The Rose

The Rose Cocktail

2 oz dry Vermouth
1 oz Kirschwasser
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup

Recipe from Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

The was the drink turned out is not really what the recipe implies. I thought I had Kirschwasser, but in fact I had Edel Kirsch, which is not cherry brandy but rather a Cherry Liquer. Also, I didnt have any raspberry syrup so I substituted for grenadine, but I think this substitution is relatively minor.

So in light of my confusion regarding ingredients and the intentional substitution how did the drink turn out? Really good. I thought it was delicious, if a bit on the sweet side. Marta really really liked it, but she does have a sweet tooth. This drink was almost like sipping liquid candy or something. All three ingredients came through nicely. I will make this again once I get some Kirschwasser to compare.

Harvard Cocktail

Harvard Cocktail

1 1/2 oz Brandy
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Dash of Angostura bitters

Shake and strain into glass.

I think of all the cocktails I have tried so far I am partial to those with brandy as the base spirit. So when Marta suggested we make the Harvard cocktail as our cocktail of the day I was more than happy!

The above recipe comes from The Essential Bartender's Guide by Robert Hess. Comparing this recipe to the one that appears in the Savoy cocktail book one quickly notices a number of differences. Primarily the lack or addition (depending on your recipe of reference) of lemon juice and the swap of simple syrup for Grenadine. Additionally in the Savoy recipe the Brandy and Sweet Vermouth are equal in parts.

I will make the Savoy version in the coming days, but made per the Hess recipe above the drink was delicious. Marta is suffering from some allergies so her sense of taste is not what it should be, but she too enjoyed the drink. The drink was well balanced with neither the Brandy or vermouth too strong. This is a drink that I will definitely make again.

Peto Cocktail

The Peto Cocktail

1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Martini Rosso)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini Bianco)
1 oz Gin (Gordons)
2 dashes Maraschino (Maraska)

Shake and strain into cocktail glass.

Delicious and refreshing cocktail where all ingredients were noticeable except for maybe the bit of Maraschino. This one is very easy to drink and a good cocktail to offer to friends who might not enjoy some stronger cocktails.

Marta said this was her favorite cocktail of the ones we have made so far!

Algonquin Cocktail

The Algonquin Cocktail

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Martini Bianco)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

After receiving in the mail a couple days ago the book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" by Ted Haigh I realized that I would have to do some serious tracking down and buying of ingredients before I could make the majority of the drinks in the book. The Algonquion cocktail, however is one that only required ingredients that I had on hand. That said, the pineapple juice I did have was of questionable quality (small juice box, however the first ingredient was pineapple juice) and I think this changed the final outcome of the drink.

As mixed above I found the drink unbalanced.. Too sweet, perhaps artificially sweet. But I contribute this most likely to the pineapple juice. Marta really enjoyed the drink and says she would have happily ordered it in a bar. I think she tends to have more of a sweet tooth than I so that is understandable.

I hope next time I make this drink I will have some 100% pineapple juice on hand to see if it makes for a more balanced drink.

Aviation Cocktail

Aviation Cocktail

2 oz Gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Maraschino

I had been wanting to hold out making this cocktail until I managed to get my hands on some Creme de Violette, but after reading the drink entry in the great book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" by Ted Haigh, where Haigh says that the original recipe may have had Creme de Violette, in the drinks heyday it was mixed without it. Various other cocktail websites have the drink listed variable with our without Creme de Violette.. So I decided to cut to the chase and just make the drink and then once I get some Creme de Violette I can compare.

The recipe above comes from the Art of Drink website. The recipe here is different than that given by Ted Haigh, mainly in the quantity of Maraschino.

I found the drink above heavy on the Maraschino, Marta on the other hand liked it a lot. Perhaps next time either increase the lemon juice or decrease the Maraschino. Or both.

Margarita Cocktail

Margarita Cocktail

2 ounce Tequila
1 1/3 ounce Cointreau
2/3 ounce lime juice

I decided to use the DrinkBoy Margarita recipe as a reference point on this drink. The comment section on Robert's Margarita video provides an interesting discussion as to the proportions of ingredients.

As mixed, the drink was delicious! I have no idea if the Tequila I am using is a quality Tequila, or how much difference a top shelf Tequila would make in this drink. That would be something interesting to experiment with in the future. I salted half of the glass, but I found that I liked the drink sans salt.
Marta also really enjoyed this drink.

Old Pal Cocktail

Old Pal Cocktail

1 oz Rye Whiskey
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Campari

I was drawn to this drink as I am still trying to find a cocktail with Campari that I find palatable. Of the drinks I had made with Campari this was the most drinkable for me so far. Marta enjoyed this one as well.

Sidecar Cocktail

The Sidecar Cocktail

1 oz Brandy (Macieira Portuguese Brandy)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz lemon juice

Not much to say really..it was a delicious drink! One that I will definitely come back to.

Income Tax Cocktail

Income Tax Cocktail

1 1/4 oz gin
3/4 oz orange juice
1/4 oz dry vermouth
1/4 oz sweet vermouth
dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Delicious cocktail! I thought the orange would be more pronounced but it took a back seat to the gin and rounded off the drink with a hint of vermouth at the end. Marta suggests making this drink with vodka?

Manhattan again

2 ounce rye whiskey (Old Overholt)
1 ounce sweet vermouth (Martini Rosso)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Had some friends over for dinner and after eating we started chatting about cocktails. I made a Manhattan cocktail again but this time I poured 1 ounce of sweet vermouth instead of 1/2. For me the drink was much better. The whiskey was not nearly as strong and the vermouth was more notable.

Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

1 oz. gin
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. Cointreau

Mix with ice, strain and garnish with orange.

I first found this cocktail on an episode of The Cocktail Spirit and it looked like a good opportunity to try out Campari again after I did not really enjoy my first encounter with the ingredient in the Negroni Cocktail.

While the Lucien Gaudin uses half as much Campari as the Negroni I still found the bitterness of the Campari strong for me. Marta on the other hand thought the drink was quite delicious. After taking a couple sips I think the Campari started to grow on me and my last few sips were more enjoyable. Still I think I need to experiment with Campari more to find out if this is an ingredient that I will actually enjoy drinking.

Manhattan cocktail

2 ounce rye whiskey (Old Overholt)
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth (Martini Rosso)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Recipe from Drinkboy.com. First sips are like a softened whiskey, not much vermouth or bitters. I notice more the vermouth on the nose. Marta suggests that all she tastes is whiskey, so I pour some whiskey into a espresso cup with an ice cube for a taste comparison. The comparison convinced her that the Manhattan was more than just whiskey, it was also good for me because after sipping the straight whiskey then tasting the Manhattan I was able to pick out more flavors from the Vermouth. Halfway through the drink I added some more bitters to the glass and gave it a stir. It improved the complexity of the drink significantly.

Next time I will try to boost the vermouth up to 1 oz and add some more bitters. Also would like to try the recipe from the Savoy Cocktail Book:

2 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Rye or Bourbon
1 bar-spoon Maraschino
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Orange Bloom cocktail

1 1/2 oz gin (Bombay Sapphire)
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini Rosso)

Strong alcohol taste. The first sip is pleasant enough, but after a couple sips I felt like watering it down a bit.

Looking around for information on this cocktail I came across the following post Underhill-Lounge on the Orange Bloom cocktail, and really agree with what is posted there regarding this cocktail.

White lady Cocktail

1 oz gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Cointreau

I liked this more than the Balalaika cocktail, but that probably has a lot to do with the reduced lemon.

Balalaika

Balalaika Cocktail

1 oz Vodka
1 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz Cointreau

Lots of lemon. Taste goes from Lemon to Vodka then back to Lemon at the end. The aftertaste is reminiscent of sucking on a raw lemon. Marta and I both agree next time to half the lemon.

Negroni

1 oz Gin
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Campari

Nice at first, but then the Campari hits the tongue and its very bitter for me. Probably need to get used to the Campari taste as this was my first time drinking it.

Marta says the drink is improved with a chocolate afterwards.

Gin & Tonic

First drink made in my endeavor to learn about the world of mixed drinks and cocktails.

2 oz gin (Bombay Sapphire)
Tonic (Schweppes)
Lime

Delicious drink. Not sure how much gin I was tasting in the drink as I am new to this whole thing and dont really know what flavors correspond to what. This is a drink I will be coming back to.