Palmetto Cocktail

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palmetto cocktail

I recently got a new bottle of Bacardi (with the logo and font redesign) and I flipped through my cocktail books for some classic white rum cocktails. This one fascinated me – basically a rum version of a 50/50 Martini (equal parts liquor and vermouth), but with the addition of bitters.

As I looked around the web for versions of this drink, I think there should be two different versions of what I made here. First, the Palmetto with dry vermouth should use orange bitters, not aromatic, as the drink would be relatively clear and the flavor probably would be better. Second, you can make a Sweet Palmetto which would use rum, sweet vermouth, and probably your standard aromatic bitters.

Try both, and see which you prefer!

Palmetto Cocktail

  • 1 1/4 oz rum
  • 1 1/4 oz dry vermouth
  • 2 dashes bitters
  • stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

MSC 1: A Valentine’s Day Cocktail

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Welcome to “Making Simple Cocktails,” our new video series at Simple Cocktails! On episode #1, Lisa and Greg make a pair of simple Valentine’s Day Cocktails. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here for more great cocktail videos!

Love Birds

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • 3 oz La Luz vodka
  • 2 oz lime juice
  • 1 oz grandine
  • 2 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
  • shake with ice and strain into 2 chilled cocktail glasses
  • garnish with 2 cherries each

Check out our grenadine comparison.

Podcast 33- Porter’s Fire and Lemon Drop

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Old Fashioned Dice Game. What about the BeanBoozed challenge…with booze? We taste the “scary bottle,” Porter’s Fire. Lisa’s two classic drinks. “Isn’t that laughed at in your realm?” Cocaine jokes? Dirty frosting. We make a Lemon Drop with Smirnoff Cirtus. Put a curly-cue lemon rind on it.

Check out the Simple Cocktails Store– here’s the vodka one with the Lemon Drop recipe.

Download Episode 33.

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If you enjoyed the show, please write a brief review on iTunes. That would help us get the word out and raise the visibility of the show. Thank you!

Uncle Val’s Peppered Gin

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uncle vals peppered gin

As a refresher for those who’re new to this blog, gin was really the liquor that eased me in to quality, classic cocktails. My first year of blogging took me from a time when I’d tasted 1-2 gins to tasting dozens.

I’ve also realized that like any liquor, there is a massive variety of flavor possibilities and I prefer some gins over others. At this point, though, I’m realizing that flavored gin is not so common. Seagram’s has a variety of gin flavors, sure, but up until now, the only flavored gin I’ve tried is Tanqueray Rangpur.

Lisa and I tasted Uncle Val’s Peppered Gin for the first time on this week’s podcast episode. One thing’s for sure: this is a unique gin. The specific ingredients in Uncle Val’s Peppered are red pepper, black pepper, and pimento. The pepper is not present at all in the nose at all, but your throat gets fills with a peppery hotness when you swallow. So much, in fact, that it’s a little alarming.

We wondered if maybe a Red Snapper (a gin Bloody Mary) or a Gin and Tonic would be good fit for this gin, and it turns out that it is. I made a G&T (shown above) and it was quite good: sweet, peppery, and herbal in it’s flavor – a good fit. I imagine a Red Snapper will be equally great.

I REALLY like black pepper, as you may have seen in some of my breakfast instagrams, and I really like gin too, but this is a new flavor profile for me. It smells like a soft citrusy gin and tastes like a lot of pepper. Because of that, your Snappers and G&Ts will welcome the change of pace, but your Martinis may be a little too rough-tasting with this specific gin.

 

Podcast 32- Peppered Gin and Snap Happy

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A long day ends with gin. Greg’s a trained liquor athlete. What liquor olympics would really look like….a lot of puke. We taste Uncle Val’s Peppered Gin. Valerie confusion. Greg references Tanqueray Rangpur. Pepper on melons. Benjamin Franklin? We make a Snap Happy cocktail…but is it really a cocktail? Lisa may actually like this. A netherworld.

Check out the brand new Simple Cocktails Store!

Download Episode 32.

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If you enjoyed the show, please write a brief review on iTunes. That would help us get the word out and raise the visibility of the show. Thank you!

Fox River Cocktail

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fox river cocktail

There have been a handful of cocktails in the last few months that are liquor-and-chocolate combos, like the Commodore or the Floridita. Here’s another one that’s simply whiskey, creme de cacao, and bitters, and has a pretty awesome flavor profile. It’s an easy dessert cocktail  without being overwhelmingly sweet.

Fox River

  • in a mixing glass, add:
  • 2 oz whiskey
  • 1/2 oz creme de cacao
  • 4 dashes of bitters
  • stir all ingredients with ice
  • strain into a small cocktail glass or cordial glass

 

Podcast 31- Absinthe and a Gall Bracer

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Lisa associates with the editor. “Dropping” or “doing” absinthe? “It’s like you knew what to ask me.” We taste Trinity Absinthe which may or may not make you insane. “It’s a little ornate.” We make a Gall Bracer. Jokes vs cocktails! “It’s like Elvis.”

Download Episode 31.

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If you enjoyed the show, please write a brief review on iTunes. That would help us get the word out and raise the visibility of the show. Thank you!

Our Stanley Cocktail

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our stanley cocktail

My first homemade cocktail was a Borodino, which is a 1:1:1 variation of the drink pictured here. If you’ve ever visited our Buyers Guide section, you’ve seen that the first 4 bottles of liquor I recommend that you buy are vodka, gin, triple sec, and dry vermouth. This cocktail uses 3 of those 4.

The cool thing about this particular cocktail is that subtle adjustments to the brands you use, particularly in the gin and triple sec, will make a big difference in the flavor of this drink. For instance, a barrel-aged gin, or Cointreau instead of a simple triple sec will give you all sorts of flavors to play with.  Also there’s no garnish, so if you’re still growing your home bar this should be a cinch to make.

In this case of my cocktail, I decided to use Brothers Old Tom Gin, a local Albuquerque gin from Left Turn Distilling, a gin that’s a touch sweet with heavy citrus. Here’s how to make Our Stanley:

Our Stanley

 

Podcast 30- Wheeler’s Gin and Brandy Alexander

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What’s a Madame Alexander? John Lennon story. We drink Santa Fe Spirits’ Wheelers Gin. Celery, Osha root, and native desert botanicals. Lisa loves the flavor of dirt. “Thank God John Lennon’s dead.” What is half and half? We make a Brandy Alexander (but you can make an Alexander of any sort).  A lot of nutmeg. Greg knows…brothels? Multiple apologies to Pam Grier.

Download Episode 30.

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If you enjoyed the show, please write a brief review on iTunes. That would help us get the word out and raise the visibility of the show. Thank you!

Lawhill Cocktail

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lawhill cocktail

I keep finding some great cocktail recipes in Old Mr. Boston’s Bartenders Guide. This recipe is quite a kicker: whiskey, vermouth, absinthe, and maraschino make for a really vivid flavor profile that’s fun to taste. Here’s how you make it:

Lawhill Cocktail

  • in a mixing glass, combine:
  • 1 1/2 oz whiskey (I used bourbon)
  • 3/4 oz dry vermouth
  • 1/4 teaspoon absinthe
  • 1/4 teaspoon Maraschino liqueur
  • 1 dash of bitters
  • stir well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

I know this one has some expensive liquors in the mix (in 1/4 teaspoon measurements none the less), but I’d love to know what you think if you try it!