Published by Matt November 10th, 2006
in recipes, cocktails, rum and liqueur.
Provocative? Yes. Easy on the eyes? You betcha. Tasty drink? Affirmative. I don’t care much for brandy based drinks but I must say that this classic cocktail has all the goods. It’s simple enough to make and uses ingredients that you should be stocking your bar with. It is a sweet, citrus flavored cocktail with a nice balance of brandy and rum to add a little class. So whenever your tired of the same ‘ol, get between the sheets…you won’t be disappointed. The magic is:
1 1/4 ounces of brandy
1 ounce of white rum
1/2 ounce of Cointreau
3/4 ounce of fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce of sugar syrup
Combine into a cocktail shaker with a cup of ice. Shake and serve into a chilled cocktail glass.
Recommended listening for between the sheets…classy, guitar-driven indie rock:
Published by Matt November 5th, 2006
in liqueur and reviews.
One of the great things about our trip to the Greece mainland and islands was that the locals always seemed enthusiastic to expose us to their specialties. At one of our dinners on the island of Santorini we were introduced to the liqueur Mastika when our server brought it to us as an after dinner drink. It was served cold, and we were told it’s best cold. The drink was very similar to Ouzo, albeit with less alcohol (Mastika is 25% by volume while Ouzo is 40%). It is made from from the resin of the Mastic tree. The similarity to Ouzo is in the strong anise flavor. Mastika, however, definitely had a multidimensional flavor that Ouzo lacks. While the anise is a dominant flavor, it also has many herbal flavors that combine to make a very unique drink. If you can get your hands on it, I definitely recommend it. It’s a great alternative for those who do, and don’t, like Ouzo.
Published by Matt October 15th, 2006
in recipes, vodka, cocktails and liqueur.
Before heading out to dinner the other night I decided to make a quick after work/pre-dinner drink for the wife and I. Knowing that I needed to clear out some space in the liquor cabinet, I checked the ol’ fluid levels of the bottles and formulated this drink on the spot. You can’t go wrong with the orange and coffee liqueur combo. I decided to throw in vanilla-infused vodka since that is complimentary to both flavors. It turned out very satisfying. The drink is a little heavy handed since there’s not a non-alcoholic mixer in the recipe. But that’s okay. The vanilla and orange is a nice, citrusy, sweet taste and the coffee flavor adds a little sophistication. So why the name? Because it cracks me up…I don’t even know what it means! I’ve just been waiting to concoct a drink that I can call this name.
The Nasty Butler is:
1 1/2 oz. Stoli Vanilla Vodka
3/4 oz. Orange Liqueur or Cointreau
3/4 oz. Kahlua
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Then pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Voila!
Published by Matt October 15th, 2006
in recipes and liqueur.
Thank God for the Wall Street Journal. I can’t tell you how many times a week I start a sentence with “I just read in the Wall Street Journal”. Even I tire of hearing myself say it. And yet I can’t think of one other source of information that has served me so well both professionally and personally. My contribution to today’s Mixology Monday is no different. A month back the WSJ had an article in the Saturday edition that featured the exoticly named and extremely hard to get drink called the “Pousse Cafe”. I’m not quite sure how to pronounce it. Personally, I just use my best Sean Connery accent (so I sound more manly) and quickly describe how cool the drink looks and the level of skill that’s required to make it. I didn’t deviate from the article’s recipe but now that I’ve made a couple, I can see that it would be a fun drink to experiment with. Two of the ingriedents are common enough: curacao and cognac brandy. The third, green Chartreuse, is a little more unusual. Apparently the liqueur is only made by Carthusian Monks in France. Only three monks know how to make it and they’ve all taken a vow of silence. It claims to be the only liqueur to have a color named after it. Chartreuse is a herbal based drink that has a distinctive flavor all to itself.
The Pousse Cafe is a layered drink and because this recipe uses three liqueurs, the drink is called “Triple Pousse Cafe”. You can do as many layers as you want. The known record is thirty-four! More commonly (back when bartenders used to make the drink) the number was usually between four and six. The secret to making it is to pour slow and, after the first layer is in, put a spoon into the glass so that when you pour the next two layers, the subsequent liqueurs stay on top (see picture above). It really is a pretty drink to look at. I was a little suprised that I made it successfully on the second try so it can’t be that difficult to do. Your supposed to drink it one layer at a time, with a straw. The lemon, herb, and cognac layers make for a distinctive drink and rewarding drink as you make your way through each layer. I’d love to see if anyone out there has made this before and how many layers they got to.
So that”s my contribution to Mixology Monday, head over to Meeta’s site to see the rest!
Published by Matt October 12th, 2006
in recipes, cocktails and liqueur.
This is probably one of my favorite drinks right now. It’s hard to mess up the recipe and just about everyone loves it. The secret for me, as I’ve stated before, is using fresh juice. Sour mix just isn’t the same.
The ingredients are:
2 1/2 to 3 oz. Amaretto liqueur (preferrably Disaronno)
1 whole lemon juiced
4 to 5 drops of bitters
1 Maraschino cherry (optional)
Put a cup of ice into a cocktail shaker. Drop the bitters in first. Then add the amaretto and lemon juice. Shake the usual 20 to 30 seconds. Pour the frothy concoction into a chilled cocktail glass with a maraschino cherry. I say 2 1/2 to 3 ounces of amaretto because it depends on how sour you like your drink. The less you use, the more you’ll pucker. Just adjust the recipe to taste. Enjoy!
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