23rd December, 2011 | Tags: , , | 14 Comments
 

S.I.P.#6: Cosmopolitan logoОпять зима и очередной S.I.P. Развитие идёт, и, надеюсь, не по кругу. Год назад здесь был консервативный Sidecar. А теперь мы пьём Cosmopolitan – другой век, другие люди, другой коктейль.

Нарушу в этот раз правила и не буду пересказывать версии создания этого коктейля. Это было недавно, и поэтому лично мне такие истории совсем неинтересны, как неинтересна и гламурная слава Космополитена.

По сути, это «барный» коктейль – простой, недорогой и броский. Волей судеб он стал знаковым для коктейльной сцены прошлого десятилетия, и при этом я убеждён, что слава его имеет стопроцентный «вирусный» характер.S.I.P.#6: Cosmopolitan

Космополитен мне кажется неким даунгрейдом Маргариты, который удачно маскирует своё родство фиговым листочком броским колером клюквы. Водка значительно дешевле и доступней текилы. Мало того, нейтральный вкус неароматизированной водки или же невнятный вкус ароматизированной снижает требования к остальным компонентам и исключает риск получить мерзкий вкус носков при удешевлении применяемого в Маргарите базового алкоголя. Дешёвая текила убивает Маргариту, дешёвая водка лишь огрубляет вкус Космополитена. Такой экономически выгодный коктейль не мог не быть придуман.

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20th December, 2011 | Tags: , | 8 Comments
 

Japanese Cocktail – один из немногих напитков, которые Джерри Томас называл коктейлями в своей книге «Bartender’s Guide». К сожалению, пишу это, полагаясь на чужие строки, но тот же автор в ещё одной своей книге «How To Mix Drinks Or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion» также упоминает Japanese Cocktail в разделе «The Cocktail & Crusta».

Как и многие коктейли (или смешанные напитки) той эпохи, Japanese Cocktail крайне прост в части рецепта. Это бренди, щедро подслащённый миндальным сиропом и сдобренный биттером.

Japanese Cocktail

Впрочем, простота обманчива. Воспроизвести аутентичный Japanese Cocktail затруднительно из-за отсутствия упомянутого в рецепте Bogart’s bitters. И даже заменив биттер на привычный Angostura, сложно перестроиться и привыкнуть к этому пряному и сладкому, как карамель, букету.

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6th December, 2011 | Tags: , , | 4 Comments
 

Pago Pago – это столица Американского Самоа, островной территории в Океании. А ещё Pago Pago – это часть тики-культуры, коктейль, который Jeff «Beachbum» Berry обнаружил в одной книге, изданной в 1940 году. Он же и популяризировал своё переложение Pago Pago в собственной книге «Beachbum Berry Remixed». В отличие от ряда стандартных тики, сервированных в громадных бокалах hurricane и керамических тики-кружках на грудах дробленого льда в окружении фруктового салата с кустиком мяты и пляжным зонтиком, Pago Pago скромен и изящен: он подаётся straight up, как есть – безо льда, процеженным в обычный коктейльный бокал с минимальным украшением.

Коктейль «Pago Pago»

Но и это не так важно во всей этой истории. Pago Pago – это пример того, как сочетаются и прекрасно работают вместе далёкие на первый взгляд коктейльные компоненты. Свежий ананас, какао-ликёр и зелёный Шартрёз – такая комбинация нехарактерна для тики-коктейлей. Более того, она вообще необычна.

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2nd November, 2011 | Tags: , , | 4 Comments
 

Last summer was a busy time for me. I’ve planned to produce some homemade infusions and liqueurs and spent a lot of time gathering berries, fruits and herbs, selecting and preparing them and eventually infusing various spirits with selected stuff.

Raspberry infused gin was the first point in my to-do list. I’ve decided it in winter when I’ve enjoyed Clover Club with raspberry syrup time after time. But that’s not the only cocktail where raspberry gin could be used. Many gin-based cocktails and longdrinks definitely benefit from substituting raspberry infused gin for regular one. But the first drink where I’ve started to use my raspberry gin was a punch variation which has been improvised by myself once when I’ve wanted to drink something refreshing and berry-flavoured.

M5 Raspberry Punch

I’ve spontaneously named it M5 Raspberry Punch. M5 is a code for Russian state highway from Moscow to Ural. I was born in a little town near M5 highway, and now we’re constantly driving this route to my parents’ countryside house and back to Moscow. And all berries and fruits I’m using in my DIY projects are from there, by the way.

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31st October, 2011 | Tags: | 3 Comments
 

A little classic this time – Chicago Cocktail. Impressed with French 75 and Ritz Cocktail, I was in mood for emptying another bottle of prosecco. The matter depended only on recipe, and I’ve founded it in The Savoy Cocktail Book.

Who invented the cocktail and why he called it Chicago as the cocktail consists of brandy, curaçao, bitters and sparkling wine. Harry Craddock did not mention so who knows…

Сhicago Cocktail

Anyway, Chicago Cocktail won my sympathy from the very first time when I’ve tried it. True classic, it was simple and delicious – what else do you want to get from a cocktail?

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20th October, 2011 | Tags: , | 10 Comments
 

Funny that the first Tiki drink I write about is not of those famous drinks such as Mai Tai or Zombie. There is more fun because my Tiki season has started when summer comes to the end. Anyway, I’m drinking Tiki cocktails from time to time during last three years but get only just ready for writing about it.

My choice was a bit spontaneous. I was in mood for something exotic when buying two big pink grapefruits in a local store. Juiced, they’ve provided me with a 0.5L bottle of fresh grapefruit juice, and that was a reason for making grapefruit inspired Tiki drink.

The Reverb Crash

So I’ve switched over to The Reverb Crash, a relatively new Tiki cocktail in which grapefruit juice works with passion fruit syrup and rum.

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13th October, 2011 | Tags: | 6 Comments
 

Do you love classic Daiquiri? If you ask me, I’ll answer that I didn’t understand it until I’ve got used to mix there aged Cuban rums only. Cocktails with lime and white rum make me sick, to be honest. Too acid and plain for my taste. A few years later Moscow stores offered too little rum and there were mainly cheap white rums: Cuban pair Varadero and Havana Club and Puerto Rican Bacardi, of course. Later the situation has improved a lot but since those times I dislike «ron blanco».

So now I’m used to take medium-bodied aged Cuban rums when I need to mix Daiquiri. Maybe that’s wrong but the cocktail benefits from strong and distinct rum flavour. Also I’m choosing aged rums when I want to make some fruit twists on classic Daiquiri. And this time I’ve used it in my passion fruit inspired cocktail.

Alizé Daiquiri

Here I’ve used Alizé Gold Passion, a modern liqueur based on Cognac and passion fruit. With Cuban rum, it creates wonderful tropical aroma – fruity, spicy and exotic.

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30th September, 2011 | Tags: , , | 4 Comments
 

Here is the third report about what I was drinking this summer. The first and the second were about Gin Fix and Tom & John Collins respectively. Now the post about Gin Daisy completes a story about gin summer adventures.

Gin Daisy

In my post about Gin Fix I’ve explained in details my vision concerning differences between Gin Fix and Gin Daisy. It’s just an opinion based on some old cocktail books and posts of respected bloggers as well.

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25th September, 2011 | Tags: , , , , | 6 Comments
 

Mixology Monday logo

Mixology Monday monthly online cocktail party is going on and the current event starts on Sunday thanks to Lindsay who hosts it at her Alcohol Alchemy blog.

This time MixMo is about local spirits and Lindsay wants to know what local craft spirits we have here and why we love it:

…pull out your favourite «local» craft spirit (for those of you not in US, what hidden gem from your neck of the woods do you want to give some cocktail press?)…

Well, in the Russian woods we have the only spirit and you are all know it as vodka. Actually samogon (and not vodka) is Russian craft spirit (follow the link and look for «Russia» section). Unfortunately home distilling as well as hand-craft distilleries were illegal in Russia for a long time so now we have only vodka industry alive and growing. I’m aware that cocktail enthusiasts do not love vodka so I opt for vodka infusion.

Various hand-crafted and commercial vodka and samogon infusions are widely spread in Russia.

MxMo LXI: Local Color - Russian Apple Sour

Making infusions in autumn, I’m used to taking Antonovka apples that are in season in late September. Antonovka apple tree is an ancient cultivar that came from Central Russia and probably it appeared as a crossbreed of unknown apple cultivar and wild apple tree. Antonovka apples are very sour at first and bring wonderful and strong nose so it’s used in homemade preserves and traditional culinary. Later the stored apples become a bit sweeter and suitable for eating – usually in December and later.

I’m sure that typical Russian apple flavour will underline local peculiarities of my Antonovka vodka infusion.

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16th September, 2011 | Tags: | 14 Comments
 

Here is another refreshing drink which could be great in summer. Also it will work as welcome drink. But I see it as perfect woman’s drink – fresh, sour and sweet, sparkling and with low alcohol content. And his bright orange colour is one more thing which could attract woman’s eye.

Puccini cocktail

It’s called Puccini, and I’ve learnt about it thanks to Simon Difford’s website.

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