London Dock Cooler

I might be just an alcoholic, but I'm not a big fan of hot drinks. They cook off a lot of the alcohol and get you feeling flushed, which is the point on cold days. I'm just saying I like feeling refreshed and tipsy from my drinks and hot drinks don't do that. 

That's why I'm all in on this summer version of the London Dock. It has all the same ingredients without the spice float on top. Falernum is the stand-in for cinnamon and nutmeg and the like. And it really works! I like it better than the hot version, even. More like a Sangria than a punch, which is why it works so well for patio sipping.

• 1 1/2 oz. Jamaican rum (George Bowman's used)
• 3 oz. Claret or dry red wine (Poppy Cabernet used)
•  1/2 oz. falernum
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser
• orange twist garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Twist orange peel over the glass and drop it in. 

 

San Remo

 

San Remo is a beautiful coastal town in northern Italy. Like the bright colors of the rooftops of San Remo, the cocktail of the same name has a brilliant hue. The Italian Alpine spirit, Strega is a white brandy-based liquor flavored with a secret recipe of herbs and spices such as saffron and mint. 

The San Remo is designed to spread out this flavor across a dry palate of herbal gin. That is the reason I chose Bulldog for its light London dry style. Is it a good drink? It is balanced, is is fresh and herbacious and bright despite having no citrus juice. So yes, unless you don't like Strega, and then I can't help you.

• 2 oz. gin (Bulldog used)
  
• 1 oz. Strega
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth (Dolin extra dry used)

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

Ladbroke Road Cocktail

This bright fizzy drink is going for everything English from strawberries to gin. The British love their gin! What better way to enjoy it than with fresh fruit and a long refreshing soda drink. Ladbroke probably refers to Ladbroke Grove tube station in London, a posh area near Notting Hill. Or else it might be the village of Ladbroke in Warwickshire, but I tend to think the former as it is better known.

A note on the bottle pictured left: the label doesn't correspond with a product that I know of. This was an image I printed, perhaps of a now defunct producer of flavored moonshines. What you see here is a Vitae rum distillery bottle with the printed label on top. I have the recipe for this here.

I'm finding that I enjoy these liqueurs I'm making at home more than store-bought ingredients. Often you pay too much for them or the quality is poor compared to what you can make in your kitchen if you have the fresh fruit and good booze.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1 oz. homemade strawberry liqueur made with Vitae Platinum rum 
• dash triple sec
• club soda 
• lemon peel
• whole strawberry

Combine liquid ingredients except soda 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 strawberry and lemon twist.

London Fog

This dainty cocktail is a combination of one ounce of Pernod, one ounce of white creme de menthe, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Blend these together, but I recommend doing it with a whisk in a mixing glass or shaker. My feeling was that using a blender without adding ice would only make the ice cream watery. I wasn't wrong.

The recipe will make about two pousse cafe glasses full of the drink, so feel free to offer it to a second person if you have takers.

• 1 oz. Pernod
• 1 oz. white creme de menthe
• 1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Combine all ingredients in a blender (shaker tin recommended) and blend (whip recommended) until smooth and pour into a chilled pousse cafe glass. 

Chelsea Sidecar

A drink named after the posh London neighborhood of Chelsea requires a posh London gin. Boodles is the much-asked-for classic dry gin from London. You won't see it in the U.S. that much, and much less now that American gin is all the rage. But there is something to be said of an old standard. And while the Gin Sidecar is slowly giving way to it original brandy forebears, a Boodles Sidecar is still smashing, baby.

• 2 oz. gin (Boodles used)
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice

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

London Dock

Londoners are fond of hot spiced wine cocktails in the winter. This hot drink is popular among these, with a good gob of dark rum to situate it perfectly among the docks where sailors to the Caribbean islands come and go.

Pusser's British Navy rum is an excellent choice for this hot drink because of its British nautical heritage and rich wooden still flavor that is noticeable under all that wine and spice.

• 3 oz. dry red wine
• 2 oz. dark rum (Pusser's British Navy used)
• 1 oz. honey
• cinnamon stick
• grated nutmeg 
• boiling water

Dissolve boiling honey in boiling water at the bottom of a warm coffee mug (Check my London mug!) Add rum, red wine and nutmeg and top with boiling water. Use the cinnamon stick to stir. 

London Cocktail

Broker's gin is a quintessential London dry gin. It is strong, dry and spicy, and it sports a bowler cap. The London cocktail tries to capitalize on zippy flavors of a spicy dry gin and a dry maraschino liqueur and orange bitters to be especially stiff tasting.

Keep calm and carry on.

• 3 oz. London dry gin (Broker's used)
• 1/2 tsp. maraschino liqueur
• 5 dashes orange bitters (Hella used)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.