"Candy is Dandy but Liquor is Quicker" Ogden Nash

Dearest Readers,

The best cocktail I ever had was called a Glass Window. I found it at a bar called the  The Gin Joint  in Charleston, South Carolina. I have dug through old books and the deepest corners of the internet and I can't find a recipe. All I know is that it had absinthe and herbs in it and a lady would only need one (lets leave it at I may not be a lady anymore if I could find it again).

Why am I telling you this? One, because I hope someone knows how to make them and two, because today is National Repeal Day when in 1933 Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah ratified the 21st Amendment by state ratifying conventions. 

For those who have forgotten those later amendments the 21st repealed 18th amendment and prohibition. 

To celebrate this achievement of the states. I have found some recipes for some more famous cocktails.

Sazerac

History

Around 1850, Sewell T. Taylor sold his bar, The Merchants Exchange Coffee House, and went into the imported liquor business. He began to import a brand of cognac named Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. At the same time, Aaron Bird took over the Merchants Exchange and changed its name to the Sazerac House and began serving the "Sazerac Cocktail", made with Taylor's Sazerac cognac and, legend has it, the bitters being made down the street by a local druggist, Antoine Amedie Peychaud. June 23, 2008 the Louisiana Legislature agreed to proclaim the Sazerac as New Orleans' official cocktail. (Wikipedia)

Recipe 
- 3-4 dashes of Herbsaint (120 proof)
- 2 oz. Rye of Bourbon blended whiskey
- 3-4 hearty dashes of Peychaud bitters
- One long, thin twist of lemon
- Sugar cube, water, club soda—optional

Place Herbsaint in a well-chilled Old Fashion glass. Tilt glass to coat sides completely and pour off excess Herbsaint. Place Rye and Peychaud bitters into cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into prepared glass. Twist lemon peel over drink and drop in gently. (Fairmont Hotel, New Orleans)

Vesper

History

While he may be best known for his Martini, James Bond invented the Vesper in his first 1953 novel Casino Royale .

"A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Chapter 7, "Rouge et Noir'

In the next chapter he will name it bond girl Vesper.

Recipe

- 3 oz. Gin

- 1 oz. Vodka

- .5 oz Lillet

Esquire Magazine recommends you stir (that seems wrong for some reason) over ice and strain into a champagne bowl then add a lemon peel as Mr. recommends.

Absinthe - The French Method 

History 

Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in the late 18th century. It rose to great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Owing in part to its association with bohemian culture, the consumption of absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. Ernest Hemingway, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, and Oscar Wilde were all known absinthe drinkers. Absinthe has often been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States. It has only recently become legal again. (Wikipedia)

Recipe

- 1oz Absinthe

- 2oz chilled water

- 1 sugar cube

You will also need an absinthe spoon. Van Gogh Absinthe comes with a free spoon.

Pour absinthe into absinthe glass. Place absinthe spoon on top of the glass and sugar cube on top of spoon. Drip water over sugar so it slowly melts into the glass. The absinthe will become milky looking. 

Scotch on the Rocks

History

My personal favorite and to be completely honest I loved that ad campaign (the drinking man's scotch ad is about a woman). The earliest documented record of distilling in Scotland occurred in 1494, the Exchequer Rolls. The entry list "8 bolls of malt to Friar John Cor where with to make aqua vitae, by order of the king". The Friar was going to distill about 1500 bottles of Scotch. 

Recipe 

- 2oz single malt scotch (I recomend  Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Speyburn,The Glenlivet, or Glenmorangie)

- 3 ice cubes

Place ice cubes into lowball glass. Pour scotch over ice.

Sincerely, 

Lipstick