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Archive for the ‘Cocktails & Recipes’ Category

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Cocktail Hour: Caribbean Queen (with El Dorado 3 Year Old Rum)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 4, 2018

When I began to explore mixed drink servings, my wife purchased a large cocktail book, 1001 Cocktails (Alex Barker compiler) for me to draw inspiration from. I poured over the recipes seeing which ones I might like, and more importantly, which of those that I could also make at home with my small collection of ingredients. When I was studying the gin recipes Alex provided, I noticed he had several recipes for ‘Lady’ cocktails:  The Lady, The Green Lady, The Fair Lady … you get the idea. His recipe for The White Lady caught my eye. It was a simple recipe mixing Gin with Lemon Juice and Triple Sec. I mixed one, decided it was too tart, so I added enough sugar syrup to suit my taste, and named my tweaked creation Lady of the Empire. It was my first ‘Lady’ Cocktail.

Recently, I began to experiment with white rum (El Dorado 3 Year Old) instead of gin in the serving. The substitution works; but I decided to go even further adding both lemon and lime juice as well as a dash of grapefruit bitters to put it over the top.

I call my new serving, the Caribbean Queen inspired of course by the Billy Ocean tune on m 80s playlist.

Caribbean Queen

1 1/2 oz El Dorado Cask Aged 3 Year Old Rum
1/2 oz Bols Triple Sec
3/8 oz Lemon Juice
3/8 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
dash Scrappy’s Grapefruit Bitters
Ice
Lemon Peel

Place the ingredients in a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Add Lemon Peel for Garnish

Enjoy Responsibly!

If you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!
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BTW: Here is a link to my recent review of the El Dorado 3 Year Old White Rum:

Review: El Dorado 3 Year Cask Aged Rum

“… In my mouth the taste is light but sweet. The rum has a pleasant soft texture with light oil-like mouth-feel. There is no bitterness, and the soft butterscotch/caramel flavours remain firm through the palate accented with light minty candy-like flavours ….”

Enjoy both the cocktail and the review, Chimo!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: Caribbean Queen (with El Dorado 3 Year Old Rum)

Cocktail Hour: The Anvil

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 8, 2017

Here is a cocktail inspired by Jim ‘The Anvil” Neidhart who was one half of one the greatest Tag Teams in the history of Professional Wrestling, The Hart Foundation, which consisted of Jim ‘The Anvil” Neidhart who was the muscle and Brett “The Hitman” Hart, who provided the finesse. The Anvil honed his talent while wrestling for the Stampede Wrestling Promotion based in Calgary Alberta Canada.

He now lives in Calgary cheering for his daughter Natalya,who has become a World Champion in her own right performing for the SmackDown brand for World Wrestling Entertainment.

This is a cocktail which represents truly represents Alberta.

The Anvil

2 1/2 oz Alberta Premium 100% Rye Whisky
1/2 tsp Raspberry-Beet(down) Jelly
2 dashes Fees Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
Ice
Coil of Kiwi Peel (Sub Lemon Peel)

Add the first three ingredients to a rocks glass over the ice cubes
Stir until the Raspberry-Beet Jelly is fully dissolved
Add Ice
Garnish with a Kiwi or Lemon Peel peel

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: This recipe was with the help of Dr. Frank Warsh, author of The Flame Broiled Doctor, ().

I should point out that Alberta Premium 100 % Rye Whisky  is the #46 Whisky in my Countdown of the Top 100 Canadian Whiskies of 2017. (#Top100CanadianWhisky)

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Note:

To follow the countdown list on a daily basis, you should follow me on twitter (Rum Howler on Twitter) using the hashtag #Top100CanadianWhisky. Alternatively you can view the  list as it grows by viewing my Reveal Page:

The Rum Howler – Top 100 Canadian Whiskies of 2017

The Reveal Page will be updated at least weekly through September, October and November and then daily in December.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: The Anvil

Happy Halloween

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 31, 2017

Here is a great seasonal recipe from Captain Morgan which uses both their Pumpkin Spiced Rum and their Coconut flavoured Loconut:

Pumpkin Spiced Shotte

1 oz. Captain Morgan Jack-O’Blast
1 oz. Captain Morgan LocoNut
2 oz. Cold Brew
Ice
Whipped Cream, Cinnamon
Carmel Drizzle

Combine Jack-O’Blast, LocoNut and cold brew in a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Pour into 2.5 oz. shot glass rimmed with cinnamon
Top with Whipped Cream and a caramel drizzle.

Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Happy Halloween

Summer Cocktail #5 – The Daiquiri

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 16, 2017

Simple Daiquiri

Today (in the USA) is National Rum Day, and I cannot think of a better way to toast the cane spirit than with the quintessential rum cocktail, the Daiquiri. Like that other quintessential rum cocktail, (the Cuba Libre’), the mixed drink appears to have originated in Cuba and was given its present name shortly after the Spanish-American War ended in 1898.

Let me share a recipe for the most basic form of the cocktail.

A Simple Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz. Light Rum
1/2 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 tsp. Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Slice of Lime for Garnish

Combine the first three ingredients into a metal shaker with ice.
Shake until the metal shaker chills.
Strain into a chilled  glass.
Garnish with the lime slice

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It is probably true that this classic cocktail was being served in Cuba and perhaps elsewhere in the Caribbean (in one form or another) for many years already; but the libation appears to have been given its popular name when an American mining engineer working in Cuba, named Jennings Cox ran out of gin while entertaining his friends. He switched over to the local rum, mixed it over ice with Lemon Juice and Sugar, and named his new-found drink, the Daiquiri. Incidentally, this was also the name of a beach nearby and an iron mine near Santiago de Cuba. (We don’t know whether it was the beach or the iron mine which served as the inspiration for the cocktail’s name.)

The new name for the drink caught on and was apparently brought over to America by US Navel Officer, Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, who enjoyed the libation while serving in Cuba in 1909. When back in America he introduced it to the bar in Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.. The Daiquiri (once introduced to American bartenders) slowly spread across the USA and beyond.

Today (as shown in the recipe above) Lime Juice has supplanted Lemon Juice as the main citrus component, although many variations exist with substitutions (or additions) of other citrus and fruit juices and even flavoured liqueurs.

My own 11 A.M. Daiquiri

Last year (while sampling and reviewing Captain Morgan White Rum), I constructed this variation which I call the 11 A.M. Daiquiri.

11 A.M. Daiquiri

2 1/2 oz Captain Morgan White Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orange Juice
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1)
Ice
Lemon Slice

Add the ingredients into a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Pour into a crushed ice-filled hurricane glass
Garnish with orange and cherry.

Enjoy Responsibly!

If you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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Note: My Review for Captain Morgan White Rum  Can be found here:

Review: Captain Morgan White Rum

“… The initial nose surprised me too as there was an ever so light mustiness rising the from the glass, as well as very apparent aromas of a mild caramel, green banana, peppery zest and light sandalwood spices …”

Enjoy National Rum Day, Chimo!

 

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Summer Cocktail #5 – The Daiquiri

Summer Cocktails #4: The Margarita (Part 2)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 29, 2017

Jerry Thomas 1887 Bartenders Guide

Part 1 of my Margarita Series postulated that the origins of the Margarita Cocktail should be traced to a mixed drink called the Tequila Daisy which is mentioned in 1936 in the Syracuse Herald. I argued the Tequila Daisy was almost certainly based upon an earlier Brandy based libation called the Brandy Daisy (1876, Jerry Thomas, Bartenders Guide (Second Edition)). The Tequila Daisy became to be known in Spanish Communities as the Margarita because the Spanish word for the daisy flower is the Spanish word, Margarita. To bolster my argument I pointed out that in 1953, the first known published recipe for the Margarita (in Esquire Magazine) appears to be a variation of the Jerry Thomas recipe with the French Brandy (and the spot of rum) replaced by Mexican Tequila.

Although the earliest known printed recipe for the Margarita appeared in 1953, there was an earlier known printed reference to the mixed drink which appeared in 1945 ad campaigns run by Jose Cuervo (Source: Anthony Dias Blue, The Complete Book of Spirits). The slogan of the advertisement,

“Margarita: It’s more than a girl’s name.”

implies that by 1945 the bar drink was so popular that at least one major Tequila producer sought to make that particular mixed drink synonymous with their brand.

Today, the Margarita contains the same basic ingredients as found in the early Esquire Magazine recipe:

1 ounce tequila, Dash of Triple Sec, Juice of 1/2 Lime or Lemon
Pour over crushed ice and stir, Serve in a Salt Rimmed Glass

However the present construction appears to have a better balance of flavour between the sour and the sweet:

2 parts Tequila, 1 part Lemon or Lime Juice, 1 part Orange Liqueur
Shake with Ice, Strain and serve in a Salt Rimmed Glass

Interestingly, this construction is almost identical to W.J. Tarling’s 1937 recipe for the Picador (found in W.J. Tarling’s, 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book). It appears that Tarling’s Picador was created independent of the Margarita, although it should be noted though that the Tarling recipe never called for a Salt Rimmed glass which most bartenders consider to be an essential component of the modern cocktail.

Although the Picador vanished (until it was rediscovered by cocktail researchers), its form was adopted by the next generation of bartenders who apparently preferred to serve their patrons a better, more balanced Margarita. Although I would argue that the Tequila Daisy was the true genesis of the modern Margarita, I also tip my hat to W.J. Tarling for giving us the path to its present form. As indicated in Part 1, The Margarita is perhaps the most popular Cocktail in North America (if not the entire World.)

Although most cocktail books favour the use of lime juice for this libation, I sometimes use both lemon and lime when making Margarita Cocktails with Reposado Tequila spirits like Casamigos:

The Margarita

2 oz Casamigos Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Bols Triple Sec
Ice
Lime slice

Add the ingredients to a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a salt rimmed Margarita Glass
Garnish with a slice of Lime
(Note: salt on outside of glass only)

Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: If  you are interested in more cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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has been in the news recently as the brand was recently acquired by Diageo Spirits in a deal which was rumored (italics because the key work is rumored) to be potentially (note again the italics) worth up to $1,000,000,000.00 (yep that Billion is in italics again). I thought the recent acquisition was a good excuse to revisit my reviews for the Casamigos brands.

Here is a link to my revised review for the Casamigos Tequila Reposado Spirit:

Review: Casamigos Reposado Tequila

” … The initial entry is a little soft and buttery with a stronger impression of caramel sweetness than the nose implied. Milk chocolate and a little bit of sea salt seem to ooze from the caramel making this a very interesting tequila to sip …

Chimo!

 

 

 

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Reposado Tequila, Tequila | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Summer Cocktails #4: The Margarita (Part 2)

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