Imbibist

OK, summer is not here quite yet, technically speaking. But the weather has been beautiful, save a few rainy days. Seventy-four degrees just the other day. That’s only seven or eight degrees cooler than it will be on an average day in July here. And I’ve already attended – check that, hosted – a weekend pool party, and that was in late March.
 

So as far as I’m concerned, Summer is Here.
 

Which has me thinking about summer drinks. Many a whiskey lover will agree it is a difficult beverage to tolerate on a warm and bright day. Same goes for brandy. Gins, rums, and tequilas tend to excel in these conditions, which is why so many of the summer classics – your pisco sours, daiquiris, margaritas, and the like – are based on these spirits. My favorite summertime concoction, however, is not based on one of the clear liquors. It’s not even a cocktail, by definition, but a highball.
 

I’m talking about the Pimm’s Cup.
 

Yeah, yeah, I know. Pimm’s is a gin based liqueur. But it’s far from gin… you wouldn’t make a martini with it.
 

Why I love this tipple so much, I am not sure. Perhaps it’s the fresh cucumber. Maybe the ginger beer. Or it could be the memories and anticipations of past and future trips to New Orleans, a veritable center of drinking on this fine planet. Regardless, below is my personal take on this classic.
 

Pimm’s Cup
2 oz Pimm’s No. 1 Original Cup
Cock’n Bull Ginger Beer
Fresh Cucumber
 

Lightly muddle a cucumber slice or two in the bottom of a highball glass. Fill with ice. Add Pimm’s, and top off with the Ginger Beer. Give it a stir, and garnish with another cucumber slice. Consume. Repeat until tipsy.

Understand that it’s the ginger beer that will make the drink. I’ve played around with a few different brands, including Reed’s and Bundaberg, but I find the spiciness of Cock’n Bull essential in separating my version from the kid drinks. Perhaps one day I’ll shell out the $2.55 for a single bottle of Blenheim’s, but until then…
 

Just mixed a Last Word using Luxardo Perla Dry instead of their standard Maraschino. The Perla’s higher ABV can’t be missed. At this point, the process of finding the Perla Dry is more compelling than this drink.

You didn’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras either. Oh well, we can pretend. And what better way to pretend than by mixing an original New Orleans cocktail. Walter Bergeron, once the head barkeep at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, created the Vieux Carré cocktail sometime in the early 20th Century.
 

Vieux Carré Cocktail. Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans.

Le Vieux Carré translates from French to “the Old Square,” and Bergeron supposedly created the drink in honor of the neighborhood us English speakers refer to as the French Quarter. The Vieux Carre pictured above was mixed for me by the great Marvin Allen at the Carousel Bar, located inside the hotel where the drink itself was born. As Marvin warned me, it’s more of a night drink, but feel free to mix one up for lunch today if you are so inclined.
 

Vieux Carré Cocktail

From Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.
 

1 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Cognac
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1/2 teaspoon Benedictine
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
 

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

November and December are such abusive months, with the chocolates and booze and Christmas Ducks and booze and stuffing and booze and bread puddings and booze and wine and booze and beer. Not to mention the potlucks and champagne. Really. Like many others – and I’m glad I’m not alone on this one – I treat January as a month of repentance, where a restrictive diet is implemented with the hope of once again fitting comfortably into my own clothing. Part of this restrictive diet is abstinence from drinking alcohol, which for the most part is just fine. Heck, after the extended New Years weekend, I didn’t want to smell alcohol for a week. But here it is, January 18, and I’m ready for a drink. But the scale and my still-tight-fitting-pants say that I’m not. What to do, what to do…
 

Well, unlike the rest of you schleps, I’m sticking to my guns. I’m gonna fit back into my own clothes, damnit. And that’s where the mocktail comes in. I’m sure this drink has a proper name, but I don’t really care to find out.
 

The Simple Mocktail
Club Soda
Bitters (Angostura, Peychaud’s, Orange, Whatever…)
 

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add a few shakes of bitters. Top off with club soda. Weep in repentance.

These innocuous, near-zero-calorie potions are being consumed at a feverish rate here at headquarters. Pathetic, yes, but necessary. Oh so necessary. Thank heavens the Superbowl is in February.

As an avid gambler, stock trader, and experienced human being, I’m quite familiar with the worn old adage, “It’s better to be lucky than good.” Again we see luck prevail over talent as I present the first (and only?) cocktail based on my pumpkin spiced bourbon: the Fall Back.
 

The Fall Back - Served in a Promotional Vodka Glass

There’s nothing overly dynamic in this drink recipe.  The flavors compliment one another in a way that is familiar to one’s palate in the autumn. The result is simple and comforting, without being overly sweet. Sorority girls beware.

The Fall Back
 

2.5 oz. Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon
1/4 oz. Cointreau
1/4 oz. Maple Syrup
3 shakes Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6
 

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Flame an orange zest over the drink and float it on top.

Drink these up quickly, though.  By the time January rolls on in, you’ll be ready to shelve All Things Pumpkin for another nine months.