…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? It’s Spring!... and time for spring break on a lovely island. So I offer A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea cocktail served in a Collins glass, with foamy top, garnished with coffee beans and pineapple fronds. The best cocktails taste good and look pleasing to the eye, but a well-conceived name can be the difference between a drink that fades into the night and one with centuries of staying power. It’s yet to be determined whether we’ll still be drinking the 11-word cocktail decades into the future, but with a memorable name and tasty blend of ingredients, it could happen. This cocktail combines three types of rum (I love rum) with pineapple and lime juices, demerara syrup and cold brew coffee. The first rum is an unaged rhum Agricole, which is distilled from fresh sugarcane juice rather than the more common molasses, and sports a grassy, earthy flavor. Then there’s Blackstrap rum which is characterized more by its dark color than by any actual regulations. The category often features young distillates that get their inky hue from caramel coloring, not lengthy barrel aging. But those rums can be intensely flavorful and fun to work with, and blackstrap rums are used in cocktails like the Jungle Bird and Corn ’n’ Oil. Lastly, the recipe calls for Old Port Deluxe rum, which is made in Bangalore, India, using 100% local sugarcane. The rums are sweetened with demerara syrup, a type of simple syrup made with demerara sugar, which has a coarse grain and light tan color. With notes of molasses, toffee and coffee, it provides a richer, deeper flavor than traditional simple syrup, so it pairs well with dark spirits and is a staple in many Tiki-style cocktails. Pineapple lends sweet, tropical notes, while fresh lime juice provides citrusy/acidy balance. Finally, the cocktail is topped with a small pour of cold brew coffee before it’s garnished with coffee beans and pineapple leaves. A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea may sound weird, but with a trio of rums, bright fruits and coffee, it’s a fun, complex cocktail to be enjoyed on spring break or whenever the mood strikes. Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc 1/2 ounce Cruzan blackstrap rum 1/2 ounce Old Port Deluxe matured rum 1 ounce pineapple juice 3/4 ounce demerara syrup (1 part demerara sugar, 1 part water/boiled) 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed 1/4 ounce La Colombe cold brew coffee Garnish: roasted coffee beans Garnish: pineapple fronds Directions
ChefSecret: Inventing a cocktail is like having a kid. Conceiving it is the easy part. The challenges come later. And many bartenders will attest that one of the hardest parts of cocktail creation is conjuring the right name. This is, after all, the first interaction drinkers will have with the cocktail, and can impact whether or not the drink will sell well. Quip of the Day: Q: What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks during spring break? A: FOUL weather. ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #FoggySeaCocktail #Rum #Coffee #CruzanRum #Rhum #Cheers #HappyHour #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024
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… from the Perspectives Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? One thing I love about some of the older cocktail recipes is that they have great names. For example, The Hanky Panky Cocktail which has a great story, as well. It was invented by one of the few women known to have tended bar, pre-Prohibition, Ada Coleman, then at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. Be careful with this one, but not too careful. It calls for Fernet Branca, which of course isn't to everyone's taste. Here, though, it's used in such small quantities that its sharper elements are tamed. Hanky Panky matches the distinctive character of Fernet Branca with the botanicals found in gin and sweet vermouth to create a rich blend of flavors—a blend that lets the pushy liqueur remind you of its better side. Let's talk about that bitter Italian liqueur, a beneficent bully. Formulated as a digestivo in the mid-19th century, Fernet Branca has a blend of botanicals, including cardamom, chamomile, saffron and rhubarb, that together work some sort of gastronomic magic to dispel the discomfort of overindulging at mealtime. And the bully part? This same mix of ingredients has a flavor so bracingly bitter and complex that a first encounter is usually seared into a drinker's memory. This powerful flavor makes Fernet Branca tricky to work with as a cocktail ingredient. Not content to play a supporting role, Fernet Branca has a knack for taking over any drink that incorporates it as an ingredient. Fortunately, there are a few cocktails that play to Fernet Branca's strengths. Note: Some bartenders adjust the drink's proportions to create a drier cocktail; for that version, try 2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of sweet vermouth and 1/4 ounce of Fernet Branca. Both versions are worth a try. Prep time: 3 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces gin 1-1/2 ounces sweet vermouth 2 dashes (1/4 ounce) Fernet Branca Directions
Chefs Secrets: The Savoy has always been my place to stay in London until… well, I was tossed out. I was drinking at the American Bar with Master Christie (first officer on the original Pacific Princess and a real troublemaker). Without going into too much detail—there were girls involved, tossing food at guests and lots of Hanky Panky. Keep this a secret, please. Quip of the Day: Q. How do you make your hanky dance? A. Put a little boogie in it. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HankyPankyCocktail #FernetBranca #Gin #Vermouth #Cheers #HappyHour #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? Death in the Gulf Stream Cocktail—funny name, funny story, funny drink. It was a favorite drink of Ernest Hemingway's… but then he had so many favorite cocktails. The drink first appeared in Charles Baker's Gentleman's Companion. Baker's description of the drink is classic. Take a tall thin water tumbler and fill it with finely cracked ice. Lace this broken debris with 4 good purple splashes of Angostura, add the juice and crushed peel of 1 green lime, and fill the glass almost full of Holland gin... No sugar, no fancying. It's strong, it's bitter—but so is English ale strong and bitter, in many cases. We don't add sugar to ale, and we don't need sugar in a Death in The Gulf Stream—or at least not more than 1 tsp. Its tartness and its bitterness are its chief charm. It is reviving and refreshing; cools the blood and inspires renewed interest in food, companions and life. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1 fresh lime peel zest 1 tablespoon fresh key lime juice 4 dashes Angostura bitters 1 teaspoon simple syrup (if you must) 3 ounces Bols’s gin Directions
ChefSecret: Holland gin, of course, is Genever, and the version from Bols works well here. I agree with Baker that too much sugar ruins this drink, but I like my cocktails drier than most drinkers do. If you can find key limes, use them here. If not, a typical supermarket lime will do. Quip of the Day: A true friend reaches for your hand … and puts a glass of gin in it. ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #DeathInTheGulfStreamCocktail #Gin #Bols #Genever #ErnestHemingway #CharlesBaker #GentlemansCompanion #Cheers #HappyHour #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? I can’t remember a time when I went out to eat with my parents to a “fancy” restaurant where I didn’t order a Shirley Temple when my folks ordered their martinis. So, just who was Shirley Temple? Shirley Jane Temple was born on April 23, 1928, at Santa Monica Hospital, the third child of homemaker Gertrude Temple and bank employee George Temple. Temple's mother encouraged her to develop her singing, dancing, and acting talents. At about this time, her mother began styling Temple's hair in ringlets.[15] While at the dance school, Temple was spotted by Charles Lamont, who was a casting director for a movie company. Little 3-year old Shirley hid behind a piano while he was in the studio. Lamont liked Temple and invited her to audition. He signed her to a contract in 1932. Educational Pictures launched its Baby Burlesques, 10-minute comedy shorts satirizing recent films and events, using preschool children in every role. In 1933, Temple appeared in Glad Rags to Riches, a parody of the Mae West feature She Done Him Wrong, with Temple as a saloon singer. That same year, she appeared in Kid 'in' Africa as a child imperiled in the jungle and in Runt Page, a pastiche of the previous year's The Front Page. The younger players in the cast recited their lines phonetically. Shirley Temple became one of the most popular actresses in the world (child or adult) at that time and even won an Academy Award—a miniature of the adult sized one. While all this was going on children all over the world were ordering a drink—Shirley Temple—made with 7/Up and grenadine topped with a Marsicano cherry. All these years later you can still find a grown-up version of a favorite mocktail, the Shirley Temple. A Bend Over Shirley cocktail is the made with the same grenadine and lemon-lime soda, it has the same fruity taste you loved as a kid along with a kick-ass adaptation from the 2-ounces of vodka. Prep time: 3 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 2 ounces vodka 1 ounce grenadine 4 ounces lemon-lime soda 3 Maraschino cherries for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: You can use a plain vodka or substitute a cherry-flavored brand such as Smirnoff, or Skyy. Grenadine is not made from cherries but a deep red, pomegranate-flavored syrup. You can use Sprite or 7/Up for the lemon-lime flavor. For a more traditional approach, substitute ginger ale and an added splash of orange juice. Quip of the Day: A vampire walks into a bar and tells the bartender he wants a Shirley Temple. The bartender heads to the backroom and a few moments later, he comes out with his drink. The vampire sips his drink and quickly spits it out. "This isn't a Shirley Temple," he tells the bartender. "I can't help it, buddy," the bartender says. "She's been dead for eight years." ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #Mocktail #ShirleyTemple #Grenadine #Vodka #Lemon-Lime #7-Up #Cheers #HappyHour #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? Here’s a strange Happy Hour cocktail dating back to Prohibition. I selected the Monkey Gland because it's a great drink, but I also chose it for its back story. Consider serving this one up at your next party, just so you can entertain your guests with a funny historical anecdote. The Monkey Gland is a Prohibition classic, devised at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s. The name is a reference to a surgical procedure by Dr. Serge Voronoff. For men with performance issues, Dr. Voronoff offered to implant in them the testicle of a monkey, for "rejuvenation," as he called it. That would make your George very curious indeed. In 2024, if you're an adult male who feels the need for a little, um, assistance in the intimacy department, you reach for one of the blue pill pharmaceuticals you see advertised during football games. In 1928, if you needed a little vavoom in the bedroom, you went to see Dr. Voronoff. So popular was Voronoff's vitality procedure in the 1920s that it inspired the creation of the Monkey Gland, a cocktail named for the rather sensitive part of an unfortunate simian's anatomy that Voronoff surgically implanted into his eager patients. This is a drink where purchasing the right ingredients makes all the difference. Fresh-squeezed orange juice is essential and a quality grenadine—Stirrings makes a decent one and an authentic absinthe really make the cocktail come together (though a substitute such as Herbsaint, Pernod or Ricard will also suffice). Did Voronoff's treatment work? No, not really—and one doesn’t have to guess how the castrated monkeys felt about the whole thing. One picture above is worth a thousand words. Fortunately, the cocktail still does the trick and you don’t need to de-ball any monkeys in the making of this cocktail. Prep time: 3 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces gin 1-1/2 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice 1 teaspoon grenadine 1 teaspoon absinthe Directions
ChefSecret: Can’t find a good absinthe? You can use Herbsaint, Pernod or Ricard as a substitute. Quip of the Day: Life is like the monkey bars… you have to let go to move forward. ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #MonkeyGlandCocktail #Gin #OJ #OrangeJuice #Grenadine #Absinthe #MarchMadness #Cheers #HappyHour #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 |
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