Category Archives: Vermouth

December 20, 2012

I’ll Be Drunk for Christmas: Holiday Drinks

By pferdie

December is here, and that means you can’t get away from holiday themes and decorations everywhere — which has technically been true for the past three months. September, we hardly knew ye.

As it turns out, this blog is no exception to the rule, since I more than happy to welcome the extra traffic that will come in from search engine hits if I do a holiday theme.

So welcome to my post for the holidays! Hopefully most of these drinks will be somewhat non-denominational (I mean, Christmas doesn’t have a monopoly on peppermint, right?), but there might be a few drinks specific to one holiday. Maybe next year I’ll really get into the whole denominational thing, and do an eight crazy shots post or something. Sounds fun.

In any case, no matter what you celebrate this year, it’s a great time for family, love, kindness, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. After all, you are going to be seeing your family, so it’s kind of a necessity. So while you’re giving your loved ones the gift of junk you wouldn’t buy for yourself, give yourself the gift of intoxication. Here’s eight drinks to enjoy this season.

 

Holly Berry
-1 1/2 oz Raspberry Vodka
-1/2 oz Triple Sec
-1/4 oz Rose’s Lime Juice
-3 oz Cranberry Juice
-Holly Sprig without Berries

The Holly Berry

The Holly Berry

I think the recipe book I got this from just decided to make a reddish drink and add a holly sprig to it to make it look relevant to the season. With that in mind, I encourage you to use this method to invent your own festive holiday drinks — just be sure to pluck off all the berries (they are poisonous) and wash the sprig. Hell, you can use a plastic replica for all I care. Just whatever you do, don’t die.

In any case, this drink is pretty good, even if its inventor was really lazy when thinking it up. Despite being mostly raspberry vodka and cranberry juice, it’s not overly tart at all. In fact, the flavor of the triple sec is very noticeable, making for a very nice orange taste. In the end, all the flavors of the drink work very well together, much in the same way that all the religions in America don’t this time of year.

To make this, shake the liquid ingredients with ice, strain the mix into a martini glass, and garnish with the holly sprig. Or, if you’re not trying to impress anyone, go ahead and skip this garnish. Your call.

Moving on…

 

Vanilla Dark and Stormy
-2 oz Dark Rum
-1 dash Vanilla Extract
-Ginger Beer
-Lime Wedge

Vanilla Dark and Stormy

Vanilla Dark and Stormy

So this is seasonal in that vanilla and ginger are both flavors associated with the season. Other than that, it’s not very special. However, it is pretty good. Just be ready for the ginger beer. If you haven’t tasted ginger beer before, it’s kind of weird, and it can be as shocking as waking up to cat butt, though definitely not as unpleasant.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of ginger beer, but it’s definitely not a bad flavor. It is weird at first, but it’s good. Unfortunately, the vanilla flavor isn’t all that noticeable in this drink, but you will get hints of it here and there. It’s nice when you do notice it, anyway. Either way, this is a good and easy cooler for the holiday season, so if you’re a fan of ginger, give this a try.

To make, just pour the liquid ingredients in a tall glass of ice and stir. Squeeze the lime wedge over the drink and drop it in. Not the most complicated of holiday drinks, but not bad at all.

Let’s make something a little more pretty.

 

Angel’s Delight
-3/4 oz Gin
-3/4 oz Triple Sec
-2 to 3 dashes Grenadine
-1 oz Cream

Angel's Delight

Angel’s Delight

Isn’t this drink pretty? The deep red is very appropriate for the season, and the cream on top looks like a mound of snow or the trim on Santa’s suit. It’s just… oh, so pretty. I almost didn’t want to drink it.

But drink it I did, and it was delicious. Grenadine and gin compliment each other very well, and the triple sec throws in a little bit of complexity for the occasion. The cream is wonderful and fluffy as it just sits on top.

So, it’s pretty, it’s yummy, and it’s alcoholic. I suppose not much else is required to make something angelic. Especially when I’m three drinks in.

Shake all of the ingredients except the cream with ice and strain it into a champagne flute. Then carefully float the cream on top of the rest of the drink. You can also use a wine glass or a martini glass for this cocktail. I chose the champagne flute because it looks prettier.

 

Evergreen
-1 1/2 oz Gin
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
-1/2 oz Melon Liqueur
-1 dash Lemon Juice
-1 splash Blue Curacao
-Maraschino Cherry

Evergreen

Evergreen

Gin always did kind of taste like a tree, so this seems like a natural fit for it. This is essentially a Kyoto Cocktail, but with the addition of blue curacao and a cherry. It’s not bad, but in all honesty, the lemon juice really conflicts with the melon liqueur. The recipe is clearly following the sweet ingredient and sour ingredient blueprint, but I don’t think it works here.

Other than that, the drink isn’t bad. The melon is nice, the gin gives that slight tree-like taste, and biting into the cherry at the end is a great finisher. It is also pretty, so that’s worth something. Go light on the lemon juice, and it might impress some guests. Otherwise, this drink will overwhelm you, and that nice tree-like taste will quickly start to feel like that one scene from Evil Dead that Sam Raimi later regretted.

Shake the gin, vermouth, melon liqueur, and lemon juice with ice and strain it into a martini glass. Top it with a splash of blue curacao and drop the cherry in. It’s pretty, but not as good as some of the others on this list.

Now let’s look at peppermint, that ever-popular holiday flavor.

 

Candy Cane Twist
-1 oz Raspberry Vodka
-1/2 oz Peppermint Schnapps
-2 oz Cranberry Juice
-1/2 oz Grenadine
-1 splash Lemon-Lime Soda
-Candy Cane

Candy Cane Twist

Candy Cane Twist

Yeah, we all have probably had enough of peppermint by now. But, alas, This list would be incomplete without a peppermint-themed drink. It’s not a bad flavor at all, but it is overdone this time of year. However, this fact apparently didn’t stop me from beating this dead horse with a comically large candy cane.

This drink is nice and smooth. It’s sweet without being too sweet, and it has that peppermint flavor without being overpowering. A note on that, by the way: The peppermint flavor is kind of subtle in this drink if you use the above proportions. It gives that cool feeling without being very strong. If you want to have a stronger peppermint flavor, increase the amount of peppermint schnapps a little at a time — maybe in quarter ounce increments. Be careful though, as peppermint schnapps is one of those ingredients that is very powerful, and can overpower whatever it’s in if you put in too much.

Shake the liquid ingredients except for the soda with ice and strain it into a martini glass.  Add the soda, garnish with the candy cane and enjoy. Also, if you want to put in the effort, you can crush another candy cane and rim the glass with it. I attempted to do this, but I couldn’t get the candy cane crumbs to stick to the glass. I’m sure there’s a good way to do this, but I didn’t figure it out. If you’re up for the adventure, be my guest.

 

Christmas Shooter
-1/2 oz Grenadine
-1/2 oz Green Crème de Menthe
-1/2 oz Cream

Christmas Shooter

Christmas Shooter

Turns out we’re not quite done with mint yet, because I wanted to do at least one shot for this post. I figured that the celebratory nature of the holiday season is perfect for shots, so here’s one with Christmas colors.

Often, layered shots are made to look pretty rather than to taste good. In this case, however, it works both ways. The flavors work pretty alright together (as long as you do it as a shot, rather than sipping it the way that assholes always drink shots), and the layering actually allows you to taste each ingredient individually and in order, giving you an enjoyable progression.

Plus, it does look very pretty. Especially if it’s in a clear glass, as opposed to the yellow-ish glass I used. Apologies. It will take a few minutes to layer them all correctly, but whip up a round of these at a holiday party, and people will really like it.

To make this wonder of alcohol and thick liquids, carefully layer each ingredient into a shot glass in the order given. Depending on the size of the glass, you may have to adjust the amounts. In order to layer the ingredients, pour the first one in, and then slowly pour in the next two, using the back of a bar spoon to break the liquid’s fall just above the surface of the shot.

Once you’ve made your shot, throw it down the hatch.

 

Menorah Cocktail
-1 1/2 oz Vodka
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
-1 splash Blue Curacao
-Sugar
-Blueberries

Menorah Cocktail

Menorah Cocktail

Jewish readers, I’m afraid I must apologize, as I fear I have let you all down. Not only is this a week late, but, as you see, finding a good Hanukkah-themed cocktail proved a challenge for me, especially given limited ingredients. If I could get every brand the Internet recommended to me, I could make a cocktail with nothing but Israeli spirits. However, most Hanukkah-themed cocktails proved to be nothing more than normal Winter-themed cocktails. That’s all well and good, but I wanted something a bit special.

But then I learned that blue is a big Hanukkah color, and I found this allegedly blue drink that some blogger or writer had invented specifically to celebrate the lighting of the menorah. On top of that, a sugared rim always looks frosty, so that adds a nice winter touch.

However, if the picture of this drink loaded on your computer and you’re not colorblind, then you already know the problem. This drink is green, not blue. You see, the sweet vermouth colored the drink too, and it simply came out green. I’m betting the person who invented this drink doesn’t know too much about mixing drinks and most definitely never actually mixed this drink. It still works for this post, since green is a Christmas color, but that just gives Christians another drink and robs the Jews of their rightful booze. I am sincerely sorry.

The taste is pretty good, in any case. Sweet vermouth and curacao play off each other in interesting ways. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but it is an interesting thing. You could try making this drink with dry vermouth — which would probably help keep it blue — but that would also drastically change the taste. Try it if you so choose.

First, rim a martini glass with sugar. Then shake the liquid ingredients with ice and strain it into the prepared glass, and garnish with the blueberries. I know blueberries are out of season right now, which is all the more proof that the person who invented this drink didn’t know what they were doing. I have frozen blueberries in my fridge, so that worked out for me.

 

Cinnamon Old Fashioned
-2 1/2 oz Fireball Cinnamon Whisky
-1/4 oz Simple Syrup
-2 to 3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Cinnamon Old Fashioned

Cinnamon Old Fashioned

I was going to end there, but I thought that this post would be incomplete without some cinnamon. I also wanted a stiffer drink, so I decided to whip up an Old Fashioned, but use Fireball in place of bourbon or rye. This was an on-the-fly decision, and I think it worked out well.

A note for you Old Fashioned enthusiasts, though: I know you probably think this drink is an abomination. I know that Fireball is very sweet, and is closer to a liqueur than a liquor. So, I understand how some of you will punch your screen right now, because “This isn’t a real Old Fashioned!”

Calm down, please. This drink is just for the season, and there’s no reason to get upset over a novelty.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me say that this drink works very well. It’s good, delicious, and alcoholic. What more do want from anything?

So, pour the ingredients into a rocks glass with or without ice (your preference), and stir. Also, Fireball is already kind of sweet, so feel free to reduce the amount of syrup.

 

Denouement

Happy Holidays. Be safe. Be responsible. Check back next week for a New Year’s post with champagne drinks.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Angostura Bitters, Blue Curacao, Cranberry Juice, Cream, Creme de Menthe, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Gin, Ginger Beer, Grenadine, Lemon, Lemon-Lime Soda, Lime, Maraschino Cherry, Melon Liqueur, Peppermint Schnapps, Rose's Lime Juice, Rum, Simple Syrup, Sugar, Triple Sec, Vanilla Extract, Vermouth, Vodka

November 7, 2012

Shaken AND Stirred: The Martini

By pferdie

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here we are. It’s been a week since the massive disappointment that was Bloody Marys, which left me gagging and barely-buzzed. I don’t think that will be a problem this week. Why? Because Skyfall comes out (in the United States) this week, and in honor of the ever-resourceful agent James Bond, we’re drinking Martinis at Six Drinks Too Many. And that means I’m getting wasted tonight.

In case you missed my rambling before Halloween, I love Martinis. It’s the king of drinks and the symbol of cocktails for a reason. There’s nothing quite like a well-made Martini, and even though it might be hard to develop a taste for such a potent and liquor-y drink, I encourage you to try one if you have not before. Maybe you’ll even find a version you like here.

But first a couple of side notes. I know I generally tell you to use good liquor, but in the case of the Martini, it is essential that you use a good gin (or other liquor depending on the Martini you’re making). You can probably find a vermouth you like for not too much money, but don’t go cheap on the gin. Personally, I prefer Plymouth gin. Find a type and/or brand that you like.

My second side note is on the eternal battle: shaken versus stirred. We all know where 007 lands in this debate, but his method actually breaks with tradition, and a lot of Martini aficionados hate James Bond — but we’ll talk about that a little bit later.

So, a Martini is traditionally stirred, and that’s because shaking a drink will affect its texture. A shaken drink will get more air in it, giving it some bubbles, and it will look cloudy. Stirring a drink will leave it crystal clear and beautiful. Shaking a drink will also melt a little bit more ice, in addition to leaving a few small slivers of ice floating on the top of your drink, diluting a little bit more than stirring it. In all honesty, this probably doesn’t make that much of a difference taste-wise, but some people will swear it does.

The advantage to shaking a drink is that it will get it cold much faster. You can get a drink equally cold by stirring, but it will take longer. Also, some people prefer the cloudy look — it makes the drink appear icy and cold. In the end, it’s a matter of preference. Try both methods, and see which you like better. Generally, recipes will tell you to stir a Martini with gin and shake a Martini with vodka, and that’s what I’ll be telling you to do in these recipes. However, I have shaken gin and I have stirred vodka, so to each their own.

Also, don’t believe people that tell you that shaking will bruise a liquor. These people have no idea what they’re talking about, but want to seem sophisticated. You can’t bruise a liquor, and the idea that you can is ridiculous. You can introduce air into it, but after a minute the bubbles will dissipate.

And with that, let us begin!

 

Martini
-2 oz Gin
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
-Green Olive(s) or Lemon Twist

The Martini

This is it, in all it’s glory. The classic Martini. The 4-to-1 ratio of gin-to-vermouth is what I prefer, but you can go anywhere from the super wet Martini with a 1-to-1 ratio, or the super dry Martini with only a dash of vermouth. Of course, a lot of people like an extra dry Martini with no vermouth in it all. I don’t consider this a Martini, but if you prefer a cup of cold gin, then by all means, drink a cup of cold gin.

But don’t actually drink a cup of cold gin. If you want to make a really dry Martini, there’s two good ways to do it. The first and more common way is to put a dash or two of dry vermouth in the glass before you make your drink and coat the inside of the glass with it. This will give a little bit of vermouth flavor when you strain the gin into it.

The second way is to pour some vermouth into a mixing glass with ice, stir it around for about ten seconds, and then strain it back out. This will leave the essence of the vermouth on the ice and in the glass, and when you pour the gin in, it will get a little bit of that flavor and feeling.

However, I still recommend against this, and hope you’ll prefer your Martini with at least a quarter ounce of vermouth in it. But, as with most things Martini-related, to each their own. As long as it’s gin, vermouth, and a garnish, it’s a Martini. Drop one of those ingredients, and disagreements about whether or not it’s a real Martini will follow (and certainly, any drink in a stemmed cone glass is not a Martini, no matter what modern nomenclature tells us).

Anyway, I think the 4-to-1 ratio is a good medium, and a good introduction to how Martinis taste. Its enough vermouth to smooth out the gin, but not too much to hugely affect the balance of the drink. If you haven’t tried a Martini yet, this is a good place to start.

Now let’s talk about the garnish. The olive is classic, and it’s what I prefer. Biting into an olive after drinking a Martini just feels right. However, the more understated lemon twist is also wonderful, and might be a better choice for the beginner. And besides, once you finish making your lemon twist, your hands will smell amazing, and that will help you attract a mate. I’m looking out for you.

Also, feel free to experiment some. The Martini is the perfect drink to demonstrate the importance of the garnish, as a Martini tastes wildly different depending on what garnish you use. Once you’re acquainted with the lemon twist and olive, see if you’re feeling adventurous. Try it with a sprig of basil, mint, rosemary, or some other herb to tell people that you probably shop at health food stores. Or do something wilder like an anchovy, a pepper, pomegranate seeds, or chocolate chips to tell people that you’re a weird hipster that doesn’t follow society’s rules. The Martini can be a blank canvas to accentuate the subtle notes added by any garnish, and thus display you’re unique personality, you quirky character, you.

Anyway, to make it, stir the gin and vermouth with ice and strain it into a Martini glass. You’ll want to stir until the glass or tin you’re using becomes too cold to touch — about 30 to 40 seconds. Add your garnish and enjoy.

Speaking of garnishes…

 

Gibson
-2 oz Gin
-1/2 oz Vermouth
-Pickled Pearl Onion(s)

The Gibson

As I was just saying, garnishes are important things. A Martini with an onion instead of an olive tastes so different that it warrants a different name.

There are a few origin stories behind this cocktail, and probably none of them are true. But, they’re still a lot of fun. My favorite one is that there used to be a politician or businessman named Gibson. The story goes that good old Gibson would go on these lunches with colleagues and clients where they would drink, but he didn’t want to become inebriated and become a poor negotiator or do something embarrassing. So, our resourceful man had the waiter bring him a glass with water in it instead of a Martini. To mark his from the others, he took it with an onion instead of an olive. That’s my kind of politician.

There’s another story about how a guy named Gibson challenged a bartender to improve upon the Martini’s recipe. The bartender was a bit of a sarcastic fellow, and merely changed the garnish of the drink and offered it to his customer. I don’t like the onion better, but I hope our bartender won the bet.

Anyway, as to the taste of the drink — it’s a little bit brinier and sharper than the standard Martini. And biting into the onion(s) at the end is a VERY different experience. It’s very sharp and oddly sweet. It’s probably an acquired taste, and if my refrigerator is any indication, the Martini is superior — I’ve gone through about three bottles of cocktail olives in the time it’s taken me to use maybe ten of the onions. The Gibson isn’t bad, but it’s not as good. The olive and and the lemon have stood the test of time, and so the onion must take bronze. Awesome X-Men-esque origin stories aside, I’ll keep my glorious green friends.

Make the Gibson like you would the Martini, but garnish with the onion(s).

Let’s go super-brine now.

 

Dirty Martini
-2 oz Gin
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
-1/4 oz Olive Brine
-Green Olive(s)

The Dirty Martini

This is for Martini lovers that love the high seas and want to taste the briney deep. Arr, mateys! Avast, drink this drink with great joy, as it is quite good, and the classy lad who can drink this will have himself many wenches. It’s not for everyone, but if you can enjoy it, it is exceptional.

The Dirty Martini, like the Margarita, is a fantastic use of salty flavor in a cocktail. If you stop and think about it, salt isn’t a flavor you would expect yourself to want in a cocktail. However, it works very well in the right contexts, and this is one of those successes.

Also, if you looked at the picture, you’ll notice that I made this drink on the rocks instead of up. You can make a Martini either way, but on the rocks is very uncommon. It’s probably not that popular because the extra ice dilutes it more than most tastes prefer. And I agree with that — generally you should drink a Martini up. Even so, the mood may strike me to take one on the rocks, so far be it from me to keep you from enjoying the same.

I find that I like a Dirty Martini more on the rocks. Possibly because of the extra dilution, but more likely because of the extra coldness. The ice helps this drink to feel even more like the dark cold depths where an angler fish might be lurking for his cocktail, and I find that very appealing.

So, stir the liquid ingredients with ice, and strain it into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass (or into an empty cocktail glass). Add the olives (spearing them will help you out, because fishing them out of the ice can be difficult once you finish your drink), and enjoy.

Let’s move on.

 

Perfect Martini
-2 oz Gin
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
-1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
-Orange Slice

The Perfect Martini

So, in case you didn’t know, “perfect,” when it comes to cocktails, refers to a drink that has equal parts dry and sweet vermouth. It is definitely not the same kind of perfect that your grandmother says you are. Or, maybe it is the same kind of perfect, in which case I’ll drink to that.

So this amber-hued drink uses both types of vermouth. As you might have guessed, it’s sweeter than your standard Martini. However, other than that the two are similar in taste. So, if you try a Martini, and it’s just not sweet enough for you, this is a good choice. Of course, that also makes you a pussy, and I will laugh at you and point. Consider your options carefully; I have a devastating mocking laugh.

This drink is good, but I still prefer the regular Martini to it. If you want to try it, make it like any other Martini, and garnish it with the orange slice. Rim the glass with the slice so that a little bit of juice gets on the rim. Then drop the orange in. You can also perch the slice on the rim of the glass, but dropping it in will affect the taste, whereas keeping it on the side will only affect the aroma and aesthetic — a good garnish always affects the taste of the drink (with the exception of elaborate garnishes that a purely for show).

 

To Be Continued…
Man, I’m kind of like Heroes episodes with all of these cliffhangers, huh? No, I don’t care if that reference was three years too late. But, in any case, I’ll be coming back Friday with four more Martini recipes. Be sure to read then, because these next four do away with the traditional gin base. I’m not sure how much you’ll like it, but I guarantee you it’ll be better than Heroes after the first season.

See you then!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Gin, Lemon, Olives, Onions, Orange, Vermouth

October 26, 2012

Monster Mash! Halloween Drinks (Part Two)

By pferdie

And now I’m back! From outerspace!

It is officially Halloween weekend, which means it is officially not okay to be sober for the next 72 hours (my how things have changed since I dressed up as the red Power Ranger). So, let the ghosts and ghouls run rampant with booze, and try one of these fun Halloween-themed cocktails.

 

Bloody Sundae
-1 ½ oz Vanilla Vodka
-1 ½ oz Whipped Cream Vodka
-Strawberry Syrup
-Plastic Vampire Teeth (optional)

The Bloody Sundae

Here’s one of those candy drinks, which, I keep telling myself is appropriate because Halloween is all about candy. Yeah, some of you might scoff at whipped cream flavored vodka. But, as silly as it sounds, it’s delicious, and you’ll be missing out if you write it off. Certainly, it isn’t classy, but it sure is good, and you can find some great ideas for it.

Case and point: this silly little novelty drink. This isn’t something you’d ever want to drink on a fancy cocktail night, but it definitely is something you’d think about drinking anyway. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. It’s alcohol-y, but not too alcohol-y. It’s just good. It’s no Martini, it’s no Manhattan, but it is a nice piece of alcoholic candy, which is the best you can hope for if you go out trick-r-treating.

So, first, you’ll want to put a little bit of the strawberry syrup into a cocktail glass and thoroughly coat the glass with it by turning the glass around so that the syrup coats the inside. Discard any excess syrup (or don’t if you want it extra sweet). Then, shake the two flavored vodkas together with ice, and strain it into the glass. If you have plastic vampire teeth, they make awesome party garnishes. Otherwise, just drink up, matey. It tastes like candy and gets you wasted. Best Halloween gift ever.

 

Black Widow
-2 oz Kraken Black Spiced Rum
-1 oz Coffee Liqueur
-1 oz Anisette
-Black Licorice

The Black Widow

Black Widow just so happens to be another one of those cocktails names (like “Jack-O-Lantern”) that gets used a lot, but without any standard cocktail. And, to be honest, I based this recipe on another “Black Widow” recipe that used vanilla vodka, black sambuca, and espresso (no licorice garnish). However, only clear sambuca appears to be available in North Carolina, so I was forced to change it up. I used generic anisette instead of sambuca (but use the kind of anisette you want), and swapped out the espresso with Kahlua (not too much of a flavor change, I hope). To keep it all good and dark, I decided to replace the vodka with a dark rum (let’s face it — the Kahlua couldn’t have kept is black on its own).

Okay, so, yes — the flavor takes a backseat to color and presentation here. But it actually doesn’t taste bad at all. The anisette dominates at first, but after a while the coffee liqueur begins to make itself noticed. The rum actually takes a background role, which is surprising because I chose the strongest and richest rum I have in stock. But, coffee and anisette are too very strong flavors, so it is understandable why vodka may have been used in the recipe I based this off of. Since vodka is neutral, it allows the two other flavors to duke it out on their own turf, with the base liquor taking a background role.

That being said, the Kraken is noticeable, it’s just not a power player in this mix. So, we focus on the coffee and anise flavors, which surprisingly work quite well together — a lot like Aerosmith and Run DMC. And that’s really the joy of mixology (still hate that word): you discover incredible combinations that otherwise you would have never tried.

Also, this looks awesome as all Hell thanks to the garnish. Given, the garnish is completely unnecessary, but that doesn’t stop it from being fucking sweet — which is the basic rule of thumb that bartenders have been using for garnishing Bloody Marys (coming next week), so why not try that rule with another drink?

Though, I still must admit, I broke my own rule, and didn’t eat all of the edible garnish. Licorice isn’t my favorite candy to begin with, but the sheer amount that you need to properly garnish this cocktail is overwhelming for those who don’t like licorice. I managed to eat two strands (while drinking) before giving up. So, the garnish is definitely worth the aesthetic value, but unlike the olives in the Martini, you probably won’t finish eating this garnish unless you like licorice a lot

One sidenote, though: It’s a lot easier to enjoy anisette than it is to enjoy licorice, so don’t let drink recipes that include anisette deter you. Including this one.

So, shake the liquid ingredients with ice and strain it into a cocktail glass. Now comes the fun part: the garnish. You’ll need eight strands of black licorice to properly garnish this cocktail. Once you have eight strands, bend them, and arrange them four on each side, so that it looks like a spider is submerged in your drink. Bonus points if you can drink the whole cocktail without removing the licorice. I managed to drink about two-thirds of this drink before the licorice started falling out of the glass.

 

Pumpkin Pie Cocktail
-1 ½ oz Spiced Rum
-1 ½ oz Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur
-1-2 dashes Vanilla Extract
-Graham Cracker Crumbs

The Pumpkin Pie Cocktail

Alright, so this cocktail isn’t so much a Halloween cocktail as it is a Fall cocktail, but I have no plans to do a Thanksgiving post, so this is the only exposure this drink will get. And, even though it’s a novelty and extremely non-alcoholic at 25 proof, Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur is absolutely delicious. It’s like if eggnog and a pumpkin fucked, and had an awesome-yet-unholy baby. And not just any sex session, at that; they had dirty and deep anal sex with amazing spices for a condom (Sober edit: And apparently still managed to conceive. Good basic reproductive knowledge there, drunk Dave). So, yeah, scoff at it as a seasonal fad, but it tastes so good, and you will love it.

And even though the alcohol content of the liqueur in this is ridiculously low, this cocktail tastes fairly strong. I used Captain Morgan, which is awesome, but below proof for liquor at 70 proof (80 proof is the standard for all liquors, if you didn’t know), and yet this still tasted very alcoholic. And yet, even though it tastes liquory, it goes down really easy. It’s really a great cocktail to serve to your family during the holidays if your intention is to get drunk with your family, and maybe find out a few things you didn’t know. Two of these will get most aunts a little tipsy, I’m sure.

So, as always, shake the liquid ingredients with ice and strain it into a cocktail glass. Garnish by sprinkling the graham cracker crumbs on top. Alternatively, you can rim the cocktail glass with the crumbs before shaking the cocktail. This method will keep the crumbs crispier, but it’s also a bit more effort. Of course, the crumbs will get soggy if you sprinkle them on top, which might turn some people off. I thought it worked very well with soggy graham cracker crumbs, but that’s not everybody’s thing.

Onwards to the last drink!

 

Bleeding Heart Martini
-2 oz HIGH QUALITY Gin
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
-Pickled Beet
-1 splash Pickled Beet Brine (optional, if you like it dirty)

The Bleeding Heart Martini

So, I saved this one for last because I love, love, LOVE Martinis. At the end of the day, the Martini is probably my favorite cocktail. In fact, I can’t wait until the new James Bond movie comes out, not because I’m excited about Skyfall, but because I’m going to use it as an excuse to do a Martini post. And I am very excited about the Martini post.

However, the Martini just so happens to be the perfect cocktail to demonstrate how the garnish for your drink FUCKING MATTERS. A Martini with an olive tastes much different than a Martini with a lemon twist. And both of those taste WAY FUCKING DIFFERENT than a Martini with a pickled beet. So, homeboy, let me tell you— Martinis are amazing, but pickled beets ain’t no olives.

I’m probably going to repeat this when I do my Martini post, but I prefer my Martinis with two (not one, but two) olives, pimento stuffed if available (and pimento stuffed is always available at my house). I prefer a lemon twist if I’m making a vodka Martini (a lot of cocktail enthusiasts shun the vodka Martini, but it is absolutely amazing if done right), but I usually use gin. (Also, this is as good a place as any to mention why I used caps locks on the HIGH QUALITY when mentioning the gin in the ingredient list. Use middle or high-low shelf gin for every other cocktail recipe. But, for a Martini, use a good gin. You owe it to yourself, and the Martini deserves no less.)

Also, if you happen to know how you like your Martini, feel free to make it that way — dry, wet, or dirty. Stirred or shaken. However, if you’re not that acquainted with Martinis, the 4:1 ratio of gin to vermouth works very well, so go ahead and use this recipe. If you don’t like gin that much, maybe go to 3:1 or 2:1.

But, going back to my original point, a pickled beet ain’t no olive. If you prefer a lemon twist in your Martini, then this is even more different. But, if you’re like me, and you love biting into that delicious olive after drinking a Martini, then the pickled beet is semi-acceptable. That being said, it still ain’t no olive. The beet brine is similar to the olive brine at first, but it loses its charm pretty fast, and it’s ultimately no where near as satisfying as an olive at the end of the drink. In fact, it’s kind of bland. So, final verdict is not bad, but no where near as good.

Sorry for all that text, but I really like Martinis.

To make this drink, stir the liquid ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Of course you can shake it if you prefer, but I’m recommending the traditional stirring method. Finally, garnish with a pickled beet, preferably pierced by a cocktail spear.

And thus we reach the end of our adventure.

 

Denouement

So, what have we learned? I think we’ve learned that a lot of things are scary, but we can’t let that hold us back. We need to stand strong, and drink, even in the face of adversity.

Happy Halloween, everyone. Don’t party too hard.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Anisette, Coffee Liqueur, Gin, Pumpkin Liqueur, Rum, Strawberry Syrup, Vanilla Extract, Vermouth, Vodka

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