The Ward 8 Cocktail

I recently took a new job which requires travel, so I’ve been out and about a lot more than in the past few years. One stop took me to Austin, Texas, where I was introduced to the Ward 8 cocktail.

According to Wikipedia, the Ward 8 was invented in 1898 to honor a section of Boston that was key to electing a particular government official. Politics aside, it is a tasty drink.

Whoa Nellie!

A new classic, it’s the Whoa Nellie!:

• 1.25 ounces rye
• 0.75 ounce dark rum
• 0.75 ounce Cointreau
• 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• 0.50 ounce lemon juice
• 0.50 ounce grapefruit juice
• 0.50 ounce simple syrup

Combine all of the ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

My friend Ben and I share a fondness for whiskey, and together we have a decent collection. Unfortunately, we live more than an hour apart, so it made sharing them difficult until we decided we could just bring them to work. Thus “Whiskey Monday” (#whiskeymonday) was born.

The Sazerac

By special request, it’s The Sazerac:

• 1 teaspoon absinthe or pastis (Herbsaint, Pernod or Ricard)
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup
• 3 to 4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 3 ounces rye whiskey (Sazerac 6 year is a fine one)

Chill an old-fashioned glass. Coat the inside of the glass with the absinthe or pastis, leaving a slight puddle in the glass bottom. Add the simple syrup and bitters. In a separate mixing glass, combine the whiskey and the simple syrup with ice and stir. Strain the contents of the mixing glass into the old-fashioned glass. Smartly twist a strip of lemon peel over the surface of the drink and discard (or toss in; I’m not here to judge). Serve.

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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.

Vieux Carré Cocktail

Shaken, not stirred, it’s the Vieux Carré Cocktail:

• 1.00 ounce rye whiskey
• 1.00 ounce cognac
• 1.00 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1/2 teaspoon Benedictine
• 2 dashes Angostur Bitters
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain onto fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Normally, drinks that just contain spirits are stirred, drink that contain fruit juice are shaken, and drinks that contain egg are ♬ shaken like you just don’t care ♬.

The Algonquin Cocktail

It’s back to the “A’s” with The Algonquin Cocktail:

• 1.50 ounces rye
• 0.75 ounce dry vermouth
• 0.75 ounce pineapple juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.

I really thought I’d like this cocktail. I like rye and I thought it would go well with pineapple juice, and I really like the name.

The Algonquin is a hotel in New York City that is best known as the site of the “Algonquin Round Table“, a daily gathering of literary, entertainment and art figures that met for lunch there for nearly ten years. In my life I’ve experienced a couple of occasions where friends and acquaintances of mine have gathered for an experience I imagine to be similar to what the Vicious Circle was like, and I wouldn’t mind more of those in my life.

Drove My Chevy to the Levee

Speaking of whiskey and rye, here’s Drove My Chevy to the Levee:

• 1.50 ounces rye (Redemption Recommended)
• 0.50 ounce peach juice
• 0.50 “brown” sugar simple syrup
• 0.25 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Stir vigorously in an iced glass, and strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with sliced peaches.

This is another guest cocktail from Justin Peregoy, cocktail chef at the Oakleaf restaurant.

I live in a small town, and we are lucky to have such a great restaurant as the Oakleaf (we have our priorities right, we had a microbrewery three years before we had a McDonalds). One thing that makes it great, at least for me, is Justin. He deserves the word “chef” in his title for a couple of reasons, but mainly because he was trained as a chef and he brings those skills to the cocktail glass.