Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace Cocktail

1 1/2 oz gin

1/2 oz pastis

1/4 oz dry vermouth

1/2 oz creme de violette

A drink I found on CocktailDB.com when looking for drinks that contain Creme de Violette. I picked up this elixir on a recent trip to France, the stuff is virtually impossible to find outside of France so I was happy to grab a bottle.

The above drink is really dominated by the pastis, but after a couple sips the other ingredients started to come out a bit. The Creme de Violette was barely noticeable mid-sip after the gin before the pastis took over.

An interesting drink, perhaps reduce the pastis a little next time.

Betweet The Sheets

Between The Sheets Cocktail

1 oz brandy

1 oz light rum

1 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz lemon juice

Recipe from The Essential Bartender's Guide by Robert Hess.

A very nice drink. A cross between the Sidecar and the Daiquiri, this cocktail has a sharp flavor and is slightly alcoholic. Unique in that it contains 2 base spirits, all ingredients of this drink come out nicely balanced in the end.

Fallen Leaves

The Fallen Leaves Cocktail

3/4 oz calvados

3/4 oz sweet vermouth

1/4 oz dry vermouth

Dash brandy

Squeeze lemon peel

Recipe from The Essential Bartender Guide by Robert Hess.

First time drinking calvados, an apple brandy from France. Interesting drink, could have really benefited from some freshly opened vermouth (mine is getting a bit musty and old). I felt in the end the drink was wanting a bit more sweetness.

The Blinker

The Blinker

2 oz rye

1 oz grapefruit

2 bar spoons grenadine

Recipe from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails

hmmm, tastes like sweetened rye whiskey. Only get a slight hint of juice and then some sweetness from the grenadine. Not very exciting. I think if I had had better grapefruit juice this drink would be been much more interesting.

Palm Beach Special

The Palm Beach Special

2 1/2 oz gin

3/4 oz grapefruit juice

1/2 oz sweet vermouth

Recipe from Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails

hmm, kind of boring I think. Not tasting much other than the gin. I am using fresh squeezed juice but the juice does not taste as sweet as I think it could be, perhaps the grapefruits used were not fully ripe or something. Anyway, questionable juice and small amount of vermouth made this a gin heavy cocktail but not in a good way (for me).

Hemingway Daiquiri

The Hemingway Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz light rum

1/4 oz maraschino

1/2 oz grapefruit juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

3/4 oz lime juice

Recipe from Robert Hess

Had some fresh squeezed grapefruit juice on hand, decided to make a couple drinks with it.

Delicious drink. The Maraschino is super balanced with the other ingredients, something I found in the other drinks with Maraschino to be lacking. Not much grapefruit coming through, but at only 1/2 oz it was never going to play a dominant part of this drink.

The Scofflaw

The Scofflaw Cocktail

1 1/2 oz rye
1 oz dry vermouth

3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

3/4 oz grenadine

Shake and strain into cocktail glass.

Recipe from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh.

An interesting drink that dates from 1924 when it was first mixed up at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. The drink mixed from the recipe above seems slightly off, a little bit peculiar in one way or another. The first sip is nice, but after that I feel the grenadine took over and there was very little else to enjoy.

Robert Hess gives a recipe that is vastly different from the one above. I think this version might make a more interesting drink, given the significantly less amount of grenadine and the addition of orange bitters.