Canadian Wildfire Cocktail

Today, we got more smoke than we bargained for. It was the Fourth of July, of course, so we were expecting fireworks smoke, barbecues, and the like, but the high altitude smoke from raging Canadian wildfires had drifted south. An hour before sunset, the sun was beet red and hazy. It gave us inspiration to create a drink.

We have never smoked a cocktail before. We, instead, often use ingredients that are smoky prior to the construction of the actual drink like a Laphroaig wash or the addition of smoked salt or sugar. To smoke a cocktail efficiently, most bartenders now use a cold smoke gun. They get the job done for about $100. Now, I know most of the Lounge Lizards aren’t going to drop a Benjamin on a smoker, even if you can use it for food too. So we used wood chips (toothpicks) to light a mound of tea to gather our smoke and it worked pretty well; what you have to remember is that gas from a lighter and sulphur from a match don’t taste very good so do not use these as your smoke source.

If you would like to use a smoke gun, you can see mixologist Jamie Boudreau apply one using tea leaves here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpO0xdxyUkg

Canadian Wildfire Cocktail
Holly’s Original

1 1/2 ounce Canadian whisky (We used Canadian Club 100)
1/2 ounce Cointreau (or premium triple sec)
Dash Angostura bitters
Contents of a bag of Chai tea

Combine whisky, Cointreau and bitters in a service vessel.

Open the tea bag and pour out its contents in a flame retardant container (we used an aluminum pan). Alight the tea with a wood chip. Invert a glass over smoke for a short time. Extinguish fire.

Add a large ice cube to smoked glass. Pour the cocktail over the large ice cube. Enjoy.

Barrel Aged Deshler

On Facebook, we hinted at a project that we would unveil for Winterfest XXI.

If you made the party, you know about (and drank) that project. If not, we thought that a month was long enough to wait. Just after last Christmas, I met with Grant Hurless, bar manager at Heritage in Madison, about barrel-aging pre-mixed cocktails. That discussion led to a barrel and a search for a classic recipe to put in it. I finally settled on a classic cousin of the traditional Manhattan called the Deshler. A potent mix of Cointreau, Dubonnet, and rye, the Deshler would stand up to the wood well and provide a smooth product in the end.

At this point if you are wondering how to barrel-age, here's how.

Plymouth Fury, Lot 6

Our last Stephen King cocktail post involves novels from the early 1980s- Christine and Firestarter. Our Christine cocktail, called the Plymouth Fury from the make and model of Christine herself, requires that the cocktail have Plymouth gin in it and that it was the correct shade of red. So we riffed from the modern classic Cosmo and added Aphrodite bitters (from Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s) to remind us of the bittersweet love Arnie had for his Christine.

Don's Mix, part 2

We introduced you to Don the Beachcomber in September last year, but actually this is the season for his Tiki sensations like the Zombie and Mai Tai. We absolutely love to pour Zombies at the Lounge; we even go so far as to make virgin Zombies for the kids. There is a problem, however. You need Don's mix for a perfect Zombie (see our recipe for the Zombie and Don's Mix here).

Derby Special

Oooooh. Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby on the same day. How can we contain our excitement? Like we need two reasons to drink! Anyway, Cindy has been asking me to bring a recipe that more people would have the ingredients for. So, when I found out that the classic Derby Special fits this mold, I was glad to give it a try.

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.

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.

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.

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.