Best Creme de Cassis? Also, other good mixed drinks with wine?

alt.college.fraternities

Marie Brizard makes a decent creme de cassis that can be found in some larger stores in the US and in many other countries. There are also decent cassis syrups made in France that will serve also. For a variation, you might try substitution of creme de fraise, creme de framboise, or blackberry liqueur for the cassis.

There are many wine punches that often are served at large parties and receptions in the US. If you buy a book concernng classic mixed drinks, you likely will find some of these punches listed. Some use both wine and spirits such as brandy. Then there are hot, and often spiced, wine drinks often seen at ski resorts and such. A good mixed drink book likely will list some of these.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

I repented almost the moment I posted it, and removed the post (at least from Google, of course it will still appear on regular news servers).

The Champagne cocktail must be mentioned. It can still be found, but it was seen much more often between the two world wars. Here are some examples from arond the world in the late 20s to late 30s that were published by Charles H Baker Jr. who apparently traveled around the world during most of that era by both commercial ship and his own private yacht.

To save space, note that all liquids and glassware used must be very well chilled, as a warm Champagne cocktail is ot a very nice thing. You often can use any decent sparkling wine instead of Champagne, especially for versions that have many strong things added.

1. Maharajah's Burra-Peg from Calcutta. In a 14 oz or larger goblet, pour 2 jiggers of cold Cognac, add a lump of sugar doused with Angostura bitters. Fill with dry Champagne. Garnish with a spiral of green lime peel.

1. Baker's Jimmie Roosevelt. Fill a 16 oz goblet with finely cracked ice. In the center add a lump of sugar well saturated with Angostura bitters. Then add 2 jiggers of good Cognac. Fill with Champagne. Carefully float on 2 tbsp of green Chartreuse.

2. Rio de Janeiro Jocky Club. In a large tapered Champagne cocktail glass build a tower of 4 ice cubes. Place a lump of sugar saturated with

4 dashes of orange bitters on top of the ice. Lean 2 sticks of ripe, fresh pineapple against the sides of the glass. Encircle the ice tower with a spiral of green lime peel. Fill with medium-dry Champagne. Float on 1 tbsp of cointreau.

1. Imperial Cossak Crusta from Shanghai. Use a large Champagne cocktail glass. Split a lime or lemon lengthwise. Rub the combined oils and juices over the inside of the glass and 1/2 inch down the outside of the glass. Dip the lip of the glass in powdered sugar. Then fill the glass with powdered sugar and empty it. (The powdered sugar should be extremely fine sugar crystals - not the kind with cornstarch added.) In a bar glass, stir 2 dashes of orange bitters, 1 jigger of Cognac, and

1/2 jigger of kummel with 3 ice cubes. Empty this into the prepared goblet, without the ice. Fill with dry Champagne and add a scarlet rose petal.

1. Ile de France(the ship) Special as prepared by the bar maitre Reynauld. In a large Champagne glass put a half teaspoon of fine sugar and a half pony of good Cognac. Fill with dry Champagne. Top with a dash or two of yellow Chartreuse.

2. Champagne Velvet from Manila. In a large goblet pour equal amounts of dry Champagne and Guinness Stout at the same time. Stir a bit to mix. If you offered such a drink to the maker of a fine Champagne, I suspect you might hear some very colorful French that is not usually used in public.

After writing the above, I remembered that I do not know of anyone who sells a Champagne cocktail glass today, and I am not certain of the shape or shapes of them in the 20s and 30s. Perhaps Riedel needs to add a Champagne cocktail glass to his stable, if he does not have one.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

] The Champagne cocktail must be mentioned. It can still be found, but it ] was seen much more often between the two world wars. Here are some ] examples from arond the world in the late 20s to late 30s that were []

I was browsing through "Le Grand Livre des Calvados" (Editions Charles Orlet, and "le must" here in the AOC Domfrontais) and came across a couple to add to your list:

The "Mabel Anne." (Albert Mesnil, Hotel de Dieppe, Rouen). 5/10 Champagne,

2/10 Benedictine, 2/10 Calvados, 1/10 Creme de cassis. Serve in a tumbler garnished with apple stick and cassis berries.

The "Pommeau Royal." (Jean-Paul Thomine, Casino de Deauville). 5/10 Pommeau,

4/10 Cointreau, 1/10 Lemon juice. Mix in shaker, after finish the glass with champagne. Garnish with a quarter apple.

-E

The Champagne Velvet above was also called "Coca Cola Jolie" in the south of France, at least in the 70's when I lived there. I didn't know that until after I had been served three of them, en route to my French professor's home for dinner. My hosts thought it was very funny to give the cute little American girl Coca Cola, because she asked for it. The drink was served in large French Moroccan tea glasses, and was very tasty. I've made it with Northwest porter and Schramsberg sparkling wine with very good results.

Interestingly, a kind of a more simple variation is the drink I always have at Vienna airport in one of the lounges before take-off: I take a 0.33 l beer glas, put in one serving of crystal sugar (from the coffee dept.), a decent amount of Cognac (usually Bisquit VSOP), and fill cautiously (because of the intense foam developping) with domestic sparkler (usually Kleinoscheg Herzogsmantel). No Angostura, because not available. Next time I'll try with ice, thanky for the input.

Funnily, I never had this cocktail anywhere else, not even at home, but when leaving Vinna by plane, always! ;-)

Michael Pronay said in part:

Interestingly, a kind of a more simple variation is the drink I always have at Vienna airport in one of the lounges before take-off: I take a

0.33 l beer glas, put in one serving of crystal sugar (from the coffee dept.), a decent amount of Cognac (usually Bisquit VSOP), and fill cautiously (because of the intense foam developping) with domestic sparkler (usually Kleinoscheg Herzogsmantel). No Angostura, because not available. Next time I'll try with ice,

______________________________________

Angostura likely is the most common bitters used in the US and is available nearly everywhere. It is much more aromatic and has less bitterness than many other bitters. Since there are so many other kinds of bitters, one could experiment. It is likely that you should use less of bitters that are very bitter or very strong tasting. Orange bitters are used by many. Peychaud's bitters from New Orleans are used in the Sazerac and other New Orleans drinks and can be obtained by mail in the US. Abbot's bitters, called for in many very old books, may still be made in Baltimore, MD in the US, but I have never seen them. Boker's bitters, called for in some books from the 1800s, were made in New York, but apparetly have not been available for about 100 years. From Europe, Underberg bitters, Campari, and Fernet-Branca can be found in a few stores in larger cities.

Now that I have gone somewhat off topic on bitters, I will try to make it up with a few more mixed drinks using wine that I have found. These all come from sources published no later than 1951. Most likely come from just after the end of WWII. As in my last post, everything used should be quite cold.

1. Maxim's of Paris from Louis Vaudable, then owner of Maxim's. Place 2 brandied cherries(not 'maraschino') in a large saucer champagme glass with a lump of sugar and crush well. Fill glass with dry Champagne.

1. Chasen's from John Dionne, former head bartender, Chasen's, Los Angeles. Mix 1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort(contains whiskey, peach, and some sweetness) with 3/4 oz red Passionola or wild cherry syrup, and juice of one small lime. Shake well with ice and serve in a special squat glass. Serve a 4 oz bottle of well-iced pink Champagne in an individual ice bucket. Fill the glass with the pink Champagne and garnish with a bit of fresh mint.

2. Toscanini from Hotel Astor, New York City. Use 1 part Cordial Medoc,1 part Cognac, 1 part Cointreau, and 3 parts Champagne. Serve in champagne glass with ice cube.

1. Champagne Room, from El Morocco, New York City. Place an ice cube in champagne glass. Add one dash of Cointreau and one dash of brandy. Fill with Champagne and add twist of lemon peel.

2. Philippe Of The Waldorf from Claude C. Philippe, Host of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, New York City. Put 2 dashes of Vieille Cure and one dash good kirsch in a large saucer champagne glass. Fill with a good French dry Champagne.

1. Soho from Harry Craddock, The American Bar, The Dorchester, London. Mix 1/2 part Chianti, 1/4 part Italian vermouth, and 1/4 part grapefruit juice. Shake well with ice and serve in cocktail glass.

2. General Brock from The General Brock, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Mix 1 oz dry sherry, 1 oz Italian vermouth, 1 oz French vermouth, and a dash of Angostura bitters. Shake well with ice and serve with a maraschino cherry in a cocktail glass.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

[Simple champagne cocktail in airport lounge]

I know what Angostura is, but here we are speaking of a self-service airport lounge with a very reduced choice of drinks, not a fully professional cocktail bar.

M.