Squid Mixes: Poco Manhattan

As noted in this post, we recently had dinner at Restaurant Poco and sat at the bar, allowing for an intimate view of the cocktail mixing procedures.  For my Manhattan, the bartender used Punt e Mes rather than sweet vermouth.  The result was an intriguing raisin flavor which we were eager to replicate at home.

Punt e Mes is an Italian vermouth currently produced by Fratelli Branca, a split between sweet and dry vermouth.  It's not an even split so the result is not quite a Perfect Manhattan.  Punt e mes is Piedmontese for one-and-a-half.  The intention is a two-to-one split between sweet and dry vermouth.  

My creation was more bitter than what I remember from the restaurant and less raisiny.  I used a different rye - Ezra Brooks instead of Rittenhouse - which could account for the difference.  And, of course, I don't know what proportions he used.  Nonetheless, we both enjoyed the drink.  My wife is now eager to try the Punt e Mes in a Negroni.  Stay tuned.

My recipe for a Poco Manhattan (serves two):

3 oz. rye

1 oz. Punt e Mes

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Maraschino cherry garnish (the bartender used a lemon twist instead)

Stir with ice.  Strain and serve.

Squid Mixes: Fresh Hanky

A Fresh Hanky is my own variation on David Lebovitz's Suzy's Hanky (in turn, Lebovitz's variation on a Hanky Panky), swapping out the sweet vermouth for dry, necessitated by the fact that I had run out of sweet.  Though, to be honest, once one hits a flavor note - bitterness in this case - pursuing that note to the extreme is always an intriguing adventure. 

I initially suggested Dry Hanky as the name but my tasters (wife and English Prof) were unimpressed.  I decided Fresh Hanky is more appealing - evoking clean linens still warm from the dryer.  Tasters approved.  The drink itself was a hit, too.

My Fresh Hanky recipe:

1.5 oz London dry gin

1 oz dry vermouth

.5 oz Suze

.5 oz Grand Marnier

Orange twist

Stir all but orange with ice to chill.  Strain into a serving glass.  Garnish with the orange twist.

Squid Mixes: Doctor Cottom

My wife got the idea off of Twitter, courtesy of Professor Tressi McMillan Cottom: combine jam with bourbon.  Obviously, we have to try it.  Cottom's recommendation:

2 oz bourbon

1 heaping tsp jam/preserves

Stir to combine, then shake and serve.  I grabbed rye from the cabinet instead of bourbon - accident or subconscious preference? - and we used strawberry jam because it was open.  It's very nice.

Only one problem: she didn't name the drink!  So, professor, I name it after you, Doctor Cottom.

Bitters of the Month

We tried this month's bitters, Bittermens Boston Bittahs, in Manhattans in place of Angostura.  I couldn't really taste the bitters against the other ingredients but my wife said she could.  She is a supertaster and I am not so she's likely to pick up hints that I'm not.

Otherwise, we both thought it was fine, though certainly not superior to Angostura.

Squid Mixes: Aldebaran Whiskey

The wonderful Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics" introduces Aldebaran Whiskey in this scene, then expands upon the concept in this one.  There isn't much to go on in terms of a recipe.  We know it's green and we know it's strong.  That's it.  When my wife told me she had a zested lemon and orange I could use for a cocktail, I decided I'd give it a try...

It's Trek so obviously there are already recipes online.  All the ones I found involve Gatorade which I'm absolutely not going to use.  There's enough green in my liquor cabinet to experiment.  Here's the recipe I concocted:

2 oz. Midori

1 oz. green Chartreuse

1 oz. lemon juice

.25 oz. orange juice

1 smidgen Irish whiskey

Yes, I actually have a measuring spoon labeled "smidgen."  I got it and a few others like it, mostly as a gag, from my dear, departed grandmother-in-law.  I wanted a little actual whiskey in the drink but not enough to impact the color.  I chose Irish whiskey because the Bushmills was the most lightly-colored whiskey in current inventory.  The association of Ireland with green was a bonus.

Midori was definitely the right vehicle for the color.  I felt I could be a little more daring than usual with the 110 proof Chartreuse because the Midori is only 40 proof.  The resulting flavor was Jolly Rancher-ish, not something I imagine Scotty would enjoy.  The melon flavor of the Midori impressively overwhelmed both the Chartreuse and the citrus fruits, all usually dependable heavyweights.  

I doubt I will ever try this again as my wife was only grudgingly keen from the start.  However, if I do, less sweet would be better.  It could do with a more alcoholic flavor bite, too.  I'm thinking tequila instead of the Chartreuse, perhaps even 2:1 in favor of the tequila.  I'll keep the lemon juice.  It brought exactly the right tint when I added it.

Squid Mixes: Picardini

When we visited our dear friend The English Prof over Thanksgiving, she had a bottle of Bergamot which she wanted to try combining with gin.  Together, we devised the following martini variation:

2 oz gin (I used Hendrick's)

1/2 oz Bergamot (Italicus)

1/4 oz green Chartreuse

Lemon twist garnish

We all enjoyed the result.  Bergamot, or Rosolio di Bergamotto in Italian, is a liqueur made with the same citrus fruit used in Earl Grey tea.  On its own, it smells like a fancy Sprite.  Because of the association with Earl Grey, we named the Picardini after Captain Jean-Luc.  This one is definitely not served hot.

via Memory Alpha

Squid Mixes: Ingrid

November is Film Noir Month.  Therefore, I have named my latest invention Ingrid, after Ms. Bergman, of course.

via Amazon

In an effort to find a good use for my Bitters of the Month, Bittermens 'Elemakule Tiki (ET), I combined ideas from a couple suggested recipes from the company website.  Using my Manhattan proportions, 3:1 with 3 dashes, I combined bourbon, elderflower liqueur and the ET bitters.  The result was quite fruity.  Our still underage daughter took a sniff and sensed raisins, orange, rose and honey (future sommelier?).

My wife and I both liked the drink though she felt it needed a stronger bass note.  So, for round 2, I tried rye instead.  Winner!  So...

Ingrid

3 oz rye whiskey

1 oz elderflower liqueur

3 dashes 'Elemakule Tiki bitters

Maraschino cherry garnish

Squid Mixes: Cardamom Manhattan

As previously written, I've been looking to bring cardamom into my Manhattan game for a while now.  Bitters seemed an opportunity for a more subtle flavor injection than I got with ground cardamom.  Lapis in DC uses both cardamom and Angostura for their drink so I figured I could, too.  

For Trial #1, I used the two bitters in equal parts.  The result was good, though the cardamom wasn't enough.  So, for Trial #2, I went 2:1 in favor of the cardamom over the Angostura.  Bingo.  I suppose one could go all in on the cardamom but I like the interplay of the two together.

I don't feel comfortable calling my drink a Lapis Manhattan because the restaurant includes ingredients I didn't: orange peel and Scotch.  Plus, I imagine their bartenders have a clever way of infusing the cardamom flavor directly from the seeds that I haven't sorted out yet.  Maybe next time I go, I'll sit at the bar and watch them make it.

For now, mine is simply a Cardamom Manhattan.

Squid Mixes: Diamond Fuzz

When you have unusual ingredients on hand, it's a good excuse to be creative.  On a recent festive occasion, the only bubbly we had in the wine rack was a sparkling peach wine: Sweet Nancie Peach from St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw, Michigan.  We visited one of St. Julian's retail stores a couple summers ago and were quite impressed with this lovely product.  My wife challenged me to make a cocktail with it.  So...

I found a drink in The New York Bartender's Guide called a diamond fizz, consisting of gin, lemon juice, sugar and champagne/sparkling wine.  Swap out the grape wine for the peach and you've got something new.  The fizz becomes fuzz in honor of the once fuzzy peach.  Voila, the Diamond Fuzz was born!

It's quite a refreshing little concoction, I must say.  Sadly, another trip to western Michigan may be a while for us.  Even worse, St. Julian doesn't ship to Vermont!  So, we may need to find another source.

Anyone know of a good sparkling peach wine?

Squid Mixes: Cranberry Squidcar

The Cranberry Squidcar is my latest invention:

1.5 oz cognac

0.75 oz Cointreau

0.75 oz lemon juice

3 dashes cranberry bitters

Shake with ice and strain.

I used the sidecar recipe from Robert Simonson's 3-Ingredient Cocktails as my base, then added the cranberry bitters.  The biggest impact of the addition was the color.  I think the result looks like pink grapefruit juice.  There's also an extra hint of cranberry bitterness in the flavor.

Squid Mixes: Sour MoXXy

When last we left off of the cocktail design adventure, I was playing around with amaretto sours.  The lemon version was a little too sour, the lime not quite enough.  I knew I was close.  There are recipes around that use both in equal parts, though they also tend to include Angostura bitters.  I like Angostura but if I were going to make the drink my own, I'd need to try something a little different.  How about that bitters of the month...

My dear friends, I present to you:

Sour MoXXy

2 oz. amaretto
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
Cherry garnish

Our daughter made the labels.  The capital X's are important.  XX = 20

Happy 20th anniversary to Mock and Nancy Mock!

Squid Mixes: Vodka Sour

A vodka sour combines vodka, lemon juice and sugar.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide which calls for both cherry and lemon slice garnishes.  Wanting to conserve lemons, I went with just the cherry.

The drink is definitely sour.  Apologies for the photo.  I'd already finished about half of it before I remembered to take one.

The vodka sour was the first step in a broader project: designing a drink for my friends Mock and Nancy Mock for their 20th wedding anniversary.  They both expressed interest in a sour drink.  Naturally, my wife is my expert taste tester so I asked what, if anything, she felt the drink was missing.  She suggested orgeat syrup so I added 1/2 oz. for version 2.0.

The result was interesting.  As discussed in previous posts, lime and almond is a magical combination and lemon and almond isn't half bad either.  This time, my wife advised more almond, less lemon.

Tune in next week for the next stage in the process.


Vermouth Battles

Noilly Prat vs. Boissiere
Boissiere is a relatively new product on Vermont shelves.  Originally developed in France in 1857, the company moved over the Alps to Turin, Italy in 1971.  The infusion includes elderflower, chamomile and coriander.

My wife initially picked the Boissiere but said she could go either way.  I would say it's an even split for me.  The Noilly Prat was a touch sweeter, not necessarily a good or bad thing but I have found that sugar detracts from the other ingredients.  I feel part of the beauty of a Manhattan is the equal partnership of whiskey and bitters.  The vermouth's role, as discussed previously, is more important than I would have expected.  It doesn't need to supply much additional flavor but it also shouldn't detract from the balance between the others.  So, give the Boissiere a slight edge, bolstered by the fact that it's also $1 cheaper.

New Champion: Boissiere

Squid Mixes: Bourbon Sidecar

In last week's Wednesday post, I explored the idea of a Breakfast Manhattan and suggested the Whiskey Sidecar as a possible alternative.  I got this Bourbon Sidecar recipe combining bourbon, triple sec and lemon juice in 4:2:1 ratio from The New York Bartender's Guide.  I included a cherry garnish.  The recipe doesn't call for it but, well, we like cherries.  The result was definitely sweeter and more citrusy than a Manhattan.  It's tasty but still not quite what I had in mind.

My next attempt was more satisfying, a combination of my own devising:  rye, sweet vermouth and triple sec in 6:1:1 ratio plus orange bitters and a cherry garnish.  I'm still not sure the drink was exactly breakfasty but my wife and I both preferred it to the Sidecar.  Worth remembering.

Squid Mixes: Hunter Variations

 
Last week's Hunter's Cocktail was highly successful in that my wife asked for the same a few days later.  I'm always happy to take requests, though I had in mind a couple of variations.  One was out of necessity.  I only had rye enough for one drink so the second would have to be bourbon.  Also, I wanted to include Angostura bitters this time.

A rye, bourbon side-by-side comparison is always meaningful.  My wife definitely preferred the rye and chose that one as hers.  The bourbon felt bigger, more bitter perhaps.  I went with one dash of the bitters for each and didn't really taste it - might try two next time.  It might also be interesting to toy with the whiskey/brandy proportions so as to bring out more cherry flavor.  I don't mind the whiskey taking prominence but it might distinguish the drink more from others with a stronger cherry flavor.

Now the question: does altering the ingredients change the name of the drink?  In this case, I would say no.  Looking online, I found Hunter Cocktail recipes with bourbon and with bitters, though interestingly orange rather than Angostura - something else to bear in mind for next time.

It did make me wonder, though, is there a word for a bitter hunter, one who didn't come back with anything to show for his/her efforts?  I couldn't find such a term.  Does anyone know of one?


Squid on the Vine

La Masseria, Puglia Primitivo 2017
My rating: 8.2
Jammy nose
Opens sweet, then bitter.
Sweet aftertaste

Squid Mixes: Red-Spotted Newt

In September 2017, I included a photo of a red-spotted newt with one of my posts.  My dear friend Nancy Mock suggested that the name of this handsome amphibian might make for a good cocktail moniker when I invent my own.  Well, the thrilling moment has arrived.


Red-Spotted Newt:

6 parts fresh grapefruit juice (3 oz.)
4 parts cranberry cordial (2 oz.)
3 dashes orange bitters
orange slice

Shake with ice.  Strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with orange slice.


We got a bunch of cranberries with our CSA share and my wife wanted something interesting to do with them.  She made the cordial with the understanding that I would sort out an appropriate cocktail application for it.  I used the sea breeze (vodka, cranberry, grapefruit) as my starting point, then shaped the new drink around the available ingredients.  Fortunately, we still had one grapefruit from our daughter's high school band citrus sale.  I struck upon adding bitters in Trial #2.

The reviews were glowing.  "We need more grapefruit juice so we can drink these all weekend," my wife said.  Every drink book I've read stresses the importance of fresh juice.  I will admit that I usually don't bother but I can't deny that it made a huge difference with these and probably would with others.  One thing that's cool about using fresh fruit:  each drink will taste subtly different because each grapefruit tastes subtly different.  One will be sweeter, another more tangy, yet another more bitter.  Store-bought juice from concentrate is far more uniform.  It'll do in a pinch but fresh is more adventurous.  In an odd coincidence, every grapefruit I tried yielded almost exactly six ounces of juice - perfect for two drinks!

Squid Mixes: Squid Ball

Two weeks ago, I posted about my latest brewing adventure, orange honey ginger ale from Andrew Schloss's recipe in Homemade Soda.  Schloss's book also includes cocktail recipes for several of the sodas.  For the orange honey ginger ale, he recommended combining with dark rum to create what he called ginger honey rummy.

The result was okay but we prefer whiskey to rum at our house.  My wife is a long-standing fan of a traditional highball, combining ginger ale with rye whiskey, preferably Old Overholt.  So, we tried that too.  One of the joys of mixing drinks is the exploration of flavor combinations.  Almond and lime, for instance, are dazzling together - definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.  While the rum brought out the fruitiness of my soda, the whiskey emphasized the ginger.  For both of us, the rye cocktail was superior.

So, this means I get to name the resulting drink, right?  Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Squid Ball:

2 oz. rye whiskey
Orange honey ginger ale

In a highball glass, pour the whiskey over ice, then top off with the soda.  Stir well and serve.

(I could/should probably tinker around to develop a recipe that doesn't require homemade soda but this is what I've got for now.)