Cocktail Hacker

Okay, I have another imagination experiment for you. Think of nearly any adventure movie. You know, Indiana Jones, National Treasure, pick your favorite. Good, now that we’re on the same page, I want you to think about what happens when the hero needs more information to reach their goal. They go to an expert who undoubtedly has a giant library of ancient tomes upon which to draw.

In the case of cocktails Greg Boehm is that giant library having expert. I was introduced to Greg and his work when Aaron and I first started Cocktail Hacker. Our first six cocktails were David Embury’s six essential cocktails. I thought it would awesome to have a copy of Embury’s book for my collection. Slight problem, good copies of the early versions of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks go for hundreds of dollars. Then I heard about Mud Puddle Books.

Greg Boehm not only has the giant cocktail library from which to pull knowledge, but he also makes incredible reprints of these classics for the rest of us to enjoy as well. Shortly after I heard about the books that the folks at Mud Puddle books create, I was participating in a TDN over at the Mixoloseum and Greg gave away a book for answering his trivia question correctly. I won and subsequently received my first Mud Puddle printed cocktail book, Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Manual.

I really had no idea what to expect. When the book arrived, I was stunned, to say the least. The cover of the book is an exact replica of the original down to the binding style. Each page is as it first appeared in the original book. All of the engraved plates are crisp, clear and, well, damn near perfect. Even down to the original advertisements, the book is perfectly reproduced. Suffice to say I was in love.

In addition to the books from Harry Johnson and David Embury, Mud Puddle also prints books from other legends including William Boothby and Jerry Thomas. In all, they now offer 13 reprints of cocktail classics and two new books from contemporary cocktail masters. All of them reproduced to as closely match the originals as possible. If you’d like a bit more info about Greg and how his work started, I’d highly suggest you take a look at this article from the New York Times.

So, now that I’ve gushed for over 250 words, let me get to the point. If you have a cocktail fan in your life and you’re looking for a great gift, the books from Mud Puddle would certainly make their day. Head over to Cocktail Kingdom and you can check out their entire line. In addition, they’re now offering hard to find barware and bitters. If you decide to pick up a book or two, I certainly hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy mine.

When you hear the words coffee liqueur, I’m betting that the first thing that pops into your head is Kahlua. They’ve been the brand leader for years and with the help of their new ad campaign, (which I actually rather enjoy) they’re getting back into the fore-brain of consumers. As part of that strategy, they’ve released a new limited edition liqueur that I’ve been lucky enough to be sent a sample of, Kahlua Coffee Cream.

My immediate thoughts on opening the package is that Kahlua is making a bid to do battle with Irish cream. Upon sampling, I’d agree with my first thoughts, to a degree. You’re going to first notice the difference in the aroma. Rather than the coffee aroma being a light background note as it is in Irish Cream, the coffee is much more forward in Kahlua Coffee Cream. The coffee aroma you get is very clean and bright.

The flavor profile definitely follows the aroma in this case. You still get the vanilla, chocolate and caramel notes coming through, but the coffee is definitely the star. Although, while the star, it’s not overwhelming and a good balance still exists between the flavors.

As I was sipping the two side by side for comparison, (they’re similar, but quite different) an idea came to me. This could be basically an instant White Russian. All you’d need to do is add some vodka and ice and you’d be set. Interesting. More on that in a bit. I find Kahlua Coffee Cream to be a bit less sweet than standard Kahlua and really like that. In general I find Kahlua straight up too sweet for me and wouldn’t drink it straight. Kahlua Coffee Cream, on the other hand, I’d willingly reach for and pour over a bit of ice as a nice nightcap.

So, what of the White Russian? Well, interestingly enough, the press release for this product (which I read after my tasting) actually lists a recipe for the Curious Russian. This drink being an equal parts combo of Kahlua Coffee Cream, Kahlua and vanilla vodka. While the drink sounds pretty good I’m guessing most people don’t have a ready supply of vanilla vodka in their cabinets. So, being the thoughtful experimenter, I offer you a simpler alternative.

Coffee Cream Russian

1 1/2 oz Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 1/2 oz Vodka

1) Build in a rocks glass over ice

My overall verdict on the Kahlua Coffee Cream is that it’s very good. If you’re a big fan of White Russians, (or fancy a mudslide) I’d give this a go. Finally, with a SRP of $17.99 you really can’t go wrong. Salud, mis amigos!

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

I’ll be the first to tell you, holidays are not always my favorite times of the year. They’re hectic, often filled with awkward interactions, and sometimes downright un-fun. But, all whining aside, they’re a good time to catch up with friends and family, get in the spirit of giving and generally recognize how good we all have it. Okay, enough weighing of pros and cons. You know what makes an occasion, holiday or otherwise, that much better? Drinks, and good ones to boot. Valerie Peterson sums it up nicely. “[T]he antidote to holiday stress is, quite simply, to keep good spirits in you.” Good spirits indeed.

Peterson’s Holiday Helper is a sort of guidebook to get you through the holidays while keeping plenty of spirits in you. Sure, there are some non-alcoholic tipples mixed in for good measure. But, that’s not what this book is about. It’s about new cocktail recipes, classics and intriguing twists on classics that will nicely fit in to your holiday festivities (or infrequent patches of quiet solitude).

Valerie’s book takes you chronologically from Thanksgiving all the way through New Years. Keep that order only lightly in mind though. Most of the recipes would be good at any time during the holidays and most of the year for that matter.

There are classics and slightly tweaked classics. For example the Merry Berry Mojito, the classic Tom and Jerry and the always delicious but nearly ubiquitous mulled cider. Valerie mixes in, no pun intended, her own new creations as well like the Green Elf, which sounds quite delicious. I’ve included the recipe below if you’d like to get a head start. There is even a recipe for making your own homemade coffee liqueur. Very cool for me since that’s one that I’ve been wanting to experiment with.

Green Elf (Peterson's Holiday Helper)

1 1/2 oz Green Apple Liqueur

1 oz Gin

1/2 oz Lime Juice

3 Dashes Peach Bitters

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

2) Shake until well chilled

3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

To top things off, the book is filled with classic holiday pictures, ads and other mementos of the season that are fairly entertaining unto themselves (sometimes in that point and giggle kind of way). If you’re looking for a guide to some holiday themed cocktails or a fun gift for a cocktail enthusiast this book is worth checking out. Cost is $16.95 and I have no doubt you know where to find it should you so desire.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

Seeing as this week’s cocktail, El Presidente, calls for white rum it seems a perfect time to review one I got in the mail some time back, Rhum Clement Premiere Canne. Rhum Clement is a rhum agricole meaning that it’s distilled from sugar cane juice rather than molasses. Like Cachaca this gives Rhum Clement a distinctly more grassy note that I find quite pleasant.

As I bring my glass up for a sniff the first thing I notice is a subtly sweet grassy aroma that is both characteristic of rhum agricole and very pleasant. Next I note the crisp cleanliness of the aroma. It isn’t deeply complex just pure and clean rum.

The flavor amplifies the subtle notes that came out in the aroma. The sweetness although light is quick to present itself followed by the grassy notes of the sugar cane juice. Finally I note the crispness again as the rum finished on my palate. No strange aftertastes and no burn. Lovely stuff.

How does it fair in an El Presidente? Quite well. The grassy notes still play through but work very well with the fruitiness of the juices and grenadine. I think this rum would also work fantastically in a Daiquiri. If you’re looking for a new white rum to try this one is certainly worth giving a shot.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

As I started looking into the Corn N’ Oil cocktail one rum kept rising to the surface as the suggested dark rum for the drink. Nearly everything I saw said that this cocktail is as great as it is due largely in part to Cruzan Black Strap Rum. I’d tasted other Cruzan products in the past and loved them, but I’d never heard of their Black Strap Rum. Thankfully that was an easy problem to solve. I hit up the Liquor Mart and was on my way to cocktail deliciousness.

Per the Cruzan site their Black Strap product is a Navy Rum. Their comment is a very good introduction. “…it’s almost like a molasses-flavored rum.” I didn’t have any experience with Navy Rum but I certainly had tasted some dark rums so I was intrigued. The first thing I noticed was the color. Cruzan Black Strap is much darker than any other dark rum I’ve encountered. It’s abundantly obvious where the oil in the Corn N’ Oil name comes from.

Next you’re going to encounter the aroma. Simply put the aroma follows the color. It’s deep and dark and rich and wonderful. There is an intense aroma of caramel and molasses with nice hints of vanilla. It definitely has a much richer aroma than a lot of dark rums that I’d run in to.

Okay, now the important bit, the flavor. Like the aroma it’s deep, dark and rich. The molasses aroma comes through in the flavor as well, but really pleasantly. The flavor is also sweeter than most dark rums, but again not overly sweet. The sweetness definitely doesn’t overcome the other delightful flavors. Behind the molasses notes you’re going to encounter more caramel as you did in the aroma. Finally vanilla makes an appearance in the finish.

Overall a tremendously pleasant dark rum. I definitely look forward to trying it out in other cocktails. I think it would make a tremendous Dark and Stormy or for that matter as a float. Given it’s complexity and smoothness I’d even pour it over ice and simply sip.