The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

This may, or may not, be the recipe for the Bon Ton Café‘s Rum Ramsey Cocktail. Kept secretly behind the bar, the only recipe Robert could unearth was a supposedly reverse engineered one that has since been circulated. The key to the drink is accurate measurement and a quality rum as your base spirit.

Like drinking a cloud! This delicious gin cocktail is a frothy and light drink perfect for brunch. Robert also demonstrates a great tip for adding thick froth to cocktails that use egg white and require a dry shake.

Like drinking a cloud! This delicious gin cocktail is a frothy and light drink perfect for brunch. Robert also demonstrates a great tip for adding thick froth to cocktails that use egg white and require a dry shake.

"What the heck is a Fix?!", Sam asks. Well, Sam, a fix is a category of drink, like a sour, that is, essentially, a punch for one person. A fix can be made with any base spirit and usually contains a flavored syrup, like pineapple. For this Fix, Robert uses Applejack as his base spirit and combines it with pineapple syrup he made from scratch, which he also explains and demonstrates how to make in this episode.

“What the heck is a Fix?!”, Sam asks. Well, Sam, a fix is a category of drink, like a sour, that is, essentially, a punch for one person. A fix can be made with any base spirit and usually contains a flavored syrup, like pineapple. For this Fix, Robert uses Applejack as his base spirit and combines it with pineapple syrup he made from scratch, which he also explains and demonstrates how to make in this episode.

Occasionally, adding salt to cocktails can help enhance, or even mask, certain flavors. In the case of the La Paloma Cocktail, arguably the most popular cocktail in Mexico, the addition of salt enhances the combined flavors of Tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda. This is a refreshing cocktail any time of the year, especially if you live or are traveling south of the border. Learn more about Tequila Cabeza Grab a Bottle of Tequila Cabeza at DrinkUpNY.com

Occasionally, adding salt to cocktails can help enhance, or even mask, certain flavors. In the case of the La Paloma Cocktail, arguably the most popular cocktail in Mexico, the addition of salt enhances the combined flavors of Tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda. This is a refreshing cocktail any time of the year, especially if you live or are traveling south of the border. Learn more about Tequila Cabeza Grab a Bottle of Tequila Cabeza at DrinkUpNY.com

There are several accounts of the origins of the Bamboo Cocktail. One claims the name comes from Bob Cole's 1902 hit song "Under the Bamboo Tree". William Boothby, a noted bartender of the day, says in his 1908 book "The World's Drinks" that the drink was created and named by Louis Eppinger, at the Grand Hotel in Yokohama, Japan. Either way, this is a cocktail that contains no base spirit that we think you will enjoy.

There are several accounts of the origins of the Bamboo Cocktail. One claims the name comes from Bob Cole’s 1902 hit song “Under the Bamboo Tree”. William Boothby, a noted bartender of the day, says in his 1908 book “The World’s Drinks” that the drink was created and named by Louis Eppinger, at the Grand Hotel in Yokohama, Japan. Either way, this is a cocktail that contains no base spirit that we think you will enjoy.

Bitters are a hot topic here on Small Screen. Many of our viewers have written in with various questions about bitters and their use. In this episode, Robert addresses a question from Ian about the interchangeability of bitters and then makes a forgotten classic that is a variation on the Manhattan Cocktail, the Deshler.

Bitters are a hot topic here on Small Screen. Many of our viewers have written in with various questions about bitters and their use. In this episode, Robert addresses a question from Ian about the interchangeability of bitters and then makes a forgotten classic that is a variation on the Manhattan Cocktail, the Deshler.

Robert answers a viewer’s question about bitters in this episode of The Cocktail Spirit. Specifically, he discusses basic “rules” when using bitters in cocktails. Similar to the Daiquiri, the Captain’s Blood Cocktail is typically made with a darker, Jamaican rum rather than a lighter style rum; any dark rum will do. The main difference you will find is that the measurements of both lime juice and simple syrup are reduced significantly allowing the rum and bitters to really shine. Building off the base of the Daiquiri (or a rum sour), this cocktail contains aromatic bitters that elevate it to a new height of complexity. Some recipes will also contain Falernum. If you have it, try the drink both with and without Falernum and let us know what you think.

Robert answers a viewer's question about bitters in this episode of The Cocktail Spirit. Specifically, he discusses basic "rules" when using bitters in cocktails. Similar to the Daiquiri, the Captain's Blood Cocktail is typically made with a darker, Jamaican rum rather than a lighter style rum; any dark rum will do. The main difference you will find is that the measurements of both lime juice and simple syrup are reduced significantly allowing the rum and bitters to really shine. Building off the base of the Daiquiri (or a rum sour), this cocktail contains aromatic bitters that elevate it to a new height of complexity. Some recipes will also contain Falernum. If you have it, try the drink both with and without Falernum and let us know what you think.

The use of violet liqueur in the Violet Fizz Cocktail gives the drink not only a delightful pale violet color but an earthy and floral quality perfect for showcasing a floral and well balanced gin. Adding soda water helps to lengthen and bring together the remaining ingredients making for a refreshing summer sipper. Grab a Bottle of Ford’s Gin at Caskers.com Created by The 86 Co., Ford’s Gin just won Best New Product at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2013.

The use of violet liqueur in the Violet Fizz Cocktail gives the drink not only a delightful pale violet color but an earthy and floral quality perfect for showcasing a floral and well balanced gin. Adding soda water helps to lengthen and bring together the remaining ingredients making for a refreshing summer sipper. Grab a Bottle of Ford's Gin at Caskers.com Created by The 86 Co., Ford's Gin just won Best New Product at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2013.