Review: Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Solera Rum

Color (5%):  Very deep dark amber. Dark caramel. thinning to hay yellow at the edges. 3/5

Nose (10%): Nice brown sugary molasses sweetness. Nice purple dried fruits come through from those PX sherry casks, raisins, dates, and prunes. Faint spices come through, nutmeg and allspice. Mild oak comes through.  8/10

Palate (20%): Lots of sweetness, very sugary for an aged rum. I don't mean sugar flavor, I mean this is not dry, it is sweet. Artificial additives are allowed in rums and I suspect this is the case here. It's a dark caramel treacle sweetness. The fruit is less dried and more ripe or fermented. Notes of banana peel, powdered cocoa mix, walnut, dried orange peel, and bergamot. Not very much oak character. This is certainly used wood and it's not giving much fresh oak flavor. That bourbon doesn't present forward much at all. Fake caramel flavor and vanilla come through but toasted oak does not. 14/20

Finish (10%): Lots of nuts and dried fruit. Lingering molasses. The booziness does linger in the throat for quite a while. It's not overly harsh it just sticks around for ages. 8/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a pretty complex rum. Waves of flavors come and go washing over you. This is a bit sweet for my own taste. I could see it mixing incredibly well in daiquiris and tiki drinks. This is okay to sip neat but it is just too sweet for a typical whiskey drinker like me. I can't give it full marks but it is pretty good. I prefer unadulterated rums typically. 25/30

Retry on Ice (25%): That fake brown sugar flavor comes out even more over ice. Arguably worse than neat. I could see this rum in spirit-forward cocktails as a part of a split base with cognac or whiskey. That with some bitters could be nice. But when I don't like the sweetness and then the sweetness gets stronger. I feel like I'm going to get a headache from this. 17/25

Total Ranking: 75% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $38

Actual Price: $45

Conclusion:  Unfortunately this rum has been sweetened and has a misleading age statement. This is a solera-style aged rum so there is a tiny bit of 23-year-old aged rum in the bottle but it's not all 23 years old. Most of this rum is about 6 years old from what I gather, which is fine. Rum doesn't have the same legal restrictions on age statements as scotch so they are often misleading. If you do your research on the product or innately know what solera means you might not be fooled but when someone sees the number 23 on a bottle they get excited, especially when it's reasonably priced. This is a solid C. It's not impressive or top-tier in the rum world but it's not a failure. 

Fact Sheet:

Company: Diageo

Distillery Location: Guatemala

Aged in American Whiskey and various sherry casks

ABV: 40%

Golden Apple Martini

This was actually a discussion I had almost a year ago over the best way to make an appletini. Many bartenders would say 2:1 vodka and sour apple pucker. This drink somehow gained popularity. Lord, if I know how. I suppose it was the simplicity of the drink in combination with the craze of the fancy glass. It's also incredibly easy to make at home if it's a drink you particularly like. All you needed was two bottles. On my opinion, though, the drink is rubbish. Many people have jazzed it up so to speak with sour mix, lemon juice, or citrus vodka. none of which really save the drink, they merely help balance a bit of the sweetness and lessen the proof. I wanted to take my crack at it

1 1/2 oz. Citrus Vodka

3/4 oz. Berentzen Apple Liqueur

1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 oz. Rich Honey Syrup

Add all the ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake the drink well and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a golden delicious apple fan.

This drink was sort of inspired by the various appletini recipes I've seen and blended with a sort of sour and Cosmopolitan recipe. I thought of creating an apple shrub or using a calvados, but I wanted something that would be fairly accessible to the average person, as that was a part of the appeal of the original. I think the flavors carry over well and do give the proper taste of an apple rather than the sour sugar taste you get from most appletini's.

"I'll have an Appletini and the girliest drink in the house"

"Two Appletinis coming right up"

- Scrubs

Whiskey 401: Dissecting a cocktail: The Whiskey sour

The drink known as the Sour has gone through countless iterations over the centuries. I thought of organizing this by time period, instead I opted to go simply by the level of complexity and adding a few variants once the foundation has been laid. The Sour has gone through so many modifications and iterations it's near impossible to pinpoint a date when the trends changed. The origins of the sour as an individual cocktail and not a punch probably started around the 1850's. This was most likely done by sailors drinking rum while trying to fight scurvy with citrus juice and adding sugar to make the drink taste good. It was certainly after World War II, in the 60's, when store-bought sour mix became widely popular. Eventually, it even made its way onto some of our soda guns. In the nineties bartenders started exploring the idea of fresh ingredients once again. 

Modern

The first recipe I ever learned was 1 oz Whiskey and 2 oz of Sour Mix. This was shaken and served in a rocks glass with ice. It was mentioned that this could be served up, but most people took it on the rocks. Most people I saw wouldn't even really shake this, especially if it was going on the rocks. They'd just give it one or two shakes and dump it in.  They thought that shaking was to chill a drink. No, it's to blend the ingredients and to incorporate air, adding texture. To cite a blog that helped inspire me to start this, Death to Sour Mix. Assuming you use a prepackaged store-bought sour mix, this should just be called a sour, as you can't taste or appreciate whatever liquor is in the drink. The chemicals and sugar content in that mix just destroys the integrity of the other ingredients. I did learn how to make a simple sour mix however and that's where we get into the real recipe. 

Classic

This drink follows much more closely to the classic cocktail bars. I eventually learned a true recipe for this drink. It being 2 oz. Whiskey, 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup. It's shaken good and hard, strained or double strained, and served up or on the rocks. This is an example of proper balance. A drink should have an equal balance of sweet and citrus. This while maintaining a respect for the alcohol makes a proper ratio of ingredients. This is a bit stronger than the standard drink ordered at the bar today. It's about twice the ABV of a whiskey ginger or similar highball. This is much more in line with cocktails and less focused on speed of production. Store bought sour mix was created to increase the speed of drink production and to eliminate a lot of the prep work that would need to be done every day, namely squeezing fruit and making syrups. But losing the craft means losing the character of a drink.

Traditional

This drink took a little adjusting to when I first heard about. It took a bit of a leap in order to try it, but to my amazement, it was really good. To this day, there are very few Americans that know about using egg white in cocktails. People think that the drink will taste like breakfast or egg nog. Neither is true nor are you at all likely to get salmonella. So, what does the egg bring to the table? The proteins in the egg while unravel and create an amazing silky texture and decadent foamy cap. This kind of cocktail should use the same recipe as the Classic Sour but add the white of one egg, or about 1oz. of egg white. You can't just shake a drink with egg white normally though if you want the best consistency. You need to shake the drink without the ice first to blend the cocktail and open up the proteins. This is called dry shaking. Once you do that, you shake normally with ice to chill the drink and usually double strain into a sours or cocktail glass. Most people think that the beautiful foam that comes from using egg white is lost when the drink is served on the rocks, but it can be done. 

Other Great Variants
The Stone Sour is a very fun variation which uses orange juice as well as lemon and simple syrup. A Gold Rush uses honey instead of simple syrup. The New York Sour is one of those drinks that just keeps adding to a great drink. It's a classic or traditional whiskey sour served on the rock with a float of red wine. I always find this drink very odd when made with egg white and red wine floated on top of the foam. I prefer it made without the egg white and served on the rocks. The ice makes it much easier to float the red wine. I also find that a layered presentation works best with more cylindrical glasses, rather than martini glasses or coupes. There is also the Fix, which is just a sour made over crushed ice. A John Collins is just a tall whiskey sour topped with club soda. A Fizz is the same thing but also using egg white to create a very fluffy foam on top.

“Sometimes life is sad. You can cry in your booze if you want. I think that’s called a Whiskey Sour.”
- Jarod Kintz

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Next Level Jell-O Shots

Hey all, most of us love jello shots or have loved jello shots. This post assumes you've at least had a crack at making them in the past. You've probably learned that using pure vodka in place of the water creates a mushy unappetizing shot and that it should be split fifty-fifty with water. You've probably also learned that other spirits work amazingly well in a jello shot. Tequila, triple sec, and lime jello are a natural blend. You might also know that some jello mixes work great with milk for a creamier hold and a less transparent color. Most jello brand products work well together, but some more advanced recipes will use straight unflavored gelatin. These are some tricks that you may not have thought of in your typical playing around. 

Glow-in-the-Dark Jello Shots

This was probably this first real jello shot trick I learned. For the record, these do not glow in the dark like those stickers on your childhood bedroom ceiling. They glow under blacklight, like the poster in your college dorm room. I had made jello shots before, in college, but the first time I decided to dig into what other people were doing I found this little trick. The trick is to simply incorporate a luminous nontoxic chemical into the mix. The best one I find used is Quinine, commonly found in tonic water. Many people opt for a normal mixture of 1 part boiling water to 1 part spirit to make the flavor of the jello more palatable. Simply replace the water with flat boiling tonic water, and you'll have a great treat for your next blacklight party. 

Molded Jello Shots

When you were first introduced to jello as a kid, you probably made Jello Jigglers. Pouring jello into any container will allow it to set into that shape. Many people will use cookie cutters as fun shapes for kids. Occasionally, depending on the material of the mold you may need to spray it with some cooking spray to allow it to be removed easily. For Halloween, you can buy brain-shaped molds so that kids can poke and eat a bit of a jiggly brain. Switch that to include some rum and you have yourself an adult treat. I've seen other tricks done in this manner. Add a bit more powdered gelatin and you can keep it firmer once it hardens. You can use popsicle molds provided the mix is firm enough. The same trick applies to the novelty ice cube trays. you can have shot glasses made of jello and even penis shaped gelatin. This Video might be the greatest idea I've ever seen that I could apply to a boozy drink.

A spin on this that has been really erupting is the idea of jello shots in fruit. cut an orange in half and cut out all the meat without puncturing the skin and you have a handy cup. Once the jello hardens you can even slice the orange and be reminded of grade school soccer practice. You can do this with limes, as well. If you add extra gelatin powder, you can use this trick on watermelon and slice it to create great big slices of jello, great for picnics so long as it doesn't get too hot. I've even seen strawberries used. Take the stem out and hollow out as much as you can to form little cups. I recommend cutting a bit of the tip-off so it doesn't wobble when you put it in the fridge to cool. 

Layered Jello Shots

This is actually the easiest trick I've ever heard. Make a batch of jello, pour it into a tall enough vessel, chill it. Make another, different batch, pour that over the old batch and continue the cycle. This trick is even easier than making a pousse cafe, as you're just pouring liquid over a solid. Don't let the layers chill for too long otherwise they won't bond together and when you remove them they may tear apart at the seams. Some flavors, of course, blend better than others. If you are using the type of mixture that uses milk to be careful with your flavor pairings. An orange creamsicle works great. but some liqueur flavors don't play well. You can make rainbow layers, or go patriotic and recreate your favorite flag. 

One of the most advanced tricks in this is the Jello Shot Cake. In a bundt cake pan build your layers of jello upside down. One of the most popular recipes for this uses a bit of yogurt in between the clear gelatin layers to create a beautiful visual presentation. It's truly beautiful to see executed properly. It takes some work to have the layers look uniform. It also takes many hours to ensure the right consistency and that it doesn't tear or fall apart. Everyone always feels so guilty making the first cut into this masterpiece. Make sure you make clean slices and don't shred the thing. This picture shows a twelve layer cake, but you should feel free to start smaller. 

Jello Shots with Mix-Ins

There's so much more to a gelatin dessert than just gelatin. I remember in the fourth ever episode of The Simpsons, Marge makes a gelatin dessert chock full of marshmallows. If you saw The Office, You'll remember the stapler in the jello. Simply put in your fruit or candies into the mold and pour the jello over it. To create a layered effect, pour a layer of jello, let it harden a bit, and then place the snacks inside. If it's still soft enough you can shove some snacks into the hardened jello. This makes creating scenes of Swedish Fish swimming in a fishbowl much easier than doing dozens of layers of the same mix. One trick I see all over the place is using a cherry, namely, using the cherry stem to act as a sort of handle. This allows for a great party favor that doesn't require utensils and doesn't get your guests' hands sticky. 

“Whoever said nothing is impossible obviously hasn't tried nailing Jell-O to a tree.”

- John Candy

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, pixabay

Advanced Syrups

Sugar is a crucial component in just about every cocktail available today. Sometimes it's the sugar in a piece of fruit. Sometimes it's honey or maple syrup. Bartenders have been taking these sugars and making them our own for some time now. 

Flavored Syrups

One of the easiest types of complex syrup you can make is a simple infusion. Take an Earl Grey Tea Syrup for instance. We all know how to make simple syrup, simply apply heat to sugar and water. Well, this is exactly how we make tea. Simply add our tea bag or tea leaves to warm water. let this sit for about an hour and then add to a saucepan and put on heat. Add equal parts sugar and stir until well mixed. Remove from heat and strain off any solids. This same technique can be applied to mint syrups and even things like berries and peppers. Simply make a syrup the way you normally would and steep the flavors you would like to infuse. Try not to boil the syrup as that takes away the water and makes the flavor significantly harder to replicate. One of my favorite creations was a strawberry and serrano pepper flavored agave nectar.

Fruit Syrups / Grenadine

Most fruit syrups are actually very easy to make. While the typical syrup uses water to mix with the sugar component, a perfectly legitimate substitute is to use a juice. This method only works well with fruits that leave a very watery type of juice such as pomegranate. Juice like lime and the like need to be cut down with water to ensure a consistent texture. To make homemade grenadine, simply pour equal parts of pomegranate juice (I use POM Wonderful) and sugar into a saucepan and apply heat while stirring. I like to add a tiny splash of fresh lemon juice and a few drops of orange flower water to really make it unique.

Oleo Saccharum

Oleo, in short, is oil. Saccharum is sugar. Lemon oil syrup was a crucial component in old-world punch recipes. The oil comes from the peel of citrus fruit, lemon being the most common. Oleo can also be made from other citruses, like orange and grapefruit. The easiest way of making this is by peeling several lemons into a bowl and adding about two ounces of sugar to the bowl per lemon. Muddle this vigorously for about 15 minutes to ensure that the sugar really gets into the peels and they start to sweat. Let the bowl sit for a few hours or overnight to allow all the oil to precipitate. collect this in a bottle and filter out any peel, some people will add a bit of hot water to stretch the oil and make it less potent in cocktails, but in punches that doesn't matter as much.

Orgeat

Orgeat is probably the most difficult syrup to make on your own and I don't recommend trying unless you are well versed in syrups. Orgeat is used in several tiki cocktails. It is a very potent blend of flavors and can be incredibly overpowering if prepared incorrectly. To make, one would muddle a blend of sweet and bitter almonds in a mortar and pestle with a little water until it becomes a smooth paste. Add more water without heat. Then incorporate some sugar and orange flower water or rose water. These are very potent flavors that if not used cautiously can seriously overpower any cocktail. Floral sweet almond syrup is very tempting to start playing with, but I urge you to start small and leave this one to the professionals. The fact that this doesn't use any heat also tends to mean the shelf life is not as great as many other syrups so I encourage you to use filtered water or water that had been boiled beforehand. Also, keep it stored in a well-sealed container. Also, don't trust any store brand orgeat that costs less than $10 a bottle. 

Gum Syrup

Gum syrup is actually one of the more basic and classic syrups. It is, at its core, a simple syrup that has been thickened to change the texture of certain cocktails. Gum, also called Gomme, syrup is a simple syrup made typically with gum arabic. Very few people, aside from some artists, have heard of this powder. It's a simple thickening agent used in some painting, and, in our case, cocktails. Gum syrup works best in stirred, spirit-forward cocktails so that the texture it brings can be appreciated. Typically it is used in old fashioned cocktails and some sazeracs. It can be used in shaken cocktails and with drinks built with crushed ice.

"I told my wife the truth. I told her I was seeing a psychiatrist. Then she told me the truth: that she was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender."

- Rodney Dangerfield

Photo Credit: pxhere, open food facts

Syrups

Syrups are one of the quintessential components for any knowledgeable bartender. They are what give a drink its sugar, it's sweetness. They are what making drinking fun, and not like drinking medicine. There are many great sugars in the world at a bartender's disposal and I'm going to touch on the most common and most versatile of these syrups. Coming soon I will be doing a post on making some more advanced syrups and I hope you take those techniques and create something truly that is your own.

Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is the easiest and most common sweetener in cocktails today. Is very quite simply, sugar and water. The most common type found in America is equal parts sugar and water by volume, put over some heat to remove any impurities. This is commonly referred to as 1:1 simple syrup. Across the pond, they use a ratio of 2:1. This is called rich simple syrup by many. The added sugar acts as a preservative which helps the shelf life of the syrup before it goes off and starts accumulating mold. The reason we use syrups instead of accurately measuring granulated sugar is because sugar dissolves very slowly in cold environments like cocktails. No one wants a muddy puddle of raw sugar at the bottom of their drink. Simple syrups are typically made with plain white sugar, but they can also be made with brown sugar which is comprised of 3.5-6.5% molasses. Many bartenders have opted to use Demerara sugar, or Sugar in the Raw, made from crystallized sugar cane juice, which brings some notes or caramel and molasses. 

Honey Syrup

For the record, a honey syrup is not the same as honey. Raw honey right from the bottle is far too dense to be incorporated in a cocktail. Even a hot toddy might not dissolve all of it. Again, we simply mix our raw honey equal parts with water, ideally with heat to remove impurities and help the shelf life. When you pick out a bottle of honey from the store try to make sure you invest in quality honey, not one from a little plastic bear. Pure honey can have citrus notes or even taste grainy. different styles like sage honey can be quite delicate while avocado honey is richer, almost buttery. I'm not saying you need eight different honey syrups, but be aware of how different kinds of honey can compliment different cocktails. 

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup can be a very fun syrup to use in whiskey cocktails. Again we need to dilute it to make it functional for cocktails. It is made in the same style as honey syrup. Take maple syrup and add it to hot water in equal parts. Again, the stuff in the plastic log cabin isn't that great quality. Premium maple syrup is incredibly easy to find at your average farmers market and you can probably find some quality syrups at the supermarket, but it might take some experimentation and research to find the best quality. Some people think that Canadian or Vermont maple syrup is the best. This isn't necessarily true, it's just that climates with greatly changing seasons yield more sap as the seasons change. These regions thus produce more and get a name for being producers. I made maple syrup in my house with my father in Massachusetts since I was old enough to carry a bucket. and it tasted great. As a kid, I liked the plastic bottle of Log Cabin, but when I grew older I enjoyed the richer woodier flavor, especially with some whiskey. Dad's Hat has actually started aging maple syrup in their old whiskey barrels.

Agave Nectar

Agave nectar is actually the concentrated compound from which tequila and mezcal (mescal) is fermented and distilled. Most agave nectar comes from the blue agave, the agave used in all tequila production, but it can come from other species as well. Agave nectar, like honey and maple syrup, contains fructose, not the sucrose found in granulated sugar. Nutritionally they behave the exact same way. They are just broken down differently in the liver. Agave nectar is arguably the sweetest syrup you will find common behind the bar. Agave nectar can come in two varieties, light and dark. Light is fairly flavor neutral while the darker varieties can pick up flavors of caramel, and even some fruity pineapple notes. As always the plastic bottles you find in the average supermarket are very close to high fructose corn syrup but you can find less processed nectars if you look hard enough.

"Health - what my friends are always drinking to before they fall down."
- Phyllis Diller

Photo Credit: Pixy, pikrepo

Berry JAMboree

This was a cocktail I created for the BOLS Around The World Competition. The goal being to create a truly memorable low alcohol cocktail. The only rules were that the drink had to use no more than 1/2 oz. of 80 proof spirit, that the drink had to use at least 1/2 oz of BOLS liqueur, and that the drink not exceed 12% ABV. It was actually a lot of fun playing with this drink. Low alcohol meant that I could actually try more than 3 of my drinks a day. 

1 Egg White
1 oz. Lemon Juice
3/4 oz. Strawberry Liqueur
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz Blueberry preserves
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

Add all the ingredients to a shaker without ice. Dry shake vigorously. Once blended, add ice and shake again. Double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a split strawberry. 

This drink really didn't have any inspiration. This was my first time using jam or preserves in a drink. Blueberry really adds a lot of color to the drink. I tried it with egg white to thicken it up and it really does feel like a smoothie. The strawberry garnish is great because once the guest is done drinking they can use the berry to soak up any foam that was left clinging to the glass. The final alcohol by volume of this drink would be a little under 9.6% depending on ice melt

"Now is the time for drinking, now is the time to make the earth shake with dancing."
- Horace

Dissecting a cocktail: Sonic Screwdriver

The Sonic Screwdriver is an icon for fans of Doctor Who. It is the tool that works on everything, except wood. We all know the classic screwdriver. It's a simple highball of vodka and orange juice. Naturally, the adult nerdy community likes to have a drink when they watch their favorite show. Many people have created their own recipes based on their tastes and whose Sonic Screwdriver they prefer. Matt Smith's screwdriver would glow bright green while David Tennant's was blue. The War Doctor had his red Screwdriver and River Song had her special red setting. There are dozens if not hundreds of screwdriver variations out there. I've picked out a few favorites and thought I'd go through and give them a few reviews.

BBCA's Sonic Screwdriver Punch

3 cups orange juice, 3 pureed ripe peaches, 4-5 cups lemonade

Chill the juice, peach puree, and lemonade for at least 1-2 hrs before serving. Mix the juice and puree and pour over ice. Top with the lemonade. Garnish with a few mint leaves. 

This is an interesting little cocktail put out by BBC America. It's a non-alcoholic punch so it's good for kids to enjoy as well. For adults, it is an enjoyable drink but certainly not the most creative non-alcoholic punch I've ever seen. On the bright side, you can jazz it up with just about any fruit or berry flavored vodka. This is odd that it took the moniker of a sonic screwdriver though. BBCA can do whatever it likes, of course, but aside from having the orange juice this is nothing like a screwdriver or a sonic screwdriver. It lacks the color. I give it a 5/10. Try this with a mixed berry vodka and a sparkling lemonade. That could bring it up to a 7.

Nerds and Nomsense's Sonic Screwdriver

1 oz Blue Curacao, 2 oz Blood Orange Vodka, 3 oz OJ, splash Red Bull.

Shake the ingredients aside from the Red Bull with ice and strain into a martini or cocktail glass. Top with red bull. This makes two cocktails

According to the creator, this drink is meant to taste like gummi frogs. Fans of Doctor Who may remember gummi candies have played some significance, namely the jelly baby. They were featured with the Second Doctor and they've continued to be referenced all the way to the current, Twelfth Doctor. Even the Master offers a few to his wife as he was taking over the world. This drink is actually quite unique in that it doesn't take its style from the original screwdriver though it does use vodka and OJ. I regard this as a very good reference to nerdy culture and it pays homage to the fandom but as a cocktail I give it a 6/10. It's not the most original cocktail, the proportions and balance don't work for me as a proper sour or highball. The flavor is a mishmash of sweet, I don't see myself ever having more than one of these in an evening.  

Liz Mulhern's Companion drink

1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka, 1/2 oz Blue Curacao, 2 oz Sprite

Build on ice in a highball glass

The recipe keeps to the premise of the traditional screwdriver but uses Vanilla Vodka for sweetness, Blue Curacao for orange flavor, and sprite to help with citrus. I actually greatly respect this recipe. It keeps the vodka and orange citrus flavors while getting it just the right color and adding a unique vanilla flavor in combination with bubbles. It's a great re-imagining of the classic. I actually first had this with Pinnacle Whipped in place of vanilla vodka. My verdict for this drink is an 8/10. It is very tasty, original while holding to tradition, and very easy to make for the lay person. This is probably my top pick for a long DW marathon. Allons-y!

The Way Station's Sonic Screwdrivers
Absolut Citron, Orange Juice, with a different topper depending on the doctor

Pour vodka and OJ in a glass with ice. Top with Blue Curacao for a 10th Doctor, Midori for the 11th, and Grenadine for River's Red Setting

The Way Station is an oasis of a bar for nerds everywhere. Unfortunately, I was unable to discern their exact recipe or ration for these cocktails but as they tightly resemble the standard highball I recommend a ratio of 1 part Vodka to 2 parts Orange juice with about a half part of the topper. I do take some issue with the drinks though. The colors don't match up that well when mixed. The orange juice is just too strong a color. They taste very sweet, definitely a girly drink. They are fine drinks, but I regard them as a bit simple for a cocktail bar in New York City. That said, they're very good for home use. My verdict, 6/10, sweet and simple, in other words, uninspired, a good cocktail that anyone can make, but there's a lot more room for improvement. 

I have been made aware that The Way Station has since added a 9th and 12th doctor to their list of screwdrivers. The 9th uses Pimm's as a topper to the template above. The 12th actually impressed me. it's Dewars, Amaretto, bitters, and ginger ale. I actually like this balance for Peter Capaldi's Doctor. Scotch fits well and I love that they broke the template and completely redid the personality of the drink. 

Special Mention to Drunken Moogle's recipe.

Finding a Doctor Who quote about alcohol was actually pretty interesting as the early doctors swore that they didn't touch the stuff. Chris Eccleston changed that though.

"I'm telling you. Lloyd George, he used to drink me under the table. Who's the Prime Minister now?"
"How should I know? I missed a year."

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, pxfuel, Snappy Goat

Sparkling wine cocktails

Sparkling wine has been used in cocktails for well over 150 years. The first reference I know of comes from 1862 in the Bon Vivant's Companion. Though sparkling wines are nearly 500 years old, possibly older if you account for the Chinese, they weren't really mixed. Bubbles were and are a sign of freshness and quality. They still are in many countries, especially in Europe. Flat water really doesn't exist for consumption. Everything is bubbly, even the apple juice. Bubbles mean it's clean and healthy. Healthy doesn't mean it's no fun though.

Champagne Cocktail
Sugar cube, bitters, champagne

Place a sugar cube on a cocktail napkin. Soak the cube in bitters until it is fully colored and is spilling over onto the napkin. Place the soaked cube in a champagne flute and fill with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist

The champagne cocktail is, of course, following in the tradition of what a cocktail originally was. The original whiskey cocktail was just whiskey, sugar, and bitters. It has since been dubbed the Old Fashioned. But there were a number of cocktails: the brandy cocktail, gin cocktail, and our Champagne cocktail. Fortunately, this cocktail has held the test of time. This cocktail can be made with simple syrup and a few dashes of bitters, but it's not that elegant a presentation. With a nice course cube sitting at the bottom of a cocktail you get the bubbles flowing forth from every bump. The original is also said to include 1/3 oz. of brandy.

French 75
1oz Gin, 1/2oz Simple Syrup, 1/2oz Lemon, 3oz Champagne

Add the first three ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a champagne glass. Fill with the remaining champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

This drink is named after the famous artillery piece. The cannon was called by some the first piece of modern artillery. It was invented at the end of the 19th century and could fire 15 rounds a minute up to five miles away. The drink was created in 1915 in Paris by the great Harry MacElhone. The drink was said to have such a kick it felt like you'd been hit by a shell from the cannon. Some people equate this to a scaled Tom Collins with the soda substituted for sparkling wine, typically champagne. I find that is a pretty apt description though these days many people use smaller proportions for the first three ingredients allowing the wine to shine through a bit more rather than the lemon and sugar. 

Mimosa
2 1/2 Orange Juice, 2 1/2 Sparkling Wine

Both ingredients should be kept chilled during storage. Simply mix equal parts orange juice and sparkling wine into a champagne flute and serve. Garnish with an optional quarter slice of orange or a strawberry. 

This has become the quintessential brunch drink. Sparkling wine and citrus play very nicely together. orange juice has simply been jazzed up a bit. do be sure not to use a very pulpy orange juice as that can create a very off texture for your guests. This drink is naturally not too strong; it's effectively a half glass of wine. Some people stiffen it up a bit by adding a half show of Cointreau which doesn't dramatically change the flavor but certainly adds a bit more kick. A more common variation is known as the Grand Mimosa. This is a mimosa with a half ounce of Grand Marnier floated on top. The orange flavors go well together, and the french made cognac in the Grand Marnier pairs with a french made sparkling wine, namely Champagne. 

Aperol  Spritz
3 oz. Prosecco, 1 oz. Soda, 1 oz. Aperol

Fill a white wine glass about 3/4 full with ice. Add the ingredients and throw in a slice or two of orange for good measure. 

This is a fun little number and an amazing summertime drink. It's similar to a sparkling sangria with a light bitter note. This is actually one of the only standard recipes I know that uses ice in a wine glass or with wine at all for that matter. This drink can be made with many other liqueurs in place of Aperol, such as St Germain, Hum, Midori, or even an amaretto. I find that Aperol has a light enough flavor to not dominate the drink and let the wine shine just enough. It also has a beautiful color and the orange note just makes it so much more summer.

Special mention to: Kir Royale, Bellini, Death in the Afternoon

Photo Credit: Pikrepo, Wikimedia, pixabay

Glassware: Wine Glasses

This is my first installment in a series I'll be doing on different glassware and their functionality. Not only do different glasses naturally have their unique visual appeal but it's important that people know why these glasses have their shape so when people start creating their own drinks and cocktails they know the best vessel to keep the integrity of the drink intact or at least can understand how the drink might change due to the nature of the glass. 

White wine glasses are the staple that you will find in most restaurants and homes. These are the icons. They are the most common, arguably the most versatile, and best known. These glasses have a slight bowl shape but are generally more straight than a red wine glass. White wine glasses are generally more about the visual appeal of the wine rather than, say, aroma. The slightly straighter walls also seem to help with the wine's "legs" or "tears". When a wine is swirled around a glass some of it clings to the walls of the glass even after the majority of the liquid has settled. The liquid bunches up like beads of sweat and drips down. With practice, by observing these lines you can get an impression of the alcohol and sugar content of the wine before it even touches your lips. 

A red wine glass has a wider body more for the way that it is exposed to the air. The large bowl shape resembles that of a brandy snifter. This allows the wine to breathe or oxidize. You've probably seen wine decanters with an incredibly wide base. The air actually changes the flavor of the wine. If you've ever done a wine tasting or dealt with a wine enthusiast you've probably tasted a glass or wine and then been made to wait a half hour while it breathes and note the differences. Another note about the shape of red wine glasses is the sharp beveling in at the rim of the glass. This is to trap the aroma. an open or flared lip would allow all the aroma to escape out, which can be helpful with stronger alcohols. the inward bowl makes it much easier to smell the wine. White wine being chilled places much less emphasis on aroma.

The champagne coupe has a very long history and these days the style of glass is used for a number of cocktails, often in place of a martini glass. There's a very humorous story of the original shape of the coupe being modeled after Marie Antoinette's breast. This was disproved by some researcher with a bit too much time who estimated that Marie was a large C cup, and a coupe is not a large C. Some said it was Madame de Pompadour. The glass most likely originated in the mid 17th century a century before these women were born, though they were avid champagne drinkers. Aristocracy and royalty were obsessed with champagne; it's fabulous for parties. The glass is ideal for stacking so one can make a champagne tower. 

The champagne flute is very traditional for when you are sipping champagne. The wider bodied coupe was sort of designed to cause the champagne to go flat. Bubbles form on the bottom of a glass. The wider the glass the more bubbles are released. Champagne in a coupe will go flat faster than it would in a flute. Coupes were partly popular at parties because they reduced the amount of belching from the carbonation. These days flutes have really become the norm due to the most consistent nature of the drink as you drink it and the beautiful visual effect of bubbles rising through the tall glass. 

Stemless wine glasses have been on the rise over the last few years. Stems are ideal for keeping wine at the desired temperature. Aside from most red wines, Wine is served chilled and should stay chilled as long as possible. If you're wrapping your warm, meaty hands around the bowl of the glass it's going to heat up a lot more than if you hold it by the stem. It really is a fashion choice, however. The correct way to drink is in whatever way makes you happiest.

"Whenever I get a bottle of wine, I open it up and let it breathe. If it's not breathing I give it mouth to mouth."

Photo Credit: Pxfuel

Vodka 401: Evolution of a Cocktail: The Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan has a crazy history building up to the drink we know today.

The Cape Codder could be called a jumping off point for the Cosmopolitan. The Cape Codder was just a highball with vodka and cranberry with a lime wedge. It was made in 1945 as a promotion for Ocean Spray cranberry juice. The elements are clearly there for a Cosmo to come about, but the style still had a way to go.

The Harpoon seems to be the successor of the Cape Codder and a precursor to the Cosmopolitan. Some served it as a highball but for many it was 1 1/2 oz. Russian Vodka, 2 oz. Cranberry Juice, 1/4 oz. Lime Juice, and was shaken and served in a cocktail glass. The Harpoon was one of the first serious American vodka cocktails. Vodka really didn't start coming over to the States until the forties, after The Second World War. The Harpoon was first made in the 60's. You can see by the recipe, it's 3 out of 4 of the ingredients of a staple Cosmo. It's certainly a lot tarter and less sweet. But the style is there. The drink is shaken with the fresh lime juice so it has that presentation. the slightly opaque pink hue in a sexy glass. And that's really what the Cosmopolitan really is, it's an icon.

The Kamikaze is another drink that's sort of three-quarters the way to the modern Cosmo. It's vodka, triple sec, and lime. Throw in a little cranberry and there you have it. The Kamikaze has been served all sorts of ways, up, on the rocks, and namely as a shot these days. Neal Murray is one of many to claim to have invented the Cosmopolitan. He reportedly added some cranberry to a Kamikaze and one of his customers remarked, "How Cosmopolitan." This was back in '75. 

The exact origins of the cosmopolitan, as we know it, are a bit up to speculation. A drink named the cosmopolitan did exist in the 1930's, but it used gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, and raspberry syrup. The base Cosmo as we know it probably came around in the mid to late 70's. There are numerous claims as to who first made it up. Toby Cecchini might have made up the current recipe at the Odeon in '88. The cosmopolitan with flavored vodka came about when Absolut was testing out Citron in Miami and a bartender by the name of Cheryl Cook in the mid-80's. Another story of its origin comes from Miami, this one from 1989 again as a plug for Absolut. There are also numerous murmurs of it being created in the 70's by the gay community in Provincetown Massachusetts, coincidentally where I used to vacation every summer, and probably spread to San Francisco or vice versa. Reportedly, however, the Cosmo of the gay bars was a ghastly drink with well vodka and Rose's lime and grenadine. In its later iterations, it began using fresh juice and more premium ingredients. 

I pay much respect to Dale Degroff, aka King Cocktail, for breathing new life into this classic cocktail, though he was certainly not its true inventor. He was the owner of Rainbow Room in New York atop Rockefeller Center. His recipe is 1 1/2 oz Citrus Vodka (Ketel One Citroen or Absolut Citron), 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1 oz cranberry juice, 1/4 oz fresh lime juice. I like the use of fresh lime juice rather than Rose's. This makes the drink a gorgeous opaque pink. If you think of a Cosmo as a sweet transparent red drink, you've not had a fresh one. The true flair he added was the garnish, a flamed orange peel. That sharp burst of fire drew quite a crowd. Even Madonna was photographed drinking it which spread the word of the drink around the world and probably led to it being featured on Sex and the City where is got a second burst of popularity. 

Miranda Hobbes: [at a bar, drinking Cosmopolitans] "Why did we ever stop drinking these?"

Carrie Bradshaw: "Because everyone else started!"

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Beginner's Flight: Rum

This is going to be a series of posts about how to start sampling different types of spirits if you are a beginner drinker. What's the difference between bourbon, scotch, and Irish whiskey? How is London dry gin different from American or Indian made gin? The best way to figure out what you like is to go out and try things. With so many options out there I thought it would be nice to give newbies a jumping-off point into their world of spirits. I'm trying to find bottles that are available at nearly every liquor store or can. Today, I'm talking about rum.

1. Barbancourt White Rhum. 

This is a fun little rum Agricole. This one is Haitian made. It has some funky notes to it. Agricole rums are generally a bit more earthy and grassy. It has a regional price point at about $20 per bottle. There are plenty of light rums out there, but they really don't feel very earthy. They feel very mechanically made. Agricole rums are made from freshly pressed sugarcane rather than molasses, which is a bit more caramel-like in flavor. This is what a fresh rum will taste like. There is certainly still a sweet side to it, but it is matched by these other earthy flavors. Aged rums will have a whole different character.

2. Appleton Estate V/X. 

Jamaican made, Appleton possesses a rich, aromatic body. Appleton has been in business since 1749, 265 years. It is the second oldest rum producer in the world. This is actually a blend of 15 different rums, aged at least 5 years in old Jack Daniels Barrels. When you blend 15 different rums you're bound to find something you'll like about it. It has some light fruity notes. There is a bit of alcohol burn, but nowhere near the worst, you will taste with rum. This is quite a well-rounded introduction into the world of rum. Figure out what aspects you like in this rum and then try some more rums that have a bit more of a focus on those aspects.

3. Captain Morgan Private Stock. 

I was seriously torn about putting a spiced rum on the list, but this is one of few rums I could actually sip straight without the need for a cocktail. This is actually a sipping rum. I did decide that regular Captain Morgan wasn't really worth a detailed explanation. The company has hardly been around for 70 years, but they command an amazing amount of the market. Regular Captain Morgan is aged up to a year. Private Stock is aged at least two years. The most distinctive bit I note about the private stock is the smooth ridiculously vanilla-flavored finish.

4. Gosling's Black Seal. 

This is a really dark rich rum. It comes from Bermuda. Gosling's is blended and aged three years in old bourbon barrels. It tastes like burnt sugar and caramel, notes of vanilla, a lot like bourbons. But Black Seal is much sweeter; some notes of butterscotch shine through. Gosling's also makes several other products, namely there non-alcoholic ginger beer. A dark and stormy is actually the only copyrighted drink recipe name. Gosling's Black Seal and Gosling's Ginger Beer with lime over ice make up a protected entity. No other recipe can use that name. 

Special mentions to: Bacardi, Pyrat, Kraken

Rum, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.
- Ambrose Bierce

Photo Credit: Pikrepo, wikimedia

Gin 401: Dissecting the Gin and Tonic

I once read that some Japanese bartenders and bar enthusiasts regard the gin and tonic as the face of the bar. Some students of mine may remember a few stories I told featured in this manga: Bartender. The story I'm referring to, however, takes a slightly less melodramatic approach than the first chapter. This chapter explains how every little detail of a Gin and Tonic affects how it ends up.

Ice:

• What is the water source? Is it filtered or purified?
• Is it machine made or natural?
• How clear or cloudy is the ice?
• What is the size of the chunks?
• What shape are they?
• How many pieces do you use?

Ratio:

• Do you keep it 2:1 or go a bit stronger or weaker?

Gin:

• What brand do you use?
• How much do you use?

Tonic:

• Do you use a syrup or go prepackaged? 
• What brand do you use?
• How much do you use?

Mixing:

• Do you just build it in the glass?
• Do you stir the cocktail?

Garnish:

• What garnish do you use?
• How do you cut it?
• Do you extract any juice or flavor from it?
• If so, do you add another bit for presentation

Most places, of course, use machine-made ice and it's typically not the largest size. Typically the glass is filled. The Gin, more often than not is whatever the customer requests or whatever is in the well. The tonic is often dispensed by the gun, Schweppes is the most common brand. Most bartenders don't mix it and just slide a lime wedge on the side, maybe a sip stick as well.

Try this drink with harder ice.
Try different gins. Bombay Sapphire East has a nice peppery note. Bluecoat is more citrusy
Schweppes is quite sweet. Try something citrusy or herbal like Fever Tree or Fentimans
See if your guests stir their G&T's. Some like keeping things separate.
Try squeezing in your juice or use the skin oils on the rim, or use some cucumber or lemon grass

For my new guests, I make my G&T's like this:

A tall thin highball glass is filled with hard, large, cubed ice

Add 1 part Tanqueray gin and then carefully float 2 parts Fentimans tonic water on top

Place a lime wedge (1/6 lime) on the rim of the glass and slide in two sip sticks

This is for a number of reasons. Hard ice melts much slower than cubed ice so the drink waters down slower. The guest can wait for there to be more water if they want. Tanqueray is a very popular gin but remains quite well rounded, not very citrusy or herbal. Fentimans is a nice herbal change of pace not everyone is used to. This is where I sort of make my mark. A guest will usually note something fairly unique about this and either smile curiously or require something sweeter or more acidic. I layer it so the guest has the choice of how to drink it. Some guests prefer sipping the gin straight through the straw and sipping the chaser from the rim. The thin glass helps keep the fluids separate as well. The lime I offer, and if the guest discards it I know not to offer it again. If they drop it in or squeeze it in I learn more about their tastes, that they like some acidity.

For myself, I usually make my G&T's like this:

A large rocks glass with a clear massive king cube that I crack with a bar spoon, maybe two. 

Add 1 1/2oz Bombay Sapphire East and then float 2oz Fever Tree Indian Tonic

Squeeze a lime wedge in, discard it, and put another one on the rim, take a sip stick and stir

I know I like my Gin and Tonics mixed. My choice of product has a nice Indian spice to it, in the gin and the tonic water. The cracked ice gets it cold quickly enough but will melt more to my liking at the end of the drink. I like to linger with my drinks and I like some variety in a drink. It starts with a nice spice and a dash of citrus and slowly gets easier to sip as I stir and the ice melts. If I want I can take the lime and zazz up the drink if it gets dull at all. 

"I exercise extreme self-control. I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast." 

-W. C. Fields

Photo Credit: wikimedia

Rum 302: Let's try some Tiki Cocktails!

Rum is one of the most playful spirits there is. There are some amazing aged rums that are great on their own or even can be used in similar pairings to whiskeys. Most people see rum as very sweet, which it is. It is constantly paired with fresh fruit juices and syrups to create stunningly beautiful concoctions. These are a few classic tiki drinks that are a pretty good jumping-off point into the world of complicated rum heavy cocktails.

Hurricane
Light and Dark Rum, Passion Fruit Juice, OJ, Lime, Simple Syrup, Grenadine

Squeeze juice from half a lime into a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour 2oz of light rum, dark rum, and passion fruit juice, 1 oz of orange juice, and a splash of simple syrup and grenadine into a large mixing tin with ice. Shake well. Strain into a hurricane glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange.

The Hurricane came about in 1939 at the New Orleans World Fair. It was named after the style of the glass it was served in, which was actually modeled after a style of lamp. The story is that Pat O'Brien, the creator of the drink, started creating incredibly rum heavy drinks to get rid of the rum stock the aggressive rum distributors coerced him to buy. Again many bartenders just wing this drink, throwing in other fruit schnapps or pineapple juice instead of using passion fruit juice. Good old New Orleans. When life gives you rum, have a party. 

Bahama Mama
Light Rum, Malibu, Banana Liqueur, Grenadine. OJ, Pineapple Juice

Add a 1/2 oz of light rum, coconut rum, banana liqueur, and grenadine to a mixing glass. Add equal parts of orange juice and pineapple juice to fill. Add a mixing tin and shake. Strain into a decorative glass with fresh ice.

The Bahama Mama is actually a pretty popular cocktail despite it having no clear history or origin. It started to gain popularity on the beaches of The Bahamas, but there is no credited creator. Because of this, it is hard to find an agreed-upon recipe. Some variations call for lemon juice, cherry liqueur, or even coffee liqueur. 

Pina Colada
Light Rum, Pineapple Juice, cream of coconut,

 Pour 2oz of light rum, 2oz pineapple juice, and 1 1/2oz cream of coconut into a large mixing tin with ice. Shake well and strain into a poco grande glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

This drink was created by Ramon Perez at the Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Pina Colada probably actually originated as a frozen drink. Feel free to try this drink blended with a bit of cream or ice cream for texture. I simply don't want to see you trying to make a blended concoction with a pre-bottled mix.  The scale of this drink will naturally need to be adjusted depending on what glass you use or if you try it blended. There is actually a variation of the Pina Colada, the Kappa Colada, which uses brandy instead of rum. 

Mai Tai
2oz Jamaican rum, 1oz lime juice, 1/2oz orange curaçao, 1/2oz orgeat

In a shaker, add all the ingredients with some hard ice and give it a light shake, don't water it down too much. Strain into a rocks glass with shredded or crushed ice. Garnish with some mint.

This drink was either created by Trader Vic's or Don the Beachcomber. They were the two original rival tiki bars in California. The name translates from the Tahitian word for good. Most Mai Tais these days are shaken with crazy amounts of fruit juices, but the original was actually built over crushed ice to keep the flavor soft. Many people will opt to do a rum float on top of this as well. This is one of the pure original tiki cocktails, it's pretty stiff and not really that fruity, so do be careful

Special mention to: Zombie, Scorpion Bowl, Planters Punch, 151 Swizzle

Photo Credit: wikimedia

Rum 101: What's the difference?

There is an amazing spectrum of rum out there today. From aged to spiced to flavored to over-proof and regional rums like Cachaça, it's hard to know what will best suit your cocktail creations.

There are a number of variables to keep in mind when choosing a rum. The main one I would argue is the age. Much like tequila, rum can be totally unaged or can be aged in barrels. Some rums are aged up to fifty years. The staple rum in America, Bacardi Superior is unaged, but even they have a whole line of aged rums. Aged rums tend to develop a slight caramel and vanilla flavor, like many whiskeys but tend not to have a smokey or burning finish. Many people actually enjoy sipping aged rums straight as well as in fine cocktails. 

Flavored rums have been gaining incredible popularity. The flavored rum that everyone is probably most familiar with is Captain Morgan. Captain Morgan is slightly aged, up to a year, and then is flavored with a secret blend of Caribbean spices. There are a number of other flavored rums as well. most of which done with a simple infusion process by soaking fruits and spices in the rum to impart their flavor into the spirit. Some flavored rums like Malibu are made by blending a light rum with a flavored liqueur. Sometimes this does lead the rum to become a liqueur depending on the final sugar content. Kahlua, for instance, uses a rum base. 

Different regions, of course, produce their own styles of rums as well. Rums are made everywhere, from Asia to Australia to Africa. The majority of rum is made in the Caribbean and Central America. Cachaça, Brazilian rum, is actually the national spirit of Brazil. It is made from the juice of the sugar cane and is typically unaged. Some rums use molasses while others use fresh sugar cane juice or syrup of the sugar cane. Each style and technique bringing a very different style of sweetness to the rum. 

Whatever style of rum you like best I encourage you to experiment and expand your palette. When I started drinking rum I was like most people, drinking a simple rum and coke, either with Bacardi or Captain Morgan. Then one day I had a Dark and Stormy. I immediately asked what rum they used as it wasn't very sweet or spicy. It was mature. These days I will sip on a glass of Appleton or Pyrat either neat or with ice. That said if someone wants to drink a Malibu Bay Breeze made extra sweet I will smile and make it, as it's exactly what they want at that moment in their life. 

"Is the glass half full or half empty? It depends on whether you're pouring or drinking."

Photo Credit: Px Fuel, wikimedia