Bar Exam: Three To One Cocktail

I decided to take another opportunity to delve into Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh's ever-inspiring book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" because I was, well, thirsty. Not for just anything, mind you. This particular thirst was demanding something gin-ish, as my thirst so often does. Something simple, fast, and hopefully delicious presented itself on page 268 of Haigh's book. The Three to One Cocktail was reportedly served at the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar before prohibition. It is the epitome of why I love classic cocktails: very few ingredients coming together in a perfect balance. The herbal tang of gin balanced with the sweet-sour of the brandy and lime. Delicious! Plus the manageable size of this cocktail, and yet another reason to love these old drinks, promises that your drink stays cold through to the end, and is a small enough serving that should you be of the mind for another (and trust me, you will!), it is well within reason.
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Three To One Cocktail
from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails/Ted Haigh

ingredients:
1-1/2 oz. gin (preferably 100 proof)...I used Tanqueray which was delicious- bb
3/4 oz. Marie Brizard Apry
Juice of 1/2 lime

method:
Fill cocktail shaker half full of ice, add ingredients, shake to chill., and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Drink notes:
From Haigh's recipe: "I like a powerful gin in this cocktail to stand up to the rich, sweet flavor of the apricot liqueur and the acid of the lime."
On the apricot liqueur, the Marie Brizard is hard to find, at least here in Portland, but is worth searching out. Other cheaper brands can be too sweet and cloying, throwing off the balance of these simple cocktails.- bb

Bar Exam: The Derby Cocktail

With the paucity of posts going on here you might think I've been getting my drink on a bit too much. Such is not the case. Just the usual amount of drinkable...and edible...indulgences going on. Whether that is too much or not I'll leave to my doctor. Like he knows anything! Someone who does know a thing or two is the author of perhaps the most inspirational guide to better living I've read in a long time.

Why he hasn't been on Oprah I have no idea, but Ted Haigh, author of "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" certainly should get the call. Haigh, also known as Dr. Cocktail (his parents must be SO proud!) has written a cheeky, clever, very well researched, and all too useful guide to home improvement with his adult beverage-filled bible. The book was given to me by my compadre and kindred spirit K, who is known around here as "Mr. Manhattan" (and frankly whether his mother is proud of that or not I could care less as long as he keeps mixing them up), and is a man with a keen insight into why this subject is so important.

Considering the amount of temptation contained within the liquor stained pages of "VS & FC" the fact that I have remained relatively sober...and that is a very relative term...since receiving this book is remarkable. Especially since so many recipes, like the following for a fabulously delicious summer cocktail called The Derby, are just begging to be tried. The Derby was interesting to me because of its mixing of bourbon and lime. I usually relegate most of my bourbon and other brown liquor consumption to cooler months, but something about this one called to me after a hard slog at the wine shack on an early July evening. I mixed it up, after a run to the candy....er, liquor store...to grab some orange curaçao, the one ingredient I was missing. I poured, mixed, and strained and immediately was rewarded with one of the most enlightening drinks I've had in a long time. The lime juice provides just the right "lift" to the bourbon and a sharp counterpoint to the sweet vermouth, making this nothing less than an exceptional summer sipper. See for yourself, and maybe enjoy one or two while reading "VS & FC" and finding your own inspiration!
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The Derby

makes 1 cocktail
ingredients:
1 ounce bourbon (or rye)
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce orange curaçao
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

method:
Add al ingredients to an iced cocktail shaker, shake vigorously for 20 or 30 seconds, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with lime...perhaps a bit smaller piece than the one pictured!