basis for one of my favorite creations so far. And it doesn't hurt that there's a pretty fun backstory to go along with it. 

While I dabble in the world of cocktails at night, my day job is entirely different. I work in the voiceover industry as a director and actor. As you can imagine, it's an incredibly fun job, but at times it can be quite taxing on the ol' vocal cords. Luckily, my colleagues have discovered (to borrow from a not-very-PC old commercial) an "ancient Chinese secret." Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is a traditional Chinese throat and cough syrup. It's made primarily of a honey base, infused with numerous herbs and botanicals including loquat leaf, menthol, apricot kernels, and pomelo peel. Also, it is magic sauce. Need to yell and scream for four (or more) hours on end? NJPPK's got you covered. Nearly every recording studio I've been to has a bottle on hand. It's so ubiquitous it's even been given a nickname: Hulk Juice. Industry legend has it that longtime voice actor for the Hulk, Fred Tatasciore, relies on the stuff. 

In addition to its throat-soothing benefits, Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa also happens to be quite delicious. My first thought upon tasting it was, "I want to put booze in it!" Playing off of its medicinal qualities, I initially used it in a Toddy (see note below). But it ended up really shining in a Smash.

Hulk Smash!

2 oz Bourbon (or brandy, gin, or rum)

2/3 oz Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa

1/3 oz Water (warm)

1/2 Lime (quartered)

3 sprigs Mint

1 dash Bitters (optional)

Stir NJPPK and water to make runny. Add lime & muddle. Add spirit, 2 mint sprigs, and bitters (if using). Shake with ice & strain over crushed ice. Garnish with remaining mint.

Note: for a delicious winter toddy version, swap the lime for lemon and top with 4-6 oz hot water instead of all the shaking & ice.

Many thanks, as always, to our illustrious leader, Fred Yarm... And big thanks to this month's host, Stacy Markow!

Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is available online and at nearly any Chinese market.

[anothercocktailblog]

Another MxMo Virgin - The Bech & Gall and The Carpool

One of the biggest reasons I created this tumblr was so I'd have a place to participate in Mixology Monday. But between its recent hiatus and my own seemingly-pathological inability to meet a deadline (I'm barely sneaking this one in too, I hope), I've not yet contributed. Many thanks to Paul Clarke for his years maintaining the party, and many more thanks to Fred Yarm for continuing the tradition.

This month's theme is "From Crass to Craft," and is hosted by the always inspiring Scott Diaz at Shake, Strain & Sip. The idea is to create or find a "craft cocktail" featuring an ingredient not typically used in such libations. I was torn between 2 of my recipes. Neither of the focus ingredients would necessarily be considered schlocky or "crap-tail" ingredients. But neither are seen much in the craft cocktail world. And since I couldn't decide, I'm making up for MxMos lost by posting both.

First up, taking a cue from Mr Yarm's mention of it in the MxMo announcement, I've found a delicious use for Galliano. As I understand it, Galliano was reformulated several years ago to be less candy-like, so if your bottle is ancient, you may end up with a slightly different drink. The current formulation has a wonderful blend of vanilla and star anise flavors, and works well in drinks where you would use something like Licor 43 or Bénédictine.

The Bech & Gall

1 oz. Becherovka

1 oz. Galliano

1/2 oz. Bourbon

1 oz. Lemon juice

1/4 oz. Demerara Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a star anise, if desired.

Sweet, sour, spicy, and a little bitter - my favorite things in one drink! Use an oaky bourbon, if possible. A dash of Fee Bros. Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters doesn't hurt either. In a pinch, you can skip the syrup and back off the lemon to 3/4 oz., but I feel it loses a little balance that way.

Next up on the maligned-ingredient list is brandy. Not Cognac or Armagnac. Cheap, California brandy. I'm talking the finest bottle of E&J or Christian Brothers or Paul Masson that $12 can buy. I was messing around with equal-proportion drinks and came up with a Sidecar variation that blends the cheap grape brandy with a well-aged apple brandy.

The Carpool

1 oz. California Brandy

1 oz. Apple Brandy (Laird's 7 1/2 Year or Calvados)

1 oz. Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

1 oz. Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass (with a sugared rim, if you're fancy). Garnish with lemon twist.

Be careful with this one. That's 3 ounces at 40% alcohol each, but it's so easy sipping you'll never notice. Also, the Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao is key here. I think it's hands down the best orange liqueur on the market. And the best value too.

[anothercocktailblog]

Another Crazy Experiment - Apple "Vermouth"

At the grocery store a couple weeks back, I happened across Crispin's new still hard cider-in-a-box. My first thought upon tasting it was, "I want to fortify this!"... After scouring several online vermouth recipes, here's what I came up with:

Aromatized Cider aka Apple "Vermouth" (Attempt #1)

19 oz. Still Hard Cider (Crispin Cidre Blanc)

6 oz. 100-Proof Apple Brandy (Laird's Straight Apple Brandy)

2 tsp. Cinnamon Chips

1 tsp. Dried Bitter Orange Peel

1 tsp. Dried Sweet Orange Peel

1 tsp. Cloves

1 tsp. Allspice berries

1/2 tsp. Coriander Seeds

3-4 slices Ginger (about 1/4 in. thick)

1/2 tsp. Wild Cherry Bark

1 Whole Nutmeg (skin grated off)

1 Star Anise

2 Cardamom Pods (cracked)

1 oz. Demerara Syrup (1:1)

Simmer solids in 5-6 oz. of the cider (enough to cover them) for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in syrup, and let cool. Pour all contents into a Mason jar along with the apple brandy and the rest of the cider. Seal and shake well. Set aside (out of direct sunlight) for 1 week, shaking once or twice a day. Strain, discard solids and bottle. Refrigerate if desired; use within a couple weeks.

This came out way better than I even hoped. It's super clove-y, so you may want to cut that measurement down to 1/2 tsp. Also, it's fairly dry, so add another ounce or two of syrup if you want it sweeter. If I did my math correctly with the proportions, the 50% ABV brandy should boost the 6% cider up to somewhere just over 16% ABV. 

But how does it drink, you ask?... Incredibly smooth. What surprised me the most was the mouthfeel. It's like butter. As I mentioned, the clove is prominent, but it works. This stuff tastes great over ice with a twist of orange or lemon, but I was also pretty happy with a couple cocktails I mixed up. Nothing revolutionary, just riffs on a couple classics. First, a Manhattan...

New Jersey Transit

2 oz. Bourbon

1 oz. Aromatized Cider

1 tsp. Demerara Syrup

1 dash Angostura Bitters

1 dash Orange Bitters (Fee Bros. Gin Barrel)

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

And a Martini...

Please Don't Call It That

2 oz. Gin

1/2 oz. Aromatized Cider

1 dash Orange Bitters (Fee Bros. Gin Barrel)

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

I will definitely be playing around with this some more. On my next batch, in addition to lowering the cloves, I may play with the cherry bark and star anise proportions. But all in all, I'm very pleased with the results of this first batch.

[anothercocktailblog]

Another Aperol Cocktail - Patrick's Panties

Very early in my cocktail journeys, I discovered I love Campari. So, naturally, I've been curious about its cousins, Aperol and Cynar. While I haven't tried the latter yet, I had my first taste of the former several months ago at The Cedars Social in Dallas. It was mixed with rye (my favorite spirit), grapefruit juice and honey syrup. It was so tasty, I picked up a bottle of Aperol that week to try and replicate it at home. 

I had some great results, but I wondered what else I could use this stuff for (for those unfamiliar, by the way, Aperol is similar to Campari, only sweeter, less bitter, and lower in alcohol). After having little luck finding recipes online that used Aperol (it's not even a listed ingredient at CocktailDB), I decided to try making up my own.

I decided to start by attempting a "girly" play on the Negroni. Like, maybe try crossing it with a Sour?... The result was... Wow... Seriously, since I first made this drink a month or so ago, I cannot get over how delicious it is. Great balance, and the flavors come in waves: fruity and sweet at first, then complex and slightly bitter, followed by the gin botanicals on the swallow, and a wonderful citrusy finish. Plus, you would never guess that 3/4 of the pre-shake ingredients are booze!

But what to name this fantastic pink potable?... Then I remembered my good friend Patrick. Imagine you're a bartender and six and a half feet of lumbering German-American says to you in an impossibly low, booming voice:

Okay, I like girly drinks. Like, reeeally girly drinks... So, pretend you're a frat guy.  And I'm a sorority girl.  And you want to get into my panties... Now make the drink that will facilitate that.

And thus was christened:

Patrick's Panties

2 oz.  Gin (I used Broker's)

1 oz.  Aperol

1/2 oz.  Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 oz.  Orgeat Syrup (to taste)

2 dashes  Grapefruit Bitters (Bitter Truth/Bittermen's)

1 dash Cherry Bitters (Fee Bros.)

Lemon Twist

Shake liquid ingredients well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist (squeeze, rim, & drop in).

My only real issue with this drink so far is consistency. While always delicious, the choice of gin and the type/ripeness of lemon seem to change the flavor quite  bit. If your lemons are on the extra-sour side, up the Orgeat to 3/4 oz. I've now made it with Broker's, Citadelle, and Hendrick's. And that's the order I preferred them in. While I love all three gins, it seems the drier, "London-ier," the better. The softness and subtlety of the last two didn't hold up as well with the other ingredients.

Also, in the month I've been workshopping this recipe, I came across the Intro to Aperol cocktail by the Queen of Cocktails, Audrey Saunders. Apparently, it's been on the interwebs for a few years, but I never saw it. Anyways, it's strikingly similar to my recipe (flip the spirit proportions and trade out the syrups & bitters). So, yay! Great minds think alike, I guess!

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Another Earl Grey Gin Drink

After overwhelming success with homemade "Mulled Cranberry" bitters last month (I'll eventually get around to writing up a post about them, recipe included), I'm getting ready to try out a couple more bitters recipe ideas, this time citrus-related. Since it's "Citrus Fest" at the local Central Market, I went in to stock up on hard-to-find varieties for peel-drying purposes.

Shockingly, I found actual bergamot oranges! Admittedly, half the shock was the $5.99/lb. price, but still... I had to have some! My Lady Grey bitters will now (hopefully) be all the more delicious! Of course, at that price point, I couldn't let the delicious fruit/juice go to waste. But not surprisingly, there's a lack of cocktail recipes featuring fresh bergamot juice. Not wanting to waste this precious liquid commodity, I decided to try something fairly safe with a basic sour.

The Earl Grey Sour

2 oz. Earl Grey-Infused Gin (see below)

1 oz. freshly-squeezed bergamot juice

1-2 barspoons honey, to taste (or 2-3 barspoons honey syrup)

Bergamot peel for garnish

Combine ingredients in a shaker. Stir until honey is dissolved (skip this step if using honey syrup). Add ice and shake. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze peel over drink, rim glass and drop in.

For the infusion, I steeped an Earl Grey teabag in the gin for 4 or 5 minutes, bobbing and dredging the bag every minute or so. Also, if you keep your gin cold, let it warm up to room temp first... I haven't tried this yet, but in the absence of true bergamot, I imagine lemon juice and a few shakes of a good grapefruit or lemon bitters would be a serviceable substitute... Also, if you're one of those weirdos who prefer sugar in their tea over honey, by all means substitute simple syrup. Weirdo.

This was a truly delicious drink. I used only one heaping spoon of honey, so it was a bit less sweet than many of the sours I've made. The cool thing was, the tannins in the tea helped tame the tartness of the bergamot enough that the extra sweetness I normally enjoy wasn't really needed. Unfortunately, the honey flavor was a little lost too, so maybe next time I'll add a bit more.

[anothercocktailblog]

Another Cocktail Blog, Another Brooklyn Variation - The Constable Hook

Okay, here we go... First blog, first post... I'll try to write up an "About Me" post soon with a little more background on my motivations for this blog, but for now, here's the short-ish version, along with a drink recipe I recently created...

Nearly a year ago, at the age of 37, I discovered I like well-crafted cocktails. Having been served plenty of crappy mixed drinks over the years, I'd pretty much been a beer & wine guy... Then a bartender friend of mine made me a proper Manhattan. Holy crap, I like whiskey?! Who knew?

I was hooked. And curious; if I like whiskey, what else might I like? And what else can I make with these bottles of bourbon, vermouth and bitters I was just compelled to purchase? What should I buy next?... My answer came from a fantastic source. At an antique store, I happened across a copy of the Esquire Drink Book from the 1950s. It very quickly became my copy of the Esquire Drink Book from the 1950s. Flipping through this magical tome's recipes, I was immediately fascinated by the (alphabetically) first spirit I came across: Applejack... I like apples! And apparently, I like booze! I must try this stuff!... Suffice to say, it has become one of my favorites. But I also still dig the whiskey. My success with bourbon led to curiosity (and a subsequent love affair) with rye. 

Which brings me back to the point of this post. The Red Hook is a delicious variation on the Brooklyn (itself a variation on the Manhattan)... But the other day, I noticed how full my Laird's bottle was compared to my nearly-empty Bulleit Rye bottle... I wonder...

The Constable Hook

2 oz.      Applejack (Laird's Old Apple Brandy)

3/4 oz.  Punt E Mes

1/2 oz.  Maraschino Liqueur

Garnish with a Lemon Twist

Stir well with ice in a mixing glass and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over drink, rim glass with peel and drop in.

Applejack is a bit sweeter and less complex (even the aged stuff) than rye, so I upped the Punt E Mes a bit from the original Red Hook recipe to combat this. The name pays homage to applejack's New Jersey roots. Basically, I looked up Brooklyn on Google Maps and scanned across the bay for a suitable neighborhood name. Lo and behold, almost directly west of Red Hook, in Bayonne, NJ, is the Constable Hook neighborhood. Ah, sweet serendipity!

EDIT/UPDATE: Much like my Aperol post, I've recently discovered a similar recipe by hot-shot New York bartenders. Thanks to Imbibe Magazine, here's the Newark, by Jim Meehan & John Deragon of PDT. I'll be trying it as soon as I pick up a bottle of Fernet Branca.