Science Of Drink

Well, I feel like putting aside for a while my Manhattan project because some new creative horizons opened before me with the arrival of some samples of whisky which I got from the Master of Malt – a British whisky retailer with 25 year experience and world-wide reputation. Some time ago they launched an impressive marketing service called Drinks by the Dram. This innovation gave whisky lovers also neophyte alike the opportunity to order and taste 30 ml (about 1 fl. oz) samples of they brilliant stuff – wide range of whisky, whiskey and other interesting spirits. Another remarkable idea – the Master of Malt develop wide range topical dram sets which help us to taste many great whisky from different regions. The dram sets are an invaluable present for anyone who has a crush on whisky.

Now, I have received the so pretty box:

In the box I have found three little wax-sealed bottles with whisky:

You can imagine how exhilarated I was to get the parcel with sample. The Master of Malt gave me a chance to taste three dram of whisky – two Single Malt Whisky (Laphroaig Quarter Cask и Glengoyne 10 Years Old) and one bourbon (Johny Drum Black Label). Usually I write reviews of different spirits in my Encyclopedia of liquor, and it is not an exception. My full reviews of them coming soon!

My today’s post is devoted to quite an interesting cocktail which I had been dallying with for quite a long time before I got a proper whisky. I mean Smoky Martini – a curious variation of Dry Martini with scotch instead of traditional vermouth. The snag is that we should use smoky or peated scotch (like Isle Mist or one of famous single malts such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin or the like).

And now I will make a short digression to make a confession that my fascination with whisky is of theoretical nature. It is the cocktail that I am totally, irresistibly and unconditionally in love with. As regards whiskies, I like exploring them as potential ingredients. Besides single malts cost a pretty penny. There is yet another, romantic side to this interest of mine, a sort of ‘my heart’s in the Highlands…’, you know. I fell under the spell of the austere beauty of the wind-swept islands on which a long- standing tradition of distilling whisky has been passed from a generation to generation. Like anything in this world that boasts centuries long tradition whisky has a magnetic pull for me.

And now let me go back and continue the main thread of our discussion. Now that I got a sample of great inimitably flavoured Laphroaig Quarter Cask did I decide to try a variation of the Smoky Martini, a well- known variation of the Dry Martini cocktail which began its life in the eighties of last century. That was the beginning of cocktail renaissance when Martini-mania was in full swing. Incidentally, a creator of the drink remains unknown. An idea of switching dry vermouth with scotch seems fruitful and by far and large it is more palatable than a glass of icy gin. I use the recipe which I borrowed from the Dale DeGroff`s book The Craft of the Cocktail:

Smoky Martini

50 ml gin
10 ml scotch (Laphroaig Quarter Cask)
Stir all ingredients with a lot of ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

It is worth mentioning here that Laphroaig is not an expendable ingredient for Smoky Martini. The original recipe calls for blended scotch and you may use it.

I have tried the Smoky Martini with different gin and whisky. My first Smoky Martini was mixed with Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin and Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Wow! Really I was fascinated by the cocktail! The Smoky Martini has extraordinary dry and smoky taste. The entry is very smooth and oily. The palate is brilliant dry with a great explosion at the end. The finish had a lot of smoke, peat and a campfire smell. Actually the Smoky Martini is one of best variations of Dry Martini that I ever tasted.

[Read more →]

With our today cocktail – Opera Cocktail – I decide to taste two my maraschino liqueurs – LUXARDO Maraschino Originale and generic BOLS Maraschino. My first maraschino liqueur was DK Marasquin. Then I acquire the BOLS liqueur I tested both and conclude that BOLS is more interesting, natural and complex. It is so sweet and flavorfull liqueur with specific cherry taste and bright floral notes. It has a little bitternes like almonds or cherry pit in the finish. Then I obtain LUXARDO I surprised. The taste if LUXARDO liqueur is so different. This liqueur has complex specific flavor of marasca cherry with floral and almond notes. The taste is sharp, intensive and interesting. The liqueur has unique taste of marasca distillate with sharp entry, roundish palate and long finish with hint of wood.

The Opera Cocktail is so old cocktail. It was so popular in the legendary Harry’s American Bar in Paris in 1920-s. I use recipe from United Kingdom Bartenders Guild Approved cocktails (1936).

Opera Cocktail

60 ml gin
15 ml Dubonnet Rouge
15 ml maraschino liqueur
Stir well. Strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.

In my opinion both cocktails are great. They have so sweet, strong and complex taste. The flavor has bright citrus, orange dominant. Actually cocktail with LUXARDO liqueur has more rich and complex taste. It is no so sweet as cocktail with BOLS. Main taste oh both cocktails is fruity-floral taste of maraschino with grape hint of Dubonnet. It is admirable cocktail.

[Read more →]

As you know there ara many kinds of cocktail – aperetive, digestive, all time drinks and over. Now I want to explore some interesting after dinner drinks – classic dessert coctails which groups to “Alexander’s family”. The main cocktail of this family is famous Alexander Cocktail. As Barry Popik suggest the Alexander Cocktail in its original version consist of gin, creme de cacao liqueur and fresh cream and id was created in early XX century by Troy Alexander barman of famous New York eatery Rector’s for fictional commercial character – Phoebe Snow. This cocktail was first mentioned in Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Enslin (1915).

I use recipe with equal proportions of ingredients.

Alexander (Александер)

25 ml gin
25 ml creme de cacao white
25 ml cream
1 bsp. simple syrup (optional)
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg (optional).

For my first Alexander Cocktail I use Befeater, BOLS Cacao white and cream with 20% fat. Really the BOLS liqueur is not a creme. It is insufficiently sweet. Thus in my second Alexander I add one bar-spoon of simple syrup for best results. The garnish I propose to omit in any case as it is contrary to story of Phoebe Snow.

The Alexander Cocktail is sweet and creamy concotion with smooth chicolate and botanicals palate. The gin is very good company to chocolate.

Next cocktail from this company is Brandy Alexander (or Alexander #2). It is Alexander Cocktail with brandy instead gin. This cocktail is more popular than origanal and these two libations are confuse often. The early mention of Brandy Alexander we can find in the Burke’s Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipes by Harman Burny Burke (1936). Some people say that creation of Brandy Alexander connected to wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles, in London, in 1922.

Brandy Alexander (Бренди Александер)

25 ml brandy
25 ml creme de cacao dark
25 ml cream
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

I use cognac instead brandy – Hennessy VSOP, BOLS Cacao brown liqueur and cream with 20% fat.

In this superb version it is admirable cocktail. It has mild creamy-fruity-chicolate taste. Excellent cocktail!

Also I try the Alexander’s sister Cocktail – it is Alexander with creme de menthe green instead creme de cacao white.

Alexander’s sister

25 ml gin
25 ml creme de menthe green
25 ml cream
Shake. Cocktail glass.

The Alexander’s sister is sweet and mint concotion. It is so palatable after dinner stuff. It is good substitution for after meal chewing-gum.

And finally I tasted the Alexandra (Special) Cocktail from The Artistry of Mixing Drinks by Frank Meier. Actually the Alexandra (Special) Cocktail is Alexander with brandy instead gin and Anisette (French sweet anise liqueur) instead creme de cacao. I use own equal proportion.

Alexandra (Special)

25 ml brandy
25 ml Anisette
25 ml cream
Shake. Cocktail glass.

Wow! It is amazing cocktail. It is very delicious. It has sweet, very smooth cocktail with anise palate and great hints of cognac. Excellent dessert cocktail.

[Read more →]

It is no secret that I prefer bitter-sweet cocktail. And now, after the great S.I.P. #2, which was devoted to one of the world-famous sour – the Sidecar, I am enthusiastic with bitter cocktail too. But I have not enough realy bitter ingredient in my bar – two bottle of fernet, one amaro and Campari. Two cocktails bitters are no object. Thus I remember that I have Dubonnet – one of the famous quinquina in the world. This bottle was unopened over one year. I open this bottle. It emerged that Dubonnet has no bitter taste. The Dubonnet Rouge has so sweet and spicy taste of muscat fortified wine with microscopic bitter feeling in the finish. But it no stopped me try this stuff in a cocktails.

First probe of mixing with Dubonnet is signature Dubonnet Cocktail. The recipe I found in the Cocktails and Mixed Drinks by Anthony Hogg.

Dubonnet Cocktail

35 ml Dubonnet
35 ml gin
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Dubonnet Cocktail is too similar to Old Great Martini Cocktail with Dubonnet instead sweet vermouth. Not dry but very pleasant and palatable gin drink. It has main palate of gin botanicals with great little bitter finish with sweet muscat notes. I tested few my gins in this cocktail – Befeater, Bombay Sapphire and Broker’s. IMHO the best result give us Befeater – it has so clear and crisp taste. Also you may zest your Dubonnet Cocktail with lemon for best results or add dash of bitters as Robert Schnakenberg advice in his great book Old Man Drinks (Quirk Books, 2010).

Actually my soul and taste bud wait some different pleasure. And I prepare the Dubonnet Royal Cocktail that was found in Cocktails and Mixed Drinks by Anthony Hogg in next line.

Dubonnet Royal

40 ml Dubonnet
20 gin
2 dash Angostura bitters
2 dash curacao
1 dash pastis
Mix well with ice all ingredients except pastis. Strain into cocktail glass and add one dash pastis on the top. Garnish with maraschino cherry.

Wow! It is great cocktail. It has magnificent taste – rich and complex. This cocktail seems as tastes firework. It is superb cocktail.

[Read more →]

The subject of MxMo LII is extremely clear and so close to me. The subject is Forgotten Cocktail. The author of this perfect theme and host of MxMo LII is Dennis from Rock & Rye blog. Actually exploring of forgotten cocktails are the very core of my hobby and a lot of cocktails at my blog is rare, classic or forgotten. For this MxMo I propose to recall one rare, vintage cocktail – The Jupiter Cocktail.

I thank Ted Haigh aka Dr. Cocktail for my familiarity with Jupiter Cocktail. I found it at CocktailDB first time and recall it with Tad’s great book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails over again.

The creator of this cocktail and its story are unknown. The Jupiter Cocktail was first mentioned in Harry McElhon’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails (1922). This cocktail is so rare occasion to use on of my favotite liqueur – Parfait Amour.

Jupiter Cocktail

45 ml gin
20 ml dry vermouth
5 ml Parfait Amor liqueur
5 ml fresh orange juice
Shake. Strain into cocktail glass.

The properly prepared Jupiter Cocktail has interesting light grey ashes color. This cocktail has thin balance. I test all of my three liqueurs in this cocktail. Use quality gin, as Bombay Sapphire for example, in this cocktail for best result.

The Jupiter Cocktail with DK Parfait Amour has so strange artificial pink color. It is vital defect as for me. The taste is so interesring, it is so dry cocktail with vanilla and floral finish. Cocktails with BOLS Parfait Amour and MB Parfait Amour has great due look. The cocktail with BOLS is very dry. Great results in this cocktail I obtain with MB liqueur. The Jupiter Cocktail with MB Parfait Amour liqueur is great, very interesting drink. It has dry taste with sophisticated fresh vanilla and floral palate, it is cocktail for real adept.

[Read more →]

The Clover Club Cocktail is truly magnificient cocktail. This drink has all elements of great classic cocktail – the interesting story, simple and elegant composition and it is almost forgotten.

This cocktail was created (as Albert Stevens Crockett specify in his Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) or The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book (1935)) in the early 20th century in the bar of the Bellevue-Statford Hotel, Philadelphia which hosted Clover Club – the community of the lawyers and writers from Philadelphia.

Common recipe of Clover Club Cocktail include gin, lemon or lime juice, grenadine or raspberry syrup and egg white. Sometimes addition of the sweet vermouth or fresh raspberries is recomended. The Clover Club Cocktail has no garnish. If you garnish this drink with three mint leaf it morph into Clover Leaf Cocktail.

I use recipe from one of my favorite book -The Essential Cocktail by Dale DeGroff for my first Clover Club Cocktail:

Clover Club (The King of Cocktail)

45 ml gin
20 ml simple syrup
20 ml fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. grenadine
white of 1 small egg
In a shaker mix gin, syrups and juice. In a small bowl lightly whip the egg white and add a half the whipped egg white to the shaker. Shake vigorously – hard and long to emulsify the egg. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I omit the whipping of the egg white and use “dry shake” for preparing of this cocktail. Dry shake is interesting method of preparing cocktail with great amount of the eggs or heavy cream. First shake all ingredients in shaker without ice. You may add in a shaker a spring from hawtorn-strainer during first dry shake for best results. Then add ice and shake again very hard.

This my first Clover Club Cocktail is awesome drink. Actually it was love at the first sight sip. Certainly I explore this cocktail in original version from the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock. I tasted this cocktail with berry-grenadine and raspberry syrup also lime and lemon juice.

Clover Club (Savoy)

50 ml gin
the juice of 1/2 lemon or of 1 lime
25 ml grenadine (or raspberry syrup)
egg white
Shake well and strain into medium size glass.

This cocktail are excellent with berry-grenadine. I prefer the Clover Club Cocktail with fresh pressed lemon juice. Juice a lime or lemon for this cocktail carefully. I think that essential oil of citrus skin is over this cocktail.

Actually I tested about twenty Clover Club Cocktails. My Ultimate version is:

My Clover Club

50 ml gin
25 ml fresh lemon juice
25 ml simple syrup
2 dash berry-grenadine
30 ml egg white
Shake all ingredients thoroughly. Serve in the wineglass.

Use good gin for best results. You may use in this cocktail homemade grenadine or raspberry syrup for great drink. Be carefully with raw eggs. Actually the quality fresh eggs are so safety, but you should wash the egg, keep refrigerated and keep your equipment and ware clean. Also I recomend to read good post about this cocktail and raw eggs by Robert Hess.

The Clover Club Cocktail is outstanding, awesome and fascinating mixed drink. Literally.

[Read more →]

Today we explore one interesting old cocktail with my favorite autumn spirit – gin. This cocktail has two similar name – Bermudiana Rose (in English cocktail books like Cafe Royal Cocktail Book by W.J. Tarling, 1937 or Cocktails and Mixed Drinks by Anthony Hogg, 1979) or Bermuda Rose (in American cocktail books like The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff, 2002).

At the heart of the Bermudiana Rose Cocktail are classic composition of gin and apricot brandy. Actually apricot brandy is not a brandy, it is so sweet apricot flavored liqueur. The composition of gin and apricot brandy we can found in some famous London Cocktail like Paradise, Claridge orGolden Dawn.

Bermudiana Rose

30 ml gin
15 ml apricot brandy
15 ml grenadine
15 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass.

The Bermudiana Rose Cocktail has bright appearance and taste with palate of apricot and gin botanicals. It is interesting old evening drink.

[Read more →]

Today we drink the real old and almost forgotten cocktail – the Fairbanks Cocktail. The name of this cocktail as Ted “Doctor Cocktail” Haigh supposed origanate from Doug Fairbanks (movie star) or Charlie Fairbank (Amarican politician). Any way it is old but interesting drink.

Actually the Fairbanks Cocktail is variation of famous Martini Cocktail with two dash of creme de noyeaux – French almond liqueur. I use the substitute of creme de noyeaux – amaretto (Disaronno Originale – Italian almond liqueur).

Fairbanks Cocktail

50 ml gin
20 ml dry vermouth
2 dash orange bitters
2 dash creme de noyeaux
Stir in a mixing glass with a lot of ice, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

The taste of Fairbanks Cocktail is great. The dry and herbal taste with great orange palate with a hint of sweet almond. It is very interesting evening cocktail.

The Pimm`s #1 is old and famous premixed bottled drink which make with gin, herbs and liqueurs. The recipe of this liquor is secret. This beverage was created by James Pimm – the owner of an oyster bar in the City of London, near the Bank of England.

The Pimm’s Cup is traditional english summer drink. The simple version of Pimm’s Cup is:

Pimm’s Cup

45 ml Pimm’s No. 1
Sprite or 7-UP
Build over ice in collins glass. Garnish with herb borage, or cucumber spear and green apple slice.

The Pimm’s Cup is so interesting refreshing drink with great taste of gin and herbs.

Also I try more complex version which I found in very interesting book menu of The Merchant Hotel (Bar Book Vol. II by Sean James Muldoon). The Part 1 and 3 also interesting.

Pimm’s Cup (Courtesy of Pimm’s Oyster Bar, London, circa 1840’s)

50 ml Pimm’s No. 1
20 ml fresh lemon juice
10 ml cane syrup
1 coin fresh root ginger
chilled seltzer
Muddle ginger, then add all ingredients except seltzer. Shake hard and strain into an ice-filled cup (glass), then add seltzer.

This version of Pimm’s Cup has more complex and very refreshing taste with great palate of sour-ginger and herbs.

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.