Navy Grog (The Ancient Mariner)

There may not be nary a drop of water to drink, so try The Ancient Mariner:

• 1.00 ounce Demerara rum (not the 151-proof kind)
• 1.00 ounce dark Jamaican rum (Coruba)
• 0.75 ounce fresh lime juice
• 0.50 ounce grapefruit juice
• 0.50 ounce simple syrup
• 0.25 ounce Allspice Dram

Build in a double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.

Ah, Tiki drinks. How I love ’em. And this one features Allspice Dram, the key ingredient in another favorite cocktail of mine, The Lion’s Tail.

Pimm’s Cup

Need a refreshing drink? Try a Pimm’s Cup:

• 2.0 ounces Pimm’s #1 Gin Sling
• 7-Up, bitter lemon, lemonade, ginger ale or ginger beer.

In an iced highball glass, pour in the Pimm’s #1. Fill with 7-Up if you’re modern, bitter lemon or lemonade if you are British, or ginger ale (or ginger beer). Stir. Garnish with a long wedge of cucumber, and breathe deep as you sip.

It has been unseasonably warm here, and when I came in from working on the farm I wanted something cold, tall and refreshing. So I made a Pimm’s Cup.

The Martini

Presenting the venerable Martini:

• 1.5 ounces dry London gin
• 1.5 ounces French dry vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 lemon twist

Stir the gin and vermouth vigorously and long in a tall glass filled with ice (or an actual martini pitcher). Add the orange bitters. Strain into a “martini” cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.

Okay, it is easy to argue that there isn’t a cocktail more classic than the Martini, and it is also easy to argue about how to make a Martini. The recipe above comes from a bar in Barcelona, Spain, called Dry Martini. It was one of the best Martinis I’ve ever had, so I decided to recreate it at home.

Ritz Sidecar

A cocktail I won’t make, it’s the Ritz Sidecar:

• 5 parts very old cognac
• 3 parts Cointreau
• 2 parts fresh lemon juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, strain tremulously into a chilled cocktail glass, and stare at the treasure in rapt silence for a full fifteen seconds before quaffing.

By “very old cognac” he means at least pre-Phylloxera cognac. Phylloxera is an aphid-like insect that was brought to Europe from grape vines in America. The American vines had resistance to it, but the European vines were devastated. While I’ve never had cognac that old, I’ve been told that many people believe it was better than that produced today. The real cognac snob wants pre-Oidium cognac. Oidium, from what I can tell, was a form of powdery mildew that caused damage to French vines starting in 1854 before Phylloxera came along to finish the job.

Saint Croix Rum Fix

The fix is in. Well, the Saint Croix Rum Fix:

• 2.0 ounce Virgin Islands Rum (Cruzan Estate Dark Rum recommended)
• 0.5 ounce pineapple syrup
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons sugar or simple syrup

In a tumbler or large wineglass, combine the ingredients. Stir until dissolved. Pack crushed ice into the glass and garnish with seasonal fruit. Serve with a straw.

I am still searching for someone to definitively help me with some classic cocktail terms. For example, I have no idea about what really defines a Fizz, or a Sling, nor a Rickey or a Collins, or a Julep or a Swizzle.

Pink Gin

“What is a cocktail?” A question raised by Pink Gin:

• 3 ounces Plymouth Gin
• 6 goodly dashes Angostura bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, sans garnish.

According to Wikipedia, the first use of the word “cocktail” to refer to a beverage was in 1806:

“Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”

So, what happens when you forget the sugar and water? What makes a cocktail a cocktail and not just swilling booze from a bottle? Can I put a small cube of ice in a glass of Powers and call it a cocktail? There is an entire class of two ingredient cocktails called the “highball” but the second ingredient is usually a fizzy soda product that is more than just water. I was not looking forward to making this drink.

The Soother

Aptly named, it’s The Soother:

• 1.0 ounce cognac
• 1.0 ounce Jamaican rum (Coruba recommended)
• 0.5 ounce orange curaçao
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon apple juice
• 1/2 teaspoon simply syrup (or Agave Nectar)

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a goblet. Garnish with a fancy lemon twist.

There is a lot going on in this drink. It’s listed in a book called Old Waldorf Bar Days from 1931, but it wasn’t listed in the cocktail section but instead in one called “Fancy Potations & Otherwise”. In any case, it is tasty.