Howlin' At The Moon (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

I was looking for a fun spring seasonal Old Fashioned that I had the ingredients for and it turns out I needed this. I was most intrigued that this cocktail is made with Bols Barrel-Aged Genever, which doesn't get a lot of attention in the cocktail world for its being very divergent from London dry gin. But that is all to Bols' advantage when making an Old Fashioned variation. 

I also happened to have cherry bark bitters since my early days of bartending. Making bark bitters is as easy as infusing bark in high-proof spirits. This little bottle of mine also includes blossoms and green tea and it is very bitter. There's also creme de cacao for some chocolate sweetness and the traditional orange twist. But the addition of the lemon twist in the mixing glass was new to me and gave the drink a refreshingly light nose. 

• 1 lemon twist
• 2 oz. Bols Barrel-Aged Genever
• 2 tsp. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 tsp. cane sugar syrup
• 2 dashes cherry bark bitters
• 1 orange twist garnish
  

Muddle lemon twist in a mixing glass before adding ice and the remaining ingredients. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one large ice cube in it. Twist the orange zest over the glass and drop it in.

Black Magic (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

A Stinger is a beautiful thing. Usually served on ice and a simple pairing of cognac and creme de menthe, Stingers are surprisingly satisfying and balanced. This cocktail is Death & Co.'s attempt to add depth and quality to what often is thought of as a low-brow cocktail or a waste of good cognac. 

Quality comes from from Marie Brizard white creme de cacaco (which I've never tried, but I'm sure my mass-produced creme de menthe doesn't match up. Depth comes from the Fernet-Branca, which is earthy and mentholated. In small proportions, Fernet adds a dark chocolate note rather than overwhelming the drinker with bitterness. An absinthe rinse often is lost in a coupe glass, but this recipe is necessarily short so that the sides remain coated. Absinthe in this situation complements the cognac and gives an herbal high note to counter Fernet's bitter low notes.

That is the philosophy of this drink. You will find that Stinger fans will love it, and Fernet drinkers will enjoy it before asking for a Fernet-Branca chaser. 

• Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe (Ricard used)
• 1 oz. cognac (Martell single distillery used)
• 1 oz. Angostura 5-year rum (Rhum Barbancourt 5-year rum used)
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao 
• 1 tsp. Fernet-Branca
• 1 tsp. simple syrup

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

Cure For Pain (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

There's a lot about this cocktail that is classic, simple, and straightforward. It's not a Pain Killer in coup glass format. There are no trendy ingredients or funky syrups that you typically find in Death & Co. recipes--just good old booze. 

I'm pleased that Rittenhouse, along with Old Overholt, seem to to be the ryes of choice for the New York speakeasy. You can't beat them for flavor and price. Overholt makes a great base for infusions of rich flavors. Rittenhouse is spicy and strong--also good for infusions but why bother when it already tastes so good.

Here is a port and rye cocktail I could enjoy in all seasons. My feeling has always been that port cocktails taste a little heavy on sugar and light on alcohol. They are the kind of thing you can handle on winter occasions, but not for everyday consumption. Consider that port usually sweetens a cocktail, and ever so slightly waters it down with grape juice. The craft of this cocktail is the balance, and you get it from depth of port, bourbon and cacao held up by spicy rye and bitter Campari (or bitters in general)

One funny thing I had to do to complete this recipe was to fudge the minuscule amount of Campari with other bitters I had on hand. I can't believe I don't have any Campari, especially since Death & Co. enjoy using it so much. It truly introduced bitterness into the cocktail revolution. For a small portion of Campari, a healthy 10 dashes of Peychaud's bitters in a quarter ounce of amaro (I used Amer Picon which has Rammazzotti in it). 

• 1 1/2 oz. Rittenhouse 100 rye
• 1/2 oz. bourbon (Ancient Age used)
• 1/2 oz. tawny port (Morgado ruby used)
• 1 teaspoon Campari (bitters substitution used)
• 1 teaspoon white creme de cacao
• orange twist garnish

Combine all ingredients except garnish in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a coupe glass and twist orange zest over the drink and drop it in.

Bitch's Itch

 

There's a lot going on in this tropical drink. There's dark rum and cacao. Then there's fresh spices grated under your nose. Other spices show up in the liquors themselves, such as the anise and allspice in Falernum. Then there's just a hint of cinnamon from Murlarkey cinnamon whiskey. 

This tiki cocktail probably got the most favorable response of all the ones I made last weekend. It is also stupefying. The float of 151-proof rum seems a little unnecessary, but maybe it is to reassure veteran tiki drinkers that there is some alcoholic kick in there under all the spice and fruit flavor. 

• 2 oz. 86-proof demerara rum (Pusser's navy rum used)
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. falernum
• 1/4 oz. MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey (optional)
  
• 1/2 tsp. 151-proof rum
  
• cinnamon stick
• whole nutmeg 
• orange slice

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker or blender with ice. Shake or blend and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Float 151 on top and grate cinnamon and nutmeg over the drink. Garnish with the orange slice.

St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks

 

The Shamrock is a dessert drink designed for consumption on St. Patrick's Day. The basic formula for most recipes (not the Shamrock #1 which involves green Chartreuse and has no dairy) involves Irish whiskey, milk or cream, and green creme de menthe. They are all sweet, minty and creamy and go well with cookies. That is why I show them with good snack options. 

The first I want to show off is J.J.'s Shamrock, my favorite one and definitely a special recipe of some Irish bar belonging to the so-named J.J. 

• 1 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. green creme de menthe
• 1 oz. milk

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

Another variation is the Shamrock #2, done on the rocks with a cherry garnish. This subtracts the creme de cacao and adjust proportions accordingly.

• 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 1 1/2 oz. green creme de menthe
• 2 oz. heavy cream 
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the cherry. 










Another quality version of the Shamrock is the P.V. Doyle, named after the Irish Hotel chain pioneer. For this drink, you want to use crushed ice or a blender and pour it all in a large Martini glass to enjoy the minty-slushy goodness. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 3/4 oz. green creme de menthe
• 1 oz. heavy cream
• maraschino cherry

Add all liquid ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender. Shake or blend and pour into a large Martini glass. Garnish with cherry. (I recommend using a cocktail spear.)

Pimlico Special

Preakness is one of the main events during the horse racing season in America. This drink is a nod to the thoroughbred race track, Pimlico Field, in Baltimore. This is an overly sweet cocktail that will take you a while to finish. The sugar makes for added richness on the tongue and the flavor is somewhat like chocolate chip cookies. If that's your thing, try this drink. Better yet, try it while watching the race in the stands at Pimlico Field or at home.

• 1 1/2 oz. brandy
• 1/2 oz. amaretto
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao

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

Panama Cocktail

I really am not sure how this drink fits the Panama theme of its namesake. It is a dessert drink with lots of sugar and cream and rich brandy flavors. The color might be similar to a Panama hat, but I think that's a stretch. The Panama Cocktail is a tasty, if a little boring, drink with slightly more than one note of milk chocolate covering the rich brandy.

This is my last cocktail needed to finish the New York Bartender's Guide circa 1997. I still have several punches to go before I can claim to have done them all.

• 2 oz. brandy (Asbach Uralt used)
• 1 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1 1/2 oz. half-and-half

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

Jockey Club Cocktail

I feel like this drink has the making of a classic and I can see why it was a club favorite back in the heyday of social clubs and cocktails. But this recipe seems unbalanced and a little blown out. If the goal was to make this drink unique among social club cocktails, it succeeds. But as written, the cocktail is too tart and bitter for it to have mass appeal.

At issue is its out-sized amount of lemon juice with only a hint of creme de cacao to balance it. It is unfortunate and disappointing when you don't get any richness from what would be a great tropical drink with just a bit more liqueur. The Angostura bitters almost seal the deal by themselves, but using more than a dash--which normally would bring the flavors together--just blows everything out and all you can taste is bitter lemon.

• 2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination gin used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. white creme de cacao
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

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