White Tiger's Milk

As you read the recipe for the White Tiger's Milk, you'd probably swear that this drink should have been in Holly's Originals since it seems like a drink made after a 1:00 a.m. screening of The Big Lebowski, but, rest assured, it's a classic.

Hot Spiced Drambuie

Sometimes something hot is in order. The classic warm pours of the season like the Tom and Jerry, Hot-Buttered Rum, and English Bishop are awesome, but we though that maybe a Holly's Original could warm you up just as well. So, I decided to riff off of the centuries-old Hot Toddy (of which this drink could actually qualify as a family member - since the traditional Scottish Toddy required only scotch, water and honey) and spice it up for an extra kick. Like other Toddies, call this one medicine and have a few!

Merry Christmas!

The Holiday Season is hear, and the household elves have been busy with simple syrups, writing recipes and brewing hot buttered rum. The halls are decked and the tree is lit. In the middle of all that, the elves were able to find a little extra time to help us prepare a gift for you.

Please enjoy this 2012 calendar, featuring twelve different cocktails, all of which have been featured on this blog. Each month is 4x6" in size. Perfect for bulletin boards, refrigerators, or in a small photo frame near your computer... a reminder to work hard now, in order have plenty of time to play over the weekend. Just print each as you would any photograph, and enjoy.

Click here to download your 2012 calendar. We hope for a Very Happy Holiday Season for everyone! Drink well and be merry.

Merry Christmas!

Jason and Cindy

PS - Many thanks to Isabelle Lafrance Photography for the lovely templates.

Nutcracker #2

Nutcracker #2, with egg white

Well, well, well, it's Christmas time, so we should share a drink we used for a holiday gift for the family (yes, we give alcohol for gifts, like any Sconnie worth his/her salt). The Nutcracker #2 is a nutty little number that adds the spices of the season with a duo of almonds and macadamia nut. We will also add a challenging element for some - the egg. OK, I know. The egg may creep you out, I get it. However, remember that alcohol kills most threats, so if you are daring, try it; if not skip it (you frickin' chicken!)

Fort Point

Drink: Fort Point
Establishment: Bryant's (made famous at Drink in Boston)
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin / Boston, Massachusetts
First Connoisseur: Holly

Merry Maker

Drink: Merry Maker
Around America Series
Establishment: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
First Connoisseur: Aaron

2 ounces Maker's Mark
1 1/2 ounces Chambord
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1 ounce pomegranate juice
1 light squeeze lemon juice
1 light squeeze lime juice

Amor and Psyche

For our Halloween movie viewing this year, we watched the genre-eclectic 1700s period piece Perfume. In it, the killer is obsessed with scents, ultimately murdering young girls to cobble together the perfect perfume. But before he starts offing beauties, he proves his olfactory prowess by mixing a highly-sought-after Parisian fragrance called 'Amor and Psyche' - a mixture of orange blossom, lime, clove, musk, jasmine, alcohol, rosemary, roses, bergamot, and storax. Why not create a drinkable version?

Corpse Reviver #2

Many of you know how much we love Halloween and hate to see it go, so we thought it would be apropos to revive it one more time in 2011 before we say goodbye. What better way to do this than with the classic Corpse Reviver. Now, some history is in order here.

Full Harvest Cocktail

For those that know us, Halloween sucks up a large segment of our time in the fall, so posts have been slow here at the FWL. However, the next drink is too ideal for the season to ignore for an October posting; an apple bouquet with brandy and honey. Plus it is quintessential Wisconsin. The base spirit is a Wisconsin supper club standby, B&B, a mixture of cognac and Benedictine. To this we add Madison's own Old Sugar Factory dry honey liqueur and a dash of Milwaukee's Bittercube Bolivar bitters. Simply Apple apple juice rounds out the drink, balancing the flavors and providing a palate-pleasing experience that you can watch the autumn colors change by.

Zombie

As we leave yet another summer and go into Halloween season, let's revive a classic summer beach drink with a Halloween name - the Zombie. This tasty combination of rums, lime, fruits, and spices made Don Beach, the inventor of the Zombie, a tiki god. Due to their high alcohol content and fruit smoothie taste, Beach's Don the Beachcomber restaurants only permitted two Zombies per customer. After Don's death in 1989, recipes for the Zombie scattered to every island in the Caribbean; most of them sugar-filled ick. The following recipe is the original and all the rest are junk.

Pink Lady

Drink: Pink Lady
Around America Series
Establishment: Envoy Lounge at the Ambassador
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
First Connoisseur: Cindy

Rubicon

Next up is one of my favorite pours and a really nice, but expensive, cocktail. It's called a Rubicon with bitters. We decided to shoot the process of making this so that you can impress your friends with your extremely classy bartending technique, your daredevil fire skills, and your big ol' fat wallet (allegedly). Of course you could make this without bitters (pictured left), but then you wouldn't be able to use your our homemade blow torch, which we know you are dying to try. So without further ado, the Rubicon...

August Heat

Late August is pepper harvest time here at the Lounge. One of the few maxims of all the old cocktail Masters is to utilize fruits in season, so let's try a jalapeño muddle. Unfortunately, jalapeños pair wonderfully with an out-of-season fruit - strawberries. We can use strawberry puree though, which is a great thing to have in your freezer anyway.

Stolen Moment

Let's talk garnishes again. This week it's brandied cherries. Yes, an Old Fashioned in Wisconsin often comes with a candy sundae cherry and that's fine since those cocktails are also flooded with fruit juice and 7up. However, what happens if you are making Manhattans or Metropolitans with a classy rye or cognac respectively? Well, you need a classy cherry. So if you are in the mood, try these:

Harvey Wallbanger

If you hang around the Lounge long enough, you notice that not that much vodka is drank. It's not that vodka sucks, it's that good vodka doesn't add much to cocktails in terms of taste or alcohol. Beside our variations on the Russian, the Lance Romance, the Crash Cart Cocktail, and Harvey Wallbanger, vodka gathers dust here. So does Galliano, as I mentioned in the 30 Essentials Series. Why not bring them together for a classic. Mix master Donato 'Duke' Antone invented the Harvey Wallbanger in the 1950s when vodka began its reign as king of base spirits (a reign that was to last about forty years). Antone is also credited with one of my top 10 favorite drinks, the Rusty Nail, and one of Cindy's top drinks (and the Dude's), the almighty White Russian. Well, if you've never drank one, here's the pour...

Hacienda

Cindy and I love a seemingly odd combination of flavors in the summer: coffee and citrus. While dumping a bunch of lemonade into your cups of coffee may seem terrible, coffee liqueurs and juices of all kinds actually play together quite well. Add orange juice and Cointreau Noir for the Kowloon. Add tequila and lemon juice for the Ixtapa. Add cranberry and Cointreau for a Breeze. Since we like our Ixtapas with lime instead of the lemon, let's use the same proportions of an Ixtapa for a simple, unique taste.

Melissa Hard Lemonade

In our last Lounge entry, we asked you to muddle some lemon balm. Lemon balm? What the heck is that? Well, it's one of the herbs we are currently growing in the cocktail garden and one of the better ones to drink! So let's try some originals with it.

Turmoil

Another entry for the Around America Series:

Drink: Turmoil

Establishment: Sanctuaria

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

First Connoisseur: Holly (maybe in September!)

1 1/2 ounce rye

1/2 ounce Benedictine

1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

1/2 ounce crème de caçao

5 fresh lemon balm leaves on a sprig

Muddle the lemon balm with proper technique in a shaker (see the Interlude). Add all the ingredients and swirl. Remove the lemon balm. Add ice, shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a spanked lemon balm sprig.

Happy 4th of July!

Stiff and Roghers were pondering a Fourth of July drink in pousse café-style (layered aperitif). We thought we'd oblige and though we know these gents know how to layer drinks, maybe others don't, so here is a primer for everyone. We acknowledge that this is super sweet, but the liquids here are cheap enough to practice your layering skills...

Interlude

This year we started a cocktail garden devoted to herbs of all sorts, hoping to fashion fresh and tasty cocktails for you to enjoy. But you need to be careful with fresh herbs in your cocktails. The green leaves contain chlorophyll which is tremendously bitter. That's o.k. if you are preparing bitters, terrible if you intend on using the plant oils themselves. Bartenders (and even me in the past) screw this up all the time. Ron used to wonder about my bitter mojitos because of my over-muddling.

Bellucci Cocktail

I named my new favorite original for my old horror movie muse, Monica Bellucci. As beautiful, sweet, and piquant as its namesake. If you have a very sweet triple sec, try adding a dash of orange bitters for a true cocktail. You will not be disappointed.

Holly's Originals, Acrophobia

The classic martini is a wonderfully elegant drink - crisp and clean, simple and great with the smoky smoothness of Marlboro cigarettes.

Holly's Blueberry Spice Syrup

For all the teetotalers out there, we thought that we'd throw you a bone and give you a recipe that you can mix with citrus, 7up, or even pancakes. It's my very own Blueberry Spice Syrup and here's how to make it...

Garnishes! (and an original recipe)

Since we gave you the metallic gold of the Gold Star, let's introduce you to a second Parfait Amour pour. It's called the Nightfall on the Lake and it is one of the most asked about originals we've ever poured. The Nightfall is a true cocktail, meaning that it contains bitters. It is the bitters that silver the Parfait for a unique color. In addition, we use fennel fronds to complete its attention-grabbing appearance. I am not a garnish nazi. I believe in the maxim that all a garnish can offer should be offered, including its sight, smell, and taste.

Holly's Originals, Gold Star

Classic Pours: Songbird

The Tantris Sidecar reminded me that I haven't poured one of the classics in a while; the tested and true standbys of our grandfathers' days. It would be remiss of me, though, to go without acknowledging some of the classic pours already at the Lounge, so that you can have a head start in enjoying some of these favorites right away as we add more - they include the Aviation, the Filmograph, the Grasshopper, the Honeymoon, the Imperial Fizz, the Monkey Gland, and the Curled Satan's Whiskers.

Around America Series

Drink: Tantris Sidecar
Establishment: Pegu Club
Location: New York, New York
First Connoisseur: Holly (someday)

1 1/4 ounces Courvoisier VS Cognac
1/2 ounce calvados
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/4 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce Green Chartreuse

Half rim a cocktail glass with sugar. Combine all ingredients and shake. Carefully pour and enjoy this expensive version of a classic.

Catdaddy Express

One of our new liquors for Winterfest XVIII was Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine - a North Carolinian oddball that will surprise those of you who have actually had moonshine (Tubstud, go to hell). I would liken Catdaddy to Seagram's 7 if you stirred in Krispy Kreme cream filling into it. In other words, this Catdaddy is a moonshine that can cozy up to the ladies. Along those lines, we made use of our new moonshine to craft an espresso drink with an added chocolate verve.

Catdaddy Express
1 part Kahlua
1 part Espresso
1 part Catdaddy Moonshine
Dash of chocolate syrup

Shake on ice. Pour into a chocolate syrup drizzled glass. Enjoy.

Razor's Edge

Another of Holly's Originals

A 750 ml bottle of Gailliano will last you damn near your lifetime. I enjoy a Harvey Wallbanger as much as the next guy, but other than that Galliano kinda just sits around. So, I had this portion of Applejack to kill and I though hmmmm... Galliano! With a bit of acid, it just might work. And it did, but you have to be careful. The wrong mix here and you have a sugary concoction that will be tough to get through - thus the reason we call it the "Razor's Edge."

Razor's Edge
1 1/2 ounces Applejack
1 ounce Triple Sec
1/2 ounce Galliano
2 ounces pineapple juice

Shake all on ice; don't kill it, it is in perfect proportion. Garnish with a cherry and don't forget the pineapple foam...

Around America Series

Drink: Aviation
Establishment: CUT at The Palazzo
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
First Connoisseur: Stiff

2 1/2 ounces of Hendrick's gin
3/4 ounces of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 dashes of Luxardo maraschino
2 dashes of Parfait Amour

The classic recipe uses Crème Yvette, but the CUT does not, so enjoy this drink shaken and cold. Perfect for gin lovers. Compare the expensive version with version from the 30 Essentials. This one is better in every way.

The Cold Shoulder

Another of Holly's Originals

Cold Shoulder

1 1/2 ounce Patron

1 1/2 ounce passion fruit rum

1/2 ounce mugi shochu

1/4 ounce blue raspberry syrup

Splash of 7up

Shake the Patron, rum, shochu, and raspberry. Add 7up. A sophisticated tropical drink that isn't for everyone, but the more adventurous should enjoy.

A New Series

Don't worry, the Around America series isn't over. We'll return as we gather more recipes to sample. In the meantime, we hope to introduce several new themes. Today, we begin with Holly's Originals. Just as it sounds, these are recipes Jason has created.

Around America Series

Drink: Cucumber Mule
Establishment: Bar Uncommon
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
First Connoisseur: Holly

1 1/2 ounces Absolut Citron
1 ounce Pimm's
2 1/2 ounces Reed's Ginger Brew
Splash of freshly squeezed lime

Muddle the cucumber in a shaker with a bit of Pimm's. Add ice, followed by Citron, Pimm's, and lime. Shake and pour. Cap with ginger beer.

Around America Series

Drink: Keoke Coffee
Establishment: Stagecoach Inn
Location: Manitou Springs, Colorado
First Connoisseur: Holly

3 ounces Kahlua
2 ounces Brandy
1 ounce Cream de Cacao

Mix it all in a small saucepan, warm slowly to near boiling.

For a special kick, add a clove or two per 3 ounces of Kahlua.

Around America Series

Drink: Mr. Funk of New Orleans
Establishment: Brennan's Restaurant
Location: New Orleans, La.
First Connoisseur: Holly

Around America Series

When Stiff sent us an electronically-pilfered drink menu from one of his classy joints in Vegas, an idea for the next new series popped into my mind. Why not recreate specialty cocktails from bars across America so that we can enjoy them at home? All you need is to send me a cocktail menu with ingredients and I'll put my skills to the test in order to get a decent pour from them. Ready? OK, here's one get us started...

Drink: The Venetian Canal
Establishment: Salute Lounge at The Palazzo
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
First Connoisseur: Stiff

1 1/2 ounces Captain Morgan
1 ounce Disaronno
1 ounce Midori
1 ounce Blue Curaçao
2 ounces of sour
Splash 7up

Shake all ingredients except the 7up on ice. Splash with 7up.