The Sazeroy

This blog entry will begin with a confession . . . I had originally begun to make a Sazerac cocktail, but my bar currently lacked a bottle of rye (the original spirit used).  But mixologists are creative people, and just as someone who wanted a Manhattan ended up with a Rob Roy, because there was only scotch whiskey on hand - and not the Canadian whiskey that's traditional - I created what I call the Sazeroy, using scotch and not rye.

The original Sazerac cocktail was made with Sazerac Rye Whiskey, absinthe, sugar, and Peychaud bitters.  In most modern bars, Pernod is used in place of absinthe, and Angostura has replaced the Peychaud bitters.

To make my Sazeroy:

Ingredients
2 oz Scotch whiskey
1 oz Pernod
1/2 oz Simple syrup
Dash Angostura bitters

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake very well, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a thin slice of lemon (or just a thin peel, if you wish).

Film Recommendation:  Because of its roots in New Orleans, I can't think of any better movies to watch with a Sazerac in hand, than The Big Easy (1986) and Hotel (1967), both of which take place in NOLA.

Caipirinha: Brazil's National Cocktail

This absolutely wonderful cocktail comes to us from Brazil.  In fact, it's their national drink.  It's made with three familiar ingredients, limes, sugar, and soda water. But the heart of the drink is cachaça [kuh-CHAH-suh], a spirit made from sugarcane and tasting a bit like rum, without the bite.

It's very easy to make, and you can assemble one like this:





The Caipirinha
1 lime, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
3 oz cachaca
soda water

In an old-fashioned glass, muddle the lime, sugar and cachaca. Add a few ice cubes, a splash of soda water, stir and serve.

Film Recommendation: the 1959 film, Black Orpheus, is a retelling of the classic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in modern-day Rio de Janeiro.

The pastis: Thoughts of Jean Seberg

When I think of summer, I think of the pastis. Pastis spirits generally have an herbal base and most commonly anise.probably the best known pastis is absinthe; however, the history of absinthe is long and clouded with controversy. Rather than cry over spilled absinthe, I prefer to enjoy long days of summer with a pastis drink made with the modern-day cousin of absinthe: Pernod. This aromatic, amber colored liquor can be enjoyed straight, but it's most often diluted with water to yield a refreshing, licorice flavored summer drink enjoyed most commonly by those living in Marseille and Provence in southern France.

In terms of recipe, nothing could be simpler. Unlike the ritual associated with absinthe, pastis drinks only involve adding five parts cold water to one part pastis liquor. What amazes most people is how the clear, amber gold liquor becomes milky, with the addition of water.

Ingredients
1 ounce Pernod
5 ounces cold water

Place the Pernod into a short Collins glass, add the water, garnish with a citrus slice (or maraschino cherry), and serve.

Pernod can also be used to make the vintage cocktail known as the Sazerac, a combination of Rye, Pernod, Angostura bitters, and simple syrup. More on that later.

Film recommendation: When I think of the brevity of summer, or Paris, I think of the all too short career of Jean Seberg. I can't think of a more fitting movie to watch with a pastis in my hand, than Breathless (1960).  Check it out at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/

Southside Cocktail: Speaking of Summer

The Southside began at the 21 Club in New York City and was the house drink back when the club was at its peak.  During the Prohibition, two cousins from Austria established their speakeasy, which would end up at 21 West Fifty-Second Street.   


As with the wonderful world of mixology, there are other stories about the origin of the Southside, citing Chicago's gangs of the South Side and their attempt to disguise the low quality of their spirits, by mixing it with plenty of sugar and citrus.


Whatever the origin of this cocktail, we get to enjoy the legacy as we might a Mojito.  Refreshingly and with a hint of mint.


This wonderful drink can be prepared straight or as a fizz. But here's the basic recipe. For this you'll need the following:


Ingredients
2 oz Dry gin
1 oz simple syrup
Juice of one half lemon
Sprig of mint
Splash of soda water (for the Fizz)


Into a mixing glass, place the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice.add all the mint, except for one leaf. Muddle the mint gently, but be careful not to tear the leaves. add a handful of cracked ice, and stir well, until the mixture is well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with the remaining mint leaf, and serve.

Southside Fizz: strain the chilled mixture into a Collins glass containing some ice, and top off with soda water. Stir once or twice gently, and garnish with the remaining mint leaf.


If this recipe reminds you a little of a Mojito, you're not alone. After all, the refreshing tequila drink that we know so well does bear a slight resemblance to the south side.


Movie recommendation:  I can think of two movies that might go with this libation:  On The Waterfront (1954), with Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, and Weekend at Bernie's (1989) with Andrew McCarthy.  Whatever you watch, drink responsibly and enjoy this wonderful summer drink.


For more information on the Southside Cocktail, see http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/08/taking-a-walk-on-the-southside.html  and http://www.cocktailmusings.com/2010/05/southside.html

The French 75 - A summer firecracker!

This wonderful libation is said to have been created around 1915, as a revision of the 75 Cocktail.  It is also said to have been created to honor the great French field piece, the 75mm gun, a mainstay of WW1.  But despite its rather explosive name and dedication, it's quite a refreshing and mild cocktail and perfect for summer entertaining.

This is one of the several famous cocktails that originated in the New York Bar in Paris, later Harry's New York Bar.  The first published recipe is this one, made with gin.  Later on, like so many things involving cocktail lore, there was some controversy over the use of gin, rather than a more "French" spirit - cognac.  While some do prefer the use of cognac, my own preference is for the lighter taste of gin, with its wonderful piney botanicals.  I also prefer the French 75 with no garnish, but that's the wonderful thing about mixology.  You can prepare drinks the way you like them.

There are two versions of the French 75, straight up and Collins-style.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Gin
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Champagne


Straight up: Place the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Top up with cold champagne or dry sparkling wine. Garnish with a very thin slice of lemon, floated on top.


Collins-Style: Place the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice in a chilled Collins glass containing ice, and stir. Top up with cold champagne or dry sparkling wine. Garnish with a very thin slice of lemon, floated on top. 


Movie Recommendation:  Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion comes to mind immediately.  This 1937 film, starring Jean Gabin and Marcel Dalio (who later appeared in Casablanca, as "Frenchie") is one of those "essentials" for any lover of film.  Two French prisoners in WW1 escape and head toward safety in Switzerland.  Put up your feet, turn on the subtitles and enjoy!

The Vesper - Shaken, not stirred

THIS is the now-famous cocktail attributed to James Bond, in Ian Fleming's novel, "Casino Royale." Bond orders a vodka martini, but instructs the bartender to make it a new way, using: Three measures of Gordon's, one measure of vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet . . . Shaken, not stirred, and garnished with a generous peel of lemon.

For one reason or another, the phrase "shaken, not stirred" has migrated to apply to any vodka martini associated with Fleming's character, James Bond. Not so. Bond was quite the aficionado of the martini

and expected his to be stirred. But The Vesper was not just ANY martini, it was an homage to the spy Vesper Lynd (a pun on "West Berlin").

History aside, this is the recipe for a Vesper cocktail (Vesper martini). The original recipe in Casino Royale used Kina Lillet, which contained quinine, adding a touch of bitterness. The recipe below includes a dash of orange bitters, which will suffice.

The Vesper

2 oz Gordon's Dry Gin

2/3 oz Vodka

1/3 oz Lillet (a French aperitif)

Dash of Fee's Orange Bitters (to restore the bitterness originally in Kina Lillet)

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake very

vigorously, until ice cold. Strain into a champagne coupe or similar cocktail glass. Garnish with a "large, thin slice of lemon peel."

An additional recommendation might be to don a tuxedo and formal wear to really enjoy this cocktail . . .

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Cinema recommendation: What else? Casino Royale, in any of its iterations!

The Tomato Cocktail - Red and Refreshing

The origins of this non-alcoholic cocktail are uncertain, but it is safe to say that it became popularized, when tinned (canned) tomato juice was made widely available. Some cocktail sources suggest that this drink was originally made from freshly squeezed tomatoes, but as anyone who has ever tried to juice a fresh tomato knows, the result is very watery, seedy and has little body or flavor. In making tinned tomato juice, the tomato is cooked down, to evaporate the water, intensifying the red color and the natural flavor, as well as thickening the juice. The natural consequence of the Tomato Cocktail, as you'll see from the recipe below, became the Bucket of Blood, the Bloody Mary, and the Red Snapper. Unlike the Virgin Mary Cocktail, this is not just a Bloody Mary without the ingredients. It's a cocktail that brings out natural tomato flavor, without overwhelming it with anything intense. In this picture, the Tomato Cocktail is being enjoyed with a piece of Taleggio, an Italian, washed-rind, ripened cheese.

The Tomato Cocktail

Into a mixing glass, place

some ice

3 oz Tinned/bottled tomato juice

1 tsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Grinding of black pepper.

Stir well, until the ingredients are well mixed and chilled, then strain into a cocktail (martini) glass. I suggest placing a thin slice of lemon or lime right on top, or some julienne of cucumber, if you prefer.

Resist the temptation to "kick it up a notch" (an expression I truly dislike), by adding Tabasco, cayenne, or even a soupcon (teeny bit) of salt. If you desire a more fully flavored Tomato Cocktail, use V8 juice, instead of tomato.

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Cinema Recommendation:

I'm not sure quite why, but I think I'd recommend this one:

Happenstance (2000). Audrey Tautou, Eric Savin. Directed by Laurent Firode. This comedy, starring France's favorite sweetheart, Audrey Tautou, is as cute as the Tomato Cocktail. Enjoy the fun and the, yes, happenstance(s) throughout this film, and enjoy it with a freshly made, chilled Tomato Cocktail at your side.