I first came across this one in Stanley Clisby Arthur’s Famous New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix ‘Em (1937); it’s a close relative of Walter Bergeron’s fabulous Vieux Carré cocktail, created at the Monteleone Hotel in the 1930s. We really liked it and added it to our in-house cocktail menu but for some strange reason forgot about it and haven’t been going out of our way to offer it to guests.

Fortunately, Robert Hess reminded me of this one in email, having had one himself recently and being struck by how damn good it is. It’s also barely two ounces, a quite civilized size and perfect for an apéritif, and will fit beautifully in your spiffy Riedel cocktail glasses.

Stanley says, “This is the special cocktail served at Restaurant de la Louisiane, one of the famous French restaurants of New Orleans, long the rendezvous of those who appreciate the best in Creole cuisine. La Louisiane cocktail is as out-of-the-ordinary as the many distinctive dishes that grace its menu.” That restaurant is, sadly, long gone, but fortunately we can still quaff its signature drink.

Cocktail à la Louisiane

3/4 ounce rye whiskey.
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth.
3/4 ounce Bénédictine.
3 dashes Herbsaint, pastis or absinthe.
3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters.

Mix in barglass with lumps of ice. Strain into a cocktail glass
in which has been placed a maraschino cherry. Savor.

By the way, those Riedel “Martini” glasses are the most perfect, elegant cocktail glasses I’ve ever had. You can usually find them for arond $11 each if you look hard enough, and they’re just superb — perfect weight and balance, thin but strong, no lip and they’re small. Three-ounce cocktails, max. That way you can finish your cocktail while it’s still ice-cold and, as Harry Craddock said, “while it’s still laughing at you.” (Thanks, Robert!)

According to Gary Regan in his book The Joy of Mixology, “This cocktail was created by Harry Craddock, for the Leap Year celebrations at the Savoy Hotel, London, on February 29th, 1928. It is said to have been responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail that has ever been mixed,” reports The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930). Apparently the absurd quaint tradition of yore was that it was only proper for women to propose marriage to men in leap years, because … I don’t know. A bunch of men said so?

This recipe is adapted from Craddock’s original, but can certainly be enjoyed at any time of the year.” Or certainly today, 76 years to the day after Harry created it for us.

Leap Year Cocktail

2 ounces gin.
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier.
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth.
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice.
1 lemon twist, for garnish.

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish.

And happy birthday to all you Leap Year babies!

This one came in from our friend Daniel Reichert — he found it while playing around with CocktailDB (something I highly recommend doing). None of us had heard of it, although he pointed out that it does appear in the wonderful Jones’ Complete Bar Guide (then again, that book is so big and full of thousands of tiny recipes that it’s easy to overlook something). Perhaps its name comes from its Kentucky-born “thoroughbred” spirit, but in any case it’s a very tasty twist on a Manhattan.

Riding Lesson Cocktail

1-3/4 ounces Bourbon whiskey.
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth.
1/4 ounce Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur.
1 dash Angostura bitters.
Cherry garnish.

Stir (or shake) and strain; garnish with stemless cherry.

Although we have yet to try it this way, Dan suggests doubling the amount of Bénédictine for an even more distinctive taste.

This one came up first in Gary Regan’s Bartender’s Bible under the category of aperitifs. It was lovely, particularly when we’ve been using Carpano Antica Formula vermouth instead of garden-variety red vermouth in our cocktails. Man, that stuff is good.

Enjoy this one before dinner, or while reading “Henry V”.

Agincourt

1 ounce sweet vermouth.
1 ounce dry vermouth.
1/2 ounce amaretto.
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.

Stir well for no less than 30 seconds, and
strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

This one’s also good for people who don’t want a terribly strong drink, as the alcohol content is a good bit lighter than a spirit-based cocktail.

Gary Regan’s fortnightly column “The Cocktailian” is particularly apt in this edition, as the Professor mixes us a cocktail based on Irish whiskey and named after one of Ireland’s greatest writers. Wes and I have been enjoying this one for a while now, having gotten the recipe from an account of one of Gary’s Cocktails in the Country seminars. Gary calls for Black Bush, and I’m fond of Jameson 12 or John Power’s.

I’ll have this one on Thursday to toast my forthcoming trip to Ireland (and to help drown out the little voices that’ll be saying, “So, how the hell do ya t’ink you’re going to pay for this, ya mad feckin’ eejit?”)

The James Joyce Cocktail
1-1/2 ounces Irish whiskey.
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth.
3/4 ounce Cointreau.
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice.

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
We like a stemless cherry garnish as well.

Apparently this drink was created by mistake, when making an Oriental someone reached for Irish whiskey instead of rye. “Mistakes are the portals of discovery,” wrote James Joyce. Little did he know how well this can apply to cocktails, as the most popular drink at the wonderful little tiki bar in Silver Lake is called Tiki Ti is called “Ray’s Mistake”…