Friday Happy Hour: Ward 8

We won't lie to you about this one: we really struggled with the Ward 8. Truly. There was practically a brawl at the editorial board meeting when this week's Friday Happy Hour post came up. Let's put it this way: not everyone agreed that we should go ahead with this post. Why? Well, not because the Ward 8 isn't a classic cocktail, and not because it isn't an old favorite of many. The problem was that some of us think the drink (put bluntly) sucks. Someone mumbled something about it being a "whiskey mai tai." Well! We ended up getting a green light from our Editor in Chief to run the story, so let's get started. Here's a recipe from Fleishmann's to begin with:

Maybe not a Mai Tai, but it does look a little fruity. It's kind of like a sour, maybe. Compare this with a recipe from Oscar Haimo:

A little more whiskey, a little less lemon and grenadine (that's about a teaspoon, there). A little more tart. He adds some soda. Here's another version from Old Crow:

Well, maybe now we are kind of getting into Carmen Miranda territory on this one. It's almost a fruit basket upset. This might be the drink to get your Cosmo-sipping gal pal introduced to whiskey. Maybe. Here's something along the same lines:

Obviously, no one completely agrees with the ingredients. Some include orange juice, others don't, and that makes a pretty big difference in the drink. As far as proportions go, it's all over the map. So, you can tart it up as much as you want -- and slop as much sugar as you want. One point where they're all agreed is that this a drink served on the rocks. Oh, and go ahead and garnish with your fruit basket.

Cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: Thanksgiving Special

Having returned to Standard Time, and having survived Halloween, we can't help but acknowledge that winter is settling in. But, the bright side of that is that we have the holiday season to enjoy! In the holiday spirit, we bring you the Thanksgiving Special, which is a drink you truly will give thanks for. What's vexing about this drink, however, is that there is scant information on how this drink got its name or how it is associated with Thanksgiving. The drink is featured in all of the vintage recipe books, yet it isn't a drink many have ever heard of. Here's the version from Mr. Boston's 1979 edition:

Now, if you look up this drink in virtually any comprehensive recipe book, you'll most likely find a version very similar to this (if not identical to this). Alas, this probably explains why this venerable old drink is consigned to the dustbin of memory. Quite simply, this recipe doesn't make for a very good drink. But, these ingredients seem like they'd match up very well. Good news! They do match up very well, but in slightly different proportions. Here's a recipe that makes this drink sing: This is a drink you can bring to your Thanksgiving feast and wind up being the toast of the party! We suggest that you start practicing mixing this drink right away, and you'll have it mastered by the time Thanksgiving rolls around in less than 3 weeks! Cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: Pink Lady

The Pink Lady, a classic cocktail coming to us from decades gone by, is indisputably one for the ladies. Maybe think of Mamie Eisenhower and a soiree at the British embassy circa 1950s. To order a Pink Lady would be the ne plus ultra of sophistication in such a setting. The drink pre-dates this era where it probably had its zenith, however. Here's a recipe for the Pink Lady from Oscar Haimo's 1946 edition of Cocktail and Wine Digest:

Our choice to feature the Pink Lady this Friday not only pays tribute to this worthy drink, but also affords us an opportunity to discuss its most controversial ingredient, the egg white. Egg whites have been coming back to popular awareness as vintage cocktails have been revived. The Pink Lady is one of the classics that uses egg whites. Simply put, you add the egg white to the mix just like any other ingredient. Yes, let's admit it, it's kind of gross going in. You might not think anything of handling eggs to make breakfast or in baking, but adding it to a drink is jarring if you're not used to it. Also, people would justifiably be concerned about health risks. Nowadays, there are pasteurized egg whites available if the health risk is a deal-breaker. Frankly, we have never had a problem with the health risk, which is statistically non-existent. Once the egg white is in the shaker, along with the other ingredients, and the ice is added, the key thing is to shake like hell. Really, shake. When you pour, you notice something magical has happened! It pours out frothy and silky. The egg white has whipped into kind of an instant meringue-like substance that adds body and lift to the drink. Try it, and you'll see why egg whites are an ingredient in so many classic drinks. Now let's talk about some of the other ingredients -- here's a recipe from our circa-1930s edition of Mohawk's "Recipes for Mixed Drinks":

In comparing these two recipes, first we should clarify the measurements. Going back to the previous recipe, by a "dash" they mean 1/6 of a teaspoon. So, essentially, they call for just over half a teaspoon of grenadine and applejack (a kind of apple brandy), plus the egg white, gin, and lemon juice. Here, in this second recipe, their "jigger" is 1 ounce, and a "dash" is 5 drops (whatever that means). And, interestingly, they don't call for an egg white at all. Otherwise, except for the lemon juice as opposed to lime juice, the ingredients remain the same, albeit in significantly different proportions. By way of further comparison, here is a recipe from the 1934 edition of "The Drink Master":

Unfortunately, they don't specify what they mean when they use the term "jigger", but it is fair to presume that they mean 1.5 ounces. They omit the applejack and citrus (lemon or lime juice) altogether, and add a bit of heavy cream. Also, they call for significantly more grenadine than the others, which is completely understandable if you're working with real grenadine syrup. Unlike Rose's grenadine, which is artificially dyed red, real grenadine, made with pomegranate juice, is red, but only faintly lends the necessary pink hue. So, the full jigger of grenadine makes sense. What's funny is that this recipe is supposed to serve four people. Oh, those old time people! It was the Depression, we suppose . . . . This recipe, however, is the perfect segue into what is probably the standard and classic 1950s era version of the drink, which comes from the 1948 edition of "Fleishmann's Mixer's Manual":

Something that is special about cocktails is that they often spark memories of particular people and moments, often long past. For us, the Pink Lady holds a sentimental pedigree for J from a time when he worked at a retirement community while in college, and the Pink Lady was the "usual" for a few of the ladies at the Friday afternoon cocktail hour. They truly would have been of that era of the late 40s and the 50s, and they carried this drink with them into the dawn of the 21st century. The drink has languished a bit since this golden era of cocktails, but here's our effort to bring it into people's minds again! Cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: the Sidecar

What do Margaritas and Cosmopolitans have in common with a Sidecar?

For one thing, they're classics. They're popular (well, maybe not the Sidecar -- but it should be!). The reason is because they all follow the basic formula of what some call the "New Orleans sour" -- that is, a base spirit, an orange liqueur, and citrus. The classic ratio is 3:2:1 for these ingredients, respectively -- but that can easily be experimented with.

Anyhoo .... halting the lecture. What's a Sidecar? Here's one recipe book's take on it:
Here's another recipe, this one from a 1957 edition of Old Mr. Boston's:

Their recipe is still the same 2:1:1 ration they used above. Except, of course, they call for triple sec (which is okay, actually).

Check out this recipe from the 1971 edition of Playboy's Host and Bar Book:

Obviously, their recipe contemplates a 1:1:1 ratio -- unless, they note, you want a "strong brandy accent," in which case, use a 3:1:1 ratio. Also, curacao (instead of Cointreau or triple sec) is going to make for a lot drier drink.

It so happens that the Sidecar is kind of a house specialty at Rogers Park Retro, and here's our signature recipe:

3 oz brandy

1 oz triple sec

1 oz lemon juice

1 tsp. maraschino liqueur

1 tsp. curacao (orange, not blue, just to clarify)
Garnish with a twist.

Cheers!