D.C. Is Imbibe-Famous

This happy hour begins with the March/April 2021 issue of Imbibe Magazine, which twice puts a spotlight on D.C. The first story offers a “taste test” of Bloody Mary mixes, kicking off the slate with Gordy’s Bloody Mary Mix, which I can personally vouch for:

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Imbibe loves Gordy’s mix too, highlighting the “freshness” of the taste, the “refreshing flavor of garlicky dill pickles,” and the “subtle spice” on the finish that provides a “pleasant punch of heat.” I agree with all that, plus it’s a great opportunity to support a local business while enjoying a delicious brunch Bloody Mary, Maria or what have you. (And if you’re interested, Imbibe goes on to cover five other options, including two options – Brewt’s and McClure’s – from my home state of Michigan. Want to make a mix from scratch? Check out this new post at Beautiful Booze, titled the Bloody Mary Bar Cart.)

Just a few pages later, Imbibe has a brief write-up on génépy, that alpine liqueur of the Alps that you (if you’re me) always wonder about but never actually pull off the shelf at the liquor store. Imbibe tells you/me we’ve been doing it wrong and should definitely include génépy on the next shopping list. It quotes D.C.’s own Chantal Tseng (@shinobipaws on Instagram and purveyor of the fantastic Cocktails for the End Times), who tells us that génépy is “lovely chilled and served neat, but also so adaptable,” including in a recipe of her creation called Disappearing Earth:

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Disappearing Earth

This cocktail is by Chantal Tseng of the Cocktails for the End Times blog. The Disappearing Earth, as featured in Imbibe Magazine, "harmonizes . . . peach liqueur" with "the floral and herbal essence of génépy."

Course Drinks

Cuisine Sour

Keyword Disappearing Earth

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 120kcal

Author Chantal Tseng

Cost $10

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. peach liqueur Chantal recommends Rothman & Winter Orchard Peach
• 1/2 oz. génépy
• 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 lime twist

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously
• Double strain into chilled coupe
• Garnish with lime twist

Cheers to that! And check out that Imbibe article for the other génépy recipes, which look almost as good as Chantal’s.

News Around Town

The best news I’ve heard in a while regarding restaurants and local businesses came in this Washingtonian report that the Hilton Brothers are planning to reopen most of their bars, including my favorite The Gibson, (fittingly) in a new, as-yet undisclosed location. I previously covered a really cool collaboration between the Gibson and Dandelyan in this Instagram post:

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So I’m very much looking forward to its return. And while we are on the subject, I am also very much looking forward to visiting Silver Lyan, that D.C. creation by the folks behind the original Dandelyan bar. Silver Lyan opened like days before the pandemic lockdown and has been biding its time. You can get a preview of what they have to offer through their Silver Lyan at Home cocktail delivery service – I recommend the Project Manhattan:

Speaking of getting things at hoe, I learned recently of a new D.C.-based bartender-on-demand service, sort of like the Uber for bartending, called SHKR, founded by Rochelle Louise. Looking forward to trying this service out first thing post-pandemic!

From Around the Web

Here are a few cocktail items of note from around the web. The Tipsy Bartender has a post with cocktail recipes for International Women’s Day. The Moody Mixologist breaks down the recipe for the fantastic Naked and Famous cocktail, offering a few variations you can try and fabulous photography as always. Liquor magazine has 11 cocktail recipes for March, while Difford’s supplies 20 recipes for cocktails with absinthe. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge base, check out Punch’s thoughts on force carbonated cocktails (and on that subject, be sure to check out my recent post on the Aviary gin & tonic, where I show how to use the Perlini, my choice for home carbonation). Or if you’re shopping for a shaker, check out my recent post on what to look for when in search of the best cocktail shaker.

That’s all for this happy hour – bottoms up, and see you next time!

The post Online Happy Hour March 2021: When Imbibe Magazine Fell In Love with D.C. appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

This post is intended to help answer that question. I proceed in three parts (and if you just want my list of recommend shakers, feel free to fast forward). First, I explain how cocktail shakers fit within the home bartender’s toolset, to make sure a cocktail shaker is really what you need. Second, I explain what I think it is useful to look – i.e., what qualities make the best cocktail shakers. And third, I offer a suggestion based on what has worked for me.

Is The Best Cocktail Shaker For Me Really A Cocktail Shaker, Or Do I Want Something Else?

I am not here to talk you out of looking for a cocktail shaker, but I do want to clarify a few things before explaining what to look for.

Shaking tins vs. cocktail shakers

A cocktail shaker is a very convenient all-in-one tool. I occasionally use a cocktail shaker for making shaken drinks, especially when I am making cocktails at a friend’s place because simpler equipment travels more easily. And of course, cocktail shakers are iconic and, from a design perspective, lend themselves to a number of different variations. But the cocktail shaker is not the best tool for making shaken cocktails.

The better tool for making shaken cocktails is a set of shaking tins, combined with a Hawthorne strainer. The main reason is that shaken cocktails often include citrus or muddled fruit as an ingredient, and the Hawthorn strainer does a much better job of filtering out pulp and fruit fragments than the strainer built into a cocktail shaker. You can achieve similar functionality by also using a mesh strainer with a cocktail shaker. But by bringing another specialized tool into the mix, the principal convenience of the cocktail shaker as one tool that does it all is negated. So consider whether it is actually a cocktail shaker you want. Shaking tins are just as easy to use. And the price points do not differ greatly, even including a Hawthorne strainer.

When a mixing glass is what you want

The other question to consider is whether (if you must choose between the two) a mixing glass would better suit your needs. Some drinks are meant to be shaken, but others are meant to be stirred. (This includes, with apologies to James Bond, the classic martini. Hence, if it is indeed a shaker you desire, it is a cocktail shaker, not a martini shaker that you are looking for). If you are a fan of more spirit-forward cocktails (e.g., martinis, Manhattans, Negronis), these are stirred drinks, and it is a mixing glass and spoon that you require. But if you instead prefer cocktails that mix liquor with soft ingredients such as citrus (see my margarita-like Smoked Pearl, for example), the shaker is what you need.

What Qualities Should I Look For In A Cocktail Shaker?

The cocktail shaker is a ubiquitous bar tool, and the offerings are essentially infinite. Choosing among them can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to look for. And even “what to look for” might vary depending on what you want. You might want to buy more than one shaker, and not every one has to be the best cocktail shaker ever made. But I think there are a few things you should consider, especially if you’re looking for a shaker you plan to use as your cocktail-making workhorse.

Durability

Shakers are high-use items, so you want something that is well-made and will stand up to a lot of abuse. The first thing to consider with respect to durability is the material. Although shakers are commonly made out of metal, you occasionally see other materials used, like acrylic or crystal:

These materials have their uses. Having a pool party in Miami Beach? Go for the neon plastic shaker. Throwing a Gatsby party? Perfect time to pull out your fancy crystal art deco shaker. But plastic and crystal are not meant for long-term daily use. I’ve had a couple of plastic shakers. They are generally pretty inexpensive. But a plastic shaker cracks easily and can warp too after while, making it hard to assemble. Crystal is at the other end of the price spectrum, but with similar durability issues. Crystal can chip, or shatter if you drop it, making any use of a crystal shaker a high-stakes game. Bottom line: if you are looking for something that will last a long time despite frequent use, stick with metal.

Size and shape

Another feature to think about is how the shaker will feel in your hand when using it, which is largely a function of size and shape. There is a universe of options on offer in this domain as well. If you have more than a passing interest in barware, you have probably seen novelty shakers in a variety of forms, including animals, vehicles and … cacti?

But as a practical matter, these kinds of shakers (whatever else may recommend them) have poor ergonomics. In my experience, the pieces may not stay together correctly, or it may be difficult to find a good place to grip the shaker. Two hands may be required either because of the shape or weight of the shaker. When disassembled the pieces do not always rest easily on a countertop. If you find yourself drawn to these kinds of shakers, make sure they are your second option and that you have a more traditionally shaped shaker for everyday use.

Size matters too. I prefer a modest-sized shaker that is not too heavy even when filled with ingredients. In theory, larger shakers offer the additional benefit of allowing you to make multiple cocktails at once. But I find that they are more trouble than they are worth. These shakers are heavier, and the additional ingredients needed to double or triple a recipe add to the overall weight, which makes for an awkward shake. I also generally have found that shaking multiple cocktails at once does not result in an optimal drink. Something changes in the way the liquid and the ice interact while shaking. So for my money, less is more in this department.

Quality and fit

A final thing to consider is the overall quality of the shaker, for which you will really have to rely on reviews and recommendations by others. Shakers can be temperamental things. Of greatest significance for this discussion, they have three pieces that have to fit together – the cap, the strainer, and the tin:

The fit can be either too tight or too loose, and neither is good. If it is too loose, the thing can fall apart easily. Or it can leak out the side from the seam between the strainer and the tin while you are pouring. If it is too tight, you might have trouble taking it apart. I had one shaker in particular that would seem to get unduly cold after shaking, making it hard to grasp and pull apart. It was basically useless for making more than one or two cocktails.

It can be hard to figure this out in advance, even with recommendations and reviews. But just note that if the shaker has problems when you first try it out, those problems are likely to get worse, not better. Return it if you can if the fit feels off.

What I Use

I own a number of shakers, but by far the one I use most often is a Yukiwa shaker, pictured throughout this post. It checks all the boxes above: it has survived extensive use; it feels comfortable to hold and shake; and the fit and finish are high quality. It does not freeze over or become unduly cold after extended use, like some shakers do. It comes in different finishes and a range of prices, though it is admittedly on the pricier side. If you are looking for a tool you can count on for years to come, I think it is a worthy investment.

But I encourage you to explore. There is a wide world of shakers out there, and many that will do the job well. Just keep in mind the few requirements set forth above, and you should be able to find something that looks good, fits your budget, and (most importantly) makes great cocktails without much difficulty.

Happy hunting!

The post How To Find The Best Cocktail Shaker appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

It is worth noting that the reason the Aviary doesn’t serve this drink is that it is too labor-intensive. That word of caution is well-heeded if you intend to make the cucumber spheres that are the drink’s signature component. I would budget several hours to that task. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend help you speed things along.

The good news is that the gin and tonic component is not actually all that complicated. And it is a delicious recipe that does well without the cucumber spheres if you don’t have the time or inclination to make them. (For more gin & tonic inspiration and some fun travel photography, see my last post, the Sunset G&T. Or if you’re doing Dry January, check out my Actually Dry Martini recipe.) But we’ll go through the whole thing here. With enough patience, you should end up with something that looks like this:

What You Need Before Starting to Make the Aviary Gin & Tonic

Before we start, you’ll need a couple of things. And unless you’ve experimented with spherification or molecular cocktails previously, odds are you won’t have them all handy. So check your inventory; if you’re missing anything, order what you need and bookmark the page and come back. If you’re in need of suggestions, I’ve provided links for the products I used here. The spirits are available from Drizly (first time users get $5 off using this link). The other items, including the kitchen products, are all available from Amazon.

For the Gin & Tonic:

• Gin (the Aviary recommends Junipero)
• Green Chartreuse
• Fever Tree tonic (I recommend two of the larger bottles if you want to make a batch recipe)
• Citric acid
• Simple syrup (make your own by combining equal parts sugar and water and boiling until dissolved, or order pre-made here)
• A carbonation device (I love the Perlini device from Perlage, which the Aviary book recommends; there are other options, but just be aware that SodaStream does not work for this purpose)
• A digital food scale that can measure to the gram (some of the Aviary’s measurements go to the tenth of a gram, but I got good results with a scale that lacked such precision)
• Glass straws (I used these straws by Hummingbird but would recommend straws of wider diameter for this project, perhaps something like this); note that these aren’t critical if you aren’t going to do the cucumber spheres

For the Cucumber Spheres:

• Four cucumbers
• A juicer that can turn cucumbers into cucumber juice (there are many, many options – I bought this one from Breville years ago, and it is a great product)
• Calcium lactate and sodium alginate, available together here (small packages, but sufficient for this project)
• The digital food scale noted above
• An immersion blender (there are lots of options; I used this one by KitchenAid)
• A strainer (Aviary recommends a chinois strainer, but I got good results using this more affordable cocktail strainer)
• A spherification spoon
• A silicon hemispheric mold – Aviary recommends 5/8 inch specifically – the closest I could find was .51 inch diameter, but that size worked (note you may wish to acquire more than one of these if you want to make the recommended 600 spheres in one sitting, which I did not do; also note I would recommend you use a large flat baking pan as a support base for the mold since the mold is very floppy; and be aware that whatever mold you use will need to fit in your freezer)
• A kitchen syringe
• Three large bowls and two small bowls (these you probably have; ideally, one of the large bowls should have a broad flat base)
• A mason jar or two (in which to store spheres on completion)
• Sugar
• Kosher salt

It’s kind of a lot of stuff. But keep in mind that a lot of it will be useful in future projects, either for future Aviary Gin & Tonics or for other forays into molecular cocktails and spherification, or (for some of the items like the juicer, blender, carbonation device, strainer and scale) a range of other purposes. So let’s press on, and I’ll start with the gin & tonic component first since, even if you decide spherification isn’t worth the effort or investment, you can still make a very tasty cocktail based on this part of the recipe alone.

Making the Gin & Tonic

The gin & tonic piece of the recipe is relatively straightforward: combine the ingredients, chill them, and carbonate (leaving this last step for when the drink is ready to serve).

Note that, in the Aviary cocktail book, the recipe is provided in both single-serve and batch versions. For the cocktail itself, I’ll provide the single-serve portion here. But it’s a simple matter of multiplying them up to create larger batches. Just remember that if you’re planning to use the cucumber spheres, you’ll probably want to coordinate the number of servings. For reference, the cucumber sphere recipe is supposed to produce 600 spheres (though your results may vary, especially since you may find that you have to discard some of your spheres as you work toward perfecting your technique). And the Aviary recommends about 100 spheres per cocktail.

With that in mind, let’s proceed to our three steps.

Combine the ingredients.

For one serving of the Aviary gin & tonic, you need 2 ounces of gin, 1/2 ounce of green Chartreuse, 1/2 ounce of simple syrup, 1.3 grams of citric acid, and 4 ounces of Fever Tree Tonic Water (there are many varieties available now; the recipe calls for the original).

Now, let me pause on 1.3 grams of citric acid. I hadn’t worked with citric acid previously, and I’m not accustomed to measuring cocktail ingredients by the tenth of a gram. Nor need you be. Using the brand of citric acid I recommended above, I calculated that 1.3 grams was equivalent to a quarter teaspoon. It dissolves readily, so you don’t need any special tools here, and there’s nothing difficult or complicated about using this ingredient in the drink. Combine these ingredients without ice in a mixing glass and stir.

Chill the mixture.

Now store the cocktail in your refrigerator. Since we’re going to carbonate the drink before serving, you don’t need to worry about getting an air-tight container to preserve the carbonation of the tonic water. But note that you can skip this step if you’re planning to serve the cocktail right away.

Carbonate the cocktail.

The last step is to carbonate the cocktail. Why carbonate if the drink already contains tonic water, you may ask? The Aviary advises that fresh carbonation on serving gives the drink more of a pop and counteracts the dilution caused by mixing the tonic with the flat ingredients. I agree. And it’s especially helpful if you want to make a batch in advance and store in the refrigerator. The carbonation may diminish while it sits, but you can restore it before serving.

I would recommend doing this step right before serving so that carbonation is at its full potential. If you’re going on to make cucumber spheres, save this step for last, after you’ve finished the spheres and added them to your glass.

If you’re using the Perlini carbonation device recommended above, this step is much like using a cocktail shaker. Please follow the more detailed instructions that accompany the device, but in essence do the following.

Add the mixture to the Perlini container. (If you’re working from a batch of cocktails, measure out 7 ounces per drink – and only carbonate one drink at a time.) If you haven’t already chilled the mixture, add ice. Close the container. After ensuring that there is an active CO₂ cartridge in the pressurizer, tilt the container to a 45-degree angle, insert the pressurizer into the valve at the top of the container, and activate the pressurizer, holding the button until you no longer hear gas entering the container – about ten seconds. Now shake the container for another ten seconds. Allow it to rest half a minute, then slowly unscrew the top of the container, allowing the cocktail to bubble up and back down before unscrewing slowly. It should look something like this:

Now all that’s left to do is to pour the cocktail into a tall glass. (If you’re using cucumber spheres, add your straw to the glass first, then the spheres, then the cocktail.) Aviary recommends that you use an iced glass. That (combined with the fact that the drink should already be cold from being in the refrigerator) obviates the need for ice. And that’s good because you want the cucumber spheres to be the center of attention (and not competing for space with the ice, which might cause them to burst). Speaking of cucumber spheres…

Making the Cucumber Spheres

Now it’s on to the more time-intensive part of this project: cucumber spheres. Before I explain the steps, a brief overview of “spherification” is in order. This is a branch of “molecular gastronomy,” that technique of making interesting food things in the kitchen with science. With spherification, you can encase a juice or other liquid of your choosing in a sphere-shaped membrane that pops when consumed, producing an explosion of flavor on the tongue. It has long been employed in specialized kitchens for both cooking and cocktails, perhaps most famously (in Washington, D.C., in any event) in the restaurants and bars of José Andrés.

But it is also definitely doable at home, and that’s what this part of the project is all about. There are three basic steps: make and freeze the cucumber juice; prepare a sodium alginate bath; and then combine the two, dropping small frozen hemispheres of cucumber juice into the bath and then scooping out, rinsing and storing the resulting cucumber spheres. Ready?

Make the cucumber juice.

To make the cucumber juice, start by juicing your four cucumbers, leaving the peel on. The Aviary recommends quartering and slicing the cucumbers, but I got good results by just juicing the cucumbers whole, and would recommend the same to you (assuming your juicer can physically accommodate that) to save time.

The recipe calls for 1000 grams of cucumber juice. My four cucumbers fell a bit short of that, requiring me to adjust the other measurements in the recipe proportionately. So be sure to measure out your juice production using your scale and make any needed adjustments to the other ingredient amounts. Strain the juice into a large bowl using a strainer. (Consider using a bowl with a lid if you have a small mold and will need to go through several rounds of freezing juice so you can easily place in refrigerator between rounds.)

To the cucumber juice add 108 grams of sugar, 20 grams of calcium lactate and 6 grams of kosher salt. Combine the ingredients using an immersion blender until the sugar, calcium lactate and salt completely dissolve. You may end up with pretty frothy-looking juice, but you don’t need to wait for the froth to settle because you are going to be using a kitchen syringe to draw up the juice, which means you can draw juice from below the surface.

Before you start filling spheres, though, remember to put your mold on top of something more sturdy so you don’t run into difficulty transporting it to the freezer later. I used a baking pan (as depicted below). Once that is in place, fill the syringe with juice and then begin filling the little hemispheres in your mold as follows:

Fill each mold to the top. I worried when doing this that because water expands when it freezes that the hemispheres will spill out over their tops. But that didn’t happen. Instead, it was the under-filled hemispheres that ended up being more problematic (more on that in a bit).

When every hemisphere mold is filled, place the tray into the freezer, doing your best to keep it level. Ideally, you should have some cucumber juice left over. If you’re going to make another round of frozen hemispheres, you should reserve a sufficient amount in the bowl. But you’ll also want to set aside some of the juice in a mason jar or other small container into which you will eventually place your cucumber spheres.

Once the mold is in the freezer and your remaining cucumber juice is apportioned and put away, turn to the next step.

Make the sodium alginate bath.

You should now have two large bowls remaining. If only one of them has a broad flat base, set that one aside. You want the sodium alginate to end up in that bowl, not in a bowl that has a relatively small base (more on that in a bit), and you’ll be pouring the sodium alginate from one bowl to another before proceeding.

In your first bowl, combine 1000 grams of filtered water with 7.5 grams of sodium alginate. (My scale doesn’t do tenths of a gram, but my guesswork – adding a bit more sodium alginate after the scale hit 7 grams – didn’t seem to cause any problems.) I recommend adding the sodium alginate gradually, using the immersion blender as you go along. It does not dissolve into the water quickly. Instead it quickly clumps up, still in powder form, on the surface of the water. You will feel the water become gelatinous, and the blending will take an improbably long period of time. (High speed is recommended if your blender has multiple settings.) Once the sodium alginate is completely dissolved, pour the mixture through a strainer into a new bowl.

The Aviary recommends letting the bowl sit for at least an hour (or as long as overnight). This allows hydration of the sodium alginate and to eliminate any remaining bubbles. To ensure you wait this hour, the Aviary actually recommends preparing the sodium alginate bath first and then making cucumber juice. But you’ll probably end up waiting at least an hour anyway for the cucumber juice to finish freezing. So it makes more sense to proceed in the order suggested here.

Combine the cucumber juice and sodium alginate.

Now it’s time to actually make the cucumber spheres. To set up, warm up the sodium alginate bath, either in a microwave or over a stove. It doesn’t need to be hot. But the warmer it is the faster the frozen cucumber juice will melt in the bath. And faster melting will (slightly) expedite the spherification process. Aviary advises to make sure the sodium alginate doesn’t bubble up; I didn’t have that problem. But if you do you can either pop the bubbles with a fork or knife or spoon them out.

Next you’ll want to put the sodium alginate bowl somewhere with some room to work, because you’ll want to create an assembly line of sorts, leaving room for the cucumber mold at one end of the line, followed by the sodium alginate bowl, followed by two smaller bowls filled with water, followed by the mason jar of reserved cucumber juice.

Only after you’ve got your workspace set up with the bath, bowls and container, retrieve your frozen cucumber hemispheres from the freezer. For this part, you need to work quickly because the hemispheres are so small that they begin thawing almost immediately. Pop the hemispheres out one at a time, and handle as delicately as possible so as to avoid altering their shape. If bits of frozen cucumber juice begin to separate from the hemisphere, it’s likely the sphere won’t form correctly. (I found that my not-fully-filled hemispheres were most likely to become misshapen, perhaps because their smaller size caused them to melt more quickly.)

Once you’ve got one in hand, gently drop it into the sodium alginate bath. Make sure the hemisphere is fully submerged, but without attempting to press it to the bottom of the bowl. Repeat this process with additional hemispheres, making sure that they do not come too close to one another. (This is why you want a bowl with a broad base. I tried this initially with a bowl that had a narrower base, and the hemispheres rolled into one another at the bottom. This contact ruins the spherification process.)

Once you’ve run out of space in the sodium alginate bowl, return the ice mold to the freezer. Now wait briefly for the spherification process to complete. This process occurs quickly and might even be complete for the first few hemispheres you dropped into the bowl. As the cucumber juice melts, it becomes encased in its membrane, and the hemisphere shape becomes spherical. The sphere shape is an indication that the sphere is ready for removal.

To remove the spheres, take your spherification spoon and remove them one at a time. Drop each sphere into the first water bowl and then the second to rinse off the remaining sodium alginate. Then place the sphere gently in your mason jar with the cucumber juice.

Repeat this process until all the spheres are done. If this is your first time, no doubt some of the spheres will burst on you. Don’t fret. You’ll get a sense as you work through the batch for what works best. And you can take a break. (In fact, you might have to at some point. I found that after a few rounds of doing this, the hemispheres were coming out of the freezer in an only semi-frozen state, which will not work.) The sodium alginate won’t go bad if you leave it out. Just remember to place your completed spheres in the refrigerator. (But I would recommend completing this project in one day so the juice is fresh when you serve the spheres.)

Putting It All Together

Okay you’ve mixed the gin & tonic and you’ve made the spheres; now it’s time to combine them into the Aviary gin & tonic you’ve been working toward.

Grab a tall cocktail glass and place the glass straw in the glass. Next, using your spherification spoon, scoop some of your spheres out of the jar and place them in the glass. (Adding the straw first avoids the need to navigate the delicate spheres with the straw, which I didn’t think about when I made the first batch of these.)

Now carbonate the tonic in accordance with the instructions set out above. Pour the carbonated drink into the glass. If you’re entertaining, you may wish to perform this part of the service in view of your guest as it creates a pretty cool effect:

And now you’re done! If you’ve got a properly sized straw, the cucumber spheres will get sucked up while you’re drinking, like bubble tea, creating pleasant explosions of cucumber juice in your mouth as an ongoing garnish to a delicious cocktail. Enjoy – if you got this far, you’ve certainly earned a great drink!

Recipe in Summary

I’m somewhat given to following form. So it wouldn’t be one of my blog posts without a little recipe card at the end. I’m including that here, but obviously this recipe is more complicated than most. The card may not be that useful outside of the broader instructions. But here it is in case useful to you:

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Aviary Gin & Tonic

This is a molecular cocktail – the Aviary's take on the gin & tonic, featuring cucumber spheres.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Molecular Cocktail

Keyword Aviary Gin & Tonic

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 450kcal

Author The Aviary

Cost $15

Equipment

• carbonation device (I used the Perlini by Perlage)
• digial food scale that can measure to the tenth of a gram
• glass straws (15mm diameter)
• tall cocktail glass
• vegetable juicer
• immersion blender
• fine mesh strainer
• spherification spoon
• silicon (5/8 inch) hemispheric mold
• kitchen syringe
• mason jar

Ingredients

Gin & Tonic

• 2 oz. gin Aviary recommends Junipero
• 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 1.3 g citric acid
• 4 oz. Fever Tree Tonic Water

Cucumber Spheres

• 4 cucumbers
• 108 g sugar
• 20 g calcium lactate
• 6 g kosher salt
• 7.5 g sodium alginate

Instructions

Gin & Tonic

• Combine the gin, Chartreuse, simple syrup, citric acid and tonic water in a mixing glass (without ice) and stir. Chill in refrigerator.
• If you wish to serve the drink with cucumber spheres, proceed to make the spheres. When complete, add the glass straw first and then approximately 100 spheres to a chilled tall glass, using spherification spoon to carefully remove spheres from storage.
• Carbonate the chilled cocktail in a carbonation device and pour into the glass.

Cucumber Spheres

• Juice four large cucumbers in a vegetable juicer. Strain the juice.
• Combine the cucumber juice, sugar, calcium lactate and salt in a large bowl. Blend with an immersion blender until powder ingredients are completely dissolved.
• Using a syringe, draw cucumber juice mixture from the bowl and expel into hemispheric mold until all hemispheres are filled. Place the mold in the freezer until the molds are completely frozen. Reserve remaining cucumber juice in a mason jar and refrigerate.
• In a separate bowl, combine 1000 g of filtered water with the sodium alginate, adding sodium alginate gradually and blending with immersion blender until all clumps are gone. Strain sodium alginate mixture into a new bowl.
• Warm sodium alginate bath in microwave or on stove and allow to settle so no bubbles are present.
• Drop frozen cucumber juice hemispheres into sodium alginate bath, taking care to prevent them from coming into contact with one another. Allow them to melt in the bowl.
• Spoon spheres out one at a time with spherification spoon. Rinse each sphere twice by dipping once into two separate small bowls of water. Drop rinsed sphere into jar of reserved cucumber juice. Repeat until all spheres are created.

Thanks again for reading, and enjoy!

The post Molecular Cocktail Recipe: The Aviary Gin & Tonic appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

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.

It’s a perfect drink to enjoy by the fire – not too heavy, and with pleasant seasonal flavors.  Or if you’re throwing up holiday decorations, you might prefer to make the Decorator’s Drink, another recipe from last year.  Also of note, December 24 is National Egg Nog Day and December 31 is (for obvious reasons) National Champagne Day, giving you multiple occasions to celebrate at home this month.  

And for those willing to leave the house despite the dropping temperatures, there is quite a list of events in December.  The holiday spirit apparently moves many to offer cocktails to make or drink, plus we have Repeal Day and New Year’s Eve on the calendar.  So let’s jump right in, starting with a return of Drink Company’s annual hit, the Miracle on 7th Street Bar:

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DC's favorite Christmas bar is here (ft. 100% more pandas ) Read more about #Miracleon7thStreet featured in @brightestyoungthings Link in Bio! Opening 11/23

A post shared by Drink Company (@drinkcompany) on Nov 21, 2018 at 7:01am PST

I’m still kicking myself for missing the Game of Thrones Pop-Up bar, but I have been to the Christmas bar multiple times in the past, and it never disappoints.  Maybe you’ll see me there in December!  1839 7th Street N.W.; through December 31 from 5 pm to 12:30 a.m. (Sunday through Thursday) or to 1:30 a.m. (Friday and Saturday).

Read on for more:

Repeal Day:

As you may know, December 5 is Repeal Day – the anniversary of the effective date of the Twenty-First Amendment, that blessed constitutional provision that repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, the great Failed Experiment of Prohibition.  I wrote a bit more on Repeal Day last year – pointing out that repeal was not actually self-executing and as a result the District was not actually wet on December 5, 1933 (though Maryland, which clearly had its legislative priorities in order, did legalize drinking on that date).  Nevertheless, one may now celebrate Repeal Day legally in the District, and there are several options to consider:

11th Annual Repeal Day Ball.  The D.C. Craft Bartenders Guild returns with  its annual soiree, a black-tie affair to be held this year at the National Union Building in Penn Quarter.  World-famous PDT and other bartenders haling from distant locales will be on scene to provide libations while over 500 attendees dance to Prohibition-era tunes.  As of the moment the event is reporting that it is sold out, but stay tuned here in case in there are any last-minute ticket releases; note also that this is a Saturday-night event and is not actually on Repeal Day.  918 F Street N.W.; December 9 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight.

7th Annual 1930s-Inspired Repeal Day Celebration at Jack Rose.  Actually on Repeal Day, Jack Rose is hosting its own celebration, inviting you to “drink like it’s 1933” and enticing you with “Prohibition-era whiskey, burlesque, and bottomless bubbles.”  The event begins at 5 p.m. with a “Pappy Hour,” when the entire Pappy Van Winkle whiskey line-up will be on sale at special pricing.  Jack Rose’s Whiskey Cellar will convert into a speakeasy-themed venue with Prohibition-era whiskeys and other vintage spirits, and the main floor will offer bottomless champagne for $20, while burlesque dancers and “cigarette girls” (women offering you cigars for sale, apparently) round out the experience.  “Flapper dresses and swanky suits” are encouraged.  More information here.  2007 18th Street N.W.; December 5 from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.

More In December:

There is much more on tap in December.  First, on several different dates during December (including Repeal Day), join Urban Adventures on a Speakeasies & Craft Cocktail Tour of the Capitol.  The tour promises to show you various speakeasies around town, to educate you on how Prohibition shaped the District, and to offer you some “sweet libations.”  Tickets are $45 and available here.  678 Indiana Avenue N.W.; December 5, 13, 20, 21 and 28, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Next, there are two events featuring Philip Greene, cocktail historian and author of A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris, which these two events are presumably intended to promote, as well as To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion and The Manhattan: The Story of the First Modern Cocktail.  The first is the 1920s Cocktail Night at The Fourth Estate Restaurant.  Sample four cocktails – hot rum punch, the Jack Rose, the Bees Knees, and the Boulevardier (see my take on the last if you want to try it at home) – and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres followed by dinner.  Tickets are $75 (or $140 for couples) and available here.  529 14th Street N.W.; December 13 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Greene will also be present with copies of his latest book at the 11th Annual D.C. Holiday Cocktail Seminar, where bartenders from Buffalo & Bergen, Bourbon Steak, the Passenger, Occidental, and other spots will be showing you their favorite holiday cocktails and how to make them at home.  The event is being held at Occidental, which will also serve light fare.  Tickets are $50 and available here.  1475 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.; December 17 from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m.

On to the individual events:

Class:  “Holiday Drinks” at Via Umbria.  Via Umbria returns with its monthly installment of cocktail classes, this time with a focus on holiday cocktails.  Learn how to make a spiked hot chocolate, spicy eggnog, and Winter Espresso Soda in a class led by a Via Umbria mixologist.  Via Umbria promises “an evening of sugar, spice, and warm cocktails of nice” and to provide you with skills needed to “invigorate any holiday bash” – perfect for that upcoming work holiday party.  Tickets are $38.50 and available here.  1525 Wisconsin Avenue N.W.; December 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Class:  “Winter Cocktail Class” at BRABO Brasserie.  On the same night, a cocktail class is also on offer in Alexandria, Virginia, at BRABO Brasserie.  A similar menu is on offer, promising to teach you how to make the restaurant’s “signature Eggnog,” a spiced hot chocolate, and a winter citrus shrub.  Snacks will also be provided.  Tickets are $35 and available here.  1600 King Street in Alexandria; December 19 from 7 to 9 p.m.

“Mezcal Under the Mistletoe” at the Royal.  El Silencio is co-sponsoring an ugly-Christmas-sweater and mezcal cocktail bash at the Royal, which should be all you need to know to want to attend this event.  But I’ll tell you more anyway.  The event promises a range of mezcal cocktails, starting with a warming coconut and mezcal-spiked toddy to welcome you, a range of tasty snacks, an “epic Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest,” and an “educational, sensory El Silencio Mezcal tasting,” among other things.  Plus mistletoe, presumably?  Not actually mentioned in the event description; maybe bring some just in case.  Tickets are $60 and available here.  501 Florida Avenue N.W.; December 19 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Class:  “Winter-Whisky Cocktails” at barmini.  Monthly #barmini101 classes continue.  This month learn to make three “winter-inspired cocktails and explor[e] whiskys around the world.”  The team will greet you with a drink and provide delicious snacks between lessons.  Tickets are $145 and available here.  501 9th Street N.W.; December 20 at 5:30 p.m.

Class:  “It’s a Commissary Christmas – Holiday Mixology Class with Food Pairings” at Commissary D.C.  In our last class for the month, Commissary joins the holiday-cocktail-making party, promising to teach you how to make two of those plus one traditional cocktail.  While you learn, you will also be able to “enjoy[] curated bites before Christmas Day.”  Might be just the thing to wrap up that last-second Christmas shopping that you may or may not be doing.  (Unless, of course, you still need to wrap up those gifts.)  Tickets are $65 and available here.  1443 P Street N.W.; December 24 from 8 to 10 p.m.

New Year’s Eve at barmini.  The second of two barmini events this month – and the only NYE event on this year’s list.  barmini promises a “one-time only cocktail flight” inspired by the “most popular ‘New Year Resolutions.'”  Food will also be on offer.  Tickets are $175 and available here.  501 9th Street N.W.; December 31, with seatings at 5:30, 8, and 10:30 p.m.

That’s all for this month.  Send me any events you think should be here or in future month’s lists.  And see you back here in 2019!

The post December 2018 Cocktail Events Round-Up appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

Since I live in D.C., which is now Big Ten country thanks to Jim Delaney, the league Commissioner and the mastermind of Big Ten expansion to College Park, I wanted to add a little D.C. flavor to these drinks and began with the idea of using gin and citrus in one drink and bourbon and citrus in the other, inspired by the rickey.  

I like the tangy flavor that lemon juice brings to a drink, but for the Gin Harbaugh I also wanted a drink that packs more punch in its flavor so it leaves a bit of a mark on you after each sip.  Enter Ancho Reyes Verde, the somewhat spicy poblano liqueur, which adds some depth of flavor and provides a spicy aftertaste.  I balanced it out with a little simple syrup and topped off the drink with soda water.  Add a lemon peel garnish shaped like the Michigan helmet and you’re good to go:

For the Bourbon Meyer I also began with lemon juice.  I wanted to make sure this drink had an unmistakable Ohio State red color, so Campari was next.  With equal measures of bourbon and Campari, the drink has the stems of a Boulevardier, but the lemon juice takes it in a slightly different direction.  To round it out, I finished it off with some Cherry Heering.  Then I found the loudest rocks glass I have in an homage to the UNIFORMZ that Ohio State tends to wear for The Game.  Last, I garnished with a star anise, which assaults the nose a bit (but in a good way) with each sip and vaguely evokes some kind of hybrid of the buckeye nut and leaf:

Put a few of these together and you’ll be ready for whatever happens in this year’s iteration of The Game.  (But Go Blue!)  Here are the recipes:

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Gin Harbaugh

Celebrate the 115th meeting of the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes with cocktails for The Game.  For Michigan fans, try the Gin Harbaugh, made with gin, Ancho Reyes Verde, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Sour

Keyword Cocktails for The Game

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 176kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 1 oz. gin I used Botanist
• 3/4 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
• 3/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• soda water
• 1 lemon peel

Instructions

• Combine the gin, Ancho Reyes Verde, lemon juice and simple syrup in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
• Strain into a highball glass with ice and top off with soda water.
• Garnish with a lemon peel carved to look like the Michigan winged helmet.

Print

Bourbon Meyer

Celebrate the 115th meeting of the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes with cocktails for The Game. For Ohio State fans, try the Bourbon Meyer, made with bourbon, Campari, Cherry Heering and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spirit-Forward

Keyword Cocktails for The Game

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 184kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 1 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
• 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 star anise

Instructions

• Combine the bourbon, Campari, Cherry Heering and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
• Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
• Garnish by placing one star anise on top of the ice cube.

The post Cocktails for The Game: The Gin Harbaugh and the Bourbon Meyer appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

Clear ice cube system by Tovolo. There are many ways to get clear ice, some more practical than others.  I’ve heard, for example, that you can fill a cooler with water, stick it in your freezer, and then the next day take it out and cut off the cloudy portion of the ice and then carve clear ice cubes, spheres, or other shapes from the remaining block of clear ice.  But for those of us who don’t have ice saws, or enough space in our freezers for a cooler, or even a cooler for that matter, there’s an easier way:  a clear ice tray.  They look a little funky, and a little bulky (though much smaller than a cooler), but they work:

There are a variety of configurations available.  I use the four-cube system, which is about $27 on Amazon.

Mixing glass.  Perhaps you’re shopping for someone who has just gotten started in making cocktails.  Or maybe you’re looking for something for your spouse, who shakes your martinis when you prefer them stirred.  In either case, a mixing glass is a perfect gift.  It’s one of those cocktail staples that will enjoy years of use.  Amazon is awash in options; here is one for under $15.

Activated charcoal powder.  Heralded as an anti-toxifying agent with a broad range of applications, activated charcoal powder has come to the cocktail scene mainly as a means for turning drinks jet black (or, when used in very small doses, a shade of grey).  Entire pages are dedicated to such recipes; I had a bit of fun with activated charcoal last month myself making a Halloween-themed drink, the Into The Dark.  I used Viva Doria’s activated charcoal powder, available for about $7 in a 1.2 container (which will go a long way) on Amazon.

Motorized citrus press.  If you’re shopping for someone who makes lots of cocktails, or who likes freshly squeezed citrus, or both – and are willing to spend a bit – consider the life-altering 800CPXL motorized citrus press from Breville.  Last year I found that squeezing the lemons, limes, grapefruit and blood oranges for cocktails was just taking too much time for the quantity of drinks I wanted to make.  I was reluctant at first to invest in a citrus press, but I knew from the first time I used it that it was worth the investment for me.  It’s your own personal assembly line for making freshly squeezed citrus; and most of the parts can be cleaned in the dishwasher.  About $160 on Amazon.

Cocktail books.  There are so many great cocktail books out there these days.  I’m currently reading the Drunken Botanist, which recounts the history and uses of the plants used both to make the liquors that are the building blocks of cocktails and the garnishes that make them look, smell and taste great.  Not coincidentally, I’m also working on restarting that herb garden to take my cocktail garnish game up a notch.  I recommend this one for the cocktail-making gardeners in your life.  The Aviary Cocktail Book and the Cocktail Codex are recent publications that are on my wish list.

That’s my list for this year.  Need more inspiration?  Check out last year’s list for culinary torches, Prohibition-era whiskey prescriptions, and other ideas.  Happy holidays!

The post Cocktail Gift Ideas – Winter 2018 appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

Let’s lead off with two week-long events, the first of which we are in the midst of:  Old Fashioned Week, which runs from November 1 through November 10.  If you’re celebrating at home, try my Old-Refashioned, which I posted here last year as part of an Instagram campaign conceived to celebrate the Week:  

If you’re looking for a great Old Fashioned somewhere in the District, try Eater’s list of Ten Standout Old Fashioneds in D.C., a list that is (not surprisingly) topped by Jack Rose.  And to learn about Old Fashioneds more generally, try the site dedicated to the Week, the cleverly named www.old-fashioned-week.com.

D.C. Cocktail Week is the other weeklong event, and it runs from November 12th (my birthday) through the 18th.  This year there is a good list of participants, including a number of José Andrés spots, Doi Moi, and the Royal, all places where I’ve gotten great cocktails in the past.  Each restaurant celebrates Cocktail Week in its own way.  Oyamel, for example, offers the following cocktail pairing:  its “El Catrín cocktail made with Bahnez mezcal, Cocchi Americano, blanc vermouth, amd St. Germain” with its “Machuco relleno de frijol con salsa negra – Plantain and butternut squash fritters stuffed with black beans and served with a chipotle chile and piloncillo sugar sauce,” for $14 a person.  Check out the other deals on offer and more details at dccocktailweek.com.

It should also be acknowledged that November 8 is apparently National Harvey Wallbanger Day, about which more information here; also note that Buffalo and Bergen celebrated the day last year, but unclear if we’re in for a repeat this November 8.  And at least in the District, November is also saffron season.  Note that despite its reputation as a luxury item, saffron bulbs (or corms) are actually pretty easy to plant, are at least theoretically perennial, and offer a natural addition to that herb garden that is otherwise hitting the end of its season by now.  If you have planned ahead, you now have saffron to experiment with in your homemade cocktails this month (look for my Fall Sunset recipe, coming soon).  If not well, there’s always next year:  bulbs here, and photo here:

There are also a few events this month of the usual sort.  Here are the details on classes and other events in the D.C. area this month:

Proof: Maryland Spirits and Cocktails at the College Park Aviation Museum.  It is Maryland Spirits Month, according to the Maryland Distillers Guild, and to celebrate, several Maryland distillers are assembling at the College Park Aviation Museum to offer you a taste of their products.  A “small-batch seminar” and tips for making “the best sour cocktails around” are also on offer.  Tickets are $35 and available here.  1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park; November 9 at 6 p.m.

Class:  Mulled Specialities at Via Umbria.  Via Umbria wants to help you prepare your cold-weather cocktail menu by showing you how to make some hot drinks.  On the list are Glogg, Wassail and Spicy Mulled Negroni cocktails.  The class promises an “evening of sugar, spice, and warm cocktails of nice!”  Tickets are $38.50 and available here.  1525 Wisconsin Avenue N.W.; November 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Class:  “Sugar Cane Cocktails” at barmini.  barmini’s monthly “#barmini101” class focuses this month on liquors derived from sugar cane:  rum, cachaça, cañazo, rum Agricole and arak, among others.  The barmini team will great you with a cocktail and then teach you how “to complement the[] sweet-based flavors” of these spirits “to create the perfectly balanced cocktail.”  You’ll also enjoy snacks between making cocktails.  Tickets are $145 and available here.  501 9th Street N.W.; November 15 at 5:30 p.m.

And of course, Thanksgiving arrives at the end of the month; try my Thanksgiving Boulevardier if you’re looking for a pre-Turkey cocktail, and be on the look out for my 2018 holiday gift list if you plan on shopping for cocktail-themed items the Friday after (last year’s list here).

That’s all I have for this month.  As always, please let me know if there are other things you would like to see listed here in future months.

The post November 2018 Cocktail Events Round-Up appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

For my Halloween cocktail, I wanted to bring together some great fall flavors, but also to give the drink a costume of its own to foster the Halloween spirit.  Let me start with the latter first because you might need some lead time on a couple of the ingredients.  

The first is activated charcoal, which gives the drink its Halloween-appropriate black color.  There are plenty of options online; I used Viva Doria Virgin Coconut Shell Activated Charcoal Powder, which I found on Amazon.  You will also need dry ice pellets; I found mine at Talbert’s Ice in Bethesda (two pounds cost me about $5).  (Note that Talbert’s is especially safety conscious and will not sell you dry ice for use in drinks unless you have a dry ice cage; I found one of these online but did not order one, so I can’t speak to how well they work in a cocktail.)  Finally, if you want some skull-themed cocktail picks, try the Fred & Friends Bar Bones cocktail picks, like the one I used in the picture above.

On to the drink itself.  I wanted to combine flavors of apple, smoke, and spice.  So naturally I grabbed some apple brandy (Blanche de Normandie by Chrisitian Drouin), mezcal (Mezcal Vago Espadín), and Ancho Reyes Verde.  I suspected these flavors would need a little sweetness to balance out the drink, so I also added some Luxardo Maraschino liqueur.

After a couple of attempts, I found a flavor balance that I thought was really good.  The smoke and spice come through clearly, and the Maraschino gives the drink a soft edge.  The apple is not prominent but hints of it come through.  Once I had settled on the recipe, I put the drink’s costume on, adding 1/4 teaspoon of activated charcoal powder and mixing the ingredients with ice and straining the drink into a silver martini glass with a dry ice pellet, which gives it a fantastic bubbling effect:

Note that this is a strong drink.  Even though the dry ice makes it extra cold, this is a drink that will warm you on a cold Halloween evening.  (And if you’re looking for a few other fall cocktails to round out your menu, try the Soyeux and the Autumn Breeze.)

One final note:  please take care working with dry ice.  You shouldn’t handle it with bare skin, and if you have children, you should take care to keep dry ice out of their reach.  You also don’t want to accidentally swallow a dry ice pellet.  Dry ice sinks to the bottom of the drink, making such accidents unlikely.  But to make sure, you might wish to wait for the drink to stop bubbling.

Here is the recipe:

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Into The Dark

Get into the Halloween spirit with my Into The Dark cocktail, made with mezcal, apple brandy, Maraschino liqueur, Ancho Reyes Verde, activated charcoal and dry ice.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spirit-Forward

Keyword Halloween Cocktails

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 225kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 1 oz. mezcal I used Mezcal Vago Espadín
• 3/4 oz. apple brandy I used Blanche de Normandie by Calvados Christian Drouin
• 3/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino
• 1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
• 1/4 tsp. activated charcoal powder I used Viva Doria Virgin Coconut Shell Activated Charcoal Powder
• 1 pellet dry ice

Instructions

• Combine the mezcal, apple brandy, Maraschino, Ancho Reyes Verde and charcoal powder in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
• Strain into a martini glass or coupe; be careful not to fill the glass to the top.
• Add dry ice pellet (do not handle with bare skin).

Happy Halloween!

The post Halloween Cocktail Recipe: Into The Dark appeared first on Capital Cocktails.

I wanted a strong whiskey base, so I began with two ounces of E.H. Taylor, Jr., Small Batch Bourbon, one of my favorite bourbons at the moment.  Then I added half an ounce of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, which is my go-to vermouth for Manhattans (although I also add a bit of Dolin blanc vermouth to those as well; more details in an upcoming post).  Speaking of Manhattans, this drink was moving decidedly in that direction, but I wanted to try something new.  So I added half an ounce of yellow Chartreuse – an herbal and slightly sweet liqueur that I thought would lighten the taste slightly.  To round it off, I added a dash of Fee Brothers Aztec chocolate bitters.  I stirred the ingredients with ice and then strained into a rocks glass, adding a large ice cube and an orange peel as garnish.

The result was a cocktail that tastes a lot like a Manhattan but has a velvety smooth edge, owing to the addition of the herbal sweetness of the yellow Chartreuse.  The orange peel adds a nice citrusy scent that cushions the strong scent that pure whiskey on ice can deliver from a rocks glass.  It is a good fireside drink that goes down quickly.  (Just remember that, while smooth, it is also strong.)

Here is the recipe:

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Soyeux

For a fall sipping drink that is like a Manhattan with a velvety smoothness, try the Soyeux cocktail, which mixes bourbon, yellow Chartreuse, vermouth, and chocolate bitters.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spirit-Forward

Keyword Manhattan with Chartreuse

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 210kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 2 oz. bourbon I used E.H. Taylor
• 1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse
• 1/2 oz. Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
• 1 dash Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
• orange peel

Instructions

• Combine the bourbon, Chartreuse, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir until cold.
• Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
• Express orange peel over drink and add as garnish.

Enjoy!

The post Original Recipe: Soyeux appeared first on Capital Cocktails.