Dangerously dark and delicious, this “Scotch Manhattan” will definitely help you forget about the work week behind you. The Rob Roy, best described as “a gentleman’s drink that will put hair on your chest”, has been around for a long, long time.

The cocktail is thought to have been invented at the Old Waldorf Hotel in 1894, around the time an opera inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s book Rob Roy, opened in Herald Square, and thus the name. Another factor that may have contributed to the creation of this drink, is that Dewar’s Scotch Whiskey was first introduced to New York also around this time, and the name may have been given to stimulate liquor sales. Regardless the drink is now considered a true classic and part of the American culture.

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Rob Roy

Dangerously dark and delicious, this Scotch Manhattan is best described as “A gentleman’s drink that will put hair on your chest.”

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

Classic Rob Roy

• 1 ½ oz scotch
• ½ oz sweet vermouth
• 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters

Dry Rob Roy

• 1 ½ oz scotch
• ½ oz dry vermouth
• 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters

Perfect Rob Roy

• 1 ½ oz scotch
• ½ oz equal parts dry/sweet vermouth
• 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters

Instructions

Classic Rob Roy

• Pour scotch, vermouth and bitters over ice. Stir and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.
• Garnish with maraschino cherry.

Dry Rob Roy

• Pour scotch, vermouth and bitters over ice. Stir and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.
• Garnish with lemon twist

Perfect Rob Roy

• Pour scotch, vermouth and bitters over ice. Stir and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.
• Garnish with maraschino cherry or lemon twist.

The story of Rob Roy was also retold in a 1995 movie by director Michael Caton-Jones, starring Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange.

Perhaps it would be a good night to rent the movie, drink a scotch, and maybe enjoy some shepherds pie?. Well whatever your weekend holds for you, I hope you take some time to enjoy!

Deliciously fruity, packing a powerful punch, the hurricane cocktail is a great way to forget about the work week. Named for the shape of the glass it is served in, (resembling a hurricane lamp), this sweet, daiquiri style drink came into existence in a small bar in New Orleans.

During the 1930’s, Pat O’Brien owned a speakeasy in the French Quarter. When prohibition ended, O’Brien converted his operation into a legitimate establishment. Business was good, and the place was always filled with local folks sharing lively conversation, enjoying music played on the upright piano in the corner of the bar. It wasn’t long before Pat’s business was busting at the seams, so O’Brien decided to become partners with his good friend Charlie Cantrell, and together they purchased a larger building just a block away at 718 St. Peter Street, where it is still in operation today.

Whiskey, bourbon and scotch were in short supply in the early 1940’s. Local liquor men strong armed bar owners to buy large amounts of rum (which was readily available) in order to get the liquor they needed. O’Brien created the hurricane, and gave it to sailors as a way to get rid of the extra rum. Well the drink caught on, and the rest is history. Today the hurricane is as iconic to New Orleans as the saxophone and the crayfish, and no visit to the French Quarter would be complete with out one.

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Hurricane Cocktail

Believed to be the original Hurricane cocktail recipe from Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz light rum
• 2 oz dark rum
• 2 oz passion fruit juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon grenadine
• orange slice and cherry

Instructions

• Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice.
• Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

I hope everyone enjoys a fantastic weekend!

Smooth, delicious, and refreshing, the white Russian is like an iced-coffee with an added kick, and a perfect way to end your week.

The White Russian as we enjoy it today was first documented in the Oakland Tribune in November 1965. According to the Oxford English Dictionary this is widely believed to be the first published instance of the cocktail. However a cocktail called the “White Russian” appeared in a Southern Comfort ad in the Boston Globe that predates the Oakland mention, as one of the cocktails to make using the now long forgotten Coffee Southern liqueur.

The black Russian is understood to have originated in Brussels, Belgium in 1949. Neither drink is actually Russian, the name was given because of the use of vodka. There is speculation that both drinks may have been invented around the same time and that only written credit was given to the drink in the mid 60’s.

The white Russian became quite popular during the 70’s disco craze, but seemed to have been packed away with the mirrored balls and forgotten, until a 1998 Coen brother film, The Big Lewbowski starring Jeff Bridges singlehandedly vaulted the drink into the realm of legends.

Another movie reference to the famous cocktail is the 2004 film Catwoman, when the protagonist orders a drink.  “White Russian, no ice, no vodka … hold the Kahlua”

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White Russian

Cool, smooth, and delicious. Coffee liquor with a velvety finish.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 1 oz Kahula
• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz cream or half and half

Instructions

• Fill a rocks glass with ice.
• Add the first to ingredients and stir.
• Add the cream and stir again.

Notes

As most drinks that have been around for a while there are many variations, here a just a few.

 White Canadian – made with goat’s milk

 Blind Russian – made with Baileys Irish Cream instead of cream

White Mexican – made with horchata

Anna Kournikova- made with skimmed milk

White Cuban – made with rum instead of vodka

 As always I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Appropriately named, this old fashioned cocktail has been around a long time, first documented in the May 6, 1806 edition of The Balance and Columbia Repository in Hudson, New York. In describing the drink known at the time as a bittered sling, the paper’s editor wrote, “a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar”.

The first alleged use of the specific name “Old Fashioned” was for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail in the 1880s, at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club in Louisville, Kentucky. The recipe is said to have been invented by a bartender at that club, and popularized by a club member and bourbon distiller, Colonel James E. Pepper, who later brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City.

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Old Fashioned Cocktail

The original bourbon whiskey cocktail

Course Cocktails

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 ounce bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1 small sugar cube
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• ¼ ounce seltzer water
• lemon peel
• Ice cubes

Instructions

• Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters and a splash of seltzer water. Using the back a bar spoon or a bar muddle, smash the sugar cube until well dissolved.
• Add bourbon then ice.
• Slice a large piece of lemon peel. Rub the rim of the glass with the lemon and twist it over the drink before serving.

Notes

Being such an old drink many variation have been created from the original. Some using mashing cherries and oranges, this is described as the old fashioned, Old Fashion.

 I hope everyone enjoys a great weekend!