The Soother

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

Aptly named, it’s The Soother:

  • 1.0 ounce cognac
  • 1.0 ounce Jamaican rum (Coruba recommended)
  • 0.5 ounce orange curaçao
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon apple juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon simply syrup (or Agave Nectar)

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a goblet. Garnish with a fancy lemon twist.

There is a lot going on in this drink. It’s listed in a book called Old Waldorf Bar Days from 1931, but it wasn’t listed in the cocktail section but instead in one called “Fancy Potations & Otherwise”. In any case, it is tasty.

Dr. Cocktail points out that the addition of small amounts of apple juice and extra sweetener shows that someone was really thinking about this cocktail. It’s fun to make and fun to drink.

There were some frustrations with this recipe. It isn’t the first one in the book recommending Coruba rum. The problem is that I can’t find Coruba rum anywhere. Even the Internet seems to be confused. There is a web page that states Coruba is owned by Gruppo Campari but the “Coruba” website has a New Zealand URL: http://www.coruba.co.nz/. That domain is registered by “CSC Corporate Domains” in Delaware but administered by a company in Australia. In any case, none of my usual sources for obscure liquors can find it, so I’m thinking the good Doctor made the whole thing up.

Next, I hate recipes that I’ve never made listing ingredients like “Juice of 1/2 lemon”. I’ve seen lemons the size of limes and lemons the size of my fist. Sometimes they can be quite dry, and sometimes, as was the case this time, they can be so juicy as to be squishy. If I had a complaint about this drink, it would be that I put in just a tad too much lemon.

Finally, this recipe recommended that for simple syrup you could substitute Agave Nectar (he recommended Partida, another impossible to find brand). When I started this quest I actually bought a small bottle of agave nectar, but heck if I can find it now, so I used just a splash of normal simple syrup.

Rating: 5/5

Notes: Lacking access to the mythical Coruba, I went with the always reliable Appleton rum. For the cognac I used Pierre Ferrand Ambre, and Senior Curaçao for the curaçao.

Pineapple Syrup

Tarus Ingredients

Infusing simple syrup with other flavors is pretty common. Here is Dr. Cocktail’s recipe for Pineapple Syrup:

  • 4 cups cane sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 small fresh pineapple, skinned and cubed

Stir all ingredients together. Let stand for 24 hours. Remove the pineapple cubes, lightly pressing them with a hand juicer or other method to squeeze some additional juice into the mixture. Stir to dissolve any residual sugar. Pour the resulting syrup through a tea strainer or cheesecloth-lined funnel into a 1.5 liter bottle. Add a small dash of spirits (any distillate of at least 80 proof; 151 rum recommended) as a preservative. Keep refrigerated. It should keep for three months easily.

This is a 2:1 ratio simple syrup – on the sweet side (it can go as low as 1:1). Although not specified, I heated the sugar and water long enough to get the sugar to dissolve.

Seventh Heaven

Tarus Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 4

In ancient beliefs, the best place to end up is the Seventh Heaven:

  • 1.75 ounces gin
  • 0.50 ounce maraschino liqueur
  • 0.25 ounce grapefruit juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Short and sweet, this is a nice little cocktail. It is similar to several others, such as the La Floridita Daiquiri (switch the gin for rum) and the Aviation (switch the grapefruit for lemon).

As a fan of both of those drinks, I liked this one as well. It’s cool and refreshing and not too big, which made it a nice drink to start off the weekend. All in all I’d rather have an Aviation, but this was a nice change.

Rating: 4/5

Notes: I used my go-to Broker’s Gin and Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur.

The Twentieth Century Cocktail

Tarus Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 3

Named after a train, it’s the Twentieth Century Cocktail:

  • 1.50 ounces gin
  • 0.75 ounce Lillet Blanc
  • 0.50 ounce light créme de cacao (or a scant splash, to taste)
  • 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice

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

This cocktail appeared in the 1930s, so it is post-Prohibition, and the train it was named after has been called the Most Famous Train in the World.

At its base we have gin and lemon, two of my favorite things, and to that you add Lillet Blanc and créme de cacao. It’s nice, although I really didn’t get a strong sense of the cacao (which should taste like chocolate).

Death & Co. has their take on the drink:

  • 1.50 ounces Beefeater London Dry gin
  • 0.75 ounce Cocchi Americano
  • 0.75 ounce Marie Brizard White Créme de Cacao
  • 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake all the ingredients with ice, then double strain into a coupe.

The main difference is replacing Lillet Blanc with Cocchi Americano. Cocchi Americano is an Italian fortified wine that contains quinine. Lillet Blanc used to contain quinine when it was called “Kina Lillet” but it was reformulated and the quinine removed. Thus the Death & Co. version is probably more authentic, but they greatly up the cacao which will increase the chocolate flavor.

In any case, you can’t go wrong with gin and lemon, no matter how you dress it up, so I liked this drink.

Rating: 4/5

Notes: I used Beefeater gin at the recommendation of Death & Co. I used Lillet Blanc since I had it (and that’s what Doctor Cocktail specified). For the créme de cacao I used the discount Arrow brand, since I happened to have an unopened bottle.

The Widow’s Kiss

Tarus Liqueurs, Stars - 3

An odd name for a Valentine’s Day drink, it’s The Widow’s Kiss:

  • 1.50 ounces Calvados
  • 0.75 ounce Chartreuse (Green was meant, but yellow mellows the drink a bit)
  • 0.75 ounce Benedictine
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

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

There is a little story behind my choosing the make this drink just now. My friend Justin is the cocktail chef at the Oakleaf restaurant. He’s started this new theme night called “Throwback Thursdays” which features $8 vintage cocktails. He tends to have five recipes that have some sort of theme, be it “gin” or “election year”, etc.

For the Valentine’s Day menu I suggested he do drinks like The Rose, the Hanky Panky, the Pink Lady, the Have a Heart Cocktail and the Honeymoon. He texted me right back with a picture of the menu he’d written:

Great minds think alike. He went with the Jack Rose instead of the Rose (I really don’t care for the Jack Rose), and instead of the Pink Lady he added The Widow’s Kiss. His menu runs for two consecutive Thursdays so while I missed last week I should be able to go there this week, and I wanted to make this cocktail before I went.

I’m glad I did, as it wasn’t a favorite. Perhaps Justin can make it better but I found it to be slightly too herbal. I think the hint to use Yellow Chartreuse instead of Green is a good one (I don’t have any Yellow Chartreuse and I love the Green in The Last Word). The Chartreuse and Benedictine together make up half of this drink and it comes across as a little too bitter.

Note that if I were making this from the ingredients alone I would have stirred this instead of shaking it. However, Dr. Cocktail says to shake, so I shake (and a couple of other places say to shake it as well). It makes the drink a little cloudy – it was starting to clear when I took the picture but I drank it before it cleared all the way.

Rating: 3/5

Notes: I used Drouin Calvados.

The Coffee Cocktail

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Stars - 3

No coffee, but you will find port in The Coffee Cocktail:

  • 1 ounce brandy (Martell works well)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 to 3 ounces ruby port
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Pour brandy into an iced cocktail shaker. Add the egg. Pour in the port and sugar. Shake and strain into a small goblet. Grate or shake some nutmeg on top.

This is the second cocktail in the book to feature port (the other being the Chatham Hotel Special). I was kind of dreading this one, as it doesn’t contain the things I look for in a cocktail, which tend to be gin or bourbon, fruit juice and bitters. But I did have the perfect glass for it.

And I have no idea about where it gets its name. It doesn’t look like coffee, unless you take yours with lots of cream – cream that happens to be colored purple.

Still, it’s not that bad. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. The texture is luxurious, and the flavor is oh so slightly sweet. Should I have some guests over who want a cocktail with breakfast, I might have to break this one out, but for an evening libation it isn’t what I seek.

Rating: 3/5.

Notes: I used Martell cognac as requested and Porto Kopke Fine Ruby Port which I happened to have on hand.

The Brandy Crusta

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Liqueurs, Stars - 3

A precursor to the Margarita is The Brandy Crusta:

  • 1 lemon
  • 0.5 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Bar or table sugar
  • 2.0 ounces cognac (Hennessy specified)
  • 1 teaspoon orange curaçao (Marie Brizard specified)
  • 1 dash Boker’s Bitters (or substitute Angostura)

Cut the lemon in half. Pare the full peel off half, and squeeze the juice from the lemon. Moisten the glass rim with the lemon juice, and dip it in bar or table sugar. Insert a lemon peel into the glass, Mix the liquors in a cocktail shaker of crushed ice. Shake, and strain into the prepared glass. Add 1 small lump of ice, and serve.

This cocktail is ancient and appeared in the first bartender’s guide ever published, Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Bar-Tender’s Guide. Joe Santini (or Joseph Santina) is credited with inventing the drink in New Orleans 10 years earlier. The “crusta” (named for the sugared rim) begat the Sidecar which begat the Margarita.

This drink calls for Boker’s Bitters which was defunct when Dr. Cocktail published his book. He gives a recipe in the back of the book (which involves quassia chips and powdered catechu which I’m certain you have in your pantry) but I’m lazy so I just bought it on Amazon. The new formula came out in 2009 and is supposedly based on the original formula from 1828 by Johann Gottlieb Boker. Feel free to use Angostura for this drink since it is way more common, but I plan to use my Boker’s in traditional Angostura drinks such as the Manhattan to see which I like better.

I liked this drink, but it isn’t something I’d seek out. It’s mainly cognac so if you like brandy and cognac straight this will add a nice little flavor dimension.

Rating: 3/5

Notes: I used Hennessy cognac ’cause I had some and doctor’s orders. For the curaçao I used Senior Curaçao, again because that’s what I had on hand.

Curaçao Punch

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Liqueurs, Rum, Stars - 2

A old one from 1882, it’s Curaçao Punch:

  • 0.5 tablespoon sugar (alter to taste)
  • 2 or 3 dashes of fresh lemon juice
  • 1.0 ounce soda water
  • 1.0 ounce brandy (Martell cognac specified)
  • 2.0 ounces orange curaçao
  • 1.0 ounce Jamaican rum (full-bodied specified)

In a bar glass or goblet, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and soda water. Dissolve the sugar, and fill a glass with finely shaved or thoroughly crushed ice. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir well, and ornament as Liberace might with all the fruit at your disposal.

I took the last bit to heart, and garnished with an orange wheel, a lemon wheel, a lime wheel, a slice of pineapple and a couple of brandied cherries. I apologize that the juice from the cherries dripped down and it doesn’t look all that great.

And “not all that great” kind of sums up this cocktail. It really needed something, probably a lot more lemon. It wasn’t a horrible drink, but for such a large cocktail it really needed to be good.

Rating: 2/5 – this is a strong 2 but still …

Notes: I used Martell cognac as specified, and Senior Curaçao for the orange curaçao. I don’t have any Jamaican rum, and the Doctor specified Bacardi, 8 year, but I thought Bacardi was from Puerto Rico. Instead, I used some Zaya that my friends Carolina and Alejandro gave to me, and it was the main redeeming experience about this drink. It’s tasty.

Chatham Hotel Special

Tarus Brandy/Vermouth/Wine, Milk/Cream, Stars - 3

Another cocktail featuring dairy, it’s the Chatham Hotel Special:

  • 1.5 ounces brandy
  • 0.5 ounce ruby port
  • 0.5 cream
  • 1 dash dark creme de cacao

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

I like the name of this cocktail because I live in Chatham County, North Carolina, and you don’t see the word “Chatham” all that often (I always have to add it to my spell checkers). It was named after a now gone hotel in New York City.

This is one of two cocktails in the book featuring port (the other is the Coffee Cocktail) and one of two drinks classified as “dessert cocktails” (the other being the underwhelming Soyer au Champagne). I had to learn a little bit about port before I made it. Over the years I’ve been gifted with a couple of bottles, but I wasn’t sure if any of them were “ruby” or what even was meant by “ruby” since most ports tend to be dark red in color.

Turns out there are lots of different types of port: ruby, tawny, vintage, late bottled vintage, etc. There is usually a good way to tell what you have as it should be clearly written on the bottle. Ruby port is young port – it’s made to be consumed right away without aging.

Which brings me to another thing I’ve learned. One of the things I like about making cocktails is that the spirits can last indefinitely (with a notable exception in spirits like Bailey’s Irish Creme – trust me, don’t let that age for more than two years before using it). Wine, on the other hand, needs to be consumed pretty soon after opening. Wine used in cocktails is no exception, and that is why I’m glad to have learned that you can often get half bottles (375ml vs. 750ml) of it. While port can stand to be out for up to a month or so after it has been opened (as long as it is kept out of the heat), other wine ingredients like vermouth really do need to be stored in the refrigerator and kept fresh (I replace mine one month after opening). Since a good vermouth can cost around $30, you don’t want to have to pour that down the drain, so get half bottles for the home bar. You’ll be glad you did.

Okay, back to this drink. I wanted to make it because I got a cute little glass that only holds about 2.5 ounces which made it perfect for the Chatham Hotel Special. The port and creme also turned it a nice purplish pink color. And it tastes good, the first sip finished a little off for me but I didn’t get that for the rest of the drink. Not something that I would seek out, but I wouldn’t turn it down if offered again.

Rating: 3/5. This is a very, very strong three. I went back and forth over what to rate it and ultimately had to compare it to other 4s and I just decided I’m not one for dessert cocktails, so most of the time I would prefer one of those other drinks.

Notes: I used Martell cognac, and a crème de cacao from Tempus Fugit Spirits. I used Porto Kopke Fine Ruby Port which in nice and inexpensive, and available in 375ml bottles.

Three to One Cocktail

Tarus Gin, Liqueurs, Stars - 5

Got some high proof gin? Make the Three to One Cocktail:

  • 1.50 ounces 100-proof gin
  • 0.75 ounce Marie Brizard Apry
  • Juice of 1/2 lime

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

I’m a firm believer in the concept of karma and of serendipity. So when my friends gave me spirits as birthday presents, I have not been surprised to see how easily they fit into my cocktail menu.

When my friends Richard and Barry gave me a bottle of Navy-strength gin, I knew it would work well in this cocktail. At 114 proof it is even stronger than called for, and the discussion with Andrea went something like this:

Me: I think the Doctor was right. Using a high proof gin really does balance out and tame the sweetness of the apricot liquor.

Andrea: Why on earth would anyone want to do that?

So, I made hers with a lower proof gin and she liked this drink as well.

I found this recipe to be dead on as written. The lime and apricot brandy do, indeed, take the edge off the gin but no ingredient really overpowers the other. It has a unique taste that you really wouldn’t deduce from the ingredients.

Oh, the name comes from odds, as in betting. How that relates to gin, apricot and lime beats me.

Rating: 5/5. Okay, I was originally considering giving this a strong 4, but as I sit here writing this I’m sorely tempted to go make another. Since that is the criteria for a 5, a 5 it shall have.

Notes: I used Marie Brizard Apry as directed, but for the gin I went with my gift: Navy-strength Conniption Gin. It is excellent, and it is made less than an hour from my house (in Durham, North Carolina). It isn’t too juniper forward, but it does have such a nice mix of the botanicals that you really don’t notice the proof. I am grateful to my friends for finding this and giving me a bottle. For Andrea’s drink I used 94 proof Broker’s.