So there once was a group of college kids who had various bottles of booze and a drink-bible. Out of the combination of these, many things were attempted and a few were so awful as to be memorable. At the urging of a so-called friend, here’s my (lazy) attempt to recreate one of these: The American Beauty cocktail.
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Since last we met, my dear reader (and you, no doubt, a spam bot), I have ended up back in a climate somewhat colder than one might hope. This forced upon me the not unpleasant task of researching something that would warm my fingers as they grasp the glass and innards as they consume the contents. I’ve been referring to it as the Winter Warmer.
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I usually drink a cup of coffee a day, and it’s decaf at that. However, I find that if I don’t have any caffeine, come early afternoon a slight headache develops. Perhaps its all in my mind (can you really be addicted to decaf?! I know it still has some caffeine, but come on…), but today was one of those days where the morning flew by and suddenly it’s 3pm and I’m rubbing my forehead. The weather has turned warm, and it’s rather hot in the sunbeam (sorry Ohioans), so I was in no mood for a cup of coffee. My backup plan: Coke! It’s also Friday, and I’m at home just finishing some web updates, so the perfect time for a drink.
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Let the following be known:
- This is all AE’s fault
- This drink is horrible. Do not attempt at home.
- It looks worse in person. It tastes much worse.
Ok, now that we have the warnings out of the way, allow me to present:
Cardinal
- 2 oz white rum
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz amaretto
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- 1/2 tsp grenadine
- slice of lime
Combine all liquid ingredients and shake over ice. Pour into old-fashioned glass and garnish with lime slice.
I recently acquired some apricot brandy and have been on the lookout for cocktails that used it. The first few attempts haven’t been worth the time but the Golden Dawn is kind of fun. Most recipes call for Calvados (an apple brandy, of which I have no real substitutes) but it’s also sometimes made without. Given what I have on hand, I mucked about with it a bit and here’s how I’ve been serving them.
Golden Dawn
- 3/4 oz gin
- 1/2 oz apricot brandy
- 1/2 oz orange juice
- a dash or two of grenadine
Combine all ingredients except the grenadine and shake with ice. Pour into a cocktail glass and drop the grenadine in. It should sink to the bottom of the glass for nice sunrise effect.
Some folks garnish with an orange slice or cherry, but I prefer without. This is a simple drink, I’d love to try it with an apple brandy to see if it’s a little more complex and interesting, but as is it’s refreshing, sweet but not terribly so and visually kind of fun. Besides, it’s a rare excuse to use that homemade grenadine.
I hope you’re all having fabulous holidays. Given that I’m now officially someone with an MBA as opposed to someone studying to get an MBA (turned in my final homework last Friday), I’ll try to post a little more often.
Of course, the best way to start is with a request! What follows is a great novelty cocktail for Christmas. Note that “great” here applies to novelty and not to the quality of the cocktail itself. The cocktail is too sweet to drink especially with the large amount produced by the original recipe I picked up. As such, I halved those measurements and the smaller version is what you’ll see here. While I can’t imagine wanting two in a row, it really does taste remarkably like an oatmeal cookie, which is reason enough to add them to the list of things to serve over the holiday season.
On the To Do list: making Advokaat.
Webtender – evaporated milk, eggs, vodka, lemon, sugar, vanilla extract
Recipezaar – egg yolks, extra fine granulated sugar, vanilla extract, brandewijn (Dutch brandy)
eGullet – egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, dutch brandy, water
Bigosbar – scroll down for: eggs, sugar, vanilla essence, vodka
A lot on my plate – egg yolks, sugar, evaporated milk, lemon juice, brandy
Brew Plus – scroll to end for: fine sugar, vanilla pod, water, egg yolks, vodka
As per request, I recently embarked upon playing with the Rob Roy. This drink is very simple, pretty much the Manhattan of the scotch world. Now, I’ve made many a delightful Manhattan, and the proportions normally stay more or less the same. Unfortunately, with a Rob Roy, all such bets are off.
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