Gin Rickey

Last night, The Amateur Mixologist played in his weekly soccer match, pulling out a 5-5 draw against a good side filled mainly with quality Brits.  I spent 50% of the match taunting them for the latest snooker scandal in England.  Only kidding of course.  No one gives a shit about snooker, not even the Brits, and it's their sport.  A draw is a decent result, but, I was exhausted. 

The Gin Rickey turned out to be an excellent choice for me on a night after such hard work.

Gin Rickey
Taken from Esquire's fantastic online drink database, available here.

1/2 ounce lime juice

2 ounces London dry gin
club soda

Squeeze the lime juice into a Collins glass full of ice. Add the gin, throw in the lime half, and top up with bubbly water of choice. That's it. Don't let anybody convince you to put sugar in this. You can use other liquors, adjusting the name accordingly.

This Gin Rickey tastes like a bizarro-Sprite, and yet, is oddly refreshing.  The drink makes for a perfect nightcap after playing a soccer game.  It's not particularly alcohol heavy, it's served cold, hell, one could convince themselves that this would have been a sports drink 200 years ago. 

As Peggy said on last week's Mad Men, we need 3 ingredients for a cocktail, and this fits the bill, barely. [I believe she said that 2 ingredients is "an emergency", a line that I liked very much.  Unfortunately though for Peggy, the world of cocktails has taken a back seat to 2-drink choices in the last 2-3 decades - though we're fighting against it in recent years!!  Good on us.]

It's also worth pointing out that I cheated a bit on this cocktail.  I didn't use fresh lime juice.  The limes I had at the house had faded and faded fast.  See?

Not only that, I didn't use London dry gin.  I used Leopold's small batch gin made in Colorado.  Leopold's is excellent, and I highly recommend checking out their Blackberry Flavored Wishkey.  I know that it sounds a little strange, flavor-wise, but it is unique and very good.

Our Gin Rickey turned out nicely.  And, the Gin Rickey is a cocktail that provides plenty of room for error - so throw in that bottled lime juice and non-London dry gin if available - give this one a go!

See you on Friday!

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!

Campari Fizz and Americano

Today we are celebrating Campari's 150th Anniversary by drinking two relatively easy drinks to make (and even easier to consume, I assure you).  We're making the Campari Fizz, a really light-on-alcohol cocktail that goes down like a quality fruit punch.  We're also making the Americano, a drink that isn't particularly alcoholic either, and has its own refreshing qualities, similar to a French soda.

Campari Fizz

If you missed yesterday's post, take a moment to read up on Campari's origin and its founder.  Both of the following drinks are found at the Campari website, Campari.com.  It is an excellent resource for all things Campari, and, they have nice short videos of their bartenders making Campari cocktails.

Campari Fizz

1 part Campari
1 part sweetened lemon juice (1 part sugar, 1 part water, 1 part lemon juice)
1 part pineapple juice
A few drops of Angostura bitters
1 part Soda

Shake all the ingredients together except the soda.  Pour into a juice glass with ice.  Round off with one part of soda.

This is an excellent, refreshing, little-alcohol cocktail.  It actually tastes a bit like grapefruit juice. This is more of a punch than anything else.  Did I already mention how little alcohol is in the drink?  Campari is about 25% alcohol, and is only 1/4 of the drinks liquid contents.  Compared to say, a martini, or a manhattan, this is just fruit juice. 

It's still a quality drink, it's just a light one.  This would be a very good drink to make by the pitcher for parties.  If you do though, be sure to add the bitters into the mix just before serving.  Bitters tend to expand their proverbial territory in a cocktail the longer they're given a chance. 

Americano

1 part Campari
1 part Vermouth Rossa
1 part Soda

Build in a double rocks glass over ice.

This is a really interesting cocktail.  The taste contains the classic bitter quality that the Campari name is known for.  It's quite good though because the sweetness from the vermouth and the fizz from the club soda provides an interesting counterbalance to the bitterness.

I think this is an excellent aperitif, something to drink before a meal.  You could easily knock back a few of these too, largely because they're so easy to whip together.  1 part of each of its contents over ice, serve.  Easy peasy.

I hope that you've enjoyed Campari week here at the Amateur Mixologist.  I've certainly enjoyed drinking the Campari cocktails.  Until next week, ciao! 

Jameson and Lemonade

I got into a bit of a kick of checking out bottling websites for recipes.  Last week's St. Germain Cocktail was pulled from the St. Germain website, and today's drink was pulled from the Jameson website. 

We're a little short on photos today due to some studio work (read: the house was a mess).  But, we did bring out the classic Al Harrington glass for this one, as captured in the photo below.

Jameson and Lemonade, recipe taken from the Jameson website, available here. 

1 part Jameson
2 parts club soda
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 teaspoons of castor sugar

Place the sugar and the lemon juice in a highball glass and stir vigorously until the sugar is dissolved.  Then add Jameson, stir and top with ice.  Finish the drink by topping up with soda water and garnishing with a lime wedge.

Imagine a Mike's Hard Lemonade, or something similar, and you're pretty close to a Jameson and Lemonade.  This cocktail tastes far better than a pre-made malt liquor counterpart, likely because the Jameson and Lemonade is made from fresh ingredients.  It's quite sweet though, and unless you love sweet things, one of these drinks is likely enough.

The club soda is a nice addition, because it cuts at some of the sweetness, and you can use more or less of it to taste.  I thankfully already had castor sugar available - but if you don't have castor sugar specifically, just use any superfine sugar and it'll do nicely.


On Friday, we're drinking a cocktail called Spa.  It's a gin based drink, with cucumber, some sugar, water, and we'll top it off with some creme de violette.  Should be excellent.  See you then!

Cucumber Cooler

So, while writing this post on this random Wednesday evening, I happened to be watching the Detroit Tigers baseball game, which was in the 9th inning.  Their pitcher, Armando Galarraga, was on the final out of a perfect game.  He had one more batter to face.  He would have been the 21st pitcher to pitch a perfect game in all of baseball history.

But it was not to be.  Not because he didn't deserve it, but rather, because of a bad call.  The play in question, a play in which Galarraga covered first as the first baseman was pulled off the bag to field the hit, wasn't even close.  The baserunner was out by a full step.

It's sad.  Galarraga deserved the perfect game.  This is likely to haunt him for the rest of his life.  The ump too though will suffer.  This game, this call, will haunt him for the rest of his life.  It's terrible for everyone involved.

Interestingly enough, unbeknownst to me, I was watching the Indians feed.  I didn't realize it at the time, I thought I was watching the Tigers feed.  The Indians announcers, the opposing team's announcers, were baffled by the call.  I can't imagine how the Tigers broadcast must have sounded (actually, I switched over once I realized I was on the Indians broadcast, and let's just say that the Tigers announcers were pissed).

In better news though, we're a mere 9 days away from the United State v. England in the World Cup.  We'll delve more fully into the World Cup next week, as the group play gets underway.  The US team just arrived in South Africa, and the build-up is getting to me, bit by bit.  I've watched the Nike ad about 100 times by now, and each time I get really excited to see the US players (and Cesc too, obviously, throwing aside the newspaper).  If you haven't seen it, it's worth a couple minutes of your time.  Check it out, here. 

Today, we're drinking the Cucumber Cooler!  Perfect for the summer:

Recipe taken from Hendrick's Gin website, available here.

Cucumber Cooler

1 1/2 oz Hendrick's Gin
3/4 oz St. Germain
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
soda water
5 mint leaves

Place all ingredients but soda water in a long glass. Muddle gently. Add ice and top with soda water. Add a cucumber garnish.

This is a superb, refreshing, summer cocktail.  What exactly makes this cucumber-y enough to be called a Cucumber Cooler is admittedly a bit lost on me.  Sure, there is a cucumber garnish.  And, if you were to add the garnish to the mix, like dropping it in the drink, there would be an added cucumber flavor.  I will say that eating the cucumber garnish, as I have in this particular instance, is a nice compliment to the drink.  Know though that there isn't much of a cucumber flavor to the drink itself, as the name would suggest.

But no matter what you call the drink, it's good, and can easily be compared to other summer favorites like the Mojito and the Tom Collins - drinks that offer cooling refreshment by way of both ice and the addition of soda water. 

The mint leaves offer a nice addition as well, providing aromatics at the end of the drink that make for a quality finish.  Make a big batch of Cucumber Coolers for your next BBQ, or just make a couple for you and your better half.  You'll enjoy the cocktail, and it may give you a reason to purchase Hendrick's and St. Germain, two excellent bottles that should be in your collection.

Unfortunately, this is an abbreviated week due to the holiday and my impending departure to Detroit (Rock City) for my friends' wedding. 

Coming up next week...

Next week we're going to delve into some reader suggestions.  We've received some quality ideas recently from you all, and it's time to share the ideas with the masses.  We'll also revisit the Jack Rose, so look alive on that one.  As always, we here at the Amateur Mixologist appreciate your readership, comments, suggestions and feedback - and look forward to drinking with you all again soon.

Until then, cheers!  Have a great weekend!

Mojito Battle Royale

In an Amateur Mixologist first, we're comparing recipes.  How does the American Bar Mojito recipe stand up compared to The Ultimate Bar Book Mojito recipe?  We'll find out in a moment, but first, let's look into the Mojito.

The Mojito is a drink of Cuban origin, made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime, sparkling water and mint.  The Mojito dates back to an English pirate named Richard Drake, who purportedly invented a Mojito-like cocktail in the late 16th century.  I don't believe what Mr. Drake was drinking was remotely close to the modern mojito, but let's humor the historians for a moment and continue on...

After Mr. Drake created El Draque, the next incarnation included rum as opposed to rum's forebearer "aquardiente."   By the way, how terrible a drink name is El Draque.  It sounds too similar to El Dreck.  Perhaps Mr. Drake was in fact speaking yiddish in the 16th century.  In any event, it was said by Cuban playwright and poet Federico Villoch in 1940 that "[w]hen aquardiente was replaced with rum, the Draque was to be called a Mojito."

My favorite quote in one of the write-ups is this almost incidental addition to the historical record: "Other accounts suggest that slaves working in Cuban sugar cane fields in the late 19th century invented the mojito."

Now listen, I have no idea who invented this drink, but, I would say that if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the slaves as having invented the Mojito.  Why?  Because white people steal everything!  Richard Drake probably saw a slave make the drink, and claimed it once it proved popular.  In other words, I'm postulating that Richard Drake was the Elvis Presley of his time.

I kid, I kid.  I have no idea how it all went down.

Enough with the history, on with the drinking.

American Bar Mojito

Mojito Battle Royal

The tale of the tape:

American Bar, page 140

Juice of half a lime
1 barspoon powdered sugar
2 oz white rum
soda
mint sprig

Stir sugar and lime juice well in a large high-ball glass.  Crush mint leaves with pestle, add the squeezed half lime.  Fill with crushed ice, add rum, stir.  Add soda, garnish with mint sprig.

American Bar Ingredients

And...

The Ultimate Bar Book, page 269

1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
6 to 8 fresh mint leaves
2 ounces light rum
2 to 4 ounces chilled club soda
Fresh mint sprig

In the bottom of a highball glass, muddle together the lime juice, sugar, and mint leaves until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the rum.  Fill the glass with ice and top with club soda.  Garnish with the mint sprig.

The Ultimate Bar Book Ingredients

So how do the two drink recipes compare, and who is the big winner?

First the consolation prize:

The American Bar recipe is good, but not great.  I don't like using powdered sugar in any mixed drink.  I think it provides a saccharine-like flavor that isn't particularly palatable.  Also, there is bound to be some inconsistency from lime to lime.  Some limes are going to produce more juice than others; some limes will be sweet while others may be a bit over or under ripe.  While I'm all for using fresh products, using lime juice instead of lime adds some consistency to the recipe that most people can appreciate.  Why spend time making a drink, only to find out that it is inferior in quality as a result of a bad lime?

Also, superfine sugar, or regular sugar will provide a bit of grit that, when muddled, will produce more flavor from the mint leaves.  Powdered sugar just doesn't work in the same way.

The American Bar recipe tasted a little flat, and not particularly vibrant.  Lime is supposed to add citrusy goodness to the drink, and none of that was present in the American Bar Mojito.

On to the winner:

The Ultimate Bar Book recipe has a brighter, mintier, and sweeter flavor than the American Bar book recipe.  The sugar brought out more flavor from the mint leaves, providing a more complex and enjoyable taste that one should look for in a Mojito.  And it goes without saying, if the minty flavor isn't there, you're not going to love this drink.

One other difference between the recipes is that The Ultimate Bar Book calls for 2 to 4 ounces of club soda.  I have to hand it to the writer for at least putting in parameters when making this cocktail.  I went with 3 ounces, and it yielded great results.  American Bar, by comparison, just says "add soda."  Unfortunately, this tells me very little.  I appreciate the specificity of The Ultimate Bar Book recipe.

The Ultimate Bar Book Mojito

As a result of all of the above, I prefer The Ultimate Bar Book recipe. 

Just like the Caipirinha, I'm convinced that we keep coming back to these drinks, the Mojito included, ordering 2nds and 3rds because of the sweet sugar and lime combination that remains at the bottom of the glass.  It is delicious!

Laslty, and this is not a complaint against either recipe, but rather, a suggestion:  club soda should always, always be used sparingly.  Think of soda in the same way you think of salt when cooking. You can always add more salt, but you can't take it away. You can always add more soda, but you can't take it away. When a recipe calls for soda, add a splash to start, and no more. A splash may be all you need. If you prefer a lighter flavor or taste, perhaps add more. The point is, add in small increments, you'll be rewarded with a drink more to your liking.

Enjoy a Mojito in this beautiful weather - it's an easy choice on a warm day.



For more content, updates, random musings, and my attempts to be witty, check us out @IMakeDrinks on Twitter.

Harvard Cooler

Yesterday was the first day of The Masters, my favorite sporting event of the year. 

I have some friends who have questioned such a statement in the past.  How can it be your favorite sporting event - what about the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, October baseball, the Super Bowl, college football Saturdays...and on and on and on.

All of those things are great, but for me, The Masters will always be king.

It is a confluence of things that makes The Masters so special.  The course, Augusta National, and its beauty; the history, with founder Bobby Jones, a legend in the sport; the drama, with a lineage of greats, from Arnie, to Jack, to Gary, to Watson, to Faldo, to Tiger, to Phil (and countless others); the language, the patrons, the first cut. 

The Masters truly is a tradition unlike any other.  No sport, with the lone exception of baseball, makes me feel this emotionally invested in its outcome, in its broadcast, in its importance on the sporting landscape.  As I type this, I'm wearing a black Augusta National sweater, and watching the DVR recording from Thursday's play. 

And if you haven't gotten into The Masters, or you're wondering how I could feel as I do - give it a chance.  Many friends who first questioned my love for this tournament, have since acknowledged its greatness, and view it in a similar manner today.

The last thing I'll mention about The Masters is that it always ushers in the spring, and you can count on warmer weather after its early April start.  It's fitting then, that we're drinking the Harvard Cooler, a cocktail that's meant to be consumed in warmer weather, and in relaxing settings.

Let's have a look!

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 130

Harvard Cooler

2 ounces apple brandy
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup
3 to 5 ounces chilled club soda
Lemon peel spiral

Pour the liquid ingredients into an ice filled highball glass. Stir well. Garnish with the lemon peel.

When I took my first sip of the Harvard Cooler, my reaction was as follows (I've kept it in its original form, so you can see how badly I reacted to the taste):

"I must have bought the crappiest calvados available, because this ingredient list screams refreshing goodness, and yet, what I'm drinking is utterly mediocre, if not bad.  It's not entirely undrinkable, but, the flavor almost contains a bitterness that shouldn't be there.

A while back, my friend Will was over.  Will is in the alcohol industry and knows as much as anyone about various types of alcohol. He tried my calvados after I told him of my experiences.  He said that it didn't have a strong apple flavor like many of the other apple brandies that he had consumed.  And maybe that's just it - my calvados sucks."

And then, I wrote this:

"Otherwise, this drink should work.  As I said, it's not terrible, and after letting the ice melt away, and the bitter qualities fading, it gets a little better with each sip.  These are very small incremental changes, but I'd say it's progress all the same."

By the end though, I actually enjoyed it.  It's a weird progression, going from awkward revulsion to pleasant refreshment.

This isn't the first drink that takes a couple sips to get going.  I felt the same way about the BUMBO!, and even the strong qualities of the Caipirinha caused a bit of a reaction at the start.  I'll give this one a thumbs up - but advise you to seek some help at the liquor store when purchasing your apple brandy or calvados. 

I hope that everyone has a great weekend, and enjoys The Masters.  My pick before it all started was Phil, and I'm sticking with him.  I think he's playing well, and his game is on an upswing.  We'll see you again next week!


For more content, updates, random musings, and my attempts to be witty, check us out @IMakeDrinks on Twitter.

Pedro Collins (Drink # 8)

I watched the season finale of Big Love this evening.  If you haven't seen it, or don't want to know the general story line of the show - skip down to the recipe.


Big Love
This season has been a weird one.  I felt like the show had too many balls in the air, and every story seemed crazier and crazier.  Bill turned into an asshole, plain and simple.  And the idea that he'd come clean about his polygamist family right after the election never quite made sense to me.  How blinded must Bill have been to think that he'd be accepted and not run out of office immediately after he admitted his polygamist-ways? 

Let's talk about the speech for a moment...

Why would a state senator get a platform like that, in front of what I presume was the capital building, for his acceptance speech?  He wouldn't!  It's as though he became a U.S. Senator.  It looked ridiculous.

In any event, I did not think that he would follow through with admitting his family's secrets to the rest of Utah (and the world, I suppose).  None of the wives looked particularly happy, and who can blame them - they're all getting screwed out of what they want.  The end of the show mirrored this season's new opening - filled with blowing hair, and pouty lips.  I'm not sure where the show goes from here, but there isn't enough room for too many more story lines.

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 271

Pedro Collins
2 ounces light rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
3 to 4 ounces chilled club soda
Lime slice
Maraschino cherry

Pour rum, lime juice, and sugar into an ice-filled collins glass. Top with clubs soda and stir gently.  Garnish with the lime slice and cherry.


I used my trusty old Bacardi Rum bottle for this one.  This bottle is getting more use in the last month than it had did in the 6-7 years prior.  I'm enjoying rum far more than I ever thought I would.  I guess the last few times I had rum would have been in a rum and coke, or something similar.  Rum and cokes aren't terrible, but they aren't my favorite.  As a result, I never gave rum much of a chance.

This is one hell of a refreshing drink.  Anything with rum, lime juice and ice is bound to taste a little lime-aid-ish - and it surely does, just like the Daiquiri.  And unfortunately, the sugar won't dissolve in the cold liquid, so it's left sitting in the bottom of the glass.  I'm not sure how much additional sweetness is really necessary for the drink.  If it did dissolve, the drink might become a little syrupy.

The Pedro Collins is fairly light on the alcohol relative to the rest of the drink's contents, so you can drink a couple of these and still be sitting pretty.  The club soda adds only a small amount of fizz, but just enough to add a little pop to the drink that would otherwise be sweet and flat.

This is another in a string of summer drinks (see also the Daiquiri and the Sidecar).  There's a reason rum is an alcohol out of the tropics - in the high heat, the Pedro Collins is a good bet.  Next time though, I may mix everything without the ice, in the hopes the sugar dissolves at least in part.  Like I said above, the sugar may be unnecessary in the end, but it seemed silly to have the sugar sitting idly at the bottom. 

I actually think that this phenomenon is a big reason artificial sweetners are so popular - they dissolve in cold liquids far better than regular sugar.  You can read more about this at my new blog:
www.randomthoughtsbasedonlittleornoscientificevidence.com.

Check back tomorrow when I try the dreaded tequila drink I wrote about the other day, the Toreador!  Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it.  I have a soccer game this evening, and there may be nothing worse than tequila after running around like an idiot for an hour.  Though what do I know, perhaps there's nothing better - only one way to find out...