Sweet and Spicy Caipirinha

It's a cool late Summer evening and I'm in a spicy mood, due in part to my neighbor's generous donation of  some hot red peppers of unknown lineage. I was asked to make a caipirinha and decided to take this Brazilian favorite in a different direction. The resulting spicy, yet pleasant, decoction, is offered for your enjoyment...

2 oz Leblon Cachaca
1 oz Thatchers Tres Chilis
1/3" ring of a medium-spicy small pepper
Juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 larger key lime
1 bar spoon raw sugar
3 strawberries
Muddle key lime, strawberries, and pepper in cocktail shaker with sugar. Add liquid ingredients and ice and shake hard. Strain into ice-filled short glass.

The drink is the color of a sunset and is sweet, spicy, and perfect for a summer night.

Cheers, ~Dr. Cocktation

Apple Brandy Old Fashioned & A Twist on the Caipirinha

I seem to enjoy making cocktails in twos, and tonight is no exception. First I created a variation on the Caipirinha, and decided to quickly name it...

Not Your Mama's Caipirhina
1/8th wedge of lemon, lime, and orange, muddled in a large shaker tin
1/2 oz Orgeat syrup
2 oz Leblon Cachaca
Fill shaker 1/2 full with ice
Shake and pour out all contents (fruit shells and ice) into a lowball glass

Using multiple citrus fruits, rather than just lime came from the Leblon room mixing lesson at 2009 Tales of the Cocktail. I also decided to substitute orgeat for the sugar, and found its flavors worked beautifully with the mix of citrus.

The Apple Brandy Old Fashioned is just a tweak of the Applejack Old Fashioned I discovered somewhere on the net last weekend. This Fall I have become enamored with Applejack, Calvados, and Apple Brandy and have been substituting with these spirits in a variety of whiskey and bourbon-based cocktails.

Apple Brandy Old Fashioned
1/8 wedge of orange muddled in a mixing glass
1 tsp of maple syrup
2 oz Clear Creek Eau de Vie de Pomme
3 dashes Fee Bros Old Fashioned Bitters
Stir with plenty of ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

The apple flavor of the brandy pairs very well with the maple, hint of orange, and spiciness of the bitters. To put it simply, to me, this cocktail tastes like Fall.

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation