The Monkey Gland

13. June 2007 · 1 comment · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stuffed MonkeyThis drink is worth making for its history alone. Still, we’ll start with the recipe and then move on from there.

The Monkey Gland

1 1/2oz (dry) gin
1 oz (freshly squeezed) orange juice
1/4 oz grenadine
1/4 oz Pernod

Shake over ice, strain into cocktail glass and serve with an orange twist. I’ve seen it made 1:1 gin:orange juice and served with no garnish, but if you’re getting the juice from an orange, you might as well use the peel.

As a quick aside, some folks substitute Benedictine instead of the Pernod (I think this was started when Absinthe fell out of favor).
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Simple Mexican Sangria

07. June 2007 · 2 comments · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Sangria is one of those drinks with a thousand variations. While normally the drink is a bit like a red wine fruit salad, this version is much more pared down. I actually came across it in the Wall Street Journal of all places. Now, sangria isn’t my typical type of drink. Red wine and citrus fruits both tend to do bad things to my teeth, so I generally avoid them in any real concentration. This version doesn’t help that, but but one night’s indulgence was certainly worth it.

Simple Mexican Sangria

1 bottle of red wine, preferably Spanish
juice of 6 limes
zest from peels of 2 limes
4 Tbs of sugar

Mix them all together in a pitcher with ice. Wait for it to cool down and either serve as is or through a strainer to remove the zest (depending on how chewy you like your wine).

We forget the ice part, and just chilled the bottle first which was the wrong move. The lime and wine are a little to aggressive that way, but the sugar mellows things out enough to make this an enjoyable drink. As a note, we had medium-small limes, and the proportions came out just fine. Finally, it’s probably easier to zest the two limes first and then juice them as the juicing process tends to tear up the peel.

Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream

30. April 2007 · 1 comment · Categories: Recipes · Tags: , ,

Jeni’s, an excellent ice cream creator out of Columbus serves a simply delightful ice cream which has Maker’s Mark mixed in with butter pecan. It’s heavenly, but the concept isn’t terribly hard to recreate even if you’re a few thousand miles away.

Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Butter Pecan Ice Cream (Breyers is good)
A tablespoon (or three) of bourbon drizzled over the ice cream after serving.

It hardly warrants a posting, but since we’ve been enjoying it so very much, I might as well spread the word. I imagine Maker’s Mark would be an excellent choice for this as they’re bourbon is pretty sweet and mellow already. I just use whatever is handy (and cheap).

Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Chilcano de Pisco

22. April 2007 · 3 comments · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Picked up a bottle of Pisco to try a Pisco Sour and are now looking for other Pisco-based drinks to try? By a strange coincidence, I am as well! This is a much simpler drink, and not as fun as the Pisco Sour, but still enjoyable. I’ve also seen it referred to as simply a “Chilcano.”

Chilcano de Pisco

Pour a shot or two of Pisco over ice into whatever tumbler or highball glass you have handy. Fill with ginger ale. Add in a squirt of lemon juice and a shake or two of angostura bitters. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

As you can see, it’s an exact recipe. The core of it is Pisco and ginger ale similar to a rum & coke. In fact, I’ve seen some recipes that stop right there, and that’s an enjoyable drink. If you’re feeling like you simply must measure things, 6:1 ale to Pisco seems about standard. The lemon juice and bitters make it more fun, but it’s a subtle change. This is a summery drink, which Christy also enjoys sampling.

Bijou Cocktail

29. March 2007 · 2 comments · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Dearest readers, my apologies for abandoning you for so long. I know that all three of you have been wading through posts on spring, squids (scary!) and samosas, tapping your fingers and waiting for the next cocktail. My apologies, but midterms were upon me, and they’re just not conducive to trying new drinks. However, I have a few hours this afternoon where I should be working on homework, and a possible trip to LA is still a few hours off, which really provides a golden opportunity. I’ve been wondering if I could try something with that dusty bottle of green chartreuse, and stumbled upon the Bijou Cocktail.

Bijou Cocktail

1 oz gin
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz green chartreuse
1 (or 2) dash(es) of orange bitters

Stir over ice and strain into a cocktail glass then garnish with an olive and lemon peel.

That’s right, I said an olive. You’ll see recipes that call for a cherry, which was far less brain-bending to my mind, but this drink is all about the olive. Because, my friends, the Bijou Cocktail is a strange and delightful journey. The chartreuse is certainly present, as is the vermouth, as is the citrus, as is the olive. It’s like you invited one friend from each of your very different social circles, and now their all hanging out in your mouth having a delightful time.

Bijou Cocktail

Green Chartreuse is one of those things I’ve had around for years, and I’m always happy to find an excuse to use it. If you have some in your cabinet, then this is worth giving a shot. It’s certainly not something I’d have two of in one sitting, but I’ll be returning to it again soon. The only ingredient I didn’t taste in this was the gin, although I used Plymouth. I’m quite curious to try it again with something a little more aggressive, perhaps Junipero.

UPDATE: The Junipero was, in fact, a terrible idea. Plymouth gin is delightful, as is Beefeater. Christy finds the drink interesting as well, although probably wouldn’t make it through a whole one.

Aviation

01. March 2007 · 4 comments · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , ,

This is the cocktail I most associate with internet drinks, mainly because cocktail bloggers and devotees seem to have revived it in the past few years. While I like an Aviation, it tends towards being a little too sweet or tart to be one of my favorites. Still, the drink is intriguing, so I find myself returning to it. I’ve heard that Maraska instead of Luxardo might alter it more to my liking, but for now I’ve only had Luxardo maraschino liqueur.

Which brings us to maraschino liqueur. If you haven’t before, it’s worth trying but it really doesn’t taste anything like those bright red “cherries” in a jar. There is some cherry flavor, but it’s subtle, and the liqueur is a clear syrup. It’s powerful stuff, which is why I tend to recommend it in moderation.

Aviation

2 oz gin
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/4 oz lemon juice

Shake over ice, garnish with a cherry.

Now, a couple of notes:

  1. use a dry gin. Sapphire works just fine, and I actually like it better than Plymouth in this case. Save the aromatic gins for a martini, the maraschino is just going to fight with them.
  2. Go easy on the maraschino and lemon juice. I see both of those increased in some recipes, and I think they just take over at that point. The lemon juice should be softening and complementing the maraschino liqueur, but not a huge presence on its own. The maraschino liqueur, at least the Luxardo that I have, is powerful stuff. It can easily take over your drink, which really isn’t the point.

Aviation

Note that the above is me breaking a few rules. For one thing, that’s Magellan gin, which looks pretty cool but doesn’t work very well here. Since it works so fabulously in a martini, save it for that. Also, I added a lemon twist, which again isn’t as good as the original recipe’s call for a cherry.

Negroni

01. February 2007 · 8 comments · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , ,

The negroni is one of my all time favorite cocktails. Otherwise known as The Manliest Pink Drink, it draws its stunning color from the key ingredient of Campari. Now, Campari is a hell of a thing and perhaps not for the faint of heart. One of my friends in Columbus would try a sip of my negroni, and consistently pull a face and remark, “I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.” Consider yourself warned.

Negroni

1 oz gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth

Shake with ice and either strain into a cocktail glass (the tradition these days), or over a highball glass with two ice cubes. Garnish with an orange twist.

Depending on my mood, I often mix a classic one (in which case serve in a cocktail glass), but if I want something for relaxing while reading a book, I go for the recipe above and maybe add a couple of ice cubes. Some serve it over ice with a little soda water, and lots of folks add a slice of orange (half a wheel) and/or some orange bitters. Play around and find what you like!

Negroni

Update: this picture is now in use by Wikipedia’s entry on the Negroni!

Oh, and that first taste? Yeah, you may (re: probably) won’t like it. Stick with it, you might just end up with a pink drink you can order with pride!

Christy’s Chocolate Martini

26. January 2007 · Comments Off on Christy’s Chocolate Martini · Categories: Cocktails · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Since I’m apparently posting about drinks I’m not a big fan of, I might as well put this one up. I just don’t enjoy very sweet drinks, although I’m not opposed to the occasional White Russian. That being said, lots of fabulous folks like sweet alcohol, and if you’re one of them, this is for you. Although it’s not a real martini, it’s named after the restaurant and bar drinks that inspired it, and in honor of its greatest fan.

Christy’s Chocolate Martini

1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. Godiva chocolate liqueur
1/2 oz. Bailey’s
1/2 oz. Kahlúa

Shake with ice until quite cold. Strain into a cocktail glass.

It’s that easy, and ridiculously popular. Feel free to add or substitute some Chambord for raspberry flavoring, although I tend to drop the Bailey’s and Kahlúa when I do that. One final note is that I think the Godiva has a poor aftertaste, so it might be worth finding a substitute. Crème de Cacao tends to be a bit thin, but it’s been years since I stocked it so I’ll leave experimentation as an exercise to the reader. Especially since my alcohol is currently relegated to a small space in a relatively small apartment, and new purchases are on an even smaller budget during grad school.

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