Cocktailing

Cocktailing

By Troy DenkingerTechnology
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Cocktailing episodes

  • Brandy Alexander and Mary Tyler Moore

    In memory of the great Mary Tyler Moore, I'm reposting on the Brandy

    Alexander. In the pilot of The Mary Tyler Moore show, Mary asks for a
    Brandy Alexander. Not exactly what Mr. Grant had in mind.

    Love Is All Around

    The Alexander was invented in the early 20th century by Troy Alexander at

    Rector's in New York City. The original gin gave way to brandy, resulting
    in the Alexander #2, aka the Brandy Alexander.

    The recipe I'm using calls for a 1:1:1 ratio of brandy, creme de cacao, and

    cream. You'll also find references to a 2:1:1 ratio which definitely seems
    like a good thing to try.

    The nutmeg garnish is important on this one. Try to get a whole nutmeg and

    grate it on the cocktail. The aroma really enhances the experience.

    • 2 oz. Cognac or brandy
    • 2 oz. creme de cacao (white or dark)
    • 2 oz. heavy cream
    • fresh nutmeg

      • Place Cognac, creme de cacao, and cream in a shaker with ice. Shake

      vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass. Grate fresh nutmeg on top as
      garnish.

      Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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      Rector's

      The lobster palaces of New York

      A little history

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      Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

      Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
      http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

      3 min
    • Stinger

      The stinger cocktail was popular among the upper classes after the turn of

      the 20th Century. Reginald Vanderbilt appears to have been a notorious
      lover of the stinger. You don't see this one on cocktail menus, and
      initially the brandy/mint combination seems off-putting. But then think
      about the mint julep.

      The recipes call for white creme de menthe, but you can use green in its

      place.

      • 2 1/4 ounces brandy
      • 3/4 ounce white creme de menthe

        • Place the brandy and creme de menthe in a mixing glass with ice and stir

        until well chilled. Strain into a coupe and serve ungarnished. You can also
        serve this on the rocks, if you prefer.

        Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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        Esquire -- David Wonderich's take

        Kitchen Riffs — includes some interesting variations

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        Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

        Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
        http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

        3 min
      • Brooklyn

        The Brooklyn is a delicious cousin of the Manhattan cocktail that uses a

        truly unusual ingredient that is, alas, hard to find.

        The key ingredient, Amer Picon, is not available in the United States and

        doesn't exist in it's original strenght and formulation even if you find it
        in France. However, there are efforts to recreate the original Picon, and
        the Golden Moon version I found seems to do an admirable job. I'm also
        providing a link to a recipe, if you want to try making own.

        The recipe I'm using on this episode is from Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits

        And Forgotten Cocktails — a much appreciated Christmas gift.

        • 2 ounces rye or Bourbon
        • 3/4 ounce dry vermouth
        • 2 teaspoons (1/3 ounce) Amer Picon
        • 2 teaspons (1/3 ounce) maraschino liqueur

          • Place everything into a mixing glass and stir until thoroughly mixed.

          Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

          Photos by Lisa Denkinger

          See photo

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          Vintage Spirits And Forgotten Cocktails

          The story of Amer Picon & a link to make your own

          Golden Moon Distillery

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          Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

          Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
          http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

          3 min
        • Champs-Élysées

          A classic from 1930's The Savoy Cocktail Book. Superficially similar to a

          sidecar, this one kicks up the exotic flavors by using Chartreuse. See the
          note on using green versus yellow varieties of this French liqueur below.

          I stumbled across this one while browsing the PDT app on my iPhone, and I

          find that the recipes out there mostly follow the same ratios with some
          variations for sweetness. The recipe below seems to turn out a cocktail
          that is just right for my palette.

          • 2 ounces Cognac
          • 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
          • 1/2 ounce Green (or Yellow) Chartreuse
          • 1/4 ounce simple syrup
          • 1 dash Angostura bitters

            • Place all of the components in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.

            Strain into a coupe. Garnish with lemon, if desired.

            Note: Every recipe I looked at recommended Green Chartreuse. The PDT app

            says they use green because the prefer the flavor. Craddock's book doesn't
            have a recommendation, so it's mostly a matter of taste. If you have both
            varieties on hand, try it both ways. The yellow version you may find a
            little sweeter and the green version more herb forward.

            Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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            Chartreuse

            Rate Cocktailing on iTunes

            Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

            Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
            http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

            3 min
          • Aged Eggnog

            I am not a person who finds the words egg and nog together to be

            particularly appetizing. And growing up, eggnog came from a carton
            purchased at the grocery store. Honestly, I had no time for the stuff.

            But this version, aged, and full of good spirits is making me change my

            mind. It's very alcohol-forward, so you may want to cut it with some fresh
            dairy when you serve it.

            Lisa joins me on this episode of Cocktailing as she made this eggnog, and

            we give it a taste two weeks into the aging process. Total aging will be
            seven weeks.

            • 12 egg yolks
            • 2 cups sugar
            • 1 liter bourbon
            • 4 cups whole milk
            • 1 cup heavy cream
            • 3/4 cup cognac or brandy
            • 1/2 cup dark rum
            • pinch of kosher salt

              • Combine the yolks and sugar. Add remaining ingredients until well combined.

              Place in a glass jar and refrigerate for as long as you like. It should be
              fine to drink after a couple days.

              Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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              Michael Ruhlman's Blog

              Serious Eats Food Lab

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              Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

              Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
              http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

              3 min
            • Federation

              This is a new classic from Nick Cuarana that I found on the Serious Eats

              website. I wanted to find a deeply flavored tequila cocktail, and this one
              fits the bill. Ostensibly it appears to be related to a Sazerac, and there
              is an absinthe component, but this one stands just fine on its own.

              You can try any kind of tequila in this — a mezcal may even be tasty. The

              añejo imparts a lovely color and depths, I think. I've been drinking the
              Tempus Fugit creme de cacao lately, and it's terrific stuff — give it a
              try, if you can find it.

              • Absinthe, to rinse the glass
              • 2 ounces añejo tequila
              • 1/2 ounce creme de cacao
              • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

                • Rinse the inside of a rocks glass with the absinthe until it is well

                covered. Discard the excess absinthe (really, just drink it). Add ice. Add
                the tequila, creme de cacao and bitters. Give it all a gentle stir. Garnish
                with an orange twist.

                Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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                See photo

                Serious Eats

                The Straight Up

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                Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

                Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
                http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

                3 min
              • Milk Punch

                Like it or not, the holidays are upon us. It's a time when our drinks become

                browner and richer. This milk punch is a nice compromise if you're not an
                egg nog fan. The milk brings a richness to the warmth of the spirits, and
                the nutmeg adds the aroma that always puts me in a good mood.

                As a big fan of Charles Dickens, Punches intrigue me. So reading through

                the Punch iOS app and samplng Dave Wondrich's book has put me in a mind to
                do a future series on punches. Perhaps as a spirit-raiser in the new year.

                • 1 1/4 ounce brandy or bourbon
                • 1/2 ounce dark rum
                • 2 ounces of whole milk or half-and-half
                • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
                • 1/2 ounce simple syrup

                  • Add all components to a shaker with ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into

                  a rocks glass and garnish with nutmeg to taste.

                  Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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                  Holiday Milk Punch in Garden & Gun

                  Punch: Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl by David Wondrich

                  Punch iOS app

                  Rate Cocktailing on iTunes

                  Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

                  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
                  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

                  3 min
                • Airmail

                  The Airmail originally showed up in a 1930s Bacardi recipe pamphlet, and it

                  shows some resemblance to a daiquiri. However, the inclusion of honey as
                  the sweetener give this cocktail a flavor all its own.

                  We're serving this in a coupe, but it's also good served in a tall collins

                  glass over ice. If you use the tall glass, double the ingredients. You can
                  use prosecco or other sparkling wine in place of the Champagne, if you
                  prefer.

                  The recipe below is from the PDT cocktail book.

                  • 1 ounce rum
                  • 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
                  • 1/2 ounce honey syrup
                  • 1 ounce Champagne or other sparkling wine

                    • Place rum, lime juice, and honey syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake

                    vigorously. Strain into a chilled coupe and top with sparkling wine.
                    Garnish with a lime.

                    Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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                    A Return To Havana

                    The PDT Project

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                    Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

                    Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
                    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

                    3 min
                  • Daisy de Martinique

                    The daisy is a class of cocktails related to fizzes and sours that supports

                    many different base spirits. In this version, we're using rhum agricole,
                    which is made from sugar cane juice rather than from molasses as is the
                    case for a common rum. Since rhum agricole comes from Martinique and other
                    former French colonies, we're calling this cocktail the Daisy de Martinique.

                    You should be able to find rhum agricole in most well-appointed liquor

                    stores. If you can't find it, you can really use any spirit you like:
                    branch, whiskey, gin, etc. If you use tequila, this comes very close to
                    being a margarita.

                    • 2 ounces rhum agricole
                    • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
                    • 1/2 ounce grenadine
                    • 1/4 ounce simple syrup
                    • club soda or other carbonated water

                      • Place rhum, lemon juice, grenadine, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker

                      with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with
                      the carbonated water. Garnish with a lemon twist.

                      Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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                      A nice writeup on rum vs. rhum

                      Imbibe! by Dave Wondrich

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                      Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

                      Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
                      http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

                      3 min
                    • Whisky Smash

                      The smash is a category of cocktail that refers to a drink with a spirit,

                      an herb, sugar, and a fruit. Today we're making a classic whisky smash with
                      lemon and mint. But there's no reason not to try other combinations that
                      strike your fancy: gin, basil & blackberry anyone?

                      The mint julep is a specific type of smash. It's a good idea to use

                      whatever fruit is in-season and build the drink around that.

                      • Mint leaves, about 8
                      • Half a lemon, quartered
                      • 1 1/2 Tablespoons simple syrup or granulated sugar
                      • 2 ounces Bourbon whisky

                        • Place mint, lemon and simple syrup in an old fashioned glass. Muddle until

                        well mixed and the lemons have expressed their juice. Add Bourbon and stir.
                        Pack with crushed ice or ice cubes. Garnish with mint.

                        Photos by Lisa Denkinger

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                        Imbibe: The History of The Smash

                        Humble Garnish: The Difference Between a Julep and a Smash

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                        Off to Osaka Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

                        Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
                        http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

                        3 min

                      About Cocktailing

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Troy makes a cocktail and talks about it.