Do you know a bad hombre?  During the last Presidential debate in which Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a Nasty Woman he referred to "bad hombres" who crossed the border from Mexico into the United States.  Naturally Saturday Night Live made fun of the comment.  My friend Chuck suggested I make a Bad Hombre cocktail.  There are a couple of versions online, but none of them contain any ingredients from Mexico.  My original creation does.

2 ounces blanco or reposado tequila (me gusta Herradura)
1 ounce Kahlua (hecho en Mexico)
2 dashes molé bitters or Condesa bitters from Bittered Sling

Combine a shaker with ice, stir with the satisfaction of being a bad (in a good way) cocktail maker, and strain into a chilled glass. 

The Bad Hombre is a Brave Bull (the tequila version of a Black Russian) with bitters. Considering the toxic nature of the Presidential campaign's political discourse, the Bad Hombre needs bitters.  The tequila and bitters you use will have an impact on the drink.  If you want a smokier flavor, use reposado tequila and Condesa bitters.  If you want a smoother flavor, use blanco tequila and molé bitters.  Use Angostura bitters as a last resort.

Do you want musical accompaniment for this cocktail?  Possible choices include diverse artists such as George Thorogood ("Bad To The Bone") and Michael Jackson ("Bad").  If you were supposed to shake the Bad Hombre (you shouldn't because it would violate the Hamlet Cocktail Conundrum), you could play "Macho Man" by the Village People (look at the post's subject title again).

Here's a question -- does this post make me El Lobo Loco (the crazy wolf), El Lobo Malo (the bad wolf), or both?

Do you know a nasty woman? Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" during the last Presidential debate. I did not watch any of the debates (deliberately vague full disclosure -- I dislike one candidate and despise the other). However, I did watch the very funny Saturday Night Live sketches of the debates, including the last one that spawned Trump's comment and ultimately this cocktail. Many thanks to Jenni Avins who created this drink and posted it on the Quartz website.

1.5 ounces blanco or reposado tequila (hola Herradura)
1 ounce cherry juice (like Avins, I use Trader Joe's brand)
Juice from 1/2 lime

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake with (I could go 10 ways with this considering the drink name and the political climate), and strain into a chilled glass.  Lime garnish optional.

Pairing cherry juice, which is a key component in the National, with tequila seems odd, but the Nasty Woman makes it work (that sounds bad, doesn't it?).  This cocktail takes the Cointreau or Grand Marnier out of a Margarita and brings in cherry juice.  The result is a little sweet, a little tart, and very powerful.

If you're not in the mood to watch or discuss politics, I suggest watching Cleveland from Family Guy ("that's naaaasty") or listening to some tunes from Janet Jackson (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty).  And when the election ends and/or you're out of tequila  -- have an El Presidente.

I'm not comparing apples to oranges.  I'm comparing apples (brandy) to apples (jack).  Apple brandy is featured in drinks such as the Honeymoon, applejack is featured in drinks such as the Jersey Girl, or you could use either one in drinks such as the Jack Rose and the Diamondback. As I've mentioned in others posts, even though they both come from fermented apple cider, the two are similar but not the same.

So what's the difference?  Traditionally it's a matter of hot and cold.  Apple brandy uses the regular distilling process. This involves heating the cider so that the alcohol evaporates, capturing the vapor, and cooling the vapor so it becomes a liquid again.  Applejack involves freezing the cider and siphoning off the liquid alcohol after the water freezes.  Both processes separate the alcohol from the water by exploiting their different boiling or freezing points.

Why use the word "traditionally?" Because there's a problem with the old way of making applejack.  When one freezes cider most of the impurities stay with the alcohol.  In comparison, when one heats cider most of the impurities stay with the liquid, not the alcoholic vapor.

Fortunately modern applejack doesn't have this problem. Laird's (the only applejack producer of which I am aware) applejack consists of  35% apple brandy and 65% neutral grain spirits. In comparison, apple brandy is exactly what it sounds like.

Now you can compare apples to apples. Cheers!

Apples, whiskey, and cinnamon.  Any of those flavors can evoke the autumn season.  Combine them into a drink, and you'll fall (pun intended) for the result. You don't hear the phrase "how about them apples" much anymore (to my non-American readers -- the expression means "what do you think about that?"), but as Matt Damon shows in this scene from Good Will Hunting, sometimes it really hits the right note.

The American Apple is my variation on a recipe I saw on the barnonedrinks.com website.

1.5 ounces bourbon
.75 ounces apple brandy or applejack (Laird's makes both)
Juice from 1/8 lemon
.5 ounces super simple syrup
2 dashes cinnamon

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake with Will's swagger, and strain into a chilled glass. Apple slice and/or nutmeg garnish optional.

Apple brandy is similar to, but not the same as, applejack. All you have to do is compare apples to apples.  Like a Diamondback, you can use either spirit in an American Apple. If you prefer apple brandy try a cocktail such as a Widow's Kiss, and if you prefer applejack try a cocktail such as a Jersey Girl. Bourbon is legally an American spirit, but if you don't have any, rye works well.

So how about them apples?