Gin Dilettante

Gin Dilettante
Vegetal and Refreshing, Crisp and Bright, perfectly blends with the more herbal and floral gins. We chose Hendricks for this drink. Sometimes the fresh ingredients in your kitchen just cry out to be made into a cocktail. Who are we to deny them?

To an empty shaker, add:

3-4 slices of cucumber
Sprig of dill leaves
1/2 ounce freshly-squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup

Muddle well. Add ice, then 2 ounces of Hendricks gin. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh dill.

Always drink responsibly; always drink well.

The Hudson Witch, a Strega based cocktail

Hudson Witch

Strega, that sweet, herbal liqueur from Italy, was an under-utilized ingredient until the Cocktail Vultures came along. We enjoy it not only for its witchy name and origins, but for the breath of spring meadows it lends to a drink, without the bitterness of other aperitifs and amaros. This is one of the first recipes the Cocktail Vultures concocted together, and so we gave it the name of the mighty river near our homes. It was a hit at a local charity event here in Poughkeepsie, and cast its spell over a hundred costumed revelers.

To an iced shaker, add:

2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce Strega
3/4 ounce lime juice
1-2 dashes bitters — we prefer aged, whisky-flavored varieties

Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with some maraschino cherries speared on a contorted twig from a spooky hollow, or just a nice plastic sword pic.

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Creature From the Black Lagoon

No movie monster deserves a summery green drink more than The Creature; when you’re ready to entertain friends at the seaside or relaxing near your favorite lagoon, our cocktail is a perfect accompaniment.

The Brazilian locale of the movie makes Cachaça the obvious choice, and we were careful to include a “black lagoon” feature.

To an iced shaker, add:

2 ounces Cachaça (we enjoy http://www.LeblonCachaca.com)
2 ounces Midori (www.midori-world.com)
1 ounce Cruzan Coconut Rum (www.cruzanrum.com)
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce pineapple juice

1 ounce dark spiced Rum (we prefer http://www.krakenrum.com)

Shake VIOLENTLY! for a good 30 seconds (we demand a well-shaken cocktail). Strain into a large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Set the reamed lime half in the ice as a bowl and fill that with the Kraken or other dark rum. Add a straw and enjoy.

The vegetal nature of the Cachaça offsets the Midori and makes a clean and refreshing drink with a hint of Tiki influence. Just don’t go swimming alone!

Always drink responsibly; always drink well.

Bruja-rita Rosa

Bruja-rita Rosa

What’s better than a fresh Margarita on a broom? A witch’s broom, thanks to the magical liqueur from Italy.  Strega brings a whisper of herbal mystery to the balance of this drink, which we’ve sweetened a bit with syrup made from any fresh red fruit.

That’s right — the Cocktail Vultures care most about what tastes good. Sometimes strawberries are better than raspberries, and sometimes neither is available — then it’s perfectly fine to make this tasty drink with a homemade grenadine. You can even grab a bag of frozen berries; just make sure they haven’t been sitting in the freezer all winter.

This time around, we used those strawberries that are so famously in season in June.  We encourage you to make this as a batch drink; it’s great for a barbecue or pool party.

To a blender, add:

2 ounces Reposado Tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce Strega
1 ounce freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 ounces fresh fruit syrup
A couple of ice cubes

Blend for 10 seconds, and pour into a wine or rocks glass filled with finely-crushed ice.

You can quadruple the recipe and just get it into a blender so cover tightly and give it a whirl.  Salt the rims of the glasses if you like, add a straw and enjoy the best of the Summer.

The Switchblade

The Switchblade

At the end of a busy day, or when a flock of thirsty vultures descends suddenly upon your roost, it’s nice to be able to serve up a sophisticated yet two-fisted drink without ruffling your feathers. You can accomplish this easily by always keeping a supply of your own homemade sweet-and-sour mix on hand.

Sweet-and-sour is quick to prepare and can be put together while you’re prepping for other cocktails or even making a meal — hey, you’re messing up the kitchen anyway. To a clean bottle or jar, add:

One part freshly-squeezed lemon juice
One part freshly-squeezed lime juice
One part simple syrup

Shake vigorously and refrigerate. If you don’t know how long you may keep it, add a jot of vodka or white rum as a preservative. Throw it away after a week and make more. If you have more lemons than limes in hand, or vice versa, don’t sweat it — sweet-and-sour can stand a little fudging in its preparation and eventually you can adjust it to your own tastes.

Now, on to our manly cocktail!

The Cocktail Vultures love both bourbon and amaretto and have now put them together in this very American take on the Stiletto. It will nonetheless stand you in good stead when contemplating your next vendetta.

To an ice-filled shaker, add:

1.5 ounces Bourbon
1.5 ounces Amaretto
1.5 ounces sweet-and-sour
A hearty dash of Peychaud bitters

Shake vigorously and pour into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with lemon and lime peels and add a straw.

Bottled Lime Juice=Epic Fail!

We don’t like to bother with focusing on what is wrong out there but this is basic information you should have before you start trying to mix your first drink. THERE ARE NO GOOD BOTTLED LEMON OR LIME JUICES!

They all at best taste like battery acid and none of them have the subtle perfume of real fresh-squeezed juice. Just compare fresh-squeezed orange juice to bottled juice. Bottled juices are DEAD; they are the decaying fluids left to rot in a bottle. The only methodology we have found for preserving fresh-squeezed juice is to bag it in smaller amounts in zip lock bags with all the air pressed out and freeze them. Use nothing more than room temperature to thaw them and you will have the closest approximation to fresh. If you go to a bar that is pushing a high-priced cocktailian menu and you see one of these plastic bottles be forewarned: you will be getting a mediocre at best drink and more likely a bitterly sour abomination that resembles it’s namesake in name alone. Try a test at home: squeeze some lime juice and compare it to one of the above and it will become obvious. Every supermarket sells lemon and lime juice in convenient little containers. They’re called “Lemons and Limes!” Nature’s little cocktail buddies. You have been informed and warned.

JN