Cocktail Hacker

As the title hints this week was nearly a bust for me. The first Algonquin I mixed up was the recipe from Vintage Cocktails and Spirits. Since the recipe called for rye I naturally reached for my go-to, Rittenhouse Bonded. However when I started sipping I was disappointed. The drink was very rye heavy and not particularly tasty. However, this drink has survived the test of time so I knew it had to be pretty good if done right. So I pressed on.

Next I tried the recipe from Difford’s Guide #8 (2 oz Rye, 1 1/4 oz Dry Vermouth, 1 1/4 oz Pineapple Juice, 2 Dashes Peychaud’s). The drink was a lot more balanced and not nearly as rye heavy. I didn’t find that the bitters added much and since this was the only recipe I found that called for them I dropped them altogether going forward. Having tried this one I knew I was on the right track.

Next on the docket was the recipe from Gary Regan’s Bartenders Bible (1 1/2 oz Blended Whiskey, 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth, 1 oz Pineapple Juice). I decided to stay with the rye since that’s what everything else called for. This drink was much sweeter than the others and while the vermouth was still their it was very light. As I continued to sip this one I came to an interesting realization. Rittenhouse is 100 proof and balanced this version fairly well. Were I to use an 80 proof it would be much more muted. Maybe, that’s what went wrong with the first recipe I tried? It was intended for 80 proof and my 100 proof simply overpowered the other ingredients.

On that note I decided to mix it up again with an 80 proof rye (Templeton). Wow! A much more balanced cocktail where the rye doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. While that’s all well and good I still prefer Rittenhouse for my everyday mixing, saving the pricier stuff for special occasions. Since I knew a ratio that worked well with 80 proof I was able to extrapolate a recipe that works great with 100 proof Rittenhouse. So, if your rye of choice is 80 proof go with the original recipe from Vintage Spirits and Cocktails (2 oz Rye, 1 oz Dry Vermouth, 1 oz Pineapple Juice). If you, like me, enjoy Rittenhouse, try my modified recipe.

The Algonquin Cocktail (Cocktail Hacker)

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye

1 1/4 oz Dry Vermouth

1 1/4 oz Pineapple Juice

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

What’s my final verdict on this one? It’s pretty good. Not my favorite cocktail of all time, but I’d certainly be happy to drink one. The rye is definitely the star. The pineapple juice adds a subtle flavor but light sweetness is the key. Finally the vermouth adds complexity and rounds out the flavor profile. If you’re dying for a new rye cocktail this one is worth a go.

Happy Repeal Day to you all!

This week I’m taking a look at a cocktail from the pages of Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh’s book Vintage Spirits and Cocktails. I have the UK version of the book so if you have the US version the title is slightly different. On that note there is a new version of the book which, although I don’t yet have it, I’ve heard great things about. You can check it out on Amazon if you’re interested. Enough about books, let’s talk cocktail.

I’m mixing up the Algonquin Cocktail this week which on first glance is quite intriguing. This drink makes use of an odd combination of pineapple juice, rye whiskey and dry vermouth. Since I have some pineapple juice knocking around from my last cocktail it seems like a good time to give this one a go. So, here we go!

The Algonquin Cocktail

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey

3/4 oz Dry Vermouth

3/4 oz Pineapple Juice



1) Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

I’m starting to notice a bit of a trend here. Pink cocktails are delicious. Now I have no doubt we could whip up something pink that would taste terrible, but for the most part I think my contention holds true. The El Presidente certainly follows this rule to a tee. I didn’t make any real alterations to the recipe this week, just tweaked it to my liking. So, let’s start with the recipe then we’ll talk tweaks.

El Presidente (Cocktail Hacker)

2 oz White Rum

1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

1/2 oz Lime Juice

1/4 oz Grenadine

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Looks almost exactly the same, but it’s different I swear. The first tweak is I experimented with is the amount of grenadine. I found anywhere from 1/4 – 1/3 oz of my homemade grenadine to be great. My personal choice is 1/4 oz as it results in a drier cocktail that I think really works wonderfully in this case.

The only other tweak I’d suggest is pick a rum that you love for this drink. I tried my house white rum, Flor de Caña, and Rhum Clemént Première Canne. Both resulted in fantastic cocktails but for this application I prefer the Flor de Caña. It allows the juices and grenadine to take center stage in the flavor profile which is exactly what I was looking for.

I will definitely be adding this drink to my regular rotation and I highly recommend you give it a try.

I know this makes for two rum drinks in a row, but the El Presidente* calls for white rum so it should be sufficiently different. In flipping through the Joy of Mixology looking for my next cocktail to conquer this one just sounded delicious. So there you have it. A glimpse in to my highly scientific selection process.

El Presidente (Joy of Mixology)

2 oz Light Rum

1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Dash of Grenadine

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

* Bonus points if you think the “the” is redundant. ;)

You hear crude oil referred to as Black Gold from time to time. I’d like to propose that the Corn N’ Oil could easily be renamed the same. Made with Cruzan Black Strap this cocktail is deep and intriguing. The rum gives is a very complex molasses base flavor and the falernum punches it up to the next level. It may take you a few sips before you decide if you really like it or not though. My first sip I was stunned by the intense flavor of the rum and nearly concluded it wasn’t a drink for me. Subsequent sips however pulled me in. On the other hand my mom tried one sip and immediately passed on any future sampling. The Corn N’ Oil is certainly not a beginner cocktail.

The reason behind this is two-fold. First is the rum. Sure, you could make this drink with another dark rum, but you shouldn’t. I whipped one up with Gosling’s and it was great, fantastic in fact, but it was lacking. I missed the depth and punch of the Cruzan. I have no doubt that there are some other truly dark, as in Batman, rums out there that would also work great. If you know of some others by all means please let me know.

Second is your falernum. This syrup, although easy to make, is some seriously powerful mojo in the glass. It’s easy to add too much and have it overwhelm the rum. For my personal tastes the homemade batch I made was great. Sure, I have some tweaks I’m going to make next time. Namely, a little lighter on the sugar and some additional spices. Perhaps some cinnamon, cardamom and anise, but just a touch. However, given those tweaks if you were going to make your own batch you definitely can’t go wrong with the recipe as it stands for your starting point.

A final note on falernum. As I mentioned in the DIY Falernum post, some recipes call for fresh lime juice. Since I left that out of mine I needed to compensate with a bit extra in the cocktail itself. Definitely not a problem, but certainly something you want to be aware of as you mix up this drink.

So, when it’s all said and done here is my modified recipe. I upped the rum content to offset the slightly oversweet (in my opinion) falernum and added some additional lime juice to balance it all out. Enjoy my friends.

Corn N' Oil (Cocktail Hacker)

2 1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum

1/2 oz Falernum

1/2 Lime, Quartered

1) Build in an ice filled highball glass

2) Squeeze in lime wedges and stir