You Otto Try This One

October 29, 2022 steveboilard2 Comments

I’ve been resisting the numerous candy-based Halloween cocktails (such as the “Drunken Peanut Butter Cup,” which, while presumably tasty, seem to be more candy drinks than cocktails. However, I’ve decided that I need to include at least one drink of this genre, and today we are making a Butterfinger-based beverage (or BBB, as they say in the trade) (actually, they don’t).

Today’s drink is something called an Otto’s 1923. (The relevance of the name will be discussed in a bit). It’s a premier example of a BBB. So let’s get to it!

The recipe: Combine 1 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label (or another good Scotch), 1/2 oz Kahlua, 1/4 oz Cynar, and a spoonful of peanut butter in a shaker. DO NOT ADD ICE YET; instead, dry shake the contents until the peanut butter mixes well with the other ingredients. Now add ice to the shaker and shake it some more. Stain it into a glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a half-bar worth of Butterfinger crumbles on the top, as well as the remaining half of the candy bar.

The Ratings

It’s quite an attractive looking cocktail. I mean, who doesn’t like to see a Butterfinger stick staring you in the face? The Butterfinger crumbles provide an interesting, inviting garnish on the drink. And the color of the drink itself is peanut butter brown. The link to Halloween is a bit difficult to establish. But if you consider that Butterfingers are a Halloween staple, handed out of millions of kids each year, then maybe there’s a decent nexus. I’ll give the appearance 3 points.

This is a hard cocktail to rate in terms of taste. On the positive side, we have a strong peanut butter flavor, complemented by the smokey, peaty Johnnie Walker and the sweet coffee taste of the Kahlua. The secret ingredient here is the Cynar, which, as you may or may not know, is a high-proof, bitter liqueur made from artichokes. I’m not making this up. The small amount of Cynar nicely contrasts with the sweetness of the other ingredients, and ensures that the cocktail doesn’t become just another candy bomb.

On the other hand, mixing Butterfinger crumbles with the crushed ice seems ill-advised. It’s pretty much impossible to include crumbles in a sip without also swalling a bunch of crushed ice. Maybe that’s the point; maybe this is supposed to drink like a Slurpee. But if so, the ice needs to be blended (not merely crushed). As an experiment, I made another version with just one big ice cube, and this worked much better. As a third experiment, I left out the Butterfinger crumbles, which made the logistics of drinking it easier, and also made it taste more like a “real” cocktail. But it’s hard for me to be an unbiased judge after three drinks…

On balance, though, this is a very enjoyable drink. It’s rich and malty and sweet, and the different tastes (including the Cynar) play out throughout each sip. I give the taste 3.5 points. (It would have been 4 points if it didn’t use crushed ice.)

The name of this drink is a reference to the man (Otto Schnering) who invented the Butterfinger bar in 1923. So the name is a cool reference to that…but it has nothing to do with Halloween! No points.

Grand Total: 6.5 points. (If this weren’t in a Halloween cocktail blog, it would have risen near the top.)

Halloween Cocktails

Don Muerte

October 28, 2022 steveboilard1 Comment

One of the random Halloween Cocktail lists I’ve been trolling includes something called a Don Muerte. I have all the necessary ingredients, so let’s make one!

The Recipe: Combine 1.5 oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco, 3/4 oz pineapple juice, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz agave nectar, and 1/2 tsp activated charcoal in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with an edible flower.

The Ratings: It’s another black cocktail (c/o the activated charcoal), which is definitely in the Halloween vein, but it’s starting to feel a bit tired. Admittedly, it’s dressed up with an “edible flower,” but I’m not sure that makes this drink look any more like a Halloween cocktail. I’ll give it two points for appearance.

The tequila blanco I used came from this skeleton decanter (c/o Azulejo).

This is a very drinkable cocktail. The blanco tequila is more of a cocktail tequila than a sipping tequila. The pineapple and lime juices add a citrus acidity that is balanced between the pineapple sweetness and the lime tartness. The agave nectar nudges the drink in a sweet direction, which is fine with me. Overall, it’s a very balanced, safe, tasty drink. I give it a solid 3 points for taste.

The name is intriguing, though confusing. Muerte means “death” in Spanish, of course. The “Don” is presumably a reference to the Don Julio. But Don Muerte is also a character in a video game called Free Fire (or so I infer from an internet search; I have no firsthand experience with it). I’ll give the name 1.5 out of 2 points, although I don’t totally understand what’s going on.

Grand Total: 6.5 points

Note: Doesn’t Don Muerte remind you of the mummy in Bubba Ho-Tep?

OK, you know you want to watch that movie, don’t you? Here’s the trailer:

Halloween Cocktails

Hot Stuff

October 27, 2022 steveboilardLeave a comment

When I was a lad, my brother and I had “comic books,” which I put in quotes because they were always the most off-brand, never-heard-of, outdated, cheap comics that cost less than a quarter an issue. While other kids were reading DC and Marvel comics, or maybe Archie or MAD, my brother and I were stuck with “Little Lulu,” “Dot,” and “Hot Stuff.” This last one was about some benign, cute devil (literally) who was always getting in trouble. And the cover each month had some lame gag about how he used his pitchfork or tail for some mundane, workaday task.

Anyway, I’m thinking about Hot Stuff because today’s drink is something called a Hell Fire. The name reminds me of something called a “Prairie Fire” that I had a few times on dares in college. It involves a healthy shot of 151 and a Tabasco floater.

But the Hell Fire is a little different. Once again, there are a number of drinks on the web that carry this name. but the one I’m making is from a recent issue of Town&Country, and involves (1) homemade grilled peach sherbet [please don’t mispronounce or misspell that word] and (2) real fire. What could go wrong?

The Recipe: Combine 2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz lemon juice, and 3/4 oz grilled peach sherbet in a shaker. (The sherbet is made by grilling peaches, tossing them in a blender with an equal amount of sugar, and then freezing the concoction.) Strain into a glass, and garnish with fresh mint and ground cinnamon. Light the cinnamon on fire.

I should acknowledge that I had trouble getting the cinnamon to ignite. So, I added a little 151 (from my Prairie Fire days!) to the top, lit that on fire, and sprinkled on cinnamon. It provided a nice, sparkly effect. If anyone has a better suggestion for igniting cinnamon, I’m all ears.

The Ratings: Well, you really can’t beat the appearance. The drink itself is kind of rustic, with a viscous consistency, a seasonable pumpkin hue, and little black bits (seeds? Pieces of char?) swimming around. But the sparkling flames seem the ideal adornment for a Halloween drink. This deserves the full 4 points for appearance…but I’m only giving it 3.5 points, because the cinnamon wouldn’t light without the assistance of 151.

The taste is de-lic-ious! Admittedly, part of the reason is because I added 1/3 cup of sugar to the sherbet. But I only used a small amount of the total sherbet, so one drink probably only has a tablespoon or two of sugar. The grilled peaches are absolutely delectable–rich and flavorful and fruity. The bourbon lends the usual gravitas, with oak and spice and brown sugar. The lemon slightly attenuates all that sweetness. And as I mentioned earlier, the mouthfeel is full and rich, like a Jamba Juice. Four points for taste.

Hell Fire is a controversial choice for a name. It might be a little ungodly for some. But it definitely connects with the fire element that distinguishes the cocktail’s appearance. And Hell conjures up (hopefully not literally) devils, demons, death, and various other Halloween-esque elements. I feel obligated to give the name the full 2 points.

Grand Total: 9.5. I recommend you make yourself one of these drinks!Just consider using 151 instead of Maker’s bourbon.

Halloween Cocktails

Fool Me Twice…

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 steveboilard6 Comments

Loyal reader Jerry G posted a message to this blog, insisting that I “have to get back on that Green Chartreuse Horse!” And he helpfully provided a recipe for a cocktail called a Green Ghost.

Now, leaving aside the wisdom of risking the horrible hangover I experienced from the Herman and the Lily, I was intrigued by the recipe Jerry sent. For starters, it’s incredibly easy to make, and I already have the three simple ingredients. Second, the recipe is in video form, and I have a man-crush on the giant Aussie teddy bear who’s making it. And finally, I think enough time has passed since my unfortunate Chartreuse incident, and it’d be interesting to see if that spirit is as foul and dangerous as I remember it. So, throwing caution to the wind, I figured I’d make me a Green Ghost.

The Recipe: Here’s the video. It’s only 4 minutes and well worth watching:

So, to summarize: Mix 1 oz of London dry gin, 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse, and 1/2 oz lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Strain it into a glass, and garnish with a lime wheel. Done!

The Ratings: This is a nice-looking, respectable drink. It looks like lemonade, a little opaque with a slight fizz. It’s elegant and fresh and bright–everything you wouldn’t want in a Halloween cocktail. Accordingly, I have to give it no points for appearance.

The taste starts out citrus-forward, brisk, and tart. But each successive sip tastes more and more bitter. The citrus quickly falls away, and you’re left with the volatile organic bite of cheap paint thinner. There’s nothing to attenuate the sharp, acrid sear of the Chartreuse. Suddenly, my earlier misadventures with Chartreuse come crashing back, and I’m ready to pour it down the drain. But first I offer a sip to my wife, because (1) maybe it’s just my PTSD that’s preventing me from ever enjoying Chartreuse again, and (2) it’s fun to watch her face when she drinks something she hates. Reason #2 was operative this time, and Karen gave a nauseated expression and asked “Why would you want to torture your tastebuds?” I poured the rest down the drain. No points for taste. I just can’t get on the Chartreuse Train. Sorry, Jerry!

But I have to admit that “Green Ghost” is a good name for a Halloween cocktail. It has alliteration, it invokes eerie images, and it actually has a link to the ghostly green of the drink. It also reminds me of the first “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators” book I bought as a kid. (Eventually I collected the whole series of these Hardy Boys knockoffs.)

And it also reminds me of a board game that was popular in the 1960s.

For all these reasons, I’ll give the name the full 2 points.

But that only gives it a grand total of 2 points (0+0+2=2). We have a new record for low score.

Halloween Cocktails

Black is the New Orange

October 25, 2022 steveboilard2 Comments

As we enter the final week of this Halloween cocktail journey, we return to the basics. And by “basics,” I mean those 77 cocktails that are officially recognized by the International Bartenders Association (Motto: “What’ll ya have, Mac?”). Naturally, you’re thinking:

I wonder how many of those 77 cocktails I’ve tried?
Has Steve included any of those 77 cocktails in his postings this month?
What? There’s an International Bartenders Association??

On the list are included the usual suspects (margarita, cosmopolitan, dark ‘n stormy). But there are also a number I’ve never heard of (Russian Spring Punch, Horse’s Neck). Notably, a few of the list’s entries are simply variations on each other (dry martini and dirty martini are separate entries, as are gin fizz and Ramos gin fizz). Anyway, surely someone out there has tried all 77. Let me know how many you’ve tried!

But to get back to the matters at hand: Today, as I’ve said, we’re getting back to basics, and it’s taking the form of a screwdriver. (Interesting factoid: Legend has it that the screwdriver cocktail, which came about during World War II, got its name because American servicemen lacked spoons and instead used screwdrivers to stir the drink.) (Not-so-interesting factoid: In Britain they call it a “Vodka and Orange.”)

This Halloween version of the classic cocktail is called a “Screwed Up Screwdriver”, and it comes from one of the scariest sources you can imagine: Martha Stewart. (I’m not making this up.) I’m guessing during her time in the slammer she referred to it as a “shiv.” So let’s get to it!

The Recipe: On Martha’s website, she lists all of the following as “Step 1.”

Step 1 Place ice in a tall glass. Pour 1/2 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice into the glass. Pour 1-1/2 oz of black vodka over the back of a cock-tail spoon into the glass so it sits on top of juice and creates a layer of black. Slice 1/4 inch off each end of a black licorice twist, and use as a straw. Serve immediately.

Note that there is no Step 2, and that Martha hyphenates “cocktail.”

The Ratings:

The appearance is kinda interesting: Black on the top, orange on the bottom. And the licorice twist adds some visual interest. I took the above picture moments after carefully adding the vodka, but as you can see, the vodka was already mixing with the orange juice. Still, it’s kind of spooky. I’ll give it 3.5 points.

The taste is less interesting. Folks, this is essentially a screwdriver. It tastes of fruit juice. And that’s it. A screwdriver is always good as a breakfast drink (just as a glass of orange juice is always good as a breakfast drink). But as a Halloween cocktail, it’s too sunny and familiar. I can’t give more than 1.5 points here.

The name is lame. Surely Martha could have done better than “Screwed Up Screwdriver”? It’s not a scary or seasonal reference at all. And the pun (if that’s what it is) is tired and lame. (And if there’s someone who knows tired and lame puns, it’s me!) No points.

Grand total: 5 points.