Science Of Drink

Now we explore two so similar cocktails of Prohibition Era. The Flamingo Cocktail and the Mary Pickford Cocktail. Both of this cocktails are so rare and hard to find in popular cocktails book. Both has similar composition with rum and pineapple with hint of fresh lime (Flamingo) or maraschino liqueur (Mary Pickford). Both has beatiful foam as a garnish.

Dale DeGroff suppose that cocktail Flamingo was created by famous Constante Ribalagua – owner and barman of La Floridita, Havana. The gold age of this and another cuban bar was at Prohibition. I use recipe of Flamingo Cocktail from The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff.

Flamingo

35 ml light rum
35 ml pineapple juice
1 tsp. grenadine
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
Shake. Pour into cocktail glass.

The Flamingo Cocktail has smooth and light fruit cocktail with great rum palate. My favorite white rum – Havana Club Anejo Blanco – work extremely well in this cocktail.

The Mary Pickford Cocktail has so similar composition with maraschino liqueur instead lime juice. Dale DeGroff suppose that Mary Pickford Cocktail was invented also Constante Ribalagua but another sources report that Mary Pickford Cocktail was invented by another cuban barman – Eddie Woelke (the creator of famous El Presedente Cocktail). This cocktail created for first Hollywood superstar – Mary Pickford.

First mention of the Mary Pickford Cocktail is in Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddoc (1930) but I use version from Cocktails and Mixed Drinks by Anthony Hogg.

Mary Pickford

35 ml white rum
35 ml pineapple juice
1 tsp maraschino liqueur
1 tsp grenadine
Shake and strain in the cocktail glass.

Wow! The Mary Pickford Cocktail is awesome drink. It is one of the best cocktail that I drink!

Dale DeGroff also specify another recipe of Mary Pickford Cocktail – “the Flamingo Cocktail plus orange curacao”. It is worth to try.

Mary Pickford #2

35 ml white rum
35 ml pineapple juice
1 tsp orange curacao
1 tsp grenadine
1 tsp fresh lime juice
Shake and strain in the cocktail glass.

This version of Mary Pickford Cocktail has well-balanced smooth taste with pleasant fruit and citrus taste with great rum palate. Great drink for hot summer evening. By the way, best orange liqueur for this cocktail in my opinion is Cointreau.

The Old-Fashioned Cocktail is genuine cocktail. Actually, as Jerry Thomas suppose, cocktail is mix of strong spirit, bitter, sugar and water. Consequently the old-fashioned is the cocktail. Whiskey cocktail. Simple but famous and great.

The Old-Fashioned Cocktail was created in the Pendennis Club in Loisville, Kentucky circa 1890. This cocktail consist of whiskey (bourbon as a rule or rye), cocktails bitter (Angostura is common), sugar and water. The standart recipe and preparation is follows:

Old-Fashioned

1 sugar cube (or 1-2 bsp. of simple syrup)
1-3 dash Angostura bitter
1 tsp. water
50 ml bourbon (or rye whiskey)
Place sugar cube on the bottom of an old-fashioned glass (or pour simple syrup). Soak the sugar cobe with bitters and carefully muddle it. Add some water and stir. Than add some whiskey and stir. Than add two (only two!) large (very, very large!) cubes of ice. Fill the glass with more whiskey and stir. Garnish with a lemon peel.

You may add some dash curacao or Cointreau in your Old-Fashioned Cocktail (optional).

Actually the Old-Fashioned Cocktail is gobsmacked palate-paralysing drink. Absolutely idiosyncratical cocktail. And I love it!

Next great thing about Old-Fashioned Cocktail is the question. To muddle or not to muddle? :) Some barman (DeGroff for example) prefer to muddle some fruits (as a common – piece of orange and maraschino cherry) for yours Old-Fashioned. Some purists deny.

Old-Fashioned (Muddled)

1 sugar cube (or 1 tsp. simple syrup)
1-3 dash Angostura bitter
1 piece of orange
1 maraschino cherry
1 tsp. of water
50 ml bourbon
In the bottom of an old-fashioned glass carefully muddle the sugar cube, bitter, orange slice and cherry with splash of water. Remove the fruit husks. Add the ice and whiskey, stir. Garnish with orange slice and red maraschino cherry.

Yoг may also muddle some pineapple cubes.

The muddled Old-Fashioned is another Old-Fashioned Cocktail. It has interesting and delicious fruit and whiskey taste. It has great look. But it has not the charisma :) or power… But it is delicious, whatever!

Actually sling is old mixed drink which made with strong spirit (like gin), water and sugar. This drink is no so popular today. This mixed drink continue now to its famous version – Singapore Sling.

One of the simplest recipe of Singapore Sling I found in one of my Salvatore Calabrese book. He notice that is not original version, but this recipe is so use.

Singapore Sling

40 ml gin
20 ml cherry-brandy liqueur
20 ml fresh lemon juice
soda
Shake (except soda) and strain into collins glass. Add soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge and red maraschino cherry.

It is so dry cocktail with bitternes of cherry. The taste of this Singapore Sling depend on cherry-brandy. I use cherry-brandy liqueur by BOLS. Also I use famous Cherry Heering Liqueur by Peter Heering with great results.

The “Original” Singapore Sling is more compose drink. This version is average from two recipes from The Essential Bartender’s Guide by Robert Hess and Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh with a hint of The Essential Cocktail by Dale Degroff :) .

The Singapore Sling

60 ml gin
20 ml cherry-brandy
10 ml Benedictine
10 ml Cointreau
60 ml unsweetened pineapple juice
20 ml fresh lime juice
2 dash real grenadine
1 dash Angostura bitters
soda (optional)
Shake (except soda) and strain into sling-glass. Add soda (optional). Garnish with an orange wedge and red maraschino cherry.

I use both cherry-brandy – BOLS Cherry and Cherry Heering – with similar results. The taste of this “Original” Singapore Sling depend on composition of Cointreau, Benedictine, cherry-liqueur etc. I use homemade-cold-process-real-pomegranate grenadine for this ultimate cocktail also.

The Singapore Sling has very unusual taste. The complex bitter and herbal palate is unique pleasure. It is cocktail for real gentleman and connoisseur.

Second classic summer drink with same inhredients (alcohol, lemon juice, sugar and soda) at my blog is a Collins. Collins is a versatile cocktail. In the Collins you may use any alcohol that you prefer.

On of the first mention about Collins drink we can find at Bartender’s Guide by Jerry “Professor” Thomas (1876).

Collinses and Fizzes has some distinctions. Fizzes must be hard shaken but Collins may be shaken and no so hard. Fizzes are served in special delmonico glass without garnish but Collinses are served in collins (what else?) and garnish with red maraschino cherry and piece of orange. Actualy both cocktails are served in collinses or highballs at present time. The difference depicted on this foto:

First glass close on delmonico. The collins glass is cylindrical in shape and narrower than a highball glass. The highball glass is shorter and wider than a collins glass.

But return to our drink. First Collins I prepare in classic version with London dry gin – the Tom Collins.

Tom Collins

45 ml gin
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml simple syrup
up to 90 ml soda water
Shake (except soda) with ice. Strain in to tallest collins as you have and add some large ice-cubes. Top with soda. Garnish with red maraschino cherry and orange slice.

You may use another proportion for yours Collins. You may use sugar powder or castor sugar instead simple syrup. You may build your collins, but I recommend shake.

The Tom Collins is a brilliant cocktail. Simple but elegant cocktail has smooth and compose taste of gin botanicals with sournes of lemon. Very refreshing and very delicious.

I prepare the John Collins with bourbon also. I use Jim Beam Black for this cocktail.

John Collins

45 ml bourbon
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml simple syrup
up to 90 ml soda water
Shake (except soda) with ice. Strain in to tallest collins as you have and add some large ice-cubes. Top with soda. Garnish with red maraschino cherry and orange slice.

The John Collins is great drink too. It has smooth and refreshing taste with pleasant palate of whiskey.

I decide to explore two cassic sours – the fizz and the collins now. I do not prepare this cocktails before and this is my first experience.

The fizz is realy very old mixed drink from strong alcohol (preferable gin), lemon juice, sugar and carbonated (or aerated) water. The fizz must be shaken. This drink should serve in the special delmonico glass.

Gin Fizz

45 ml gin
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml simple syrup
up to 60 ml soda water
Shake thoroughly all ingredients (except soda) with a lot of ice. Strain in to delmonico glass (or another tumbler) filled with ice-cubes. Fill with soda. No garnish.

The amount of all ingredients may be vary.

Actually, properly made Gin Fizz is fantastic drink! The Gin Fizz has light smooth and very refreshing taste of gin’s botanicals and sweet and sour citrus taste.

You may use flavoured gin for this drink. For example you can prepare Orange Gin Fizz.

Orange Gin Fizz

45 ml orange gin
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml simple syrup
soda water
Shake thoroughly all ingredients (except soda) with a lot of ice. Strain in to delmonico glass (or another tumbler) filled with ice-cubes. Fill with soda. No garnish.

I use Seagram’s Orange Gin for this drink. The Orange Gin Fizz has bright citrus and very refreshing taste. It is great drink.

You may use in yours fizzes some liqueur also. Some times ago I posted about Fraises Fizz, one of my favorite summer cocktail. Now I prepare the Watermelon Gin Fizz with watermelon liqueur.

Watermelon Gin Fizz

45 ml gin
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml watermelon liqueur
15 ml simple syrup
soda water
Shake thoroughly all ingredients (except soda) with a lot of ice. Strain in to delmonico glass (or another tumbler) filled with ice-cubes. Fill with soda. No garnish.

Watermelon Gin Fizz is very pleasant refreshing drink with light and fancy taste of ripe watermelon. If you use liqueur by MB you obtain almost clear drink.