Koningsdag, or King’s Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is celebrated on April 27^th, which is the birthday of the presiding King, Willem-Alexander. Up until 2013, when Queen Beatrix abdicated and was succeeded by her son Willem-Alexander, the holiday was known as Koninginnedag, or Queen’s Day and was celebrated on April 30^th, the Queen’s birthday… You see how this works, right?

The holiday was initially observed on August 31, 1885 as Prinsessedag, or Princess’s Day, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, heir to the Dutch throne at the time. On her accession in November 1890 the holiday acquired the name Koninginnedag, and was first celebrated on August 31, 1891. In September 1948, Wilhelmina’s daughter Juliana ascended to the throne and the holiday was moved to Queen Juliana’s birthday, April 30^th. The holiday was celebrated on this date beginning in 1949.

Juliana’s daughter, Beatrix, retained the celebration on April 30^th after she ascended the throne in 1980, even though her birthday was January 31^st. All very confusing, really…

Queen Beatrix abdicated on Koninginnedag in 2013 probably as a result of not maintaining the holiday on her specific birthday, and her son, Willem-Alexander, ascended the throne (the first king since the observance of the national holiday). As a result, the holiday became known as Koningsdag beginning in 2014, and the celebration was moved to the King’s birthday, April 27^th.

Koningsdag is known for its nationwide vrijmarkt (“free market”), which is essentially a country-wide flea market. Quite scary, actually… The day is also an opportunity for “orange madness” or oranjegekte, a frenzied celebration of the Dutch national color. Orange is everywhere on April 27^th, and I mean everywhere…

In honor of this auspicious holiday, why not create a cocktail celebrating King’s Day?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, The King’s Cocktail, or De Konings Cocktail:

2oz. Gin

1oz. Grand Marnier

1/2oz. Campari

1/2oz. Lemon Juice

Shake the ingredients with crushed ice, vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Enjoy!

On this day in 1876, Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call…”Mr. Watson – Come here – I want to see you.” were the first words spoken on his newly patented invention… and the rest, they say, is history.

In honor of this auspicious occasion, we have the Bella Donna Daiquiri, a curious libation that is sure to start bells ringing…

1-1/2 ounces Gosling Black Seal Rum

1-1/2 ounces Amaretto

½ ounce Lemon Juice

½ ounce Cold Water

¼ ounce Simple Syrup

Shake well with crushed ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Rim the glass with grated cinnamon.

*Shamelessly borrowed from the book 365 Days of Cocktails, by Difford’s Guides

I struggle with Chartreuse, the French herbal liqueur, made by Carthusian monks at their monastery in the Chartreuse mountains near Grenoble. The monks have been making Chartreuse since 1737 according to a recipe given to them in 1605 by François Annibal d’Estrées. It is composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbs, plants and flowers, and has a strong, herbaceous quality, as well as a healthy percent alcohol. The challenge with Chartreuse is the 130 herbs, plants and flowers. Finding the correct mix of ingredients to blend and balance with the heady mix already present in Chartreuse is akin to the quest for the Holy Grail. I have yet to find a cocktail containing Chartreuse that I truly love. Mind you that doesn’t stop me from searching… remember, great rewards are given unto that brave knight who quests for the Grail!

Enter the Bijou cocktail, a mix of Gin, Vermouth, and Chartreuse. In French, the term “bijou” means “jewel.” The cocktail is said to have been invented by Harry Johnson, one of the forefathers of the classic cocktail and one of the earliest documenters of the craft in his 1900 tome: New and Improved Bartender Manual. Actually, the Bijou stands out as one of the oldest recipes in his book, itself dating to 1890.

The cocktail is presumably called Bijou because it combines the colors of three jewels: Gin for diamond, Vermouth for ruby, and Chartreuse for emerald. An original-style Bijou is made stirred with ice as noted by Harry, but I really prefer my cocktails shaken with crushed ice, so that is my preferred method.

On the palate the three components come together nicely to make for a refreshing and balanced cocktail. The herbaceous quality of the Chartreuse actually finds a nice foil in the sweet, figgy Vermouth, while the Gin lends a clean, refreshing bite on the aftertaste. Quite pleasant indeed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Bijou cocktail…

2 oz.  Gin

1 oz. Green Chartreuse

1 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to chill. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with an lemon twist (preferred).

Cheers!

I was feeling experimental a while back and decided to create something exotic. As I scanned the bar, an interesting, as yet unused ingredient jumped out at me – Cardamaro – and I started to postulate a theme. My friends all know of my Masonic affiliation, so I thought about a cocktail to honor my Brethren… In scrolling through the endless list of notable Brothers for whom my libation could be named, I came across the perfect dedicatee – Brother Rudyard Kipling!

Bro Rudyard Kipling was born December 30, 1865 in Bombay, India. He is generally considered one of England’s greatest writers and has left the world with an impressive library of notable works. During his life he achieved literary greatness and was richly rewarded for his contributions to the English language. Revisionist history or course has created some polarizing opinions about Bro Kipling, most notably that his writing glorified the imperialism that defined English history in the 19^th Century and should therefore not be celebrated, but instead denigrated. Not being a fan of revisionist history, I will move on…

Bro Kipling is believed to have become a Freemason in 1885, which would have been before he turned 21, then the minimum age for membership. Bro Kipling was initiated into Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782 in Lahore, India. He was extremely fond of Freemasonry, so much so that he commemorated its ideals in his famous poem, “The Mother Lodge”, and used the fraternity and its symbols as important plot devices in his novella, “The Man Who Would Be King.” The latter was made into a movie starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine, which has regular screenings in Lodges around the world.

In thinking about a theme for my cocktail I began to think about spirits. I knew that I wanted to use Cardamaro, an Italian wine-based amaro featuring cardoon and thistle as a component. Now, because Bro Kipling is intrinsically linked to India and because his Majesty’s forces supporting the Raj were fueled by Gin (unlike His Majesty’s navy, which was fueled by rum), a clean, London dry Gin would be my base spirit. Keeping with the idea of exotic and wanting to create an alluring aroma to the cocktail, I decided that Luxardo Maraschino liqueur would add a nutty, floral note to both the nose and palate of my potation. Last element required to balance this potion – lime juice. I tried lemon juice, but I liked the malic greenness of the lime over the astringency of the lemon.

Bench testing is hard work, and after several tries, we found the proper balance. My impressions? Refreshing with an exotic collection of flavors, building like a well-made curry, but without the heat. Although for a moment I almost tossed in a dash or two of Ancho Reyes, the pepper-infused liqueur from Chile, but thought better of it…

So, in honor of our Brother, Rudyard Kipling, I present a cocktail in his name…

2 oz. London Dry Gin

3/4 oz. Cardamaro

1/2 oz. Maraschino Liqueur

1/2 oz. Lime Juice

2 dashes Cardamom Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to chill. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with an orange twist (preferred), or a Maraschino cherry.

Cheers!

An old friend recently posted a picture of what looked to be a delicious cocktail on Facebook while celebrating in Las Vegas. Upon further inquiry, she divulged that this lovely potation was none other than The Jasmine Cocktail and she proclaimed it wonderful. Not immediately coming to mind, I did some research and found a reference to it in my favorite magazine, Imbibe. Their take is thus: This early 1990’s cocktail from bartender Paul Harrington helped usher in the similarly bright, bitter Negroni riffs that have flowed in recent years.

The recipe that follows is quite alluring…

1 1/2 oz. gin

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/4 oz. Campari

1/4 oz. Cointreau

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to chill. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

(Paul Harrington, Spokane, Washington)

Picture is swiped from my friend’s Facebook post…

Cheers!

Still on my orange juice kick, this seems like the perfect cocktail to try…

Pre-prohibition cocktails all have numerous attributions regarding their origins. The Bronx Cocktail, a very well-known pre-prohibition libation is no different. There were no fewer than six possible origins for the cocktail noted in various sources.

The citation that I feel carries the most credibility is one that appears in William “Cocktail” Boothby’s 1908 tome, The World’s Drinks and How to Mix them. Listed as “Bronx Cocktail, Boothby attributes Billy Malloy, Pittsburgh, PA with the original recipe: “one-third Plymouth gin, one-third French vermouth and one-third Italian vermouth, flavored with two dashes of Orange bitters, about a barspoon of orange juice and a squeeze of orange peel. Serve very cold.”

In looking in more contemporary references, one finds this adaptation, which I like the best:

1 oz. of Orange Juice

1/2 oz. of Sweet vermouth

1/2 oz. of Dry vermouth

2 oz. of Gin (London Dry)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with cracked ice. Stir and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Cheers!

The Bonnie Prince Charlie

Believe it or not, I do not keep orange juice around very often. I’m not entirely sure why, but I just don’t. As a result, when we end up with some in the fridge, I usually like to experiment – cocktail-wise. The last time this happened, I played with a few oldies but goodies – the Monkey Gland, Satan’s Whiskers and the Blood and Sand. All quite nice potations that have a Summery splash to them.

I felt like going off book tonight, so I thought about what might be fun. As I looked across the mess that is my bar, I saw it… Drambuie. The history of Drambuie purportedly goes back 267 years. According to the Drambuie website, the origins are thus:

The story of Drambuie begins over 267 years ago in July 1746. Prince Charles Edward Stuart (known also as Bonnie Prince Charlie) was on the run, after defeat at the Battle of Culloden had ended his hopes of restoring the Stuarts to the throne of Great Britain.

The Prince was pursued by the King’s men across the Highlands and Islands of Western Scotland, bravely aided by many Highland Clans. Among them was Clan MacKinnon whose chief, John MacKinnon, helped the Prince escape from The Isle of Skye. In thanks for his bravery the Prince gave John MacKinnon the secret recipe to his personal liqueur, a gift that the Clan were to treasure down the generations. An extraordinary elixir that would, many years later, become known to the world as Drambuie.

Brings a tear to one’s eye… At any rate, I thought about what might work and I decided to riff on the Blood and Sand. Instead of Cherry Heering, I substituted Drambuie. Toss in a dash of something earthy, like Angostura bitters and voila, we have The Bonnie Prince Charlie:

1 oz Scotch Whisky (I used Johnny Walker Red)

1 oz Fresh orange juice

.75 oz Drambuie

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: Luxardo Maraschino cherry

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish.

Cheers!

I love Jazz. The infinite improvisations on time tested melodies that provide inroads into the inner reaches of a musician’s soul. I can endlessly listen to fifty artists put their signature on a classic piece and never grow tired. So too is the art of the cocktail. While I wax poetic about the importance of the exactitude of the classic cocktail, I also revel in the endless riffs that are played on these important tomes.

My curiosity is always peeked by the mixing of strange bedfellows. Scotch Whisky-based cocktails are always challenging and I have done my best over the years to showcase the best of the lot. A while back, one of these classic gems was The Blood and Sand, a Scotch Whisky-based cocktail from the 1920’s that featured orange juice and Cherry Heering in a pleasing salute to Rudolph Valentino.

Imagine my pleasure when I stumbled upon a modern classic by Marco Dionysos, which is clearly a riff on the Blood & Sand – The Cunningham. Offering the perfect example of how mixologists refine a classic, the Cunningham takes the Blood & Sand and moves it to a more ephemeral plane. The addition of blood orange juice and Bénédictine brings an earthy, edgy feel to the cocktail. Truly refreshing, the Cunningham may become my new favorite transitional cocktail…

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Cunningham:

1.5 oz The Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky

.5 oz Fresh lemon juice

.5 oz Fresh blood orange juice

.25 oz Bénédictine

.25 oz Cherry Heering

Garnish: Brandied cherries and a flamed blood orange twist

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with brandied cherries and a flamed blood orange twist.

Cheers!

People who know me, understand me to be a purist. Nothing halfway about my pursuits. This posture brings about both joy, as well as disappointment. In the end you often realize that it’s the journey and not the destination that is important. Which is why I am constantly searching…

In a recent copy of Imbibe magazine I learned about a new line of pre-made cocktail mixers from an outfit called Bittermilk in Charleston, South Carolina. Like the author of the piece, I eschew most pre-made cocktail mixers, primarily because they are really bad and don’t make anything even close to the cocktail suggested on the bottle. I would rather pass on a cocktail, or struggle to find the right ingredients before using the usual dreck that constitutes pre-made cocktail mixers.

Imagine my joy when I read about Bittermilk and promptly ordered their three cocktail mixer compounds. According to the web site: “Bittermilk compounds are designed for the modern day cocktail enthusiast, to help mix up unique, quality cocktails following a simple ratio of Bittermilk to your choice of spirit. Each of our products use a bittering agent, a sweetener, and an acid to achieve a balanced cocktail. The labor is in the bottle.”

The three compounds currently available are:

No. 1 – Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned

No. 2 Tom Collins with Elderflower and Hops

No. 3 Smoked Honey Whiskey Sour

After sampling them with my favorite spirits, I can justly say they are amazing. The Whiskey Sour is about the best I have ever had, bright, refreshing with near perfect balance. The Old Fashioned is lush with a lovely, nuanced vanilla character. The Tom Collins is light and floral with a crisp, bright finish. The other nice aspect to these compounds is that you basically pick your spirit, mix with the recommended proportion of compound, shake/stir/strain and you’re done. Nothing could be easier, nor more pleasing. The labor really is in the bottle.

While I did not look for them locally, you can order them from the web site: www.bittermilk.com. They run $15 per compound, plus shipping – not inexpensive, but for the quality and the ease of use, they are certainly worth the price.

So, if you too are a purist at heart and want to find a credible pre-made cocktail mixer, the search is (partially) over – Bittermilk Cocktail Mixer Compounds…

Cheers!