merchant hotel vol2

THE MERCHANT HOTEL BAR BOOK

VOLUME 2

by SEAN JAMES MULDOON

2

A Foreword by the Author ...........................................................

Popular Fancy Drinks ..................................................................

Punches & Fruit Cups ..................................................................

Sours ............................................................................................

Sparkling Sours, Bucks & Daisies ...............................................

Fizzes, Milk Punches, Flips & Eggnogs ........................................

Hot Toddies ..................................................................................

Cobblers, Coolers & Highballs .....................................................

Juleps, Swizzles & Muddled Drinks .............................................

Cocktails ......................................................................................

Flutes ............................................................................................

Temperance Delights ...................................................................

The Connoisseur’s Club ...............................................................

Glassware Chart and Glossary of Terms .....................................

“The Merchant Hotel Bar Book Volume 2”

Copyright: The Merchant Hotel 2008

Compiled and edited by Sean James Muldoon

Drinks mixed by The Merchant Hotel Bar Staff

Original artwork by Jose Ma Aurin Guerra

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The Bar at The Merchant Hotel: The epitome of Victorian grandeur.1.

The Flamed Orange Zest: Dale Degroff (aka King Cocktail) serving 2. Madonna a “Cosmopolitan” in The Rainbow Room, New York, circa 1996.

The Punch Bowl Ritual: Professor Jerry Thomas serving guests from a 3. “Punch Bowl” in The Exchange Bar, New York, circa 1851.

La Cuna del Daiquiri: Ernest Hemingway sipping on a “Daiquiri” in La 4. Royal Floridita Bar, Havana, Cuba, circa 1957.

Tastes Like Flowers: A bevy of bartenders preparing “Ramos Gin Fizzes” 5. at The Stag Saloon, New Orleans, circa 1915.

Smirnoff White Whiskey: Heublein & Co. President John G Martin taking 6. Polaroid snapshots of bar owners promoting Smirnoff Vodka and “Moscow Mules”, California, circa 1955.

The High Priest of Tall Drinks: Patrick Gavin Duffy introduces the US to 7. the “Highball” at the Ashland House, New York, circa 1890.

The Gentleman’s Club: Rudyard Kipling and his Punjabi friend savouring 8. “Pegu Club Cocktails” in the Pegu Club, Rangoon, Burma, circa 1889.

The Roaring Twenties: Federal agents pouring confiscated alcohol into a 9. drain during US Prohibition, circa 1920’s.

Mai Tae Roa Ae: Victor Jules Bergeron serving up the first “Mai Tai” for his 10. good friends Ham and Carrie Gould, at his Oakland bar and restaurant, San Francisco, circa 1944.

“Halloo, man! are you here? Which are you for, cocktail or gin-sling? Here is the Bar, you must liquorise” –

J. E. Alexander, Transatlantic Sketches, 1833

List of Illustrations:

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The fine art of cocktail making has been my passion for the last 16 years. I have found myself driven to keep refining my skills and increasing my knowledge. This ongoing quest has taken me round the world and into the company of many of the world’s most highly regarded professionals in this industry.

Included in this book is a selection of some of the best classic cocktail recipes that I have encountered over the years. Many are long forgotten drinks that I have simply re-introduced with a little tweak here and there. Some are from other like-minded personalities in the bar industry. Last but not least, a number of my own creations are included (these are denoted with an asterisk)

I hope The Bar Book provides an entertaining and informative introduction to the world of mixed drinks. It may inspire you to try mixing your own cocktails. I certainly hope it will tempt you to try some of our excellent drinks here at The Merchant Hotel.

I wish to express my gratitude to my colleagues past and present for always having faith that what I said was true, especially the management team of the Merchant Hotel for encouraging me to write this book.

Sean James Muldoon Belfast, 2008.

*Denotes an original drink created at The Merchant Hotel.

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“The contemporary recipe for the Cosmopolitan goes back to the test-marketing of Absolut Citron. I’ve heard an unsubstantiated rumour that a woman named Cheryl Cook invented it in South Beach, Miami though I was given credit for inventing it by New York Magazine (and other publications that cited the “New York” as a source). Well I didn’t. What I did do was popularize a definitive recipe that became widely accepted as the standard...”

Dale Degroff – The Craft of the Cocktail

Fancy drinks are the fashionable drinks of the moment and distinguish the drinking trends from one particular era to the next. They are generally just slight variations of good standard recipes. One flavouring may be substituted for another, the proportions can be changed, or a dash of this or a drop or two of that will be added, then the concoction is given a new name.

The Flamed Orange Zest

1/3 Smirnoff Vodka 1/3 Cointreau 1/3 Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Dash Roses Lime Juice Dash fresh lime 2 dashes Orange Bitters Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

1/2 Smirnoff Vodka 1/4 fresh orange 1/4 fresh lime Dash house-made grenadine Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

4/8 Bombay Sapphire Gin 1/8 Crème de Mure 3/8 fresh lime Dribble cane syrup 3 blackberries Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over cracked ice

4/8 Havana Club Gold Rum 1/8 Marasquin 2/8 house-made grenadine 1/8 fresh lime 2 chunks ripe pineapple Muddle, then shake well and strain into a punch goblet with one ice cube

3/7 Havana Club Blanco 1/7 Dutch Orange Curacao 1/7 Dry French Vermouth 1/7 fresh lemon 1/7 house-made grenadine Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

3/7 Hennessey VS Cognac 1/7 Dutch Orange Curacao 1/7 Marasquin 2/7 fresh lemon 2 squashed strawberries Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/8 Ocho Plata Tequila 2/8 fresh lime 1/8 house-made grenadine 4 dashes orange flower water Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

4/9 Applejack (bonded-proof) 3/9 fresh lime 2/9 house-made grenadine Dribble cane syrup Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

Cosmopolitan El Presidente

Bramble Armilitta Chico

Mary Pickford

All drinks on this page: £7.50 All drinks on this page: £7.50

Jack Rose

Suburban Pink*Wild Strawberries*

(South Beach, Florida, circa 1985) (Jockey Club, Havana, circa

1920’s)

(Fred’s Club, Soho, London, circa

1980’s)

(Mexico City, circa 1940’’s)

(Jockey Club, Havana, circa

1920’s)

(Gene Sullivan’s Café, Jersey City,

circa 1910)

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2/7 Gordon’s Gin 2/7 Lillet Blanc 2/7 fresh lime 1/7 cane syrup Pinch fresh coriander Dash Peychaud’s Bitters Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/9 Martin Millers Westbourne Gin 5/18 fresh lemon 3/18 cane syrup Dash Angostura Bitters Shake hard then strain into a cocktail glass

3/5 Doorly’s XO Rum 2/5 Falernum Peel of lime wedge (with a little lime flesh) 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Muddle lime peel and bitters then add remaining ingredients and stir over cracked ice. Fine strain into a small ice-filled whiskey tumbler

5/9 Cruzan White Rum 5/18 fresh lime 3/18 honey syrup Dribble cane syrup Shake hard then strain into a cocktail glass.

3/9 Foursquare Spiced Rum 2/9 Cacao dark 2/9 fresh orange 3/18 fresh lime 1/18 cane syrup ½ tsp sugarcane molasses Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over cracked ice

2/8 Appleton VX 2/8 Myers Rum 1/8 Dutch Orange Curacao 2/8 fresh lime 1/8 cane syrup 2 kumquats 1 dash orange bitters Muddle kumquats, add other ingredients and shake hard over ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh cracked ice.

5/7 Sazerac 6yr Rye 2/7 cane syrup 3 lemon wedges 1 mint sprig Muddle last three ingredients then add whiskey. Shake hard and strain into a rocks glass over fresh cracked ice.

2/8 Tanqueray Gin 2/8 Marasquin 2/8 Green Chartreuse 2/8 fresh lime Shake hard then strain into a cocktail glass.

Gin & Tonic Cocktail*

Spiced Rum*

Little Polynesian*

Whiskey Smash

The Last Word

Fitzgerald

Corn & Oil

Honey Suckle

(Bottoms Up, 1951)


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The word “Punch” is believed to be based on the Hindi word “panch”, which means “five”. As might then be expected it is classically made with the combination of five ingredients: Spirit, Citrus, Sugar, Spice, and Water. While originally it would have been served to groups in a large bowl, over time it eventually worked its way into single serving recipes. In many ways, the more modern Exotic Drinks of the Tiki Bar era were simply single serving punches.

“I recall with pleasure that as we were conversing one evening over a “bowl of punch”, after Mrs. Jefferson had retired, we happened to speak of the poetry of Ossian. It was a spark of electricity which passed rapidly from one to the other; we recalled the passages of those sublime poems, which had particularly struck us, and we recited them for the benefit of my traveling companions, who fortunately knew English well, and could appreciate them, even though they had never read the poems. Soon the book was called for and to share in our ‘toasts’ it was brought forth and placed beside the bowl of punch. And before we realized it, book and bowl had carried us far into the night….”

Marquis de Chastellux - Travels in North America in the Years 1780, 1781 and 1782

The Punch Bowl Ritual

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4/15 Havana Club Gold Rum 2/15 fresh lime 7/15 fresh orange 1/15 house-made grenadine Dribble cane syrup Dashes Aromatic Bitters 1/15 Myers Dark Rum Shake everything except Myers and strain into an ice filled goblet. FLoat Myers on top

1 tsp house-made guava jelly 1 macerated pineapple chunk 1/11 house-made grenadine 2/11 fresh lime Dribble cane syrup 5/11 Appleton VX Rum 3/11 chilled seltzer Muddle first five ingredients then add rum. Shake and strain into an ice filled goblet, then add seltzer

4/14 Appleton VX Rum 4/14 Bacardi Oro Rum 2/14 Lemon Hart 151 Demerera Rum 2/14 fresh lime 1/14 Falernum 1/14 Cinnamon – Grapefruit Syrup Dashes Aromatic Bitters 1 dash Herbsaint 1 tsp house-made grenadine Shake everything hard and strain into a wooden ‘tiki mug’ filled with cracked ice

1 bottle Alto del Carmen Pisco Brandy 1/2 bottle fresh lemon 1/4 bottle house-made pineapple syrup Cane syrup to taste Dashes Aromatic Bitters Stir well in a large punch bowl over a single block of ice. Ornament with macerated pineapple chunks

1 bottle Lairds Applejack 1 bottle cloudy apple juice 2/5 bottle fresh lime 1/3 bottle house-made grenadine Cane syrup to taste 1/3 chilled seltzer Dashes clove tincture Stir everything except seltzer in a large punch bowl over a single block of ice. Add seltzer then ornament with apple slices and small cinnamon quills

1/2 bottle Hennessey VS Cognac 1/4 bottle Peach Eau De Vie 1/4 bottle Inner Circle Rum 2 bottles of lemon water 1/3 bottle fresh lemon Cane syrup to taste Stir everything well in a large punch bowl over a single block of ice. Ornament with lemon slices and mint sprig tips

Pineapple Pisco Punch Bowl

General Batista

Kon Tiki Ti-Punch

Beachcomber Zombie

Spiced Apple Punch Bowl

Philadelphia Fish House Punch Bowl

(San Francisco, Circa 1850’s)

Serves 10

(Don the Beachcombers,

Hollywood, Circa 1934)

Serves 10

(State in Schuylkill, Philadelphia,

circa 1700’s

Serves 10


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5/10 Pimm’s No.1 2/10 fresh lemon 1/10 cane syrup 1 coin fresh root ginger 2/10 chilled seltzer Muddle ginger, then add everything except seltzer. Shake hard and strain into an ice-filled ‘cup’, then add seltzer

1/10 Calvados 1/10 Hennessey VS Cognac 1/10 Dutch Orange Curacao 1/10 fresh lemon Dribble cane syrup 4/10 apple cider 2/10 chilled seltzer Shake everything except cider and seltzer. Strain into an ice-filled ‘cup’, then add seltzer & cider

7/10 Bordeaux Claret 1 lemon wedge Dribble cane syrup Dash Marasquin 3/10 chilled seltzer Muddle lemon, then add everything except seltzer. Shake hard and strain into an ice-filled ‘cup’, then add seltzer

Pimm’s CupFog Cutter

El Morocco Cider Cup

Claret CupRaspberry Spritzer

(Pimm’s Oyster Bar, London,

circa 1840’s)

(The Bartenders Guide, 1947)

(Tangiers, circa 1930’s)


2/8 Bacardi Oro 1/8 Hennessey VS Cognac 1/16 Gordon’s Gin 1/16 Orgeat Syrup 1/8 fresh orange 2/8 fresh lemon Dry Sherry float Shake first six ingredients and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Float sherry on top.

5/16 Churchill’s Tawny Port 5/16 Hennessey VS Cognac 2/16 Dutch Orange Curacao 3/16 fresh lime 1/16 cane syrup 2 chunks ripe pineapple Muddle, then shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/15 Beefeater Gin 2/15 house-made raspberry cordial 1/15 fresh lemon 5/15 Sweet German Moselle 2/15 chilled seltzer Dash Kirschwasser Shake everything except seltzer. Strain into an ice-filled goblet, then add seltzer

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A Sour is basically a simplification of a Punch and it represents a fairly important category of mixed drink. At its core is a careful balance of a sweetener of some sort and a sour ingredient (like lemon or lime juice), which is combined with the base spirit and then mixed with ice.

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“He was drinking another of the frozen daiquiris with no sugar in it and as he lifted it, heavy and the glass frost-rimmed, he looked at the clear part below the frapped top and it reminded him of the sea. The frapped part of the drink was like the wake of a ship and the clear part was the way the water looked when the bow cut it when you were in shallow water over marl bottom. That was almost the exact color...

This frozen daiquiri, so well beaten as it is, looks like the sea where the wave falls away from the bow of a ship when she is doing thirty knots.”

Ernest Miller Hemingway - Islands in the Stream.

La Cuna del Daiquiri

3/7 Gordons Gin 1/7 Marasquin 1/7 Violet Liqueur 2/7 fresh lemon Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

1/4 Beefeater Dry Gin 1/4 Cointreau 1/4 fresh orange 1/4 fresh lemon Dribble of cane syrup ½ white of small egg Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/8 Tanqueray No. 10 Gin 2/8 fresh lemon 1/8 cane syrup ½ tsp house-made white grapefruit jelly 1 short dash Grapefruit Bitters Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/9 Beefeater Gin 2/9 fresh lemon juice 2/9 house-made raspberry cordial Dribble of cane syrup ½ white of small egg Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/10 Havana Club Blanco 2/10 fresh lime 2/10 fresh white grapefruit 1/10 cane syrup Dribble Marasquin Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/12 Havana Club 7yr Rum 1/12 Ponche Cabellero 2/12 Roses Kola Tonic 3/12 fresh lime 1/12 still water Dribble cane syrup Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

1/4 Smirnoff Vodka 1/4 Cointreau 1/2 fresh ruby grapefruit Dribble cane syrup 2 Squashed Kumquats Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

4/8 Mount Gay Barbados Rum 1/8 Cointreau 1/16 Falernum 2/8 fresh lime 1/16 cane syrup Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

Hemingway Daiquiri

Cuba Libre Daiquiri*

Aviation

Maidens Prayer

Grapefruit Cocktail

Clover Leaf

Jack Ruby*

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club

(La Floridita, Havana, circa

1930’s)

(Wallick House Hotel, New York,

circa 1911)

(Bellevue Stratford Hotel,

Philadelphia, circa 1910)


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1/2 Havana Club Blanco 1/6 Sweet Vermouth 1/6 Cacao Blanc 1/6 fresh lime Dribble house-made grenadine Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/10 Sazerac 6yr Rye Whiskey 2/10 fresh lemon 2/10 fresh orange 1/10 house-made grenadine 1 mint sprig Top up with chilled seltzer Shake everything gently except seltzer and strain into an ice-filled goblet. Top with seltzer

4/8 Appleton White Rum 1/8 Myers Dark Rum 2/8 fresh lemon 1/8 home-made blueberry cordial 2 ripe pineapple chunks Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

4/8 Hennessey VS Cognac 2/8 Dutch Orange Curacao 2/8 fresh lemon juice Dash of Marasquin Shake well and strain ‘neat’ into a small, sugar-crusted wine glass

Floridita No.2

Ward Eight

The Delicious Sour Brandy Crusta

(La Floridita, Havana, Cuba, circa

1930’s)

(Locke-Ober Restaurant, Boston,

circa 1918)

(‘The Only William’, New York,

circa 1890’s)

(The City Exchange, New

Orleans, circa 1850)

4/8 Havana Club Anejo Rum 2/8 Cacao Blanc 2/8 fresh lime Dribble of cane syrup Small handful of torn basil leaves Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass

5/9 Famous Grouse Scotch 5/18 fresh lemon 3/18 honey syrup 1/9 fresh ginger Tobermory Single Malt Scotch float Shake first four ingredients hard and strain into rocks glass over ice. Float Tobermory Whisky on top.

2/8 Beefeater Gin 2/8 Cointreau 2/8 Kina Lillet 2/8 fresh lemon 2 dashes absinthe Shake hard then strain into a cocktail glass.

1/3 Lairds Applejack 1/3 Peach Eau de Vie 1/3 fresh lime Dribble of cane syrup ½ white of small egg Dash of chilled seltzer Shake everything except seltzer and strain into a sour glass. Top with seltzer

Companero*

Penicillin

Corpse Reviver #2

(Sammy Jay, Milk & Honey, NYC)

(The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930)


Tabu Cocktail

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