Before the Volstead act, rye was the drinking man's choice of whiskey
and the first whiskey distilled in America. It was what the Colonists
turned to when their rum supplies were cut off during the American
Revolution, even good old George Washington himself distilled rye
whiskey. Over a hundred years later, during prohibition, bootleg rye
whiskeys became middle America's answer to bathtub gin and a little town
in Iowa was brewing up some of the best. Just ask one of the the
original good fellas, Al Capone.
Templeton Rye
was originally a bootleg* moonshine produced in Templeton, Iowa. Called
"The Good Stuff" it was said to be the favorite tipple of the above
mentioned gangster, Al Capone. When Capone got nabbed, sent up the river
for tax evasion, rye fell out of favor, nearly disappearing from the
cocktail scene and by the sixties it became mistakenly viewed by many as
an old, poor man's drink. Thankfully today's mixography scene is more
knowledgeable and open minded and rye is slowly reemerging a very viable
alternative to bourbon and scotch.
Spicier and fruitier than its
bourbon descendant, rye whiskey gave birth to many classic cocktails,
including the Sazarac, the Manhattan and the godfather of all mixed
drinks, the Old Fashioned. Yes, these were all originally made with rye.
Another great vintage rye cocktail was the Scofflaw, a drink I enjoy -
probably because I really like the name.
According to Gary "Gaz" Regan
(@gazregan), on January 15, 1924 prohibitionist Delcevare King had a
contest to describe the lawless drinker and the term "scofflaw" was the
winner. It was a pretty apt term for those who illegally drank hooch
during Prohibition, thus "scoffing" the law from 1929 to 1933.
Naturally, somebody had to make a drink with this name and someone did -
not in poor old dry America but at Harry's Bar in Paris!
I
decided an adaptation on the rye based Scofflaw was a perfect way to celebrate National
Bootleggers Day, which also happens to be the birthday of Al Capone and the birthday of the son (Meryl) of the original creator
of this famous rye whiskey, Alphonse Kerkhoff. Fortunately, today's new Templeton Rye Distillery kindly gifted me a bottle of their "good stuff" to help
in all the celebrations.
Templeton bases its rye on the original
Kerkhoff moonshine recipe from Iowa. Kind of a fun back story if you're
in need of a conversation starter but I'm an old "Mad Woman" so none of
that affects my taste buds. Flavor is what influences me and Templeton
brought it in spades. Admittedly, I'm no expert on whiskeys, but sipping
it I could taste the spices at the forefront. I thought I detected
allspice but then the fruit notes hit my palate, bringing a surprising
sweetness that scooted the spices to the back a bit. Finally the
woodiness from the oak finished up with the rye and a bite of - black
pepper?
My mind went right to pairing it with dark chocolate and
cherries so I immediately went and grabbed one of the homemade dark
chocolate and cherry truffles I'd made and finished off both the glass
of rye and the truffle (okay, TWO truffles) before happily falling
asleep.
The gift of the Templeton for
Bootleggers Day is what steered me to the Scofflaw whose original recipe
is comprised of rye, dry vermouth, some lemon juice and Grenadine with a
few dashes of orange bitters. Now, you know me, I'm always messing with
the classics and I've gone and done it again here. Because I'm a bit of
a scofflaw myself, I switched out the dry vermouth with a favorite
Amaro, Fernet Branca, changed the orange bitters to chocolate and
replaced the sticky, sweet Grenadine with some tart, dark cherries.That
chocolate cherry truffle with the rye combo really got me going, boy.
Here is my bespoke Bootleggers Day cocktail recipe based on the Scofflaw:
The
RYE RACKETEER
Cocktail
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 Oz. Templeton Rye Whiskey
1/4 Oz. Fernet Branca
5 Dark Cherries
1/2 Oz. Bordeaux Cherry Juice
3/4 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters
Ice
GARNISH: Rye Soaked Bordeaux Cherry, Lemon Twist
TOOLS: Cocktail Shaker, Muddler, Strainer
GLASS: Coupe
DIRECTIONS:
At least 8 hours ahead toss a few cherries in the rye to get them nice and hammered.
Chill the glass in the freezer.
When
you're ready to mix the cocktail, muddle the cherries with the lemon
and cherry juices in the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker
with ice, pour in the Templeton Rye and the Fernet Branca then shake
until icy cold.
Strain into the chilled coupe, tap in the chocolate
bitters, garnish with a few rye soaked cherries, the lemon twist, touch
your finger to the side of your nose and serve.
* WHERE DID THE TERM BOOTLEG & BOOTLEGGER COME FROM?
In the 1700s the “leg of a tall boot,” was called a boot-leg. This handy area was often used as a way to hide contraband. During prohibition small flasks and bottles were often hidden in much the same manner and the term became applied to those in the illegal alcohol trade.
Happy Bootleggers Day and thanks to Templeton for the inspiration!
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Updated 1-2017
Today is my birthday and I got both a lovely bottle of Hendrick's Gin
and a bottle of Champagne as gifts. Champagne is my normal celebratory
tipple but that Hendrick's raises another possibility and one that suits
this particular mile marker of my life - both of these spirits are part
of the vintage classic cocktail, the French 75. (No, I'm not going to speak aloud this particular
life marker - it's NOT 75 but the name of my birthday cocktail for this year should
give you a pretty clear clue.)
Created at Harry's New York Bar in
1915 by barman Harry MacElhone, the French 75 is made from gin, usually
a London dry, lemon juice, dry or Brut Champagne, a wee bit of sugar
and properly served in a Collins glass. It's definitely a bubbly version
of the then very popular Tom Collins. It was named after a WWI French
artillery gun, supposedly because both had a
big kick. I don't personally know about the artillery gun (oh, come on, despite my
advanced age, I was born WAY after the Great War), but I do know the
French 75 has enough booze in it to kick you right into a Flanders Field
of a hangover if you're not careful. (You young whippersnappers can Google Flanders Field for the reference.)
Harry MacElhone's version
was published under simply the "75" and used Calvados, gin, grenadine,
and absinthe while in Robert Vermeire's "Cocktails: How to Mix Them"
lemon juice was added to the mix. The currently popular recipe version showed up
in "Here’s How" in 1927, then in 1930 "The Savoy Cocktail Book" added
"French" to the name. David Embury's "The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks" has
a recipe that uses Cognac instead of gin, but, according to David Wondrich, that makes the French 75 a King's Peg and I'm not doing any king or peg thing on my birthday. Besides, I have that lovely Hendrick's Gin!
Like I always
do, I got all crotchety and defiant and went my merry, old fart way by adding some cherries (cherries are a great preventative for
arthritis) and a dash of rosemary (for memory loss) and lavender bitters
(for the aches and pains of old joints.)
TERRI'S CHERRY 65
COCKTAIL
(Serves 1 in a Collins glass, 2 in a flute)
INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Hendrick's Gin
2 Tablespoons Cherry Simple Syrup*
1/2 Oz. Lemon Juice
5 Oz. Brut champagne
3 Dashes Wigle Rosemary Lavender Bitters
GARNISH: Lemon Twist, Sprig of Rosemary and/or Bordeaux Cherry
GLASS: Collins or Flute
TOOLS: Cocktail Shaker
DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add the Hendrick's, lemon juice and cherry simple syrup and shake until chilled.
Strain into a Collins glass half-full of cracked ice or divide and serve up (without ice) into 2 flutes, top off with champagne and garnish.
* I made my own fresh homemade cherry simple syrup using this method, but you can also use the juice from the Bordeaux Cherries.
A
couple of these make for a very Happy Birthday. More than a couple make
for a very un-merry birthday or day after your birthday - that French
artillery thing kicks in. I plan on being very cautious, as someone my
age should ... ah, who am I kidding? Bring on the big guns, I only have so much time left!!
P.S. if anyone dares to nickname this cocktail The Old Fart 75, I will haunt you from beyond.
Updated 1-14-2021
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I pretty much booze up everything, from puddings, candies and cupcakes to baked beans and, yes, I even turn whipped cream alcoholic. I'm just a booze infusing fool and folks have come to expect to have a little alcoholic kick in whatever I serve them. I make no apologies, it's part of my job ... and it's fun.
If you're looking for a way to spike up your next cocktail or dessert, try this recipe:
BASIC BOOZY WHIPPED CREAM
INGREDIENTS:
1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract, optional
2 Teaspoons to 1-1/2 Tablespoons Liqueur or Liquor (amount depends on how boozy you want it.)
TOOLS: Large stainless steel bowl, hand mixer, measuring spoons
DIRECTIONS:
Make sure all your ingredients AND tools are as cold as possible. I chill my stainless steel bowl and my mixer blades in the freezer for 20 minutes before whipping my cream. This helps you not to over beat the cream into butter.
Combine all your ingredients then beat on high until soft peaks form.
Serve immediately or within 30 minutes.
Need your whipped cream to last longer?
Here's a little trick I learned in culinary school; add some bloomed gelatin to the whipped cream.
Follow the instructions above THEN:
Put a teaspoon of unflavored gelatin powder into 1/4 cup of cold water in the bottom of a small sauce pan. Allow the gelatin to absorb into the water for about 3 or 4 minutes. Heat over medium just until the gelatin dissolves then allow to cool slightly. When cool, gently fold into your whipped cream then re-whip to soft peak consistency.
This stabilized version of whipped cream not only lasts several days in the refrigerator, but is great for when you want to take a dessert or recipe with whipped cream to a party.
Try some of these boozed up whipped cream combinations:
Cointreau with a little bit of orange zest and a teaspoon of orange juice added to the recipe.
2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and some pumpkin pie spices.
Lemoncello with some lemon zest and teaspoon of lemon juice.
Chocolate liqueur and a teaspoon of dark cocoa powder.
Espresso liqueur and a teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
Spiced rum with a tablespoon of mango (or papaya, pineapple, etcetera) puree and lime zest.
P.S. This recipe works for non-alcoholic flavored whipped cream as well, just leave out the booze and add some of your favorite spices, purees, extracts and/or flavored powders.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
What were the top 10 Google searches for #cocktails in 2015?
You might be surprised, I certainly was. Here you go and don't blame me, I'm just the messenger ...
1. Sangria
2. Moscow Mule
3. Gimlet
4. Cosmopolitan
5. Long Island Iced Tea
6. Margarita
7. Mojito
8. Aviation
9. Sex on the Beach
10. Daiquiri
Nearly everything on this list surprised me except the Margarita, Mojito and Moscow Mule. The Moscow Mule, don't ask me why, was the darling of the cocktail scene throughout last year, no surprise there. Margaritas and Mojitos are respectable and always popular drinks which can be tweaked with all sorts of fruits and flavors, I'm good with these. Gimlets are classic, easy drinks but I'd have expected them to switch places with Daiquiris which deserve to be much higher on the list.
As for Cosmopolitans, I suppose they will always be on the list as long as women are watching reruns of Sex in the City. Not one of my top 10, but it's an innocuous little pink drink made with cranberry and vodka that can't be totally ruined by amateurs.
Sangria in the number one spot? Hmmmmm. Yes, this fruit infused, sweet and often bubbly punch is seeing a resurgence from it's heyday in the seventies, but number one? Do people really have that much left over wine?
And speaking of the seventies, WTH?? Long Island Iced Tea and Sex On The Beach??? Both are cocktails that should have been buried under the sand along with disco balls and leisure suits. Their high alcohol content and ability to reach "I'm young and stupid and want to get drunk and stupid fast" can be the only factor adding them to the list.
What took me by complete surprise and made me do a little happy dance was seeing the Aviation, a beautiful cocktail that can only truly be made properly with a hard to find, rarely used Crème de Violette liqueur. It's a sophisticated gin drink with subtlety and balance and a thing of beauty. This gave me back some hope for the future drinking habits of humanity.
Happy New Year and here's to a more cocktail enlightened list for 2016! Cheers, M'Dears!
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A few days ago I invited some lady friends over for an end-of-the-year holiday cocktail. When I invited them I asked them what they like to drink, like a good hostess does. The answers were bourbon, bourbon and coke and coffee. Yep, that's pretty much all they said they drink. Of course, being who I am, I wanted to do something more festive and complicated than tossing a shot of whiskey in a cola or a cup of coffee.
How creative can you get with those options and still make your guests happy? Well, I happen to know they do drink eggnog as well because they served me some last year. And I just happened to have some eggnog ice cream and a little bit of my Homemade Caramel Liqueurs tucked away so ...
The
MACCHIATO EGGNOG
COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Oz. Homemade Caramel Liqueur
(I used my Cafe Noir Courvoisier recipe here.)
1/2 Oz. Caffè Borghetti
1/2 Oz. Bourbon
1 Cup Egg Nog Ice Cream
Pinch of Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Dash of Sea Salt
Garnish: Caramel Candy (I used the same McCrea's Cafe Noir candy used in the caramel liqueur), Dusting of Nutmeg
Tools: Blender
Glass: Punch Cup, Coupe or Cocktail (Martini), Cocktail pick for caramel.
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients in your blender and mix until smooth and creamy. Pour into your punch Cup, garnish with the caramel candy and a dusting of nutmeg and serve.
I served them up with some
DRUNKEN OREO CHEESECAKE TRUFFLES:
INGREDIENTS:
1 Package of Double Stuff Oreos
8 Oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 Tbsp. Instant Espresso Powder
2 Oz. Coffee Liqueur
1/8 Tsp. Salt
1 C. Dark Chocolate Pieces
1 C. White Chocolate Pieces
Tools: Food processor or something to grind up the Oreos with, toothpicks, mixing bowl, double boiler(s) or microwave safe bowl(s), cookie sheets, parchment paper.
Garnish: Ground up cocoa nibs, sparkly cake decorations, whatever you want to decorate them with that will stick to the chocolate coating. I had some cool Wild Hibiscus Salt from WildHibiscus.com that I sprinkled on top.
DIRECTIONS:
Grind up one package of double stuff Oreo cookies, blend this with the softened cream cheese, instant espresso powder, salt and coffee liqueur.
Roll these into one and a half inch diameter balls, stick a toothpick in each one then freeze them on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 30 minutes. Most recipes for the Oreo Cheesecake Truffles say to freeze for 15 minutes, but because you have added liquor you will need to keep them in the freezer a little longer .
While the truffles chill, melt the chocolate you're going to dip them in, either in the microwave or a double boiler, until smooth and creamy.
Take your truffles out of the freezer and grab them by the toothpicks and dip them in your melted chocolate(s) until covered. Gently tap off the excess chocolate and place them on another parchment lined cookie sheet. I simply flip the parchment paper over and use the same one.
Sprinkle on some ground up cocoa nibs and/or some sparkly cake decorations and chill in the refrigerator until time to serve.
I got low on my melted dark chocolate at the end so I grabbed a bit more of the instant espresso and some dark cocoa powder and rolled the last few in the espresso then in the dark cocoa. These were my favorites, I really liked the bitterness of the coatings because they balanced a pretty sweet treat.
Sit back and accept the accolades.
Updated 6-2018
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When I first found out that National Candy Cane day was the day after Christmas I thought, "well that's kind of a day late and a dollar short." After all, by the day after Christmas I figured most people would be pretty tired of candy canes, in any form. We'd been inundated by pictures of them and pummeled with candy cane flavored everything from coffee to chocolate bark to cookies and candy since the day after Halloween. Enough with the candy canes already.
Then on second thought, I realized what better day for having Candy Cane Day? The day after Christmas was the day your mom would finally let you eat the candy canes off the Christmas tree! If you were the mom or dad, you gave yourself permission to take the candy canes off the Christmas tree and make some candy cane infused booze with the broken canes the kids didn't like. National Candy Cane day on December 26th finally made sense to me!
So kick the piles of crumpled wrapping paper under the couch until tomorrow, avoid the after Christmas sales melee, yank those candy canes off your Christmas tree and have yourself a restful day of peppermint booze and cocktails:
BOOZY CANDY CANE RECIPES
Classic Candy Cane Martini
Peppermint Patty Cocktail
The Drunk Elf on a Shelf
Chocolate Candy Cane Vodka and Martini Recipes
National Candy Cane Day is December 26th.
Updated 12-2018
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If you're looking for a beautiful white cocktail you can't find one that is more elegant than my classic White Chocolate Martini. It's a delicious and rich combination of vanilla vodka, white chocolate liqueur and cream.
For the white chocolate liqueur you can use a white crème de cacao, but I prefer the smoother Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur. The chocolate bitters I used were from Scrappy's and my vanilla vodka was Absolut.
The
WHITE CHOCOLATE
MARTINI
INGREDIENTS:
1 Oz. Vanilla Vodka
1-1/2 Oz. White Chocolate Liqueur
1 Oz. Heavy Cream
2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters
Garnish: White Cake Pearls, Finely Shaved White Chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
Dip the glass rim in some white chocolate liquor and then into the white cake pearls and shaved chocolate then chill the glass in the freezer.
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until chilled, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:
National White Chocolate Day is September 22nd
Updated 9-2021
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