Cocktail-A-Day

The gin martini is a true classic, typically served “up” in a martini glass and with an odd number of olives. Tradition dictates that the number of olives are odd, I don’t know why, but I will find out for later. This particular martini has a twist of lemon. That means the garnish is a lemon peel twisted so that the juices are on the rim of the glass. The peel does add a hint of lemon to the drink. Personally, I feel that the lemon truly complements the gin. The flavor is very subtle in the drink.

Martinis can vary a lot; to break it down a bit: They can be served up or on the rocks. When a martini is served up it is in a martini glass. When a martini is served on the rocks its is served with ice in an old fashioned glass or commonly called a lowball glass. I prefer the drink on the rocks just because I think martini glasses are to hard to manage.

When I post a vodka martini I will talk about the differences of gin and vodka. Until then here is how you make a gin martini:

• 9 parts Gin.
• 1 part dry vermouth.
• Olive or twist of lemon for garnish.

In bartender terms this is 9 counts of gin with a splash of vermouth. The count measuring system is used with quick pours. An article about quick pours will be up in the future.

• To garnish with olives just drop in the olive(s).
• To garnish with a twist of lemon. Take a small piece of lemon peel, Twist it and wipe the peal on the rim of the glass. Then drop the peel into the drink

To fit in a standard martini glass, however, bartenders may vary the recipe slightly. It’s common to find martinis made as follows:

• 1.25oz Gin or Vodka
• .75oz Dry Vermouth

It’s not exactly the 9-count I described earlier, but the taste is similarly remarkable if the bartender is good.

Tags: Cocktail, Lemon, martini, Rocks

We’ve already posted one mojito since we opened our doors, but now we’ve got another one. Mojitos may have originated in the Caribbean, but many commercial restaurants are catching on to their success. As we said in our earlier post on mojitos, they are very refreshing. Also, mint and lime tend to have strong flavors, so you can mix in more rum without noticing a large difference.

One such restaurant chain to catch on to the mojito craze is TGI Friday’s. In this case, they have the “Ultimate Mojito” as well as the “Top Shelf Mojito”. Turns out, they’re both the same drink. Surprise, surprise. I forgot to take a picture, but the mojito appeared in a tall glass in their menu, and came served in a wider cocktail glass. It didn’t change the flavor, but I was expecting a regular glass for it.

Friday’s takes a normal route in making it, using Bacardi Superior rum, real sugarcane, lime, and mint leaves. Unfortunately, the lime and mint flavor comes from a syrup. It would be nice if restaurants didn’t take shortcuts in all their drinks. In any case, the mojito had a great flavor to it. If you’ve got a Friday’s in town (and not a Cuban bar), go get one! What are you waiting for?

Tags: Cocktail, Lime, Mint, Restaurant, Rum

The Holiday shopping season is fast approaching and its getting cold outside. If you are like me, then you are looking for a drink that will take the edge off and warm you up. The Bailey’s Hot chocolate is just that. The drink is warm, chocolaty and sweet.

Bailey’s Irish cream is a sweet liqueur, and at 17% alcohol, it’s not a strong liquor. The flavor is like a sweet dairy cream with a hint of Irish whiskey. It makes a great mixer for cream drinks, and if you are really feeling frisky, its great on the rocks. Hot chocolate, as you may well know, is a great warm chocolaty drink: great for the cold winter months. Together, Bailey’s and hot chocolate is a great winter match.

To mix the drink make the Hot chocolate with half the water and then add in the other half of Baily’s.

• 3 oz water
• 3 oz Baily’s Irish Cream
• 1 packet of hot chocolate mix

Of course, you can also add our favorite garnish to the Bailey’s Hot Chocolate: Marshmellows. Stay warm!

Tags: Cream, Hot, Liqueur

Triumph Brewing Company in Philadelphia is a great micro brewery. Located at 3^rd and Chestnut, they have a great selection on draft. Earlier this week, I tried their Coffee and Cream Stout over lunch. I am a more of a lager kind of guy, but I decided to try something different. The coffee and cream stout tastes like iced coffee with a hint of a stout beer. It one of the smoothest beers I have had.

Just like John Harvard’s, their menu is a little on the expensive side, however the lunch menu is reasonable enough. Its a good place to get out of work for lunch, have a beer, and return with a full satisfied stomach. The restraunt in Philly is a very trendy design, with exposed support beams and fermentation tanks above the bar, the place has a nice look. Check out the pictures on their website.

As for the stout here is what Triumph described it as:

“A hybrid style created by crossing our coffee stout with milk stout. Adding unfermentable milk sugar (lactose) in the kettle results in a texture that is rich, chewy and, quite literally, creamy”

Tags: Beer, Cream, Restaurant

Midori is a very sweet, green-flavored cordial that gets it’s flavor from honeydew. The name Midori means “green” in Japanese, and unsurprising, it was made in Japan until 1987.

The best way to offset the sweet flavor of Midori is with something sour. A Midori Sour is usually created by added some kind of Sweet & Sour mix to it, or for a more natural flavor, lemon juice and a little extra sugar. Your typical recipe is something like:

• 3oz Midori Melon Liqueur

• 1.5oz Sweet & Sour Mix

From there, you can mix it with ice in shaker and strain it into a cocktail glass, or just pour it on the rocks. It works well either way. For an added touch, add 2 cherries.

If you want something a little weaker, you can make a bigger drink by adding more sweet & sour mix. The melon flavor is pretty powerful, so you can get away with adding probably up to 4-6oz of sweet & sour mix. Midori is usually 20-21% alcohol by volume, so you won’t get much of a buzz off a single drink.

Tags: Cocktail, Cordial, Fruit, Melon

John Harvard’s Brew House is a great microbrewery. They have a wide selection of microbrews on a week-to-week basis depending what their brewmasters concoct, or what their parent company demands they make. No matter what kind of beer you like, you should be able to find something that suits your tastes here. On top of their great selection of beers, they also have a terrific (read: expensive) food menu. Appetizers include hummus, calamari, wings, and lobster bisque. Main courses are even more tantalizing, with items such as as filet mignon, crab cakes, and chicken dijon. I’m simple, and usually stick with a quesadilla.

One of my former customers and current friends turned me on to the John Harvard India Pale Ale (IPA). IPA’s were created in the 18th century as a result of British brewers attempting to make beers stay fresh during the long trips sailing ships made at the time. They tend to have slightly higher alcohol levels, and more hops is used. They tend to taste a little bitter, but still makes for a great beer. At $4.75 for a pint (16oz), you won’t be disappointed.

Tags: Beer, IPA, Restaurant

Packed with ice the Mojito makes a great summer drink. Its light flavor makes it an instant favorite. The drink comes from the Caribbean where some of the best rum is produced. To make the drink combine 1 part rum, 3 parts club soda, Mint leaves, ½ part lime and ½ part sugar. For the Mojito I tend to cheat; I found that Daily’s makes a great mojito mix, just take the mint syrup add rum, club soda, and pour over ice. The result is a great drink. The following is the classic recipe for a Mojito:

• 1 Part White Rum

• 3 Parts Club Soda

• 3 Lime Wedges Squeezed

• Mint Leaves

• ½ Part Rum

• ½ part Sugar

Of course, the 3 limes may be replaced with the Daily’s mix. But remember, that’s cheating!

If you want to get one out at a bar, they are hard to find. Not all bars keep fresh mint leaves around. Any Caribbean restaurant with a bar should have them. The best I had though was at an authentic Cuban restaurant in Philadelphia. The restaurant is at Second and Market and called Cuba Libre. They have one of the best rum bars in the city. If you are in the city and are looking for a great place to go on a date Cuba Libre is a great bet.

Tags: Cocktail, Lime, Mint, Restaurant, Rum

Welcome to Cocktail-A-Day. We’re a brand-spanking-new blog aiming to bring you just what our name says: one cocktail a day. On the off chance we don’t bring you a new cocktail, we’ll bring you something else useful: building and mixing techniques, liquor reviews, beer and wine reviews, restaurant reviews, and maybe even a few contests in the off season. How about some gift cards to a great restaurant? Yeah, that’s what we thought.

In the next few days, we’ll kick off our site going live with some great drinks. We’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions you have, and don’t be afraid to submit your own mixes to us! We’d love to try them and give them some spotlight on our site.

So, stick around and pay close attention. We’re going to move fast! We may even have a contest coming up soon, so bookmark us and check back in the near future. If you’ve got a site, give us some link loving! We love free advertising.

Cheers!

Tags: Blog