Tommy's Old Fashioned

Recently, I bought myself a nice-looking decanter set, so of course I had to come up with a pre-mixed cocktail to fill it. Such concoctions, much like my now-standard mix-it-yourself party punch trick, are great for gatherings (or laziness) because they can be self-served, freeing up yourself as the host to mingle and partake yourself. This sort of thing is arguably even better because it can sit on the bar indefinitely and be simply poured to serve.

This one is named after my newborn son, because it's based on the three-part blend of spirits that I packed away in a flask for our stay in the hospital (because fold-out couches are horrifically uncomfortable and I needed some help getting to sleep after the first night). The liqueurs and bitters are bolt-on additions, but solid ones that I stand by.

The following will just about fill up a clean 750 mL bottle of your choice, because I'm assuming that you have such a bottle available. Dig an empty wine bottle out of the recycling and rinse it out if you don't. That will make for somewhere between 10 and 16 drinks depending on how liberally you pour them.

8 oz Cabin Still bourbon (another basic bourbon of your choice would be acceptable)

8 oz Laird's Straight Apple Brandy (no substitutions)

8 oz Mellow Corn (ditto)

1/2 oz maraschino (Luxardo, naturally)

1/2 oz Casoni 1814

1/2 oz cinnamon syrup

12 dashes Regan's No. 6 Orange bitters

12 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine in a decanter or empty bottle of your choice, stopper, and store on your bar indefinitely. To serve, pour over a large ice cube and stir to your desired dilution and temperature.

And yes: twenty-one years from now, I'll gladly serve him one of these, assuming that both I and the recipe survive to that day. At this point, that seems quite a long way off.

All In

Here's a drink named after its construction. This started when I couldn't decide between a Negroni and a Boulevardier, and things escalated from there. The genever is a beautiful midpoint between gin and whiskey, and while I was at it I decided to split the modifiers as well.  The result looks overly complicated but is tasty as hell, enough to warrant its own post (which is kind of an event these days!)

2 oz Bols barrel-aged genever
1/2 oz red vermouth
1/2 oz rainwater Madiera (a medium-dry sherry might work too)
1/2 oz Cappelletti Aperitivo
1/2 oz Cynar
4 dashes orange bitters (Regan's No. 6)
1 dash maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)

Stir and strain over a large cube. A bit of lemon or orange peel would make a nice garnish here, but as you can see I skipped it (having neither readily available). A fancy glass sufficed for me.

Hemingway Variations

I make no secret of my love for the Hemingway Daquiri, a variation on a classic that has become a well-known recipe all its own. Though everybody agrees that the drink was named after Ernest Hemingway, and that it was born at the El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba, the history is otherwise a bit muddled. What seems clear is that Hemingway's original drink was made with double the alcohol and far less sugar than a typical Daquiri, nowhere close to the version with grapefruit and maraschino that we've got today. I prefer using the name Papa Doble for the original drink, which was also typically blended or served over shaved ice, where today you often see Hemingway Daquiris served up in a cocktail glass. Where all those differences emerged is a real mystery, but I'm pretty happy with the end result.

After doing some research I was also surprised that my personal version seems to feature a lot more sugar than most published recipes, many of which feature at most 1/2 oz of maraschino for sweetness. Fortunately, when I cracked open Speakeasy, the proportions were a lot closer to those I provide here. Personally, I like nodding to Hemingway with a strong cocktail, but prefer a somewhat sweeter drink.

The other fun thing you can easily do with this recipe is swap out simple syrup (which actually doesn't appear in many recipes) for a flavored syrup. While dicking around a couple weeks ago, I also tried swapping out the normal white rum for other spirits, resulting in the concoctions below.

#1
2 oz aged rum (Scarlet Ibis for me; you want something moderately aged and funky)
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
1/2 oz spiced syrup
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
3/4 oz lime juice

#2
2 oz blanco tequila (El Mayor)
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo, obviously)
1/2 oz grenadine
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
3/4 oz lime juice

#3
2 oz pisco (Macchu)
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur (I said Luxardo)
1/2 oz thyme syrup
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
3/4 oz lime juice

For all of the above, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish if you wish, or do what I did (a move pilfered from the excellent Marvel Bar) and lower in a single cube from the shaker with a barspoon, to keep the drink cool without diluting it much further.

Broken Spring

A spring drink! Made on an unexpectedly nice spring afternoon! I'm being appropriately seasonal, for once.

2 oz cucumber vodka (homemade)
3/4 oz gin & tonic syrup
4 lime wedges
1 dash maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)

Squeeze the lime wedges into a shaker tin and drop in (which should produce about 3/4 oz of juice, but you want the oils from the peel as well). Shake like mad and double-strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a large mint leaf (or a smallish bunch) slapped to express the oils.

Hey, I said it was appropriately seasonal, not that it was easy. I'll break another one of my habits by calling the garnish non-optional on this one; it really does transform and lighten the drink.

Ronin

I'll admit: this is nothing more than a Jerry Thomas-style Improved Cocktail as applied to a Japanese whiskey. But damn if it isn't one of the most suitable spirits I've performed this treatment on. It's smoky and light and floral; a perfect match for the accenting liqueurs.

2 oz Japanese whiskey (Akashi White Oak)
1/4 oz citrus syrup
1 dash maraschino liqueur (Luxardo, duh)
1 dash absinthe (4-5 squirts from an atomizer)
2 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

Stir and strain in a cocktail glass over a large ice cube; garnish with a large strip of lemon peel.

Master Martinez

In the vein of the Best Boulevardier, here's a revised take on a classic that absolutely dominates other drinks that share its name. I'm a big fan of the Martinez, but this is the best one that I've come up with yet.

1 1/2 oz Tanqueray Malacca (there is no substitute)

1/2 oz barrel-aged kirschwasser

1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica, because it's worth it)

1 dash maraschino liqueur (Luxardo, duh)

1 dash cinnamon syrup

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass; garnish with a lemon twist (check out the channel knife; haven't used that in a while!) and sip slowly.

Sorry about the kirschwasser; it's something you'll have to make age at home yourself, but it's totally worth it. Some brief time in oak really does help to round off the raw edges of the kirsch and mixes very nicely with the vermouth.

Down to Business

This is probably the most unabashedly, intensively, lovingly alcoholic cocktail that I have yet created. It also happens to contain most of my favorite booze items.

2 1/2 oz barrel-proof bourbon (Wild Turkey Rare Breed)
1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Cocchi Torino)
1/4 oz Luxardo maraschino
1/4 oz Casoni 1814
3 dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Old Decanter Bitters

Stir and strain over a large ice cube in an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a large expressed coin of lemon peel and a brandied cherry.

I worked a solid 11 hours today. Don't judge me.

Dutch Cognac

This started off because I wanted a Dutch Quarter, but I had blueberry syrup instead of blackberry, and I recalled from my new Death & Co book that chocolate pairs surprisingly well with the malty notes of genever. It took a little tweaking to get there but I like the result.

2 oz Bols barrel-aged genever

1/4 oz blueberry syrup

1 dash Luxardo maraschino liqueur

2 dashes Regan's No. 6 Orange Bitters

3 dashes Bitter Truth Xocolatl Bitters

Build over a large ice cube in an old-fashioned glass; stir to combine and don't even think about garnishing.

Tasting #2

In the wake of my first, wildly successful cocktail tasting, I was incredibly pleased to have the chance at another.  This wound up being a much rowdier time, with a surprising amount of yelling and karaoke.  It was also a shitload of fun!  A big thanks to Chris and Bridget for inviting me and hosting.

DRINK #1: AVIATION
2 oz gin
½ oz maraschino liqueur
¾ oz lemon juice
To build: Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Other notes: The original recipe adds a dash of violet liqueur (crème de violette) for a pale, light blue color, hence the name. But this simpler version is just as tasty.

DRINK #2: SPRING MARTINEZ
2 oz gin
½ oz Dolin blanc vermouth
¼ oz maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Regan's No. 6 orange bitters
2 dashes Bitter Truth celery bitters
To build: Rinse a cocktail glass with absinthe and place in the freezer. Stir with ice and strain into the prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with a strip of lemon peel.
Other notes: The Martinez is an early version of the Martini. This version uses an unusual style of sweetened white vermouth; regular red vermouth works too.

DRINK #3: PISCOJITO
2 oz pisco
½ oz pineapple syrup
¾ oz lime juice
2 large sprigs mint
To build: Strip the mint leaves except for the top of one stalk.  Press the leaves in the bottom of a glass with the syrup; add the pisco, lime juice and ice.  Shake, strain over fresh ice, top with soda water, and insert the mint sprig as garnish.
Other notes: This Cuban classic would normally use white rum, but pisco makes an interesting substitution. If you get lazy and drink this out of the glass you mixed it in, nobody would blame you.

DRINK #4: PERFECT PISCO PUNCH
2 oz pisco
1 oz pineapple syrup
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz lime juice
½ egg white
2 dashes Bitter Truth celery bitters
3-4 pineapple cubes
To build: Muddle the pineapple in the pisco and syrup; add the remaining ingredients, shake very well and strain over fresh ice.
Other notes: Nobody quite knows the original recipe for this renowned San Francisco specialty; this is my own tricked-out version.  It’s hard to separate an egg into equal halves, so you’ll just have to make two!

Holy crap did that last one ever take off.  I wound up making at least a couple for everyone present, in addition to the tasting portions and a whole slew of off-the-cuff requests.  Like I said: rowdy.  In the words of one attendee: "You bring such joy to people with kids."  I'll take the compliment, but by the time I left they were doing just fine on their own.

My only problem is that now, I've got a whole bunch of research to do into the legal side of making this a real, grown-up business.  People seem to dig the concept, especially as I focus on the fact that it's really not that difficult, and that anybody can make a good cocktail.  This seems to be not only a viable niche, but something that I really enjoy; there are such incredibly fun moments of engagement and learning that I can't help but look forward to the next event.  But if I want to get paid for this, all the sudden I need to start thinking about contracts and liability and scheduling.  So maybe I'll pull up the reigns for now, do some serious investigation, and keep hosting preview parties at home in preparation.  Someday we'll get there.

Two Dutch Sours

I'll state right away for the record that neither of these are exactly originals (and in fact, they're pretty much the exact same drink) but I don't think that should stop you from trying them.  Both are being included here precisely because they turned out very nicely.

The basic question of the hour: what happens if you use genever in drinks which typically call for dry gin?

The Flying Dutchman
1 1/2 oz genever (Bols Barrel Aged, my hands-down favorite)
1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino
1/2 oz lemon juice

The Dutch Lady
1 1/2 oz genever (same as above)
1/2 oz triple sec (another Luxardo product)
1/2 oz lemon juice

For both, shake and strain into a coupe; garnish with a strip of lemon peel.

It's pretty impressive how well these work despite the Bols being a completely different spirit than a London Dry gin.  I should admit that "Flying Dutchman" isn't even my name for the first of these; there's a local bar that serves the same beverage, done up with creme de violette for color in classic Aviation style.  Frankly, I see very little need to keep such a specialized liqueur in my home bar, and make my Aviations without.

Hemingway's Lady

This recipe is a bit of a cheap slam-dunk, but what else should I have done with an abundance of Luxardo and grapefruit juice?  I'll plead for an exception based on the name, which perfectly captures this hybrid of a Hemingway Daquiri and a White Lady.

2 oz gin (Old Tom was a nice choice for this one)
1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino
3/4 oz red grapefruit juice
1/2 oz lemon juice

Shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice.  Garnish with a cherry if you feel fancy.

In the end, this is a lot more like an Aviation than either of the parent drinks.  It's a bit too obvious a combo, really; there's got to be another name for this, but I like mine.

House of Gin Old-Fashioned (#1)

I don't know why I've never posted this before, because it may be one of my personal favorite creations.  Granted, it's a weird drink, intensely herbal and funky, but I make it every time I have its constituent ingredients on hand.  It doesn't hurt that I'm a Dry Rye evangelist.

2 1/2 oz St. George Dry Rye
1/4 oz thyme syrup
1 dash Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Regan's No. 6 Orange bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
2 dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters

Stir and strain over a fresh large cube in an old-fashioned glass.

Genever (especially the Bols aged variety) is a decent, though imperfect, substitute for the Dry Rye.  You might want to save some for a Dutch Quarter.

Gondola Hook

The merging of two cocktails: the Gondolier and the Red Hook.

2 oz blended scotch (I've been digging Pig's Nose lately and it works well here)

1/3 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/3 oz Punt e Mes

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with lemon peel if you like.

I really enjoy this particular combination of accents.  I could see a number of different "Hooks" with different bases - the Boat Hook with navy-strength gin, the Captain's Hook with rum, the Golden Hook with cognac...

Double-Dry Martinez

The concept of a "dry Martinez" is faintly ridiculous, since the Martinez is essentially the older, sweeter cousin to today's Martini.  For bonus irony points, this isn't even really all that dry, though it is a fairly-dry rendition of the Martinez formula.  It is brand-specific (that's the "double" part of the name) and I apologize for that, but this Dry Rye stuff really does deserve hunting down.

2 oz St. George Dry Rye gin
1/2 oz dry vermouth (Dolin here)
1/4 oz sweet vermouth (Dolin again, any decent vermouth would do fine)
1/4 oz maraschino (do I even need to specify Luxardo at this point?)
1 dash simple syrup (not exactly "dry" but helps with the balance)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters (an astonishing combo with the Luxardo)

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass; squeeze an orange twist over the top if available and discard, then garnish with a lemon twist.  That's what I did, anyway; a twist of either citrus will do just fine as garnish.

GMT

I never much used to care for the classic gin & tonic, but I've gradually come around and now heartily embrace this easy and well-known highball.  It's an absolutely essential summer drink, though when I make mine I can hardly resist a little tweaking.

I'm sure legions of mixologists have used both the name and basic concept of this one before, both being far too obvious.  But I don't care.

1 1/2 oz London Dry gin (Beefeater here, any would do)
1/3 oz maraschino liqueur (I shouldn't really have to specify Luxardo anymore)
3-4 oz chilled tonic water, to taste (I use Q Tonic generally, but have been dying to try making my own)
1-2 dashes orange bitters, to taste

Build in a Collins glass over large ice cubes.

The G&T has become the GMT (Gin, Maraschino, Tonic).  The orange bitters here lend a little complexity and keep the drink from becoming too sweet.  I find that Fee Brother's new Gin-Barrel Aged Orange Bitters are perfect here, though the regular version works well too; you want something with a nice fresh flavor.  The maraschino is meant to be an accent, since this is still a highball at heart.

The Doubly-Improved Cocktail

Here's a fine and very old-fashioned drink indeed, conceived while playing around with obscure liquors.

1 oz genever (Bols, preferably)
1 oz peach brandy (the classic distilled-from-peaches kind, in this case Dutch's)
1 dash maraschino liqueur (as always Luxardo)
1 dash absinthe
1 dash dry vermouth
1 dash aromatic bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with a lemon twist.

This reminds me of the Peach Pit, but more old-school (and a bit more potent).

The Blinding Sour

Clearing out the backlog a bit...

Here's a simple, highly effective use of a somewhat tricky ingredient - moonshine, white whiskey, call it what you will.  I picked some up on a whim and had a troubled time finding uses for it, but I like the funk this adds to an otherwise straightforward, relatively basic sour.

2 oz white whiskey
1 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo per usual)
1 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake well and strain over fresh rocks in a double old-fashioned glass.  Add a brandied cherry and a half lemon wheel if you're like that.

The Pink Panther

I always loved the old Pink Panther cartoons.  Somehow this drink's color and insinuating, troublemaking punch reminded me of the namesake.

(per 2 drinks)

4 oz genever (grey-bottle Bols)

1 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo, obviously)

1 1/2 oz blackberry syrup (homemade)

Juice of 1 lemon

White of 1 egg

Shake all of the above vigorously over large cold ice cubes, strain into chilled fizz glasses and top up with 2-3 oz of soda water each.  Garnish with a lemon twist, if you like.

The Uppercut

I don't know why it's named this, other than the punch it packs.

1 1/2 oz aquavit (use the aged Norwegian variety; Linie is a good go-to brand)
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo, as always)
1/2 oz Cynar (everyone's favorite artichoke apertif! yes, really.)
1/4 oz lime juice
1 dash absinthe

Stir vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass; spear a brandied cherry and stir into the drink as garnish.

This is a rather incisive drink, filled with bitter orange, cherry, dark spices, and rich herbs.  I'd also be happy to try this with brandy (something fairly young, 3 years or less) or a rye whiskey in place of the aquavit, but would bet it wouldn't be quite as interesting.

The Gondolier

Just in case I'm not procrastinating enough, here's an after-dinner cocktail recipe that came in a little booklet around the neck of my new bottle of Luxardo maraschino liqueur.  You could make it with another brand, but why would you buy anything other than Luxardo?

Please note that I'm in no way sponsored by or affiliated with the fine folks at Luxardo (though I certainly wouldn't mind an offer...)

2 oz scotch whiskey (no need to waste a single malt here, I used JW Black)
1 oz maraschino liqueur

Pour over rocks in an old-fashioned glass and stir.  Yes, it's that simple.  Add a maraschino cherry if you must garnish.

I didn't expect these two ingredients to get along as well as they do.  The mixture reminds me of Drambuie - mellow, honeyish sweetness; faint spiciness; smoky, scotch-y depth; and a distinct anisette note thanks to the Luxardo (yet another reason to use the right brand).

Also, note that the spelling of scotch "whisky" is a silly modern invention that I refuse to follow.  Live with it.