Pineapple Tamboo

Spiced rum – you either love it or hate it. And when it's a good one, I absolutely love it. Angostura is famous for its aromatic bitters, used in lots of classic cocktail recipes. But did you know they also make excellent quality rum? Their latest creation is Angostura Tamboo, a golden spiced rum infused with Caribbean spices. I always start with a straight sip to savor all the flavors, and let me tell you, I fell head over heels for this bottle.

Tamboo takes its name from the bamboo drum that's been setting the beat for Trinidad and Tobago's street carnivals since 1884. You don't need much to make a spiced rum shine – just a touch of sweetness and a squeeze of lime, and you've got yourself a fantastic drink. Personally, I kicked it up a notch to kickstart my summer.

On the side, I've got a little bowl of 'Happy Hippo' roasted nuts by The Nutty Farmer, Frederik Bostyn. These fairtrade cashew nuts come all the way from Burkina Faso, roasted to perfection in the oven, and seasoned with a delicious blend of oriental spices and pomegranate. Trust me, it's the perfect accompaniment to enjoy with your spiced rum.

Pineapple Tamboo

Ingredients

50ml Angostura Tamboo Spiced Rum

40ml Pineapple juice

20ml Lime juice

10ml Sugarcane syrup

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with orange and a cocktail cherry. Cheers.

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

The Forbidden Sour

During the exciting 'Roaring 20s' era, hidden bars called speakeasies became very popular. Bartenders would add juices to illegally made moonshine to hide its poor quality. This clever trick made mixed drinks more enjoyable and led to the creation of many classic cocktails that are still popular today. Now, let's focus on a refreshing fruity drink that is best enjoyed on a hot day.

The Forbidden Sour

Ingredients

30ml Larceny Bourbon

30ml Pama Pomegranate Liqueur

15ml Simple syrup

15ml Lime juice

Method

To create this drink, simply add all ingredients to a shaker filled generously with ice. Give it a vigorous shake until the shaker reaches a frosty chill. Then, strain the mixture into an Old Fashioned glass that boasts a large, crystal-clear ice cube. Finally, add a touch of visual appeal by garnishing the drink with cranberries or pomegranate seeds. Cheers!

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Bourbon, Rye and Tacos in Bruges

Was I interested in joining the boss of Brown-Forman Belgium (the company that owns brands like Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniel’s) for some drinks and bites in Bruges? You bet I was. 

This weekend I jumped on the train to the other side of the country to visit Bar Ran (cocktailbar) and MAS (restaurant), both owned by Ran Van Ongevalle, member of the well-known ex-Pharmacy family from Knokke. 

For this special event, Bruno, the chef of Bistro Bruut took over the MAS-kitchen for a delicious range of tacos. Ran and his wife Janah, both behind the bar, mixed up delicious drinks based on Woodford Reserve whiskey. 

But first things first. Together with my blogger-buddy Mickael - The Campfire Dram - we met up with the Brown-Forman team at Bar Ran for a quick aperitif. We decided to order several Woodford-based cocktails from the menu, so we could share sips and taste all of them. 

• Vieux Carré (Woodford Rye, Remy Martin Cognac, Martini Rubino, Benedictine, bitters)
• Heartbreaker (Woodford Rye, Martini Rubino, Lemon, Cherry Soda)
• Blinker (Woodford Rye, Grapefruit juice, pomegranate)
• St. Lawrence (Woodford Bourbon, Maple Syrup, Lemon)

I wonder if the Heartbreaker is linked to Ran’s sister Hannah, who is also known as “Hannah Heartbreaker” in the world of bartending…

After a few great sips, we walked over to MAS. Have you ever seen those long queues outside bars and restaurants in Hollywood movies? Last night this was actually happening at MAS. When the doors opened at 6 pm, people entered the restaurant like a Tsunami-wave. In just a few seconds all seats were taken. Never seen this before in Belgium. 

For this special event, there were three Woodford cocktails on the menu, to accompany the tacos. 

• Woodford Bourbon, Eucalyptus, Lillet, frozen.
• Woodford Rye, Roasted Coconut, Cold Brew Milky Oolong, draft.
• Woodford Bourbon, Jalapeño, Pickle Juice, Ginger-Ale.

But they also had a special range of picklebacks, which we (of course!) also tasted. In case you never had a pickleback, it’s a shot of whiskey together with a shot of brine. In this case, the brines were Jalapeño, red cabbage, lemongrass and chilli or magnolia. Very interesting combinations. 

After this great experience, we returned to Bar Ran, where I discovered one more Woodford drink on the menu… and it was one of my all-time favourites.

• Sazerac (Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, Woodford Rye, Sugar, Bitters, Absinthe)

Big thank you to Brown-Forman Belgium, to Vincent for the invitation and to Mickael for the great company. This “tacover” was a one-time thing, but I’m sure Ran and his team will offer much more of these special nights. Keep an eye on their socials. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Shanghai Mist

Whenever I receive a bottle of spirit with a very specific scent or flavour, it’s actually fun to experiment with combinations. 

I know that a sour base always seems to work, but this time I wanted to stay away from that classic path. 

Panda Gin is not your average gin. It’s a Belgian organic gin packed with flavours from the botanicals used in the production process. The juniper berries are crushed and macerated in basic alcohol before they are added to the still. Next comes the infusion with litchi, cherry, orange peel, star anise and a few undisclosed botanicals. 

The result is a spirit with very rich and fruity notes. Delicate plants like rosemary and basil are macerated separately before being added to the mix. This gin is distilled 6 times in a continuous still. In my personal opinion, this gin has a very oriental style and I decided to work on that. 

Another nice gimmick, I fed the description and the list of ingredients into an artificial intelligence chat server and asked for a suggestion for the name of the drink. I think "Shanghai Mist" was just perfect. 

Shanghai Mist

Ingredients

40ml Panda Gin

30ml Lillet Blanc

30ml Déjà-vu Oriental aperitif     

1d orange bitters

Method

Add the three ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Give it a good stir for 12 to 15 seconds. Strain into a tumbler with a big rock of clear ice. Garnish with dehydrated blood orange or a beautiful flower. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Prepare for the old and rare – My visit to the Spirits Inn Beringen festival (6th edition)

Something to look forward to, year after year. The small but cosy spirits festival at CC Casino, in the heart of the “coal history” area of Beringen. A festival organised by the local whisky club and famous for the old and rare bottlings that are always present, open and ready for tasting. 

Directly upon entrance, my eye spotted “keeper of the quaich”, Geert De Bolle. Indeed, this whisky reseller is honoured and recognized by the exclusive international society which awards those who have shown an outstanding commitment to the Scotch Whisky Industry.

His table displayed a rich plethora of spirits, but I was attracted to one dark bottle. This bottle of 30y old Bowmore seemed to be the most expensive drink present at the festival today. A small tasting sample would set you back no less than 90 coins, which each represent the same value in euros. The most expensive dram of the festival, but also the rarest, oldest or most special? I don’t think so. 

In the back room, I had a chat with Stephen Randles, export sales manager for Boann Distillery (Ireland), today showcasing an amazing array of The Whistler, lots of bottles with different and somewhat special cask finishes. 

I decided to sample a flavour of his whisky, which received after 4,5 years of ageing an additional “Imperial Stout Finish”. I tasted some very fresh notes which would not be too bad to use this dram as an aperitif before a BBQ with a huge piece of meat in a sweet and tasty rub.

Also in the back room, Chris Lauriers, a walking whisky-encyclopaedia with whom I often work at Cinoco masterclasses. Here he was representing the Scotch Whisky Society, but I saw him sneaking away to sample some delicious spirits from other tables himself. Smart bloke indeed. Keep building that knowledge, Chris! 

Upon returning to the front room, I stopped by the table of Jeroen Aerts, I visited his distillery - ‘t Aerts Paradijs -  half a year ago and I remember that I sampled his “not yet whisky”, straight from the cask. Today I got another cask sample, the golden liquid is now exactly one year old and still in the cask. Very promising, very malty. I look forward to the result after three full years, but also to sampling and comparing the cask samples over the next two years. 

Cognac is also a strong asset for this festival. After tasting Malternative’s newest bottle (in a collaboration with Asta Morris), we headed over to Ivo Drabs, who (again!) gets my personal award for the most special bottle of the festival. 

After my tasting glass was rinsed with one of his cheaper bottles (I’m not kidding!), Ivo poured me a dram of his very last tasting bottle of Cognac Mauxion Sélection Bons Bois, distilled in 1900. Yes, you read that right. Distilled in the year 1900!!!. A staggering 123 years ago, my grandparents weren’t even born yet. This spirit has aged for 70 years in an oak barrel, then another 52 years in dame-jeannes (a double ageing process they seem to apply for Cognac). Last year Ivo bought one of the remaining dame-jeannes and bottled 42 bottles at 48,2% alcohol. As said, this was the very last bottle of that batch, but Ivo recently bought a second identical dame-jeanne (probably the last of its kind), which is being bottled as we speak, this time in a more luxurious edition. 

Was this the oldest spirit of the festival? Without any doubt. Was it any good? The spirit still had punch, but no aggressive burning that stuns your tastebuds, like some cognacs tend to do. This one is all flavour and taste. Fruity and fresh with tones of peaches and figs, what you probably wouldn’t expect from such an old spirit. This is one of the best spirits I have ever tasted. A unique experience for sure. 

Of course, this wasn’t all there was available to sample, I just tried to detect the most special bottles in the room, but that’s of course a personal opinion slightly guided by some of my friends who were organising this festival. If you want to see or learn more, visit this festival next year!

Best of two worlds

I often get inspired by things I spot online or read in books and newspapers, but always try to do my own thing. This recipe is adapted from a couple of drinks I saw online. This drink is a combination of American Rye and Japanese Blended whisky. I wanted to keep it in the Old Fashioned style but picked very fresh citrussy bitters of kalamansi and grapefruit. The result is a very Japanese style of Old Fashioned, but with the spicy notes of the rye whiskey.

Best of two worlds

Ingredients

40 ml American Rye Whiskey

20 ml Japanese Blended whisky

7 ml Simple syrup

2 dashes of kalamansi bitters

2 dashes of grapefruit bitters

Method

Add everything to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain over fresh ice in a tumbler. Garnish with a dehydrated slice of blood orange. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Easter Mimosa

My better half created a tasty easter lunch for her foodblog, combining several dishes sweet and savoury. She asked me to mix up a drink to accompany those delicious foods. The drink that works best for such a feast is of course a Mimosa. I balanced the taste to match with the foods. 

Remark: if you serve this drink as a cocktail, you could add half a shot of vodka.

Easter Mimosa

Ingredients

20 to 30 ml Fresh orange juice (chilled)

20 ml Orange Curacao

Prosecco

Method

This is one of the easiest mixed drinks. Add orange juice and orange curacao to your Champagne glass. Top with good quality Prosecco. Give it just one or two gentle stirs to mix.

 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Spring Break

I have worked with Caraïbos juices before, but I was slightly intrigued when I saw this bottle of “Sex on the beach”-juice in my local liqueur store. This mixed juice is made with a puree of pineapple, cranberry, melon, peach, sugar and some acidity for balance. It’s a juice especially created to mix up easy “Sex on the beach” cocktails, by just adding 40 ml vodka to 120 ml of this juice. But that’s cutting it a bit short in my opinion.

FYI: The “Sex on the beach” cocktail is registered at the International Bartenders Association as an alcoholic cocktail containing 40 ml vodka, 20 ml peach schnapps, 40 ml fresh orange juice and 40 ml cranberry juice. 

I decided to make my variation on this classic and stay true to the story behind this drink. The original drink was invented in San Francisco in 1980 and was a real party drink during spring break. Since then several versions of the recipe have been around. 

My variation is based on Jenever and balanced to be served in a coppa- or wineglass with lots of ice. The strong fruity flavours might give you the impression that it’s a sweet drink, but after a second sip, you’ll realise that this isn’t the case. 

About the image: My wife loves to sketch and draw things, so I asked her to draw my drink.

Spring Break

Ingredients

50 ml Fryns Premium Jenever

40 ml Caraïbos “Sex on the beach” (mixed juice)

30 ml Fresh lemon juice

10 ml Simple syrup

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Give it a good shake for 15 seconds and strain over fresh ice in a coppa glass or a large wine glass. Garnish with blood orange. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Southern aperitivo

Spring has finally arrived and admit it, you automatically start dreaming of summer holidays and southern aperitivo moments. That thought was enough to start exploring flavours. 

I mixed up a fantastic Negroni-style drink and together with my wife I've put together a great aperitivo plate with pickled vegetables by Camps, sardines in olive oil and a delicious homemade mayonnaise. 

"Bourbon forward" Boulevardier

Ingredients
50 ml Bourbon
30 ml Red Italian vermouth
30 ml Red Italian bitter

Method
Add the ingredients to a tumbler with ice. Stir for 15 seconds. Garnish with blood orange. 

Balsamic-Parmesan Mayonnaise

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
300 ml Olive oil
1 table spoon lime juice
1 teaspoon mustard
2 table spoons grated parmesan cheese
1 rasped clove of Garlick
5 anchovies 
Cayenne pepper
Pepper and salt

Method
Mix a mayonnaise with the egg yolks, lime juice, mustard and olive oil. We used the emersion blender. We use a small high container, add everything and mix it from bottom to top until the mayonnaise is nice and thick. 

Add the extra ingredients, mix again until completely blended. Season with pepper, salt and a tiny bit of cayenne pepper. 

You can find the recipe in Dutch at Tineke's Cucina. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Mister Campbell

The Manhattan is a classic recipe that really invited us to experiment. In the Peaky Blinders cocktail book, I discovered another delicious beauty. In this case flavours of absinthe and Benedictine are added to the core recipe. I decided to pick an American Rye whiskey for my drink, which has slightly more sweetness.

Mister Campbell

Ingredients
2 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
20 ml Red Italian vermouth
30 ml Bénédictine
40 ml Knob Creek Rye whiskey
Absinthe for a rinse

Method
For this recipe, you need a Martini glass or coupe. Rinse the glass with a little bit of absinthe (or spray it, which often works better) and cool the glass with ice. 

Add all other ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir with a barspoon for 15 seconds. Remove the ice from your glass and strain your drink into the glass. If you have a spray bottle with absinthe, finish with another spray of absinthe over the glass. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Brooklyn

Angostura aromatic bitters are probably among the very first bitters that were ever used to prepare mixed drinks. And even today they still seem to be the salt and pepper used to season drinks by any bartender around the world. While you have a choice in hundreds of different bitters today, the original Angostura aromatical bitters are still the preferred bitters for a wide array of drinks. 

The Brooklyn is a variation on the Manhattan, adding the sweetness of Maraschino liqueur to the recipe. Again a recipe that will work much better with slightly higher proof whisky. (100-110 Proof would be a much better choice than 80 proof in this case). 

Brooklyn

Ingredients

60 ml Rye Whiskey (higher proof is better!)

30 ml Red Italian vermouth

20 ml Maraschino liqueur

2 dashes of Angostura aromatical bitters

Method

Add everything to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake and strain into a chilled tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. Add a few drops of cherry syrup.

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Monkey Gland

I already told you about the fact that in the roaring 20s, spirits were often mixed with sugar, sweet vermouths and juices to conceal the poor quality of the spirit. 

This probably happened in almost every (speakeasy) bar at that time. But some of those bars tried to uplift the recipes by adding other flavourful and aromatic ingredients such as Absinthe. 

This mixed drink of a very nice example of such a recipe. And do have a good look at the coupe, it’s a thrift shop find that might as well data back to those exciting years. 

Monkey Gland

Ingredients

60 ml Dry Gin

20 ml Fresh orange juice

5 ml Grenadine syrup

2,5 ml Simple syrup

3 dashes of Absinthe

Method

First, we prepare the coupe by either rinsing it with a few dashes of absinthe or just spraying the interior of the glass. I always have a small spray bottle with absinthe on my bar which makes life easier. Add ice to cool down the glass. 

Add all other ingredients (so, everything but the absinthe) to your shaker with enough ice. Give it a good shake and double strain it into the chilled coupe (remove ice first!). Garnish with a nice piece of orange peel. Unfortunately, I had no fresh oranges left, so I used a dehydrated slice. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Angel

When we mix a longdrink with rum, the mixers that first come to mind are coke (Cuba Libre!!!), ginger-ale or ginger beer. In this Gatsby-style highball drink we use tonic. The combination of rum and tonic was a bit new and unusual for me, but your tastebuds adapt pretty fast. 

Without the intention to stereotype, I do feel this is a nice aperitif which will probably be liked by most ladies at your next “roaring 20s”-party. 

Angel

Ingredients

50 ml Havana Club 5y Rum 

10 ml House of Broughton Rose syrup

Tonic

Method

This hassle-free drink can be built directly into your longdrink glass. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add rum and syrup, top with tonic. Give it a few gentle stirs. Possible garnish: a dried rosebud.

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Classy drinks from Babylon, the movie

This year (and maybe even longer because I absolutely love it…) Double Strainger will focus on the ‘roaring 20s’. I will spotlight and create prohibition and speakeasy-style drinks and think about how drinks were mixed and served in that specific period in time. 

I’m incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to work with Paramount Pictures for the Belgian release of their new movie “Babylon”, starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.
More info on the movie is below the recipes. 

In this post and the linked socials, I’m spotlighting three iconic classic cocktails starring in this film. I had lots of fun mixing and sipping them. I hope you’ll enjoy them too. Make sure you don’t miss the fun reel on Instagram, where you’ll see me in action, shaking these beauties. 

From the official list of cocktails linked to this movie, I selected three drinks that really represent this era of class and taste: The Classic Martini, The Corpse Reviver and The Orange Blossom.

The Classic Martini is THE iconic drink of this period. The origin of the recipe is a bit unclear, as is the case for most cocktails. This drink was probably served first to John B. Rockefeller in 1911, by a bartender at the Knickerbocker hotel. It’s questionable because Jerry Thomas already mixed Sloe Gin with vermouth and bitters around the 1880s. 

The classic Martini is also one of the favourite base recipes for bartenders to experiment on. It was the original base from which many other modern classics have been developed, like e.g. The Espresso Martini, The Breakfast Martini, The Cosmopolitan, … even the Manhattan and Rob Roy are very similar recipes. 

The gin-based Corpse Reviver (also known as the Corpse Reviver II) is one of the better-known cocktails published in the Savoy Cocktail book, one of the classic references for mixed drinks. 

The Orange Blossom, at last, was one of the more trendy party drinks during the roaring 20s. Good quality spirits were hard to find and bartenders often mixed questionable spirits with juices and fortified wines to hide the poor taste of the badly produced spirits. 

The Classic Martini

Ingredients
60 ml Dry Gin
30 ml Dry Vermouth
1 dash of orange bitters

Method
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well to chill and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel as a garnish or toss in an olive on a spear. 

About next week... Babylon The Movie

About next week… 
At the start of this year, I already announced that Double Strainger would now focus on the “roaring 20s”, with speakeasy and prohibition-style drinks.

Guess what???

Next Wednesday (January 18) a new Paramount movie is hitting the big white screens in Belgium. From Damien Chazelle, BABYLON is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.

The story fits my blog like a silk white glove, holding a delicate coupe of expensive Champagne. So yes, I’m extremely happy to announce that next week I’ll be working with Paramount Pictures to showcase some of the delicious and classy drinks that appear in this movie. Keep an eye on our blog and socials… you really don’t want to miss this.

Birmingham Sour

If you visit cocktailbars once in a while, the New York Sour won’t be a complete stranger to you. It’s a perfectly crafted whisky sour with a float of bold red wine. It takes some skill and experience to serve this drink Instagrammable. You need a good layer of egg whites (or a substitute) and the red wine can’t mix too much with the rest of the drink. 

I can easily imagine that such a delicate serve wasn’t really possible in speakeasy bars, during the prohibition. It would be more likely something like this drink, the Birmingham Sour. 

This drink contains the same ingredients, but with a completely different cocktail as a result. 

Yes, you should read that again. 

While the New York Sour gives you a separate taste experience between the wine and the rest of the cocktail, the Birmingham Sour mixes the flavours from the start. This means the typical notes from the wine are strongly diluted but added directly to the flavour profile of the cocktail. Interesting at least.

Since my wife and I are both Italy fans, I picked a bottle of good quality Chianti Classico for the red wine. And of course, we enjoyed the rest of the bottle with a good meal. 

Birmingham Sour

Ingredients

60 ml Rittenhouse Rye whiskey

30 ml Freshly s6queezed lemon juice

20 ml Cane sugar syrup

10 ml Perano Chianti Classico 2019 (Red wine)

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Shake hard and fine strain in an Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Vendetta

When mixing a drink from a recipe in a book, always analyse the recipe first. The Vendetta seems a sweet(er) variation on The Godfather (=even parts mix of whisky and amaretto). Maraschino liqueur adds a sweet cherry flavour, but in my opinion this drink gets a bit too sweet and sticky. Let’s see how I would handle this. 

I guess spirits were different during the prohibition and the roaring 20s. Whisky was often no whisky at all, but unaged (or very young aged) moonshine with a high alcohol level. A higher alcohol level will balance much better with half a recipe of sweetness. Also, Rye whiskey would add much more flavour to this drink than any other type of whisky. I have searched through my bottles for a Rye whiskey with a higher alcohol level. I’m also comparing bottles of amaretto to pick the best one for this job, slightly less sweet and much more flavour. 

P.S. I have noticed that several recipes from this book limit the base spirit to 40ml? I think it’s a pretty good idea for bars to put a cap on the amount of alcohol in each drink. It also connects with the trend to have several “unit” drinks on the menu. 

Vendetta

Ingredients 
40 ml Rye Whiskey (I used Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey, 110 Proof)
20 ml Amaretto
20 ml Maraschino liqueur

Method
Add everything to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir cold and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations. 

The Garrison

Happy New Year to all our readers and followers. 

As promised this year I’ll be focussing on speakeasy, prohibition, and roaring 20s Gatsby-style drinks. The Peaky Blinders Cocktail book will be my most important source of inspiration, but I’ll adapt the recipes to my personal taste and story. 

I think that in the prohibition period, drinks were mostly made with local products. You had to use what was available and what wouldn’t attract too much attention. 

The first drink I’ll try for this series is the flagship drink of the book: The Garrison, named after the famous bar of the Peaky Blinders.

In the book, this recipe is basically a Gin Sour upgraded with blackberry liqueur. Since I’m out of blackberries and blackberry liqueur (in summer we have these in our garden), but our city is known for its blueberries (Blueberry Fields is worth a visit in summer)… I swapped the liqueur. The result was satisfactory, but it wouldn't hurt to use slightly more gin. 

The Garrison

Ingredients

40 ml Gin (I used Arduenna Gin)

15 ml Cane sugar syrup

15 ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice

20 ml Blueberry liqueur

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake and double strain in a coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.