Cocktail Corner

Some of you know that the word cocktail is a verb for me. To cocktail is a lot different from drinking beers on the beach and doing tequila shots at a sports bar - though some tips to those events may find their way here.

Cocktailing isn't elitist at all though.. It's just appreciating each moment involved in ordering or making the beverage through to finishing the beverage and deciding on another - maybe the same or completely different. It's not about getting drunk as much as getting into the groove and maintaining the groove.

In this thread we'll discuss great cocktail recipes, the ingredients and how to make the cocktails, the tools you need for fun and effective bartending, and some history and trivia about cocktailing. I hope to include some morning-after remedies as well.

There is also the Hooch thread where we can all discuss how we woke up in a stranger's flat with our shirt tying our arms to our head.... or whatever... ;)



So to start... I want to share with you my absolutely favourite vintage cocktail:

20th Century Cocktail




This cocktail was created in 1939 in New York. It's has, for the most part, remained unaltered through the years. The original recipe is as follows:

20th Century
1.5 oz gin
.75 oz Lillet Blanc
.75 oz crème de cacao
.75 oz lemon juice

Carefully measure all ingredients and pour them into a cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice, seal, and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.



However, at my local lounge, where I first discovered this piece of heaven, they make it slightly differently. They use white chocolate syrup instead of the crème de cacao but up the gin and Lillet Blanc. They use only Plymouth gin for this cocktail and I agree with that. I've made it with different kinds and the Plymouth is the smoothest by far.

The other ingredient they add is egg whites. Just a teaspoon but it frothes nicely. You can buy the pasturised ones if you need to feel safe about it. I suspect the original recipe included egg whites, as many vintage cocktails do, but that was left out over the years to save time and money. It's really worth it to have the egg whites.



Whether you use the original recipe listed or a variation, this is really a great cocktail to try. Even people who don't really like gin, like this drink. The blend of lemon and chocolate override the perfume of the gin. Though Plymouth gin is the least perfume-like gin I have tried.

Enjoy!!

Good stuff, kitty!

I like to cook, but I'm terrible at thinking up cocktail ideas for some reason. I tend to leave that up to the experts, but I'll share one that seems a little more Texan in nature, aptly named:


Texas Sweet Tea
Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
Amaretto
Lemonade

Wish I knew the proportions of that one....I'll have to work on that.....Seems like you can't go too wrong with such a sweet/girly mixture, though. That's how I tend to like my cocktails, although I can go for a vodka martini like any good Bond fan ;-).

A Mexican Mojito

2 sprigs of mint leaves
Sugar (sweetened to your liking - I usually have 1 teaspoon)
Soda water (to fill)
About 50mL Tequila
Juice of 1.5 - 2 Limes
Lime slices to garnish

From memory, place the sugar, lime juice and mint leaves at the bottom of a tall glass. Using the muddler and pound it. Add the tequila and then the soda water. Garnish with lime slices how you please. I slit the sides of two (different sizes) lime slices, and place them on the edge of the glass.

Served them up on a Mexican night I was having. Very refreshing. :)

Fieldsman, that sounds great. When I was in Cuba in January, we drank regular mojitos all the time... But one guy grew tired of them and started drinking tequila and tonic... It was delish. So I think I may try this Mexican Mojito over the weekend - with a Cuban cigar. :)

Fieldsman, is this legal!? :o You're a youngun! ;)

So I'm actually requesting advice, suggestions, etc....

I have a bunch of banana liquer that I bought for a rum cake recipe, and I've no idea what to mix it with....I tried just drinking a little over ice, but it didn't taste quite right....I don't know what to do with it....

Ideas?

Yes!! You might really like this:





BANANA SPLIT


- Simple version has only three ingredients



1 oz of banana liqueur
1/2 oz of grenadine
6 oz of hot chocolate

Serve in a tall stemmed mug topped with whipped cream and cherry.


More intense version:

*(Though this does not call for the banana liquor, I would add that in instead of the banana - less filling so you can drink more of them.)



Ingredients:
- 1/2 oz dark rum
- 1/2 medium-sized ripe banana *(or banana liquor)
- 2 oz Baileys Irish Cream with a hint of Caramel
- 1 scoop (2 oz) vanilla ice cream
- A dusting of freshly-ground nutmeg
- 1 ice cube
- Finely-ground chocolate or powdered hot chocolate mix
- 1 candied or maraschino cherry
- Whipped cream

Rim a well-chilled, oversized martini glass in ground chocolate or hot chocolate mix. Overturn the glass and put the cherry in the bottom. Peel and slice half of the banana. Thoroughly blend together the banana with Irish Cream, dark rum, vanilla ice cream, nutmeg and ice cubes. Pour into glass and top with whipped cream and a banana slice.

Oooh, great suggestions! They sound so dessert like, I might have to wait until after lent is over :|

Lalala, no, it's not legal, but hey, it was a special occassion. ;) Except the next night. We decided to finish the tequila
Oh and you can simply mix banana liquer with cola. We've had some here and it's quite nice. It's like a child's party with cola and banana lollies. :drunken:

I posted quite a few Fleming-esque drink recipes here, if anyone's interested:
http://licencetoblog.wordpress.com/category/style/food-drink-recipes/

Good stuff, Brown!

You know, I've seen places serve what they call Black Velvet, but it wasn't Guinness and Champagne.

Of course, the same place also screws up the Snakebite and Preacher's Collar, too. You order it and it's not at all what it's supposed to be. You really have to read the fine print on the menu.

I really enjoy any kind of beer fusions, though, since there aren't too many beers I like to have alone and a full pint of. The beer and champagne sounds pretty nice, too, especially since I'm a Guinness fan.

Oh, lalala... you must try a Crown Float then...




It's Guinness on Strongbow. ( ^^This one was a bit heavy on the Guinness; normally they look a bit more separated. Could be that I'd already had some and it mixed.)

One of my favourites is the Brain Hemorrhage. Fill glass with three quarters peach schnapps, add one quarter Baileys Irish Cream (can never get enough of this stuff - that's the Celt in me), and a few drops of Grenadine.



Good for Halloween.

I had one like that many years ago, Sharky... but it was white inside with just a bit of blood and it was called The Goat's Abortion.

Your Bailey's comment reminded me of my favourite St. Patrick's Day drink... the Irish Car Bomb.

It's a large shot of Bailey's and scotch dropped into a half-pint of Guinness and then shot back. Oh yea.

retrokitty wrote:

Your Bailey's comment reminded me of my favourite St. Patrick's Day drink... the Irish Car Bomb.

I find the appropriate digestif for an Irish Car Bomb is to fly over to Belfast, get a bus to Milltown Cemetery, and spit on Bobby Sands's grave. Póg mo thóin!

Went to dinner with a mate a month back and had gin martinis with a great steak. I can see why long lunches caught on, because after that first one I could've easily had another two or three.

I also made the mistake of buying a friend an Old Fashioned the other week. She didn't like bourbon... who doesn't like bourbon?

I don't know, Vesper. I don't know.

Vesper wrote:

She didn't like bourbon... who doesn't like bourbon?

A Hapsburg.

Vesper wrote:

I also made the mistake of buying a friend an Old Fashioned the other week. She didn't like bourbon... who doesn't like bourbon?

Don't bother calling her again.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Vesper wrote:

I also made the mistake of buying a friend an Old Fashioned the other week. She didn't like bourbon... who doesn't like bourbon?

Don't bother calling her again.

Give her my number.

Bourbon is the nectar of the gods.

Cigarettes, bourbon, tits, and cinema.

Subtract two or more and life ain't worth living.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Cigarettes, bourbon, tits, and cinema.

Subtract two or more and life ain't worth living.

Wise words, friend.

Though I prefer cigars to cigarettes. Can't stand fags unless I'm plastered. LOL

Sharky wrote:

Vesper wrote:

She didn't like bourbon... who doesn't like bourbon?

A Hapsburg.

Heh.