Straits Sling

The Dead Rabbit version of the Straits Sling:

• 0.50 ounce Lemon Sherbet
• 1.50 ounces Bols Genever gin
• 0.50 ounce Cherry Herring
• 0.50 ounce Benedictine
• 0.50 ounce kirsch eau de vie
• 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 3 dashes Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters or Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 1.50 ounces rhubarb soda
• Fresh nutmeg, grated, for garnish Add all the ingredients, except the soda and garnish, to a shaker. Fill with ice and shake. Strain into an ice filled tall glass. Add the soda and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

This is my second recipe from the Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual, which is more a book of alchemy than recipes.

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Lemon Sherbet

No, it’s not ice cream, but it is called Lemon Sherbet:

• 4.0 lemons
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 12 ounces lemon juice Prepare an oleo-saccharum with the lemon peels and sugar. In a small saucepan, combine the oleo-saccharum and lemon juice over medium heat, but do not boil. Slowly stir to dissolve the sugar. When the syrup has thickened, remove from the heat. Strain through a chinois into bottles. The sherbet will keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Okay, this ingredient is used in cocktails from the Dead Rabbit book, but don’t be thrown by fancy words like “oleo-saccharum”. It’s just Latin for “smush up a bunch of citrus peels in sugar”.

The Bloody Mary

Nothin’ says “day drinkin’” like The Bloody Mary:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 6 ounces tomato juice or V8
• 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 dash Tabasco Pepper Sauce
• Celery salt Stir alll together in an iced highball glass. Sprinkle celery salt on top. Garnish with a celery stick.

I’ve read that in the early days of cocktails they were consumed in the morning, providing an almost medicinal lift to the rest of the day. Now, at least in Western society, the consumption of alcoholic beverages before noon is frowned upon, and most are expected to wait until after the work day has ended.

Haymaker

As seen on TV, here’s The Haymaker:

• 3/4 ounce Maker’s Mark
• 3/4 ounce triple sec
• 3/4 ounce dry vermouth
• 3/4 ounce lime juice Shake over ice. Strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Well, not exactly as seen on TV. I’ve been seeing an ad from Turkey Hill about a drink called the Haymaker and since it sounded like a vintage cocktail I went looking for a recipe. None of my books had it, so I did a search on “haymaker cocktail” and found several sites with the recipe above, so I decided to make it.

Honeysuckle

It contains honey, so why not call it the Honeysuckle::

• 2.00 ounces Flor de Caña Extra-Dry White Rum
• 0.75 lime juice
• 0.75 ounce Acacia Honey Syrup Shake all the ingredients with ice, the strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge.

I live in North Carolina, USA, where liquor sales are strictly regulated. This is both a source of frustration for me as a vintage cocktail enthusiast as well as a fun challenge. I was finally able to find the rum called for in this drink in Minnesota (the aged or golden Flor de Caña is easy to find but this one is much more difficult).

The Negroni

Beautiful and bitter, it’s The Negroni:

• 1 ounce gin or vodka
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1 ounce Campari Stir vigorously in an iced mixing glass. Strain into a small cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

The first time I went to Italy (many years ago), my friend Antonio took me to a bar in Naples. All of the beautiful people were standing around looking beautiful with lovely sparkling red drinks in their hands. To me it looked like fizzy cherry Kool-Aid, and I asked about it. I was told it was “Campari and soda” and I ordered one.

Philadelphia Fish House Punch (Original Version)

The Original Philadelphia Fish House Punch:

• 0.33 pint lemon juice
• 0.75 pound sugar
• 1.00 pint mixture*
• 2.50 pints cold water

For the mixture:

• 0.25 pint real peach brandy
• 0.50 pint cognac
• 0.25 pint Jamaican rum Stir together in a bowl with ice.

People who like cocktails seem to hold punches in high regard. Heck, there is even an entire book dedicated to them.

I’m a fan, and I kind of wish there was a place near me that still carried on the punch tradition. In the earliest days of cocktails you were not likely to get a made to order drink for yourself. Instead, you would be served a drink out of a communal punch bowl. I’ve been to one place, the Rum Club in Portland, that still does that but it is rare.