Paradise Cocktail

Paradish Cocktail

Paradise Cocktail.

1 Dash Lemon Juice.
1/4 Orange Juice. (1/2 oz fresh squeezed Orange Juice)
1/2 Gin. (1 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 6)
1/4 Apricot Brandy. (1/2 oz Rothman and Winter Orchard Apricot)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Sadly, nothing particularly amazing or fantastic going on here in the Paradise, but what do they say? “Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.” This version of paradise is a refreshing and enjoyable cocktail and not much more. Strikes me as kind of non-threatening and brunchy.

Crap, I should be keeping a list of these Screwdriver, Mimosa, and Bloody Mary replacements, so I can order them the next time I have brunch at a cocktail bar. Hear that Clover Club? I’m looking at you!

;-)

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.

Mule’s Hind Leg Cocktail

Mule's Hind Leg Cocktail

The Mule’s Hind Leg

1/5 Gin. (1/2 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 11)
1/5 Benedictine. (scant 1/2 oz Benedictine)
1/5 Applejack. (1/2 oz Clear Creek 2 year Apple Brandy)
1/5 Maple Syrup. (scant 1/2 oz Maple Syrup)
1/5 Apricot Brandy. (1/2 oz Zwack Barack Palinka)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Another lovely prohibition era libation from the oeuvre of Judge Jr.

The only possible way I could see drinking this was to use apricot eau-de-vie instead of apricot liqueur. Even then, this is pretty much a waste of perfectly good alcohol.

Reduce the Benedictine and the Maple Syrup to a bar spoon or so. Add some bitters.

There might be a drink worth salvaging here.

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.

Moulin Rouge Cocktail

Moulin Rouge Cocktail

Moulin Rouge Cocktail

3 Dashes Grenadine. (1 barspoon homemade grenadine)
1/2 Apricot Brandy. (1 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)
1/4 Orange Gin. (1/2 oz Orange Juice. Wait a sec! Oh, goddamn it!)
1/4 Lemon Juice. (1/2 oz Lemon Juice)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Here I was getting all in a bother about how weird the next cocktail looks, and I totally screwed the pooch on this one.

Orange Gin, not Orange Juice.

I was wondering why this cocktail had no booze!

In any case, as made, this isn’t awful. In fact it’s kind of tasty, in a kiddie cocktail kind of way. Heck, double the size or maybe serve it over rocks, and it would be a pretty awesome breakfast drink.

Sigh, I guess this will be a “do over” later tonight.

…a bit later…

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Moulin Rouge Cocktail

3 Dashes Grenadine. (1 barspoon homemade grenadine)
1/2 Apricot Brandy. (1 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)
1/4 Orange Gin. (1/2 oz Orange Gin*)
1/4 Lemon Juice. (1/2 oz Lemon Juice)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

This is pretty good. I think I preferred it to the orange juice version. It’s a bit drier.

It’s sweet but not as super sweet as you expect with that much liqueur. That may be because both the R&W Apricot and my grenadine are not as sweet as some versions of same.

I find my ideal for sours is somewhere around the very difficult to write in fractions 1/2 oz Lemon, 3/4 oz liqueur.

*1/3 bottle of No. 209 Gin infused for a couple hours with 1 tbsp crushed Juniper Berries, 1 Whole Clove, 2 crushed Green Cardamom Pods, and the microplaned peel of 1 orange.

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.

Mayfair Cocktail

So the Savoy cocktail book gives the Mayfair Cocktail as:

Mayfair Cocktail

1 Dash Clove Syrup.
1/4 Apricot Brandy.
1/4 Orange Juice.
1/2 Dry Gin.

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

About the Mayfair, Robert Vermeire sez:

Mayfair Cocktail

¼ gill of Dry Gin;
¼ gill of Orange Juice;
3 or 4 dashes of Apricot Syrup flavored with a little Cloves Syrup.

This cocktail possesses a delicious flavor. I invented it at the Embassy Club in London, 1921. Mayfair is the aristocratic quarter of London, called so because under the reign of Charles II (seventeenth century) they used to hold a yearly fair there during the month of May.

Interesting evolution of the recipe between the source, Vermeire and the Savoy Cocktail Book.

To make both versions, being the incredibly lazy cuss that I am, I added a drop of clove oil to 2 oz of Aviation Gin (trying to finish a bottle) and proceeded as follows.

Mayfair Cocktail-2

1 oz Clove infused Aviation Gin
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
1/2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel over glass and drop in.

Mayfair Cocktail-1

1 oz Clove infused Aviation Gin
1 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. apricot syrup*

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel over glass and drop in.

Huh, they both have their good points.

The first is a bit better balanced, while the pectin of the apricot syrup in the second makes it a bit more interestingly textured drink. Oddly, the second seems far sweeter than the first.

Kind of digging the apricot syrup, though. Seems like a really interesting sweetener with a texture similar to gomme.

*1/2 Cup water
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup sliced dried apricot

Dissolve Sugar and water and add apricot. Cool and strain out apricot pieces.

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.

Lutkins Special Cocktail

Lutkins Special Cocktail

Lutkins Special Cocktail

2 Dashes Orange Juice. (1 tsp. Valencia Orange Juice)
2 Dashes Apricot Brandy. (1 tsp. Haus Alpenz Blumme Marillen)
1/2 French Vermouth. (1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)
1/2 Dry Gin. (1 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 6)

(I’m sure no one would even think of rinsing the chilled glass with orange bitters before straining the cocktail into it. Nope not me.) Shake (or stir?) well and strain into cocktail glass.

Since this cocktail seemed pretty balanced already, with no bitters (ahem) or significant acid character, I figured I’d use the Apricot Eau-de-Vie instead of Apricot liqueur.

A fairly enjoyable dry martini type thing. A bit on the tropical side, perhaps. No Leave it to Me Cocktail (No. 2), but pretty nice all the same.

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.

Leave It To Me Cocktail (No. 1)

Leave It To Me No 1

Leave It To Me Cocktail (No. 1)

1 Dash Lemon Juice. (1/3 tsp. Lemon Juice)
1/4 Apricot Brandy. (1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)
1/4 French Vermouth (1/2 oz Dolin French Vermouth)
1 Dash Grenadine. (1/3 tsp. Fee’s American Beauty)
1/2 Plymouth Gin. (1 oz Plymouth Gin)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass.

Well, the cocktail is a lovely light rose in hue.

And the flavor is somewhat reminiscent of childhood flavors. Unfortunately, I’d say the flavors it reminds me of are some sort of slightly medicinal eccentric English candy.

I dunno, maybe if you’re Heston Blumenthal, and nostalgia food is your thing, this might be just the ticket. Doesn’t, however, do much for me.

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.

K.C.B Cocktail

KCB Cocktail

K.C.B. Cocktail

1 Dash Apricot Brandy. (1/3 tsp. Rothman & Winter Orchard vs. Haus Alpenz Blumme Marillen)
1 Dash Lemon Juice. (1/3 tsp. Lemon Juice)
1/4 Kirsch. (1/2 oz Trimbach Kirsch)
3/4 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz North Shore Distiller’s No. 6)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Patrick Gavin Duffy suggests you, “Stir well in ice and strain. Twist of Lemon Peel.” I tried it both ways, and to be honest, I’m not sure the stirring matters that much, (I know I should have double strained,) but I do suggest you follow his advice for the lemon peel.

Among the possibly meanings of “K.C.B.” is that of the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

Oddly, it does appear, to mean literally “bath” as in bathing.

The second highest order of chivalry in England. The title of the Order is late medieval in origin, it arose from the ritual washing (inspired by the ritual of baptism), a symbol of spiritual purification, followed by a night of prayer and meditation before the Knights of the Bath attended the mass and then receive there accolade. Medieval knights frequently carried out there vigil of fasting, prayer and purification in the Chapel Royal of St John the Evangelist in the Tower of London. There is an account of this ceremony in the reign of King Henry IV which remained until the time of King Charles II.

More information on wikipedia: Order of the Bath

Pretty serious stuff!

Ahem, well, it’s too bad for Humuhumu we didn’t make it to this drink in Portland, as there is no trace of vermouth!

I tried it with both Apricot Liqueur and Apricot Eau-de-Vie. There’s so little volume, that the liqueur had very little impact in the cocktail. The Eau-de-Vie seemed to contribute more. If you’ve got it around, I’d suggest it.

Though, I don’t know who to suggest making this cocktail for. Maybe lovers of Super Extra Dry Gin Martinis looking for a little spice in their cocktail life?

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.

Hop Toad Cocktail

Hop Toad Cocktail

Hop Toad Cocktail

1/4 Lemon Juice. (1/2 oz Lemon Juice)
3/4 Apricot Brandy. (1 1/2 oz Zwack Barack Palinka)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Lemon Peel.)

I have to admit I’ve always been a bit curious about this cocktail, but never really quite had the courage to make it for myself.

Mr. David Wondrich has pointed out in his books and the esquire drinks database that the proper base spirit for this is absolutely not apricot liqueur, but instead an apricot eau-de-vie, like the fiery Hungarian Zwack Barack Palinka.

To quote Mr. Wondrich from his amusing esquire writeup.

Weighing all the evidence, though, the philosophy of the Hop Toad seems to be to allow the lime juice to fall tart on the tongue, without making the result so sour as to be undrinkable. To create, in other words, a state of dynamic tension by placing the drink in a condition of carefully calibrated imbalance. What that has to do with amphibians, we don’t know.

Definitely in the unsweetened school of the Bennett or Bronx Terrace, the Hop Toad is more of a restorative tonic than what folks now consider a cocktail. Make it small, shake it well, and drink it while it is still very cold. It will wake up your taste buds and get the blood flowing to your brain again.

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.

Havana Cocktail

Here’s a cocktail calling for “Apricot Brandy”.  Apricot Brandy is one of those elusive ingredients, where you never quite know if they are calling for an Apricot liqueur or an Apricot Eau-de-Vie.  To cover my bases, I made it both ways.

Havana Cocktail

1 Dash Lemon Juice.
1/4 Dry Gin. (1/2 oz Northshore Distillers #6)
1/4 Swedish Punch. (1/2 oz Swedish Punch, homemade)
1/2 Apricot Brandy. (1 oz R&W Orchard Apricot)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Lemon Peel.)

Not undrinkably sweet, but pretty darn close. And what are those Cubans doing with Gin, Swedish Punch, and Apricot Brandy?

Havana Cocktail

1 Dash Lemon Juice.
1/4 Dry Gin. (1/2 oz Northshore Distillers #6)
1/4 Swedish Punch. (1/2 oz Swedish Punch, homemade)
1/2 Apricot Brandy. (1 oz Haus Alpenz Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass.

With a dash of bitters, this would be absolutely delicious.

The amazing thing is how the Swedish Punch dominates the first cocktail, and the second tastes of nothing but Apricot.

I think it is unlikely that Apricot Eau-de-Vie was intended here, especially since the upcoming Hesitation is a nearly identical recipe with 3/4 Swedish Punch instead of the Apricot and Swedish punch. However, making it with Eau-de-Vie is worth a shot, if you’ve got it in the house. Very tasty.

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.

Gradeal Special Cocktail

Gradeal (Special) Cocktail

1/4 Dry Gin. (1/2 oz Northshore Gin #6)
1/4 Apricot Brandy. (1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)
1/2 Bacardi Rum. (1 oz Havana Club Anejo Blanco)

Shake (I’d stir) well and strain into cocktail glass.

Tasty and sophisticated? Another drink that goes against the usual stereotypes of rum drinks.

Most of the google references I find to “Gradeal” are to this drink. Interestingly, though, according to this article from an Australian paper, Rising to the Occasion, “Gradeal” was the name given to the stones Scots cooked their oatcakes on.

In Roman times in the north of Scotland, she says, the native Gaels baked cakes of oats on stones set round the open fire. These stones were called gradeal and from this was derived the Scottish word girdle. The more modern girdle was a thin round plate of cast iron with a semicircular handle, and was first invented and manufactured in Culross in Fife, Scotland.

Especially interesting, in that the Gradeal Cocktail is pretty similar to the “Culross 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.