I call this one Scottish Punch:
- 1 part cherry syrup
- 2 parts orange juice
- 3 parts peaty scotch
Shake with ice and pour over rocks. Garnish with a cherry.
Sweet balanced with smoke.
Tag Archives: drinking
Krave’s Smoke Apple Fusion & Giveaway
This is a genius recipe. The good people at Krave Jerky contacted me about this great cocktail recipe they formulated in conjunction with Angry Orchard hard cider. And read through to the end of this post because there’s a limited-time-offer free giveaway attached to this in celebration of National Jerky Day, which is Sunday, June 12th.
What You Need:
- 1.5oz Krave Chili Lime Beef Jerky infused reposado tequila
- 0.5oz cinnamon infused honey syrup
- 0.5oz lime juice
- 4oz Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
- smoked salt
How to Make It:
Tear up a medium sized piece of the beef jerky and add it to the tequila. Let that soak for a while, like 20-30mins, before straining off the tequila. Boom. Just like that you have your jerky-infused tequila. The honey syrup is easier to put together: just add cinnamon to a honey simple syrup if you don’t have the time or patience to let a cinnamon stick soak in the syrup.
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a low ball glass with ice and a smoked salt rim. Garnish with a piece of Krave Chili Lime Beef Jerky.
Giveaway Instructions
Okay so here’s how to enter the giveaway: Simply go to my Facebook page, Twitter feed or Instagram gallery, follow, and use the tag #jerkylove in a comment related to this post or the picture above. Do that so I know that you are actively entering this contest. Pretty simple. Tell your friends to enter, and use the tag on all three of my social media accounts to increase your odds of winning.
On Sunday, June 12th, which is National Jerky Day, I will select a winner at random and first I, and then Krave, will contact you regarding the prize. What’s the prize, you ask? An assortment of Krave jerky as seen below!
Krave is giving away over 25,000 bags of its delicious, artisanal jerky across the US!
Let me tell you: their product is top notch. I’ve sampled pretty much every flavor they offer, and they are all fantastic. You can see my review of all their jerky flavors HERE.
Good luck, drink up, and eat up!!!
Tux-Con 2016
Last year, my buddy and I came up with a concept to rally together NYC’s classiest and most well-dressed folks for a day of martini drinking and fancy-pants conversation. It was a blast!
If you can’t tell, Tux-Con is meant to be NYC’s classy, warm-weather answer to Santa-Con. Think of it like Bruce Wayne throwing a block party / cocktail crawl. This is open invite, so you are all welcome to join us. We are going to start at the Loeb Boat House in Central Park, hit a few other joints along the way with plenty of photos, and then circle back up to possibly end at The Mandarin Oriental. Everything will be within walking distance. The date is this Saturday, April 30th 2016, with a rain date of Saturday, May 14th. Men wear tuxes, black suits, fancy pinstriped attire, etc. Women wear gowns, dresses, etc. If you’re interested, check out the website for updates, or follow us on Facebook. This shit is going to be legit!
Keep an eye out for the invite cards too. We’ll be passing them around any chance we can get.
NYC’s Oldest Joints
New York City can’t really compare with Europe when it comes to old establishments that have been slinging drinks for centuries, but it certainly can hang when it comes to restaurants.
Delmonico’s Steakhouse (94*/100) is rumored to be the world’s very first fine dining restaurant (year 1837). The restaurant, at the time, innovated many dishes that are now well known and popular, like Chicken a’ la King, and Lobster Newberg. They are also the namesake of the “Delmonico” cut of steak, which is typically a boneless rib eye.
Fraunce’s Tavern is a very old joint, dating back to 1762, which is actually now a Revolutionary War museum. It was the location of George Washington’s farewell/presidential address, and later his funeral procession, but it may have shuttered once or twice between then and now.
McSorley’s Old Ale House is NYC’s first Irish bar, and it is a place known for limited options. For example, the clientele was limited to men from 1854 until 1970 when it was forced to allow women into the bar. Their motto was “Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies.” As far as beer goes, you can either have dark beer or light beer. You get two mugs that are mostly filled for the price of one beer, mostly because it is faster to pour two half-assed mugs than it is to properly pour a full mug while waiting for the head to settle. While there, you should man-up and try the liverwurst and onion sandwich. If you’re really feeling manly, spread some of that super spicy dijon mustard onto the bread, which is usually sitting at each table.
Pete’s Tavern is the oldest continuously operating establishment in NYC. It opened in 1864 and has not closed or switched locations since. Great fun things to see in here, like the cash cage:
Old Town, which is just down the street from Pete’s, is one of NYC’s oldest and most awesome bars. It opened in 1892 and has remained relatively unchanged since. The beautiful high tin-patterened ceilings beckon you to a time when things were less technological and more raw. They also put up a pretty solid burger.
Chumley’s – may it rest in peace – was an old speakeasy buried in a Barrow Street courtyard in NYC’s Greenwich Village. While not as old as some other joints on this list (1922), it has great character. Trap doors, hidden stairways and secret hallways allowed for covert gambling and drinking during the Prohibition era. Rumor has it that the term “86” originated when unruly guests were escorted out the second Bedford Street door, which held the address “86 Bedford Street.” The place recently suffered a collapsed wall and has been closed and undergoing repairs ever since. Apparently it will stay closed, however, since neighbors living in the courtyard had been complaining about the noise emanating from the tavern for decades.
Keen’s Steakhouse (96*/100) was established in 1885 as a men only club (an off-shoot of The Lambs Club), but in 1905 a woman (Lillie Langtry) took the establishment to court and won her entry. The bar here is incredible, and the place is famous for having lots of historical memorabilia on the walls, including churchwarden pipes, and for their mutton chop.
White Horse Tavern opened in the west village in 1880 but was known more as a longshoremen’s bar than a literary center until Dylan Thomas and other writers began frequenting it in the 50’s and 60’s. It became a hub of Bohemian culture. It is one of the few major gathering-places for writers and artists from this period that remains open. It has become a popular destination among tourists these days due to that literary history.
Ear Inn was established in 1817 as a housing joint for sailors. Food, beer and whiskey was made on the premises to feed and water the sailors. The bar actually had no name. This “clubhouse” to sailors and longshoremen was simply known as “The Green Door.” Then in 1977, new resident-owners christened the place the Ear Inn. The new name was chosen to avoid the Landmark Commission’s lengthy review of any new sign. The neon BAR sign was painted to read EAR, after the musical Ear Magazine that was published upstairs.
Ginvent Calendar
Drinks by the Dram offers up some amazing holiday gift sets. In particular is their line of advent calendars filled with beautifully crafted glass dram jars of booze. You can choose from whisky, rum, vodka, cognac, tequila, bourbon, absinthe, armagnac, mezcal and gin (original and botanical), along with “premium,” “old” and “rare” versions of some, which contain an even better selection of drams than that which is already inside the standard versions. I can’t praise these guys enough; what they’re doing is ground breaking.
I’ve already chronicled my love of their whisky advent calendars (I’ve tried both the standard and the premium, thanks to my amazing wife), but this year I completed the “ginvent” calendar. On December 1st, my wife gave me this incredible early Christmas gift:
Day 1: Edinburgh Gin – peppery and crisp, florals release when shaken with ice.
Day 2: Filliers Dry Gin 28 – dry, very nice for a martini
Day 3: Hayman’s Old Tom Gin – citrus / sweet lemon botanicals
Day 4: Tarquins Handcrafted Cornish Gin – smooth, medium botanicals
Day 5: Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin – Strong as FUCK – difficult to drink near at room temperature, heavy on the juniper/evergreen flavor and aroma, but shaking this up with ice really tames the flavors into a wonderful cold-sipping gin
Day 6: Two Birds London Dry Gin – really smooth and clean, especially when shaken with ice – my favorite so far.
Day 7: Darnley’s View Gin – nice and smooth, even neat and at room temperature – would be great in a martini, slightly peppery.
Day 8: Dangley’s No. 8 Distilled London Gin – good amount of coriander and lemon peel.
Day 9: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin – tasted of slight bitterness and spice, definitely dry!
Day 10: St. George Terroir Gin – strong flavor and aroma of the woods, tree bark, pine needles and sap.
Day 11: Fifty Pounds Gin – this is my all-time favorite gin, and 11 happens to be my favorite number – its dry, has a little spice to it, super clean and crisp – excellent for either sipping neat or for an ice cold martini.
Day 12: Warner Edwards Harrington Dry Gin – so I guess these gins have brand names like law firm partnership names – this one was clean and crisp after a shake with ice, but I wasn’t crazy about it neat at room temperature.
Day 13: Da Mhile Farmhouse Botanical Gin – fragrant with florals on the nose, generous citrus peel / lemon rind and coriander flavors.
Day 14: Elephant Dry Gin – strong, spiced, very nice for dry martinis.
Day 15: FEW Barrel Aged Gin – amber coloring, like a whisky, with a slight whisky flavor to it from the aging process – fantastic gin!
Day 16: Death’s Door Gin 2011 Harvest – taste was clean, crisp and strong.
Day 17: Pickering’s Gin – tasted smooth, crisp and dry, with a hint of juniper and citrus.
Day 18: Hendrick’s Gin – one of my top choices, this is a dry gin that’s excellent for a high quality martini. Unfortunately I let a few days build up so my photo here is from a catch-up day of several gins. And no, I’m not a pussy. I was busy drinking other shit on those missed days.
Day 19: Dodd’s Gin (The London Distillery Company) – taste is heavy with juniper and pine, but not overpoweringly strong in the alcohol bite. Drink with ice or cold.
Day 20: Whitley Neill Handcrafted Dry Gin – this stuff is fantastic. I first became aware of this gin at a bar show in the Javitz Center a while back when I first started drinking gin. It has unique flavorings inspired by African botanicals like gooseberry, cassia bark, angelica root, florentine iris and baobab fruit, as well as the standard coriander, lemon peel, orange peel and juniper berries. The silhouette of a grand baobab tree is actually on the label as their logo. This gin is a surprisingly refreshing new take on the standard style London dry gin. Drink neat if you like!
Day 21: Pinkster Gin – the gin actually has a slight pink hue to it, as you can somewhat see in the image above. It’s really light, at 37.5% alcohol, but with a spicy kick. I drank it neat at room temperature, but I imagine it would be great cold, on the rocks, in a martini or in a mixed drink.
Day 22: Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s Bathtub Gin – crisp and dry, very nice when taken cold, shaken with ice. Somewhat like a good Beefeater or Hendricks.
Day 23: Citadelle Gin – flavor comes with a nice black peppercorn hit, but with a nice scent of lemon peel on the nose. I enjoyed this neat, at room temperature.
Day 24: Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin – tasted more botanical and bitter than I expected, but the scent was a pleasant citrus lemon. Much better, and more mild, when shaken with ice.
Winter is Coming
It’s really simple:
- 1 part Amaretto
- 1 part Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Whiskey
- 1 part Kahlua
Shake up with ice and pour over some rocks. It starts out looking cloudy and light brown, but then it darkens up as it settles. A riff on this if it is too strong is to mix in a little bit of milk, but then the whole dynamic changes.
These were a smash hit on Thanksgiving. I must’ve made a half dozen of them for family members that took a sip of mine and then wanted their own. To me, it tasted like liquid brown sugar. My sister said it tasted like chocolate covered black cherries. My wife said it was a very “Fall/Autumn” drink.
Sweet Cactus
Adding to my repertoire of cocktails made with aloe drink, I went a little deeper into that family of aloe/cactus plant lineage with this mezcal-based drink:
- 1 part aged mezcal
- 2 parts aloe drink
- 1 teapoon agave syrup
- 1 packet of sugar in the raw
- a squirt of lime juice
Shake with ice, and serve on ice. Very refreshing.
Aloe Guvna
Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying to make a dent in some booze that I haven’t touched for a while in the liquor cabinet. I offered to make my wife a cocktail and she said “surprise me,” so I figured I would concoct something new and unique.
I have a LOT of scotch, so that was the first ingredient I picked. I took the lemon juice out, and grabbed a packet of sugar in the raw. But it needed something else. I opened the fridge and saw some aloe drinks. Perfect! It has a lychee-ish, grape-ish, elderflower-ish flavor to it, and a bit sweet but refreshing at the same time.
So I threw one part scotch, two or three parts aloe drink, lemon juice and sugar into the shaker with some ice and went to work shakin’ that shit. The result was a foggy yellow colored drink that was absolutely incredible!
Strong, sweet, refreshing and unique. You can swap the lemon for lime if you want, and you could add a dash of spicy ginger beer if you have it, or perhaps a splash of cherry juice. I garnished with a cherry.
