Orgeat Lemonade Soda – Recipe & History

Orgeat Lemonade Soda
Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade Soda

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

How to make a classic Sparkling Orgeat Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Simple Syrup

  • 1 oz 1 Orgeat

  • 8 oz 8 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker except for the soda water.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a glass.
  • Top with soda water.

Featured Video

What Does The Orgeat Lemonade Taste Like?

The orgeat lemonade is a fantastic drink. The orgeat syrup adds a sweetness that offsets the tartness of the lemonade and gives it a wonderful nutty cherry flavor. Orgeat lemonade has been popular for almost 200 years and for good reason. It enhances the lemonade and makes for a drink that is more than the sum of its parts.

History Of The Orgeat Lemonade.

The oldest orgeat lemonade recipe I can find comes from the 1862 book “The Bartenders Guide” by Jerry Thomas. Listed as a temperance drink and has both a still water version and a sparking water soda version. Presently the orgeat lemonade is called a mocktail, but in the past, it was simply seen as a drink or soda. I personally hate the term mocktail because it’s clear alcoholics invented it. A Coke without rum is not a mocktail. It’s a soda. A person drinking orange juice is not drinking a mixer. They are drinking orange juice. When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and the term mocktail is an example of that. The oldest reference I found to an orgeat lemonade comes from an 1820 issue of “The Dublin Magazine,” where the author describes how a hotel he stayed at in Paris, France served orgeat lemonades. I wouldn’t be surprised if this drink originated in France, as orgeat (and later grenadine) was wildly popular in France during the 19th century and added to many drinks.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade – Recipe & History

Orgeat lemonade
Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the 1862 Orgeat Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Simple Syrup

  • 1 oz 1 Orgeat

  • 8 oz 8 Water

Directions

  • Technique: Tiki Dirty Pour
  • Combine all ingredients into a shaker with crushed ice.
  • Vigorously shake for 10 seconds.
  • Dirty pour the whole shaker into a glass. Crushed ice and all.

Featured Video

What Does The Orgeat Lemonade Taste Like?

The orgeat lemonade is a fantastic drink. The orgeat syrup adds a sweetness that offsets the tartness of the lemonade and gives it a wonderful nutty cherry flavor. Orgeat lemonade has been popular for almost 200 years and for good reason. It enhances the lemonade and makes for a drink that is more than the sum of its parts.

History Of The Orgeat Lemonade.

The oldest orgeat lemonade recipe I can find comes from the 1862 book “The Bartenders Guide” by Jerry Thomas. Listed as a temperance drink and has both a still water version and a sparking water soda version. Presently the orgeat lemonade is called a mocktail, but in the past, it was simply seen as a drink or soda. I personally hate the term mocktail because it’s clear alcoholics invented it. A Coke without rum is not a mocktail. It’s a soda. A person drinking orange juice is not drinking a mixer. They are drinking orange juice. When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and the term mocktail is an example of that. The oldest reference I found to an orgeat lemonade comes from an 1820 issue of “The Dublin Magazine,” where the author describes how a hotel he stayed at in Paris, France served orgeat lemonades. I wouldn’t be surprised if this drink originated in France, as orgeat (and later grenadine) was wildly popular in France during the 19th century and added to many drinks.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Orgeat Soda (Almond Soda) – Recipe

orzata
Advertisements

Orgeat Soda

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make an old-fashioned Orgeat soda.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Orgeat

  • 8 oz 8 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Add syrup to a cocktail shaker.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Pour the chilled and aerated syrup into a collins glass without a strainer.
  • Slowly pour the soda water down into the top of the drink. This will build both body and a foam head.

Featured Video

History Of Orgeat Soda.

The earliest record of orgeat soda I can find comes from an April 1, 1891 periodical called “The Pharmaceutical Era.” In a list of Soda syrup flavors sold by B. & C. (Beach & Clarridge), one of them is orgeat soda syrup. Almonds have long been used to flavor drinks, and almond-flavored syrup is typically called orgeat. As I said, this is the earliest use of orgeat soda I can find, but orgeat was already familiar in bars long before this.

The history of orgeat is it began as barley water. Its name comes from the Latin word hordeaceus, which translates to “of barley” or instead made of barley. Over time the barley water became sweeter, and variations emerged. One of these variations is the Spanish tiger nut horchata and the almond orzata/orgeat. The English word orgeat comes from the word orge, Which is French for barley. In parts of northern Africa, “rozata” is an almond drink typically prepared for weddings or special occasions. Most countries along the Mediterranean Sea have some barley/nut drink whose romantic name is derived from the Latin word hordeaceus. Over time, these nut juices were sweetened and concentrated into a syrup that could be used in many different drinks.

The earliest reference to orgeat in the Americas that I can find is from a 1779 newspaper article detailing the goods sold in a shop in Newport, R.I. The particular store owner was a man named Nathan Hart, and he even had orgeat listed under the “Liqueurs” section and not the standard grocery. This shows that orgeat was used in alcoholic drinks even in the 18th century, predating Jerry Thomas’s early use of it by 80 years. Orgeat’s use as a sweetener in American-style alcoholic mixed drinks most likely originated in the late 18th century.

Soda fountains became technologically viable in the 1830s when New Yorker John Matthews invented a lead-lined container to carbonate water with sulfuric acid and calcium carbonate that could easily fit under the counter or behind a bar. Without going too much into the history of soda fountains, Orgeat was most likely first mixed with soda water around the 1860s or 1870s when soda fountains started to boom in popularity. If you want an excellent old-fashioned Orgeat recipe, check mine out.

How To Get A Nice Foam On Your Sodas.

It was typical for high-end sodas in the late 1800s to have a nice foam on top. Similar to high-end molecular gastronomy restaurants today, a nice soda fountain would ensure that some drinks had an air or foam on top as you sipped your drink. The foam provides both a creamy texture and olfactory stimulation. These were called foaming agents, and in the 1800s, soap bark or other extracts were added to syrups to provide foam when shaken and mixed with soda water. A popular one today in the United States is propylene glycol, and while it is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the US, it is banned for consumption in the EU. Another modern alternative, and the one I use, is adding lecithin to my syrups. Lecithin is flavor neutral, a natural emulsifier that provides a nice foam, and is often taken as a health supplement. It is also the foaming agent many high-end restaurants use to make foams for food. So I’ll add 0.5% of the total syrups weight of lecithin powder to my syrups as a foaming agent. Check out my orgeat recipe for exactly how that is done.

If you want to learn more about this topic and make your drinks better, check out De Forest Saxe’s 1894 book “Saxe’s New Guide Hints to Soda Water Dispensers. Another book I highly recommend reading is Darcy S. O’Neil’s absolutely fascinating book Fix The Pumps, which covers the history and standard practices of early soda fountains.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Bink’s Sake – Sake Cocktail Recipe

Binks Sake
Advertisements

Bink’s Sake

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

150

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

How to make my Bink’s Sake cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 1 dash 1 Cardamom Bitters

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 Rose Water

  • 2/3 oz 2/3 Orgeat

  • 3 oz 3 Sake

  • 1 oz 1 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker except for the soda water.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a glass.
  • Top with soda water.

Featured Video

My Bink’s Sake Recipe

This recipe for Bink’s Sake is my own, and hopefully, you will like it. As a fan of One Piece, I wanted to make a cocktail based on the classic song sung by Brook, “Bink’s Sake.” This song is sometimes translated as Bink’s Brew and is supposed to be standard brewed sake, not a mixed drink. But I thought it would be fun to make a mixed drink with sake as the base.

Bink’s Sake Song Lyrics (English)

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,

Gather up all of the crew.
It’s time to ship out Bink’s brew.
Sea wind blows.
To where? Who knows?
The waves will be our guide.

Over across the ocean’s tide.
Rays of sunshine far and wide,
Birds they sing,
of cheerful things,
in circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver’s town.
Say so long to port renowned.
Sing a song,
it won’t be long,
before we’re casting off.

Cross the gold and silver seas.
The salty spray puts us at ease.
Day and night,
to our delight,
The voyage never ends.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,

Gather up all of the crew.
It’s time to ship out Bink’s brew.
Pirates we,
eternally
are challenging the sea.

With the waves to rest our heads,
Ship beneath us as our beds.
Hoisted high,
upon the mast,
our Jolly Roger flies.

Somewhere in the endless sky,
Stormy winds are blowin’ by.
Waves are dancing,
evening comes,
It’s time to sound the drums.

But steady men, and never fear.
Tomorrow’s skies are always clear.
So pound your feet,
and clap your hands,
till sunny days return.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,

Gather up all of the crew.
It’s time to ship out Bink’s brew.
Wave good-bye,
but don’t you cry,
Our memories remain.

Our days are but a passing dream,
everlasting though they seem
‘neath the moon,
we’ll meet again,
the wind’s our lullaby.

Gather up all of the crew.
It’s time to ship out Bink’s brew.
Sing a song,
and play along,
For all the ocean’s wide.

After all is said and done,
You’ll end up a skeleton.
So spread your tale,
from dawn till dusk,
upon these foamy seas.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho,

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Orgeat – Recipe & History

Orgeat Syrup
Advertisements

Orgeat

5 from 1 vote Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: French
Servings

15

servings
Calories

80

kcal
Total time

1

hour 

Learn how to make flavorful orgeat.

Ingredients

  • 2.5 oz 2.5 Fine Ground Sweet Almonds

  • 2 cups 2 Water

  • 2 cups 2 White Sugar

  • 1 tsp 1 Bitter Almond Extract

  • 1.5 tsp 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 1.5 tsp 1.5 Rose Water

  • Optional Ingredients
  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Liquid Gum Arabic

  • 2 tsp 2 Lecithin (Foaming Agent)

Directions

  • First blanch the almonds to remove the skin, then using a food processor or blender, grind the almonds into a fine flour.
  • Combine the almond flour and water in a saucepan. cover the top and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add more water if needed. 
  • Over a large bowl, line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and pour the mixture in. Let it sit for a bit to cool.
  • Once the mixture has cool, so as not to burn yourself, squeeze and press the cheesecloth to remove any additional almond fat.
  • Measure the amount of fluid. The goal is to have 1.5 cups. There will likely be less since water evaporated and soaked the almonds during the cooking process. Add more to bring it up to 1.5 cups.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together. Optionally add gum syrup and blend everything in a blender. Bottle and refrigerate or freeze to store for an extended period of time.

Featured Video

The History Of Orgeat.

Orgeat began as barley water. Its name comes from the Latin word hordeaceus, which translates to “of barley” or instead made of barley. Over time the barley water became sweeter, and variations emerged. One of these variations is the Spanish tiger nut horchata and the almond orzata/orgeat. The English word orgeat comes from the word orge, Which is French for barley. In parts of northern Africa, “rozata” is an almond drink typically prepared for weddings or special occasions. Most countries along the Mediterranean Sea have some barley/nut drink whose romantic name is derived from the Latin word hordeaceus. Over time, these nut juices were sweetened and concentrated into a syrup that could be used in many different drinks.

The earliest reference to orgeat in the Americas that I can find is from a 1779 newspaper article detailing the goods sold in a shop in Newport, R.I. The particular store owner was a man named Nathan Hart, and he even had orgeat listed under the “Liqueurs” section and not the standard grocery. This shows that orgeat was used in alcoholic drinks even in the 18th century, predating Jerry Thomas’s early use of it by 80 years. Orgeat’s use as a sweetener in American-style mixed drinks most likely originated in the late 18th century.

The Dangers Of Bitter Almonds

Bitter Almonds are very poisonous. Each seed contains around 4 mg of cyanide. Depending on body weight and size, just ten bitter almonds (or less) are enough to kill a grown man. The formation of hydrogen cyanide in bitter almonds is a defensive measure from the plant to ensure that animals do not eat its seeds. Many plants do this, and it would surprise you to find out how many plants we regularly eat contain cyanide. Specific to almonds, though, all plant seeds in the Rosaceae family contain high amounts of cyanide. This includes apples, cherries, apricots, pears, peaches, etc. A bitter almond seed contains a carbohydrate called Amygdalin and an enzyme called Emulsin. Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) is formed when the seed’s cell walls are broken, the emulsin and amygdalin mix, and the amygdalin is broken down. The byproducts of amygdalin breakdown are Benzaldehyde (the bitter almond/cherry flavor) and Hydrogen cyanide (The poisonous gas part). It is essential to have a cyanide test kit to know precisely how much cyanide is present, and if you are unfamiliar with working with bitter almonds, then it is best to leave them out.

How To Make An Amazing Orgeat

The desirable qualities of a good orgeat are to be rich and creamy with a high amount of emulsified almond fat and to have a distinctive bitter almond/cherry flavor. There are several ways to achieve this.

It needs to be cooked for a bit to get a creamy high-fat orgeat. It takes heat and time to melt the almond oils out of a nut, so a few minutes of cooking isn’t going to cut it. The mixture should simmer for at least 30 to 45 minutes to adequately heat the oils out. Seeping/infusing the nuts in water doesn’t work either because water does not dissolve oil. Sweet almonds have 50% more fat than bitter almonds, so a blend of sweet and bitter almonds is traditionally used to achieve the desired fat to flavor ratio. It helps to grind the nut down as small as possible, but it still takes heat and time to melt the fat, swell the cells with hot water, and push the almond fat out. A stick blender helps break down the pieces to their smallest size.

To get a pleasantly bitter almond cherry flavor, bitter almonds are traditionally used, but bitter almond extract is a safer way to get the same taste. The chemical responsible for that flavor is Benzaldehyde. The breakdown of amygdalin creates Benzaldehyde, but Hydrogen Cyanide is also made in that process. Hydrogen Cyanide needs to be boiled off to ensure the mixture is safe, and testing must be done to validate its safety. I’ll be honest. I was thinking about publishing a traditional North African orgeat recipe, but I have decided not to as the risk is greater than zero. If not prepared properly, it can be dangerous. Keeping bitter almonds around can be dangerous if children are present as they could find them and try to eat them; they need to be ground up and cooked correctly (evaporating the cyanide while minimizing the oxidation of benzaldehyde takes a gentle touch), and proper testing must be done of the syrup. It needs to be cooked in a well-ventilated area. That is asking too much of the casual mixologist who wants to make some at home. Alternatively, bitter almond extract can be used to add bitter almond flavor without the risk. Therefore that will be the recipe I will provide. The result is similar enough that it’s hard to tell the difference, it’s easy to add bitter almond extract, and it has none of the same risks.

It is also preferable to blanc the seeds and remove the almond skins. The almond seeds’ outer skin is bitter and offers no desirable flavor. Almond skins can also cause nettle rash in some individuals when eaten. It is easy to find blanched almonds and preground almond flour, but removing the skins yourself is easy. Pour boiling water on top of the seed and let them sit for a few minutes. The skins quickly absorb the hot water and swell up. This detaches the skins from the seeds and makes the skins easy to rub off with just your fingers.

Recipe Resources

NOTE: The book linked below is an amazing resource. If cooking, baking or making your own drink ingredients is something, you want to get into or improve your knowledge of I highly recommend it.

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Saturn – Original Recipe & History

Saturn
Advertisements
Quick Step-By-Step Saturn Recipe Video

Saturn

5 from 1 vote Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

224

kcal
ABV

20%

Total time

3

minutes

Make a Classic Saturn Cocktail

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Lemon Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Passion Fruit Syrup

  • 1/3 oz 1/3 Falernum

  • 1/3 oz 1/3 Orgeat

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Dry Gin

Directions

  • Technique: Blended
  • Combine all ingredients into a blender with a single scoop of ice cubes.
  • Blend on low for 10 seconds or till the ice is mostly pulverized. Now blend on high for 5-10 seconds to completely crush the ice and turn the drink into a slushy texture. Pour into a glass.
  • Garnish:
  • Long lemon peel circling a cherry

Recipe Video

The History Of The Saturn Cocktail.

The Saturn cocktail was invented by Filipino bartender Joseph “Po Po” Galsini as one of their entries for the 1967 IBA World Cocktail Competition. (In Filipino culture, it’s a term of endearment for older people to say a younger persons’ first name twice in some cutesy way. For example, someone named Tom would be called Tom Tom, Luna becomes Lu Lu, Mario becomes Mo Mo, etc.). Working as a school teacher in the Philippines, Joseph Galsini (I am not his senior and have no emotional connection to him, so I don’t feel right calling him Po Po) immigrated to the United States in 1928, where he began bartending in California. Joseph and his team eventually went on to win first place at the 1953 and 1954 IBA World Cocktail Competition. In 1967 one of the cocktails they entered was the Saturn, named after the Saturn V rocket also invented that same year. They didn’t win that year, but they still created a very memorable tiki-style cocktail with a fun garnish. The Saturn cocktail was rediscovered by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, who was able to save the recipe thanks to Bob Esmino, a fellow Filipino Bartender who got his start helping to open Don’s Beachcomber Cafe. Thanks to Bob Esmino remembering the recipe, Jeff “Beachbum” Berry was able to publish it in his 2010 book “Beachbum Berry Remix”. Sadly Joseph Galsini died in a car crash in 1982. Check out This lengthy article about Joseph on the Daily Beast by David Wondrich.

Is the Saturn Blended Or Shaken?

The most common way this drink is made is by shaking the ingredients, making for a delicious drink. But, according to Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, who got his recipe from Bob Esmino, who worked with Joseph Galsini, the original Saturn was blended. Both are great ways to make the Saturn, and it just comes down to texture.

How To Make The Saturn Garnish.

The Saturn is tasty, but it is the garnish that stands out about this cocktail. Joseph Galsini topped the Saturn off with a lemon peel circled around a maraschino cherry to resemble Saturn. The garnish is more aesthetic than functional, and damn, it looks good. The garnish is made by peeling the whole circumference of a lemon and pinning a cherry in the middle. I’m personally not the biggest fan of overly decorative garnishes and feel if a garnish does not contribute directly to the drink’s flavor, then it should be omitted. Still, I make an exception for this drink. Also, I am always a little disappointed if I order a Saturn at a bar or restaurant and don’t get the Saturn garnish. I don’t care whether it is blended or shaken; I just want to see that cute little cherry with a lemon peel around it.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Picon Punch – Original Recipe & History

Original Picon Punch
Advertisements

Picon Punch (Original Recipe)

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: French
Servings

1

servings
Calories

227

kcal
ABV

15%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make a classic 1800s style Picon Punch.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Orgeat

  • 2 oz 2 Amer Picon

  • 2 oz 2 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker except for the soda water.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a glass.
  • Top with soda water.

Notes

Featured Video

The History Of The Picon Punch.

If you have not heard of this, it’s not surprising. It’s primarily made in the western side of the United States and is popular in parts of California and Nevada with large Basque immigrant populations. If you go to Basque areas in northern Spain, they will have no idea what this is. Most of the histories I have found on this credit its creation to the Noriega Hotel in Bakersfield, California. Although I think that was more just a story used by the hotel. The earliest printed reference of the Picon Punch is from the 1900 book “Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender” by William Boothby of San Francisco, California. It’s the first recipe listed in “miscellaneous and unclassified drinks” and is called an Amer Picon. The drink is labeled as already being a popular beverage in France, and that makes a lot more sense to me than it was invented in Bakersfield, California, during the end of the 19th century. The part I found most difficult to imagine was that a small hotel in Bakersfield was using grenadine before 1900.

The most popular red fruit syrup in the US before 1900 was raspberry syrup. William Boothby was the first American bartender to print recipes using grenadine. Grenadine first started being used in France and England around 1890; in his 1891 edition of the book, the Amer Picon cocktail does not use grenadine but orgeat. The change from orgeat to grenadine makes sense, too, with grenadine’s explosive popularity in France during that decade. Check out my grenadine article for its history and use in cocktails.

The hotel was founded in 1893, so that would have given them plenty of time to use Amer Picon before it stopped being imported to the US in 1920, but I don’t buy that it was invented there. The use of grenadine and references to its recipe many years before its origin story says it was created point to it being traditionally a French cocktail.

What Does The Picon Punch Taste Like?

I will say that using grenadine instead of orgeat was the right choice. The drink is still good, but the later grenadine version is better. While the grenadine version is like an herbal pomegranate flavored soda, this one has a nutty flavor that doesn’t balance the herbal flavors, and the fruity grenadine does. If the nuttier flavor sounds better to you, try this one. Keep in mind this is just one person’s opinion.

Amer Picon is still not imported into the US, so this is made now with substitutes. Also, Amer Picon isn’t made the same today as during the turn of the century. The alcohol content is different, and so is the flavor. It used to be around 40% abv, and today it’s 18%, and the taste has been updated for modern palates, so basically, it’s an entirely different ingredient other than the name. You’ll never be able to recreate this drink in its original form completely, so find a bittersweet/orangey aperitif you like. Even if you get an actual bottle of Amer Picon from France, it won’t taste like old Amer Picon anyway.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Fog Cutter – Original Recipe & History

Fogcutter
Advertisements

Fog Cutter

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

344

kcal
ABV

19%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the Fog Cutter.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz 2 Lemon Juice

  • 1 oz 1 Orange Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Orgeat

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Dry Gin

  • 2 oz 2 White Rum

  • 1 oz 1 Brandy

  • 1 oz 1 Sherry

Directions

  • Technique: Tiki Dirty Pour
  • Combine all ingredients except the sherry into a shaker
  • Add a scoop of crushed ice.
  • Vigorously shake for 10 seconds.
  • Dirty pour the whole shaker into a glass. Crushed ice and all.
  • Top with sherry.
  • Garnish:
  • Mint bouquet

Notes

Featured Video

What Does The Fog Cutter Taste Like?

This is defiantly more on the tart side of tiki drinks and is closer in taste to a sour than most juice-filled tiki cocktails. Think of this as a nutty tiki version of a rum sour. It’s a beautiful cocktail that is more to the taste of someone who likes sours than Dark & Stormies or mules.

Nothing too interesting in the history of this cocktail. It was invented by Victor Bergeron for Trader Vic’s and was one of his most popular cocktails, second to the Mai Tai. Trader Vic’s Bartending Guide says that after 2 of these, you won’t even see straight anymore, but I have had 2 or 3 of them, and I was alright. There are countless variations on this guy (true for almost all tiki drinks), but here is the tried and true recipe from Trader Vic’s book itself.

Floating Sherry On Top.

The last ingredient in this cocktail is to do a sherry float on top. Here is the thing: sherry is very dense and thus can not float. Floating alcohols on top of each other are based on weight. Sugar is heavier than water, water is heavier than alcohol, and the heaviest ingredient will always sit at the bottom. The sherry is way more sugary than the drink. Therefore, it will want to drop to the bottom. This works out to have a cool effect and make it look like the sherry is cutting through the drink. If you want an excellent dark float that will sit at the top, try using 151, as it has less sugar than the rest of the drink and is much more alcoholic, so it floats on top.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Scorpion – Original Recipe & History

Scorpion
Advertisements

Scorpion Cocktail

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

296

kcal
ABV

17%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the Scorpion.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 2 oz 2 Orange Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Orgeat

  • 1 oz 1 Brandy

  • 2 oz 2 White Rum

Directions

  • Technique: Blended
  • Combine all ingredients into a blender with a single scoop of ice cubes.
  • Blend on low for 10 seconds or till the ice is mostly pulverized.
  • Now blend on high for 5-10 seconds to completely crush the ice and turn the drink into a slushy texture.
  • Pour into a glass.
  • Garnish:
  • Orchid flower

Notes

Featured Video

The History Of The Scorpion Cocktail.

The original scorpion was not a bowl or an individual cocktail but a punch from Victor Bergeron’s First book from 1947 and was a punch made for 12. The original scorpion recipe was 1.5 bottles of rum, 2 oz gin, 2 oz brandy, 1 pint of lemon juice, 1/2 a pint of orange juice, 1/2 a pint worth of orgeat, 1/2 a bottle of white wine, and two sprigs of mint. Those are odd proportions like Trader Vic added the gin and mint as a joke. That original scorpion punch is also in the 1972 edition, but the updated edition included his more popular versions of the scorpion.

Trader Vic heavily modified the recipe over the years and, in his 1972 edition, added the scorpion bowl and a single scorpion cocktail. The recipe here is the single-serve version and, in my opinion, the best version of the drink. But I will say those flaming scorpion bowls are a ton of fun. Oddly enough, the scorpion bowl, which is made to serve 3, is not just 3x the ingredients of the single-serve one. The ingredients are the same, but the volumes are different.

What Does The Scorpion Taste Like?

The scorpion was Trader Vic’s third most popular cocktail, and while I think this is the best version of the drink, it’s not a top-tier tiki cocktail in my book. It’s just kind of juice and booze. Again that is a personal opinion, and taste is subjective. It’s good but not outstanding. I envision juice, booze, and spice when I think tiki, but this cocktail lacks spice. The orgeat adds a nice nuttiness to the drink, but the white rum, orange juice, and lemon juice are the most prominent flavors. And if it’s going to be heavy on the juice, let it be exotic juices like pomegranate, passion fruit, pineapple, papaya, etc., not just orange and lemon. This is a tiki drink I would have loved when I first started drinking tiki drinks, but a decade and a half in, this comes off bland to me.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Whiskey Daisy – Original Recipe & History

Whiskey Daisy
Advertisements

Whiskey Daisy

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

161

kcal
ABV

20%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the a classic Whiskey Daisy.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 oz 1/3 Lemon Juice

  • 2 dashes 2 Orgeat

  • 3 dashes 3 Gum Syrup

  • 2 oz 2 Bourbon

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker except for the soda water.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a glass.
  • Top with soda water.

Notes

Featured Video

The History Of The Daisy Style Cocktail.

The daisy was another early cocktail style emerging around the same time as the crusta and many other early standard sour cocktails. The Daisy is essentially a crusta with an ounce of soda water to cut the intensity and make the cocktail more refreshing. First appearing in the 1862 edition of the bartender’s guide by Jerry Thomas, The daisy is a beautiful cocktail if you find the standard sour is too strong.

What Does The Whiskey Daisy Taste Like?

The Whiskey Daisy is a beautiful little cocktail that adds a bit of refreshing soda water to a delicious sour cocktail. The small amount of Orgeat adds a lovely almond and cherry taste while the bourbon still shines through as the primary flavor of this cocktail.

The Right Ingredients To Use For This Cocktails.

The most essential ingredient in this cocktail is the orgeat and the kind of whiskey you use. Unlike most cocktails, this one benefits from a nicer bourbon as none of the other ingredients are made to overshadow the base spirit. The subtleties of a nicer whiskey still shine through, so medium-grade bourbon ends up making for a better product. The orgeat is another essential ingredient that adds a faint note of almond and cherry to the cocktail. The issue is cheaper orgeats taste like sweet almond milk and lack the bitter almond cherry flavor of genuine orgeat syrup. If you have a bottle of almond baking extract in your pantry, give that a taste, and you will know what orgeat should taste like. The orgeat is what separates this cocktail from tasting like a standard whiskey sour with soda water.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements