Four Drinks to Have with Robots

!–paging_filter–pI’m a firm believer in having a drink for every occasion, and for creating drinks to celebrate certain milestones like movie releases, sporting team victories and more. Because of that, I’ve decided that every good drinker in Seattle needs to have cocktails this week that would go nicely if you were hanging out with robots, reading about robots or watching the a href=”http://www.pacificrimmovie.com/‎” target=”_blank”awesome new movie emPacific Rim/em/a, which pits giant robots against giant monsters and comes out on Friday, July 12.strongbrbrAtomula: /strongThis drink sounds like it could be the name of a robot that once terrorized the world, but then gave up smashing everything to bits for science. It features the herbally bittery Czech digestif Becherovka, in this recipe from a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Bliss-Violet-Fizz-Cocktail/dp/1558326650/ta…” target=”_blank”emGinger Bliss and the Violet Fizz/em/a:embrIce cubes/emembr1-1/2 ounces dark rum/emembr1 ounce Becherovkabr1/2 ounce rosemary Simple Syrup (see Note below)brRosemary sprig for garnish/em/p
pem /em/p
pem1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the rum, Becherovka, and simple syrup. Shake well.br2. Strain the mix into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the rosemary sprig./em/p
pstrongA Note: /strongTo make rosemary simple syrup add 1 cup fresh rosemary leaves, 2-1/2 cups water, and 3 cups sugar to a medium-size saucepan. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the syrup completely cool in the pan. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator./p
pstrongUyeda’s Crystal:/strong Ideal for times when you and your robot pal (or pals) need a quick one, this shot sounds as if it’d be a device used to bring robots to life. Actually, it’s named after famed Japanese bartender Kazuo Uyeda, and comes from famous Seattle bar star Andrew Bohrer’s book a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Best-Shots-Youve-Never-Tried/dp/1440536171/tag=ajr…” target=”_blank”emThe Best Shots You’ve Never Tried/em/a.embr1/4 ounce blue curaçaobr1 pinch saltbr1 ounce tequila (a href=”http://www.casanoble.com” target=”_blank”Casa Noble /aworks nicely)br1 ounce fresh grapefruit juicebrbr1. Dip the top of a shot glass into a dish of blue curaçao, and then into salt.br2. Pour remaining ingredients into shot glass and slam./em/p
pstrongWhizz Bang:/strong This cocktail was invented by Tommy Burton in 1920 at the Sport’s Club of London. I’m not sure if he named it after the sound robots make when they fly through the air (whizz) and then land with their big robotic feet (bang). But that would certainly make sense./p
pemIce cubesbr1-1/2 ounces bourbonbr3/4 ounce dry vermouthbr1/4 ounce absinthebr1/4 ounce grenadinebr2 dashes a href=”http://scrappysbitters.com” target=”_blank”Scrappy’s orange bitters/abrbr1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the bourbon, vermouth, absinthe, grenadine, and orange bitters. Shake well.br2. Strain into a cocktail glass and give a glance skyward./em/p
pstrongBrainstorm: /strongHave this one both in honor of the Autobot of the same name in the Transformers’ universe, and for those moments of pure imagination the many authors, artists, and filmmakers have when coming up with memorable mechanized men and women. This recipe’s from a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Spirits-Concoctions-Starring-Bourbon/dp/B005I…” target=”_blank”emDark Spirits/em/a:embrIce cubesbr2 ounces Irish whiskeybr1 ounce sweet vermouthbr1/4 ounce BenedictinebrOrange twist for garnishbrbr1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the whiskey, vermouth, and Benedictine. Stir well.br2. Strain the mix into a cocktail glass. Squeeze the orange twist over the glass and drop it in./em/p