A Perfectly Scary Cocktail

Since its Halloween I decided to share with all of you one of my favorite "spooky" cocktails.. I don't  celebrate the holiday but if I had to pick out one drink to enjoy today it would be the Corpse Reviver 2.

Great Classic cocktail that was originally meant to be a hangover cure( along with its predecessor the Corpse Reviver, which is a Cognac based cocktail.) in a sense to "Revive the body" after a long night of drinking. Its a very delicate blend of a Botanical spirit, Fortified wine, citrus, Orange and Absinthe liqueurs. So imagine how this drink will attack every part of your palette. This is one of my favorite cocktails and is considered a "Classic Cocktail" So without any further adieu, I give you my version of the  Corpse Reviver 2.

Corpse Reviver 2

1oz Few Spirits Gin
1oz Lillet Blanc
1oz Cointreau
1oz Fresh lemon Juice
Absinthe Wash
Cherry Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker glass. Shake hard for 15-20 seconds.  Wash your glass with 2 or 3 drops of absinthe( St. George Spirits Brand preferred). Swirl it around, then strain your cocktail into the glass. And Garnish with a cocktail cherry.



So while most tonight will be enjoying candy and scary movies, Ill be in my kitchen making a few of these and enjoying a quiet evening at home. This honestly to me is one of the perfect cocktails to be used as an aperitif, or a before dinner drink. It really is smooth, elegant, and wakes up your palette.  You should make yourself one and tweet of Instagram your cocktail with the hash tag #DrinkOneTeachOne to @MrMixologist and let me know how it turns out..

Until Next time
Mr.Mixologist

Chicago Independent Spirits Expo

Happy Thursday folks! I'm just climbing out of bed after a WONDERFUL night at the Independent Spirits Expo at the Chicago Hilton last night. All I can say is wow. A fun night filled with tasting some excellent spirits, and chatting it up with some of the industries finest. 

Last years event had 80 suppliers and over 400 independent and artisan spirits from all over the world. This years was no different  I tasted thru the entire event and was pleased with everything I was able to sample. From some of my favorite spirits, Like Few Whiskey, ANYTHING from the St. George portfolio, Diplomatico, and Del Maguey, to some newer brands that I haven't had the opportunity to try. 

One standout to me was the Barrel Aged Gin from Smooth Ambler Spirits. WOW is all I can say.  Their Barrel aged gin uses their award winning Greenbrier Gin as the base distillate and is aged 3 months in Oak barrels. This is a complete sipper. To me, it still tastes like a London Dry Gin but I get some peppery notes on the finish so it feels like a Rye whiskey. So my palate was very happy with this spirit!  Check out the video of the distillery here: 

Also at this years indie spirits expo was the authors round table  and my good friend Mr. Warren Bobrow was one of the speakers. Warren has been featured on this blog in the past and now my main man is releasing his 1st cocktail book, "Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today." Had the opportunity to have some conversations with my friend this week and even got to thumb thru the book as well. Needless to say this is not just a cocktail book. Back at the turn of the century, most would go to their local apothecary and would get prescribed something herbal that includes some sort of spirit for all your ailments. Without giving to much of the book away, there are some great recipes in there that were used for Medicinal purposes. It will be a must own for anyone in our industry and for cocktail enthusiasts as well.  You can pre-order this book by following this link...  http://www.qbookshop.com/products/212140/9781592335848/Apothecary-Cocktails.html


So to all that was able to experience the Indie Spirits Expo, I'm glad to have ran into you and we all had a good time. To any who missed it, DO NOT MISS NEXT YEAR!! 

Cheers,

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist

Shaken or Stirred

" I like my Martini shaken not stirred"- Sean Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger

Happy Saturday Afternoon everyone! 

So this topic has came up because of something I posted on my business Instagram page ( IG- DomBarService). I tell this story that I was at a 5 star hotel in downtown Chicago for a wedding reception. While waiting, myself and a couple friends went to the hotel bar for cocktails. I proceeded to ask the bartender for an Aviation. She responded we don't carry those. So now you can just tell the look on my face at this point.....lol but I digress. So, I asked for a Negroni( one of my favorite cocktails).  So since they " had those" lol I watched the bartender prepare it. And right at the end of the drink SHE SHOOK IT!!! Imagine my horror as I watched that beautiful blend of Plymouth, Campari, and Antica shaken agitated, full of air bubbles, cloudy and just not very appealing when it went into my glass.. Needless to say, I ordered a beer and sent the cocktail back. 

Which brings me to today's post. Some bartenders don't know when to shake and when to stir. Myself I generally follow this rule, when the cocktail is all spirit( base spirit and modifiers) I ONLY stir. When I have a cocktail that requires any type of citrus or juice, eggs, or cream, I shake. Cocktail example to stir would be a Negroni, Manhattan, Rob Roy. Some cocktails you would shake could be margaritas, daiquiris, and long islands. (Yes a well made, shaken Long Island can be a very tasty cocktail. But that's for another post on another day).

With a stirred cocktail you don't want any air bubbles or ice chips in the cocktail, and shaking it agitates it waaaay to much for my taste. So generally when making cocktails and creating new ones I follow these simple rules to making them tasty. So why did James Bond want his martini shaken and not stirred?? We may never know.. But what we do know is that following these simple cocktail rules will produce some very tasty cocktails every time. 

Until Next Time

MrMixologist

Valentine's Day Cocktails

Its that time of the year again... That time where boyfriends and husbands are scrambling at the last minute to find gifts, flowers, candy, etc to keep that special lady in their life happy. That time of the year where you meet someone, and that little midget in a diaper shoots you in the ass with an arrow and you fall in love with that person you've been chasing, or who's been chasing you..

So I say why do all of this sober?? If you gonna fall in love and either make the best DECISION or worse MISTAKE you've ever made, why not do it with some very tasty cocktails??? So since I'm working a  Valentines day Karaoke party, I'll share with you all some of the tasty cocktails I will be serving..

Cupid Doesn't Lie
2 Parts Beefeater 24
1 Part Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ Part Simple Syrup
1 muddled Strawberry
4-6 Basil Leaves

Add lemon juice, basil and berry into mixing glass and lightly muddle. Add the remaining ingredients into mixing glass along with ice and shake vigorously. Fine-strain over the rocks into a double old-fashioned glass and top with a splash of soda. Garnish with lemon wheel and one strawberry slice.

Passionate



2 Parts Beefeater Gin
2 Parts Cherry Juice
2 Parts Ginger Beer




Pour Beefeater Gin and cranberry juice into a highball glass over ice. Top with ginger all and garnish with a squeeze of lime, or a cherry.






 
 
 
 

Sweet Tart


1 Part Plymouth Gin
2 Parts Cranberry Juice
¼ Part Honey
1 Pinch All-Spice

Fill glass with ice, pour in Plymouth Gin. Add the cranberry juice and stir. Float the honey and add a pinch of all-spice.









So everyone have a great Valentine's weekend, and hopefully these cocktails can give you a little something to sip on with that special someone. Oh and Mr.Mixx promotes safe sex, so be sure to Wrap it up!!!

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist