Posts from — February 2010

Once per month cocktail fiends band together to create a booze-soaked collection of cocktail recipes for Mixology Monday.  This month’s host is Sonja of Thinking of Drinking, who chose absinthe as the theme.  From Sonja –

The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800s and early 1900s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and it’s future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe.

I drink my fair share of Sazeracs and Corpse Revivers, and for good reason – they’re delicious.  But I wanted a drink that showcases absinthe as more than just a rinse or dash; and rather than going the route of an Absinthe Frappe, I decided to meet absinthe halfway.  So for this round of Mixology Monday, I’ve pulled out a cocktail that uses just enough absinthe to lightly slap you in the face, without knocking your teeth out – the Chrysanthemum Cocktail.

This little fellow is one of the few cocktails that uses vermouth as its main ingredient.  In fact, it uses a hearty two ounces of vermouth. Joined by one ounce of Benedictine and a teaspoon of absinthe, the Chrysanthemum comes together beautifully.  The floral vermouth tempers the strong flavors of the Benedictine and absinthe without being lost in the shuffle.

The Chrysanthemum Cocktail

2 ounces dry vermouth
1 ounce Benedictine
1 teaspoon absinthe

Stir with ice until cold, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a wide strip of orange peel.

Classic cocktails continue to resurface in speakeasy-style cocktail bars in select cities across the country. One such drink is the tequila cocktail, El Diablo, which appeared in Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink as early as 1946.

The cocktail combines the classic pairing of tequila and lime with Creme de Cassis—a sweet blackcurrant liqueur—and ginger ale, which back in the 1940s tasted more like the spicy ginger beer of today.

Here’s a recipe for the Diablo cocktail, as provided by Maestro DOBEL tequila:

El Diablo

1 ½ oz tequila
½ oz Creme de Cassis
1 lime wedge
Ginger beer

Combine tequila and crème de cassis with ice; shake and strain into a chilled rocks glass. Top with ginger beer, squeeze the lime wedge and garnish.

With just a few days remaining before Valentine’s Day, I suppose it’s time to sort through some of these Valentine’s-themed emails.  There are lots of cocktail recipes in the mix, a testament that no matter your date status for the big day, you can always cozy up to a nice cocktail.

A couple drinks to kick things off –

Cupid’s Arrow

1 ½ parts Maker’s Mark
¼ part DeKuyper Crème de Cacao
¼ part DeKuyper Hazelnut Liqueur
Cream or half and half
Bar of chocolate for garnish

Shake Maker’s Mark, Crème de Cacao and Hazelnut Liqueur with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass, and top with a thin layer of cream or half and half. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Aphrodite’s Ambrosia

1 part Maker’s Mark
¼ part Apricot Liqueur
6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Proseco

Stir Maker’s Mark, Apricot Liquor and bitters with ice. Strain into a champagne flute, and top with cold Proseco.

And if drinks don’t excite you on Valentine’s Day, consider opting for a Naked Lady instead.

Ah Valentine’s Day, that special holiday when couples spend money and singles spend time alone.  Whichever boat you’re in this year, you might as well add a naked lady to the mix.

Despite the name, the Naked Lady cocktail is actually quite sophisticated, and an inexpensive Valentine’s date.  It’s  an aperitif with elements of the aromatic (vermouth), the sweet (grenadine, apricot brandy) and the sour (lemon juice).  The result is a well-balanced cocktail with a name that’s sure to up your street cred, like when you tell your friends about your evening at home with five, maybe six naked ladies.

Ingredients:

1 2/5 parts Bacardi Superior Rum
1 2/5 parts Noilly Prat Rouge Vermouth
1/5 part Apricot brandy
1/5 part Pomegranate Grenadine
1/5 part Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon zest

Shake all ingredients until very cold, and double strain that baby into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with the lemon zest.