Candaian Apple

Like a whiskey sour but made spicy and fruity for fall, the Canadian Apple is perfect for when the leaves change and the wind blows. Cinnamon is key to getting this drink out of the summer lulls.

• 2 oz. Canadian whisky
• 1/2 oz. apple brandy (Catoctin Creek used)
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juce
• ground cinnamon
• lemon slice

Combine whiskey, apple brandy, sugar and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled highball glass. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and garnish with the lemon slice.

Sherry Sangaree

Sangaree is the English word for the Spanish Sangria. It basically refers to any middling strength punch made with wines and sugar. This particular Sangaree is a grape bomb with ruby port to affect the color and sweetness.

• 2 oz. fino sherry
• 1/2 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1 oz. soda
• 1 tbsp. ruby port

Add sugar and sherry to a highball glass full of ice. Stir and top with soda. Float port on top.

Reform Cocktail

Sherry and strong wine drinks that are chilled and flavored are a great way to slow things down and keep your buzz going with a tasty drink. I didn't even miss the presence of gin or whiskey, but I do have to warn that these drinks have the same failings of fortified wines. Drink too many of these and you will have a wanging headache the next day as if you were guzzling cheap sweet wine.

• 3 oz. Amontillado sherry
• 3 dashes of bitters
• orange twist

Combine all ingredients except twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist.

Golden Hornet

Choose your scotch carefully for this cocktail. A single malt will probably do, but an assertive blend works just as well. I like that it was a solid spirit rocks drink with a lot of flavor. The scotch and sherry make for a round earthy taste, while gin adds citrus and spice. Stir well so that this very hot drink stays refreshing and cold.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. scotch
• 1/2 oz. amontillado sherry
• lemon twist

Build drink in a highball glass full of ice by adding gin and sherry and stirring. Float scotch on top and add lemon twist garnish.

Soviet Cocktail

Sometimes vodka is just what I want, strong and clear. For some reason sherry makes it into a Soviet named drink, but I really approve. It is smooth and silky and, like the Russian Rob Roy, perfect when you want a hint of the flavor without the body of the mixed-in spirit.

• 3 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. Manzanilla sherry
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• lemon twist

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

Bourbon Collins

I guess I was on a roll, doing bourbon versions of popular drinks. But this is the first Collins I've made for the blog. I guess I just like bourbon drinks.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1/2 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• soda
• lime twist

Combine bourbon, sugar, and juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled highball glass. Top with soda and add lime twist garnish.

Rickey

According to David Wondrich in Imbibe!, the Rickey was invented in D.C. by a lobbyist named Joe Rickey between 1883-1889. The Washington Post wrote about how Rickey had the George Williamson's Saloon make it for him according to his own recipe. It became associated with Shoemaker's Pub, which is now the Marriott Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. There is a plaque in the hotel bar marking the site as the birthplace of the Rickey.

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon
• juice of 1/2 lime
• soda

Combine juice and bourbon with ice in a highball glass and stir. Top with soda.

Bourbon Daisy

I am really starting to appreciate the loveliness of Daisies. The color, the orange wheel, the whiskey--bourbon just makes a Daisy better, too.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. grenadine
• 2 tsp. Southern Comfort
• soda
• orange slice

Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and grenadine in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass and top with soda. Float Southern Comfort on top and garnish with an orange slice.

Barbarella

What do you do when you only have one ounce of Sambuca left? You make a Barbarella. The large amount of orange liqueur still doesn't dilute the flavor of Sambuca and stretches that ounce into one whole drink.

• 1 oz. white Sambuca
• 2 oz. Cointreau

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. 

Montana

There's little about this cocktail that evokes that wide western state. I doubt that cowpokes would enjoy the Montana much either, so I am a little mystified by the name. Clearly, the bartender involved was going for a sweet highball drink that was spirits only--something that could be stirred and served on ice so the rodeo clowns wouldn't spill it when they ride on the mechanical bull.

• 2 oz. brandy
• 1 oz. ruby port
• 1 oz. dry vermouth
• several dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled highball glass full of fresh ice. 

Sherry Cocktail

I want to save this Sherry Cocktail for an article on lower-proof drinks. It's one to drink when you want to slow things down and not get too tipsy from one drink. It even looks like a pretty stiff cocktail, too, but it is only as strong as the sherry you used. Keep in mind, though, that sherry is still fortified wine and if you drink this all night you'll get a wine hangover if you're not careful.

• 3 oz. sherry
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• orange twist

Combine all ingredients except twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.

Creole Lady

The Creole Lady is really a lot like a Manhattan with sherry substituted for the sweet vermouth. The recipe in the New York Bartender's Guide calls for one red and one green cherry, but who has both on hand anyway. If you have them, good on you! You can make the drink look pretty. I used this nice sunset as a backdrop, though.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 1/2 oz. Madeira (Cossart and Gordon used)
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• red maraschino cherry
• green maraschino cherry

Combine all ingredients except cherries in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherries.

Sherry Twist

 It's Fall and this year I'm doing a lot of rich sherry drinks to celebrate differently! There's plenty of wine and grape flavor in the Sherry Twist, and with a minimum of citrus, it really amounts to a strong fruity drink. I used Catoctin Creek grape brandy for an even more smooth and even cocktail.

• 2 oz. sherry
• 1 oz. brandy
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• orange twist

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

Flaming an Orange Peel

The trick to getting a bright and singed orange flame from an orange peel is not always easy.
Start with a broad zest ribbon you get from using a peeler, not a zest tool. Hold the peel so that you can put pressure on the edges with every finger as you squeeze it from the edges toward the center over a lit flame. Rub the singed peel on the rim of the glass to get the flavors to transfer to the drink.

New York

Someone in the 70's decided that New Yorkers drank pink drinks. This rye cocktail is supposed to be a whiskey version of a Cosmo. Cranberry juice won't give it the correct color, so use grenadine. For all that cheapness, this is one of my favorite grenadine pink drinks. Applejack Jack Roses are often too tart and the drinks I've done lately have left me feeling a little feminine. Despite it's look, though, the New York made with Catoctin Creek 92-Proof rye is a badass drink.

• 1 1/2 oz. rye (Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye used)
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• several dashes of grenadine

Combine all ingredients except orange peel in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the orange peel. 

Brandy Sour

Like it's whiskey and pisco brethren, this is a sweet and sour cocktail that just about everyone agrees tastes great. I used Catoctin Creek's 1757 Distiller's Reserve brandy (aged in Bordeaux casks) to give the drink an elegant and local flair. It certainly didn't lose anything by not being made with whiskey.

• 2 oz. brandy
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. sugar syrup
• orange slice

Combine all ingredients except orange slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Monte Carlo

I don't think this drink is named after the city so much as the car. I believe that it is part of a "luxury car" cocktail series like the Bentley, Rolles Royce, and the Cadillac Margarita.

Peychaud's bitters float elegantly on top in this photo. I like how this drink swings between sweet and herbaceous flavors. This is a pleasing drink for before dinner or after.

• 2 oz. rye
• 1/2 oz. Benedictine
• several dashes of bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Monahan

The first thing I said when I tried this was, "Whoah, that's good!" I think I like it for the rye and bitter orange flavors combined to make a strong liquor drink. Carpano Antica Formula doesn't hurt the flavor either.

• 1 1/2 oz. rye
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Amer Picon (Picon Biere used)

Combine all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass and stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Bourbon Sidecar

The Bourbon Sidecar is a little like a Brandy Manhattan in that it substitutes the usual liquor for one that is similar but makes for an entirely different drink. This is great for Bourbon Sour drinkers and Sidecar lovers alike.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. sugar syrup

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

Bitter New Yorker

This drink reminds me that I'll have to do a traditional New Yorker soon as a comparison. This drink takes out the citrus juice and grenadine that would make it taste like a sour and turns it bitter with Campari and Amaro Averna. Fiola has a whole page of Amari, bitter Italian liqueurs. Amaro Averna is flavored with roots and spices, but is not as bitter as, say, Fernet Branca. Here's how to make it.

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Basil Hayden's used)
• 1/2 oz. Averna 
• 1/2 oz. Campari
• dash chocolate bitters
• cherry

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry.

Hemingway Daiquiri

This is another drink I photographed at Fiola. It's not because I don't have the ingredients, I just happened to spot it on the cocktail menu and bought one to use for the blog. The Hemingway Daiquiri is a more modern version of the drink Hemingway would probably have enjoyed on the rocks.

• 1 1/2 oz. white rum (El Dorado used)
• 1/4 oz. Luxardo maraschino cherry liqueur
• 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 oz. sugar syrup
• lime or grapefruit peel

Combine all ingredients except fruit peel in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime or grapefruit peel.

Vieux Carre

The Vieux Carre is a classic New Orleans cocktail, a product of combining cognac available in the French quarter with American rye to make a strong mixed drink. This photo was taken at Fiola, a great Italian themed restaurant in the District.

• 1 1/2 oz. rye (Willet used)
• 1/2 oz. cognac (Remy Martin VSOP used)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Dolin used)
• several dashes of Angostura bitters 
• several dashes of Peychauds bitters
• cherry

Combine all ingredients except cherry in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Fall Zucchini Bread

This is one of my own creations and probably one of the most inventive cocktails you will ever come across. I did this on the last day I worked at my restaurant, so I wasn't afraid of wasting alcohol on a mistake. But it was no mistake. I've been working on this drink for about a month. In a way it was a nice bon voyage to two years behind that bar.

The idea of a zucchini cocktail came about when I was looking for cucumbers to muddle in drinks when I accidentally grabbed a bunch of zucchini because they look the same. I thought at first, "you can't make a drink with zucchini." But then it came to me: why not?

This drink has cinnamon and nutty rye flavors, but also citrus zest and vanilla of Tuaca. It really tastes like zucchini bread because I started with frying wheels of tempura coated zucchini. While the wheels are still hot, I muddled one wheel in 1 1/2 oz. of rye. I strained the mixture into a mixing glass with ice and added the other ingredients. Here is how the rest falls out.

• 1 1/2 oz. rye muddled with fried zucchini wheel and strained
• 3/4 oz. Tuaca vanilla liqueur
• 1/4 oz. Fireball cinnamon whiskey
• 1/2 oz. honey diluted with equal parts water
• fried zucchini wheels

Combine all ingredients except zucchini wheels in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with pie crust. Garnish with a fried zucchini wheel. 

Picon Fizz

Ok, so this is what I get for mixing with Picon Biere instead of the original Amer Picon. The two are not the same. For one thing, the Biere is a sweeter liqueur and not the high-proof and hard to find Amer Picon. Picon Biere is also intended to be added to beer to change the character of those boring light lagers. I'll probably do this at some point, but I was curious how a Picon Biere Fizz would turn out.

As it does turn out, I recommend against doing it. It is really dark, in flavor and color, and with a lot of root beer bitterness. There's quinine too, so it is like having a black tonic water without the gin. So kind of a sugary and watery blah.

I should learn from this experience, but you can bet I will try another similar cocktail in the coming days just to say I did it...again.

• 2 oz. Amer Picon
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1/2 oz. brandy
• club soda

Build drink in a highball glass with ice and stir. Top with club soda.

Apple Blow Fizz

This is another drink made with Catoctin Creek Apple Brandy. I love this stuff! I wanted to try this unusual cocktail because it has fizzy egg white and real apple flavors going on. It sounds mysterious too. Like something is going to be blown--like your mind.

But it wasn't what I thought. More lemon would help get the foam up, as would really prolonged shaking. The flavor was a kind of silky, tangy apple, though. I won't do it again, but feel free to experiment.

• 3 oz. apple brandy or applejack
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• sparkling water

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled highball glass with fresh ice in it. Top with sparkling water.

Royal Smile

This drink is a variation on a Jack Rose, the old Applejack cocktail. I guess it is intended to be made with apple brandy, but since that's expensive, they cut it with gin. Grenadine seems to be an easy fix for most drinks of this kind, but I recommend using more of it than the recipe calls for. It's pretty tart.

• 2 oz. apple brandy
• 1 oz. gin
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine (2 recommended)

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