Saz Who? (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Is it a Sazerac when it is made with rum and pear brandy? If you also use Peychaud's bitters and serve it with a hint of absinthe. 

The overall effect of adding pear brandy instead of the usual rye or cognac is the benefit of fruity softness. Catoctin Creek pear brandy is pretty strong stuff, but it has a soft nose and pear flavors that come from distilling fruit juice. That goes great with a soft Guyana rum like Hamilton 86. The rest of the recipe should look familiar to Sazerac fans. The one difference is that the glass is not rinsed with absinthe, but the liquor has several dashes of absinthe in it.

• 1 1/ 2oz. aged rum (Hamilton 86 Demerara River used)
• 1/2 oz. pear brandy (Catoctin Creek used)
• 2 dashes absinthe
• 1 tsp. demerara syrup
• 4 dashes Peuchaud's bitters
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• lemon twist

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass. Twist a lemon zest over the glass and discard. 

Creole Saz (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

I described this cocktail as a "dank rum Sazerac." This caused some confusion about whether I was describing the rum or the Sazerac as "dank." To clarify, both dank and rum modified Sazerac. Hamilton Demerara River rum is not overly rich for a dark rum. Unlike the banana peel and funk of Jamaican rums, this one really only hits lightly on brown sugar and woody notes. 

The rest of this cocktail is perfectly Creole, and right in line with something you would find in a New Orleans bar. 

• absinthe (Absente used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Haitian rum (Hamilton Demerara River used)
• 1/2 oz. cognac (Meukow used)
• 1 tsp cane sugar syrup
• 3 dashes Peychauds bitters
• 1 lemon twist

Rinse a rocks glass with absinthe and dump. Stir the remaining ingredients (except lemon peel) in a mixing glass with ice, then strain into the glass. Squeeze lemon twist over the drink and discard. 

Alembic (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Alcohol my first have been made by Arabic alchemists in the middle ages, but it was the Dutch who invented Genever, the predecessor of gin. This spirit used juniper berries in the malted barley mash as well as juniper and other botanicals in the distillation to create a gin-like spirit with a rich nutty body and pale color. It is so much like whiskey, that you can use it in a Sazerac variation and it comes across as very much like the New Orlean's original. 

• absinthe
• 2 oz. Anchor Genevieve gin (Bols Barrel-Aged Genever used)
• 1/4 oz. demerara syrup
• 3 dashes Peychaud/s bitters
• 1 lemon twist garnish
  

Coat a double Old Fashioned glass with absinthe (Absente used) and add one large ice cube. In a mixing glass, stir the remaining ingredients with ice and strain into a absinthe-coated glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Devil Inside (Death & Co. Recipe)

I love the song "Devil Inside" by INXS. But humming along while drinking this scotch and rye cocktail makes me wonder which ingredient is the Devil. It must be the Rittenhouse rye. It is 100-proof after all, and it is nothing at all like the smokey scotches (of which there are two) in this recipe. 

Devil Inside is a take on a Sazerac that coats the glass in Laphroaig rather than absinthe like the recipe for Sazerac usually calls for. That's ok, because absinthe fans will still enjoy their favorite herbal spirit stirred into the glass. And maybe that's the Devil Inside after all.

• Laphroaig scotch
• 1 1/2 oz. Rittenhouse rye
• 1/2 oz. Bruichladdich scotch (or some milder Islay whisky)
• 2 dashes absinthe
• 1 tsp demerara syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• lemon twist

Rinse a rocks glass with Laphroaig and dump. Stir the remaining ingredients (except lemon twist) with ice. Strain into a rocks glass. Squeeze the lemon twist over the drink and discard it. 

 

May Fair (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This Vieux Carre adaptation is an intense dive into the world of herbal liquors. The original cocktail chef from Death & Co. explains that they tried to meld two different styles of aquavit--one that is traditional carraway and another that is more anise-forward. The idea is not only sound, but appropriate given the anise flavor that appears in many New Orleans cocktails like the Vieux Carre. 

I was fortunate to have two kinds of homemade aquavit with exactly these same characteristics. My Altungstad aquavit has a heap of anise along with its more traditional ingredients. The other is made with MurLarkey Divine Clarity Vodka and Justice White Whiskey and the normal mix of caraway, fennel, cumin and angelica seeds. It is interesting how different the two are and I was proud to feature them in this superb cocktail. 

• 1 oz. London dry gin (Bloom used)
• 1/2 oz. Krogstad aquavit (Homemade Altungstad used)
• 1/2 oz. Linie aquavit (Homemade traditional aquavit used)
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi Dopo Teatro used)
• 1/4 oz. Benedictine
• 2 dashes Peychauds bitters
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 orange twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one large rock. Twist the orange zest over the drink and drop it in. 

Poire Man's Cobbler (Death & Co. Recipe)

This little bon mot of a drink is a Pear Cobbler (a type of sweetened brandy cocktail on crushed ice). The joke comes from Poire (French for pear), which is used in the garnish and muddled into the spirits. It is one of the better Cobblers out there (keeping in mind that there are some sub-par Port and Sherry Cobblers fit only for consumption on winter holidays and even then in the privacy of your own home.

Peychaud's and Benedictine take this drink in a fun, spicy direction. But apple brandy is the main ingredient that thrusts the pear juice into relief. I don't have Calvados, but Laird's Applejack 86 is more than up to the task.

• 2 oz. Busnel VSOP Calvados (Laird's Applejack 86 used)
• 1/4 ripe Bartlett pear, cubed
• 1/4 oz. Benedictine, 
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 1 pear slice

Muddle the cubed pear in the shaker, then add the remining liquid ingredients and ice and shake. Strain over crushed ice in an Old Fashioned glass and garnish with the pear slice. 

 

Little Miss Annabelle (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This cocktail is very light and French tasting--more of a Normandy cocktail with Benedictine and pear notes than the excessively absinthed cocktails of Paris. I like the balance that the small bit of Benedictine brings to this cocktail. It adds herbs and sweetness but doesn't overwhelm the brandies. 

Catoctin Creek pear is in there in a small proportion and you notice it because it is a bit of a distraction from the grape notes of the cognac. This is an excellent cocktail for someone who is new to French spirits because it is well rounded and shows off cognac and Benedictine without hitting you over the head.

• 2 oz. of cognac (Meukow VS used)
• 1/4 oz. pear liqueur (Catoctin Creek pear brandy used)
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. Benedictine
• 1/4 oz. cane sugar syrup
• 1 dash Peychaud's bitters

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

Shruff's End

This scotch cocktail is really going for medicinal flavors. There's nothing wrong with it, but it is a little jarring to smell and taste something that has iodine and plastic notes in it like a hospital wing or a box of Band-Aid bandages.

All of the ingredients are designed to magnify the medicinal quality, from the Peychaud's bitters to the Islay scotch--Laphroaig 10 is specified--and even the Benedictine and apple brandy are a calculated ploy to add other properties to the nose and taste that strike one as a medicinal compound from a pharmacy. And let's face it, cocktails were born at pharmacies and were used as curatives for all sorts of things before Prohibition and the FDA. It just takes a little getting used to these flavors. After sitting with them for a while, you start to appreciate what this cocktail is doing with ingredients; and you do start to feel like it is having a healthful effect on you. 

I'm not sure what occasion warrants a dose of Shruff's End, but this is clearly not a drink for all occasions and more of a specific tool for scratching a particularly unusual itch.

• 1 oz. Laphroaig 10 (Laphroaig Select used(
• 1 oz. Laird's bonded apple brandy (Applejack 86 used)
• 1/2 oz. Benedictine
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

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

Dick and Jane (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

More champagne cocktails! I've been looking forward to using hibiscus flowers packed in syrup in a cocktail, and this cocktail presented itself as a likely candidate. It calls for hibiscus syrup, which provides sweetness and this lovely red color. The flowers themselves are chewy and sweet like brandied cherries, so I decided to use one as a garnish. 

There's something for everyone in this champagne cocktail. ImaGination gin and Peychaud's bitters for those New Orleans French 75 drinkers and St-Germain and hibiscus for a nice floral drink with bubbly. The nice thing is the recipe is not overly sweet and the color and garnish suggestion makes it look more royal than a Kir. 

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1/2 oz. St-Germain
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. hibiscus syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• dry champagne
• 1 long, thin lemon twist (and optional hibiscus flower) garnishes

Combine all ingredients except champagne and garnishes in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Curl lemon twist and drape it over the glass. 

Grouse Rampant (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

"X" Marks the spot with the Grouse Rampant. This a spicy take on the classic egg white foamed Sours served in a coupe glass. There are some very specialized ingredients at work here: fuji apple infused Famous Grouse scotch is the main one, requiring a few days panning in advance. Then there's honey and cinnamon syrup (or cinnamon whiskey flavored honey syrup in my case.) Finally the Peychaud's bitters "X" makes this drink as fun to look at--almost, anyway--as drinking.

To make the infusion of fuji apples, I used one large fuji apple diced and a half bottle of Famous Grouse. Apples infuse quickly, so 24 hours is all that is really needed to get rich apple flavors from the fruit. But after a few days the scotch loses a lot of its smoke and pepper and you are left with something like a sweet apple whiskey.

I make my cinnamon syrups with MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey. A few drops per cocktail (added right to the jigger) is all I need to transform honey or ordinary simple into something similar to cooking cinnamon sticks into the syrup. So as long as I have this shortcut available, I'm taking it. 

• 2 oz. fuji apple-infused Famous Grouse Scotch
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. acacia honey syrup
• 1/4 oz. cinnamon bark syrup (1/2 oz. honey syrup and 1/4 oz. MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey used)
• 1 egg white
• Peychaud's bitters

Combine all ingredients except bitters in a shaker and dry shake to create foam. Add ice and shake again to chill and strain into a chilled coupe. Use Peychaud's bitters to form an "X" on the foam in two swipes.

Scottish Dram

 

Pretty much any cocktail you make with Drambuie will be good--and it will taste Scottish. That is because Drambuie is a liqueur with teroir. It is made from aged scotch, heather honey and Scottish botanicals. It's pretty amazing stuff. From putting it in your coffee to a few drops in your cocktail, it has the potential to change your whole experience.

This cocktail is a take on the Rusty Nail, a common drink for scotch enthusiasts from way back before the single malt craze. Usually an inexpensive scotch is used to spread the Drambuie flavor around in a rocks glass full of ice. This time it is up, neat and dry, in a recipe almost as simple as the Rusty Nail.

• 2 oz. scotch (Speyburn 10-year-old used)
• 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino used)
• 1/4 oz. Drambuie
• 1 dash Pechaud's bitters

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

Enemy Lines

 

So there's the Allies cocktail with kummel and gin, and now there's Enemy Lines. This is a fun way to combine tequila and aquavit in a similar format--rich and strong with no sugar. The way it works is bitters and more bitters and a little lemon zest give this drink body where normally there would be all spirits. 

Furthermore, it is unlikely that the reposado tequila and aquavit combo would work at all, except that both are herbaceous and funky. It is really a testament to the bonding power of bitters--in high quantity--to make this happen. Is it good? Better than you'd think, and possibly one of the best all spirits cocktails involving tequila. 

• 1 1/2oz. reposado tequila (El Jimador used)
• 3/4 oz. aquavit (homemade akvavit used)
•  4 dashes Peychauds bitters
• 1 dash aromatic bitters (Hella used)
  
• lemon twist 

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass. Twist lemon zest over the drink and discard.

Monet's Moment (Difford's Guide Recipe)

This cocktail was created by Eric Lorincz at the Savoy Hotel in London. But it is quintessentially French--from cognac to absinthe to Byrrh grand quinquina and Peychaud's bitters. It is like something straight out of New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century! 

I'm always impressed with French spirits: how flavorful and yet refreshing they are. This cocktail comes across as light and aromatic. You almost get the feeling that it is good for your health. And after doing so many cognac cocktails in coupes, the change of format to large ice really means a more social experience. The flavor doesn't weigh you down. Instead, you get herbal high notes right under your nose and the complexity of cognac that is chilled, not warm, doesn't pull you away from the dazzle of Byrrh bitterness and grape notes. 

• 1 1/2 oz. cognac (Martell single distillery used)
• 1 oz. Byrrh grand quinquina
• 1/6 oz. absinthe (Ricard used)
• 1/4 oz. sugar syrup
• 1 dash Peychaud's bitters

 Stir all ingredients and strain into a large glass with a large format ice cube. 

Sloe Scibyville Sling (Death & CO. Recipe)

Not too many drinks are made with sloe gin. It is kind of an old world thing and the sweetness is really only appreciated in winter. I'm sure that the Plymouth sloe gin is much better than this Mr. Boston variety, but it is what I can afford. 

Still, not a bad drink, with the berry liqueur that makes a Sling a Sling coming in the form of sloe gin. There's also an apple note from applejack. Scobeyville is in New Jersey, home state of the Laird's apple brandy distillery.

• 2 oz. Laird's apple brandy (Applejack 86 used)
• 1 oz. Plymouth sloe gin (Mr. Boston used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• club soda
• fuji apple slice as garnish

Shake all ingredients except soda and garnish and strain into a highball glass full of ice. Top with soda and stir gently. Garnish with the apple slice.

Castle of Cordoba (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

It is beautiful. It is fortified. It is very classic. This cocktail is very much like as Spanish castle. The ingredients aren't especially Spanish, but that hardly matters. There's sherry, a lot of it, and that is good enough.

A couple of things needed to happen for me to knock out this recipe. I have only solera reserve sherry, which was much too dark to used in place of pale cream sherry in such a high dose. I cut it down by half with Manzanilla fino sherry so that it took on a pale color and remained sweet but a little lighter and mustier. I felt it was a great compromise. 

The fortifying ingredient, calvados, was also substituted for by Laird's Applejack 86. I feel that the juiciness of Laird's isn't exactly the flavor of French apple brandy, but the addition of cognac per the recipe adjusts for that anyway. And Martell's single distillery is especially dry and wild tasting--lots of terroir in it like a grappa because it isn't blended with other distilleries like most cognacs. 

This cocktail is decidedly rich, with lots of sweetness from the sherry, but complex. Apples are more than hinted at, and even my modification of Manzanilla sherry did a lot to suggest sour apple notes. This was a winner of a dessert drink.

• 3/4 oz. calvados (Laird's Applejack 86)
• 1/2 oz. cognac (Martell single distillery used)
• 2 oz. pale cream sherry (1 oz. Orleans Manzinilla Fina and 1 oz. Lustau East India Solera Reserve used)
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 1 apple slice garnish

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the apple slice. 

Bella Cohen (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

My hope that this New York bar named this drink based on the actress' actual preference. It is quite possible that she came to the bar herself, and this was named for her. And even if it isn't, it makes a great St. Patrick's Day cocktail. 

I'm gearing up for St. Patrick's Day with a few new whiskies and this East India solera sherry by Lustau. The recipe calls for pale cream sherry, but that is really a matter of color, not the sweetness of the flavor. This solera sherry is actually very rich, and it is part of the Death & Co. repertoire that gets used a lot, and so I anticipate using more of it as I make my way through their bar book. 

This cocktail is rich and a sweet with plenty of single malt nuttiness that the sherry accentuates. St. Germain is a small portion of the drink, but aids in adding texture to this all liquor drink. The lemon twist, if anything, adds the slightest acidity to cut the sweet and oak notes.  

• 1 1/2 oz. Knappogue Castle 12-year Irish whiskey
• 1 1/2 oz. Alvear Festival pale cream sherry (Lustau East India solera used)
• 1 tsp. St Germain
• 1 dash Peychaud's bitters
• lemon twist

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Twist lemon zest over the glass and drop it in. 

Robert Johnson Swizzle (Death & Co. Recipe)

I have a bois lele (Caribbean swizzle stick) for my birthday and I'm excited to tackle the swizzle section of the Death & Co. cocktail book. Between crushing the ice and meticulous swizzling and freezing the glass, a swizzle is a lot of work. So I started by making some of the easier recipes. 

This recipe is good for people who love bourbon drinks. There's vanilla, whiskey bitters and some cirtus and fortified wine. What's not to like? 

Unfortunately I didn't have the Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters, but that's okay considering I had all the rest. I used my vanilla vodka to flavor the simple syrup for the sweetener. And you can taste it just fine under the Peychaud's that you have to dash on top of the ice so that you smell them while sipping through the straw. 

• 2 oz. bourbon (Ancient Age used)
• 3/4 oz. tawny port (ruby used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. vanilla syrup
• 2 dashes whiskey barrel-aged bitters
• 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• mint sprig garnish

Add crushed ice to a chilled Collins glass and the shaking tin. Combine all liquid ingredients in the shaker and shake to chill. Pour into the Collins glass and stir with a bois lele, adding ice and continuing to stir until the glass freezes and the contents of the glass reach the top. Dash bitters on the ice and garnish with the mint. 

 

New Amsterdam (Difford's Guide Recipe)

 

This isn't the first time I've made a Dutch-themed cocktail with Genever. It is the first time I've had one that was all spirits, including a huge gob of kirschwasser. Kirschwasser or kirsch is technically German, but it's damn close to Dutch and just about anything strong that people in Central Europe will drink. That is because it is high-proof cherry brandy. The flavor is a little musty, not so much like fruit but more like cherry pits and similar to the wildness of grappa. 

This cocktail is thankfully mellowed by the malt notes of barrel aged genever. Both are strong, but almost opposite in texture as far as distilled spirits go. Only a splash of sugar and two dashes of Peychaud's is needed to bring them together. The Dutch and Germans may not always be friendly with each other, but they can agree that their spirits go well together.

• 2 oz. Bols barrel aged genever
• 1 oz. Kammer kirsch
• 1 bar spoon sugar syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• lemon twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a lemon zest over the glass and drop it in. 

Smoked Manhattan

 

Plenty of Fall cocktails used to come smoked for the patrons who liked that scent on their drinks. Places went through a lot of trouble to buy wood chips or cedar planks to fire and trap smoke in the glass. Some went even farther: building tiny smokers behind the bar to smoke a finished cocktail in a glass chamber for all to see. It used to be a real to-do!

Not anymore. At least not anywhere around here. Of course you can smoke your own drink, but MurLarkey makes it much easier for you with their Smokehouse whiskey. It is bacon smoked and packed with oaked whiskey flavor and a corn mash finish. It's a little intense on its own and needs sweet vermouth and a traditional bourbon or rye to round it out. The smoke is still heady and delicious, while the dry cocktail has spiciness and depth.

• 2 oz. bourbon or rye (Virginia Gentleman used)
  
• 1/2 oz. (or more to taste) MurLarkey Smokehouse whiskey
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino used)
• dash Peychaud's bitters
  
• maraschino cherry

Combine spirits in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop the cherry in and enjoy!

Pirate's Julep

 

If you can make a Mint Julep using rum and Mandarine Napoleon, you should always do it. I understand that Bourbon has a special place in the cocktail world and that it's contribution to the Mint Julep is appreciable. That said, this version of the Julep ticks off two boxes that will make it a hit: it is a tropical tasting classic cocktail that looks and feels perfect when served correctly (i.e. it is a proper Julep), and it makes use of a French liqueur and all the exotic flavors and richness that comes with that.

In order to get this drink right, you have to master the former. Crushed ice and a Julep cup are necessary to complete the Julep experience. The crushed ice melts quickly and absorbs the warmth of the spirits and the metal cup. Condensation freezes on the sides of the cup and it will stick to your hands and the beverage napkin. It is an amazing chilling effect similar to the Swizzle. It is impressive to have a spirits-forward cocktail delivered in such an ice cold package that it is the cold, not the burn, that surprises you.

I crush ice wrapped in a napkin using a meat tenderizer or mallet. Be sure to have lots of ice on hand if you plan to make a few of these, because one tray of ice gets you about one drink.

• 6 mint leaves
• 1 tsp. orgeat or sugar syrup (brown sugar syrup used)
• 2-3 oz. gold rum (Rhum Barbancourt used)
• 1 tsp. Mandarine Napoleon (homemade version used)
• several dashes Peychaud's bitters
• mint sprig powdered sugar

Muddle syrup and mint leaves in the bottom of a metal Julep cup. Spirits and bitters and top with crushed ice. Stir to combine and chill and add ice as needed, continuing to stir until the Julep cup frosts on the outside. Wet the mint sprig in water and dip it into powdered sugar to use as a garnish.