Squid Mixes: Chanticleer

A Chanticleer combines gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg whites.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  The word chanticleer means rooster, often referring specifically to the rooster character in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.  The drink was invented at New York's Waldorf-Astoria to celebrate the 1910 opening of Edmond Rostand's play Chantecler.  

I have a new toy in my mixing arsenal: Fee Foam.  It's essentially a synthetic egg white substitute, handy since the real thing has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.  Plus, Fee Foam avoids allergic reactions, not to mention the current salmonella outbreak.  I learned about the stuff from our niece, of all people, who works in a restaurant.  Basically, you add 4-6 drops in lieu of an egg white before shaking.  From what I've seen so far, the foam is not as impressive as what you get with the real thing.  But the advantages are undeniable so I'm happy to play around with it.

Wife and child (over 21) agreed that the result tasted like melted sorbet - a bit on the sweet side but good.

My main association with the word chanticleer is the men's vocal group - the best in the world.  Enjoy:

Squid Mixes: Joaquin Simó's Sidecar

After making the raspberry limeade involved in last week's cocktail, my wife had a bit of left over simple syrup.  I have been charged with finding cocktail recipes to make use of it.  First up is Joaquin Simó's Sidecar from Robert Simonson's 3-Ingredient Cocktails.  Simó's variation combines cognac, dry curaçao, lemon juice and the crucial simple syrup.  

It's probable that my resulting drink didn't turn out quite like Simó's as he lists a specific cognac and a specific curaçao.  No doubt both are higher quality than I'm willing to shell out for.  But mine was still a nice sidecar, if perhaps not noticeably better than my own home recipe.  

We still have plenty of syrup left so stay tuned.

Squid Mixes: Raspberry Limeade Cocktail

I will admit upfront, my wife did the hard part for this one.  She made the raspberry limeade, following the Vanessa's Raz recipe in olive + gourmando: The Cookbook by Dyan Solomon, owner of olive + gourmando, one of our favorite Montreal restaurants.  My job was to find the best liquor pairing.

I chose gin over vodka or rum, the other suggestions I saw online.  In my experience, gin draws flavors together while vodka pushes them apart. And rum just adds more sweetness, undesirable in this case as the tartness of the two fruits needs to shine.

The drink was our picnic cocktail for the Vermont Symphony's America 250 performance in Shelburne, held at Shelburne Museum, facing west - ideal for a glorious sunset.

If you squint for this one, you might recognize Bernie Sanders, our Senior Senator and a leading light for progressive politics in the United States for a decade-plus.  Bernie was the narrator for "Vermont Is a State I Love," a speech by Calvin Coolidge, backed by Edward Elgar's Chanson de Matin.

Squid Mixes: Cosmonaut

A Cosmonaut, invented by Sasha Petraske, combines gin, lemon juice and raspberry preserves.  I got my recipe from 3-Ingredient Cocktails by Robert Simonson.  It was intended as a spoof on the Cosmopolitan.  As you can see, it's deeply pink so maybe also a nod to the Soviet communists?  Or is it a pun?  Cosmo-not?  Both?

The first flavor hit for me was jelly doughnut, undoubtedly from the raspberry jam.  Once my taste buds adjusted, though, the sweetness was less potent.  The lemon brings out the natural tartness of the berries.  

Squid Mixes: Empress Aviation

I last posted about the Aviation cocktail about five years ago (see here).  I first posted about Empress Gin, dyed indigo with butterfly pea flower, about three years ago (see here).  When my wife recently requested an Aviation (a drink she's been ordering a lot at restaurants lately), I thought to put them together in order to enhance the purple color.  While Empress Gin has a recipe of their own on the company website, I chose to stick with the recipe in David Lebovitz's Drinking French in order to maintain flavor balance (and not cut out the creme de violette altogether).  

As I hope you can see in the photos, my latest attempt is definitely more purple than my 2021 effort.

2026

2021

However, they're still not as dark as the ones The Playwright made for us back in 2016.

2016

Sadly, he's not around anymore to ask but my guess is that he swapped the 2:1 proportion between the maraschino liqueur and the creme de violette in favor of the latter.  I may try that next time.  My wife has also suggested that his were more bitter which could bring greater flavor balance.

Squid Mixes: Bacardi Cocktail

Several years ago, I posted about a cocktail called the Bacardi Special which combined rum, gin, lime juice and grenadine.  At the time, I wondered what the drink would be like without the gin.  Well, of course, there is already a name for such a concoction, the slightly different Bacardi Cocktail.  I got my recipe from The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan.

Regan's version is intensely sweet, maybe too much so.  Rum generally pairs well with sweet flavors as it is itself sugar-derived.  Gin might help to cut into the sweetness but then so would adjusting the proportions.  Less grenadine next time, I think.  I would still be interested to try the two side-by-side.  My post on the Special praised its balance.  I liked the Cocktail but I would say it's out of balance.

And now, since he obligingly posed for the photo, I should properly introduce the newest cat in our family.  He's been with us for six months now.  Everyone needs an alias here at The Squid.  His shall be Pretty Boy.  It's what I call him half the time anyway.

Squid Mixes: Yellow Submarine

Ever since I first tasted chartreuse, I've thought of the remarkable liqueur as psychedelia in liquid form.  So when considering a cocktail devoted to my favorite band, it seemed sensible to use it as one of the building blocks.  While there are a lot of yellow submarine cocktail recipes to be found online, there is no universal agreement as to ingredients.  So, I figured I could do as I pleased with my own interpretation.

The Yellow Submarine 

1 oz. white tequila

.75 oz. yellow chartreuse

.75 oz. honey amaretto

.25 oz. lime juice

I deliberately chose four ingredients to go with the Fab Four but until the kid (age 21+) asked, I hadn't given any thought to which corresponded to which band member.  I think I've got it now.

The chartreuse is Paul McCartney, the dazzler.

The amaretto is George Harrison, the mellow soul.

The lime juice is Ringo Starr who always adds a kick, especially when paired with an almond flavor.

The tequila is John Lennon.  In my first attempt, I used vodka.  My wife suggested a salty note so I swapped in the tequila.  Salty note: definitely John.

The end result is very tasty and very yellow.

Squid Mixes: Obituary

An Obituary combines gin, dry vermouth and absinthe with a lemon peel garnish.  It is yet another in the large family of Corpse Reviver cocktails.  We got our recipe from Rebekah Peppler in The New York Times who informs us the drink is also sometimes known as Death in the Afternoon.  

My wife is the one who found the recipe and requested the drink, a bit of a surprise given her usual aversion to anise.  The absinthe is the flavor carrier here, though it's light.  A stronger gin (I used Seagram's Extra Dry) might compete better though I don't think that would be the right choice at our house.  We both enjoyed the result - perhaps worth remembering as a martini variant, too.

Sadly appropriate for the name of the drink, I have sad news to share.  One of our beloved cats, known here as The Little Squirt (black kitty with a tiny white priest collar - relatively camera shy compared to The Scamp, our most obliging cocktail model), recently passed away.  The house always feels out of balance if we don't have two cats so we got another not long afterwards.  He's an extremely affectionate adult male ginger who is presently eager for me to stop typing so I'll pet him.  We're still getting to know each other so I don't have a good code name for him yet.  Stay tuned.

RIP, little one...

Squid Mixes: Southside Cocktail

A Southside Cocktail combines lemons, sugar, mint and gin.  The recipe I found in Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology calls for four lemon wedges muddled with the other ingredients before shaking.  In muddling full wedges, you get a lot of peel which certainly enhanced the sharp tartness of the resulting beverage.  I enjoyed the drink quite a lot.  It's certainly sour - and pulpy - but the sugar and mint bring enough to take the edge off.

Worth noting, other recipes I've seen use limes instead of lemons.  

The drink's origins are unclear.  Is it the South Side of Chicago or the South Side Sportsmen's Club in Great River, New York?  The most colorful theory supports the former, suggesting it may have been a favorite of gangster Al Capone's.

Squid Mixes: Strawberry Basil Martini

Our child recently turned 21 years old, legal drinking age in the United States.  Regular readers will probably not be the least bit surprised to know that I've been thinking about the first cocktail I'm going to make for them for a long time.  This summer, in particular, I paid close attention to the non-alcoholic beverages they gravitate towards.  And I asked them loads of questions, of course.  

Gradually, a flavor profile took shape.  They like fruit, preferably paired with an herb.  By the end of the summer, we both reached the same conclusion for the ideal combination: strawberry and basil.

I found a recipe by Judy at I'm Bored Let's Go.  A Strawberry Basil Martini combines strawberries, basil leaves, vodka, lemon juice, club soda and simple syrup.  Vodka seemed like the best base liquor for this first cocktail - minimal flavor interference.

Unfortunately, the kid goes to college out of state so it's going to be a while before I'll be able to make one for them.  On the bright side, my wife and I get to test the recipe.  Round 1...

First, I was pleased with the color.  I was worried it wouldn't turn out red enough without an artificial boost.  Not only were they fine but it felt like the correct red - a true strawberry red and the tiny flecks of basil that make it through the strainer bring the correct leafy green.

The basil flavor came through nicely and I love the tartness from the lemon juice.  We agreed that the berries could shine more.  So, for Round 2...

I added a couple more berries than the recipe calls for along with two pinches of sugar before muddling the strawberries and basil leaves.  By the way, muddling strawberries is highly satisfying.  Anyway, the additions successfully enhanced both color and flavor.  

I think it's ready.  I hope they like it.  I'll report back after Thanksgiving.

Squid Mixes: Kir

A kir combines creme de cassis and white wine.  The wine separates it from the kir royale which features champagne instead.  I chose the recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide even though it uses far more cassis than is typical - probably obvious in the photo.  I wouldn't do it that way if I were to make the drink again but my wife suggested it as a drink for helping to clear shelf space in the liquor cabinet.  She ended up adding more ice to hers to water it down.

Squid Mixes: Manhasset

A Manhasset combines rye, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and lemon juice with a lemon twist.  Essentially, it's a Perfect Manhattan with lemon juice rather than bitters.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  I assume it's named after the town in Long Island but I couldn't find anything regarding etymology.

The recipe contains a misprint.  It calls for 1/2 part of dry vermouth and 1/2 part of sweet but the actual measurements list the dry at 1/4 oz. and the sweet at 1/2 oz.  Quick internet research wasn't especially helpful either.  Some had the two equal, some favored the dry, others the sweet.  So, I went with Punt e Mes, a combination of both and my wife's favorite vermouth anyway.  

The result was quite nice.  I generally favor whiskey drinks, my wife lemony wins so this is a good one for pleasing both of us.  I'm not sure either of us would take it in favor of a Manhattan or a Sidecar but it's still a good one to have in the repertoire.  

Our child gave me a most thoughtful Father's Day gift: a magnifying glass I can keep in the kitchen.  As I get older and my eyes get weaker, it has become increasingly challenging to read fractions in drink recipe books.  It has already come in handy.

Cherry Battle: Starlino vs. Luxardo

The garnish is an essential element of a perfect cocktail and we've been in love with Luxardo, our favored Maraschino cherry brand, for years.  Amareña Fabbri found favor in my recipe for a while (see here) but over time, Luxardo proved more satisfying, not least for its longer shelf life (see here).  The one major drawback with Luxardo is the price.  A jar is $21.28 on Amazon, and frequently more at local stores.  I realize most people wouldn't even consider spending that much and I don't exactly blame them.  We are not top-shelf spenders when it comes to liquor.  So spending more for damn good cherries seems a tolerable indulgence.  "Are they really that good?" I hear you wondering.  Yes, they truly are.  

Which is not to say it's not still worth trying something else from time to time.  We recently picked up a jar of Starlino cherries for an audition.  Let the battle begin...  

The Luxardo was its usual dark, warm, syrupy loveliness.  The Starlino... oh boy, you should have seen my wife's face after popping the Starlino in her mouth.  I can only describe her expression as disgust.  Plasticy, she said.  I wasn't nearly as offended but will concede the Starlino was sweeter, and not in a pleasant way.  

So, what to do with them?  My wife agreed to still help eat the Starlinos which is good because even though they cost less than the Luxardos, they aren't exactly cheap.  Plus the jar takes up space on the shelf that could be devoted to something we actually like.  Once we finish the Luxardos, we could add the syrup to the Starlino jar, perhaps improving the flavor.  Of course, I have this idea mere days after disposing of some Luxardo syrup I'd been hoarding in order to make room for the Starlino jar.  Wouldn't you know it?

Winner and Still Champion: Luxardo

Squid Mixes: Scofflaw Cocktail

A Scofflaw Cocktail combines rye (or bourbon), dry vermouth, lemon juice, grenadine and orange bitters. I got my recipe from The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan.  The original was created by Jock, a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1924.  I like whiskey drinks and my wife likes lemon drinks so such cocktails as the Scofflaw are good to have in the repertoire.  The lemon dominates the flavor but there's still some of that whiskey warmth.  I think a little more sugar would be good.  The recipe suggests 1 or 2 dashes of grenadine.  I went with 1.  If I were to do it again, I'd try it with 2.

Regan's book is good for many reasons.  He writes wonderful blurbs for his drinks.  The most interesting takeaway for the Scofflaw is the history of the word itself.  Scofflaw was the winner of a 1923 contest to come up with the best word to describe "a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor."  The prize was $200.

Star Trek: Meridian

Episode: "Meridian"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 3, Episode 8

Original Air Date: November 14, 1994

via Memory Alpha

Our heroes discover Meridian, a planet which only appears in our dimension once every 60 years.  While visiting, Dax falls in love with one of the inhabitants, Deral.  To be together over the long term, either Dax or Deral will have to forfeit a life with their own people.  Dax is willing to make that choice.  Meanwhile, Quark schemes to get a holo-image of Major Kira to use for a sleazy holosuite program for Tiron, a wealthy patron.

"Meridian" was Co-Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr's attempt to recreate the musical Brigadoon.  Both critics and creative staff consider the episode to be the weakest of Season 3.  Mind you, that in itself is nothing to be ashamed of, at least so far.  DS9 had been on a solid run to this point, stretching back to the end of Season 2.  The love story isn't believable, which Terry Ferrel herself freely admitted, especially when compared to a masterpiece still to come in Season 4.  Her tender (ultimately unnecessary) goodbye with Commander Sisko, on the other hand, is amazing.  Avery Brooks's emotional availability gives both writers and actors a lot to build on as they seek to develop a sense of family for the series.

Once again, I appreciate that Dax was allowed to be a sexually expressive being in a way no woman on NextGen ever was.  In an otherwise weak romance, her responses to Deral's cheeky questions about her spots are absolutely dynamite:

Deral: I was admiring… your markings. Are they decorative?

Dax: No. Are yours?

De: No. …If you don't mind me asking… how far down do they go?

Da: All the way.

Sure, one could argue that the gender fluidity of the symbiont made it easier for the writers to move away from the Star Trek ideal of the demure female (at least within the context of a romantic relationship).  But they gave Kira a lot more elbow room, too.  Especially in Dax's case, granting her this range will pay off handsomely in tales to come.

Food Notes

Andorian ale makes its first Star Trek appearance when Tiron orders one at the bar.  Like Romulan ale, it is blue.  I found a recipe here.

Acting Notes

via The West Wing Wiki

Brett Cullen (Deral) was born in Houston, August 26, 1956.  He graduated from the University of Houston.  In television, Cullen has had principal roles on The Young Riders and Devious Maids and recurring roles on Falcon Crest, The West Wing and Lost.  Films include Apollo 13, The Dark Knight Rises and Joker. 

Squid Mixes: Oriental Cocktail

An Oriental Cocktail combines rye, sweet vermouth, triple sec and lime juice.  I got my recipe from The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan who, in turn, adapted his from The Savoy Cocktail Book.  The legend according to Savoy is that in 1924, a desperately ill man in the Philippines gave the recipe to the doctor who saved his life as a thank you.

My wife asked for something with limes and this was what I found.  It's a pretty drink with enough lime to satisfy the expressed craving.  The triple sec brings a sugary, orangey brightness to the affair as well.

Squid Mixes: Remember the Maine

A Remember the Maine combines rye, sweet vermouth, cherry brandy and absinthe with a lemon twist for garnish.  I got my recipe from The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan.  The original comes from The Gentleman's Companion by Charles H. Baker.  Evidently, Baker first encountered the drink in Havana.  The name is a reference to the famous battle cry of the Spanish-American War.

Interestingly, the recipe insists on stirring clockwise.  I honestly never gave much thought to which direction I stir though now having tried both ways, I can assert that counter-clockwise is more instinctive for me.  I'm guessing the Cuban bartender who made the cocktail for Charles H. Baker must have been left-handed.  

Despite their relatively low proportion, the cherry and absinthe dominate the flavor.  It's an interesting drink - quite sweet.  

Squid Mixes: Silver King Cocktail

A Silver King Cocktail combines gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white and Angostura bitters.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  It's not as sweet as some of the other egg white drinks we've tried - pleasant change of pace.  The bitters - just a dash - brings a welcome bite of spice, too.

Squid Mixes: Prado

A Prado combines silver tequila, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, grenadine and egg white with a lime slice to garnish.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  Prado means grassy meadow or field in Spanish.

The result is very nice.  The grenadine brings the pink but the drink doesn't taste pink.  With the tequila and lime flavors dominating, the Prado is essentially a pink, foamy margarita.  

Squid Mixes: Love Cocktail

A Love Cocktail combines sloe gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg white.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.

Initially, my wife found the drink a bit cough-syrupy.  Is it possible I forgot to add the lemon juice?  Sometimes, I measure things out and forget to add them and it's particularly likely with squeezed juice.  In this case, I stirred some in after the first tasting and it definitely helped.  So if I make it again, I either need to make doubly sure I add the lemon juice and maybe increase the proportion.