MXMO ~ A cocktail made in the old fashioned way

What better way to celebrate than a MXMO party?

We're all about Old Fashioned cocktails this month. It's not really fair to think of it as drink zero, more so a movement back to the place where prepping spirits for the palate began. A little peel of lemon has never been out of place.

I found this beauty in a basket at one of my favourite Italian grocers. It was labeled a Sicilian Lemon but I think that's more of a product descriptor than an actual variety. I think it falls into the Citron family and was probably imported from Sicily (that's how my family got here too).


 

It has always hurt my feelings that we get several varieties for oranges but usually only one choice for lemon. Specialty stores will occasionally offer alternatives like Meyer or the variety I chose here. The extra thick pith is less bitter than that of a regular lemon. It gives licence to use the whole without fear of making the drink overly bitter.

The first "mixologists of tipicular fixin's" (mystery solved) were bartenders that in the 1850's would include fresh ingredients, prepared syrups and fancy fruit garnishes in their creations. These drinks actually pre-date the 1880's lump sugar, bitters and water version, that has become popular again today. Bar patrons who wished to skip out on these extra fixings, asking to have a cocktail made in the old fashioned way.

It was American abundance that caused the drink to be so frequently made with whisky. If you read Jerry Thomas's recipes or that in the Savoy, it's clear that any spirit can be used and that it's the formula and preparation that make a drink old fashioned. The one I've made today models the 1860's "plain" Jerry Thomas recipe. Restraint with curacao and simple syrup are what keep it true to form. I could not however resist some over use of my citron for garnish.

Plain Gin Cocktail 2015 
2 oz gin
1 tsp simple syrup
1/2 tsp dry curaçao 
3 dashes grapefuit bitters
slice of Citron



Method
Add ingredients to a shaker filled 3/4 with cracked ice. Shake and strain into chilled glass. Garnish with citron or lemon



























Clearly, given the name of my company, I fall into the group of people who like to mess with the extras. So, I found, as I often do, the challenge set out by MXMO to be a tough one.

Thank you to Sass & Gin for putting this one together, there is an entire month's worth of "old fashioned" over there so check it out!
The roundup post is here, there were some very interesting interpretations on this theme. Read through the very long list and you'll see everything from banana to an historical battle.





Thank you to everyone who has stopped by for recipes over the last year.

Please leave a comment to let me know what other recipes you'd like to see.

SORREL

I realized this week that I've never posted the recipe for Sorrel.

For those who have been waiting I apologize. For those who've never heard of it, you're in for an unusual but delicious treat.

It's probably the most popular drink I make and after sharing it on a travel site, I realized that I haven't shared the recipe here yet. If you're familiar with Sorrel, you might have your own recipe already. It's enjoyed all across the Caribbean. 

The purplish bits at the top are the dried sorrel sepals.

The drink is made using dried or fresh when available, sorrel sepals. It's essentially an hibiscus tea that is steeped with spices and citrus. The make up of which spices you use and whether or not you make a syrup, depend on which island your recipe comes from. I was first introduced to a Guyanese version, but wanted to make one that was closer to those from Barbados. Ultimately, it was after a trip to Dominica a few years ago, that my version of the recipe fully took shape. 

The mountainside in Dominica.

 Seeing all of the ginger, cinnamon and hibiscus growing wild in the same place and watching the processing of the fresh sepals at the market made an impression that will last forever. 

As luck would have it, the regular tour wasn't available and a guide had to be hired for the day. One of the best things to happen, as he knew how to identify all of the plants on the island, and even stopped to harvest fresh cinnamon bark.

Yep, the guide just happened to have that knife.

I really wanted to teach a seminar about Sorrel while cruising through the islands where it's so popular. There are some tricky laws about importing dried flowers that were already exported, plus boarding the ship in Brazil didn't help. I don't know how it would have worked if not for Dominica. A self sustaining agricultural system is rare in the Caribbean but they are fiercely committed. There was wild fruit growing all over the island and the outdoor market was packed with fresh produce.

Hanging in the grocery store, I love to visit them everywhere I go.

One of the most important items was the locally made rum. The Macoucherie is the only rum produced on the island that uses domestic sugar cane. They also use something grown on the island known as bios-bandè, a highly regulated plant known for its purported aphrodisiac properties.

You'd think the artwork would have given a clue but I had to look it up.

It really was a beautiful and lush island, not at all what I imagined before going down to the Caribbean. The drink which I always really liked, became even more important to me. Now it reminds me of the mountainside, wild ingredients and how the flavours from plants that grow together can have a natural affinity.   

If you can make tea you can make this drink. The sorrel sepals are available in West Indian and Asian markets and might be labeled Roselle. But if you really can't find any, you could use hibiscus tea.  Sorrel is very popular both as a tea and a cocktail.

Rum Sorrel
1 1/2 oz white rum
1 oz sorrel syrup*
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2-3 drops Angostura bitters



Method
In a shaker add all ingredients, fill 3/4 with ice. Shake vigorously for 20- 30 seconds, strain into old fashioned glass filled with cracked ice. Garnish with lemon zest and/or sorrel.














*Sorrel Syrup
2 C water
1 C dried sorrel sepals
1 1/2 tbsp clove, whole
2 inches fresh ginger
1 orange, zest only
1 cinnamon stick

1 1/2 C sugar
Method
In a heavy bottom sauce pan, boil water. Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients excepting sugar. Steep for several hours. Strain tea through fine mesh or cheesecloth, discard solids (optional, retain some of the sepals for garnish). Return remaining liquid to pan. Add sugar. Heat over medium, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool.

Do you make your own Sorrel? Please let me know, I'm always eager to hear the variations. 

MXMO ~ MARTINI WITH PRESERVED LEMON DIRT

I've read more than once that Dale Degroff's favourite, classic cocktail is a gin Martini with an olive and a discarded lemon twist.

Remember that the next time a Hipsterologist rolls his eyes, curtly informs you that he doesn't stock olives and denounces the use of them for anything other than conditioning his ridiculous leather apron. (Those olives were flown in by carrier pigeon from Spain and he crushes them by hand to make his custom Apron Salve $49.95/oz.)

Hipster bashing aside, I too love a gin Martini with both olive and lemon. And, if the world is in perfect alignment, that will come in the form of a lemon stuffed olive.

Yes, such a thing exists.

If you ever happen to see them anywhere, either jarred or in the olive cart, do yourself a favour and pick some up. It might just change your world. 

I used to get them at the St. Lawrence market but they must have gone out of fashion or the supplier stopped making them, or the universe was doing me a solid because I could consume a million of them (olives not Martinis) without ever tiring of the sour, salty combo.

So, I'm left with no choice but to DIY some of my own. Don't worry this recipe has plenty of short cuts. 

I wanted to end up with a lemon stuffed olive and the sour, salty juice so that I could use a splash of it right in my Martini...

You're right, that would make it a Dirty Martini. I'm breaking all the rules this week. 

Why not? Last month's MXMO challenge was Blue Drinks, if it's acceptable to use blue dyed liqueur, surely we can make an exception for the juice of a perfectly preserved, lemon stuffed olive, right?

I've been working on this recipe for a while because I really do love them and rarely see them. Plus, I always like to at least attempt to make things myself even if I go back to the prepackaged version in the end.

Use a knife to cut thick peels. A peeler will not provide enough of the pith. You'll only really need the peel and juice from two lemons per Cup of olives. It's best to buy pitted olives in brine because you can reuse the brine, otherwise you'll need seasoned (salted) vinegar.

Boiling the peels will soften them and remove some of the bitterness. Going through the process twice will leave them tender but firm and the pith will become translucent.

I love Ontario produce, but if I had to live anywhere else in the world, a place where fresh citrus is grown would be high on the list. Better still, somewhere olives and citrus are grown. Trip to Italy?

Cut some small strips, 2 x .5 cm. and push them into your already pitted olives. Put them in a jar with salt, add back some of the pickling liquid, the juice from the lemons and 1 oz of your favourite gin. Give them a gentle turn or two and pop them in the fridge.

If you're into this kind of thing, you'll recognize this process as being very similar to preserved lemons. As such, another cheat would be to buy both the olives and preserved lemons and Frankenstein them.

If you've never had this delicious combo, you're probably wondering why anyone would go to any of this trouble. Once you've had one you'll wonder why you drink any other cocktail, ever.

Martini with Preserved Lemon Dirt
2 oz gin
1/4 - 1/2 oz olive/lemon juice*, fine strained
1 drop orange bitters 

Method 
Fill a stemmed glass with ice and water. In a separate mixing glass add all ingredients. Fill 3/4 with ice, gently stir for 30 seconds to completely chill. Discard water and ice from stemmed glass. Strain mixture into chilled glass. Garnish with lemon stuffed olive.






*Lemon stuffed olives
1 C pitted olives in brine (reserve)
2 lemons, peeled and juiced
1 oz gin
2 tbsp salt


Method
Cut end from lemons, to make a flat surface. Peel thick slices of lemon peel with a sharp knife. Boil peels, discard water and repeat. Drain and cool peels, slice into 2 x .5 cm strips. Push peels into olives. In a small jar add salt, 1/4 C reserved brine, olives and gin. Top off with lemon juice. Place lid on jar and gently turn a few times before refrigerating.


Another great theme from MXMO. Thank you to NhilUtopia for having us explore this topic. I'm once again looking forward to the other entries, many people have firm opinions about messing with Martinis. (Update) Here's the roundup post, so many great ideas!

Please feel free to hate on me in the comments for hurting Gin's feelings by kicking dirt in its face.

NATURAL REMEDY

It's cold and flu season, I've dropped the over the counter chemicals and switched to this home made remedy.

A flu swept through our house last week. It's a frequent occurrence with a toddler around. I don't like any remedy that prevents the sickness from running it's natural course, or any that just mask the symptoms, but I do still want help feeling better. This hot drink can me made with or without alcohol so it can be used for the whole family. It's a combination of tea, ginger, fresh lemon and honey that I find very soothing.

Ginger helps to alleviate nausea and also the spiciness helps the sinuses to get moving. Lemon has antibacterial properties and honey is soothing. The hot tea is warming and while it should be black tea, decaffeinated will work at bedtime. This is also where you can insert a little personal taste, if you like Chai go for it, the spices in Chai tea like cinnamon, will act against your cold as well. Maybe you've lost your mind and prefer Earl Grey, I have no remedy for for that, but you are welcome to use whatever tea you like. Just be sure to double the bags, you'll want it to be strong.

Spirits have a long history as medicinal remedies and if you take a look at a bottle of cough syrup, many still contain alcohol. Plenty of bartenders like to use Jagermeister as a remedy for a long shift as well as a cold, and no one would disagree that it takes like medicine. A little goes a long way but a medicinal remedy was it's intended purpose. The herbs used to produce the flavour are meant to have health properties including some that will work as a cough suppressant, like licorice. Bitters were also meant to act as as digestive and health tonic, so this drink is packed with healthful properties to get you through cold and flu season.

Once I switched there was no going back for me, in particular at night. The popular over the counter hot lemon drinks contain a sleepy time drug that is just not for me. I always wanted to feel the relief and enjoyment that so many others seem to get from these little packets but for me they are a nightmare. I get trapped in a fit full state of twitching limbs (jimmy leg) that I can't wake up from. Not what I consider help to feel better. This recipe on the other hand provides the warmth and comfort of a hot drink, makes you just a little drowsy and contains natural remedies, winner.

The first recipe is the no alcohol version and the second will be a miniature cocktail that can be added to the tea for adults at bedtime.

Ultimate Cold and Flu Fighter
2 C water
2 black tea bags (caffeine optional)
1/2 fresh lemon
2 inches fresh ginger
1 tbsp honey (amber)


Nighttime Relief
(adults) to the above recipe add...
1 oz whisky
1/2 oz triple sec
1/4 oz Jagermeister
2-3 drops angostura bitters



Method
In a large sauce pan add water, lemon and ginger, bring to boil over high heat. Remove from heat add tea bags, steep for 3-5 mins. Strain into large mug add honey and for Nighttime relief for adults add mini cocktail. 




Do you use over the counter or home remedies? Have a special family formula? Let us know in the comments.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS PERFECT CHEAT ~~ MXMO

What makes a perfect cocktail?

In this sense, it's an equal division of spirits. A formula where very few examples achieve a great result. Equal parts can often end up in competition rather than harmony. Perfect symmetry is the challenge for this month's MXMO and it's deceptively difficult to use an even split of ingredients that wind up tasting great on the palate

I decided to help myself out and borrow the back bone of an already nearly symmetrical classic cocktail, Between the Sheets.

It's a mix of equal parts rum, brandy and orange liqueur with a 1/2 part or less of lemon juice. It's a rare drink that is symmetrical it's even rarer to have two base spirits. So, to have both in one cocktail is really a dream.

Except, the lemon juice. 

Why lemon? 

Why?

I just couldn't deal.

I was compelled to find a way to bring this drink into harmony. Perfect symmetry with base spirits wasn't going to cut it. I needed all or nothing.

It's not possible to just add more lemon because there isn't enough natural sweetness to hold it up, even when I tried using a sweeter rum and an orange liqueur with more sugar in it.

To the Cheating.

I decided to cheat by making the lemon juice sweeter and a little bitter so that I could use it in equal proportion to the spirits. By making a burnt, brown sugar, lemon syrup I was able to control the balance of sweet and sour while adding just a little bitterness. I allowed the results of the syrup to dictate my choice of an aged rum and a dry curaçao. 

I wish you could see that it was actually on fire when I took this.

the sweetness/symmetry conundrum also helps to illustrate one of the difficulties in learning to bar tend at home. 

Unless you are already a cocktail nerd, (ahem, fellow MXMO-ers) you probably don't have a fully flushed out home bar yet with every ingredient under the sun. I talk about this frequently because I think its important not to allow yourself to become stuck on the idea that you need a huge selection or to spend tons of money to make great drinks at home.

It just becomes more important to experiment and work with the ingredients you have on hand. This comes with other bonuses.You'll get practice in balancing drinks and figuring out what makes them work. You can also more easily identify the ingredients that will be worth spending the money to have, when you constantly wish you had an orange liqueur that wasn't so sweet you 'll know it's time for a bottle of dry curaçao. 

In this case maybe you only have one brand of rum or brandy, great, problem solved. You don't have to choose. Brand snobbery and choosiness can come in down the line when you have nine rums from six regions in three styles. This is your bed to make and your sheets to get in between, perhaps you don't care about perfect hospital corners... Use what you have to make the drink you and your guests will like. 

Between The Sheets Perfect Cheat

3/4 oz rum 

3/4 oz brandy

3/4 oz dry curaçao

3/4 oz burnt lemon syrup

Method

In a shaker combine all ingredients, fill 3/4 with ice, shake for 30 seconds, strain into chilled glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Burnt Lemon Syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method

In a heat proof container add sugar, bruleé (torch) for 25-30 seconds. Add lemon juice, stir to dissolve sugar, strain. 

*alternately regular brown sugar and lemon will work, you'll just lose some of the bitter dimension from the burnt sugar

Thank you to MXMO  and Southern Ash for providing yet another inspiring theme. Although, now all I can see is the lack of symmetry every where, this blog, my bar shelves, every other recipe I've ever written..

Here is the Roundup. All of the other drinks look awesome you should check them out, the symmetry lends well to home bartending. 

Do you need perfect symmetry? Tell us about your balancing battles behind the bar in the comments below.

Find the window pic.