Posts from — October 2009

The classic Aviation cocktail is simple, well balanced and refreshing, plus it’s crafted with ingredients that one can easily obtain: gin, fresh lemon juice and maraschino liqueur.

Like many classic cocktails, history of the Aviation’s origin is a bit cloudy, but according to David Wondrich’s Imbibe, the recipe was first printed in 1916 in Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3 dashes maraschino liqueur

Directions:

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a twist of lemon.

The word “scofflaw” applies to one who flouts the law.  During the dark days of Prohibition, this term was a popular one, thrown at those brave, thirsty souls forced into hidden speakeasies by their own government.

With a disapproving nod to the west, Harry’s New York Bar in Paris created the Scofflaw cocktail in 1924, giving a new, tasty meaning to the term.  Traditionally composed of rye, dry vermouth, fresh lemon juice and grenadine, some modern interpretations have substituted Canadian blended whiskey for straight rye and Chartreuse for grenadine.  I prefer to stick with the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces rye
1 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce grenadine

Directions:

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Created by Jim Beam descendant and late Beam master distiller Booker Noe, Booker’s is part elegant bourbon and part fire whiskey.

Wanting to bring bourbon back to the way it was crafted around the turn of the century (that’s the 19th century), Booker Noe produced this barrel-proof (bourbon goes into the barrel at about 125 proof), uncut, unfiltered monster of a bourbon that, under the watchful eye of Booker’s son, Fred Noe, now clocks in at a whopping 130.1 proof.

But despite it’s high alcohol content and unfiltered approach, which leaves the appearance a smoky amber color, Booker’s is surprisingly smooth.  It has intense aromas of smoky oak and vanilla, and a complex taste of fruit, oak, coffee and more vanilla.  The pleasant, lingering finish is clean oak and rye.

Final Thoughts
Booker’s is one of the finest bourbons I’ve ever tasted, but it’s not your every day kind of bourbon.  A strong, complex spirit, the real accomplishment is how Booker’s manages to retain so much flavor amidst all that alcoholic heat.  It’s definitely one worth trying, and for my money, it’s the best bourbon among Jim Beam’s small batch lineup.

Proof: 121 – 130.1, depending on the year it was bottled
Price: Approximately $50

The Rob Roy is basically a Manhattan that uses scotch instead of rye.  It was named after Robert Roy MacGregor, the Scottish Robin Hood of the 18th century.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces scotch
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions:

Stir with ice in a mixing glass.  Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.

The Negroni is similar to an Americano, but more stout, as it adds gin to the Americano’s sweet vermouth and Campari. While the Negroni is an aperitif and meant to stimulate the appetite before a meal, too many of these guys on an empty stomach will have you falling off your chair. 

1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari

Stir with ice in a mixing glass.  Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange peel.