New Year Eve Cocktails

New Years even screams for one specific beverage, Champagne.  While a flute of authentic Champagne may have no real substitute, the price tag associated with the good stuff is restricting to those on a budget.  The easiest way to satisfy both your budget, and your guest's desire for real Champagne is Champagne cocktails of course.  A bottle of good sparkling wine (no need to buy real Champagne when you'll just be mixing it) will add a great taste and effervescence to any cocktail.  Below are six cocktails: three classics, and three modern Champagne cocktails.  But before you start popping bottles, remember a few basic tips when dealing with Champagne:

• Always serve Champagne Chilled
• Always serve Champagne in a room temperature flute
• Always twist the bottom of the bottle, not the cork when opening 

Classic Cocktails

Champagne Cocktail

- Champagne
- 1 Sugar Cube
- Angostura Bitters

- Add sugar cup to the bottle of a Champagne flute
- Dash Angostura bitters over sugar until cube is completely soaked
- Top with Champagne
- Garnish with lemon twist

On the odd occasion, you may find a Recipe of the Champagne Cocktail calling for an ounce of Cognac.  While this may not be the traditional why to make the cocktail, it is by not means any less -or more- delicious than the original.

Champagne Cocktail

French 75
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 0.75 oz Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
- Champagne

- Add all ingredients (except Champagne) to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake
- Double strain into Champagne flute
- Top with Champagne
- Garnish with long lemon twist

Named after the french 75mm field gun, the French is said to be another one of the many creations from Harry's New York Bar in Paris, with its first recipe in print being published in the classic Savoy Cocktail Book.

While most recipes you come across for the French 75 do call for Gin, occasionally, some recipes insist on Cognac, making for an even more french libation.  Equally satisfying with Cognac, the French 75 is a delicious cocktail no matter the base spirit in play.

French 75

Seelbach
- 1 oz Booker's Bourbon
- 0.5 oz Cointreau
- 7 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters
- 7 Dashes Angostura Bitters
- Champagne

- Add all ingredients (except Champagne) to Champagne flute
- Top with Champagne and gently stir to mix ingredients
- Garnish with orange (or lemon) zest

Seelbach

The Seelbach cocktail was incepted at the Seelbach hotel in Louisville Kentucky around 1917.  Unfortunately, due to the volstead act in 1920, the recipe was lost for over 75 years until it was rediscovered in 1995.  Thankfully, Gerry Regan was able to pry the recipe from a reluctant hotel manager, thus preventing this stunning cocktail from ever being lost in time again.

Modern Libations


Fall's Delight 
- 1.5 oz Apple Cinnamon Infused Vodka *
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
- 0.25 oz Acid Phosphate
- 2 Dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
- Champagne


- Add all ingredients (except Champagne) to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir for 30 seconds
- Strain into Champagne flute
- Top with Champagne and gently stir to mix ingredients

Fall's delight

Garden & Grape
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 Inch Cucumber
- 1 Dash Celery Bitters
- Champagne

- Muddle Cucumber at the bottle of cocktail shaker
- Add all ingredients (except Champagne) to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake hard
- Double strain into Champagne flute
- Top with Champagne and gently stir to mix ingredients
- Garnish with cucumber wheel

Garden & Grape

Oasis in Jalisco
- 1 oz Blanco Tequila
- 0.5 oz Strawberry Liqueur
- 0.25 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
- Champagne

- Add all ingredients (except Champagne) to cocktail shaker

- Add ice and shake hard

- Double strain into Champagne flute

- Top with Champagne and gently stir to mix ingredients
- Garnish lemon twist

Oasis in Jalisco

Apple Cinnamon Infused Vodka *
-  750 ml Bottle of Vodka
- 2 Cored Red Apples
- 8 -10 Cinnamon Sticks

- Place all ingredients in an air tight jar
- Allow ingredients to infuse for 1 week, shaking the jar once per day
- After one week, strain vodka through a fine mesh strainer and a coffee filter
 - Bottle, and enjoy

Entertaining for a Holiday Party

The holidays are a shit show to be frank.  With various family, and social gatherings -along with all the headaches that come along with these functions- the last thing you need to worry about is what type of bitters your guests prefer in their Old-Fashioned.  If you are going to be hosting a holiday party this December, here are a few tips to ensure that you and your guests both end the night feeling content.

Keep it Simple


There is no need to try to compensate for every cocktail under the sun.  Having a small selection of bottles of booze, along with fresh fruit, simple syrup, and maybe a bottle of bitters, will result in a vast array of possible combinations.

Also, don't feel that you need to buy full 750ml bottles either, you should be able to find the liquor you're looking for in a smaller 375ml bottle.  This will result in most choices for your guests, and less expenses for yourself.  For only $75 of booze,  you will easily be able to obtain a selection of alcohol that is sure to please any kind of imbiber.

• Alberta Premium - 375ml - $11.87
• Appleton Estate V/X - 375ml - $13.50
• Beefeater - 375ml - $12.99
• Cointreau - 375ml - $18.49
• Martini & Rossi  Dry Vermouth - 500ml - $7.99
• Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth - 500ml - $7.99

Total: $72.83

* Prices are relative only to BC government liquor stores

With just a bottle of Angostura bitters, and some fresh citric, I can easily think of well over a dozen cocktails that could be made from the above six ingredients.

Prepare ahead of time


Trying to make every single cocktail made ready to order is just unreasonable.  It will only mean you will have to spend more time shaking and stirring, than conversing.  Anyways, after the first three cocktails, your guests would not be able to notice the different in a cocktail made two minutes ago, or two days ago.

The easiest way to dole out a large quantity of hooch is by preparing a punch.  Just like a good homemade soup, punch only improves with time in the fridge.  Allowing the flavors to mingle ahead of time in the fridge will result in a better tasting punch, as well as giving you more time to focus on other facets of your party.

If you are batching a cocktail for your party, make sure the cocktail you create is accessible to all your guests.  By this I mean, don't do a batched Manhattan or Martini, simply because a cocktail of that strength is just too much for some people to enjoy.  Something along the lines of a Margarita, or 20th Century, is a cocktail light enough that everyone can enjoy.  Also, remember to account for dilution when batching a cocktail.  Add water to taste, chill in fridge, and serve when your guests arrive.

The Trader's Tipple (Serves 12-15 People)

- 18 oz Dark Rum

- 12 oz VS Cognac

- 9 oz Lemon Juice

- 9 oz Grapefruit Juice

- 6 oz Chilled Silk Road Herbal Chai Tea (Brew hot and let cool)

- 6 oz Sugar (By Volume)

- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

- Peel of 1 Grapefruit

- Peel of 2 Lemon

- Add the peel of one grapefruit and one lemon to sugar

- Muddle citrus peel into sugar until all peel as been fully macerated

- Let sugar and critic peel sit for 1 hour

- Add chilled tea, vanilla extract and fruit juice sugar/citric mixture

- Stir until all sugar has dissolved

- Add Rum and Cognac

- Chill Punch for a minimum of 2 hours in fridge

- Strain Punch through a fine mesh strainer to remove all citric peel

- Decorate punch with thin slices of lemon, grapefruit, star anise and what ever else takes your fancy

If you'll be entertaining for more then 15 guests, just multiply the quantity of ingredients as necessary.

Hiring Help

If you really want a great experience for your guests, and your self, hire a bartender to do all the work!  Contact a local bartender and see if they know of any spirit enthusiasts who are yet to break into a full time bartending job.  This give you more time to focus on your guests, as well as giving the opportunity  to an eager young bartender to do what he/she loves.



Lastly, remember to enjoy your holiday libations responsibly, after all, you wouldn't want to miss my new years eve blog post on champagne cocktails!

Has the Highball plateaued?

With a schedule being mainly taken up by school and work, it has become increasingly more difficult to find the time to sit down and enjoy a cocktail.  when I do have the time to make my self a drink, I tend to make a simple stirred drink, or enjoy a local craft beer.  This streak of laziness has got me thinking about the highball; a two ingredient drink consisting of one spirit and one mix, the highball is as simple as the cocktail gets.

My first ever legal drink was a screwdriver, simply orange juice and vodka. For a while, the highball was the extent of my mixology knowledge.  The next four months following my 19th birthday saw the exploration of various highball combinations: Gin and tonic, Rum and coke, Jager and ginger ale (classy, I know), greyhound, cape cod, and every other possible two ingredient drink.

It hasn't been until recently where I've been enjoying these simple two ingredients cocktails again, and for the most part it has been due to one cocktail in particular: Fernet Branca and Cola.  Fernet and cola has seen an exponential rise in popularity here in Victoria thanks entirely to Clive's Classic Lounge.

Canada's number one licensee of Fernet Branca, Clive's Classic Lounge, puts the serious push on Fernet.  Going as far as dedicating a whole month to Fernet, as well as putting Fernet and cola on tap, Clive's Classic Lounge has indefinitely brought this highball to a new level.

Fernet & Cola
- 2oz Fernet Branca
- 4 oz Clive's House Made Cola *

- Fill collins glass 3/4 full with ice
- Add Fernet and Cola to collins glass
- Gently stir to mix ingredients

Clive's House Made Cola*

COLA RECIPE
4	Zest	Oranges
4	Zest	Limes
2	Zest	Lemon
1	Teaspoon	Powered Cinnamon
1	Teaspoon	Powered Nutmeg
4	Points	Star Anise
1	Teaspoon	Lavender Flowers
2	Teaspoons	Powered Kola Nut
1	Teaspoon	Ground Ginger
½		Vanilla Bean (seeds removed)
1	L	Water
½	Teaspoon	Citric Acid
Put on induction burner on MED-LO heat for 25-30 mins. Take off heat and strain, return to same heat & add 1 KG of Turbinado Sugar. Dissolve (about 15 mins) & bottle. To make carbonated cola – Mix 200mL of syrup with 800mL of water. Stir and pour into soda siphon, charge with 1 CO2 canister and shake.

One kilometer up the road at Veneto Tapa Lounge, an entire selection on the cocktail menu dedicated to "Juniper & Cinchona," or better know as, Gin and tonic.  Just another great example of bringing the highball to a new level.

Veneto's "Juniper & Cinchona" selection

The highballs I have concocted consist of three ingredients: spirit, mix, and one addition ingredient exceeding no more then 1/4 of an ounce.  The idea with these cocktails was to create something simple, creative, and delicious that could be made in a high volume establishment.  To begin, here is a great holiday themed highball.

Wallowing in Sorrow 
- 2 oz Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka
- 4 oz Apple Cider
- 1 teaspoon honey cinnamon syrup **

- Fill collins glass 3/4 full with ice

- Add all ingredients to collins glass

- Gently stir to mix ingredients

- Garnish with apple fan and fresh grated cinnamon

Honey Cinnamon Syrup **
- 1 Cup Honey
- 3/4 Cup Water
- 10 Cinnamon Sticks

- Add all ingredients to sauce pan over medium heat
- Constantly stir to achieve an even consistency
- After approximately 10 minutes, remove pan from heat
- Allow Syrup to cool
- Remove cinnamon sticks from syrup
- Bottle and store at room temperature


Peruvian Skies
- 2 oz Pisco
- 4 oz Fentimans Rose Soda
- 0.25 oz Lime Juice

- Fill collins glass 3/4 full with ice
- Add all ingredients to collins glass
- Gently stir to mix ingredients
- Garnish with lime wheel

Rosemary's Letter
- 2 oz Green Chartreause
- 4 oz Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock Soda
- 0.25 oz Lime Juice

- Fill collins glass 3/4 full with ice

- Add all ingredients to collins glass

- Gently stir to mix ingredients

- Garnish with a large sprig of rosemary

The highball doesn't need be a simple delivery vehicle of alcohol.  While 2 or 3 ingredients is limiting, there is enough craft sodas and creative garnishes to concoct some very interesting highballs.  Remember to think outside the box,  if your cocktail includes lime, don't feel like you have to garnish with with lime, use a garnish that has no other presents in the actual cocktail.  You'll be surprised at the wonderful creations you'll discover. 

Classic Cocktail of The Month: Milk Punch

Following the trend of December's "Winter Warmers" blog post,  this month's Classic Cocktail of The Month is the Milk Punch.

The Milk Punch is really four cocktails: Milk Punch, Hot Milk Punch, Manhattan Milk Punch, and Egg Milk Punch.  First published in Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bartenders Guide, the Milk Punch is a great holiday cocktail in any one of its four forms.

Milk Punch
- 1 oz Cognac or Brandy
- 0.5 oz Dark Rum (Santa Cruz Rum is specified)
- 4 oz Whole Milk
- 1 Tea Spoon Sugar

- Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake
- Double Strain into chilled glass
- Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg

Manhattan Milk Punch
- 1 oz Cognac or Brandy

- 0.5 oz Dark Rum (Santa Cruz Rum is specified)

- 5 Dashes Aromatic Tincture (Or 3 Dashes Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters)

- 4 oz Whole Milk

- 1 Tea Spoon Sugar

- Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker

- Add ice and shake

- Double Strain into chilled glass

- Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg

Hot Milk Punch
- 1 oz Cognac or Brandy

- 0.5 oz Dark Rum (Santa Cruz Rum is specified)

- 4 oz Hot Whole Milk

- 1 Tea Spoon Sugar

- Add Cognac, Rum, and sugar to warmed tea cup

- Add hot whole milk to tea cup

- Stir to dissolve sugar, and mix ingredients

- Garnish with Fresh Grated Nutmeg

Egg Milk Punch

- 1 oz Cognac or Brandy

- 0.5 oz Dark Rum (Santa Cruz Rum is specified)

- 4 oz Whole Milk

- 1 Tea Spoon Sugar

- 1 Whole Egg

- Add egg to cocktail shaker

- Add all remaining ingredients to cocktail shaker

- Add ice and shake

- Double Strain into chilled glass

- Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg

As you can see, none of the variations are vastly different; the alteration of only one ingredients results in an entirely different name for the cocktail.  My variation hasn't strayed too far from the original either. Although it does has enough diversity to separate it from the original four recipes.

Navy Milk Punch
- 1 oz 151 Over Proof Rum
- 0.5 Amaretto
- 4 oz Whole Milk
- 0.25 oz Honey Cinnamon Syrup

- Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker

- Add ice and shake

- Double Strain into chilled glass

- Garnish with fresh grated cinnamon

With four ounces of whole milk in each cocktail, these are by no means potent drinks.  Therefore, feel free to adjust the amount of any ingredient to your liking; and remember, that applies for any cocktail recipe.

Thanks for visiting, I hope you find a recipe that takes from interest.  Be sure to follow me on twitter @Spirit_Imbibing to get instant updates regarding blog posts and other interesting news and stories in the spirit and cocktail world.

Honey Cinnamon Syrup*

- 1 Cup Honey

- 3/4 Cup Water

- 10 Cinnamon Sticks

- Add all ingredients to sauce pan over medium heat

- Constantly stir to achieve an even consistency

- After approximately 10 minutes over medium heat remove pan from heat

- Allow Syrup to cool

- Remove cinnamon sticks from syrup

- Bottle and store at room temperature

Winter Warmers

It's December, and we are finally feeling the cold weather of winter.  While Mixologists like my self will still enjoy a well made Margarita or Caipirinha any time of the year, the rest of the population tends to take comfort in warmer libations.  So in the spirit of winter, here are some recipes that should keep you warm until the spring.

Hot Toddy
- 2 oz Irish Whiskey
- 0.75 oz lemon juice
- 0.25 oz honey
- Boiling Water

- Add Whiskey, lemon, and honey to teacup
- Top with hot water
- Gently stir to incorporate all ingredients
- Garnish with cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and lemon wheel

 

The Hot Toddy has been a home remedy for anything that ails you for centuries.  While it's origin and creator maybe unknown, one thing is for certain, it is a delicious way to warm the soul on a cold winter night.  As timeless as the Hot Toddy is, here is a slightly modern take on this classic.

Mornings in Normandy 

- 2oz Calvados

- 0.75 oz Lime Juice

- 0.25 Honey

- Hot Apple Cider

- Add Calvados, lime juice and honey to teacup

- Top with Hot Apple Cider

- Gently stir to incorporate all ingredients

- Garnish with cinnamon stick, and thinly slicked apple wheel

If you are looking for more of festive flavor, and not the physically warming effects of the toddy, give these drinks a try.

Autumn Old-Fashioned

- 1 oz Cognac

- 1 oz Cruzan Single Barrel

- 2 Dashes Boker's Bitters

- 0.25 oz Spiced Pumpkin Beer Syrup *

- Orange Zest

- Add orange Zest to the bottle of mixing glass

- Muddle orange zest with back end of bar spoon to extract oils

- Add all remaining ingredients to mixing glass

- Add ice to mixing glass

- Stir for 30 seconds

- Strain into rocks glass with one large ice cube

- Garnish with one cinnamon stick

Root-Beer Flip

- 2 oz Sazerac 6 Year old

- 0.5 oz Honey Cinnamon Syrup **

- 2 Dashes Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters

- 1 Whole Egg

- 1.5 oz Philips Sarsaparilla

- Add all ingredients (except beer) to cocktail shaker 

- Dry Shake

- Add ice and shake

- Strain into chilled brandy snifter

- Top with Philips Sarsaparilla and nutmeg

If you don't live in B.C. and can't get Phillips Sarsaparilla, feel free to experiment with other sesanally appropriate beers available in your area; Innis & Gunn is a favorite of mine to use in cocktails.

Syrup Recipes 

Spiced Pumpkin Beer Syrup *

- 1 Cup Sugar

- 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Beer

- 8 Cinnamon Sticks

- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Allspice

- 1/2 Teaspoon Anise Seed

- Add all ingredients to sauce pan over medium heat

- Constantly stir to dissolve sugar

- After approximately 10 minutes over medium heat remove pan from heat

- Allow syrup to cool

- Using a fine mesh strainer, skim the surface to remove foam

- Strain through a fine mesh strainer 

- Bottle and store in fridge

Honey Cinnamon Syrup **

- 1 Cup Honey

- 3/4 Cup Water

- 10 Cinnamon sticks

- Add all ingredients to sauce pan over medium heat

- Constantly stir to achieve an even consistency 

- After approximately 10 minutes over medium heat remove pan from heat

- Allow syrup to cool

- Remove cinnamon sticks from syrup

- Bottle and store at room temperature