Howdy,
Summer is here, and it brought all the humidity. The dogs hate it, but the weather has been excellent for some of my favorite styles of hot weather drinking...even if I am doing it indoors with the AC running.
I know you've got inner tubes to blow up and drinks to ice down, so let's get to the part where I talk about drinking!
As always thanks for reading and thanks for subscribing to this newsletter.
Here we go!
The Cocktail Doodle Review
Drinks From June
This past month has been interesting for my drink intake. First off, I have spent some time up at my local Irish pub enjoying pints of that iconic dark beer with the creamy white head that everyone seems to drink there. Now, I should say this is no Pepper Canister, my favorite spot for daytime pints that sadly closed its doors last year, but the camaraderie one finds at an Irish pub on both sides of the bar after stopping in a few times is great. So much so that when I popped in on Sunday afternoon for a quick pint of plain, a patron and a bartender at different times said, "hey Luke, sorry about that Wales game."
The crazy thing is I don't even care much for soccer. Still, with the Euro 2020 tournament on during the day, I started paying attention to Wales and quickly assimilated into the soccer watching crowd that populates the pub for the games, and they show all of them. As I left on Sunday, an acquaintance with a thick accent reminded me that Germany plays England on Tuesday, and he would save me a seat.
Between my short trips to Ireland, I have stopped for quick imaginary stays in France and Spain, meaning Pastis and Sherry are back on the menu!
I have had a crush on Pastis since my first sip. So much so that I even ran a failed patio menu a few summers back at the Whistler in Chicago that focused solely on Pastis. Sadly, I scrapped the menu a few weeks in and gave the people what they wanted (cheap beers and whiskey sours) due to the massive unpopularity of Pastis here in the States. That doesn't mean I stopped drinking it through.
Last week as the mercury crept higher and higher, I pulled down a bottle of Ricard and found a small glass pitcher that I filled with ice water. I added a decent splash of the dark yellow liquid in a tall glass, sometimes called Jaune, and topped it up with cold water. It instantly transformed the liquid into a cold milky aromatic elixir that kept me company all afternoon with infrequent top-ups. At the same time, I daydreamed about drinking Pastis while on the beach vacation I recently booked for our upcoming anniversary.
My imaginary trips to Spain have been fun as well. We always have Sherry around, usually a chilled Fino for sipping if something needs a little more time on the grill and a darker sweeter style for a splash before bed in lieu of dessert. Sherry is often overlooked when it comes to cocktails, even though the Sherry Cobbler is one of the oldest drinks on the books. As a matter of fact, the straw was actually invented FOR the Sherry Cobbler back in the mid-1800s.
Lately, I have been enjoying on a drink called the Coronation Cocktail, a beautiful aperitif that dates back to 1903.
Coronation Cocktail
In a Mixing Glass:
75 ml Fino Sherry
15 ml Dry Vermouth
7.5 ml Maraschino Liqueur
3 dashes Orange Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with lemon peel.
Being a notorious Martini drinker, you can see why I love this lower ABV cocktail. I use Lustau's Papirusa Light Manzanilla for this drink. You'll be able to find that bottle anywhere. I always keep one in the fridge and a backup down in the wine cellar, er...basement. Manzanilla as a style is almost identical to a Fino, but it must be produced in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, one of the three Sherry Triangle cities—it's one of those Champagne has to be from Champagne things.
Some other favorites I keep in stock:
Bodegas Yuste 'Aurora' Amontillado (Mrs. Cocktail Doodle's favorite!!)
Also, while on the topic of Sherry, check out this great crash course video:
If you arent ready to buy a bottle and a plane ticket after that, something must be wrong!
For more cocktails, check out The Cocktail Doodle Cocktails Google doc (updates coming soon!)
Current Reading
These are the books on my nightstand right now:
The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido
This is a beautiful book full of cocktail recipes. I am always fascinated by the Japanese style of drinking and making drinks. Some of the information is a bit redundant, but the recipes are great. I whipped up the Hinoki Martini the other day and enjoyed it thoroughly. Katana Kitten will undoubtedly be on my to-do list the next time I am in NYC.
The Cocktail Seminars by Brian D. Hoefling
This interesting book dives deeply into cocktails, complete with experiments, charts, and graphs. The recipes are spot on, and the modern takes on historically accurate builds are nice to see. It reminds me of CO Specs—my favorite recipe book of the past year.
Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes by Talia Baiocchi
This was published almost six years ago, but in Sherry's time, that is no time at all! The book reads fantastically and scratches my travel itch. The recipes are great, and this where I pulled the specs for the Coronation Cocktail. I highly recommended it if you are on a Sherry kick—got mine used for three bucks.
New Products
Truly's New Ice Pops
Catoctin Creek Ragnarök Rye
Brody’s Crafted Cocktails
X by Glenmorangie
Guinness launches new, world-first, single nitrogen dispense solution: “Guinness MicroDraught”
Coravin Continues to Revolutionize the Wine Industry with Reveal of New Sparkling System
Heaven Hill Distillery announces release of Five Brothers Bourbon
Dickel Bourbon
In Other (Booze) News
Supertasters and Covid-19
Elon Musk’s next project looks set to be a Tesla restaurant
AB InBev reveals ‘lightest beer bottle in the world’
Ready-to-drink category will soon overtake wine in the US
SMWS owner lists on London Stock Exchange
Violent hailstorms hit vineyards in France and Spain
Restaurants Are Severely Understaffed, And No One Agrees on Why
Alcohol Justice says Anheuser-Busch’s White House-approved free-beer-for-a-vaccination campaign is a data collection scheme
Hard seltzer consumption slows as consumers head back to bars
Japan’s Forgotten Whisky
Here's How Much You Should Drink at Work Events, If You Must
Does Evolution Want Us to Drink?
Inside the Dying World of Facebook’s Whiskey Black Markets, the Best Place to Buy (and Sell) Rare Bourbon
Stock up on your favorite wine now: Low inventory and higher prices are on the horizon
Time to Stop Cellaring Wine
Review: Nixta Is a Mexican Corn Liqueur That Will Transform Your Whiskey Drinks
YouTube is curtailing ads that promote drugs, alcohol, and gambling
Banning Alcoholic Beverages on Flights Is (Still) a Really Bad Idea
NFL Reels in Diageo, Four Years After Lifting Ban on Liquor Ads
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Now Seeks a Midnight Cutoff For Alcohol Sales at Stores
The Oldest Single Malt Scotch Ever Bottled Will Be Up for Sale This Year
New York Abruptly Ends Its Popular Takeout Cocktail Program
George Stranahan Made a Mark in Physics and Craft Brewing
Why Certified Organic Wines Are Worth The Search
Champagne Is Over the Flute…But Why?
Wear sunscreen this weekend!
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Have a great month!
I’ll be on time for the next one!
2021 Cocktail Doodle Reviews:
Jan Review
Feb Review
Mar Review
Apr Review
May Review
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