Seelbach Cocktail

May 10, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
tangelo-meyer lemon syrup
Angostura bitters
Peychaud's bitters
sparkling wine

Shake all but the sparkling wine and fine-strain into a flute. Top with sparkling and garnish with an orange twist.

Taken from the pages of Mr. Boston's, this one was surprisingly balanced and complex.

Southern Belle

May 2, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Marie Brizard Apry
lemon juice
mint simple syrup

Shake, fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a small lemon ribbon.

Mint simple syrup is a great alternative to muddling. Just make a 1:1 simple syrup and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and toss in a handful of mint and allow to cool. Strain out the mint, and ta-dah!

The Derby

May 1, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Dolin sweet vermouth
Combier orange liqueur
lemon juice
angostura bitters

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

This is a lesser known version of the Derby. The more common version is a stirred concoction featuring bourbon, Benedictine, and angostura. We felt like rolling it out for the Kentucky Derby, while rejecting the obvious choice of the Mint Julep. That's how we roll.

Strawberry Tickle

April 12, 2010

George Dickel whiskey
Luxardo maraschino liqueur
lemon juice
strawberry
Crofter's pomegranate jam

Muddle strawberry with the jam. Shake it up, and fine strain it into a chilled rocks glass (no ice). Garnish with an orange ribbon.

Crazy complex, despite the simple ingredients. Go Brookie!!!!!

The Perfect Day

April 7, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Blandy's madiera
strawberry
lemon juice
Angostura bitters

Muddle the strawberry, shake ingredients, and fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon half-moon.

Imagine a strawberry margarita. Now imagine it a bit more complex and rich. There you go.

No-Name Sour

March 24, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Laird's Applejack
meyer lemon juice
quince syrup
cinnamon bitters

Shake and strain into a collins glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

This was a delicious no-brainer. Boozy and tart!

Black Sand

February 9, 2010

Eagle Rare bourbon
Punt e Mes
Nocino della Cristina walnut liqueur
lemon juice
tangerine juice

Shake, then fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

A tasty little twist on the ol' Blood and Sand. Sort of...

Creole Lady

January 27, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Blandy's madiera
Small Hand Foods grenadine
Angostura orange bitters

Stir ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with brandied raisins.

This one is a classic pulled from Mr. Boston Official Bartender's guide. Gotta love a cocktail with only a few ingredients that tastes so balanced.

B-Line

January 14, 2010

Bulleit bourbon
Lillet
honey
bergamot juice
angostura orange bitters

Shake with a chunk of orange in the shaker. Fine strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist.

A tasty variation of our old favorite, Third Rail. Love the bergamot!

Up To Date Cocktail

January 10, 2010

Buffalo Trace bourbon
oloroso sherry
lime juice
sugar
large orange chunk
Angostura bitters

Muddle the orange, sugar and bitters. Combine ingredients, shake, and fine-strain into an ice-filled bucket. Garnish with an orange ribbon.

This is our take on a Savoy Cocktail Book drink. Theirs is served up and has Grand Marnier instead of the fresh muddled orange.

Orangutan

January 6, 2010

Bulleit bourbon
Cinzano sweet vermouth
persimmon puree
lemon juice
cinnamon bitters

Shake and fine-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange ribbon.

Persimmons can be tough to muddle because they have to be almost too ripe to handle. We made a puree (with a little lemon juice), and ta-dah! Great viscosity and richness.

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.

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!

Derby 2

October 26, 2009

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
orange curacao
lime juice

Shake ingredients and serve up. Garnish with a lone, freshly spanked mint leaf.

This is an easy-drinking variation on the classic Derby, which is simply bourbon, Benedictine and bitters. The original has a Manhattan-ish quality, whereas this one is decidedly more Sidecar-esque.

Black Sand

October 4, 2009

Bulleit bourbon
Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
Campari
blackberries
orange juice

Muddle blackberries, combine ingredients, shake, fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

This tasty little number is a variation of the ol' Blood & Sand cocktail.

The Rolling Stone

September 28, 2009

Woodford Reserve bourbon
lemon
apple
ginger
brown sugar

Muddle apple & ginger, combine ingredients, shake and fine strain into a bucket. Garnish half the rim with smoked salt.

Smoky, spicy goodness!

Pomme Pomme

September 27, 2009

Bulleit bourbon
Aberlour single malt scotch
Bates & Schmitt apple cider syrup
Dubonnet
Summerfeld apple
lemon
ginger

Muddle apple and ginger. Combine ingredients, shake, and strain into an ice-filled bucket. Garnish with a slice of ginger.

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients here. But the results are damn good! Spicy-crisp sweetness and smoky heat add up to a perfect fall cocktail. Look for it on the list soon!

Sidewinder

September 23, 2009

George Dickel Tennessee whiskey
Kubler absinthe
lemon juice
egg white
Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Combine and dry shake. Add ice and shake some more. Fine strain into a chilled rocks glass and garnish with a chip of lemon.

This is a slight variation on the Savoy Cocktail Book's "Rattlesnake". We used more absinthe and added the bitters to add complexity. Look for a version of this on the fall cocktail menu!

Pocket Jacks

September 5, 2009

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Nonino Amaro
apple cider
lemon
Regan's orange bitters

Combine ingredients, shake and strain into a collins glass. Garnish with a lemon ribbon.

In Texas Hold 'em, never overplay pocket jacks. They are certainly worth a good preflop raise, but if you see an ace, queen or king on the flop, better watch your step. Remember: Many players will call pre-flop with an ace-rag, and if they connect, you better chuck those hooks.

Oh, sorry. This was meant for my poker blog. The drink was pretty tasty, though.

The Buffalo

August 2, 2009

Buffalo Trace bourbon
Punt e Mes sweet vermouth
Blandy's madiera
orange juice

Shake, fine strain and serve up. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

A delicious variation of the Manhattan.