August 30, 2013 (Day 113) – Black Stripe By the early 1860s, whiskey wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is these days – or even the way it was several decades after Professor Jerry Thomas wrote his book. Rum, on the other hand, was just about as popular as brandy. 1 wine glass (2 oz) Santa […]
Carroll
August 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 29, 2013 (Day 112) – Carroll I can’t seem to track down much history on the Carroll cocktail. It appears in the 1936 printing of How to Mix Drinks, so it’s at least from the Golden Age of Cocktails. 2 oz brandy 1 oz Italian (sweet) vermouth Combine and shake.
York Special
August 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 28, 2013 (Day 111) – York Special There was period in pre-Prohibition cocktails where vermouths, ports, sherries, and other heady wines held sway. It was their court, and they really ran the show. If you’re an intrepid cocktail archeologist, it means you have to look through these heavy, heady drinks even if you’re not […]
Young Man
August 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 27, 2013 (Day 110) – Young Man The creepily-named young man is a slightly modified version of the original drink that first garnered the name “Cocktail.” It’s a spirit and bitters. More or less. 3 oz brandy 1 oz French (dry) vermouth 1 dash angostura bitters 2 dashes orange curaçao Combine all the ingredients […]
Prestoman
August 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 26, 2013 (Day 109) – Prestoman Another pre-Prohibition cocktail, the Prestoman utilizes those ever-popular spirits from the era – brandy and absinthe. Also much like the pre-Prohibition era, it’s full of booze. 4 oz brandy 1 oz Italian (sweet) vermouth 1 oz fresh orange juice 1 dash absinthe Combine the ingredients in a cocktail […]
Whiz-Bang
August 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 25, 2013 (Day 107) – Whiz-Bang The term Whiz-Bang first showed up in the popular vernacular (or, at least as far linguists can tell) around 1915. It’s used to describe a “one that is conspicuous for noise, speed, excellence, or startling effect.” It also re-entered the lexicon around the 1960s when The Music Man […]
Princess Mary
August 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 24, 2013 (Day 107) – Princess Mary You know, we’ve been hitting the brutal cocktails pretty hard lately. I think we’re long overdue for a foofy cocktail. The problem, you have to understand, is that there really aren’t a lot foofy classic cocktails. Our grandparents, great-grandparents, and their ancestors loved their booze. And, they […]
Pineapple Bronx
August 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 23, 2013 (Day 106) – Pineapple Bronx It seems to surprise many people that exotic fruits such as pineapple were featured so prominently in pre-prohibition cocktails. However, as more and more people became flush with money, access to these fruits became easier, not to mention the status it instilled in those who could fork […]
New Brunswick
August 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 22, 2013 (Day 105) – New Brunswick New Brunswick is a thriving maritime city in Quebec. New Brunswick the drink uses maple syrup. That seems kind of racist. Jingoist, whatever. Add to it the huge number of Scots in Canada, we’re not sure how to feel about this drink’s namesake. We are sure what […]
Negroni
August 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 21, 2013 (Day 104) – Negroni I was legitimately surprised, digging through the archives of Cocktails, 365, to discover that we hadn’t covered the traditional Negroni. This drink has one of the best flavor-complexity-to-mixing-difficulty ratios you’ll find the classic cocktail world. It’s one of the easiest drinks to make, and also one that’s almost […]
Cocktails, 365 