Dubonnet Manhattan

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.

The Dubonnet Manhattan Cocktail garnished with a red marascniho cherry (Коктейль Дюбонне Манхэттен, украшенный красной мараскиновой вишней)

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.

The Dubonnet Manhattan Cocktail garnished with a amarena cocktail cherry (Коктейль Дюбонне Манхэттен, украшенный коктейльной вишней)

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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Louisiana Lullaby

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:

The Louisiana Lullaby Cocktail (Коктейль Колыбельная Луизианы)

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.

The Louisiana Lullaby Cocktail with bokehlicious background (Коктейль Колыбельная Луизианы c чудесным боке в синих тонах)

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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Happy New Year, 2011. Two champagne cocktails for New Year night.

New Year coming soon. And we need some special for our holiday party. We drink different cocktails year around and for New Year Night we need something unusual and festive. Many people has very good tradition – to celebrate New Year with glass of Champagne or another sparkling wine. Thus I select two very interesting and delicious champagne cocktail for this case. Now we try the Classic Champagne Cocktail and it’s special variation – the Alfonso Cocktail.

The Alfonso Cocktail was created for Alfonso XIII – dethroned Spanish King. The Alfonso Cocktail looks like French creation but first print mention we find in Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book. The Alfonso cocktail is variation of Classic Champagne Cocktail with Dubonnet wine instead cognac.

Two sparcling cocktails (Два игристых коктейля)

Alfonso Cocktail

1 sugar cube
1-2 dash of Angostura bitter
15-20 ml Dubonnet Rouge
Champagne
Place sugar cube in the flute and coat it with bitter. Add Dubonnet and fill the glass with cold Champagne. Add lemon peel or twist. Stir gentle and serve.

Original wine in this cocktail is Champagne. It is AOC and it is so expensive stuff. I try this cocktail with another French sparkling wine – Cafe de Paris Blanc de Blancs Brut by Cusenier (Pernod Ricard). The result are pretty good. The Alfonso Cocktail has so sweet, light and smooth taste with some bitter notes. It is very good festive cocktail.

Also I try the original – Champagne Cocktail. This cocktail is very old creation. First mention about Champagne Cocktail is in Jerry Thomases How to Mix Drinks, or Bon-Vivants Companion. The Champagne Cocktail is real cocktail – it consist of alcohol any kind (Champagne), sugar and bitter.

I use unusual recipe of this cocktail from diffordsguide.

The champagne cocktail (Коктейль Шампань)

Champagne Cocktail

1 cubes of brown sugar
3 dash Angostura bitter
15 ml cognac
Champagne
Place sugar cube in the flute and soak it with bitter. Add cognac and fill the glass with cold Champagne. Add orange twist.

I use Remy Marten VSOP and sparkling wine mentioned above. The Champagne Cocktail is very interesting drink with main palate of cognac and pleasant aroma of orange. It is good way to improve unloved wine :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR my dear readers. I wish you health, wealth and good luck in New Year!

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