by Will on September 23, 2010
This is a cocktail that nearly everybody likes. It is one of the more gender-neutral cocktails I’ve come across: it does not come across as particularly masculine or feminine. It seems to have been invented around the time of World War I, so it’s proven itself. This is how I like to make it:
1 1/2 oz. brandy (the real stuff, not that sweetened crap the Hiram Walker sells; I use Korbel)
1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz. Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Stir or shake with ice, serve straight up in a cocktail glass with a lemon slice as garnish
The big question, of course, is which of the grand old liqueurs to use. Both are much better than a generic triple sec. Cointreau makes more of a crisp, sweet sidecar, while Grand Marnier makes it less sweet and a bit more complex. Last night I tried making it with equal parts of the two, and I have to say I think I like that best.
I’ve heard the claim that this should be made with cognac rather than brandy. If you have more money than you know how to spend, then sure, I’ve no doubt that’s a little better. But it seems like a waste of money to me.
Incidentally, I used to live a few miles from the place where Cointreau is made. It was one of the city of Angers’s few claims to fame, along with the fact that the kings of England used to reside there back in the Plantegenet era. But there’s so much history every place in Europe that they dwell on it less than I do.
by Will on September 15, 2010
When I was young, I recall that Tom Collins mix was something frequently in the fridge, competing for space with the orange juice and whipped cream and the like. So it was inevitable that I would try a Tom Collins at some point. I like them, and moreover they’re one of several good ways to wean people off of vodka (boring!) and on to gin (it actually has a flavor and scent — imagine that!).
In the day, by which I mean, late 2009, there was Schweppes Tom Collins mix at most stores. You just mixed it with gin and there was your Tom Collins. But then, for reasons unknown, Schweppes discontinued it’s mix. But that’s OK, because fresh ingredients make a better drink anyway.
1 1/2 oz. gin
1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Mix ingredients, serve in Tom Collins glass on ice, topped off with club soda
The name Tom Collins comes from a weird joke that was popular in New York in 1860 or so. You’d run into someone and tell them that Tom Collins had been talking a lot of smack about them. Then you’d tell them that Tom Collins was hanging out at the bar around the corner. So your victim would go looking for a non-existent person. What is supposed to be funny about that, I’m not sure. There was not a lot to do back then.
by Will on September 7, 2010
If I could only ever have one single cocktail, it would be the Rob Roy.
1 1/2 oz. Scotch
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
2 generous shakes of Angostura bitters
Serve on the rocks in an old-fashioned glass
This drink is the Manhattan’s mellower cousin. It was invented shortly after Dewar’s Scotch whiskey started being distributed in the US to the general public. Before that it was only rye, bourbon, and maybe Canadian whiskey. Coincidentally, there was, around the same time, a successful Broadway production of Walter Scott’s novel, Rob Roy.
As with Bonnie and Clyde and Jesse James, the historical Rob Roy was a murderous, thieving scoundrel, about whom almost nothing good can be said. For reasons having to do with literary conventions, people like to romanticize the doings of violent thieves. In 80 years, Bernie Madoff and the Sniper of several years past will somehow probably be remembered as folk heros.
Above: Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg sing “Bonny and Clyde”
You’ll notice that this drink has a taste reminiscent of coca-cola. I think that’s no coincidence. Angostura bitters were a popular product, and its not surprising the drug dealers who made Coke would want to ape their distinctive taste.
There’s a lot to be said about Angostura, actually, but I’ll save that for another time.
Some people say this is a fancy drink and calls for a high-end scotch. I think that’s totally crazy. If you have a really good scotch, drink it neat or with soda water, to really savor it! The Rob Roy tastes great with anything better than Ballentine’s. Caveat: avoid Cutty Sark, despite its cool label.
by Will on August 29, 2010
This drink is on the sweet side, which I think is what most people are looking for in a drink, especially those who are just getting started.
The Benicia Cocktail:
1 1/2 oz. London dry gin
1 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Italian blood orange soda
1 dash grenadine
Combine the gin, vermouth, and soda in a mixing glass. Stir with ice. Add the dash of grenadine to the cocktail glass. Serve straight up with a cherry garnish.
Yes, cheapskates, Gallo vermouth and Rose’s grenadine will do just fine. Don’t you dare sub vodka for the gin.
This cocktail is my variation on the
Bronx cocktail, a classic cocktail created more than 100 years ago back east, and very popular in the day. The Bronx is a great drink that I often serve to people who say they don’t like gin and/or vermouth, because it tends to cure people of their irrational fear of both, in one fell swoop.
I tried to keep with the spirit of the original name by naming this drink after a peripheral city in the metropolitan region I live in. Benicia has no zoo, but boasts some very pretty sites and a community of interesting artists.
Fun Fact!: there was a time when Benicia was the capital of California.
by Will on August 25, 2010
Above: the visible hand
This is a drink that’s good when it’s quite hot out.
- 1 oz. gin
- 1 oz. Campari
- 1 oz. sweet vermouth
Serve on ice, with a lemon peel garnish
Supposedly the name comes from an Italian count named Negroni, who liked to order this at his local cafe. Orson Welles was a big fan. The key ingredient is the Campari, a very bitter Italian aperitif, which Jen describes as tasting “like vomit.” I disagree.
True confession: when we were camping, and didn’t have any sweet vermouth, I tried doing one of these with red Gatorade instead. It tasted just fine.
