Morning Cocktails, When 'Rise and Shine' Meets 'Bottoms Up!'
In the October issue of Saveur —in between the exploration of muesli, Francine Prose’s essay on eggs, and the other features woven together as part of the magazine’s special breakfast issue—is a look at a now rare but once ubiquitous creature: the morning eye-opener.
Many people may consider Bloody Marys and mimosas de rigeur for weekend brunches, but the world of breakfast cocktails is much bigger than most may think. As David Wondrich points out, many nineteenth-century cocktails were designed to be consumed well before the sun was over the yardarm, and were utilized to help the drinker brace up during the morning after a long night.
Perhaps nowhere else in the U.S. does the morning drink retain its mojo more than New Orleans, the city that has contributed several of the most legendary and desirable fog-cutters to ever grace a breakfast menu. Wondrich cites the Ramos Gin Fizz as one of his favorites, and indeed, morning has seldom looked better to me than after a long draught of floral foam while sitting at a restaurant on Canal Street. Wondrich also lists more medicinal concoctions such as the Death in the Afternoon, a mixture of champagne and absinthe that Ernest Hemingway considered an important part of a balanced breakfast (he even contributed a recipe for the drink to a 1930s novelty cocktail guide); and the Prairie Oyster, a hangover remedy that lists a raw egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce and brandy among its ingredients.
Are you in the habit of knocking together something to accompany breakfast or brunch on weekends (or weekdays—I won’t tell if you don't)? And do you stick with the classic Bloody Mary, or do you have a favorite you like to bring out (or have brought out to you) to sip before your omelette?
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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9 Comments:
my favorite bloody mary right now is from flatbush farm...awesome and spicy
ginsbera at 5:13PM on 10/02/08
The Salty Dog is for me. A riff on the Greyhound - vodka and yellow grapefruit juice- but with a salted rim.
bct at 5:21PM on 10/02/08
As a Canuck, I would make a Caesar this way:
• very tall glass rimmed with celery salt and coarse peppercorns,
• fill 1/2 way with cubes
• 4 drops of worchester
• 1 tsp of horseradish
• extra black pepper
• 2 Tbsp of Franks red hot sauce (I like'em spicy, yeah~!)
• 1oz. Absolut Vodka (some might suggest the lime flavour)
• 1/2oz. gold tequilla
• Fill with Mott's Clamato (I noticed that most americans use V8 or tomato juice instead of Clamato, but I think the clam makes it)
Garnish: Celery, lime and cocktail shrimp
If I'm hungover and then have one of these, I'm cured :)
hungrychristel at 5:42PM on 10/02/08
Bloody mary made with tomato juice AND v-8, vodka (natch), lots of hot sauce, lots of pepper, horseradish, and garlic or jalapeno stuffed green olives.
I like it spicy!
modysoul at 5:42PM on 10/02/08
I adore bloody mary's any time of the day! Mine is constructed like this-
tall glass, lot of ice, V-8, chilled vodka, shake or two of celery salt, two drops of worcestshire, one or two drops hot sauce, teensiest smidge of pickle juice, two olives, sqeeze of lime. If i'm feeling a little frisky, i'll stick a stalk of celery in it and walk around outside so the neighbors can see. :)
aungeinphx at 6:30PM on 10/02/08
I am so addicted to bloody caesars, in the afternoon when I work a busy lunch shift cooking. I love absolute peppar, its the spicy part of the vodka no hot pepper needed with that!
joanpieroni2 at 8:56PM on 10/02/08
i'm definitely the girl who orders a margarita (rocks, salt) with her brunch. and i never hear the end of it.
amaher40 at 11:41AM on 10/03/08
I'm open to A.M. cocktails- mimosas, screwdrivers, harvey wallbangers, oh and don't forget boozy coffee/ cocoa drinks when it's cold!
My BF loves his bloodymary's- I would love to partake- it always sounds good...but tomato juice makes me gag.
bisbee at 12:05PM on 10/03/08
@aungeinphx -Pickle juice sounds great! I'll be trying that :)
hungrychristel at 4:27PM on 10/05/08