With lockdown the fruits are not easily accessible. But with the Mango season around & the garden mango tree giving bumper yield, well it’s time to bring in mango in the frame & enjoy some amazing cocktails this season. Here is one such Mango delight with my favourite Paul John Single Malt turning out Whisky-Mango Iced Tea.
Ingredients Whisky – 50 ml @pauljohnwhisky Lemon Tea – 15 ml @monin_europe Fresh Mango juice – 25 ml Lemon juice – 10 ml Bitters – a dash Ripe mango slice – to garnish
Preparation Method
Combine Whisky, Lemon Tea, Mango & Lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake it till well chilled. Using a Hawthorne strainer pour it in a glass with a couple of ice. Release a dash of Cocktail bitters & garnish with mango slice.
It’s been a while now I wanted to brew this one. Well, this cocktail can be made with any type of liquor some honey or sugar, hot coffee or tea or hot water with a dash of lemon. However, popularly the Hot Toddy recipe consists of bourbon, honey, hot water and lemon.
It is believed to be a very old drink invented in Scotland in the 1700s. It is said the country’s staple liquor, Scotch, had a harsh smoky flavor that women were not fond of. The Hot Toddy may have been designed as a sweeter-tasting alternative for ladies.
Hot Toddy, is a popular cold-weather drink and preferably enjoyed at home in a relaxed environment.
With a little twist, here is my Hot toddy instead of the popular Bourbon, I go the traditional way by having a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky ‘Tamnavulin’ Double Cask finished in sherry butts. This whisky comes with notes of dried orange, ginger and wood spice and sure is perfect match for the mix.
Hot Toddy
Ingredients Whiskey – 50 ml @tamnavulinwhisky Orange Juice – 10 ml Lemon juice – 10 ml Cloves – 2 Star Anise petal – 2 Cinnamon stick – 1/2 an inch Sugar cubes – 2 Black Coffee – 100 ml
Preparation Method
Add to 100 ml of hot water the cloves, star anise petal, cinnamon stick and let it infuse for 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of instant Nescafe coffee and sugar cubes & let it rest for 2 minutes. Strain the spiced infused black coffee in a mug and add to it the whisky, orange and lemon juice. Stir it gently . Enjoy this invigorating drink.
Today’s cocktail reminds me of the classic Boulevardier which is whiskey’s answer to a Negroni made with gin, offering a wondrous depth of flavor from equal parts American whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Campari. However, in today’s riff the Orange Triple Sec replaces Vermouth keeping Bourbon(Tennessee) & Campari in place. . Campari is one of the nicest liqueur with it’s bitter quality as well pleasing spicy zesty flavour with orange on the nose and notes of citrus and vanilla. It might be difficult to enjoy neat but certainly imparts balance and complex flavors to a cocktail. . Tennessee whiskey has the right quality to hold up to the bitterness of Campari. . All time favorite Grand Marnier Orange liqueur which is the blend of Cognac Brandy, distilled essence of orange & sugar adds the body and texture to the drink.
Ingredients The Italian Gentleman Tennessee whiskey: 45 ml @georgedickel Campari : 45 ml @campariofficial Orange liqueur: 30 ml @grandmarnierofficial Regan’s Orange bitters : 2 dashes Orange peel: to express oil Orange wedge : to garnish . Preparation Method
Combine all in a shaker with ice🧊 Shake and strain it in a coupe crystal Express the orange peel & garnish with an orange wedge.
Old Fashioned – one of the greatest Bourbon cocktail
Old Fashioned a 19th century classic cocktail predates to most of the other classic cocktails. It was created in Penndennis Club in Louisville Kentucky buy James E Pepper, the bourbon maker himself and later on added to the menu list of Waldorf- Astoria Hotel bar in New York & went on to become one of the top six classic cocktails🥃🥃 . You can go to 20 different bars and you will find 20 different ways the drink is being made. Some may take 15 minutes to create this drink🥃 . Ingredients
Bourbon whiskey – 60 ml Angostura bitters – 3 to 4 dashes Sugar cube Maraschino cherry Orange
Preparation Method
This being a built drink we take the tumbler or whiskey glass which is also known as the old fashioned glass after this cocktail & place a sugar cube in the bottom of the glass. . Add three dashes of Angoustra bitters and then add around 15 ml of your favorite bourbon. With the disc of your barspoon gently crush the cube to get a smooth paste . Add two ice cubes and then gently squeeze the juice of maraschino cherry into the drink. Add 30 ml of bourbon upto the level of ice. Combine the drink by blending and stirring to bring together all the flavours. Stirring helps to dilute, soften, smoothen as well chill the drink🧊 . Add more ice cubes to about two third of the glass. Take a thick slice of orange with the flesh and good skin and add few drops of the juice to the drink and rub the skin to the inner side of the glass. Drop the slice in it. . Add 15 ml of bourbon and stir to combine all the flavours. Ensure to retain the bite from the bourbon by not over diluting the drink . Cheers to the Classic Old Fashioned!
J&C cocktail is simple drink made with Tennessee Whiskey & Coke served in a Collins glass & also known as ‘Lemmy’ named after the popular member of a heavy metal band ‘Motorhead’🥃🦌🥃 . An alltime Southern American popular drink is especially a big hit with young guns, though some whiskey aficionados consider it not intellectual or cultured fare drink. Why not make it a high brow with a twist. Experimentation gives rise to new life. So here is a Cinnamon twist to the famous JD&Coke🥃🦌🥃 . Ingredients
Tennessee Whiskey – 45 ml @jackdaniels_us Coke – 125 ml Club Soda – 20 ml Peychauds Bitters – 5 ml Lemon wedges Cinnamon stick straw . Preparation Method
Fill the Collins glass with ice & throw in the lemon wedges with a gentle squeeze. Pour on the rocks the whiskey & the bitters. Pour in the club soda & give it a gentle stir. Top it up with coke. Garnish it with Cinnamon straw & sip through it as you enjoy the refreshing, bubbly drink with the aroma & flavor of pungent & scenty cinnamon lingering finish🥃🦌 . Whiskey notes: The Lincoln County Process (LCP) followed in production of Tennessee whiskey is a 3-5 day filtration process where the newly-distilled whiskey such as the Jack Daniel’s trickles drop by drop through ten feet of densely packed sugar maple charcoal prior to entering it into the barrel. The result of charcoal filtration is that it removes certain compounds from the new make whiskey, such as esters and congeners, making a Tennessee Whiskey of exceptional smoothness with maple flavor.
Boulevardier cocktail is a concoction of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and campari & its creation is attributed to Erskine Gwynne, who founded a monthly magazine in Paris called Boulevardier🥃 . Here is the Orange twist to the Boulevardier. It is believed that a great cocktail incorporates spirits with sweet, sour, and bitter components to achieve a harmonious balance.
Well, with my whisky as the spirited base, sweet & tangy orange juice replacing the sweet vermouth, the herbs & fruit liqueur Campari, the hazelnut monin syrup for that nutty flavor & the punky Alpino bitters to finish, it’s time to shake this one rather stir. . Ingredients
Single Malt Whisky – 45 ml @pauljohnwhisky Campari – 15 ml @campariofficial Orange juice – 25 ml (substitute to Sweet Vermouth) Hazelnut Syrup – 5 ml @monin_europe Bitters – a dash Alpino bitters Orange peel
Boulevardier
Preparation Method
Combine all, except Alpino bitters, in a boston shaker with ice & shake well. Strain it into a crystal stem & express orange peel. Add a dash of Alpino bitters. Garnish with orange rind . Whisky notes – 2 row barley vs 6 row barley. We all know 100% malted barley goes into making of a Single Malt Whisky & there is no other grain permitted under the regulations governing production of Single Malt. Two general types of barley are 2 row and 6 row. The 2 row barley has a lower protein content & higher starch which helps in converting to sugar to fuel fermentation. Barley with lower nitrogen is high in starch & has large grain size & good enzyme potential & ability to germinate. The 6 row barley has more protein that fastens conversion to fermentable sugars. It has a higher carbohydrate. 6 row has higher enzyme which means it can convert adjunct starches, which lack or are deficient in enzymes, during mashing. Both types of barley have their own pros & cons🥃 . @pauljohnwhisky are created from Indian 6-row barley sourced from across the vast lands of Rajasthan to the foothills of the Himalayas which are responsible to several of the whisky’s intrinsic characteristics🥃
Sour Mash . You must have heard the term ‘Sour Mash’ often either on the whiskey bottle label, uniquely the American whiskies, or in the course of discussion on making of whiskey🥃🥃 . Sour mash has really nothing to do with being something sour. It’s a process to reuse material from an older batch of previous run of mash to start the fermentation of a new batch🥃 Something, akin to the process of making of sourdough bread. A whiskey made using this technique can be referred to as a sour mash whiskey. The purpose – to control the growth of bacteria which could impact the whiskey’s taste and create a pH balance for the yeast by controlling acidity levels & the ultimate goal to have flavor consistency in between the batches. In the case of Tennessee Whiskies it is a legal requirement. Other terms that can be used in place of sour mash are spent grain, spent mash etc.🥃🥃🥃 . Here is Dickel Tennessee Whisky ‘Sour mash”, 90% proof, which is filtered through charcoal before being aged & thus not a Bourbon. With a Mash Bill of 84% Corn, 10% Rye, 6% Malted Barley, this dram has a caramel colour, to the nose – very appealing/ vanilla/citrus sweet apple/ on the palate – delightful spiciness/ evoking cinnamon/fruity sweetness/ woody/ & has a smooth finish with lingering oak & dried fruits🥃🥃🥃🥃 . It’s said as a child Dickel grew up in Europe & considered Scotch the ultimate whisky & thus he adopted the Scottish spelling ‘whisky’ to his dram & skipped ‘e’ which is otherwise so common in American Whiskey . Cheers!
Whisky – 45 ml @pauljohnwhisky Orange liqueur – 15 ml @grandmarnierofficial Lime juice – 10 ml Sugar syrup – 10 ml Ripe Pineapple – 3 chunks Red wine (Merlot)- 10 ml @bigbanyanwines . Preparation Method
Combine pineapple chunks, syrup, lime juice in a mixing glass & muddle to extract pineapple flavour. Add in the whisky & orange liqueur. Shake it well with ice using a Boston shaker. Double strain into a cocktail glass. Float the red wine using a spiral bar spoon. Garnish with a pineapple wedge . With the bouquet of ripe berries of Merlot Wine interspersed with fragrance of fresh pineapple in the subtle concoction of smooth & rich flavorful whisky & sweet citrusy orange peels, this cocktail comes to life. A perfect cocktail to toast an occasion🥂 . Coming to whisky & nuances. Let’s check compounds responsible for the aromatic notes & tone that we perceive when nosing & sipping a dram🥃 . Lactones: These compounds are found in the oak barrels that whisky is aged in & is picked up by the spirit. This contributes to the woody & coconut flavor🥥 . Phenolic compounds: These compounds such as guaiacol & eugenol are the reason behind the smoky, bitterness & spicy flavour in a whisky. In the case of scotch, it’s the peat fire which dries the malted barley that results in the presence of phenolic compounds. Cresols are responsible to that band-aid like medicinal aroma . Aldehydes: These compounds are extracted from oak barrels into the whiskey that contributes to spicy, woody aroma. While ‘Vanillin’ contributes to the vanilla tone the ‘Furfural’ adds to the grainy flavour while ‘Heaxanal’ adds the grassy note to a whisky . Esters: These compounds add to the fruity flavors. ‘Ethyl hexanoate’ contributes to sweet apple flavour whereas ‘Isoamyl acetate’ gives a banana & pear like aroma . Other compounds such as Damascenone add floral notes while ‘Diacetyl’ contributes to the buttery taste . So the next time you perceive these notes while sipping your dram be sure the chemical compound strikes your mind
A twist to the classic Whisky Sour. With the @pauljohnwhisky SM X’mas edition fresh in my cabinet & to compliment it, the Apricot Brandy with it’s rich aroma & amaretto flavour, the evening is all set for another happy hours . Ingredients
Single Malt – 45 ml @pauljohnwhisky Apricot Brandy – 20 ml @bolscocktails Fresh lime juice – 25 ml Half Egg white – 15 ml Sugar Syrup – 10 ml Bitters – A dash @angosturahouse . Preparation Method
Combine all, except bitters, in a Boston Shaker & shake it dry for half a minute. Then add few ice cubes & shake it again. Strain it in an old fashioned glass over ice cubes & splash a dash of bitters. There friends we have the Friday evening – “The Whisky Apricot Sour” – A Prelude to Christmas🥃 . Filtered vs Unfiltered Whisky: You read it right, many a times on a whisky bottle label you would find these terms. So an unfiltered whisky is also known as non-chill filtered, meaning it has not been filtered once pulled out from barrel. So it’s said that when it’s chilled or diluted to reach it’s bottling proof, unfiltered whisky will have particles & takes on a cloudy hue. Thus, before dilution these whiskeys are filtered so that the whisky on the shelf looks clear and doesn’t get cloudy on dilution🥃 . Well, on the other hand filtration gives a clear look to the whisky but also removes somes flavor. Whereas, unfiltered or non-chilled filtered whiskey are considered to be more flavourful and generally bottled at barrel strength or proof so that a small amount of chilling or infusing with a few drops of water will not make it cloudy. @pauljohnwhisky here carries a non-chilled filtered statement on the bottle label🥃 . Cheers!
Mixing Coffee with Whiskey reminds me of Irish Coffee or Gaelic Coffee
Here is a twist to Manhattan with infused Coffee & Cocoa Grand Marnier replaces Vermouth & Bourbon replaces Rye🥃The dark tinge is the result of strong Coffee. Hope you love it . Ingredients
Brewed strong Coffee & cooled to room temperature – 20 ml Brewed Cocoa & cooled to room temperature – 5 ml Bourbon Whiskey – 45 ml @bulleit Orange liqueur – 15 ml @grandmarnierofficial Bitters – A dash @angosturahouse Candied Cherries – to garnish . Preparation Method
Take a mixing glass with ice cubes. Pour in the ingredients except bitters. Stir for 90 sec & strain in a coupe. Add a dash of bitters. Garnish with candied cherries
Originally created by New York Bartender Sam Ross, the Penicillin Cocktail comes with a mellow flavors of honey, fresh ginger & lemon juice. The punch is added with a heavy dose of scotch whisky & the drink is topped with a thin pour of Islay malt. However, I have my twist to it. I used the George Dickel Tennessee Whisky & a part of Single Malt Scotch for the shake. For the float the Monkey Shoulder which is a blend of single malts from three famous speyside distilleries🥃🥃🥃 . Ingredients Whisky – 45 ml @georgedickel Fresh Lemon juice – 20 ml Honey Syrup – 20 ml 2 Fresh ginger pieces Single Malt Scotch – 20 ml @monkeyshoulder Bitters – a dash @angosturahouse . Preparation Method
Muddle the fresh ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until it is well mashed. Add the Tennessee Whisky, 10ml of Single Malt Scotch, Lemon juice, and Honey syrup, and fill the shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Add a dash of bitters followed by the remaining 10 ml Single Malt Scotch over the top. Garnish with honeyed ginger or candied gooseberry . Cheers!
