I stumbled across today's recipe while looking for something to do with the bottle of maraschino liqueur I bought to experiment with the Brandy Crusta. Maraschino isn't a bad ingredient to work with, but its charms are best experienced in small doses. A splash of maraschino can add a sweet complexity with a bit of bitter cherry flavor, but too much can dominate the balance of an otherwise well-thought-out cocktail.
A hundred years ago, maraschino would have been a common ingredient behind any good bar, and was often paired with vermouth to sweeten up a drink. This brings
Posts Tagged ‘martini’
Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum
by James Maynard on May 16th, 2012 | Liquor
Bacardi introduced their dragon berry rum flavor late last year, and it is a smooth, though pungent spirit, which could have a multitude of uses. Retailing for about $12-14 a bottle, this is a wholly reasonable rum for the cost.
I still clearly remember the first time I tried a dragon berry. I saw them in a grocery store and I was awed by the strange way they looked. They are about the size of a mango, colored rosy to bright red with hues of pink spread throughout. The fruits have little green petals growing upwards, toward the top of
I still clearly remember the first time I tried a dragon berry. I saw them in a grocery store and I was awed by the strange way they looked. They are about the size of a mango, colored rosy to bright red with hues of pink spread throughout. The fruits have little green petals growing upwards, toward the top of
Cosmopolitan
by Dennis Mayer on April 20th, 2012 | Cocktails, Liquor, Martinis
For such a ubiquitous cocktail, the Cosmo hasn't been around for that long. A quick run-down of the drink's etymology suggests that the drink is younger than many of its drinkers (though perhaps not younger than they claim to be.) The Cosmo isn't a terrible drink, if it's made correctly, though its association with Sex and the City gives it an unfortunate link to stuck-up socialites and bachelorette parties.
At its core, though, the Cosmo is a model of the blueprint we use to create just about every flavored martini. There's a long pour of a base spirit (in
At its core, though, the Cosmo is a model of the blueprint we use to create just about every flavored martini. There's a long pour of a base spirit (in
Sugar-Rimmed Glasses
by Dennis Mayer on April 12th, 2012 | Ask the Bartender, Cocktails, Martinis
A few of the martinis that I have ordered at restaurants have been presented in a cocktail glass with a sugar coated rim. To make the same presentation at home, can I use regular white sugar? Also, what would I use to make the sugar stick?
You can use plain sugar -- most bars do as well. The fancier bars use superfine sugar, a granular sugar with a thinner consistency than "regular"' white sugar, that is also known as "baker's sugar." Superfine sugar is still granular, so it's not quite as thin as powdered sugar, but the smaller granules stick
You can use plain sugar -- most bars do as well. The fancier bars use superfine sugar, a granular sugar with a thinner consistency than "regular"' white sugar, that is also known as "baker's sugar." Superfine sugar is still granular, so it's not quite as thin as powdered sugar, but the smaller granules stick
Lemon Drop Martini
by Dennis Mayer on March 9th, 2012 | Cocktails, Martinis
I've written before about how important quality ingredients can be in a cocktail recipe. You can order the most expensive liquor on a bar's menu, but if you mix it with some simple bargain cola, you're still only getting an (albeit expensive) inferior cocktail. This isn't just a hypothetical situation; you'd be shocked how often I have someone order Grey Goose mixed with Sprite, or Johnny Walker Black mixed with Coke. I never say this to my customers, but that's just a waste of good liquor.
So what does that mean to you, the home bartender? It means more than
So what does that mean to you, the home bartender? It means more than
