Drink of the Week: Sun Gold Tomato Martini

I tried making quite a few variations of a sun gold tomato martini last summer. What challenging research projects I give myself!

Before this most recent attempt, I have made these all as muddled drinks, that is, I've crushed the tomato in with the gin, shaken the drink and then strained the tomato out. Delicious, but sorta bloody Mary-ish. In this version, I made sun gold tomato gin by steeping crushed tomatoes in gin and straining it through a coffee filter. This made for a drink that was the essence of tomato without any of the heaviness of tomato juice.

Even better, I can stockpile bottles of tomatoey sunshine to enjoy in the cold winter.

Sun Gold Tomato Martini

Prepare the gin by steeping crushed sun gold cherry tomatoes (slightly overripe ones are perfect) in gin. Just put the tomatoes in a jar and cover them with gin. Let steep for three-four days. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter into another jar.

To make your cocktail, combine in an iced mixing glass:

• 3 ounces tomato gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth (Dolin is great if you can find it)
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Stir until very well chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh sun gold cherry

tomato if you have one.

This Summer, I am chronicling my first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) experience. My CSA share is from Arrowhead Farm, a farm based in Newburyport, MA. Each week, I am posting about what was in my share and what I'm doing with it. By way of full disclosure, I won my share through a raffle and am not paying for it. However, Arrowhead did not know I was entered in the raffle, and I received no special consideration because of this blog. I paid for my livestock share. A full set of all the photos I've taken of this share is here.

Drink of the Week: Flat Tire

I'm a huge fan of the Sidecar and its variations. Traditionally made with lemon juice, brandy and Cointreau, I thought pineapple would be an interesting twist on the recipe.

My pineapple was super sweet, so I needed to add some lemon juice back in to the recipe, but I recommend you hold back the lemon juice until you've tasted the drink without it then add a squeeze if you need it.

I called this cocktail the Flat Tire because I thought that's what your sidecar would have after you hit a spiky pineapple with it.

Flat Tire Cocktail

In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle 4-5 cubes of pineapple until it looks very juicy. Add ice to the mixing glass and add:

• 1 ounce brandy
• 1 ounce Cointreau

Shake well. Taste for acid, if things seem to sweet, add a squeeze of lemon juice. Strain into a coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

Drink of the Week: Pegu Club

A fun thing about classic cocktails is the history behind them. The Pegu Club was a watering hole in Rangoon, then the capital of Burma (now the city of Yangon in Myanmar). The house cockail was a blend of gin, orange curaçao, lime juice and bitterses (is that the plural of bitters?).

There's a lot of discussion about this recipe (check this thread at eGullet if you doubt me). I decided to follow David Wonderich's recipe. It results in what I'd call a "bracing" drink. It's a perfect quaff for Rangoon-hot summer day.

Pegu Club Cocktail

Combine in an iced shaker:

• 2 oz gin (I used Plymouth)
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 3/4 oz orange curaçao (I used Grand Marnier)
• dash of Angostura bitters
• dash of orange bitters

Shake until well-chilled and the shaker is frosted over. Strain in to a cocktail glass. The mint leaf is a non-traditional garnish, but I thought it looked purty.

Drink of the Week: Cynar Sour

This is not a drink for the timid. Cynar is a Italian digestivo: it's super bitter and has a very assertive personality. Traditionally it's drunk neat, in tiny glasses, before or after a meal. Using it in a cocktail smooths the rough edges down and makes for a very intriguing drink. This cocktail comes from Food & Wine's Cocktails 2010. This series of cocktail books is a great resource if you're looking for interesting cocktail bar recipes.

An egg white produces the nice frothy cap on the top of the drink. It also softens any harsh notes in the Cynar. The inclusion of the egg white requires that you shake the drink very hard to blend the white into the cocktail.

Cynar Sour

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker:

• 2 ounces Cynar
• 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce honey
• 1/2 egg white

Shake very hard, until the shaker frosts over. Strain into a cocktail glass or coupe and garnish with a long strip of orange peel.

Drink of the Week: The Aviatrix

Credit for this drink goes completely to the lovely Jen Hess of Last Night's Dinner. Last Night's Dinner is not a recipe site, so like many of her readers and fans, I was thrilled when she started posting recipes on Food52.

This cocktail is a take on the Aviation. The Aviation is a classic drink and you'll find it on many a cocktail list. However, by adding Lillet Blanc the the formula, Jen has tweaked a classic and crafted a new drink that deserves to stand on its own. (I have to confess that I prefer it to an Aviation.) Her original post can be found here.

Lillet Blanc may not be a spirit you're familiar with, but it's a worthwhile addition to the liquor cabinet. It's a fortified wine, like vermouth, and is frequently enjoyed chilled as an aperitif. Lillet can sometimes be found in a red wine version (Lillet Rouge), which is also delicious and worth seeking out.

The Aviatrix

Combine in an iced mixing glass or the bottom half of a shaker:

• 2 ounces gin (I used Plymouth)
• 1 ounce Lillet Blanc
• 1 barspoon crème de violette
• 2 dashes lemon bitters

Stir until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist (the twist makes a huge difference, it's not an optional garnish).

Drink of the Week: Diablo

Here's a drink to use some of the ingredients that are lurking in the back of your liquor cabinet: Dubonnet and orgeat syrup. Orgeat is a traditional ingredient in tiki drinks, but if a mai tai isn't in your future, this is a nice option.

The combination of the Dubonnet with the almonds in the orgeat made for a not-too-sweet spiced cherry pie effect.

Gin-haters, you won't notice the gin in this drink, so don't swap it for vodka. We used Gordon's, but a smoother gin like Plymouth would be more subtle. Traditionally, a cherry is dropped in for garnish, but my cherries were not to be found.

Diablo

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker:

• 1 1/2 ounces Dubonnet
• 3/4 ounce gin
• 1/4 ounce orgeat

Stir until very cold. Strain into an iced cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Drink of the Week: The Paddy

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day?

Here's a drink option that doesn't require you to drink a lurid green potion to show your Irish pride. The Paddy is a sweet Manhattan variation that uses Irish whiskey instead of rye or bourbon. I haven't had much exposure to Irish whiskey cocktails, even though Irish whiskey is supposed to be the fastest growing spirits category in the United States (check out the spirited discussion in the comment thread here at Drink Boston).

This drink is a really nice introduction to this category of cocktails. Make sure your vermouth is fairly fresh (yes, its charms can fade after opening, so if your bottle has been sitting, opened, in your liquor cabinet for the last year treat yourself to a new bottle).

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the drink in the picture is too light to have sweet vermouth in it. A ha! You are correct, for our first version of the Paddy, I grabbed the dry vermouth in error. This resulted in a very light-textured drink: easily quaffed and very smooth. Sweet vermouth produced a more complex drink and brought out the toasty notes in the Irish whiskey.

The Paddy Cocktail

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker:

• 1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey (we used Bushmills)
• 1/2 ounce sweet vermout
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Slainte!

Drink of the Week: Martinez

The Martinez cocktail is a classic cocktail drinker's classic cocktail. It's a martini variation that includes maraschino and bitters.

I recently picked up a bottle of Hayman's Old Tom gin to play with. Old Tom is a style of gin that was very popular in 18th century London. It's sweeter and not quite as junipery as a London dry gin (think Beefeater). Hayman's is a new gin that uses an 18th century Old Tom recipe.

The Martinez is a cocktail that is perfectly designed for Old Tom gin, but if you don't have any on hand, please try it with a lighter gin like Plymouth or Citadelle. I like a 1:1 proportion of gin to sweet vermouth, but there isn't consensus on this ratio, try 2:1 if you'd like a more "spirited" drink.

Martinez

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker:

• 1 ounce Old Tom gin
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1 bar spoon maraschino liqueur
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Stir until very cold. Strain into a coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Drink of the Week: Toronto

We had dinner last weekend at The Highland Kitchen in Somerville. You must go, and you must order the goat stew (it is super spicy) and if they're still on the menu, may I recommend the Buffalo-fried brussels sprouts. Just trust me.

The Toronto was on their list and seeing it reminded me how much I enjoy cocktails that contain a good dose of Fernet Branca (the Hanky Panky is also a good choice). The one I was served at the Highland was really great. Ice-cold and clear, it made for great sipping.

The Toronto Cocktail

Combine in an iced shaker:

• 2 ounces rye
• 1/4 ounce Fernet Branca
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup (I used Scrappy's Gomme Syrup which gave a really luscious mouthfeel to the drink - buy yours here at The Boston Shaker)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail and garnish with a disk of orange zest (think a really wide and round twist).

Drink of the Week: Jewel Cocktail

Welcome to the weekend! The Jewel (also known as a Bijou - as made for Jimmy Fallon by Rachel Maddow) is a serious way to start the weekend. Like any drink with chartreuse as a key component, it has very strong herbal notes. The sweet vermouth softens the spiciness, while the gin provides a smooth background for the flavors. Crack out that bottle of Chartreuse you have hiding in the back of the liquor cabinet (you do have a bottle, don't you?) and give it a try.

Jewel Cocktail

In an iced cocktail shaker, combine:

• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce green Chartreuse
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• dash orange bitters

Stir until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Cheers!

Drink of the Week: Old Pal

I saw the Old Pal in a beverage magazine we receive although it can be found in old bar books and on many cocktail menus. It's a cross between a dry Manhattan and a Negroni. I used rye in this drink, but you could use bourbon if you prefer.

Please make sure you are using fresh dry vermouth (yes, it does spoil - or at a minimum, go stale - over time). But small bottles if you don't use it often and keep it cool or in the fridge.

There's a lot of Campari in this drink, but the vermouth really tones it back down so you won't get walloped with its bitterness.

Old Pal Cocktail

Combine in an iced mixing glass:

• 1 ounce rye or bourbon
• 3/4 ounce dry vermouth
• 3/4 ounce Campari

Stir until well chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Drink of the Week: The Nonantum

Continuing on the Red Hook variation trail I started to follow last week, here's a local take: The Nonantum. For those who live outside the Boston area, Nonantum, also called Silver Lake, is one the thirteen villages that make up the town of Newton, MA. A very interesting feature of Nonantum is "Lake Talk", a dialect spoken by locals in the area. Check out the Nonantum link about for a list of Lake dialect lingo.

The Nonantum calls for Strega, an apertivo, that is lightly scented with orange. I actually happen to own a bottle of Strega and am never quite sure what to do with it, so I was grateful to find this drink. I used it in a cocktail I invented called The Good Witch Bad Witch.

Evan Harrison of The Independent, a bar in Somerville, MA, is the creator of this cocktail. If you'd like to see him make one, click over here to How2Heroes to watch him in action.

The Nonantum

Combine in an iced mixing glass:

• 1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounce Punt e Mes
• 3/4 ounce Strega
• dash Angostura
• dash orange bitters

Stir until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Drink of the Week: The Bensonhurst

Over the holidays I added a new bottle to our liquor cabinet. Cynar is an amaro, an Italian liqueur known as a disgestivo. Amari and digestivi are traditionally drunk after a meal, to help you digest the abundance you've consumed. (I grew to love one of the most famously lethal of these, Fernet Branca, after I was a given a shot of it at the conclusion of an incredibly rich, salumi-laden meal.)

Anyway, back to Cynar. On its own, it is sweeter and a little less bitter than Fernet, but not as sweet as Averna, another amaro you might see. Cynar is flavored with an infusion of artichoke as well as several other herbs. I've been enjoying it, in small doses, as an after dinner sipper but wanted to try it in a cocktail.

I am a huge fan of the Red Hook (first mixed Milk & Honey in New York City) and its variations (such as the Prospect Park). This variation using Cynar was designed by Chad Solomon of Cuffs and Buttons is called The Bensonhurst.

The Bensonhurst

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker:

• 2 ounces rye
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur
• 1 teaspoon Cynar

Stir until will chilled and strain into a cocktail glass.

You talkin' to me?

Drink of the Week: Perserverance

Wow, those two weeks sped by, didn't they? Sorry for being so remiss with my posting: it's just been crazy over here. I'm running my personal chef business, baking for (and selling at) a local farmers' market, working as a part-time chef at a retreat center and doing some human resources consulting (my "old" life raising its head every now and then). So posting has been taking a back seat to making a living.

Anyhoo, this week's cocktail gets us back in the swing of thing. Developed by A.J. Rathbun, it uses vodka, rose wine and maraschino liqueur. We don't have any vodka in the house, so I subbed in gin (shocker!) and everything came out great. The really nice thing about wine cocktails is that they don't give you a wallop like a straight-spirits cocktail. I am going to try making a few more of them, especially for weeknight sipping.

To see the story of this cocktail, check out A.J.'s blog post and his video on How2Heroes - linked below.

Perserverance Cocktail

Combine in an iced mixing glass:

• 2 ounces rose wine (I used the dregs of a bottle of Kalmuck rose, wasn't too sweet)
• 1 ounce vodka (I used Plymouth gin)
• 1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur
• dash of Peychaud's bitters

Stir until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist to mine.

Drink of the Week: Apple Mint Sour

I recently was given a Bartender Guide produced by Laird and Company. Laird is the producer of Laird's Applejack, an American apple brandy. Applejack can be found in most liquor stores if you know where to look (near bourbon, sometimes near brandy) and is a fun liquor to put in the place of bourbon for cocktail experiments. It's an essential ingredient in the Jack Rose cocktail.

One of the recipes in the guide is for an Apple Mint Sour. If I saw this on a drink list at a bar, I'd avoid it: it screams deKuyper and sour mix to me. But made with Applejack and fresh mint and fresh lemon juice, it's delicious. Beppo tried a sip and announced that he had drink envy.

Apple Mint Sour
In an iced mixing glass combine:

• 2 ounces Laird's Applejack (or even better: Laird's bonded Apple Brandy)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce simple syrup
• 2 sprigs of mint, torn

Shake well, until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with mint.

Drink of the Week: Paris Manhattan

I found the recipe for this cocktail in a St. Germain recipe book. For me, the challenge with St. Germain is its flowery sweetness. I prefer a less-sweet cocktail and for my palate, St. Germain works best in light and refreshing cocktails. I was pleasantly surprised by the bourbon's place in this cocktail. I was concerned it would overpower the St. Germain, but the St. Germain holds its own.

This cocktail is one of many that has reminded me that I need to try to make some of my own vermouth. I find that dry vermouth has a "cottony" mouthfeel that really comes through in lighter drinks like this one. Anyone have a vermouth method they'd like to share? Pretty please?

Paris Manhattan
Stir together in a mixing glass:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce St. Germain
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• dash of bitters
  

Stir until very cold. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

I'm A Hero!

Hey all! Here's my first instructional video: filmed and produced by the great folks at How 2 Heroes, it's my first foray into film. Agua frescas are really easy to make and are super for summer. Cheers!

Drink of the Week: The Rosita

I was looking for a tequila drink to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with, but the 5th was rainy and cold and very un-Margarita-like. Adam @ the Boston Shaker (Your Friendly Neighborhood Cocktail Supply Shop) to the rescue! He twittered (tweeted? still working on my Twittercabulary) about a drink called the Rosita and after reading the recipe at DrinkBoy, I headed straight to the liquor cabinet to mix one up.

The unusual pairing of Campari with tequila may stop some of you in your tracks, but the combination works really well. The other ingredients mellow the Camapri's bitterness: it's still there, but it plays more of a backing role instead of muscling through all the other flavors (as it sometimes does in a Negroni).

The Rosita

In an iced mixing glass, combine:

• 1 1/2 ounces tequila
• 1/2 ounce Campari
• 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• dash of Angostura bitters

Stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist (I forgot to garnish before we took the picture; the lemon oil in the twist adds a nice touch).

If this is still too Campari-heavy for you, reduce the amount to 1/4 ounce and work your way up to a level of bitterness that works for you.

Drink of the Week: Blueberry-Ginger Cooler

I am sending thanks to the great folks at Domaine de Canton, who sent me a bottle of this delicious liqueur. I am having a lot of fun experimenting with it! This is the second drink I feel is ready for public viewing and consumption. The current working name is the Blueberry-Ginger Cooler, but I am open to suggestions for a better name.

This drink uses blueberry puree. I had a small amount of puree left over from a video shoot (eek!) I just finished with How 2 Heroes (videos coming soon). To make your own, puree 1/2 cup of blueberries (frozen are perfect for this) with 1/2 cup of water. Alternatively, for a more rustic approach, just muddle some berries (a small handful) right in your mixing glass.

I used tequila in this version, but I think a light rum might be nice too. Also, I tried a small variation and added a wee bit of red wine vinegar (1/4 ounce) to the drink in a small play on a shrub (a fruit, sugar and vinegar cooler - don't knock 'em till you try 'em).

Blueberry-Ginger Cooler
In an iced mixing glass, stir together until well-chilled:

• 2 ounces Domaine de Canton liqueur
• 1 ounce tequila
• 2 ounces blueberry puree

Pour into tall glass and top with 3-4 ounces club soda. Stir to combine.

Drink of the Week: Ginger-Nashi Cocktail

,A few weeks ago I had the great fortune to attend Cochon 555, an heirloom pig-feast and awareness event. One of the many other products available for tasting at the event was Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. I had seen Domaine de Canton at bars and liquor stores and avoided it because I assumed it was a sweet, artificially flavored alcohol. Boy was I wrong.

Domaine de Canton is a liqueur made from Cognac and baby ginger. The flavor is floral, gingery, with hints of vanilla and spice from the cognac. It's much lighter than you might imagine and would be a great addition to your summer drinks lineup. My first introduction to it was at Cochon 555, in a watermelon mojito. 'Twas delicious and refreshing.

It's going to be fun to experiment with Domaine de Canton in summery, fizzy drinks, but for my first take on it I thought I would add it to Asian pear, or nashi, juice.

Making the juice was easy: puree one seeded and sliced Asian pear in the blender. Pour the pulp into a strainer and press gently to release juice. I got nearly 3 ounces of juice from one Asian pear. (Since the pulp was still pretty juicy, I saved it to use in pancakes.)

Ginger-Nashi Cocktail
In an iced cocktail strainer, combine:

• 1 oz. gin (a lighter, not-so-ginny gin like Plymouth is best and yes, vodka would be fine)
• 1 oz. Asian pear juice
• 1 oz. Domaine de Canton liqueur
  

Shake until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of Asian pear.

The even proportions worked well for us because the Asian pear was so sweet. You may want to add more juice if it's not so sweet.