Feeds:
Posts
Comments

The Death of Sweet Mister

October 6, 2011 by Jen

Right before I left Columbus, I picked up a few bottles of booze from some local distillers in town (Columbus has quite a growing microdistillery movement). One of the things I bought was a bottle of Tessora-Limone, a creamy lemon digestif made by a local couple from a 200 year old Italian family recipe.  For some reason this bottle got pushed to the back of our liquor shelves only to be re-discovered a few weeks ago. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with the sweet, refreshing liqueur and have been trying to think of delicious cocktails to put it in.

The Death of Sweet Mister
1.5 oz Tessora Limone
1 oz Raspberry syrup
0.5 oz Mount Gay rum
0.25 oz Frangelico

Combine ingredients and shake well with ice.  Pour into a coupe and garnish with a lemon peel and fresh raspberry.

NOTES: My initial reaction was HOLY CRAP THIS TASTES LIKE A CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SUNDAE. Like…dangerously so. Surprisingly though, it wasn’t too cloying. This would be an excellent dessert drink as I’m not sure I could have more than one at a time due to the sweetness.  I think in the future I would either increase the Frangelico to 0.5oz or the rum to 1 oz to make it both a more full cocktail and slightly boozier.

Raspberry Syrup
Crush 1 pint of strawberries in a pan with a wooden spoon until all the berries are broken up. Add 1 cup of water and slowly bring to a boil, occasionally mashing the berries. Add one cup of sugar and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain upwards of 3 times and bottle. Add 1 oz of high proof vodka or neutral spirits to extend the syrup’s life.

Posted in Frangelico, Limoncello, Raspberry Syrup, Rum | 2 Comments »

Speakeasy Cider

October 4, 2011 by Jon

6 Cups Apple Cider
2 Cups SNAP
1 Cup Brandy
3 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Vanilla Bean
1 small handful of whole Cloves
1/2 Granny Smith Apple

Take your half apple and cram all the cloves into the meat of it (shown below). Bring the cider, 1 cup of Snap, cinnamon, vanilla and your clove apple (meat & clove-side DOWN) to a slow boil over low heat. Cover, and allow it to simmer for about 10-20 minutes to get the spice flavors all mixed in. Remove from heat and add the remaining Snap and Brandy (you don’t want to cook off all the alcohol, so it’s best not to add it all too soon). Serve as soon as it’s cool enough to drink with a cinnamon stick.

Not necessary, but I pour into cups through a strainer to remove any errant cloves.

NOTES: I’ve been tinkering with hot ciders for a few years now, subbing in rums, whiskeys, brandies, etc. It’s really hard to go wrong with hot cider, but I really like what the Snap did to this one, and I think this is my favorite so far. It also seems to taste better with unfiltered, organic cider. You’ll get a whole mess of sediment in it, but if you just stir it up with the cinnamon, it distributes right back through the drink.

Posted in Brandy, Cider, Snap | 1 Comment »

Liquor Cabinet Update

October 4, 2011 by Jon

It’s been a while since we updated our Liquor Cabinet, so we put up some new drinks. Our gin section is still sadly lacking, but there have been a couple pretty interesting additions in whiskey (Tullamore 12, Hirsch, Buffalo Trace, Finnegan, Bushmill and Shine) and Liqueur (Becherovka, Akvavit, Rhuby and Villa Massa) sections, with a couple others scattered around there too.

The one problem I’m having is with some of the filing between Amari and Liqueur. Campari and Aperol aren’t amari, but they are bitters. And if they don’t count, but Becherovka does, do I also count Root?

It’s probably not important either way, but if anyone has any thoughts on it, I’m all ears.

Posted in Miscellany | Leave a Comment »

Lords of Misrule

September 29, 2011 by Jon

Lords of Misrule
1.5 oz Vodka
0.25 oz Vieux Carre Absinthe
1 oz Grapefruit Clove Syrup
2 dashes Rhubarb Bitters

Shake ingredients well with ice and pour into a champagne glass. Top with seltzer and garnish with orange peel.

NOTES: Pretty damn good. I had been trying to think of something to make with a grapefruit clove syrup and I just kept coming back to greyhounds. I don’t usually make much with vodka because it doesn’t bring a ton to the table, but I liked it in this case, and think this could end up being a pretty damn tasty brunch drink. I’d also like to try it with champagne instead of seltzer, but I didn’t want to open a whole bottle for a one-glass test drink. Maybe also try with gin instead of vodka, but not necessary. Easy to drink, and the grapefruit went surprisingly well with the Absinthe.

Grapefruit Clove Syrup
Juice and zest 3 large Ruby Red grapefruits, and simmer in water for about 20 minutes with a handful of cloves and 3 or 4 peppercorns. Add a cup of sugar and simmer for an additional 10. Strain twice and bottle.

Posted in Absinthe, Grapefruit Clove Syrup, Rhubarb Bitters, Vodka | Leave a Comment »

Last Sunset

September 23, 2011 by Jon

Last Sunset
2 oz 10 Cane Rum
0.25 oz Becherovka
1 oz Mint Cinnamon Syrup
0.5 oz Orange Juice
0.5 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake ingredients well with ice and pour over ice cubes. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

NOTES: I actually made this one for our friend Linzy and didn’t drink it beyond the testing, so I let her name and describe it for me:

“it’s a delicious cocktail for those people, like me, who can’t handle strong drinks. the orange hits you first, then the pineapple, then a hint of mint at the end, with the rum being very subtle. it was quite refreshing, and a little more rum wouldn’t hurt, if you’re into stronger drinks.”

Mint Cinnamon Syrup
Toss a hearty handful of mint, stems and all, into a pot of water (about 4-5 cups). Add 2 cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Add 1 cup of sugar and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Double strain out botanicals and allow to cool before transferring to a closed jar for refrigeration. If you want to stretch out the life, add 1 oz of overproof vodka or everclear and shake well before sealing.

NOTES: this is a good one, but much more mild than most of the syrups. It isn’t so much a driving flavor in a drink as it is a nice flavored sweetener, in my opinion. Maybe more concentrated would change that, but I don’t really mind.

Posted in Becherovka, Mint Cinnamon Syrup, Rum | Leave a Comment »

The Curfew

September 22, 2011 by Jon

This one isn’t super exciting, but it’s the drink I make for myself just about every time we have mint in the house. Somewhere between a Mint Julep and an Old Fashioned, it’s quick and easy, and a good drink for people that like the taste of whiskey.

The Curfew
3 oz Rye (Your choice. It’s a whiskey drink, so just use what you like. Bourbon works, too.)
1 oz simple syrup
10 mint leaves
2 maraschino cherries
1 tsp of the syrup in the cherry jar

Muddle the mint and cherries & cherry syrup with the mint in the simple syrup. Add a couple ice cubes, and pour rye over the whole thing. Stir a few times, and garnish with a cherry if you’re so inclined.

NOTES: I probably would omit the cherry syrup if you’ve only got store bought on account of how gross that neon red stuff is. With the home-made maraschino cherries, the syrup is goddamn delicious.  And again, I know. Sorry about the pictures. I’m about to start a letter-writing campaign to Nikon to get Jen’s camera back. It’s taking FOR-EV-AH.

Posted in Maraschino Cherries, Rye | Leave a Comment »

Tailgating with HomeSpeakeasy

September 22, 2011 by Jon

This past week, Thrillist.com asked us to come up with a mobile bar kit: something that you could take camping, tailgating, picnicking…basically anywhere you’d want to drink outside. We took a cooler and packed it with everything necessary to create a whole variety of drinks, and all for under $200. We could keep rambling on about it, but why not let the professionals handle that?

Check out the article (and embarrassing video where there was only one mic so I had to sit awkwardly and stare off into the middle distance) HERE!

Posted in Miscellany | 2 Comments »

The Dictator and the Hammock

September 21, 2011 by Jon

For the past 6 months, a few people have been telling me I NEED to try Becherovka. It’s a bitter liqueur from the Czech Republic somewhere between an Amaro and Jagermeister. It’s got a bit of an anise taste to it, but not as strong as Jager, and a lot of cinnamon. As a drink on it’s own, I’m a little torn. The start is delicious and cinnamon-sweet, but it finishes somewhat bitterly, and that’s not really my thing. That initial flavor though, it’s good stuff, and not surprisingly, it works really well in a cocktail.

The Dictator and the Hammock
1.5 oz Becherovka
1 oz Irish whiskey
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
1 dropper-full of Cinnamon Tincture
1 tsp Honey

Muddle a slice of lemon and about 10 mint leaves in a glass with the Cinnamon tincture. Fill glass with crushed ice. Mix other ingredients and shake hard without ice (to mix the honey without it getting hard and refusing to mix). Add ice and shake again, and strain into the glass. Rim glass with the oils from the lemon peel and use to garnish.

NOTES: Not bad at all. A lot of really interesting flavors, and all the lemon and mint really give a nice refreshing edge to this one. I might replace the simple with honey syrup and make the whole thing easier on myself, but otherwise, pretty nicely balanced.

Posted in Becherovka, Cinnamon Tincture, Irish Whiskey | 1 Comment »

Hot Julep

September 20, 2011 by Jon

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. We’ve been keeping pretty busy with last weekend’s cocktail party and various other things that aren’t all that exciting. I’ve been short on the experimenting time and sticking pretty closely to the good ‘ol Powers on the rocks. Things should be getting back to normal any time now.

In the meantime, last night Jen was making some peppermint tea, so I thought I’d give something different a try. Since it’s actually getting a little cool at night, I’ve been itching to try some hot drinks, so this was the first attempt.

2 oz Bulleit Rye
1 sprig of mint
2 tsp sugar
Peppermint tea
hot water

Make a mug of the peppermint tea of your choice and leave a little room. Add sugar and bourbon and stir. Spank the mint and drop it in.

NOTES: I began this one trying to muddle leaves and basically start it off like a regular julep, which didn’t really work so well because the leaves float. It’s also a little unnecessary since the tea is already mint. Overall, it’s not exactly as good as a regular julep, but it was pretty damn effective at warming me up. Tasted pretty good too, like a (only very slightly) classier Irish Coffee. Quick and easy so I’ll probably be having more of these as we get into winter.

Posted in Peppermint Tea, Rye | Leave a Comment »

The Thousand Autumns

September 9, 2011 by Jon

The Thousand Autumns
1.5 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Vanilla Pumpkin Syrup
0.5 Creme de Cacao
0.75 Domaine de Canton
2 Dashes Aztec Chocolate Bitters

Shake well with ice and serve up. Garnish with a vanilla bean dipped in the leftover pumpkin purée from making the syrup.

NOTES: I liked this one a lot. I’m getting a little unhealthily obsessed with the coming of fall (I can’t be the only one SO SICK of being hot all the time), so the moment we got a couple days of brisk weather, it was time to start celebrating. It still tastes like a pretty solid rye drink (the syrup is a little less sweet than others I’ve made), but there isn’t much harsh bite to it. Just a nice warmth that sticks around in your stomach. The vanilla isn’t overpowering, but you definitely notice it’s there if you pay attention. The cacao and canton also don’t really stand out without looking for them, but they give the drink a nice well-rounded flavor.

Vanilla Pumpkin Syrup
1 can Pumpkin Puree
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
2-3 cups water

Bring the puree and 1 can full of water to a boil and slowly stir in the sugar. Take the vanilla bean and slice it longways, but don’t bother ripping it open and scraping the seeds out this time. Toss the whole thing in and reduce to a simmer. Cook it down for about 15-20 minutes, and then strain it 2-3 times through a fine strainer.

NOTES: This is a lot thicker than most syrups. I actually strained once and was left with a whole bowl of thick puree, so I put it back on the stove with another can of water and repeated the whole process. Let the syrup cool, add about an ounce of high-proof vodka or everclear, shake well and refrigerate. Save the leftover puree because it makes for a nice garnish.

Posted in Aztec Chocolate Bitters, Creme de Cacao, Domaine de Canton, Rye, Vanilla Pumpkin Syrup | 1 Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »