Something Old and Something New

Tonight, as I embark on a glorious 9-day-stretch of freedom from my day-job, I am working on both an old standby and a new creation. The old standby is the Brandy Alexander, and tonight's new creation is the Purple Haze. Both are creamy cocktails utilizing half-and-half. Although I tend to eschew the use of such indulgent ingredients in my day-to-day drinks, there is something about entering into the Holiday Season that almost grants me permission to throw my usual fat-conscious cautions to the wind.

Let's begin with the time-tested favorite--The Brandy Alexander
1 oz of Camus Cognac
1 oz creme de cacao
1 oz half-and-half
2 dashes Fee's Chocolate Bitters
Freshly grated nutmeg
Shake all ingredients over ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with nutmeg.

Although I initially started with Robert Hess' recipe that calls for 1/2 oz more of brandy, I discovered that the equal balance ratio that I found in Harry and Wynn's Barflies and Cocktails: 300 Recipes(1927) more to my liking. The addition of the chocolate bitters happened just because I have them and thought, "What the heck." And you know what, it works.

Moving on to my new creation for this evening--The Purple Haze
1 oz Absolut Los Angeles vodka [Acai, Acerola, Pomegranate & Blueberry]
1 oz half-and-half
1/2 oz Chambord
2 dashes of Fee Bros Chocolate Bitters
3 dashes of Fee Bros Old Fashioned Bitters
1 coffee bean
Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a dark cherry.

The inspiration for this cocktail was a co-worker mentioning her love of cocktails made with Chambord. I initially started this cocktail using Stoli Blakberi vodka, which gave the drink an odd, metallic taste. I found the Absolut LA worked much better in the drink and echoed the smooth, rich dark berry fruit flavors of the Chambord. I added the bitters to spice things up (literally and figuratively) and to add another dimension to the drink. And the coffee bean? I threw one it (locally roasted Kaldi's coffee to be exact) because I wanted to add a bit of a coffee oil note to the whole shebang.

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation

Tuesday Evening Shopping List

Tonight I found myself in Ellisville, MO (a suburb of St. Louis, for the non-locals), and I felt the draw of my favorite liquor shop--no, wait a second...hold up...this place is more accurately referred to as a supreme palace of booze--Lukas Liquor Superstore. I stopped in with my holiday shopping list in hand and picked up a few goodies to play with over the winter months. Some are old standbys, while others I've never tried before. The following is a partial list of some ingredients you are likely to see me using in upcoming week's cocktails.

Camus Cognac VS Elegance: I've never tried this Cognac, but it comes highly recommended by Tim Greco of Lukas. I'm excited to try a Sidecar and a Vieux Carre with it, as well as to expand my understanding and appreciation of Cognac by sipping a little of the Camus straight.

Clear Creek Eau de Vie de Pomme : This is the 8-year-oak-limousin-aged version. I was jazzed to find the Clear Creek available in a 375 ml bottle, which allows for "sampling" when you're not quite sure you want to buy a whole bottle. That said, this Oregon apple brandy that is said to rival some of the higher-quality Calvados, is probably something I'll want more of, eventually. I plan to try this out in a Widow's Kiss and Fallen Leaves cocktails.

Luxardo Bitter Liqueur: Luxardo is well-known to me for their Maraschino liqueur and very reliable Triplum (triple sec). Their Bitter Liqueur dates back to 1885 and is a Campari-esque (if I may use such a term) liqueur that is mainly comprised of sweet orange, bitter orange, rhubarb, mint, marjoram and thyme, along with some other highly secretive ingredients that makes it Luxardo's own unique combination. I'll probably start off trying this in a Venetian-style spritzer with a little sparkling water and a slice of lemon. Once I get to know this bitter a little better ;-), there's no telling what I might mix up with it.

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation