Monthly Archives: January 2014

Hemingway Mojito: another Mason jar cocktail

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Hemingway Mojito: Grapefruit, rum, Disaronno, ginger syrup, mint & kumquat

Hemingway Mojito: Grapefruit, rum, Disaronno, ginger syrup, mint & kumquat

I’m all up in here canning kumquats this week. They’re delightful little buggers with the wonderful dichotomy of having the reverse tastes of most citrus: bitter fruit and sweet skin. They’re definitely not in the Canning 101 category. Like okra and apricots, they’re notorious floaters and take quite a bit of pre-canner finessing [soaking in baking soda, pricking the skin to prevent bursting, etc.]. I’ll post the recipe soon, not to worry.

Right now, I’m frantically packing and getting ready for a trip to Louisville to see my fan-damily AND attend the Bourbon Classic with my mom and sis. Girls trip! Until I get back and tell all y’all about my boozy adventures in the Bluegrass, I hope this will tide you over.

Hemingway Mojito [story soon, promise!]

4 mint leaves

2 oz. aged rum [like Mount Gay]

0.5 oz. Disaronno liqueur

4 oz. grapefruit juice

1 oz. ginger simple syrup*

Additional mint leaves and a kumquat for garnish [or, a gingered kumquat in rum-mint syrup, if you’ve got ‘em. If not, I’ll be sharing the recipe real soon!]

To a pint Mason jar, add all ingredients except garnish. Fill with ice, leaving about 1” head space. Attach lid, and shake like crazy. Remove lid and add a little club soda, if desired, and the extra mint garnish.  Enjoy!

*to make ginger simple syrup: make a pint of simple syrup as usual, then add about 1/3 cup rough chopped peeled fresh ginger while still hot. Cool to room temp, add lid to jar, and refrigerate overnight. Strain out ginger before using. Keep refrigerated, and it’ll last a couple of weeks.

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Tullahoma Whiskey Sour

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Tullahoma Tennessee Whiskey Sour

Tullahoma Tennessee Whiskey Sour

 

This weeks H.O.A.G.Y. (Help Out a Gal/Guy, Yeah?) comes from my college gal pal Strawberry Julep (yup, she’s just that sweet and sassy) who sent me a Facebook message:

“I had a drink in a restaurant recently that I just loved. I copied the menu description here for you to see.  I suck at trying to recreate drinks but figured if anyone could, it would be you [ed note:  Awww, thanks gal!].  It tasted kind of like a margarita made with whiskey instead of tequila.  It was a little tart. My girlfriends and I added salt and that made it super smooth (and therefore deadly!). I’d love to mix these up at home. Can you help?”

Absolutely!  The barkeep’s description of the cocktail (called “The Derailed”) called for Chattanooga Whiskey Reserve, triple sec, mint-infused simple syrup, and lemon juice.

Sounds to me like this is a fine example of a Whiskey Sour, the raspy pack-a-day voiced barfly of the cocktail world.  In this case, sweetened up a little with triple sec  and mint syrup.  We’ve talked about using mint syrup previously on this here blog, and it’s a wonderful concoction to keep on hand for impromptu Juleps, Mojitos, etc.

First things, first:  I couldn’t get my hot little hands on any Chattanooga Whiskey Reserve in Utah, but after a bit of research decided that I’d substitute another Tennessee Whiskey widely available here with what I think is a similar flavor profile [in this case, Dickle 8 yr Tennessee Whiskey].  Lemme know if I’m wrong on this one, friends.  As my gal Strawberry Julep noted, adding a pinch of salt is a clever trick to balance out sweet and tart in a cocktail, and works well especially with drinks in the ‘sours’ category.  When life gives you lemons, make a badass Whiskey Sour!

Tullahoma Whiskey Sour

1.5 oz. Tennessee Whiskey

0.5 oz. Cointreau

Pinch of sea salt

1.5 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 oz. mint simple syrup

Fill a cocktail shaker ½ way with ice.  Add all ingredients, and shake like crazy. You want this to be super frothy and cold.  Fill a tall Collins glass (or Old Fashioned glass, the classic) with large ice cubes.  Strain the shaker into the glass.  Garnish with fresh mint, a couple of lemon slices, and another generous pinch of sea salt over the top.  This is one of the few cocktails I like with a long straw.

Hot. Buttered. Rum.

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Hot Buttered Rum. Yeah, baby.

Hot Buttered Rum. Yeah, baby.

Baby, it’s freaking cold outside!  Well, here in the SLC it’s a balmy 21 degrees, but I’m feeling for my friends braving the Polar Vortex.  Yikes!  That’s some serious shit goin’ on, there.  Although my hot beverage of choice is usually a bourbon or rye based Hot Toddy, I do love a nice mug of Hot Buttered Rum on occasion.  Around Thanksgiving I mix up a pint jar of butter batter, and scoop it out as needed all winter long.  It’ll keep for months in the fridge, and one pint will make 20+ drinks, depending on how buttery you like your mug.  For a serving a crowd, I like to dole out individual portions of butter and rum, leaving the spoon in the mug so guests can make the buttery magic happen when we top off their serving with hot water.  You can also put the entire butter batter recipe in a crock pot with 4 cups of water and a bottle of rum (heat on low, then reduce to ‘warm’ – don’t let it come to a boil or it will cook off your alcohol!), it makes for delicious self serve ladle-ing.

For the booze component, a golden-hued barrel aged rum like Mount Gay from Barbados gives the drink a nice molasses tone, but you can use white rum if that’s what you’ve got on hand.  Spiced rum?  Gross.  If you like heavier spice than what’s in this subtle butter batter, just shave a little more nutmeg in, or a bit more cinnamon.

Hot Buttered Rum

To an 8 oz (1 cup) mug add:  1 heaping tablespoon of butter batter* and 2 oz. dark rum.  Fill the mug almost to the rim with hot water (just off the boil), and stir gently until the butter is melted and sugar dissolves.  Rub the rim of the mug with a bit of orange zest and drop the zest into the drink.  Top off the mug to the rim with more hot water, and another little grating of fresh nutmeg.

Best Butter Batter with rum

Best Butter Batter with rum

Rum Butter Batter

You want to use artificial sugar and margarine instead of butter?  Y’all are making me sad.  It’s BUTTERED rum.  Not margarine-ed rum.  Gah. 

½ cup vanilla ice cream, softened

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground ginger

A pinch each of: ground cloves, ground mace, and smoked sea salt

Butter Batter and it's best.

Butter Batter at its best.

In a bowl, smash all of the ingredients together until they are completely combined.  Transfer to a pint mason jar or other re-sealable container.  Store in the refrigerator until ready for use.