COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: THE TARZAN & MY ORIGINAL AMO DE LA SELVA VARIATION
Howdy cocktail fans,
I have decided to continue my cocktail journey by chronicling every single one that I make with the determination to never make the same one twice. It’s also to show everyone how the cocktail formula I came up with before can be applied to all of them for the most part. If you don’t remember from my previous post, my cocktail research has shown that virtually every cocktail can be broken down into six distinct components as follows:
Spirits
Liqueurs
Sours
Sweets
Bitters
Sodas
With this in mind, I am going to start with the Tarzan. You can Google up its history and creation which you’ll find on both YouTube and Reddit. Then I’m going to give my original variation on it called the Amo de la Selva. Here we go:
TARZAN
Spirits: 2 parts Gin
Liqueurs: None
Sours: 1.5 parts Pineapple; .5 parts Lemon
Sweets: .5 parts Simple syrup OR .25 parts superfine sugar
Bitters: 1 part Campari
Sodas: None
Put all ingredients in a shaker and shake away until combined. Pour over ice and enjoy!
Quick notes on the cocktail:
When I say “parts” in the recipe, that’s literally what I mean. I plan out my cocktails in ratios and not measurements so that they are adaptable to any serving size. Doing a single drink for yourself? Substitute “part” for a single ounce. Cooking dinner for two? Substitute “part” for 2 ounces and do the math. Having a large socially distant outdoor backyard gathering? Substitute “part” for quart or liter and you’re good to make an entire pitcher full.
Remember my superfine sugar tip: blend sugar in your blender until it’s a fine powder and you’ll have a sugar that dissolves easily in any cocktail. No need to make simple syrup though that is always an option. Remember that you always use half the amount of superfine sugar as you do simple syrup
You can serve this in either a traditional highball glass or if you’re feeling fancy use a Burgundy wine glass as I did
Now for own personal variation. I personally find high quality Tequila to have extremely similar characteristics to high quality Gin. Of course there’s no Juniper in Tequila but there’s a strong savory and smoky flavor in it that serves pretty much the same function and it’s even more pronounced in Mezcal. So my personal variation is called “Amo de la Selva” which is the Spanish translation of Tarzan’s famous “Lord of the Jungle” nickname which I feel is an appropriate name for my original variation as per below:
AMO DE LA SELVA
Spirits: 2 parts Tequila or Mezcal
Liqueurs: None
Sours: 1.5 parts Pineapple; .5 parts Lemon
Sweets: .5 parts Agave syrup
Bitters: 1 part Campari
Sodas: None
The Gin version is pretty good but honestly the Tequila version is way, way better especially if you’re using a high-end Tequila or Mezcal. Enjoy and I’ll be back soon with another one to try.
For my next cocktail, I decided to try a refreshing Tiki cocktail. For myself, there are two components that truly set a tiki apart from its cocktail brethren: a high amount of tropical fruit juices and a non-dairy cream component, the two most used being coconut cream and orgeat. I’ve also noticed that in most Tiki cocktails, it is actually the fruit juices and cream components that take center stage and not the spirits themselves, which at best provide a complementary backbone to the cocktail. I opted to try a Scorpion tonight.
There is a ridiculously high number of variations on this cocktail which all seem to vary on what booze other than Rum you use and which tropical fruit juices are to be added. The common denominators in every variation I see on the Internet, however, are rum, orange and lemon juice, and orgeat. Anything else is a bonus according to your own tastes. I lean heavily towards tropical as i love Pineapple, mango and passion fruit. Below is the variation I used:
SCORPION
Spirits: 2 parts Rum
Liqueurs: None
Sours: 1 part Pineapple; 1 part Orange; 1 part Passion fruit; .5 parts Lemon
Sweets: .5 Orgeat
Bitters: none
Sodas: None
Shake all ingredients together vigorously and pour into a tall glass over ice or into a nice frosty mug as I did. Enjoy.
This is delicious and has surprising complexity. It’s refreshing from all the juices but also has a creamy, nutty backbone and aroma due my use of high-end rum and orgeat. It’s sweet from the juice and orgeat but not overly so and is well balanced. The Rum is certainly not the star player but you can definitely taste it. I was trying to think of what this reminded me of and then it it hit me – the Scorpion tastes pretty much like a rum-tinged Creamsicle, the classic orange sherbet and ice cream popsicle treat.
Now for some notes on the cocktail:
Orgeat is impossible to find. I didn’t find any in Whole foods, regular supermarkets, specialty food stores or even a liquor store. You could always cook your own but there’s an even easier way of making it nowadays. The proliferation of non-dairy based milks such as soy, almond and coconut make it a snap to make your own orgeat. Simply take two cups of sweetened Vanilla almond milk and add two teaspoons of orange flower water. Voila. Instant orgeat.
There are a ridiculous number of variations on this cocktail. The most basic only called for no more than lemon and orange juice for the sour components. Other recipes added and/or omitted mango, passion fruit, and pineapple juices. Honestly you could mix and match as you like to come up with your own favorite variation.
The spirit components also seem to vary insanely. I’ve seen variations with varying blends of rum, brandy, vodka, gin, and Grand Marnier. The sheer variation indicates to me that the chosen alcohol is a supporting player and not the main star. That said, I would strongly recommend going with rum above all else as the interplay with the orgeat on the palate was fantastic.
Got together with a couple of friends for some safe boardgaming, sushi and cocktail making in our social bubble. We started out with a Last Flight, sort of a cross between the traditional Paper Plane and Last Word cocktails per the Internet.
LAST FLIGHT
Spirits: 2 parts Canadian Whisky or Bourbon (bourbon is the traditional spirit for this drink)
Liqueurs: 1 part Chartreuse
Sours: 1 part Lemon
Sweets: None
Bitters: .5 Part Campari, Aperol, Rosso Antico, Martini Bitter or any other Italian style red bitter aperitivo
Sodas: None
Shake all ingredients together vigorously and pour into a cocktail glass over ice.
This is pretty well balanced, no need for additional sweetener due to the Rosso Antico and Chartreuse already containing more than enough.
Now for some notes on the cocktail:
While the recipe traditionally calls for Bourbon, I subbed in a rich aged Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington 19 year old aged Canadian Whisky to trade off some of Bourbon’s smokiness for creamy smoothness instead. I think this works. You could of course also just use a wheated bourbon or go with a traditional bourbon as you like
The recipe also traditionally calls for Aperol but I personally prefer to use a stronger more complex red bitter aperitivo such as Campari and Rosso Antico myself
I used Chartreuse VEP which is a lot richer than strandard Chartreuse but either will be fine in the cocktail
Our second cocktail today is quite versatile in that it easily converts from a traditional sour cocktail into a highball/long drink/fizz with the simple addition of optional soda. I opted to make it without the soda tonight as one of my friends hates carbonated beverages and throw in extra ice in the glass instead. Then I set some aside to try with soda to see how much of a difference the highball variation would have. Below is the variation I used:
EASY STREET
Spirits: 2 parts Gin
Liqueurs: 1 part St-Germain or any elderflower liqueur
Fruit:.5 parts Lemon; Cucumber slices
Sweets: .5 Simple syrup (or .25 superfine sugar)
Bitters: none
Sodas: 4 Soda or Carbonated Water of your choice (optional; see below)
Shake all ingredients except the soda/carbonated water together vigorously and pour into a glass over ice. Add the soda if desired. Enjoy.
This was a great sour. Despite the very small amount of St-Germain used, it’s the absolute star of the show with a lovely fruity elderflower flavor that is enhanced by both the cucumber and the gin.
Now for some notes on the cocktail:
As I mentioned, the original drink is a highball style long drink that calls for soda but I omitted it for one of my friends resulting in a more concentrated traditional Gimlet style cocktail instead. Both of them worked just fine. You can certainly enjoy this either way. Honestly, I’d argue that any sour cocktail can be converted into a refreshing highball simply by adding soda or sparkling wine.
I’d definitely consider switching out the gin for a nice blanco tequila, I think that flavor combination would also work well.
The recipe calls for muddling the cucumber in your cocktail shaker first, but I personally found that if you just slice it very thinly it will get torn apart during the shaking and essentially achieve the exact same effect. Have no fear, the cucumber will all be strained out if you are using a cobbler style shaker like I do. Otherwise you should of course strain the cocktail.
For our last cocktail, I decided to go with an ancestral non-sour style to complement our cheese and fruit platter and fruit tarts. My friends brought along some Irish whisky so with due apologies to the Scottish and traditionalists, I decided to make a Bobby Burns with it. This is essentially a Scotch based Manhattan aka a Rob Roy kicked up a notch with the addition of honeyed spice liqueur. Below is the variation I used:
BOBBY BURNS
Spirits: 2 parts Scotch or Irish whisky
Liqueurs: .5 parts Benedictine or Drambruie (Benedictine is traditional; see below)
Fruit: None
Sweets: None
Bitters: 1 part Vermouth
Sodas: None
Stir all ingredients together gently on ice and pour into a glass over ice. Enjoy.
One taste of this and my friend described this delicious beauty as, quote: “A kicked up Scotch Manhattan.” I’d say that’s a pretty apt description. Now for some notes on the cocktail:
The original recipe calls strictly for Benedictine as the liqueur which makes absolutely no sense to me with the existence of Drambruie. Both are rich 40% ABV honey and spice liqueurs with the difference being that Benedictine uses a neutral spirit base and Drambruie uses a Scotch base. On the palate, the honey is much more pronounced in Drambruie and the Scotch note is there, but I personally find the liqueurs so identical other than those two notes that I have no issue substituting the Drambruie in. In fact, I’d probably use it for non-whisky based cocktails that called for Benedictine as well. Truthfully, though, it’s a matter of personal taste and preference whether one wants to go for the Drambruie or stick to the traditional recipe.
Every recipe I found called for a garnish of some kind: lemon slice, lemon twist, orange twist, or orange wheel. One even call for orange bitters to be dropped directly into the drink when mixing and shaking. There seems to be no agreement on this so I leave it to everyone’s own personal tastes.
I found the White Linen as well, it seems to be the same except for 1.5 parts instead of 2 parts Gin and using fresh lime juice instead of fresh lemon juice. I will definitely try out this variation.
COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: ENTRE LAS SABANAS (Spanish variation of Between the Sheets)
My next cocktail is a remake of a classic done with a trio of twists to it. Below is the variation I did on the Between the Sheets which I have renamed into the Spanish Entre las Sabanas:
ENTRE LAS SABANAS
Spirits: 1 Part Brandy de Jerez; 1 part Rum
Liqueurs: 1 part Grand Marnier
Fruit: 1 part Lemon
Sweets: None
Bitters: None
Sodas: None
Shake all ingredients together with ice and pour into a glass over ice. Enjoy.
This is a classic sour remade with some very high-end ingredients that plays really interestingly on the nose and over the palate. On the nose, all I can smell is the Grand Marnier. But on the palate, there is an equal interplay between the smooth rum, the rich Brandy de Jerez and the bright lemon and Grand Marnier. The three spirits used are pretty much the sweetest as spirits go and the Grand Marnier of course has added sugar but the cocktail itself is surprisingly quite dry and even has quite a saline note to it thanks to the Brandy de Jerez and the rum. Now for some notes on the cocktail:
The original Between the Sheets recipe calls strictly for light aka white aka silver rum, Triple Sec and standard brandy as the alcoholic components in equal parts so purists feel free to use these.
So why my variation? Because I hate two of the standard ingredients with a passion. The abomination that is light/white/silver rum is absolutely disgusting. Rum that has had its color along with most of its flavor components and antioxidant properties stripped out via filtering for the novelty of making it a clear liquid. What you’re left with can barely even be called rum. It’s just mind-boggling that rum manufacturers put their product through this expensive time consuming process to deliberately produce an inferior product than that which they started out with. Even worse, the general public laps the stuff up by the barrel. Pathetic. The only other alcoholic product I find as revolting is cream sherry which goes through the exact same process. What’s the damn point? May as well just drink simple syrup with artificial rum extract added into it.
The other issue I have is with Triple Sec, a cheap alcoholic liqueur that uses sugar to cover the fact that it contains far less alcohol and orange essence than a decent and proper 40% ABV curacao style liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier for example. Almost as pathetic as white rum.
I switched up the brandy to a high end Brandy de Jerez. Brandy de Jerez is aged in sherry-soaked barrels which provide nuttiness, fruitness and salinity depending on what type of sherry barrel was used to age the brandy. In my case, I used the Cruz Conde VSOP 15 year old Brandy de Jerez which is aged in PX Sherry barrels which add a touch of both salinity and raisiny sweetness.
I switched out the white rum for a reasonably high-end Flor de Cana 18 year old rum so I could get some real rum flavor into the drink. Then I subbed in Grand Marnier Cuvée de Centenaire for the Triple Sec. I feel this resulted in a pretty intense but delicious cocktail.
I’d be very curious to try this cocktail subbing in either my homemade Pineapple, Peach, Mango, or Apricot Marniers in place of the Grand Marnier to see what difference they would make to the flavor of the cocktail.
My next cocktail proved to be quite controversial for me in every aspect; its formulation, my choice of ingredients and its final results. I avoid low end sweet liqueurs like the plague but I came across an interesting variation of the Apricot Sour cocktail by Steve the Bartender on YouTube and decided to try it out:
APRICOT SOUR
Spirits: 1 Part Bourbon
Liqueurs: 1 part Apricot Brandy
Fruit: 1 part Lemon
Sweets: 1 part simple syrup
Bitters: .5 part Egg white
Sodas: None
Shake all ingredients together WITHOUT ice aka do a ‘dry’ shake first to foam up the cocktail. Then add ice and shake again. Pour into a glass. Enjoy.
The original Apricot Sour cocktail only calls for lemon juice and cheap Apricot Brandy liqueur. Steve the Bartender does a version on his YouTube channel where he uses equal parts of a high-end artisanal apricot brandy and Bulleit bourbon so I decided to give it a shot. I got the apricot on the nose right away but as I continued to drink it faded out and the smoky bourbon took over. On the palate the bourbon dominates and the apricot is barely there before the sour lemon kicks in and then the smoky bourbon notes fill out the finish as the lemon makes my mouth pucker. The egg white adds a nice decorative foam on top and a touch of suppleness to the texture and mouthfeel but otherwise has no effect whatsoever on the taste as it completely separates from the liquid. For all intents and purposes, this may as well have been just a standard Whisky Sour the way the final result turned out. It is only when I completely finish my glass and let the finish linger on my palate a little do I finally get another apricot note in the finish lingering in the still quite powerful and lasting Bourbon finish which seems to go on forever.
You can read my notes on the cocktail below but quick bottom line is that you should skip the use of Bourbon and go with 2 parts apricot brandy alone or 1 part apricot brandy and 1 part regular brandy:
The original Apricot Sour calls for Apricot brandy liqueur and lemon juice only. I wouldn’t trust a commercial apricot brandy to contain anything other than sugar, water, cheap alcohol and artificial apricot flavor. I passed in favor of my own homemade Apricot Marnier. Much better quality. So much so that maybe I should have just used two parts of it without the Bourbon as I’ll discuss further below because I really don’t get any apricot flavor in the finished cocktail and the apricot flavor of my homemade Marnier is quite intense on its own.
While Steve uses Bulleit in his variation, I used a single ounce of my Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 25 year old Bourbon. This will induce either awe or horror in anyone reading this, but this is the only Bourbon I have on hand and it was just an ounce so in it went. It completely dominated the cocktail. Now this could be because the premium bourbon I used is simply too strong of a bourbon for this cocktail. On the other hand, that kind of implies a much weaker bourbon is actually necessary in order to balance the cocktail which IMHO is wrong. If a better ingredient unbalances a cocktail, IMHO something is wrong with the cocktail and not the ingredients. Given that the standard recipe calls for just cheap apricot brandy liqueur, I feel I was better off using a full 2 parts of my Apricot Marnier instead and not using any bourbon at all and continuing with the recipe. Or maybe 1 part Apricot Brandy and 1 part regular brandy which I feel would’ve been a much more complementary spirit than Bourbon now that I’ve had it.
This is the first sour cocktail recipe that directly calls for the addition of an egg white that I’ve done. I see many sour cocktails that call for the addition of egg white and many that don’t. I’ve been hesitant to use it for fear of how it might alter the taste of the cocktail. I needn’t have worried. Aside from the nice visual of the egg white foam on top of the glass and a slight suppleness to the texture, I really didn’t find it altered the taste in much of any way. So much so that I would’ve been just fine without it. That’s probably because the egg white immediately separates itself from the rest of the liquid as it floats on top. I’d be just as happy ditching the egg white out of any sour cocktail that calls for it after this. And if I’m being honest, it’s just a mess to clean out of the cocktail shaker so there’s that disincentive as well. Looks cool, though, I’d definitely do it if I was making the drink to impress someone else but I can pass on egg whites in the future if just for myself.
If you’re wondering why I’ve listed the egg white as a bitter, it’s because as a weightlifter and fitness fanatic who drinks egg whites for breakfast every morning, I can assure you that raw egg white has an odd flavor that can only be described as a bland slimy bitterness. It’s not a very strong bitterness, but it’s definitely there. And that does allow me to slot it into my formula easily. Not that I’ll be using egg whites in any future cocktails, I think.
I’d love to but it is unavailable here in Canada. The SAQ in Montreal does carry his pear eau de vie for the astonishing price of $167.25 CDN for a 500 ml bottle. That must be some damn awesome Poire Williams at that price. Hope his apricot liquor is the same.
COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: APRICOT BRANDY SOUR – FIXING THE APRICOT SOUR
I really should be moving on to the next new cocktail but I can’t because since last night’s post I’ve been obsessed with fixing the Apricot Sour. I can’t have a cocktail called an Apricot Sour without having any actual apricot flavor to it! So after sleeping on it I decided to fix this thing by switching out the Bourbon from Steve the Bartender’s recipe for some Brandy:
APRICOT BRANDY SOUR
Spirits: 1 Part Brandy
Liqueurs: 1 part Apricot Brandy
Fruit: 1 part Lemon
Sweets: none
Bitters: .5 part Egg white
Sodas: None
Shake all ingredients together WITHOUT ice aka do a ‘dry’ shake first to foam up the cocktail. Then add ice and shake again. Pour into a glass. Enjoy.
Now this is much better. The brandy is far, far more complimentary to my homemade Apricot Marnier and I can smell and taste the intense natural apricot this time. Since I’m using my Cruz Conde VSOP 15 YO Brandy de Jerez, I’m getting a nice raisin note in there as well on the palate but that’s really just a bonus. In essence, this has become an apricot flavored version of a classic Sidecar. I’m totally okay with that. A couple of quick notes.
In fixing this cocktail, I completely omitted the simple syrup used in Steve the Bartender’s version as I figured it would be sweet enough as it is. I was correct. Note that the Brandy de Jerez adds a touch more sweetness due to the aging in PX barrels but honestly this would really be fine without the simple syrup even if you used brandy aged in regular oak casks.
In comparing the two, I’d say the main difference is that the lack of signature Bourbon char and smoke flavor overpowering everything is why this is working so well now. Which means that a weaker Bourbon is in fact required to make the original cocktail work. As I said in my last post, that to me indicates it is the cocktail formulation that needs changing and not the ingredients.
I omitted the egg white this time but honestly it wouldn’t affect the taste so feel free to add or omit as you like. Just remember to dry shake first to foam up the egg white if you’re going to use and then add ice to your shaker and shake again.
COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: APRICOT CANUCKLEHEAD SOUR – FIXING THE APRICOT SOUR II
Still obsessed with fixing the Apricot Sour, I began to wonder if any whisky other than Bourbon would complement the apricot brandy as well as the Brandy did. I know the Bourbon doesn’t work so Irish, Scotch and Canadian whisky are the remaining candidates. I decided to go with Canadian whisky as it is the closest to Steve the Bartender’s recipe:
APRICOT CANUCKLEHEAD SOUR
Spirits: 1 Part Canadian Whisky
Liqueurs: 1 part Apricot Brandy
Fruit: 1 part Lemon
Sweets: none
Bitters: .5 part Egg white
Sodas: None
Shake all ingredients together WITHOUT ice aka do a ‘dry’ shake first to foam up the cocktail. Then add ice and shake again. Pour into a glass. Enjoy.
Yes, this works as well. The Canadian Whisky is a much better matchup than the Bourbon was. The nose is a mix of apricot and buttered popcorn. No surprise there given both the high corn content of Canadian Whisky but without the strong char and caramel notes of Bourbon. On the palate, the apricot flavor dominates but there’s a nice creamed corn note to complement it as well as a slight touch of salinity. While the Brandy de Jerez was a superior match for my Apricot Marnier, this really isn’t that far behind it and maybe even just a tad more complex.
Like we Canadians ourselves, Canadian Whisky lives in the shadow of its American friend and neighbor, destined to forever be the unwanted bridesmaid next to the juggernaut that is American Whiskey aka Bourbon. To be fair, there is a difference in both the process of making both whiskies and the end result that are quite marked despite using the same main ingredients in their mashbills: corn, rye and barley. Famed and now retired Canadian distiller and winemaker John Hall once explained the difference to me. Bourbon’s mashbill is usually cooked together and the distillate famously aged in heavily charred American oak barrels. Canadian Whisky’s components are distilled and aged separately in barrels of varying chars and then blended together to compose a final product. The corn goes into the highest toasted barrel. So in essence, American style Bourbon is actually one of the components of Canadian Whisky. Fancy that.
Of course, the end result is quite different. Bourbon is strong, powerful, and in your face with powerful notes of caramel, vanilla, toasted grain and smokiness. Canadian Whisky tends to much softer and rounder with a creamy texture and nutty flavor. That probably explains why it works so well in this readjusted sour. It doesn’t want to be the star player, it just wants to get along with everyone. How typically Canadian.
The Canadian Whisky I’m using isn’t exactly a slouch. The Gooderham & Wort’s Wellington 49 is a special release that uses not only corn, rye and barley whiskies but also some Canadian grown Winter Red wheat whisky which does in fact give the whisky a bit of a reddish hue as you can see in the picture below.