Brown Derby

From the Golden Age of Hollywood comes the Brown Derby:

• 2.0 ounces Elijah Craig 12-year Bourbon
• 1.0 ounce grapefruit juice
• 1.0 teaspoon lemon juice
• 0.50 ounce Acacia Honey Syrup

Shake all the ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

The Brown Derby restaurant chain in Los Angeles consisted of a number of restaurants, with the first and most iconic being in the shape of a hat. In researching this cocktail I’ve uncovered a rather interesting story. In the 1930s, the drink was the signature drink at a competing restaurant called the Vendome Club. Originally called the “De Rigueur” in cocktail books, it somehow morphed into the Brown Derby over time.

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.

Whiskey Sour

Adding to my confusion, it’s the Whiskey Sour:

• 2.00 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1.00 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 0.75 ounce simple syrup
• Soda water

Combine all except soda water in an iced cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a 6-ounce sour glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with a cherry and a lemon twist.

When I cross referenced this with the Death & Co., they had a different recipe:

The Manhattan

Presenting the King of Cocktails, The Manhattan:

• 2.5 ounces rye or bourbon
• 1.0 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine in an iced mixing glass. Stir, and strain into a cocktail glass, or strain into fresh rocks in a rocks glass. Either way, garnish with a cherry or a twist, or both.

Okay, some people claim that the Martini is the King of Cocktails. They would be wrong.

The cocktail was invented in America, and thus the “King” should feature American whiskey. The original cocktail: spirits, water, sugar and bitters find its peak expression in the Manhattan. The whiskey, mellow with vermouth, is sweet enough not to require sugar, the water comes from the ice and the bitters top the whole thing off.

Old-Fashioned

It’s another classic, the Old-Fashioned:

• 2 ounces Eagle Rare 10-Year Bourbon
• 1 teaspoon Demerara Syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters

Stir all the ingredients over ice, then strain into a double rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange and a lemon twist.

Okay, the above recipe doesn’t come from Dr. Cocktail’s book, but he does hold forth on what makes an Old Fashioned. This is one of the “primal” cocktails, and I as mentioned in the write up for Pink Gin, cocktails started out as spirit, water, sugar and bitters – that’s it.

The Mother-In-Law Cocktail

Like bourbon? Have friends who like bourbon? Try the Mother-in-Law Cocktail:

• 1.0 teaspoon Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1.0 teaspoon Angostura Bitters
• 1.0 teaspoon Amer Picon (subsitute Torani Amer)
• 0.5 ounce orange curaçao
• 0.5 maraschino liqueur
• 0.5 ounce simple syrup
• 0.5 ounce maraschino liqueur
• 9.0 ounces bourbon

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into three cocktail glasses.

This is a great drink, but at over three ounces of spirit in each drink, you need friends (real ones, not imaginary) and it helps if they like bourbon.

French 95

The nicest thing to happen between France and the US since the Statue of Liberty – the French 95:

• 2.00 ounces Buffalo Trace bourbon
• 0.75 ounce lemon juice
• 0.50 ounce cane sugar syrup
• Dry champagne

Short shake all the ingredients (except the champagne) with three ice cubes, then strain into a fizz glass with two ice cubes. Top with champagne. No garnish.

I came across this recipe in the Death & Co. book when I was making the French 75 for a New Year’s party. I have a friend who really likes bourbon so I decided to make this for him.