Conference

 

Story

Since the 1930’s, creators of tiki cocktails have been blending different rums together to create novel flavor profiles.  Cocktail Club recipes often feature a “split base” in which multiple spirits make up the core of a drink.  But prior to 2008, split-base cocktails were quite rare in the modern cocktail scene.  To be fair, cocktails with multiple spirits existed back in the 1800s: the Saratoga (brandy + whiskey), our old friend the Vieux Carré (rye + cognac), and others.  But when the modern cocktail renaissance started in the early 2000’s, most places were following classic single-base templates.  Veteran bartender Brian Miller was working in NYC at Death & Co in 2008.  He drew on his extensive tiki cocktail experience to begin applying the tiki blending approach to non-tropical drinks.  Other bartenders were doing similar things, but many point to the Conference as a breakthrough in popularizing the approach.  It’s a strong but balanced Old Fashioned with an extra bit of complexity to keep it interesting.  The “bunny ears” garnish (both lemon and orange twists) is classic for this drink.  It’s an extra bit of flair to remind you that you’ve got a little bit of tiki history in your stirred, boozy cocktail.  Cheers!

Recipe

0.5 oz bourbon
0.5 oz calvados (apple brandy)
0.5 oz Rittenhouse 100 rye
0.5 oz cognac
1 tsp demerara syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 dash Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters
Orange twist; lemon twist
-Stir ingredients with ice.  Strain into chilled rocks glass over ice. Express and garnish.

Prime Inspector

 

Story

I always have trouble remembering where the Negroni fits into the “6 basic cocktail” classification constructed by Gary Regan in The Joy of Mixology.  The martini/Manhattan category is its home, since it’s (spirit + fortified wine + bitters), but it’s hard for me to remember because it’s very much its own thing.  The Prime Inspector is a Negroni variant, even though every component has been subbed out for another that plays its role. The core spirit is apple brandy, a barrel-aged spirit that retains a fruity quality under the oak. Averna Amaro bring in the bitterness that Campari would provide, while Punt e Mes is a type of vermouth that’s darker and has more fruit notes than a standard sweet vermouth. Peychaud’s is not my go-to bitters, but anise is subdued here while the spice and fruit notes come to the fore.  Mitchell Taylor created this drink while at the Nashville branch of New York’s Attaboy.  The Prime Inspector is dark, fruity, and bitter with none of the vermouth aftertaste that sometimes puts me off.  I prefer calvados apple brandy rather than Applejack because it’s extra smooth.  Cheers!

Recipe

1 oz apple brandy (calvados or Laird’s Applejack 86)
1 oz Punt e Mes
1 oz Averna Amaro
Orange twist (or brandied cherry if you prefer)
-Stir ingredients with ice.  Strain into rocks glass with fresh ice. Express orange twist and garnish.

Corn 'n' Oil

 

Story

The Corn ‘n’ Oil is a famous cocktail that originated in the Caribbean (possibly in Barbados) which is notable in that it contains neither corn nor oil.  So why do they call it that?  As is so often the case, nobody knows.  The best guess is that it’s a reference to a verse in Deuteronomy where God promises “that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil”.  Why that verse?  Again, no idea.  What we do know is that this drink is made with blackstrap rum or dark rum, both of which are intensely flavored.  I went with dark rum because it’s a little more smooth and refined than blackstrap. The other key ingredient is falernum, a spiced syrup with flavors of clove, ginger, and almond. There is a nonalcoholic variety (why?) and a traditional liqueur, which is what I used. The drink is surprisingly mellow and smooth, with clove and cinnamon notes.  Modern bartenders have added more lime juice, added in aged rum, and made other adjustments, but I think the traditional version is the way to go.  Be sure to used cracked or crushed ice so the drink rounds out over time.

Recipe

2 oz dark or blackstrap rum  (Gosling’s Black Seal)
0.5 oz John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum
2 dashes angostura bitters
Lime wedge
-Build the drink in a rocks glass.  Fill with cracked or crushed ice.  Lightly express a lime wedge into the drink and use a garnish.

Augie March

 

Story

The Adventures of Augie March is a 1953 novel by Saul Bellow about a poor but spirited boy who grows to manhood through a series of increasingly unexpected escapades.  It sounds like one of those books I would love in retrospect had I been forced to read it for an English class but would not be able to push through on my own.  The Augie March cocktail, on the other hand, is a drink I would finish and immediately re-order.  It’s a variation on the classic Manhattan (rye + sweet vermouth + bitters) but with reposado tequila as the base spirit and Cynar subbing in for the bitters.  The very bitter Cynar definitely jumps in with both feet, but the vermouth balances it out nicely.  Once again I’m reminded how well reposado tequila can bind flavors together.  My notes say, “just right”.  Cheers.

Recipe

2 oz reposado tequila
0.75 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
0.5 oz Cynar
Brandied cherry
-Stir ingredients with ice.  Strain into chilled coup or Nick & Nora.  Garnish with cherry.