Smoky Grove

PDT Interview

Personal preferences: Something new & warming
Style of drink: cocktail
Spirit of choice: whiskey, bourbon, brandy
Last drink: Siesta

Despite the fact that I've stumbled upon the tactic of letting The Partner select the tip, I thought I'd do a little reconnaissance earlier in the day. I was gonna run it past him, but ... nah.

While I was prepping, he snuck a peak over my shoulder at the Smoky Grove, "Hmmm...interesting." Still, I think it's something he'll like.

Made with a single malt scotch, this bev comes by it's name honestly. It's a mouthful of smoky peat. The charred orange twist only adds to the effect. It's not unpleasant, but it is powerful. At first one might expect it to be rough, but despite the smokiness, it's nice and smooth with notes of vanilla & orange (so The Partner detected). Just like one ought to do with a good scotch, this is a sipper, maybe one or two before dinner, no more. The rave of the night? The Partner: "This is good. I could have a couple of these. It's my kind of drink: not overly citrusy or acidic. Nice and smooth & smoky. I like it."

Validation. Date Nite can proceed.


Smoky Grove

2 oz. single malt scotch whisky
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass over ice. Serve in a chilled coupe. Garnish with a flamed orange twist.

Siesta

Last night was Kitchen Warming #2.  The guest list included friend & kitchen remodeler, T., so we needed the signature cocktail to honor him & his fine work.  Since of all the intoxicants on the planet one can imbibe he only drinks tequila our choices were limited.  Or perhaps it's better described as "focused".  Enter PDT's Siesta.  

On the page it looked decent.  The reality was something we haven't had in a while-- a cocktail worthy of the "Make it again Sam" label and unanimously positive reviews.  The Partner & I took it out for a test drive on Date Night, just to make certain it was something our guests would enjoy.  Such sacrifice....

The best way to describe the Siesta is a grapefruit margarita with depth & dimension brought by the Campari.  Think of it as the ultimate American cocktail.  Where else in the world can a Mexican, an Italian, and a Jamaican come together and make such beautiful offspring? 

How did our warming guests take to it?  Well, let's put it this way.  Of our four guests, J. & E.  don't really drink.  T. only drinks tequila, as mentioned.  And his partner, C., is orbital by the bottom of his second glass.  As I mixed one round, I'd look up to find the other couple's glasses empty.  Upon refreshing those, the ones I'd just filled were only moments away from needing refills.  No one should be surprised to hear that there were several "These go down way too easys" spoken throughout happy hour.  This is how we killed a bottle of Patrón in about an hour's time.  Good thing dinner was shrimp étouffée with andouille spoon bread.  The total fat from half a pound of butter, 3 cups of heavy cream, four eggs, and a pound of pork sausage provided an effective firewall to all that firewater!

Siesta
2 oz. tequila*
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. grapefruit juice**
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2-3/4 oz. simple syrup

Shake with ice and pour into chilled coupes.  Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

*:  On Date Nite we tested the Siesta with Patrón Silver.  For the warming we used Patrón Añejo.  The Añejo makes a much smoother cocktail.
**:  We used ruby reds and squeezed the fruit ourselves.  We then strained it to remove the pulp which, while delicious and adds healthful fiber to any cocktail, also makes them cloudy.  It's a sweet, fresh ingredient as opposed to the odd quality even the freshest "fresh squeezed" store-bought variety generally has.

Algonquin

PDT Interview
Personal preferences: Partner's choice
Style of drink: Partner's choice
Spirit of choice: Partner's choice
Last drink: killer Manhattans & Old Fashioneds

I am so into this new strategy for drink selection.  When The Partner picks it the odds of approval go way up.  This was a great Friday & Date Nite.  We both knocked off from work around 2ish.  Went to the gym.  Came home and showered up.  We sipped on C's. suggested "pre-cocktail" while The Partner made dinner.  I delivered the PDT Bible to the kitchen with instructions for him to select the evening's beverage.  It was duly returned to me with a sticky marking the desired page.  PDT says the Algonquin "was named after the historic Manhattan hotel where a number of famous writers, artists, and actors (members of the Algonquin Round Table) gathered for lunch before Prohibition went into effect."

As for me, I'm reminded of the "mean streets" of my childhood, with names like Monhegan, Pawnee, Hiawatha, Massasoit, Manito, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Shoshone, Ramapo, and of course, Algonquin.

Light and sweet with some notes of vanilla from the bourbon, this wasn't too bad.  The dry vermouth soft-pedals the sweetness of the juice & bourbon.  On the first sip The Partner, savored -- lower lip jutting out, eyes to the ceiling.  "Not bad," as he went for his second sip.  "Though I'm surprised so many of the cocktails in this book are up."  Thanks to my new selection strategy I'm now able to respond with a smirk, "Well, you selected it!"

Algonquin
2 oz. Rye
3/4  oz. dry vermouth
3/4 oz. pineapple juice

Stir with ice & strain in chilled coupes.  No garnish.

Nicole's Rosemary Refresher

PDT Interview
Personal Preferences: Something new, aperitif, to get Date Nite going before we head out to dinner
Style of Drink: Short Drink
Spirit of Choice: no preference
Last Drink: Morango Fizz

This month's Chicago Magazine's cover feature is "100 Best Bars".  We've been reading it all week.  I was excited to try my hand at one of the many featured cocktails in the article.  But wow, is green chartreuse en vogue right now!  I know in the Dilettante's house we don't like the sickeningly sweet, dessert-like bevs, but does the new trend have to be towards licorice flavors?  Yuch!  So many, while fulfilling our desires in the PDT interview, were just going to be too much licorice, too medicinally herbal.  So...

Plan B:  The Partner's dear friend and colleague -- who we humorously refer to as his wife (with a respectful nod to her actual husband) -- shared the basic recipe for this cocktail several months ago.  She had had something very similar at an event and wanted to share the idea with me with suggested tweaks from how the original was made.  My notes have been sitting in a Word doc on my desktop ever since.  I must admit to enjoying a certain positivity from The Partner lately -- putting him in charge of sipping selection, giving him a placeholder bev while I do the photo shoot.  I figured, if we mix up the wife's tipp, he can't complain too much!

After mixing it up we texted her saying it was a success and needing a name.  Between the 3 of us, we've settled on Nicole's Rosemary Refresher which consists of vodka, pineapple juice, simple syrup & fresh rosemary. Yeah, that last ingredient is a bit of a surprise.  But it works.  The piney herb adds a complimentary-if-unexpected dimension to the tropical sweetness of the pineapple juice.  But be very careful with it.  It's a powerful herb that will quickly cross a thin line and go from interesting accent to tasting like a Christmas tree.

Bright and tropical with a light sweetness & savory depth, this can easily become a regular -- especially with our large crop of fresh rosemary that we've kept alive from last summer's herb garden!   

Nicole's Rosemary Refresher
2 oz. vodka
3/4 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
fresh rosemary

Use a short sprig of rosemary with only about 6-8 needles on it to start.  Modify the amount to suit your tastes.  Muddle rosemary with a few drops each of simple syrup & vodka until it becomes aromatic.  Add ice, vodka, juice, remaining simple syrup & shake.  Strain into iced martini glasses.  No garnish.

Variation:  The Partner requested the second round be made with some lime juice to counter some sweetness.  His wish = My command ∴ I added 1/2 oz. lime juice. He like it.  I found it added a level of bitterness.   We'll continue to play with the recipe.

Morango Fizz

First use of awesome vintage Collins glasses: a Christmas gift from The Partner!

PDT Interview
Personal Preferences: A tasty tipp that everyone will like to get the evening rolling; a multiple rounder
Style of Drink: Buck, Collins, Fizz, or Long Drink
Spirit of Choice: Something out of the ordinary
Last Drink: Hotel Nacional Special


Each year we have two large parties of 50 guests or more.  A swank Winter Solstice party alternates years with a Mardi Gras bacchanal while each year we celebrate Pride.  They're fun.  We love the frenetic activity the week before.  The menu planning, the prep, the cooking, the baking, the decorating.   When the parties themselves unfold, we love having friends in our home, watching and listening to them enjoy themselves.  But when you throw a party that size you don't even get a chance to see everyone, never mind visit with anyone.  So we've decided that throughout 2013 we'd have a number of smaller, more casual dinner parties to enjoy the company of our friends as well as entertain.  In this way we could also properly warm the new kitchen.

Our first such evening was last night.  Just 4 friends to enjoy a dinner of homemade chicken pot pies, twice-baked mashed potatoes (topped with cheddar cheese & whipped cream!), and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.  The Partner made a devastating crème brûlée for dessert.  The perfect comfort meal for a kitchen warming on a windy, 20-degree Chicago night.  So I needed a cocktail to kick this evening off well.  Initially, I was looking at rather classic-sounding bevs.  But not everyone would be into brown liquors.  Then I came across the Morango Fizz.  It couldn't have been more perfect given my PDT Interview parameters.  And what it lacked in seasonality, it more than made up for in it's less-than-ordinary ingredients.  To boot, its base liquor would be a nice homage, given my friend, M., would be one of our guests for the evening!  It would bring a little warm weather sunshine into our mid-winter evening.

All agreed, this should be a feature on the roof this summer.  The Morango Fizz is bright & sparkling.  A summer sipper that goes down easier with each pull.  What's nice is that it's sweet and refreshing without being cloying.  It's pink lemonade-like hue is appealing without being pepto-y.  All-in-all, a delightful tipple that's as fun to make as it is to sip.

Morango Fizz
2 oz. strawberry-infused cachaça*
3/4 oz. lemon juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
1 egg white

Dry shake ingredients, then shake with ice and strain into chilled fizz glass.  Top with 1 oz. club soda.  No garnish.


*:  Cachaça can be hard enough to find in the traditional variety, depending on what your liquor store carries.  So don't waste time trying to find strawberry-infused.  Better to make your own.  A good infusion takes anywhere from 12-hours to 3 days.  I had about 8 hours before our guests arrived, so here's a "quick" infusion:

• Remove the stems from a pint of fresh strawberries and do a medium-fine dice.
• Put the berries in a large non-reactive bowl.  
• Pour a full bottle of cachaça over them, give a stir, and let stand at room temperature.
• Stir once or twice an hour while infusing.
• After 8-12 hours, strain fruit from the booze and decant.

I was curious as to what this concoction would yield.  Cachaça is a strong liquor.  So I was amazed to notice throughout the day how the mixture slowly transformed from its sharp, alcoholic sting to a softer, lighter berry infusion.  At this time interval, the finished effect was a pleasant balance of a softer cachaça and a light essence of strawberry.  Nothing like the current trend of heavy-handed flavoring of rums & vodkas.  And that's a good thing.

Hotel Nacional Special

Another night to go out -- this time to a friend's birthday gala.  So happy hour tonight is a warm-up.  Our friend L., of "He Shot, She Shot" fame, is joining us for a cocktail before we all head out the party.

I knew tonight I didn't want to have to deal with The Partner's puckered faces and comments about my evening's bev selection.  So I handed him my copy of PDT and said, "You're in charge of selecting tonight."  He started to protest.  "Nope.  You pick.  I mix."  Why haven't I done this before?!?  He couldn't complain about his own selection.  I think this is how it goes from now on!  You pick, I mix.  Indeed.  The Partner has a new job :-)

What's funny is how the Hotel Nacional Special became a communal tipple, in that the three of us sipped from a single coupe before moving on to other bevs.  The recipe below calls for Bacardi 8, which is  essentially dark rum that's aged 8 years.  The equivalent we have on the bar is a spectacular aged rum that The Partner's sister & brother-in-law brought us from Guatemala five years ago.  We've been savoring it a sipped shot at a time ever since, making it last as long as possible, it's just that good.  So I wasn't about to make multiples cocktails with  such a fantastic spirit.  So I made one for us to split.  If it was Sunday this could've been a kicked up Holy Communion!

I was surprised at The Partner's pick.  According to PDT, this sweet tipp was created by Will P. Taylor at the Nacional bar in Cuba and was the last manager at the Waldorf before Prohibition closed the bar.  But, as it turns out, a nice balance of sweet & sour.  I don't think this is one you could have many of before a meal, unless you like sweet things.  It wouldn't be bad as a dessert bev, as a matter of fact.  Here's to The Partner's future picks!

Hotel Nacional Special
2 oz. Bacardi 8 rum
1 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1/4 oz. apricot liqueur

Shake with ice & strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with lime wheel.

White Lady

Happy New Year!

Has there really been no post since November??  Well, we've gotten through Thanksgiving, all the holiday parties, Chicago Christmas, New Jersey Christmas, both of us down with a winter cold, and a first week back re-entry.  And while last night wasn't exactly a Date Nite, we did eek out a cocktail from PDT that we sipped while we got ready to meet friends for dinner.

Say hello to the White Lady.  A staple offering from the 1920's at the infamous Harry's New York in Paris, this looks and tastes like the old classic it is.  I thought it would be a good one for The Partner given that the ginny, juniper, citrusy qualities would be mediated by the silky sweetness of the egg white & simple syrup....  Not so much.  A little too classic for his tastes.  While I wouldn't make this a regular for us, it is an easy classic sipper when you have a few friends over and want to impress with a single round that's classy looking, classic flavors, and introduces some  variety beyond the usual bowl of vodka.  A good aperitif to wake up palates before dinner...(and subsequent rounds!).  

**A note to C:  To start 2013 off on the right foot, The Dilettante took your advice.  To keep everyone happy while The Dilettante did the mix-n-shoot, The Partner got a short Tito's & soda sipper.  You were right!  No complaints, not whining, no rushing while the drinks were mixed, staged & photographed.  You're a genius! 

White Lady
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. Cointreau
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
1 egg white

Dry shake, then shake with ice.  Serve in chilled egg coupes with no garnish.

Martinez

I find I'm not terribly inspired to write about the Martinez.  It wasn't all that pleasant, though I tried to rationalize it as an aperitif.  But neither The Partner nor I felt like finishing it.  It tasted very familiar and was not unlike the Leap Year or the Sensation.  

Below is the recipe.  But don't dwell here.  Instead, click to read a Cocktail Chat entry on bitters.  I needed to do a little research into Boker's bitters to see if I had what I needed to make substitutions.  As it turns out, reading about Boker's was much more interesting!

Martinez
1.5 oz. gin
1.5 oz. sweet vermouth
1/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Boker's bitters*

Sir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with an orange twist.

*: Read the Cocktail Chat entry linked above.  I approximated the Boker's with a dash each of orange bitters and Jamaican #1 (allspice, ginger, & black pepper).

Cocktail Chat-Bitters

Bitters today

So if you've landed here from the link in the Martinez entry, you know that this Cocktail Chat is a result of the research I had to do to find out exactly what Boker's bitters are.  In doing so, I thought I'd also post some interesting cocktail trivia about bitters in general given they're such the rage these days.  

If you've spent any time in a trendy drinking establishment lately, you know that bitters are the hipster fetish du jour.  You can see evidence of the fad in even the most bare bones liquor stores.  Not long ago, Angostura bitters would be all you found, with Peychaud or orange bitters -- if you were lucky -- in the more "withit" shops.  Now you can walk into almost any liquor store and find shelves of bitters ranging from Aztec chocolate to "Tiki" -- whatever the hell that would be.  From the sublime to the ridiculous.  Gotta love a trend.

In general, bitters are infusions of herbs, spices, roots, and fruits with alcohol. They started out in the 19th century as tinctures and marketed for their purported health benefits.  Eventually, their use migrated to the mixological arts where they became exceedingly popular in drinking culture.  The lighter ones would be mixed with soda alone and served with ice.  Stronger ones were used in accents in more complex cocktails.  Their use in a beverage was the mark of elevated cocktailing and a bartender who knew what he was doing.  But, between the FDA lowering the boom on unproven medicinal claims and Prohibition, bitters were largely wiped out until only a few years ago.  Until the recent trend, Angosturas were the only kind available.

Sidebar: I for one, can testify to the curative powers of Angostura bitters.  Once, while out with friends in a crowded happy hour bar, I got a most debilitating and frustrating case of the hiccups.  I was the stereotypical drunk, sitting on my bar stool, wracked with intermittent convulsions accompanied by that telltale chirp that could be heard over the din of the bar.  My drink would slosh out of the glass if one hit while I was holding it, they were that bad.  I wasn't even drunk, for Pete's sake!  Embarrassed and uncomfortable, I was about to leave when the bartender approached me.  He saw me getting ready to take off when he motioned for me to sit.  He leaned over the bar:  "Hiccups?"

"Yeah."

He put his palm up to me in a sign to wait a moment.  His hands disappeared below the bar, working something in the well.  A moment later he slid a cocktail napkin across the bar to me.  On it was a lemon wheel with some amber liquid soaking into the top of it.

"Eat the whole thing.  Rind and all."

I did.  And as sure as I'm sitting here, the instant that thing hit my stomach I felt my diaphragm relax.  "What was that?"  I shouted.
"Lemon & bitters.  Works every time."  Cured, I didn't have another spasm the rest of the night.  To this day it's my go-to remedy for singultus!

Bitters bottles from back in the day

Back to my research on Boker's.  As it turns out, they were produced by a company in New York.  With Prohibition, the company went belly up nearly a century ago.  Just recently a bottle was found still holding a small portion of the stuff which was characterized by notes of cardamom, cassia, and bitter orange peel.  Sounds pretty good, in fact.  With renewed interest in classic cocktails and the bitters craze, a company has reconstructed Boker's.  They are available from Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Bitters.

With all the different flavors out there, the wrong variety can significantly alter the taste of a drink.  However, the difference between a cocktail with and without them is noticeable.  As an accent, only a few drops add all kinds of dimension.  A simple comparison:  Make two Manhattans, one with and one without.  Do a side-by-side taste test.  You will see the difference and will never want a bitters-less Manhattan again!  

Leapfrog

Friday night's brief happy hour started (and ended) with the Leapfrog before heading out to our fave neighborhood Mexican joint for dinner.  What made this drink so interesting, given its ingredients, is how much it tasted like grapefruit juice-- with the slightest finish of mint.  

It's quite possible there could have been a second round of these.  The Partner did have something witty to say and commented how he looked forward to seeing his humor immortalized on the blog.  However, it was the evening before the week's grocery shopping and I used the last fresh lemon we had in the house to make the one round.  And then there were the gigundo margaritas at dinner.  So I don't remember what he said that so hilariously summarized the bev and whether or not other rounds were even desired had the necessary ingredients been on the bar .  Gotta love Date Nite :-P


Leapfrog
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. apricot liqueur
1/4 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
6 mint leaves

Muddle the mint with the syrup.  Add the rest of the ingredients and shake with ice.  Strain* into a chilled coup.  No garnish.

*:  You may want to use a fine strainer.  Small bits of mint, as you can see in the pic, will get through the standard bar strainer.  But since this has no garnish, I thought the few vivid green flecks bobbing around gave it some visual interest.

Dr. Feelgood

Tonight's cocktail results from a couple  influences.  Friday was our first Date Nite since returning from BFF, J's., quiquagenary cruise.  It was a gay cruise, so perhaps that's one reason why the boisson de choix is white.  But the real influence had to do with the fact that I made mulligatawny this week and couldn't let the rest of the coconut milk go to waste.

There's a dearth of good cocktail recipes online that make use of coconut milk.  That's where I had to go to source this drink.  So we can't lay blame a the feet of my usual sources.  No, the Dr. Feelgood was lifted from the internet (Alex's Cocktail Recipes).  That said, this looked the most palatable on paper, which isn't saying much.  There are a lot of nasty sounding cocktails online with coconut milk as an ingredient.  That is, unless your tastes are in line with current cocktail vogue and prefer thick sweetness in an up glass.

Is this unappetizing-looking?  Perhaps it's the context from which we recently debarked, but I found it challenging just to look at. On tasting, The Partner and I agreed:  it's essentially a thin pina colada.  But only a single shot of vodka up against nearly 6 oz. of fruit juice will do that. One was all we could stand.  No need to rush to try this one.  Unless you're looking for a "dietetic" bev, have some light coconut milk on hand, and can't stand the thought of putting money in Bethenny Frankel's pockets by purchasing Skinnygirl anything, then this could be a lighter choice than a real pina.

Dr. Feelgood*
3 oz. coconut milk
3 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. vodka
1/4 oz. lime juice

Shake and serve with a lime wheel as garnish.

*: Measurements were originally in ml's.  So I converted and actually used about 2-2.5 oz. of juices.

Sipping at Wood

Wood's Rusty Nail

It was a gorgeous fall day as we drove back from Michigan yesterday.  And the Wolverine State was in full fall color to boot.  Simply gorgeous.  As we drove through the city on a fine Indian summer afternoon, The Partner and I were not ready to settle in for a Sunday indoors.  So we unpacked our suitcases, loved, fed, and watered the Old Man, and walked on over to Boystown.  

We decided to try our luck at Wood, the restaurant that has replaced Fire Fly -- one of our regular haunts when we were dating.  When we got there they were in the midst of a power failure.  I said, "If you can pour a cocktail without needing electricity, we'd be glad to sit at the bar and see if the lights come back on."   With a fun esprit about there being no lights save the bright fall sun we were seated at the bar and made quick friends with our mixologist, Gustavo.  


The bar was stocked with some amazing spirits.  Looking to get a "baseline", I ordered a classic off the classic menu -- a Rusty Nail.  It was warm and herbal -- just enough to balance the smoky sweetness of the whiskey.  It was also a generous serving that sipped well through dusk.

Wood's Cherry Wood

The Partner decided to let Gustavo have his way with him. A Brazilian, Gustavo couldn't help but proffer a Cachaça-based beverage in the void of our initial indecision. In the end, The Partner capitulated and was mixed an original tipple, the Cherry Wood. A mix of Cachaça, a raspberry liqueur, and I believe I caught a whiff of Chartreuse, the cocktail was flavorful and smooth without being overly sweet. It did indeed taste like cherry wood -- in all the good ways (and I'm certain there's no irony in the name, what with the restaurant being in the heart of Boystown!)

For the locals, go park yourself in front of Gustavo and strick up some conversation. He's friendly, mixes a good drink and has fun doing both. Then order up some of the small plates. The power did come back on about 20 minutes into our visit and folks were lined up at the door in an instant. The pork belly was very good. The risotto was average. But hands-down, the best item we had -- and we had seconds of it -- is the Tarte Flambé flatbread. Rich, creamy, crunchy, chewy, caramel-y. Run, don't walk

Maple Scotch Glazed Apples

This will be the last of the cooking posts this week.  The Partner's Gram turns 90 and celebrations are planned for the weekend with family jetting and driving to Michigan from all over the country.

So while we're away celebrating Gram this weekend, I'd love to hear back from readers.  Recently, D. mentioned that he looked forward to my making him a featured bev.  I remarked that I'd hoped readers were trying things out for themselves.  So jumping in to Web 2.0, I'm putting a call out for a little interactivity.  

Your assignment: This weekend, try out a recipe or two or three from the blog.  Cocktail or cooking, doesn't matter.  Then leave comments on the post (or posts) you tried.  Leave them in Comments on the blog post so we can all participate.  Some of you have been subscribing and commenting via email, which I love.  But I'm the only one who sees those.  Then we'll all discuss.  (Once a teacher, always a teacher!  :-)

Ok, on to today's post.

---

A bit mono-chromatic, but tasty!

A decidedly fall dish, dinner last night consisted of pork chops, cabbage slaw & apples.  Tonight both the pork and the apples got the treatment.  For the pork I used the somewhat Asian flavored marinade featured in the very first Cookin' with Booze post.  Here's the card for the apples:

Maple & Scotch Glazed Apples*
2 baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 oz. scotch
1 oz. butter
fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Peel, core and slice the apples.  Toss them with the juice of half a lemon to keep them from browning.  In a medium sized sauce pan, bring the syrup to a low simmer, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the scotch.  Stir it into the syrup and place back on the heat.  Simmer until it reduces slightly.  Add the butter and stir constantly until it is completely melted and the sauce begins to thicken.  Take half a lemon and give it a gentle squeeze.  You're not going to want all the juice because you've already put some on the apples.  Just a couple drops to brighten up the flavor.  Salt and pepper to taste -- again, just to balance flavors.  Add the apples to the pan and gently stir to glaze them with the sauce.

This will keep warm over a low/simmering heat until ready to serve.

Serves 2

*: A nice variation on this would be to add a 1/4 t. of cinnamon, nutmeg, or 1/8 t. clove, or allspice to these.  I did not, however, as it would not have gone with the pork marinade or what I did with the cabbage.

Cooking with Scotch

I was inspired by a sauce I saw Jose Garces prep on Iron Chef the other night.  Thought I'd give it a whirl.  My original plan was to glaze some white acorn squash with a maple, scotch sauce. But the steak I made as the entree was marinated in EVOO, lemon, garlic, & thyme.  These flavor profiles seem to clash, the former being fall, the latter being summer.  So I improvised.  Here's the recipe.

Baked Acorn Squash with Orange Marmalade, Scotch & Fresh Thyme Glaze

1 acorn squash- seeded, peeled, & cubed

2-3 T. orange marmalade

2 1/2 oz scotch*

1 T. butter

2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed

Bake the squash at 375 in a lightly (canola) oiled cookie sheet until tender -- about 15 minutes or until tender depending on the size of the dice.

While the squash is baking, melt the marmalade in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.  When melted, remove from the flame and add the scotch.  (Remember what happened to Roz if you don't take it off the open flame before adding the booze!)  Stir until combined.  Return to the heat and add the butter.  Stir until melted and the sauce thickens and comes together.  Sprinkle thyme leave over and taste.  Add salt if needed.  You could also brighten it a bit with a half-squeeze of fresh lemon.

When the squash is done, toss it with the sauce and serve.  Deep, warm, citrus flavor with the cake-like goodness of acorn squash.  Mmm-mmm, good!


*:  We have 15 different bottles of every kind of scotch & whiskey under the sun on the bar.  Single malt, Irish, Tennessee, Kentucky....  The "youngest" bottle is probably 5 years old.  At this rate we'll be cooking with it until the crack of doom!  

Cooking with Jim Beam

Getting back to boozing and blogging the past few weekends has been fun.  It's also reminded me that we have an inordinate amount of ancient brown liquors on the bar that we'll never get rid of if we limit ourselves to cocktailing.  So we return to the kitchen with a long overdue post about Cooking with Booze!  This week's liquor for the larder: whiskey.  Well, that'll be the liquor of choice no matter what week it is since that's pretty much all we have taking up space -- various varieties of whiskey, bourbon, or scotch.  

Here in Chicago it was a foggy, rainy, fall weekend last week which was an excellent excuse to sit on the sofa (nurse a hangover from Date Nite), watch movies and putter in the kitchen.  

Not having alerted The Partner to my plan to putter in the pantry, he had already started defrosting some ground chuck and mild Italian sausage.  I decided to take advantage of the Chopped moment and go with chili.  We like our chili with tons of veggies and beans along with the meat despite the fact that some would say this is not true chili.  Oh well.  What's great about using booze in chili -- which I do often, is that it doesn't really matter what kind of chili you make, the liquor gives it an added dimension of flavor that a diner can't always put their finger on.  (Grating a generous portion of fine dark chocolate into it does the same thing, but that's a different post!)  And, I think it's less about the kind of booze you use so much as when you use it during the cooking process.

What To
In the past I've used either beer in the chili -- which isn't so rare -- or tequila -- which isn't as common.  But I don't need to cull either of those ingredients from the bar, so my eye turned to a bottle of Jim Beam that had perhaps a round and a half left in the bottle (about 6 oz).  Given our penchant of late for more top shelf bourbons, I knew this grog would never see a glass.  To the kitchen with it!

How To
If you cook you have your way to make chili, so I'll sidestep the whole recipe part for now and jump to the place where one browns the meat.  These are the first ingredients to hit the heat in my chilis and then remove them.  This leaves behind yummy caramelized bits that add flavor.  Then I throw in the veggies.  As they soften and sweat they also pull up some of the delicious bits from the bottom of the pan.  But they don't pull up all of them.  That's where Jim (or Sam or Jose) comes in.  After the veggies have softened and browned, turn off the flame and move the pan to a cold burner or counter before adding the liquor.  (This is very important.  Otherwise, the video below could happen to you.  The trick is to be as funny during a kitchen fire!)  

Once the bourbon is in the pot, give it a stir, put it back on the heat and bring to a simmer.  Continue to stir until and all the brown bits come off the bottom. This is called deglazing the pan: a fancy French term for a simple process that makes for a lot of delish!  Return the meat to the pot and continue cooking according to your particular chili custom.  

I used about 1/3-1/2 c. of bourbon because that's what I had to finish off the bottle.  I found this to be the perfect amount for flavoring the chili, but add the amount that suits your tastes.

*Note:  This particular recipe was kicked up by adding the juice of one lime before the final simmer.  It gave a fresh brightness to balance the warm oakiness of the Jim Beam.

Sidecar

Givens: Last night was Friday
              Last night was Date Nite
Statement: Food ≤ Cocktails x Fun = Post ÷ Hangover
∴ Short Post.

Happy hour: Sidecar.  Close relative of Maiden's Prayer & Between the Sheets.

Tasty aperitif.

Partner: "I think I can drink this one.  It's just the right balance of sweet and sour and acidity.  I don't think D. & S. would drink it.  But, oh well...."

Me: "They'll drink what I make 'em!"

A rave for an old classic.

Side Car

2 oz. cognac

3/4 oz. Cointreau

3/4 oz. lemon juice

1/4 oz. simple syrup

Shake with ice.  Serve in a chilled coupe half rimmed with sugar.  No garnish.

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

 Last weekend was my budd, J's. bday. A collector of cookie jars, The Partner suggested we get him one to mark his big day. Luckily, there's a cookie jar store up the block from us. No kidding.  Alas & alack, it wasn't open yet when we hoofed it up there to accomplish our mission.  So what did we do?  Walked a few doors up to browse the local liquor store, of course.  Why the liquor store is open on a Saturday morning before the cookie jar store, is beyond me.  

Besides stock items for the bar, they also had unique craft beer offerings.  Given our post-blog bourbonlicious life, we had to bring home a six of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  Tonight, while The Partner was making dinner, we cracked a couple.  There is no missing the fact that this brew is aged six weeks in decanted bourbon barrels.  Sweet, smooth, vanilla, oak, bourbon are all right up front.  Delightful to sit at the kitchen bar, chat about our days, and watch The Partner make dinner.  Very enjoyable and we both agreed that this is a one-time tipp a night.  With only one KBBA it's not a cloying or syrupy sweetness, but more than that at the start of an evening, it could be.  Keeping the KBB ale on the bar as well as the stout (which we've had out before) would be a good thing.  Great for conversation and starting the evening off in a unique and tasty way.

We did eventually make it back to get the cookie jar!

Newark

A keeper on the menu list for those with a sweeter palate.

As much as I loathe to admit it, it's October.  The summer has passed in the blink of an eye, and it feels like we barely got a chance to enjoy it.  Today is a cool, damp, cloudy day.  And while I don't want summer to end, resistance is futile.

So in an act of capitulation, I hit the PDK's seasonal recipes and found the Newark under "Fall".  We did not have the Fernet Branca.  I looked it up to see if there was a substitution I could make.  (I'm getting pretty chefly with this mixology thing!)  It's described as "a dark, syrupy alcoholic drink similar to an amaro, with a flavour that's best described as being a cross between medicine, crushed plants and bitter mud." Yum. And we don't keep Jager on the bar. So what do we have that comes close to this to add that dimensionality? I opted for a splash of Pimm's. Thinking about it again, Campari might have been a better choice. 

Still, I don't know if I'd try again with either the Campari or the Branca, assuming I could find it.  Both The Partner & I were in agreement from the first sip -- way-aay too sweet.  Oddly enough given the pear base, it had a smooth, apple quality to it.  It is the essence of fall.  Despite it not being our cup o' tea, I don't know that I would discount it out of hand.  This is a good bev to keep on hand for the guest who might be up for something new and has a palate for sweet tipples.  In that case, I think this could be a hit.

Newark

2 oz. pear brandy

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1/4 oz. Fernet Branca

1/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur

Stir with ice & serve in chilled coupes.  No garnish.  

Puttin' the "D" in "Dilettante"

Few things say, "Summer in Chicago" like the lights at Wrigley Field as viewed from the roof.

To all our friends and readers who have been asking what's happened to the blog, let me first offer regrets for not posting for so long.  Let me then softly redirect us, Gentle Reader, to the definition of dilettante and warmly suggest that the sporadic nature of this blog is embedded right in the name.  I suppose we all need to get used to the fact (myself included) that there will be dry spells from time to time, as odious as that is for a cocktail blog!

To answer the question that the Dilettante's absence has surfaced, no, we have not gone on the wagon.  Indeed, what we have done has been to make use of the blog during these oh-too-short summer months, clicking the "summer" tag early and often for rooftime and spontaneous celebrations with friends.

I'm glad to report that this summer, the initial mission of this blog has been successfully accomplished.  Looking back over the season, it's clear: our tastes have indeed been expanded.  Bourbon is decidedly the new vodka for both the Dilettante and The Partner.  And for The Partner, so is gin.  So perhaps the best way to bring back the blog is to review some of our summer faves with updates to the original entries for the season's top bevs, discuss some of our new favorite liquors, and suggest some labels.

Bookmark this page.  As the entries for the listed tipples are updated they'll become active links back to their original and updated pages.

Welcome back!

Beverage Updates  Links below will take you to the top of each page.  Scroll down to find the updates.

Caipirinha
Pimm's Cup #1
Corpse Reviver #2
Bourbon Squash
Margarita
Mojito
Moscow Mule
Mint Julep
Cuba Libre
Champagne Cocktail

Favorite Liquors  Click here for top of page.  Click individual liquors below for direct links.

Willett Bourbon
Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon
Eagle Rare Bourbon
Hendrick's Gin
Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin
Small's American Dry Gin
St. George Botanivore Gin

Favorite Liquors & Labels

Nothing is pleasant that is not spiced with variety.  

So says Sir Francis Bacon.  

As many a faithful reader, friend or family member will know, Sir Francis's sentiment has been the motivation of this blog and cocktail project.  After years of being locked in our choice troika of beer, wine, or vodka, The Dilettante and The Partner have busted our parochial palates.  For the past 18 months now we've been exploring the mixological arts via our guides, Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century and The PDT Cocktail Book.  

This summer has been a dry spell for the blog, but not for our liquid explorations.  In fact, this season has seen the realization of our mission in the most diverse terms thus far.  Looking back over the summer and examining our recreational sipping habits, we have clearly built up a repertoire of cocktails that we now confidently order or mix beyond the big three above.

Here are some of our favorite "new" liquors and the labels we've enjoyed thus far.  Bookmark this page for updates as time goes on.  You'll also be able to find links back here from the entry, "Puttin' the 'D' in 'Dilettante'".  Those links will bring you to the top of this page.  Scroll down to see the updates.

Here's to building palates as well as bar shelves!

---

Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon

What a great bottle.

There's no better place to start than at the top of the list.  Willett has become our absolute favorite bourbon.  The Partner would have it in any bourbon bev.  I, however, reserve it for either sipping straight or cocktails with few ingredients so it can be appreciated for the jewel it is.

To date we have not found a smoother, more balanced bourbon.  Vanilla and caramel play of nice wood notes that are almost piney.  Wonderful and warm.

Willett has also become a great gift for the two main bourbon connoisseurs in my life -- my sister and my father.  Knowing our love of it, it's also been gifted to us by our friends, M. & B.  Recently, we've turned our friends S. & D. onto it -- self-avowed non-bourbon drinkers. 

If you're intrigued, purchase this genie bottle when you see it.  It's seasonal and batch-distilled.  When it's gone for the season, it's gone and not easy to find.  You'll know a quality bar when they have this on the top shelf.

Woodford Reserve Distillers Select
If Willett is our measuring stick, then Woodford Reserve is about half a shelf down from Willett.  We liked it better than the Rare Eagle, which honestly, I thought was clearly not Willett, but still good.  That is until we had the Woodford which has much more body and character.  Another limited-batch spirit, it's a bourbon I feel good using to create a high end cocktail without using an over-qualified spirit like Willett.  That said, it's nearly as expensive as Willett.  But still, somehow you don't feel as bad combining it with other mixers and accents.  Woodford elevates them rather than the other ingredients bringing the bourbon down.

Woodford is characterized by a nice tanginess.  It is strong.  Imagine a peppered toffee.  Smokey.  Spicy.  It makes a nice Manhattan and holds up very well to the citrus in a Bourbon Squash.


Eagle Rare Bourbon
One Saturday afternoon, while on a Binny's run, I decided to grab a couple other liquors that I'd either heard of or were on the Binny's recommended list.  ERB was the latter.  Initially, I found it to be a suitable mixing bourbon when I didn't want to use Willett.  It had a complexity and warmth I found lacking in more commercial bourbons.  But right off the bat, The Partner detected the difference:  "Is this Willett?"  You can practically see the pinched face and scrunched nose as if a baby in a bad diaper just walked by.  And I have to admit, that in a side-by-side comparison, it does not hold up even to the Woodford Reserve, never mind Willett.  In that company the Eagle Rare is thin and watery, relatively flavorless.  When I have a choice, I'll be going with the Woodford.  But in a pinch, the Eagle Rare will do.

St. George Botanivore Gin

The name alone is enough to get this English teacher to purchase it.  What a great word, botanivore!  "Botanical eater"! The marketing person who came up with that one sure earned their keep on that day!  Going beyond just marketing, it's an apt name for this gin.  As many a reader will recall, the Dilettante doesn't enjoy naked gin.  However, this is one was purchased due to its prevalent use in the PDT bible.  Even from this anti-ginite, SGBG is to be appreciated.  Cocktails that allow gin to shine will benefit greatly from this spirit.  It is herby, green, floral, with whispers of juniper, citrus, maybe even some coriander.  From here on it will be the gin of choice on the Dilettante's bar.  Nineteen different botanicals means it will play nicely with all kinds of mixers and accents.