Silver King Cocktail

Silver King Cocktail

From page 160 of Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide.

1 Egg White
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 1/2 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)
1/2 Tsp. Powdered Sugar
2 Dashes Orange Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Not one of our favorite cocktails. It presented an un-memorable drinking experience, very little taste other than "tart".

Ulanda Cocktail

Ulanda Cocktail

(From page 176, Mr Boston's Official Bartender's Guide)

1 1/2 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)
3/4 Oz. Triple Sec (LeRoux)
1/4 Tsp. Absinthe (La Fee)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Although the recipe called for absinthe substitute, I used the real thing.

I have been somewhat skeptical of cocktails containing absinthe (save for Sazerac, of course, and an Obituary Cocktail) but this was actually quite good. Just enough absinthe to add a bit of flavor. A definite repeat.

Union Jack Cocktail

Union Jack Cocktail

page 176, Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide

3/4 Oz. Sloe Gin (leRoux)
1 1/2 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)
1/2 Tsp Grenadine (Roses)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Another good drink, somewhat sweet. It seems like most cocktails are pretty good these days!

I had been shying away from sloe gin but it really tasted good, added a lot of flavor.

Metropolitan Cocktail

Metropolitan Cocktail

(from page 121 in Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

1 1/4 Oz. Brandy (E&J XO)
1 1/4 Oz. Sweet Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 Tsp Sugar Syrup
1 dash Bitters (Angostura)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

The Metropolitan was an interesting drink. The vermouth was the predominant taste which, if you like vermouth, was very drinkable. It will not become my favorite cocktail, however.

Seventh Heaven Cocktail

Seventh Heaven Cocktail

page 157, Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide

2 Tsps Grapefruit Juice
1 Tbsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 1/2 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Decorate with a sprig of fresh mint.

This was a very good drink. The Maraschino added a subtle flavor while the grapefruit juice toned down the gin taste. My friend who drinks martinis would not like this one but it's worth repeating for the rest of us.

Poppy Cocktail

Poppy Cocktail

From page 138 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide

3/4 Oz. Créme de Cacao - White (LeRoux)
1 1/2 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

A pleasant tasting drink but somewhat sweet for my taste. I wouldn't consider this one a favorite.

Colonial Cocktail

Colonial Cocktail

(Page 67 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

1/2 Oz. Grapefruit Juice
1 Tsp. Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 1/2 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)

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

This was a really excellent cocktail. I actually wasn't expecting much but the flavor was really great. Just a hint of the Maraschino and the grapefruit juice softened the gin, delightfully. One of the best we've had!

Planter's Cocktail

Planter's Cocktail

(Page 137 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

Juice of 1/4 Lemon
1/2 Tsp Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Oz. Jamaican Rum (Myers,s)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

A very good cocktail, much like a daiquiri, except with tastier rum. Liked it.

Miami Cocktail

Miami Cocktail

From  page 122, Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide

1 1/2 Oz. Rum (Bacardi Light)
1/2 Oz. Créme de Menthe (LeRoux White)
1 dash Lemon Juice (I used 1/2 tsp)

Shake with  ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a small lemon wedge.

This was a surprisingly good drink. The recipe is very simple but yielded a flavorful cocktail. My wife thinks this is the grandfather of the Mojito! Which it may be. It bypasses the mint leaves and sugar, uses lemon juice instead of lime, plus rum.

Anyway, an excellent cocktail, worthy of serving at your next cocktail party. Try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Nevins Cocktail

Nevins Cocktail

(page 128, Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

1 1/2 Oz. Bourbon (Evan Williams Black Label)
1 1/2 Tsp, Apricot Brandy (LeRoux)
1 Tbsp Grapefruit Juice
1 1/2 Tsp. Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Another good drink, as most seem to be! My wife and I both enjoyed this cocktail. The combination of ingredients came out a winner. Definitely worth a repeat at some point.

Miami Beach Cocktail

Miami Beach Cocktail

(from page 122, Mr Boston Original Bartender's Guide)

3/4 Oz. Scotch (Dewers's)
3/4 Oz. Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 Oz. Grapefruit Juice

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

A very interesting drink. The Miami Beach Cocktail is another scotch-based drink that has a remarkably smoky taste. The combination of scotch, vermouth, and grapefruit juice creates a complex taste and texture which I found very good (but I like scotch).

A surprisingly good drink.

Judge Jr. Cocktail

Judge Jr. Cocktail

(page 108 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

3/4 Oz. Gin (Seagram's)
3/4 Oz. Rum (Bacardi Light)
Juice of 1/4 Lemon
1/2 Tsp Powdered Sugar
1/4 Tsp. Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass

The Judge Jr. Cocktail was a good drink, more to our taste than the very sweet drinks we've had lately. Another cocktail along the daiquiri line. It does fall into the repeat category, though.

Havana Cocktail

Havana Cocktail

(Page 97 in Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

1 1/2 Oz. Pineapple Juice
1/2 Tsp. Lemon Juice
3/4 Oz. Rum (Bacardi)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

The Havana Cocktail tasted an awful lot like pineapple juice. We missed the taste of the liquor, which was completely hidden by the fruit juices. One comment was that this would be better as a tall drink with an umbrella and fruit garnishes! Not very complimentary.

Stay with known quantities.

El Presidente Cocktail No. 1

El Presidente Cocktail No. 1

(Page 77 in Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

Juice of 1 lime (I use 1 oz.)
1 Tsp. Pineapple Juice
1 Tsp. Grenadine
1 1/2 Oz. Rum Bacardi Light)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Another daiquiri-like drink, except prettier. It was a light, refreshing drink but no better than the "real" thing. Actually, "bland" would be a good description vs a daiquiri.

East India cocktail No. 1

East India Cocktail No. 1

(page 76 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

1 1/2 Oz. Brandy (E&J XO)
1/2 Tsp Pineapple Juice
1/2 Tsp. Triple Sec (LeRoux)
1 Tsp.  Rum (Myers's Dark)
1 dash Bitters

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

As you can see from the photo, I forgot the garnish!

The East India Cocktail No. 1 was a somewhat bland drink but drinkable. There was a "tingle" on the tongue, probably from the Bitters or rum, which made it somewhat pleasant, texturally. There are so many cocktails to choose from which are a lot tastier than this one, though, that I doubt I will repeat it.

Happy mixing!

Cuban Special

Cuban Special

(from page 70 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

1 Tbsp. Pineapple Juice
Juice of 1/2 Lime (1/2 oz.)
1 Oz. Rum (Bacardi Light)
1/2 Tsp Triple Sec (LeRoux)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Decorate with a slice of pineapple and a cherry. I had no pineapple so all we had was a cherry.

The Cuban Special was a very good drink. The pineapple juice offered a good counterpoint to the tartness of the lime.

Definitely have this one again. And the weather was great today as well!

Cuban Cocktail No. 1

Cuban Cocktail No. 1

(page 69 of Mr Boston Official Bartender's Guide)

Juice of 1/2 Lime
1/2 Tsp Powdered Sugar
2 Oz. Rum (Bacardi light)

shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a lemon slice.

Another daiquiri-like drink that was good and very easy to mix. Having experience with daiquiris, I doubled the sugar called for in the recipe so it was less tart than it would have been. The recipe differed only slightly from a classic daiquiri, though. Just stick with the real thing!

Thistle Cocktail

Thistle Cocktail

From page 172 in Mr Boston's Official Bartender's Guide

1 1/2 Oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin)
1 1/2 Oz Scotch (Dewars's)
2 dashes Bitters (Angostura)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist just because.

Another interesting drink. It had slightly smoky taste from the scotch with sweetness added by the vermouth; quite good, actually. I would mix this one again.

Might be the fact that scotch (single malt) is my favorite drink could be influencing me, you think? Anyway, my wife liked it as well!

Tropical Cocktail

Tropical Cocktail

page 174 in Mr Boston's Official Bartender's Guide

3/4 Oz Créme de Cacao (LeRoux)
3/4 Oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
3/4 Oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 dash Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

I've met very few cocktails over the past few years in my journey that I couldn't handle; this was one of them. The taste was almost pleasant (the Maraschino flavor almost saved the drink) but it was cloyingly sweet. It needed dilution with a rum/vodka/brandy and some citrus to make it palatable, at least for me. On the flip side, my wife seemed to enjoy it (at least she drank it)!

Oh, well. Tomorrow is another day.