Sami 75

Another selection from the Finlandia cup. The Sami 75 is one of those "what if" concoctions: as in; what if, rather than gin toting Limeys sloshing their hooch in with some French bubbly and some citrus to birth the venerable French 75, it was a couple of Fins with a bottle of Vodka. Now, history tells us that the Fins fought everybody but the French or English in WW2, and the likelihood of a Sami being anywhere near a grapefruit, especially back then, is wellll, fairly low, to say the least, what can I say, I have a great imagination. Anyway it was the second favorite aperitif drink in the contest, so regardless of the name, it's tasty. Enjoy.

1 oz Finlandia Mango

3/4 oz ginger syrup

3/4 oz grapefruit juice

Korbel Brut

Shake all ingredients except the bubble, strain into a flute and top with champagne

Garnish with a grapefruit peel and a mint sprig. Cheers

The 1912 Reo

  Those who know me personally have probably been bored to tears a few times by my self aggrandizing stories about riding my motorcycle from Halifax to Vancouver a few years back, well, even I have to admit that my trip pales in comparison to what freelance writer Thomas Wilby and driver/mechanic, Jack Haney accomplished. They drove Ransom E Olds' (yep, the Oldsmobile guy) Reo Special from Halifax to Vancouver in 1912! Read about the Journey.

Anyway, this drink was inspired by them, I put it together for the Finlandia cup this year with, obviously, vodka, but I like it better with whiskey.

1.5 oz Jack Daniels old No. 7

1/2 oz maple syrup

1/2 oz apple juice

1/2 oz walnut liqueur OR bar spoon of crushed walnuts

2 bar spoons cranberry jelly

dash whiskey barrel aged bitters

1 egg white (optional)

Shake extensively then double strain, especially if you've used crushed walnuts, into your fanciest glass. While you're at it, if you've got the walnuts, you might as well rim the glass with them then torch it with bitters flame, like so: