Bloody Mary

Whether you overdid it on roast lamb, red wine and Easter eggs yesterday, or whether you are just celebrating Fresh Tomato Day, today’s recipe is the restorative classic Bloody Mary. 

Originally made with gin (The Red Snapper), the drink was developed as a hangover cure in Paris in the 1920s. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the spiced vodka version became the dominant hangover or brunch drink that it remains today. 

When making a Bloody Mary it is important to resist the temptation to go big on spice and throw in a few pinches of everything hot you can find. That is not going to result in a balanced drink. Instead focus on a few complimentary flavours, add a little at a time and keep tasting until you reach the optimal level of piquancy. As a young barman I used to compete with my colleagues to create the best. (Read hottest) post-shift Bloody Mary. Usually by the time we’d added a dash of the third variety of hot sauce the resultant concoction was painful and I drinkable. 

I would, however, recommend the use of a pepper vodka or a homemade horseradish infusion if you’re so inclined. 

1. Shake 50ml vodka (Absolut Peppar or a horseradish infusion if you have one), 100ml tomato juice, 10ml fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of horseradish, three splooshes of Worcestershire sauce and three splooshes of Tabasco with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled highball glass.
3. Garnish with pepper, a wedge of lime and a stalk of celery.

Return of the Mad Men

Photo created at http://www.MadMenYourself.com, all rights reserved.

A post tonight to celebrate the upcoming return of Mad Men to our TV screens after a break of over a year.  This American drama, set in a New York advertising agency in the 1960s has been credited with sparking a sixties revival in fashion, and as part of that, in drinking fashion.  As a result, here is a quick rundown of some of the characters’ favourite drinks, as told to your host, on his internship at Sterling Cooper (pictured above handing Mr Draper his morning paper and Old Fashioned).

Vodka Gimlet

The Gimlet is attributed to the Royal Navy who added gin to their scurvy-avoidance rations of gin to help it go down.  The vodka alternative became more popular in the 1960s, and Betty Draper is partial to the occasional Vodka Gimlet whilst conducting extra-marital affairs.

1. Shake 70ml vodka and 35ml fresh lime juice with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Tom Collins

The Collins family were raised in New York in the 1870s.  Tom always drank his with gin, while John preferred bourbon, and cousin Juan preferred tequila.  These may not be a favourite of Sally Draper (we hope) but she’s been mixing them for her parents and their friends from a young age.

1. Shake 50ml Old Tom gin, 25ml fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of rich (2:1) simple syrup with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled highball glass.
3. Top up with soda water, add ice and garnish with a wedge of lemon, orange and cherry.

Stinger

A classic drink of the fifties where Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield shared them onscreen in Kiss Them For Me, the Stinger is also one of Peggy Olsen’s choices when out on the town.

1. Shake 50ml VSOP Cognac and 20ml crème de menthe with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled brandy glass.

Old Fashioned

This favourite of Don Draper and yours truly has been covered elsewhere, but let’s just say that like your author, Don Draper can mix these like a pro – and Conrad Hilton can attest to that.

1. Muddle a sugar cube, two dashes of bitters and a sploosh of water in a chilled rocks glass.
2. Add ice and a large measure of whiskey. Stir and serve.

Bloody Mary

A breakfast-time classic, and a staple of the Sterling Cooper meeting room.  The Bloody Mary was developed as a hangover cure in 1920s’ Paris.  Use pepper or horseradish vodka for even more of a kick.

1. Shake 50ml vodka (Absolut Peppar or a horseradish infusion if you have one), 100ml tomato juice, 10ml fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of horseradish, three splooshes of Worcestershire sauce and three splooshes of Tabasco with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled highball glass.
3. Garnish with pepper, a wedge of lime and a stalk of celery.

Brandy Alexander

Another favourite of Peggy Olsen this milkshake-like drink was originally made with gin (an Alexander), which sounds truly horrific.  Try it with brandy instead and it becomes more like a dessert.

1. Shake 50ml VSOP Cognac, 25ml crème de cacao and 12.5ml single cream with ice.
2. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with ground nutmeg.

Gibson Martini

Roger Sterling, a self-confessed fan of only clear drinks, will opt for a Gibson, when a straight Martini just won’t cut it.  Just be careful you don’t have too many with your oyster lunch.

1. Stir three parts gin with one part dry vermouth and ice.
2. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with three or four cocktail onions.

The Martini

Where to begin with this the most personal, complex and contentious combination of two simple ingredients?

Well, the Martini is a straightforward mixture of gin and vermouth created in the nineteenth century, either as a variation of the Martinez (gin, vermouth, curacao and orange bitters), or the child of an Italian vermouth distillery or the Knickerbocker Hotel, New York (for an investigation, read Adam Elmegirab, here)

Whatever your preference, one thing remains the same; the glass, a classic martini glass of course, should be chilled to ice cold before you begin. After that, the world is your olive.

The original Martini recipe (as far as I can tell) called for an equal mix of dry gin and dry vermouth, stirred gently and served with a single olive. Over time, the ratio of gin to vermouth has crept upwards, and passed two to three parts gin to one part vermouth in the 1940s (a Martini), five parts gin to one of vermouth in the 1960s (a Dry Martini) and up to eight parts gin to one part vermouth soon after that (an Extra Dry Martini).

The basic rule of thumb is that the greater the proportion of gin to vermouth, the “drier” the Martini – an old story claims that the driest Martini is made by pouring a large measure of gin and allowing “a sunbeam to pass through a sealed bottle of vermouth” and into the glass.

If I’m pouring myself a straight-forward Martini I will, by default, opt for a three:one ratio but it really is all down to personal preference:

1. Chill your glass until it is frosty.
2. Fill a mixing glass with ice.
3. Add the gin, then the dry vermouth and stir gently for sixty seconds.
4. Strain into the frosty martini glass and garnish with an olive or three (on a pick) or a twist of lemon peel if you prefer.

If you prefer a more complex drink add a sploosh of bitters (the more exotic the better), sweet vermouth, or an Islay whisky.

A Dirty Martini involves the soothing addition of a dash of olive brine, and a Gibson is a Dry Martini with a single pickled onion (a favourite of Roger Sterling).

The Vesper

Much Martini lore has evolved from James Bond’s supposed love of the drink. In Casino Royale, Bond even goes as far as to invent his own variation – The Vesper, named after the delectable Vesper Lynd.  The drink was actually created for Ian Fleming by his bar-tending friend Ivar Bryce. In the book, it is introduced thus:

Bond looked carefully at the barman. ‘A Dry Martini’ he said. ‘One in a deep champagne goblet…Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel…’ –Casino Royale, Ian Fleming.

Purists claim that a Martini should always be stirred as shaking will ‘bruise the gin’ – perhaps Bond was confident in the resolve of his gin, but his Martinis, ordered throughout the books, sometimes vodka, sometimes gin, were always shaken, not stirred.