Anyone Need a Margarita?

At least 5% of my brain is constantly occupied with cocktail creation. Sometimes a name will come first and the ingredients simply follow, like the “Aspagrass” soon to be debuted. And in other cases, the drink is truly inspired by what’s delicious. But no matter how much I enjoy the art of drink making (I call making cocktails art because I suck at drawing), sometimes all you want is something simple. And today I want a damn margarita!

I’m here to plead with you. You, the person stocking up on margarita mix surely having something to do with Jimmy Buffett. The guy is a marketing genius, but you don’t need that clown to make yourself the perfect margarita. And in fact, you don’t need very much at all. I’ve tried tinkering with my own recipe here and there, but this unbelievably simple version I stole from the one and only Nancy Gordon, is damn near perfect. So while I won’t try to compete with her margarita making prowess, I’m offering up my slight twist on the classic lime margarita with the equally refreshing, slightly less ass-kicking grapefruit variety. Just like in the case of Nancy’s recipe, fresh squeezed juice is ideal but for my grapefruit version a high quality store-bought juice will do the trick. Plus it makes it easier to make a big batch for your next bbq. You can thank us later for never having to buy a pre-made mix again. Actually, you know what , you better thank us now, before you have too many of these and forget. Enjoy!

Classic Margarita

2 oz tequila (I prefer a good reposado)

1 oz cointreau or triple sec

Juice of half a lime

1 lime wedge

In a glass filled with shaved or crushed ice add and stir vigorously all of the ingredients. Garnish with a lime wedge and delete any and all Jimmy Buffett from your iPod.

Grapefruit Margarita

3 oz grapefruit juice (reposado or silver work well with this one)

2 oz tequila

1 oz cointreau of triple sec

1 lime wedge

In a glass filled with ice, add all of the ingredients and stir to mix. Garnish with a lime and enjoy! This one is obviously a little less strong so feel free to have a few more!

 

The Honoré Palmer

This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me adding in some fresh brewed tea to a cocktail, and that’s for good reason. Particularly in this case, the flavors of the green tea crave a little acid and some sweetness and the ensuing balance is the ultimate refresher.

So here we are, at the official kick off to the summer, Memorial Day Weekend, and you better believe it’s going to be full of drinking. I’ll be down in AC for a fellow Nobler’s bachelor party weekend and I’ll probably need some of the antioxidants from this drink to keep me going (see my packing list above). But regardless of your weekend plans, this green tea cocktail acts as a perfect compliment to the Bertha Palmer. Having a bourbon centric black tea blend to pair with this lighter, sweeter green tea mix will ensure everyone at the party has something to enjoy. Even better, this base recipe is a delicious non-alcoholic homemade “soda” for those that don’t drink (do these people exist?) and, maybe more appropriately, for the kids in the crew. Bertha would have happily served this one to her first son Honoré. See that, I even got all family friendly on you here at the Nobler! Enjoy the weekend!

The Honoré Palmer:

6 oz Green Tea Base

2 oz Lemon or Citrus Vodka

2 oz Seltzer to finish

1 Lime wedge

In a large glass filled with ice add all of the ingredients and serve with a lime wedge for garnish!

Green Tea Base Recipe:

4 Green Tea Bags

32 oz Boiling Water

5 tbsp of Honey

1 Lime

In a mason jar, pour the boiling water over the green tea bags and the honey. Let steep until cool and remove the tea bags. Add the juice of one lime and keep refrigerated for use.

The Dark and Stormy

Probably close to 5 years ago, my life coach, Sarah Gordon started talking about something called a Dark and Stormy. Up until this point, I had never heard of it. These were the days prior to nostalgic picture filters and rapid posting, but I still remember catching a glimpse of that drink perched on that cozy Martha’s Vineyard bar next to an order of steamers. It must have been on my flip phone…

To me, the Dark and Stormy is another one of those drinks with serious personality. You aren’t going up to every bartender on any occasion and requesting this delicious concoction. Instead, there is a right time and a right place. Unlike my “clear and sunny” that has an overall pleasant demeanor, the Dark and Stormy has a bit of an attitude. I prefer mine to be heavy on the gingery bite and garnished with a little lime to cut the sweetness. A dark rum with some character only makes this drink better, and honestly, if you haven’t had one, I’ve got a good place for you to start.

The Great Jones Cafe on (you guessed it) Great Jones St has always been one of my favorite spots. Nothing can beat the actual food from New Orleans, but these guys are pumping out fantastic gumbo, po’ boys, and jambalaya and pairing it all with a great beer list and a really chill atmosphere. I actually ate brunch here for the first time not too long ago and can’t understand why it took me so long. Eggs and Jambalaya? Are you kidding me! But this isn’t that old food blog of mine, now is it….

The second I saw that Dark and Stormy (dubbed the Shaggy here), I knew it was going to be that kind of night. But the kicker here is that I had finally thought I found the perfect ginger beer for this cocktail. Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew has a serious bite to it and isn’t cloyingly sweet making it perfect. But this Blenheim Ginger Ale, the Great Jones Cafe is using, may have just out gingered the Extra Ginger. According to their website, Great Jones may be the only place that has this stuff in the city…is this possible? Good thing they sell it online!

As for the recipe, not much to explain here making it even better for your new favorite mid-week cocktail.

The Dark and Stormy

2 oz Dark rum

3 oz Ginger Beer or Bleinheim’s Ginger Ale

1 good-sized lime wedge

Pour the rum and ginger beer over a tall glass with ice and garnish with the squeezed lime. Drink slowly and enjoy the attitude!

I’ll Have Another…Losing Bet

I’d like to formally apologize to the owning group of Daddy Long Legs for publicly endorsing their wonderful horse at this year’s Kentucky Derby. Considering I haven’t won anything since a ten-dollar scratch off at age 12, full blame falls on me for Daddy Long Leg’s last place finish. Actually, it’s probably my fault that the ten of us at our Derby party, who had money on 11/20 horses didn’t win a dime. The only reason these people invite me places is because I make them drinks and feed them…

Speaking of that, I once again dare you to not like the basil julep. I made an extra batch of the basil syrup this time around to have in my fridge at all times, but I had another million of these on Derby day. So refreshing that even the so-called bourbon haters enjoyed a glass. But we didn’t stop there; a big jug of Bobby’s ridiculous margaritas (seriously my favorite of all time), a blackberry and tea concoction for mixing with vodka, and a few Cow Thieves in the mix, and it was pretty easy to forget about our terrible luck.

Unfortunately I forgot to snap a few photos of the amazing food but we were too busy devouring the sticky ribs, the tequila shrimp, the southern slaw and potato salad, and the chocolate bread pudding for me to grab my phone. Another successful Derby in the books! On to the Preakness!

Daddy Long Legs! Daddy Long Legs!

With only two days to the derby, I’ve decided to let you in on my horse racing secret. When betting on a race, you may be tempted to follow the odds makers and the experts in making your selection(s), but not me. My strategy is simple. Pick the horse with the name you are most excited to scream! You can’t lose!

Well actually, you can. In fact, I’ve never won. But wouldn’t you take a few minutes of enthusiastic screaming over a lump sum of money any day?

Regardless of how you choose your bets this weekend, winning or losing will be made better by this cocktail mash-up. If you are still trying to figure out how to incorporate the Derby and Cinco de Mayo, rest assured, this guy gets it done. Grabbing a handful of the Kentucky state fruit and blending them with a little lime, honey, and of course tequila makes for a perfectly refreshing blackberry margarita. I’ve dubbed it the Daddy Long Legs because that’s what I’ll be screaming for those handful of minutes on Saturday. At 30-1, sounds like it’s a long shot but what a name to scream!

The Daddy Long Legs

2 oz tequila

1 splash of cointreau

3 oz blackberry/lime juice

1 oz seltzer

In a cocktail shaker, shake the tequila, cointreau, and blackberry juice vigorously with ice. Pour into a rocks glass and top with seltzer and a simple lime garnish. Start shouting for Daddy Long Legs!

Blackberry/lime Juice

1 pint of blackberries

Juice of 2 limes

4 tbsp honey

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. At this point it can be strained but I prefer to leave it as is. Refrigerate until ready to make some cocktails.

The Shortest Vacation

By this time of the year, most people are staring at their calendars dreaming of their next vacation. However if your job is like a summer camp as it is for Nobler supporters Sarah Gordon and Joe Fisher, this is not a problem. Because at any given time, you are probably on vacation. I swear I’m not jealous…

Okay, fine. I am. Cause when I started seeing pictures of their most recent trip to Manuel Antonio, CR I was tempted to jump on the next flight and meet them. But I was already on my couch watching playoff sports so clearly, I didn’t have the time to pack. Instead I opted for the next best thing. This vacation inspired cocktail just might get you through to memorial day. Simply stir a few of these guys up, close your eyes and let your imagination do the rest. Worst comes to worst, drink a few more of these until you pass out. Maybe you’ll even dream you are at the beach!

The Shortest Vacation

2 oz bourbon

3 oz coconut water

Juice of half a lime

1 tsp honey

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

In a cocktail shaker, mix the coconut water, lime juice and honey. In a rocks glass, add the bourbon, cinnamon and nutmeg and let rest for 1 minute. Add the coconut water mixture and ice and garnish with vacation envy!

 

The Meloncress

I’m not a huge fan of store bought flavored vodkas but I have to admit, Absolut manages to produce a few damn good ones. A while back I stumbled upon their Absolut New Orleans which touted a mango and black pepper infusion. To my surprise, it was delicious. Even on it’s own, where flavored vodkas often suffer from a cloying or artificial flavor profile, this blend was really drinkable. Now if they really had wanted to impress me they would have made their New Orleans inspired vodka infused with wood-fired oysters and muffalettas, but beggars can’t be choosers.

It was this sweet and peppery profile that had me buzzing last night to make up this new cocktail for you guys. Originally I picked up this fresh cantaloupe and a head of watercress for some good old fashioned eating, but when I realized I still had my hand’s on fellow Nobler, Mark’s juicer I got to work. Watercress has an unbelievably delicious peppery bite and compared to related greens like mustard, their flavor is a bit lighter making them perfect for cocktail pairing. The ripe sweetness of the cantaloupe blends perfectly with the watercress and with a little citrus to bring it all together, this new guy is a definite winner. I paired the juice with Cachaça, a Brazilian spirit distilled from fresh sugarcane juice. You might be familiar with it as it is used in the very popular Caipirinha, or maybe from one of my original posts, the Clear and Sunny. Meloncress, I officially welcome you to the Juice Bar team.

The Meloncress

2 oz Cachaça

4 oz Melon and Watercress Juice

1 Splash Seltzer

Mix the first two ingredients together and pour over a highball glass with ice. Finish off with a splash of seltzer and a few watercress leaves for garnish.

Melon and Watercress Juice

1/2 Ripe Cantaloupe

2 Heads of Watercress (a few leaves reserved for garnish)

Juice of 1 Lime

Using a juicer, juice the peeled and chopped cantaloupe and reserve the juice. Juice the watercress into a second container. Squeeze the lime juice into the watercress liquid and then add the juice from the cantaloupe. Keep chilled and mix well before using.

When Worlds Collide

Over at Canigetasample, I used to chat quite a bit about my disdain for “fusion” cuisine. Specifically, the crappy neon lit, house music pumping “asian fusion” spots opening up all over the east side of the city. They are the worst. Their business model seems to be anchored in delivering less than stellar versions of many different cuisines so that instead of doing one thing particularly well, they offer pad thai and miso soup. Thanks but no thanks. But these types of places are just one subset of what “fusion” cuisine can really be. Some of the smartest and most talented chefs around the world are developing eye-opening blends of regional techniques, flavors, and ingredients to produce food that is both unique and familiar. So shouldn’t we be able to do the same with booze?

As I mentioned before, I’ve been working on a few recipes to get ready for this year’s Kentucky Derby party and there’s no question my basil julep has made the cut. But we just recently realized something pretty exciting. This year’s derby happens to fall on May 5th, which for all you non-Spanish translators out there, also happens to be Cinco de Mayo. Finkel is Einhorn. Einhorn is Finkel! And this is when my brain went crazy!

But blending regional flavors into cocktails isn’t as easy as some bars would like you to think. I would argue that this type of cocktail creation is in some ways even less forgiving than cooking fusion cuisine. Too often ingredients are added simply for their name alone as their subtlety is lost during consumption. A good example of that was this Empellon Manhattan (seen above). Don’t get me wrong. This drink tasted damn good and paired perfectly with the amazing Empellon Tacos. But the mole bitters and shaved chocolate didn’t resonate so much for me. Background flavors at best, these “Mexican” additions to the classic American cocktail couldn’t stand up the bourbon and sweet vermouth.

The cool thing is, when it comes to cocktail making, so much can be tweaked with those same four ingredients. Maybe it’s a simple shift in quantities, or maybe its something more complex like extracting the chocolate flavor directly into the bourbon. Looks like I better get back to work with the Derby just a few weeks away!

The Noblers Know Cocktails

The art of the cocktail had for years lost its way. A cocktail list read more like a candy aisle with pomegranate this and chocolate espresso that. But even with the sudden resurgence of simple and elegant concoctions, it’s still possible to be overwhelmed and disappointed. So before you go off grabbing rare bitters, elderflower liqueur, and ice cubes from the arctic, I’d say start with my Basil Julep.

Which is exactly what the Noblers and I did this past Friday when we gathered…

We’ve all taken quite a liking to the Old Fashioned. Particularly with Rye as the base, it is hard to beat this guy. But part of the reason its close to unbeatable is it’s simplicity. Sugar, bitters, water, and Rye makes for a quick fix while most other interpretations of “cocktails” end up muddling your enthusiasm after you see all the steps involved. Which is why, when I’m working on new blends, the simpler the better. Take the Bertha Palmer for example. By making a big batch of this in advance (and this time adding some fresh mint to the steeping tea), all we needed was a steady pour (easier in the beginning of the night), and a solid splash of Woodford Reserve. Like I said when I originally posted the Bertha, I will most likely drink a million of these this summer.

But I was even more pumped about this Basil Julep. With the Kentucky Derby in our sights, I’ve been working on a menu for our soon to be annual party. The Mint Julep, while synonymous with the Derby, has never done it for me. In fact, I don’t think anyone likes the Mint Julep. I think no one wants to be the first to speak up so I’m doing it for you! Mint, while delicious, carries the sweetness of the drink a little too strong for me. Which is why I thought basil would be the perfect fix. Turns out, it is and once you’ve made this basil simple syrup (which is absurdly easy) the drink comes together even quicker than an Old Fashioned. Now you see why I’m so excited.

Even the newest member of the Nobler Experiment, Hoagie, was overwhelmed by how good this drink was!

Disclaimer: No pug puppies were actually drinking during the Nobler Experiment. What do think we are? Neanderthals!

The Basil Julep:

4 tsp basil syrup

1 lemon wedge

3 oz Bourbon (we used Buffalo Trace)

Mix all ingredients in a rocks glass with ice and garnish with a fresh basil leaf! Pair this sucker with some homemade pimento cheese!

Basil Syrup

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups of sugar

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 large bunch of basil

In a sauce pan, bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat and add the basil. Let the syrup come to room temperature and store in the fridge. At this point you can remove the basil but the longer it stays in, the more intense the flavor. My recommendation is to remove the basil after 12 hours for better keeping.

The Bertha Palmer

One of my favorite spots to enjoy a bourbon, is the Ninth Ward in the East Village. The New Orleans inspired bar has a ridiculous outdoor patio which I can only imagine will be packed day after day now that spring has sprung. One of their signature cocktails is the Laura Palmer, which is simple and delicious. Sweet tea vodka and lemon juice: you can literally drink a million of these (I think we’ve only ever made it to 4) but please be sure you stand up slowly.

Well I’d like to now introduce you to Bertha. Bertha, born in Louisville, Kentucky, knows that while vodka may get the job done, bourbon is where it’s at. Seriously, I plan on drinking these all spring/summer. Kicking it all off last night, I paired it with some spicy and refreshing fish tacos. So damn good!

The Bertha Palmer

2/3 cup unsweetened tea

1 tbsp honey

Juice of half a lemon

2 oz bourbon

In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and honey to create your lemon syrup. In a tall glass with ice, add the bourbon, tea, and lemon syrup and stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon and proceed to feel great.