A variety of one of the oldest known cocktails is Jasper’s Jamaican Planter’s Punch:
- 1.5 ounces dark Jamaican rum (Coruba)
- 1.5 ounces Jasper’s Secret Mix
Add to a 10-ounce highball glass filled with cracked ice. Stir vigorously. Top off with more ice. Jasper garnished his with a pineapple spear, an orange slice, and a cocktail cherry. You can also use fresh mint.
The earliest recipe for Planter’s Punch dates from 1908:
Continue readingRequired for Jasper’s cocktails, this is the “secret” mix that makes these rum drinks so special.
- Juice of 12 limes
- 1.50 cups sugar
- 1.25 ounces [Angostura Bitters][1]
- 0.50 whole nutmeg, grated
Stir the ingredients together in a mixing vessel until the sugar dissolves. Let steep in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
I used a Ball jar to mix and store this ingredient. That way I can easily just shake it when I’m ready to make a drink.
Continue readingI have a drink I want to make that calls for Brandied Cherries. This is the recipe I went with:
- 0.50 cup white sugar or turbinado
- 0.50 cup cherry juice or water
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 0.25 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup brandy, maraschino liqueur, aged rum, or any combination of the three
- 1 pound cherries, stemmed and pitted if desired In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cherry juice (or water), cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat. Add brandy or other liqueur, and stir to combine. Add cherries and stir until coated with syrup. Remove to clean canning jars. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight before serving.
I have a classic cocktail that I want to make that isn’t in the book, but I found a recipe on-line. It in pretty complex, but starts with muddling brandied cherries. While I have some Luxardo Cherries that would probably work, I decided I wanted to make my own. I had to wait until cherries came into season, however.
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Several of the recipes in the book require a spirit called Amer Picon. They don’t make it anymore so I had to locate a recipe online:
- 3.00 bottles Amaro Ramazzotti
- 7.50 cups orange tincture
- 0.75 bottle [Stirrings Blood Orange bitters][3]
- 0.75 liter Evian Place all ingredients into a container and stir. Allow ingredients to get to know each other for at least one week. Keep excess refrigerated.
I cut this recipe drastically. My first attempt at making orange tincture only resulted in a cup, but this should make more than enough Amer Picon for me to use in these recipes. If I like it I’ll make more.
Continue readingSimple syrups are usually just equal parts sugar and water, plus something to flavor it. Ginger syrup is pretty much the same, but its preparation is a little different.
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups water
- ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
Combine sugar and water and simmer until the sugar dissolved and the liquid becomes clear. Add the ginger and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced down to a third. Strain.
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One concept that is definitely associated more with modern mixology than vintage is the use of foams. This is a recipe for an apple cider foam:
- 8 ounces apple cider
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 sheet gelatin
Simmer the cider and cinnamon sticks until liquid is reduced by half. Meanwhile, rehydrate a sheet of gelatin. Off heat, remove the cinnamon sticks and add the gelatin sheet. Pour into an iSi whipper and chill for at least 4 hours.
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A shrub is an acidulated beverage made of fruit juice, sugar, and other ingredients. It is both sweet and tart. I needed an apple shrub for a recipe and was given this one:
- 8 ounces of Granny Smith apples
- 8 ounces of brown sugar
- 8 ounces of apple cider vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a container and let sit for 24 hours or more. Or simmer on the stovetop until flavors are blended.
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