All posts by jetrotz

the author of this blog.

Buy the book today!

It’s finally here! The result of over 2 years of my adventures deep into the world of mixology is finally available! Click here to pick up your copy today.

All proceeds from Quarantine Cocktails go to Giving Kitchen, a charity that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of resources. This community was hard-hit by COVID-19, and this is my way of giving back.

Quarantine Cocktails celebrates drink & cocktail history over 84 full-color pages. The book features 110+ recipes, each with my color photos, from pre-Prohibition to modern classics, including ten originals. You’ll learn practical techniques, as well as guides to the tools, tricks, and ingredients to take your home bartending to the next level. The book explores the history and styles across six core spirits – Whiskey, Gin, Rum, Agave, and Liqueurs/Brandies. A comprehensive topical index and a cocktail finder, plus practical recommendations for sourcing tools and ingredients as well as valuable books, websites, and YouTubers to inform your cocktail journey.

Quarantine Cocktails

Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina got it right: “Happy families are all alike;” and I’ll add “so are cocktails, at least until a global pandemic takes hold.”
Therein lies the inspiration for this journey through the world of spirits and their myriad concoctions. After the lockdown began in March 2020, it took me a few months to realize that a daily cocktail might be an interesting way of distraction. 

Mind you, I think I’d had the same few bottles on hand for years: a bottle of bourbon, another of rye, a nasty coconut rum, some vodka, a few tequilas from when Amy and I took a trip to Mexico’s Isla Mujeres before we were married along with 4 bottles of Kahlua. I have no idea why so many. I’d been introduced to the Aviation at some point, and thought I’d start there.

So I tracked down a bottle of Creme de Violette – there’s a long history to that liqueur I’ll save for another entry – as well as Luxardo maraschino cherry liqueur. After that, I needed to find more things to create. That led to picking up one modern cocktail book, then another and another. Pretty soon I’m Instagramming my way to a really nice collection of cocktail recipes and a few of my own musings about most of them. 

Here in mid-January 2021, as the world continues to do that crazy thing we’ve been dealing with for almost a year (pandemic, civil unrest, attempted insurrection, the (blessed) election of Joe Biden & Kamal Harris, as well as Georgia turning blue in not one but TWO elections) I’ve made about 150 unique drinks. This blog will be an attempt at documenting these and letting my friends track their favorites down – something Instagram and Facebook don’t really facilitate all that well. 

I hope you’ll join me on this journey. There is so much more to the cocktail than I ever realized. Let’s go!

Aviation

Posted on 5/30/2020, 6/12/2020 and 7/8/2020.

So here’s #ryanreynolds Aviation Gin in an Aviation cocktail. Love the herbal notes from the Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette balanced by the tart lemon and sweetness via Luxardo maraschino liqueur. Way too easy to drink. Tragically this lovely crystal glass gave its life shortly after these pics. This is essentially the classic recipe, but I added the bitters for some additional botanical notes. At my friend Susie Fellman’s suggestion, I’ll have to try substituting St-Germain Elderflower liqueur (referred to in the industry as ‘bartender’s ketchup’) in place of the simple syrup. #aviationgin #luxardo #rothmanandwinter #bittercube #stgermain #cremedeviolette

aviation_cocktail
A perfect aviation on a perfect summer afternoon.

Aviation

Time:
5 minutes
Difficulty:
Simple


Ingredients

  • 2 oz Plymouth Gin
  •  ¼ oz Creme de Violette
  •  1 tsp Maraschino Liqueur 
  •  0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  •  0.50 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)
  • 2 Drops Bittercube Bolivar Bitters
  • 1 Cherry (as garnish)

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to shaker, add ice then immediately shake for around 15 seconds.
  2. Double strain into a chilled coupe.
  3. Garnish with the cherry.