Blue Moon Cocktail

The Dry Martini – Live !

My first endeavour with video…..

The Delmonico Cocktail

* 1 ounce gin
* 1/2 ounce brandy
* 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
* 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
* 1 dash orange bitters

Garnish: Lemon twist
Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

While I could not find any historical evidence, I believe this cocktail was created to honor the original Delmonico Restaurant founded in New York City in the year 1830.  John and Peter Delmonico created the very first restaurant in America where people could come in for lunch or dinner and choose their meals from a “bill of fare”. This was an entirely new concept and was met with great enthusiasm.

The Delmonico family ran their restaurants in various incarnations until 1923. Prohibition was the main reason this restaurant and many others like it had to close its doors. Without the markup in liquor, the business could not turn a profit.

The Delmonico name has been resurrected by several restaurants around the country but none of them have any connection to the Delmonico family.

The cocktail itself is very smooth and a little on the sweet side. It has a pleasant golden hue. The predominant flavor comes from a blending of the brandy and sweet vermouth. The flavor of gin, dry vermouth and a hint of bitters blossom at the finish.

I enjoyed this cocktail very much. I like that it uses both dry and sweet vermouth. I feel vermouth has an undeserved bad reputation with the general drinking public. Of course, any cocktail that includes gin is an almost guaranteed winner in my book.

Try your hand at one of these and enjoy!

Quetzal Azul Cup Report

A Perfect Pairing

Once brewed, the coffee had a clean, almost floral aroma to it. The color of the brew was a syrupy brown. There was a wonderful amount of coffee oils floating on the surface.

The taste was very smooth and earthy. It had a bright taste and a clean finish. There was never any bitterness, even as the cup cooled.

I may have over-roasted this a bit. With my next batch I will probably only take it to 4 minutes or 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I want to see if I can get some berry flavor out of this bean.

Variations of a theme: The Martini

I was recently given a copy of The Martini Book by Sally Ann Berk. The sub-title is “201 ways to mix the perfect American cocktail.” Now, many of the drinks the book calls “Martinis” are not a Martini at all. They are the sweet, juice filled “Pop Cocktails” that have become popular. These drinks are for the people who really want a Martini but are put off by the taste of the real, classic cocktail. They want that sophistication, the aura of civilized life that a Martini brings, just not the bite of pure spirits.

The book also lists quite a few drinks with Vodka as the main spirit. To me, Vodka is like training wheels on a kids bicycle. At some point those training wheels need to come off. Vodka is a way to introduce someone to cocktails if they have never had a drink before. After awhile though, you should expand your horizons and discover spirits that bring flavor and character to a cocktail instead of just alcohol. Oh, one more thing about Vodka. There is no such thing as a Vodka Martini. The drink that consists of Vodka and Vermouth is properly called a Kangaroo.

I also noticed that there were quite a few drinks that used the same ingredients as the Martini, just in different proportions or with a simple change in garnish. Those drinks are listed below.

Unless otherwise noted, the method of preparing all these cocktails is as simple and elegant as the Martini itself: add all ingredients to an ice filled mixing tin, stir until the tin frosts, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, add garnish.

The Variations

Artillery Cocktail

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts sweet vermouth

Buckeye Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• black olive

Farmer’s Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• 3 to 5 dashes Angostura bitters

Fifty-Fifty Martini

• 4 parts gin
• 4 parts dry vermouth
• cocktail olive

Frozen Martini

• 5 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 2 almond-stuffed cocktail olives

Place everything into the freezer, including the glass and shaker for at least three hours. Then, add the gin and vermouth to the chilled shaker and stir. Add the frozen olives to the glass and strain the alcohol into the glass.

Gibson

• 8 parts gin
• 3 to 5 dashes dry vermouth
• 2 cocktail onions

Golf Martini

• 8 parts gin
• 3 to 5 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• cocktail olive

Gypsy Martini

• 8 parts gin
• 2 parts sweet vermouth
• maraschino cherry

Hoffman House Martini

• 8 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 3 to 5 dashes orange bitters
• cocktail olive

Homestead Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts sweet vermouth
• orange twist

Hotel Plaza Cocktail

• 2 parts gin
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• 2 parts sweet vermouth
• maraschino cherry

Knickerbocker

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet vermouth
• lemon twist

Kup’s Indispensable Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 1 1/2 parts dry vermouth
• 1 1/2 parts sweet vermouth
• orange twist

Maritime Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• anchovy-stuffed olive

Martunia

• 6 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• edible flowers (organic)

Naked Martini

• 6 parts gin
• cocktail olive

Octopus’s Garden

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• smoked baby octopus
• black olive

Perfect Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• cocktail olive

Plaza Martini

• 2 parts gin
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• 2 parts sweet vermouth

Racquet Club

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• 3 to 5 dashes orange bitters

Sloe Gin Martini

• 6 parts sloe gin (Plymouth’s)
• 2 parts dry vermouth
• 3 to 5 dashes Angostura bitters
• lemon twist

Don’t use that cheap crap they put in Alabama Slammers. Only use Plymouth’s Sloe Gin. They steep sloe berries in Plymouth Gin.

Sweet Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 2 parts sweet vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters
• lime twist

Sweetie Martini

• 6 parts gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• lemon twist

The Cocktail Glass

To me, a cocktail glass is a thing of beauty. The simpler the design, the better. For my personal use, I chose Luigi Bormioli’s Michelangelo series.  It is a medium sized glass. The saucer holds 7.5 ounces (thanks to surface tension) but, I would never pour more than 5.5 ounces. Drinks just look nicer when they have a “collar” (the space between the liquid and the top of the glass). The Michelangelo series is very straight forward with simple lines that say elegance to me.

Luigi Bormioli Michelangelo series

The cocktail glass has also become known as the martini glass. Since the invention of the martini, the cocktail glass has been its vessle. There is nothing better than the sight of a crisp, clear, cold martini presented in a cocktail glass.

Unfortunately, with this new name, comes much confusion. It seems anything that is poured into a cocktail glass magically becomes a “martini”.  To me, the definition of a martini is the following:  gin, dry vermouth and bitters. Anything else is a cocktail.

The next few blog entries of mine will deal with cocktail variations using gin, vermouth and bitters. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on all those so called “tini’s” that are popular today.  I’ll also discuss cocktails that I think are worthy of the beautiful creation called the cocktail glass.

More Holiday Cocktails

As much as I’d like to make every single one of these cocktails, I probably won’t have time. If you make any of these for your holiday gatherings, let me know how they came out.

Mazel Tov Hanukkah Cocktail

4 parts Blue Curacao
2 parts Vodka
6 parts Ginger ale
1 part Lime juice
Lime peel

Prepare a tall glass full of ice then add the Blue Curacao, next add the Lime juice, next add the Ginger ale, next add the Vodka, next add the Lime peel for garnish. A festive sweet and tangy drink with blue color perfect for Hanukkah!

Candy Cane Martini

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 tsp. peppermint schnapps

Mixing instructions:
Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Option: Garnish with a small candy cane or create a candy cane “rimmer” with crushed candy canes.

Hanukkah Gelt Martini

2 parts chilled potato vodka
1 part Goldschlager

Combine in a shaker with ice, mix gently and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Serve with Hanukkah Gelt

White Christmas Dream

1 oz. amaretto
1 oz. heavy cream
1 oz. vodka

Mixing instructions:
Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker . Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Option: Garnish with nutmeg

Egg Nog

6 eggs
1  cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden rum
1 pint half and half cream
1 pint milk
Nutmeg

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add sugar and salt, beating until thick and lemon colored. Stir in rum, cream, and milk. Chill at least three hours. Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

The Tom and Jerry Cocktail

Tom and Jerry (Batter Mix)
* 1 lbs. Sugar
* 3 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
* 2 ounces Rum
* 1 tsp. Cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. Cloves
* 1/2 tsp. Allspice
* 1/2 tsp. Creme of Tartar

Beat egg whites to a stiff froth, and the yolks until they are as thin as water. Mix yolks and whites together and add the rum and spices. Thicken with sugar until the mixture attains the consistence of a light batter.

In a coffee mug, combine one table-spoon full of the above mixture, and 2 ounces of brandy, and then fill the glass with boiling water. Garnish by grating a little nutmeg on top.

The Tom and Jerry was invented in the 1820’s by Pierce Egan. It is generally served during the Christmas Holiday period. It is a variant of egg nog and is served hot in either a mug or a bowl.

I used a wine goblet for the photo just so you could see what this drink looked like.

At one tablespoon per drink, the batter recipe could probably be cut in half if you are not planning to serve 30 or so drinks.

This is a very fragrant and savory cocktail. There is an undercurrent of sweetness due to the sugar while the other spices come forth at the finish with the clove being predominant but not off-putting. While this drink is served hot, it still tasted fine as it cooled.

The Tombstone Cocktail

TOMBSTONE COCKTAIL
2 oz Bulleit bourbon
1 tsp rich simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters

stir with ice, strain into cocktail glass
twist swatch of thin-cut lemon peel

I first saw this recipe in the book Imbibe! by David Wondrich. The book is a great tale of the Early American Cocktail scene and its greatest proponent, Professor Jerry Thomas.

This is basically an Old Fashioned without the fruit. It makes good use of the Bulleit Bourbon as Bulleit is not something I would consider sipping straight up or on the rocks.

New Coffee Arrivals

I received my green coffee delivery today. It consisted of the following beans:

Costa Rica Don Mayo “La Ponderosa” Bourbon

Roasting Notes: City+ to Full City Toasted granola aroma, boysenberry syrup sweetness, hazlenut, malt syrup.

Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP

Roasting Notes: City+ is where you will experience the most here. FC to FC+ develops more chocolate notes, and heavier body, with some loss of the beautiful strawberry flavors. Medium-Bold intensity / Clean, bright, floral and fruited cup

Guatemala Huehuetenango “Quetzal Azul”

Roasting Notes: City – Full City +: The coffee works at all roast levels, but with proper rest the complexity is at it’s acme a bit lighter. Medium-to-bold intensity / Floral and Berry sweetness, balance

I roasted a batch of the Costa Rica Don Mayo. I’ll give my review on Saturday after the coffee has a good 48 hour rest.