Cable Car

The Cable Car is a modern classic. The brilliant orange-copper color and a rich, complex flavor have made the Cable Car a favorite of many bartenders. This Sidecar variation has appeared on cocktail lists everywhere. The deceptively simple recipe was created in San Francisco by Tony Abou-Ganim.


Cable Car

2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 oz. Orange Curacao
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

Stir over ice and strain into a cinnamon/sugar rimmed cocktail glass.

I like my Cable Car to be crystal clear, but I think if you get one of these at one of Tony's bars, you'll get some Frothee in it. Frothee provides a creamy texture and a frothy head. But Frothee contains Propylene Glycol, and I'm not a big fan of having Propylene Glycol in my cocktails. If you like a frothy head and creamy texture, you can add the following to the recipe instead.

optional: 1/2 teaspoon egg white.
(shaken not stirred, in this case)

If you live in a control state like Pennsylvania, and you can't find any spiced rum close at hand, you can make your own. Here is the Kaiser Penguin Spiced Rum recipe. (Rick came up with this in about ten seconds, it may require a few minor adjustments.)

The Kaiser Penguin Spiced Rum

Take 4 oz. amber rum
Pour into a jar you can seal
Add 2 cinnamon sticks
5 pepper corns
2 whole nutmeg
8 allspice
6 cloves
shake like mad for 2 minutes
and strain through cheese cloth.

Rick made a Cable Car with his homemade Spiced Rum and pronounced it interesting.

"Wow," he said "the orange, cloves, and spices are paired well with the lemon juice!"

Deceptively simple.

Chow.com also has a spiced-rum recipe for the do-it-yourself types and residents of PA.

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday is Orange. The host is Gwen over at the Intoxicated Zodiac blog. Check in over there for the full wrap-up. Special thanks to Kaiser Penguin for the inspiration and the last minute Spiced Rum recipe.

"We'll set about ya!"

He gave the terrorists a good kickin'. He's met Big Yin and Gordon Brown. He's become an internet superhero. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal and every newspaper in Britain. John Smeaton is the toast of Glasgow and the world. Now he has his own cocktail.

Home bar in Glasgow’s Albion Street is serving the Smeaton Cocktail. It contains Bells whisky, Angostura bitters, lime juice and is shaken with crushed ice. Assistant manager Becky Task, 24, said: “It’s called The Smeaton because it’s got one hell of a kick."

The Smeaton

2 oz. Scotch Whisky
1/2 oz. Lime juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake over ice and strain into a bucket filled with crushed ice.

Cheers to you John!