Vieux Carré Cocktail →

New Orleans in a glass, the Vieux Carré is another classic cocktail from the “Big Easy” otherwise known as “The Paris of the South”. The name translates from French as “old square” referring to the original old town, now better known as the French Quarter. Comprised of Brandy and Benedictine from France, Sweet Vermouth from Italy, and American Rye Whiskey, the Vieux Carré embodies the Cajun/Creole spirit of New Orleans: sweet, smooth, bitter, and boozy. It goes down easy, straight up, or on the rocks. Benedictine, a key ingredient, is a complex French digestif liqueur made from herbs and warm spices with a sweetness contributed by honey. If you can’t find Benedictine, you can substitute Dom B & B which is a 60/40% blend of Benedictine and Brandy. The International Bar Association calls for 30 ml. each of Rye, Brandy, and Sweet Vermouth; a bar spoon of Benedictine, and 2 dashes of Peychaud Bitters, served chilled straight up. As with many traditional recipes chefs and bartenders create their own variations of the original recipe. This recipe is formulated for the home bartender using simple measures and adjusting the recipe to use more easily found and more useful to the home liquor cabinet Dom B & B instead of straight Dom Benedictine. If you are a perfectionist-traditionalist bartender go with the original IBA recipe, otherwise, the recipe here is an easy, excellent addition to your home cocktail repertoire. Santé!

Vieux Carré Cocktail
Serves one

Ingredients:
1 ounce Rye Whiskey
1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
3/4 ounce Brandy or Cognac
½ ounce Dom B & B
2 dashes Peychaud Bitters
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters (optional)

Mix the ingredients with a few ice cubes. Stir to chill and strain into a bar glass or your choice; garnish with a maraschino cherry or a twist of lemon or orange peel and enjoy.

Perfect Walnut Manhattan →

The Perfect Walnut Manhattan is proof that variety is the spice of life that makes our lives more enjoyable. A combination of bourbon or rye whiskey, walnut infused liqueur, sweet and dry vermouth, and a few drops of Angostura bitters produces a complex spirit forward drink that takes the traditional Manhattan cocktail down south to the land of black walnut trees and bourbon. The practice of making fruit, botanical, and nut infused liqueurs dates back to the dawn of mankind and probably came about accidentally when someone sipped some water with fermenting fruit in it and got a buzz on. After that the variations of fermented drinks were only limited by human curiosity and ingenuity. Italy has a particularly rich tradition of producing citrusy fruit liqueurs like Limoncello and Aperol, bitter botanical Amaros, and nut flavored liquors like Disaronno, Frangelico, Amaretto, and black walnut flavored Nocino. Walnut liqueur probably came to Italy during the time of the Roman occupation of the British Isles. The ancient Pict culture of north-eastern Scotland made a fermented drink of macerated walnuts they believed allowed them to commune with the spirits of the natural world. Over time, as the Picts were converted to Christianity, the practice of making walnut liqueur in the mid-summer when walnut trees were full of fruit became associated with the rituals of St. John’s Feast Day on June 24, not coincidentally the day when the Picts traditionally harvested their walnuts. Whether you’re a Christian or pagan, raise a glass to the ancient tradition of mixology in all its alchemical expressions. Cheers!

Perfect Walnut Manhattan
one serving
Ingredients

• 2 ounces of Bourbon or Rye whiskey of your choice

• 1 ounce Nocino (or Nocello if you can’t find Nocino)

• .5 ounce dry vermouth

• .5 ounce sweet vermouth

• 2 or 3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Add the ingredients to a few ice cubes in a mixing glass or shaker. Stir until well chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a walnut half or a brandied cherry

Americano →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

AMERICANO
Yield: 1 drink

Ingredients:
1 ½ ounce Campari (sub Aperol for an “Aperol Americano”)
1 ½ ounce Sweet Vermouth
club soda
dash of Orange Bitters (optional)
orange twist

Preparation:
Fill a tall glass with ice, add the Campari and Vermouth, top with club soda, stir, and garnish with an orange twist.

First served in the mid-1800’s at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan, Italy, the Americano is said to be the older cousin of the Negroni. Built around equal parts Campari and Sweet Vermouth with club soda, this drink falls into the category of herbaceous, light drinks designed to whet the appetite called “aperitivo” in Italy, or “apéritif” in France. It is said “aperitivo culture”, the daily ritual of stopping at the local cafe after work to unwind and visit with friends over a mild drink and a snack before dinner, is as deeply ingrained in Italy as the Catholic Church and Soccer. If you are not fond of the bitterness of Campari, you can substitute an equivalent measure of Aperol and enjoy an Aperol Americano. Two bits of mixology pop-culture trivia: before Ian Flemming’s James Bond popularized martinis (“shaken not stirred”) and the “Vesper”, the “Americano” was his drink of choice first appearing in the book “Casino Royale” in 1953; secondly, it is thought the drink’s name became formalized during Prohibition when Americans flocked to Europe in search of good drinks and more relaxed European culture. Salute!

Boulevardier Cocktail →

Translated from French, a "boulevardier" is a man-about-town, a bon-vivant, literally a "man who frequents the boulevards". The creation of the cocktail is attributed to Erskine Gwynne, the publisher of “Boulevardier,” a magazine for expats living in Paris in the 1920s. Generally considered to be the cool-weather cousin of the Gin-based Negroni, the Boulevardier is made with either Rye whiskey or Bourbon and Sweet Vermouth. The third ingredient, Campari or Aperol is often interchanged. My version uses Bourbon and the slightly more bitter Campari with the addition of a couple of dashes of Orange Bitters to maintain the orange note in the drink. For those who tire of drinking straight Bourbon, Rye, or Scotch, this cocktail is a welcome alternative. Santé!

Boulevardier
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces Bourbon (or Rye)

• 1 ounce Campari

• 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth

• 2 or 3 dashes of Orange Bitters

• orange twist

Preparation:

1. Add the ingredients to a mixing glass or shaker with ice and stir until well chilled.

2. Strain into a Coup straight-up or on the rocks with fresh ice in a Manhattan glass.

3. Garnish with an orange twist.

Enjoy!

Manhattan →

According to Jim Meehan at Food and Wine, the earliest known printed recipe for the Manhattan was published in O. H. Byron's 1884 Modern Bartenders' Guide. The classic Manhattan calls for rye whiskey and a maraschino cherry. I use bourbon and a brandied cherry; you can also replace the cherry with a half-round slice of orange. For a “Perfect Manhattan”, use 50/50 dry and sweet vermouth.

Yield: 1 Manhattan cocktail

Ingredients

Photo: c. foodblogchef - Manhattan in a coupe glass

• 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey

• 1 ounce sweet vermouth

• 1 tsp. brandy from your jar of brandied cherries (optional)

• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

• Ice

• 1 brandied or maraschino cherry, for garnish

Preparation:

Fill a pint glass with ice. Add the bourbon or rye, vermouth and bitters and stir well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with the cherry or a half-round slice of orange.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a coupe glass, after you mix the ingredients, pour into any smaller-size glass with or without the ice. The glass doesn’t make a well-mixed cocktail taste better, but different shaped glasses do give more visual appeal to your mixed drinks.

Adapted from: Jim Meehan @ https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/manhattan-cocktails-2009

Negroni →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019 - Negroni Cocktail
Copy and paste to print the recipe.
THE NEGRONI
Ingredients: (Rule of Thirds)
1 or 1 1/2 parts good quality Gin
1 part Sweet Vermouth
1 part Campari

Preparation:
1. Add the ingredients to a glass with ice.
2. Stir until blended and chilled.
3. Add 3-4 drops of fresh orange juice and stir (optional)
4. Garnish with an expressed (squeezed) orange peel (zest, no white pith) or an orange round.

Enjoy!

“The Negroni was created in Italy, likely in the early 1900s,” says bartender Dylan Knox of Vol. 39 in Chicago. “The story goes, Count Camillo Negroni asked a bartender to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano—which called for using vermouth, Campari and club soda—and the Negroni was [born].” As they say, enjoying bitterness is an acquired taste. This colorful, bitter favorite is a classic aperitif cocktail recipe. I prefer 1 1/2 parts Gin to 1 Campari and 1 Sweet Vermouth and 3-4 drops of fresh orange juice to soften the bitterness of the Campari.

Source: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/negroni/#gs.f8n276