Berlin Cocktails

A Tom and Jerry, because it is cold as hell and I didn't have one on Christmas. The recipe is complicated enough that i won't list it here. I made the batter from Serious Eats, which i can definitely recommend, with Diplomatico, Santa Teresa and PF Amber as the spirits. I'm trying to decide if i should make more or just eat the batter with a spoon later like the piece of belated yuletide trash that I am. #tomandjerry #jerrythomas #flip #hotcocktail #nutmeg #diplomaticorum #santateresarum #pierreferrand #cocktails

Right: I made a tequila infusion with grapefruit zest and szechuan pepper that is respectably tasty, but I never ended up using for my @theloniousbar menu ideas, so now I'm using it at home in a Tommy's Margarita (2:1:½ tequila:lime:agave) and it's delicious. Left: a negroni variation that I forget the name of, that @newman_kara mentioned on a recent episode of The Speakeasy (and which apparently appears in her new book, "Shake.Stir.Sip," next on my to-buy list): equal parts Amontillado Sherry, aged rum and Aperol. Definitely making that one again. #negroni #aperol #sherry #amontilladosherry #rum #margarita #tommysmargarita #tequila #infusions #instacocktail #cocktails

The Pickleback: a worldwide phenomenon. Of all the drinks from NYC that have made a splash here in Berlin, it makes me happy that my old local, Bushwick Country Club, contributed one of them. #pickelback #whiskey #shots (at The Bird)

I've been obsessed with watermelon cocktails because it's summer and that's what you do: take summertime staples and muddle them into a glass of booze. If you haven't mixed with watermelon, try it - next to citrus, it's gotta be one of the easiest things to juice à la minute (throw it in your shaking tin, muddle, strain). Usually I mix it with lime juice for some acidity, but I wanted to make a pure watermelon cocktail, so here's what I did: 2 oz Ilegal Joven mezcal, 1 oz watermelon juice, ¼ oz yellow Chartreuse, ¼ oz agave syrup, 1 tsp acid phosphate, 2 dashes Bittermens Hellfire shrub, handful of mint (muddled). Yields a light, herbaceous drink with a little fire at the end. #mezcal #agave #watermelon #chartreuse #hellfireshrub #margarita #summer #instacocktail #mixology #cocktail #cocktails

Following up on the homemade falernum post - yep, it works and I'll probably not buy it commercially again. There's a brightness and freshness that just elevates it beyond any bottled version I've had. Props to Marcia Simmons @seriouseats for the recipe. I just went with cloves, almonds and lime as my flavors as recommended (no ginger). Next time I'll add a little allspice. Pictured here is a Corn n Oil, which benefits greatly from the vibrant flavors of the falernum. - 2 oz Cruzan black strap rum, ¾ oz falernum, ½ oz lime juice, 1 dash Angostura. #falernum #cloves #diy #infusions #homemade #hausgemacht #rum #blackstraprum #cornnoil #cocktail #instacocktail #mixology

Finally getting around to making homemade falernum. Toasted slivered almonds and cloves sat with light rum in the jar for two days; now adding lime zest. So far, it's simple enough! #falernum #homemade #balljar #tiki #almond #clove #cocktail #instacocktail #mixology #vibeology

Can't sleep because your mind is racing and your neighbors are loudly practicing their acoustic cover of "Knocking On Heaven's Door" for the 18th time? Try this insomniac pro-tip: get up and make an Improved Rum Old Fashioned! The act of turning on all the lights and cracking block ice will calm you (as well as gently wake your spouse who will not at all be annoyed by your dysfunctional antics). And don't worry - there's plenty of sugar to lull you to sleep. Anyway, this is basically an Old Fashioned gone tiki. Nothing revolutionary, but certainly tasty, and definitely not what I should be doing right now. 2 oz El Dorado 15, 1 barspoon Pierre Ferrand curaçao, 1 barspoon cinnamon syrup, 1 barspoon orgeat, 2 dashes Angostura, 1 dash Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters, 1 dash absinthe. Rocks, orange twist. #insomnia #knockingonheavensdoor #theaxlroseversion #eldoradorum #rum #oldfashioned #curacao #angostura #absinthe #bitters #orgeat #cocktail #instacocktail #mixology #vibeology

Another #negroniweek2016 post, because why not. Barrel-aged Negroni at Salt-n-Bone is just damn good. #negroniweek #negroni #gin #vermouth #campari #mixology #instacocktail #cocktailsonthestreet (at Salt n Bone)

Brazilevardier (by Matty Durgin of Green Russell Bar, featured in Gaz Regan's "The Negroni.") It's Negroni Week, so i figured I'd post this one. Cachaça doesn't always get much love, but it works so well in this recipe. I love how it's funky, earthy flavors are tempered by the brightness of the Aperol and bitterness of Punt e Mes. 1 oz each: cahaça (Leblon), Aperol, Punt e Mes; 1 dash orange bitters (Regan's). Orange twist. #cachaça #leblon #aperol #puntemes #negroni #negroniweek #negroniweek2016

Mean Fiddler by @jackmcgarry1 of @deadrabbitnyc. I caught this recipe while watching a video from Business Insider (of all places) about Dead Rabbit. This is a riff on the Tipperary (a cocktail I already enjoy), enhanced with some other things I enjoy (Campari, cinnamon, peaty scotch) - there's basically no way I wasn't going to love this, and I do. 1 oz Irish Whiskey (Green Spot), ¾ oz green Chartreuse, ¾ oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica), ½ oz Islay whiskey (Laphroaig), ½ oz Campari, ½ tsp cinnamon cordial (1:1 cinnamon syrup), dash aromatic bitters (Orinoco). #greenspot #whiskey #chartreuse #vermouth #islay #laphroaig #whisky #bitters #tipperary #instacocktail #candlelit #cocktail

Banana Boulevardier (recipe by Terry Williams, Anvil Bar & Refuge). Searching for something* to use new my Banane du Bresil in, I found this recipe. I can hear your skepticism, but fret not - it works amazingly well. The best part is that the banana flavor comes through with perfect clarity, making for a slightly richer, crowd-friendly boulevardier - not only a great introduction to bananas in cocktails, but for the uninitiated, to the negroni and boulevardier family as well. [* besides the amazing "Banana Stand" of @robroyseattle, as recommended to me by the ever sage @aphonik.] 1 oz bourbon (@buffalotrace), 1 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica), ½ oz Campari (@campariofficial), ½ oz Banane du Bresil (@giffard_liqueurs_syrups). #boulevardier #negroni #banana #banane #bananaedubresil #bourbon #campari #vermouth #carpanoantica

I'm very pleased that Wedding, the under-appreciated Berlin neighborhood that I live in, continues to grow as a food and drink destination. Cocktails are a little slower to make an appearance, but now we've got Basalt - a beautiful bar with a very short but well-curated cocktail list. This is the Pink n' Spicy: Bacardi Ocho, raspberry, lemon, vanilla, cilantro and black pepper. The coriander and black pepper are the real stars of this drink, so you'd better like the stuff - the aroma from the garnish is assertive, which lends a great contrast to the vanilla and raspberry of the drink itself. #bacardi #rum #cilantro #coriander #cocktail (at Basalt)

Prosecutor at Drink, Boston: rye, yellow chartreuse, St. Germain, lemon juice. I'm not in Boston under ideal conditions, but the bright side is I get to drink my sorrows away at some of the best bars in the world. This was the fully satisfying answer to my somewhat obnoxious request for "something rye and shaken, along the lines of a sour, but more... interesting." (In my defense, it *is* a menu-less bar.) Googling yields that the formula for this was 1½ oz rye and ½ oz each for the other ingredients. I'll be tucking this one into my mental rolodex for later. #rye #chartreuse #stgermain (at Drink)

A little improvised mezcal cocktail. I've had this bottle of Creme de Mezcal sitting on my shelf unused, and decided to put it to work. Here's my attempt at making either an Old Fashioned twist or a margarita twist, depending on your perspective: 2 oz Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal, 1 tsp acid phosphate, 2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters, 1 dash Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit bitters. Rocks, orange twist. No sugar needed thanks to the inherent sweetness of the Creme de Mezcal, which is toned down a bit by the acid and bitters.

Fish House Punch (1732, Philadelphia Fish House fishing club). I don't have the attention span to make punches often, but the à la minute approach suits me just fine. I've had a few variations of this, but just tried the PDT version for the first time, and it's probably my favorite. The Gosling's really works here. 1½ oz Gosling's rum, ½ oz PF ambre cognac, ½ oz pêche, ½ oz lemon juice, ½ oz simple syrup, ¼ oz lime juice, nutmeg garnish. #punch #fishhousepunch #rum #cognac

My post-shift drink last night was a Chrysanthemum (Huge Ensslin, Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1916). I've been a little obsessed with this cocktail and others that avoid the "big" spirits (the Bamboo for example). But this one is just so brilliant - a giant dose of dry vermouth, heavily accented by a few of my favorite modifiers. Plus it's relatively low-proof, which means I can clean up that bar like some kind of sober wonder. 2 oz dry vermouth, ¾ oz Bénédictine, ¼ oz absinthe, 1 dash orange bitters. Strained, orange twist (I used lemon here because there is no god.) #Chrysanthemum #Benedictine #Bénédictine #absinthe #preprohibition (at Thelonious Bar)

Brute-force infusion testing. Why guess when you can taste every possible combination? Micro batches with a botanical constant and varying solvents, using boring ol' vodka as a baseline. #infusions #drunkenscience