The Jerry Thomas Project is the re-creation of all of Jerry Thomas’ cocktails from Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide: Receipts for Mixing in their purest form. Jerry Thomas is considered America’s father of mixology publishing the first cocktail book in 1862.

I really loved all the Jerry Thomas drinks I made this time, they were all quite light and delicious! I gave directions for one drink or for bulk – as is often the case that one wants a drink without throwing a party.

Imperial Punch

(for one person)

3 oz of claret (any dark red blend will do)
3 oz of soda water
1 sugar cube
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of Maraschino
1 piece of muddled cucumber

Allow the sugar cube to dissolve in the soda water. Muddle the cucumber. Add all the ingredients together including the soda water. Strain.

Imperial Punch

(according to Jerry Thomas)

28 oz of claret (any dark red blend will do)
28 oz of soda water
4 tablespoons of powdered white sugar
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 liqueur-glass of Maraschino (how much is a liquor glass)
3 or 4 slices of cucumber rind

Allow the sugar to dissolve in the sugar water. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Thirty-Second Regiment Punch aka Victoria Punch

(for one person)

1 piece of lemon peel
1.5 oz brandy
1.5 oz Jamaica rum
2 sugar cubes
2.5 oz water
¾ oz of steamed milk

Muddle the lemon peel with the brandy and rum. Strain. Add sugar cubes, water, and steamed milk. The drink WILL curdle. Strain through a cheese cloth (which was brilliant and opened my eyes to a lot of other possibilities that I have steered away from because of curdling). Stir and enjoy!

Thirty-Second Regiment Punch aka Victoria Punch

(according to Jerry Thomas)

(Recipe taken from the late Wiliam H. Herbert, Esq.)

Six lemons
32 ounces of brandy
32 ounces of Jamaica rum (I used Myers)
1 pound of white sugar
56 quart of water
16 oz of boiling milk

Cut the lemons into slices and allow them to steep in the brandy and rum overnight. Then add sugar, water, and milk. Once it is well-mixed strain through a jelly bag (don’t have a jelly bag, you can just use cheese cloth and honestly most people who make jelly prefer an old pillow case to a jelly bag anyhow).

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What is a jelly bag? It is a bag made out of muslin or another thin material where one puts ripe fruit in a manner so that the bag hangs and the fruit juice drips out from the bag into a collection bowl.

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This punch may be bottled, and can be drank hot or cold.

Light Guard Punch

(for one person)

2 oz of champagne
½ ounce sherry
½ ounce cognac
½ ounce of white wine
1 piece of pineapple
1 piece of lemon

Light Guard Punch

(for a party according to Jerry Thomas)

84 oz of champagne (3 bottles)
28 oz of pale sherry
28 oz of cognac
28 oz of Sauterne
1 pineapple
4 lemons

Cut the pineapple into small pieces. Slice the lemons. Mix all the ingredients together in a very large container (you will need a three-gallon container to make this punch recipe). Add the sliced fruit. Add sugar if desired. As for the punch bowl, place it inside another punch bowl packed with ice and rock salt so that the top bowl is nestled within the larger bowl.

Philadelphia Fish House Punch

(From a recipe in the possession of Charles G. Leland, Esq.)

(Jerry Thomas says this recipe should be “generally sufficient for one person”) I personally think this recipe is sufficient for three or four people.

The Fish House Punch is one of the oldest cocktails in American history, and was first concocted in 1732 at the Schuylkill Fishing Company (a men’s only club where George Washington liked to chill). The punch was created to celebrate the first time women were allowed in the club (but only for a day) at the annual Christmas Party. It was supposed to be just “something to please the ladies palate but get them livelier than is their usual wont.”

5 ounces lemon juice
5 ounces of simple syrup
8 ounces of cognac
4 ounces of peach brandy
4 ounces of Jamaican rum
20 ounces of cold water

Mix ingredients and serve in a punch bowl.  Should be served with ice.

Philadelphia Fish House Punch

(For one person)

Here is a bit different recipe for one person and I do believe a bit more accurate, as Fish House Punch typically has black tea in it.

1 ounce of lemon juice
1 ounce of simple syrup
2 ounces of cognac
¼ ounce of peach brandy
¼ ounce of dark rum
3 ounces of chilled black tea

Stir ingredients, add ice, and enjoy!

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Link to more info on Fish House Punch.

Link to other Jerry Thomas Recipes.

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http://www.thisgirlwalksintoabar.com/

Four nights drinking in San Francisco, seventeen bartenders – only one of them with two x chromosomes. Perhaps part of it is that I went to a lot of hi-falutin cocktail lounges where they have unheard of spirits and bitters infused with bug parts. Almost every one of these bars had its version of the quintessential San Fran barman. Think Alfredd Packer with cuff garters, tattoos, and skinny jeans – if Packer could have given up man-meat for some absinthe-infested concoction in glass beakers.

Maybe it’s because bartending is still a relatively new career for women. In the 1895 U.S. census, there were almost 56,000 male bartenders, but only 147 women. It wasn’t until WWII, when America’s young men were fighting on two fronts, that women found their place behind the bar, stirring up dry gin martinis and shaking icy sidecars. But as soon as America’s war heroes came home, they wanted their lucrative bar positions back and. In some cases, they ensured that women didn’t work behind the bar.

In 1945, New York City, Atlantic City, and the state of Michigan made it against the law to be a female bartender. California had a law on the books that made it illegal for women to “pour whiskey.” It wasn’t repealed until 1971 when a gutsy strip club owner wanted to put his dancers behind the bar. In the mid-70s, Holiday Inn started hiring pretty young women in droves to bartend as they recognized the move meant more profit.

It is a new era for the woman bartender. Our innate skills of mixing ingredients, sincere compassion, and natural eye for detail will no doubt allow us to push what people think of a saloon, including the mood, cocktails, and service. But until females dominate the bar scene, do cuff garters come in pink?

The following is a concoction conceived by one of the trailblazers, Audrey Saunders, the first female internationally recognized mixologist in the history books. And yes, Saunders is still very much alive and owns the Pegu Club in New York City.

Gin-Gin Mule

1\2 oz lime juice
1\2 oz simple syrup
6 mint sprigs
3\4 ginger beer
1\2 oz bombay gin
splash of soda water

Muddle lime juice, simple syrup, and mint. Add gin and ice. Shake well. Add ginger beer and mix. Serve over ice with a splash of soda and a lime wedge as garnish.

This was first Published in The Source Weekly

- Columbine Quillen

The Jerry Thomas Project is the re-creation of all of Jerry Thomas’ cocktails from Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide: Receipts for Mixing in their purest form. Jerry Thomas is considered America’s father of mixology publishing the first cocktail book in 1862.

I’m back on with The Jerry Thomas Project, and to all its fans – sorry for the hiatus.

I’m still in the midst of what seems like 1001 punches, not a surprise as Thomas had to name many a drink and although innovative to say the least, my guess is that even Thomas had trouble coming up with an original moniker for all of his creations. Nonetheless, my belief is that when Thomas ran out of names, he conceded to the all-encompassing title of “punch.”

You may talk of brisk Claret, sing Praises of Sherry,
Speak well of old Hock, Mum, Cider and Perry;
But you must drink Punch if you mean to be Merry.

- late 18th century song taken from Punch by David Wondrich

St. Charles Punch

2 ounces of port wine
1 ounce of brandy
1 ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of water

Stir the sugar and water together. Add the other ingredients, shake with ice. Garnish with seasonal fruit and serve with a straw.

I was a bit baffled when I made this cocktail, as I wondered if I should be using ruby or tawny port wines.

If you don’t know much about ports they are sweet dessert wines that come from the Duoro region of Portugal. There are five different types of port: white, ruby, tawny, late bottled vintage, and vintage.

White: Is made from a blend of white grapes varieties and then is aged and fortified (a fancy term for adding more sugar). It can be made sweet or dry, although most varieties in the U.S. are sweet (but for the most part you see almost no white port in the States.)

Ruby: Is made from a blend of red grape varieties and is aged less than three years. It tends to be fruity with little tannins.

Tawny: Is a ruby port that has been aged in small oak barrels, which gives the wine a nutty caramel flavor. It is usually aged between six and twenty years.

Late Bottle Vintage: Is a tawny port that has the sediment removed from the bottle, so that it has a longer shelf life.

Vintage Port: Is the best of the best. The bottle must contain grapes from one single harvest; the wine is then aged in oak and aged in the bottle. After purchase, the consumer should then let the bottle sit for another ten to thirty years until it is considered ready to drink.

I tried to do some research as what type of port Jerry Thomas would have used and I don’t think anyone really knows. But my guess is that he would have used a ruby port, as it was less expensive and easier to come by. I however, don’t care that much for ruby port, so I used the Taylor Fladgate 10 year, which is a good standby as almost every bar has it.

Seventh Regiment National Guard Punch

2 ounces of brandy
2 ounces of sherry
1 ounce of raspberry syrup
1 ounce of lemon
dash of Jamaican rum
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of water

Stir the sugar and water together. Add the other ingredients, shake with ice, and pour into glass with ice. Garnish with seasonal fruit (preferably orange, pineapple, and berries), top with dash of Jamaican rum, and serve with a straw.

Sixty-Ninth Regiment Punch

1 ounce of Irish whiskey
1 ounce of Scotch whiskey
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 lemon twist
4 ounces of boiling hot water

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water. Add whiskey.

Punch Grassot

(side note made by Thomas: The following recipe was given by M. Grassot, the eminent French custodian of the Palais Royal, to Mr. Howard Paul, the celebrated “Entertainer,” when performing in Paris.)

2 ounces of brandy
1 teaspoon of Curacoa
1 drop of acetic acid (please use a drop of vinegar)
2 teaspoons of simple syrup
1 teaspoon of strawberry syrup
4 ounce water
1 small lemon sliced into pieces

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large glass or goblet with ice. Garnish with a slice of peach or apricot. This drink can be served hot or cold (use hot or cold water).

I liked this drink, I used a splash of balsamic vinegar (as acetic acid is the acid in vinegar) and I thought the balsamic would flatter the strawberries.

All in all, one of the better rounds of Thomas drinks – as I liked them all.

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Link to other Jerry Thomas Recipes.
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In a world where Reidel Crystal uses science to create tulip-shaped fish bowls perfected to enjoy the delicacies of an Oregon Pinot and sexy hour-glass stemware flawlessly crafted so that neat spirits can scintillate one’s palate, one must wonder why the coveted glass of the cocktail lounge isn’t one of these modern day marvels – but rather a glass purportedly created as a replication of Marie Antoinette’s perky A cup.

The coupe glass, a small round bowl on a long stem (a necessity to serve champagne throughout most of the 60’s) has made a serious comeback since it was created in 1663. The triangular cocktail glass that infiltrated the American psyche and created martini bars in even the dankest of towns might soon have to take the backseat to a glass created for smaller cocktails with more booze, less mixer, and bitters.

It is the revival of the great American cocktail that is bringing this small goblet back into fashion. Mango basil margaritas shaken up with chili verde spicy salt move over as the cocktails that fill the coupe glasses are typically made of strong whiskey, cognac, dark rum, and bitters. Flavored vodkas almost never have a home in the coupe glass – as they don’t carry the respect needed to pull off the great-grandfather of the stemware collection. It is a fine glass made for sipping. It is sophisticated and timeless. It is not the vial for pink cosmopolitans and Sex in the City, but rather brown cocktails doused with absinthe and 100-year-old sherry.

Seventh Regiment Cavalry Punch

The history of this cocktail is not entirely known, but it is believed to be in honor of the Seventh Regiment during the battle of Little Big Horn in 1876.

1 ounce brandy
1 ounce sherry
1 dash of sugar
1 splash lemon juice
1 splash raspberry syrup
one dash of dark Jamaican rum

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

This was first Published in The Source Weekly

I had the treat of going to Portland this week and making the Hood River Distilleries fall and winter portfolio of cocktails for all of their regional sales reps. (The recipes follow.) I was also able to meet Ken Wyatt, who is one of the owners of 44 North Vodka – made right next-door in Idaho.

What was really embarrassing after spending the entire evening with everyone (and let’s just say these guys don’t go to bed until there is really no other option) is how little I knew about the Pacific Northwest’s oldest distillery, Hood River Distilleries. Hood River Distilleries opened in the small town of Hood River, which sits at the base of Mount Hood on the Columbia River. If you have never been to Hood River, Oregon – you are missing out on one of the most enchanting locales in the entire nation. It has a charming downtown, rich in Victorian buildings and cute urban shops that house boutique bakeries and outdoor stores. The Columbia River is visible from many places in town and on a warm and windy day you can see kite boarders’ pink, green, and yellow sails glide by on a river so big it has white caps and small waves breaking.

Hood River Distilleries began in 1934. (To give you an idea of what was happening during this time – The U.S. was in the midst of The Great Depression with unemployment at 22% – it’s currently around 9%. Adolf Hitler declared himself the fuehrer of Germany – now google and facebook just knows everything you do and when you do it. And, the U.S. Midwest was experiencing the dustbowls, where 35 million acres of farmland were destroyed – now half of the nation doesn’t even eat food grown in fields, so this might matter less to us today.)

Hood River Distilleries began as a way to use the fruit waste that was being disposed of in the river, as the valleys around Hood River are quilted in apple and pear orchards. In 1968, Hood River Distilleries moved to its current location (you can actually see it as you breeze by on the interstate). They no longer distill old fruit waste, but rather bottle Pendleton Canadian Whisky, Yazi Ginger Vodka, Knickers Irish Cream, Broker’s London Dry Gin, and ULLR (which is a cinnamon peppermint schnapps). I also learned how much Pendleton they sell compared to anything else and how popular Pendleton is on the rodeo circuit – which was fascinating. Pendleton is the official spirit of ProRodeo and does all the big cash prizes for bareback buck riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. Hood River Distilleries has also invested a lot of money to keep the facilities for the Pendleton Round-up in prime condition. If you are like myself and don’t travel much in the rodeo circuit, The Pendleton Round-up is Oregon’s biggest rodeo which started in 1910 and every September attracts the world’s greatest cowboys to ride on the world’s meanest bulls.

Pendleton is an aged and blended Canadian whisky that took many years of trial and error to create what many believe is the best Canadian whisky in the world. (I am not a Canadian whisky fan, but the Pendleton has a rich vanilla undertone that differentiates it from most of the swag available at the same price point.) They don’t do the blending on premise, but rather it is blended in Canada to their specifications and then brought to proof with Mt. Hood glacial water. Before Hood River Distilleries bottles Pendleton Whisky (which is about every six weeks) a sample is sent and a panel of tasters including the owner of the company, Ronald Dodge, and the vice president, Lynda Webber, taste it to ensure that it tastes like every ounce of Pendleton that’s ever been sold. The spirit is shipped by train across the country – which can take many weeks and can affect the product if the train car gets too hot or too cold – which means that the whisky will have to re-blended. So it’s a delicate process, but it ensures quality and consistency.

I also got to meet the original Pendleton Posse Member Mindy Davis, who is absolutely gorgeous, ridiculously charming, and a sicklingly good dancer. I you are not familiar with the Pendleton Posse, it is a group of talented young women who grew up in the rodeo community and travel to help promote Pendleton Whisky and the spirit of the American West. Seems like a pretty good gig, made me wish that I knew how to actually ride a horse and I owned some bigger belt buckles.

Hood River Distilleries also just picked up 44 North Vodka, which is made in Rigby Idaho. They have two types – their flavored vodkas (huckleberry and rainier cherry) that are distilled from potatoes, in honor of Idaho being the home of famous potatoes and a winter wheat vodka (the winter wheat is also grown in Idaho but without the hoopla). I’ve had the huckleberry vodka numerous times over the years and I’ve always loved the flavor – plus too, there just are no other huckleberry vodkas. Unfortunately, I believe that cough syrup has destroyed the cherry flavor for me as cherry lollipops, cherry Popsicles, and cherry vodka tend to remind me of sick days as a child. Not to say that’s not to say there isn’t a positive, as my many of my favorite memories from childhood are sucking on Luden’s cherry cough drops while watching Wheel of Fortune and enjoying the luxury of sleeping on the couch – it’s just not necessarily the feeling I want while I’m in the bar. Nonetheless, I hate to say it but it makes a damn good cherry coke. The winter wheat drinks sweet as most winter wheat vodkas do.

Anyhow, it is always fun to learn something new – especially about a brand that I see all the time.

As for Hood River Distilleries Fall and Winter Cocktails, please help yourself.

The drinks are tiered as the first drink of each group is the easiest to make.

The second drink might have harder ingredients to find, but you should be able to get everything you need at a regular grocery and liquor store.

The third drink might involve a special grocery or a nicer liquor store.

Cheers!

Brokers Gin Cocktails

Gin and Juice
2 oz Broker’s Gin
3 oz Juice Love

Mix in glass, add ice, and stir.

Juice Love Recipe

Juice Love (this is built to 28 ounces – the size of a storm pourer or a recycled/re-used liquor or wine bottle) I recommend that if being used at a commercial level that the bar premix the juice, as they will find it will add to speed and efficiency.

7 ounces pineapple juice
7 ounces cranberry juice
6 ounces oj
2 ounces grapefruit juice
3 ounces lime juice
3 ounces simple syrup

Gin Gin
2 oz Broker’s Gin
1.5 oz mint syrup
1.5 oz lime juice

Mix in glass, add ice, and stir.

Mint Syrup
4 cups mint (you can use the entire sprig, no need to tear the leaves off)
6 cups water
6 cups sugar
Bring to a boil, take off the heat and let sit overnight. Strain and serve.

Postmodern Pimms Cup
1 oz Broker’s Gin
.5 oz St. Germain
.5 oz Pimms
1/2 oz cucumber puree or 4 slices of muddles cucumber
2 oz of lime sour
.5 oz of soda
2 shakes of Angostura bitters

Mix in glass, stir or shake, add ice, and serve.

Lime Sour
2 cups warm water
1 cup sugar
14 ounces fresh-squeezed lime
2 ounces of oj

Cucumber purée is simply cucumbers that have been ran through a blender

Yazi Cocktails

Hard Bitters and Soda
2 oz Yazi
3 oz of soda
3 shakes of Angostura Bitters (or any flavor bitters you have)

Mix in glass, add ice, and stir.

Yazi Toddy
1.5 oz Yazi
.5 oz brandy
1.5 oz honey syrup
1 squeeze of half of a lemon
splash oj
2 oz hot water

Build this drink in a coffee cup stirring until all the ingredients are mixed.  You most likely will need to steam or microwave this drink to warm it up before serving.

Honey syrup is just 2 parts honey to 1 part warm water – it makes the honey much easier to use for cocktails. I would recommend making a squeezie bottle of honey syrup for speed’s sake.

Ninja Ginja
2 oz Yazi
1 oz Monarch triple sec
1 oz Gimple
1 oz lemon juice

Gimple (Ginger Syrup)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
Your choice of 2 cups peeled and cut ginger or 8 bags of ginger lemon tea

Bring to a boil and take off the heat. Strain the ginger or tea bags out and let cool. (DO NOT allow the ginger to sit overnight – the syrup will take on a lot of spiciness)

Pendleton Cocktails

Pendleton Smash
(this is a very old pre-prohibition cocktail made with Pendleton)

2 oz Pendleton (that’s been steeped in mint)
2.5 oz water
teaspoon of fine white sugar (Baker’s sugar)

The easiest way to steep the Pendleton with mint is to add two mint teabags to a bottle of Pendleton (especially if this drink is on the cocktail list and you are pouring through a lot of Pendleton). Otherwise, allow 2 oz of Pendleton to steep with fresh mint sprigs for 10 minutes up to overnight (but don’t leave it any longer or it will turn a nasty color).

Pendleton Sidecar
2 oz Pendleton
1 oz Monarch Triple
2 oz Lime Sour

Build drink in a shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Lime Sour
2 cups warm water
1 cup sugar
14 ounces fresh-squeezed lime
2 ounces of oj

Tim Buck 2 (Let’er Buck)
2 oz Pendleton
1 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Soda

Vanilla Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/8 cup vanilla extract

Bring the sugar and water to a boil, take off the heat. Let cool and add the vanilla extract (if you add the extract when it’s hot the vanilla extract will evaporate)

Knickers Cocktails

The Wired
1.5 oz Knickers
.5 oz Coffee Liqueur
2 oz Espresso
.5 oz Chambord
.5 oz half and half or heavy whipping cream

Build drink in a shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Coco Fizz
1.5 oz Knickers
1 oz Amaretto
1 oz coconut cream or coconut milk
2 oz cola

Build drink in a collins glass adding all ingredients except for the cola.  Stir, add ice, and top with cola.

The Ultimate Chocolate Martini
1 oz Knickers
.5 oz vanilla vodka
1 oz creme de cocoa
1.5 oz Ghirardelli Chocolate Syrup
1 oz half and half or heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Martinis are a great place to play around with some fun rimmers – go down the candy aisle and blend up M&M’s, Heath Bar, or Butterfinger. Use chocolate syrup to make the rim sticky and dip it in your crumbled candy choice.

ULLR Cocktails

Viking Bomb
2 oz of ULLR dropped in a pint glass filled with half Red Bull (or another energy drink) and half lemonade

Caribbean Bulldog
1 oz ULLR
1 oz coconut milk or coconut cream
1 oz vanilla vodka
2 oz soda
grate a bit of fresh nutmeg on top (if you have some lying around)

Mix in glass, add ice, and stir. (Some people are not so keen on the soda in this drink, so if that is you – please enjoy soda free.)

Silky Sin
1 oz ULLR
1 oz Yazi
1 oz half and half or heavy whipping cream
1 oz simple syrup
2 shakes Angostura Bitters
1 squeeze of lemon

Build drink in a shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Jerry Thomas Project is the re-creation of all of Jerry Thomas’ cocktails from Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide: Receipts for Mixing in their purest form. Jerry Thomas is considered America’s father of mixology publishing the first cocktail book in 1862.

As it was just the holidays and I have been making Jerry Thomas punches of late, I thought it keen to make a festive punch for my own holiday party. And there is one thing that I learned about punch – tis wise to have an RSVP on your reservation so the amplitude of merry juice is befitting to the size of the crowd. I showed no reluctance in my favoritism of mixing juices and spirits and thus ended up with enough celebratory serum to ensure weekend drunkenness for the entire neighborhood for the next few weeks. I also learned that punch is a delightful way to rid yourself of all the bottles that have just a squeak or a pinch left in them.

But back to Jerry Thomas and his punches. I made three punches today (in quantities befitting of one 125-pound girl):  Orgeat Punch, Curaçao Punch, and Roman Punch. They are all quite similar as they all contain brandy and I must say that the Curaçao Punch is my favorite. As I often have found, raspberry mixed with lemon juice and brandy tends to taste a bit like cough syrup (and as such the Roman Punch does too). I made the Orgeat Punch twice, the first with the port float – which was o.k.   But then I made it again with a float of Goslings, and that was lovely.

Orgeat Punch

3/4 ounce of orgeat syrup (orgeat syrup is an almond syrup with a hint of orange)
3 ounces of brandy
1 ounces of lemon juice

Fill a shaker with ice, shake, and strain. Float a bit of port wine on the top. Garnish with berries that are in season. Serve with a straw.

Click here to the recipe for orgeat syrup.

Curaçao Punch

1/2 ounce of simple syrup
2 ounces of brandy
1/2 ounce of Jamaican Rum (I used Appleton Estate as I have a small bottle that was a gift from my friend who does charitable dental work there)
1 ounce of Curaçao (decide how orange-y you want it, if you just like it sweet use a less expensive triple sec, but if you like it with a lot more orange use Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
1 ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fill a shaker with ice, shake, and strain. Garnish with berries that are in season. Serve with a straw.

Roman Punch

(I’m not sure why this is named Roman Punch as there isn’t anything Roman about it. I’m thinking that perhaps I should throw some grappa on top of it.)
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 splash of Curaçao
2 ounces of Jamaican Rum
1 ounce of brandy
1 ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fill a shaker with ice, shake, and strain. Garnish with berries that are in season. Serve with a straw.

To check out Jerry Thomas Measurements from the turn of the century – click here.

To check out other Jerry Thomas Project recipes – click here.

I had a funny epiphany the other night when it occurred to me that the $17 echinacea goldenseal and propolis throat spray I’d been using to ward off the latest in fashionable flu and cold viruses, was really a simple extract I could make for about fifty cents. Which got me to pulling out a bunch of old cocktail recipe books, botany books, and herbal medicine books that I enjoyed flipping through on my days off this Christmas. It got me thinking that I should spend more time with this part of cocktail history, as the transition from “medicine” to cocktail flavoring is absolutely fascinating. It’s also an interesting study as to our current obsession with prescription medicines and it makes you wonder what our grandchildren will be doing with them 100 years from now.

I pulled out two old recipes that looked interesting, Baker’s Bitters and Falernum Syrup. I’ve made Baker’s bitters before, many years ago – and I wish I still had the bottle, but like tiny bottles of murky liquid often do – it has disappeared. If I remember correctly, they are a really nice orange bitters (supposedly Gary Regan used this recipe as a base for his famous Regan’s Orange Bitters No 6). As I don’t know what happened to them, I started a new batch today, which should be done right around Valentine’s Day. I also pulled out the recipe for Falernum Syrup, which I hate to admit but I have never made it until today (well it’s almost made, I just have to add the simple syrup tomorrow). But so far, it smells really delicious. Both extracts have a Christmassy scent to them thanks to the cinnamon and cloves.

Bakers Bitters

Bakers Bitters are first found in Charles H. Baker, Jr.’s book, “The Gentleman’s Companion” which was a unique collection of recipes for its day: exotic recipes from around the world for unusual hors’ d’oeuvres, soups, fish, shellfish, poultry, game, meat, vegetables, fruits and desserts. Baker spent most of the 20s and 30s drinking and eating his way around the world – supposedly rubbing elbows with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Frank Buck, and Douglas Fairbanks.  When he was not traveling around the globe as the early 20th century’s Anthony Bourdain, he hung out down in Coconut Grove, Florida – when it was just a tiny little artist hamlet. He was at various times a writer for the old Town and Country and Esquire magazines and did some other freelance work, but nothing took hold like his little Gentleman’s Companions which now are few and far between. Today, you can easily find it selling for over $300 on ebay and amazon.

INGREDIENTS

1/8 teaspoon Cinchona bark
the peel from one orange
the peel from half of a lemon
10 crushed cardamom seeds
Two teaspoons of crushed Chamomile flowers
2 crushed cinnamon sticks
1/8 cup of Raisins
28 ounces of 151-grain alcohol

METHOD
Place ingredients together in an airtight container, shaking once per week – allowing to steep for six weeks. At the end of six weeks, strain through a cheesecloth two times. Now bottle and enjoy.

Basic Falernum

Falernum is a flavored syrup that originated in Barbados and is typically alcoholic – but not necessarily. It generally contains ginger, cloves, and lime, but could include any number of other ingredients for flavor. Most recipes include some sort of bitter almond flavor. It’s used in a lot of tiki drinks, but also can be mixed with a little seltzer water as a super sassy ginger ale.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces of rum (it wouldn’t be falernum if you didn’t use rum!) I say use a 151 proof rum
The peels of two limes
4 Whole Cloves
3 Drops Almond Extract
28 ounces of simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil, immediately remove from heat, and let cool)

METHOD
1. In bottle place the Rum, Cloves, and Lime Peel.
2. Set aside overnight.
3. Strain cloves and lime peels from rum
4. Add 28 ounces of simple syrup to your extract
5. Add the drops of almond extract
Want to know more about tinctures and extracts? Click here.

To check out the Jerry Thomas Project (the re-making of all the cocktails from America’s first cocktail book)  click here.

More about the history of cinchona, quinine, and the effects it had on the global economy click here.

Last week was Repeal Day and it was my hope to be done with The Jerry Thomas Project by then, and I’m not; so I just decided that I’d forget about any time constraint and just work on it until I was done. Nonetheless, it made me wonder if Jerry Thomas would have gotten it done in a year. Which I decided that he probably would have but he would have done it sort of half-assed and sloppily (kind of like his book).

It’s a funny relationship you have with someone when you recreate all of their works – you really get to know them in a way. And I’ve found that Thomas is a little lazy and inattentive in his recipes. And then I started to think about him and his contemporary Harry Johnson, who wrote Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Illustrated Bartender’s Manual and a Guide for Hotels and Restaurants. Harry Johnson has an eye for detail that Thomas is certainly lacking. And quite honestly, I’m more a Harry Johnson (I’ll keep that a secret from the boys) than a Jerry Thomas. Johnson’s book is edited to a tee with half of it being a primer on how to run a restaurant or bar (down to what your linen costs should be), and I have to say that I pretty much wholeheartedly agree with Johnson’s take on the business. Perhaps, there’s a little reincarnated Harry Johnson inside of me (take that any way you want to).

Anyhow, I did get back on the bandwagon and make some Jerry Thomas drinks today (which fortunately I did earlier in the day, as my dear husband tried to be a plumber today by installing a new faucet in the kitchen to little avail – as now we don’t have any water at all until the plumber comes tomorrow:)

I’m still in the midst of making punches (If you haven’t heard, David Wondrich has a new book out called Punch. So far very informative and sassy, I totally recommend it.)

The Jerry Thomas Project is the re-creation of all of Jerry Thomas’ cocktails from Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide: Receipts for Mixing in their purest form. Jerry Thomas is considered America’s father of mixology publishing the first cocktail book in 1862.

Arrack Punch

2 ounces of Batavia Arrack
2 ounces of Jamaica Rum
1 ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce of simple syrup
1 piece of pineapple

Shake the rums with ice and the fruit. Garnish with fresh berries (if in season). Serve with a straw.

Batavia Arrack
I honestly didn’t know what Batavia Arrack was until I tried to make this drink and found that the Arak I had is something completely different. I had previously only been privy to Arak, which is anise liqueur from the Middle East – drank very much like absinthe as they typically add water to it until it louches. Batavia Arrack however is despicable rum made from sugarcane and red rice in Java, Indonesia. It costs around $30 a bottle and I can honestly say it is the worst alcohol purchase I have ever made – it truly tastes like gasoline. Save yourself the time and money and just use a decent rum in this drink and I think you’ll find it to be much more savvy.

Claret Punch

5 ounces of claret
1 teaspoon of baker’s sugar
1 slice of lemon
3 pieces of orange

Shake the wine with the sugar, lemon, and orange pieces with ice. (Jerry Thomas uses shaved ice, although for your ease, any ice will suffice.)
Garnish with fresh berries (if in season). Serve with a straw.

Claret was originally a very dark rose produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Currently it is reference to a red Bordeaux wine and American wine in the style of Bordeaux (the six grapes of Bordeaux are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, and carménère (which very little is produced of today). As for this punch, I used the 2006 Chateau Frontenac as it’s very nice and affordable.

Sauterne Punch

5 ounces of sauterne
1 teaspoon of baker’s sugar
1 slice of lemon
3 pieces of orange

Shake the wine with the sugar, lemon, and orange pieces with ice. (Jerry Thomas uses shaved ice, although for your ease, any ice will suffice.)
Garnish with fresh berries (if in season). Serve with a straw.

Sauternes is a French dessert wine also from Bordeaux. It is made from sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle grapes that have been affected by noble rot, which is a grey fungus that affects grapes and can either destroy them or turn them into a grape that creates a fine sweet wine that is considered a delicacy. For this drink I used the 2005 Chateau Guiraud, mostly because I had some lying around. I’ve never had a bad Sauterne – so whatever you have will most likely be delicious.

Vanilla Punch

2 ounces of brandy
1 tablespoon of baker’s sugar
1/2 ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 drops of vanilla extract

Shake the brandy with ice, the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Garnish with fresh berries (if in season). Serve with a straw.

Sherry Punch

4 ounces of sherry
1 teaspoon of baker’s sugar
1 slice of orange
1 slice of lemon

Shake the sherry with ice and the fruit. Garnish with fresh berries (if in season). Serve with a straw.

To check out other Jerry Thomas Project recipes – click here.

Yesterday, December 5, was Repeal Day. Seventy-seven years ago prohibition was lifted. It’s crazy to think that the day my grandfather was born, there wasn’t any champagne. My grandfather’s father didn’t go to the bar with his friends and celebrate – there were no bars. You couldn’t buy alcohol without a prescription. It’s crazier to think that my great grandfather (on the other side of the family) made a killing bootlegging liquor across Lake Erie.  He had a knack at carrying picnic baskets loaded with whiskey bottles across Mackinac Island on Lake Michigan. It assured my grandmother a very luxurious lifestyle in a time when most were just trying to put food on the table.

You should always celebrate Repeal Day with a drink, but even better – what about having a drink in a speakeasy. My friend Erica Reilly and I decided that what this town needed was a bar that only exists for one night, a little bit of magic and then poof it’s gone.

We took over the maté shop (if you don’t know anything about maté – please click here), which has an ideal location in a downtown alley. It even has a heavy metal rolling door at its entrance. We got there in the afternoon with another friend of ours and revolutionized the space. We draped the entire area, brought in lighting, kinetic sculpture by Chris Cole, a jazz singer, a dj, and a full bar. It was AWESOME. We did six cocktails, all of them with an interesting story. We had an amazing turnout for a cold, icy, blustery, December night (especially for a Sunday). Everyone who came was dressed in cocktail attire from the 30’s. It was truly beautiful. And then just like that, poof, we tore it all down and it right back to being a maté shop. It was pretty magical.

as a mate shop

as a speakeasy

THE COCKTAIL LIST

East India Cocktail
Brandy, Pineapple, Raspberry Syrup, Orange Curacao, Maraschino, Angostura Bitters
No one knows for sure how old this cocktail is, but the first mention of it is in Harry Johnson’s 1882 New and Improved Bartender’s Manual. If you don’t know much about Harry Johnson he was a rival to Jerry Thomas, the author of the first published cocktail book in the U.S. As for why the drink is titled the East India Cocktail, it was a favorite of the British Raj, the British delegates who ruled England’s colonies in the Far East. Unlike today, India did not just refer to the one country but to all of the British Colonies in the Far East at this time (India, Burma, Malaya, and Singapore).

Corpse Reviver
Gin, Grand Marnier, Dolin White Vermouth, Fresh Lemon

This is one of my favorite drink names, it’s so visual and alluring. You cannot help but wonder, what exactly is the tincture that could revive someone from the dead?
Surprisingly, it’s very light and delicious!
The Corpse Reviver originated at the turn of the 20th century, although it took four or five different forms during prohibition. Although today the drink is almost always served after the sun goes down, traditionally The Corpse Reviver was drank in the morning.
“Four taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again.”
- Harry Cradock 1895 (barman at the Savoy, New York City)

Fish House Punch
Dark Rum, Cognac, Maraschino, Green Tea, Champagne

This punch was believed to have been created in 1732 at the Schuylkill (SKOO-kull) Fishing Club – which was a gentleman’s club of sorts in what is now Pennsylvania. George Washington was known to frequent there and it’s a really wonderful thing if he did have a Fish House Punch and you are still able to have one today. George didn’t bring Martha to the club however, as women weren’t allowed in The Fishing Club until 1848. The drink got it’s name from the Club – which everyone referred to as The Fish House. As for rum, the colonists drank almost nothing but – as it was a bi-product of Caribbean sugar production and there were distilleries all over the East Coast.

Jack Rose Cocktail
Applejack, Lemon Juice, Pomegranate Grenadine

No one knows for sure where the Jack Rose Cocktail got it’s name, but there are a couple of theories.
The first is that it is named for it’s color and ingredients – Jack for applejack and Rose for the pink color from the pomegranate grenadine.
The second is it was named for a popular gambler of the time, Bald Jack Rose.
The third is that it was named by the man who supposedly created it, Joseph P Rose, who was a New Jersey restaurateur who once held the title World’s Champion Mixologist.
It is currently Rachel Maddow’s favorite cocktail.

Modern Mule
Vanilla Hawthorn Infused Vodka with Handmade Ginger Beer

Vodka didn’t really become popular in The States until the 70s, but there was one vodka drink that did become popular in the 1950s and that was the Moscow Mule. This is our version with our own handcrafted ginger beer and a vodka that is infused with vanilla, chamomile, spearmint, lemongrass, tilia flowers, blackberry leaves, hawthorn, orange blossoms and rosebuds.
The Moscow Mule was invented in 1941 by John G. Martin, who was an East Indian Food Distributor who sold ginger beer, and John “Jack” Morgan, the proprietor of the Cock ‘n’ Bull Tavern. They put the two together and obviously the rest is history.

Hauté Maté
Maté, Maté, and More Maté

We really can’t thank Santiago and Tanja enough for having us here tonight and we really wanted to make a special cocktail in honor of them and the space – which has brought a breath of fresh air and hometown love to Bend’s downtown.

The Haute Maté is has three different blends of mate in it with prana blend vanilla bean maté gomme syrup, traditional maté infused aged rum, and shanti maté tincture with a splash of fresh lemon, a dash of absinthe, Fee Bros 1864 Bitters and an egg white shake.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE COCKTAIL

Pick some liquors from the list
Tell us some flavors that you like
We’ll make you a cocktail

BEER

Boneyard Brewery :::: RPM IPA :::: Bend, OR $3 (10 oz)
Deschutes Abyss 09 :::: Imperial Stout :::: Bend, OR $6 (5 oz)
Boulevard Brewery :::: Imperial Pilsner :::: Kansas City $4 (5 oz)

ABSINTHE

What is Absinthe?

It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as “grande wormwood”, together with green anise and sweet fennel. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green colour but can also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as la fée verte (the Green Fairy).

Why was it illegal?
Politics of course.

OBSELLO

SPAIN
100 PROOF (grape spirit)

TASTING NOTE:

Hazy forest green color. Rich aromas of anise, saddle soap, orange spice cake, menthol, nuts, and mint tea follow through on soft, silky entry to a dryish medium-full body with accents of dried citrus and wintergreen. Finishes with a long, herbal anise seed and white pepper fade.
A big, brawny absinthe.

LUCID

FRANCE
124 PROOF (beet spirit)

TASTING NOTE:

Light green color. The aroma is spicy and herbal with nice amounts of anise and fennel.
Nice balance of anise and fennel and wormwood.
The finish has a hint of spiciness that is almost peppery.

VERSINTHE

FRANCE
90 Proof (grape spirit)

TASTING NOTE:

Very light and pale in color.
The nose is pretty with light anise and pretty floral botanicals.
Mellow with a lightly sweet profile but the finish is very bitter.
The finish has a herbaceous zing with a slight numbing and a tinge of bitterness.

VODKA
Crater Lake :::: Grain Mash :::: Bend, OR
diamond:::: Grain Mash :::: Bend, OR
Oregon Spirit Distiller :::: Pendleton Wheat :::: Bend, OR
Ultimat :::: Wheat, Potato, and rYE :::: POLAND
Dry Fly :::: Winter Wheat :::: Washington
Pearl :::: Winter Wheat :::: Canada
Medoyeff :::: Graiin Mash :::: Portland, OR
Blavod BLack Vodka :::: Grain Mash :::: Great Britain

FLAVORED VODKA
Square One :::: Botanical :::: Rigby, Idaho
42 Below :::: Honey Flavored :::: New Zealand
Pinky :::: 12 Botanicals :::: Sweden
Wasabe :::: Sake Flavored :::: The Netherlands
Svedka :::: Lemon :::: Sweden
Svedka :::: Clementine :::: Sweden
Pearl :::: Coconut :::: Canada
Mazama :::: Spicy Peppers :::: Bend, OR
Kofia :::: Coffee and Hazelnut :::: Bend, OR
Stolichnaya :::: Raspberry :::: Russia
Yazi :::: Ginger :::: Hood River, Oregon

GIN
Cascade Mountain:::: Bend, OR
Brokers :::: Great Britain
Ransom Old Tom Gin :::: Sheridan, OR

RUM
Cruzan :::: Coconut :::: St. Croix
1 Barrel :::: Belize
10 Cane :::: Trinidad
Appleton Estate :::: Jamaica
The Old Mill :::: Gold Rum :::: St. Croix (Finished in Oregon)
Batavia-Arrack :::: sugarcane and red rice :::: Java, Indonesia
Cachaça 51 :::: Brazil

WHISKEY
Makers 46 :::: Kentucky, USA
Knob Creek :::: Kentucky, USA
Four Roses Small Batch ::::Kentucky, USA
Jefferson Small Batch ::::Kentucky, USA
Pendleton:::: Canada
McCallan 12 :::: Speyside, Scotland
Glenlivet 18 :::: Speyside, Scotland
Bushmills Black Bush :::: ireland

TEQUILA
CorrAlejos :::: Anejo
Aha Toro :::: Anejo
Chamucos :::: Reposado
Corzo:::: Silver

COGNAC
Hennessy XO :::: France
Hennessy VSOP :::: France

LIQUEURS
Worker Bee :::: honey Mash :::: Yamhill County, Oregon
Blackmaker :::: Root Beer :::: Lewiston, Maine
Tuaca :::: Brandy Base with Vanilla and Orange :::: Italy
St. Germain :::: elderflowers :::: france
Canton :::: Ginger :::: France
Chambord :::: Black Raspberry :::: France
Tópas :::: Black Licorice :::: Iceland
Pimm’s :::: It’’s a secret – but light fruity flavor :::: Great Britain
Bénédictine :::: Herbal :::: France

SIPPING BITTERS
Fernet Branca :::: Italy
Branca Menta :::: Italy
Luxardo Bitters :::: Italy
Liquore Strega :::: Italy
Amaro Nonino :::: Italy
Averna Amaro Sicillano :::: Italy

AQUAVIT
Aalborg Akvavit :::: Denmark

SCHNAPPS
Brennivin :::: It will make you a man :::: Iceland
Kirschwasser :::: Cherry :::: Portland, Oregon

GRAPPA
UvaViva Italiana di Poli :::: Italy

The Jerry Thomas Project is the re-creation of all of Jerry Thomas’ cocktails from Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide: Receipts for Mixing in their purest form. Jerry Thomas is considered America’s father of mixology publishing the first cocktail book in 1862.

Today was the first day when I really feel like a vampire since I was only awake for three hours of daylight. Thus is the curse of the night owl who lives in the Northern Hemisphere (if only I could afford to migrate). But as such, I thought it comforting to make Jerry Thomas warm punches (with a couple of other punches thrown in for good measure).

The most interesting piece of trivia I ran across was concerning Kinahan’s Irish Whiskey, a product I’d never heard of. But as I haven’t heard of a lot of things that I’ve later found to be quite delightful, I was excited to find an excuse to order what I thought would be an expensive bottle of Irish Whiskey that I was sure to be the next best thing. But it turns out that the Kinahan Distillery has been out of business for over 100 years. Once again, it appears that Jerry got the last of what might have been a very  good thing.

I found this information that Jack Kinahan had posted on-line concerning the history of his family’s business.

Kinahan’s LL whiskey was a rectified whiskey and not a distillery product, which means that the whiskey was distilled in other distilleries; it was most likely a blend from different distilleries that was mixed on the Kinahan property. Daniel Kinahan founded the company in the early 1800’s and named his whiskey LL after the 4th Duke of Richmond who was Lord Lieutenant (LL) of Ireland 1807-1813. The whiskey was extensively marketed in England from 1841 onwards, achieving popularity at home and abroad in the ensuing half century. Difficult trade conditions encountered from 1900 until 1910 and unimaginative management led to increasing unprofitably and the running down of available capital. (In other words they really good at spending more than they made!) In 1910 the directors and shareholders decided to go into voluntary liquidation in order to avoid possible bankruptcy. Bagot & Hutton then marketed the remaining stock of LL whiskey, a long established Dublin wine and spirit house. Bagot Hutton & Kinahan was established in 1927 and survived until 1988.

Anyhow, I used Jameson.

Hot Irish Whiskey Punch
2 ounces of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey (a couple of interesting notes here:  Jerry Thomas spells Jameson Jamieson and this is also where he calls for Kinahan’s Irish Whiskey)
4 ounces of hot water
2 lumps of sugar

Rinse the glass in hot water in order to warm it up. Dissolve the sugar well in the half of the hot water and then add the whiskey. Then add the rest of the water with a small piece of lemon rind or a thin slice of lemon.

Hot Scotch Whiskey Punch
2 ounces of Glenlivet or Islay Whiskey
4 ounces of hot water
2 lumps of sugar

Rinse the glass in hot water in order to warm it up. Dissolve the sugar well in the half of the hot water and then add the whiskey. Then add the rest of the water with a small piece of lemon rind or a thin slice of lemon.

Thomas has the following side note in reference to the hot drinks:

Sugar does not readily dissolve in spirits. It is necessary, therefore, in making a hot toddy or a hot punch to put the hot water in before the spirits, or at least sufficient water to entirely dissolve the sugar, taking care to warm the glass before adding the water.

The best Hot Whiskey Punch is made with pulverized rock candy. This is preferable to sugar  for any hot drink made of whiskey or brandy.

Cold Whiskey Punch
1 tablespoon powdered white sugar in a little water
1 ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 ounces of Irish or Scotch Whiskey

Fill the glass with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with two thin slices of lemon, and berries in season. Serve with a straw.

Arrack Punch
1 tablespoon powdered white sugar in a little water
1 ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce of Batavia Arrack
1 wine glass of Jamaica rum
1 piece of pineapple

Fill the glass with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with two thin slices of lemon, and berries in season. Serve with a straw.

Milk Punch
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
2 ounces of brandy
.5 ounce of Santa Cruz Rum
4 ounces of milk
Small lump of ice

Fill with milk, shake the ingredients well together, strain into a large glass, and grate a little nutmeg on top.

Hot Milk Punch
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
2 ounces of brandy
.5 ounce of Santa Cruz Rum
4 ounces of warmed milk

Rinse the glass in hot water in order to warm it up. Dissolve the sugar well in the half of the warm milk and then add the rum. Then add the rest of the milk.

Manhattan Milk Punch
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
2 ounces of brandy
.5 ounce of Santa Cruz Rum
4 ounces of warmed milk
5 drops of Aromatic Tincture

Rinse the glass in hot water in order to warm it up. Dissolve the sugar well in the half of the warm milk and then add the rum. Then add the rest of the milk and the tincture.

Egg Milk Punch
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
2 ounces of brandy
4 ounces of fresh milk
.5 ounce of Santa Cruz rum
1 egg
small lump of ice

Fill the glass with fresh milk, shake the ingredients well together, and strain into a large glass. It is up to you, but I just used the white. Although Thomas calls for the entire egg.

To check out how to make Aromatic Tincture – click here

To check out Jerry Thomas Measurements from the turn of the century – click here.

To check out other Jerry Thomas Project recipes – click here.