I have come to believe that the 2-in-1 International Recipe Card Collection is basically the same 10 cocktails again and again but with itty bitty variations. Here is my example:
I just made the Continental Sour:
And in 2012 I made the New York Sour from the same cards:
Look at ’em.
I have to keep going back and forth to see what the difference is between the drinks. The Continental is just the New York but with red wine floated on top? And the No. 2 New York is the Continental but with white wine swapped for red?
Makes my head hurt.
I made the Continental Sour No.2 with freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice.
Now, I know that I tried the New York Sour 8 years ago, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that yhey probably taste EXACTLY THE SAME.
Cocktail recipes are a weird thing. I mean, just look at the variations of all the Bloody Marys I’ve recently made. Think about all of the people who order martinis but really what they want is vodka with olives.
Ya know?
Mr. Sauce, Esq. and I have been participating in Thursday Night Virtual Trivias for I don’t know how many weeks.
Seriously, no fucking clue how many weeks it’s been.
This week was our week to craft the categories and questions. The first round was Potent Potables (thank you, Jeopardy!). I provided the ingredients to the drinks (recipes courtesy of Playboy’s Host and Bar Book by Thomas Mario) and it was up to the contestants to name the cocktail.
It apparently was harder than I thought. I mean, one of them I didn’t expect anyone to guess, but the others….?
See if you can guess them!
DRINK 1
gin
dry vermouth
cocktail onion
DRINK 2
absinthe
sugar
peychaud’s bitters
whiskey or bourbon
lemon peel
DRINK 3
scotch whiskey
drambuie
DRINK 4
crème de cacao
green crème de menthe
cream
DRINK 5
cognac
apple cider vinegar
worcestershire sauce
catsup
angostura bitters
egg yolk
cayenne pepper
DRINK 6
sloe gin
gin
lemon juice
club soda
lemon slice
ANSWERS
- Gibson
- Sazerac
- Rusty Nail
- Grasshopper
- Prairie Oyster
- Sloe Gin Fizz
Did you get any right?
I missed 3 & 5. I thought prairie oysters were something that cut off bulls!
I knew a bartender who said that identifying the ingredients in Rusty Nails was a traditional “gotcha” quiz question used when interviewing potential bar employees—since it is a drink of very long standing, which nonetheless practically nobody every orders.
I got 4 of them. The prairie oyster was familiar but I couldn’t remember what it was called and the rusty nail I confused with something else.
The Sazerac threw me, but I got the other ones. (Step away from the liquor cabinet, Marty!) These days though, I think I’m more interested in the nibbles next to the cocktails.
Your trivia nights sound like so much fun.
P.S. #TeamRavenclaw
They are fun. If you have friends who would dig it, I recommend it. There are apps that can give you existing games.