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It looks like DLDGLG has a new (part-time) Director of Hip-Hop Operations.  Everyone welcome Homeless Rob.

The Dirty Shirley (First Try)

So weeks ago I mentioned that I made my own grenadine. It turned out pretty good and I've been toying with it in various concoctions. I've been thinking a lot about cocktails that have grenadine as an ingredient. But it was the Dirty Shirley that I decided to try first.

Don't know what a Dirty Shirley is?  It is simply a Shirley Temple with vodka in it.  Hence, the "dirty" (or at least the potential for being "dirty").  ANYWAY, this is such an unrefined drink with so much room for improvement that I couldn't help but try it.  You'll notice that the homemade grenadine is much darker than the bright, almost radioactive color you see in that high fructose corn syrup that is served in bars. 

This post documents my first Dirty Shirley attempt with homemade grenadine syrup. The recipe is very simple.

The Dirty Shirley (First Try)

- 2 oz of vodka (I used Crystal Head, mostly because I had nothing else)

- ginger ale

- 3/4 oz of homemade grenadine

- maraschino cherries

Glassware: a rocks/highball glass

Pour 2 oz of vodka into a high ball glass.  Pour 3/4 oz of homemade grenadine in.  Fill with ice.  Pour ginger ale in to nearly fill the glass.  Roll the contents between the Boston shaker and the glass to get a good, thorough mix (the carbonation of the ginger ale will do most of the work).  Garnish with 2 maraschino cherries.

Now when I told people that I had made my own homemade grenadine, the first question they asked was:

"Oh wow, did you juice a bunch of cherries?"

or

"Cool!  How did you get cherries this time of year?"

At which point, I clarified that the base, in fact, is made with pomegranate.  In fact, the word "grenadine" is from the French word "grenade," meaning polmegranate. But then I realized how much commercial grenadine had been bastardized into this maraschino cherry juice. 

So that got me thinking (DANGEROUS, I know).  I'll wait until cherries are in season.  Then, I am going to lightly infused them into vodka to see what other dimension I can add to the mix.  This drink is already a little sweet due to the ginger ale and the grenadine.  But if I can simply get the essence of cherry into the spirit I can have a point of reference with some folks but STILL maintain a somewhat innovative approach to the drink.

Anyway, as soon as cherries show up in Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, I'll be working on my second try.  Stay tuned.

Happy Holidays

The Hangover

I got a little carried away last Friday night.  I haven't been able to think about booze.  True story. 

DLDGLG Drinks Now Served at Tonic!

Tonic asked all of the bartenders to submit 2 drinks for the Spring Cocktail Menu more than a week ago.  I submitted the Tamarind Rickey and the Foggy Bottom Breeze.  Everyone submitted really good drinks and I was pretty sure it was going to be tough to get at least one drink picked.  When I came to work on Sunday, the 2 drinks that I submitted were on the menu.

It's pretty exciting because I've never had a bar put any of my drinks on the menu.  I hope they sell and make Jeremy lots of money. 

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Return to Palace of Wonders

Homeless Rob and I went to Palace of Wonders last weekend.  

Homeless had never been there.  I hadn't been there in many moons (that equals a couple of years).  The weather had been getting silly and it was time to hit up a real Friday night freak show.  

So I figured, why not take the trip out to H Street in NE and check out the Palace?

If you live close to Washington DC and you haven't been to Palace of Wonders (or POW as the kids call it) you're missing out on a truly twisted saloon in the heart of the district.   

 

It is essentially a Vaudevillian carnival side-show style bar.  It was once owned by Jeremy Pollock and Bernie Bernstrom of Tonic (my current part-time employers).  They threw a kick-ass Tonic Holiday Party at POW once upon a time.  The twist was that this "holiday party" was at the end of January. 

These fools dug out all of the Christmas decorations, costumes, and music that had been out only a month before.  It was as if you had walked into Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas. 

This night we caught the Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow with Tyler Fyre, Thrill Kill Jill, and company.  They're maniacs.  Bonus win.

I had mostly seen the show before thanks to that Tonic Holiday party.  I could tell that they had switched up some of their act.  This show was heavy with audience participation and big on spectacle.  Tyler does many things to WOW/repulse the audience. 

One of his bread and butter shenanigans is a bit where he sticks a condom-wrapped screwdriver into his nose.  He did that.  Furthermore, moreover and therefore he proceeded to move it in and out of his nostril!  He even went so far as to pull the screwdriver out of his nose, leaving the condom flaccidly in place, allowing him to use it like a floss.  Like he was flossing his sinuses.  True story.

It was fucking hilarious.

We were blessed with a few slinky burlesque acts throughout the show.  Thrill Kill Jill and Peek-a-Boo Point (great names).  The stripteases were done pretty tastefully and basically added another level of old-school showbiz to the production. 

The show continued with a comical ukulele act here and there.  I bet this guy is pretty burned out from people trying and compare him to Tiny Tim.  I mean it's the first thing I thought about.

Eventually, Thrillshow went into a short intermission.  Homeless Rob and I took the opportunity to reload on booze. 

When Tyler Fyre returned, we got to see the most hell-raising part of the Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow - Tyler Fyre's pyrotechnics!

This was where Tyler Fyre was truly impressive.  Or truly crazy.  

First, he ate fire.  I can't say that I've seen anyone else eat fire other than Tyler.  But he made love to it with his mouth.     

Then, the real fireworks happened.  As the climax to the show, Tyler took a swig of a little bottle and began shooting fireballs from his mouth.   

It was friccckkken awesome.  Homeless Rob liked loved it.  And he thinks everything is over-rated!

We had a great time at Palace.  I imagine I'll make my way out there again sometime soon.  There's quite a few establishments I've yet to explore on H street.  What a great bar here in DC.  If you got a free Friday night, take a trip out to 12th and H in NE DC and check this freakshow out!

A Rube Goldberg Device That Makes Cocktails

I saw this on Cocktailians.  I believe the person who made this Rube Goldberg device is the same person who created the one for the OK Go video This Too Shall Pass.  The funny thing is that this contraption can actually mix drinks quicker than some bartenders I know.



If you couldn't tell, the cocktail was a Greyhound. 

Making My Own Grenadine

So I'm making my own grenadine based off Morgenthaler's recipe.  The idea is to try the recipe.  Test it.  Tweek it.  Then recreate cocktails like the Hemingway Daiquiri, the Tequila Sunrise, or Jack's Rose.  Any cocktail that has grenadine in its ingredients is up for revisting with my own home-made stuff.  I won't relive Jeffrey's post on the subject but I wanted to post the pictures of my own attempt.  So without further adooooo....

I'll report on my progress soon.

The Foggy Bottom Breeze

The cocktail menu is being updated for the spring and the management has asked the bartenders for some ideas.  I came up with this drink on a whim and it came out tasting pretty good.  And, since I formulated it at the bar, I decided to name it after the wonderful Foggy Bottom neighborhood. 

The Foggy Bottom Breeze

- 1 oz St Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
- 2 oz of Sauvignon Blanc
- 3 basil leaves
- 3/4 oz simple syrup
- 1 1/2 oz of soda water

Glassware: chilled martini/cocktail glass

Pour 3/4 oz of simple syrup into a glass.  Add 2 basil leaves and lightly muddle them at the bottom of the glass with the simple syrup (just enough to open up the veins).  Mix 1 oz of St Germaine and 2 oz of Sauvignon Blanc into a Boston shaker with ice.  Take the basil leaves out of the glass and throw them away.  Add the simple syrup to the Boston shaker and shake well.  Pour the mixture into a chilled martini glass.  Add 1 1/2 oz of soda water.  Garnish with the last basil leaf (this leaf should be much smaller than the others for garnishing purposes).  Enjoy.

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