The Franklin Cocktail

Obvious, but necessary.  This is my ode to the Franklin Cider Mill in Franklin, Michigan.

2 ounces Lairds 100 Proof Apple Brandy

1/4 ounce Maple Syrup (grade B preferred)

3 dashes any clove forward bitters (I like Miracle Mile Holiday Bitters or Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Bitters)

Stir with ice for 60 seconds.  Strain into cocktail coup.  Express the oils of an orange peel over the drink then slide the peel into the cocktail.

The subtle clove, orange, and maple paired with the apple brandy pretty much make the perfect autumn cocktail.

Cheers!

The Cuba Libre Cocktail

Now before you start correcting me on my use of 'Cocktail' let me EXPLAIN!  Every once in a while, a stroke of GENIUS hits you.  And instead of giving you a long winded explanation, I am going to let this recipe speak for itself.  And I apologize in advance for no pictures, hopefully I will rectify that in the near future.  Until then, ENJOY this cocktail!

2 ounces Demerara Rum (I used Lemon Hart 80)
1/2 ounce Coca-Cola Reduction Syrup*
2 dashes Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters

Stir with ice for 60 seconds.  Strain into cocktail coup.  Cut a long lime peel and express the oils on top of the drink.  You may then slip the lime peel into the cocktail and serve.

RIGHT!?  RIGHT!??!?  I knew I had those Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters hanging around for some reason.  So, here's the reduction...

FIRSTLY, Mexican Coke is essential for this.  You don't want to end up with flavored corn syrup.  Real sugar is the only way to go.  But basically, a bottle of Mexican Coke poured into a pot and simmered on medium heat for about an hour, and you're left with a nice thick syrup.  In my case, i did it a tad too long, so ended up adding a bit of water to make a better consistency for cocktails.  I still would like to make my own cola syrup from scratch, but for now, this is a great and easy way to get that cola flavor into a cocktail without copious amount of herbs and spices and know how.

Cheers!

Pisco Sour

Since we're on the subject of great pisco drinks, here the other classic involving this Peruvian and/or Chilean spirit.

2 ounces Pisco
3/4 ounces Lime Juice
3/4 ounces Simple Syrup
1 Whole Egg White
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine everything EXCEPT the bitters.  First dry shake or shake without ice (I know...it makes absolutely no sense calling it 'dry shake' when you really think about it...).  Then after a good 30 second shake to emulsify the egg white, add your ice and shake again for another 20 seconds.  Double strain int a cocktail coupe and now you can add your bitters on top.  If you're feeling real fancy, try to make a design!  Or do what all the real cool guys are doing now...but your angostura in an atomizer, and make a fancy stencil so you can have a sweet design ontop yo drink!  CHEERS!

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!

Singapore Crusta

I took a Singapore Sling and made it into crusta form.  The results are pretty great!


1.5 ounces Gin
0.5 ounces Brandy
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp Benedictine
1 tsp Cherry Heering
2 dashes angostura bitters.


shake and strain.  ENJOY!

Pegu Club Cocktail

A classic that was once great, then horrible and now great again.  sometime during the 20th century, I imagine as a result of prohibition, curacao lost it's way.  Once more bitter and made with actual bitter orange peels from the Curacao island, it became a sugary artificial orange flavored mess.  The fine folks at Pierre Ferrand made that all better, and now we can enjoy great cocktails like the Pegu Club again!

1 1/2 ounces Gin (I like navy strength)
3/4 ounces Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao Anciene Method
1 tsp lime juice
1 dash orange bitters
1 dash angosura bitters

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.

Autumn Tiki

So this idea came to me when I wanted to make a Tiki style drink, but all with fall flavors. So here we go....

1 ounce Zaya Rum (or another delicious dark rum you like)
1 ounce apple brandy
1/2 ounce pumpkin syrup
1/4 ounce cranberry juice (NOT SWEETENED!)
3/4 ounce apple cider
1/4 ounce lemon juice
1 dash of angostura bitters

Shake with ice, then pour ice and all into glass and serve. Cheers!

For pumpkin syrup recipe check the syrups section!

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 Alvarez Spring Cocktail

Here's a cocktail I made in honor of spring and also my friend Miss Alvarez.

3/4 ounce Gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce strawberry syrup
3/4 ounce elderflower liqueur (use St. Germain... Thatchers sucks.)
6 drops absinthe (1/8 tsp)
2 dashes Lavender Bitters

This drink actually started out as a punch. Punch ratios would be more like...

750ml Gin
750ml lemon juice
750ml strawberry syrup
750ml st. germain
3 ounces absinthe
1 ounce lavender bitters.
1500ml (2 bottles) dry champagne (because what's a punch without champagne?)
Garnish with fruit in season (I'd say strawberry's and lemon slices)


To make strawberry syrup, see the post about fruit syrups.

Grapefruit Nui Nui

This is a twist on a classic Tiki drink that I enjoy.

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh WHITE grapefruit juice (for original nui nui replace this with orange juice)
1/4 ounce cinnamon syrup
1/8 ounce vanilla syrup
1/8 ounce allspice dram
2 ounces amber virgin islands rum (i like cruzan)
1 dash of Angostura bitters
1/2 cup crushed ice.

Flash blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds. Pour ice and all into glass. Or you can just shake it and pour the drink and all into the glass if the blender seems like too much trouble :-)

Check the posts on cinnamon and vanilla syrup for those recipes. If you click the tags below it will show you those posts (along with other delicious recipes containing those syrups!)

Zombie (1950)

This is usually the version of the Zombie I go for. There is an earlier version of it as well that I'll post at some point that is also delicious.

1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce passion fruit syrup
1 ounce light puerto rican rum (use cruzan)
1 ounce gold puerto rican rum (again, use cruzan)
1 ounce Lemon Hart 151
1 tsp brown sugar syrup
1 dash angostura bitters

Shake well and pour ice and all into glass.

151 Swizzle

One of my very favorites.

1 1/2 ounce Lemon Hart 151 Rum
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
6 dashes absinthe (1/8 tsp)

Build over ice and....SWIZZLE!

See my post on cinnamon syrup for that recipe. If you click the cinnamon syrup tag, you'll find that post (along with other delicious recipes that contain cinnamon syrup!)