The Easter Egg Cup (sponsored by Caorunn Gin)

Sunday past saw the inaugural Easter Egg Cup cocktail competition at The Corpse & Cocktail, featuring both a singles round and a team challenge.

In the singles, bartenders were challenged to come up with an innovative cocktail inspired by one of Caorunn's 5 Celtic botanicals (rowan berry, Coul Blush apple, bog myrtle, dandelion and heather).  From all the entrants, 4 'wildcards' were asked to join 4 'invited' bartenders.  The 8 were then asked to make a short video of themselves introducing and creating their drink, followed by a still photograph.  The photos were then uploaded to Facebook to be voted on.  Almost 600 votes later, the final proceeded to take place.

Each bartender made a superb effort with techniques and ingredients such as scented scrolls, Islay new make spirit, whey and infused teas/syrups.

For the team challenge, the 8 bartenders were split into East and West teams, based on the geography of their bars.  A speed round and bad product challenge ensued, resulting in Team West being victorious.

After the team challenge, it was time for the singles awards.  3rd place went to independent consultant Milo Smith for his drink Druids Cure featuring Caorunn, Port, white grapefruit, heather honey, whey and a dandelion/raspberry syrup.  2nd place was awarded to Bobby Patience of highly-rated bar Dusk for Symphony No. 11, his take on the classic martini featuring bog myrtle-infused Noilly Prat served with a dandelion-scented scroll and a rowan berry-sweetened tincture.

Overall winner was 99's Mike McGinty with his drink Haugh's of Cromdale, heavily influenced by the red apple in Caorunn.  The drink was created with Calvados, dessert wine, lemon juice, Pink Lady syrup, muddled red apple and of course Caorunn, all shaken together in a heather-smoked Boston shaker.

Judges were Ervin Trykowski (Caorunn Brand Ambassador), Adrian Gomes (10 Dollar Shake) and Chris Tonner (Executive Chef of La Stella / The Courtyard restaurants).

For photos of the event, please check out The Corpse & Cocktails Facebook page.

Corn and Oil

The Corn and Oil cocktail has rapidly become a favourite tipple of mine over the past few months. This simply made cocktail boasts a complex depth of flavour and when made with the right rum is an absolute delight. The drink calls for a rum with a strong molasses base and the falernum gives the extra punch. It is certainly not a beginners drink but if a Rum Old Fashion or an El Presidente are your choice of cocktails then this will definitely be a drink for you. I must admit the first time that I tried a Corn and Oil I was not that impressed, perhaps the first sip does not do it justice but as the drink goes on you will fall in love with it.

Traditionally the rum used in this cocktail is a dark rum. Havana 7 year old is acceptable but an even darker rum would be desirable. A friend of mine just sourced a rum from New Orleans called “Old New Orleans Rum.” In 1999 the first production of their white rum was released on the market. By the millennium they had added an Amber Rum (winner of 2007 American Distilling Institute Gold Medal for Aged Rum) and Cajun Spiced Rum. It was the spiced rum that my friend had sourced from New Orleans which I instantly thought would work perfectly in a Corn and Oil. Made from Black Strap Molasses its depth in character is unique as a spiced rum. On the nose it has a strong butterscotch and caramel smell. The combination of cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves creates a beautifully spiced flavour. It is certainly not over sweetened which I personally feel too many spice rums suffer from.

The choice of falernum is also vital when making a Corn and Oil. I seriously encourage you to attempt to make your own for the best results. Not only will it taste better and fresher you will have a feeling of satisfaction in your own creation. It also gives you creative freedom on how exactly you want it to taste. If however you want to use pre-bottled falernum John D. Taylor Falernum from Barbados would be ideal but this might be difficult to source in the U.K. You are looking for a well spiced version.

So this is the recipe that I would use for my Old New Orleans Cajun Spice Rum Corn and Oil. You can serve it straight up in a long steamed cocktail glass or follow the more traditional option of serving it over ice.


Corn and Oil

50ml Old New Orleans Cajun Spiced Rum
15ml Falernum
3-4 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Stirred and served over ice or straight up.

Check out http://www.neworleansrum.com/ for my information on Old New Orleans Rum

Ron de Jeremy

There is a new rum hitting the market and it has captured peoples attention exactly the way the marketing team would have dreamed! Ron de Jeremy, "the ADULT Rum," (surely all rum is for adults) the Rum of legendary Ron Jeremy is about to hit the UK market in the next month or so. Although, I have yet to taste this new rum I have heard that it is actually a well balance, full bodied rum. I have my doubts however when it comes to the marketing. Does a rum need the face of Ron Jeremy in order to sell? Does this not tarnish the good name of the Cuban Master Blender Francisco Fernandez? Traditionally, rums popularity is a result of years of hard work and the perfect balance of the spirit that they create. Ron de Jeremy seems almost like Vodka marketing with the use of a celebrity to ensure its success. We have ordered a couple of bottle for the bar which should arrive at the end of April. Curiousty will get the better of you so come taste Ron's Rum...

Check out these links for more info

http://www.refinedvices.com/ron-de-jeremy
http://www.rondejeremy.com

Whisky Lexicon - www.foodandwine.com.

This has been lifted straight from foodandwine.com and is a great simple guide to understanding American whiskey.

"Americans have been making whiskey for longer than the States have been United. Sometime in the late 18th century, a band of small-batch distillers fled to the Kentucky countryside, where corn was abundant and a new liquor tax—which had just spurred a bloody rebellion—was rarely enforced. They shipped their whiskey in charred oak barrels, which imparted an amber coloring and a pleasant, sweet-smoky flavor. Recognizing a good thing, they made some more and, with a stroke of marketing ingenuity, stamped the barrels with the whiskey's region of origin: "Old Bourbon."

Two hundred years later, Kentucky bourbon is still the king of American whiskey. But, spurred by changes in the laws, a passion for local ingredients and a love of history, craft distillers around the country—from New York and Colorado to Wisconsin and Oregon—are now producing exceptional spirits."

Whiskey Terms

Straight - Made from at least 51 percent of one grain (often barley, but also corn, wheat or rye), U.S. straight whiskeys must be aged in charred new oak barrels for at least 2 years.

Rye - A straight whiskey made from a grain mix of at least 51 percent rye.

Bourbon - A straight whiskey made from at least 51 percent corn.

Tennessee - Straight whiskey distilled in Tennessee and filtered through maple charcoal before aging.

Blended - A whiskey made from different grains and even by different distilleries.

Single Malt - A whiskey made by a single distillery, and distilled from a single malted grain.

White - Sometimes called light whiskey or even moonshine, white whiskey is clear because it is unaged, spending little to no time in the oak barrels that give aged whiskey its caramel color.

Angels Draft - The Bacardi Legacy.

Congratulations to my good friend Matthew Dakers of Mahiki, London who only last week won the Bacardi Legacy UK Final held at the Freemasons Hall, the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and the principal meeting place for Masonic Lodges in London.  Grand Lodge has been in Great Queen Street since 1775, the present Hall being the third building on the site.  The building is a magnificent example of art deco and was a fitting setting for a historic brand such as Bacardi.

Matthew’s drink, Angels’ Draft, was one of 3 drinks that won in 2010, picked from 7 regional winners, with the winning bartenders subsequently being given 1 year to promote their drink and make it into a new classic.  Matthew’s work revolved heavily around cocktail menu listings in great bars in cities such as Barcelona and London.  Scotland was represented by The Courtyard restaurant in Aberdeen and No. 40 cocktail bar in St Andrews.

Here is Matthew’s inspiration for his drink:

I am fascinated by the idea of the 'angels' share', that element of a spirit which evaporates during maturation and is lost from the barrel to who knows where.  When rum is matured in the heat of the Caribbean, as BACARDI Superior rum is, the rate of evaporation is around three to four times higher than in a cold climate like Scotland, so the Bacardi angels must be that much happier.

Ernest Hemingway used to enjoy drinking rum to inspire his writing. I love the idea that he might have appreciated my cocktail as a refreshing draft (inspired by his favourite rum cocktails, Daiquiri No.3 and the Mojito) as much as the rum angels swooping and whirling above his head.  Perhaps it would have moved him to wonderful flights of fanciful prose, hence Angels’ Draft.

Angels’ Draft

40ml BACARDI Superior rum

10ml Yellow Chartreuse

20ml lime juice

10ml honey

10ml egg white

1 dash grapefruit bitters

2-3 mint leaves

Method: Shake all ingredients with cubed ice and fine-strain into a chilled coupette glass, garnish with a grapefruit zest sprayed around the glass and then discard, add a mint leaf to finish.

Editor Note: My opinion on this is that it is a very more-ish drink with a great mouth feel and less sharp than the likes of the Daiquiri.  This is a very accessible cocktail for those who have perhaps avoided the allure of rum in the past.  5/5

Great Chieftain O' The Puddin Race!

As many of you may know tomorrow is an important date for all Scots as we celebrate the life of one of our nations greatest sons. His poetry is synonymous with the Scottish people so to honour him we created a cocktail menu using an array of Scottish ingredients. We sampled the list at Corpse and Cocktail yesterday evening and received a lot of positive feed back. The cocktails featured a Blackwood’s Shetland Gin Martini with a dash of Elderflower, the classic Rusty Nail and a Manhattan with a dot of Irn Bru syrup to sweeten it. Obviously a menu designed to catch your attention as Burns himself often intended in his works. There is one drink that I want to share with you and because of its obscurity it is definitely worth a try. It is our twist on a Whisky Sour made with Chivas Regal 12 Year Old, fresh lemon juice, sugar, a dash of egg white and a Tonic Wine float. Yes that’s right a Buckfast float on our Scottish sour. As Glasgow’s largest import we felt it was a fitting finish to this drink and the cocktail menu. So come along to 99 to celebrate Burns night with us and try one of our cocktails dedicated to The Bard. Hopefully you’ll have as good a night as Tam O’Shanter.

Despondency, an Ode

50ml Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
25ml Fresh Lemon Juice
12.5ml Sugar Syrup
12.5ml Fresh Egg White
12.5ml Buckfast Float

Dry shake and the wet shake. Single strain over ice in a rocks glass and serve with a lemon twist.

Hallelujah! The Mojito's Are On Me...!

Ladies and gentlemen, remember this day.  Bacardi have somersaulted into my good books.  Bacardi was a brand who's stylish ad campaigns (see "True Originals") always impressed me, but the product never did.  Not that it is not a good product, I wasn't sure where it fitted in cocktail-wise as the rum category is amazingly diverse and top-heavy with great brands.

Now, I get it.  The Bacardi Mojito (in a bottle) is the answer to my (and your) prayers.  Next time a chump comes up and asks for 4 mojitos, I'm going whip my bar blade out my pocket and whack off the lids on four of these bad boys.  "There you go.  £24 please."

Now before you start calling me pretentious and a snob, that is not the case at all.  I'll actually enjoy making one of these for the first time in a long-time when someone asks for an Appleton's Mojito, or a Rhum Acricole Mojito.  That shows that someone is drinking something that they didn't just see on a billboard, but can appreciate the fact that the Mojito is indeed a great classic cocktail.  The chump that asks for "4 fajitas" wouldn't know the difference between the contents of this bottle and a finely-balanced labour of love.  I'm going to rep these big-time!  Bacardi, you are back in the circle of trust.

More here: http://barmagazine.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/bacardi-unveils-mojito-and-cuba-libre-in-a-bottle/

Salt and Lime Please!

After a busy festive period I have finally been able to start experimenting and have a bit of a play around in the bar again. I was rather randomly approached by a customer to create a “green” cocktail for his wives birthday. Refusing to settle for crème de menthe or green food dye I began to think about how I could colour the cocktail. I must admit it was a strange request but I’m never one to turn down a challenge. The solution to this obscure problem was a Green Tea Daiquiri which featured on our Rumour menu for the Japanese themed weekend. This inspired me to start trying different spirits with a home made green tea syrup. I used the zest of one and a half limes and four green tea bags and added them to 300ml of stock syrup. I left this to stew on a hot plate heating it thoroughly for a number of hours before passing it through a fine strainer to remove any bits. The colour differed greatly from that of Monin Green Tea Syrup which I have used in the past. However, I am led to believe that they use artificial colourings to produce such vibrancy in their syrup.

I fell across the idea of a Green Tea Tequila Old Fashioned but never found a specific recipe for it. The idea intrigued me. I thought, like tea, that green tea would be over powered by dark spirits but when mixed with aged tequila the result is rather surprising. Firstly, I tried a combination of 50ml Don Julio Anejo, 10ml Cointreau and 20ml Green Tea Syrup. It is a very unusually fresh flavour and the Green Tea works well with Tequila. The drink was unfortunately lacking that killer punch I was hoping for, something that would truly compliment the green tea and not over shadow the tequila. I decided on Yellow Chartreuse as my substitute for Cointreau and slightly reduced the volume of syrup otherwise it would have been far too sweet. This herbaceous cocktail is well worth a try. It will help erase any negative connotations that you have of tequila This drink along with almost every tequila cocktail will have you questioning what tequila is. Great time and care is attentively put into making an Anejo (Aged) or Resposado (Rested) Tequila like that of a beautifully aged Rum or Whisky. So I beg of you to throw away the salt and lime, and please take the same attention that the creator of a good tequila does when you serve or drink this misunderstood spirit. Seriously what’s the worst that can happen? You might even enjoy it.

Green Tea Tequila Old Fashioned:

50ml Don Julio Anejo
10ml Yellow Chartreuse
12.5ml Green Tea Syrup

Stir and serve over ice with a Lime twist

Velvet Falernum & The Swizzle

Velvet Falernum is a liqueur from Barbados used in the Swizzle-style of drinks (so-called because of the swizzle stick used to swizzle them).

Due to a lack of availability from Ninety-Nine's suppliers, we've decided to make our own. The liqueur has notes of ginger, lime, almond and cloves - all readily available ingredients - backed up by some Wray & Nephew Overproof rum (if you're making the alcoholic version which we are...obviously).

Keep an eye out on the backbar at the Corpse & Cocktail for the Falernum's arrival. We also have another homemade liqueur in the pipeline...

In the meantime, check out this recipe for one of the most well-known swizzle drinks, the Queen's Park Swizzle from the Queen's Park Hotel in Trinidad.

Queen's Park Swizzle

40ml Mount Gay Extra Old rum

15ml Velvet Falernum

25ml fresh lime juice

10ml demerara sugar syrup

10 mint leaves
Dash of Angostura Bitters

Add ingredients to a sling glass and top up with crushed ice to the 3/4 mark.  Swizzle the ingredients and finish off with more crushed ice and a mint sprig.  Leave the swizzle in and serve with a straw.

Guest Bartender: Andy Stewart.

Name: Andy Stewart

Year’s bartending: Coming on for 8 years now.

Favourite tool (behind a bar): A decent bar spoon where the spiral is just right and the spoon bowl fits beautifully. Having said that, I do love my PUG muddler.

Most useless tool (behind a bar): Those pointless little citrus presses, especially if they're shaped like a fish! I have opposable thumbs you know, even if I am from the NE of Scotland

Your secret ingredient: Bitters. I fricking love them. They can add so much more to a drink or they can blend disparate ingredients together seamlessly.

Mojito or NO-jito? That's a toughy. It's a much maligned drink, but at the end of the day it's pretty basic and no more time consuming than say a Bramble, yet we, as bar tenders, hate them. Guess it's because it's a fashion drink: "Aye min, gies 10 Modge-Eetos, like". I'm going say No-jito for this.

Preferred spirit/drink: Rum. That is all. :) Something like a Matusalem Gran Reserva is ideal - if you're offering? Cocktail-wise: I'll gladly live on Sazeracs.

Most disgusting find at the end of a shift: Christ, where to begin. Any night of the week regards the toilets in Cafe Drummonds? The humping couple down the backstairs where she had more facial hair than him? Funniest would be coming in one morning to (unnamed venue) to find one of the staff had left her bra and pants behind after an intimate tête-à-tête the night before after locking up.

Thanks Andy!  I've had the pleasure of working with Andy twice now (Snafu and Rumour), and aside from his weird greetings ("alright *sweetheart/sugarcup/sweet-cheeks" - *delete as appropriate), there isn't anyone more passionate about good drinks.  You guys are in for a treat!

Andy will be guest bartending and presenting his cocktail list this Sunday 9th Jan at the Corpse & Cocktail.  Expect the expected (Sazerac) and the unexpected (any cocktail other than a Sazerac).

Hogmanay 2010 @ 99.

Pomegranate & Ginger Mimosa Punch.

Pomegranate & Ginger Mimosa

50ml Kings Ginger liqueur
50ml Grenadine
Top with equal parts orange juice and Prosecco

Add a couple of scoops of ice, some orange slices and other fruit. Serve with flutes or wine glasses.

Jump on Board Old Mr Boston's Sidecar

The first drink that I want to share with you from “Old Mr Boston’s Official Bartender’s Guide” is a simple forgotten twist on a Sidecar. I just can’t understand how this spin-off of such a well-renowned cocktail has sadly grown out of favour, whilst its founding father relentlessly appears on thousands of cocktail menus around the world. The better known cocktail Between the Sheets, also known as a Maiden’s Prayer, is still popular today and is perhaps the closest cocktail to the Boston Sidecar. The only main difference is swapping out the lemon juice for lime juice and adding a dash of Demerara sugar syrup which complements the use of dark spirits, especially the rum. For any rum enthusiast this is a must try, a phrase, I admit, I use sparingly. However, this drink offers, for me, something different from your typical rum cocktail. It’s simple balance of rum, brandy and triple sec in equal measures is elegantly light, fresh and crisp. What more could you ask for?


Boston Sidecar:

20ml Slightly Aged Rum (10 Cane Rum)
20ml Brandy
20ml Triple Sec
12.5ml Lime
10ml Demerara Sugar Syrup

Shake well and serve in a chilled coupette with an orange twists.
If you are feeling adventurous we have been playing about with flaming zests of fruits over a glass to create an aroma, This would be perfect if can find a nice ripe to slightly over rip lime and flamed the zest of it over the drink and rimming the glass with it.

Christmas Jumpers!

For all those planning on heading down to The Corpse & Cocktail tonight, please take heed of this gentleman above. He is sporting a magnificent specimen of the kind of attire we would like to see a-plenty of tonight. We bartenders will certainly be abiding by our self-imposed dress code and we expect the patrons of our establishment to follow suit. Remember, you're only silly if you look different...

Here are a couple of the recipes we'll be warming you up with tonight:

Brandy Alexander
Okay, so we'll be serving this chilled, so not exactly warming you up with this one - anyway, your jumper should keep you warm enough.

50ml Martell VSOP

12.5ml White Creme de Cacao

12.5ml Brown Creme de Cacao

25ml half n' half (milk + cream)

Shake ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled coupette.  Sprinkle with freshly-grated nutmeg.

Washington Hot Toddy

So-called due to this recipe being found in the Washington Post.  Sorry the background story isn't more exciting.  Not sure exactly why Mike was reading the Washington Post.  I never asked.

40ml Goslings Black Seal Rum

15ml King's Ginger liqueur

60ml hot water

Build in a teacup or heat-proof glass (with handle...!).  Stir and garnish with a lemon peel.

Hopefully see a good few of you down tonight.  Merry Christmas from the Corpse & Cocktail.

Mulled Wine...The Swedish Way.

Surprisingly, the few shifts I have done at 99 recently have seen a higher-than-expected number of patrons asking for a warm festive drink.  As an experiment, a small batch of mulled wine was hand-crafted in the kitchen.  It proceeded to sell very well leading us to devise a warm festive menu for this Sunday’s Corpse & Cocktail.

All over the world, different cultures have some sort of variation of mulled wine.  The Germans have glühwein, the Croats kuhano vino  and the Swedish, Glögg.  It is Glögg that we will be serving on the menu this Sunday. Like many of these drinks, there is no set recipe and you really can experiment with a variety of fruits, spices and alcohol to obtain wonderful results. Use the following recipe as a guide rather than one to follow to the letter:

Glögg

(taken from “Swedish Recipes Old and New” by Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, 1955)

15 Blanched Almonds

0.5 Cup Raisins

4 Cups Red Wine (Australian Shiraz recommended)

4 Cardamom Pods

3 Whole Cloves

1.5 inch stick Cinnamon

0.25 Cup mix of Dried Apricots and Candied Orange Peel (see below)

0.75 Cup Brown Sugar (Demerara Sugar)

Peel of one-quarter Orange

1 Cup Martell VSOP

Add the almonds and raisins to the wine. Break open the cardamom pods.  Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, raisins, candied orange peels, and dried apricots to a cheesecloth bag, tie closed, and add to the wine.

In a separate bowl, cover orange peel with the sugar.

Let all of the above stand overnight.

The next day: Heat wine mixture slowly to simmering.  Do not allow to boil. Stir in sugar and orange peels until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Stir in brandy.  Remove cheesecloth bag.

Ignite liquid, allowing it to burn for a 1 or 2 seconds, then extinguish (you do not want to burn off the alcohol completely) by covering the pot.

Remove orange peels if Glӧgg is going to sit for more than a few hours. Serve warm with a few raisins and almonds in the bottom of the glass.

Thanks to 12bottlebar.com for this.  God Jul (Merry Christmas).