In Praise of Cocktails.

RHYS BOWEN: As you found out yesterday, I’m in Hawaii for a few days of rest and relaxation (which I’m now getting after a traumatic first day: bags took an hour and a half to arrive. Fire alarm went off at two in the morning at the hotel. Strong winds dropped black stuff from the ceiling vent onto my counter etc etc)

One of the treats in Hawaii is COCKTAILS. I love the look of that pretty tall glass with colored liquid inside, an umbrella on the top with a chunk of pineapple and a cherry. So fun. So festive. So far I’ve had a mai tai (naturally), a passion fruit something… (forgot the name) and a pina collada. And I love the cool fruitiness of a long drink (with a touch of alcohol, of course)

And the good thing about cocktails is that they have now become fashionable at home. When I first arrived in America drinking was all about hard liquor. Men at business lunches had a martini or two. (I shudder to think about the deals made)

Then it was all about wine. America became a country of wine lovers. We went from white Zinfandel to boutique Sauvignon Blancs. And that was fine with me.

But now every good restaurant has a fun cocktails list with interesting and different ingredients. I’m a fan of the lavender mojito, as well as classics like the Moscow Mule.  Recently I had a Dark and Stormy, which was a dark rum with ginger beer and lime juice. Good.

I don’t make cocktails at home apart from margaritas or bloody marys in the summer, but as I’m writing this I think that I should try and invent my own. Yes, that will be my quest for the summer. A signature cocktail to be served at future Rhys Bowen signing events!  The Rhys’s Piece?

Or how about the Jungle Red? What ingredients would go into that? It could be a twist on a bloody mary, couldn’t it? But if we wanted sweet? Marachino cherries definitely. Cassis? Passionfruit juice?  Suggestions, please?

Are you a fan of cocktails? If you invented one what would it contain?

JUNGLE RED COCKTAILS at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore

 LUCY BURDETTE: Did you join us earlier this fall when all of the Reds got together for a chat at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore? No? Don't worry, Barbara Peters is hosting us again--but even better, with holiday cocktails this time! And you could do some of your Christmas shopping at the same time...

Here's the rub: Should we all sip the same drink or go it alone? And what recipe should we use? (Something red of course.) Luckily, my pal from golf mystery days, Fritz Schrank, has just published a book of quarantine cocktails. And he offered three of his favorite suggestions from his new ebook Quarantinis: Easy and Fun Cocktails for When You’re Stuck at Home, by Fritz Schranck....

Bacardi Cocktail 

According to Liquor.com, a popular drink in the post-Prohibition era. 

2 oz Bacardi white rum

0.75 oz grenadine syrup

0.75 oz lime juice 

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe or martini glass. 

Irish Redhead

This version of the popular cocktail is derived from restlesschipotle.com. 

1.5 oz Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey 

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp lime juice

0.5 oz grenadine 

ginger ale 

cherry garnish 

Combine whiskey, juices, and grenadine in a rocks glass with a large block/ball of ice. Top off with the ginger ale and cherry garnish. 

The whiskey is hard to detect, making it easy to convince yourself that another one or two or three would be just one. 

Rye Billionaire 

A crushed ice version of a recipe from Liquor.com. The Hawaiian Punch-like appearance is a bit misleading. 

2 oz Reservoir Rye

0.75 oz lemon juice

0.5 oz grenadine

0.5 oz Demerara simple syrup 

0.25 oz blackberry bitters

lemon wheel garnish 

Combine first five ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into an 8-oz goblet and fill remainder with crushed ice. Add the lemon wheel garnish.

And one last idea--I made this to celebrate the launch of A Deadly Feast--it's a campari spritz (at the beach) and it was delicious!

1 ounce C​a​mpari

3 ounces Prosecco

Club soda or sparkling water

Sliced  Orange

Maraschino cherries

Fill up​ a​ pretty glass with ice. And the C​a​mpari followed by the Prosecco, and​ finally​ add club soda or sparkling water to taste. Garnish with sliced oranges and maraschino cherries. Retire to the beach or the pool or your armchair to sip and read… 

What do you think Reds? Votes? Other suggestions? And here's the link to our event 12/12 at 5 pm EST. Hope to see lots of you there!

(And here's the link to Quarantinis by Fritz Schrank!)

You're Invited To a Jungle Reds Cocktail Party!

When the Hank first asked me to join Jungle Reds, my first thought was, "Oh, I'm sure this is some sort of mix-up…"

 

My second was, "Holy cats!"

But my third was, "Oooh, I want to create a great — and red — signature cocktail for the Jungle Red Writers!"

I'm an amateur bartender (although I do have one cocktail book to my name), and I do admit I find looking up vintage cocktails, and creating new ones, lots and lots of fun.

And so, I'm offering up a number of red libations for the other Reds — and you — to vote on. They're perfect for the holiday season.

Here we go….

The Sensation

The Sensation, also known as Brandied Port, was

first published in Esquire's June 1939 "Potables" column. As David Wonderich says in Esquire Drinks: An Opinionated and Irreverent Guide to Drinking, "Clearly, this drink could only have sprung from the fertile genius of Sir Winston Churchill — those two tipples being the principal fuel for his bulldog temper (plus, of course, liberal injections of Johnny Walker, Pol Roger, Pouilly Fumé, etc, ad libitum).

2 parts ruby port

1 part brandy

Dash of freshly squeezed orange juice (optional)

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel, or, if you use the orange juice, orange peel.

The Blenheim

  

The Blenheim (pronounced "Blen-im"), also known as the Four

Score and Ten, was created in honor of Winston Churchill's ninetieth birthday. Created by Joe Gilmore of the American Bar at the Savoy, it was named after Churchill's birthplace, the English Baroque-style Blenheim Palace.

3 parts brandy

2 parts Yellow Chartreuse

1 part Lillet blanc

1 part freshly squeezed orange juice

1 part Dubonnet rouge

Shake ingredients together with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Dubonnet Rouge Cocktail (Her Majesty's Favorite Cocktail)

Queen Elizabeth has called this red gin-based cocktail as her

favorite, as did her mother, the Queen Mum. If it's good enough for two Queens, surely it's good enough for us.

2 parts Dubonnet rouge

1 part Gordon's Gin (that's what the Queen prefers, but I like Hendrick's or Plymouth)

1 slice lemon

1 large ice cube (plus more for shaker)

Shake ingredients together with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon slice.

Red Negroni with Caramelized Oranges (a la Jon Stucky)

Our friend Jon Stucky, an "outsider artist," came up with this

recipe and never fails to make a batch, or two) when he's over. The caramelized orange add a rich depth of flavor to the classic Negroni and Prosecco adds sparkle.

1 part Campari

1 part sweet vermouth

1 part gin (Jon and I like Hendrick's or Plymouth)

1 part sparkling wine

juice from caramelized oranges and the oranges themselves

Shake Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth together with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze in the juice of a caramelized orange. Top with sparkling wine. We usually serve with the orange slices and lots of ice.

Here are Jon's instructions to prepare the oranges:

Scrub oranges and cut. Soak orange slices or wedges in the vermouth overnight — strain off excess vermouth and save for use in the drinks.

Caramelize on a hot grill in the summertime or use a brulee torch in the winter. (You want some char to add flavor.)

"Reds" Wine

Simply pour and enjoy. (Love the label and the wine’s pretty good, too!)

  

The Jungle Reds

I came up with this one in honor of the Reds, a variation on the holiday classic the Poinsettia (traditionally made with cranberry juice). It’s Miss Edna approved!

1 part pomegranate juice

½ part orange liqueur (I like the spiciness of Creole Shrubb)

3 parts sparkling wine (or ginger ale)

Garnish with a lemon twist. (I used pomegranate seeds and raspberries.)

Do you have an entry for the Jungle Reds cocktail, alcoholic or not? Do you have a favorite red holiday libation? Any favorites among the above? Tell us!

Cheers!

Oh, and I'm delighted to announce the winners of Kim Fay's A MAP OF LOST MEMORIES:

Joan Emerson

Libby Dodd

Virginia P

Congratulations! Email Kim at slendermeans@yahoo.com and she will send you your book!

Images of Jon Stucky's paintings reprinted with permission of the artist.