The Spicy Sanchez

I bought some new tequila at Lukas Liquor on Manchester Rd (for your STL MO readers)...Tequila El Mayor Reposado Then, on the way home from work I bought some kumquats. Tonight I read enviously of a friend enjoying a traditional gin martini, but wasn't in the mood for gin, so I improvised. As a result of this improv session, I now proudly bring you...

The Spicy Sanchez
2 oz Tequila El Mayor Reposado
1 barspoon of Del Maguey Minero Mezcal
1 kumquat
1.5 oz Thatcher's Tres Chilis
1 dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
1 barspoon agave syrup

Muddle the kumquat in the bottom of a shaker tin, add ice and all other ingredients. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. There is a sweet, slightly spicy smokiness to this drink that seems to fit well with a humid summer night. The subtle hint of citrus from the kumquat adds nicely to the drink. I'm sure I could play more with this basic recipe and go on tweaking, but I liked it "as is" well enough to want to share.

Cheers, ~Dr. Cocktaition

Mayday

Today is the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, 2010--a great day in my little world. Ahead of me is a 3 day weekend full of food (glorious food!), fantastic beverages, good friends, and good times (along with a little work thrown in for good measure). Tonight I felt inspired to create a new cocktail with the ingredients I have in my refrigerator and behind my bar. I started with some variations on the Caipirinha, which led to this little creation that I call....

Mayday

1.75 oz Square One Botanical

0.5 oz limoncello 

1 tangerine

1 key lime

1 sprig dill

Quarter and muddle the tangerine and key lime along with the dill in a mixing glass. Add limoncello, Square One Botanical, and ice and shake it like you mean business. Dump the entire contents of the shaker into a short glass.  

The drink is very citrusy, summery, and refreshing. I think it is the perfect Summer beverage to sip on a warm day. 

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation

Strawberries-N-Cream

At a recent private wine tasting event my friend, Tony Viviano, of  Viviano & Sons Italian Market, introduced me to Fragoli Italian Wild Strawberry Liqueur. This stuff smells like a strawberry shortcake, and I'm quite tempted to pour this sweet stuff over a short stack of pancakes or a waffle on Saturday mornings. Bottled with tiny wild strawberries, this delicious Italian liqueur is great mixed with prosecco, lemonade, or 7-up. But tonight, I stumbled upon a combination so obvious, yet so delightful that I just had to share it with the world. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my latest creation...

Strawberries-N-Cream
In a short ice-filled glass pour 1/2 bottle of good cream soda (I used IBC). To this add 1.5 oz of Fragoli Wild Strawberry and stir. That's it. It is so simple yet so good that I actually exclaimed, "I am a genius!" after the first sip.

Cheers, ~Dr. Cocktation

Sloe Gin Fizz

In the words of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Sloe gin fizzy, do it 'till you're dizzy, give it all you got until you're put out of your misery. With the availability of honest-to-goodness Plymouth Sloe Gin in the US market, it is now possible to make a refreshing Sloe Gin Fizz, without having to resort to artificially-flavored "sloe gin" schnapps. If you can find Plymouth Sloe Gin (I ordered mine from Drink Up New York and it was worth the effort), try one of these on for size...

Sloe Gin Fizz
2.5 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1/2 egg white*
Shake vigorously without ice, to froth the egg white. Then add ice and shake again to chill. Pour into an ice-filled short glass, garnish with a lemon slice, and top with 2 oz of sparkling water. 

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation

*NB: The American Egg Board states: There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds that the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria responsible for a type of food-borne illness.

Hendrick's Spring

I love Hendrick's Gin. Made in Scotland, it contains rose and cucumber, along with other botanicals, imparting a unique and enticing flavor. Tonight I created a new Spring cocktail using Hendrick's gin and Thatcher's Cucumber (I'll post more about Thatcher's products later. For now, I'll just say that all of their stuff is the shit and you should buy it and try it straight first. You can thank me later.) Anyway, I'm calling my new creation Hendrick's Spring.

Hendrick's Spring
2 oz Hendrick's gin
1 oz Thatcher's Cucumber
4-5 oz tonic (I used Whole Foods 365 Tonic)
1 slice Meyer lemon
6-8 fresh mint leaves

Build over plenty of ice in a lowball glass, placing the mint and lemon slice deep in the glass amid the ice to impart more flavor. Mmmmm, the flavor reminds me of a crisp, sunny Spring day.

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation

Jack Rose Cocktail

Tonight I'm revisiting an old friend--the Jack Rose cocktail. I ordered some Laird's Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy from Drink Up New York. This crucial ingredient plus some Fee Brothers grenadine and Meyer lemon juice make a damned tasty Jack Rose--better than any I've ever had before.

Jack Rose Cocktail
2 oz Laird's Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy
1 oz Meyer lemon juice
1/2 oz Fee Bros Grenadine
Shake over ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a piece of lemon peel. 


When prepared in this manner and with these ingredients, the Jack Rose cocktail tastes fresh and inviting, with layers of fruit and a hit of tartness that fits perfectly with the transition from Winter to Spring. It's as if my glass is heralding the coming of warmer weather and blooming red and pink flowers. Also, don't forget this weekend we switch back to Daylight Saving Time. Spring forward!

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation

Creme Yvette Absinthe Frappe

To celebrate the appearance of Creme Yvette back on the US cocktail scene, I decided to make an absinthe and Creme Yvette frappe. The recipe is simple and consists of 2 oz of a good blanche absinthe (I used La Valote),
one ounce of Creme Yvette, 4 oz of water, and ice shaken and strained into two ice-filled absinthe glasses. One could obviously split the recipe in half for one drink, but what good is drinking alone? The drink is simple, yet refreshing, and is a striking violet-purple hue. Welcome home, Creme Yvette and welcome Spring!

Cheers! ~Dr. Cocktation