Old School

Your blogger recently visited his alma mater, where the talk turned to some of the signature cocktails of the downtown bars and restaurants. Here are a few cocktail recipes for you, inspired by the old school conversations.

The Release Valve

This was the house cocktail at a long-gone restaurant in State College called The Train Station, which also had a companion bar called the Caboose. Upsize the ingredients to make this in a pitcher-it's perfect for summer. You can also make this as a frozen drink, by mixing the drink, plus ice, in a blender.

2 oz Tito's Vodka
1 oz Bacardi Rum (white rum)
8 oz pineapple juice
1 oz grenadine

Princeton Cocktail #1

A little closer to home, it turns out that there's a cocktail named after all of the Ivy League schools. The original recipe for the Princeton Cocktail called for Old Tom Gin, That's a particular style of gin that is rarely seen anymore.

Old Tom is a style of gin dating back to 18th century England, falling in both historical age and character between the older, maltier Dutch Genever, and the newer, more biting London Dry. The original version was made by Tanqueray, and they led the re-introduction of the style. If you're a cocktail purist, the one-liter size of Tanqueray Old Tom should be available as a special order item. Check with any manager to see about placing an order.

2 ounces Tanqueray Old Tom gin (as an alternative, try The Botanist gin)
2 dashes orange bitters
¾ ounce Cockburn's Ruby or Tawny port
Orange or lemon peel to twist

Stir the gin and bitters well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. To create a “nice two-tone effect”—the layered look of the port settling at the bottom of the cocktail glass—pour the port either very slowly over the back of a spoon or very gently down the side of the glass. Twist the peel over the drink and discard it.

It is a limitation of the drink that the taste experience mirrors the visual one: The cocktail is not more than the sum of its parts. First sip is gin. Second sip is gin. Third sip, hey, that’s more gin. Things get more interesting once you dip into the port, even and especially if you set the drink aside for a while. The Princeton #1 is on the very short list of cocktails that get better as they warm up.

And there is a Princeton Cocktail #2. It's a martini with added lime juice.

The French 75

Another vintage cocktail, very popular in State College. The drink actually dates to the World War I era, and an early form was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris—later Harry's New York Bar—by barman Harry MacElhone. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun.

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water (to make simple syrup)
1/2 cup Tanqueray gin
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 (750-ml) bottle well-chilled Champagne, like Pol Roget. For a budget and palate-friendly domestic sparkling wine, try the Gruet Brut.
Garnish: julienned lemon zest

Heat sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Cool. Can be made up to a day in advance.

Combine syrup with gin and lemon juice. Chill until cold.

Add 2 tablespoons gin mixture to each Champagne flute. Slowly top off with Champagne. Serve with brunch, or anytime.