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…

It’s been a crazy week weather-wise here in Madrid. The end of the summer has brought a great unpredictability in the weather, and conditions are changing drastically from one day to the next. I’m tempted to say it’s all because of global warming, which would allow me to indulge in the popular hobby of blaming politicians, but Madrid has always been like this at the beginning of autumn (or fall, for those of the American persuasion), so I’ll just enjoy the good days in preparation for the winter.

On one of the warmer days we’ve had this week I found myself looking for something refreshing and new, and while browsing books I found just the thing in David Wondrich’s Killer Cocktails. While conjuring up images of people in comedy moustaches wearing suits and ties at the height of a New York summer, Wondrich introduces us to the Roof Garden Cooler, a drink invented at the Waldorf Hotel in the early twentieth century and designed to keep you cool despite the feeling of being wrapped in a carpet and thrown into an oven.

It’s a very nice tipple on its own merits, and is even more admirable when you consider it’s nothing more than a glorified wine cooler. It’s not too strong, using only vermouth as the alcoholic component, so you can engage in the activity of cooling yourself down without worrying too much about nasty side-effects. Hell, even my wife liked it, so I really can’t fault it.

Recipe:

2 oz. dry Vermouth
1 oz. Lime juice
1/4 -1/2 oz. Simple Syrup (original recipe states 1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Ginger Ale

Combine all ingredients in a glass, stirring until the sugar is dissolved if you haven’t used simple syrup. Add a few ice cubes and top with ginger ale.

Notes:

There really isn’t much to say, this drink is not too complex, apart from what the vermouth brings to the table.

I was surprised at how refreshing it was without any shaking or crushed ice in sight. Usually a built drink warms up relatively quickly, since it was never as cold to begin with. This one didn’t last long enough for that, though…

Rating:

- Don’t bother being traditional, you can have one while enjoying the air-conditioning.

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.

According to cuban legend, El Presidente was a recipe of Major-General Mario García Menocal, who during his tenure as president of Cuba (1913 - 1921) once entered La Floridita and requested that this drink be prepared for him. Other sources say the drink was invented by a cuban bartender and named in honour of the serving president of the time. Either way, the consensus is on a 1910’s/1920’s origin in Havana.

Researching this drink was interesting. Everywhere I looked, I was unable to find an agreed-upon recipe. I checked both english- and spanish-language sources, and I noticed one detail. Most recipes in english use dry vermouth as an ingredient, whereas recipes in spanish unanimously require sweet vermouth. I suspect that the source of confusion is in the details. many of the recipes that call for sweet vermouth specify that it must be white. This implies the italian bianco variety, which is white and sweet. Maybe this detail became distorted as the recipe traveled, and since dry vermouth is white in colour, the recipe changed.

I’m listing the recipe as using sweet vermouth because, well, I don’t have any dry vermouth at home, and having tried the sweet version, I doubt that using dry vermouth would work any better.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. white cuban Rum
1 oz. bianco italian Vermouth
1/2 oz. orange Curaçao
a few drops of Grenadine

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

Notes:

Given all the different versions of this drink available, there are many variations. I used Cointreau due to lack of Curaçao, and I think this might have made the drink worse. Possibly the sweeter notes of the Curaçao work better in the drink. Still, I’m not willing to experiment too much with this drink, I don’t think there would be enough improvement to justify it.

Rating:

- Not my thing.

As well as being a famous bar in Havana, as mentioned in yesterday’s Papa Doble post, El Floridita gives its name to not one, but two cocktails.

One is also known as the Floridita Daiquiri, and is something in between the original Daiquiri and the Papa Doble. The other recipe is more interesting, and so I’ll focus on that one today.

Interestingly, I have been unable to find any information about this drink’s history, and I’m also too lazy to make something up on a Sunday afternoon, so I think I’ll just veg out in front of the TV and try to forget about having to work tomorrow. But I’ll have a couple of these.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. white cuban Rum
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1/2 oz. Italian Vermouth
1/4 oz. white Creme de Cacao
1/8 oz. Grenadine

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve in a cocktail glass.

Notes:

I first tried this cocktail shortly after starting to explore the world of cocktails, a few years ago. I was struck by how well the chocolate touch combines with the refreshing qualities of the traditional cuban rum+lime combination. Looking around the net, it seems that everyone else who mentions the drink has the same impression. If you haven’t tried it, you really should.

Rating:

- A pleasantly unusual drink.