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 44 Kamikaze

My recipe calls for Lime Cordial, whilst the recipes on International Bar Tenders Association and other sites call for Fresh Lime Juice. I suspect they are right as with the cordial its a little sweet for my taste. I'll have to re-make it with Lime Juice to compare. The Cointreau website calls for lemon Juice, which I have in so I can try that.

Its not bad, even so. Nice and simple to make, no need for shakers (again others disagree). Its alcoholic bitter orange and lime and easily quoffable.

Recipe

Add 1 measure of Vodka, 1 measure of Cointreau and 1 measure of Lime Cordial to a tumbler with ice. Stir and serve.

Cocktail No 43 Eton Blazer

The most expensive cocktail to date, due to the ridiculous price of Kirsch here in the UK. Pick a bottle up when next in France or on a ski trip and it will be 1/3 the price.

Kirsch is like most of the Eau de vie family - you either love them or loath them. There is rarely any middle ground. Fortunately for me, I love them. The flavour is hard to describe. There is a bitter nuttiness, with a very delicate hint of the fruit above it. It has to be drunk icy cold.

Water of Life: Eau de vie Wikipedia

There are so many conflicting recipes for this one on the internet. Some substitute Maraschino for Kirch, which is also cherry based. I'll have some from my brother in Naples in a few days, so will compare the tastes. Absolut uses Cherry Brandy, which is a completely different and more full cherry flavour. The Cocktail database and the Savoy Cocktail book both use Kirsch, but in lower proportions than my book and the lemon juice is higher. So I am going with Kirsch as the authentic recipe.

I have wanted to make the Eton Blazer for years and yesterday purchased a tiny 20 ml bottle of Kirsch for the purpose. The taste comes through very strongly, but also very differently. The bitter sweetness, is changed by the lemon juice and the sour actually makes the Kirsch light cherry flavour more pleasant. The soda water dilutes everything so its not too strong and a great highball for the summer.

Recipe

Add ice, 1 measure Gin, 1 measure kirsch and 1/2 measure Lemon Juice to a tumbler with 2 teaspoons sugar syrup. Stir then top up with Soda Water. Decorate with 2 Cherries.

Aah chilled Maraschino cocktail cherries - I think I am getting hooked!

Cocktail No 42 Green Hat

I will confess to putting off making this cocktail for a number of years. My previous experiences with Crème de Menthe have not been good and most drinks with it in seem to taste like toothpaste. So this came as a pleasant surprise.

Yes it is minty, but there is a sweetness and the Soda Water transforms the balance of flavour - perhaps its the bicarbonate of soda in the Soda Water that neutralises some of the excessive mintiness. Its very cold on the tongue and I wonder if some of that is due to the Gin in addition to the obvious ice.

So if you have a bottle of Crème de Menthe languishing at the back of the cabinet, dust it off and give the Green Hat a go.

Recipe

Add one measure of Gin and one measure of Crème de Menthe to a tall glass. Add ice and stir. Top up with Soda Water.

Cocktail No 41 New Yorker

In need of a hair of the dog following the 30 years school reunion which kicked off about this time yesterday evening in London, I went for short, sharp and very strong - and a good choice it was.

There is only one teaspoon of grenadine, but its gives a remarkable intense colour and just the hint of sweetness to balance the lemon juice.

Its essentially a Bourbon Sour with a bit of colouring and Orange oil. Regardless it has gone down very well and was just the lift needed for this tired old soak.

Recipe

Add 1.5 measures of Bourbon to a shaker with 1/2 measure of Lemon Juice and 1 teaspoon of Grenadine. Shake on ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze a piece of Orange Peel over the top and drop in (I also added Orange Bitters).

Cocktail No 40 Hawaii Kiss

OK I admit to cheating on this one as I didn't have a pineapple. You are meant to scoop out the flesh and squeeze the juice out and then use the pineapple shell as the drink vessel. So I just made it in a glass.

It would taste good out of the fruit with a straw, mind you. It would be very good on a Caribbean evening. If you are not a gin lover, it perhaps goes better with rum. The gin and sparkling wine makes an interesting combination and the pineapple provides a balancing sweetness.

A pleasant way to kick off the weekend.

Recipe (Cheat)

Add 1 measure of Gin to a tumbler with 2-3 measures of Pineapple Juice (depends how sweet you like it). Top up with sparkling wine and add ice.

Recipe (correct)

Scoop out flesh from a Pineapple and squeeze juice out. Return juice to hollowed out shell. Add 1 measure Gin and top up with sparkling wine. Add ice and serve with straws.