July Drink of the Month - Casanier

For the past month, I've been running a "Saint Pius on the Rocks" series at our parish. Each week we feature a guest speaker, and I create a video to introduce them along with a cocktail for folks to make at home. Its been fun to channel my inner Bobby Flay, and I even got creative for my old program director from my Masters program, and created an original drink for him. Msgr. Michael Heintz is a lover of the Boulevardier (1.5 oz bourbon, 0.75 oz Campari, 0.75 oz sweet vermouth), which is only slightly ironic. You see, "boulevardier" in French means "man about town," and Fr. Mike is one of the biggest homebodies I know. So I created a "homebody" cocktail for him ("casanier" is homebody in French) using some of the same ingredients (just less bitter, because its my blog).

If you'd like to watch the video, you can find it here: https://vimeo.com/427125156 (I'll be awaiting my call, Next Food Network Star). The whole series can be found on the parish vimeo page (I also make a "Scofflaw" (rye, dry vermouth, grenadine, lime, orange bitters), Navy Grog, French 75, and a Last Word). For now, try out the Casanier, which was my first experiment in using grape juice in place of sweet vermouth (for shelf stability reasons).

Ingredients: 1 oz bourbon, 1 oz concord grape juice, 0.75 oz Aperol

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a Japanese stirring glass, or pint glass. Add ice, and stir until very cold. Strain into a Old Fashioned glass, add one large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

June Drink of the Month - C.O.V.I.D. Punch

Quarantining with a three year old and a very pregnant wife means I've that if I choose to make a drink, I've had to drink alone. One way to make things interesting (and not feel like an alcoholic) has been to participate in drink making challenges with Zack via text, social media, or Zoom. During the month of June, we actually met in person (outside) with the rest of the cocktail club crew, and had to create something unique for the gathering. While its a little morbid, we took creating a "COVID" cocktail as a challenge, and the result is a pretty tasty beverage you will find below.

We chose to take COVID as an acrostic and use an ingredient per letter. The most challenging were "D" (Drambuie?), "I" (only weird, obscure stuff), and non-vodka "V"s. In the end, we cheated a little bit, using ice for the "I." Were we not in a pandemic, and able to make a shared bowl of punch, we would have had an elaborate ice mold with 19 slices of orange, but we made everything single serving to avoid possible contamination. Here was what we settled on:

Champagne

Orange Juice

Velvet Falernum

Ice

Diplomatico (my favorite Venezuelan Rum)

We added a few small ingredients to tie everything together: simple syrup, tiki bitters, and citric acid to boost the tartness of the orange juice (OJ by itself is usually pretty bland in cocktails, but add a little citric acid, and it shines!). I've included the recipe below for the individual portion version of the drink (including a block ice cube with a supreme of orange instead of the ice ring).

Ingredients: 1.5 oz Diplomatic Rum, 1 oz citric acid boosted orange juice*, 0.5 oz simple syrup, 0.5 oz velvet falernum, 2 dashes Bittercube Jamaican Bitters #2, top with 2 oz champagne

Preparation: Prepare citric acid boosted orange juice (see notes below). Add orange juice, rum, simple syrup, and velvet falernum in a cocktail shaker. Shake over ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Add the orange ice block and bitters, then top with champagne and serve.

Notes: To make citric acid boosted orange juice, add a barspoon of citric acid to 3-4 oz or orange juice. Test for desired tartness, add more orange juice if too tart for your liking.

May Drink of the Month - Mrs. Rita

Every so often, I trade texts with my old boss, Brad Sytsma. We both have a love for music, playlists, and challenges. So we'll offer each other a category and gift each other a CD with gems from our favorite eras (Brad is an 80's guy, whereas I love 90's power pop). Brad has introduced me to a number of bands that I now love, like the Indigo Girls and the BoDeans, and he's deepened my appreciation for U2 and R.E.M. I like to think I've given him some gems as well (Carbon Leaf, Shawn Mullins, the Alternate Routes), so we continue to send each other challenges periodically.

This month, I was in a rut, trying to come up with a name for a new drink I'd created. I had leftover sage leaf from making stuffed Cornish game hens (they were a Christmas present from work, and I finally got around to making them as we participated in the great quarantine freezer clean-out), so of course I made a batch of sage simple syrup. After some testing (the applejack/sage syrup/lemon cocktail was not as much of a home run as I had hoped), I found an excellent application in an Old Fashioned riff with mezcal and orange bitters. But the drink needed a name.

I spent a good hour ruminating, and then sent off a text to friend of the blog Zack with a picture and a name - "Once Upon a Thyme in Oaxaca." It's a well worn pun, but whatever! The only problem, as Zack reminded me, was that I used sage instead of thyme in my syrup - I had brain-farted on my ingredients in the name of making a pun fit. I still needed a name.

I put on some music while I cleaned up the bar. The Gin Blossoms have been in heavy rotation ever since I found The Great Albums Podcast and listened to their review of New Miserable Experience. I've always loved the Blossoms (I've seen them live more than any other band except Carbon Leaf), and their new album (Mixed Reality) is excellent. But it was when I was listening to the anniversary re-issue of New Miserable Experience that the name came to me. The third track (and third single) off the album is called Mrs. Rita, named for a billboard psychic from the 900-number, Mrs. Cleo boom. She was prominent in the American Southwest, where Mexican food and the mezcal boom started. A "sage" from the southwest? I found my winner!

Of course, this naming convention sent me down a rabbit hole, and I had to text Brad. Instead of coming up with a top ten list of break-up songs, or side 1, track 1s, my new challenge was to make a 5 drink tasting menu using a single artist. Brad enjoys good whiskey and margaritas, but he's not a full-fledged bartender. So the concept didn't require fully formed drinks - just concepts to match the song names. Following the recipe, I'll give you my Gin Blossoms themed menu. I may try to build these other drinks out over the coming months, so keep an eye back on this space for the rest of my top 5 (or maybe 7, I couldn't pick between some songs).

For now, here is the recipe for the Mrs. Rita - a simple, smoky drink with a savory backbone that sips
easy over a big block of ice:

Ingredients: 2 oz mezcal (Del Maguey Vida if you have it) , 0.5 oz sage simple syrup (recipe follows), 3 dashes orange bitters (Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6 preferred), sage leaf to garnish.

Preparation: In a mixing glass, combine mezcal, sage syrup, and bitters. Add 5 medium-sized ice cubes, and stir for 10 seconds. Strain into an old fashioned glass. Using a bar spoon, slowly add one large ice cube, and garnish with a sage leaf on top of the ice cube.

Notes: To make the sage syrup, combine 0.5 cups of water and 0.5 cups of sugar in a sauce pot. Stir to combine, and bring to a gentle boil. Add 10 sage leaves, allow to boil for one minute, and then remove from heat. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then strain off sage leaves and bottle for up to three weeks.

Gin Blossoms Tasting Menu:
Lost Horizons (dry Manhattan with absinthe rinse) - New Miserable Experience (track 1)
Hey Jealousy (chartreuse/Last Word riff) - New Miserable Experience (track 2)
Mrs. Rita (Mezcal Old Fashioned) - New Miserable Experience (track 3)
Pieces of the Night (cobbler) - New Miserable Experience (track 11)
Follow You Down (beer with shot chaser) - Congratulations, I'm Sorry (track 3)
Learning the Hard Way (whiskey/hard cider tall drink) - Major Lodge Victory (track 1)
Idiot Summer (lemonade sipper) - Rarity/Bonus Track

April Drink of the Month - Boughs of the Supernatural

Happy quarantine month two everyone! I've been very envious of my friends without kids during this time - friend of the blog Zack has been incredibly industrious during his time apart, testing out different shrubs, citrus-cellos, bitters, and oleos. I've had time to make... one batch of juniper syrup, using dried juniper berries that I bought back in November. Our little person has decided to push back his bed time, so our adult time has been slightly curtailed (and we're still working during the day, thankfully). However, our new normal doesn't leave a lot of time for bar exploration (and my normal drinking partner is pregnant, so I'm drinking for one).

I did make juniper syrup though! And I've enjoyed playing around with it, even making a few virgin G&T-like mocktails for Ann. I've only used it with gin drinks so far, but the extra punch of juniper makes the drinks even more fresh and floral. Juniper plays well with lime (hence G&Ts), and grapefruit is another good friend. I named the drink after a nickname of juniper, "boughs of the supernatural." The recipe follows - enjoy!

Ingredients: 1.5 oz gin (I used St. George Botanivore), 0.75 oz juniper syrup*, 0.75 lime juice, 0.5 oz Deep Eddy Ruby Red grapefruit vodka, 1.5 oz soda

Preparation: Combine the first four ingredients in a Boston shaker, shake over ice and strain into an ice-filled collins glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a lime disc.

Notes: To prepare the juniper syrup, combine 1.5 cups of water and 1.5 cups of sugar in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then add 3 tbsp dried juniper berries. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Strain liquid through cheese cloth to remove particles, and bottle for up to three weeks.

March Drink of the Month - Lynchburg Lemonade

The last restaurant that Ann and I were able to visit before COVID-19 shut down the world was a tiny spot just over the border in Michigan called Fat Cam's. We love Fat Cam's for their Cajun dishes (particularly the Orleans Shrimp, covered in Worcestershire sauce and butter), and we were grateful that we had a chance to visit on a Friday in Lent and eat spicy seafood to our hearts' content. At the time of writing, we're now over a week and a half into our brave new world of coronavirus-related isolation, and thinking back to that night at Fat Cam's is making me a little emotional. I miss being about to go out, to see people, and to experience joy through new food and drink.

We've self-isolated pretty hard with Ann being pregnant. That means I'm drinking alone, if I choose to visit the bar. I'm sure I'll get more playful as our isolation stretches out, finding weird or unique ingredients on Amazon or Cocktail Kingdom. But for now, I wanted something simple and comforting. My drink this month was the last cocktail I had out in the wide world - a Lynchburg Lemonade. Fat Cam's called it something different (so that they didn't have to use Jack Daniel's), but the simple combination of lemon-lime soda, lemon, triple sec, and whiskey is easy to make and incredibly refreshing - until I ran out of lemons (I caved and bought shelf-stable lemon juice late last week). And even my pregnant, whiskey-hating wife took a (small) sip and admitted she didn't hate it. High praise from Ann!

Here is my recipe for a modified Lynchburg Lemonade. Like Fat Cam's, I should probably call it something else (since I'm not using Jack either). But why cause confusion? I'll just own that my recipe is not 100% standard... its better!

Ingredients: 2 oz bourbon (high rye content preferred), .75 oz lemon juice, .75 oz triple sec, 4-6 oz lemon lime soda (to taste).

Preparation: In a highball glass (or a mason jar if you need to feel folksy), combine the whiskey, lemon juice, and triple sec. Add ice to the top of the glass, and then top with soda. Stir to combine, and garnish with a lemon wheel.

February Drink of the Month - Sober Curious

For any loyal readers who thought I may have fallen off the edge of the Earth... you made a reasonable assumption, based on my lack of posting! My radio silence for the past few month is easy to explain, however: Ann and I are expecting baby #2 in July, so I've lost my #1 drinking buddy and taste tester. Who knows what this means for my blog output going forward (child #1 put me several months behind last time), but I will continue to post as much as I'm able!

In order to allow Ann to still join in on the fun, my cocktail club spent the month of February playing with shrubs and other low/no ABV options. According to the various publications that I read, the "sober curious" movement is growing. One way to get interesting flavors without using alcohol is with shrubs, sometimes know as "drinking vinegars." There is also a whole range of new "alcohol substitutes" available on the market, the granddaddy of which is Seedlip. For this month's concoction, we combined both of these alcohol-free options to make a pretty tasty little drink that even the pregnant ladies can get behind. This is definitely a case of a drink that is "greater than the sum of its parts." One of our club members described my bottle of Seelip Grove as "herbal hint water," but when combined with the kiwi shrub, it made something magical (we tried swapping Seedlip for gin later, and somehow the "herbal hint water" version was better!).

Ingredients: 2 oz Seedlip Grove, 3 oz kiwi ginger shrub*, 0.5 oz lime juice, 3 dash citrus bitters

Preparation: Combine seeldip, shrub, lime juice, and bitters in a boston shaker. Shake over ice, and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a kiwi wheel.

Notes: *To make the kiwi-ginger shrub, combine 3 cups sugar, 3 cups cold water, 2 tsp ground ginger, 0.75 cups white wine vinegar, and 0.75 cups white wine. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Add the fruit of 6-8 kiwi, and allow to cool. Blend to incorporate ingredients, and then strain into a sterile container.