[Apologies for the long absence. Work has been kicking my ass lately, and after a few weeks it becomes hard to work up the blogging momentum. Anyway, I’m back now. ]

Ah, Paris! One of the world’s most legendary cities, along with New York and London, and definitely the most picturesque of the three. Millions of people flock there every year to visit famous monuments, take long walks along the Seine during a warm afternoon and then move on to one of its many bistros or even one of its mythical drinking establishments for dinner and a couple of drinks.

However, it’s not always summer in Paris, and the winter can be harsh. So harsh, in fact, that the quintessentially wintry Sidecar is a Parisian creation.

Hailing from the 1920s, when prohibition still held the U.S. in its claws, this mix of brandy, triple sec and lemon juice was reputedly created at either Harry’s New York Bar or at the Paris Ritz, both great old establishments. A regular customer, the story goes, walked in one evening chilled to the bone due to foolishly mixing a Paris winter night and a ride in a motorbike. Apparently, this was the first thing the bartender came up with, and he named it Sidecar after the customer’s vehicle of choice.

Whether this is true or not, it’s really a great drink and deservedly one of the classics.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. Brandy
1 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Lemon juice

Shake and strain into a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass.

Notes:

This recipe allows for some experimentation with the ratios given. I’ve given you the 3-2-1 (3 parts brandy - 2 parts Cointreau - 1 part lemon juice) recipe in Gary Regan’s Joy of Mixology, because it’s the one I’ve been using lately, but other common ratios are 2-1-1 and 4-2-1. I find this version keeps the sourness of the drink under control, and the flavours are quite neatly balanced, but your tastes may vary.

If you can’t be bothered with the sugar rim, you can add a quarter-ounce or so of simple syrup to the mix. It’s not quite the same, but it works well.

Rating:

- I hate the winter, but one or two of these can make a cold day bearable.

It’s a scene that has played out countless times, in many a cocktail enthusiast’s house. You, as the host, try to find the ideal drink for each guest but somebody is being difficult:

Gracious Host: So, can I mix you something?

Guest: Well, I don’t know. Can you make me something nice?

GH: How about a Margarita? They’re fairly popular.

Guest: Oh no, that’s much too strong for me. Can you make something milder?

GH: Hmm, a Mojito? They’re all the rage you know.

Guest: I tried that once, but I didn’t like the taste of the rum in it. What else have you got?

GH: (without much hope) A Cosmopolitan? That has vodka in it, so the taste shouldn’t bother you.

Guest: Vodka? I tried that once and it was horrible! I don’t know, if you can’t fix anything nice, I’ll just have a Coke.

GH: (pride hurt) Well, do you like any alcoholic drinks at all?

Guest: Actually I never drink, only some Bailey’s now and again.

GH: (Eyes light up) Ah, in that case I have just the thing!

Gracious Host exits toward BAR.

Recipe:

1 oz. Brandy
1 oz. Créme de Cacao
1 oz. Heavy Cream

Shake very well with plenty of ice and serve in a cocktail glass. Sprinkle freshly-grated nutmeg on top and serve.

Notes:

Kind of like one of these pre-made cream liqueurs brought to life, using real fresh cream and good brandy, and not a preservative in sight. Whenever someone says they like Bailey’s, I mix one of these up instead. I haven’t had any complaints yet.

Rating:

- Rich, creamy goodness.

The Rob Roy. It’s a name that brings back memories. You see, my father is Scottish and, probably due partly to that, I ended up spending my university years in Scotland – in Stirling, if you care.

Rob Roy was one of the best-known heroes of auld Scotland, along with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. There is even a Hollywood film made about his life, starring Liam Neeson, although it didn’t reach the peaks of fame that William Wallace’s life story, Braveheart, did.

Nevertheless, he was definitely a character and, as such, his memory lives on in many forms. One that comes to mind is a pub in down-town Stirling where I think I went once as a student, never to return. I don’t recommend it. Another is the Rob Roy cocktail.

Now, with the heritage I described above, you’d think I would enjoy a dram of fine Scotch Whisky on occasion, but the uncomfortable truth is that I never liked it. Decided to get over this childish dislike of an obviously character-building drink, and having read that all you need to start liking things you used to hate is just to try them enough times, I recently invested in a bottle of single-malt scotch and went to work.

First I poured a measure into a small glass, because that’s apparently how you’re supposed to drink scotch. Then, I tried adding a splash of spring water, to open the flavor, apparently. I then added some ice, because on the rocks is such a cool expression. Finally, I added some seltzer, because anyone who’s anyone drinks Scotch & Soda.

It didn’t work. I still don’t like scotch. But having a full bottle of something is remarkable motivation, so I set out to find a use for it. Now, there aren’t many scotch cocktails, and the best-known is probably the Rob Roy, so it seemed like a good place to start. The remarkable similarity to my trusted Manhattan didn’t hurt either.

The verdict? Difficult question. I’m still not over the moon about scotch, I find its character is too pushy and dominates any drink that uses it in any significant quantity. Still, it’s definitely more palatable to someone like me who doesn’t normally like scotch. I did finish it quite quickly, which says something.

Recipe:

2 oz. Scotch Whisky
1 oz. Italian Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir everything together in a mixing glass and pour into a cocktail glass.

Notes:

As I mentioned above, the flavour profile of the scotch shines through the drink, although much more subtly than drinking it alone. For me this was pretty cool because I was identifying tastes and smells that I usually only read about in tasting notes.

Rating:

- Not bad, considering…

When Great Britain was still the colonial power in the world, one of the lesser-known colonies it held was Burma, the largest country in Southeast Asia. Modern Burma, or Myanmar, is a thoroughly unpleasant place to live because of the oppressive military dictatorship that runs the place, especially in recent times.

Back when it was a colony, on the other hand, life was good if you were a foreigner. If you could get past the local climate, which was probably unlike anything you had ever experienced before if you were European, your quality of life was much higher than that of any local. Decent food, all the gin-and-tonics you could stomach (for medicinal purposes, of course) and in the evenings you could head to the club, just like any British gentleman.

One of these clubs was the Pegu Club. experts can’t agree on whether it was located in Pegu, a town about 60 km. northeast of the capital, Rangoon, or if it was in Rangoon itself. Regardless of its physical location, it was well regarded by its patrons, which included people like Rudyard Kipling, and must have been a pretty special place.

It’s signature drink was known just as the Pegu Club Cocktail. A simple mix of gin, Cointreau and lime juice, it is one of the great classics that has descended into obscurity with the passing of time. However, since the recipe is so simple, there really is no excuse for at least trying it once.

The problem is that all-too-common lack of an authoritative recipe. Thankfully it’s just a problem of proportions, since the list of ingredients is agreed-upon, and it allows you to mess around with what you prefer. I tried the version in Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, and a few others I found on the net, and finally decided on one that reduced the amount of lime juice somewhat, since I felt it was overpowering the drink. Here is what I came up with.

Recipe:

2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Lime juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake with lots of ice until the shaker is frosty, and pour into a cocktail glass.

Notes:

I think with a good pungent gin I might push the gin back to 1 1/2 oz., but I’ll need to wait until I can get to a liquor store to try that because my gin stocks are currently very low.

Still, it’s pretty good. I’d encourage you to try it.

Rating:

- Let’s get hot and sweaty.

The Japanese Cocktail was one of the first drinks I read about on Drinkboy when I started getting beyond Rum ‘n’ Cokes and Long Island Iced Teas. Before I had even seen the recipe, my head was brimming with ideas. Would it use sake? Soy sauce instead of bitters? Maybe it had a piece of raw fish floating in it as garnish. Perhaps you had to drink it barefoot and sitting cross-legged on the ground to get the full taste of the experience.

The truth was far more mundane. As the page loaded I saw three simple ingredients, one of which I had never even heard of before. The mystery ingredient, Orgeat syrup, revealed itself to be unobtainable in my part of the world, so I just clicked on the back button and moved on to something else.

The name stuck in my mind, though, and every now and then I’d see references to it, look it up, see I still didn’t have any Orgeat, and again mix up something else. Until today, when I came across a mention of it as well as a pointer to a post by Robert Hess over at The Spirit World where he goes over the Japanese Cocktail in his usual authoritative style. After the usual click through to remind myself of the ingredients, I realized that it was finally possible to mix one up.

After a summer of basically drinking light citrus-based drinks, I wasn’t too sure how well a classical-style cocktail would go down. I needn’t have worried, the Japanese Cocktail is quite refreshing for a drink that is basically brandy. What really surprised me was how well balanced it is, and how tasty such a simple drink can get. I have to admit, Orgeat is quickly becoming a favourite ingredient of mine.

The link above outlines what little is known about the Japanese Cocktail’s history. Basically, not much. It is one of the cocktails included in Jerry Thomas‘ classic Bartender’s Guide (or How to Mix Drinks). Some theorize that it was created by Jerry Thomas himself in honour of a delegation of Japanese dignitaries that visited the US at some point, but nothing is known for sure.

Here’s how to make one.

Recipe:

2 oz. Brandy
1/2 oz. Sirop d’Orgeat
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Notes:

A masterfully balanced drink, one of the best I’ve had in a long time. The Orgeat brings the drink to life, without overpowering the flavour of the brandy. You don’t want to skip the garnish in this one, and should make sure to twist the lemon on top of the glass — as opposed to using a pre-made twist — so all the essential oils get sprayed onto the surface of the drink. This adds an additional dimension.

I was expecting a serious drink, but this one is lots of fun.

Rating:

- Better than sake with a piece of fish in it!

One of the timeless summer classics, the Margarita is a typical example of a decent drink with a bad reputation. When it is well made, with quality ingredients, it is a nice and balanced drink suitable for hot afternoons.

Like many classics, its origin is lost in the mists of time. Robert Hess outlines quite a few of the available stories in the Drinkboy Margarita recipe page. I don’t have enough data to choose any one account as being more likely than the rest, so I won’t bother. However, it’s safe to assume that a 1930’s/40’s origin is likely.

This date can help explain reason why the Margarita became so spectacularly popular, since it coincides both with the beginning of the tiki, and by extension tropical-drink, craze and also with the beginning of the United States’ view of Mexico as a party-place of sorts. The combination of tropical theme and the Mexico angle given by tequila may have pushed this drink over many others to its current status as one of the most well-known cocktails in the world.

But this is all speculation, of course. Maybe part of the appeal is because of people’s view of tequila as an especially nasty spirit, imbuing the Margarita with a certain mystique and aura of danger, and making it intriguing and attractive to many.

Whatever the reason for trying one, many tend to indulge in a few more, due in no small part to the fact that it’s actually not a bad drink. Unfortunately, the morning after ends up being more memorable than the night before.

The components of this potion are as well-known as they are simple — Tequila, lime juice and triple-sec. If you want your drink to be the best it can be, you need to use the best ingredients. To begin with, a 100%-agave tequila, preferably a young tequila with a little bite to it, is essential. The lime juice should be freshly squeezed and not from a bottle. Finally, the triple-sec must be Cointreau, there is no equal.

Finally, the signature of the Margarita is the salt around the rim of the glass. The technique for this is simple. Place some kosher salt in a saucer, run a lime wedge around the edge of the glass and dip the tip of the glass sideways in the saucer until the outside rim is covered in salt. Many places will just put your glass upside down into a plate of salt, but that will result in salt sticking to the inside of the rim as well as the outside. From here it can slide down into your drink making it salty, which is a very undesirable effect.

As to how to combine these ingredients, there are a few accepted ratios. I’ve settled on the 3:2:1 ratio of tequila/Cointreau/lime juice, which Drinkboy also endorses after a suggestion from Gary Regan. Other recipes call for equal parts of all ingredients, or else a 2:1:1 which reduces the sweetness somewhat.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Lime juice

Shake everything with ice and strain into a salt-rimmed cocktail glass, or Margarita saucer.

Notes:

Although It’s not a drink I normally consider, it’s status as a classic is indisputable. The taste is really very distinctive and mixing up a few as a party trick will usually get you looks of admiration, especially if you can drink it and not fall over.

Some people recommend making them with Grand Marnier, an orange liqueur with a brandy base, although in those cases the ratios should be modified to accomodate the additional sweetness of the Grand Marnier.

Rating:

- Maybe if I was more of a Tequila connoisseur, I might like it better.

If you read the About page on this blog, you’ll see that part of the original idea was to index and categorize a bunch of recipes for my own access. Last night I was entertaining and realized that the blog is sadly empty of the classics, so for at least a couple of weeks I’ll be putting up some classic cocktails. If you’re new to cocktails, these are drinks you have to try. If you’re a seasoned mixologist, how long has it been since you had one?

I’ll start with the Manhattan, my favourite drink. I can’t really point out why, but there isn’t any other drink which is quite the same. It’s all a matter of taste, I suppose.

As to the origins, nobody knows for sure who the inventor was. Although various similar recipes had been around for decades under the name Manhattan, the current incarnation became well known in the early 1870’s, when it was served at a banquet held at the Manhattan Club, in New York. This event marked the current recipe as the Manhattan cocktail.

Recipe:

2 oz. Rye Whiskey or Bourbon
1 oz. Italian Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish with Maraschino Cherry

Stir the ingredients until ice-cold, and pour into a cocktail glass. Add the cherry and enjoy

Notes:

A drink that never lets me down and is a faithful standby when in doubt. Rye whiskey is difficult to come by here, so it’s usually a Bourbon drink for me. Also, the proportions are not set in stone, and people have different preferences. Personally, I like the vermouth to shine through, making the drink slightly sweeter.

Finally, some people add a little of the liquid in the cherry jar for sweetness. If I do it, it’s never more than a teaspoon.

Rating:

- Perfection in a glass.

Following on from the other day’s Mojito, I’ll be bringing out a few cuban classics during the next few days (a post by Keith Waldbauer gave me the idea). Today’s drink is the Daiquiri.

There is a story behind the Daiquiri which is treated as history within Cuba, but met with skepticism elsewhere. According to legend, and corroborated by cuban historian Fernando G. Campoamor, the Daiquiri came about in 1899 when a Captain Cox of the US Army was visiting the manager of a mine in the town of Daiquirí, in eastern Cuba. The heat was such, that they had to do something about it.

Since they weren’t in a bar, they had to make do with what they had on hand. This turned out to be rum, lime juice and sugar, along with plenty of ice. They mixed all this up in a shaker, and decided that this fantastic new drink needed a name. They didn’t think too hard, and gave the drink the name of the town they were in. This is how the drink was born.

From here, the recipe spread to the bars of Havana, where it was made popular in the mythical Floridita bar.

That is the legend. The fact is that it is disputed because, although there is some specific data about the creation (date, place, a name), it is still difficult to confirm any of it. Also, it seems unlikely that such a simple recipe can be traced to a single source, especially since sailors had been combining rum with lime juice for a couple of hundred years by the given date.

It doesn’t really matter, of course. The drink is a damn good one, and the story can be told with as many embellishments as you feel necessary in order to entertain your audience and seem learned.

Recipe:

2 oz. White Cuban Rum
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 tsp Sugar

Mix everything well in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice until it is very, very cold and serve in a cocktail glass garnished with a lime wheel.

Notes:

How can you argue with this? The Daiquiri’s fame for being extremely refreshing is well earned, and that makes it an essential summer drink.

It’s important to remember that not all limes are created equal, so you may want to adjust the quantity of lime juice to your taste.

Rating:

- A necessary addition to your arsenal.

The summer is starting to take a hold around here, and that means I’ll be wheeling out some classic summer drinks. First up, hailing from the caribbean island of Cuba, is the Mojito.

The Mojito is probably the best-known cuban drink at the moment, since it has been fashionable for a couple of years now. The unashamed use of fresh mint is one of the reasons it stays in people’s minds, and the fact that it’s an authentic drink that actual cuban people drink makes it special. This last point is why I like to keep things as close to the original as possible. For that, we need the right ingredients.

First up is the rum. It must be cuban, and should be Havana Club Añejo 3-year-old. However, there are other cuban rums you can try.

The mint must be the hierbabuena type used in Cuba (and thankfully also the most prevalent here in Spain.) This mint has wider leaves and a lighter colour than the more common spearmint, and is more fragrant.

Finally, even though most sources omit it, I have it on good faith from people who have been to Cuba that cuban bartenders add Angostura Bitters to the Mojito. The recipe I’ve sourced comes from a cuban bartender on a spanish-language mailing list, so I’m reasonably confident it’s correct.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. White Rum (Havana Club 3-year-old is authentic)
1/2 oz. Lime juice
3 oz. Seltzer
2 fresh mint sprigs (about 8-10 leaves)
3 drops Angostura Bitters
1 tsp Sugar

Put the sugar in a glass and add the lime juice (about half a lime’s worth). Place one of the mint sprigs in the glass and muddle the mint well with the sugar. Add a little seltzer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rum, the lime hull and a few ice cubes, top up with seltzer and garnish with the remaining mint sprig. Finally, add the bitters carefully to the drink, without stirring.

Notes:

One of the quintessential cuban drinks, and a cocktail standard. Very fashionable lately, it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the best summer drinks out there, in my opinion.

Rating:

- Four stars for a classic.