Cocktail Recipes « Putney Farm

Announcing Mixology Monday LXX: Inverted

February 4, 2013

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Happy Mixology Monday.

Here at Putney Farm we enjoy our cocktails, but we also farm and cook. A while ago, while researching Julia Child’s recipes, we noticed that she was well-known for enjoying “upside-down” or “inverted” Martini’s (God bless her). This is a version of the classic cocktail that swaps the ratios of gin and vermouth, turning the Martini into something of a “long drink”. And if you are cooking for hours at a time (or gardening with a cocktail- something we highly recommend), the Inverted Martini is a very tasty drink.

We wondered if we could apply the same “inverted” approach to Mixology Monday and, at first, didn’t think it would work. But then we asked ourselves, what does “inverted” really mean? Well, here is the definition:

–
1. To turn inside out or upside down
2. To reverse the position, order, or condition of
–

Hmm…it appears that the definition is pretty broad. It seems that “inverted” really just means something “flipped on its head”. And that can mean almost anything, and leaves plenty of room for creativity. So we are going with the “inverted” theme. You can invert the ratios of spirits, liqueurs or bitters in a cocktail, but we suggest you go beyond that and “invert” whatever you want. Spirits, name, ingredients, proof, color, geography, garnish and glassware are all fair game. An apéritif made with Navy-Strength booze? Give it a try. A beer-based cocktail that tastes like champagne? Sure. A clear Manhattan? Worth a shot (and good luck with that). The only thing we expect is the unexpected. Have fun.

–

Here are the particulars:

–
- Find a drink recipe or create one that “inverts” the ingredients or other elements of the cocktail. Write up the recipe and your thoughts about the drink, add a picture or two, and post it on your own blog, Tumblr, or eGullet’s Spirits and Cocktails forum. If you don’t have any other way of posting, you can also email us at stewartbputney (at) gmail (dot) com.
- Include in your post the MxMo logo and a link back to both the Mixology Monday and Putney Farm sites. And once the round-up is posted, a link to that summary post would be most appreciated.
- Get your submission in by February 18th. Any time of day is fine and we are happy to take a few stragglers.
Thanks again to Fred Yarm at Cocktail ~~Virgin~~ Slut for keeping Mixology Monday going.

As for us, we would certainly like to “invert” the outcome of the Super Bowl. Oh well. And here are some more photos. Just because.
Related articles
- Mixology Monday Cocktail: Alone, Bitter at the Beach (putneyfarm.com)
- A Few Christmas Cocktails (putneyfarm.com)
- MIXOLOGY MONDAY IS BACK! Just in time for the Christmas Season! (mysweetwedding.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Cocktail #40: The Bamboo Cocktail (putneyfarm.com)
- New Years Cocktail: Black Velvet (putneyfarm.com)
- Weekly Cocktail #39: Blood On The Adriatic (putneyfarm.com)
- New cocktail recipes don’t make it easy (sfgate.com)
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Entertaining, Musings Tags: Cocktail, Cocktails, cooking, food, Mixology, mixology monday, news, photos, pjotography, recipes
Weekly Cocktail #42: The Kentucky Royale

February 1, 2013

24 Comments
The Kentucky Royale Cocktail.

One of our favorite things about cocktails is that they allow you to “follow the Muse” a bit. For inspiration we look at the bar, read some cocktail books, browse some cocktail websites, shop the farmers market or pick fruit from the orchard. Most of the time we have no idea what’s coming, but we certainly enjoy the ride (mostly, a few drinks have gone down the drain). So while we would call this week’s cocktail a “happy accident”, we have come to expect pleasant surprises at the bar.

The Kentucky Royale is a Manhattan variant that includes Bourbon (Elijah Craig 12), Cherry Heering, Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica), coffee liqueur (Kahlua Especial), Bittermen’s Mole bitters (chocolate bitters) and a cherry garnish. And while this may sound like a bit of a mess, it works beautifully. You get a sweet vanilla and cherry sip from the Bourbon and Cherry Heering, followed by the spice of the Carpano Antica vermouth (good vermouth really helps here) and with slight chocolate and coffee notes at the finish that slightly clean the palate. A very well-balanced sip.

So what do we mean by “balance”? Well, as you may know, we are not big fans of the term. Often “balance” seems to mean “what I like”. But we would define balance in a cocktail this way; you taste hints of all the ingredients and flavors, but the overall flavor of the drink works from beginning to end, nothing extra, nothing wasted. And the Kentucky Royale, even with a wealth of ingredients, certainly fits the definition.

How did we find the recipe? We trusted the Muse. Last week we went to a single barrel Bourbon tasting at our local liquor store, and we left with a few bottles. And while the bottles sat on the bar, we opened Fred Yarm’s cocktail book “Drink and Tell”, we literally opened the book, flipped a few random pages and this was the first bourbon recipe we found. (The recipe comes from the Franklin Southie, a Boston-area bar. They developed the recipe for a bourbon-themed industry event.) We had all the ingredients (even the crazy bitters) so we made this cocktail, and enjoyed another “happy accident”.

The Kentucky Royale:

Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 oz. Bourbon (Elijah Craig 12)
- 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
- 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
- 1 barspoon (1 teaspoon) Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua Especial)
- 2 dashes chocolate bitters (Bittermen’s Xocolatl Mole bitters)
- Brandied or Maraschino cherry for garnish
Assemble:
1. Combine all the liquid ingredients in a cocktail glass or shaker. Stir until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupé. Garnish with the cherry. Serve.
Related articles
- Weekly Cocktail #41: The White Negroni (putneyfarm.com)
- Weekly Cocktail #40: The Bamboo Cocktail (putneyfarm.com)
- Weekly Cocktail #39: Blood On The Adriatic (putneyfarm.com)
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Whiskey / Rye Tags: bourbon, Cocktail, Cocktails, cooking, cuisine, DrinkWire, food, kentucky royale cocktail, Manhattan, photography, photos, recipes

Max’s Mocktail

January 29, 2013

17 Comments
Max’s Mocktail

Truth be told, we mix a lot of drinks and cook a lot of dishes with the blog in mind, but most of the things we make are simply to feed our family and friends. But when they do like something and ask for a recipe, you can be ~~damn~~ sure we are going to post it. Happy faces never get old, and successful dishes and drinks are still hard to come by. If you want the recipe, just ask, we are happy to oblige.

As for this “mocktail”, our eldest son had his friend Max over to work on a school project and play some baseball. After some time outside, our son asked for a mocktail, and if our kid gets one, well, so does his guest. And since we had a bunch of fresh winter citrus available, including blood oranges and Meyer Lemons (two of our favorite ingredients) we figured we could make something the boys would enjoy. And Max liked this enough to want the recipe, so here it is.

Max’s Mocktail combines blood orange juice, lemon juice, falernum syrup, a dash of Rhubarb bitters (optional) and sparkling water. So what’s falernum syrup? Falernum is a sweet West-Indian syrup with flavors of lime, ginger and clove. Falernum is a common tiki-drink ingredient and is a primary flavor in classics like the Jet Pilot and Zombie. You can find falernum syrup in many liquor stores, it is inexpensive and lasts forever. Just don’t confuse falernum syrup with Velvet Falernum, a version that has alcohol and isn’t safe for “mocktails”. We understand that many people won’t have falernum syrup, so we also have a second version of the recipe that subs a dash of lime juice, sugar and ginger ale for the falernum syrup and sparkling water.

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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: Cocktail Recipes, Dessert, From The Garden, Garden and Orchard, Sparklers Tags: blood oranges, Cocktails, cooking, cuisine, DrinkWire, Falernum, food, garden, max's mocktail, Mixology, mocktails, photography, photos, recipes, vegetarian
Weekly Cocktail #41: The White Negroni

January 25, 2013

41 Comments
The White Negroni (the slightly bitter version)

We have a confession to make. We don’t like the “classic” Negroni cocktail very much. We try to like it, but there is just too much Campari along with the gin and sweet vermouth. Too bitter and too “ashy” for our tastes. And no matter how many times we try it, or how many mixologists, magazines and websites tell us it’s the “cool” drink, it just doesn’t take. But happily, we are parents, and very used to being “uncool”. Our lives will continue on without ever gaining a taste for the Negroni.

But we do understand the need for cocktails that include, and even highlight, bitter elements. Right now in cocktail circles (particularly in NYC and San Francisco) bitter flavors are “in”, and it is a somewhat unexplored area of cocktails. But being old enough to see the first microbrewery expansion, and the California wine craze, we can tell you both went into a similar “phase”. Brewers over-hopped everything (sound familiar?) and high-end wine makers and sommeliers started to highlight “green” flavors and acidity (and tried to call it “balance”). We suspect there is a little of “inside-baseball”, “too cool for school-ness” in these trends, and they don’t last (no, they really don’t). But we always keep an open mind and like to try new things. Enter the White Negroni.

The bitter version with Suze.

The White Negroni combines gin, vermouth and/or bitter fortified wine or liqueur. The idea is to have the similar bittersweet flavors of the classic Negroni, but with lighter flavors and colors. And as we like all sorts of gin, dry vermouth and fortified wines, we figured we would have the ingredients to experiment. And we did need a range of ingredients, as there is no single recipe to work from. From the PDT Cocktail Book to Serious Eats to Cocktail Virgin Slut, the recipes abound.

But it turns out there are two basic variants of the White Negroni, the slightly bitter and the very bitter. The main difference is in the strength of one flavor, gentian. Gentian is a very bitter root flavor found in many apéritifs and fortified wines. Some, like Cocchi Americano have just a hint of gentian, some like Suze or Salers are “gentian-bombs“. If you like the classic Negroni, make your White Negroni with Suze or Salers. If you are just experimenting with bitter-flavored cocktails, use the Cocchi Americano (good stuff for many cocktails, btw) in your White Negroni.

We include a version of both recipes, but there is room to experiment. Usually the very bitter recipe includes dry gin, Suze and Lillet blanc to add some sweetness and counteract the very bitter Suze. The slightly bitter recipe includes dry gin, dry vermouth and Cocchi Americano. The very bitter White Negroni with the Suze has beautiful yellow color and strong flavor, and it is just as bitter as a classic Negroni (not as “ashy’). Not really for us, but we have friends who do like it. If you like bitter drinks, you will be very happy. Have at it. Continue reading →
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Gin Tags: Cocktail, Cocktails, cooking, cuisine, DrinkWire, food, Negroni, negroni cocktail, photography, photos, recipes, vegetarian, White Negroni, wine

Weekly Cocktail #40: The Bamboo Cocktail

January 18, 2013

24 Comments
The Bamboo Cocktail

Weekly cocktail time here at the farm, and with another Mixology Monday coming up, we figured we could get a twofer in before the weekend. Firstly, we want to thank Jordan at Chemistry of the Cocktail for hosting this month and Fred Yarm at Cocktail ~~Virgin~~ Slut for keeping the ship afloat. And secondly, here is this month’s theme:

Fortified wines began, in large part, as a way to deal with the difficulties of shipping wine long distances in the holds of sailing ships. Without the rigorous sterilization that is possible today, wines would often spoil en route. However, increasing the alcohol concentration to around 20% ABV was enough to keep them from going off… These wines held an important place in.. punch and have continued on in cocktails proper. [These wines include] sherry, port, and, to a lesser extent, madeira and marsala, all find their way into various mixed drinks… They can play many different roles – from taking the place of vermouths in classic drinks, to providing richness and sweetness in winter tipples, to serving as a base for lighter aperitifs. Whether forgotten classics or new creations, let’s see what you can put together.

Hmmm. Truth be told, we are big fans of port and sherry with food, but have some history of struggling with them in cocktails (we love really good Madeira, but as a treat, and wouldn’t put the really old stuff in cocktails). One of the biggest challenges is the range of fortified wines, styles and producers. Spirits are consistent, fortified wines are most certainly not. Sherry by itself has half a dozen varieties from the bone dry (and almost salty), to the sticky sweet. A cocktail recipe with one type of sherry or port may rock, but be fully gag-inducing with another variety. A high-risk, high-reward ingredient.

Happily, the point of this blog is to try new things and we took it as a challenge to come up with a sherry-based cocktail we liked. And since sherry cocktails are in vogue at the moment, there were plenty of new recipes out there to try with dry sherry. We tried a few that used dry Fino and Amontillado sherries (we will leave them unnamed) and, frankly, thought most were pretty bad, with the woody, saline flavors dominating and none of the nutty flavors we enjoy. Ugh.

So when the newfangled fails, we go back to the classics. And there are few more classic cocktails than the Bamboo cocktail. The Bamboo was created in the 1890’s by Louis Eppinger, the bartender of the Grand Hotel in Yokohama. The Bamboo is an even mix of dry sherry and dry vermouth with two dashes of orange bitters and a light dash of Angostura bitters and a lemon twist. This is an easy drink to make, and with its rich amber color, it certainly is pretty.

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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: Cocktail Recipes Tags: aperitif, bamboo cocktail, classic cocktails, Cocktails, cooking, DrinkWire, food, mixology monday, photography, photos, recipes, sherry, Vermouth
Weekly Cocktail #39: Blood On The Adriatic

January 11, 2013

23 Comments
Blood on the Adriatic.

After the detours of the holidays and Mixology Monday, we now resume our normal weekly cocktail schedule. And we are happily back at “work”. As for this week’s cocktail, it certainly checks a lot of our boxes for how we choose drinks. Seasonal ingredient? Check. Excuse to try a new type of booze? Check. Not too boozy? (it’s January, we’re a bit pickled from the holidays) Check….Oh, and does it tastes really good? Check.

The Blood on the Adriatic combines blood orange juice, Amaro Montenegro and Aperol, shaken and strained into a cocktail glass. It is easy to make, uses the blood oranges that are in season, is barely stronger than a glass of wine, looks beautiful (IMHO)…and packs a lot of complimentary flavors. We based this cocktail off of the Adriatique Cocktail from Jackson Cannon at Boston’s Island Creek Oyster Bar.

Serious Eats wrote this cocktail up a while ago and we loved it, with the sweet, acidic orange juice playing well with the herbal and bitter Amaro and the citrus and rhubarb of the Aperol. But both of us immediately thought the cocktail would be better (at least for us) with the more tart, berry-ish complexity of blood oranges. And we think we were right. The tart, acidic berry flavors add to the sweet orange and balances the bitter notes. This cocktail is very refreshing and has a wonderful aroma. And we will admit that we just love the color.

As for the ingredients, you can find blood oranges in most good produce or farmers markets this time of year. We tend to prefer the deeply colored Moros, but all blood oranges will have that berry-ish flavor. As for Amaro Montenegro, it is a type of Italian “Amari”, a family of bittersweet, herbal liqueurs and digestifs (here is a good intro guide). Amaro Montenegro is one of the more “accessible” Amaro, it is sweeter and less bitter than most, with complex herb and honey notes and only about 25% alcohol. Aperol is basically Campari’s sweeter, lighter, and less bitter, boozy and “ashy” cousin. Aperol has lots of sweet citrus and rhubarb flavor with a bitter finish. Both the Aperol and Montenegro are good introductions to more bitter-flavored cocktail ingredients.

While these may seem like disparate flavors to put in a cocktail, they all share a similarity. Each has sweet notes on its own, but is balanced by another flavor. Blood oranges have the tart berry flavors, Amaro Montenegro has herbal notes and the Aperol adds more fruit and a bitter finish. When you put them together you get a sip that starts with tart, moves to sweet, fruity and herbal and ends with a clean, slightly bitter finish. And for all that flavor, this cocktail is way less than half-strength, so you can have more than one. Good stuff? Check.

Blood On The Adriatic:

Ingredients:
- 1 oz. blood orange juice
- 1 oz. Amaro Montenegro
- 1/2 oz. Aperol
Assemble:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass, coupé or flute. Serve.
Related articles
- Seasonal Sips: Aperol Spritz (o.canada.com)
- Mixology Monday Cocktail: Alone, Bitter at the Beach (putneyfarm.com)
- Ingredient of the week: blood oranges (o.canada.com)
- A Few Christmas Cocktails (putneyfarm.com)
- Averna Amaro Winter Cocktail – The Sicilian Sleigh Ride (manoavino.com)
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, From The Garden, Fruit, Garden and Orchard Tags: Amaro Montenegro, Aperol, art, blood on the adriatic, blood orange, blood orange cocktails, Boston, Cocktails, cooking, DrinkWire, food, Island Creek Oyster Bar., news, photography, photos, recipes