Lindeman’s Lambic Review

For Christmas this year, some friends got us a couple bottles of Lindeman’s Lambicwhich we’ve been saving for a special occasion, or for a slow week here on IPTB. We’ve been pretty focused on cocktails and recipes lately, so it seems to me that a beer review is in order.

Lindeman's Lambic

Guest Post: In Defense of Delicious

Today’s post was written by Aaron Crandall, librarian, scientist, occasional bartender, and friend of the boozehounds.

I am, by many accounts, an odd duck. I have had pseudo-theological discussions which theorized the Kool-Aid man as a symbolic Christ figure in a fight with the Planters Peanut mascot, made armor out of fence wire, and have the words “Don’t Panic” tattooed in large, friendly letters on the inside of my biceps. But while these things have on occasion earned me strange looks and lost me the respect of some normal (read: boring) human beings, in my time spent at college bars I have earned the most grief due to my fondness for that most abhorred beverage:

The “girly” drink.

Aaron Crandall: mad scientist and advocate for girly drinks

Post #100: the Century Cocktail

Holy crap you guys! We have officially reached our 100th post. It’s a small milestone to be sure, but I’ll take any excuse to pour a celebratory tipple. To mark the occasion we thought it’d be appropriate to invent an IPTB original cocktail which we have fittingly dubbed the Century. I was actually rather surprised to find that there wasn’t already a drink by that name, but all the better for us. We fiddled with the recipe for a few days and tried a few variations, but it was Shanna that hit upon the winning combination. Those who know us and/or are regular readers won’t be surprised by the ingredient list. The result is a cocktail that’s complex in flavor, but not in execution, and which we think has the merits of a classic.

So let’s raise a toast: May the next 100 posts be even more fun than the first, and may you always drink in good health and better company!

Celebrating 100 posts with a Century Cocktail

Homemade Grenadine

One of the disadvantages of living and drinking under the thumb of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is that if the PLCB doesn’t carry it – short of taking up amateur rum running – you can’t get it. In this case, we’re talking about grenadine. Now it’s not that you can’t get grenadine, you’d actually be hard-pressed to find a PA liquor store that doesn’t stock it, but rather that every PA liquor store has the same grenadine.

Jacquin’s Cordials is a Philadelphia-based producer of bottom-shelf liquors and liqueurs, and the only brand the PLCB carries of several cocktail essentials, not least of which is grenadine. Theoretically, grenadine should be made from pomegranate juice (grenade is French for pomegranate) though even outside of Pennsylvania it can be tough to find a commercial grenadine that still is. These days most grenadine is like Jacquin’s: artificially flavored and over-sugared with so much corn syrup you could probably distill it into bourbon. Much like maraschino liqueur, grenadine is overdue for an artisanal back-to-basics overhaul.

Homemade Grenadine

Mary Pickford

The Mary Pickford, named for the queen of the silent screen, is a bit difficult to pin down. The pineapple juice and grenadine give it sweetness, but it’s held in check by the aromatics of the rum and maraschino liqueur. The result is a balance of flavors that is very interesting, but certainly not for everyone. This recipe makes a rather large cocktail, so feel free to scale it down a bit.

BONUS: Click here to check out a small but charming gallery of Mary Pickford portraits.

4 oz Jamaican rum

2 oz pineapple juice

2 tsp maraschino liqueur

dash of grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker half full of ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mary Pickford

Diplomat

The Diplomat is a bit of an unusual cocktail in that it’s vermouth-based. Vermouth, whether dry or sweet, is a fortified wine as opposed to a distilled spirit like gin, vodka, whiskey, etc. This gives the Diplomat a much lower alcohol content than many other cocktails, which may be a hint at its name.

3 oz dry vermouth

2 oz sweet vermouth

1 tsp maraschino liqueur

4 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass half filled with ice. Stir thoroughly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Diplomat

Jockey Club

This sweeter variation on the Manhattan replaces the traditional bitters with maraschino liqueur making it a nice drink for before or after dinner.

Recipe courtesy of Liquor.com

3 oz bourbon or rye whiskey

2 oz sweet vermouth

1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice and stir all ingredients. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Jockey Club Cocktail

Aviation

One of our new favorite drinks, which makes excellent use of maraschino liqueur, is the Aviation cocktail. Of course it’s new to us, but the Aviation goes back almost a hundred years. The creme de violette is actually optional in this recipe, so don’t fret if you haven’t got any on hand. I like it though, because not only does it add more dimension to the flavor, but it also gives this cocktail a cloudy appearance which is as pretty as it is appropriate.

3 oz gin

1 1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

1/2 oz creme de violette

Combine all ingredients in a shaker half filled with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Aviation Cocktail

Maraschino Liqueur

One of the happy side effects of the recent enthusiasm for classic cocktails is the accompanying enthusiasm for classic cocktail ingredients. In addition to the rise of micro-distilleries producing small-batch gin, whiskey, and vodka, there is increased attention being paid to the other ingredients as well. New brands of bitters like Hella Bitter and The Bitter Truth are popping up every month it seems, and Art in the Age has released Root, Snap, and Rhuby liqueurs (root beer, ginger, and rhubarb flavored, respectively) that are opening new doors for a world of original cocktails. Seeing as maraschino liqueur is one of the great classic cocktail ingredients – once appreciated by rulers and conquerors along with 20th century barmen – it seems only a matter of time before some Brooklyn or San Francisco-based upstart does something creative and wonderful with it. So to beat the rush, let’s cover the basics.

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur - image courtesy of ScientistMcGee

New Year’s Eve 2011: Nomayo

While our previous two cocktails, the French 75 and Scotch Royale are classics, our third and final New Year’s cocktail is a new one. The distinguishing ingredient here is St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, which has only been on the market a few years. Even so, this distinct French import has found its way into a host of fantastic new cocktails, plus the deco-tastic bottle looks great on any bar.

This recipe was pulled directly from the St. Germain website.

1 1/2 oz vodka or gin (we used vodka)

3/4 oz St. Germain

1/2 oz lemon juice

top with champagne

Fill a shaker half full of ice and shake all ingredients except the champagne. Strain into a chilled champagne flute or coupe and top with champagne. Garnish with an orange peel.

The Nomayo