Grand Autumn

 

This cocktail is from the St. Germain website, and I've done it before when I had my first bottle of St. Germain many years ago. It was a hit, but I didn't make it to my satisfaction, so now I am attempting it again with the bitters and proper Fever Tree ginger beer. 

This cocktail is such a crowd-pleaser--almost tiki, like the Suffering Bastard. The ginger beer is paired wonderfully with rye and lime juice. (You get the sense that drinkers prefer a richer rye and ginger beer cocktail to a Moscow Mule with boring vodka.) All of this would tend to make an acidic drink that hides the North Fork rye's best qualities, that round oak note and American whiskey flavor. But St. Germain comes to the rescue, adding sweetness to tame the acidity and a floral note that ties everything together.

The Grand Autumn is a cocktail that looks great, smells good and tastes even better. I'm glad I gave it another chance.

• 2 oz. rye (Glacier Distilling Co. North Fork rye used)
• 1 oz. St. Germain or elderflower liqueur
• 1/4 oz. lime juice
• ginger beer (Fever Tree used)
• several dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine rye, St. Germain and lime juice in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass. Top with ginger beer and float dashes of Angostura on top. 

Kungsholm Cocktail

 

This is a lovely cocktail that plays up sweetness and spiciness with a nice balance and fruit. The theme for the ingredients and the flavor experience is Nordic, with Kungsholmen meaning "Kings Island" in Swedish and Swedish Punsch as the principal ingredient. This drink commemorates a small lake island in the heart of Stockholm!

For this cocktail, I made a rich raspberry syrup. I began by crushing raspberries in boiling water and adding sugar until the syrup was thick and sweet. Then it was a simple matter of straining out the solids and adding a teaspoon of vodka to act as a preservative. 

For the rest of the drink, I North Fork rye by Glacier Distillery and my homemade Swedish Punsch. By happy accident, there is a bit of smokey lapsang souchong tea mixed in with the Three Tea whiskey by MurLarkey distillery, which provided part of the liquor and flavor of this "quick" punsch recipe. 

• 1 oz. rye (North Fork used)
• 1 oz. Swedish Punsch
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. raspberry syrup
• several dashes Pernod (Ricard used)

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

Boomerang (Swedish Punsch Version)

The Boomerang that I know is a Martini variation with a dash of Angoastura bitters and maraschino liqueur. This is more of a Manhattan variation. There's rye, dry vermouth, and Swedish punsch, which is a rum-based spirit with spices and citrus. (Note: the bottle pictured is actually my own recipe for Swedish punch, not the name on the lable.) The punsch added a sweetness that I was not accustomed to in a dry Manhattan, and it was a welcome change that made this cocktail unusual and more international than the standard New York drink. This is another cocktail recipe that I came across in researching Swedish punch and does not appear in any recipe book I've used.

• 1 oz. rye (North Fork rye used)
• 1 oz. dry vermouth (Dolin used)
• 1 oz. Swedish punshc (homemade used)
• 1 dash lemon juice
• 1 dash angostura bitters

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

Derby #2

I'm trying to feature more local Virginia spirits in my classic cocktail posts. MurLarkey whiskey is often one of my most frequent go-to ingredients, but keep in mind that is because they have a huge product line. Even though this recipe calls for blended whiskey, for instance, I realized that rye and MurLarkey lemon whiskey would be a helpful addition. 

The rye I'm speaking of is not from Virginia, but it is one of the best in the country: Glacier Distilling's North Fork rye! This is a rich rye--a little goes a long way. It has such an oak presence that one could mistake it for bourbon on first sip. That is until the spice notes kick in. 

So with a citrus-forward cocktail like all Derby variations, I decided to mix in the lemon whiskey. This increased the citrus richness to include lemon peel infused whiskey to orange flavored liqueur and fresh lime juice.

• 1 oz. blended whiskey (1/2 oz. each of MurLarkey lemon and North Fork rye used)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (cocchi Dopo Tetatro used)
• 1/2 oz. curacao (triple sec used)
• mint sprig for garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the mint sprig.

Shaker Heights

This cocktail must be named for the classy neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. It swings like a Roaring Twenties Manhattan with a higher proportion of vermouth to the whiskey (rye of course.) I'm using North Fork rye from Glacier Distilling Company and Vitae Old Tom gin for that classic 20s flavor profile.

Tucked in there are also sweet vermouth, a rich one by Cocchi and a cheap brandy, both in equal parts. You get a lot of barrel and oaky vanilla in this drink, and that comes mostly from the brandy and the richness of the vermouth if you make it like this. But Old Tom gin also keeps it from being overly spicy and more on the rich sipping side.

• 1/2 oz. rye (North Fork used)
• 1/2 oz. gin (Vitae Old Tom used)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi dopo teatro used)
• 1/2 oz. brandy (E&J American brandy used)

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

Rocky River Cocktail

There's a lot of rivers out there with this common name. I like to think it has something to do with Rocky River, the little town on the west side of Cleveland with its beautiful shale river gorge.

I'm representing another river, the North Fork in Montana. The Glacier distillery makes North Fork rye, really one of the best ryes I've ever tasted, hands down. Virginia makes plenty of tasty ryes, and there are better ones on the market from Kentucky, but North Fork gives them good competition for the best.

Rocky river is quite a classic pairing of spirits with lemon and apricot brandy. The proportions make for a sweet sour, not a tart drink at all. It tastes like summer sunshine.

• 1 rye (North Fork used)
• 1 oz. apricot brandy
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• sugar syrup to taste (none used)
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients (and sugar to taste) in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the maraschino cherry.