Cocktail Hacker

As this week ends with the US’s Independence Day, the Fourth of July, it seems only fitting that I pick a cocktail that would fit the theme. I took a quick peek through my books thinking I would easily find a cocktail called something like the Independence or Independence Day, but alas I did not. I have no doubt one exists, but I was looking for a classic. Then I remembered something I found when I was investigating the Negroni. If you remember, the Negroni was created as a spin off of an existing cocktail, the Americano. I’m an Americano! Perfect!

The Americano is the result of an Italian bartender trying to create an American style cocktail sometime in the late 1800s. Gary Regan mentions that the first printing of the recipe was in 1937 in WJ Tarling’s Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. I’m excited for this week. The Americano looks like a boldly flavored cocktail that is still on the lighter side. Should be a tasty adventure!

Americano (Joy of Mixology)

1 1/2 oz Campari

1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth

2 oz Club Soda

Orange Twist for Garnish

1) Build in an ice filled highball glass

2) Garnish with an orange twist

My week of Salty Dogs started when I mixed some up for my cousin Tara and I. I followed the simple recipe I laid out at the beginning of the week, 2 oz vodka, 3 oz grapefruit juice. The only grapefruit juice I had on hand was the kind in the tiny cans and I failed to rim the glasses with salt. D’Oh. As you can guess we were already well on our way to failure. After a tentative couple of sips we both concluded that the drink was much too sour in its current form. I added a touch of raspberry syrup and all was right in the world again. But of the failings I mention above what was the key to making this drink tasty?

I picked up some grapefruit and decided I’d give the drink a go with fresh juice (always a good call). However, much to my surprise, it seems I hadn’t read the label very well and came home with pink grapefruit. Which, I found out on a second trip to the store, is all they have right now. Nevertheless, I juiced them up and mixed up a cocktail, complete with salted rim this time.

This time the drink was much more palatable than my first attempt. The pink grapefruit juice is less sour than white grapefruit and quite a bit sweeter. Be warned, this version goes down very easy. The vodka is lost to the sweet/sour flavor of the pink grapefruit and before you realize it your glass is empty again. The salt was a nice touch but really works much better with the sourer white grapefruit. If you’re using pink go light on the salt and I’d suggest only rimming half the glass. That way you only have to have salt if you want.

The same evening Aaron was over to finalize our Tales of the Cocktail plans and he chose to mix up the Difford’s recipe (below). This recipe changes things up a bit by adding a touch of Maraschino to the mix. This has two effects on the cocktail. First, it will sweeten it up a bit, which could be needed if you’re going the white grapefruit route. Second, it gives the drink a little more interesting flavor. Like the Aviation you’re using the Maraschino very sparingly so it’s flavor is subtly applied. Overall Aaron was very surprised and pleased. He sums it up best: “[I] really thought it would be more like my college ‘whatever juice I can find and vodka drinks’.” Well said my friend.

Salty Dog (Diffords Guide #7)

2 oz Vodka

2 1/4 oz Grapefruit Juice

1/8 oz Maraschino

Salt for Rimming

Finally I circled back to where I started the week and gave the canned white grapefruit juice a second go. With this second attempt I came to a different conclusion. The sourness of the grapefruit juice is actually quite refreshing. But it does make you slow down your sipping. The salt is a nice touch, but not entirely necessary in my opinion. However, if you decide to leave it off know that you’re now drinking a Greyhound, amazing what a touch of salt can do.

Being from Colorado I can’t even begin to claim that I’m a Salty Dog. But, salty or not it’s hot today and I was looking for a cold refreshing cocktail to feature this week. In my search I stumbled across the Salty Dog and knew it was a perfect match. How can you go wrong with vodka and grapefruit juice on a hot day? Plus, the way I see it, I have to get ready for the even hotter days to come and what better way to do that with some solid drinking.

Salty Dog

2 oz Vodka

3 oz Grapefruit Juice

1) Build in an ice filled, salt rimmed highball glass

This month’s Mixology Monday is being hosted by none other than Rum Dood himself. As you may recall I’ve been espousing Dood as the master of all things rum for the last few days and thanking him heartily for his suggestions on the topic. Seems only logical that this month’s topic would be rum. Although the logical choice, it is in fact wrong. You see, they’ve already had Mixology Monday: Rum nearly a year ago. So, the topic was chosen to be ginger instead.

When I saw this month’s topic I knew I had to mix up something tasty. I absolutely love ginger, but what to make? I already covered ginger beer back when I covered the Dark and Stormy, so that was out. I’ve talked a bit about ginger ale specifically when making a Pimm’s Cup, so that option didn’t sound good either. But one that I hadn’t experimented with was ginger infused simple syrup. So, I decided that’s what I’d base this month’s submission on. But as I was mulling this idea over in my head another idea slowly began to form, what about a ginger five spice simple syrup?

If done right I’d end up with a syrup that had both the spicy flavors of the ginger combined with the distinctly asian flavors of the five spice. Well do it up right I certainly did. Although, truth be told, my first batch didn’t have nearly enough ginger so I ended up giving it a second go. The recipe below is for the second go and the ginger flavor is imense and wonderfully tasty.

Ginger Five Spice Simple Syrup

2 cups Water

4-6 oz Fresh Ginger Root

2 Tbsp Five Spice Powder

Demerara Sugar

1) Wash ginger and slice very thin

2) Simmer all ingredients on low for 30 minutes

3) Allow mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes

4) Strain off solids

5) Measure remaining liquid (about 1 cup in my case)

6) Add an equal amount of demerara sugar

7) Stir until dissolved

[Note] You can add 1 oz of grain alcohol to make it more shelf stable

The resulting syrup is a rich brown and is as fragrant as can be. Now I had a solid ingredient but what recipe to use it in? My first go was in a Rye Old Fashioned. The resulting drink was good, but not great. Back to the drawing board. Then it hit me. What about a Daiquiri with some nice gold rum? It sounded delicious and the rum would certainly make the Dood happy. Yes, my friends, that was the answer.

Ginger Five Spice Daiquiri

2 oz Appleton Estate V/X

1 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz Ginger Five Spice Syrup

Candied Ginger for Garnish

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

4) Garnish with candied ginger

The complex flavor profile of this cocktail is tremendous. The rum, ginger and five spice really play together very, very nicely. You first get the five spice flavors hitting your palate followed by the subtle hints of oak in the rum. Next comes the ginger flavor which plays through all the way to the after taste where you get a pleasant hit of the ginger’s spiciness. You definitely want to choose a gold rum for this drink to get those light woody notes. Another thanks to the Dood for the suggestion of Appleton Estate V/X.

Hope this entry in the MxMo annals has inspired you to mix up some interesting syrups of your own. Let me know how they turn out, I’m always looking for interesting drinks.

This week I’m going to turn my focus to another gin sour, namely the Clover Club. This drink takes a bit of a diversion from the typical sour by replacing the simple syrup with raspberry syrup or grenadine. Gary Regan mentions in the Joy of Mixology that this drink “isn’t much to talk about” when mixed with Grenadine, which presents a bit of a problem. While I have grenadine readily available, raspberry syrup may be a bit tougher to find. Good news though, as you’ve likely already surmised, I can and will make my own. Here’s the cocktail recipe to get you warmed up while I work on some tasty ingredients.

Clover Club (Joy of Mixology)

2 oz Gin

1 oz Lemon Juice

1 Egg White

Raspberry Syrup or Grenadine to Taste

1) Combine ingredients over ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain in to a chilled cocktail glass