Way Of The Sumo (Original Recipe)

 

I've been playing around with mandarin oranges after having leftovers from making my Mandarine Napoleon knockoff liqueur. I picked up one sumo mandarin orange just in case I didn't have enough of the regular small ones. Just for reference, I want to show the difference in size between a sumo mandarin and a regular one. The sumo version is truly a plus-sized fruit, much like the husky Japanese wrestlers.

So sumo mandarin juice tastes the same as ordinary mandarin juice. I used this with some lemon to increase the acid and paired it with Manzanilla fino sherry because it also has musty fruit notes. Old Tom gin also keeps things spicy when paired with ginger brandy, and again, Mandarine Napoleon backs up and sweetens all of these flavors. 

Finally, the peel of the sumo mandarin comes off neatly and can be used to emphasize the largeness of the fruit when placed in an oversized wine glass. 

• juice of 1/2 sumo mandarin orange
• 1 1/2 oz. Old Tom gin (Vitae used)
• 1 oz. Mandarine Napoleon (homemade used)
• 1/2 oz. ginger brandy (homemade used
• 1 oz. Manzanilla sherry
• 1/4 oz. lemon juice
• club soda
• 1/3 peel of a mandarin orange 

Place the orange peel in an oversized red wine glass (stemless used) and fill it with ice. Combine all liquid ingredients except soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into the glass and top with soda.

Bess Arlene

I'm on a French cocktail swing again, this time with Ricard in place of Pernod and Korbel brandy as the base spirit. Whoever Bess Arlene was, I bet she was French. This cocktail of hers is all about the Parisian cafe experience--sipping a light cocktail like this as the sun sets on the Seine. 

For pastis and absinthe substitutes, Ricard is a great choice when it comes to giving a few drops of herbal pop to your sodas or lining the glass of a Sazerac. I woudn't use it in place of real absinthe in a Frappe or other all-absinthe drinks. Because it becomes a cloudy gray-brown, I also wouldn't try to treat it like the green-colored Pernod when it comes to all-Pernod drinks. But in cases like this where it only comes down to a few drops, who can tell the difference between Parisian Pernod and Mersaille's Ricard. 

• 1 1/2 oz. brandy (Korbel used)
• 1/2 oz. curacao (triple sec used)
• club soda
• dash Pernod (Ricard used)

Pour brandy and curacao into a chilled Collins glass and fill with ice. Top with soda and add Pernod on top before stirring gently.

 

Adrienne's Dream

I can totally see where this is going. A bartender or guest has an idea--something that comes to one in a dream after drinking too many Stingers. The flavor remains with you as you nod off and nearly vanishes upon waking. How to get that flavor of a potent rocks drink in a light and refreshing soda? 

The trick is dilution and proportion. Creme de menthe is fun to drink in large quantities, but it is so sugary. Even mixed at a disadvantage with brandy and served on ice, it leaves you feeling tired and looking for someplace to lie down. Whoever Adrienne was, she figured out fun way to have your brandy, mint and chocolate so that it can continue all night long.

• 2 oz. brandy (Korbel used)
• 1/2 oz. peppermint schnapps (white creme de menthe used)
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar syrup or to taste
• club soda
• mint sprig garnish

Combine brandy, liqueurs, sugar syrup and juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and stir gently. Garnish with the mint. 

Irish Drinks with Knappogue Castle

The Kerry Cooler (above) benefits from using a single malt Irish whiskey like Knappogue Castle and a quality sherry. The effect is a sweet orgeat and lemon sour with a nutty malty richness that swings between a solid Whiskey and Soda and something more tropical.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Knappogue castle)
• 1 oz. medium sherry
• 1 oz. orgeat syrup
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• club soda
• lemon peel

Combine all ingredients except club soda and zest in a shaker full of ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lemon peel. 

Irish Buck--I've done this drink as a standard Buck with lime juice and soda. That kind of defeats the purpose of using a quality Irish whiskey. Just like the "correct and proper" Scotch and Soda, the Irish Buck dispenses with the citrus juice and just uses the scent from a slice of lemon or a twist of the peel. Nothing gets in the way of tasting that lovely malt of Knoppogue Castle, but you'll appreciate how much the essence of fruit changes a plain Irish Whiskey and Soda into a fabulous cocktail.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Knappogue Castle used)
• club soda
• twist or slice of lemon

Build the cocktail with ice and whiskey in a Collins glass. Top with soda and stir gently. Twist the lemon peel and drop it in the glass.