Friday Happy Hour: Sazarac

The Sazarac, hailing from New Orleans, is said to be the original cocktail. In honor of Mardi Gras, we're pleased to suggest this venerable drink to you! Its components are whiskey (bourbon or rye), sugar, bitters (Peychaud), absinthe (now that it's legal, at last!), and twists of orange and lemon. Beyond the mere ingredients, a big part of this drink's mystique is the method in which it's made. In the recipe above, they call for just 1 cube of ice. In the recipe below, they offer a slightly different, albeit quite precise, technique:

In classic New Orleans fashion, it's all about the style with which you do it. Here's another charming recipe from our Repeal-era Mohawk recipe booklet that we wanted to share with you:

Generally the same ingredients and procedure. We love the irregular spelling and vintage feel. Happy Mardi Gras -- and cheers!

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: Hot Toddy

The hot toddy is a perfect antidote for winter's cold weather, and is ideal for enjoying by the Christmas tree or in front of the fireplace. Its warmth and high octane will fortify you for the short and cold days of December, and make you look forward to the evening!

In a sense, and in this recipe in particular, a hot toddy can be thought of as a hot old fashioned. Perhaps, in place of the bitters in an old fashioned, we can substitute some spices, as we see in the following recipe:

Although hot toddies are traditionally made with whiskey, there are actually a number options for experimentation, as we see:

Just be warned, though: the warmth of your hot toddy might lead to the warmth of some welcome companionship!

Put up some extra mistletoe this year! Cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: Egg Nog

Happy post Thanksgiving ... and, we hope it isn't too early to say ... Merry Christmas! On this day after Thanksgiving, as we burn off those extra calories from yesterday as we dash through the stores at door buster sales, or maybe by cheering on the team while watching the game on TV, let's think about a signature seasonal taste, egg nog. This will be the perfect drink to have while we're putting up those Christmas decorations. Egg nog can be made for the whole brood, as we see in the recipe above which serves 10, or for the individual, as we'll see further down. Here's another recipe, which serves 20:

As we can see, the basic elements for egg nog are eggs, cream, milk, and some spices. Of course, we punch it up with some "extra" ingredients, too! In the first recipe, they included both whiskey and cognac, and in this recipe, they call for only whiskey. In the next recipe, they contemplate both whiskey and rum:

And, by the way, does that look like a party or what? Certainly, these are some interesting recipes to experiment with. Of course, we won't be snobs -- yes, you can go ahead and get egg nog from your local grocery store and mix it up as you like! These recipes are intended to inspire your own experimentation! What if you'd like to explore single servings, though? Consider these options:

Some excellent suggestions, there. Egg nog is an old, timeless, and classic beverage, and uniquely associated with Christmas! We won't mention the threat of calories. This is no time to be thinking about that stuff. Enjoy -- and cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: Old Fashioned

Unlike last week's Happy Hour post on the Pink Lady, this week's post features a drink strictly for the gentlemen. Well, ladies are invited, but few accept. The name for the drink comes from the supposed "old fashioned" way of preparing a cocktail. Here's a recipe from Old Forester's 1950s-era "Favorite Recipes":

As we observe, this drink was created at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, now more than 100 years ago. It's a simple combination of some sugar, bitters, and whiskey (usually bourbon), with some soda added, if desired. By way of comparison, here's a recipe from Old Crow:

So, the amount of sugar and bitters -- and even the whiskey -- can vary, according to taste. Some recipes omit the soda and add water instead, as we see in the following recipe from Fleishmanns:

So, the precise combination of water, soda, bitters, sugar, and whiskey isn't precise. Basically, whiskey, with a little flavor from bitters and a little sweet, and some sparkle from the soda if you're in the mood. A man's drink. However, maybe you're picking up on the baroque garnishments that accompany this otherwise simple drink. There's practically a Carmen Miranda fruit basket hat in this drink! Lemons, oranges, pineapples, cherries -- no worry about getting your daily vitamins with this one.

Gee, we thought we were just having a whiskey. And they go and make it pretty. Cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: we'll have a boilermaker

Hey, tough guy!

These really are the dog days of summer, aren't they? How about cooling down with a cold, frosty one? Have a shot, while you're at it.

If you don't have a cherished memory involving a boilermaker, or too many boilermakers, we feel sorry for you. This very manly drink is a beer with a shot of whiskey. Here, we have a beer with a shot of bourbon -- but, substitute Scotch, Irish Whiskey, Canadian Whisky, whatever your pleasure is. The recipe is as foolproof as it is fail safe.

It's too hot to get too fussy. Cheers!