2 oz. gin
0.25 oz. dry vermouth
0.25 oz. absinthe
Lemon twist
Directions: Stir over ice and strain into chilled coupe. Express lemon twist over the drink and drop into the glass.
Backlog. Improved martini, what’s not to like.
Martini
2.25 oz. gin
0.75 oz. dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
Lemon twist
Directions: Stir over ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Express lemon twist over the drink and drop into the glass.
Backlog. It’s a martini with bitters, a nice touch.
Japanese Cocktail
2 oz. cognac
0.5 oz. orgeat
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon twist
Directions: Combine ingredients in a glass and stir over ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express a lemon twist over the drink and drop into the glass.
I put this one off for a long time because I couldn’t find orgeat and it seems difficult to make. When we went to Italy I bought some almond cream liqueur and decided to use that as a substitute. I also used a fancy-ass aged cognac. This drink is excellent. Totally unique flavor combination and a lovely color.
Eau Claire Old-Fashioned
2 oz. Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac
1 bar spoon simple syrup (1:1)
3 dashes Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters
Orange twist
Directions: Combine liquids in an Old-Fashioned glass and stir. Add one large ice cube and stir. Twist a piece of orange zest over the drink and drop into the glass.
Backlog. This is way too fancy for a Wisconsin old-fashioned but it tastes real good. My alcoholic Wisconsin uncles love a brandy old-fashioned, but tend to add 7-up and drink 15 of them.
Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail
2 oz. bourbon or rye
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 sugar cube
Orange twist
Directions: Saturate the sugar cube with bitters and a bar spoon of warm water at the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass. Muddle until the sugar dissolves. Add the whiskey and stir. Add one large piece of ice and stir. Twist a piece of orange zest over the drink and drop into the glass.
Backlog. It’s an old-fashioned.
Absinthe Drip Cocktail
1.5 oz. absinthe substitute
1 sugar cube
cold water, as needed
Directions: Place absinthe in a cocktail glass. Place sugar cube over hole of drip spoon with cracked ice and pour cold water to fill. When water has dripped through, the drink is ready.
Backlog. I have the variation of this spoon meant to be used with the enormous water apparatus at an absinthe bar so I just used that with a water dropper. Good stuff, but this experience is much better at an absinthe bar with some friends.
3-Ingredient Cocktails
This book was an excellent gift a few years ago. It includes interesting recipes and a ton of history about all the cocktails. It’s also fun to read about some of the thinking behind ingredients and why some cocktail types are so ubiquitous.
After Supper Cocktail
1 oz. Old Mr. Boston Apricot Flavored Brandy
1 oz. Curacao
0.5 tsp. lemon juice
Directions: Shake well and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.
Backlog. This time, I added a classic brandy along with the peach schnapps to replace the apricot brandy. It was still a strange cocktail. Maybe I should try this or the After Dinner Cocktail with the completely correct ingredients, but I’m really not sure that will make me enjoy the drink more.
After Dinner Cocktail
1 oz. Old Mr. Boston Apricot Flavored Brandy
1 oz. Curacao
juice of 1 lime
Directions: Shake well and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass. Leave lime in glass.
Backlog. I used peach schnapps instead of the brandy, I’m not buying apricot brandy just for these few drinks. I also used Cointreau instead of Curacao for the same reason. I have too many bottle already. Weird cocktail that tastes like it’s created for taste preferences that aren’t common any more.
Affinity Cocktail
0.75 oz. dry vermouth
0.75 oz. sweet vermouth
0.75 oz. Old Mr. Boston Scotch Whisky
2 dashes orange bitters
Directions: Stir with ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.
Backlog. Variation on the perfect manhattan or a rob roy. Works well enough, there are endless manhattan variations. I prefer Angostura bitters to orange bitters though.
The Title is the Hardest Part 