San Antonio, Texas

A five-minute walk down the San Antonio River Walk from the historic Alamo, sits a watering hole that has been satisfying thirsty Texans since the end of Prohibition: The Esquire Tavern. Opening in 1933, just six years ahead of the groundbreaking of the River Walk, the Esquire prides itself on an upstairs brimming with historical swank and a downscaled downstairs that offers a more laid-back setting on the river at the tavern’s rear. Both levels boast a separate cocktail list; the downstairs claims a more uncomplicated experience, but like the upstairs, the house cocktails are likely to contain five or more ingredients, many from the classic prohibition era. No Seven and Sevens here.

The Esquire didn’t mind if the whole family got a bite to eat upstairs, so we did; I grabbed their meatloaf sandwich, which may not seem very sophisticated except with a beautiful classic cocktail in tow. Mine was a Warpaint- a heady concoction of Norwegian Aquavit, Beet-Tarragon Shrub, Herbsaint, Cocchi Americano, and fresh-squeeze lemon juice. Cindy’s cocktail, the Scrubby Collins, was equally involved- a mixture of blanco tequila, strawberry-basil black pepper shrub, and mineral water, stirred on ice and served long.

In true Wisconsin-style, I couldn’t leave without an after-dinner (or lunch, in this case) drink, so I ordered up a Waking the Dead #1 (yes, they did also have a #2 too, which was too fruity for my tastes). Although we don’t know the exact proportions, I do have the ingredients, so here’s my best approximations...

Drink: Waking the Dead #1
Establishment: The Esquire Tavern
Location: San Antonio, Texas
First Connoisseur: Holly

1 ½ ounces bonded bourbon
¾ ounce Italian vermouth (I used Carpano)
½ ounce espresso-fernet (I used a mix of espresso liqueur and fernet branca)
1 ounce pineapple juice
Dash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a shaker full of ice. Shake until chilled. Serve up in a cocktail glass and enjoy in warm temperatures.

New Beginnings Cocktail

Last year during the holiday season, we offered an original tea syrup-amaro treat called A Life Well-Lived Cocktail, whose genesis was at the time of the still-burgeoning COVID pandemic in Asia, which now, in retrospect, seems a bit melancholic in its appellation. With a vaccine just around the corner, we are looking to an end of the pandemic by summer so that we can return to America’s grand liquid traditions in our favorite watering holes. Until then, there’s no reason why we can’t celebrate new beginnings here virtually in the Firewater Lounge with another homemade cocktail in the same family as last year’s cocktail.

Instead of gin as the spirit base (as in A Life Well-Lived), we wanted a young bourbon as a symbol for the new year, so specifically we used a one-year-aged Colorado bourbon whiskey from 291. To add to the bourbon, we made a 1-to-1 Yaupon tea syrup made from Catspring’s holiday blend called Deck the Hills. For newcomers to yaupon, it is the only American native caffeinated plant, which yields a lightly sweet green tea. We controlled the cocktails sweetness with Amaro Amaricano, a new American amaro from Seattle’s Fast Penny Spirits. The amaro adds depth of favor and color. The resulting cocktail favor is a balance of ginger, pumpkin, and licorice with a warm sweet attack up front, moderating as it retreats.

New Beginnings Cocktail

Holly's Original

1 ½ ounce young bourbon (We used 291)

1 ounce yaupon tea syrup

¾ ounce Amaro Amaricano

If you do not have yaupon syrup, prepare some 1:1 syrup by boiling 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white sugar, then steep a tablespoon of yaupon in the syrup for 6 minutes. Strain. Cool before using. To prepare the cocktail, mix all ingredients in a stirring vessel with ice. Gently stir 40 revolutions to maintain the drink’s smooth texture and then pour into coupe or old-fashioned glass. Garnish with star anise.

Bryant’s Milwaukee Manhattan

 

As I climb toward half a century on this twirling rock, I can easily say that this year is the darkest of Christmases I have known. The challenges have been great, and many of our friends and family cannot share the day with us, either because we are safeguarding the anticipated celebrations to come or because they live on only in our hearts. Either way, I think no one has been spared at least a touch of melancholiness this season.

The Firewater Lounge has always been a virtual presence, but it is built on the experiences of all the joys of the good people and warm places that we have had the good fortunes to visit- the simple charms of New Orleans’ Revel Bar, the classic Midwest grandeur of Louisville’s Seelbach Hotel, the camaraderie that the Penn Brewery extends to its non-Pittsburgh natives, the elegant flare of Boston’s Drink, I could go on and on. Many of these places are on temporary hiatus or, like Marvel Bar in Minneapolis, permanently closed, their good-byes abounding with hopeful thoughts of their patrons’ health and happiness during this begrudging, indefinite parting of ways.

Personally, I think the place I miss most is Bryant’s, with its darkened, yet friendly corners. Bryant’s is the kind of time machine whose dials are only set to ‘Milwaukee noir’ and the first person you meet when you step through the doors is Humphrey Bogart. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve always been older than my age; the ‘40s barman lurking in my soul is always tipping a fedora in Bryant’s direction. 

This Christmas, then, since we can’t go to Bryant’s, let’s have the Firewater Lounge bring it to you. It’s 2020, though, so there’s always a difficulty. You see, Bryant’s cocktail recipes are a secret; to get them, you need to work there or know someone who has. Luckily for us, Bryant’s bartender Emily Evans has unveiled a riff on a timeless classic which tastes best in the winter- the Manhattan.

I’m going to give you most of the recipe here, except one ingredient to keep the recipe generally secret. If you are a Lounge Lizard, p.m. me and I’ll give you the last ingredient as a Christmas gift, plus we’d love to hear from you. We’ll get together soon, I promise. Lots of love from the Lounge to you all and have a Merry Christmas.

Bryant’s Milwaukee Manhattan

2 ½ ounces Jameson Irish whiskey (Evans also uses Bulleit if you want rye)

½ ounce sweet vermouth (Noilly Prat Rouge)

½ ounce dry vermouth (Dolin Dry)

½ ounce maraschino liqueur

3 dashes Angostura bitters

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Stir all ingredients in a well-iced mixing vessel. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel.