Alcademics

Category: cocktails

  • The Golden Gate 75 Cocktail

    Ggb75_sealI created the Golden Gate 75 cocktail in tribute to the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary. They are doing a whole series of events around the anniversary with a big party on May 27th. 

    I had an idea: Golden Gate 75 is close to French 75. And if we swap out gin and lemon for Campari and orange juice, the color could match the famous "international orange" of the bridge! 

    GG75M
    It took a lot of experimenting to get the color right. I couldn't make it happen with regular orange juice (Campari wants to go pink) but luckily blood oranges had just come into season. It turns out that was the key. So then I talked to the Campari folks and they had it professionally photographed. I got the color pretty close I think. 

    Golden Gate 75
    By Camper English

    2.5 ounces California Sparkling Wine
    1 ounce Campari
    1 ounce Blood Orange Juice (Or substitute regular orange juice)
    .5 ounces Rich Simple Syrup*
    1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6 recommended)
    Orange peel for garnish

    Directions: Blood orange juice helps turn this cocktail a color resembling the Golden Gate Bridge, celebrating its 75th birthday this year. Add Campari, orange juice, simple syrup, and bitters to an ice-filled shaker. Shake and fine strain (to remove any pulp) into a champagne flute or coupe. Top with sparkling wine. Zest the orange peel over the top of the drink and drop the peel in the drink or discard.

    *Rich Simple Syrup: Heat 2 parts sugar to one part water and stir until dissolved. Store covered in the refrigerator between uses. Depending on the sweetness of sparkling wine used, you may use less simple syrup.

    Now, this drink is delicious, but it's not rocket science. There are several recipes I found online for the combination of Campari, sparkling wine, and orange juice, this is just a small adjustment with bitters and simple syrup, and of course using blood orange to make it match the bridge. 

    When I made this at home, I used aspic cutters to make a "75" out of orange peels. But they were pretty big so they kind of sank.

    GG755
    Anyway, I hope you enjoy the drink!

     

  • A South American Sazerac

    Over at FineCooking.com, I posted the recipe for the Sazeru, a version of the Sazerac made with Pisco (from Peru, get it?). 

    Sazeru_M
    I actually made the drink as part of the final exam for the five-day B.A.R. course I took a couple of years ago. We had to create a cocktail with just four ingredients, including garnish. 

    As the only color in the drink comes from Peychaud's Bitters, it has a lovely pink hue. I decided to serve it up rather than on the rocks to show it off. 

    It's important to use an earthy, rather than floral, pisco in the drink. I think you'll like it. 

    Sazeru
    By Camper English

    2 fl. oz. Peruvian Pisco (Quebranta or Acholado)
    .5 fl. oz. Simple Syrup
    1 Barspoon Absinthe (Use a clear brand like Kubler)
    2 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters

    Stir all ingredients with ice until very cold and strain into a cocktail glass. 

     

     

  • Cocktail Predictions for San Francisco

    I wrote this piece on predictions for the Bay Area cocktail scene back in November for The Bold Italic magazine, and it has just gone online. They made it look super snazzy for the web.

    PAGE1
     Predictions include:

    • Shorter cocktail menus
    • Hyper-local cocktail menus
    • More Scott Beattie
    • Cocktail party pop-ups
    • Other cities taking the lead over San Francisco

    Give it a read and let me know what you think! (Especially about that last thing…)

     

     

  • Liquid Smoke in the LA Times Magazine

    I have a story about smoke cocktails in this Sunday's LA Times Magazine. Go read it!

    Liquid smoke

    PHOTO: BARTHOLOMEW COOKE

    Now, you're saying, "Didn't I already read that?" Nope, that would be Robert Simonson's excellent story in the New York Times, which I learned about after mine had already been submitted. We cover pretty much the same material, referencing many of the same people and even including one of the same recipes! Compare and contrast. 

    My story includes recipes by Tim Zohn and Ethan Terry of AQ, San Francisco, Giovanni Martinez of Sadie, Los Angeles, Michael Callahan of 28 HongKong Street, Singapore, Daniel Zacharczuk of Bar/Kitchen Los Angeles, Jacob Grier of Metrovino, Portland, and Sam Ross of Milk and Honey, New York. 

    Liquid Smoke
    By Camper English 

    Between molecular mixology, mezcal, and scotch, the vapor somehow seeped into cocktail glasses. 

    Back at the turn of this century, when we were all obsessed with the Cosmopolitan, smoke was barely a wisp on the cocktail scene. The genre’s only notable drink was the Smoky Martini, which called for gin and the tiniest splash of blended—not actually smoky—scotch. Then menus started to feature a few vintage scotch drinks, like Blood and Sand and Mamie Taylor, with the faintest tendrils of smoke. But as dark spirits became more popular, the time was right for new flavors to accompany them.

    Read the story here.

  • Solid Liquids: The Missing Link Aviation

    SolidLiquidsProjectSquareLogoI haven't created cocktails yet with the dehydrated liqueurs I've been making for the Solid Liquids project, mostly because I figure y'all are don't lack imagination and will find good uses for them.

    But here's a drink I've been hankering to create since the beginning. 

    Missing link aviation3_tn

    The Aviation cocktail was originally made with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and creme de violette liqueur, but at some point in one cocktail book copying from another, they left off that last ingredient. 

    For something like 60 years, the recipe was written incorrectly as the first three ingredients only, even through the beginning of the current classic cocktail revival. Then someone figured out they were missing the creme de violette that turned the drink sky blue and gave the cocktail its name. 

    I wrote about that here. 

    I decided a fun drink would be to create the drink that is the missing link between the wrong and correct recipes, leaving the drinker the option to have it either way. The cocktail has dehydrated creme de violette sugar around the rim, and what's in the glass is the other three ingredients.

    Missing link aviation2_tn

    Missing Link Aviation
    By Camper English 

    2 oz. Gin
    .75 oz. Maraschino Liqueur
    .75 oz. Lemon Juice

    Shake and strain all ingredients into a glass rimmed with Dehydrated Creme de Violette.  

    Missing link aviation6_tn

    It tastes delicious.

     Learn how to dehydrate liqueurs here.

     

    The Solid Liquids Project index is at this link.

     

  • Camper’s Cocktails in Every Day with Rachael Ray

    I have a two-page spread in the November 2011 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. 

    It has a few trends – stuff like fresh ginger and sherry/port in place of vermouth along with some ice cube tricks (recognize that rainbow ice?).

    Rachael ray mag

    Also it has four recipes I developed- a spirit-interchangeble mint buck, a Grapefruit Vesper, a Sparkling Cinnamon Punch, and a port/espresso dessert drink. Nothing ground-breaking but they're all pretty tasty. 

    Run screaming to your local newsstand and pick it up!

  • Happy 60th Birthday, Golden Cadillac Cocktail

    Poor Red's BBQ in the California gold country is famous for the Golden Cadillac, a cocktail created in 1952. Next year will be the drink's 60th birthday.

    It's a combination of Galliano, creme de cacao, and cream, thrown into a blender.

    Poor Red's sells them by the thousands. 

    Golden_Cadillac_1s
    (They don't look this fancy at Poor Red's. Image courtesy of Galliano.)

    As you might imagine, it's not the most… nuanced drink in the world but should you find yourself in El Dorado (located between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe) it's one of those when-in-Rome cocktails. 

    Here's some history of the drink. 

    Poor Reds

    In El Dorado, California exists a bar known as Poor Red’s. Originally constructed as a weigh station for Wells Fargo, it previously operated under the name Kelly’s Bar from 1927 until 1945. Poor Red won the bar in a game of dice, and he and his wife and bookkeeper Rich Opal took it over then.

    The murals currently on the walls of Poor Red’s were installed in the 40s. They are all former employees and patrons, including the dog which used to sit out front. It is rumored his dog ran for office, but he lost.

    People come from all over California to enjoy 2 things at Poor Red’s: great barbeque and their famous Golden Cadillac cocktails.

    The Golden Cadillac

    Sometime in 1951 or 52, a woman and her new fiancé came into Poor Red’s. To celebrate their engagement they decided their very own cocktail should be created in their honor. The couple and long-time bartender Frank Klein decided it should be created to match their newly purchased golden Cadillac. Several recipes were tried, butt he final concoction is still known worldwide as the Golden Cadillac: a cocktail whose success has been credited to the unmatched quality of Bols Crème de Cacao, the clean mountain water that makes up the ice, decades old metal blenders, the perfect measure of half and half, and of course – the unique flavors and golden color of Galliano L’Autentico.

    Since this was written the bar has narrowed its creation date to 1952.

    Galliano recently gave Poor Red's a Golden Cadillac to display indefinitely outside the bar. 

    Golden cadillac car small
    And if you're not in the area any time soon, here is the recipe. 

    Golden Cadillac
    by Frank Klein of Poor Red's BBQ 

    1 oz Galliano L’Autentico
    1 oz Bols White Crème de Cacao liqueur
    1 oz cream
    Dark chocolate shavings

    Shake the ingredients and double strain through a sieve into a small wine glass. Place on a white tray and grate with dark chocolate.

     

  • Cool Factor: Cocktail Coolers in the LA Times Magazine

    For my latest feature in the LA Times Magazine, I asked bartenders from warm-weather cities to share their recipes for cool cocktails.

    The bartenders are Larry Rice from Louisville, Bobby Heugel from Houston, Erik Simpkins from Atlanta, Todd Thrasher from Alexandria, Anthony Schmidt from San Diego, Rhiannon Enlil from New Orleans, and Michael Shearin from Los Angeles.

    Latm coolerss1(Photography by Bartholomew Cooke for LA Times Magazine)

    Cool Factor
    The Dog Days Just Howl for Long, Tall, Cold Libations
    By Camper English 

    Different times of the day, changing atmospheric conditions and succeeding meal courses all call for a specific type of cocktail. But it’s the sweltering days and lasting sunlight of August that compel us to seek coolers replete with ice. We asked some of the America’s best bartenders based in warmer climes for a drink to chill us out, and their picks make use of a variety of methods and flavors to accomplish this task, from shaved ice and coconut milk to cucumbers and mint—even a splash of light beer. Cheers!

    Go here for the recipes!

    Latm coolers2
    (Photography by Bartholomew Cooke for LA Times Magazine)

  • Solid Liquids: Dehydrated Liqueurs on Cocktail Menus

    SolidLiquidsProjectSquareLogoI've spent some time researching powdered/dehydrated liqueurs online to see where and how they've been used. Turns out: all around the world. Below are the few I found. 

    It seems that for the most part these dehydrated liqueurs are used as a powdered rims on cocktail glasses, as garnishes sprinkled on top of egg white drinks, and in one case as  a popcorn flavoring. 

    • Araka in Clayton, Missouri uses Campari powder to rim glasses. 
    • The bar Mea Culpa in Ponsonby, New Zealand, had the following drink on their menu: ANGEL DUST - Cherry & orange macerated Rittenhouse Rye, Liquore Strega, White creme de cacao, Benedictine foam, Campari powder
    • This drink from Josh Pape of Chambar Belgian Restaurant in Vancouver, BC contains toasted cashews, gin, pink grapefruit cordial, sherry, apple juice, egg white, and has Campari powder on the rim. 
    • Eau de Vie in Sydney offered, according to this post, "The Countessa, a reimagined Negroni with Aperol, served up in an exquisite coupe, on the side a half time slice of orange, dusted with Campari powder and caramelized with a blowtorch behind the bar. "
    • Val Stefanov of Ontario, Canada used dehydrated Campari to make Campari cotton candy. 
    • Tom Noviss of Brighton made a Campari powder-rimmed drink with 42BELOW Feijoa vodka, Xante Pear, Avocado, and other ingredients. 
    • Anvil in Texas used dehydrated Campari and Chartreuse crystals. They also used some on popcorn!
    • Callooh Callay in London was using dehydrated Campari in  a version of the Negroni. 
    • Der Raum in Melbourne used it on a tasting menu. 
    • At Elements in Princeton, New Jersey, they make The Skål! Cocktail with akvavit, Pedro Ximénez sherry, dry vermouth, lemon juice, and lingonberry preserves.  Garnished with a rim of dehydrated Chartreuse.

    What other drinks have you seen? Any other liqueurs besides Chartreuse and Campari? 

     For the Solid Liquids Project project index, click on the logo above or follow this link. 

  • World Class Round-Up on DiffordsGuide.com

    I was in New Delhi all last week working both on reporting on the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Finals here on my blog and helping Simon Difford and his (ass-kicking) crew write a special edition of the online magazine and produce the official book that will come out later. Still working on that, actually. 

    Over at DiffordsGuide.com, take a look at the write-ups on:

    • Short bios of all 32 World Class Competing Bartenders
    • The "gurus" and their challenges: Gary Regan, Salvatore Calabrese, Peter Dorelli, Dale DeGroff, and Daniel Estramadoyro. Read here. 
    • Quotes about the winner, Manabu Ohtake. 
    • A few hundred drink recipes.
    • The launch of the new Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle.
    • And a highlight video. 

    Plus there are a few thousand photos to look through in the galleries. Or click on the photo gallery link on the top of DiffordsGuide.com.

    Manabu_Ohtake_6408
    (Winner Manabu Ohtake of Japan. Image by DiffordsGuide)