Thursday Happy Hour: Cocktail Recipes, Drinks, Music, and Good Times

The Bushwacker

 A Man's Drink?  

"You should have a bushwacka! That's a reeeal mon's drink," said the bartender, letting the words hang like a dare.

Well. I guess that's that. I'll have one. The barman gets to work, I peer over the bar to pick up what I can. Rum, Bailey's ... was that Amaretto? Um. I begin to question my decision. Then, there it is: A tall frosty frappe looking decidedly unmanly. But, wait. Not only is it deliciously frozen and chocolately, it's got some serious kick.

Tonight, we're a long way from the B.V.I. and the dark teak bar of the Bitter End Yacht Club, but whenever the weather turns tropical, the bushwackers are a hit. We serve them as a special dessert drink to chase the island-spiced pork and red beans and rice we served our guests.

The Standard-King Cocktail

Cocktail Hacking, Part 1  
We travel quite a bit. We go by car, plane, boat or sail, and end up in hotels, motels, spare rooms, tents, and "staterooms" (which rarely live up to that grand moniker). The one thing in common with all these destinations is the much anticipated happy hour once settled in. Sometimes mixing that drink is a challenge.

I believe that limitation breeds innovation. Being a creative problem-solver is of great value to anyone, anywhere, in any situation. A recent road trip landed us in a [very cool] Bakersfield hotel with a half bottle of hooch and not much else, but I was still able to scrape together a pretty tasty drink.

Ingredients are everywhere once you start looking. While buying a coffee earlier I grabbed a couple extra sugar packs and some of those cool honey sticks they put out for tea. Add a hotel room tea bag or leftover coffee, lemon, and lime wedges from a lunchtime soda fountain and we're set.

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The Inspiration A well-crafted cocktail depends on a few basic things: good booze, lots of ice and the addition of a few select ingredients that will define the drink – think in terms of sweet, sour and herbal. And don't forget the tools. The Leatherman Juice II is a great little travel companion: A wine lever, sharp blade and bottle opener, among other handy features. Next month: Advanced Hacking: the mobile bar. Got a great hacked drink or innovative cocktail? Share it on Facebook or find us on Twitter.

Standard-King Cocktail 3 oz. of whatever you have: bourbon, Canadian whisky, rum, brandy, vodka, gin, whatever 1 honey stick or 1 sugar packet 1/2 oz. tea (leftover ice tea, hot tea, etc. A dribble of black coffee pairs nicely with amber liquors.) Juice of 2 lime or lemon wedges (about 1 tsp.) Combine all ingredients in a glass and stir well, making sure the honey or sugar is well dissolved. Add ice and cut a twist from the leftover lemon or lime peel for garnish.

CAUTION: When "outfitting" your bar for the evening, don't be a glutton. Take only what you need or better yet, ask first. A smile and some common courtesy goes a long way. And don't over do it with the hacking, either. You've got an early plane to catch in the morning.

Copyright © 2010, Pybop, LLC (for thursdayhappyhour.com). All rights reserved. Questions? Happy hour ideas? Chat with us on Twitter: @thurshappyhour.

The Opportunist

Pear Vanilla Cinnamon Holiday Goodness   
It's the holidays. I'm doing what I do. Trying a new dessert recipe, a pear tart, from my book Bake! I'm not a year-round baker. Just a special event baker. But I love it. I peel and poach the pears, and as I start to pour the pear water -- a mixture of cinnamon, vanilla bean, sugar, and pear essence that the pear boiled and simmered in -- down the drain, I turn to G and say:

Do you want this?

Turns out, yes. He reheats, adds sugar, and simmers for a pear-vanilla-cinnamon-infused simple syrup. A couple weeks later, we try it with a little vodka. But it's flat. Then we add some gift Pyrat rum from some awesome friends. OMG. This is The Opportunist.

Calico Jack

Capturing the Spirit  
Whenever I go somewhere new, I try something new from the cocktail menu. Sometimes it's a bust. But lately, it's the whiskey drinks that have me raising an eyebrow.

I'm not a whiskey drinker. Or, um, I wasn't. After San Diego Starlite's Kentucky Colonol, a Sazerac from Jimmy's Famous in Shelter Island (and another from its origin in New Orleans), and a Calico Jack from Pirate's Alley Absythe House, also in NOLA, under my belt (over several months, of course), I may be converted.

Warm, mysterious and complex like an old library, mixed with bright, tart sweetness: whiskey is a nice change of pace from the traditional vodka and gin drinks.

Kaeng Phet Cocktail

 
Thai Curry in a Glass

Last week I had a spark of inspiration from of my favorite Thai dish, red curry. Sweet, spicy, sour, savory  -- the Four S combo. I scribbled out a rough recipe for a cocktail and was off to the market.

The first version was a rough attempt. No real flavor stood out, let alone Thai. With a little prep time I zeroed in on the the sweet/spicy part. In doing so, I created something wonderfully versatile. I'll call it chili syrup.

The syrup pulled the drink together. The subtle fresh Thai-inspired flavors harmonized perfectly. Complex but familiar all at once. So good in fact, we had to have two.

The Inspiration Thai chili syrup: 2 small stalks of lemongrass (about 4" sections) 1 Thai red chili (red jalepeno works, too.) 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Slice the chili in half, trim the ends, remove seeds. Cut the lemongrass into 1" sections. Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes then strain out the chili and lemongrass. Keeps refrigerated for a week or two. What's your favorite food-inspired drink? Let us know on Facebook or find us on Twitter.

The Kaeng Phet Cocktail 2 oz. gin (or vodka, if you must) 1 oz. coconut rum 6 fresh basil leaves 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice (or 1/2 lime) 3/4 oz. chili syrup Place the basil in a shaker and muddle. Add ice and remaining ingredients. Shake well and serve up. Garnish with fresh basil or cilantro sprig. Impress your guests: "Kaeng Phet" means red or hot curry. It occured to me that the chili syrup would pair nicely with tequila, lime, and cilantro. Try that and drop us your comments!

CAUTION: Two gin drinks are delectable, but only when you don't plan on driving. Or cycling. Or catching cats.

Copyright © 2010, Pybop, LLC (for thursdayhappyhour.com). All rights reserved. Questions? Happy hour ideas? Chat with us on Twitter: @thurshappyhour.

Ballast Point Old Grove Martini

Less Is More

Mixing cocktails is arguably an indoor sport, but when the party is on the patio, the last place I want to be is the kitchen. That's when I simplify.

Made outdoors or in, these five drinks are the backbone of summer cocktails. And they have four (or fewer) common ingredients.

Simple, elegant, and guaranteed to refresh, the raw ingredients include lemons, limes, simple syrup, and soda water. That's it. With those ingredients plus a good quality spirit, you can rock the bar.

Gin is a favorite for me, but vodka, rum, Canadian whiskey, or even tequila will make all these recipes sing.

Your Favorite Spirit Five Ways

The Rickey: Spirit of choice + fresh lime juice + soda water.

The Fizz: Spirit of choice + fresh lemon juice + simple syrup + soda water.

The Collins: Spirit of choice + lemon juice + lime juice + simple syrup + soda water.

The Dry Martini: Gin or vodka shaken with lots of ice, twist of lemon or olive garnish. Try it with tequila, rum, whatever, just don't call that version a martini.

The Gimlet: Gin or vodka + fresh lime juice + simple syrup, shaken over ice, served up. Equally good with rum, not bad with tequila. Substitute the lime for lemon, serve on the rocks and you have a Sour.

The Painkiller

Boat Drinks

The Painkiller, on paper, looked appalling to me. All that sticky sweet coconut and pineapple finished with dark rum, one of the more sugary spirits, sounded like nothing I could enjoy. But, being that it was the unofficial drink of the British Virgin Islands, I had to give it a try.

I can't remember which Caribbean bar served me my first painkiller. The drink is ubiquitous in the B.V.I. and can be found just about everywhere. On our first sailing trip around the Islands we sampled many and even got to mix our own at the Sydney's Peace & Love "honor bar." The Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke claims the recipe originated there while Pusser's Rum has recently laid claim to the name "Painkiller" and slapped a "®" mark on it.

The Painkiller cocktail is a surprising balance of tart-creamy-sweet with a rum kick and fresh nutmeg rounding out the flavor. One taste always transports me back to the deck of the Marsha Claire and the balmy island breeze.

The Hemingway Daiquiri

El Papa Doble

The Caribbean has inspired more than a few drinks around here. A couple of sailing trips in the British Virgins Islands gave me a new appreciation for rum, which hadn't been a favorite. Now, rum drinks taste like salt air, lazy sunshine and a gently rocking sloop.

Tonight, while we enjoyed the slow bossa sounds from the stereo, I mixed up a batch of Hemingway daiquiris, or Papa Dobles, inspired by a favorite book Islands in the Stream.

We sipped on our not-too-sweet, not-too-sour daiquiris and dreamed of another Caribbean trip. Belize, perhaps. What do they mix their rum with there, I wonder?

El Presidente

Distinguished Visitors

One bonus of being the boss is to travel any time and take work with you. On the plane to Seattle, I zipped through two hours of work. Satisfaction. But when we arrived, it was much more difficult to confine myself to our host's office while clinking glasses, big guffaws, and music seeped under the door.

At 7pm -- still daylight outside up north -- a knock interrupted my typing and the door creaked open. "El Presidente for La Presidente," G said. Well, maybe that's not exactly what he said. But that was the intent as he started to place the bright red drink next to the computer.

I stopped him, shut the laptop, and made the short commute down the hall where everyone applauded.

Nice, but I may try to leave the work behind next time.

Rum Ruby

Collecting New Perspectives

We just returned from a visit to the ice-and-snow-snug Midwest, where our friends treated us to a few days of survival in style. Who knew summersaults with a 2-year-old in a slant of sunshine on soft carpet, the invigorating inhale of frozen air on the way to dinner, or the constant sparkle of snow could be something to get used to?

Still, the arrival home was even more of a shock to the senses. Gentle outdoor air on skin! The scent of ocean and grass! Traveling is so awesome for perspective.

Our New Year's resolution: Travel more. Gain more perspectives.

G very nearly captured this moment in a glass, and we call it Rum Ruby.

Kentucky Cobbler Cocktail

Treating Cocktails Like Art

Spiced apple cider is the secret ingredient of the week. Heated up on the stove on low, soon the house begins to smell like pie. Usually, I serve it as a hot after-dinner drink, but we have so much homemade triple sec, G got creative before my mom came over for dinner.

G slid a butternut squash in the oven to roast for soup and then began experimenting with different spirits, triple sec, and apple cider. I don't usually care for the main ingredient in his final creation, but truly, I had to overlook that.

This cocktail tastes like cobbler in a glass.

Lemon Rickey

A Simple Distraction

Work was all wrapped up and the sun doesn't set till 7pm, so we had some time. We skeddadled to Doheny Beach with cooler and kayak. The ocean backwash was fierce: the incoming wave crashes into the outgoing pull of the last, causing a collision that claps and sprays straight up, making me think of snapped bones and water in my brain.

But our timing worked and -- paddle, paddle, paddle! -- we made it to open ocean and then Dana Point Harbor for a more sheltered cruise. The journey back to shore was, um ... challenging, and earned us a tasty happy hour beverage. With a good book for distraction.

South Side Fizz

Floating Around on the East Side

Friends with a pool are always appreciated. Friends with a newly surfaced pool who live in the warmer eastern portion of San Diego simply spoil us. Baskets of chips and trail mix, a lazy golden afternoon sun, and a round of poolside "punch" for everyone made this one very happy September evening.

Rum 'n' No-Coke

Better than Rum 'n' Coke

"I usually drink rum and Coke," Ted said at Thursday Happy Hour LIVE last week, and when I gave him a quizzical Really? look, he added, "but not just any rum and Coke. A special rum and Coke."

That instantly made me think of the last time I had a special rum and Coke ... back in the Caribbean. It was Diet Coke with Pineapple Cruzan rum, a light-on-the-alcohol treat perfect for extremely hot weather. But that's not exactly the recipe that Ted had in mind. And Gary was convinced we could do better than even that. You be the judge:

Mai Tai

We Heart Tiki Time

G and I used to live near the Bali Hai, and on special occasions, we'd walk over, push up to the moon-shaped bar just before sunset, and order a couple Bali Hai Mai Tais. The rum seemed to pour endlessly from bottles held above the bartender's head. The first sip of this drink is a kicker ... and the rest goes down way too easy.

Slurping the dregs and sucking on the rum-soaked pineapple, we'd order one more Mai Tai to share. More than 1.5 of these, and the sidewalk won't stay straight on the walk home.