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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktail’

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Cocktail Exploration: Maggie May

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 9, 2022

A lot of my friends still turn their noses up when I suggest we indulge in Tequila instead of Rum or Whisky. The problem for them is that the taste of strong tequila is just a little too wild for their Canadian palate. I came up with Maggie May as a sort of a compromise indulgence to keep my friends (as well as me) happy when I bring a bottle of the agave spirit.

Maggie May is of course a reference to the classic 1971 rock ballad written and sung by Rod Stewart. Just as his song is a softer take on Rock and Roll, my cocktail is constructed to be a softer take on the classic Margarita Cocktail.

Maggie May

3/4 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Reposado Tequila
3/4 oz Triple Sec
3/4 oz fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Lime Slice for garnish

Chill a cocktail glass
Place the Vodka, Tequila, Lime Juice, Triple Sec, and Sugar Syrup into a metal shaker
Shake until the outside of the shaker frosts
Strain into the chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a slice of Lime
Please 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!

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Cocktail Hour: Alpine Meadows

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 10, 2021

Alpine Meadow in its earliest form (yeah I know … terrible photo)

My Alpine Meadows cocktail had its beginnings back in January 2010 when I introduced the serving as a suggested cocktail for the Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt Whisky. This was early days for my website, and at that time I was just dipping my toes in the cocktail world.

The genesis of thought for the serving, is that I felt the floral notes within the Glenfiddich whisky and its firm oak character could be paired with the piny flavour of gin. It was just a thought, albeit perhaps a thought that ran contrary to the more common view that one should leave fifteen year old Single Malt whiskies alone as they are just fine the way they are.

I knew that a bridge needed to be built to encourage the coupling of the piny gin and the floral oaky single malt scotch, and so I added an orange liqueur and was pleased enough with the result to publish the serving within the body of that whisky review.

I have returned to that serving several times as a suggested serving for other whisky spirits as I have discovered that it’s construction is suitable for a wide range of Single Malt and Canadian Whiskies.

Today I am going to give everyone an improved construction based on a few tweaks which I believe improves the libation. The first tweak is the addition of bitters, Bittermen’s Boston Bittahs to be exact. These particular bitters have a firm citrus backbone which is paired heavy dose of chamomile. This adds a light floral punch to the cocktail. I am also adding a garnish, specifically orange zest which compliments not only the whisky, but also the gin and the citrus forward bitters in the serving.

This time around I am using a young Canadian Single Malt Whisky, Macaloney Caledonian Invermallie – Portuguese Re-charred Red Wine Barrique (that’s a mouthful isn’t it) paired with Burwood Dry Gin which is made in Calgary.  Hopefully many of you will find the improved version of my cocktail as enjoyable as I do.

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Alpine Meadows

1 1/4 oz  Macaloney Caledonian Invermallie (Port Red Wine Barrique)
2/3 oz  Burwood Gin
1/3 oz Bols Triple Sec (sub any quality triple distilled orange liqueur)
dash Bittermen’s Boston Bittahs
ice
Citrus Zest

Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with citrus zest

Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: 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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Black Destroyer

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 26, 2020

Here is a cocktail I put together as an homage to Canadian-American writer A. E. Van Vogt, who was one of my favourite science fiction writers as I was growing up. His short story Black Destroyer (July 1939, Astounding Science Fiction)  is credited by Isaac Asimov as being the seminal story which ushered in the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

My Black Destroyer is a delicious drink which pairs Cask Strength Rye Whisky with Pot Still Jamaican Rum, and an Agave based orange liqueur. It packs a powerful wallop so I recommend limiting yourself to one serving per evening.

1 1/2 oz Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye Whisky
1/2 oz Rum Nation Jamaica Pot Still 7 Year Old Rum
1/2 oz Patrón Citrónge (Agave based Orange Liqueur)
1/3 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/3 oz Lime Juice
a few dashes of Angostura Cocktail Bitters
1/3 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
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 Lime

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

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

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Lion’s Tail​

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 12, 2020

I thought it might be nice to share a few cocktail recipe’s that I have run across during the past year. This one was sent to me by the Suntory/Beam North American Media Team as a suggested serving for their Knob Creek Bourbon. It’s called the Lion’s Tail, and it was sent to me as a Fourth of July Celebratory Serving. Personally, I think it works much better (especially with the lovely flavour of Allspice Dram liqueur running through) as a festive Christmas cocktail.

Let me know what you think!

Lion’s Tail​

2 ​oz Knob Creek Bourbon
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Allspice Dram Liqueur
1 ​dash Angostura Bitters
1 ​tsp Cane Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker
Stir until chilled
Strain into a chilled rocks glass
Garnish with a lime twist.

Enjoy Responsibly!

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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By the way, if you are interested in my previously published review for Knob Creek Bourbon, here is a link to that review:

Review: Knob Creek Bourbon

“… The initial aroma is deep and rich with smells of freshly hewn oak timbers dripping with sap. I also sense loads of honeycomb, barbequed corn on the cob, baking spices (vanilla and cinnamon), brown sugar, and fresh maple toffee …”

Chimo!

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St. Paddy’s Cucumber-lime Spritzer

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 17, 2020

Today is the day of St. Patrick, and in many places throughout the world, this is a day to revel in the Irish heritage which we either share by birth, or (on St. Patrick’s Day at least) we share by spirit. We wear green; we attend parades; and some of us even drink green beer in what has become more of a secular holiday which celebrates Irish culture, than a religious holiday which celebrates the Patron Saint after which the day was first named.

And celebrating Irish culture is not a bad thing; it was after all the Irish who first distilled “uisce beatha“, which translates into English as “the water of life“. I could go into a long and detailed etymology,  but suffice it to say that “uisce beatha” is probably very close to the original form of the word which would later become “whiskey”.

Of course whiskey and beer are not necessarily the only libations one can savour on the Day of St. Pat’s, any well made serving enjoyed in moderation and in the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day will do.

So, in the spirit of St. Paddy’s, I thought I would share a recipe given to me by the folks at Smirnoff who also sent me a bottle of their new Smirnoff Cucumber-Lime Zero Sugar Infusions several months ago.

Let me introduce the St. Paddy’s Cucumber Lime Spritzer:

St. Paddy’s Cucumber-lime Spritzer

2 oz. Smirnoff Cucumber-Lime Zero Sugar Infusions
1 oz. Cucumber Puree
1 oz. Brewed Green Tea
1 oz. Bottled Sparkling Water
1 Lime Wheel
1 Cucumber Wheel

In a mixing glass combine the Smirnoff Cucumber-Lime Zero Sugar Infusion with the other ingredients
Add ice to an empty serving glass
Pour the mixed ingredients into the serving glass over ice
Garnish with fresh lime and cucumber

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

Chimo!

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