Too Soon

This cocktail is a variant based on the “Too Soon” cocktail found in Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske and a version found here. Petraske’s text recommends this as a pre-prandial drink, which makes sense, given its excellent mixture of fruity sweetness with the dry finish that comes from the bitterness of the amaro used in it, Cynar. Although Gordon’s Cup will remain our standard summer cocktail for visitors, this is the first time I’ve used an amaro and thought, “This might be more broadly liked than by the cocktail snobs on the mountain top…."!

We make it as follows.

Shake in a shaker filled with ice.

1 oz. Bombay Sapphire (But any gin that is fragrantly botanical will work)

1 oz. Cynar

1 / 2 oz. Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar to water; to taste, you might add another 1/4 oz.)

3/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice (Some recipes call for lemon)

1/4 oz. Orange Juice (or 2 orange slices)

Shake and serve in a Martini Glass

Beatitude and Butter

This cocktail is to accompany my lecture on the theological treatise on beatitude. Although this is not the season for cocktails, prior to Christmas, I am prepping a list of potential options for Christmastide celebrations. Here is a good option for a cold winter day: hot buttered rum! (This recipe is adapted from The Spruce Eats.)

Mix these together in an 8oz mug

1 tsp. dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp. softened butter

1 / 3 tsp. each: Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice

Add fluid:

2 oz. dark rum (I have used Myers Dark or Diplomatico Mantuano)

1 / 3 tsp. (to taste depending on rum used) vanilla extract

Top off with hot water and stir

If hosting, serve with a cinnamon stick

For Our Lady's Immaculate Conception - White Lady

I’m a bit behind on cocktails, as this is not the season to be having them, prior to Christmas. However, for the feast of the Immaculate conception, I wanted to post a little frothy and excellent-tasting cocktail. (Bear in mind all the normal health risks of using raw eggs, etc.) This needs to be well shaken, so as to get the appropriate froth from the egg.

Vigorously shake all of these together

2 oz. Gin, I used Tanqueray No. 10 (We keep various gins, as this is my wife’s preferred base, especially in the summer. Bombay Sapphire would work too, as would regular Tanqueray. You want sufficient botanicals to shine through.)

0.5 oz Orange Liqueur (I used Cointreau. I think that Grand Marnier is just a little to cloying for this.)

0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

1 egg white

Serve in a Martini Glass

Can ya Canchánchara?

Well, after a bit of lofty discussion about De Deo ut Uno, my wife recommended a rum based drink. I’m not into the super-sweet stuff, but I found something that was interesting…. Canchánchara! My version is derived from this edition.

Mix the following in a shaker

1 tbsp. Honey

1 tbsp. Hot water

Stir together

Add ice

0.5 oz Lime juice

2.5 oz. Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum

Shake and serve in a highball glass

1 oz. Ambrosia (An aperitif by the DC distillery, Don Ciccio & Figli; this replaces the Aperol called for by the Contessa)

1 oz. Dry Vermouth (I just used Martini and Rossi)

Garnish with a lemon twist in a rocks glass, with a single big ice cube if possible

Farewell to Patrick

Whew….! Death, judgment, heaven, and hell—all along with the bombast of the arguments over Christian Universalism. (The weight of the whole affair makes me use the image from Hieronymous Bosch above—sobering indeed!) A slightly lighter and semi-fruitier beverage is here provided, in light of the weighty panel discussion I had tonight on Reason and Theology. It is an adaptation of the Negroni. I based it on a drink called the Contessa, but I will call it “Farewell to Patrick,” in honor of my brother-in-law, who gave me the aperitif, Ambrosia, used in the cocktail. (He and his wife are relocating for work, so I tip my glass to their new adventure!)

Mix the following in a shaker filled with ice

1 oz. Gin (I used Beefeater to push back against the sweetness of the Ambrosia)

1 oz. Ambrosia (An aperitif by the DC distillery, Don Ciccio & Figli; this replaces the Aperol called for by the Contessa)

1 oz. Dry Vermouth (I just used Martini and Rossi)

Garnish with a lemon twist in a rocks glass, with a single big ice cube if possible

Aviation Cocktail - Flying to the Divine Heights

This evening, I’ll be having a cocktail after my talk on De deo ut uno (and just as importantly, the place of the Tractatus de Deo in theology as a whole, at least from a Thomist perspective). Since I will be sharing the cocktail with my wife, I thought, “Go look at the gin options," given that gin is always a go-to for her. Thus, after digging around and thinking a bit, I thought: use that weird violet liqueur you bought last year, The Bitter Truth. Well, my only quickly-recalled go-to for this is the Aviation Cocktail. (I effectively am drawing from this, with very slight adaptations.)

Mix the following in a shaker filled with ice

2 oz. gin (My wife prefers Bombay Sapphire. I would prefer Tanqueray for this, as like something even more dry to go along with the bitter components. I’m of the opinion that the other sweet components do the job otherwise.)

1/2 oz. Freshly lemon juice (fresh if possible)

1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur (Luxardo if possible; make it a light 1/2 oz.)

1/4 oz. Crème de Violette (I will be using The Bitter Truth)

Garnish with a lemon twist in a martini glass

Gordon's Cup

I suppose Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange is the house theologian in our little Appalachian abode, for I have spend more hours with his work than likely any other modern theologian. (God has a sense of humor, no doubt, given my life as a Ruthenian Catholic.) At my wife’s recommendation, this fresh cocktail has become our “house cocktail.” It matches even the palate of my mother-in-law, who is picky about such things! It is a fresh drink that is particularly good for the summer.

Muddle these in a mixer:

3-5 cucumber slices (Don’t totally mash, but get them relatively soft)

1 lime, cut into 8 pieces (Don’t push all the juice out, however)

1/2 oz. Simple Syrup (Some use up to 3/4 oz.)

Add the following and shake with ice:

2-2.5 oz. Gin (I prefer the bite of Tanqueray. My wife likes Bombay Sapphire for something slightly smoother. If you want to bring out the cucumber motif, I recommend Hendrick’s.)

Pour into a cold rocks glass filled with regular ice cubes.

Top with fresh cracked pepper and salt

Enjoy on a hot evening!

Vieux Carré

Let’s go to the Old Square. This was my cocktail of choice for my Reason and Theology interview on June 16, 2020. It’s a cosmopolitan cocktail of sorts, reflecting the many dynamics of the world of New Orleans in the 1930s. This particular recipe is adapted from version sent to me by my brother-in-law, an expert in all such matters cocktail. Perfect for a cooler summer evening - still warm enough to call for sweetness, but just a crispness on the air in June Appalachia to call for the strong Rye.

• From Appalachia: 1 oz. Rye (Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye)

• From France: 1 oz. Cognac (Tonight, I used Courvousier.)

• Another touch of France: 0.25 oz. of Benedictine and Brandy

• A bit of Italy: 0.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Tonight, I used Martini and Rossi.)

• Bitters from the islands: 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters; 6 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

• A bit of California: Lemon twist

Stir the drink in a mixing glass or shaker with ice. Pour into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube.