The Pensionista

We just spent a few days in Valencia, Spain, with Shannon’s mother. Valencia is a fantastic city for a family vacation, with the new City of Science and Industry, the fantastic Gulliver play structure, a beautiful beach with very fine sand, great food, good art and good prices all around.  More details on our other blog once we have some time. Because this space is for cocktails and we finally have something to report.

The Valencian link is only the name, The Pensionista.  Shannon’s mom got the “retired person’s” discount at a number of attractions. The staff at the museums called her a pensionista and we all started referring to her in that way. The actual ingredients are more French in nature and came about from a failed last minute attempt at getting the ingredients we needed to make a Corpse Reviver #2. Believe it or not we couldn’t find Lillet, a French apertif, in any of the local shops. Instead Shannon came back with a bottle of Pineau, an apertif from the Cognac region that is made by combing the “must” for wine (grape juice, essentially) with eau de vie (in this case essentially brandy).  And instead of Absinthe she came home with Pernod (a fine substitute for Absinthe, at least in mixed drinks, in these days of tighter budgets).

And so, to work, starting with the basic recipe for the Corpse Reviver #2. The first batch was a bit too sweet. This we attributed to the Pineau which, I guess, is a bit sweeter than Lillet.  The second batch was just right. The third batch was even better although our senses certainly were a bit altered by that point. Here are the approximate proportions:

• 2 parts gin
• 1 part Pineau
• 1 part Cointreau
• 1 part fresh lemon juice
• 1 capful of Pernod for every 2 cocktails you’re making.

You’ll need to experiment a bit with the Pernod. Start with less…you can always add more. You want a very slight anise flavor. Your audience should say “what is that?” rather than “I really like (or hate) anise!”.

And you might have trouble finding Pineau.  Theoretically, port would be a substitute.  But it doesn’t really taste like port to me. Maybe a sweet sherry would work, but I’m hoping Rob will find a local source before we return to the US in June.

Enjoy!

The Violet Hour

Just before Thanksgiving I came across the recipe for an intriguing cocktail called The Violet Hour in a Gary Regan article for the SF Chronicle Spirits section.  The piece describes how an SF bartendress invented the drink inspired by a beautiful quote from historian Bernard DeVoto and won a trip to France in a cocktail competition with it.  Moved by the quote, I also noticed that the recipe contained some of my favorite ingredients, so I set my sights on recreating it.  The purple liqueur that gives the drink its wonderful hue, Marie Brizard Parfait Amour, was a bit difficult to locate, but after a couple of weeks I was finally able to lay hands on a bottle.  With great anticipation, I mixed up the specified combination of vodka, Lillet Blanc, Parfait Amour, and anisette garnished with a lemon twist.  I reread the quote, raised the glass to my lips, and. . . .was disappointed.  After all that effort in hunting it down, I found the Parfait Amour to be cloyingly sweet and heavy on the vanilla, reminiscent of a roasted marshmallow.  Even after experimenting with the balance, I just couldn’t find a symbiosis that I was happy with using those ingredients, primarily due to the Parfait Amour.  It just goes to show that in the cocktail world, as in many other arenas, what looks good on paper doesn’t always live up to one’s expectations. 

However, I was taken enough with the DeVoto quote and the concept of a violet tinted drink to reflect the traditional dusk timeframe for the cocktail hour that I decided to creat my own Violet Hour.  Step one was to abandon the Parfait Amour for the other violet colored liqueur on the market, Creme de Violette, which I knew from the Aviation cocktail to provide a delicately nuanced sweet floral component.  I kept the vodka base and the Lillet Blanc, and after much experimentation augmented with triple sec, lemon juice, and a dash of absinthe.  It took me a couple of weeks to find the right balance, but I finally hit on something that I feel is worthy of DeVoto’s ode to the cocktail hour:

This is the violet hour, the hour of hush and wonder, when affections glow again and valor is reborn, when the shadows deepen magically along the edge of the forest and we believe that, if we watch carefully, at any moment we may see the unicorn.

The Violet Hour

• 2 1/2 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. Creme de Violette
• 1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 dash absinthe
• Lemon twist garnish

Shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker 2/3 full of ice and serve in martini glasses with lemon twist garnish.

Keep your eyes peeled for the unicorn…

Guava Lemon Drop, Passion Fruit Margarita, Mandarin Cosmopolitan

Last Saturday was my wife and my 10th anniversary, an occasion which we marked by hosting a catered dinner party at our home for 20 of our closest friends.  While the caterer handled the food, I handled the cocktails and designed 3 signature drinks for the event.  We recently returned from a 10-day getaway to Hawaii (the first part of our anniversary celebration), where we gorged ourselves daily on the perfectly ripe tropical fruit found there in such glorious abundance.  And being me, I of course ordered and mixed up many a fine cocktail taking advantage of that fruit.  So riding high off that experience, I decided to go with a tropical theme for the 10th anniversary dinner cocktails.  Lacking the fresh, ripe tropical fruit supply of the islands, I utilized some very nice passion fruit nectar I found at our local Whole Foods, some guava juice that I had around the house, and the excellent Mandarin Blossom Vodka from our local Hangar One distillery for the flavor bases.  And at great personal sacrifice, I experimented every night for a week before the party to get the balances just right!  Based on feedback from our party guests and the fact that I’m still avidly drinking them after the fact, these tropical anniversary cocktails were a big success (all shaken and served up):

Guava Lemon Drop

• 3 parts Skyy Citrus Vodka
• 1 part triple sec
• 1 1/2 part Kern’s Guava Juice
• 1 part fresh lemon juice
• Dash Fee Brothers Lemon Bitters
• Lemon wheel garnish

Passion Fruit Margarita

• 2 parts tequila
• 1 part triple sec
• 1 part Santa Cruz Organics Passion Fruit Nectar
• 1/2 part fresh lime juice
• Lime wheel garnish

Mandarin Cosmopolitan

• 3 1/2 parts Hangar One Mandarin Blossom Vodka
• 1 part triple sec
• 1 1/2 parts cranberry juice
• 1/2 part fresh lime juice
• Lime wheel garnish

Clock bar

After reading an entry in Jordan Mackay’s Buzzed blog, I stopped in at the Clock Bar which recently opened in the Westin St. Francis. And, in fact, sat right in front of Marco (so, if that reference is meaningless to you then you need to click on the link above and read Jordan’s blog) which meant not only was I served by him but I got to watch his handiwork and chat him up a bit on cocktails. He’s a fount of information about various recipes and their sources, but it was particularly impressive to watch him operate.

I chose a Wibble, which was refreshing and excellent. I then asked Marco to make me something. He said “is there anything you don’t like?”  My answer was “Rum. I don’t like rum. So make me something with rum in it.” And now I’m embarrassed because I don’t remember the name and can’t point to an even approximate recipe. But it was rum and fruit juice (pineapple) and my favorite part was the grated nutmeg on top. It wasn’t half bad and the last sips, which contained the nutmeg, were especially yummy. It was too fruity for what I was in the mood for late at night, but would have been perfect on a sunny day.

Wait.  Marco just left the following comment, making up for my faulty memory:

The Rum cocktail you refer to was a Calypso, which I took from Anthony Dias Blue’s Complete Book of Mixed Drinks. Oddly, the book was published in 1993, when falernum was nearly, if not completely, impossible to find. The drink was prepared with Appleton rum, Velvet Falernum, pineapple, fresh lime, and Angostura bitters.

The bar itself is gorgeous…very upscale and sleek and befitting the relationship with Michael Mina (if you haven’t eaten there you should simply take out that 2nd mortgage and go). I did notice that it wasn’t designed by a bartender. There was far too little space for glassware and not much work surface for Marco and the other bartenders. Still, highly recommended. There was a long list of cocktails I want to try and it isn’t often you get such a good choice at a hotel bar. But bring a fat wallet, because I think they were $14 each.  At least it was dollars and not euros or pounds….

The Anchor

I just spent two weeks in France and England. No cocktails, actually. Wine in France and beer in England. I did think the following photo was worth a blog entry though:

The Anchor Pink Floyd Sign

It’s from a pub called The Anchor in Cambridge. Not sure about the verifiability of the story, but one Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett did grow up in Cambridge. So there you have it…

Rob and I haven’t been in the same place at the same time in several weeks. He gets back tonight, though, and I’m hoping we’ll have an opportunity for another blog entry “real soon now.”

The Perfect Cocktail: Corpse Reviver #2

One of the things that keeps me going in life is my search for the cocktalian holy grail, the perfect cocktail that has it all: complexity, balance, and that refreshing drinkability that upon finishing one makes you immediately feel like you’d like another. Well, recently I feel like I’ve discovered just that drink.

One Saturday night while on a tour of the newest cocktail lounges in downtown Oakland with my lovely wife Joyce and good friends Cyndie, Bill, and Simone, one of our stops was at Flora, a newish restaurant bar with an Art Deco vibe and a superlative cocktail list, including drinks like the Queen Park Swizzle, the French 75, and the spectacular drink that seems to get mentioned in all their reviews (drum roll please…), the Corpse Revivor #2. It’s at the top of their list, and once we saw that it involves gin, Lillet, lemon, and absinthe, we read no further and ordered up a round. The results were a unanimous ‘Wow’! The combination of the orange/lemon/gin base spiced up with the hint of licoricey absinthe was complex, potent, and tasty all at once, and these Corpse Revivers were a major hit. Of course I made an immediate note to myself that this would have to be recreated at home.

Desert Sun

Sometime you need an easy cocktail for a large group. One that works either straight up or on the rocks and can be (mostly) pre-mixed for ease of delivery. Even one they can make themselves after they watch you do the first one…if you’ve got 30 people over you either need to hire a bartender or turn your guests into one!

One of my standard offerings during the warmer months that meets these criteria is the Dessert Sun:

• 3 parts vodka (I like Stoli)
• 1 part fresh orange juice (must be fresh or the result tastes like Tang)
• 1 part Grand Marnier (or other orange liquor)
• a splash of fresh lime juice (don’t ask me what “a splash” is…)
• a splash of homemade grenadine (really, don’t use that corn syrup & red food coloring)

Shake everything except the grenadine in a cocktail shaker (you can premix all of this and have an ample supply already for your guests). Pour into a martini glass or over ice. Slowly pour just enough grenadine into the glass to create a small layer of red at the bottom (about a quarter to a half an inch). I said “a splash” above but you don’t want it to actually splash…you need to pour it gently. You’re aiming for appearance here, not so much for flavor.  If you do it right this drink looks really attractive, especially on a sunny day. It isn’t my favorite cocktail but is a real crowd-pleaser.

Enjoy!

A Basic Margarita

The weather turned hot this week in Berkeley which means, of course, that it is Margarita season. After hearing a colleague complain about mediocre Margaritas I promised a blog post that would ensure no such future statements.

First, a margarita is not a frozen drink. It can be served on the rocks or straight up. I prefer the latter. It is not made from mix. The only ingredients are tequila, lime juice and an orange-flavored liquor. And salt for the rim if you like.

Second, the proportions in the margarita are a bit different than many cocktails. I’ve been talking with Rob and Shannon about the 3:1:1 rule. If I’m experimenting with a new cocktail I use 3 parts of the main alcohol, and 1 part each of the two additives (one is usually sweet). From there you can experiment with the proportions or begin to add other ingredients until you have a new concoction you like.

But this rule doesn’t work at all for the Margarita. Instead, give this a try:

• 3 parts tequila
• 2 parts fresh squeezed lime juice (I like the little Mexican limes the best)
• 2 part Cointreau (I actually like Patron Citronage just as well at about 1/2 the cost)

Shake over ice, strain into a martini glass and garnish with a thin slice of lime.

Depending on the sweetness of the limes you may find that you need a bit less Cointreau.

Enjoy!

The Albert Hofmann Cocktail

The great Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann passed away this week at the ripe old age of 102 (he must have been doing something right!). In trying to figure out a way to honor his significant contributions to the planet, I decided to create a cocktail dedicated to this inspiring pioneer. Where to start? Well, since the ergot fungus that grows on rye grain played a role in his work, and since I happened to have a bottle of Old Overholt in my bar, I started with a rye whisky base. In doing a little research on rye-based cocktails, I noted that the Sazerac is built on rye, simple syrup, and a bit of absinthe. Now given the Swiss origins and colorful history of absinthe, it clearly warrants a place in the Albert Hofmann, and instead of simple syrup I decided to go with Maraschino liqueur for the sweet component based on how well cherry works as a garnish in the Manhattan. To round things out, I added lemon juice based on how it balances out the rye-based Delmarva Cocktail. A dash of Pechaud’s Bitters serves to add some final complexity and depth. For the garnish, I wanted something exotic and visually vibrant, and had recently spotted kumquats at hour local produce market. I’ve never seen a cocktail garnished with a kumquat, but somehow it just seemed right and worked out splendidly. Outside of his scientific contributions, Hofmann lived a joyful, active, and inquisitive life. He once stated in an interview:

“Through my…experience and my new picture of reality, I became aware of the wonder of creation, the magnificence of nature and of the animal and plant kingdom. I became very sensitive to what will happen to all this and all of us.”

Words to live by. This one’s for you, Albert!

The Albert Hofmann Cocktail

• 2 oz. rye whisky
• 1 oz. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. Absinthe
• Dash Peychaud’s Bitters
• Kumquat sliced in half for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker two-thirds full of ice, shake vigorously, and strain into martini glass with skewered kumquat garnish.

The Exodus

Our friends Gina and Alani are in town from Brooklyn, and we are in the process of preparing a lamb dinner in celebration of Passover, with horseradish touches where they need to be.  Alani challenged us to make a cocktail that could be paired with Passover dinner,  thereby marking the great Exodus and making sure that the Angel of Death would know to move down the block.  It needed to interact properly with lamb, if not necessarily with lamb’s blood.   It needed to be reasonably refreshing, interacting with the sunny, windy Berkeley day we offered to Brooklyn friends.  And frankly, it needed to be made with gin, because vodka is so insidiously unflavorful and reminds me too much of a party where a Phi Delt is trying to get you drunk.