- Mixology -

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!