Leite's Culinaria » cocktails | drinks

Martinez

Linda Avery — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:30:27 +0000

by Eben Klemm
from The Cocktail Primer
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009)
Serves 1

The prevailing wisdom is that this cocktail is not a predecessor of the martini. I am not sure if this is so, but it is a great old drink that deftly illustrates how complicated the flavors in this family can be. Upon tasting, you will be hard put to discern any particular flavor components here; the gin and the mixing spirits surrender their individual flavors to a sea of subtle spice.—Eben Klemm

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convert Ingredients
2 ounces gin (I suggest London-style or Plymouth gin)
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
Dash of orange bitters
Lemon peel, for garnish

Method
1. Pour the gin, vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and bitters into an empty cocktail shaker.

2. Fill the shaker completely with ice and stir with a bar spoon until the outside is cold.

3.Strain and serve, garnished with lemon peel.

Manhattan

Linda Avery — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:15:04 +0000

by Eben Klemm
from The Cocktail Primer
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009)
Serves 1

Originally made with rye, the Manhattan is equally good with bourbon. This recipe offers an acceptable ratio you can play with depending on your taste and the richness of the whiskey. Many neophyte bartenders believe that the whiskey-to-vermouth ratio compares with the gin-to-vermouth ratio for a martini and so splash just a little sweet vermouth into the shaker. This makes an acceptable drink, but it does not flavor the whiskey with enough intensity to make a proper Manhattan. In this case, these two most famous sons of the 1870s—Manhattans and martinis—have little in common.—Eben Klemm

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convert Ingredients
2 ounces American whiskey, such as bourbon or rye
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes of angostura or orange bitters
Lemon peel or maraschino cherry, for garnish (optional)

Method
1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Pour the whiskey and vermouth over the ice and then add a dash or two of bitters. Stir with a bar spoon until the outside of the shaker is cold.

3. Strain the cocktail into a martini glass and garnish with lemon peel or a cherry.

Gimlet

Linda Avery — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:00:57 +0000

by Eben Klemm
from The Cocktail Primer
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009)
Serves 1

Few drinks inspire more disagreement about its proper constitution than the gimlet; the question is whether to use Rose’s lime juice instead of fresh lime juice. There is a historical precedent for the bottled lime juice, and for a good part of the last fifty years Rose’s was the closest you’d come to lime juice of any kind at any bar. If the 1950s are your aesthetic, there is a kind of cool “better living through chemistry” kind of vibe to the syrupy texture of Rose’s. When you survey the crowded refrigerator door shelves in your neighbors’ houses, you are likely to spy the familiar bottle of pale green syrup lurking there.

There are those who feel you should use fresh juice if at all possible, despite the cocktail’s legacy. To be sure, there’s a summeriness about fresh lime in this drink—especially if you make the gimlet with gin—that cannot be duplicated in any other drink.

I provide three ways to make the gimlet. The third is my middle-of-the-road version, and, like all middle-of-the-road things, it pleases everyone without commitment. It’s quite nice, actually, especially if you’ve run out of simple syrup.—Eben Klemm

convert Ingredients
For the simple syrup (if using)
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

For the gimlet
2 ounces gin or vodka
1 ounce Rose’s lime juice
or
2 ounces gin or vodka
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
or
2 ounces gin or vodka
1/2 ounce Rose’s lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
and (for all variations)
Lime wedge or grated lime zest, for garnish

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Method
Make the simple syrup (if using)
1. In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear, about 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool and store in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Make the gimlet
1. Pour the gin or vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup (if using) into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigorously 20 times.

2. Strain the chilled and blended cocktail into a martini glass and serve straight up, garnished with the lime wedge or a pinch of grated lime zest floated on the surface.

Note: If you switch to white rum and use the lime juice and simple syrup, you will have a daiquiri. I don’t like to hide this drink in the shadow of another, but it’s clear to see that they are essentially the same drink. The daiquiri carries with it the same curse as the martini and the margarita: with great popularity come multiple variations, and with multiple variations come ideas that often lie very far from the drinks’ original intent.

Naughty Negroni

Linda Avery — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:00:45 +0000

by Maria C. Hunt
from The Bubbly Bar
(Clarkson Potter, 2009)
Makes 1 cocktail

Legend says that this beautiful sunset-colored cocktail was created in Florence, Italy, in the 1920s. It was named after Count Camillo Negroni, who always ordered a combination of Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin. This version is lighter thanks to the addition of the sparkling wine Moscato d’Asti.—Maria C. Hunt

convert Ingredients
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce gin
4 ounces Moscato d’Asti sparkling wine
Long spiral of orange peel, for garnish

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Method
1. Add the Campari, vermouth, and gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled.

2. Pour into a champagne flute. Top off with the Moscato.

3. Garnish with the orange peel.

Note: Creating fancy citrus peel spirals
Start with a firm lemon, lime, or orange for your garnish; it’s impossible to zest old or mushy fruit. Although there are several types of zesters on the market, I prefer the German-made Rosle citrus zester; it makes large, thick strips of zest as well as tiny wisps to float in your drinks. Pressing firmly, hold the zester at an angle and run it across the surface of the ruit, starting at one point and making a slow steady path around the fruit.

To create a spiral, twirl a 4- to 5-inch length of zest around a plastic drinking straw. Wrap the spiral in plastic wrap to hold it tight, then immerse the spiral in a cup of ice water. After thirty minutes, you will have a curlicue worthy of Shirley Temple.

Glögg

Linda Avery — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:00:02 +0000

by Marcus Samuelsson
from Aquavit
(Houghton Mifflin, 2003)
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

From the beginning of December on through the New Year, glögg is served in Swedish homes on every festive occasion or when visitors drop by. A plate of St. Lucia Buns is typically offered with the hot spice wine. Many families also like to serve Glögg after the evening meal, when everyone is sitting around the fire—a plate of Ginger Citrus Cookies makes a great accompaniment.—Marcus Samuelsson

convert Ingredients
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon cardamom pods
1 small piece ginger, peeled
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
6 whole cloves
1/2 cup vodka
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
1 cup ruby port or Madeira
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (see Note)
1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1/2 cup dark raisins

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Method
1. Crush the cinnamon and cardamom using a mortar and pestle (or put them on a cutting board and crush them with the bottom of a heavy pot). Put them in a small glass jar and add the ginger, orange zest, cloves, and vodka. Let stand for 24 hours.

2. Strain the vodka through a fine sieve into a large saucepan; discard the spices. Add the red wine, port or Madeira, sugar, vanilla sugar, almonds, and raisins, and heat over medium heat just until bubbles start to form around the edges.

3. Serve the glögg hot in mugs, with a few almonds and raisins in each one; keep any remaining glögg warm over very low heat until ready to serve (do not let boil).

Note: When you are using only the vanilla seeds in a recipe, save the pod for vanilla sugar. One or two are enough to flavor a pound of sugar; freeze extra pods to use later if you like. Simply bury the pod (or pods) in a canister of granulated sugar and let stand for a few days before using. Replenish the sugar as you use it – buried in sugar, the vanilla pod will remain aromatic for a few months or longer. Use the sugar in desserts and sweets, or stir it into hot coffee or chocolate.

Lemon-Herbsaint Poppers

Linda Avery — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:00:10 +0000

by David Guas
from DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style
(Taunton Press, 2009)
Serves 8

Listen to David’s interview with David Guas.

These drinks are great served at a cocktail party or garden party, passed around on a platter with small demitasse spoons. They’re bright yellow and taste of citrus with the unmistakable anise-y twang of Herbsaint.

Herbsaint is a New Orleans creation that debuted right after the repeal of Prohibition. Crafted to take the place of outlawed absinthe and imported Pastis, Herbsant is an essential ingredient in the Sazerac cocktail and oysters Rockefeller.—David Guas

convert Ingredients
2 (0.25-ounce) packages plus 1 teaspoon powdered unflavored gelatin (2 tablespoons total)

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4–6 lemons)
3 tablespoons Herbsaint

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Method
1. Pour 1/2 cup of cold water into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top, and set aside.

2. Bring the sugar and an additional 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan and immediately turn off the heat. Stir the club soda, lemon juice, and Herbsaint together in a medium bowl. Stir the gelatin mixture into the warm sugar water, whisk until dissolved, and then pour into the bowl with the club soda, stirring to combine.

3. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch-square baking dish or small shot glasses, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours or overnight.

4. Set a glass with hot water on your work surface. Dip a paring knife into the hot water and use it to cut the pan of jelled Herbsaint into 1-inch squares. Place a burner on low heat and hold the baking dish over the burner for a split second to release the cubes from the pan. Invert the pan onto a cutting board or platter; the cubes should pop right out (if serving the Herbsaint Poppers in shot glasses, serve as is with a small spoon.)

5. Store the lemon-Herbsaint poppers in the refrigerator in an airtight plastic container or in the baking dish covered with plastic wrap for up to 1 week.

Sparkling Ginger Daisy

Kara Newman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:15:28 +0000

These days, there’s no shortage of stunt cocktails out there—drinks made with zany, unusual ingredients: Sweet peas! Bacon! Hen-of-the-woods mushroom garnish! Cotton candy! Rose foam! These exhibitionist drinks invariably scream, “Look at me!”

And, yes, while I’m often the first one at the bar to order a stunt cocktail, it’s not what I want to serve at a dinner party. For that, I want something elegant, understated, and most importantly, something that complements food. But not a complete introverted wallflower of a drink, either—I want something delicious and balanced, a drink that can hold its own.

Enter the Sparkling Ginger Daisy cocktail. This drink, with a hint of warm ginger and sprightly champagne, is what I want my guests sipping while the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on, and the turkey is still roasting. And as everyone’s sampling my signature cornbread stuffing laced with rosemary, as well as my sweet potato casserole sprinkled with ginger and cinnamon, they’ll be washing it all down with these daisies.

The drink starts with equal parts crisp gin and zingy Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. (I love this stuff. If you buy one new bottle of booze this holiday season, I say this is the one.) Add to this a splash of tart lemon juice for balance and grenadine for rosy, festive color, and top with the lightness of bubbles. Together, these flavors meld together into a sippable sparkler that becomes an easy guest at the dinner table.

It doesn’t scream, it doesn’t whisper. It’s a perfect conversationalist.

Sparkling Ginger Daisy
by Kara Newman
from Spice & Ice
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Makes 1 cocktail

A daisy is a classic juice-based cocktail sweetened with grenadine or a red liqueur, and often topped with sparkling wine. Here, the bright spice of ginger plays against a backdrop of bubbles for a festive holiday sparkler. And if you feel like gilding the lily, try one or both of the optional special touches below.—Kara Newman

convert Ingredients
1 ounce Plymouth gin
1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Brut champagne

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Method
1. Combine the gin, ginger liqueur, lemon juice, and grenadine in an ice-filled mixing glass.

2. Stir until well chilled, and strain into a champagne flute.

3. Top with champagne.

Optional touches:
1. Rim the flute with sparkling sugar before pouring in the drink.

2. Garnish with a cherry at the bottom of the flute.

Fall Spice Cordial

Kara Newman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:09 +0000

by Kara Newman
from Spice & Ice
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Makes 1 cocktail

Rich with the flavors of orange and vanilla and the caramelized goodness of bourbon, this fall spice cordial sits more on the spiced than spicy side of the spectrum. This sweet cordial pairs well with autumn pies and other desserts or makes a great sipper to enjoy fireside.—Kara Newman

convert Ingredients
For the chipotle-orange syrup
2 cups water
1 chipotle pepper
2 strips dried orange peel, or fresh peel, if dried peel is not available
3/4 cup sugar

For the cordial
1 ounce bourbon
3/4 ounce chipotle-orange syrup
1 ounce vanilla vodka or Navan vanilla cognac
2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters
Orange peel, for garnish

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Method
Make the chipotle-orange syrup
1. Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer and add the chipotle pepper and orange peel. Cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Strain with a fine-mesh sieve and add the sugar.

3. Return to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool.

4. Pour the syrup into a container and keep in the refrigerator.

Make the cordial
1. Mix together all the ingredients except for the orange peel. Shake together with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the orange peel.