The Japanese Apple Blossom

While this is not a blossom, it certainly is a delicious drink using Jamie Boudreau's "golden ratio"

1.5 ounces Yamazaki 12 year (or another Japanese whiskey)
3/4 ounces Byrrh
1/4 ounce Caramel Apple Syrup*

Stir with ice for 60 seconds.  Strain into cocktail and float an apple slice atop the drink.

* Caramel Apple Syrup

Well, this is more of a burnt sugar syrup, but it works PERFECTLY in this cocktail.  Take 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 tbsp of water in a pot over high heat.  Whisk together until it's a nice buddy like consistency.  Then wait for the sugar to burn.  This will take about 20 minutes or something.  You'll know it's burning when it turns a deep red color.  This will happen rather quickly.  Don't let it burn too much!  After it is burned, immediately remove from heat, then add 1 cup of fresh pressed apple juice or apple cider.  There will be some sputtering so watch out.  This is why a deep pot is recommended.  Mix until the liquid is a smooth consistency.  Enjoy!

The Wainscot

Here we go...

1 ounce Jamaican Rum
1 ounce Japanese Whiskey
3/4 ounce Lemon Juice
3/8 ounce Orange Curacao (Pierre Ferrand or another high quality Curacao is preferred)
3/8 ounce Macadamia Nut Liqueur (A hazelnut liqueur like Frangelico would be acceptable replacement or maybe even amaretto in a real pinch)

Shake and strain into pre-chilled cocktail coupe.  CHEERS!

Cobblers

So many cobblers!  It's a wonderful summer drink FO SHO.  Drawing from Mr. Jerry Thomas I have worked out my basic cobbler recipe, which can be applied to ANY SPIRIT YOU'D LIKE!  √ it dawgs....

2 ounces Spirit (rum, tequila, whiskey, gin, vodka, brandy, eau de vies, etc...)
1 tsp sugar (or 1/4 ounce 1:1 simple syrup) (any flavor of your choosing!  Have some fun with this)
A couple slices of orange (this is a to taste sort of thing.  I usually take two fairly thin wheels)
1/8 tsp of Maraschino Liqueur

Now take all of this, and shake real good with ice.  You can muddle the orange first, but I feel the hard shake with ice does this just fine.  As we will be garnishing with A TON of fruit and berries in season, it IS optional to also shake with these fruits first if you want a more berriful flavor!

Now some people will tell you to not strain and just pour straight into your glass, ice, fruit and all.  I find this a bit ugly for my taste, especially if you're shaking with your berries.  I double strain into a glass with ice.  However you like it, usually a small punch glass, or brandy snifter, or wine glass or something of that nature.  Even a double old-fashioned will do.  You can do crushed ice, or one big cube, or whatever you like.  Then it's time to garnish with seriously, all of the fruit and fresh berries you can find.  Get good in-season stuff from your local farmers market.  Tuck in an orange wheel on the side.  Cover with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, everything!  Maybe you'll make a fall cobbler with cranberry and apples!  YUM!  Rum or brandy as your spirit, 1/4 ounce cinnamon syrup.  Maybe swap out the maraschino for a good apricot brandy (liqueur not the eau-de-vie).

Your options with the cobbler are really limitless, which is why this recipe really should be a general outline, not the gospel.  Now go on, and preach the word!

Crustas

Since we're on the subject of crustas...  A wonderful and simple drink.  Make it with any spirit.  Brandy crustas and Rum crustas are my other goto's.  I prefer Jamaican rum the best when making the latter.  Like appleton 12 year.  Always make sure to use a high quality spirit, whatever you choose, as this is a drink where your spirit is playing the feature role.

2 ounces Any Spirit (Gin, Rum, Whiskey, Mezcal, Tequila, Eau-De-Vie, etc)
1 tsp simple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp orange curaçao (lately I like pierre ferrand dry curaçao, though there are lots of good orange liqueurs on the market that could sub)
2 dashes bitters (I like to play around with this, but angostura is always a good bet)

shake and strain into a sugar rimmed wine glass.  Take the peel of the entire circumference of a lemon for garnish.   Cheers!

This is a great one btw for experimentation and improvisation.  As you see below, It's easy to take many cocktails and render them in a crusta format!  Let's take the last word.  Equal parts gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse.  Watch this...

2 ounces Gin
1 tsp green chartreuse
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp maraschino liqueur
2 dashes bitters

Blammo, done!  A good way to think about the Crusta is that it's an evolution of an Old-Fashioned.  Instead of just bitters and a sweetener, we're augmenting that with also a bit of liqueur, and just a bit of citrus.  Not enough to make it a sour, just enough to brighten the drink up.  If you're an Old-Fashioned fan, then I suggest you try a Crusta, stat!  Though watch out for those bars that pour in the maraschino, make sure they're making it correctly first!

Manhattan

You can't go wrong with a Manhattan.  It's so simple, but there's endless posibilities for it.  First created at the Manhattan Club in NYC in the 1800's at some point.  Traditionally made with Rye or Bourbon, though there's nobody stopping you from using japanese whiskey, or a great scotish single malt!  Playing around with different bitters/sweetvermouth/whiskey combos is really where it's at with this drink.  Tonight I made myself this...

1 1/2 ounce Corsair Wry Moon (unaged or 'white' rye whiskey.  spicy and incredible)
3/4 ounce Martini & Rossi sweet Vermouth (Italian Vermouth)
2-3 dashes Bitter Truth Creole Bitters

spicy and sweet!  What a great manhattan.  Anyway, have some fun with it, there's no rules, only delicious whiskey :-)  Cheers!

ps - I'm currently making a barrel-aged manhattan at home with an assortment of ryes, vermouth and The Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters!  I'll let you know in a few months how that turns out.

The Newfangled Cocktail

Sometimes an old-fashioned just needs to be ridiculously complicated....

1/2 Ounce Japanese Whiskey
1/2 Ounce Rye
1/2 Ounce Scotch
1/2 Ounce Elderflower Liqueur
1 Dash Orange Bitters
1 Dash Yuzu Bitters
1 Dash Chocolate Mole Bitters

Stir with ice 'till chilled. Strain and serve in pre-chilled double old-fashioned glass with one large lump of ice. Garnish with orange twist, cocktail cherry, and an orchid.

The Great Pumpkin

This one all credit goes to the great PDT in New York.

1 ounce lairds 100 proof apple brandy
1 ounce rye whiskey
1/2 ounce maple syrup (Grade B)
1 whole egg
2 ounces pumpkin beer

shake and strain.

note: You'll want to swirl that beer around first to get out as much as the carbonation as you can. then you'll dry shake (without any ice) first to emulsify the egg. Then add your ice and shake the whole thing as normal. I don't think some fresh grated nutmeg on top would hurt this cocktail one bit ;-)

Thanksgiving Cocktail #1

This is a cocktail I made for the holiday. Combines a few of the flavors we all know and love.

2 ounces rye whiskey (I used Jefferson 10 year)
3/4 ounce fresh cranberry juice (if you use store bought, it must be 100% NO SUGAR ADDED!)
1/2 ounce caramel syrup
1/4 ounce praline pecan liqueur

shake and strain.

For the caramel syrup recipe see my post on caramel syrup! If you click on the caramel syrup tag it should show up (along with other delicious recipes that call for caramel syrup.)

Japanese Maple Cocktail

This is a great one from the Roger Room.

1 1/2 ounce Japanese Whiskey (I used Yamazaki 12 year)
3/4 ounce Lemon Juice
1/2 ounce maple syrup
3/4 ounce egg white

Shake and strain. It's good to do a dry shake (no ice) first to emulsify the egg, then add your ice and do the proper shake. Spray or dash some angostura on top after you've poured. At the Roger room i think they use a 50/50 mix of Bacardi 151 and angostura to spray their logo on top. I'm fine with just the angostura.