A resurrection of sorts is in the cards for this blog. Stay tuned for more in the very near future!

Sincerely,
The Aesthete

Some wonderful winter cocktails

I've been horribly, unforgivably remiss in updating this, my poor forgotten blog. I intend to make it up to you this holiday season, dear reader. My penance will begin with this brief post.

Here's an inspired article from The New York Times on seasonal cocktails, all of which I am eager to sample. When I do, I'll be sharing my comments and notes with you here.

The French "75" Cocktail

"Hits with remarkable precision."  

-Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book

We concede that this is truly the best way to make a French 75.  Slightly adapted from The Savoy Cocktail Book:

The French "75" Cocktail

2 ounces Dry Gin 

1 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Sugar or Simple Syrup

Shake the above ingredients together with ice in a cocktail shaker; strain into an appropriate glass and fill with Champagne.

If you make these for guests, expect to spend the evening making them over and over again.

Sucré

While we were in New Orleans, we came across Sucré, a sweet shop located at 3025 Magazine Street.  Self-described as an "emporium of 'artisan' sweets," Sucré has an amazing range of delectable treats.  We had coffee and this gorgeous chocolate raspberry confection that I cannot remember the name of:

 

The name of it, obviously, does not matter.  It's difficult to see in the photograph, but it actually sparkles.  For those traveling in New Orleans who have any sort of sweet tooth, a visit to Sucré is mandatory.  For everyone else at home, you can order beautiful treats, like chocolates and macaroons, from Sucré online at their website.

Sazerac

Arguably the world's first cocktail, born in New Orleans in 1838, the Sazerac has an interesting history which you can peruse at the official Sazerac Company site.  In mixing ours at Mardi Gras we strictly followed the official Sazerac recipe, which you can find here, and the only adaptation made was we doubled the recipe.  I am interested in experimenting with the more historic versions that they mention in passing, especially where they involve employing true absinthe instead of Herbsaint.  As it was, we were delighted with the official version.  We used Buffalo Trace Bourbon, as you can see below.  You can also use Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.  Interestingly enough, the original version was made with brandy, so feel free to try that too.

 

One of the most characteristic ingredients in the Sazerac cocktail is the Peychaud's bitters.  Antoine Peychaud, the Creole pharmacist (from Saint-Domingue, now Haiti) who invented the Sazerac, created his concoction of aromatic cocktail bitters in the early 1830s, which are still named after him.  In New Orleans, you can easily find Peychaud's bitters in grocery stores, as we did:

Peychaud's bitters are also available on the internet, of course, and you can purchase them online at Bowery & Vine.

The disappearance of February.

February departed so suddenly!  My negligence is truly unforgivable, and to make it up to you, I'll be posting now everything I had intended to post during the latter part of February.  I'd like to make the excuse that Mardi Gras had a tremendous effect on me and the hangover lasted two weeks, but that isn't even remotely close to the truth.  In fact, my general sobriety during the occasion was fairly disconcerting.  I did sample a Sazerac, and we also came across a very lovely dessert boutique on Magazine Street called Sucré, all of which you can read about in the very near future.

The Aesthete Abroad

Off to New Orleans for Mardi Gras; when I return, I will be exploring cocktails specific to that city.  The following is a photograph of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.  I'd really love to have one of these to decorate my home someday.

 

On my list of cocktails to explore is the Sazerac (perhaps the first cocktail of all cocktails), the Hurricane, and Absinthe Frappé.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to mention them in the comments.