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.

Oh Jerry Thomas, you really did love the punches!

La Patria Punch

(As with many of Jerry Thomas’ drinks, why this one is named La Patria is a mystery. La patria means fatherland or homeland in Spanish – not quite sure why he named the drink that. My guess is that it was already named by H.P. Leland, who was most likely a lawyer. Although, nothing else is known about him.)

(For a party of ten according to Jerry Thomas.)
(From a recipe in the possession of H. P. Leland, Esq.)

3 bottles of cold champagne
28 ounces of cognac (1 bottle)
4 oranges
1 pineapple

Slice the oranges and pineapples in a bowl, pour the
Cognac over them, and let them steep for a couple of
hours, then pour in the champagne and serve immediately.
Serve with ice. (But don’t add to punch, as it will lose it’s effervesce.)

La Patria Punch

(For one person)

6 oz champagne
1 brandy-soaked orange slice
1 brandy-soaked pineapple slice

Allow pineapple and orange to soak in brandy for a couple of hours. Pour a glass of champagne, add brandy-soaked fruit.

The Spread Eagle Punch

(For a party of 25)

Take 1 bottle of Islay whiskey
(I like Laphroaig 10, it’s peaty like a good Islay Scotch at a very good price.)
1 bottle of Monongahela whisky
(Which was a rye whisky that was hardly aged that was popular at the beginning of the 19th century. As I don’t have a barely aged rye whisky, I used half House Spirits White Dog and half Rittenhouse Rye.)
the peel from one lemon
1 cup sugar
4 cups water

Boil water with sugar and lemon peel, allow to cool. Add bottle of Scotch and bottle of Rye Whiskey. Stir and enjoy over ice.

The Spread Eagle Punch

For one person

1 ounce Islay whiskey
1 ounce whiskey
1 squeeze lemon
1 sugar cube
1 ounce water

Stir ingredients and serve over ice.

Rochester Punch

(For a small party)
(From a recipe in the possession of Roswell Hart, Esq.)

Take 2 bottles of sparkling Catawba (as this is very hard to find, I recommend two bottles of sparkling rosé)
2 bottles of sparkling Isabella (which is a sweet sparkling wine)
(as Isabella is hard to find, I recommend a sweet prosecco as they are inexpensive and easy to come by)
1 bottle of Sauterne
4 ounces of Maraschino liqueur
4 ounces of Curaçao

Mix ingredients together and flavor with ripe strawberries. If you live in a place where you can’t get strawberries year round, add a few drops of peach or vanilla extract to add more flavor.

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Link to how to make extracts

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Rochester Punch

(For one person)

6 oz sparkling wine
Teaspoon Maraschino liqueur
Teaspoon Curaçao
Garnish with strawberry. If you would like add a splash of your favorite extract or bitters.

Non-Such Punch

(I cut this recipe waaaaay back. Jerry Thomas’ recipe is enough for a party of 200, this would be good for a party of ten people.)

14 oz. of claret (or any red wine)
14 oz. of soda-water
14 oz. of brandy
14 oz. of sherry
4 oz of green tea
2 ounces of lemon juice
2 ounces of simple syrup
½ of a pineapple cut up in small pieces

Mix all of the ingredients. Allow them to steep overnight. Strain the pineapple off and bottle for your party.

Non-Such Punch

(for one)

1 oz claret
1 oz brandy
1 oz sherry
1 squeeze of lemon
1 teaspoon pineapple juice
1 sugar cube
2 oz. soda water

Mix the claret, brandy, sherry, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and sugar cube. Add ice and top with soda water.

Canadian Punch

(Once again Mr. Thomas. Why oh why is this called Canadian Punch. There is absolutely nothing Canadian about it!)
(This makes enough for a party of 20)

64 ounces of rye whiskey
8 ounces of dark Jamaican rum
6 sliced lemons
1 sliced pineapple
32 quarts of water.

Stir ingredients together. If you desire, add a bit of sugar to taste. Ice before serving.

Canadian Punch

(for one person)

2 ounces of rye whiskey
¼ ounce dark rum
1 squeeze of lemon
1 sugar cube

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Link to other Jerry Thomas Recipes.

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

Who the hell was Christian Schultz?

A man by the name of Christian Schultz came to my attention the other day, much to my embarrassment as it appears that the back third of Jerry Thomas’ book was actually written by him. It is Christian Schultz who wrote the part of Thomas’ book that does not pertain to booze. Titled, “A Manual for the Manufacture of Cordials, Liquors, Fancy Syrups, etc,” it is located in the end of Thomas’ Bartenders Guide.

Schultz is an absolute mystery. Wondrich doesn’t mention him once in Imbibe, an entire book written about Jerry Thomas. Wondrich claims that Thomas completed his book while living in New York City, so I would assume that Schultz also lived there in the early 1860s and that he was in the bar or restaurant business – probably a friend of Thomas’s. Perhaps more of a chef than bartender, since his recipes tend to come from the kitchen, but my guess is we’ll never know.

Anyhow, this evening I made a couple of new Thomas recipes that I haven’t worked on yet: Maraschino Punch, Champagne Punch, Mississippi Punch, and Rocky Mountain Punch. My favorite was the Rocky Mountain Punch, as it was light and refreshing from the bubbles but with a little bit of depth from the caramel-colored rum and Maraschino. I’d love to know Thomas’ rationale for naming this drink after my birth place, as it was the height of the gold rush when his book was published and I don’t see this being popular in the mining camps – seems a tad bit too fancy.

Maraschino Punch

1 teaspoon simple syrup
2 ounces of brandy
2 dashes of Arrack (I used Goslings instead as it is more flavorful as I find the bottle of Arrack I own to be terrible)
½ ounce of Maraschino
½ ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Fill the tumbler with ice, shake, and strain with topping with a few pieces of shaken ice. Garnish with fruit and berries. Garnish with a straw.

Champagne Punch

Thomas’ recipe is enough for a small dinner party, I am however alone. Thus I made a bit less.

Champagne Punch
(for one person)

6 ounces of Champagne
1 sugar cube
1 orange slice
2 pineapple slices
1 squeeze of lemon
¼ ounce of raspberry syrup

Stir sugar cube, syrup, and lemon juice together. Drop in fruit. Slowly add Champagne (it is going to want to bubble over). Allow to sit for a couple of minutes so the ingredients blend a bit. Enjoy!

Champagne Punch
(according to Jerry Thomas)

1 bottle of Champagne
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 sliced orange
2 ounces of lemon juice
½ pineapple cut into small pieces
2 ounces of raspberry or strawberry syrup

Stir ingredients together. Garnish with seasonal fruit. Serve in coupe glasses.
Want to make more – double or triple the recipe.

Mississippi Punch

2 ounces of brandy
½ ounce of Jamaica rum
½ ounce of Bourbon
1 tablespoon of simple
½ fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Fill the glass with ice, shake well, pour with ice, and garnish with seasonal fruit.

Rocky Mountain Punch

Rocky Mountain Punch
(for one person)

6 ounces of champagne
1/2 ounce of Jamaican Rum (I used Appleton Estate)
¼ ounce of Maraschino
1 lemon slice
1 orange slice
1 sugar cube

Stir sugar cube, syrup, rum, and Maraschino together. Drop in fruit. Slowly add Champagne (it is going to want to bubble over). Allow to sit for a couple of minutes so the ingredients blend a bit. Enjoy!

Rocky Mountain Punch
(for a mixed party of twenty)
(from a recipe in the possession of Major James Foster)

5 bottles of Champagne
1 bottle of Jamaican Rum (I used Appleton Estate)
16 ounces of Maraschino
6 sliced lemons
4 sliced oranges
Sugar to taste

Mix the rum, maraschino, lemons, and sugar in a large punch bowl. Place this bowl in a larger bowl, pack the space between the bowls with ice and rock salt. Add the wine to the top bowl. Stir with the ingredients. Add slices of orange and lemon. Enjoy!

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Link to other Jerry Thomas Recipes.
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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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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.

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.

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.

Oh Jerry Thomas, we’ve spent almost a year together and the goal is to be finished with one another in a month – but I’m afraid that we might not break up so soon.

Anyhow, today I made some of the punches. A lot of the punches recipes are given in quantities enough to drunken an entire  frat house, but these punches’ recipes are given in one person quantities and they are also served cold. None of these punches are all that exciting and most of them don’t taste much different than the spirit that is in them. I personally liked the brandy punch with a little extra raspberry syrup.

But the most interesting thing I learned from making these punches is the history of Medford Rum, which is no longer available. Daniel Lawrence & Sons  (at this point America’s most renowned small batch distillery) distilled Medford Rum in Medford, Massachusetts from 1715 to 1905 (so dear Mr. Thomas was able to get some of the last of it before they ended 295 years of rum production). It was supposedly a very flavorful and robust rum made from molasses, which was a bi-product of sugar production in the Caribbean. Lawrence believed that he made the best rum in the world, touting that he used only the finest molasses. Medford’s economy thrived thanks to the Lawrence’s’ distillery, the rum business needed coopers, shipbuilders, and a large production team. No one knows the true reason that they decided to end production, but most likely it was because sales were dropping probably because of the temperance movement that eventually led to prohibition. The Lawrences stopped producing Medford rum, but sold the label to the M.S. Walker Company (but not the recipe). Supposedly, they still produce Medford rum – but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Anyhow, I used Myers in place of Medford because it is a dark, flavorful, and robust rum.

Brandy Punch

1 teaspoon of powdered white sugar dissolved in a little water
1 teaspoon of raspberry syrup
2 ounces of brandy
1 ounce of Jamaica Rum (I used Appleton Estates)
1 ounce of lemon juice
2 slices of orange
1 piece of pineapple

Fill the tumbler with shaved ice, shake up thoroughly, and dress with berries of the season. Serve with a straw.

Brandy and Rum Punch

1 teaspoon of powdered white sugar dissolved in a little water
2 ounces of Santa Cruz Rum (refers to rum from the Virgin Islands, I used Cruzan dark)
1 ounce of brandy
1 ounce of lemon juice
1 slice of orange
1 piece of pineapple

Fill the tumbler with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with sliced lime and berries in season. Serve with a straw.

Gin Punch

1 tablespoon of raspberry syrup
1 tablespoon of powdered white sugar, dissolved in a little seltzer water
3 ounces of Holland gin (I used the Bols Genever – which is now available in Oregon!)
Juice of half a small lemon
1 slice of orange
1 piece of pineapple
2 dashes of Maraschino

Fill the tumbler with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with sliced lime and berries in season. Serve with a straw.

Medford Rum Punch

Take 1 tablespoonful of powdered white sugar dissolved in a little water

1 teaspoon of powdered white sugar dissolved in a little water
3 ounces of Medford rum
2 ounces of Jamaica rum
2 or 3 dashes of lemon juice
1 slice of orange

Fill the tumbler with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with sliced lime and berries in season. Serve with a straw.
(I don’t know if this is even a cocktail, tastes just like rum.)

Santa Cruz Rum Punch

1 teaspoon of powdered white sugar dissolved in a little water
2 ounces of Santa Cruz rum
1/2 ounce of Jamaica rum
3 dashes of lemon juice
1 slice of orange (cut into quarters)

Fill the tumbler with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with sliced lime and berries in season. Serve with a straw.

The Medford Historical Society has a very interesting article about Medford rum on their website – to check it out pleas click on the link.

The Medford Historical Society brings you the history of Medford Rum.

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 was lucky this weekend to have some extra help behind the bar as it allowed me to make all of the Jerry Thomas “Cocktails” – which was no small feat as there are twenty of them. The drinks are all quite simple, the term cocktail appears to just mean that a couple ounces of spirit gets a dash or two or gum syrup or Maraschino and a dash or two of Angostura or Boker’s Bitters (which I used Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters). For the most part, adding a dash or two of sweetness and a dash or two of bitters added a tiny nuance that made the drink more interesting and sweet – but not such a dramatic difference that I would go through the process of making gum (gomme) syrup (see that post here) or buying or making Boker’s bitters (see that post here). Jerry reccommends that you shake with shaved ice, but I ended up putting some shaved ice in a couple of the drinks rather than straining them off. We actually have a new muddler that looks like a police baton – scary, but it makes really awesome crushed ice and honestly, the shaved ice really makes these drinks a lot more special. Anyhow, enjoy!

A couple of these drinks I’ve made before and blogged about them, but I thought it would be nice to keep all the “cocktail” drinks together, so I made them again.

Bottle Cocktail

Take an empty brandy bottle

Add one ounce Boker’s Bitters
Add two ounces of gum (gomme) syrup
Add a half ounce of orange curaçao
Fill it two thirds of the way with brandy
Add five ounces of water
Fill to the top with your choice of brandy, whiskey, or your choice of gin

Brandy Cocktail

2 ounces of brandy
1 – 2 dashes of orange curaçao
2 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist.

Champagne Cocktail
1 lump of sugar
1 – 2 dashes of Angostura bitters (I personally like a lot more than that)
1 small lump of ice (I’d never put ice in a champagne cocktail until today)
5 ounces of sparkling wine

Drop the sugar cube to the bottom of the glass, drip the Angostura bitters on the cube, slowly add the wine (as it is going to want to spill over)

Coffee Cocktail
1 ounce of brandy
2 ounces of port wine
1 fresh egg (If you use the entire egg, make sure that it is really fresh or you will find that this drink is terribly disgusting. If you don’t have uber fresh eggs, just use the white.)
1 teaspoon powdered white sugar
2 to 3 lumps of ice

Break the egg into the glass, put the sugar, port wine, brandy, and ice in the glass. Shake up and strain. Grate a little nutmeg on the top.

I’ve made this drink before, and I still don’t get why it is called Coffee Cocktail. Even Thomas states, “The name of this drink is a misnomer, as coffee and bittes are not to be found among its ingredients, but it looks like coffee when it has been preoperly concocted, and hence probably its name.” Just so you know, it doesn’t look like coffee.

Also I don’t know if you really need the egg in this drink, it’s not really adding much – especially if you can’t get really fresh eggs and you are just using the white. As the drink has no citrus, it doesn’t get really frothy.

Fancy Vermouth Cocktail (make it with both sweet and dry, liked it better with dry)

2 ounces of vermouth
1 – 2 dashes of Maraschino
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 quarter slice of lemon

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon.

Gin Cocktail
2 ounces of gin
1 – 2 dashes of orange curaçao
2 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist.

Improved Brandy Cocktail

2 ounces of brandy
1 – 2 dashes of Maraschino
1 dash of Absinthe
3 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Improved Gin Cocktail

2 ounces of Holland gin (if you didn’t know, Bols Genever is now available in Oregon)
1 – 2 dashes of orange curaçao
2 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist.

Improved Whiskey Cocktail

2 ounces of whiskey
1 – 2 dashes of Maraschino
1 dash of Absinthe
3 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Rim glass and serve with a lemon peel.

Japanese Cocktail
2 ounces of brandy
2 dashes of Boker’s Bitters
1 tablespoon of orgeat (almond) syrup
1 or 2 pieces of lemon peel

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon peel.
Not quite sure why Thomas thought this should be Japanese Cocktail, suppose it is because of the orgeat syrup.

Jersey Cocktail (Temperance drink)

5 ounces of cider
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
2 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 or 4 lumps of ice

Manhattan Cocktail

1 ounce of rye whiskey
2 ounces of vermouth (I used sweet and dry, preferred it with the sweet)
3 dashes of Boker’s bitters
2 small lumps of ice

Shake and strain. Garnish with a quarter piece of lemon. Can sweeten it with gum (gomme) syrup.

Martinez Cocktail

1 ounce of Old Tom gin
2 ounces of Vermouth (I used dry)
2 dashes of Maraschino
1 dash of Boker’s Bitters
2 small lumps of ice

Shake and strain. Garnish with a quarter piece of lemon. Can sweeten it with gum (gomme) syrup.

Morning Glory Cocktail

1 ounce of brandy
1 ounce of whiskey
1 dash of Absinthe
2 dashes of Boker’s Bitters
2 dashes of orange curaçao
3 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Stir thoroughly and remove the ice. Fill the glass with soda water, stir with a hint of sugar and garnish with a lemon twist.

Old Tom Gin Cocktail

2 ounces of Old Tom gin (I personally love The Ransom Old Tom style gin made in Portland)
1 – 2 dashes of orange curaçao
2 dashes of bitters (either Boker’s or Angostura)
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist.

Saratoga Cocktail

1 ounce of brandy
1 ounce of whiskey
1 ounce of vermouth (I used sweet)

Shake and strain. Garnish with a quarter piece of lemon.

Soda Cocktail (Temperance drink)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 bottle plain soda
3 or 4 lumps of ice

Vermouth Cocktail (make it with both sweet and dry, liked it better with dry)
2 ounces of vermouth
2 dashes of Boker’s bitters
1 quarter slice of lemon

Shake the vermouth and bitters. Strain, add the lemon as garnish. If you like it sweeter, add a couple of drops of gum (gomme) syrup.

Whiskey Cocktail

2 ounces of whiskey (I used the Maker’s 46, just because it’s the newest thing on the shelf – perhaps some sort of crazy dichotomy)
1 – 2 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup
2 dashes of Boker’s Bitters
3 – 4 dashes of gum (gomme) syrup

Fill the glass one third of the way with shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist.

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

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 decided this weekend to make the Crusta series for a couple of reasons. One, I got a bottle of what is only commercially available Boker’s bitters in the world (which I am proud to say tastes almost exactly like the Boker’s Bitters that I made) and Crusta sounds like crusty, which is how my work week started. I went in early to work on some cocktails that I’m doing for Hood River Distilleries, deciding that I would function at a higher level with some nutrition I went out for a quick bite to eat. Upon my return, the restaurant was about to open so I went to change clothes to find that I had left my work shirt at home. “No problem, I thought.” I had dropped some items off at the dry cleaner a few blocks away that were ready to pick up, including a shirt perfect for work. I spent thirty minutes at the dry cleaners while they scoured the building only to find that they couldn’t find my clothing (AHAHAHAHAH!). I called a friend who lived nearby to see if I could borrow a shirt, “No problem, I’m at home – come on by.” So I went to grab my bike to go over to her house, only to find a clipped bike lock and no bike. Thus leading to the crusty attitude. Let me just say, nothing like a Brandy Crusta to improve one’s mood.

To create the Crustas, you need a couple of good looking lemons with thick healthy peels – as this is what gives the drink it’s character. It would also be nice to have a stemmed glass with a bowl that is approximately three ounces, as the presentation will be greatly enhanced.

Brandy Crusta

2 ounces of brandy
2 dashes of curaçao
1 dash of lemon juice
3 dashes of Boker’s bitters
3 dashes of gomme syrup (or six dashes of regular simple syrup)

Rim the glass with sugar by way of a lemon peel. Pare the skin off of a lemon so that you are getting almost the entire skin off of the lemon in one fell swoop. Place the lemon peel so that it is lining the inside of the glass with the yellow side out and the white side touching the drink.

Put the ingredients together, shake, and strain.

* A little note about Boker’s bitters. If you are interested in making your own, please check out my link here. You will find that they aren’t that hard to make and it will be a lot less expensive that buying them.

But, for the first time since prohibition, there is someone manufacturing Boker’s bitters on a commercial scale (the product comes from Scotland). The guy behind them is a cocktail enthusiast named Adam Elmegirab, who is also preoccupied with Jerry Thomas’s works and fortunately was motivated to bring Boker’s Bitters back on the market. In the States, you can purchase them through Wally’s Wine and Spirits and with shipping they cost around $40.

Whiskey Crusta

2 ounces of whiskey
2 dashes of curaçao
1 dash of lemon juice
3 dashes of Boker’s bitters
3 dashes of gomme syrup (or six dashes of regular simple syrup)

Rim the glass with sugar by way of a lemon peel. Pare the skin off of a lemon so that you are getting almost the entire skin off of the lemon in one foul swoop. Place the lemon peel so that it is lining the inside of the glass with the yellow side out and the white side touching the drink.

Put the ingredients together, shake, and strain.

Gin Crusta

2 ounces of gin (might I recommend the Ransom Old Tom Style Gin)
2 dashes of curaçao
1 dash of lemon juice
3 dashes of Boker’s bitters
3 dashes of gomme syrup (or six dashes of regular simple syrup)

My favorite? The Brandy Crusta.

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

It’s been a chaotic week with the climax being the one of the other bartender’s departure, who is the bartender I work the weekends with. We met many years ago when she was a sassy line cook with the mouth of an ex-con. I spent half the time trying to decipher a charming accent that is part drawl, part bam, and part her own language mixed in with an occasional loud expletive to really drive the point home. Nonetheless, she has a heart of gold, works like a mule, never says no, and will always go the extra mile – so when I was hiring a new bar assistant and she called me last year – it was an easy yes.

I feel lucky that I’ve been able to teach some truly awesome people how to bartend. Not only has it opened up a floodgate of one dollar bills in their lives, but in some cases it’s been the opportunity to learn who one is, hone one’s people skills, and learn to combat uber-levels of stress with a ridiculous smile on one’s face. And quite honestly, isn’t that the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyhow, I’m back from a mini four-day bender that started with the host’s birthday, moved on to the other bartender’s last night, proceeded with a bitch-ass going away party, and ended with a Monday afternoon champagne lunch and dinner bbq. Fortunately, it is not hard to go back to work when the job is to make a cocktails. I decided to make the juleps and smashes since my neighbors gave me a heap of mint from their garden to work with.

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.

So what is the difference between and julep and a smash?
In the julep, the mint is stirred and treated very carefully. In a smash, the mint is smashed (and typically steeped for longer). Otherwise, they are very similar. Thomas also calls for a tiny bit of water in the smash, but otherwise all the smashes and juleps consist of a base spirit, mint, and sugar.

A newspaper article from 1901 perhaps says it best, “Steep your mint leaves in whiskey over night; don’t crush them with a spoon. If you do you are making a mint smash, not a julep.”

The Real Georgia Mint Julep

1.5 ounces of Cognac
1.5 ounces of peach brandy
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
3-4 mint sprigs

In a tumbler add the sugar to the water until it is dissolved, then add the mint, and then the brandy. Then stir the drink with a spoon (at this point I would let it steep for five – ten minutes) and then add shaved ice.

This drink is delicious and take time this week and make yourself one, especially since Thomas worried about the future of this drink, “The mint julep still lives, but it is by no means fashionable. Poor juleps have ruined the reputation of the South’s most famous drink.”

O.K. this isn’t peach, but this is a nice spin on The Real Georgia Mint Julep and I would be proud to name it The Real Oregon Mint Julep

The Real Oregon Mint Julep

1.5 ounces of brandy
1.5 ounces of pear brandy*
1 teaspoon of fine white sugar
*(Might I recommend Clear Creek Distillery’s Williams Pear Brandy. It takes 30 pounds of pears to make one bottle and they also make a bottle with an actual pear in it – the pear has to grow inside the bottle meaning that they have an orchard with bottles hanging off of the trees).

Mint Julep

3 ounces of brandy
2.5 teaspoons of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

Mix the sugar and water together, carefully press the mint into the mixture (at this point I would let it steep for five – ten minutes). Remove the mint, add the brandy and fill with shaved ice. Take the mint and use it as a garnish, allowing the leaves to make a bouquet. Add berries, a slice of orange, and a dash of dark rum and serve with a straw.

What a hit!  I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve never made a mint julep correctly. Usually I muddle the mint (for time’s sake), make it with whiskey and I’ve never added berries, oranges, or a dash of rum. This is absolutely delicious!

Gin Julep

3 ounces of gin (I totally recommend the Ransom’s Old Tom Pre-Prohibition style gin)
2.5 teaspoons of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

Mix the sugar and water together, carefully press the mint into the mixture (at this point I would let it steep for five – ten minutes). Remove the mint, add the brandy and fill with shaved ice. Take the mint and use it as a garnish, allowing the leaves to make a bouquet.

Whiskey Julep

3 ounces of whiskey
2.5 teaspoons of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

Mix the sugar and water together; carefully press the mint into the mixture (at this point I would let it steep for five – ten minutes). Remove the mint, add the brandy and fill with shaved ice. Take the mint and use it as a garnish, allowing the leaves to make a bouquet.

Pineapple Julep

(Not quite sure why this is called a julep as it doesn’t call for any mint.)

Recipe for one drink
1 ounces of raspberry syrup
1 ounces of Maraschino Liqueur
1 ounces of Old Tom Gin
2 ounces of sparkling wine
2 pieces of pineapple
Stir and add ice

Recipe for a punch bowl
4 ounces of raspberry syrup
4 ounces of Maraschino Liqueur
4 ounces of Old Tom Gin
1 quart of sparkling wine
1 ripe pineapple

Mix everything together in a punch bowl and add ice. Garnish with seasonal berries.

Raspberry syrup recipe
1/2 cup puréed raspberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Bring the sugar and water to heat until it begins to bubble. Pull it off the burner, let it cool and add ½ cup raspberry purée.

Now for the smashes, which tend to be a lot mintier.

How long should I let the mint steep for?
I would say no less than 15 minutes, I’ve done ten minute steeps before and that is really the minimum to get any sort of mintiness out of the leaf. I would recommend overnight if possible and if you are making these drinks for a bar – I would steep by the fifth or half-gallon so people don’t have to wait 15 minutes for a cocktail. I’ve also had good luck using mint tea bags if you don’t have any good mint (two mint teabags to one fifth whiskey has worked well).

Brandy Smash

2 ounces of brandy
3 to 4 sprigs of mint
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of white sugar

Thomas tells his readers to press the mint in the sugar water, but I think you are going to get a much better smash allowing the mint to steep in the spirit first and then adding the other ingredients.

Add the water and sugar and garnish with a slice of orange and a fresh sprig of mint.

Gin Smash

2 ounces of gin
3 to 4 sprigs of mint
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of white sugar

Thomas tells his readers to press the mint in the sugar water, but I think you are going to get a much better smash allowing the mint to steep in the spirit first and then adding the other ingredients.

Add the water and sugar and garnish with a slice of orange and a fresh sprig of mint.

Whiskey Smash

(delicious!)
2 ounces of whiskey
3 to 4 sprigs of mint
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of white sugar

Thomas tells his readers to press the mint in the sugar water, but I think you are going to get a much better smash allowing the mint to steep in the spirit first and then adding the other ingredients.

Add the water and sugar and garnish with a slice of orange and a fresh sprig of mint.

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