To give a little background, the place is DC’s first Ramen Noodle Soup & Dumpling house. The cuisine is based from Taiwanese family recipes with Asian influences which I hope *fingers crossed* that I carried over to the cocktail list. I really went to create strong flavors with subtle punch that pair well with the food while melding harmoniously blending with the spirit its featured with. I also gave the cocktails fun names from pop culture, and slid one or two historical references in. Give me your honest opinions and feedback; here goes nothing!

Blackened Gold

Macchu Pisco Pisco | Bruleed Pineapple Cinnamon Syrup | Lemon Juice | Aztec Bitters

Jaded

Bombay Sapphire Gin | Cucumber Water | Kombu Ptisan | Lemon Juice | Soda

Pretty In Pink

Shochu | Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice | Neri Goma | Simple Syrup | Soda

Bicycle, Bicycle

Armagnac | Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur | Lemon Juice | Five Spice Tincture

Singapore Sling

Bombay Sapphire Gin | Benedictine | Cherry Herring | Lemon Juice | Soda | Angostura Bitters

Ilha Formosa

Sobieski Vodka | Formosa & Perilla Syrup | Lime Juice

Muy Thai

Mezcal | Cointreau | Lime Juice | Red Curry- Spiked Coconut Milk |

The Fat Bastard

Bulleit Bourbon | Barenjaeger Honey Liqueur | Peat Monster Scotch | Orange Bitters

Suzanne

Beefeater 24 Gin | Mount Gay Eclipse | Cointreau | Aperol | Dubonnet Rouge

So to give a definition of the BBS to someone who may not know what it is, the best way I can explain it is the use of an aged spirit in an aromatic cocktail. I think that kinda sums it up. To break it down even further and into simpler terms, you’re using brown drank and some bitters, go light on the mixers, and make it boozy. SHEESH, if I was this good at simplifying expressions in algebra I’d be a rocket scientist! Okay enough yammering, down to brass tacks!

Creole Lady Marmalade

• 1.5 ounce Barbancourt Cinque Etoile Rhum
• .75 ounce Aperol
• .5 ounce Dolin Rouge
• 1 Bar spoon Cointreau
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth Orange Bitters
• 1 piece of orange zest for garnish

Place all the ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice, stir, serve up, finish by spraying the drink with the oils from the zest. Hope you all enjoy! Picture to come, because I need to go buy a damned orange. LOL.

Combine. Stir. Serve up with a flamed orange zest.

Makes ya thirsty, right?!

Here’s another! I do love a good Collins, but I feel the other members of the family are treated like chopped liver! What about Jack, Pedro, Pierre, and the rest?

So, wanting to do a Collins, but utilizing something different I took my love for the original and morphed and shifted it into this cocktail. Like the original, its tart, sweet, long, refreshing, super cold, great for a hot day. I wish I could add simple to the list of things that it is, but I cannot tell a lie. To make Tamarind syrup is indeed a labor of love, but it’s so worth it. Your guests and friends will know how much you truly love them after hearing the tale of how you made it, and please believe they’ll ask how once they notice that flavor of  ”something” that they may not be able to put a finger on! Down to brass tacks, here’s the recipe:

• 2.5 ounces El Jimador Reposado Tequila
• 2 ounces Tamarind Syrup**
• .5 ounces Lemon Juice*
• Soda

Fill a Collins glass with ice and then top with the Tequila, Tamarind Syrup, and Lemon Juice. Fill the glass to the top with Soda water and garnish with an orange and a cherry.

** To make the Tamarind Syrup, take 2 pounds of Tamarind Pods, peeled and stemmed. Boil the Tamarind fruit in 2 quarts of water at a rolling boil until softened. (as displayed in somewhat humorous old-timey video with “Monty Python & The Holy Grail inspired soundtrack here: [damn the man! won't let me upload the video, sorry!]) Let mixture cool, refrigerating if desired. Once the mixture is cooled, use latex gloves to squeeze the pulp from the seed pods. This step will add body and texture to your Tamarind water! Once you’ve separated pulp from seed, strain the mixture into a pot and return to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling add about 1 to 1.5 quarts of sugar, to taste, to make your Tamarind Syrup. Et voila! You’re done.

*When making a Collins, select a glass that’s about 10-12 ounces or so. A Collins is meant to be a long drink with a fair bit of alcohol. So making  this drink in an 8 ounce glass won’t do the trick. If an 8-10 ounce glass is what you have on hand then do a test run and scale back the amount of ingredients until you think it tastes proper. Cheers!

Sidenote: if you really want the video, I guess I could email it to you. LOL.

So long story short, I was at the bar and had to come up with something on the fly. I was really craving a Corpse Reviver #2 but -sigh- there was no Lillet Blanc (we must rectify this)! So this is what I came up with. Kinda sweet, somewhat tart, a little anisey, and awesome…if I do say so myself.

• 1 ounce Bluecoat Gin
• 1 ounce St Germain
• .5 ounce Lemon Juice
• .5 ounce Dry Vermouth
• 1 dash Vieux Carre Absinthe

Mix all ingredients in a shaker, shake like the dickens until well chilled and strain into a Martini Glass, garnish with a Lemon Zest. Enjoy! Pictures to come!

Balvenie Double Wood, Sherry Cask
1 ounce
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
.50 ounce
Ricard Anise Liqueur
.25 ounce
English Breakfast Tea
1.5 ounces
Boddington’s
4 ounces

Mix all ingredients in a pint glass, fill with ice, roll back and forth into a shaker and serve. Cheers big ears!

Regardless of who you are, this drink is for you! It’s the perfect tipple when you’re hungover from tequila shots or nauseus from nachos with cheese and chimichangas.

I call this drink El 6 de Mayo. It’s a nice, long, cool, flavorful refreshing chilled toddie that’s perfect for the calm after the storm. It incorporates smoky Mezcal, tart strawberries, earthy rhubarb, beautiful Lemon Verbena, Cinnamon, and a good bit of dilution and antioxidants for your liver’s filtering pleasure.

1.5 ounce Mezcal
4 ounces infused Tisane*
1 ounce soda
Lemon slice to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a tall glass over ice, stir, serve, enjoy!

*Infused Tisane
6 ounces Lemon Verbena or French Vervain, prepared
2 pounds rhubarb
1 pound strawberries,
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Combine all ingredients and simmer until softened, purée, and strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth until most solids are removed

For those of you who’ve never tried chartreuse, yellow or green, you simply must, without question. These liqueurs are very unique and worth trying; I consider them an asset to any bar, as they are used for a myriad of classic cocktails and can be enjoyed neat as well. They add floral, herbal, complex, wonderful notes to any concoction they’re placed in. In addition to that, it’s excellent for playing Pass the Flame.

Demerara Simple Syrup (1:1) 48 ounces
Guava Nectar 48 ounces
Lemon Juice 24 ounces
Cilantro Water 6 ounces*
Rosewater 1.5 ounce
Angostura Bitters 1 ounce

Simply mix all the ingredients in about a 1 gallon container; when ready to serve, pour into a punch bowl with vodka at a ratio of about 1.5-2 parts vodka: 1 part punch mixture. Enjoy!

*To make cilantro water, remove the stems from two bunches of cilantro, purée in a blender with 2 ounces of the punch mixture, strain and discard the pulp et voilà. That’s it.