Quick and Easy "Irish Cream"

There is something fundamentally disturbing about Irish Cream that doesn't need to be refrigerated. I'm looking at you, Bailey's. Bailey's claims that they use only fresh cream in their disgusting concoction and that the only preservative is alcohol, but I don't buy it. Apparently, companies can call whatever that chemical soup is sitting out on the table at truck stop diners "cream" as well.

How about some actual cream in your Irish Cream? There are some Irish Creams that require refrigeration after opening, and I'm more inclined to trust them, but it's so easy to put together your own version of this winter staple, I figure, why not?

This recipe is certainly not a traditional way of making Irish Cream, and the taste is completely unique, much less sweet than your typical Irish Cream thanks to the bittering effect of the stout, but It's so delicious and easy, it might be your go to after dinner desert drink from now on. This recipe makes six hefty servings. And it uses actual cream as the base.

Quick and Easy "Irish Cream" (Nathan Robertson, 2016)

Irish Whiskey                                   ⅓ cup (or more, to taste)
Guinness Stout                               1, 12-oz can
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream                  1½ cups
Chocolate Syrup                             ⅓ cup
Sea Salt                                           1 pinch

Scoop ice cream into a medium-sized glass bowel with a pour spout, add Irish Whiskey, chocolate syrup, and salt. Let concoction sit out for around 15 minutes to melt (or use the microwave, I found that 45 seconds to a minute worked well). Once ice cream is softened to the point that it is stirrable, add the Guinness and stir it in completely. Serve on the rocks.

Tres Flores

I have great respect for vodka. I'm always impressed by the skill of a master distiller who creates an outstanding, nearly neutral spirit, with or without the aid of filtration. I love the history and cultural significance of vodka. I enjoy the elegance embodied in a well-chilled, neat pour of vodka, drunk delicately, with a meal, so as to savor its fine subtly of flavor and texture. But I hardly ever use it in cocktails.

I used to be one of those people who avoided it because being a vodka "hater" was trendy; ironic for me, as no one who has ever met me would deign to call me trendy, but that dark time is behind me. These days, my reluctance to use neutral spirits as a base in cocktails boils down to my desire to have the base spirit influence the overall flavor of the drink. 

But every once in a while, I create a drink for which vodka is the perfect base, precisely because of its neutral quality. That was the case the other day, when I made a lovely young woman from Sweden the Tres Flores. I wanted the delicate floral flavors in this drink—elderflower, violet, and rose—to take center stage; vodka to the rescue. This drink is strong, subtle, and beautiful. It's also delicious. Martini drinkers who want something a little different will love it.

Tres Flores (Nathan Robertson, 2016)

Vodka                                                  2½ oz
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur     ½ oz
Crème de Violette                              ¼ oz
Rose Water                                         15 drops

Combine all ingredients, with ice, in a stirring vessel. Stir. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a rose petal and four drops of rose water, placed on the petal.

Pamp. and Circumstance

We're wrapping up Negroni Week at the bar I work in and we've gone through too many bottles of Campari to count. What an incredible ingredient! The more I play with it, the more versatile it becomes. My new favorite thing is to combine it with Fernet-Branca (the Bartender's Handshake!). Although both of the amari are bitter, they have very different bitter profiles that still play nice together. It's hard to beat the simplicity, elegance, and downright blissful taste of the classic Negroni (made with an excellent vermouth like Carpano Antica) but that hasn't stopped many of my regulars from requesting Campari-based libations for round two. Here's one of my favorites from the past week. It uses a dynamite grapefruit liqueur made by Combier called Pamplemousse Rose (pronounced pomp-luh-moose, hence the cocktail's name). Love this stuff; it's light on the pallet with an intense grapefruit flavor but it's still sweet enough to counter the bitterness of the Campari and Fernet and the tartness of the lime without any additional sweeteners.

Pamp. and Circumstance (Nathan Robertson, 2016)

          Campari                                  1 oz
          Pamplemousse Rose             1 oz
          Fernet-Branca                        ½ oz
          Gin                                          ½ oz
          Fresh Lime Juice                   ¾ oz

Combine all ingredients in shaker tin and shake with ice until properly diluted and chilled.  Strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange swath, expressed the oils over the top of the drink.

Trinidad Sour

One of the more unique cocktails in the world was created by New York bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez for a competition (which he ultimately lost) in 2009. The judges were clearly out of their minds because although no one remembers what the winning drink was, the Trinidad Sour has spread to cocktail menus worldwide.

The first time I read the recipe I assumed there was a typo. An ounce and a half of angostura bitters forms the base, about a hundred times more bitters than people would normally use in a cocktail. That, coupled with a fair amount of fresh lemon juice, had me thinking that this had to be one of the most bitterly tart drinks ever. But it works, and it works beautifully. The more acerbic flavors are offset by the orgeat, the rye gives it a bit of heft and body, and the egg white makes it perfect. It is, by far, my favorite cocktail. If I ever craft a drink that has such a simple recipe and comes out half this good, I'll feel like an accomplished bartender. Until then, I'll continue to buy angostura in bulk.

Trinidad Sour (Giuseppe Gonzalez, 2009)

Angostura Bitters                 1½ oz
Rye Whiskey                         1 oz
Fresh Lemon Juice               ¾ oz
Orgeat Syrup                        1¼ oz
Egg White                             1 egg white

Combine all ingredients in shaker tin and dry shake. Add ice and shake again. Strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with a bit of lemon zest expressed over the top of the drink.

Notes

I should probably note that this may not be the original recipe. It's the recipe I found first but I've never been able to find it since. It has a lot more stuff in it than a typical cocktail and it will fill a seven-ounce coupe to the very brim, which is the way I like to serve it.

Mezquito

The idea for the Mezquito was my girlfriend's. We were sitting at the bar of an upscale Mexican restaurant and she commented on how great she thought a Mojito would be with mezcal. Really, I just came up with the name. If you don't have a lot of experience with mezcal, this is a great cocktail to get acquainted with it, the mezcal is much more present in the drink than silver rum is in the traditional Mojito but the other flavors in the drink soften some of the smokiness.

Mezquito (Evian Andrews, 2015)

Mezcal                                  2 oz
Fresh Lime Juice                 ¾ oz
1:1 Agave Simple Syrup       ½ oz
Mint                                      12 leaves
Soda Water                          top off

Muddle mint, with agave syrup, in Collins glass. Add fresh lime juice, ice cubes, and a small amount of crushed ice. Stir to incorporate lime and to distribute mint evenly around the glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with a large sprig of mint.

Kitty Hawk Express

Taking the classic Aviation as a starting point, the Kitty Hawk Express' floral, slightly effervescent profile is a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and spicy. The heat is added with Snakebite, an infusion of habanero and jalapeño peppers in silver tequila. The use of Mexican Sprite (made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup) is key, as it provides a crisper taste to the overall drink. Constructing the cocktail requires a technique called a short shake, which you can read about here. Crushed ice adds texture and proper dilution to this fast drinker.

Kitty Hawk Express (Nathan Robertson, 2015)

Gin                                        1.5 oz           
St. Germain Elderflower      .5 oz
Creme de Violet                  .5 oz
Snakebite                             ~ .25 oz (to taste)
Orange Bitters (Regans')     2 dashes
Fresh Lemon Juice              .75 oz
Mexican Sprite                     top off

Add all ingredients except Sprite to shaker and short shake. Strain into collins glass and fill half of remaining volume with crushed ice. Top with Sprite and garnish with orange twist.

The recipe for Snakebite is a simple one but also somewhat inexact due to the variable intensity of the jalapeños and habaneros used, so the infusion time may need to be adjusted. Use your own discretion given how much heat you like in your drinks. You don't need to make much, a little of this stuff goes a long way.

Snakebite (Raffi Jergerian, 2015)

Silver Tequila                       2 cups
Jalapeños                            3 jalapeños, sliced
Habaneros                           2 habaneros, sliced

Slice peppers and place into sealable container with tequila. Let infuse for up to two days. Taste periodically. Once the tequila has the level of heat you desire, strain out the peppers.