Favorite cocktails of 2019

Before the holiday season commenced, I hosted one final party of the year. I decided to put my cocktail excursions in NYC and Chicago to good use, and created a drink menu from some of my favorites. So many delicious drinks to choose from! With some difficulty, I managed to pare the list to four. A couple of them (Pegu Club, Three Dots and a Dash) were standards, the recipes available in my library of beverage guides. Another one (Iron Path) was an original, but the bar graciously provided instructions for replicating the drink. The final choice was not from a bar: R’s version of the Old Fashioned. It was one of my favorite drinks of the year, and I wanted to share it with friends.

Several of the components were uncommon, but DC’s Ace Beverage (my go-to liquor store) stocked everything I needed. I prepped a variety of syrups and garnishes, and pulled out the collection of homemade bitters to find the perfect complement for each drink. Snacks? Check. Ice? Check. Everything was ready: time to send out the invitations. Let the festivities begin!

h.

P.S. - Shout out to J and C and M (who came straight from the airport to the party) for an impromptu bluegrass jam; awesome!

Pegu Club (Pegu Club, NYC)

• 2 oz gin, London Dry style (I used Bombay)

• ¾ oz curaçao (Pierre Ferrand Dry)

• ½ oz lime juice

• dash orange bitters (homemade)

• dash Angostura bitters (homemade)

• cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, coupe glass, ice

Steps

• combine all ingredients in shaker

• half-fill with ice and shake until well chilled

• strain into glass, neat, no garnish

Three Dots and a Dash (Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago)

• 1 ½ oz rhum agricole (Clément VSOP)

• ½ oz blended aged rum (El Dorado 8 year)

• ½ oz lime juice

• ½ oz orange juice

• ½ oz honey syrup (1:1 honey/water)

• ¼ oz falernum (homemade)

• ¼ oz allspice dram (St. Elizabeth’s)

• dash Angostura bitters (homemade)

• pineapple wedge, to garnish

• 3 blueberries, to garnish (can substitute brandied cherries)

• cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, Collins glass, ice, cocktail pick, straw

Steps

• combine all ingredients except garnishes in shaker

• half-fill with ice and shake until well chilled

• strain into glass, fill with ice, and insert straw

• skewer pineapple and blueberries on pick and garnish

Iron Path (Death & Co, NYC)

• 2 oz Malbec wine (Zuccardi Serie A)

• 1 oz Pasubio Amaro

• ¾ oz blended aged rum (El Dorado 8 year)

• ½ oz cinnamon syrup (recipe below)

• dash Angostura bitters (homemade)

• orange slice, to garnish

• 2 blueberries, to garnish (can use any berry)

• grated cinnamon, to garnish

• cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, bar spoon, rocks glass, ice, cocktail pick

Steps

• combine all ingredients except garnishes in shaker

• half-fill with ice and stir until well chilled

• strain into glass over large ice cube

• grate cinnamon over top of drink

• skewer berries and orange onto pick and garnish

Old Fashioned à la Rick

• 2 oz bourbon (Buffalo Trace) or rye (High West Double Rye)

• ¼ oz orange simple syrup (recipe)

• three dashes Angostura bitters (homemade)

• candied orange peel, to garnish (recipe)

• brandied cherry, to garnish (homemade)

• cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, bar spoon, rocks glass, ice

Steps

• combine all ingredients except garnishes in shaker

• half-fill with ice and stir until well chilled

• strain into glass over large ice cube and garnish

Cinnamon syrup

• ½ cup sugar (turbinado)

• ½ cup water

• 4 sticks cinnamon

Steps

• combine all ingredients in small saucepan

• cook over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved

• remove from heat and steep overnight at room temperature

• remove cinnamon sticks and refrigerate