Introducing “Scientist McGee’s Annual Cocktail Menu: 2011 Edition” – Now you can play along at home with the Scientist!
Posted: January 22, 2012 Filed under: alcohol, bitters, Cocktail Book, Cocktail recipe, cocktails, drinks, liqueur, liquor, mixed drinks, mixology, spirits | Tags: absinthe, Angostura, Aviation, Benedictine, bitters, brandy, Brigadier, Campari, chartreuse, Cherry Heering, cocktails, creme de violette, dry vermouth, Ernest Hemingway, gin, grapefruit juice, green Chartreuse, Harry Craddock, Havana, lemon juice, lime juice, liquor, Manhattan, maraschino cherry, maraschino liqueur, Margarita, Martini, orange juice, Peter Heering Cherry Heering, pineapple juice, rum, rye whiskey, Savoy Cocktail Book, Sazerac, scotch, simple syrup, St. Germain, sweet vermouth, Tanqueray, tequila, The Last Word, triple sec, Vanilia Vodka, vermouth, whiskey, whisky Leave a commentWelcome to 2012, the second year of Scientist McGee! This blog was created on March 6, 2011. It’s hard to believe that it’s only 10
months old.
I’ve had a lot of fun along the way, trying new drinks and sharing them with all of you! All of you have been really nice and supportive, excited to see what new concoctions the Scientist would post next. It’s fun enjoying the drinks and it’s also fun to document them so that I can refer back to them later on, but it’s obviously a whole lot more fun to do, knowing that my friends and some like-minded strangers are actually reading it and getting a kick out of it too!
So thanks a lot for having fun with me, and I hope you tag along for some more cocktails in 2012 as well.
To celebrate the close of the first year of the Scientist McGee blog, I’m starting what will hopefully be an annual tradition – a recap of the cocktails shared on the blog in that year, in “Cocktail Book” form!
Click on the 2 links below to access a printable version of all the cocktails (except for one bad vodka drink I choose to forget, and therefore removed) from the Scientist McGee blog in 2011. The book is separated in to two documents, and put together make a very handy guide that I hope you all will enjoy. (Makes a great gift too – ha! ha!)
Scientist McGee’s 2011 Cocktail Menu COVER, TABLE OF CONTENTS and MEASUREMENTS
Scientist McGee’s 2011 Cocktail Menu
Thanks, and cheers!
SMcG
Yellow Chartreuse
Posted: November 27, 2011 Filed under: alcohol, bitters, cocktails, drinks, Food and drink, liqueur, liquor, mixed drinks, mixology, spirits, whiskey | Tags: 1 Cocktail, 2, 3, Angostura bitters, Aurora's Bed, Benedictine, chartreuse, Cloister, dry vermouth, Fine & Dandy Cocktail, Fine and Dandy Cocktail, gin, grapefruit juice, green Chartreuse, lemon juice, lime juice, muddle, Mujer Verde, Old Fashioned, rye whiskey, saffron, saffron-infused simple syrup, San Francisco, San Francisco cocktail, simple syrup, sugar cube, triple sec, water, whiskey, Yellow Chartreuse Leave a commentWell, I did it… I bought my first bottle of Yellow Chartreuse. Green Chartreuse is one of my favorite things, so I’ve been intrigued by it’s yellow sister for a while now and knew that sooner or later, I’d bite the bullet and need to reunite these siblings. I must say, I really like the yellow Chartreuse as well. But not nearly as much as it’s powerful counterpart of the green variety. Chartreuse is a pricey liqueur (around $55-60 a bottle). While I really like the yellow Chartreuse, a milder, sweeter, less potent (80 proof, as opposed to the 110 proof of the green) version of the liqueur, I don’t know if it’s really worth the price for my budget. The green variety is worth every penny, plus some, in my opinion. I’d probably pay $100 a bottle if I needed to, and for some context, I’ve never paid more than the price of green Chartreuse for any other liquor. But to be quite honest, I don’t know if I’ll rush to the booze merchant, to pony up the money for another bottle of the yellow stuff, when I run out. I don’t think that this’ll be the only bottle I own, but I also won’t be heartbroken if my bar goes some months without it. At this point at least (and I’ll be the first to admit that my mind might completely change, 360 degrees, by the time I reach the bottom of this bottle, as often my taste does during the course of just a 3 ounce cocktail), I don’t think the price tag justifies treating it as a staple in my bar. Nevertheless, I’m enjoying it quite a bit while it lasts. And I’ve mixed up 4 drinks using the yellow stuff, and 2 of which I love! So, who knows what the future holds! Following, are four drinks that call for yellow Chartreuse, one drink I made just because I loved the name, one 100% classic cocktail, and the last one just because I wanted a drink that called for Benedictine and the drink’s named after one of the best cocktail towns in the world. Enjoy!
“3, 2, 1 Cocktail”
I found this drink, and “Aurora’s Bed” and the “Cloister”, all from a blog called “Cocktail Virgin Slut” (http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/) – what a great wealth of cocktail recipes! This drink, the 3, 2, 1, was the first drink I tried with my new yellow Chartreuse. This was a nice and smooth drink, and I did notice that the yellow Chartreuse was indeed sweeter, more floral and smoother than the kick, bite and punch of the green Chartreuse.
1.5 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
Stir well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/)
“Mujer Verde”
This drink was delicious! It reminds me a lot of the “Last Word” (https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/trips-back-and-forth-to-the-booze-merchant/), one of my favorite cocktails! I must love the combination of green Chartreuse with lime juice – they go so well together!
1 oz. gin
1/3 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
1/2 oz. green Chartreuse
1/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse
Shake well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lime.
(“The Art of the Bar”)
“Aurora’s Bed”
For this drink, I made my first infused simple syrup – a saffron-infused simple syrup. To make this, I followed the basic recipe for making simple syrup… equal parts sugar to water, and boil (https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/dashes-and-splashes/). But the water I used had saffron left in it overnight. What I did was use 6 threads of saffron for a quarter cup of water. I placed the saffron threads in the cup of water and let it sit out overnight. The next day, I used this water to combine with sugar and boil to make the simple syrup – very easy!
I then used this saffron-infused simple syrup to make the “Aurora’s Bed” cocktail. It was a very good drink… sweet, sour and herbal. But even though making the saffron-infused simple syrup was easy to make, it took some time, and so I don’t know if I can honestly say that this drink was worth the effort.
2 oz. gin
1 oz. saffron-infused simple syrup
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse
Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with lemon or orange.
(http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/)
“Cloister”
Here’s yet another fantastic drink! I love this one! The herbal taste of the yellow Chartreuse mixed with the tartness of the grapefruit is delicious. A top notch cocktail! (I am a huge fan of grapefruit juice in my cocktails though.)
1.5 oz. gin
1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
1/4 lemon juice
1/4 simple syrup
Shake well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon.
(http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/)
This drink was OK. I only made it because I was attracted to its name. It’s just a very sour drink with an orange twist (kind of tangy though unfortunately). A little simple syrup might help out, but still a decent drink.
1.5 oz. gin
3/4 oz. lemon juice
3/4 oz. triple sec
1 dash of Angostura bitters
Shake well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(“Savoy Cocktail Book”)
“Old Fashioned”
One of the most classic of all classic cocktails – the “Old Fashioned”. It’s pretty wonderful… a very nice way to drink whiskey as an alternative to just whiskey and water. Sugar, bitters, water and bourbon – excellent! This recipe is based upon the one Matt Seiter featured in Feast magazine last month.
2.25 oz. whiskey
1/2 oz. water
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Angostura bitters
3 ice cubes
Muddle the water, sugar cube and bitters. Add whiskey and 2 ice cubes, stir. Add 3rd ice cube and serve.
(http://www.feaststl.com/recipes/article_29fd5cc4-ffe4-11e0-902b-0019bb30f31a.html)
“San Francisco”
This is just a random drink I found in my “Bartender’s Bible”, as I was looking for a new drink that called for Benedictine. It’s an OK drink… a bit too sour for me, but then again, I’d be totally content to have another one if someone made another one for me. Ha!
1.5 oz. whiskey
1/2 oz. Benedictine
1 oz. lemon juice
Shake well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(“The Bartender’s Bible”)
The Off-Season
Posted: November 6, 2011 Filed under: cocktails, drinks, Food and drink, liqueur, liquor, mixed drinks, mixology, spirits, Uncategorized | Tags: baseball, Benedictine, Bobby Burns, Can-Can Martini, Cardinals, chartreuse, cocktails, dry vermouth, gin, green Chartreuse, Jewel Cocktail, orange bitters, Savoy Cocktail Book, scotch, St. Germain, St. Louis Cardinals, sweet vermouth, vermouth 1 CommentIt’s been nearly a month since my last post, and I don’t have a lot to show for it. I wondered today why that was. And it’s pretty much because our hometown baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, have been in post-season play… October baseball. As you may have heard, the Redbirds won the World Series. In St. Louis, virtually all of every day life slows down a bit and takes a back seat to post-season baseball when the Cardinals are playing in it. Restaurants that aren’t pizza joints or bar and grills take a hit because people aren’t going out and spending time enjoying nice dinners. Evening meetings and classes either get cancelled or they get cut very short, by speeding up the agenda. Weekend chores get delayed to free up afternoons in front of the TV. And me taking the time to look through books for new cocktail recipes and spending the time in the kitchen preparing them and taking a photo of them takes a backseat as well.
St. Louis is historically a beer town, and the Cardinals are one of the only things that trumps beer around here. So as the days went on and games continued, my beer drinking did the same. So if I wasn’t cracking open a beer, I certainly wasn’t spending the time necessary to find new cocktails to try. I was instead mixing up the quick and easy standards that I’d made many times before.
So now that October baseball is finished, we all find ourselves with a lot more time on our hands. We have our evenings and weekends free again, so to speak. There’s no more rushed, quick 2-minute commercial breaks while watching the game. I once again have the time to peruse cocktail books while relaxing in the evening. I have time to pause the TV and mix up a special drink. I have time to sit down and post these drinks on to the Scientist McGee blog.
“Jewel Cocktail”
I found this drink in “The Savoy Cocktail Book”, and under its entry, Harry Craddock added a note that said, “A medium-dry, fast working cocktail.” “Fast working cocktail” can be used to describe any drink that calls for the 110-proof Chartreuse, and this is a great drink for lovers of the liqueur. The Chartreuse definitely takes center stage, while just being “watered down” by the gin and vermouth. If you love Chartreuse, as I do, you’ll like this drink. The Chartreuse is balanced nicely with the flavors of the orange bitters and lemon peel, with the gin and vermouth rounding it out with some extra body.
1/3 green Chartreuse
1/3 gin
1/3 dry vermouth
dash of orange bitters
garnish with a lemon peel and a cherry
Stir well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(“The Savoy Cocktail Book”)
“Bobby Burns”
The Bobby Burns is a classic cocktail that can also be found in the Savoy Cocktail Book, but I took this recipe from Dale DeGroff’s “Essential Cocktail”. To be honest, it’s not one of my favorite drinks, but then again, scotch isn’t really one of my favorite spirits. But some times I am in the specific mood for the smoky flavor of scotch, and when I am, this drink is a good one. With the scotch and the Benedictine, it almost coats your mouth like a syrup with a smoky, buttery flavor.
2 oz. scotch
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Benedictine
Stir well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(“Essential Cocktail”)
“Can-Can Martini”
I got this drink from the St. Germain company, and it’s a great way to enjoy the elderflower liqueur. It’s nice & sweet, but dry… like a floral martini. It’s a nice, simple cocktail. It’s good when you want a straight forward gin drink that goes down easily, with the sweet, delicate taste of St. Germain.
2 oz. gin
1 oz. St. Germain
1/4 oz. dry vermouth
lemon peel for garnish
Stir well with ice and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
A Crisp Chill in the Air
Posted: September 17, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Americano, Brigadier, Campari, chartreuse, Cherry Heering, club soda, cocktails, dark rum, egg white, gin, green Chartreuse, heavy cream, hot cocoa, lemon juice, light rum, lime juice, liquor, maraschino cherry, Neyah White, orange flower water, orange juice, Peter Heering Cherry Heering, pineapple juice, Planter's Hotel, Planter's Punch, punch, punch bowl, Ramos Fizz, rum, simple syrup, St. Louis, sweet vermouth, vermouth 2 CommentsSummer’s winding down and there’s now a nice, crisp chill in the air during the evening time. Pretty soon, it’ll be chilly or cold enough to warrant some drinks to really warm the soul. But for now, it’s nice to savor the last few chances we have to enjoy the remnants of summertime. Summertime’s a magical time with long, bright evenings and lots going on around the city. That’s why September-October’s the best time in St. Louis… You get to savor the final fleeting moments of summer, while also enjoying a nice, chilly breeze in the evening time. A perfect balance between the fun summer and the cold winter.
So while an almost unbearably cold time of the year is right around the corner, and soon I’ll be reaching for some cozy whiskey and scotch drinks inside the heated home… For now, I’m enjoying holding on to summer and being on the back porch for as long as I can.
That’s why you’ll only find one “sneak peek” at winter drinks in this post (the Brigadier). For the most part, the drinks featured in this latest post are about as summery as you can get – The Americano, Planter’s Punch (meaning an actual punch shared by friends on a good ole St. Louis back porch Labor Day barbeque), and the Ramos Fizz. It really doesn’t get much more summery than these cocktails. And it really doesn’t get much better in general, no matter what time of the year, than these 3 cocktails. So shake and stir ’em up while you can, because winter’s almost here, and pretty soon we’ll all be sitting on our couches wrapped up in sweatshirts, wrapping our hands around some hot toddies or maybe a Brigadier.
“Americano”
What a tasty drink! Here’s a drink that’s light & refreshing, while still definitely tasting like an adult beverage with its dryness. It’s nice and bittersweet, but not quite so bitter as a “Negroni”. This is definitely a back porch cooler.
1.5 oz. Campari
1.5 oz. sweet vermouth
3 oz. club soda
1 orange slice for garnish
Pour into an ice-filled highball glass and stir, topping with club soda.
(“The Essential Cocktail”)
“Ramos Fizz”
Also known as the “New Orleans Fizz”, this amazing drink dates back to 1888. It was invented by its namesake, Henry Ramos, and I must say it’s a pretty decadent drink! It’s decadent in its appearance, it’s decadent in its taste and it’s decadent in its preparation. This drink calls for 2 things I’ve never used in a cocktail before – 1. orange flower water, and 2. an egg. While using egg whites in cocktails is not uncommon, this is the first time I’ve gotten around to actually using them myself. (I must admit, I was kind of intimidated by the thought of it, but that’s all behind me now.) Since we’re using egg white to add body to the drink, we need to shake it with all our might… much longer than a regular cocktail. Some recipes say “shake it long & hard”, some say “shake it viciously”, some say “shake it for at least one minute, preferably two”. Like I said, I was a little weary of drinking raw egg, so I shook it intensely for about a minute and a half. I shook it so long that my hands were frozen and arms quite tired by the time I was done. A tip for next time would be to wrap a towel around the shaker before beginning. Also, I’ve read some where that one should not be so weary of the raw egg in cocktails because the alcohol, and the citric acid of lemon/lime called for in many drinks, diminishes the chances of salmonella. Anyways, enough about the egg… this drink is quite a drink! It’s a fantastic decadent drink! It’s thick & creamy, sweet & citrus-y! You feel like you’re on top of the world when you’re drinking one of these fellas! I highly recommend treating yourself to one of these. I just wouldn’t recommend mixing it up when you have multiple guests, unless you lift lots of weights and have very strong arms to handle the amount of shaking needed for multiple drinks of these.
1.5 oz. gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1.5 oz. simple syrup
3/4 egg white
2 oz. heavy cream
2 dashes orange-flower water
club soda
Shake vigorously for 1.5-2 minutes, and then pour in to a highball glass with no ice. Top with club soda.
“Planter’s Punch”
I finally bought my first punch bowl set! I’ve wanted one for quite some time, and a Labor Day barbeque seemed to be just the justification I needed to track one down. To break in my new punch bowl, I turned to one of the most famous punches, a classic rum punch called “Planter’s Punch”. I’m especially partial to the Planter’s Punch because one of the legends of its origin points to the early twentieth century in St. Louis. Many people think the punch was created at the Planter’s Hotel in St. Louis in the early 1900’s. Others think it was created by actual planters in Jamaica much earlier. Who knows for sure… I’m content to compromise and hypothesize that perhaps it was originally created by actual planters in Jamaica, and then later popularized in the U.S. at the Planter’s Hotel in St. Louis. That’s good enough for me!
Anyways, it’s a really good drink. Good enough that I could see myself enjoying a whole punch bowl to myself if need be. So I mixed up a batch to bring to our friends’ home, transporting it in a plastic pitcher, and planning to take a photo once I assembled the punch at their home… but it slipped my mind! So unfortunately, I’m sad to say that I do not have a photo of my very first punch. I do however have a picture of the making of the punch, the packaging of the punch and a picture of my new punch bowl set, along with a picture of a Planter’s Punch solo-style in a highball glass. So below, for the mathematically challenged, I’ve listed two separate recipes – 1. a recipe for a single-serving drink, and 2. a multiplied recipe suitable for an 80 oz. punch bowl.
Now since this was my first attempt at a punch, and I was also transporting it to a location in which I wasn’t sure of the set up, I did something I’m not sure I needed to do… Instead of just mixing all the ingredients together in the bowl and then adding a big ice chunk, I shook two servings in a shaker to get the right proportion of water added to the drink from the ice, and then poured them in to the jug. I did this 6 times I think. This way, I knew that whatever the circumstances turned out to be, the drink would taste just right. I’m not sure if this was totally necessary, but it turned out well, so it was worth the extra work of shaking. Again, I guess the theme of this blog post is being exhausted from shaking so long.
Single serving:
1 oz. dark rum
1 oz. light rum
2 oz. orange juice
2 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
1 maraschino cherry or orange slice for garnish
Shake well and strain in to an ice-filled highball glass.
Punch bowl:
11 oz. dark rum
11 oz. light rum
22 oz. orange juice
22 oz. pineapple juice
5.5 oz. lime juice
2.75 oz. simple syrup
Orange and lime slices for garnish
Totals 74.25 ounces, plus the water added from shaking with ice (or an ice chunk added later).
“Brigadier”
And last but not least, the sign of winter coming… The nice, crisp chill in the air that’s such a relief from the hot summer right now will soon turn to blustery, cold winds and ice storms. Let us be prepared – Stock up your cupboards with hot cocoa, whiskey, scotch and Chartreuse!
The final drink of this post is definitely a warmer-upper on a cold winter night. Not only will the hot cocoa warm you up, but there’s quite a kick right away that’ll heat you up… The Chartreuse hits you right away with quite a hot & spicy note, and then fades away in to a dark, rich cherry-chocolate flavor with the Cherry Heering and hot cocoa. This is definitely a drink that’ll keep you company when you’re staying inside to escape the assault of the cold.
1 oz. green Chartreuse
1 oz. Cherry Heering
4 oz. hot cocoa
Stir and enjoy.
(created by San Francisco bartender, Neyah White)
Maraschino! The humble, unassuming supporting actor steals the show…
Posted: July 24, 2011 Filed under: cocktails, drinks, maraschino liqueur, mixed drinks, mixology, Uncategorized | Tags: Aviation, bitters, brandy, chartreuse, Colonial Cocktail, creme de violette, Ernest Hemingway, gin, grapefruit juice, green Chartreuse, lime juice, Luxardo, Manhattan, maraschino liqueur, Mary Pickford, pineapple juice, rum, The Last Word, The Martinez, vermouth Leave a commentI recently made a drink called the Martinez. The Martinez is thought to be the precursor to the modern day Martini. One of the most widely accepted stories about the drink’s origin points to the famous bartender, Jerry Thomas. Jerry was tending bar at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco and made the drink for a gold miner who was on his way to the town of Martinez, CA. The recipe for the Martinez first appears in print in Jerry’s 1887 book, and called for Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth, a dash of maraschino and bitters, as well as a slice of lemon and two dashes of gum syrup. Today, many recipes for the Martinez call for a mix of gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and bitters. And apparently, the great Martini evolved from this drink, to the drink we love of just gin and dry vermouth.
Very interesting story and piece of history, yes, but the thing that struck me the most when making and enjoying this drink, however, was just how important of a role maraschino liqueur plays in the world of cocktails… especially in the world of my favorite cocktails. I originally bought some maraschino liqueur because I’d noticed it in quite a few older drink recipes. I thought of it originally as an essential, but minor character in my drinks. But as I sipped on the Martinez drink I’d just made, I realized how much I’d come to rely on this great liqueur to make what would be an average drink become amazing. I realized that when perusing drink books, the ones with maraschino would jump out at me subconsciensly, because when I see a drink has maraschino, it’s almost certain that I’ll enjoy it. It’s definitely never the leading ingredient, but it’s often the backbone of a great drink. I always seem to compare it to some of the great supporting actors, like Philip Seymour Hoffman. I know that when Philip Seymour Hoffman’s in a movie, chances are I’m going to like it, because he’ll add so much to the movie and sometimes become my favorite character.
That’s what maraschino liqueur is to me! It’s the one consistent through many of the drinks I love and crave. It appears in the Last Word, the Colonial, Harry Craddock’s Manhattan and the Aviation. These drinks are all near the top of my list for favorite drinks, and maraschino liqueur is definitely up there near the top of my favorite liqueurs. So, to celebrate this wonderful liqueur and give it its just deserts, I’m posting one new recipe for my blog (the Martinez), along with all of the drinks that have appeared over the last 9 posts of mine that feature the wonderful Luxardo maraschino liqueur.
Cheers to the maraschino liqueur!
“The Martinez”
A good ole all-alcohol cocktail, that’s indeed nice and heavy on the taste of gin, while being sweeter, because of the vermouth, like a Manhattan.
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
dash of orange bitters
Stir well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
“The Last Word”
from “Trips back and forth to the booze merchant…” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/trips-back-and-forth-to-the-booze-merchant/
In the top 3 of my favorite cocktails – an amazing drink!
Equal parts…
gin
green Chartreuse
maraschino liqueur
lime juice
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass
“Colonial Cocktail”
from “95 degree nights” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/95-degree-nights/
This is my go-to simple, summer evening drink. It’s quick’n’easy to make, and a perfect cocktail.
2 oz. gin
1 oz. grapefruit juice
3 dashes maraschino liqueur
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(from “The Savoy Cocktail Book”)
“Harry’s Manhattan”
from “Harry Craddock says your father smells of elderberries!” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/harry-craddock-says-your-father-smells-of-elderberries/
This is one of the best Manhattan cocktail recipes out there! It wasn’t quite as sweet as a Manhattan made with maraschino cherries, and it tastes silkier and smoother. (The Savoy Cocktail Book suggests shaking the drink.)
2 oz. Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
2 dashes maraschino liqueur
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(based on the “Manhattan Cocktail No. 1″ recipe in the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock)
“Aviation”
from “Trips back and forth to the booze merchant…” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/trips-back-and-forth-to-the-booze-merchant/
This is a great, simple showcase and use of the maraschino liqueur. Very good drink.
2 oz gin
3/4 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice
“Aviation II” (w/ creme de violette)
from “Back in St. Louis” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/back-in-st-louis/
A nice twist on the classic Aviation. The creme de violette adds a strong, floral component.
2 oz gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/4 oz creme de violette
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
“Mary Pickford”
from “Back in St. Louis” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/back-in-st-louis/
This is a classic drink, perfect for summertime. It’s sweet & refreshing without being “candy sweet”, due in large part to the nutty element of the maraschino liqueur.
2 oz light rum
2 oz pineapple juice
1 t maraschino liqueur
1 t grenadine
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(recipe from “The Cocktail Hour”)
“Club Cocktail”
from “Trips back and forth to the booze merchant…” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/trips-back-and-forth-to-the-booze-merchant/
Great drink! It’s a refreshing, summertime drink that’s not too fruity or sweet, thanks to the brandy and the maraschino.
2 oz brandy
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz pineapple juice
2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
lemon peel for garnish
Shake well with ice, and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass… garnish with the lemon peel
“Hemingway Cocktail”
from “Harry Craddock says your father smells of elderberries!” at https://scientistmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/harry-craddock-says-your-father-smells-of-elderberries/
This drink is named after Ernest Hemingway, as it was one of the drinks he would enjoy at the El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba.
1.5 oz. white rum
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. grapefruit juice
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
95 degree nights
Posted: July 15, 2011 Filed under: alcohol, Chartreuse, cocktails, drinks, Food and drink, gin, liqueur, liquor, summer drinks, Uncategorized | Tags: Angostura, bitters, chartreuse, cocktails, Colonial Cocktail, elderflower liqueur, Gimlet, gin, grapefruit juice, green Chartreuse, Gypsy, Harry Craddock, lime juice, liquor, maraschino liqueur, Nevada cocktail, Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice, rum, Savoy Cocktail Book, simple syrup, St. Germain 1 CommentWith summertime being in full, full swing in St. Louis, the lighter, fruit-juice cocktails have really taken center stage at my house. With temperatures rising above 100 and hanging in the 90’s after sunset, the Gimlet is a great refreshing back porch quencher. And so are the Colonial, the Gypsy and the Nevada… all drinks I really enjoyed over the last couple of hot weeks. These cocktails aren’t just great drinks because of the summer heat and their refreshingness, but also because each of these drinks is a stand-alone hit. Each of them had very well-balanced flavor combinations and were as fun to sip and savor, as they would have been to gulp down whole.
“Colonial Cocktail”
This drink was so good… a tarter tasting “fruit juice cocktail”. I really haven’t had grapefruit juice in a long time, and one day, got the itch to start making some grapefruit cocktails. I guess it was flipping through “The Savoy Cocktail Book”… there’s several drinks in there with grapefruit. I’m glad I got the itch… it’s such a great taste for a cocktail. There’s something unique about grapefruit juice to me… always has been… it’s not like other juices. That’s why I think it lends itself so well to cocktails. It’s such a unique taste to begin with, that it makes a perfect partner to the unique taste blends of cocktails. This drink grew on me so much that I think I made it four nights in a row. And that rarely happens. I like having different drinks almost every night, very rarely ever making two of the same drink, two nights in a row. So four nights in a row was quite the confirmation that this was a drink would become a regular in my rotation.
2 oz. gin
1 oz. grapefruit juice
3 dashes maraschino liqueur
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(from “The Savoy Cocktail Book”)
“The Gimlet”
The Gimlet, in its original recipe… with the Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice. So simple… so good… so refreshing! I wish I had a jumbo Gatorade Cooler full of it. I guess it’s for the best that I don’t.
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
“The Gypsy”
Even though, my favorite Chartreuse cocktail, The Last Word, is one of the most refreshing drinks I can think of, I don’t normally think of Chartreuse when I’m thinking of a “refreshing summertime quencher”. However, it once again works well in this refreshing, sour cocktail. The St. Germain really balances out the Chartreuse, sweetening up the drink by muting the Chartreuse a little. In fact, the St. Germain mutes both the Chartreuse and the lime juice, making for a very nice, balanced and refreshing cocktail.
1.5 oz. gin
3/4 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. green Chartreuse
1/2 oz. lime juice
1 lime wheel for garnish
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(from St. Germain Cocktails: http://stgermaincocktails.wordpress.com/ )
“Nevada”
I’m very lucky to have stumbled across four such great summertime cocktails in the past couple of weeks. The fourth great cocktail that I loved is called “Nevada” and is in one of the first cocktail books I bought, called “The Art of the Bar”. The recipe may not look like much on paper, but again, the balance between the ingredients is so good! Or maybe, I just really, really like grapefruit juice in my cocktails?
1.5 oz. rum
1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
1/3 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
1 dash of Angostura bitters
1 lime wedge for garnish
Shake well and strain in to a chilled cocktail glass.
(from “The Art of the Bar”)