Science Of Drink

My new passion is Manhattan. Manhattan is old and classic cocktail with american whiskey (bourbon or rye), sweet vermouth and cocktail bitters. One of the key ingredient of the good Manhattan is vermouth. Unfortunately we have very pour range of vermouth in Ukraine now. There are available Martini, Cinzano and somewhere Gancia. But we have another way to vary our Manhattan expirience – to use Dubonnet instead vermouth in this magnificient cocktail.

The vermouth is fortified wine vwith aromatic plant extract. Dubonnet is fortified sweet wine with hint of quinquina. It is so similar stuff.

The first recipe of Dubonnet Manhattan was founded at CocktailDB. It is so similar to Dubonnet Cocktail with whiskey instead gin.

Dubonnet Manhattan

35 ml bourbon or rye whiskey
35 ml Dubonnet Rouge
Stir in mixing glass with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

First I try this cocktail with bourbon whiskey. I use Maker’s Mark handcrafted bourbon.

The Dubonnet Manhattan Cocktail is realy very good. This cocktail has very interesting taste with sweet muscat entry with a lot of fresh grapes and fruits, so sweet and smooth palate and great bourbon finish. I try this cocktail with canadian whisky also. The result is quite different. The main palate is sweet wine with a hint of whisky. But both of this cocktails are not Manhattan, actually.

Another recipe of Dubonnet Manhattan I found at the great Intoxicologist’s post Make Mine a Manhattan Holiday. This cocktail contain some dry vermouth for good balance.

Dubonnet Manhattan #2

50 ml bourbon
20 ml Dubonnet Rouge
7 ml vermouth dry
3 dash Angostura bitters
Stir in mixing glass with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist and cocktail cherry.

Actually this recipe is promo for Evan Williams bourbon and american Dubonnet (both crafted by Heaven Hill). I use Four Roses bourbon and french Dubonnet Rouge. Also I use only 1 my big dash of Angostura for good balance.

The cocktail is excellent! It is very good Manhattan recipe. Dubonnet Rouge and Martini Extra Dry work very well together. The result is great sweet “vermouth” taste. The Dubonnet Manhattan #2 has smooth very good balanced and round piquant taste with main bourbon palate. It is admirable Manhattan!

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Angostura bitter is hard available in the Ukraine. But Angostura bitter is essential ingredient of the famous Manhattan. Manhattan is truly magnificient cocktail. As Garry Regan wrote in they The Joy of Mixology Manhattan is King of Cocktail. Actually we can make acquaintance with Manhattan with help of two very interesting special variations.

The Special Manhattan Cocktail was found at the CocktailDB. It contain Campari Bitter instead Angostura.

Special Manhattan Cocktail

50 ml whiskey
25 ml sweet vermouth
7 ml Campari
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cocktail cherry.

Actually a proper whiskey in Manhattan are american whiskeys like rye whiskey or bourbon, but you may substitute with canadian whisky with apropriate results.

I tasted several combinations with all of my canadian whisky – Canadian Club, Black Velvet and my favorite Crown Roal De Luxe. Also I use two of my sweet vermouths – Martini & Rossi Rosso and Cinzano Rosso. IMHO Martini Rosso vermouth is not great choice for both cocktails. The Cinzano works well in both.

The Special Manhattan Cocktail is great man’s drink. It is connoisseur’s choice. This cocktail is too similar to original Manhattan. It is strong bitter sweet and complex cocktail with aromatic profile. The bitternes of this two cocktails are so different.

Our next cocktail is Esquire Manhattan. This cocktail was created by D. Wondrich for Manhattan Experience Contest. This Manhattan contain Fernet-Branca instead of Angostura.

Esquire Manhattan (Эсквайр Манхэттен)

50 ml bourbon
25 ml sweet vermouth
12 ml Fernet-Branca
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and add a orange twist.

Original recipe prescribe Woodford Reserve bourbon and Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth.

The Esquire Manhattan is great cocktail. It has strong bitter-sweet taste with great bourbon palate. The bitter finish are very interesting with a lot of herbal bitter notes of Fernet-Branca. It is great Manhattan expirience.

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Actually I posted about Hurricane Cocktail some years ago. Hurricane Cocktail (especially Dale DeGfroff’s version) is one of my favorite tiki cocktail. Now I want try the “original” version of this grink from Grog Log by Beachbum Berry. I was found this recipe with very good opinion at two great blogs – Kaiser Pinguin and Looka!

The Hurricane Cocktail was invented in 1940-s in famous New Orlean place – Pat’s O’Brien Bar.

The truth is that Hurricane is iconic tropical cocktail. There are many different version of the Hurricane Cocktail. The most described Hurricane as fruit rum punch preferable with passion fruit syrup of juice. But original recipe of Hurricane is another thing – strong, sweet and balanced. This recipe is so heavy for passion fruit syrup and role of rum is unclear.

First I try in the native Beachbum Berry’s recipe two my dark rums – Appleton Estate V/X and cheap White Diamonds Black.

Hurricane (Beachbum Berry)

120 ml dark rum
60 ml fresh lemon juice
60 ml passion fruit syrup
Shake well and strain into hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a flag – orange slice with red maraschino cherry.

Well. Seems that is not big different between this two rums. Both cocktail are very good and balanced with a thin note of rum and great kick. The Hurricane Cocktail has very sweet but acceptable, the main palate is taste of passion fruit. The drink has very smooth taste. Undoubtedly the Hurricane Cocktail is great tropical drink. But I am slightly disappoint with color of libation. Thus I add some artificial colored grenadine for ne plus ultra result.

My Hurricane

120 ml dark rum
60 ml fresh lemon juice
60 ml passion fruit syrup
2 tsp. grenadine
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
Shake well and strain into hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a flag – orange slice with red maraschino cherry.

You may also increase lemon juice instead lime juice to achieve right balance.

This Hurricane Cocktail is unbeatable! Most great fruit tropical drink (not tiki, Mai Tai is the best forever!)! Very smooth, very balanced, great cocktail! As for me – It has right smell, taste and color. Admirable!

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This cocktail I found in Michael Jackson’s Pocked Bar Book (I have Russian edition of this book). The story and origin of the Louisiana Lullaby Cocktail are unknown. In my book are remark from author – “Louisiana Lullaby is an american cocktail for Francophils”. Not so informative…

Recipe of the Louisiana Lullaby Cocktail is so rare in a cocktail books. It is noticed in Complete Bartender Guide by Bob Sennett (1984) early.

First I try the Michael Jackson’s recipe:

Louisiana Lullaby

45 ml dark rum
10 ml Dubonnet Rouge
1 dash Grand Marnier
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with lemon sliver.

My first Louisiana Lullaby Cocktail I mix with Appleton Estate V/X Jamaican Rum. The Louisiana Lullaby are truly great cocktail. It has main taste or rum with rich and complex palate. The Louisiana Lullaby is gorgeous drink.

Second version of the Louisiana Lullaby I found in Salvatore Calabrese’s book Complete Home Bartender’s Guide.

Louisiana Lullaby #2

40 ml dark rum
10 ml Dubonnet Rouge
10 ml Grand Marnier or Mandarine Napoleon
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with lemon sliver or lemon twist.

It is another cocktail. Very good and interesting cocktail but different. This version of Louisiana Lullaby Cocktail has so sweet citrus taste with great palate of aged rum. Actually is admirable cocktail too.

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As you know the most of Russian and Ukrainian are orthodox christians. The Orthodox Christmas is celebrated January 7. Actually we don’t drink cocktail on the Christmas. On the over hand Americans has very interesting Christmas drink – Tom and Jerry. This drink is hot egg nog – the winter beverage with alcohol, eggs and milk or water.

The Tom and Jerry is very old drink. The recipe we may found in the first cocktail book – How to Mix Drinks, or Bon-Vivants Companion by Jerry “Professor” Thomas (1862). Some people say that Tom and Jerry was invented by Thomas. He specified in his book that this concoction has another name – Jerry Thomas. In one interview Thomas says that he named the drink in honor of two his mouses – Tom and, of course, Jerry. But we have and alternate story. It is currently reported that Tom and Jerry drink was invented by London sport writer Pierce Egan in the 1820s. The name is a reference to two character from his book Life in London – Jerry Hawthorn and Corinthian Tom.

The famous Harry Craddock wrote that “… The Tom and Jerry and the Blue Blazer … were the greatest cold weather beverages of that era”. And I completely agree with this opinion.

The recipes of Tom and Jerry drink is so simple. This hot egg nog contain brandy as main alcohol, rum, eggs and sugar. Optional ingredients are spice and milk. The authentic recipe from Jerry Thomases book is:

5 LBS. SUGAR.
12 EGGS.
1/2 SMALL GLASS OF JAMAICAN RUM.
1 1/2 TEASPOONFUL OF GROUND CINNAMON
1/2 DO. DO. CLOVES.
1/2 DO. DO. ALLSPICES.

Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and the yolks until they are as thin as water, them mix together and add the spice and rum, thicken with sugar until the mixture attains the consistence of a light batter.

Take a small bar glass, and to one table-spoonful of the above mixture, add one wine-glass of brandy, and fill the glass with boiling water, grate a little nutmeg on top.

The some points of this recipe is very interesting. First – the sugar. Five pounds of sugar or 190 grams per one eggs. It seems very, very, very sweet. Second point is spice. I hate ground spice, thus I try to use spiced rum instead.

My recipe of famous Tom and Jerry drink is (approx 5-6 drinks):

Tom and Jerry

the base (“batter”):
2 eggs
10 ml rich Jamaican rum (5 ml per one egg)
140 g sugar (70 g per one egg)
Separate the eggs. Mix yolks with rum and beat until it are thin as liquid. Beat the whites until stiff froth. Then mix all together and add sugar. Mix well.

drink (one servings):
20 ml brandy
40 ml spiced rum
2 tablesponsful “batter”
add boiling water or steamed milk
Stir well. Serve in the ceramic cup or London dock glass. Garnish by grating a little nutmeg on top.

I use kitchen handheld electric mixer for execution. I whip the white of the eggs in stiff froth and add beaten yolks with rum, then add sugar. I use mix of the refined sugar and demerara brown sugar.

Actually Tom and Jerry drink with water is no good as with milk. The Tom and Jerry drink is very delicious sweet holiday drink. Marry Christmas!

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