Pimm’s Cup

Need a refreshing drink? Try a Pimm’s Cup:

• 2.0 ounces Pimm’s #1 Gin Sling
• 7-Up, bitter lemon, lemonade, ginger ale or ginger beer.

In an iced highball glass, pour in the Pimm’s #1. Fill with 7-Up if you’re modern, bitter lemon or lemonade if you are British, or ginger ale (or ginger beer). Stir. Garnish with a long wedge of cucumber, and breathe deep as you sip.

It has been unseasonably warm here, and when I came in from working on the farm I wanted something cold, tall and refreshing. So I made a Pimm’s Cup.

Ritz Sidecar

A cocktail I won’t make, it’s the Ritz Sidecar:

• 5 parts very old cognac
• 3 parts Cointreau
• 2 parts fresh lemon juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, strain tremulously into a chilled cocktail glass, and stare at the treasure in rapt silence for a full fifteen seconds before quaffing.

By “very old cognac” he means at least pre-Phylloxera cognac. Phylloxera is an aphid-like insect that was brought to Europe from grape vines in America. The American vines had resistance to it, but the European vines were devastated. While I’ve never had cognac that old, I’ve been told that many people believe it was better than that produced today. The real cognac snob wants pre-Oidium cognac. Oidium, from what I can tell, was a form of powdery mildew that caused damage to French vines starting in 1854 before Phylloxera came along to finish the job.

The Soother

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.

Seventh Heaven

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).

The Twentieth Century Cocktail

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.

The Widow’s Kiss

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.

The Brandy Crusta

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.

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