Classic Cocktails Revisited

Several visitors to Cafe Drake have requested that drink recipes be included on the site. Let it be known that no prayers fall on deaf ears here at Cafe D. (though they may fall on drunken ones). As hearty imbibers we naturally have our favorites, and like most people who know what they like, we often fall into the trap of shaking up the same libations night after night. If I had a dime for every Sidecar we've served, a nickle for every Gimlet concocted on a hot summer night . . .But we thought it best to present below three cocktails you may not be familiar with, old standards now forgotten in an age of kumquat-flavored vodka, startling in their simplicity, devilish in their addictive charms.

Bloodhound Cocktail

Fill large bar glass 1/2 full with shaved (or finely cracked) ice. Add 6-8 chopped fresh strawberries. Add 2 jiggers of your best gin. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or strawberry slice.


Champagne Julep

Fill a julep cup or small highball glass about 1/3 full with crushed ice. Add to the cup 2 t. sugar and 2 sprigs of bruised mint. Slowly pour champagne into the cup, stirring very gently all the while. Dress with fruit slices and top with a dash of brandy. Serve with a straw and a smile.


Fog Horn

Fill a large shaker with ice and add the juice of 1/2 a lime and 1/2 a lemon. Add 1 t. sugar and 2 jiggers of gin. Shake and strain into a tall thin glass without ice. Fill the glass to the top with ginger ale or ginger beer. Garnish with a slice of orange or a kumquat on a toothpick.