Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Cocktails for Stormy Weather



If I wasn't at work today I'd be at home reading, cooking, or perhaps, possibly, drinking.

Mind you, I'm no lush. Far from it, in fact. I've even been called, yes, a teetotaler. But something about nasty weather, be it cold and rainy or hot and stifling, brings out the bartender in me.

At home I might just have a shot of horseradish vodka, but this most delicious libation deserves a writeup of its own - perhaps in April when we celebrate this bitter herb.

In the meantime I'll just have to be satisfied with something made up, or knowing me, from a book. On my desk I have the Savoy Cocktail Book and there are more than a few recipes in here that strike my fancy. How about the De Rigueur Cocktail with whisky and grapefruit, or the Devil's Cocktail with port and vermouth, or even the Orange Bloom cocktail?

And there is always the well-appointed new bar that recently opened in my neck of the woods called, appropriately enough, Weather Up. It's on Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights and although the prices might keep my visits to a minimum, their Brooklyn cocktail - served ice cold and packing a punch - is sure to pull me back in again. That is, of course, when the weather improves.

De Rigueur Cocktail (adapted from the Savoy Cocktail Book by Henry Craddock)
1/2 Whisky
1/4 Grapefruit juice
1/4 Honey
Cracked Ice.

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Devil's Cocktail
1/2 Port
1/2 French (Dry) Vermouth
2 dashes Lemon Juice (or perhaps orange or grapefruit bitters?)

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Orange Bloom Cocktail
1/4 Italian (Sweet) Vermouth
1/4 Cointreau
1/2 Dry Gin

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass and add a cherry.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

These libations sound liberating. Which is appropriate, as I've read that many modern cocktails arose out of the prohibition. The bathtub gin and other vile hooch was masked with syrups, sugars, sodas and juices.

Anonymous said...

you're a bad influence! *hic*