Take flight with the Aviation cocktail

If you love Gin, you’ll want to take flight…

The last time I enjoyed an Aviation cocktail at BarX in Salt Lake City, I thought that this was something I had to try at home.  Dedicated cocktailians are always searching for an excuse to try a new cocktail, and that was enough for me.  This cocktail has been around for a while; there is a recipe for the Aviation in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930).  The Savoy is usually a good source of cocktail inspiration when you’re looking for a classic cocktail to experiment with, but the recipe for the Aviation didn’t ring true.  I had always read that the Aviation’s name was due to the pale blue color delivered by the Crème de Violette, but the Savoy’s recipe didn’t have any Crème de Violette in it.

A little research on Wikipedia gave the reason: Crème de Violette was hard to find back in the late 1920’s, so the Savoy just left it out (follow the link for a more detailed history).  Luckily we don’t have that problem today.  The Aviation recipe was first published around 1916, so it’s probably older than your great grandmother and its centenary is rapidly approaching.  As you sip your first Aviation, remember that it was named when aviation was something new and exciting, not a routine fact of life.  So sip it, enjoy it, and never leave your wingman.

Aviation Cocktail

• 2 oz Gin (I used Plymouth)
• 1/2 oz Lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/4 oz Crème de Violette

Combine ingredients in a shaker half full of cracked ice.  Shake well for about a minute.  Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cocktail cherry and get ready to contemplate the wild, blue yonder.

Cocktail ingredients Utah update – September 2013

A Mai Tai will put that bottle of Rum
you have to good use. Yo ho ho.

Utah cocktailians can thank heaven that the August slump is officially over and the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores have finally loosened the SPA purse strings.  The number of items on SPA (Special Price Adjustment) this month increased from only 250 in August to 333 in September. That means it’s time to get ready for cold weather cocktails by stocking your bar with September bargains.  So as the nights grow cooler and the late summer days grow noticeably shorter, here are some cocktail ideas that, combined with some sale items, can save you money.

Vodka lovers will be pleased that there is a good selection of Vodkas in bottles large and small on sale this month, including Ketel One and Tito’s.  All Vodka brands have their fans and detractors; many say that potato vodkas are the best, and my favorite potato Vodka, Teton Glacier, is going on clearance.  This is the first month on clearance, so the mark-down is around 30%.  If your local store has plenty in stock, you might want to wait for next month when the price will drop even more before stocking up. 

In case you’re looking for liquors to accompany the key ingredient of your cocktail, or even be the main ingredient, you might want to try one of the following.  If Tiki-style cocktails are your thing, why not try a Tanqueray Taj?  Midori Melon Liqueur is marked down 14% to $18 and is used as a flavoring in many other cocktails.  A favorite Triple-Sec substitute (if you’re still using that $10 Triple Sec, why not treat yourself? If you do, you may never go back...) is Gran Gala Orange Liqueur, marked down 14% to $19.  It’s cheaper than Grand Marnier, but almost as good.  E&J VSOP is a decent Brandy for mixing; it’s marked down 21% to $11, can do good duty in a Sidecar (or any other cocktail), and will hurt your wallet far less than mixing with your favorite Cognac. 

There are some nice Plata Tequilas on sale this month.  A couple you might like to try are Milagro Silver (14% to $25) or 1800 Silver (7% to $27).  Either of these will make a dynamite Margarita.  Why not mix them with Gran Gala Orange Liqueur (see above)?  There is also a nice selection of Reposados marked down this month, check them out at your local store.

There are only a couple of Bourbons on price adjustment this month; Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon, great for sipping, is available for $28 (10% off) and can also make a great BLT.  Another single-barrel Bourbon on sale is Blanton for $50 (6% off).

If you enjoy Rum, the state has limited markdowns this month.  There’s a trio of Bacardis with sale prices in the low to mid-teens.  If you’re a fan of Appleton Estates, VX is marked down 14% to $17.  Finally, Martini lovers will be pleased to know that they don’t have to go thirsty this month.  Hendricks Gin (9% to $32 makes an excellent Classic Martinis. There are a handful of other Gins on sale, so this may be the time to stock up on your favorite.

Cocktail ingredients Utah update – August 2013

Utahans should be grateful to the UDABC this year.  In a normal August, the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores enter the summer doldrums by dropping the number of sale items into the depths of the Sargasso Sea.  This year’s doldrums are not so bad: where in August, 2012, there were only 156 items on SPA, this year there is a more respectable, but not very generous, 250.  That is, as my brother used to say, better than a finger in the eye.  August usually marks the beginning of a cooling trend as the days grow noticeably shorter.  This year has been warmer than normal, so when cocktail hour rolls around, Utah’s amateur mixologists should have plenty of takers for their cocktails.  Here are some cocktail ideas that will save you money by taking advantage of the marked down items.

One Rum deal this month is Coruba Spiced Jamaica Rum (CS# 042093), on clearance for $6.52.  If you’re into spiced Jamaica Rum, this bargain might be just what you’re looking for.  While we’re talking inexpensive Rums, you might want to try Cruzan Dark (044486) down 15% to $10.  Try it in one or two of my favorite Rum coolers: the Mojito and the classic Rum and Coke (with lime, of course).

Lovers of Brandy cocktails will be pleased to find that E&J XO Brandy is on SPA for $13 (a 19% reduction); try it in a Sidecar (or any other cocktail calling for Brandy), where it will hurt your wallet far less than using your favorite Cognac.  Deals on Vodka this month include liter bottles of Ketel One (CS# 034457 down 10% to $28) and 750ml bottles of Absolut (CS# 034006 down 15% to $17).  Try these in a White Russian or a Vodka Martini.

A classic Gin cocktail from The Savoy Cocktail Book is the Corpse Reviver No. 2.  This month you might want to try one using Bombay Sapphire Gin (CS# 028236 down 11% to $27).  If you’re looking for something to go into a summer cooler like a Tom Collins, try some New Amsterdam Gin (CS# 031475 down 20% to $12), an excellent economy Gin.  You can check all of the prices for yourself by clicking through to the “SPA Product List” to open a price book in PDF format that shows all of the markdowns for the current month; then search on “gin” or the product of your choice.  

Campari Olé: another variation on a classic cocktail

Cocktail lovers are well aware of the resurgence of the Negroni and its many variations (like another of my favorites, the Boulevardier).  The classic Negroni (it even has a book dedicated to it) has only three ingredients: Campari, Gin, and sweet Vermouth, mixed at a 1:1:1 ratio, while the ratios in the Boulevardier may vary a bit depending on the type of Whiskey.  The two ingredients that all of these variations have in common are Campari Bitter Liqueur and sweet Vermouth.

Both of these venerable cocktails have been around awhile. The Negroni was named after Count Camillo Negroni of Firenze, who was in a rut, ordering the same cocktail (the ubiquitous Americano) every day.  Legend has it that one day in 1919, Negroni was looking for something a little stronger than his favorite aperitivo, and that bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffè Casoni replaced the standard soda water in the Americano with Gin.  What a pleasanr surprise.  The Boulevardier’s origins may be shrouded in mystery, but it made its first appearance in print in 1927’s Barflies and Cocktails by Harry McElhone (of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris), less than a decade later.

Just like the Count, every so often, one gets in the mood for something different.  Due to a lack of bar discipline, a bottle of Campari and one of Tequila were side by side on the bar: interesting…  A little playtime at the bar produced evidence that the classic Negroni proportions of 1:1:1 produced a pretty nice cocktail.  The next step was a little web research.  It turns out that this was not a new idea, but the posts that turned up proved it was a good one.  The best recipe seems to be one credited to German cocktailian Bastian Heuser by the first author to record it in a cocktail book, Robert Hess, who did so in The Essential Bartender’s Guide.  Hess called it an Agavoni (yeah, I know, I decided to try Campari Olé).  A key added ingredient in this Negroni variation was the addition of Orange Bitters. So give the following recipe a try, and let us all know how you like it, or try your own recipe.

Campari Olé

• 1 oz Familia Camarena Silver Tequila
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth (sweet)
• 1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass half full of cracked ice.  Stir briskly until nice and cold.  Strain into an Old Fashioned glass with ice (or, if you’re feeling lazy, just build it in the glass).  Garnish with twist of orange peel (Hess calls for a grapefruit twist). 

Cocktail ingredients Utah update – July 2013

Frozen tropical splendor

July is usually the hottest month of summer, and we’re having another record-setting year that’s bringing plenty of hot weather to Utah.  Hot weather means that when cocktail hour rolls around, Utah’s amateur mixologists should have plenty of takers for their cocktails. The number of items on SPA (Special Price Adjustment) this month dropped from around 357 in June to a much more modest 258 in July, but if you want to make some great cocktails, there are some quality cocktail ingredients on sale this month at the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores. 

When it’s too darn hot (i.e. over 100 for several days in a row), my thoughts turn to frozen drinks, and somehow that makes me think of Rum.  My wife and I have been enjoying a nice Piña Colada or two every night or two.  If you limit your Piña Coladas to light Rum, Bacardi’s is on sale this month, but if you don’t mind an off-color drink, go with the Mount Gay Eclipse Rum (CS# 042666 down 15% to $17).  It also goes well in two of my favorite Rum coolers: the Mojito and the classic Rum and Coke (with lime, of course). 

As hot as it is, you are probably looking for some great summer cooler cocktail recipes in time for your barbecue or pool party, or just to enjoy after mowing the lawn.  Here are some suggestions that will save you money by taking advantage of items that are marked down this month.

The classic Gin cooler for hot weather is the Gin and Tonic.  This month you might want to try one using New Amsterdam Gin (1750ml CS# 031473 down 11% to $24), an excellent economy Gin.  It goes well in a Tom Collins, too.  If you’re more interested in a Classic Martini, pick up some Hendricks Gin (CS# 028625 down 9% to $32) or some Bombay Gin (CS# 028206 down 14% to $19).  No, it’s not a cooler, but it sure does taste good!

Deals on Vodka this month include liter bottles of Stolichnaya (CS# 034747 down 11% to $25) and liters of Absolut (CS# 034007 down 11% to $23).  If you like cranberry juice, try these in a Cosmo Cooler, a descendant of the classic cocktail.  If you like your Whiskey drinks (Bourbon anyone?) I can recommend a Mint Julep, so pick up a liter of Jack Daniels Black Label (down 10% to $27) and find some mint.

Some of my favorite mixing Tequilas are marked down this month: try El Jimador Reposado (CS# 089278 down 15% to $20), Milagro Tequila Reposado (CS# 089583 down 12% to $28), or Milagro Silver (CS# 088116 down 14% to $25).  All three of these go well in a classic Margarita, or in two great Tequila coolers: the Margarita Cooler and the Tequila Mojito.