1 dash orange bitters
0.75 oz. sweet vermouth
1.5 oz. dry sherry wine
Directions: Stir with ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.
Backlog. I think I used port instead of sherry because that’s what I had on hand. This cocktail was strange. Not bad, but strange. I’d like to try it again with sherry.
1.5 oz. absinthe substitute
1 oz. water
0.25 tsp. powdered sugar
1 dash orange bitters
Directions: Shake all ingredients, strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.
Backlog. Never used powdered sugar in a cocktail until this. Not sure if it made a difference, I couldn’t really taste it. This book seems to love orange bitters as far as I can tell thus far.
1.5 oz. absinthe substitute
0.75 oz. water
0.25 oz. Old Mr. Boston Anisette
1 dash orange bitters
Directions: shake well with cracked ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.
Backlog. Since the prohibition is over I didn’t have to use an absinthe substitute, I used absinthe. I also omitted anisette because I figured that real-deal absinthe would do the trick just fine. It’s good! Absinthe rocks.
1.5 oz. Old Mr. Boston Dry Gin
Juice of 0.25 orange
1 dash orange bitters
Directions: Shake ingredients, strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass, add maraschino cherry for garnish.
Backlog. Quite like this, the orange bitters are a nice addition to what is basically gin and juice. I used Vikre gin rather than Mr. Boston. I love both of Vikre’s gins (juniper and cedar) and I have a tough time buying any other gin.
Found this book at a garage sale earlier this year. I love the old recipes and how much it tries to sell Mr. Boston products, especially when my only exposure to Mr. Boston in the modern day is as the worst vodka money can buy, to be used only in peer-pressure drinking situations in college.
1.75 oz. brandy
0.75 oz. lemon juice
0.75 oz. Cointreau
sugar, for the glass
Directions: Shake all the ingredients, strain into a frosted martini glass rimmed with sugar.
Backlog. I like this drink, but the sugar seems unnecessary and I always find it annoying to coat the glass. I’m willing to do it when making a margarita for more than just me, but no chance I do it for just myself unless completing a psycho self-imposed task to make every single cocktail in a book.
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
1.75 oz. chilled gin
Directions: Rinse a frosted sherry or martini glass with the bitters, then add the chilled gin.
Backlog. Simple winner, this shit rocks. I tend to sneak a bit extra with the rinse.
1.75 oz. rye whiskey
0.5 oz. sweet vermouth
0.5 oz. dry vermouth
a dash of Angostura bitters
Directions: Stir ingredients over ice until chilled and strain into a frosted martini glass.
Backlog. I don’t know if I enjoy the “perfect” variation of the manhattan more or less than the classic. Maybe I should try them next to each other. Good drink anytime I have it so maybe I’m just not picky.
0.75 oz. Campari
0.75 oz. sweet vermouth
0.75 oz. gin
orange slices, to garnish
Directions: Add alcohols into a rocks glass over ice, stir, and garnish with orange slices
Backlog. Negroni is maybe my favorite cocktail out there. The flavors are perfect, and I am partial to bitter cocktails. The vermouth is Carpano Antica Formula and the gin is Vikre’s Boreal Juniper.
2 bottles red wine
8 whole cloves
2 oranges, quarted
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 in. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cinnamon stick
0.5 tsp. grated nutmeg
Directions: Insert the cloves into the outside of the oranges. Add all ingredients into a saucepan and heat the mixture to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Backlog. Absolute top tier seasonal beverage. This recipe was good, but part of the fun of mulled wine is variation so I probably won’t make it this way again. Ginger was a nice touch though.
The Title is the Hardest Part