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.