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Whiskey Cocktails- My second book!

Whiskey Cocktails

Rediscovered Classics and Contemporary Craft Drinks Using the World’s Most Popular Spirit

Whiskey Cocktails Rediscovered Classics and Contemporary Craft Drinks Using the World's Most Popular Spirit
Author:

Warren Bobrow

Format: Spiral, 160 Pages
ISBN: 9781592336395
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Specs
Price: $22.99
Buy from an Online Retailer

            
Grab your bow tie and a rocks glass, because we’re talking all about one of the most classic – and classy – spirits. Whether you like bourbon, scotch or rye, whiskey’s diverse and complex taste will be your new go-to drink for parties, gatherings, or evenings in your study with a roaring fire. Whiskey can be an intimidating drink to the uninitiated. Most folks may not be able to drink it straight. We’ve got you covered. The Cocktail Whisperer, Warren Bobrow, author of Apothecary Cocktails (Fair Winds Press) incorporates some of the best whiskeys into hand-crafted cocktails that bring out the subtle notes and flavors of any good bourbon or scotch. Whiskey Cocktails features 75 traditional, newly-created, and original recipes for whiskey-based cocktails. This wonderfully crafted book also features drink recipes from noted whiskey experts and bartenders.

One of the best new whiskey books of 2014 – TastingTable.com

“In the cocktail movement, most cocktail books have ignored the whiskey drinker’s palate, making us flip through pages of vodka, gin, and rum recipes before getting to a good whiskey recipe. In Whiskey Cocktails, Warren Bobrow did us all a favor. He makes cocktails with Scotch, Irish whiskey, Canadian whiskey, bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and a few others. Bobrow freshens up classic cocktail recipes and offers a few recipes that will surely become classics themselves. Finally, we, whiskey drinkers, have our own cocktail book to cherish. Thanks, Warren, for skipping all those other spirits. Whiskey Cocktails treats whiskey as the rightful king it is. – Fred Minnick, author of Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch & Irish Whiskey

“Warren has done it again. Whiskey Cocktails is a sublime journey of the senses with mouthwatering recipes and exquisite photography. Warren leads you on a historic and personal tour and keeps you reeled in with his graceful prose that emanates from the heart. An ardent sensualist, he approaches cocktails in the way an untarnished artist approaches the canvas–guileless, ingenious, and heartfelt. His cocktail compositions are true works of art that will stand the test of time. His commitment to sourcing unique, refreshing, quality ingredients to enhance his cocktails is second to none and it shows in the elaborate, delectable concoctions he wields.” – Robert Sickler, Master of Whisky

“Before I made the drinks, I could already taste them. Warren’s ability to articulate the subtlety of the flavors in his recipes makes possible tasting by reading.” – Allison Goldberg, founder, Fruitations Craft Soda & Cocktail Mixers

“Warren Bobrow uses his great knowledge of mixing flavors to provide a book of extraordinary whiskey cocktails that will be enjoyed by all.” – Michael Veach, bourbon historian, The Filson Historical Society (Louisville, KY)
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Runaway Mountain Train Cocktail

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Runaway Mountain Train

By Warren Bobrow

on December 22, 2014

This little gem usually takes a whiskey made from Millet (an alternative grain) but in this case I’m using Barrell Bourbon from Kentucky. (122 Proof) I also concocted a vinegar drink called a shrub. What is a shrub? It’s a beverage that was very popular before refrigeration that uses fruit, sugar and vinegar to make a syrup that lasts far longer than fruit alone. In the centuries before refrigeration, people were required to use pickling techniques to make fragile foods last. Fruit unfortunately lasts only so long without chilling. But with the magical mixture of sugar, vinegar and fruit comes a tangy relationship that is good for digestion too!

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. Blueberry-Raspberry Shrub
  • 3 oz. Bourbon Whiskey (Barrell Bourbon)
  • 1 teaspoon Maple syrup
  • 2 oz. Club Soda
  • pinch of sea salt
  • Chocolate Bitters

Directions

  1. To a Boston Shaker fill 3/4 with ice
  2. Add the Shrub, the Maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt along with the whiskey
  3. Cap and Shake!
  4. Pour into a utility glass with a couple cubes of ice
  5. dot the bitters over the top and serve!

When you’re on this runaway mountain train you won’t want to be coming back anytime soon!

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I’m REALLY Passionate about ICE. (Foodista)

http://www.foodista.com/blog/2014/11/16/really-great-ice-arctic-chill

Really Great Ice (Arctic Chill)

November 16, 2014
I’m really passionate about ice in my cocktails.  Bring me a drink with 1/4 cube ice and you fail.  Just like that.

A drink should speak clearly of the quality of the ingredients.  Chipped ice that turns to water the moment the liquor or “bottled-possibly concentrated from a powder” mixers hit it.

Cheap ice is a cheap experience.  And at a time when consumers and that includes drinkers want better “Craft” spirits in their glass, why are bars still using crappy ice?  Even at home, do you you have an ice program?

Or are you still using the ice that your freezer pumps out, day in and day out with that satisfying thunk.  This ice from your freezer, is in polite terms, not even worth your water glass.

Have you even noticed that festering container of garlic pasta that your housemate stashed in the fridge.  You might as well be making ice out of it.  Why?  Because until your fridge gets a good vinegar and water cleaning, everything that enters the fridge is going to taste…. AND most importantly smell like that putrified garlic pasta.

So, here’s what I propose.  Clean out the fridge.  Wash it out with white vinegar and water.  Do the freezer too.  I’ll bet you’ll be shocked by what you find in there.  Let it dry off well.

During the day or so that it takes to do a great job on your fridge and freezer, may I suggest placing an order for a most carefully made ice ball maker that I’ve played with in recent memory.

The company name is Arctic Chill Products.  They make a really great ice ball maker that works really well for just about any bar application.

The mold is made of up two sides.  When they close, they make a really tight seal.  There is a little hole in the top.  You will it with liquid through this opening.  Experiment with all different liquids but do not put them in the dishwasher.  They’ll be ruined.  Just listen!

The company says that the mold is airtight on their label.  I couldn’t verify that but I’ll take their word for it.  This mold makes really nice ice in a 2.5 inch round.

I believe that ice is the most important thing in cocktails, at least the drinks that call for it.

Ice can make or break your experience.  And if the ice is clear and hard in the glass, this is a thing of rare beauty.  When you’re pouring expensive spirits doesn’t it just make sense to use the very best products that money can buy?

I think the Arctic Chill Ice Ball Maker is one of the finest products of its kind on the market. I’m very impressed!

If you want crystal clear ice, try using distilled water.  My water is on a well, no matter what I do, it always turns out milky colored.  But no matter, it’s still really nice looking!

 

Yesterday I was doing some further experimentation with a marvelous bourbon by the name of Barrell Bourbon.  In this case the 003 edition.  

If you haven’t heard of it yet, hurry to DrinkUpNY and order some, because they don’t make much- and what they do make disappears REALLY FAST.  So Xmas is coming up and you DON’T have a bottle yet?

Hurry.

 

Please buy my second book, Whiskey Cocktails.  Thank you very kindly!  wb

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Drink Up NY: Cocktail: Sir Oliver Just Indicated

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Cocktail: Sir Oliver Just Indicated

By Warren Bobrow, Cocktail WhispererI’ve been thinking about the classics of cocktaildom lately and one drink stands out as a virtual mind eraser.  It’s named the pink gin and probably for good reason.  The history of this drink dates back to the mid 19th Century.  Angostura Bitters, one of the original ingredients was being sold as a curative against seasickness.  Gin that had been aged in used whiskey and rum barrels found its way into the drinking class and something quite unexpected resulted.  Not only did the sweetness from the charred interiors of the cask drench the gin in soft textures, but also it made for a different type of cocktail altogether when mixed with the tropically scented bitters.

Enter the Pink Gin. 
Was the first time that you heard of the pink gin in a James Bond movie?  If you said yes, then you’re late to the party.  The Pink Gin has been around for a long time.  Certainly before you were born!

The Pink Gin is certainly not a weak drink.  It is one part of barrel-aged gin to one part of aromatic bitters.  You can specify ‘in or out’ in means the bitters are inside the glass, out means the rim is moistened with the bitters.  Whichever way you choose, the Pink Gin is not for the meek.  It’s pretty strong and the tropical flavorings will make it “all too easy” to drink.

Barr Hill makes a barrel aged gin that I’m quite fond of.  They age their namesake gin, made from raw honey and grain in new American oak casks that have been charred on the inside to reveal the sweet flavors inherent to the wood.  I think that Todd Hardie makes some pretty righteous Tom Cat for this example of the Pink Gin.  What I’ve done to this version, the cocktail whisperer version is coat the inside of the glass with Shrub Drinks Prickly Pear Shrub.

I love the pink color of the Prickly Pear.  It adds a certain dimension to the Barr Hill Tom Cat.  A Shrub, for those of you who do not know is made from sugar, fruit and some kind of vinegar.  The ingredients are combined and then aged for a period of time.  What results dates back to the Colonial Era, when refrigeration was unheard of and preserving food was necessary against foodborne illnesses.

Shrubs like the Shrub Drinks Prickly Pear are just gorgeous, smacking of acidity and style.  They deserve your hard earned dollars.

I go crazy over the Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters.  The classic version of a Pink Gin includes some form of aromatic bitters and a lemon zest.  I love using the Bitter Truth Lemon because it injects lemony goodness deeply into my version of the Pink Gin.

You need some citric spark against the sweet and potent strength of the Barr Hill Tom Cat Gin.  It’s just perfect.  Trust me on this.

The lemon bitters are just what the doctor ordered.  I’m departing from the norm with a wide orange zest.  And don’t use a peeler.  Please be sure to use a pairing knife.  It’s important and using a knife teaches you patience that is essential to building a craft cocktail.

Patience is what we are lacking in life, so start right now with your Pink Gin.

Sir Oliver Just Indicated (for one drink)
Ingredients:
3 oz. Barr Hill Tom Cat Gin
½ oz. Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters
½ oz. Shrub Drinks Prickly Pear Syrup
Wide Orange Peel garnish- cut with a pairing knife, please!

Preparation:
To a mixing glass filled ¾ with large ice- to chill down/but not dilute!
Add the Barr Hill Tom Cat and the Shrub Drinks Prickly Pear Syrup and then stir to chill

To a pre-chilled Martini glass
(Is there really any other kind of martini- other than gin???)
Add the ½ oz. of the lemon bitters
Add the Barr Hill Tom Cat and the Shrub Drinks Prickly Pear Syrup to the pre-chilled glass

Give a quick finger stir…
Twist the orange zest over the top to release the volatile oils…
Serve.
(No, don’t finger stir if you are in a public place!)

Cheers from DrinkUpNY!

About Warren Bobrow
Author of: Apothecary Cocktails-Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today- Fair Winds Press- Beverly, Massachusetts. Apothecary Cocktails was nominated for a Spirited Award, 2014 Tales of the Cocktail.  His forthcoming book, Whiskey Cocktails will be released October 14.  Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails follow with publication in spring ’15.  Warren is a master mixologist for several craft liquor companies.

Warren consults about mixology and spirits, travel, organic wine and food.  He’s written for web-blogs and magazines like: Williams-Sonoma, Whole Foods: Dark Rye, Distiller, Total Food Service Magazine, Beverage Media Group, DrinkupNY, Edible Publications, Foodista, Serious Eats, Mechanics of Style and Beekman1802.  He was in the Saveur-100 in 2010.

Warren is a former, mostly self, trained cook from the pot sink on up.  J&W and ACF were thrown in for good luck.  Warren was the former owner/co-founder of Olde Charleston Pasta in South Carolina: *Dissolved his business after Hurricane Hugo in 1989* – to a career in private banking, (nearly 20 years; “a very grand mistake”) to this reinvention in 2009 as the Warren he’s finally become.

Warren is available to do highly personalized, interactive mixology events, local, national and international.

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Dad’s Hat- Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey and Sage Herbal Elixir

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I think that I wrote this piece two or so years ago…  It’s fun to see where my writing has taken me.  So please enjoy and pick up a copy of my forthcoming book (Whiskey Cocktails) if you get the chance.  It’s got all the stuffing!

DAD’S HAT PENNSYLVANIA WHITE RYE AND SAGE HERBAL ELIXIR (FLOYD’S PACK MULE COCKTAIL)

I just created a new cocktail with historically correct flavors.  What are those interesting bottles?  Well my friends, my usual- or unusual form of cocktail whispering has led me to a secret spring.  There up the road apiece is a spring that spouts water as clear and refreshing as the soft hand of a maiden in the summer.

Pennsylvania Rye in the un-aged form runs as soft and sweet as this spring that bubbles up from the earth.  Branch water with a kick I say.  Sitting next to this venerable bottle of Pennsylvania History sits a bottle simply called Sage from the same creative mind behind the salubrious and ever mixable liqueurs named Root, Rhubarb and Snap.

But what is Sage?  Sage is Herbalicious according to the hand-crafted natural paper-press release.

According to the copy, Thomas Jefferson was not only a founding father, but he was also an avid horticulturist.  His friend and mentor Bernard McMahon was in the midst of chronicling the 130 plants discovered by Lewis and Clark.   As history has it, Bernard and Thomas also were fond of highly intoxicating beverages.  Sage in the purest form is not just sage as an herbal adjunct, it is also an ingredient in early “Gar-Tending” experimentation!

This type of experimentation weaves its way into my semi-drunken state- *who me?*

Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania White Rye is gorgeous stuff.  If I could lay down a few bottles and wait about ten years, I’ll bet the mouth-feel will soften to that of branch water.  Now, instead of letting any rest, I’ve created a cocktail with this spicy and emotional Rye powerhouse.

Sage is distilled with thyme, sage (of course), rosemary, lavender and fennel.  All I could think about was mixing Sage with Dad’s Hat.

But the drink would not be complete without a few drops of the fire driven chocolate and spice enamored heat of the Bitter End Memphis BBQ Bitters.  Take about four drops of this amazing liquid and scatter them over the top.  The 100 proof power of the White Rye and the aromatic wonderment that says Sage finished with Bitter End Bitters only needs one more item.

I’m a fanatic for great ice…..Crystal clear and without any unpleasant fragrances or minerals, great ice cubes will enlighten your cocktails.  I did a 95/5 mix of Royal Rose Lavender Lemon Syrup and some of my filtered well water.  The benefit of putting the Royal Rose Syrup into the ice cube is to subtly change the flavor of the cocktail as the ice cube melts.  Mostly water, with that bit of syrup and everyone is friendly together.

I believe it shows sophistication of flavor.  And fortitude in your cocktail glass.  Isn’t that what this is all about?

Flavor?

Danger Level 4 out of 5.  Possibly 5 out of 5 if you err on the side of heavier handed cocktail measurements…

Floyd’s Pack Mule Cocktail

Ingredients for two very strong drinks:

1/4 cup Freshly made Lemonade (unsweetened) made with Meyer Lemons if you can find them
2 oz. Dad’s Hat Genuine Small Batch Pennsylvania White Rye- 100 proof (local Rye from Pennsylvania)
1 oz.  Sage from Art in the Age- 80 proof (USDA Certified Organic)
1 oz. Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Lavender and Lemon
4 drops Bitter End Memphis BBQ Bitters
For Ice Cubes, fill an Ice Cube tray with filtered water and add an ounce or so of the simple syrup, freeze overnight for best results

Prep:
To a Boston Shaker fill 1/4 with regular ice
Add the liquors
Add  freshly made lemonade
Shake until frosty
Pour into a funky glass with Royal Rose Lavender Lemon Syrup ice
Drip three-four drops of Bitter End Memphis BBQ Bitters over the top
Sip carefully.

 

Yes, I do mixology sessions at your home or business.  Just email me!  jockeyhollow@mac DOT com

 

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Teeling Whiskey and Barrell Bourbon, Two Delights, recently discovered. from Foodista.com (yes, I’m on the masthead!)

Teeling Whiskey and Barrell Bourbon, Two Delights, recently discovered.

Whiskey Cocktails is coming out in a few short weeks, so it seems to reason that my mailbox is suddenly full of whiskey!In this case I’ve received several fine bottles that I’d like to share with you.  The first one is Ireland in every sip.  The Spirit of Dublin, Teeling Whiskey is one such example of high quality.  They represent Ireland in each sip, in fact when I uncorked the bottle, the very aroma placed me on the Temple Bar, enjoying the mist against my face and Irish Whiskey woven into coffee, filling my belly with happy warmth.

I’m trying not to lose sleep over claims about what Craft Distilling means outside of marketing, nor am I getting bent out of shape about “Small Batch” and what actually constitutes that statement in the broad context of the word.

But what I will say is Teeling Whiskey makes statements on their label about the lack of chill filtration and the fact that they use former rum casks for a deeper and sweeter finish.  What I do know is that they use cork on their bottle finish and I do like that extra effort for quality.

I also like the bottle shape and the color- a deep brown/green/black that should ostensibly protect the fine spirits held within from damaging rays of the sun.  Who knows, but it certainly is a handsome bottle design.

The label evokes the feeling of another time- perhaps less hurried.  And when enjoyed out of my Bormioli tasting glass, I truly get what this whiskey has to offer.

It’s really luscious in the mouth and it finishes astonishingly sweet without a hint of smoke- because in Ireland their whiskies are sweet in their flavor profile.

 

For that reason I like to craft cocktails with Irish Whiskey

Teeling is as good as I’ve had in what appears to be a well crafted spirit. It’s something new and I know you will want to taste it.  So seek it out and don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit.  To that end I offer you a fine cocktail.

Black Irish Smash

 We know that adventurous Spanish sailors followed the Gulf Stream up to Ireland looking for conquests and fishing grounds.  Some stayed and gave the island an entirely new population.  Black Irish people, are the amalgamation of Irish people and those Spanish sailors.  Hence the cocktail.

2 oz. Teeling “Small Batch” Irish Whiskey

4 oz. home-made lemonade – Sweetened to taste with your own mint simple syrup (Mint Simple Syrup 1:1 mint to sugar to 1 cup almost boiling water- steep overnight or longer in the fridge and then filter out mint)

1 oz. Mountain Valley Sparkling Water

4 drops El Guapo Chicory-Pecan Bitters

very tiny pinch of sea salt

Prep:

To a mixing glass, fill 3/4 with ice

add the lemonade and pour the whiskey over the top and stir until mixed

Strain into two rocks glasses with one cracked 2×2 cube in each

Top with a splash of the sparkling water, add a very small pinch of sea salt

Finish with the bitters and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint for clarity

 

Barrell Bourbon is clearly getting my attention because it tastes like success.  Good luck finding it though- you can make this your quest, like that of Pappy Van Winkle, another very hard to get commodity.  I think that Barrell is a bit easier to get because of the nature of distribution.  They are not a huge company yet, so sale of this whiskey is pretty normal.  If you find it, buy it because a case is just six bottles and there aren’t too many of them around.

But why give you only bad news?

That’s certainly not my intention.

They say that Barrell Bourbon served at cask strength is just too strong for most palates.  So it needs a bit of water to reveal the inner flavors.  But I think it needs some mixing up.  Perhaps that’s just the twisted part of why I love what I do.  May I suggest doing a wash with Lucid Absinthe in your glass?  Then some pineapple that has been both grilled and then juiced?  Perhaps a sage leaf, lit on fire and the smoke captured by the inside of a Boston shaker?  The honor for teaching me this technique is firmly on the shoulders of the head bartender from Secreto in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Chris Milligan.  He taught me this art.

Ah.. it’s darned good stuff.  Pay attention though.  This cocktail does work with any high proof bourbon or rye.

The Antidote

3 oz. Barrell Bourbon (bottling 002, because 001 just isn’t around any longer)

1/4 oz. Lucid Absinthe- wash rocks glasses with Lucid Absinthe and a bit of ice to cool, let sit

2 oz. Grilled Pineapple juice

1 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 oz. Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit juice

2-3 Sage Leaves

Crushed Ice

1 oz. Simple Syrup

3-6 Drops of El Guapo Gumbo Bitters

Sprig of mint

 

Prep:

Light your sage in a fireproof ashtray

Capture the sage smoke in your Boston Shaker

Fill the Boston Shaker 3/4 with ice (and the sage smoke)

Add the juices and the simple Syrup

Add the Barrell Bourbon

Cap and shake for 20 seconds

Pour out the water and the Lucid absinthe into your mouth (why waste good liquor?)

Add 1 cube of 2×2 ice to each glass

Pour your mixture over the ice

Dot with the El Guapo Gumbo Bitters

Garnish with the mint

Serve to a happy camper

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drinkupny for monday, august 25, 2014

I’ve been a fan of Four Roses Bourbon for several decades now. It goes to show you when something hits your taste buds just right; you want to seek it out.
Go no further than DrinkupNY where they have the object of my desire. The Small Batch Bourbon from Four Roses is what I crave. It wasn’t always that way, though.
I thought the Yellow Label was the go/to for my mint juleps and that would be correct because for many years that was the only Four Roses Bourbon that was available!

Last September I saw it in Italy. This says something about the quality of the ingredients to me. It also said American Bourbon.
This is something that you cannot make anyplace but our country. There are times that you’re in a foreign land and you just crave something from home.
Four Roses Bourbon says that to me and it’s indispensable for this reason.
I’ve enjoyed mere sips of it and found myself transported to the place that says to me, sweet water that bubbles up from the ground.

The Small Batch is such a product.

Imagine for a moment that you have a craving for a Manhattan Cocktail. This is traditionally one of my favorites.
The tannic bourbon, enrobed in a splash or two of sweet vermouth, a cherry- often times made at home and a few hits of bitters to finish.
This is the drink that made me love Four Roses. It’s just so simple and easy to do. But please think outside the traditions for this take on the Manhattan.
You’ve gone to the fridge and there are no cherries steeping! But there are dried apricots in the panty and they call out to you, “soak me in Four Roses Bourbon!”

So you do. Opening the package, the sensual aromatics from the apricots fill the room.
You take about a cup of the dried marvels and add them to two cups of Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon. (Yes, you treat yourself nicely!)

Let them steep for a day or more. If you start them in the morning, they’ll certainly be ready by the evening.

The Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon will form the base for this take on the Manhattan.

It is perfectly geared to quality drinks like the Manhattan.
Your friends might not understand the sophistication and quality of Four Roses, but you can tell them by letting them taste your concoctions.

Suddenly, if by magic- you discovered that your bottle of Carpano Antica is empty! DrinkupNY can also help you in this regard.
May I suggest trying the new Bianco version of the classic? The Carpano Bianco Sweet Vermouth is every bit as sumptuous as the traditional red Carpano,
yet the color is perfectly clear, making your drinks just look slightly lighter.
And because Carpano goes gorgeously with Four Roses, you won’t have to skimp on a less expensive vermouth to get the very best flavors injected deeply into this drink.

Ok, so you have the Four Roses Small Batch- steeped apricots, the Small Batch Bourbon for the Manhattan, and the Carpano Antica Bianco.

What should go in next?

I’m just crazy for the Bitter Truth Spiced Chocolate Bitters and this time seems to be the perfect moment for this rich and densely dark,
bitter flavor that needs to be in your cocktail glass, even with just seltzer, it’s got all the stuffing that you demand.

Right now!

I mean, what is a Manhattan (even a twisted take on a Manhattan) without the bitters?

Well, I’ll leave that conversation to a more polite time, this drink needs to be made and more importantly, drunk. One after another would be perfect for me.

To make this drink you do need patience. The apricots cannot be hurried up. They need to soak up the precious liquor and make it part of themselves.

The glassware is important too. I suggest using a well-washed glass that belonged to your grandfather. He used it for years and you should too.
It’s one of those things that connect you to the venerable history of this cocktail.

Fill the glass with ice and water- let it sit to become frosty and cold. Pour out the ice and water just before using it.

In a cocktail mixing glass, fill 1/3 with ice

Add the Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

Stir to chill 3-4 times (this is not a race!)

Add the Carpano Bianco

Stir another 3-4 times

Pour into your pre-chilled glass

Add the plump, Four Roses Small Batch infused apricot to the glass

Dot with the Spiced Chocolate Bitters from the Bitter Truth

Start another one, just like the other one..

Cheers! Wb

An Askew Manhattan

3 oz. Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
1 oz. Carpano Antica Bianco Sweet Vermouth
2-3 dashes Bitter Truth Spiced Chocolate Bitters
1-2 Four Roses Small Batch Steeped Apricots

Prep:
Add the ingredients, except for the Bitters and the Apricots to a mixing glass filled 1/3 with ice

Stir until chilled (gently!)

Pour through a Hawthorne Strainer into a pre-chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a few marinated apricots and dot with the bitters….

Serve!

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From Liquor.com and DrinkupNY.com (The Negroni as illustrated)

The Negroni.. As Illustrated…

From Cocktail Whisperer on Dec 31, 2013

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Friday, May 17, 2013

The Negroni

By Warren Bobrow, Cocktail Whisperer

I love the drink named the Negroni. It’s bright, refreshing and quenches the thirst, unlike many cocktails. It never leaves me feeling drab, nor does it take away my appetite like some other cocktails do when sipped before a meal.

In my upcoming book, Apothecary Cocktails, Restoratives from Yesterday and Today, I discuss the correlation of the digestive tract and healing, by using liquors mixed with fresh herbs. If only the pharmacists from years back had known about the Negroni as a healing curative! Well, in a way they did.

The Negroni was invented back in 1919 in Florence, Italy – purposively built to heal what ails you. Orson Wells famously said in 1947 that, “The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.” I don’t know about you, but I think gin is good for you. Perhaps Mr. Wells had it altogether incorrect. The entire drink is good for you. Gin, after all, was used during the Middle Ages as a curative for the Black Plague. And Vermouth has long been held as a curative for many internal battles surrounding the digestive glands.

The history of the Negroni involves a base spirit, like gin, plus bitters and vermouth. I enjoy my Negroni Cocktail with the powerfully intoxicating Caorunn Gin from Scotland. Distilled with a healthy smack of the juniper berry and woven into a backdrop of citrus with a hefty punch of alcohol, the Caorunn Gin just tempts me to have another. Combined with the syrupy and complex Carpano Antica Vermouth and the historically correct Campari Bitters from Italy, the Negroni speaks very clearly of getting buzzed with the minimum of effort. I just sipped my Negroni down and absolutely feel no pain. And why would I, with the application of my finger to stir this magnificent cocktail?

My friend Gary Regan stirs his with his finger so why shouldn’t I?

Well the reasons are numerous why you should not stir your cocktail with your finger. Cleanliness has something to do with this. But I suppose if you dipped your finger in your tri-sink filled with disinfectants and cleansers, you’d really have nothing to worry about as long as you were in your own home. I always use a cocktail spoon when working behind the bar so not to upset my customers! The drink shown was mixed with my own finger… far away from any paying customers!

The best Negroni is also the simplest one to make. I do only a couple of things differently:

1. Wash glass out inside and out with cool water.
2. Dry carefully with a soft towel.
3. Pack with ice and water.
4. Carefully measure out your ingredients, pour out the bar ice and water.

I also use a couple large hand-cut cubes of ice from the Williams Sonoma silicone ice cube tray. But most importantly, I filter my water first with ice made from from my Mavea “Inspired Water” filter. With this magical device, my ice nearly freezes crystal clear. A far cry from the ice that comes out of the ice machine in the fridge.

The Negroni Cocktail

Ingredients:
• 1 oz. Campari
• 1 oz. Carpano Antica
• 1 oz. Caorunn Gin
• 2 dashes of The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters

Preparation:

1. Add Campari.
2. Add Sweet Vermouth – I ALWAYS USE Carpano Antica for the second step.

3. Add your choice of Gin. In this case I used Caorunn Gin from Scotland. Caorunn is liberally flecked with citrus fruit woven around the haunting elegance of the moors at night.

4. Add The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters.
5. Add ice.
6. Stir all ingredients together… (And no, you don’t have to use your finger!!!)

Cheers from DrinkUpNY!

– See more at: http://drinkwire.liquor.com/post/the-negroni-as-illustrated#sthash.na0iK3hA.HuSc6QGl.dpuf

Categories
Recipes

To Charles Baxter (DrinkupNY)

Monday, August 11, 2014

To Charles Baxter

By Warren Bobrow, Cocktail Whisperer

When I contemplate a refreshing cocktail for the hot weather there should be a cooling element that is included.  Sweat is one of those cooling elements that come to mind, that veneer of moisture on your skin and a bit a air blowing over it gives the impression of coolness.  Or so it should be when it’s hot without air conditioning.

I suppose I don’t like to be overly hot.  That’s why the summer months are a drag for me- but don’t despair!  This drink has some spiciness to it, leading to that sweat on your skin and the final element is so refreshing that you’ll want another one, right after the first one.

I’ve always been fond of day drinking and this hand held cooling system works because it doesn’t contain that much alcohol.  That makes for a few drinks before lunch and a few more in the afternoon.  Of course you can bring up the rear by having them all in the evening, but then you wouldn’t understand why this drink is so pleasurable during the daytime hours.  It requires the sun over your toes to understand why.

Byejoe is a relatively new product from China made from Sorghum.  Sorghum accounts for most of the ingredients in the Dragon Fire version, along with tropical fruits and hot chili peppers for a sweat inducing finish.  That’s good for cooling your body from the inside out.  In typical fashion, I’ve concocted a sort of Shandy for the Byejoe and Doc’s Hard Pear Cider.  They just mix well together, especially with an ounce or two of Royal Rose Saffron Syrup.  I like the exotic element of Saffron along with sparkling cider and the potent finish of the Byejoe Dragon Fire- made of Dragon Fruit and hot chilies.

Combined together, shaken hard and served over crushed ice, this is your new go/to for day-drinking.   Of course you’ll need some freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice to bring this drink a fever pitch of amusement as it slides down your gullet.   And if it isn’t too many steps, may I suggest freezing some of the Pear Cider into your ice cube tray?

This adds a concentration that water ice alone can never do alone.  It needs awareness.   Another way to increase this sense of potency is to add Grapefruit Bitters from The Bitter Truth directly into the ice cube trays made with 50% hard pear cider and 50% water.  I’d use about 10 drops for a standard ice cube tray- more or less as desired.  As the ice melts the drink expands in cooling and strength.

The first time I tasted Byejoe with the Dragon Fruit and hot chilies the depth of flavor more than took me.  This is not your typical flavored vodka nor ill-tempered Moonshine.  What Byejoe is escapes reason because you have never tasted anything like it?  Lucky you!  DrinkupNY carries both varieties of Byejoe, the plain- yet highly flavor driven and the Dragon Fire, redolent of exotic spices and fruit.

Now there are no more excuses to not taste this extremely cooling beverage.  While it’s true that Byejoe is strongly flavored, there are reasons why you’ll fall in love with Byejoe.  First of all it’s different than vodka or gin.  There is nothing like it on the market.  Secondly, Byejoe is extremely well made.  Sorghum, as the main ingredient produces a smoothly textured liquor that rolls over your tongue and makes for a perfectly potent beginning or invigorating end to your day.

The Doc’s Pear Cider is the essential foil against the fire of Byejoe.  The pear element is crisp and thirst quenching.  It makes you thirsty for more!   Saffron lends a sweet and sultry element to the cocktail and the cane sugar syrup base melts across your tongue.  The fizz of the pear cider weaves its way into your dreams and the Byejoe makes it a memory you won’t soon forget.   Tangerine is the last element in this cocktail and perhaps the most essential.  There is something indescribable about Fruitations and the deft hand shown in the citrus world.  Tangerine and Saffron along with hot peppers and dragon fruit with a fizzy pear laced finish?

Say it isn’t so?

Are you ordering a bottle yet?  Yes?  The bitters and the cider too, absolutely.

To Charles Baxter
Ingredients:
2 oz. Byejoe Dragon Fire
3 oz. Doc’s Pear Cider
½ oz. Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Saffron
½ oz. Fruitations Tangerine Soda and Cocktail Syrup
Pear/Grapefruit Bitter Truth Bitters ice… freeze 50/50 with about 10 shakes of Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters over the top
Freshly picked spearmint
Lime pinwheel

Preparation:
Fill a large Old Fashioned glass with ice made from Pear Cider and filtered water frozen together 50/50 blend

To a Boston Shaker, fill ¾ with regular bar ice
Add the Dragon Fire and the Pear Cider (yes it’s sparkling, so shake softly)
Add the Saffron syrup and the Tangerine syrup
Cap and shake gently to combine and cool

Pour over the infused ice and garnish with fresh mint and a lime pinwheel.

Cheers from DrinkUpNY!

 

My second book, Whiskey Cocktails is now in pre-sale!  click for more information!  Thank You!

 

Categories
Books Recipes

What are Shrubs in Cocktails?

What is a Shrub you might ask?  Well, a Shrub is a combination of sweet and savory flavors.

Vinegar and fruits, bitter aromatics and tart essences are what Shrubs are to a cocktail.

I see a Shrub and I think savory and complicated flavors.

Shrubs seem to be recreated aroma driven concentrated tastes.  Sitting in front of me right now is a very special Apple Shrub from Shrub and Co.

I created a liquid Mulligatawny  out of my Apple Shrub.

The Mulligatawny Cocktail is a curious creature indeed.   It is comprised of Orleans Apple Aperitif woven in a melange with Busted Barrel Rum from New Jersey.

A few tablespoons of the Apple Shrub is augmented by the sharp and potent flavors of Curry- as exemplified by Bill York’s Curry Bitters from Bitter End in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I see this cocktail as a potent reminder of the British Empire running a rail road train at high speed into an unchartered pass.  In the winter.  With no one coming in either direction for about a week.  This drink is perfect for the coming apple season and fall soon ahead.

The Shrub and Co. Apple Shrub can be taken by the teaspoon full over ice cream or spooned over shortbread and dashed with some bourbon oak aged dark rum or even an agricole!

I prefer it in a drink.

There are dozens of different Shrubs on the market.  Some are created from berries, others citrus and still others tree fruits.  Shrubs are to cocktails as a time-machine is to space travel.  A means to the end.  Channeling our forefathers through their liquid driven memories.

My thoughts on Shrubs are simple.  Use them when you require a bitter/sour element to your drinks.

They add a savory sweet/sour thickness to the finished product.

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

I’ll Be an Apple Perplexed Cocktail aka: The Mulligatawny Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 oz. Busted Barrel Rum

1 oz. Orleans Apple Aperitif

1 oz. Shrub & Co. Apple Shrub

Bitter End Curry Bitters

Large Ice Cubes

Preparation:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled 1/4 with ice

Shake well until frosty

Strain over large ice cubes

Scrape some fresh nutmeg over the top (essential!)

Garnish with a sprig of fresh spearmint