Margarita Cocktail

Today we had a  'Margarita Cocktail'.  The first one I mixed used a recipe from "In the Land of Cocktails", page 34.

The recipe:

2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 lime wedges
1 1/2 oz Tequila (Cuervo Black)
3/4 ozTriple Sec (LeRoux)
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup

Put the salt in a saucer, rub half of the rim of a Margarita or a Martini glass with 1 lime wedge.  Dip the rim into the salt.
Using a clean cloth, wipe any excess salt from inside the glass and set aside.
Shake ingredients with ice vigorously. Strain into prepared glass and garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

It was somewhat sour! Otherwise, we drank it.

The second one I mixed used Jose Cuervo mix to which I added pomegranate juice along with tequila and triple sec. It was frozen, sweeter, and more to our taste. It was better mixed with the first one (I can't wait to reproduce this one)!

Cheers.

                                                                                                                  

Golden Dream Cocktail

Today we tried what was, for us, a different type of drink, a 'Golden Dream Cocktail'.   It was a very good although probably better suited for after dinner. We did enjoy the taste. It will join the "repeater's" group.

The recipe (page no. 92 from the Bartender's Guide):

1 tablespoon Orange Juice
1/2 oz Triple Sec (DeKuyper)
1 oz Galliano
1 tablespoon Light Cream

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Try it!

Xeres Cocktail

Today we had a 'Xeres Cocktail' (page 191 of the Bartender's Guide).  It is a simple drink to mix;  the taste is somewhat insipid, not what I like in a cocktail. It's not one I will repeat.

The recipe:

1 dash Orange Bitters
2 oz Dry Sherry (Fairbanks Medium Dry)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

This drink does finish the X's in our Guide!


Enjoy!

XYZ Cocktail

Today's drink was an 'XYZ Cocktail'  (on page 191 of the Bartender's Guide).

The recipe:

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice (used about 1/2 tbsp)
1/2 oz Triple Sec (DeKuyper)
1 oz Rum (Bacardi Light)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

The drink was pretty good, not as good as the one last night but still very drinkable. Probably won't repeat this drink.

Cheers!

Jade Cocktail

Today I chose a 'Jade Cocktail' for our drink. It was a little sweet but would probably be very good with a slight modification.

The recipe (page no. 104 from the Bartender's Guide).


1 1/2 oz Dark Rum (Myers Original Dark)
1/2 teaspoon  Green Créme de Menthe(LeRoux)
1/2 teaspoon Triple Sec (DeKuyper)
1 tablespoon Lime Juice (used 1/2 amount)
1 teaspoon powdered sugar (used 2 tsp simple syrup)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a lime slice.

I didn't have enough lime for all the juice so I substituted lemon juice. I also used simple syrup instead of powdered sugar ... 1 tsp too much, I believe. The drink has definite possibilities! I'll try it again.


Cheers!

Brandy Cassis Cocktail

We enjoy a Kir (Cassis with white wine) and so were looking forward to this cocktail.  It was
disappointing, too much lemon juice - even though I cut the recipe amount in half- and it was hard to find the Cassis taste. Not a "keeper", a rarity lately.

The recipe (page no. 47 in the Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz Brandy (E&J XO)
1 oz Lemon Juice (actually used 1/2 oz)
1 dash Créme de Cassis (Mathilde)

Shake with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Add a twist of lemon peel.

In hindsight, an oz or so of simple syrup may have salvaged the drink?

Salud!

Commodore Cocktail

Tonight we tried a 'Commodore Cocktail' (page 67 of the Bartender's Guide). We even shared the evening's drink with neighbors who thought it was good, although "strong". No one ended up under the table, thank goodness.

The recipe:

Juice of 1/2 lime or 1/2 lemon (1/4 oz lemon juice)
1 teaspoon powdered sugar(2 tsps simple sugar syrup)
2 dashes Orange Bitters (Fee Bros.)
1 1/2 oz Whiskey (Old Forester)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

It was a good drink; one we'll have again.

Cheers.

Roselyn Cocktail

Today we chose a 'Roselyn Cocktail' (page 149 in the Bartender's Guide) to mix tonight.

The recipe:

3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1/2 teaspoon Grenadine

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.

The drink was good, as most seem to be nowadays! It's in the "keeper"class. Plus, Olga thinks it's "pretty".

Cheers!

Everybody's Irish Cocktail

Today we had an 'Everybody's Irish Cocktail'  -page 77 in the Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide (1985 Version).

The recipe:

1 teaspoon Green Créme de Menthe(LeRoux)
1 teaspoon Chartreuse (Green)
2 oz Irish Whisky (Jameson)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with a green olive.

The drink was similar to one we had a couple of days ago; same ingredients, different amounts. This one used less creme de menthe and Chartreuse and was much better -
no mouthwash taste! It was pretty good.

Slainte!

Brandy Cocktail

Today we chose a 'Brandy Cocktail' on page 47 of the Mr. Boston's Bartender's Guide.

A very good cocktail, one of the best we've had lately.  We enjoyed it and would have it again.

The recipe:

2 oz Brandy (E&J XO)
1/4 teaspoon Sugar Syrup
2 dashes Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.

Salud!

St Patick's Day Cocktail

A couple of days late, but we chose a 'St. Patrick's Day' cocktail for Monday. The recipe is on page no.153 of the Bartender's Guide (1985 edition).

The recipe:

3/4 oz Green Créme de Menthe(LeRoux)
3/4 oz Chartreuse (Green)
3/4 oz Irish Whisky (Jameson's)
1 dash Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a slice of orange.

The drink was potable but not one of our favorites. As a matter of fact, it was a lot like mouthwash (actually it was much better than that)!

Slainte!

Maiden's Prayer Cocktail

The drink today was a  'Maiden's Prayer' (on page 118 of the Bartender's Guide).

The recipe:

1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1/2 oz Triple Sec (DeKuyper)
1 oz lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a lime slice.

This drink was not a favorite, being reminiscent of lemonade! Oh, well... Maybe tomorrow's will be better.

Cheers!

Club Cocktail

Today we had a 'Club Cocktail' (page 65 in the Bartender's Guide). We had neighbors join us for the drink and we agreed that it was pleasant, albeit too sweet for my taste (could have used some lemon juice to add complexity (?).

The recipe:

1 1/2 oz Gin (Booyh's)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Add a cherry or olive (I used a cherry).

Cheers!

Tennis at the Cove!

No picture - and no cocktail tonight.  We played tennis this morning and then watched the LSU women's tennis team lose a tough match to Tulsa. That was followed by a birthday get-together for one of the ladies Olga plays tennis with so no time for a drink (at home). We did do wine and champagne.

Tune in tomorrow for a new drink of the day.

Irish Blonde and Irish Jack Rose Cocktail

Irish Jack Rose

Irish Blonde

Today being St Patrick's Day, we enjoyed 2 drinks as shown above- 'Irish Blonde' and 'Irish Jack Rose' Cocktails, neither of which were in the Bartender's Guide!

Irish Blonde

2 oz Irish Whiskey (Jameson's)
3/4 oz Orange Curaçao (Marie Brizard)
1/4 oz Sherry (Fairbank's Medium)
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir and strain into a chilled Martini glass. I garnished with an orange slice (didn't know what "flamed orange peel" is).

Irish Jack Rose

1 oz Irish Whiskey (Jameson's)
1/2 oz Calvados (Otard)
1/2 oz Lime Juice (I only used ~2/3 the lime juice called for in the recipe)
1/2 oz Grenadine (Used 2/3 of the Grenadine, also)

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Both drinks were very good.

Slainte!

Applecar Cocktail

Today we had an 'Applecar' cocktail. It was a very good drink, light and refreshing. I used half the lemon juice in the recipe, though, which was still almost too much! Should have used 1/4 the amount. It was still worth repeating.

The recipe (page no. 33 from the Bartender's Guide):

1 oz Applejack (Laird's)
1 oz Triple Sec (LeRoux)
1 oz Lemon Juice (I only used 1/2 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I chose to garnish with an apple wedge.

Cheers!

Dixie Whiskey Cocktail

Today was the time for a 'Dixie Whiskey Cocktail'  (page 74 from the Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide). We enjoyed it on our patio along with the sunshine! It was  also an excellent cocktail. All the flavors made for a great drink.

 The recipe:

1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar (I used 1 oz simple sugar)
1 dash Bitters
1/4 teaspoon Triple Sec (LeRoux)
1/2 teaspoon White Créme de Menthe (LeRoux)
2 oz Bourbon (Jim Beam and Old Forester - ran out of Jim Beam))

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with an orange slice.

Cheers,

Jersey Lightning Cocktail

The drink for today was a 'Jersey Lightning Cocktail'.  It was very good, although, as usual, the lime juice amount in the recipe was too much. Maybe I'll learn to use about half as much as the recipes call for (or really learn how much 1/2 a lime is!).

The recipe (page no. 106 from the Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
Juice of 1 lime

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Cheers.

Tulip Cocktail

We celebrated our  grandson's 9th birthday today (his real birthday is next Thursday - St. Pat's Day).
The drink of the day is a 'Tulip Cocktail' (page 175 of the Mr Boston Bartender's Guide ).
 
The recipe:

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon Apricot Brandy (LeRoux)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

The cocktail was very good; could be a favorite!

Weep No More Cocktail

Today we had a 'Weep No More Cocktail. It was pretty good although not one of our highest rated favorites.


The recipe (page no. 183 from Mr. Boston's Bartender's Guide):

Juice of 1/2 lime
3/4 oz Dubonnet
3/4 oz Brandy (E&J XO)
1/4 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Irish Whisky Cocktail

Olga and I spent this afternoon at the LSU/Ole Miss men's tennis match; won by LSU.

After a day of playing and then watching tennis, I chose an 'Irish Whisky Cocktail'.

The recipe (page no. 102 from the Bartender's Guide):

1/2 teaspoon Triple Sec (LeRoux)
1/2 teaspoon Absinthe Substitute (Pernod)
1/4 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 dash bitters
2 oz Irish Whisky (Jameson)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with an olive.

 The drink was quite good. You could still taste the Irish Whisky but the other ingredients reduced the harshness a lot. It's good enough to repeat.


Enjoy!

Jeyplak Cocktail

The cocktail tonight was a good one.  It was a 'Jeyplak Cocktail' on page 106 of the Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide.  It is a gin based cocktail in the martini family, sort of.

The recipe:

1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 teaspoon Absinthe Substitute (Pernod)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Serve with a cherry.

Cheers!

Fox River Cocktail

Tonight we had a 'Fox River Cocktail', and a pretty good one. The recipe is on page 82 of the Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide from 1985.  I open it randomly every night to find a new cocktail to try.

The recipe:

1 tablespoon Brown Créme de Cacao (LeRoux)
2 oz Whiskey (Jim Beam Bourbon)
4 dashes Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with (what else?), an orange slice.

The drink was good with the whiskey taste adequately subdued by the Créme de Cacao. It is one I'd try again.

Cheers!

Paddy Cocktail

The drink of the day was supposed to be a 'Paddy Cocktail' from page 133 in the Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide. Unfortunately, the mixologist made an error on the first attempt and used Dry Vermouth instead of Sweet. Although the drink wasn't bad, it was not the cocktail described. So, I mixed another one correctly and it was much better. It was a little on the sweet side but quite drinkable; an Irish Whiskey Manhattan, sort of.

The recipe:

1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey (Jameson)
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 dash Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with an orange twist.

The plaque in front of the cocktail was a souvenir of Ireland and translates to "a hundred thousand welcomes".

As the Irish say:  Slainte!

Manhasset Cocktail

I selected a whiskey based drink tonight, a 'Manhasset Cocktail'.  It's on page 119 or the Bartender's Guide.

The recipe:


1 1/2 oz Blended Whiskey (I used Jim Beam instead)
1 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 teaspoon Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 tablespoon lemon juice


Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with an orange slice (again).

The drink, I think, has the makings of a good cocktail. However, the lemon juice was very tart; 1/2 oz was too much for this drink. A teaspoon was probably sufficient (although in that case it would be a different cocktail!).


Enjoy!

Opening Cocktail/Old Pal Cocktail

Today was sunny, windy, and downright cold if just sitting. We experienced just that this afternoon when we drove to Baton Rouge to watch the LSU ladies' tennis team take on South Carolina. We lasted about 2 1/2 hours, long enough to see LSU put the match on ice (no pun intended). They ended up winning all the matches.

We selected an 'Opening Cocktail' on page 131 in the Bartender's Guide for our drink of the day. It is almost the same recipe as an 'Old Pal Cocktail' (same page in the Guide), the difference being the Old Pal uses 1/4 oz more whiskey. I'm considering them identical drinks.

The recipe:

1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Blended Whiskey (Jim Beam Bourbon instead)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with an orange slice.

I actually short-changed the Grenadine by about 1/3 oz (ran out), but the drink was very tasty even with that omission. More Grenadine would have made it too sweet. I would be more than willing to have either of these cocktails again.

Salud!

Spanish Town Cocktail

We went to the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade in Baton Rouge today. The photo shows some of our "haul" we returned home with after braving rain and risque floats for two hours. And, thanks to good friends who hosted us.

Lo and behold, I found a 'Spanish Town Cocktail' on page 163 of the Bartender's Guide we've been using, for the most part.

 The recipe:

2 oz Rum (Bacardi Light)
1 teaspoon Triple Sec (LeRoux)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with an orange slice.

The drink was good, not as good as last nights, but still quite drinkable. It was a drink that you sipped rather than gulping! It's worth having another.

I hope you enjoy a great Mardi Gras.

Cheers.

Preakness Cocktail

This rainy Friday I chose a 'Preakness Cocktail'.  It didn't sound very interesting but turned out to be one of the best drinks we've had recently. Definitely worth another try.

The recipe (page no. 140 from the Bartender's Guide):

3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Blended Whiskey (Jim Beam Bourbon, instead)
1 dash Bitters
1/2 teaspoon Benedictine

Stire with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Add a twist of lemon peel.

Cheers!

Victor Cocktail

The drink today was a 'Victor' cocktail. It was an excellent drink with some very complex flavors, somewhat surprising given the recipe. It was one of our favorites.

The recipe (page no. 178 from the Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1/2 oz Brandy (E&J XO)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a slice of orange.

Enjoy!

Fantasio Cocktail

Our forsythia is blooming on the lake bank which means ... spring must be here?

Tonight's cocktail is from page 79 in the Bartender's Guide,
a 'Fantasio Cocktail'.  It only has a teaspoon of Créme de Menthe in it - but it sure dominates the flavor. I think it would have been better with half the creme de menthe. At least it was drinkable although sweet and minty.

The recipe:

1 teaspoon White Créme de Menthe(LeRoux)
1 teaspoon Maraschino Luxardo)
1 oz Brandy (E&J XO)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with an orange slice.


Enjoy!

Trilby Cocktail

Today was a fairly comfortable day, temperatures in the 40's last night to the 70's this afternoon. We sure enjoy wearing shorts and golf shirts although it was cool in the AM.

The drink I selected today was a 'Trilby Cocktail', pretty much like a Manhattan with Orange Bitters. It was actually an excellent drink. I like Manhattans so my enjoyment of this drink was no surprise.

The recipe (page no. 174 from our Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon (Jim Beam White Label)
3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
2 dashes Orange Bitters (Fee Bros.)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I chose to garnish with a cherry and orange slice.