Cocktail Hacker

That’s right, I’m putting away my man card for the week and doing the Apple Martini.  Certainly they must be tasty.

Okay, now that the intro sentence has scared away all the hardcore cocktail aficionados I can tell you the truth.  I’ve had an Apple Martini or seven in my time and I kinda like them.  Granted it’s in the same category of like where I lump Twinkies and Slim Jims, but still, there is fondness.  My biggest gripes have always been that they can be overly sweet at times and that they can taste rather artificial.  So, this week I’m going to see if I can’t ferret out an Apple Martini that isn’t overly sweet, isn’t artificial tasting and still packs a sufficient ‘tini punch.  I’ll start as I usually do with the Joy of Mixology recipe.

Apple Martini (Joy of Mixology)

2 oz Gin or Vodka
1 oz Green-Apple Schnapps

1) Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

And finally to get you prepped and ready, J.D. on the Appletini.

I’ve spent two weeks with the Gin Rickey and they’ve been a good couple weeks.  I mentioned last week that there were experiments I wanted to conduct.  The results are mixed, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  In Gary Regan’s writeup of the Rickey in The Joy of Mixology he mentioned that you could really use any clear base spirit that you like for this drink but gin is the most common.  This naturally got me thinking about what the Rickey would be like when paired with other bases.  So I broke out the collection and went to work.

I think the most interesting thing I found from all of the experiments was that no matter the base spirit (gin excepted) I always found myself wanting a different cocktail that was only a slight change from the Rickey.  Now for some results.

Rum [Flor De Cana Extra Dry] – This variant has a slight sweetness from the rum but the overall flavor is much less complex.  Still a very dry drink.  (Preferred Drink – Daiquiri)

Tequila [Milagro Silver] – No sweetness here, very dry.  An interesting Margarita like aroma (not surprisingly).  This variant actually works pretty well, I’d even consider drinking this one again.  (Preferred Drink – Margarita)

Pisco [Montesierpe] – Not really an outright bad drink.  I was worried about this one as I mixed it.  I had visions of fail dancing through my head.  Flavors actually work out pretty well though, although it’s not something I’ll be reaching for in the foreseeable future. (Preferred Drink – Pisco Sour)

Cachaca [Leblon] – Definitely not my favorite variant.  This one, like the rum, lacks depth and complexity in the flavor. (Preferred Drink – Caipirinha)

So there you have it.  The variants weren’t bad, but each left me wanting a different drink.  Sure, I left out vodka.  But does it really matter?  Methinks, no.  As for gin you’ve got a good cocktail on your hands.  This drink, due to its simplicity, is really all about the ingredients.  Don’t use anything but fresh lime juice for this I implore you.  There are times when that’s an okay substitute in my book.  This, is not one of them.  The gin is more dependent upon your tastes but I’d reach for something in the mid to strong flavor range.  A delicate gin like Bombay Sapphire is simply going to get lost.  I tried Tanqueray, Beefeater and Junipero, all with good success.

Finally, I’m going to leave you with one parting comment.  Some of the recipes you’ll find call for sugar or simple syrup.  Don’t do it.  You lose what the Rickey is really about when you add the sugar.  A Gin Rickey is about sipping.  It’s supposed to be dry.  It’s supposed to be sour.  That’s the way the originator wanted it.  If you want something sweeter, reach for the lemon juice and make yourself a Tom Collins.

This week has been very busy and I didn’t get as much time to experiment with the Rickey as I would have liked.  So, I’m going to extend the Rickey to two weeks and really get to do the sampling I want.  Enjoy your drinks and check back soon.

I’m going to take a somewhat interesting turn this week.  I’m going to cover a cocktail that has no sweetening agent whatsoever.  This isn’t the first time I’ve covered a drink like this, but they’re fairly few and far between.  A (distant) relative of the Gimlet I’m going to be looking at the Rickey this week and specifically the Gin Rickey.  This drink can be made with any white spirit you like as a base so  I’ll give a few a try and let you know what I like best.

Gin Rickey (Joy of Mixology)

3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Gin
3-4 oz Club Soda
Lime Wedge for Garnish

1) Build in an ice filled collins glass.
2) Garnish with a lime wedge.

I’m a huge fan of club soda so I’m thinking I might like the dryness of this drink.  Give me a week and I’ll let you know for sure.

The Dude certainly had the right idea.  The White Russian is truly a tasty cocktail.  There isn’t a huge amount of room for experimentation here so I’m going to leave this one mostly up to the drinker.  That said, I do have a few bits of advice.

One – Branch out from your normal coffee liqueur.  There are others out there and as you saw in my rave review of Corretto, some of them are really spectacular.

Two – Change up the ratio.  Switching things up allows you to control the level of sweetness, richness and flavor levels in this drink.  This will be especially necessary if you choose a different liqueur that may not have the same sugar content as Kahlua.

Three – Finally, not all cream is created equal.  I’ve been using table cream for my drinks and find it to be the right choice.  Heavy cream has an even higher fat content and will make your drink even more rich, which isn’t necessarily a good thing in this case.  Half and half is an okay choice, but it’s lower in fat than table cream and may make your drink a bit watery.

So there you have it.  My brief commentary on the White Russian.  Enjoy!

You listened patiently while I waxed poetic about Roundhouse Gin, which I still claim is one of the most interesting and tasty gins I’ve ever tried.  Well shortly after posting that review I got an email from Roundhouse’s founder and distiller Alex Nelson letting me know that they’d recently released Corretto a new coffee liqueur.  Knowing this I zipped out and picked up a bottle.

Corretto is aptly named after a popular coffee preparation in Italy, the Caffe Corretto.  In a Caffe Corretto your shot of espresso is corrected with the addition of a shot of liquor.  I think I could really change my stance on coffee if I can expect each cup to have a nice shot of alcohol included in each.

Given this week’s cocktail it seemed like a great time for a review.  The White Russian always calls for another prominent coffee liqueur, which for this review will remain nameless. It seemed only logical that I should compare the two.  Corretto has a light maple syrup color while the other is darker, closer to molasses.  The nose on the Corretto is certainly lighter than the leading brand, but has a cleaner coffee aroma.

Let’s face it the flavor is what really counts.  Corretto is less sweet but the coffee flavor is intense and very fresh.  While I do like the leading brand quite a lot for me Corretto is the winner.  Alex summed it up best in his email when he described Corretto as “a coffee liqueur that’s been blowing the pants off of <nameless giant> in our blind taste tests.”  If Corretto is for sale in your area pick up a bottle.  If not, let me know and we can work something out.  Either way happiness will ensue.

If you’re a fan of The Big Lebowski you’re already familiar with this week’s cocktail.  And, well, if not let’s do some familiarization.  This week I’m going to be mixing up White Russians.  The source of this drink seems a bit shaky.  Wikipedia references both an insert to the November 21st, 1965 edition of the Oakland Tribune and that the drink was created shortly after WWI.  No matter where it came from it looks tasty, so let’s get started.

White Russian (Joy of Mixology)

2 oz Vodka
1 oz Cream
1 oz Kahlua

1) Combine ingredients with ice in shaker
2) Shake and strain into an ice filled glass

If you had asked me 6 months ago if I liked Mojitos I would have been hard pressed to say yes.  Heck even a week ago I was still on the fence, but this week has made me a believer.  The drink is ubiquitous as I mentioned in my intro and I now realize why.  When mixed properly with good ingredients the Mojito is a fantastic drink.  It’s refreshing like few other cocktails I’ve sampled.

I really don’t have much to say about the recipe as I found Gary’s to be just right for me.  I definitely suggest you try some variations (check out the comments for some interesting suggestions).  They can certainly elevate this drink to even higher levels of greatness.  As for lime juice versus lime wedges I say go lime wedges all the way unless you’re mixing up a bunch for a party.  The visceral sensation of muddling the lime, sugar and mint really adds to the whole experience.  Also, people far smarter than me have said that the muddling extracts oils from the lime peel that you wouldn’t get by using juice.  Same goes for sugar versus simple syrup.  Go sugar, it adds to the experience and acts as an abrasive to extract flavors from the mint and lime.

So, I guess if I can only leave you with one thing about this cocktail it would be this.  If you’ve had Mojitos and since convinced yourself you don’t like them, give it another go with good fresh ingredients.  I bet you’ll be surprised by what you find.

With ubiquity comes variation.  For, as it’s said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  It really makes sense with the Mojito though.  Each of the base ingredients lends its self well to substituion.  Rather than link to a bunch of variations (you all know how to use Google I assume) I’m going to give you some possibilities that you can explore on your own if you so desire.  I’m going to group the mods into categories, namely herbal, additive, spirituous and citrus.  Modding the sugar is also an option, but the choices there aren’t as many or as interesting, so I’ll be skipping those for now.

Herbal: The sky is the limit here.  Raid your herb garden, grocery store or farmer’s market and let your curiosity go nuts.  Some possibles: basil, verbena, rosemary, tarragon, sage, and that doesn’t even begin to touch the hojillion varieties of mint.  Heck, you could even use catnip if you so desire.

Additive: There are lots of things you can add to the base to change up the mix.  Here are a few to get you thinking: ginger, jalapeno, berries (oh man, there’s too many to even mention), other fruits (peach, cherries, mango?).  There are no doubt others, and I’d absolutely love to hear about any you love.

Spirituous: White rum is the classic and for good reason.  It’s smooth, lightly sweet and works fantastically well with the citrus.  For me you’re starting to get outside the realm of modification when you start making a Mojito with a completely different base spirit.  That said, there are lots and lots of rum options out there.  Get creative and more importantly use what you like.

Citrus: Here’s another where the sky is nearly the limit.  Living in Colorado I don’t have as many options as I’m sure some of you do but again, look at your grocery store’s supply and hit up the farmer’s market.  How about key limes or maybe yuzu?  Going to be tasty no matter what route you take.

For every possible flavor combination you come up with there are two more that pop up.  But, in this case, that’s good thing.  Everyone has had a standard Mojito.  So, for your next event mix up something unique and personal.  For this week my variation of choice has been a Basil Blueberry Mojito.  Very tasty.  The basil flavors are a nice change from the mint and the blueberries and lime go together well.

Let me know what you’ve been mixing up!

Basil Blueberry Mojito

1/2 Lime Quartered
2-3 tsp Sugar
10-12 Blueberries
10-12 Basil Leaves
2 oz White Rum
Club Soda

1) Combine basil, limes, sugar and blueberries in a glass
2) Muddle until sugar is dissolved
3) Add rum and ice
4) Top with club soda

Over the last couple years it’s become a ubiquitous cocktail.  In fact, if you look around I bet there’s one within eye shot of you right now.  The Mojito, you know it and I’m certain you’ve had a crappy one, everyone has.  But, this week, I’m here to teach you how to do it right.  It’s another one of those deceptively simple cocktails that can go wrong so easily.

We’ll start with Gary Regan’s recipe.  Because, if for no other reason, I’m sure it’s been carefully researched.

Mojito (Joy of Mixology)

4 Limes Wedges
2 - 3 tsp Sugar
8 - 10 Mint Leaves
2 oz White Rum
Club Soda
Mint Sprig for Garnish

1) Combine lime wedges, sugar and mint in a glass
2) Muddle until sugar is dissolved
3) Add rum and ice
4) Top with club soda
5) Garnish with a mint sprig