Gimlet

Like chocolate and peanut butter, this is the joining of two simple ingredients where one plus one equals three.  This is a drink that has kept me in a quandary for a long time over the debate between Rose’s lime juice in its current corn syrup state and products using real sugar and lime juice.  As much as I wanted to find a way to have it all, I have thrown in the towel and accepted Rose’s (that is until I find a way to import the real stuff).

This is another drink with no clear history, the name seems to have been coined in the 1920s after either a tool of the same name or a surgeon who pushed this as a measure of preventing scurvy on ships.  Seeing as how in 1747 it was discovered that lime juice could prevent scurvy and sailors were no doubt mixing lime and gin purely for its medicinal value by the nineteenth century, I am going with the scurvy story.  Either way the cocktail has a long and glamorous history.

In a mixing glass combine three and a half ounces of gin, use Plymouth’s here, and one and a half ounces of Rose’s lime juice, fill with ice and stir.  Pour into a cocktail glass.  This is one I will also build in an ice filled old fashioned glass and serve on the rocks.  As you drink this, think of all the good things the vitamin C is doing for your body!

Gimlet

3 ½ oz gin

1 ½ oz rose’s lime juice

Stir together both ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, pour into a cocktail glass.

Grandma’s Whiskey Sour

Meyer lemons are in season, which means it is time to make whiskey sours!  The whiskey sour gets a bad name due to the preponderance of the pre-made sour mix unfortunately used in so many college bars, dorm rooms and fraternity houses.  A true whiskey sour though balances the sweet and sour tastes as an undertone to the true star of the show, whiskey.  Besides, if they were good enough for your grandma, they are good enough for you!

The sour as a style of drink goes back to the mid 1850s and was covered in Jerry Thomas’ “How to Mix Drinks” in 1862.  I found a crazy tale about an Englishman creating the whiskey sour in Peru in 1872 as reported by an Argentinian newspaper in 1962, but that seems a little far from home for a simple bourbon based drink to come to life.  Fortunately, the famous Wisconsin paper, the Waukesha Plaindealer, mentioned the Whiskey Sour on January 4th 1870; returning this American classic to its rightful home.

I like my whiskey sour heavier on the prior and lighter on the latter so proceed with caution.  This is also one of the few times I have found Colin Field and David Embury in agreement on the proportions.  Start with one ounce of fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice in a shaker.  Add two teaspoons of superfine sugar.  Lastly, add four ounces of your favorite whiskey, Gentleman Jack works for me.  This is only the second time I have condoned using them, but the bright red color of maraschino cherries shows through the drink like a ruby red setting sun, place three of them in an old fashioned glass then fill with ice. Fill the shaker with ice and give it a good shake to make sure the sugar dissolves.  Strain into the ice filled glass and serve.  I have been asked about building it in the glass instead of shaking the drink; it can be done this way, but the shaking better dissolves the sugar and adds a slight froth from the agitation which I think makes for a better drink.  You can also add a dash or two of bitters to this drink if you are feeling adventurous!

Whiskey Sour

4 oz whiskey

1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp superfine sugar

Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker, strain into an ice filled old fashioned glass.

The Negroni

In 1947 Orson Welles reported on the drink in correspondence with the Coshocton Tribune while working on his film Cagliostro.  He said "The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other."  I love his logic.

This is one of those drinks that I have found people either love or hate.  I made one for a gin loving friend of mine who had never met a drink he did not like and he could not even finish it.  I will admit that Campari can be an acquired taste, but the combination of flavors in the negroni dulls some of the bitterness.

The most popular account of this drinks creation takes place in Florence, Italy in 1919 at Caffè Casoni, (now called Caffè Cavalli).  Count Camillo Negroni, needing something a little stronger than his usual Americano, asked bartender Fosco Scarselli to replace the soda with gin.  I love his logic too.

There really is not much to making this drink; it is equal parts of three ingredients.  I like Plymouth gin in this; I also like to make them small so I can have a few.  One ounce each of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in an ice filled old fashioned glass with a twist of orange is all there is to this Italian classic.  Do not forget to toast the good count and his boozy ways as you suck these little guys down.

Negroni
1 oz gin

1 oz campari

1 oz sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled old fashioned glass and garnish with a twist of orange.

Champagne Cocktail

As much as I love a good cocktail, there is something about the simple elegance of a glass of champagne to start a meal. The champagne cocktail is the perfect compromise, you may never be as suave and debonair as Rick Blaine, but this is a good start.

Champagne cocktails of various types have appeared in publications going back as far as the 1860s.  Mark Twain’s travelogue “The Innocents Abroad,” published in 1869, mentions one.  That's really all the pertinent background for this one, because we all know nobody is here for a history lesson.

This is a pretty standard recipe that I find starts an evening off in the right direction.  Begin by placing a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne glass (coupe if you have them, if not a flute works too), douse the cube in angostura bitters, fill the glass with champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.  I prefer slightly sweeter champagne to better balance the bitters.  When this drink was first created, doux champagnes (over 5% sugar) were quite popular, I would not go this sweet, but a dry (1.7-3.5% sugar) or extra dry (1.2-2% sugar) works well.  Serve this the next time a Moroccan bar owner, gun runner, or Spanish freedom fighter strolls in off the street.

Champagne Cocktail

1 sugar cube

6 dashes bitters

champagne

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne glass, douse with bitters, fill with champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Sawyer

It has been just shy of two years since the first cocktail appeared here and today I have for you the 50^th!  I will be the first to admit it has taken entirely too long to get here, but we made it.  As you can see by the diagram to the right, I have a propensity towards drinks that call for bitters; today’s delightful little treat not only follows that path, but takes it to an extreme!

The Sawyer is another recent creation and a variation on the Gimlet, but takes the use of bitters over the top by using three varieties and nearly thirty dashes.  The drink was created by bartender Don Lee and named after the daughter of gin-loving chef Wylie Dufrense.  I’m going to use my artistic license again and assume that little Sawyer Dufrense was named after one of the greatest characters in American literature.

This one is simple to make but complex across the tongue, don’t be alarmed by the bounty of bitters, just try it.  In a shaker, start with two ounces of beefeater gin, add one half an ounce of lime juice, one half an ounce of simple syrup, fourteen (yes one-four) dashes of Angostura bitters, seven dashes of Peychaud’s bitters, and seven dashes of orange bitters.  Fill with ice, shake this baby up and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, no garnish necessary.  After your first sip, you’ll be making them for Becky and Huck too.

Sawyer

2 oz gin

½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice

½ oz simple syrup

14 dashes angostura bitters

7 dashes peychaud’s bitters

7 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The Harvard Cocktail

After a December to remember, I am sure you have all been missing your bi-daily dive into the library of liquor.  Fear not, I have something to tide you over for the next few days.  The Harvard cocktail just invokes images of 1960’s frat boys sitting around in sport coats, smoking cigarettes, and playing poker.  They no doubt needed a cocktail and this one fits the bill just fine.

Dating back to 1895, this drink definitely makes up for what it lacks in popularity with longevity.  It’s true origin, other than the year it first came to print, has been lost to history so we are left to our own imagination.  Having similarities to the Manhattan, it is quite possible that this made its debut on the Harvard campus during a party when a partially inebriated bartender got a little creative with a drink order.  

In a shaker combine one and a half ounces of cognac, three-quarters of an ounce sweet vermouth, one-quarter ounce lemon juice, a teaspoon of grenadine, and three dashes angostura bitters.  Fill with ice and shake.  Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.  A variation on this drink omits the grenadine and adds an ounce of soda water to the top after straining into the glass.  I prefer the grenadine version, but if there is one time in your life to experiment, it’s college.

Harvard Cocktail

1 ½ oz cognac

¾ oz sweet vermouth

¼ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp grenadine

3 dashes bitters

Mix all ingredients in an ice filled shaker.  Strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

Seelbach Cocktail

To start the year off right I have a pre-prohibition cocktail to add to your recreational rolodex.  The intriguing combination of champagne, bourbon and bitters brought me to this drink, but the smart flavor is what will keep you coming back.

The legendary Seelbach Hotel of the same name, host to presidents, gangsters, writers, and ne’er-do-wells, is the birthplace of this fine pick-me-up.   According to legend the drink was accidently discovered in 1917 when a bartender topped a manhattan from an overflowing champagne bottle.  The drink gained instant popularity but was lost during prohibition when the hotel stopped serving booze.  Fortunatley for us, the recipe was rediscovered in1995 and put back into circulation.

To make the Seelbach cocktail, start one ounce of bourbon in a mixing glass.  To hold to tradition make sure it is a strong Kentucky bourbon, Woodford Reserve is a good choice.  Add one half ounce Cointreau, seven dashes angostura bitters, and seven dashes peychaud bitters.  Stir with ice until chilled and pour into a chilled champagne flute, top with a dry champagne of your choice, and garnish with an orange twist.  Imagine yourself sitting at the bar with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Woodrow Wilson, and Al Capone sharing a cigar, a fine drink, and a healthy amount of bullshit.

Seelbach Cocktail

1 oz bourbon

½ oz cointreau

7 dashes angostura bitters

7 dashes peychaud’s bitters

champagne

Combine the bourbon, cointreau, and bitters in a mixing glass, fill with ice and stir.  Strain into a chilled champagne flute, fill with champagne and garnish with an orange twist.

Christmas Bonus

Here is a little bonus on top of the 12 Drinks of Christmas.  These two festive cocktails are a perfect way to tempt your taste buds and bridge the food and beverage binge between Christmas and New Year’s.  These two drinks provide something for everyone, a refreshing vodka treat in the Poire Victoire and a bourbon based beauty in the Jeff One.

Both drinks are recent creations from a couple of Paris' better Bar Anglais.  The Poire Victoire from the Hemingway Bar in 2008 and the Jeff One from the Cambon Bar in 2002.  As with the other delightful creations from Colin Field, these both posses the depth of character and flavor of drinks from centuries past.

First the Poire Victoire, this is an elegantly simple drink with such amazing flavor, it quickly became the favorite at a recent Christmas Eve party.  Start with two and a half ounces Grey Goose Poire in a cocktail shaker, add two ounces of apple juice and half an ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice.  Fill with ice, shake and serve in a cocktail glass.  When your guest asks what it is, summon your inner Frenchman and let Poire Victoire roll off you tongue like it’s your first language.

Second the Jeff One.  Construct this one in an old fashioned glass, start by cutting the ends off of a mandarin orange, slice down one side of the peel and carefully remove the peel in one piece, place it in the glass, place the orange inside it and muddle.  Fill the glass with ice, add one teaspoon of superfine sugar, two ounces of bourbon (Maker’s Mark is always a good choice), and fill the glass with ginger ale (about three ounces).  Stir well to dissolve the sugar and serve to your Old-Fashioned appreciating friends.  This is a nice refreshing alternative to mix into your repertoire, that will help you survive even the preachiest of christian Santas.

Poire Victoire

2 ½ oz grey goose poire

2 oz apple juice

½ oz lime juice.

Add all ingredients to ice filled shaker, shake and serve in a cocktail glass.

Jeff One

2 oz bourbon

3 oz ginger ale

1 tsp superfine sugar

1 mandarin orange

Cut ends off the orange and discard.  Remove peel from orange and place in an old fashioned glass, place orange in the center of the peel and muddle.  Fill glass with ice, add sugar, bourbon, ginger ale, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Mulled Wine

We’ve made it, our journey through holiday drinks and the days leading to Christmas has sadly come to a conclusion.  The bright side is I have just over twenty-four hours left to do my Christmas shopping, prepare a Christmas Eve feast and enjoy the season!  To end our collection of concoctions we have a very nice Mulled Wine, a drink that can easily be served anytime of day throughout the colder months.  I like to make sure that none of my Christmas day guests leaves the house without one of these in hand!

Mulled Wine has dozens of names and slight variations depending on where you are in Germany and Alsace it is known as Glühwein.  In France, vin chaud.  In Italy, mulled wine is typical in the northern part of the country and is called vin brulé.  In Russia, Glintwein.  Glögg is the term for mulled wine in the Nordic countries.   All are typically made with red wine, sugar and a combination of spices.  The oldest known record of one of these variants is attributed to the German nobleman and first Riesling grower of the world, Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen around 1420.

In a saucepan warm 1500 ml of Burgundy over medium heat until steaming; add six ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice and a cup of brown sugar.  Stir in two teaspoons of ground cinnamon.  In a tea ball place one teaspoon whole allspice, one teaspoon whole cloves, and one teaspoon cardamom seeds.  Place spice ball into pan and simmer over the lowest possible heat for twenty to thirty minutes.  Remove the spice ball and serve garnished with a cinnamon stick.  To keep the wine warm for an extended period, pour it into a covered crockpot on low heat.  The wine can also be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours (this also lets the flavors blend nicely), either reheat on the stove for ten minutes before serving or in the crockpot.

Mulled Wine

1500 ml burgundy wine

6 oz fresh orange juice

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp whole allspice

1 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp cardamom seeds

Heat wine over medium heat, add orange juice, sugar, cinnamon and remaining spices in a tea ball.  Simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.  Serve with a cinnamon stick.

Robertino

Today’s delight comes, once again, from the Bar Hemingway.  It is sure to please all members of the fairer sex that you may be entertaining, as well as any gentlemen who stop by.  The Robertino has just the right amount of sweetness to it, the balance impeccably perfected at the esteemed establishment of its birth.

Once again there is not a depth of history involved , it was created in 2005 by one of the bartenders at the Ritz for a regular who frequently brings models, actresses and rock stars into the bar. It is obviously influenced by the Cosmopolitan, but the flavor seems more balanced and enjoyable.

To me this is a drink meant to share with someone, so this will make enough for two.  Start by placing a sprig of fresh mint in a shaker, add two ounces of Grey Goose vodka, and muddle slightly.  Add one ounce of fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice and an ounce of Cointreau.  Lastly add six ounces of cranberry juice.  Fill the shaker with ice and mix.  Pour the contents into two ice filled old fashioned glasses, garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.  Serve while Labelle's Lady Marmalade plays suggestively in the background.

Robertino

2 oz vodka

1 oz mandarin orange juice

1 oz cointreau

6 oz cranberry juice

2 springs of mint

Add vodka and a sprig of mint to a shaker, muddle.  Add orange juice, Cointreau  and cranberry juice.  Fill with ice and shake.  Serve in an ice filled old fashioned glass with a sprig of mint.  Serves two.

Hot Buttered Rum

To stick with our theme of winter drinks, here is one that will make your cardiologist cringe.  But as we all know, anytime you are using butter in a cocktail, good things are going to happen!  The Hot Buttered Rum is one of those gluttonous pleasures that would not cross your mind eleven months out of the year, but when candy canes and cookie trays constitute a balanced breakfast a Hot Buttered Rum is the perfect drink to end a long day.

While I have found no evidence to support his creation of the drink, Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr., also known as Trader Vic, definitely made it popular.  It appeared in “Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink,” published originally in 1946.

To make this delightfully decedent treat you need to make a batch of butter batter first.  Place one stick of butter at room temperature into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, add a quarter teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Beat until the butter is creamed and the spices are well mixed.  Slowly, add one pound of brown sugar and continue to mix.  Store the batter in the refrigerator.  When ready to make the cocktail place one to two heaping teaspoons into a mug, add two ounces of dark rum (I’m currently using Myer’s), and fill with boiling water.  Serve with a cinnamon stick and an angioplasty tenth one’s free punch card.

Hot Buttered Rum

1 lb brown sugar

¼ lb butter softened

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

a pinch of sugar

dark rum

Cream the butter, salt and spices in a mixing bowl, add sugar and mix.  Store in the refrigerator until ready for use.  For each drink place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the butter batter into a mug, add 2 ounces of dark rum and fill with boiling water.  Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Coquito

I have recently come to the conclusion that Christmas should either be white or tropical, nowhere in between.  Fortunately whether you are sitting by a roaring fire watching the snow accumulate by the foot or stretched out with your feet in the sand enjoying the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the beach this drink has you covered.

The Coquito is a traditional holiday drink from our island neighbor Puerto Rico.  History is pretty sparse, but as it is similar to eggnog, I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that it evolved due to the abundance of indigenous ingredients.

As this, once again, is a cocktail made for celebrations, the recipe here is for a crowd.  Start by warming eight cups of coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat.  When the milk starts to steam add three quarters of a cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Meanwhile place sixteen egg yolks in a mixing bowl add four tablespoons vanilla extract and whisk until well blended.  I do not use much spiced rum, but this is a circumstance where I think the spice adds to the drink.  Stir in two cups of Captain Morgan’s and then slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan stirring constantly and using caution not to let the mixture boil.  Remove from heat when completely mixed.  While the Coquito is traditionally served cold, I enjoy it hot as well.  To serve it cold, place the mixture in a glass container and refrigerate until ready to serve.  This recipe also makes for a lighter libation appropriate for all of your guests, I personally like to add another ounce (or more) of rum to my cup when serving.  To finish it off, top the mixture with fresh ground Ceylon cinnamon before serving.

Coquito

8 cups coconut milk

¾ cup of sugar

16 egg yolks

4 tbl vanilla extract

2 cups spiced rum

Gently heat milk over low heat, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.  In a separate bowl whisk eggs and vanilla, add the rum.  Slowly mix the egg mixture into the milk, stirring constantly.  Serve with freshly ground cinnamon over the top.

Wassail

Seeing that our list is a little short on classic holiday drinks there will be at least a couple appearing this week.  Here is a classic from Jolly Olde England that is sure to warm your soul and fuel your caroling long into the cold night.

Wassailing is an ancient southern English tradition that was originally performed with the intention of ensuring a good crop of cider apples for the next year's harvest.  It evolved into the yuletide tradition of caroling door to door with a bowl of sherry-soaked warm cidery goodness.  The name comes from the Middle English salutation ‘Waes Hail’, meaning ‘good health’ or ‘to your health’.  The revelers would go door-to-door singing in exchange for a refill.

To make this cold weather cocktail, warm two quarts of apple cider over medium heat until it starts to steam.  Add one half cup of brown sugar and two teaspoons ground nutmeg.  In a tea ball place, approximately six cinnamon sticks, a dozen each cloves and allspice berries, and a vanilla bean.  Drop the tea ball into the cider and let simmer for 30 minutes while enjoying another of our holiday favorites.  Remove the tea ball and add one cup each of fresh squeezed lemon and orange juices.  Pour in one and a half liters of dry sherry.  Find the worlds largest roady cup and head out into the cold with your band of musical merry makers singing this:

            Wassail! wassail! all over the town,

            Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;

            Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;

            With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.

Wassail
2 qts apple cider

½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp ground nutmeg

6 cinnamon sticks

12 whole cloves

12 allspice berries

1 vanilla bean

1 cup orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

1 ½ liters dry sherry

Heat cider over medium heat until steaming.  Add sugar and nutmeg.  Put remaining spices in a tea ball and set in the cider.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove tea ball and add the remaining ingredients.  Serves six to eight.

The Whiskey Cobra

The next treat I have for your caroling consumption is similar to an Old Fashioned but not as sweet. It grows on your palate as the flavors blend and the oils seep from the orange peel, the last sip will be the best and leave you wanting more.

The Whiskey Cobra is another recent revelation originating in 2007at the Cambon Bar. The Cambon Bar resides near the back door of the Ritz in Paris. As mentioned earlier, I spent some time enjoying the cocktails of the Bar Hemingway recently, and Colin Field introduced this drink to me. It is named after the Bell 209/AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter.

Start by carefully peeling a mandarin orange so that the peel resembles a cobra. I find it easiest to start by cutting around the end of the orange in a circle, but stopping before finishing the circle and then peeling around the orange to create the body and tail. Place the peel in the glass tail first so that the head protrudes above the age of rim of the glass. Squeeze the juice of the orange into the glass; add four drops of Angostura bitters. Fill the glass half full of bourbon, I suggest Marker's Mark, and stir. Fill the glass with ice and serve with the cobra facing outward.

Whiskey Cobra

3 oz bourbon

4 drops bitters

1 mandarin orange

Peel the orange in the shape of a cobra, place in an empty old fashioned glass tail first. Add the juice of the orange, the bitter and bourbon. Stir well and fill with ice.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

As the halfway mark of our holiday journey falls on a Sunday just two short weeks before Christmas, I can only hope that the rest of you are feeling better than I am this morning.  Apparently there is such thing as too much Christmas spirit.  But fear not, along with being one of the all time classic brunch cocktails, the Bloody Mary is also an amazing hangover cure (the shampoo effect).

While there is some evidence to discredit the commonly held belief that the Bloody Mary was invented at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris around 1920, I love the bar and its history so I am going to stick with that until proven otherwise.

At its most basic level this morning after favorite is a combination of vodka, tomato juice and any number of fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings. Everybody has their own personal touches to the point that one of the only compliment’s I can still give Delta Airlines is the Bloody Mary condiment tray in the crown room that allows each weary traveler to dress their cocktail as desired. I like this version as it is heavy on the citrus and a packs a nice kick. Start by mixing the tomato juice mixture below in a large pitcher and refrigerate until well chilled, it should make enough for six to eight cocktails. The time of day will dictate the amount of vodka to use. Prior to 10:00 AM use use one ounce, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM work your way to an ounce and a half, and from 11:00 to noon work from an ounce and a half to two. Once the clock hits twelve all bets are off, make them as strong as you desire. When ready to serve fill a glass with ice. Add the appropriate amount of vodka, fill glass with tomato mix and stir. Garnish each drink with a lime wedge and a spear of pickled asparagus.

Bloody Mary

46 oz tomato juice

¾ cup fresh orange juice

3 tbs worcestershire sauce

2 tbs prepared horseradish

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tsp tabasco sauce

1 ½ tsp celery salt

Vodka

Mix first seven ingredients in a large pitcher and chill. For each drink pour one to two ounces of vodka into an ice filled glass. Pour in tomato mixture and stir. Garnish with a spear of pickled asparagus and a lime.

Serendipiti

I had the good fortune of spending some time with bartender Colin Field at the Bar Hemingway at the Ritz in Paris recently. We discussed many topics ranging from cocktails to shotguns, mostly cocktails. This is a calvados and champagne based concoction of his creation and is a great way to start a cold winter’s eve.

While this is a recent creation it comes from one of the all time classic cocktail birthing grounds and it has all the characteristics of a good cocktail.  It was created in 1994 by Colin at the Bar Hemingway.  Based on the name I am guessing it was somewhat of an accidental discovery, but that is purely conjecture on my part so let's move on to the best part.

There is just something about Calvados that calls out to be consumed in the late fall and winter, this is a perfectly balanced blend of flavors that will dance across your tongue. In deference to Colin’s unimpeachable credentials (and an already perfect cocktail) I am leaving the proportions just as he wrote it.  Begin with an old fashioned glass, add one and a quarter ounces of calvados, a teaspoon of sugar, and two sprigs of fresh mint, muddle.  Fill with ice and add one and three quarter ounces of apple juice, stir, and top with champagne (about three ounces).

Serendpiti

1 ¼ oz calvados

1 ¾ oz apple juice

1 tsp sugar

2 springs of fresh mint

champagne

Place the first four ingredients in an ice filled old fashioned glass and stir. Fill with champagne.

The Brandy Alexander

Next on the list for December’s barrage of cocktails, is one that is sure to delight your most decadent guests and repulse those looking to maintain their figures this season. This silky, creamy, dream is wonderful as a cold-day warm-me-up or as a capper just before settling down for a long winter’s nap.

The roots of the Brandy Alexander are much like Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty in that this cocktail gets all the glory and all the women, while it was the father (Alexander, a gin based variant) is largely forgotten in history. The original Alexander first appeared early in the twentieth century. While the Anne (or Mary) Boleyn chasing playboy we are drinking today was created for the wedding celebration of Princess Mary and Viscont Lascelles in London, in1922, and became widely known by the middle of the twentieth century.

This is a very simple drink to make. Start with one and a half ounces of brandy in an ice filled cocktail shaker, any mid-priced option will work here. Add one half ounce of heavy cream and one half ounce of crème de cacao. Shake briskly (I’ve been using the thesaurus again) and strain into a cocktail glass. The traditional garnish is fresh ground nutmeg, but I prefer a light dusting of cocoa powder. Serve this with the rakish arrogance of Henry VII to all of your guests and see how the night proceeds.

Brandy Alexander

1 ½ oz brandy

½ oz crème de cacao

½ oz heavy cream

Mix all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Eggnog

No list of Christmas cocktails would be complete without this merry classic. I know a few of my faithful followers are wondering if this is THE eggnog recipe, and the answer is no, I’ll take that one to the grave with me as it is my signature Christmas gift and if I gave it up, I would be forced to use my creative juices on Christmas shopping for my friends every year, thereby further neglecting my duties here. This is however a great version steeped in history and suitable for a single cup or as a large batch (my recommendation). Before we get to the details, a little history.

Once again we are presented with a handful of tales, innuendo and flat out lies about where this drink came from. One version has it as a drunken conjunction of “egg and grog,” easily slurred to eggnog after a few merry rounds of rum based heaven by a mutinous crew. In the more civilized version of the story it came across the Atlantic to the colonies from England in the 18th century where it was popular with the aristocracy who were the only ones able to get eggs and dairy products, they mixed it with brandy and sherry. In the new world it was mixed with rum due to its abundance and low cost. After the Revolutionary War, locally produced spirits were substituted.

This would explain why there is no definitive liquor choice when it comes to eggnog. Rum, brandy and bourbon are all good options individually or in some combination. As a true patriot I am going to use bourbon, but as the picture above illustrates rum is a great option. I am going to once again rely on my old friend David Embury here, as his recipe provided a starting point that I fine-tuned to my liking. He also has some good pointers on how to properly mix the ingredients. Start by cracking an egg into a cocktail shaker, add two teaspoons of superfine sugar, whisk together until the egg is slightly frothy. Add six ounces of half and half and bourbon (or your liquor of choice). Fill with ice and shake, pour into an old fashioned or Tom Collins glass (never serve over ice), garnish with some freshly grated nutmeg. This recipe is for a single cup, but should be increased to match the size of your gathering using a large pitcher. Eggnog is a drink made for sharing with friends, although it is also a welcome companion when you are awake at 1:00 AM Christmas morning, trying to put together that god damn, million piece train set for your kid who will be jumping on your bed in three hours.

Eggnog

1 egg

2 tsp superfine sugar

2 oz bourbon, rum, or brandy

6 oz half and half

Place egg and sugar into an empty shaker (or large pitcher for multiple batches), whisk until frothy. Add bourbon, half and half, ice and mix. Strain into individual glasses or a serving pitcher. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

The Gibson

Our next cocktail is another classic variation on a classic. While many would say that the Gibson is just a Martini with onions, the flavor imparted by the garnish is different enough that it deserves its own place in your mixing repertoire.

The Gibson has a history as sordid as this authors, with many rumors, half-truths and unverifiable alibis. The most likely origin is from the Bohemian Club in San Francisco in the 1890s, named after prominent San Francisco businessman Walter D.K. Gibson, this seems to have the most corroborating evidence. Another popular story places its creation in New York at the Players Club as a challenge to bar tender Charley Connolly by Charles Dana Gibson. In the scheme of things though who really gives a shit, it is a damn fine cocktail.

This is another drink where the ratio of gin to vermouth can be debated ad nauseam but I prefer about a 5 to 1 balance. As this is a clear drink and the onion deserves to stand out, I like to mix this is a pitcher. In the ice filled pitcher add two and a half ounces of gin, I really like Hendricks in my Gibson. Then add one-half ounce of Lillet Blanc. Stir until the ingredients are well chilled and pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with three onions and serve to your most distinguished guests.

Gibson

2 ½ oz gin

½ oz dry vermouth

Mix both ingredients in a chilled pitcher with ice, stir. Strain into a chilled glass. Serve with three cocktail onions.

The Rob Roy

For my first foray into spirits to keep you in the holiday spirit I have a classic for you, the Rob Roy. This Scottish cousin of the Manhattan is here in proxy as the Manhattan has already been covered not once, but twice. The Rob Roy has a deeper flavor than the Manhattan due to the peaty, earthy flavor of scotch, and in fact tastes very different depending on the type and region of the scotch used. I encourage you to experiment excessively to see whether you prefer a blend or single malt.

One would think that a scotch-based cocktail would originate in Scotland, but the Scots would not defile their water of life by mixing it with anything. This drink originated in Manhattan coincidentally, at the Waldorf hotel in 1894. The drink is named after the Scottish folk hero and outlaw of the same name. He was also known as the Scottish Robin Hood.

This drink is simple to make and will appeal to scotch drinkers and Manhattan drinkers alike. I prefer a different ratio from the Manhattan for the Rob Roy though, otherwise the flavor of the scotch overpowers the vermouth. Start with an ice filled shaker and add two ounces of blended scotch, I like Johnnie Walker Red. Add an equal amount of sweet vermouth. Then a dash or two of Peychaud bitters, I think it melds better with the scotch. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with three cherries and serve.

Rob Roy

2 oz blended scotch

2 oz sweet vermouth

2 dashes peychaud bitters

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled shaker.  Strain into an ice-cold cocktail glass.  Garnish with three cherries.