The Bacardi Cocktail

As summer approaches, it’s difficult not to think of rum drinks, many of which are fairly recent additions to mixology, especially since the rise of spiced rum.  And many rum drinks arrive with the inevitable umbrella and pineapple garnish. But my approach has always been to get back to basics, and there are few classic rum cocktails as basic as the Bacardi Cocktail.  This is a classic that’s as perfect for a patio get-together, as it is for an indoor dining-room supper.

As the name implies, this drink is – or was – to be made with Bacardi rum.  In fact, in 1936 Bacardi took the matter to court.  Bars became vulnerable to a lawsuit, if they used any rum other than Bacardi, to make a Bacardi Cocktail.

I make mine this way:

The Bacardi Cocktail

1 jigger of Bacardi Rum (I prefer Bacardi Superior)

Juice of 1 lime (strained, to remove pulp)

1 tsp Grenadine syrup

Into a cocktail shaker, place the rum, lime juice and grenadine, with cracked ice.  Shake rapidly and strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.  Garnish is optional but, if you wish, feel free to drop in a maraschino cherry.  My personal preference is a thin slice of lime floated on top or at the edge of the glass.

The Bitter Truth

For several years, the popularity of what I call “Bar Bitters” has skyrocketed.  Once unobtainable, ingredients like orange bitters (a drop or two makes a classic dry martini even MORE classic!) and Peychaud’s bitters (an essential for the classic Sazerac) are now far more available.  But before orange bitters or Peychaud’s bitters was a staple for any bar, there was Angostura bitters.  Aside from being used in the Old Fashioned and in the classic Manhattan, Angostura bitters have been part of at least two drinks popular in Britain and parts of the British Empire.  Here are my favorites:

Pink Gin

So called, because a drop of Angostura lends its pink color to the aromatic gin, this is NOT the same sweet, bubble-gum pink created by the addition of Grenadine.  Popular many years ago, a Pink Gin was considered a classic – and classy – afternoon cocktail.  Here’s how to make one:

2 oz Chilled dry gin

Angostura bitters

Lemon shaving

Into a chilled, small cocktail glass, place several dashes of Angostura bitters, swirl to coat the inside of the glass, and discard.  Add the chilled gin, then twist the lemon shaving (Use a peeler to remove a thin, 1-inch long piece of peel) and drop it in the glass. 

Rum and Bitters

During a visit to Peter Island (British Virgin Islands) years ago, I chartered a half-day inshore fishing trip.  I did well (except that a barracuda took half of a yellowtail I had caught), and after we docked, the boat’s owner and I had a drink at the bar of the Peter Island Yacht Club.  He ordered for both of us, and that’s where I first tasted a  Rum and Bitters.  It’s a terrific summer cocktail, and it’s deceptively simple to make:

2 oz Bacardi Gold

Angostura bitters

Lime wedge

Place two or three ice cubes Into an Old Fashioned glass, then ONE dash of Angostura bitters and the rum.  Stir once or twice and garnish with the lime wedge.

We docked, just as the sky broke loose, in one of those quick Caribbean cloudbursts.  Getting in, under cover of the bar, and enjoying a Rum & Bitters was as good as it gets!

Sake – Not Just for Sushi, Any More

When I mention sake (Japanese rice wine) as a cocktail ingredient, I often get looks of surprise.  Since its introduction to the West, sake has been linked almost solely with sushi, Japanese hibachi cuisine and things Asian.  But it can also be a remarkably light but flavorful cocktail component.  But first a few words. . . a very few words . . . about sake.

Sake is a wine brewed from rice.  It’s “brewed,” because it comes from grain.  There are many different types of sake, and a wide range of prices – especially for the premium varieties - but the ones used in cocktails don’t need to be sophisticated.  In Japan, sake is more often consumed chilled, rather than heated, as we often see in restaurants.  Sake on the rocks is a clean-tasting aperitif, and there’s no need to make a fuss over the “proper” way to consume sake, when it’s used in cocktails.  So here goes:

Sake on the Rocks

2 oz Sake

Pour over ice and garnish with cucumber slices or a wedge of lime. 

 

The Sake Martini

2 oz Dry gin (or vodka, if you prefer)

½ oz Sake

Cucumber for garnish

Place the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a thin spear of cucumber or a sprig of dill.

Tip: Using sake, instead of dry vermouth reduces the amount of botanicals (herb flavoring) in a martini, leaving the cocktail with a cleaner taste.  Dry vermouth can seem heavy, by comparison.

The Bloody Maru

2 oz Sake

6 oz Tomato juice

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Juice of ½ lemon

Cucumber spear for garnish

Tip:  Sake has a unique, light flavor that goes so well with the other ingredients – perhaps far better than vodka does.  For a more Asian feel, use a dash of soy sauce, instead of Worcestershire.  Or feel free to use a TINY (that’s T-I-N-Y) bit of prepared wasabi, instead of cayenne pepper.  Mixology is about experimenting with flavors and combinations.

Sazerac - A New Orleans Classic

The Sazerac

The Sazerac is classic and classy.  But don't expect your favorite watering hole to know what a Sazerac is ("I've heard of them.  What are they?") or how to make one.  And chances are, they don't have the ingredients.  So the pleasant burden of continuing tradition remains with the home mixologist.

First, a mixologists’ secret:  It’s not necessary, to remember all the recipes for all the cocktails you’re interested in.  If you’ve ever made a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, you can make a Sazerac, which uses rye instead of blended whiskey, adds a dash of absinthe and slightly different bitters.

 

The Traditional Sazerac

2 oz Sazerac Rye

1 tsp Utrafine sugar or simple syrup

Dash Peychaud’s Bitters

Absinthe

Take two rocks glasses, and place ice into one, to chill the glass.  Into the other, place the sugar, bitters, and rye whiskey.  Muddle the bitters and sugar, then swirl to mix.  Empty the ice out of the chilled glass, and add some absinthe.  Swirl to coat the inside of the glass, then pour out the excess absinthe.  Now pour the whiskey mixture into the chilled, absinthe-coated glass, twist a lemon peel over the top, and drop it in the cocktail.

If you find it difficult to obtain Sazerac Rye, ask your spirits seller for another good brand of rye.  Instead of absinthe, I use Pernod, because it’s more available and more reasonably priced.  And Peychaud’s Bitters – although distinctive in flavor – also may not be available.  But Angostura will suffice.  If you enjoy this New Orleans specialty, you can always invest in the traditional ingredients.

A Family Drink - The Shirley Temple

As I write this, the world mourns the death of Shirley Temple Black, whose love affair with the American public began decades ago, with her wonderful films as a child actress.  What's all this got to do with cocktails?  Well, one of the most famous "family drinks" for many years, has been the Shirley Temple, a refreshing and delicious non-alcohol "cocktail."

Make one for yourself today - to honor the memory of that little girl who so brightened our lives, with her smile, dancing and singing.  And who served the United States in a diplomatic capacity later on in life.  Here's how I make one:


Shirley Temple
3 oz Lemon-lime soda
3 oz Ginger ale
Dash of Grenadine
Maraschino cherry

Into a tumbler containing ice, add the ingredients and give it a gentle stir.  Add the cherry, pop in a straw, and enjoy!

A Departure for Me

I'm not taken to sweet drinks, but this is a very pleasant cocktail for the warmer months.  As I write this, snow is covering our yard, and it's in the low 20's.  But you have to think ahead, in the Cocktail Game.

I discovered this last year, after getting a bit weary of the somewhat complicated classic cocktails I'd been experimenting with - things like the Sazerac.  All I wanted was something simple and refreshing.  And this fills the bill.  I've made a minor alteration, but not in the taste.

If you haven't tried one, give the Fuzzy Navel a go.  The name is derived from its ingredients: Peach schnapps (peach = peach fuzz = Fuzzy) and orange juice (a Navel is an orange).  Here's how I make mine:

The Fuzzy Navel
2 oz Peach Schnapps
2 oz Orange juice
1 Tsp lemon juice
Splash of soda water

Place the ingredients into an Old Fashioned glass containing ice.  Stir gently, add straw and enjoy! (Garnish optional.)

Don't Look Down Your Nose. . . at Blended Spirits

Trends, trends, trends. . .one of the most recent trends in spirits is looking down one's nose - WAY down - on blended spirits (whiskies).  When I was a cashier in the liquor business, I saw many a customer express his/her preference for single-malt scotches and single-barrel bourbons.  I often wondered if part of that preference weren't based on the significantly higher prices for these single-whatevers.

I go back a few years.  Way back, in fact.  I drank scotch and other whiskies with my father, grandfather and uncles.  They all drank BLENDED whiskies, they were just fine.  But that's not the whole story.  Whiskies are blended, to give the best possible flavor, by taking a mixture of different whiskies with favorable qualities.  And like the single-whatevers, the aging brings out even greater qualities.

Am I against single-whatevers?  Ab
solutely NOT!  I love single-malt scotches and was introduced to them before they became popular.  I remember drinking Laphroaig and Red Hackle (no longer available) and enjoying them.  I have nothing against the single-whatevers.  My approach is to enjoy whiskies, if you like them and NOT to look down my nose on blended whiskies, because the social and marketing pressures are toward single-malt and single-barrel whiskies.  If you choose to drink a whiskey, choose it because you like it, and not because it's trendy.  I don't like "trendy," because it invariably ends up being a synonym for "snobby."

And I should share something else with you.  [looking around]  I occasionally put my whiskies ON ICE.  Few whiskies are as satisfying to me, as those that I enjoy on the rocks.  So lift up your sights and avoid looking down your nose, when it comes to blended whiskies.