The Negroni

Whilst meditatively strolling through the orchard of his life, Joe stops once again at the the legendary Tree of Classic Cocktails. After considerable scrutiny, (and, being a giant of a man, no need for a stepladder,) he cautiously reaches up into its branches picks the next offering for The Greatest Drink In The World... This Week; The Negroni.

The Recipe:

Mix straight into an ice-filled glass:

- a 2 count gin

- a 2 count Campari

- 1.5 count sweet vermouth

- Stir. Add a small slice of fresh orange.

(It can also be shaken and served as a Martini.)

Joe's Notes: The Negroni is a definitely a drink that will surprise and delight you. The combination of gin with the sweetness of vermouth is balanced with the bitter taste of Campari. I have heard it said that Campari is an acquired taste. Although I would somewhat agree with that, I believe that for many people the fact that Campari with its vibrant red color fools them into believing that it is going to be a sweet drink. After all, most red things, strawberries, grenadine and the such, are sweet.

Many years ago when I was just a lad, Campari had huge success in an advertising campaign in England. The adverts premise was of a beautiful young lady (Lorraine Chase) sitting in the grounds of an English manor house. She is being woo'd by a very posh and upper class young man. "Have you truly been wafted here from paradise" He asks." Nah, Luton Airport!" she replies in a very strong working-class cockney accent.

Campari Luton Airpor..
Watch the ad...

These three words boosted sales of Campari in the UK as well as making a "star" of Miss Chase, which, by the way, she still enjoys some thirty years later.

Why, you may ask yourself, should this have such an impact? I believe the answer to this lies in the fact that we can all have two sides to our personality. I don't mean this in a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or the 'crazy person-on-the-bus' way. I mean it more in the Mr. Miyagi and Yin and Yang way. We like to be surprised, we like to know what to expect. The success of the movie "The Sixth Sense" was down to the surprise ending. (I won't give away the ending for those three people that haven't yet seen it.)

Similarly, we know the ending to any romantic comedy featuring the lovely Meg Ryan even before the movie has even started. Yet many are still very successful. (Largely due to my wife and her friends.)

The couple sitting on Oprah's couch telling their success of sixty years of marriage. "He is reliable, I know what he is going to say even before he says it sometimes" The audience laughs a knowing laugh." "She is a great cook and still a great lover," the audience stifle a gag, but applaud anyway. "He can still surprise me even after sixty years!" To this the audience give the loudest applause (although many are hoping she is not referring to the whole "lover" thing.)

So sit back and get your bartender to mix you a Negroni and contemplate the Yin and Yang in your life.

Enjoy

Chris's Notes: According to Wikipedia, the biggest truck-stop on the information superhighway, the Negroni was created by bartender Fosco Scarselli in 1919. He came up with it, (and it subsequently named it,) for Italian Count Camillo Negroni, who was looking to strengthen up his favorite drink, The Americano, (Bitters, vermouth, and soda,) which Fosco did by adding gin. Count Negroni dug it so much he ordered it exclusively and his family-owned distillery soon after produced a ready-made version of the drink, called Antico Negroni.

The cheek! Meanwhile, what did poor Fosco Scarselli get? "Avvitato!"

But it was none other than the great Orson Welles who is credited with one of the first reports of the cocktail in 1947. To the Coshocton Tribune he described the this "new drink," The Negroni, by saying, "The Bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other!"

So deep. That guy probably could have started a blog of his own!!!

Cin cin, Signor Welles!

Token "Only Somewhat Related Video:" Luton Airport by Cats U.K.

Chalino Special

This week's Greatest Drink In The World comes from sunny Mexico, where Tequila is the standard, and the Margarita rules the roost. Sitting unfairly in its shadow, however, is the Chalino Special.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice add

- a 4 count of Cabo White Tequila,

- a dash of Chambord,

- the juice from half a fresh lemon

- the juice from half a fresh lime

- a dash of simple syrup, (sugar,)

- Shake, ("la sacudida")

- Strain into a large martini glass

- garnish with a slice of lemon AND a slice of lime

Joe's Notes: The Chalino Special is yet again a combination of quality liquors and fresh ingredients. The use of fresh lemons and limes gives this drink a refreshing and distinctive flavor. For a time the Chalino Special was wrongfully believed to be named after the very popular and tragic immigrant/musician Chalino Sanchez. It was thought that a Chalino Special referred to the infamous shootout on stage between Sanchez and members of his audience.

Rather the Chalino special is yet another example of a drink produced during Prohibition. During this time, tequila flowed quite easily over the Mexican border. However, it was not a very popular drink with the citizens of the U.S., and it was up to the mixoligists of the period to make this fiery drink a little more palatable. A young barkeep named Chalino in California came up with this rather fine cocktail. It is a tribute to his talents that the Chalino Special is still popular today. He deserves both the clarification and recognition.

Chris's notes: The tequila really is what holds the drink together. You can taste it quite plainly, but the powerful tart of the lemon and lime and the wide sweet of the sugar and Chambord take the sting out of it.

All about balance. That what this drink is. The tart of the lemon/lime is in proportion to both the sweet of the Chambord and the sharpness of the tequila, so that the three are in perfect harmony , flavor-wise. Each element somehow comes through to complement one another. This here is a good Margarita alternative, one with the black raspberry depth and richness of Chambord.

Since Cabo Tequila is the Sammy Hagar brand, I felt it only fair to include the video to his song, "Mas Tequila!"

The Rusty Nail

Joe lowers his bucket into the well of classic cocktails once again for the this week's Greatest Drink: The Rusty Nail.

The Recipe:

Into a glass of ice, add:

- A 4 count of Johnny Walker Black

- A 2 count of Drambuie

- Stir

- Garnish with a slice of lemon, (optional)

Joe the Bartender's Notes: The Rusty Nail is an old-time classic cocktail. It is believed to have been first mixed to make whisky more palatable to the "fairer sex." Although a lot of the "fairer sex" I come in contact with these days could easily swallow a quart of whisky with no problem.

I was initially going to write about the differences between Scotch Whisky, American Whiskey, Irish Whiskey, Rye and Malt, but this proved to be somewhat tedious. Rather, I will point out some whisky facts.

☞ Whisky derives its name from the Gaelic phrase, "uisge beatha ," meaning water of life.

☞ Scotch is the whisky, a Scot is a person from Scotland.

☞ England stopped producing whisky in the late 19th century. (Why bother when your neighbors do such a good job?)

☞ Both whiskey and whisky are correct spellings. Scotland and England spell it whisky and most of the rest of the world spell it with an added 'e,' for some bizarre reason.

☞ In Latin America, when a photographer wants his subject to smile he says "whiskey", much as we might say "cheese."

☞ If you ever happen to be invited on a pheasant or grouse hunt by the palace in the U.K., take note that they advise you fill your Hip Flask with a suitable beverage.The palace recommends a Rusty Nail. Obviously the Royal Family believes in mixing hard liquor and guns. (This could explain a lot of our history).

As a tribute to the general elections in the U.K. this past week, I would like to share one of my favorite story's about a British politician.

George Brown, a labour politician in the sixties was also a noted alcoholic. During an elaborate reception for visiting Peruvian dignitaries it is said that Brown lumbered over to a tall, elegant vision in red, and requested the honour of the next dance. The response was "I will not dance with you for three reasons: The first is that you are drunk. The second is that the band is not playing a waltz, but the Peruvian national anthem. The final reason is that I am not a woman, but the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima."

This story has been denied many times, but it is a good one.

Chris's Notes: Those of you who have scanned the side bars and periphery of this page, (and not just read the recipes and compiled shopping lists!) may have noticed that this blog is enrolled in a couple of recipe sites comprised, almost exclusively, of food recipes. I have entered The Greatest Drink In The World... This Week on these sites because the focus of this blog, the foundation of it, is NOT alcohol, that’s just the medium. It is not “how many ways can I get stupid?” or “How to make bad decisions easier to deal with.”

The foundation of this blog is to create something new, just like with cooking, by mixing elements together to make a new and delicious taste sensation. THAT is why this blog was formed.

That being said, and the comparison to food recipes now firmly in place, the Rusty Nail is probably the closest drink that I have had so far to what I would call the liquid equivalent of “comfort food.”

Something about this cocktail is just so “Ahhhh,” (and/or "Mmmmm.") It tastes very close to the way a La-Z-Boy recliner, fuzzy slippers and a Sunday morning with no obligations feels.

Yeah, those Scots got it right with this one, even if they did misspell "whiskey."

(Token Only-barely-related video here: "Scotch.")

The Perfect Storm

Our regular drinks author, Joe the Bartender, decided to take a little time off, leaving me with the opportunity to go on a little field trip. In the very same neighborhood as my regular Friday night barstool, is The Lobster Shanty, a local establishment that boasts a wide assortment of accolades to it's name. It is also the home of this week's Greatest Drink, The Perfect Storm.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice, add:

- a 1 count white rum,

- a 1 count Malibu Coconut Rum,

- a 1 count Captain Morgan Spiced Rum,

- a 2 count pineapple juice,

- a 2 count orange juice,

- Shake "tempestuously,"

- Strain into a 16 ounce pint glass full of fresh ice,

- sink a splash of cranberry juice, (DON'T splash that splash, though!)

- Float a generous ½ count of Myer's Dark Rum on top,

- Garnish with a wedge of lime and a cherry.

Bartender's notes: Diane, one of the owners of the Lobster Shanty, explained the creation of The Perfect Storm to me: "It was a group effort. No one wants to take the credit for the beverage publicly, but it was invented not long after the actual storm of the same name, (see movie with George Clooney.) Given the name because the Myers float makes the drink look like a foreboding sky over an angry ocean.

We see it as three drinks: One if you drink it from the bottom up with a straw, one if you sip it from the top down with yer mouth, and yet another if you stir or shake it - yet all are delicious."

Chris's notes: The Perfect Storm is one of the more famous of The Lobster Shanty's 'signature drinks,' (another being the "Lobstertini," but I decided to save that one for another day! Maybe this summer!) and I loved the name of this drink the first time that I heard it! It just screamed out 'summer' with a local accent. I knew I needed to try it out, and now that warm weather is hitting New England, (in random spurts, anyways,) the time was upon me!

Now, in that little poll over to the left in the sidebar, I voted for Rum. Twice. Because I love a good rum drink in the warmer weather. And that's what The Perfect Storm is. A good rum drink! The sinker of cranberry, (also a nice local touch!), gives it flavor, but not the overwhelming sweetness that comes with a shot of Grenadine. The pineapple and orange are sweet enough for that, and they are complimented nicely by the Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. All this flavor is followed by that last blast of Myers, just when you need it. Delish!

The Lobster Shanty's Perfect Storm recipe also appears in The Bartender's Black Book by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham.

(And, of course, a video, related and everything!)

The Spearmint Julep

This Saturday sees the return of The Kentucky Derby, the biggest horse race in the world. To mark the occasion, Joe has decided to mix up that iconic cocktail, The Mint Julep. In true Greatest Drink In The World... This Week-style, though, some alterations have been made! The Spearmint Julep is the result.

The Recipe:

- Make simple syrup as usual, add one cup of sugar to one cup of boiling water, and dissolve sugar thoroughly

- While the syrup is still hot, add a generous bunch of spearmint leaves,

- Allow it to cool,

- Pour the mixture into a blender and give it a quick "whiz,"

- Pour a 2 count of your "pre-prepared" spearmint syrup into a glass,

- Add 6 to 8 fresh spearmint leaves, (the cooked spearmint and fresh spearmint have a different flavor!)

- Muddle

- "Cram" your glass with chipped ice,

- Stir,

- Add even more ice,

- Add a 4 to 5 count of Wild Turkey Kentucky Bourbon,

- Stir,

- Add more ice still!

- Garnish with a sprig of fresh spearmint and a "touch" of seltzer.

Original Recipe by Joe the Bartender, Passage to India restaurant, Salem, MA.

It would have been easy to say that substituting spearmint for the mint in this week's drink was yet another stroke of genius on our resident alchemist, Joe's part, or that we, the entire Greatest Drink team sat around a darkened table in a smokey room trying to decide exactly how to improve upon this American classic.

But the truth must be told. It was an accident. A lucky accident borne of a busy night, multiple people multi-tasking and an uncommon breakdown in communication. As Joe was preparing to create this concoction, he delegated the preparation of the syrup and mint mixture to his trusted Sancho Panza-type sidekick and beloved Passage to India fixture, Dilip.

Somehow, Dilip's end result contained fresh spearmint in the place where fresh mint was expected.

Upon the discovery of this departure from the norm, it was unanimously decided to go ahead and try the mix in the cocktail recipe.

The finished result was nothing short of amazing. The spearmint created an even cooler feel to the drink, taking the fire out of the bourbon without masking the taste. Delicious. A real winner!

Joe's Notes: I have been excited about the upcoming Kentucky Derby for some time now. Not because I am a gambling man, but so that I can introduce the Mint Julep into the Greatest Drink library. The Mint Julep is a classic American cocktail, and I think our Spearmint Julep is a refreshing alternative to the original.

As with many of the cocktails that have a herbal ingredient, it was first introduced as a medicinal tonic. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of serving a real Kentuckian a Mint Julep. The lady in question sat at my bar and as the conversation developed, I was informed that "I am a thoroughbred Kentuckian, honey, bluegrass through and through."

Coming from the U.K., I had always had an image of this breed sitting on their veranda wearing a light floral printed dress and fanning themselves cool from the midday heat. My guest was wearing a mickey mouse sweatshirt and a baseball cap. Not exactly my naïve image, nonetheless, she did insist upon calling me "honey," which delighted me to no end. I asked her if I could make her a Mint Julep as I had never had the opportunity of getting a true opinion straight from the horses mouth as it where. After clearing up that I was not actually calling her a horse, she agreed.

With bated breath I waited for her to take the first sip. " Not bad, Honey" she replied.

"Not bad," I said "is not good."

"Well, Honey, two things. Firstly, cook the mint," she then explained the process of infusing the sugar syrup with mint." And cut the straws short, you want to be able to smell the fresh mint leaves. Also, add more ice, we Kentuckians like our Juleps icy cold"

Grateful for her advice, and with the whole "horse reference" thing hanging over me, I thought better of pointing out that that was three things, and not two.

So I hope you enjoy this weeks drink, it is a collaboration from both myself, Dilip, and a real live Kentuckian.

One final note, knowing that my son had recently done a report on the state of Kentucky for school, I asked him what information he could give me. This is what he said. "Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, 50 percent of the people that get married for the first time are teenagers, and it is against the law in Kentucky for women to swallow live frogs."

Almost not-even-remotely-related video "here.")

Lucky Monkey

Another 100% original composition, straight from Joe’s own noggin , this drink is simple to mix up and makes an after-dinner treat to rival the sweetest of desserts.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail mixing tumbler of ice, mix equal parts of:

- Bailey’s Irish Cream

- Banana flavored rum

- Creme de Banana

- White Creme de Cacao

Shake well, strain in to a large, chilled martini glass

- Garnish with a fresh strawberry

Recipe by Joe The Bartender, Passage to India Restaurant, Salem, MA

Bartender’s notes:

One Friday evening in the not too distant past, Senior Research Assistant, Kerry, was perched at her regular bar stool. Her hawk-like eyes spotted a bottle of banana rum sitting amongst the highly polished bottles displayed behind the bar.

"Joe" she said, "could you rustle up a little something with that."

After a little tweaking and some supervision from Kerry, I presented her with would come to be called The Lucky Monkey.

"Delicious" she replied. Chris, in his usual manly tones , agreed that it was "Very Good," but a little too sweet for him. "I couldn't drink this all night," he stated.

Sharing my years of experience and knowledge I informed the gathering crowd that as with any dining experience all things had their place. A cocktail (or two) before dinner, a little light wine with appetizer or soup. Water with the salad. A more robust wine or beer with dinner. And a Lucky Monkey or suchlike with dessert. Now upon completion of dinner, the choice of what to drink is completely open. You can start the cycle from the beginning or simply choose to stick to the safe bet.

As some of you may know, I reached what is commonly known as a "milestone birthday " recently. To mark this event my younger, slimmer and slightly more attractive brother decided that it would be a good idea to visit from the U.K.

Bringing with him his wife and four children, they took up lodging in the top floor of my house. A large table was booked within walking distance of my house and we all set off for a fun-packed evening. I was forced to sit with a large, flashing badge, (pin,) announcing my age to everyone in the restaurant. As I watched the badge's reflection mocking me from the mirror opposite , I couldn't decide whether it was through the hand of God, or the delights of medical science that I had managed to cheat death for so long. Sinking back into my Sapphire Martini , (see http://greatestdrink.blogspot.com/2010/02/bombay-sapphire-martini.html,) I listened to my brother as he announced that from now on my idiosyncrasies and rather odd behavior could be seen as an age-related phenomenon.

I think it was at this point, or as soon as the laughter had subsided, that I decided to try and drink my way through the 'Greatest Drink in the World ' library. Now, although this is a good idea, I would recommend that for any one attempting this in the future, that it may be advisable to maybe stretch this feat out over a long weekend.

As for my brother and his family, it looks like they may be trapped here for a while due to erupting volcano 's over Iceland.

Happy birthday to me, Joe the Bartender

Chris’s notes: Before Joe's advanced age caused him to engage in long circuitous explanations and to explore each and every passing and only remotely-related thought that popped into his head, he said to me once, "Mixing drink flavors," he said, quite lucidly, "is a lot like baking or cooking. If the core flavors mix well together, the drink will be a good one." This drink explains exactly what he meant...

Bailey's, chocolate and banana. And well together these tastes go! The Lucky Monkey is tasty as all heck, and one sip provides it’s drinker with a full-body smile.

It is a creamy beverage, though, and sweet. This makes the drink seem more like a full-on dessert than an aperitif, (as Joe noted above.) And like a dessert, more than one could prove to be pretty filling.

One thing that wasn't explained yet, however, is the name. When Joe presented this to Kerry and me, it was a "Try this," scenario. It was not yet an official cocktail, as in, it was nameless.

Spitballing , we knocked a few terms about, "Banana & Bailey's," "Green Banana Sundae," and a few others. We had even decided on making a contest for the blog, "Name this Drink" with first prize being a year's supply of rum, or some other motivating award.

As Joe and I were hammering out the details of the contest, how to do it, what to make as a prize , et cetera, Kerry blurts out, (after just taking another good-sized gulp of the drink,) The Lucky Monkey.

The contest was immediately abandoned. We knew that was the name we were looking for.

Cheers! - Chris

("Uh-oh. Chongo!" Token only-vaguely-related video; 'Here.')

The Royal Ascot

A BIG Happy Birthday to Joe the Bartender this week! As is the custom here at Greatest Drink In The World... This Week, a special celebratory beverage was in order. For his own special day, Joe decided to go with the The Royal Ascot.

The Recipe:

Into a champagne flute, add:

- one ounce (or to taste,) of St. Germain,

- five ounces of Pink Champagne,

- Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a small slice of orange

Joe's notes: The Royal Ascot cocktail is named after a drink I was asked to make for the actual Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot. For those of you unfamiliar with Royal Ascot, it is a five-day horse racing event, held at Ascot, which is about an hour outside of London. The first Royal Ascot race was started by Queen Anne in 1711. The race is held on land owned by the Crown, (that is what we in England call the reigning Monarch). Ladies' Day is the pinnacle of the five-day racing event. All the women wear elaborate dresses and even more elaborate hats. The gentlemen wear top hat and tails . This way of dressing started as a spill over from the Royal enclosure and over the years has grown into as much of the day as the racing itself. If you are going to attend the same horse race as the Queen of England you need to be properly attired, and who knows, you may even be mistaken for royalty yourself.

At the time I was asked to make a drink for Ladies day, I was employed by or a rather prestigious London hotel group. To be presented with such a request was quite an honor. I was given an unlimited budget, so I ordered a shipment of Moet & Chandon Champagne and some fresh frais du bois from France. I then steeped the frais du bois with some demerara sugar and top quality Kirsch. This I stored in huge airtight glass jars in the wine cellar for a couple of weeks. A day or two before the big event I strained the strawberries and handed the pulp over to our head chef to make some little tartlets with.

On the day of the event I travelled with my entourage and set up under the billowing white tent that I had been allotted, (not to far from the Royal enclosure itself!) The day started very well. I put an ounce or two in each champagne flute and topped it of with the Moet. As I handed them out I received many "Yummies!" and "Delicious, Darlings" from the elaborately dressed ladies of Ascot. After about an hour I noticed that the noise level in my tent had increased dramatically. The ladies where getting a bit tipsy, some of the "posh" accents were slipping and their true East London accents where coming out. I was getting a little concerned but still not too worried until I spotted one Ascot Lady standing on a chair holding court. Her hat had slipped, thankfully covering most of her makeup smeared face, she had one shoe off, and was waving the other rather threateningly at a group of sniggering women! I unfortunately was unable to reach her in time before she fell and landed on the table of our strawberry tartlets.

I was advised by the Ascot authorities to close my tent for the day. Looking back now, I realise that I left the fruit fermenting for a little too long and had managed to produce a rather potent drink. I was never again invited back to Ascot, but thankfully the whole incident was quietly swept under the table, as is the British way.

Chris's notes: Incidentally, Joe insisted on this being the drink of the week this week as this Sunday marks his, (oh, let's say 39th,) birthday, and of course, no one could argue. The Royal Ascot, (which, in fairness, I thought was either that scarf-y necktie worn by foreigners, or a donkey's bed ,) was apparently named after someplace in Britain, (see Joe's notes!) and I suspect Joe was feeling a tad homesick.

However, after it was made up and served, research partner, Kerry, declared, with her first taste of it, that it was like, (and I am quoting, minding you!) the "most deliciousest strawberry soda in the world!" (She does have a way with words!)

This evening we were joined by guest researcher, Jill, who hearing it to be for Joe's birthday, decided to order one of her own. After her first taste of Joe's drink du jour, (or "de la semaine," as the case may be!) she commented on how she found The Royal Ascot to be "fresh, and sparkling, yet not pretentious."

Much like Joe himself.

(Only vaguely-related video here: "Ladies' Night ")