The Cocktail Napkin

By Jo Petteruti, Mixologist and Owner, Jo's Stillwater TeaRoom

Welcome to The Cocktail Napkin on The Fallon Post!

Each new article will focus on cocktail trends, events and other
cocktail-related items of interest, with a special emphasis on those that are
local to Fallon.  And naturally, a new recipe will be included each time, so sit back and enjoy the ride...

Most recently, there have been a number of Fallon Prohibition
events sponsored by the Churchill County Museum and the Churchill County
Library.  As part of those events, a 3-part Prohibition documentary by Ken Burns was shown at the Fallon Theatre followed by cocktail tastings at the Tea Room. Each week we made and sampled a different prohibition-era cocktail:
a  Cosmopolitan  with Frey Vodka, a Brandy Alexander with Frey Brandy and then Satan's Whiskers with Frey Gin.

After researching a number of cocktails for that 3-week series,  I have to admit that there were not that many classic cocktails with great names to go with their recipes - but Satan's Whiskers was the exception with a tantalizing name for an amazing cocktail!  It can also be made two different ways – Curled, when mixed with Orange Curacao, or Straightwhen mixed with Grand Marnier.

What makes both varieties of Satan's Whiskers a forgotten cocktail is the use of Orange Bitters and Zest combined with prohibition spirits.

Satan's Whiskers first appeared in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book published in 1930.  The pronto-cocktail archaeologist Paul Harrington said in his book, Cocktail: “We content that the 'Curled' Satan's Whiskers is more diabolic...   We sip our Satan's Whiskers Curled if it's still light outside and  Straight if it's not.”

As it was dark on that November Monday evening, we sipped our Satan's Whiskers Straight and on the rocks. However, the more popular way to serve it is up in a coupe (martini-style) as described below.

Ingredients:

• ½ oz Frey Ranch Gin
• ½ oz Dry Vermouth
• ½ oz Sweet Vermouth
• ½ oz Orange Juice
• 2 tsp Grand Marnier
• 1 tsp Orange Bitters
• Orange Zest garnish

Preparation:

• Chill a coupe glass.
• Add a good scoop of ice to a cocktail shaker, then pour in all
  liquid ingredients.
• Cover and shake well until icy cold.
• Run the Orange Zest along the rim of the chilled glass, strain
  the shaker's ingredients into the glass, and garnish with the zest.

Sip and enjoy...

Ciao!