Whiskey Sour

When I get together with my friends at one of their houses we usually end up drinking whiskey sours more than anything else. It is a simple cocktail made with just a few ingredients(two if you cheat). We all like whiskey and whiskey sours are delicious. It is made made with a rye whiskey, simple syrup, and lemon juice. If you are prone to not do all the work you can just use a sour mix, but that is not nearly as good. The whiskey brings an oaky earthy flavor while the lemon freshens it up with some sweetness. Here is a picture of the whiskey sour up(meaning not over ice).

(image found at http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2006/07/18/ig0702_whisky_sour1_lead.jpg)

As you can see this one is served in a martini glass meaning it was ordered up. When not ordered up you will recieve your whiskey sour in a tumbler with ice. Here are the ingredients.


(image found at http://popsop.ru/wp-content/uploads/jack_daniels_presid_preview.jpg)


(image found at http://www.carpetcleaninglondon.net/pub/1267294899_lemon_istock_1.jpg)


(image found at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-IR0_s-zCL9K-w-_EjlYz85aHgQwYl1NvxhRt15kq-Zo3Y5bkImVRWny9MB_Nr2Zrun1k7WAqQB6uIrB0eqkFQxF0Gkoz97x00dToN2tLdvIRamJd-dP-PWgEbt-30r99O1hSHEj8ToF/s400/sugar.jpg)

The recipe for this is quite simple. Equal parts whiskey and sour mix(homemade of course). To make your sour mix you want to take equal parts water and sugar and put them into a pot. Heat this until the sugar is fully dissolved and cool. While it is cooling juice some lemons. Add equal parts lemon juice with the syrup and you have a sour mix. If you like you can also add some lime juice, just make sure you have equal parts of the syrup with your juice blend.
For this I like the Jack Daniel's whiskey because it is not to sweet and while this cocktail has sugar in it, you shouldn't just taste sweetness. This is one of my groups favorite cocktails and is always available to us. Hopefully you will enjoy it as well.
See you next week.

French 75

Lets take a step back. Back in time to the French 75. This cocktail was one of the first I ever tried. I was 21 and at the bar with a friend when someone I do not know comes up and orders a French 75. Seeing that the bartender actually knew what this man was talking about he got his cocktail and left. I could only think that what he ordered looked delicious and I wanted one. So placing my order I was ill prepared for what happened next. This is one of those cocktails that is way more powerful than you think and can easily drink 4 or 5 without knowing how much it is going to affect you. Consider this a warning, it is quite tasty but is secretly powerful. Here is a picture of the cocktail.

(image found at http://www.epicurious.com/images/articlesguides/drinking/cocktails/french75.jpg)

This cocktail is made with sugar, gin, lemon juice, and champagne. What is that you say? Gin and champagne together, travesty!! I know that is what I thought when I first tried it, but it works damn well together. Here are the ingredients.


(image found at http://www.cavahalari.gr/site/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/PLYMOUTH_GIN_49c1fc63ca4b0.jpg)


(image found at http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2008/12/30/entertainment/photos_galleries/G2043_photo11.jpg)


(image found at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/knowhow/glossary/sugar/image.jpg)


(image found at http://www.carpetcleaninglondon.net/pub/1267294899_lemon_istock_1.jpg)

The recipe for this one is quite simple.
2 oz gin
1 tbps sugar
1 tbps lemon juice
champagne(I like a brut for this)
lemon twirl for garnish
Take the gin, sugar, lemon juice, and add them to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until the sugar is fully dissolved and strain into a champagne flute or other cocktail glass. Top with as much champagne as is necessary and gently stir to mix. Garnish with a lemon twirl, serve.
The boldness of the gin, the lightness of the champagne, and the tartness of the lemon make this a sweet and simply wonderful cocktail. I only caution you when drinking this because of how powerful it is without seeming like it. I have fallen prey to that aspect of this cocktail and you will to if you are not careful.
Until next week, be careful

Mojito

With summer on it's way and a few summer cocktail posts, I have decided to post what I consider to be a summer only cocktail, the Mojito.
This cocktail is made from fresh mint leaves, white rum, sugar, and lime juice. The sugar with the lime juice and mint make for a very refreshing cocktail that is best sipped while on the porch with a friend in the middle of summer. Here is a photo of the final cocktail.


(image found at http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2009/01/mojito.jpg)

This cocktail is a little more complicated to make than most, but the work is more than worth it. First the ingredients.


(image found at http://intoxicologist.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/bacardi_white_rum.jpg)


(image found at http://expat21.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/mint-leaves.jpg)


(image found at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/knowhow/glossary/sugar/image.jpg)


(image found at http://www.photographyblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lime.jpg)

Here is the recipe:
1 teaspoon sugar(powered is better for this)
1 small lime
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
2oz white rum
2 ounces club soda
First you take the sugar mint and lime juice and drop them in the bottom of your glass. Drop the lime wedges you juiced in there as well. Then you want to take a muddler and muddle these together gently until they are mixed and the sugar is dissolved. Add crushed ice then the rum and top off with club soda.

This cocktail is quite refreshing and light because of the mint in tandem with the lime. It is a pretty sweet cocktail from the rum and the sugar, but when you add all these things together, well you would be hard pressed to make another cocktail that embodies everything that is summer. Sweet, fresh, and tangy it is one of the most well known and loved cocktails of all time.
That is all for this week, hope you all have fun until next time.

Gimlet

Since my Sidecar post I have been on a kind of citrus binge and I want to share one of my favorite summer cocktails with all of you. It is called the Gimlet. This cocktail uses my favorite spirit of all time, gin. Not only that but I also use my favorite brand of gin, Hendricks. This cocktail is easy to make and delicious to drink. The only two ingredients are gin and Rose's sweetened lime juice. Here is a photo of the cocktail.


I will admit that I made way more than is normal, a triple to be exact and I served it in a beer glass. I can't help it, this is one of my all time favorite cocktails with my all time favorite gin. How am I supposed to practice restraint when the drink gods line me up with this combination? Anyway here are some pictures of the ingredients.


(image found at http://www.adliterate.com/archives/Hendrick%27s%20bottle%20%20290107.JPG)


(image found at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQWRxJomUcRsIPRnxn5Jo5aKZAS95tKW1hfRoRWvUBHF_MyWOzgHY5mSj1BzzaBc9dx9NKT7qlCWKIKov-Cza7vkdGBn-wBGwFs-AtJJRKd3ccWcM__kI-DxeJ2NixA8QvYySQCK-E818/s320/10520L.jpg)

The classic recipe calls for equal parts gin and rose's lime juice, but I find it a little too sweet. Here is my own recipe:
2oz gin
1.25oz rose's lime juice
lime wedge for garnish
Add both ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until fully chilled. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice, or a martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge or twirl.

This cocktail is sweet and citrusy from the lime juice, but you also get the great taste of gin. Sweet and citrus make this a perfect summer time cocktail, or if you are like me an old standard.
See you all next week.

Sidecar

I am sure most have heard of the cocktail called the sidecar, but not many have actually tried it. This is one of those cocktails that people are just sort of afraid of to order. If there is one thing I have learned in my short time of drinking cocktails, is that you need to not be afraid to take a stab in the dark and order something you never have before.
Made from Cointreau, Cognac, and fresh lemon juice this cocktail is very refreshing and quite appropriate as an after dinner drink. Here is a picture of the finished cocktail.

(image found at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/sidecar.jpg)

Just looking at this cocktail can give you the impression that it is refreshing. The Lemon juice and the cointreau marry with the cognac to make something that has warmth, but also citrus. Here are the ingredients.


(image found at http://www.chateau26.nl/shop/catalog/images/courvoisier%20vsop.jpg)


(image found at http://www.proof66.com/Images/Cointreau.jpg)


(image found at http://disconaplondon.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/lemon.jpg)

For those that do not know, cointreau is an orange flavored liquor which is found in many cocktails. It gives drinks a nice citrus and sweet side that some liquor's do not. And of course you will want to juice that lemon. Here is the recipe for the sidecar:
1.5oz cognac(I like the Courvoisier vsop but any vsop would be appropriate)
3/4 oz. lemon juice
3/4 oz. cointreau
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake until fully chilled. Strain and serve in a martini or other cocktail glass. Garnish with orange wedge or lemon peel twirl.

While this is the basic recipe you can always modify it to suit your own tastes. One very popular thing to do is line the rim of the glass with sugar so that you get some added sweetness with your drink. I strongly recommend that you do not use a cognac that is not below vsop grade. While the vs cognac's can be used they are to strong in this cocktail for me, so I opt to use the slightly softer Courvoisier vsop. This particular one is easily one of my favorite mixing and sipping cognac's.
Well that is all for this week, I will continue to find more cocktails to hopefully get you all to try.