Old Hickory

1.5 ozs Dry Vermouth

1.5 ozs Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

1 dash Orange Bitters

Lemon Twist to Garnish

Add all but the lemon twist to a cocktail shaker with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon twist.

Old Hickory Cocktail was made in honor of our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, and so was the perfect cocktail for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham.

mixed on 10/31/2021

Red Rover

3 oz Shiraz red wine

1 oz Rum

1/2 oz Black Raspberry Liqueur

Shake all with ice and strain into ice filled glass .

Hayes was known for his red hair and his roving ways while he was in the White House, and was the first president to visit the West Coast while in office, making Red Rover my pick for this weeks book, Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President by Ari Hoogenboom.

Mixed on 11/27/2022

69th Irish Regimental Cocktail

3 parts Champagne

1 part Irish Whiskey

Pour both into a tumbler and enjoy. I poured mine over ice, but ice is optional.

Thomas Francis Meagher was a native son of Ireland, who fought for the Union during the Civil War. Legend has it that following the battle of Fredricksburg, he wanted his favorite drink which was Whiskey and Vichy water (sparkling water). Vichy water was lacking at the front, so champagne was used instead, making this the official 69th Irish Regimental Cocktail, and the perfect pick for this weeks book, The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became and American Hero by Timothy Egan.

Mixed on 04/14/2024

Truth and Clarity

1 1/2 oz White Vermouth

1/2 oz Suntory Toki Whisky

3 oz Club Soda

3 healthy dashes of bitter lemon vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Combine the ingredients in a glass full of ice, add the club soda, and gently stir, Garnish with lemon peel (optional).

To no one’s surprise, there are many cocktails dedicated to Che Guevara. But I will be fucked in hell before I ever mix a drink that was designed to celebrate that monster. So instead, after a miniscule amount of digging, I found Truth and Clarity. Because we need a little truth and clarity where he is involved, which makes this the perfect pick for Humberto Fontava’s book, Exposing the Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him.

Mixed on 05/08/2022

Ambrosia

1 oz Cognac or Brandy

1 oz Applejack

¼ oz Triple Sec

¼ oz Lemon Juice

Top off with sparkling wine

Put the the cognac/brandy, applejack, triple sec, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice and shake up. Pour into a flute and top off with sparkling wine. The drink of the Gods was a good pick for this weeks book, Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge: A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution by Terence McKenna.

Mixed on 02/18/2024

Red Dragon

2 oz Cognac

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

3/4 oz Simple Syrup

1/4 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder

4 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Shake all in a cocktail shaker with ice, pour over ice in a rocks glass.

Since Kang Shang was the claws of Red China, I mixed up a Red Dragon for this weeks book, The Claws of the Dragon: Keng Sheng—The Evil Genius Behind Mao and his Legacy of Terror in People’s China by John Byron & Robert Pack.

Mixed on 06/11/2023