Salted Rims and Frosted Mugs: The Dramatic Conclusion to Martini Madness

The Madness took place this past weekend in the country of Texas, and it was glorious. Every cocktail was mixed, there was a diverse enough group for educated opinions, and everyone was open minded about trying fancy, old fashioned cocktails that they had previously never had the privilege of sampling. Did it get a little sloppy? Yes. Did I take notes? Absolutely not. We did adjust recipes on the fly (mostly for the better), which I noted. Before I recap, a few notes:

1. I liked every cocktail. This was not surprising, as I had a say in all 8 drinks chosen and created one of them. Drinkability was the goal, so the adjustments were not necessarily what I would have done if making a drink for myself.
2. Nobody remembers The Casino.
3. Two Royal Rumbles were streamed in what I assume was their entirety during the drinking.
4. At some point, one of my best friends and I decided we wanted to listen to the entire Sunburn Album by Fuel.
5. We ended up watching very little basketball this time around, though it WAS on a TV.
6. Not one glass was broken, and there were only minor spills.
7. The order was fairly arbitrary, as I decided where to start then we just tried to mix up the type of drinks to get some good palate contrast.
8. Every drink was served up.
9. Drinks were graded on a scale of 1 – 10, then averaged to complete the bracket. The final was poll style.
10. I estimate that the drinks average out to 7 drinks per recipe. 12 different drinkers sampled at least one. 5 people had at least one of every cocktail. Taking this into consideration, we started with 5 bottles of booze and only 2 half bottles were remaining.

The gins were Tanqueray 10, Hayman’s Old Tom and Waterloo Texas style, because GUNS. Whiskeys were Rittenhouse high rye bourbon and Slow & Low straight rye whiskey.

Mix-up #1 – (4)Lucien Gaudin vs (5)Pegu Club

Pegu Club recipe – 1.75 oz Tanqueray 10, 0.5 oz Cointreau, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 3-4 dashes Angostura, 1-2 dashes orange bitters, shaken vigorously, lime slice garnish

This was the point where the newcomers realized how bad this could get. To their credit, I sampled one of the first mixtures, and the gin was strong. The Tanqueray 10 was throwing down. I added another 0.25 oz Cointreau for the second mix, and we were all in agreement that it was better and indeed a fine cocktail. Knocking back the lime juice off the initial recipe was a good thing as the citrus notes were about perfect. However, it increased the gin enough to make it too boozy. Change the Cointreau to 0.75 oz for individual cocktails, and you will be just fine.

Lucien Gaudin – 1.5 oz Tanqueray 10, 0.75 oz Campari, 0.75 oz Cointreau, 0.75 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth, stirred, orange zest garnish

This was the point when I realized the Campari was not going to be received as well as I hoped. It was an excellent drink, but the participants had a hard time getting over the bitter. It did grow on a few though as it rallied the last half of the drink to at least make us do the math.

Pegu advances.

Mix-up #2 – (3)Brooklyn vs (6)The Human Blender

Brooklyn – 2 Rittenhouse high rye bourbon, 1 Dolin Dry Vermouth, 0.25 oz Maraschino Liqueur, 1-2 dashes orange bitters, stirred, no garnish

It was time for whiskey to make its premiere, while all were still fairly lucid. This was a gorgeous drink, with the hues from the bitters and whiskey levitating delicately in the cocktail. And that was before we tried it. It was easily the best received cocktail of the night, though partially to the order in which the drinks were made. The Rittenhouse was fabulous in this mixture, and the drink warmed very, very nicely. No modifications necessary here.

The Human Blender (previously The Jugle) – 2 oz Old Tom gin, 1 oz sweet vermouth, ½ oz Campari, 4-6 dashes orange bitters

I’ve experimented with this drink quite a bit, and I think I perfected it. However, I like Campari, and I was using St. George’s Dry Rye gin.  These were two factors I did not consider when adding it to the competition. It did miss the absinthe rinse, but I don’t think that would have pushed it past The Brooklyn.

Brooklyn moves on easily.

Mix-up #3 – (1) Martinez vs (8) Casino

This was where the contest went south, and intellectual discussions about the cocktails came to a halt (at least for me). A better way to explain it? 2 bottles of liquor were drained this round: the Hayman’s and Tanqueray 10.

Martinez – 1.5 oz Old Tom gin, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 1 tsp Maraschino, 1-2 dashes orange bitters, stirred.

Casino – 2 oz gin, tsp fresh lemon juice, tsp Maraschino, 2 dashes orange bitters, cherry garnish

Nobody could tell me anything about the Casino, but I do remember The Martinez went over quite well and is a proven champion. Good enough for me.

Martinez advances.

Mix-up #4 – (2) Gibson vs (7) Al Capone

Gibson – 3 oz Waterloo gin, 1.5 oz Noilly Prat Original dry, tsp onion brine, stirred, cocktail onion

The Gibson is both my favorite martini and savory cocktail overall. However, we hadn’t really had anything savory up to this point, and the Gibson was cocktail #8 on the day. Another factor was the strength of the onion brine. I have been making my own for a while now, but this was store bought and had a lot more kick than anything I make.  I thought the drink was delicious, but several found the onion taste entirely too strong. We cut it for a second mix, and everyone found it nice. The Waterloo had a ton going on though, so it probably was not the best gin to use for a solid Gibson.

Al Capone – 2 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 0.25 oz Campari, shaken, orange zest garnish

I was so pumped up for the Al Capone I didn’t let myself experiment with the recipe in the weeks before the dance. The thought of a Negroni with rye was enticing enough that I wanted the virgin experience. I’m not sure what whiskey was used (The bottle of Redemption was housed for this one), but I loved the drink. It ran into the same Campari issue, which thinking about now I probably should have adjusted. If the Campari is halved and replaced with a 3-4 dashes of orange bitters, the drink has the same effect without the Campari’s personality sticking out too much. Too late at this point, but luckily for Al, the Gibson shot 23% from the field on this particular day.

Al Capone moves on.

Based on scores, Brooklyn and Martinez moved to the final. This was it, Gonzaga vs Kentucky, perennial underdog against the all but crowned champ…

Based on 9 votes, the underdog Brooklyn took it, 6-3.

All things considered, it was the best Martini Madness to date. Respond in the comments with your favorites or any suggestions for 2016.

Cheers.

Salted Rims and Frosted Mugs: Marie Brizard Apry

I have spent countless hours examining cocktail recipes. I relish Sunday mornings where I can look through recipes and experiment with new ingredients and spirits. However, there’s one that I could not find anywhere locally but is called for specifically in multiple recipes: Apricot Brandy. And not just any apricot brandy, but the French-made Marie Brizard Apry. I experimented with cheaper versions of the liqueur, but the stuff I bought always turned my cocktails way too sweet, sometimes undrinkable. I moved onto other recipes, thinking I would run into the true apricot brandy eventually.

It never happened, so a week ago I did something I previously had never done. I purchased alcohol online. It was one of the greatest days of my life. I have managed to not spend my life savings thus far, but there are no guarantees.

I am going to make 4 cocktails that call for Apry. The Slope, Barnum (was right), Golden Dawn, and the Pendennis.

First up, Barnum. The recipe: 2 oz gin, 1 oz Apry, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, and 2 dashes angostura bitters. Shake and strain. The type of gin wasn’t specified, and I chose Plymouth.

The drink is still sweet, but in the best possible way. Sweetness comes first, but the gin is still there and the taste is sharp, not muddled in the least. For some reason I typically find drinks with lime or lemon juice too tart. I can only attribute it to my Midwestern palate. However, I used the prescribed amount of fresh juice in this one, and it works beautifully. I do not prefer sweet cocktails, but I would definitely make this one again. It is most definitely an LPD, as it could quickly sneak up on you. Good thing college kids can’t afford to buy alcohol online. 8/10

Time for the Golden Dawn. Recipe calls for 0.75 oz Calvados, 0.75 oz dry gin, 0.75 oz Apry and 0.75 oz orange juice. I will be substituting Laird’s straight apple brandy because, America. Also, I’ll be using up the last of my Bulldog London Dry. Floating a miniscule amount of pomegranate grenadine makes the drink beautiful, but is not necessary.

After the first couple sips, I thought this drink tasted like a slightly worse version of the first one. However, as I got a little deeper into it I began to enjoy it more. The Laird’s balances out the sweet, but it does a better job than the lemon juice in the first drink. It also has a nice award at the bottom, much like an old fashioned where not all of the sugar was dissolved initially. 8.5/10

Batting in the 3 spot in this lineup is the Pendennis Cocktail. It is similar to the first, but substitutes Peychaud’s and lime juice. 2 oz gin, 1 oz Apry, 3 dashes Peychaud’s and 3/4 oz lime juice. Shake and strain. Once again, I will be using Plymouth as my gin.

Tart tart tart. Definitely too much lime juice for me. The drink did mellow as I got into it, but the lime juice still dominated the drink. I would not go any more than 1/2 oz lime juice if I were to make it again. Still, with all this being said, it was a good sipper, just not nearly as drinkable as the first two. Combine this with the possibility of playing with the lime juice, and I think this drink has potential. 7/10

Running anchor in this competition is The Slope. This is the only drink with rye, and it uses the Apry sparingly, so I am more than a little excited to sample this concoction. 0.25 oz Apry, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2 oz rye whiskey, 2 dashes Angostura. Stir this one, then strain. I’m using Martini & Rossi Torino and Jim Beam Rye.

Sweet Jesus, this is a drink. Wow. I would describe it as a Manhattan on the Mark McGuire regimen of vitamins. It’s as if they’ve taken a Manhattan and added 5 layers of complexity to it. It really is amazing how the flavors come through like an assembly line. It almost gives a nutty aftertaste, which is something I would have never suspected from a drink with these ingredients. Amazing drink, and I do believe I’ll be adding a splash of Marie Brizard Apry to my Manhattans whenever I can from now on. Two issues with the drink though… the first is my own doing, as I used Jim Beam Rye. I do believe this drink would greatly benefit from a more mellow rye (Rittenhouse was suggested). I would also prefer this drink with a couple large ice cubes, to keep it nice and cold without watering it down too fast. 9.5/10

The drink with the rye was my favorite, but the first two were also delicious. They would come in especially handy if you have a friend that claims to not enjoy gin. Make him or her one of these, and I do believe you will change some minds. Marie Brizard is a liqueur with a permanent place in my bar, right alongside Campari.

Craft Cocktails by Brian Van Flandern was used for “The Slope”.

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haleigh were used for the other three cocktails.

Please note your favorite uses of Marie Brizard Apry or discuss the ones I listed above.

Salted Rims and Frosted Mugs: Best Gin for a Gibson?

I discovered the Gibson last year during an annual tradition called Martini Madness. It amazed me. I do not like dirty martinis or olives in my martinis, so I didn’t expect to enjoy the Gibson, but the onion brine was much friendlier to my palate those first two libations. Since then, I have pickled my own onions, experimented with gins and vermouths and toyed with proportions. I never documented any of it, but today I am sharing a Gibson experiment with my dedicated readers.

The experiment is simple. 3 different types of gin, one recipe, myself and a blind taster.

First, the gins: Plymouth, Hendrick’s and Bulldog London dry.

Next, the recipe. 2 to 1 Gin to Noilly Prat Original French Dry, 2 teaspoons brine, shaken gently with ice and garnished with a cocktail onion.

First up was the Hendrick’s. The Scottish gin is my favorite gin in a Negroni (though I reduce the Campari), so I had fairly high hopes. First impression is a good warm alcohol burn. It’s a crisp drink, with some cucumber notes coming through. The finish is slightly muddled, but still smooth. It did not warm up well, so I would advise one drink this one quickly. (It wasn’t a problem for these professional drinkers.)

I decided to go with the Bulldog next. First thoughts after a sip: much less burn, and not in a good way. This drink is much more floral than the first. It also seemed to taste worse more quickly… about halfway through the drink. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad drink, and I wouldn’t be upset if I received it at a nice cocktail bar, but it lacked personality. If I made it again I would go 3-1 on the gin, but as constructed it simply wasn’t memorable.

Last up was the Plymouth. This is a gin I have never tried in a Gibson, so I was quite excited to mix this one up. The drink was not nearly as floral as the London Dry. A very savory taste, but not too salty. It had the same warm burn as the Hendrick’s though the finish was much more precise. Of the three, this was the one that we could really taste the personality of the gin coming through. It also warmed up the best, though it was my third martini in about an hour… Our testing was done, and it was time to compare notes.

A quick background on the blind taster. She is not a lover of martinis and typically prefers sweeter cocktails. She would probably choose vodka for a martini if asked her preference. That’s a choice she was not given for this trial.

Her ratings matched up with mine as far as the preferred order. Plymouth, Hendrick’s then the Bulldog, though she thought the Hendrick’s and Plymouth were closer in taste than I did. She would not ask for the Bulldog one again, but had no problems with the other two and was fairly surprised she enjoyed them as much as she did. The bottom line: if at a bar that makes a killer Gibson, do not be afraid to try a gin outside of the traditional London Dry. However, if you spot Plymouth hiding behind the bar, these amateur mixologists recommend starting with that one.

Let me know how you like your Gibson in the comments!

Salted Rims and Frosted Mugs

I purchased my first bottle of Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur this weekend and played around with a few cocktail recipes from my favorite (and only) cocktail book.  My girlfriend was all too happy to help me sample and sort through all the flavors. The East India Cocktail took home the gold once the dust had cleared and the vomit had been cleaned up.

Kidding, there was no vomit.

I am usually dubious of any drink with the word cocktail in it. In my experience, the best libations do not have cocktail in the title. Manhattan, old-fashioned, Gibson mention nothing of liquor but need no type of introduction or explanation. However, this drink was an exception and one I would especially recommend if you’re testing out your mixology skills on one that prefers less complex mixtures. It does not carry the boozy taste of martinis or many whiskey concoctions (turns out, many people don’t appreciate the slow burn of that first sip of an old-fashioned like I do).

However, do not be fooled by the sweetness. This is a complex, layered drink, with the brandy hiding subtly behind the fruity and sweetness one gets at first taste. It’s not a pretty color after mixing, but dropping the cherry right in the mixture gives it a deep reddish hue. The cocktail had notes that went perfectly with the fall day that reminisced softly of summer early, but brought cool temperatures by late afternoon, a drink created to ease the transition from margaritas to manhattans. First version, directly out of the book::

3 oz brandy, ½ oz raspberry syrup, dash of Angostura, teaspoon Cointreau, teaspoon Luxardo ML

I used E&J VSOP. Simply shake and pour. Close to perfection. Close, though, not perfection… yet. The drink was a bit TOO sweet for me. It was also significantly better cold, and I lost a bit of interest as it warmed. This just caused me to drink faster, which was fine with me, but typically not the case with a perfect cocktail. I grabbed a second golf ball and took another swing:

3.5 oz brandy, generous teaspoon of raspberry syrup, 3 dashes of Angostura, teaspoon Cointreau, teaspoon Luxardo ML

There it is. This drink behaved much more nicely as it gained BTUs and is the one I’ll make the next time I need something sweet and smooth and familiar.

So, the next time you have a young lady you think is impressionable back at your one bedroom, don’t try to be classy by offering her a Woodford Reserve and coke. Break out the East India cocktail.

Trust me, she’ll stick around for what’s next.