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Bitter Monk - Cocktail of the Week - Esquire

Great looking drink by our friend Tom over at Island Creek Oyster Bar. One of our favorite entertaining life-savers as well! Continue

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Bitter Monk

Great looking drink by our friend Tom over at Island Creek Oyster Bar using Bittermens Tiki bitters (and served in a coupe). Jackson Cannon mentions a super entertaining tip while talking about the cocktail.

…one great tip: take a large pitcher and add the rum, aperol, and lemon juice, carefully measured. Then, when it comes time to mix them to order, you can just stir that up, throw it on some ice, add the bitters, and shake.

That’s one of our favorite entertaining life-savers as well!

Check out the recipe at Bitter Monk : Cocktail of the Week - Esquire.

Strawberry Huller - Cook’s Illustrated

It’s easy, safe, fast, compact, and cheap enough to be worth adding to the gadget drawer. Continue

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Strawberry Huller - Cook's Illustrated

A strawberry huller may be just the cure for the paring knife blues when it comes to prepping strawberries.

We agree! So happy to hear our friends over at Cook’s like the StemGem too. Pick one up and make some Tequila Por Mi Amante (Tequila infused with fresh strawberries)

Check out the StemGem Strawberry Hull Remover by Chef’n

It’s easy, safe, fast, compact, and cheap enough to be worth adding to the gadget drawer. (It cores tomatoes as well.)

via Strawberry Huller - Cook’s Illustrated.

Tequila por mi Amante (Tequila infused with fresh strawberries)

Put the jar in the fridge and allow to steep for at least two, and preferably three weeks — this process will take the edge off and will mellow the flavor tremendously. Continue

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Taken from the fantastic Gumbo Pages, here’s the recipe for Tequila por mi Amante (Tequila infused with fresh strawberries).
What isn’t here is Chuck’s great history writeup and serving suggestion. Please check it out while your strawberries are soaking.

  • One 750ml bottle of good reposado tequila. (100% agave only, please.)
  • 3 pints ripest possible strawberries; washed, hulled and sliced in half (quarters if they’re really huge).
  • Approximately 6 weeks of time.

In a clean, sealable 2 liter jar (the Italian ones with the rubber seals from Cost Plus work great, or else large Mason jars would work too) place the washed, hulled and sliced strawberries. Pour the tequila over to cover. Seal the jar, and give it a gentle agitation, rotating the jar clockwise then counterclockwise, trying not to break the berries.

Put the jar in the fridge and allow to steep for at least two, and preferably three weeks. Every day or so give the jar another gentle agitation.

After steeping, pour the tequila through a fine-mesh strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth (wash and wring first). Wrap the berries in the cheesecloth and squeeze until all the liquid is extracted; discard berries (they’ve already given up all they’ve got). You may wish to let the tequila settle, then siphon off the clear liquid from the sediment, or else you can strain it through the cheesecloth a few more times, until it’s clear. The color should be a like a beautiful, brilliant ruby.

Wash the jar thoroughly, then put the strained, infused tequila back into it and pop it back into the fridge. Allow at least three weeks for it to age — this process will take the edge off and will mellow the flavor tremendously.

via Gumbo Pages.

Bartender Bingo - Stuff Magazine

Love this piece by Luke O’Neil in Stuff Magazine - check it out for a laugh (and for a list of some good lookin’ cocktails from some cool places/bartenders). Continue

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…I turned to some fellow cocktail nerds, challenging them to create a drink that used as many selections as possible from an ingredient list that would make any bar geek pop a boner. Incidentally, there are no losers. But the winner? That’s you — because now you get to go out and order all of these. You’re welcome.

via Bartender Bingo.

Sloshed: How to Make the Perfect Summer Drink Out of Anything — Grub Street New York

A well written and very helpful article. I really like the author’s idea of creating a “summer syrup” and will give it a go this season. Continue

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Summer Cocktails

I looked at a bunch of recipes and figured there are four main Summer Drink Staple Techniques (SDSTs):

  • Bubbles.
  • Some kind of citrus-sugar combo.
  • Seasonal fruits and herbs (specifically: mint).
  • A lot of ice.

Spot on.
I really like the author’s idea of creating a “summer syrup” and will give it a go this season. If you haven’t made the “summer syrup” yet and are looking for a quick and easy summer cocktail (which also lets you experiment with syrups and bitters) here’s my go-to experimental summery cocktail.

    Summery Cocktail Framework

  • 1.5 - 2 oz. spirit (I usually go for gin, but tequila is tasty too)
  • 1/2 oz. fresh citrus juice. (Lemon, Lime, Orange, whatever’s on hand.)
  • 1/2 oz. sweet. (simple syrup, honey syrup, maple syrup, Jo Snow, Royal Rose or B.G. Reynolds)
  • 2-3 dashes of bitters (This is a great way to play with a bitters you’ve been wanting to use more. Works especially well with fruit bitters).
  • Soda water, club soda, lemon-lime soda, ginger beer, champagne. You know… bubbles.

Mix all ingredients, except the bubbles, in a shaker or build in a highball glass. Mix/Shake. Top with bubbles.
Garnish. Straw. Drink.

Sometimes you’ll have to play with ratios to get the balance right. For example, if you’re using Brut Champagne vs. lemon-lime soda you might need more or less syrup to balance things out. Make a beverage than tweak it as desired.

Oh, by the way - here’s a funny bit from the article that made me laugh out loud.

To be clear: I’m not after the ultimate summer cocktail. We already have that and its called the daiquiri. I am looking for a single technique that can be called upon at a moments notice no matter what is on hand, and deployed to large groups of friends in the waning sunlight after a day spent outside. To start, I had to really think about what makes a great summer drink. Theyre refreshing, obviously, and they tend to have a smaller percentage of alcohol than more robust cocktails, since day-drinking in the sun often just leads to naps.

Please check out the whole article at Sloshed: How to Make the Perfect Summer Drink Out of Anything — Grub Street New York.

Twelve Uncomplicated Summer Cocktails - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

Mixing a good drink requires a bit of care, but anyone can do it. Continue

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Getting ready to start your summer this Memorial Day? Here’s a quick and decent list from Mark Bittman & the NYT on some easy drinks to sip all summer long.

Twelve Uncomplicated Summer Cocktails: Mixing a good drink requires a bit of care, but anyone can do it.

(Beware: if you’re looking for rum, this collection has none :-( )

via Twelve Uncomplicated Summer Cocktails - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com.

Homemade Citrus Liqueurs to Prime Summer - NYTimes.com

Great summer prep from the NYT Continue

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The formula for widely available citrus-flavored liqueur involves alcohol that is distilled three times (Cognac, brandy or eau de vie) and flavored with citrus peels (usually orange) that have been dried outdoors. If you’re a city dweller without wooden drying racks or the Mediterranean sun, you can start your liqueur by infusing the peel in a flavored simple syrup, and adding vodka to stabilize the mix. The recipe here provides the essentials (ratios and techniques) with permission to make the infusion your own.

Read the whole article and get recipes at Homemade Citrus Liqueurs to Prime Summer - NYTimes.com.

Union Cocktail

Here’s a cocktail we’ve used in our Craft Cocktail Techniques Workshop that’s delightful and locally inspired! Continue

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Union Cocktail

  • 2 oz Irish Whiskey (We used Prichard’s Single Malt)
  • 1 oz Madeira (A Medium Dry Pale is preferred)
  • 1/2 oz Meletti Amaro
  • 1 dash Regans’ Orange Bitters
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters
  • Orange twist for garnish

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

(created by Brother Cleve for the Somerville Arts Council’s new book, “Nibble”.)

I found the original version from the fantastic Cocktail Virgin Blog.

Hemingway Daiquiri

Here’s a cocktail we like to make for the “shaken” part of the Craft Cocktail Techniques. It’s delicious and although it’s a classic, many folks haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet. Continue

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Hemingway Daiquiri

  • 2 oz. rum (we used Privateer)
  • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz. fresh Grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur Luxardo
  • Lime Wedge

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

(if needed, add simple syrup to offset tartness of the citrus)

In Defense of Hot Buttered Rum - Liquor.com

A winter rum classic revisited and perfected by Wayne Curtis Continue

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HOT BUTTERED RUM
Contributed by Wayne Curtis

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1.5 oz Rum
  • 1 tbsp Hot Buttered Rum Batter, frozen
  • Boiling water
  • Glass: Mug

PREPARATION:
Add the rum and batter to a mug. Fill with boiling water and stir.

Hot Buttered Rum Batter
INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb Butter, at room temperature
  • 1 lb Brown sugar
  • 1 lb Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Ground cloves
  • 1 tsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1 qt Vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

PREPARATION:
Add all the ingredients except the ice cream to a bowl and stir to combine. Add the ice cream and stir again. Transfer to a container with a lid, seal and store in the freezer. Ideally, the batter is prepared at first frost and finished before the robins arrive. Bring it out for parties, or whenever the temperature drops below 25 degrees.

via In Defense of Hot Buttered Rum - Liquor.com — Liquor.com.