Archive for the ‘Rum’ Category

April 25th, 2007

LUPEC toasts drinkin’ dames of cinema

Marlene DietrichLUPEC invaded my home last night — and it was good. The Boston chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails launched a few months ago and has already created cocktails for and otherwise helped promote several local benefits, like the Operation Frontline Dinner at Tremont 647 and the Taste of the South End. Every month, the Ladies get together for a cocktail party celebrating a theme of the hostess’ choosing. Last night’s theme was Drinkin’ Dames in Classic Cinema, and several attendees dressed for the occasion in polka-dot blouses, pillbox hats, fishnet stockings and Mary Jane pumps. I am proud to say that these discerning tipplers approved of the five dame-influenced cocktails I served.

Ginger Rogers

1 oz dry gin
1 oz dry vermouth
1 oz apricot brandy
4 dashes lemon juice

    Shake well over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. The liquid equivalent of Ginger floating elegantly in a feathered gown.

    Barbara West

    2 oz dry gin
    1 oz dry sherry (Amontillado works well)
    1/2 oz lemon juice
    1 dash Angostura bitters

      Shake well over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist. Thanks to Ted Haigh for resurrecting this excellent aperitif cocktail. (Who the hell was Barbara West? No one knows. When serving this drink, make up your own story about her.)

      Roman Holiday

      1 1/2 oz vodka
      1/2 oz Punt e Mes
      1/2 oz sweet vermouth
      splash of fresh orange juice

        Shake well over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Thin orange slice. Refreshing!

        Ann Sheridan

        1 1/2 oz Myers dark rum (recipe called for Bacardi dark rum; other recipes call for Bacardi light rum)
        1/2 oz orange curacao
        1/2 oz lime juice

          Shake well over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

          Marlene Dietrich

          2 oz rye whiskey
          1/2 oz orange curacao
          2 dashes Angostura bitters

            Shake well over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist and flamed orange peel. (OK, I took liberties with the original recipe, which called for 3/4 wineglass (!) of rye and only two dashes of curacao. A lightly adulterated glass of rye was probably just right for Marlene, but I wanted a little more balance.)

            Posted in Cocktails, Gin, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey | 8 Comments »

            March 15th, 2007

            El Presidente

            Maine-based journalist Wayne Curtis is an understated and witty writer who can tell a solid yarn about a cocktail’s history. He wrote this article, about “tracking a lost Cuban cocktail to its lair,” for Lost magazine. Here’s the recipe for El Presidente, verbatim from the article:

            Over ice in a tall mixing glass, pour:

            1-1/2 oz. rum
            3/4 oz. curacao
            3/4 oz. dry vermouth
            1/2 tsp of grenadine

            Stir well with ice for three or four minutes, then strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel twist.

            Posted in Booze in the news, Cocktails, Rum, Vermouth | 5 Comments »

            February 2nd, 2007

            Forgotten Boston cocktails

            Mr. Boston rumA couple of months ago, a guy named Goran Berntsson emailed me and asked, “Would you kindly answer my question on Sidecars? I wonder about the word ‘Boston’ in ‘Boston Sidecar.’ Does it just mean the drink is shaken in a Boston shaker or is there anything more, something historical, behind ‘Boston’ in this connection? I do think there should be, but if so: What?”

            I had no idea. How embarrassing — drinkboston.com had never heard of a Boston Sidecar. I found the recipe in the Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide (1961 edition) I received for Christmas: 3/4 oz brandy, 3/4 oz rum, 3/4 oz triple sec, and the juice of half a lime shaken on ice and strained. But I didn’t know why it was called the Boston Sidecar. I asked around, but none of my bartender pals had any answers about the drink’s origins. I was only able to tell Goran that the Boston shaker likely had nothing to do with the drink’s name, since most cocktails are mixed in this apparatus. I noticed that Goran asked the same question on squidoo.com but didn’t get an answer there either.

            Which brings me to the fact that I still have no background on this drink, but that this site ought to at least compile a list of drinks either with “Boston” in their name or that originated here. Here are a few:

            • Boston Sidecar (recipe above)
            • Boston Cocktail (from Michael Jackson’s Bar & Cocktail Companion: 1.5 oz dry gin, 1 oz apricot brandy, 1 tsp lemon juice, dash of grenadine)
            • Ward Eight (probably the most famous forgotten Boston cocktail. From CocktailDB: 1.5 oz bourbon or rye, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 oz grenadine)

            Of course, it being the Old Mr. Boston guide, that book has recipes for the Boston Collins and the Boston Sour, but those appear to be simply variations on the Rum Collins and the Whiskey Sour. I’ll do some cross-referencing and start a page of Boston cocktails whose recipes come from more than one source. In the meantime, if anyone knows how the Boston Sidecar, or the Boston Cocktail for the matter, got its name, chime in under Comments, will you?

            Posted in Brandy, Cocktails, Gin, Rum, Whiskey | 4 Comments »

            December 27th, 2006

            Holiday and post-holiday beverages

            I don’t remember my family having a traditional holiday drink. My parents were never eggnog or punch types. For a few years running we put Bailey’s in our late-morning coffee, but that trend petered out. Over the past several years, though, I have brought a beverage to the table that has pretty much become mandatory: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. A beer introduced 25 years ago by one of America’s biggest microbreweries may not seem very original to the drinks aficionado, but that’s what I like about the stuff. Like Chex Party Mix, it’s just familiar enough but just special enough to make it onto the books as a holiday foodstuff that pleases a crowd and signifies Special Times. What does this beer have to do with Boston? Not much, other than the fact that every copper-colored strong ale redolent of citrusy West Coast hops — like the Cambridge Brewing Co.’s winter special, Big Man Ale — is a child of Sierra Nevada Celebration.

            In the Fog of Christmas, one’s psyche can get pretty tossed around. That’s why I’ve begun a new, post-holiday, ritual: going to No. 9 Park for a Tom and Jerry. This is an old-time winter punch that hardly any bar in America has mixed in decades because it involves separating eggs and boiling milk. (Go here to see “libation goddess” Audrey Sanders’ recipe.) When you order a T&J at No. 9, the bartender will take his time and make it right, so be prepared to wait a good 10 minutes. Trust me, it’s worth it. When the drink is placed in front of you in its traditional gold-lettered mug, bring it up to your lips, then close your eyes and take a sip. I’m not kidding about the close-your-eyes part. Rum, brandy and spices encased in a fluffy batter of hot milk and whipped egg whites will transport you to a peaceful place, bringing joy to the world and good will toward men.

            Posted in Beer, Cocktails, Rum | No Comments »

            November 15th, 2006

            Launched – the cocktails

            Brother Cleve - Millionaire
            Here are the recipes for the drinks featured at drinkboston.com’s launch party, along with highly condensed versions of each bartender’s remarks about his/her drink. In order they were:

            The Jack Rose (mixed by Jackson Cannon)
            Some recipes call for lemon, some for lime. Applejack, a nearly forgotten spirit, is the base. Do not attempt to mix this drink without real pomegranate grenadine.
            2 oz Laird’s Applejack
            3/4 oz handmade grenadine (see recipe below)
            1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
            one dash Peychaud’s Bitters

            Shake over ice and strain, garnish with a lemon twist.

            Grenadine: 2 parts pomegranate juice, 1 part cane sugar. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and finish with a touch of orange flower water. Let chill, store in refrigerator.

            The Sazerac (mixed by John Gertsen)
            Born of the mishmash of New Orleans culture in the early to mid-1800s and believed by many to be the first cocktail. Antoine Peychaud was an apothecary whose proprietary blend of medicinal bitters was mixed with cognac before rye became the preference (rye was America’s whiskey before bourbon became more popular).
            1 sugar cube (4-7 grams)
            7 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
            1 oz water
            3 oz Sazerac rye whiskey
            A few drops of Herbsaint (pastis)

            Muddle first three ingredients in mixing glass. “Rinse” a pre-chilled, old-fashioned glass with Herbsaint (pour drops of Herbsaint into glass, swirl and discard). Add rye to mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well for 30 seconds and strain into Herbsaint-rinsed glass. Squeeze lemon twist over glass and rub around rim. Discard peel.

            The Widow’s Kiss (mixed by Misty Kalkofen)
            Drinks like this fell out of favor as people’s tastes moved to fruit-flavored liqueurs rather than “scary” herbal liqueurs like Chartreuse and Benedictine. There’s no real story behind this drink (it probably originated in 1895). Let’s make one up!
            1 & 1/2 oz Calvados
            3/4 oz Benedictine
            3/4 oz yellow Chartreuse
            2 dashes Angostura Bitters
            Stir. Strain. Garnish with a cherry.

            The Millionaire Cocktail
            (mixed by Brother Cleve)
            This is but one of several widely varying drink recipes that go by the name “Millionaire.” It appears in Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, by Ted Haigh (aka Dr. Cocktail).
            1 & 1/2 oz Myer’s Original Dark Rum
            3/4 oz apricot brandy
            3/4 oz sloe gin
            juice of one fresh lime (about 1 oz)

            Shake well in an iced shaker. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lime.

            Posted in Applejack, Calvados, Cocktails, Events, Liqueur, Rum, Whiskey | 2 Comments »