You look like a person who could use two nice cocktails.  How about these two?

The Babancourt Sazerac

2 oz Rhum Barbancourt 8 (or 5)
1/2 oz simple syrup 
6 dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters
2 cloves

Herbsaint rinse – rinse the serving glass with Herbsaint (we used a mist ofTaboo Absinthe)

Add everything into a mixing glass, adding ice and stir.  Strain into a chilled glass and finish with twisting a lemon peel above the glass to let the oils come out and if you wish also rinse the rim with the peel.

Super easy and outrageously good!

Try 'em both and leave a comment!  Cheers!

Groucho Marx apparently once said, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.”  Well here are two clubs that you can join right away, with no questions asked!  First up is the Stork Club.
​
​The Stork Club

1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
Dash of Angosturra bitters (we used Orange bitters)

​Orange peel garnish

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker.  Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with the orange peel

If that "club" seems to orange for you, maybe we can interest you in membership in the Clover Club.

​The Clover Club
by Julie Reiner, Clover Club, New York City, U.S.A.

1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce raspberry syrup
1/4 ounce egg white

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake without ice for 10 seconds.  Add ice and shkae vigorously for at least 10 seconds.  Strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with speared raspberries!

If neither of these clubs appeals to you, remember that you're all honorary members of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure.  To be an official member, please send a cheque for $100 to the address on this website!

As you probably heard during the episode, Gentleman Jason is a Maker’s Mark ambassador and you should be too.  You can go right here to become one.  To honour his duty, this episode features two super easy cocktails from the Maker’s Mark people themselves!

First up is an easy party drink called Kentucky Bubbly.  Here’s the recipe as found on their website.

Kentucky Bubbly

MADE WITH MAKER'S MARK®
​
Apple and Maker’s Mark® are a natural pairing. And, this crisp and fizzy cocktail is perfect around the holidays. It’s ideal for entertaining because it is almost as easy to make as it is to drink. Simply add Maker’s® to a champagne flute or coupe glass, top with sparkling cider and garnish. Then get back to mixing.


Ingredients
1 part Maker's Mark
Chilled Martinelli's® Sparkling Apple Cider
Maraschino cherry for garnish

You can just barely make out the cherry in the picture below but trust us, it’s there!  This drink is as easy as it sounds and it really is tasty.  

Next, is a warm one.  The Gents were unsure whether to do yet another hot drink, but it’s still cold out so what the heck!   This one takes a little planning but it’s definitely worth doing.  It’s time for Kentucky Mulled Cider!  Again, this recipe (as well as their helpful pro tips) come right from their website. 

Kentucky Mulled Cider

Warm apple cider, fragrant mulling spices and Maker’s Mark® make this the perfect cold-weather cocktail. It’s also great for warming up holiday parties and easily adapts into bigger batches.

Ingredients

1 part Maker’s Mark Bourbon
4 parts apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
3 whole allspice berries
6 whole peppercorns

Lemon slices and additional cinnamon sticks for garnish

How to

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan on the stove.
2. Let sit on medium-low covered for 1 hour and then ladle into mugs.
3. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon slice.

Pro Tips

LIBATION STATION
If you’re entertaining nondrinkers, you can reserve the Maker’s Mark until serving time. Set up a self-serve cider station with your bourbon and garnishes and allow guests to prepare their drinks to taste.

AN A-PEELING HACK
When making citrus twists, a potato peeler will work in place of the handy-dandy channeling knives the pros use. Also, peel citrus over your mug to catch the fruity aromas and oils expressed from the fruit.

TAKE IT SLOW
If you have other winter fun to attend to and can’t keep an eye on the stove, try preparing this drink in a slow cooker. Set it to low and you can safely leave it. Always follow the instructions in your slow cooker’s manual.

​NO STRAIN, NO PAIN
If you’d like to easily remove the cooked spices before serving, ball everything into a piece of cheese cloth before you begin so that the mulling spices can be fished out of the cider with ease later.



The Gents used an ounce as a “part” for this recipe and split it three ways so that each drink was 5 ounces in total.   Warm, cosy and delicious!   Try it tomorrow.

Thanks for popping by and please become Makers Mark ambassadors so that you can spread the word just like Gent Jason!

Oh, and please leave a comment to let us know if you liked the drinks!

It's hot drinks part two!  Gentleman Fred found another Hot Buttered Rum mix and since it's still cold out, the Gents thought they'd give it another whirl.  Plus, Gent Dave found Trader Vic's Tom and Jerry Batter on his trip to LA so it made for a nice companion piece.

The recipes are on the jars.   One big tablespoon of Hot Buttered Rum mix, and ounce of rum and fill with boiling water.  Super simple and super good.  There is one problem.  This mix is made by Rocco and Olivia.  Google them.  They may be the most elusive company ever.  Even the store where Gent Fred bought it doesn't have it anymore.  We love you Rocco and Olivia!  Come back to us!
​

At the end of last episode, Gent Jason opened up a very, very old jar of Trader Vic's Tom and Jerry Batter as a bonus drink for the Hot Buttered Rum episode.  It had spoiled.  Spoiled bad.  Spoiled rotten.  Like a kid at Christmas.  Gentleman Dave to the rescue.  A fresh jar was procured and opened for your drinking pleasure.  A couple of heaping teaspoons of batter, an ounce of rum and some boiling water and you've got yourself a warming winter treat.  Get yourself a jar and give it a shot.  You'll be glad you did.

Happy New Year!

It's the holidays folks!  Overeating!  Overspending!  Overdrinking?  Over here!  

​In this episode, the Gents try out a couple of versions of the same drink.  Hot Buttered Rum.  But to make it interesting, they are pitting two rivals from their neighbours to the south, (Washington State that is) against each other to see who will take the Hot Buttered Rum Championship!

But first, the Gentlemen would like to spread the news about a couple of other wonderful things going on.  

Mainland Whisky has opened up!  What is Mainland Whisky you ask?  Well, click on their highlighted name and it will take you directly to their website. In short, they are the makers and purveyors of some tasty corn whisky.  Really tasty corn whisky.  If you pop in to their tasting room, you can try out all their products in a whisky flight, or dive right on in to one of their cocktails. They've also got some local beer and wine available if someone in your party isn't a fan of whisky.  Please go and check them out.  A bottle of a little sump'n sump'n might be just the last minute gift you're looking for.  Their address is #107-3425 189th St, South Surrey, BC .  Good luck folks!

Also, The Miracle pop up bar is back for another year!  These fun Christmas themed bars open  up for the month of December at locations all around the world. Literally.  There are bars this year in Mexico, England, Romania, New Zealand, Switzerland and Panama (as well as Canada and the US) and the Gents are lucky enough to have one in their own backyard.  Swim Club in Fairhaven is just a hop, skip and a jump down the I 5 and Gent Jason made sure to visit.  You should to.  Check their list of locations and see if there's one near you, then go an get your Xmas on!

Alright, lets get to drinkin'.  Recently, Gent Jason saw a segment on KING 5's Evening Magazine about a made in Washington product that the show thought might be a surprise to their local viewers.  For almost 60 years, Washingtonians have been able to buy a hot buttered rum batter mixture that it turns out, is made in Bremerton, Washington.  It's called Harvey's Butter Rum Batter and on their website it says . . .

"Harvey Hudson first created his special butter rum batter in 1952 while tending bar at a local Bremerton, Washington lounge. It earned such a following that customer’s began asking to buy a tub to make their own drinks at home.  In the 1960’s the demand had grown so much that he contracted with a local dairy and started producing the batter in larger batches “after hours using their equipment. The dairy distributed the tubs on their home delivery route.
The business continued to grow and in 1972, Harvey opened his own plant in Bremerton, WA and expanded his distribution. Harvey was passionate about his business and his customers until 2011, when he passed at the age of 94. Having been born and raised in the same community, and knowing its great history, I was delighted to purchase Harvey’s Butter Rum Batter in December of 2011.
Quality, passion and of course tradition play a huge role in our teams mission of carrying on the legacy of what Harvey Hudson and the Little River Candy Company started many years ago. Our fans keep us going and are the reason we do what we do. We sincerely thank you for making it so much fun!
Stacy Ryan,
President, Harvey’s Butter Rum Batter, LLC"

Based on that, Gent Jason set out to find the stuff and find it he did.

Hot Buttered Rum (using Harvey's Butter Rum Batter)

Directions: Add one Tbsp. of batter to a cup of hot water.  Add one jigger of rum (or favourite spirit) if desired and stir well.

Well, the Gents did desire rum so they added it.  Lemon Hart Blackpool Spiced rum to be precise.
The Gents enjoyed this very much.  You've probably already heard the episode haven't you?  Get a hold of some Harvey's and make some drinks for your guests right now.  Don't you love that rabbit on the label?

The quest to find Harvey's Butter Rum Batter was not an easy one though.  Try finding the stuff just after American Thanksgiving.  It's hard.  On his search, Gent Jason, went in to a Haggen store.  Haggen is a grocery store that's been around since 1933 and started out in Bellingham, Washington.
Gent J asked a girl in the spirits section if she had "Harvey's . . ."

"Bristol Cream?", she asked.

"No.  Harvey's Buttered Rum Batter,"  he finished.

"Oh.  No.  We have our own brand.  It's right here."  She showed Gent J to the freezer section.  Gent J said he was really looking for the Harvey's brand.  She said she'd tried them both and the Haggen one "was way better."

Challenge accepted Haggen.

On the Haggen website they say . . .

"Our very own Hot Buttered Rum Mix is the perfect cure for chilly winter weather. Made with a heart-warming blend of sweet and spice, and handcrafted with creamy vanilla ice cream, butter, brown sugar and spices. Try it with coffee for a little pick-me-up during the holidays."

The Gents tried it with rum!

Hot Buttered Rum (with Haggen Hot Buttered Rum Mix)

Directions: Add two heaping teaspoons to 8 oz. of hot apple cider or boiling water with a shot of your favourite rum.

To be fair, the Gents used boiling water and the same rum as the previous drink.  The texture of the mix is completely different from Harvey's.  Where Harvey's is a sort of spreadable mixture of butter, sugar and spices, the Haggen mix is more like a frozen goopy marshmallow sauce.  Very tasty and it foams up very nicely in your drink.

You'll have to listen to the episode to see which one won the challenge though, and please stick around til the very end when you get to hear the results of a (spoiler alert) failed Trader Vic's Tom and Jerry.  The fault is all Jason and not Trader Vic's at all.

Have a safe and happy holiday season and leave a comment if there's a drink you would like the Gents to try in the new year!

Merry Christmas!

SPOILER ALERT !  These drinks are good.  I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking, "Of course they're good.  Why would the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure make drinks that were less than good?"  Well, believe it or not, the last few drinks we've made have not been hits. These drinks however, are HITS, and they should be because we chose them based entirely on their "guitar" based names. As a bonus, they're both really easy to make too.  Let's get started.

First up is an old old drink called the Gibson.  It's name is lost to time with several conflicting stories suggesting that the drink could have been named for the artist behind the Gibson Girls or a Dr. Gibson who believed eating onions was good for your health (even if they're swimming in gin and vermouth).  No matter what it's origins, if you are a fan of a dry gin martini, you are going to be a fan of this drink.  You may even like it better!

The Gibson

2 1/2 ounces gin
1/4 ounce dry vermouth

1 to 3 picked onions 

Combine the gin and vermouth in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled (or for a crystal clear drink, stir with ice until chilled).  Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with 1 to 3 pickled cocktail onions.

Why 1 to 3 pickled onions?  Because that's part of the conflicted history of the drink.  Some people say if you're basing the drink on the Gibson Girls, you've got to use 2  like we did.  Other's say it's bad luck to use and even number.  Who knows?  Either way, even though this looks like it's going to be just a Martini, with an onion instead of an olive, it's not.  That little change to the pickled onion from the brined olive gives a fun little jolt to the taste buds.  If you're not a fan of vermouth, that trace of pickling liquid cuts the vermouth and lets the gin shine through.  Ryan Reynolds would love for you to try this drink with his Aviation Gin!  The fact that the onion is more "crunchy" than the an olive gives a more textural quality to this drink too.  What are you waiting for?  Get some pickled onions and try this drink!

There is no Fender cocktail to go with the Fender guitar company.  There is a Fender Bender cocktail though!  In fact, there are several Fender Benders.  We chose the one that we could get the ingredients for.  The "easiest" one if you will, and are we ever glad that we did!   So simple, but a wonderful way to drink whisky!

Fender Bender

2/3 ounce Yukon Jack
1/3 ounce Cutty Sark whisky

Pour the ingredients over crushed ice in a rocks glass and stir.  

We garnished it with an orange peel because we thought it looked nice.  You should too.

What is Yukon Jack?  The internet says, "The self-styled 'Black Sheep of Canadian Liquors' is a highly potent liqueur, based on Canadian whisky blended with honey."  The Gents would agree.  It's sweet but pairs wonderfully with the Cutty Sark scotch.  Does it have to be Cutty Sark?  We don't know.  The recipe says to use it and so we did.  If you feel like you want to experiment with another type of scotch, go ahead.  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

​See you next time!

I know what you’re thinking. You’ve got too much grapefruit juice left over from Halloween haven’t you?  Every year it’s the same old story.  You buy gallons of the stuff and then you realize, “Oh yeah.  Nobody really likes grapefruit juice, do they?”  No they do not. Nobody likes it. And why don’t they like it?  Could it be because it’s bitter, and messes with peoples medications?  Maybe. What about the way it’s acidic unpleasantness upsets people’s stomachs?  That could be it too.  I guess those are all valid reasons.  But what about the good times you’ve had with grapefruit?  Like the time someone served you a half of one, and then, when you put your spoon in it, it squirted juice in your eye?  That was fun, right?  No?  Well alright then.  Let’s just use this crap up!

First of all, let’s head down south to where citrus fruit grows in abundance. That’s right, we’re heading to  Florida baby!  We’re making the Palm Beach Special!

Palm Beach Special

2 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass

Look at that.  You’ve already used almost a whole ounce of grapefruit juice. 
​That jug will be gone in no time!

Let’s see what else uses grapefruit juice.  What about the Seventh Heaven?  Let’s try it!

Seventh Heaven

1 3/4 ounces gin
1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur 
1/4 ounce grapefruit juice 

Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a sprig of mint.

​There you go.  That 1/4 ounce makes one FULL ounce of grapefruit juice you’ve used.  Now make both these drinks twenty more times!

Please leave a comment about anything at all.  Let us know what you thought of the drinks or maybe give us some suggestions on how we can use up the rest of our grapefruit juice!  See you next time!

​

Happy Halloween.  Sure it's a little late but maybe you're having your Halloween party tonight.  It's Saturday after all.  Either way, the Gentlemen of Elephant Pleasure are here again with a couple of dark spooky cocktails for your ghoulish festivities.

You'll have to listen to the show to know how they were!  Please make them both and leave a comment!

Oh my goodness!  What a week.  Yours truly has been overwhelmed with stuff these past couple of days.  What drinks did the Gents do?  What did they look like?  You'll have to wait I'm afraid.

All we can tell you now is that they were both great drinks and you should try them out.  The recipes are here in 2 separate pictures.  Both of these drinks are from the Prestige Decanter catalog brochure and since the Gents like their products so much, they thought they'd try the drinks!  The drinks are by the Mixology Brothers and you should check out their fantastic website by clicking this sentence here!

​The first on is called the Interpol.

​The second is called the Kentucky Smoke Truck.  Give them both a try soon!  You'll be glad you did.

Come back in a few days for pictures of the drinks.  In the mean time, why don't you give the show a listen and leave a comment below.

Have you ever wondered what the difference between a cotillion and a debutante ball is?  Well the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure did, and you know what they found out?  One has gin and the other one has bourbon!  There might be some other differences to. Check out the Southern Living website if you want to know actual details about cotillions and debutante balls.   If you’re just thirsty however, let’s make some drinks!   

First up is the Cotillion. This yummy treat was found on the Imbibe magazine website and you know what’s neat?  Both these drinks would be perfect for your fall gatherings!   Yellow and red will complement any fall table setting!

Cotillion
Scott Kennedy, Café Cancale, Chicago

1 oz. bourbon (Kennedy uses Old Forester 86 proof, the Gents used Wild Turkey)
¾ oz. aged rum (Kennedy uses Angostura 5 year, the Gents used Havana Club 7 year)
½ oz. dry curaçao
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
½ oz. fresh orange juice

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice, then shake to chill. Double strain into a chilled glass. 

Mmmmmmm.   Nice right?  

Up next is the Debutante Cocktail.  This ones been around since the 30s and the Gents chose the recipe from the Barman’s Journal website. 

Debutante Cocktail
Robert Sharp, the Barman’s Journal website

2 oz. Gin
3/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
2 Tsp. Grenadine
1 dash Orange BittersCombine all ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Shake vigorously until well-chilled, then double-strain into a coupe. Garnish with a cherry.

This one is a little sweeter than the Cotillion.  Very, very nice. 

​Try them both and let the Gents know what you think!