Nick, Author at First Pour Cocktails

Clara Bow

Posted on September 6, 2021September 1, 2021 by Nick

The Clara Bow was one of the first original craft cocktails that made me want to make my own. Originally created by Rye in NYC circa 2010, the drink was listed on Serious Eats website for years. Like many cocktail recipes, it has been taken down for one reason or another, and is at risk of being lost to the sands of time.

So I urge you to help prevent that by making your own Clara Bow. Named after the original It girl, the Clara Bow is one of my favorite summer bourbon drinks, and one of the most refreshing. It’s simple, elegant, and understated while being delightfully refreshing and bright.

Clara Bow

1 ½ oz

Bulleit Bourbon

¾ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Grenadine

½ oz

St. Germain Elderflower

4-5

Mint Leaves

Mint Leaf – Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a coupe. Garnish with a mint leaf.

Credit to Rye – New York City.

The Clara Bow is delightfully well balanced and refreshing, the perfect summery drink to pass the time. The mint pulls out notes of spice and chocolate from the rye portion of the Bulleit, while the grenadine and St. Germain give an almost grapefruit like character. The floral notes and hints of pomegranate sweetness give depth and a fruitiness. The lemon wakes the whole thing up, and combine with the mint, makes it almost palate cleansing.

Drink Notes & Recommendation

I had countless bartenders try to recreate this drink with different bourbons, and regular grenadine, but what I learned was there’s no substitute for homemade grenadine. You absolutely must make your own to recreate this drink.

Bourbon – Bulleit Bourbon works best here thanks to the high rye content. You could also enter Wild Turkey 101 or another high rye bourbon.
Grenadine – To make grenadine, combine equal parts by weight pomegranate juice and white sugar in a sauce pot. Heat until almost simmering and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add ½ oz of neutral spirits (vodka / overproof such as Everclear) if desired for preservation. Place in a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to several weeks. Dispose of if any mold or haze develops.
St. Germain – This elderflower liqueur was once the most prominent, and is still our mainstay, but there are alternatives on the market. Let us know if you have a preference in the comments!
Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.
Mint Leaves – In order to get the essential oils out of the mint leaves, you want to simply toss the leaves in without beating or bruising them. The ice will help break them up. As a result, you’ll want to double strain. Feel free to use a less comically large mint leaf than the one in our picture.

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon

Posted on September 3, 2021September 1, 2021 by Nick

Perhaps no community in the alcohol world so fetishizes the amount of alcohol by volume as bourbon lovers. The thought process is simple, by cutting the proof of the whiskey from the barrel, you get a less flavorful product. If you spend time with these individuals, you’ll almost inevitably see that products bottled below 100 proof are looked down upon compared to their higher proof cousins. Barrel proof and cask strength rule the day, and demand high value. In the middle are many 100 proof offerings, such as Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon.

Coming in just above the 86 proof entry level offering, the 100 proof Old Forester actually has the longer lineage, dating back to the 1897 Bottled In Bond act that locked proof at 100 for bonded whiskeys. It actually wasn’t until well after World War II that the 86 proof offering was introduced (in 1959). In the low $20 price point it has both the heritage and proof to make it a compelling proposition, but is it any good?

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon

Sight: Russet muscat (a rich, but transparent brown)

Smell: Intense notes of caramel and baked bananas lead things off. A candied cherry note comes in with a bit of spice. A vanilla extract intercedes with a bit of toasted almond and a marzipan like note. There’s a distinctly fruity and sweet note to the nose.

Sip: The body is moderate and flavor is subtle in leading off. Notes of spice creep in first, followed by toasted oak and freshly cut cherry. There are more bready notes that start to come in with a similarity to crust. There’s also a nice sort of caramel and brown sugar note that runs through with a hint of banana or apple.

Savor: The ending is relatively simple, some additional caramelized sugars and hints of spice and oak linger.

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon is pretty easy going, and relatively robust. The most interesting (and usually love it or hate it) feature is the subtle note of banana that runs in and out. The nose has a lighter fruit character to it, and less spicing that allows the banana like note to come through. It doesn’t quite carry to the palate, but the flavor is also not stand out at 100 proof. That said, it’s very solid, and checks all the boxes for a bourbon.

In Cocktails

In an Old Fashioned, a cotton candy and candied apple element starts to present itself between the notes of oak and spice. The spice of the angostura seems to accentuate these fruity notes, and gives them a platform that leans into candied with the simple. In a certain way, it doesn’t seem to actually hold it’s own, despite getting spicier. In a Manhattan the spice notes are again dominate, but the cherry comes forward and an almond like note becomes present. On the finish, it hints at banana’s foster, toasted marshmallows, and charred oak.

In Review – Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon

The price point on Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon makes it really inviting (at only $20 in Ohio). The struggle with this bourbon is that it doesn’t quite do anything amazing. In cocktails it’s harmonious without standing out. If you’re into a more aggressive flavor profile, we recommend you try it in a smaller quantity before buying a handle or multiple bottles.

Tiki Classics: Singapore Sling

Posted on August 30, 2021August 29, 2021 by Nick

Closing out our Tiki Classics with another drink that would be on the peripheral of the Tiki world is the Singapore Sling. While you can place this drink in either the classics or the Tiki classics, we’ve chose to include it here due to the drinks history, ability to live on Tiki bar menus, and the general feeling most people get when seeing a drink with ‘sling’ in it’s name. To start with, the drink actually came from Singapore at one of the most famous hotels, the Adelphi. Everything beyond that is basically up for debate, including the ingredients (which cherry liqueur was it, or was it brandy) and even the name. All controversy and history aside, the Singapore Sling is delicious and deserves consideration in your menu.

Singapore Sling

1 ½ oz

London Dry Gin

½ oz

Cherry Liqueur

¼ oz

Benedictine

¼ oz

Cointreau

¼ oz

Lime Juice

½ oz

Grenadine

2 oz

Pineapple Juice

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Cherry-Lime Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh cubed ice. Garnish with a cherry and lime.

The Singapore Sling is daringly refreshing. While there are a lot of elements fighting for superiority, they ultimately coalesce to form a beautiful tropical harmony. The gin seamlessly becomes the backbone while the Benedictine and the Angostura add a healthy amount of hard to identify spice. The cherry, lime, grenadine, and pineapple make a charming fruit punch, and the drink reaches an enlightened balance. The simplicity and complexity is just right to want to slide away with them in a hammock or on a beach.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Singapore Sling has become the subject of a bunch of variants. The one we’re using is the most common blend of ingredients. Don’t be shocked to see others making them with lemon or even seltzer. The reasoning is sound, but we like our sling strong enough to hold us all through the night.

Gin – We recommend using a London Dry gin here. Our go to is Beefeater.
Chery Heering – Cherry Heering is technically a brand of cherry liqueur. So use the one you happen to be able to find. We used Luxardo’s in this variation.
Benedictine – There are no substitutes here, we recommend Benedictine. You can also use it in The Preakness and the Bobby Burns.
Cointreau – This is the most common orange flavors in a Singapore Sling, and we recommend Cointreau instead of triple sec. We have seen at least one variation that calls for orange bitters instead. Depending on your tolerance for sweetness, this is an alternative, but not the standard.
Pineapple Juice – We recommend Dole’s smaller cans to reduce waste, but feel free to juice your own.
Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.
Grenadine – To make grenadine, combine equal parts by weight pomegranate juice and white sugar in a sauce pot. Heat until almost simmering and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add ½ oz of neutral spirits (vodka / overproof such as Everclear) if desired for preservation. Place in a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to several weeks. Dispose of if any mold or haze develops.
Angostura – The go to bitters, these deserve a spot on your bar. We don’t recommend substitution.

Stirrings Ginger Liqueur

Posted on August 27, 2021July 29, 2021 by Nick

Ginger liqueur is unlikely to be the sort of thing you need when starting your bar. In fact, when it comes to ginger beer, only the Moscow Mule and Dark and Stormy are obvious. We previously discussed that in some books, they recommend you actual make your own ginger syrup instead of using ginger beer. While ginger syrup can be delicious and fun to play with in make new drinks, it isn’t always practical to run out and juice fresh ginger. So how does something off the shelf, like Stirrings Ginger Liqueur, do in its place.

Stirrings Ginger Liqueur

Sight: A pale hay like color, just fringing on yellow [Caramel Color Added].

Smell: The nose has the essence of freshly cut ginger, mixed with a touch of caramelized sugar and some floral notes. With the predominance of sweet smelling ginger, it’s not far off the nose of ginger beer.

Sip: The sip starts out sweet but immediately gets somewhat spicy. Rather than getting hot from the alcohol (which is only 25% A.B.V.), the spice is driven from the ginger. In a way, it’s oddly reminiscent of fresh ginger in this regard. Other touches of woody notes and sugar compliment the ginger.

Savor: The ending is spice, and unsurprisingly, more ginger. A small amount of sugar is left cloyingly behind.

Stirrings Ginger Liqueur is spicy and cloying, but undeniably ginger forward. As it goes, it conveys the flavor of ginger well without adding in a lot of distracting elements. If there’s a flaw, it’s the amount of sugar needed to subdue the ginger spice. Still, this isn’t a deal breaker for this liqueur, where it can take the place of reduce the amount of simple syrup required.

In Cocktails

In a cocktail Stirrings Ginger Liqueur unmistakably adds the flavor of ginger. This is particularly useful in a pinch if you haven’t had time to make your own ginger syrup.

The problem is there aren’t a broad group of classic cocktails that call for ginger liqueur. While we like to keep it around for crafting reasons (it goes particularly well with strawberries and fall spiced apple cocktails), it isn’t an everyday thing and very few of our original recipes rely on it.

In Review – Stirrings Ginger Liqueur

This isn’t a long review, primarily because there isn’t much to say about adding the flavor of ginger to things with Stirrings Ginger Liqueur. At the $16 price point, this bottle should last you a reasonable amount of time, and won’t break the bank. Be aware it isn’t the most complex ginger flavor in the world, and isn’t as good as making your own. That said, it is a value level brand that performs like a workhorse – should you find the need for ginger liqueur in your bar.

Tiki Classics: Bombo

Posted on August 23, 2021August 22, 2021 by Nick

Even before Grog, one of the first proto-cocktails was the Bombo. Made with just two ingredients, this cocktail emphasizes the rum and the sweetness. The result is a compliment of more than their parts, but something simple enough that anyone can enjoy it.

Bombo

2 oz

Aged Rum

¼ oz

Demerara Syrup

Top

Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Combine rum and demerara syrup in a mixing vessel. Stir, and pour over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Bombo is a essentially a rum old-fashioned with nutmeg garnish. The result is a rich, rum forward drink that highlights the flavors of the selected rum and dark molasses nature of the demerara syrup. The flavors come together beautifully, allowing both to shine. The touch of nutmeg adds a good amount of spice.

Drink Notes and Recommendations

As the Bombo is fairly straightforward canvas, you’re really only limited by the selection of rums and syrups you have. Want to make a spicy Bombo? Switch the demerara for cinnamon simple. Using a rum that’s already sweet? Cut back on your demerara syrup. Diluting too fast? Try a large cube. The sky is truly the limit here.

Aged Rum – The Bombo with Demerara Syrup is really about accentuating the darker caramelized flavors with the rich molasses notes of the demerara. For that reason, stick with something with some age. Think five years or older. In this example, we used Appleton Reserve, but El Dorado 12, Pasador de Oro XO, Doorly X.O. and many others would all work fine here.
- If you want to go lighter, consider using standard simple instead to compliment the lighter rum.
Demerara Syrup – Combine 2 parts Demerara Sugar to 1 part water and bring to a simmer stirring over high heat. Remove from heat once the sugar has completely dissolved. Allow to cool and bottle. Refrigerate. The high sugar content will work to inhibit bacterial growth for an extended duration – throw out if any clouding or mold develop.

Pernod

Posted on August 20, 2021July 29, 2021 by Nick

To understand Pernod, a Pastis, you must understand what happened to Absinthe.

Absinthe was banned after a spike in interest in France, causing a loss of business for French wine farmers (who has previously had to deal with phylloxera – which had killed off a large number of vines). Combined with the rumored hallucinogenic properties and some murders in France at the time, a decree was passed to outlaw all anise spirits. This lined up with similar movements in other countries. Absinthe wasn’t really bad (or worse than any other liquor), but it was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ended up being a casualty of the temperance movements.

When the ban was loosened in the 1930s, some producers were ready with a wormwood free version. This version, was a pastis, instead of an absinthe. The primary difference is the use of star anise as the principal flavoring, instead of using green anise, wormwood of fennel. The resulting liqueur is different in it’s flavor profile, but similarly enough that it can be used as a substitute to absinthe.

So with all that said, what does Pernod taste like, and is it any good?

Pernod

Sight: A bright translucent green. Turns cloudy with water.

Smell: Strong notes of anise mixed with touches of herbs. It moves toward a fresh fennel note as well.

Sip: The body is thick thanks to the sugar, but feels less so thank to the growing alcohol burn as it sits on the palate. A subtle sweetness holds throughout and build in complexity between anise and fennel. The notes of herbs grow gradually throughout but it never loses the predominately anise note.

Savor: Anise, licorice, and fennel linger predominately and extend for a significant period of time.

When cut, Pernod behaves more like a black jelly bean than a full on anise attack. It gets a lot softer with the addition of water, making it much more pliable. It also opens up some subtle herbal notes that are notice in the full proof version. Correspondingly, the same notes should come forward in cocktails, adding flavor if not complexity.

In Cocktails

There are very few cocktails that rely on absinthe or pastis to serve as the main liquor, so Pernod is most frequently tasked with playing a modifier. Most commonly used as a stand in for absinthe, you can use Pernod in classics such as the Corpse Reviver #2, the Sazerac, and Remember the Maine. One cocktail that prominently features either pastis or absinthe is Death In the Afternoon. Made by combining pastis or absinthe with sparkling wine, Pernod opens up and gives a more herbal, drier rendition of itself. The sweetness is instead replaced by brightness, and the a more licorice and green fennel notes becomes prominent.

In Review – Pernod

Pernod is a widely available and a well rounded pastis that can also substitute for absinthe. This makes it useful for both classic cocktails as well as Tiki drinks. While this isn’t a starter bottle, it’s a great choice once you’ve established your bar. It will also last a long time as most drinks require a rinse to a few drops. For these reasons, we suggest you give Pernod a shot if you can’t find an absinthe.

Tiki Classics: Jet Pilot

Posted on August 16, 2021December 1, 2021 by Nick

The Jet Pilot bares a striking resemblance to the Zombie, because with just a few more tweaks and a little more rum, your Jet Pilot can make the jump to full blown Zombie. While the Zombie may have gotten its name from its ability to keep someone going, the Jet Pilot is one of a handful of cocktails named for the ever increasing space race of the 1950s and 60s. Even if this cocktails name seems out of this world, it’s actually perfect for a lazy afternoon at the shore.

Jet Pilot

1 oz

Black Blended Rum

¾ oz

Black Blended Overproof Rum

¾ oz

Aged Rum

½ oz

Falernum

½ oz

Cinnamon Syrup

½ oz

Grapefruit Juice

½ oz

Lime Juice

1 Dashes

Herbstura

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add crushed ice and shake. Open pour into a Double Rocks glass. No garnish

Delightfully boozy but balanced, the Jet Pilot is a masterful way to the see the interactions of the different rums. With deeply caramelized sugar and molasses notes from the black styles, the reserve imparts flavors of tropical fruits. The flavors range from fermented banana to orange marmalade and hints of tea like spices. Bolstered by the citrus from the grapefruit and lime, it blends seamlessly. None the less, the strength implies that takeoff is now imminent.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

A lot of how the Jet Pilot comes out is dictated by the blend of rums you choose. For our first iteration, we used Plantation O.F.T.D., Goslings, and Appleton Estate Reserve. This resulted in the description listed immediately after the drink, and it was fantastic. We also have a soft spot for Goslings 151 though, and remaking the drink while swapping out the O.F.T.D. ended up giving the drink a caramelized and grilled tropical fruit flavor while turning down some of the tea notes. These subtle tweaks are simple enough to make, but ultimate result in a completely different drink.

Overproof Black Blended Rum – Due to the concentration of flavor, the decision of which rum you select has a big impact on how the Jet Pilot comes out. We used Plantation O.F.T.D here on our first go, but we also greatly enjoyed Goslings 151 on the second. For something more adventurous, try Lemon Hart & Son 151.
Black Blended Rum – We used Goslings here, it’s the most readily available and works great in cocktails.
Aged Rum – Using Appleton Reserve here gave a lot of tropical fruit notes and funk to add another dimension to the drink. You could also use Doorly’s X.O. or Plantation 20th Anniversary, the later of which would considerably drive up the cost of making this drink.
Falernum – We use John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, but feel free to substitute your preference.
Cinnamon Syrup – Combine 250g of sugar, 250g of water, and 10 grams of cinnamon broken into 1″ pieces in a pan. Add heat until sugar is dissolved and syrup reaches a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, strain cinnamon pieces from syrup using a chinios and coffee filter. Add .5 oz of Everclear / overproof vodka and shake gentle for 1 -2 seconds to combine. Store in fridge. Discard if no longer transparent / any hazy develops
Grapefruit & Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.
Herbstura – This herbal liqueur is not available everywhere. To replace it, add 1 part Angostura Bitters to 1 part Pernod (or absinthe). Stir. To measure a dash, add .04 to .08 oz (or a couple of bar straws worth) to your shaker tin.

El Pasador de Oro XO

Posted on August 13, 2021July 29, 2021 by Nick

El Pasador de Oro XO is a Guatemalan rum, that’s bottled in France. While there is no displayed age statement, it should be aged around a minimum of 6 years (according to a variety of unofficial blogs all over the internet). In these cases, it’s normally best if the bottle produces some obscure web address. In this case, they don’t even provide that level of information. That said, like many products, sometimes there’s limited information, and all you can do is pop the bottle.

El Pasador de Oro

Sight: An amber-gold, almost honey like color.

Smell: There’s a toasty coconut and vanilla start to the nose. It gets a little nutty with some caramel and orange marmalade edges. There’s a hint of spun sugar, golden raisin, and burn of ethanol. The nose is somewhat subtle, and doesn’t open willingly.

Sip: The body is moderate, and a subtle sweetness pervades out over time. There’s a lot going on as it moves from vanilla to caramel to roasted coconut. Something gradual starts to happen where the sugary flavor profiles start to morph into stone fruit, brandy, and other unexpected flavors.

Savor: The ending get almost sauternes like, pulling out flavors of ice wine, stone fruit, and hints of tropical fruits. The finish lingers pleasantly with a hint of tannic nature.

El Pasador de Oro XO is something interesting and unusual. If what they say is true, then the character is really a molasses based rum that’s doing a fun morph into a cognac at the end. That said, it’s very pleasant to sip, and straddles a line that fans of rum and cognac might enjoy.

In Cocktails:

In a Daiquiri, the cognac runs in full effect – almost giving a perception of a split base. While it’s obviously rum forward, it also ends up extremely fruity – emphasizing a lot of the raisin like and orange flavors in addition to the lime. The sweetness plays well and it ends up making a super inviting Daiquiri. That said, applications may end up a bit trial and error trying to balance the extra finishing notes. In a Grog, the rum disappears a bit, instead giving off more tropical fruit and honey notes. The caramel and toasty coconut hang out at the end, and the tannic nature pulls through.

In Review – El Pasador de Oro XO

El Pasador de Oro XO is a very pretty rum to sit and sip, and it even plays well in Grog. It isn’t a powerful bruising rum, but rather something elegant and slight. This same characteristic can make is slip away in cocktails. While it offers great flavors to them, finding the rum is a little tricky. If you want an in your face rum, you might find better options, but this is a great choice at the price to sit and enjoy.

If you’re looking for a second opinion on this not so well covered rum, check out the Rum Howler’s take.

Tiki Classics: Halekulani Cocktail

Posted on August 9, 2021August 9, 2021 by Nick

First served in Waikiki at the House Without a Key bar, the Halekulani cocktail is tropics driven riff on a whiskey sour. The cocktail benefits from the fruity additions of pineapple and grenadine while keeping the spice of bourbon and bitters. This makes it a friendly way to easy into Tiki for those who aren’t quite there yet with rum, but want to feel the tropics in their glass.

Halekulani Cocktail

1 ½ oz

Bourbon

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Orange Juice

½ oz

Pineapple Juice

¼ oz

Demerara Syrup

1 bar spoon

Grenadine

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Dried Pineapple Ring (Optional)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a dried pineapple ring if desired.

The Halekulani Cocktail is a beautifully fruity mix of citrus and tropical fruit brought together by the spices and oak forward flavors of bourbon. The net effect is a drink that’s amazingly refreshing but that doesn’t misplace the underlying flavor of the bourbon. The touch of grenadine adds an additional fruity dimension while the demerara shows some of the caramelized oak flavors from the bourbon. Overall, you might surprise some bourbon lovers with just how well this works.

Drink Notes & Recommendations:

The Halekulani Cocktail is relatively straightforward and doesn’t involve a lot of fancy tips or tricks. The biggest recommendations are to garnish as you see fit and to adjust the sweetness as desired.

Bourbon – Due to the highly fruit forward nature of this cocktail, you can use something strong like Old Grand-Dad 114 or Makers Mark Cask Strength. That said, choose what you have available, or go with your preferred bourbon. We used Wild Turkey 101 here.
Pineapple Juice – While you could juice your own, Dole pineapple juice* in the small cans works great and produces less waste.
Lemon & Orange Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.
Demerara Syrup – Combine 2 parts Demerara Sugar to 1 part water and bring to a simmer stirring over high heat. Remove from heat once the sugar has completely dissolved. Allow to cool and bottle. Refrigerate. The high sugar content will work to inhibit bacterial growth for an extended duration – throw out if any clouding or mold develop.
Grenadine – To make grenadine, combine equal parts by weight pomegranate juice and white sugar in a sauce pot. Heat until almost simmering and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add ½ oz of neutral spirits (vodka / overproof such as Everclear) if desired for preservation. Place in a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to several weeks. Dispose of if any mold or haze develops.
Dried Pineapple – We purchased ours from Trader Joes, however you should feel free to substitute for orange / cherry flags, pineapple wedges, or edible orchids.

* – This is an Amazon affiliate link – buying something through this will help us to receive a part of the proceeds and keeps First Pour Cocktails generating new content.

Benedictine D.O.M.

Posted on August 6, 2021July 29, 2021 by Nick

Developed by Alexandre Le Grand in 1863, Benedictine D.O.M is an herbal liqueur made with 27 herbs, spices, and other secrets. Made in the heart of France at the extravagant palace Le Palais Bénédictine, the liqueur actually starts as four different distillation recipes which are then aged in oak for 8 months. Once aged, these recipes are blended together, and saffron and honey are added. The blend is then heated, before being aged for another 4 months in a large oak tank. The result is a unique liqueur with a special sort of sweetness and flavor.

Benedictine D.O.M.

Sight: A coppery hue with a hint of gold. Plenty of viscous sugar is visible with the cling to the glass. There is a subtle amount of oily notes in the body of the liqueur. [Caramel color is added]

Smell: Beautiful notes of honey and baking spices mix immediately with a hit of mountainous herbs. The unmistakably floral note of saffron lays over the top, adding a complexity while the spices and herbs evolve.

Sip: Rich and thick like syrup, it immediately feels like thinned honey, and has an underlying honey like flavor that runs throughout. Floral notes kick of ranging from saffron to roses. Notes of pine resin, alpine herbs, and garigue join in to give a subtle earthiness. Spicing hints throughout, suggesting warm baking spices in small amounts, similar to the background flavor on mead.

Savor: The ending is a hint of herbs and baking spices with a honey like backbone. It lingers lazily but pleasantly.

Benedictine D.O.M. is a classic herbal liqueur that seamlessly sews together herbs, honey, and floral components. The net result is a silky smooth, if very sweet herbal liqueur. It isn’t exactly the kind of thing most people would want to sit around and crush a glass of, but in cocktails it’s a rockstar.

In Cocktails

Benedictine D.O.M has been around long enough that’s it’s managed to work it’s way into a number of classic cocktails. The most prominent of these is the Vieux Carre, a mix of rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters which you can still find on many prohibition style cocktail bar menus today. Lesser known, but equally great are the Preakness and Bobby Burns, but of which recipes can be found right here on First Pour Cocktails.

Benedictine D.O.M. has even crossed over to the world of Tiki, where you’ll find it in a Singapore Sling

In Review – Benedictine D.O.M.

Benedictine D.O.M is beautiful mix of honeyed flavors and herbal notes with just the right amount of floral touches. This complexity, combined with the refined balance and texture makes it a wonderful addition to your bar. This bottle is a great expansion choice as it can help make a number of classic drinks and will last you a decent amount of time.

Benedictine’s Website

Tiki Classics: Zombie

Posted on August 2, 2021July 26, 2021 by Nick

While a Zombie might conjure up thoughts of the living dead, the Zombie is more the sort of cocktail designed to keep the dead moving. Myths say that imbibing the Zombie at Donn’s once helped a hungover business man get through an important day. That it made, ‘a zombie out of him’. In all likelihood this often butchered drink was the result of many careful attempts to balance it for Donn. Deceptively simple as it might be say, a Zombie is a complex, delicious drink that you should probably have no more than two of in an evening.

Zombie

1 oz

Black Blended Overproof Rum

1 ½ oz

Aged Rum #1

1 ½ oz

Aged Rum #2

½ oz

Falernum

1 Bar Spoon

Grenadine

¼ oz

Cinnamon Syrup

¼ oz

Grapefruit Juice

¾ oz

Lime Juice

2 Dashes

Herbstura

Mint Sprig

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add crushed ice and shake. Open pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig.

The Zombie is a beautifully boozy rum forward drink that’s sure to put you into an undead trance. The rums tangle into a blend that ascends with the assistance of the accompanying ingredients into a singular, complex rum fueled punch. The result is a roller coaster ride of rum. The flavor transitions from ethers and Jamaican funk with tropical fruit into vanilla from Caribbean casks before dead ending in demerara brown sugar notes. The middle is pops of citrus and herbal notes, tied together with a balanced sweetness.

Drink Notes and Recommendations

There’s a reason you’re only supposed to have one of these. Packing over FOUR ounces of rum, one of which is overproof, the Zombie contains almost two full drinks worth of booze in one. Despite the fact that it looks like it should be a combination to wake the undead on paper, it all pulls together with a couple of tips and tricks.

Overproof Black Blended Rum – Due to the concentration of flavor, the decision of which rum you select has a big impact on how the Zombie comes out. We used Plantation O.F.T.D here, but we’ve also greatly enjoyed Goslings 151. For something more adventurous, try Lemon Hart & Son 151.
Aged Rum #1 – One of the ways that Tiki drinks can get some of their allure is by using the split base method. This means taking the full amount of liquor and splitting it between spirits in the same category. In this case we’re using Aged Rum #1 as some of column still aged choices. We used Bacardi 8 here to give a tropical brown sugar feel, but you could also use Kirk and Sweeney.
Aged Rum #2 – On the flip side of split base, we went for a blended rum. Using Appleton Reserve here gave a lot of tropical fruit notes and funk to add another dimension to the drink. You could also use Doorly’s X.O. or Plantation 20th Anniversary, the later of which would considerably drive up the cost of making this drink.
Falernum – We use John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, but feel free to substitute your preference.
Grenadine – To make grenadine, combine equal parts by weight pomegranate juice and white sugar in a sauce pot. Heat until almost simmering and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add ½ oz of neutral spirits (vodka / overproof such as Everclear) if desired for preservation. Place in a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to several weeks. Dispose of if any mold or haze develops.
Cinnamon Syrup – Combine 250g of sugar, 250g of water, and 10 grams of cinnamon broken into 1″ pieces in a pan. Add heat until sugar is dissolved and syrup reaches a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, strain cinnamon pieces from syrup using a chinios and coffee filter. Add .5 oz of Everclear / overproof vodka and shake gentle for 1 -2 seconds to combine. Store in fridge. Discard if no longer transparent / any hazy develops
Grapefruit & Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.
Herbstura – This herbal liqueur is not available everywhere. To replace it, add 1 part Angostura Bitters to 1 part Pernod (or absinthe). Stir. To measure a dash, add .04 to .08 oz (or a couple of bar straws worth) to your shaker tin.

Bulleit Bourbon

Posted on July 30, 2021July 19, 2021 by Nick

One of the most eye opening cocktails I had in my youth was the Clara Bow at Rye in New York City. Made with Bulleit Bourbon, grenadine, lemon, St. Germain, and mint, the cocktail was shaken and served in a coupe. The result was a bright, balanced, and complexly flavored cocktail that toed the line between dark spicy bourbon notes and bright fruity, floral ones. While Rye restaurant has since closed and Serious Eats removed the recipe for the cocktail from their site, Bulleit Bourbon still holds a special place in my heart, and I still believe it’s a good bourbon to add to your bar.

Bulleit Bourbon

Sight: Between burnished and sherry in color with a hint of muscat.

Smell: The nose starts with a candied cherry and berry sweetness before picking up elements of black pepper, vanilla, and candied apricot. Spices pick up as it opens and builds with touches of oak and chocolate.

Sip: The body is on the thinner side, and the start is packed with spices, clove, almond, and touches of preserved cherries. Notes of chocolate and black pepper mingle with a light berry like note, and a hint of charred oak. There’s a hint of heat present.

Savor: The ending continues with a 100% dark chocolate, spice, and a touch of cherry and charred oak.

Bulleit Bourbon is spicy, slightly fruity, and very earthy. While not the smoothest bourbon to sip on, it does provide some nice nutty and woodsy notes. The fruity flavors give it a little extra personality, although nothing that’s overly standout. There are better whiskeys to sip on, and Bulleit has better applications in drinks.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the chocolate and spice notes shine and allow the fruity flavors of the vermouth to come forward. The result is a well balanced Manhattan that flows smoothly between the various aspects of bourbon and fruit. This same pattern continues in a Clara Bow, where the acidity of lemon accentuates the spice and woodsy elements while giving the grenadine space to flex. In a simpler preparation like an Old Fashioned, the spice is amplified and some of the caramel notes are free to join in with more clove notes.

In Review – Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon is marketed as a mixing whiskey, and it’s a wonderful whiskey for that application. Even though it’s designed for mixing, it’s not a bad sipper either. The result is a whiskey that’s priced toward the middle of the pack, and is a reasonable stand in for a bourbon to choose when starting your home bar.