Enchanted Orchard (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Now we are getting into those thoroughly fall-style cocktails with apple cinnamon flavors. I'm going to be going in this direction for several weeks, each post being progressively more autumnal. 

This cocktail is unusual among its brethren in having pisco be the main ingredients. Yes there is apple cinnamon and spice, but the pisco is very neutral and yet still a fruit brandy spirit. I like the addition of pineapple juice and applejack to produce an exotic apple taste without there being any fresh apple juice present. All in all, this is a chameleon of a cocktail. As soon as you think you have it figured out, the Benedictine  or the pineapple juice or honey snap your taste buds in a different direction. 

• 1 1/2 oz. pisco (Capel used)
• 1/2 oz. calvados (Laird's applejack 86 used)
• 1/2 oz. Benedictine
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. acacia honey syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick garnish

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a double rocks glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with the cinnamon stick.

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. 

Honshu Punch (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

According to the Death & Co. book, Honshu punch was a regular offering with an ingredient makeup that changed depending on who was bartending when it is ordered. The recipe the book provides, however, is one that intentionally makes use of Japanese Yamazaki 12 whiskey. This was a great idea back in 2008 when demand for this fabulous whiskey was low, but not at the prices it is going for right now. 

I've been using Catoctin Creek Colossal X--a barley malt whiskey--which is not too different from the barley whiskies of Japan. They are like scotch without the smoke, and this is also true of Colossal X. The rest of the cocktail is necessarily simple, given that it is a punch that is batched before each shift. 

• 2 oz. Yamazaki 12 (Catoctin Creek Colossal X used)
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. cane sugar syrup
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters (Angostura used)
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (Hella Aromatic bitters used)
• 1 oz. club soda

Combine all ingredients except soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a large snifter with a single large format ice cube. Top with club soda. 

Bristow Planter's Punch (Original Recipe)

 

In the Barbados song describing punch proportions it helps to remember that punch is made of "1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong and 4 of weak" ingredients. Black tea has always been a large part of the "weak ingredients in Planter's Punch. Now it's a "strong ingredient" with MurLarkey three tea whiskey. This is a rich and strong whiskey steeped in Earl Gray, Darjeeling and English breakfast teas. Now that the tea is strong, the problem then is what are the other ingredient proportions. 

Pineapple juice comes to the rescue. Pineapple juice isn't in the original Planter's Punch, but it is not exactly sour. You can use a lot of it and it won't require balancing with sugar like grapefruit juice will. So I'm breaking the ban on Pineapple Juice for this recipe just this once and I think it works fine. The sweetness of the juice will balance against the bitter tannin of the tea and the tang of lime juice.

I also used a dash of Angostura and MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey just to spice it up a bit. And George Bowman rum was necessary for the fruity rum flavors of a good Jamaican rum. 

• 1 oz. George Bowman rum
• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey three tea whiskey
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. grapefruit juice
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey 
• 1 oz. club soda
  
• lemon, lime and hibiscus flower garnishes

Combine all liquid ingredients except for soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over large ice rocks in a large blown red wine glass (stemless is best). Top with soda and stir before adding garnishes.

Bristow Sling (Original Recipe)

 

This is what happens when you grab a flavored whiskey and just wing it with things you have on hand. I'm talking about the Sling and how the sling is one of the oldest cocktails around, yet we often overlook it as an easy formula that will please bargoers. 

So this whiskey sling is using naturally-flavored MurLarkey lemon whiskey, which is just dried lemons soaked in the barrel with their Justice white whiskey. The rest of this sling's ingredients are pretty standard, with Cherry Heering, lime juice and soda being the main ones. I changed things up by adding my own Mandarine Napoleon liqueur to add more richness from the cognac spirit and the spices and orange notes that it provides. 

• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey lemon whiskey 
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
  
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
• 1/2 oz. Mandarine Napoleon (homemade) liqueur
• club soda
  
• luxardo cherry and lime slice garnish

Combine all ingredients except soda and garnishes in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and stir gently. Add garnishes to the top of the glass.

Camp Council (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This is a strange concept for a tequila cocktail. When I think of summer camp, I'm thinking of a rye cocktail with maybe some pine smoke and apple juice. But the concept of the Camp Council is sound. This is a woody reposado tequila with herbal flavors that imitate pine needle scent. 

Death & Co. specifies Zirbenz Stone Pine liqueur for its cultivation and distillation of stone pine fruits that give the liquor a spicy pine flavor. I, on the other hand, have juniper berries--the other pine fruit. To make a quick pine liqueur, I used MurLarkey gin and fresh juniper berries. I didn't have time to infuse the berries and I'm not sure that was the flavor I was going for. Gin already has infused juniper. I wanted crushed juniper, so I muddled the berries into the gin and built the drink in the shaker around that.

The result achieved a noticeable pine note in the final drink. Dolin Genepy was also a way to get alpine herbs into the drink (similar to the listed Yellow Chartreuse.) Overall, this was a different way to enjoy tequila. I'm not convinced that it is a summer camp drink that I envision, but it is still good, especially on a hot day.

• 1 1/2 oz. reposado tequila
• 1/2 oz. Zirbenz stone pine liqueur (5 juniper berries muddled into gin)
  
• 1/2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse (Dolin Genepy used)
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 mint sprig garnish

If using my juniper berry substitution muddle 5 juniper berries in 1/2 oz. of gin in a shaker. Add ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake and double strain into a pilsner glass full of crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

Blown Rose (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

The coaster in this picture says it all. Death & Co. has some of the most innovative cocktails back when nobody knew how to make a Manhattan. This one is especially fun to make as well as to drink. For starters, I've never muddled apple slices before. This is easier than it looks. Also, chamomile rye is the perfect pairing for apple and cinnamon flavors. The pineapple and lime juice sound tropical, but they just lend sweet acids and balance to the spirits giving the overall effect of having apple pie in a glass. 

Just looking at the name of this drink, you'd assume it has a natural relationship to the Jack Rose or any Rose cocktail that usually involves a spirit, lime juice and grenadine. But there is so much more going on here. A few of my modifications happened naturally based on what I have available and my personal preferences for stocking my kitchen. 

The chamomile tea is Republic of Tea's Chamomile Lemon, which has no lemon in it but it does have lemon balm in it. This is an herbal flavor that doesn't step on but adds to the complexity of other flavors. The cinnamon syrup is a mix of my cane sugar syrup and MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey--the best shortcut for syrup making I've ever come up with. (MurLarkey infuses cinnamon into their spirit so you don't have to.)

It is important to use Fuji apples, as a Granny Smith or Golden Delicious just won't taste the same. Cut the slices thin so that they are easy to muddle. The rest takes care of itself.

• 3 Fuji apple slices
• 2 oz. chamomile-infused rye (Rittenhouse used)
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. cinnamon bark syrup (simple syrup and MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey used)
• 1 lime wheel garnish
  

Muddle apple slices in the shaker before adding the remaining ingredients with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.  

Faithful Scotsman (Death & Co Recipe)

 

A stirred drink with pineapple and lemon juice? Even weirder is the toasted whole cumin syrup. But how does it taste? Amazing. And yes, it all works.

Death & Co. has taught me that a rich syrup cocktail with juice can be stirred and swerved on the rocks like an Old Fashioned or, in this case, something very similar to the Harlem Cocktail. 

Again the tropical Island cocktail works well with scotch. Roasted barley whiskies like scotch also go well with savory notes as well. I'm talking about the cumin syrup. To make this golden syrup, toast 1 tbsp. of whole cumin seeds in a saucepan for about three minutes before adding 1/2 cup of water and sugar. Cook until it reduces and the sugar is dessolved. Then strain through fine mesh or cheesecloth. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Compass Box Asyla Scotch (Speyburn 10 used)
  
• 1/4 oz. Massenez creme de peche (1/4 oz. Evan William's peach bourbon used)
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. cumin syrup 
• 1 pineapple leaf garnsih

Stir all ingredients, then strain into a double rocks glass over 1 large ice cube. Garnish with the pineapple leaf. 

Eye of the Torino (Death & Co. recipe)

 

Scotch from Islay is still an island spirit. That's the thinking behind Eye of the Torino. Death & Co. is at it again, changing people's expectations of spirits like Scotch. No, even a single malt scotch like Bowmore 12 doesn't have to be trapped in a Glencairn glass or on the rocks. You can make an excellent Tiki cocktial with single malt from Islay because it has a rich profile similar to rum. 

Yes. Bowmore 12 (or in this case McClelland's Islay, which is my less expensive way to get Bowmore in a different label) is the main ingredient in this tropical drink that features huge coconut flavors. The title of the drink suggests the need to hide Cocchi di Torino in a fruity drink that resembles a Bahama Momma. With all the coconut, pineapple, cream and orgeat, it's hard to taste that sweet vermouth, but spicy scotch still stands out with peat notes and a bit of smoke. But don't tell your Tiki drinking friends it's in there, just pretend it is smoke from the Tiki torches. 

This drink is intended to be served in a coconut shell, which is a lot of trouble to get and cut. I figured a large Tiki mug would be fitting. 

• 2 oz. Bowmore 12-year scotch
• 1/2 oz. cocchi vermouth di Torino
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. coconut cream
• 1/4 oz. heavy cream
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash chocolate mole bitters
• 1 pineapple wedge and cherry flag for garnish

Combine all ingredients is a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a coconut mug (or Tiki mug, as pictured) full of crushed ice. Use a pick to pin the stem cherry to the pineapple wedge and stick it on the rim.

Dos Besitos (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Sometimes tequila--and tequila recipes from speakeasy bars--are a little inaccessible for the average cocktail drinker. The trend seems to be to load up on flavors or to combine things in new and sometimes off-putting ways to get us to think differently about recipes and to appreciate new experiences.

This drink is designed to please the crowd. It tastes like a vacation, and as such brings few challenges to the bartender or drinker. And you need cocktials like this on menus. You don't want anyone feeling left out, and they won't. Not with "besitos" (little kisses) in your glass. 

• 1 oz. reposado tequila (El Jimador reposado used)
• 1 oz. blanco tequila (Sauza 100% blue agave blanco used)
  3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
  
• 1/4 oz. agave syrup (Madhava used)
• 1 tsp grenadine

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. 

Pusser's Pain Killer

 

There's not much difference between the standard Pain Killer and the Pusser's variety other than it is a proprietary recipe of the British Navy rum. And when you use Guyana rum like this, it is a major feature of the drink. It tastes more like fresh cane sugar than a heavy molasses rum, for one thing. The other is that a lot of it will have you feeling no pain. 

So adjusting for the difference in rum and pineapple juice, which is higher in this recipe than standard, there's just the question of nutmeg. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I feel it is an integral part of the Pain Killer experience, like salt on a Margarita. So while it is in the picture, because that is the way I like it, you don't need to use it if you don't. 

In fact, don't go out of your way to get nutmeg for this recipe, or spend time looking for the British flag you used to get with every bottle of Pusser's. Mine didn't come with a flag. I just made sure to use red and blue straws to signify the Union Jack. 

• 4 oz. Pusser's British Navy rum
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
  
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. coconut cream or syrup
• orange slice as garnish
• tiny British flag (optional, but go for some British symbolism in the garnsih)

Combine all ingredients except orange slice and other garnishes with cracked ice in a shaker or blender. Shake or blend briefly and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with orange slice and British Flag. (Note: nutmeg is pictured but not required for this recipe.)

 

Golfe Juan

 

I'm breaking out the French-themed drinks, even though not all ingredients are French in and of themselves. Golfe-Juan is a seaside resort on France's Côte d'Azur. The place has an air of tropical paradise to it with all the trappings of French tourist sites. The cocktail blends these two attitudes perfectly with European liqueurs of the golden age of cocktails and pineapple and lemon juice.

Altogether, you can possibly have as many as three European nationalities represented in one touristy cocktail: French brandy, Italian maraschino liqueur, and German kirschwasser. Don't use an American sweet kirsch. It tastes like cherry candy and you already have maraschino for that. A true kirsch, however will easily float on this drink, kicking up the alcoholic nose and giving the whole drink the boozy beachside cafe feel you are looking for.

• 1 1/2 oz. brandy (Korbel used but use cognac to make it more French)
• 1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur like Luxardo
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. kirsch float (Kammer Kirsch used)

Combine all ingredients except for kirsch in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Use a bar spoon to float the kirsch on top of the drink.

J.P.'s Punch

 

J.P. must have been a bartender who worked at a beach bar. Anyway, he was good with a blender. I can imagine bar guests watching him slice a banana and tossing the pieces into the pitcher with all the spirits and juices that he hardly takes time to measure before blending up several of these cocktails at once. 

This might actually be my first single serving blended punch featured on this blog. I'm not a huge fan of beach hut cocktails and blenders in general. They water down the flavor and make a lot of the measurements of liquor imprecise as you struggle to fit all of the drink into a single glass. But for a punch, this isn't bad. Double or triple the recipe for friends and you'll be a hit just like J.P.

• 1 oz. light rum (Rhum Barbancourt used)
• 1 oz. dark rum (Pusser's navy rum used)
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 sliced banana
• maraschino cherry garnish
  

Combine all liquid ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the cherry.

Jamaican Peach

 

I don't know why this Jamaican-themed drink includes peaches at all. It's not like peaches grow on the island or anything. In reality, it was probably a way to sell peach brandy, since the recipe doesn't include any actual peaches. The peach slice you see in the photo comes from my insistence on using fresh ingredients if you have them. Also, a garnish is a wonderful way to signal the flavors you are working with, even though the spirits may be artificially flavored.

In place of peach brandy, I used an equally artificial peach whiskey by Bird Dog. It's actually pretty good when used in tropical drinks and is probably my favorite cheap flavored whiskey purchase. Actually it was a gift, so it was very cheap--free.

• 1 1/2 oz. Jamaica dark rum (Pusser's navy rum used)
• 1 1/2 oz. peach brandy (Bird Dog peach whiskey used)
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
  
• 1 oz. grapefruit juice
• 1 oz. guava juice
• several dashes of falernum (homemade falernum used)
• pineapple stick
• orange slice

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the fruit pieces.

Javier Saavedra

 

Ask a soccer fan if they remember who Javier Saavedra is. The former San Antonio Scorpions midfielder has a pretty awesome cocktail to his name. When I saw the list of ingredients, especially the combination of dark rum and tequila, I had to give it a try. 

White tequila gives this tropical drink an herbal spiciness that is missing in a lot of Caribbean-themed cocktails. I really appreciate the direction it takes the cocktail from the typically sugary and sweet rum that is the focus of these kinds of drinks. Again, the orange slice on the cocktail is misleading if you are trying to guess the ingredients. The thing you can't identify: grapefruit juice.

• 1 oz. Jamica dark rum (Pusser's navy rum used)
• 1 oz. white tequila (Sauza %100 blue agave used)
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. grapefruit juice
• orange slice garnish
  

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange slice.

Mandarin Punch

 

This cocktail is pleasingly rich and fruity with vanilla and caramel notes from the barrel aged rum and the flavored cognac in Mandarine Napoleon. In case you are wondering, this Mandarine Napoleon is my homemade knock off that tastes pretty good. I appreciate how mandarin-infused cognac really can alter the flavor of the fruit juices in this drink--you think that there is some fresh mandarin in there somewhere.

As always, I used fresh squeezed juices and saved some for the garnishes.

• 1 1/2 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Pusser's used)
• 1/2 (-1 oz. mandarin liqueur, maybe you have the actual Mandarine Napoleon)
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• orange slice
• maraschino cherry

Combine juices and liquors in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the fruit pieces. 

Orcabessa Fizz

This is another fun summer drink that is light on alcohol and body, but rich in flavor. It hits the spot at the home tiki bar and bursts with fizzy pineapple and coconut flavor. Actually, the Orcabessa Fizz is a little like what you'd expect from a Fizz version of a Pina Colada.

Some Fizzes (but not all, so it's not a defining characteristic) have egg white or yolk in them. This adds an extra layer of foam on top that is scented by the drink's ingredients. But egg is unnecessary, as this drink has pineapple juice. Anyone who has ever made a French Martini knows that when you shake pineapple juice in a cocktail, you get lots of foam. Also unlike the classic Fizz, there's ice in the glass. Of course you could strain out the ice and just top with soda. I don't know if the pineapple foam would go that far up the glass like a Ramos Fizz, but the result would be a higher proportion of soda to other ingredients when you've topped off the glass.

Either way, though, you'll find yourself going back for more of these satisfying cocktails. If serving friends, make sure you have enough ingredients on hand to make several repeats. 

• 1 oz. Jamaica rum (which I read as dark or aged rum)
• 1 oz. coconut rum (I flavored white rum with coconut cream)
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• club soda
• pineapple spear (or other fruit garnish)
  

Combine juice and rums in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a Collins glass and top with soda. Stir gently and garnish with fruit.

 

Rangoon Swoon

What a funny combination of spirits and juices that make up this cocktail tribute to Myanmar's Rangoon River. If anything makes sense, and they usually don't when it comes to cocktail names, bananas seem to go with the idea of an Asian river region. That and oranges in the triple sec: not the pineapple, not the bourbon.

I use MurLarkey banana whiskey for creme de banane. It allows you to control for sweetness and you avoid cheapening a drink with fake banana flavor. MurLarkey distills whiskey, and that pairs well with bourbon and tropical fruit juice. There's character there, not to mention real banana flavor from dried bananas soaked in the whiskey. 

The overall reception of this cocktail is very positive. The glass is large, the alcohol is potent, and the crushed ice feels like a luxury when drinking with a straw. The recipe isn't specific on garnishes, but just about any flower or fruit slice will do. 

• 1 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. creme de banane (MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 1 oz. triple sec
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. sugar syrup (if not using creme de banane)

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Flash blend and pour into a large wine glass using a gated strainer to catch large ice chunks.

Windward Passage

On first look, this cocktail seems a little like a variation on the Tradewinds that includes Slivovitz. It really is its own thing, however; especially when you consider it being served up with pineapple juice, kirsch, and creme de cassis.  The Windward Passage, nevertheless, is a well balanced tropical drink that deserves more attention.

First, it's balance: there's not a lot of sugar here, and grapefruit juice takes it in a tart direction. Yet you can count on the small proportion of creme de cassis and the outsized gob of pineapple juice to soften the acidity and alcohol presence. That again is helped by the kirsch, which really makes it easier to taste the alcohol through the large juice components.

Then, there's the look--foamy pink without using an egg white or grenadine. You can get away with using that pale canned grapefruit juice here if you like and it will still look nice. (I almost always use fresh squeezed so I can garnish with a slice of grapefruit.)

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Vitae platinum used)
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 tsp. kirsch (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 tsp. creme de cassis (G.E, Massenez used)

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

Seven Veils

Outside of the Playing Cards series of cocktails, there are only a few other whiskey recipes that specify Segram's Seven Crown. This cocktail is very tropical with pineapple juice, creme de cacao and grenadine. It is also the kind of cocktail that you could pull together at just about any dive bar, which I have to admit that I like: unpretentious in a coup glass.

• 1 1/2 oz. Segram's Seven Crown whiskey
• 3/4 oz. creme de cacao 
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine

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