I came across this recipe recently for a not-too-complex tiki drink. As I was getting ready to photograph it, though, I found some awesome vintage glassware at a local thrift shop that is made specifically for this cocktail and I knew I had to show it off.
Planters Punch
Grenadine is probably the second home bar syrup you’ll get, right after you make some simple syrup. Wikipedia says Grenadine is “a commonly used bar syrup, characterized by a flavor that is both tart and sweet, and a deep red color…..Grenadine was originally prepared from pomegranate juice, sugar, and water.” As you can see, this can cause some confusion: does grenadine contain pomegranate? Not always. In fact, many popular brands have no pomegranate at all, which you’ll see below.
Here’s a bottle-by-bottle comparison of several popular grenadine brands, including some of the newer craft varieties. They’re pictured here from left to right.
Click here to get the Simple Cocktails Guide to Grenadine as a downloadable PDF.
Here’s a simple cocktail recipe with a pretty cool presentation: a rum Screwdriver with bitters on top. I got this from Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide (Amazon link), a classic recipe book with lots of tiki drinks.
Aunt Agatha
The Coffee Cocktail is a classic recipe, traced back to Jerry Thomas’ 1887 Bartender’s Guide (Amazon link). Thomas’ original recipe appears above, and thankfully, The Cocktail Spirit has translated the old-timey language (“pony,” “goblet,” etc) into modern measurements.
As Jerry Thomas says, the Coffee Cocktail is apparently named after it’s visual appearance, because it contains no coffee. Here it is:
Coffee Cocktail
Special thanks to St. Clair, a local winery who provided me with their excellent Port for this recipe.
Here’s a simple recipe for the Breakfast Martini, invented in 2000 and the most famous marmalade cocktail.
Breakfast Martini
You may have seen this electric green liqueur on the shelves at your local liquor store: Agwa de Bolivia. AGWA is a coca leaf liqueur, y’know coca, like cocaine? AGWA capitalizes on the fact that it’s got coca in it, that it’s distilled in Amsterdam, and it’s just so eye-catching. But legitimately, it’s a decent herbal liqueur, and while herbal liqueurs can range pretty broadly from Jagermeiser to Zwack to Fernet Branca, AGWA is unique from these three in that it’s flavor is balanced and cool, and it’s not so syrupy or abrasive.
AGWA’s pretty easy to mix into cocktails and most people I know who tried it liked it (unlike Fernet or Jager). Here’s a really simple, refreshing cocktail with Agwa de Bolivia, an AGWA and Soda:
Agwa Fresca
Well, that sad time of the year has returned: back to school time. Here are some booze-related gift ideas for the favorite professors in your life:
Buy a Community College Professor a Porcelain Party Cup – $10. This is not New England. You do things humbly around here and you’re proud to say your favorite cocktail ingredient is Mountain Dew. Amazon link.
Buy a Seminary Professor a Flask Disguised as a Book – $17. While Jesus was a wine man, some of your colleges haven’t developed the taste for fine Bourbon that you have. It’s best to keep this tipple on the bookshelf, particularly for sharing with likeminded individuals. Amazon link.
Buy an Ivy League Professor a Flask Tie – $25. You spend your time in important meetings and talking about important things. You’re a bestselling author and known for your academic prowess. You drink expensive Scotch, so it’s helpful to have some on you at all times. The flask tie holds a good volume of liquor (8 oz) in the front while concealing a Camelbak-style sip nozzle in the back for drinks on the run. Amazon link.
Using Moonshine in the place of vodka when you serve up a Bloody Mary is one way to change up a classic recipe. Fortunately, Ole Smoky makes a Bloody Mary mix that you can buy alongside a jar of their moonshine.
To garnish this cocktail, I used some of Tillen Farms‘ pickled vegetables which, like their cherries, is made with cocktails in mind. Here’s the recipe:
Moonshine Bloody Mary
Ok time for a heart-to-heart here. As someone born in East Tennessee, I get the fascination with moonshine. As a practical element of a home bar, though, moonshine has yet to earn it’s place beyond novelty. In this cocktail, I found the corn-sweetness of the moonshine actually clashed with the savory Bloody Mary. If you want to stick with the Ole Smoky brand for a Bloody Mary, use White Lightnin’, which is more flavorless than their Moonshine.
Ole Smoky’s Bloody Mary mix is good. It’s nice and thick, it has quality, natural ingredients, but lacks the spiciness of Zing Zang or the thick-deliciousness of Ubon’s. I added some Tabasco to pick up the burn.
This bottle of Balblair 2001 was bottled in 2012, making it an 11-year-old scotch. The bottle itself is classy, to be sure: a squat oval shape with a raised glass vine crawling up the left side. The whisky itself is pale, a more yellow tinted liquid than I’ve seen in scotches, but I’d guess the color is all-natural.
Balblair 2001 is a treat, with a wonderful fruitiness in the smell and a flavor that’s bright and cool. From there, Balblair has a lingering agey-ness in the flavor: the scotch itself is lighter bodied, but the finish is rich and has a distant flavor of charred wood. This isn’t a smoky scotch, nor a peaty scotch, but it’s a very complex tasting, high quality scotch for sure. You can pick up Balblair 2001 for about $65.
I’m pretty staunch about using quality, natural ingredients, and as a result, it seems I’m always in search of the “perfect cocktail cherry.” I’ve even made my own brandy cherries here on the blog. A group of us tasted 7 different types of cocktail cherries and compared them in price, flavor, and cocktail usefulness. Here’s what we thought (cherries are pictured above from left to right):
Grocery Store Maraschino.
Click here to get the Simple Cocktails Guide to Cherries as a downloadable PDF.
