On this somewhat historic day, I thought a cocktail with a connection might be in order. So tonight’s sip was the aptly named ATTY cocktail. I consider this a sort of punched up riff on a gin martini. Because I was looking to highlight the purple color of the drink, I used Empress 1908 Gin, but I missed the more juniper-forwardness of our usual Bombay Dry, so I played around with adding a barspoonful of the Bombay to the 1908. Not too shabby.
Traditional ATTY cocktails call for a 1/4 oz of Absinthe. I’m not a huge fan of Absinthe, but didn’t want to miss out on the flavor, so I spritzed the chilled glass instead.
Ingredients
(per the traditional recipe - see my headnote for tweaks)
2 oz dry Gin
3/4 oz dry Vermouth (used Dolin)
1/4 oz Créme di Violette Liqueur
1/4 tsp absinthe (see headnote)
Place all ingredients in a shaker, add ice and shake until super chilled (I did 40 seconds - maybe not necessary to do that much). Pour into chilled coupe glass and optionally garnish with lemon peel.
I’ve been using a terrific cocktail app called Perfect Drink. It’s fun to see what pops up when I choose an ingredient of two found in our bar stash. Perfect Drink seems to have an extensive list of cocktail suggestions. Even maraschino cherry and Grenadine have yielded some results.
Tonight’s cocktail is from Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail book (still available in reprints so check our your local bookstore). This version of the Abbey cocktail uses Orange Bitters in place of the Angostura found in the original. Citrusy and sour, this is a beauty.
Ingredients
1-1/2 oz. gin (I used Bombay London Dry)
3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz. orange juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Put all of the ingredients in a shaker and fill with ice. Shake for 15 seconds til well-chilled and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Although I’ve seen Empress 1908 Gin Sidecar cocktails in several places, this creation from Love to Know was the winner of tonight’s home bar Saturday Cocktail concoction. Yes, a “traditional”, classic Sidecar is made with brandy, but the beauty of the Empress 1908 Gin called me to try something new and unusual. That is exactly what this drink turned out to be - a delicious gin-based cocktail with some subtle orange and lemon notes. Delicious!
This post in Love To Know has 11 cocktails based on Empress 1908 Gin - all developed by Allison Freeman.
Ingredients
Lemon wedge and sugar for rim
1½ ounces Empress gin
¾ ounce orange liquor (I used Cointreau here)
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice
How to mix
Chill a martini glass or coupe.
To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lemon wedge.
With the sugar on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the sugar to coat.
In a cocktail shaker, add Empress Gin, orange liqueur, and lemon juice.
Shake to chill.
Strain into prepared glass.
We bought some new Grenadine from Liber & Co. this week. It’s the real thing, not that sugary syrup one finds in grocery stores. So, because I had a new ingredient to play with, I went in search of a cocktail with some grenadine in it.
A classic cocktail book, worth reading for the interesting mixtures and measurements, is Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book. Tonight’s cocktail, the Atta Boy, come from here, and because it is a “classic”, I served it up and in one of my Aunt’s cocktail glasses. Beautiful pink color - and a nice dry gin-base. The only change I might make is to serve it with a twist of lemon.
I do love when a cocktail recipe makes me appreciate my math education. Because Craddock’s book mostly uses ratios, I just translated every part (1/3) to 1 oz. and went from there.
Ingredients
1/3 French (dry) vermouth (used Dolin)
2/3 Dry gin
4 dashes of grenadine (I used about a tsp total)
Shake well and strain into a (chilled) cocktail glass.
Our weekly cocktail night - usually a Saturday - caps off the week with a little creativity in the adult beverage department. We like to try new ideas for cocktails and for once, this one did not require that I make a run to the packie for any ingredients - we had them right in our bar.
This idea, along with a drink called a Ford came courtesy of Anders Erickson. Check out his youtube channel for some great cocktail ideas.
Maybe it was the sweet (Red) vermouth, but this cocktail reminded me of a Manhattan, but made with Gin. Definitely keeping this in the rotation.
Ingredients
2 oz. (60 ml) Gin (used a local - Dry Line)
1/2 oz. (15 ml) dry Vermouth (used Dolin de Chambéry Dry
1/2 oz. (15 ml) sweet Vermouth (used Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Rouge)
Bar spoon (5 ml) Bénédictine DOM
Expressed lemon oil
Place first 4 ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir to chill. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
This cocktail comes from David Lebovitz’s most recent book, Drinking French and was a perfect cocktail for our weather-impacted Christmas Day not-so-much-of-a-gathering. Deliciously orange-y, spicy, and (my personal favorite) based on a juniper forward gin from South Hollow Spirits in North Truro, MA (gifted to me by our son and daughter-in-law), it brought together a great blending of Suze, Cointreau, and sweet vermouth.
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz. London-style gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Suze
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec (we used Cointreau)
Orange twist and spring of fresh thyme for garnish
Add the gin, vermouth, Suze and (in our case) Cointreau to a cocktail mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Hold the orange twist over the top of the drink and twist it to release the oils from the peel into the drink. Drop the orange twist into the glass and garnish with the thyme sprig floating on top.
I admit it: I love Negroni cocktails. The lovely orange-bitterness of a Negroni makes me think of summer and outdoor dining. However, it’s neither outdoor dining weather nor summer here in New England, so we adjust.
This cocktail was a find because I was fascinated by a bottle of Suze, bought it, and needed to use it. Beside being a lovely, smooth take on Negroni, it is a beautifully electric golden color. Yum!
White Negroni (Bon Appetit)
Ingredients (one cocktail):
1½ ounces gin (I like juniper forward gins like Tanquery)
1½ ounces Lillet Blanc (accept no substitutes)
½ ounce Suze liqueur (some bar recipes up this to 3/4 oz)
Lemon twist (for serving)
Preparation
Combine gin, Lillet, and Suze in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice and stir until very cold, about 30 seconds. Garnish with a lemon twist.
When a drink gets a five-star rating in Food & Wine Magazine, well, that’s a drink you definitely want to try. Tonight’s cocktail was light, refreshing, and peachy, which of course fits this time of year when fresh peaches are readily available here in Massachusetts. A muddled blend of peaches and basil give this drink, developed by Linton Hopkins, an end-of-summer freshness. Great for hot August evenings!
Ingredients
1/2 large peach, sliced (I also peeled, but that’s definitely not necessary)
6 small basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce Lillet (blanc)
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Ice
Club Soda
How to make it
In a tall glass, muddle the peach with 6 basil leaves and the lemon guice. Add the gin, Lillet, and simple syrup. Add ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with basil.
Be Your Own Bartender by Carey Jones and John McCarthy is a lot like following a flowchart. Start with a base spirit (gin, whiskey, vodka), and from that starting point, one can build lots of variations on a theme. Tonight’s cocktail, the Basil Gimlet, is a play on fresh basil which is plentiful at this time of year; however, one could also make the same cocktail with mint or rosemary and achieve different results.
Basil Gimlet
Ingredients (1 drink)
2 ounces gin (suggestion was Beefeater I used Tanguery)
1 ounce FRESH lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup (I like things that are less sweet, so I reduced this to 1/2 ounce)
1 dash orange bitters
5 basil leaves torn in half as they are added to the shaker, plus 1 additional leaf for garnish
Method
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, then double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a basil leaf, lightly clapped between your hands before being added to the drink.
Today, July 15, 2020, is the Covid-19 adjusted Income Tax day. We noted our contribution to the IRS occurred shortly after midnight, and to mark this momentus occasion for all of us who owed a little something to the Federal - and State - government, I present the Income Tax Cocktail.
Tonight’s cocktail is a mix of gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, orange juice and a dash of bitters. Accoring to cocktail expert Ted Haigh, this one is based upon a Bronx cocktail, also an unknown to me.
So if you, like us, feel a little lighter in the wallet today, console yourself with The Income Tax Cocktail.
The Income Tax Cocktail
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces dry gin
3/4 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
juice of 1/4 of a fresh orange (note - fresh is important)
2 dash Angostura bitters
Method:
Squeeze the orange directly into the shaker filled with ice.
Add the gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and dashes of bitters.
Shake and pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange circle.
We keep 3 bottles of the aperitif, Lillet, in our refrigerator - Blanc, Rouge, and Rose. While each has subtle individual differences that are pleasing, my favorite has always been Lillet Rouge. That is, until tonight.
The Lillet website has some great ideas for using the three aperitif either on their own or in a mixed cocktail. This one appealed to us and maybe it will to you as well. For more on how to use Lillet, visit their website.
As a French company, Lillet uses the metric system. Mathematicians and purists may wish to convert metrics to US standard; I however just used the ratio of 4 Lillet Rose to 1 Gin and added a dash of Orange bitters.
Lillet Rose Reverse Martini
In a shaker filled with ice, pour
8cl of Lillet Rosé
2cl of Gin
2 dashes of Orange Bitters
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously for 8 to 10 seconds. Pour into the glass (suggested: Coupe) using a cocktail strainer. Squeeze the orange peel to release the flavour and place in the glass.
In place of picnics and parades this year, we are staying within our bubble, so it made sense that tonight’s cocktail would include bubbles. We’ve both had several variations on The French 75, but this one I believe may be the last word. It comes from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. If you want to learn the history of a cocktail, this is the book to own. Along with some terrific drinks from bygone eras (by-the-way, what exactly is a “gill”?), one can learn about the history of long lost ingredients,
So, here is our homage to the French who helped turn the tides on the Revolution - the French 75!
Ingredients:
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 tsp simple syrup
champagne (we used a brut rose which gives this a nice salmon hue)
Method:
Put a cocktail shaker in the freezer and also ice the champagne flute
Pour gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into the shaker filled with ice. Shake for a good 30 seconds.
Pour into an iced flute and top with champagne
Stir gently and garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral (and a cocktail cherry if you like)
If you get in to the history of mixed drinks (Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh is a good start), the Bebbo is a descendent of the Bee’s Knees - a honey-infused gin drink from a hundred years ago. I like the citrus-y flavor of this gin-based cocktail, and served in a chilled coupe, it is perfect for summer evenings.
Ingredients
1/2 ounces London dry gin (used Tangueray, but find one you like and use it)
1 ounce honey syrup which is equal parts honey and water (I pre-mixed this in a shot; suggested from other sources: use orange-blossom honey)
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice (no, don’t use the bottled stuff)
1/4 ounce fresh blood orange juice
Garnish: lemon twist
What to do:
Fill a shaker half-way with ice. Add all of the ingredients. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into a frosted pre-chilled coupe, add a twist of lemon for garnish.
Green Chartreuse seems to appear in several cocktail recipes I’ve been frequenting. It is spicy and herbal and quite unusual. The exact recipe for creating this liquor is tightly held by Carthusian Monks, which adds to the mystique of it. Honestly, we tried a shot and found it was not enjoyable, but added to cocktails? Delicious and unusual.
Tonight’s refreshing cocktail, the Verdant Lady, come from Bonjon Gourmet. With a hint of mint, and the herbally smooth gin (Ingenium), it was reminiscent of a martini adapted for warm nights and al fresco dining.
What you need for 1 cocktail:
Fill a shaker half full of ice
Add 1.5 oz. gin (Hendricks recommended, I used Ingenium)
0.5 oz. fresh, strained lime juice (no the bottled stuff is not okay)
0.25 oz simple syrup
1/6 oz Chartreuse Green
4 large mint leaves (plus a sprig for garnish)
Shake the whole thing for about 30 seconds and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with the mint sprig. Chilling the coupe suggested.