Reformed Cynic

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Hard Times

I'm tying up a loose-end cocktail review from episode 10 , "Hands and Knees ", which was painful to watch, and I haven't been able to write much about it until now. In it, we see Layne bullied by his father, Don have a panic attack, and Joan forced to traverse a lonely path once more.

Intense scenes, intense cocktails. My boyfriend, who was feeling a little under the weather and stuffed up, had a cool-weather favourite, mulled Cider. In it's Noir incarnation, the Body Heat Cider:

Taking your standard apple cider with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, it was transformed into the cup that cheers with the addition of Sailor Jerry’s Rum, Ruby Port, and a splash of Apricot Brandy. Not only will it warm your heart and clear your sinuses, it will give you the courage to endure when forced to listen to off-key carolers!

My cocktail was cold yet spicy,the fire-water tinged Satan Met a Lady. A piquant delight of Bols Genever and Cointreau, flavored with simple syrup, Hot Pepper water and lemon.

Lemony-yellow with frothy clouds, it's a spicy lemonade with both a pucker and bite. Witness the frothy clouds of ice and lemon afloat in the glass:

Cold yet scorching...

Tonight, the season finale - who will Don run off with this time, and like me, does anyone else think that Joan has kept her baby?

 

 

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Felling the Chinese Wall

Don, Don, Don... Just as soon as you show signs of rehabilitation, the backslide begins and you undo all of your hard work.. and speaking of sliding into dangerous territory, anyone else here think that Megan is either a) an agent provocateur planted by Ted Chaough b)trying to advance in the manner most people believe Peggy did, i.e. sleeping with Don ?

Our drinks this week were definitely autumnal fare, featuring the fruits and vegetables of the season. First, my boyfriend had the very appropriate Naughty O'Pear, which I'd previously reviewed in September, but once again delighted with the lovely addition of Belle de Brillet and pear nectar. It's a chilled, alcoholic pear dessert soup in a glass.

My adventurous foray into Pumpkin-flavored cocktails was not all I'd hoped. After hearing it described two weeks ago as "autumn in a glass", I had to give You Only Live Once a Try. Made of Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum, pumpkin puree, an egg white, cream, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, it tasted like a liquid pumpkin pie filling.

Interesting at first, but unless quaffed in one long draught, it becomes watery and "mushy" as it sits, much like a real pumpkin pie. How can a drink be described as mushy? Well, the drink began to separate, with the cream base diluted by the rum,and the egg white somehow becoming more solid. I would not order this again, but I love the idea of it, and the presentation was luscious - note the brown-sugared rim.

With only two episodes left this season, what will the repercussions of Don's actions this season be? Will MPs come to his tenement door to arrest him for desertion, or will Alison arrive with a wriggling bundle of surprise?

 

Sweetly Bitter: A Spritz at Beacon Hill Bistro

There's something singularly refreshing about the bitter taste - palate-cleansing, a hard reset of senses dulled by too much salty or sweet. In the mood for something bubbly and close by, I made my way to the bar at Beacon Hill Bistro.  I wasn't sure if I wanted a Campari-and-soda, a French 75 or the like, or just a straight glass of the sparkly stuff. Fortunately, I could have both bitter and bubbly in a Spritz, a joyous mix of Prosecco and either Campari or Aperol. New to me, I decided to try Aperol, which is apparently Campari's paler, less alcoholic cousin. 

A color between pale ruby and dark gold, the Spritz was a delightful mix of the sweet (and sometimes cloying) Prosecco and the lightly bitter Aperol. Much like a tart Ruby-red Grapefruit, it was cleansing to my palate, and the bubbles added to my refreshment. I do think this would also be a great introduction to Bitters for the uninitiated.

 

Want to enjoy this on a weekday at leisure? Stop by between 3 - 5 PM - the after-work crowd arrives in force after 5:30 PM.. Santé.
 

New Kid in the Square: The Trafalgar at Russell House Tavern

On one of my usual jaunts through Harvard Square, I noticed signs of life behind the papered windows of the late Z-Square on JFK Street, and wondered who would next try their hand here. In an Urban Daddy post a few days later, I discovered that the Russell House Tavern would be opening, and made a mental note to stop by.

So new the exterior sign had not yet arrived, everything from the tiled floor to the slightly skittish hostess had a glossy sheen to it. I sat at the bar, curious to see how a Gastropub would craft a drink. Instead of benchmarking it by ordering a house G&T (a pretty good measure by which one can evaluate a bar), I skimmed the drinks menu and settled on the Battle of Trafalgar:

A Scotch-colored blend of Pimm's No1, St. Germain, Batavia-Arrack, Lime, and a Honey Simple syrup, it tasted rather like Mead. The St. Germain overpowered the Pimm's - which thoroughly surprised me; Pimm's can generally be tasted at 100 paces. While quite sweet - would Lord Nelson have allowed this tipple aboard - it wasn't cloyingly so. One could almost call this "A Man's Sweet Drink" - honey tempers , but the Arrack (a rice distillate) lends street cred, and the Pimm's a pit of polish.

Might I also mention how reasonably-priced Russell House Tavern's drinks are, especially for the neighborhood in which it resides?

A Lackluster Thanksgiving Indian Summer at Clink

As I catch up with my holiday drink blogging, here's my Thanksgiving Day cocktail experience at Clink, one of the restaurants in the Liberty Hotel here in Boston MA.

Finding myself without plans for Thanksgiving, I decided to just have a quiet meal and give thanks in my own introspective way. Getting a last-minute reservation for lunch through OpenTable (which, quite frankly, surprised me by its availability), I headed over fully expecting a very early taste of the dinner menu.

I was a tad disappointed to find that it was the regular lunch only, but decided to compensate by having a cocktail, the Indian Summer. Made with Grey Goose's Le Citron, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, muddled raspberries and water, it tasted rather like a Snapple foray into hard lemonade.

The best thing that I can say about this drink is that the muddling was great! The raspberries were appropriately crushed, and seemed well incorporated into the drink itself:

Overall, I did not care for the drink - there was too much liquid, and the vodka itself settled at the bottom of the water glass, which was far too large for this drink. With less water, smaller slivers of lime garnish, and and of course less raspberry - and served in an appropriately sized glass - it would have been a delightful reminder of warmer days. Instead, it tasted like a drink teen friends would make by doctoring their lemonade with vodka when Mum and Dad weren't looking.

I'll blog more about my experiences in the Liberty Hotel's Lounge area, which are always first-rate..

Martinis at a Beer Joint: Pomegranate Martini at Rock Bottom

Happy New Year, dear friends! May 2010 bring you all of your best wishes, purest hopes and desires. I've taken a little bit of a break from blogging, but am back in full-force and have a few great Holiday-season drink experiences to post in the days ahead. Prost!

Now, on to my tale of sampling cocktails at a brew pub. I had some visitors in from out-of-town, and we decided to dine and catch up at our local Rock Bottom, a brewery pub chain. I of course started with an obligatory Mug Club sized beer, then perused the cocktail menu. I decided on the Pomegranate Martini, consisting of Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, Absolut Citron up with a twist, and a sugared rim. The sugared rim seemed excessive (let's nip elevated blood glucose levels in the bud, kids), so it was nixed.

About 10 minutes later, this pleasant little glass arrived:

Pleasantly pink, it was well chilled, and after the first few sips I declared it a success. As it sat for a bit, though, I think the ingredients settled somewhat, and as I drank and the liquid in the glass concentrated, the Martini tasted more and more like that Red Children's Robitussin I so despised.

Not terrible - the bar did not skimp on the alcoholic raw materials - though it's definitely not going into my annals of cocktail fame. This Martini should only be drunk ice cold and at speed, so as to avoid the inevitable medicinal taste.

Then again, I was dining in a brewery, not a distillery.. Next time, I'll just stick to beer!