The Americano is a cocktail that’s over 100 years old, a bitter and cool Italian drink that is the very first cocktail that was ordered in a James Bond novel (Casino Royale, 1953). It’s a simple recipe and a refreshing soda that’s great to drink outside on a warm day, and is very low-alcohol. Here’s the recipe:
Americano
There are several cocktails I’ve run across that use the Negroni formula, which is 1:1:1 of vermouth, liquor, and amaro. There’s the Boulevardier, which uses bourbon, or the Old Pal, which gets rye in the mix. Well, here’s another take on that 1:1:1 mix that uses a different amaro (and one I’m pretty fond of): Cynar. Give it a name based on the Italian toast “cin cin,” (pronounced chin chin) and guzzle it down!
Cin-Cyn
Licor 43 is a liqueur (sweetened liquor) from Spain that’s celebrating it’s 90th anniversary this year. It has a very good vanilla-and-spice flavor that makes this a very good choice for a liqueur in your home bar, since it goes well with lots of mixers, from vodka to rum, coffee, caramel, or even a rich, dark beer (like a stout).
Here are some cocktails I tried with Licor 43, including their “Mini Beer” shot:
43 & V (by Greg Mays)
Mini Beer
Merry Christmas! If you caught my segment on the Christmas special episode of The Morning Brew, welcome to Simple Cocktails! Here are the recipes I shared – the second one was a favorite of The Big Man himself.
Silent Night (by Greg Mays)
Orange You Glad It’s New Years? (by Greg Mays)
I’ve covered Art in the Age’s ROOT Liqueur before, and while I haven’t quite found a cold cocktail that I love with it yet, it makes a hot tea to die for, and probably the best cough remedy I can think of, particularly when you use a ton of citrus with it. The recipe is simple (of course):
Papa’s Cough Medicine (by Greg Mays)
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“Stop moving! I know what this is — it’s Devil’s Snare!”
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you this year’s Halloween cocktail: a Devil’s Snare. Green and wicked just like the fictional plants themselves, this cocktail is not for those who are easily frightened!
…or for those who hate licorice flavor.
One thing that makes the presentation so cool with this drink is you get to make your own Halloween sugar using Angostura bitters. White sugar and several dashes of Angostura makes for the perfect orange sugar rim.
Devil’s Snare (by Greg Mays)
Liquor in general is a pretty colorful industry and the players involved can be quite fascinating on their own. Chartreuse stands as one of the most fascinating and legendary liquors ever, and I’m really excited to feature it for you. Here is the Chartreuse story:
In 1605, at the Chartreuse monastery in France, the monks received a gift from an agent of the king: an aged manuscript for an “Elixir of Long Life” that was thought to be the work of a 16th century alchemist with a unparalleled knowledge of herbs. This manuscript included detailed instructions for blending, infusing, and macerating 130 herbs to form the perfect tonic.
100 years later, the manuscript was sent into the mountains of the Mother House of the Order of La Grande Chartreuse. The Apothecary of the monastery studied the manuscript in detail and, in 1737, drew up a formula for the actual preparation of the Elixir.
Since 1737, this green liqueur has been made by Chartreuse Monks, who use the money they raise from the liqueur to enable them to dedicate their lives to prayer and meditation. Only two brothers know the Chartreuse recipe at any time.
The most fascinating thing about Chartreuse is that its legends are true, unlike the “deer blood” Jagermeister story or the “fly wings” Fernet Branca legend. The two most common varieties of Chartreuse, both of which will run you about $55, are:
Green Chartreuse (55% alcohol) is the original 1737 green liqueur, made from the 1605 recipe by Chartreuse Monks even today. The color chartreuse is named after this liqueur.
Yellow Chartreuse (40% alcohol) was introduced in the 1800’s and is a milder, sweeter flavor and aroma than it’s older brother.
Here’s a common Yellow Chartreuse cocktail (pictured above):
Alaska Cocktail
Bols is one of the largest liqueur manufacturers in the world, and they have just introduced a new yogurt-flavored label into their rainbow-colored lineup. As a brand, Bols offers a decent product that’s not too expensive – usually about $18 a bottle. It’s got a middle-of-the-road price point, between inexpensive brands like DeKuyper and pricy specialty liqueurs like Cointreau.
The bottles of Bols have always looked like bowling pins, but as this one comes in frosted white, it’s now become the spittin’ image of one. Though I’ll probably never drink it this way, Yogurt tastes fine by itself. The taste is more like the flavor of frozen yogurt than breakfast yogurt, so sweeter and less sour. As the liqueur landscape has a pretty limited amount of cream varieties, this is a fun option for creative cocktail creators.
Instagram friends @aztnass (Pheonix bartender Travis Nass) and @realcountess (SipWatchTweet creator Rose Perry) gave me some great ideas for compatible cocktail ingredients, and I invented some drinks based on their ideas. Here are two Yogurt cocktails for you to try:
Hazy Shade (by Greg and Travis)
Tiffany’s Martini (by Greg and Rose)
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
Lovoka is a caramel liqueur from South Africa that’s launching this year in the United States. Arriving in an aluminum bottle that reminds me of a bicycle flask, Lovoka (la-vah-cah) fills a pretty sparse niche – I can only think of one more brand of caramel liqueur on the market. “Serve chilled” is the instruction on the bottle, so if you store it in the fridge or freezer, the aluminum with frost up nicely.
Taste-wise, Lovaka is nice and sweet, just as you’d expect it to be. There’s a lot of opportunity to make some cocktails with it – stir it into a White Russian, mix with S’mores Vodka, or add a shot to a cup of coffee or a pint of Guinness. I made this simple cocktail with it (pictured above):
Betty Rubble (by Greg Mays)
Lovoka will be available this Spring in the U.S., starting in California, for $28 a bottle.
