Greetings denizens of Stay at Home! We enter our third week (technically fourth I guess, given the break for the new free short story) of my Home Bartending series! These are some of the more specific and fun drinks I make at home when I get in the mood to make a drink.
And, this time, I really mean making a drink. The act of making a cocktail itself is relaxing in its own right, kind of like cooking. Three of the four drinks are tweaks of others I make at home for something akin to uniqueness. It’s a creative outlet in its own right, and relaxing at the end of a day just for the sake of making it.
I think the paragon of this philosophy would be the martini, but I am not going to post my opinions on martinis online because I like staying alive. Old-Fashioneds, sure, I can die on those hills, but martinis are contentious enough. I make martinis for people who are particular about their martinis. I think anyone who drinks a martini is particular about martinis. It’s a look into your soul.
But, conceptually, and putting melodrama aside, I think we can all admit that there is something wonderful about a martini. The serenity in stirring it, the cold, clean nature of its flavors, and the crystalline appearance of it sitting in a glass. I actually wrote a haiku about it once. That admiration of the aesthetics of a drink are part of what I’m trying to get at here. Not every drink listed below succeeds in that, of course, but the other side of it is just the fun. It’s enjoyable making drinks for yourself, and others, assuming you all (say it with me now) drink responsibly.
So because the drinks I make at home when I’m having fun or want to lose myself in doing it is the general theme of this third and final week, there’s going to be more of a focus on specific brands and labels than the suggestions I give other weeks because most of these were built out of things I liked at the time of that particular drink’s inception. None of this, again, is sponsored content, that’s lame, but I’d also be doing a disservice to these producers not to mention them for their roles in furthering my education and experiences in drinks.
…please drink responsibly.
Jacque Rose
I like puns. I like stupid jokes. I also like calvados. So, grit your teeth, and forget the absolutely hilarious name of this drink for a second so we can progress. This drink really is just a Jack Rose (one of my guilty pleasure drinks that doesn’t get the love it deserves (if it deserves any, but they say that we all accept the love we deserve, so I’ll accept some love on this drink’s behalf) made with calvados, and exists for a couple reasons. The first is simple, and already stated: I like calvados. The second is that in terms of keeping a bar stocked at home I really only use any form of apple brandy for this one drink. (I should expand that repertoire a little, but what can you do?)
Some of the fun in this drink comes in that I make my own grenadine, because commercial grenadine is at once way too sweet and way too… red. Like unnaturally red. It’s kind of scary. Making it yourself is fun because, well, it’s homemade, and because it’s honestly delicious. Put it on ice cream, make grenadine sodas. Probably don’t drink it straight because it’s a syrup, but hey, you do you.
My homemade grenadine is 1 cup of pomegranate juice to 1 cup demerara sugar heated until the sugar is dissolved. Then I add a quarter teaspoon of orange zest and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain, let it cool completely, pour into a jar, and top with a few dashes of orange blossom water.
Now for the Jacque Rose (seriously cracking myself up). It’s 3oz of Calvados (I honestly use Boulard VSOP- really nice, fruity stuff that still has a good bite of fresh apple (is that another pun?)), 1oz lemon juice, and 3/4oz of the homemade grenadine shaken and strained into a martini glass or coupe. I don’t garnish it myself, but a twist of lemon would probably be good.
And, yes. This is a light, fruity, uncomplicated, and absolutely refreshing drink. But it’s been hanging around the 70’s for the first time this year in the past three or so days, and I think it’s time for a nice, light, fruity, uncomplicated drink! Enjoy.
And Jerry
Still there? Am I still funny? Cool. Alright, let’s go. The name for this drink comes from its base spirit, Tom Cat Gin from Caledonia Spirits. I actually first came across this gin at work and I fell in love with it. It’s a gin aged in new American oak barrels, sweetened with a little bit of raw honey (save the bees), and it’s the middle ground if a gin and a whiskey had a kid.
It has a really cool orange note running through the usual flavors of gin and that awesome backbone of an oaky vanilla. I sometimes sip it neat like a whiskey, but it’s honestly so much fun to mix in place of either gin or whiskey.. While brainstorming cocktails for work, I leaned heavily into using in a riff on a whiskey sour, and so here we are. Tom Cat Gin in the And Jerry (please keep reading).
This version also uses an egg white (gasp). I make no claims one way or the other about using an egg white in home bartending, it’s definitely a use at your own risk kind of thing. But note that it adds such a wonderful, pillow layer of foam that I would be miserable not to have it here. When the drink comes together it kind of tastes like drinking lemon meringue pie, so, do with that what you will.
The And Jerry. 2oz Tom Cat Gin, 1oz Lemon Juice, 1/2 oz demerara simple syrup, and an egg white. Dry shake (that is, without ice) until frothy and combined, then add ice and shake. I pour this drink on the rocks, then top with a couple dashes of grapefruit lavender bitters I got on a trip to Napa, but I’m sure orange bitters would work fine.
Sip, and enjoy, responsibly!
Sunny Negroni
This is another spirit-inspired drink based on St. Augustine Distillery’s gin. St. Augustine was the first distillery I ever visited, back when I was in college in Florida. I had actually been getting into whiskey (and their bourbon’s good), but their gin was the first I had tried after my mother’s Tanqueray, and did it ever open me up to the world of gin. It’s a very new world gin, big on citrus (Florida, surprised?), and a little sweet. Using it in a regular Negroni seemed off, so I fiddled with as much as I could to concentrate those sweet flavors of the sunshine state through the lens of a negroni, and wound up with the Sunny Negroni.
Berto’s Bianco Vermouth (actually a kind of pale rose color) takes the reigns over from sweet vermouths for a burst of acidity and aromatics (I haven’t tried with other white vermouths, but it could be worth a shot). A couple dashes of orange bitters helps elevate the citrus notes running through the entire thing. Campari keeps the color correct, even if the final drink is a bit clearer. What you wind up with is a bright, less bitter negroni that is at once refreshing and oh so summery. Back when the weather was cold, I would make these and think of Florida.
A Sunny Negroni is 1oz St. Augustine Distillery Gin, 1oz Berto Bianco Vermouth, 1oz Campari, and 2 dashes of orange bitters stirred until chilled and poured on the rocks. Garnish with (what else?) and orange twist.
Daiquiri
Alright, so this one’s not punny or necessarily creative, but it is special to me. Back when work was a thing (please, please let this end soon), one of my coworkers and I had a running joke where I decided whether or not it was a “Daiquiri Night.” It was usually either a particularly successful or a particularly stressful night that would require me to make this wonderful drink.
Looking up on my palate for basically all of these drinks, I think we see a bias towards citrus and refreshing flavors, and the Daiquiri, a proper daiquiri, is no different. If that’s my palate for most cocktails, so be it, at least I know what I like. This drink is about the balance of sweet and tart, the wonderful freshness of lime, and the richness of rum. When all those notes come together, it’s an amazing experience, and deserved after a day of work.
Based on my experiences at work, my preferred rum for the occasion of a Daiquiri is Mount Gay Silver Rum, which is lighter and fruity, even if I use my Havana Club at home.
3oz of that rum, and ounce of regular simple syrup, and an ounce of lime juice shaken, served up. Garnish with a lime slice, and be sure to rim that glass (I love lime so much…)
Thank you for joining me on this little insight into what I drink at home, when I’m not drinking wine! I hope you all continue to enjoy your favorite drinks responsibly, and maintain your sanity through this trying time.
Be on the lookout for an exciting announcement at the end of this week, and as always…
Nunc Est Bibendum, y’all!