Let's be honest, maybe a cocktail of the week is a bit much....

If you are a frequent follower of our blog or Facebook postings, you will notice that the cocktail of the week has nearly disappeared.  Maybe our last cocktail of the week was just so great, that it was difficult to follow.  Or maybe, just maybe, yours truly is a little bit lazy and a lot busy.

The fact is, a week comes and goes so quickly that it was difficult to keep up, especially if we were going to explore the origin or uniqueness of a rotating cocktail.  In addition, we found that our customers wished that some of the cocktails of the week stuck around longer than just 6 days; sometimes this is not nearly enough time to plan a trip to Bryant's.  In sum, a week just isn't long enough.

The answer, we believe, is to change the cocktail of the week in to the Cocktail of the Month.  If we get a good response, we may add two or more cocktails of the month.  Perhaps a rotating classic, Bryant's, and modern cocktail??  We'll see!

Let's just see how this goes!

We begin our new cocktail of the month on Sunday.  Want a hint?  Like Sean Connery in Alphabet City, this classic cocktail from 1894 is a riff on an even earlier classic.  First one to guess correctly and post it in the comments section of our blog gets one on us!

Cocktail of the Week: The French 75

The French 75

In celebration of the French culture and spirit, the cocktail of the week this week is the French 75, a classic cocktail that is a powerful (and delicious) mixture of gin, lemon, sugar, and champagne.

Created at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, this cocktail was named after the French 75mm Howitzer Artillery Cannon, a powerful artillery piece that became famous during World War I.  Whether is packs a punch like a cannon, or hits the spot like a modern piece of military accouterment, the French 75 is a powerful cocktail which earns its name.

Only $5 during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour, 5-9 Tuesday through Friday.  

Cocktail of the Week: The Bone Crusher

Along with the first week of May comes Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday commemorating the defeat of the French army in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we will be featuring one of the finest tequila cocktails we have ever tasted, The Bone Crusher. Developed by the talented mixologists at Drink in Boston, The Bone Crusher has all the hallmarks of a stellar cocktail: it's simple, delicious, and unique.

Tequila, lime, sugar, hot pepper sauce, and pepper mix to create a spicy, tangy drink that is not only tasted, it's experienced. First you taste the sour of the lime, which is almost immediately offset by the sugar, then comes the surprise. Just like a poorly armed group of 4,000 poor mexican soldiers rising up to defeat the heavily armed forces of the invading French- the spice comes from behind and kicks your butt. Viva la Bone Crusher!

Stop in and try the Bone Crusher this week during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour where you can buy one for only $5. Plus, it will be $5 all night on Thursday in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

Cocktail of the Week: Lapham Punch

There are several secrets that surround Bryant's Cocktail Lounge.

Some secrets are known by regular customers and those who have frequented Bryant's for years. For example, if you want a good cocktail, just tell the barman what you are looking for and trust that he will deliver.

Other secrets are known by just the staff. For example, what gives the Black Magic that magical taste that leaves you wanting more.

Still other secrets are even better kept and are known only to two or three people. One of these secrets is the ingredients in Pat's punches.

Pat, the second owner of Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, became somewhat well know for his boozy punch concoctions that would be sold around special occasions- the most popular of which was the Holiday Punch, which we still serve from Thanksgiving to New Years. These punches pack a kick that helps fuel Holiday revelry and are sweet enough to go down like candy.

Many people have tasted the Holiday Punch, but not many have tried the other punches that were served back in the day. One of the most obscure is the Lapham Punch, which was primarily sold around St. Patrick's Day and has a limey, whiskey fueled taste. This punch hasn't been mixed in years and years, but is available this week at Bryant's as the Cocktail of the Week.

If you are a fan of the Holiday Punch, you will most certainly like the Lapham Punch. Stop in during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour to try this well kept secret for only $5 a glass. Plus, as usual, it is available for only $5 all night on Sunday.

Cocktail of the Week: The Daiquiri Cocktail

Did you know that April 20th is National Look Alike Day?

You can celebrate by dressing like your best friend, dressing your dog like your cat, or sitting around watching the Patty Duke show- a TV comedy about two identical cousins who get involved in all sorts of hijinks.  Cathy Lane, played by Patty Duke, is the refined cousin; raised in a cultured world of travel and minuets.  Patty Lane, also played by Patty Duke, is a Brooklyn Heights girl who loses control over rock and roll and hotdogs.

In celebration of National Look Alike Day, we really wanted to feature a drink of the week that looks identical to another cocktail, but tastes entirely different.  This, of course, is an easy task.  A Forever Amber looks an awful lot like a Briar Patch, though they taste quite different.  The Forever Amber tastes like strawberry, while the Briar Patch tastes like raspberry.  A Manhattan looks like Franks Drink, a Tornado looks like a Rat Pack, and a vodka tonic looks identical to a gin and tonic.

Instead, we decided to challenge ourselves by featuring a cocktail that has an identical name to another cocktails, but is entirely different.  Sounds confusing, but it really isn't.  There are two cocktails, both named "Daiquiri".  Much like Patty and her cousin Cathy, these cocktails are identical in name, just like two matching bookends, but they are different as night and day.

Our featured cocktail this week is the original Daiquiri Cocktail.  About 75% of people equate a Daiquiri with a blended icy drink that tastes like lime or strawberry or maybe raspberry.  It may be blue or purple or red, and it may or may not be made with rum.  At Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, in general, we are a fan of blended cocktails, but the Daiquiri is an exception.  Why?  Because the original, un-basterdised Daiquiri Cocktail is so darn good.

The original Daiquiri Cocktail, as we understand it, is quite simple.  Rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup- shaken and strained in to a cocktail glass.  The rum plays with the lime, and the lime plays with the sugar, and the sugar plays with the rum.  It's like a playground in your mouth- a playground made of booze!

This original concoction can also be blended, as it was at the Floridita in Cuba, where Ernest Hemingway hung is hat.  However, we don't recommend it.  Just try it in it's pure form.

This week we want you to find out for yourself why the original Daiquiri is so much better than the blended Daiquiri of the 1980s.  The Daiquiri Cocktail is only $5 during Old Fashioned Happy Hour, which takes place from 5 to 9, Tuesday through Friday.  In addition, we will be offering the Daiquiri Cocktail for only $5 all night on Sunday!  How can you go wrong?

As an added bonus, we have some delicious Fish House Punch, which is a potent and delicious rum punch.  The predominant flavors are lemon-lime, with a hint of vanilla.  Try this after your Daiquiri Cocktail for only $5 for a big glass.

Cocktail of the Week: The Income Tax Cocktail

The Income Tax Cocktail

Yes, it is that time again.  Tax Day.

In case you didn't know (and expect a cocktail lounge's blog to tell you) your taxes are due on April 18th this year.  So, this week, make sure to gather your W-2s, un-crumple your receipts, and prepare to fill in the little boxes answering confusing, "shouldn't there be a comma there", questions.

But first, stop by Bryant's for this weeks Cocktail of the Week: The Income Tax Cocktail.  The Income Tax Cocktail is a pre-prohibition cocktail that is remarkably similar to the classic Bronx- a cocktail that has been a long-time favorite at Bryant's.  The Bronx is a classic mix of gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, and fresh orange juice.  The difference between a Bronx and The Income Tax Cocktail?  A shake of bitters.

Now, we can only assume that the cocktail mixers of yore had a sense of humor.  This is most likely one of those times when a witty barman created a cocktail to make a point.  Even though the bitters do add a touch of complexity, they also make the cocktail a little more bitter- just like doing your taxes.

Want to try it yourself?  Stop down this week when The Income Tax Cocktail is only $5 during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour, Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 9.  Also, it will be $5 all night on Sunday, April 17th.  The day before your taxes are due.

After sipping on this delicious cocktail, you can rest assured that your bitterness has been shared by generations of Americans who begrudgingly fill out their taxes every year and find that they need a tasty cocktail to help them forget.  Now, where is that recipe for the 4868 Extension to File Cocktail?

Cocktail of the Week: The Velvet Touch

The Velvet Touch

The drink of the week for April 5th through April 10th comes from the Bryant's recipe vault- a dark, secure place, full of cocktail recipes not seen in 5, 10, or even 20 years. We are slowly bringing these recipes out in to the light of day, to once again be enjoyed by our guests.

The Velvet Touch (not to be mistaken for the Velvet Hammer, which is an ice cream drink), is a rum-based cocktail, with hints of almond and strawberry. It is served in a squall glass over ice and is delicious. Like many Bryant's drinks, this cocktail is deceivingly strong and covers the taste of the booze quite well- so well that it is worthy of the name "Velvet Touch".

Don't spend April waiting for Spring to arrive, drink it in a glass! This week only, the Velvet Touch cocktail is only $5 during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour (Tuesday through Friday, from 5PM to 9PM) and all night on Sunday April 10th!

(Unfortunately, we can not combine offers so we will not be able to accept Groupons as payment for any Cocktail Hour cocktail.)

Cocktail of the Week: The Glamour Shot

The cocktail of the week for March 29th through April 3rd is the Glamour Shot. As we move away from the wintery weather of March in to the spring of April (hopefully), we start to move away from brown and bitter in to light clear spirited cocktails.

The Glamour Shot is the perfect cocktail to bridge the two seasons. Created by our excellent bartender Emily Evans, the Glamour Shot is a well balanced mix of Plymouth Gin, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liquor, Cynar, and lime. This is definitely a spiritous gin cocktail, but it has some of the bitter elements one expects in a well-crafted Manhattan.

Stop in this week during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour and try a Glamour Shot for only $5. In addition, we will be offering this drink for $5 all night this Sunday, April 27th. A true bargain for such an exceptional cocktail!

Cocktail of the Week: The Fernandito Cocktail

The cocktail for February 8 through the 11th is the Fernandito Cocktail, created by Gary Regan.

We chose this cocktail after searching for a better use for a common spirit: spiced rum. At Bryant's we are huge fans of rum. We use different varieties of rum in many, many of our cocktails. Light rum, dark rum, 151 rum, aged rum, Puerto Rican rum, Guatemalan rum, and yes, we even occasionally use coconut-flavored rum. The one rum we have found little use for is spiced rum. All of the Captain Morgan spiced rum we pour is mixed with coke. Not saying there is anything wrong with this, but there has to be a better use for spiced rum, right?

When someone wants a drink made with spiced rum, we find they will enjoy some of our house-made spiced drinks. The Navy Grog, the Fog Cutter, and the Scorpion are a few of the drinks we make with our own spice mixture. Personally, I feel these drinks blow any store bought spiced rum out of the water, but I may be a little biased. Or I may have had one too many Navy Grogs in my life (these drinks, by the way, are served in our ultra-cool skull mugs, which make them all the more mysterious).

For those of our guests who are not a fan of our house spice mix, we have finally found a cocktail that works well with store bought spiced rum. The Fernandito combines spiced rum (we are using Cruzan spiced rum, which has a heavy vanilla flavor), raspberry liqueur, lime juice, and orange juice.

The Fernandito has all the traits of a great cocktail- simple in ingredients, but complex in taste. It highlights the flavors of the spiced rum without being too boozy. This cocktail is so great, it will appeal to fans of rum and fans of spiced rum (yes, these are often two different groups of people).

Stop in during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour this week and try the Fernandito for only $5. Follow it up with a Geronimo or a Hawaiian Eyes and make it a night!

Cocktail of the Week: The Golden Glow

The Golden Glow of Cocktail Hour

For the past two years, we have been offering the same specials for our "old fashioned cocktail hour". Half price old fashioned cocktails, as well as our depression era cocktails. Stopping down between 5 and 9, Tuesday through Friday, is a great way to enjoy some classic Bryant's cocktails for a song. At just $3.50 to $4 each, these cocktails are a true recession-era special.

Many of our best customers first stopped by during cocktail hour to feel the place out. Once they double check their directions, open the door, and let their eyes adjust, they are usually hooked and will stop by again and again and again. Sometimes they become loyal to one specific cocktail, but often they are looking to try a variety of drinks.

We have decided to expand our offerings during cocktail hour to include a "cocktail of the week". This cocktail may be a classic cocktail, or an obscure Bryant's favorite, or it may be a new creation that features a specific new spirit, bartender, or ingredient. The featured cocktail may be available at all times, or it may be a special cocktail that is only offered under the spotlight of cocktail hour. The best way to find out more about the cocktail of the week is to ask your friendly bartender or to keep up with us on Facebook, where we will announce the cocktail of the week:

http://www.facebook.com/bryantscocktaillounge

The first cocktail of the week will be the Golden Glow, which will be available at Bryant's Cocktail Lounge for only $5 through February 4th.

We discovered the Golden Glow in a Galliano cocktail book from the 1970's. We have always been searching for Galliano cocktails, besides the Golden Cadillac and the Harvey Wallbanger, that properly utilize this anise based liqueur. The Golden Glow blends gin, Galliano, and Drambuie (another spirit that is difficult to mix). Simple and sweet, this cocktail is interesting enough to be our first Cocktail of the Week.

Stop by Milwaukee's Classic Cocktail Lounge between 5 and 9 to re-experience our Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour.