Category: Cocktails

The Grasshopper’s roots come from the era just before prohibition when cream based drinks were still in vogue.  The original drink was the Alexander, a snow white mix of gin, white creme de cacao, and cream that was named for it’s creator, Troy Alexander.   Shortly there after in 1919, a florescent green cream-based creation was invented by New Orleans native Philbert Guichet for a cocktail competition in New York.  The drink would place second, but Philbert proudly brought the drink home to his New Orleans based restaurant Tujague’s, where the Grasshopper lives on to this day.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

1 oz

Creme de Menthe

1 oz

White Creme de Cacao

1 oz

Heavy Cream

Add ice to a mixing vessel and add the Creme de Menthe and White Creme de Cacao. Using the back of barspoon, slowly add the heavy cream. Stir immediately. Strain into a coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

The Grasshopper is smooth, creamy, and refreshing.  While the cream looks as though it would make this heavy, the lighter liquors keep the drink from becoming overwhelming.  Thanks to the sugar, it drinks like dessert, being reminiscent of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  The low alcohol point also make it approachable to both new and veteran cocktail fans.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Grasshopper is a straight forward, easy to make drink, but it’s not without potential pitfalls.

• White Creme de Cacao – The original calls for White Creme de Cacao which has a decidedly more vanilla / white chocolate like note than it’s Creme de Cacao cousin.  Creme de Cacao has a nice, dark chocolate almost liquor like character character to it, and plays well in relatives of the Alexander.  Feel free to swap it here to enjoy a more Andes mint like flavor.  We used Dekuypers.
• Green Creme de Menthe – It’s florescent, it’s green, and it takes a bit like toothpaste.  The allure in this drink is the mint note that adds refreshment, and the color.  If you’d like to keep it color free, use Creme de Menthe that doesn’t feature green color.
• Heavy Cream –  There’s no getting around it, Heavy Cream is packed with calories and rich, silky texture.  While it shouldn’t curdle (due to low ABV and acidity), we recommend you make this over ice, use the back of the bar spoon to try to layer the cream, and stir quickly after adding it.  Failing to do so, or pouring aggressively into the liqueurs could result in light curdling.
• Garnish – The Grasshopper is a playful drink, and you should feel free to experiment.  Garnishes include chocolate shavings, mint leaves, and whipped cream.
• Glassware – Many recommendations call for a Martini glass.  While this is acceptable, we feel they work poorly compared with coupes and Nick and Nora glasses that help corral the drink for the recipient.  For these reasons, we recommend a stem, but suggest a Martini glass only if requested.

The Algonquin is named for the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan, and steeped in history.  The hotel had been serving as meeting place for a roast for drama critic Alexander Woollcott.  It soon became an ongoing meeting place for people such as Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker, and Peggy Wood.  The drink ended up being named in their honor, and is still served today.

Algonquin

Algonquin

1 ½ oz

Rye

¾ oz

Pineapple Juice

¾ oz

Dry Vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish.

The Algonquin is an interesting and unusual cocktail.  The flavor of rye gives a distinctly spicy note, but one that doesn’t quite match up against the fruitiness of pineapple or the herbal nature of dry vermouth.   This cocktail, despite the ingredients, is dry.  Going into it with that in mind will temper your expectations.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

To be honest, I’ve made I don’t know how many Algonquins and I assume someone likes them, but I just can’t fathom why.  If you like a relatively dry, sort of spicy cocktail, with a strong herbal note – here are the best things I can tell you.

• Rye – We originally used our go to standard of Rittenhouse Rye.  It provided the description in the paragraph following the recipe.   I thought it might be an issue with the rye, and used Elijah Craig Rye.  This emphasized some of the marshmallow and herbal notes.  My best recommendation here is to use your favorite rye – that’s not expensive – and hope it works for you.
• Pineapple Juice – Our default standard is Dole’s small cans.  They’re cheaper so you can use them without throwing out a lot of pineapple juice.
• Dry Vermouth – We used our standard Dolin Dry Vermouth here.  I don’t think there’s a lot of benefit that you’ll see from switching here, however there’s a part of me that thinks Bianco Vermouth might work better.

That’s about the best advice I can offer. I’d love to say there’s some reason to make this, but some classics are forgotten for a reason.  Got a reason you love this drink or a tweak you think makes it perfect?  Let us know in the comments!

Starting life as a trendy drink in the Castro district of San Francisco, the proto-cocktail that lead to the modern Cosmopolitan was a mix of Rose’s Lime Cordial, grenadine, and well vodka.  When Toby Cecchini set out to make a version in the late 80s, he never thought it would be the type of drink that drinkers would be obsessed with for well over a decade.   Building off a simple sour structure, the Cosmopolitan ended up incorporating even parts lime, Cointreau, and cranberry cocktail with two parts of citrus vodka.  The result is a much pinker and more tart version of the heavily cranberry laden ones that are frequently seen.

If your leading perception of the Cosmopolitan is the drink of the girls on Sex And The City, then you owe the Cosmopolitan another look.

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan

2 oz

Citrus Vodka

1 oz

Cointreau

1 oz

Lime Juice

1 oz

Cranberry Juice

Garnish

Lemon Twist

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Cosmopolitan has experienced a number of misrepresentations, but a true Cosmo is nothing short of brilliant.   The drink is taught and balanced like a Daiquiri, but with a citrus finesse that gives the drink an electric character.  The sweetness of cranberry adds a subtle fruitiness that ties the entire experience together.  Be aware, unlike some interpretations the original Cosmo is bright (read acidic), it’s supposed to be, but also balanced against the sweetness.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Making a Cosmopolitan is very straightforward, and basically involves putting all the ingredients in the shaker with ice.  Most of the issues Cosmopolitans have come from variations in ratios (too much / too little cranberry, lime, or Cointreau) or ingredient variation themselves (like unsweetened cranberry juice).

• Citrus Vodka – This seems like it wouldn’t make a big difference, but if you side by side two Cosmopolitans, you’ll see there’s an entire layer of flavor missing.  Can you make one without it, sure.  Will it taste as electrifying?  Not even close.  In our testing we used Stolichnaya Citrus.
• Cointreau – We always recommend using Cointreau, but you can substitute Triple Sec here.
• Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Cranberry Juice –  The original recipe calls for Cranberry Juice (and is focused on the old school cranberry cocktail). This gave the recipe sweetness and color, as well as a pleasing berry note.  Modern times have introduced 100% Cranberry juices and unsweetened variants.  These can make delicious Cosmopolitans, but not at an ounce.  These bring not only a more intense cranberry flavor, but also tannins and additional tartness.  As a result, you may find that you need to turn down the lime juice and add simple syrup to counteract the change.  When making with unsweetened cranberry juice, aim for a ½ ounce.

The Toronto is one of the few classics that calls for Fernet.  While Fernet Branca is the most well known of these, there are numerous other Fernet on the market.  The dark, pungent liqueurs are known for the strong flavor profiles and high levels of complexity.  To partner with them, Rye and Angostura Bitters lend their powerful structures, and just a little sweetness comes in from the sugar.  This makes for a deep, brooding cocktail packed with complexity that’s perfect for the change in temperature.  Lovers of Old Fashioned and Sazeracs should find a lot to love here.

Toronto

Toronto

2 oz

Rye Whiskey

¼ oz

Fernet Branca

¼ oz

Simple Syrup

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Garnish

Orange Twist

Combine all ingredients in mixing vessel except garnish. Add ice and stir. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Express an orange twist over the drink and garnish with an orange twist.

In the Toronto, the spicy nature of the rye lays down the skeleton, the fernet and angostura provide the muscle, and the simple beautifies the whole package.  The rye here gives off great spice and herbal notes with an Old Fashioned feel, but never feels aggressive or overpowering.    The Fernet seems like it would be overpowering if you’ve had Fernet on its own, but here it accentuates the earthy and herbal notes in the rye.  Where it comes together is in the ending, bringing the full menthol and caramelized sugar notes to the forefront with just the tiniest hint of bitterness.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Toronto is built in the mould of an Old Fashioned and that shows in the construction.  Rather than serving over ice, the Toronto eschews dilution in favor of a coupe or Nick & Nora glass.

• Rye –  We used Eljiah Craig Rye here, which worked well at accentuating the herbal notes, but minimized the spice slightly.   While it works, we still recommend Rittenhouse Rye.
• Fernet Branca – While there are other Fernet, the original is made with Fernet Branca.  This uniquely licorice and menthol noted liqueur is less bitter than Campari, but has a significantly more aggressive flavor profile.  Swapping with another Fernet will alter this, and you should adjust your usage accordingly.
• Simple Syrup – Many prohibition recipes are quite sweet as the simple tended to be rich (2:1 ratio of sugar to water).  Our standard simple is not rich, so you may find that it needs additional sweetness to balance the Fernet.  There are two options here:
  • Add an additional 1/4 oz of Simple Syrup (1:1)
  • Make Rich Simple Syrup
• Angostura – As this is an Old Fashioned relative, you can swap the bitters to play with the flavor profile.  Angostura works well here as it also has a similar strength of presence (compared with Fernet Branca).
• Garnish – Orange is the default, however some recipes call for lemon.  Either can work.

For other variations, consider swapping out the Simple Syrup for Rich Demerara Syrup for a more caramelized notes.

Ernest Hemingway is well known for championing cocktails such as the Daiquiri and the Mojito, but he also is the purported creator of the absinthe based Death In The Afternoon.  The drink was reportedly dreamed up after Hemingway spent time in France and developed an affinity for absinthe in the early 1930’s.  As a result, it even became Hemingway’s contribution to a 1935 Cocktail Book called “So Red The Nose or Breath In The Afternoon”.   It was described thusly:

Pour 1 jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink 3 to 5 of these slowly

It’s fairly rare in classic cocktail books that such clear directions are given.  Yet, here it is.  So let’s take a crack and bringing Hemingway’s creation back to life (but maybe avoid having 3-5 of them at once!).

Death In The Afternoon

Death In The Afternoon

1 ½ oz

Absinthe or Pastis

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

In a flute, added Absinthe or Pastis. Pour chilled sparkling wine over the absinthe or pastis. No garnish.

Death In The Afternoon is unsurprisingly aggressively forward in it’s fennel and star anise characteristics. The bright, bubbly nature of the wine is beautifully setup to help liven the drink, but doesn’t get in the way of the licorice notes. You should be aware that while absinthe and pastis can have a sweetness about them, this drink is inherently dry. This makes it both strong, and unquestionably refreshing. While the complexity is lovely, you might find yourself unable to follow the prescribed 3-5.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Absinthe or pastis used here is going to make a massive difference in your end flavor. For Pernod, which we used, the star anise and fennel characteristics were given space, and the licorice notes expanded with some of the wines natural citrus. The complexity remains, but is spaced out and given some additional flavors to bounce off of.

• Absinthe or Pastis – The primary difference between absinthe and pastis is that pastis uses star anise as the principal flavoring, instead of using green anise, wormwood of fennel that are used in Absinthe.  The resulting liqueur is different in it’s flavor profile, but similarly enough that it can be used as a substitute to absinthe.  If you looking for recommendations, you should be able to find Pernod (pastis) in most places, but we also recommend St. George Absinthe.
• Sparkling Wine – Absinthe is a fairly dominate flavor, so don’t both with anything overly expensive.  Look for cava, sparkling wine, or prosecco in the $10 – $20 range.  We used Kirkland’s Prosecco for ours.

If you need to increase the size of your artillery shells, may we recommend a French 95.  The cousin of the French 75, this cocktail swaps for gin for bourbon.  This change adds caramelized sugars and spices to drive depth.

French 95

French 95

1 oz

Gin

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Simple Syrup

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

Combine all ingredients except wine in a shaker. Add a small amount of ice and short shake. Double strain into a coupe, and top with sparkling wine.

The French 95 is similarly refreshing to it’s gin based cousin, but with something a little extra. While the gin provides and herbal foil for the lemon to work against, the bourbon instead gives this drink a warmth. It comes through in touches of cherry and brown sugar that are not normally present in dry white wines. That warmth gives it an inviting character that’s more relaxing. The balance is well structure with sweet and bright, and it’s a thoroughly sessionable cocktail.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

A French 95 could be made in either a flute of coupe, depending on your glassware and preference. We’ve chosen to mix it up for aesthetics, but you should choose what works best for you. We actually prefer a flute, simply for the ability to drink it easily.

• Bourbon –  You can use any standard bourbon here you like.  We chose Buffalo Trace for ours, but Wild Turkey 101, Elijah Craig Small Batch, or any other would do.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Simple Syrup – The standard 1:1 water to sugar simple is recommended here.
• Sparkling Wine –  You don’t need to break the bank to make a French 95.  Should you choose to use something expensive (like real Champagne with will run $45 – $60), it will be correspondingly good, but the returns aren’t likely to be 4 to 5 times better than using a $10 to $15 bottle of sparkling wine.  We recommend prosecco or cava here, and used Kirkland’s Prosecco for ours.

The French 75 is a classic drink named after the size of shells which were used by French Artillery guns.  Similar to the 75mm shells used, a series of French 75s could do some damaged.  Behind the delicate and dainty façade of the sparkling wine there’s a gin kicker and a lemon zinger involved.    Best of all, these cocktails are refreshing and easy to make.

French 75

French 75

1 oz

Gin

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Simple Syrup

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

Combine all ingredients except wine in a shaker. Add a small amount of ice and short shake. Double strain into a wine flute, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The French 75 is a delightfully refreshing cocktail in line with a Tom Collins, but with a more wine forward kick. The flavors of gin provide a gentle herbal note while the citrus from the wine interacts with the lemon. The small bubbles give a textural appeal, and the drink is in balance between sweet and bracing.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The French 75 is one of the easiest sparkling cocktails to make, and requires mostly ingredients you already have around.  The biggest issues you might encounter are glassware and picking a sparkling wine.  We’ll cover the sparkling wine below, but feel free to use a coupe in the event you don’t have a flute.

• Gin – Any gin will actually do for a French 75, although a traditional cocktail will be made with London Dry.  We used Beefeater for ours.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Simple Syrup – The standard 1:1 water to sugar simple is recommended here.
• Sparkling Wine –  You don’t need to break the bank to make a French 75.  Should you choose to use something expensive (like real Champagne with will run $45 – $60), it will be correspondingly good, but the returns aren’t likely to be 4 to 5 times better than using a $10 to $15 bottle of sparkling wine.  We recommend prosecco or cava here, and used Kirkland’s Prosecco for ours.

Basic home bars can make a series of drinks with the addition of a bottle of sparkling wine.  Among them is the Airmail.  While airmail originally started in the 1910’s and 1920’s, the cocktail didn’t appear until almost halfway through the 20th century.  While the naming of the cocktail is a mystery, the actual drink is a tuned up Daiquiri adding flavor with honey and sparkling wine.  While a bit far from a true Tiki drink, this drink fits well for fans of rum.

Airmail

Airmail

1 oz

Aged Rum

½ oz

Lime Juice

½ oz

Rich Honey Syrup

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

Combine rum, honey, and lime in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a flute. Top with sparkling wine.
No garnish.

The Airmail does a nice job straddling the line between dry and sweet, and elegantly balances the flavors as it goes. The rum really is given an opportunity to shine here, bringing in subtle caramel notes, touches of spice, hints of molasses or brown sugar, and tropical fruit funk. Aided by the brightness of the lime and citrus qualities of the sparkling wine, it becomes both rich and refreshing.

Drink Notes & Recommendations:

The rum is a key flavor driver in an Airmail, and you should plan accordingly.  Expect this to be the dominate note in your cocktail, while wine serves to expand the flavors and add more complexity.

• Aged Rum – We used Bacardi 8 here, but any moderately aged rum will do.  Other recommended bottles include Doorly X.O., El Pasador de Oro, and Kirk and Sweeney 12.  You could also try Appleton Reserve for a more funky version, or a lightly aged rum to emphasize more of the supporting notes or less spice.
• Rich Honey Syrup – Combine 85 g water and 200 g honey in an 8 oz mason jar and seal. Sous vide at 145 degrees for 2 hr. Remove from the water bath and allow to cool. Once cool, bottle.  If desired, add 15 g of 150+ Proof Neutral Grain Spirit or vodka if desired. Shake gently to combine.  Refrigerate.
• Sparkling Wine – You could spend lots of money for a bottle of Dom Perignon, but that’d be a waste of great champagne.  Instead, look for sparkling wines around $10 – 15 a bottle listed as dry or brut.  These include sparkling wines, Cavas, and Proseccos.  We used Kirkland’s Asolo Prosecco for about $7 a bottle.
• Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.

Used Bacaradi 8 and Costco Prosecco