Science Of Drink

Happy New Year! This beautiful holiday is excellent cause for great party with best cocktail in the world. But for party we need especial cocktail with a little festivity. Like this Finlandia Arctic Cosmo Martini!

Finlandia Arctic Cosmo Martini

50 ml vodka Finlandia Cranberry
13 ml Cointreau
5 ml cranberry juice
1 bsp. fresh lime juice
Shake. Serve in frosted cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Strong and so sweet cocktail with crisp frosty taste. The Finlandia Arctic Cosmo Martini Cocktail is ideal celebration cocktail. It has interesting taste, great looks and it is so strong. Happy New, 2010, Year my dear readers! I wish you all the luck in the world! Sincerely yours – scomorokh.

This month MxMo hosted on Beers in the Shower. The author of this blog announce theme so interesting, but extremely elusive for me. I think “Money Drinks” is like “worth the money” drinks or “make the money” drinks… I hope I have right understanding. For this MxMo I explore one of my favorite “for my guest” cocktail – Cosmopolitan. The Cosmopolitan Cocktail is very popular modern cocktail. It has so many fans and it is a TV-star. It is really one of the most popular cocktail worldwide.

The story of this cocktail is relatively unclear, you may read some of it here (wiki) or here (webtender). My favorite Dale DeGroff in The Craft of the Cocktail and The Essential Cocktails wrote that author of Cosmopolitan is Cheryl Cook. Also he associate the Cosmopolitan with Ocean Spray cooperative and its cranberry juice.

Now we have many recipes of Cosmopolitan. The Cosmopolitan is father of big “cosmo”-family (like margarita or martini). I think that Cosmopolitan consist of vodka as main alcohol, Cointreau as sweetener, cranberry and lime juices. Optional ingredients are orange bitter, simple syrup or lime syrup. Generalized recipe of Cosmopolitan therefore is:

Cosmopolitan

30-45 ml vodka (or citrus vodka)
7-25 ml Cointreau
2 dash – 28 ml cranberry juice
5-13 ml fresh pressed lime juice
optional:
0-2 dash orange bitters
0-8 ml simple syrup
0-5 ml lime syrup
Shake all ingredients in ice-filled shaker and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a orange twist (spiral) or flamed orange peel or lime wedge (or wheel) or lime zest.

I tested eleven version of Cosmopolitan which was found in different sources (like blogs, sites, books etc) and at different times. You may find all recipes in this .pdf files. You may organize yours own “Great Cosmo Roundup” with this simple and clear table :)

Cosmopolitan.PDF

This is results of my “Great Science of Drink Cosmopolitan Roundup”. It begin with my first Cosmopolitan, I do not remember a source of this version.

1. Cosmopolitan (Unknown version) – so strong cocktail with elegant citrus taste;

2. Cosmopolitan (Chris Doig – Brilliant Cocktails) – this version has medium strength and sour-sweet very orange taste, good choice for novice;

3. Cosmopolitan (Jay Hapburn – Oh, gosh! ) – aromatic version of Cosmopolitan, has rich aroma and taste;

4. Cosmopolitan (Dale DeGroff – The King of Cocktails ) – it is well-balanced version with medium strength and delicate citrus taste, this recipe has one lack – too much of the cranberry juice. This is good for novice, not for adept :) ;

5. Cosmopolitan (cocktailtimes.com) – this version has very indistinct taste;

6. Cosmopolitan (Davide Wondrich — quintessence (Esquire Drink Database)) -
it is very good version, it has smooth aromatic and citrus sour-sweet taste, but please omit sugar rim – I think it is joke;

7. Cosmopolitan (Gary Regan (The Joy of Mixology, 2003) (from CocktailDB) – strong and sweet cocktail (Kamikaze :) ) with cranberry juice as dye-stuff, excellent drink;

8. Cosmopolitan (Time Out (wiki.webtender.com)) – sophisticated recipe but mediocre results;

9. Cosmopolitan (Salvatore Calabrese – The Maestro – (from book Classic Cocktails)) – so strong and tempered version;

10. Cosmopolitan (IBA) – light sweet cocktail, novice only;

11. Cosmopolitan (cointreau.com) – strong, sweet and citrus cocktail.

Some tips for your Ultimate Cosmopolitan:

- use good quality vodka (pure or citrus-flavored depend upon you taste, both variants work well in Cosmopolitan)

- use Cointreau (not cheap triple sec), it is good choice for you fresh and citrus Cosmo;

- use good and expensive cranberry juice (and omit the recipe with high amount of cranberry juice, if it possible);

- use fresh ripe limes for yours fresh pressed lime juice, DO NOT use preserved lime juice or something like that. You may add some simple syrup for preferable balance of sour-sweet. Omit lime syrup;

- you can use orange bitter for high aromatic cocktail, please add bitters responsibly ;) ;

- in my humble opinion, most appropriate garnish for Cosmopolitan cocktail is orange zest. I use orange zest spiral for strong version (with high Cointreau content) and flamed orange peel for the others. Flamed orange peel is real show, it is real Cosmo-mood. For flamed orange peel you may:

1. Cut small piece of orange peel. Take this piece of orsnge peel in one hand and a match in other. Strike a match as you see on foto :)

2. Heat the surface of peel with a flame of match through few seconds.

3. Press on peel for release of essential oil.

I can resume that Cosmopolitan cocktail is awesome drink. It has right name, good taste, good looks and good mood. It is acceptable as for cocktail novice as adept. When made correctly, it is a brilliant drink.

This modern tropic cocktail was found on epicurean.com in article about Passoa liqueur by Roberta Roberti. The Monkey Passion Cocktail is sweet and tropical concoction for pleasant rest on the summer beach.

Monkey Passion

60 ml Passoa liqueur
30 ml vodka
60 ml Cointreau
150 ml fresh orange juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Serve in a tumbler.

I recommend shake this cocktail with cubed ice and serve in double rock glass or hurricane glass.

The Monkey Passion cocktail has sweet, light and tropical taste. Admirable drink!

This interesting rare cocktail was found in CocktailDB. The Orange Bloom Cocktail is classic combination of three classic cocktails ingredients – gin, vermouth and Cointreau.

Orange Bloom

45 ml gin
15 ml sweet vermouth
15 ml Cointreau
Stir and strain into cocktail glass. Add cherry.

The Orange Bloom Cocktail has beautiful gold-orange color and great strong and sweet taste with aromatic orange and herbal notes. It is admirable drink.

This simple but so strange cocktail is unusual modification of Vodka Stinger Cocktail.

Green Dragon

30 ml vodka
30 ml green creme de menthe
15 ml Cointreau
Shake. Cocktail glass.

Admirable digestive cocktail with smooth and sweet mint taste. Light orangу notes in aftertaste is very pleasant and interesting.

Orange Blossom Cocktail is one of the classiс cocktail of Prohibition. Simple combination of gin, fresh orange juice and whatever liqueur (as sweetener) is ideal for masking the taste of low-quality gin. This recipe of Orange Blossom Cocktail was found in The Essential Cocktail by Dale DeGroff:

Orange Blossom

30 ml London dry gin
10 ml Cointreau
30 ml fresh orange juice
Shake. Goblet glass, garnish with spiral orange peel.

Actually the taste of gin has principal note in this cocktail. This cocktail has strong and citrus taste.

I prepare this cocktail with orange-flavored gin for “superorange” taste.

My Orange Blossom

30 ml orange gin
10 ml Cointreau
30 ml fresh orange juice
Shake. Cocktail glass, garnish with spiral orange peel.

This cocktail has bright orange taste with strong gin notes.

Also I obtain great results with recipe from my favorite CocktailDB, with sugar as sweetener. This version is well-balanced, very smooth and refreshing drink.

One of my new bottle is great black bottle of Passoa Passion Fruit liqueur. Passoa Passion Fruit liqueur is modern creature of Remy-Cointreau Company. It was launched 1986 in European market and 1994 worldwide. This bright pink liqueur has exotic sweet taste of passion fruit juice, citrus and herbs. Great thing for easy summer cocktails.

I collect some interesting cocktails with Passoa Passion Fruit liqueur:

Pink Passion

30 ml vodka
30 ml Passoa Passion fruit liqueur
1 b.s. fresh lime (lemon) juice
fill with lemon-lime soda
Build in a collins glass with ice cubes. Garnish with lime wedges.

Very sweet refreshing cocktail with great tropical taste and bright color. Admirable drink.

Next drink has great pink color and it is one of cosmos, of course.

Passionate Cosmo

40 ml vodka
20 ml Passoa Passion fruit liqueur
20 ml Cointreau
1 bsp. fresh lime juice
Shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Strong and sweet cocktail. Clear passion in the glass.

The author of next cocktail is one of my favorite barman – The Maestro – Salvatore Calabrese. Actually cocktail with that name (and similar composition) was my first post on this blog :)

Bay of Passion

30 ml vodka
30 ml Passoa Passion fruit liqueur
60 ml cranberry juice
60 ml fresh grapefruit juice
Shake. Strain into a highball filled with ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry on the rim.

It is modern dance-club-style cocktail with interesting bitter-sweet and exotic taste. Water, sugar, alcohol – and all you need is love :)

Next cocktail is similar to tiki-cocktail. Add more kind of rum and you obtain real tiki-monster :)

Passion Dream

40 ml light rum
20 ml Passoa Passion fruit liqueur
50 ml fresh orange juice
20 ml pineapple juice
20 ml fresh grapefruit juice
1-2 tsp. grenadine
Shake and strain into ice-filled double-rocks glass. Garnish with a flag.

This tropic punch has sweet and exotic taste. Good concoction for hot summer days on the beach.

This Dale`s DeGroff creation has strange name and very … actually… perspective composotion :) Worth to try, I think!

209 East Cocktail

60 ml tequila Sauza Hornitos
30 ml Cointreau
15 ml strawberry liqueur
30 ml fresh lime juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I use tequila Leyenda Del Milagro Reposado (100% de Agave) instead Sauza Hornitos. This cocktail is so good :) … But it is *hidden* strawberry margarita :)

Idea of this post is exploring of some cocktails named with female russian names. I found five cocktails of this kind. Taste of some female russian names. Some of this cocktails are pure and famous classiс – Ninotchka Cocktail. The Anouchka Cocktail is a signature drink of Salvatore Calabrese. This post I devoted all my female friends :)

First cocktail is famous Ninotchka Cocktail which named in honour of Gretta Garbo in “Ninotchka” movie (1939).

Ninotchka (Nintchka, Ninitchka)

45 ml vodka
15 ml light creme de cacao
15 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass.

The taste of Ninotchka Cocktail is very interesting and unusual. The combination of smooth sour taste of lemon and sweet choсolate taste of creme de cacao is great!

Recipe of Katinka Cocktail I found in The Classic Bar & Cocktail Book by J. Goodall. This is simple and interesting cocktail.

Katinka

50 ml vodka
40 ml apricot brandy
15 ml fresh lime juice
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh mint.

Sweet, no so strong cocktail with bright apricot taste and little sourness. Admirable!

My favorite CocktailDB list another and very intriguing recipe of Katinka Cocktail: gin, cordial Medoc, green Chartreuse and Angostura bitters. Sounds great! Worth to try.

Recipe of Natasha Cocktail was founded in The Bible of bartender by F. Evsevsky.

Natasha

30 ml vodka
15 ml Cointreau
15 ml creme de banane
15 ml strawberry liqueur
Shake. Cocktail glass.

The Natasha Cocktail has very sweet candy taste. It is amazing temptation.

Anouchka Cocktail was invented by Salvatore Calabrese. It is one of his signature cocktail. It is simple and delicious combination of vodka and sweet blackberry liqueur.

Anouchka

70 ml vodka
10 ml creme de mur (blackberry liqueur)
Stir. Chilled cocktail glass.

This cocktail has strong and sweet berry taste. Admirable!

Recipe of Svetlana Cocktail was found on my favorite Cocktail DB.

Svetlana

45 ml 100 proof vodka
15 ml sweet vermouth
8 ml kirsch
8 ml orange juice
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel.

This strong and elegant cocktail has comlex taste of vermouth and fruit with amazing bitter note in the aftertaste.

As you know mandarine (tangerine) is one of my favorite citrus fruits. Tangerine (juice) is so rare ingredient for mixology. This interesting cocktail was found on Dale`s DeGroff site:

Tangerine Margarita

60 ml tequila (Sauza Conmemorativo)
30 ml Cointreau
15 ml fresh lime juice
15 ml fresh tangerine juice
Shake. Serve on the rocks with salt rim.

It is amazing coctail, first of all, because it is Margarita :) Great Margarita on the rocks with some piquant note of fresh tangerines. Great cocktail, but in my mind was born some fantasies:

Mandarine Margarita

60 ml tequila
30 ml Mandarine Napoleon liqueur
15 ml fresh lime juice
15 ml fresh tangerine juice
Shake. Strain over ice into old-fashioned glass with salt rim. Garnish with lime wheel.

Admirable! This cocktail has rich sunny color and interesting taste, because it is Margarita too :)