Make Mine Brown
As the season changes and the warm weather subsides, we give way to our Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts for the comfort of warmer apparel such as corduroy trousers and tweed jackets. Much can be said of what we put into our body as well as on it, hence the switch from the lighter white spirits such as vodka and gin to the richer, more full bodied tipples like whiskey and brandy. Or in other words…the brown stuff.
When we think of Irish Whiskey, we immediately picture a hot, steaming Irish Coffee which is a great warm up in its own right. However, Irish Whiskey is often overlooked when cocktails are being fashioned, which is an unfortunate slight on a wonderfully mixable spirit.
American Whiskey is perhaps the foundation to more great classics that help to take the chill off than any other category. Consisting of Bourbon, Rye and Tennessee whiskies, these fabulous spirits have brought us the Manhattan, Sazerac and the Old Fashioned. Here I am featuring a unique single barrel whiskey from Jack Daniel’s to make my Tennessee Highball.
Tennessee Highball
1½ oz Jack Daniel’ s Single Barrel
1½ oz fresh lemon sour
3 dashes Fee Brother’ s Orange Bitters
1 teaspoon egg white
Chilled dry ginger ale
In an ice filled mixing glass add Jack Daniel‘s, fresh lemon sour, orange bitters and egg white.
Shake, strain into an ice filled old fashioned glass, top with dry ginger ale. Garnish with a slice of orange.
Rum is perhaps the most versatile spirit category when it comes to preparing cocktails. Ranging from light bodied white rums, perfect for summer’s Mojitos, to rich, full-bodied rums, great with tropical fruits and juices, to complex rums with layers of flavor perfect for my Fenberry Cobbler.
FENBERRY COBBLER
2 oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum
1 oz fresh, filtered lemon juice
1 oz honey syrup (1 part honey – 1 part warm water)
1 heaping tablespoon cranberry compote*
In a mixing glass add Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, lemon juice, honey syrup and cranberry compote with cracked ice; shake to blend.
Dump entire contents into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with additional cranberry compote, lemon slices and a mint sprig dusted with powdered sugar.
*TO MAKE CRANBERRY COMPOTE: In a 4 quart sauce pan bring ½ cup each of water & freshly squeezed orange juice with 4 whole Star Anise to a boil. Stir in 1 cup of sugar. Add a 12 ounce bag of cranberries. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, cranberries should pop. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Dump the entire mixture into a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.
CABLE CAR
1½ oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
¾ oz Marie Brizard Orange Curacao
1½ oz fresh lemon sour
In a mixing glass add Captain Morgan, Orange Curacao and fresh lemon sour; shake with ice until well blended.
Strain into a cinnamon and sugar frosted cocktail glass. Garnish with a spiral of orange.
* Fresh lemon sour can easily be made by mixing 2 parts freshly squeezed, filtered lemon juice with 1 part simple syrup.
Legend has it that Harry MacElhone created the Sidecar for an Army Colonel who arrived at his bar in a chauffeur driven sidecar of a motorcycle. He would make the good Colonel his cognac based Sidecar to help warm him from his ride. I created the Cable Car at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room in San Francisco featuring a rich, spiced rum from Puerto Rico. Anyone who has taken a Cable Car ride knows that a little warmth is also appreciated at the end of the journey. Cheers!
Written By: Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist
Visit www.themodernmixologist.com for more
on Tony’s cocktail secrets and products.