Marshall Fawley Writes About Cocktails for AARP!

Check out Marshall Fawley of Scofflaw's Den in the first post of his regular cocktail column for AARP's blog! This first piece is called 'The Old Fashioned's Grandfather' and covers the origins of this notorious sling!

Check Out DLDGLG on Diep 9's Website!

Our contributions to Diep 9 are featured on the website's cocktail section. I wrote about one of these drinks a few weeks ago and stand still by it's incredible deliciousness. Try out the other recipes that are featured there.

By the way, the Calypso Flip, which is featured on the site, was actually created by former Last Exit bartenders Matt Carson and Bryan Flynn. It's an absolutely delicious cocktail. However, I had no part in its creation.

Spirited Remix Improves Upon The Improved Cocktail

I'll be attending the Cocktails & Spirits Online Writers Group (CSOWG) event Drink.Write this December in D.C. At this event, I'll finally get a chance to meet DJ HawaiianShirt of Spirited Remix. I'm continually impressed with his blog and often find new things.

 

Recently, one of those new things was the Improved Cocktail.

"2 oz spirit

1 dash simple syrup

1 dash aromatic bitters

1 dash Maraschino

1 dash absinthe

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist."

DJ loves this easy tipple and it's not hard to understand why. He writes:

"It doesn't sound like much, but [Jerry] Thomas knew what he was doing when he codified this thing into the printing press."

Now, like me, a thought that DJ has grappled with is unintentionally creating a cocktail that might already exist. No decent person would plagiarize and anyone could suffer from cryptomnesia. 

Making things worse, the craft cocktail movement has progressed to the point that stealing has become a significant discussion. At the end of the day, it leaves an amateur like myself wondering what the most prudent course of action would be. One could certainly scour the internet for the beverage in a Google search - or at least give it the old college try.

DJ finds peace of mind from some fellow cocktailians:

"Since then, I've gotten encouragement to shed humility by going ahead and naming cocktails that I've made, even if doing so seemed a bit exorbitant."

And the original remix that DJ formulated?

"Oklahoma

1.5-2 oz Cruzan Black Strap rum

heavy dash simple syrup

heavy dash aromatic bitters

heavy dash Maraschino

heavy dash absinthe

Build over ice in small tumbler. Garnish with orange twist."

Cheers!

NEW: Darcy O'Neil has some guidance.

Note: This post has been revised since its original publication 

The Menu of Music: A Response

Harness Your Kim Chi recently wrote a blog post detailing a menu of music to accompany a full course dining experience. She challenged me (ok more like... politely suggested), via Twitter, to come up with music to go with the aperitif and digestif. Very well.

But I'm going to do her one better. I'm going to match her entire menu with my own picks. However, I am also going to pair a tasty alcoholic beverage for the dishes.

Here we go...

Aperitif (I actually had no idea amuse-bouche was a one-bite spoiler. It was always just a funny sounding word to me, like "bouillabaisse" or "couscous").
Drink: Campari and tonic with a squeeze of lemon.
Music: The Dears - "Omega Dog"
I know we haven't even gotten our trousers off yet. But I'm not afraid to start off guns blazing.

Appetizer (or to you Frenchmen, "the entree")
Drink: Pimm's Cup.
Music: Broken Bells - "Vaporize"
Appetizers are fun. And so is James Mercer. Seriously, I met him in Baltimore after a show at Ram's Head Live! and he was rad.

Main Course 
Drink: Racer 5 IPA.
Music: Little Dragon - "Feather"
You want meat? I'll give you meat. You want umami? I got your umami.

Dessert
Drink: Ramos Gin Fizz. The secret to this one is you got to take the spring off the strainer and throw it into the shaker. When shaken, the spring acts like a whisk to the cream and the egg. Mixes quickly and nicely.
Music: Born Ruffians - "What to Say" 
It's got sprinkles. 

Digestif
Drink: The Macallan 10 year Sherry Oak (cask strength).
Music: Erykah Badu - "I Want You" 
Don't worry, Erykah will get you home and put you to bed. And you just might wake up the next morning with no pants.

The Descent of Man