by Columbine Quillen on March 6, 2010
My intention today was to make Jerry Thomas’ series of cobbler drinks – but once again I hit a wall as I don’t have any catawba wine, which one of the cobblers calls for. Every time I’ve tried to procure this varietal, there’s been none for sale on-line and not one of the restaurant’s wine reps had any clue what I was talking about. But I decided to google it for the hell of it and for the first time, an option popped up to buy a bottle on line. Which is very exciting and as soon as I get the bottle, I am going to make all of the cocktails that call for catawba before the wine oxidizes.
For the meantime, I made the Knickerbocker – which is the most in style of Thomas’ drinks to what most people expect from a cocktail today. It is pretty much a raspberry lemondrop with a little curacoa but made with rum. The recipe calls for Santa Cruz rum which refers to rum from the Virgin Islands, so I used Cruzan light because I felt that the delicate flavors from the lemon and raspberry syrup would be lost with a darker rum.
I thought this was delicious.
Knickerbocker
in modern day measurements
2 ounces Cruzan light rum
1/2 ounce Citronage
2 ounces raspberry syrup
2 ounces fresh squeezed lemon
Raspberry syrup recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cups frozen raspberries
Bring ingredients to a boil and immediately pull off. Let cool and then puree in a food processor.
by Columbine Quillen on March 5, 2010
There used to be a bartender in Denver that wore a button that said, “Ask me about water, no ice.” Only the truly daring would venture the question because the answer was a whirlwind of hate and distaste she had for who didn’t just take their water from the tap with some ice cubes in it. I don’t share this hatred, but I am always amazed by all of the creative ways people have found to enjoy one of life’s simplest pleasures.
A lot can be learned from the person who places a water order.
No ice? You think a lot about hydration and you don’t sip your water you inhale it. You will drink at least three full glasses of water in long gulps and the only reason you stop devouring it is because you don’t know what’s going on in conversation as you’ve spent most of the evening making trips to the restroom.
Straw? You are a woman, men hate straws and immediately pull them from their drinks in wild disbandment. You like to look pretty when you drink your water and you don’t want your lipstick to tarnish. The straw can also be used as a tool in flirtation as you stir your water with it and use your other hand to flip your hair.
Three ice cubes, two little straws, one lime, one lemon twist, and a splash of cranberry. You are high maintenance and sexually frustrated. You are never satisfied with what is offered to you and you often look a gift horse in the mouth. You will spend most of the evening with a look of bored wretchedness and stare at others in distaste. For you I would recommend a simple glass of luke warm tap water in a scratched up pint glass – you’ll learn a lot when you break free from your water order.
H2O on the rocks
Take any glass, add ice, and fill to top with water.
