Alcohol Alchemy

On Mixology and Mixologists

2012-02-08T08:33:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the severe lack of posts the past monthish. I've got recipes, and I've tried new liquors...I just have been slacking on posting them.

On to the post: My amazing 13-year-old cousin goes to this really cool arts and sciences school--I imagine kind of like the high school we visited while I was in the Gifted/Talented program when I lived in Oklahoma and wished I could someday attend. Anyway, they did a project where they chose a profession and interviewed somebody about said profession. Her choice was Mixologist, and while those of you who know me know my general distaste for the term "mixologist" I am all for the movement to view bartending as a viable career path and option once again, and if putting a label like that on it helps, well...I'll suck up my distaste. Bottom line, I was thrilled to get to answer her questions. I had a great time answering, and I'd love to give insight to some others who might wonder just what it is people like me do, and why we do it. I've altered the question re: pay. I feel awkward putting hard numbers out on the web like that, so instead of exploring potential pay rates of various potential mixological careers, I'll just mention the various potential careers.

1. What is your favorite part of your job?

Every day is different than the one before—I meet different people, create different drinks and menus, and do different things. I also get to take care of people—welcome them into my “home” and hopefully make their days something more than they otherwise might have been. I get to introduce people and watch friendships develop. I get to make bad days better for people. I get to compete in competitions and be creative, and there are a number of different roads I could take within my profession if I wanted to.

2. How much do people in your profession usually make?

That can vary quite a lot. There are many different roads that mixologists can take, and that leads to different salaries. You have the ones who bartend and/or manage in cocktail bars or restaurants. If you work in a corporate restaurant environment you could become a corporate mixologist/Beverage Director for a company like TGI Friday, or Applebee's, or Outback, or something along those lines. You could decide to do consulting work on the side—or even open your own consulting firm (helping create menus for other bars/restaurants, helping others with cost-controls and systems like inventory and ordering and training, etc.). If you're VERY talented, and like the idea of lots of travel and publicity, you could get the opportunity as a Brand Ambassador/Global Brand Ambassador for a big liquor brand like Tanqueray or Absolut, or any other number of brands. You could also choose to open your own cocktail bar/restaurant. That salary, of course, will vary depending on how successful your venture is.

3. Do you like your job?
I love my job. I never stop learning, and creating, and there are so many things I can do with it throughout my lifetime if I so choose. I never get bored.

4. What led you to become a mixologist?
I went to school initially for theatre performance. The plan was, all stage actors move to New York and wait tables or bartend until they get their break, so my best bet was to get some restaurant experience before I made a move like that. I started serving, and ended up falling in love with hospitality—and getting my degree in Anthropology with a focus on Archaeology—nothing even close to what I do now. I started working for a company where I got the chance to learn every position in the restaurant—paperwork, kitchen, management, bar, etc. I also helped open other restaurants in other cities. The restaurant I managed for had subscriptions to various industry magazines, and I started learning that there was more to the bar world than just making drinks—there was a whole creative and imaginative process, and so many technical aspects—how to shake cocktails properly, how to muddle fruits and herbs properly so the drink isn't bitter, how to balance flavors...I also started learning the different profiles and production styles of various liquors and beers and wines. I became obsessed, and after a lot of books and magazines and websites, I eventually started trying it out myself. I made (and sometimes still do) some SPECTACULARLY terrible combinations in the beginning. I learned, though, and now I can usually come up with a rough recipe for a drink before I even touch the ingredients I want to use.

5. How many years have you done this profession?
I've been in hospitality for about ten years now. The bar side, about four.

6. What exactly do you do?
I think the shorter answer might be what DON'T I do? I create recipes, I study wines and beers (and am studying to take the tests to gain my Levels I and II Sommelier certification—certified wine professional—and Levels 1 and 2 Cicerone certification—certified beer professional), I try to keep up with laws and regulations and potential legal issues affecting my profession, I follow and work to predict trends for liquors and flavors and bar “stuff” in general, I try to keep abreast of new liquor releases, I work on training and education programs for my restaurants and my bartenders, I study restaurant marketing and try to work out relevant promotions for the restaurants/bars I work for, and much more. As far as daily, I keep inventory of and do orders for the liquor/beer/wine I stock, I work out the cost of products and drinks I order and create, I come up with ideas for new menus and promotions, I make flavored syrups from fresh ingredients to use in my cocktails, I mix drinks for people, pour beers and wines, and I play what we jokingly refer to as the “typical” bartender roles—hostess, therapist, friend, alchemist/mad scientist, entertainer, babysitter, matchmaker, mind-reader, and others depending on what any given individual sitting at my bar needs. Different people come to bars and restaurants looking for different reasons and experiences. My job is to help accommodate what they are looking for, within possibility and within reason.

7. What is a bad day for your profession?
Having to cut people off or throw them out. Fights are not actually common, but I've witnessed a few. Computer systems going out due to weather or faulty equipment, forgetting to order something really important...or when you're just having an off day and feel like you can't remember any recipes or keep dropping your equipment, etc. Oh! And when something goes screwy in the computer, or an employee typed a number in wrong and it throws off your paperwork and takes a lot longer to finish your evening because you have to figure out where the problem happened.

8. What kind of benefits do you receive?
Benefits depend on where you work. Some companies offer excellent medical benefits and things like retirement funds (especially corporate restaurants and hotels), and some offer nothing besides food discounts and the like. I am a member of the United States Bartenders' Guild (the US branch of the International Bartenders' Guild—an internationally recognized group of cocktail enthusiasts and bar professionals), and we recently gained access to some very nice health benefits and rates since we're such a large organization. We also have many special educational opportunities to learn more about various aspects of our field. If you choose to involve yourself in the competition circuits, the payoffs can also be incredible at the top levels.

9. What is a good day for your job?

Creating a new drink, discovering a delicious new product, running great numbers on inventory, making people happy, discovering/mastering a new technique.

10. How long do you have to stay in this in this profession before you can retire?

Depends on who you are. Most of us don't keep retirement funds, but I think that's because many of us don't ever see ourselves retiring, per se. I aim to always be involved in some way—even if it means just as an owner and no longer a manager, or running a consulting company and not being as physical as I once was. I don't see myself ever wanting to stop because what I do can be so richly rewarding. I live, eat, drink, and breathe what I do. The hospitality industry is more than just a profession—it's really a way of life. If you do find yourself wanting to retire and you've had some jobs like outlined above and have been smart about stashing money in your own private retirement fund, I don't see why you couldn't retire in the same amount of time that a lot of more “traditional” 30-year types of jobs do.

Christmas Treats: The Chocolate Orange

2011-12-30T14:51:00.001-05:00

I was planning on posting this one in the days leading up to Christmas, but things got hectic, and I missed the window. Ah well. On the plus side, we spent the holiday in Michigan with my husband's family, and we had a great visit.

This was another cocktail created for the Buckeye vodka event I hosted. When my brother and I were young our mom would put those chocolate orange balls in our stockings on Christmas morning. This was my take on those candies.

The Chocolate Orange
Glass: Large cocktail
Method: Shake and double strain
Garnish: Long orange twist

Ingredients:
1 oz Buckeye vodka
.5 oz Cointreau
.5 oz Dark Creme de Cocoa
2 barspoons Orange marmalade
2 oz Heavy cream

Shake with ice and double strain into glass. Garnish with long orange twist and enjoy!

Peppermint Truffle

2011-12-21T15:20:00.003-05:00

First and foremost...Merry Yule! Tonight is the longest night of the year. From here on out our days grow longer through the Summer Solstice. I love more hours of daylight!

Next...I did an event with Buckeye vodka back in October and came up with a bunch of seasonal fall and winter cocktails. This was one of them, and with just a few days left until Christmas I figured now would be a great time to post this one.

Peppermint Truffle (aka Buckeye Truffle)
Glass: Large Cocktail
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Crushed peppermint rim

Ingredients:
1 oz Buckeye vodka
.75 oz Chambord
.5 oz Dark Creme de Cocoa
.25 oz Monin Frosted Mint syrup
.25 oz Simple syrup
2 oz Heavy cream

Build ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a large cocktail glass that's been rimmed with chocolate syrup and crushed peppermint candies.

More Tequilador: Jalisco Mule

2011-12-17T14:12:00.001-05:00

When I was working on the Tequilador recipe competition I actually came up with three recipes and debated between which to submit. This one is a twist on the Moscow Mule...the name of course coming from the region of tequila.

Jalisco Mule
Glass: Pint glass
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Juiced half-lime shell

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Tequilador Silver tequila
.5 oz St-Germain liqueur
.5 oz Ginger syrup (I used Monin's)
.25 oz Simple syrup
1 oz Fresh-squeezed lime juice

Build ingredients in mixing glass and shake with ice. Strain into a pint glass filled with clean ice, top with club soda, and garnish with a juiced half-lime shell.

Bourbon and Blues

2011-12-16T18:25:00.003-05:00

You may recall me talking about some delicious blueberry preserves my mother-in-law made earlier this past summer during blueberry-picking season up in Michigan. They featured prominently in my Death's Lady cocktail. This is another recipe that came from that batch of deliciousness. I had some extra Bulleit hanging around, and wanted to figure out a way to use it up. This was quite the successful way of doing that. I think I went through nearly four bottles the few days I featured this. It's very simple to execute and very refreshing.

Bourbon and Blues
Glass: 12oz rocks/Old-Fashioned glass
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Orange twist

Ingredients:
2 oz Bulleit bourbon
1 oz Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 oz Simple syrup (refresher: I use a 2:1 sugar:water ratio)
1 barspoon Blueberry preserves

Build ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into glass filled with clean ice. Garnish and enjoy.

Athena's Council

2011-11-24T20:05:00.003-05:00

There's no real back story to this cocktail...just that I got something in my head that I wanted to do a drink with sage. Blackberry is a natural companion to sage, and I went from there. The name started as "Wise Council" (which "sage advice" means, of course), and with all the goddess names in my cocktails, it seems as though Athena decided She wanted this one ;-) I can't blame Her, as it's pretty delicious.

Athena's Council (a.k.a. Sage Advice)
Glass: Large Cocktail
Method: Muddle, Shake and Double Strain
Garnish: Burned sage leaf

Muddle:
3 ea Blackberries
3 ea Sage leaves
.75 oz Agave Nectar

Add:
1.5 oz Sauza Hornitos Plata tequila
.5 oz St-Germain liqueur
1 oz Fresh Lemon juice

Shake with ice and double strain into cocktail glass. Burn a sage leaf to garnish.

Alcohol Alchemy on a Road Trip!

2011-11-14T22:34:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my husband Dan and I went on a road trip to Kennett Square, PA to co-host an evening of decadent indulgences for a special project we're working on with a friend and former regular of mine who moved out to that area. He did the food, I did the cocktails, and we had a fantastic time in the process! We loved the area and the people we met, and we can't wait to get out there again (particularly to hit up some of the excellent cocktail bars in downtown Philadelphia). I wish we would have taken photos to share, but sadly we did not. I can, however, show off the menus for the fantastic food and cocktails we served up Saturday evening. Some of the drinks already have posted recipes in here, and some are yet to come. I also served up a non-alcoholic mocktail not on the menu for the kids that was .75oz Pumpkin Spice syrup (similar to the pumpkin spice recipe for the Autumn Blaze, but I did 2 cups brown sugar and 4 cups water), 1oz Apple Cider, shake with ice, and top with 2oz of Ginger Ale. It seemed to go over quite well :-) I'll make sure I get an entry up for that one, too.

So...first, the drinks. I did a mix of classics and originals, and the crowd favorites seemed to be Aphrodite's Kiss and Spellbound. If you were at the party we'd love to hear what you thought:

Now, the food. My husband really does some incredible things with food, and I think the oyster mushroom sliders, parsnip chips, and churros were my absolute favorites on this menu (onion jam and fresh figs make me insane amounts of happy). Kennett Square is often referred to as the mushroom capital of the United States, and the mushrooms are really unbelievable. One of the attendees hosted a small gathering at her home the night before the party, and we were lucky enough that she pulled out some absolutely incredible crimini mushrooms. From being not much of a mushroom fan before this trip, I'm now obsessed with fresh mushrooms (keyword "fresh"...like...picked in the last couple of days fresh):

Rose of Eris

2011-10-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

Okay...trying to make up a bit for lost time. Sorry for the sad lack of October posts, guys! It's been a busy month!

I did a fall cocktail event with Buckeye vodka earlier this month, so be prepared for some more Buckeye vodka recipes over the next month-ish. Since the fall and winter tend to be more dark liquor months, I tried to incorporate some fall/winter types of flavors into vodka cocktails for them. This one would be lovely for a Christmas-ish or New Years party. I'd never even tried quince prior to making this syrup, but I was extremely pleased with the result!

For those of you who don't know about quince fruit, historians and mythologians are pretty certain that it was the "apple" referenced in the Garden of Eden, and any golden apple references in Greek and Roman mythology (like the one Eris inscribed and tossed to Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera that essentially started the Trojan War). The raw taste is very dry, tart, and somewhere between an apple and a pear. I also read that they have ties to the rose family--hence the intoxicating scent, I'm guessing. To get real flavor out of it you want to make it into a syrup or jam, really. I made a very easy simple syrup. I peeled and diced three quince fruit and brought it verrrrrrrrrry slowly to a boil with about 30oz sugar and 30oz water (I typically use Store and Pours to measure for my syrups...ha) and then strained out the diced fruit. The syrup turned a gorgeous pink color with an incredibly intoxicating scent as it simmered.

Rose of Eris
Glass: Champagne flute
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Long lemon twist

Ingredients:
1 oz Buckeye vodka (Ciroc might be a great substitution for those not in Ohio)
.75 oz Quince simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with prosecco and garnish. Indulge.

Rapture

2011-10-27T14:12:00.001-04:00

I am currently working on a very special project, and this cocktail was the result of experimentation for that. I love playing with unusual liqueurs and ingredients, and I thoroughly believe that cognac and brandy need to make even more of a comeback in cocktails than they already have, and this is just one of my contributions to that end. The photo was taken amidst my collection of YA and faery fiction...haha. It works, as it's a little dark, a little mysterious, and deliciously decadent...yet surprisingly light. I'm thinking chocolate mole bitters might twist this down a much darker, yet still delicious, path.

Rapture
Glass: Small cocktail
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: No garnish.

Ingredients:
.5 oz Meukow VS cognac
.5 oz Nux Alpine walnut liqueur
3 drops Pure Vanilla extract
1 dash Regan's orange bitters
1 dash Bitter Truth's Xocolatl Mole bitters
1 oz Fonesca Bin 127 ruby port

MxMo LXI: Local Color Round-Up Post

2011-09-28T01:29:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the round-up of another Mixology Monday! We had some fantastic submissions this month, and I just want to thank you all so much for participating in my first MxMo as the host.

For those of you who didn't see the lead-up, this month's MxMo was all about showcasing some of our favorite locally distilled spirits...and showcase you did! The results all look outstanding, and I loved learning about the different spirits cropping up in the various corners of our participants.

First up is IJ in Georgia over at Tempered Spirits with the East Meets South featuring 13th Colony's Southern Corn Whiskey:

Following on the heels of the Fightin’ Words and the Last Word, I wanted to maintain the sweet/herbal quality of the drink, giving it some sugary “bite” to match the new oak and corn of the whiskey. After some failed experiments with Bénédictine, Cherry Heering, honey liqueur, and maraschino liqueur, I settled on ginger liqueur — it had the exact kind of edge I was looking for and whiskey and ginger make a natural combination.

East Meets South

2 ounces 13th Colony Southern Corn Whiskey
1 ounce Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1-2 Dashes Fee Bros. Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist made over the drink.

Next up is a lovely international submission: the Russian Apple Sour over at MaltyPuppy who offered up a lovely seasonal twist on a classic sour featuring an apple-infused vodka:

Well, in the Russian woods we have the only spirit and you are all know it as vodka. Actually samogon (and not vodka) is Russian craft spirit. Unfortunately home distilling as well as hand-craft distilleries were illegal in Russia for a long time so now we have only vodka industry alive and growing.

Russian Apple Sour

60 ml vodka heavily infused with apples (sour apples recommended)

20 ml fresh lemon juice

20 ml Bols Gold Strike Cinnamon Schnapps Liqueur

2-3 dashes simple syrup (optional, to adjust sourness balance)

a half of egg white (10-15 ml)

Shake all ingredients without ice. Add ice and shake it once more. Double strain in cocktail glass or in wine goblet. I prefer no garnish but a pinch of freshly grated cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla extract on top will be a good addition.

Next up, I am happy to introduce Zach over at The Venture Mixologist, who joined us with his first MxMo submission(s)! Zach is in Chicago, and chose to use hum (developed by Chicago mixologist Adam Seger) for his submissions. The first is Le Bourdennement (The Hum), the second is Hum variation no 2, and the quite timely third is appropriately The Equinox:

hum (no caps here) is a 70 proof spirit produced by cold tea maceration of four very distinct botanicals - hibiscus, ginger, cardamom, and kaffir lime - in pot still, cane sugar rhum. Founded and developed by Chicago mixologist Adam Seger (formerly of Nacional 27, Tru, and The French Laundry), hum is reminiscent of Italian-style amari, possessing a slightly bitter, yet sweet profile with tons of depth and herbaceous complexity.

Le Bourdennemont

1 oz hum

1 oz Citadelle gin

1 oz Lillet Blanc

2 dashes Regan's Orange No. 6

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled old fashioned glass over large square ice, garnish with orange twist.

Next up, as the season turns to fall here in the Midwest, I felt it was appropriate to make a less summery, somewhat cozier cocktail fit for the autumn months. Enter whiskey. While I certainly don't reserve whiskey only for the cooler months, it does lend itself particularly well to this time of year.

Hum variation no. 2

1 oz Rittenhouse rye
1 oz hum
1 oz Punt y Mes
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with orange twist.

While not displeased with the result, I was left with the impression that there was room for improvement. Reflecting back, I wasn't quite sure that Punt y Mes was the best choice in vermouth here. While it certainly works well in a number of cocktails, it just didn't shine in this mix (go figure, I'm learning). So, instead I shifted focus to my 'go to' sweet vermouth, Carpano Antica.

The Equinox

1 oz Rittenhouse rye
1 oz hum
1 oz Carpano Antica
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with orange twist.

Next up is Frederic over at Cocktail ~~Virgin~~ Slut in Boston with a unique twist on the classic Ward 8. He decided that he wanted to work with Gloucester, MA's Ryan & Wood Rye Whiskey for his gorgeous variation:

When Andrea and I tasted it, it had a pine-spice and caramel nose. The sip started a little thinly flavored but with a fuller mouthfeel; most of the flavor was in the mid and back palate especially with caramel and spice on the swallow. As MC Slim had mentioned, this is a not a rye that would easily be lost in a cocktail. If I were to compare it to a better known whiskey, I would liken it to a more flavorful Sazerac 6 Year Rye.

Ward 8

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

3/4 oz Orange Juice

1 barspoon (1/8 oz) Sugar

2 oz Rye (Ryan & Wood)

3/8-1/2 oz Grenadine

Stir juice with sugar until the crystals dissolves. Add rye, shake with ice, and strain into a wine glass that had its inside rubbed with a mint sprig and then filled with crushed ice. Drizzle the grenadine over the top so it will cascade down to the bottom of the glass. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and an orange peel spiral twist, and add a straw.

Following that, Rowen at Fogged in Lounge in San Francisco "Dutched" things up a bit with Anchor Distilling's Genevive (which they carry at my go-to liquor store in Kentucky, and I keep meaning to pick up...thanks for a great excuse to grab a bottle! :-)) in a Genever Sazerac, and followed with a Corpse Reviver No. 2 (Oh how I love that cocktail!) showcasing St. George's Terroir Gin and Absinthe Verte:

That’s not a Cosmo in the picture, folks. As David Wondrich points out in Imbibe! Hollands gin, or genever, responds quite well to the Sazerac treatment, and while the results may look like candy from the bitters, this is serious drinking. Here I’ve used Anchor’s Genevieve, an unaged genever in the antique style.

Genever Sazerac

2 oz genever (Genevieve)

1/2 tsp absinthe (St. George—what else?)

4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

1 tsp simple syrup

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist.

Two of my neighborhood bottle shops less than a block apart have each decided on a different St. George gin to stock. Fine with me. The Terroir is the offbeat one: inspired by the botanicals of California wilderness, it has notes of Douglas fir, fennel, bay laurel and sage along with the juniper—a forest spirit.

Corpse Reviver No. 2

3/4 oz gin (St. George Terroir)

3/4 oz Cointreau (Seniors Curacao)

3/4 oz Kina Lillet (Cocchi Americano)

3/4 oz lemon juice

1 drop absinthe (St. George Absinthe Verte)

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Dennis over at Rock & Rye in Washington brought us a local twist on another favorite classic of mine, the White Lady:

Since the liquor market is a worldwide industry, I really consider anything produced in Washington State to be local, and Washington seems to have exploded into the craft distilling market in the last two years, thanks largely in part to a craft distilling bill introduced through the efforts of Don and Kent at Dry Fly Distilling in Spokane. In fact, there are probably a dozen or more distilleries within a 2 hour drive from my house.

For this MxMo, I have chosen to use spirits from two northwest Washington distilleries; Ebb & Flow Gin from Sound Spirits in Seattle, and Pacifique Absinthe from Pacific Distillery in Woodinville. Both products are exceptional hand crafted spirits that really showcase the distillers love for their respective products.

White Lady

1 1/2 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Cointreau
2 dashes Absinthe

AJR from Done like Dundee... Gone like Gandhi in Mount Pleasant, Washington DC pulled up and finagled a recipe from the Cocktail Database (The Vermouth Cooler) for Maryland-based Sloop Betty vodka:

When I drink Sloop Betty I get a ethanol nose but the taste and texture is very smooth. I even get a very slight creaminess.

The Vermouth Cooler

2 oz Dolin Rouge vermouth

1 oz Sloop Betty vodka

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

tspn simple syrup

splash of soda water

Add vermouth, vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup into shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy.

Next up, Wordsmithing Pantagruel in Connecticut got tripped up by bad labeling on the part of the Whistle Pig distillery for the Fig 'n Whistle, but far be it from me to neglect what still sounds to be a delicious autumnal cocktail:

despite "Vermont" appearing no less than three times on the front of the bottle, in fact the liquid is made in Canada and only hand bottled on the farm in VT. What can I say, I got tricked. Or sloppy. But it's still good stuff and I'm rolling with it. Canada is like VT, right? Transitive property?

Fig 'n Whistle

1 oz WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey

1 oz Clear Creek Distillery Eau de Vie de Pomme, 8 yr

2 tsp fig spread or preserves

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters

Fresh fig garnish

Dry stir to dissolve preserves, stir with ice, and strain into chilled DOF (double strain if you prefer to have no trace of fig seeds or remnants of undissolved preserve) Garnish with slice of fresh fig.

Felicia of Felicia's Speakeasy in upstate New York gave us a lovely and colorful libation in the form of The Concordian with Finger Lakes concord grapes and, retrospectively, Finger Lakes Distilling's Seneca Drums gin:

Usually I'm anal retentive about following the Mixology Monday instructions each month, so I made sure our cocktail used local ingredients, and it sure is colorful.

Except after Leah created the drink and took an awesome photo, I realized my rebel side once again shoved my straight-and-narrow side off a speeding train. I did not start with a local craft spirit as instructed. Oops.

I haven't always been this impulsive, really. Okay, maybe I have, but I'm still firmly in denial, so I'll blame Leah:

The Concordian

1 1/2 ounces concord grape-infused gin*

tonic

lime wedge

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add grape-infused gin. Top with tonic. Garnish with a lime.

*Concord grape-infused gin:

1 lb Finger Lakes concord grapes

32 ounces gin

Muddle and let sit for 24 hours. Strain.

Marc at A Drinker's Peace in British Columbia chimed in with The Johnny Aquasauce featuring a new revival of a very old liquor--a traditionally distilled Scandanavian aquavit:

The one shining omission from the above list is the distillery that I would like to feature in this post. Okanagan Spirits distillery is a truly world class distillery, producing a wide range of outstanding products. Initially founded in 2004 to produce classic European-style fruit eau de vie, the current range includes a number of grappas, fruit liquers, traditionally made absinthe and most recently a gin and X-Four vodka. The distillery has won numerous awards for products throughout their range. To my palate the quality is uniformly outstanding across the multiple eau-de-vies, grappas and liquers I have tried. The absinthe is also first rate.

The Johnny Aquasauce

1.5oz Aquavit

0.75oz Bianco Vermouth

0.5oz Cardamom Apple Puree

1 tsp Underberg Bitters

Garnish: Grated Star Anise
Glass: Cocktail Glass

Add all ingredients to mixing glass.

Add ice and seal shaker.

Shake vigourously until cold.

Unseal shaker and double strain into chilled glass. (You may need to press the liquid through strainer using barspoon as the mixture may be thick.)

Mackenzie over at The Spirit of Imbibing, also in British Columbia, joined in with not just one but three local-to-Victoria products in her cocktail, The Last Rose:

Victoria Spirits crafts a multitude of spirits including: gin, barrel aged gin, orange bitters, whisky (currently a work in progress) and a variety of eau de vie. Victoria Gin is a small batch product with a lovely floral nose and a strong citric backbone. Although juniper is noticeably present, it is not over powering. While a consistent product is attempted to be maintained with Victoria Gin, every batch has some small characteristic twists.

The Last Rose

2 oz Victoria Gin
1 oz Phillips Raspberry Wheat Ale
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Ruby Pagoda Tea Syrup
2 Dashes Victoria Orange Bitters

Add all ingredients excluding beer to cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Double Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Top with Phillips Raspberry Wheat Ale. Garnish with rose petal.

My own submission, the Autumn Blaze hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio was also quite the local affair. In addition to using Buckeye vodka from Dayton, Ohio, I made a syrup with local pumpkins, and finished it with a local apple cider:

I know the lands are lit, with all the autumn blaze of Goldenrod. --Helen Hunt Jackson:

Autumn Blaze

1 egg yolk (I always dryshake the egg without ice before adding the other ingredients)

1.5 oz Buckeye Vodka (from Dayton, Ohio)
1.5 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice syrup (mine used fresh pumpkins from Fairfield, Ohio)
1.5 oz Unfiltered Apple Cider (mine was from Newcomerstown, Ohio)

Shake VERY well with ice to thoroughly incorporate the egg yolk and strain into glass. Garnish and enjoy!

Finally, because Rowan just couldn't help himself...a nightcap with the St. George Dry Rye gin:

El Camino Real

2 oz St. George Dry Rye Gin

1 oz Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

2 dashes Creole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist.

So...to wrap up, I would love to thank you all for participating in MxMo this month! Especially, many thanks to Paul at the Mothership for the opportunity to host. We had an excellent turnout, and the cocktails look fabulous. I can't wait to pick up some of these liquors whenever I might get the chance. Cheers, and happy imbibing!

-Lindsay

MxMo LXI: Local Color: Autumn Blaze

2011-09-21T23:59:00.005-04:00

I'm situated in the midwest of the States, and while we've got the craft beer thing DOWN (Dear Bell's...I love you and I miss you <3)...the liquor can be a little bit more tricky. Recently, however, we've exploded with some really nice locally distilled spirits. I was recently asked by the president of my local USBG chapter if I wanted to help the folks at Buckeye Vodka (based in Dayton, Ohio) with a seasonal cocktail to mix up at the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association's Bar Expo. I jumped at the chance to help out a local distiller. From there, I thought it would be fun to host a Mixology Monday that focused on showcasing the "local" liquors of our regular contributors. I went a little crazy with my contribution and ended up with an almost entirely "local" cocktail, actually...not that that's a bad thing, of course! :-)

About the liquor: Buckeye vodka is made with softened-four-times, filtered, and distilled water, and then the vodka is ten-times distilled, and it's probably the purest vodka I've ever tasted. The palate is incredibly clean--practically like purified water turned alcohol! This is definitely a liquor to use when you don't want to cloud the other flavors in your cocktail/drink. I don't normally mix with vodka, but I always love a challenge...and challenge myself I did!

I decided I wanted to go the pumpkin pie spice route, and I read up on a handful of pumpkin spice syrup recipes without finding exactly what I was hoping for...so, I did what I usually do in that situation...wing it. My recipe (and lots of step-by-step photos) for the syrup and candied bites is below the cocktail recipe.

I was pretty pleased with the final product, and I had people at the Expo coming over asking, "Is this the pumpkin one? I've had about ten people tell me I had to come over and try it!" so it must have been a success :-)

Autumn Blaze
Glass: Large cocktail
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Candied pumpkin bites

Ingredients:
1 egg yolk (I always dryshake the egg without ice before adding the other ingredients)
1.5 oz Buckeye Vodka (from Dayton, Ohio)
1.5 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice syrup (mine used fresh pumpkins from Fairfield, Ohio)
1.5 oz Unfiltered Apple Cider (mine was from Newcomerstown, Ohio)

Shake VERY well with ice to thoroughly incorporate the egg yolk and strain into glass. Garnish and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Spice Syrup and Candied Pumpkin Bites

1 Pie Pumpkin (mine were from a farm in Fairfield, Ohio)
3 cups Light brown sugar
3 cups water
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice)

Gut, peel, and dice your pumpkin. I recommend half-/three-quarter-inch-ish sized dicing for candied bites that aren't too small, but not so big that they won't soak up a nice amount of spiced syrup in cooking...but it's really personal preference.

Mix all of the above together in a deep sauce pan and bring it to a slow boil. Let it gently boil for about 15 minutes. Strain out the pumpkin pieces and run the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer to filter out random spice and debris.

The quickest way to dry out your pumpkin pieces is to pre-heat your oven to its lowest setting (mine is 170F), spread the pieces over a baking sheet, and let them sit in the oven for a couple of hours. Once they're dried out roll/toss them in a blend of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. I recommend about a tablespoon of cinnamon per half cup of sugar.

For the round-up check out the MxMo LXI Round-Up post!

Pinajito

2011-09-18T20:50:00.001-04:00

Summer's Last Stand: Part III

The past handful of days have been sadly autumnal :-( I know we'll have a nice little late kick of summer in the next month or so, but I think autumn is here to stay for the most part. So, with a bit of sadness in my heart, here is the last installment of my Summer 2011 Mojitos.

I got the initial idea for this Mojito from when I used to work at Cheeseburger in Paradise, once upon a time. They had a Pina Colada Mojito that...well...the execution was lacking in, frankly, but I thought there was real potential in the idea. My recipe is much different than theirs was, but the concept is there. More than a couple of my servers LOVE this one, so I clearly did something right...ha!

Pinajito (aka Pina Colada Mojito)

Glassware: 10oz Collins

Method: Muddle, and Box to finish

Garnish: Mint sprig and Lime wedge

Muddle:

3 Lime wedges
6 Mint leaves

.5 oz Simple syrup

Add:

1 oz Cruzan Coconut rum
.5 oz Bacardi Silver rum
1 oz Pineapple juice

Fill with ice and top with soda water. Box once to mix it all together and make it pretty. Garnish.

Strawberry Hibiscus Mojito

2011-09-13T13:48:00.001-04:00

Summer's Last Stand: Part II

Another delicious Mojito for another scorching September day. I've loved strawberries forever, and especially loved picking and eating them fresh from our strawberry patch when we lived in Oklahoma, and I've really enjoyed mixing with hibiscus (and floral flavors in general) this summer. Add a Mojito to that combination and you have even more of my favorite summer things rolled up in a delicious package.

Strawberry Hibiscus Mojito

Glassware: 10oz Collins

Method: Muddle, and Box to finish

Garnish: Mint sprig and Lime wedge

Muddle:

1 Strawberry

3 Lime wedges
6 Mint leaves

.75 oz Simple syrup
1 dash Hibiscus syrup

Add:

1.5 oz Silver Rum

Fill with ice and top with soda water. Box once to mix it all together and make it pretty. Garnish.

MxMo LXI Announcement: Local Color

2011-09-11T21:28:00.002-04:00

We’ve seen a lot of press for the local craft beer movement and the “source local foods/ingredients!” movement in general, but the local craft spirits movement hasn’t seen quite so much face time. We all know that certainly hasn’t stopped it from its recent rapid expansion, however! With all the talk of supporting local in the industry (as well as other facets of our lives), I felt that the “local” craft spirits scene would be the perfect backdrop for September’s MxMo LXI.

From Corsair’s wide range of spirits in Kentucky and Tennessee, to Michigan’s St. Julian Winery expanding into the vodka scene, to Michigan’s New Holland Brewery branching out with a distilling division, to Wisconsin’s fantastic Death’s Door, to my own Ohio’s wonderful Watershed Distillery, OYO (from Middle West Spirits), and Buckeye labels, we’ve got some great new products to play with and brag about--so why don't we?!

So…pull out your favorite “local” craft spirit (for those of you not in the US, what hidden gem from your neck of the woods do you want to give some cocktail press?), tell us a little bit about it and why you love it, and let it shine in whichever way (or ways!) you see fit!

Here are the details:

MxMo is open to EVERYONE--bartender, manager, professional, amateur, non-hospitality CEO...whatever. If you have a drink you want featured and it follows the guidelines above, send it my way!
Submit your post or email by midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on Sunday, September 25^th. To submit, comment on this post, leaving a link to your own blog post. If you don’t have a blog, don't worry! Email me (Lindsay at alcoholalchemy dot com) with all the items listed below.
Your submission should include a recipe, a photo, and a write-up on the drink. The drink doesn’t have to be an original recipe, but if you borrow please credit your source--we all know what they say about karma.
In your post, include the MxMo logo and a link back to both the Mixology Monday and the Alcohol Alchemy blog sites.
Adding a link to the round-up post after the fact is not necessary, but always a nice touch :-)

Now...get mixing, and have fun!

ETA: Okay, okay...herding cats, I know. I just discovered I'm off work on Tuesday, so I'm going to extend my deadline until Monday evening, and I'll be piecing together the round-up on Tuesday...so if you're running a bit behind, don't worry--we'll get you in!

ETA 2: Round-Up posted!

Watermelon Rose Mojito

2011-09-09T13:55:00.005-04:00

Summer's Last Stand: Part I

The end of summer always makes me incredibly sad...much because Mojitos are not nearly so delicious in the chill of fall and winter. We've been doing Mojito Mondays at work this summer, and I came up with three incredibly delicious specialties to offer in addition to the typical silver, gold, and dark counterparts. As my sister-in-law just posted in her own journal earlier today (along with a Watermelon Mojito recipe...great minds think alike, hm?), flavored Mojitos are too often done terribly in restaurants. So...here are my variations:

From left to right: Watermelon Rose, Strawberry Hibiscus, and the Pinajito

I'll post the other two recipes over the next weekish...

Watermelon Rose Mojito

Glassware: 10oz Collins

Method: Muddle, and Box to finish

Garnish: Mint sprig and Lime wedge

Muddle:

3 Watermelon cubes

3 Lime wedges
6 Mint leaves

.75 oz Simple syrup

3 drops Rosewater

Add:

1.5 oz Silver Rum

Fill with ice and top with soda water. Box once to mix it all together and make it pretty. Garnish.

Unnamed: Watermelon and Basil

2011-08-17T14:04:00.004-04:00

First off, I totally missed the MxMo "Come to Your Senses" challenge this month :-( Lots of things conspired, and I didn't get a chance to play. Long story short, I was planning on going completely silly and fun and basically was going to work out a free-standing jello shot version of the Blow Job shot. Semi-solid, layered, can't use your hands to take...it would have been vastly entertaining to chronicle in photos. Alas...

Also, I may or may not have recently mentioned that I give up on trying to name everything. If something comes along, awesome. If not, I will live ;-) This is victim number one of that decision.

I have been a little obsessed with watermelon this summer, and basil. I had brought in a bottle of Effen Cucumber vodka to play with (let me tell you something: I don't like vodka. At all. This is like pure cucumbers. Effen does a really nice job with their flavors--you may recall I've used their Black Cherry before, too). I also had recently decided I wanted to do something else with balsamic. I'm not sure where the combination came from, and it took some trial and error, but I was extremely pleased with the ultimate result. I love the savory and the floral drinks best, and this is a wonderful blend of sweet and savory.

Unnamed (deal with it):
Method: Muddle, Shake and Strain
Glassware: Large Cocktail
Garnish: Fresh cracked sea salt float

Muddle:
6 cubes Watermelon
3 leaves Basil
1 tsp Balsamic syrup
.5 oz Simple syrup

Add:
2 oz Effen Cucumber vodka
.5 oz Fresh lime juice

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a large cocktail glass. Use a sea salt grinder to float cracked sea salt on the top. Remember with the salt that less is really more. Even a little too much can really destroy the balance of this beautiful drink.

Contest entry: Basilador

2011-08-07T13:07:00.005-04:00

So...the USBG was having a contest for Ohio members to create a recipe for Tequilador Blanco or Tequilador Reposado to be distributed in little recipe booklets with the tequilas. ~~I haven't heard anything since the deadline (which wasn't too long ago, so I don't know when results are going to happen~~ Edit: Basilador was picked! The recipes will have a QR code with them so that people can go to a video of each cocktail being made. I'll be going to Cleveland at some point in December to be filmed making it ~~so I'm not sure how mine came out~~. Regardless, I love the drink, and I've gotten some nice feedback on it. The name may be a little misleading, as there's not an overwhelming basil flavor to it, but it seemed cute and clever and better than anything else I could think of at the time...ha

Basilador
Glass: Large cocktail
Method: Muddle, Shake and Strain
Garnish: Grape spiral/basil sprig

Ingredients:
5 each green grapes
3 each Basil leaves
1.5 oz Tequilador Blanco tequila
.5 oz Cointreau
1.5 oz Simple syrup
2 oz Fresh lime juice

Muddle grapes and basil leaves with a little simple syrup. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a large cocktail glass and garnish.

To make garnish:
I wish I had a video camera for this one. Anyway...take a green grape and use a paring knife to cut the grape into a spiral. Wrap spiral around basil sprig, and use a fruit pick to secure.

Siren's Song

2011-07-28T09:43:00.002-04:00

Okay...working on this whole "making up for lost time" thing, and posting my second blog this week! This came around when I decided that me not particularly caring for spiced rum meant that I needed to practice mixing with it. People who like spiced rum seem to have approved of the result (and so do I, actually...I surprisingly enjoyed it thoroughly).

The name for this one came around when I decided it needed to match the cocktail and be simultaneously feminine (it uses elderflower liqueur) and nautical (Sailor Jerry rum), with a little bit of evil implied. Apparently that was an appropriate thought, because the first person who ordered it told the server "You need to tell your manager that this one needs to come with a warning! It could be dangerous!" Perfect!

Siren's Song
Method: Shake and Strain
Glassware: Large cocktail
Garnish: Dash of cinnamon

Ingredients:
1 oz Sailor Jerry spiced rum
.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
2 oz Fresh squeezed orange juice (seriously...using oranges makes all the difference)
.25 oz Simple syrup
3 dashes Regan's orange bitters

Add all ingredients to mixing glass and shake well with ice. Strain into glass and garnish with a dash of cinnamon. Enjoy!

For anybody unfamiliar with the Sirens (most known and remembered through Homer's Odyssey): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren

Death's Lady

2011-07-27T13:47:00.001-04:00

First and foremost: Sorry I've been so lax on posting this month! I swear I have about five recipes I've been meaning to post.

This past weekend, the husband and I tripped up to Kalamazoo, Michigan for his sister's wedding. We had a fantastic time with all of the families (I love my in-laws! And even my in-laws' in-laws!), and I loved being back home and visiting my friends, and I got to pick up some gins to play with that I haven't been able to find in Ohio but have been dying to work with. The two I snagged were Death's Door from Washington Island in Wisconsin (hey...I just realized how apropos that is. His sister and her new husband recently moved to Wisconsin), and Knickerbocker from the distilling division of New Holland (yes, the brewing company). I haven't quite decided what I want to do with the Knickerbocker, but I definitely had ideas of blueberry with both of them. I picked up some blueberry preserves for the Death's Door, and in working on the build I basically ended up with a twist on the White Lady. Between the gin used, and the drink invoked, it pretty much named itself.

P.S. to the state of Michigan: Your liquor prices have become insane. $42 for a fifth of Cointreau? SERIOUSLY?!? Insane. Retail around here is in the low $30s.

I have this pictured in a small cocktail glass, even though it's mixed for a large cocktail glass. I forgot to photograph it before I sampled it out, so some of it was already sampled...ha...oops.

Death's Lady
Method: Shake and Strain
Glassware: Large Cocktail
Garnish: Sugared rim, and fresh blueberries

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Death's Door gin
.75 oz Cointreau
.75 oz Simple syrup
1 oz Fresh lemon juice
1 barspoon blueberry preserves

Build ingredients in a mixing glass and shake well with ice. Strain into a large cocktail glass rimmed with sugar, garnish, and enjoy!

Note: Since I don't have Death's Door at work, I thought I would also try this out with Plymouth gin. It was a little bit sweeter, but worked very well anyway, and is a much more widely available gin. You could probably bring the simple syrup down a bit to cut that sweetness and bring out the botanicals in the Plymouth a bit more. Since sweeter tends to sell a bit better at the restaurant anyway, I didn't bother experimenting much further.

MxMo LIX: Beer Cocktails: Southern Magic

2011-07-08T12:42:00.003-04:00

This month's Mixology Monday is sponsored by Cocktail ~~Virgin~~ Slut, and the theme is Beer Cocktails. As mentioned in the announcing post, beer cocktails aren't exactly a new thing, but they've been getting a lot of press in the past year or so:

Bartenders are drawn to beer for a variety of reasons including the glorious malt and roast notes from the grain, the bitter and sometimes floral elements from the hops, the interesting sour or fruity notes from the yeast, and the crispness and bubbles from the carbonation. Beer is not just for pint glasses, so let us honor beer of all styles as a drink ingredient.

My first introduction to beer cocktails in a cocktail type of form was actually at Tales of the Cocktail last year in one of the tasting rooms. The cocktail involved egg white, ROOT liqueur, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Recipe and video! Thanks to Frederic for knowing what I was talking about!). As soon as I interviewed for my current job I knew that if I got the position I wanted to utilize this style of cocktail in some way, shape, or form on my list. The Southern Magic is the drink that resulted. I decided to start with a bourbon base, as it is a southern style restaurant--and not many liquors are more representative of the south than bourbon--and built from there. I really wasn't sure how Cincinnati would react to beer cocktails in this form since the only thing in the "beer cocktail" realm I'd seen around before was a michelada at a restaurant we enjoy downtown, but I was pleasantly surprised by a nice following for it! Also, a couple people have described it as "It's like summer in my mouth!" so I felt it rather appropriate for a July post.

Southern Magic
Method: Shake, Box, Strain
Glassware: Brandy Snifter
Garnish: Flamed lemon twist

Ingredients:
.75 oz Maker's Mark bourbon
.5 oz Apricot brandy
.25 oz Simple syrup
Squeeze of fresh lemon (just a few drops, really)

Shake above ingredients with ice, then add 4 oz of Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale, box ingredients, and strain into brandy snifter. Flame a piece of lemon peel over drink, and drop peel in to garnish.

smoQ Summer Cocktails

2011-06-26T00:16:00.008-04:00

Oh, hey! I finally finalized my summer menu! A few popular returning suspects, and a few new faces. Ones created by my bar staff are noted with their names. We're rolling this one out Monday or Tuesday...

ETA: This is by far my favorite menu so far. When I remember summers growing up in Oklahoma, there are many elements I remember in this list...fresh watermelon and strawberries and cucumbers from my dad's garden, my grandmother's rose bushes (and OH her flower garden was heaven!) in Michigan, lemonade and sweet sun tea...and I am a July baby, so being out in the pool or the yard with my nose buried in books picking strawberries in the summer months were my favorite parts of growing up. Summer flavors are so crisp and clean, and they have just the perfect amount of sweetness. Also, I feel so many elements embody the slightly-more-upscale Southern style we're aiming for, and with elements of the smokiness we're named for, as well.

Watermelon Cooler (Non-Alcoholic)

Watermelon, cucumber, mint, lemon-lime soda, topped with soda water.

Summer Lemonade (Non-Alcoholic)

Mint, basil, dill, rosemary, and pomegranate juice steeped in fresh lemonade.

smoQin’ Rita

Sauza Hornitos Plata tequila, Cointreau, Dewar’s, fresh lemon and lime juices, house-smoked hickory salt.

Lavender Honeybee

Plymouth gin, house-smoked honey, rosemary, lavender syrup, and fresh lemon juice.

Mockingbird Summer

Hendricks gin, fresh muddled watermelon, strawberry, dill, and fresh lime juice.

Flowers for Hemingway

10 Cane rum, fresh lime juice, rosewater, hibiscus syrup, and Regan’s orange bitters.

The Gatsby

Four Roses bourbon, Fernet Branca, rosewater simple syrup, and ginger ale.

Summer Garden Lemonade

Hendricks gin and St-Germain elderflower liqueur mixed with our fresh Summer Lemonade.

Peach Pom (Josh)

Absolut Apeach vodka, PAMA pomegranate liqueur, peach puree, orange flower water, and fresh orange juice.

Bon Temps (Josh)

St-Germain elderflower liqueur, hibiscus syrup, agave nectar, orange flower water, iced tea.

Spellbound

Tanqueray No. Ten gin, fresh strawberry, basil, balsamic syrup, fresh lime juice, and ginger ale.

Red Ginger Bee (Carey)

Wild Turkey American Honey bourbon, hibiscus syrup, fresh lime juice, and Gosling’s Ginger Beer.

Jamaican Staycation

Appleton Estate Reserve dark rum, Frangelico, and locally brewed Mt. Carmel Nut Brown Ale.

Mixology Monday: Niche Spirits

2011-06-18T13:44:00.002-04:00

Welcome to another Mixology Monday with me! This month's theme is Niche Spirits (e.g. any base spirit not typically used as a base spirit--not vodka, gin, rum, etc.), and is hosted by Filip at Adventures in Cocktails. My entry is a bit out of season, but it never hurts to start planning your holidays early, right?

For my "niche spirit" I was planning on creating a new cocktail, but I decided on a tweaked classic. When I was first introduced to Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine, the first thing I thought of was eggnog. When I was working on the opening menu for my bar last fall I decided to research eggnog recipes (which of course all seemed to involve either bourbon or rum...neither of which I've ever really enjoyed eggnog with), and I worked out one that worked beautifully with the Catdaddy!

Daddy's Eggnog
Method: Preshaken egg, Shake and Strain
Glassware: Brandy snifter or large punch cup
Garnish: Fresh grated nutmeg

Ingredients:
1 whole egg (preshaken)
1.5 oz Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine
.5 oz Simple syrup
3 oz Apple cider

Shake indgredents VERY well (make sure that egg is completely incorporated--there is little worse than a separating egg drink) with ice and strain into glass. Top with a fresh grating of nutmeg. Enjoy!

Sadly, I don't have a photo of my eggnog, but it was rather enjoyed, and I can't wait to put it back on this upcoming winter!

Flowers for Hemingway

2011-06-08T09:56:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Dan and I were at one of our regular places and they were featuring a daiquiri with rose and hibiscus and soda water. I loved the idea, but the rose was fairly overpowering (I think they used about half a barspoon of rose water), and they used soda water in it which I wasn't too crazy about, and I was missing the hibiscus and lime completely. I decided I adored the idea so much that I just had to make it work for myself. As for the name, this isn't really a twist on the Hemingway Daiquiri recipe, but...since he has "his own" daiquiri, he tends to be the first thing I think of when I'm talking about classic daiquiris. Also, as far as literature goes...I'm not a Hemingway fan, though I appreciate his contributions to our literary record. My husband, on the other hand, does quite enjoy his work. Regardless, Nobel Laureate authors always deserve flowers in their memory, right?

Flowers for Hemingway
Method: Shake and strain
Glassware: Large Cocktail
Garnish: Flamed orange twist

Ingredients
1.5 oz 10 Cane rum
1 oz Fresh lime juice
1.25 oz Simple syrup
1 drop Rose water
5 drops Fee Bros. Hibiscus flower water
1 dash Hibiscus syrup
2 dashes Regan's Orange bitters

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a large cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange twist.

Cherry Kisses

2011-06-03T14:17:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine asked me the other day if I might be able to come up with a black cherry martini, as she had had a wonderful one, and wanted to surprise her recently-21 sister-in-law with a recipe but couldn't find any good ones online. She said they used black cherry vodka and a chocolate rim with a chocolate covered cherry garnish. This was what I came up with. My staff loved it, and so did some of our guests, so I thought I'd share.

Cherry Kisses
Method: Shake and strain
Glass: Large cocktail
Garnish: Chocolate rim with a fresh cherry, or a chocolate-covered cherry (the real kind...not those fake maraschinos)

Ingredients:
2 oz Effen Black Cherry vodka
.75 oz Real pomegranate grenadine (1 part pomegranate juice to 1 part sugar, shaken well to mix)
.5 oz Fresh lime juice
.5 oz Simple syrup
2 oz Cranberry juice

Summer Mocktail: Watermelon Cooler

2011-05-27T10:53:00.003-04:00

One of my major weaknesses in mixing is N/A mocktails. When it comes to cocktails I like to think "What liquor will work well with these flavors?" or "what liquors will work well together?" or...well...something along those lines. I really have a hard time finding the right balance with mocktails. In working on my summer cocktail list, though, I really wanted to have some nice non-alcoholic choices with summer flavors. According to my staff on Wednesday night, this one is a clear winner:

Watermelon Cooler
Method: Shake/Box
Glass: 16oz Pint
Garnish: Mint sprig

Shake with ice:
2 cubes watermelon
2 slices cucumber
6 mint leaves
2 lime wedges, squeeze and discard
.25 oz Simple syrup

Fill glass with ice and add about 2 oz of Sprite (or other lemon-lime soda/pop)***. Top with a splash of club soda and box. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig.

***Don't shake the carbonated sodas with the listed ingredients. You don't want to flatten the carbonation.

Mixology Monday: Flores de Mayo

2011-05-15T14:10:00.001-04:00

So it appears that Blogger ate my Mixology Monday post,and since MxMo is tomorrow and my post still hasn't returned...I guess I need to try this again.

This month's theme for MxMo is Flores de Mayo--floral cocktails!--and is being hosted by Dave over at The Barman Cometh. My cocktail is actually a pair of cocktails that came about when I was trying to think of what flavor profiles I would like to pair with Hendricks. I ended up with Fernet Branca and rosewater in the recipe, and then I thought..."hm...Four Roses would go really well with these, too!" What resulted was a pair of cocktails that I knew I could not bear to separate if they were ever to go on a cocktail list. The only challenge was naming them. These are two pages taken from the same chapter, so to speak, and the name needed to reflect that. After grilling my brain since their creations in...well...February, I finally figured it out a few weeks ago--Gatsby and Daisy.

The Gatsby
Method: Shake and Strain
Glassware: 10 oz Collins
Garnish: Lemon twist

Ingredients:
1.25 oz Four Roses bourbon
3/4 tsp Fernet Branca
.33 oz Rosewater simple syrup**

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into Collins glass filled with ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish.

The Daisy
Method: Shake and strain
Glassware: Champagne flute
Garnish: Lemon twist

Ingredients:
1 oz Hendricks gin
1/2 tsp Fernet Branca
.33 oz Rosewater simple syrup**

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into champagne flute. Top with prosecco. Garnish.

**To make the rosewater simple syrup, simply add one drop of rosewater to one ounce of 2:1 simple syrup.

So who's ready for the Derby?

2011-04-29T01:24:00.000-04:00

I love Mint Juleps. One of the first drinks that crossed my mind in putting together the cocktail list for a southern style restaurant was the Mint Julep...the penultimate porch drink of the deep south. Of course, there are many ways to twist this classic, and I was happy to take the challenge. I decided to post this now as Mint Juleps also are the signature cocktail of the Kentucky Derby, which happens to fall on May 7th this year (I'm hoping the race time falls before my friend Julie's wedding so that I can watch it somewhere). Yes, moving to Cincinnati has turned me into a Derby watcher, and I would LOVE to actually go to the races next year.

First, bourbon choice. Maker's Mark recently(ish) released Maker's 46, and I'm a fan of the extra complexity and sweetness the toasted oak staves add to the bourbon. Next, the sweetening agent: this was actually a bit of a no-brainer...house-smoked honey, of course!

I am horrible at writing out an explanation of how to make a Mint Julep since it involves quite a lot of attention to detail, so instead I will give you the recipe and then direct you to a video demonstration.

smoQ'd Julep

Glassware: Julep cup

Method: Muddle and Stir

Garnish: Drizzle of smoked honey and mint sprig

Muddle:

Fresh Mint (amount to taste...we use two nicely leaved sprigs)

1 oz House-smoked honey

Add:

2.5 oz Maker’s Mark 46 bourbon

- Stir together (the honey is REALLY thick...it will end up in a ball in the bottom of the drink unless you stir it with the bourbon before adding ice) and add crushed ice

- Stir until the julep cup frosts

- Top off with more crushed ice and stir briefly again

- Drizzle with smoked honey and spanked mint sprig to garnish

- Warn guests to beware of the slippery frosted cup while drinking!

Video: How to make a Mint Julep

Where we got our Lewis Bag: Professional grade Lewis bags by McSology

Our Mint Julep cups: KegWorks 10oz Mint Julep cup

Clearly, Mint Juleps are a lot of work...this is why we don't feature ours on our menu, though we can always make one for you upon request. Just remember...patience, please!

Summer Soiree aka I heart Hendricks

2011-04-22T13:02:00.002-04:00

Okay, okay...so I know I just rolled out a drink menu I thought was going to stick around until like August or something...I've already had a wave of ideas that seem to be challenging that likelihood, and I couldn't wait to share this one with you. Ever since our owner brought up the thought that he'd like to move more into "upscale southern" than be pigeon-holed into just "upscale BBQ" the right side of my brain has been in overdrive. This week I plan on playing with southern-manufactured sodas in cocktails (thank you for the brilliant idea, Imbibe!). In addition to that, I've been racking my own brain for the flavors that bring me back to my south(west)ern summers as a girl. Two that really stand out for me are strawberry and watermelon. We had our own strawberry patch on our property in Oklahoma, and watermelon is one of my favorite things EVER. Blackberries are another (there was a bush/tree on the side of the road on my way to my school bus stop and we practically picked that thing bare throughout late spring and summer). So are grapes. I'll work on those another time. For now, let's focus on strawberries and watermelon.

This is definitely a new personal favorite, and the fresh fruit and herb really bring out amazing qualities in an already amazing gin. I just renamed it (5/4/11), as I almost forgot that St. Germain calls their summer gift set "Summer Soiree." One of the first things that crossed my mind while I was creating this was the character Dill from To Kill A Mockingbird, so I thought...why not use the reference in the name?

~~Summer Soiree~~ Mockingbird Summer
Glass: Small cocktail
Method: Muddle, shake and strain
Garnish: Large watermelon cube

Muddle
1 strawberry, cored and quartered
1 large watermelon cube
2 sprigs fresh dill
.25 oz Simple syrup
Juice of one lime wedge

Add:
2 oz Hendricks gin

Shake with ice and strain into a small cocktail glass. Garnish with a large watermelon cube. Love.

Raspberry Breeze

2011-03-26T13:06:00.002-04:00

I was so entertained by the outcome of creating this drink that I just had to post the recipe right away. One of our regulars, as dinner was winding down, asked if I had some time to spare to mix him something new. After a couple of questions he decided he wanted something not too sweet and with vodka. Got it. I went for a twist on a mojito. The end result made him say, "This tastes like spring!" Perfect :-D

Raspberry Breeze
Glass: 10 oz Collins
Method: Muddle, Box
Garnish: Lime wedge and mint sprig

Muddle
2 lime wedges
6 mint leaves
.25 oz Simple syrup
.5 oz Monin Raspberry syrup (have I mentioned that Jungle Jim's carries an amazing array of Monins? They do.)

Add and Box:
1.5 oz Ciroc vodka
.25 oz Stoli Razberi vodka
Top with Gosling's Ginger Beer

Garnish and enjoy!

I walked away for about five minutes and the two girls next to him had decided they had named the drink. I was highly entertained for the rest of the evening (and still am, actually). I won't repeat their name here (it's not a bad name, but sometimes inside jokes are best left as inside jokes ;-)). I think I made about three or four more between the bar regular and other people around the bar.

Giving back

2011-03-16T13:01:00.001-04:00

I have always been a huge fan of restaurants using sales to give back to their communities or the world at large. When the earthquake and tsunami hit in Japan last week, I knew immediately that I wanted to help out in such a way--every little bit helps, and if people are buying drinks at the restaurant anyway maybe I can entice them to buy one that can also benefit others. I had already had an alcoholic fauxtini variation on the Shamrock Shake in mind for St. Patrick's Day called the Shaken Shamrock (I've since seen a few recipes doing the same sort of thing...I guess I'm not the only one who thought that might be fun!), and I thought I could go ahead and use both that and maybe a more summery, fruity fauxtini (and I had an extra thing of red sugar I had ordered for the SATC2 and my Eclipse promotions when I worked at Bar Louie that I wanted to use for...something. A variation on a Lemondrop seemed a good idea). $5 from each sale is going to the Red Cross for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief. Today I'm going to post both recipes. They vary a bit from what I usually like to mix up, but even fruity vodka fauxtinis have their place, in my opinion. I try really hard not to be too much of a cocktail snob and appreciate that people like what they like, and I want my menus to offer everybody something they will enjoy.

The Shaken Shamrock
Glass: Large cocktail/martini
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Whipped cream and a cherry (just like this year's shake)

Ingredients:
1 oz Absolut Vanilia
.75 oz Green Creme de Menthe
.25 oz Creme de Cacao/Cocoa (I had to do a double take when one of my bartenders pointed our that DeKuyper's label now says "Cocoa")
.25 oz Simple syrup
1 spoonful Vanilla bean ice cream
2 0z Heavy Cream

Build ingredients in a mixing glass and shake with ice. Strain into a large cocktail glass and garnish with whipped cream and a cherry.

PAMAdrop
Glass: Large cocktail/martini
Method: Shake and strain
Garnish: Red sugar rim

Ingredients:
1 oz Vodka
.5 oz PAMA pomegranate liqueur
.5 oz House made Pomegranate grenadine (1 part POM Wonderful pomegranate juice and one part sugar, shaken until sugar is dissolved)
1.5 oz Fresh lemon juice
1 oz Simple syrup

Build ingredients in a mixing glass and shake with ice. Strain into a large cocktail/martini glass rimmed with red sugar.

Wild Hibiscus Fizz

2011-02-24T14:36:00.001-05:00

I love fizzes. I am completely obsessed with fizzes. When I saw that the "official cocktail of Tales of the Cocktail 2011" contest was to create a signature Ramos Gin Fizz I knew I had to enter. I've been saying for a couple of years now that I really believed over the next few summers hibiscus would become a dominant flavor in drinks, and I've absolutely been seeing a lot more of it recently. I've also been looking for a great excuse to use the Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup product, and this really seemed to fit the bill! I even have a photo of this one, though if I serve it on my menu this summer I'm going to serve it in our 12oz wine glasses, so it will look a bit different. The contest required only that you use the original formula as your base, and that you use at least one of the sponsor products (I used two--the Fee Brothers flower water, and the New Amsterdam gin). Some of the sponsor products included things like ginger ales, lemonades, etc., and you could use those in variations of the classic, but I really wanted to stay fairly true to the original.

Wild Hibiscus Fizz
Method: Shake and strain
Glassware: 12oz wine glass or 12oz Collins glass
Garnish: Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup flower "stem"

Ingredients:
1 egg white (dry shaken)

1.5oz New Amsterdam gin
.5oz Fresh lemon juice
.5 oz Fresh lime juice
1.5oz Simple syrup
.25oz Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup syrup
8 drops Fee Brothers Hibiscus Water
2oz Heavy cream

Instructions:
Separate egg white from yolk and dry-shake egg white. Add remaining ingredients and shake (...and shake...and shake...and shake some more) VERY well with ice (the old wive's tale around fizzes is that you're supposed to shake them for 15 minutes. Look up the history of the Ramos Gin Fizz...it's quite a lot of fun). Strain into glass and top with soda water. Garnish.

Garnish:
Take a flower from your Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup, a fruit pick, and two large-ish mint leaves. Poke the fruit pick through the back of the flower and then through the mint leaves to create the look of a flower stem. Settle the garnish on top of the drink.

The Beertail Craze

2011-02-09T14:42:00.002-05:00

ETA: For those of you who found this entry after reading my Southern Magic recipe, I apologize in advance for the background re-tell. You can skip the first paragraph if you already know the story behind my intro to beer cocktails...ha

My first experience with cocktails featuring beer was at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this past summer. There were a couple of guys in one of the tasting rooms mixing up a concoction using ROOT liqueur, egg white, and Sierra Nevada (I can't find the recipe. I may have it in my TotC paperwork somewhere, but it's not in my TotC 2010 recipe book). I loved the idea so much that when I was starting work on the drink menu for smoQ, I knew that I definitely wanted a "beertail" or two on my list. The first idea I had also used a brown ale (though the local-to-Cincinnati Mt. Carmel Nut Brown, and with Frangelico as the liqueur), but I instead ended up creating what I named the Southern Magic (involving Maker's Mark, apricot brandy, and Magic Hat #9).

Today I'm going to write about the new one since it features one of my new favorite liquors to mix--dark rum, and since I just finalized the recipe a couple of days ago I wanted to share. You can ask me about the Southern Magic when you come in to visit ;-)

Now...this is a perfect example of how terrible I can be with naming things. This took me two months and enlisting the help of my serving staff one evening. I wanted something that evoked the tropical of the Jamaican dark rum, but something that was also a nod to the local beer used in the recipe. One of my servers nailed it on the head when he said, "You could call it the Staycation." THAT'S IT! The Jamaican Staycation it became...and is now how it resides on the summer menu.

Jamaican Staycation
Glass: Brandy snifter
Method: Shake, then Box and Strain
Garnish: No garnish

Combine in mixing glass and shake with ice:
.75 oz Appleton Estate Reserve dark rum
.25 oz Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
.25 oz Simple syrup

Add:
4 oz Mt. Carmel Nut Brown Ale

Box* ingredients and strain into a brandy snifter.

*I can't seem to find a good example of "how to box a drink" online, though it's a fairly common method of mixing, so the easiest way to explain is this: Pour the liquid and ice back and forth between the mixing glass and the shaker a few times to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Wine and margarita...together?

2011-02-03T13:57:00.005-05:00

I've been seeing a lot about beer cocktails around the internet lately, and I was going to post about the one currently on our menu next, but a lovely group of ladies who enjoyed this drink absolutely insisted last night that this be my next entry...so here you are! The Southern Magic will just have to wait a little while longer.

We had a gentleman and his wife sit at a table last night, and the gentleman asked his server if we could make a margarita using jalapenos. We have jalapenos, so...of course! I went over to say hi and get a little more info before I started mixing. He told me about a margarita he had in New York that used fresh jalapeno and Sauvignon Blanc, and wondered if I could bring those flavors in (P.S. If you happen to know the margarita and the place he was channeling in NYC, I'd love to hear!). My favorite part was that our Sauvignon Blanc is a Fume Blanc, so I got to bring in a touch of the smokiness that our restaurant centers around. I got his tequila preference, and went from there. I liked the result so much that I plan on fiddling with it a little bit (primarily the glass rimming--I just used our house-smoked hickory salt last night) and using this on our summer menu.

Don Diablo

Glass: Collins/Highball

Method: Muddle/Shake and Strain

Garnish: Hickory smoked salt rim, lime and orange slice

Muddle:

3 slices fresh jalapeno (seeds and all)

.75 oz Agave nectar

Tiny dash simple syrup (seriously...like only a few heavy drops)

Add to mixing glass:

1.25 oz Don Julio Reposado

.5 oz Cointreau

.5 oz Dry Creek Fume Blanc

2 oz Fresh lime juice

Shake with ice and strain into a salted Collins glass over ice. You could do this one up in a large martini glass, too (which is the version I'll end up putting on our menu). Again, I was going with his preferences when I made this.

St. Cupid's Arrow

2011-01-27T14:07:00.002-05:00

Given that right now I'm wrapping up work on my Valentine's menu (and given that the holiday is just around the corner), I'm sticking with cocktails I've been working on for that. One of the things I love to do is introduce people to liquors they think they don't like through drinks that I'm pretty certain they'll like. The Lady Godiva's Stand from my last entry is one great example of that (it features Cognac, and people seem to be scared of Cognac, for some reason), and this is another (tequila is another that too many people seem to shy away from).

St. Cupid's Arrow
Glass: Champagne flute
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: No garnish, though if you have elderflowers that aren't riddled with pesticides or other chemicals, one floating would be lovely, as they are edible.

.75 oz Sauza Hornitos Plata tequila
.5 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
Dash of simple syrup

Shake the above ingredients with ice, and strain into a champagne flute. Fill with a dry prosecco.

On naming: This is a drink where the name came before the cocktail. I rarely attempt this because I'm generally terrible at pairing what would taste like the name sounds. This started as "Cupid's Arrow" for a suitably Valentine's-y drink, and I added the "St." when I decided to use the St. Germain.

On my Valentine's menu in general: You'll probably notice that my Valentine's cocktails are actually fairly simple to execute. Valentine's weekend is notoriously busy in the restaurant industry, and I wanted to make it as painless as possible for my bartenders. While our normal drink menu (which will also be available that weekend as usual) contains a lot of fresh-squeezed juices and other things that take some time and patience to execute, I wanted to give them a bit of a break on one of the busiest weekends of the industry. I love craft cocktails, and cocktails that take love and time and effort, but learning to balance that with a restaurant space that used to be corporate and so seats over 200 once the patios are open this summer (yet only has a 12-seat bar) has definitely been a learning curve.

Lady Godiva's Stand

2011-01-20T02:22:00.002-05:00

With Valentine's Day creeping around the corner I've decided to work on a list of special drinks for Valentine's weekend. Given that Valentine's is typically a chocolate sort of day, I couldn't resist using one of my guilty pleasure liqueurs for the occasion: Godiva Chocolate (chocolate chocolate...not white chocolate. Ew, white chocolate).

I wanted to do something similar to (but not) your run-of-the-mill chocolate martini, so it was clear from the start that I absolutely Was. Not. going to use vodka in this one. Cognac seemed like a natural choice--the sweetness and flavors would work beautifully together. This past summer at Tales of the Cocktail, I was introduced to a lovely product called Meukow Vanilla cognac. As a result, when I was choosing my bar, instead of Korbel or Christian Bros. brandy I chose to use Meukow VS as my go-to brandy/cognac. The Meukow turned out to be the perfect choice for this cocktail.

Lady Godiva's Stand
Glass: Large cocktail glass (in the 9-10oz range)
Method: Shake and strain
Garnish: Fresh grating of chocolate on surface

.75 oz Meukow VS cognac
.75 oz Godiva (regular) Chocolate liqueur
.5 oz DiSaronno Amaretto liqueur
.25 oz Simple syrup
3 oz Heavy cream

Shake with ice and strain into a large cocktail glass. Grate Godiva dark chocolate over the top to garnish (Tip: keep the chocolate bar frozen until ready to use. This will make for easier grating).

On Naming: The legend of Lady Godiva's infamous ride to protest her husband's taxation was the base for this name. I wanted to use "Godiva" in the name since it is such a recognizable brand around Valentine's (and it's in the drink, of course!), but I also really wanted to pay homage to the legend of the woman. Like Lady Godiva, this is a lovely drink with a bit of backbone to it.

Spellbound

2011-01-10T03:24:00.006-05:00

I thought to myself, why not start this blog with what I consider my signature cocktail? To start, I must warn you that I'm one of those people you can't tell "not" to do something...because I'll probably go right ahead and try to make it work. This recipe is a perfect example of that. How, you might ask? I shake a carbonated soda in with the other ingredients. shhhh! *grins* While this is not exactly a widely-encouraged practice, sometimes compromising the integrity of the bubbles/carbonation is EXACTLY what you want to do with a mixer (beer cocktails tend to be another example of where this is a reasonably acceptable practice). I consider this my signature because every single element of the drink screams "That's so Lindsay!"--just ask my husband. This one is a little summery, but still has enough substance to make it drinkable any time of the year, and it uses an ingredient you don't really find behind the bar--which I always love the idea of.

The inspiration for this cocktail was actually a creation at one of our favorite dinner places last summer: Sung Korean Bistro on 7th and Elm. They tend to have some lovely and imaginative bar selections (and a fantastic Pimm's Cup in the summer! Right now you need to go in and try their Hibiscus Garden cocktail...trust me). Their version used muddled strawberry, balsamic syrup, and some type of vodka. I loved the base idea (who doesn't love strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar?), but I am not a vodka fan (to put it mildly), so I was inspired to come up with a different take on the same theme.

First...I'm a gin girl at heart. I've particularly loved and promoted Hendricks passionately since I was introduced by a former manager of mine about six years ago (Thank you, Josh, if you ever read this!)--and I've even converted non-gin drinkers to loving it. Sadly, I didn't think Hendricks would be the proper gin for this job. I needed something with a little more oomph to hold its own against the balsamic syrup, but nothing with too much juniper. This thought led me to Tanqueray No. 10 (not my favorite, but just what was needed for this!). From there...well...here's the final recipe:

Spellbound
Glass: Large cocktail (in the 9-10oz range)
Method: Shake and double strain
Garnish: Unnecessary, but a thin slice of strawberry or a leaf of basil floating are quite lovely

Muddle in mixing glass:
1 strawberry, cored and quartered
3 average-sized basil leaves
1 tsp balsamic syrup
.33 oz simple syrup (I use a 2:1 sugar:water ratio in mine, you may need to finagle if yours is different)

Add:
2 oz Tanqueray No. 10 gin
2 lime wedges (squeeze and discard)
2 oz ginger ale (I prefer using Canada Dry, nice and not overwhelming)

Shake (yes, even the ginger ale...flattening it a bit through shaking gives a more balanced and even flavor to the cocktail) with ice and double-strain into a large cocktail glass. Garnish, if desired.

Welcome!

2011-01-06T23:59:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, there are a lot of blogs out in Cincinnati about all sorts of restaurant-related things, but I haven't been able to pin one down quite like this. I've discovered that most of our bar blogs involve recipes for existing pre-Prohibition type drinks and their histories (which is all well and good and educational), but no new cocktails! I hear about this bartender, or that bar manager, and about the things they've done or are doing, but we don't seem to be talking to each other much (and quite understandably so! I know we're all spending our time behind our respective sticks!).

I am starting this blog in the hopes that we can start talking about and sharing all the great things we're doing around Cincinnati. I want to share ideas and thoughts and breakthroughs and inspirations. I want to start a dialogue among the Cocktailians of Cincinnati. We may not be NYC or London or Chicago, but we've got talent and we have love and passion for what we do...so let's band together and share!

If you want to join in and author some of the fun, please drop me a line and be part of making this happen!