Mixing Up the Left Coast, week 7

One of our favorite bartenders that we wish we could visit more often is San Francisco’s Kevin Diedrich. You might have seen him on Bar Stars recently. He truly comes up with some extraordinary flavor combinations in these two recipes.

Blueberry Nights

1 ¾ oz Plymouth gin

¾ oz Dimmi liqueur

½ oz lemon juice

4 to 5 fresh blueberries

1 large sprig of fresh lavender or 1/8 dry lavender

Wide lemon twist (garnish)

Shake all ingredients over ice, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with lemon twist.

The aroma speaks strongly of gin and lemon. Although the recipe does not call for it we recommend double staining this cocktail due to the lavender. The flavor was mostly of gin with a hint of lemon, the freshness of blueberries and a tiny hint of lavender. It was surprisingly light and fresh, even though the fruit and floral weren’t strong. The second time we tried muddling the berries and lavender and it added extra flavor to the drink. The aroma featured more of the Dimmi liqueur and blueberries. It was very balanced, tart lemon, with a sweet herbalness from the lavender. I wish we had had a chance to make this with fresh lavender. What a surprising and excellent drink!

In 2 Deep

1 ½ oz Partida reposado tequila

¾ oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

½ oz Punt e Mes

1 bar spoon Frenet Branca

2 dashes orange bitters

Wide orange twist (garnish)

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a small cocktail glass. Garnish with the wide orange twist.

The herbalness of the Fernet and a little orange were the outstanding aromas. This full bodied drink has a mellow mouth feel, and lots going on. There is the orange, ginger, herbaceous-ness, but is also very well balanced. The second time we made this there was more tequila flavor mixed with the oranges, less canton, but still the warmth and sweetness of the Punt e Mes that ended in the mintiness of the Frenet. There are mountains of flavor here and it gob smacks you with the first sip. Amazing!

Mixing Up the Left Coast, week 6

This week we tested the recipes from San Francisco bartender Duggan McDonnell. Both drinks call for Serrano chili peppers, so beware. We found some spicy ones and they were wonderfully hot and flavorful!

Laughing Buddha

3 small pieces of fresh ginger

1 thin slice of Serrano chili pepper

2 oz Hanger One Buddha’s Hand Vodka

1 oz lime juice

½ oz Five Spice-Infused Agave Nectar

Barrit’s Ginger Beer

Cucumber wedge (garnish)

Ginger slice (garnish)

Muddle the ginger and chili pepper in a tempered glass. Add the remaining ingredients, except the ginger beer, with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a high ball filled with crushed ice while simultaneously pouring ginger beer to fill the glass. Garnish with cucumber and ginger slice.

For this cocktail we used Reed’s Ginger Beer since we could not find Barrit’s. Also, the Five Spice-Infused Agave Nectar recipe can be found at the end of Left Coast Libations, do not attempt to make your own with powdered Five Spice. The recipe calls for specific whole spices and really makes this cocktail unique. The aromas consist of cucumber and ginger from the garnish, we really didn’t get much smell from the cocktail itself. The flavor is spicy, sour, with a hint of sweetness and good ginger flavor. Sipping from the glass brings out more of a peppery, ginger and lemon flavor from the Vodka. We don’t recommend a straw for this cocktail. The second time around this cocktail was a little bit more vibrant and a little less warm. It is a delicious summer drink, and is well on its way to being our favorite of the book. Excellent!

The Misdemeanor

2 pieces diced pineapple

1 thin slice of Serrano chili pepper

½ oz agave nectar

2 oz Partida blanco tequila

1 oz lime juice

½ oz green Chartreuse

Muddle the pineapple, chili pepper, and agave nectar in a tempered mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients, ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a highball glass half filled with crushed ice.

This is another drink light on aromas. Initially the pepper really came through on this cocktail, but not much else came through because it was too strong. The pineapple and Chartreuse seemed to be absent from this flavors. The flavor profile really changed when we added a straw. The drink went to a whole new place with this addition. It was much more balanced. There seemed to be some savory flavor missing with the tequila. It really makes me wish that there was an herbaceous flavor like sage to compliment the tequila.

Mixing Upw the Left Coast, week 5

This week’s challenges were the cocktail creations of Lane Ford from San Francisco. They made us really want to have them straight from the man himself. If you have the opportunity to get drink from Lane we heartily recommend it.

 

The No. 4

2oz Reposado tequila

¾ oz lemon juice

¾ oz grapefruit syrup

½ oz egg white

2 dashes absinthe

Grapefruit peel (garnish)

Dry shake all ingredients, add ice and then shake again. Double strain all into coupe and garnish with grapefruit peel. For this cocktail we used Partida Reposado tequila and St. George’s Absinthe Vert. You can find the grapefruit syrup recipe at the end of Left Coast Libations.

The aroma of this cocktail is strongly of the tequila, a hint of absinth with a hint of floral, like freesia. The absinthe comes though in the flavor, mixing well with the tequila and ending with a bit of citrus. Again, the double strain gave it a great mouth feel and the egg white had a creaminess and freshness that is fantastic. The second time we made this we squeezed the grapefruit peel more directly or vigorously across the top of the cocktail. This made the scent and flavor more balanced with the other ingredients and brought out the fresh florals and cucumber from the tequila and egg white. It’s a very refreshing, well balanced drink.

The Arrack Sour

1 ½ oz Batavia Arrack

¾ oz lemon juice

½ oz maraschino liqueur

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz egg white

2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Lemon twist (garnish)

Dry shake all ingredients then add ice and shake again. Double strain the drink into coupe and garnish with the lemon twist. For this cocktail we used Batavia Arrack Von Ostro and Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. We made our own simple syrup and you can find the recipe at the end of Left Coast Libations.

The aroma is of a slight spiciness from the arrack and Peychaud’s bitters, with a light cherry scent from the maraschino. The flavor is a strong blend of the Batavia and the maraschino with a slight saltiness from the egg whites. It has a lovely creamy mouth feel and a blush color that is very pleasant. The second time we made it we were a little less vigorous with our dashes. It came out dryer and better all around. We also noticed variation in the eggs which made the mouth feel and saltiness the second time round smoother and lighter. This is a new favorite and will be on our home bar list. Delish!

Mixing Up the Left Coast, week 4

 This week we are featuring Kelly Swenson out of Portland, OR.

The Celeriac
2 oz Gin
3/4 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz 2:1 simple syrup
4 dashes of the Bitter Truth Celery Bitters
1 egg white

Dry shake all ingredients together, then add ice and shake again. Double strain contents into a cocktail glass or champagne coupe. It's highly recommended to then spritz the top of the cocktail with a Misto Pump of the Celery Bitters. Otherwise, just serve.

We did mist the top of the cocktail with the Celery Bitters and found that it really added to the overall aroma of the cocktail. However, there is such a thing as over spritzing, which we did with our first go around on the Celeriac. The aroma of the bitters is of celery leaf, which really brought out the subtlety of the lemon and egg white. The flavor, however, was very herbal because of the over spritzing. The pineapple was forward but balanced the gin and hid the lemon flavor. It has a great creamy mouth feel thanks to the egg white and double straining. This cocktail finished with a hint of lemon and a strong celery leaf aftertaste. The second time we made this cocktail we spritzed the drink less and it was even better. There was still an aroma of celery but the lemon and gin were much more present. The flavor was also much more balanced between the lemon, gin, bitters and pineapple. It is a light, refreshing drink and perfect for a warm spring evening!

Toto
3/4 oz El Jimador Reposado tequila
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Cynar
Lemon twist (garnish)

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The aroma of this cocktail is lightly lemony, crisp with hint of herbals from the amaro. The taste is of the warm honeyed flavor of chartreuse with a hint of astringent-ness from the Cynar a the end. It has a lovely mouth feel and surprisingly light tequila flavor. The subsequent times we made this there was a slightly stronger tequila flavor, but it was so well balanced that anyone (even those self proclaimed tequila intolerant) could appreciate this cocktail. It was so mellow and multi-layered that someone thought this had a gin like Plymouth or Hendrick's in it instead of tequila.

Simplicity can speak volumes! By allowing the Chartreuse, Cynar and tequila to speak for themselves Kelly was able to create a far more complex drink than some 15 ingredient behemoths. There is a lot to be said about a three component cocktail. I was impressed and this was a hit.

Mixing Up the Left Coast, week 3

This week we decided to bring it home. After a great spring break vacation, we wanted a little taste of home. For the Gindicate, nothing says home like the fantastic bartenders at the Smugglers Cove in San Francisco. Luckily for us, Marco Dionysos is featured with two delicious cocktail recipes. 

Chartreuse Swizzle

1 ¼ oz green Chartreuse

½ oz John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum

1 oz pineapple juice

Juice of ½ lime

Lime wheel (garnish)

Sprig of mint (garnish)

Swizzle ingredients with crushed ice until tall glass frosts over. Or shake with ice and strain over crushed ice, tall glass will frost over. Garnish with lime wheel and activated (smacked) mint.

The scent of this cocktail is very tropical thanks to the pineapple, falernum and mint. It was like being in a tiki bar or a relaxing beach in Hawaii. The flavor was light on the beguiling herbs of chartreuse and a lot of pineapple when sipped from the glass. When sipped through a straw the mint scent was diminished, but the refreshing herbacity of the chartreuse and falernum were more forward and really balanced the drink out. A simple, fresh,  summery drink, what’s not to like?!

English Breakfast

1 ½ oz Earl Grey Tea infused No. 209 gin

¾ oz Grand Mariner

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

1 bar spoon orange marmalade

1 egg white

Qi black tea liqueur (garnish)

Dry shake all ingredients, add ice and shake again. Double strain into a port glass and spray top of the drink with Qi black tea liqueur using a misto pump.

The strong overriding scent of this cocktail is of the Qi, which has a smoky woodsy almost Chinese herbal smell, and a heavy cream undertone. This cocktail has a delightfully full mouth fee. The citrus flavors dominate this drink through the Grand Mariner, lemon juice, and marmalade. The bergamot from the Earl Gray tea is vaguely there but it’s mostly hidden. After trying this drink with the original recipe we tried it with reduced marmalade and lighter spray of the Qi in order to bring the other flavors forward. The creaminess of this cocktail became much more prevalent. Once you sip off the Qi foam the other flavors come forward. You get more of the juniper of the gin and the citrus is more balanced due to less marmalade. You still get the lightness of the gin and that made this cocktail really great.

We’re on Spring Break!

We hope to be able to bring you the third week of Mixing Up the Left Coast on time, but since we are going on vacation, here is a taste of our next featured bartender from Left Coast Libations, Marco Dionysos. The recipe was recently published over at Hungry Beast. 

The Arthur

2 oz Beefeater gin

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

¾ oz pineapple juice

½ oz orgeat

2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

brandied cherry (garnish)

Shake all ingredients with ice vigorously. Double strain into a cocktail glass with brandied cherry and gold flake (optional) as garnish.

For this cocktail we used Fee Brothers Orgeat Cordial syrup. The aroma was slight and fleetingly tropical thanks to the orgeat and pineapple acting like falernum. The color of this cocktail is a pale yellow and rose from the Peychaud’s bitters, which contrasts nicely with the brandied cherry. The flavor of this cocktail is sweet, tart, light and refreshing. The pineapple is a mellow strength throughout this drink and there is a little zing at the end thanks to the brandied cherry. The first time we made this we used our Brother B’s homemade brandied cherries from a recipe published Imbibe. We also tried this drink with Luxardo cherries and it wasn’t as flavorful. The drink was virtually identical, except the extra juicy cherries from Brother B added an extra pop of flavor and color. We highly recommend making this drink in anticipation of summer! Yay!

Mixing Up the Left Coast, week 2

This week we are exploring the mixology of Neyah White out of San Francisco, from Left Coast Libations by Tim Munat. Again, we were lucky that we had most of the ingredients in our home bar. We learned a thing or two about Sherry and Fernet Branca from this adventure and they’re now items we will continue to use and enjoy.

606

1 ½ oz genever gin

½ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz Fernet Branca

orange twist (garnish)

Stir all ingredients gently with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The first time we tried this cocktail we went with Genevieve genever and Dolin Rouge vermouth. We found the aroma to have a rich spiciness with a kick of orange. The flavor was complex. There was a flash of sweetness in the beginning leading to a bitter botanical flavor. The Fernet’s boldness then trails into a loamy juniper flavor that has a long lingering finish. It is delightfully multifaceted and created an intriguing and intellectual conversation in seeking out all the layers.

We decided to try this recipe again but this time with Boomsma Oude genever. The aroma was lighter in its spiciness and had a stronger orange scent. The color was also better since Boomsma is naturally straw colored. The genever was more present in the aroma with a woodsy-ness that was very interesting. The flavor was more Fernet forward with an almost minty eucalyptus-ness that was slightly bitter. This was a much more balanced drink throughout. Lots of other flavors step forward because of the aged genever. We found it to be mellower and more enjoyable this way.

Old Bill

1 oz oloroso sherry

½ oz maraschino liqueur

½ oz aged rum

3 dashes orange bitters

Stir all ingredients gently with ice and strain into a small wine glass.

We used Solera 1842 Oloroso VOS Sherry, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and Zacappa XO in both cocktails we made using this recipe. The first time we made it the aroma was very sweet, a little spiciness from the sherry was present but the maraschino seemed to overwhelm the drink. As sweet as it was, this felt like a desert drink.

The second time we made this cocktail we decided to reduce the maraschino by ¼ oz. The aroma was much the same, but the spiciness of the sherry was more present. The flavor was much more balanced. We really got a sense of the complexity of the rum and the spiciness of the sherry. Also, there are more orange notes from the bitters when the maraschino isn’t so forward. This way, it seems like this cocktail isn’t just an after dinner drink.

Mixing up the Left Coast, week 1

For our first installment from Left Coast Libations we decided to start with the drinks of Eric Alperin a bartender out of Los Angeles and the first one in the book. To be honest we chose these drinks because we already had most of the ingredients in our home bar. It turned out to be a very rewarding choice.

 

Smuggler’s Notch

1 brown sugar cube

3 dashes orange bitters

2 oz dark rum

Absinthe or Herbsaint

Orange Twist (garnish)

Muddle brown sugar cube with orange bitters, add rum and ice cubes. Shake and strain into a whiskey glass rinsed with absinthe. Garnish with an orange twist.

We had a more difficult time finding brown sugar cubes than we expected but finally found them at Cost Plus of all places. We used Angostura Orange Bitters, Appleton Estate Reserve rum, and St. George Absinthe Vert. The first time we mixed this drink up, the absinthe aroma was a little too strong due to how high we rinsed the glass with the absinthe. The 2^nd time had a much lighter floral nose. We noticed the absinthe and bitters with a little bit of the water made this drink dryer, cutting the sweetness of the rum. It is a surprisingly complex drink considering there are so few ingredients. There was an interesting black tea nose, which is a huge contrast to the donut crumb scent of the sugar and orange bitters. This was a slow sipping drink that has a smoothness, depth and greater richness than just sipping rum.

Kingsbury

½ oz Campari

½ oz Dolin vermouth

½ oz Licor 43

½ oz lime juice

Prosecco

Cucumber spear (garnish)

Combine the Campari, Dolin, Licor 43, and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake softly for 5 seconds and strain into champagne flute. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a cucumber spear.

We used Dolin Dry Vermouth and Casalnova Prosecco in this drink. The 1^st time we made this it was a surprisingly fruity drink, considering the dryness of the brut and the tartness of Campari. This is probably due to the Licor 43, which we call MSG for alcohol, which pairs well with Campari. I almost liked the drink more without the Prosecco! The 2^nd time we made the drink the cucumber was more forward which made the drink dryer and more balanced. This drink has a nice play between the sweet, tart, and touches of dryness. Yum! It is a perfect spring and summer drink. We look forward to making this again and again.

Mixing Up the Left Coast

We apologize for not keeping the blog more active. To remedy that we have given ourselves  a mission: make all of the cocktails in Left Coast Libations and post about it here. We are inspired in this endeavor by Erik Ellestad of the Underhill-Lounge blog who is blogging his way through The Savoy Cocktail Book. A much bigger task than our proposed undertaking.

For those unfamiliar with it, Left Coast Libations is a book of cocktail recipies and profiles of top bartenders of the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Each bartender has two cocktail recipes featured. If you like cocktail books we highly recommend picking this one up.

Our plan is to pick one bartender each week and make both of their cocktails. We will jump around a bit rather than going straight through the book. This is mostly for logistical purposes, allowing us more tome to gather and in many case make ingredients.

We are excited to get started, so check back soon for our first installment, Eric Alpern.

Hot Buttered Rum

We found this recipe for Butter Batter, created by Kasy Fitch, bartender at Zig Zag Café. We usually use tiny Japanese winter ceramic mugs and therefore the recipe below is our take on the correct proportions.

2 oz. rum
4 oz. hot water
4 Tbsp. butter batter
ground cinnamon to top

Making the drink is simple. Add batter and rum to the bottom of mug and add hot water. Stir gently but thoroughly. Garnish with ground cinnamon. The best part of this cocktail is the butter batter! Below is the recipe.

Butter Batter
1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 lb. unsalted butter
1 lb. brown sugar
1 lb. powdered sugar
3 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 tsp. ground cinnamon

Several freezer friendly plastic containers

Let ice cream and butter soften to room temperature. Add all ingredients and combine using mixer set on medium speed until smooth. Pour mixture into several containers (some for you & your friends). Return batter to freezer and to solidify. This should last at least six months in the freezer. It is excellent as a nonalcoholic drink as well.

Earth Hour

In preparation for Earth Hour 2011 (March 26th at 8:30pm) the Gindicate is reviewing last years plans and dreaming up this years adventures!

Earth Hour 2010 was celebrated with much merriment in the Gindicate. We decided to take that hour to do a little candlelight gin tasting. It lasted far longer than the hour! We tried our 6 gins 3 ways: gin collins, gin & tonic, and traditional martini. We decided to go with a variety of different priced and available gins. The gins we played with that evening were:

• Martin Millers Westbourne
  
• Blue Coat
• No. 209
• New Amsterdam
• DH Krahn
• G'vine Floraison
  

We wanted to make sure that there was consistency in flavor so we used refresh collins mix, Q tonic, and Dolin's vermouth regardless of what might be "better" for the style of gin it was mixed with. We also were very particular with the number of ice cubes and how watered down they would get over time. We take our gin tasting very seriously!

We found that everyone had a different opinion on what worked best, with the different mixer/ingredient. Eventually we will get around to reviewing each gin separately, but just know ... fun was had by all. We hope you enjoy the photos taken with an iPhone using candlelight.

The Gindicate Test Kitchen

Last April we embarked on a new plan/mission: remove our outdated and dysfunctional kitchen. It seemed an easy task, IKEA had software and DIY instructions. What could be better than that? It only took us about 5 months (2 months without a stove) to get everything back in order. Because we were working so hard, doing it all ourselves, we didn’t gain any extra lbs from the fast food we were forced to eat! Also, those two months happened to be during June and July which meant that most meals were grilled.

Our poorly planned late 1940’s mess was refurbished cabinet doors that didn’t open beyond 45 degrees in the 1980’s (seen here without doors):

We demolished all the cabinets and removed the cracked tile flooring (yes, that’s the original window that now looks into the master bedroom addition):

We then laid in new walls and subflooring (some of which was missing under the original cabinets):

We then hand textured the walls with natural sponge and painted. Later laying in laminate flooring:

By this time (which is about June 2010) we have received our shipment of IKEA furniture. On the new flooring and a little padding we built all our cabinets:

There were a few setbacks in hanging the cabinets, but we were able to get it all together in the end! The countertops and sink went in smoothly:

We then put all the cabinet doors and handles on. The IKEA system is really easy, it went on in a few hours:

What ended up being the most difficult and rewarding part was tiling. We had ordered handmade clay tiles from Tiere y Fuego in San Diego. Being handmade made a huge difference in size and depth, everything was different. Each maker had a different style and I think we got at least two tile-maker’s batches. The colors were rich and vibrant which set off the wall color beautifully!

By the end of July our kitchen was usable, but we still had baseboards, touch up painting, and a fan light to install. All these things were slowly done over August. The main reason this took so long was that we still had day jobs. We worked 2 hours a night on the kitchen and all day Saturday and Sunday. Strangely enough, we have friends that had contractors take longer to complete kitchens for them. We’re grateful to be done and already making delicious food and drinks in our Gindicate Test Kitchen. I hope you will enjoy photos of our creations against the back drop of our DIY adventure.