Vanderbilt Cocktail

Today I selected a 'Vanderbilt Cocktail' (from page no. 177 from Mr. Boston's Bartender's Guide, 1985).

The drink was pretty good, on the sweet side but good, overall. It is a "keeper", if you like a sweeter rather than a tart drink (I think both Olga and I prefer a touch of sweet).

The recipe:

3/4 oz Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)
1 1/2 oz Brandy (E&J XO)
1 teaspoon sugar syrup
2 dashes bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a cherry.

Polynesian Cocktail

The 'Polynesian Cocktail' we had tonight sounded like a wonderful drink, evoking thoughts of warm weather: however it tasted a lot like lime juice. Maybe there was too much added. A wonderful color though!

The recipe (page no. 138 from the Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz Vodka (Absolut)
3/4 oz Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)
Juice of 1 Lime

Rub rim of cocktail glass with lime and dip into powdered sugar.
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into prepared glass.

I only dip one half of the glass into the sugar so you could take your choice when drinking (suggestion from the book "In the Land of Cocktails").

Merry Widow Cocktail No. 2

The drink tonight was a 'Merry Widow Cocktail No. 2',  found on page 121 of my Bartender's Guide. We shared this cocktail with our neighbors, who seemed to enjoy it. The drink was sweet, but not as much as the one last night, and was better. It may be worth a second try.

The recipe:

1 1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 1/4 oz Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Serve with a cherry. I also used a piece of tangerine as a garnish along with the cherry.

Cheers.

Canadian Cherry

Tonight's choice was a 'Canadian Cherry' cocktail from page no. 55 of our Bartender's Guide. I chose this drink so we could use our new old-fashioned Mardi Gras glasses a friend gave us (Mardi Gras season is starting up here in Louisiana).

The drink was very good. Olga and I both enjoyed it and will have another at some point.

The recipe:
1 1/2 oz. Canadian Whiskey (Canadian Club)
1/2 oz. Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp Orange Juice

Shake all ingredients and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Moisten glass rim with cherry brandy.

 I skipped the last instruction!

 Cheers.

Blood-and-Sand Cocktail (corrected)

I revisited the cocktail from last night - since I had mistakenly used Dry instead of Sweet Vermouth.
The drink made with Sweet Vermouth was much sweeter and, although tasty, was not quite as good as the version made with Dry Vermouth, in my humble opinion.

Either version is worth having as an enjoyable cocktail in a restaurant.

And how about those neat glasses.



Blood-and Sand Cocktail

(this is the same recipe as last night - I just grabbed the bottle of Dry Vermouth instead of Sweet Vermouth. Tonight I used the Sweet Vermouth!).


Recipe:


1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 oz Scotch (Dewar's White Label)
1/2 oz Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini & Rossi)

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

Cheers!

Blood-and-Sand Cocktail

Tonight I prepared a cocktail using another cocktail glass my daughter gave me and one a dear neighbor gave us. Both are great for the holiday season and add a little extra to the cocktails they contain.

I selected a 'Blood-and-Sand Cocktail' for tonight.  It is on page 42 of our Bartender's Guide.

The recipe:

1 tablespoon Orange Juice
1/2 oz Scotch (Dewar's White Label)
1/2 oz Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
I used an orange slice and cherry as a garnish.

Actually the mixologist screwed up (again!).  I must confess that I used dry vermouth instead of sweet. However, the drink was quite good. I would order the drink as I mixed it but I will mix it correctly tomorrow night and re-evaluate.

I sure hope professional bartenders don't have my problems with reading recipes and then mixing them correctly.

Cheers!

Cherry Rum Cocktail

Today was, as it turned out, cocktail day. A friend dropped by about 3:30 and I persuaded her to share a Southern Comfort Manhattan that I described yesterday. It was just as good! We were joined by our good friends from next door after that. I was able to talk them into sharing another Southern Comfort Cocktail as well as a 'Cherry Rum Cocktail'  (page 60 in the Bartender's Guide).

It wasn't my all-time favorite drink but we all enjoyed it.

The recipe:

1 1/4 oz Rum (Ronrico)
1 1/2 oz Cherry Brandy (LeRoux)
1 tablespoon Light Cream (I used whipping cream instead)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

A votre sante!