Dark Side of the Cocktail Cabinet

Since having children, Hallow'een takes on a very different light, possibly more terrifying than I could ever have imagined. Gone are the quandaries as to which party I should attend and whether or not I should go, 'sexy witch' or 'slutty vampire' and instead, it becomes an evening of cursing every time the door knocker sounds, interrupting my busy sofa surfing schedule with a parade of stunted grotesques, demanding sweets. I am ashamed to admit that despite my children's pleas, I refuse to decorate the doorway or furnish the front step with a pumpkin, lest it should lend further encouragement to  the little blighters to come begging for confectionary. I have noticed that some enlightened recluses actually leave a bucket of sweets outside the door, thus avoiding the awkward shuffling on the doorstep, accompanied by unintelligible mumbling through a (fake) bloodstained, skeleton mask. I am tempted to adopt this approach myself, except that my boys are quite concerned that there would be no sweets left for them....

To mark the spookiness of the occasion (and to ease the pain of social interaction with minors), Mr TG and I will be taking a trip to the dark side of the cocktail cabinet and drinking a couple of bourbon cocktails that look suitably gothic, without veering into parody. Both are drinks I had been meaning to try for some time, having come across them whilst researching material for previous posts and although I do like create my own cocktails a lot of the time, sometimes it is nice to try out what's hot right now.

'Hot' is definitely an appropriate description for our first cocktail, the spookily monikered, 'Satan's Circus', which contains a thai red birdseye chilli infusion that certainly awakens the senses. The original drink was created at the NoMad Hotel in New York and named after the area which was known as 'Satan's Circus' in the 19th Century due to the profusion of brothels and speakeasies that sprang up there. According to Bar Manager, Leo Robitschek, the cocktail was created as a homage to that history and certainly, there is an air of danger to the drink.

I have replicated the recipe as best I can, but the original does call for Aperol rather than Campari, so if you have some, do use that instead. However, I think it's an equally marvellous drink with Campari and Campari does tend to be easier to get hold of. Both Campari and Aperol are Bitters and taste fairly similar, although Campari is higher in alcohol content and not quite so sweet. The most obvious difference to most, however, is in their colour; Aperol is an intense orangey red and Campari, a bright ruby.

The only preparation needed for this cocktail, is to infuse the Campari/Aperol with the thai birdseye chilli, which is simple enough to do.

Chilli Infused Campari

Ingredients
6 oz Campari
1 red thai birdseye chilli

Slice the chilli lengthways and pop it in the Campari with the stalk still on.
Leave to infuse for 1 hour and then remove the chilli.
Strain to remove any seeds and store in a sealed container indefinitely.

Chilli infused Campari - cup by Toasted Glass

Satan's Circus

Ingredients

2 oz rye bourbon (I used Buffalo Chase)

3/4 oz chilli infused Campari

3/4 oz Cherry Heering

3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard until the outside of the shaker frosts over.

Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Satan's Circus - cocktail glass by Toasted Glass

This next drink also hails from New York and is an unusual, but rather wonderful take on a Whisky Sour. The idea of combining wine and spirits in cocktails is very popular in cool bars, but actually, this drink dates back to the 1870's when there was a trend for creating drinks with a 'claret snap'. Although claret refers to a particular type of wine nowadays, back then, it could be used to mean any type of red wine. The best wine to use for this drink is something rich and fruity like a Shiraz or Malbec and I have used one of my favourites, Yellow Tail Shiraz, which is so fruity and chocolately, it's hard to stop at just one glass. The idea is to float the red wine on the top of the drink so that it sits in two distinct layers, but I recommend that once you have admired your skill at cocktail creation, take a swizzle stick and give it a mix, as it tastes even better that way.

New York Sour

Ingredients

2 oz rye or bourbon whiskey (I used Buffalo Chase)

1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 oz simple syrup

1/2 oz Shiraz or Malbec red wine

Add the bourbon, lemon and syrup to a shaker with ice and shake hard for 30 secs.

Strain into a tumbler filled with ice and carefully pour the red wine over the back of a spoon so that it floats on the surface in a separate layer. 

New York Sour - glass by Toasted Glass

If you would like to try something suitably spooky looking this Hallow'een, I can highly recommend you try the 'Ruby in the Weiss' cocktail from my Beer Cocktail post, but to give a special eerie twist, use blue curaçao instead of triple sec. This will taste equally delicious, but the colour will turn from deep ruby to almost black.

Hallow'een 'Ruby in the Weiss' cocktail

Pinkster Gin

Back in June, you may or may not remember that I went to the wonderful, food and drink extravaganza, that is the Taste London Festival and although I did remember to eat something, it was a very gin-centric sort of day. One of the purveyors of gin that I met there, were the relative newbies, Pinkster, who were enjoying a fantastic response to their subtly pink and delicately flavoured gin. At the time, I was unable to take a bottle home and as yet, Pinkster is not available in stores, but can be ordered online and I am now happy to say that I have a bottle of my own and it has been well and truly tested - the results of which, I am of course, going to share with you all.

Pinkster Gin available online from Master of Malt

When I received my bottle in the post, simply, but attractively packaged, I wasted no time in breaking the seal, popping out the cork stopper and having a good sniff. There's no denying the hint of raspberry about the gin, but it's very subtle and should not be mistaken for a liqueur and is no way, akin to a sloe gin. The aroma and flavour of raspberry is predominant, but very delicate none the less.

In order to qualify as a gin, the predominant botanical has to be juniper, but other than that , there are not too many stipulations, hence, there are literally hundreds of different brands, all with varying flavour; some big and bold, like Old Raj or City of London Distillery, some very delicate like Bloom Gin. Pinkster is definitely at the subtler end of the scale, which will appeal to most and of course, the colour is very becoming. As a cocktail gin, it works rather well as it does not overpower other flavours and of course, anything that enhances that raspberry infusion is going to be a winner. I am rather pleased with all of the cocktails I have created and Mr TG and I have very much enjoyed sampling them - so much so, that the bottle is three quarters empty. Please do give Pinksters and these cocktails a try - I think you'll enjoy....

First up is the Pinkster, Summer Punch Mar(tea)ni. This is an adaptation of the Earl Grey Mar(tea)ni recipe, a drink I featured in my Mother's Ruin post and first accredited to Audrey Saunders, owner of the famous Pegu Club in New York. As with the Earl Grey Martini, the Summer Punch Mar(tea) requires infusing the gin ahead of time, with a teaspoon of Whittards Summer Punch loose tea. This tea is the perfect blend to use with Pinkster as it uses berry fruits and juniper, both of which enhance the gin's natural flavour.

To infuse the gin, first pour 2 oz into a clean receptacle, add a spoonful of tea and allow to infuse for 1hr and definitely no more than 2 or the flavour will become bitter and woody. Strain the gin into a cocktail shaker and you're ready to begin.

Pinkster Gin infusing with Whittard Summer Punch loose tea

 Pinkster Summer Punch Mar(tea)ni

Ingredients

2 oz Pinkster Gin infused with Whittard Summer Punch loose tea
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
1 raspberry to garnish

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and dry shake (without ice), ensuring the lid is firmly on - dry shaking with egg white can cause a build up of gas in the shaker which can pop the lid off if you're not careful.

When the mixture is very frothy (about 20 secs) remove the lid, add ice and shake hard again until the outside of the shaker is properly frosted.
Strain the mixture into a martini glass or a small teacup if you prefer.
Garnish with a raspberry.

Hand painted, vintage teacup and saucer by Toasted Glass

Next up is the Colonel's Summer Cooler, a refreshing drink, perfect for those hot, muggy nights in the Colonies...

Colonel's Summer Cooler

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Pinkster Gin

1/4 oz Luxardos Maraschino Liqueur

1 oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit

1/4 oz lemon

3 basil leaves

1/4 oz simple syrup

Dash of soda

Sprig of basil to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, except the soda, to a shaker with ice and shake hard

Strain into a tumbler or highball filled with ice and top with a little soda

Slap the sprig of basil gently between your palms to release the oils and garnish the drink

White Stag Tumblers by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail has some herbal ingredients but nothing that overwhelms the drink. The initial scent of rosemary is wonderful on the nose and adds to the gin's botanicals and the addition of a little Giffards Creme de Framboises, plays up Pinkster's natural raspberry flavour.

Pinkster Garden Party

Ingredients

2 oz Pinkster Gin

1/2 oz Giffard Creme de Framboises

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 lavender syrup

Sprig of rosemary to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, except the garnish, to a shaker with ice and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosted.

Strain into a chilled martini glass

Slap the rosemary gently, between the palms of your hands to release the aroma and garnish the drink

White Lace Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is a great alternative to Pimms on a hot day as it is fruity and refreshing and simple to put together.

Lady Pinkster's Summer Cup

Ingredients

1 oz Pinkster Gin

1 oz Cockburns Fine Ruby Port

1/2 oz Giffard Creme de Framboises

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Dash of soda to top up

3 raspberries on a cocktail stick to garnish

Add everything apart from the soda and garnish to a tall glass, half filled with ice cubes and stir to mix and cool down the alcohol.

Add more ice and top up with a little soda.

Stir again and garnish

Hi ball Glasses by Toasted Glass

4th of July

Butterfly Hi ball glasses by Toasted Glass

As you've probably realised, I'm never, knowingly one to pass up a cocktail making opportunity and whilst I am, in no way American, I feel that having celebrated it once before, in Chicago (12 years ago), I am entitled to join in the fun. So, 'hip hip hurrah', for American Independence Day or perhaps, 'whoop', would be more appropriate....

Anyway, I'm sure most readers will know (especially the Americans), that 4th July is the day when the United States of America celebrate the official publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776. British schools perhaps do not focus quite so greatly on this important historical event as our American counterparts, but most of us are aware of the social significance it holds and are more than happy to join in the jamboree. So, without further ado, light your sparklers, charge your shakers and let's have some fun (whoop).

First up is our red cocktail, which I have named the Franklin, after Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the US and the Committee of Five who drafted and presented the Declaration of Independence to Congress. I have to confess, I don't know if he had a preference for tequila and watermelon - that may be more Freewheelin' Franklin than Benjamin, but it's a refreshing drink all the same.To make the watermelon juice,  I blitzed the watermelon in the blender and then passed it through a sieve to make sure all the pips were out, but you could just as easily mash the lot through a sieve without blending if you don't have access to a food processor. To make the 2 oz of juice, required for the cocktail, I used about a cupful of cubed watermelon.

 Franklin

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Sierra tequila resposado
1/2 oz Chase Elderflower liqueur
2 oz watermelon juice
1/2 oz lime
1/2 oz orange
orange zest

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with plenty of ice
Shake hard for 20 seconds and then strain into tall glass, filled with ice
Garnish with a lime wheel

African Red Butterfly Glasses by Toasted Glass

This 'white' in our next cocktail comes from white peach puree, which is easy enough to make, either with a blender or by squishing through a sieve. First though, you need to remove the peach skin, which is easily done by first scoring it with a knife and then blanching in boiling water for 1 minute before plunging it in cold. This should sufficiently loosen the skin to make it easy to peel off. Cut the peach in two and remove the stone before blending.

This cocktail is also named after another of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, who also went on to be the President of the United States. Did he like gin? Who knows, but I like to think he would have enjoyed this.

 For this recipe, I also decided to try out my new Williams GB, Extra Dry Gin from the Chase Distillery. As with their original gin, it's not made from bought in grain spirit, but distilled from start to finish at their Herefordshire distillery. It's a more classic tasting gin than their original, which I find a little more akin to an Eau de Vie than a gin, it being made from apples, but this one is packed full of botanical flavours and I could particularly pick up on the cinnamon and citrus as well as the more obvious juniper.

Jefferson

Ingredients
2 oz Williams GB Extra Dry Gin
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz white peach puree
1/2 oz lime juice
2-3 mint leaves
Sprig of mint to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, apart from the garnish, to a shaker with ice.
Shake hard for 20 seconds and strain into an ice filled tall glass
Garnish with a sprig of mint

Cabbage White Butterfly glasses by Toasted Glass

And finally, the 'blue' of the red, white and blue and patriotically named after John Adams, whom, if you didn't already know, I'm sure you could guess, is another of the Founding Fathers and he also went on to be a President of the United States. Bizarrely, both Jefferson and Adams died on the same day, July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence...

Adams

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Flor de Cana Rum
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 oz blue curacao
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz lime juice

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker, with ice.

Shake hard for 20 seconds and strain into an ice filled hi ball glass

Blue Morpho glasses by Toasted Glass

So there you have it, perfect, refreshing cocktails to make July 4th go with a bang, whether or not you are in the USA. Enjoy x

Peacock Cocktails

Glasses and decanter by Toasted Glass

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been painting peacocks; peacocks on champagne flutes, peacocks on mirrors and of course, peacocks on cocktail glasses. Peacocks have long been a great love of mine and indeed, I previously dedicated a whole post to them, so enamoured am I  of their beauty. If you would like to read that, then please click here.

However, today's post is all about the cocktails and for all three, I am using Martin Miller Gin, which, as I mentioned in my Taste of London post, is a damn fine gin. So fine in fact, that Mr TG, who has never been a great fan of the stuff, has been won round to it's fresh, clear, citrus magnificence. In celebration of it's wonderful gininess (if I say it's a word, it's a word), I have made three, great, gin cocktails and shown them off in the same Peacock glasses, but all to very different effect.

The first  cocktail is a classic Martinez, whose history is a little hazy, but is thought to be a precursor to the Martini or even a variation of it. Indeed, there are theories that it may even have been a gin version of a Manhattan. To be honest, nobody knows for sure, but most can agree that a modern Martinez will have one part gin to two parts sweet vermouth, with a little splash of maraschino liqueur or perhaps even triple sec and a dash of bitters. The addition of orange zest is often used too, although not a prerequisite and I have chosen to leave it out of the glass as there would be too much going on, with such an intricate design. However, in a plain martini glass, it does look nice against the cocktail. The Martinez is a very simple cocktail that requires good ingredients to make it shine which is why  Martin Miller Gin is perfect. I generally prefer cocktails with more citrus or berry fruit, but the sweetness from the vermouth and the maraschino, alongside the spice and the herbal notes combine with the gin's botanicals to make a complex and surprisingly quaffable drink.

Martinez

Ingredients
2 oz Martini Rosso
1 oz Martin Miller Gin
2 dashes Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a bar glass or the bottom of a shaker, with some ice.
Stir the drink for 20 seconds to fully mix the cocktail and to get the correct viscosity and temperature.
Strain into a chilled martini glass

Peacock glasses by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail, the Southside has an equally hazy history, with some claiming it dates back to the Prohibition and refers to the Southside district of Chicago Illinois. Others claim it was created at the 21 Club in New York City. Recipes also vary, from serving it as a mojito style drink over ice, with bitters or as I have done, shaken up and served in a martini glass. Whatever the history and however you serve it, it's a refreshing combination of lemon, mint and gin, which makes it just about perfect in my opinion.

Southside

Ingredients
2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
5-7 mint leaves

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake hard for 20 seconds and then double strain into a chilled martini glass.

Peacock glasses by Toasted Glass

Finally, we have a variation on the Pegu, a cocktail made famous by the Pegu Club in Rangoon, a colonial hangout and listed in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930. It is a combination of gin, cointreau, lime juice and bitters and has an almost grapefruit flavour. My version uses blue curacao in place of cointreau, which gives it a blue colour, but doesn't alter the flavour too much.  It's refreshing and perfect for these glasses I think, with it's peacock hue.

Peacock

Ingredients

2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/2 oz blue curcao
3/4 oz lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake hard over ice, for at least 20 secs
Strain into a chilled martini glass

Peacock glasses by Toasted Glass

Remember, if there are any cocktail terms that you don't understand, they should all be explained in this post, the Dufford's Guide and if you would like to read all about the fabulousness of Peacocks, click here.