Cocktail Hacker

On Tuesday I showed you an example of how wonderful the creation of a Mint Julep can be.  Like most things in life where there is light there is also darkness.  Today I’d like to expose you to the Julep form of that darkness.  We all have Jeffrey Morgenthaler to thank for unearthing this YouTube gem.

There are so many things wrong with this recipe it’s hard to even know where to begin.  Instead I’ll give you some pointers.  One, if you or a loved one is mixing a Mint Julep and you reach for a) limes, b) Rose’s lime or c) sour mix you’ve had enough cocktails, time for some nice soothing water.  If you’ve somehow gotten to the point where these have been combined with mint and you then decide to add some reasonably decent  bourbon to the mix you’ve gone way too far.  Step back, breathe deeply and go looking for that aforementioned glass of water.

Water, sugar, mint, bourbon, ice.  That’s it.  Nothing more.  Sorry I had to expose you all to this but I felt it only right that you see both sides of the cocktail coin.

NOLA.com put together a series of videos highlighting New Orleans’ best cocktails. Many of them feature Chris McMillian from the Library Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. This recording of Chris making a Mint Julep and reciting a beautiful piece of prose is one of my absolute favorite cocktail videos. Enjoy.

If you’d like to read the poem a fellow cocktail blogger contacted Chris and got a copy, you can read it here.  Thanks for sharing Shank!

Not being from anywhere near the South I find it easy to say that by my way of thinking there is nothing so quintessentially Southern than the Mint Julep.  Now certainly that’s a stereotype and likely a bad one.  But let’s take a moment for a thought experiment.  Think about the words “Mint Julep”…what’s the first thing that pops in to your head?  Is it a grand porch on a colonial home, the light is low and crickets are chirping?  See!  Southern!  Well, no matter what popped in to your head you have to agree that the Mint Julep truly is a classic.

For a large portion of Julep drinkers the only time during the year that they’ll be consuming one of these cocktails is on Kentucky Derby day.  Being a man of at least some forethought I decided that this week would be perfect to highlight the Mint Julep as the 2009 Kentucky Derby will be run this coming Saturday, May 2nd.  I’ll spend this week covering at least the basics of the Mint Julep so you’ll be well prepared to mix some up on Derby day for yourself.

The recipe from the Joy of Mixology isn’t the most classic recipe that you’ll find as it uses mint infused simple syrup, but I think it’s still a great place to get started.

Mint Julep (Joy of Mixology)

Finely Crushed Ice
3 oz Bourbon
1 or 2 oz Simple Syrup or Minted Simple Syrup
5 or 6 Stems of Fresh Mint

1) Fill a Julep cup or Collins glass 2/3 full with crushed ice
2) Add the bourbon and syrup
3) Stir for 10 - 20 seconds
4) Add more ice
5) Stir again until a layer of ice forms on the glass
6) Add more ice until glass is completely full
7) Garnish with mint sprigs
8) Add straws slightly taller than the glass
9) Serve with a cocktail napkin or coaster

Minted Simple Syrup (Joy of Mixology)

1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
1 bunch Fresh Mint

1) Combine ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat
2) Bring the mixture to a simmer
3) Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes
4) Remove pan from heat and allow to cool
5) Remove mint before storing

Looking back on my Margarita post from 7 months ago I started that adventure with a slight bit of tequila aprehension.  By the end of that week I was a convert.  This relatively newly found love has carried over to this week.  The Paloma, despite its simplicity, was tremendously delicious.  I tried two recipes, one leveraging grapefruit soda (Squirt in my case), the other utilizing all fresh juices.

Paloma (Grapefruit Soda Recipe)

2 oz Tequila
1/2 oz Lime Juice
6 oz Grapefruit Soda

1) Build in a Collins glass with ice

This recipe is certainly the simpler of the two which is both good and bad, more on that in a bit.  Like the Tom Collins, the Paloma is tremendously refreshing and would be absolutely fantastic on a hot summer day.  The lime juice pumps up the sourness a bit which plays well with the sweetness of the soda.  The tequila comes through nicely as well.  I tried both reposado and blanco tequilas and found that they both work very well in this application.  Next up I tried the more “all natural” recipe.

Paloma (All Fruit Juice)

2 oz Tequila
1/2 oz Lime Juice
3 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Agave Syrup
Top with Soda Water (~3 oz)

1) Build in a Collins glass with ice

This version is more grapefruity than the soda based version and the sweetness can be more readily controlled depending on the amount of agave syrup you use.  In my case I used pink grapefruit juice and as such 1/4 oz of agave syrup was plenty.  Were I mixing this with white grapefruit I think a touch more agave syrup (1/2 oz) may be need to balance this drink.  This version is very good and very fresh tasting.  However, that said I don’t think it’s as authentic as the soda version.

I would be happy drinking either version as they’re both very very good.  I think I’ll likely end up drinking the soda based version more often, however, due to it’s simplicity.  Why, you ask, do you consider this simplicity a bad thing?  One word.  Drinkability.  This is a drink that can be easily produced even when you’re 3-4 drinks in, which could lead to bad things.  That’s not going to stop me for even a moment though and I suggest that you don’t let it stop you either.

While traversing the interwebs looking for recipes for this week’s cocktail, the Paloma, I came across this bit of deliciousness.  Paul has taken strawberry infused tequila (Tequila por Mi Amante) and made what sounds like the best Paloma ever conceived by human kind.  The recipe for this wonderful infusion comes from Charles Baker’s Gentleman’s Companion (also via Paul Clarke).  After reading Paul’s post and looking at the pictures I desperately wanted, nay needed, to make some for myself.  So, being a man of some means, I did just that.

I combined about 600 ml (total WAG) of Hornitos Reposado (what I had handy) with about 3 cups of sliced strawberries and stashed it in the fridge.  The infusion will need to steep for about three weeks so sadly I won’t be able to enjoy a Paloma with the elixir until then.  Stay tuned for the no doubt wonderful results.

I’ve been wanting to cover another tequila cocktail here on CH and this weekend I made it my mission to find that cocktail.  I’d heard tale of a cocktail that is said to be more prevalent among Mexican locals than the Margarita, the Paloma.  The Paloma is a tall drink (think Collins-ish) made with grapefruit soda, lime and tequila.  Sounds like a winner to me!

Directly translated La Paloma means the dove.  While doves are certainly pretty they aren’t likely the direct inspiration for this cocktail.  Rather I’d guess it was named after the famous song of the same name.  You can listen to a classic version of the song here or a version by Julio Iglesias here.

There are two main variations on the Paloma.  The first, and seemingly more classic, version which is made from grapefruit soda such as Squirt and the second version using fresh grapefruit juice and agave nectar.  I’m going to be testing both out but here’s the classic recipe to get you going.

Paloma (About.com Cocktails)

2 oz Tequila
1/2 oz Lime Juice
6 oz Grapefruit Soda
Salt for Rimming (Optional)

1) Rim a Collins glass with salt if desired
2) Build the cocktail over ice in the Collins glass

Ok, I’ll admit the tag line on this wrap up post is a little lame, but I couldn’t think of anything better and it certainly won’t be the last words I speak of this cocktail so it is kinda fitting.  In that odd, play on words, sort of way.  I really enjoyed this week’s cocktail.  The recipe that I found nearly everywhere I looked (equal parts of Gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino and Lime Juice) was quite tasty albeit a bit too sweet for my palate.  The Chartreuse gives it a very nice herbal background while the lime juice keeps it citrusy.

I opted for Plymouth gin when mixing this week and although that certainly wasn’t a bad choice I feel that the stronger flavors overwhelmed this lighter gin.  Going forward I’d mix this with a gin with slightly more backbone, like Junipero.  To attempt to correct the over sweet flavor I took the advice of Michael Dietsch from A Dash of Bitters and altered the recipe slightly by increasing the gin and decreasing the maraschino.  This resulted in a cocktail that was even more pleasant.

The maraschino flavor was decreased, which was nice in that it allowed the herbal notes of the Chartreuse to come through even more.  As was expected the sweetness decreased, but be aware, this is still a fairly sweet cocktail.  This is definitely my prefered recipe.  I considered tinkering more, but felt that any more changes would result in a new cocktail entirely.

The Last Word (A Dash of Bitters)

1 1/4 oz Gin
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino

As I mentioned in my MxMo post on the Fire Island Daiquiri I’ve been steeping a new batch of Hellfire Bitters for the past couple weeks.  The recipe I used is the same that I used for my first batch, but I changed it up a bit.  When I made these bitters the first time I used Thai chiles and the resulting bitters were warm, but not scalding hot.  For the Fire Island Daiquiri I used about 4-5 dashes to achieve the level of heat I was after.

While this isn’t a bad thing per se, it does present one possible problem.  When you start to use that amount of bitters in a drink you run the risk of having the bitters overpower the other flavor.  Remember, bitters are like cocktail spices.  They should be used in moderation.  So, the obvious solution was to up the heat quotient of the chiles involved.  For this new batch I went with all habaneros.  To give you a frame of reference a jalapeno chile ranks about 2,500 – 8,000 on the Scoville scale.  Thai chiles rank about 50,000 – 100,000.  Habaneros come in at 100,000 – 300,000.  Now we’re talking about serious, not screwing around, levels of heat.  With this modification the recipe is:

Coronal Bitters

18 Habanero Chiles (Quartered)
2 Limes (Cut in Eighths)
2 Tbsp Molasses
1/2 tsp Red Cinchona Bark Powder
16 Allspice Berries (Crushed)
2 Cups 100 Proof Vodka

1) Combine all ingredients in a glass jar
2) Steep for 10 days
3) Strain, filter, then bottle

The resulting bitters are hot.  Seriously, seriously hot.  For my first cocktail with them I mixed up a Fire Island Daiquiri and added a single dash of the bitters.  The heat level was perfect.  So now I have two chile bitters to work with.  One that will add very subtle heat and can be used for those who don’t like spiciness as much and another batch that can be used to add true fire to a cocktail when needed.

Seeing as these bitters are so much hotter than their predecessor I felt a name change was required.  As I mentioned these bitters are crazy hot, like surface of the sun hot.  Or, more geekily, as hot as the Sun’s corona.  Which, for those of you playing along at home runs between 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 degrees Kelvin.

If you haven’t tried making your own bitters yet it’s worth doing.  It really is simpler than it seems on the surface and the results are surprisingly good.

This month’s Mixology Monday is being hosted by Tristan at the Wild Drink Blog.  Thanks in advance Tristan!  This month MxMo takes a look at twists on the classics.

In Tristan’s words:

This month’s Mixology Monday is all about twists on classic cocktails, that for one reason or another do an even better job than the drinks upon which they are based.

This could be as simple as a classic Margarita with a dash with a special touch that completes it, or maybe as complicated as a deconstructed Hemingway Daiquiri with a homemade rum foam/caviar/jus/trifle. It might be taking a classic like a Manhattan and using Tequila instead of Bourbon?

Before I get in to the meat of this post I have an admission to make.  I’m a chile head.  There, I’ve said it.  If it’s tasty, chances are I’ve seriously contemplated whether it could be made more tasty with the addition of some kind of chile.  Green chili?  You better believe that’s better with more heat.  Camembert on french bread?  You know what makes that better?  A little peach habanero jam.  So why not cocktails?

I’m not alone in my pondering of fiery libations.  When I decided I wanted to craft my own bitters I started looking for recipes and stumbled upon Charles Baker’s recipe for Hellfire Bitters, kindly posted here by Erik Ellestad.  Now we were starting to talk my language.  I whipped up a batch and have since been applying them, carefully mind you, to some cocktails with varied results.  Check back later this week for my modified recipe and the results.

As for cocktails, I’ve found these bitters work particularly well in a Margarita or in the case of this week a Daiquiri.  The topic of Thursday Drink Night (TDN) this past week was Mount Gay Extra Old and since I seriously love a nice daiquiri I decided that would be the starting point for my submission.  I had something come up and didn’t get a chance to offer my submission on Thursday but it really did turn out tasty and works great for this MxMo, so here you go.

Fire Island Daiquiri

2 oz Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Grenadine
2-3 Dashes of Hellfire Bitters

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until well chilled (~30 seconds)
3) Strain and serve up or on the rocks

Some quick comments.  First, my original batch of hellfire bitters are a little weaker than I would like so I use more like five dashes.  I’ve got a second batch brewing though that should remedy this problem nicely.  Which brings my to my second point.  If you don’t have hellfire bitters laying around you could easily mix this drink without them.  The grenadine adds a nice subtle fruit flavor and makes the drink nicely colorful (or is that colourful .  Third, use whatever rum you’d normally use for a daiquiri.  You certainly know your tastes better than I do.  That said, the Mount Gay Extra Old is crazy delicious and worked wonderfully in this cocktail, albeit a bit extravagent.  Finally, I like this drink served on the rocks as it increases the water content which can mellow the heat if need be.

When I started really getting in to cocktails I started perusing the web for resources and came across Robert Hess‘ video series on Small Screen Network and started devouring them immediately.  I watched all of them and along the way I watched one that really piqued my interest, The Last Word.  Interestingly, it wasn’t the cocktail that immediately grabbed my attention, but rather the advice Robert gave on how to build your home bar.

To summarize, the suggestion was to buy all the ingredients needed to make one drink, then make it over and over again until you had a firm grasp on the cocktail.  I mulled this concept over for a bit.  It really is sage advice.  Rather than building a home bar simply by going out and buying random things, build it one drink at a time.  That way when you’re looking to mix a drink for yourself or your friends you know immediately what you have the ingredients to make and you can offer suggestions as to what they might like.  Yep, that was the route I wanted to take, and thus Cocktail Hacker was born.

Now it’s time to revisit that video and mix up The Last Word.  This is a unique one for me and it’s been on my todo list for quite some time.  But I’ve been a bit hesitant.  This drink calls for Green Chartreuse, an herbal liqueur that I’ve never had before.  Although that’s never stopped me before this particular spirit runs toward the pricey side.  I was worried I’d pick up a bottle and not like it.

Thankfully I can fall back on trustworthy cocktail enthusiasts who have walked this path before me.  I’ve browsed and I’ve not found anything but good reports about Chartreuse, although I’ve heard it can be an acquired taste.  Now sounds like just the right time to do that acquiring.  Robert’s recipe is as good a place as any to start, so let’s get mixing.

The Last Word

1 oz Gin
1 oz Maraschino
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Lime Juice

1) Combine in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until well chilled
3) Strain in to a chilled cocktail glass