Opening Cocktail

Wow, was that stilted. I can't believe that last post. Back to business, finally.

This time the subject at hand is the Opening Cocktail, a promising mixture of grenadine, italian vermouth and rye whiskey. Alas, the reality falls far short. The drink was heavy, sweet and not much else. Perhaps a bit of soda water would lighten the load. Here's the recipe as it appears in The Official Mixer's Manual: "1/4 Grenadine, 1/4 Italian Vermouth, 1/2 Rye Whiskey. Stir well in ice and strain into glass."

Odd also that there is no garnish. Perhaps a shot of soda water and a cherry is the thing.

It's too bad that the inauguration of my music collection online should be heralded by such a threadbare cocktail; perhaps the sounds of Benny Goodman will inspire someone to rehabilitate this drink and find the inner truth that I couldn't discover.

Surely rye whiskey captures the spirit of Mr. Goodman's jazz: mellow, refined but not fancy, holding infinite nuance.

Swing, dammit!

Cablegram

Juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tbsp. powdered sugar, 1 glass rye whiskey. Stir well in ice, strain and fill with ginger ale. One of my favorites and a good standby. As Johnny Twennies said when his jaded photographer asked him if he even had cable tv service: "Sure, I get cables all the time!"

Ink Street Cocktail

1/2 Rye Whiskey, 1/4 Orange Juice, 1/4 Lemon Juice. Shake well and strain. Tart verging on sour. Use sweet oranges.

Commodore Cocktail

1 Teaspoonful Syrup, 2 Dashes Orange Bitters, Juice of 1/2 Lime or 1/4 Lemon, 1 Glass Rye Whiskey. Shake well and strain into glass. Tart, light.

Manhasset

1 1/2 oz. whiskey, 1/4 oz. sweet vermouth, 1/4 oz. dry vermouth, 1 oz. lemon juice. Shake and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. (The Bartender's Black Book by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham)

Celeste liked it, I didn't. It tasted like lemon juice spiked with whiskey.

Manhattan (Dry)

2/3 Whiskey, 1/3 Italian Vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir well with cracked ice, strain and serve with an Olive and a twist of lemon peel on top. (Official Mixer's Manual p. 119)

Celeste made this with rye; I prefer it to bourbon for its lighter flavor.

We drank them and I thought about Gerry Rafferty who had just died. I was sad because I'd only recently acquainted myself with his album City to City and it had been steadily growing on me. The track Baker Street was a fixture of my childhood, ever-present as it was on local radio. So long Gerry; the world is diminished.