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The negroni is a classic. One of those drinks that never fails to deliver.  Given that it’s composed of such strong characters, the final product is remarkably coy. I also like that it can be made over rocks (although up is also fine) because then I don’t need to do any extra dishes.

The negroni is equal parts campari + sweet vermouth + gin. As always with vermouth, a lemon or orange twist is nice.   So, that’s 1 oz of each, over rocks, stir, twist, drink repeat.

You can use a lesser vermouth but made with Punt e Mas, Dolin, or (and especially) Carpano; this drink achieves the lovely balance that makes it dangerously drinkable.

Here at the Cork ‘n Bottle mixology labs (otherwise known as the kitchen at Josh’s house) we are very excited about the reintroduction of Swedish Punsch to the market. This sugar cane based liquor is low alcohol but tons of fun. Like the Cocchi Americano, which we have also had much to say, this is liquor you can play with. It is nice on it’s own (with a little lime or lemon) but plays nicely with others, especially darker full-bodied rums such as Myer’s, Smith and Cross, and Sea Wynn.

Recipe after the image.

The Doctor Cocktail — not a complicated drink but well balanced and low alcohol content (so you can have a couple without endangering your tomorrow). It shows off the Swedish Punsch well. This is Trader Vic’s recipe.

• 1 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
• 2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (I used Myer’s)
• 1 oz Lime Juice

Shake ingredient together with ice, strain and serve in a cocktail glass with a small lime twist. Tell your friends.

You could of course make your own Tom & Jerry mix. The homemade version is definitely superior, but it’s also a lot of work and doesn’t last very long in the fridge. Fortunately, we have the next best thing. Tom & Jerry Mix from Weber’s Bakery (only $4.99). It’s tasty and lasts in your freezer for weeks making it easy to come home from a hard days work and throw together a nice warm Tom and Jerry.

We like to do

• a heaping tablespoon full of the mix
• 1.5 oz Korbel
• 1.5 oz Gold Rum (Flor de Cana 4 year gold is lovely)

The Sazerac is a well-known New Orleans cocktail. A variant of the old fashioned but with the addition of absinthe and peychaud’s.

It is a true test of the drink maker’s skills because it is a drink that demands perfect balance with powerful and volatile ingredients. A well made sazerac is a thing of beauty. Although not the easiest thing to make that we’ve listed, it can be learned quickly with practice.  On the plus side, unbalanced sazeracs are still pretty yummy.

Ingredients, Methods, Principles:

While rye whiskey is not negotiable, the exact brand of rye and style remains up in the air. I will say some more about different ryes in the sazerac at the end of this post, but the rye you choose will influence the amount of the other elements that you need to balance it out. Strong, big rye like Thomas Handy? You’re going to need more sugar and more bitters and maybe even a bigger twist.

The ingredients:

• Rye Whiskey (2oz)
• Simple Syrup (1tsp)
• Absinthe (for rinse)
• Peychauds Bitters (2 dashs)
• Lemon twist

They call this drink the Rum Manhattan. Personally I don’t like recycled drink names as it leads to the complete non-sense of  the “______ Martini” phenomenon. This drink ought to be called the Guatemala City as it calls for Zacapa 23yr (made in Guatemala) or at least the Miami. In any event, it’s a fun drink that makes use of the new Xocolatl Mole Bitters that we have in from Bittermens.

A word on rum: this recipe calls for this (above) expensive–but delicious–aged rum.  What seems required for this recipe is a sweeter profile aged rum so something like the Cruzan Single Barrel (30.00) would do, or even the Flor de Cana 7y (24.99) or the Plantation Barbados 5y (19.99).

1 1/2 oz Zacapa 23yr

3/4 oz Dolin Rouge Vermouth

2 (heavy) dashes Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir with a purpose. Strain in an old fashioned glass; serve with a Luxardo Cherry or twist of lemon/orange.

(this drink was created by Ed Hamilton of the Ministry of Rum; I take credit only for changing the name).

I just tried this out in order to make use of some green chartreuse that I had recently acquired. It’s an unusual mix of ingredients (which is, of course what drew me to it). Dry vermouth and bourbon? Not generally known as good bedfellows, yet mix it a good bit of chartreuse and it works some how. I’m not sure of the origin of this cocktail; I found it on cocktailDB.

Procedures:

Mix together with ice and stir

• 1.5 oz bourbon
• 0.75 oz verre chartreuse
• 0.25 oz dry vermouth

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Fin

The Rob Roy is a classic. Similar to a Manhattan but made with Scotch rather than rye it tends to be slightly sweeter and more accessible to most drinkers. It’s simply, delicious, and cost effective: one that you should definitely have in your bar-tending arsenal.

Named after this guy:

It makes you feel better than he looks. Trust me.

Now, here’s how you make it:

1.5 oz blended Scotch Whisky (I like Famous Grouse)

1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth (the better the vermouth the better this drink. Cinzano is good, Punt-e-mas is better, Carpano is orgasmic).

2 dashes aromatic bitters

lemon twist

Stir everything (save lemon twist) in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, add garnish, drink swiftly.

Well update this post with tasting information on the rum that we have carried (listed alphabetically

• Plantation ‘Grand Reserve’ Barbados (5y):
• This gold rum is a bargin at 19.99 because of its versatility as a mixer or sipper.  A smoother version of the standard mount gay.
• Price: 19.99
• Plantation Trinidad (2000): 
• Elegant: This is a lovely rum with just enough smokeness to balance the rich orange, oak, and toffee notes. Subtle and complex this is a rum that is to be savored. Definitely a  rum to convert your bourbon drinking friends. I love this rum.
• Price: 39.99
• Plantation Guyana (1990): 
• And here is a rum to introduce to your scotch loving pals. The smoke and peat in this long aged rum are more in your face generating a taste reminiscent (in my opinion) of something like Oban. It has one of the longest finishes of anything I’ve every tasted. Complex but not subtle; simply wonderful.
• Price: 69.99

This month we have three tiki drinks (one a Josh original!) that will help you to beat the heat. The Blackbeard’s Ghost comes out of Beachbum Berry’s Remixed: A Gallery of Tiki Drinks and the Quinine Quencher is a name that I just made up for a drink that our own Josh created the other day.  The Ankle breaker has an interesting story behind it, which I have only learned from the Beachbum. We have lots of great new rums in the store right now as well mixers that have just come into the market that make them possible.  Let’s get to it so you can cool down.

Tiki drinks often require a little more work so check the directions carefully.

First: Blackbeard’s Ghost

According to the Bum: Blackbeard’s Ghost is based on the Pirate Grog from Blackbeard’s Galley restaurant, Newport Beach, Cali, which gave up the ghost in the 1980s. My own experiences of Newport Beach (through a regatta party before the Newport-Ensenada regatta) seem to indicate that the drunkenness of this drink still haunts that barren land.

•  1.5 oz. fresh orange juice
• 1  oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz. falernum (Velvet Falernum is now available at CnB for 14.99)
• 0.5 oz.  apricot brandy (I use the Giffard)
• 0.5 oz. demerara rum (can sub dark Jamaican; Meyer’s is great)
• 1.5 oz. light virgin island rum (Flor de Cana Silver works brilliantly)
• 2 dsh. Angostura bitters

With Tiki drinks the right rums are crucial. This drink with the amount of juice is fairly forgiving but something like a Zombie or Mai Tai will suffer greatly.  Check the bum on rum for more info.

Here shake all well with ice cubes. Pour UNSTRAINED into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange slice speared to a cocktail cherry with a pirate flag pick (or whatever you can find).

Here’s the deal:

• 1.5 oz. Bonal
• 1.5 oz. Smith & Cross
• 2 dsh. bitters (I just the Jamaica #2 from bitter cube)
• Lemon twist (small)

This is a HIGHLY specific booze dependent drink; accept no substitutes and rejoice.  Build over rocks in a double old-fashioned glass, stir, squeeze twist over the top. Toast Josh.

• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz. Cherry Herring (I use the Luxardo Cherry liquor)
• 1 oz. 151 Proof Amber Rum (Cork ‘N Bottle has pints of Bacardi 151 that work super well)

Shake with CRUSHED ice. Pour unstrained into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a mint sprint and drink through a straw.

I know that we are past derby time but given the crazy heat in Madison this last week, it seems like the Mint Julep is ripe for the making. This mint julep is a little complicated to make and better if you have a julep glass to drink it out of (julep glasses have a metal outside that will frost when you make the drink). However, as the picture below shows they can be just as delicious without.

You’ll need crushed ice for this drink (and a good bit of it).  In fact, this is probably the hardest thing to obtain for the drink.  One way to get crushed ice is to take some regular ice, put it in a canvas bag, pound the ever loving life out of it, then put in back in the freezer (in the bag) for about 20 minutes.  TAKE CARE getting the ice out later as it will be extremely cold and painful on bare flesh. Otherwise, an ice crusher some refrigerators will work as would an electric ice crusher.  In a pinch you could crack ice with the back of a spoon and dump it in the drink, but this will result in an inferior product.

• Crushed Ice
• Mint
• 1 oz water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 oz bourbon

 

1. Create your crushed ice (if not already crushed) put it and your glasses into the freezer for 20 minutes.  Coldness is the essence of the julep so take your time and you will be rewarded.
2. In a separate glass mix 1 oz water with 1tsp sugar until dissolved.
3. Lightly muddle 4 springs of mint in the sugar water
4. Transfer this mixture to the frozen glass
5. IF USING a julep cup, DO NOT touch the sides with your bare hands as it will prevent the cup from frosting.
6. Remove mint
7. Add bourbon
8. Fill glass about 2/3 of total with crushed ice
9. Stir 5 times (the cup should frost) — this should also chill everything and stop dilution
10. Top off with more ice.
11. Stir again 8 times.
12. Take a sprig (or 3) of mint and smack it on the back of your hand (this will release oils and make it more aromatic)
13. Tuck the mint into the ice.
14. Drink through a straw.

Even on a hot day this drink should stay pretty cool and undiluted for a while. It’s not necessary or advised to quaff it.