Orange Bitters and the Orange Roof

October 29, 2008 by Pink Lady

by Pink Gin

This week in the Dig I offered up a road-trip version of the classic martini and I have a few little baubles to add…

More on ingredients for the “HoJotini”
We’re using Beefeater gin, Noilly Prat vermouth, and Angustora orange bitters that we got through bartering on the black market. Fees Orange bitters are somewhat more available in local shops. Or look on-line.

What’s a HoJo?
For those of you too young to remember or from another country, HoJo’s is a quintessential 20th century American story of one man’s vision. It starts with New England ice cream, leads to the development of the “franchise” system, capitalizes on the needs of automotive travelers wanting reliable food and lodging, becomes a huge national success, is passed on to the founder’s son, suffers from competition, is sold off in pieces to conglomerates, and limps along today. Anyone who can comment on this blog post with ways to link HoJo’s with cocktails or women’s history gets bonus points. Here are a few links on nostalgia for the old “orange roof”:

http://www.hojoland.com/history.html
http://www.roadsidefans.com/hojo.html
http://www.slamtrak.com/hojo2003/

Modding up the liquor travel case
Also known as a “travel bar,” these can be found in a wide range of sizes and styles. The featured photo was not staged; I snapped this at a hotel on the Jersey shore. My travel companion and I had been road tripping all day and were getting ready for dinner while sipping the martini featured in the Dig. The case is an older one made of plastic and metal and includes space for two small bottles, a flask, small glasses, a stirring spoon, and an opener. We carry what you see here. The gin goes into a smaller bottle to save space, and the two plastic cups have been replaced with four unstemmed vintage cocktail glasses protected with sheets of papertowel. These are put into service when no other glassware is handy. We also add in a paring knife and a kitchen towel. With ice provided by the hotel, we are good to go.

Recipes for other cocktails mentioned in the Dig this week

FRENCH 75
1 oz gin
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Simple syrup
4 oz sparking white wine

Shake the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup (a splash or to taste) with ice, pour in stemmed glass and top with sparkling wine. Other variations include cognac rather than gin as well as different glassware.

NEGRONI
1/3 gin
1/3 sweet vermouth
1/3 Campari

Stir the ingredients with ice and serve up or on the rocks. A twist of orange is the least offensive garnish I’ve seen served with this drink.

Posted in French 75, Gin, HoJos, Negroni, Uncategorized, Vermouth | 5 Comments

5 Responses

on October 29, 2008 at 7:02 pm | Reply Adam

I’m envious of your travel case!

Have you seen anything like them recently?

I got a very small one a while ago from Levenger (small three piece shaker, two expandable cups, stirrer, et al.), but they discontinued it.

**start shameless plug**

BTW, if anyone’s interested I have an order in for Angostura’s Orange Bitters and hope to get them in stock soon.

In the meantime I have Regans’ and Fee’s to quench that orange bitters need.

Contact me via http://www.thebostonshaker.com and I’ll figure out a way to get them into your hands

**end shameless plug**

Drink on!
on October 30, 2008 at 12:54 pm | Reply p gin

you know the LUPEC vintage mantra: yard sales, flea markets, ebay, etc…! a test search for “travel bar” yielded the best results on-line. many later versions seemed to focus more on wine. hopefully there will be some new designs as a result of the resurgence in cocktail culture.

another hint: i might have once thought the case was a little cheesy for being plastic, until we once forgot to throw away the citrus we’d packed until the next trip. good design wins again!

thanks for the update on the bitters; it’s what the blog is made for.

cheers!
on October 31, 2008 at 6:07 pm | Reply Adam

Danke p gin!

There were a few travel kits I’ve found while going through wholesalers but they all really look like junk. I’m keeping my eyes open for some new to market stuff b/c I agree with you – I expect more things to hit the market in the coming months/years.

re: bitters – thanks again!

Cheers!
on November 1, 2008 at 7:24 am | Reply Hanky Panky

I would suggest checking any Salvation Army or Goodwill the next time you are on a road trip. I found THREE during one trip home to see the folks! Bought them all and became the best gift giver ever! Frequently they are by the luggage because they have no idea where to put them.

Cheers!
on November 1, 2008 at 2:58 pm | Reply p gin

yes, and in my “etc.” i really should have specifically recommended shops specializing in antiques and collectibles. my mom used to have a spot in a coop of this type, and it is through her I have most of my vintage collection. the deal is that the dealers hit all the yard sales and sell the coolest stuff in the shop. so a bit more expensive, but more fun for someone like me who would never get up early to drive around the countryside to dig through used crap to find a gem. kind of like ebay (well, visa versa actually) but it supports local businesses, you can inspect the merch, and no shipping charges. plus, who knows, an item like this might not make it on-line.

thanks adam and hp!