McCrory

I watched Sunday night's Mad Men episode, and am really excited about what's ahead for our man, Don Draper.  For those who haven't seen the episode, or the series, and want to be left in the dark, scroll down to the drink.

Draper is fun when he is in control of his life.  He made routinely bad choices as a husband, but, it was entertaining for us viewers because he controlled his life.  He was a self-made man in every respect.  This season though, until last episode, he was lost in the proverbial woods.  He was drinking too much, but that wasn't as tough to watch as the overall inability to control his surroundings.  The two go hand in hand of course, but the drinking was only a part of his issues. 

His wife left him, women generally found him less attractive, his work began to suffer, and his relationship with his children deteriorated.  Now, he seeks control.  He drinks, but drinks less.  He makes measured decisions (see not going home with the gorgeous co-worker Faye).  He works out.  He works out!!  I mean, we're talking about an era in which physical fitness was still unheard of for the modern working man. 

My favorite part of the episode was the initial scene.  Don diving into the pool, diving into water.  There is no greater archetype used in literature than water signaling a rebirth.  It was clear the direction the episode would take.  Don is back baby!  He's a new man.  He may not cavort with women the same way, but hopefully this new Don is as entertaining as the Don of seasons past.  For a fantastic comparison of last night's episode with "The Swimmer", a short story by the great John Cheever, read here.

And what would Don drink if given the chance?  Maybe the McCrory, a light cocktail with whisky.  Everyone on Mad Men loves whisky.

McCrory
Taken from Esquire's fantastic online drink database, here.

1 ounce rye whisky
1 dash Angostura bitters
1/4 teaspoon superfine sugar
club soda
Stir in a Collins glass with 2 to 3 ice cubes, then fill to taste with club soda or seltzer; serve with a straw.

This is a decent drink, something you can throw together when you're low on supplies and don't want to get too tipsy.  It's low on alcohol, but thankfully rye whiskey provides enough flavor and punch that the club soda won't drown out its great qualities. 

One piece of advice - definitely put in a small amount of club soda, taste, and repeat until it's the right mix.  I probably put in a little too much club soda, as you can see from the photo.  My drink tastes just fine, but I probably could have used less club soda and been even happier.

This is a solid cocktail to drink before dinner.  A dinner out with the guys in the works?  Perfect, throw some of these together before heading out.

Enjoy the McCrory, we'll see you on Friday with the Honey Bee!

Palmer, With Dueling Whiskeys

In another Amateur Mixologist first, we're making two drinks of the same name, with a change in the base liquor. 

As often happens in the world of mixology, one person's cocktail contains a list of ingredients that varies from another person's cocktail of the same name.  Such is the case here with the Palmer.

In the foreground, we have the iDrink Palmer cocktail recipe, and in the background, the American Bar Palmer cocktail recipe.  The iDrink version uses rye whiskey, while the American Bar version uses bourbon.

Here are the two versions, side by side:

Palmer
American Bar, page 148

Dash lemon juice
Dash Angostura bitters
1 3/4 oz Bourbon
lemon

Pour Bourbon over ice cubes in an old fashioned glass, add dash of Angostura, squeeze lemon wedge over drink and drop into glass, stir well.

Palmer
iDrink - http://www.idrink.com/v.html?id=2986

1.0 dash Bitters
0.5 tsp Lemon juice
2.0 oz. Blended Rye/Whiskey

Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

In the American Bar version, I'll be using Maker's Mark, a very nice, somewhat sweet Kentucky-made bourbon.  I'm a big fan of Maker's Mark, and figured it'd be a nice whiskey choice to contrast the more spicy rye whiskey.

I hate to immediately kill the suspense, but I must tell you up front that the American Bar recipe is a no go.  We already know from the Sazerac that bitters and rye whiskey go together well.  So what's the problem here?  Is it the flavor profile differences between bourbon and rye whiskey?

I don't want to pin the blame squarely upon bourbon here, because I think that the combination of flavors causes a really rough overall taste.  The lemon juice, however little the wedge adds, is hurting, not helping.  In fact, I think it's the combination of lemon juice and bourbon that  makes this drink difficult to drink.

Bourbon is an excellent alcohol, but this cocktail recipe is not the best way to consume the good stuff.  I would never order this drink under any circumstances.  It is one big fail.

Is the iDrink version, with rye whiskey, any better?  Well, by comparison, yes, the iDrink recipe is better, but only marginally so.  In the iDrink recipe, I use Sazerac Rye Whiskey, a nice mid-range rye that I like. 

In the iDrink recipe, the lemon juice is a little more forward in the drink and seems to be a better pairing with the rye whiskey.  The lack of ice cubes also seems to add to this version's drinkability.

But again, I'm not ordering this at a bar anytime soon.  There are a litany of other cocktails that I'd prefer in the place of the Palmer. 

If I had to make an argument for one of the two Palmers, I'd have to go with the iDrink recipe.  Neither Palmer works though.  We're not in Jack Rose territory, but we're damn close.