Desert Gourd

This one just kind of emerged out of an extra egg white, extra tequila (the best kind), and a random syrup hanging about in the fridge. Turned out pretty dang well.

2 oz reposado tequila

3/4 oz brown sugar-butternut squash syrup

1/4 oz orange curacao

1 oz lime juice

1/2 egg white (good luck dividing that; you'll just have to make two)

Combine and shake without ice, then add ice and shake again. Strain into a rocks glass over a couple of extra cubes. Do not even consider garnishing, unless it's with a little bit of grated nutmeg and lime peel. Which it should be.

Frankly, I would have loved to try this with mezcal and a couple dashes of chocolate bitters... but you do what you can with what you have.

MxMo XCV: Oat-Fashioned

I've been thinking for a while about throwing in on a Mixology Monday as a way to challenge myself. Well, folks, the time has arrived! I only just spotted this month's theme via Cocktail Virgin Slut's submission, but since the old-fashioned is my hands-down favorite cocktail category, I knew I had to give it a go.

This theme was picked by Laura of the Sass & Gin blog (what a name!) whose announcement summed it up like so:

The Old Fashioned is the original "cock tail," dating to the early 1800's. In this humble bartender's opinion, it is the pater familias of all other drinks, and it has taken its place as such in the recent cocktail revival. We have seen many variations of the Old Fashioned (i.e. Mayahuel's Oaxaca Old Fashioned, PDT's Benton's Old Fashioned) and the resurgence of similar cocktails (i.e. the Sazerac). The bitter's market has exploded over the last decade, with more flavor profiles than ever before, and with a more health-conscious public, your local grocery store is likely to carry a selection of sugars to play with (agave, coconut sugar, turbinado, etc).

So, here's the challenge: We will be sticking to the traditional ratios of spirit, bitters and sugar, but I'm challenging you to step outside the box with your selections. In addition, how will it be chilled or garnished? Do you want to add a secondary spirit or rinse? Go to town!

Since I've had a few odd whiskeys rattling around lately, I figured I'd give one of those a shot in an old-fashioned rendition. We've had a (relative) heat wave here in MN over the last week, and I was feeling oddly nostalgic for winter today, so I also wanted to stick with some really robust, dark flavors as a send-off. Koval Oat was the immediate choice of spirit for its deep, distinctive grain character, and to emphasize that further I added in a small splash of the darkest liqueur I had on the shelf: the pitch-black Sicilian amaro Averna, which has a great licorice-and-orange flavor, serving as both a backup sweetener and secondary bitters here. As for syrup, I had a bit of a beautifully rich squash syrup hanging around that seemed the only logical selection.

2 oz Koval Oat Whiskey
1/3 oz brown sugar-butternut squash simple syrup (1:1)
1 dash Averna (call it 1/6 oz, or a barspoon)
1 dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters

Build over a large ice cube in a double old-fashioned glass and stir to chill. Garnish for once with a prettily cut strip of orange peel; sometimes it pays to be presentable.

I really dig the oat presence that hangs around from start to finish here, backed up by the buttery notes from the squash syrup, the richness of the brown sugar, and the licorice twang of the Averna. Koval Oat isn't an especially spicy whiskey, so it might also be fun to bring more dark-spice notes in with something like an allspice dram. I suppose that'll have to wait for another day, since we're on a deadline here...

So, kudos to Laura for picking a theme that dragged me off the fence, and cheers to the Mixology Monday folks for running this fun event. Hopefully I'll have more submissions to come!

p.s. Here's the roundup post if you're looking for the other entries. Lots of tasty-looking stuff...

Bobhouse

A solid highball, suitable for consuming in the winter months.

2 oz sour orange juice (nice sour oranges are good for this; you can also supplement navel orange juice with citric acid)
1 1/2 oz blended scotch
1/2 oz Loonshine
1/2 oz squash-brown sugar syrup
1/2 oz pineapple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake and pour unstrained into... well, any glass really. What is this "gar-nish" you speak of?

The Great Frost

It's hellishly cold here, and that means cocktails are in order to warm the bones.  Scotch is always an appropriate choice in such matters.  I'm sorry that this one is so brand-specific but I can't imagine this combination working quite any other way.

2 oz Great King Street Artist's Blend scotch (good, good stuff, very mellow)
1/4 oz squash-sage syrup (roasted squash with fresh sage and brown sugar; tastes like Thanksgiving)
1/4 oz sweet vermouth (I used Dolin)
1/4 oz homemade apple bitters (yeah, sorry; I used the apple bitters recipe from Brad Parsons' Bitters book, which I will no doubt be experimenting with further)
1 dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters (yum)
1 dash Bitter Truth Celery Bitters (also yum, easily the best celery bitters on the market)

Stir and strain over a large cube in an old-fashioned glass.  Do not let garnish cloud your judgment.

The Squashed Sour

Hooray for judicious experimentation.

1 1/2 oz aquavit (try the North Shore if you can, it's awesome)
1/2 oz vodka (for weight)
1 oz squash syrup (yes, homemade - it's relatively easy*)
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 egg white

Shake well and strain into an old-fashioned over fresh rocks.  This is a surprisingly refreshing drink, slightly savory and vegetal yet snappy, with a creamy texture.  Again, hooray for experimentation.

*Slice a butternut, acorn, or kombucha squash in half, scoop out the seeds/goo, and place cut side up in a pan.  Roast in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, then let cool and cut away from the skin into 1/2 inch cubes (more or less).  Place 3 cups sugar (light and natural is good) and 2 cups water in a pan and bring to a simmer, then pour over the squash cubes in a large heatproof vessel.  Toss in 5 cloves, 5 decently-sized coins of freshly sliced ginger, and 1 cinnamon stick, stir, and let stand for at least 8 hours, or overnight.  Strain well, bottle, and refrigerate; this will make about a liter of syrup.  For longer preservation, dash in 1-2 oz of 151-proof spirits.

Okay, so it's not exactly easy.  But it is tasty and oddly versatile.  For a pleasing non-alcoholic variation, try one part syrup to two parts orange juice and three parts soda water.