New Yorker

Today we're drinking the New Yorker cocktail, a bourbon based drink that surprised me, even when it shoudn't have.

New Yorker
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 360

1 1/2 oz bourbon (or rye)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon of sugar
Dash of grenadine
Orange twist
Lemon twist

Pour the bourbon and lime juice into an ice-filled old fashioned glass.  Add the sugar and grenadine and stir well  Twist the lemon and orange peels over the drink, and drop them in.

This was an unexpected flavor profile, but upon some reflection, it should not have been surprising at all.  I looked at its contents before drinking it, and despite seeing a few additions that should have clued me in, I just assumed this was related to an Old Fashioned.  It isn't.  This tastes like an alcoholic fruit drink.  A strong one, but still, the lime juice is quite prominent.  The sugar and grenadine are both adding plenty of sugar too, to cut through the tart qualities of the juice.

You'll notice that I did not include an orange twist in the cocktail.  No doubt it would have imparted some flavor to the drink, though I believe the cocktail worked out just fine without it.  As my internal rules state: never let a garnish stand between you and a cocktail.

I'd make one of these for standard summer fare, a BBQ or a gathering of friends.  I would suggest though, using a basic bourbon, as the nuance in something more expensive, like a Woodford Reserve bottle that I used, will be lost in the shuffle.

See you on Thursday!

Caipirinha

Caipirinhas are popular.  

I've noticed the drink's visibility has increased substantially over the last few years.  The drink has been featured in magazine spreads with recipes and prominent listings on cocktail menus.  Also, there has been a greater availability of cachaça in liquor stores as the drink climbs the proverbial cocktail charts.   All of these things occurring in short order.

I first had a Caipirinha in a Spanish restaurant, if you can believe it (the drink is of Brazilian origin).  In a review of the place, the writer noted how good their cocktails were, the Caipirinha with particularity.  So I tried one.  It was excellent.  It was refreshing, easy to drink, and the remnants of the sugar and lime were a nice finish.

A while back, I decided I'd try making them at home.  I don't remember whether I liked them or not, but I didn't make them again.  It's likely that I just forgot about the cachaça bottle - having sat behind handles of other liquors, which blocked my view.

I'm excited to try it again.  And, I got a muddler - a device used, in this recipe anyway, to mash the lime and sugar together in the bottom of the glass.  I have no idea what I had used before purchasing this muddler, but I doubt it was as effective.  

[Added bonus: the 2nd appearance of Al Harrington, The South Pacific Man, first featured in the Old Fashioned]

To the drink!

American Bar, page 67

Caipirinha

lime 

2oz cachaça

1-2 barspoons sugar (or sugar cubes)

Place lime wedge and sugar into a small highball glass, press well with a pestle, pour in cachaça, stir. Fill with crushed ice and stir.

Al Harrington, The South Pacific Man, limes, and the muddler

Al Harrington overseas the mingling of sugar and lime

A homemade Caipirinha is totally different than any version I've ordered at a bar.  It's noticeably stronger, and less watered down.  The cachaça has a fiery tinge to it; it's warming.  I almost can't get over how different his drink is compared to a bar version.  The cachaça is a little harsh at first, though perhaps that is due to the quality of the bottle that I have (it's probably low-to-mid range cachaça - think something along the equivalent of Jim Beam bourbon).  It almost goes without saying, but, this is a very similar drink to a mojito.  It's clean, refreshing, and one of them is rarely enough.

I planned to take a photo of the drink itself, but it only filled up about 1/2 the glass, or maybe even less.  As a result, I just went ahead and started sipping.  Before I knew it though, the glass was empty, and I was sipping the lime and sugar combo at the bottom of the glass.  Time flies, right?  

The good news is that I had cut enough lime slices for a second drink, and honestly what gets you about these Caipirinha's is the sweet lime juice at the bottom of the glass from the residual sugar and lime.  It's the reason you keep going back!!  It's the reason I went back anyway.

So, as a result of making this second drink, I was able to take a photo of the glass.

And now, two drinks in, this Caipirinha is simply fantastic!  Whatever harshness I first felt with the cachaça is now mellow - though it is likely that some sugar was still in the glass from the first drink.  In fact, now that I'm staring at the bottom of the glass (I told you it was good!), I can see a bunch of sugar slowly cascading down the bottom of the glass as I sip away at the sugared lime juice.  Phew, another dangerous drink.

Big fan of this one.  I think it's a go-to choice in the summer.  You can adjust the amount of cachaça accordingly for the audience.  Some of the ladies may prefer a splash of distilled water to cut down some of the harsher qualities of cachaça at the get-go.  Another option is a splash of club soda, which may add another refreshing element to the drink.

The recipe above, however, is all you need for a quality cocktail.  As they say in Brazil, the the Caipirinha is a vencedor ← that means "winner" in Portuguese (who knew you'd learn foreign languages here?!).  

Irish Coffee (Drink # 10)

One week from today is St. Patrick's Day - my favorite holiday of the year.  No other celebration is as joyful, and let's be honest, St. Patrick's Day doesn't carry the baggage that comes with other holidays.

It is a unique combination of tradition (sort of), good drink (definitely), good music (save for Danny Boy), and good food (even if corned beef and cabbage is completely inauthentic).

I was in Ireland back in 2006, ripping through all of the south, from Shannon, to Galway, to Dublin, Kilkenny, the Ring of Kerry...on and on and on...in 8 days.  It was amazing.  I came away with a fond appreciation for the country and its culture.  And, it should go without saying, its drink.  (Cue obligatory photo of Irish landscape).

Ireland is probably best known for Guinness, and Irish whiskey. 

Guinness of course, is the brewery in Dublin that brews the stout beer of the same name.  It's excellent beer of course, few could disagree.  Word always is that it tastes better in Ireland than it does stateside, but I didn't find that to be case.  I think it's more likely that the Guinness in Ireland tastes about the same - but YOU'RE IN FREAKING IRELAND!, and that has to account for something.  Sentimentality makes everything taste better!

If you're a hard alcohol man, there's no more prominent Irish whiskey than Jameson, by far and away the best selling whiskey export Ireland has to offer.  Irish whiskey is different than other forms of whiskey in various ways - but rather than get into details (in this post anyway), it's safe to say that Irish whiskey is the lighter flavored, less peaty cousin of scotch whiskey.  One of my favorite whiskeys, Irish or otherwise is Tyrconnell, an Irish single malt that costs around $30-35 a bottle.  Great value, and a great whiskey. 

Today, I am fortunate enough to be drinking Irish Coffee, a drink supposedly first created in the 1940's after some American passengers had a particularly rough go on a "flying boat".  Yes sports fans, you read that correct: a flying boat!  Perhaps we account for their rough trip because they agreed to ride on a flying boat in the first place.

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 403

Irish Coffee
1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5 to 6 ounces strong hot coffee
Heavy cream or whipped cream

Pour the Irish whiskey into a warmed Irish coffee glass, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.  Pour in the hot coffee, and slowly add the cream to float on top; do not stir.

Or top with a dollop of whipped cream.


This is the first drink that I've had more than a handful of times before starting this blog.  It's no surprise that I think it's fantastic.

But, this recipe is surprising to me for a couple of reasons.

First, I've never added brown sugar before, and never thought to do so.  Second, I'm not used to such a small amount of coffee in my Irish coffee.  In my trusty 1984 USA Olympic mug, 6 ounces makes up just over half of the mug, and that seems like an incredibly small amount of coffee relative to what I normally drink.  I'm downing two or three of these mugs if given the chance.  Is 5 or 6 ounces considered a serving?!?

With the smaller amount of coffee, the Irish whiskey is noticeably stronger.  That's not a bad thing.  It is an overwhelmingly warming drink.  With each sip, the heat of the drink, coupled with the whiskey makes the stomach feel as though it is surrounded by a heat-wrap, turned up to 11.  It's great.  Funny though, that the cold weather has been demolished by the 73 degree day we had today!  I'll drink a warm drink in 73 degree weather after the winter we've had.

Even though this is a tried and true classic, using the recipe did change my perspective just a touch.  If I had survived a calamitous journey in a flying boat, I too would have upped the ratio of whiskey to coffee - perhaps as high as equal parts coffee to equal parts whiskey.  Though if someone offers me a ride in a flying boat, I'm running in the other direction.

Tomorrow, the Brandy Champagne Cocktail!