Still summer

With inspiration taken from Phil Ward's new venture, Mayahuel (http://www.mayahuelny.com), tequila and mezcal are sneaking into cocktails from coast to coast. I, for one, am learning how to drink it like an adult, or at least how to exit the bar without police assistance. Here's a recipe to sip on as summer slips away:

2 oz fresh watermelon, preferably using a Vitamix
1/2 oz simple Cinnamon syrup*
1/2 oz fresh lemon
1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila, Cazadores works well
Fill shaker with crushed ice, shake vigorously
Strain, serve with salted rim





*recipe for Cinammin syrup in previous post

Sweet on Alex Day

This month's issue of Ready Made Magazine features some great syrup infusions by master mixologist, Alex Day.

check it out here: http://readymade.com/projects/article/cocktail_syrup_recipes
I recommend the cinnamon syrup, soon to come a Cinnamon Old Fashioned!

Electro-Lavender Lemonade

Sweet and Subversive: Electro -Lavender Lemonade


1/4 cup dried lavender
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4–1 cup white sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
8 0z Skyy Citrus Vodka
10 lemons
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp. water
6 cups cold water
Crushed ice

With lavender in a large bowl, pour boiling water over it and steep for 5-10 minutes (Usually about 7). Strain the lavender, stir the sugar into the lavender water, then pour into a pitcher over crushed ice. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and Vodka into the pitcher, add cold water and stir. In a blender (Vitamix), puree blueberries with 2 tablespoons of water. Add puree immediately to lemonade and stir well. Adjust sweetness and lemon strength accordingly. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries on top. No one will expect a thing!

An Exile's Return: The Fitz!

The Last Word is a classic cocktail that originated at the Detroit Athletic Club during the Prohibition era. It combines gin, maraschino liqueur, lime and green Chartreuse. But the cocktail, like Mrs. Fitzgerald herself, looks delicate but has a big flavor profile more sharp than sweet:


1 oz gin
1 oz maraschino liqueur
1 oz Chartreuse
1 oz fresh lime juice
Shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

The Last Word may belong to a Lost Generation, but the nouveau has its own sentimentality, its symbols that move it equally towards reflection and innovation.


The Fitz:
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves
1/4 oz simple syrup
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce Maraschino
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice

Muddle the basil and sugar in the bottom of a mixing glass, fill the glass with ice, then add the gin, Maraschino, lime juice, and grapefruit juice. Cover, shake until cold, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

So meet The Fitz, you two could have such a damned good time together.

Grass-hopping Jitterbug

Grasshopper
3/4 oz cream
3/4 oz creme de cacao, white
3/4 oz creme de menthe, green

Jitterbug
1/4 oz cream
2/3 oz Vodka (Skyy)
3/4 oz creme de cacao, white
3/4 oz creme de menthe, green
1/4 oz Starbucks Coffee Liqueur

old fashioned drinking buddies

as a side note, my grandfather is still a cattle-raiser.

Sin City's Gin Gin Mule

First enjoyed at New York's Bemelman's Bar at The Carlyle, The Gin Gin Mule is another Saunder's creation. My only suggestion for enhancement is to be in the company of beautiful ladies, as I was that evening.

2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce ginger simple syrup*
Ginger beer
6 – 8 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish

*2 ounces ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
Combine the ginger, sugar, water, and peppercorns in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue simmering for 30 to 40 minutes or until the syrup smells very gingery. Remove from heat and cool completely. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve, transfer to a bottle, and refrigerate.