my brandy alexander always gets me into trouble April 25, 2007

In celebration of the upcoming release of fellow Canadian Leslie Feist’s new album, the liquor and libations drink of the week for the final week of April goes to… the Brandy Alexander. Not one of my absolutely favourite cocktails, but a classic nonetheless. I was reminded of this tasty little number when listening to the pre-release of Feist’s The Reminder (go have a listen on her myspace), which includes a sweet little love song called Brandy Alexander.

The Brandy Alexander

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz brandy
• 1 oz brown creme de cacao
• 1 oz heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Shake the brandy, creme de cacao, and cream in a shaker full of ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with nutmeg.

If you’re looking for a cocktail in place of dessert, this one should do, there’s also a tasty blended variation with ice cream if you want the full deal.

Go mix yourself a drink, turn on some good music and relax, it’s Wednesday after all, and the weekend is just around the corner.

everything but the kitchen sink April 17, 2007

On Saturday night, in preparation to hit Tropical Fever night at the ANZA club, I looked in the fridge to mix a drink. We had one can of tonic, leftover cava from making French 75s the night before, a bottle of my dad’s homemade white wine, and the usual standards on my home bar - gin, vodka, whisky, tequila, etc.

I thought about pulling out a cocktail book, but decided to wing it, and inspired by making the French 75, I decided to riff on that cocktail and bring out the leftover champagne and adding a tropical twist.

The Bleu 75

Ingredients:
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz blue curaçao
- juice of 1 lemon - around 1 oz
- 1 oz orange juice
- a few dashes of simple syrup (make your own at home, bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil, take it off the heat and voila)
- champagne or sparkling wine

Shake everything but the sparkling wine in a shaker with ice. Top it off with some sparkling wine or champagne and stir.

Try it out, it’s tasty, and if you like champagne cocktails, you’re in luck, Married with Dinner is hosting Mixology Monday this month, with champagne cocktails as the theme.

mxmo: The French 75 April 16, 2007

Liquor and Libations is very pleased to participate in our very first MxMo (or Mixology Monday) . This month hosts Married with Dinner chose champagne cocktails as the theme, which brought me back to one of my very favorites - the French 75.

French 75

Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz of gin
- 2 oz lemon juice
- champagne or sparkling wine
- super fine sugar (I use a few dashes of simple syrup)

Combine gin, lemon juice, and sugar in a shaker full of ice. Shake well, pour into a Collins or another tall glass, and top with champagne. Garnish with a cherry (I was out, so I made do with an umbrella.)

It’s like an extra special, extra tasty G&T, with champagne replacing the tonic.

Cocktail Times offers a brief history on the cocktail’s origin:

Named after the French 75-millimeter guns, this champagne cocktail was created during the first World War by American army officers. The original recipe called for gin, absinthe (now illegal in the United States) and calvados. Calvados is an apple brandy made in France. It is produced from an apple cider and aged in oak barrels for several years.

The French 75 is a classic - all I can say is gin, lemon and champagne, what a wonderful combination. If you like tart and bubbly, this is your drink.

the pisco sour March 22, 2007

For a touch of South American flavour, try out a pisco sour. During a year spent in Chile and Peru I discovered pisco sours were the beverage of choice, and a point of national pride for both countries…a source of some controversy. Pisco is a liquor distilled from grapes, a type of brandy or aquardiente that is light in colour and high in alcohol content. It has become easier to find in Canada - lucky us - with most government run liquor stores carrying the Chilean brand, Pisco Capel.

Recipe:
2 ounces Pisco
Juice from 1 lime or lemon
1 tsp sugar or ¼ ounce simple syrup

1 dash Angostura bitters
Peruvian option: 1/2 egg white

Shake well with ice and serve in a cocktail glass, garnished with the beaten
egg white and bitters. Be careful though, Pisco packs a punch!

For an easier, slightly lowbrow alternative have a pisco and canada. This is the drink on the street in coastal Chile and is pure and simple – pisco and canada dry gingerale. This is more or less the cultural equivalent of a rum and coke, but slightly more dangerous (as you may discover). Enjoy!