Smoking Saints Cocktail

So its been a long time sense my last post and my first post for MxMo. So here we go!
This months MxMo is absinthe, a increasing favorite of mine. I love the complexity of it. It adds beautiful layers to any cocktail.....if done right. The Sazerac, the Corpse Reviver #2, and the Money Gland are all favorites that when mixed correctly the flavors of the absinthe dance on your tongue. Where those classics are based on subtlety I went a different way with this cocktail. I went complex, not with ingredients but with flavor. I wanted to create a layered cocktail that would take a moment to taste everything. I took some of the more distinctive flavors in the cocktail world and blended them together for what I think a very interesting cocktail.

Starting off with one of the less used spirits in bars today, the base of this cocktail is Sombra Mezcal. This is a well balanced mezcal, it has a really nice smokey characteristic on the front but a nice smooth finish of a good tequila. To combat the big flavor of the mezcal, I brought in one of the newer liquors that has won its way onto many bars shelves, St. Germain. If you haven't had this magical elixir yet, its a very light yet sweet french elderflower liqueur. And for just a touch more complexity I added a few dashes of St. Georges Absinthe Verte. Again, if you've missed out on this one, run out and grab a bottle. Its from St George Distilling which brings you the Hanger 1 line of vodkas. What they did with this absinthe is make a much better representation of a well blended spirit. It still has the rather large anise front but it doesn't end there like some of the more common absinthe's out there. There are many many more layers of flavors from the various herbs used. Then i tie it all together with a little fresh lime juice and a dash of simple syrup, and TaDa! The Smoking Saints Cocktail!

The Smoking Saints Cocktail

1.5 oz Sombra Mezcal
1 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liquor
2 dashes St. George Absinthe Verte
Juice from 1/2 a lime
.5 oz simple syrup.

Add all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Enjoy the smoky goodness.

Thanks to Thinking of Drinking for hosting this month!

Black and Purple

Beer time. One of my "lets start the night off" drinks is a Black and Tan with a exception, its not tan, its purple. Instead of a normal ale like Smithwick's or Harp, I like to use the Harpoon Raspberry UFO. Which leads to a nice malty start with a tart raspberry finish. Its a nice way to start off the night.

Black and Purple

1/2 pint Harpoon Raspberry UFO

1/2 Guinness Stout

Pour the Harpoon into a pint glass, with a Guinness spoon or a tablespoon float the Guinness on top.

Enjoy

Raising the dead!

So our good friend David from DH Krahn Gin stopped by the other night. Which after discussing some of our adventures in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, we decided to have a drink. And one of my favorite drinks that I took away from Tales was the Corpse Reviver #2. This is a classic cocktail dating back to the 1800's which was designed to be more of a morning cocktail. The kind of "hair of the dog" kind of drink. Where one would bring you back from hang over hell. I personally haven't gotten to the point of cocktailing in mid morning, but in the late nights this drink of one of my favorites.

The Corpse Reviver #2

1 oz. DH Krahn Gin

1 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. Lillet Blanc

1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1-3 drops of Absinthe (My favorite being the St. George Absinthe)

Shake off of these ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with a cherry with the stem removed.

When constructing this cocktail make sure to actually measure the ingredients carefully. Its a delicate blend of subtle flavor so eyeballing it will throw off the delicacy of this amazing drink.

I found this and many other amazing classic cocktails in Dr. Cocktail's book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

Cheers All!

Starting Up!

So I'm jumping on the band wagon and starting up my very own cocktail blog. I'll be bloging about my alcohol adventures in cocktails, beer and what ever else tickles my fancy. Hope you enjoy the ride.