Friends dropped by this evening to eat pork.  So of course, I had to make a few cocktails.

This one was worth remembering:

2oz.                     Remy Martin VSOP (also delicious with bourbon)
1oz.                     Carpano
2 barspoons      Raspberry Sauce (Becky’s)
1 dash                 Balsamico (the thick syrupy stuff)
1 dash                 Rich Simple (more for mouth feel than sweetness)
8ish drops         Cardamom tincture

Shake, up

This should probably go on the Word! post but it was so surprising, I thought it should have its own post.

This cocktail smells *just* like pineapple juice.  Really!  You could put this in front of me for breakfast and I would have a hard time knowing that it was booze.  This is the definition of easy drinking:

1oz.  Beefeater
1oz.  Berentzen Apple Schnapps
1oz.  Tuaca
1oz.  Lemon Juice

Shake, up.

It was time to open the Dolin Blanc that I bought a month or so ago.

For those unfamiliar, Dolin Blanc is an odd ball in that it is a sweet white vermouth.  This was my first experiment and it has a bit of a dry “Last Word” feel to it.  Very nice and refreshing.

2oz.            Sapphire Gin
1oz.             Dolin Blanc
.5oz.            St. Germaine
.5oz.            Green Charteus
.75oz.          Lemon Juice (Meyer in this case).

Shake, up with a cherry.

OK…  I think I might be phoning it in on these cocktail names.

I’m also starting to think this blog has served it’s purpose.  Namely as a place to keep notes related to my education in spirits.  I feel like I’ve come to a place where I can walk up to a liquor cabinet and concoct a decent cocktail to suit my flavor desire of the moment.

I suppose I will continue to record experiments that I find compelling but the fun now seems to be in the ad hoc improvisation.

And thus, Smokey Pete was born (yum):

1.5oz                 Johnny Walker Black
.75oz                Campari
.5oz                   Ramazotti
.25                     Green Chartreuse
1 barspoon     Lemon Juice

Shaken, up

Dana thinks it tastes like a berry of some kind.

I’m not sure but it’s nicely balance between sweet and tart.

1.5oz Beefeaters Gin
.75oz Cherry Heering
.75oz Capano Antica
.25oz Gran Classico
Bar spoon Lemon Juice

Shake. Up. Garnish as you wish but it’s not necessary

I’ve not made a different cocktail since tasting the drink from my early October post “A Spectacular Amaro Cocktail From the Web“.  I mean, why bother?  Really?

Well everything gets meh over time and I guess I needed a break.  On the other hand, it’s such a good cocktail, I thought I’d formulate a relative.

Since I really like Rye and Maraschino together,  and since my Amaro Cocktail is based on a guess at Jeff Seymour’s “The Camaro” (from Interurban in Portland Oregon and which I’ve never actually had or been to).  I thought I’d homage this sucka and create the Cherry Camaro.

Oh yeah,  It’s bitchen!

1.5 OZ     Bullit Rye
.75 OZ    Campari
-.5OZ       Maraschino (easy to over do it so be gentle)
.5OZ         Cynar

Stir, Up, Wide orange peel

The gist was found HERE.  (See “The Camaro”)

My proportions:

1.5oz     Rye Whiskey
1 oz        Averna
.5 oz+   Campari
.25 oz    Fernet Branca

Dash      Peychaud’s bitters.

Stirred, up with an orange zest.

Byootiful!

Dana named it.  I have nothing to do with it.

Dana designed it too.

A little perfumy maybe but quite nice.

Lotus Column:

2oz.                      Metaxa
1oz. (shy)          Carpano Antica
.75oz.                 Domain de Canton

Heavy dash Peychaud’s bitters.

Stirred, up.  Still thinking about the garnish.

In the garden, I’m no different than I am in any other part of my life.  That is to say, I’m intermittently intensely interested.  The rest of the time, the garden sees a lot of neglect.

This is a cocktail recipe that might keep me engaged; at least in one small part of the yard.

We have a few canes each of 3 different types of raspberries.  Of course, my favorite, a golden ever-bearing variety has suffered from neglect and I think it’s down to one small plant due to being crowded by the more vigorous varieties.  That is going to have to change.

Dana picked raspberries this morning and because she knows I really like them, she kept a small amount (maybe 1/2 a cup) of the delicious golden raspberries in a separate bowl and left them out on the kitchen table.  I, somewhat obliviously, walked past them several times over the course of the day, occasionally snacking on one or two.   At the end of the day, sitting next to the pond, sipping Mai Tais, Dana threw out the suggestion that perhaps I could make an interesting cocktail with the golden raspberries.

WHAM!  What a great idea!  We never get enough of those berries to do anything else with.  A cocktail would be a perfect use.

Having recently had a very nice Strawberry Smash down at Quoin, I was thinking about something similar.  That’s when this fully formed and delicious cocktail popped into my head.  It’s really a winner.

Of course, this is not ‘new in the world’ but it’s a new direction for me.  Damn tasty!

Golden Raspberry Smash:

Put about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of golden raspberries (red will do in a pinch) in a shaker.  Fill shaker about half way with ice and shake the crap out of it for about 10 seconds.  You really want to destroy the fruit.  Note: I suppose you could muddle but in this case, I think it just makes more dirty dishes so why bother?

To the shaker, add:

2 oz.                   Pear Infused Woodford Reserve Bourbon
1 barspoon        Lime Juice
1+ barspoon     Cummin Simple Syrup
.5+ barspoon    Aged Balsamico (The thick stuff you might put on ice cream or fruit).

Shake briefly to mix and strain into a Collins glass full of crushed or pellet ice.

Garnish with; what else?  A raspberry.

I wanted to experiment with Gran Classico Bitter.  This one is good but a bit of a light weight somehow.   Needs a little something…  Not sure what right now:

Mongrel:

2oz.               Bullit Rye
.75oz.           Dubonnet Rouge
.33oz.           Maraschino Liqueuer
.25oz.           Gran Classico Bitter
8-10 drops Cherry Bitters

Stir/Up  Garnish?