Tag Archives: Swedish Punch

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May Blossom Fizz

First, just a reminder that Sunday, July 31, 2011, is our monthly exercise in folly, Savoy Cocktail Book Night at Alembic Bar. If any of the cocktails, (they also have a great beer selection,) 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.

May Blossom Fizz
1 Teaspoonful Grenadine. (1 teaspoon Small Hand Foods Grenadine)
The Juice of 1/2 Lemon. (Juice 1/2 Lemon)
1 Liqueur Glass Swedish Punch. (1 1/2 oz Forgotten Flavors Swedish Punsch)
(2 Dash Miracle Mile Gingerbread Bitters)
Shake well, strain into medium size glass and fill with soda water.

I think I got this small bottle of the Forgotten Flavors Swedish Punsch as a consolation prize for missing out on the CSOWG house at Tales a couple years ago. The Forgotten Flavors Punsch is pretty good, but it’s my understanding Haus Alpenz will shortly be importing my all-time favorite Facile Swedish Punch, so no reason to go spending all that money getting Punsch shipped from Germany. I mean, you can always make your own, a la Underhill-Punsch, it’s way less work than Milk Punch, trust me.

The Gingerbread Bitters were a nice improvisation, upping the spice and bitterness quotient in what might otherwise be a somewhat plain cocktail. Tasty, definitely a recommended use for Swedish Punsch.

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

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Welcome Stranger Cocktail

Welcome Stranger Cocktail
1/6 Grenadine. (1/2 oz Small Hand Foods Grenadine)
1/6 Lemon Juice. (1/2 oz Lemon Juice)
1/6 Orange Juice. (1/2 oz Orange Juice)
1/6 Gin. (1/2 oz Junipero Gin)
1/6 Cederlund’s Swedish Punch. (1/2 oz Underhill Punch)
1/6 Brandy. (1/2 oz Dudognon Cognac Reserve. Talk about over kill, eh? Sadly, it is all I have in the house at the moment.)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

This cocktail is likely from Harry McElhone’s “ABC of Cocktails”, in which Harry notes, “Invented by the author.”

Wow, 6 ingredients and a great name! An interestingly proto-exotic drink from Mr. McElhone, eh? Orgeat, instead of Grenadine, with a float of sherry and you’re pretty much got Trader Vic’s Fog Cutter!

The use of Swedish Punch gives this an interesting character and is the dominant element in this equal parts cocktail.

Maybe I’ve gone crazy and Savoy Cocktails have warped my brain and palate, but this isn’t bad at all.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

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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Waldorf Cocktail

Waldorf Cocktail
The Juice of 1/4 Lemon or 1/2 Lime. (Juice 1/2 Lime)
1/4 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Martin Miller’s Gin)
1/2 Swedish Punch. (1 1/2 oz Underhill Swedish Punsch)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Another cocktail, where the fractions don’t quite add up to a whole.

I guess in this case, maybe the juice from the Lemon or Lime is making up the other quarter of the drink.

Speaking of, a lot of people seem to find this sort of measure annoying, “Juice of 1/4 Lemon or 1/2 Lime”.

It doesn’t work with their personal obsession of knowing exactly how much juice should go into a cocktail.

I think it is probably just a method indicator for the bar or bartender who authored the recipe.

That is to say, those recipes where lemon juice is measured as a portion of the fraction, were probably juicing ahead and had the juice in some sort of vessel they were pouring from. Those where citrus juice is listed as a fraction of the fruit were likely juicing to order.

The main problem with listing any absolute amount in these recipes along with fractions is that we don’t absolutely know what the total volume might have been. In a cocktail where the total volume is 2 oz or less, a teaspoon of sweetener may make sense. In a cocktail where the total volume adds up to 3 oz or more, as in most modern bar recipes, that teaspoon of sweetener is going to need to be increased.

The other main problem with citrus expressed as a fraction of the fruit is we don’t know how big the citrus might have been or how much juice might have been expressed from 1/2 of a lime. With modern citrus, I usually say a half a lemon or a whole lime is equivalent to about 3/4 oz.

However, in regards Limes, it is far more likely that what was being used, especially for Caribbean and South American Drinks, was Key Limes not modern Persian limes.

For example, I found this video of a modern Peruvian Bartender making a Pisco Sour, pretty cool. It appears that even to this day, Key Limes are used in an authentic Pisco Sour:

For those of you with no tolerance for watching video, his recipe for a Pisco Sour is as follows: Juice of 2 Key Limes; 3 oz Pisco; 1 oz Gomme Syrup; Egg White “to taste”. Shake and strain into sour glass. Garnish with a drop of bitters.

My friend Craig Hermann, over at Colonel Tiki has been doing a series about Citrus history and the appropriate varietals for cocktails. Essential reading, as far as I am concerned:

The Trouble with Orange Juice, Part I

In regards the Waldorf Cocktail, well, boy that’s a lot of Swedish Punch and only a little Citrus. In fact, this is a reverse proportion Biffy or Strike’s Off. Well, if you like Swedish Punch, this may be the drink for you. If you don’t, well perhaps the Biffy may be a better starting place.

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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Twelve Miles Out Cocktail

Twelve Miles Out Cocktail
1/3 Bacardi Rum. (3/4 oz Vale d’ Paul Aguardiente Nove de Santo Antao)
1/3 Swedish Punch. (3/4 oz Underhill Punsch)
1/3 Calvados. (3/4 oz Monteuil Calvados Reserve)
Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.

When my friend Stephen Shellenberger (aka Boston Apothecary) was in town, he stopped by Heaven’s Dog for a drink.  As if a visit from this young drink visionary weren’t enough, he also brought in a couple bottles of Rum from Cape Verde called “Vale d’ Paul Aguardiente Nove de Santo Antao” for me to try.

At the time, I wasn’t really drinking, so didn’t get much of a chance to appreciate the gift.  But I was struck by the similarity of the Aguardiente to Agricole Style Rums.

A few nights later, Michael Lazar (aka Mr. Manhattan) stopped by, so I gave him a taste of the Aguardiente. Interestingly, he had first been introduced to Agricole Style Rums in Guadalupe, and really enjoyed them.  Since that time, he had tried many Agricole Rums from Martinique, but never quite gotten the same kick out of the Martinique Rum that he had gotten out of the Rums from Guadalupe.  The leaner nature of the Martinique Rums just didn’t jive with his memory of the fruity, delicious rums of Guadalupe. The Vale d’ Paul Aguardiente, he thought, was closer to the style of Rums he remembered from that Caribbean Island.

When I was trying to think of an interesting drink to use the in the Twelve Miles out, it was exactly that fruity character that I thought would match well with the Calvados in this drink.

For a mostly booze drink, this isn’t bad.  It should be almost as cold as you can possibly get it, or it will seem too sweet, but it is kind of nice. The Calvados, Rum, and Punch really mesh into something else which is quite interesting, yet at the same time all the elements are present and available.  The aroma from a generous piece of orange peel is definitely a critical element.

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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Tanglefoot Cocktail

Tanglefoot Cocktail
1/6 Orange Juice. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Blood Orange Juice)
1/6 Lemon Juice. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Lemon Juice)
1/3 Bacardi Rum. (3/4 oz Barbancourt White Rum)
1/3 Swedish Punch. (3/4 oz Underhill Punsch)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

“T”! Wow! How many cocktails can be in T, U, V, X, Y, and Z? Well, actually, there are a fair number of cocktails in T and W, about an 100 more “Cocktails” before I hit the real final stretch of fizzes, juleps, cups and other “Fancy Drinks”. Still reason enough to “Smile”.

In his book, “Barflies and Cocktails,” Harry McElhone notes this is a “Recipe by Charly Kinney at Harry’s New York Bar, Paris.”

I only had a blood orange, so that’s what I had to use in the cocktail.

I was also feeling like a funkier rum would be a better complement to the Swedish Punch, so went with the Barbancourt.

Was definitely right about that!  This was quite a tasty formulation, with the tart early season blood oranges, lemon, Barbancourt, and Swedish Punch.  If you’ve got Swedish Punch, this would definitely be on my list of the top 2 or 3 cocktails to make with it.

Strangely, the best definition I can find for Tanglefoot is “cheap whiskey”.  I’m kind of guessing, this might be a drink that would result in your tangling up your dancing feet, that is, if you drank 3 or 4.

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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Strike’s Off Cocktail

Strike’s Off Cocktail
1/4 Lemon or Lime Juice. (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)
1/4 Swedish Punch. (3/4 oz Underhill Punsch)
1/2 Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Created by Harry Craddock on May 12, 1926, to mark the end of the General Strike.

Maybe someone should have reminded Harry about the Biffy when he claimed to have made up this cocktail to commemorate the end of the General Strike!

Well, to be honest, “Strike’s Off” is probably a better name.

From the Wikipedia article:

The 1926 General Strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted ten days, from 3 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners.

All very complicated, economic conditions following WWI leads to worsening conditions for coal workers, culminating in the General Strike. Classes divided over whether to support the strike or oppose it.

The cocktail is actually quite delicious, in an odd, “who knew gin and swedish punch would work together” kind of way. I recommend it! In it’s other incarnation, The Biffy Cocktail, I actually served it a couple years ago for a Tales of the Cocktail presentation about homemade ingredients. Everyone seemed to enjoy it at the time, and it’s another sweet-tart favorite of Mrs. Flannestad’s.

But, hey, cool! A poem by Idris Davies about the strike was what Pete Seeger used for his lyrics for the song Bells of Rhymney.

However, I suppose, covered most famously by the Byrds on their album, “Mr. Tambourine Man”.

I guess all you socialist worker sympathizers know what to put on, while drinking the cocktail! Maybe grab the Billy Bragg box set while you’re at it, and make a night of it. You lived to fight another day. As for you big business fat cats, I doubt you need much of an excuse to light a cigar and celebrate the collapse of the strike.

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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Roulette Cocktail

Roulette-2

Roulette Cocktail.
1/4 Swedish Punch. (1/2 oz Underhill-Lounge Homemade)
1/4 Bacardi Rum. (1/2 oz Montecristo White Rum)
1/2 Calvados. (1 oz Roger Groult Reserve Calvados)
Shake (I stirred) will and strain into cocktail glass.

Well, this is quite sweet. Still, it is kind of interesting as a vehicle for Calvados and Swedish Punch. It would not be a horrible after dinner drink. The Montecristo White seems to simply serve as filler here, not really contributing much, at least in the face of such strong flavors as the Calvados and Swedish Punch.

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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Pooh-Bah Cocktail

Pooh-Bah Cocktail

Pooh-Bah Cocktail.

1/3 Bacardi Rum. (3/4 oz Ron Mathusalem Platino)
1 Dash Apricot Brandy. (1 dash Rothman and Winter Apricot Liqueur)
1/3 Swedish Punch. (3/4 oz Underhill-Punsch)
1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 6)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Add a Luxardo Chery.)

We always get a couple orders for these during Savoy Night at Alembic Bar. I guess because of the funny name and the fact that it contains Swedish Punch.  And, frankly you could do worse.

Still, it it is awfully sweet, so you could definitely do better, and you could definitely to a lot to improve it by making it with a more interesting rum than the Mathusalem Platino.

Personally, I’d be awfully tempted to grab the Appleton V/X or a mild Agricole like Barbancourt.

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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Melba Cocktail

Melba Cocktail

Melba Cocktail

2 Dashes Grenadine. (2/3 teaspoon Homemade Grenadine)
2 Dashes Absinthe. (2/3 teaspoon Verte de Fougerolles Absinthe)
The Juice of 1/4 Lemon or 1/2 Lime. (Juice 1/2 lime)
1/2 Glass Bacardi Rum. (1 oz Montecristo Silver)
1/2 Glass Swedish Punch. (1 oz Homemade Swedish Punsch)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (If desired add a cherry, preferably Luxardo or Toschi.)

I had high hopes for the Melba, but I’m not quite sure it lived up to them.

A very good cocktail, that I could imagine being popular, it just doesn’t quite have the magic of the very similar Corpse Reviver No. 2 (with Swedish Punsch).

By pushing the sweet/sour focus out a bit further, it loses the refreshing lightness of the Corpse Reviver. Ends up being a bit heavy.

Still, all in all, a tasty cocktail. One of the few I can think of involving Absinthe and Rum. Definitely some promise there!

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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Lasky Cocktail

Lasky Cocktail

Lasky Cocktail

1/3 Grape Juice. (3/4 oz Knudsen’s Just Concord)
1/3 Swedish Punch. (3/4 oz Homeade Swedish Punch)
1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Unfortunately, the Lasky caught me between Farmers’ Markets, so I had to use store bought grape juice. The Knudsen Concord Grape juice doesn’t quite have the tartness or complexity of my usual Twin Hill Ranch Grape Juice, making this a bit sweeter cocktail than it normally would be for me.

Still, all in all, a pretty tasty 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.