The Cobbler: A Drink of Infinite Possibilities

No, I’m not talking about those tasteless desserts at your family reunion. You know, the ones that contained canned peaches (or some other abort-able fruit) and a heavy “crust-like” substance surrounding all sides? Really, the only reason you ate them was because they were there and your only other option was the Swiss Miss Banana Pudding with “Nilla” Wafers on top. Cobblers can be one of summer’s greatest treats if done properly. They’re not really even that difficult to pull off well. There should be no excuse in the world for taking a bad cobbler to a family get together. In order to keep you from embarrassing yourself at future functions and just because everyone should have a good cobbler recipe in their collection, I am doing you a favor and including one at the bottom of this post.

What the hell are we talking about food for? This is a drink blog. You’re right. Today’s drink of choice reminded me that I needed to rant a bit about said dessert. I wanted to tackle a drink that is not to be confused with the cocktail as we understand it. Although one of the earliest mentions of the word cocktail occurred during the first decade of the 19^th-Century—most likely, the original recipe comes from the 1850’s, the Sazerac. Although the definition has become bastardized to a certain extent in today’s culture, cocktails were originally said to contain a distilled spirit, sugar, bitters, and water.

Cobblers on the other hand, are an entirely different drink. Originally, they were fortified wine-based concoctions that contained simple syrup and a lot of crushed ice, along with the occasionally muddled lemon peel; usually garnished with seasonally-fresh fruit. Harry Johnson, in 1900, said about the Sherry Cobbler, “This drink is without doubt the most popular beverage in the country, with ladies as well as with gentlemen. It is a very refreshing drink for old and young.” (Old and young huh? I wonder if Mr. Johnson would be one of today’s lower-the-drinking-age advocates?). Seeing how the cobbler seemingly fell out of fashion in the 20^th-Century, one would now be hard-pressed to walk into a bar and find it on a menu. I feel like we should give this drink which captured the attention of Americans for the better part of a century, another examination.

Sherry Cobbler (Traditional)

Adapted from Harry Johnson’s New & Improved Bartender Manual (1900)

4 oz. Sherry
½ Tablespoonful Caster Sugar
Seltzer Water
Crushed Ice

In a thin-walled glass, add sugar and a splash of seltzer water and dissolve with a spoon. Then fill the glass with finely crushed ice. Add Sherry and vigorously stir with a spoon to create a froth of ice on the outside walls of the glass. Garnish with grapes, pineapple, berries, oranges, etc. Serve with a straw.

With a very simple concoction that contains so few ingredients, it is important that they are of good quality. I wouldn’t suggest going out and purchasing a $60.00 bottle of sherry, but be sure to pass up the choices on the bottom shelf as well.

Over its two-hundred-ish year history the cobbler has gone through many reincarnations. From its birth as a wine-based drink to Jerry Thomas’s Whiskey Cobbler (1862), the definition of what makes a cobbler a cobbler definitely becomes eschewed. Mr. Thomas’s Whiskey Cobbler seems reminiscent of a Julep, sans mint, with the addition of a dash of maraschino. Moving on to the middle 20^th Century, David Embury, author of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948) says about the cobbler:

“In making any of the Cobblers, the goblet is first filled with fine ice. If goblets are not available, an 8- to 10-ounce Highball glass can be substituted. The ingredients of the drink are not separately shaken but are poured over the ice in the glass, the sugar or liqueur first and the wine or spiritous liquor last. The contents of the glass are then churned with a bar spoon until frost appears on the outside of the glass. Straws are then inserted and the drink is decorated with fruit and mint and served.”

“Prepare glass with ice as above directed. Add two teaspoonfuls sugar syrup. Fill glass to within ½ ” of top with the desired liquor and stir. A teaspoonful of pineapple syrup or a few dashes of curaçao are frequently used with the sugar syrup. Also a fruit liqueur, such as maraschino, Cointreau, apricot, or peach, may be substituted for the sugar syrup. With rum, orgeat or falernum will make a pleasing substitute for the sugar.”

Ok, so now I’m confused. Originally, we started off with a wine or fortified wine and it then evolved to be a drink whose base was either a “wine-y thing” or a spirit. Regarding liqueurs, it appears that anything goes, and the sky is the limit. It seems to me that one of the more consitent items that does not normally appear in cobblers is acidic citrus. Oranges are occasionally used, but typically not lemons or limes. One contradiction to this comes from master mixologist, Dale Degroff in his Craft of the Cocktail. He not only uses oranges and lemons, but herbs as well.

Dale DeGroff’s Whiskey Cobbler

2 oz. Maker’s Mark Whiskey
2 Lemon Wedges
2 Orange Slices
2 ½-inch Squared Pineapple Chunks
2 Pineapple Sage Leaves
¾ oz. Orange Curacao
1 oz. Water

Muddle one piece each of the fruits and the pineapple sage with the Orange Curacao and water in a bar glass. Add ice and whiskey and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled double old fashioned glass and garnish with remaining fruit.

With all of the options out there, it is difficult to say which technique or ingredient list is better. Throughout the evolution of the cobbler, it is easy to see where the cobbler started and how it has deviated from its origin. Over the past week, I did my best to come up with a somewhat interesting variation on the cobbler that did its best to find a balance between the simplicity of the Sherry Cobbler and the throw-caution-to-the-wind, DeGroff Whiskey Cobbler.

Using wine as a base instead of a spirit can instantly add a classic feeling to a drink, as these days wine is rarely a star. Being at the advent of the stifling summer months in Houston, I have made my switch from drinking heavy red wines to crisp whites. Wanting something acidic, without adding citrus, I grabbed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I had a certain flavor profile in mind that was inspired by a drink containing, pisco, lemon and grapefruit juice, with some Kaffir lime. Kaffir lime is still kind of hard to find everywhere in the U.S. Often, asian markets or Central Market carries them though. Lucky me, I have a Kaffir Lime tree in the backyard. So here is what I came up with.

4 oz. Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier
½ oz. Pisco
2 Grapefruit Peels (the same size as would be used for a flamed peel)
2 Lemon Peels (same as above)
Kaffir Lime Leaf
½ oz. Simple Syrup
4-5 Mint Leaves

Muddle the Kaffir lime leaf, mint, and citrus peels with simple syrup in a mixing glass. Crush enough ice to fill a large wine glass halfway. Pour the wine and pisco over the ice, followed by the muddled contents of the shaker. With a bar spoon, swizzle inside the wine glass until a frost builds on the outside. Top the drink with more crushed ice. Garnish with slice a slice of lemon, various ‘fruits of the season’ and a mint sprig. Serve a straw.

This particular variation on the cobbler is mild and wonderfully refreshing—especiallly after a stifling day outside in this ridiculous heat.

The options are infinite when it comes to making cobblers. We learn the most while experimenting and going through a trial-and-error process. I encourage you to try different combinations that aren’t necessarily tradtitional. Like I’ve said before, the worst thing that can happen is that it can suck. Don’t be afraid to throw a bad cocktail in the sink. Cheers.

Fruit Cobbler (The Edible Kind)

10 cups mixed soft fruit, such as blackberries, black currants, blueberries, raspberries, etc.
6 tablespoons superfine sugar
¼ cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced, plus extra for greasing
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus 2 tesaspoons lemon zest

For the Cobbler Dough

1 cup flour
3 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup buttermilk

For the Glaze

1 ½ tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
A pinch of cinnamon
Mint leaves to garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees f., and lightly grease a 10-inch, round ovenproof dish. In a large bowl, combine the fruit with the sugar, flour, cornstarch, butter, lemon juice and zest. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.

To make the cobbler dough, place the flour, sugar, baking poweder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until it resemble course bread crumbs. Then stir in the buttermilk until it is combined. Using a large sppon, drop the dough onto the surface of the fruit in about 10-11, even spoonfuls. Be sure not to cover all the berries.

In a small bowl, combine the cream, sugar, and cinnamon for the glaze. With a pastry brush, brush the cream mixture over the top of the cobbler dough. Place the dish on a baking sheet and transfer it to the oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave it to stand for about 10 minutes before it is served. Garnish with mint leaves and serve with fresh sweetened cream.

Enjoy!