The Harvard Cocktail is another tribute to the design of the Manhattan, but based on cognac instead of rye whiskey. Continue reading “The Harvard Cocktail”
If you like Manhattans, but sometimes find them a bit sweet, perhaps the Lafayette Cocktail is your next best friend.
Continue reading “Is the Manhattan too sweet for you? Try the Lafayette Cocktail”
Remember the Maine is built on the Manhattan model, with a delightful, surprising substitution for the bitters: absinthe and Cherry Heering.
Remember the Maine has been around since before Prohibition, and probably since before the 20th Century, Continue reading “Remember the Maine”
We have Gary Regan to thank for the modern Blackthorne Cocktail. The basic model of the drink has been around for something like a hundred years, Continue reading “The Blackthorne Cocktail”
The Deshler Cocktail is a WWI-era relative of the Manhattan. I’m not a boxing historian, but I’m told the “Deshler” in question was Dave Deshler, an American lightweight boxer in the early years of the 20th century. I know nothing of his boxing, but it seems he was good enough to inspire a well-constructed cocktail, I suppose as homage to one of his victories. Continue reading “The Deshler Cocktail”
The Vieux Carré is New Orleans’ contribution to the Manhattan family. More specifically, it is a Saratoga, sweetened with a splash of Bénédictine and the city’s historic Peychaud’s bitters. Continue reading “Drinking the French Quarter: The Vieux Carré Cocktail”
I love it when forgotten ideas return, especially the ones I’ve shrugged off as “surely doomed,” and then they reappear as great stuff.
That’s how Scotch whisky got into my Saratoga cocktail. Continue reading “The Scotch Saratoga”
Scotch whisky has a very small repertoire when it comes to mixing cocktails; only a handful have achieved fame, and even fewer popularity—Blood and Sand, Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, perhaps the Mamie Taylor. There’s a reason for this, of course—malt, peat, and smoke are assertive flavors, and you have to favor them just to get into the game; even if you like Scotch, there is no guarantee that mixing it with other stuff will provide an acceptable result. Continue reading “Arnaud’s Special Cocktail”
When one of my friends asked for a Saratoga Cocktail recently, I was skeptical. I had tried this drink before, and I was not impressed. It seemed unbalanced, or unfinished—the flavors just didn’t seem to blend well. This time around, it was an astonishingly delicious and well-balanced drink. I’ll grant that my tastes have evolved since then, but I think the real reason the Saratoga tasted better this time has everything to do with a different mix of ingredients, particularly the vermouth. Continue reading “Saratoga Cocktail”
