June 13-Gimlet
When I say to use a good gin for this recipe, I mean it. When I say do not order this at a bar you don’t trust completely to use fresh lime juice, I mean it. I will fopr this cocktail recommend a specific gin to use in this cocktail. I would use CItadelle gin.This is a cleaner gin than something like Beefeater, and this is nothing against Beefeater as it’s still my go to martini gin, but Citadelle is just a higher quality. My judges say the same since they never get a gimlet they like more than mine.
I am also begging you with tears in my eyes, use fresh lime juice. Traditionally, Gimalets use Rose’s sweetened lime juice, but it’s so much better with fresh. I actually did something I tried not to do with the list this summer, I did ,my recipe for a gimlet instead of Difford’s recipe. The reason I did that is because I wanted to go traditional for this cocktail. The Gimlet is one of my favourites and I had to do it justice.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l7H55ngtwMsoWFsDpFwxaGD4mwLAeo27bx_6wmXpbI0/edit?tab=t.0
June 12-Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon was described as my mom as “A hangover waiting to happen”. After she tried it though, she though it wasn’t bad. And if you are going to make cocktails as the son of Harry MacElhone, the legendary bartender, it should be good. Maybe I’m being too hard onm Andy MacElhone, I don;'‘t know if Harry taught him or not, maybe I’m seeing this like we see sons of former NFL players and expect them to go off immediately.
In all seriousness this was not a bad first impression to Andy’s work. I’m usually not a huge fan of blue curacao but it kind of works here aesthetically. I still think this cocktail would be more appealing with regular dry curacao, but it wouldn’t look as tropical or appetizing. I also think that the sprite in this cocktail works as it adds a necessary sweetness and dilutes the strength of the drink to make it more appetizing to the casual drinker.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tba-rRZ0y-OKDBWyzV6uQyw5sI24c58c_aTPUANIoMk/edit?tab=t.0
June 11-Sidecar
The Sidecar was a problematic recipe when it first was released, that’s why the one on Difford’s is a more modern take That is a good thing since this more modern take is an absolutely brilliant cocktail. Some might say that this cocktail is derivative of other cocktails like the Lemon Drop, but I say this is the definitive cognac cocktail. This cocktail is probably one of the first you think of when it comes to cognac, maybe next to the Brandy Alexander.
The story of this cocktail comes from Harry’s New York bar in Paris. This was named after the vehicle a captain would often go to the bar in. Why a captain was riding in a sidecar to begin with, I don’t know. Also why this drink doesn’t include a sidexar of like prosecco or something I also don’t know.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YEUZSsvz5RFikLLQ6wi0NO13ieAWFUem5vhOQRb200M/edit?tab=t.0
June 10-Final Ward
When I mentioned in another post that we weren’t done talking about Last Word riffs, this was the drink I was talking about. This one is admittedly more likle a Last Woird than the Division Bell was and it has what I woulod consider a much better name for a Last Word riff especially one made by Phil Ward himself. I mean he literally brought out a thesaurus and used his name in it, How creative is that? This one wqas created in 2007 by Phil Ward at Death and Co.
I will say that this cocktail is hard to make these days as it includes Chartreuse. There are many substitutes I’ve seen like Faccia Brutto (which is the one I recommend) but nothing will beat actual chartreuse. This cocktail also features Rye, maraschino and lemon juice. All of these are in equal parts so it’s easy to puit together.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jBctYsv9h3VUk52ShuUciK_yZmzd7wh6fOgIodswV8M/edit?tab=t.0 .
June 9-Hand Grenade
No, we did not switch the subject of this blog to weaponry, we are talking about a New Orleans tiki classic with one of my favourite garnishes out there, the Hand Grenade. Now this drink is special in that it has its own glass specialized for it, whch I don’t have. For this reason I did what Difford’s suggested and used a collins glass.
This cocktail was created at the Tropicla Isle Bars and the Funky Pirate on Bourbon Street. This drink was widely sold as the strongest drink in NOLA when it first became popular. The cocktail was believed to be made by the founders of the bars Pam Fortner and Earl Bernardt. This drink became so poppular that mixes for this drink were sold on the bars’ website.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18uARqJU9FxaBp73K6JiK5ZmbHzpT1K3gS1srkmVBhcI/edit?tab=t.0
June 8-Mojito
As a Cuban, this cocktail is evry near and dear to my heart. This is the national drink of Cuba. This cocktail was named after Sir Francis Drake after he brought lime, rum and mint back to the old world. He left behind the gold and brought back rum, what a Chad. It also could come from the slave word “Mojo” meaning to put a spell on. It got this name from the seeming medicinal properties it was believed to have.
This is a very simple cocktail with only muddling mint being the hardest part.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ScnnEu5WPCgnhJRlRNrk5W_2k8GPSPtTN1CByApgFiM/edit?tab=t.0 .
June 7-Division Bell
Yet another true modern classic, today we feature the Division Bell on the blog. This cocktail was made by Phil Ward at Mayahuel in NYC and it is a brilliant riff on the Last Word. Certainly this won’t be the only Last Word riff we will discuss. This one is famous for its use of Mezcal and bitter apertif. You can use Aperol for this but I used Select, whatever you do, don’t use Campari as it is way too bitter.
This has been one of my favourite riffs off one of my favourite cocktails so obviously I love it. It was harder to sell this one originally though since red bitter apertifs are one of the most polarizing spirits with Fernet. But since I got one person to try it, I have recieved rave endorsements and it practically sells itself at this point.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11nE-oRhIOKo2sFwL792ql_slA9ECxysS25FunAR7kWk/edit?tab=t.0
June 6-Jammie Dodger
I won’t lie to you and say this is the prettiest cocktail we will talk about. It ends up looking pretty muddy. But all this drink has in in it is milk and raspberry liqueur. It also has a traditional garnish of graham crackers on the rim, but I was in such a rush the day I made this one I forgot them. All these are meant to replicate a traditional British Cookie of the same name. I got to try these once since my grocery store has a whole section dedicated to british treats and I would relate them most to newtons with a more crisp cookie.
The actual drink is incredibly simple as again it is just milk and raspberry liqueur. The main challenge comes from that graham cracker crust. This was a surprisingly good cocktail though as it got rave reviews from my judges.
Fulkl Judging Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AMtuOlFi3rj8NNEjlOvsrPNOF-zNYhxSOOiJGj1_iR4/edit?tab=t.0
June 5-Breakfast Martini
I try to be completely unbiased when it comes to these posts, but this one is going to be a challenge. This is mainly because this is my favourite cocktail I have ever tried. It features one of my favourite spirits in gin and it features one of my favourite moves in putting jam in a cocktail. I first saw it in Sasha Petrakse’s Cosmonaut and I have loved the move ever since.
This cocktail was made by Salvatore Calabrese when he fell in love with the taste of an orange marmalade his wife served him for breakfast. He latyer took that jar to his bar The Library and got to work. The final product was very similar to Harry Craddock’s Marmalade Cocktail from his book the Savoy Cocktail Book. I still love this cocktail for all the reasons I mentioned before.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dXn6IfGl2lELmsHPxx9yprCKU7IR5bCgvI9aAz4hDMw/edit?tab=t.0
June 4-Maple Old Fashioned
This is another cocktail that wears what it is on its sleeve. It is an Old Fashioned with maple syrup insetad of simple syrup. That is really all that this cocktail does differently to other old fashionds. I actually included somethinjg like this on a Christmas Eve menu for my parents’ Christmas Party.
There actually is one more thing this cocktail does that’s different. it splits the base spirit used with part bourbon and part rye. This means you get the spice of the rye and the sweetness of the bourbon, both of which go well with the maple.
This cocktail was discovered in Edinburgh Scotland in a bar called the Indogo Room.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o5uNa6AudOloVNB3UZsjwwcMQWkymQenvPXHdJKtbzc/edit?tab=t.0 .
June 3-San Francisco
Believe it or not, no this cocktail is not from San Francisco. It is not known where this cocktail is from and by whom, noticing a pattern here. It actually reminds me of a Singapore Sling quite a bit. It also includes elements of a Rum Runner. This is a weirder tiki cocktail as it uses vodka rather than a rum type or even gin is more common. Again this goes back to my arguement about Vodka being a neutral spirit so it doesn’t add anything but pure alcohol and water volume to a cocktail. This makes it undesirable for a tiki style drink. Now since we are talking about one we know vodka based tiki drinks exist, but should they? That’s a question for someone more versed in tiki than I.
Again we have a simpler post since without a history there isn’t much to talk about.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UUKa9-icuitpMNg7gqjQYfcWnC05xQsUftZ68iUnqPo/edit?tab=t.0
June 2-Moscow Mule
What a coincidence that we talk about this cocktail after the Mexican Mule last night. I would say that last night’s offering is the better of the 2, but if you really want to let the ginger and lime shine or you don’t like the roasted agave flavour then the Moscow Mule is the cocktail for you. As I said last night, I don’t gravitate toward vodka cocktails unless they really have something new to offer. The cocktail “Trick Pony” by Susie Hoyt at the Violet Hour.
Back to the Moscow Mule, this cocktail is incredibly popular. If you watch any video about cocktails we need to know, this is going to be a mainstay on anyone’s list. And that is still for a good reason as the ginger and lime combo is amazing togather from anywhere in Asian cooking to cocktails.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yGMOmhMn9r6lPvN4tRuTF4CgLGYZYxctfLfPLY5rs-Y/edit?tab=t.0 .
June 1-Mexican Mule
This is going to be a simple post as what you see with this cocktail is what you get. It’s a tequila based mule, thats really it. The history and bar of this cocktail is unknown so I really don’t know what to talk about here. I do thionk it is more satisfying than the Moscow variety since the roasted agave flavours are better in my mind than vodka. Vodka is meant to be a neutral spirit so I will gravitate to more complex ones like tequila, like gin.
I’m really sorry I don’t have much to say, but this cocktail is just what it is. The judging defines that.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xmiamOqoZj9DH7jOoUqSvZDYWwNe0EdwnP8Xft823ms/edit?tab=t.0 .
May 31-Army and Navy
I’m a little disappointed that this cocktail has the name Army and Navy and it doesn’t use Navy Strength Rum or Gin. Oh my god I just realized this cocktail does in fact have gin but its just London Dry. Don’t get me wrong, I know why this cocktail got its name. It’s from the Army and Navy Club in DC, but even still, why no Navy Strength ingredients.
This cocktail was a problematic recipe before, it started with a straight 2 : 1 : 1 ratio of ingredients but that evolved later to what we know now. This cocktail actually reminds me of a Gimlet with lemon and Orgeat instead of lime and simple.
Overall I like this cocktail and urge you to try it.
Full Judging Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nwEn5nsKRqVOPGv9YF4bDyXlyGHjfHOm0yYjkGy9Ui8/edit?tab=t.0
May 30-Fancy Free
This cocktail was literally made to be a fancier more high end Old Fashioned, thus the name Fancy Free. Despite this it just ends up being a less interesting Improved Whiskey Cocktail. I say this becaus ewhile it does include 2 different bitters, it doesn’t have the absinthe. They both do contain whiskey and maraschino. There is also more whiskey in the Improved. The improved also uses Peychaud’s bitters rather thyan angostura or orange.
This cocktail was created by Crosby Gage for his book Cocktail Guide and Ladies’ Companion. This cocktail also used to be called the Improved Old Fashioned but it had to be changed due to the similarities to the Improved Whiskey Cocktail.
Full Judging Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19faR2d78Atk_q-0oUyP_5B9B622AILJfkDvH-dI9BrA/edit?tab=t.0
May 29-Bee’s Knees
This cocktail is the Bee’s Knees both figuratively and literally. I say this because this cocktail is one of the best from its time and it is actually called the Bee’s Knees. It gets this name from the fact that this cocktail uses honey syrup as a sweetener. This is probably the best known cocktail that uses honey, up there with the Penecillin and maybe the Gold Rush.
This recipe was different than the one I learned earlier since it includes orange juice instead of purely lemon juice. But the true star of the show is the honey. It is a simple ingredient that isn’t used a lot despite it being super satisfying in almost everything it goes in, especially things with gin in them. The botanicals in gin work so well with the honey.
People used to think this was an American cocktail, but it actually started in France. A Paris bartender named Margaret Brown.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18suHpqET_tGQXLm4T4I41JM0tjRNu87thrU46OKAVCw/edit?tab=t.0
May 28-Black Manhattan
You like bitter? You like Manhattans? You will like this one. The Black Manhattan supplants the Vermouth for Amaro Averna. Obviously this makes it a lot more bitter than a traditional Manhattan, but I am one of those people that needs that bitter flavour, especially pairing with a sweeter flavour so that my tastebuds aren’t overpowered with sweets. This cocktail is the perfect bitter, but not overly bitter offering for anyone. This even came out of a cocktail mecca of the USA, this being San Francisco which is also the home of the Basil Gimlety and other modern classics.
Again I would recommend a higher proof rye to stand up to the Amaro Averna in this cocktail so you don’t just ghet the Averna flavour and you get some rye notes as well. This will expose the flavour of the Angostura and orange bitters as well. The only thing that makes this cocktail better, is a nice piece of pecan pie or chocolate cake to pair with it. I don’t really have much else to say about this one.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VYPOajCLvdwaP6SDEsqodK79YRhooAdtyyaixhkk5A0/edit?tab=t.0
May 27-Cheeky Vimto
I will admit that when I first saw this cocktail, I wasn’t impressed, and after having tried it, I’m still not impressed. All it has is Port Wine and a pre-bottled Vodka Beverage. Not a lot of complexity or interesting flavours. Difford’s Guide even says “Don’t bother'“ word for word under the garnish section and that describes the cocktail perfectly. It’s a club drink that doesn’t have much to it. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Difford’s Guide said it should be sevred in a solo cup.
I didn’t even know but this cocktail is named after a soda that is not even in the cocktail. Also what club has Port just to have it for this cocktail. Port is not the cheapest wine and it doesn’t help that it doesn’t help this cocktail in any way. I find that this cocktail is already sweet without the port. I am not a huge fan of this one and can’t believe this was ahead of better ones like the Red Hook or the Aperol Spritz even.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y986VVLQ2x1oYlIv3jG9b7V9LOBpPRn9ljdTTWjdmXE/edit?tab=t.0
May 26-Man O’ War
Named after a famous racehorse from the 1919-20 races, this cocktail is an interesting combo of a Daisy, Manhattan and Whiskey Sour. That souinds like a lot but these cocktails actually come together very well. The original cocktail called Man O’ War was an egg nog style cocktail using coindensed milk, sugar and egg with some booze. Another theory about the name of this cocktail is the Man O’ War cocktail lounge from a hotel in Broward County.
This recipe combines Bourbon, Lemon, Cointreau and Sweet Vermouth. And these combine in a damn fine way. It even tied for highest single score in this summer with an 89 tying with the Red Hook.
Full Judging Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WeD3EqVLxXd_5IOX3V49fX7BZxnTrHEzZzxPYZ-Hzh0/edit?tab=t.0
May 25-Aperol Spritz
Behind only the mimosa, the Aperol SPritz is one of the most famous and popular brunch cocktails in the world. It’s also one of the most balanced and satisfying. It’s also the perfect cocktail for a hot summer’s day which was perfect down here in FL. My judge even asked why I didn’t serve this one to her while she was in the pool. And this cocktail has an interesting history for European history buffs.
The Aperol Spritz, also known as the “Spriss” in Italy, gets its name from the German word Spritzen meaning spray or splash. This is a reference to the bubbles in the Prosecco typically used in the cocktail. The other main ingredients are Soda water and Aperol itself. It has a 1-2-3 ratio of soda-Aperol-wine. All of these are pretty light on their own and together they are just damn refreshing.
Fun fact is that the Spritz was made in Venice when it was still a part of the Austrian empire when the soldiers would dilute the sparkling wine with soda to make it more similar in ABV to the beers they had at home. Another fun fact is that the movie Meet the Parents starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro l;aunched this cocktail’s popularity into the Stratosphere when Robert De Niro’s character was offered a spritsz instead of the usual Tom Collins.
Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KrHRVPqDsOfvTSB_FoG_iRJ6K_T7V9i8GhNpSAxgAlw/edit?tab=t.0 .