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| Turbo-charged Frappe Nicholsons/Fredrickson |
Eyes will be on Indy in the coming
weeks for the running of the 96th
Indianapolis 500. In
honor of the special occasion, signature drinks have been created so everyone,
whether in Indianapolis or elsewhere, can join in on the festivities and fun.
The "Greatest Spectacle in
Racing" deserves only
the smartest of cocktails to commemorate the event and, with that in mind, I
tossed the idea out to restaurants, pubs, bars and venues, along with
mixologists, sommeliers, bartenders and liquor companies to create drinks
inspired by the most famous race in the world. This Top 10 list serves to introduce Infused, my new column, which connects all things in the art of spirits, wine and beer with the culinary and creative arts.
Taken into account were the
ingredients, inspiration and insight into Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500
history and spirit. Here are the “Top 10
Indy 500-inspired cocktails” I believe are most Infused with the spirit, "Back Home Again in
Indiana."
1) Cocktail: Indianapolis Turbo-charged Frappe
Restaurant: Nicholson's Tavern & Pub
Creator: Joey Fredrickson, mixologist
Inspiration: “The Indy 500 is a fuel-driven, adrenaline-pumping, action-packed race to the finish. I want to have that same excitement and energy in these cocktails. I figured it wasn’t fair to let the cars have all the fun, so I created some fuel for myself. Those with heart conditions, please talk to your doctor before ingesting this libation."
Recipe: 1x2" lemon peel, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 1.5 oz Three Olives triple shot espresso-flavored vodka, 1 oz freshly brewed coffee, 1 oz heavy cream, dash of cocoa powder
Press lemon peel into the simple syrup. Add vodka and coffee. Shake and strain into a martini glass (keep ice). Add heavy cream to the shaker tin, give a good shake then gently pour over the drink. Garnish with cocoa powder.
2) Cocktail: Smoke-n-Milk
Company: Drambuie
Creator: Anthony Caporale, spirit ambassador
Inspiration: After
winning his second Indy 500 race in 1933, Louis Meyer requested a glass of
buttermilk. He requested another glass in '36 after winning his third title,
but instead received a bottle. With three fingers raised, he was captured by a
photographer while drinking from that bottle, and the marketing opportunity
wasn't lost on a local dairy executive. Unaware that Meyer was drinking
buttermilk, the executive offered a bottle of milk to the winners of all future
races, and milk has been presented at the conclusion of almost every Indy 500
since then. In honor of that tradition, Drambuie offers up an homage to this
classic racing libation.
Recipe: In a shaker tin, half filled with ice, add 1 oz DRAMBUIE, 1/2 oz Laphroaig Single Malt
Scotch, shake until the tin is frosted, add 1 oz milk, swirl to chill
thoroughly. Pour into a rocks glass, add 1 dash Fee Brothers Black
Walnut Bitters, garnish with an orange twist. Serve with a cocktail
stirrer.
3) Cocktail: The Finish Line
Restaurant: The
Elbow Room
Creator: Eli Sanchez
Inspiration: The
checkered flag
signifying the finish and champion of the Indianapolis 500.
Recipe: Start with full glass of ice, 1/2
oz Pinnacle Whipped, 1/2 oz Hazelnut Liquer, top with milk leaving 1/4"
rim, finish with whipped cream, leveling to rim of glass and dusting with
cocoa powder with a checkered screen made of plastic to give checkered
flag finish.
4) Cocktail: Victory
Lap
Restaurant: Food
Tours Corporation
Creator: Jeff Swedarsky
Inspiration: The winner's victory lap.
"I created it with everything local in mind, except the root."
Recipe: 1.5 oz. WH
Harrison Bourbon, 1.5 oz root liquor, 1.5 oz Sun King Cowbell Milk
Porter, 3 oz Mug N Bun root beer, .75 oz simple syrup infused with
Indiana sour cherries, 3 oz fresh cherry juice, handful of fresh local
strawberries
Muddle strawberries in a cocktail
mixer. Add other ingredients and 4 ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 20-30
seconds. Pour into tall highball glass. Drink should be amber with a light ½” head.
5) Cocktail: The V8
Restaurant: Michael
Jordan's Steak House
Inspiration: The
2012 Pace car- The Chevrolet Corvette
Recipe: 1oz soda
water, 2 oz Lost Coast Great White Wheat Beer, 2 oz Lillet, 3/4
oz lemon juice, 3/4 oz honey, 2 dashes Creole bitters, 1 bar spoon of
Pernot
6) Cocktail: Whiskey Berry Smash
Restaurant: Braddock's American Brasserie
Creator: Chef de Cuisine Brian Volmrich
Inspiration: "Hopefully we don't see too many accidents on the track at this year's Indy 500, but just in case, we've got a drink for that!"
Recipe: 2 oz. Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey, 1½ oz. cocktail mix (lemon & simple syrup), Blackberries, Raspberries, Dash of bitters
Simple syrup-mix equal oz. hot water and sugar until dissolved. Squeeze juice from lemon into simple syrup and stir. Muddle two blackberries and two raspberries in a cocktail shaker. Pour cocktail mix into shaker. Add bourbon, shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass.
7) Cocktail: Start Your Engines
Restaurant: Aria
Bar at The Fairmont, Mill
Inspiration:
Recipe: 1.5 oz Absolut
Wild Tea vodka, 1 oz pineapple juice, .5 oz orange liqueur, 1 oz
Grenadine
Pour all measured ingredients into
the metal part of the shaker. “Start the engine” by mixing fervently, in a
Boston shaker and served refreshed over ice in a Collins glass. Trophy it with
an Amarena cherry.
8) Cocktail: Pole Day Punch
Company: VOGA Italia wine and Sparkling Ice
Inspiration: The
Indianapolis 500 Party
Recipe: 2 Bottles of
Black Raspberry Sparkling ICE, 1 bottle of dry red wine, ¼ cup Triple
Sec, ¼ cup of Apple flavored vodka, 2 sliced peaches, 2 sliced
Granny Smith apples, 1 c. fresh strawberries, 1 c. fresh
raspberries, 1 c. seedless red grapes, 1 sliced lemon, 1 sliced
lime, 1 liter club soda
Prepare all fruit and transfer to a large punch bowl. Add wine and Sparkling
ICE, stir to combine flavors. For best results prepare and refrigerate
overnight. Add the club soda right before serving to guests. Enjoy!
Where: w: SparklingIce.com
9) Cocktail: Refined Janet Guthrie
Company: Refined Mixers
Inspiration: 1977 is the first time a woman qualified for and raced in the Indy 500. This cocktail was inspired by Janet Guthrie who was the first female driver to qualify and race in the Indy 500.
Recipe: 1 part Sweet Tea vodka, 1.5 part Refine Mixers margarita mix, pour over ice, garnish with fresh sprig of mint.
10) Cocktail: Green Light Appletini
Company: Go Cocktails!
Inspiration: The flash of green light signaling the
start of the Indianapolis 500.
Recipe: Go Cocktails! Appletini mix, regular
vodka, water, Granny Smith apple garnish
*Photos submitted by entrants*
Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her new column, Infused, at FoodandDrinkDigital.com, and as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, or follow her on Twitter @GottaGo and Facebook.
Gotta Go is published on BroadwayWorld.com ,and in M magazine and the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.
