My National Cherry Blossom Centennial Cocktail - Two Sakuras

As you may or may not know, I'm the head bartender at Last Exit and in charge of the concept's R&D. When you see the cocktail menu, much of it was arranged based on my direction and recommendation.

So when I began thinking about Last Exit's spring menu I knew that I wanted to create a drink that would honor the Centennial of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in our home town of Washington D.C this year.

Lucky for me, our little bar has a respectable whiskey selection which includes Suntory Yamazaki 12 year old Single Malt Whiskey. Not only is this spirit distinctly Japanese but it is also a tasty whiskey.

I took a little inspiration from another great whiskey cocktail, Blood and Sand. After a slight change in flavor profile and few additional ingredients to enhance an already winning combination, I named it Two Sakuras.

For those who don't know, sakura means cherry blossom in Japanese. The "two sakuras" name refers to the first two cherry blossom trees which were planted next to the Tidal Basin on March 27, 1912. 

Two Sakuras

- 2 oz Yamazaki Single Malt Whiskey

- 3/4 oz Luxardo Cherry Liqueur

- 1/2 oz fresh orange juice

- 1 spoonful of Luxardo Marsachino Liqueur

- 3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake ingredients with ice and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

Class Is in Session: Scofflaw's Den Helps Take the Mystery Out of Cocktails

Image via Twitter

Cocktail blogger/enthusiast/historian, Marshall Fawley III, has launched several new cocktail classes which he'll be teaching at Last Exit this spring and summer. A full schedule of these fun and informative courses can be found at Scofflaw's Den. Some of my favorites in the line-up:

Spirits of Mexico

05/05/12 Celebrate Mexican heritage with a discussion on the national spirits of Mexico, tequila and mezcal. We will discuss, and taste, the differences between tequila and mezcal and learn how to use them in cocktails. We will also learn the importance of quality in these spirits and how important they are to many of the small villages who make artisanal tequila and mezcal. Please note that this class begins at 3:30pm at Last Exit. The cost is $50 per student and limited to only 10 students.

Tiki Lounge

06/24/12 Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than relax with an icy, fruity, boozy tiki drink? This summer when you invite friends and family over for a cook-out and some drinks, throw in a touch of Polynesia by serving the best tiki drinks around! Learn the history of tiki drinks, the tricks to making them and how Tiki became synonymous with Americana. Choose whichever date fits your schedule! Each class begins at 5:30pm at Last Exit. Cost is $50 per student and each class is limited to 10 students.

Punch into Spring

05/19/12 When entertaining at home, having a punch or two for your guests keeps you chatting with them instead of stuck in the kitchen mixing drinks. In this class, learn the history of punch and the basics to punch making. This is not your parents neon green sherbet-topped fruit punch or the Rubbermaid tub of anything goes punch from your college days! This punch is based in traditional cocktail methods and culinary flavors. Class begins at 5:30pm at Last Exit. Cost is $50 per student and limited to 10 students.

Happy Holidays

The Wascally Wabbit (a.k.a. 'What's Up Doc?')

With the help of PS7's executive sous chef Andrew Markert, I was able to craft a new flip for the spring cocktail menu. The first name that I blurted out when initially coming up with the cocktail was "The Wascally Wabbit." PS7's decided to call it the "What's up Doc?"

The Wascally Wabbit (a.k.a. 'What's Up Doc?')

- 2 oz Bluecoat American Dry Gin

- 1 oz fresh lime juice

- 3/4 oz carrot/allspice syrup*

- 1/2 oz simple syrup

- 1 spoonful St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram

- 1 egg white

Dry shake ingredients then shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.

It's easy to mishandle the vegetable flavors when building a cocktail with a carrot ingredient. Luckily, I had some very insightful feedback from Chef/Owner Peter Smith that helped shift it from the V8-like drink it might have been.  

Ultimately, this tipple has a nice balance of carrot, citrus, and floral gin botanicals with a slender finish of allspice at the end. What I also like about this flip is it's beautiful color.

The dark orange rising up to a slightly orange egg white foam couldn't have worked out better. Then, it's topped with a mint spring stood up straight by the foam - not only making it carrot-like in appearance but also bringing additional aromatics for the lucky imbiber.

You can't miss out out on this tasty beverage so drop by the PS7's lounge while it's still on the menu.

*Andrew's carrot/allspice syrup consisted of 1 part carrot juice, sugar, and water with 8 to 10 whole allspice reduced in a pan by 1/4. Then, to bring more of a consistent texture, puree in a blender. Take note: carrot gets weird and goopy after a week so expect the syrup to be unusable after five days or so.

Note: This post has been revised since its original publication

"Although some beer lovers recoil at the thought of other ingredients tainting their sacred substance..."

"Some take delight in the fact that the beer cocktail often functions as beerdom’s Trojan horse. It’s a means of slipping the goods into enemy territory."

Daniel Fromson covers the District's growing use of beer in cocktails. In the process, he briefly discusses the Cascade hops-infused gin concept that I brought to Last Exit for last year's winter cocktail menu!

A Bartender In Action

I have a deep admiration for photography. As a writer, I rely on pictures to fill in the details that writing can't. Unfortunately, I have neither the formal training nor the equipment for professional photography.

One photographer, Corey Thompson of Photoleer, took some great pictures of me in action behind Last Exit's bar one Wednesday night. I'm still adjusting to the fascination that folks continue to have with craft-bartending. So when Thompson wanted to take some shots of me building cocktails, I couldn't resist the opportunity. My favorite image is of me pouring him a healthy Jameson whiskey shot with the slight smirk on my face. I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking at that moment but must have been pretty amusing.

By the way, Photoleer has an impressive catalog of photographs. I'm a big fan of Thompson's "Breakfast With..." photo series so I recommend you spend some time checking that out.

Anyway, Corey was nice enough to let me post these images for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

Scoutmob Makes Me Famous for a Day

Image via Scoutmob

 
Scoutmob writer Marissa Payne came to Last Exit to taste a few of the cocktails. A week later, Scoutmob featured my picture in one of their write-ups. 

I received a startling amount of emails, text messages, and phone calls about this. 

Gotta say, it was fun to feel famous for a day.