MxMo: Beer!

This month's theme for MxMo was a bit fortuitous as we've been screwing around with beer cocktails for the last month or so. Here's how Frederic over at Cocktail (Virgin) Slut describes our theme:

“While beer being used as an ingredient in modern cocktails has gotten a lot of press as of late, this is not a new trend. Beer has played a historical role in mixed drinks for centuries. For example, it can be found in Colonial drinks like the Rumfustian, Porter Sangaree, and Ale Flip. While many of these drinks are not seen in modern bars save for craft cocktail establishments, other beer drinks are though, including the Boilermaker, Black Velvet, and Michelada. And present day mixologists are utilizing beer with great success including Kelly Slagle's Port of Funchal, Jacob Grier's Averna Stout Flip, and Emma Hollander's Word to Your Mom. Bartenders are drawn to beer for a variety of reasons including the glorious malt and roast notes from the grain, the bitter and sometimes floral elements from the hops, the interesting sour or fruity notes from the yeast, and the crispness and bubbles from the carbonation. Beer is not just for pint glasses, so let us honor beer of all styles as a drink ingredient.”

This theme works for us this week because, as it turns out, we're hosting an event this Sunday as a kick-off party for Tales of the Cocktail. Ted Munat, the ever-charming writer behind Left Coast Libations will be there reading from the aforementioned book and Liberty's Andrew Friedman will be guest bartending. The idea behind the event is that if people procure tickets ahead of time, then they get their choice of 3 cocktails for $20 from a shortened menu which will feature 6 cocktails (3 from our favorite Seattle bartenders that were published in Left Coast Libations, 3 interpretations of those cocktails by 1022 staff). The event is being put on with Tacoma Alcohol Consortium. Check TAC out, Todd's doing really good work.

Anway, here's our interpretation of Jay Kuehner's drink, Cavale. This guy kick's ass. Go see him at Sambar. He's the bartender I want to be when I grow up.

Running Up that Hill
1.5 oz Clear Creek Apple brandy
½ oz Pineau des Charentes
½ oz Domaine de Canton
½ oz lemon juice
Ephemere

Combine everything except for the Ephemere in shaker over ice. Shake and double strain into chilled cocktail glass. Float with Ephemere.

Those of you who've read the blog or checked out our contributions for MxMo, then you know that we're never satisfied doing one. Here's what Corey concocted (w/a few tweaks by me) when someone requested a Flaming Dr. Pepper

Corey's “Flaming Dr. Pepper”
1.5 oz Zaya rum
.5 oz Lazzaroni amaretto
2 dashes St Elizabeth Allspice dram
1 barspoon Ramazotti amaro
Ephemere (Corey used Duvel, but I had a bottle of this open)
Combine everything except the beer in shaker over ice. Stir, strain, into Belgian glass. Float w Ephemere.

MxMo: Niche Spirits

Well, it doesn't get more niche than this, I guess. Thanks to Filip for hosting. Pics forthcoming.

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy
1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Green Chartreuse
.5 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
cocao powder
soda water

Combine everything (3 healthy shakes of raw cocoa powder) sans soda in shaker over ice. Shake like a psychopath. Double strain into a short collins over ice. Finish with soda water and more cocoa powder. Drink.

MxMo: Flores de Mayo

Edit: More like Mixology Tuesday...

So, I've missed the last couple MxMo's and have felt...guilty. It's not like I haven't come up with drinks, or been following. I've just been busy. With life. Really, with running the bar. But still, solutions, not excuses.

Here I am! Blog post! MxMo! Here are the perfunctories:
Our host this time around is Dave over at Barman Cometh. Here's what he has to say about this week's challenge:

“The challenge is to feature a cocktail that highlights a floral flavor profile or includes a floral derived ingredient, whether home-made or off the shelf.  With the ever expanding catalogue of spirits (and the kitchen labs of home enthusiasts), there’s a whole host of directions for you to choose from – elderflower liqueur, creme de violette, chamomile infused gin, hibiscus grenadine, rosewater, lavender syrup – or to create.”

We do a lot with flowers from the hibiscus/coriander/black pepper syrup in the Devil's Buck to the sticky, ever-popular Lavender Cocktail. What I wanted to highlight are two of my favorites that are currently featured on our spring/summer menu:




PDX
1.5 oz Bols Genever
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lavender/chamomile infused honey
Sparkling wine
Shake, strain into a chilled coupe. Top with sparkling wine




1022 Old Fashioned
2 oz Woodford Reserve
.25 oz simple syrup
3 dashes saffron/cardamom bitters
Wide swath of orange peel
Express orange oil into glass and drop peel in. Add remaining ingredients and the largest ice cube you can find. Stir. Drink.

Mixology Monday: Limes!

Our Mixology Monday theme this month is limes chosen by our host Doug over at the Pegu blog. We missed last month's Brown, Bitter, and Stirred, but we weren't going to miss this month. There were a number of directions we could've went, but I thought it would be best if we stuck with the adage, "keep it simple, stupid." With that said, we will proceed with the tongue firmly planted in cheek.


Unnamed Kava Drink
1.5 oz rum (Cockspur, but really there's room to play)
.5 lime
.5 house falernum
.5 coconut cream
.5 kava kava tincture*
three dashes damiana/birch bitters
Finish with ginger beer



Or, because I always do two...
Kokovoko #2.1
1 oz kava kava tincture
.5 falernum
.5 lime
cayenne

*1/4 cup ground kava kava to 750 ml NGA. Let steep 48 hours, then double strain.

The first drink looks like a Kava Colada with a few aphrodisiacs for the ladies and the second is, well, a shot.

Mixology Monday

Alright, I missed last month's MXMO challenge, but lord knows I know how to make an obnoxiously difficult drink. Here's how this weeks host at McSology set the rules of engagement:

So my charge to you all is to document your (least) favorite drink that is the proverbial thorn in your side. It can be virtually anything stylistically- The point here is to have fun and share that little ticket item that throws you off your cleaning game 10 minutes before last call!

As usual, I have two entries. Sorry for the lack of pics. I'll try to get some up tomorrow.

Bloody Mary
2 oz horseradish infusion*
2 olives
1 cocktail onion
1 caper berry
pinch of Himalayan salt
pinch of celery salt
.5 oz vegetarian worcestershire sauce (try Amy's)
2 lemon wedges
.5 oz fire cider**
3 dashes of Sriracha
organic tomato juice
garnish: lemon wedge, olive, caper berry, pickled lotus root
Muddle lemon, olives, cocktail onion, caper berry together in mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients and ice, then shake and strain over fresh ice in pint glass. Add garnish, then smile.

So this one is obnoxious for a couple of reasons. First of which, it's a mess; it clogs up dump sinks and will make all of your bar tools smell like fire cider (this isn't a problem for those of you with a dishwasher...) Most of us don't have all of these ingredients in our mise, so we also have to dig all of this out of the coolers (which, again, is not a problem for those of you who don't bartend in a submarine...) Finally, what makes this such a hassle is the making of the following:

Horseradish infusion
1 large horseradish root
750 ml 151 proof neutral grain alcohol

Remove outside of root. Cut remaining into thin strips, then place in clean mason jar. Fill with NGA, then let rest for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, double strain, then add 1 cup of filtered water to bring proof down to around 120.

Fire Cider
1 large horseradish root
1/2 lbs ginger
2 cloves garlic (I use more for batches that are not for cocktails...)
1 lbs ginger
1/2 medium white onion
1 lbs turmeric root
3/4 gallon unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar
1 oz cayenne

Juice horseradish root, ginger and turmeric. Add juice and pulp to clean container. Roughly chop garlic and onion, then add to juiced mess. Add cayenne and apple cider vinegar, then let rest for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, double strain into clean container.

It's a lot of work for a cocktail that most people only drink when they're hungover. Still, it is really good.

Inappropriately Named Cocktail
2 oz bourbon
1 oz cold press coffee (Ethiopian Harrar from Valhalla)
.5 oz simple syrup
.5 oz Grand Marnier
.5 oz Stroh
Irish cream foam*

Rim brandy snifter with sugar. Pour in Stroh, light on fire, use fire to carmelize sugar rim, then extinguish flame. In mixing glass, combine bourbon, coffee, simple syrup, and Grand Marnier over ice, stir, then strain into snifter. Top with Irish cream foam. Smile.

Irish Cream Foam
1 oz Irish cream
.5 simple syrup
splash cream
egg white

Combine ingredients in mixing glass over ice then shake like hell until you have a barely-pourable foamy-cream. Have fun with that.

The second cocktail is very time consuming and well, kinda of tiring to make. You say shaking a cocktail shouldn't be tiring? It's not, but make one and you'll sell five.

God, I hate these cocktails, but they are so good...

MXMO: Absinthe

Alright everyone, here's our second foray into the MXMO madness. Yeah, I know we didn't do anything right last time...I think I get the rules now. Or maybe not...

Here is what our host Sonja has to say about absinthe:
"The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and it’s future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe."

Before I get too far into this, I want to say that a couple of us at 1022 love absinthe. So, there's was lots of fussing around with recipes (some good, some bad, all forgotten)before we came to, well, the deadline. I also want to say, thank you to all the space monkeys. Some of you burned up in the stratosphere, some of you have sailed off into the heavens; either way, I salute your courage. And, with no further ado, here's what we have to contribute:


HR 1022
2 oz bourbon
.5 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
.5 Dolin Italian vermouth
barspoon of lapsong souchong syrup*
barspoon of Pacifique absinthe

Shake, then strain into chilled coupe. While I have never had it, this drink was nevertheless inspired by Tavern Law's Gun Club.

I feel like this next one needs a bit of explanation. We like to do shots at the bar, so we gussy them up, self-deprecatingly call them amuse-booze (actually, we're being quite glib), or whatever. Still, at times we like a cold beer and a shot of hooch to go straight into our faces. With that in mind, inspired by the latest issue of Imbibe, here we go:

Devil's Handshake
1/3 Fernet Branca
1/3 Pacifique absinthe
1/3 raw ginger syrup

This was a fun one. I wish I had written down the recipe for sazerac with the honey/absinthe foam. I guess that's for another time...

*1 oz lapsong tea in 2 cups boiling water, 2 cups sugar. Stir and let rest until it is mas o menos room temp, then double strain.

1022 South

Our first foray into MXMO

Ok, so this is our virgin endeavor here, so bear with us. Here's the explanation from Cocktail Virgin(?):
"Tea has played a historical role in cocktails for centuries. Perhaps the best documented early example was its inclusion in punches as part of the spice role to round out the spirit, sugar, water, and citrus line up. Later, teas appear in many recipes such as Boston Grog, English Cobbler, and a variety of Hot Toddies. And present day mixologists are utilizing tea flavors with great success including Audrey Saunder's Earl Grey MarTEAni and LUPEC Boston's Flapper Jane. Now it's our turn to honor this glorious cocktail ingredient!"


First, we have a riff on a pretty common cocktail, the Blueberry Tea, which we'll call the Blue Monday.
.75 Earl Grey infusion*
.75 Lazzaroni amaretto
.75 Grand Marnier
.5 lemon juice
.5 honey syrup**
1 egg white
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass or something of the sort.

*1 cup of earl grey in NGA for 24 hours. Double strain.
**1:1 honey and boiling water.

And one more:
Hilltop Pearl
1 jasmine pearl infused viognier*
1 vodka (yeah, so what?)
.5 honey syrup
.5 lemon juice
Float with dry sparkling wine
Shake and strain into a brandy snifter. Float with dry sparkling wine.

*1 cup jasmine pearl tea in 750 ml viognier. Steep over night in cooler, then double strain and keep refrigerated.

Sorry for the bad pics...

1022 South