Cicada's Knees bulk cocktail

This is a variation of the classic Bee's Knees cocktail that we made in bulk for a party as Brood X Cicadas started emerging. It was very well received, and we've made it a number of times this Cicada season. We use both lemon and lime, and steep the hulls in the Gin which adds a huge aroma to the drink. Start the day before to give it time to extract. It's proportioned to fit in a standard 750 ml (26 ounce) wine bottle for portability. 

16 oz Gin

 4 oz Lemon/Lime Juice, freshly squeezed (about 4), keep the skins

 4 oz Honey

 2 oz Water

Squeeze the Lemons and Limes to get 4 ounces of Juice.

Gently heat to dissolve the Honey in Water. 

Strain Juice into Honey Syrup and hold in fridge overnight in a 750 ml bottle.

In a mixing bowl, pour the Gin over the Lemon/Lime shells, and muddle to release oils from the skins;

cover to reduce evaporation and let sit overnight.

Remove each citrus husk and squeeze the retained Gin into the bowl.

Strain the Gin into the 750 ml bottle on top of the Honey/Citrus Syrup.

Shake to combine, chill.

Serve over ice.

Barrel-Aged Negroni, Manhattan Cocktails

Irene got me a couple oak barrels so we're barrel-aging some of our favorite cocktails: the Negroni and Manhattan. The hardest part is waiting! Newer wood and smaller barrels impart more flavor, older and larger take longer. We'll try them after 2 weeks. Both use our home made vermouth.

The Negroni's a bitter and bracing concoction, not sweet and sharp enough to have another and another. It's easy to make, even when drunk, since the proportions are 1:1:1.

We used the 1L cask, so:

• 325 ml Vermouth (use a tasty one, not an insipid one)
• 325 ml Campari
• 325 ml Gin (a tasty one, but not so refined you should drink it neat)

Mix and pour into the barrel.

The Manhattan is a classic, but I never cared for them until I used a really flavorful Vermouth. The Makers Mark bourbon is surprisingly inexpensive, more so than the rot gut you should never drink, but not so dear as the comparable Woodford, Basil Haden, etc.  We use some juice from Maraschino-style cherries we made, it rounds it out. For 2 Liters:

• 1350 ml Bourbon
• 450 ml Vermouth (tasty)
• 150 ml Cherry Juice

Aviation Cocktail (layered)

The Aviation is a classic cocktail but uses a couple of unusual ingredients. The Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur may not be in your liquor locker, but it's readily available. The Creme de violette is a more unusual, and wasn't available in the U.S. until 2007 but without it you don't get the deep sky blue fading to purple. I make this as a layered drink to mimic the sky, just throwing it together tastes fine, but is monochromatic like a Blue Moon cocktail.

 

This recipe is based on ColdGlass.com which discusses various gins and that the higher amount of lemon is more suitable for hot days; sweet lemons are not as intense as tart ones. I've tried upping the Violette and it becomes overpowering very quickly. Use the real Maraschino Cherries from Luxardo: they're pricey but worth it; the kiddie ones -- even the natural ones from Tillen Farms -- don't do the drink justice. I ended up making my own from farmers market cherries when they were in season; they're tasty but not as meaty as the definitive Luxardo ur-cherries.

Some folks I've served this to find it a bit too intensely lemony. When layered, the top is going to be mostly gin and lemon. You might suggest stirring the creme de violette through the drink to balance the tartness. Layer this drink into a martini glass -- it's stunning.

 

For 1 drink:

 

60 ml    2 oz  Gin 

15 ml  1/2 oz  Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

10 ml  1/4 oz  Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

10 ml  1/4 oz  Creme de violette (Rothman and Winter)

 1       1     Maraschino Cherry (not clown-nose colored ones)

 

Combine the Gin, Luxardo Liqueur, and Lemon and shake on ice. Strain into martini glasses. Drop a Maraschino Cherry through the drink to the bottom of the glass; I like to dribble a few drops of the thick liquid that clings to them for color.

Carefully drizzle the Creme de Violette through the drink slowly and let it settle to the bottom as a layer.