Sidecar

The Sidecar is another great classic cocktail.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounce Cognac
• 3/4 ounce Triple Sec
• 3/4 ounce Lemon Juice

Instructions:

1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker.
2. Fill shaker with ice and shake well.
3. Strain into a martini glass.

(Photo by Evan Swigart)

Martini Recipe

Here is a basic martini recipe.  A true martini is made with gin and vermouth.  However, many people (myself included) prefer their martinis to be made with vodka.  You can also alter the amount of vermouth that is used.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Gin or Vodka
• 1 ounce Dry Vermouth
• Green Olives or Lemon Peel

Instructions:

1. Pour vermouth and gin or vodka into a mixing glass or shaker with ice.
2. Stir or shake well.
3. Strain into a martini glass.
4. Garnish with olives or lemon peel.

Notes:

Stirring is often preferred to shaking (despite what Bond orders) because shaking causes the drink to become cloudy.


(Photo by Kyle May)

Manhattan Recipe

Here is my recipe for a great Manhattan:

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces Rye Whiskey
• 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 Maraschino Cherry

Instructions:

1. Pour the rye, vermouth, and bitters into a mixing glass or shaker with ice.
2. Stir or shake well.
3. Strain into a martini glass or over ice in an old fashioned glass.
4. Garnish with a cherry.

Notes:

I prefer mine on the rocks in an old fashioned glass.

Traditionally, a Manhattan is made with rye.  However, it can be made with Canadian whiskey or bourbon.  A Manhattan made with scotch is a Rob Roy.

(Photo by larryvencent)

Old Fashioned Recipe

Here's a recipe for another classic cocktail, the Old Fashioned:

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
• 2 dashes Augostura Bitters
• 1 Sugar Cube
• 1 splash Water
• Orange Slice
• Maraschino Cherry

Instructions:

1. Muddle the sugar cube with the water and bitters in the bottom of an old fashioned glass until the sugar dissolves.
2. Fill the glass with ice.
3. Add whiskey and stir.
4. Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

Notes:

I prefer my Old Fashioned with bourbon, typically Makers Mark.

(Photo from IBA)

Up coming Infusion Recipes

Just wanted to let everyone know what recipes I should be posting soon.  Some of these I have already started; others I plan on starting soon.

Here's the list:

• Homemade Sambuca
• Homemade Triple Sec
• Homemade Kahlua
• Vanilla Vodka
• Berry Vodka

Please feel free to post any requests either in the comments, or on my blog's Facebook page.

Dirty Martini Recipe

A dirty martini is a martini with olive brine from a jar of olives added.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Gin or Vodka
• 1 ounce Dry Vermouth
• 1 ounce Olive Brine
• Green Olives

Instructions:

1. Pour vermouth, olive brine, and gin or vodka into a mixing glass or shaker with ice.
2. Stir or shake well.
3. Strain into a martini glass.
4. Garnish with olives.

(Photo by IBA)

"Black and Tan" variations

A Black and Tan is not a traditional cocktail, since it is made with beer only, but I thought I'd post a few variations of the drink that I enjoy.  All of these drinks are made the same way, by layering a dark beer (typically Guinness) over a pale beer, only the ingredients differ.  So, I'll provide the instructions first, and then the list of variations with their ingredients.

Instructions:

1. Fill a pint glass half way with pale ale, lager, etc.
2. Float a half pint of stout to fill the glass by pouring over an upside-down spoon.

Black and Tan:  Bass Pale Ale and Guinness

Half and Half:  Harp Lager and Guinness

Blacksmith:  Smithwicks and Guinness

Snakebite:  Hard cider and Guinness

Filtering Infusions

Straining and filtering out the materials that you are infusing into a liquor is an important but laborious process.  Here is how I do it:

Step 1:

Strain the mixture into a pitcher through a fine mesh strainer. 
This will remove all of the larger pieces from the infusion.

Step 2:

Pour the mixture through a permanent coffee filter, such as this one. 
I usually place the filter into the strainer over a pitcher.  You will probably have to rinse the filter periodocally.  When the filter clogs (no more liquid is going through) I remove the filter, pour the liquid back into the container of un-filtered mixture, and rinse the filter in the sink.

Step 3:

Pour the mixture through disposable coffee filters.
I use flat-bottom coffee filters and place them in the strainer over a pitcher.  They will clog quickly and have to be replaced.  You can squeeze out the used filters into a bowl, and then run that through more filters at the end.

The resulting infusion should be free of sediment.  If needed, filter it again.

Limoncello Batch 3

Started another batch of limoncello (recipe).  This time I remembered to take pictures.  Once again, I used 1 bottle of Everclear and 1 bottle of Skyy vodka.

Picture of the lemons I used (organic lemons from Trader Joe's):

Pictures of the zest:

Picture of the infusion mixture:

Choosing Fruit for Infusing

Often in infusing, you will be using the zest of fruit.  This is most common with citrus flavored infusions.  Here are a few tips for picking citrus fruits to zest:

The condition of the outside of the fruit is what's important when choosing fruit for zesting, since this is the part that you want to use.  Try to pick citrus that has a bright color and few blemishes on the skin.  Most citrus will have a coating of food-grade wax on the outside, and may have pesticides. 

Organic fruit is available at most supermarkets and it won't have pesticides.  If you can find fruit that hasn't been coated in wax, use that.  However, this will be hard to find unless you have a farmer's market.  Even the organic fruit that I have found in stores has been coated in wax.

If you can't find wax-free or organic fruit, you can use any fruit available.  Just make sure to thoroughly wash the fruit as I explain in Tips on Zesting.

Homemade Grand Marnier Recipe

(Work in Progress)

A little while back, I started working on a recipe to make my own orange liqueur similar to grand marnier to use in my margarita recipe.  It is a 6 month proccess.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Orange Zest (Organic Seville Oranges)
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 2 cups Brandy or Cognac(Paul Masson VSOP Grande Amber Brandy/Cognac blend)
• 1/2 tsp Glycerine

Instructions

Step 1:  (7/31/12)

1. Zest enough oranges to get 1/3 cup of orange zest.
2. Place orange zest and sugar in a small bowl.
3. Muddle the zest and sugar until the sugar is absorbed into the zest.
4. Place in a glass jar.
5. Add the brandy or cognac and the glycerine.
6. Stir ingredients.
7. Store in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 months, shaking monthly.

Step 2:  (anticipated after 9/31/12)

1. Strain and filter the infusion.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Age 3 months before serving.

Notes:
Seville oranges are the traditional oranges to use in making this orange liqueur.  However, you can use any oranges.  The glycerine is optional and it's for texture.

My Zester

I use the OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester for zesting citrus.  I like the rubber handle, and it does a great job of removing the zest without the pith.

Muddling

Muddling is the combining of ingredients, usually in the bottom of a glass, by mashing them with a muddler before adding the remaining ingredients.  To muddle, throw the ingredients to be muddled in a mixing glass and mash them together with the muddler.

Dirty Vodka Infusion Recipe

I'm not much of a fan of olives, but my girlfriend likes her martinis dirty.  So, I'm infusing this vodka for use in making vodka martinis.  Not only should this make the perfect vodka for a dirty martini, but I'll be able to reuse the olives and onions as garnishes.

Ingredients:

• 1 jar Whole Green Olives with Pimentos
• 1 jar Cocktail Onions
• 1 jar Fire Roasted Red Peppers
• Vodka (Skyy)

Instructions:

1. Layer the olives, red peppers, and onions in a glass jar.
2. Fill to cover with vodka.
3. Allow to infuse for 1 month before using.

Notes:
I began this infusion on 8/12/12.

My Vegetable Brush

I use the OXO Good Grips Flexible Vegetable Brush to clean all of the fruit that I use for zesting.

My Cocktail Shaker

I use the Premium Cocktail Shaker Set - 24 oz Stainless Steel.  I haven't had any problems with leaks with this shaker.

My Juicer

I use the OXO Good Grips Citrus Juicer to juice fruit.  It has 2 sides to juice large or small fruit, and it's easy to clean and pour.

My Muddler

I use the OXO SteeL Muddler whenever I need to muddle a drink.  I like the soft rubber handle, and the nylon head is safe to use with glass. 

Whiskey Sour

This is my new favorite cocktail for summer.  It's a refreshing drink when sitting outside on a patio with a cocktail and a cigar.  I was enjoying these last night on the patio of J Buck's in Clayton while smoking a Padron 1964 Principe Natural. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Bourbon (Makers Mark)
• 2/3 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 maraschino cherry

Instructions:

1. Stir sugar and lemon juice together in a shaker.
2. Add bourbon.
3. Fill shaker with ice.
4. Shake bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar.
5. Strain into a martini glass, or serve over ice in an old fashioned glass.
6. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Notes:
Traditionally these are served in a martini glass or a whiskey sour glass.  However, I prefer mine in an old fashioned glass with ice.

Homemade Sour Mix

Here's my recipe for homemade Sour Mix.  It works great in my Perfect Margarita Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Simple Syrup
• 1 cup fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed Lime Juice

Instructions:

1. Juice the lemons and limes using a juicer.
2. Strain the lemon and lime juice.
3. Combine with simple syrup.
4. Bottle and store in the fridge.

Notes:
This is a great use for any lemons and limes that were used for juicing.  This Sour Mix must be kept refridgerated.  It should keep for 1 to 2 weeks.

Orange Juice Liqueur

(Work in Progress)

This is another liqueur that I am attempting to make to go into my Margarita Martini recipe.  The idea is to make a margarita-flavored martini using this Orange Juice Liqueur, the Lime Tequila that I'm developing, and limoncello.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (6-7 oranges) freshly squeezed Orange Juice (organic seville oranges)
• Zest of one Orange
• 3/4 cup Vodka (Skyy)
• 3/4 cup Brandy or Cognac (Paul Masson VSOP Grande Amber Brandy/Cognac blend)
• 1 cup Simple Syrup

Instructions:
Step 1:  (7/31/12)

1. Zest one orange.
2. Juice and strain enough oranges to get 1 1/2 cups of orange juice.
3. Combine the juice, zest, vodka, and brandy or cognac in a glass container.
4. Place in fridge for 4 weeks.

Step 2:  (Anticipated 8/28/12)

1. Strain and filter.
2. Add simple syrup.
3. Bottle and return to fridge for a minimum of 1 week before serving.

Simple Syrup

Here's how to make your own Simple Syrup:

Ingredients:

• 1 part Sugar
• 1 part Water

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil in sauce pan.
2. Stir sugar into water until completely dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool

Alternative Instructions:

1. Pour sugar and water into a bottle.
2. Cap bottle and shake vigorously until sugar dissolves.

Notes:
This is a basic Simple Syrup Recipe.  It can be altered to adjust the sweetness by increasing or decreasing the amount of sugar.  Sometimes I prefer a Rich Simple Syrup of 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.  While 1:1 simple syrup can be made without boiling the water, as noted above, rich simple syrup must be made with boiling water.

Tips on Zesting

Many infusions involving citrus use just the zest from the fruit.  To get the zest, you must remove just the outer layer of the peel.  You do not want to get any of the white pith underneath.  Getting pith in the infusion can cause it to become bitter.

I use an OXO Zester.  However, many people prefer a microplane zester.  Whichever you use, you'll want to follow these tips:

Thoroughly wash the citrus to remove any pesticides and wax.  Use hot water and a Vegetable Brush to remove as much wax as possible.  Dry the fruit.

Now, find the biggest bowl you have.  This will make it easier to ensure that you collect all of the zest.  Gently scrape your zester down the sides of the fruit over the bowl.  Make sure you aren't getting any pith.  It is more important to avoid getting the pith than to get every scrap of zest.  For example, the lemon on the left has not been zested, the one on the right has been:

Once the fruit is zested, set it aside for other use.  I usually juice them using a juicer and store the juice in the fridge for other recipes.    Lemons and limes are great for making Sour Mix.

My Bourbon Renewal Recipe

In my Bourbon Renewal recipe, I substitute Chambord for the more traditional Creme De Cassis.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Bourbon (Maker's Mark)
• 1/2 oz Chambord
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Instructions

1. Shake with ice.
2. Serve over ice in an old fashioned glass.

Lime Tequila

(Work in Progress)

So, the other day I had an idea for a Margarita Martini.  I want the margarita flavor, but in a more traditional martini format.  My idea is to make this drink entirely from homemade liqueurs.  I plan on using limoncello, an orange liqueur, and a tequila-based lime liqueur.

This Lime Tequila recipe is based on the concept of limoncello:

Ingredients:

• 7 limes
• 1 cup Silver Tequila (1800)
• 1 cup White Sugar

Instructions:

Step 1:  (Completed 7/31/12)

1. Zest the limes.
2. Juice the limes.
3. Strain any pulp out of the lime juice.
4. Dissolve the sugar into the lime juice.
5. Combine zest, tequila, and lime juice/sugar mixture in glass container.
6. Place in fridge for a minimum of 45 days.

Step 2:  (Anticipated)

Filter the liquer.

I hope that this will produce a nice, sweet, lime-flavored tequila liqueur.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Check back later for information on the orange liqueurs that I am working on.

The Ultimate Chocolatini

I spent some time experimenting with chocolatini recipes.  My goal was to have a great tasting chocolatini that didn't break the bank.  So, I needed a recipe that didn't rely too much on the super expensive Godiva liqueurs.  I came up with this recipe, which everyone I served it to has loved:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Chocolate Liqueur (Trader Vic's or homemade)
• 1 oz Chocolate Cream Liqueur (Godiva or homemade)
• 1 oz Vanilla Vodka (Smirnoff or homemade)
• 1 oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua or homemade)

Instructions:

1. Shake with ice.
2. Serve in a martini glass.

Notes:
I like to garnish the glass with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
This recipe is really excellent if you use all homemade ingredients.

My Cosmo Recipe

Here's my take on the Cosmopolitan:

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Vodka (Ketel One)
• 1/2 oz Chambord
• 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
• 1/4 oz Lime Juice (Rose's Lime Juice)

Instructions:

1. Shake with ice.
2. Serve in a martini glass.

The Perfect Margarita

Here is the recipe that I developed for great margarita on the rocks:

Ingredients:

• 2oz       High-quality Silver Tequila (1800)
• 1/2oz   Grand Marnier
• 1/2oz   Triple Sec
• 1oz       Lime Juice (Rose’s sweetened lime juice)
• 1oz       Orange Juice
• 4oz       Sour Mix

Instructions:

• Shake ingredients together and pour over ice. 
• Serve in a salted margarita glass or highball glass.

Notes:

I use the ½ Grand Marnier and ½ Triple Sec mostly because Grand Marnier is so expensive and the small bottle runs out too quickly.  You can just use 1oz Grand Marnier and it tastes about the same. 

To make this for a group, I have a large Rubbermaid jugthat I pour the ingredients into and then just shake up before serving.  I just change the ounces to cups.  Also, if I make a large amount, I’ll add a few pinches of salt directly into the margarita.

My Limoncello Recipe

Back in March, I decided to try my hand at making my own limoncello. I just finished my first batch, and it turned out great! I decided to use a mixture of 190-proof grain alcohol and 80-proof vodka as a base. It turned out strong, but not overpowering. I've already started another batch to give out at Christmas.  Here is the recipe.  I'll post tips, comments, and pictures when I have a chance.

My Limoncello Recipe

Ingredients:

• 14 lemons
• 1 bottle(750 ml) 190-proof grain alcohol (Everclear)
• 1 bottle (750 ml) 80-proof mid-grade vodka (Skyy)
• 3 cups (750 ml) filtered water
• 4 cups pure white cane sugar

Instructions:

Step 1

1. Scrub lemons with a brush in hot water.

2. Remove the zest from the lemons using a zester (see Tips on Zesting).

3. Put zest in a large glass jar.

4. Add vodka and grain alcohol and shake.

5. Leave in cool dark place for a minimum of 45 days.

Step 2

1. Disolve sugar in water and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Allow mixture to cool.
3. While cooling, strain alcohol/zest infusion through a fine strainer to remove zest.
4. Pour infusion and sugar water back into jar.
5. Leave in cool dark place for a minimum of another 45 days.

Step 3

1. Filter the mixture through coffee filters changing the filters as they get clogged (I place coffee filter in a funnel).
2. Filter a second time.
3. Funnel into bottles (I just keep the empty bottles from the vodka and grain alcohol and other liquor bottles, clean them, and remove the labels).
4. Place in freezer until ready to drink.

Serve in a cordial glass.

The Basics on Infusing

Making liqueur is a relatively simple but time consuming process.  It basicly involves soaking the flavoring ingredient (fruit, spices, etc.) in a base alcohol (typically grain alcohol or vodka) for an extended period of time, then removing the flavoring ingredient from the alcohol.  The alcohol will take on the flavor of the ingredient.  Most recipes also call for the addition of a sweetener such as simple syrup or honey at some part of the process.  What you are left with is a sweet liqueur, hopefully with the desired flavor.