Cocktail of the Day

Thursday, November 26, 2009

R & R

November 23, 2009

Old Overholt rye whiskey
Noill Pratt dry vermouth
Santa Teresa Rhum Orange liqueur
Angostura orange bitters
Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients and serve up. Garnish with an orange chip.

An elegant alternative to a Manhattan.

Tea Time

November 22, 2009

Beefeater gin
earl grey simple syrup
lime juice
chunk of orange

Shake and fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

We made the earl grey simple syrup by brewing a few strong pots of loose-leaf earl grey, and mixing 1:1 with sugar. Chill syrup in advance to prevent dilution of your cocktail.

Kiwi Margarita

November 21, 2009

Pueblo Viejo silver tequila
kiwi
lime juice
meyer lemon simple syrup

Muddle kiwi. Shake and strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Nothing fancy here... just fruity deliciosity.

Nutcracker

November 20, 2009

walnut infused Buffalo Trace bourbon
Cynar
Dow's 20 Year Tawny Port
apple cider
egg white

Dry-shake all ingredients. Add ice, shake, and fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

You know those boozy fruit-spice cakes that everyone jokes about during the holidays? Well this is what those cakes WISH they could be. Spicy, nutty, and boozy with just a touch of sweet.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Black Hat

November 19, 2009

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Carpano Antica vermouth
Nocino black walnut liqueur
Fee's Whiskey Barrel bitters

Stir and serve up. Garnish with an orange twist.

A tasty variation on the old Manhattan. God, I love those Whiskey Barrel bitters!

Emerald Fizz

November 18, 2009

Miller's gin
Kubler absinthe
kiwi
lemon juice
simple syrup
egg white

Muddle the kiwi, combine ingredients and dry-shake. Shake with ice, then fine-strain into a champagne flute. Top with soda water and garnish with a fennel frond.

This one takes a bit of work, but it's worth it! Make sure to use 1/4 oz. or less absinthe or you'll lose the kiwi. A variation of this on is going on the list soon... stay tuned!

Good & Plenty

November 17, 2009

Pueblo Viejo silver
Drambuie
Pernod
fennel
lemon juice
celery bitters

Muddle a chunk of fennel, combine ingredients, shake, then fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh cracked pepper.

It's a party in your mouth. A very complex and bizarre party.

209 Tease

November 15, 2009

209 gin
kumquat syrup
lime juice
Rooibos tea (chilled)

Shake all but the tea and strain into a collins glass. Top with tea and garnish with a lemon wedge.

A grown-up Arnold Palmer... ahh, summer, where did you go?

Catalina

November 14, 2009

Siete Leguas reposado tequila
Yellow Chartreuse
lemon juice
kumquat syrup
saffron-cardamom bitters

Shake ingredients and fine strain into a bucket. Garnish with a star anise pod.

A margarita-esque refresher with an herbal-spicy twist.

Apple Dandy

November 13, 2009

Torres 10 year brandy
Dow's 20 year tawny port
calvados
Benedictine
Fee's Whiskey Barrel bitters

Stir and strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with fresh nutmeg.

This one tastes like the holidays (it's almost 2010!!)

Friday, November 13, 2009

The Matador

November 12, 2009

Chamucos reposado tequila
Vya extra dry vermouth
Pernod
lemon juice
apple butter

Shake ingredients and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a small fennel frond.

This unlikely combination turned out amazingly well balanced and refreshing. Pernod can easily overwhelm a cocktail, so make sure to use no more than an 1/8 ounce.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Oberon

November 11, 2009

209 gin
Saint Germain elderflower liqueur
Small Hand Foods gum syrup
lemon juice
pear
thyme

Muddle the thyme and pear. Add the other ingredients, shake, and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

A little-known Range classic.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Aviation

November 10, 2009

209 gin
Luxardo maraschino liqueur
lemon juice

Shake and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

A classic!

The Rhyme

November 9, 2009

209 gin
Saint Germain elderflower liqueur
lime
thyme
Sunshine bitters (saffron/cardamom)

Muddle the thyme, shake and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Except for the Saint Germain, all ingredients rhyme (kind of). Ta-da!

Original Sin

November 8, 2009

209 gin
Saint Germain elderflower liqueur
Noilly Prat dry vermouth
apple cider
lemon juice
Regan's orange bitters

Shaken and fine strained into a cocktail glass. No garnish.

Initially, we had no name for this one, but a kind and creative guest came up with "Original Sin"... after three of them! Thanks!

Essential Bar Tools:

Pint glass
Shaker
Citrus squeezer
Paring knife
Cutting board
Patience
Wine opener
Bottle opener
Jiggers: Utensils for measuring liquids with 1/4- 1/2 oz. increments.
Hawthorne strainer: Metal device with a spring that fits over a shaker in order to strain the liquid from the ice.
Julep strainer: Solid metal paddle-like strainer with numerous holes. Fits into a pint glass, and is often used with stirred cocktails.
Fine strainer: Small metal sieve used to remove anything solid from a cocktail.
Bar spoon: Long, thin spoon used primarily to gently stir cocktails.
Channel knife: Tool used to carve twists from citrus.
Muddler: Baton-like device used to press, crush or pulverize ingredients.
Extra Liver: Let's just say: We like what we do.

More to come, of course!

Cocktail Terminology:

Up: Chilled, but served without ice, typically in a martini glass.
Neat: Served at room temperature, typically in a rocks glass.
Over: Served on ice. Glass may vary.
Strained: Ingredients combined in a shaker are strained into a glass through a Hawthorne or Julep strainer.
Fine Strained: Ingredients are poured through a small mesh strainer, eliminating ice chips, fruit pulp, or whatever else is unwanted.
Twist: The zest of any citrus (but not the flesh of the fruit).
Ribbon: Wide twist made from using a vegetable peeler. Not an official term, but it's what we use at Range.
Wedge: A wedge of fruit (often citrus) which includes the zest, pith and flesh of the fruit.
Wheel: Round cross section of citrus.
Half-moon: Half of a wheel. Another Range term. Not sure why we don't call them "half wheels".
Chip: A small, circular piece of citrus zest used as a garnish.
Dry: For Martinis this means using only a few drops of vermouth.
Very or Extra Dry: No vermouth
Shake: To mix vigorously with ice in a shaker
Stir: To gently stir a drink in a shaker with a bar spoon. This keeps the ingredients more "pure" because the ice doesn't break up and melt as it does with shaking. The trade off is that the cocktail is less chilled. Gin Martinis, Manhattans, and Sazeracs are examples of drinks that should be stirred.
Dry shake: To combine ingredients in a shaker without any ice. Typically used in order to properly emusify cocktails containing egg white.
Muddle: To use a muddler to press, crush or pulverize any ingredient in order to extract juice and/or flavor.
Rocks Glass: Short, cyllindrical glass meant to hold a spirit and ice.
Bucket: A large rocks glass. Gin and tonics and the like are typically served in a bucket.
Collins Glass: Tall, cyllindrical glass used for collins, fizzes, and often juice-bassed drinks.
Pilsner Glass: Very tall glass, often featuring a pedestal base. Aside from beer, these are used for cocktails that contain juice and soda, such as Mojitos.
Cocktail Glass: Often called a "Martini Glass".
Shot Glass: Small glass meant to hold around two ounces of liquor.
Cordial Glass: Smallish stemmed glass used for port, and desert wines.

More to come, as well!