Even though it may sound like a dainty little drink, this potent marriage of gin and bubbly is name after a giant gun ~ the French 75mm gun ~ used in the First World War. Evidently the cocktail was rumored to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful field gun right in the gut.
The Canon de 75 modèle 1897 the source of the name of the cocktail
Simply named 75 (Soixante Quinze in French), the original recipe differed slightly in that it was served over cracked ice in a tall glass, similar to a Tom Collins, with champagne replacing the soda.
An early form of the French 75 was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris. Years later in 1942, it was popularized in America at the Stork Club in New York City, and appeared in the cult classic movie “Casablanca” that same year. It is referenced twice in the John Wayne films A Man Betrayed (1941) and Jet Pilot (1957.)
Combine gin with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, champagne, and cracked ice; shake and strain into a champagne flute, top with champagne, add a lemon twist for garnish, and…
Voila!
A French
75!
Ring in
2018 with this classy cocktail!
Cheers!
Author: Pam
French 75
A potent marriage of dry gin and bubbly.
ingredients:
1½ OUNCES London dry GIN
¾ OUNCE LEMON JUICE
½ OUNCE SIMPLE SYRUP
3 OZ CHAMPAGNE
instructions:
Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and strain into a champagne flute.
Top with 3 oz of champagne and serve with a lemon peel for garnish.
In a letter to his
wife Abigail, John Adams wrote: "The Second Day of July 1776, will
be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America." Adam's prediction
came as the result of Richard Henry Lee's motion for independence being
approved by the Congress on July 2, 1776. It was Lee's motion that
officially separated the thirteen America colonies from Great Britain.
John Adams, 2nd President of the U. S. 1797 to 1801
It turned out
Adams was 2 days off from his prediction. On July 4, the day after
writing Abigail, Adams and his colleagues approved the Declaration of
Independence, a document that eloquently proclaimed the reasons why the
colonies had separated from the British Empire. An elated and
confident Adams declared in his letter to Abigail: "I am apt to
believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great
anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty; it ought to be
solemnized with pomp and parade with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires
and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time
forward forever more." Even though John
Adams spoke these words over 200 years ago, it describes exactly our Fourth of
July celebrations to this day!
By the way, our older son, Bill, Jr. (Bubba here on my blog)
has great respect for John Adams, has read a plethora of books about, or by
him, and has visited his home in Quincy, MA.
Maybe both being born on October 30 has something to do with it! Update: Bubba just reminded me that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both passed away on the same day, July 4, 1826.
With this, our great country,
pomp and parade and fireworks, here's a cooler for the 4th of July... Word is, that circa 1899, coolers ~ refreshing fizzy drinks made with ice, a spirit and soda water ~ became popular throughout the country. Ginger ale, lime and a spirit, is known by a plethora of names: If the spirit is rum, it’s a Dark and Stormy. A shot of tequila? Call it a Mexican Mule ~ if it’s made with vodka, it’s a Moscow Mule. And then there’s the Mamie Taylor, made with Scotch, the progenitor of the Moscow Mule!
Mayme Taylor was an actress; the soprano prima donna of an opera company playing at Ontario Beach, near Rochester, New York, in 1899. She and members of the company were sailing on Lake Ontario on a hot breezy summer day, when they became rather heated. Back at the resort, Miss Taylor was asked what cooling drink she’d like to quench her thirst. The barman couldn’t fill her first order, and swapped instead a gingery, smoky, citrusy concoction of Scotch, lime and ginger ale for her to sip on. She was sold, she loved it: the easier to spell, 'Mamie' Taylor cocktail was born! The drink was the insanely popular cocktail of its day, before fading away in the early 1900’s.
Prima donna, Mayme Taylor
However, apparently bartenders became sick and tired of mixing Mamie Taylor’s so they hiked up the price of the cocktail to discourage customers from ordering it. Or maybe it faded away because of Prohibition (1920-1933), and never recovered… Today, not many remember this cocktail, and even more so, Miss Taylor, yet this drink has led to many variations that we do recall. In the early 1940’s, after Prohibition, the Moscow Mule became the popular drink, and remains popular to this day. There’s not enough flavor in a Moscow Mule for me ~ however, by replacing the vodka with scotch, and mixing a Mamie Taylor cocktail, it's transformed into a great little mixed drink to sip on! The drink has quite a unique flavor combination with the smokiness of the scotch, the spiciness of the ginger, brought together with the unifying lime juice. For a spicy smackdown on your tongue, heat it up by using Blenheim Old #3 Hot Ginger Ale - Red Cap! If it's a touch too much for your taste, try a tamer version of Blenheim's ginger ale.
Spicy hotBlenheim Old #3 Hot Ginger Ale - Red Cap
The Mamie Taylor cocktail is effervescent and cool ~ it's a unique summer-time refresher on a hot summer day! As for Mayme, by 1906, the actress was reduced to performing in San Francisco matinees of “a playful satire on New York fads and fancies.” The Mamie Taylor was thought of as a fancy drink back in its heyday. It's easy to understand why, as Ted Haigh reiterates: "The scotch soothes the soul, while the ginger excites the heart, and the lime keeps it all in perspective." It should be better known! Cheers!
Yield: 1 servingAuthor: Pam
Classic Mamie Taylor Cocktail
It should be better known!
INGREDIENTS:
2 ounces blended Scotch, such as Dewar's
Juice of half a lime
6 ounces spicy ginger ale or ginger beer (try Blenheim Old #3 Hot Ginger Ale - Red Cap)
Lime wedge, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Add several ice cubes to a highball glass.
Pour in scotch, squeeze in lime juice and fill with ginger ale or ginger beer.
Stir with a barspoon and garnish with a lime wedge.
Angostura Bitters, you know, that easily recognized bottle with the oversized label and yellow lid in the grocery store and liquor stores...
It was 1824, when German born, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, serving as Surgeon General in Simón Bolivar's army in Venezuela, developed Angostura Bitters for use in his medical practice, in the town of Angostura, now known as Ciudad Bolívar.
Dr. Siegert used his aromatic bitters as a medical tincture to improve the appetite and
digestive well-being of the soldiers.
By 1875, the family businessmoved to Port of Spain, Trinidadand was run by 3 of the doctor's sons. The exact formula of Angostura bitters~ a unique blend of natural herbs and spices~ is a closely guarded secret formula.
To this day, people use a
couple of drops of bitters in a little water or just plain to relieve an
upset stomach, gas, hiccups and so forth.
The bitters are extremely concentrated and are an acquired taste, being used is small amounts as flavoring in cocktails, coffee, juices, salads, ice cream, marinades for meat, soups and sauces.
It's the key ingredient for many cocktails, including this classic champagne drink.
Classic New Year’s Eve
Champagne Cocktail
1 sugar cube
Angostura bitters Moet & Chandon Brut
Champagne Lemon twist, for garnish
Soak the sugar cube in the
bitters and drop into a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Garnish with lemon twist. Makes 1 serving
It's the longest day and shortest night of the year!
And, by the way: today, the strawberry moon* will happen to coincide with the summer solstice, the first time that has happened since 1967, almost 50 years ago. The next one won't occur again until 2062!
~ Toast to Summer Solstice
with this great drink ~
It’s a cactus
It’s the exotic dragon fruit
It looks like a beautiful vivid pink flower!
Pitahaya-producing cacti fruit, known in English as Dragon Fruit, isindigenous to Central America, but is also grown and exported from Israel and several Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
Its succulent stem provides the uniquely delicious fruit with moisture in the arid climates where it grows.
Dragon fruit comes in 3 colors ~ 2 have pink skin, but with different colored flesh (one white, like the one I show here, the other red), while another is yellow (looks sort of like a pineapple with spikes), with white flesh.
The
flowers are nocturnal, and bloom in full for just one night. That means
they have one wonderful evening for a bat or moth to help pollinate it
and turn it into a dragon fruit, otherwise the 6” spiky greenish white
bloom wilts by sunrise.
The Dragon or Pitahaya Fruit grown in Thailand
The leaves are slightly overlaid, similar to an artichoke on the outside, with a plethora of small, black, edible seeds filling the inside flesh.
The flavor is mildly sweet ~ reminds me of kiwi, with a sort of crunchy texture.
It definitely is a change of pace in the fruit world, but it does have its benefits: It’s high in nutrition, fights diabetes, reduces the signs of aging, strengthens your immune system, helps your hair grow, and is rich in fiber and more. Reducing the signs of aging sold me on it❣
Look for dragon fruit at your local farmer’s market or grocery store to make this soothing little drink.
It’s refreshing, and light, perfect for a summer cocktail ~ dragon fruit, coconut milk, lime juice, which all blends nicely with white rum!
1½ cups ice cubes ¾ cup peeled cubed dragon fruit 2 tablespoons simple syrup** 4 ounces white rum ¼ cup coconut milk 1 teaspoon lime juice Lime slices for garnish
Method:
Place ice cubes in blender and crush. Add remaining ingredients, except lime slices, and purée until combined. Pour into cocktail glasses and garnish with lime slice. Makes 4 cocktails
**Simple Syrup:
In small saucepan, bring equal amounts of granulated sugar and water to a boil; simmer, stirring occasionally, until clear and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely.
Enjoy!
* The strawberry moon is the nickname given to the full moon in the month of June.
New Year's Eve is here people and this little cocktail will not let you be nodding off as the New Year approaches! Champagne may be the drink of choice for many on New Year's Eve, but save the bubbly for another time and try this unique drink... A Midnight Martini is a dark, easy to make martini with strong coffee flavor ~ chilling the espresso before making ~ is an important element to the drink. Although, the martini is sweet enough on its own, the simple syrup adds a nice little froth to it. It's the perfect cocktail to keep you going into the wee hours!
Midnight Martini Cocktail Ingredients: 2 ounces Grey Goose vodka 1 ounce espresso or strong coffee (cold) 1 ounce Kahlúa Healthy splash of simple syrup Orange twist for garnish Method: Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake it hard for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with orange twist. ENJOY!
