Cocktail No 84 Mule's Hind Leg

I knew this was going to be sweet when I read the ingredient list, but for me it is too cloying. This not one of my favourites. The taste is quite good, the herbiness of the syrup, benedictine and the body of the brandy does make a complex and interesting taste profile, but the sweetness and viscosity from the apricot brandy, benedictine and syrup is something I can do without.

I didn't have calvados or maple syrup so substituted brandy and honey instead - I don't think the correct ingredients would redeem this one for me.

Recipe

2-3 Ice cubes
15 ml Birkdale gin
15 ml Calvados
15 ml Apricot Brandy
2 teaspoons maple syrup.

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, stir well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Cocktail No 52 - Butterfly Flip

A festive twist for the approaching season of goodwill.

This is essentially an enriched and sweetened Brandy Alexander and quite delicious. Well I omitted the sugar by mistake, so mine was closer to the Alexander.

Brandy with Crème de Cacao and cream is always a good combination. Add an egg yolk plus sugar and spice it up with nutmeg. If  you like Bailey's then throw your bottle in the bin and taste what its really meant to be like. Decadently thick on the tongue with a chocolat blast followed by the warmth of brandy coming through as it slips down the throat.  It always reminds me of the scene in Bridehead Revisited when Anthony Blanche drinks 4 Alexanders is quick succession to the outrage of the Oxford matrons doing lunch.

It needs really good shaking to mix in the cream, egg yolk and dissolve the sugar.

Recipe

Add equal measures of Brandy, Crème de Cacao and cream to a shaker. Add 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of caster sugar. Shake very well to mix everything together and strain into cocktail glass. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg and enjoy!

Cocktail No 49 Brandy Crusta

From the ingredients this tastes very different from what I was expecting. Its quite sweet from the sugar syrup and the Maraschino (kindly sent over from Naples by my brother, where it costs 2.60 Euros compared to £23 here in the UK!).

There is a deepness from the Angostura Bitters, mixing with the Brandy which is always a great combination. But its the small amount of Maraschino which is the star of the drink. Its a sweet bitter cherry infusion and it subtly changes the brandy - I don't think I would identify it as Cherry in a blind tasting, but I wouldn't have said Brandy either.

Due to the price of Maraschino, this is one to order in the Cocktail Lounge I suspect, unless you have a link to southern Italy.

Its meant to have a sugar coating on the rim of the glass, which is what Crusta means, but I couldn't be bothered with that.

Recipe

If you want the Crusta, dip the rim of the cocktail glass in lemon juice then in caster sugar.

Put ice in shaker with 2 measure Brandy, 1 teaspoon sugar syrup, 3 dashes of Maraschino and 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters. Shake and strain into the cocktail glass. Decorate with spiral of lemon peel.

Cocktail No 46 Ray Long

I haven't uncovered the origins of this one and the Savoy Cocktail book from 1930 gives a different ratio of Brandy to Vermouth. My recipe has more Vermouth and the Savoy more Brandy. It also looks like the original called for Absinthe. Mine substitutes Pernod, because Absinthe was a banned drink when it was published (I've had the Cocktail book close to 30 years now).

So mine is quite a mild cocktail in alcohol terms. Some Brandy diluted with Vermouth. Its a beautiful hazel colour. It only has a teaspoon of Pernod, but it carries through so strongly - great if you are an aniseed fan.

First impressions is the chill of the drink, followed by a blast of aniseed at the back of the mouth with that typical warming of the Brandy spreading. Lastly, the herbs from the Vermouth and the Angostura Bitters creeps through leaving a tingle and slight fell of a film on the teeth.

That's a rather nice drink! Not sure why its int he wine based section, especially if the original had more Brandy than Vermouth.

Recipe

Add 3 ice cubes to a mixing glass with 1 measure of Bianco Vermouth, 3/4 measure of Brandy. 1 teaspoon Pernod (or Absinthe) and a dash of Angostura Bitters. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass.

Cocktail No 45 Sidecar

One of the six basic drinks listed in David A Ebury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, it was time to kick off the weekend with a real classic. The origins of the Sidecar are disputed but is thought to have been invented at the end or shortly after of the First World War. The first recipes appear in 1922 and the location is claimed to be Buck's Club in London, a Bistro in Paris, or the Ritz in Paris.

The romantic story goes that it was invented by an American Army captain, stationed in Paris, who was driven nightly to the Bistro in a motocycle sidecar. Countreau has taken the romance further and produced a very cute video claiming it was invented by the Gallic barman to help the Officer in his seduction of a glamorous dame (Dita Von Teese).

The Original Sidecar Stroy - by Cointreau staring Dita Von Teese

Wikipedia entry on the Sidecar Cocktail

There are two competing versions. The original French School calls for equal measures of the ingredients. The later English school calls for 2 parts Brandy to 1 part of lemon and Cointreau. Since its a Friday and I am biased I went with the English School.

It is quite simply fabulous and well deserving of its status. Tangy, sharp, sweet the acid hits the back of your throat first and then a mellow bitter sweet orange comes through along with the earthiness of the Brandy. A very refreshing tingle remains in your mouth as the aftertaste and the roof of my mouth feels numb, but not in a bad way.

This is definitely one to try. And if any of my siblings or nephews want to buy me a cocktail shaker like the one in the Cointreau video, then they would be greatly appreciated.

Recipe (English School)

Add 2 measure brandy with 1 measure of Cointreau and 1 measure of Lemon Juice to a Shaker. Shake on Ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with curled and twisted orange peel and a cherry.

Recipe (French School)

Add 1 measure brandy with 1 measure of Cointreau and 1 measure of Lemon Juice to a Shaker. Shake on Ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with curled and twisted orange peel and a cherry.

Update. I have made the French School version tonight as a comparison and personally I prefer the English version. There is too much lemon juice in the French style and it overpowers everything else. The Brandy and Bitter Orange just doesn't come through as strongly.

Cocktail No 33 Between The Sheets

Continuing the Brandy theme, I present a classic that is an official cocktail according to the International Bartenders Association, although they call for lemon juice instead of the orange juice and I do think it would be better with a bit of extra sharpness.

Its still very pleasant though. The Brandy and Rum mixes so well together - really good robust mouth feel and a sweetness from the Rum and Orange Juice. It certainly packs a punch and is wonderfully warming on a cold autumn night like this one is.

Recipe

Add 1 measure Brandy to a shaker, with 1 measure White Rum, 1 measure Cointreau and 3/4 measure of Orange Juice (or Lemon Juice). Shake on Ice and strain into a Cocktail glass.

Cocktail No 32 April Shower

This combines 3 of my favourite things a) Brandy, b) Bénédictine and c) freshly squeezed Orange Juice.Top it up with Soda water and it becomes quite a mild long drink in terms of alcohol content.

If its chilled sufficiently the initial mouthful is tasteless - there is a pricking on the tongue from the bubbles in the Soda Water - then the flavour comes through. Whilst mild, it does have a deep base flavour from the mix of the Brandy and Bénédictine and the herbs from the latter definitely add, but no individual flavour stands out. Its a blend of the flavours unlike some others which create different sensations in the mouth.

I'm not sure which recipe is canonical, as the net gives one similar to a Vodka Gibson or tini. Others which are Brandy based use the same as me, but skip to Soda Water. I need to find the definitive recipe collection, there must be one out there somewhere - of course there is and April Shower is not included as an official cocktail:

http://www.iba-world.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=532

Recipe

Add 1 measure of Brandy, 1 measure of Bénédictine and 2 measures of Orange Juice to a tall goblet, Stir. Top up with Soda Water and add Ice to taste.

Cocktail No 24 Island Highball

Simple to make. Pleasing on the eye. Some bubbles and a complex but balanced taste - what's not to like about this one. As with all Highball's the base alcohols are diluted with non-alcoholic mixer making them less concentrated than most of the posts to date.

Wikipedia entry on Highball Cocktails

I can't precisely taste the Gin, but there is a sharpness to the Rosso Vermouth, which I think comes from the combination of the Gin and the Carbon Dioxide in the Soda water. I can't taste the Brandy at all - as I said bell blended together.

A consistent, light drink that is probably better on a warm summers night instead of a cold rainy evening in Lancashire.

Recipe

Put2-3 ice cubes into a tumbler with equal measures of Brandy, Gin, Rosso Vermouth and a splash of Orange Bitters. Stir and top up with Soda Water to taste.

Cocktail No 23 Chocolate Soldier

Considering this only contains 2 teaspoons of Crème de Cacao, the chocolate taste is surprisingly noticeable.

Its very refreshing, partly because the blending ensures its more chilled than a shaker or mixing glass delivers, but there is more to it. The immediate taste is chocolate, followed by the crispness of the Dry Vermouth, then Brandy flavoured Chocolate replaces this to fill the mouth. You have that feeling of a film around your teeth and the Chocolate continues to repeat.

That is a very pleasant surprise and so completely different to what I imagined it was going to taste like. I think I shall try this again.

Recipe

Add 2 Ice cubes, 1 measure of brandy and 3/4 measure of Dry Vermouth to an electric blender. Add 2 teaspoons of Crème de Cacao and a dash of Orange Bitters. Blend and pour into a shallow goblet (which I don't have so its in a tumbler instead.

Cocktail No 22 International

If you like the strong herbal taste of Chartreuse, this may appeal, if not I would steer clear. Its another one with complex flavours that develop. The initial taste at the front of the tongue is almost neutral and non-existant. Its almost a non-taste - even water has a taste.

Its as it rolls over the tongue that the flavours develop, first in the mid-part and then as it goes down the throat. The sweetness of the pineapple hits first and is them immediately swamped by the herbal Chartreuse and then a warmth from the combination of Brandy and Chartreuse. This is going to sound odd, but you can almost taste the warmth as a flavour. There is definitely a sensation of herbal taste, followed by physical warmth followed by a mellowing of the herbs.

I am starting to sound like one of the TV wine critics, but this one is quite hard to describe as it doesn't conform to normal taste patterns.

Interesting experience, but not one I am likely to repeat.

Recipe

Add 1 measure brandy to shaker with 1 measure of Green Chartreuse and 3/4 a measure of Pineapple Juice. Shake on ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Decorate with lemon wedge (I'd skip this - it adds nothing to flavour and gets in the way when you get to the bottom of the glass).

Cocktail No 10 Copacabana

This one is for a sweet tooth - far more than I am happy with. Its probably sexist, but I would say this was a girlie cocktail.

The predominant note is the Apricot Brandy, hence the sweetness. The Cointreau adds even more. Lemon cuts it and lessens it a bit and thins out the viscosity, but overall its a bit cloying for my palate.

Recipe

Add 1 measure of apricot brandy with ice to a cocktail shaker. Add 1/2 measure of brandy, 1/2 measure of Cointreau and 1/2 measure of lemon juice.. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
Decorate with orange slice.

Cocktail No 8 Chicago Cocktail

Do you like Champagne (or Cava)? Well if so, you will love this. The sparklie stuff is partly due to the bubbles, but its the fortification with brandy that pushes the boundaries.

Well this cocktail doesn't think it pushes it far enough so spikes the base with even more brandy to give a richness and depth that is - well simply lushious. The angustura gives a herbal lift that is sublime in my view - not everyone likes it so start by being delicate. but for me, the more the merrier.

I'll be having this one again!

Recipe

Put 2 ice cubes in mixing glass with large measure of brandy. Add a teaspoon of Cointreau / Triple Sec and a dash of angostora bitters. Stir well and strain into champagne glass. Top up with sparkling wine, preferably champagne / cava.

Cocktail No 3 Bel Ami

The recipe in my cocktail book is different to the ones I found on line, which is vodka and eggnog, but  many of the components that go into eggnog (brandy, cream, egg yolks) are also in here in different presentations.

Perhaps I am getting a little obsessive, but the recipe calls for ice cream and I didn't have any in, so I made it fresh - is it sad to make ice cream just so you can try a cocktail? I don't care as I think I have died and gone to heaven on this one!

This one doesn't include ice - instead it uses the ice cream to cool down the mix and also provide a delicious mouth feel - think expensive milk shakes but adult version! The apricot brandy, which can often be cloying and too sweet balances the ice cream perfectly - tastes just like apricot jam.

The ice cream is what makes the difference - don't skimp - go for the best flavour vanilla that you can find.

Recipe

1 Measure brandy, 1 measure apricot brandy, 1 measure cream.
2 tablespoons best quality vanilla ice cream
Put all ingredients in an electric blender, mix and serve in a goblet with ice cream wafers if you prefer (I didn't)!

The first cocktail - ABC

Well the very first recipe in the cocktail book seemed a great place to start. Brandy is a great base for cocktails and this one blends the smoothness and richness of brandy with sweetness and herbal uplift from Benedictine and Angustura bitters. Topping up with a brut champagne gives a sparkle and lift and prevents it being cloying - extremely refreshing in fact.

Recipe

Crack two icecubes and add with equal measures of Brandy and Bénédictine to a shaker with a dash of Angostura bitters.

Shake and strain into to a goblet. If you have an ice crusher you can turn this into a frappé by crushing 3 ice cubes and adding - I skipped this as it wasn't going to last long enough to warm up and no point diluting the spirit with melting ice.

Top up with Champagne.

Decorate with lemon slice, 2 orange segments and 2-3 cocktail cherries.

Made below with an art deco cocktail shaker and served in a Tiffany tumbler - an excellent start