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!