If there’s one thing I hate about living in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the stretch of time from late October until late June, when the sun makes only the most occasional of appearances. I typically pack on an extra 10-15 pounds during those rainy months, party due to over-consumption of wintertime drinks like dark beer, egg nog, hot-buttered-anything and wassail. I wanted a drink for the winter that I could add to my cocktail menu that was more like the light, café-style cocktails I typically gravitate to during the summer.
Jerry Thomas prescribed a drink called “sangaree” that, to the best of our knowledge was a colonial adaptation of the Spanish “sangria”. The recipe, which calls for anywhere from 1½ to 4 ounces of port, Madeira, gin or brandy dolled up with sugar and dusted with nutmeg in a glass sounded less than exciting to me, but the challenge of updating this old chestnut sounded like a fun January task.
We began with ruby and tawny ports but found both way too sweet. White port got us much closer to our target, but it wasn’t until a healthy dose of dry vermouth was applied that we knew we were on to something. To provide additional depth and hint at the drink’s colonial origins we sweetened with a maple-nutmeg syrup and finished the whole thing off with a teaspoon of allspice liqueur and orange oil.
The Dry Vermouth Sangaree
3 oz dry vermouth
½ oz maple-nutmeg syrup*
1 tsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 large strip orange peel
Shake everything – yes, even the orange peel – with ice until well-chilled and strain into a cold cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh strip of orange peel.
*To make maple-nutmeg syrup, combine 8 ounces each of Grade B maple syrup and water, and 1 tbsp freshly-grated nutmeg. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Let cool, strain out solids, bottle and chill.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The debate rages on: Should we try to look cool and crack open the Boston shaker or be tidy professionals and use the Hawthorne strainer the way God intended? Be sure to leave your two cents in the comments section.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
It’s Mixology Monday time around here again, and this month we’re hosted by the lovely Anna at Morsels and Musings. Anna has chosen the theme of “Fruit Liqueurs” for this month’s edition.
Just to warn you before you invest too much personal (or work, heh) time, there are no fruit liqueurs used anywhere in this post.
There is a liqueur made from flowers, which eventually turn into berries. But flowers aren’t a fruit. There is wine, which I guess comes from fruit. But I boil the booze out of it and add a bunch of sugar, so it’s not really a liqueur, it’s a fruit syrup. Sorta.
But I really, really wanted to share this drink with you, because it tastes incredible and it embodies the sort of building-layers-of-flavor thing I’ve been working on lately.
When I found my first bottle of St. Germain elderflower liqueur last year, I was – like many of you – inspired by its unique flavor and wanted to use it in a cocktail. I mixed it with vodka, I mixed it with gin, I mixed it with lemon juice, and I sweetened it with simple syrup. And everything I came up with ended up being remarkably similar to this drink, which – while delicious – lacked the complexity I was looking for in a drink to put on my cocktail menu.
Enter Sweet Cheeks Winery. Their 2006 Estate Pinot Gris has something you won’t find in too many Oregon wines: big, ripe, juicy white peaches on the palate. And when I tasted it, I knew I had to find a way to work this baby into a cocktail.
East of Eden
1½ oz Bombay gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz pinot gris syrup*
½ oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
Shake ingredients over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish is necessary, as it will just get in the way of the luscious aromas rising from the glass.
*To make pinot gris syrup, simmer one bottle pinot gris (or try experimenting with other local white wines – this is one drink that can evoke a sense of place) over medium heat until reduced by half. Add 12 ounces sugar and stir until clear. Bottle and chill until ready for use.
Comments
19 Responses to “Mixology Monday: Fruit Liqueurs (Kinda)”
no fruit! that’s cheating!
but i guess i can forgive you seeing that drinking elderflower flavoured beverages is practically a national pastime in my husband’s homeland (sweden).
A pleasure to finally meet you last night, Jeffrey! That absinthe-washed French 75 was delicious, thank you so much. The absinthe was just the perfect note to transform the drink into something rare and new, and I liked it less sweet than I usually make it. Really nice.
So I waffled between that and the East of Eden — wanted to keep drinking but that’s hard to do when your companion is sticking to a single glass of white wine, alas. But now that I read the recipe, I almost regret not bulldozing ahead.
I guess this means I get to see you again soon! :)
It was great to see an elderflower recipe. A friend and I were just discussing this as it’s in some of the drinks at Range in San Francisco, and a few other hot bars there. Now, armed with your recipe, I’m excited to try it (and better yet that it uses gin, my usual favorite :)
Damn you. And here I thought I was going to go straight home from work like a good girl.
17 Apr 2008 at 4:37 pm 9. Aimee Scarlett
Nice name for a beautiful drink…How’d you know? :) Considering that’s one of my favorite books and that it uses my favorite gin, I’ll look forward to trying it next time I’m at Bel Ami.
I went to the same high school as John Steinbeck, and grew up with an elder tree in my backyard. Also, I love working with gin, so now you know where the drink really came from. I look forward to making you one soon!
18 Apr 2008 at 7:13 pm 11. Alex Frane
Man, that sounds amazing. Are you selling it at Bel Ami? Can I stop in and get one?
18 Apr 2008 at 7:27 pm 12. Aimee Scarlett
I am so insanely jealous that you went to the same high school as Steinbeck.
So on a more technical note (and maybe this should go on the Saz blog) I attempted to make a Sazerac for a young guest the other night at work and in a hurry as usual, I couldn’t get the sugar cube to dissolve and I couldn’t keep stirring it for time’s sake, which resulted in unsightly white crystals in the bottom of my cocktail. I was irritated but had to go serve food to people. I had considered using the simple syrup, but John had hidden it from me.
Anyway long story short, is there any good way to ensure the darn sugar cube disintegrates in a timely fashion without compromising the drink quality? Many times I have much less time than I’d like to craft the drink.
If you go to The Dove in New York City, (228 Thompson Street) and you order a von Hottie – it’s St’ Germain with champagne and a lemon twist. Delicious.Ask for Mara – she makes it the best.
Tried my hand at this tonight. Came out well! For various circumstances that nobody cares about, I used Plymouth Gin instead of Bombay, but it was still good. Fair bit sweeter than I imagined (although I guess should be obvious). My wife really liked it a lot as well. I used the same Sweet Cheeks Pinot Gris. I’ll be making again tomorrow (wife requested it for a party she’s going to :)
I think this drink has a sort of sweetness that happens on the mid-palate, but I find the finish to be nice and bracing. I think a lot of that comes from the St. Germain, which I find has a really complex sweet/sour profile.
Ain’t like pouring a bunch of triple sec in there, that’s for sure!
30 Nov 2008 at 8:41 pm 17. Jared
Amazing drink. I bumped the gin to 2 with Plymouth, and I might cut the lemon just a touch, but this truly is a fantastic drink. One of the best I’ve made.
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It’s Mixology Monday time around here again, and this month we’re hosted by the lovely Anna at Morsels and Musings. Anna has chosen the theme of “Fruit Liqueurs” for this month’s edition.
14 Apr 2008 at 11:33 am 1. Marleigh
I need one of these delivered to my house.
14 Apr 2008 at 6:26 pm 2. Jessica Hutchinson
That looks and sounds delicious!
15 Apr 2008 at 4:18 am 3. Anna
no fruit! that’s cheating!
but i guess i can forgive you seeing that drinking elderflower flavoured beverages is practically a national pastime in my husband’s homeland (sweden).
15 Apr 2008 at 6:59 am 4. Eugenia
A pleasure to finally meet you last night, Jeffrey! That absinthe-washed French 75 was delicious, thank you so much. The absinthe was just the perfect note to transform the drink into something rare and new, and I liked it less sweet than I usually make it. Really nice.
So I waffled between that and the East of Eden — wanted to keep drinking but that’s hard to do when your companion is sticking to a single glass of white wine, alas. But now that I read the recipe, I almost regret not bulldozing ahead.
I guess this means I get to see you again soon! :)
15 Apr 2008 at 6:05 pm 5. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, everyone. And thanks for letting me cheat a bit, Anna!
Eugenia, it was a pleasure to meet you. You’ll have to come try some more libations next time!
Jeff
15 Apr 2008 at 8:07 pm 6. canary
a cocktail with pinot gris? hmmm….
16 Apr 2008 at 9:05 pm 7. Chris Bailey
It was great to see an elderflower recipe. A friend and I were just discussing this as it’s in some of the drinks at Range in San Francisco, and a few other hot bars there. Now, armed with your recipe, I’m excited to try it (and better yet that it uses gin, my usual favorite :)
17 Apr 2008 at 3:32 pm 8. Molly
Damn you. And here I thought I was going to go straight home from work like a good girl.
17 Apr 2008 at 4:37 pm 9. Aimee Scarlett
Nice name for a beautiful drink…How’d you know? :) Considering that’s one of my favorite books and that it uses my favorite gin, I’ll look forward to trying it next time I’m at Bel Ami.
18 Apr 2008 at 1:43 am 10. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Molly
I hope you enjoyed the drink!
Aimee
I went to the same high school as John Steinbeck, and grew up with an elder tree in my backyard. Also, I love working with gin, so now you know where the drink really came from. I look forward to making you one soon!
18 Apr 2008 at 7:13 pm 11. Alex Frane
Man, that sounds amazing. Are you selling it at Bel Ami? Can I stop in and get one?
18 Apr 2008 at 7:27 pm 12. Aimee Scarlett
I am so insanely jealous that you went to the same high school as Steinbeck.
So on a more technical note (and maybe this should go on the Saz blog) I attempted to make a Sazerac for a young guest the other night at work and in a hurry as usual, I couldn’t get the sugar cube to dissolve and I couldn’t keep stirring it for time’s sake, which resulted in unsightly white crystals in the bottom of my cocktail. I was irritated but had to go serve food to people. I had considered using the simple syrup, but John had hidden it from me.
Anyway long story short, is there any good way to ensure the darn sugar cube disintegrates in a timely fashion without compromising the drink quality? Many times I have much less time than I’d like to craft the drink.
19 Apr 2008 at 9:51 am 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Aimee
Ask me again under the Sazerac post and I will tell you what’s going wrong with your sugar cube.
20 Apr 2008 at 12:07 am 14. von Hottie
If you go to The Dove in New York City, (228 Thompson Street) and you order a von Hottie – it’s St’ Germain with champagne and a lemon twist. Delicious.Ask for Mara – she makes it the best.
22 Apr 2008 at 5:41 pm 15. Chris Bailey
Tried my hand at this tonight. Came out well! For various circumstances that nobody cares about, I used Plymouth Gin instead of Bombay, but it was still good. Fair bit sweeter than I imagined (although I guess should be obvious). My wife really liked it a lot as well. I used the same Sweet Cheeks Pinot Gris. I’ll be making again tomorrow (wife requested it for a party she’s going to :)
24 Apr 2008 at 11:39 am 16. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Chris
I think this drink has a sort of sweetness that happens on the mid-palate, but I find the finish to be nice and bracing. I think a lot of that comes from the St. Germain, which I find has a really complex sweet/sour profile.
Ain’t like pouring a bunch of triple sec in there, that’s for sure!
30 Nov 2008 at 8:41 pm 17. Jared
Amazing drink. I bumped the gin to 2 with Plymouth, and I might cut the lemon just a touch, but this truly is a fantastic drink. One of the best I’ve made.
Thanks for the recipe.
01 Dec 2008 at 1:17 pm 18. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Jared – Glad you liked! I think Plymouth is a fine choice for this drink.
20 Dec 2008 at 4:14 pm 19. Evan
Forget the pinot gris… if you can get your hands on a good bottle of viognier (and reduce into syrup), the apricot plays beautifully in this mix.