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(Dr)Ink Gorilla

Cocktail Friday: Cognac Sazerac

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The Original?

One of my all-time favorite cocktails is the Sazerac, a drink some say was the “original” cocktail, concocted in New Orleans during the 19th Century. This story isn’t quite true, but the Sazerac was definitely one of the first cocktails served–and was so-named for the chief spirit from which it was made, the cognac from Sazerac-du-Forge et fils. When the grape harvest was devastated in Europe by the phylloxera outbreak, cognac became harder to find. In the Americas, fan-favorite rye was substituted to great effect. Part of the name stuck, though, and the drink was forever more immortalized by the name Sazerac.

While the rye version has become my “go-to” drink, I recently had a chance to try a Sazerac made with 1/2 cognac & 1/2 rye and was quite pleased by the results. It was a slightly sweeter drink, but mellow and approachable.

I decided to continue my foray into my favorite cocktail’s French roots, and mixed up a version at home solely with cognac as the base spirit. As much as I love rye, this new/old cognac Sazerac has won a place in my heart. Without the pepperiness of the rye to grab all the attention, I could really taste the herbal notes of the Absinthe beyond the primary anise flavor. I savored this one over a great episode of Mad Men and enjoyed every sip!

So whether you’re looking for a twist on an old favorite, or an alternative to rye (because it isn’t for everyone), you owe it to yourself to try this Classic Sazerac.

Cheers!

Classic Sazerac

  • 1-2 dashes Absinthe, enough to coat your glass (I’m a bit liberal with my dashes)
  • 3oz cognac (suggest drier varieties)
  • 3/4 oz simple syrup
  • dashes of Peychaud’s bitters to taste (3-4 for me!)

Coat your tumbler with the Absinthe. In a separate vessel, add ice, cognac,  simple syrup and bitters. Stir and strain into tumbler. Garnish with a lemon or orange peel, as you prefer.

Recipe adapted from Gary Regan’s Joy of Mixology, adjusted for my tastes. More Sazerac history (and overall guru-like cocktail mastery) can be found at Looka! Chuck Taggart’s awesome food and drink blog. Tell him I sent you.

(Dr)ink Gorilla!

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If you dig back into the archives on my site, you’ll notice that I like to post frequently about cocktails. I’m fascinated by the alchemy of mixology–not just the interplay of aroma and flavor but also the history and artisanal practices of concocting that perfect drink.

I love going out to try new cocktail bars and “speakeasies,” and sample the amazing drinks that the new generation of mixologists are crafting, but a big part of the fun for me is making cocktails at home.

So, expect (Dr)ink Gorilla to be a regular feature in these pages – I’m aiming for a new update every Friday, just in time for the weekend. Come back tomorrow for the Sazerac, one of my personal favorites–but for this version, I go back to the cocktail’s roots.

Cheers!

(dr)Ink Gorilla: 5 Things I Drank.

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Continuing from the previous post, (and with all the similar caveats), here are 5 memorable drinks I enjoyed in 2009.

Blood and Sand Cocktail (Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in San Francisco)

Likely named for the Rudolph Valentino movie about bullfighters, this drink is one of my favorites, though with Scotch as its base spirit, it’s an unusual one. Scotch, Orange Juice, Cherry Heering, Sweet Vermouth.

This was my birthday cocktail this year, and we had a fabulous meal at Absinthe following our drinks.

For those adventurous souls who’d like to try it out, here’s the recipe.

Fernet Cocktail (for Mixology Mondays)

This is a cocktail of my own devising, my entry into Mixology Mondays “Amaro” theme a few months back. I don’t include it here so much for the taste and enjoyment of the cocktail (my feelings are still mixed on using Fernet Branca as an ingredient) but for the process of developing it. I had a blast choosing ingredients, juggling proportions, and in general playing alchemist to find the perfect concoction.

Octomore Whisky from Bruichladdich
Thanks to being a member of a very active whisky-tasting club, I have had the privilege of trying a range of spirits this year, with an emphasis on single-malt scotch. Octomore is billed as one of the peatiest, smokiest beasts around, and it does not fail to deliver. I’m a big fan of the Islay malts, with their strong peat and smoke components, so it was love at first sip with this one.

Sazerac Rye 18-year old

Named as the world’s top whisky by renowned whisky authority Jim Murray (beating out Ardbeg Supernova for the top spot, no less!) this is super smooth stuff, with the pleasant notes of peppery sharpness you expect from rye. Rye seems to be making a comeback — for many years it’s been eclipsed by its cousin bourbon.

Sazerac Cocktail (Rob Roy, Seattle)

I wish that Anu and Zane Apte’s Rob Roy in Seattle was in my neighborhood. In Seattle over the weekend for a class, I slipped into Rob Roy late on a Sunday night and was immediately made right at home by Anu’s warm welcome. She mixed me a Sazerac, a classic New Orleans cocktail that’s hard to find, and even harder to find done right. Anu’s Sazerac was mellow, spicy, and redolent of New Orleans’ old-world charm. Believe me, I was sorely tempted to stay at Rob Roy until closing and then just head right for the airport for my 5 a.m. flight.

A Few more for the Road: 
Ardbeg Supernova (Scotch), Zubrowka-Champagne Cocktail (from our Uzbeki Feast, thanks Chuck!), Vesper Martinis (for our Casino Royale-themed holiday party).

Continuing the Cocktail Kick: The Demeanor & The Scoff Law

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Over the past weekend, Herself and I tried several cocktails we’d never had before.

First up: The Demeanor.

Gin is a favorite in our house, so we’re always looking for new ways to enjoy it beyond the classic Martini. Herself was also looking for a recipe to use some of the creme de violette we have — so far we have only made a variation on the Aviation with it. We’re not big sweet Vermouth drinkers, either, but it’s perfect in this cocktail:

The Demeanor (recipe from the Internet Cocktail Database)

1 oz. gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. creme de violette
1 dash orange bitters

stir in mixing glass with ice and strain
serve in a cocktail glass.

When first mixed, the drink resembles a generous pour of stump water, but don’t let that fool you. Within moments, it clears up an turns a warm caramel color. It’s a mighty good drink, mellow yet herb-y from the gin (we used Tanqueray 10). Definitely one we’ll be adding to the repertoire!

Next: The Scoff Law

I was looking for a fun drink to make with whiskey and grenadine, and I found a recipe for the Scoff Law in Ted Haigh’s Vintage Cocktails. I’m a big fan of a good whiskey sour, and this definitely falls into that flavor profile. Sweet whiskey, tart lemon, smoothing grenadine. And you gotta love the name!

The Scoff Law (recipe from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Cocktails)

1 1/2 oz. rye
1 oz. dry vermouth
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. grenadine

shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
garnish with lemon peel.

I liked the drink, but I think I’ll have to work on the proportions to get it just right for my palate. As mixed, it was a little too tart for me.

Overall, a very successful couple of experiments.
(And speaking of experiments, more Fernet-Branca drinks to come…)
demeanor - end

The Demeanor (left) and the Scoff Law. Cheers!

The Fernet

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I’m playing with cocktails again, this time for an event my friend Chuck is ‘hosting’ online this month — Mixology Monday!


The challenge is make a cocktail with an amaro (that’s a ‘bitter’) liqueur as the star of the drink. Perennially difficult (but great for an over-full stomach) is Fernet-Branca. I’m determined to try and make something quaffable out of this stuff!

I started with a recipe provided by the good folks at the The Internet Cocktail Database (pretty much the first stop in any internet cocktail journey, I think) and found a whole bunch of recipes calling for Fernet-Branca. I decided to start with the basics.

Fernet

The Fernet
(modified from the Cocktail Data Base’s recipe found here)

1 1/4 oz Rye Whiskey (I used Old Overholt)
1 1/4 oz Fernet-Branca
1/2 Barspoon of simple brown syrup*
1 dash Fee Bros. Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Stir with Ice & strain into a cocktail glass.
garnish with a squeezed lemon peel on top

* a simple syrup made with brown sugar instead of the refined stuff. Quite tasty!
I used 1 cup water with 8 oz (dry) of brown sugar. Cooled and strained into a squeeze bottle. It’ll keep for a while in the fridge, but put a spoonful of 100 proof vodka into it, and it will keep for a long time!

So how was the cocktail? I gotta admit, the first few sips didn’t seem much different (or tastier) than a snort straight out of the Fernet-Branca bottle (Herself would like me to remind all of our potential guests that we never drink straight from any of our liquor bottles. Ever.). After a while, though, my palate warmed to the concoction and I began to appreciate the complexities of the stiff herbal bitterness of the Fernet-Branca and the mellow sweetness of the rye and sugar. The last few sips had a wonderful note of lemon from the peel (which had sunk straight to the bottom).

By the end, I was really enjoying this drink, but I don’t think it’s going to become a regular fave except as a kinder way to imbibe some F-B when the overindulged tummy troubles begin…

I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. (It is a pretty drink, though!)