Cocktail Du Jour- The Fred "Don't Call Me Gopher!" Grandy Cocktail

The Fred "Don't Call Me Gopher!" Grandy Cocktail

2 oz Templeton Rye
2 oz Meyer Lemon Juice
1 oz simple syrup (1 to 1 ratio)
1 dash Peychauds Bitters
1 dash Regans Orange Bitters
3 bar spoons Blood Orange/ Seville Marmalade (recipe to follow)
Club soda to fill

In a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients except club soda. Add 4 Tovolo Perfect Cube ice cubes, shake vigorously to a rhythm in your head (I shook to this, don't ask), and strain into a double rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish appropriately as the mood strikes you.

Ever since I tasted Templeton Rye Whiskey, I've been intrigued with its subtle caramel and vanilla tones, and marmalade jumped into my head as something that I wanted to mix with it. Where Rittenhouse is the spicy side of rye, Templeton is a much more subtle (and more similar to Canadian offerings) facet of the style. In being subtle, Templeton is probably best enjoyed on its own with a cube or two of ice to open it up, but in order to mix it effectively, it is important not to overwhelm the flavor of the whiskey but to instead provide complimentary notes to allow the spirit to sing. I think this cocktail, corny name and all really accomplished that goal in spades and also created a mouthwatering cocktail. I didn't want to use a traditional english marmalade as I was afraid it would be too bitter, and I wanted to avoid the cloying sugary mess that usually passes for american marmalade, so I made my own with both Seville & Blood Oranges to create a well balanced and unique flavor to add to the cocktail.

So why would I name a cocktail after Gopher from the Love Boat? Well, I did love the Love Boat as a young boy, and Isaac the bartender might well have been my first influence to become a bartender, but I named this cocktail because I quite literally couldn't think of another famous American who is from Iowa (Templeton is made in Iowa). A quick perusal of Wikipedia shows that I could have picked Elijah Wood or Mamie Eisenhower, but I'll stick with Fred.

Now on to the marmalade. WARNING- This makes a TON of marmalade. In fact, I think my yield on this was 13.5 pints. If you live in the Portland Metro area and are having a hankering for marmalade, shoot me an email. I have plenty (maybe I should mail some to Fred Grandy?). Anyway, I never follow recipes to the T, I always modify them to suit my nefarious purposes, but this is a variation from John Thorne's book "Mouth Wide Open" which he based on a recipe in "Jane Grigson's Fruit Book". A quick note, few writers are as an enjoyable read as John Thorne, and his innate curiosity and adventurous palate has never disappointed me. Without further ado...


Seville & Blood Orange Marmalade

1 1/2 lbs Seville oranges
1 1/2 lbs Blood oranges
12 c table sugar
12 c tap water


1) Fill a large stockpot with the water, bring to a boil, add oranges and cook at a rolling boil for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the skin of the oranges is tender
2) Remove oranges from boiling water and allow to cool.
3) when cool, slice oranges in 1/2 and then 1/2 again, reserving pits (they help the jellification issue), then slice the oranges into exceptionally small pieces (like for marmalade)
4) wrap the pits in cheesecloth and hang onto them
5) add sugar, oranges and cheesecloth package in a large stockpot over high heat, bring to a rolling boil, skim any scum that rises to the surface of the liquid. After 20-30 minutes of boiling, check for jelling.
6) remove from heat throw away the cheesecloth, and can according to manufacturers instructions (or email me for advice)

Yields about 13 1/2 pints of marmalade, approximately a 4 year supply.