The Next Step

Benjamin!

We need to start aging our own cocktails in little barrels!!

http://www.copperfox.biz/products/index.php#barrelkit

From the Clyde Comon menu:

House Aged Cocktails

Barrel-Aged Negroni 10.
Beefeater gin, Cinzano Rosso vermouth, Campari, aged for two months in a Tuthilltown whiskey barrel and finished with orange peel

Barrel-Aged Guyana Manhattan 10.
El Dorado 12 year rum, Carpano Antica Formula vermouth, and Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters aged for three months in a Tuthilltown single-malt whiskey cask and finished with orange peel

Holiday Punch Recipe

The Chief's Party Punch

Makes around 20 6-ounce servings

• 1 750-ml bottle brandy
• 1 750-ml bottle ruby Port or white Port (see Note)
• 1 quart Earl Grey tea, at room temperature (see Note)
• 1 quart fresh tangerine juice
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 6 to 8 ounces Monin gingerbread syrup (see Note)

Instructions: Combine all the ingredients in a large punch bowl in which a large block of ice has been placed.

Note: Red Port brings a wintry flavor, but for a lighter taste you can substitute white Port. For a stronger tea flavor, brew the tea at double strength. And be judicious with the gingerbread syrup. It's a fabulous flavor, but it can easily take over the whole punch.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/03/FD9F1GI2M5.DTL#ixzz17H6hN6R1

Cognac Cocktails to try out

PALAIS D'ELYSEES
An update of the Champs-Élysées cocktail

1 ounce Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
½ ounce yellow Chartreuse
½ ounce lemon juice
2 ounces Brut Champagne

Combine ingredients in shaker with ice and shake well. Strain and serve in a 5-ounce cocktail glass rimmed with sugaR

LA LOUISIANE
A spinoff of the Cocktail à la Louisiane, made with cognac instead of rye

1 ounce Pierre Ferrand Reserve Cognac
¾ ounce Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
¾ ounce Béesnéesdictine liqueur
Absinthe, to coat glass
Orange peel for garnish

Stir cognac, vermouth and Béesnéesdictine in mixing glass with ice. Rinse a 5-ounce cocktail glass with absinthe and pour out. Strain mixture into absinthe-coated glass and garnish with orange peel

SOUTH OF NO NORTH
Named for Charles Bukowski’s collection of short stories of the same name

1 ounce Bombay dry gin
1 ounce Hennessy VS Cognac
½ ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram rum
½ ounce lemon juice
¼ ounce sugar syrup* or to taste
Orange peel for garnish

*Sugar Syrup (Simple Syrup)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a simmer. Continue simmering 2 minutes. Remove and cool 2 hours.

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a small cocktail class and garnish with orange peel.

CHICAGO
A classic cocktail

1 ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce Hennessy VS Cognac
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces Brut Champagne
Orange peel for garnish

Stir ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Serve in an old-fashioned glass on the rocks. Garnish with orange peel.

Dragon's Blood

Benjamin loved this one. It's totally delicious, but we didn't get the recipe, so we'll have to reverse engineer it.

• Plymouth gin
• Green Chartreuse
• Pedro Ximenez Sherry
• Angostura Bitters
• Absinthe
• Ardbed 10 year scotch float

Apple of Discord

A new favorite, it tastes like a smokey apple.

• 2 oz calvados pays d'auge
• 0.5 teaspoon agave nectar
• 5 dashes Bourdreau's cherry bitters

Shake and strain, mist top of cocktail using a diffuser with del Maguey Santo Domingo mezcal

Golden Ticket

Ah lurves this. A scotch cocktail! A beautiful handcut icecube!

• 0.75 oz Bowmore 12 year scotch
• 0.75 oz Yamazaki 12 year whiskey
• 0.25 oz Ramazotti Amaro
• 0.75 oz Grand Marnier
• 3 dashes Grapefruit bitters
• 1 dash Angostura bitters