It's almost New Year's Eve!  Traditionally a time to break out the bubbly.  But what if you have no bubbly and still want to have a cocktail?  What if you don't even like Champagne? Well look no further my friends, the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure have you covered.


This time they are dipping once again into the hallowed pages of the BC Liquor boards Taste magazine and a couple of tasty treats from David Wolowidnyk.  First up is the Grand Marnier Sbagliato.  The Gents did a Spagliato in a previous episode but it didn't have Grand Marnier.  Let's give it a go.


Grand Marnier Sbagliato
-by David Wolowidnyk from Taste Magazine


1 ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce Campari
2 ounces of soda water
Orange zest for garnish


In a mixing glass with ice, combine Grand Marnier and Canpari.  Stir to chill and dilute.  Strain into a chilled rocks glass over cubed ice, top with soda water and garnish with an orange zest,


Little bit bitter and a little bit sweet and a little bit fizzy.  Take that Champagne cocktails!  Who needs you?  Best of all, this recipe forces you to go get that dusty bottle of Grand Marnier that you have and only used once and pop it open.  Mmmmm, orange!

Next up is a Tequila drink that will help you use up that bottle of St-Germain that you don't know what to do with.  It's time for the St-Germain Daisy!


St-Germain Daisy
-by David Wolowidnyk from Taste Magazine

1 oz St-Germain
1 oz tequila
1/2 oz lime juice
2 oz soda water
lime wheels and thyme sprigs for garnish


Shake St-Germain, tequila and lime juice.  Strain into glass with ice.  Top with soda. Garnish with lime wheels and thyme sprigs


This was the clear favourite of the two drinks.  Very refreshing and flavourful.  The Daisy you may recall is called the Margarita in Spanish and the sweetness this time comes from the St-Germain instead of sugar syrup.

Please try both of these out at your New Year's Eve gathering but please remember to be safe and smart!  Make sure you have a ride home if you need one.  See you in the new year!


Happy New Year!

Are you ready for Christmas yet?  No?  Well, neither are the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure.  If you want proof, just check out this apathetic Christmas show.   One of the drinks doesn't even have a recipe!

The first drink is called the London Town and includes a rum made by Lemon Hart called Blackpool Spiced rum.  The Gents didn't have Blackpool rum though so they used Trader Vic's spiced rum and changed the name from London Town to Camden Town.  If you need a Christmas connection, Bob Cratchit lived in Camden Town.  If you'd like to make a London Town, you can find the recipe here.

Camden Town

• 60 ml (2 oz.) Trader Vic's Spiced Rum
• 24 ml (3/4 oz.) Sweet vermouth
• 2 Dashes Angostura bitters
• Ice cubes
• Orange twist

Fill a shaker or tall glass with ice cubes. Add rum, sweet vermouth and bitters and stir (with a bar spoon) for about a minute. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with an orange twist.

Yummy.  Probably better with the Blackpool.  Try it out and leave a comment

Gentleman Fred said, "We've never made a Whiskey Sour."   The other Gent's said, "So, make a Whiskey Sour."  He did.  Except he didn't.  Turns out he made a Boston Sour.  Maybe.  He also didn't have a recipe.  You'll have to listen to the episode to find out what me put in it.

Whiskey Sour a la Fred Partridge

Ingredients and proportions in  the episode

This drink was good too, no matter what it's called.   The secret is that it's got an egg white in it.  Egg white makes everything better.  Smooth and a little frothy.  Fred used Scotch whiskey but probably should've used a bourbon or a rye.

From all of us  to all of you have a very merry and safe Christmas! 

It's not even winter yet and still this weather has you down doesn't it?  Longing to get away to sun-kissed beaches, but you can't because you've got that Gender Reveal party scheduled?  Look no further than this exciting episode of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure to help you kill both those birds with one stone.  (Not literally.  Do NOT throw stones at the Gender Reveal party!)

This time around we've got a pink drink and a blue drink from a neat little book called "The Cool Caribbean Cocktail Book" by Gilly Gobinet.  Gilly is an artist located in Antigua and you can see pictures of her gallery right here .  www.gillygobinet.com    Gilly put this book together by traveling around the islands of the Caribbean and visiting all sorts of resorts, restaurants and bars.  You can order your own copy of the book by clicking right here.

These two drinks were created by Gavin Weekes of the Sandals resort on Dickenson Bay in Antigua.  You can check out his Instagram page right here.  Seems like a nice guy and these two drinks are delicious.  Ready to try 'em out?  Let's get started

The first drink is called "Gavin's Rose Pink Special".   This is the drink you want to make if the Gender Reveal party is for a little girl.

Gavin's Rose Pink Special
-by Gavin Weekes, Sandals Resort, Antigua.  Taken from "The Cool Caribbean Cocktail Book" by Gilly Gobinet
 
2 ounces 5 year old English Harbour Rum
1 1/2 ounces amaretto
1 ounce triple sec
2 ounces pineapple juice
A dash of grenadine
1/4 ounce lime juice
 
Shake and strain into a highball glass and add ice.  Garnish with cherry and pineapple

 A little like a Mai Tai but sweeter, and more almondy because of all that Amaretto.  The Gents thought that maybe if they were to make it again, they would increase the lime juice to a half ounce just to get a little more tartness, but all and all this is a really tasty tropical drink!

But what if it’s a boy, you ask?  Well, you’re going to need a blue drink for that.  Look no furthur than this treat of a cocktail, the Blue Ice

Blue Ice
-by Gavin Weekes, Sandals Resort, Antigua.  Taken from "The Cool Caribbean Cocktail Book" by Gilly Gobinet

2 ounces 5 year old English Harbour rum
1 1/2 ounces Blue Curaçao
1 ounce Galliano
2 ounces pineapple juice
 
Shake and strain into a highball glass and add ice.  Garnish with cherry and pineapple

What does it taste like you ask?  Gentleman Dave called it rummy rootbeer!  Why don’t you try making it and leave a comment below letting the Gents know what you thought it tasted like?

As always, thank you for visiting our site and please enjoy your Gender Reveal party responsibly!

DO NOT THROW STONES!

In this episode, the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure honour all those Gentlemen and Gentlewomen of Elegant Military Service.  First up is a drink from Ted Haigh's "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" that honours the Marines!  The Leatherneck Cocktail.

Leatherneck Cocktail
-by Frank Farrell (This recipe is from Ted Saucier's book "Bottoms up" in 1951, but is reprinted in Ted Haigh's "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails".

2 ounces blended whiskey (We used Crown Royal)
3/4 ounce blue curaçao
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker.  Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

The Gents had low hopes for this drink but it were pleasantly surprised.  This drink is just like the Marines and you would be mistaken by underestimating it!  Try it now!  That's an order!

Next up is a drink that Gentleman Dave tracked down. It's called the Army and Navy Cocktail. The origin of this beverage is a bit sketchy, but may have been born at the Army & Navy officer's club in Washington, DC.
 
According to cocktail author David Embury the original recipe was flawed in its proportions, so he modified the recipe and published it in his 1948 book Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. We use Embury's version.
 
What makes this cocktail different from a standard gin sour is the addition of sweet, almond-flavored orgeat syrup.

Army & Navy Cocktail

 2 ounces gin
3/4 ounces lemon juice
3/4 ounces orgeat
a few dashes of Angostura bitters

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry

This too is a great drink but you'll have to listen to the episode to see which one the Gent's preferred.

A big thank you to military veterans past and present.  Thank you for your service!

Have you ever wanted to see three people sample three whiskey's?  Now's your chance!

Happy Halloween! The Gents have pulled out all the stops (organ reference) to bring you a special early episode to spice up your Halloween night. Sure, our early episode still might be a little late. Maybe you had your Halloween party this past weekend like some sort of savage. However, if you waited until tonight for your party, or you don't have to work tomorrow, or you live somewhere where little ghosts and goblins don't come come ringing your doorbell every three minutes, and you feel the need for a little thirst quenching buzz, the Gents have a couple of festive drinks for you. Let get mixing because the trick or treaters are on their way!

Next up is a drink from the Imbibe magazine website.  This drink was on the menu of the halloween-themed pop-up PUB Dread in Washington, DC. back in 2017.

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!
-Paul Taylor, PUB Dread, Washington, D.C., 2017

1 oz. Aperol
¼ oz. Campari
½ oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. strawberry syrup
1 barspoon absinthe
3 oz. sparkling water

Combine all the ingredients in a highball over ice, stir, then garnish with a red Twizzler

Strawberry Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup strawberries (tops removed and cut in half)
1 cup water

Heat all the ingredients in saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool, then strain into a bottle and refrigerate.

This drink is for the Negroni lovers out there.  It's got a little bitterness from the Aperol and Campari but the bitterness is softened significantly by the big glug of strawberry syrup.  The Gents did not make there own strawberry syrup but instead used the strawberry syrup made by Giffard.  All in all a fantastic drink.  Again, pictures were taken but this is the shot from the Imbibe website.

Please have a safe and happy Halloween!

In this episode the Gents are back together tasting rums, reminiscing about Mike, Mark and Jack, and wondering if Kauai (the Garden Island) is the New Jersey of Hawaii.  All this and a couple of drinks!  Let’s get started.

First up is an old drink from the turn of the century.  The last century, not this most recent one.  It’s called a Mamie Taylor and was named after a musical actress named Mayme Taylor.  There are a couple of different stories involving her asking for this drink, or being accidentally served this drink, but either way, she was involved.  It was huge for a few years, then fell out of fashion.  Fortunately, it’s preserved in Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.  It’s much like any drink that has spirit and fizz but better.  Find the spiciest ginger beer or ale that you can.  The Gents were lucky enough to get a hold of some “Old #3 Hot” Blenheim Ginger Ale.  You can track down some yourself right here.  You want the red cap!

Mamie Taylor
-circa 1899 from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh.

2 ounces Scotch
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
Spicy ginger ale or ginger beer (Get Blenheim’s #3 Ginger Ale)

Pour the scotch and lime juice into an ice-filled highball glass and fill with ginger ale. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.

Mmmmmmm.  Mamie Taylor, where have you been all our lives?  This drink is all gingery scotchy limey goodness.  It’s just what you think it’s going to taste like, only better somehow!  If you happen to be in Vancouver, why don’t you head on down to Mamie Taylor’s in Chinatown and get one made for you?

Next up is the Modernista.  This is Ted Haigh’s name for the drink which he derived from a drink called the Modern Cocktail or the Modern Maid.  He readjusted the proportions to what you see here and added Swedish Punsch.

The Modernista
-adapted by Ted Haigh from "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" by Ted Haigh.

2 ounces Scotch
1/2 ounce dark Jamaican rum
1 teaspoon absinthe or pastis (Pernod etc)
1/2 ounce Swedish Punsch
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
 2 dashes orange bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Add a lemon twist

Ted says in his description that this can be a challenging drink.  If you were new to cocktails you might have a little bit of trouble with it.  The licorice flavour of the absinthe certainly comes through as does the lemon juice.  All the other flavours seemed to be secondary.

In fact, the Gents took it upon themselves to tweak the recipe a little further by adding some ginger beer from the Mamie Taylor, and came up with a new drink that they’re calling the Modern Mamie.  Try it out and leave a comment so they know what you think of it.

Modern Mamie
-The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure 2018

2 ounces Scotch
1/2 ounce dark Jamaican rum
1 teaspoon absinthe or pastis (Pernod etc)
1/2 ounce Swedish Punsch
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
 2 dashes orange bitters
1/2 ounce of spicy ginger beer or ale (Get Blenheim’s #3 Ginger Ale)


Shake all ingredients (except ginger beer) in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Add the ginger beer and stir gently.

The Gents thought this drink tasted better.  The addition of the ginger beer changed the flavour in such a way that Gentleman Jason thought it now tasted of apples.  Please try making one for yourself and let the Gents know.

During the episode Gent J mentioned an old sketch that he had been in called the Spit Take Sketch.  Please enjoy this trip to 1996!

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!