Ten Cocktail Recipes for Unpopular Spirits
courtesy moonlet.me
In almost every bar there are the same culprits that sit there stagnating and screaming to be used again. You know the ones, fashionable at one point in time but now losing their appeal and resigned to the back shelf. It’s a huge shame for such great spirits to be forgotten by so many. There are of course a few patrons they keep them for who order them every now and again.
I took to Twitter to ask the bartenders of the world which bottles often go untouched and picked the ten most popular to pair with recipes to help you lower your holding stock and bring those spirits back into the spotlight.
Pimm’s No.1
Pimm’s No.1 is a fruit cup or could even be considered a liqueur based on gin. It is highly popular in Britain in the summer, especially around the time of the Wimbledon tennis tournaments. Outside of this time though, it has a tendency to go unused. Enter The Pimmlet, a Gimlet made with Pimm’s.
50ml (1.7 oz) Pimm’s No.1
25ml (.84 oz) Tanqueray
10ml (.33 oz) Fresh lime juice
10ml (.33 oz) Simple syrup (2:1)
Shake and fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.
Pernod
Aniseed Julep, photo by Josh Powell
Pernod is notoriously difficult to use because of its aniseed notes. It can be hard to pair with other flavours without overwhelming the drink. The Aniseed Julep does a great job of keeping it subtle.
40ml (1.35 oz) Maker's Mark bourbon
20ml (.67 oz) Pernod
12 Fresh mint leaves
10ml (.33 oz) Simple syrup
Shake and fine strain into Julep cup with crushed ice. Garnish with large mint sprig.
Irish Cream
Irish Cream is hard to use in drinks because of its sweetness and consistency. Nobody really wants a dessert style drink in the middle of the evening, so more elegant recipes are usually few and far between. This Killdare recipe is a sexy little number indeed. Smooth with a great kick.
50ml (1.7 oz) Old Tom style gin
15ml (.5 oz) Bailey’s Irish Cream
2 dashes Chocolate bitters
Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Genever
The secret to using Genever is to play upon the malt flavours rather than the more subtle juniper notes. Imagine it more like a Scotch and you will find it easier to work with, as in this Eik Rook (Dutch for oak smoke). In this case, even with the lemon, stirring works better than shaking as it doesn't cloud the drink and adds just the right amount of dilution.
30ml (1 oz) Genever
22.5ml (.75 oz) 10 yr Irish whiskey
1 dash Angostura bitters
5ml (1 tsp) Pure agave sweetener
5ml (1 tsp) Fresh lemon juice.
Stir well and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Pacharán (Patxarán)
Pacharán Sherbet, courtesy Josh Powell
This Spanish liqueur is bursting with blueberry flavour with hints of aniseed too. A Pacharán Sherbet Collins is the perfect summer drink to cool you down.
50ml (1.7 oz) Zoco Pacharán
15ml (.5 oz) Lemon Sherbet sugar syrup*
15ml (.5 oz) Lemon juice
Shake, pour into ice-filled Collins glass and top with soda. Garnish with a few blueberries.
(*2:1 cups sugar and water, muddled lemon peel and 30ml Limoncello)
Blue Curaçao
Many bartenders and drinkers are put off by the colour of this liqueur and usually have flashbacks to the 80’s, where blue cocktails with rude names were massively abundant.
Piscadera
25ml (.85 oz) White rum (editor's note: try Guajiro Blanco from the Canary Islands! Silver medalist in the 2013 NY International Spirits Competition)
15ml (.5 oz) Blue Curaçao (such as Bols)
15ml (.5 oz) Raspberry cordial
15ml (.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice
Shake and pour over ice in a Collins glass. Top up with cloudy lemonade or bitter lemon fizz (in which case add about 5ml Simple Syrup before shaking.)
Coffee Liqueur
Here’s a great recipe for those of you who are huge caffeine addicts, like a boozy version of an iced latte from a coffee shop!
Booze Booster
15ml (.5 oz) Coffee Liqueur
15ml (.5 oz) Vodka
15ml (.5 oz) Pedro Ximinez sherry
15ml (.5 oz) Licor 43
2 dashes Angostura bitters
75ml (2.5 oz) Condensed milk
Blitz with ice in a blender. The thickness of the end product is determined by how much ice you add. Pour into a latte glass and just add straws.
Limoncello
Limoncello is such a great liqueur because it has that balance between sweet and sour. The Motox cocktail really accentuates that.
Eik Rook, courtesy Josh Powell
Muddle 1 slice of fresh ginger (thumbnail size) with 10 fresh Coriander (Cilantro) leaves in the bottom of a shaker and then add:
40ml (1.35 oz) Vodka
25ml (.85 oz) Limoncello
25ml (.85 oz) Pineapple juice
25ml (.85 oz) Apple juice
Shake and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a coriander leaf.
Irish Mist
This Whiskey liqueur seems to only be popular with a certain generation. Its heather, honey and complex spice notes are based around Irish whiskey and an ancient heather wine recipe.
Irish Ghost
25ml (.85 oz) Irish Mist
25ml (.85 oz) Irish cream
25ml (.85 oz) Coffee Liqueur
50ml (1.7 oz) Cream
Shake well and pour over ice.
Crème de Menthe
This mint liqueur, although a great breath freshener, is notoriously difficult to get along with because of its toothpaste type mint flavour. 9 times out of 10 it is found in dessert style drinks such as the Grasshopper. Here’s a classic example of another way to use it:
Stinger
50ml (1.7 oz) VSOP or XO Brandy
22.5ml (.75 oz) White Crème de Menthe
Shake and serve in an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice. For a Green Hornet use green Crème de Menthe instead.
Now that you are armed with an arsenal of great recipes, those bottles will be shining again in no time! I can guarantee the customer satisfaction will be through the roof when you’re able to suggest a great cocktail for those that enjoy a tipple or two from the back shelf.
Cheers!