Week 9 - Back to the cocktails, Tom Collins

After our little diversion through Asia, it is time to get back to the cocktails. This week it is another cocktail with movie connections. The Tom Collins was the drink of choice for Faye Dunaway's character in Chinatown. Coincidentally, I watched Meet the Fockers last night for the first time, and Jack Nicholson makes Tom Collins' for Robert de Niro and Blythe Danner when they come to visit.

The Tom Collins is 2 oz gin, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 tsp superfine sugar, and 3 oz club soda garnished with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice. The club soda is a nice addition. It gives the Tom Collins a lighter taste than the cocktails we have tried previously. You can vary the amount of club soda you add to adjust the strength of the taste and alcohol content.

If you do not like gin, you can make a Vodka Collins. Just replace the gin with vodka. (Or, as you could guess, you can make any kind of Collins you want by substituting your liquor of choice for the gin.)

The Collins is a good drink. It is not particularly bold and does not have a striking taste, but it is refreshing and pleasant. It is more of a casual drink, perfect to drink while sitting on the patio outside your home on a warm day visiting with some old friends.

This breaks from the theme we were developing previously that good cocktails have complexity and depth. Tom Collins is simple and straightforward, but it is still very enjoyable. Maybe it is not the complexity that makes cocktails what they are. (Yeah, I know. It is the alcohol.) I guess it is the variety that has made it interesting so far. Most of these drinks are new to me, but I have heard of them before, so it is fun to try them and see how they taste. Drinking the same drink over and over would probably not be the same.

Week 8 - Shoju, Shochu, or Soju?

I thought about making this post about sake, since we were in Japan after all, but let's go to something a little more obscure than that - the other native distilled liquors in Japan and South Korea. Shochu (also spelled shoju) is a liquor from Japan and soju is from Korea.

Shochu can be distilled from rice, barley, or sweet potatoes. It is primarily from the southern part of Japan. In fact, the island of Kyushu is famous for its delicious shochu made from sweet potatoes. To me, it tastes a lot like sake. It has a very light, slightly sweet taste. Like sake and wine there is a range of sweetness. Some shochu is dry and some is sweet, but in general it is less sweet than sake. I have usually had it straight or over the rocks, but it can also be served in a chuhai, which is shochu mixed with citrus juice. Another difference between shochu and sake is that shochu has a bit more alcohol content, usually around 25%. Shochu is hard to find in the U.S., but it is very popular in Japan.

Soju is the Korean traditional liquor, and it is traditionally made from rice; although, recently other starches, like potatoes, have been used to make it. To me, soju is very similar to shochu. The major difference is that one is from Japan and one is from Korea. Soju was introduced to Korea during the Mongol War around 1300 A.D. It is derived from a Mongol liquor called arak. (In turn, the Mongols had learned from the Persians how to make arak.)

So, if you are ever in Japan or Korea and you want to sample the local liquor try shochu or soju. You won't find anything like them in the west, and they are quite enjoyable.

Week 7 - A Change of Pace, Baijiu

I have gotten a little behind in posting, so here comes the excuses, or actually, one big excuse. I was in China, South Korea, and Japan. That means I was not making cocktails. I did not drink too many cocktails either, but I did try some local alcoholic beverages, so the next couple postings will be about some liquors specific to Asia.

Let's start with China. I was in Shanghai, a bustling city with many people trying to make lots of money. Many foreign companies are investing large amounts of money in Shanghai right now, but I am not sure how many of them are actually making money. In the words of our host, "In China, the government has lots of money, but the people have little." That said, there are many new cars on the road - mainly Volkswagen, BMW, Lexus, and Buick. (Which one of those seems out of place?)

Our hosts were eager to have me sample some Chinese "wine." As they planned our dinner for the evening, they asked me several times if I liked to drink wine, and if I had ever tried Chinese wine. I do like wine, but I had never had Chinese wine before. I did not even know they grew grapes there.

At dinner, they selected a wine and it was brought out to the table in a bottle inside a box. The bottle was square and clear, and it contained a clear liquid that looked more like gin or vodka than wine. It was baijiu, and it turns out that the translation for wine in Chinese is actually just liquor. Baijiu is not made from grapes. It is distilled from sorghum. You probably already know this, but sorghum tastes very different than grapes. Likewise, baijiu tastes much different than western wines. The best description of baijiu I can come up with is it tastes like lighter fluid that has had a piece of rancid bacon soaked in it. In other words, not pleasant.

Luckily, the baijiu was served in tiny, thimble-sized cups so I could toss it down with very little of it actually touching my taste buds. Our hosts seemed a little amazed that I would drink baijiu with them. Apparently, even Chinese people do not like the taste of baijiu. They only drink it for the intoxicating effect.

Another piece of luck is that the food in Shanghai is excellent, so occasionally tossing down a thimble of vile fluid was only a small distraction from enjoying a wonderful meal with lots of fresh seafood.

Week 6 - Sidecar

The Sidecar was best known to me as the favorite cocktail of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Oddly enough, the Wikipedia article on the Sidecar does not mention her, but it does mention the drinks appearance in The Princess Diaries, Auntie Mame, and Bonfire of the Vanities. Maybe my memory is a bit off on that one.

The origin of the Sidecar is not clear, but it seems to have first showed up in England or France around the time of World War I. What also is not clear, is exactly how to make a Sidecar. The ingredients are pretty consistent across recipes: brandy or cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. However, the ratio of these ingredients ranges from 4 parts brandy to 1 part Cointreau and 1 part lemon juice all the way to equal portions of each.

We went to the milder end of this range and used equal parts of brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice. And once again, we ended up with a great drink. Slightly sweet, from the Cointreau and very sour, from the lemon juice with strong undertones of brandy flavor. It hits you with tartness and then the other flavors develop on your tongue. Another keeper, and I don't think we will even try the other ratios. This one is perfect.

A theme seems to be developing here. Good cocktails have a depth and complexity of flavors. The taste you get when they first hit your tongue is usually something sharp, to get your attention, and then it melts away and the other flavors develop over a few seconds. You ponder those flavors, and then try it again to see if you perceive the same sensations the second time. It is not what I expected when we started this experiment, but it makes sense and helps to show why people like cocktails.

What is next?

If anyone ever reads this blog - hey, maybe you are the first! - you are welcome to leave suggestions about drinks to try or to drop tidbits about drinks we have already tried. We do not know where we are headed, so you can help steer this train.

Week 5 - Harvey Wallbanger

I never knew anything about the Harvey Wallbanger except that it has a funny name. According to the linked Wikipedia article, one legend about the name is that came from a California surfer dude, named Tom Harvey, who liked to drink the special screwdrivers at Donato "Duke" Antone's Blackwatch bar. The screwdrivers were made special with the addition of Galliano liquer. After having too many drinks Mr. Harvey would get tipsy and bang into the walls as he tried to walk. Ha, ha.

Back to The Bartender's Bible for the recipe.

• 1.5 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz Galliano
• 4 oz orange juice

In a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes, combine the vodka and orange juice. Stir well. Float the Galliano on top.

This drink scared me as I was making it. Galliano is an Italian herbal liquer. It has a strong anise aroma, and I do not care for anise. I was prepared not to like this drink at all. So, what a surprise when I first tasted it. The Galliano fades into the background and adds complex undertones of herbal flavors. It truly is a special screwdriver with much more depth than just vodka and orange juice.

Another keeper. I am going to have to get a bigger bar if this keeps up.

Week 4 - Singapore Sling

What is with all these hot weather drinks in the middle of winter? Well, we are not being very systematic about the order of drinks. Whatever strikes our fancy is what we have. Besides, it never gets very cold here, so we can have a cool, refreshing drink whenever we want.

We selected the Singapore Sling this week because we were cooking Singaporean Black Pepper Crab from James Oseland's Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. It also includes a recipe for a Singapore Sling. We can highly recommend both the crab and the sling, especially in combination. The fruity coolness of the Singapore Sling perfectly balances the spiciness of the crab. The book is full stories about Southeast Asia, its food traditions, and recipes. Based on how good these two recipes worked out, we cannot wait to try more.

Unfortunately, I do not have the book here right now, so I cannot give you the exact recipe. The closest I can find is the original recipe from the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Apparently, there are many different recipes for Singapore Slings with large differences in ingredients. There is one type of sling made in the Raffles Hotel and other types in Singapore at large.

It is a very fruity drink, dominated by the pineapple juice. Again, it will be nice on a hot summer day; although, I might not be as quick to make this as a gimlet given how much simpler the gimlet is.

Week 3 - Manhattan

We try another classic this week, the Manhattan. The Manhattan was supposedly created for Lady Jenny Churchill, the mother of Sir Winston. It was created at the Manhattan Club in New York.

The recipe is again from The Bartender's Bible.

• 2 oz blended whiskey
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 3 dashes bitters
• 1 maraschino cherry

In a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes, combine the whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.

Use a good whiskey for this drink because it will dominate the taste. This version of the Manhattan is not as sweet as others I have had, but I think that is what I like about it. Not a bad drink, but not one of my all-time favorites.

By coincidence, we went to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth this week for a preview screening of HBO's documentary, The Gates,which documents Christo and Jeanne-Paul's 2005 public art installation in Central Park. HBO held a Manhattan-themed reception beforehand with various New York City foods, including Manhattans. They made the sweeter variety, which were not bad, but not as good as the straighter version from The Bartender's Bible.

Week 2 - Gimlet

The Gimlet is another venerable cocktail. Originally developed by the British in the Far East, it combines gin and lime - very British! Was it yet another way to consume citrus and avoid rickets, or is that just an excuse? I do not know, but either way it is a tart, refreshing drink.

Again, our recipe is from The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan.

• 2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz Rose's Lime Juice
• 1 lime wedge

Pour the gin and lime juice into a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lime wedge.

Rose's Lime Juice has been around since 1867, when it was developed by Lauchlin Rose of Scotland. That is the same year the Merchant Shipping Act required all British ships to provide sailors with a daily ration of limes to prevent scurvy. The Act contributed to the success of Rose's Lime Juice no doubt. Today Rose's is produced Mott's.

We varied the recipe slightly. Instead of stirring the gin and lime juice together, we put them in a shaker. Instead of a lime wedge, we used a lime twist.

The end result is a simple, but sophisticated drink. Rose's has sugar added to it, which gives it a more powerful flavor, so the 4 to 1 ratio with the gin still leaves you with a lot of lime flavor. But there is not so much juice that it interferes with the characteristic crispness of the gin. A nice drink, and one that I think will be a favorite when summer hits. (That will be in just a few weeks here in Texas!)

Week 1 - Old Fashioned

We are going to be trying a different drink each week for the next year. I do not know yet what the 52 drinks will be, but what better drink to start with than the original cocktail, The Old Fashioned. At least, I think that it is the original cocktail. Wikipedia says it may be the first drink ever to be called a cocktail, so I am going with that.

It is a pretty simple drink. The recipe we used is from The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan. Gary says the original Old Fashioned was developed at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. According to legend, a retired Civil War general did not like the flavor of whiskey, but did like its effect. The bartender came up with the Old Fashioned to satisfy his need.

Recipe:

• 3 dashes bitters
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 sugar cube
• 3 oz blended whiskey
• 1 orange slice
• 1 maraschino cherry

In an old fashioned glass, muddle the bitters and water into the sugar cube, using the back of a teaspoon. Almost fill the glass with ice cubes and add the whiskey. Garnish with the orange slice and the cherry. Serve with a swizzle stick.

We used Angostura aromatic bitters and Gentleman Jack whiskey. OK, since this recipe originated in Kentucky, we probably should have used a good Kentucky bourbon, but none was on hand. I guess it was a poorly planned start to this venture.

How was it? It tasted like slightly-mellowed whiskey. Adding the sugar and water takes some of the burn out of the whiskey, but still leaves the undertones of oak and grain. If the burn was what the legendary general was objecting to, I think this cocktail does a good job of removing it but still leaving the essential character of the whiskey.

This is a solid cocktail that will never be confused with a girlie drink. It is pretty simple, so you should be able to order one just about anywhere.