Intro
The next in my set of cocktail blogs is all about “The Flip”, a cocktail genre that harks back hundreds of years - some say to 17th Century England, when beer, rum and sugar were mixed to give some solace to cold souls in the depth of winter.
After decades of “recipe development” this drink-mix (I struggle to use the modern word cocktail) through a phase of being heated by a red hot poker, the somewhat dubious heating method was lost along with the beer and then strangely egg was added to the mixture.
Nowadays we know the Flip to contain:
alcohol
sugar
an egg.
[Add cream to that mixture and you get a “Nog”.]
Awareness of this recipe starts to let us use some different spirits to the classic cocktail constituents that we have been looking at up to now. In particular I’m excited to start talking about sherry and port. Variety is the spice of life and certainly cocktails too. In particular this brings in new tastes - and please remember “It’s all about taste…!”
I would respectfully suggest that nowadays most households tend not to have sherry or port in the drinks cabinet / kitchen / utility room. This is truly a shame because these two drinks are of a dependably high quality, taste unique, rich and fulsome. Methinks a current association with ‘old-fashioned-ness’ and that these are drinks of a society-gone-by, are prejudices that prevent us from exploring a fantastic world of (well priced) alcoholic flavour that most of us have rarely encountered and therefore appreciated.
However, back on track to the “Flip”.
As with many great things, simplicity is key. The recipe for a Flip is simple but as this is a different drink to those that we normally come across - richness as well as sweetness both predominate, when sweetness and fruitiness are normally the pairing of today. Indeed, some people recommend a Flip as an alternative to the sweet course of a meal. Not a bad option it would seem!
So why Sherry or Port…?
If a “light” alcohol spirit base is used that is “unaged” eg vodka/gin or a young rum, then the mixture becomes too “boozy” / alcoholic (you know what I mean!) The aged spirit adds a richness that is aided by the mouthfeel of the drink (mouthfeel is an integral feature of taste - which I hope to explore in my blog soon….!).
Sherry
All sherry is aged in oak barrels. Unlike wine barrels, the sherry barrel isn’t filled full (only 4/5ths) and in doing so, this allows for the growth of a layer of yeast called a “flor” which contributes by making the unique sherry taste. Added to this, the mixing of multiple vintages in the same cask (called fractional aging) is encountered. What this means is that multiple times a year, some of the sherry is taken from the oldest casks and is bottled, the removed volume being replaced by the same volume of the next oldest sherry barrels, and the volume of the second oldest is replaced by the same from the third oldest etc etc. So none of the casks are emptied and this fractional ageing contributes to the fact that sherry tastes remarkably similar year after year.
As a base spirit for mixing, be aware that sherry volumes will need to be slightly more than “thin” spirits such as vodka or gin.
Fino/Manzanilla - eg Tio Pepe - is very fragile to keep
Amontillado - a rich aroma based spirit that works well within cocktails
Oloroso - Very strong and rich (be prepared to experiment with an oloroso replacing Vermouth in a Manhattan…..!)
Sweet sherries - consider as an “alcoholic simple syrup”
Cream sherry- a mixture of various styles - ranging from excellent to… less so
Port
Another replacement for vermouth in a Manhattan style cocktail, Port is a versatile player in the cocktail recipe book.
Ruby Port
a non-vintage aged for at least two years
fresh and fruity - mixing well with citrus constituents
Vintage Port
aged for at least 2 years in barrels and then more years in bottles.
This bottling seems to generate a fruitier flavour
Late bottled Vintage Port
As the name suggests, this spends longer in the barrels
Often drunk earlier than vintage port
Tawny Port
A blended port from various vintages
Eggs
Let’s clear something up first with regards to eggs. For a long time, raw eggs were not felt to be safe - especially for pregnant women and young children. This advice has now changed but these groups of people should still avoid raw or lightly cooked eggs that are:
not British Lion stamped
not hen eggs (e.g. duck or quail eggs)
from outside the UK
For current NHS ratified advice regarding raw/runny eggs click here.
Additionally, I would suggest you should avoid any egg that has been cracked or damaged. (Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the alcohol will kill off any Salmonella - it won’t.)
Recipes
So what does a Flip recipe look like…..
Classic flip
2 measures of sherry (oloroso or amontillado) or Port
½ measure of simple syrup
1 whole egg
Dry shake all ingredients
Shake again with ice (long shake)
Double strain into a white wine glass
Garnish with grated nutmeg
Coffee Cocktail
(Don’t look for coffee here. This was named in Bar Tender’s Guide in 1887 because it looked like coffee.)
1 ½ measures of tawny port
1 measure of cognac
¼ measure simple syrup
1 whole egg
Dry shake all ingredients
Shake again with ice (long shake)
Double strain into a white wine glass
Garnish with grated nutmeg
Variation with dairy
The thickness of single and double cream are egg replacement options when experimenting with this sort of cocktail. However, dairy alternatives are possible. Be aware that nut milks tend to be thinner and so create different drinks - not least because the nut (usually) used for the milk imparts a distinctive flavour to the drink.
Here’s some options for dairy based Flips….
White Russian
1 ½ measures of Artisan Vanilla vodka (From The Herbal Gin Company)
1 measure coffee liqueur
1 measure single cream
Combine the vodka and coffee liqueur in a glass
Add ice and stir
Layer the cream on top
Garnish with three coffee beans
Grasshopper
1 measure creme de menthe
1 measure creme de cacao
1 measure double cream
8 mint leaves
Muddle the mint in the liqueurs
Add cream and ice
Shake hard
Double strain
Serve in a chilled martini glass and garnish with a mint leaf
Summary
So a Flip recipe is a simple recipe. But this doesn’t mean it’s a lesser cocktail. To be honest; the stringent storage needs (dairy / eggs), make up and clean up options tend to suggest this style of cocktail is less likely to be a frequently offered bar-based option. However, the flavour options here are diverse and open to widespread personal interpretation and usage. It’s an exciting option to have in your cocktail recipe book. Enjoy!
Afterthought
I was always told never to start a presentation with an apology. So, instead, I will finish with one and so I attach an apology to the end of this, my belated 5th cocktail article of my blog. A thousand apologies for the tardiness of my offering.
Whilst it has been completely caused by the time commitment of opening of our bar - The Aviator Gin Bar - and the subsequent staffing of it by so few of us, (which I have to say has been a remarkably rewarding, albeit challenging project - this has nevertheless allowed us to develop a fantastic community of friends and visitors to the bar over the last 3+ months that has been both humbling and exciting), this is more of an excuse than a reason.
The cocktails that we offer in the bar are born of these articles and I hope they have provided a tasty and suitable practical interlude to any publication for those good people who have tasted them!
I shall endeavour to contribute regularly from now on. Watch this space for the last part - dedicated to the “Highball” and the “Old Fashioned” cocktails.
After that, I hope to explore the subject of taste on a weekly basis. However, perhaps in parallel, we can consider working up a classic cocktail list for home use.
Cheers!
留言