Citrine
Stir with ice and strain into coupe.
This one is an easy one. The Bijou is a favorite of mine. In this case I had the new Drumshanbo orange gin to try. I swapped in mole for the orange bitters then. And scene.
The name is for the orange gemstone, as a variation on the original name (and getting the name/recipe inspiration right this time). Sweet and simple. And tasty.
Not Knowing Is Buddha
Stir with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Here I was playing with another Kristen Kish liqueur, with a sour cherry, licorice and peppercorn profile. I used a Japanese gin base with the yuzu for both sweet and tart, and some added herbal and sweet notes from the vermouth.
The name is a Buddhist variant of the Ignorance Is Bliss idiom, which I thought fitting. Though I’m glad to know this drink.
The Unladen Swallow
Stir with ice and strain into glass.
I had both the yuzu Curacao and coconut rum to play with, and came to this with just a little experimentation, using Cognac as a base and adding some bitter elements.
The name is from the classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail scene with the argument over coconuts, swallows and migration. And yes, they could grip it by the husk.
I’ve Heard It Both Ways
Shake with ice and strain into coupe.
Ritual Sister, a smoked pineapple eue de vie, was a recent acquisition that I was looking to experiment with, and my initial instinct was to go tiki and pair it with rum. The Huana is from the same distiller who produces Kalani coconut liqueur, and presents an interesting sort of pineapple, strawberry, coconut hybrid taste.
The sweetness needed a little warming depth from the falernum, and for tart I chose lime. The two bitters balanced and smoothed things out.
The name is a reference to a running gag that was done on the Psych television show, a show that had another bit where a pineapple was hidden (well, or obviously) in every episode.
C’mon, son! Have you heard about Pluto?
Juniper Fairy
Stir with ice and strain into coupe.
Absinthe! I wanted a cocktail that highlighted absinthe, falling somewhere between a dash in a drink and a traditional absinthe pour, with gin as a base.
I used a French gin in this case, but actually tried a number of gins with equal success. Apricot is a flavor I felt might pair well, and the vermouth lengthens the drink with some additional botanical and wine influence. Add the sugar for additional sweetness, if desired, then finish with the bitters.
I.. can’t recall the exact origin of this name, although I acknowledge it is not very clever. Was I thinking of a play on juniper berry? Did I misread some entries on the the Juniper Tree fairy tale? Was it just late and I just settled for a name? I don’t know. Also, I don’t much care as long as I have this drink in hand.
Terra Mater
Stir with ice and strain into coupe.
I don’t think I’ve ever used sochu, a Japanese spirit distilled from a variety of things like rice, buckwheat or sweet potato, in an original cocktail. In this case, I started with a sweet potato based one I had picked up some time ago in Tokyo.
This really was to play a bit with one of Chef Kristen Kish’s (of Top Chef fame — I’m a bit of a fan) new series of liqueurs. Earth has notes of smoked mushroom and an umami profile. So to this and the sochu I added some tart loganberry for sweetness and some bitter from the Kina. The black walnut bitters just seemed right for balance.
The title just took the name Earth further, with the Latin for Earth Mother, which struck me as appropriate with all of the fruits, nuts and bounties of the earth. I love that human nature historically has pushed us to take all of that and make alcohol. Naturally.
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Shake with ice and strain into glass.
I was gifted some raki from a Turkish colleague, so played with some Greek and Turkish ingredients for this tipple, with apricot, cinnamon and mint. Lots of experimentation to get to the final mix, but I love this end result.
The name of course is from the song, made known to me at least through They Might Be Giants. The city changed hands a few times, so I felt captured the composite of ingredients. Have a drink. Or two. And that’s nobody’s business but the Turks.
Emerald Forest
Stir with ice and strain into coupe.
I had the blue gin and wanted to make some jewel hued concoction., so I added the Yellow Chartreuse to create a shade of green, further modified by the Cocchi and fir brandy. Obviously it wasn’t all for color, as the herbaceousness brought things together, with the bitters taming some of the sweetness.
I honestly don’t know about the name. Emerald always makes me think of green and Oz, but I went with Forest over City due to the brandy. I guess there’s a movie with this same title from the 80s that I don’t remember at all.
Sometimes a drink is just a drink and a name is just a name. And you ask for it by name and drink it for what it is. And it all works out.
Hainuwele
Shake with ice and strain into coupe.
Coconut and mint were the catalyst here. I wanted lots of bitter to counter the sweetness, so went for an amaro in Meletti, bolstered by Angostura. For acid I added the lemon. The Don Q made a nice base, but honestly I took it off my shelf in order to finish the bottle.
The name comes from The Coconut Girl creation myth from Indonesia. It’s a trip, so I encourage you to look it up. But it’s only the coconut reference I was looking for. Google leads you down some fascinating paths. Just have a nice drink in your hand as you go down the rabbit hole.
Il Gioiello
Stir with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with black truffle, if you have it. I did not.
My wife and I recently took our 20th anniversary in Italy, visiting Venice. There I found a truffle store that was offering a truffle gin. This gin on the nose is pure truffle. I fell in love. It is there at the initial taste, but isn’t overwhelming.
The picture here includes a coaster I bought there, a lace doily from Burano, and a mask ornament my parents got me on their previous trip.
The name is Italian for a jewel, which is a translation of Bijou, which is what this cocktail is based on. Truffle Gin here replaces London Dry, with mole bitters also replacing orange bitters.
Aren’t we fancy with our truffle, pig-rooted truffle gin? Saluti!
