Pimm's Highball Smash

I wanted something light and clean that I could drink this afternoon without alcoholic after-effects, so I turned to a couple of new acquisitions.  First, my dear friends Matt and Michele generously gave me a soda siphon for no reason whatsoever.  That was awesome.  Second, I bought a couple of bottles of bitters from the Bitter Cube guys I met at Tales of the Cocktail.  I decided to combine these with some mint, sugar, and Pimm's No. 1 to make an afternoon drink.

2 oz Pimm's No. 1 liqueur
1/2 teaspoon demarara syrup
2 dashes Bitter Cube lemon tree bitters
10 mint leaves
soda water

Muddle mint with syrup; add Pimm's and bitters.  Stir on ice, and strain into a highball glass filled with ice.  Top off with soda water.  Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Very light, very refreshing.  The mint really came through on the nose and the sip, and the Pimm's and citrus notes blended very nicely, even without actual citrus juice.  I would have liked a little more flavor, but the volume of soda I had to add diluted the drink a bit much for my taste.  I'll have to downsize my glass next time I prepare this one.

Tuesday night cocktail hour(s)

Last Tuesday night's cocktail hour(s) included some new guests, some regulars, some new drinks, and some old ones.  Here's what I served, some of which were served multiple times...


Mai Tai


1 oz amber rum (Flor de Caña 7 year)
1 oz Jamaica rum (Myers's)
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
1/4 oz simple syrup
Shake, rocks.


Apple/Orange Mai Tai (my modification)

1 oz applejack (Laird's)
1 oz Jamaica rum (Myers's)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
1/4 oz simple syrup
2 dashes orange bitters (Regans')
Shake, rocks.


Tom Collins

2 oz London Dry gin
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp simple syrup
Shake all but club soda.  Strain into a Collins glass with ice.  Add club soda to the top, and agitate to mix.


Sherman's March (my invention)

1 oz bourbon (Knob Creek)
1 oz Southern Comfort
1 tsp grain alcohol or overproof rum (Everclear)
2 dashes peach bitters (Fee Bros.)
1 dash Fee Bros. Old Fashion bitters
Stir all but overproof spirit on ice; strain into a cocktail/champagne coupe.  Float overproof spirit on the top, and ignite.  Spray oil from a lemon peel twist into the flames.  Quickly drink after the fire goes out.


Cocktail a la Louisiane

3/4 oz rye
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
3 dashes absinthe
3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Stir, strain, homemade maraschino cherry. 

Tuesday night cocktail hour(s) (cont. ii)

Rehema joined in the fun with her old standby,

Tom Collins

2 oz whatever my well gin is
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 (2:1) simple syrup
Shake; strain into a Collins glass with rocks; top off with club soda and agitate to mix.

A refreshing, trusty classic.