Tag Archives: Caperitif

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Transvaal Cocktail

First, just a reminder that this Sunday, September 26, 2010, is our monthly exercise in folly, Savoy Cocktail Book Night at Alembic Bar. If any of the cocktails on this blog have captured your fancy, stop by after 6 and allow the skilled bartenders (and me) to make them for you. It is always a fun time.

Transvaal Cocktail
3 Dashes Orange Bitters. (3 dash Angostura Orange Bitters)
1/2 Gin. (1 oz Ransom Old Tom)
1/2 Caperitif. (1 tsp Amaro Montenegro, 1 oz Dolin Blanc)
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. (Squeeze Orange Peel over glass and drop in.)

Hm, a Fifty-Fifty type cocktail. Definitely going to want a fairly high proof, high intensity Gin to go in this one.

Hmm…

Ransom Old Tom it is! Ha! That will teach Harry Craddock to not specify what sort of Gin to use in the Cocktail!

Aromatic and Orange-tastic? The Orange peel may have been overkill with all that orange bitters.

Still, this is pretty nice, if you’re looking for some way to use up that Dolin Blanc and Old Tom.

From the Transvaal Colony Wikipedia Entry:

The Transvaal (Afrikaans, lit. beyond the Vaal River) is the name of an area of northern South Africa. Originally the bulk of the independent Boer South African Republic, which had existed since 1856, despite two previous attempts by the British of varying success to establish supremacy; after the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 it became the Transvaal Colony, and eventually one of the founding provinces of the Union of South Africa.

As is usual with Caperitif containing cocktails, the name refers to South Africa.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Swazi Freeze Cocktail

Swazi Freeze Cocktail
1 Dash Peach Brandy. (5ml/1tsp Massenez Creme de Peche de la Vigne)
1/3 Canadian Club Whisky. (3/4 oz 40 Creek 3 Grain)
2/3 Caperitif (5ml/1tsp Amaro Montenegro, 1 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc)
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

For the Caperitif my current favorite substitution remains Blanc/Bianco Vermouth with a dash of Amaro Montenegro.

Accurate or not, this substitution is really tasty in the Swazi Freeze Cocktail, in fact the Swazi Freeze is just about the best use of 40 Creek 3 Grain I’ve found so far.  Also one of the most enjoyable Savoy cocktails I’ve made in the while. I suppose, not dissimilar to one of my favorite modern cocktails, Julie Reiner’s Slope Cocktail.

As usual, cocktails with weird names and Caperitif in the ingredient list are related to South, or in this case Southern, Africa.

For more information about Swazis and Swaziland:

The Swaziland National Trust Website

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Spion Kop Cocktail

Spion Kop Cocktail

Spion Kop Cocktail
1/2 French Vermouth. (1 oz Noilly Prat Dry)
1/2 Caperitif. (1 oz Cinzano Bianco)
(1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro)
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. (Squeeze Lemon Twist over glass and drop in.)

Like just about every other Savoy Cocktail with a funny name and the proprietary South African Quinquina CAPEritif, this cocktail appears to be named after a battle during the Boer War. According to the Wikipedia entry:

The Battle of Spion Kop (Dutch: Slag bij Spionkop; Afrikaans: Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38 km (21 miles) west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23-24 January 1900 . It was fought between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State on the one hand and British forces as during the Second Boer War during the campaign to relieve Ladysmith and resulted in a British defeat.

Strange that all these cocktails in an English cocktail book seem to be named after embarrassing defeats for the British.

Anyway, my current favorite substitute for Caperitif is a Blanc/Bianco Vermouth. Unfortunately killed my bottle of Dolin Blanc and was a bit skint when approaching this cocktail. So the Cinzano Bianco will just have to do. But when I was thinking a bit more about it, I felt Blanc/Bianco vermouth to be a bit lacking in the Quinquina department. Caperitif is, after all, supposed to be a rich yellow Quinquina.

When talking to Amanda at Cask Store the other month she was lamenting the fact that she couldn’t find Amaro Montenegro in California. Likewise, it saddened me. I’ve been to liquor stores and Italian Delis in Providence and NY whose Amaro selection blew my mind. In California, aside from Torani Amer and a couple other of the larger brands, we generally get bupkiss.

How happy to get a note the other week from Drew at Plump Jack Noe Valley that Amaro Montenegro was finally, and inexplicably, returning to California, “for the first time in forever”!

Hm, handy! A quinine heavy Amaro lands in my hands just as I am approaching this post! What is a boy to do but mix with it?

Goddamn if that isn’t tasty! Admittedly, it’s on the light side, having no booze, but really nice flavor. A great feature for the Amaro and the vermouths. Highly recommended.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Seventh Heaven Cocktail (No. 1)

026

Seventh Heaven Cocktail (No. 1)
1 Dash Angostura Bitters.
2 Dashes Maraschino. (5ml Luxardo Maraschino)
1/2 Glass Caperitif. (1 oz Dolin Blanc)
1/2 Glass Dry Gin. (1 oz North Shore Distiller’s #6)
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top. Add a cherry (Amarena Fabri Cherry).

I still have no real information about what Caperitif might have been. As far as I know, it was thought to be a deep golden Quinquina made in South Africa (thus CAPE, as in Cape Town, peritif.) Lately I have been sticking to the Dolin Blanc mostly because, well, I like Dolin Blanc, and the cocktails which call for Caperitif are tasty when made with it.

This is no exception. In fact, if a Manhattan made with White Whiskey and Dolin Blanc is a “White Manhattan”, this is pretty darn close to a “White Martinez”, no?  Actually, it IS nearly identical to one of my favorite Martini variations, The Imperial Cocktail, and I prefer the amarena cherry as a garnish to the olive.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Piccad Cocktail

Piccad Cocktail

Piccad Cocktail.
3 Dashes Angostura Bitters.
1/2 Caperitif. (1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth)
1/2 Dry Gin. (1 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 11 Gin)
Shake well with two or three pieces of lemon rind and strain.

Still no real idea what Caperitif might have been, beyond a rich yellow quinquina, similar in character to vermouth.

Dolin Blanc, though a bit sweet, remains my current favorite substitution. And one of my current favorite vermouths. With its relatively large proportion of bitters (3 dashes!) this is a great cocktail to showcase both the character of angostura as a flavoring and that of Dolin Blanc.

Happy to report that North Shore’s products are now starting to show up in some liquor stores and bars! Even the Distiller’s No. 11, which remains one of my favorite new American gins.

Should you order this cocktail at tomorrow’s Savoy Night at Alembic Bar?

Did I mention this is a great cocktail?  Yes?  Well, let me just say it again, “this is a great cocktail!”

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Oom Paul Cocktail

Oom Paul Cocktail

Oom Paul Cocktail.

1 Dash Angostura Bitters.
1/2 Caperitif. (1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth)
1/2 Calvados. (1 oz Germain-Robin Apple Brandy)

Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass.

I’ve struggled with various substitutions for “Caperitif” over the course of these cocktails, and I don’t know if it’s just that I really like Dolin Blanc, but it was a very interesting foil for the flavors of the Apple Brandy in this relatively simple cocktail.

Intrigued enough with the results, I remade it with Calvados Groult Reserve and enjoyed it even more. I’m not sure if I agree with one friend’s assertion that, “Calvados is always better,” but in this case it was definitely more interesting than the American Apple Brandy.

If you like Apple Brandies as much as I do, this is a great cocktail to become familiar with their character.

Another unusually named cocktail with Caperitif.  I should know by now that pretty much any cocktail with some weird ass name and Caperitif is going to have something to do with the Anglo Boer Wars.

From the Wikipedia entry for “Paul Kruger“:

Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Oom Paul (Afrikaans: “Uncle Paul”) was State President of the South African Republic (Transvaal). He gained international renown as the face of Boer resistance against the British during the South African or Second Boer War (1899-1902).

More information here: “Who Was Paul Kruger”

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Modder River Cocktail

Modder River Cocktail

Modder River Cocktail

1/4 French Vermouth. (1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)
1/4 Caperitif. (1/2 oz St. Raphael Gold)
1/2 Dry Gin. (1 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 11)
(dash Angostura Orange Bitters)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. (Squeeze orange peel over glass and discard.)

An enjoyable, if a bit odd combination.

Still no real idea what sort of “Aperitif” Caperitif was, so continuing to experiment with various aperitif wines.

St. Raphael Gold is growing on me. It does really remind me of Sherry, so it is a good contrast here to the Dry Vermouth.

The Modder River is a river in South Africa that forms part of the border between the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces.

It was, apparently, also the site of one of the rather famous battles during the Boer war.

Battle of Modder River

British tactics, little changed from the Crimea, used at Modder River, Magersfontein, Colenso and Spion Kop were incapable of winning battles against entrenched troops armed with modern magazine rifles. Every British commander made the same mistake; Buller; Methuen, Roberts and Kitchener. When General Kelly-Kenny attempted to winkle Cronje’s commandoes out of their riverside entrenchments at Paardeburg using his artillery, Kitchener intervened and insisted on a battle of infantry assaults; with the same disastrous consequences as Colenso, Modder River, Magersfontein and Spion Kop.

Not a great day for the British…

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Manyann Cocktail

Manyann Cocktail

Manyann Cocktail

The Juice of 1 Lemon.
2 Dashes Curacao. (generous 1 tsp. Bols Dry Orange Curacao)
1/2 Gin. (1 oz Boodles Gin)
1/2 Caperitif. (1 oz St. Raphael Aperitif Gold)

Shake well and strain into port wine glass.

In the interest of my own edification, and in the absence of Caperitif, I picked up a bottle of St. Raphael Gold, having read it was some sort of Quinquina.

Uh, hmmm….

Well, the St. Raphael Gold is interesting.

To me it tastes more like a moderately sweet, pale sherry than a Quinquina. Odd, I’ve never before tried an Aperitif Wine that reminded me this much of a Sherry.

I’m also not sure what to make of the recipe. It’s about the only one in the Savoy that combines lemon with Caperitif, so it makes me suspect that it isn’t the Caperitif providing sweetness. That it was at least a somewhat dry aperitif.

To be honest, the Manyann might be pretty refreshing with a bit more curacao, ice, and some seltzer.

As written above, I can’t say I found it rated much more than a “drinkable”.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Jabberwock Cocktail

Jabberwock Cocktail

Jabberwock Cocktail*

2 Dashes Orange Bitters.
1/3 Dry Gin.
1/3 Dry Sherry.
1/3 Caperitif.

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.

* This will make you gyre and gamble in the wabe until brillig all right, all right.

Right well, Vorpal Sword at ready, I tried this apparently Lewis Carrol inspired cocktail a couple ways. First using the cocktaildb suggested Caperitif substitution Lillet Blanc:

1 Dash Fee’s Orange; 1 Dash Regan’s Orange; 1 Dash Angostura; 1 oz Beefeater Gin; 1 oz Bodega Dios Baco Fino Sherry; 1 oz Lillet Blanc; Stir, Strain, Orange Peel.

Nope, no thank you. Next:

1 Dash Fee’s Orange; 1 Dash Regan’s Orange; 1 oz Broker’s Gin; 1 oz Bodega Dios Baco Fino Sherry; 1 oz sadly ancient, tired, and nearly empty Cocchi Americano; Stir, Strain, Orange Peel.

I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say, “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” but, much better, anyway. Dammit! Anyone made any progress on a Kina Lillet replica?

I’m thinking some portion of: quinine tincture, cinnamon tincture, orange tincture, brandy, and muscat cannelli for the wine base. It’s probably not that simple, but that, at least, is a start.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

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Gin and Cape Cocktail

Gin and Cape Cocktail

1/2 Caperitif. (generous 1 oz Lillet Blanc)
1/2 Dry Gin. (generous 1 oz No. 209 Gin)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon (oops! used orange instead.) peel on top.

Again, no real idea what Caperitif may have been like, so substituting Lillet Blanc, as Cocktaildb.com suggests.

A perfectly enjoyable cocktail. A dash or two of bitters would probably perk it up quite a bit.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.