go cry to your muddler

Cocktails that I make, and how I make them; @Kevin_Carlow

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The Amherst Sling So yeah, this is an autumn old-fashioned, but so many people expect a muddled-orange and club soda mess when you say 'old-fashioned'. Note, I muddle sugar and water for my standard old-fashion, but I like the viscosity of the syrup in this one 2oz bourbon 1/2 oz Demerara sugar syrup (2-1) 3 dashes apple-baking spice bitters (Greenbar) 1 dash Dale DeGroff pimento bitters Stir in a large rocks glass, add a large ice cube, stir, garnish with an apple slice.

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So it seems like everyone is doing a tequila or mezcal drink with Ancho Reyes these days, with good reason, it’s a great combination. This is my version

La Rubia 1 ½ oz Tequila blanco ¾ Ancho Reyes ¾ lime juice ½ once pineapple syrup (see recipe in previous post)

Shake, coupe, garnish with a pineapple chunk. Great with mezcal too, naturally.

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El Papá Doble This is our take on a Hemmingway Daquiri 2 oz El Dorado 3yr rum 3/4 oz elderflower liqueur 3/4 fresh lime juice 1/4 oz claret syrup Shake, coupe, express a grapefruit peel over the top, flamed if you like (and I do). Claret syrup, as I make it, is equal parts 2:1 demerara syrup and Bordeaux. It adds color and a hint of tannin.

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The Georgetown Punch This is another take on classic single-serving punches from the (very) old days. I made a lightened-up version with a house made pineapple syrup and El Dorado 3yr rum. In honor of its Guyana roots I named it after the capital city of Guyana. 2 oz El Dorado 3yr rum 3/4 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz, fat, pineapple syrup* Add to tumbler with crushed ice, top with Boston shaker and give a good shake, garnish with a fresh chunk of pineapple skewered with a sprig of Rosemary *Cut a whole pineapple into 1 inch pieces, put into a container and add water to cover, most recipes say overnight but I do two nights at room temperature for full flavor. Then take the water, add double the weight of sugar and boil until you get a rich syrup

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I'm calling this one 'James and the Giant Punch', it's a classic gin punch made with peach-infused aged genever. 2 oz Diep 9 aged genever infused with ripe local peaches 3/4 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz, scant, raspberry Demerara syrup Serve over crushed ice, garnish with a peach. The raspberry syrup is made by crushing raspberries into rich syrup and leaving it to steep for a few days, refrigerated.

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Intro

Thanks for checking out my new project. If you read my previous blog (link below) you are probably expecting some quirky humor and eccentric subject matter. Well, I hope the humor comes through but the subject matter is restricted (mostly) to the cocktails I make. Some are originals, some are collaborations, some are variations on classics. At the end of the day it’s about making drinks that taste great and are interesting..

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So this is my summer Sazarac variation, I just subbed the whiskey for Diep 9 aged genever (and yes, I serve it in a tumbler normally but our tumblers don’t photograph well). It’s light and botanical and a great change of pace, possibly my favorite from the summer menu here at Bistro 63. The absinthe is Leopold’s because it is light and herbaceous and a perfect match for the genever.

2 oz aged Genever scant ½ oz rich simple 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Stir over ice, pour into a chilled, absinthe-washed glass Rub a lemon peel around the outside of the glass, express the oils over the drink and drop in. Enjoy!

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Still on summer specials we’ve been running here at Bistro 63. This one is a sour orange mezcal ‘margarita’ of sorts, (a twist on a recipe from Dave Arnold’s book). I used fresh oj made sour with lime acid (my new best friend for summer drinks!), Vida mezcal, and Combier triple sec. Smoky and sour, I called it the ‘Smokin’ Orange. I know, not my best name

1 ½ oz Vida mezcal 1 oz sour orange juice ¾ Combier triple sec

Garnish with an orange, rim with a mix of salt with a little sugar, chili powder, and citric acid powder- I actually switched to putting this one on the rocks

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My take on a seasonal Collins, I used fresh ripe strawberries which were super sweet so I made them tart with a little citric acid.

1 ½ oz Ransom Old Tom gin 1 oz tart strawberry purée ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz rich Demerara syrup Soda water to top, tall glass

An expressed basil leaf adds freshness and completes the strawberry look too!

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Also, I drew the Luck Dragon for the first time since sixth grade, so don't judge me too hard. 1 3/4 oz dragon fruit silver tequila 3/4 oz lime juice Fat 1/2 oz grenadine (homemade, otherwise cut down to 3/8th I guess) Scant 1/2 oz St George pear eau de vie Shake hard, coupe, garnish with a apple peel wrapped around a brandied cherry, aka the 'dragon's eye'

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I saw dragon fruit at the store today and knew I had to make a drink with it although I’ve never worked with it before. After peeling it I realized it had a very mild flavor and a ‘Dalmatian’ white and black interior. I blended it with the skin on to keeps all of those pink phenols although it added nothing to the flavor. The base is silver tequila. The dragon fruit is actually pretty mild but has a pear-like flavor. We used some pear eau de vie to accentuate that flavor without adding sweetness. A gorgeous drink with a great mouthfeel due to the suspended fruit in the blend. I named it the 'Luck Dragon’ in honor of everyone’s favorite pink dragon.

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This is the final margarita (salt wasn’t allowed in the competition, I know..) which we called-

The Orchard Blossom Margarita

1.5oz apple-infused El Zapopan silver tequila (see last post) 1/4oz aperitif Salers 1/4oz each triple sec and creme de mure (we used Combier) 1/4oz elderflower liqueur (St Germain) 3/4oz lime juice, fresh A barspoon of pineapple juice

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I made some nice green apple tequila for a margarita competition that Bistro 63 in Amherst, MA, was entering. It’s super easy- I just put an apple, cored of course to keep out the bitter seeds, into a food processor with 300ml of 100% blue agave tequila and pulsed it. The result tastes great but will oxidize quickly so don't let it sit around.