Alcademics

Category: recipes

  • The Wide World of the Ward Eight

    In my latest column for FineCooking.com, I talk about how the Ward Eight cocktail is everywhere these days. 

    You know how you learn the definition of a word and then suddenly you keep hearing that word everywhere? Over the past month it has been that way with me and the Ward Eight cocktail. 

    I had just finished reading the book Drinking Boston: A History of the City and its Spirits by Stphanie Schorow, in which the author spends a great deal of time discussing this drink and its history. The Ward Eight is the most famous classic cocktail from Boston, supposedly invented at the Locke-Ober restaurant in 1898. 

    In trying to verify the date of the drink's creation, Schorow studies the history of grenadine, the pomegranate syrup used in the drink. It was a new ingredient in America right around this time.

    Coincidentally, I was also studying the history of grenadine on my website. I performed a literature review and drew some conclusions, including the surprising finding that grenadine has been made as an artificially flavored cocktail ingredient forover 100 years!

    In another coincidence, two of my favorite drink writers also decided to look into the Ward Eight in the January 2013 edition of magazines. Historian David Wondrich took a look at the cocktail's history in Imbibe magazine, and writer Wayne Curtis covered the drink in searching for the quintessential New England cocktail in Yankee magazine. 

     

    Ward eightM

    I went to look up a recipe to put on the post on Fine Cooking, and found that the Ward Eight recipe is different in nearly every book. 

    The simplest is just rye, grenadine, and lemon juice. The most complex is those ingredients plus mint, bitters, and simple syrup. 

    So I settled on a common recipe with rye, grenadine, lemon, and orange juice. Get the recipe here.

     

    Related articles
    When Did Grenadine Become an Artificial Ingredient?
    The History of Grenadine Use in Cocktails: Literature Review
    The History of Grenadine Use in Cocktails: Theories and Conclusions
    How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds and Make Grenadine the Easy Way

  • The Sangria Spectrum in Fine Cooking Magazine

    In the June/July issue of Fine Cooking magazine I have a story about sangria.

    Finecookingjunecover

    We kind of rewrote it a bunch of times and now it's mostly a list of tips on how to make a good sangria, but here is the intro.

    Traditional sangria is delicious, but it can also be a bit predictable: a pitcher of red wine with orange liqueur or brandy, slices of citrus, and sometimes a splash of soda for fizz. Recently, though, sangria has been showing up to the party dressed in new shades—pink, white, and even yellow—thanks to a base of rosé, white, or sparkling wine. The fruit accessories have diversified, too. Some recipes call for vibrant peaches or pastel pears, and others boast a rainbow of kiwi, pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries. With so many options, today’s sangria is practically a year-round drink, changing to suit the season and the occasion.

    There are also two sangria recipes. The first is from Kathy Casey, a strawberry-melon sangria in a deep red color.

    Strawberry-melon-sangria-recipe_xlg_lg

    The second is by Kim Haasarud, author of 101 Sangrias. It is a yellowish pineapple-orange sangria with peach vodka and Riesling. 

    Pineapple-orange-sangria-recipe_xlg_lg
    The pictures are better in the print magazine, I promise. 

  • 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. 

     

     

  • 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)

  • The Missing Caipirinha

    Leblon-caipirinhaM_lg I've been writing for Fine Cooking magazine's website for several months now, and realized they don't have a recipe for the Caipirinha online. Shameful. So in my latest post I wrote about the drink, the base spirit cachaca, and some variations. Check it out.

  • Irish Coffee: It’s All in the Cream

    In Ireland a few weeks ago, I had Irish Coffee three times in as many days. Irish Coffee was invented in Ireland and is credited to a bar at the Shannon airport. Then it was recreated in San Francisco at the Buena Vista. Its popularity in the US helped it travel back to Ireland where became popular around the country. 

    At the Chapter One restaurant in Dublin, they have the most elaborate preparation of the Irish Coffee in town. They add Jameson Irish Whiskey and 2 tablespoons brown sugar to a pan and caramelize it for 10 minutes and grate fresh nutmeg on top. They add half the amount of coffee, then light the pan on fire for just a second and blow it out. They add the other half the coffee then pour it into the glass.

    Irish coffee chapter one7M
    Then they add the cream on top. Unlike the other Irish Coffees I've had, the cream was fairly warm as opposed to refrigerator-cold. Most of the fuss of an Irish Coffee seems to be about the cream. I address this in last week's post on FineCooking.com.

    It turns out different countries have conflicting definitions for cream, and even in the US you have to know the difference between "whipped" and "whipping" cream to get it right. 

    The good news is, once you buy the right cream you don't have to whip it very much yourself- just don't stir the coffee first, and pour it over the back of a spoon. More info is in the post here.