Winter cocktails, part 1

I hope things are starting to wind down for you all at work, or at least that you're making some time to party with friends.  I am doing just that, and I'm thrilled to be hosting a cocktail hour tonight, the first opportunity I've had to do so in months.  I'll have some red wine and a Chardonnay around, and these...

Rudolph's Nose Punch

Makes one-ass big bowl of punch.

3 cups chilled vodka
3 cups chilled orange juice
3 cups chilled freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cups chilled grenadine
3 cups chilled club soda

Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl. Add an ice ring if you want to be fancy (or have ice on hand).

Santa's Nightcap

Makes one drink.

2 1/2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce walnut liqueur
1 teaspoon real maple syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters*

Ophelia, which I shamelessly stole from Denver's fabulous Olivéa

Makes one drink. 

For the Rosemary Simple Syrup:
¼ cup minced rosemary
½ cup water
½ cup of sugar

For the Cocktail:
1 and ½ oz Gin
¾ oz rosemary syrup
¾ oz fresh lemon juice (about ½ of a lemon, squeezed)
Club Soda

To Garnish:
Sprig of rosemary
Lemon wedges

To Make the Rosemary Simple Syrup:
Bring the water to a boil, add the sugar and rosemary and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and steep the mixture off heat for 45 minutes.
Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a container. 

To Make the Cocktail:
Fill glasses with ice.
Add gin, lemon and rosemary simple syrup and stir.
Top with club soda, stir briefly and garnish with a rosemary sprig and lemon wedge.

Gin: a Buyer's Guide

I love gin in the spring and summer (and also the fall and winter, but you know...).  Gin and tonics are like grown-up Sprite, and gin pairs so well with any fresh fruit juice.  So, this is how I justify geeking out on gin for you, my loyal readers, and helping you figure out how to stock your liquor cabinets for spring while also refreshing my own options.

Expensive gins I do not buy but think are interesting

Hendrick's Gin ($35) gives off a boutique, old-world vibe, but it was actually introduced onto the market in 1999. It's a pretty special product, though, because besides just juniper in the infusion, they thrown in Bulgarian rose and cucumber. These added flavors are subtle, but with the addition of fresh cucumber slices, they become more apparent.  It's unique and quite tasty, and it's best sipped with the aforementioned cucumber and lemon slices rather than getting buried in heavy tonic water.

Williams Chase ($60) is the most expensive on this list, but it's also pretty interesting, with juniper, apple, and elderflower, along with a little citrus.  Like Hendrick's, try it without mix-ins first. Be forewarned, this U.K. gin is hard to find in many parts of the U.S. I'm too cheap to buy this, so if anyone is thinking of sending me a birthday present in July, email me and I'll give you my street address.

Mid-priced gins you can bring to a party without embarrassing yourself:

Tanqueray 10 ($30) is described as having a varied bouquet and a subtle citrus note.  I may be drinking too much of the rough stuff, but to me it tastes like nothing. So, if you're not too into juniper flavor, this smooth, inoffensive concoction is for you. It's Tanqueray's small-batch gin, and their marketing is great (how many times have you heard people ordering a "Tanqueray and Tonic"?  Now, how many times have you heard anyone order a "Seagram's and Tonic"?) Because it's so uninteresting, I think it works best in a martini.

Beefeater Gin ($23) is old-school, heavy juniper flavor that stands up really well to tonic. It's also got a nice hint of citrus and a more complex collection of herbal notes that some of the cheaper gins lack. Tastes like a Christmas tree, but a pretty smooth Christmas tree (which I mean as a compliment, by the way).

Boodles ($23), affectionately termed "proper English gin", has been around since 1847.  It's harder to find than Beefeater in run-of-the-mill liquor stores, but it's a more interesting version of gin along a similar old-school vein.  The recipe of aromatics and botanicals includes coriander, sage, cassia bark, nutmeg, rosemary, caraway, angelica root and juniper berries. It makes a great dry martini.

I am not including Bombay Sapphire, as I do not know that the hell that is.  Gin is not blue and should not taste like a bouquet from the grocery store.

The gins I keep buying again and again:

Disclaimer: I think gin should taste like you're sucking on a Christmas tree, and I don't mind if it burns a bit going down.

New Amsterdam ($16): this is a smoother, lighter version of a very affordable gin.  It's brighter in citrus overtones with a pretty subtle juniper flavor, and it's slightly creamy.  So, actually, this one does not taste like you're sucking on a Christmas tree, but I like it, anyway. Works just fine in G&Ts and is particularly delicious with grapefruit juice.

Gilbey's ($14): Made since 1857 in England, this is another piney, citrusy gin, but the pine is lighter, the citrus a little brighter, with just a touch or burn.  This, like all of the gins in this category, makes a good G&T or other citrusy cocktail. It's also quite nice in a gimlet or Negroni, because it's not too rough.

Gordon's ($12): Yes yes, I know you think this is getting into rot-gut territory, but it's actually a winner in the Huffington Post Gin and Tonic Taste Test.  And why?  Because it tastes like gin should: a mouthful of Christmas tree with just a little paint remover thrown in.  Just kidding, though the juniper flavor is pretty simplistic compared to Boodles or Beefeater.  Your martini might be a little rough, but the aforementioned cocktails will work just fine with this Grandpa-style gin.  I love it, actually, and am trying to stage a hipster-style comeback, ala PBR.

Seagram's ($12): I've seen this on a lot of "good budget gins" lists lately, and I haven't tried it since my grad school days in its birthplace of southern Indiana, but unless it's changed quite a bit since the early 00s, I say to you: no.  Just. No.

Summer drinkin', part 1: cocktails

For anyone whose lives are touched by a school year, the summer is quickly fading, and with it, those carefree evenings of drinks with friends on the porch (and patio, and living room, and eventually while sitting on the front sidewalk crying) and piles of grilled veggies and meats to accompany them.  I'm mourning the loss with a retrospective of my favorites from the summer, and I insist on continuing to drink all of these things until it's too cold to sit outside with a martini glass. So, here's to the next four months!

Arkansas Punch

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups bourbon
3 cups pomegranate juice
2 cups orange juice
sparkling wine or club soda
fresh mint leaves and lemon slices (optional)

Pour bourbon and fruit juices into a punch bowl and stir to mix. Top with sparkling wineor club soda to taste, garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices, and serve.


Bicicletta
Campari was so ubiquitous when I was in Italy last summer that I'll always associate it with sumer drinking!

Serves 1

2 oz. Campari liqueur
2 oz. dry white wine (Pinot Grigio would be perfect)
Club soda

Pour the spirits into a tall glass with ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with a slice of lemon.


Cowboy Roy

Serves 1

2 oz. rum
2 oz. vodka
6 oz. orange juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.


Gin Spritzer

Makes 1 drink

2 oz. gin
2 teaspoons lime juice
4 slices cucumber
tonic water

Combine cucumber slices, lime juice, and gin in a cocktail shaker and mix thoroughly. Strain into a short glass over ice and top with about 4 oz. tonic water. Garnish with lime and cucmber slices if desired.

Last Days of Summer

Serves 4

1 cup orange juice
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup amaretto
1 orange, cut into thin slices

Pour all ingredients into a pitcher and stir. Fill four glasses with orange slices and 3-4 cubes of ice and pour equal amount of punch on top.

Leap Year Cocktail
Alright, Leap Year is in February, but the lemon is so summery.

Serves 1

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. Grand Marnier
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Blend and strain into a martini glass; garnish with a twist of lemon if desired.


Martinez
This is a great appertif before dinner with friends on the patio.

Makes 1 drink

2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
1/4 oz. maraschino cherry juice
dash Angostura bitters
lemon twist and maraschino cherry for garnish

Combine gin, vermouth, cherry juice, and bitters in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass; garnish with a twist of lemon peel and a maraschino cherry.


Mexican Martini
My attempt at the Tradicional martini at the restaurant Rio Grande in Northern Colorado...

Serves 1

2 oz. tequila
3/4 oz. Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1 tablespoon lime juice

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker and mix with plenty of ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge if desired.


The Southside

Makes 1 drink

2 ounces gin
¾ ounce lime juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
Two sprigs of mint
A few drops of Angostura bitters

Fill a shaker a quarter full of ice and add the gin, lime juice and syrup, one of the sprigs of mint and the bitters. Shake for about a minute, then pour the mixture into a cocktail glass.


Summer Shandy

Serves 4

12 oz can of limeade or lemonade concentrate
vodka
4 light beers

Empty the limeade concentrate into a pitcher. Fill the empty concentrate can with vodka and add that to the pitcher as well. Depending on your taste and circumstances, another half can of vodka is acceptable. Add the beers and stir with a long spoon until the concentrate has broken up.

Drinks for hot days...

After a brief respite, it's back up to the triple digits here in Northern Colorado every day.  There's really nothing reasonable to do with that besides drink.  Perhaps you are in the same boat. If you time it correctly, you can make both of these and just go back and forth all day between depressant (Blueberry-gin cooler) and stimulant (Cold-brewed coffee), maintaining a delicate balance that feels somewhat like sobriety.  Good luck.


Blueberry-gin cooler

Makes 4 drinks

1 cup blueberries
1 cup gin
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ tablespoon cardamom pods
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Club soda

Cook blueberries (fresh or thawed from frozen) in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbly, mashing with a wooden spoon as you stir.  Remove from heat and add the gin.  Cool, strain, and chill.  Over medium heat, bring the sugar, water, and cardamom pods to boil (watch the pot carefully!).  Remove from heat and stir well to dissolve.  Cool strain, and chill.

To make drinks, shake together blueberry gin, spiced syrup, and lemon juice.  Pour equal amounts into four glasses and top with desired amount of club soda.  Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.





Cold-brewed coffee, “Mexican” style

Serves 2 or more

5 oz. ground dark roast coffee
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups water

Place all ingredients in a French press or pitcher and steep in the refrigerator 12-24 hours. When ready to drink, separate the grounds and dilute with an equal part of water or milk.  Pour over ice and serve.

Scotsman's Gin and Tonic

The name for this drink is derived from the original homeland of Hendrick's Gin, a lovely concoction that adds rose and cucumber essence to an otherwise very traditional, juniper-heavy gin.  It is a tad expensive, and I am very cheap.  So, I use New Amsterdam gin, which has a lighter, more citrusy flavor, and add the rose and cucumber myself.  I think the result is fresher, and it's certainly easy to make.

Scotsman’s G & T

Serves 1

2 oz. gin
2 slices cucumber
1 scant tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon rose water
Tonic water
Lemon slice for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber with the sugar.  Add the gin, rosewater, and some ice and shake vigorously.  Pour into a glass over a couple of ice cubes, top with tonic water, and float a lemon slice on top.

Rose water + gin = delicious.

I don't know why, but I've really been getting into rose water lately--perhaps because I snagged a bottle at TJ Maxx for $1.99 a couple of months ago?  Yeah, I'm classy.  And here's a drink that's even classier!


Rosey Gin

Makes 2 drinks

1 scant teaspoon ground cardamom
4 oz. gin
½ oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon rose water
Few dashes bitters

Shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.  Serve in short tumblers neat or on the rocks.