#195 Cocktail: Maurice

    The cocktail was adapted from a recipe in Harry Craddock's "Savoy Cocktail Book. This is almost the same recipe as the one for the Bronx cocktail, the only new part added here is the 2 dashes of Absinthe, that really makes a difference in the taste of the cocktail. Careful not to use more than 2 dashes, because the taste of absinthe will really overpower the entire taste of the cocktail

2 ounces gin

1/4 ounce dry vermouth

1/4 ounce sweet vermouth

1 ounce fresh orange juice

1-2 dashes absinthe

#194 Cocktail: Muddy Waters

   A really tasty and simple to make summer cocktail.
   Created by Jimmy Daukas of Maryland, this drink was introduced to Gaz Regan by his friend, Doug Land. The name comes from the use of the dark rum in a, clear and shinny drink. It's imperative to use Myers's rum to get the exact flavor that Daukas intended for this Highball.

3 to 4 lime wedges

2 ounces Myers's dark rum

3 ounce fresh grapefruit juice

#193 Cocktail: Mauresque

     One of the most simple cocktails to make and in the same time very tasty, even for the people who do not enjoy the absinth that much.
      Mauresque is French for "moorish". Pronounced 'Mor-Esk', this classic drink is very popular in the South of France. This cocktail is a classic French apéritif very common all over France. Pastis is probably one of the most popular beverage in the country. It was originally created by French soldiers serving in the Bataillon d’Afrique during the Algerian campaign of 1830s – 40s. The Mauresque is often drunk by women instead of pure Pastis.And orgeat is a syrup made from almonds. In the past, it was made from orge (bailey), hence its name. ( www.socialandcocktail.co.uk )

2 ounces Absinthe

1 ounce orgeat syrup

chilled water

#192 Cocktail: Martinez

      Thought to be the ‘Father’ of the Martini, or at least acknowledged to have had a huge amount of influence on it, the Martinez’s origins belong in a cloudy haze of uncertainty.
      It most likely started life sometime in the 1860’s or 70’s, but is first known to have been published in O.H. Byron’s The Modern Bartender, in 1884. Byron’s succinct summary of the Martinez states that it is the “same as Manhattan, only you substitute the gin for whisky.” The difficulty in this very simple statement is that he gives two versions of the Manhattan and no suggestion of which the Martinez is to follow; both a dry and sweet Manhattan were recorded. In the years since, this has added greatly to the confusion. ( www.ginfoundry.com )

       The most recognized version of the classic recipe, as printed in an 1887 revised (and posthumously published) edition of Jerry Thomas’ book How To Make Drinks or the Bon Vivant’s Companion, substitutes Old Tom Gin for whiskey to create something approximating a gin Manhattan

      2 ounces gin

1 ounce sweet vermouth

1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

Angostura bitters to taste

#191 Cocktail: Massa Mojito

    The cocktail is adapted after a recipe from the Pizzicato Restaurannt in Philadelphia. This is a variation of the, well known, Mojito, but the difference her is that the base spirit is limoncello, and more specifically , the Villa Massa limoncello.
    Unfortunately I didn't have Villa Massa Limoncello and I used Pallini Limoncello, a more sweeter version, so I had to cut a little from the amount of sugar used in the cocktail.
     In any case, the cocktail is delightful

2 1/2 ounce Villa Massa Limoncello 

1 to 2 teaspoon of sugar

15 to 20 fresh mint leaves 

4 lemon wedges

club soda

#190 Cocktail: Mai Tai

        Victor J. Bergeron claimed to have invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at his restaurant, Trader Vic's, in California. Trader Vic's rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it in 1933 at his then-new bar named for himself (later a famous restaurant) in Hollywood. Don the Beachcomber's recipe is more complex than that of Vic's and tastes quite different.
       The Trader Vic's story of its invention is that the Trader (Victor J. Bergeron) created it one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. One of those friends, Carrie Guild, tasted it and cried out: "Maita'i roa ae!" (literally "very good!", figuratively "Out of this world! The best!")—hence the name.[5]
       In 1953 the Matson Navigation Company (now Matson, Inc.) commissioned Victor Bergeron to create a drink for their new Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Victor then made a variation on the Mai Tai recipe adding pineapple juice; this variant is still served today at the hotel
      The Mai Tai became such a popular cocktail in the 1950s–60s that many restaurants, particularly tiki-themed restaurants or bars, served them. The Mai Tai was also prominently featured in the Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii.
     Today, the Mai Tai is synonymous with Tiki culture both past and present.

1 ounce dark rum

1 ounce light rum

1/2 ounce triple sec

3/4 ounce orgeat syrup

1 ounce fresh lime juice

#189 Cocktail: Maiden's Prayer

   The cocktail is adapted from Harry Craddock's 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book" recipe.
   Well, there is the name. And with cocktails, there is usually a story attached to the name. In this case, the story starts with an ultra-popular 19th century musical piece “The Maiden’s Prayer” about the purity of young women. All good. But with cocktail types being what they are, someone in the early 20th century decided to give the name to a cocktail with, perhaps, a lascivious wink. To make matters worse, the name was applied to multiple different (and sometimes god-awful) drinks, one of which Esquire, in 1949, suggested be “served on the edge of the couch”. Ugh. Maybe they should have called that cocktail “The Lecher’s Quest”. In any event, confusion and sleaze do not make for popular cocktails (well maybe a little sleaze, but certainly not confusion). But there are good versions of the Maiden’s Prayer, you just need to look in the right places. (www.putneyfarm.com)

1 ounce gin

1 ounce triple sec

1/2 fresh lemon juice

1/2 fresh orange juice

Angostura bitters to taste