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Archive for the ‘Cocktails & Recipes’ Category

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Captain’s Spiced Hurricane & a Review of the Captain’s 100 Proof

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 14, 2016

The Hurricane is a tiki-style cocktail popularized in the 1940s by New Orleans tavern owner Pat O’Brien. Apparently O’Brien had an overabundance of rum which local alcohol distributors had foisted upon him, and he needed to find a way to sell more of it to make room for other spirits including a few cases of higher priced Scotch and Whiskey. The libation he came up with mixed different styles of rum with passionfruit and citrus juice, and over time it became a local sensation. The drink is still popular in New Orleans where it is served in a Hurricane-style glass which is apparently how the cocktail got its name.

HurricaneRecently, Captain Morgan has been expanding their rum line-up beyond the spiced category, and into the flavoured and white rum categories. To promote the new spirits they send bloggers like me recipes and samples. I decided it was a good time to review more of the Captain’s line-up, and when they sent me their take on the Hurricane, I thought the recipe was interesting and worth sharing too.

Here is Captain Morgan’s take on the classic Hurricane.

Captain’s Spiced Hurricane

3/4 oz. Captain Morgan 100 Proof Spiced Rum
3/4 oz. Captain Morgan White Rum
2 oz. Passion Fruit Juice
1 oz. Orange Juice
1 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Sugar Syrup
1/4 oz Grenadine
Ice
Orange slice and cherry for garnish

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 cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

And for those interested, my original review (published in 2011) for Captain Morgan’s 100 Proof Spiced Rum can be found here:

Captain Morgan 100 Proof Spiced Rum

” … This rum is smoother than its lower proof sibling even though it carries more of an alcoholic punch. The flavours which I associate with good rum like oak spices which meld into a nice rummy caramel are more apparent in the stronger version of the rum …”

Note: My review for the new Captain Morgan’s White Rum will publish tomorrow.

Chimo!

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Cocktail Hour: Gin and Tonic #2

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 11, 2016

Gin and Tonic (G&T) has arrived to us all the way from India in the nineteenth century. This was when the British Army supporting the British East India Company was in control of large parts of the sub-continent. At that time quinine was used to treat stomach ailments and tropical diseases such as malaria which were a constant nuisance (and even real medical threat) to the British soldiers stationed there. Quinine is quite bitter, so the medical personnel began to add sugar, lime and finally gin to the medicine in order to make it taste better. (The addition of gin was not surprising as British soldiers in India were given a ration of gin each day to improve morale much like the members of the Royal British Navy who were given their daily tot of rum.) Amazingly, the strange concoction caught on and over a short time evolved into one of the most quintessential summertime libations, the Gin and Tonic.

A standard Gin and Tonic is a tall serving which mixes 1 part of gin with 3 parts of tonic water and is typically served with a lime garnish. It is extremely refreshing and very easy for the home bartender to mix.

Gin and Tonic #2 SAM_2468Many variations on the theme exist, and my favourite is a recipe I stumbled into when I held my Gin and Tonic Challenge in the summer of 2014. In the lead up to my competition, I experimented with various Gin and Tonic recipes and ratios in an effort to determine which construction suited my palate and allowed the gin to shine. The recipe I settled upon uses real lime juice and a cucumber garnish mixing the gin with much less tonic water than the standard serving. This shorter serving remains my favourite G&T construction.

I call it simply, Gin and Tonic #2.

Gin and Tonic #2

1 3/4 oz Dry Gin (Empire Gin is a great choice)
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup
Ice
2 oz Q-Tonic
Cucumber Chunks

Add the first three ingredients into a rocks glass
Stir and add ice
Fill with Q-Tonic
Garnish with cucumber

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!

I should point out that I normally use an extremely dry Tonic Water, Q-Tonic. I like this dry tonic much better than many of the sweeter alternatives, because I like to control the sweetness of the serving, and it is much easier to begin with a very good dry tonic and add sugar syrup to suit my taste, than it is to begin with a tonic water which may be overly sweet already. If you are happier with a different Tonic Water, you will probably have to use much less (if any) sugar syrup.

Note: My review for Empire Gin will publish tomorrow.

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Cocktail Hour: Cucumber Cooler

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 8, 2016

Spring continues to struggle its way forward, and my anticipation for the warmer weather is completely whetted. And when the weather finally turns completely I plan to enjoy myself on my back deck on the weekends with my Rum Chums as we have grill burgers and dogs and combine those good times with a few cocktails and bar drinks. Those who are long time followers of my spirits reviews know that during the lazy days of spring and summer, I am most likely to be to enjoying servings of the long tall variety.

Cucumber Mint Cooler SAM_2485Here is one such tall serving which, if you happen to have a penchant for gin, is just perfect for those back deck barbecues, the Cucumber Cooler.

Cucumber Cooler

2 oz De Kuyper Genièvre
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
3 slices Cucumber
4 Mint Leaves
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1)
Ice
Sparkling Water

Add the Mint, Cucumber, and Lime into a Mixing Glass
Add the Genièvre and muddle until the cucumber is thoroughly crushed
Double strain into a large glass filled with ice
Complete with Sparkling Water

Please 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!

Note: my review for De Kuyper Genièvre will publish tomorrow!

Chimo!

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Cocktail Hour: Whoa Nellie!

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 30, 2016

I stumbled upon this recipe when I was looking for a nice rye-based cocktail I could add to my repertoire. Two things attracted me to the libation which caused me to give it a long look. The first was the combination of rye whiskey and dark rum which is an unusual combination to say the least. The second was the relative simplicity of the serving. So many of the modern cocktails require exotic liqueurs and syrups which, either are not available to the home bartender, or require too much effort to find (or make) for the sake of a single cocktail. This modern creation however uses a mix of ingredients (Rye Whiskey, Dark Rum, Orange liqueur, Lemon Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Bitters and Sugar Syrup) which are all easy for me to work with.

Whoa Nellie SAM_2399

The bar drink was apparently put together by Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin (In the Land of Cocktails) with the assistance of Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail) when they were gathered at Lally’s House to celebrate the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina. The name is an homage to Lally’s and Ti Adelaide’s grandmother, Nellie Valentine.

Whoa Nellie!

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Sonoma County Rye)
1/2 oz Dark Rum (Coruba Dark Jamaican Rum)
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Cointreau)
1/3 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/3 oz Lemon Juice
a few dashes of Bitters (Fees Cocktail Bitters)
1/3 oz Sugar Syrup
Ice
Grapefruit Twist

Add the ingredients into a metal shaker with plenty of ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with a twist of Grapefruit

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

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

Note: My review for Coruba Dark Jamaican Rum will publish tomorrow, and my review for Sonoma County Rye will publish two days after that.

Chimo!

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Cocktail Hour: The Apple Blossom

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 26, 2016

The Apple Blossom is another recipe found in W.J. Tarling’s, 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. (This cocktail is attributed to R.G. Buckby.) As originally published the serving calls for 2/3 Dry Gin, 1/3 Orange Juice and a dash of Calvados (Apple Brandy), to add a little character.

Apple Blossom SAM_2448My opinion is that the cocktail is perhaps a touch too dry for my liking, and the dash of Calvados which is supposed to provide a flavour accent is easily be lost especially with a flavourful gin. When I experimented with the libation, I found that the addition of sweetener in the form of a small amount of both Grand Marnier dash of sugar syrup improved the flavour considerable. I also added a touch more Apple Brandy such that its flavour could more forcefully play with my selected gin (Eau Claire Parlour Gin).

Apple Blossom

2 oz Eau Claire Parlour Gin
1 oz Orange Juice
3/8 oz Calvados (Apple Brandy)
1/4 oz Grand Marnier
1/4 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Orange Twist

Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Double strain into a cocktail glass
Twist on orange peel over the top to release some zest

Please 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!

Note: My review for Parlour Gin will publish the day after Easter Sunday.

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