Tuesday 20 February 2007

Cocktails for Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras!

Make it even happier with these classic cocktails ..

THE ABC

The ABC stands for Absinthe, Bourbon, and Cointreau.

In a wide-mouthed wine goblet mix:

* 2 parts Absinthe (a real absinthe like La Clandestine is best)
* 2 parts Bourbon whiskey (a real bourbon like Jim Beam is best)
* 2 parts Cointreau
* 3-4 ice cubes.

As the ice cubes melt in the drink, this dilutes the absinthe and simultaneously chills the bourbon.

THE SAZERAC

Served: "Straight up," without ice
Standard garnish: Lemon peel
Standard drinkware: Old fashioned glass

Commonly used ingredients:

* Two parts cognac or rye whiskey
* One dash Peychaud's bitters (if this is not available, use Angostura)
* One tsp sugar or simple syrup
* One tsp absinthe

Preparation: Coat the inside of the glass with a film of absinthe, then stir the ingredients together in a glass of ice, and strain into another glass. Garnish and serve.

Notes: Originally this was made and served in an egg cup.

The Sazerac is one of the oldest known cocktails and is claimed, by some, to be the first. It is very closely linked with New Orleans and was apparently so named by John Schiller in 1859 upon the opening of his Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans.

Here's an old postcard of the Old Absinthe Bar in New Orleans. The postcard is believed to date back to the 1920's or 1930's, so it is unlikely that there is any absinthe in the picture!



THE FOURTH ESTATE COCKTAIL

This cocktail is for people who love the bitter taste of wormwood.

The name seems to have a variety of origins.

* It might mock the cynicism of the Fourth Estate (historically the press, but now all the popular media), who prefer the bitter to the sweet.

* It might represent the French Republicans (the revolutionary "Fourth Estate") with its tricolor of Blue (Gin) and White and Red (the Vermouths) topped with a splash of Absinthe, the favorite drink of the revolutionary Montagnards.

In a cocktail shaker over ice mix:

* 1 part Gin
* 1 part "French" (AKA "White" or Bianco) Vermouth
* 1 part "Italian" (AKA "Red" or "Sweet") Vermouth
* A dash of Absinthe.

Serve in a cocktail glass.

Cocktail recipes from Wikipedia.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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