Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin

Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin

A trip to my favourite, London, specialist drinks' supplier, is sadly, all too rare an occasion these days. However, it was with a sense of mild jubilation that Mr TG and I escorted our little princes back to school after seemingly, endless, summer holidays and having dabbed the tears from our eyes, quickly recovered when we realised that after seven, long weeks, we were free to do whatever we wanted; at least until 3.30pm. Hurrah!

We boarded the train to London and made a whistle stop tour of Borough Market, popping in to Neals Yard to purchase a frankly, huge amount of stinky cheese. Then, clutching our fragrant parcel of whiffy Stilton, headed over to Leadenhall Market where the lovely Diosa from Amathus Drinks had some new gins for us to try.

It was hard to leave with just one, as both brands we sampled were delicious in very different ways, but in the end I promised myself I would save one for another trip and based my final decision on looks - terribly shallow, I know, but I'm sure you'll agree that it certainly is a bonny bottle. Of course, looks aren't everything, but luckily, there's far more to this gin, than just a pretty face...

Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin is quite unique; as well as a long list of locally sourced botanicals, including a hefty dose of lavender (always a good thing), quince and lemon thyme, the gin is given a final infusion of Reisling using handpicked grapes from the Zilliken Estate in the Saar region which straddles the borders of France, Germany and Luxemburg.

The gin owes its moniker to Ferdinand Geltz, a Royal Prussian, District Forester of yesteryear, but owes its unique taste to Master Distiller, Andreas Vallendar; the former lends an air of gravitas to the gin, but it is the latter who has really worked the magic; bringing together over thirty botanicals, most of which are picked by hand from the surrounding area, making this a truly artisanal beverage.

On first tasting, I was struck by just how dominant the Resiling infusion was, giving it a distinctly 'winey' flavour, but on second sip, the lavender took centre stage. The overall impression was floral, very dry and quite unlike any gin I've tasted before - I was hooked.

My immediate thought was that the Reisling infusion made it taste like an incredibly intense Martini and so, that seemed like a jolly good place to start.

Ferdinand's Martini

2oz Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin
1oz Dolin dry vermouth

Whether you shake or stir, is a matter of personal taste, but in this instance, in order to preserve as much of the gin flavour as possible, I decided to stir.

Add the gin and vermouth to the bottom of a shaker, with a handful of ice and stir approximately 20 times.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Ferdinand's Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

The classic Gin and Tonic is my go to drink and is a great way to enjoy a good gin, providing you don't drown it in bad tonic. Fever Tree is one of the best and the naturally light version uses less sugar, without substituting it for artificial sweeteners.

Ferdinand's Gin and Tonic

2oz Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin
Fever Tree naturally light tonic
wedge of lime

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how to make a gin and tonic, but just incase...

Add the gin to a chilled glass, half filled with ice and top up with a little tonic. Don't add too much as you can always add more if it's not to your taste, but you can't take it away if you add too much.

Add a wedge of lime - the acidity of lime actually makes a gin and tonic taste sweeter...

Ferdinand's Gin and Tonic - glass by Toasted Glass

The Negroni is one of my favourite, simple, gin cocktails. It combines Campari with a sweet vermouth, both of which blend with Gin to create an intensely bittersweet, herbal drink, whose flavour is subtly altered by whichever gin you use. It's a great drink and works well with Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin, although the Campari does tend to overpower the mix, somewhat.

Ferdinand's Negroni

1oz Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin
1oz Martini Rosso
1oz Campari

Add all of the ingredients to a chilled glass and stir with a swizzle stick, to mix.

Ferdinand's Negroni - glass by Toasted Glass

I was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed the Ferdinand's Martini, as I am not really a Martini drinker - I tend to prefer cocktails that slip down a little more easily, generally aided by something sweet and sour - but I think I may just have found the best Martini gin, ever. As a result, I am inclined to save it solely for this purpose, although I might be tempted to try a few cocktails of my own at a later date, so watch this space.

To the best of my knowledge, Amathus Drinks are the sole importers for Ferdinand's Dry Saar Gin so if you fancy giving it a try (and I highly recommend that you do), you can order it online or pop in to one of their London outlets (full details are on the website) where you may just find you leave with far more than you intended....

Martin Miller Gin

G&T with Martin Miller Gin

This week, we have been mostly drinking Martin Miller Gin which is always a pleasure. I have written about this marvellous spirit in previous posts - Peacock Cocktails and Taste of London 2013, but felt that after having focused on some excellent gins with a twist, such as Pinkster (raspberry) and Bloom (chamomile), it was time to get back to basics and revisit a spirit with a more traditional list of botanicals. That said, there is plenty to distinguish this gin from the pack, not least of all, the fact that the grain spirit at it's heart, is blended to strength with incredibly pure and soft, Icelandic water. As water constitutes over 50% of the liquid volume, this, frankly crazy sounding idea, starts to make sense. Much like Björk, the Icelandic chanteuse who made London her home, the slightly bonkers Anglo-Icelandic collaboration creates something positively exquisite.

Martin Miller GIn

Sadly, the founder, Martin Miller, died at the beginning of this year at the age of 67. His death was a sad loss to all, but his legacy continues and his ethos is upheld by the company he founded in 1997. Martin Miller Gin is already a worldwide brand and will continue to go from strength to strength despite the gin sector becoming an increasingly competitive arena. Martin Miller remains the gin of choice for bartenders across the globe by sticking to it's core values and creating a traditional, but exceptional gin with a strong citrus aroma and flavour that gives way to juniper notes and a clean, soft finish thanks to that pure Icelandic water.

So, what to create with my Martin Miller Gin that I haven't already covered in previous posts? Well, I decided to take my inspiration, in part, from the Savoy Cocktail Book, first published in 1930 and enjoying a bit of a renaissance as tastes shift from elaborate concoctions to the simpler, boozy beverages of yesteryear. Personally, I am partial to a cocktail that reads like a recipe from a Nigella cookbook, but am also beginning to appreciate the simplicity of the Savoy style when a cocktail was undeniably hooch laden rather than disguised as an alcoholic smoothy.

The Frankenjack cocktail was first published in 1927 book, 'Here's How!', a publication from which many recipes were directly taken for use in the illustrious Savoy Cocktail Book, which is where I found it. The unusual monicker comes from an amalgamation of two names, Frank and Jack, who were apparently the proprietors of an infamous New York speakeasy. It takes the classic martini as its foundation, comprising gin and dry vermouth in equal measure, but is made sweet and fruity by the addition of a little apricot brandy and Cointreau orange liqueur. Although the two liqueurs are added in equal quantities, the apricot brandy is definitely the dominant flavour.

Apricot brandy, rather than tickling the tastebuds with a purely fruit flavour, tends to hit the tongue like an apricot sledgehammer. Because the liqueur is made using the whole fruit, the strong flavour of the kernel pervades the brandy. Apricot kernels have an incredibly intense flavour and are at the heart of Amaretto liqueur and amaretti biscotti which gives some idea of the taste. However, the dry vermouth helps to temper the flavour and if you are a fan of Amaretto, then the flavour will probably taste quite subtle to you. For my personal taste, I would prefer the cocktail made with a few dashes of lemon juice to balance the sweetness, but it is pleasant and a fairly effortless crowd pleaser.

The recipe as stated in the Savoy Cocktail book lists the quantities in 'parts' rather than giving precise measures. I have kept to those ratios, but have put suitable amounts to them to make one cocktail.

Frankenjack

1oz Martin Miller Gin
1oz dry vermouth
1/2oz apricot brandy
1/2oz Cointreau

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard until the outside frosts over.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve.

Frankenjack Cocktail - Glass by Toasted Glass

A further trawl through the hallowed pages of the Savoy Cocktail book unearthed this classic that dates back to at least 1930. The Journalist cocktail which is essentially a Perfect Martini (one with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth), is given a little more depth with addition of a dash of this and that. It's amazing what a difference such small additions can make, but this drink really does have a flavour all of it's own. For anyone who enjoys a classic Martini or Martinez, this will hit the spot. It's unashamedly boozy and will appeal to the hard drinking, hard working hacks it earned its name from as well as traditionalists and hipsters alike.

Journalist

2oz Martin Miller Gin
1oz sweet vermouth
1oz dry vermouth
2 dashes lemon juice
2 dashes curaçao
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard to mix the drink.

Journalist Cocktail - Glass by Toasted Glass

Last but not least is a little creation of my own that was inspired by the competition on the Martin Miller website. The brief was to create a Martin Miller Gin cocktail that uses at least one locally sourced ingredient from the region where it is being served and as a denizen of Essex, I chose Tiptree jam and Maldon sea salt - two things my kitchen couldn't be without.

Maldon sea salt is renowned for its exceptional flavour and has particularly close associations as the children are learning how to sail on the estuary at Maldon. I have personally ingested more Maldon sea salt than I care to, by virtue of being an atrocious sailor and now leave it to Mr TG and the boys. However, I am more then happy, however, to use Maldon sea salt in my cooking and have used a pinch or two when making a Puro Margarita. Strange as it may seem, it actually helps to balance sweet and bitter flavours, just as it does in cooking and needn't be reserved just for margaritas.

My other ingredient - Tiptree Little Scarlet strawberry jam, is a conserve with a serious pedigree. Little Scarlet is an old fashioned variety of strawberry that has changed little in 200 years. It is extremely small and intensely flavoured, but needs to be consumed immediately, making it unsuitable for mass production. However, it continues to be grown on Tiptree farms in Essex where it is harvested and immediately made into this flavoursome jam and as if that wasn't enough, it is even the favourite conserve of archetypal suave spy, James Bond. Not only does he drink vodka martinis and vintage champagne, but according to 'From Russia With Love', his daily breakfast consists of a boiled egg and two slices of toast with a choice of marmalade, honey or Little Scarlet strawberry jam - I kid you not...

The most famous cocktail to date that contains a conserve, is the Breakfast Martini by Salvatore Calabrese (The Maestro), which uses marmalade to great effect and is a favourite of Mr TG. Similarly, I went for a martini style drink, partly because it seemed more Bond-esque and mostly because the Martin Miller Gin would be the main event. To prevent the drink from becoming too sweet, like Calabrese, I added lemon juice, but brought in another level of flavour with the addition of  bittersweet Campari. Added to that, a pinch of Maldon sea salt and I had a drink that hit every tastebud and yet blended seamlessly together. Bloody marvellous, if I say so myself...

Little Scarlet

2oz Martin Miller Gin
3/4oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Campari
1 rounded teaspoon Tiptree Little Scarlet
pinch of Maldon sea salt

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and whisk with a Hawthorn whisk or dry shake (without ice) to ensure the jam is properly mixed (tip - do not use the conserve straight from the fridge as it causes it to set too hard)

Add a handful of ice, shake hard and strain into a chilled martini glass.

The ultimate garnish would be a couple of Little Scarlet strawberries, but as that is practically an impossibility, a tasty variety, sliced and placed on the rim will suffice.

Little Scarlet Cocktail - Glass by Toasted Glass

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder...

Absinthe Espresso Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

Not many drinks can lay claim to their very own faerie manifestation, but the iconic image of 'La Fée Verte', popularised  in the 19th century and reinvented in the form of the preternaturally pert, Kylie Minogue in the film Moulin Rouge, is synonymous with Absinthe. Legend has it that the anise flavoured spirit is imbued with hallucinogenic properties and that given the right circumstances (vast amounts of alcohol and a copy of the aforementioned film), the green fairy will appear. Tosh and poppycock of course, but it doesn't stop people trying...

Absinthe is a curiously mouth numbing concoction that derives it's colour and flavour from the botanicals that it's distilled with; the most notable being 'wormwood' or 'artemisia absinthium', to give it, it's Latin name. Wormwood, apart from sounding like a character from Tolkien, is also credited with giving absinthe it's mind altering capabilities due to the presence of Thujone, a ketone that was erroneously thought to act on the brain in much the same way as THCs in cannabis. However, this turns out not to be the case as in fact, Thujone is most likely to cause muscle spams and convulsions - yikes! But you needn't worry, because the levels of Thujone are so minuscule that you would have long since died from alcohol poisoning before you could possibly consume enough Absinthe for the Thujone to kick in. The most likely explanation for the accounts of it's hallucinogenic properties are down to a combination of things - mainly, it's high alcohol content (it's distilled at anywhere between 45%-75% ABV) and perhaps the copper stills that it was originally made in. Poor maintenance, lax standards and highly unregulated production could have resulted in contaminated Absinthe that may have led to sightings of green fairies and goodness knows what else. Sadly, Absinthe's reputation is largely unfounded, but it is certainly a drink to be reckoned with.

The history of Absinthe dates backs to the 1790's when French Doctor, Pierre Ordinaire absolved himself of his inauspicious monicker and created his 'cure all' tonic by distilling the bitter  leaves of the wormwood plant with other herbs, local to his home in Switzerland, such as anise, lemon balm and hyssop. Rumour had it that he obtained the recipe from a pair of sisters who had been making this tonic for years, but whatever the truth, it remained the medicine of choice for the jolly Swiss locals until it hit the big time in 1797 when the Pernod brothers opened their distillery in Couvet, Switzerland and began production on an international scale. Distilleries opened all over France and the success of the Pernod brothers encouraged less conscientious producers to get themselves a cut of the action, resulting in unadulterated and frankly dangerous 'Absinthe'.

In the 1840's, Absinthe was used by the French army in North Africa, ostensibly as a water purifier (one assumes the bacteria were too inebriated to be bothered causing dysentery) and as a malarial preventative (again, rendering the mosquitos incapable of action...). Upon returning home, the soldiers brought with them a taste for the green stuff and it's popularity spread with such intensity across France, that the time between 5 and 7 in the evening when bourgeoisie hit the cafés for a post work beverage became known as 'l'heure verte' (The Green Hour'. From then on, Absinthe became very much associated with bohemian Paris and it's artists and poets such as Lautrec and Baudelaire which all helped to fuel it's seditious reputation.

Several years of reduced wine production in France due to weather conditions meant that Absinthe began to outsell it's vine grown rival and the country's annual consumption grew to a mind boggling 21 million litres, which made it's subsequent ban all the more shocking... So what went wrong? How did the French fall so badly out of love with Absinthe?

Well, no doubt it was due in part to pressure from the very rich and powerful wine producers who were unable to compete with low price of Absinthe and put added pressure on the government to find fault with the drink. Lurid tales of licentiousness and crime caused by drinking Absinthe, abounded and were much played upon by the press. The presence of Thujone which was considered a dangerous neurotoxin was grossly exaggerated and there was growing popularity for the Temperance movement across the whole of Europe which called for the ban of all types of alcohol. The final nail in the coffin for Absinthe was a terrible murder case in which the main protagonist had murdered his entire family whilst bombed out of his brain on vast amounts of alcohol. Much was made of the Absinthe he had consumed, although it was but a drop in the ocean of all the types of alcohol that had passed his lips before he raised the gun to his family. Nonetheless, a scapegoat was required and the whole debacle was labelled the Absinthe Murder by the gutter press. A nationwide ban ensued and many other countries took up the cause, although not Britain as we were probably too drunk on cheap gin to care.

Around the 1990s the myth and legend of Absinthe began to re-emerge and brave, young hedonists set forth on a quest to get annihilated on Absinthe in the hope of seeing 'La Fée Verte', but sadly, most were only to discover Le Green Sick and Le  Big Headache. Finally in 2002 the ban was lifted and production began in France once more and by 2007, even the US were allowing Absinthe back on their shores.

The traditional way to drink Absinthe is to place a sugar cube atop a slotted spoon, above a glass of Absinthe and drip cold filtered water through the sugar until it reaches the desired sweetness and dilution. There is a pleasing element to the rigmarole of this old fashioned routine, but it is of course, entirely unnecessary; a dash of simple syrup and a little water would produce the same results, but where's the fun in that?

As for Absinthe cocktails, well, the list is extensive; the Savoy Cocktail Book lists 108 cocktails containing Absinthe, the majority of which, use the spirit in minimal amounts. This is because the overriding flavour of anise and aforementioned mouth numbing property tend to destroy all other flavours in it's path. Many other absinthe cocktails from the book sound like the deranged and dangerous concoctions of a hormonal teenager left in possession of their parent's cocktail cabinet, containing nothing but hard liquor with an ice cube chucked in. (Note to any rooky Absinthe pilferers; do not attempt to top up the bottle with water to cover your tracks - also applies to Pernod and Ouzo as I discovered when I was 13) However, there are a few drinks that I would like to share, that you will hopefully enjoy whether or not you are already a fan of Absinthe.

The first is a classic cocktail with a name that has quite a history… The Monkey Gland cocktail was apparently named in reference to the experiments of much ridiculed and frankly, bonkers scientist, Serge Voronoff who, in the 1920's believed he could enhance male libido by grafting the tissue of monkey testicles onto human ones. The cocktail, one presumes, was supposed to do much the same job, although my findings, unfortunately, do not bear this out. Neither Mr TG or myself were overcome with lust after sharing a Monkey Gland, but we did agree that it was a pleasant enough drink with perhaps, just a hint of Benylin Cough Mixture to it.

Monkey Gland

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Gin
1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp Grenadine
1 tsp Absinthe
Twist of Orange zest for garnish

Add everything except for the garnish, to a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake hard, until the outside of the shaker begins to frost.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Twist the strip of zest over the drink to release the orange aroma and garnish.

Monkey Gland Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

Next up is a variation on a variation of a classic, the Corpse Reviver No. 2. The esteemed cocktail writer, Harry Craddock wrote that the Corpse Reviver should be imbibed 'before 11am or whenever steam and energy are needed'. The original hair of the dog cocktail, the Corpse Reviver No. 1 is a fairly unremarkable drink, but the No.2 is really rather wonderful. It's primarily a gin cocktail, but the smallest dash of absinthe gives it a depth and complexity that would otherwise be lacking. My variation was down to a lack of Lilet Blanc, a fortified wine that tends to be grouped with vermouth, but has a flavour all of it's own. In it's absence, I used a sweet vermouth, which, while different to the original, is still a great drink.

Corpse Reviver No.2 #2

Ingredients

1 oz Gin

1 oz triple sec

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp Absinthe

Twist of lemon zest to garnish

Add the Absinthe to a chilled martini glass and 'rinse' the glass- i.e. swill the Absinthe around to coat the inside of the glass and discard the excess (if any).

Add everything except the garnish to a shaker with ice and shake hard until the outside frosts over.

Strain the cocktail into the Absinthe rinsed glass 

Twist the strip of lemon zest above the drink to release the citrus aroma and garnish.

Corpse Reviver No.2 - glass by Toasted Glass

Moving away from the classics, this next cocktail is one of my own creation. It combines the heat of ginger and smoke of tequila with green tea, lime and a hint of absinthe. The flavour is complex, earthy and warming with the heat of the ginger, blending with the spirits to tame their flavours. 

The naming of this cocktail turned up an interesting little story that seems oddly appropriate. I was searching to see if I could find a colloquial name for a Mexican fairy and whilst that search proved to be fruitless, I came across an amusing news story from 2011 concerning an out of work brick layer from Guadalajara who claimed to have found a real live fairy. And what do you think he did with this momentous discovery? Why, he pickled her in formaldehyde and charged people to come and see. I like to think that our Mexican Fairy would have a happier end…

Mexican Fairy

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Tequila Resposado

1/4 oz Absinthe 

2 oz chilled green tea

1-2 tsp freshly, finely grated ginger root

1 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Slice of fresh ginger to garnish

Prepare the green tea ahead of time and allow to cool. The best green tea is made from loose leaf, infused for about 5 minutes using water that has cooled slightly from boiling point.

Add the spirits and fresh grated ginger to a shaker and muddle (squish) to really release the fieriness of the ginger.

Add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the garnish, with a handful of ice and shake hard until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty.

Double strain the cocktail into a tumbler filled with ice, to ensure the fibrous ginger is left behind and pop in the slice of fresh ginger.

Mexican Fairy cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

As the name suggests, this next cocktail has a real kick, provided in the main from the chilli infused Campari, details of which you can find here - Chilli Infused Campari. Add to that, triple sec, a little Absinthe and Champagne and you've got yourself quite the little pick me up!

The Kick

Ingredients

1 oz triple sec

1/2 oz chilli infused Campari

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 tsp Absinthe

Champagne to top up

Add everything apart from the Champagne to a shaker with a little ice and give a quick shake, just to chill the contents.

Strain into Champagne flute and top up with Champagne or Cava

The Kick cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

There's no messing around with this final cocktail - it contains a full shot of Absinthe and it's flavour is pure anise. What I like about this is the way it combines with the coffee and syrup to taste like liquorice for grown ups. However, if liquorice isn't your thing or you were planning on using your taste buds for anything else within an hour of drinking it, then it's probably not for you.

Absinthe Espresso Martini

Ingredients
1 oz Absinthe
2 oz chilled espresso coffee
1/2 oz simple syrup

Add everything to a shaker filled with ice and shake hard until the outside becomes frosted and then shake some more.
Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass.

Absinthe Espresso Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

Just for the record, the Absinthe used in all these cocktails was Nemesinthe and the Gin was actually Aldi own brand, Oliver Cromwell Gin. I had read in the Guardian that it had received various awards, following blind tastings and felt obliged to try it. I can confirm that it's not bad at all and at around £13 for a litre, it's worth getting a bottle to stock up your cocktail bar.

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.

Kentucky Fried....

Arial View of Manhattan cocktail glass - by Toasted Glass

Don't worry, there's nothing chicken based about this post and my lifetime achievement of never setting foot in a fried chicken outlet, still stands. No, the 'Kentucky' I am referring to, is of course, bourbon and the 'fried', well, that's how I'm feeling now after sampling the delights of this week's spirited rye, Buffalo Trace.

I had the pleasure of taking tea in London at the weekend with my new companions from the Secret Tea Society, whom you might remember from an earlier post in which I detailed the rather delicious cocktail I created for them (click here for details). Anyway, whilst in the vicinity, I took the opportunity to pop in to the Soho branch of Amathus Drinks where the immensely helpful staff were able to assist me with a number of requests, including, a bottle of bourbon.

My knowledge of bourbon is limited to a brief period in my early twenties, when I made it my sole mission to  try just about every drink behind the bar. Along with the better known Jack Daniels and Jim Beam were the amusingly named Sheep Dip, Wild Turkey and Knob Creek. However, I have latterly, tended towards the clear spirits and although I have dipped a toe (metaphorically) into scotch, bourbon has remained a bit of an enigma. Thankfully, the resident cocktail expert at Amathus was able to point me in the right direction and impart some of his considerable knowledge. I now know that bourbon falls into two main categories - those that are made with rye, like Buffalo Trace and those that are made with wheat. Wheaty bourbon has a smoother, creamier finish and rye gives a bit more spice to the flavour. As I was looking to make cocktails, in particular, a Manhattan, he suggested I go for a rye as the spicy finish married well with the sweet vermouth and bitters.

I have consequently discovered that in actual fact, to qualify as a bourbon, at least 51% of the grain content must come from corn and in the case of Buffalo Trace, it is distilled from a mixture of corn, barley and rye. The clear distillation is matured in oak barrels for 8 years, in which time, it takes on some of the colour and the flavour of the oak. The makers say that it has a rich and complex flavour with hints of vanilla, toffee and candied fruit and I agree that there is a sweetness to it, which in my opinion, is reminiscent of glace cherry and yes, a bit of vanilla and spice too.

So, armed with my spicy bourbon, a bottle of sweet vermouth and some Peychaud's bitters, I made my first Manhattan. I used the 70's classic, Martini Rosso as my vermouth and yes, I know it's not very cool, but it's a good all rounder I feel and was more than up to the job. Peychaud's were the bitters, originally used in the Manhattan and although Angostura are more commonly used these days, I wanted to keep as close to the original recipe as possible. That said, I did go for a wetter version of the drink (more vermouth) as I thought it could be a tough swallow on an uninitiated palate. In the end, I went for a full ounce of vermouth as oppose to half and for me, it was definitely the right choice. Finally, I garnished the drink with a frozen fresh cherry, rather than a cocktail cherry, which is the norm, if one is including a garnish. My reasons were two fold - one, I'm not overly keen on maraschino and two, I didn't actually have any...oops. Anyway, the addition of the frozen cherry turned out to be a bit of ripping wheeze after all as it helped to keep the drink cold and actually, the slight infusion of cherry juice at the bottom of the glass was delicious and dare I say it, my favourite part of the drink. Overall, I really enjoyed the complex flavour of this cocktail; the slight bittersweet of the vermouth, the spice of the bourbon and Peychauds - there's a lot going on in every sip so that the complexity of flavour seems in disproportion to the amount of ingredients.

Manhattan

Ingredients
2 ounces Buffalo Trace bourbon
1 ounce Martini Rosso (sweet vermouth)
2 dashes Peychauds Bitters
Cocktail cherry (or frozen cherry) to garnish

Pour the bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters into a large highball or the bottom of a shaker, with plenty of ice.

Stir well with a barspoon, for about twenty seconds to get the right temperature and viscosity and then strain into a martin glass
Garnish with a cherry if desired.

White Lace Cocktail Glass by Toasted Glass

Following on from the Manhattan, I decided to make an admittedly, more complex cocktail, that built on the flavours I had identified and enjoyed, namely cherry and hint of orange that I discerned from the vermouth. I didn't want to totally overwhelm the bourbon, but at the same time, I wanted to make something a little easier for a novice like me to drink. The result was pretty delicious and still very much a bourbon flavour.

Kentucky Cherry

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Buffalo Trace bourbon
1/2 ounce Cherry Heering
1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Frozen cherry to garnish

Add all of the ingredients apart from the frozen cherry, to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 20 seconds.
Strain into a chilled martin glass and garnish, if desired.

Cocktail Glass by Tasted Glass

My final cocktail, before the Kentucky spirit got the better of me, was always going to work for me as I am such a big fan of King's Ginger. It's spice and warmth seem to work with just about everything, although I haven't tried it with rum yet... Anyway, pairing it with a spicy bourbon was a no brainer and adding to that, the classic sour mix of lemon and just a little syrup, as the King's Ginger is already sweet, made for a highly quaffable drink.

Ginger Bourbon Sour

Ingredients
1ounce King's Ginger
1ounce Buffalo Trace Bourbon
3/4 ounce lemon juice
Barspoon of simple syrup

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 20 seconds.
Strain into rocks glass filled with crushed ice

Black Stag Rocks Glass by Toasted Glass

On refection, I think my favourite drink of the day was the Kentucky Cherry as it retained the essential bourbon flavour and had a level of complexity that made it interesting, but was just more enjoyable to drink than the Manhattan - purists forgive me - I am trying ....

If you are in any way confused by any of the terms used in this post, then please take a look at the Dufford's Guide post which seeks to demystify some of the jargon.

And finally, if you are ever in London, I can't recommend enough, that you take a trip to Amathus City or Amathus Soho where the staff are so helpful, so knowledgeable and really make it a very pleasant, buying experience - and no, they're not paying me to say that... x