Swedish Punsch.  The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure have used this ingredient before and thought, “Why not use it again?”  In fact, there are two drinks back to back in Ted Haigh’s book “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails” that use it.  You can purchase the book right here.

First up is the Doctor Cocktail.  There are a few variations of this drink, and the Gents may come back to this one for the sake of comparison. This drink is a Trader Vic variation of one that was promoted by Frank Meier of the Ritz Bar in Paris in 1936.  Let’s credit them both shall we?

Doctor Cocktail
by Frank Meier and Victor Bergeron. (from Ted Haigh’s “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails”)

2 ounces Jamaica rum
1 ounce Swedish Punsch
1 ounce lime juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

What do you get when you mix rum, Swedish Punsch and lime juice together?  As far as the Gents are concerned, not much.  Misery maybe?  Sadness?  Disappointment for sure.  Loads of disappointment.  The lime seemed to come on way too strong and easily overpowered whatever sweetness was coming from the Punsch.  The rum was definitely there, but for the Gents, the drink came off like sour rum.  Had they called it a Rum Sour, maybe this would work better.  As Doctor Cocktail, you’d be better of going to the walk in clinic down the street.  Try it and leave a comment.  Perhaps the Gents missed the point.  They are always willing to learn. 

Next up is the Diki-Diki Cocktail.  This one sounds like a Tiki drink, but it isn’t.  It’s got Calvados in it.  You remember Calvados, the apple brandy?  Here it’s mixed with Swedish Punsch and grapefruit juice!

Diki-Diki Cocktail
from Ted Haigh’s “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails”

1 1/2 ounces Calvados
1/2 ounce Swedish Punsch
3/4 ounce grapefruit juice

Shake well in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.

What do you get when you mix Calvados, Swedish Punsch and grapefruit juice together?  As far as the Gents are concerned, not much, but it’s better than the Doctor Cocktail.  Its’ sweeter, so it’s a little bit more pleasant to drink.  The Swedish Punsch gets a chance to come through so there’s a little hint of rum with the apple brandy and the grapefruit lends a little bit of tartness.  Still, the Gentlemen were a little disappointed with this drink too.  Maybe it was because they were down a man.  Gentlemen Fred was in Hawaii for this episode but was able to be in the episode through the magic of the internet.

Please try both these cocktails a leave a comment about which one you prefer.  Gentleman Fred will be back in town and ready to drink for the next show.  See you then!

Once upon a time, Gentleman Dave mentioned that he was not a fan of sparkling wine.  To open his mind, the Gents pulled out all the stops to see if they could win him over.  We suggest that you should make these drinks too.  You know, just to teach Dave a lesson.  You’ll have to listen to the episode to see what he thought.

First up is an old drink called the Aperol Spritz.  You can find the recipe on the back of any bottle of Aperol.  The Aperol webisde calls Aperol the perfect apertif.  It also says this . . .

"The name says it all: Aperol is the perfect aperitif. Its unique bittersweet taste and bright orange color derive from a secret and original recipe, that has remained unchanged over time as a result of the hard work of 7 years of experimentation. An infusion of selected primary components including oranges, herbs and roots in a perfectly balanced combination

Tasting Aperol Notes

NOSE
Lightly alcoholic, zesting orange with appealing complex herbal scents harmonized with a touch of vanilla
BODY
Intense orange top with herbal and woody body notes, pleasantly bittersweet and salty
TEXTURE
Velvety and rounded, with long-lasting orange and wood memories
BACKTASTE
Herbal long pleasant typical bitterness"

Why don't you  just go grab a bottle and give it a try right now?

Aperol Spritz

3 parts Prosecco
2 parts Aperol
1 splash of soda

Pour ingredients over ice cubes and garnish with a slice of orange.

This drink has been made like this since 1919.  It’s 99 years old!  It tastes pretty much like the tasting notes from the Aperol website.  There’s a lot of orange with a little sweetness.  The Prosecco curbs the orange a little bit, but it’s still there.  After you swallow, the orange taste starts to dwindle and a little bittersweet taste lingers.  It actually makes you want to take another sip.  It’s a perfect pre-dinner drink.  It's light, refreshing and stimulates the appetite.  Mmmmmmmm.  Pasta anyone?

Next up is a drink that you probably haven’t tried yet.  Its called the Nightshade and was created by Shion Fujita at Cin Cin in Vancouver, B.C.  This recipe comes from the latest issue of Taste Magazine which is published by the BC Liquor Board.  

Nightshade
by Shion Fujita, bar manager at Cin Cin, Vancouver, B.C., 2018

1 ounce white rum (Havana Club 3-year-old Anejo Rum)
1/2 ounce creme de cassis
1/4 ounce Chamomile Syrup (recipe follows)
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Prosecco to top
plum wedge for garnish

Into a cocktail shaker, add spirits, syrup and lemon juice.  Add ice then shake vigorously.  Strain mixture into a champagne flute.  Top with Prosecco.  Garnish with a plum wedge.

Chamomile syrup recipe

In a saucepan over high heat. prepare a simple syrup of 1/2 cup (125 ml) water and 1 cup (250ml) sugar, careful not to boil.  Remove from heat and steep 1/4 ounce (7 grams) of chamomile tea leaves for 10 minutes and strain into an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator.

This is such a great drink.  Sparkling rum, with a little black currant flavour.  A little zing-a-zing of lemon.  That certain something that’s got to be the Chamomile right?  So good.  Do yourself a favour and be the first kid on your block serving this at your next cocktail party.  You will be held in awe.  Then later on for questioning.  Don't worry, it's just routine.

Look!  Incompetents recording a podcast!

Have you seen the new Christopher Robin film that Disney released this summer?  No?  What’s wrong with you?  Don’t you want to fall in love with Ewan McGregor all over again?  Don’t you need more Hayley Atwell in your life?  Honestly.  It’s like we don’t even know you anymore.  There is never enough Hayley Atwell.  NEVER!  Oh well, let’s patch up our differences over a couple of drinks.  Drinks, in fact, that give a slight nod to those lovable denizens of the 100 Acre Wood.

First up is an old old drink from the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock.  This book was first published in 1930.  The drink is called the Pooh-Bah!  The recipe calls for equal parts of gin, rum and Swedish Punsch so we chose 3/4 of an ounce as the magic number.

Pooh-Bah Cocktail
-from the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, 1930

3/4 oz gin 3/4 oz light rum 3/4 oz Swedish punsch 1/4 oz apricot brandy
Shake well with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

You’ve heard us describe drinks as “grown up” before.  This is one of those.  Lots of flavour here and nicely balanced but not a big crowd pleaser.  This is a thinkin’ drink.  One to sip and try to figure out all the flavours.  Certainly there’s rum and the Swedish Punsch adds to that flavour profile.  The apricot is there and the gin runs in last place.  It’s really a tasty drink, and it will transport your taste buds right back to 1930.

Next up is the Tiger Shark found in Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari 10th Anniversary Expanded Edition.  The Beachbum says that this is an unpublished recipe from the personal notebook of former China Trader bartender Tony Ramos.  The wonderful thing about Tigger’s, is Tigger’s are wonderful things and so is this drink.  Really wonderful.  Go grab your blender and we’ll wait right here.

Tiger Shark
-As served at the China Trader, circa 1950’s from Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari 10th Anniversary Expanded Edition, from the personal notebook of former China Trader bartender Tony Ramos.

1/2 ounce gold Puerto Rican rum
1/2 ounce white Puerto Rican rum
1/2 ounce 151-proof Demerara rum
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 ounce sugar syrup
1/2 a cup of crushed ice

Put everything in a blender saving the ice for last.  Blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds.  Strain into a glass.

Tiki drinks are good.  It’s a proven fact.  They’re fun and boozy and sweet and sour and you always want 5 of them.  Do yourself a favour and go make one right now.  Then sit down and watch the Pooh cartoon where he rolls himself in mud and hangs from a balloon in order to make the bees think he’s a little black rain cloud!

Then go watch anything with Hayley Atwell in it.  Bring back Agent Carter!

See you next time!  Until then, watch this.  Then watch more Hayley Atwell!

Good news!  It’s cocktail time!  What’s that you say?  You’re feeling a little under the weather?  You know what’ll fix you up in no time?  Ginger!  Let’s get mixing!

First up is a drink found on the piece of paper tied around the neck of a bottle of liqueur.
A bottle of Bols Ginger Liqueur to be exact.  It’s called the Ginger Bourbon Smash!

Ginger Bourbon Smash

2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce Bols Ginger Liqueur
1 ounce lemon juice

Muddle or juice half a lemon in a cocktail glass.  Add ice and pour over bourbon and ginger liqueur.  Stir lightly to mix.

Sound great doesn’t it?  Bourbon and lemon juice and ginger.  Do you know what it tastes like?  Bourbon and lemon juice with a little something else.  Ginger?  Not really.  Maybe, some sort of sweet something with a hint of ginger?  Sure, if you say so.  It really tastes like bourbon and lemon juice, which would be ok if it was called “Bourbon and Lemon Juice” but it’s not.  It’s called a Ginger Bourbon Smash.  We got no smash of out this cocktail.  If however, you’d like to drink bourbon and lemon juice, with a hint of something sweet that could be ginger, then look no further.  This is the drink for you!

Next up is a much more interesting drink.  Gentleman Fred found it on the Absolut website and this is just the sort of drink we like to feature here on the G of EL.  It’s called the Shanghai Fizz.  Check out their website right here.  They’ve even got a video!
The problem with the recipe is that they use “parts”.  We made each of those parts an ounce for easy measuring.

Shanghai Fizz

1   part  Gin  (we used an ounce)
1   part  Lychee Liqueur  (we used an ounce)
1   part  Pineapple Juice (we used an ounce)
1   dash  Simple Syrup  ( we used a teaspoon)
Ginger ale (we used Cock and Bull ginger beer)
2   lemon wedges
1   mint leaf
1  whole peeled lychee (we used one canned lychee)

Fill a shaker with ice cubes. Add lychee liqueur, pineapple juice, gin, simple syrup, mint leaf, lychee and lemon. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Top up with ginger ale.

Sneezes Twice this is a good drink!  It’s really well balanced and because everything was smashed together in the shaker, you get to taste a little bit of everything.  It’s not too sour.  It’s not too sweet.  It’s light and refreshing and you’d better go make one right now!

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think of them!

In the meantime, enjoy these clips!

What happens when you combine hot hot weather with a broken refrigerator?  You lose a Gentleman of Elegant Leisure, that’s what happens.  With Gentleman Jason out of commission, Gents Fred and Dave carried on though and have brought this combination of cooling cocktails to you to help beat the heat. 

What happens when the writer of this blog also happens to be the Gent that wasn’t there?  You get a very flimsy blog post. 

First up was the Crushed Strawberry Fizz.  This is based on the classic gin fizz as made by Jerry Thomas and is taken from David Wondrich’s book, “Imbibe”.  The difference between the gin fizz and this drink is that this has crushed strawberries in it.


Crushed Strawberry Fizz
-Jerry Thomas 1876, from Imbibe by David Wondrich

2-3 fresh strawberries
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 ounces gin
4-5 dashes (1 1/2 tsp) of gum syrup
soda water

Use a small mouthed 6 to 8 ounce glass.  Muddle strawberries with lemon juice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker.  Add gin and ice and shake well.  Double strain into the glass and fill glass with chilled soda water.

Knock this one back quick.  It’s not meant to be lingered over.  You don’t want a slightly warm, slightly fizzy drink.  You want a really cold, sparkling drink.  You’ll have to listen to the Gents to see what they thought of it.  

Also from Imbibe, Gents “D” and “F” tossed together a Florodora.  This drink is named after a musical that was first performed in London and then crossed the pond to entertain the Broadway audiences of New York City.  

Florodora
-The New York Evening World, 1901 from Imbibe by David Wondrich

2 tsp raspberry syrup
juice from a whole lime
1 1/2 ounces gin
ginger ale (the Gents used ginger beer)

Put the first 3 ingredients in an “ordinary glass” and half fill it with cracked ice.  Fill the remainder og the glass with the ginger ale and stir until it is ice cold.  Pour the whole thing into a “cold stein” (how about a chilled glass) and garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.  You could also build the whole thing in the glass you’re serving it in.

Again, dear reader, you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out what the Gents thought of it or, better yet, make it yourself and leave a comment below.

Gentleman Jason's fridge is working fine.  Thanks for asking!

Bourbon Planet?  Of course!  We circle the globe to bring you these wonderful cocktails and this episode is no exception.  Both of them are drawn from the Trader Vic’s universe but one actually comes to us from Louisiana based Jeff “Beachbum” Berry via the Kahiki in Columbus, Ohio!  Or vice versa. 

First up is a Bourbon Squash.  This recipe comes from the 1946 edition of “Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink”.  In his description of the drink, Trader Vic calls it “a fancy-pants if there ever was one - the only bourbon drink I really enjoy.”  He also says “This should be mixed and served in a 14-ounce mixing glass, for the reason that this glass tapers and permits proper stirring.”

Bourbon Squash
-from Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink, 1946.

 1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 ounces bourbon whisky (Four Roses or P.M.)

Squeeze orange and lemon into glass, dropping in the shells; add sugar and dissolve in the juice. Pack with shaved ice, add whisky, and stir thoroughly. Serve with straws.

This drink tastes like 1946 (we think).  It’s not fancy.  It’s citrus and booze.  It’s kind of dry.  Kind of a mint julep but without the mint.  In fact, we ended up adding some mint as garnish and we liked that better.  Listen to the episode.  You’ll hear.

The Port Light is our next bourbon drink.  If you google “Port Light Cocktail”  You’ll get all sorts of different versions of this drink.  YOU are encouraged to go out and try them all.  WE chose this version that Beachbum Berry adapted from the Kahiki and published in his Grog Log as well as on his Total Tiki app.

Port Light
-by Sandro Conti of the Kahiki, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1961.
Adapted from Jeff Berry and Annene Kaye, “Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log”, 1998

1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce passion fruit syrup
1/4 ounce grenadine
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
8 ounces (1 cup) crushed ice

Put everything in a blender.  Blend at high speed for 5 seconds. Pour unstrained into a tall glass, if necessary adding more ice to fill.


This is a more modern style drink.  It’s got a little bit more sweet stuff in it and therefore is a bit more of a crowd pleaser.  Almost classically proportioned (1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong, 4 of week) this drink will satisfy that Tiki friend of yours who prefers bourbon to rum!

Please leave a comment and let us know which of the two you prefer.  See you next time!

What happens when you record a podcast with a whole bunch of people drinking single malt scotch?  This episode, that's what happens!

In this episode, two of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure once again join the ranks of the White Rock Whiskey Society and try out a couple of cocktails on them.  The first one was the Rusty Nail.  The Gents did this drink in the last episode but this time around they tried it first using a blended scotch called "The Famous Grouse" and then again with a very smoky single malt called "Laphroaig".  The smoky scotch was used this time around because that's how Ted Haigh said to make it in "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails"

Some of the whiskey folks preferred the sweeter blended scotch while others preferred the smoky version.  Corina suggested a little citrus peel for the smoky one and the Gents were able to provide some lemon peel (although everybody really wanted orange peel which would work better).  Only then did they realize it's actually included in the damn recipe!  Here you go.

Rusty Nail
-as per Dr. Cocktail Ted Haigh's book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails"

2 ounces good smoky scotch
1 ounce Drambuie

Combine in a small rocks glass on a couple lumps of ice and swizzle.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

You'll have to listen to the episode to see what everyone thought!

Next up was a classic cocktail that the Gents should have done long ago!  The Sazerac!

The Sazerac
-as per Dr. Cocktail Ted Haigh's book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails"

1 teaspoon absinthe or pastis (Herbsaint, Pernod, or Ricard)
1 teaspoon simple syrup
3-4 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters
3 ounces rye whiskey

Chill an old-fashioned glass.  Coat the inside of the glass with absinthe or pastis, leaving a slight puddle in the glass bottom. 
In a separate mixing glass, combine the whiskey, the simple syrup and bitters with ice and stir.  Strain the contents into the old-fashioned glass.
Twist a strip of lemon peel over the surface of the drink and discard (or toss in.  The Gents tossed it in)

Some of the whiskey folks really liked this cocktail.  They thought it was so much more complex than the Rusty Nail that it practically blew it out of the water.  Some still preferred the sweetness and accessibility of the Rusty Nail.  Now it's up to you to decide.  Make them both and leave a comment below.  We always love to hear from you.

Thanks again to the White Rock Whiskey Society for hosting us! 

The Pete Seeger/Lee Hays song says, “If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning.  I’d hammer in the evening.  All over this land.”   This is why they were great song writers but lousy neighbours.  You’re going to hammer in the morning AND the evening?  How many pictures are you hanging?  If I was their neighbour and I had a hammer, I’d trade it for a cocktail shaker, and make these two terrific tool time tipples just to cope with the endless cacophony.  The Rusty Nail and the Velvet Hammer!

Both of these drinks are taken from Trader Vic’s Pacific Island Cookbook which was published by Doubleday and Company, Inc. way back in 1968.  50 years ago this very night (if you happen to be reading this on that anniversary.  I have no idea what month or day it actually came out.)

They are listed in the “Drinks” section under “San Francisco Favorites” and with any luck, they will soon be among your favorites too.

Let’s start with the Rusty Nail.  Only two ingredients are required here.  Scotch and Drambuie. Drambuie is a scotch based liqueur that also has honey, herbs and spices.  Nothing wrong with that!

Rusty Nail
-this recipe from Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook, 1968.

1 ounce scotch
1/2 ounce Drambuie

Pour into an old-fashioned glass with cracked ice and stir.

This drink seems to call for big leather chairs, dim lighting and high bookshelves.  Maybe even a cigar in the vicinity.  You don’t have to smoke it, you just have to see it.  Try making this sweetish, scotchy drink and you’ll see what I mean.  We made it with a single malt scotch called Royal Brackla.  It is a fantastic single malt and probably too good to use in a mixed drink but what the heck.  The scotch itself is not a big smoky, peaty campfire tasting scotch, but instead a little sweeter, smooth and has flavours of caramel, fruit and butter.  That’s what so great about this drink.  You can try it with all sorts of different scotches and each time the drink will be different.

Next up is the Velvet Hammer.  Trader Vic says this is an after dinner drink and it probably would suit that time of the evening very well.  Especially with all that hammering from Pete Seeger!  If you like Terry’s Chocolate Orange, you’re probably going to like this drink as well.  It calls for evaporated milk which is milk that has had 60% of it’s water removed.  It’s thicker consistency makes for a really delightful creaminess.  As a bonus, if you add 60% water back to it, you’ve got milk!  Magic!

Velvet Hammer
-this recipe from Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook, 1968.

3/4 ounce evaporated milk
1/2 ounce white creme de cacao
1/2 ounce Cointreau

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker.  Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Serve as an after dinner drink.

Mmmm, mmmm, good.  Not too orangey, not too chocolately, not too creamy and not too boozy.  Just about perfect.  The drink is as white as snow too. You could even grate a some chocolate on top for a little contrast. Maybe pull this drink out at a black and white themed party, or Christmas. 
Actually, just make it tonight and see what you think of it.  We thought it was great!

Yes, the Velvet Hammer was just about perfect, and then Fred had an idea.  What if we added Drambuie to the Velvet Hammer?  What would that be like?  And just like that, a brand new drink was created live on the show!  The Drambuie, gave the drink a light golden colour, and added a neat touch of spice. 
We named it on the spot and we now present to you, our loyal readers/listeners, the Rusty Hammer!

The Rusty Hammer
by the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure 2018

3/4 ounce Drambuie
3/4 ounce evaporated milk
1/2 ounce white creme de cacao
1/2 ounce Cointreau

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker.  Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Look at it's creamy, golden hue.  What a happy occurrence.  Please make one and then leave a comment with your thoughts on this drink. 

Until next time, be a Gentleman of Elegant Leisure and . . . TIP BIG!



Oh!  Here's a clip of the show itself to tantalize you to listen to the whole thing!

It was Negroni Week again and you know what that means!  Negroni's in all of there wonderful incarnations.  Check out their website right here

We've got two of them for you this week.

First up is the Phony Negroni by Cocktail Builder.  This one uses Aperol instead of Campari and whole bunch of citrus juice!

The Phony Negroni

1 1/2 oz of Gin
1/2 oz of Aperol
1/2 oz of sweet vermouth
1 oz of grapefruit juice
1/2 oz of Lime Juice
1/4 oz of Orange Juice
1/4 oz of simple syrup
2 dash of orange bitters

Shake all ingredients. Strain into collins glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with an orange wedge speared with a Luxardo cherry.

It's not a Negroni but it's so close.  If anything, it's an entry level Negroni.  With all the fruit juice in it, it tames what little bitterness comes through from the vermouth and the Aperol.  A little comes back in though with the big hit of grapefruit juice.  It's still a little sweeter than your average Negroni.  It's very refreshing and would make a hot summer night quite bearable.

Up next it the big Negroni mistake.  The Negroni Sbagliato.  Apparently, the bartender who was making the drink, grabbed sparkling wine instead of gin.  The rest, as they say, is history!

Negroni Sbagliato

1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. lightly sparkling wine
Tools: mixing spoon
Glass: rocks
Garnish: orange wheel

Combine vermouth and Campari in an ice-filled glass. Top with sparkling wine, stir to combine and garnish.

It's so great when a mistake works out as well as this drink does.  The Negroni flavour comes through but it's just a little softer with the bubbly instead of the gin.  The Campari and the vermouth still carry the day.  Try it on your friends.

You may want to bring your tool kit for out next episode.  No spoilers though.  See you next time!


Check out the opening moments of this weeks show right here!

That's right, a couple of the Gents went to Portland for a few days and brought back wonders from the far . . . not east . .  but maybe wonders of the central Pacific coast?  But inland?  You get the idea. 
.
The great thing about the city of Portland is that no matter where you go, you're going to have good food and good drink. The people are really nice too! On their first night, Gents Fred and Jason popped into Clyde Common. The first drink that jumped out at Jason was called, "Bourban Renewal". Great name right? Upon returning home, Jason found the recipe on line at jeffreymorgenthaler.com
Jeff is the bar manager at Clyde Common and created this drink to commemorate a band that his business partner was in.  You can read about it right here. 

Bourbon Renewal
by Jeffrey Morgenthaler 2004

2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce creme de cassis
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice into an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge, or, if in season, fresh currants.


Does this not look like a wonderful thing?  Make it!  It is!  Creme de Cassis is black currant liqueur. and couples so nicely with the tartness from the lemon. It's a zingy bourbon blast and it would be the perfect drink to drink all summer long. So we will. Please check out Jeff's website for more recipes and also have a look at his new stuff that's available from Cocktail Kingdom.

On their final night in Portland, Gentleman Fred wasn't feeling very well, but that didn't stop him from ordering a Paloma at the Matador.  It did stop him from drinking it however.  Since the Gents were recreating drinks from the trip, Fred thought he should whip up a Paloma for us to try and as a second chance for himself.
This is the way he did it:
 
Paloma

2 ounces Ilegal Mezcal Joven
2 ounces grapefruit juice
1.5 ounces lime juice
½ ounce agave syrup
Club soda
Pinch of salt
 
Shake in a cocktail shaker and pour into a Collins glass with a few cubes of fresh ice.  Top with 2 to 3 ounces of chilled club soda
¼ round grapefruit slice garnish
 
Fred adds , "In Mexico they usually use Tequila and Jarritos grapefruit soda, but I couldn’t find any and we always prefer original flavours.  This is still a bit tart – you could up the sugar (agave) to get a sweeter cocktail.  Simple syrup can be used instead of agave."

This drink is another winner.  The only thing a little tricky for the average drinker in this drink is the inclusion of Mezcal.  Tequila and Mezcal are both made from agave but the process is different.  While the agave for tequila is roasted in above ground ovens, the agave for tequila is roasted over hot coals in earthen pits.  This smoky cooking environment carries over in to the spirit and the smoke comes through in a big way.  Big enought that if one wasn't prepared for the smoke, one could be a little put off.  If you're concerned, make the drink with Tequila and prepare to have a new favourite drink.  Either way this sweet and sour, fizzy grapefruit cocktail is a great way to use either spirit.  If you'd like to know more about the relationship between Tequila and Mezcal, click right here.

Finally, if you'd like to recreate the G of EL road trip on your own, here is a list of all the spots we hit!

Kalama McMenamins - This is actually in Washington state, but it's right on the way!
Clyde Common - Excellent cocktails and food in the Ace Hotel in Portland
Rum Club - Stop in here for all your rum cocktail needs.  Try the daily punch.
Eastside Distilling - Here the Gents sampled a little bit of everything.  You should too.
Kenny and Zukes - A hot dog for breakfast?  Yes.  Now. 
Cheryl's on 12th - A breakfast sandwich made out of an apple fritter?  This is the place!
Tasty n Alder - Come for the biscuits.  FRESH BISCUITS!
Hale Pele - Everything a tiki bar should be.  Excellent drinks.  Fire effects.  Smoke!
Salt and Straw - All kinds of wonderful ice cream.  We went twice.
Powell's Books - Almost every book you've ever wanted.  Like the library at Alexandria with sales!
The Matador - Mexican food in a great environment.  Check out the giant windows!
The Kennedy School - Nobody does it better than the McMenamin brothers.  Multiple bars, a movie theatre and a soaking pool and a hotel all in an old elementary school.  Perfect.
Burgermaster - We went to the one in Mount Vernon.  Try the Tom and Jerry milkshake.
Fat Pie - Three iconic pizza styles in fantastic Fairhaven, Washington.
Nick's Coney Island - I wish I had an Old-Fashioned Dog right now.  Love that slaw!

See you next time!