Fogcutters!  This was the drink of choice for Jason’s dad when he would go to Trader Vic’s back in the 50’s and 60’s in Seattle!  And what a drink it is!  In this episode, the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure sample two from Ted Haigh’s book “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.  The Gentlemen always assumed the drink was invented by Trader Vic, but Tony Ramos (an old bartender from Don the Beachcombers) says it was actually the signature drink at place called Edna Earle’s Fog Cutters.

In the Trader Vic bartender guide, the drink is called a “Fog Cutter” and is very close to the drink that we make.  The only difference is that TV calls for “brandy” and D the B calls for ‘Pisco Brandy”.  This version of the drink is attributed to Don the Beachcombers and was unearthed by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry.   Since we’ve got Pisco, let’s give it a go!

The Fogcutter (Early)  (note that it’s all one word unlike TV’s "Fog Cutter")
-unearthed by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry and Larry Dunn, from Ted Haigh’s “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails”.

1/2 ounce orgeat
2 ounces Gold Rum (we used Havana Club)
1 ounce Pisco Brandy
1/2 ounce Plymouth Gin
1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
2 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 ounce cream sherry

Shake all the ingredients except the sherry with ice cubes.  Pour into a large glass and add more ice to fill.  Float the sherry on top.

FANTASTIC!   Make it!  Drink it!

The other recipe we chose was the Tony Ramos version that Ted Haigh managed to wangle out the man himself.  Quite a different drink but one that cuts the fog equally well.

The Fogcutter
-Tony Ramos from Ted Haigh’s “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails”.

1 ounce white rum
1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce brandy
1/2 ounce sweet and sour mix (equal parts sugar, water, lemon juice, lime juice)
2 dashes of simple syrup

Cherry flavoured brandy for float (we used Kirsch)

Combine with ice and blend.  (We shook because we didn’t read the recipe close enough.  You won’t make the same mistake!)  Pour into a goblet and float the cherry flavoured brandy on top. 

When it says blend, it doesn’t mean to make it slushy.  Just a quick blast with a drink mixer (3 seconds) to blend, mix and chill!

Look at that drink!  Doesn't it look refreshing and yummy.  Make it and put it in your mouth right now!

.

Another super drink.  Similar yet so different.  That’s what sampling these drinks is all about.  Who knows, we may even revisit some more Fogcutter recipes in the future.  There’s just that many of ‘em!

We also sampled an Estonian Liqueur called Vana Tallinn.  Fred's heritage is Estonian and this was a gift from his brother.  It's a rum based liqueur and we think it has all sorts of cocktail possibilities.  You can read all about this neat beverage by clicking right here.

Until next time, keep drinking!

It’s Fall!  A time when less and less time is spent on the patio and more time is spent inside.  A time when a cocktail slowly changes from a “cooling” influence to a “warming influence.  Fall is also the time when Dave’s thoughts turn to the Far East.  We don’t know why.  The two drinks The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure are sampling this time around, were suggested by Dave himself, with an Eastern flair.  Both drinks are from Ted Haigh’s book. Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.  Let’s get started!
 
First up is the East India Cocktail.  Dr. Cocktail writes that there are several recipes for this drink, but this is his preferred version.  What differentiates this from other recipes is the raspberry syrup.  Some others have called for pineapple syrup or a mix of the two.  If it’s good enough for the doctor, it’s more than good enough for us!
 
East India Cocktail
from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, by Ted Haigh
 
3 ounces brandy
½ ounce raspberry syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 teaspoon orange curacao
1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur
 
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Is that not a wonderful concoction?  Does it not subliminally whisper, “It’s Autumn.  Get inside and drink”?
 
 
 
Next up, is the Japalac Cocktail.  This a major jump to really make this an “Eastern” cocktail.  Japalac, was a varnish made by the Glidden Paint company.  I’m guessing that the drink must look like the varnish.  The drink dates from 1931 and was printed in a book called “Albert Stevens Crockett’s Old Waldorf Bar Days”.  Fortunately, the drink tastes nothing like a paint product and is the perfect complement to the East India Cocktail.  Try them both and have some folks over for a Fall painting party!

The Japalac Cocktail
from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, by Ted Haigh

Juice of a 1/4 orange
3/4 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce rye whiskey
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup

Combine ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker.  Shaker and strain into a small cocktail glass.  Garnish with an orange twist.

It's delicious right?  It's like summer's last hurrah!  The orange comes through and the raspberry syrup gives the drink that little bit of sweetness. 

Are you still reading this?  Go make these drinks and make sure you leave a comment below!

Okay.  We know.  They say you're not supposed to wear white after Labour Day.  But who are "they" anyway?  Why should we listen to "them"?  Are "they" better than "us"?  Yikes.  Maybe they are.  Maybe we shouldn't wear white after Labour Day.  Ever.  On the otherhand though, NOBODY said anything about drinking white after Labour Day did they?  So let's do that.  Every drink in today's episode shall be white!  All of today's drinks come from Ted Haigh's book, VIntage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails which you can get right here.  It's a marvelous book and should be in every bartender's library.

First up is a Milk Punch.  Dr. Cocktail says this drink was in the first cocktail recipe book ever published, way back in 1862 and I gotta say, it's kind of an odd one.  It's not thick like eggnog.  It's really quite refreshing.  Give it a go!

Milk Punch
- Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

1 ounce brandy
1/2 ounce dark rum
2 teaspoons simple syrup
2 dashes vanilla extract
4 ounces whole milk
nutmeg

Shake the ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice then strain into a glass half filled with shaved ice.  
Grate or shake some nutmeg on top.

Next up, the White Lady.  This drink is perhaps more ghostly than white. It even sounds
​like a haunting...

"The old Hatley place?  No.  Nobody goes up there since they've started seeing . . . the White Lady."

It's tasty and refreshing though.  It's gin mixed with lemon and orange.  How could you go wrong with that?

White Lady
-Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients, then shake with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.  
Strain into a cocktail glass.

"Summer time and the living is easy", am I right?  You're not going to shock the world with this drink, but neither is the world going to send it back and ask for a different one.

The last drink was suggested by Fred, and isn't quite as white as he thought it was going to be.  It's a fun little number called Soyer au Champage.  This is the drink for all those people out there that say, "Sure I like champagne, but why can't there be ice cream in it too?"

Soyer au Champagne
-Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

2 dashes maraschino liqueur
2 dashes pineapple juice
2 dashes orange curaçao (or Grand Marnier)
2 dashes brandy
champagne
1 tablespoon vanilla ice cream

In a parfait glass, combine the first four ingredients.  Fill with champagne then add the vanilla ice cream on top.  Serve with a spoon and a straw.

​

This one is fun!  When you add the ice cream, the drink gets all foamy.  As you can see from the picture, it's not really white though.  The pineapple juice and the brandy give it a yellow hue.  I think Fred thought there was going to be a huge scoop of ice cream in it, and it would end up looking like a shake or something.  It's still a great drink though, and I hope you give it a try the next time you make a dessert drink.

Try them all if you can and don't forget to leave us a comment.  Just click on that little blue word "comments" right down there.  You see it.  See you in a couple of weeks!

This is a huge episode.  Not only do the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure do two fabulous drinks, but they also do a special remote recording from the White Rock Whisky Society’s Summer Soiree!  Listen in to hear the fun and check out what the White Rock Whisky Society gets up to here, or watch the video below.

The drinks this time around are identical but different.  It’s two different versions of a Whiskey Sour.  One with Scotch whisky (in this case Grant’s) and one with rye (we chose Sazerac to be interesting).  This is a simple drink that is greater than the sum of it’s parts.  Try it immediately.

Whiskey Sour

2 ounces Whisky
1 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)

maybe a splash of soda water . . .?

garnish with an orange peel twist

Build this drink in a glass over ice.  Stir until chilled.

The first drink we did with scotch, and it was great.  The second drink we did with the Sazerac and it was even better.  Try it at home with bourbon, or Irish Whiskey, or a different rye. 
No matter how you make it, this is still a simple but wonderful drink.

Enjoy

"It was a dark and stormy night..."  Do you remember that?  Snoopy and his typewriter?  Well, old Snoop was definitely on to something, because we're going to have a dark and stormy night tonight and so are you!  It's all thanks to a wonderful book called “Brooklyn Bartender - A Modern Guide to Cocktails and Spirits” by Carey Jones. Buy a copy of it right here!  It’s chock full of great recipes and great stories from all sorts of bars in “the world’s hippest borough”.

In this episode, we’re keeping things simple at first and then kicking that same drink up a notch.  Not many drinks are simpler than a highball, and this one is no exception.  All you need is Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and ginger beer.

Dark and Stormy

2 ounces Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
4 ounces ginger beer
lime wedge

In a collins glass with ice stir together rum and ginger beer. Squeeze in a lime wedge.

Isn't that wonderful? Like a rum and Coke, but much more exotic thanks to the ginger beer. Get the hottest ginger beer you can find.  We used Cock and Bull which is great, but I would really like to try this with the ginger ale that David Wondrich recommends which is called Blenheim Ginger Ale.  Check it out here.  If you like ginger beer, you have got to try this stuff!  You want Old # 3 Hot.  The one with the red cap

Next up is the Extra-Ginger Dark and Stormy.  This is basically the same drink as above but now it's plussed with a little bit of extra work from you.  Don't worry, it's super easy.  You just have to do a bit of ginger juicing.

Extra-Ginger Dark and Stormy

 2 ounces Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
1 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce ginger syrup (recipe to follow)
2 ounces club soda

Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a collins glass with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with the lime wedge.

Ginger Syrup recipe
one whole hand of fresh ginger
white sugar

Juice the ginger using a juicer or in a food processor or blender (if blending, add a little bit of water). Measure your amount of ginger juice, then add that same amount of water. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved.  You can store this in the fridge for up to a month.

Holy doodlebugs! Now there’s a drink!  Should be called the Darker and Stormier. Who knows? Maybe it is.  Great big shot of ginger; lime all up in your everywhere.  Sweet, tart, crisp and incredibly drinkable.  Go make one now!  Sure it's a little more work, but it's worth it. 
 
A couple of weeks ago, Jason ended up at Canon: Whiskey & Bitters Emporium in Seattle and thought it was absolutely fabulous!  If you've never heard of the place, check out the video below.

Jason had a drink called Elementary which was made with bourbon, tawny port, cream sherry, rhubarb shrub, and  Boker's bitters.  The "smoke" is liquid nitrogen!

Oh!    We also talked about the Bali Hai in San Diego and their delicious Chicken of the Gods.  You too can make it by following one of these recipes.

Until next time, keep on puffin'!

Drinks for the front of  your head!

Hello and welcome again to another exciting episode of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure.  For that title to make sense, you’ve got to listen to the episode!  Make sure you do because there is all sorts of important information in there that doesn’t necessarily get transferred to the blog page.  Listen in and then come back here for the recipes!

As many people know once or twice a year Dave is kidnapped by some hillbilly monster people who capture him in a raccoon trap and take him to a secluded area somewhere in the Ozark Mountains. This unfortunate incident leaves the remaining gentlemen, Fred and Jason, to carry-on in his stead. This is no easy task. Oddly enough though, easy is exactly what we are after in this episodes two drinks, which can be described as both easy and peasy!  This follows on a request from a listener who suggested easy cocktails for cocktail newbies. Both these drinks come from Dale DeGroff's wonderful book "The Essential Cocktail - The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks", and as I say both are very easy yet deceptively complex.
First up is a Pimm's Cup which was invented by James Pimm way back in the mid-1800s. Mr. Pimm ran an oyster bar in London, which I assume also served some amount of liquor. Mr. Pimm eventually sold his business (and the rights to his name) to somebody else, and these people bottled his mixture for sale to other restaurants.

Pimm's Cup

1 1/2 ounces Pimm's No. 1
7-Up
Cucumber Spear, for garnish
Green apple slice, for garnish

Combine the Pimm's and 7-Up in a highball glass over ice. Garnish with the cucumber spear and apple slice.

Or ... You can do what they say on the bottle itself.

1 measure of Pimm's
2-3 measures of lemonade, 7-Up, ginger ale or sprite.

Add plenty of ice. Garnish with lemon orange or cucumber slice.

Either way, this is a super easy and super tasty drink. The Pimm's on it's own tastes like gin with big herbal overtones. The fizzy sweetness of the pop takes the edge off the gin and subdues the herbal flavors.  All in all, a really good summer drink and so easy. All you have to do is be able to find Pimm's at your local liquor store, and that shouldn't be a problem. Make these out of sight of your guests, and they'll swear that you were slaving for hours over these.

Next up is a little gem called the Black Velvet. This one is from England in 1861 when (as Dale says in his book) England was in mourning over the death of Prince Albert.  Everything was draped in black, including their champagne. Apparently the English have a long history of mixing beers and ales and stouts both with each other and with other liquors and this is no exception. This time out we're mixing Guinness Stout with champagne and you know what? It works. Give it a try.

The Black Velvet

Guinness stout
Champagne

In a Pilsner beer glass slowly pour together equal parts stout and Champagne.

Weird right? It's definitely not your usual cocktail. I wouldn't recommend trying this after a round of Bellinis or Mojitos because the flavour profile is so different, but on its own it's a pretty magical thing. The champagne cuts the sweetness and thickness of the stout, the stout cuts the tartness of the champagne. It's like medieval alchemy and you should give it a try. In fact you should give both these drinks a try. Your shopping list is so short…

Pimm's
Fizzy lemon pop
Guinness
Champagne.

What are you waiting for? Go get them!

See you in two weeks and don't worry, Dave should be back by then.

Canada Day?  Didn’t we already do an episode for Canada Day?  Sure we did.  This one’s different though.  Remember we were afraid that to do a Canadian cocktail would mean that it would just be Rye and Maple Syrup?  Well, just for the fun of it we searched our cocktail books for drinks that would have maple syrup, but would not just be your average run of the mill drinks.  We found two tiki drinks that had maple syrup, and because we DIDN'T do them for Canada Day, we’re doin’ ‘em now.  Think of it as Tikanada Day!

Now don’t be freaked out by the maple syrup.  It’s just a sweetener remember.  It’s not going to make your drink taste like pancakes.  Quite the opposite.  It makes your pancakes taste like a drink.  But you’ve got to drink 4 or 5 of them for that to happen.

Anyway, gather your ingredients and your copy of Beachbum Berry Remixed and let’s get started.  First up is the Hai Karate, created by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry in 1999!

Hai Karate
by Jeff Berry, 1999.  This version from “Beachbum Berry Remixed”, Club Tiki Press 2010

1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce unsweetened pineapple juice
1 ounce orange juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup (grade A only)
dash of Angostura bitters
2 ounces gold Virgin Islands rum

Shake well with ice cubes and pour unstrained into a tall glass.  Garnish with an orange slice speared to a cocktail cherry.

Yummerino!  This drink is great.  Just like the cologne was.  (At least it’s commercial was.  Go ahead and click this link. to watch!)  This drink has got a big kick of citrus and would be perfect in the morning instead of your usual plain old orange juice.  You’d better make two of them and bring one for the boss so he know’s why your so sleepy around 10:15!

Next up is the Captain’s Grog.  This drink is fabulous.  Make it.  Sip it.  Love it.

Captain's Grog
from the Hukilau Room of the Captain’s Inn, Long Beach, CA circa 1962 and printed in “Beachbum Berry Remixed”, Club Tiki Press 2010

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce maple syrup (grade A only)
1/2 ounce falernum
1/2 ounce orange Curaçao
3/4 ounce dark Jamaican Rum
3/4 ounce light Puerto Rican Rum  (we used Havana Club 3 year Anejo)
3/4 ounce gold Puerto Rican Rum (we used Havana Club Anejo Reserva)
3 drops vanilla extract
3 drops almond extract
1 ounce soda water

*whew*

Shake everything (except the soda) with ice cubes.  Then add soda to the shaker and stir.  Strain into a double old fashioned glass with an “ice cone” (if you’ve got one) or over crushed ice.  Garnish with a mint sprig.

Delicious, delicious, delicious!  So well balanced.  Truly a great drink!

So there you have it.  Two great drinks to celebrate Tikanada Day!  If you're wondering what a Canadian Tiki mug looks like, check out the house mug from the Shameful Tiki Room in Vancouver. A tiki huggin' a beaver.  That's what Tikanada Day is all about Charlie Brown! 

It’s Canada Day, up Canada way, and what better way to celebrate the 150th birthday of the True North, Strong and Free than with a couple of classy cocktails!  Both of these cocktails are featured in the Summer issue of Taste magazine.  Check it out right here.
Not only does it have these great recipes but of bunch of other ones too!

First up, since we’re in the Greater Vancouver area, is the Vancouver Cocktail.  We believe this was first served up in The Sylvia Hotel in the 1950’s.  Look at the Sylvia here.  What an awesome place.

The Vancouver Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces Victoria Gin (we used a combo of Bombay Sapphire and Boodles)
1/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth (Martine Rosso)
1/4 ounce B&B (Benedictine and Brandy)
2 dashes orange bitters

Lemon peel for garnish

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a lemon peel over the drink and use as a garnish.

This is a lovely drink and hard to pin down (just like Vancouver itself).  All the flavours play well together and each one seems to get it’s own little part of the tongue to shine on. (just like Vancouver itself).

Next up, we travel across the country to Toronto and a zesty little drink they call the Toronto Cocktail.  This drink may or may not have been created in England.  Doesn’t matter, we’re making it anyway and you should too!

The Toronto Cocktail

2 ounces rye whiskey (we used Canadian Club 100% Rye)
1/4 ounce Fernet Branca
1/4 ounce simple syrup (1:1)
1 dash of Angostura Bitters

Orange peel for garnish

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist an orange peel over the drink and use as a garnish.

What a surprising drink (just like Toronto itself)!  The Fernet Branca (which everybody is kind of afraid of) turns this drink into an amazingly flavourful voyage of discovery (just like Toronto itself)!

Both of these drinks are elegant and a little on the dry side.  Neither of them are traditional Summer patio thirst quenchers.  These are pre dinner, appetite enhancing marvels and we hope you give both of them a try.

When you do, raise your glasses and give a little toast to Canada.  150 years old is nothing to sneeze at, right?

Happy Canada Day everybody!


OH!  I said I'd put a picture that I took of some Echinacea in here.  Check this out.  I bet you're feeling better already!

Turkey Mojitos?  NO!  We’re not making those.  We mention those, but we’re not making those.  This episode is based on a direct request for a Tom Collins.  You can request a drink too.  All you have to do is click on the comment button at the bottom of this blog post.  Please do it.  We want to know you’re out there!

The Tom Collins is an old old drink.  We find that the old old drinks that are still around are usually pretty good.  They don’t stay around and return after Prohibition for nothing.
The Tom Collins is a fabulous drink.  Grown up lemonade.  Make it now!  The only real choice you have in it is the type of gin you use.  We decided to use “Old Tom” gin because we thought it would be most authentic but I know all the other gins would work just fine.

Where do you go after the Tom Collins?  So many different options present themselves but we decided to go with a similar drink from Ernest Hemingway.  Actually from the wonderful book, “To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion” by Philip Greene.  Hemingway was a diabetic and could not have the sugar syrup.  His version of the Tom Collins used coconut water.  It makes for a very different sort of drink.  Give it a shot and serve it to your friends.

Tom Collins a la  Hemingway
from  “To Have and Have Another - A Hemingway Cocktail Companion” by Philip Greene.  Perigee 2015

2 ounces London dry gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
2-4 ounces coconut water
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Vigorously shake all ingredients then strain over 2-3 ice cubes in a collins glass.  Garnish with a lime wedge or peel.

It’s Negroni Week!  What?  You’ve never heard of Negroni Week?  Well, my friend, check it out right here, negroniweek.com.  Negroni Week runs from June 5th to June 11th, 2017.

This has probably happended to you.  I say this because you seem like a nice person.  Have you ever been sitting at your favourite bar, sipping a perfect cocktail and wondered, “Sure, this helps me but how can I help others?”  Well wonder no more!   Negroni Week takes care of that for you.  Now all you have to do is order a delicious Negroni cocktail at any participating bar  and you’ll be helping out all sorts of charities that desperately need your money.

In honour of this wonderful week, the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure want to give you a couple of recipes that you are to use AFTER Negroni Week.  This week all your Negroni drinking must be done at one of the hundreds of participating bars around the world, but once you’re hooked, you’re going to want to be able to make these in your own home.  Let’s get you started.

The Negroni

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet Vermouth

1 orange wedge

Combine first three ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir to chill, then strain over some fresh ice in a cocktail glass.  Garnish with the orange wedge.

Isn’t that easy?  You’ll have to listen to Fred’s explanation of why we have ice in the cocktail glass.  Better yet, brush up on your Negroni knowledge by visiting this site.  Great history here.

One of the many beauties of this cocktail is it’s interchangeability.  Substitute bourbon for the gin and you’ve got a Boulevardier.  Substitute sparkling wine for the gin and you’ve got a Negroni Sbagliato.  The possibilities  are endless.  Case in point, our next drink.  The White Negroni.

The White Negroni
Wayne Collins, London.  From imbibemagazine.com May 28, 2013

2 ounces gin
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
3/4 ounce Suze

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to chill.  Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

Totally different and totally wonderful.  Mr. Wayne Collins know what he’s doing doesn’t he?  Read all about him right here by clicking on his name!  Wayne Collins.

Speaking of Collins’s, or Collinses, (or whatever the plural of Collins is), in our next episode, we’re going to be exploring the Tom Collins.  This is a listener request and you can request drinks as well.  

Please hit the comments button below and leave us a message or request a drink or whatever you want to do.  We post a new show every other Saturday and we want to know you're out there and listening in!

Also check out Boozehound by Jason Wilson.  His chapter on Italian apertifs will have you reaching for the Vermouth with one hand  and Travelocity with the other

Happy Negroni Week!