The Cocktail Artist

Autumn on 44th Street Cocktail with Autumn Colors - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist This is a cocktail that we came up with a couple of years ago. It's ingredients, color and the flaming orange rind all evoke the fall season (but feel free to have it any time of the year). We developed this drink while playing around with variations on the Manhattan. We decided to see how Nocio (walnut liqueur) would work in place of the sweet vermouth typically used in a Manhattan.  Nocio is a dark brown liqueur that is traditional to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It's made from unripe green walnuts. The site Life in Abruzzo has a great post about the magical qualities of nocio and includes a recipe if you want to make your own at home.  The traditional version is a bit complicated and requires barefoot virgins to collect the walnuts and leave them to dry by the remains of a threshing fire. Well, needless to say, we didn't go to all that trouble. There are

There's a great old standard "I'd Like to Get You on a Slow Boat to China". It was published in 1948 and covered by singers  ranging from Rosemary Clooney to Paul McCartney. The idea behind the lyrics is that if you want to spend an extended period of time with someone, a slow boat trip to a far away place would work well (assuming the other person wants to be there with you). If you're looking for a soundtrack to this cocktail there's a great version sung by Dee Dee Bridgewater on YouTube . So what's this tune got to do with our drink? Well, we have been experimenting with Bigallet China-China Liqueur which (despite the repetition of "China" in it's name) is a product of France, where it's been produced by Bigallet since 1875.  You can use the link above to go to Bigallet's website where there's a cool video of them making liqueur. China-China is a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels macerated in beet neutral alcohol and

The Sage Gimlet cocktail and Lemon and Sage - original watercolor by the Cocktail Artist We originally posted this recipe using vodka, but recently decided that the cocktail needed a few adjustments. It was during this experimenting that we realized, given the herbal flavor that comes from muddling the sage leaves, gin is a better match for this cocktail. We also played with the ratio of the other ingredients to give the cocktail a distinct lemon and sage flavor without overwhelming the  alcohol. Green Hat Gin - made right here in the District of Columbia by New Columbia Distillers works beautifully in this cocktail and keeps things nice and local for us. The very local ingredient in this cocktail is the sage growing in our herb garden. Our sage typically makes it through most of the winter here in our mid-Atlantic climate. This bit of hearty herb got us thinking about the word "sage" - which derives from the Latin salvia , meaning  "healing plant". Th

The cocktail and Cat on the Porch Rail - original watercolor by the Cocktail Artist This cocktail has been a tricky one for us. It involved a great deal of trial and error, and we had a couple of spectacular (pour-it-down-the-drain) failures. Finally, we think we nailed it, but let's back up and give you the full story. A few months ago, some friends gave us a bottle of Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine . We tasted this corn-based "unique Carolina concoction" and decided that it had a flavor that would work best in a autumn cocktail. So, we stuck the bottle in the liquor cabinet and pulled it out after Labor Day. Catdaddy is slightly spicey and has strong vanilla notes. It's pretty sweet, so we began our experiments using citrus juice to balance the sweetness. That's where things went very wrong. Lemon and lime juice didn't mix well with Catdaddy. So we decided to try a version of the Cocktail Artist's favorite cocktail, the Manhattan, and used the Catd

Old Thyme cocktail and Coming Home - original watercolor by the Cocktail Artist This is what happens when you can't leave well enough alone.  The Old Fashioned is a cocktail that's been around for a long time (hence the name), and it's one of those beautifully uncomplicated drinks. The classic version dates to the 1800's and it consists of rye or bourbon, a sugar cube, and bitters. In the mid 20th century the cocktail acquired a few accessories - including a cherry, orange and sometimes club soda. Traditionalists scoff at these late-to-the-party additions, but mixologists just can't help making changes. If you want the purist's take on the Old Fashioned take a look at the Old Fashioned 101  website. Our Old Thyme replaces the sugar cube of the original version with a honey-thyme simple syrup. We also added both orange and aromatic bitters. This creates a drink that is deceptively simple. Use good quality rye, sip it slowly and it will reveal the layers of