And of course, since earlier this year, we’ve all been struggling to adjust to life during a pandemic. For some of us this has meant virtual quarantine. Some luminaries of the cocktail universe have sought to help us through it all. One offered to give us recipes we can use based on ingredients we have in our house (Derek Brown is just an amazing human being). Many others have minted new “quarantini” cocktails for us to sample. (I don’t have any of those for you, but I do have a classic martini, a hot and dirty martini, and even a totally dry (i.e., alcohol-free) martini for you if you’re interested.)

Pandemic/quarantine has knocked me off my cocktail blogging game a bit. I (like many of you I imagine) now work from home day after day and for some reason that new pattern has further disrupted my already disrupted flow for creating cocktails and then posting here about them. I’ve said “yes” to collaborations on Instagram, thinking they would motivate me to get back to it, but then failed to follow through. I guess there is a momentum to this kind of thing. It’s (at least by comparison) easy to keep blogging going when you’re consistent about it; but impossible when you get out of rhythm.

So I know better than to promise you that “I’m back,” but I am at least popping up to say hello and offer you something to drink as you wait patiently for the world to return to normal. This one is inspired by the last superfun thing I did before quarantine: visit South Africa.

South Africa is a wonderland. I can’t show you everything I loved about it – there isn’t enough space here (and at some point we need to get to the recipe). But let’s consider at least a few items: penguins, mountains, zebras and sunsets.

The penguins flock in large groups and just kind of party, looking as awesome as you would imagine. There’s no ice or cold weather here – it was in the 70s or 80s (Fahrenheit) in this shot. But they look unperturbed as they mingle on the shore between occasional trips to the water to cool off and look for food.

I didn’t realize that South Africa was so mountainous (although, when I reflected on it, I realized I hadn’t given the matter a great deal of thought either way in advance of visiting). But it is. Mountains are among the range of glorious topography on which the eyes may feast while traveling the “Garden Route,” a lengthy stretch of road that is a destination unto itself in South Africa, even as it transports you from one thrilling place to another.

The zebras – and the other wildlife, including lions, rhinos, elephants and ostriches – were also sights to behold. Sure, these are the same animals you’ve seen in zoos. But seeing these animals in the wild, up close, is nothing like seeing them in the zoo. These were animals living out of quarantine – in wide open spaces. They went where their business took them, and looked magnificent doing so.

The uncrowded horizons of South Africa’s wilderness also played host to fantastic sunsets. The beauty of the scene faded quickly as sunsets do; and the night’s dangers were such that returning to shelter for the evening was the certain conclusion to an exciting day. Just as certainly, though, the next day came, along with the freedom to return to the outdoors in search of new adventures.

South Africa also bestowed at least one more gift: the discovery of Six Dogs Blue gin (website):

I got to sample it while there one afternoon in a gin and tonic. It’s a floral tasting gin with a blue color imparted by the butterfly pea flower that comprises one of the ingredients. Because the butterfly pea flower is sensitive to changes in pH levels, the blue turns a shade of pink when acidic additives are introduced. Thus, the blue gin became a pink gin and tonic once the tonic was poured over and mixed in with the spirit.

After returning home, I finally got around to tinkering with the gin on my own, just as it was becoming clear that the sun was setting on life as we know it in the United States, with reports of the first cases of coronavirus in the country starting to roll in. I decided to recreate the gin and tonic I had first enjoyed in South Africa, but with a twist. Rather than use a traditional carbonated tonic, I used Jack Rudy’s Classic Tonic Syrup, which has a stronger flavor than standard tonics (and is sometimes diluted with a soda top-off to add carbonation, resulting in a more typical tonic flavor and feel). And rather than mixing the ingredients, I layered them:

The resulting gin and tonic shone like a sunset in a glass – the tonic sinking to the bottom, and turning some of the gin pink on its way down, while leaving a layer of twilight purple-blue at the top. I appreciated the vision for a moment before mixing the ingredients, resulting in a pink concoction with delicious botanical and herbal flavors that tasted like the spring that was just around the corner in early March.

Reflecting on these closing acts of the pandemic makes me smile about the future. We’re not there yet, but soon we’ll be partying like penguins again, and I’ll be there when we are to serve you a “Sunrise” cocktail of some sort. Until then, keep sipping and hang in there.

And wear a mask for God’s sake.

Here’s the recipe:

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Sunset Gin and Tonic

Gin and tonic recipe using Six Dogs Blue gin from South Africa and Jack Rudy's Classic Tonic Syrup

Course Drinks

Cuisine Sour

Keyword gin and tonic

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 150kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 2 oz. butterfly pea gin I used Six Dogs Blue
• 1 oz. tonic syrup I used Jack Rudy's Classic Tonic Syrup

Instructions

• Fill a rocks glass with ice
• Pour in the gin
• Carefully layer the tonic syrup over, pouring over a spoon back if necessary, to create a layered effect
• If a consistent taste is desired, stir the ingredients to combine them

Enjoy!

The post Classic Recipe with a Twist: Sunset Gin and Tonic appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

I always feature the drink first in these posts so you can see what you’re getting into.  But that makes this post sort of backwards because you’re seeing the ultimate creation before its inspiration.  So without further ado, let me share a bit of what I saw earlier in the day.  The first part of the hike featured a long stretch of woods immersed in fog – with living trees standing comfortably next to the dead.  The forest floor was covered with almost glow-green moss that added to the eerie effect.  It was a beautiful, almost haunted scene:

The second half of the hike involved one descending branch of the trail that went by a long hill of rocks that had a thick blanket of the same kind of moss, under the same heavy mist:

I wanted to create something that captured the feeling of being in those woods.  So I went to Sawyer’s Market, a family owned store that has been serving Southwest Harbor and Mount Desert Island since 1946, to look for ingredients.  There I acquired a bottle of Gunpowder Rye by Portland-based New England Distilling and a Cardamom-Clove simple syrup by Newcastle-based Royal Rose Syrups.   I also grabbed some eggs and fresh thyme (local) and limes (not).  And I also had a bottle of dry vermouth (Dolin) already at hand.  The concept was simple:  I thought the rye and spiced simple syrup could lend an “in the woods” vibe to the drink; I could use egg white to create a foam that would stand in for mist, and the thyme garnish would supply a little green (not as vibrant as the moss, granted).  The lime juice and vermouth would balance the flavor a bit.

I realized as I put these ingredients together that I was basically making a Scofflaw – a prohibition-era recipe named after a misguided attempt to coin a word to shame lawbreaking prohibition-era drinkers – except that I was using a flavored syrup in lieu of grenadine and I was adding a foam and unusual garnish to the drink.  Nevertheless, these tweaks make it a different drink, thanks in no small part to the strong spices that come through in the Royal Rose syrup.  I was very happy with the final product, and I think you will be too.

Here’s the recipe:

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Meet Me in the Woods at Midnight (a variation of the Scofflaw)

Try Meet Me in the Woods at Midnight, a drink inspired by a hike through the misty woods of Maine and based on the classic Scofflaw cocktail

Course Drinks

Cuisine Sour

Keyword Scofflaw

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 230kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Gunpowder Rye whiskey
• 1/2 oz. Royal Rose Cardamom-Clove simple syrup
• 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3/4 oz. dry vermouth I used Dolin
• 1 egg white
• fresh thyme

Instructions

• Combine the whiskey, simple syrup, lime juice and vermouth in a shaking tin with ice and shake vigorously.
• Strain the mixture into one of the tins and discard the ice.  Add the egg white and shake again with no ice.
• Pour into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
• Add thyme as garnish.

Enjoy!

The post Classic Recipe with a Twist: Meet Me in the Woods at Midnight (a take on the Scofflaw) appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

The Negroni needs no introduction.  It is made with equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.  One of the classic cocktails, the Negroni has one of those colorful and contested histories.  The leading versions agree that the drink is named after a Count Negroni of Italy.  But they disagree as to when the drink was invented, and by which Count.  And other historical research casts doubt on whether the inventor was really a Count at all.

What is certain is that the drink is a legacy of which any family should be proud.  The same is true of Don Ciccio & Figli, that District-based distiller that traces its roots to a family liqueur-making business back (also to Italy) in 1883, somewhere in between the competing dates (1857 or 1919) on which the competing Counts Negroni might have first invented their eponymous drink.  In one of its latest offerings, Don Ciccio has brought forth Cerasum, a cherry-blossom-based liqueur that stands in very nicely for the Campari that usually serves as the Negroni’s signature ingredient.

The Cherry Blossom Negroni is a worthy cousin of the original.  The classic bitter taste of the Negroni is still there, but softened slightly, with subtle floral and cherry flavors that give the drink a smoother, almost velvety finish.  Here’s the recipe:

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Cherry Blossom Negroni

Try this twist on the classic Negroni recipe, substituting Cerasum, a cherry-blossom liqueur by D.C.'s own Don Ciccio and Figli, for the traditional Campari.  It's a velvety-smooth cocktail perfect for enjoying cherry-blossom season!

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spirit-Forward

Keyword cherry blossom Negroni

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 190kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

Cocktail

• 1 oz. gin I used Botanist
• 1 oz. vermouth I used Cocchi di Torino
• 1 oz. Cerasum

Ice cubes

• cherry blossoms

Instructions

Ice cubes

• In advance of making the drink, fill large ice cube tray with water. Add 1 to 3 cherry blossoms per cube. If working with dried cherry blossoms, be sure to rinse the salt off the flowers before adding. Try to orient the flowers in the cube so they will appear near the surface when the ice freezes. Leave in the freezer until completely frozen.
  

Cocktail

• Combine the gin, vermouth, and Cerasum in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
• Strain into a rocks glass.
• Add cherry-blossom ice cube.

Enjoy!

The post Classic Recipe with a Twist: Cherry Blossom Negroni appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

The recipe begins with the classic gin and vermouth ingredients.  But as its name suggests, there are two modifications here:  heat and additional brine.  The heat is supplied by the spicy Ancho Reyes Verde, a green ancho chile liqueur.  It has a savory flavor, which is fitting for a martini.

The chile liqueur also pairs well with additional brine, which “dirties” up the drink.  The brine in this case comes from Gordy’s (of D.C.), which makes a Fine Brine intended for cocktails specifically.

There are several things I like about this combination of ingredients.  The first is that (as noted above) it adds an earthy, savory flavor to the drink.  Don’t get me wrong – I love the classic martini.  In my classic recipe, the prevailing flavor is the herbal profile of the gin, the main ingredient.  But if you’re someone who likes a good Bloody Mary or a martini with a lot of extra olive juice, I think you’ll like what Gordy’s adds to the drink.  And to me, the chile liqueuer was a natural addition.  The chile flavor is compatible with the vegetable-leaning profile of the drink, and I like adding spice to just about everything.  (If you are sensitive to spice don’t worry, it’s not overwhelming.)

The other advantage to this approach is that it’s a lighter drink than a traditional martini, meaning you can have more of them.  Gin comprises only half the recipe here, and the other ingredients are lower proof or nonalcoholic.

And finally, I think it’s good to have a few variations of the martini in your rotation.  You might want to host a martini night, for example, and new options help keep things fresh for martini diehards and might cast the drink in a new, better light for those who have not been won over by the martini in the past.

Here is the recipe:

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Hot and Dirty Martini

Spice up the classic martini with this recipe, which starts with gin and vermouth but adds a chile liqueur and brine to bring you a Hot and Dirty Martini.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spirit-Forward

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 147kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. gin I used Botanist
• 1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth I used Dolin
• 1/2 oz. Gordy's Fine Brine

Instructions

• Place two olives in a martini glass.
• Combine the gin, Ancho Reyes Verde, vermouth, and brine in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
• Strain into the martini glass.

Enjoy!

The post Classic Recipe with a Twist: The Hot and Dirty Martini appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

The traditional Boulevardier recipe calls for 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon and an ounce each of Campari and sweet vermouth.  But Thanksgiving can involve more drinks than the average meal so I dialed back the bourbon just a touch to 1 ounce.  I also replaced the sweet vermouth with Kina l’Aero d’Or (more on this fantastic aperitif wine here).  And I added 1/4 ounce of lemon juice to balance out the sweetness just a touch.  Stir these ingredients together, strain into a rocks glass, express a lemon peel and add the peel as garnish, and you get something like this:

A post shared by Geoffrey Wyatt (@capitalcocktails) on Nov 22, 2017 at 5:01am PST

The cocktail works nicely as a Thanksgiving aperitif because the tangy flavors of Campari and lemon combine in a way that pleasantly previews the cranberry sauce to come.  And as noted above, the drink isn’t so strong that you could not have a couple of them if the dinner takes a little bit longer to get to the table than anticipated, as is often the case at Thanksgiving.

Here is the recipe:

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Thanksgiving Boulevardier

Looking for the perfect Thanksgiving aperitif?  Try this twist on the classic Boulevardier cocktail to round out that fantastic dinner you have planned.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spirit-Forward

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 245kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 1 oz. bourbon I used E.H. Taylor
• 1 oz. Campari
• 1 oz. Kina l'Aero d'Or quinquina
• 1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• lemon peel

Instructions

• Combine the bourbon, Campari, quinquina and lemon juice with ice in a mixing glass and stir.
• Strain into a rocks glass.
  
• Add a large ice cube.
• Express lemon peel over the glass and add the peel as garnish.
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

The post Recipe: The Thanksgiving Boulevardier appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

But after 215 years of the same old recipe, @theoldrefashioned thought it was time for an update.  This Instagram feed invites followers to submit their variations on the classic, and I couldn’t resist joining in the fun.  Expanding on the use of fruit and sugar in the original, and with the fall season on my mind, I started by smoking a rocks glass with orange peel and cinnamon, which I torched over a maple wood plank (I found an assorted set of planks here):

For the recipe, I kept the traditional sugar, bitters, whiskey and fruit ingredients, but I added a bit of amaro and Maraschino liqueur.  I muddled and mixed and added a big cube of ice, and it came out looking like this:

A post shared by Geoffrey Wyatt (@capitalcocktails) on Nov 4, 2017 at 3:15pm PDT

(Ignore the gridlines. Oops.)

I really liked the way this tasted.  The smokiness was subtle but definitely there – there was a hint of cinnamon on the nose the whole way through.  And the amaro and Maraschino combination combined with the fruit in a very pleasant way to make this an exceptionally smooth old fashioned.

Here’s the recipe:

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Geoff's Old Re-Fashioned

A new twist on the classic Old Fashioned recipe in celebration of the "Old Re-Fashioned" thread honoring Old Fashioned Week.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Ancestral

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 200kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 2 oz. bourbon I used E.H. Taylor
• 1/2 oz. amaro I used Averna
• 1/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
• 3 dashes old-fashioned bitters I used Fee Brothers
• cinnamon stick
• orange slice
• lemon peel
• cherry
• sugar cube

Instructions

• Smoke a rocks glass by holding it upside down over an orange peel and cinnamon stick while torching the ingredients over a maple wood board.  Let the orange and cinnamon catch fire before removing the flame and place the rocks glass over them while they continue to smolder.
• Turn the rocks glass right-side up.  Add sugar cube, three dashes old-fashioned bitters, the orange slice, and a bit of lemon peel.  Muddle the ingredients.
  
• Add the bourbon, amaro, and Maraschino, and mix the ingredients.
  
• Add the cherry.
  
• Add a large ice cube.
• Optionally, garnish with the burnt orange peel or cinnamon stick.
  

Try it out and let me know what you think – and please share your own takes on the old fashioned!

The post Classic Recipe with a Twist: The Old Fashioned appeared first on Capital Cocktails.