- Main: March 2008 -

I recently -- and, yes, as a serious cocktail hobbyist it's past due -- received the lauded new book, by David Wondrich, Imbibe!, plus a ridiculously long subtitle, of course. The book is equal parts a biography of that treasured, historical, and seminal bartending figure, Jerry Thomas, and the wonderful annotations and essay-like opinions of the estimable David Wondrich himself. It's quite possibly the most important book on cocktail history since, well, since Jerry Thomas' own book, written in 1862.

The book is wonderful, and certainly a must-read for anyone interested in classic cocktails and their history. The recipes it contains are mainly known, although never in so clear and organized a format, and never with the helpful comments and exhaustive research of David Wondrich. However, towards the end, it includes a small collection of original, modern cocktails contributed in Jerry Thomas' honor by a handful of prominent mixologists. I was immediately drawn to try the contribution by Robert Hess. His writing (mostly here) was the first to inspire me in this hobby, and the other creation of his I've tried, the Black Feather, is a masterpiece of balance and sophistication.

The Rochester

• 2 oz Rye
• 1 oz Dubonnet Rouge
• ½ oz Licor 43
• ¼ oz Absinthe
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

This cocktail immediately reminded me of a far-better-balanced version of the Waldorf, and, indeed, the recipes are quite similar. Dubonnet is basically a vermouth, and thus the main difference is a smaller amount of absinthe balanced by the mellow tones of Licor 43. The result is still, as expected, an absinthe cocktail, but it's far more balanced than the Waldorf, which is a bit of a slap in the face -- not unpleasant if you're in need of one! Any case, the Rochester is my new go-to cocktail, for absinthe. The Waldorf has met its match.

I can't actually offer any insight into the name or motivation, except its being a tribute to Jerry Thomas. Aside from its publication in Imbibe!, Robert Hess hasn't written about it, nor anyone else blogged about it, as far as I could discover. I hope to hear more of it soon. It's certainly a new regular in my rotation!

This is my first time participating in Mixology Monday, the once-a-month activity that brings all the cocktail blogs together to focus on a single topic. The new topic is "Limit One," thanks to our host this month, Rick, at Kaiser Penguin. I was pleased not only to dig up an interesting and eligible cocktail but, in fact, to have discovered a new entry in my top five cocktails. What a wonderful surprise!

My selection is actually just a footnote to a different cocktail, in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails. I was reading over The Straits Sling, and liked it up until the soda water. I don't usually stock soda water, and don't typically enjoy cocktails with it present. An aside at the bottom of the page caught my eye: "By the way, if you leave out the soda water and strain the drink into a cocktail glass, it makes a wonderful cocktail -- one that I call the Singapore Strait Jacket." Now we're talking cocktails!

I've been interested in exploring the cherry eau de vie, kirsch, recently, and so the deal was cinched. My first attempt, pictured below, used the kirsch I had on hand: Maraska. The cocktail was excellent, but I noticed this on the bottle:



I think Maraska forgot to look up the definition of an "eau de vie," before producing their version. I went out in search of a true kirsch, and was extremely pleased to find Etter, which is simply amazing.

The Singapore Strait Jacket

• 2 oz Gin
• ½ oz Kirsch
• ½ oz Benedictine
• ½ oz Lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 dashes Orange bitters

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

Please ignore the bottle of Maraska, in the photo. This should be made with as good a kirsch as you can find, as it makes a huge difference. These tasting notes were made while sipping the cocktail as made with the Etter, which I can't recommend highly enough.

The dry, black cherry notes hit first, and quickly deepen into dark fruits and herbs. The finish begins with a surprising hint of banana and then lingers with the bitters' pleasant balance and authority. I've never had a cocktail with such defined, distinct phases or perfectly-balanced flavors and aromas. This is an instant favorite and needs way more attention from the community.

This has inspired me to try more kirsch-inclusive cocktails, so if you know any good ones, please leave a comment!

I began the evening with a desire to post a more obscure cocktail, perhaps something not yet covered by other mixology blogs. And so I turned to Charles Baker's classic, Jigger, Beaker, & Glass, originally published in 1939 and more elegantly titled The Gentleman's Companion, Vol. 2. This book lists so many old, unique, wonderful-sounding cocktails, each accompanied by a whimsical, Wodehouse-esque relation of its discovery by the aristocratic CB who, indeed, comes across as a well-traveled and American version of Bertie Wooster. Alas, the cocktails are much better to read then to sample. I've mixed a solid ten which seemed promising and have each time been disappointed by the unbalanced, unappealing flavors that resulted. I repeated this futility tonight, dumped the offending cocktail down the drain, and turned to the more rewarding pages of Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails.

Having been so impressed by the Twentieth Century, which was the brainchild of the United Kingdom Bartender's Guild, I turned to another of their cocktails: the Avenue. This cocktail, like the Twentieth Century, was first published by them in 1937, in The Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, now sadly out of print.

The Avenue

• 1 oz Bourbon
• 1 oz Calvados
• 1 oz Passion fruit nectar
• 1 dash Grenadine (real)
• 1 dash Orange flower water

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with a carnation.

Upon first sip, this cocktail does not have the masterful balance of the Twentieth Century. I am going to need to update this post later with a second attempt, however, as I think it has the potential with a few tweaks. The flavors strive for balance but fall just short.

First, it's just slightly too sweet; I intend to reduce the amount of nectar to ¾ oz, or even ½ oz. Second, the orange flower water, an aspect I was anxious to experience, is not present; I'll up the amount to two dashes. Third, the grenadine does not add much to the recipe and was, I suspect, included for coloration; I'll eliminate it to bring down the sweetness. I'll also make the garnish a lemon twist, both for the zing and because I don't stock carnations.

Keep an eye on this post for the update, probably tomorrow evening.

Update

I've tried to tweak unsuccessful (as perceived by me) recipes before, mainly those scrounged from the above-mentioned Jigger, Beaker, & Glass, and have never managed their redemption. I am thrilled to report myself a cocktail messiah, at last, if only for tonight! My final tweaks to the Avenue elevate it to a balanced, interesting cocktail, at least to my palate.

This is excellent. I used George T. Stagg for the bourbon, and I think the cocktail would lose some of its character and depth with anything else. An easier-to-get substitute might be Eagle Rare, which touches less powerfully on some of the same notes. You may note I wound up leaving the grenadine in: I tried it both ways, and found that it does add a subtle, stewed-fruit flavor that plays well with the brighter passion fruit. Also, despite increasing it to two dashes, the orange flower water is difficult or impossible to taste, although it's present in the nose. It could be safely left out if unavailable.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the lemon twist garnish adds a lot to this cocktail. The technique and importance is well-known to the community, but just in case: be sure to cut the twist above the finished cocktail, so that the sprayed essential oils fall onto the surface of the cocktail. Like in so many other cocktails, it makes a huge difference here. Leave the carnation in your buttonhole!