You Were Perfectly Fine by Dorothy Parker

Since I last profiled the cocktail The Dorothy Parker-Collins, I decided to post this short story by Dorothy Parker entitled You Were Perfectly Fine (which was published in the New Yorker February 23, 1929). In the story, the protagonist wakes up after a night of drinking with a hangover and is oblivious of what he did during the drinking festivities. His companion is kind enough to highlight the evening while trying to reassure him that it wasn't as bad as he thinks it was. Or so it seems. 

What I find interesting is that this is was published during the era of Prohibition though the story could have been set during any other time but Prohibition. Knowing Dorothy Parker and the company she kept, this could have happened the month before the story was published. 

No matter. It is funny to come to the realization that we have all had nights like these in the past.

The pale young man eased himself carefully into the low chair, and rolled his head to the side, so that the cool chintz comforted his cheek and temple. “Oh, dear,” he said.”Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear. Oh.”

The clear-eyed girl, sitting light and erect on the couch, smiled brightly at him.

“Not feeling so well today?” she said.

“Oh, I’m great,” he said.”Corking, I am. Know what time I got up? Four o’clock this afternoon, sharp. I kept trying to make it, and every time I took my head off the pillow, it would roll under the bed. This isn't my head I've got on now. I think this is something that used to belong to Walt Whitman. Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.”

“Do you think maybe a drink would make you feel better?” she said.

“The hair of the mastiff that bit me?” he said.”Oh, no, thank you. Please never speak of anything like that again. I’m through. I’m all, all through. Look at that hand; steady as a humming-bird. Tell me, was I very terrible last night?”

“Oh, goodness,” she said, “everybody was feeling pretty high. You were all right.”

“Yeah,” he said.”I must have been dandy. Is everybody sore at me?”

“Good heavens, no,” she said.”Everybody thought you were terribly funny. Of course, Jim Pierson was a little stuffy, there, for a minute at dinner. But people sort of held him back in his chair, and got him calmed down. I don’t think anybody at the other tables noticed it at all. Hardly anybody.”

“He was going to sock me?” he said.”Oh, Lord. What did I do to him?”

“Why, you didn't do a thing,” she said.”You were perfectly fine. But you know how silly Jim gets, when he thinks anybody is making too much fuss over Elinor.”

“Was I making a pass at Elinor?” he said, “Did I do that?”

“Of course you didn't.” she said.”You were only fooling that’s all. She thought you were awfully amusing. She was having a marvelous time. She only got a little tiny bit annoyed just once, when you poured the clam-juice down her back.”

“My God,” he said.”Clam-juice down that back. And every vertebra a little Cabot. Dear God. What’ll I ever do?”

“Oh, she’ll be all right,” she said.”Just send her some flowers, or something. Don’t worry about it. It isn't anything.”

“No I won’t worry,” he said.”I haven’t got a care in the world. I’m sitting pretty. Oh, dear, oh, dear. Did I do any other fascinating tricks at dinner?”

“You were fine,” she said.”Don’t be so foolish about it. Everybody was crazy about you. The maître d’hôtel was a little worried because you wouldn't stop singing, but he really didn't mind. All he said was, he was afraid they’d close the place again, if there was so much noise. But he didn't care a bit, himself. I think he loved seeing you have such a good time. Oh, you were just singing away, there, for about an hour. It wasn't so terribly loud, at all.”

“So I sang,” he said.”That must have been a treat. I sang.”

“Don’t you remember?” she said.”You just sang one song after another. Everybody in the place was listening. They loved it. Only you kept insisting that you wanted to sing some song about some kind of fusiliers or other, and everybody kept shushing you, and you’d keep trying to start it again. You were wonderful. We were all trying to make you stop singing for a minute, and eat something, but you wouldn't hear of it. My, you were funny.”

“Didn't I eat any dinner?” he said.

“Oh, not a thing,” she said.”Every time the waiter would offer you something, you’d give it right back to him, because you said that he was your long-lost brother, changed in the cradle by a gypsy band, and that everything you had was his. You had him simply roaring at you.”

“I bet I did,” he said, “I bet I was comical. Society’s Pet, I must have been. And what happened then, after my overwhelming success with the waiter?”

“Why, nothing much,” she said.”You took a sort of dislike to some old man with white hair, sitting across the room, because you didn't like his necktie and you wanted to tell him about it. But we got you out, before he got really mad.”

“Oh, we got out,” he said.”Did I walk?”

“Walk! Of course you did,” she said.”You were absolutely all right. There was that nasty stretch of ice on the sidewalk, and you did sit down awfully hard, you poor dear. But good heavens, that might have happened to anybody.”

“Oh, sure,” he said.”Louisa Alcott or anybody. So I fell down on sidewalk. That would explain what’s the matter with my—Yes. I see. And then what, if you don’t mind?”

“Ah, now, Peter!” she said.”You can’t sit there and say you don’t remember what happened after that! I did think that maybe you were a little tight at dinner—oh, you were perfectly all right, and all that, but I did know you were feeling pretty gay. But you were so serious, from the time you fell down—I never knew you to be that way. Don’t you know how you told me I had never seen your real self before? Oh, Peter, I just couldn't bear it, if you didn't remember that lovely long ride we took together in the taxi! Please, you do remember that, don’t you? I think it would simply kill me, if you didn't.”

“Oh, yes,” he said.”Riding in the taxi. Oh, yes, sure. Pretty long ride, hmm?”

“Round and round and round the park,” she said.”Oh, and the trees were shining so in the moonlight. And you said you never knew before that you really had a soul.”

“Yes,” he said.”I said that. That was me.”

“You said such lovely, lovely things,” she said.”And I’d never known, all this time, how you had been feeling about me, and I’d never dared to let you see how I felt about you. And then last night—oh, Peter dear, think that taxi ride was the most important thing that ever happened to us in our lives.”

“Yes,” he said.”I guess it must have been.”

“And we’re going to be so happy,” she said.”Oh, I just want to tell everybody! But I don’t know—I think maybe it would be sweeter to keep it all to ourselves.”

“I think it would be,” he said.

“Isn't it lovely?” she said.

“Yes,” he said.”Great.”

“Lovely!” she said.

“Look here,” he said, “do you mind if I have a drink? I mean, just medicinally, you know. I’m off the stuff for life, so help me. But I think I feel a collapse coming on.”

“Oh, I think it would do you good,” she said.”You poor boy, it’s a shame you feel so awful. I’ll go make you a whisky and soda.”

“Honestly,” he said, “I don’t see how you could ever want to speak to me again, after I made such a fool of myself, last night. I think I’d better go join a monastery in Tibet.”

“You crazy idiot!” she said.”As if I could ever let you go away now! Stop talking like that. You were perfectly fine.”

She jumped up from the couch, kissed him quickly on the forehead, and ran out of the room. The pale young man looked after her and shook his head long and slowly, then dropped it in his damp and trembling hands.

“Oh, dear,” he said.”Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.”

You Were Perfectly Fine by Dorothy Parker from The New Yorker February 23, 1929 

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

Dorothy Parker-Collins

I recently saw a bartender (who shall remain nameless and for the record they weren't the first I saw make it this way) make a Tom Collins in a very different way than I am used to. In his cocktail, they made the Collins with Sprite and a little Sour Mix instead of Fresh Lemon, simple syrup and soda water. Now this is not the way I like to make a Tom Collins. I go into the possible origins of a Tom Collins and how it is made in my post about Mr. John Collins from July 17, 2012.

Why use those ingredients instead of the fresh ones? Time. I can see if a bar is three deep making a cocktail like a Collins can take a few extra seconds to squeeze the lemons but to be honest, making it with Sprite and Sour is not doing the cocktail (or customer) justice. To the uneducated drinker, they wouldn't know any better but I would think that to someone who has had a few Collins in their day it would be a shoddy cocktail. Rest assured I wouldn't go that route. Fresh for me when it comes to a Tom Collins is my motto.

For my version, I decided to do my best Minister of the Peace impersonation and marry two beautiful people: Mr. Tom Collins and Ms. Dorothy Parker. Who is Dorothy Parker you might ask?

Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was a famous author, poet, screenwriter and playwright who was quoted as saying “I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, after four I'm under my host." (which can be found in her anthology The Collected Dorothy Parker). Parker was a founding member of the famed Algonquin Round Table which met daily for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel, 59 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036.

Starting in 1919, the round table was made up of writers, columnists, comedians, actors and critics. Here is how the Algonquin Round Table was described on the American Masters page for the Algonquin Round Table from PBS.org:

The period that followed the end of World War I was one of gaiety and optimism, and it sparked a new era of creativity in American culture. Surely one of the most profound — and outrageous — influences on the times was the group of a dozen or so tastemakers who lunched together at New York City’s Algonquin Hotel. For more than a decade they met daily and came to be known as the Algonquin Round Table. With members such as writers Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross (founder of THE NEW YORKER) and Robert Benchley; columnists Franklin Pierce Adams and Heywood Broun, and Broun’s wife Ruth Hale; critic Alexander Woollcott; comedian Harpo Marx; and playwrights George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly, Edna Ferber, and Robert Sherwood, the Round Table embodied an era and changed forever the face of American humor.

Parker, with Algonquin Round Table members and guests (l–r) Art Samuels (editor of Harper's Bazaar and, briefly, The New Yorker), Charles MacArthur, Harpo Marx, and Alexander Woollcott

It all began with an afternoon roast of the NEW YORK TIMES drama critic, Alexander Wollcott. A number of writers met up at the Algonquin Hotel on 44th street and had such a good time that the event was repeated the next day, and the day after that, until the lunch table at the Algonquin was established as a ritual. The core group of friends was sometimes joined by others who attended for short periods or drifted about the periphery of the group, including such notables as actress Tallulah Bankhead and playwright Noel Coward. The Round Table was made up of people with a shared admiration for each other’s work. Outspoken and outrageous, they would often quote each other freely in their daily columns.

When the Round Table broke up, Parker went to Hollywood and became a successful screenwriter. Her caustic tongue and wit was her trademark up to the date of her death of June 7, 1967. The New York Distilling Company decided to name their new American Style Gin after her since she was "An iconic enthusiast of gin and an unconventional woman, no one could have been a more interesting drinking companion".

For this cocktail, I decided to wed both Tom Collins and Dorothy Parker into the following libation:

Dorothy Parker-Collins
2oz Dorothy Parker Gin
1oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 packet of Splenda/sugar or 1 tsp of Simple Syrup
Club Soda to top
Cherry Garnish

Add a little water to the Splenda/sugar and give a quick shake to dissolve (or the simple syrup if you have some handy). Add lemon juice, half a glass of ice and Dorothy Gin and Shake well. Add ice leaving glass 3/4 full and top with soda water. Give a quick stir and add a cherry.

I like how the properties of the Dorothy Parker Gin works with this cocktail. The New York Distilling Company describes it as being "a blend of traditional and contemporary botanicals including juniper and elderberries, citrus, cinnamon, and hibiscus". I find it to be a lighter gin than some of your classic juniper rich gins like Bombay Sapphire. It was a very light and refreshing cocktail. The kind of cocktail you'd have on a hot summer day or when you just want to take it easy while out drinking.

It is a shame that the Dorothy Parker Gin doesn't do as well as I think it chould at the bar. I think that its an issue of it not being very well known by the general populace. I try to shed a light on it when someone orders a gin based cocktail. Most people are surprised at how tasty it is. It certainly ranks as one of my favorite gins.

Have it as I made it and if you see someone making it with Sprite and a Sour say "No thanks".

For my next entry, I wanted to post a short story of Dorothy Parker's that was published in the New Yorker on February 23, 1929 entitled You Were Perfectly Fine which is about a man's waking up with a hangover and asking his companion about what he did the night before and her attempts to reassure him that he wasn't behaving that badly.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Midnight Masquerade

I love it how my friends love to give me cocktail recipes that they seem to find in magazines and online. This time Pete came across the following ad for Sauza Hornitos Plata, which seems to be making a push for Halloween cocktails.

Of the three, we chose to make the Midnight Masquerade. Here is the recipe for it:

Midnight Masquerade
1.5 parts of Hornitos Plata Tequila
0.5 part of Dry Vermouth
0.5 part of Sweet Vermouth
0.5 part of Campari
1 dash of Angostura Bitters

Stir all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Strain into a fresh glass with ice. Add a lemon twist.

At first taste the Campari gives me a Kung fu kick straight to the mouth. Normally I like the bitter taste Campari gives my tastes buds but man this little bit i\of Campari pushed all the other ingredients out of the way into the background. You couldn't even tell that there was any Tequila in this cocktail. Then something interesting happened.

As the drink sat for a few minutes and mellowed, the Campari seemed to recede into the background and the cocktail took a bit of a dry texture with the Tequila flavor coming out to the forefront. I guess this is where the Masquerade part comes in. Now the only difference between this drink and the original recipe is that we didn't have any Hornitos Plata, so we used the Hornitos Reposado instead.

If you like cocktails that seem to have different flavors profiles at different times while you drink it, then I say give this one a try.

For my next post, I highlight my attempts to show how not to make an improper Tom Collins while marrying said Mr. Collins with the gin named after the literary diva Dorothy Parker called the Dorothy Parker-Collins.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Asian Pear Vodka Infusion

In keeping with the infusion portion of this blog, I decided to follow through on my ideas to make a pear flavored vodka. I decided that I wanted to use Asian pears in the infusion. What I didn't realize that Asian pears are both huge and expensive. Momma-San picked up a half dozen pears at $2.89 a pound at the Fairway near her job. So at nearly $18 dollars, this would be my most expensive infusion.

According to the article What Are the Benefits of Asian Pears? on the Healthy Eating blogpage, Asian pears have a texture similar to apples and are rich with fiber, potassium, Vitamins C and K and copper. So we'll be getting out vitamins in while getting our drink on? Well, that might be stretching things a bit. But the Asian pear is a very sweet and juicy fruit that I hope will transfer its properties to the vodka.

I took two of the pears and with my trusty (and dangerous) mandolin slicer cut the pears into thin slices. I actually decided to use one and a half pears. What happened to the other half? Well I ate it. I can see where the similarities to apples comes from. The Asian pear is actually quite dense, very sweet and juicy. I placed the pear slices in the jar and muddled them slightly with a muddler to have their juices released.

After muddling the pears, I added 750 ml worth of vodka to the jar, gave it a good shake and put it away in the dark kitchen cabinet with the Pomegranate Infused Liqueur I'm working on.

I'll come back to the Asian Pear Vodka infusion in a few days when I see some changes. In my next post, I want to highlight a cocktail that Pete found in a Sauza Hornitos advertisement called the Midnight Masquerade.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

The Cocktail List at the Copacabana 1943

For my Fall and Winter 2013 reading/research project I'm going to try and read up on some of the classic New York City café society bars, saloon, night clubs and lounges that helped make New York City a center of entertainment during the early part of the 20th century. I'm also planning to do some cross-promoting post with this blog and my two other blogs BaseballSisco and NYCHistory. This is hopefully the first of the many posts that I am able to bring you concerning some classic and mostly long gone places of the nightlife of New York City's past.

I recently finished reading The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Little Club North of Havana by Mickey Podell-Raber with Charles Pignone. The author is the daughter of longtime Copacabana proprietor Jules Podell and the book is part family biography and part history of the nightclub. The book is a quick and easy read, full of both family pictures and pictures at the club with various celebrities and dignitaries. I recommend it.

I also recently came across the New York Public Library's NYPL Labs' What's on the menu? database. What kind of database is this you might ask yourselves? Here is how it is described on their webpage:

With approximately 45,000 menus dating from the 1840s to the present, The New York Public Library’s restaurant menu collection is one of the largest in the world, used by historians, chefs, novelists and everyday food enthusiasts. 

The collection does not only focus on New York City restaurants but from restaurants from all over the world. It is an amazing database to lose a few hours on if you find that you have the time to spare (which we all know we don't have but lose it anyway). Back to the Copa.

On the database I found a menu for what was described as Monte Proser's Copacabana dated 1943. On the last page of the menu, there was the information that I was looking for: THE BOOZE. Here is what the last page looked like:

Courtesy of the NYPL Labs What's on the Menu Database

What I find the most interesting about this menu is how drinking tastes differed in the 1940's as opposed to today. First thing that catches my eye is that there is no mention of Vodka on the menu. Vodka popularity in the States didn't start until the 1950's and 1960's. I also see that Gins aren't mentioned on the menu though I would assume since the Tom Collins cocktail is listed at the top of the "Tall Drinks" category, that gin was used in not only a Collins but also in a variety of other cocktails.

What stands out to me are the wide selection of Cognacs, Scotches, Rye and Bourbons and especially the Liqueurs. Many of those liqueurs are used today for colors or flavors and in many cases just sit on the shelves gathering dust (depending on the bar). I'm guessing that something like the flavored Brandies on the list (Apricot, Blackberry, Cherry and Peach) were served to someone who wanted something strong but didn't want to drink something that tasted strong. I guess that this is not anything different that the new flavored Bourbons and Whiskies that seem to be popping up everywhere these days.

Give the menu a look both here and on the menu page on the NYPL page. Also check out my cross post on the Copa from my Baseball Blog Baseball Sisco Kid Style. In The New York Yankees Brawl at the Copa 1957, I focus on the brawl that occurred at Copa on May 15, 1957 between some patrons and members of the World Champion New York Yankees. Enjoy.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

The Tootsie Roll Cocktail

Last night Pete decided to debut a new cocktail in his arsenal of libations. He pulled the Kahlua from the shelf and in a glass full of ice, he poured it almost half way with a slightly larger portion of orange juice. He gave it a nice shake and said "This is a cocktail from the 1950's called the Tootsie Roll". Now I looked at this cocktail rather skeptically. Somehow the thought of Kahlua (which is a Rum and Tequila based Coffee Liqueur) mixed with orange juice doesn't jive.

Now for those of you living under a rock, Tootsie Rolls are an old school American chocolate candy chew that can trace its history back to 1896 to the small New York City candy shop of Leo Hirshfield who was an Austrian immigrant. If you want to read more about Leo Hirshfield and an apparent Tootsie Roll conspiracy theory (of sorts) click on this link: Tootsie Roll Tragedy: The Real Leo Hirschfeld Story by the Candy Professor. Back to the cocktail.

So here is the recipe for the cocktail Pete made:

Tootsie Roll #1

Tootsie Roll #1
2oz Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
3oz Orange Juice

Pour in an ice filled highball glass. Shake to blend.

Echoing the sentiment of my friend Katy (for whom Pete had taste the cocktail), it is sweet. Very much a dessert drink. It was pretty sweet and surprisingly it actually tasted like a Tootsie Roll. Now I was curious to see when this concoction was created.

Now I started to look online and in my trusty Mr. Boston: Official Bartender's Guide and my recently acquired The Savoy Cocktail Book (thanks Barry), to see if there is any mention of a Tootsie Roll cocktail. I found bupkis. My online search for an origin to the Tootsie Roll cocktail was also futile. But what I did find was a slew of variations on the Tootsie Roll cocktail.

I saw one that called for Orange Juice and Dark Creme de Cacao, Orange Juice, Grand Marnier and Dark Creme de Cacao, Orange Juice, Kahlua, and Dark Creme de Cacao. I even saw a variation with Tia Maria, Dark Creme de Cacao, and Frangelico. One that I saw fairly often was the following recipe:

Tootsie Roll #2

Tootsie Roll #2
1/3 Kahlua
1/3 OJ
1/3 Vodka

Build in a highball full of ice. Shake to blend. 

As with the first cocktail, the second one was sweet but I found that the inclusion of vodka in the second one gives the cocktail a less sweeter taste. I find the second one to be a more drinkable cocktail for my palate. Perhaps another kind of coffee liqueur, possibly something not as sweet as Kahlua might give a better/different result.

I have an idea on who or whom might like this cocktail (yes Ari, that means you). Thanks Pete for the new cocktail to add to the repertoire. Time to go back to the lab.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Pomegranate Infused Liqueur Part I

If you've read my blog in the past you'll know that I like to infuse alcohol with fresh ingredients to try and make flavored liqueurs that don't rely on artificial flavors. Though I have been a bit lax on posting my infusions, it doesn't mean that I have been inactive on the infusing front. The big infusion that I am working on is a Pomegranate Vodka/Liqueur.

I found this recipe on how to make pomegranate liqueur on this page Homemade Pomegranate Liqueur. I decided to go about making my liqueur a little different. On the instruction page, they detail the steps to take if using fresh pomegranates. To be perfectly honest, unless I shop down in the city, I'm not going to find pomegranates in the Bronx. So I decide to improvise.

At the local deli by my job, occasionally sells small containers of pomegranate seeds. Luckily I found three packs and decided to go ahead with the infusion (Picture 1). The recipe called for taking the seeds and crushing or mashing them to drain the juice from them (Picture 2).

Picture 1

Picture 2

Surprisingly these little seeds give off an amazing amount of juice (Picture 3). After draining the seeds, you take the juice AND the seeds and put them together in a glass container (Picture 4).

Picture 3

Picture 4

Next you take two lemons and and peel the rind off of it trying your best to get the skin rather than the pith and add it to the pomegranate juice/seed mixture (Picture 5).

Picture 5

Add one liter of vodka to the pomegranate/lemon skin mixture, seal and set aside for a few weeks while shaking it everyday (Picture 6).

Picture 6

Now the infusion recipe calls for a few more steps after the liqueur has been steeping for a few weeks. I'll update my progress when I get to that point. In my next post I'll highlight the other infusions that I have been working on behind the scenes.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Clase Azul Tequila at Bailey's Corner Pub

Last Tuesday I felt like watching the National League Wild Card game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates in a more social environment than just watching it at home. I decided to visit my friend Pete who tends bar on Tuesday nights at Bailey's Corner Pub, 1607 York Ave (Corner of 85th Street), New York, NY 10028, (212) 650-1341.

As per routine, I like to try new beers and spirits that I would not normally find available to me either at work or at my local stops. Today was no different. I tasted a number of different beers from the pleasant line of Leinenkugel Shandys to the solid Victoria to god awful Flying Dog Doggie Style IPA. One thing truly stood out to me in my tasting adventure: Clase Azul Tequila.

Pete brings out this ornate tall white bottle with blue designs and a rounded silver cap and says "You need to taste this bro". I was intrigued. He pours me a little taste with the information that this is $20 bucks a shot. Now I am even more intrigued. I stick my nose in the glass and immediately note that this is Tequila but with a difference. You ever notice when people smell tequila they either shudder or move back from the smell. I attribute that to people having bad experiences with some rotgut tequila. The difference for me was that I didn't do that. The aroma coming from the little bit of caramel colored tequila was amazing. Here is how Clase Azul describes their Tequila Reposado:

For many years, tequila connoisseurs have praised Clase Azul Reposado for its superior taste and stunning handmade decanter. By definition, reposado translates to "rested" or "calm" which can certainly influence the experience of sipping this particular Clase Azul which is aged in used American oak barrels for eight months after it has gone through the distillation process. Each bottle is made with high quality white ceramic and then hand painted by artisans in our bottling facility. Attention to detail comes second to none, which is evident when admiring what is considered an iconic bottle.

Now for the tasting. Without a shadow of a doubt, I have to say that this Clase Azul Tequila Reposado is the best tequila that I have ever had. It was smooth like butter. You get none of the harshness that you would find with your basic tequila reposado but with all of the flavor that you should be getting from a tequila. I sipped on the reposado as it was poured. No need for ice. No need for mixing. Doing so would ruin the experience.

I also had a small taste of the Clase Azul Tequila Plata. While I was leaning towards the Reposado, the Plata was also a superb tequila. Here is how the Plata is described by Clase Azul:

Clase Azul Plata is a fresh tasting blanco tequila produced from 100% organic blue weber agave. The agave is slow cooked in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours and then distilled using a proprietary yeast developed by our master distiller. Plata is not aged and the natural colors that come from the slow cooking are filtered out prior to bottling in a stunning crystal clear bottle with blue accent at its base.

The proprietor of Bailey's Sean aka NASCAR has a tremendous rotating selection of Tequilas that you should make sure to check out on a regular basis. Head over there on either a Tuesday or a Saturday and ask for Pete. Tell him Sisco sent you.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

GMT Punch at the GMT Tavern

In my last post about the GMT Tavern, I highlighted the Southside cocktail which contained Plymouth Gin, Elderflower liqueur, lime juice and fresh mint. For my second cocktail, I wanted something a bit different but keeping with Gin as the main spirit. I asked the bartender for a recommendation and she came up with the GMT Punch.

GMT Punch
Beefeater Dry Gin
Pimms
Fresh Lemon Juice
Ginger Ale
Seasonal Fruit

I had previously had a good experience with Pimms in the Pimms Rangoon cocktail that I had at The Monkey Bar in May. This one didn't disappoint. I found this cocktail to be very light and refreshing. The ginger ale gives the punch a nice effervescence and the fruit selection of strawberries and lemon with cucumber and mint compliment the fruity taste of the Pimms.

A pitcher of these on an indian summer day like the one we are experiencing today would be quite pleasing. Make sure to head to GMT Tavern for one before they change their cocktail menu for the upcoming Fall and Winter seasons.

For my next post I highlight arguably the best tasting and smoothest tequila I've ever had: Tequila Clase Azul.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla