Hanky Panky

My favorite cocktail right now is the Hanky Panky. I remember the first time I had one I was not a huge fan. I have realized that the drink I was served at The Good Knight in Austin, TX was just all wrong. While I do like Fernet Branca, this particular drink had way too much.

After making several at home and having a similar drink at The Tasting Kitchen in Venice (Rotten Scoundrel), It has become my favorite cocktail to make.

Hanky Panky

  • 1.5 oz Gin (I use North Shore #11 or Beefeater 24)
  • 1.5 oz Carpano Antica
  • 1/4 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Two Timer  (my own creation)

  • 1.5 oz Gin (North Shore #11)
  • .75 oz Cocchi American
  • .75 oz Carpano
  • 1 barspoon Fernet Branca

Stir with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

North Shore Gin # 11 is one of my favorite gins. Absolutely delicious!

Published in: on May 23, 2011 at 11:12 am  Leave a Comment  

My Holiday Cocktail

This past Holiday season I was determined to create my own festive cocktail. I had been wanting to get a bottle of St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram for some time, but I wanted to try it first. One evening at The Tasting Kitchen, I asked the bartender if he could make me something with Gin and St. Elizabeth. He ended up making me an Allspice Gimlet with Ransom Old Tom Gin. This drink was pretty good, but not exactly what I had in mind. Now that I had tried the Allspice dram, I knew I enjoyed it and could create a special Holiday cocktail. I already had an idea of what I was going to try!

I started with my favorite spirits- Ransom Old Tom and Carpano Antica and used Jamie Boudreau’s Golden Ratio. My first attempt was just want I wanted. It reminded me of Christmas. As I was enjoying my creation, I decided it needed a name other than “Christmas Cocktail.” My sweet husband said, “how about Studded Noel?” Perfect!

Studded Noel

  • 1.5 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula
  • 1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
  • dash of  Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist and/or brandied cherry.

Published in: on February 9, 2011 at 5:59 pm  Leave a Comment  

Cocktails in Vegas

On a Friday evening, we decided to take a last minute road trip to Las Vegas for CES. We got up way too early on Saturday morning to make the drive. As we were about to walk out the door at 5:30am, I said, “Wait, I better bring my travel bar because I doubt we will be able to find a decent cocktail in Vegas!” I quickly grabbed my travel bar, some gin, sweet vermouth, and a little bottle of scotch. I was lucky to already have a little St. Germaine and Green Chartreuse in there. I can make something tasty with that, so off we went.

While my husband was attending CES, I started researching dinner options. To my surprise, I found several articles about restaurants/bars with great cocktails. I was getting excited, but still apprehensive. After reviewing several websites, I settled on Sage at the Aria Resort after I saw what appeared to be a great cocktail menu online. When I called for reservations, they only had 6:00pm and 9:45 available. I settled for 9:45, but was determined to go a little earlier and hopefully find a seat at the bar (after all, I do enjoy watching what goes into my cocktails).

We arrived at 8:30 and immediately grabbed two seats at the bar. The bartender was not overly friendly, but I was ready for a drink. I started off with their Classic Sage Martini (Ransom Old Tom Gin/Noilly Pratt Vermouth/House Olives) and my husband opted for the Last Word (Miller’s Gin/Luxardo Maraschino/Green Chartreuse). I love Ransom Old Tom Gin and have never tried it with dry vermouth so I was intrigued and we both have always enjoyed The Last Word cocktail. My martini was delicious, but I noticed it was shaken, not stirred. I’m not sure why he chose this method, because it arrived cloudy with foam on top. Still, I enjoyed it. The Last Word was just as I remembered — delightful! So far so good — we were happy with round one.

After chatting with a couple of the bartenders (one was more willing than the other), they let me know they could make what ever I wanted. One also informed me that they were “the top mixologist bar in Vegas!” I wonder where they got that title? For our second round of drinks, I asked if he could make me a Martinez with Ransom Old Tom and Carpano. He pulled out a sheet of paper and said they just had a pre-prohibition party. I noticed he was shaking my cocktail again, hmm? He delivered a pale orange/pink colored drink (I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture) and said, “let me know how this compares to what you make.” Well, it was way different- heavy on the Maraschino and very light on the Carpano. I still enjoyed this rather strange version of my favorite drink. My husband asked how they made their Old Fashioned and was encouraged to try their Sazerac. He seemed to enjoy it as well.

After studying the menu at length, we ended up ordering in three phases. To start off we had the Oyster with Tabasco Sorbet and Tequila Mignonette and the Waygu Beef Tartare with Slow Poached Egg and Crispy Chocolate. We followed with a Yellowtail Crudo with Black Truffles and a Salad of Pears and Shaved Brussel Sprouts. Finally we settled on the Braised Veal Cheeks and the Kobe Skirt Steak for our main dishes. The food was all delicious and well prepared, especially the Veal Cheeks. I admit I was skeptical at first, but I was pleasantly surprised. We were not disappointed with the cocktails or the food!

Published in: on February 2, 2011 at 3:57 pm  Leave a Comment  

Great drinks in LA

We have only lived here since July, so this is just places we have enjoyed so far. I am sure there will be plenty more to add. One of the first places we went to enjoy some cocktails while here looking for a place to live was The Tar Pit. The drinks were fantastic, the atmosphere was fun, and the food was pretty good (the drinks were the best part of the evening). We want to go back again and we will, eventually. There are just too many places to try.

Before we moved to LA, I started a list of restaurants/bars that I wanted to try. That list became a spreadsheet of 70+ places (and I am still adding more). We are slowly making our way through the list.

I am not a big fan of having to drive 30 minutes to enjoy a drink then have to drive back home, so we have been staying pretty close to our house. The Tasting Kitchen has been my favorite place for great cocktails. The food is great as well. The first time we went we had an amazing pasta dish with plums and pork- I still dream about it! The bartenders are friendly and I have enjoyed talking drinks with several of them.

Other places nearby with good cocktails and food:

For my birthday in October, we stayed at the SLS Hotel for 2 nights. With so many places to choose, we had a difficult time. Our first stop was The Roger Room for a pre-dinner cocktail. I loved this place and we should have gone back again, but like I said, too many choices. We had dinner at Comme Ca. While I enjoyed this restaurant, it really did not live up to my expectations. I asked them to make me a Martinez and it was good. I think I just ordered the wrong thing for dinner (it was a special that night- a pork chop sous vide). It was not very good to me- fatty and not much flavor. I made one at home that was better- yes sous vide! I do want to try it again, however.

After dinner we took a cab to the Library Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel. This turned out to be the best and worst decision we made all weekend. First of all, the drinks were amazing and the bartender, Matt, was great. I had read that he was recently named LA’s Best Bartender, and he does live up to that title. He was fun to chat with and he just kept making drinks for us to try. I have no idea how many fabulous cocktails he made  for us and our bill ended up being quite high (and not to mention the fact that this caused my wonderfully sweet husband to end up not being able to enjoy my actual birthday the next day). Wow, they must have been some fine cocktails, but I have to say I do not remember all the details. I do remember a flaming passion fruit in one drink and something infused with mushrooms… What a night… I must go back to try another one (well maybe 2) of his drinks!

Roger Room

Library Bar

Published in: on January 12, 2011 at 1:19 pm  Leave a Comment  

Negroni Variations

Unfortunately, I cannot remember when I had my first Negroni. I guess that means I am getting old. My husband remembers having his first at a hotel in Santa Monica while on a business trip several years ago. He had read about the drink in a magazine and wanted to try one. Apparently, the bartender didn’t even know how to make it and had to call someone for help.

I do remember the first time I had Aperol. It was in Italy on our Honeymoon (June 2009). I fell in love with a lovely drink called a Spritz made with Aperol, Prosecco, soda, and an orange slice. We had so many of these during our 9 wonderful days in Italy. Of course, I brought some back home with us and immediately recreated the drink!

On to the Negroni. I do remember that the first variation I had was at Fino in Austin, TX. They had a drink on the menu called a Blonde Negroni with gin, Lillet Blanc, and Yellow Chartreuse. That was a lovely drink, but only remotely like a Negroni as it was more sweet than bitter. I did enjoy it quite a bit and had more than one. I also had a similar drink at Beechwood in Venice, CA just down the road from where we live now. I cannot remember the name (there goes my memory again), but it was gin, Strega, and dry vermouth. Also quite delicious.

I have tried several Negroni variations at home. I have used Aperol, Cynar, and Gran Classico in place of Campari with great results. My favorite recipe is

Cynthia’s Negroni

  • 1 oz Leopolds Gin
  • 1 0z Carpano
  • 1 oz Aperol

Stir with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

While I love this version with Aperol, I think my new favorite bitter to use in a Negroni is Gran Classico. It is bitter, but more earthy and I like the color better than Campari.

Gran Classico Negroni

  • 1 oz Gin
  • 1 oz Gran Classico (I make mine with 3/4 oz)
  • 1 oz Carpano

Stir with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

I am still trying this recipe with other gins and will update!

Published in: on December 7, 2010 at 10:15 am  Comments (2)  

When I fell in love with Carpano

I stumbled upon Small Hand Foods during a search for cocktail recipes. That’s how I learned about a wonderful liquor store in San Francisco called Cask. I made a quick trip to California last January. I paid a small fortune for 2 tickets to see the Longhorns play in the National Championship game at the Rose Bowl and my sister decided to go with me. That meant I was going to San Fran as well. Great- I get to go watch the Horns and go to a cool liquor store! The store is just around the corner from my brother-in-law’s office, so stopping by was easy. I was in heaven, but how was I going to get a bunch of booze back to Texas?

“We can ship to Texas.” Says the kind lady behind the counter. Wow! So I called my husband to ask if he had any special requests. His response was, “If they have Carpano Antica Formula, that’s what I want!” Yes, they had it but I wasn’t really sure what I was getting. It was in a pretty tin and it looked cool, so I got it and they shipped it to Texas. I also picked up some Small Hand Foods Grenadine, some sort of bitters and I can’t remember what else I left with that day.

The package arrived in Austin a couple of days later and I started looking for recipes after I took one sip of that delicious vermouth. I am pretty sure we made a Manhattan (using the recipe from the book Imbibe) first and then I made a Martinez…. I fell in love with perhaps the best drink ever!

This is the recipe I used for my first Martinez:

  • 2 oz Carpano Antica
  • 1 oz Old Tom Gin
  • 1 bar spoon Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
  • 2 dashes Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

It did not take us long to empty that first bottle of Carpano and I started thinking about where I was going to get another bottle. Surely I can find it in Austin, TX. Yes, I found it at The Austin Wine Merchant just a very short distance from our house. We soon became regular customers until we moved to LA. I miss that store.

Before anyone gets angry- the bottle of Carpano is empty! I keep it in the fridge after I open it!

Published in: on November 12, 2010 at 9:42 pm  Leave a Comment  

Introduction

When I turned 21 my drink of choice was gin and tonic. Sapphire tonic to be exact. At some point I decided gin did not taste good anymore and moved backward to vodka soda. Now I realized it was the awful tonic from a soda gun that was not agreeing with me. Gin and I have found one another again and I have turned into a cocktail snob.

Also a foodie, I have to search for restaurants that at least appear to serve decent cocktails. Most of the time I am disappointed with cocktails at bars and restaurants since I have stared mixing my own at home. However, I have found some wonderful places that serve cocktails to my standards! I will attempt to share cocktail recipes, restaurants and bars that I have enjoyed, as well as a few of my own creations.

Since I did live in Austin, Texas from 1993 until July 2010 this is where I will start. Where I found my love of food and drink:

Published in: on November 11, 2010 at 7:51 am  Leave a Comment