Jun16

Imbibe – July/Aug – Part I

Orange Viola

Orange Viola

  • 1.5oz gin
  • 3/4oz Campari
  • 1/2oz passion fruit syrup
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • orange twist, for garnish

Shake with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with or without ice. Garnish.

Source: Kaiser Penguin

When I opened my mailbox today I was greeted with two morsels of joy. The first was a bright orange GameFly package containing Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo DS. This game won me over in a matter of minutes, and why? Your guide’s name is none other than Dr. Lobe. His goal is to make your brain fatter, a process which my stomach also greatly approves of. But enough with that! The second morsel of goodness was the July / August issue of Imbibe.

The color palette for the cover is modern and sleek, and again, by some feat of magic, the table of contents starts on the second page. One of my complaints last issue was the lack of inventive feature titles (save the monk one). Apparently they listened. All of these titles sparked my interest, especially the first and the last.

  • No Bartender Required
  • Ten Tips for Budding Wine Collectors
  • Mad About Brew
  • Lovely & Amazing
  • Drinking to the Dragon

The departments are all the same as the first issue, and the recipe index is right in your face with more palette-watering names than one could hope for. My only real problem here is that the ads on the recipe page create a bit of clutter. I noticed the first issue has the same ads, but they fit in with the colors a little bit better and are less distracting. Not a huge complaint, advertising is advertising.

Editor’s Note

I sit here sipping a Mojito out of a very similarly shaped glass to the one in this picture. That’s odd. You may remember me raving about the first issue’s editor’s note and how it really set the tone for what was to come. One of Karen’s major points was the story behind the drinks, the people who make them, and the relationships that fuel their passion. Community is a good word for it, and it’s pretty much why Kaiser Penguin exists. It really brings me joy to see my gmail box pop up with a new comment on one of my articles. Not so much because people are reading, but because there might be something new I can learn or some snippet of knowledge I can share.

The editor’s note introduces a fine addition to the Imbibe arsenal: reader recipes. The first reader recipe is the one you see above. But don’t let me have all the fun!

Submit your recipes to recipes@imbibemagazine.com.

In Part II I’ll take a look at Uncorked, Q&A, and the Taste-Test which features premium ginger ales.


11 Responses to “Imbibe – July/Aug – Part I”

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11 Comments to “ Imbibe – July/Aug – Part I”
  1. jimmyNo Gravatar says:

    Rick. The photo is once again fantastic. Great job!

    Jimmy

  2. RickNo Gravatar says:

    Jimmy,

    Thanks!

    Would you try it out and let me know what you think?

  3. I will, but I’ll need to find passion fruit syrup. Is that like a coffe house type of syrup, or is it a fruit juice type substance I would find in the grocery? Gin and Campari is one of my favorite combos, so I’ll try it out and let you know.

  4. RickNo Gravatar says:

    I was lucky enough to find a brand at my local Asian grocer that is absolutely delicious. Two ingredients: passion fruit juice and sugar.

    It is definitely very syrupy. I’ve heard Trader Vic’s is good if you can find that.

  5. Nice work! I don’t have passion-fruit syrup at the moment, but I’ll short-list the Orange Viola as a cocktail to sample, and report back.

  6. AnnaNo Gravatar says:

    Does anyone know where I can find REAL passion fruit syrup in New York City? I just bought some in a rush to make the Orange Viola, but when I got home I realized that it was artificially flavored.

  7. I finally found the passion fruit syrup, and I tried the Orange Viola. I tried it with the Orange bitters, and then I tried it with some Fee’s Old Fashioned Aromatic Bitters. I think of the Fee’s Aromatics as a cross between orange bitters and Angostora bitters. I like this drink both ways. It has a nice way of evolving in the glass that reminds me of good tiki drinks. Maybe it’s the passionfruit? Anyway, nice job.

    Jimmy

  8. RickNo Gravatar says:

    Jimmy,

    I happy you finally got your hands on some passion fruit syrup. Where did you end up finding it?

    Now you can make about a bazillion drinks that you couldn’t before…

  9. I had a friend get me the passionfruit syrup at a coffee supply house. I got Torani and Monin. The Monin tastes more natural to me. I also finally got my grog log. I ordered it on May 28th off Amazon, and it still hadn’t shown up. Last week I ordered it from Tiki Bosko and it’s here. I had to cancel the order from Amazon.

  10. RickNo Gravatar says:

    Oh, that’s excellent. I just got Intoxica! in the mail recently, myself. Let me know which drinks you are enjoying.

  11. […] Today’s drink comes courtesy of Kaiser Penguin. I found this recipe a few weeks ago and kept telling myself to remember to make it. Naturally, this was around the same time that Intoxica! arrived, so the Orange Viola and its orange-y wonders were waylaid by the magic of tiki fever. […]

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About

Kaiser Penguin is a cocktail blog featuring original recipes, homemade ingredients, classic cocktails, and tiki drinks.

Why on Earth did you name your blog “Kaiser Penguin?”

It is a well-known fact that penguins are members of high society and enjoy fine cocktails. Our very own kaiser penguin would like me to mention that he also enjoys various treats from the sea.

Contact: rick@kaiserpenguin.com