Some would call this a "girl drink" but we prefer to think of it more as a nip from Grandma's liquor cabinet.
Maintaining your self respect while having this drink is all a matter of timing and good judgment. A pink squirrel at the wrong time, at the wrong place, with the wrong person so easily ends in disaster -- and the rub is that almost all times are the wrong time, almost all places are the wrong place, etc. What a shame. We've been there.
Technically speaking, the right time is probably with dessert or as a late nightcap. It's a good idea to have it with people who can be open-minded enough to try something a little different. It's important to have it with a healthy sense of humor.
Or, failing that, have it by yourself, behind closed doors, with the shades drawn. Maybe even unplug the phone.
Because, here's the thing: you want this! For anyone with a sweet tooth (their name is Legion) this is a drink too good to be true. Sure, you want your stronger poisons for day-to-day use, but this little drink is the indulgent reward you want to give yourself. You won't know how you drank it so fast, and you'll want another almost as soon as you poured your first.
The recipe is simple:
1 oz Creme de Cacao
1 oz Creme de Noyaux
1 oz light cream
So, yeah, it's a girl drink. You can tinker with this, though. Add a shot of gin if you like, or reduce the light cream (that's half & half, incidentally, to speak more plainly). You can un-Grandma-fy it only so much, though, of course. It is what it is. It's not ashamed of itself, and you shouldn't be ashamed of it, either.
Or, you can full-on turbo Grandma-fy it by substituting the light cream with vanilla ice cream and mix it in a blender. Perhaps a dollop of whipped cream? Again, it's not ashamed, and you shouldn't be either. Please, though, at this point make sure you're not only doing this behind closed doors, but make sure the doors are locked.
Try it. Enjoy. If you don't agree that it's a unique treat, write a nasty comment. Grandma will smack you right back for sassing her favorite drink.
This is another special from Grandma's liquor cabinet -- and brought to you especially in celebration of St. Patrick's Day (well, St. Patrick's Day weekend). Here's a recipe on how to make it:
Honestly, it's kind of like the best Shamrock Shake you've ever tasted. Green beer is great for St. Patrick's Day, but this is an even better alternative. And, for those of you of mixed ethnic origins, we suggest the Mexican Grasshopper:
That sounds great! Cheers!
This looks delicious! We'll have one of those!! What's it called?
Honestly, we can handle a "Slippery Nipple" or a "Flaming Orgasm" but this drink is going one step too far. Do you mean to tell us that our precious guardian angel has a .... we can't say it! But, the visual presentation of this drink -- the "optics" -- clearly show where the drink gets its name. We should point out that this drink is exceedingly sweet -- think of something along the lines of hummingbird nectar. Something slightly less sweet is the "Angel's Tip":
Maybe if you added the cherry to this one, you'd end up with a kind of Bavarian chocolate drink.
An Alexander is another of those guilty drinks we love so much here at Rogers Park Retro. It's creamy, light, and indulgent. There are a few fundamentals we need to establish, though. First: this drink isn't mixed in a blender. Second: this drink isn't mixed in a blender. Third: even though a lot of old watering holes do it, this drink isn't mixed in a blender. Having established that, let's have fun! Here are some recipes from Oscar Haimo:
There are two popular versions for the Alexander -- one with gin and the other with brandy. Usually, the gin version is the "Alexander" and the brandy version is a "Brandy Alexander." But, with either of these, the formula is pretty easy (and easy going down): cream, creme de cacao, and gin or brandy. Here, as you can see, he calls for twice as much spirit as the liqueur, and only a dab of cream. The proportions are slightly different here:
Our formula at Rogers Park Retro is the 2:1:1 proportions they have here. To make it slightly less boozy, you can do a 1:1:1 ratio, as they do here:
And, we do need to add that the traditional garnish for this drink (gin or brandy) is a dash of grated nutmeg on the top. Aromatic, refreshing, and beautiful. Here is a little lore about the Alexander from "Famous New Orleans Drinks (and how to mix 'em)":
Well, after reading that, we feel like we've just be regaled by a Kentucky Colonel cum New Orleans bartender. Note that they include an egg white, which is a different twist, but worth experimenting with. But, "simply de-lovely" indeed!
This Friday, we're taking another guilty nip from Grandma's liquor cabinet, as this creamy confection of a drink brings both sheer enjoyment and shame. Our drink is #14 in the veritable line-up of guilty drinks above. Taken from Galliano's "Welcome to Galliano's World of New Tastes" (circa late 1960s), here's the recipe:
Suppository fashion?! Well, anyway, cheers!
