Unless you’re one of the people who reads every cocktail blog that’s popped up online over the past few years — and this may cover a good chunk of my regular readership — you may have missed a regular little gathering that happens every week called Thursday Drink Night, hosted at the Mixoloseum. The idea is simple: there’s a theme (typically a particular brand or spirit, or a certain style of drink), and anyone who has some extra time on their hands logs in to the chat room on Thursday night and starts proposing original recipes along that theme, and trying recipes suggested by others. The drink quality ranges from surprisingly good to execrably vile, and once the whole boozy mess has been cleared away, a few drinks are somewhat arbitrarily selected as the best, and readers can vote on their favorites; the participant who created the winning drink is awarded, well, something.

Anyway, a couple of brands recently chose to participate in TDNs with a live component held at Vessel, here in Seattle. The most recent event was sponsored by Mount Gay Extra Old Rum; here’s one of the drinks that I came up with for the event that I’ve revisited in recent days and, in my humble opinion, ain’t too bad — the dry coconut note I always get from the MGXO is accentuated by the tawny port, and the apricot liqueur adds a touch of fruity lusciousness. And the name? Stifferino was already taken, so I thought I’d reach for another bit of nonsense.

Maisy Dotes

• 2 ounces aged rum (Mount Gay Extra Old works well)
• 3/4 ounce tawny port (I used Sandeman’s 10-year)
• 1-2 teaspoons apricot liqueur, to taste
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters (The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters are excellent here; Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel is next-best option, followed by Angostura)

Stir well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist a big piece of orange peel over the drink and use as garnish.

My drink didn’t win that week — hell, it wasn’t even nominated; must not have used enough cinnamon syrup or ginger beer — but to my taste it has some staying power, and I can see breaking it out on occasion. Try it yourself and let me know what you think.

This drink is part of 30/30, a series of 30 drinks in 30 days — or as much as I can keep up before collapsing in a weary, booze-addled heap.

Tags: Drinks, Port, Rum, Thirty in 30 by Paul
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It’s snowing.

That may not sound like a big deal to those of you in places that actually have winter, but here in Seattle, it doesn’t happen all that often. This winter, however, we’ve seen snow more than usual (including, memorably, on Christmas Day), though it’s usually just a wet, sloppy half-inch that covers parked cars and fence posts for a couple of hours while making the standard Northwest winter puddles all the colder and drearier.

As is the case tonight. Thank god there’s brandy.

Wait – let me amend that: thank god there’s brandy, port, David Wondrich’s latest book and Mixology Monday to take the chill off. Foreseeing the kind of frigid misery many of this month’s participants would no doubt be enduring, our kind host Marleigh – who, it should be noted, lives in sunny Southern California – proposed “Brandy” as the theme for this round. Since tomorrow it’s supposed to hit 70 degrees in Los Angeles, I hope Marleigh is getting quite a giggle as the rest of us shiver our way through tonight’s post.

I’ve long been a fan of the Sensation, which appeared in David Wondrich’s Esquire Drinks (now out of print; thankfully, the Esquire Drinks Database has recently rejoined the living). With its base of port backed up with half as much brandy, and a dash of orange juice for brightness, the Sensation is a gentle, soothing companion for the dead of winter.

Wondrich revisited the drink (or its ancestor, anyway) in IMBIBE!, this time running it as the St. Charles Punch, named after a fine old New Orleans hotel. This version lost the OJ but introduced the juice of 1/4 of a lemon, along with enough sugar to take the edge off. (It was also served over shaved ice with fruits in season, whereas the Sensation was served straight up, but I’m not going to dwell on that right now.)

This is still a lovely drink, but sometimes you need something capable of warming you to your rafters, even if it’s served ice-cold. That’s when it pays to start digging into the explanatory text that follows each recipe in IMBIBE! (Seriously, that’s where I’m finding some of the best stuff: need proof? Take his suggestion to top the Morning Glory with Champagne. Jesus.)

In this case, Wondrich idly tosses out the Enchantress, which he informs us appeared in American Barkeeper in 1867. A modest change in recipe, but a very pleasing one: the brandy is doubled, but the soft lusciousness of the port keeps it from getting out of line, and some curacao in place of the sugar adds a little flourish around the edges (you may wish to dial back the ingredients accordingly, so your drink actually fits into a sensible-size glass). Served up in a wine goblet (or champagne flute, as Wondrich suggests — though it’s absolutely fine in a cocktail glass, as my photo should attest), the Enchantress isn’t disheartened by a wintry night outside. If only I could say the same for myself.

Enchantress, adapted from IMBIBE!, by David Wondrich

• 1 1/2 ounces ruby port
• 1 1/2 ounces cognac
• Juice of 1/4 lemon (about 1/2 ounce)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange curacao (to taste, based on the lemon juice)

Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled wine goblet or champagne flute.

And, since I mention them, here are:

Sensation (alias Brandied Port), adapted from Esquire Drinks

• 2 ounces ruby port
• 1 ounce brandy
• Dash fresh-squeezed orange juice (optional)
  

Shake well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass; garnish with twist of lemon or orange peel.

St. Charles Punch, adapted from IMBIBE!

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ounces ruby port
• 1 ounce brandy
• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon

Shake well with ice, pour into a tumbler, adorn with fresh berries.

Thanks for joining us this round, and thanks to Marleigh for hosting and for pulling me out of my now-typical post-holiday rut. Head on over to SLOSHED! to see what other folks have been up to this Mixology Monday.

Tags: Brandy, Drinks, Mixology Monday, Port by Paul
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OK, at least half of the appeal of making this drink is the opportunity to say (or in this case, write) “Sangaree.” If you’re looking for a new way to get tossed out of a bar, you could do worse than making it a habit to stroll in, rap loudly on the bartop with your knuckles and shout, “Barman! A Port Wine SAN-GAREE, extra nutmeg, s’il vous plait — and keep ‘em comin’!”

The other part of the appeal comes from finding a way to drink Port in the heat of summer. Let’s face it — during the season when mojitos and rickeys and collinses are as essential as sunblock, the heavy richness of Port doesn’t get much demand. Here, then, a summer-worthy drink with Port, refreshing yet robust.

Up top of this post, you’ll see I’m also tagging this drink for “Gettin’ Jerry With It,” my lamely named category for drinks that appeared (in some version) in Jerry Thomas’ original bar guide. To be fair, Thomas also listed recipes for sangarees made with sherry, brandy, gin, ale and porter, so just about any kind of booze you wish to tip in the glass can be easily made into a sangaree. And what the hell is it, you ask? Well, not much, really — basically just your booze of choice shaken with ice and a little sugar, then served with a little nutmeg on top (and while Thomas doesn’t call for it, tossing a couple of wheels of lemon into the mixing glass brightens up the drink a tad). Does such a thing really need a name, especially something as flamboyant as “Sangaree”? Apparently.

Yet don’t let the modesty of its composition dissuade you — after all, epic summer coolers are frequently made of less. And while the Port Wine Sangaree lacks the power of a mint julep to air-condition your interior, it’s still surprisingly refreshing — kind of like a sangria with a touch more gravitas.

Port Wine Sangaree (this version from the Esquire Drinking Database)

• 4 ounces port
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 thin lemon wheels (optional)

Shake with ice and pour, unstrained, into a double Old Fashioned glass. Grate a little nutmeg on top.

The Port Wine Sangaree is brought to you as part of Mixology Monday VI, for which the topic is Grapes, hosted by Rick over at Martini Lounge. Skip on over to Rick’s place and see what everyone else is doing for this round.

The next round of Mixology Monday is hosted by … me, I guess, as nobody else has offered. Since most everyone (including me) has some vacation time worked into the schedule over the next month, let’s take it easy and plan to rev up MxMoVII on September 18. The theme for this round will be Goodbye, Summer – pick the drink you found yourself turning to most this summer and enjoy it one last time before Autumn comes around.

Tags: Drinks, Gettin' Jerry With It, Mixology Monday, Port by Paul
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