The Intoxicologist

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is such an unusual find.  The aroma and taste meld together in an extraordinary contradiction of flavor personality.  Those who consume this artisanal spirit with regularity speak of it with enthusiasm that rivals that of cult followings.  It’s just that good, different or remarkable, depending on how one perceives it.  Possibly it is the story behind the beginning of the brand combined with the flavor.  No matter.  Stranahan’s built whiskey from the ground up and continues to produce whiskey enthusiasts search for with vigor and hold in high regard. 

Aroma:  Maraschino cherry with barely there vanilla.  Perfumed.  Cotton candy sugar-ish like the sweetened lip gloss teenage girls use to wet their lips with for a perfectly polished shine. 

Flavor: This is where Stranahan’s becomes exceedingly interesting.  It’s the ‘POW’ factor – the ‘WOW’ factor – the ‘What the heck was that?!’ factor.  Simply stated; Juicy Fruit gum sweet in the front with a beer chaser in the finish.  This is a built in Colorado Car Bomb without all the mixers.  The flavor is so bizarre one sip will never do.  Stranahan’s finishes long and hearty with distinct notes of dark, robust beer head.  Uncanny.  Beyond unusual.  Think along the lines of Western; straw, grasses, saddle and wool with underlying cereal grain.   

Colorado Cherry – created by The Intoxicologist

1 part Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey

1/2 part Apricot Brandy

1/4 part Vanilla Liqueur

1/2 part Dubonnet Rouge

Maraschino Cherry Garnish if desired

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into a small cocktail glass.  Garnish with maraschino cherry if desired. 

Ironically there is no cherry added to this concoction only the undertone of Stranahan’s itself, yet it flavors out distinctly cherry-ish with the ever present Stranahan ‘beer fizz’ on the back end.  Extremely peculiar in a rather captivating manner.

Reviews – Classic Cocktails – Holiday Cocktails – Drink Recipes & Photos

Holiday Recipes @ National Cocktails Examiner

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is part of the Classic & Vintage Portfolio of Handcrafted, Artisanal Gem Spirits

With Halloween on the table this month Poker Night plays out to be a great theme for a gangster style, casino or Monte Carlo Halloween party.  Party planning could range from simple to extravagant depending upon the number of guests invited.  With the purchase of poker chips and cards all you need is a good game to get the party started.  Go Monte Carlo style with glitz, glamour and luxury making the night a black tie affair.  Take the casino route with multiple table games available to guests.  A gangster theme gives guests the opportunity to dress in the fashion of Al Capone, the characters of The Godfather or more modern versions such as The Sopranos.  Once the style has been chosen a few drinks are in order.  Serve up rounds of these great cocktails and you’re sure to have a ‘full house’.

Ante – Essential Bartender’s Guide, Robert Hess

1-3/4 ounce Calvados or Apple Brandy

3/4 ounce Dubonnet Rouge

1/2 ounce Cointreau

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake.  Strain into a cocktail glass.

Robert Hess created a lovely cocktail that touches upon classic style.  Ante retains lush color and rich character.  Dubonnet reaches out first in flavor, but then the brandy character caresses the palate with substantial strokes of layered personality.  Ante is quite the cocktail.  Though the cocktail didn’t last long enough in the glass to test my theory, I’m certain this one would be just as delicious if it sat warming to room temperature when the games begin.  After all poker is all about bluffing and one can’t do that with a glass in one hand all the time!

Casino – Essential Bartender’s Guide, Robert Hess

2 ounces Gin

1/8 ounce Lemon Juice

1/8 ounce Maraschino Liqueur

2 dashes Orange Bitters

Cherry Garnish

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake.  Strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with cherry.

Gin lovers will love this one, because Casino primarily tastes of gin with a little bitter zing and Maraschino liqueur flair just barely wafting off the back end.  The great thing about that is Casino definitely won’t distract from the primary focus; poker.  This drink recipe gives a minor variation to remotely flavored martini without all the sugary fuss.  The cherry garnish possibly adds too much girlish charm for such a ‘manly’ game, so do away with it if it’s too much to deal with, but the small amount of flavor does add to the flavor layering.  Besides, if you lose the round you can always make a side bet on how fast you can tie that cherry stem. 

Another great cocktail to keep in mind while betting the house; Lady Luck found in the recent Twilight Zone recipe pairing post.  Lady Luck combines Armagnac, pear liqueur and champagne.  The Twilight Zone theme would also be a fantastic Halloween theme party this holiday season.

Monte Carlo – Essential Bartender’s Guide, Robert Hess

2-1/4 ounces Rye Whiskey

3/4 ounce Benedictine

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Place liquids in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir to chill.  Strain into a cocktail glass.

The Robert Hess Monte Carlo taste will vary in degrees depending on which Rye Whiskey you choose.  I happened to try Sazerac Rye.  The flavor of the cocktail turned out deep in spice and leaned heavily toward the sweet side, sticking in the back of the throat a little.  However the color is terrific.  It’s difficult to go wrong with spirits such as Rye Whiskey or Benedictine.  The ratios of this mix just need a little fine tuning for my particular palate, but that is the sporting nature of cocktail creation.  There is nothing sacred about a recipe where your particular taste is concerned.  Tweak it to your own liking. 

What’s poker, anteing up and betting the house without quoting from the Godfather: ‘In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.’ – Calo

Corleone – created by Ryan Magarian

5 White Grapes

1-1/2 ounce Gin

1/2 ounce Grappa

1/2 ounce Lemon Juice

3/4 ounce Simple Syrup

1 dash Orange Bitters

White Grape Garnish

Muddle grapes in bottom of mixing glass.  Add in remaining liquid ingredients.  Add ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a sliced grape resting on rim of glass.

The Capone

3 ounces Templeton Rye Whiskey

1 ounces Grand Marnier

Splash of champagne

Dash of bitters

Combine Templeton Rye, bitters & Grand Marnier in shaker. Shake well, strain in martini glass. Float champagne & garnish with lemon twist.

Templeton Rye is fabulous served neat, but I made my getaway with The Capone.  Who could resist Templeton Rye Whiskey, Grand Marnier and champagne?  A combination such as this is downright dastardly and yet splendid!  Templeton Rye is definitely “The Good Stuff.”  Templeton Rye has succeeded in blending the history of this original American spirit into the whiskey itself.  There is warmth, sentiment and flavor of the past within this particular spirit.

Nightwatch – created by Robert Hess, 2006

1 ounce Gin

1 ounce Coffee Liqueur

1/4 ounce Absinthe

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake.  Strain into a cocktail glass.

Monte Carlo – Pocket Guide to Cocktails

1/2 measure Gin

1/4 measure Lemon Juice

Champagne

1/4 measure Crème de Menthe

Mint Leaf Garnish

Stir gin and lemon juice in mixing glass with ice.  Strain into champagne flute.  Top with champagne, leaving room for crème de menthe.  Carefully drizzle crème de menthe over the top.  Garnish with mint leaf.

The winner takes all in Monte Carlo.  This green hued cocktail could double for holiday themed parties or St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but the name lends itself well to poker night and betting the house.  Crème de Menthe is subtle with a wee bit of tartness of the citrus settling the sweetness score.  Gin does not carry through in the least as it is outshined by the other multi-layered flavors.  Savor winning in style with a celebratory toast of champagne with this bubbly version Monte Carlo.

Classic Cocktails  - Drink Recipes & Photos slideshows by category

Top 10 Classic Cocktails – 21 Must Try Classic Cocktail Recipes

Top 10 Popular Shot Recipes – Beer Drink Recipes for Football Weekend

National Comic Book Day: Drink Recipes Fit for a Super Hero

Top 10 Twilight Zone Drink Recipes – Cocktail Recipes Enter The Twilight Zone reader choices

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Fall weather is made for lovers; snuggling to stay warm that is.  The Soul Kiss Cocktail provides the perfect recipe for snuggle success.  This old style cocktail adds charm to cool evenings and cozy occasions with its dry vermouth and Dubonnet Rouge inclusion.  Rather than use Canadian Whiskey the original recipe called for I’ve substituted Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey in honor of Mr. Jack’s birthday month.  Soul Kiss Cocktail contains a wee amount of bitterness on the back end, but a tad more Dubonnet Rouge adjustment would fix that in a jiffy.  Take advantage of cooler temperatures and heat things up with a drink recipe embracing the essence of the season; Soul Kiss Cocktail.

Soul Kiss Cocktail – Bartender’s Best Friend, Mardee Haidin Regan

2 ounces Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

1/4 ounce Dry Vermouth

1/4 ounce Dubonnet Rouge

1/2 ounce Orange Juice

Combine liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into a cocktail glass. 

Classic Cocktails  - Cocktails – Drink Recipes & Photos slideshows by category

Royal Jack – Jack Daniel’s Liquid Cake – Low Calorie Teenie-Eclipse

Midnight Over Tennessee – Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Cocktails – Black Raspberry Margarita

Gentleman Jack Cocktails

It’s 30 days of Pink cocktails on The Intoxicologist and National Cocktails Examiner Sites.  Every time you view any of the cocktails from the Drink Recipes & Photos slideshow links it helps raise funds for the Susan G. Komen for a Cure foundation.  Enjoy the cocktails and share the links with friends.

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

It’s beer weekend, otherwise known as football season.  Beer doesn’t see the light of day much in bottles and pints on The Intoxicologist site, but rather tidied up in cocktail packages.  A few fun Beer-Rita and raspberry influenced ‘beer-tail’ recipes for your football weekend have been served to national television audiences via Rachael Ray and in one of the most sought after night spots New York has to offer; PDT. 

Raspberry Beer Cocktail

3/4 cup Fresh Raspberries*

3-1/2 (12-ounce) Bottles Beer, chilled

1 (12-ounce) container Frozen Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup Vodka

Muddle raspberries in a bowl.  Transfer to a pitcher. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve over ice. Makes 6 servings. *3/4 cup thawed frozen raspberries may be substituted.

The Beer Cassis at PDT

1 ounce Dubonnet Rouge

1/4 ounce Theuriet Cassis

6 ounce Brooklyn Lager

Pour the Dubonnet and cassis into a mixing glass then fill with ice; stir and strain into a white wine glass. Top with lager; garnish with a twist of lemon.

Chambeer

1 part Chambord

3 parts Beer

Pour Chambord in mixing glass with ice.  Stir to chill.  Strain into lager.  Pour cold beer over top of Chambord.

Beer Margarita by Rachael Ray

Four 12-ounce bottles cold light-flavored beer, such as Corona 

1 cup (8 ounces) Tequila 

One 12-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate 

Lime wedges 

Kosher salt, for rimming glasses 

In a large pitcher, combine the beer, tequila and limeade. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each of glass and dip it in the salt. Pour the margaritas into the glasses and garnish with a lime wedge.  Makes  8 servings.

These drink recipes continue the 30 Days of Pink cocktails on The Intoxicologist and National Cocktails Examiner Sites.  Every time you view any of the cocktails from the Drink Recipes & Photos slideshow links it helps raise funds for the Susan G. Komen for a Cure foundation.  Enjoy the cocktails and share the links with friends.

Classic Cocktails  - Cocktails – Drink Recipes & Photos slideshows by category

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

In the beginning Aviation Day (August 19) was all about the celebration of flight, Orville Wright’s birthday and congratulating the men and women who made early aviation a reality.  Today celebration of Aviation Day is possible via proclamation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and cocktail hour at Joe’s pub or the retro version of the Speakeasy that make modern day celebrations so fun to well, celebrate or at least recognize with a cocktail or two. 

Yesterday on Twitter a fellow ‘Tweeter’ wondered why someone would celebrate Aviation Day if the Aviation cocktail wasn’t the drink of choice since I posted alternative drink recipes loosely based upon the aviator theme.  My thought on the matter is celebration times should embrace everyone.  The Aviation drink recipe calls for Gin which excludes a majority of the population who don’t care for Gin as a base spirit.  Speaking as a writer; many will be writing about the Aviation cocktail and/or Aviation Gin today so right off the bat let’s get them out of the way to get on with more adventurous tours around the cocktail realm.

The Aviation

2 ounces Plymouth Gin

1-1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 ounce Maraschino Liqueur

1 dash Syrup de Gomme

Garnish: Lemon Zest

Fill mixing glass with ice. Add Plymouth Gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur and syrup. Shake well. Strain into martini glass. Add lemon zest for garnish.

Aviation Cocktail No. 1

Adapted from Samuel Kinsey

2 ounces Gin

1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo

1/4 ounce Crème de Violette

Lemon twist, for garnish.

Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Drizzle the Crème de Violette into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Which brings us to Aviation Gin.  I had the pleasure of sitting through most of the 21st Century Gin Seminar at Tales of the Cocktail 2009 where the discussion centered on a new classification of Gin.  Ryan Magarian may or may not have won the title of ‘Mr. Popularity’ among Gin enthusiasts that day depending on which side of the fence they decided to perch themselves upon, but he chooses to classify Aviation Gin within the New Western Gin category.  Paraphrasing his words at Tales of the Cocktail:

“Aviation Gin was created to define the area it comes from.  Let’s just be obnoxious.  They wanted to make a gin to be affective, damp, savory, full, organic, like Oregon, dry gin that can be sipped neat.  We wanted to take the classics we love and then we had to train bartenders to use it.  Two styles of gin – distilled and compounded gin.  There is also character or flavor designations.  These are focused on flavors.  New western is how Aviation defines itself.  They’ll stick with that until someone else comes up with something that sounds better than that.  Fun and sexy!”

Flying certainly sounds fun and sexy as long as two feet land on the ground safely.  Gin seems to be taking off within cocktail culture without a hint at taking a breather.  Some have strong juniper overtones while others share a barely there aroma inclusion.  Gin is breaking new ground in the spirit realm.  If you haven’t tried gin recently take a look around at a few of the newer spirits on the market to see this new ‘designation’ that created such a stir at Tales of the Cocktail ’09.

The Aviation Cocktail – Aviation Gin version

2 ounces Aviation Gin

3/4 ounce Maraska Maraschino Liqueur

3/4 ounce Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

In a pint mixing glass add the above ingredients.  Add ice.  Shake.  Strain.  Serve up with a Luxardo cherry.

On to more exciting cocktails that have nothing to do with the word ‘aviation’ but have everything to do with blue skies and flight…

The Cruise Room is Denver’s first bar to open the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933.  The bar is styled after one of the lounges on the original Queen Mary.  Their bar cocktail menu boasts a listing of classics and contemporary drink recipes.

SKYY Diver Martini

Cruise Room, Oxford Hotel – Denver, CO

3 ounces SKYY Vodka

Splash Rumpleminz Pepperment Schnapps

Place ingredients in a mixing tin with ice.  Shake to chill.  Strain into a martini glass.

If you like the SKYY Diver Martini you might like the Blue Kamikaze also using the base spirit vodka.

Blue Kamikaze

2 ounces Vodka

3/4 ounce Blue Curacao

3/4 ounce Fresh Lime Juice

Add all ingredients to a mixing tin with ice.  Shake to chill.  Strain into a martini glass.

Champagne is a favorite, so it had to be added to the listing of drinks of the day.  It isn’t possible to have Air Mail without the invention of flight.  Paper airplanes don’t count. 

Air Mail

1 part Golden Rum

2 spoons Runny Honey

1/2 part Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 part Fresh Orange Juice

Brut Champagne

Mint Leaf Garnish

Combine rum and honey in a mixing glass.  Stir to dissolve honey.  Add juices and ice.  Shake to chill.  Strain into a martini glass.  Top with Brut Champagne.  Garnish with mint leaf. 

One cannot forget the B52 shot, named after the large bomber.  This drink recipe built for two should be built for a crowd considering the B52 is such a large machine and shots are better spent on large gatherings rather than one or two people.  So, duplicate this recipe or better yet, don’t.  Take The Intoxicologist advice and make peace with the B52 recipe and build a better bomb. 

B52 (original)

1 ounce Kahlua

1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream

1 ounce Grand Marnier

Place liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake.  Strain into two shot glasses.  Shoot away.

OR….

B-B52 – classic cocktail revised by The Intoxicologist

Inspired by the classic B52 shot drink recipe

1 ounce Buffalo Trace Bourbon

1/4 ounce Kahlua Especial

1/4 ounce Baileys Irish Cream

1/4 ounce Grand Marnier

1 ounce Half & Half

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake thoroughly to combine and chill. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.  Sip soothingly to enjoy completely.  Feel the warmth of Buffalo Trace Bourbon appease the soul rather than rain down and bomb on the parade.

Grab your Aviator’s and head out into the sun to soak up some rays or grab a few bottles of spirits and mix up this beautifully vibrant cocktail of the same name.  The Aviator relies on five simple ingredients of all equal parts.  To keep it simple my ratios consisted of 1/2 ounce each with 1 full twist around the lemon.  Each spirit plays off the other in perfect harmony for a complex yet vibrant mix of delicate sweetness, gentle balance and oh, such ingenious play of flavor.

Aviator

1 part Plymouth Gin

1 part Dry Vermouth

1 part Sweet Vermouth

1 part Dubonnet Rouge

Lemon Twist Garnish

Combine all ingredients with ice in a mixing tin.  Stir.  Strain into a martin glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

If you like the Aviator you might also like the Flying Scotsman if darker spirits are more your thing.  According to The Bartender’s Bible, the Flying Scotsman is named for the famed British steam train that became the first non-stop train from London to Edinburgh in 1928. 

Flying Scotsman

1-1/2 ounce Blended Scotch

1 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1/4 ounce Simple Syrup

1/4 ounce Angostura Bitters

Place all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir well to mix and chill.  Strain into a cold martini glass.

Chocolaty, orange with deep tones of spice; that is when Flutter starts to slip in across the sides of your tongue and meander down the middle, floating along the back until you realize the sip is gone and you must, must, must have another of this luscious concoction.  This is a terrific example of a drink recipe that uses a handful of ingredients to the utmost of their ability.  Kudos to Tony Conigliaro for whipping up this amazing cocktail recipe!

Flutter – created by Tony Conigliaro

Lonsdale House – London, England (2003)

2 parts Partida Tequila

1 part Kahula

1-1/4 part Pressed Pineapple Juice

Orange Zest Twist Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Fine strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with orange zest twist. 

Affordable no hassle take on Flutter: Use Azul Tequila or Lunazul Tequila.  Both are 100% agave tequilas under $20.  Bottled pineapple juice may not taste exactly like fresh pressed or muddled pineapple, but it still tasted pretty astounding in this cocktail with both the Azul and Lunazul Tequilas.

Find eight more SKYY Vodka: Aviation Day drink recipes here (article post) or click straight to the photo recipe slideshow by clicking here: Aviation Day Drink Recipes Featuring SKYY Vodka.  A new category has been placed in the right hand column of this site titled ‘Photos & Cocktail Recipes’.  These links take you directly to photo recipe slideshows for quick reference and easy access.  Have a fabulous Aviation Day!  Enjoy your flight…of cocktails that is.

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved