China

 

I've made the Chinese Cocktail, which is also a red cocktail that is made with dark rum, colored with grenadine, and spiced with Angostura bitters. This is a little different and I think I might like it a little better if only because passion fruit really makes this cocktail pop. In fact, it is the only difference between the China and Chinese cocktails, and it is probably the only Asian ingredients. Of course I used my homemade La Grande Passion liqueur because it is hard to find passion fruit nectar right now. I kept the proportions the same, however, with the passion fruit flavor of my liqueur being strong enough--maybe even stronger than actual passion fruit nectar or juice.

Rum, for some reason, is the principal spirit in China-themed cocktails, including the Shanghai Cocktail that also includes grenadine to make it a flag-red color. Angostura bitters is full of Asian spices like clove, cinnamon, allspice and exotic barks. It tastes like Chinese five-spice mix!  Anise, in the case of the Pernod in the Shanghai Cocktail, is also a very Chinese flavor, so that also seems appropriate. I'm glad that I've been able to try all three of these very similar cocktails.

• 2 oz. dark rum (Pusser's used)
• 1 oz. curacao (triple sec used)
• 1/2 oz. passion fruit juice (homemade La Grande Passion used)
• several dashes grenadine
• several dashes Angostura bitters

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

Shanghai Cocktail (Revisited)

One of the reasons why I have returned to do this drink again is because I got a bottle of Pernod from my mother when she was in town. In the past, I've used absinthe when a recipe called for Pernod, keeping in mind that the flavor of absinthe is much harder to dilute and the liquor is much drier than Pernod. This means I've had to keep the portion a little smaller at times or add sugar syrup, but mostly I just avoided making Pernod drinks when the recipe called for a large portion of Pernod.

The other reason I'm re-doing the drink is I'm having fun with the Chinese-themed cocktails--how they are mostly exotically spiced dark rum drinks. This one is no exception. I went with a spiced rum with good vanilla and cinnamon presence and the Pernod actually gave the drink the needed sweetness. It has an air of incense to it, which I liked a lot, and though I used completely different ingredients the first time I made it, the flavor was instantly familiar.

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. Pernod
• 1/4 tsp. grenadine

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

Green Dragon

The Green Dragon seems to be associated with Chinese and Asian restaurants. This could be because of it's lovely jade color that perfectly matches the bottle Jagermeister. (What is it about drinks that match the liquor bottle color?) Also: It's a dragon cocktail. This means that it is linked with the Rocky Green Dragon and Golden Dragon--the latter is one I haven't tried because I lack the yellow Chartreuse. All of these dragon drinks are herbal cocktails that have almost overwhelming root and herb bitterness. If you can get past the creme de menthe flavor of the Green Dragon, there's plenty of citrus and spice in there to enjoy. I used the rye-forward Commonwealth Gin to reduce the likelihood of the juniper clashing with all the spice in Jagermeister.

• 2 oz. gin (Commonwealth Gin used)
• 1 oz. creme de menthe
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. Jagermeister
• 3-5 dashes orange bitters (Hella orange bitters used)

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

Chinese Cocktail

For some reason any cocktails associated with China have to be made with dark rum. I'm referring to the Shanghai Cocktail, which is exotic with wormwood notes and spice. Both also have a nice helping of grenadine, which ensures that they are the obligatory red color to signify China.

I have to say that while these drinks have little to do with Chinese ingredients (which would be difficult to do in practice) this one comes closer to authentic Chinese flavors. The sweetness and ginger, clove, vanilla, and cinnamon spices that come from the spiced rum I used and also a healthy dose of Hella aromatic bitters give the drink a flavor similar to Chinese berry spice ice cream--which is surely an American invention but at least made with Chinese spices and enjoyed at Chinese restaurants. This is definitely a dessert drink, with a tablespoon of grenadine, there's no other time to enjoy this drink.

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1 tbsp. grenadine
• 3-5 dashes of curaco
•  3-5 dashes maraschino liqueur
•  dash of Angostura bitters (Hella aromatic used)

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