Michelle's Ultimate Bloody Mary

While the origin of the Bloody Mary is a bit unclear, most accounts give credit to Fernand Petiot for creating this American classic.

While bartending at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 20's, Fernand mixed equal parts vodka with tomato juice, took the recommendation of a patron and called it "Bloody Mary". The patron said it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago and a girl there named Mary.

I'm so happy the story did not end there - not only was that tale boring, so was the drink. In 1934 Fernand came to the King Cole Bar in NYC and he added spicy ingredients kicking this drink up to the version most of us know and love today.

And I do love this drink - especially with brunch. However, two features are critical for me. Consistency - I cannot take a second sip if it's too thick like soup or ketchup. I do not drink those and adding vodka will not change that. The second feature is aggressive and complex layers of spice.

There are a few ways to thin a tomato juice drink apart from the obvious one of adding more vodka than the recipe calls for. You can do that but pace yourself - we are talking brunch here.

I never start with plain tomato juice. Using a Bloody Mary mix or veggie juice mix like V8 is half the consistency battle plus it adds more flavor. The other half is lots of fresh citrus juice - I like using both lemon and lime. 

Regarding spice, less is definitely not more in my opinion.  I take a everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach here and add practically everything I have on hand. With that said, there are two ingredients I must have on hand - Worcestershire and fresh prepared horseradish. If I don't have those, I don't make this drink.

Michelle's Ultimate Bloody Mary - A Generous Pitcher

Ingredients

• 2 cups vodka
• 3 cups Bloody Mary mix 
• Juice of 2 lemons plus 1 cut into wedges
• Juice of 2 limes plus 1 cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• generous amount of fresh cracked black pepper
• 1-3 dashes of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
• garnish - celery stalk, lime wedges, olives, or cocktail onions

Muddle lemon wedges, lime wedges, horseradish, jalapeno and celery salt in the bottom of a pitcher. Add vodka, Bloody Mary mix, juice, Worcestershire and stir to combine. Add black pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste. Pour into glasses over ice, garnish and serve.

Cheers! Here's to a Happy Easter brunch!

Rear Admiral's Swizzle

Last Friday's happy hour starter, the Maple Sangaree, prompted a dialogue about enjoying that cocktail with breakfast - or at least with foods typically served for breakfast.

So that got me thinking - what key ingredient would be required for me to actually consider having a cocktail with breakfast? Just to clarify - Bloody Marys, Mimosas and Screwdrivers do not count. Everybody knows those aren't cocktails, but rather nutrient-packed juice beverages.

Back to that key ingredient. Coffee. Now that would make a crowd-pleasing breakfast drink. And if that coffee was Oakland's own Blue Bottle Coffee that would make it even better.

That line of thinking lead me to Firelit Spirits Coffee Liqueur - a wake-me-up blend of Blue Bottle Coffee, St. George Spirits brandy, cane sugar and Madagascar vanilla beans. While it's an excellent sipping digestif, I think it really perks up this cocktail created by Reza Esmaili at Smuggler's Cove.

Rear Admiral's Swizzle

1 oz Clement Creole Shrubb orange liqueur

1/2 oz Firelit coffee liqueur

1/2 Stroh 160 proof Rum

1/2 oz fresh orange juice

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1/4 oz honey syrup (1:1 honey & water)

2 dashes Regan's No. 5 bitters

Orange twist & mint sprig for garnish

Instructions:

Fill a Collins glass 2/3 full of crushed ice. Add all the ingredients, except the garnish, and stir with swizzle stick. Top with more crushed ice and add garnish.

Yep, this one has that I-can-drink-this-all day flavor. I'm not recommending you do that - I'm just sayin.

Maple Sangaree

san·ga·ree /noun/ 1. A sweet chilled beverage made of wine or other alcoholic liquor and grated nutmeg.

Yes, it sounds like and is similar to sangria in word origin but "sangaree" simply means to add a little sugar to a base spirit with a pinch of nutmeg. That's a wide open category with many possibilities to experience this unique spice sans the eggnog.

I like this recipe by David Nelson of Seattle's Tavern Law - on GQ's list for "The 25 Best Bars In America". The melding of bourbon, calvados (apple brandy) and maple syrup is spot on, and apparently until very recently top secret. 

Maple Sangaree

1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. calvados
1 oz. maple simple syrup (2:1 maple syrup to water)
Crushed ice
Tools: bar spoon
Glass: Collins
Garnish: fresh nutmeg 

Combine all ingredients in a glass, fill with crushed ice and stir. Garnish with a grating of nutmeg over the top.

I like the idea of whipping up a charcuterie plate for this one - it's easy to assemble before your guests arrive, can stand at room temp for a long time and the variations are endless and seasonless. This one from 2frugalfoodies gives great tips for making a version that won't break the bank.

I also like the idea of serving it after dinner. 

Sangaree! Just saying it makes me happy.

Ginger-Rosemary Lemon-Drop

After what feels like 40 days and 40 nights of rain, we finally have some sunshine here in the SF Bay Area. Time to dust off the patio furniture and move happy hour outdoors.

One of my favorite warm weather cocktail ingredients is lemon. That could be because it tastes best when it's ice cold, it mixes equally well with vodka, gin, rum and tequila or maybe it's just fond childhood memories of lemonade - and who doesn't love lemonade?

You could just make a standard lemon drop - a very simple drink of vodka, lemon juice and sugar, but I like this recipe I found in Sunset Magazine. It's more complex with the addition of ginger and rosemary. To add yet another layer of flavors try one of the Buddha's hand infused vodkas - Hangar One makes a great one. With that vodka you'll get additional flavors of jasmine and baking spices.

In case you're not familiar with Buddha's hand, it is a fragrant citron fruit indigenous to Northeastern India and China. Apart from flavoring food and drinks, it is often used in fragrances in Chinese and Japanese cultures and as a religious offering in Buddhist temples.

In terms of an appetizer to go with it, I say you run with the Buddha's hand theme and make this one - just pop it on some crostini to make it a finger food.

This drink recipe is for a pitcher of lemon-drops, which I highly recommend - making drinks by the pitcher that is. Not making drinks one by one frees you up to revel in the warmth of your guests and the long, sunny days ahead.

Cheers to that!

Ginger-Rosemary Lemon-Drop 

Ingredients

• 1 1/3  cups  sugar
• 1  piece unpeeled ginger, about 1 1/4 in. by 1 1/4 in., sliced into 1/8-in.-thick coins
• 2  sprigs rosemary (5 in. each), plus 8 sprigs (1 1/2 in. each) for garnish
• 1  cup  fresh lemon juice (at least 5 lemons)
• 1  lemon
• 1 1/2  cups  citron vodka

Preparation

1. Make lemon concentrate: In a medium saucepan, bring 2/3 cup sugar, ginger, 5-in. rosemary sprigs, and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Let steep at room temperature 20 minutes. Strain into a medium bowl, discarding rosemary and ginger, and stir in lemon juice.

2. Pour remaining 2/3 cup sugar onto a plate. Slice 2 thin slices from lemon and quarter the slices. Insert a 1 1/2-in. rosemary sprig through center of each quarter. With a wedge cut from remaining lemon, moisten the rims of 8 cocktail glasses. Twist rims gently in sugar to coat.

3. Fill a large pitcher half-full with ice cubes. Pour in vodka and lemon concentrate and stir vigorously. Strain into glasses, dividing evenly. Float a rosemary-skewered lemon quarter in each.

Golden Dog

Whether you're new or old to mixology, most people agree that scotch is one of the more challenging ingredients to work with.

I personally really love scotch - single malts in particular, but I rarely incorporate them in cocktails. So when I came across this recipe I was intrigued.

Talisker is a particularly peaty, salty dram from the Isle of Skye and it is wonderful without any mixers at all - unless you consider a single ice cube a mixer.

But I was willing to give this combination a shot and I think you should too - the Golden Dog by Matt Placentini of Inoteca Liquori in New York.

Golden Dog

1 1/2 oz Talisker 10 Year Old scotch

1/2 oz Rothman & Winter orchard apricot liqueur

1/2 oz Lillet Blanc

1/2 oz Benedictine

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The big, bold flavors of this drink could certainly stand up to your favorite beef or lamb appetizers. But I think it would be the perfect accompaniment to a rich and creamy Gruyere - a fondue party perhaps?

Golden indeed.