Fix Me Up (Death & Co. Recipe)

I remember when trying this rich and beautiful drink that a Fix is any way to take a spirit into a more comfortable zone with sugar and juice. This was a departure from most Fixes that are sort of crushed ice and pineapple variations on a Sour. In fact, I feel like the overarching flavor is nuttiness from almond orgeat and amontillado sherry. 

Catoctin Creek Roundstone rye is pretty nutty and dry itself. I'd make a Fix with it anytime. This was an excellent use of a high-proof rye as I've ever seen. The presentation is very simple but elegant, and that is why Death & Co. is regarded as a pioneer in reviving the classic cocktail-serving speakeasy.

• 1 oz. rye (Catoctin Creek Roundstone used)
• 1 1/2 oz. amontillado (Alexandro sherry used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 3/4 oz. orgeat (Fee Brothers used)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 3/4 oz. club soda

Combine all ingredients except club soda in a shaker with three ice cubes. Shake and strain into a snifter with one large ice cube. Pour the soda in on top. 

 

Crane Kick (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Another Karate Kid cocktail because of the presence of Japanese whiskey. Not very original, but this combination of flavors is--and that is all we really ask for from Death & Co. 

This is an intense Tiki recipe that mashes up smoky scotch, malty whiskey, orange and orgeat and coconut notes in an adventure that nearly tells you a story with flavors. I imagine that the story goes something like this:

You are climbing a volcanic mountain in Hawaii and can smell the burning ash in the air from a recent eruption. On the way up you pick an orange and a coconut to enjoy at the top, but on the way you skin your knee and use a Band-Aid to mend the wound. 

In short, that is what this drink experience is like. I recommend everyone try it. It's not super approachable--I think of it as a stretch drink (smoky scotch doesn't appear often in tikis and the medicinal flavor is off-putting to some, but worth the try in this case.) Some drinkers just aren't as adventurous, but I encourage this kind of thrill seeking in cocktail recipes. 

• 2 oz. Yamazaki 12-year whiskey (Catoctin Creek Colossal X used)
• 1 tsp. Laphroaig 10-year scotch
• 2 tsp. coconut liqueur (Malibu used)
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat (Fee Brothers used)
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with three ice cubes. Shake and strain into a pilsner glass filled with crushed ice. 

Sweep the Leg (Death & Co. Recipe)

There's some Karate Kid fans working at Death & Co. for sure. This cocktail uses Japanese whiskey, to tie into the name. But I can't afford the stuff and really I get a kick out of using malted whiskey (and beer whiskey, which is malted) to approximate Japanese whiskey. That malted whiskey is Catoctin Creek Colossal X!

I also loved that this drink includes sherry, orgeat and chocolate bitters. These flavors all come across as deep and tropical, so it is no surprise they end up in this Japanese themed cocktail. 

• 2 oz. Suntory Hakashu 12-year whiskey (Catoctin Creek Colossal X used)
• 3/4 oz. orgeat (Fee Brothers used)
• 1/2 oz. Amontillado sherry
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/4 oz. acacia honey surp
• 1 tsp. Luxardo Amaro Abano (a combination of homemade Amer Picon and Don Ciccio and Figli Ambrosia used)
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash of Aztec bitters
• Garnish: lime wheel, orange crecent, brandied cherry, mint sprig (not pictured)
  

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with three ice cubes. Short shake and strain into a pilsner glass full of crushed ice. Skewer garnishes on a pick and place on the top of the glass.

 

Warehouse C (Death & Co. Recipe)

There is no end to the great drinks you can make with bourbon. This one comes as no surprise, but it seems a little unusual to find orgeat, strawberry an cinnamon all in the same cocktail. To me, the flavors in the Warehouse C signal the end of summer berries and the beginning of fall spice cocktails.

Death & Co. recommends batching your own cinnamon infused syrup for drinks like this, but I never do. I rely on a dash of MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey, which is basically cinnamon infused whiskey. It is the real deal, and so adding some to your simple syrup effectively makes it cinnamon syrup. I did the same with my homemade ginger liqueur and simple syrup to make the ginger syrup.

• 1 strawberry
• 1 1/2 oz. Buffalo Trace bourbon (Ancient Age by Buffalo Trace used)
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 oz. orgeat (Fee Brothers used)
• 1/4 oz. cinnamon syrup (simple and a dash of MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey used)
• 1/4 oz. ginger syrup (simple and a dash of ginger liqueur used)
• 1 dash aromatic bitters (Hella used)

Muddle the strawberry in a shaker tin. Add ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

 

Tom Bomb (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This cocktail is pretty sweet with orgeat, Donn's spices (allspice dram) and honey syrup. I think that was what was needed to overpower the rank nose of Ransom Old Tom gin. Yes, this cocktail takes an acquired taste like Ransom and turns it into a "bomb" drink that will easily destroy anyone. All it took was three forms of sugar and some pretty wild flavors.

Donn's Spices is a mix of St. Elizabeth allspice dram and vanilla syrup. I used my own allspice dram and vanilla vodka mixed with cane sugar syrup for this recipe. My homemade orgeat spoiled, however, so I bought Fee's from my local wine shop. While it isn't my cognac orgeat, I had said before making the last batch that I was done squeezing almonds to make syrup; and their slogan is "Don't squeeze use Fee's." So I did.

• 1 1/2 oz. Ransom Old Tom (Homemade Schiedam gin used)
• 1/4 oz. Donn's Spices (50/50 vanilla syrup and allspice dram)
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. orgeat (Fee's used)
• 1/4 oz. acacia honey syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker whit ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktial glass. 

Bite of the Apple (Non-Alcoholic)

It's apple season and a cinnamon and apple slush seems very appropriate to the cooler weather. It's the mocktail version of the Big Apple. The "Bite" is non-alcoholic and comes from orgeat, which makes this drink pretty tropical tasting. Apple sauce and juice, though seem like familiar flavors for fall.

• 5 oz. apple juice
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat
• 1 tbsp. apple sauce
• ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients except cinnamon in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled pilsner glass. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. 

Nutty Cola (Non-Alcoholic)

I don't think that Coke gets enough credit for popularizing a tropical drink made from the kola nut in the U.S. Now that kola is no longer an ingredient in cola, it is more citrusy with lime, lemon and orange notes, despite the artificial brown color.

A Nutty Cola does the trick of reminding us that Coke is tropical. Add lime juice and the balance goes way too sour to stand, so orgeat or hazelnut syrup are needed to add sweetness and nutty flavor.

• 2 oz. orgeat or hazlenut syrup
• 2 oz. lime juice
• cola

 Combine juice and syrup in a Collins glass with ice. Top with cola and stir. 

Pepper Pot (Non-Alcoholic)

The Pepper Pot is one of my favorite mocktails. It makes canned pineapple juice seem exotic again with curry powder, Tabasco sauce, ground red pepper and non-alcoholic orgeat. Fee Brothers orgeat is creamy and full of that maraschino bitterness that just screams tropical treat.

• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. orgeat (Fee Brothers used)
• 3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce
• cayenne pepper to taste
• curry powder to taste

Combine all ingredients except curry powder with ice in a shaker. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Sprinkle with curry powder.

Sweet Jane & Rosey Dawn (Non-Alcoholic)

This is a two-for-one post on two great non-alcoholic drinks. Both have similar ingredients and I was able to pull them both off within minutes with a single blender. These would be fun drinks to have with kids, because they are like snow cones, and there's so much healthy juice, it makes up for the sugary syrups.

Orgeat gives these cocktails that tropical maraschino zip of alcoholic tiki beverages. And if you get Fee Brothers orgeat, there is no alcohol involved. (Make it yourself, and you might have to include vodka as a preservative.)

Sweet Jane (pictured left)

• 2 oz. orange juice
• 2 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. coconut cream
• 1 oz. orgeat

Combine all ingredients with ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a wine goblet.

Rosy Dawn (pictured right)

• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. coconut cream
• 1 tsp. orgeat
• 1 tsp. grenadine

Combine all ingredients with ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a wine goblet.

Walking Zombie (Non-Alcoholic)

Fee brothers orgeat syrup allows me to make this complicated non-alcoholic drink a little easier. Soaking almonds and pressing the oils from them all day makes for a long bar prep for a home bartender.

The Walking Zombie is a super exotic tiki drink with all the juices and syrups of a Zombie without the rum. You'll be able to walk too after drinking it.

• 2 oz. lime juice
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 2 oz. guava nectar
• 1 oz. grenadine
• 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup
• pineapple spear (and leaves as shown)
• mint leaves (recommended garnish)

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a grim-face tiki mug. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with pineapple spear and leaves.