Professor Cocktail

Christmas Party Cocktail Menu

Here's the drinks menu from our big Christmas party last weekend. The most popular were the Spiced Pear Margarita and Grand Cherry Tiki. The only one I had was a Poinsettia Punch, and it was delicious. I'll share the recipes later this week.

Tiki Lounge
Christmas Party

Today's Specials

Tom and Jerry
A 19th-century variation on Egg Nog, served warm.
Brandy, Dark Rum, Eggs, Milk

Hot Buttered Rum
Sounds gross, but is quite delicious!
Rum, Sugar, Butter, Bitters

Spiced Pear Margarita
Pear and spice, tastes real nice.
Tequila, Pear Liqueur, Spiced Pear, Lime, Sugar

Apple Crisp
An autumnal twist on the Sidecar.
Applejack, Cointreau, Lemon

Poinsettia Punch
A vibrant cocktail inspired by the holidays.
Gin, Lemon, Cinnamon, Grenadine, Allspice Dram

Brandy Old-Fashioned
Beloved by Wisconsinites around the world.
Cognac, Sugar, Bitters, Orange, Cherry

Grand Cherry Tiki
The delicious flavors of the islands.
Grand Marnier Cherry, Lime, Orgeat, Pineapple

Maui Mai Tai
A Hawaiian spin on the Mai Tai.
Gold Rum, Curaçao, Pineapple, Orange, Orgeat

Apple Cosmopolitan
Also available in caramel.
Stoli Apple Vodka, Licor 43, Cranberry, Lime

 Classics Always Available
Daiquiri, Manhattan, Martini, Mai Tai, Assorted Highballs

 David J. Montgomery, Proprietor

Ask the Professor: Recommend a Cocktail

Julie H. writes in to ask:

My brother recently turned 50 and we're having him and his partner over for dinner. I'd like to offer them some cool potent potable at this gala, yet casual, event.

They mostly order dry martinis when we're out, but they love trying new things. Mostly they're not into sweet, but my brother occasionally orders Manhattans.

I have a drink to suggest: the Martinez. Depending on who you listen to, the Martinez is either the original Martini, a variation on the Manhattan -- or both. It was created in the late-19th century, maybe in California. The town of Martinez, CA likes to claim the drink was named after it, but there's no real evidence to support that. It was possibly invented by the great Jerry Thomas, the author of the world's first cocktail book, but the truth is nobody really knows.

You can make a Martinez with London dry gin (the standard gin of today, like Tanqueray or Beefeater), but originally it was made with Old Tom gin, a sweeter gin that was very popular back in the day. 

I, however, like to make them with genever. Genever (sometimes known as "Holland gin") was the original gin produced in the Netherlands before it was adopted by the English and adapted into their own style (London dry).

Genever has many of the same botanical flavors as London dry gin (juniper, etc.) but it is distilled at least partially from malt wine. It tastes somewhat similar to regular gin, due to the presence of the botanicals, but the malt gives it a grainy taste that more closely resembles whiskey. It has a rich flavor, along with a satiny mouthfeel that ordinary gin lacks.

I find it a very interesting spirit, because it's different from what most people are used to drinking. For many, many years it wasn't available in the U.S., but Bols recently created a new version that they now import to the U.S. Genever is a hip spirit, the kind of thing we cocktail geeks like to drink -- but I think anyone who likes gin will love it.

Here's the recipe:

Martinez (Genever Variant)

2 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters or Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.Garnish with a lemon or orange twist.

This is sweeter than a Dry Martini, but not too sweet. (At least, it's not too sweet in my opinion. Although I should say that I do tend to like my drinks on the sweeter side.) About the same as a Manhattan, I guess.

Typically the Martinez is made with equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, but I reduced the amount of vermouth in this recipe to make it less sweet. If you want to get fancy you can jazz it up with a small amount -- maybe 1/4 oz -- of orange curaçao or maraschino liqueur (which is a liqueur made from Maraska cherries, NOT the stuff that maraschino cherries come in). But that would require you to buy more booze, so you might not want to go that way.

Genever can also be used to make a Genever Old Fashioned, a Holland House, a Gin Fix, an Improved Gin Cocktail, or even a Tom Collins.

Cheers!

The Manhattan Project

Kevin Sintumuang had an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal recently on one of the best, most enduring cocktails of all: the Manhattan.

Take a sip. It's not a race—just a sip. Now savor. Cinnamon. Oak. Vanilla. Mint. Cornbread. Dark cherries, even. The flavors of the Manhattan seem to go on forever. Crazy good, huh? Amazing for a drink that really only has three ingredients: whiskey, vermouth, a dash of bitters. That's the beauty of the cocktail. It's gimmick-free.

You wouldn't think that it would taste so good. Whiskey mixed with aromatized wine? Sounds kinda gross, doesn't it? But the combination is magical, especially when the flavors are bound together with the addition of bitters. (Adding bitters to a cocktail is like adding salt to french fries. Sure you can eat them without it. But why would you want to?)

So how do you make a Manhattan? It's one of the easiest drinks around.

 

Manhattan

2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. 

 

Whether you use rye or bourbon whiskey is a matter of personal preference. Bourbon makes for a slightly sweeter, smoother drink. Rye gives it a touch of zing that is very nice. If you prefer to shake this drink, you can shake it. If you prefer it on the rocks -- like I do -- you can serve it that way. You can also omit the cherry if you don't have any. It's not essential.

As you can see, the Manhattan is a flexible cocktail. Perhaps the coolest thing about the Manhattan, the feature that makes it different from so many other cocktails, is its potential for experimentation. As Sintumuang points out, the Manhattan is endlessly variable -- and what's more, it can easily be altered by even the least imaginative of mixologists and still produce a fine libation.

The beauty of the Manhattan is that it only calls for three ingredients—a framework that allows anyone, be it a home bartender, spirits nerd or pro cocktailian, to experiment with confidence. Following the classic recipe above, play with different types of whiskey, vermouth or bitters, and you'll be sipping an entirely new concoction each time.

He includes a guide for Manhattan experimentation, with suggestions for different types of whiskeys, different types of vermouth, and different types of bitters. But even beyond that, you can mix up variations on the Manhattan that take its flavor in bold new directions, while still remaining true to the essential nature of the drink.

One of the most common of these variations calls for replacing the vermouth (some or all of it) with amaro, one of the myriad varieties of bitter Italian liqueurs. Probably the best known of these is the Black Manhattan, which omits the vermouth and instead uses Averna. (This is a good drink, as long as you don't mind the bitterness. Averna has strong accents of orange flavor that work nicely in the Manhattan.)

Other variations call for the addition of a small amount of another spirit, such as orange curacao, Cherry Heering, maraschino liqueur or Fernet Branca. The possibilities truly are endless. As long as you keep as your foundation the essential nature of the Manhattan, you can experiment with discovering the flavors that you like best.

The article shares several recipes for variations on the drink from top bartenders around the country. As if that weren't enough, it also includes a guide to where you can find the best Manhattans in Manhattan. It's a veritable cornucopia of Manhattan-y goodness! Bravo, Wall Street Journal.

Alternatives to the Same Old Cocktails

Most of us are creatures of habit. When we go to a bar, we tend to order the same drinks over and over again. And if you've found something you love, why not? The downside, though, is that we end up missing the possibility of discovering a new favorite. 

Nobody knows good new drinks like the bartenders at the cocktail bars in Portland. Five of the best suggest craft cocktails that you can order as alternatives to the tried-and-true.

• If your usual drink is a Lemon Drop, try an Elderflower Gimlet (Gin, Lime Juice, Sugar, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur). This is a bold choice. Definitely worth trying. St-Germain has a unique flavor: floral, fruity and fascinating.
• If your usual drink is Maker's on the Rocks, try an Old Fashioned (Bourbon, Sugar, Bitters, Citrus). Great suggestion! I love an Old Fashioned. There's a reason that this drink has persisted since the beginning.
• If your usual drink is a Cosmopolitan, try a Negroni with Carpano Antica (Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth). I'm not sure about this recommendation. The flavor profiles of the two drinks have some similarities, but are still quite different. Most people who order a Cosmo are looking for something sweet, and a Negroni isn't sweet, even when made with Carpano Antica.
• If your usual after-dinner drink is Baileys, try some Pastis instead. This is a very odd suggestion, as the two liqueurs are nothing alike. Baileys is sweet and chocolately, while Pastis (e.g., Pernod or Ricard) is bitter and aromatic, and tastes like licorice.
• If your usual drink is a Gin and Tonic, try a Gin Rickey instead (Gin, Lime, Sparkling Water). This is a great pick. I love a Gin and Tonic -- one of the best, simplest cocktails around -- and the Rickey is similar, but makes for a nice change of pace. Plus, it's the official cocktail of Washington, D.C., named for Colonel Joe Rickey, a 19th-century lobbyist.

Granted, your local T.G.I. Friday's will probably screw up these drinks. But if you can find a halfway decent bartender, you'll be in for some fun.

New Year's Resolutions: New Drinking Rules for 2012

Liquor.com offers their resolutions for the new year -- some interesting advice you might want to consider. (The commentary is adapted from their piece. It's not mine. But I agree with it.)

• Have nightcaps and aperitifs
  • At least once this year, try this classic style of imbibing.

• Visit a new bar
  • Not that long ago, it took some work to find a good cocktail. Now, it seems that another dozen craft-cocktail bars open across the country every few days.

• Start grating
  • We hope you’re already using fresh fruit juices in your tipples. But you should also be grating whole spices.

• Embrace technology
  • Bars and distillers are experimenting with new technologies, like cocktails on tap. No doubt the trend will become more common; we suggest giving these high-tech concoctions a chance

• Read up
  • Over the last decade, there’s been an outpouring of excellent historical books about cocktails and spirits that you should read. If you don’t already have them, some of our favorites are David Wondrich’s Imbibe! and Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl, Wayne Curtis’ And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the World in Ten Cocktails and Daniel Okrent’s Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.

Good suggestions! Check out the whole piece for the commentary.

Year in Review: Chicago's Year in Cocktails

Over on Chicagoist, Roger Kamholz presents the "Year in Cocktails," a fast summary of what happened on the craft cocktail scene last year in Chicago. In short:

"It's been an incredible year for cocktails in Chicago. From the openings of several exciting new bars, to the creativity on display at the city's most established watering holes, Chicago has hit an impressive stride when it comes to the cocktail."

According to Kamholz, the best drink he had all year was the Gunshop Fizz, a cocktail mixed up at New Orleans' Cure using Peychaud's Bitters as the primary ingredient. (Sounds kinda gross to me, but maybe it works.)

Probably the most exciting cocktailian happening in Chicago last year was the opening of Aviary, one of the country's most innovative bars.

Kamholz concludes by saying he looks "forward to seeing what Chicago's remarkable group of bartenders and mixologists have in store for us in 2012."

Cheers to that!

Year in Review: Top 5 Cocktail Experiences of 2011

Derek Brown, owner of DC's The Passenger and one of the cocktail world's brightest luminaries, took to the pages of The Atlantic to share his Top 5 Cocktail Experiences of 2011.

Over the course of the year, Derek visited some of the country's (and the world's) best bars in order to sample the cutting edge of mixology. It's a difficult job, but Derek took the hit for us.

Among his favorite drinks he encountered: the Martinez Sour, as prepared by Justin Pike at The Tasting Kitchen in L.A., a Rob Roy, as mixed by Arash Hanjianpour at Candelaria in Paris, and the Cold Hot Chocolate from Craig Schoettler at Aviary in Chicago.

Derek opines that the trend for high-end cocktails shows no signs of abating; if anything, it's now become part of the mainstream. Good news for those of us who love fine spirits. (Even if it makes our livers a little sad.)

Top 10 Drinks the Douches Have Ruined

Just so you won't think it's always serious here at the Professor's place...

 

The Top 10 Drinks that Are Decent, but Make You Feel Like a Douche Because of the People Who Drink Them

Courtesy of Derek Brown, owner/bartender of The Passenger in Washington, DC.

10. Tequila Shots

9. Sidecars

8. Tennessee Whiskey

7. Light Beer

6. Margaritas

5. Anything and Tonic

4. Daiquiri

3. Jägermeister

2. Layered Shots

1. Highballs

 

There are several favorites of mine on here. So, to all you DB's out there: stop spoiling our drinks!