Retro Cocktails- Meet the 60s via 2011
By: Warren Bobrow
Published: September 29, 2011

Over in Brooklyn, NY at the Clover Club, time has stood still- at least for cocktails.  They're still crafting cocktails in the time honored fashion.  What is this fashion?  The SLOE fashion.  Sloe you say?  Isn't it spelled Slow?  Sure it is- but the Sloe I'm talking about is Sloe Gin.  But what is Sloe Gin?  Is it Gin? Is it Slow?  Hold tight. The explanation will follow.
Time as we know it in the cocktail world is based on the classics.  Sure I love mixology- I make my living creating new and interesting cocktails from classic ingredients.  Rum, Gin, Scotch, Bourbon, Vodka.  These flavors haven't changed much over the years. The way they are mixed has changed.  For this article, I'm slipping back in time and seeing the world of cocktails in a new/old way. 
Sloe Gin.  What is it?  According to Wikipedia, Sloe Gin is created from the Sloe Berry.  It is a fruit grown in Europe with lovely aromatics.  It's not truly a gin, nor is it a cordial.  Sometimes Sloe Gin is used as an adjunct to other liquors like Scotch or Rum, or even Rye.  It's quite popular with the sixties set. 
How would I know what the sixties set would drink?  Well, I was born in 1961, so there, I do know about the sixties.
St. James Infirmary cocktail, special thanks to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
2 oz Sloe Gin
1 oz Tuthilltown Manhattan Rye Whiskey
1/2 shot of Absinthe from Wisconsin (Why Wisconsin? Because I think Rehorst make some of the best Absinthe I've ever enjoyed!)
Q-Ginger Ale
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Bitter End Bitters from New Mexico... Try their Mexican Mole' Bitters in this little gem
Preparation:
Combine all the liquors with the lemon juice in a cocktail shaker
Shake with some fresh ice and strain into a coupe' glass without ice
Finish with Q-Ginger Ale and 3 drops of Bitter End Mexican Mole' Bitters
Garnish with a ripe blueberry (or a sloe berry if you can find one!)  And stay out of the infirmary!
 
Classic drinks like the Italian invented Negroni call for the opinion of the best bartenders in the world.  In this case, Gaz (Gary) Reagan has taught me a thing or two about making well- mixed drinks.  Sure, I have everything to learn about the classics of mixology.  Who should know about mixology better than Gaz.  The Negroni is a delicious drink that really only has three ingredients.
Gaz prepares his Negroni cocktail with 2 shots of Gin, then 1 shot each of Campari and Sweet Vermouth.  From our last twitter conversation, he specified a traditional gin like Beefeater or Tanqueray.  Gaz also prefers Noilly Prat for his Vermouth, although I prefer Carpano Antico with the deeper flavor of herbs and spices.  Carpano is more bitter/sweet.  Carpano drinks like life itself.
The Classic Negroni according to Gaz Reagan
2 Shots of "regular" Gin..
1 Shot Campari or in my opinion, Aperol
1 Shot Sweet Vermouth- I like Carpano Antico, but Gaz uses Noilly Prat from France
Mix in a shaker and serve straight up, yet chilled.  Yum, I'm thirsty.
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With the explosion of retro television shows like Pan Am and Mad Men you would imagine that the cocktails of the sixties would find themselves in a new light.  To a certain extent this is true.  My parents used to drink things like Cherry Heering and Galliano when I was a boy in the sixties.  I take these time- honored liquors and use them in a new way, with new ingredients.  It's my duty to revitalize brands that may languish on the back bar, waiting for a burst of inspiration. 
Cherry Bomb Cocktail
2 Shots of Bluewater USDA Certified Organic Vodka
1 Shot of Peter Heering Cherry Cordial
Muddled Cherries (preferably from the Pacific Northwest)
3 Medicine dropper drops of Bitter End Moroccan Bitters
Fresh Ice in a shaker
Preparation:
Muddle pitted cherries in a cocktail shaker
Add Bluewater Vodka and Cherry Heering Liquor
Add no more than 3 medicine dropper drops of Bitter End Moroccan Bitters, why?  Because it's strong stuff!!!
Shake and strain over a Glace Gourmet Ice Cube
Sip towards a slow boat to Holland, via a cherry scented dream.
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Classic Gin and Tonic/somewhat twisted version by Warren Bobrow (Cocktail Whisperer) 
Ingredients:
Hendrick's Gin
Royal Rose (Rose) Syrup
Q-Tonic Water
Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
Lime hunks
Preparation:
In a cocktail shaker add some fresh ice, then the Hendrick's Gin and 2 tablespoons of the Royal Rose "Rose" Syrup and the lime juice
Shake to combine and then strain into a tall cocktail glass with a minimum amount of ice.  Why? We don't like drinking dilluted drinks!
Top with Q-Tonic Water
Garnish with a hunk of freshly cut lime
Simply put, drink three or more and you'll be floating on a cloud!

Comments:
jellydonut
September 30, 2011

A minimum amount of ice? Because you don't like dilution?
If you don't like dilution, either use no ice at all (a la a fizz), or LOTS of ice. There's a reason proper cocktail bars fill the glass with ice when a drink is to be served on the rocks, and it's not because it's fancy.
Lower amounts of ice, and smaller cubes, will melt FASTER.
If this is the way you drink your gin and tonics and you believe you are getting a less diluted drink.. well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but Santa isn't real.
Warren Bobrow

Not sure where you saw that I like small cubes.  I don't.  What I do like is large hunks of ice that melt slower, cooling a drink rather than diluting it. 
Thank you for your complement!  Any mention is a good mention!
Warren Bobrow

I write about ice, if you do any research on my writing, you'll find that I've written about ice for Williams-Sonoma.  Glace is one of my favorites because of the density.  I think (JMHO) that filling a glass up with ice is robbing the customer. Written about this too for the Morristown, NJ Patch.  Google it!