Harlem Cocktail

Harlem Cocktail

From page 96 Mr Boston Official Bartender's guide.

3/4 Oz. Pineapple Juice
1 1/2 Oz.Gin (Bombay)
1/2 Tsp. Maraschino (Luxardo)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Decorate with two pineapple chunks.





I ran out of Old Tom gin and had to switch to Bombay.
Nevertheless, this was a very good drink. The ingredients melded together extremely well.

We liked it.

(No garnish - out of pineapple chunks)

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.

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!

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.

Leave-It-To-Me Cocktail No. 2

Today I selected a 'Leave-It-To-Me Cocktail No.2' for our drink. It turned out to be another very tasty drink. Since I had no raspberry syrup, I used Chambord Raspberry liqueur, which may have enhanced the taste somewhat! Anyway, we liked it.

The recipe (page 113 from Mr. Boston's Bartender's Guide, publ. 1985):

1 tsp Raspberry Syrup (Chambord Liqueur)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 1/2 oz Gin (Seagram's Extra Dry)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Actually, I used a shaker since the drink contained lemon juice.
Garnish with cherry and an orange section.

Melon Cocktail

Rain, rain all day.  We enjoyed our 'Melon Cocktail' inside to stay dry.  The recipe is on page 121 of  The Bartender's Guide. It was a pretty good drink.

For one drink:

2 oz Gin (Seagram's Extra Dry)
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Serve with a cherry (and an orange section, if you want).

Enjoy!

Cornell Cocktail

A 'Cornell Cocktail' on page 67 of the Bartender's Guide was enjoyable and refreshing.

The recipe:

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 egg white (I left this out)
1 1/2 oz Gin (Seagram's Extra Dry)

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

Enjoy!

Beachcomber

Today we had a 'Beachcomber' cocktail. It was tasty and worth a repeat. We enjoyed it on the patio between showers.

The recipe (page 37 in the Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz Rum (Bacardi Gold)
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Triple Sec (DeKuyper)
1 dash Maraschino (Luxardo)

Shake with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass rimmed with lime juice and sugar.

Sensation Cocktail

After a two week vacation in Florida, I selected a 'Sensation Cocktail' (page 157 in the Bartender's Guide) as a "welcome home" drink.

It was refreshing, a nice break from my gin & tonics, but overall, not one of our favorites.

The recipe:

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 oz Gin (Seagrams Extra Dry)
1 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Add two sprigs of fresh mint.

Enjoy!

Chinese Cocktail

Today we had a 'Chinese Cocktail' (page no. 61 of the Bartender's Guide).


The drink was pretty good and will be on our repeat list. One change in the recipe I think would be beneficial would be to add a little lemon or lime juice to counter some of the sweetness.

The recipe:

1 tablespoon Grenadine
1 1/2 oz Rum (Myer's Jamaican)
1 dash Bitters
1 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 teaspoon Triple Sec (DeKuyper)

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Cheers!

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!

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!

Boomerang Cocktail

Had a great Saturday. Went to 2 grandsons' basketball games and then to the LSU women's tennis match.  LSU lost but we came home to a good cocktail; a 'Boomerang Cocktail' (on page 45 of The Bartender's Guide).

1 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1 dash Bitters
1 dash Maraschino (Luxardo)

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

The drink was good, not as good as some but well worth trying again. The weather was good (aka warm) also, which helps a lot.

Cheers.

Lawhill Cocktail

Thursday's drink was a 'Lawhill Cocktail' (from page 113 of the Bartender's Guide). The cocktail had more ingredients than most drinks but it worked out ... had a very nice taste with the Absinthe and Whiskey components lending identifiable flavors. it was a good drink.

The recipe:

3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Blended Whiskey (Jim Beam Bourbon instead)
1/4 teaspoon Absinthe Substitute (La Fee-real stuff)
1/4 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 dash Bitters (Angostura)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Emerson Cocktail

Today, as well as yesterday and the next week, were, or are, expected to be great, weather-wise (mid-70's!).

We sat outside to enjoy our drink of the day; an 'Emerson Cocktail.' It was very tasty and definitely worth repeating. I only added about 1/2 oz lime juice for two drinks and did a taste test to get the amount right (for our taste). One lime actually yielded over an ounce of juice so be judicious when mixing drinks that call for fruit fractions.

The recipe (page no. 77 from the Bartender's Guide):

1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin and Noilly Prat)
1 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)
Juice of 1/2 lime

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

Cheers! I hope your weather is as nice as here in south Louisiana.

Last Word Cocktail

Tonight was the time for a 'Last Word Cocktail' !  I left the Bartender's Guide behind for a night to make a cocktail from a blog site at DrinkUpNY.com. They are the merchants I buy much of my more "exotic" liquors and liqueurs from.

The recipe:

1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lime Juice

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

The drink was very good; the Maraschino taste was evident but not overwhelming. The overall taste was excellent!

Cheers.

Opera Cocktail

Today the cocktail of choice was an 'Opera Cocktail'.  It was on page 131 of my Bartender's Guide. The drink featured both Dubonnet and Maraschino. If you're not familiar with these two beverages, the former is a fortified wine from France and the latter is a Maraschino Cherry Liqueur (the one I have is from Italy).

The recipe:

1 Tbsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Dubonnet
1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. I garnished with a twist of lime.

The drink was OK but the Maraschino taste was predominant and not altogether as tasty as I would have liked; not a "keeper".

One interesting observation about the recipe is the mixed volumetric measurements. A tablespoon is 1/2 ounce but maybe the bartender is just trying to confuse his audience!

Cheers.

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.

Imperial Cocktail

After the Income Tax Cocktail last night (a disappointment), I chose another gin-based, similar drink, the 'Imperial Cocktail'.  It was a likeable drink, one worth another try.

The recipe (page no. 101 from our Bartender's Guide):


1 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Gin (Booth's)
1/2 teaspoon Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 dash bitters

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

The drink tonight was pretty close, ingredient-wise, to the Income Tax last night. Slight proportion changes and no orange juice (plus Maraschino) helped the taste significantly. This drink was a success!


 Sante.