DrinkShouts

May 28 - The Final 25 - #1 - Tatuaje ...

Well, here we are at the final DrinkShouts post. I’m wrapping up this blog by featuring the same drink that I made for the very first entry. Back then it was called “Untitled Tequila Cocktail” but I’ve since rechristened it the Tatuaje. Loosely inspired by a drink I had at Bar Le Forum in Paris, the 23 Jump Street, it’s a delicious combination of tequila, vermouth, and Aperol, with a little mescal for smoke, coffee bitters for depth, and a grapefruit twist for aromatics. Don’t skip the twist! Believe it or not, it really changes the character of the drink compared to an orange twist or a maraschino cherry.

Since this is the last DrinkShouts post, I wanted to thank you all again for reading, liking, reblogging, and retweeting over the past couple of years. This has been a tremendous learning experience for me -- I’m a better cocktail mixer, a better cocktail creator, and a vastly better photographer than I was when I started. In particular I want to thank a few long-time readers who’ve always been supportive. In no particular order, thanks: justcocktails, thebartenderbob, 100proof, smbitters, some-random-musings, bearlysober, and Eric Hanao. If you were a frequent liker/reblogger, and I missed you, please accept my sincere apologies!

This site will remain here on tumblr as a resource for people looking for drink ideas (in fact, here’s a link to the entire DrinkShouts archive). I will also still be writing my cocktail articles at Primer Magazine, and will be linking those on my personal twitter (where I’ll also continue to talk about cocktails from time to time).

OK, here’s the recipe. Thanks again everyone, it’s been a blast!

2 oz. Reposado Tequila (Partida)

.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

.5 oz Aperol

.25 oz Mezcal (Ilegal Joven)

Dash Coffee Bitters (Hawaii Bitters Company)

May 27 - The Final 25 - #2 - Le Mot D’or ...

This is my favorite drink I’ve ever created, and I’ve featured it on this site many times, the first of which was just 13 days after I launched the blog back in 2013. Forgive the bragging, but it’s a terrific blend of flavors that really uses Fernet Branca perfectly, letting its influence carry throughout the drink without overwhelming the other ingredients.

So why isn’t it number one? Well, because I’m saving that spot for one of my other favorite drinks I’ve ever come up with, which will bring this blog around full circle and wrap everything up tomorrow evening.

You’ll want to use a good bourbon in this drink. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy expensive, but it’d be a shame to beat up all of the other nice ingredients with something cheap -- budget bourbons tend to be heavy on the corn and charcoal flavor, and don’t have the delicious caramel and spice notes that better bourbons bring to the party. Make sure also that your sweet vermouth is fresh. If you opened it more than a month ago, toss it. If you haven’t been storing it in the fridge, and you opened it more than a day or two ago, toss it. Once open, sweet vermouth needs to be refrigerated promptly or it’ll oxidize and develop off flavors. Trust me, you can taste the difference when you use the fresh stuff.

2 oz. Bourbon (Michter’s US*1)

.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

.5 oz. Maraschino (Luxardo)

.25 oz. Fernet Branca

Dash Aromatic Bitters (Homemade)

May 26 - The Final 25 - #3 - Beryl ...

I came up with this drink after some experimentation for a Mixology Monday back in December 2013, and have been in love with it ever since. I’ve tweaked the proportions a tiny bit in the ensuing months, but at its core, it’s still what it’s always been: a light, crisp introduction to the world of anise flavors that doesn’t whomp you over the head with them.

Because it looks a bit like some poisonous potion from a fantasy movie, I have a mild tradition of taking pictures of this drink with skulls, so I thought I’d stick with it (my wife has a collection ... makes it easy)!

1.5 oz Gin (Bulldog)

1.5 oz Vodka (New Amsterdam)

.25 oz. Green Chartreuse

1 tsp Pastis (Pernod)

Dash Celery Bitters (The Bitter Truth)

May 25 - The Final 25 - #4 - Rum Old Fashioned ...

I’m not so much taking credit for the idea of this drink--after all, “hey, let’s make an Old Fashioned with rum instead of bourbon” isn’t exactly a lightning strike of impossible genius--but rather for the exact recipe I’ve come up with. The combination of four types of bitters really works well here, and that’s the big secret of the drink (which I first featured on DrinkShouts in November, 2013).

You’ll want to use a nice aged rum for this, the older the better. I’ve used Denizen Merchant’s Reserve here, which has some nice Rhum Agricole notes, but I also really like Ron Abuelo 12 Year in this drink. Just make sure you’re using something that’s spent some real time in oak, and not a plain white rum.

2.5 oz. Aged Rum (Denizen Merchant’s Reserve)

.5 oz. Simple Syrup

Dash Aromatic Bitters (Angostura)

Dash Creole Bitters (Peychaud’s)

Dash Orange Bitters (Angostura)

Dash Another Orange Bitters (Fee Brothers)

Orange Peel

May 22 - The Final 25 - #5 - Pomme et Pêche ...

If you’re looking for a sweet, tart, vibrant drink, then this might be the one for you! I first created it back in August 2013, and I’m still really happy with it. Bursting with flavors, the peach is definitely noticeable, but doesn’t overwhelm everything else that’s going on here. Between the applejack, the brandy, the lemon, and the peach, there’s just a ton of fruit flavor, but it’s not syrupy or cloying or overwhelmingly sweet. This one’s really tasty.

If you can’t get grapefruit bitters, and citrus bitters will do. The “Great in ‘28″ bitters can be swapped out with other high-herbal bitters, or Angostura in a pinch.

1 oz. Applejack (Laird’s)

1 oz. Brandy (E&J XO)

.5 oz. Peach Liqueur (Mathilde Pêche)

.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

.25 oz. Simple Syrup

Dash Grapefruit Bitters (Fee Brothers)

Dash Bitters, Old Men Great in 28 Bitters

May 21 - The Final 25 - #6 - El Beso Robado ...

I invented this one back in the early days of DrinkShouts, back in August of 2013. I wanted to use tequila, but get away from the citrus-heavy drinks so often associated with that particular liquor. I’d discovered that chocolate flavors actually pair quite well with reposado tequila. Add to that some Lillet Blanc and a supporting cast of bitters and a chartreuse rinse, and you’ve got yourself a nice little drink!

1.5 oz. Reposado Tequila (Partida)

.75 oz. Lillet Blanc

.25 oz. Creme de Cacao (Hiram Walker)

Dash Orange Bitters (Angostura)

Rinse Green Chartreuse

May 20 - The Final 25 - #7 - Shimmer ...

This one’s over a year old, and I’m surprised I haven’t gone back to it more often, because it’s really delicious. It’s a simple Martini variant, sure, but the proportions are really nice -- the Chartreuse doesn’t add too much sweetness, and the lemon bitters work really well here.

I changed the initial garnish of a star anise pod to a lemon twist, because I thought it’d be a little too strongly scented otherwise. I think it was the right move; the essential oils from the lemon peels work with the other ingredients to create a really nice aroma before you’ve even put the drink to your lips, and that’s important!

2.5 oz. Gin (Bluecoat)

.5 oz. Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

.25 oz. Green Chartreuse

Dash Lemon Bitters (Fee Brothers)

May 19 - The Final 25 - #8 - Haystack ...

Well, this is an autumn-oriented drink, but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t that we’re enjoying autumnal flavors in the spring. I first put this one together last November, at my wife’s urging. The result was fantastic, if I say so myself (err ... ourselves), so I’m happy to be recreating it here! The applejack adds some nice fruity notes to the bourbon, the large amount of bitters brings depth, and the cinnamon syrup really adds a nice little kick of spice.

To make cinnamon syrup, you can make an entire batch of simple syrup with a whole cinnamon stick broken up into it, or you can do what I do, and take about three quarters of an ounce of existing simple syrup and simmer it for about ten minutes with about a quarter of a cinnamon stick broken into pieces and dropped in. Then just strain and cool before adding to your drink!

2 oz. Bourbon (Four Roses Small Batch)

1 oz. Applejack (Laird’s)

.5 oz. Cinnamon Syrup

6 Dashes Aromatic Bitters (The Bitter Truth)

Rinse Pastis (Pernod)

May 14 - The Final 25 - #9 - Cherry Club ...

This heavily modified version of the Clubland cocktail, which first showed up on DrinkShouts back in April of 2014, is a real treat for bitters lovers. The five dashes of Angostura give it a real spicy kick, which actually works very well with the fruit flavors brought on by the port and the cherry liqueur.

This is a rare vodka cocktail -- I don’t make them too often, because I’d usually rather be using gin. Still, vodka’s a super-common ingredient that just about everyone who likes booze has in the home, and there’s nothing wrong with breaking it out from time to time. It lets the other ingredients in a cocktail really shine through!

1.5 oz. Vodka (Chopin Potato)

1 oz. Tawny Port (Sandeman)

.5 oz. Cherry Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

5 dashes Aromatic Bitters (Angstura)

May 13 - The Final 25 - #10 - Old Town ...

We’re down to the final ten drinks of DrinkShouts’s existence. I saved most of my favorites (of my personal creations) for the top ten, so I hope you all enjoy these last few drinks!

I came up with this drink a little over a year ago, and haven’t been back to it since. It’s a very basic spin-off of the Sazerac, but with a bit more of an herbal kick thanks to the larger portion of Galliano compared to the traditional pastis rinse. I really like to go heavy on the bitters here -- in fact, I used hearty dashes of two different types of creole bitters. They work so well with the spicy rye, and the sweet liqueur. This is really a delicious drink!

2.5 oz. Rye (Bulleit)

.25 oz. Galliano

.25 oz. Simple Syrup

2 Dashes Creole Bitters (The Bitter Truth & Peychaud’s)

May 11 - The Final 25 - #11 - English Bulldog ...

I don’t make a lot of long cocktails, because I’m really more of an up-drink kind of guy (with the occasional rocks drink also making an appearance). That said, I do enjoy them from time to time, and this creation (first featured on this blog back in June 2014) is one of my favorites. That’s probably no surprise, since it won the grand prize in the amateur leg of Tanqueray’s “Best T&T” contest back in 2010. The prize turned out to be an awesome trip to New York City, complete with a “cocktail safari” in which I visited some really excellent bars with my wife, spirits writer Tony Sachs, and drinks maven Angus Winchester.

The English Bulldog is a twist on the traditional gin & tonic. In addition to, well, gin and tonic, it’s also got a good hit of fresh lime juice, some dry vermouth for depth, and the pièce de résistance: a teaspoon or so of high-quality orange marmalade. This not only brings a little extra British flare to the drink, it also sweetens it up and, when couple with the bitters, brings a nice orange flavor to the proceedings.

Let me put in a word here for Fever Tree tonic: their “Naturally Light” version is my favorite of all the tonics I’ve ever tried. Not too sweet, just the right amount of bitter, lots of flavor. It’s excellent. And no, they’re not paying me to say that (I’ve never even received samples from them). I just really like the stuff!

Oh, and you don’t technically have to use Tanqueray gin in this drink ... but I recommend it!

1.25 oz. London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)

.75 oz. Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

1 tsp. Orange Marmalade

Dash Orange Bitters (Fee Brothers)

Tonic (Fever Tree Naturally Light)

May 10 - The Final 25 - #12 - Romero ...

This cocktail, which I came up with last November, is a really fun spin on the Margarita. We’re still using tequila, lime juice, and a sweetener, but instead of going with curacao, we’ve subbed in a mixture of maraschino and the secret ingredient that really takes it over the top: rosemary simple syrup.

Rosemary is an herb traditionally associated with savory flavors, but its pine-like aromatics really work in this drink, adding a subtle depth and elevating it beyond a basic sour.

To make rosemary syrup, you could just toss a few sprigs of it in as you’re making regular simple syrup ... but for me at least, this tends to make way more rosemary syrup than I’m going to use before I realize it’s been in my fridge for three months and has gross stuff floating in it. So what I like to do is make it to order: take about half an ounce of simple syrup (or more if you’re making multiple drinks), toss it in a small pan on the stove with a small sprig of rosemary, and let it gently simmer for about five minutes. That’s all it takes. Strain and cool, and it’s ready to use.

2.5 oz. Reposado Tequila (Camarena)

.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

.25 oz. Rosemary Simple Syrup

.25 oz. Maraschino (Luxardo)

Dash Asian Citrus Bitters (Homemade)

May 7 - The Final 25 - #13 - North Shore ...

An oldie but a goodie, I first created this cocktail in October 2013. It’s is a nice, simple Tiki-style drink that manages to successfully match the chocolate flavors of crème de cacao with citrus -- something I wasn’t sure would actually work. The big hit of spiced rum gives some depth, but this one’s not too complex. Sweet, sour, and delicious.

1 oz. Aged Rum (Ron Abuelo 12 Year)

1 oz. Spiced Rum (Sailor Jerry)

.75 oz. Creme de Cacao (Hiram Walker)

.5 oz. Lemon Juice

Dash Coffee Bitters (Hawaii Bitters Co.)

May 5 - The Final 25 - #14 - Appleflower ...

Got a bottle of Applejack? If not, you should; it’s cheap, it’s used in several classic cocktails, and it tastes really good. I first featured it in this particular drink back in September 2012. The combination of Applejack and St. Germain works surprisingly well, especially once you add a little dry vermouth to smooth things out. The lemon juice brings a nice brightness to the proceedings.

I chose to stir this drink instead of shake it, originally. I don’t remember why, but since that’s how I went the first time, I decided to keep it the same this time!

2 oz. Applejack (Laird’s)

.5 oz. Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

.5 oz. Elderflower Liqueur (St. Germain)

.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Dash Citrus Bitters (Urban Moonshine)

May 4 - The Final 25 - #15 - GLAM ...

Came up with this one on the day after my birthday, last year, with help from my wife, who suggested the terrific name. Gin, Lemon, Aperol, Maraschino ... this drink is totally glamorous. It’s also really good, perhaps my favorite of the Final 25 drinks that I’ve featured so far!

I’ve extolled the virtues of Aperol before, but I’ll do so again here: if you’re looking to get into Italian aperitifs and digestifs, but you’ve not yet trained your palette to love the bitter flavor that so often accompanies them, Aperol is a great place to start. It has a flavor profile similar to Campari (albeit with more orange to it), but is much less bitter. It plays great with a wide variety of cocktail ingredients, but it’s also very nice on its own over ice. Inexpensive and low-ABV, it’s definitely worth a shot.

2 oz. Gin (New Amsterdam)

1 oz. Aperol

.25 oz. Maraschino (Luxardo)

.25 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Dash Creole Bitters (Peychaud’s)

Rinse Pastis (Pernod)

May 3 - The Final 25 - #16 - Gris-Gris ...

I came up with this Vieux Carré variation in November of 2103. We’re swapping nice rum in for rye, and crème de cacao in for the Benedictine. The result is sweet and delicious, with a lot of depth. It’s not quite “Tiki” because it lacks fruit flavors, but it’s headed in that direction.

Don’t skimp on the Peychaud’s, either -- they’re some of the least-aggressive bitters around, so you can really load up on them without over-bittering the drink.

1 oz. Aged Rum (Denizen Merchant’s Reserve)

1 oz. Brandy (E&J XO)

.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula)

.25 oz. Creme de Cacao (Hiram Walker)

2 Dashes Creole Bitters (Peychaud’s)