Science Of Drink

Wild-Strawberry Margarita

30 ml tequila
30 ml wild-strawberry liqueur
40 ml homemade margarita mix
Shake well. Strain into a cocktail or margarita glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Homemade margarita mix – mix equal amouunt of fresh-pressed lime juice, lemon juice, Cointreau and simple syrup. Keep cold.

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The Anejo Manhattan (or, as Robert Hess in his The Essential Bartender’s Guide specifies, MANhattan) was found some time ago at Jay Hapburn’s Oh! Gosh! Blog. As far I could remember I was looking for some interesting concoctions to mix with my new Licor 43. The recipe sounded pretty interesting but I had not mixed it because I had not been in the right mood, you know. But now, when my Manhattan madness is drawing to its close, the recipe is to the purpose.

The Anejo MANhattan Cocktail is a modern cocktail. It was created by a well-known American mixologist Ryan Magarian (Liquid Relations) for Sofitel Hotel Bars. The Anejo MANhattan is a Manhattan with anejo tequila instead of whiskey. Another zest of the cocktail lies in using Cuarenta Y Tres – an interesting Mediterranean liqueur aromatized with vanilla, citrus fruits and local aromatic plants. And the cocktail is an extremely rare chance of using that creation by famous Diego Zamora.

But the Anejo Manhattan has yet another peculiar feature. Originally it was meant to be garnished with a piece of mole salami. Mole salami is quite a scarce sort of cured sausage uniquely spiced with… chocolate (-sic!), cinnamon, ancho and chipotle peppers, produced by Salumi Cured Meats in Seattle. Sounds quite bizarre! Actually such eccentric garnish is a sort of pairing – a modern trend of combining food and cocktails. Unfortunately, mole salami is absolutely out of range in Ukraine so I garnish my cocktail with a traditional cocktail cherry.

Anejo MANhattan

60 ml anejo tequila
15 ml sweet vermouth
8 ml Licor 43
1 dash orange bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir well all ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandy or tequila soaked cherry wrapped up a piece of mole salami or, well, use only a cherry.

Ryan suggests using of quality anejo tequila 100% de agave such El Tesoro or Herradura for this cocktail. I have neither of the two so I use CORRALEJO Anejo.

Well, actually, the Anejo Manhattan is a great cocktail. Aged tequila and sweet vermouth create an outstanding composition which results in quite a well-balanced cocktail. All the ingredients work extremely well together. The liqueur increases vanilla notes of aged tequila and also fruit agave notes. The palate has two main groups of flavor – warm spicy notes of ageing like vanilla, oak and cooked agave and yet a bouquet of sweet fruit, mainly citruses like orange and lemon, notes. Quite interesting, even without salami!

P.S. Regardless of the name, my wife likes the Anejo MANhattan so much. Admittedly it is the only Manhattan which wins her recognition ;)

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The Agavoni Cocktail was founded in The Essential Bartender`s Guide by Robert Hess. Hess specify that this cocktail was created by Bastian Heuser for Mixology Magazine, Berlin, Germany. Actually the Agavoni is Negroni with a tequila blanco instead of gin and with two dashes of orange bitters and grapefruit zest instead traditional orange wheel.

Agavoni

25 ml silver tequila
25 ml Campari
25 ml sweet vermouth
2 dashes orange bitter
Pour all ingredients into ice-filled Delmonico glass and stir to chill and mix. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit.

For my Agavoni I use tequila Corralejo blanco 100% de agave and Cinzano rosso. Also I use Angostura orange bitter and garnish cocktail with lemon peel.

The Agavoni is simple but excelent cocktail. It has bright sweet and bitter taste with great palate of fruit tequila notes, smooth vermouth botanicals and crisp Campari bitternes. This cocktail also has interesting citrus – lemon and orange – notes. It is admirable cocktail!

This entry was inspired by one of my new bottle of tequila – the OLMECA Altos Reposado – one of my new free sample.

Olmeca is a brand of tequila in Pernod Ricard`s spirits list. Now this company launch a new positions – premium tequila 100% de agave in medium price category – the OLMECA Altos. Altos in name of this brand means that agave for productions of this tequila harvested in best regions of the Jalisco – Los Altos (Highland). The point of ALTOS tequila is in using the ancient and authentic Tahona method in producing of this tequila. Tahona is a big millstone for pressing the juice (called tahona liquide) from cooked agave. This tahona liquid added to juice on fermentation. The OLMECA Altos tequila is result of unique partnership between well-known British bartenders Henry Besant and Dre Masso (from Worldwide Cocktail Club) and Olmeca’s own Maestro tequileros Jesus Hernandez. You may get some interesting facts about this tequila, it history ant productions from very interesting short-films.

The OLMECA Altos Reposado produced from 100% blue agave pressed in the Tahona way, distilled in traditional copper pot-still and rested for 6-8 month in small white oak ex-bourbon cask.

Actually the OLMECA Altos Reposado is an interesting and quality product. It is so good tequila with pleasant nose and right tequila taste. The nose of this spirit is complex and so sweet with note of cooked agave and pear and bright citrus note like orange and lemon peel. The taste has medium body with agave notes with a hint of vanilla and some wood in the aftertaste.

This tequila is great cocktail ingredient. I try the OLMECA Altos Reposado in the some my favorite tequila-based cocktails like Margarita or Silver Amour-a-Rita or Tequila Sunrise Straight Up with good results. But the OLMECA propose me one interesting cocktail for familiarity with this tequila. This cocktail is Tequila Mai Tai in fancy trend version with fresh passion fruit.

Tequila Mai Tai

50 ml tequila OLMECA Altos Reposado
15 ml fresh lime juice
10 ml fresh lemon juice
10 ml Orgeat syrup
5 ml grenadine
fresh passion fruit
Shake with a lot of ice. Strain into double rock glass over crushed ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

In original version this cocktail has interesting tropic sour taste. For best results I decrease the amount of fresh passion fruit and grenadine and balance drink with simple syrup.

The Tequila Mai Tai is great tropic drink with sweet and sour fruit and tequila taste. It is admirable cocktail!

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The most cited story about Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail is about California surfer Harvey, who, after losing important competition one day visited his favorite Duke’s Blackwatch bar. He consumed a lot more of the special Screwdrivers (aromatized with Galliano) than he should have and it is causing to bang against the wall. Some people suggest that the idea of adding Galliano into Screwdriver was Harvey’s invention. Than drink and its name born.

Another story of creation the Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail was founded in The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan (also you may read this story on his site – Ardent Spirits.com). The Regan wrote “According to an article in Bartender magazine, by Brooks Clark, the Harvey Wallbanger was created at a party in the mid-1960s in Newport Beach, California. The host of the party was a certain Bill Doner, then a sports editor for a small newspaper, and he found that the only potables he had available to him were vodka, frozen orange juice, and a bottle of Galliano, so he simply mixed them all together. In the early hours of the morning one of the guests, by the name of Harvey was found banging his head against the wall, and blaming Doner’s concoction for his misery. A drink was born.“

Actually seems that both story is advertising tool of Galliano owners in USA. Really Harvey Wallbanger is one of the most famous and popular cocktail of the 1970-s. This drink has own National Day which celebrated November, 5.

Harvey Wallbanger is to similar to one of the famous highballs – the Screwdriver. It consist of vodka, orange juice with float Galliano liqueur on top. The key ingredient of the Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail is italian vanilla and liquorice flavored liqueur Galliano. Now new owner of this brand – Lucas Bols Company – renewed original taste of Galliano in Galliano l’Autentico Liqueur. But I use old Galliano Vanilla for my cocktails.

Harvey Wallbanger

30 ml vodka
60-90 ml fresh orange juice
15 ml Galliano
Build vodka and juice in tall glass over ice. Stir briskly and float Galliano on the top. Garnish with an orange slice or wheel and maraschino cherry (optional).

One of my secret of good Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail is using of “normalized” orange juice. The taste of fresh orange juice is so different time to time but I add some simple syrup in the fres juice for optimal sweet and sour balance.

The Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail is great so sweet citrus refreshing drink with smooth vanilla flavor. It is amazing drink for summer or beach or nightclub.

Harvey Wallbanger has Mexican cousine – Freddy Fudpucker, this cocktail contain tequila blanco instead vodka.

Freddy Fudpucker

30 ml tequila
90 ml fresh orange juice
15 ml Galliano
Build tequila and juice in tall glass over ice. Stir briskly and float Galliano on the top. Garnish with an orange slice.

The Freddy Fudpucker Cocktail has very interesting flavor and taste. The Galliano liqueur enlarge taste and flavor of tequila and it result great drink. It is admirable cocktail.

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