Rich cocktails are a decadent way to imbibe. I find them delightful at the end of a delicious evening. However, rich and decadent need not mean sweet and cloying—luxury can be mixed into the glass in many different ways. Modern bartenders have brought new levels of sophistication to this category of drink, though the concept has been around for a long time. Eggs and cream were once added to drinks to mask the quirks of the cheap booze served at some speakeasies. Flips and nogs come to mind, as does the brandy Alexander.
I saw this on the menu at Bobby Heugel, Kevin Floyd, and Steve Flippo’s excellent Houston bar, Anvil, way back in 2009. Its memory has lingered. This is a smart combination, very much like deeply dark bittersweet chocolate. Similar to the brandy Alexander, it has just three ingredients, so it’s easy to reproduce at home. Unlike the traditional version that features its ingredients in equal proportions, my taste-testing told me that a 2:1:1 ratio brings out the bitter better. I’ve also finished my version with a light dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder, which helps this drink taste just like dirt. Really good dirt.
2 pony shots / 60 ml / 2 fl oz Campari
2 tbsp / 1 fl oz dark crème de cacao
2 tbsp / 1 fl oz heavy cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder, to taste, as garnish (optional)
Add the Campari, crème de cacao, and cream to a cocktail shaker ⅔ filled with ice. Shake vigorously until frothy. Using a Hawthorn strainer, double-strain the cocktail through a wire-mesh sieve into a double old-fashioned glass. Allow the foam to rise, then garnish with a sprinkling of unsweetened cocoa powder (if using).
Makes 1
This rich gin drink is an earlier version of its brandied brother. First published in Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1917), it’s not as complex as Bobby Heugel’s creation (above), but the botanicals in gin add an unexpectedly savory note to this creamy concoction.
1 pony shot / 30 ml / 1 fl oz dry gin
2 tbsp / 1 fl oz white crème de cacao
2 tbsp / 1 fl oz heavy cream
Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker ⅔ full of ice. Shake vigorously until frothy. Using a Hawthorn strainer, double-strain the cocktail through a wire-mesh sieve into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
Makes 1
The Cool Revival is a cool cocktail. It’s just one example of the creative juice that bar manager Jaymee Mandeville channels into her inspired seasonal cocktail lists at Drago Centro in downtown Los Angeles. What I like about this cocktail, and why I chose to include it in this book, is how deliciously it illustrates how the demand for all things fresh, seasonal, and local has carried over from the kitchen to the bar. It has created a new trend in cocktails that goes beyond savory and can best be described as culinary cocktails—challenging the palate without a whiff of pomposity.
4 (1/8-inch) slices unpeeled English cucumber
2 pony shots / 60 ml / 2 fl oz rye
1/2 pony shot / 15 ml / 1/2 fl oz Cynar or other herbaceous amaro
1 tbsp / 1/2 fl oz yuzu juice, freshly squeezed or bottled*
1 tbsp / 1/2 fl oz herbal lemon syrup, using dill (see page 14)
Dill and Lemon Meringue (recipe below)
1 pinch grated lemon zest, as garnish
1 sprig fresh dill sprig, as garnish
* Lime juice can be substituted for yuzu juice. For information about yuzu, see the Golden Ale recipe 3636.
In a sturdy, thick-bottomed pint glass from a Boston shaker, use a bar muddler to crush the cucumber slices until most of the juice has been extracted and you have a fragrant, pulpy mush. Add the rye, Cynar, yuzu juice, and herbal lemon syrup, swirling to combine.
Fill the metal part of the Boston shaker ⅔ full of ice. Pour the muddled rye mixture (including pulp) over the ice cubes, then cap the shaker with the pint glass. Shake vigorously until well chilled.
Using a Hawthorn strainer, double-strain the cocktail through a wire-mesh sieve into an ice-filled mini-Mason jar or old-fashioned glass. Heap some of the dill and lemon meringue on top. Garnish with the lemon zest and dill sprig.
Makes 1
1/4 cup / 2 fl oz herbal lemon syrup, using dill (see page 14)
1 egg white
In a small bowl, mix the dill and lemon simple syrup with the egg white. Use either an electric mixer or whipped-cream dispenser to bring the mixture to a soft-peaked meringue consistency. Let rest for at least 6 minutes.
Long before Sandals was a chain of resorts, huaraches were shoes worn in hot climates, and the guayabera was a loose fitting four-pocketed gentleman’s work shirt with a bit of ventilation designed into it. These days you’re more likely to be wearing those sandals with linen pants while quaffing H. Joseph Ehrmann’s liquid version of The Guayabera. It’s every bit as tropical as the shirt and twice as cool.
The cocktail’s creator, the mixologist behind San Francisco’s Elixir cocktail bar, says the drink “sounds like guacamole and tastes like a lounge chair by the pool.” It has a rich, smooth mouthfeel from the avocado, sharpened by ginger and cilantro. There’s more than enough acidity to let this surprising cocktail sit nicely alongside that cold shellfish or ceviche I know you’ve planned for lunch.
4 heaping barspoons ripe avocado
Half a (1/2-inch) slice peeled fresh pineapple, chopped (or 2 tbsp / 1 fl oz pineapple juice)
3-finger pinch cilantro leaves
3 dime-size pieces peeled fresh ginger
1 shot / 45 ml / 1-1/2 fl oz cucumber-infused vodka (see Mild-Flavored Vegetable Infusion, page 19)
2 tbsp / 1 fl oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp / 1 fl oz agave syrup*
1 (10-1/2-oz) glassful of cracked ice (for frozen version only)
1 lime wedge, as garnish
1 cilantro sprig, as garnish
* Mix agave nectar and water in a 1:1 ratio.
On the rocks: In a sturdy, thick-bottomed pint glass from a Boston shaker, use a bar muddler to crush the avocado, pineapple, cilantro leaves, and ginger into a fragrant, pulpy mush. Pour in the vodka, lemon juice, and agave syrup, swirling to combine.
Fill the metal part of the Boston shaker ⅔ full with ice. Pour the muddled vodka mixture (including pulp) over the ice; cap with the pint glass. Shake vigorously until well chilled. Using a Hawthorn strainer, double-strain the cocktail through a wire-mesh sieve into an ice-filled double old-fashioned or highball glass. Garnish with the lime and cilantro.
Frozen: Place everything except the lime wedge and cilantro sprig in a blender (preferably a Vitamix Barboss). Blend thoroughly (on the #3 setting, if using the Barboss). Pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with the lime and cilantro.
Makes 1
Today a Flip refers to a drink that is shaken with a whole egg, or sometimes cream. These drinks are usually served cold nowadays, but originally Flips were warm—heated by a red-hot iron plunged into the drink, making it bubble and become frothy.
My version is made with amaro, a class of bitter Italian digestifs. When “flipped” with a whole egg, an amaro can take on a bitter richness similar to unsweetened cocoa. It’s best served after a luxurious meal.
2 shots / 90 ml / 3 fl oz Italian amaro liqueur such as Fernet-Branca or Averna
2 dashes Miracle Mile Chocolate Chili Bitters (available online, optional)
1 small egg
Freshly grated nutmeg, as garnish
Combine the amaro, bitters (if using), and egg in a cocktail shaker. Cover and “dry shake” for about 30 seconds to combine. Uncap the shaker and fill ⅔ full with ice; shake vigorously until well chilled and frothy, at least 30 seconds. Using a Hawthorn strainer, double-strain the cocktail through a wire-mesh sieve into a wine goblet. Wait a moment for the foam to rise, then garnish with grated nutmeg.
Makes 1
Let’s face it. We’re all human, and we occasionally overindulge—particularly when we sit down to a large, special-occasion meal. In trying to stretch out that special moment, we sometimes simply eat too much. Way too much.
Enter the digestif. Digestifs are typically served after a meal, and they are different from the sweet little nips often paired with dessert. They’re not like grappa or cognac, either, designed to continue the alcoholic buzz of overindulgence well into the night.
Digestifs are intended to soothe the overindulged belly by assisting in digestion or quelling a queasy stomach. The very best of them, in my opinion, are the Italian digestivos, collectively known as amari and enjoyed singly as amaro. The Italians take their digestive health seriously. There are hundreds of amari produced in Italy. Derived from quinine, they are typically bitter. They generally include herbs, roots, flowers, and spices in some proprietary formulation, giving them complex flavor profiles. It’s this complexity that makes them wonderful cocktail ingredients, from Averna, with a bite that’s wrapped in a veil of something sweet, through bracingly bitter Fernet-Branca.
CHARTREUSE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
This is not a shy drink. Its rich, strong flavors are layered with bitter chocolate notes, the herbaceous tones of Chartreuse, and a distinctive peat-smudged smokiness. Chocolate may not be the first flavor you think of when you hear “savory,” but chocolate wasn’t always candy. Ancient Aztecs ground cacao beans with spices to make xocoatl, a drink that was a little spicy and not at all sweet. I can’t help but be reminded of it when I taste this darkly rich, slightly bitter modern cocktail from David Wolowidnyk, bar manager at West Restaurant + Bar in Vancouver, Canada.
David starts the preparation with a cacao nib–infused bourbon. Cacao is naturally bitter, and when it’s infused into the sweet spice of bourbon you’ve really got something going on—sippable all by itself. The process is easy, or I can recommend Benjamin Prichard’s Double Chocolate Bourbon Whiskey, from a small-batch producer in Tennessee.
1/4 pony shot / 71/2 ml / 1/4 fl oz scotch whisky, as rinse
1 shot / 45 ml / 1-1/2 fl oz bourbon infused with cacao nibs (recipe below)
1/2 pony shot / 15 ml / 1/2 fl oz green Chartreuse
1/2 pony shot / 15 ml / 1/2 fl oz Cynar or other herbaceous amaro
1 dash walnut bitters
Pour the scotch into an old-fashioned glass and “turn” the glass, rolling the liquid until the inside is well coated; pour out the excess. This is known as “rinsing” the glass. Place a single large or several medium ice cubes in the glass. Set aside.
Combine the infused bourbon, Chartreuse, Cynar, and walnut bitters in a mixing glass half-filled with ice. Gently stir until chilled and properly diluted, about 20 seconds. Julep-strain into the prepared glass.
Makes 1
Cacao nibs are pieces of the beans that have been roasted and hulled. They’re used in making chocolate and may be purchased in specialty markets and online. Look for the plain ingredient, as opposed to chocolate-covered snack-style nibs.
1 (750 ml) bottle bourbon
1/2 cup cacao nibs
Combine the bourbon and cacao nibs in a large jar. Cover and let infuse for 3 days. Working in batches, strain the infused liquor through a coffee filter to remove any particles.