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Whiskey Sour

The Story

This is another “anybody can make this cocktail” option. This was the first “complex” cocktail I made that also turned into a showpiece. I say “complex” because it requires quality ingredients and careful attention to the steps. There are two keys to this cocktail. First, always use fresh lemon. I know juicing isn’t convenient, but canned lemon juice will make a bad cocktail. Second, be very careful during the “dry shake” portion of shaking. The key to a shaker (any style) is the cold will hold the shaker together. Without the cold, the shaker will try and expand while shaking, and I have a few experiences with blowing the seal and splattering my kitchen with cocktail ingredients. So pay attention when you dry shake!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1½ oz Bourbon

¾ oz Lemon Juice (fresh)

½ oz Simple Syrup (rich demerara if you have it)

½ oz Egg White (one egg, usually)

3 drops Angostura Bitters (garnish)

The Build

Dry shake all ingredient (minus bitters) for 20 seconds

Add ice to shaker and shake 20 seconds

Double Strain into low ball glass with fresh ice cubes

After the foam settles, Drip 3 drops of bitters on top of the cocktail

Source: Anders Erickson Whiskey Sour Recipe

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Old Fashioned (Runaway Anchor Style)

The Story

This is my go-to cocktail during the colder months of the year. It’s easy to have all the ingredients on hand, and it’s fun to play around with whiskey. You can even go with a Rum version if you like. This recipe is my own slight tweak that pushes the orange to the front of the cocktail. It’s especially good for those just getting into whiskey drinking, as the orange can take a bit of the edge off of the drink. Still to strong? Bump the simple to 0.5oz.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2 oz Bourbon Whiskey

¼ oz Simple Syrup (1:1 water to sugar – make your own!)

Fresh Orange Chunk

2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

2 dashes of Orange Bitters

Orange Peel (garnish)

The Build

Add all ingredients to the Mixing Glass (including piece of fresh orange, don’t muddle it)

Fill Glass half full of Ice Cubes

Stir with bar spoon for 20-30 seconds

Put large cube in low ball glass

Strain cocktail over the large cube

Garnish with slice of orange and luxardo cherry

Source: this one is my version based on several different recipes

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Fall Menu is LIVE

After many delays, our Fall Menu is now on the site. Starting this season we will also be adding the full recipes (with the standard Runaway Anchor structure) to the main feed, so you can build your cocktails right here with us!! But we will also always include links to our source material, and the great bartenders who serve as our constant teachers!

Cheers everyone!!

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The Wildest Redhead

The Wildest Redhead

The Story

Over the summer I dove into Tiki cocktails, and discovered the wonderful flavor of “All Spice Liqueur” aka Pimento Dram. I read that it was a flavor that would blend nicely into fall drinks as well, so I went looking for a cocktail.

I read the story of a bartender named Meaghan Dorman, who invented this drink at the Lantern’s Keep bar in NYC. The story was fun, but the selling point was a new liqueur in the cocktail called “Cherry Herring”. No fish in this syrup, that “herring” reference is a brand name. Be careful with this bottle. When the recipe says 0.25oz, take it seriously. Too much of this flavor and you are drinking cough syrup, but just the right amount and it is amazing. So grab your bottles and try making this sweet cocktail!

The Recipe

1½ oz Blended Scotch Whisky

¾ oz Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed)

½ oz Honey Syrup (3 honey to 1 water)

¼ oz AllSpice Liqueur (Pimento Dram)

¼ oz Cherry Herring Liqueur

The Build

Add the first four ingredients (everything but the Cherry Herring) to a shaking tin

Fill with ice and shake for 15 seconds

Put a large cube in a low ball glass

Strain the cocktail into the low ball (I prefer to double strain, to minimize ice chips)

Using a spoon, pour the Cherry Herring Liqueur into the drink (it will sink to the bottom for a cool look)

CHEERS!!

Source: Difford’s Guide

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The Ramona – Original Mocktail

The Story

We’ve spent many hours introducing our daughter to movies we love, from Empire Records to Serendipity. But this drink was created one evening when she was introducing us to one her favorite movies. Namely, “Scott Pilgrim vs the World”. I created this mocktail for her that evening and empowered her to name it. You don’t have to fight the “seven evil exes” to drink this one though! Cheers!

The Recipe

4 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice (do the work, it’s worth it)

¼ oz Passion Fruit Syrup

¼ oz Orgeat

½ Cream of Coconut

Garnish with cocktail cherry

Glassware: Low ball

The Build

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Add ice and shake for 15 seconds

Option 1: strain over low ball glass filled with crushed ice

Option 2: double strain into low ball glass with no ice

Garnish with cocktail cherry (or two)

Source: Runaway Anchor Original Recipe

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Spring Menu Source – Anders Erickson Review

All five cocktails in the Spring Menu come from a single source, Anders Erickson. He is a former bartender based in the Chicago area, who began a YouTube channel a while back and he has become my “Gandalf” of sorts over the past 6 months.

I follow several “cocktail making” channels on YouTube (basically the only use I have for YouTube aside from Honest Trailers and SNL clips). Anders has a solid format that has lifted him up to the top of my list.

He breaks down the ingredients and the building process, as every channel does. But he also shares the history of the featured cocktail, with clever editing from Az. Since I began consuming his content I have learned so much about where things came from, how cocktails have changed over time, and how to modify things to your liking. I never thought to “tweak” recipes before I started watching his channel, and now I do it all the time.

Anders also got me into syrup making. I no longer buy simple syrup (or other sugar intensities), grenadine, or cream of coconut. I make them all myself. I am excited to try other syrups this summer too, as orgeat is a crucial element of many tiki drinks.

I can’t recommend this channel enough. If you’re new to cocktails, or if you just want to learn more about cocktails, you have to check it out. Anders hits all the genres, from classic to tiki, without doing anything really cheeky or over-the-top. His setup is solid, his format is tight, and the videos are a treat to watch.

I’ve made at least 40 of the cocktails he has featured over the years (most recently the “Mexican Firing Squad” just this weekend). Another favorite, and one of his original recipes, is “The Tartan“, which is great for people like me who enjoy scotch.

Check out his YouTube Channel. He also has a budding website featuring easier access to many of his recipes that you should check out too.

Lastly, there is a merch store. I got the hoodie.

Cheers!

**the views expressed in this review are my own, and I have no affiliation with Anders personally. I just dig his channel and wanted to share my thoughts. 🙂

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Welcome to the Runaway Anchor!

First off, the Runaway Anchor is not a physical cocktail bar. You might call it a “concept bar”. I’ve been mixing cocktails in my home bar for a while, and recently we started hosting friends to the house for an evening of food and drinks. I started offering a “cocktail menu” to show what options could be built with the stuff I have on hand each month. Being a little crazy, I decided to create a “virtual cocktail bar”, which we called “The Runaway Anchor”.

I have a passion for building community and connection, and I’ve found mixing cocktails for friends has been really fulfilling. The fact that I work for a remote company means connection is even more challenging. I happen to work for a Virtual Reality company, focused on building an education community for medical professionals, using collaborative VR. The stars kind of aligned for me. I could create a bar that could exist anywhere. Both in the physical world, or in the virtual world (see VR Enabled Cocktails). Wherever I’m mixing, or where people are accessing the drinks I list on the site becomes the Runaway Anchor.

It’s just an idea. But I’m excited to see the community it could build. Each season I will share a new “menu” of highlighted cocktails. Recipes for other drinks can be found in the tabs including “The Standards”, “VR Enabled Cocktails”, “Mocktails”, and Wine. Things will most likely change as we get going. But here is where we start.

Wherever you are, drop the anchor, mix a cocktail and welcome to The Runaway Anchor Cocktail Bar!

(please drink responsibly, and never drive buzzed or worse!)

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First Cocktail – The Shark’s Tooth (classic tiki)

My buddy came up for an afternoon cocktail and we had a Don the Beachcomber classic tiki drink, the “Shark’s Tooth”. Very similar flavors to a daiquiri (lime, rum, sugar), but with a flash blend (thanks to my new Hamilton Beach Mixer) and fresh mint sprigs, this one was a new experience. I’m planning a Summer Menu of Tiki drinks, so this was a great way to kick off “The Runaway Anchor”. Wherever I’m mixing, that’s where the anchor dropped.

Cheers!

The first cocktail is handed off!