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

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

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!