Bryn Mawr College Cooler

This is my first or second ice cream drink and latest college cocktail for the blog. I can see how this college drink developed. Some bartender figured out that it is a panty dropper of a dessert drink. Actually it comes from Poister's New American Bartender's Guide. It was very tropical, too. A good use of rum, if I do say so. Here's how it's done.

• 1 1/2 oz Malibu coconut rum
• 1/2 oz. dark rum
• dash lime or lemon juice
• Dash orgeat syrup
• scoop butter-pecan or rum raisin ice cream
• maraschino cherry

Mix all ingredients except cherry in a blender until smooth. Serve in a chilled parfait glass or wine goblet. Garnish with a cherry.

Baracuda #1

This drink is so similar to the Josiah's Bay Float that it might just be another name for it. The ingredients are listed in a different order, but the proportions are exactly the same. For convenience I copied and pasted from the earlier post. I also made it differently by using a lot more sparkling wine and some club soda to make it bubblier. This made it more of a sangria than a punch and I enjoyed it much more.

• 1 oz. gold rum
• 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 2 tsp. sugar syrup
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• champagne or sparkling wine
• lime slice
• maraschino cherry
• hollowed out pineapple shell (optional) 

Combine all ingredients except champagne, lime slice and maraschino cherry in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a hollowed out pineapple shell or hurricane glass. Add champagne (really top it up) and stir gently. Garnish with lime slice and maraschino cherry. (Mine is garnished with a baby pineapple spear.)

Wally Harvbanger

The other inversion of the Harvey Wallbanger is much more tropical, and very strong.

• 1 1/2 oz. dark Jamaican rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• pineapple spear

 Combine all ingredients except pineapple spear in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a squall glass or brandy snifter. Garnish with pineapple spear.

Wally Harbanger

This is one of the inversions of the Harvey Wallbanger. It's a bourbon drink that is not unlike a sour but with the anise and vanilla flavors of Galliano that go so well together.

• 1 oz. bourbon
• 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• mint sprig

Combine all ingredients except mint sprig in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a highball or old fashioned glass. Garnish with mint sprig.

Josiah's Bay Float

I've been looking for ways to use a bottle of Galliano since I bought one more than a week ago. If you've ever done the same, you know it is hard to find recipes that don't involve cream because it has such a rich vanilla flavor. More imaginative mixologists have discovered that it works great in tropical drinks as well, and the following are a few of my favorite tikis and punches.

• 1 oz. gold rum
• 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 2 tsp. sugar syrup
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• champagne or sparkling wine
• lime slice
• maraschino cherry
• hollowed out pineapple shell (optional)

Combine all ingredients except champagne, lime slice and maraschino cherry in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a hollowed out pineapple shell or hurricane glass. Add champagne and stir gently. Garnish with lime slice and maraschino cherry. (Mine is garnished with a baby pineapple spear.)

Corpse Reviver #1

This is a Corpse Reviver that I didn't think I would like much and hadn't considered making until I got applejack. It turns out that it is a very apple flavored drink when made with sweet vermouth. The Savoy Cocktail Book recommends taking this one before noon to relieve a hangover. It would be a rich and strong cocktail for the morning, but people did amazing things in the 1800s.

•  2. oz apple brandy (or applejack)
• 1 oz. brandy
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Savoy Corpse Reviver

Last year I did an article on scary drinks that featured the Corpse Reviver #2. That is an easy drink to come to terms with because it has gin, Cointreau, lemon juice...the same stuff you probably drank the night before, which necessitated a Corpse Reviver in the morning. This one uses Fernet Branca. I was reluctant to buy a bottle of Fernet because it is so bitter, so I asked the guys at Potomac Wines and Spirits in Georgetown for help. They tell me that Meletti is a less bitter Amaro that doesn't have the mint flavor of Fernet Branca. After tasting it, I decided that it was good on its own and might even be a substitute for Campari.

The Savoy Corpse Reviver is an old-time recipe using white creme de menthe, Fernet, and brandy. It sounds disgusting. But the minty flavor of Fernet would be wasted in a drink that already has creme de menthe. Meletti made for a less bitter mint flavor but still medicinal tasting drink that was just awesome with chocolate chip cookies.

Here's how to make this Corpse Reviver:

• 1 oz. brandy
• 1 oz. Fernet Branca (Meletti Amaro used)
• 1 oz. white creme de cacao

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Potomac Wines and Spirits is a premiere liquor store in D.C.'s fashion district, Georgetown. I catch the circulator bus from Roselyn to get there every few weeks to check out the cocktail scene and I make a point of stopping in and adding to my wish list. As you can see, they have an awesome selection of liqueurs, Amaros, vermouths, etc. It's expensive stuff and it goes quickly on the home bar. If anyone wants to know what I'd like as a gift, anything in this picture would be great.

Montparnasse

This is a drink I was excited to try with the remainder of my St. Germain. It is an applejack and dry vermouth drink recommended on the St. Germain website, where you will find some of the only suggestions for drinks made with the liqueur. I was impressed that with the sauvignon blanc and applejack, it really tasted like apples, despite there being no apple flavors. I wish I had done an apple garnish sliced wafer thin as an excuse to quote Monte Python: "wafer thin."

• 1 1/2 oz. calvados (applejack shown)
• 3/4 oz. St Germain
• 1/2 oz. sauvignon blanc
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• recommended: apple garnish sliced wafer thin (lemon twist shown.)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice except fruit garnishes. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist or apple wafer.

Golden Cadillac

This is another cream based drink with Galliano. I have to say that I like this one better than most creamy drinks because it uses more proprietary liqueur, which means it is stronger and not quite as dessert-like. I did get the feeling that this was a good drink for a classy lady in the '60s and recalled that creamy liqueurs had not yet been invented. It makes sense that these concoctions with half-and-half came about.

• 2 oz. Galliano
• 1 oz. half-and-half
• 1 oz. creme de cacao

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Pink Squirrel

The Pink Squirrel is one of a family of cream based drinks that takes advantage of creme de cacao and another cream. Like the Grasshopper, it is a chocolaty dessert drink but creme de noyaux makes it especially nutty.

• 2 oz. half and half
• 1 oz. creme de cacao
• 1 oz. creme de noyaux

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Zihuatanejo

The Zihuatanejo (pronounced see-wah-tah-neh-ho) is an original creation of John J. Poister, author of the New American Bartender’s Guide. For this DIY cocktail, I’m substituting coconut gelato for vanilla ice cream. This is a great excuse to use that bottle of Galliano for something other than Harvey Wallbangers and Golden Cadillacs.

·       1 oz. Galliano

·       1 oz. light rum

·       4 oz. orange juice

·       1 scoop of coconut gelato

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a wine goblet.

Harvey Wallbanger

I'm told that this is a thoroughly '60s drink that was all the rage, like beach parties and the Beatles. It is a light and refreshing drink nonetheless and probably the best use of a bottle of Galliano you will find.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. Galliano
• 4-5 oz. orange juice

Pour vodka and orange juice into a highball or Collins glass full of ice. Float the Galliano on top. Orange twist optional. 

Frisco

Not to be confused with the Frisco Cocktail or Frisco Sour, this is a bourbon drink only. It's one of those drinks with a lot of variations. I played around with the proportions and found that this is the most pleasing.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. Benedictine
• lemon twist

Combine bourbon and Benedictine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Philly Flyer

This is the Philadelphia version of the Aviation. It's supposed to be made with Bluecoat gin to make it Pennsylvanian. I didn't have any of that, but any dry gin will do. It has a cool opacity in the glass due to the creme de cassis, which makes it more pink than the aviation, but the flavor is basically the same.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/3 oz. Luxardo
• 1/4 oz. creme de cassis
• 1/2 lemon juice

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Queen Elizabeth/ QE Wine/ Annabelle Special

This is three or more drinks with basically the same ingredients. What I found was that even when I looked up the recipe under a specific name, the recipe itself had a lot of room to negotiate proportions and even ingredients. It is a Queen Elizabeth if it is just gin and Benedictine: but add vermouth and lemon juice and it is the Queen Elizabeth Wine; which, it just so happens, is the the same recipe for the Annebelle Special from Annebelle's in London.

Here's how to do approximately all of the recipes at once:

• 1 oz. dry vermouth (For QE Wine and Annebelle Special. I used Chardonnay because...well, I felt like it.)
• 2 oz. Benedictine (but only 1 oz. if you add gin.)
• 1 oz. gin (for Queen Elizabeth only.)
• 1/2 oz lemon juice or lime juice, because I've seen it both ways. (For QE Wine and Annebelle Special)
• lemon twist 

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Frisco Sour (A.K.A. S.F. Sour)

So a Frisco is a whiskey cocktail made with Benedictine. A Frisco Sour is just what it sounds like. Sour drinkers won't turn up their nose at this cocktail because Benedictine almost completely transforms the drink into something more sweet and herbal. Grenadine changes the color. So to the uninitiated, there appears to be no relationship to your basic sour. But the bones of a sour are all there.

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Benedictine
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup (optional)
• 1 dash grenadine
• orange slice

Combine all ingredients except orange slice in a blender or shaker. Mix well and pour into a sour glass. Garnish with the orange slice.

Waldorf Cocktail

I'm not sure if this awesome cocktail comes from the famous hotel, but it is not one to pass up. It must be old, however, because it really drowns the bourbon in Pernod. I'll always say that too much Pernod is a very bad thing, so follow my modification unless you want to try the pre-prohibition version.

• 2 oz. bourbon (3 oz. my recipe)
• 1 oz. Pernod (1/2 oz. my recipe)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (1 oz. my recipe)

Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Hunter's Cocktail

This is the original Hunter's Cocktail like the Forrester and Huntress that come after it. For this I chose Catoctin Creek Rye and Cherry Heering. I also opted for steel ice cubes. While they are only good for one really cold drink, they don't dilute at all. Rocks drinks are very trendy now, and strong. The spicy rye character is not lost behind the cherry brandy.

• 2 oz. rye
• 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
• maraschino cherry

Combine all ingredients except cherry in a shaker with ice and stir. Strain into a lowball or Old Fashioned glass with new ice. Garnish with maraschino cherry

A Glendalough tasting at Ri Ra

Glendalough Distillery is a newcomer in the Irish whiskey market. They produce the whole history of whiskey at their Wicklow facility: a range of ancient poitin white spirits, pre-prohibition single malt whiskeys with a lot of character, and a new single grain Double Barrel whiskey aged in ex-bourbon and Olorosso sherry casks.

I met Donal O'Gallachoir at Ri Ra in Georgetown to learn more about this whiskey's exciting entry into the D.C. market. Here he tells me the origin of the Glendalough name and explains the image of St. Kevin on every bottle.

Glendalough Double Wood is an excellent sipping whiskey made from organic European corn and malted barley. It has a light body and subtle maltiness from the grain mix, but there are deeper vanilla and spice notes from the bourbon and sherry casks. I quickly surmised that this is a great crossover whiskey for bourbon lovers because it has the corn and charred barrel components that they are familiar with.  

Donal O'Gallachoir calls Glendalough a gateway Irish whiskey: one that has a little for everyone to love. Try it neat, on the rocks, or in a whiskey cocktail. Here Donal gives a little distillery history and explains what sets Glendalough apart from other Irish whiskey brands.

Weep No More

I'm sad to say goodbye to my bottle of Dubonnet. It was probably the best investment for my bar above all other liquors and liqueurs. It opened up hundreds of possibilities that no other wine spirit could replace. While I'm sad I never made a Bob Danby and dozens of other Dubonnet drinks, I'm glad to end my Dubonnet rouge run with Weep No More. Dubonnet may be hard to find, but it is inexpensive at about $12 dollars if you do find it. There will be more Dubonnet cocktails in the future, but for now I have this great drink.

• 2 oz. Dubonnet rouge
• 1 1/2 oz. brandy
• 1 tsp. Luxardo
• 1 oz. (3/4 oz. recommend) lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Bobby Burns

I've been waiting to make this tribute to Scotland's romantic poet. Without Benedictine, it is just a Rob Roy, but with it, it becomes an international cocktail with herbal flavors that go well with heathery scotch. 

• 2 oz. scotch
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth
• t tsp. Benedictine
• lemon twist (optional)

Stir liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mule's Hind Leg

This is a hodgepodge of a drink with a lot more going on than it needs. It has the maple syrup of other Mule family drinks. The gin seems unnecessary, and could easily be replace by vodka or omitted altogether. There's plenty of flavor here for it to be interesting. The thing I kept noticing was the Benedictine and maple syrup sweetness. Laird's applejack was a nice base, but as my third applejack cocktail, it pretty much assured me that I would have a rough morning the next day.

2 oz. apple brandy or applejack
1 oz. gin
1 tbsp. apricot brandy
1 tbsp. Benedictine
1 tbsp. maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an old fashioned glass full of fresh ice.

Forrester

The Forrester is part of the Hunter and Huntress family of bourbon and cherry brandy drinks. I ran out of cherries for this photo, but make sure you use one for a garnish.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1/2 oz. cherry brandy (Cherry Heering)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• maraschino cherry

Combine all ingredients except cherry in a shake with ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Foghorn

This is a simple drink you can make on the fly with ginger ale and gin. So simple, it's automatic, it turns out. I used a kolsch glass for effect here.

• 2 oz. gin
• ginger ale (or ginger beer)
• lemon slice (optional)

Build the drink in a tall pilsner glass. Add ice if ginger beer is not chilled.

Cherry Cobbler

I've been meaning to make this drink when I got some creme de cassis. The Cherry Cobbler is not as sweet as it sounds. It is obviously a throwback drink to when gin was in everything. A great drink in itself, and rich when you use Cherry Heering.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
• 1/2 oz. creme de cassis
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• maraschino cherry

Combine all ingredients except cherry in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry.

Horse's Neck

This is the original ginger ale and whiskey drink that people go for when when they make a Jack and Ginger. The idea of the Horse's Neck is to serve it in a tall highball glass with a long curl of lemon peel. I didn't have ginger ale, but Barritts ginger beer can be a spicy improvement. It's drier than ginger ale, but not as sharp as some ginger beers.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey
• ginger ale (or ginger beer)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• lemon rind peeled in a spiral

Begin by using a citrus peeler to get a long curl of lemon peel and settling it in a tall glass of ice. Build the drink in the glass with whiskey and ginger beer first, stirring slowly to blend ingredients. Top with bitters.

Honeymoon

Benedictine was not an impulse purchase. It is used in so many classic cocktails that I am at the point where I needed to get it and get used to mixing with it. The impulsive thing I did in the liquor store was opt for the pure Benedictine and not the blended-down version B&B. At twice as much money, it should be mixed sparingly and it can be used in drinks that don't have a brandy base, which you can't do with B&B.

Here's how to make a Honeymoon:

• 2 oz. apple brandy or applejack
• 1 oz. Benedictine
• 1 oz. lemon juice (3/4 oz. recommended)
• 1 tsp. triple sec

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Yellow Bird

I broke one of my cardinal rules about bar stocking: the rule about only buying liqueurs that significantly increase the number of drinks you can make with the stock you currently have. I bought Galliano because you can only make a select few cocktails like the Harvey Wallbanger and Yellow Bird with it. It was a bit of an impulse purchase, and the price was under $20 dollars, which is my threshold for impulse liqueur purchases.

Galliano is a very dessert-like cordial with anise, herbs, and vanilla. It is often used in creamy drinks and as a flavoring for ice cream. I'm sure I will find my own uses for it in tropical drinks as a base for falernum, but in the meantime, I will have to find friends who like ice cream drinks.

The Yellow Bird is the rare before-dinner drink. Here's how to make it.

• 1 oz. white rum
• 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. lime juice

Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Apple Dubonnet

I am playing around with cocktails that use applejack and I am finding that this category of drinks includes entirely new combinations as well as some familiar old ones based on classics. This drink could easily be made with gin or brandy, but applejack makes for an interesting substitute, and Dubonnet rouge is always a welcome addition.

• 2 oz. applejack or apple brandy
• 1 oz. Dubonnet rouge
• lemon slice

Combine all ingredients except lemon in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a floating lemon slice.