Blackberry Gimlet

There is no more kidding ourselves, summer is over, fall is upon us.  But while I was walking home from the train station today the fruit stand had  blackberries on sale (granted they were from Guatemala, but hell they're still fresh berries).  So I decided to give summer one last shout out and make a Blackberry Gimlet.  I don't typically stock Rose's Lime Juice, so I mixed lime juice and powdered sugar as a substitute.  This also has the added benefit of allowing everyone to customize the drink to their personal tastes.  If you like it sweet add more sugar, if you like sour then more lime juice is for you.  So, here is a final toast to summer.

Blackberry Gimlet

• 2 oz. Gin
• 1.5 oz Lime Juice
• 2 teaspoons Powdered Sugar
• 5 - 8 fresh Blackberries

Muddle together the blackberries, sugar and lime juice in a cocktail shaker to dissolve the sugar.  Add ice and then pour gin over everything.  Shake well for 15 seconds and fine strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with a fresh blackberry.

The Clover Club Cocktail

Hey Yo,

This week's cocktail is not new, in fact it dates back to a men's club by the same name in Philadelphia from the 1880's thru 1920's.  It is however the 1st cocktail I have ever made using a raw egg white.  The egg white does not add any flavor but rather makes the drink creamy and gives it nice thick head of foam on top. I must say this drink is very tasty, with a good mixture of booziness and sweetness.  It does resemble a popular upset-stomach medicine, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this pre-Prohibition cocktail.  Also it is funny imagining a room filled with mustached men sitting around surrounded by many leather-bound books in a room smelling of deep mahogany while enjoying such a pretty pink and foamy beverage.

The Clover Club

• 2 oz. Gin
• .75 - 1 oz. Lime Juice
• 2 teaspoons Lemon-Vanilla Glaze* or .5 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 barspoon Raspberry Preserves
• 1 Egg White

Dry-shake ingredients to emulsify the egg white and create the desired foaminess, vigorously shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker without ice for 5-7 seconds.  Add ice and shake again, this time 12-15 seconds, to dilute and chill the drink.

Strain into chilled glass.

Enjoy!

* I used a Lemon-Vanilla Glaze that was left over from a batch of Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins Kim made over the weekend.  Below is a recipe for the glaze.  This will obviously make more than 2 teaspoons worth of glaze, so store in an air-tight container for future drinks or even your own batch of Muffins.

Lemon-Vanilla Glaze

• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
• 1/8 teaspoon Vanilla Paste

Stir all ingredients together until well mixed and smooth.

"Big Apple" Pie Manhattan

On the 11th anniversary of 9/11, here is a version of the old standby, the Manhattan.  Enjoy this fall inspired Big Apple Pie Manhattan in remembrance of the victims and heroes.

"Big Apple" Pie Manhattan

• 2 oz. Bourbon
• 1 1/2 oz. Apfelwein or Alcoholic Apple Cider
• 1 tsp. Honey
• Dash Bitters
• Dusting of Pumpkin Pie Spice

Add honey, apple cider and bitters in an Old Fashion glass.  Stir until the honey dissolves. Add ice and top with bourbon, stir for about 15 seconds to properly chill.  Dust the top with the pumpkin pie spice.

Never Forget.

Bier Cocktails

Living in Munich, beer is a part of everyday life.    

• You can drink it in public.  
• A half-litter glass is considered the small size.  
• They serve it in the cafeteria at work.
• It is even cheaper than bottled water or pop.

So after reading about a "new" trend in the States called Beer Cocktails, which use beer as the base for a cocktail but don't necessarily include hard liquor. New is in quotes because my college roommate from New Mexico told me about Red Beer 10 years ago.  Also because Bier Cocktails are already very popular here in Germany.  There is the Radler (which translates to Cyclists for all you bicycle riders out there) which is half Weissbier (wheat beer) and half lemonade or lemon-lime pop.  Also the Diesel which is half Helles (pale lager) and half cola. Below is my own recipe which of course includes hard liquor and one the I am sure my German friends would quickly turn their noses up at.  It is inspired by the very tasty Rosemary Gin and Tonic (which if you haven't tried yet make it immediately or rather right after you make the following drink).

Also, I am have difficulty naming this beverage so any input is appreciated.  So leave a comment!

Rosemary's Baby (Tentative)

• 1 shot Gin
• Fresh Rosemary
• 0.5L Weissbier (Wheat Beer, preferably unfiltered)
• Lime wedge

Muddle the fresh rosemary with the gin in the bottom of your beer glass of choice.  Top off with the Weissbier pouring slowly, being careful of the head formation. If using unfiltered don't forget to swirl the last bit in the bottle to get all the flavor out. Gently stir, just enough to mix.  Squeeze a lime wedge over the top and enjoy.

Jaffa Cake Old Fashion

Sup all.

During a weekend trip to the UK for the British (way to go Ernie) I had my 1st Jaffa Cake.  For those of you not familiar, it is a delicious biscuit (or cookie for all of you in the US or for tax purposes is it actually a little cake? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_Cakes) with a sponge "cake" bottom and jelly orange top all covered in chocolate.  Back at home, with chocolate-covered orange peels in the cupboard, I had the idea for this variation of the classic Old Fashion cocktail.  I didn't expect much chocolate flavor from simply muddling a chocolate covered orange peel, but it really does add enough without overwhelming the drink.

The Old Fashion is a great cocktail that I won't get into right now, because I am positive there will be several more posts about them. I would like to address the bitters.  Bitters are a great way to personalize and experiment with this cocktail by changing the quantity or type.  I always feel traditional recipes don't call for enough bitters, usually 2-3 dashes. For me more is better but be careful it is easy to over do it.

Jaffa Cake Old Fashion

• 2 Chocolate covered orange peels (1 for garnish)
• 1 sugar cube (or 2 teaspoons sugar)
• Orange bitters to taste
• 2.5 oz Bourbon

Place one chocolate covered orange peel and sugar in the bottom of an old fashion or rocks glass.  Add orange bitters and muddle until sugar dissolves.  If needed add a splash of water to help dissolve the sugar.  Add ice, I like 1 large ice cube (or sphere) but any ice works (except crushed it would melt too quickly).  Pour bourbon over ice and stir a few times.  You do not want to mix it completely but rather create layers, so that that 1st sip kicks you in the mouth with bourbon but allows it to mellow and sweeten as the ice melts and the booze to sugar ratio decreases  Place the remaining chocolate covered orange peel for garnish. (I haven't quite figured out how to keep it from sinking out of sight, yet.)  And enjoy, ending with a nice buzz and sweet finish for "dessert" including the bourbon soaked chocolate orange peel.  Delicious.

Now take a look around your bar and kitchen and start experimenting!

Prost.