Falernum (Rick of Kaiser Penguin)

8oz High Proof Rum (Wray and Nephew Overproof)
50 Cloves
1 Tbsp Whole Allspice
1 Nutmeg
8 Limes, zested
1/2 cups Julienned Ginger
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
10 Drops Almond Extract

1) Toast the cloves, allspice and nutmeg until they're fragrant
2) Combine the spices, rum, ginger, and lime zest
3) Cover and let steep for 24 hours
4) Warm sugar and water and stir until dissolved
5) Add almond extract
6) Strain spice mixture and add syrup

Now, I have to admit that for mine I didn’t toast the spices.  Not because I don’t think it’s a good plan, I simply noticed that I was supposed to toast them once they were already submerged in overproof rum.  Seemed like a bad time to introduce heat.  Next time I’ll definitely be toasting them.

So, what’s the verdict on this recipe?  I like it, but I don’t have a lot to compare it to at this point.  It’s spicy and tastes very tropical.  I’m definitely going to have to mix up some Tiki drinks to make full use of this new ingredient.  Once I’ve played around with some other drinks I’ll be ready to construct my own recipe.

If you’re interested in other recipes here are links to a few that I found in my poking around.

• Kaiser Penguin
• The Pegu Blog
• Cocktail Chronicles
• Cocktail Nerd
• Jeffrey Morgenthaler
• Cocktails Old Fashioned (Going to want to translate this one)
• Rum Dood
• Trader Tiki
• Art of Drink

Corn N' Oil (Cocktail Chronicles)

2 oz Black Strap Rum
1/4-1/2 oz Falernum
1/4 Lime

1) Build the drink in a highball glass with ice

The orange flavor of the triple sec does shine through nicely and I would definitely suggest you use whatever triple sec you mix with most.  Cointreau, while fantastic, simply gets lost in this drink.  I used the Hiram Walker triple sec that I discussed a while back and found the results to be very good.

Let’s talk bourbon for a second.  As with most cocktails, I went with a rye heavy bourbon, Bulleit in this case, because that’s what I generally prefer.  In truth I think you could use any bourbon you like and still have good results.  Though, like the triple sec, you’re using a comparatively small amount so don’t waste your top shelf stuff.  That said don’t use rot gut either.  Don’t want to destroy an otherwise good cocktail.

Finally let’s talk champagne.  If I can be perfectly honest were you mixing this drink for me I’d prefer you simply give me a nice full glass of champagne and we can call it good.  I love me some good champagne.  Okay, I like even non-good champagne, but I digress.  To shake things up a bit (pun intended) I tried Mazzer’s suggestion and dropped the champagne to 1 oz for one of my drinks and found the bitters to be much too strong.  If you’re going to go this route, which amounts to basically an Old Fashioned with triple sec for sweetener, I’d say try two dashes of each bitters and you should be solid.  All told, I still prefer the drink with champagne.  In fact, I like more champagne that Gary Regan suggests.  Now, granted, this could and certainly probably is a result of my love of champagne, but we’ll ignore that for a moment.

So, in quick summary, the Seelbach Cocktail is good, but not amazing.  I’d drink it without complaint, but I’d take a simple glass of champagne first.  My preferred recipe is from Vintage Cocktail and Spirits.  Sip and enjoy my friends.

Seelbach Cocktail (Vintage Cocktails and Spirits)

1 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Triple Sec
7 Dashes Angostura Bitters
7 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters
5 oz Champagne

1) Build in the order given in a champagne flute
2) Garnish with an orange twist

Seelbach Cocktail (Joy of Mixology)

3/4 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Triple Sec
7 Dashes Angostura Bitters
7 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters
4 oz Chilled Brut Champagne
Orange Twist

1) Build in the order given in a champagne flute
2) Garnish with an orange twist

On that note picking the right gin needs to be your first priority.  With so many other bold flavors a light gin doesn’t hold up.  I opted for Tanqueray and found its bold juniper flavor to be a great complement.  You certainly want something with a juniper forward flavor.  A citrus flavor would be lost completely to the orange juice and bitters.

The other ingredients are, of course, quite important and I suggest you go with whatever vermouths you like best and good fresh squeezed orange juice.  That leaves the Grand Marnier, which if you making the straight version is exactly what you should use.  However, there is another option, orange curacao for the curled variation.  I tried both and quite frankly I can’t tell the difference.  I think this is due in part to the small quantity used in the drink.  But more to the point, Grand Marnier is simply a top shelf curacao in the same manner that Cointreau is a top shelf triple sec.  So, assuming you’ve got decent curacao the difference between the two options should be negligible.

As for recipe ratios I found Gary Regan’s to be great.  More than that almost all the other recipes I found were nearly identical save for the size.  And size is the only tweak I recommend you make.  With Gary’s original cocktail you only end up with about 2.75 oz of a fairly low strength cocktail.  I suggest you double it.

Satan's Whiskers (Cocktail Hacker)

1 oz Gin
1 oz Dry Vermouth
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1 tsp Orange Bitters (~4-5 Dashes)

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Finally, as with some previous cocktails this one works very well with a float of 2-3 oz of Champagne or other sparkling wine.  It gives the drink a nice effervescence and works with the other flavors nicely.  I hope you’ve all had a great Halloween week and that great cocktails were part of the festivities.

Satan's Whiskers (Joy of Mixology)

1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Grand Marnier
Orange Bitters to Taste

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Thrilled with the possibilities I mixed up a Bloody Mary following Gary Regan’s general recipe and including all the “to taste” optional add ons.  I took a couple excited sips and promptly poured out the remaining 3/4 of the drink.  I really didn’t like it.  Disheartened a bit but knowing there must be a solution I looked to your comments for some direction.  Following Drink Snob’s wise suggestion I mixed up a Red Snapper and was fairly pleased.  But this only added to my confusion.  How could it be that I liked the Red Snapper but not the Bloody Mary?  They were nearly identical.

Then it hit me.  The horseradish.  That was really the only add on in the Bloody Mary that wasn’t in the Red Snapper that I felt would add a strong enough flavor to change the dynamic of the cocktail markedly.  Problem is, I like horseradish.  You break out the prime rib you best have lots ready.  But in this drink, even though I only used about 1/2 tsp, it was throwing off the flavor enough that I no longer liked the drink.  Feeling that I was at a turning point I mixed up another minus the horseradish and the results were much more favorable.

This was truly a drink I could enjoy, sort of.  My step dad summed it up perfectly for me.  Usually when I have a new drink he and my mom are keen to give it a try.  When I offered to bring over Bloody Marys this week the response was, “Nah.  Thanks though.”  I asked him why and his response rang true.  “I like Bloody Marys, but usually only one and only when there aren’t other options.”  Those comments echo my feelings exactly.  Were I at someone’s home for brunch and they were serving Bloody Marys I’d probably have one.  However, if I’m at a restaurant and there are other brunch cocktail options say a Mimosa or a Screwdriver I’m going to reach for those every time.

If you’re interested in what values I like for the “to taste” ingredients here’s my preferred recipe:

Bloody Mary (Cocktail Hacker)

2 oz Vodka
4 oz Tomato Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 Dashes Hot Sauce
Heavy Pinch of Kosher Salt
2 Grinds of Black Pepper
Lemon Wedge for Garnish
Celery Stalk for Garnish

1) Combine ingredients in shaker with ice
2) Shake until well chilled
3) Strain into an ice filled Collins glass
4) Garnish with lemon and celery

Mark’s eyes immediately lit up and he began telling me about a new business he was starting.  At that point Mark transformed into his alter ego Danger Chef as he told me all about a line of cocktail rimming salts that he’s producing that combine chile flavors and other natural flavors directly with the salt.  Being a huge chile head I was intrigued.  He then pulled a small sample from his bag and we had a taste.  Mark uses a unique process in creating his salts that allows him to actually coat the salt crystals with the flavor.  While this may not seem all that interesting from my experience attempting to rim with a combo of salt and cayenne pepper I can tell you it’s actually really impressive.

So, following that initial sample we chatted for some more and Mark promised to ship me some samples to review.  I’ve been hoarding those samples for a while now waiting for an appropriate cocktail to feature them with.  I had three salts to sample.  Two Margarita salts – Habanero Pineapple and Jalapeno Lime and one Bloody Mary Salt – Smoked Cayenne.  Seems only appropriate that I should let you all know about these salts during the week I’m experimenting with the Bloody Mary.  The verdict?  Awesome.

Habanero Pineapple: Solo – Quite spicy but still very well balanced with a hint of the pineapple fruitiness coming through.  With a Margarita – I absolutely love this flavor combination.  Adding chile bitters to a margarita is one of my favorite twists and these salts offer nearly the same experience.  This salt blend is definitely the hottest of the three I reviewed but also my favorite.

Jalapeno Lime: Solo – Very mild spiciness with the lime flavor present as well.  With a Margarita – This is the mildest of the three heat wise but still a great option for adding a touch of spice and some extra flavor to your cocktails.  This should be the choice if you’re wanting to try adding spice to your cocktails but aren’t a dyed in the wool chile heads like myself.

Smoked Cayenne: Solo – Awesome smokey flavor from the alder wood smoked salt with a great heat level.  With a Bloody Mary – I found that the smokiness really went fantastically well with the flavors of the Bloody Mary.  To make it balance nicely drop your usual levels of salt and hot sauce in your Bloody Mary.  The salt on the rim will fill in.  I think this salt could also go really well in a cocktail with a smokey mezcal.  Sadly I haven’t gotten to give that option a try yet.

Overall, I’m really impressed with these salts.  For a little under $6 each you really can’t go wrong and they’ll add a nice new level of flavor to your cocktails.  You can pick them up at Mark’s site, DangerChef.com.  Thanks for the samples Mark!

Red Snapper (Joy of Mixology)

1 1/2 oz Vodka
1 1/2 oz Tomato Juice
2 Dashes Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Cayenne Pepper to Taste

1) Combine ingredients over ice
2) Shake until well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

I liked this drink for the most part.  It’s by no means my favorite and I can assure you I won’t be ordering it over something like an Aviation.  But, it’s pretty good.  Definitely an ancestor of the Bloody Mary, for the most part the flavor profiles are the same.  With the obvious note that the Red Snapper is a much stronger cocktail.  More thoughts on the two when I wrap up the Bloody Mary later in the week.

Queue college and my coming of drinking age.  My friends and family really liked Bloody Marys so naturally I tried them from time to time.  I never really liked them though.  Those experiences ended with me stopping my sampling completely.  Thinking back it’s been at least five years since I tried my last Bloody Mary and I think it’s about time I got to the bottom of things.  Problem is Bloody Marys are very much like Margaritas in that everyone who makes them has a different favorite recipe.  Let’s start with a look at The Joy of Mixology recipe.

Bloody Mary (Joy of Mixology)

2 oz Vodka
4 oz Tomato Juice
Lemon Juice to Taste
Black Pepper to Taste
Salt or Celery Salt to Taste
Horseradish to Taste
Worcestershire Sauce to Taste
Hot Sauce to Taste
Lemon Wedge for Garnish
Celery Stick for Garnish

1) Combine ingredients in an ice filled shaker
2) Shake and strain into an ice filled Collins glass
3) Garnish

Now you see where I’m running into a bit of a problem.  There are six ingredients in that recipe that are listed as “to Taste”.  That introduces a near infinite amount of variability.  So, I’m calling out to all of you.  I need your help in finding recipes that are solid starting points.  If you’ve got any tips shoot them my way!