Plymouth gin is a good choice for the substitution, but we used locally distilled Aviation from House Spirits which has a similar flavor profile. St-Germain liqueur is made from elderflowers and it mixes so wonderfully with fresh grapefruit juice. The acid gets a boost with a little lime juice brought into balance with the simple syrup.

The bitters is tricky because, according to Maloney, he uses his own house grapefruit bitters at the Violet Hour and commercial bitters are not quite the same. You can make grapefruit bitters yourself, but he suggests obtaining the potent citrus kick by using a big fat twist of grapefruit peel to express as much of the oil as possible. We followed his advice and then dropped the peel into the shaker—what a difference that makes!

Part & Parcel by Toby Maloney
2 oz gin (or vodka if you must)
.75 oz St-Germain
.75 oz grapefruit juice
.25 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup
5 drops grapefruit bitters

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Over the years, we have tasted several of these with vodka and it's a fine drink. It really is, especially if you love the flavor of St-Germain but dislike the sweeter tendency of drinks that use it. Here, the sugar is completely under control—but it's the gin version of this drink that really shines. Even if you don't like gin, this cocktail may change your mind. The citrus-forward botanicals of a variety like Plymouth combine with the other ingredients in some kind of chemical reaction that we can't begin to understand. We do know that the the effect is completely missing with vodka, but with gin, there's definitely something interesting going on in the way it boosts the other flavors. No, you don't taste juniper, but everything else in the drink is more floral and enhanced. Also, shaking the grapefruit peel releases enough oil to induce a tingling sensation on the tongue that we haven't felt since our last Whiskey Smash. Even on a rainy day, this is one helluva great drink!

Sea of Cortez
1.5 oz blanco tequila
1 oz lime juice
.75 oz creme de cassis
.25 oz Cointreau

Add ingredients to a shaker. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

The garnish for this drink is a lime wheel. You need to think about that before you juice your lime. Slice it in half across its equator as straight as possible. Keeping the lime halves together, make another cut parallel to the first. Done properly, you should have a nice wheel from the center of the fruit and the remaining halves can be squeezed for the juice.

Depending on how thin you cut your wheel, you may be able to float it on the surface which can look very nice, or you can make a slit from the center to the edge and slip it over the rim. We chose to put ours on the rim, like a shark's fin helping to guide the glass to our lips.

If you already like a good Margarita, this is a nice alternative. It's easier to make than our favorite Margarita recipe and tastes even better. Here, a quality creme de cassis adds an extra dimension that you just don't have in a Margarita, providing additional flavors to mingle with the base spirit. As we have mentioned before, you should be using quality liqueurs. Spending a little extra will make all the difference in your cocktails. In contrast, we chose a more economical tequila. We used Lunazul which is both delicious and easy on the pocketbook—a winning combination for mixed drinks, and it's 100% agave. Sure, a top shelf tequila might raise the bar some, but smoother taste and refined nuances are not always better in a drink like this. A toothier base spirit is going to contribute more to the drink than one that disappears behind the lime and liqueurs. So, don't assume you can't use what you already have. We'll save the fancy stuff for sipping so we can afford to make these over and over!

La Yapa is a wonderful whiskey cocktail based on a sour formula with a complex flavor profile. It was created by Jamal Hassan during his tenure at Whey Bar, boozy companion to Portland's Ox restaurant. Ox cuisine is Argentinian inspired, so it stands to reason that the cocktail program would have similar influences. More than one cocktail on the menu contains Fernet-Branca, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

This cocktail appears to be named for a Spanish word used in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina that means a little something extra. It's a reference to a friendly tradition followed by tradesmen exchanging goods during a time before supermarkets and convenience stores. Like a baker's dozen, an extra item or additional quantity was customarily given for good measure. A farmer might add an additional tomato to buyer's bag, like the baker who adds a thirteenth bagel to a dozen. La Yapa is a bonus, above and beyond the expectation. In this regard, the drink is aptly named, having bold flavors that make it more than your typical whiskey sour.

La Yapa by Jamal Hassan
1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz Fernet Branca
.5 oz falernum
.5 oz grenadine
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice cubes. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with an orange twist.

It calls for rye whiskey. This is a good example that illustrates rye's virtue in a mixed drink. The extra kick of spicy flavor helps it stand up to all of the other items competing for your attention. A smooth bourbon could get lost among these other influences. That's not to say you shouldn't experiment, just that the recipe specifies rye for good reason.

The combination of whiskey and lemon juice is familiar and delicious, especially when balanced with an appropriate amount of sugar. We love that the full ounce of juice in this drink remains tart even with the addition of grenadine and falernum. We used our own homemade grenadine and suggest you do the same. We also used our own falernum which introduces a bit of a wildcard. If you have a bottle of John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, that's probably more authentic, but our homemade stuff has fantastic flavor. Your mileage may vary, but we could easily identify the cloves and ginger through the sour lemon, while the grenadine stayed somewhat behind everything else.

It wouldn't be Argentinian without Fernet-Branca, even though Fernet comes from Italy. Argentinians supposedly consume more Fernet than anyone, so this is an important ingredient that ties it all together. Indeed, this bitter amaro brings even more herbal character to the glass and oddly doesn't seem to make it any sweeter. The bitter effect is definitely present as is a subtle menthol overtone which sounds stranger than it tastes. These additions are secondary to the fact that this is still a whiskey sour, but if you are looking for another cocktail that uses Fernet-Branca, this is a good one. Overall, La Yapa is a winner that works as well as a Julep or a Margarita any day!

Etched Wine Glass

When we first decided to share our glassware collection with readers, we opened the doors of possibility, offering unique and inexpensive vintage and antique stemware to everyone. It was our hope that customers would be able enjoy their favorite recipes using glassware exactly like the cocktails pictured here on Summit Sips. We are pleased to report that many items from our collection have found new homes far and wide.

Whenever glassware leaves our shelves, it makes room for new items, like the wonderful set of etched wine glasses pictured here. We imagine using these glasses for everything from wine, water and champagne or for drinks like the Seelbach or the Oliveto. Actually, any recipe would work nicely in these gorgeous stems. To help folks find new items, we created a category called Latest Arrivals where we feature the newest additions to the store.

If you purchased a set or or even a single stem from the Summit Sips Store, we'd like to hear from you. Send us a message so we can exchange a picture of your glass being used to feature it in an upcoming Spotlight article. Thank you for reading and for choosing Summit Sips as your source for unique cocktail glassware.

In our opinion—no, scratch that—this is just an indisputable fact: There's no better compendium of Tiki cocktails than Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Remixed. So, when we feel like exploring drinks that remind us of the tropics, we look no further. Facing so many choices and a variety of unusual ingredients, we decided to search for a recipe that was fast and easy and didn't require us to buy something new. We settled on the Oahu Gin Sling for it's simplicity.

Historically, a sling predates the classic cocktail and stems from a period before drinks contained bitters. At that time, they also would not have had citrus, except as a garnish, amounting to little more than sweetened spirits. While modern versions with their added fruit juices and seltzer may not adhere to historic definitions, the fact remains that naming conventions are far less important than the flavors in the glass, and it wouldn't be the first time a sling fell into the Tiki category.

The Oahu Gin Sling was created in 1970 by Playboy Magazine food and drink editor Thomas Mario. Despite being called a modern sling, it's really not pretending to be more than it is. With these ingredients, it certainly cannot claim deep and exotic character. Instead, it's light, refreshing, and somewhat singular in nature—but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is one of those recipes that could spawn all kinds of crazy variations, or you could just leave well enough alone and accept the idea that not everything has to have Campari or some other amaro. Sometimes it's nice to enjoy a simple drink as it was intended.

Oahu Gin Sling
2 oz gin
1 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz creme de cassis
.5 oz Benedictine
1 tsp simple syrup
3 oz soda water

Shake everything except soda water over ice. Add soda and stir, then pour unstrained into a pilsner glass. Garnish with a continuous peel spiral cut from large lime.

This is without question all about the crème de cassis. If there was ever an example of a drink that emphasizes black currant liqueur, this it. We rarely suggest spending top dollar on ingredients, but when it comes to cassis, we have to recommend giving yourself permission reach beyond the bottom shelf. Our last bottle of cassis was a common, inexpensive brand, but this time around we selected a bottle of Briottet and couldn't be happier. The rich fruit and gorgeous color will definitely make a better Kir and Diablos, and we'll be looking for more drinks to make that contain cassis.

The lime juice plays a supporting role, adding acid to the black currant and boosting its flavor the way lemon might improve a pie filling. It also subtracts much of the sweetness leaving an impression that this drink is dry, even though it also contains Benedictine and a little simple syrup.

The gin is also helping the fruit by doing what gin does best: elevating the other ingredients with its botanicals in ways other spirits cannot. It's certainly not recognizable as a gin drink, though you would definitely detect something missing if you used vodka. The Benedictine weaves into the equation with such subtlety that it is hard to identify until the long finish when its herbal character appears.

Perhaps the most challenging part of this recipe is the garnish. It calls for a long, continuous peel from an entire lime. Lime peel is usually shallow and difficult to remove. Unlike an orange, peeling a lime is not easy to do. We opted to use a channel knife to carve away one long spiral. This proved to work well, but it took so long we wondered if a vegetable peeler would have worked better even though it would have resulted in something more like a horse's neck. If you put in the time and do it right, the result is quite stunning in the glass and you do taste some of the lime oil as you sip the drink.

Originally the house cocktail for the Metropole Hotel in New York City, this brandy based drink has survived since the late 1800s while the hotel where it was created is long gone. It's a common story shared by many classic cocktails, although in our opinion, too few of them contain brandy. It's a simple enough formula, but it has changed somewhat over the years.

Metropole
2 oz cognac
1 oz dry vermouth
.5 teaspoon simple syrup
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Combine with cracked ice in a mixing glass, stir for at least 30 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Early documentation reveals that when it was created, the Metropole was constructed using equal parts cognac and dry vermouth. There's no reason you can't continue to remain faithful to that early design, but most people today appreciate some emphasis on the base spirit, allowing it to assert itself a little more instead of getting lost in the vermouth. A more acceptable 2:1 ratio achieves that goal. And while we are discussing the spirit, there's no reason to break the bank using a fancy cognac. Any VSOP will do fine in this recipe.

It may look something like a brandy Manhattan that uses dry vermouth—or a Dry Martini that subs cognac for gin. We could go on and on about how one drink resembles another by subbing this for that, but the fact is, if you lined up your base spirits next to your modifiers, it would only be a matter of time before you pulled this basic combination at random (and practically every other classic). So, why isn't it more popular? If the ingredients are so simple and so common, why aren't more people ordering the Metropole? We cannot say, but are working to change that.

The bitters do transform the flavor, as they should, but it's a nice layering effect. We also tried a version without the modern addition of simple syrup but feel it's just what this drink needs to round out the flavors. It's still a dry cocktail that deserves observant dilution when stirring to take the edge off the spirit. We've seen the garnish take the form of a lemon twist which is a very nice addition if you don't have a decent cocktail cherry.

If you are normally a whiskey drinker, but you are looking to expand your repertoire, adding cognac to your cabinet is a smart move. It affords opportunities to mix seductive spirit combo drinks like the Vieux Carré, the Saratoga (one of our personal favorites) and a handful of other brandy greats like this fine drink.

If you add nausea to the list of symptoms—a common enough situation—another drink may be the last thing on your mind, especially if your evening concluded with foolishly questionable food choices. That sack of White Castle sliders and deep-fried Onion Chips are probably not settling too well. Or maybe you forced your driver to stop at a Wendy's drive-thru for a Jalapeño Cheddar Double Melt that is now destined to burn twice. You need help, and the classics aren't going to be enough. If only a cocktail existed that could both cure the hangover and simultaneously settle the stomach. Yes, friends, today is your lucky day!

Meet the Pepto Bismopolitan. It may seem unconventional, especially at this time of the year when we traditionally introduce a new cocktail for spring. But we couldn't wait another day to share this miracle cure.

Pepto Bismopolitan
2 measures vodka
1 measure Pepto Bismol
.5 measure lime juice
1 measure cranberry juice

Shake over ice until your arm is sore. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.

One of the joys of trying new recipes is exploring unusual ingredients. Pepto Bismol is a rarity behind the bar—it's usually consumed neat and often right from the bottle. It's an odd product with a variety of characteristics that contribute to the final result. First, it doesn't pour, it blubs from the bottle like runny yogurt. The thick consistency helps build a nice frothy espuma normally achieved through the addition of egg whites or cream. It is also a lovely shade of pink.

The original Pepto has a flavor and aroma that is reminiscent of chalky wintergreen Life Savers—a fantastic flavor that definitely carries through. We also understand a cherry version exists which might be worth trying. Outside of this great recipe, we don't see a lot of menus featuring drinks with Pepto Bismol, probably because it's a challenging ingredient. The cherry variety might offer more possibilities, but we wonder what other flavors might be on the horizon for this mixer. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a cranberry-lime variation that would save everyone a lot of trouble. Measuring the right amount is made simple if you use the included plastic jigger which tops out at 30ml. There is enough product in the bottle to make about fifteen of these.

We used locally produced Crater Lake vodka in this recipe, although you can obviously sub another brand. Vodka is flavor-neutral allowing the other ingredients to shine. In this recipe, you probably don't want the flavor of the spirit getting in the way of a fine remedy. Let the alcohol play its role without interrupting the flavor. The small amount of lime helps keep the drink balanced while the cranberry completes the ensemble, elongating a somewhat potent formula. Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail is preferred, but don't expect it to have much effect on the color.

It's no secret that the name for this cocktail resembles the Cosmopolitan. Many of the ingredients are similar. In fact, should you consume too many Cosmos at your cocktail party, provided you don't drink everything, you would only need swap one ingredient the next morning to recover your senses. And once you are back on your game, try the perfect drink for backyards, barbecues and baseball!

Eeyore's Requiem is another recipe we have collected by Toby "Alchemist" Maloney, one of the modern masters of mixology. Maloney describes this as "advanced" cocktail making, and he's probably right. The unconventional combination of ingredients and proportions may seem like an attempt to mix every bitter flavor in the cabinet, but the result contradicts expectations which is probably why it was a perfect addition to the Beta Cocktails book. Sure, there is some bitterness to the flavor profile overall, but it doesn't dominate.

Eeyore's Requiem by Toby Maloney
1.5 oz Campari
1 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth
.5 oz gin
.25 oz Cynar
-.25 oz Fernet Branca
dash 50/50 orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish heavily with orange oil from three consecutive twists of orange peel.

Let's discuss the ingredients. First, let's hit all of the Italian bitters. These are potable bitters, not cocktail bitters. Starting with Campari, we have a heavy dose of bitter flavor. Yes, there is a fruity component to Campari, but for the uninitiated, the stuff can be somewhat bracing on the tongue. Before you turn away, recognize that by the time we are done adding everything together, this effect will be minimized. If Campari weren't enough, Cynar, an amaro based on artichokes, adds depth and character making it one of our favorite ingredients. Finally, a skinny quarter ounce of Fernet Branca rounds out the Italian components. Fernet is truly an acquired taste, and in most other recipes, even a scant portion can be enough to overpower the rest. Here, we can get away with it because of everything else in the mixing glass. Next, we include a half ounce of gin. Tanqueray is specified which gives the drink a nice boost. The gin you use may affect the flavor overall, but we had fantastic results using Bombay Dry. Add the gin, and then a full ounce of an ingredient we haven't covered here at Summit Sips. Blanc vermouth is a French variety that we have been ignoring for far too long. Here's the thing with Blanc—it's sweet. Of course, it's not a red, Italian style, but it's not exactly a dry formula either. Think of your typical French vermouth with a kiss of sweetness and you will get the idea. It's like the difference between a dry Chardonnay and a sweet Moscato, fortified with spirits and aromatized with herbs. Dolin Blanc is specified for good reason—it's absolutely delicious. Better yet, we found it in the wine aisle of our local grocery store!

Finally, add a few dashes of orange bitters. 50/50 is specified, which is New York slang for a mix of both Regan's Orange and Fees Brothers orange. Each have somewhat different flavors, so a mix is often beneficial to gain the benefits of both. We used Bittercube Orange with very good results. The garnish is somewhat unusual, as Maloney calls for the oily expression of three orange twists. This will add a swirly layer of orange oil to the surface of the drink that is both flavorful and aromatic. You can discard the last twist or go for a nice pigtail curl. Either way, don't skip the orange oil. It's a necessary component of the drink.

Not since we first tried the Paper Airplane cocktail, a presumably bitter concoction, has any drink taken us by so much surprise. Eeyore's Requiem in name alone suggests a very depressive or gloomy cocktail by nature, probably with respect to its bitter components and a nod to A. A. Milne's character. Yet, Christopher Robin's down-trodden friend is also a compassionate donkey, and this forgiving aspect of his demeanor may be the best fit for what you taste in the glass. Remarkably, the drink is both dry and sweet at the same time, and rather than pressing against your mouth with bitterness, it celebrates the fruity citrus and herbal complexity of the ingredients. We tried making this without the Dolin Blanc to confirm—it's definitely the vermouth that makes this complicated result a reality. Although this is an all-spirits drink, it's not as though it will knock you off your game, making it a perfect drink before a meal. Yet, because it is also somewhat sweet, perhaps it qualifies as a dessert. Difficult to make? No way. Advanced mixololgy? Probably. Delicious? Absolutely.

If you start doing a little research you quickly realize that unless you know exactly what you want, buying spirits online isn't any easier than browsing a storefront full of sealed bottles. But the folks at Absinthes.com are trying to address this challenge by offering a unique product they call Absinthexplore. It's basically a customizable sample kit of various absinthe brands whereby the customer can assemble their own selection. Instead of taking a chance on a single bottle, the kit allows you to try out several different products in order to find your favorite brand before making an investment.

The kits come in sets of three or six, with suggested combinations or you can build your own. Our three-pack arrived with each vial held securely within an elegant, folded, black cardboard box tucked into a sliding cover bearing the product name. The whole package is reminiscent of fancy chocolates. The vials themselves are sealed screw top tubes with the names of each selection printed right on the glass. A swatch of foam padding protects the glass tubes during shipping and keeps the optional absinthe spoon from knocking around. There's also a nice information card explaining the proper preparation of an absinthe drip.

The beauty of this concept is that you get to test drive a number of absinthes before making your final selection, and these are more than just tasting samples. Each vial contains 50ml—more than enough spirit to make a drip, frappe, or something smaller to share. It opens up the possibly of having an intimate absinthe tasting party without spending thousands of dollars on full bottles. It's also a great way to introduce a friend to absinthe as a gift without locking them into one bottle or another.

We decided to try ours two ways. First, we opened one vial and made a traditional drip with some left over that we will put into a dropper bottle for use in Sazeracs and Corpse Revivers. The second vial went into an Absinthe Frappe.

Absinthe Frappe
1 oz absinthe
1 oz water
.5 tablespoon superfine sugar

Put everything into a blender and mix to dissolve the sugar. Then, toss in a few ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled glass.

It's important to note that there's more than one way to make this drink. At it's core, it's iced, sweetened and diluted. The sugar you add, which could just as easily be simple syrup, will depend on the absinthe. Some are sweeter than others, so this should be adjusted according to taste.

Absinthe is pretty strong in most cases, so adding water helps bring it under control. Some recipes call for seltzer which adds some effervescence. The water also creates the louche effect, turning the transparent spirit cloudy and aromatic as the complex herbal components can no longer remain in solution due to the lower alcohol content. Ice is important in a frappe. Here, we are trying to cool the drink very quickly, and blending ice does that while it also releases more water. This will bring the overall proportions closer to an absinthe drip, only you get to avoid the rigamarole of spoons, sugar cubes and chilling a carafe of water (or setting up a fountain—if you have one of those).

Could you simply shake this drink with crushed ice and get similar results? Of course, and the next time we make one that's exactly what we will do. When it comes right down to it, we think the Frappe is the easiest and tastiest way to drink absinthe, especially if you are evaluating or comparing the flavors of several brands.

We occasionally assemble one-of-a-kind stems into a set of glassware. These Unique Sets sometimes represent great value when purchased together. You can also assemble your own unique sets by browsing our entire inventory.

We decided to remedy the situation last Sunday by making the Church for everyone to try, and it's definitely worthy of our Drink of the Week. If you happen to live in San Francisco and frequent Locanda, you might already know about it. If not, here's a great drink for summer, or for thinking about summer.

Church Cocktail
1 oz gin
1 oz Aperol
1 oz lemon juice
.5 oz Cocchi Americano
.5 oz gomme syrup

Shake with ice and strain over cubes or a large chunk of ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The gin should be a typical London Dry, and depending on the brand you choose you might get some variation of flavor. For the most part, however, the base spirit works its magic supporting everything else (as gin often does) and doesn't really assert itself over the other ingredients. We were out of Cocchi Americano, so we used Lillet Blanc instead. The two products are not the same, but they are close enough that either will make a good drink.

The dominant flavor comes from the interplay of Aperol and lemon. Aperol is sweet, but a full ounce of lemon juice needs a little more sugar to keep the acid under control which is why we have a bump of syrup. In this case, the original recipe specifies gomme syrup, which is a fancy simple syrup that contains gum arabic. Adding gum to your syrup is a step that is avoided by most modern bartenders, though you can find it bottled that way commercially. The gum helps stabilize the syrup allowing more sugar to stay dissolved, but more importantly, it adds viscosity that carries into the drink and gives it a silky mouth feel. We certainly appreciate this textural element but went ahead and used a 2:1 simple syrup instead.

Getting back to the Aperol and lemon, this cocktail is both refreshing and intense, though not in a boozy sort of way. Perhaps it was due to the garnish or the fact that Aperol has a fruity flavor and aroma, but our first sip reminded us of biting into a sweet and sour orange slice and getting some of the peel. It's a good balance of sugar, acid and bitterness from a combination of ingredients we'd like to explore further. No question, the Church is delicious just the way it is, but we can't help wondering what would happen if we subbed a liqueur for the syrup or Campari for the Aperol.

We have absolutely no idea why it's called the Church. Was it a coincidence that we tried it on a Sunday? Are we supposed to have one every week? Perhaps a kind reader from San Francisco will leave a comment explaining the name. Whatever the explanation, it's a good drink with simple ingredients that is also versatile, working nicely as a summer quencher, a morning reviver, or to whet your appetite for the next round.

It comes by way of Toby Maloney of The Violet Hour in Chicago, but it has also appeared on the menu at his other bars such as the Bradstreet Crafthouse in Minneapolis. We've been sharing it with special guests at our own cocktail parties for years and it's the one that people tend to remember. Making it at home hasn't stopped us from ordering it when we visit one of Mr. Maloney's bars, but not everyone has that opportunity, so we felt it's time to share the love.

It looks a little complicated as written, but this isn't hard to make. And we'll just say right now that although the presentation may appear a bit over-the-top, trust us. It's worth every moment of effort. Master this and your friends will think you are the best cocktail geek they know.

Juliet & Romeo
2 oz gin
.75 oz lime juice
.75 oz simple syrup
3 drops rose water
3 drops Angostura bitters
3 slices cucumber
3 sprigs mint
1 pinch salt

Muddle cucumber, mint and pinch of salt. Add rest of ingredients. Let sit for 30 seconds (time allowing). Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with 1 floating mint leaf and 1 drop rose water on top of leaf, and 3 or more drops of Angostura on the surface of the drink.

So, what's so special about the Juliet & Romeo? Well, as we mentioned, it's a gin cocktail that doesn't taste like gin, but because it is also a sour formula it has somewhat broader appeal than an all-spirits drink. Add to that the fact that it has muddled cucumber—a fresh flavor that you don't often see—this winning combination may surprise you. Aside from shaking the main ingredients, the time is spent carrying out a series of tweaks that take a good start all the way to a champion finish. That is to say, what starts as a pretty basic gin sour with muddled mint and cucumber becomes something better than the sum of its parts. Let's go through the steps so you can understand the tweaks, since it is those additions that really make this drink sing.

When muddling, we are trying to break down the cucumber more than the mint. Abusing mint tends to draw out bitter vegetal flavors, but with this drink that is less of a concern. Still, the key is to focus your muddler on the cucumber to transform the slices into juicy pulp so that flavor ends up in the glass, not behind the strainer. The tiny pinch of salt at this stage helps enhance those flavors.

The recommended gin for this drink is Beefeater, but any full-flavored London Dry will do. You want a gin with a lot of juniper and citrus backbone. Brands that are known for smoothness or subtlety won't work as well here. Two whole ounces won't overpower the the other ingredients because once you account for every flavor component, your gin is working to elevate the other elements. Cucumber, mint, citrus—these are all enhanced by the flavors present in gin. And then there's the Angostura. Something magical happens in cocktails that contain gin and Angostura like we saw recently with the Fitzgerald. It's hard to explain, but as Toby once said, "Angostura and gin go together like ham and eggs."

The toughest ingredient in all of this is the rose water. You may need to shop around for this, but it's a common ingredient in middle eastern cooking. A specialty food store is your best place to find it. Once you do, you don't need much. Three drops go into the drink which is enough to add a kiss of floral aroma to an already interesting flavor profile.

Shaking with ice is going to break down the mint. Don't worry about the tiny green bits that will come through the strainer. They add an accent to the colorful garnish. Finishing this drink properly is an important step. the garnish contains three aromatic elements that work together to scent each sip. After straining into a chilled cocktail glass, slap a single mint leaf and float it carefully on the surface. Then, add one drop of rose water to the floating leaf. Finally, add three or more drops of Angostura bitters to the surface of the drink surrounding the leaf. Each drop will form a little red puddle and every sip will smell of mint, roses and spice.

If there's any criticism for this recipe it's that it has a bunch of little steps that make you question their value, but once you make the Juliet & Romeo properly you will realize that it's not as difficult as it might sound, and most of the details are fun to carry out in front of guests as they watch with anticipation. One sip of this cocktail and you or your guest will understand why it is worth the extra effort. Just be prepared to make more than one!

The Shipment
It only took a few days once confirmed by NewAir for the shipment to arrive. The unit came nicely packed and very well protected for the journey to our door. Ours is a top-of-the-line stainless steel model, although the top lid is black. The exterior surfaces came with a protective plastic coating that you need to peel off to reveal the brushed finish. This is a nice touch, and although it requires an extra step, it virtually guarantees that it will be free from scratches and fingerprints. The unit also ships with an ice scoop which helps keep you from reaching in and pulling out ice with bare hands. This this model is capable making 50 pounds of ice in one day so it's pretty big on the counter.

Preparing Your First Batch
It's always a good idea to thoroughly wash anything that will come into contact with food. New products may have plastic or metal burrs, oil left over from the manufacturing process, or bits of packing material. Fortunately, the AI-215 has a cleaning cycle as well as a drain spout to help prepare for running your first batch of ice. We passed several gallons of water through the reservoir and completely cleaned the inside of the unit before starting. By setting it next to the sink, draining the water was simple.

How it Works
It's an ingenious design. Maybe all portable ice machines are setup like this, but we were fascinated to learn how something the size of a big bread machine can make ice cubes in minutes. Think of the whole thing as a flip-top cooler. The space in the back is reserved for the compressor and electronics. In front of that is a deep section where you pour water into the bottom. This serves as a reservoir from which the ice maker draws the water it needs. Then, you place the included plastic basket over the water reservoir. This basket is where finished ice will collect. As it melts, the melt water drains back into the reservoir and will be recycled into new ice.

At the top of the unit above and behind the basket is where the magic happens. A motorized tray fills with water. Sitting in the water bath are shiny metal fingers. These fingers get super cold while ice begins to form around them. Within minutes, the ice grows until a timer tips the tray forward. The remaining water drains down, back into the reservoir and the "cubes" of frozen water drop off the fingers and get pushed forward into the basket. The tray then moves back into position and fills with fresh water and the cycle starts all over.

The whole process takes about 8 minutes or so with a fresh tray of ice dumping into the basket each time. It's pretty remarkable how quickly ice forms and grows in the water bath. The first few trays produce thin, inconsistent ice, but as the cycles get going, the water gets colder and the ice becomes more uniform. The collected cubes also begin to cool the inside. We walked away from the unit and let it work its way through the reservoir of water. When we returned a couple hours later, the basket was full and ice production had stopped on its own.

The Ice
The first batch had us a little worried, but once we understood how this thing works we realized that it only takes a couple of cycles before the ice keeps coming, fast and consistent. There is an electronic timer, a cleaning cycle, and even settings for different ice sizes, but we weren't interested in small cubes. Since they all have holes from the freezing element, the bigger the cubes, the better suited they will be for shaking or stirring.

The cubes themselves are round and hollow. They have a white look to them that is indicative of trapped air bubbles. It's what we might call "wet" ice. But if you consider the fact that enough ice is generated in eight minutes to fill a Boston Shaker, it's a good compromise. You won't want to use this ice to show off a gorgeous rocks drink—leave that to your shards, spheres and Tovolo cubes. But you can definitely use this to stir cocktails. Shaking may well cause these cubes to explode and over-dilute a cocktail, but they will also cool a drink faster in the process. We think that you can adjust your technique and still make great cocktails.

Where this ice will truly shine is in tiki drinks, juleps, or any cocktail that calls for crushed ice. We can imagine amazing results setting up the unit next to an electric ice crusher like an assembly line on Derby Day, or spending the day before a party making bags of ice for coolers, ice water, or soda. Like any form of ice, some drinks or techniques are better suited than others. However, it's hard to imagine a faster way to get frozen water without investing in a giant commercial ice maker.

Conclusions
All things considered, we are pretty happy with the results from the NewAir AI-215SS. It has a professional look with the stainless exterior and you can setup ice production anywhere you can get power. If you have room on your counters, it can fit nicely with other kitchen appliances, though you may want to check the dimensions to decide which model fits best. With that in mind, these devices are portable. Smaller models may be easier to move around, but even at this imposing size, the AI-215 has inset handles and one person can easily lift it and carry it out to the car.

The ice it produces cannot compare to a commercial ice maker, but it's similar in quality to the crescent cubes that come out of refrigerator freezers. The difference lies with the fact that a freezer is already keeping the environment cold, whereas this machine (as far as we could tell) lets the ice itself keep the compartment cool. Should the ice begin to melt, the unit simply makes another batch. Given the right situation such as a party or a picnic, portable ice machines can be pretty handy to have around, and the NewAir performs admirably.

The collectible 2009 first edition of Rogue has been renamed and is now published as Beta Cocktails, but the philosophy hasn't changed. It is a compendium of innovative and unique modern creations by bartenders from around the country. Each drink stands on its own. Most emphasize unusual combinations and many ignore classic traditions to offer bold flavors that expose the reader to exciting possibilities not normally considered.

One of the cocktails featured in the book is a recipe we have wanted to post on Summit Sips since we first saw it on the menu at The Violet Hour in Chicago. The Art Of Choke by Kyle Davidson combines some of our favorite elements in unexpected proportions to create a rocks drink like no other.

Art Of Choke by Kyle Davidson, The Violet Hour, Chicago
1 oz white rum
1 oz Cynar
1/8 oz fresh lime juice
1/8 oz rich Demerara sugar syrup (2:1)
1/4+ oz green Chartreuse
2 sprigs of mint

Gently muddle a mint sprig with the other ingredients in a mixing glass, stir with ice, and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with the other mint sprig.

Indeed, Davidson has created a new cocktail category with this recipe. Using his template of half amaro, half base spirit, the Art Of Choke is a play on words for its main ingredient, the artichoke-based Cynar. We have seen this cocktail documented with several variations. One that we prefer has the Cynar quantity bumped up to 1.5 ounces and a dash of Angostura. A slight over pour of Chartreuse doesn't hurt either. Another version triples the doses of lime and Chartreuse. Clearly, it's a resilient combination that yields tasty results without taking itself too seriously. As stated in the book, recipes are guidelines, not gospel.

For us, nothing sounds better than muddled mint, Chartreuse and a Cynar-rum base with just a trace of lime, but others may find the flavors a little challenging. We will admit, the Art of Choke isn't for everyone, but if you love spirit-forward cocktails, don't mind a touch of bitterness, or wish to explore the bleeding edge of modern cocktail innovation (even though this drink is already a few years old), these are ingredients that you can actually find without much trouble. Give this one a try and let us know what you think. Better yet, grab a copy of the book and take your cocktail adventures to a new level!

Sweet, Italian red vermouth may last longer in captivity than dry, French vermouth, but we are here to tell you that when it's fresh, vermouth can be wonderful—herbal, complex, and not an ingredient of displeasure. It's also inexpensive, so go ahead (we dare you) and open a new bottle to do a little taste test with your old stock. You'll recognize what we already know. Vermouth should be refrigerated, and the dry stuff should be loved and enjoyed quickly, or replaced before it goes south. Buy smaller bottles and use it while it's fresh. You may be surprised how good it can be, especially when you use it to make this drink. The Chrysanthemum cocktail which appears in the Savoy and is probably much older highlights the very best of a good bottle of dry vermouth. It's absolutely lovely.

Chrysanthemum
2 oz dry vermouth (fresh)
1 oz DOM Benedictine
3 dashes absinthe

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a big twist of orange peel making sure to spray the oils onto the surface of the drink.

This recipe is also versatile, working well with different brands. We were feeling adventurous, so we tried a variation on this classic recipe by subbing Lillet Blanc for the vermouth. It's a sweeter option that benefits from a heavier pour and a little less Benedictine to keep the overall volume the same. Despite using dry vermouth as a base, the Chrysanthemum is actually a sweet cocktail overall, but no more so than a sweet wine or glass of juice. You can obviously adjust that by varying the liqueur, but the complexity of this drink may surprise you. It has enough character to stand up to other cocktails with more alcohol and we rather enjoy its delicate nature.

To our taste, three things stand out. The first is the herbal flavors brought out by the Benedictine. If you are unfamiliar with DOM Benedictine, it definitely deserves a little shelf space in your cabinet. The sweet complexity builds upon the same aspects in the vermouth and turns an otherwise dry cocktail into a sweet one.

Barrel-Aged Chrysanthemum at Clyde Common, Portland, OR

The second big flavor component is the absinthe. We opted to give our glass an absinthe rinse by rolling a small amount around the inside surface of the glass and discarding it, similar to a Sazerac preparation. It doesn't seem like much, but a mere three dashes of absinthe is enough to elevate the herbal flavors and produce a huge floral character that adds another dimension to this drink that would be sorely missed without it.

Finally, our garnish plays a very important role by bringing a citrus explosion to the glass. Be sure to give your peel a good squeeze spraying orange oil across the surface of the drink. Then, take a moment to rub the peel around the rim before dropping it in to ensure each sip includes the benefit of oranges.

At this point, you are hopefully reading along thinking this sounds too good to be true. A vermouth cocktail with this much going on? And it's good? You better believe it is. It's also a great candidate for barrel aging. We recently tried one at Clyde Common that had spent a month or more in a barrel. Yeah, it oxidizes a bit while in the wood, but the result is worth it!

The rest of the book confirms some delightful classics that appear in other publications, but we wanted to know more about this personal notation. The book was purchased in a used bookstore in St. Paul, Minnestota, and a little research reveals that a Charles Nybeck did indeed live in the area. Sadly, he passed away in 2007 at the age of 71 which may account for this item showing up in a used bookstore. Comments from his obituary are clear that he went by the nickname, Chuck. Without much more to guide us, we are settling on the assumption that this was his book, and this recipe was his favorite. We are naming it in his honor.

Nybeck Cocktail
.75 oz cask proof bourbon
.75 oz sloe gin
.75 oz vodka
.75 oz lemon juice
.25 oz grenadine

Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

We adjusted the overall volume to match classic proportions. Our first pass at this drink revealed that it comes out a little tart. A strict translation of the recipe would leave the grenadine at only an eighth of an ounce. We took the advice of "R." as written in the note to increase the proportion of grenadine slightly to give the cocktail a little more balance. At a quarter ounce we have a better balance of flavors.

As we mentioned earlier, we enjoy whiskey sour variations. This one also reminds us how delicious a true sloe gin cocktail can be. Without dominating the flavor, its subtle hints of berry and lingering nuttiness are enhanced by real pomegranate grenadine. We used Plymouth Sloe Gin which we recommend and suggest avoiding bottom shelf versions that substitute chemicals and artificial flavors for actual sloe berries.

The base spirit combination is somewhat unusual in that it combines strong bourbon with an equal measure of vodka. This has a smoothing effect similar to using a Canadian whisky which might work equally well in this drink. We'd also like to try it again with 1.5 oz of bourbon or rye, skipping the vodka entirely and going for a bolder flavor profile. If you try this, please, let us know how it turns out. Skipping the grenadine and decreasing the lemon gets you a Black Hawk cocktail which would be very similar.

In any case, the Nybeck is worthy of your effort, especially if you are looking for ways to use good sloe gin. It's also a testament to the fact that there are still surprises out there in old books, and every once in a while, a note from a previous owner that may be just as interesting as the book itself.

You've probably heard of the Amaretto Sour, but that doesn't make it a classic. The typical recipe is somewhat of a joke among cocktail geeks. You make one by simply adding some measure of amaretto to a glass of ice and fill the rest with sour mix. It doesn't even have a base spirit! It should go without saying that any cocktail that originates as a recipe that calls for sour mix cannot (and should not) be called a classic, and it certainly isn't a craft cocktail--not in this form anyway. But could it be? Is it possible to fix this broken drink and make it fantastic?

Were it invented today or even a century ago, the sour mix would be replaced by fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. The balance of sweet, sour and strong would be carefully respected. Influences from the pre-prohibition golden age of mixology might seep into such a recipe with additions such as egg whites, often used in classic sours to create a protein emulsion that gives the drink a silky smooth mouth-feel. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, this is exactly what Mr. Morgenthaler has done.

Amaretto Sour by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
1.5 oz amaretto
.75 oz cask strength bourbon
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp rich, 2:1 simple syrup
.5 oz egg white

Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Seal and shake without ice to build the protein emulsion. Add ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with lemon peel and a cherry.

According to Morgenthaler, this revitalized version requires a cask strength bourbon to bolster the flavor of the liqueur and add the appropriate strength to the drink. He uses Booker's, but you can get away with others. A touch of rich simple syrup helps balance the full ounce of lemon juice and a small portion of egg white builds the texture this cocktail deserves.

We are big fans of sours, especially frothy whiskey variations, so we were hoping this would hit the mark. Before we ran out to pickup a bottle of amaretto, we made our way to Clyde and let the master show us how it's done. What landed on the coaster was no longer the drink you serve to someone who doesn't like the taste of alcohol. It was bold, balanced and delicious. That settled it and we picked up a bottle of amaretto the next day. Now that we have had the chance to make it at home, you may be wondering: is it really the best Amaretto Sour in the world? It's damn good, so yeah, we think it probably is.

If we are religious about anything at Summit Sips it's the tradition of sharing great technique, recipes and ingredients. However, we are deeply spiritual (especially when we are taking about whiskey, gin, rum--get it--spirits?) Anyway, the following cocktail comes to us by way of a dear friend. It would have perhaps been better to post as a holiday treat, but we think this is the perfect moment to share it.

My New Religion by Ann Ruud

1.5 oz reposado tequila
.75 oz Campari
2/3 oz lemon
.25 oz simple syrup (or agave nectar)

Shake and strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with lemon peel.

We understand reposado tequila makes the difference in this drink. The "rested" flavor brought on by barrel aging the spirit provides the intended depth and character that would be missing if you used a silver tequila in its place. However, we have been known to tinker and quite enjoyed swapping a little of the tequila (say half an ounce) for mezcal to bring a little smoke into the picture.

A healthy amount of Campari adds a fruity bitterness that we love, but it doesn't overpower thanks to fresh lemon and sweetener. We opted for agave nectar in keeping with the base spirit and the result was much more of a tart flavor profile than a bitter one.

Overall, this drink is a fun surprise. Instead of betraying your sweet expectations of something so pink, it's only playfully dry and takes tequila in a new direction that you may not expect. It reminds us of the Paper Airplane cocktail. The moment you set it down you wish you had taken another sip. Have a little faith in simple ingredients and give My New Religion a try. Cheers, and happy new year!

The Paddington cocktail is one that we have been meaning to make for a while. It comes to us by way of Jim Meehan's PDT Cocktail Book. This one was created by David Slape in the fall of 2008. It's another recipe that always makes the list of favorites from the book whenever you do a little research. We would have featured it sooner, but we ran ourselves clean out of Lillet in preparation for the move. By the time we had some, we had no orange marmalade. You get the idea.

Paddington by David Slape
1.5 oz rum
.5 oz Lillet Blanc
.5 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lemon juice
1 barspoon orange marmalade
Absinthe rinse

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled, absinthe-rinsed coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Regarding the ingredients, let's start with the rum. As written in the book, Slape calls for Banks Five Island Rum. We haven't had the pleasure of trying it (shame on us?) so we substituted Cruzan which is a lot easier to find. Banks is a blend of rums from different regions of the Caribbean. It's described as a white rum with dark rum character. Cruzan white is a St. Croix rum made from a blend of rums aged up to four years, then filtered to lighten the color and smooth out the flavor. Is it a decent facsimile? Probably not, but the cocktail it made was fantastic!

Lillet Blanc is the slightly sweet fortified white wine aperitif that you may remember from such drinks as the Vesper and the Corpse Reviver No. 2. Here, it smooths out the intensity of the rum by adding a light citrus and herbal character. Of course, this aspect is also strengthened by the lemon juice and our unsung hero of mixology, the grapefruit.

The balance of sweet and sour is attained through the use of orange marmalade. Using a jelly product in this way is similar to Jamie Boudreau's Breakfast Collins, but marmalade is also bitter because it's made from orange peels which brings another flavor element to the glass. Grapefruit is already somewhat bitter, but the combination of ingredients in this drink results in something delicately balanced rather than being too sweet, bitter or sour. It's really quite marvelous.

If all of that weren't enough, one more addition comes in the form of an absinthe rinse. We like to keep a dropper bottle of absinthe for just this purpose. The idea is that you add a small amount and swirl it around the inside surface of a chilled glass and dump it. The tiny trace left behind adds a nuance of flavor to the cocktail that gets poured into the glass. This works especially well with peaty Scotch to add a hint of smoke to drinks. Here, the absinthe hits the frosted glass and becomes instantly aromatic. The classic example of this concept is the Sazerac. Some folks use an atomizer to achieve the same result quickly. The overall flavor effect in this drink is like the Corpse Reviver in that it adds a bit of herbal anise without overpowering it.

All told, we love almost any drink with fresh grapefruit. This one is especially delicious and well balanced, even with a touch of bitterness from the marmalade. On paper it seems simple enough, but if you are still reading you now realize how many different components are working together. And that's the point. The flavors support one another instead of working against each other.

When we first tried the drink, we puzzled over the name. Paddington Bear supposedly came from "darkest Peru," in which case, we thought the drink should contain Pisco. That's a variation worth exploring, but the cocktail is actually named for a taxidermy bear that apparently adorns the wall at PDT in New York.

We will say just a few things to get the conversation started. First, the Monte Carlo is a classic cocktail in the truest sense: spirits, sugar, water and bitters. In this case, a little license is given in that water/sugar takes the form of DOM Benedictine which will definitely add some interest to the whiskey. Think of a Manhattan, only instead of sweet vermouth, you have Benedictine. Now, go forth and try one, then let us know what you think in the comments below:

Monte Carlo
2 oz rye whiskey
.5 oz Benedictine
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

But, when was the last time you heard someone order a Stinger? For us it was probably a couple years ago, but it wasn't an actual drink order. It was an actor, on TV during an episode of AMC's Mad Men. If you are a fan of Hollywood's golden era, you might recall Cary Grant ordering Stingers in Kiss Them For Me which wasn't the only film of the day to feature the drink. That's because, once upon a time, the Stinger was a popular nightcap—an upper class after dinner drink, although it was also supposedly popular among young Navy pilots. Beyond that, however, the Stinger's origin is obscure. It appears in print as far back as 1917, but no one really knows who invented it.

It has sadly become lost among modern drinkers, replaced by would-be better combinations of spirits and liqueurs that have somehow remained more fashionable. Unless you are stuck in a period motion picture or a nostalgic television series, you might notice that even brandy itself has had something of a falling out in recent decades. Crème de Menthe also lacks the adoration of modern mixologists perhaps because it seems better suited as an ice cream topping than a cocktail ingredient. Despite the Stinger's bygone appeal, if you like mint and haven't had the pleasure, we secretly recommend trying one of these. Make it with green crème de menthe and call it a Green Hornet.

Stinger (or Green Hornet)
2.25 oz brandy
.75 oz white (or green) crème de menthe

Shake (stir?) with cracked ice to chill, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Substitute green crème de menthe to make a Green Hornet.

Most recipes call for making this drink in a shaker which seems to violate the shake vs. stir rule that specifies drinks with clear ingredients should be stirred. No matter. We don't have to be too serious about this because it's more of a guilty pleasure than serious mixology. Let's be honest—shaking isn't going to affect the flavor one iota, and are we really going to get all worked up over a Stinger? Of course not.

So, pull your mint liqueur out from the back of the cabinet and give this a try. We dare you to order one at a bar. Or, take Dave Wondrich's advice and try it with a good white rum instead of brandy. Any way you make it, this cocktail might be just what you are looking for to complete your holiday menu. We made the green version and served it in an etched Candlewick Boopie.

We tend to keep an eye out for white grapefruit when browsing the produce aisles of the supermarket. While the sweeter ruby variety is usually available year-round, the white tends to be harder to find. It has a drier flavor with a bitter intensity that works wonders in the right cocktail. Yesterday, we finally spotted the object of our affection and grabbed some. The only challenge was finding the right recipe. There are many tiki cocktails that specifically call for white grapefruit, although we haven't posted many. But, after two weeks of daily rain, it's hard to feel enthusiastic about anything tropical.

Then, we remembered the Edgewood cocktail we posted last year which inspired great conversation and some experimentation with unlikely ingredients. We decided it's finally time to bring some attention to an original cocktail we invented last September.

Fernelderwood
1.5 oz gin
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz Fernet Branca
.5 oz St-Germain
Pinch sea salt

Add everything to a cocktail shaker. Shake with plenty of ice, then strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a fat twist of grapefruit oil and discard the peel.

If you are looking for a town called Fernelderwood, or a neighborhood in Brooklyn, don't bother. The name has nothing to do with ferns, old trees or any specific location on earth. It's a not-so-clever portmanteau of Fernet and elderflower, a mashup designed to represent Fernet Branca and St-Germain in a drink that is supposed to resemble the Edgewood cocktail. Sure, it's a silly name—that much we can admit. But, in our defense, when we first described this combination we were half joking. It's an unlikely pairing of two ingredients on opposite sides of the flavor spectrum. Yet, somehow, it seems to be working in this drink, united by a wonderful blend of citrus and botanicals.

As we have described in the past, Fernet Branca is an intensely bitter Italian amaro capable of curing an upset stomach while reminding you of cough drops and ancient medicine. St-Germain, on the other hand, is a floral, deliciously sweet elixir. Each has been accused of overtaking recipes, so putting them both into the same shaker for the first time must be accompanied by a "why the hell not?" or a "what's the worst thing that can happen?" attitude. Success, in our estimation, is a result of the other ingredients.

We already know gin can do wonders, promoting flavors that might otherwise fall flat on their own. We used Plymouth in our rendition, but the seasonal hero in this drink is the white grapefruit. Just an ounce of juice is enough to take the edge off the spirit and tie into its citrus aspects, anchoring itself beside the floral sweetness of the St-Germain while reaching out to the bitter world of Fernet to offer a hand of friendship. Only grapefruit can pull off such diplomatic sincerity. A goodly squeeze of the peel sending oils onto the surface and rimming the glass will have you smelling the cocktail long before it reaches your lips. The pinch of salt may seem like a holdover from the Edgewood, but we think it adds just the right seasoning to support the bridged flavors present in this drink.

Give the Fernelderwood a chance to impress you. Maybe even let it inspire your imagination to come up with a better name for the drink! Ours is shown perched upon on the deco stem of another lovely vintage coupe.

We have to admit, it's a privilege just to share a room with Dale DeGroff (aka King Cocktail). He's one of the most respected living bartenders and an international personality whose career is intimately connected with our current cocktail renaissance. Although he's quick to give credit to the visionary restauranteurs that first hired him to run their bars, most people agree that Mr. DeGroff is perhaps the one person most responsible for bringing back the craft cocktail. For that, his respect is well earned. Of course, everyone also recognizes that he certainly wasn't alone in that effort—each of us plays a role every time we request, serve or share a great drink—standing on the shoulders of giants, as they say. Here's one such drink created by DeGroff himself.

Fitzgerald by Dale DeGroff
1.5 oz gin
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish by floating a thin lemon wheel.

When you first read this drink recipe you can't help but question its simplicity. Is it really just a gin sour? The answer is, solidly, NO, it's a gin sour with Angostura Bitters. It may sound like splitting hairs, but this cocktail is all about the bitters. This is one of those drinks you can confidently serve to someone who says they don't like gin. One taste and the seduction begins. That's because there's a little magic alchemy going on. The gin and the Angostura combine with such success you will wonder why you haven't tried this before. You then wonder what other combinations of gins and bitters will produce.

And that's exactly what Mr. DeGroff has done. The version we tried at the event on Monday leveraged his very own Pimento (allspice) flavored bitters. It's time to track down another little bottle for the cabinet! Give the Fitzgerald a try. You'll be glad you did. It's an amazing drink from an amazing guy. We had a great time at the event Monday, and all of the proceeds went to the Museum of the American Cocktail.

The unusual ingredient is Nocino (no-CHEE-no), a dark Italian walnut flavored liqueur made from unripe green walnuts. The flavor is sweet, luscious and deeply nutty, but often still high in alcohol. We were first introduced to it a couple years back at the Bradstreet Crafthouse where it plays prominently in their Black Walnut Old Fashioned, a cocktail that uses the liqueur in place of sugar for their twist on the popular classic. One brand that is getting easier to find is Nux Alpina which comes from Austria. There's also Toschi Vignola Nocino, or their Nocello which is made from walnuts and hazelnuts. In northern Italy, nocino is often a homemade ingredient. Green walnuts are soaked in alcohol which is later mixed with simple syrup. The high-proof liqueur turns black in the process and sometimes spices are added to enhance the flavor. We haven't made it ourselves (our bottle will probably last a long time) but a recipe was published a while back by Imbibe Magazine. Whether you use Nux Alpina, a homemade nocino, or a nocello, they will all work equal magic in this drink.

Bitter Branch by Pip Hanson
3 oz rye
1 oz Cynar
.5 oz nocino (or nocello)
1 dash salt water

Combine rye, Cynar, nocino and salt water in a mixing glass, stir with ice, then strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist and a candied walnut.

Notes:
To make the salt water, combine 2 Tbs sea salt into a 1/2 cup boiling water, stirring till dissolved and chill, or follow instructions here.

We last used a salt solution in the the Night of the Hunter cocktail to create the illusion of salty caramel. This time, the salt helps develop the complex flavors in the ingredients and brings them all together. It's definitely a sipper, but one that gets better as you go. The bitterness isn't the dominate flavor, but as the name kindly suggests, the Cynar does carry through. Research has shown that salt can actually counteract bitter flavors in a drink, but a full ounce of amaro is a lot to overcome. We tried doubling the amount of salt solution, and although this further enhances the flavor of the drink, it still retains a somewhat bitter finish. That's not necessarily a bad thing!

You'll definitely want to freeze your rocks glass for this. It's a sipper that deserves to be savored, but it doesn't have to get warm in the process. Ample dilution is also important. As written, the recipe is a full four and a half ounces before adding ice which is a big drink by classic definitions. We cracked six 1-inch cubes of ice for stirring and just barely took the edge off. You want some bite, but make sure you adequately chill the cocktail with plenty of ice and lots of stirring. You may want to scale the proportions back a little if all you want to do is try this out, but be sure you are getting a nice proportion of water into the cocktail either way.

We skipped the candied walnuts and went with just a pigtail orange twist garnish. On the nose, the orange comes through as it should even before the first sip. As it hits the tongue, the salt is there, seasoning the rye and the sweet walnuts followed by the soft bitterness and herbal complexity from the Cynar. If you are a Manhattan fan or you love a spirit driven cocktail, this is for you, but be prepared for an assault of flavor. You will definitely taste the rye whiskey in this drink. We used Templeton, but Pip Hanson suggests Rittenhouse. Actually, this cocktail has already evolved into something at Marvel Bar called the Oakenshield which appeared on their menu for a time. We assume the name is a reference to Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. This updated version swaps a mildly smokey Scotch for the rye and the effect is so delicious we probably should have made it the Drink of the Week. So, scratch the recipe above and sub Scotch whisky instead of rye. The Drink of the Week is the Oakenshield. Gandalf approves.

A few months ago we picked up another set of ice molds. In one of our first posts ever we explored the virtues of a diverse ice program followed by an early exploration of ice spheres. Later, we posted a followup and wrote about making ice shards for taller drinks. Since it has been a while, we thought we could revisit this topic. We still can't afford to spend thousands of dollars on a Taisin solid metal "melting" mold (at least not one big enough), so we are always looking for new and better designs that use the slow process of freezing shapes.

There are several options available today—many more than when we first explored the idea. We still love the molds from Muji.com but we recently expanded our collection with these by Tovolo. We really like the design, so we wanted to write a few words now that they top our list. We think they beat the Muji spheres for a couple of reasons and are hands-down better than an all plastic design.

First, they are a hybrid of the tray concept and the silicone flexible mold design. The bottom section is made from a hard translucent plastic while the top section forms a flexible lid. You fill to the line, then press down the silicone which forms the top of the sphere by capturing the water and holding it in shape. This beats other tray styles like the Japanese two-piece plastic trays and the ones from MOMA because they are less likely to separate during freezing and aren't prone to breaking. Both sections are practically indestructible.

In addition to strength, this design captures the water in a way that stops it from leaking out the sides. The tight fit and high walls of the bottom section leaves nowhere for the water to leak out. With the Muji silicone mold, the water inside can sometimes find a way out the side if you don't get a perfect seal which does happen from time to time.

Finally, the Tovolo molds are slightly larger than others allowing the sphere to better fill most rocks glasses. A bigger sphere means more ice mass which cools better and longer. Un-molding these requires slight warming under running water, but the results have been great, especially with improved technique:

Improved Technique to Eliminate the Egg
No matter which mold you use, we have found a great technique to improve the quality of the result. Instead of simply filling the mold with water, start with a large ice cube. Since we already use the Tovolo silicone ice trays to make cubical ice, we drop one of these into our mold and then fill the rest with water. This does several things. First, it speeds up the freezing process by seeding the sphere with pre-frozen water. More importantly, however, it leaves less opportunity for expansion. Since some of the volume is already solid, less water remains to expand the mold into an egg shape. If you have the Muji mold, starting with a cube will help create rounder spheres every time!

We are big fans of Beaker & Flask as well as Rum Club around back. Last year, we featured Kevin's Norwegian Negroni as well as Emily Baker's Mexican Circus Tiger. Those are both fantastic drinks, but Grounded for Life has something we've never seen in a drink before—celery juice. It's an odd ingredient that's so tasty and so simple to make it's a wonder we don't see it being used more often. Think about a fresh stalk of celery for a moment and you will recognize that aside from a lot of fibrous roughage, it's mostly water.

Grounded for Life by Kevin Ludwig
2 oz Mazama (Crater Lake) Pepper Vodka
.75 oz triple sec
.75 oz simple syrup
1 oz lime juice
1 oz celery juice

Shake over ice and strain into a glass with a salted rim.

Naturally, there's a little prep work necessary to make this cocktail. It starts with fresh celery. Amazingly, you don't need much of it to extract a good volume of juice. There are several ways to go about that. You can chop it up and muddle it in a glass, then strain the juice. This works for small amounts, but you can also use a blender. Take several large ribs of celery and break them into smaller pieces. Toss them into a blender and pulse until they start to break down. Blend to a thick consistency to sufficiently rip them apart so they completely release the juice, then press the pulp through a sieve or cheese cloth. We blended three large pieces of celery which yielded six ounces.

Once you have the celery juice you need to track down some pepper flavored vodka. The official recipe calls for Mount Mazama from Bendistillery, but that's the old name. It's now called Crater Lake Pepper Vodka which is an infusion of six different hot and sweet peppers. According to Ludwig, you can really smell the bell pepper in this drink, so the vodka you use is important if you want to make a perfect version. However, we muddled some chopped green pepper and jalapeño in a few ounces of regular vodka allowing it to infuse for a couple of hours. It's not a perfect solution, and if we did it again we would use more jalapeño or let it go longer, but it can work in a pinch. The key was to get both the burn and the bell pepper into the base spirit. You might also be able to substitute another brand of pepper vodka, but recognize that success depends on more than just spicy heat.

Bring it all together in a salt-rimmed glass. We normally like to give guests a choice with the salt by only rimming halfway around, but the salt really makes a difference. It helps bring out the flavor of the celery and pepper, and it works surprisingly well with lime and Cointreau. There's plenty of debate about salt and margaritas, but here, we think it's a necessity.

On paper it may look like a recipe that works like morning drinks such as the Bloody Mary, but in truth, it's closer in flavor to a Margarita or a Red Pepper Daisy. Categories aside, it's a wonderful drink, and the celery juice makes it an unexpected pleasure. It's definitely on the sweet and sour end of the spectrum, not savory. Give Grounded for Life a try and let us know what you think. Our version pictured above looks great in a Georgian-styled goblet from the Summit Sips store.

Bubbaloo by Euclides López
2.25 oz pisco
.5 oz sweet vermouth
.5 oz apricot brandy (liqueur)
3 dashes Amargo Peruvian Bitters

Stir with plenty of ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The only challenge with the recipe is the Amargo bitters. We picked up a bottle a couple years ago to make an authentic Pisco Sour. There's probably a good argument against using Angostura in its place, but we don't know it. Sure, the Amargo Chuncho has a slightly different flavor with a little less spice, and if Mr. López wanted to use Ango he would have written the recipe that way—but as it happens, he didn't. That doesn't mean you can't still make a good drink with what you have on hand. So, we say go ahead and use Angostura bitters. It's still going to taste delicious.

We love having another recipe that takes advantage of pisco. The last time we used it was for the Pink Panther which is also good, but the Bubbaloo avoids the froth and citrus. Today at least, that suits us a little better. With a subtle nod to the Manhattan, the formula is spirit-driven but lighter than it would be with whiskey. The apricot replaces some of the vermouth and keeps it on the fruity side. Without whiskey's pushy flavor, a smaller volume of vermouth won't get lost, and bitters ties everything together. We really like this drink!

As the cooler months of autumn begin to replace the summer's heat, we often think of cocktails made with apples and darker spirits. So often, the drinks we post here at Summit Sips are either spirit-driven, bitter, or they end up balanced slightly toward the sour side of the spectrum. Here's a drink that will appeal to those of you who like something a little sweeter looking for a pleasant sipper as the leaves change. There are several versions of the Golden Dawn which originated around 1930, but this one seems to be the most interesting because it retains a depth of flavor while keeping the sugar under control. It comes to us by way of Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up, a risqué cocktail book first published in 1951. It's also one of those drinks that gets away with exactly equal proportions.

Golden Dawn
.75 oz Calvados
.75 oz gin
.75 oz apricot brandy
.75 oz orange juice
real pomegranate grenadine

Add all to shaker except the grenadine. Shake to chill, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a stemless cherry and drizzle a little grenadine through to the bottom of the drink.

If nothing else, this drink looks beautiful with the cherry at the bottom and the grenadine hinting at a sunrise, but we wouldn't make a cocktail for looks alone. It has to taste good, and the Golden Dawn fulfills that requirement too. We normally find that orange juice falls somewhat flat in a mixed drink. It just doesn't have the same brightness of citrus champions like lemon or lime. Even grapefruit juice can work a little magic, but orange? Despite having a wonderful peel for fantastic garnishes, orange juice rarely plays more than a casual role in most classics that call for it. Using freshly squeezed helps brighten up the drink a bit.

We can forgive the orange juice because our base spirits are singing a duet. The combination of gin and Calvados uplifts orange's shortcomings, and the apricot bolsters against any questions of inadequacy. It's a nice combination that could also survive a little substitution. You might pull the Calvados and replace it with Applejack without any ill effects, and the other items seem ripe for experimentation. The small amount of good grenadine will bring just a hint of floral fruitiness, but it's primarily there to add color.

In our example, we used Boulard Calvados paired with Gin Mare, an absolutely wonderful "Mediterranean-styled" gin which is produced in a small village in Spain and features botanicals sourced from around the Mediterranean including olive, thyme, basil, and of course, juniper. This isn't meant to be a spirit review, but if you happen to have a sister living in Spain, by all means, ask her to send you some! We also used Rothman and Winter's Orchard Apricot and our own homemade grenadine. The images feature this cocktail served in a gorgeous silver-rimmed V-shaped coupe.

There are as many Grog recipes as there are pirates with patched eyes. It seems that for every combination of rums there is some version of grog. One popular and historic Navy Grog calls for three types of rum: light Puerto Rican rum, dark Jamaican, and Demerara. It employs citrus in the form of lime and grapefruit juice and uses honey syrup to balance the sour.

Navy Grog
1 oz light Puerto Rican rum
1 oz dark Jamaican rum
1 oz Demerara rum
.75 oz lime juice
.75 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz honey syrup
.75 oz soda water

Shake everything with ice cubes and strain into a double old-fashioned glass with an ice-cone straw.

Presentation can take on a variety of forms. Sometimes grog is served in a metal stein with a glass bottom (the common myth is that the glass allows you to lift your tankard to see if an officer has slipped you the King's shilling—you should be able to see the coin and avoid conscription into the Royal Navy). This 1941 version from Don the Beachcomber (by way of Beach Bum Berry Remixed) calls for a double old-fashioned glass with an ice-cone straw. Although a glass-bottomed mug is exciting and may have historical significance, not everyone owns one so we opted for the ice-cone. It's not absolutely necessary to prepare ice in this manner—you could simply serve this on the rocks or use a big chunk—but since we had never tried it before we thought it might be an interesting challenge, given our other experiments with ice.

Cone Foil Experimentation

One way to make a good ice cone is to start with shaved ice. Pack this into a pilsner glass which will give you the basic shape, then carefully poke a hole down the center with a chopstick. Place the glass into the freezer overnight to allow the shaved ice to resolidify in the shape of the cone, then take it out, place it into the grog and slip a straw into the hole.

That might have worked for us if we had an ice shaver and a pilsner glass. As it happens, we don't, so it was time to improvise. Using heavy aluminum foil, it's possible to fold a large square piece into a triangle that you can open on one end. Think of how a paper napkin is folded and you'll get the idea. Partially open the folded aluminum from a corner. Using a chopstick, coax the foil into a smooth cone configuration and stand it pointed end down into a pint glass. You may want to test your cone with water to make sure it doesn't leak. Drop in a straw or a chopstick, fill with crushed ice and add a little water. Let it freeze this way for several hours. The only problem with this technique is that the straw will become frozen in place. You will have to unwrap the foil and pull out the straw with some water. We were impatient, so our cone tip hadn't completely solidified, but if you have a better idea, leave a comment and us know what worked for you.

You don't need to be able to talk like a pirate to drink like one. If you can turn a few cute phrases with references to ships, sails or the sea, good for you. For the rest of us, there's grog to be had. Arrr!

This one takes the somewhat unusual approach of using dry vermouth instead of sweet. It was created by Chad Solomon, once a bartender at New York's Milk & Honey. The result is a lovely golden gem of a cocktail that remains true to the style.

So, here's the thing with this drink. It's strong. It has an imposing flavor that is definitely rye-forward. We love rye, so that's not really a problem. Besides, we used the good stuff which resulted in a wonderfully smooth version of this drink. Regardless of your selection, a recipe like this insists on being properly diluted. The stirring action may work best with a combination of cracked ice and cubes. This will get you to the finish line faster so that once properly chilled, you will also have adequate dilution to cut some of the heat from your whiskey.

This cocktail also includes two more of our favorite ingredients: maraschino liqueur and Cynar. Think of the combination of dry vermouth, Luxardo maraschino and Cynar as a substitute for sweet vermouth in a Manhattan and you will understand why these Brooklyn variations work so well. In the Bensonhurst, the liqueur imparts a sweet funkiness typical of drinks that include maraschino, and the Cynar adds just the right amount of herbal complexity combined with the vermouth and a touch of bitterness that will have you enjoying and contemplating every last sip. That said, the rye does play the dominant role, but that's not really a complaint.

Bensonhurst
2 oz rye
1 oz dry vermouth
.25 oz maraschino liqueur
1 barspoon Cynar

Combine in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Last week we visited Hale Pele to kickoff a nice Tiki weekend. While the summer sun continues to shine, we thought we'd post the recipe for another cocktail we had there called the Jungle Bird. As tropical drinks go, this one's a bit unusual because it contains Campari. Because of that ingredient, it tends to lean toward the bitter end of the spectrum which is just perfect for us!

Even if you are not a fan of the bitter aperitivo or other bitter flavored cocktails, it's worth tasting the Jungle Bird. It's not as bitter as you would expect from three-quarters of an ounce of Campari. A healthy dose of pineapple and a little simple syrup and lime distracts attention away from the amaro. However, all of that pineapple doesn't overwhelm the drink either. It stays somewhat under the surface of an otherwise complex flavor profile.

Part of the success of this drink is due to the rum selection. If you use a white rum, you won't have the same effect. The original recipe can be found in Beachbum Berry's Tiki+ iOS app, but it also appears in his book, Beach Bum Berry Remixed. According to Berry, the Jungle Bird is a 1978 recipe from the Kuala Lumpur Hilton which specifies dark Jamaican rum, but at Hale Pele they use Cruzan Blackstrap. This rum can easily overwhelm other ingredients, but not here. It is absolutely amazing in this drink.

Jungle Bird
1.5 oz dark Jamaican rum (or Cruzan Blackstrap)
.75 oz Campari
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup
4 oz unsweetened pineapple juice

Shake with ice and pour unfiltered into a lowball, tumbler or double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a cherry, orange wheel, orchid blossom, mint, etc.

It took us a long time to burn through our blackstrap, probably because we don't make enough Dark & Stormys, but we bought another bottle to make this drink. Actually, we like to use blackstrap rum as a float on other cocktails too, but it's nice to finally have one that works well with it as the base. Besides, Cruzan rums are not very expensive. Overall, this choice of spirit lends a delicious, velvety depth, like chocolate or maple syrup. And even though it sounds like too much flavor or simply an odd mix when you look at the ingredients on paper, it's one we will keep enjoying.

The glass you use for a Tiki style cocktail can be as varied as the ingredients. Tropical drinks work well in a variety of shapes. Many call for call for crushed ice, but even with cubes you cannot go wrong with the traditional carved idol look of a ceramic tiki mug. Tumblers and and tall goblets work well for swizzles, and a bulbous snifter can be perfect for punches with lots of ice.

Check out the Tiki Category of the Store for options we think work well.

To view past Spotlight items, Click Here.

Blair Reynolds, owner of Hale Pele, Portland, OR

There's a new Tiki bar in Portland, Oregon that just opened on NE Broadway called Hale Pele. It's in the space previously occupied by Thatch, for those of you who know the area. This bar is the brainchild of Blair Reynolds, (formerly AKA "TraderTiki"). Reynolds is definitely a veteran of Tiki culture as well as a celebrated professional in the world of bartending. In addition to collecting various honors, accolades and published references, his skills as a tropical drink maker and dedication to quality ingredients led to the creation of his own brand of cocktail syrups. The B.G.Reynolds' line includes everything from cinnamon to vanilla, and practically every other Tiki syrup you will ever need.

We visited Hale Pale the first Friday of their opening last week and had a lovely time. The space is cozy, filled with warm, natural Polynesian decor represented by carved tribal totems and bamboo. The authentic puffer fish light fixtures and glass fishing buoys look right at home next to the Hawaiian outrigger canoe hanging from the ceiling. Even Mr. Reynolds himself was on hand to answer questions. One unusual feature was the bar itself. The bartop sits slightly lower than most bars, but this is due to what appears to be a raised wooden floor in keeping with the decor. The affect is subtle, whether deliberate or not, but we absolutely loved it. The staff remains at optimal height, so you could say that it as something like a "sunken" bar work area. There's definitely something to be said for settling down to a bar as opposed to climbing up to it. It has a calming effect like being accepted into an unusual cultural experience.

All told, the atmosphere is perfect for what is being served. The cocktail menu reads like a hit list featuring no less than twenty Tiki specialties. Many of these are authentic vintage recipes with more ingredients than most of us have time to worry about. Drinks are obviously mixed freshly-squeezed and plenty of attention is given to decorative garnishes to complete the picture of perfection.

We tried the 1934 Zombie and the original Mai Tai, followed by some jokes about taking the outrigger canoe down from the ceiling and giving it a test drive on the Willamette (Note: two Zombie limit per customer). We enjoyed some delicious Hawaiian bread with guava jam while we contemplated our second round which included the Jungle Bird and the Pieces of Eight cocktail featured below.

Homemade Pieces of Eight

Pieces of Eight
1.5 oz Puerto Rican rum
1.5 oz lemon juice
.5 oz lime juice
1.5 oz passion fruit syrup

Shake with 4 ounces of crushed ice, pour into a tall cocktail glass, top up with more crushed ice and garnish.

This beauty is described on the menu as "Tall, Tart, and Lovely." There's a lot of citrus in this one, balanced by a hefty amount of passion fruit syrup, but good passion fruit should have a tang that outshines its sweetness. In other words, the drink retains a wonderful sour kick. You can make your own passion fruit syrup as we have in the past, but try to use real fruit puree for the best flavor. This can be difficult to find, so we recommend that you simply grab a bottle of R.G.Reynolds' Passion Fruit Syrup and save yourself a lot of trouble.

You can get pretty creative with the garnish as often happens with elaborate Tiki cocktails. The term Pieces of Eight is often associated with the popular notion of pirate treasure but is technically a reference to the old Spanish dollar which was equal in value to eight reales. The coin itself could be cut into eight wedges or "bits" and was the model upon which the US dollar was based. As such, garnishes for this cocktail sometimes include citrus wheels to represent the coin or even eight triangular pineapple wedges skewered and grilled to give them a "tarnished" appearance. We decided not to wait for the grill to heat up and went for a colorful alternative that included a lemon wheel, a mint sprig and a nasturtium blossom.

We'll definitely be back to Hale Pele to enjoy cocktails we don't often get to make at home. Boasting a full assortment of spirits and nice selection of food, there's plenty to love here beyond Tiki. And if Tiki is your thing, why would you go anywhere else?

Without the need to get into a full description of the Rob Roy, what about the slightly more interesting Bobby Burns cocktail? Now we are talking. It's not that different, but it does add something to the recipe that takes it from ordinary (if any Manhattan variation can be considered ordinary) to place much more complex. To get there, we'll need to use a bit of D.O.M. Benedictine.

Bobby Burns
2 oz Scotch whisky
.75 oz sweet vermouth
.5 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist

The Bobby Burns cocktail is sometimes referred to as the Robert Burns in old cocktail books. The name is a reference to the Scottish author and lyricist, a famous eighteenth century bard who is often thought of as Scotland's favorite son. In fact, in 2009 he was voted 'Greatest Scot' in a Scottish television poll, so as names go, it's certainly befitting.

It tastes good, too. This is definitely a spirit driven drink so it deserves a decent stir to properly chill and dilute the heat, but the flavors can be wonderful. We put it that way because there are a couple of variables. First, not all recipes call for the same ratio we have here. Early examples will cite equal amounts of whisky and vermouth. Most modern interpretations go with a more acceptable 2:1 ratio so as not to drown your precious Scotch in modifiers. You do still want to taste your base spirit. In fact, we're pouring an even lighter portion of vermouth.

Another potential variation that will dramatically affect the outcome is the amount of Benedictine. Some recipes call for as little as a dash to as much as a spoonful, but ours goes all the way to a half ounce. Why so much Benedictine? First of all, a half ounce isn't really very much, and considering we held back on the sweet vermouth, the drink can handle it. Besides, we love Benedictine's herbal complexity. It drives the flavor profile well beyond expectations. In a Manhattan the vermouth can easily dominate, but here, it fades into the background.

This brings us to the whisky. We used Dewar's 12 year. There's no question that the Scotch you choose will define the overall flavor profile. For some brands the comparison will be subtle; for others, it will be dramatic. A blended variety is probably traditional, but we've seen recipes that specify a single malt. There's no reason to break the bank for this cocktail, but as always, drink what you like and make adjustments according to your own preferences. Give this one a try. It may not have you shouting, "Great Scot!" but if you normally drink Manhattans it might surprise you.

Up until a few years ago, orange bitters was virtually impossible to find. If you had time and the inclination you could make some yourself, provided you could find a recipe. And that's exactly what we did many years back--we dried orange peels, toasted spices, macerated in alcohol for weeks, and so on. It can be pretty rewarding to make your own cocktail bitters but it takes time and effort not to mention careful notes and technique to be consistent, and your results may or may not be what you want. Most of us would rather just buy a product that we know is authentic. Thanks to a few curious and enterprising cocktail luminaries, we now have several versions of commercial orange bitters from which to choose. Were it not for the efforts of a few, cocktails such as this one may not be enjoyed by many, since the Calvados Cocktail requires more than a mere dash or two.

Calvados Cocktail
1.5 oz calvados
1.5 oz orange juice
.75 oz Cointreau
.75 oz orange bitters

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a orange wheel.

Don't pour one of these expecting an apple flavored sipper. It's all about the orange. Ironically, the juice probably provides the least effect with most of the orange flavor coming from the Cointreau and the bitters. The calvados is certainly present in the sip, but the apple flavors take a back seat to all of this citrus.

It shouldn't be such a surprise, but the moment the first sip hits your lips you  taste the orange bitters. Rarely do we see cocktail bitters doled out in such high proportions. At 3/4 of an ounce, the bitters serves as a modifier ingredient. Normally, just a few dashes in a cocktail will do, but here, we taste the full flavor of this ingredient. We used Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6 and in this drink, it's reminiscent of sucking on an orange peel garnish. It's that intense, and the orange juice probably does more to tone down the effect than add to it.

And yet, after the second sip or three, you start to recognize the virtue of this cocktail. It's not really about the novelty of using so much cocktail bitters. Considering other drinks that may contain a more herbal Italian amaro, it's somewhat refreshing to have this much crispy orange, and at 90-proof, the Regans could get away with slapping a different label on the stuff and selling it as a spiritous digestif. Of course, that would place it into a different beverage category making it subject to all kinds of regulations and taxes and so forth.

When it's all said and done, we were left wondering what happened to the apple? This was supposed to be the Calvados Cocktail, so where's the calvados? The answer lies perhaps with the fact that a brandy in general is going to be smoother than say, whiskey in a drink like this. And like mixed fruit juices, apple often provides the foundation upon which the other flavors develop. That's what's going on in this drink. The rich, fruit-forward nature of this cocktail likely has a lot to do with the spirit helping to bolster that effect. However, not everyone agrees with these proportions. Feel free to tweak the amount of bitters you add and adjust to your own personal tastes.

During the late nineteenth century in Italy where production of Campari was just getting started, the unique apéritif made from an alcoholic infusion of fruit, bitter herbs and aromatic plants was enjoyed by locals with soda water. Naturally, Italian vermouth was added to compliment the herbal falvors and to tone-down the bitterness. When Prohibition was enacted in the United States, Campari was classified as a medicine, not an alcoholic beverage. Visiting Americans were requesting this drink in Italy so often that it became known as the Americano.

Americano
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 ounces soda water

Pour the Campari and sweet vermouth into a tall glass filled with ice and stir. Top with soda water and garnish with a lemon twist.

Once you get used to bitter cocktails, you will seek them out on better bar and restaurant menus. They offer something different and are a great way to prepare your digestive system for a healthy meal to follow. In the case of this drink the alcohol is low, affording you the opportunity to have one before you eat without interfering with a glass of wine later, or even a nightcap. It's light enough that you can sip one or two at a party and feel refreshed and invigorated instead of the alternative. It has just enough sweetness from the vermouth to balance the bitter, and the lemon twist really adds a fresh citrus touch.

There's a bit of a fad going on these days with some bars making Americanos or similar carbonated cocktails in large batches for on-site bottling. We'll explore those details soon, as the recipe needs to be adjusted slightly to replace the dilution from the ice, but it's a fantastic way to bring cocktails with you to a party or to have something already chilling in the refrigerator. No mixing required! Stay tuned. . .

The Bad?
What can be so wrong with one of the most popular drinks ever created? Some might argue that in most examples, the Cosmopolitan is basically an unremarkable, often over-sweetened alcohol delivery system designed to mask the flavor of vodka. Such judgement is hardly offensive since vodka is supposed to be flavor-neutral in the first place, and many classics were designed as creative solutions to hide the taste of bathtub gin. We need to dig deeper.

Let's start with the base spirit. Vodka alone can sometimes be enough to fuel disdain. For the pretentious mixologist there seems to be a fog of negativity that follows neutral alcohol as if to suggest that the drinker isn't really interested in enjoying the cocktail. If they were, they'd order whiskey, or gin—something that actually brings flavor to the glass. The argument ends with the notion that Cosmo drinkers could care less about quality spirits and are interested in one thing only: getting drunk. That's a harsh argument that doesn't explain why other vodka drinks such as the Moscow Mule get plenty of respect. Although it may be true that as one's appreciation for spirits grows it may diminish the inclination to order something with a flavor-neutral base, it does not mean that vodka recipes are without merit.

Looks Good Enough to Drink
Popular culture can have a profound effect on the success or failure of just about anything. The Cosmopolitan was apparently invented by a South Beach bartender named Cheryl Cook, experimenting with Absolut Citron during its pre-launch test in 1988. That could have been the end of it—another concoction here one day and gone the next, shrouded in relative obscurity. Then, Dale DeGroff of the Rainbow Room in New York tweaked the recipe and added it to the drink menu. Someone spotted Madonna drinking one and before long, it was like a fifth major character on HBO's Sex and the City. "And the rest is history," as people are fond of saying, only the rest of this story includes a lot of poorly-executed Cosmopolitans.

There's something to be said about holding a cold, v-shaped cocktail glass, beaded with sweat and filled with a gorgeous pink elixir. Few cocktails look so fashionable, but more important than how it looks is how it tastes. It's easy to make this drink taste really good, and even easier to mess it up.

Cosmopolitan
1.5 oz Absolut Citron Vodka
.75 oz Cointreau
.25 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz cranberry juice

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a flamed orange peel.

The Dos and Don'ts
Forget what you have seen on HBO. Huge cocktail glasses filled with pink is not the goal here. A properly made Cosmopolitan isn't going to photograph as nicely as you remember from watching those ladies on TV. Although they would probably agree with one thing—size matters. If you plan to make Cosmos and serve them in giant (8 ounces or more) cocktail glasses, it's time to rethink your glassware situation. Classic proportions are never designed to fill a glass that big for several reasons. First, it's too much booze. If you want to have more than one cocktail, drinks this big will be a problem. Second, the glass and the contents needed to fill it will quickly loose their cool, and so will you when you are holding a warm drink. Get yourself a proper cocktail glass and eliminate the first problem you might encounter with this drink.

Second, don't use bottled lime juice. This is one of the improvements Dale DeGroff insisted upon. Early recipes may have suggested Rose's Lime Cordial, but don't do it. It has to be freshly-squeezed lime juice. Think about it for a moment. Limes are everywhere, so why would you need to use a preserved and sweetened substitute? Go out and get some limes at your local supermarket. If you aren't using fresh lime juice in your cocktails, why are you reading this?

Next, one of the subtle hints of flavor in this recipe is the citrus present in the Citron vodka. Can you substitute another product? Maybe so. Could you infuse your own spirit by soaking lemon peels in vodka? Absolut-ly. You could also add to your shaker a nice fat oily twist of lemon peel and use whatever regular vodka you may have on hand. It may seem like an unnecessary step, but if we respect the recipe and go for the best possible flavor profile, we can't overlook the lemon citrus flavored vodka.

Balance is achieved in this drink with a combination of the lime juice and the orange liqueur. We'd like to say that any triple sec will do, but Cointreau tastes better. You can be the judge of this and adjust according to your budget and taste, but keep your eye on the goal—we are making the best Cosmopolitan we can.

Finally, there is cranberry juice. We must insist on measuring all of the ingredients, and this applies to the cranberry. Some recipes specify Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail. Just remember, color isn't flavor, and with a mere ounce of cranberry, sadly, you won't get that deep fuchsia, fandango, rose—you'll be lucky if your Cosmo even looks pink. But, don't worry. It will taste good. Please, resist the temptation to add more cranberry juice. Don't let your guest tell you how "pink" to make it. Just follow the recipe and let their tastebuds decide.

You could add a dash or two of orange bitters, but the real spark comes quite literally from the garnish. Slice a disc of fresh orange peel from a firm piece of fruit. Light a match and hold the peel near the flame with your other hand. Aim the peel through the flame and over the rim of the glass and give it a snap. If you do this correctly, it will spray and ignite, showering the surface with caramelized orange oil. Wipe the oily peel around the rim of the glass and drop it in (orange side up). If you don't have an orange for the garnish, a lime wheel is a popular alternative.

Made as described above, the Cosmopolitan is a drink worthy of your effort, and if you've never tried one over the past 20 years or so, it might be time to give it a go. Request one at a bar or restaurant at your own risk. Like a Tom Collins, just about everyone knows how to make a bad one, but very few know how to make it properly. Once you do, you won't want to have it any other way.

Here's a great and somewhat unusual cocktail for those of you looking for a spirit-driven tipple that's a bit out of the ordinary. It comes by way of Ben Dougherty of Seattle's Zig Zag Café. It contains equal portions of bourbon, dry sherry and Ramazzotti, with a splash of Cointreau and a couple dashes of o-bits. Wait. Back up. Ramazzotti? I guess we couldn't slip that one past you. Like we said, this drink is a bit unusual, so it stands to reason that it might include an odd ingredient.

So, bourbon—no problem. Sherry isn't that common in cocktails but it's not unheard of. Cointreau and orange bitters—easy. But what's with this Ramazzotti? Actually, it's not that hard to find. It's another Italian Amaro, or potable bitters that happens to be a lovely aperitif. This one comes from Milan and it's not very bitter at all but has a nice balance of sweet and citrus. It is wonderfully herbal with a predominantly orange character.

Chaplin by Ben Dougherty
.75 ounce bourbon whiskey
.75 ounce dry sherry
.75 ounce Ramazzotti
.125 ounce Cointreau
2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

The first sip of the Chaplin hits you like a Manhattan, but after a moment you realize that's not what you have at all. The whiskey gives way to an herbal orange combination from the Cointreau, Ramazzotti and orange bitters. Then, the sherry kicks in with its vermouth-like funkiness. This lingers for a moment before the other flavors return for a long, satisfying finish. Perhaps most unusual is that this drink smells like cola. We love a drink that feeds the senses with a progression or transformation of flavors. Instead of everything coming at once, it arrives in waves of flavor that make each sip an experience to enjoy.

It's certainly not a complicated drink to make which is one of the reasons we love it. It's the first time we've written about a drink that contains watermelon and that left us wondering why we don't see it in more recipes. We don't always have a watermelon around so this was a great excuse to buy one. Finally, this cocktail contains Scotch whisky, and that alone is reason enough to get excited. You just don't find many cocktails involving Scotch, so whenever we find a good one, we feel an obligation to spread the word.

Saw Tooth by Evan Zimmerman
2 oz blended Scotch whisky
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup
3 one-inch cubes of watermelon

Muddle the watermelon with the simple syrup. Add the other ingredients and shake with ice. Double strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

There may be four flavors in this drink, but three of them function together as a trio. We found ourselves smiling, sip after contemplative sip. The first thing you notice is the Scotch. This isn't some pricey single-malt, but a nice blended variety with a bit of smoke on the nose and a well-rounded flavor. A hint of peat was enough to confirm our base spirit, but beyond that, you wouldn't know this is a whisky drink.

The sugar and lime are in perfect balance and transform what would have been just melon-flavored water into an incredible mixer. You might expect the watermelon to fall flat, especially after muddling turns it into water, but the lime intensifies it's flavor without taking over. The simple syrup keeps the acid in check while providing just enough support to remind you of a watermelon Jolly Rancher—without becoming too sweet. In essence, this combination is wonderful, and it has us looking into the cabinet for new spirit variations.

You might not think Scotch would work with perfectly balanced watermelon, but it does. In fact, it soars. This is an excellent hot summer drink and we are already thinking of ways to measure out huge chunks of watermelon to calculate a bulk recipe we can serve over ice like punch. Backyard weekends may never be the same.

We're not saying that ladies don't like Manhattans. We're not saying that at all. We simply recognize that every so often, it's fun to put what we've learned into a drink that is accessible to everyone. That's not to say we think this is a "girl drink"—or that there is such a thing—but you could do a lot worse than the Pink Panther. We'll even go a step further and say that if you (or your lady friend) doesn't like our Drink of the Week, just slide it over to us and we'll "dispose" of it for you ourselves, right after we finish our own.

Pink Panther by Yael Vengroff
2 oz pisco
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz orgeat
3 raspberries
4 drops rose water
1 egg white

In a mixing glass, muddle raspberries then add other ingredients. Dry shake (without ice), add ice and shake to chill. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a raspberry.

You've read the recipe and now you are thinking, "Pisco? Egg white? This is a joke, right? I can see why it's called the Pink Panther, but you are going to scare my lady with raw eggs and a base spirit she's never even heard of!" Just relax. The truth is, if we set one of these down in front of her and let her tastebuds decide, she won't care what the hell the ingredients are. This drink is delicious! Before we get too carried away though, we do need to describe some of the details if there is any hope of pulling this off.

First, it's worth noting that this cocktail comes from New York's Yael Vengroff, a woman who knows how to make a good drink. Second, some folks describe this as a cross between a Clover Club and a Pisco Sour, though that's not perfectly accurate, and references to other drinks you may not know isn't exactly helpful. So, let's dive right in.

Pisco is a distilled wine-based spirit from Peru or Chile. That technically makes it a type of brandy, but the color is usually clear or nearly so, with a flavor that is noted for being extremely smooth and aromatic. Lemon juice here obviously means fresh-squeezed and serves as the first half of a basic sour formula. The sweet part comes from the orgeat.

Orgeat is a fantastic syrup made from almonds. It's becoming a lot easier to find a decent bottle now, but we usually make it ourselves. Like good grenadine, orgeat is finished with a hint of floral fragrance. A little orange blossom water and rose water makes it a wonderful ingredient to have on hand, especially for amazing Tiki cocktails like the Mai Tai and the Fog Cutter.

We'll assume everyone knows about raspberries, but the rose water isn't as common. You can find it in better grocery stores and middle-eastern specialty shops. It's potent stuff that tastes and smells exactly how it sounds. A few drops is all you need, but it's nice to have a small bottle since you'll be using it to make orgeat.

Now, the egg white isn't as scary as you might think. You need it to build a protein emulsion. That's why we shake it without ice first. We want a frothy meringue just like a pie, and when you think of it that way, it makes perfect sense as a cocktail topping. The  almond, the rose water and the raspberries scent the lovely espuma and the whole drink takes on a luscious mouth-feel. No need to worry about raw egg whites. We have alcohol and citric acid on our side. Besides, the chances of encountering a bad egg is less than one in twenty-thousand.

Putting it all together, the raspberries contribute to the pink color as well as the flavor—and who doesn't love raspberries? The orgeat provides a nutty backdrop highlighted by its aromatics and boosted by the additional rose water. The lemon keeps it all on the tart side and prevents the drink from becoming runaway sweet. As always, you can tweak the balance to your taste by adding a little more or a little less. It's all a wonderful delivery system for the pisco, an underutilized base spirit that deserves more recognition than it gets. But don't let the same thing happen to the ladies in your life. Here's to all the ladies!