Aviation

Wow, hard to believe it's been so long since I've been able to post regularly. A big thanks to all my readers! I hope to be "taking off" again soon. Here's a look at the Aviation to get us well off!

While I did get an early copy of the PDT cocktail book, I didn't get a chance to read it until recently. Section One, "Setting Up the Bar" should be required reading for every bartender. The advice is spot on and there is an an amazing amount of craft bar know-how being shared in these pages.

Getting into the cocktails, I quickly came across the Aviation and realized I had yet to write a post on this cult favorite.

The Aviation was born along with the dawn of aviation history in the early twentieth century.

1916 Cessna

Airplane flying over Dearborn, MI in 1916

The original recipe from Hugo Ensslin's 1916 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks, was not commonly known until recently. David Wondrich was paging through a copy of Hugo's book that he had just scored on ebay back in 2004 when he came across a recipe for the Aviation and "almost dropped the book into his soup".

Up until David's discovery it was commonly thought that the Aviation originated in the 1930 classic Savoy Cocktail Book, in fact - it was a "cornerstone" drink from the Savoy book.

This discovery lead to a larger understanding of Harry Craddock's book, which for at least three generations of discerning barkeeps, served as treasured reference to the art of American mixed drinks - an art that was mostly lost after prohibition. Since Craddock did not attribute any drinks origins in the book, drinks that did not appear in earlier books haven been authored to him.

Wondrich found that Craddock had either used one of Ensslin's adoptions for a standard drink, or directly copied one of Ensslin's original drinks a staggering 146 times! The Affinity, the Alice Mine, Brandy Blazer, the Castle Dip, the Deshler, Fair & Warmer, Fluffy Ruffles, Raymond Hitchcocktail, and many more - all appearing in Ensslin's book first making Recipes for Mixed Drinks one of the more important and useful books to have in your collection. (Mud Puddle makes an excellent reproduction!).

There was one more surprise though, Ensslin called for the addition of a fairly rare ingredient, "Creme de Violette", an unctuous, deep-purple liqueur made from macerated violets. (Austrian maker "Rothman & Winter" make a very good and readily available "Creme de Violette").

The Creme de Violette turns the mixture a nice color, reminiscent of a late evening sky, which does go a long way to explaining the drinks name in the first place.

Hugo Ensslin Recipe from Recipes for Mixed Drinks 1916

Jim Meehan Recipe from The PDT Cocktail Book 2011

Ensslin calls for equal parts maraschino and creme de violette. I prefer the adaptation in the PDT book calling for more maraschino, as this drink can be a little tart without the extra sweetness the maraschino provides. Go easy on the Creme de Violette though, a little goes a long way here.

THE AVIATION


2 ounces (60 ml) Good (& strong) London Dry Gin
3/4 ounce (22ml) Lemon Juice
1/2 ounce (15 ml) Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
1/4 ounce (7ml...even 5-6ml) Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette


Shake and Strain into a chilled coupe.

No Garnish

I prefer Gordon's Export Strength Gin (47.3% A.B.V.) when I can get it, otherwise Beefeater is a great choice.

This one is tart and gin forward to be sure. It really shows off the Maraschino nicely. If you don't use too much Creme de Violette then you have a nice subtle complexity that's hard to pin down. Too much and you will know it!

Sitting Bull Fizz

Here's an interesting fizz variation from 1892. From The Flowing Bowl, by The Only William (William Schmidt).

Sitting Bull died on December 15, 1890, around the time William would have been working on his book. This is a good drink, so I'm of a mind that this recipe was meant to be a respectful tribute.

From The Flowing Bowl by William Schmidt, 1892

Juice of large lemon, in 1892, would have been about an ounce. Fine sugar would be a (non-bleached, organic) granulated sugar, but a barspoon of simple syrup will allow for better mixing of the drink.

Santa Cruz rum of the day was a generic term for light, golden rums that came from the Virgin Islands. Cruzan is certainly a geographically correct rum choice. For my drink I wanted something golden, with good character - so why not Havana 7?

William worked in the New York area, and since the recipe does not call for bourbon, or "Kentucky whiskey" by name, rye whiskey is a safe choice. My choice,  Rittenhouse Bonded!

Sitting Bull Fizz


1 ounce (30 ml) rye whiskey
1 ounce (30 ml) lemon juice
1/2 ounce (15 ml) golden rum
1 teaspoon (5ml) simple syrup


Shake well with cracked ice, strain into a collins glass and top with soda water. Stir with spoon and serve.

This is fantastically good, especially on a hot day. A dash of angostura bitters really brings the flavors of the drink together nicely.

The Rittenhouse Bonded 100 proof base lends a nice backbone, but at only an ounce it is not overwhelming. The Havana 7 lends a wonderful exotic sweetness to help the simple syrup balance the lemon juice.

All in all, a very nice fizz! Wait, I better have one more quick just to make sure....

Picador

The "Picador", from W.J. Tarling's 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book (Coronation Edition). Another of Tarling's darling early Tequila recipes. 

The Picador


1.5 ounces (45 ml) Tequila
3/4 ounce (22 ml) Cointreau
3/4 ounce (22 ml) fresh Lime or Lemon Juice


Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. 

As simple and tasty as this is, you may want to make two. A Picador is one of a pair after-all, (a "Picador" is one of the two horsemen that spear the bull in a Spanish bullfight with a lance.).

Can't decide between lemon or lime? Try one of each!

Sour Kisses

From Hugo Ensslin's Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1916-1917)

SOUR KISSES


2 ounces London Dry Gin (strong like Beefeaters or Gordon's 47.3%)
1 ounce French Vermouth (I like Lillet Blanc for this one)
1/2-3/4 ounce egg white
1 dash Orange Flower Water


Shake well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain into a small stem glass and serve.


A refreshing summer way to enjoy your vermouth and gin. Great name for this drink, and apt too.

The fluffy egg and thick, wet Lillet combine for a texture that is velvety and soft like a kiss. It is slightly sour and very vermouth forward, even with the soft Lillet.

Be careful not to use too much orange flower water. It should be the salt in your soup. A little goes a long way to bring out the flavors already there. Just as with bitters, if you can taste it, you have used too much.

Fluffy Ruffles - Updated

(Still) A nice gem from Hugo Ensslin's Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1916-1917)

I had originally thought it a fairly safe assumption that "Rin of I lime" was a mistake in the printing, and that the intent was "juice of 1 lime" - Thanks to Frederic over at Cocktail virgin slut, I did some extra digging and found that Ensslin does indeed instruct in the use of the rind of a lime, specifically in his recipe for the Jack Rose:

I have revised this entry accordingly.

Fluffy Ruffles


1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) Havana Anejo Reserva
1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
Rind of 1 lime (2 pre-juiced lime halves)


Shake well with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass. 

You'll want a good aged rum with lots of character, but nothing as thick and dark as say an El Dorado 15 or as full hogo as a Smith & Cross. What you will want is a "Planter's Best"( for those of you familiar with Wondrich's rum descriptions in his book "Punch".)

In the absence of a good aged Havana Club rum, go with one of the aged Flor de Cana rums like the Grand Reserva 7 or the Centenario 12.

I'm really enjoying my new bottle of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino which is why I'm using it here. Carpano Antica should do nicely here too.

So...revised drink, revised tasting notes. Shaking this drink nice and hard to really infuse the mix with the lime, and double straining, I ended up with (not surprisingly) a very different drink. Much more of a "limey Palmetto".

Lime then rum taking front seat on the nose, followed by very subtle hints of the vermouth. The drink is light and fresh on the palate. Now the rum and vermouth play better together providing a very enjoyable "Manhattan" like experience.

The essence of lime provided by shaking with the rind gives a very nice, fresh citrus profile, and without the full sour of my earlier drink (where I used the juice of 1 lime). It is spot on actually, and now I have something to do with some of those used lime rinds! I'll be playing with this technique for sure.

Thanks again Frederic for the comments!

Little King

Gin, apricot brandy, applejack and lemon juice. That got my attention. Created by a cartoonist, sounded even more interesting. I came across this in the Big Bartender's Book and was surprised it had not caught my eye before. 

Otto Soglow (December 23, 1900 -April 3, 1975)

From Ted Saucier's 1951 title Bottoms Up, and accredited to cartoonist Otto Soglow, this drink was named after a popular comic strip that Otto created for the New Yorker in 1931.

A 32 year old Otto is on the far left, celebrating the end of prohibition in 1933 with some of his fellow cartoonists.

An article in LIFE from 1951 suggested that Soglow and a number of other cartoonists (one is partially visible in the photo above at the right) were brought together to test the properties of waterproof ink; as after being drawn on, the models were doused in water. 

This is also the year Ted Saucier published the Little King recipe in his book Bottoms Up....coincidence? Most likely, but what a great one to document here!

Ted's recipe from 1951 was listed as:

Little King

Juice 1/4 Lemon

1/4 jigger Apricot Brandy

1/4 jigger Applejack

1/2 jigger Gin

Let's assume a 2 ounce jigger so we can get closer to a 3 ounce drink. The 1/4 lemon is trickier - after some experimenting I've found that 1/3 of an ounce makes for a nicely balanced drink.

Little King

1 ounce Plymouth gin

1/2 ounce Apry

1/2 ounce Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy

1/3 ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Delicate and dry, the drink is well balanced by the slightly sweet apricot and apple notes. With the lemon juice just right, it walks the line between sweet and sour well, trending on the dry side, but only a bit.

I've also noticed that this drink opens up very well, that is, when I've allowed it to sit that long - which hasn't been often!

The Bramble

The Bramble was created in the mid 1980's by London's legendary bar master, Dick Bradsell, during his tenure at Fred's Club in London's Soho.

It is a simplified Singapore Sling as Dick made at the Zanzabar club, built to be a truly "British" cocktail, but you should really hear it from the man himself. You can do just that in this excellent video interview from DRÉ Masso's website: www.ginandtales.com

Since its creation, it has seemed to work its way onto nearly every cocktail menu in London at some point or another, and it remains on of the city's favorite warm weather coolers. A modern classic from London's "godfather" of cocktails.


THE BRAMBLE


2 ounces (60 ml) Plymouth gin
1 ounce (30 ml) lemon juice
2 teaspoons (10 ml) simple syrup
1/2 ounce (15 ml) (nice quality) cremé de mûre


Combine the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup and shake well with ice, then strain into an old fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Add the cremé de mûre and stir.  Garnish with a blackberry and a slice of lemon.

For the crushed ice in your serving glass, break out the swing-away ice crusher (worth picking up on ebay if you do not have one). You can also crush your ice in a lewis bag with great results.

What we have here is a gin sour, sans the optional egg, wonderfully laced with the cremé de mûre.

The drink is very gin forward, which is why I think that Dick recommends the smooth and subtle Plymouth gin. For you gin lovers out there though, don't be afraid to use a nice bold gin as they work very well here too. (Not that I need to tell you).

It's also worth noting that for non-gin drinkers this is a very approachable drink and a great way to introduce yourself to the spirit, especially if you go with a mild and smooth gin like Plymouth.

The Massenez cremé de mûre is a very nice liqueur, and one of the better brands available here in the states. The blackberry flavor is somehow bold and subtle at the same time.

This drink really develops well as it sits, becoming more and more enjoyable as you get on with it. That is, if you can get it to last that long.

Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail

I came across an adaptation of this cocktail  in Jeff Masson and Greg Boehm's uber-treasury of classic drinks, The Big Bartender's Book. 

After trying the recipe a few times and finding it very enjoyable, I started doing a little research and found that there were may variations on this drink out there, and none of them matched the adaptation I was using.

(From the 1935 ed of Sloppy Joe's)

The original recipe is from the classic Cuban cocktail title Sloppy Joe's Cocktails Manual: Season 1934 by Jose Abeal and Valentin Garcia (1934), and this original recipe matched up perfectly with their adaptation. 

Thus proving to me once again, that the Big Bartender's Book is an authoritative and accurate resource. Honestly, if I could only choose one book to have behind the bar, this would be it! 

Here is the recipe as it appears in the Big Bartender's Book:

Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail

2 ounces (60 ml) gin

1 ounce (30 ml) apricot brandy

3/4 ounce (22 ml) lime juice

1/2 ounce (15 ml) egg white

Shake with ice and strain into a flute.

Marie Brizard Apry and Plymouth gin work really well together in this one. Plymouth is a very light and clean gin and when it is combined with the concentrated flavors of the Apry against the bright lime juice, you end up with a very nice cocktail from the "sour" family of drinks.

Add the silky, airy mouth feel you get from the egg white, and you also get a very drinkable and accessible cocktail in the Douglas Fairbanks. One that should be nearly as popular at a cocktail party as Doug himself would have been!

Gordon's Export Gin

Think you know Gordon's gin? If the 40% abv bottling we get here in the states, or even the 37% abv sold in the UK has been your only exposure, then there's one more you should try before dismissing the stuff as middle of the road tipple at best. The Gordon's "Yellow Label" London Dry Gin, at the special 47.3%  export strength, is incredibly good stuff.

Gordon's is produced in the U.K. and under licence in several former British territories including Canada and New Zealand. Apparently, though all the distillation plants use the "exact" same recipe, the water used at each plant, and the strength it is bottled at has a lot to do with the finished product's flavor. Depending on the market, Gordon's is sold in several different strengths. The U.S. version is bottled at 40% abv.

Gordon's claims to be the world's biggest seller of gin and estimates that more than two bottles of Gordon's are drunk every second of every day somewhere in the world. Gordon's is also the only gin to hold two Royal Warrants and currently holds a Royal Warrant from both HRH Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Queen Mother.

Gordon's London Dry 40% a.b.v (U.S. Market)

London Dry Gin

Distilled in Norwalk, CT, USA

SCORE: 70

NOSE: Turpentine and industrial alcohol tempered by hints of juniper and  pepper. 17/25.

PALATE: Alcoholic, abrasive, slightly oily. 16/25

FINISH: The finish is where this gin has made its following here in the states. It has a medium long finish with mild alcoholic burn. It's the flavor in that gin and juice or gin and tonic that tells you you are drinking gin and not vodka. To me, it's as if the juniper oils were allowed to oxidize too long before being used, but it is obviously made with fairly good quality juniper berries.  19/25

BALANCE:  This is a good quality mixer with a strong, if slightly "off", juniper flavor. For the money, its going to be one of the better choices in the range. Still, it is a rough and unrefined spirit. 18/25

Gordon's London Dry 47.3% a.b.v (Export Market)

London Dry Gin

Distilled in Great Britain

SCORE: 92

NOSE: Completely different experience from the 80 proof. Soft and round with juniper, coriander, citrus, pepper with delicate florals. 23/25.

PALATE: Better viscosity than the 80 proof, smoother and rounder mouth feel. Though stronger in alcoholic content, not as bracingly alcoholic as its US counterpart. The gin is very juniper forward with hints of coriander and bit of white pepper. 22/25

FINISH: The finish is long and complex. The British distillation plant obviously took more care with their juniper. It comes across light and fresh, the difference between the juniper profile in the gins is like the difference between fresh roasted coffee beans and fully oxidized beans.  23/25

BALANCE:  Nearly perfect balance for a gin. It is crisp, clean and fresh with fantastic botanicals. Amazing juniper flavor that comes on strong and stays with you in such a lovely way. Will play well with others but this is a gin you can simply sip on by itself. 24/25

The Vesper is the perfect cocktail to showcase here, a traditional  use for the original 47.3% strength Gordons since Ian Flemming had James Bond order a Vesper in Casino Royale as follows:

:..three parts Gordon's gin, one part Russian vodka, a half measure of Kina Lillet aperitif, shaken until ice-cold, served with a slice of lemon peel."

Subject to a fair amount of debate, this recipe has been interpreted a number of ways. So as not to end up with a 4 1/2 ounce knock out drink, I'm going with some more favorable math.

VESPER MARTINI

2 ounces (60 ml) gin

2/3 ounce (20 ml) vodka

1/3 ounce (10 ml) Kina Lillet

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. 

This is a classic for good reason when made with the right ingredients. In 1953 Gordon's was stronger stuff, somewhere in the 44.4%-47.3% range. It's really not worth trying this drink with regular 40% Gordon's. Go for Beefeater or Tanqueray if you do not have access to the export strength Gordon's.

Unless you want to up the quinine level in your Lillet blanc by adding quinine powder or bark, go with Cocchi Americano for the Kina Lillet as it is much closer in character to the original Kina Lillet formula.

Use a nice Russian vodka and you are ready to go! 

Appropriately named for the original Bond girl. It's silky smooth and super dry - yet perfumed in wonderful florals. A very nice shaken libation, with a little Russian spirit lurking within. The Vesper.

Nuclear Daiquiri

The Nuclear Daiquiri, as it appears in the Big Bartender's Book by Mud Puddle.

Nuclear Daiquiri


3/4 ounce (22 ml) Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
3/4 ounce (22ml) green Chartreuse
1/3 ounce (10 ml) falernum
3/4 ounce (22 ml) lime juice


Shake with Ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

My eyes were closed, but I think I dipped dangerously close to sucking the mix in through my nose as I inhaled the aromas. The Chartreuse green really comes to life in this mix with a big, resinous forest pine aroma.

I have used John D. Taylor's "Velvet Falernum" in this drink many times in the past with good results. This was the first time I tried the recipe with the Trader Tiki's Falernum, and viva la differance!

The bottle of falernum claims flavors of "Lime, Ginger, Almond, Clove and hints of Jamaican potstill rum."

When mixed with the clear, bright, grassy-sweet "Wray and Nephew Overproof",and the 130 herbal extracts present in the Chartreuse green, it is very easy to get lost in the aroma alone.

The flavors are no less complex. The resinous pine comes through on the palate. The mix of herbals, ginger, clove and lime all getting along remarkably well.

If you are looking for a rich and full-bodied daiquiri, go Nuclear!

The drink was created by Gregor De Gruyther (1979-2009).

Maiden's Blush

Here's a drink I found in Charlie Paul's Recipes of American and other Iced Drinks. As is often the case, when I started digging into the history on this one I found it to be a bit of a sticky wicket.

Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, (from the Savoy Hotel Bar in London) is often given credit for this drink. Modern references, such as found in the current Mr. Boston, do seem to reflect this recipe more than the original late nineteenth century versions.

Maiden’s Blush Cocktail No. 1 (Savoy 1930)

1 Dash Lemon Juice.

4 Dashes Orange Curacao.

4 Dashes Grenadine.

1 Glass Dry Gin.

The true original recipe was in the ultra rare 1886 French title Bariana, by Louis Fouquet. (Which is thought to be the earliest French book dedicated to cocktails.) 

from Bariana, Louis Fouquet, 1886

Translation: "Take a silver cup (mixing tins), ice chunks, half teaspoon of powdered sugar, a spoonful of raspberry syrup, juice of half a lemon, a glass of absinthe liqueur white, 1 half glass of old tom gin, finish with a little water, knock (shake), pass (strain), pour, lemon slice and serve."

The drink must have had its followers, as though it is not in every book, it pops up here and there in many titles throughout the early twentieth century, and even continues to makes appearances to this day. 

In Harry McElhone's 1927 title Barflies and Cocktails the recipe is present mainly in name only, maybe slightly more in the spirit of the original than the Savoy, but I can see why the Savoy is allowed more credit for this one. (This sounds like a very stiff drink!)

from Barflies and Cocktails, Harry McElhone, 1927

Recipes published in 1936 and 1937 though seem to match much more closely with earlier recipes.

In 1937, also from London, you have Billy Tarling's recipe in the Cafe Royale Cocktail Book. The only difference here is the calling for Dry Gin. (By the late 1930's Old Tom gin had been uncommon for some time.) 

from Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, W.J. Tarling, 1937

In 1936, Frank Meier of the Ritz Bar in Paris published this version:

from Artistry of Mixing Drinks, Frank Meier, 1936

"Maiden's Blush" was also the name of a style of colored glass common around the turn of the twentieth century. (This goblet was made by US Glass around 1901.)

We have the Savoy from 1930 London most commonly given credit, and which is the recipe most commonly quoted today. Six to seven years after the Savoy was printed though, we have other recipes popping up that seem much closer to this recipe, from Charlie Paul's 1902 publication (but originally published around 1885-1887!) Recipes of American and other Iced Drinks, which was also printed in London...

So, after all the digging...how does Charlie Paul's recipe hold up? 

from Recipes of American and other Iced Drinks, Charlie Paul, circa 1885

Maiden's Blush

1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) Old Tom Gin (Hayman's)

3/4 (22 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 tsp (5 ml) raspberry syrup

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) absinthe (Kubler)

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) powdered sugar

Shake with cracked ice, strain into "Maiden's Blush" colored goblet (if you have one of course) - garnish with slice of lemon on top.

Usually when a recipe is spot on, it stays fairly true to form over the years. The fact that this one has varied so much gave me pause. I've even heard this described as a "large glass of gin". I tried it with a 2 oz measure of gin, as well as with a 1 1/2 ounce measure and the difference was extreme. The 2 ounce measure was hugely gin forward, and indeed, "large glass of gin" seemed an appropriate description.

The 1 1/2 ounce measure was a completely different drink though. It was light, sweet and tart, with just a touch of the herbals from the absinthe and a "blush"of raspberry syrup...it was all in balance.

A delicate libation much more worthy of its namesake, an insidious drink that could possibly lead to a maiden's blush...