Daddy Drinks: Scotch Sour

Because every dad deserves a well-prepared beverage to cap off his day, I will be posting a selection of cocktail recipes. I hope to make this at least a semi-regular feature, which I have tongue-in-cheekily titled "Daddy Drinks Because You Cry." Or, for short, "Daddy Drinks!"

Let's start with a basic cocktail that's a little sweet, and a lot sour. To make the Scotch Sour, fill your shaker with ice and then add the following ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Scotch
Juice of 1/2 Lime
1/2 tsp Powdered Sugar

Shake well and strain into a glass. I prefer my drinks on the rocks, but you might serve it another way. Top with a slice of lemon and a cherry, or if your selection of citrus fruits is limited, whack off a wedge of the fresh lime that you used for juicing. Kick back and pucker up!

Daddy Drinks: Hot Buttered Rum

° c o f f e e °, originally uploaded by ° d i + m a r s °

Rum and butter are two great tastes that taste great together. If you like both of those things, and you like to have warming drinks from a mug in winter, here's a nice one to keep at hand during the holidays.

3/4 cup Boiling Water
1/4 cup Spiced Rum
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Butter
1 Clove
Nutmeg
1 Cinnamon stick to stir

Boil water and pour into a mug. Mix in the brown sugar and spiced rum (I use Sailor Jerry's). Add the butter and stir until melted. Use a tea strainer or infuser to mix in the clove flavor, then remove the clove. Do not eat the clove. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and stir with a cinnamon stick. Drink up and stay warm!

Daddy Drinks: Commodore

Long hours spent with the Commodore 64 computer were a formational part of my childhood. And so I was saddened to hear this week that Jack Tramiel, the man who brought it to life, has died. In his honor, then, let's lift a glass of the drink bearing the name of his greatest creation.

 The Commodore is a classic cocktail with a bewildering variety of suggested recipes. Some have not a single ingredient in common, which are obviously no longer variations but completely different drinks. As near as I can tell, this is the original recipe from The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book:

• 2 oz Bacardi rum
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• dash of lemon juice
• dash of grenadine
• dash of raspberry syrup or liqueur

As with any drink incorporating eggs, I'd recommend my new trick of breaking up the albumen first before adding whites to the rest of the ingredients. If you don't have a pestle then a whisk will do the job nicely. Shake well, and strain into a martini glass.

Daddy Drinks: Irish Whiskey

Casks in old warehouse 2 c, originally uploaded by yvescosentino

My local wine shop hosted a seminar on Irish Whiskey last night. I've wanted to do something like this for a while so I jumped at the opportunity. What better way to kick of St. Patrick's Day than to sit around sipping whiskey from the Emerald Isle?

We sampled eight different whiskeys (three of which were single malts), an Irish Coffee blend ("Hot Irishman"), and a liqueur ("Celtic Crossing"). My favorite of the night was likely the Irishman Single Malt. I took home a bottle of their blended whiskey for making mixed drinks.

Recipes:

• Buena Vista Irish Coffee
• The Big Ginger
• Shamrock #2

Daddy Drinks: Bittered Gin Sling

Blues, originally uploaded by matthew paul

The sling's origins are linked with the invention of the "cock-tail" itself. At the dawn of the 19th century, the two were practically synonymous. The earliest known definition of a cocktail gives a vague description of a mixed drink (liquor, sugar, water, bitters) and notes that "it is vulgarly called a bittered sling."

It has managed to become one of my favorite drinks, despite the fact that I normally don't care for gin (a Gimlet being the other notable exception to the rule). Here's my go-to recipe for this classic cocktail:

1.5 oz gin
0.75 oz sweet vermouth or sherry
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
dash or two of Angostura bitters
Soda water

Shake all but the soda water with ice, strain into a tumbler or highball over ice, top with soda, and garnish with a lemon peel.

Daddy Drinks: Brain Hemorrhage

Brain Hemorrhage Anyone?, originally uploaded by TangoPango

For a supposedly horror-themed blog, I don't write much about scary stuff. I think I'm still recovering from the terrifying delivery process. You want gore? Ashley's birth was the most horrifying thing I have ever seen.

Anyway, it's time to remedy that shortcoming with a creepy cocktail recipe, just in time for Hallowe'en! This one is fun for the theatrical aspects of its creation, as well as the finished result. Pour 3/4 ounces of Peach Schnapps into a shot glass. Float 1 tablespoon of Baileys Irish Cream on top. Drop 1/2 tsp of grenadine through the Baileys to create the goo spatter.

It looks awesomely disgusting, and tastes (unsurprisingly) like peaches and cream. Not a bad flavor, if you can get past the gummy viscosity of the "brain." If you're looking for more disgusting mixed drinks, Drinknation has an entire section devoted to Halloween recipes. Boo-ttoms up!

Daddy Drinks: Rum and Coke

" Thirsty ", originally uploaded by dibec

First of all, belligerent frat boys may insist that this drink is properly called a "Captain" and Coke. They are mistaken. If you've never tasted a sample of Sailor Jerry's Spiced Navy Rum, then you don't know what you're missing. Time to graduate to a real rum.

Sailor Jerry is an authentic Caribbean-style spiced rum with a 96 proof kick and just a hint of vanilla and cherry. After one sip of this rum, you'll say, "Captain who?" If your love of drinking is exceeded only by your passion for tattoos, then you will also appreciate the packaging on this fine product, tastefully decorated with old-school flash art by the master himself.

Fill a glass with ice and pour in your base of Sailor Jerry. Add Coke. Do not drown out the rum with soda! If you're drinking a premium rum, as you should be, then you want to be able to taste it. I recommend a ratio of 1 part rum to 3 parts Coke. Stir and garnish with lime.

Daddy Drinks: Dark and Stormy

The recipe for a Dark and Stormy is very simple, yet also very specific. Gosling’s Black Seal rum is non-negotiable. Authentic ginger beer is likewise essential. Eric Felten insists on Barritt's. The Reed's brand is available locally, so that's what I use. If you want to go DIY with fresh, small-batch ingredients, Jeffrey Morgenthaler offers a recipe for homemade ginger beer.

Measure out 1.5 oz of the Gosling's and 4-6 oz of your ginger beer of choice, and pour over ice. A lime garnish is permitted, but not encouraged. Keep it simple, and enjoy the subtle nuances of this sophisticated drink.

Cleanse

I like alcohol, it is my vice. Occasionally I take some time off from drinking, a mini-Lent, and let my body detox. Not that I party hard these days--in a wild night I might have three or four drinks--but it's an exercise in mindfulness.

So I have been thinking about the topic of purification this week. In a splendid display of serendipity, Boing Boing tackled the topic of Personal Transformations in the Internet Age yesterday. We humans have a need to reinvent ourselves. But it's difficult to create a new identity when the shed skins from our past lives are littered around the Internet for all to see.

I think a lot (probably too much) about my online identity. What should I link where, how candid should I be, who will read this and what will they think of me? Is it ironic that I am most sincere on a (semi-)anonymous blog, that I only feel free to be totally myself in a place where nobody knows who I am?

Daddy Drinks: Fuzzy Navel

The Nave of the Santa Maria Del Mar, originally uploaded by doug.mo

When I was a kid, my dad tricked me by offering a sip of his non-alcoholic beer. It gave me a bad first impression of alcohol.  Shame on you, dad, that was a mean trick. I didn't have a proper adult beverage until that fateful day at an "Italian" restaurant in Hirakata City, Japan. Here's the one that started it all, my very first alcoholic drink, a Fuzzy Navel.

The classic recipe includes peach schnapps and orange juice in approximately equal proportions, poured over ice. More juice can be added to taste. As with any cocktail, there are numerous variations. I couldn't even find two recipes alike for the basic drink, during my three minutes of intensive Google research.

As I was drafting this post, I realized that my first Fuzzy Navel was also the only time I had this drink.  So I mixed myself another one.  It was good!  Do you remember your first drink?

Daddy Drinks: Special Lenten Edition

St. Bernardus, originally uploaded by Dominic Winsor

Although I chose to set aside alcohol for a time, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Some folks think drinking is a sin. Obviously I am not one of them. Generations of Christians have enjoyed drinking beer free of guilt. To condemn it on religious principles would be to thumb our noses at this great tradition.

In fact those paragons of holiness, the monks, are great boosters of beer. During Lent, it was actually a crucial part of their diet! According to Wikipedia:

During the spring religious season of Lent, monks were required to fast. High-gravity Bock beers are higher in food energy and nutrients than lighter lagers, thus providing sustenance during this period.

Trappists in particular are famously known for not only drinking, but brewing fantastic samples of this liquid bread.

I didn't abstain from alcohol because I believe that drinking is a vice. On the contrary, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Since I enjoy it, giving it up is a sacrifice, and after my fast is over I will continue drinking it with gusto.

Twins 5, Red Sox 2

My boss gave away his personal tickets in the Legends Club level to the person who could come up with the best reason for going, which allowed me to take my dad to his first Twins game at Target Field after all!

We started out with beers and the amazing Vincent Burger at the Town Ball Tavern. Then we found our way to the seats, which were great; there was no one behind us except the waitresses(!) who took orders for drinks delivered to our seats. Fancy!

The game was close until we scored three runs a fantastic eighth inning, and then shut the Sox down in the top of the ninth. It was a beautiful night outside with nearly a full moon rising in the sky and we were treated to fireworks when the Twins won. We had fun, the end.

Daddy Drinks: Gimlet

Gimlet coktail bar, originally uploaded by germeister

I mentioned previously that I'm not typically a fan of gin-based cocktails. A bittered sling is one delicious exception, and a gimlet is the other.

Where the sling is an elaborate concoction that hides the taste of gin somewhat, a gimlet is straight-up simple. All you need to get the party started is four parts gin to one part lime juice. Or, you can go old school and mix equal parts gin and juice. Make sure to use Rose's if possible.

Once you have poured your base, you can get a little fancy, but not too much. Some recipes allow up to one part simple syrup. If you're going to garnish it, a lime slice is your only option. Anything more and it's not a gimlet.

Time to make the donuts!

Cool autumn weather makes me want to fatten up with comfort food and find a cozy den for hibernation. Soups and hot drinks are on the menu. We have baked three batches of mini-donuts so far, and last weekend I made fresh salsa with our bounty of peppers and Waconia-grown tomatoes. Mmmm...spicy!

Our garden is basically done. Jenna ripped out everything except for the pumpkin vines, which are still going strong. We've got one huge orange gourd and one little sphere that may not amount to anything. The chickens are still stubbornly not laying, except for our Old Faithful, Prinny who keeps cranking out an egg almost every day.

My beekeeping coworker brought his harvest of honey in to the office. I grabbed a jar to stash in my adventuring kit. Natalie and I are planning for a few more food-based excursions before the baby arrives and I want to be prepared!

San Diego drinks: Craft & Commerce

There are few pleasure in life I savor as much as an expertly-made cocktail. It's also very rare for that cocktail to be made by someone other than myself. I was determined to have a good drink in San Diego, and that's what brought me to Craft & Commerce.

I was impressed from the instant I walked in the door (pictured above). The bar was fully stocked with specialty mixtures and fresh food ingredients sitting in separate cups on a bed of ice. After consulting the menu I ordered a Wimbledon Fizz. When I've tried to mix a Fizz at home, it turned out runny and gross. This one was delicious.

While I sipped my (fantastic) drink, I watched the bartender make a few more, using some classic techniques. He was like an artist at work. Everything had some fresh fruit or tea or infusion, and I wanted to try them all! Unfortunately, even if I could have afforded to stay and sip the afternoon away, there wasn't much time left to sample the culinary delights of San Diego.

Man Cave

wounded beast and workshop (front/side), originally uploaded by Subway eg

I love my family very much, but sometimes a husband needs to escape for a while, to take refuge in a place of his own. A place where he is free to be a man. "The distinguishing feature of the Man Cave," according to the Man Page, "is that it is designed (and decorated) by the man and for the man - basically all of the things that the woman in your life refuses to have in the rest of the house... like a poker table, sports memorabilia, video games, or even a personal keg-o-rator."

I don't have an area like this, and with a newborn in the house I'd never use it, but maybe someday. My ideal space would be an actual cave--or at least a cellar--where I could store a supply of wine and fine beers. I suppose I'd also want a wet bar for serving mixed drinks to visitors. It would be furnished with a few plush armchairs and tasteful artwork.

That's the fantasy, anyway. In reality, I would be quite satisfied with a well-appointed workshop/garage. What's in your man cave?

Daddy Drinks: Syracuse Beers

I don't travel much for my job, but I recently visited Syracuse. When I'm out of town I love to try new things. Lucky me, this city was chock-a-block with local brew pubs.

On my first night here, I visited the Armory Square district, where there are two microbreweries in one city block. Empire Brewing Company is a very contemporary bar & grill. The dinner menu boasts that they support local food producers, which endears them to me. I had a pint of delicious Amber Ale and chased it down with thick-cut fries.

Syracuse Suds Factory occupies the other side of the building. They had a more sports-bar vibe and their Amber wasn't nearly as good. Across the street at the Blue Tusk, I ordered a pint of IPA (ImPaled Ale) from Middle Ages, touted as a traditional, British style "real ale". Very hoppy and malty. I preferred the more conservative Syracuse Pale Ale.

Finally, down the way in Cooperstown, NY, you've got Brewery Ommegang. I tried a bottle of their Ommegang Witte, a traditional Belgian-style wheat ale. It may be the best-smelling beer I've ever had, and it was certainly tasty, to boot. If I had known that New York was such a paradise for beer aficionados, I would have gone sooner! As it is, I think a return trip is in my future.

Daddy Drinks: Craft'zapolitan

Sugatrain Cocktails 3 18122010 - Version 2, originally uploaded by Dave Mulder
There's no after-party for the Craftstravaganza--when we close our doors, artists scatter to the four winds and us old folks just want to go home and rest--but if there was one, this would be the official party drink. Anyway, it's what I'm having tonight!

Want to enjoy a Craft'zapolitan with me? Here's how to make one:

1. Pour vodka into a jar with some strawberries a few weeks ago and put it into the fridge. 
2. Forget about the jar. 
3. Find it and decide to make a cocktail! 
4. In a shaker with ice, add: 
1. 2 oz strawberry-infused vodka 
2. 1 oz Cointreau 
3. 1/2 oz lime juice 
5. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. 
6. Enjoy your hand-made drink, ideally while soaking in a nice hot bath.

See you at the Craft'za!

Daddy Drinks: Chocolat Chaud

chocolat chaud by Karin in Paris

This French chocolat chaud is just the thing to warm my cold bones on a bitter winter morning. So rich and creamy! Natalie's favorite part is the whipped cream on top (or, as she called it, "cheese").

Daddy Drinks: Moscow Mule

Okay, so you made a batch of ginger beer, and your guests are getting weary of the Dark and Stormy every time they come to visit. Here's another cocktail you can mix up with your homebrew for a bit of variety.

Moscow Mule (pour over ice):

• 1 part vodka
• 1 part lime juice
• 3 parts ginger beer
• dash Angostura Bitters

The Moscow Mule gets its name from the "kick" of ginger, plus the fact that it's built on vodka, a traditionally Russian liquor. And speaking of tradition, it was originally served in a copper mug. You can buy one of these specialty flagons if you want to serve the drink properly, but they cost a ... pretty penny?