New Year, New Cocktail Bars

Our last two Christmas posts were sad, I admit, but with the advances in the science surrounding COVID, it's look better than ever that we are rounding the corner of this pandemic. And while it is good to remember the great cocktail clubs we have lost, we have to look forward to those that are on the horizon.

I was just surprised that we found one so soon. Late this fall, we happened upon the startup bookstore/cafe/bar near the UW-Madison Campus named Leopold's. Sharing an entry with a Rocky Rococo's on Regent Street, the quaint and cozy Leopold's opens up to shelves of texts for sale from around the world. Past the books, the back opens up to a marble-topped custom bar with a large espresso maker at its center. A trio of friendly barkeeps tended to the clientele with a variety of cocktails, wine, tea, and coffee.

The first drink I ordered was a modern classic made famous by Madison barman-turned-NY-mixologist-author Jim Meehan known as a Newark (which was on Leopold's menu) and Cindy grabbed one of her favorites, a expresso martini. Both drinks were well-balanced and granished smartly. Our coffee night caps were just as good. I ordered a Cappuccino Con L'Arancia, an orange and ginger warmer with Grand Marnier; Cindy preferred the Cappuccino Brancha Mocha, a minty dark chocolate tipple spiked with Fernet Branca Menta.

Here's to hoping Leopold's and other new cocktail clubs can start a second cocktail movement in the 2020s. In the meantime, let's show you how to pour Meehan's Newark, Leopold's-style.

Newark

2 ounces Laird's apple brandy
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce Fernet Branca
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
Dash Angostura bitters

Combine all the ingredients into an iced mixing glass. Stir and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a dried apple slice.

Bittersweet Christmas

Like nearly every small city in America, Madison’s booming cocktail scene of the early 2000s ended with the beginning of the COVID era. Truth be told, cocktails were dying prior to the pandemic, but the coronavirus was the proverbial coffin nail. Madison’s Capitol Area bars took huge hits when bar manager Grant Hurless left Heritage Tavern, Brocach closed its doors, and owner Mandy Arnold shuttered the Opus Lounge, one of our favorite bars in the world. The Merchant and Maduro remain, but the city is more about food again. Because of the current shortage of aluminum, small craft beer joints will also likely go the way of the dinosaurs, or like Lake Louie, get purchased by a big competitor. It’s sad times for the Lounge Lizards.

Cuffs and Buttons

Several years ago, I discovered a recipe for the original Southern Comfort created by New Orleans barman Martin Wilkes Herron. The original formula, named ‘Cuffs and Buttons,’ is a citrus and spice infused bourbon which was so popular that Herron patented the formula in 1899. 

To make the infusion, start with a good bottle of bourbon. In my two versions that worked well, I used a 750 ml bottle of Evan Williams for the first batch and a 750 ml bottle of Four Roses for my second batch. Pour your preferred bourbon into a large Mason jar. Add 2 inches of vanilla bean, 1 inch of cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 12 dried cherries, a quarter of a small lemon, and 3 half-thumb pieces of orange to the jar. Let sit for five days. Agitate daily and taste. If the cinnamon gets too bold, remove the stick.

On the fifth day, remove the citrus and spices and strain the liquor. Heat a cup of good quality honey (don’t go cheap here) with a ½ cup of water. Add the honey syrup little by little to the infused bourbon until you find it tasty. If you pour the whole amount of honey syrup into the bourbon, the finished mix will be between 65 and 70 proof (Commercial Southern Comfort is 70 proof). Enjoy in your favorite whiskey cocktail or neat.

Cuffs and Buttons Old Fashioned

2 ounces of prepared Cuffs and Buttons
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Top with 7up or club soda

Build the cocktail in a rocks glass filled with ice. Serve with a bourbon cherry or orange wheel or both.