Thursday, June 26, 2014

Black Jack David

Several cocktails had denuded an orange of all its peel and it was time to squeeze before it went bad. I could’ve made a Bronx or a Ward Eight but kept thinking about the allspice dram from the previous post. Here it is with rye and rum, a beautiful combination.

cocktail, stem glass with a film of frost, faceted stem, neutral background

Black Jack David
  • 1 1/2 rye (Rittenhouse)
  • 1/2 oz Lemon Hart 151
  • 3/4 oz orange juice
  • 3/4 oz lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz cherry brandy (Heering)
  • 1/4 oz allspice dram
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Rich, spicy and fruity without being heavy or very sweet. Nice with last night’s summer fog.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Cerrito Cocktail

This is a gin sour I’ve been kicking around with a friend. The combination of maraschino and allspice isn’t one I immediately think of so I’m glad for the inspiration. Here’s my current variation.

cocktail, bar, evening garden in background 
Cerrito Cocktail
  • 2 oz gin (Junípero)
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1/2 oz maraschino
  • 1/2 oz triple sec (Combier)
  • 1 dash allspice dram
  • 1 dash absinthe
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Orange twist.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

The twist disappeared in the drink I photographed but it’s in there.

I’m always at a loss to describe the profile of maraschino. It has a bitter almond component but it’s more complex than that, drier than most cherry flavors and floral at the same time. And in this drink it seems to shimmer with the dashes of allspice and absinthe. The orange twist is the perfect top note. It points up the triple sec and helps bring the flavors together.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Norway by Way of Portland: Two Krogstad Cocktails

I wish more choices in aquavit were available locally in San Francisco but I’m happy to enjoy Krogstad. It works in places where I’d reach for gin, but Krogstad is earthier, a thing of pleasant malty bitterness like horehound candy. I particularly like the star anise.

cocktail

Lagoon of the Moon
  • 1 1/2 oz aquavit (Krogstad)
  • 3/4 oz Meyer lemon juice
  • 3/4 oz Cointreau
  • 1 dash absinthe
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Since I had the Krogstad out, I thought I’d try an aquavit Negroni. You see various iterations of this idea on the web with the bitter component substituted. Mr. Lauer over at Tempered Spirits has a nice looking one, the Norwegian Sunset.

Anyway, here goes a basic solution.

cocktail

Aquavit Negroni
  • 1 1/2 oz aquavit (Krogstad)
  • 1 1/2 oz Campari
  • 1 1/2 sweet vermouth
Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned. Fresh ice cubes to fill. Orange twist.
 
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.