Peace Train

It took me longer than expected to make this cocktail. I was introduced to the idea of the cocktail while watching the Peacemaker television series by James Gunn.

I really wasn’t expecting much from it, as the Peacemaker character in the Suicide Squad was a singularly unpleasant guy, but I like the shows Gunn makes and I figured I might enjoy this one. I really did, and I gained a new found respect for John Cena, who is much more talented that I used to give him credit.

Forgotten Cocktail #1

I used to travel a lot, and perhaps one day I will again, and in every new town I would often seek out a cocktail bar.

Looking at the menu, I’d try to pick out something that matched my mood at the time and often something I had never had before. If it was really good, I’d ask the bartender for the recipe, which I would write down on whatever scrap of paper I happened to have handy.

Rosemary Blue

From Bombay Sapphire comes the Rosemary Blue:

• 1.75 ounces (50ml) Bombay Sapphire Gin
• 0.50 ounce (15ml) blue curaçao
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 lemon wedge
• Fever-Tree Light Tonic Water

Add the Bombay Sapphire, blue curaçao, rosemary sprig and gently squeezed lemon wedge to a balloon glass. Swirl well to combine. Fill with cubed ice and top with the Fever-Tree Light Tonic Water. Gently fold with a bar spoon to mix.

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Flamenco

Another classic from Death & Co., the Flamenco:

• 1.50 ounces Lustau Amontillado Sherry
• 1.00 ounce Bols Genever gin
• 0.50 ounce orange juice
• 0.50 ounce lemon juice
• 0.75 ounce orgeat
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake all the ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. No garnish.

My biggest challenge in making drinks from the Death & Co. book is finding the ingredients. I was looking for a cocktail to make and was happy to see that I had everything to make this one.

Chaos Calmer

From the world of tech comes the Chaos Calmer:

• 1.50 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce lime juice
• 0.25 ounce triple sec
• 1.50 ounce orange juice
• 1 tsp Grenadine syrup

Short shake with broken ice and pure unstrained into a double rocks glass. Garnish with an orange wheel or lime wedge.

In my other life I work with open source software, and I tend to use open source solutions for almost all of my technology needs. I recently needed to replace my wireless router and I decided to choose one that was supported by the OpenWRT project.

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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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.