Tags: homemade

Inaugural Orange Punch

It was first time when I made punch. There is no tradition to drink punches so for me it was something strange.  After long time of hesitation I started to look for a decent punch recipe, and Bombay Punch from Harry Johnson’s «New And Improved Bartendes’ Manual» was the option I scrutinized. But unexpectedly I’ve chose another recipe that I’ve saw recently at Chuck Taggart’s Looka! blog.

That was Andrew Jackson’s Inaugural Orange Punch containing interesting mulled orange syrup. I love to make and to use handcrafted components so I started my preparations immediately.

By the way, Chuck give a link to the source for the punch, the article in The Wall Street Journal by Eric Felten.

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MxMo LVI: Your Best – A Herbalist’s Coffee

This post is for the next Mixology Monday round – MxMo LVI: Your Best.

This time Chris from Spirited Remix hosts the party and expects original drinks created by participants.

I love the idea because creating new drink is my hobby so I have a nice cocktail to contribute.

That’s based on the combination of coffee and Fernet Branca (and also Fernet Branca and cherry brandy). It’s a bit unusual but I believe this cocktail would win over many coffee lovers. By the way, it’s called «A Herbalist’s Coffee».

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Dark and Stormy

When I’ve made my first batch of ginger beer, I realized that I hardly ever drink it neat. It was too dry and burning for me. But there was an advantage – I could give a try to cocktails based on ginger beer, at last!

At first I’ve tried Dark and Stormy cocktail, a powerful combination of dark rum and spicy ginger beer.

Bermuda’s national drink, Dark and Stormy is deeply rooted in the traditional daily portions of rum served out in British Navy. The cocktail calls for Bermudian Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and local ginger beer. Very strict conditions, isn’t it?

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Boukman Daiquiri

It’s so far from summer, and I don’t dream of it. That’s just a thing I promised myself to do some day. This cocktail looked so beautiful therefore I can’t resist the temptation. Not long ago I’ve made a batch of cinnamon syrup and redeemed the promise to taste Boukman Daiquiri.

I’ve found the cocktail recipe at the Imbibe. Created by Alex Day from the Philadelphia’s The Franklin Bar, this modern Daiquiri variation has two key components which made a difference in the cocktail flavour. The first is the cinnamon syrup I wrote above, and the second is Cognac.

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S.I.P.#3: Manhattan

Our third S.I.P. event is dedicated to another cocktail icon called Manhattan as well as its numerous variations made with other whiskey (whisky) and vermouths (or aperitifs and maybe amari).

For me, Manhattan is a counterpoise for Dry Martini. Warm, sweet and spicy side of cocktails against dry and bitter world of clear and cold gin flavoured with drops of vermouth. Brown spirits versus crystal clear alcohol, Alpha and Omega of cocktail world.

I’m not interested in stories about Manhattan. I just enjoy it when I get tired of other cocktails – classic of modern, it doesn’t matter. Manhattan is the special mood, the atmosphere of calm and confidence.

The never-ending experiment with whiskey and vermouth pairing. The search for the best additions – bitters or liqueurs. Much attention to details, technique improvement. Careful sipping, enjoying aroma, appearance and taste. It’s a more than cocktail, almost a lifestyle.

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Bananas Foster Cocktail

This cocktail is adapted from Bananas Foster Cocktail created by Shawn from Rejiggered. According to his words, he made it as liquid version of Bananas Foster dessert he enjoyed at one New Orleans restaurant.

For me, it was just one more cocktail experience in which I had a training how to properly use cream in cocktails. Honestly I was skeptical about this cocktail because usually I prefer bitter and strong drinks. But I was wrong and eventually ended up in love with sweet creamy cocktails.

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MxMo September: Lime – Gimlet

The topic for September’s MixMo is very cheerful – lime. Thanks Doug who chose this theme and hosted current event at his The Pegu Blog.

Recently I took my time to read carefully Sonja Kassebaum’s article about homemade lime cordial. I wanted to make a couple glasses of  Gimlets and to compare how cordial and fresh lime juice work there.

So then I knew the theme for new MixMo, my Gimlets were ready to be tasted. What a coincidence!

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The Transfiguration Day

That was inspired by Cheri Loughlin’s article about Drambuie. Some cocktails mentioned there imprinted themselves in my mind. One of them, The Forty-Five, was earlier on my blog, adapted and tried with various whiskies.

Created by Jamie Stephenson, Drambuie global ambassador, Renaissance is another cocktail with Drambuie I like very much. And for me, it was another target to adaptation and changing.

My experiments with Renaissance were very productive so eventually  the recipe has been heavily changed, and I decided to rename it to The Transfiguration Day because…

Because the taste of the new drink reminded me of  our patrimonial tradition to celebrate together old Russian Orthodox  feast called Yablochny Spas, or The Transfiguration Day.

Maybe it was too conceitedly but my remembrances were too lively. I could’n resist that temptation.

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Porteño

One day I’ve red a little story about a cocktail made by Murray Stenson, bartender at Zig Zag Café, Seattle, USA. That article has been written by well-known mixology expert Gary Regan for his San Francisco Chronicle column. It was very warm-hearted text among other things.

I was intrigued with such complex ingredients combination – whiskey and equal parts of cherry brandy, lime and Fernet Branca.

That cocktail is called Porteño. As far as I know it means Argentinean who lives in Buenos Aires. Another interesting fact is that Argentineans are mad about Fernet. While all world drinks Coca-Cola with rum, they drink Fernando – Coca-Cola mixed with Fernet.

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Baltic Martini

Vodka-based Martinis now become an everybody’s fad. A lot of recipes, variety of vodkas – flavoured or not, juices, liqueurs, bitters… Crazy times, crazy drinks.

I have to admit that recently I’ve gave up and started to invent my own Martinis too.

Here is one of that recipes. I’ve called it «Baltic Martini» because of Riga black balsam and Finlandia Vodka used there. The third ingredient is homemade black currant infusion traditionally made in Central and Northern Russia.

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