Martin, an old friend from San Francisco, visited this past weekend and we did a wild tour of Porland area Bars and Restaurants while he was here.
Here’s a peek at the carboys that Clear Creek Distillery uses
Xmas Drink #1: The Snowball
The Snowball is a highball of Advocaat and lemon-lime soda, sometimes with a splash of lemon and/or lime juice.
Snowball
1½ oz. Advocaat
3 oz. Lemon-Lime soda
Splash Lemon and/or Lime juice
Add cubed ice to a highball or double rocks glass. Add Advocaat, citrus, and top with lemon-lime soda. Stir carefully to mix. Garnish with lemon wheel.
——
I need to get some Advocaat, which is made from egg yolks, brandy, and vanilla. Heather used to call it “egg nog liqueur,” which isn’t that far from the truth. I’m guessing it will be a dandy base for any number of creamy Christmas bevvies. I’m guessing Ginger snaps, Egg Nog variations, nutty drinks, &c. There is a Mexican cousin of Advocaat that goes by the name of Rompope.
Making Spirits Bright
Last year for Christmas, I made a new drink named “The Pomander,” whose scents I associate with Yuletide. This year, Blair and I decided to construct a selection of Christmas cocktails to provide to our thirsty friends.
To this aim, I’ve plan to:
- Brainstorm flavours and scents reminiscent of Yule, Christmas, Winter &c.
- Collect and document Seasonal cocktails for testing and analysis
- Stick it all here in TD&IF.
So while it may be quite early for Xmas, I’m starting early so we can have some amazing tipples to tease your taste buds.
And don’t worry, Hallowe’en lovers – I’ve drinks in store for you as well. I’ve just published my first one for the Autumn: My version of the Apple Bang!
My own “Apple Bang!”
I adjusted this Apple Bang! Recipe for the Housewarming party of My friends Noel and Kim Henneman:
Craig’s Apple Bang!
1½ oz Laird’s AppleJack Apple Brandy
1 oz Apple Juice
1 oz Apple Schnapps (NOT Sour Pucker or Green Apple)
¼ oz Mulling Syrup*
Shake well with cracked ice and pour into chilled cocktail glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.
—
* Mulling Syrup:
2 Tbsp Freshly ground Allspice
1 Tbsp Freshly ground Ceylon Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Freshly grated/pulverized Cassia Cinnamon
1 Tsp Freshly grated Nutmeg
½ tsp Powdered Ginger
2 Whole Cloves
¼ Cup 151-proof Rum
1 Cup Water
2 Cups Sugar
Add all spices to Rum in a sealable container (I use mason jars). Shake and leave to extract/steep for at least one day. Prepare a simple syrup and add to spice/151 mixture and let steep for at least one day. Strain twice: Once through wire mesh, once through double layer of cheesecloth to remove particulate.
Drinkie Navy Groggie
Lately, I’ve been fixated on the Navy Grog. Namely, Jeff ‘beachbum‘ Berry’s version of Donn’s Navy Grog.
I use the version in the Grog Log and add ½ oz of my ‘lazy’ pimento dram.
Craig’s lazy Pimento dram:
- ¼ cup good quality allspice berries
- ¼ cup Lemon Hart 151
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- Metal Strainer and Cheesecloth
Grind allspice berries with either mortar & pestle or as I do with a coffee grinder until you achieve a small crushed size. Steep ground allspice in 151 for at least 1 day. Dissolve sugar in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add aged allspice/151 mixture. Let this mixture sit for at least 1 day. Strain first through metal sevie strainer to remove large particulate, then through a single layer of cheesecloth to remove the finer particulate.
My Navy Grog is as follows:
- ¾ oz Grapefruit Juice
- ¾ oz Lime Juice
- ¾ oz Honey Syrup
- ½ oz ‘lazy’ Pimento Dram
- 1 oz Coruba Dark
- 1 oz Lemon Hart (not 151) demerara
- 1 oz Appleton White
- 1 oz White soda (7-up, sprite, club if you must)
Fill one double rocks glass with small crushed ice. Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass. Start with the honey, then add the citrus to dissolve the honey syrup nicely. Finish with the soda and be gentle to save the carbonation. Pour into double rocks glass and stir to frost the exterior: Ideally you would use a rock-candy swizzle to stir.
Delicious, I assure you.
Tiki Drinks!
Well, now that Tiki Kon V is all done and wildly successful, Here are the Official Drinks for release into the wild:
Dead Reckoning by Martin Cate of Forbidden Island
2 oz Cockspur 12 year
½ oz Navan Vanilla Liqueur
½ oz pure maple syrup
½ oz tawny port
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz pineapple juice
dash angostura bitters
Shake and strain into a hiball glass over fresh ice and top with 1 oz soda water. Garnish with pineapple wedge, mint sprig, and lemon spiral.
Dark Magic by Craig Hermann
½ oz coffee syrup
½ oz Licor 43
½ oz passion fruit syrup
¾ oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Appleton V/X
1 oz Coruba
dash Herbsaint
Add all and 8oz of ice into blender. Blend by 5 one second pulses. Pour into double rocks glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry and lime wheel. With compliments to Jeff “beachbum’ Berry and The Mai-Kai’s Black Magic.
Happy Hoti by Blair Reynolds
2 oz Pyrat XO Reserve
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz falernum
½ oz rock candy syrup
dash Fee Bros. bitters
Shake with crushed ice. Serve in small tiki mug filled with ice. Garnish with mint, cherry.
Sandy Warner by Heather Gregg
1½ oz Cockspur
1½ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz orange curaçao
dash Fee Bros. orange bitters
Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.
Fighting Gamecock by Craig Hermann
2 oz Cockspur
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz Fee Bros. falernum
dash Fee Bros. orange bitters
dash Herbsaint
Stir with ice in mixing glass. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange spiral.
Luaahi by Craig Hermann
1 oz Pyrat Blanco
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
¾ oz maraschino liqueur
¾ oz Velvet Falernum
dash Fee Bros. bitters
dash Herbsaint
Blend with 8 oz ice by 5 one second pulses. Pour into TIKI KON 2007 signature Luaahi mug. Garnish with pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry and cocktail umbrella.
The Good News
Captain Reynoles’ Galley is finished and signed off on. He and Sara did an absolutely fantastic job completing the decoration, bar work, and lighting. We stocked it up with glasses and mixed cocktails on Saturday. We have six recipes now.
As they stand, the current TIKI KON Drinks are:
- Dead Reckoning by Martin Cate, proprietor of Alameda’s Forbidden Island.
- Pyrat’s Port Light by Yours Truly.
- Sandy Warner by Tikimama.
- Happy Hoti by Blair “The Captain” Reynolds.
- The Fighting Gamecock by Yours Truly.
- Dark Magic by Yours Truly.
We plan to gather some of our home-made libations, feature them during TIKI KON, then release them into the wild for others to make, enjoy, or improve. Call it “Open source mixology.” Keep in mind at least one of these recipes was devised by a professional mixologist. That’s why I listed it first.