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If you’ve taken part in one of my cocktail classes you’ll remember one of my favorite cocktail quotes from one of my favorite cocktaillians, Dorothy Parker:

“I like to drink martini’s, two at very most, three I’m under the table… Four I’m under the host.”

Touché, touché… She is of course talking about an actual Martini: Gin, vermouth & orange bitters served with an olive or a lemon twist. Proper proportions for this classic cocktail:

2 1/2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Vermouth is an aromatized wine - so keep refrigerated and remember it has a shelf life of approx 2 months…if yours has been on your bar forever its probably gone off)

Dash Orange bitters (if you have them - if not Angostura Bitters will do)

I’ve spent the last few weeks enjoying the wonderful Vancouver weather, but I’ve also been quite busy creating summer drinks. I had the pleasure of mixing in the Maker’s Mark competition, unfortunately I didn’t win but it was a fun competition and I tip my hat to Lauren Mote of the Refinery for her creative winning drink! Check out the link for pictures & write up : http://scoutmagazine.ca/2009/06/10/citys-best-barkeeps-compete-with-makers-mark-at-boneta/

One of the Highlights of my year… I cocktailled with Bridget Albert while she was in town to promote her book: Market Fresh Mixology http://www.marketfreshmixology.com/bridgetalbert/

Bridget is awesome and I now have the privalege of calling her my friend! On our night out in Vancouver, I made a list of all my favorite places to imbibe, we didn’t get to all of them, I had a list of 10, we only crossed a handful off the list… I think I can die a happy girl knowing that I was able to make her favorite cocktail while we stopped at my studio for a drink

What is Bridget’s favorite cocktail? The Brown Derby

This cocktail was created at the Vendome Club circa 1930 to honor its Hollywood neighbor, the famed Brown Derby restaurant. The restaurant is gone, and its hat-shaped building has been demolished, but the Brown Derby Cocktail lives on.

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice

½ oz Honey Syrup (mix equal parts honey - hot water)

Shake all ingredients on ice for 10-15 seconds. Strain over ice in a highball glass.

In my small studio, I poured four shots of tequila and asked what cocktail everyone would like giving them two choices: The Last Word or a Brown Derby… This was before I knew Bridget’s favorite cocktail was the Brown Derby. I used my best antique glasses to serve a sample size drink for the four of us. From left to right: Shawn Soole (www.liquidrevolution.com), Bridget Albert, Me & David W.

If you would like to visit me and sample some of my newest Summer Cocktails you can find me behind the stick at db Bistro (2551 West Broadway - www.dbbistro.ca); I’ll be at the 39th & Cambie St. Signature BC Liquor Store on Sunday, June 28th for mixology sessions between 1pm-4pm.  If you would like to book a private cocktail class I’m the resident Mixologist at Eden West in Port Moody (www.edenwest.ca).  Tracey has just expanded her store and has a wonderful space that accomodates up to 16 people.

One more drink… since Fathers day is coming up here is my drink from the Maker’s Mark Cometition:

Marjorie’s Flip (aka Fathers Day Flip)

2 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
3/4 oz Jasmine & Apricot Honey Syrup*
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Ginger of the Indies Liqueur
1 egg
3 drops Angostura Bitters
Lemon Zest Soaked in Chartreuse
Combine first five ingredients in a mixing glass; dry shake without ice for 10 seconds.
Add ice & shake for 30 seconds.
Fine strain into a highball glass.
Top the drink by carefully dropping 3 separate drops of Angostura bitters in a triangle on the top of the foam.  Use a skewer and drag it through the drops of bitters to form bleeding heart shape. Optional: Finish the drink by flaming the lemon zest over the drink and rubbing the zest around the rim, then discard.

*To Make Syrup:
Steep 1 heaping tablespoon of dried jasmine flowers or loose leaf jasmine tea in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes.  Strain the flowers out and add 3/4 cup of apricot honey creme (substitute regular or other flavoured honey) to the hot water.  Stir the mixture dissolve the honey.  Store in a glass bottle.
Specialty Honey’s and Dried Jasmine Flowers can be found at Granville Island Public Market.

This drink was inspired by Fathers Day, meant to be a drink best enjoyed at brunch (it has all the nutrients you need to start your day!).  Flips are a classic type of mixed drink which generally contains, spirits, egg, sugar & spice.  The jasmine flowers add a slight dryness to the sweet apricot honey and blend beautifully together as the modifier with the Makers Mark.  Traditionally spice was added to a Flip so I use Ginger Liqueur to give the drink another element of complexity.  The egg rounds the drink out and gives it a full bodied creamy texture.  I named the drink after Marjorie Samuels who as history states was a creative force in marketing Makers Mark.  I imagined a drink that she might serve Bill Samuels Sr. on Fathers Day and gave it a modern twist.

Cheers!

Happy Mixing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm and is filed under Bourbon, Cocktail Competitions, Mixology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.