This weekend was the hottest one so far here in Davis, with temperatures reaching 104° F. So, I really didn’t want to do anything but lie around in a kiddie pool full of ice… But, life doesn’t always give us what we want! I had to make a cocktail for the blog and do a bunch of other chores and errands, etc., etc. I knew I wanted the cocktail to be simple and cold though. Something like a nice ice, cold lemonade. Something like the Little Word.
The ingredients
Little Word
2 oz. vodka
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. St. Germain
1/2 oz simple syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled glass. garnish with lemon slice.
Perfect. Just perfect. Sweet lemon with notes of elderflower when it first hits the tongue with a pleasant alcohol finish as it washes down the throat. Cool, crisp, subtle. Plus, this drink is incredibly simple to make and takes almost no time at all. I could see this becoming the cocktail of Summer 2014.
I had some hard cider left over from last week’s cocktail and some stout that’s been in the fridge for a bit… So, I did some poking around and found a cocktail, or maybe a shandy, that combines those two things. What I found was the Black Adder. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “that’s not a Black Adder! It’s a black and tan!” Well, no it isn’t. It also isn’t a Black Velvet, though it might be a Snake Bite. So, join me now as we gone on a little journey explaining some terms! A Black Velvet is a stout beer, usually Guinness, with sparkling wine floated on top of it. A black and tan is pale ale or lager with a stout or porter beer floated on top of it. A Snake Bite, in the UK, is equal parts lager and cider. In the USA stout may be used instead of lager.
A Black Adder is specifically stout with cider floated on top of it. I really tried hard to make one of these! I used a spoon. I didn’t use a spoon. I tried to float the cider on top of the stout AND to float the stout on top of the cider. I couldn’t get anything to work. Though I did end up getting pretty tipsy. This might be because I wasn’t using Guinness or it might simple be because I’m just no good at it. Some people have called what you see above you, where the stout and the cider have mixed a Poor Man’s Black Velvet. I just call it failure.
The ingredients
Black Adder
1 part stout
1 part cider
Pour stout into a Champagne flute until half full. Fill the remainder of the flute glass with cider, slowly pouring the cider over a spoon held in the mouth of the flute glass.
If by some miracle you’re able to pull it off you’d see a almost clear, lightly straw colored liquid sitting on top of your dark stout. If you didn’t pull it off you’ll see what these pictures show. Regardless it tastes pretty good. The bitterness of the stout is offset by the sweetness of the cider and the drink will be a lot lighter than if you were merely drinking stout. Refreshing but I don’t know if it qualifies as a “summer” drink. Good for semi-formal events and parties though? I think in the end I’d just prefer to drink the cider or the stout on its own.
I was listening to Mother Jones’ Inquiring Minds podcast last week and they had Amy Stewart on the show to talk about the science of turning plants into alcohol. A topic I was sure to be interested in. The podcast also happened to be released/recorded during the Fourth of July holiday weekend and so the topic of what the first “Americans” drank came up. Amy mentioned that both whiskey and cider, the hard variety, were very common and very popular with American colonialists. She then mentioned a drink that would be called a “cocktail” today, the Stone Fence. She described it as a mix of hard apple cider with rye whiskey or rum and that it was very popular. This was enough of a hook to get me digging!
the ingredients
Stone Fence
2 oz. rye whiskey, whiskey, rum, or brandy
Angostura bitters
Hard apple cider
mint spring or lemon wedge (optional)
Pour spirits into a highball or Collins glass, add a dash of bitters, top with ice and fill to the brim with cider. Stir, garnish with mint sprig or lemon wedge.
With the amount of cider and ice you’ll be putting into this drink the spirit is going to be subtle. My first impressions were that this drink was an odd and very dry champagne. Not a bad thing at all, but not really what I expect from a cocktail either. Subtle would be the best one word description for the drink. The crisp dryness of the cider followed up with the soft aftertaste of bourbon. I didn’t think twice about finishing this cocktail in two or three swigs. But here I am 30 minutes or so later and I’m feeling it. Either I’m more dehydrated than I realize or this drink masks the hard alcohol phenomenally well. This cocktail reminds me of a Dark and Stormy or a Moscow Mule without any of the kick or punch that the ginger beer gives those drinks. That’s not a bad thing, just different.
Fourth of July weekend was a scorcher! We decided to ditch the central valley and head someplace cooler: Santa Cruz. Where, I might add, we had a great time relaxing, enjoying the beach, running trails, watching the illegal fireworks, etc., etc. It was great! To cap it all off we picked up some fresh fruit and ginger and whipped up this frozen cocktail. I was a little leery about mixing peaches and ginger at first, but…
The ingredients, sans ginger
Peach, Ginger, and Bourbon Frozen Cocktail
3/4 cup frozen peaches
1/2 tbsp. finely grated peeled ginger
2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. simple syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup ice
Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse. Stop when the texture looks too thick when poured into a Collins glass. Garnish with rosemary sprig if desired.
I’m glad I took the plunge and made this! Ginger and Peach work great together, the garnish complements the drink nicely as well. I’m thinking next time I make it I’ll squeeze some rosemary oil into the drink. Cool, crisp, clean. This was the perfect way to cool down after a hot 4th of July weekend.
