Cocktails: A Gin Bramble & A Mississippi Mule

We Remember the Dead!

In New Orleans, we love to celebrate our Dead!  We have gigantic Mausoleums, Memorial Masses, and even Jazz Funeral Parades that march down the streets with large brass bands remembering our Dead!  Why?  Not to wallow in their death but to celebrate in their life.

So thus we were inspired by LSU's race to the BCS championship & their unfortunate demise!  However, in honor of their Purple & Gold colors, we searched for a proper cocktail cocktail that would remind us their great season and exciting run to the top!

In that search, we came accross another great legend called THE FIX.  The Fix Cocktail, as it was listed in Jerry Thomas' bartenders guide (1862),  was a wonderful blend of  Raspberry Syrup, Powdered Sugar, Gin, and the Juice of  several Gold Lemons.  Now this Gin Fix is regarded as being dead, however it would seem that it in fact lives on, as the Bramble & the Mississippi Mule.  

Now if you search for either of these drinks, we came accross an adaptation of the Bramble at Bar Tonique under their Sours menu & have had one at Bar Uncommon made by Mr. Chris McMillan.  However, we have been making the recipe that was created by Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in Soho, London, in the mid-80s and find that this recipe is an easy and great one to introduce people who claim they "Hate Gin" because the flavors of the berry Liquer will mellow out any gin prejudices!

So to honor our Boys in Purple & Gold and the great 2011 season they had, we remember you with these 2 tasty cocktails that have a Purple color with a Gold base:

The Gin Bramble

•  1.5 oz of Dry Gin
• .75 oz of Lime or Lemon Juice
• .5 oz of Simple Syrup
• .75 oz Creme' de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur)***
• 3 blackberries

Mix Gin, Lime or Lemon Juice (we prefer Lime), and Simple Syrup in a shaker filled with ice for about 15 seconds.  Strain Mix into a Rocks glass filled with Crushed Ice**.  Drizzle Creme' De Mure on top and Garnish with Blackberries!

**Note: The reason we use Crushed Ice is that the berry-flavoured liqueur should cascade down through the crushed ice, as it is served. When done right it is very pleasing, visually.

 the Mississipi Mule

  ~ 2 oz of Dry Gin

  ~ 0.5 oz of Lemon Juice

  ~ 0.5 oz of Creme de Cassis (black currant Liqueur)***

  ~ Lemon Peel or 3 Raspberries

Shake over ice and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with Lemon peel or 3 Raspberries!

***NOTE: Most Recipes out there say that if you cant find your Berry Liqueur you can substitue it with Chambord if you cant find your Liqueur.  Chambord is a Raspberry Brandy Based Liqueur with honey.  SOO you can definately replace any of the above if you so feel lazy, however, we have had no problem finding Creme de Cassis or Creme de Mure.  In New Orleans, you can find almost anything at Dorignacs in their immense yet beautiful wine & liqueur section!!

So we hope you enjoy these two recipes.  We Salute you LSU Tiger Season of 2011 for a great run!!

Did you like our cocktail suggestions or did you make any of these? Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment below.

  

Thirsty Thursday: Gin Gimlet

So it is time for our Thirsty Thursday and this week we are celebrating one of movies all time greatest actors, W. C. Fields. His 130th birthday is Friday, January 29th. Now while watching most of his classic movies you will notice Fields often with a libation in his hands. Perhaps this is why his trademark nose was always so rosey. Now in his movies, he is often drinking whiskey but Fields is often celebrated with Gin due to his famous quote, "I exercise strong self control. I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast." So in honor of our Classic movie Drunkard, we celebrate with a classic drink, the Gin Gimlet.

Ingredients:
2 oz gin
1 3/4 oz Rose's lime juice or other lime cordial

Preparation:
Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. I also like to wipe the rim with a lime wedge, gently squeeze it over the drink and drop it in. You can also serve this on the rocks if you prefer a cooler and then more diluted version.

This is one cocktail that you can find in almost any bar or restaurant. So, Try it out and let us know what you think!! Have a different variation that you prefer, let us know by leaving a comment.

Fun Facts Friday - 12/18/09

It's Fun Facts Friday!


Since this week we have been drinking a Gin Drink, the Negroni, we shall give you some Fun Definition, Myths, A great quote, & a little humor about this Alchohol.







Definition: According to Marina Orlova, from Hot For Words, Gin is an abbreviation of the word GENEVA. Originally the Drink was Dutch & called genever which meant "juniper" which is the berries which are the basis of Gin.





Myth: One of the biggest myths is that gin gets bruised from shaking it. In reality it doesn't. Although, it is better to stir rather than shake a cocktail made with Gin unless your making it with citrus or egg whites. Essentially, shaking introduces bubbles, which makes your drink cloudy when it should be crystal clear, like a martini. So you can now stop cringing everytime James Bond asks for a Gin Martini Shaken, not Stirred.



Quote:
“I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.” ~W. C. Fields


Lastly, I found this funny Cartoon from NatalieDee a Sharing Machine Comic. Enjoy!

Thirsty Thursday: The NEGRONI

Well it's Thirsty Thursday Folks and Time for us to share with you the Drink of the Week. This week we are shining the Spotlight on the Negroni.

We chose the Negroni after reading In the Dec '09/Jan '10 Issue of Men's Journal on the last Page titled "Survival Skills", that Anthony Bourdain's favorite Drink is a NEGRONI. Bourdain says that the Negroni is his favorite drink that was taught to him by Mario Batali and that this simultaneously ruined and improved his life!!

The base alchohols of the Negroni are Gin and Campari. It's widely considered an aperitif, a pre-dinner cocktail intended to stimulate the appetite although it can be enjoyed at any time. The most common legend is that it was invented in Florence, Italy when Count Cammillo Negroni in the 1920's ordered an Americano Cocktail and asked the bartender to add Gin.

New Orleans Modern Drunkards, Steve, Ryan, and Eric, tested this cocktail at the Bridge Lounge in Uptown and at Bar Tonique in the Outskirts of the French Quarter. At the Bridge Lounge, Styles crafted this Drink using Beefeater Gin and it was a bit light but nice. At Bar Tonique, Christine crafted her Negroni's with Plymouth Gin which added a more fragrant flavor and she also openes the orange twist by burning it which helps add a light fruity finish. Overall, I, Eric, liked it cause it was a light cocktail.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz gin
orange slice or twist for garnish

Preparation: Pour the ingredients into an old-fashioned glass with ice cubes. Stir well & Garnish with the orange slice

Try it out and let us know what you think!!