Tenement Yard (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

I'm on the lookout for vegetable cocktails that really scream spring. This one really hits that mark. The recipe calls for snap pea-infused gin. I one-upped that recipe with asparagus-infused homemade gin. I made it according to my recipe for homemade bathtub gin with the addition of three asparagus stems. The asparagus adds earthy vegetable notes to the gin without overpowering the juniper and gin goodness.

The rest of this recipe is super straightforward. For once, I'm using Genepy because it is called for in the recipe. This French alpine liqueur has bright herb and citrus notes similar to Chartreuse. 

One final note: Death & Co. makes their own orgeat by cooking a syrup with almond milk and toasted almonds, which is a great method. Though I have a bottle of Liber & Co. orgeat, it is full of my homemade orgeat. (I couldn't make this without mentioning the hard work that went into it.) This orgeat is made from the soaked almond and hand-pressed method that takes days and a lot of almonds. I don't recommend doing this for restaurant work, but feel free to try it at home. It's kind of on the order of installing your own appliances or making your own shoes. If you do it right, you will have the satisfaction of having achieved something few others do.

The experience of drinking this cocktail is the enjoyment of fresh floral notes from the Genepy and orange blossom in the orgeat, then sipping and picking up toasted almond and green sprouting asparagus cleared away with bright citrus. It's kind of amazing, really, that so few ingredients pack so much flavor.

• 2 oz. sugar snap pea-infused Plymouth gin (homemade asparagus gin used)
• 1/2 oz. Dolin Genepy
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat

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

The Other Woman

 

This was a fun cocktail to try out more variations of Citadelle gin and Byrrh, two very French spirits that play well together. The Other Woman comes from London bartender, Lucy Horncastle, according to Difford's guide. It is a dry Sour with herbal bitterness, but orgeat makes it swing slightly creamy. Creole bitters like Peychaud's keeps up the herbal and citrus intensity, but despite it's strength, The Other Woman isn't a manly drink.

No, you'd think a quinine infused wine and dry gin would land heavily on spirits, but this is no Martini. Byrrh is the primary spirit, and gin takes a back seat. Even so, it's not an Upside-Down Martini either. Instead, I found it a bit like a gin Daiquiri, or something from the Daisy class of drinks with its sourness and almond smoothness, and that je ne sais quoi...floral loveliness that that speaks to nightlife in New Orleans and clandestine meetings backstage at the cabaret.

• 1 2/3 oz. Byrrh 
• 3/4 oz. dry gin (Citadelle used)
• 2/3 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 orgeat syrup (Liber & Co. used)
• 2 dash Peychaud's bitters

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

Puerto Plata

What a delicious cocktail! The Puerto Plata is a surprisingly refreshing, and an inspired recipe that takes you out of the norm of tropical drinks and transports your taste buds to the Puerto Rico's tourist district. The interplay of orgeat and banana is brilliant for a vodka drink. This iteration, however, does not feature fake flavors: only real stuff like Liber & Co. orgeat and MurLarkey banana whiskey will do.

And I'm pleased that this is one time where MurLarkey Banana whiskey can be used without modifying the recipe at all. Orgeat that is rich and nutty will sweeten the whiskey and give the banana flavor something to stick to. The vodka is there only to boost the alcohol without overwhelming with flavor.

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (Smirnoff #57 used)
• 1/2 oz. banana liqueur (MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 1/2 oz. orgeat (Liber & Co. used)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

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

Rush Street

I was doubtful at first that Rush Street was a real place, like the imaginary London Below in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It turns out that it is a one-way street in northern Chicago, named after Benjamin Rush, an original signatory of the U.S. Constitution. That means it is another Chicago cocktail and a late colonial style drink. That explains why it is a cognac cocktail; before whiskey took over as a locally-made spirit, cognac and French liqueurs were popular with colonials who refused to drink British rum.

So the Rush Street belongs with the cognac-based Chicago Cocktail and the gin-heavy South Side! The fun ingredients that set the Rush Street apart display a  full-on Frenchness:  orgeat syrup and Mandarine Napoleon. I used to make my own orgeat syrup, but now I buy it. And now because of the Pandemic, I am making my own Mandarine Napoleon, the mandarin orange and spiced cognac spirit that Napoleon himself was said to enjoy.

• 1 1/2 oz. brandy (Larressingle armagnac used)
• 1/2 oz. Mandarine Napoleon
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• several dashes orgeat syrup

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

Banyan Cocktail

It's not huge like the ancient tree it is named after, nor is it visually impressive. The flavor, however, can transport you to a tropical place. This is accomplished with exotic tasting rum, apricot brandy--which always makes heads spin--and rich, creamy orgeat.

Vitae has a special edition barrel aged rum that I selected for this cocktail. It has a rich and spicy flavor that is close to an aged rum from Barbados, and less funky than a Jamacian rum. This was definitely a good choice, but be careful in selecting any "gold" rum for your own version. A blended down gold rum like Bacardi will have less character and you lose some of the woody notes that I think the cocktail requires. Aged rum is the key (though also blended) because it isn't trying to sneak into a blended daiquiri, it is making a statement in a stiff tropical cocktail.

• 1 1/2 oz. gold rum (Vitae barrel aged rum used)
• 3/4 oz. apricot brandy (Jacquin's used)
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat (Liber & Co. used)
• dash grenadine

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

Strega Daiquiri

I can't believe that this Daiquiri concept never came to me in all my mixing at home. Strega, instead of sugar syrup, is an excellent choice for making a flavored Daiquiri. You can't do it without rum, however. Flor de Cana Extra Seco is a good choice for that--a flavorful white rum that lends itself naturally to Daiquiris but doesn't fight the Strega.

This drinks departs so far from the traditional Daiquiri, and yet it is familiar. Lemon and orange juice replace lime. Orgeat replaces sugar syrup.

A rich orgeat is perfect in this cocktail. I'm surprised that more Daiquiris don't specify orgeat in some way. The balance of this drink is exceptional, between sweet and sour and bitter and nutty.

• 1 oz. Strega
• 1 oz. light rum (Flor de Cana Extra Seco used)
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. orgeat to taste
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Bali Hai (Revisited)

I'm told that this pseudo-Tiki cocktail was just about everywhere back in the 1950s and1960s. That is probably because it is named after a song in South Pacific. The drink is very evocative of Hawaiian cocktails of that time, if a little bit too tart. The proportions in the New York Bartender's guide are all out of wack--not that they are themselves wrong, they just make enough for two drinks, and I'm sure that can't be right.

I've re-done this cocktail because I wanted to make use of Aguardiente. When originally researching this recipe, I thought that any white fruit or cane spirit would work for Aguardiente--a generic name for white alcohol in South America. But I've come to understand that the drink requires the sweet anise flavored spirit that is native to Columbia. Aguardiente is made from sugar cane and sweetened, so it really helps balance all the citrus in this recipe. I'm still including the recipe as it was originally printed with the caviat that it makes two servings.

• 2 oz. light rum (Flor de Cana Extra Seco used)
• 1 oz. Aguardiente
• 2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. orgeat syrup
• 1 tsp. grenadine (I recommend 2 tsp.)
• chilled sparkling wine or champagne

Combine all ingredients except for sparkling wine in a blender with cracked ice. Blend on high for a few seconds and pour into a large hurricane glass or tiki mug, Top with sparkling wine and stir. Garnish liberally.

Saturn (Smuggler's Cove Recipe)

The Saturn is another modern gin Tiki cocktail from the Smuggler's Cove recipe book. It is densely flavored, something that it's pale, cloudy look doesn't belie. The garnish--two lemon zest rings--seems to connect to the theme, while the flavor is the real attraction.

Falernum, orgeat, and passion fruit syrup team up to make this cocktail a transporting experience. I make my own Falernum, and the passion fruit syrup I used is from cooked down juice. I didn't make the orgeat this time, so Liber & Co. gets credit in the picture.

This is the final cocktail in this series with Roku gin, a very dry and floral gin by Suntory. I really dig the sakura blossom scent that is always noticeable when mixed, and the green tea flavor when you enjoy it neat.

• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. passion fruit syrup
• 1/4 oz. orgeat (Liber & Co. used)
• 1/4 oz. Falernum
• 1 1/4 oz. dry gin (Roku used)
• 2 lemon zests cut into wheels

To make the zests, use a zest tool or a knife to score the peel of a lemon: cut three circles around the middle of the fruit, about 1/2 inch apart. Using the tool handle or the blunt side of the knife, lift the peel off of the fruit being careful not to break the rings. Place the rings inside each other and rest them on the cocktail glass.

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with the lemon zest rings.

Mikado

I've made this cocktail before (I love this picture, too): the reason I'm bringing it back is that I love the ingredients I have on hand now. It completely changes the nature of this drink do do it with good brandy and Tempus Fugit Creme de Noyaux. This spirit is made with apricot and peach pits and almonds. It is very sweet and creamy, but it has a bitter and earthy notes that go well with a rich brandy.

Liber & Co. orgeat also makes this drink rich and nutty. I'm not sure what the flavor profile has to do with the faux Japanese-themed Gilbert and Sullivan opera, but I can better appreciate this drink as a complete, sweet and rich experience.

• 3 oz. brandy (Asbach Uralt used)
• 1/4 tsp. creme de noyaux (Tempus Fugit used)
• 1/4 tsp. triple sec
• 1/4 tsp. orgeat syrup (Liber & Co. used)
• 3-5 dashes of Angostura bitters

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

Aztec Punch

This is a fabulous punch and an excellent example that Tequila is for more than Margaritas. It balances somewhere between a citrus cocktail and a dessert drink. Orgeat is a good choice for the sweetener since spiced almond milk called horchata is a common drink in central and South America.

I used Liber & Co. orgeat, a very thick and rich orgeat. It really sweetens well and carries the almond flavor better than most homemade orgeats I've made.

When blending the punch I mixed the cinnamon--dry powder--with the thick orgeat to prevent it from clumping and floating when combined with the liquor and juice.

The recipe calls for white or silver tequila: there's no difference, it's just a descriptor. But Tres Agaves rightly makes the claim that an un-aged tequila is the true expression of the spirit. You can more easily taste the bright and herbal flavors of a good tequila if it isn't hiding behind oak.

• 64 oz. white teqila (Tres Agaves used)
• 64 oz. grapefruit juice (100% white grapefruit juice recommended)
• 32 oz. cold black tea
• 4 oz. lemon juice
• 6 oz. orgeat (Liber & Co. used)
• 1/2 oz. orange bitters
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a large punch bowl with a block of ice. (Serves 40)