Drinking The World

Last Winter I told you about bartender Lydia Reismueller, since the Spring she and her chef boyfriend have been managing the Four Season Farm in Cape Rosier, Maine. I visit them every now and then and am treated to some fantastic cocktail creations. Here is one of those tasty drinks.

Fancy Cowboy created by Lydia Reismueller

2 oz Old Potrero whiskey
1/4 oz agave syrup
3 drops orange flower water
2 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Candied flower

Stir all ingredients over ice, and strain into a chilled old fashioned glass with ice. Garnish with a candied flower.

There are only ten more days until Tales of the Cocktail 2009. I have been putting a list together of all the seminars and events I'd like to attend. Of course knowing how Tales is I probably won't make everything, but I sure will try. Last year was the first time I attended TotC and by the last day I said no way, never again, and it took me a week to recover, but here I am raring to go. See ya there! To see my attempted schedule click

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The other day I showed you a silver swizzle, today I have brought out a vintage, sterling silver, jigger. What is fun and unusual about this is that it has a lever on the side that when pressed dispenses the spirits from the bottom. To see more photos click

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Have you read the swizzle article at NY Times? One of my prize vintage bar toys is a personal retractable swizzle stick. It is sterling silver, 3.5" long closed, and 5.25" long when open. It has a loop at the end so that it can hang on a chain around your neck. They were popular in the 1930's to remove effervescence from champagne or swizzling cocktails. This model most probably dates from then as appraised.

Here are a few photos of it closed, partially open, and a close-up of the swizzle end.

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Last Winter I told you about bartender Lydia Reismueller, since the Spring she and her chef boyfriend have been managing the Four Season Farm in Cape Rosier, Maine. I visit them every now and then and am treated to some fantastic cocktail creations. Here is one of those fine libations.

Sweetie Pie created by Lydia Reismueller

2 oz Clement Rhum VSOP
1-3/4 oz apple cider
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
Pinch of salt
Salt and sugar dipped apple slice

Stir all ingredients over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with apple slice on rim.

(One of many cocktails created by Lydia during her time at the fabulous cocktail bar PDT in NYC. When she left PDT in the summer of 2008 to help run an organic farm on the Blue Hill Peninsula in Down-East Maine, they changed the name to “Remember Maine” and had the drink on their cocktail menu, as well as an explanation of both names.)

Last Winter I told you about bartender Lydia Reismueller, since the Spring she and her chef boyfriend have been managing the Four Season Farm in Cape Rosier, Maine. I visit them every now and then and am treated to some fantastic cocktail creations. Here is one of those fantastic cocktails.

Perfect Punch created by Lydia Reismueller

1 bottle Winterport Winery Flying Dutchman fortified blackberry wine
3 oz amber rum
11 oz sweet vermouth
9 oz dry vermouth
11 oz lemon juice
Zest from the lemons
3 cinnamon sticks
3 cardamom pods
6 cloves
6 black peppercorns

Place all ingredients in a large pot and gently simmer for about 1 hour with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Strain and serve hot with a lemon twist. Makes about 12 servings.

Last Winter I told you about bartender Lydia Reismueller, since the Spring she and her chef boyfriend have been managing the Four Season Farm in Cape Rosier, Maine. I visit them every now and then and am treated to some fantastic cocktail creations. Here is one of those delicious cocktails.

Raspberry Flip created by Lydia Reismueller

2 oz Old Overholt rye
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz citrus syrup
Heaping barspoon raspberry preserves
Whole egg
Nutmeg

Add all ingredients to shaker, and pre-shake without ice, then shake hard over ice. Strain into a snifter and grate plenty of fresh nutmeg on top.

Last Winter I told you about bartender Lydia Reismueller, since the Spring she and her chef boyfriend have been managing the Four Season Farm in Cape Rosier, Maine. I visit them every now and then and am treated to some fantastic cocktail creations. Here is one of those fine libations.

Tea Tippler created by Lydia Reismueller

2 oz Plymouth Gin
1 1/2 oz Lapsang Souchang agave syrup
3 drops Orange Flower water
2 dashes Orange bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Orange twist

Stir ingredients well over ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Lapsang Souchang Agave Syrup: Make a strong brew of Lapsang Souchang tea, about 1 oz of tea to 8 oz of hot water. Let stand 7 minutes, strain, and add 3 oz of agave syrup.

Thursday Drink Night (TDN) is an online discussion forum held on Thursday nights with mixologists and cocktail bloggers all over the world getting together to post recipes and talk cocktails. Each week a theme or base spirit is set and everyone is invited to come up with a cocktail recipe. Then everyone posts their recipe and tries out all the others. Every few weeks a bar is chosen to host the TDN and people show up from that region of the country to participate live, as well as online. TDN on June 4th was focused on using Bols Genever as the base spirit.

Uphill Each Way created by JMForester for TDN Bols Genever 6-4-2009

2oz Bols Genever
.75oz fresh lime juice
.75oz palm sugar simple syrup
.75oz Pastis
dash Angostura bitters

Hard shake w/ ice and pour into an old fashioned glass