Have you ever had a drink at a bar and liked it so much that you asked the bartender for the recipe?  Try it.  The worst thing that they can say is, “No.”  Today, we’re sharing with you a couple of recipes that were shared with us!

The first one comes from Chicago.  Fred was visiting the city on business and popped in to a fine establishment called  Sable Kitchen and Bar.  While there, he sampled the Fedora Cocktail.  He liked it so much, he asked if the bartender could write it down for him. It’s credited to Mike Ryan, but I don’t know if the bartender who wrote it down for him was the man himself.  Here it is in his own hand . . .










A few years ago, Fred and I were visiting Portland, Oregon and we stopped in at a little Tiki Bar they had called “Thatch”.  It’s since changed hands and changed it name to “Hale Pele”.  The night we were there, the bartender on duty ( a nice guy named Sal ) asked if we’d like to try a drink that he invented.  We of course said “YES!”  It was called Sal’s Dominion and he kindly wrote it out for us.  Here it is in all it’s glory.  Ingredient notes are below.

* Notes on ingredients.

The Deco Ginger Rum called for in the recipe is now made by Eastside Distilling in Portland, Oregon and is called Below Deck Ginger Rum.   Trader Tiki Don's Mix is now called BG Reynolds Paradise Blend and is available on the BG Reynolds website or at fine liquor and gourmet stores.

Thanks to both these generous fellows for sharing these great recipes!

There are those who would call this episode a complete disaster.  I would be one of them if it hadn’t delivered us two great drinks.  The problem was, we had to go through two other drinks to get there.  That’s four drinks folks!  Hang in there for this one.

Through our own poor planning, Dave was out of town for our recording session.  For a change of pace, we took the show on the road to Fred’s brother Eric’s place.  So far so good.  Here’s where it starts to come off the rails.  I had said in our last episode post that if Dave wasn’t here for the next podcast, we would have to make a “Missing in Action” cocktail or one named after an obscure old Dr. Suess special called “Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?”

Well, we found a “Missing in Action” cocktail on the internet on a website called food52.com, and we “adapted” a recipe that involved pickle brine to make the “Pontoffel Pock” cocktail.  

The Missing in Action cocktail was quite good and a little different because of it’s containing bourbon mixed with some apertifs.  Eric said it tasted like Christmas!  

The Pontoffel Pock cocktail was a different story.  Perhaps we should have christened it “The Pont-AWFUL Pock” cocktail because it didn’t work out at all!  We chose pickle brine as an ingredient because of a pickle related mishap in the Pontoffel Pock special.  (You can watch it on YouTube)  The drink we adapted it from is called “The Pickled Surfer”  which you can find on the net.  I would imagine it is a much, much better drink.  

The day was saved when we moved on to our next drink.  You MUST make this drink.  This cocktail comes from Jerry Slater at H.Harper Station in Atlanta and is called the “Bufala Negra”.  It was shared with the world in Imbibe Magazine and we are further sharing it here.  So, so good!  It has an odd ingredient that would possibly make you think twice under normal circumstances.  That ingredient is balsamic syrup.  DO NOT THINK TWICE!  Think only once and make this drink!

Finally we ended with a tried and true Tiki drink from Trader Vic’s Barguide called “The Shingle Stain”.  It’s secret ingredient is cranberry juice and it made for a very good drink.  The winner of the day though was the Bufala Negra.  Seriously,  go and make the drink.  All the recipes are below.   

Thanks again to Eric Partridge for stepping into Dave’s big hosting shoes and providing our recording space!  See you next time!

The Missing in Action Cocktail

by Michael Hoffman.  Found on food52.com

3/4 ounce Bourbon
3/4 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce Amaro Montenegro
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

Add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker.  Shake vigorously.  Double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.  Garnish with a lime twist.


The Pontoffal Pock Cocktail

1 1/2 ounce Irish Whiskey
1/2 ounce of dill pickle brine
juice of half a lime
Celery Salt for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass filled with ice.  Stir gently.  Sip it, make a face, then throw it down the drain.  Rinse your mouth then follow the recipe below to make . . .


The Bufala Negra Cocktail from Imbibe Magazine

by Jerry Slater, H. Harper Station, Atlanta

Bourbon and basil meet in this tart and tangy cocktail combining balsamic syrup and ginger beer.

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
4 fresh basil leaves
1 brown sugar cube
1/2 oz. balsamic syrup (see below)
2 oz. ginger beer

Muddle the balsamic syrup, basil and sugar cube in a mixing tin. Add bourbon and ice and shake hard. Strain over fresh ice cubes into an Old Fashioned. Top with ginger beer and garnish with basil leaf.

Balsamic Syrup: Combine 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of simple syrup (1:1) in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

The Shingle Stain from Trader Vic’s Bartenders Guide

Juice of one lime
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1/4 ounce grenadine
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce pineapple juice
2 ounces Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum

Shake all ingredients with ice cubes.  Pour into a pilsner glass.  Decorate with fresh mint.