The A Little Thyme Off cocktail is a refreshing and herbaceous drink that uses a thyme-infused simple syrup as its key ingredient. The syrup adds a subtle, savory flavor to the cocktail, which is then balanced by the tartness of lemon juice and the effervescence of ginger beer.
Flips originally comprised rum or brandy, beer and molasses or sugar, mixed together then heated with a red-hot poker which caramelised the drink and made it bubble and froth. Over time, a tin or copper vessel known as an ale-warmer replaced the poker. Helped by sailors, the Flip crossed the Atlantic where President George Washington became a notable Flip drinker. Here is one of the first complete recipes for a flip from The Cooks Oracle:
To make a quart of Flip: Put the Ale on the fire to warm, beat up three or four Eggs with four ounces of moist Sugar, a teaspoon full of grated Nutmeg or Ginger, and a quartern of good old Rum or Brandy. When the Ale is near to boil put it into one pitcher, and the Rum and the Eggs, etc into another; turn it from one pitcher into another until it is smooth as cream. The Cooks Oracle, 1822
A buck is a cocktail that is made with ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice, and any of a number of base liquors. Buck cocktails are sometimes called mules.
The Suffering Bastard cocktail uses both bourbon and gin. Born in Cairo at the Shepheard's Hotel, it was originally concocted as a hangover cure for troops fighting in North Africa.
