The Intoxicologist

With the holiday season coming up it is time to begin thinking about celebration cocktails for family gatherings and social events.  Thanksgiving and Christmas time of year bring in moments of tradition, heritage and honor generations of the past.  Incorporating classic cocktails into modern celebrations is an excellent way to convey a sense of timelessness and elegance to the occasion. 

Maria C. Hunt, author of The Bubbly Bar, offers a champagne perspective for holiday celebrations or any occasion a little added sparkle would make it shine brighter.  The Bubbly Bar fills champagne flutes and cocktail glasses with The Classics, those which must be Mixed & Muddled and doesn’t shy away from Happy Endings.  All of the recipes are beautifully photographed which is a real plus for those who love visual context of the finished product. 

As inspiring as The Bubbly Bar is with its vast array of champagne and sparkling wine cocktails, be prepared for prep work with a healthy share of the recipes provided in this book.  Numerous recipes require specialty syrups made ahead of time or steeped tea with spice inclusion, cooled before cocktail mixing can begin.  Fresh ingredients definitely create the most flavorful cocktails.  Planning ahead for what you want to sample is a must with The Bubbly Bar since there are several cocktails with fresh ingredients.  Many contain ingredients that might not be readily available or easy to find such as dried pink rose petals for the Vintage Rose or sour cherry syrup for the Sour Cherry.  These are just two examples of ingredients that must be ordered online ahead of time if they cannot be found locally.  Maria has provided a Resources guide for this purpose.  The Bubbly Bar is an excellent sparkling cocktail resource for anyone with a passion for champagne, but not the best source for on the fly cocktail creation.  Prepare ahead of time for what your celebration cocktails will be this season. 

Naughty Negroni – Bubbly Bar by Maria C. Hunt

1 ounce Campari

1 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1/2 ounce Gin

4 ounces Moscato d’Asti Sparkling Wine

Long Spiral of Orange Peel Garnish

Add Campari, vermouth and gin to cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to chill.  Strain into champagne flute.  Top with Moscato.  Garnish with orange peel.

This is indeed beautiful with the classic dry to bitter flavor characteristic of Campari.  Champagne gives the Negroni classic cocktail a delightful holiday spirit making this an excellent choice for celebrations.

One of my favorite cocktails to order out and about is the classic Negroni, but with an artful twist. Cynar with its artichoke flavor foundation is my preferred aperitif for the Negroni classic.  The flavor is deeply rich without so much bitter dryness. 

Art’ Negroni – Classic Cocktail adapted by The Intoxicologist

1-1/2 ounce Beefeater Gin

1 ounce Carpano Antica Formula

1-1/2 ounce Cynar

Orange Twist Garnish

Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice.  Stir to chill.  Strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with orange twist.

Even though the Negroni cocktail still flavors out fabulously when it warms a little as it is sipped, this drink can also be placed into a small cocktail glass with the remaining half poured into a small sidecar on ice to remain chilled. 

Reviews – Classic Cocktails – Holiday Cocktails

Holiday Recipes @ National Cocktails Examiner

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Halloween can’t slip by without mention of the classic cocktail – Corpse Reviver.  The Corpse Reviver could be called the Corpse Reviser with its many variations.  The name sounds eerily distasteful, but the drink itself flavors out quite lovely.  The color resembles that of a corpse with an almost opaque yet not quite clear coloring giving it a bone-like quality.  A maraschino cherry garnish dropped dead center of the drink finishes this sinister, yet delicious cocktail with blood-curdling appeal. 

Corpse Reviver #2

1 part Beefeater Gin

1 part Cointreau

1 part Lillet Blanc

1 part Fresh Lemon Juice

1 to 3 drops Pernod Absinthe

Maraschino Cherry Garnish

Wash martini glass with drops of Pernod Absinthe.  Discard or leave in the glass according to preference.  Place maraschino cherry in bottom of martini glass.  Combine remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into martini glass over cherry garnish.  Enjoy with ghoulish delight!

Corpse Reviver #2 is a wonderful classic cocktail recipe anytime of the year.  The name may cause one to be skeptical, but this cocktail contains exquisite flavor.  Light sweetness with the perfect balance of tartness. 

Classic Cocktails – Cocktails – Drink Recipes & Photos

Halloween Drink Recipe & Party Idea Guide

Top 10 Classic Cocktails – Absinthe Classic Cocktail Recipe: Monkey Gland

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

The Monkey Gland cocktail became a fast favorite this summer in the Pernod Absinthe Tasting Room at Tales of the Cocktail ’09 in New Orleans.  Pernod Absinthe could have gone the truly strong route with raucous drink recipes that played up the strong character of the spirit.  Instead the drinks chosen drew in a crowd like me who might otherwise skip the spirit all together due to its overbearing nature.  Absinthe is usually a love it or leave it type spirit.  However, Pernod turned the tables by including cocktails that highlighted the spirit without turning the entire cocktail into a total licorice/anise taste fest. 

Monkey Gland is an unfortunate name for such a lovely cocktail deep in luscious flavor, but a classic cocktail none the less in my opinion.  It retains beautiful color due to the orange juice and homemade grenadine inclusion.   By washing the glass with Pernod Absinthe rather than adding dashes into the drink itself, the cocktail maintains faint wisps of Absinthe flavor and aroma that are simply delightful.  Much of taste has to do with aroma.  Breathing in the Pernod Absinthe washed around the glass while sipping the Monkey Gland combines into something rather magnificent.

Monkey Gland

Pernod Absinthe Tasting Room, Tales of the Cocktail 2009

2 parts Beefeater Gin

1 part Orange Juice

1 teaspoon Grenadine

2 dashes Pernod Absinthe

Orange Zest Twist Garnish

Place Pernod Absinthe in a cocktail glass with ice.  Set aside.  Combine Beefeater Gin, orange juice and grenadine in a mixing glass with ice.  Shake to chill.  Toss Pernod Absinthe and ice from cocktail glass.  Strain contents of mixing glass into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with orange zest twist.

Classic Cocktails – Cocktails – Drink Recipes & Photos - White Lady Cocktail

Classic T&T – Top 10 Classic Cocktails – Paradise – Pink Lady

Gin Temptation Recipes for Any Occasion

Pernod Absinthe Strikes Balance with Strong Spirit

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Often the process of getting to the drink is just as fun as sipping it.  I had the pleasure of sampling the White Lady cocktail at Tales of the Cocktail 2009 at the Welcome Reception hosted by Beefeater 24 this summer.  At some point it had to make its way to the site by way of my own mixing tin.  Yet, the cocktail recipe’s inclusion of egg whites makes my stomach do these crazy little flip flops due to the raw factor.  It isn’t fear of poisoning.  It’s the icky, sticky slick factor that wrenches at my gut.  My solution has been Egg Beaters.  Yes, mixologists the world over are cringing at the thought.  However, if it is truly the only way someone can ever enjoy a cocktail with eggs whipped in, I say go for it.  Pasteurized eggs will never be the same as cracking open a fresh one and slipping it in a cocktail tin, but go for a carton of egg white just to try a few eggy drinks once in a while. 

White Lady – adapted by Peter Dorelli

2 parts Beefeater London Dry Gin

1 part Cointreau

1 part Lemon Juice

1/4 part Simple Syrup

1 Egg White

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake until frothy.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

More photos from the Beefeater 24 Welcome Reception found in the Photos section of The Intoxicologist Facebook page.