African Flower

 

Story

I found this recipe in the book Unvarnished by Eric Alperin, a bartender who worked at Little Branch in New York and then opened the famous bar The Varnish in L.A.  (Both of those were also Sasha Petraske joints, btw.)  The African Flower was one of the 100+ recipes a bartender had to memorize before flying solo behind the bar at The Varnish.  It was created around 2008 by Becky McFalls-Schwartz, another Little Branch bartender who has since moved on to open Bar Moga, yet another place I really need to visit in New York.  The African Flower is a bourbon-forward sipper with interesting complexity.  When I tasted it, I wrote that it seemed like the subtle cola and chocolate flavors “reinforced the edges” of the bourbon in this Manhattan variant.  It’s an odd mental picture, but there you have it.  Re-reading this paragraph, I see that I haven’t communicated how much I love this drink.  That’s on me.

Recipe

2 oz bourbon
3/8 oz Ramazotti Amaro (or CioCiaro Amaro)
3/8 oz dark crème de cacao
1 dash orange bitters
-build the drink in a rocks glass.
-add one large cube of ice and stir seven times.
-express orange twist over the drink and use as a garnish.

Si-Güey

 

Story

This is another drink from the book Regarding Cocktails, assembled by those who worked with Sasha Petraske.  According to the book, “si-güey” is both Mexican slang that means something akin to “hey bro” and a pun on the word segue. Sasha and the other bartenders at Milk & Honey would say this to each other periodically throughout a shift.  This cocktail is a great sipper that’s built around the excellent flavor of reposado tequila, which is aged in oak barrels to give it a smooth flavor with hints of vanilla and caramel. Islay Scotch is named for the island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland and is known for its smoky flavor.  The recipe calls for floating the scotch, which means to carefully pour it over a bar spoon so it layers on top of the rest of the drink.  To be honest, though, scotch doesn’t float very well, so you can get away with just pouring it in.

Recipe

3 dashes orange bitters
0.25 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (or Cointreau)
2 oz reposado tequila
0.25 oz Islay scotch whisky
-build the drink in a rocks glass, starting with the bitters and ending with the tequila.
-add one large cube of ice and stir.
-finish by floating the scotch on top of the drink

Home on the Range

 

Story

This drink is based on a recipe found by veteran Australian bartender Michael Madrusan in the 1941 book Crosby Gaige’s Cocktail Guide and Ladies’ Companion.  Madrusan worked under the legendary Sasha Petraske at New York’s famous Milk & Honey.  Madrusan modernized the cocktail by swapping out the original Dubonnet rouge in favor of sweet vermouth.  Sasha liked this cocktail so much that it appeared on the menus of all of his many bars.   Home on the Range is a strong cocktail that to me is like an Old Fashioned with a cool citrus note.  It’s great over a single large cube of ice, to be sipped as it evolves in the glass.  I honestly like it better after it sits for a few minutes so the flavors open up.

Recipe

3 dashes Angostura bitters
0.25 oz sweet vermouth (preferably Cocchi Vermouth di Torino)
0.25 oz Cointreau
2 oz bourbon
Lemon twist
Orange twist
-build the drink in a rocks glass, starting with the bitters and ending with the bourbon.
-add one large cube of ice and stir a few times.  Garnish with lemon and orange twists.