Tag: Classic Cocktails

Let’s Stir Up a Manhattan!

Swanning Around Manhattan

There are some classic cocktails that everyone has heard of.  The Martini.  The Old Fashioned.  Gimlet.  And, of course, the Manhattan. 

This year, for the 2020 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience Competition, I created MY version of the perfect Manhattan.  I was picked to go to the regionals in Columbus – and, like so many other events, it was postponed until the fall because of the Covid19. 

So, before I share my recipe with you, I want to talk Manhattan.  All in all, this is a simple cocktail.  Three ingredients.  You don’t even have to garnish it.  You can serve it in a beautiful martini glass.  Or in a double old fashioned glass over a giant ice cube.  Like so many of the “Classics” there are no hard and fast rules anymore.  You can experiment until you find exactly how you like it – just be sure to communicate clearly with your bartender if you want YOUR perfect Manhattan out at your favorite bar.

Whiskey.  Vermouth.  Bitters.  That’s all there is too it.  Traditionally – Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, and Angostura Bitters. 

Now, I’m not a huge fan of Rye, I prefer a rich, smooth Bourbon.  I used Woodford Reserve.  It mixes well, and holds up to the other strong flavors in the Manhattan.

Sweet Vermouth… I’ve liked it, in small quantities.  I tend to find it too heavy and overpowering in cocktails.  So I used a mix of Rosso and Bianco Vermouth.  Bianco Vermouth is a bit sweeter than Dry Vermouth, and has some beautiful floral, citrus notes that help to carry some brighter tasting notes to the front of the Manhattan.  If you haven’t found a Vermouth that you love yet, keep trying.  Go to a well-stocked liquor or wine store, and just peruse the many brands.  Each brand has a distinct flavor profile.  Do a little bit of research and pick one or two to try.  I like Martini & Rossi and Dolin.  (And PLEASE, once you open your vermouth PLEASE store it in the refrigerator!)

Angostura Bitters.  They’re great.  If those are the only bitters you have, use them!  Your Manhattan will still be delicious.  If you have other bitters (You can find some great bitters variety packs on Amazon.) play around with the ones you like the best.  Cherry Bitters would be great.  Or even Chocolate.  For my Manhattan I used both Orange and Lemon Bitters.  I like highlighting the citrus notes that appear throughout my ingredients in this cocktail.

So, without further ado –

Swanning Around Manhattan

  • 2 oz Woodford Reserve
  • .25 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso Vermouth
  • .25 oz Martini & Rossi Bianco Vernmout
  • 2-3 drops Orange Bitters
  • 2-3 drops Lemon Bitters

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients.  Add ice.  Stir to properly chill and dilute.  Approximately 10 seconds.  Strain into a Double Old-Fashioned glass over a large ice cube.  Garnish with an orange peel.  (If you have a Luxardo cherry, through it in there!  Those cherries are delicious!)  Enjoy!

How do you put your own personal touch on a classic cocktail?

Lucky 36

There are so many celebrations that we are missing out on in this topsy-turvy, social distancing, quarantined world.  Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations and more.  Opportunities to see and celebrate with family- opportunities that, even if postponed, are gone forever.  As we find our way in what is becoming the new “normal” we find ways to make those moments special.  My birthday was at the end of March.  And it will definitely be one that I will always remember.

I’ve had some pretty amazing birthdays.  Last year, when I turned 35, my Partner-In-Crime planned an overnight to one of the Casino Riverboats in Indiana and surprised me with a stop at the Neely Family Distillery for a tasting and I got to bottle my own bourbon. 

The year before we went to Columbus for another overnight.  After stopping on the way at Hardees for my favorite Hot Ham and Cheese, I knew we weren’t rushing to a restaurant.  After checking in to the hotel, he rushed me out the door and surprised me (with help from one of our most fantastic liquor reps) with a private tour of Middle West Spirits Distillery and dinner at their restaurant.  They are, hands down, one of my favorite distilleries ever- you have to try their Oyo Vodka, especially the Honey-Vanilla Bean. 

My 30th was a trip to Las Vegas.  Super, over-the-top, fancy-pants seafood buffets.  Blackjack.  And a Battleground Vegas 80’s Action Movie shooting experience.

My birthday this year was just as memorable, if not more so.  This year, my 36th Birthday happened on day 3 of Ohio’s “Shelter-in-Place” order.  No surprise trips.  No fabulous restaurant meal.  No distillery visit.  Not even a get together at O’Neal’s with my amazing friends. 

This year was quiet.  Was slow.  It was a time to look around and really think about everything I’ve accomplished in the past year.  This year the weather was warm, a spring breeze was blowing.  Change and growth were in the air.  And all I wanted was to go for a walk and have a picnic.  I wanted to enjoy the fresh air and get a nice dose of Vitamin D.

 My Partner-in-Crime took me to Fresh Market, we got a rotisserie chicken that they very kindly cut into pieces for us, the best chocolate chip cookies, mac’n’cheese, risotto cakes, and spicy crab- cucumber sushi.  All of my favorites!  Then we went to a local park and we watched the ducks and picnicked in the sun.  We finished the experience with a cake/card hand off with my parents.  It was so nice to see them, even at a distance.

Once back home I knew I wanted to make myself a super extra-special Birthday Cocktail. 

I call this one-

*Lucky 36*

  • Bubbly Brut Cuvee
  • 1 small scoop Aglamesis Champagne Italian Ice
  • 2-3 drops Lemon Bitters
  • 3-4 drops Orange Flower Water

In your favorite coupe glass, place scoop Champagne Italian Ice.  Fill glass with Brut Cuvee.  Top with Bitters and Orange Flower Water.  Garnish with a fresh strawberry or raspberry, if you have one.

It was my birthday; I couldn’t have just one.  So next one I made was a riff on one of my all time guilty pleasure drinks.

*Not-So-Cosmo*

  • 1.5 ounces Tito’s Vodka
  • 4-5 Drops Orange Flower Water
  • 3-4 Drops Lemon Bitters
  • 2.5 ounces Ocean Spray Pink Cranberry Juice

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients, add ice and stir to combine.  Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel.  Enjoy in the Springtime sun!

*** I want to make certain to note that my birthday adventure 2020 occurred before the stricter Shelter-In-Place recommendations by the CDC and State of Ohio went in to place. 

Winter Warm-Ups

 So, this post is delayed by a few days.  I was going to make a nice post about some of my favorite winter warm-up drinks, like hot toddies and how they are not only delicious, but also medicinal… I made my drinks, I took my pictures, and then my throat started to hurt, I began to feel achy and chilled, and before I knew it, I was hit with a cold/flu/nastiness.  I have been sleeping as much as possible and drinking lots of hot water/lemon/honey/ginger and I’m already feeling much better. 

So, what is a hot toddy?  A mixed drink, served hot traditionally made with whiskey, lemon, and honey. 

I enjoy a traditional toddy when the weather starts getting chilly but by December, I’m ready to shake it up a little bit.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I love pairing blackberry and whiskey.  So, I made a Hot Blackberry Ginger Toddy… it just what I needed.  The blackberry and honey mix so well, and with the fresh lemon juice it doesn’t get too sweet.  Beam Black is my go-to for a drink like this- big enough flavors to stand up through the blackberry/ginger, but it still blends well into the cocktail.  The ginger is absolutely necessary for me, but feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any or don’t like it.  I need the bite of fresh ginger to balance the other flavors, but I understand fresh ginger is too much for many people. (ps – sorry for the not-great phots… this is all that I got before I accidentally drank it in my haze of oncoming sickness.)

  • Hot Blackberry-Ginger Toddy
  • 1oz Honey (locally sourced is best, thank you Don Popp’s Honey Farm)
  • .5oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 4 Blackberries
  • ¼ – ½ inch piece of fresh Ginger, peeled and rough chopped
  • 1.5oz Beam Black
  • 5oz near boiling water

In a heat proof measuring glass combine Honey, Lemon Juice, Blackberries, and Ginger.  Muddle the blackberries into the honey and lemon.  Add Beam Black. Top with water and carefully stir to combine.  Cover the top of the glass and let steep for 4 minutes.  Pour through fine mesh strainer into your favorite mug and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite take on the Hot Toddy?

Up next… my Favorite White Christmas Hot Chocolate….

Clarified Milk Punch

I have been reading about Clarified Milk Punch.  Images of these crystal-clear punches have been popping up in my Insta-feed.  I keep reading recipes.  Searching for the best way to make one.  What they’re supposed to taste like.  The science behind it.  Well, I walked into O’Neal’s on Monday and I said to myself- “I can make that.”  And so, I did.  It was quite a process.  And I’m not sure if I did it correctly or not.  So, I tried it again today, this time with a different punch base and a better understanding of how the science behind it works. 

To explain this process as simply as possible, you make a delicious concoction of flavors- tea, sweeteners, fruit juices, spices, booze and lemon juice.  Then you add whole milk or heavy cream and let it all sit for about 30 minutes.  And then you start straining the liquid to remove the milk solids.  And you strain it again and again and again until the magic moment when the cloudy, murky liquid is suddenly translucent!  Then serve over ice and marvel in your creation. 

This finally strained into a golden-translucent liquid.  It has a very delicate, but decisively one-note flavor, which is: Lemon.  It’s smooth, with a slightly creamy mouthfeel and a definite lemon flavor (without the mouth-puckering tartness) and a hint of orange and bourbon. 

I’m absolutely not unhappy with how my first attempt turned out. 

  • Attempt #2-
  • -Churchill’s Fine Teas Hot Cincinnati Spice
  • -Simple Syrup
  • -Fresh Orange Juice
  • -Lemon Juice
  • -Jim Beam
  • – Cardenal Mendoza Angelus Liqueur
  • -Half and Half

I followed the same procedure of mixing everything (except the Half and Half) together in a large glass bowl.  Then I added the Half and Half, covered the bowl and let it sit 24 hours untouched.  Just like the first time the dairy immediately curdled.  It. Looked. Disgusting.  But hey, sometimes you gotta get ugly before your beauty can shine through.  And this, it was a SERIOUS glow-up!

  • Yup, it curdled
  • Pretty Gross.
  • Keep Straining
  • It’s almost clear!

This time when I strained the concoction, I did so into another large glass bowl with a large strainer lined with a coffee filter.  OMG, it was so much faster than my first attempt!  After the first strain it was SO clear.  2 more goes, once through my super fine tea strainer and it was good to go!   Let it chill and serve over a giant ice cube with an orange and lemon wedge and enjoy.

The science behind this Clarified Milk Punch is still blowing my mind… I’m looking forward to playing around with it more.  Maybe a Gingerbread Milk Punch.  Or a Candy Cane Milk Punch.  The possibilities are endless… keep an eye out for more #sippableexperiments

Elvis’s Perfect Patròn Margarita

Ibiscus Frizzante

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my entry, the Ibiscus Frizzante, into the Patròn Perfectionist competition.  This was only the second competition I entered.  It was a fun process developing this cocktail (I think all of my taste testers enjoyed the process as well!) 

I am ECSTATIC to announce that I have been chosen to compete in the Regional Finals!  In November I will be flying to New York to compete against 7 other incredibly talented bartenders!  I am so excited!  I am SO nervous!  This is such an incredible opportunity and I am so lucky to be a part of this worldwide competition!

In honor of my amazing news I wanted to share my Perfect Patròn Margarita.  I used the Reposado for this because I enjoy the richness it gives the drink and I think the fresh ingredients highlight the complexity of the tequila. If you prefer the Silver, then use the Silver. This is MY Perfect Marg- yours may be different, and that is perfectly ok! If you have read any of my other recipes you know that the sweetness/tartness of many of my recipes can be adjusted to your own taste, and this one is no exception.  I prefer my margaritas to be a bit on the tart side but if you prefer yours sweeter just add a bit more Agave Nectar.  The same goes for salt/sugar on the rim of the glass.  I don’t care for either one, but if you do then you should go for it! 

  • Elvis’s Perfect Patròn Margarita
  • 1.5 ounces Patròn Reposado
  • 1 ounce Cointreau
  • 1 ounce Agave Nectar (get the good stuff, 100% Agave, it’s worth it!)
  • .5 ounce Fresh Lime Juice
  • .5 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Shake with ice, pour into your favorite glass, add a slice of lime and enjoy!

See you in NYC Patròn!