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Archive for the ‘Cocktails & Recipes’ Category

Cocktail Hour: The Honey Spiked Mammy

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 12, 2016

When I recently received a bottle of John Hall’s Forty Creek Spike (Honey Spiced) Whisky, I wanted to showcase the ‘honey spiced’ flavour in a nice cocktail which could be embraced by a wide range of persons. For that purpose, I decided that a tall refreshing bar drink was the proper course of action. It turned out that I had already created such a bar drink about two years ago, the Spiced Mammy. A few tweaks to that recipe to adapt it for the honey flavour in this spiced whisky was all that was required.

My Spiced Mammy is very loosely based upon the well-known Mamie Taylor Cocktail which is a bar drink designed for blended scotch whisky. Tthe ginger-ale in the recipe certainly finds a good home next to our national whisky as well. Rather than using lime juice as we would in a Mamie Taylor, I am using lemon juice which pairs naturally with honey. The sharp lemon flavours are just the right foil for the heightened sweetness of the ‘honey spiced’ whisky created by John Hall. I also added touch of lime zest for colour (and as a compliment to the lemon flavour).

Please enjoy.

Spiced MammyThe Honey Spiked Mammy

2 oz  Forty Creek Spike
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
dash or two of Sugar Syrup
1/2 cup cracked ice
Ginger Ale
Thin Strips of Lime

Remove thin strips of lime peel from a fresh lime
Fill a tall highball glass half full of chipped ice
Add the lemon juice and the Forty Creek Spike Whisky
Top with ginger ale
Add a few threads of lime peel and stir gently.

Remember, my aim is not to help you drink more…it is to help you drink better!

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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Cocktail Hour: The Ruffled Pelican

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 9, 2016

This cocktail was inspired by one of my favourite gin drinks, the Darby. The Darby is a wonderful cocktail which mixes grapefruit and lime with dry gin. It is easy to mix, and it is sure to please even the most discriminating of palates.

Grapefruit and lime mix as easily with agave as they do with juniper, and so for this variation of the Darby I simply replaced the gin with a very nice Reposado Tequila from Dulce Vida. The result is very similar to the well-known Paloma albeit with much less soda.

Ruffled PelicanI call this cocktail, the Ruffled Pelican.

Ruffled Pelican

1 1/2 oz Dulce Vida Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1/2 oz Sugar Syrup
Splash Soda

Pour the first three ingredients into a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the sides of the shaker are frosted
Strain into a suitable glass
Add a small splash of soda
Garnish with a slice of lime
Enjoy!

Remember to enjoy my cocktail suggestions responsibly!

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

Note: My posting for the Dulce Vida Reposado Tequila review will publish tomorrow!

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Cocktail Hour: The Winter Cocktail

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 6, 2016

Well aged rums (and whiskies) can and should be sipped neat or on the rocks with ice. Having said that, there is no reason not to enjoy such spirits in wonderful cocktails as well. Aged spirits add a wonderful depth of character to our cocktail experience which cannot be denied. For best results, always use fresh ingredients and when mixing different spirits do your best to select spirits of similar quality.

Here is a yummy Winter Cocktail I constructed with the Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum in mind.

Winter CocktailWinter Cocktail

1 3/4 oz Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum
1/8 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao
1/8 oz Lime Juice
1/16 oz of sugar syrup (1:1 ratio)
3 drops of Bitters (Fees Cocktail Bitters)
ice
coil of orange peel

Fill a metal shaker 1/3 full of ice
Add all of the ingredients into the cocktail shaker
Shake and strain into a small rocks glass
Add a lump of ice and a coil of orange peel

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 the new non age stated (NAS) Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum will publish in just a few short days.)

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Cocktail Hour: The Ruby Manhattan

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 2, 2016

Everybody who regularly follows my reviews knows that I love to make cocktails. I am by no means a proficient at this craft, but I keep trying nonetheless. Recently, when I was tasting John Hall’s new Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony, I seemed to find light flavours of red licorice and hints of fermented red wine in the flavour profile of the whisky which made me think that a Manhattan Cocktail might be a suitable cocktail choice for this spirit.

One of the ingredients for the Manhattan, Sweet Vermouth, is tricky for the home bartender as it tend to become rather nasty soon after the bottle has been opened. For this reason I like to switch out the Vermouth and instead use Ruby Port which has a longer shelf life, and which I also can enjoy on its own. With the substitution the Classic Manhattan becomes an equally wonderful bar drink called the Ruby Manhattan. It is simple to make and with John Hall’s new Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony, it is downright tasty!

Winter ManhattanRuby Manhattan

2 oz Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony
3/4 oz Offley Ruby Port Wine
Dash of Angostura Bitters (optional)
3 Large Ice cubes
Brandied Cherry (See recipe here)
Twist of Orange Peel

Add the whisky, the Port Wine, and the optional bitters with 3 large ice cubes in a Martini Shaker.
Shake vigorously to chill the mixture.
Add a brandied cherry to your chilled glass.
Strain the mixed ingredients over the cherry but do not add the ice.
Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink. (This will release the oil from the orange zest into the drink) Discard the peel.

Garnish with orange peel if preferred.

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 Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony will be published tomorrow.

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Autumn Margarita

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 13, 2015

dulce vida autumn margarita SAM_1712A few days ago, I made the point that as the weather turns cooler, my preferences with respect to the style of cocktail which I enjoy begins to change. When the evenings turn chill, I often want a stronger more intense cocktail than the typical tall deck drink offers. Making such a bar drink with an aged spirit rather than a young clear spirit also offers a cocktail with more depth and character.

Here is my Autumn Margarita made with those cool evenings in mind.

Autumn Margarita

2 oz Añejo Tequila (Dulce Vida Organic)
3/4 oz Orange Curacao
1/2 oz fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz sugar syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Lime Slice

Add the first five ingredients into a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the sides of the shaker frost
Strain into a cocktail glass
Add a Lime Slice for garnish

Enjoy!

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

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