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.

Mixology - It's Flexibility that Counts

Negroni

Like most creative people, bartenders hesitate to divulge secrets. . . and relish in the thought that so many people would love to know how to do what they do.  But like cooking, many recipes are adaptable - and adapted - from some other basic formula.

One "basic" cocktail is the Americano, an equal combination of sweet vermouth and Campari, with a dash of Angostura added.

A Professor Negroni walks into a bar (no, this is not a joke) and asks the bartender to make his daily  Americano a bit more interesting.  So the bartender adds a third component (gin), and the Negroni was born.

Recently, bartenders have begun to swap rye whiskey for the gin in a Negroni, leading to what some call a "Flaming Heart."

And if you don't like Campari and leave it out, you get almost shockingly close to a. . .[wait for it] . . Manhattan.

Mixology isn't so much about secret recipes, or even the wonderful folklore that goes with classic cocktails.  It's about being open to substitutions, changes and experimenting with different components.
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Caipirinha

Swap gin for the usual vodka in a Bloody Mary, and you get a Red Snapper.  You see?  And if you tinker around enough, you'll even find out that some of your experiments have "made it big" years before, as classic cocktails.
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Swap tequila for rum in a daiquiri, and you come close to a Margarita.  Swap rum for bourbon in a Mint Julep, and you come pretty close to a Mojito.  Swap cachaca for rum in a Mojito, and you come pretty close to a Caipirinha.

And swap scotch for blended whiskey or bourbon in a Manhattan, and you end up with a Rob Roy!


It's all about flexibility.

The Sidecar - A hint of days gone by

A Sidecar for the Holidays - Memories of Days Gone By

Vintage cocktails are all about bringing back memories of great times with friends and family . . . and for the cocktail aficionado, memories of great - and classic - cocktails from days gone by.  The Sidecar, which came to us from Europe, about the time of WWI is one of these.  An officer, it is reputed, chilled from riding in a motorcycle sidecar, entered a Parisian bar (said to be either Harry's or the Ritz) and asked for a warming drink, from the bartender.

 We don't need to ride in a motorcycle sidecar or even go to Paris.  You can enjoy much the same warming drink, right at home or at any good bar.  Either way, a Sidecar is a great vintage cocktail. 

Here's how I make mine:

The Sidecar

1  Jigger brandy

1/2 Jigger Cointreau

1/2 Jigger freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice.  Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  No garnish necessary, but I think a thin strip of lemon peel or a small piece of orange is very appropriate.

TIP:  Use Cointreau, not triple sec.  The flavor speaks for itself.

The Bee's Knees. . . the cat's meow

My specialty is vintage cocktails, and when I saw the Bee's Knees, I immediately got more curious.  Any cocktail that's named for a truly old fashioned expression has got to have some interest for me.

To my way of thinking, the Bee's Knees is a good cocktail for nearly any season, but I'd recommend it for spring through early fall.  As its name implies, it contains something to do with bees. . . namely, honey.  And although I don't like to reduce a recipe to something overly simple, the Bee's Knees is basically a gin sour made with honey, instead of powdered sugar.


Here's how I make mine:

The Bee's Knees

2 oz Dry gin
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbs Honey
1/2 Tbs Warm water

Make "honey syrup," by mixing a tablespoonful of honey, with the warm water.  Add the lemon juice and gin, and shake well with cracked ice.  Pour into a chilled coupe (an old-fashioned champagne glass).  No garnish needed, but if you insist on decorations, a small piece of lemon peel will do.