Cocktail of the month: cigarettes and alcohol

On a quiet day recently the strains of a song from my teenage life reached out across the years. "......'cause all I need are cigarettes and alcohol". Oasis; boy had it been a long time since we were acquainted. But, as is the way, I just couldn't get the damn song out of my head. I slowly realised it was in fact a cocktail vision. A challenge from the universe.

The alcohol component I  have covered, it's got to be bourbon. But cigarettes, in a cocktail? How was I going to pull that one off? I toyed with infusing my bourbon with tobacco but even my adventurous spirit draws the line at experimenting with ingredients likely to poison my drinkers. I turned instead to an ingredient I have had my eye on for a while, Jade Perique Tobacco Liqueur. This liqueur is flavoured with Louisiana Perique tobacco, apparently one of the rarest tobaccos in the world. It's delicious: smooth, woody and herbal. I didn't want to over complicate a cocktail called cigarettes and alcohol so I based my recipe on an old-fashioned.

cigarettes and alcohol (serves one)

30mL bourbon

30mL Jade Perique Tobacco Liqueur

10mL simple syrup (I used my Christmas spice syrup for additional spice notes)

3-4 dashes of orange bitters (you could use angostura instead)

large piece of orange zest

ice

cherry and orange wheel to serve 

Combine the bourbon, tobacco liqueur, simple syrup, bitters and orange zest in a large glass or cocktail shaker. Add ice and stir well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice and garnish with a cherry and an orange wheel.

You can here me talking about this cocktail on the Flavour, Cambridge 105 podcast here.

The Manhattan Cherry Wars

A need to keep the glacé cherries under lock and key was not what I expected from married life. Rows about emptying the dishwasher and whose turn it is to clean the bathroom maybe but not cherry wars. The only reason I keep them in the house is as a garnish for that wondrous cocktail: the Manhattan. Cherry related skirmishes break out when I go to make a much needed cocktail and I find the cherries have been "disappeared". The Husband is officially a demon for them.

I think I like a Manhattan because it is a serious drink. When I'm in a "don't mess with me" mood I need a hard core cocktail to accessorize my scowl. A decent Manhattan is a complex, warming invigoration of a drink. The perfect remedy for the down at heart on a winter's evening.

If you order a Manhattan in a bar you might be asked if you would like it "sweet, dry or perfect". This just refers to the type of vermouth that is used, perfect referring to a 50:50 mixture of dry and sweet vermouth. I used to like them perfect but now I think that the traditional sweet version is a better balanced drink. In fact, I often add a little extra sweetness in the form of a dash of simple syrup. I couldn't resist using a simple syrup I had which is infused with ginger and spices. It sits well with the inherent complexity of the bourbon.

  

 
Manhattan
60 mL good quality bourbon (I'm using Maker's Mark at the moment though I do also like Woodford reserve)
30mL sweet vermouth
3 dashes bitters (angostura or orange bitters)
dash of simple syrup (I used my Christmas spice syrup)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker or pint glass. Add plenty of ice and stir until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass (you can also serve it over ice in an Old Fashioned glass). Garnish with a cherry, if you can find one.

You can hear me talking about the Manhattan on the Flavour show on Cambridge 105, podcast available here.