corpse reviver number 2

snow falls outside and the winter is upon us. it's not that we didn't know it was coming, we just didn't expect it to arrive like this . . . which makes me think of a favorite mark twain quote: "a thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes." how true; and this drink delivers just that.

it's citrusy, tart, with an anise finish that'll leave you ready for more. easy to drink, tread lightly on this one, it will wake you from whatever slumber may befall you.

the corpse reviver number 2:

3/4 lemon
3/4 lille blanc
3/4 cointreau
3/4 gin (preferably beefeater, but use what you've got.)
2 dashes absinthe

shake. serve up. garnish with an orange peel.

enjoy.

hot toddy

"the seasons change, the world's a bit older . . ." or so says sam owens. we're officially in fall, and i can barely swallow thanks to a cold i picked up somewhere along my travels. so, for the blog this round we look at a drink that's good for what ails you. along the lines of tea, but with booze, this is a beautiful way to finish a night after a long day of work and a lot of cold weather. the hot toddy:

2oz couvosier (or rum, brandy or whatever else suits.)
lemon
cloves
cinnamon
honey

add booze, a bit of lemon, a bit of honey, cinnamon, and slice of lemon with cloves - top with hot water.

as they say in egypt "fee sahadak!" (the egyptian version of 'cheers')

enjoy.

sazerac

in my last post i spoke of an upcoming trip to the east coast upon which i intended to meet up with friends and have new memories to enjoy over my cocktails back in london. well, the trip was a success and how appropriate that it was predicated by a new orleans based cocktail, as i met some of the friendliest people one could meet who have spent years in that part of the world. you could argue this is a stripped down version of a la louisiane (although it may be more appropriate to say a la louisiane is a dressed up version of this.)

the sazerac - there are claims that it's one of the oldest cocktail recipes around, and it can be tracked back to new orleans, louisiana. the french quarter, piano bars, tulane university. God bless that city.

sweet on the tongue, but tamed by the absinthe and lemon duo, special care must be taken when concocting this fine bit of alcoholic delight.

the sazerac:
1 sugar cube
4 dashes peychaud's
1 dash angostura
2 oz rye
absinthe

in a glass, drizzle a small amount of water over a sugar cube.
add bitters and mash sugar cube.
add rye.
break one ice cube then fill glass with ice.
stir

coat a separate glass with absynthe and promptly strain the mixed beverage into coated glass.
garnish with lemon.

another month goes by and another drink alone. but let's not let this month go without a hemingway quote, courtesy of ms. julie barro, queen of u.s. interest rates in san francisco.

" drinking is a way of ending the day.”
-ernest hemingway

i couldn't have said it better myself. enjoy.

a la louisiane

august has come and nearly gone and i haven't had a drink alone in over a month. this is probably a good sign, but it's hard on the blog. in order to get one august post, i've decided tonight's the night. i've gotten one trip to my beloved u.s. of a. in this month, and in just a few days, i'll return for another go on the other coast. new york has the magnificent cocktail bars with the friends to accompany the stop. i can't wait to see my fellow countrymen and raise a glass to the diversity of the u.s.

so, here is a la louisiane . . . undoubtedly a drink from new orleans where the southern belle's accents soothe their rough and tumble brother's ears and where gentlemen and ladies play their part in the tumult and joy of the americas.

the drink is boozy and complex. the rye gives a slight prick to the finish with the benedictine and punt e mes blend rounding the edges to keep the imbiber from pain. absinthe and peychauds finish this delicious drink.

a la louisiane:
1 3/4 rye
3/4 sweet vermouth
3/4 benedictine
3 dashes absinthe
3 dashes peychaud's bitters

stir, up, garnish cherry

enjoy.

the final ward

take the last word, (see last post,) take away any hard feelings and relax. phil ward of the pegu club has created a beautiful modification with this one. where the last word could arguably be too sweet for the common man's palate, the final ward has the proper finish to balance out the chartreuse and lemon. this drink is arguably tangier, but much more potable with the rye giving an earthy finish. i'm not telling you that this will change your life, but it may change what you order next time you see the last word on the cocktail menu.

the final ward:

3/4 rye

3/4 luxardo

3/4 green chartreuse

3/4 lemon

shake, up, no garnish

enjoy.

p.s. luxardo is rapidly becoming my favorite liqueur second only to grand marnier. apparently you can put it on berries in the morning!? that's genius. i wish i had thought of that.

last word

the last word . . . the final say, the ending of a debate? possibly yes, but this cocktail is in no way bitter. sweet on the palate, the luxardo introduces the breadth of cherry liqueur with the green chartreuse providing the sweet. a little lime, a little gin and a whole lot of joy.

i'd recommend this drink for anyone who likes to get the last say, but more importantly appreciates it when the last say brings contentment. few are suitable to imbibe under these requirements, but all can enjoy.

last word:

3/4 lime

3/4 luxardo

3/4 green chartreuse

3/4 tanqueray

shaken, up, no garnish.

. . . preferably backlit for the photo.

enjoy.

fitzgerald

fitzgerald - named after f. scott? that's what i had to wonder after drinking this beauty and imagining the gatsbys sipping away with rich friends.

if i'm honest, i suppose it's really just a gin sour with some angosturra bitters, but why make it sound so boring when it tastes soooo good.

it's great for a hot night . . . this gem will make you pucker a touch and cool off a lot.

3/4 lemon

3/4 simple

2 gin

2 dashes angosturra

shake, rocks, lemon wheel or wedge

enjoy!

the glassware, yes the glassware remains a problem. one day we will find a resolution, until then, we're just drinking.

ramos gin fizz

greatest drink ever? arguably yes. let me tell you why. first off, if you're feeling a little bit tired but you want something to kind of give you a kick, this is phenomenal. secondly, this attribute makes the drink an amazing beverage before or after noon. let's say you wake up and you've just had a rough night where you've stayed out until 4am with friends and now wish you had died, but since you're alive need something to make you feel better: this is the drink for you. alternatively, you've been out and it's pushing 1am and you're soooo tired but you want to keep going without being the guy who's drinking vodka redbulls like it's going out of style: again, this is the drink for you.

the one problem with said drink is the amount of shaking required. if you want a bartender to hate you, this is the best drink to order. if they are busy, they will most likely spit in the cup as they add the ingredients because the shaking required is intense. there are supposedly stories of the bartenders lining up bar backs and cocktail waitresses to shake one of these up and i've actually ordered one, been giving the shaker, shaken myself and then passed the shaker down the bar to be shaken by other patrons who made the mistake of sitting at the bar next to me. it really is quite the drink though and arguably my favorite cocktail of all time. appropriate in the northern hemisphere for this time of year, when the summer requires something cooler, yet frothy and refreshing without just being beer. imbibe of this and you will never want to go back to boring ice cream laden milk shakes because this is arguably the alcoholic version.

and now, without further rambling, the ramos gin fizz:

1/2 lemon

1/2 lime

1 1/4 simple syrup

1 cream

5 drops orange flower water (you can use less than this but this seems like a good measure)

2 beefeater gin

1 egg white

pre-shake without ice, shake with ice, shake some more with ice, shake more if you think you've shaken enough, when your arms stop working, strain into a collins glass with 1 ice cube max, (the one ice cube is a great idea,) top with soda water.

and for all you fancy pants out there, if you let the drink sit for a minute after being strained, the whites will set and when you add the soda water, a creamy head will peak out of the glass. it's so great. you seriously need to try this. but if you decide to make one at home, i'd recommend picking up a paint shaker while you're out acquiring all of the other required ingredients.

enjoy.

the voyager

i quote belle and sebastian, "oh, get me away from here, i'm dying . . ." that quote speaks to my life at so many points over the years. the mid-week finals listen, the hectic work schedules, the quiet nights of too much of oneself. and tonight it's just the weight of the world. unfortunately (or fortunately) i've limited myself to just one beverage on these types of nights, so this one will relax me enough, just to see me off to the land of nod.

here it is, the voyager: of course, it's got a lime wheel, and it's served in an improper glass in the picture, but the glassware is in the works. in the meantime, sit back and enjoy.

the voyager -

3/4 lime

1/2 benedictine

1/2 velvet falernum

2 rum

2 dashes angostura bitters

shake, rocks, lime wheel or wedge garnish

rolls royce

awwww the rolls royce. the car reserved for people with too much money. the type of car that begs you to ask, "pardon me, would you have any grey poupon?" this beauty goes down easy and doesn't linger long. it's refreshing and smooth, probably like a real rolls royce driving through an english meadow.

rolls royce:

3/4 dry vermouth

3/4 sweet vermouth

2 oz gin

1/4 benedectine

stir, up, no garnish

tail spin

so many things that this drink's name could describe . . . the markets . . . the state of the earth . . . the state of my prospects as an interest rate trader in a year's time . . . american politics . . . world politics . . . hmmm. will have to keep this in mind for armageddon.

how would i describe life these days? well, i've had better years than 2010, but i wouldn't say i'm in a full on tail spin. but if there was a drink that could be called that, i'd describe it as cool sweet booze to enjoy in distressing moments. the green chartreuse / sweet vermouth keeps it light, but the finish on the the bitter side. unbelievably nice, the dash of campari with the lemon touches the taste buds in a provocative way. how appropriate for a drink encapsulating a declining situation.

tail spin -

2 gin

3/4 sweet vermouth

3/4 green chartreuse

dash of campari (maybe 1tsp?)

stir, serve up, garnish lemon twist

enjoy!

p.s. yes i know my glassware requires help. baby steps . . .

sabateur

so, i left the office at 11:30pm after wrestling with a lot of bad trading terribleness. straight to bed tonight? no way jose, i have a fully stocked bar courtesy of a good friend with an excellent and very useful arsenal of knowledge with regards to booze. so, i took a picture and sent him an e-mail.

but first, let me tell you the story of how these drinks have come to exist on this web-site. i happen to have a friend who has travelled the world and tasted many fine wines, beers, and cocktails. he may or may not have studied brewing and distilling at a graduate level and he may or may not have stopped by my house for a few days. at which point, i may or may not have decided it was time for me to give him £300 and let him go to work setting up my bar. and alas, i have so many options and so few people to explore them with. so, tonight i make a drink that he not only invented but has shared with me. you can find this drink at the pegu club in new york. don't forget the unicum!

sabateur
2 1/2 courvoisier
3/4 grand marnier
1/4 unicum

stir, up, garnished with orange


boozy deliciousness.

hemingway

Before I receive criticism and am forced to attempt to defend the merits of drinking alone, I will only say that alcoholism is a real problem and very sad when alcohol is abused, but in this context, I am merely sharing the experience of living in a big city that closes super early while working on a stupid schedule . . . and with most good cocktail bars closing at insanely early hours, I have decided that cocktails will now be made at home . . . many times, on second thought most times alone. So these will be one cocktail nights, with posts to entertain you. Enjoy.

The hemingway - not only my favorite author, but one hell of a drink.

3/4 lime
1/2 grapefruit
1/4-1/2 luxardo maraschino
2 white rum (in my case I use havana club)
Shaken and served up with a traditional lime wheel garnish.