Paparazzi #2

This is the second Paparazzi cocktail after the better known one with Campari. I have to say that I like this one much better, especially because it is a little more of a stand-out recipe. There aren't many Fenet Branca cocktails out there, while a mostly Campari with a splash of vodka isn't doing a lot to change the original flavor of the spirit.

On the other hand the Paparazzi #2 is the best Fernet Branca cocktail I've ever had. It is a wonderful balance of both bitter and sweet liqueurs and numerous spices. The overall effect is rich, with very little acidity, so it comes across as an after dinner drink. But really this is much more of a Manhattan variation.

Fernet Branca is a dark, dry, and very herbaceous and earthy Italian spirit. Originally intended as a vitamin and mineral substitute, Fernet Branca has menthol and root botanicals that make it a helpful more of a stomach soothing tonic following a meal. The Paparrazi #2 cuts the bitterness of Branca with vanilla and bolsters it with caramel and vanilla notes from sweet vermouth and anise spice from anisette (anesone). For this recipe I substituted the mellow yet pungent flavor of Ricard Pastis.

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Evan William's Bonded Bourbon used)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi Dopo Teatro used)
• 1/2 oz. Fernet Branca
• several dashes anisone* or Pernod (Ricard Pastis used)

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

*Anesone is a clear anise spirit that is higher in alcohol and stronger in flavor than anisette.

Bodega Bolt

I like the light, delicate style of this drink. It's a cocktail for a hot afternoon. It's also lower ABV than many cocktails, like a Spritz without the sugar.

I want with the richer tasting old Tom gin by Vitae, mostly because I wanted to downplay the juniper of the gin and let the sherry stand out a little more.

• 1 oz. fino or amontillado sherry
• 1 oz. gin (Vitae Old Tom used0
• club soda
• lime twist

Build the drink by adding gin and sherry in a highball glass full of ice. Top with soda and stir gently. Twist the lime zest over the drink and drop it in.

British Tea

There's something nice about a traditional English breakfast tea. It is bitter and rich and goes with sweet or savory food. A hot tea cocktail is also pleasant for day drinking: it's four o'clock somewhere, after all.

I'm using MurLarkey's three tea whiskey for its tea flavor, but it is very dry by itself. If you like your tea with honey and milk, I recommend MurLarkey's honey whiskey for the flavor it adds. Again, you'll still need to use sugar to sweeten the drink to your liking, so pretty much the same thing you'd do with any tea.

• 1 cup hot black tea
• 1 oz. MurLarkey three tea whiskey
• 1/2 oz. MurLarkey honey whiskey (optional)
• 1 tsp. sugar to taste
• splash milk

Pour all ingredients in a warm mug and top with tea. Stir to combine.

Belvedere Borschtini (Original Recipe)

It's not a Martini without vermouth, but the addition of Russian borscht fits the flavor profile just fine. It adds a nice color too! Beets can be wonderful ingredients in savory cocktails. It doesn't take much borscht to add a rich, savory flavor that rounds out what can be an intense cocktail.

For this drink, I used Belvedere Polish vodka and Carpano extra dry vermouth. The vermouth is still  present, but takes a backseat to the overall experience of having beet soup with booze.

• 2 oz. Belevedere Vodka
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. cold borscht
• dash Tabasco sauce
• pickled beet or olives for garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the beet or olives.

Michael's Passion

I want this to be a Saint cocktail. In my view, not enough saints have a cocktail named after them. Putting the name Michael and the word passion together just suggests a holy experience for the drinker, ala Bach's St. Michael's Passion. Instead, the cocktail is most likely named after some guy in a bar somewhere, as they usually are. The drink itself doesn't disappoint, however.

The spiciness of dry vermouth and gin in such high proportion really tamps down La Grande Passion's passion fruit bitter tang. That is alright, when the liqueur adds a balanced, sweet richness. The color, as you can see, is amazing, as well.

La Grande Passion is a French spirit that is no longer on the market. I made my own knockoff with real passion fruit, armagnac, sugar and chocolate.

• 2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination gin used)
• 1 oz. La Grande Passion 
• 1 oz. dry vermouth
• orange twist

Combine all ingredients except orange peel in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist the orange peel over the drink and drop it in.

Cagnes-Sur-Mer

Believe it or not, this cocktail belongs to the race track family of drinks. Cagnes Sur Mer is the motorway in Fance where the Monaco Grand Prix is held. This long drink is full of citrus flavors from curacao and Forbidden Fruit. I've extolled the exotic virtues of Forbidden Fruit in many of my posts, (in this drink it lends a sweet grapefruit flavor to the orange juice) but this time the unusual ingredient is the Vitae Orange Liqueur that I used in place of the curacao.

This cocktail is good to drink in hot weather. It has a fresh gin flavor with refreshing juice and citrus liqueurs. The sweetness comes from the honey and cognac in Forbidden Fruit and it all comes together with orange bitters and soda.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination gin used)
• 1/2 oz. Forbidden Fruit (Homemade recipe used)
• 1/2 oz. curacao (Vitae orange liqueur used)
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• several dashes orange bitters (Hella used)
• club soda
• orange slice

Combine the first six ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice. 

Doctor's Orders

I was expecting that a drink named for a prescription would include Frenet Branca or some ingredient purporting to be medicinal. In fact, there is the citrus peel and juice of two pomelos, one lemon and three oranges in a bottle of homemade Forbidden Fruit. I don't know if the liqueur preserves the vitamins from these fruits (probably not) but it makes a rich drink even more bitter and tangy.

• 1 oz. gin (Vitae Old Tom used)
• 1 oz. cognac (Larressingle armagnac used)
• 1 oz. Forbidden Fruit
• several dashes lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled champagne cocktail glass (*Note: in the New American Bartender's Guide, this is the glass listed. I've used this book for decades and this is the first mention of a champagne cocktail glass, which I assume is a coupe or cocktail glass. I chose this antique cocktail pony glass--good for champagne cocktails or hard liquor in general.)