February Drink of the Month: The Mezcal Bisou

And now for a novel concept, a "Bar Kiley" article actually published in the month for which it was scheduled. Friend of the blog Zack suggested that I wait to write anything for February until Ann and I returned from our trip to New Orleans and the Florida panhandle. This was an excellent suggestion, as our time in New Orleans produced some wonderful opportunities to try new drinks and meet new people. While I won't try to reproduce a Pat O'Brien's hurricane or a Tropical Isle hand grenade (both excellent drinks for Bourbon Street shenanigans, but not the best for sipping slowly), I will highly recommend that anyone with a free afternoon make the trip up the street car on Canal Street to midtown and check out the Revel Cafe & Bar.

Ann and I made the trip on the recommendation of Fr. Bill Dailey, CSC - noted chaplain to DC Craft Cocktail Bartenders Guild and sometimes panelist at Tales of the Cocktail (and a Catholic priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and lawyer to boot). Fr. Bill (@wrdcsc on twitter - worth a follow) has never steered me wrong with a recommendation before (Two Birds, One Stone in DC was another excellent find), but I am extremely grateful for the afternoon we had on his suggestion. We walked off the street car, and could see Revel Cafe & Bar from the station. We walked in to find one couple eating in the dining area and one couple at the bar. Ann and I sat at the bar, and were warmly greeted by Laura McMillian, who was working the bar that day. With slow business, she was happy to chat as she methodically (but expertly) fixed a French 75 for the folks at the end of the bar. We told her of Fr. Bill's direction, and she happily introduced us to her husband and co-owner, Chris McMillian. The two of them are world-renowned bartenders, and are founders of the Museum of the American Cocktail. But Chris was more interested in telling us about cutting the cord from cable than resting on his laurels, which was refreshing.

Ann and I enjoyed a two hour lunch with these warm, inviting folks, sipping cocktails and sharing stories. And what cocktails we did sip! Their list of New Orleans classic cocktails is worth the trip alone. I had a wonderful, well-shaken Ramos Gin Fizz, and Ann has a Pimm's cup that was a million miles better than any I've ever made. I think I might try to reproduce Chris's Pimm's Cup in a month or two - as compared to the New Orleans standard at the Napoleon House, it is much more Pimm's forward, and eschews lemon-line soda/ginger ale for actual lemon juice and soda water. He also uses thin peels of cucumber instead of coins, as I always assumed was standard. Anyway, that's fodder for another month (but it was excellent).

We went off menu for round two. Ann was treated to a Queen's Park Swizzle (a proto-mojito, so she was drinking rum and in her happy place). It was hard for me to order off-menu, as their original cocktail menu was quite long, and looked excellent, but I had a craving for mezcal, and they had an extensive selection of Del Maguey. Laura suggested a mix of grapefruit and mezcal, a combination she promised would work like "peanut butter and jelly." I had my doubts - I had visions of a bitter cocktail, like the first time I ever made lemoncello and threw way too much pith into the infusion (that first sip still haunts me - and we made 2 liters worth, that I felt compelled not to waste). But Laura seemed reliable, and so I went with her suggestion.

The resulting cocktail, a "mezcal bisou (kiss)," was a wonderful combination of sour, sweet, and smoky. Magically, the mezcal did something to cancel out the bitter after-taste one often finds with grapefruit. I don't know what science or miracles occurred in that glass, but I am more than happy to reproduce it in my home bar (with surprisingly similar results). Laura was kind enough to share her recipe with me, which I will faithfully reproduce below:

In a cocktail shaker, combine the following ingredients:
1 oz mezcal (joven)
1 oz grapefruit vodka*
1/2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake over ice, strain into a coupe or nick and nora glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

*Laura used Absolut Ruby Red. I went for Deep Eddy, so pick your poison.

I hope you enjoy your Mezcal Bizou

January Drink of the Month: The "Gussied Up" Caipirinha

A few confessions at the start today:

1) Today is February 25 - clearly, we're not in January any more Toto.

Charlie @ the bar - just crawling, not partaking

2) I neglected to take any pictures of this month's drink - so prepare for pictures of cute *almost* one-year-olds on top of my bar instead. Also, I turned my bar into a "sports bar" last month by finally adding a TV (we've had it wired for cable for the last 6 months), so I'll show you that too. I'm pretty happy about it.

3) My drink for the month is based on an excellent drink from Sylvain in New Orleans, by way of Imbibe magazine. However, their drink (the "Rat Race Cocktail") required more work than I was willing to put in this time around. Their drink is superior to the one I'll be writing about, as it uses Rosemary-infused simple syrup instead of plain-jane stuff. I have excuses (Ann doesn't like rosemary, ain't nobody got time for that, etc), but its also safe to say that I've failed you. As a result, I can't call the drink a proper "Rat Race," so I settled for a call-back to what I imagine is the drink's inspiration, the Caipirinha. The folks at Sylvain did some cool stuff to improve on the Brazilian classic, adding soda water and sloe gin (and rosemary). There is a long tradition of calling such cocktails "Improved" versions of the original (see: Improved Genever Cocktail), but I'm feeling old today, so I went for a 50's term and "Gussied it up" instead, since its much fancier.

So, with those disclaimers out of the way, here is our drink for the month! As long-time readers may recall, the Caipirinha (or "Little Hillbilly") is a simple drink made with Cachaça (Brazilian fermented sugar cane juice), lime, and sugar. Cachaça has nice earthy and somewhat vegetal notes that play well with sweetened lime juice. I imagine the inspiration for the "Rat Race" began here. The folks at Sylvain then (possibly) improved on the formula by adding sweetly complex sloe gin and rosemary. The sloe gin plays nicely with all of the ingredients, adding sweetness and berry notes to the earthy Cachaça, I will caution you to only use real sloe gin here, not bottom shelf stuff. Plymoth Sloe Gin is finally widely available again, so treat yourself to a bottle (and enjoy a Sloe Gin Fizz on a warm day, whenever that may be - so cold).

Try this drink at your favorite sports bar.
This is my new personal favorite.

Here is the recipe for my Gussied Up Caipirinha. Note that if you sub out the simple syrup for rosemary simple syrup, that you'll do the folks at Sylvain proud:

In a cocktail shaker, combine the following:
1 oz Cachaça
1 oz Sloe gin
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake over ice, strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with soda water (~1 oz) and serve.

I hope you enjoy your Gussied Up Caipirinha!