The House That Martin Built

Martin Cate, Smuggler King

Last week, the media reception for the opening of Smuggler’s Cove coincided with my birthday. Mere coincidence? I prefer to look at it as an example of cosmic harmony. More about the your new cocktail mecca inside….

Eurydice Rum

Label image removed due to copyright dispute.

Martin Cate is a magical human, one of very few who possesses the magical ability to send me into a well-mannered fit of giddiness with a single email. Behold:

SMUGGLER’S COVE

INTRODUCES EURYDICE RUM

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco’s forthcoming destination for rum and exotic cocktails, proudly announces Eurydice, a new rum crafted exclusively for Smuggler’s Cove.Handcrafted by the artisan distillers of St. George Spirits in consultation with Smuggler’s Cove owner Martin Cate, Eurydice is a completely unique rum.

My love and indulgence in St. George’s other fine products (notably their Absinthe Verte, Single Malt Whiskey, and Buddha’s Hand-infused vodka) is well-known, and that they chauffeur you to and from their open house receptions in a party bus featuring a Lucite stripper pole is a further indication of their correctness

So yes: Martin Cate + St. George’s = Kismet. Mmm… kismet.

Additionally, the can used in the rum is grown here in California, so the product is super local (The name derives from Zerene Eurydice, the California state butterfly). Alas, Smuggler’s Cove will be the only place to obtain it, meaning those of us who like to play with our liquor won’t be able to play along at home, a tragedy not unlike Orpheus’ return from the Underworld.

P.S.: Gentlemen should be well-versed in the Classical Mythologies, at the very least.

The Colbert Bump

The Colbert Bump

Continuing Stephen Colbert’s streak of faux(?)-egomania, Dave Wondrich was on last night to craft a signature “Colbert” cocktail. The result? The “Colbert Bump,” fashioned after the “Cherry Bounce.”

Colbert Bump

• 1 oz. Cherry Heering
• 1.5 oz. gin (a “liberal pour” har har)
• 0.25 oz. lemon juice

Pour over ice in an iced tea glass. Top with soda water and stir.
– Dave Wondrich

According to Wondrich, his inspiration was a “Cherry Bounce,” which was a favorite of George Washington.  Wikipedia, who lists the official recipe as cherries and sugar soaked in brandy, also tells us that the British hamlet of Frithsden claims to have invented the idea.

How’s Your Drink author Eric Felten recently highlighted the drink in a Wall Street Journal column, which includes Martha Washington’s charming recipe:

Extract the Juice of 20 pounds of well ripend Morrella Cherrys Add to this 10 quarts of Old French brandy and sweeten it with White Sugar to your taste—To 5 Gallons of this mixture add one ounce of Spice Such as Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmegs of each an Equal quantity Slightly bruis’d and a pint and half of Cherry kernels that have been gently broken in a mortar—After the liquor has fermented let it Stand Close-Stoped for a month or Six weeks—then bottle it remembering to put a lump of Loaf Sugar into each bottle.
– Martha Washington (via Eric Felten)

As for the “Colbert Bump,” it’s so-so.  In the various permutations of the Cherry Bounce I surveyed, you’ll find recipes calling for brandy, rum, and even bourbon or whiskey, but none that I observed called for gin — I think there may be a reason for that. (BTW, check out this Bounce recipe from a 1933 cookbook, courtesy of The Blushing Hostess.)

So if Colbert’s drink is red, would Jon Stewart’s call for blue curacao?