Science Of Drink

As we know the Bee’s Knees Cocktail is wonderful drink. Then I explore the Bee’s Knees cocktail I found the Jeffry Morgentaller opinion that rum is good substitute of gin in this cocktail. It seems fantastic :) Of course I try it!

First I tasted the Bee’s Knees Cocktail with white rum. I use same proportions as original version.

Bee’s Knees (Rum ver.)

50 ml white rum
20 ml honey syrup
15 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Tumbler with ice. Garnish with lemon wedge.

I serve the Bee’s Knees Cocktail with rum on the rocks. The Bee’s Knees Cocktail need good and powerful rum as Havana Club Anejo Blanco for best results. The Rum version of Bee’s Knees Cocktail has excelent and good balanced a little sweet refreshing taste with great rum palate.

And I try the Bee’s Knees Cocktail with aged rum. I use Jeffry’s proportions and garnish for this cocktail.

Bee’s Knees (El Vaquero ver.)

50 ml aged rum
25 ml honey syrup
25 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Tumbler with ice. Garnish with quartered orange with clove.

The Bee’s Knees Cocktail with El Dorado 12 y.o. is great drink. It has very rich palate with aroma of rum, honey and citrus. But with Bacardi 8 I obtain very mediocre results. Anyway, the Bee’s Knees Cocktail with aged rums is great drinks.

The Bee’s Knees Cocktail is real Prohibition cocktail. The honey was great choice for masking awful smell and taste of bathtub gin. But in other side honey is very interesting natural ingredient with a lot of worth.

Bee’s Knees

50 ml gin
20 ml honey syrup
15 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

I use honey syrup (1:1) instead of pure honey for ease.

Well. Actually the Bee’s Knees Cocktail is a wonderfull drink. It has so sweet and aromatic taste with pleasnt palate of gin and honey. Admirable!

As you know, I was realy inspired by March MxMo theme – punch. And I realy inspired by old mixed drink – pure classic like Gin Punch. Now I exploring another old and classic cocktail – The Knickerbocker Special. This cocktail has very interesting composition – rum and raspberry syrup. The classic version of this cocktail specifies five main ingredients – raspberry surup (Hogg and Jackson, but CocktailDB specified grenadine), lime or lemon juice, orange juice, curacao liqueur and rum. Thereat CocktailDB and Jackson prescribed light rum, but Hogg and DeGroff – dark. I use one of my gold (actually aged) rum – Bacardi Reserva.

Knickerbocker Special

60 ml gold rum
8 ml raspberry syrup (berry grenadine)
8 ml fresh lemon juice
8 ml orange juice
8 ml orange curacao
some peneapple chunks
Muddle the pineapple spear with juices. Add the rest of ingredients and shake. Serve in a cocktail glass.

The Knickerbocker Special Cocktail has very interesting taste. It has rich berry-fruit sweet-and-sour taste with bright rum palate. The Bacardi Reserva Rum work extremely well in this cocktail. It is amazing cocktail.

I explore one of the oldest version of Knickerbocker, which I found in Imbibe! by D. Wondrich (one of my favorite cocktail book in present time). The original recipe is:

1/2 LIME OR LEMON, SQUEEZE OUT OF THE JUICE, AND PUT RIND AND JUICE IN THE GLASS
2 TEA-SPOONFULS OF RASPBERRY SYRUP
1 WINE-GLASS [2 oz] SANTA CRUZ RUM
1/2 TEASPOONFUL OF CURACOA

Use small bar-glass.
Cool with shaved ice; shake up well and ornament with berries in season. If this is not sweet enough, put in a little more raspberry syrup.

I adopt Wondrich`s recipe to:

Knickerbocker Punch

60 ml gold rum
15 ml raspberry syrup
15 ml orange curacao
15 ml fresh lime juice
Shake. Serve in a tumbler with crushed ice. Garnish with berries, pinneaple spear and lime shell.

The Knickerbocker Punch is a magnificient drink. I was fascinated by its rich and smooth palate with a first sip. Actually it is real “mai tai!”, awesome cocktail. One of the best cocktail that I ever drink.

This MxMo hoster is Mike at Hobson’s Choice. He propose so interesting and so wide theme for this MxMo – Punch. I think that any so big cocktail with many ingredients is appropriate. Some times ago I found one interesting mixed drink in one of my cocktail book – Imbibe! by D. Wondrich. It is Gin Punch. This old and rare cocktail come into my notice with one uncommon ingredient – the Holland Gin. The recipe from Imbibe! by D. Wondrich looks like that:

1 TABLE-SPOONFUL OF RASPBERRY SYRUP
2 TABLE-SPOONFUL OF POWDERED SUGAR
1 WINE GLASS [2 oz] OF WATER
1 1/2 WINE GLASS [3 oz] OF HOLLAND GIN
[JUICE OF] 1/2 SMALL-SIZED LEMON
2 DASHES MARASCHINO
2 SLICES OF ORANGE
1 PIECE OF PINEAPPLE

Fill the tumbler with shaved ice.
Shake well, and ornament the top with berries in season.
Sip through a glass tube or straw.

My first interpretation of this recipe include dutch gin (genever, geneva) – Jonge Bols Graanjenever (or Plymouth Gin, or London Dry Gin as D. Wondrich specified). I use berry grenadine by Routin instead raspberry syrup. I decrease a quntity of sugar for 2 little bar-spoon and use 1 oz of fresh-pressed lemon juice:

Gin Punch

15 ml raspberry syrup
2 tsp. sugar powder
60 ml water
90 ml Holland gin (genever) / Plymouth gin / London dry gin
30 ml fresh pressed lemon juice
2 dash maraschino liqueur
2 slices of orange
1 piece of pineapple
a few berries
Shake all ingredients (except fruits) with a lot of ice. Pour into tumbler with shaved or crushed ice and garnish with fruit and berries. Serve with a straw.

The Gin Punch in this version is admirable drink. It has very smooth sweet and sour taste with berry and fruit palate. The best results I obtain with genever and Plymouth gin. This mixed drink is so similar to Fraises Fizz.

Also I try version with raspberry syrup. In original version the Gin Punch is amazing drink. It has very interesting taste with main palate of gin with pleasant raspberry note. It is not so sweet as version with berry grenadine. It is good-balanced light and refreshing drink.

For celebration of St. Patrick Day I prepare one interesting modern club cocktail – the Dancing Leprechaun. It works!

Dancing Leprechaun

45 ml Irish whisky
20 ml Drambuie
20 ml fresh lemon juice
Ginger ale
Shake whisky, liqueur and juice with ice. Strain into highball with ice cubes and fill with ginger ale. Add a twist of lemon.

The Dancing Leprechaun Cocktail has interesting refreshing taste with sweet notes of Drambuie. It is admirable concoction for active celebrating.

There are several main theories as to the origin of the Jack Rose. The name of this famous classic cocktail associated with infamous gambler Jack Rose (Jacob Rosenzweig) or Frank J. May (aka Jack Rose) – a special policeman of the Pennsylvania Railroad or Joseph P. Rose – a Newark, NJ restaurater… Anyway, this cocktail has classic composition (and so similar to another classic brandy cocktail – the Sidecar) – main alcohol (this is rare chance to use specific apple brandy – calvados or applejack in cocktail), sweetener – grenadine and deluent – lemon or lime juice.

This cocktail has many proportions. First I tested the Jack Rose cocktail in proportions of Salvatore Maestro Calabrese. I use fresh homemade grenadine from fresh ripe pomegranate and sugar for best results.

Jack Rose

50 ml applejack or calvados
20 ml fresh lemon juice
10 ml grenadine
Shake. Cocktail glass.

The Jack Rose Cocktail has pungent fruit taste with great apple-brandy notes. This is so interesting cocktail.

Also I tested the Jack Rose Cocktail in proportions from Big Seven of Anthony Hogg (Hogg`s top cocktail from “The Cocktail and Mixed Drinks” by Anthony Hogg).

Jack Rose

45 ml calvados
20 ml fresh lemon juice
15 ml grenadine
Shake. Serve in frosted cocktail glass (with rim from sugar powder and grenadine) and garnish with lemon twist.

The Jack Rose Cocktail in this version has so sour taste with great calvados taste. This version is so smooth than above due to lemon juice instead lime. It is admirable cocktail.

This cocktail has interesting composition but veru familiar and annoing name. Great Scottish poet and a lyricist Robert Burns merit bigger respect that “Bobby”.

Dale DeGroff cpecify that Bobby Burns Cocktail was created at one of the great and famous pre-prohibited bar of Amirica – Big Brass Rail (Walrorf) for celebration of Robert Burns Day. This cocktail has so similar composition to Rob Roy Holiday Style.

Bobby Burns

35 ml scotch
35 ml sweet vermouth
8 ml Benedictine
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Some sources specify that Drambuie is substitute of Benedictine in this cocktail. I think that is bad idea. If you do not have Benedictine but Drambuie – please try the Rob Roy Holiday Style but not Bobby Burns Cocktail.

The Bobby Burns Cocktail is one of the great cocktail with scotch, actually. It has very smooth, so sweet and aromatic taste.

This simple cocktail is standart woman cocktail as specify many authors. Equal parts of gin and sweet vermouth (It) and some interesting for garnish. My favorite Salvatore “Maestro” Calabrese garnish own Gin & It with a maraschino cherry and orange peel. I think is it optimal choice for this cocktail :)

Gin & It

35 ml sweet vermouth
35 ml gin
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a red maraschino cherry and orange peel.

The Gin & It Cocktail has good-balanced sweet and dry herbal taste. It is good evening cocktail and not for woman only. Some mixologist (like Dale DeGroff) reccomend to add some drops of Angostura bitter in the Gin & It Cocktail.

Gin & It (Dale DeGroff)

35 ml sweet vermouth
35 ml gin
1 dash Angostura bitter
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

This version has more complex palate with wide herbal bitternes of Angostura. It is good cocktail for any romantic evening.

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My new passion is scotch. I explore blend scotch meanwhile. I have Johny Walker, Balantines, Famous Grouse an Chivas Regal in my bar. Today I explore the one of the classic whisky cocktail – the Rob Roy.

The Rob Roy (Robert Roy MacGregor) is folk Scottish folk hero, something like English Robin Good. The operetta about him (Rob Roy) was popular at Broadway in 1890s. The Rob Roy Cocktail was created at the old Waldorf Astoria Hotel in this time. It was popularized by famous Scottish whisky distiller Tommy Dewar.

The Rob Roy Cocktail is a Manhattan with scotch instead rye (or bourbon). As Manhattan it has three version – Sweet (common), Dry and Perfect. Today we explore this three versions of the Rob Roy Cocktail.

Rob Roy

35 ml scotch
35 ml sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

The proportions of the Rob Roy Cocktail may be variable.

The Rob Roy Cocktail is an excellent cocktail with so sweet complex palate with powerful scotch finish.

Dry Rob Roy

50 ml scotch
20 ml dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel or an olive.

The Dry Rob Roy Cocktail has so dry taste with dominant taste of scotch.

Perfect Rob Roy

40 ml scotch
20 ml sweet vermouth
20 ml dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

The Perfect Rob Roy Cocktail has interesting and good-balanced taste with herbal notes of vermouth and powerful scotch finish. I think that Rob Roy is a great cocktail.

Specially for my Rob Roy Cocktail exploring I get yet one bottle of scotch – Teacher`s Highland Cream. And I explore yet one version of Rob Roy – the Rob Roy Holiday Style, which was found on the CocktailDB.

Rob Roy Holiday Style

50 ml scotch
8 ml sweet vermouth
8 ml dry vermouth
8 ml Drambuie
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Actually the Rob Roy Holiday Style is magnificient cocktail. It has very balanced strong and sweet taste with wide whisky palate. I use one of my new bottle – Teacher`s Highland Cream, in result I have very smooth anв delicious cocktail.

In first sight the Blood and Sand Cocktail has awful composition – scotch, cherry-brandy liqueur, sweet vermouth (that’s enough!) and orange juice. But today this stuff seems to me very perspective.

The story of the name of this cocktail is well known, you may read it here. But name of the creator keep in the dark. I use recipe from CocktailDB. One of my favorite cocktail book The Essential Cocktail by Dale DeGroff prescribed equal part of all ingredients.

Blood and Sand

20 ml scotch
15 ml sweet vermouth
15 ml cherry-brandy liqueur
20 ml fresh orange juice
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

The Blood and Sand Cocktail has unique sweet and fruit taste with hint of specific scotch taste and flavor. It is admirable!