The Volstead

I like that I found the best cocktail of 2009 during the last week.
This one is really stellar. Too easy to drink. I want to make these
by the pitcher. It's named after that rat bastard Andrew Volstead who
oversaw the passage of prohibition.

1 1/2 oz rye
1/2 oz grenadine
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch
dash of pastis
shake, double strain, serve, put in mouth.

Swedish Punsch

Swedish Punsch is a cocktail ingredient that pops up every once and a while but is rare as rocking horse shit. Luckily the main ingredient, Batavia Arrack, is semi available now.

I've made two versions of so far. The first recipe I used was from Joe at Barkeeper in Silverlake. It was good and quite a bit more spicy. This one from the blog Underhill Lounge is more balanced. It's nice on its own chilled or used as an ingredient in a Volstead cocktail, my new favorite.

2 cups Appleton V/X Rum (I used Lemon Hart Demerara)
1 cup Batavia Arrack
2 cup hot extra strong spiced tea (4 tsp Peet's Yunnan Fancy Tea, 6 crushed cardamom pods, brewed in 2 cup water)
2 cup raw or natural sugar
2 Sorrento lemons sliced thinly, seeds removed

Put sliced lemons in a resealable non-reactive container large enough to hold 4 cups of liquid. Pour Rum and Batavia Arrack over citrus. Cover and steep for 6 hours.

Dissolve sugar in hot tea and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

After 6 hours, pour rum off of sliced citrus, without squeezing fruit.

Combine tea syrup and flavored rum. Filter and bottle in a clean sealable container. Rest 24 hours and enjoy where Swedish Punch is called for.

The Liberal

I like this. I got the recipe from Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails by Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh. I've read other recipes that have a more traditional Manhattan style ratio of whiskey to vermouth. I might try that next.

3/4 oz rye or bourbon
3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica, I used Cinzano)
3 dashes Torani Amer
2 dashes orange bitters
Stir energetically and strain. Garnish with a cherry.

Berlioni

1 oz dry gin
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry
orange twist
Stir with ice and strain into a rocks-filled old fashioned glass.
Garnish with a generous orange twist.

I like most of the Negroni variations I try. My favorite so far has
been the Sbagliato (Campari, sweet vermouth, and sparkling wine). It
was made for me by a patient and enthusiastic bartender in Genoa, Italy.
Most of the amari have been too sweet for me lately but the sweetness
in the Cynar is cut by the dry vermouth.

Rain Killer

We've been stuck inside watching the rain beat against the windows. I took a short drive to take my son to the movies and the LA river is half full and the gutters are all the way full forcing traffic into the middle lanes. This weather makes me want a tiki drink!

I downloaded the Tiki+ app on my phone today for my inspiration. It was created by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry (one of the cocktail bloggers I follow) and has about 150 tiki recipes.

½ oz fresh lime juice (I subbed lemon)
½ oz orange juice
½ oz pineapple juice
½ oz sugar syrup
1 ½ oz white Puerto Rican rum (can sub vodka, gin, bourbon, or brandy)
1 dash Angostura bitters (I subbed Peychaud's)
4 oz (½ cup) crushed ice

Put everything in a blender, saving crushed ice for last. Blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds. Pour into a specialty glass. Garnish with a mint sprig and paper parasol.
From Steve Crane’s Kon-Tiki restaurant chain, circa 1962.

I tried this twice. Having run out of Angostura bitters ( I blame the Angostura shortage of 2009 - http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/angostura-bitters-shortage-shakes-up-cocktail-world/ ) I added 2 drops of allspice dram to the second attempt. The first one was great, the second one was totally greater.

Corpse Reviver #3?

It's really hard to make a cocktail and take a picture of it with one
hand. I held my baby girl a lot today. She was a little cranky and
only relaxed when held.
I managed to squeeze the lemon and add all of the ingredients to the
shaker. I was not able to break the ice or take a decent picture of
the finished product.
The drink is actually called a Corpse Reviver #2. It was very good.
I've been wanting to make this for a while but never have Lillet. I
decided the Dolin Blanc would make a fine substitute. Hence #3
I think it was created as a breakfast cocktail, something for the
morning after.

1oz gin
1oz Cointreau
1oz Lillet Blanc (I used Dolin)
1oz lemon juice
3 drops pastis
Shake and double strain into coupe glass over a stemless cherry.
For the cherry I used a Luxardo Maraschino soaked in Maraschino liqueur.