Fernet Branca: The Toronto

First, you need to know that Fernet Branca is one of the scariest liquids I’ve put in my mouth in a long, long time; second, that it is a liqueur highly regarded by the cocktail community.

I warned Leah,“Only buy one bottle,” but, ever-vigilant of quantity discounts, we've got three. Fernet Branca is an amaro, which doesn't come from the Latin word for love, but rather is Italian for “bitter and tragically disgusting yet for some reason we are compelled to drink it.”

Describing Fernet Branca as medicinal and herbal with notes of eucalyptus and mint is a serious understatement; that would be like describing gasoline fumes as earthy and peppery. Think camphor meets green Nyquil. Or, have you ever used Alkalol? Alkalol is a “natural formula” brown menthol liquid that you snort into your sinuses, which both cleanses them of pollen and burns all the flesh off of your nasal passages. Alkalol and Fernet Branca: separated at birth?

If I haven’t scared you away yet, then on to the cocktails! With much trepidation, I poured our first drink: Fernet Branca and Coca-Cola, wildly popular in Argentina.

The responses from the elite panel of judges: Dad says it tastes like Vicks VapoRub meets birch beer. Leah says, "I wouldn’t dump it out," but I notice she doesn’t drink any more of it, and later, she dumps it out. I like the bitter finish, but I simply can’t stomach the menthol edge.

Take two. I mix Fernet Branca with something bolder than Coke: Finger Lakes Distilling’s McKenzie rye whiskey. The resulting drink, the Toronto, is a classic reminiscent of an Old Fashioned, but with an invigorating smack in the nostrils and a bitter finish. The three of us agree we can almost appreciate this cocktail.

Supposedly, Fernet Branca is an acquired taste that develops only with regular drinking. Stay tuned: We’ll revisit this one in a second column and see if the Fernet Branca lands on the bar beside the Campari, or on the bathroom counter next to the neti pot.

The Toronto

2 oz Finger Lakes Distilling McKenzie rye whiskey
¼ ounce Fernet Branca
¼ ounce simple syrup
twist of orange peel

Pour all ingredients over ice. Stir for twenty seconds. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Frequently Asked Questions

People assume that bartenders know things. Facts. Stuff about life. Secrets. Today, I’ll share some answers* to a few questions frequently asked in bars:

Are you open?
Was the door unlocked?

Does bourbon have to be distilled in Kentucky to be called bourbon?
No.

Shake or stir?
Oooo, good one. When you shake a drink, the ice melts more than if you stir it, watering down the cocktail as it melts. A good rule of thumb is if a cocktail is pure liquor, stir it, and if it contains mixers, shake it (unless the mixers are carbonated).

Some people say shaking "bruises" gin. What does "bruising" mean?
It means it hurts if you press on it, or if a friend who thinks he/she is being funny presses on it.

I have a really bad cold/flu/stomach bug. What cocktail do you recommend?
I used to say “water,” but that answer surprisingly does not go over well with thirsty bar patrons who want to imbibe. Besides, alcohol kills germs, right? Personally, I recommend a hot toddy with some fresh grated ginger added. My mum suggests you could try nip of apricot brandy or blackberry liqueur.

Why do I attract so many crazy people?
Um…why do you think?

I’m wondering about that “beer before liquor” rhyme. How does that go and is it true?
Usually, the people who ask this question introduce it with “I just drank two bottles of wine and a twelve-pack of beer. Is it safe to add couple of vodka gimlets into the mix?” To my knowledge, a couple versions of the rhyme exist. My favorite, and the one I stand by, is the version that goes like this: “If you drink too much of anything, you’re probably going to throw up at some point.”

Do I drink too much?
No.

Where’s the bathroom?
Back of the bar and to the right.

Are you sure I don’t drink too much?
No.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop™?
One…two…three....Three licks.

How do you know so much?
*I make it up. When I’m drinking.

Verjuice in a Cocktail

What the hell is verjuice and what is it doing in my fridge? Well, cocktail snobs, you should know the answer already so run away with your tail between your legs. Everyone else, here's an explanation on this increasingly popular liquid used in gastronomical arts.

If you put verjuice (or verjus) in a glass and took a swig, you'd spit it out all over your nice clean white shirt and the kitchen floor. (You should know better than to wear white in the kitchen.) Verjuice is a non-alcoholic juice pressed from unripe grapes. It is best described as sour or acidic, and most commonly is used in place of vinegar or cooking wine.

We recently got our hands on a bottle of local verjuice, called Verjooz, made by Sawmill Creek Vineyards and Red Newt Winery. The flavor and mouthfeel remind me of a seriously tart picked-way-too-early apple.

On the web, there's a few cocktail recipes containing verjuice, including a video of this slick guy who accentuates the French pronunciation (ver-JOO) and shakes his cocktail shaker one-handed. Ooooo, I'm so impressed. In general, verjuice seems to be used in drinks when you want a touch of sour.

Leah and I brought some Verjooz to the Lounge and asked Lil' Claire if she could pair it with Finger Lakes Distilling's Seneca Drums gin. She came up with a cocktail that we're calling the Tropical Locavore Gin and Tonic (until someone comes up with a better name - suggestions?). Lychee juice combined with the apple-ish flavor of Verjooz complements the subtle earthy notes of Seneca Drums gin.

Now if we could just grow lychees in the Finger Lakes...

Tropical Locavore Gin and Tonic

1 and 1/2 ounces of Seneca Drums gin
3/4 ounce lychee juice (OR sub 1/2 ounce St. Germaine elderflower liqueur)
1/4 ounce of Verjooz
tonic water

Fill a rocks glass with ice and add gin, lychee and Verjooz. Top with tonic water.

Editor's note 3/9/10: We've been taste-testing at the Lounge, and we're definitely favoring the St. Germaine over the lychee juice.

Click here to find out where you can buy Verjooz and to find recipes for cooking with verjuice.

The Vesper

I love the name Vesper. It sounds like a superhero. The Vesper. Or even better, the Green Vesper, though superior in name only, since the green one is made with absinthe which tastes like black licorice jellybeans. Bleh.

Last weekend, Leah and I met my parents for dinner at the Hotel Clarence in Seneca Falls, NY. We checked out my parents' room, and ooo-wee, tres chic design. A hotel room even a gay man would love.

Dinner was lovely, too, but I'm going to focus on the cocktails, or I should say, cocktail. Both Leah and I ordered a Vesper, I'm embarrassed to admit, for the first time ever.

After our rave reviews, one of our own superheroes behind the bar, Super Guy, concocted a Vesper using a ratio pleasing to Felicia's palate.

I'm going to name my first born, "Vesper."

The Vesper

1 and 1/4 ounce Stolichnaya vodka
1 and 1/4 ounce Bombay Dry gin
3/4 ounce Lillet Blanc

Stir, don't shake, all ingredients with ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Berry Chocolate Beer

Beer cocktails are on the to-do list. We love beer. We love cocktails. We shall love beer cocktails.

Last year on Valentine's Day, one of our bartenders mixed Young's Double Chocolate Stout with Raspberry Lambic and big bang kapowey. A star was born.

When you care enough to drink the very best.

Berry Chocolate Beer

1/2 Young's Double Chocolate Stout
1/2 Lindemans Framboise Lambic

Serve in a pilsner glass.

Open thread: What are you drinking on Valentine's Day this year?

Cocktails in the Keys: Hemingway Daiquiri

As I write this blog post, I am watching a blizzard take place outside my window. So much for a walk with the dog this morning. Sorry, Eesah. Maybe in June.

Our vacation to Florida seems so far away now. But, as promised, here's a little info about cocktails in the Keys:

They suck.

We probably should have driven into Miami to find some good cocktails, but it's hard to leave a room with a deck on the ocean to drive into traffic and chaos and nightlife, unless the nightlife includes snorkeling and kayaking and alligators, which it might in Miami. I'll never know.

We did drive to Key West, which felt like going to the State Fair. With bars. Maybe even like going to the Trumansburg Fair, on demolition derby night, except less teen mothers. And with bars. The drunken crowds were ten deep on the pier for the sunset which was partially blocked by a circling cruise ship.

We did finally go out in Key Largo to a tiki bar where we drank pre-made fructose-sweetened pina coladas from plastic cups, which tasted pretty good, probably because we drank them on the beach.

So I've got two things for you today: a list of awesome, hidden places to go to eat, drink and play in the Keys, and a tropical drink recipe from Leah that does not involve artificial colors, blenders or seizure-inducing sweeteners.

Drink in the Keys:
The Juice House, Key Largo (MM 103): Cuban coffee and Cuban bread
Any grocery store: A six-pack of Corona and limes

Eat in the Keys:
Puerta Vallarta, Key Largo: Mexican food
Calypso, Key Largo: Seafood
Ma's Fish Camp, Islamorada: Best fish sandwich in the world, plus amazing key lime pie
El Siboney, Key West: Cuban food and Cuban coffee; sangria

Play in the Keys:
John Pennecamp State Park, Key Largo: snorkeling and canoeing
Backcountry Cowboy Outfitters, Islamorada: kayaking
Shark Valley, Everglades: bicycling and alligators

Stay in the Keys:
The Floating Inn, Key Largo

And last, but not least, a drink recipe from Leah. For a coconutty tropical alternative, check out our recipe for a Key Largo cocktail.

Hemingway Daiquiri

2 ounces light rum
1/4 ounce cherry liqueur
juice from two limes
juice from 1/2 grapefruit
simple syrup (half water, half sugar) to taste

Shake all ingredents with ice. Serve in a rocks glass over ice. For best results, drink on the beach.

Cuban Bread

I haven't written about Key Largo cocktails yet because my recently diagnosed allergy to preservatives has prevented me from the partaking of candy-colored tropical fruity goodness blender drinks. Sadly, I've yet to find a bar that squeezes fresh limes for their daiquiris. (Did I spell that right?) I'm sure Ernest Hemingway didn't drink Rose's lime juice or fake yellow #5 margarita mix.

A wonderful food find, though, in the absence of a decent bakery in Key Largo: Cuban bread. All the Cuban delis carry it. Ingredients: water, flour, lard, yeast and salt. No preservatives. And it's made with lard. Brilliant.

Sent from my iPhone.

I Found Out What I'm Missing

Being in Florida is not, in fact, about eating only fresh seafood. It's about eating Mexican food. And Cuban food. The. Best. Food. Ever.

The Mexican shack down the road from our floating inn in Key Largo (recommended by the locals) served me the most amazing ceviche last night for dinner, with leftovers enough to eat it for dinner again tonight. Leah had a shrimp fajita with more grilled jumbo shrimp than she can count, and she can count pretty high. At least to twenty.

Que rico. Que sabor. Que perfecto. Voy a quedar aqui siempre.

Oh, and one other thing: Corona. With lime. And a sunset. Ya.