Today’s cocktail is perfect for the Vegas heat! It’s the first day to reach 113° F and a fruity, ice filled drink is what I’m craving 🙂
Beside the dessert and shoe repair professional, I was unaware of the Cobbler style cocktail. To my surprise, there is an entire category of Cobbler recipes listed in the index of Mr. Boston’s 1935 book. If I’m lucky, I may even enjoy three of them by the time the temperatures cool down in October.
At it’s core the Cobbler is a wine based refreshment paired with fruit, ice and a splash of sweetened water. Apparently this cocktail trend was quite the popular beverage during the 19th century. Some even say that the first Cobbler recipe, involving Sherry, defined an era. Now that is an accomplishment!
The novelty of the drink during the 1840’s was the shaved ice paired with the use of a straw. Now a days, straws are not so special and the refrigerator makes my shaved ice for me. Boy, we’re spoiled!
I’m not sure how this works, but it is listed on Ebay as a cast iron ice shaver from the 1800’s.
Fun fact: Back in the 1800’s straws made from Rye Grass were all the rave. Some say, they lost favor because the earthiness of the grass imparted unpleasant flavors into the drink and they turned to mush after soaking in liquid for extended periods of time.
Alex Bennett’s Straw Straws project was funded by 196 backers in July of 2015.
A fellow Kickstarter raised more than $13K in 2015 to put the straw back in the straw. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my hands on one today for this post. I’ll see what I can do for Cobblers to come.
Naturally, Mr. Boston’s Brandy Cobbler calls for a Jigger of Old Mr. Boston Apricot Nectar. Also true to form, Leo Cotton was vague on preparation for the drink.
“Stir well and decorate with slices of Orange and Pineapple. Use Tom Collins glass.”
I almost missed the illustrated description for the Tom Collins among the tiny cursive font underneath the Shell Tumbler. Mr. Boston’s notes that this glass should be 10 ounces but the closest I had in the cabinet was my 6 oz. Delmonico glass. I figured the sleek cylindrical shape and size would present the slight 1-1/2 ounces of liquid, ice and fruit nicely.
All I had for straws were the florescent plastic type. Of course, I wanted something prettier for our photo. I never thought finding the right straw would take 2 hours!
After stopping by 5 different stores without luck I remembered the party store nearby. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?! I guess I need to start throwing more parties 🙂 They had paper straws in all different textures and colors, choosing was tricky. I called Ryan and we agreed metallic gold would fit our style the best.
In addition to the 1-1/2 ounces of Apricot Brandy, I needed to incorporate 2 dashes of syphon water (aka tap water) and 1 teaspoon of sugar (the book asked for powdered but I keep forgetting to grab it at the office 🙁 ). I think I assumed correctly, that the water was a tool to dissolve the sugar before adding in the alcohol. Based on the lack of clarity from the instructions, that is all I had to go on.
I mixed all the ingredients in a separate glass and added the crushed ice to my glass before pouring in the spirits. The volume of liquid reached about 3/4 up the glass. I didn’t have pineapples but did have some frozen peach slices. Since apricots and peaches are both stone fruit, it seemed fitting.
The resulting cocktail is really nice, fruity and refreshing. Think adult slushy. As the ice melts it mellows out the alcohol – I like it a lot!
It is currently over 80 in the house and my arms are sticking to the computer as I type this. I think I’ll wrap things up and go sip my Brandy Cobbler in the pool – Happy Weekend!