Category: Cocktails

Not surprisingly, most cocktails have their own histories. It’s almost never clear cut, but it’s always fun. Let’s find out a little more, shall we?

You’re drinking on Valentine’s Day anyway, might as well drink what I tell you

Valentine’s Day. A day of love or heartbreak, a day of happiness or sadness – no matter how you feel about this day, it can only lead to one thing – drinking.

No, I don’t mean you should get blasted and cry into your beer, although maybe that’s what you’re into, and if so, just don’t drive or drink too much over your limit. I love you and care about what happens to you. What? No, sorry, I already have plans for Valentine’s Day.

What I mean is that inevitably, Valentine’s Day leads to drinking. Whether that means beer and pizza with Netflix and chill, or wine at a fancy restaurant, there’s an element of boozing with your loving.

The key, of course, is to find something great to drink with whatever you’re doing. I am here to recommend a handful of options so you can celebrate properly on this wonderful, terrible day.

Wine

Wine is an essential component of Valentine’s. The best part about wine is that you can drink it no matter what you’re plans are. Dinner plans? I’ll have wine with that. Out for drinks? Try a wine bar. Staying in for dinner? Wine please. Galentine’s day? Umm, wine, obviously.

I recently received a bottle of Donnafugata Sedåra 2014, a Sicilia Doc Rosso (for free, full disclosure) and I have to say, it impressed. Tart and fruity but gentle, it struck me as a versatile red for any occasion. In other words, no matter what your dinner plans – pizza, pasta, steak, or even barbecue – pour yourself a glass of this.

I also believe it would pair very well with chocolate, so while you’re gazing into your lover’s eyes and shoving desserts like chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate truffles into each other’s mouths, wash it down with some Sedåra.

But wait, what about hanging out with the girls? Yes, it will also work nicely for that. Your friends will be impressed that you have scored an Italian wine, and you will all enjoy the soft tannins and strawberry and plum notes.

Donnafugata Sedåra 2014 is not only a great choice for all your needs on Valentine’s Day, it’s also affordable. Approximately $18 a bottle, it won’t break the bank, allowing you to impress your date with wine AND something sparkly (hint, hint, Adrian).

Sparkling Wine

Just get whatever you can afford, yeah? No seriously. Sometimes that expensive stuff isn’t as good (or is only as good) as the mid-range option, and unless one of you cares about labels, get whatever is best for you. (Or, if you want to be tricksy, make your own label with you and your lover’s name on it, and they’ll think it’s so sweet, they won’t care you bought a $5 brut from Walgreens. PS, don’t buy a $5 brut from Walgreens unless that’s all you can afford.)

Beer

I don’t know about you, but I say, pull out some stouts on V-day. There are so many different stouts available that you are bound to find one that works for you and whoever you’re spending time with on V-day. Chocolate stouts, coffee stouts, oatmeal, dry, imperial, sweet, and all the nitro stouts you can think of pair well with chocolate, girl’s night, guy’s night, red meat (is that the same as guy’s nights?), and just chilling at home or at the bar. It’s also cold. SO cold. What warms you up better than a lovely dark beer with a smooth finish? Not even the love of your life, no matter what day of the year.

Cocktails

What is more romantic than a classy old fashioned? I challenge you to find something better. An old fashioned is meant to be sipped, served with a cherry, and makes the drinker exude confidence. Enjoyed by both men and women, with any whiskey you choose (although Bulleit Rye is my personal favorite), it’s the perfect drink for any date, going out or staying in.

Whatever you do, whatever you drink, try to have a nice time. Don’t overdo it, don’t over think it, and whatever you do, don’t take it too seriously. Cheers!

February 13, 2016
The Moscow Mule

What happens when a group of businessmen from complimenting companies sit down for a drink? Well, if it’s 1941 and their companies sell ginger beer and vodka, the Moscow Mule is born.

The story is legendary. Jack Morgan, president of Cock ‘n’ Bull Products and owner of the Hollywood Cock ‘n’ Bull Restaurant, John G. Martin, president of G.F. Heublein Brothers Inc, and Rudolph Kunett, president of Pierre Smirnoff, Heublein’s vodka division, sit down for a drink at Chatham Bar in New York City. As with any good boozing story, the guys were thinking and talking business, and before long Martin and Kunett started to wonder out loud how their vodka would pair up with Morgan’s ginger beer. Ice, mugs, lemon, ginger beer, and vodka were summoned, and, after a five count, the gents took down the mix, and were happy with the result. It needed a name though, and, after four or five rounds, they had a good one – The Moscow Mule.

The highball caught on and made its way to the glamorous Hollywood set, where it would remain a favorite to this day. Since its origin, the lemon has been replaced with lime, and it is now properly served in a copper mug, but other than that, the recipe has remained the same.

Who says a bunch of businessmen can’t come up with good ideas?

The Moscow Mule

Ingredients:

2 oz vodka
1 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz ginger beer

Pour vodka and lime juice into ice-filled copper mug or highball glass. Add ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.

June 11, 2014
The Negroni

This week is Imbibe Magazine and Campari’s Negroni Week. Like many other days and weeks that celebrate specific cocktails, this one is meant for appreciation of the classic apertif, but it is also for charity! Participating bars around the country will give a portion of their Negroni sales to the charity of their choice. Campari will then throw in an additional $10,000 to the charity of the establishment that raises the most money.

So what’s the big deal about the Negroni? Let’s take a look.

History

Back in Florence, Italy, somewhere around 1919, bartender Fosco Scarselli was ready to serve one of his regulars, Count Camillo Negroni, his favorite drink, the Americano. That day, Count Negroni stopped him and asked that he kick it up a notch, and replace the soda water with gin. To differentiate the drink even more, Scarselli added a twist of orange as a garnish. It became Negroni’s signature drink, and so after him it was named.

The Ultimate of the Old Recipes

As a cocktail, the Negroni is not complicated. With just three ingredients – gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, it’s easy for anyone to learn, perfect, and then, if they choose, experiment. Many bartenders will make their Negronis differently for each season, changing up the gin or the vermouth. It’s the original, though, that people rave about. Complementing flavors of sweet, bitter, and boozey make it popular among all whose lips touch it – classic cocktail enthusiasts and new drinkers, women and men, young and old. It is the ultimate of the old recipes.

The Negroni

Ingredients:

1 part gin
1 part Campari
1 part Sweet Vermouth*

Build in a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a twist and/or slice of orange.

*Many recipes call specifically for Cinzano Rosso, but any similar vermouth is acceptable

June 5, 2014
Beach Drinks: The Pink Slip

It’s been a cool spring so far, but that doesn’t mean we’re not thinking about the beach. Before you know it, the humidity is going to climb, the sun is going to beat down and begin the torment that can only lead to two things: the beach and cold cocktails. Together, the two are what make summer bearable, so why not enjoy them together? This year, we will tip our hats to the combination in our summer beach cocktail series.

This week, we feature a bubbly pink cocktail made with rum, cranberry juice, and champagne. An excellent drink for summer, the Pink Slip can (and should) be enjoyed with friends as you relax in your beach chairs and gaze at the water.

The Pink Slip

Ingredients:

1 part coconut rum
1 part cranberry juice
Champagne

Chill ingredients. Combine coconut rum and cranberry juice in a glass*. Top with champagne. Enjoy!

*Tip: Prepare the coconut rum and cranberry juice before heading to the beach, and just add the champagne to individual glasses as you pour! Saves time and room!

June 4, 2014
Easy Camping Cocktails for Memorial Day

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and for many of you that means it’s the first big camping holiday of the year. When I think of camping, it’s drinking that comes to my mind. While beer is most definitely the easiest way to imbibe while enjoying the great outdoors, there are plenty of mixers that are perfectly simple and even easy to pack. If you only have room for one bottle, that’s okay! Muddling, shaking, straining, and garnishing aren’t always necessary when you have the right combinations.

Beergarita

The most complicated drink on our list, the beergarita is perfect for those of you who are looking for a different take on the standard margarita. Plus, maybe those beer lovers at your campground will enjoy it. If you don’t have a blender, you can always mix this on the rocks, it’s just as nice, maybe even better.

Ingredients:

1 oz gold tequila
1 oz triple sec
1 oz lime juice
12 oz bottle Corona® lager

Mix all ingredients except the lager in a blender with ice. Pour into a large pilsner/pint glass, then add the Corona (which should be chilled) over the top. Garnish with a slice of lime, and serve.

Cuba Libre

Sometimes I think they named the Cuba Libre because “rum and coke” doesn’t sound as nice.

Ingredients:

1 part rum*
1 part cola

Combine in a cup over ice.

*Whiskey is a good alternative.

Dark N’ Stormy

Ginger beer is so refreshing, and rum relaxing, that the combination may put you in a vacation mode immediately.

Ingredients:

1 part dark rum
1 part ginger beer

Pour ginger beer in a cup over ice. Add rum. Mix with your straw as you drink, slowly combining rum and ginger beer to create the best taste.

Screwdriver

You probably packed orange juice for breakfast anyway.

Ingredients:

1 part vodka
1 part orange juice

Combine in a cup over ice.

Greyhound

If you don’t have orange juice, you probably have grapefruit juice.

Ingredients:

2 parts vodka
1 part grapefruit juice

Combine in a cup over ice.

Gimlet

This is one that you probably should garnish. Cut up a lime and toss a few slices in.

Ingredients:

2 parts gin*
1 part lime juice

Combine in a cup over ice.

*Alternatively, vodka can be used.

Gin and Ginger

Since you’ve got that ginger beer already…

Ingredients:

2 parts gin
1 part ginger beer

Combine in a cup over ice.

Whiskey Sour

Nice and refreshing.

Ingredients:

2 parts whiskey
1 part sour mix

Combine in a cup over ice.

Bourbon Sweet Tea

In the afternoon, nothing is better than sitting around the picnic table having a nice refreshing sweet tea. Why not liquor it up?

Ingredients:

2 parts bourbon
2 part flavored sweet tea

Combine bourbon and your choice of flavored sweet tea in a cup over ice. If you’re garnishing, garnish with lemon.

Foodie extra

Smoreos

A new take on an old classic. Recipe courtesy of Andi Ponkey.

Ingredients:

Irish Cream
Marshmallows
Oreos

Dip marshmallows in Irish cream before roasting. Instead of graham crackers, place the marshmallow between two sides of an Oreo.

May 23, 2014
The Sazerac

Around the 1850s in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Creole apothecary named Antoine Amadie Peychaud often served up a drink to his friends made from his own bitters concoction, french brandy, water, and sugar. Before long, the drink became quite popular and made its home at several local bars, most notably The Merchants Exchange Coffeehouse. Eventually that drink would become the Sazerac.

Sewell Taylor

The proprietor of the Merchants Exchange was Sewell Taylor, a man who, when given the chance, sold his business to become a liquor importer. One of his most popular products was a Cognac called Sazerac-du-Forge et fils. Probably as a tribute to Mr. Sewell and his popular product, the Merchant Exchange was renamed the Sazerac Coffee House by its new owner, Aaron Bird. With the new moniker, and their large bartending staff now using Sazerac-du-Forge et fils to mix Mr. Peychaud’s drink, the Sazerac cocktail was officially named.

Thomas Handy

In 1870, a new owner would once again change up this popular drink. Europe was in the midst of the phyloxxera epidemic, which devastated its wine crop and limited the supply of Cognac and other wines throughout the world. The Sazerac’s new proprietor, Thomas Handy, replaced the Cognac with rye whiskey, due not only to availability but to appease the American taste for good whiskey drinks. A coat of absinthe in the glass was also added, and remained until 1912 when absinthe was officially banned in the United States. As a replacement, locals looked to Herbsaint, a local anise liquor. The recipe has remained the same ever since, and is still served in the Sazerac Bar & Restaurant at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.

New Orleans official cocktail

In 2008, a bill was introduced in the Louisiana senate to make the Sazerac the official cocktail of the state. Although that bill was defeated, the state legislature recognized that the cocktail is a much beloved enterprise in New Orleans, and on June 28, 2008, it became the city’s official cocktail.

The Sazerac

This recipe comes from the website of Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Head Bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon. He also has an excellent post on The Dos and Donts of Sazeracs.

Recipe

Fill an Old-Fashioned glass with ice and water, and set aside to chill. Once cold, drain ice water and rinse with absinthe.

In a 16-oz mixing glass, combine:

1 tsp 2:1 simple syrup
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
2 oz rye whiskey*

Fill mixing glass with ice and stir contents until well-chilled. Strain into absinthe-rinsed old fashioned glass. Twist lemon peel over drink to express oils, and discard peel. Serve.

*Mr. Morgenthaler suggests you use Buffalo Trace’s Sazerac 6-Year rye.

May 7, 2014
On Wednesdays, we wear pink, and drink whiskey

Is it any coincidence that the 10th anniversary of the cult movie Mean Girls would be a Wednesday? In the movie, “The Plastics” wear pink every Wednesday, and if you want to be in, you must abide. At Drink Matron, we want to fit in, but we also want to add a little “spirit” to our conformity. Lucky for us, Wednesday also means whiskey. Together that means pink whiskey cocktails. Even Janice couldn’t pass these up.

Whiskey Seduction

From the folks at Saveur, a pink whiskey cocktail that’s bound to pass any of Regina’s tests.

Ingredients:

2 oz rye whiskey
3/4 oz red wine, such as pinot noir
1/2 oz black currant liqueur
1/2 fresh lemon juice
Lemon peel for garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine rye whiskey, wine, liqueur, and lemon juice. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Squeeze the lemon peel lightly to release its oils and run around the rim of the glass before adding to the cocktail as a garnish.

Pink Sage

Nancy at The Backyard Bartender never fails to impress, and this Rye whiskey plum cocktail looks so very, very fetch.

Ingredients:

3/4 of a juicy, ripe red plum
4-5 sage leaves (thank you, backyard herb garden)
1/2 oz sugar syrup
1/4 oz lemon juice (make it fresh!)
2 oz rye whiskey (2.5 if you want the taste of the rye to come through more strongly.)

Add the plum and sage to the shaker. You will want to muddle this one rather vigorously – it may help to add the sage and half the plum, muddle, and then add the rest of the plum and then muddle again. Fill the shaker with ice and then add the remaining ingredients. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Blinker

It might not make you able to predict the weather using your chest, but this cocktail from The Kitchn might leaving you blinking (in a good way) with innocent incompetence, just like Karen.

Ingredients:

2 oz rye whiskey
1 oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Lemon peel, for garnish

In a shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients except for the lemon peel. Add ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into a martini or coupe glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

Pink Campari

You’re bound to fit right in, despite any oversized clothes or crushes on Regina’s boyfriend, if you’re ever caught drinking this worldly cocktail.

Ingredients:

1 oz Campari
1 oz rye whiskey
4-5 fresh raspberries
Splash of pear juice
Splash of cranberry juice
Splash of sweet and sour mix
Raspberries for garnish
Lime twist for garnish

Fill a martini shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake well and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with raspberries and lime twist.

April 30, 2014
Celebrate Spring with Ice Cream Cocktails

Spring is finally here, and after this past winter, it feels like summer! What better way to celebrate the warm(er) weather than sitting back with a tasty ice cream cocktail? You’re bound to feel like a grown up kid, reminding you of summer vacation and the fact that winter won’t be coming around again for at least six months.

Brandy Alexander

Ingredients:

3 oz brandy
3 oz Creme de Cacao
2 Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend and serve in a tall glass, mug, or parfait glass.

Grasshopper

Ingredients:

3/4 oz Cream
3/4 oz white Creme de Cacao
3/4 oz Creme de Menthe
2 Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend and serve in a tall glass, mug, or parfait glass.

Pink Squirrel

Ingredients:

2 oz White Creme de Cocoa
2 oz Creme de Almond
Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend and and serve in a champagne or cocktail glass.

Banana Boat

Ingredients:

1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Creme de Banana
1 oz white Creme de Cacao
2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend and serve in a tropical glass or mug.

Apple Granny Crisp

Ingredients:

2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
1 oz Apple Schnapps
1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Irish Creme
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

Blend together and pour in a parfait glass. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Dreamy Monkey

Ingredients:

2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
1 oz Light Cream
1 oz Vodka
1/2 Banana
1/2 oz Brown Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Creme de Banana

Frappe in a parfait glass. Garnish with whipped cream and the remaining 1/2 banana.

Mudslide

Ingredients:

1 oz. Irish Cream
1 oz. Kahlua
1 scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
1 oz. Vodka

Blend all the ingredients. Add small amounts of ice until the drink is slushy. Serve in chilled cocktail glass. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Vanilla Bomb

Ingredients:

2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
4-6 oz Root Beer

Combine the ingredients in a tall glass or mug.

Mississippi Mud

Ingredients:

2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
1 1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort

Blend until smooth and pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

April 23, 2014
Easter Cocktails

When most people think of Easter, they think of colored eggs, jelly beans, and chocolate bunnies. For children, it’s an excuse to eat sweets, but at its core, it’s a celebration of family, friends, food and drink. Over the years, a spur of candy cocktails and seasonal brews have given adults their own sweet holiday treats, and spurred the drink portion of this holiday to new life.

Whoever said Easter isn’t a drinking holiday never tried a Mimosa. For generations, the champagne cocktail, along with the Bloody Mary, has lined brunch tables on this holiest of days. Over the years, spritzers and other light drinks have been added to the Easter brunch menu, giving way to the innovative and flavorful drink combinations that exist today.

Blue Cottontail

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Vodka
.5 oz Triple Sec
1/4 oz Blue Curacao

Combine ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until mixed thoroughly. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a twist of orange.

Easter Egg

Ingredients:

1 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz White Creme De Cacao
Half & Half

Pour Blue Curacao and Creme de Cacao over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Float the half & half over the top.

The Pink Peep

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Vodka
1.5 oz Pink Grapefruit Vodka
a splash of Triple Sec
1 oz Cranberry Juice

Combine the ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until mixed thoroughly. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with Marshmallow Peep of your choice.

Easter Bunny

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Dark Creme De Cacao
.5 oz Vodka
1 tsp Chocolate Syrup
1 tsp Cherry Brandy

Combine Creme de Cacao and vodka in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Float chocolate syrup & cherry brandy over the top.

Jelly Bean (shot)

Ingredients:

.5 oz Blackberry Brandy
.5 oz Sambuca
.5 oz Southern Comfort

In a shot glass, pour the blackberry brandy. Layer the Sambuca over the brandy. Float the Southern Comfort over the top. Serve.

April 16, 2014
The Everlasting Martini

Who invented the Martini? Does anyone even care? The history of the beloved icon is so messy that even the most interested cocktail historians get lost in the silly arguments and overblown claims. The truth is that most people who love the Martini are thrilled that anyone invented it, and they’re busy drinking the cocktail rather than worrying about who’s taking credit for its inception.

The fun stuff is why we drink it. The partnership of the Martini and living the good life is so ingrained in American culture that just holding one will make you feel classier, wealthier, and maybe even better looking. Its ties to prohibition, speakeasies, and the idolization of flappers and gangsters also gives it an edginess, a throwback to a good time decade where shirking the law was an everyday thing. Admirable people drank it with gusto – and we all know just how they took it, whether that be shaken, not stirred, with a bow to France, or just glancing at the vermouth from across the room – the Martini was everybody’s drink. As H.L. Mencken once said, the Martini is “the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.”

In subsequent years, the Martini has come to represent anything served in a martini glass, but in its truest form, the drink is simply gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive or lemon twist. Variations include substituting vodka for gin, varying the dryness by adding more or less vermouth, adding bitters, taking the vermouth out entirely, or dirtying it up with olive juice.

The Martini

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
olives or lemon twist for garnish

Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice cubes. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the olive or lemon twist.

The Winston Churchill

As today is Winston Churchill Day, I’ll give you his recipe as well. Hats off, Prime Minister.

Stir gin with ice until ice cold. Bow in the direction of France.*

*Churchill’s recipe is often wrongly attributed as having you stare at a bottle of vermouth from across the room while stirring the gin. This was actually said by Alfred Hitchcock, another infamous martini drinker.

April 9, 2014