Author: Nick

Somehow – despite all the time I spent running First Pour Wine – I never managed to make a Champagne Cocktail for my site.  It’s far past time to reconcile this mistake.  The Champagne Cocktail is a brilliantly simple drink that you should try given the chance – and a sugar cube.

The Champagne Cocktail

Please note – the measurements listed below are a guideline.  Many variants of the Champagne cocktail advise you to fill the glass.  This will depend on your personal choice of glassware.

The Champagne Cocktail

1

Sugar Cube

2-4

Dashes of Angostura Bitters (to Taste)

5 oz

Champagne

In a Champagne flute add the sugar cube and bitters. Top with Champagne – or filling the glass if desired.

The Champagne Cocktail is fun because it combines the spice of the bitters with the bright, nuanced nature of the sparkling wine.  The flavors are direct, yet complex and layered.  Depending on the champagne or sparkling wine you choose, you can adjust the finished cocktail to match your wine preference. The tiny hint of sugar that slowly dilutes throughout drinking adds to the experience as the drink slowly changes.

Champagne Cocktail Drink Notes

The Champagne Cocktail is so few ingredients, that there’s no room to hide.  Make sure you use quality ingredients.

• Champagne:  One could dedicate an entire book to debating the finer points of Champagne versus other sparkling wines, and no doubt that some have.  For this drink, don’t feel compelled to spend $40 for a real bottle of Champagne.  California Sparkling, Prosecco, or Cava will work here.  It’s personal preference so choose your favorite.  My go-to budget bottles are Segura Viudas Brut Cava and Korbel Extra Dry.
• Bitters:  Go with the classic here.  It’s Angostura all the way.
• Sugar Cube:  These are available in most grocery stores, you can use them in tea or coffee, as well old-fashioned (if you make them this way)
• Glassware:  While you can use a coupe, a flute is a better choice here.  You can see more of the bubbles, and there’s less chance of spillage.  It’s also better for the nose of the cocktail, concentrating all those delicious smells.

In college a friend I considered to be knowledgeable about the finer things in life had an adamant position on martinis.  A vodka martini was not a martini.  Martini’s were made with gin.  They were not to be shaken.  Stirred only.  Any deviation from this was blasphemy.  I still personally believe he’s right, why else would you abandon the classic, if nonsensical, name of the vodka martini,  the Kangaroo.

The Kangaroo

The Kangaroo

2.5 oz

Vodka

0.5 oz

Dry Vermoth

1

Lemon Twist or Olive Skewer

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or olive skewer.

The Kangaroo is very much plain about the involvement of vermouth. While the vodka contributes primarily texture and some ethanol notes, most of the bright herbal notes will come from the dry vermouth. Much like it’s gin based cousin, if you hate vermouth – this won’t be the drink for you. That said, the finished Kangaroo is a symphony of satiny smooth texture with just the right amount of complexity to make anyone feel classy.

Kangaroo Drink Notes

To arrive at the perfectly balanced kangaroo – I tested 4 variations each a different ratio of vodka to vermouth.  The highest ratio was 12 parts vodka to 1 part vermouth.  The result was slightly tinted chilled vodka that did not show much differentiation from it’s normal flavor – perhaps a hint of herb.   On the other end of the scale was a bracing mix of 2 parts vodka to 1 part dry vermouth.  The resulting combination was vermouth forward, giving a strong herbal component and many wine like flavors – with a touch of acid and bitterness.

Most surprising was the difference between 4 parts and 5 parts vodkas to 1 part vermouth.  While 5 parts evoked a complex and layered set of flavors that gave both vodka and vermouth a chance to shine, the 4 part mix did no such thing.  Instead, the vermouth became the dominate element, allowing the vodka to peak through instead of balancing.  While by no means bad, it hardly conveyed the smooth, complex balance that a Kangaroo (Vodka Martini) drink would be looking for.

On Ingredients and Glassware:

• Vodka:  Any good quality vodka will do.  I used Absolut for testing, but Tito’s or your preference will work just fine.
• Vermouth:  Dolin Dry is my preference here.  I find it’s the most balanced.  Feel free to substitute your preference though.
• Garnish:  Either a lemon twist or an olive skewer can work here.  I believe the lemon better accentuates the vermouth, but an olive can also help give a very savory feel if that is your preference.
• Glassware:   While you could use a martini glass here, I feel a Nick & Nora glass is better suited.  For one reason, it’s much easier to enjoy the drink in without fear of spilling.  For another, the elegant profile is classy and perfectly suited for the liquid refreshment of a Kangaroo.

Unlike most years, July 15th, 2020 is tax day.  Like everything else, COVID-19 has given us something strange to contend with and fundamentally altered routine life as we know it.  If you’re looking to turn back the clock, then perhaps you might visit the Income Tax Cocktail.

The Income Tax Cocktail is actually a Bronx Cocktail with bitters.  Not that you’d be expected to know either.  Pre-World War II, the Bronx had some popularity thanks to the use of fresh orange juice and vermouth not having been kneecapped by the subsequent decades.  In fact, a broad range of borough named cocktails and variants existed.  Among them was the Bronx and, by adding bitters, the Income Tax Cocktail.  Unfortunately for both, they were absolutely reliant on fresh orange juice, and the demise of these once popular variants were pushed off into the great unknown by the predominance of pre-packaged and concentrated orange juice – with which – they taste awful.

The Income Tax Cocktail

The Income Tax Cocktail

1 ½ oz

London Dry Gin

¾ oz

Sweet Vermouth

¾ oz

Dry Vermouth

¾ oz

Fresh Orange Juice

2 Dashes

Angostura Bitters

1

Orange Wheel

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange wheel.

The Income Tax Cocktail is just alright.    The herbal notes of the gin and vermouth leverage with some of the spice of the bitters.  The orange adds another level of flavor that really shows up at the start. That muddles with the vermouths and changes the texture and acidity a bit.  The finish is complicated and less orange forward then the body, with a bit of the pithiness.

Overall – this cocktail is kind of like income tax.  I know that it exists, and it doesn’t mean I want to go out of my way to pay for it.

Drink Notes & Recommendations:

Ranges on Orange Juice are from ¼ oz to 1 oz.  The recipe printed by Haigh in his book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails* calls for a ¼ oz orange – which is variant on your orange.  I’m not sure how much I think that the range of ¼ – ¾ makes a difference here, but feel free to experiment.

Due to the muddled nature of the Income Tax Cocktail – I recommend using what you have on hand instead of trying to find dedicated ingredients.

• Gin – I used Beefeater here, but you could also try an Old Tom Gin to soften things up.  Despite being the backbone of the Income Tax Cocktail, it doesn’t seem like a gin drink.
• Sweet Vermouth –  I utilized both Lustau and Carpano here.  Lustau might have an edge as it gives the drink less to compete with, but this will all end up as preference.
• Dry Vermouth –  I utilized Dolin Dry Vermouth – this is my house vermouth.
• Bitters – Angostura is called for here.  You are likely to see some significant variation in outcome by changing these.
• Orange Juice – Make sure it’s fresh squeezed.

* – This affiliate link may earn First Pour Cocktails a commission – which will be used to continue to bring you amazing content.

A close cousin to the Boulevardier is the Old Pal.  If you look closely at the original Boulevardier you’ll find a drink that closely resembles a Negroni – with the gin swapped out for bourbon.   While the original ratio was equal parts, that ratio shifted over time to allow the whiskey to share the spotlight.  That same template underpins the Old Pal, where the sweet vermouth has now been replaced with dry.

Old Pal

Old Pal

1.5 oz

Rye

0.75 oz

Dry Vermouth

0.75

Campari

1

Lemon Twist

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass or Coupe. Express a lemon twist over the glass and drop into the drink.

The bittersweet flavor of the Old Pal is more dry than it’s sweet vermouth cousin, the Negroni.  That said, what it loses in sweetness it makes up for in spice and woodsy notes.  The rye plays a delightful part giving some spice and notes of caramelized sugars and wood, while the herbalness of the wine mixes with the bittersweet campari flavors.  The lemon oils from the garnish give an inviting nose, and add a tie for each element.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

I played around with several variations of the Old Pal recipe before settling on the 2:1:1 ratio found below.  While you’re encouraged to play with this ratio, I found it gave the best balance between the rye, the weighty Campari, and the vermouth.  Ironically – by upping the rye – the play between the delicate vermouth and the strong Campari lost its balance.  Like a delicate partner in a tango, the rye caused them to lose their place tumbling into a thinner version of its better self.

In terms of ingredients:

• Rye – Rittenhouse Rye works very well here.
• Vermouth – Dolin Dry Vermouth is very lively in the Old Pal and works best.  Feel free to substitute Martini & Rossi or Noilly Prat if that’s what you have available.
• Campari – There’s no substitute for a bottle of Campari.  This will be a necessary bar staple if you intend to make Negronis – which are delightful in summer.
• Lemon Twist – Obviously, use a fresh lemon.  This doesn’t seem like a critical ingredient here – and yet – the subtle oils of the lemon expressed open the nose and help the palate fully express itself.  This is a must add for the Old Pal.
  • To Express: Using a peeler or paring knife, remove a section of the peel.   Using both hands, hold the ends of the peel between your thumb and index finger with the outside of the peel facing the drink.  Over the drink – twist the peel – you should see a small fine mist briefly.

For more classic cocktails visit our cocktail list.  Looking to set up a basic starter bar – both Rittenhouse and Dolin Dry Vermouth are recommendations on our list of recommended bottles for starting a home bar!

Perhaps there is no cocktail that so embodies my grandfather as The Manhattan.  The classic cocktail is one of the few to stand the test of time in more or less it’s original iteration.  Made up of rye (or bourbon), sweet vermouth, and bitters – it’s an exercise in simplicity and layering flavors.  Each component adds both flavor and texture, while dilution helps ease the character and marry the elements.  For these reasons, The Manhattan is my favorite cocktail.

The Manhattan

Manhattan

2 oz

Bourbon or Rye

1 oz

Sweet Vermouth

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

1

Cherry

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry.

The Manhattan is one of the oldest and most well known cocktails for a reason. Dark, smooth, and spicy – a Manhattan is perfectly balanced between the spices and herbs of the fortified vermouth and the rich, spicy bourbon or rye. The Angostura Bitters ties the two ingredients together in a blissful act of harmony. Make no mistake, the result is a boozy, flavor forward cocktail that’s balanced beautifully.

Let’s talk a little about the construction of a Manhattan.   The bourbon is earthy, spicy, and adds a bit of caramel, spice and vanilla. To this, we marry wine fortified with neutral spirits and infused with herbs and spices. Finally, we marry this with bitters – which act like the salt and pepper – giving seasoning that aligns the spices and earthy tones throughout the drink. Unbalancing these elements washes out the sweetness of the wine or overwhelms the subtle flavors with booze of spice. Like most cocktails – the Manhattan is as beautiful as it is thanks to the balance it achieves.

Manhattan – Recommendations

Here are some recommendations for your base ingredients:

• Whiskey:
  • Bourbon:  Maker’s Mark, Bulleit Bourbon, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Wild Turkey 101
  • Rye:  Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond
• Vermouth: Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth is the best, but Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth will do.
• Bitters:  Angostura Bitters are the gold standard but use whatever aromatic bitters you like (Fee Bros, local brands, etc)