Cocktail of the Day

Friday, November 20, 2009

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!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

French 76

November 7, 2009

209 gin
Saint Germain elderflower liqueur
lemon juice
sparkling brut rosé

Shake all but the sparkling wine and fine strain into a champagne flute. Top with brut rosé, and garnish with a brandied cherry.

You guessed it: A spin on the ol' French 75. A pink drink that's a perfect Saturday night aperitif.

The Tutu

November 6, 2009

Flor de Caña 4 year rum
Saint Germain elderflower liqueur
Aperol
lime juice
egg white
Peychaud's bitters

Dry shake, then add ice and shake until the shaker frosts over. Fine strain into a cocktail glass and shake a few drops of Peychaud's on the foam as garnish.

Like a fluffy, upscale daiquiri.

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Apprentice

November 5, 2009

Old Overholt rye whiskey
Drambuie
Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
lemon juice
Peychaud's bitters

Shake it and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a star anise pod.

Layers of complexity in this one, but it still goes down easy!

Western Rose

November 4, 2009

Plymouth gin
Marie Brizard Apry
Noilly Prat dry vermouth
lime juice

Shake it, then fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.

The Savoy Cocktail Book recipe says to use apricot brandy and lemon juice, but we were feeling sassy. This one is surprisingly dry, despite the generous amount of Apry.

The Bee Sting

November 3, 2009

Siete Leguas reposado tequila
Drambuie
Gran Torres orange liqueur
lemon juice
Abbot's bitters

Shake it up and fine strain it into a collins glass. Garnish with a lemon ribbon with three cloves embedded into the zest.

Refreshing yet naughty... just might sting yer ass!!

The Blinker Cocktail

November 1, 2009

Old Overholt rye whiskey
Small Hand Foods raspberry syrup
grapefruit juice

Shake, then fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

This one is a classic taken from Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. Shows how just a few ingredients can make an excellent drink.

The Great Pumpkin

October 31, 2009

Santa Teresa rum
Mandarine Napoleon
Orange slice
pumpkin spice simple syrup

Muddle the orange slice, shake ingredients and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a burnt orange chip.

Happy Halloween!!

Warsaw Mule

October 30, 2009

Zubrowka vodka
apple cider
lime juice
Bundaberg Ginger Beer

Squeeze lime half into a bucket glass and put the spent lime into the glass. Add ice and build the cocktail in the glass. Garnish with a thin apple slice.

A tasty twist on the ol' Moscow Mule, which is vodka, lime and ginger beer.

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!