The WHITE LADY, A Prohibition Era Gin Cocktail

Today is Repeal Day, a true drinking holiday created by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, to celebrate the end of Prohibition. That got me thinking about classic Prohibition era cocktails and none is more classic than a White Lady.
The White Lady is a sour cocktail first created either by Harry MacElhone at Harry's Bar in Paris in 1929 or by Harry Craddock of the American Bar at the Savoy, who published his recipe in the 1930 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book. Frankly, I don't really care who created it, I just like this vintage cocktail and have to have one every so often.
Neither of the two original recipes included egg white but most modern versions do and I believe the egg really improves the quality of this drink. I'm also a huge fan of the visual of foams on top of my cocktails so that's a plus on the egg side as well. The simple syrup was also not part of those recipes but, for my palate, it balances out the citrus and I always add the sweetness.
Celebrate with us all today and enjoy one.

The WHITE LADY
INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 Oz. London Dry Gin 3/4 Oz Triple Sec 3/4 Oz. Lemon Juice 1 Tsp. Simple Syrup* 1 Tbsp. Pasteurized Egg White Ice
Garnish: Lemon Twist
Tools: Cocktail shaker, Jigger, Coupe glass
Glass: Coupe
DIRECTIONS: Dry shake all the ingredients (shake without ice) in your cocktail shaker for at least one minute. Add ice then shake until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe. Express the lemon twist over the top then add it to the lip of the glass.
* If you want to play with this a bit try a flavored simple syrup or change out the lemon juice for orange or grapefruit juice. I've done variations with orange juice and tarragon simple syrup, grapefruit juice and lavender simple syrup and lime with cilantro simple syrup.
More Prohibition Cocktails here.
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PRICKLEY PEAR (CACTUS) DAIQUIRI COCKTAIL RECIPE

It has been unseasonably warm here in Tucson this holiday season, I'm talking 90 plus temperatures right through the end of November.  When I had a few friends over the other evening it was warm enough to sit outside until the wee hours without jackets.  That meant I wasn't going to be serving any traditional holiday cocktails, not by a long shot.   On top of that, one of my guests was from out of town and I wanted to serve up a little bit of Arizona in a glass for him.  That meant bringing out my Prickly Pear syrup again, but this time I wanted something I could batch up for several guests so I could enjoy my company.   Daiquiris are an easy cocktail to mix by the batch.  All you need to do is multiply your recipe for the number of cocktails you need, throw that into a baggie, give it a good shake then freeze early in the morning and by happy hour all you'll need to do is pull out your "bag o' daiquiris", toss it back in the blender and pulse until nice and smooth. (Because of the level of alcohol your "frozen" bag of daiquiris will be slushy instead of a frozen block so no need to defrost or worry about killing your blender.) One added advantage of pre-freezing is you get a finer ice crystal and, thus, a much smoother frozen cocktail from the double blending.   I just multiplied my ounces below by cups and I had one blender full.  I did this for 3 bags, just in case we decided we needed more daiquiris while we played Cards Against Humanity.  The great thing about making extra is that it keeps, for several weeks in the freezer, if you don't drink it that same day.  

  The Frozen PRICKLY PEAR DAIQUIRI (Multiply times the number of drinks required)   INGREDIENTS 2 Ounces White Rum (I used Bacardi Silver) 1/2 Ounce Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice 1/4 Ounce Prickly Pear Syrup 4 Ice Cubes (or 1/2 cup of water if pre-freezing)     Garnish: Small cube of cactus candy and/or lime twist   Tools: Blender (plus baggies if batching)    Glass: Coupe   DIRECTIONS Throw all the ingredients into a blender and pulse blend until smooth. Pour into chilled coupes, garnish and serve. (If pre-freezing just pour into a baggie and freeze.)   Bailey was, of course, part of the party. He won't have it any other way.  

  This little bag of frozen cocktails is a trick I started using decades ago when I went off in my motor home for a weekend art show and didn't want to drag along a blender.  I would prepare frozen cocktails ahead of time in small freezer bags and toss them in my RV fridge. When it was happy hour I would take them out, smoosh them a bit with my hands and, voila, I had an instant frozen colada, margarita or whatever ready to drink whenever needed.   If you like this Prickly Pear cocktail try my: PRICKLY PEAR MARTINI PRICKLY PEAR CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL PRICKLY PEAR OLD FASHIONED LOADED CACTUS SLIDERITAS   Updated 7-2018  PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY   

Hot or Cold APPLE PIE COCKTAIL

Most folks love apple pie. Many folks love cocktails. I love both. You know where I'm going with this, right?  Here's a little bit of hot apple pie in a glass. With rum. You're welcome.
Oh, and don't freak out at the use of  Dale DeGroff's Pimento Bitters, they are basically an allspice bitters. The allspice berry is a berry from the pimento tree which has an earthy clove, nutmeg and cinnamon flavor. (If you happen to have St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram you can use that instead.)
You can serve this cold or hot.
The APPLE PIE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 1 Oz. Dark Rum 1 Tsp. Cinnamon Liqueur 3 Oz. Apple Cider 1/2 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice 2 Dashes Dale DeGroff's Pimento Bitters
Garnish: Dried Apple Slice, Cinnamon Stick
Tools: Cocktail Shaker (if making cold)
Glass: Cocktail (cold) or Glass Mug (hot)
DIRECTIONS
Hot: Heat the cider. Add all the other ingredients to a mug, pour in the heated cider, stir, garnish and serve.
Cold: Shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain over ice into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

December 3rd is National Apple Pie Day.
Updated 12-2021
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EGGNOG COCKTAILS

It's that time of year again when eggnog comes knocking on our doors and I, for one, think it is not drinkable without some booze in it.  Eggnog without alcohol is just too sweet, too thick and no fun. So below I have a few of my favorite ways to make this holiday tradition truly drinkable and way more fun.

EGGNOG COCKTAILS   CHOCOLATE BOURBON EGGNOG  EGGNOG MARTINI MACCHIATO EGGNOG PUMPKIN EGGNOG MARTINI WHITE CHRISMTAS MARTINI    December is National Eggnog Month, December 24th is National Eggnog Day.
Updated 12-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

GINGER BOURBON SNAP COCKTAIL

It's the holidays and, yes, I went and visited Gingersnap Cocktails again, only this time with bourbon and coffee. Why? Because I was eating one of my favorite gingersnaps one morning and happened to dip it in my coffee. I discovered gingersnaps are way better dipped in creamy coffee than they are in milk.
I figured creamy coffee with booze would be even better. I was right. Yes I dipped that little gingersnap man in my cocktail and sent him to gingersnap man heaven. Then followed him by finishing the cocktail.

The GINGER BOURBON SNAP Cocktail
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Knob Creek Bourbon 1 Oz. Homemade Gingerbread Liqueur 1/2 Oz. Coffee Liqueur (My goto coffee liqueur is Café Borghetti) 1 Oz. Half & Half
Garnish: Whipped Cream, Gingerbread Man
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Cocktail or Coupe
DIRECTIONS Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with  ice. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish and serve.
Bailey was outside watching the quails and missed the whole thing. That's what saved my whipped cream topping.

Looks nice with my Make Some Magic Today Necklace from CocktailsAndJewelry.Com.

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CRANAPPLE PUNCH - A Cranberry Apple Rum Cocktail

This cocktail is the result of using what you have available and not wanting to get complicated. I wanted a cool drink because, despite the fact it is Thanksgiving weekend, it is 89 degrees here in Tucson. For most people that's summer, for me it's summer enough to want a refreshing drink even though I still have a Thanksgiving turkey carcass in my refrigerator.
I peeked into the fridge, past the turkey, saw some apple juice and spied the nefarious leftover jellied cranberry and thought, why not?

The Not Christmas Here Yet CRANAPPLE PUNCH
INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 Oz. Dark Rum 1-1/2 Oz. Apple Juice 2 Tablespoons Leftover Jellied Cranberry Sauce 2 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Garnish: Dried Apple Slice, Rum Soaked Dried Cranberries
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Low Ball or Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS Chill your glass in the freezer. Nuke the cranberry jelly just long enough for it to liquefy. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, add the rum, the apple juice and the liquefied cranberry sauce then shake until well chilled. Strain over a large ice cube into your chilled glass, add the bitters on top then garnish and serve.
Bailey approved.

If it was cold I would heat this, add some mulling spices and serve it in a nice mug in front of the fire. Sadly, the only fire we have right now is the last blasting rays of a beautiful desert sunset. I can't complain, at least I'm not shoveling snow off a driveway.

Updated 12-2018

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PRICKLY PEAR ( Cactus Pear) CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

I have been promising my friends and followers for YEARS I was going to start a line of handmade cocktail picks. I have made them for many years for myself and my cocktails and, when people kept asking me if I sold them or if I would make some for them, I threatened to start my own line of what I referred to as my "cocktail jewelry".

Yesterday I finally got the first ones up for sale. I thought that deserved a little celebration so I popped open a bottle of bubbly.
Of course there's one of them in my drink!

The PRICKLY PEAR CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 1 Split of Champagne or Prosecco 1 Tsp. Prickly Pear Syrup 2 Dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Garnish: Prickly Pear (Cactus)Candy, Lemon Twist
Glass: Champagne Flute
DIRECTIONS Chill a Champagne flute in the freezer for a minimum of half an hour. Pop the cork on the bubbly.  Add the Prickly Pear Syrup to the glass. Gently float the Champagne on top. Add 2 Dashes of the bitters. Garnish and serve. Guests may stir in the syrup as they desire.
Now settle in with your cocktail and go buy some of my fun Jewelry for Cocktails!

You might also enjoy my

Prickly Pear Martini

Prickly Pear Old Fashioned

Loaded Cactus Pear Sliderita

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