Mocha Mint

One of my maxims when making cocktails is that creme de menthe doesn’t work with anything. A second maxim that I have is that I don’t like coffee, in cocktails or out. So what better combination than to have Kahlua and creme de menthe together, maybe throw some creme de cacao in there for fun. Today Dave is drinking on the edge, seving minty coffee drinkers everwhere at great personal cost.

• 1 ounce Kahlua
• 1 ounce creme de menthe
• 1 ounce white creme de cacao

Shake over ice and serve up in a Martini glass.

Dave’s Thoughts:

• Creme de menthe has a distinctive nose about it – its like cheap candy more than a refined cocktail ingredient.
• I am surprised, this is not as bad as I was expecting, the cool mint is a pleasing aftertaste and the coffee is only hinted at.
• Best served as cold as possible.

Tasting Notes:

• Dave Rating: 6/10 – really?!?
• Strength: 4/10
• Sweetness: 6/10
• Best approximation is a chocolate peppermint candy – not bad.

Bourbonball

Happy president’s day!  My wife asked me today – who is your favorite president?  I didn’t have a good answer off the top of my head, and neither did she.  It makes you realize that we probably are not the students of our own history that we should be.  I could play the English card, but I have been living here since the late ’80s and I did take AP US History in high school.

We could go with the original GW, as in George Washington (nobody is going to seriously consider Bush Jr), but after reading “The History of Democracy” recently, I realized that he was pretty much just a figure head, a disaster of a president, and basically yearned for a form of monarchy to return.  Hard to root for a guy that thinks he’s smarter than the rest of us.

Then there is Jefferson – he had a cool house as I recall and was quite the renaissance man.  Wrote the declaration of independence – definite plus.  However, he was also the ultimate hypocrite as he was unable to reconcile opposition to slavery with owning hundreds of them himself.  He even had kids with one of them.  I guess we need to move on to another.

We could make an argument for Harding – the original Warren G.  Unfortunately, I think he was best known for his rap song hit “Regulate”…  Bonus points if you have any more trivial on him!

So what do I think really?  Lincoln, who freed the slaves?  John Adams, who had an HBO series about him (that must count for something)?  Nah.  For me I am going to go with King Roosevelt II, more commonly known as FDR.  Led us out the Great Depression and guided us through the most of WWII – his passion for his job accomplished much – and his unprecedented 4 terms proved it.  So, feel free to argue, but that’s what I think.

Damn it – I almost forgot this was a drink blog!  Tonight for my new book “The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book” courtesy of my brother in law, is the Bourbonball.

• 1.5 ounces bourbon
• 1.5 ounces Tuaca
• 1.5 ounces crème de cacao

Shake over ice and strain into  a chilled martini glass.

Dave’s Thoughts:

• Whoa – this is sweet.  The orange and the chocolate flavors really take over the drink.
• After the initial shock, I would call this a complex sweet martini.  The bourbon adds a dimension that vodka never could.
• After a couple of sips, its readily apparent that this should be a desert cocktail.

Tasting Notes:

• Dave’s Rating: 6/10
• Strength: 6/10
• Sweetness: 9/10
• A great alternative desert cocktail, when a boring vodka martini won’t do!

Commodore

Thanks to Kathryn’s friend Jennifer, we found a fantastic bar hidden behind ove Grand Central Station in NYC – the Campbell Apartment.  After looking over the menu I found what appeared to be a refinement of last months D.O.T.M. – the Kentucky River.

• bourbon
• Creme de cacao
• Grenadine
• Lemon juice

Served up in a martini glass, garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Dave’s Thoughts:

• Whoa, this is a great drink. Each taste is better.
• The drink is a little sweet, and the bourbon is in the background, overall this drink is nothing but smooth.
• This is no Kentucky River, totally different drink.

Tasting Notes:

• Dave’s Rating: 9/10
• Strength: 6/10
• Sweetness: 8/10
• This could be all the reason you need to visit NYC.

Kentucky River

Happy New Year… almost.  One last drink for 2011, and it’s a good one – the Kentucky River.  This fantastic libation was discovered at Noble Experiment.

• 1.5 ounces Makers Mark
• 0.75 ounce creme de cacao
• Splash of Angostura bitters

Pour into a rocks glass over ice and give it a stir.  Done.

Dave’s Thoughts:

• Chocolate and bourbon – how do you go wrong?
• Adds a touch of sweetness to great bourbon.
• Approachable even if bourbon ain’t your thing.

Tasting Notes:

• Dave’s Rating: 9/10
• Strength: 8/10
• Sweetness: 2/10
• I like it!