Stir with ice. Lowball with big ice.
Extra-dry and complex.
Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large cube, and garnish with an orange twist.
I was inspired by Phil Ward's Tequila Gumption, and I decided to cross it with the American Trilogy by replacing the reposado tequila and mezcal duo with bonded Bourbon and apple brandy. Utilizing a Mr. Potato Head swap seemed like a perfect tribute to Phil, and I dubbed this the American Gumption.
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.
I was inspired by Ezra Star's Martini-like When the British Came to Spain with hints of two sweeteners and a citrus juice, and I mashed up a Martini with the classic Havana Cocktail of gin, apricot liqueur, Swedish punsch, and lemon in that style. For a name, I kept the names of the two source drinks in mind and dubbed this the Siege of Havana after the events of 1862 that were part of the Seven Years' War.
Shake; double strain; coupe; garnish.
Mint syrup instructions: 225g:225g simple + 5 grams blanched mint leaves; blend and strain and then add 1oz peppermint extract
quick correction, its 1.5 oz gin
Fixed, thanks! Added the mint garnish mentioned at the source as well and clarified quantities for the syrup.
Cut the mint syrup back to 2/3 oz and was still a touch too sweet, but nice nonetheless
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.
When I was writing up the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.'s Lonely Holiday for the blog, I recalled how I taught a co-worker a few days before about Phil Ward's Cornwall Negroni. Soon, I plotted out a mashup of the two concepts. I kept with the Franklin's song title drink names and dubbed this after the Clash's Lost in the Supermarket.
This one grew on me as I sipped it, which added another half star, bumping to a 5--I really wish we had a 10 point scale since the gap from 4 to 5 can seem more significant than it really is. There is a lot going on in this drink and the Laphroaig 10 yr sets just the right peat note to make it all work together. The cocktail is rich in sweetness and flavor up front, balanced by the peat, and backed by extended orange & grapefruit bitterness. The apple is there in the background and there is some rich wine flavor from the vermouth/amaro. I am not sure where one flavor ends and the other begins, but like a restock grocery run during the worst of the pandemic, there is a lot to unpack.
Muddle the sage leaves lightly with a splash of vermouth and a 1-inch lemon peel. Add other ingredients. Stir 40 seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cocktail olive.
Infused with California bay laurel, thyme, saffron & cocktail onion.
Stir, strain, coupe
Senza Finne is a local amari producer and the Autum expression is notable for including mushrooms along with the more typical root and bark. Makes for a nice almost savory drink.
Stir with ice, strain into chilled Nick & Nora or other cocktail glass.
This recipe has been adapted to modern tastes by doubling the gin, and cutting the other components by 1/2 while holding their relative ratios the same. This is still a sweet, fruity, lush drink--an indulgence. The original 1 : 1 : 1/2 : 1/2 ratios were rather sweet while this version has some alcohol heat. If this seems too spirit-forward, try 1.5 : 3/4 : 3/8 : 3/8 -- in some ways I found this latter the best balance of the three ratios I tried, but I was using Tanqueray. A lower proof gin might provide a better balance at 2 ounces.
St. Raphaël Rouge drew me to this cocktail. It is a richer/more fruity quinquina than Dubonnet or Byrrh and I sometimes find it a preferable substitute for those in cocktails that "just aren't doing it for me." Unfortunately, it is not readily available in the U.S. at this time so I have been ordering bottles from the UK.
This drink is featured in Spanish barman Antonio Josa's excellent 1933 "Cocktelera Universal" and the spelling is retained here. The original proportions are 1 gin: 1 St. Raphael: 1/2 peach brandy, and 1/2 Creme de Cassis. The original proportions make for a very rich drink, not unusual for the time. I increased gin and decreased others proportionately.
By 1947 Pedro Chicote's "Cocktails Mundiales" had changed the same-named drink considerably into a gin/Grand Marnier/cherry brandy mix.
"Cocktelera Universal" by Antonio Josa, 1933.
Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass with clear sphere of ice. Garnish with thin spiral orange twist on sphere.
I was looking for a way to balance the assertive cinnamon/clove sweetness of Alchermes and felt it could stand up to Riga Black Balsams. The song Black Hole Sun was going through my head the whole time. I tried the mix first with Linie Aquavit, but that was too potent/peppery. I dialed back with Ahus Akvavit and replaced part of it with Comoz Vermouth which added some balancing sweetness and white wine.
Unfortunately, there are several Black Hole Sun cocktails already, but the name and presentation were too good to give up, so I noted the Riga (Latvian) inspiration in the name.
Note that the amaro is Heirloom Alchermes, not Heirloom Pineapple Amaro that the ingredient selection defaults to. I don't know if there is a way to separate them. Alchermes is an ancient class of liqueur, with a deep, dark red due to cochineal bug used as dye. This American made version uses an extract from the bug (per the label), and has an intense cinnamon and clove, with some other spices, vanilla and rose. Alchermes is rich and Italian versions feature in some confectionery recipes.
I have added the ingredient Alchermes as an herbal liqueur, and the brand Heirloom Alchermes to the ingredient list so that I could enter the correct ingredient. Please let me know if there are any problems.
Shake as you prefer, (I use a reverse dry shake), double strain onto a single big rock and garnish with peychauds bitters and dried chamomile flowers.
A great way to trick reluctant drinkers into ordering a scotch cocktail. Chamomile and Meletti love each other. Honey syrup can be reduced for those that like it less sweet.
Adapted for our spring menu from a workshop sidelined chamomile scotch toddy.
Curated to correct Smoked Paprika to regular Paprika, White Port to Port, and relocate the poster's preferred brands to the ingredient notes for historic accuracy.