Archive for the ‘The Uninspired Mixologist’ Category

The Amsterdam and the Lady Killer

Sunday, February 4th, 2007

These two drinks were somewhat similar. Our tastebuds voted the Lady Killer our favorite between the two, once again proving that any drink with the word “Lady” in it is going to be deeeeelicious!!!

The Amsterdam consists of gin, Cointreau, and Mandarin orange juice (I used fresh, of course). Just shake-it and pour without straining. (This is much like my visit to Amersterdam – shake it without restraint.) Then garnish with some Mandarin orange slices.

The Lady Killer is composed of gin, Cointreau, apricot brandy, passion fruit juice and pineapple juice. It is shaken and strained into a tumbler with ice. My first round of these, I forgot the Cointreau. Still delicious. Hubby was making crazed slurping sounds with his straw trying to get every last drop. I made another round and remembered the Cointreau this time. It tasted maybe a little better, but not much different. Hubby felt it was more balanced. Again he slurped very loudly, so I made another round. This time, I accidentally added twice the amount of gin. We didn’t care, we slurped. The next round was made by hubby. I don’t remember how it tasted, though I can guess it was good. Needless to say, the Lady Killer can produce a killer headache! But that is the risk I accepted when I embarked on this bold mixology experiment.

Mixology ReCap

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

So…I’ve neglected writing about my mixology experiments. I was distracted a bit by the booze of the Holidays (Bailey’s and Hot Cocoa, Champagne, Port) and Beer (Hair of the Dog annual dock sale), but I did mix a few drinks. Here is a recap:

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Tod’s Cooler Sets a Track Record at Uninspired Lounge

Saturday, November 18th, 2006

Tod’s Cooler: 2 oz gin, 2/3 oz creme de cassis, 2/3 oz lemon juice, 4 oz soda water poured over ice in a tall glass.

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She’s no lady, she’s my drink!

Saturday, November 18th, 2006

The White Lady: Perhaps it is the White Lady who is referred to in this local jokelore: “As I was told by a guide during a midnight ghost tour of old Bamberg, a visitor approached a lady and asked if there were ghosts in the city; she replied, ‘I’ve lived here 500 years and never seen one.’”

If you want to meet this lady shake 1/2 measure lemon juice, 1/2 measure Cointreau, 1 measure gin with ice. Decant into a cocktail glass.

Diagnosis: The drink is as beautiful and mystifying as the lady herself.

The Perfect Lady: The perfect lady is a measure of gin, 1/2 measure of peach brandy, and 1/2 measure of lemon juice shaken with ice then decanted into a cocktail glass. (Add egg white to the mix if you want the more traditional foaminess.)

Why is this lady perfect, you ask? Well, she is elegant, not too young and not too old – as there is still a blush in her cheeks. She appears refined but once you get to know her you’ll find that she has quite a kick!

Diagnosis: Basically, if a cocktail has the word ‘lady’ in it – it will be delicious. The White Lady was favoured over The Perfect Lady by Hubby, but he wouldn’t turn the Perfect Lady away (obviously, as he is married to me! Ha!)

Gin Cobbler – Sounds a little fishy to me.

Saturday, November 18th, 2006

The Gin Cobbler is basically superfine sugar, gin and soda water over ice, garnished lavishly with fruit. I didn’t really understand why the word ‘cobbler’ was used, but definition 3 for cobbler at dictionary.com is “an iced drink made of wine or liquor, fruits, sugar, etc.”

Diagnosis: refreshing. A little boring after all the drinks I’ve made so far.

Note: Did you notice definition 5 of “cobbler?” It is “mummichog.” I looked up mummichog and it is apparently some sort of brackish water fish. Now that is an interesting sounding drink – The Gin Mummichog. Once I’ve learned how to mix all these drinks and start making up my own, I think I’ll give this one a try.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for … gin?!?!?

Saturday, November 18th, 2006

The Lemon Gin Fizz

Want gin for dessert? Then this is the drink for you!

The night before, drop a raspberry and a small edible flower (like pansies – you can buy these in the produce section at Whole Foods) in an ice tray. Fill the tray with water. Freeze. Put a scoop of high quality lemon sorbet in a goblet, drop a couple of the cubes in, pour a couple measures gin over the top, and top off with a little soda water. Diagnosis: Delicious! Hubby’s gin lips were frozen in a delighted grin.

“It’s the new small talk. You do it so awfully well.” – My Fair Lady

Tuesday, November 7th, 2006

My Fair Lady is a cocktail that, according to gin lore, was created by Joe Gilmore, the Head Barman of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, to mark Julie Andrews’ first night in the musical ‘My Fair Lady.’

My Fair Lady is also my most favorite musical of all time!

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Turn Cocktail Hour into Family Time – The Horse’s Neck

Friday, November 3rd, 2006

The Horse’s Neck is another basic cocktail that can be mixed with a number of spirits. It combines lemon, gin, and ginger ale. The fanciest thing about it is the garnish, which is the peel of a single lemon all in one strip, hanging down the inside of the glass with a bit of lemon arched over the rim in a shape reminiscent of a horse’s neck. Since this classic high-ball style drink is pretty tasty and straight-forward, I thought I’d wander a bit off-topic and talk about how to make Cocktail Hour into family time.

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The Gimlet and the Bitter Gimlet

Saturday, October 28th, 2006

There isn’t much I can say about the Gimlet that hasn’t already been said by Joshua E. London at this Amazon.com page.

Since the gimlet was supposedly invented by the British Royal Navy you may want to work on your jack slang for the next time you drink a gimlet with your mates. I worked up this statement which requires two people other than myself to be present at cocktail hour:

“Hey oppo. Keep this oxygen thief from going gulpers on my Gimlet while I go for a swamp!”

How to get grenadine out of your sushi pajamas – the Clover Club

Friday, October 27th, 2006

Tonight is the night of a much anticipated cocktail – The Clover Club.

This is the most complicated drink with the most exotic ingredients I’ve made so far.
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