I received Craft Cocktails by Brian Van Flandern as a gift. This is a book in its design and content that is overflowing with whimsy. A spiral notebook with recipes handwritten chalkboard style facing fabulous styled photos, it is over the top in every way, and promises to be a lot of fun.
The key, of course, is not to take it too seriously. Van Flandern started his career as bartender at Per Se and his recipes can work well for a bar (infuse 1 liter of vodka with 2 teaspoons of culinary lavender, etc.) and less well for the home mixologist. Also, he calls for very specific spirits, but presumably you will still have something potable if you substitute.
This is what I did for the first drink I tried, the B.A.F. I didn't have the Macallan fine oak 10-year Speyside single malt Scotch he called for, so I took the Speyside single malt I had in my cabinet, a simple Glenrothes. The sherry I had on hand was an oloroso "dulce" instead of a dry oloroso, so the drink may have been a little sweeter than intended. The Aperol and Gran Classico are by now part of my drinks pantry. This is a stir and strain, garnished only with the spray from the twist of a lemon peel. It was refreshing and tasty -- a new flavor with all the complexity of its components but balanced and harmonious. A good start!
For Andrea I fixed a nice cocktail I had tried myself earlier in the week -- a Basil-ica I got from a website with drinks using St. Germain elderflower liqueur. In this one, you muddle basil leaves with lemon juice and simple syrup, add a healthy portion of Plymouth gin, the St. Germain's, and dashes of Regans Orange and Peychaud's bitters. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange twist and basil leaves. She loves it. It goes down like lemonade but of course has a satisfying punch.
These are labor intensive, though I find a good mise en place, as in cooking, makes the whole process much more pleasurable.
