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Pursuing a casual interest in cocktails will lead you through some delicious modern recipes and most of the classics. In fact, many cocktail books, either by way of documenting recipe categories and development, or out of respectful obligation, take their readers through the same forty classic cocktails adding just a handful of embellishments and additions. While that may satisfy some, the more adventurous among us are constantly seeking new flavors and exciting combinations. It's not always necessary to go out of your way to track down hard-to-find ingredients—there are still plenty of daring and innovative drinks that any well-stocked bar can create. Such recipes may break a few rules and challenge conventional thinking, but together they serve, at the very least, as a reference and a source of inspiration for trade professionals. That was the idea, anyway, behind Kirk Estopinal and Maksym Pazuniak's Rogue Cocktails book.
The collectible
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If you are a frequent reader of Summit Sips (and we really hope that you are!) you may have noticed that activity here has slowed down a bit lately. You may have also noticed that we recently made a long migration to the Pacific Northwest. Moving takes its toll on free time with a never ending list of projects. It's an unfortunate coincidence because we often have a lot to share at this time of the year. But now that we are finally getting settled, it's time to resume where we left off.
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
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For many people, September 19th is just an ordinary day. But for others, it is an anniversary or maybe even a birthday. Somehow, this day also became International Talk Like a Pirate Day. We've mentioned this in the past, and even wrote an entire post in pirate-speak. Today we are simply going to feature Navy Grog as our drink of the week.
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
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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
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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
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Last weekend, we met some friends at Marvel Bar in Minneapolis where Pip Hanson holds court, overseeing a fantastic collection of classic cocktails and contemporary masterpieces. We had some time to kill before our dinner reservations upstairs at The Bachelor Farmer, so we were able to try several of the featured recipes on the menu. I read recently that on Sundays, Marvel has been hiding their drink menus and entertaining patrons with “server’s choice” selections. Basically, you share your likes, dislikes, mood, etc. and the staff will whip up something they think will appeal to you. Don’t like it? They’ll try again. This being a Saturday, we had menus, but after a couple rounds we had just enough time to order one more cocktail to carry up to our table. Given our previous selections from the menu, our server felt confident she could pick or create unique cocktails to our
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Here's a cocktail that combines two base spirits, brandy and rum. It's a prohibition era recipe that takes inspiration from the Sidecar, a delicious and flavorful drink that was itself the predecessor to drinks like the Margarita. That puts us squarely in the sour family, though there are differing opinions about how sour you should make it.
Whenever we make a sour style cocktail we are combining something sweet with something acidic. Like the Sidecar, the Between The Sheets cocktail plays lemon juice against Cointreau, though the lemon plays a less prominent role in this drink. And that's where documented recipes and opinions differ. Most references position the orange liqueur at a ratio equal to half that of the combined base spirits, but the amount of lemon juice tends to vary. There are recipes that call for a mere dash,
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It may be long overdue, but we are finally getting around to posting about the El Presidente cocktail. We mentioned this drink way back in November 2009 but never provided a recipe. That's because it was one in a list of several classics you could make with grenadine and we placed our focus on a homemade recipe for this wonderful syrup. It's been a while since we've touched on this ingredient, and even though the El Presidente contains just a tiny portion of the stuff, there are plenty of other great classics that employ pomegranate syrup to sublime effect. Of course, you have to use the real deal, not an artificially flavored bottle of corn syrup. It seems appropriate to briefly revisit the details.
The sad truth is that the most common store-bought brand of grenadine is excruciatingly bad for cocktails. It’s supposed to be a syrup based on real
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We don't post enough tropical Tiki rum drinks on Summit Sips. It's not intentional—it just works out that way. With winter behind us now and the magnolias in bloom, we thought it might be nice to catch up on a classic that we mentioned back in April of last year. We may not be quite ready to kick off our sandals and relax in the luxurious sunshine, but this string of 70-degree days and thundershowers has us thinking maybe we should get few summer recipes prepared. The Painkiller is a perfect drink to put on the summer menu, and unlike a lot of Tiki tranquilizers, this one is easy to make.
In order to make the Painkiller, you need to gather a few ingredients, but it's not nearly as difficult as you might think. First and foremost, you need coconut cream. Don't worry, we aren't
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I have to start with a word of caution. If you decide to make this Drink of the Week including it's fiery presentation, proceed carefully. I have always been an advocate of responsible drinking and although that applies here too, there's no reason to come this far only to let your hair catch on fire! That being said, there are alternatives if you don't have the proper bowl or if you want to avoid the flames altogether. We'll get to that, but first, let's talk Tiki.
Over the years there have been several "bowl" style drink recipes that, for me, epitomize the laid-back attitude of tropical consumption. While I enjoy an outlandish ceramic Tiki mug filled with exotic juice and rum as much as the next beach bum, I also appreciate the idea that sometimes a drink is just so big (or so strong) that it needs to be shared
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