Liberty Cocktail

Today we drink the Liberty Cocktail.  In keeping with all things liberty, I think it's fitting that we make note of North Korea's drumming at the hands of Portugal in yesterday's World Cup match, 7-0. 

I know that the North Korea soccer squad has absolutely nothing to do with the Kim Jong Il regime, but it's telling that many of the die-hard North Korean fans are in fact paid Chinese actors.  I mean, you can't make this stuff up!  Someone paid actors, from another country, to cheer on the North Koreans!  That's crazy!

Sadly though, while such bizarre actions are funny, the situation in North Korea is no laughing matter.  North Korea is in dire poverty, with hundreds of thousands of its citizens starving, and dying of starvation every year.  It's interesting then to contrast the traits of North Korea with its counterparts in today's match, Portugal.

Portugal is in the midst of a financial crisis, though largely of its own creation.  Its debtload is incredibly high, its economy teetering on the brink of a Greek-styled collapse.  Despite this though, its citizens are not starving, are not dying of poverty.  Two countries in the midst of different turmoils, two turmoils that could not be more disparate from one another. 

The sharp contrast between the two countries is one of the great qualities of the World Cup.  Two countries with little in common, playing a game loved the world over. 

Let's move from two countries and their World Cup action to the Liberty Cocktail and some drinking action...

The Ultimate Bar Book, page 132

Liberty Cocktail

1 sugar cube
1 lime wedge
1oz Calvados
3/4oz light rum

Muddle the sugar cube and lime wedge in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass.  Fill with ice, pour in the liquor, and stir.

For this cocktail, I am not using a sugar cube.  Instead, I'm using my secret weapon, superfine sugar, which I delve into later in this post.

It's worth noting that I've finally warmed up to calvados.  It's taken some time, but I feel as though I've acquired a taste for it that I didn't have before.  Note though, that my bottle of calvados isn't the finest stuff available.

This drink though, is a good entry into the world of calvados, because the cocktail has a similar flavor profile as a caipirinha, something you've likely had before.  There's good reason for this of course, as muddled lime and sugar is the start of a good caipirinha.  The similarities do not end there though, as both drinks have a bit of a harsher start than something like a mojito. 

Just consider for a moment the sheer percentage of alcohol that accounts for the overall liquid contents in the drink.  Let's suppose that the lime wedge adds maybe 1/2oz of lime juice to the mix.  Even then, it's an overwhelming amount of alcohol-to-mixer combination.  Mind you, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's worth noting when determining its fit for a particular audience.  This might be a nice refresher for the males at a BBQ, but it may be a tad strong for the ladies' tastes (of course, if a lady likes a strong drink, by all means, have at it).

Something unique about this drink is the fact that the lime and sugar bring out the apple flavors of the calvados.  There is a nice lingering apple finish that is totally different than any of the other calvados-based cocktails that we've tried.

And now, the secret weapon: Superfine Caster Sugar.

You can pick up one of these specimens on Amazon, as I've done - 2 3lb cans runs about $28.  This is a very good investment if you're making drinks that require sugar - alcoholic drinks or simply iced tea.  This stuff will melt away even under cold conditions.  A sugar cube, as the recipe above calls for, is a fickle animal.  You may be able to dissolve half of the sugar cube, but the remaining sugar will simply lie in the bottom of the glass.  With superfine sugar though, you won't have that problem. 

Tomorrow - the US plays Algeria.  I see a 3-1 win for the U.S. in this game, with a more aggressive first-half showing than we've seen to date.

Until later in the week, when we try the Bourbon Sidecar - cheers!


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

Michelada & Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  This holiday celebrates the Mexican army's surprise victory over the French back in 1862.  But you knew that, right?  Of course not!  I didn't either!  No one does.  That doesn't stop us from celebrating - nor should it - I say.

In honor of the occasion, we're drinking the Michelada, pictured here:

The great thing about Cinco de Mayo is the introduction, bit by bit, of Mexican culture into the everyday lives of average Americans.  Maybe your office merely celebrates the holiday with a Mexican-food pitch-in, likely featuring bad Americanized versions of Mexican dishes at that.  Still, it's a start.  Americanized chips and salsa could mean full blown al pastor tacos 20 years down the road.  Progress, right?

Too often, our only exposure to our neighbors to the south are by way of news stories of the bad.  Drugs, immigration problems, smog in Mexico city, gang violence.  This is a travesty.  There is much to celebrate from Mexico culturally, and each state has its own unique character. 

As much as we here at The Amateur Mixologist like to try drinks of various cultures, we should take a brief moment to read about various cultures too.  In this case, learn something about Mexico that we didn't already know.  I will gladly assist you in this regard by offering you the following options to read into a bit further (who said The Amateur Mixologist wasn't a full service operation):

-  Did you know that Mexico has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites of any country in the world with 29?  You can read all about them - here.

-  Mexico celebrates its independence day from Spanish rule on September 16th.  Maybe it's worth making a variation of the Michelada on that day.

-  Academy of San Carlos is the first art school and art museum in all of the Americas.  It's a beautiful building too.

-  Mexico has an incredibly diverse range of musical styles and traditions - in other words, it's not just ranchera music.

Check one of the above out - it'll be your cultural mitzvah for the day.

Alright, like any good moment of culture, it should be closely followed by alcohol!  What, you don't drink after museums too?  Maybe it's just me.  Next trip, go musuem-then-beer combo, and you'll be well rewarded.

The Ultimate Bar Book, page 95

Michelada #1

Lime wedge
Kosher salt
12 ounces chilled Mexican lager (such as Pacifica or Corona)

Rub the rim of a chilled Pilsner glass with the lime wedge and rim with kosher salt.  Fill the glass with ice, squeeze the lime wedge over the ice and drop it in.  Slowly pour in the beer.


I'm so confident that you know what the above recipe would look like that I'm not even going to bother with a picture of beer, salt and lime.  Instead, I'll show you a picture of our intrepid Official Mascot, lying on the floor.

There are many other Michelada recipes available, both in The Ultimate Bar Book and elsewhere around the publishing world and internet.  This one though, is the basic, most commonly available recipe of the bunch.

For this recipe, I used Sol beer, a light Mexican lager.  Use whatever Mexican beer you like, and don't get hung up on finding a lager if you'd prefer something else.  Hell, if Mexican beer isn't at hand, use whatever lager is nearby.  The beer is poured over ice, so whatever subtle nuances exist between the beers won't really matter. 

This Michelada tastes exactly as you'd expect - like a refreshing beer with a salty sweet addition to the mix.  It's very refreshing, and extremely easy to make, again and again.  There's something to be said for the ease with which one can make a particular drink.  Sure we could wax poetic about 20 ingredient drinks, but why bother if it only takes 3 to make something that tastes great (or two, in the case of Parfait Amour and lemon juice - or for that matter - one, with scotch).

Enjoy the holiday today, and if you see a Frenchman, rub it in their face with a "Viva el México!"  I kid, I kid.  We love the French!  So much so in fact, that we're planning on making the French 75 in the very near future.

Until then, salud!

Fireman's Sour

Wouldn't you know it, no sooner than I rail on the use of powdered sugar than I choose another recipe that has, guess what, powdered sugar.

Thankfully, I can tell you in advance that the Fireman's Sour recipe works.  There's enough of a punch in the other ingredients to quell any offensive qualities that the powdered sugar might otherwise provide.

The Fireman's Sour is especially good on a night like tonight.  I play softball on Wednesdays, and the weather this evening was ideal.  With a nice warm 80 degrees outside and 2 wins in the bag, a refreshing drink is in order.

If the name didn't give it away, the Fireman's Sour is a member of the Sour family of drinks.  No doubt you've heard of whiskey sours, or amaretto sours.  At one time, I drank both, but I always found them to be too sweet, even at a younger age.  It's worth noting though, that the bars I went to served sour mix out of a bottle.  In other words, there was little nuance (or quality) to whatever I was drinking.  It was more of a "let's hit you over the head with sugar" type of whiskey sour.  I think far too many bars, probably well over 75%, use bottled sour mix in the place of fresher ingredients.

Sour cocktails have been defined as any drink that includes a base liquor, lime or lemon juice, and a sweetner.  That's a rather loose definition, as numerous cocktails include lime or lemon juice, but bear no discernable relationship to something like a whiskey sour or even this Fireman's Sour.  Among the drinks listed on the Sour cocktail family Wikipedia entry include Amateur Mixologist alumni, like the Daiquiri, the Kamikaze, and my personal favorite, the Sidecar.

Here is the recipe for the Fireman's Sour:

American Bar, page 95

Fireman's Sour

3/4 ounce lime juice
1 barspoon powdered sugar
dash grenadine
1 oz white rum
1/4 oz dark rum
lime

Shake well over ice cubes in a shaker, strain into a small highball glass over crushed ice, squeeze lime wedge over drink and drop it into the drink.

For the liquid ingredients, I used my trusty old Bacardi, Captain Morgan's, Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice, and Rose's Grenadine.

This is one hell of a drink.  As mentioned above, the powdered sugar is balanced out by the mix of the different ingredients.  It's sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet like the Jack Rose (incidentally, we'll be checking back in with the Jack Rose cocktail in the near future - perhaps a different recipe will change my feelings on the drink). 

This may be the ideal summer cocktail, alongside such classics as the margarita.  It has a freshly made lemonade flavor that is the perfect balance between sweetness, tartness, and overall drinkability.

I highly recommend trying this drink out.  If I had a rating system, which I don't, I'd give this a strong 9 out of 10.  Most of you have the main liquors lying around in your cabinets.  Fork over the $10 to purchase the remaining items and you'll be well rewarded.

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

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.

Dia Del Amor

Today is the first of a couple reader submitted drink ideas.  Mike, hailing from beautiful Dayton, Ohio, thought it would be germane to make a cocktail using St. Germain.  (I'm so proud of that last sentence)  Thank you Mike for the suggestion, and your readership.  Keep sending in suggestions, as we'll no doubt be doing this in the future.

I realized after receiving Mike's e-mail, and acknowledging that it was a stellar idea, that I did not have a bottle of St. Germain on hand.  This, of course, necessitated another trip to the local bottle shop.

Barca, the Official Mascot of the Amateur Mixologist, was along for the ride.  At various times, she perched up against the car window and at other times she laid out on the backseat.  Then, she sat like a person (well, as much as a dog can sit like a person anyway), which I found enormously entertaining.

Once at the store, and Barca safely confined for the 5 minutes I was inside, I found the St. Germaine fairly quickly.  It sat along side other liqueurs, like peach schnapps and apple pucker.  Seemed out of place really, as St. Germaine is made from handpicked elderflower blossoms from the Alps.  The friggin' Alps!  And it sits next to the apple pucker!  France, the country of St. Germaine's origin, would be horrified, and rightly so.  At least have the decency to place it next to the Cointreau.  Come on people, help a French-made liqueur out.

After returning from the store, I set out to find a suitable recipe.  I happened upon the Dia Del Amour recipe, and decided it was good enough.  And, it has tequila. 

As mentioned in the Toreador post, I have a history with tequila, and am learning to love it.  Right now, I'm just at the like stage, but am hoping for some serious-like, or something similar, in the next couple of months.  Love may be another year away, I don't know.  In any event, the recipe is called Dia Del Amour, so there is a bit of love in the air, even if in name only.

Here is what the Dia Del Amour looks like:

Recipe
Dia Del Amour

2 dash(es) hot sauce
1 1/2 part(s) tequila
1 part(s) St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
3/4 part(s) lime juice

Shake and strain into chili salt rimmed rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

For this drink, I'm using 1800 Tequila, Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice and Cholula Hot Sauce.  I don't have a lime, unfortunately, but loyal readers know that according to Amateur Mixologist Rule #4, and as first stated in the Velvet Champagne Amour post, "[a] drink should never be avoided as a result of little-to-no garnish availability."

Also, I have no idea what chili salt is, and definitely do not have any in my pantry.  I looked online for it too, but could not find any further information.  As a result, I figured it may be similar to seasoning salt, like what you'd put on a steak if you were so inclined.  I have consumed bloody mary's with seasoning salt rimming the glass, so why not this too.  That's what I did, pulling out the seasoning salt and using the lime juice as the mechanism to wet the rim of the glass.

Done and done.

Admittedly, I didn't think this drink's combination of ingredients would work, but it does.  It's an interesting mix of spicy and sweet, and I dig it.  The St. Germain and the lime juice provided the sweetness, the hot sauce, tequila and seasoning salt provided the spice. 

I'll tell you what though, when using a small amount of liquid in total, be careful how much hot sauce you use.  In a bloody mary, for instance, there's enough liquid and ice to dilute the heat from rampant hot sauce usage.  Not here.  A couple sips in, and my throat was closing up fast, as if the drink had gone down the wrong way.  No no, it was merely the heat that was doing it.

With the first sip, you're going to pull a small amount of the seasoning salt, which, in moderation, is a nice flavor.  Then, you'll taste the mix of ingredients.  At this point, the heat from the hot sauce kicks in - and that's when it all comes together. 

The drink reminds me of the Toreador, and the tequila has everything to do with it.  Tequila has proven to be stellar in mixed cocktails, though, I knew that to be the case.  A freshly made margarita is remarkably good.  In fact, I'd venture to say that I've never had a tequila based cocktail that I didn't enjoy. 

I'm in serious-like with tequila folks, serious-like.  And, if you have suggestions as to a good sipping tequila, please share in the comments or by e-mail.  I think I'm ready to step out and give it another whirl.

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?!).