Side Trip #4 - Gin & Tonic vs. Cuba Libre

Hi there!  So remember in the Bacardi vs. Cuba Libre challenge, I mentioned that the Cuba Libre was "Gin & Tonic" refreshing, and that I'd have to A/B them sometime to see just how refreshing it is?

Well this is that A/B test. I'm glad I did it.  I planned this one out, and did it after working an eight and a half hour shift, and getting off work at 11:30PM .  I came home and set up shop. They were both incredibly - and equally - refreshing.

 I really couldn't discern which was more refreshing.  So ultimately, the answer is....do ya want sweet refreshment or sour refreshment?  The Cuba Libre will give you sweet, and the Gin & Tonic will give you sour...I'm sure you figured that out already though :).

Both equally as refreshing

Gin and Tonic on the left, and Cuba Libra on the right

Gin & Tonic

2 oz. Gin

3 oz. Tonic

1 quarter of a Lime

Combine gin and tonic over ice cubes in an old fashioned glass and stir.  Squeeze a quarter of a lime into the glass and drop it in.

Cuba Libre

1.7 oz. White Rum

4 oz. Cola

0.3 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

The Ingredients

For the Gin & Tonic:

Gin: Citadelle

Tonic: Schweppes

For the Cuba Libre 

White Rum: Don Q Cristal

Cola: Coca Cola (Coke)

Up Next - Brazil for Spring Break, or Caipirinha vs. Sex on the Beach 

Bushes for the Ghost, or Bramble vs. Bloody Mary

A bramble, by any other name, would be bush, boscage, dingle, undergrowth, etc.  Bloody Mary, well....do you remember hearing, when you were a kid, that if you starred into a mirror in a dark room and uttered a name over and over and over and over, that you'd see a ghost?  Remember what that name was?  Bloody Mary?  Well maybe for you it was, but for me, it was actually Lois Klinderbërgen.  If you'd say her name over and over and over and over, she would appear in the mirror holding a half eaten pear tart...but!   Get ready for it...she had eaten all of the ice cream!!!  I know, horrifying, right?!?!?  Especially for a wee child of 11 or 12 years of age with a voracious appetite for dairy.

Hmm...maybe I'm putting too much energy into the titles...

Okay...the bramble - why haven't I heard of this before?  It's basically a gin sour with a little bit of crème de mure in it.  It's fantastic!  I'm surprised that I haven't seen it on more restaurant menus.  Do yourself a favor and try this!

Bramble ingredients (simple syrup in an old Elmer T. Lee bottle)

Bramble

1.4 oz. Gin

0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

0.3 oz. Simple Syrup

0.5 oz. Crème de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur)

Build over crushed ice, in a rock glass.
Stir, then pour the blackberry liqueur over the top of the drink in a circular fashion.
Garnish with a lemon slice, and two blackberries.

Bloody Mary and the Bramble

And now onto the Bloody Mary.  I'm not sure what it is about tomato juice based drinks, but I just don't like them...nothing personal against tomatoes...I like them...just not with alcohol.  So we have an easy winner with the Bramble in this match (my apologies to vegetables everywhere).

Bloody Mary ingredients

Bloody Mary

1.5 oz. Vodka

3 oz. Tomato Juice

0.5 oz. Lemon Juice

2 to 3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Tabasco

Celery salt

Pepper

Stir gently, pour all ingredients into highball glass. Garnish with celery and lemon wedge (optional). 

 Again, the clear winner is the Bramble - an excellent cocktail - if you have a chance, give it a try!

Bramble - the winner!

The Ingredients

For the Bramble:

Gin - Citadelle

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Homemade Simple Syrup

Blackberry Liqueur - Drillaud

For the Bloody Mary:

Vodka - Prairie Organic Vodka

Tomato Juice - Campbell's

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Worcestershire Sauce - Store Brand

Tabasco Sauce - starring as itself

Celery Salt - McCormick

Pepper

Up Next - Side Trip #4 - Gin & Tonic vs. Cuba Libra

Passengers to the Republic, or Sidecar vs. Singapore Sling

Passengers to the Republic - wasn't that a movie with Jimmy Stewart?  No?  What am I thinking of?  Hmm...

Okay, so you know from the last match that the Sidecar loses by default.  Sorry - I just don't like Sidecars.  I know there are the cocktail elite out there that have probably discounted my blog because I said this (wait - haha - they probably did that the first time they read my blog - hahaha), but it's just too bitter for me.  So here's the recipe:

Sidecar

1.7 oz. Cognac

0.7 oz. Triple Sec

0.7 oz. Lemon Juice

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Sidecar Ingredients

Now with that all behind us, this next cocktail is a real treat. This is why I started the blog.  The Singapore Sling is a perfectly balanced drink - nothing over powers anything else in it.  Not too much alcohol, not too much fruit juice - everything is balanced.  What I don't know is why mine wasn't quite as red as ones I've seen in pictures.  If anyone has a suggestion, leave a comment.

Singapore Sling

1 oz. Gin

0.5 oz. Cherry Liqueur

0.25 oz. Cointreau

0.25 oz. DOM Bénédictine

4 oz. Pineapple Juice

0.5 oz. Lime Juice

0.3 oz. Grenadine

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well.
Strain into highball glass.
Garnish with pineapple and cocktail cherry.

Singapore Sling Things

The drink calls for pineapple juice.  I don't have a juicer, but I read online that you can juice a pineapple with a blender, so I assembled everything together, and got to blendin'.  It worked great! 

Pineapple

Pineapple in a blender

Pineapple through a sieve to separate the solids from the juice (an incredibly lengthy process)

Pineapple through the sieve, in the process of yielding about six ounces

 It took me about an hour to juice 1 pineapple, and yielded about 6 ounces, but yes, you definitely, and without a doubt, can juice a pineapple with your blender.  Will I ever do it again?  Absolutely not!

Pineapple on the edge

Winner!

 

The obvious winner is the Singapore Sling!  I would order (and have since) ordered this in a club.  A friend of mine ordered it, and the bartender used Maraschino instead of Cherry Liqueur - BIG difference!

By the way, did you get the title reference?  Singapore is a Republic unto itself - I didn't know that until I did this blog - look at me learning and everything!

Ingredients

For the Sidecar

Cognac - Landy VS

Triple Sec - Cointreau

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

For the Singapore Sling

Gin - Citadelle

Cherry Liqueur - Luxardo Cherry Liqueur

Cointreau - starring as itself

D.O.M. Bénédictine - starring as itself

Freshly Blended Pineapple Juice

Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

Homemade Grenadine

Up Next - Bushes for the Ghost, or Bramble vs. Bloody Mary

If You're Gonna Bet, Is Penguin the Best Choice?, or Casino vs. Tuxedo

The titles are seriously starting to stress me out.

The Casino cocktail isn't that far away from an Aviation that you'll remember from a previous post, except it adds orange bitters and uses a different type of gin.  Actually, both drinks in today's match use a different type of gin - Old Tom Gin.  The question is - what is Old Tom Gin?  So maybe there was a neighbor of mine, let's say old Tom Finklestein (or was it stine?) that used to drink gin all the time.  Maybe I used to think Old Tom Gin was just a saying around town for normal, everyday gin.  So maybe I would have been right, if I lived in the pre-prohibition era.  Then again, I'd be writing this on an oil powered computer too.

Old Tom Gin was the gin behind every bar pre-prohibition.  The production at that time was unregulated, so a lot of the gins were quite harsh and had impurities in them - the attempt to hide the harshness resulted in the addition sugar.  Basically, Old Tom could be considered Dry Gin's (today's "typical" gin) softer, sweeter, subtler relative.   It's alcohol bite isn't as sharp and it's a little sweeter than Dry Gin, although its mouth feel was pretty heavy in the Old Tom brand I picked up.  I've heard that some people have tried to add simple syrup to gin to get Old Tom, but that just doesn't work.  Until recently, you couldn't find Old Tom in the US, but there are a couple of brands being marketed now.  What I will try at some point, is a Gin and Tonic with both a Dry Gin and an Old Tom and report back here in a future post.  I'm tingling with excitement already...

Back to the Casino - I didn't enjoy the Aviation too much, but I did really enjoy the Casino - I think the big difference was the Old Tom Gin.  I would definitely order this drink in a club...or in a casino!

Casino Ingredients

Casino

1.4 oz. Old Tom Gin

0.3 oz. Maraschino Liqueur

0.3 oz. Orange Bitters

0.3 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes, shake well, strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry.

The Contenders

Now the Tuxedo was good, but I just didn't "get" as the IBA describing as an All Day Cocktail.  It's just too heavy to drink more than one of.  Ya know, too much booze in one drink for me (for those of you who know me well, you can pick your jaws up off of the floor now please).  I mean I can appreciate it, but I just wouldn't drink it again.

Tuxedo Ingredients

Tuxedo

1 oz. Old Tom Gin

1 oz. Dry Vermouth

1/2 bar spoon Maraschino Liqueur

1/4 bar spoon Absinthe

3 dashes Orange Bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry and a lemon zest twist.

The clear winner for me is the Casino!

My bet is on this one...

 As a side note - both of these drinks have Maraschino Liqueur in them, so in my research, I was watching a video, and the bartender pronounced Maraschino with a hard k sound...so Mar-a-skee-no.  I thought the guy was off his rocker, so I had to check it out.  All of these years, I've been pronouncing Maraschino incorrectly!  It IS pronounced with a hard k!  Take that English language!  Wait....it's Croatian, isn't it?  Anyway - don't take my word for it - turn on your speakers, and check it out:  Maraschino @ Webster's.  Oh.  You already knew that?  Never mind then.

The Ingredients

For the Casino:

Old Tom Gin - Hayman's

Maraschino - Luxardo

Orange Bitters - Stirrings

Lemon Juice - Fresh

For the Tuxedo:

Old Tom Gin - Hayman's

Maraschino - Luxardo

Absinthe - St. George Absinthe Verte

Orange Bitters - Stirrings

Up Next - The Pirates Smoked my Cigars! or, Bacardi vs. Cuba Libre

TSA Pats Down 007, or Aviation vs. Vesper

Catchy title, no?  I liked it - took me a while to think of, but we weren't busy at work, and I was all caught up on Facebook, so there ya go.

The Aviation was created in 1916 and the original recipe has crème de violette in it.  The IBA version doesn't include this perhaps because crème de violette wasn't available in the USA during prohibition.  Wait.  That doesn't make sense - the IBA is an international association, so crème de violette would have been available in other areas of the world during prohibition, plus the IBA wasn't even around during prohibition.  Why isn't this included in the IBA version?!?  I mean...it gives the drink such a nice blue color!  That's probably how it got its name!  This is an outrage!  I demand an audience with the IBA immediately!  [insert sounds of chirping crickets]

Okay, the best I can figure is that crème de violette, to some people, tastes and smells like soap and is too flowery in this drink.  That alone could be why it's not in the IBA recipe, but I'm not sure - if any one knows for sure, leave a comment.  I will say that I really wanted to try a version with the crème de violette in it, but didn't want to buy a full bottle for a dash or two, so I'll have to order one at a club sometime.

Aviation

1.5 oz. Gin

0.5 oz. Maraschino

0.5 oz. Fresh lemon juice

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Aviation Ingredients

The Vesper was invented by James Bond in the Ian Fleming novel Casino Royale:

"A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."

—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

Hmmm...I wonder if Mr. Fleming taste tested this before he wrote about it?  For the gin and the Lillet I didn't use the same brands as Casino Royale wanted - Kina Lillet isn't manufactured any more, and personally, I don't like Gordon's gin, so Citadelle it was.  Here's the IBA's recipe:

Vesper

2 oz. Gin

0.5 oz. Vodka

0.25 oz. Lillet Blanc

Lemon twist (garnish)

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Add the garnish.

The three bottles of Vesper

The Tasting
There wasn't anything special about either of these, I didn't think...honestly, neither were my "cup of tea" so to speak.  They weren't horrible, but weren't fantastic either - you know that feeling you have when you first have a drink and know immediately that you want another?  I'm not talking about when Uncle Simon comes over unannounced to say that he'll be crashing on your couch for the next "little while" because Aunt Gladys is trying to find her self by reuniting her Janis Joplin tribute band, I'm talking about the first time you try a drink, and know that it's so good that you'll have another.  Neither of these drinks had that for me.

The two side by side

I still had to choose a winner for this entry.  I'm thinkin' that James Bond is pretty cool, so Vesper is it!  Sorry - that's the only way I could pick between the two...you try them and let me know which one you like better...

The winner!

The Ingredients
For the Aviation:
Gin - Citadelle
Maracshino - Luxardo
Fresh Lemon Juice

For the Vesper:
Gin - Citadelle
Vodka - Prairie Organic
Lillet Blanc

Up Next - Side Trip #1 - All Hands Man Battle Stations, or Torpedo IPA

Faces of Elmer, or Angel Face vs. Whiskey Sour

How do you decide between two outstanding cocktails?  I don't know because I haven't ran across that scenario yet.  One of these was good - the other was fantastic.

The first one I had was called an Angel Face.  Basically three one ounce portions of hooch shaken over ice and poured into an appealing glass.  I found this to be more of a shot than an all day cocktail...obviously, not a shot at three ounces (or maybe, depending on your mood), but  a shot nevertheless.  It was a fine drink - very enjoyable.  I would definitely have this one again.

Angel Face Ingredients

One word about the apricot brandy.  I did some research on this, and found that true apricot brandy wouldn't have worked in this drink.  True apricot brandy is a) too expensive and b) too dry - more of an eau de vie.  What this concoction calls for is a neutral spirit that's been sweetened and flavored by some artificial means.  You'll find several brands on the market that aren't very good (probably why apricot brandy's gotten a bad rap for so long), but from what I've read, the two brands to try focusing in on are Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot or Marie Brizard Apry.  For the Angel Face, I used the latter.

Angel Face

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Apricot brandy

1 oz. Calvados

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Angel Face and Whiskey Sour

Now moving on to the Whiskey Sour.  This cocktail needs simple syrup.  They sell simple syrup.  They also sell UFO Detectors.  I like to make my own simple syrup, and because of their fondness of pop-by's, do my own UFO detectin' (aluminium foil, 2 inch speaker, magnet, some cashews, and a 9 volt battery - the blinky lights are entirely at your option).  I've never understood why someone would buy simple syrup - it's soooo easy to make - 1 part water, and 1 part sugar.  Boil until the sugar is dissolved, and let it cool.  That's it.  See?  Simple!  This will last about a month in your fridge - more if you add a little bit of vodka to it.  Personally, I leave the vodka out, and make smaller batches when I need it.

1 part sugar and 1 part water

Fire

Sugar and water mixed - notice the sugar isn't yet dissolved

Boiling - sugar is dissolved

The egg cooker on the right will not affect the finished product in the middle

Whiskey Sour

1.5 oz. Bourbon Whiskey

1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5 oz. Simple Sugar

Dash egg white (Optional)

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well (If egg white is used, shake a little harder to foam up the egg white). Strain into a cocktail glass.

If served ‘On the rocks’, strain ingredients into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. 
Garnish with half orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

The stars of a Whiskey Sour

I tried it with and without the egg white.  I found that adding the egg only added a foam to the drink, and perhaps a little bit of fullness to it - not enough of an advantage to go through the hassle for me.

Now the secret of a great Whiskey Sour is, of course, the whiskey!  I chose Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Sour Mash Bourbon.  This stuff is fantastic, and at a great price.  It doesn't have the alcohol "burn" that some whiskeys have, and fills your mouth instead of being sharp...try it, and you'll see what I mean.  Nice spiciness too.  But we're not here to review whiskey, we're here to review cocktails, so...

For me, the Angel Face had too much alcohol in it - that's probably why I thought it was more of a shot.  It certainly wasn't something I'd want to drink all day because I couldn't!  The Whiskey Sour however, I could sip from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed, which I should really speak with the wife about trying one day...I'll let you know how that turns out...

Anyway...the winner of this match is...the Whiskey Sour!

The Winner!  Aww...looks like it's smiling at ya, doesn't it?

The Ingredients
For the Angel Face:
Gin - Citadelle
Apricot Brandy - Marie Brizard Apry
Calvados - Berneroy V.S.O.P. Calvados

For the Whiskey Sour:
Bourbon Whiskey - Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel 
Fresh Lemon

Up Next - TSA Pats Down 007, or Aviation vs. Vesper

The Drinks That Fun Forgot, or Americano vs. White Lady

From the title, you can tell that there was no real winner in this installment, so let's just move on to the next.  Thanks for dropping by.  See you next time.




























Kidding.  I wish.  Man - how did these two drinks make it to the IBA list?  I know, classics and all, but wow these are scary bad!  Maybe I just built up expectations.  I hadn't tried either of these before, but was looking so forward to them.  I read that the Americano got its name because it was so loved by Americans visiting Italy - any drink that's loved by Americans has to be awesome, right?  Look at the Old Fashioned!  Coca-Cola!  Starbucks!  The Americano is not Starbucks worthy, my friends.

Americano Ingredients

Americano

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. Red Vermouth

Splash of Soda Water

Mix the ingredients directly in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice-cubes, add a splash of soda water and garnish with half orange slice.

Seriously you guys?  I've never eaten pencil shavings, but if I ever do, I would imagine that they would taste exactly like the Americano.  I tried adjusting portions of ingredients, but there was nothing I did that made this thing taste better except to leave all of the parts out, and adding gin, tonic, and lime to the glass - then it was truly a great drink, but something different altogether.

Things in the White Lady

White Lady

1.3 oz. Gin

1 oz. Triple Sec

0.7 oz. Lemon Juice

Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into large cocktail glass.

The competitors

The White Lady was okay, but nothing I'd order, or want to order - its sourness was over powering.  It wasn't bitter like the Americano-oh-no, but just sour.  If I want that, I'll suck a lemon and do a gin shot, thank you very much.  Anyway, another bust however, the White Lady wins because it wasn't quite as bad as the American-void-o.

The least worse of two

Maybe my ingredients weren't the best?  Let me know your thoughts!

Ingredients
For Americano:
Campari - Campari
Red Vermouth - Martini & Rossi Rosato
Soda Water - Canada Dry

For White Lady:
Gin - Citadelle
Triple Sec - Cointreau
Fresh Lemon

Up next... Faces of Elmer, or Angel Face vs. Whiskey Sour