Patience Cocktail

The Hannford in Hampton, NH maintains one of the best supermarket produce sections on the seacoast, thanks in large part to my old friend David Archibald.  Today I picked up some nice citrus and a pomegranate.  With the pomegranate I made homemade grenadine, and together with a nice, juicy white grapefruit and some of the better spirits in my cabinet I created this cocktail.

Patience Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. London Dry Gin
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/4 oz. Homemade Grenadine
1 oz. Fresh Squeezed White Grapefruit Juice
Dash of Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with a white grapefruit peel.

Strawberry Citrus Shrub

It's that time of year again for Pick-Your-Own strawberries at Applecrest Farm in Hampton Falls, NH.  Last year I created a cocktail with muddled strawberries.  This year I made a delicious strawberry syrup, and concocted this refreshing drink.

Strawberry Citrus Shrub

2 oz. Gin
3/4 oz. Strawberry Syrup (you can cut the recipe in half or even by 4 if you don't need so much).
3/4 oz. Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz. Orange Juice
Seltzer Water

Combine gin, syrup, and juices in a shaker and shake.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with seltzer water.

The Expatriate: A Semi-Stolen Cocktail

OK, so this is interesting.  I "created" what I thought was an original cocktail that turned out to be really delicious.  So simple was the idea that I thought, hmm, I wonder if anyone else has done this.  I did a web search for the ingredients and found a picture of a cocktail called "The Expatriate", but it didn't list measurements, only ingredients.  It turns out, however, as I discovered doing a search for "Expatriate cocktail", there is another, apparently more well-known cocktail with the same name but NONE of the same ingredients.  So I had to dig a little deeper if I wanted to find the Expatriate I was concerned with.  I finally found it, and discovered that our recipes vary in measurements slightly, and in how the mint is used.  My recipe first:

[Untitled-because-I-daren't] Cocktail

1.5 oz. bourbon
3/4 oz. mint simple syrup (thanks Dad)
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe

The Expatriate

2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. simple syrup
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
A handful of fresh mint

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe

Whiskey Sour

The whiskey sour is a great drink any time of year, and a great way to enjoy whiskey if drinking it straight, or in an old fashioned or Manhattan is a little too boozy for you.  The added citrus and sweetness, along with the velvety smoothness of the egg white make this a mellow and balanced treat, and a great way to introduce yourself or your guests to the bolder flavors of whiskey.

  

Whiskey Sour

1 1/2 oz. Whiskey (I used Russell's Reserve Bourbon)

3/4 oz. Simple Syrup*

3/4 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Barspoon of Egg White

Dry shake ingredients in a Boston shaker to froth.  Add ice.  Shake again vigorously.  Strain into a cocktail glass or over a rocks filled tumbler or old fashioned glass.  Garnish with a cherry.

*When I'm making simple syrup for sours I peel a lemon and steep the peels in the simmering syrup.

How to make the Sebago Cocktail

For a detailed recipe and photos, check out the original post here.

Amaro Meletti Sour updated (video)

Amaro Meletti Sour

2 oz. Amaro Meletti
1 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 egg white
4-5 drops of Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters

Dry shake all ingredients but the bitters to froth. Then add ice and shake again. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with cardamom bitters.

Mia Bella

The Mia Bella is a cocktail I created based on the classic Negroni (equal parts gin, campari, and sweet vermouth). But here instead of Campari I'm using another Italian bitter, Amaro Meletti, which is quite different than Campari, but not without some similarities; and a rosé vermouth instead of a sweet vermouth.

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Amaro Meletti
1 oz. rosato vermouth

stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Vanilla Bourbon Trusker

 

I was recently given 6 vanilla beans by a dear friend.  After thinking for some time about what I ought to do with them I decided that sticking a few in a bottle of bourbon wouldn't be such a bad idea.  Turns out it was quite a good idea.  I didn't do anything special, other than stick three of the beans straight into the bottle and then waited a week and-a-half.  The flavors work wonderfully together.  After having a piece of raspberry filled dark chocolate, inspiration struck, and I quickly thought up this drink.  My friend Jeff suggested the name and I had no good reason to dispute it.  It does have a ring to it I must say.

1 oz. vanilla infused bourbon (I used Evan Williams, but if I had been certain of how good it was going to be I'd have probably chosen Buffalo Trace)

3/4 oz. dark creme de cacao

3/4 oz. Chambord

1 oz. light cream or half & half

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Cornichon Martini

Nothing revelatory here, I'm afraid.  This is a classic gin martini with the, I dare say, novel addition of French cornichons.  Yes, they are essentially gherkins, but quite a bit smaller than any gherkins I'VE ever had, and pickled with different spices than your typical gherkin.  One of those spices, tarragon, works especially well here, imparting a slight anise-y touch to the drink.  The same kind of saltiness one would get from olives is present as well.  Give it a try!

Make a classic martini, but garnish (as here) with two small cornichons instead of the lemon twist.

Amaro Meletti Sour

I picked up a bottle of Amaro Meletti today and concocted this simple recipe.  The rose notes of the amaro combined with the lemon marry quite well and remind me of Turkish delight.  The cardamom bitters further the herbal complexity and bring us still closer to the realm of Middle Eastern flavors.

Amaro Meletti Sour

2 oz. Amaro Meletti
1 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 egg white (optional)*

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Top with a few drops of cardamom bitters.

*I didn't have any reliable egg whites when I made this, but I'd recommend trying it.