Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Manhattan Julep or Dr. Bob's Remedy

       Ok, so I promised this last week, but forces conspire against me from time to time. Funny thing, if you forget both that you've cut your hair and sunscreen, you can get sun poisoning. Who knew? Coupled with the sign I saw that I thought said "Lovecraft Zone Only" and I had a bit of a wonky week. So how do you cure that? With one of Dr. Bob's infamous Manhattan Juleps.
Picture from: moosroom.blogspot.com

    Now I'm aware a REAL Julep has mint, but honestly in our CoC game we've never followed all of societal norms. We keep picking up hobos and maple syrup salesmen. So Dr. Bob, a true Southern gentlemen stuck in the heathen wilds of 1920s New York, has adapted and made his own signature drink. It not only gets him Grecian woman, but it's a sure way to drown sorrow and U-boats.

The Original Manhattan Julep
     Collins glass
     2 Parts Good quality Bourbon
     2 Parts Champagne

Directions:
      Chill the glass and toss in a handful of ice.
      Fill half the glass with Bourbon, then fill the other half with Champagne.
      Enjoy.


Now this was a little...umm strong. So a more drinkable version I thought might be needed. This is as close as I can come to what I think he intended.

The Manhattan Julep

     2-3 oz. good quality Bourbon
     1 oz. lime juice
     1 tsp. bar sugar or simple syrup
     Champagne or classic Verdi Spumanti
     Collins glass (or in my case a Mason Jar mug) Chilled of course

 Directions:
       Combine Bourbon, lime juice, and sugar till sugar's dissolved.
       Add a handful of ice to the glass.
       Pour in the Bourbon mixture then fill the rest of the glass with Champagne or Sparkling Wine

But where's the fun in stopping there. No I doubt the man who managed to read a book of magic and nearly rip reality in half--much as he was almost ripped in half--would rest on his laurels like that. He'd want to create something that appealed to the ladies as well. So I present The Cherry Manhattan Julep.

Cherry Manhattan Julep

     1 Parts good quality Bourbon
     2 oz. Cherry-Bourbon juice (see recipe below)
     2 Parts Champagne or classic Verdi Spumanti
     Collins glass (or in my case a Mason Jar mug) Chilled of course
    
Directions:
     Combine the above in a glass and enjoy.

Cherries in Bourbon or What's in the Jar?

  2 heaping cups of fresh cherries
  2 cups of Bourbon (might need a swoosh more)

Directions:
  
  Put cherries in a quart jar, add bourbon until cherries are covered. Close, seal, and store in a cool dry place. Overnight and they'll be great and should keep 2-4 weeks for maximum flavor.

 Notes: You can score each cherry with a knife, just piecing the flesh for a more intense flavor. You can pit them if you like, but it's not needed. (The pits slide right out.)

     I put them in the fridge since I'm crazy about not molding things, but by eliminating the simple syrup some have you put in, it seemed to fix the problem. I used whole cherries and left them soak in the Bourdon overnight and they were amazing. Leaving them a bit longer did really intensive the flavor into something I'm sure the good Doctor would love.

  Next up, GenCon and maybe what to do with all those left over cherries...