The Rose

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Stars - 3

I counted four cocktails in the list that call for raspberry syrup as an ingredient. In the Resource Guide section of the book, Dr. Cocktail recommends using Smucker’s Red Raspberry Syrup. Mine finally arrived so I present The Rose:

  • 2 ounces dry French vermouth
  • 1 ounce kirschwasser
  • 1 teaspoon raspberry syrup

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

This cocktail originates from the Chatham Hotel in Paris, circa 1920. I am learning that many vintage cocktails were rather small portions, and last night I was just in the mood for a small sip of something so I chose this one.

It’s sweet. It’s real sweet. Almost like a dessert drink. I liked it but Andrea found it too cloying. It did turn out a beautiful rose color, however, and I liked the way mine looked even better than the picture in the book. It was a nice change of pace from the strong rye drinks I’ve been making but I would have to be in a particular mood to make it again.

Rating: 3/5

Notes: Dolin is my default dry vermouth. You should be able to get it in a good wine shop.

Sherry Baby

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Rye, Stars - 4

In Chatham County, NC, where I live, we don’t have many options for cocktails. However, the always excellent Oak Leaf restaurant is usually a good place to go (especially on Tuesdays when cocktails are half price). They recently got a new bartender (more aptly “cocktail chef”) named Justin Peregoy who takes cocktails seriously, and he was kind enough to share his recipe for Sherry Baby:

  • 1.50 ounces Redemption Rye
  • 0.50 ounce Lustau Amontillado Sherry
  • 0.25 ounce orange simple syrup
  • 2-3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Combine the ingredients in a bar glass, top with ice and stir until the glass is completely chilled top to bottom. Strain into a long stemmed glass and garnish with an orange twist.

The menu at the Oak Leaf changes almost daily, as does the cocktail menu, and I make it a point to try every drink they make at least once. This has become harder since Justin joined their team, as he has added a lot more choices. At a recent meal I had his Sherry Baby and quite liked it. It reminded me of Life is Beautiful, but it worked better with lunch.

He writes:

“I love what the sherry does in the drink, acting as a great liason between the liquor and food. A lot of cocktails aren’t great food pairings, but the addition of sherry in place of vermouth in a Manhattan style drink makes this a lovely cocktail to enjoy with a meal. Plus, it is quite simple to make. I should add that depending on what sherry I have available, I sometimes adjust the simple syrup one way or the other to compensate.”

Simple syrup is just that, simple. It is real easy to make, as it consists of sugar and water at anywhere between a 1:1 to a 2:1 ratio. For cocktails you want to be closer to 2:1 as you want it to be richer. The Art of Drink has more detailed information and some other suggestions, and where simple sugar really shines is when you add stuff to it.

Make a batch of simple syrup, get it hot, and dump in a lot of rosemary or ginger, let it soak and then strain. Tasty. In the case of this cocktail I just squeezed in a bunch of orange juice.

This was my first experience with Redemption Rye and it was very nice. It has a super-high rye content (they start with 95% rye) which makes it perfect for vintage cocktails. I also like the Amontillado Sherry but probably because it reminded me of the Edgar Allan Poe story and I just like saying “Amontillado”.

Peychaud’s Bitters is a staple item in my bar. In this case it adds a nice floral component as well as a slight red hue to the drink.

Rating: 4/5

The Scofflaw

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Rye, Stars - 4

Look, gin is nice. I like gin, and gin makes a great base for many a cocktail. But I was getting a little tired of it so I went in search of a non-gin based drink. I found The Scofflaw:

  • 1.50 ounces rye
  • 1.00 ounce dry vermouth
  • 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 0.75 ounce real pomegranate grenadine

Shake well in an iced cocktail shaker, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The term scofflaw is from the prohibition era and was used to refer to someone who “scoffed at the law” and drank frequently at speakeasies. Dating from 1924, it later became synonymous with anyone who flouts laws, usually traffic laws. The drink was invented at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, which stills exists, and now that I know about it I’m unhappy that I missed visiting on my last trip there.

This drink hits all the right notes. Due to the high amount of grenadine it is important to use an authentic variety (I default to Stirrings) and while I still haven’t been able to get my cocktails that contain grenadine to look like those in the book, the Scofflaw is a pleasing color and tastes wonderful. My co-taster, Andrea, who is not a huge cocktail drinker, took the first one. I gladly made another for myself.

Rating: 4/5

Notes: Used Templeton Rye and Dolin Dry Vermouth.

Have a Heart Cocktail

Tarus Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 3

Vintage cocktails can call for some odd ingredients. Several in the book reference a liquor called Swedish Punsch. My friend David was kind enough to swing by Binny’s last time he was in Chicago, so I had some on hand and was eager to try it. The first drink I made with it was the Have a Heart Cocktail:

  • 1.50 ounces gin
  • 0.75 ounce Swedish Punsch
  • 0.75 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 0.25 ounce real pomegranate grenadine

Shake well in an iced cocktail shaker, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge

Swedish Punsch is a liqueur popular in Nordic countries but based on a stronger liqueur from India called arrack. The word “Punsch” is supposedly based on a Hindi word for five, referring to the number of ingredients (alcohol, sugar, water, lemon/fruit and tea/spices) although it is now believed that the word came to Swedish from English.

The drink itself is nice. Gin and citrus are almost a cliché, so the real differentiator in this drink is the Punsch. It adds a sweet component with just a hint of spice. The drink dates from the 1930s, so it is a real vintage cocktail, and while I liked it, I really can’t give it any higher than 3 stars. It’s a solid 3.5 but I’ve decided against giving out half stars, so …

Rating: 3/5

Orange Tincture

Tarus Ingredients

In my research into vintage cocktails you sometimes come across an ingredient that simply can’t be purchased anymore. In those cases you either search for a substitute or make one. As part of a recipe I need something called “orange tincture”.

  • Fill half of a jar with dried orange peel
  • Fill remainder of jar with high-proof vodka (such as Smirnoff Blue Label)

Let sit for two months. Strain and filter

So it looks like I can proceed sometime toward the end of January.

This isn’t unusual. As I was visiting the Oak Leaf restaurant the other day I noticed that Justin has several “science experiments” going on at the bar.

Sometimes that true vintage experience takes time.

UPDATE: Two month later, it was ready to be filtered:

The liquid had turned a dark orange color, but it seems that the dried orange peel really soaked up the vodka. Out of a Claussen pickle jar I only got a little more than a cup:

While I was expecting about twice as much, I can adjust my recipe to deal with it, but it is something you should think about when making this.

The Jack Rose Cocktail

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Stars - 1

When you have a bar in your living room, you end up collecting bottles of spirits. Some are gifts, some are random purchases and some end up there when people move and don’t want to ship the bottles, etc.

Thus I have no idea how a bottle of Captain Apple Jack ended up in my collection, but I figured I’d use it in the Jack Rose Cocktail:

  • 1.5 ounces applejack
  • Juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon – about one ounce)
  • 2 or more dashes of real pomegranate grenadine

Shake well in an iced cocktail shaker, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime or lemon wedge

This drink was just wrong. It was so wrong I made it twice to try and figure it out and it was still wrong.

The first problem I noticed is that the drink I made looks nothing like the color in the picture from the book. Mine was a pale peach color while the “proper” Jack Rose should be, well, rose colored. Since the ingredients are few, I may have messed up on the amount of grenadine, so I researched and found that a “dash” is often referenced as 1/8th of a teaspoon. I figured maybe I didn’t use enough.

The first drink I made I used lime juice, and the second problem I noticed was that all I could taste was the lime juice. In the second drink I used lemon juice and more than a 1/4 teaspoon of grenadine (2+ dashes, just to be sure). While it helped the color slightly, all I could taste was the lemon.

According to the Wikipedia version of this recipe, I would up the applejack to 2 ounces and the grenadine to half an ounce. This is probably more accurate.

The problem might be with the applejack I used. From the book, applejack was “the first natively distilled spirit in the colonies that would become the United States”. While technically a brandy since it is made from a fruit base (apples) it is supposed to taste more like apple whiskey than brandy. It was invented by William Laird in 1698 (talk about vintage) and there is still a brand of applejack called “Laird’s” that is available at Binny’s.

Captain Apple Jack is the only applejack I can get in North Carolina with the exception of Carl’s Carolina Applejack Moonshine, which might be worth a shot.

Still ain’t gonna be rose colored, though.

Rating: 1/5

The Straits Sling

Tarus Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 4

Andrea works in a larger city than where we live and they have an ABC store that stocks a greater variety of things. Last night she brought home a bottle of Bénédictine (which I would have to order locally) and so I decided to make a cocktail that featured it: The Straits Sling.

  • 2.0 ounces gin
  • 0.5 ounce kirschwasser
  • 0.5 ounce Bénédictine
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • soda water

Shake everything but the soda water in an iced cocktail shaker. Strain into a sour glass or champagne flute. Fill with soda water. Garnish with a cheery, an orange wheel, a lemon twist … go crazy

One of my first cocktail memories is from a now defunct Chinese restaurant in Raleigh, NC, called Hang Chow. My friends and I would often go there for Sunday brunch and have a Hang Chow Sling. This was a sweet, fruity, decadent take on the famous Singapore Sling, which happened to be the only “sling” cocktail I had known.

The origins of the Singapore Sling have often been contested, but dutiful cocktail historians have tracked down what they think is the original, which is presented here. It is called the “Straits Sling” because under British rule Singapore was part of the Straits Settlements. One key difference is the use of clear kirschwasser instead of cherry brandy.

My version didn’t turn out to be the same color as the author’s and I’m not sure why. It was much paler, and perhaps his “dash” doesn’t equal mine. I found the drink to be very refreshing, and I would probably want to go with it versus, say, a Gin and Tonic on a hot day. Andrea didn’t like the way it finished, so I got to drink most of this one.

Rating: 4/5

Notes: Gin: Bombay Sapphire.

Park Avenue Cocktail

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 4

In my previous post I was lamenting the fact that I had returned from a trip and while I wanted to try a new cocktail, I was out of fresh fruit which limited my choices.

The next morning I was eating breakfast, which for me usually consists of fruit. As I was finishing off a container of pineapple that I had sliced, Andrea pointed and said, “hey, didn’t you need pineapple juice for your cocktail?”

Thus I present the Park Avenue Cocktail.

  • 2.0 ounces gin
  • 0.75 ounce pineapple juice
  • 0.75 ounce sweet vermouth
  • 2 tablespoons orange curaçao

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and then strain into a cocktail glass.

When planning on making this drink, I didn’t realize that I was entering in to a huge debate on “orange liqueurs”. The problem I had was that it is not possible to buy orange curaçao in North Carolina. It simply isn’t on the State’s price list. So I started wondering if I could substitute something else.

Orange curaçao is originally from the island of Curaçao in the Caribbean. It was made from the peels of the bitter oranges that the island produced, and often it was mixed with another spirit such as brandy. This is in contrast to triple sec, which tends to just be the orange liqueur, and it also tends to be clear. The most common high end brand of triple sec is Cointreau which has already been featured here, but I was wondering if I could substitute something else for the orange curaçao, such as Grand Marnier.

From what I could find on-line it seemed that Grand Marnier, which was originally called Curaçao Marnier, would do nicely as a substitute. I was all ready to proceed when I stumbled upon the section of the book on the Satan’s Whiskers Cocktail. Apparently it comes in two versions: one made with orange curaçao and one with Grand Marnier, which seems to suggest a noticeable difference. From the book:

“Perhaps one of the reasons people express a preference for the Grand Marnier variety is that they’ve never had really good curaçao. Marie Brizard makes one, but it tastes to me more like Grand Marnier than a classic curaçao. Top-notch Gabriel Boudier Orange Curaçao from France can be ordered from U.S. sources, and it isn’t expensive.”

In any case, since I can’t get his recommended brand of curaçao (the one by Gabriel Boudier is apparently only easily available in California) nor Senior Curaçao, which is still made on the island. I’m going with Grand Marnier when orange curaçao is needed and I think it will still be authentic. Yes, not far into this experiment and I’m already disagreeing with the author, but so be it (there is another cocktail I’m all ready to disagree about but for various reasons that will have to wait until New Year’s Eve). At least I can find the Senior Curaçao at Binny’s so I’ll be sure to get it the next time I’m in Chicago and see if it really makes a difference.

Now, back to the cocktail. The book says the recipe is from New York City in the 1940s. When I first tasted it, Andrea asked me if I liked it and I had to reply “I don’t know.” Sometimes that first sip can be confusing, in part because I have an idea of what the drink should taste like in my head and often it doesn’t match what hits my tongue. She tried it and liked it a lot, and on subsequent sips I found I liked it as well. It’s fruity without being overly sweet. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough left over pineapple juice to make another, so being the chivalrous man I man, I let Andrea drink most of it.

But then I did buy a pineapple at the store today …

Rating: 4/5

Notes: Gin: Bombay Sapphire. Vermouth: Carpano Antica Formula

Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 5

I had just come back from a trip to Germany, and even though my body was supposed to be at four in the morning, I found myself a little too wired to sleep. I figured a nice cocktail would be just the thing, but since I’d been gone for a week I had no fresh fruit in the refrigerator. Going through all of the recipes in the book I kept getting stymied due to a lack of lime, lemon, orange or even grapefruit juice.

Then I found the Lucien Gaudin Cocktail.

  • 1.0 ounce gin
  • 0.5 ounce Cointreau
  • 0.5 ounce Campari
  • 0.5 ounce dry vermouth

Stir with ice in a mixing glass and then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Lucien Gaudin was a famous fencer who medaled in the three Olympic Games in the 1920s, so this is a true vintage cocktail.

When I read the ingredients, I figured this might just be the Boulevardier with gin, but I was wrong. This is a wonderful libation, slightly sweet with a nice tangy flavor. I used my favorite dry gin, Bombay Sapphire, and my favorite dry vermouth, Dolin. The sweetness of the Cointreau is offset nicely by the bitterness of the Campari.

Now I want to experiment by adding Cointreau to the Boulevardier – maybe call it the Gaudin Boulevard?

Rating: 5/5

Actually, I would put this as a 4.5 when compared to my other 5 rated cocktails, but I really don’t want to set the precedent of “half stars”. If I have to choose between a 4 and a 5, I’m going with a 5. I gave the Boulevardier a 4, and I would imagine that 9 times out of 10 I’d rather have this cocktail, so I think the rating works.

The Boulevardier

Tarus Bourbon, Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Liqueurs, Stars - 4

Of the 87 or so recipes in the book, I’ve seen a handful of them in the wild. This is one of them.

According to the text, the cocktail was the signature drink of Erskine Gwynne who was an “expatriate writer, socialite and nephew of railroad tycoon Alfred Vanderbilt”. Gwynne edited a magazine called The Paris Boulevardier, hence the name.

  • 1.5 ounce bourbon
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth

Stir long and well with ice in a mixing glass and then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

I can remember being in Italy when someone in our party ordered a Campari and soda. It looked so refreshing with its bright red color that I ordered one, too, but I found it way too bitter (why are so many Italian liqueurs bitter?). But I still love the color.

This is one of those drinks that demands high end ingredients. There are no juices, infusions or syrups to interfere with the natural flavors. The one time I had it in a bar I found it bitter, and I believe it was because they used an off-brand vermouth. For sweet vermouth always go with Carpano Formula Antica (I use Dolin for dry). For this cocktail I went with Four Roses small batch bourbon and it worked out well. This was the first drink out of the book I’ve made that was stirred and not shaken. Not sure how that would affect the flavor but perhaps they don’t want it mixed too thoroughly.

It is a beautiful drink – like liquid rubies – and the picture doesn’t do it justice. With the right vermouth the flavors balance each other and bring out the best in the bourbon. I really enjoyed this.

Rating: 4/5