The Daily Tippler

and where are we going?

So, I am a little late to the game in summing up the Aughts, but I thought I’d throw my two cents in anyway. A lot of people are looking at the past decade as the resurgence of the cocktail. To be honest it probably had it’s impetus fifteen years ago and didn’t really crossover till about five years ago (if you remember the decade started with Red Bull and Vodka, which was quickly followed by a wave of flavored Martini’s).  What has happened over the past five years has been nothing short of tremendous. I’ll try to illustrate what I mean by using David Wondrich’s book, “Imbibe,” as an example: It was published in 2007 and some things are all ready out of date. When Mr. Wondrich was writing it he refers to real Holland Gin as virtually impossible to find and now it is everywhere; along with a slew of other ingredients brought back by the popular demand of Artisanal Barkeeps and their ever more discerning clientele. Just think only a few years ago Absinthe was illegal and know we are distilling the stuff.

Absinthe, I kind of feel it has become the last touchstone of the aughts. It was supposed to be the next big thing and, while it has an immeasurable importance in recreating old recipes, it has not succeeded in becoming the ‘it’ Spirit. Unlike Gin and Whiskey which have clearly beaten vodka back for the role of dominate cocktail base.

So, if not Absinthe then what? Personally I think that the Speakeasy fad has run it’s course and we are going to see more singularly focused bars; led by the likes of Rum & Tequila. All ready established bars like Mayahuel and Roneria Caracas are leading the pack and the former Eastside Company will soon become a Tiki bar. In the long run, dare I say it, Vodka may even make a come back.

The following recipe is the only serviceable one I found that features Rum & Tequila. One expects most efforts to mix these two would occur at Frat Parties. But this one comes from the 1937 “Cafe Royal Cocktail Book.”  Published by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild it is fairly useful  in that an encompasses everything civilized people were drinking during US Prohibition.

The Mexican Eagle:

-1/4 Jamaica rum
-1/4 French vermouth
-1/2 Tequila

Combine in a shaker over ice and serve in a chilled cocktail glass.

Some of you may have heard the news this week that the Pegu Club on Houston Street was cited by the NYC Department of Health for serving drinks with raw egg. Well, actually they were cited for not informing customers that drinks had raw egg in them. Of course that doesn’t really make sense because it is stated on the menu. The story is a little muddy, but you can read it for yourself: NY Times.

Personally it sounds to me like the Health Inspector had one too many $13 MarTEAnis and needed a way to expense it back to the Department; that’s your tax dollars at work.

A few years back  I remember talk of the ban on runny eggs in New Jersey; I’ve definitely had runny eggs in NJ, so I’m not gonna get too worked up about this. Enjoy!

Big Bad Wolf:

-1 oz. Brandy
-1/2 oz. Orange Juice
-1 oz. Egg Yolk
-1/4 oz. Grenadine

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice  and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

As a matter of some explanation; the reason I disappeared from Cyberspace some months ago was motivated by two factors. The first was the Yankees 27th World Series run. The second was that it is really hard to get back to something when you get out of a rhythm; like going to the gym or dieting.

With the NY Jets one win from their first Super Bowl in over 40 years I offer this cocktail as an homage and good luck to my other favorite sports team. The nice thing about football is that it consumes far less time than Baseball.

Gang Green:

-1oz. Chartreuse Verte
-1oz. Pernod
-1/2oz Maraschino
-1/2oz. Dry Vermouth
-2 oz. Seltzer
-Peychaud Bitters

Combine ingredients, except seltzer, in a shaker over ice and strain into an ice filled high-ball glass. Top with seltzer and Peychaud Bitters. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Part of the reason there has been no update of this space since September 25th of last year is because, when you go away it is hard to know what to say when you comeback. Do you just carry on like nothing ever happened? Or do you offer some long drawn out explanation/apology for your absence? In my case I don’t think either makes sense. It’s not as though I have some massive fan base that has been missing me. On the other hand I do feel some responsibility to provide Tippling ideas for seasonal changes and major events/holidays; of which I have now missed many. 

So instead of apologizing I will offer something I found to be more instersing:

While I was out for over 3 months, from September 26th to January 6th, The Tippler had 164 unique visitors from 24 countries including first timers: Estonia, Namibia and Japan, to name a few.

While I am sure 164 visitors is equivalent to a speck on the head of a pin in Internet terms I take some pride in it. I do almost no promotion for the Blog  and I only know people in about 5 of the 24 countries. This means that someones, somwhweres were searching for somethings I am offering. It’s amazing what the Internet does when you’re not looking…

Round the World:

-1/2 oz. Gin,
-1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
-1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
-1/2 oz. Brandy
-1/2 oz. Orange Juice
-1 dash of absinthe.

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Bourbon & Ginger Ale is a really simple but great cocktail. But in the interest of better blogging; try making your own Ginger Ale.

Ginger Ale:
yields 14 ounces

-4 Teaspoons Ginger Juice
-1 Tablespoon Sugar
-2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
-10 oz. Cold Club Soda

Stir Ginger Juice, Sugar & Lime Juice in a mixing glass until Sugar is dissolved. Add Club Soda and chill.

Horse’s Neck:

-2 oz. Bourbon
-Ginger Ale to fill

Build in a high ball glass over ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.

This is by Duggan McDonnell of Cantina in San Fransisco, California

Californiafied Ramos Gin Fizz:

-2 oz. Gin (a low proof Gin like Plymouth)
-3 oz. Two Percent Milk
-1 Small Egg White
-1 Teaspoon bitter Orange Marmalade
-1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
-3/4 oz. Agave Nectar Syrup (1 part water to 1 part nectar)
-Seltzer to top

Combine all the ingredients except Seltzer in a shaker without ice. Remove the spring from a Hawthorne strainer and add it to the shaker. Cover and shake vigorously for at least 2 minutes. (Shaking without ice will emulsify and aerate the drink). Remove the spring add ice and shake vigorously again, for a minute this time. Strain into a champagne flute and top with Seltzer.

A once forgotten cocktail from an underrated borough; The Bronx was ranked number three in “The World’s 10 Most Famous Cocktails” in 1934. What happened? It was a rival to the Martini and it appears as though the Martini won, but The Bronx is making a comeback.

The Bronx Cocktail:

-2 oz. Gin
-1/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth
-1/4 oz. Dry vermouth
-1 oz. Orange Juice
-Dash Orange Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail class and Garnish with an Orange Twist.

Today’s recipe is the one that got me drinkin. That’s not exactly true; but I was trying to trace back the roots behind my interest in Tippling and before I met this drink I was mostly a Frat Boy Drinker (i.e. Beer, Wine, Shots and the occasional Vodka Martini or Rum & Coke). There is nothing special about the recipe below and I have only ever seen it at my local bar; which has, in fact, changed the recipe from the one that caught my palette some years ago.

The Academy Roberts:

-3 oz. Maker’s Mark Bourbon
-Juice of 4 Lemon Wedges
-Splash of Orange Juice
-Dash of Grenadine

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Serve in an ice filled Highball glass garnished with a cherry and a lemon wedge.

Since I had all this Calvados lying around from last week I have been playing around with it a little. Here is something that I think came out pretty good.

Calvados Collins:

-2 oz. Genever
-1 oz. Apple Juice
-2 Barspoons Calvados
-1 Barspoon Maraschino

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Serve on the rocks in a highball glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

I have a friend who likes to do shots of Calvados. Not really my thing, but I wanted to come up with something that features the taste of the Brandy itself a little more. So I came up with this Vodka punch that features Calvados, the recipe should yield about 30 drinks.

Fall Punch:

-1 Liter vodka
-1/3 Liter Calvados
-2 Liters Apple Juice
-1 Liter Seltzer
-1/6 Liter Simple Syrup