a pomander cocktail

So, I've been taking a bit of a break from work, and the constant pressure of trying to sell you things.  Can I afford to take this break?  Probably not.  But I'm really enjoying it.  And it's apparently kick started my creativity, because:  I.  Invented.  A.  Cocktail!  Yay!  Just for you.  Well, really--for me.  Remember the big pomander kick I was on back in November?  I had a pomander-ish cocktail when I was in NYC, and since then I've tried a couple other cocktail recipes at home that were lovely, but not quite perfect (i.e., not clove-y enough for me). 

So I spent some time in the kitchen on Christmas day tinkering and I present you with:  the Pomander Cocktail!

(serves 2)

*make some clove simple syrup (I used this recipe from Food & Wine; it is quick and easy to make)

*chill two cocktail glasses

*fill a cocktail shaker with ice

*pour the juice of four clementines over ice

*add 3 oz gin

*add 2 oz clove simple syrup

*add 4 dashes orange bitters

*shake until chilled and serve in chilled glasses.  Add slice of clementine for garnish, if desired.

It's delish--and so nice and clove-y!  This is also very good with bourbon, although I think the clove taste diminishes a bit with the bourbon.

Andy got me this amazing vintage dogs in a cocktail bar painting for Christmas.

Isn't it the best?

xo

K

the scofflaw

Yes, it's Monday morning here, but as they say--it's 5 o'clock somewhere!  Thus, I will not hesitate to share with you this, a classic cocktail borne out of Prohibition: the Scofflaw.  In 1923, the Anti-Saloon League offered a $200.00 prize to the person who coined the best term to describe "a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor."  Two different people submitted the winning word:  scofflaw.  As you can guess, rather than becoming a term of shame, Prohibition drinkers embraced it, and almost immediately, a new drink christened the "Scofflaw Cocktail" was born at Harry's New York Bar in Paris.

If you like whiskey sours, you'll probably like the Scofflaw.  It's has a refreshing tang from lemon juice, and a pleasing sweetness and vivid pink color from grenadine.  The recipe I used comes from Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All by Brad Thomas Parsons.

*1 1/2 oz rye or Canadian whiskey

*1 oz dry vermouth

*3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

*3/4 oz grenadine

*1 dash orange bitters

*Garnish: orange twist (I used a lemon peel)

Combine all the ingredients except the garnish in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.  Garnish with the orange twist (or lemon twist/peel).

Cheers!

xo

k

the old fashioned

The Old Fashioned cocktail is the perfect drink for a vintage lover--the name alone!--and it's about as classic as a classic cocktail gets.  It's among the oldest of cocktails, dating back to the day when a cocktail was defined as a mixture of spirits, bitters, sugar and water.  (Those, actually, are the ingredients of an Old Fashioned.)  


I'd tried making Old Fashioneds at home and wasn't happy with the results--too sweet or not sweet enough, not well mixed, and always with a grainy white sugar mess at the bottom.  I'd started to give in to the idea that I would need to have simple syrup on hand to get it right, but my favorite local bartender, Steven at the Viceroy convinced me that all I needed was a sprinkle of brown sugar.  With that advice, and the clear instructions on the Old Fashioned 101 website, I have managed to make an at-home Old Fashioned that makes me happy.

What you need:

*Good quality bourbon or rye (I used Bulleit Rye)

*water

*sugar--simple syrup, or just white or brown sugar

*bitters, ideally Angostura, but orange can be used, too

*lemon or orange twist

Cut off a small piece of lemon or orange peel--either a chunky bit like I did, or a fancy twist.

Put a wee bit of simple syrup in the glass.  Or--even better--put a tiny bit of sugar in the glass.  I used light brown sugar.  That's just a tip-of-a-teaspoon's worth.  Put that in your glass, pour a  little bit of water over it, and stir until the sugar dissolves.  It won't take long at all.

Add two dashes of Angostura or orange bitters.  Or a dash of each.  Then 2 ounces of bourbon or rye, and stir.  Taste this mixture.  You can add a little bit more water if you like, but it will likely be just fine as is, depending on the quality of liquor used.  Twist your bit of lemon and orange peel over the drink, peel side down, in order to spray the essential oils of the peel over the drink.  Add a single ice cube if desired.

Cheers!

xo

K