Tags: Mixology Monday

MixMo LXXIII: Witches’ Garden – Southside

May is a month when vegetal world starts to flourish. So this month’s Mixology Monday event has been awarded with an appropriate spring-related theme. It was cleverly called «Witches’ Garden» by Mark Holmes who hosts the event at his Cardiff Cocktails tumblr.
Here is an excerpt from explanations that Mark gave in his announcement post:

 

As far back as we can look, the use of fresh herbs have been prevalent in the world of mixed drinks. From the early days of the julep, through Williams Terrington’s 19th century Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks, to Don the Beachcomber’s ahead of their time Tiki drinks, fresh herbs have always been at the forefront of mixology. So lets take influence from the bartenders that once ruled the world of mixology, raid your herb garden that too often gets neglected, and start mixing.

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MixMo LXIX: Fortified Wines – Bon-Accord

New Year holidays are over, but Frederic continues fun announcing next Mixology Monday event. Thanks to Jordan Devereaux whose Chemistry of the Cocktail blog hosts the event for choosing so excellent choice – «Fortified Wines».

Fortified wines are known as old and reliable cocktail components used in many mixed drinks such as cobblers, punches, flips, sangarees. Later they started to concede their positions to vermouths which are fortified wines too but also are aromatized with herbs, roots etc.
Anyway, Jordan challenge us with such words:

 

For this month’s Mixology Monday, I’d like to see what you all can do with these versatile wines. They can play many different roles – from taking the place of vermouths in classic drinks, to providing richness and sweetness in winter tipples, to serving as a base for lighter aperitifs. Whether forgotten classics or new creations, let’s see what you can put together.

For me, it was easy decision to select between few fortified wines I can buy in Moscow. Sherry is my obvious choice.

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MxMo LXVI: Bein’ Green – October’s Still Green

Happy to see MixMo online cocktail parties back in action. It was a blow for me to miss «Equal Parts» event due to my illness. Excellent topic, very interesting. My respect is to Frederic for that event and for reviving MixMo parties, of course.

Also my warm words come to Ed of the Wordsmithing Pantagruel who hosts the current party and has invented a topic for it. So timely now, «Bein’ Green» is the theme for the party and Ed’s explanation is:

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MxMo LXI: Local Color – Russian Apple Sour

Mixology Monday monthly online cocktail party is going on and it’s great!

The current event starts on Sunday thanks to Lindsay who hosts it at her Alcohol Alchemy blog.

This time MixMo is about local spirits and Lindsay wants to know what local craft spirits we have here and why we love it:

…pull out your favourite «local» craft spirit (for those of you not in US, what hidden gem from your neck of the woods do you want to give some cocktail press?)…

Well, in the Russian woods we have the only spirit and you are all know it as vodka. Actually samogon (and not vodka) is Russian craft spirit (follow the link and look for «Russia» section). Unfortunately home distilling as well as hand-craft distilleries were illegal in Russia for a long time so now we have only vodka industry alive and growing. I’m aware that cocktail enthusiasts do not love vodka so I opt for vodka infusion.

Various hand-crafted and commercial vodka and samogon infusions are widely spread in Russia.

Making infusions in autumn, I’m used to taking Antonovka apples that are in season in late September. Antonovka apple tree is an ancient cultivar that came from Central Russia and probably it appeared as a crossbreed of unknown apple cultivar and wild apple tree. Antonovka apples are very sour at first and bring wonderful and strong nose so it’s used in homemade preserves and traditional culinary. Later the stored apples become a bit sweeter and suitable for eating – usually in December and later.

I’m sure that typical Russian apple flavour will underline local peculiarities of my Antonovka vodka infusion.

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MxMo LVIII: Favorite Niche Spirit – Transalpine Cocktail

Rare, little known and local spirits can bring cocktail experimenters to excited state. Often they have a peculiar taste. Definitely they add special ethnic flavour to well-known drinks. Also they help to obtain important experience in work with new spirits and understanding how to use them properly in cocktails.

Current «Mixology Monday» event is about similar topic. «Favourite niche spirits» is the theme for it, and the present MixMo hoster Filip from Adventures in Cocktails wants to see us making cocktails based on the «niche spirits» which are not from «Big Six»: whisk(e)y, rum, gin, vodka, tequila and Cognac.

Well, what a spirit to choose? Calvados, Armagnac, genever, kirschwasser, akvavit? Due to my Russian origin I should prefer samogon, an old Russian spirit which later became similar to American moonshine, but since ancient times is produced by many home distillers with a good quality – better than most vodka brands of today.

But recently I was in experiments with Bavarian apple and pear schnaps so the story how I got it was fresh in my memory. Once I’ve bought it in a souvenir shop when I visited a small village in Bavarian Alps. Also there was transparent spirit in a bottle with blue flowers on the label. «Oh, Enzian Schnaps (gentian schnaps)» – venerable shop owner told me when I’ve pointed at the bottle and asked what a spirit is it. Certainly I’ve bought it too!

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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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MxMo LII: Forgotten Cocktails – Cameo Kirby

Forgotten Cocktails, that’s the topic for November 2010 Mixology Monday event hosted by Dennis at his Rock & Rye blog.

The topic is not easy as it seems at first time. Here in Russia cocktails are not forgotten, they’re unknown.

I’ve remembered one cocktail  I saw earlier at «Approved Cocktails, authorized by UK bartenders guild» by Harry Craddock. Cameo Kirby, it looks like another Martini-like cocktail, and then I’ve tried it but can’t find anything about it in Internet except one more Google-book  «Gourmet’s Guide to New Orleans» by Natalie Vivian Scott and Caroline Merrick Jones.

The title Cameo Kirby is known thanks to old movie released in 1923. Who knows, maybe the cocktail was named after that criminal drama.

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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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MxMo XLX: Brown, Bitter and Stirred – Rendevous

Mixology Monday is in action again, and that’s great!

Thanks to Lindsey Johnson, next MixMo event is hosted at her Brown Bitter and Stirred blog. And the theme for the event is the same – Brown, Bitter and Stirred!

I like bitter cocktails very much so that’s nice to make something like Rob Roy or Manhattan. But later I changed my mind and decided to be more orthodoxal. No bourbon, no rum and no scotch. Only dry London gin – bitter and strong. And as regards requested brown colour, Italian amari can tint my gin.

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MxMo XLVIII: Pain in the Ass – The Bunny Hug

This is my debut in MixMo events, and I’m happy to know that this one is the fourth anniversary Mixology Monday event.

The theme is not pleasant as I would like it to be but I instantly thought of one drink which make me very disappointed. It’s called The Bunny Hug, and I’ve knew about it in Slakethirst blog.

Funny coincidence: I was inspired by the Slakethirst post which was for the very first Mixology Monday event dedicated to pastis.

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