The Dancing Scotsman

In preparation for my Rosh Hashanah festivities last week, I asked you readers to provide me with your recipe suggestions that accounted for our not-so ‘secret’ ingredient, honey.

Fred Yarm of Cocktail Slut came to my rescue with this recipe from Eastern Standard in Boston.  This cocktail, at the present time, is not on their cocktail menu online, but here is the honey recipe as Fred shares it:

The Dancing Scotsman:

• 1 oz Blended Scotch (Fred notes that ES used Dewar’s)
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 oz Honey Syrup (I made mine at 2:1 water to honey)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Fill with sparkling wine and garnish with a flamed lemon twist dropped in.

As you can tell from the photo, the barware I was using at my friend’s home wasn’t quite up to par to make this drink as beautiful as I’m sure it can be. If there is a lesson to be learned with this drink it is to double strain, as a result of some, let’s call it “pithy”, lemon juice. Whoops.  Technique aside, my friends all enjoyed this drink; even more so, I think we can call the cocktail a success at this particular celebration when I managed to get some of my gal pals to ask for seconds (ok, even thirds!) of a drink that they would never otherwise order off a menu. Why? Because it had scotch.

Impressed? So was I. Definitely give this one a try at your next celebration. Or, better yet, if you’re in the Boston area, pay a visit to Eastern Standard in the neighborhood of Fenway Park (ask for Jackson Cannon, of ES fame) and have the staff make you one of these for your night out.

Cheers!
SJ

Absinthe Boston Bar Crawl

At Stoddard's Fine Food & Ale, Pernod Absinthe is served for guests in its traditional form: the fountain. Photos courtesy of Frederic Yarm.

Absinthe was center stage in Boston two weeks ago as Pernod Absinthe hosted Bean Town’s finest cocktail and food writers for an evening of immaculate food and drink pairings.

For the Absinthe Boston Bar Crawl, attendees were chauffeured in 1930s era limousines to three cocktail destinations around the city: Stoddard’s, Russell House Tavern, and Drink. Absinthe’s role was notably defined in each of the drinks, ranging from the classic (Sazerac, Corpse Reviver) to the inventive (see the La Montagne d’Or below). Alas, I was not in attendance at said Absinthe Boston Bar Crawl. Good thing Boston’s own Cocktail Slut, Frederic Yarm, was present and can better retell the evening’s adventures.

When Fred and I chatted about his Absinthe adventure this recipe prepared by Russell House Tavern’s Aaron Butler particularly caught my eye; the color of the drink was stunning and, upon looking at the ingredients, I was confident I could attempt to recreate this treat at home. La Montagne d’Or was further explained to me as being a variation of the rhum agricole-based Dr. Funk. Here’s the recipe:

La Montagne d’Or

Aaron Butler of Russell House Tavern pours La Montagne d'Or for guests of the Absinthe Boston Bar Crawl.

2 1/2 oz Montanya Oro Rum
1 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Pernod Absinthe
1 Dash Peychaud Bitters

Definitely check back on Cocktail Slut to see all the musings and Pernod drink recipes from the Absinthe Boston Bar Crawl. Many thanks go out to Jamie Walsh at Stoddard’s Fine Food & Ale, Aaron Butler (with some assistance from Corey Bunnewith) at Russell House Tavern, and Cali Gold and John Gertsen at Drink.

Cheers!
SJ

Beefeater 24 Boston Launch

Last week, Beefeater 24 took Boston by storm, and sponsored a tea party/launch event at Drink. Beantown’s own Misty Kalkofen joined the likes of Dan Warner and others as mad hatter-mixologists, serving up delish drinks. Check out the photos below as well as the recipe for Drink’s take on the Barbara West cocktail.

The Barbara West Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin

3/4 oz. Amontillado Sherry

1/2 oz. Fresh LemonJuice

2 dashes house orange bitters

Beefeater 24 Boston Tea Party

As I mentioned in a previous post, Beefeater 24 is spreading its wings and expanding its horizons. The product officially launches in Boston this week, with a tea party tomorrow evening at Drink. Master Distiller Desmond Payne will be on hand to officially introduce his newest baby, and brand ambassador Dan Warner will be slinging drinks for all.

In honor of Beefeater 24’s arrival in Beantown, the fine folks at Drink have created a few new cocktail recipes to feature it. Here’s the first of three, which I’ll be sharing over the course of the next few weeks.

Gin Old Fashioned:

Created at Drink in Boston

2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin

¼ oz. gomme syrup

1 dash bergamot bitters

1 dash angostura orange bitters

No word yet on whether or not Ben Affleck will attend, if clam chowder or Boston Baked Beans will be served, or if the Sox game will be on. But you can bet it’ll be a wicked cool place to share a drink with a few of Boston’s best.

Beefeater 24—Coming to a City Near You!

Well, maybe. Earlier this year the new gin, which features natural botanicals and flavors such as grapefruit, bitter almond, orris root, seville orange and accents of Japanese Sencha Tea and Chinese Green Tea, made its debut in the States. But much to the dismay of gin-swigging cocktailians everywhere, it was only initially available in New York and San Francisco.

In September, Beefeater 24 will become available in Beantown, LA-LA Land, and the City of Brotherly Love. Keep an eye here for updates and photos from the fabulous launch parties! And if you’re still nowhere near any of these cities—Patience, dear friend! The brand plans to expand to even more markets early next year.

Boston, Part Two:

Alibi

 

At the foot of Boston’s charming Beacon Hill neighborhood stands a historical building with a modern twist. This 1851 granite-style structure, the former Charles Street Jail, was renovated last year to become the fabulous Liberty Hotel. It’s a gorgeous luxury hotel, but it’s stayed true to its historical roots. The prison-theme is found throughout, including in the hotel’s own nightlife hotspot Alibi.

 

I was told Alibi was the hottest new thing on the Boston nightlife scene, so I made my way over there after finishing up my Freedom Trail Cocktails. Let me tell you, this place makes an impression from the moment you walk in. It’s located in the old “drunk tank” of the jail and features brick cell walls and black iron bars. Inspired, no doubt, by America’s uncanny obsession with celebrity gossip, Alibi’s walls are decked-out with familiar celebrity mugshots. Each one features a cheeky “alibi” (my personal favorite is the his & hers combo of Hugh Grant and Divine Brown—check out their alibis for a good chuckle).

 

Ok, let’s talk drinks. This drink menu has got to be one of the most trendy and cutting-edge in Boston. At a smaller bar I visited earlier in the evening, the bartender had never even heard of Absinthe, St. Germain, or Cachaca, but the Alibi menu featured all. Kudos to them for keeping up with the latest style in cocktails, but I’ve got to say not all the drinks were to my liking. Their “Cash & Prizes” drink featured three ingredients I might have enjoyed separately, (rye, Absinthe, and apricot jam) but I really wasn’t crazy about them combined. I’ve got to be honest…the jam looked like squid-bits in the bottom of my glass. Luckily, I got the opportunity to wash that sip down with a delicious drink they call a “Cell Block Spritzer” (vodka, St. Germain, and lingonberry syrup topped with soda and served on the rocks). They (more-than) redeemed themselves with that one. It’s a new favorite. Give it a try and let me know what you think!