Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is a symbol of relaxation. But in modern times, it has been corrupted with low quality rums and unnecessary fruit juices. A proper Mai Tai has no orange juice, no pineapple. It is not overly sweet, but the perfect balance of strong, sour, sweet and spice.

It’s one I’ve been really working to understand and improve on. I love tinkering around with all of the many combinations, the blending of different rums, and layering of all the very different flavors.

I’m Going to share two versions. The first is more generic, and beginner friendly The other, while not “traditional,” is my preferred Mai Tai. It’s delicious.

  • 2oz Aged Rum
  • 1oz Fresh Lime Juice
  • ¾oz Orgeat Syrup
  • ½ Orange Liqueur
  • Mint Bouquet
  • 1oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
  • 1oz El Dorado 12yr Demarera Rum
  • ⅓oz Rhum JM Agricole Blanc
  • 1oz Lime Juice
  • ¾oz Orgeat (Homemade)
  • ½oz Clement Creole Shrubb D’Orange
  • 1 Spent Lime Shell
  • 1 Dash of Angostura Bitters


•Method•
Add all ingredients (including the lime shell) to a shaker with ice. Shake and then dump into a rocks glass. Garnish with a mint bouquet.

Alta Baja

This one is another Cocktail Homecraft original. This is Tailored towards my martini lovers. My go-to cocktail is a Dry Gin Martini. But I like to switch up the base every now and then.

That is the really fun thing about cocktails, cooking or really anything that involves combining flavors. Take one recipe, make just a few minor adjustments and you have a completely unique creation. Those adjustments may be swapping out for different ingredients, changing ratios of existing ingredients, or adding something new to the mix or all of the above.

This time I grabbed Blanco Tequila instead of vodka or gin. Vermouth was not adjusted on this one. A small touch of cinnamon bark syrup and orange peel was added just to round it off. This is pretty delicious and highly recommend.

Here is how it’s done:

• 2¼oz Blanco Tequila
• ¾oz Dry Vermouth 
• 1 Barspoon Cinnamon Bark Syrup
• Orange Zest and Oils

•Method•
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain into your chilled glass. Next, take an orange peel and express it, squeezing the oils out above your glass. Rub it around the rim and discard.

Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is the OG cocktail. If you enjoy a good cocktail at home, chances are you’ve tried making this on your own. While it is a fairly simple cocktail, there a few tips that can take your Old Fashioned, and make it a truly great one.

To do that however, we need a place to start. Tradition calls for something similar to this; 2oz Bourbon Whiskey (or Rye if you prefer), 1 Sugar Cube (or teaspoon of granulated sugar), 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters, and garnish of Orange Zest. Typically, this would be prepared in your glass adding the sugar and bitters first. Then if cubed, you would muddle to break down the sugar. Next ice, preferably a large cube, would be placed inside. Then your whiskey would be poured on top and then taking a barspoon, stirring it all together. Then Garnish with the orange peel. This method could make you an okay Old Fashioned, but it could also lead to inconsistency. The amount of sugar incorporated, the level of dilution, sugar sitting at the bottom, all of these will potentially be different every time. Let’s fix that.

First correction will be removing the granulated sugar. We will use instead, a thick demerara sugar syrup. (This means a 2:1 ratio. Two parts sugar and one part water.) This will make sure that 1), we get the desired level of sweet without over diluting, and 2) don’t have undissolved sugar bits at the bottom of our glass. Something else we will tweak is we will not be building inside the glass. This will make sure our ice is in prime condition for the cocktail and everything is incorporated together properly. We will also add to the previous recipe, lemon oils and orange bitters.

Here is how it’s done:

  • 2¼oz Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey
  • ¼oz Rich Demerara Sugar syrup.
  • 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 1 Dashes Orange Bitters
  • Orange Peel
  • Lemon Oils

•Method•
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Pour on-top of your ice filled glass. Next, take an orange peel and express it, squeezing the oils out above your glass. Rub it around the rim and drop in. Do the same with a lemon peel, but this time after expressing the oils, discard.

Ideally, you would stir this over a big rock of ice. That would help maintain the level of dilution desired. Smaller ice cubes will melt more quickly, and since we are pouring our Old Fashioned into a glass full of ice (or a big rock), we want to make sure that we are not adding too much water. While I did say to discard the lemon peel, you are more than welcome to garnish with it as well. This is how i prefer it. Many do not enjoy the extra citrus so I recommend trying it out for yourself and seeing what you prefer.

Home Bar Basics – 5 Must Haves

There are tons and tons of mixology and bar tools that can be used. Honestly though, most are not necessary to create beautiful cocktails in your own home. Let’s just talk about five.

•Shaking Tin
You’ll need a shaker of any variety. Most popular being the Boston and Cobbler Shakers. The former consists of two pieces, a 28 ounce cup and another, smaller, about 12-18 ounces. A Cobbler Shaker is three pieces consisting of a cup, strainer and lid. These come in a range of sizes.

These can be used to both shake and stir your cocktails. While a shaker is a staple, it could also could mean a mason jar with a lid.

•Jigger
You’ll also need a jigger to measure out liquid. There are many different styles and most are based on preference. My personal recommendation would be the Japanese style. The narrow and slender walls allow for more accuracy. If you find yourself without one, 2 tablespoons equals about one ounce. I know you have a spoon.

•Strainer
Unless you want to just dump all of the contents of your shaker into the glass (which you might want to do depending on the cocktail) you’ll need a strainer or two. I recommend a tightly coiled Hawthorne strainer. That, paired with a fine mesh strainer to catch all the little bits of ice, herbs and fruit, and you’re in good shape.

•Barspoon
Not much to say here. They measure out (about) ⅛ of an ounce. While i have seen them in a wide variety of sizes, I like ones that are about a teaspoon. Not only will this make your measurements accurate but stirring will be easier. Often they are designed specifically to stir your cocktail with twirled handles.

•Knife
I say knife, but this can open up to really anything that cuts/peels citrus and fruit for juice and garnishes. Certain ideas may be a small pairing knife, y-peeler, or channel knife.

These are just a few items that no home bar should not be without. Items that are essential to crafting beautiful cocktails right in your home. These are you basics. Something to measure. Something to shake and stir.

Margarita

I think it’s time we focus on Margaritas. It is such a beloved cocktail and does not require much to make. But all too often, I see or hear of people using a pre-made mix, and it hurts. Margaritas belong to a family of cocktails that depend on fresh ingredients; sours. Sours need, I repeat, need to be made with fresh citrus. In turn, Margaritas need to be made with lime juice.

Now when we talk about citrus juice, nothing beats freshly squeezed. Buying prepared juice from the store is not recommended for a number of reasons. First of which is, at best, you’re just paying someone to squeeze a lime for you. Also, when you buy it, chances are it isn’t lime juice, at least not completely. It could be a concentrate. It could be preservatives, citric acid and lime flavor. Even pasteurized 100% organic lime juice simply doesn’t taste the same. Do yourself a favor and cut a lime in half.

Next, let’s talk triple sec. There are so many different brands and bottles. But the absolute best for your margarita is Cointreau. The OG margarita uses specifically this. It’s a higher ABV than most triple secs and contains less sugar, which can be added to taste later. And that is important because it’s all about finding out what YOU like. My margarita may be boozier, sweeter, or less tart than what you prefer. No pre-made mixes or concentrates. Just three (or four) ingredients. Simple and delicious.

Here is how it’s done:

  • 2oz Blanco Tequila
  • ¾oz Cointreau
  • 1oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
  • ¼oz Agave Nectar or Simple Syurp (Optional)

•Method•

First things first. Margaritas = Salt. So, we are going to rim the rocks glass with salt. Place a good amount of table salt onto a plate. Cut a lime in wedges, and then cut a slit down the middle of one of them. Rub the lime wedge around the lip of the glass. Then slowly swirl the limed edge in salt, coating it. Fill with ice and set aside.

Add all liquid ingredients to shaker. Add 4/5 cubes of ice and shake. Strain into the salt rimmed glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy your margarita.

Rye Tai

Like the name may imply, this delicious summer sipper is inspired by the famous Tiki drink, the Mai Tai. The base of this one is a rye whiskey and its been paired with bitter and spicy flavors.

Do you ever find yourself using something mainly because you have leftovers? I tend to do that when I make too much syrup or juice too much fruit. I try not to be wasteful so I’m often working with different things I didn’t have a plan to put together, until I look at what I have sitting around. So if you ever see a good number of drinks with similar ingredients, you know what’s going on.

Here is how it’s done:

  • 2oz Rye Whiskey 
  • ¾oz Pineapple juice
  • ½oz Donn’s Mix
  • ½oz Orgeat
  • ¼oz Orange Juice
  • ¼oz Cynar 
  • ¼oz Absinthe

•Method•

First, we are going to rinse the glass with absinthe. In a tumbler or rocks glass add a splash of the absinthe. Slowly swirl it around the glass, touching all of the inside surface. Discard the remaining liquid, (or keep it in if you like that extra anise-y flavor). Next Pack the glass with crushed ice. In a shaking tin, add the remaining ingredients excluding the Cynar. Shake with just a few ice cubes and strain into glass. Pour in the Cynar. Garnish with an orange and lemon wheel.

The anise flavor from the absinthe and bitter Cynar amaro is what really separates this from a traditional mai tai. This sipper can liven up your summer evenings!

Queen Things

Cardamom is called the “Queen of spices”. The floral, lemon and citrus aspects of it make this drink what it is.

I came up with this one almost a year ago. I put this together for an Instagram cocktail competition hosted by Cocktail Kingdom. The premise, was to come up with something inspired by a classic cocktail. The Daiquiri was my foundation.

It was the first time I had ever tried to put together a recipe on my own. It was actually It’s been a process to learn balance and how to edit myself. That said, I think this one still holds up.

Here is how it’s done:

  • 2oz Gold Rum
  • ¾oz Lemon and Mint Green Tea
  • ¾oz Demerara Syrup (2:1 Ratio)
  • ¼oz Lemon Juice
  • 5 Muddled Cardamom Pods
  • 2 Cinnamon Sticks
  • Garnish with Cinnamon Stick and Dehydrated Lemon.

•Method•
Add the cardamom pods and rum to a shaking tin. Gently muddle the cardamom. The goal here is to crack open the pods, but not obliterate them. (We don’t want that floating around). Pour in the remaining ingredients, add ice and shake. Because we muddled the cardamom, we want to use a fine mesh strainer to prevent the little bits from landing in our glass. Pour into a cocktail glass, or coupe. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a dehydrated, or fresh lemon wheel.

The green tea and cardamom is what really takes it into a different direction from your classic daq’. This is a tasty glass that can be enjoyed year round. Enjoy!

Gin Martini

What is there to say about the Classic Gin Martini? Can you really think of a classier drink? I can’t. For many that have known me for a long time is was surprising when they heard that a Martini eventually became favorite cocktail. I was more of an Old Fashioned kind of guy.

I used to really dislike Gin. I can’t give any actual reasons to why, but now it is almost always what i reach for first when I’m a feeling creative. You can thank the Aviation cocktail for my acceptance of gin, but that’s a different post.

There now are many versions of the Martini, most notable would be Agent 007’s preferred version. I’ll take mine a bit differently for Mr. Bond.

Here is my preferred method:

  • 2oz Gin (preferably citrus forward)
  • ¾oz of Dry Vermouth
  • 2 Dashes of Orange Bitters
  • Lemon Twist

•Method•
Add the gin, vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice. Stir well. Strain into a frosted cocktail glass and drop in some lemon zest. Setting it on the rim of your glass can add the aromatics without altering the taste. I prefer to drop it in. The more citrus the better.

This recipe is very similar to its cousin, the Manhattan. That is what I love about cocktails. Once you understand the foundation of a drink it can become so many other things. Tell me, how do you take your Martini.

Manhattan

The Manhattan is one of the most Iconic of the Classic Cocktails. Some even believe it to be a precursor for the Martini. Regardless of where you stand there, there is a reason this simple but delicious cocktail is there among the classics.

After I turned 21 my older cousins took me out to try my first drink. I had no idea what I wanted. I had no idea what anything would taste like, or if I would even like anything. One of them said “get a Manhattan, it’s got whiskey”. So I did.

Then they brought over a stemmed glass with a cherry in it, and I was confused. My mind went to something along the lines of Shirley Temple. I was convinced they were messing with me, because that’s exactly something they would do. (You know who you are). Eventually I tried it and actually enjoyed it. I actually liked it lot. It surprised me.

Fast forward a few weeks and I wanted to make it myself, at home. So I went and bought a bottle of bourbon, some bitters, and a jar of maraschino cherries for the first time. And then I shook up (yes, i am aware) an Old Fashioned thinking it was a Manhattan. Oops.

Here is my preferred method:

  • 2oz Old Forrester Rye Whiskey
  • 1oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
  • 1 Dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
  • 1 Orange Twist
  • 1 Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

•Method•
Add the rye, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a Cocktail, Nick and Nora or Coupe glass. Garnish with both a orange twist and a cocktail cherry.

The framework of a Manhattan is whiskey, fortified wine, and seasoning through bitters and garnish. Even in that foundation, there are an array of variations that are specific to the individuals tastes and preferences. Some like to use bourbon over rye. Some use more bitters, including orange (I will on occasion venture in this direction). The garnish is most commonly a cocktail cherry, but others use an orange peel, or both. Tradition says it should be stirred not shaken, and poured into a stemmed Cocktail Glass.

But ultimately, the specs and recipe’s success are dependent on the tastes of the one holding the glass. So comment below! Tell me how you take your Manhattan.