This is the Seventh in an ongoing series of bartender features on the Underhill-Lounge.

Previously, I had experimented by asking the bartender at Montgomery Place to make me a Bombay Cocktail No. 2, but this just seemed to result in a grumpy bartender.

To make it less of a shock, I thought I would contact some local bartenders and give them a choice of the dozen or so Savoy Cocktails that might be coming up in the book.

Surprisingly, some actually were game.

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About a year ago Daniel Shoemaker and Ted Charak opened the Teardrop Cocktail Lounge. I visited Portland last fall and had a great time hanging out, geeking out about cocktails, and tasting the numerous bitters and elixirs they were making in house. I mean check out this fantastic Bitters and Tinctures holder they had custom made for the bar:

Anyway, we’ve kept in touch after meeting at the bar. Turned out Daniel was a good friend of someone I knew in San Francisco. And as time passed I became acquainted with some other folks in the Portland bar and cocktail scene through various acquaintances.

A month ago some friends and Mrs. Flannestad hatched a plan to road trip up to Portland and catch a concert.

As usual, I started to plot ways that I could squeeze drinks at quality cocktail bars into the very short, long weekend in Portland.

I sent Daniel a note asking if he’d be interested in making some Savoy Cocktails while I was in Portland.

He agreed and I sent him the list of the next few cocktail recipes.

While I was thinking about that, it occurred to me that I would have at least three people with me who might be interested in at least trying some cocktails. I usually don’t involve civilians in these sorts of affairs, but the “J” cocktails seemed pretty harmless. So I floated the idea of doing all of the “J” cocktails to Daniel. I would bring forms for my friends to write down their notes on the cocktails and it would be a bit of a party.

He also agreed to that, amazingly.

So I started to do a bit of calling around of Portland friends to see if they would be willing to come out and help, or at least stop by and say, “Hi”.

The participants:

erik_flannestad: Your itinerant Savoy Stomper.
Humuhumu: Tiki goddess and web developer.
Trott: Talented musician, friend and co-worker. It was Trott whose quixotic quest to make all the recipes from the “Joy of Cooking” originally inspired me to take on the Savoy Cocktail Book.
Tradertiki: Portland, OR blogger, Tiki enthusiast, proprietor of his home bar Reynolés Galley, and guide for the monthly “Tiki Tuesdays” at the Teardrop Lounge.

Also along for the ride were Mrs. Flannestad, who chose not to write up her thoughts and Trott’s friend Ken. Siobhan and her husband Ben stopped by a bit later.

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Daniel Shoemaker’s BIO:

Tended bar in San Francisco for 13 years, running the bar at ThirstyBear Brewing Co. for almost 10 of those.  Re-located to Portland, OR to open up Teardrop Cocktail Lounge, as a town that truly appreciates the hands-on, homemade & farm-to-table approach to food and drink.  In the intervening 1 1/2 years it took us to open our doors, threw myself into the research & archaeology that led us to create such a wide array of bitters, tonic & homemade elixirs.

Jack Kearns Cocktail (No. 1)

1 Dash Lemon Juice.
1 Dash Syrup.
1/4 Bacardi Rum.
3/4 Dry Gin.

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Jack Kearns Cocktail (No. 2)

1/4 Bacardi Rum. (1/2 oz Matusalem Platino)
1 Dash Lemon Juice.
1 Dash Syrup. (House “Gum” Syrup based on maltodextrin)
3/4 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Kind of one of those where you stare at them for a while and wonder if you have gone crazy. Nope, they’re exactly the same. I did find one recipe for the Jack Kearns, in Patrick Gavin Duffy’s “Official Mixer’s Manual,” which uses more syrup (3 more dashes) for the No. 1 than the No. 2.

From his wikipedia article, “Jack “Doc” Kearns (August 17, 1882 – June 17, 1963) was an American boxing manager from the state of Washington. He is most famous for managing Jack Dempsey, who was World Heavyweight Champion from 1919 to 1926. He also managed Mickey Walker, Joey Maxim, and Archie Moore. He was given the nickname “Doc” from Dempsey.”

I guess if you were dealing with a boxing manager who could handle the Manassa Mauler, you’d probably give them what they want. “Feeling a bit sweet today, Jack?”

Humuhumu: “Taste is very fruity, but still dry.”
Trott: “Refreshing, awesome, dry, but fruity.”
Tradertiki: “Subtle floral notes. Drier rum may crisp it up.”

Jack Pine Cocktail

The Juice of 1/4 Orange.
1 Slice Pineapple.
3/4 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)
1/4 French Vermouth. (1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

As in the Holland House we have a stray piece of pineapple.

Is it a garnish? Or does it go in the cocktail?

Daniel initially interpreted this as a garnish, so we tried that.

As cocktails go, not that interesting. A dry vermouth version of the Bronx.

However, having recently run across a 1930s era recipe for the “Hugo Special”, which calls for you to, “Place slices of orange and pineapple in a mixing glass muddle well,” I asked Daniel to give that a try. Daniel’s comment was, “that’s a completely different cocktail.” Others in the group were not that impressed, but I kind of liked it. Might have to revisit the Holland House and try it with muddled pineapple.

Humuhumu: “Pre-muddle version-> Thin. Post-muddle version-> Better, but sort of blah.”
Trott: “Best light tiki drink ever.”
Tradertiki: “Slightly flat. Better with muddled pineapple.”

Jack Rose Cocktail

The Juice of 1/2 Lemon or 1 Lime.
1/4 Grenadine. (1/2 oz Teardrop Lounge Housemade Raspberry Syrup)
3/4 Applejack or Calvados. (1 1/2 oz Boulard Calvados)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

The bar at Teardrop had just finished off the last of their house grenadine a few months before, so instead we’re using raspberry syrup for the Jack Rose. For the first try we went with Lemon, Raspberry, and Calvados. When this wasn’t met with unanimous approval, as a proper jack rose should be, we went for a second try with lime, raspberry, and Laird’s AppleJack. Met with nearly unanimous aproval, with Mrs. eje proclaiming it to be her favorite cocktail of the evening.

Humuhumu: “Dry, apple comes through strong->too sweet? With AppleJack and lime ->balanced and yum!”
Tradertiki: “Apply and fruity. Could use some understatement. AppleJack and lime creates a subtler, less cloying sweetness.”

Jackson Cocktail

2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (Angostura Orange)
1/2 Orange Gin. (1 oz Plymouth Gin, Drops House Orange Tincture)
1/2 Dubonnet. (1 oz Dubonnet Rouge)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

My second try of the Angostura Orange Bitters and I am still liking them a lot. Strong bitter note, intense orange taste, a bit of spice (I was picking up a strong coriander flavor and maybe chamomille).

Cocktail is nothing special to write home about.

Humuhumu: “Tastes like tea. Specifically, some orange tea from Pike Place Market. Not all that good.”
Trott: “Way, way, orangey. Hmmm…”
TraderTiki: “Dry Burgundy Orange.”

Jack Withers Cocktail

The Juice of 1/2 Orange.
1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry)
1/3 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Carpano Antica)
1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Well, as a Bronx is exactly the same with half as much orange juice, there’s not much too surprising here. A light and rather vermouthy cocktail. Daniel insisted on re-making it again with Punt e Mes instead of Carpano, which certainly improves things.

No real clues as to who Jack Withers may have been. Another boxer?

Humuhumu: “First version tastes like licking someone’s grandmother who has just put on a bunch of perfume.”
Trott: “Vermouth-a-rama. Hmmm…”
TraderTiki: “Sweetness on the end, lots of citrus and melon notes. Version 2: More bitterness, punchier flavor.”

Jewel Cocktail
(6 People)

2 Glasses Green Chartreuse. (3/4 oz Green Chartreuse)
2 Glasses Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Carpano Antica)
2 Glasses Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin)
1/2 Dessertspoonful Orange Bitters. (Healthy dashes Angostura Orange)

Shake thoroughly and serve with a cherry, squeezing lemon peel on top.

A medium-dry fast-working cocktail.

A Bijou Cocktail by any other name. One of a few “Savoy Cocktail Book” examples where the “party size” version of the cocktail goes by a different name. Others have noted that “Bijou” is the French word for “Jewel”. Daniel also insisted we try a version of the Bijou he’d been making lately with Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey. Oh boy was that tasty!

Humuhumu: “Very full bodied->Strong flavor, sweet. Could stand to be cut with some water, maybe should be served with an ice cube.”
Trott: “Muscular, bad-ass, Hell’s Angel of Jaeger-like cocktails.”
TraderTiki: “A Bijou in disguise, Chartreuse brought out, then centered with the vermouth.”

Thus endeth part the first of our adventure at Teardrop Lounge.

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*These pictures by Mrs. Flannestad.

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.