Whiskey Sour

Sometimes I want a whiskey cocktail but I don't want an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. What to do? Probably make one of these...

Whiskey Sour

2 oz bourbon

1 oz lemon juice

2/3 oz simple syrup

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Pinch of salt

0.5 oz egg white (or 3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam)

Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain. Get rid of the ice. Shake again (dry shake). Strain into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice.

I like the foamy head and the hint of salinity here.

Paper Plane

The Paper Plane, created in Chicago in 2008, has been described as a modern classic, and I won't argue. It's like a whiskey sour with more going on. The proper recipe asks for equal parts of four ingredients: bourbon (I recommend choosing something 100 proof or higher), Amaro Nonino* (an Italian bittersweet liqueur), Aperol, and lemon juice. I prefer it a touch less bitter and citrussy so my amended version dials down the Aperol and lemon.

Paper Plane

0.75 oz bourbon

0.75 oz Amaro Nonino

0.5 oz Aperol

0.5 oz lemon juice

Shake ingredients furiously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

*Amaro Nonino is made from herbs, spices, fruit, berries and roots enriched with a grape distillate, and aged more than 12 months in casks.

Manhattan (Revisited)

Although I've already posted on the Manhattan cocktail, I neglected to include the recipe, which follows here: 

Manhattan

60ml (2oz) Bourbon

20ml (0.7oz) Sweet vermouth

Two dashes Angostura bitters

Maraschino cherry to garnish

Pour bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass with ice. Stir for a good, long while before straining into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a cherry.

I've tried using rye whiskey instead of bourbon (too dry), and I've tried making a Perfect Manhattan, which replaces half the sweet vermouth with a dose of dry vermouth, but I still prefer the recipe above. It's sweet(ish), but in a rich, grown-up way. Definitely not for children.

The Star At Night

22 Great Chapel Street

London W1F 8FR

The Star At Night is a cute little bar hidden away on some quietish Soho side street. Its location, as with many of the best places, discourages passing trade, although given the time it often takes me to find the damn place one can only hope enough discerning drinkers have access to Google Maps. Moving inside, visitors are offered a 40s Gallic vibe and tables covered with classic red and white check. Then there's the extensive range of cocktails, which is of course my motivation here.

I ordered a Mint Julep (above left) for reasons of principle (I believe in bourbon) but also, and mainly, because I've never been sufficiently organised to make one at home. For this I blame the drink's demand for fresh mint, which I am yet to figure out how to grow successfully - or procure in a timely manner - and crushed ice. The bourbon and sugar syrup I can do, but without the other ingredients the trick would almost certainly fail to be done. Fortunately, The Star runs a well-organised, fully stocked bar, and the cool, minty bourbon drink it delivered made me pledge to look up a recipe at home when it gets a little warmer (August?).

My friend J kindly let me try her Cupid (above right), which was Plymouth Gin shaken with sugar, fresh lime and St Germain elderflower liquor. I'd never tasted St Germain before, and I can't reliably say what it did to the drink, but the overall effect was well received by us both.

No write-up of The Star could pass without a(nother) mention of the terrific rum blazer I enjoyed there a couple of winters ago - an aged rum, heated with brown sugar and orange peel, and set on fire momentarily to create an explosion of hot, spicy-citrus vapours, which warmed my bones. This bar is worth looking for.

Manhattan

Texas Embassy
709 East 6th Street
Austin
Texas 78701

Manhattan cocktails have been a favourite of mine since I spent a happy evening getting to know them in an Austin bar last year (I like that many American bars are willing to try making cocktails, even if they're not on the menu).

The Manhattan is mainly whiskey, with some sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of (Angostura) bitters to counter the sweetness. It's usually stirred well with ice then strained into a glass and served with a maraschino cherry.

The one pictured above, posing alongside some New Year tinsel, was made for me at Austin's Texas Embassy bar using smooth 'n' sweet Maker's Mark bourbon and, by the looks of it, shaken festively rather than stirred.

This was a highly partakable whiskey drink - and a far better cocktail than the so-called margarita I received shortly afterwards, which was so badly made I shudder at the memory. Bizarrely, if you're looking for a decent margarita at a Texas Embassy, you're better off heading to the one in London.

Manhattan Trivia: Make a Manhattan with Scotch whisky and it becomes a Rob Roy. A Dry Manhattan is made with dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth and served with a twist of lemon. A Perfect Manhattan is made with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.

Old Fashioned

Some say the Old Fashioned was the first drink to be called a cocktail. The traditional construction has the bartender dissolving a sugar cube in a splash of water and bitters by stirring, stirring, stirring, before adding ice and bourbon.

Does anyone still buy sugar in cubes? I fear they're rather démodé. I prefer to use home-made sugar syrup - it requires less stirring and won't leave you crunching on stray granules. I neglected the garnish because my fruit bowl contained nothing but bananas - please don't make that mistake. My bourbon was Bulleit.

Old Fashioned

60ml (2oz) bourbon
Two dashes Angostura bitters
Two dashes sugar syrup
Orange peel.

Place syrup and bitters in an Old Fashioned (tumbler) glass along with an ice cube and mix well. Steadily add the bourbon and further ice cubes, one at a time, stirring all the while. Garnish with twist of orange peel.

The Old Fashioned rendered my 40% Bulleit surprisingly smooth. As a vehicle for bourbon, and a reliable after-dinner drink, it's hard to beat.