cocktails

the C. D. Rocktail

A customer at work recently asked me what my favorite gin was.

I was struck at first by the thought that this was a sort of strange question. People who like gin tend to really like gin, and usually already know what brands they like, and people who don’t like gin usually avoid it like the plague and couldn’t give half a crap what someone else’s favorite brand might be.

Once I answered her though, and explained why I liked that brand, I was struck by another thought. I haven’t had gin in a good long time.

Before I started drinking whiskey, gin was usually my liquor of choice. Even after I became a whiskey boy I still tended to drink gin in warmer summer months. Gin gimlets used to be my favorite easy summer cocktail, but that all changed when I developed a taste for tequila and discovered the Paloma.

This is making me sound like a terrible lush. I’m not. Moderation. It’s all about moderation… Also, variety is the spice of life, so there.

The answer to the favorite gin question, for those of you who might be wondering, is Hendrick’s. While it’s not the only gin I like, if I have to choose a favorite this would be it. Hendrick’s is a small batch gin made from a variety of herbs and botanicals, and along with the traditional juniper that gives gin its distinctive piney flavor, this gin is infused with rose petals and cucumber. The resulting gin is smooth and mild with a subtle juniper flavor, pleasant aromatics notes, and hints of cool cucumber and floral rose.

The use of high quality ingredients also prevents you from feeling like you’ve pickled your insides if you drink one (or two) too many cocktails.

With Hendrick’s on my mind I started thinking about the best gin cocktail I’ve ever had.

Right after college I moved to Ithaca, New York, and took a job waiting tables at a hip & modern restaurant called Olivia. Olivia’s sister restaurant, Stella’s, was a trendy late-night cocktail lounge in Ithaca’s “college town” neighborhood. My coworkers and I would frequently head to Stella’s for a drink after Olivia had closed for the night. Sometimes there’s nothing like a good drink with other waiters to help you wind down after a busy night.

One of my favorite and most frequently consumed cocktails was called the C.D. Rocktail, which was named after the bartender who created it. (Her initials are C.D.) I was no stranger to gin even then, but I was not familiar with Hendrick’s and had never tasted such a wonderfully refreshing gin cocktail before. Back then the craft cocktail trend was still in it’s formative years, and most of upstate New York hadn’t yet caught on. The mixologists at Stella’s knew what was up though and came up with more than a handful of recipes for some seriously tasty tipple.

The C.D. Rocktail was made by muddling cucumber & basil with lime juice and simple syrup, and topping it all off with gin and soda water. This potent potable is unbelievably fresh, summery, & refreshing; with a subtle sweetness and just a hint of effervescence. The cucumber helps to mellow out the gin’s bite, the basil imparts a pleasant herbal freshness, and lime sweetens and brightens everything up and ties the whole thing together.

I mean, this was almost ten years ago and I’m still thinking about this cocktail. It’s a Stellar (har har har) drink, and I’m sure you’re going to love it just as much as I do. Even if you’re not a huge gin lover, you should give this a try. The juniper piney flavor of gin is extremely subtle in this drink and only adds to it’s bright green summeriness.

When that customer asked about the gin and jolted my memory, I knew I had to try to recreate this cocktail. It’s been a looooong time since I’ve had one and I’d almost forgotten how much I loved them. The problem though, was that I couldn’t remember exactly what went into it. I knew it was Hendrick’s and I knew there were cucumbers and lime, but my memory failed me and I thought it was mint instead of basil, and forgot about the soda water. I also wasn’t sure how it all came together as, at the time, I was paying more attention to how they went down than how they were made. Although Olivia has since gone out of business, Stella’s is still open, but unfortunately, the C.D. Rocktail is no longer on the menu.

I’m still good friends with a lot of my former coworkers though, so I started asking around. No one had the recipe, but one of them is still in touch with the bartender who dreamed up this dreamy drink. So, she asked and a few days later the recipe was in my inbox. Or, at least, a list of ingredients was. Quantities and directions weren’t provided, so it took me a few tries to get it right, but if memory serves me this is pretty damn close to the way the original recipe tasted.

So, you should totally make this. I went to sooo much trouble to find and recreate the recipe for you. I had to drink multiple cocktails to get it right. This is the cross I bear in the name of blogging, so the least you can do it try it for yourself. And besides, the C.D. Rocktail is an unbelievably summery and refreshing drink and you’d be crazy not to make it.

the C.D. Rocktail

Servings: makes one 8oz cocktail
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3 slices cucumber, halved (about 1/4″ thick)
1/2 oz lime juice
4 – 5 fresh basil leaves
1/2 oz simple syrup *see note
2 oz good quality gin, preferably Hendrick’s
2 oz soda water

Muddle cucumber & basil in a cocktail shaker with lime juice & simple syrup. Take your time and get them real good and mashed up. Top with gin, add ice, and shake well. Strain into an 8- 10 oz glass filled with ice, and top with 2oz soda water.
Garnish with a slice of cucumber, if desired.

*note- simple syrup is crazy easy to make. Heat an equal amount of sugar and water, until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool. You’re done.

Scrappy’s Bitters giveaway

UPDATE: CONTEST HAS COME TO AN END. WINNER WILL BE CONTACTED VIA EMAIL

Even more good news everyone!

I have another amazing set of bitters to giveaway to one lucky reader! (Contest rules below)

When I first started getting into bitters and building my own little collection at home, Scrappy’s was one of the first companies that I was really drawn to. They use mostly organic ingredients, and their commitment to quality means that their bitters are strongly concentrated with great pure flavor. Their single note flavors are perfect for true cocktail enthusiasts, and are easily understood by people new to the world bitters.

From their website, ” Our focus (is) to create bitters using nearly all organic ingredients of the highest quality with no artificial flavors, chemicals, or dyes, all while respecting sustainability, and contributing to our communities in the process. These values and beliefs are what set us apart from other brands and make our bitters shine even brighter in your drinks and your dishes.

We draw our inspiration from the Old World, utilizing small-batch, handcrafted techniques that allow us to control the quality of our product on a level not yet achievable by robots. We know this because in our quest to make the best bitters possible, we have tested almost every modern-day commercial production technique and consistently discovered that there is no substitute for our original methods. Every component of our bitters has been thoroughly considered and developed by us, by hand.

At Scrappy’s, we believe that by making bitters with the finest ingredients, a touch of love, and a meticulous attention to detail, you’ll be able to taste and smell our commitment to excellence.”

The winner of this giveaway will receive two of their gift set sampler packs, for a total of 8 half-ounce bottles. You’ll get one each of their 8 flavors; aromatic, lavender, orange, lime, cardamom, chocolate, grapefruit, & celery. This way you’ll get to taste each and every flavor they have to offer. Think of all the fun and creative things you can do with all of these great bitters flavors! If you’re ever at a loss, they have a bunch of delicious recipes on their website for all the different flavors.

I have a few favorites when it comes to the flavors they offer, and one of them is definitely their lavender bitters. One of my favorite ways to use them is to add some complexity to a vodka lemonade. It’s total heaven, especially on a lazy sunny day. It’s perfectly light and summery, with just enough lavender flavor to add depth to the lemonade without overpowering the drink or making it taste perfume-y. Seriously delicious.

Spiked Lavender Lemonade

Servings: 2 cocktails
Print

12 oz lemonade (recipe below)
4 oz vodka
4 dashes Scrappy’s lavender bitters
sliced lemon wedges

In a cocktail shaker, combine lemonade, vodka, & lavender bitters. Shake well and pour over ice in a large glass.
Garnish with lemon slices if desired.

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Homemade Lemonade
makes about 6 1/2 cups of lemonade

3/4 cups of sugar
5 cups of water, divided
1 cup of lemon juice

In a small saucepan make a simple syrup by bringing sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil, stirring frequently. Once all sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool. In a pitcher, combine remaining water, lemon juice, and cooled simple syrup; and stir until well mixed.

Contest rules:

Entries will be accepted until, and contest will end on, Friday June 13th, at 6PM EST.

To enter, please follow these links and “like” both Brooklyn Homemaker and Scrappy’s Bitters on facebook. Then come back and leave the comment “Gimme Some Scrappy’s!” on this post, and tell me which flavor you’re most excited about winning and how you think you’ll use it.

Only one comment per entrant, please. Sorry, but immediate family is excluded. The winning bitters can only be shipped within the contiguous United States, so entrants must live or have a mailing address within the lower 48. Winner will be chosen, using a random number generator, from the total number of comments when the contest comes to a close. Winner will be contacted via email for shipping information.

bitters for beginners, part II

Last week I talked a bit about the history of bitters; what they are, where they come from, how they’re made, and how they’re used.

Today I’d like to go into some specifics about a few of the different styles and how you can use them at home. There really is no end to what you can do with bitters, but I thought it might be helpful to give you a few basic ideas.

Aromatic:

The best known and most frequently used style is still the old standard “aromatic” bitters. This is what most bartenders reach for when creating many of the old school craft cocktails popular today. Everything old is new again, amiright?

The most iconic maker of aromatic bitters is, of course, Angostura. Before the bitters renaissance, if you found any bitters at all behind your local bar, odds are these were the ones. Angostura bitters were named for the Venezuelan city where they were created, but they’ve since moved production to the Caribbean. They’re actually not made from the bark of the Angostura tree, and since the recipe is a tightly guarded secret, no one knows for sure if they ever were.

Perhaps the second most popular producer of aromatic bitters is Peychaud’s, which were originally developed by pharmacist and Creole immigrant Antoine Amédée Peychaud in New Orleans. His family would dispense his curative bitters in Cognac from his pharmacy in the French Quarter, and it wasn’t long before people started asking for Peychaud’s bitters by name at bars throughout the city. Today Peychaud’s are synonymous with the Sazerac cocktail, named for a now defunct brand of cognac, Sazerac de Forge et Fils, that used to make up the Peychaud’s toddy. When phylloxera almost wiped out France’s wine and brandy production cognac was replaced by rye whiskey, which remains the main ingredient in the Sazerac cocktail today.

Each brand of aromatic bitters has their own proprietary blend of ingredients, but they all share a similar flavor profile. For the most part, true to their historic roots, aromatic bitters have a slightly medicinal flavor which, in small doses, pairs really well with a variety of libations and cocktails. Most get their flavor from an infusion of bitter roots, especially gentian root; a blend of warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, or cloves; and a proprietary mix of herbs and other botanicals such as tamarind, wormwood, or barks. Peychauds has a slightly sweeter flavor than Angostura with hints of anise and licorice, while some other brands have a stronger herbal presence. If you’re looking to try something new, look for aromatic bitters by Hella Bitters, Scrappy’s, or Fee Brothers.

Aromatic bitters can be used in any number of applications from whiskey drinks to champagne cocktails. They’re the key ingredient in many classic cocktails like the Manhattan and old fashioned.

Orange:

The next most popular style is orange bitters, which primarily get their flavor from the dried zest of bitter-oranges. Orange bitters have been popular as far back as the 1800s. One fact that I found really interesting in my research is that they used to be very popular for flavoring dry martinis. In the 1800s a dry martini referred to the type, not the amount, of vermouth used, and the recipe was usually a half and half mix of vermouth and vodka or gin with some bitters to taste.

Depending on the brand, the flavor of orange bitters can range from dry and aromatic to sweet and fruity. Seville bitter oranges are the most commonly used, but to get a sweeter flavor Fee Brothers uses West Indian orange, the same variety used to make triple sec and curaçao. Traditionally orange bitters feature a healthy dose of spice too. Common ingredients used both in the 19th-century and today include gentian root, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, caraway, or coriander.

Generally, Fee Brothers is considered the sweetest and fruitiest, and the least complex; while Regan’s are zesty fresh and bright, with hints of pepper and honey and a mild spice background; and Angostura Orange has the strongest orangey scent and flavor, but still with a bit of spice in the background. If you want to experiment further, be sure to try Scrappy’s orange, Bittercube’s orange or whiskey barrel aged blood orange, or Fee’s gin barrel aged orange.

Personally I think citrus bitters are a great option if you’re looking for something that goes with everything. Orange are the most common, but you can mix most citrus flavors with almost any alcohol and come up with a great tasting and enjoyable cocktail.

Other Citrus Bitters:

Beyond the traditional orange, there are tons of other citrus varieties to choose from. Hella Bitter’s citrus uses 9 varieties of citrus, and adds spice to give them a traditional “orange bitters” feeling. Lemon bitters are almost as versatile as orange and pair well with whiskey and vodka alike. Fee Brother’s has a lemon variety, and Brooklyn Hemispherical makes both lemon and meyer lemon options.
Grapefruit bitters are a great option if you’re looking to expand your collection, and they pair especially well with tequila drinks. Check out these choices from Scrappy’s, Bittermens, or Fee Brothers.
Bittercube’s Jamaican #2 is a warm and tangy blend of grapefuit, hibiscus, & island spice, and one of my coworker swears it’s the best way to dress up cheap beer.
Another great citrus option that would pair well with tequila, vodka or gin would be Scrappy’s lime.

Fruit Bitters:

The fun doesn’t have to stop with citrus flavors either. There are fruity bitters out there for every taste. Cherry bitters by Fee Brothers, Cherry Bark Vanilla by Bittercube, or Spiced Cherry by Woodford Reserve would all be great with bourbon, mixed in a rum and coke, or even on their own with soda water. In the fall try Bar Keep’s apple bitters, or Brooklyn Hemispherical’s apple cider bitters. Also look for plum, peach, or rhubarb by Fee Brothers.

Herbal or floral bitters:

If you’re looking for something a little more delicate, a great option would be some of the single note floral or herbal flavors. Fee brother’s makes a mint flavor that would be great if you don’t feel like muddling fresh mint for your juleps or mojitos. Bar Keep and Scrappy’s both make lavender flavors that are heaven in a vodka lemonade. Bittermens makes a citrus and chamomile flavor they call their Boston Bittahs

Spicy Bitters:

If you like a drink with a bit of kick then look for some of the hot and spicy bitters out there. Brooklyn Hemispherical’s Sriracha & Bittermens hellfire habanero shrub would add considerable heat to a bloody mary, or would be great with tequila cocktails like a margarita or paloma. If you’d like to add another layer of flavor with your heat consider Memphis bbq bitters, Thai Bitters, Or Moroccan Bitters by The Bitter End.

Warm Spices and Baking Flavors:

If you like the idea of warm spice but don’t necessarily want the HEAT of a spicy bitter, try something in this category. Bittercube’s Jamaican #1 has allspice, ginger, & black pepper and is ideal with rum. Their blackstrap molasses bitters are excellent in hot cocktails and pair well with rum or whiskey. Fee Brother’s black walnut bitters or Scrappys cardamom bitters would both add a hint of autumnal warm to whiskey cocktails, and would be great in a spiked hot cider. Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters contains cacao, cinnamon, and spices and is perfect with aged tequila, rum or bourbon, and would add a hint of warm spice to a spiked hot chocolate. Fee Brother’s Aztec chocolate, and Scrappy’s chocolate bitters have a purer cocoa flavor and would be perfect in a white russian.

Celery Bitters:

If Caesars or Bloody Marys are more your style, or if you want an unexpected addition to a gin and tonic, try celery bitters by Fee Brothers or Scrappys. Bittermens also makes a celery shrub that blends the flavors of celery with apples and vinegar, almost like a pickled celery that would, again, be perfect for bloody marys.

This is just a small sampling of the huge variety of bitters available today, with just a few ideas on how to put them to use. Once you find a flavor you like go ahead and experiment trying them in new ways. Many people even use bitters for cooking and baking, not just cocktails. The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.

*This post was written in collaboration with Whisk, a store with an extensive cocktail section and one of the largest collections of bitters in NYC.

hella bitter giveaway

UPDATE: CONTEST HAS COME TO AN END. WINNER WILL BE CONTACTED VIA EMAIL

Good news everyone! For the next week you can enter to win your very own set of Hella Bitters!

Aren’t you excited? I sure am.

The winner will receive one 5oz bottle each of both the aromatic and the citrus flavors of Hella Bitter! If you’ve never tried them, you’re in for a real treat. Please enter by commenting on this post and following the contest rules listed at the bottom of the page.

I visited Hella Bitter at their space in Long Island City’s Bad Ass Organic the other day, and I have to tell you, not only do they know their stuff and turn out some seriously delicious craft bitters, but they’re also a really great bunch of guys.

Meet the men behind Hella Bitter, from left to right, Jomaree Pinkard, Tobin Ludwig, & Eduardo Simeon:

From their website: “Hella Bitter is an all-natural craft bitters company committed to being the premium alternative to mass-produced and often artificially flavored competitors. What began in the early 2000s as a hobby with roots in the Bay area, turned serious in 2011 when Hella Bitter was founded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With a modest Kickstarter.com fundraising project, pools of sweat, and a big dream, Hella Bitter went from being a weekend project, to being a serious pursuit of the delicious…

Citrus is the bitters that started it all, and we have refined a recipe that consistently outshines other orange bitters on the market. It is slightly more concentrated, and more noticeably citrusy than other bitters in its class. This is because our small-batch approach enables us to carefully regulate the different flavors and prevent any one from overpowering the others.

Perhaps the rockstar of the bunch, our Aromatic consists of more intriguing ingredients and stronger flavors to make a bitters that can stand up to the biggest bourbon whiskeys, but is still delicate enough to give subtle support to a gin cocktail. It gets its color from the beet juice that we use to help sweeten it.”

With the recipes for their current flavors perfected, they were excited to tell me about a few new ideas they have on the horizon. Right now they’re working to develop a kit for bitters enthusiasts to make their own bitters at home! Their kit will include a custom machined funnel and strainer set, along with two flavor blends and four tincture bottles to make your very own citrus and aromatic bitters. You’ll be able to make traditional bitters with their ready-to-use blends, or you could put your own twist on things by experimenting with other spirits or adding your own ingredients. Right now they’re working out the fine print, but soon they’ll be launching a kickstarted campaign to help get the project moving. I, for one, can’t wait.

Along with cocktail recipes, their website includes ideas for ribs, roast chicken, even whipped cream flavored with their bitters. I decided to try out a recipe they gave me during my visit for one of my favorite cocktails, the classic Old Fashioned. Their recipe uses both flavors of Hella Bitter, working together in perfect harmony. It may have had something to do with the limited-edition small-batch bourbon I received as a birthday gift, but holy wow. This is one left me speechless.

No matter what you dream up to use them, both flavors of their bitters are phenomenal. Don’t just take it from me though, enter to win below and try them for yourself!

Hella Bitter Old Fashioned

Servings: 1 cocktail
Print

recipe from Hella Bitter.

2oz Rye Whiskey
2 Dashes Hella Bitter Citrus
2 Dashes Hella Bitter Aromatic
1 sugar cube or 1 tsp sugar
Orange twist for garnish

In a rocks glass, combine sugar and bitters. Mash up. Add whiskey. Add ice to top off whiskey and gently stir until ice has softened slightly or the cocktail is very cold. This can take 10-30 seconds depending on the size and texture of your ice. Stir in orange twist.

(I used bourbon because that’s what I had in the house, and I added some Luxardo cherries because I’m fancy like that.)

Contest rules:

Entries will be accepted until, and contest will end on, Thursday June 5th, at 6PM EST.

To enter, please follow these links and “like” both Brooklyn Homemaker and Hella Bitter on facebook. Then come back and leave the comment “Gimme Hella!” on this post, and tell me the first drink you’ll make with a shiny new set of Hella Bitters.