Rosé-tinted Glasses
Stir with ice and strain into coupe.
Lemon, rose and cinnamon. Yeah, I used rosé which has nothing to do with roses, but I really liked what it leant to the drink over a London Dry.
Plus it gave me a perfect name.
Herb Alpert’s Root Notes
Shake with ice and strain into coupe.
This one started with tequila and pomegranate and grew from there. Orange paired well, and the kümmel and chicory came out of nowhere during experimentation. But it all worked out tastily.
The name came from one of my Name My Cocktail evenings, with Brian Sawyer winning the prize for this gem. The fact that my daughter plays the trumpet and is currently learning some Herb Alpert had nothing to do with the selection.
Complementary, My Dear Watson
Shake with ice and strain into snifter.
I’m always game to mix passion fruit with rum. Lemon is there for the acid, of course, then I added the Chartreuse to play a bit with the herbaceousness of the agricole.
I was stuck a bit for a name. First, because of the rum, I was thinking about A Study in Scarlet, but I really thought the actual color would need to be red in that case. Then I thought about the red (scarlet) and green (Chartreuse), and the fact they were complementary colors, then stuck with the Sherlock theme. Elementary really.
Outrigger Happy
Shake with ice and strain into coupe.
Been a while since I concocted this, so I’ve lost the thread. Looking at the ingredients though I think I was just likely playing with lots of my favorite flavors, and that’s just fine.
I had a little outrigger model I bought in Maui. The name seemed to suit. And it does make me happy.
Full Fathom Five
Stir with ice then strain into coupe.
East India tiki drink. That’s about it. Full Fathom Five translates to Lost at Sea via Shakespeare’s Tempest. Five ingredients (plus bitters), and a template for losing yourself.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Be Bitter
Stir with ice then strain into glass. Garnish with dried lemon.
I wanted a bitter rye drink with lemon. I got one. That’s about it.
The name struck me in an instant and there was no going back.
Watermelon Tartan
Shake with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with watermelon and basil.
Found the Edinburgh Watermelon gin at a duty free and had to pick it up. I don’t think there’s a lot of explanation needed for the mixers as they all make relative sense.
The name of course comes from the origin country of the gin. Wear your colors proudly.
5 to Places
Shake with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with lemon peel.
This has no story. Had the honey syrup. Added lemon. Other stuff to taste, including the Old Tom, which I felt added more character than London Dry.
Drink up. Time to go on.
Benedict Rumberbatch
Shake with ice and strain into glass over cracked ice.
Back to tropical drinks! This was play time with the guava vinegar. I landed on this combination after some experimentation, but mostly it was just what tasted good.
The name was thanks to Shonna Cirone and should require no explanation. It’s elementary.
Farmer in the Dill
Shake with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with dill and carrot strip.
Originally I made this with a specific Midsommar Dill akvavit that unfortunately is no longer produced. On the fortunate side, though, Stockholm Akvavit has a strong dill component so works just as well. To this I added my carrot brandy and thyme liqueur, for I think obvious reasons. Then came lemon for acid and maple syrup for sweetness (bringing to mind maple glazed carrots). To balance with some bitterness I added the Meletti.
I wanted “dill” in the name since that was central to the flavor. I ran through a number of puns and landed on this one as the carrots and thyme recall a farmer’s harvest (maybe thyme? I guess that’s not really a farmer’s crop).
Hi ho the derry-o!
