In this episode the Gents tackle a couple of easy cocktails and pass the richness on to you.  There will be pictures too.  Just you wait and see.

Leonard Cohen invented a cocktail back in 1975.  He called it the Red Needle.  Would you like to try one?  You should.  It's so easy and so tasty, you'll be shouting Hallelujah!

The Red Needle

 2 ounces tequila
cranberry cocktail
lemon slice

Fill a tall glass 1/2 full with crushed ice.  Add the tequila and then fill the rest with cranberry cocktail. Garnish with a lemon slice.

It couldn't be easier could it?   It's a very good drink too.  If you're looking for a chance to get more tequila into you as fast as possible, this is the drink for you.

Actually, the next drink is even easier.  It involves getting a bottle of white wine called New Age.  It's and Argentinian wine and may be a little on the sweet side for regular drinking but it's ideal for what we're going to do with it.  Grab yourself a bottle and let's make a Tincho Cocktail

The Tincho Cocktail

6 ounces New Age white wine
1/4 ounce lime juice

Fill a wine glass with ice.  Pour in the wine and squeeze in the lime juice.  Drop in the spent lime wedge.

Easy, easy, easy!  Refreshing too!  This is one of the most popular drinks in Argentina.  Why not rent "Evita" and make a night of it?

Well, the Gentlemen are in to week two of iTunes not picking up their podcast.  Hopefully you’re all finding your way here and downloading them from the “Audio Files” page.   Or better yet, just listen to it right here!

This time out, the Gents are bringing back an easy classic from the early 1900’s.  It’s the Gin Buck and all you need are a couple of ingredients.  Gin and ginger ale.  It’s like a gin and tonic but with ginger ale!   

The Gin Buck

2 ounces gin
3 ounces ginger ale (or to taste)

Fill a Collins glass with ice and add the gin and ginger ale.  Stir briefly.

On one website, it said if you add a splash of lemon juice to this drink, it becomes a Leap Frog.  The Gents added it anyway and they’re still calling it a Gin Buck!   This drink is light and refreshing and you should probably be making one right now!

Next up is a variation on the Gin Buck called Get Buck In Here.  This comes from the book, “Experimental Cocktail Club”.   This wonderful book has cocktail recipes from their bars from all around the world.  Check out their website right here.  These folks have bars in London, Paris, New York and Ibiza!

Get Buck In Here

1 ounce Hendrick’s gin
1 ounce Suze
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
6 dashes of absinthe 
Fever Tree ginger ale, to top up

Place all the ingredients (except the ginger ale) in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice cubes. Shake and double strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice and top up with ginger ale.  Garnish with a long piece of pared grapefruit rind. 

​Yum, yum.  The Gents did not have any grapefruit rind but this drink is still exceptional.  The herbal flavour of the Suze combines with the anise flavour in the absinthe to kick this drink into a completely different cocktail realm.   It’s a tasty drink that will be unlike anything you’ve ever had. 

​Hopefully, the Gents solve their iTunes problem soon.  In the meantime, thanks for visiting and check back in two weeks for the next episode!

What a great episode this one is!  This time around, the Gents have a guest with them.  Who is it you ask?    None other than Kate Stadel and guess what?  She has her own podcast too.  You can check it out right here.  It's called Missed Cues.  As their website says, "Missed Cues is a podcast where we talk about theatre over drinks. Why does theatre matter in the 21st century? What ancient relics are holding our industry back? How do we create a vibrant community that challenges the most pernicious aspects of our society."  Give it a listen!

Kate actually asked to be on the show and once the Gents agreed she also let them know that she would like to cocktails with rosé wine.  According to Wikipedia, "A rosé is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine."  As long as it has alcohol in it, the Gents are in!

First up is The Rosé Bouquet.  Its got a little bit of everything in it.  Let's try it out.

The Rosé Bouquet

3 ounces rosé
1 1/2 ounce gin
3/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
3 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice
Rosemary Sprig

Build over ice in a tall  glass.  Stir and serve with a small grapefruit wedge and rosemary sprig.

Not bad.  Not bad at all.  Plus you get to use some of that rosemary you've got growing in the yard!

Next us is a drink for the whiskey lover in your life.  The whiskey lover that also likes their whiskey mixed with rosé wine.  Probably a slightly smaller market but they will like it.  It's The American West Sour.  It actually calls for Tin Cup Whiskey but the Gents did not have that particular libation available.  They substituted Woodford Reserve and it worked out great!

The American West Sour

2 ounces Tin Cup Whiskey (we used Woodford Reserve)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce dry rosé wine
Lemon peel for garnish

Shake the whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice.  Slowly pour the wine over the back of a bar spoon onto the surface of the cocktail to create the layering effect.  Squeeze a lemon peel coin over the cocktail, and skewer with a cocktail pick for garnish.

Kate herself made this drink while the Gents gave directions.  Not surprisingly, the Gents gave lousy directions and they missed out on the layering of the rosé wine and instead told her to shake the whole thing.  Guess what?  It still works and it's a great drink!

Thanks again Kate for gracing the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure with your company and making episode 81 so great!  Try the drinks out everyone and be sure to leave a comment below.

It's Negroni Week again!  In fact, if you're reading this on the 29th of June (like you're supposed to) you have one more day to find your local Negroni Week supporter and go have a drink for charity! Just think of it.  Drinking to help others, instead of for your own selfish reasons!  

If you can't get out though, here's a couple of unique twists on this classic cocktail for you to drink on your own.  First up is an unusual Negroni called, the Unusual Negroni.  This one comes from a book called "The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, With Recipes & Lore" by Gary Regan.  In this drink, Aperol replaces the Campari and Lillet Blanc is used in place of sweet Vermouth.  Plus, Hendricks gin has a bit of a cucumber flavour.  You have to try this one!

Unusual Negroni

1 ounce Aperol
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
1 ounce Hendrick's Gin

Small grapefruit slice or grapefruit twist for garnish

To serve "on the rocks" (with ice cubes), stir Aperol, Lillet Blanc, and gin with ice in an Old Fashioned glass, then garnish with a grapefruit slice and serve.

To serve "up" (without ice cubes), stir Aperol, Lillet Blanc, and gin with ice in a mixing glass, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a grapefruit twist and serve.

Either way this is a tasty drink that is much less assertive than the traditional Negroni.  One could drink these by the mugfull!  Should you?  I don't know.  Depends on your day.  You going someplace special?  No?  Grab a mug.

Next up is another drink that will use up some more of that Sloe Gin you bought.  This one is from Robby Nelson and was featured on the Imbibe Magazine website.  It's the Sloe-groni!

Sloe-Groni
by Robby Nelson, NYC

1 1/2 ounce London dry gin
3/4 ounce Campari
3/4 ounce sloe gin

a flamed orange twist for garnish

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, then stir to chill.  Strain into a chilled coupe, then garnish with the flamed orange twist.

How do you flame an orange twist you ask?  Check out this video right here.

Easy right?  Soon you'll be flaming orange twists over everything from your breakfast cereal to the cat's dinner!

The drink is really good too by the way.  This one is much closer to the original Negroni with the only real difference being the sloe gin used instead of the vermouth, and the proportions being skewed in favour of the gin.  Usually, a Negroni is made with the ingredients measured in 3 equal parts.  Try it today!

​Oh!  If you're wondering if the Gents themselves flamed their orange peel twist, here's the photographic proof!  Why not spark one up for Canada Day or the Fourth of July?  See you next time!

Have you ever wanted to sponsor an episode of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure but you had no idea how?  Well, just do what what Gent Jason’s uncle did, and donate a bottle of your favourite liquor and see what they do with it!   It’s just that easy.


Turns out that Uncle Jack recently visited the multi award winning Sheringham distillery on beautiful Vancouver Island, and brought back a bottle of their Seaside Gin. What makes it especially “seaside” you ask?  Kelp!  Here’s what their website says about it.


SEASIDE GIN
Citrus, floral and notes of the sea make our Gin as refreshing as a seaside stroll.
Elegant for sipping and noble in your favourite cocktail…clean as the South Island surf.
Made from B.C. white wheat, B.C. malted barley, natural botanicals and sustainable hand-harvested local winged kelp (Alaria marginata).


AWARDS
WORLD GIN AWARDS WORLD’s BEST CONTEMPORARY GIN 2019
CASC GOLD MEDAL 2018
ALBERTA BEVERAGE AWARDS JUDGES SELECTION 2018
TASTE BC GOLD MEDAL 2018
SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION 2017 SILVER MEDAL
B.C. DISTILLED 2017 2ND PLACE GIN AUDIENCE FAVOURITES
B.C. DISTILLED 2016 2ND PLACE GIN AUDIENCE FAVOURITES
VISC WINNER 2016 GIN CATEGORY


Obviously, the Gents couldn’t wait to taste it, and they chose a recipe from the Sheringham website to try it out.


TAJ MAHAL SUNSET
By Terence Fitzgerald / Spirits Consultant / Maple Bay, B.C. 

​2 oz. Sheringham Seaside Gin
¼ tsp Turmeric
¼ - ½ of a Lime
2 oz. Ginger Beer
⅛" thick Lime Slice
Combine gin, ginger beer and turmeric into a shaker and give a good shake. Juice the lime into the shaker, add ice and shake again, making sure all turmeric has dissolved. Strain into a lowball glass and garnish with lime slice.


The only thing the Gents would do differently in this tasty recipe would be to stir the ginger beer in afterwards because when they shook it, the ginger beer fizzed up and shot turmeric tinted liquid out of the sides of the shaker!  To be fair, the Gents had doubled the recipe for sharing purposes so it’s possible that for a single serving, it would shake up just fine.  Give it a whirl and let the Gents know.   Please send all of your dry cleaning bills to “Terence Fitzgerald / Spirits Consultant / Maple Bay, B.C.”

That’s two more great drinks this time around.  If you’re in the greater Victoria area make sure you head over to the Sheringham distillery for a visit!  Tell them “The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure” sent you.   They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about!   Big fun all around!

​Also, I’d you want to sponsor an episode, do what Jack did and send along a bottle.  It’s just that easy!

Two exciting drinks this week!  One with Aquavit and one with Akavit.  The Gents know they're the same thing but it makes it more exciting.

How about trying a a drink that makes you think of the Northern Lights?  Not because of it's dancing spiraling colours, but because it's literally called the Northern Lights!

Northern Lights

3/4 ounce aquavit
3/4 ounce Canadian whisky
1 tsp grenadine
1 dash Angostura bitters
soda water for topping up
lemon wedge and orange slice for garnish

Shake all the ingredients, except the soda water, together with ice, and strain into an ice filled glass.  Add the fruit garnish to the glass and top with soda.

There's a refreshing little sip.

But what if your bottle doesn't say "aquavit" on it?  What if it says "akavit"?  Then try this next one.

Midnight Sun

1 ounce akavit
2 tsp grapefruit juice
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar syrup
2 dashes grenadine
1/2 slice orange to garnish

Shake all the ingredients together with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Perch the slice of orange on the rim of the glass.

Wow!  Remember when you thought that first drink was a refreshing little sip?  Now what do you do? Try them both again and leave a comment below.

Welcome to another episode of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure.  For your listening and drinking pleasure, this time out the Gents try an old classic and a not so old classic.  

First up is one from the 1930's and found in the old Waldorf Astoria cocktail book.  

The Hop Toad

1 1/2 oz aged Rum
1/2 oz  Apricot liqueur
1/2 oz  fresh Lime Juice
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. 

If you liked the Hop Toad, the Gents think you will also like this one.  Is it old?  Who knows.  It sure is tasty though!

The Inspiration

1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz  dry vermouth
1/2 oz  Calvados
1/2 oz Grand Marnier

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry

Please try them both and leave a comment as to which you preferred.  The Gents love to hear from you.

Also, if you know Ryan Reynolds can you please get him to get in touch with us?  Thanks!

​Dear Ryan Reynolds,

Please come on our show the next time you’re in Vancouver.

Sincerely,
The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure 

ps.  As your schedule allows.
pps.  We have Aviation gin so you won’t even have to bring any.  Unless you want to. 
We never say no to gin.

Welcome to another episode of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure!  This time around the Gents try a couple of aviation inspired cocktails. The Paper Plane and the P-38Lightning are as different as an actual paper plane and a P-38 Lightning, but both will launch you into the heavens, and give you a completely new perspective on things. Not surprisingly, the Gentlemen liked both the drinks but there was a clear winner.  Give a listen to the show to see which one it was.


First up, the Gents made the Paper Plane.  This is a neat mashup of Italian bitters and some sweet American bourbon.  If you can find this on a bar menu, you should definitely order it because your cool quotient will immediately increase exponentially.  Otherwise, make it at home and just enjoy being cool around the house.


Paper Plane

​3/4 ounce bourbon
3/4 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce Amaro
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Lemon twist for garnish
Shake first four ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Taste that!   You didn’t expect that at all did you?  This is the sort of drink that attracted you to cocktails in the first place.  Four different ingredients combining to make a drink that catches you completely by surprise.  Try it out and then leave a comment below.

​Next up is a drink that was created at a train themed bar in Los Angeles called “Here and Now”. Why they opted for a fighter plane name, the Gents don’t know, but they are so glad they created this drink!  Clear the runway for the P-38 Lightning!

P-38 Lightning 
by Aaron Melendrez, Damian Diaz, and Otho Nolasco, Here and Now, Los Angeles 

​1 1/2 ounces gin (we used Aviation)
1/4 ounce apricot liqueur 
1/4 ounce velvet falernum
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Absinthe and a star anise for garnish 
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass.  Spritz absinthe over the drink and garnish with a star anise.

They use Ford’s Gin at the actual bar, but substituting Aviation Gin seemed like a fun choice for obvious airplane related reasons.  The star anise is a great garnish for this drink.  That little propeller spins every time you take a sip!

Wait, what?  Your final episode?  Maybe.  At least on a regular basis.  At the beginning of the year, Gentleman Jason asked for people to comment on the blog so they knew they were out there, otherwise the podcast could be "called home".   Five people took the time to leave a comment, and the Gents couldn't be happier.  Or could they?  As of this writing, the Gents have 75 subscribers.  Even if two more listeners left a comment, they would know that at least 10% of their followers were actually reading the blog and listening to the show.  Why not leave a comment at the bottom of this very page?  It's not too late to save a podcast! 

And what a podcast episode this is!  The Gents are doing cocktails with beer!  How did this idea come about?  From this comment on the Gents Facebook page.

"Jason, I am holding three issues each of The Alchemist (spring & winter) for you & your buddies. I am still enjoying your podcast conversations. If you run out of ideas you can try beer cocktails. I have been comped a few and I don't hate them. But I wouldn't buy one. However, I suspect that some of the fruit sours being brewed would work well as a tart ingredient in a cocktail. Certainly some of them don't do well as a beer. Just my opinion."

Well, the Gents clearly ran out of ideas about 2 years ago so they jumped at the chance to try something ACTUALLY SUGGESTED BY A LISTENER.  See how this works?  Both of the drinks in this episode  come from this wonderful BBC website.

Campari IPA
Serves: 2

50 ml Campari
Sparkling orange juice
300ml of IPA
2 slices of orange peel

Take two rocks glasses and put two to three ice cubes in each one. Divide 50ml of Campari between the glasses and top with 300ml IPA. Add a splash of sparkling orange juice (we used San Pellegrino sparkling blood orange) and rub a piece of orange peel around the rim of each glass before dropping into the drink.

This turned out to be a really nice drink.  Tune in to see what the fellows thought of it and check the pics below for it's lovely colour.

Next up is a drink that uses a fruity beer (just like the comment suggested).  Its a . . .

Raspberry Beer Mojito
Serves: 2

50 ml of spice rum
a lime chopped up
a small bunch of mint
a 330 ml bottle of raspberry beer
raspberries for garnish

Take two tall highball glasses and divide one chopped lime and 50ml of spiced rum between them. Muddle them together with a muddling stick or the handle of a wooden spoon to release a little of the lime juice into the rum. Add ice then bruise a small bunch of mint leaves by holding them in the palm of one hand then hitting them with the other like a clap. Sprinkle the mint leaves into the glasses then divide 330ml bottle of raspberry beer between them. Garnish with a few raspberries and serve.

Crazy idea but it works.  AND it looks like a big floating salad too, so that's fun!

You too could suggest drink ideas to the Gentlemen.  How?  By clicking on that little blue comment line right there.  Let the Gents know you're out there!

One thing for sure, brandy is dandy!  Let's try a couple of cocktails that have brandy in them

Sir Walter

1 1/2 ounces brandy
1 1/2 ounces rum
1 teaspoon grenadine
1 teaspoon curacao
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

This is a drink that doesn't taste anything like you think it might.  It's not rummy and the brandy doesn't come through to strong.  It's really well balanced.  Plus, if you like orange, the curacao comes in about 10 seconds later in the aftertaste.  It's one of the wonders of science!  Try it out!

This next drink is recommended as a night time drink.  A drink to take to bed with you.  With a good book.  It's the Au Revoir!

Au Revoir

1 1/2 ounces brandy
1 1/2 ounces sloe gin
Juice of one lemon
1 egg white

Add the brandy, sloe gin, lemon juice and egg white (in that order) into an ice filled cocktail shaker.  Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

Mmmmm.  Creamy frothy goodness.  Try it tonight before you go to bed and leave a comment on what you dreamed about!

As always . . . . TIP BIG!