The recipe of this drink I found on now defunct Martini Republic (if I not mistaken) several years ago. This simple concoction is my “number one choice” for outdoor party all this time.
Kalimotxo
1 part ordinary red dry wine (preferable spanish)
1 part Coca Cola
Build. Plastic bottle. No garnish.
Take 1 litre wine and 2-litre bottle of cola. Pour out about half cola and fill with wine. Chill and drink. Enjoy! (This video will help you to understand real kalimotxo-mood.
Theme of this MxMo is local flavor. Actually it is very interesting for me. I glad to present to you our ukrainian authentic alcohol drink – gorilka. Gorilka is same thing that vodka – strong drink from wheat and rye (in common case grain) rectificated spirit with different aromatic additives such as aromatic spirits from plants, berries and other. The real ukrainian taste of gorilka is unusual and very brave combination of pepper and honey. It is very cool combination I must say.
For MxMo I prepare very unusual cocktail from Honey Pepper Gorilka – Honey Pepper Manhattan. It is coctail for real man with big heart :) And bad appetite ;) It is a joke!
Nemiroff Honey Pepper Manhattan
50 ml Nemiroff Honey Pepper Original Gorilka
20 ml sweet italian vermouth
1-2 drops Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
This cocktail has unique combination of burning pepper and sweet honey taste.
The theme of this MxMo – Rum! Rum is my favorite alcohol beverage now. I have many bottle of rum in my bar and use it every so often. Aspecially I like aged rums and the best cocktail with aged rum – Mai Tai. Mai Tai is most famous tiki-drink, which was invented by Victor J. “Trader Vic” Bergeron. This monumental cocktail has many own lovers and fans. Actually, a properly made Mai Tai is great and potent drink and I want to give some information about my Mai Tai for you!
The basic idea of Mai Tai is “Creating a drink that would be the finest drink we could make, using the finest ingredients we could find.” It is great words!
Cocktail Mai Tai has many variations now. Common I use classic recipe of Mai Tai by Trader Vic:
Mai Tai
60 ml best aged rum
(or 30 ml best aged white rum and
30 ml best aged dark rum)
15 ml orange curacao
15 ml orgeat
5 ml rock candy syrup
30 ml fresh lime juice
Shake all with a lot of cracked ice. Serve in apropriate rock glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime shell, cherry and mint sprig.
Some DOES and DONTS of Mai Tai:
1. Mai Tai is NOT red, NOT blue or green! It contains NO grenadine, NO coconut rum, NO pineapple juice from can! Only fresh squeezed lime juice! Mai Tai has from light to dark brown colour.
2. The garnish is variable. You can to garnish yours Mai Tai with orange wedge and maraschino cherry (flag) (as Jeffrey Morgenthaler), with lime shell and sprig of mint(as Trader Vic) or exotic flower.
3. Use only best aged rums for Mai Tai or blend of the same as.
4. Use only best ingredients for Mai Tai. Good choice is Orgeat by Monin and orange curacao liqueur by Bols or Marie Brizard. Do NOT use Amaretto instead Orgeat, but Cointreau instead curacao work well with some rums.
5. You must use the rock candy syrup in Mai Tai. The rock candy syrup is rich sugar syrup with some vanilla. Personally, I prepared own rock candy syrup. I use this recipe:
Rock candy syrup
100 g white sugar
100 g brown sugar
5 drops of vanilla extract
Mix sugar and boiling water and stir untill sugar disolved completely. Strain syrup in bottle with vanilla extract. Keep fridge.
6. Use only fresh ripe limes for Mai Tai. Do NOT use lime juice from can or something like Roses Lime.
7. You MUST use a lot of cracked ice in shaker for proper Mai Tai. The drink must be very cold. You can add cutted lime shell in a shaker (as recommend a guru of tiki-drinks Jeff Berry) for very smooth and refreshing results.
8. As Jeffrey Morgenthaler wrote “When made properly, the Mai Tai is a smooth, slightly sweet, and potent concoction – and well worthy of our sophisticated palates (heh).” As for me, I think that Mai Tais taste is rich, interesting and bright.
The best rums in my bar are:
VARADERO Anejo 7 Anos
Varadero 7 y.o. is one of my new rums. It has no site in www. Varadero Anejo 7 Years is a rum from Cuba. It is a brown color rum and aged for 7 years. Relatively inexpensive – my 0,7 l bottle cost about 20 USD. This rum has no own site, that is not surprising – rum produced in Cuba. This rum has right rum aroma and sweet, light taste with some molasses and vanilla note. Varadero 7 y.o. is pleasant drink, but no more. Looks like the Varadero 7 y.o. is false Havana Club 7 y.o. – good but not amirable.
Cocktail Mai Tai with Varadero 7 y.o. rum has smooth and very sweet taste, but not interesting. Тhe taste is no very bad, but no good for me. In my opinion this rum is no good choice in Mai Tai (single).
HAVANA CLUB Anejo 7 Anos
Havana Club 7 Anos is the epitome of cuban rum. “The very essense of aged Cuban rum which I am most proud of.” (Don Jose Navarro , Primer Maestro Ronero. Havana Club 7 Anos embodies Cuban rum-making excellence and recognized as one of the best aged rums in the world. (From http://www.havana-club.com)
It is legendary aged cuban rum. The real masterpiece of rum distiller art. Great and sophisticated things. Havana Club 7 y.o. has rich, cognac-like aroma with deep and little smoky aromas of coffee and tobacco. In taste are some molasses, vanilla, chocolate and coffee with dry and woody finish. The rum has refined, complex and rich smooth taste. Actually Havana Club 7 y.o. is one of my favorite siping rum.
Mai Tai with Havana Club 7 y.o. has smooth, interesting sweet taste. The rum taste is so uncertain… Undobtedly is great drink but… But I prefer to add some drops of Angostura bitter in my Mai Tai with this rum for more bright taste.
BACARDI 8
8 years of aging, mellowing and maturing. These are some of what create the rich, smooth and full-bodied flavour of our premium rum. 8 years time to develop into an exeptional rum that embodies the virtues that Bacardi stands for: Craftmanship, Tradition and Passion since 1862. Bacardi 8 Rum – The art of a passionate life. (From http://www.bacardi8.com)
This rum is pride of Bacardi family. First aged rum from Bacardi company is so interesting thing, on my opinion. A good “rum” nose of this rum has some mokasses, vanilla and caramel undertones. The taste is a little harsh and warm, but bright. The aged, woody notes are so ulterior. In taste are fruit tones and vanilla. This so aromatic rum is good on the rocks, but so harsh from snifter.
The Mai Tai with this rum has very sweet taste. The rum taste is so weak and no interesting. As single rum Bacardi 8 is no good choice for Mai Tai.
ANGOSTURA 1919 Premium Rum (8 y.o.)
A marvelous anejo made from a blend of light and heavy molasses-based rums aged for a minimum of 8 years in charred American oak bourbon barrels. Angostura 1919 rum possesses a rich, golden-amber hue with excellent clarity. (From http://www.angostura.com/)
It is great heavy rum from Trinidad. This extraaromatic rum has very rich, big flavor – sweet molasses, vanilla. The fullbodied taste with warm and sweet notes of molasses, caramel, brawn sugar is very pungent. This rum has live, active character and I like it very much! This rum great for siping, especially with some ice.
The Mai Tai with Angostura 1919 has great aroma and very interesting rich and piquant taste. Тне taste is so more sweet, and I recomend to increase amount of lime for this rum. The rich sweet taste of rum play first role in this drink. Exellent cocktail!
EL DORADO Finest Demerara Rum 12 Years Old
Formerly King of Diamonds, this distinctive spirit, aged in oaken casks for 12 years and blended to achieve a smooth strength and rich, full-bodied taste, is a rum of superb colour, full, fragrant aroma; a sure delight to the most discerning drinker. (From http://www.demrum.com)
First of my favorite Demerara rum – El Dorado 12 y.o. Great rum for cocktail or siping. This rum has complex and interesting taste and aroma. The nose is spicy and fruity but with aged notes. Round, full body taste with powerfull notes of fruit, tabacco and orange peel. In aftertaste we feel very balanced aged notes of oak, leather.
Excelent! Very balanced slightly sweet and very refreshing bright taste! Undoubtedly is real and great ingredient for Mai Tai.
MATUSALEM Gran Reserva Solera 15
Matusalem GRAN RESERVA is our crowning achievement. Originally produced over 130 years ago in Santiago de Cuba and known as the Cognac of Rums, this Solera 15 super premium rum is the perfect choice… [] GRAN RESERVA has been Solera aged for approximately 15 years, with the main blender rums carefully united with more exuberent, younger rums, resulting in an exquisite bouquet and flavor.With Matusalem Gran Reserva youre free to indulge your appreciation for the finer things in life. Youll find that GRAN RESERVA is exotic, sensuous, complex,free-spirited and worldly. 15-YEAR SOLERA AGEDSUPER PREMIUM RUM. Gran Reserva has a rich, golden color comparable to those found in the worlds best oak-barrel aged spirits. Its clear, brilliant red and amber tones come from the Solera system of blending young and mature rums in oak casks… [] (From http://www.matusalem.com)
It is one more “cuban” rum. Now Matusalem produced in Dominicana for USA-office. Great old rum produced with unique solera-method of aging. Refined, very balanced nose with note of vanilla, caramel and plums. It look like expensive parfume. Delicate taste with an exceptional bouquet with vanilla, molasses and caramel notes. This rum has very male character. This rum close to Havana Club 7 y.o. and recommend for siping.
The Mai Tai Cocktail with Matusalem Gran Reserva is very interesting and unusual Mai Tai. The taste of rum is no so bright, but cocktail has bright orange taste. Sweet, citrus and very refreshing cocktail.
EL DORADO Special Finest Demerara Rum 15 Years Old
Premier in the range of rums, is the El Dorado 15 years old Special Reserve Rum. This premium product of great distinction is a blend of specially selected aged rums, some as old as 25 years old, blended to perfection by the company’s master blenders and aged in oak casks. To complement this fine product, the rum is packaged in a gold embossed presentation box illustrated with a maritime design, underlying Demerara Distillers’ association with ancient maritime traditions. The bottle, a unique custom designed bottle, was inspired by the shape of the old hand blown flasks used on the banks of the Demerara river, centuries ago, by the sugar planters. (From http://www.demrum.com)
My second aged Demerara rum. It has bright full bodieb taste and rich aroma. In nose this rum has composition of cedar, fruit (banana) and sweet (molasses, brown sugar) notes. Very rich and complex taste with bright notes of oak, dry caramel and tropical fruit. In deep taste we can find very interesting scotch-like smoky notes. Very strong and rich rum.
Great rum – great result. Perfect balanced cocktail with great rum taste.
EL DORADO Special Reserve Finest Demerara Rum 21 Years Old
A Rum of supreme quality. El Dorado 21 year old is an exquisite rum. In this blend of select aged rums, each of the constituent rums is at least 21 years old. Some are much older and can be as old as 25 years. To achieve the superb colour, smooth taste and full fragrant aroma, the rums are matured in 45 gallon oak casks in an ideal natural climate for ageing – within six degrees of the equator on the tropical north coast of South America, blended to perfection by master blenders. This is designed for the connoisseur of rums who has the time to indulge and appreciate the wonders of this creation. (From Demerara Distillers Europe)
Really, this rum is unique masterpiece of demearara plantators. This rum is glorious, admirable drink. Full bodied, high aromatic rum surprise me with extremely smooth and rich taste. Very potent, bright, charismatic rum. The nose of this rum very complex, we can find notes of exotic fruit, leather, cocoa, coffe, molasses, vanilla, brown sugar, orange peel and more! Extremely rich sweet taste has delicious note of dried fruits – raisin, prunes, dried apricots, also aging notes of tobacco in ocean of sweet molasses, caramel, vanilla notes. Long warm and sweet aftertaste with liquorice notes delivering a long lasting sensation. It is realy a Big Rum.
The Mai Tai with El Dorado 21 y.o. is grandiose and fascinated drink. Perfectly balanced, very rich and interesting drink. I do not know the taste of original Mai Tai with Jamaican 17 y.o. rum, but I am sure that this drink no worse.
The theme of this MxMo is Fruit Liqueur. In my liquor cabinet are about 40 bottle of fruit liqueur :) But I have not time to explore this!
I found this sweet french cocktail in Michael Jackson`s Bar and Cocktail Book last summer. This fruity cocktail very impressed me and my guests.
Kirsch and Cassis
60 ml Creme de Cassis
30 ml kirsch
soda water
Shake with lot of crushed ice thoroughly. Serve in balloon wine glass with few large ice cube and add soda.
I interested very much for compose overpowering drink last summer. I try many variations of Hurricane (from 2 oz to 8 oz of rum), Mai Tai, Fog Cutter… But I missed one interesting drink – Scorpion. Is modern classic cocktail was invented somewhere in California (it is right?). It is very refreshing taste and effect like scorpion sting (but no deathful). Unfortunately I don`t have time for good investigation of this cocktail.
Scorpion
60 ml light or gold rum
30 ml brandy
15 ml orgeat
60 ml fresh orange juice
45 ml fresh lemon juice
Blend with a lot of ice. Serve in highball glass with ice, garnish with flag and something like this…
I use Angostura 1919 Premium rum from Trinidad and 100 g of crushed ice. The result is extremely tasty and refreshing.
Hmm… Variations? It is very interesting… I decide to explore one of “real man” cocktail, one of cocktail which no recomend to woman… I explore Long Island Iced Tea, dorks!
A few information about this concoction was found here and here.
Long Island Iced Tea
20 ml gin
20 ml tequila
20 ml vodka
20 ml light rum
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lemon juice
50 ml cola
Shake all ingredients except cola, strain in ice-filled collins glass (400 ml) and fill with cola. Garnish with lemon slice.
It is very “refreshing” drink with a big, nuclear kick. LIIT has some variations, which I try too.
Variations:
Long Beach Iced Tea: Simply a Long Island with cranberry juice instead of Coca-Cola. Named after the city of Long Beach, NY, (not Long Beach, CA, as many believe) which is on Long Island, and is where the drink was invented.
Long Beach Iced Tea
20 ml gin
20 ml tequila
20 ml vodka
20 ml light rum
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lemon juice
50 ml cranberry juice
Shake all ingredients except juice, strain in ice-filled collins glass (400 ml) and fill with cranberry juice. Garnish with lemon slice.
Admirable!
Adios Motherfucker: Also known as a “Code Blue” or “Blue Fucker” due to its azure hue, this concoction is topped with Sprite (or another lemon-lime soda) instead of Coca-Cola and use blue curacao liqueur instead of triple sec (Cointreau).
Adios Motherfucker
20 ml gin
20 ml tequila
20 ml vodka
20 ml light rum
20 ml blue curacao
20 ml fresh lemon juice
50 ml sprite
Shake all ingredients except sprite, strain in ice-filled collins glass (400 ml) and fill with sprite. Garnish with lemon slice.
Another great “refreshers” ;) Has nuclear color, taste and kick!
Tokyo Tea: This libation uses the same liquors as the original Long Island, but is crowned with one-half to one full ounce of Midori instead of Coca-Cola. Also referred to as a “Three Mile Island.”
Tokyo Tea
20 ml gin
20 ml tequila
20 ml vodka
20 ml light rum
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lemon juice
30 ml Midori
splash of club soda
Shake all ingredients except soda, strain in ice-filled collins glass (400 ml) and add of club soda. Garnish with lemon slice.
I feel myself like real japanese after with very “refreshing” drink ;)
Unfortunately, I don`t have health for continuing of investigation and next variations of LIIT I want to try in future after few visit to my hepatologist :)
California Iced Tea: Calls for Amaretto in place of tequila and triple sec and topped with equal parts cranberry and pineapple juices.
Hawaiian Iced Tea: Shuns tequila and triple sec in favor of a full ounce of Chambord, and is topped with Sprite instead of Coca-Cola.
Miami Iced Tea: Reflecting the tropical setting of its name, this fruitier tea shuns triple sec and tequila in favor of Midori and peach schnapps, and is topped with orange juice instead of Coca-Cola.
Caribbean Iced Tea: This recipe utilizes a full ounce of dark jamaican rum, usually Myer’s, in place of tequila and vodka. Like the Long Island, it is topped with Coca-Cola.
Super Special LIT: Apart from the usual Gin, Vodka, Rum, Tequila, triple sec etc, it also includes a shot of Whiskey. The triple sec can also be substituted with peach schnapps.
Georgia Iced Tea: This drink calls for some sweet tea in place of Coke, which is ironic since Coca Cola is headquartered in Atlanta.
The theme of this MxMo is Brandy. Of course I have some bottle of brandy in my bar! But… What about I may post? About Pisco – muscat grape brandy from Chile? No… About Calvados – well aged apple brandy from France? Or about Palinka – plum brandy from Hungary? No, I think no.
Actually I was born and live some time in country which had own history of brandy. Some famous persons such Nikolaj Shustov and David Saradjishvili is well known in the world. Science based production of grape wine spirit brandy called as konijak (pronounced like cognac :) was started on two half of XIX century in Tbilisi, Georgia by David Saradjishvili and Yerevan, Armenia and Odessa, Ukraine by Nikolaj Shustov both. In USSR time Soviet brandy widely exported in many countries and won many international contests. One of great story about Soviet Brandy concerned with Yalta Conference 1945. During this Conference Stalin offered Georgian konijak Eniseli a tasting to the unsurpassed expert and judge of alcoholic beverages, Prime Minister of Great Britain of the time, Sir Winston Churchill, who put Georgian brandy amongst the finest he had ever tasted – even French Cognac! Some people say that it was Armenian brandy, but I think Georgian.
By taste all cognac-style brandy of ex-USSR may consider on three types:
the first group includes very aromatic, high extractive brandy with vanilla undertones, for example, Armenian brandy (Armenijak);
the second group is characterized by low extractive, fresh, light flavor and taste with floral undertones – Georgian brandy;
the third group include harmonious, not so extractive as first group brandy, but so extractive brandy, which produced in Ukraine and Moldova.
Undoubtedly, well aged and authentic Armenian, Georgian or Ukrainian brandy can put to cognac-drinker very interesting experience and, of course, a lot of pleasure.
I have some bottle of this kind of brandy in my home bar:
in photo from left to right:
ArArAt 5***** – by the Yerevan Brandy Company (Pernod Ricard Group), Armenia – great Armenian brandy with golden amber color. It has rich aroma with undertones of fruit, oak, vanilla and cinnamon. The taste of Ararat so extractive, rich with hints of caramel, plum and pear and tart finish with acidic aftertaste. As for me a great note in flavor has unique “penicillin-like” smell…
SARADJISHVILI 5 y.o. – by the Tbilisi Brandy Factory, JSC David Saradjishvili and Eniseli, Georgia – one of my favorite brandy. It has pale-straw color, sophisticated bouquet, and light, very pleasant taste with clearly expressed brandy tones. In cocktail with brandy I use it common.
VARTSIKHE 7 y.o. – by the Tbilisi Brandy Factory, JSC David Saradjishvili and Eniseli, Georgia too. It has a pale golden color, light and considerably developed bouquet with fruit tones and is fresh and harmonious on the palate. As for me the little sweet aftertaste of this brandy is more pleasant from all my brandies.
KOKTEBEL 11 y.o. – by the JSC Plant of vintage wine and brandy Koktebel, Ukraine. It has dark amber color, rich, extractive, oily taste and floral with hint of vanilla flavor.
All of this brandy has so different flavor and taste and, of course, may work different in cocktails.
I use pure classic thing – Side Car as tasting cocktail. I never made this cocktail and never taste it :) That why I try proportions from one of book by Salvatore Calabrese i.e. 3:2:2. I hope Salvatore not was mistaken :)
Sidecar
30 ml cognac-like brandy
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass with sugar rim.
Some my impression:
Common: Undoubtedly perfect cocktail. Strong, no so sweet with bright brandy taste. This thing for real man!
Sidecar with ArArAt 5* – rich taste and very bright and pleasant brandy taste;
Sidecar with VARTSIKHE 7 y.o. – comparatively to ArArAt brandy taste so week and so … defective. Looks like the cointreau and lemon tastes more intensive that brandy.
Sidecar with KOKTEBEL 11 y.o. – rich taste, but little bitter for me.
Resume: High extractive brandy, like Armenian brandy, work well in my Sidecar. In next time I think wotrh to try a real cognac.
One of the most popular afterdinner cocktail of Prohibition,
Angel`s Tit is not so simple as you can think. Complex sweet
and strong taste work well, unusually and wanton appearance
(plus name of course!) make it very male drink.
Angel`s Tit
40 ml maraschino liqueur
20 ml whipped cream
Build in cordial glass, garnish with maraschino cherry. Feel yourself like maffiozo.
This amazing cocktail was winner of ICC 1930 (London).
Nine year later Walter Madigan prepare it without calvados and
won ICC 1939.
I think now it is pure classics, symbol of magnificence of cocktail…
It has complicated taste with undertones of fruits (rape apples, dried fruits, grape,
apricots) and fabulous appearance with little summer sun in your glass.
25 ml gin
25 ml apricot brandy
25 ml calvados
25 ml fresh orange juice
3 drop of grenadine
Shake (without grenadine). Cocktail, drop grenadine for effect of dawn.
This blog is about cocktails and alcohol beverages. Please sip responsibly.
Это блог про коктейли и спиртные напитки. Пожалуйста, употребляйте алкоголь ответственно.
english
русский
VARADERO Anejo 7 Anos
HAVANA CLUB Anejo 7 Anos
BACARDI 8
ANGOSTURA 1919 Premium Rum (8 y.o.)
EL DORADO Finest Demerara Rum 12 Years Old
MATUSALEM Gran Reserva Solera 15
EL DORADO Special Finest Demerara Rum 15 Years Old
EL DORADO Special Reserve Finest Demerara Rum 21 Years Old
