Tag Archives: PDT Cocktail Book

  • Weekly Cocktail #10: The Corpse Reviver No. 2

    April 19, 2012

    5 Comments

    Corpse Reviver No. 2

    We are back from tiki-land! This week’s cocktail, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a very tasty drink, but also has some good cocktail history attached to it.

    First, let’s get to the back-story. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is first mentioned in the famous cocktail guide “The Savoy Cocktail Book“. The Savoy Cocktail Book is/was a 1930′s classic cocktail book from the Savoy London Hotel’s legendary bartender, Harry Craddock. It is worth buying as a cocktail recipe book and/or coffee table book. The book has hundreds of old-time cocktail recipes (some great, some happily lost in time), whimsical illustrations and the occasional witty remark from the author. And it is one of these witty remarks that make the Corpse Reviver No. 2 famous in cocktail circles.

    After giving you the recipe for the Corpse Reviver No. 2 (equal parts gin, lemon juice, Lillet, Cointreau and a dash of absinthe), Craddock dryly notes “four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again”. A good line, and one that has been mentioned in just about every cocktail book since, including Gary Regan’s “Joy of Mixology” and one of our faves, Jim Meehan’s “PDT Cocktail Book“.

    The problem is, that many readers may think the drink is only mentioned because of the (just slightly) silly name and witty comment, but in fact, the Corpse Reviver No.2 is a very, very good cocktail- and one worth making on a regular basis. You may also see this drink on the menu at many good cocktail bars, we suggest you give it a try. And if you happen to feel a bit bleary, this drink would certainly live up to its name, it is a bright, balanced and flavorful drink- with more depth than you might expect.

    Continue reading »

  • Weekly Cocktail #10: The Peachfrog

    April 4, 2012

    7 Comments

    And if you immediately thought “Peace Frog” by the Doors, you get a gold star! (And you just gave a likely indication of your age..;-). In any event, our cocktail karma continues to be good. This week’s cocktail is one of our own creations, or I should say, a slight adaptation of an existing cocktail. But I guess that is how the “creative process” works.

    The Peachfrog cocktail is a simple riff on a cocktail called the Leapfrog from Jim Meehan’s PDT Cocktail Book. We have been working through the PDT book, trying cocktails that sound good, and the Leapfrog sounded great. Interestingly, the Leapfrog is an adaptation of an early 20th century cocktail called the Leaping Frog that featured lime juice and apricot brandy. And so it goes, cocktails are a lot like jazz, everything is a new riff on something else.

    As for the Leapfrog, it is a mixture of gin, apricot liqueur (Meehan suggests Rothman and Winter Orchard Apricot), lemon juice, mint and orange bitters. All good stuff, but as it happens, we did not have all of that stuff. Well, necessity is the mother of invention, and we really wanted to try this, or something like it.  Thus a new drink is born. Continue reading »

  • Weekly Cocktail #9: Cameron’s Kick

    March 30, 2012

    66 Comments

    Cameron's Kick Cocktail

    It’s late at night, and I am writing this now because our local barn owl is keeping me up. (No, I don’t know “who”, so shaddup already!..;-) It could be worse, the owl used to scratch around on our roof while eating its prey. Very cool, but also kinda creepy.

    In any event, this week’s cocktail, the Cameron’s Kick, comes from what is rapidly becoming my favorite cocktail book, the “PDT Cocktail Book” by Jim Meehan, with illustrations by Chris Gall. David Wondrich’s “Imbibe” is still my foundation for cocktails, but the “PDT Cocktail Book” almost seems to pick up where Wondrich left off. The PDT cocktail book has over 300 classic and new recipes, notes on ingredients and real insight on how to stock and manage a modern bar. It was clearly a labor of love and passion. Chris Gall’s illustrations add a whimsical touch that reminds you, that while Meehan takes his drinks seriously, cocktails should be fun.

    As for the Cameron’s Kick, all I can say is that our “cocktail karma” has been very good recently, this is another drink that exceeded expectations. I was looking for a cocktail that would use up some of our liquor that was almost done, in this case some Johnny Walker Red and some Bushmills. It turns out that the Cameron’s Kick combines blended scotch, Irish whiskey, lemon juice and Orgeat syrup. In case you are scratching your head, Orgeat is the special “almond-ish” flavor in  a Mai Tai- you may have some in the back of your liquor cabinet or bar right now. If not, Orgeat syrup is cheap and easy to find, go get some and then you can make Mai Tai’s as well, and who doesn’t like a Mai Tai? Continue reading »