Strawberries and Absinthe: Brunch in North Beach

An interesting variety of options on a brunch cocktail menu is so important. (I’ve always been a morning person.) And for those of us asking for something besides a Mimosa or a Bloody, the choices are getting increasingly inventive. This morning in North Beach, I had two totally different strawberry-absinthe combinations, each at a very different and equally enjoyable establishment.



SHAKESPEARE’S GARDEN, PARK TAVERN
Hophead Vodka, Ninkasi IPA, strawberry, absinthe. Everything supports the strawberry in this pleasantly dry treatment. The refreshing tartness of the beer made me ask if the strawberry was syrup or shrub. (The former.) No straw, which is just as well or it would be gone all too soon.



FAMOUS FIZZ, 15 ROMOLO
St. George Absinthe, strawberry-thyme shrub, cream, egg white, seltzer. A magical sort of 19th-century pink absinthe milkshake that’s almost a brunch in itself. I asked for a little taste of the shrub neat, and finished it. The Famous pairs well with the nifty Waffle Shot. My-oh-my.

World on a String

OK—trying to work up some holiday cheer here at the Fogged In Lounge. The housemate’s busy doing the place up. The shops look like Christmas threw up all over them. The music’s everywhere like some mad scene in a noir film. Might as well work myself into the mood since there’s no beating it.

I made this Campari-absinthe thing last night that I liked a lot. Anise, citrus, tequila, it’s red—I feel festive already. Now where’s that drink?



World on a String

• 2 oz reposado tequila
• 1 oz Campari
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1 tsp absinthe
• 1 scant tsp agave syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Bronxathon: The Maurice

In a cocktail like the Bronx where orange juice is a dominant ingredient, it seems to need some sort of bitter component to wed it to gin. The Maurice, yet another Bronx from the CocktailDB, is a slight variation of the Income Tax with pastis as an alternate ingredient for aromatic bitters. I like the Income Tax but I’m getting even fonder of the anise-scented Maurice. It’s dry, light- to medium-bodied depending on your vermouth, and more to my taste than something like the Monkey Gland. I upped the gin half an ounce and liked it just as much.

I’m beginning to hanker after a different white vermouth but have had no luck in the shops over the weekend. I tried doing this drink with an off-dry vermouth, Noilly-Prat Original French Dry, but it just didn’t come together.



The Maurice

• 1 oz gin (1 – 1 1/2 oz Plymouth)
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth (Dolin Dry)
• 1/2 oz orange juice
• 1 dash aromatic bitters or pastis (1 dash St. George absinthe)

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. An orange twist is good for this one.
SOURCE: COCKTAILDB

MxMo XLIX: Tom Waits

My urge to create something is often inspired by music, and Tom Waits is among my favorite artists. Special thanks to Andrew Bohrer at Caskstrength for the theme for this Mixology Monday.

could a been on easy street
could a been a wheel
with irons in the fire
and all them business deals
but the last of the big time losers
shouted before he drove away
I'll be right back as soon as I crack
the one that got away

—Tom Waits, The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz espresso
• 1/4 oz Galliano
• 1/4 oz absinthe

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned. Add ice and garnish with a lemon twist.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Edmond Clément

This is a small cocktail, and should be kept that way. It’s named for a French lyric tenor I knew nothing about until I went looking for a name that represented style and elegance on a more intimate scale.

The measurements are given for two drinks, but if you want to make one, the absinthe reduces to about 3 drops.



Edmond Clément

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz Lillet blanc
• 1/2 oz yellow Chartreuse
• 1/2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/8 tsp absinthe

Stir in a mixing glass with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glasses. Makes two drinks.

Source: Rowen, Fogged In Lounge