I realized that among all of the cocktails I have blogged about, the Stinger was conspicuously absent. Strange, too, because the Stinger is in that great pantheon of classic cocktails and I love the classics. Well, no time like the present to make up for this obvious inequity…

The Stinger is what is referred to as a “Duo” cocktail, meaning that it is composed of only two ingredients, one of which is always white Crème de Menthe. The classic Stinger uses Brandy, or Cognac if you prefer (I prefer) as the primary spirit. Other notable Stingers include the Vodka Stinger, obviously replacing the Brandy with Vodka. I tried a Whiskey Stinger – best advice here is to leave it alone…

If you only have the usual green Crème de Menthe, than you can make yourself what is called a Green Hornet, which is actually slightly less green if you use Brandy as the primary spirit. Much greener with Vodka…

Stingers date back to pre-Prohibition days and were considered something of a night cap or “settler” after an evening’s carousing. According to Esquire magazine, they were also the preferred cocktail of returning fighter pilots from WWII. I suspect the tingle of peppermint provided the missing excitement of aerial combat.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Stinger:

3 oz. Brandy (I use VSOP Cognac)

1 oz. White Crème de Menthe

Combine the ingredients and shake vigorously with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry, if desired.

Cheers!

With the continued cold and snow in the Northeast, a lot more brown liquor is getting poured in our household. This is not a negative, just an observation and in an effort to cut through the effects of reduced vitamin D, I have taken to experimentation.

Many folks know of the famous Bellini cocktail, invented by the owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice somewhere between the end of Prohibition and the end of WWII (1933 – 1945). The drink was so named because Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry’s felt the color of the cocktail was reminiscent of the color of a saintly robe found in a 15^th century painting by Giovanni Bellini. The rest is history.

I like Bellini cocktails, but they are not a wintery libation. A recent exercise in tinkering with the Boulevardier, the Negroni and the Manhattan got me thinking. Could I adapt a cocktail that would use the essential ingredient of the Bellini, peach puree and the appropriate spirits of the season? Well, yes I could…

I started with a Bourbon-based Manhattan, but no matter how I adjusted the volumes of each component, the drink was too cloying for my liking. Branching into Negroni territory, I found that the mixture had an unpleasant contrast between the Campari and the peach puree, which echoed metallic overtones. The Boulevardier started me down the path of salvation, however.

Starting with Rye Whiskey as the base and then building from there was the key. Rye is inherently less sweet than Bourbon and subbing a more floral Sweet Vermouth in lieu of Campari created a nice back drop for the peach puree. I decided to use a pre-mixed peach puree (I know, I know, don’t say it…) – the Stonewall Kitchen Bellini Mixer. The mixer is perfect because it contains a little sugar and a little citrus to intensify the body. I then thought that it would be nice to add a touch more floral to the blend, so I went to St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur – nicely exotic. Lastly, to put an edge on the cocktail, I employed an equal mix of Angostura Bitters and Bittermen’s Hell Fire Habanero Bitters. The two played wonderfully off the tangy sweetness and lush floral qualities of the cocktail.

So, why Harry’s Revenge? Well, first, I thought it would be nice to pull in the history related to the bar that gave us the Bellini and, second, I wanted to honor a man who is the consummate gentleman and gave me some of my fondest memories during my early years at Harvard – Harry Hawkes. Harry is a unique individual who has left a lasting impression on my mind and, almost more importantly, Harry loves a good cocktail.

So, Harry, where ever you are and to my other friends, I present Harry’s Revenge:

2 oz. Rye Whiskey (I use George Dickle Green Label, 90 proof)

½ oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur

½ oz. Sweet Vermouth (I use Dolan)

½ oz. Peach Puree (I use Stonewall Kitchen Bellini Mixer)

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 dashed Bittermen’s Hell Fire Bitters

Combine the ingredients and shake vigorously with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Cheers!

Veritas, Latin for “truth,” this cocktail is similarly known as truth serum. Not sure why. The ingredients are not particularly spirituous, nor does the cocktail possess a “kicker” of sorts (like a Zombie, for instance). I assume that the connotation of truth serum arises from the pleasing balance of the drink – Light, refreshing with a crisp, tart finish. Another nice feature of the drink is the subtle berry-like sweetness added by the Crème de Cassis. Because the liqueur is floated on the cocktail, the flavor is detected in a light, whispering way, like a gentle lover’s coo. Visually the cocktail is one of the prettiest drinks, the contrast between the milky opaque body and the dark, crimson float looking like a lovely long stem rose nestled amongst a sea of white carnations. Not sure of the origins of the cocktail, but its construction seems like a classic, pre-prohibition libation…

Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Veritas:

¾ oz. Dry Gin

¾ oz. Cointreau

¾ oz. fresh lime juice

¼ oz. Creme de Cassis

Combine the first three ingredients and shake vigorously with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and float the Crème de Cassis on the cocktail. The classic garnish is a lemon peel, but I choose to use a Luxardo Maraschino cherry for greater visual impact.

Cheers!

The Suburban is a pre-Prohibition libation that was first served in the old Waldorf Astoria Hotel, now the site of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. A favorite cocktail writer, David Wondrich expounded on it recently and what caught my attention was his description: “This dark, rich and masculine pre-Prohibition classic…” How could I go wrong?

According to Wondrich, the cocktail is named, not for the hordes of commuters taking trains from Penn Station, but instead the drink was named for a horse race, the Suburban Handicap that was run every June at Sheepshead Bay. Today the race is run at Belmont and I’m sure they serve a few of these very manly cocktails at post time.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Suburban:

1 oz.      Ruby Port (I use Offley)

½ oz.    Aged Rum (I use Zacapa Solera 23)

1-½ oz. Rye Whiskey (I use Bulleit)

Garnish with a lemon peel

Combine and stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon peel.

Cheers!

I’m not sure if I like cocktails so much because of the way they taste, the way they make me feel, or simply because of their pithy names… This Prohibition favorite seems to address all three quite nicely. At first, I thought the mix of Grand Marnier and Sweet Vermouth was going to be too much sweetness, but surprisingly, the dash (albeit, a long dash…) of Lemon Juice makes for a well-balanced libation.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Ants in the Pants:

1 oz.      Gin (London Dry)

½ oz.    Sweet Vermouth (Martini & Rossi is fine)

½ oz.     Grand Marnier

1 Dash Lemon Juice (I used a long dash)

Garnish with a lemon peel

Combine and shake all ingredients with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon peel.

Cheers!

My friends know how much I love history. My friends also know how much I love a good cocktail. When I can put the two together it’s a match made in heaven.

One of my favorite magazines is Imbibe, a publication dedicated to “Liquid Culture.” In addition to spirits, beer, coffee, and wine, the editors/writers/contributors always manage to find the latest hot trend in “liquid,” or what I especially love, the most obscure spirit that has some strange historical significance.

This month it is Becherovka. I won’t repeat the article, but instead offer the Cliff Notes summary. Bercherovka is a liqueur from Bohemia, or what is now called the Czech Republic, made from a blend of botanicals macerated in alcohol, sweetened and lightened with the curative waters from the city where it’s made – Karlovy Vary. The full name is Becher’s Original Karlsbader English Bitter, shortened, mercifully to Becherovka. I urge you to read the full article!

What attracted me most, in addition to the weird obscurity of the spirit, is the wintry character of the cocktail recipes Imbibe presented. The one which caught my attention the most is Wakeman’s Air, the product of Rick Paulger at Michael Symon’s Roast in Detroit. I rolled one and was immediately smitten.

The cocktail is warm and inviting with a seductive mix of spicy complexity supplied by the Becherovka. Perfect for a wintry evening!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Wakeman’s Air:

1 ½ oz. Rye Whisky (I used Bulleit)

¾ oz.     Sweet Vermouth (I used Carpano Antico)

½ oz.     Becherovka

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish with a flamed orange peel

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. The original recipe calls for the mixture to be stirred with ice, I prefer to shake with crushed ice, then strain into a cocktail glass. To garnish, cut a quarter-sized disk from the peel of an orange, avoiding the pith. Carefully holding a lit match in one hand above and just to the side of the glass, quickly squeeze the orange disk so the oils from the peel spray through the flame and into the drink. Discard the peel.

Cheers!

So, after working diligently on a Japanese-themed Bloody Mary, I thought, how about a non-brunch companion…

Instinctively I stayed with Sake as the base spirit. After having tasted through several Sake, I decided the Ty-Ku Black Label Sake was the best choice. Only 15% alcohol, but with a nice, slightly sweet up tick and a perfect rice wine character, the Black Label proved to be the most seductive mixing partner. Thinking about a nice bittersweet element, I decided to utilize Japanese Plum Wine as a nice foil. Ginger is ever-present in Japanese cuisine, so I went to Canton Liqueur as a spicy, sweet accompaniment. To give the cocktail a romantic and even more exotic flair, I chose Rose Water as a nice flavoring element.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present another Paul Malagrifa original – The Geisha:

2 oz. Ty-Ku Black Label Sake

1 oz. Canton Ginger Liqueur

1 oz. Japanese Plum Wine

1 tsp. Minced Ginger

2 dashes Rose Water

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Enjoy!

I was out to brunch recently, scanning the cocktail menu, noticing that the Bloody Mary has started to become a drink category all unto itself… Well, at least there was a page worth of riffs on that ubiquitous brunch eye opener at the establishment at which I was dining. As I read the list, I noticed that among all the variations, the one that was missing was a Japanese-themed cocktail… Not to run from a good challenge, I decided to concoct an appropriate Japanese-themed version of the Bloody Mary.

I started by de-constructing my favorite Bloody Mary… Tomato juice as the primary mixer and Vodka as the primary spirit. Horseradish as a major spice element, with a kitchen cabinet’s worth of other odd items for interest, such as Worcestershire sauce and always Tabasco for heat.

I then started thinking about Japan and the iconic items that would need to be subbed into the drink. Clearly Vodka would be replaced with a nice dry, full-strength Sake. Tomato juice could remain, but in lieu of horseradish I thought about a derivative of the root – Wasabi. Ginger needs to be in the mix, as does a splash of soy sauce. Lastly, because the Wasabi heat is a dulled in solution, I thought cayenne might be nice to amp up the warmth.

Bench testing began and I found a number of interesting issues… Because Sake is at best 20% alcohol, the drink is generally a lower-octane cocktail, which needs to be accounted for in the overall mix. Another factor is that Sake varies widely from producer and style. I tested multiple versions and landed on the Ty-Ku Soju as my favorite in the mix. I found Wasabi powder, which you then convert to paste. Important – you want to work with an emulsified paste and NOT the powder. Creating the paste allows you to vary the concentration of the Wasabi, creating a mix that affords the right degree of Wasabi intensity. The straight powder does not perform well in the cocktail. Last point, if you are mincing your own ginger from fresh, make sure you mince very finely and discard any stray stringy fibers. You want the ginger to meld into the drink, not unlike horseradish.

After many substandard cocktails that lacked the appropriate eye-opening quality of the original, I finally landed on a recipe that delivered what I was looking for.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present a Paul Malagrifa original – The Bloody Samurai:

2 oz. Ty-Ku Sujo Sake

6 oz. Tomato or V8 Juice

½ tsp. Concentrated Wasabi Paste

1 tsp. Minced Ginger

1 tsp. Soy Sauce

2 dashes Celery Bitters

1 pinch Cayenne Pepper

Stir the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass until cold. Serve in a highball glass on the rocks, garnished with a stalk of celery and pickled ginger.

Enjoy!

Impressment, or colloquially, “the Press” (or sometimes called the “Press Gang”), refers to the act of taking men into a navy by force – with or without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, primarily during wartime, as a means of crewing British warships. The Royal Navy impressed many British merchant sailors, as well as sailors from many other nations, the nascent US included. People open to impressment were “eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 45 years”. Non-seamen were impressed as well, though very rarely.

Impressment was strongly criticized by those who believed it to be contrary to the British constitution; at the time, unlike many of its continental rivals, Britain did not conscript its subjects for any other military service, aside from a brief experiment with army impressment in 1778 to 1780. Though the public opposed conscription in general, impressment was repeatedly upheld by the courts, as it was deemed vital to the strength of the navy and, by extension, to the survival of the empire.

Impressment was essentially a Royal Navy practice, reflecting the size of the British fleet and its substantial manpower demands. While other European navies applied forced recruitment in time of war this was generally as an extension of the practice of formal conscription applied to most European armies from the Napoleonic Wars on. The U.S. Continental Navy also applied a form of impressment during the American War of Independence.

In actuality, it was the impressment of seamen from American ships that caused serious tensions between Britain and the United States in the years leading up to the War of 1812. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the practice of impressment ended and was never resumed it.

After a long day in the hot sun, I was given to thinking about how miserable it must have been, toiling under an Equatorial sun, swabbing the deck of a British Man O’War… Given that Grog was part of the ration (not being suspended until the early 1970’s), Rum was plentiful on board ship… What libation can we create to slake our thirst and pay homage to those poor souls, hijacked in a drunken stupor from their favorite tavern and put under the lash aboard a Royal Navy frigate? Well, why not an Impressment Cocktail!

Ladies and Gentlemen, here you are… One too many and you may find yourself a victim of impressment!

2oz. Spiced Rum

1oz. Sorel Artisanal Liqueur

1oz. Glayva

1/2oz. Lime Juice

5 dashes Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters

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

Enjoy!

I recently enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Russell House Tavern – great food, great drinks and even better company!

To begin the festivities, I ordered a signature cocktail from their drink menu – A Man About Town. The cocktail was of particular interest because it contained one of my favorite Amari – Montenegro, which has a soft, almost “toasted” citrus rind hint. The drink was well-crafted and certainly slaked my thirst, for a moment…

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present A Man About Town:

1-1/2 oz. Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse 100, preferred)

1 oz. Aperol

3/4 oz. Amaro Montenegro

1/2 oz. Dolin Dry Vermouth

1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Enjoy!