Next Song for the Jukebox

The Dirty Shirley (Second Try)

So I've been working on a new and improved Dirty Shirley cocktail.  I initially got the idea when I decided to make my own grenadine.  I made one attempt that wasn't bad.  But the drink was a little tooth splitting.  Not only that, I realized drinkers weren't getting the familiar maraschino cherry flavoring they were use to from the high fructose corn syrup.  How to change that?

I took a step back and thought.  

Why not infused cherries in vodka just to get the essence.  The infusion is more than enough of a vehicle to express that flavor.  But something else was inhibiting the true flavor to come out of this revisited cocktail. 

The syrup. 

Now I make Shirley Temples with ginger ale.  Some people make them with Sprite.  Either way the mixer is way too sweet.  It occurred to me that I needed to eliminate the soda pop altogether.  Plain old soda water/club soda should lighten up the drink.  

This significantly reduced the syrup content.  I added a little fresh lemon/lime juice to the soda to express the flavor profiles of Sprite.  But more importantly, it leaves out the syrup of a soft drink. 

I think I'm onto something.

The Dirty Shirley (Second Try)

- 2 oz cherry infused vodka

- 3/4 oz of home-made grenadine

- 1/2 oz of fresh lemon/lime juice

- soda water

- maraschino cherries

Glassware: pint glass only

Pour 2 oz of cherry infused vodka into a pint glass.

Pour 3/4 oz of home-made grenadine in.

Pour 1/2 oz of fresh lemon/lime juice in.

Add ice and top with soda water.

Lightly stir the mixture.  No need to stir really hard, the carbonation should do most of the work for you.  You just simply want to get the flavors from the bottom to the top of the drink.

Garnish with a couple of maraschino cherries.  Enjoy.

Other ideas I'm toying with for this drink:

- making my own ginger ale to replace the lemon/lime soda water

- making actual Maraschino Liqueur soaked cherries for the garnish

Gimmick Alert!

But I'm definitely stopping by for a drink when I go to New York City.

The Day The Word "Cocktail" Was Born

On this day, the term "cocktail" was born.  I wouldn't have known this fact if Derek Brown hadn't told me.  True Story.

Just yesterday I was in The Columbia Room - the speakeasy in the back of The Passenger volunteering support for Derek's layering class. 

I got a chance to make a few drinks that were on the menu for the guests.  The picture below is the Brunswick Sour.  I've posted the recipe below:

The Brunswick Sour

- 1 1/2 oz of white rum 

- 3/4 oz lime juice

- 1 oz simple syrup
- red wine (merlot is recommended)

Glassware: chilled cocktail glass

"Shake ingrediants with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Layer with robust red wine on top, preferably a merlot or a merlot blend."  Enjoy.

Anyway, I have to say that Derek is bringing order to this crazy industry and I, for one, am impressed.  Thanks again to Derek and the folks at The Passenger!

Feliz Cinco De Mayo! The Margarita and the Tequila Daisy

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!  Que paso!  I hope everyone is enjoying Mexican food and drink.  As everyone knows, the 5th of Mayo is the day we celebrate the Mexicans' liberation from the British and their oppressive taxes.... ok, that was a lie.  Actually, nobody knows why Cinco De Mayo is celebrated.  It's a mystery.

My beginnings as a bartender began at a gimmicky corporate Mexican restaurant.  I'll let you figure out which establishment it was (hint: the company, Avado, filed for "holy-shit-we're-going-bankrupt" protection more than 5 years ago).  The first cocktail that I was ever formally trained to make was the Margarita.  I was then trained to make every godforesaken promotional variation on the Margarita (por ejemplo, the Margajito, the Low-carb Margarita, etc).  But as time went on I honed in on the original way this cocktail was made.  Entonces, a classic Margarita recipe:

The Margarita

- 2 oz of tequila (I used Patron Silver)
- 1 oz of orange liqueur/curacao (I used Gran Marnier)
- 3/4 oz of fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 oz of sweetner (simple syrup or agave syrup)
- 1 lime wedge

Glassware: cocktail glass or margarita glass

Pour 2 oz of tequila, 1 oz of orange curacao, 3/4 oz of fresh squeezed lime juice and 1/2 oz of simple syrup into a pint glass.  Add ice.  Cover with a Boston shaker and shake.  Moisten the outside lip of a margarita glass with the lime wedge and rim it with course salt.  Pour the contents of the shaker into the margarita glass.  Garnish with a lime wedge.  Salude!

But the world's most popular tequila drink as we know it evolved from other drinks.  Many people believe the Tequila Daisy is direct predecessor to the Margarita.  There's some compelling evidence for this (did you know the word "margarita" means "daisy" in Spanish?)  I won't rehash the various theories.  Pero this Cinco De Mayo I opted to recreate the Tequila Daisy.  This particular recipe was plucked from Imbibe magazine online.

The Tequila Daisy

- 2 oz of Patron Silver Tequila
- 1 oz of fresh squeezed citrus (lemon or lime juice)
- 1 tsp of simple syrup
- 1 tsp of grenadine (I used home-made grenadine)
- 2-3 oz of soda water

Glassware: cocktail glass or margarita glass

Pour 2 oz of Patron into a pint glass.  Add 1 oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Add 1 tsp of simple syrup and 1 tsp of grenadine.  Shake the ingredients together in a shaker. Pour the contents into a cocktail glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh citrus; I used a slice of lemon rind.

Originally, I wanted to create a light margarita foam to go on top of the Tequila Daisy.  I guess I just wanted to unite the present with the past.  But, alas, my iSi whip dispenser is malfunctioning and I'll have to reserve this experiment for another day.  Que lastima!

Anway, I hope everyone enjoyed this Cinco De Mayo.  Try not to get too carried away with the tequila.  It's a "school night" after all.

Derby Day: Mint Juleps

It's Kentucky Derby time. I'm only a few hours from work time so I'm getting my muddlin arm ready.


One interesting fact: a "julep" was a term for an elixir (usually sweet) that was administered by doctors to smooth out the harshness of some medicines...


I'm here to teach AND get you drunk.  Anyway, just in time for the race, here's my recipe for a Mint Julep.


Mint Julep


- 2 oz of Bourbon whiskey (I used Maker's Mark)
- 1 oz of simple syrup (1:1 sugar water)
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh mint
- really cold crushed ice


Glassware: a metal chalice if you have it. Otherwise, a simple highball will do.

First, take your sprigs of fresh mint and place them in the bottom of your glass.  Pour 1 oz of simple syrup into the glass.  Lightly muddle the mint.  Remember: there is no real need to pulverize something when muddling.  You simply want to open up the veins of the leaf. 

Next, add crushed ice.  This ice should be as cold as possible.  Pile the ice up in the glass as well.  Imagine that you're packing the glass for a snow cone.  Add 2 oz of whiskey.  Maker's is by far the best.

Lightly stir the mixture making sure to smoothly combine the ingredients, no need to get all crazy.  You can also add another sprig of mint as garnish. 

If you've done it right, you should have a fresh, frosty cup of sweet whiskey cocktail.  I got so excited with mine that I drank it half way through before I realized I needed to take a picture for the blog.

Enjoy Derby Day.  If you're in the Foggy Bottom area today, stop by Tonic at Quigley's Pharmacy and ask me to make you one.  Come up and get some medicine.