7-bottle shopping spree today along with what i had already equals enough for a working home bar. i've already done some research, i have most of the tools, i have just about enough of the time and money. i am learning to do this.
itt i will post recipes, observations, and pro-tips abt making drinks at home for you and the guests you may/may not have. bartenders, pro, ex-pro, and amateur, pls feel free to contribute.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 00:46 (fourteen years ago) link
First question, what booze do you now have in your home bar?
― 12 inches of (snoball), Wednesday, 30 December 2009 00:47 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE ONE: negroni (with a wink and a smile at HI DERE)
of course this is a classic. i bought the stuff to make it today because they are delicious:
EQUAL PARTS gin, campari, sweet vermouth. add ice and stir; garnish w/orange.
mine was a little sweeter than i planned--may drop vermouth content ever so slightly to suit my tastes.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 00:50 (fourteen years ago) link
ok here is a rundown:
GIN tanqueray (wanted plymouth but could not turn down deal on tanqueray)
BRANDY laird's applejack (regular, not bonded--bonded seems to be preferred all around but i can't find it atm)
TEQUILA corzo anejo (this is a nice bottle that was a gift--not for mixing imo)
RUM appleton silver jamaican (from a few nights of mojitos a while back)
RYE old overholt, tuthilltown manhattan rye, sazerac 18-year
BOURBON michter's us1, four roses small batch, van winkle 12 year lot "b"
SCOTCH laphroaig 10-year
ABSINTHE lucid
VODKA i don't know, there's some around here somewhere
VERMOUTH martini and rossi sweet and also dry, lillet blanc
BITTERS angostura, peychaud, fee bros orange bitters
OTHER STUFF campari, green chartreuse, herbsaint, cointreau
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 00:57 (fourteen years ago) link
this is a good idea imo ~ wish i had funds rt now 2 mix along w/ and learn sum - shd b st8 by spring/summer 2 copy sum lavish drinks tht hopefully f/ tiny umbrellas
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 01:21 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah dude i am saving rum drinks for the summer because it will be more appropriate and also frankly that shit is really confusing
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 01:33 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TWO: marconi wireless
1.75 oz applejack.75 oz sweet vermouth2 dashes orange bitters
stir in a mixing glass with ice, strain, garnish w/lemon
first, i garnished w/orange because i was already in the process of destroying an orange. second, tbh, i fucked up the proportions by reading too fast--assumed it was 2:1 applejack: vermouth and ignored that extra .25 oz. so of course the drink tasted a little vermouth-y at first. however, it did mellow out to a pleasant apple/orange concoction.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 02:02 (fourteen years ago) link
INGREDIENTS UPDATE
so one day after bitching about being unable to find laird's bonded apple brandy, i found it. it's like 3 bucks more than the 80-proof applejack. it also has a much shittier label for whatever reason. quick taste test indicates it has more of an apple flavor than its little bro (to be expected) and enough alcohol burn that you would only ever use it for mixing. i will remake the marconi wireless with it sometime soon.
also grabbed a bottle of lemon hart demerara rum. all i really know is that it is the 151 proof rum that serious tropical drinks people use. it's also next to impossible to find around here, so i will stash this bottle for the summer. ironically, i finally got it at the second-closest liquor store to my house.
also attempted to make some grenadine today (the things i can accomplish when i take a week off). recipe:
16 oz. POM pomegranate juice1 cup sugar1 tsp vodka added after cooking to preserve
combine POM and sugar, bring to boil, simmer while covered until bored. let cool and bottle w/vodka.
for whatever reason this did not reduce and become as syrupy as i think it is supposed to. maybe i didn't boil on high heagt for long enough. i really have nothing to compare it to but it smells good.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 01:48 (fourteen years ago) link
excited for this thread - i would like to make a request that you try the nipsy russell at some point.
― .81818181818181818181818181 changed everything (jjjusten), Thursday, 31 December 2009 01:54 (fourteen years ago) link
By chance I picked up some bottles on the way home tonight. As of now I have:
VODKA gvoriRUM el dorado 5 cruzanGIN bombay sapphireTEQUILA dos manos OTHER cointreau, grand marnier, cherry heering, blue curacao, angostura bitters, grenadine, etc
I'm not much of a fan of bourbon, and I do 95% of the drinking around here, so I don't have it stocked as of yet.
― Quiet, I'm making my Youtube Star Wars Review (Z S), Thursday, 31 December 2009 01:58 (fourteen years ago) link
that's the most booze it is possible to have in one place without anything i'd want to drink
― thomp, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:01 (fourteen years ago) link
john i am glad you are excited--have no way of pureeing a haberno at the moment but i will oblige at some point, i promise
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:02 (fourteen years ago) link
i gotta get some cherry heering like hell, too
i want to go survey my liquor cabinet, but its all the way over there and i am lazy
― .81818181818181818181818181 changed everything (jjjusten), Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:13 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE THREE: jack rose
another well-known classic.
2 oz. laird's bonded.66 oz lemon juice.66 oz grenadine
combine and shake w/ice, strain, garnish with lemon
laird's bonded already proving its worth--there is a distinct apple taste amidst the other fruits going on here. with my homemade grenadine this was really tasty tbh--fruity but not oversweet with nice strong citrus and apple notes. would make for anyone.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:18 (fourteen years ago) link
btw recipe for that was proportioned up slightly from the one in jimmy patrick's 101 cocktails iphone app--which in terms of providing an intelligent selection of recipes by someone who knows what they're doing is a real winner.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:20 (fourteen years ago) link
Good start so far w/ the ingredients, also the jack rose is probably the most overlooked classic cocktail.
I wouldn't use the applejack, even the unbonded, in recipes calling for brandy - it's a substantially different ingredient. You can get a brandy that's fine for mixing for cheap - I use Tres Cepas, a spanish brandy, which wasn't much over $10.
― I DIED, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:31 (fourteen years ago) link
pro tips:
- Keep your vermouth in the fridge. It is a wine, though fortified, and will spoil after a few months, less if you keep it at room temp. A nicer bottle of vermouth like Vya, Carpano Antica, or, if you can find it, Dolin, is an absolute revelation, and so worthwhile for the number of drinks it's used in.
- Learn how to cut citrus for different garnishes. Twists, strips, thumbnails, etc. Learn how to flame a citrus zest - very impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsdgadp6NTU
- Pay attention to the bartender in that video and his blog - http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/
― I DIED, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:41 (fourteen years ago) link
good video, i dig that guy and his blog
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:46 (fourteen years ago) link
also yeah i have no other brandy right now but am only using laird's products in recipes specifically calling for applejack. i'm planning on picking up some vs cognac soon for other brandy mixing. not sure what tres cepas is made of/if it's available here but i will look around.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:48 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE FOUR: corpse reviver #2
everybody on the internet swears by this cocktail
1 OZ. EACH gin, lillet blanc, cointreau, lemon juiceA TINY AMOUNT of absinthe (i used my 1/8 tsp measure)
shake well w/ice, strain.
sugg. garnish is a stemless cherry but i'm not going to bother with that given that i live alone and am watching the nba and posting to ilx right now. also i don't really like cherries.
you can see why people like this. the gin, lemon, absinthe, and cointreau are all clearly detectable and the lillet just seems to kind of hold everything together. the total package is pleasant and citrusy but ends on a more complex note (via the gin flavorings and absinthe afaict)
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 04:17 (fourteen years ago) link
my pro-tip for recipes calling for whiskey (the scotch variety) - don't use a nice single malt like laphroig! that's for sippin!! buy a blend like johnny walker (or famous grouse, or bell's, or jameson, or etc)
also re gin - sapphire is garbage - tanqueray is yoga flame for all time
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 31 December 2009 10:24 (fourteen years ago) link
i just made a corpse reviver! FABULOUS
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 31 December 2009 17:33 (fourteen years ago) link
:D
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 31 December 2009 17:49 (fourteen years ago) link
hey friends back from a weekend away to continue makin drinks in the 2k10.
a visit to the new hampshire state liquor store didn't yield as much as i'd hoped. their selection of liqueurs is subpar and you only get really really great prices when they put stuff on sale.
so i settled for a bottle of courvoisier vs and a bottle of benedictine. why courvoisier? well, it was on sale, and my friend and i decided that their little logo looks like a gangster pulling a gun.
benedictine had been popping up in a few recipes i wanted to try; all i can say at the moment is that it tastes sweet and kind of weird.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 03:26 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE 5: diamondback
this was introduced to me by awesome local bartender j0sey p4ck4rd when i asked for an "intense" rye-based drink. (btw she appeared on rachel maddow's show a couple weeks ago; you can google it). i have been fucking w/the proportions and ingredients for a little while, but i am settling on the 3:2:1 measurements described to me originally:
1.5 oz rye whiskey1 oz laird's bonded apple brandy.5 oz green chartreuse
stir well over ice, strain into a small glass. no garnish you pussy.
this tastes really weird and is probably not for everybody. however, there is def. something compelling about how three strong spirits can combine into something that goes down pretty smoothly.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 03:34 (fourteen years ago) link
Tonight I am enjoying one of my very favorite drinks from the excellent Grog Log by Jeff Berry, which collects a bunch of "lost" tropical drink recipes from the 1940s-60s.
NEVER SAY DIE
.5 oz fresh lime juice.5 oz orange juice.5 oz grapefruit juice.25 oz unsweetened pineapple juice.5 oz honeydash Angostura bitters1 oz Barbados rum.5 oz light Puerto Rican rum.5 oz dark Jamaican rum
Heat honey until liquid, then blend with all other ingredients with 4 ounces crushed ice for 5 seconds. Pour into diamond plated goblet and roll a fat one - you're about to have a fine sunday niiiiiiight.
― chicken sandwich CARL!! (Z S), Monday, 11 January 2010 00:00 (fourteen years ago) link
(recipe originally developed by the legendary Don the Beachcomber)
http://i50.tinypic.com/2a99r3a.jpg
fuckin' love this guy
― chicken sandwich CARL!! (Z S), Monday, 11 January 2010 00:01 (fourteen years ago) link
z s that sounds excellent. did you just use a microwave to heat up the honey?
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 January 2010 01:15 (fourteen years ago) link
Yep, just 20 seconds or so works fine!
― chicken sandwich CARL!! (Z S), Monday, 11 January 2010 01:35 (fourteen years ago) link
hey guys, i'm back from being sick and busy with some new stuff for you.
first, i remade the marconi wireless (recipe two above) with three key changes: correct proportions, lemon not orange garnish, and fresh vermouth. i straight-up did not know about vermouth freshness until my mans I DIED said something upthread. he's right. obviously. anyway, the remade drink is more balanced and a lot better--sweet and light, v. refreshing imo.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 January 2010 03:21 (fourteen years ago) link
so i had been wrecking a lemon for garnish for a couple days and needed a good reason to juice it. this leads us to
RECIPE SIX: the frisco
2 oz rye.75 oz benedictine.74 oz lemon juicegarnish with a lemon twist
stir over ice; strain into a cocktail glass (tbh the recipe i used says to shake but this does not feel like a shaken drink to me, ymmv)
found this browsing recipes on cocktailchronicles.com; apparently there are many options for proportioning these ingrendients. hard to say what the desired effect is but this is a weird drink--the tartness of the lemon juice and the sweetness of the benedictine hit completely different areas of your mouth at the same time. the rye is just kinda there gettin you drunk. i would re-proportion, but honestly i don't totally know what i would do different.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 January 2010 03:27 (fourteen years ago) link
LOL .74 ounces. that is .75 but you already knew that.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 January 2010 03:28 (fourteen years ago) link
Learn to pour freehand. 1 (slightly generous) ounce is 3 seconds' pouring through most pro quality pourers (which are cheap). Practice with water in old bottles so you don't waste booze -- it's not just a show-off thing, your feel for mixing changes in good ways at the same time.
― Three Word Username, Wednesday, 13 January 2010 08:31 (fourteen years ago) link
so for the frisco--i tried again with only .5 oz benedectine and it might be better that way. final experiment i think is to shake it--benedictine is really syrupy and heavy and def sank to the bottom of my glass.
so then it's time for a partial INGREDIENTS UPDATE:
FERNET BRANCA is one of those things that is quite polarizing. as a fan of bitter drinks in general i figured i'd like it. my friend zoe remarked that it tastes like toothpaste which is actually as good a starting point as anything. the fernet site recommends you take three slow sips to fully appreciate whatever the hell they put into it. good idea--the mouth-numbing bitterness goes away and you can detect more fruit and whatnot.
FEE BROS WHISKEY BARREL AGED BITTERS i see a lot of what i'd call "blog cocktails" that use these bitters. they kind of smell like cola.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 02:54 (fourteen years ago) link
ok, let's talk recipes:
RECIPE SEVEN: old-fashioned
this is essentially an economy/simple old-fashioned for the home bartender; though i've seen some v. reputable places use only these ingredients. old-fashioneds kinda fall into the orange/cherry or no orange/cherry camp--for reasons of taste, simplicity, and economy, i think you get a really satisfying drink without the fruit. the version with the fruit is good too though!
1 sugar cube2 oz. rye.25 oz waterA FEW DASHES angosturalemon peel for garnish
put the sugar cube in the old-fashioned glass, dash w/angostura (just a few times till the cube turns reddish pink). add the water and stir gently. add the rye and stir gently again. add 4-5 ice cubes and stir one more time, twist the lemon over the drink and wipe it around the rim of the glass.
one cool variation i've seen basically hinges on your ability to get one large ice block or chunk to fill the entire glass. slower dissolution = a cold but not watery drink.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 04:03 (fourteen years ago) link
and RECIPE EIGHT: fernet old-fashioned
v. slight modification of a recipe by the guy who does kaiserpenguin.com--he is purportedly a huge fernet branca fan.
take recipe 7, substitute fernet branca for rye, orange bitters OR fee whiskey barrel aged bitters gor angostura, and orange garnish for lemon. if you feel fancy, grab a lighter and flame the orange oils.
i think this is an awesome drink--tried both orange and whiskey barrel bitters and i think i prefer orange on the balance, they seem to bring out the fernet's character a little more.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 04:07 (fourteen years ago) link
one cool variation i've seen basically hinges on your ability to get one large ice block or chunk to fill the entire glass. slower dissolution = a cold but not watery drink
For Christmas I got an ice tray that makes giant ice spheres:
http://i48.tinypic.com/1sobpt.jpg
The only problem is that I can never get them to come out as perfect spheres like the picture. For reasons too complicated and idiotic to discuss here, the tops of them are always cut off so they look like the Death Star. Still, worth picking up!
― CATBEAST!! (Z S), Tuesday, 19 January 2010 04:12 (fourteen years ago) link
wow, that's awesome! definitely going to track it down.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 14:39 (fourteen years ago) link
<3 fernet branca! i'll try that version of the old fashioned
― just sayin, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 14:56 (fourteen years ago) link
I had a couple Sidecars last Saturday will watching football. Excellent drink imo.
― voices from the manstep (brownie), Tuesday, 19 January 2010 15:28 (fourteen years ago) link
brownie what brandy did you use? while not having looked hard, it seems difficult to find consensus on good cheap brandies. or maybe you used a pricey one! in which case more power to you.
also, this is nice: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/fashion/17shake.html?ref=todayspaper
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:24 (fourteen years ago) link
I don't know what kind of brandy! a friend whipped them up. I'm not too picky anyway.
― voices from the manstep (brownie), Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:27 (fourteen years ago) link
I just made a drink with this:
- fresh squeezed blood orange juice- gin- cranberry juice
shaken over ice, lovely
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:30 (fourteen years ago) link
xp yeah the overriding sentiment seems to be that any common vs cognac will do for mixing. one book i have gave remy martin a nice writeup so i may try that next.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:30 (fourteen years ago) link
tracer what were your proportions?
no idea - maybe something like:
3-oj2-gin1-cranberry
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:37 (fourteen years ago) link
cranberry really just for a little hint of sweet-tartness
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:38 (fourteen years ago) link
we should definitely not leave this one out:
Hey guys I invented a new drink in honor of tonight's results
THE COAKLEY
6 oz of your worst vodka
shake with ice cube, pour directly into mouth
― CATBEAST!! (Z S), Tuesday, January 19, 2010 7:16 PM
― tehresa, Wednesday, 20 January 2010 03:38 (fourteen years ago) link
lolllllllllllll
i'm sorry guys! i drove way the hell out of my way to vote in this one, had dinner with my parents, came home and saw the results, and quickly made a sidecar in honor of brownie who is a cool guy UNLIKE THE VOTERS OF MASSACHUSETTS
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 20 January 2010 03:43 (fourteen years ago) link
hey i was gonna do some other posts but in honor of the 2009 saints let's do some new orleans cocktails tonight.
RECIPE NINE: the vieux carre
1 oz. rye1 oz. cognac1 oz. sweet vermouth1 tsp benedictine2 dashes angostura2 dashes peychaud's
add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, stir, strain, and serve. optionally, garnish with a lemon twist.
the ingredients (except the twist) are straight from the vieux carre page on gumbopages.com, an excellent resource for new orleans drinks (and probably other stuff too). however, he serves it as a rocks drink which makes no sense to me. it's obviously an up drink, and when i've gotten it out (admittedly not in NOLA) that's how it's been served. it is EXCEEDINGLY pleasant and smooth--nice dessert cocktail imo.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 26 January 2010 03:20 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TEN: the sazerac
the greatest cocktail? according to some, maybe.
2 oz. rye1 sugar cube4 dashes peychaud's1 tsp absinthe or herbsaint1 piece lemon peel
fill an old-fashioned glass with ice or pop it in the freezer for a bit. in a mixing glass, add the sugar cube, peychaud's, and just a little water, and mix or muddle them together. add the rye, some ice, and stir. now get your old-fashioned glass and rinse it with the absinthe/herbsaint. add the rye mixture, and wipe the lip of the glass with the lemon peel. in an orthodox sazerac you should NOT twist it over the drink and you should discard it when done.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 26 January 2010 04:02 (fourteen years ago) link
you know those nights where you just watch college basketball, play guitar, and mix drinks by yourself? yup.
RECIPE 11: the last word
kinda like the corpse reviver in that it comes together in an interesting and unexpected way.
.75 OZ. EACH gin, fresh lime juice, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse.
shake w/ice and pour into a cocktail glass.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 31 January 2010 03:50 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TWLEVE: the scofflaw
this is from ted haigh's book and is v. enjoyable. there are so many grenadine/lemon combos out there. i'd say the dry vermouth makes this a nice entry in that category.
1.5 oz. rye1 oz. dry vermouth.75 oz. fresh lemon juice.75 oz. grenadine.
shake w/ice and pour. garnish w/a lemon twist.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 31 January 2010 03:52 (fourteen years ago) link
one more, tho i'm holding off on a couple recipes to make sure they're proportioned right.
RECIPE THIRTEEN: apricot cocktail
1.25 oz. gin.75 oz. lemon juice.75 oz. apricot liqueur.5 oz. grenadine1-2 dashes angostura
shake w/ice and pour, garnish w/lemon twist.
i fucked with the original recipe i saw for this a good deal; in the end it's called an apricot cocktail and this does absolutely emphasize the apricot so there you go. would like to sneak a little more alcohol in there tbh.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 31 January 2010 04:06 (fourteen years ago) link
Hmm, maybe substitute cherry heering for the grenadine? Looks good though, I might try that tomorrow.
― CATBEAST!! (Z S), Sunday, 31 January 2010 04:14 (fourteen years ago) link
**18 hours later...**
two thumbs up! :)
― CATBEAST!! (Z S), Sunday, 31 January 2010 22:21 (fourteen years ago) link
awesome! did you sub cherry heering in?
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 2 February 2010 04:01 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE FOURTEEN: the so-so
1 oz. gin1 oz. sweet vermouth.5 oz. calvados or applejack.5 oz. grenadine
stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, no garnish.
apparently this is in the 1930 savoy cocktail book. it's a funny one--you look at the recipe and go yeah whatever but it actually mixes up into something interesting. the blog where i got it from suggests that different gins will have a strong impact on the flavor; i only have one gin but i can see what they mean since the gin contrasting with all the other sweet/fruity components and its flavor kind of rises above them.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 2 February 2010 04:05 (fourteen years ago) link
2 that I like:
Moscow Mule - vodka, ginger ale (pref. Vernors), lime juicePolish Cider - Zubrowka vodka (buffalo grass infused), apple cider, lemon juice
― i am under no illusions that my opinions are even that interesting to me (dan m), Tuesday, 2 February 2010 04:22 (fourteen years ago) link
so-so sounds good
but then again i don't know shit about cocktails so
― big hoos state of mind (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 2 February 2010 04:24 (fourteen years ago) link
jordan if you enjoy the flavor of gin and want something that will make it smooth and drinkable without covering it the so-so does that.
dan m, does the polish cider call for hard cider or regular cider? what proportions would you use?
i have a bunch of GENEVER recipes coming up. genever is a serious thing imo.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 2 February 2010 04:58 (fourteen years ago) link
INGREDIENTS UPDATE: genever.
GENEVER!
http://feteafete.com/blog/Bols%20Genever%20bottle.jpg
i'm starting to realize that this stuff is kind of amazing. for those who don't know, it's the dutch precursor to gin, except where gin became neutral spirits distilled again with juniper and other flavors, genever is a sweeter, maltier spirit featuring those same flavorings. tasting it back to back with gin is really instructive.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 4 February 2010 03:56 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE FIFTEEN: the holland house cocktail
1.75 oz. genever.75 oz. dry vermouth.5 oz. lemon juice.25 oz. maraschino liqueur
shake w/ice and strain, garnish with a lemon twist.
those with a keen eye for such things will recognize this as a riff on the gin/lemon/maraschino in the aviation cocktail. but for my money the holland house has all the aviation's features while being a MUCH richer, more interesting, more complex drink. smooth as hell and really tasty.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 4 February 2010 03:59 (fourteen years ago) link
one more for tonight:
RECIPE SIXTEEN: the fluyt (that's "floight" (i think), a type of dutch sailing ship)
2 oz. genever1 oz. cognac.5 oz. dry vermouth5 dashes peychaud's2 dashes fee whiskey barrel aged1 sugar cube (og recipe calls for demerara sugar cube so uh fire up amazon.com and get on that)green chartreuse for rinsing
chill an old-fashioned glass. in a mixing glass add the sugar cube and peychaud's and muddle. add the genever, cognac, vermouth, and whiskey barrel aged bitters. add ice and stir. get the old-fashioned glass and rinse w/chartreuse. strain the mixture into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
a chartreuse rinse, genever, and two kinds of bitters? sign me the hell up. this is an invention from rumdood.com and imo it does a nice job complimenting the flavor of the genever in some sort of mutant sazerac format.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 4 February 2010 05:24 (fourteen years ago) link
the things you find browsing cocktaildb because you're worried about the freshness of your bottle of lillet blanc:
RECIPE SEVENTEEN: the roy howard cocktail (nb i have no idea who roy howard is)
2 oz. lillet blanc.75 oz. brandy.75 oz. fresh orange juice.25 oz. grenadine
shake over ice and strain.
you know what this is good for? this is good for when you don't actually feel like drinking. what would actually be fun as hell would be to make a big pitcher of this and eat some fuckin' brunch.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 04:47 (fourteen years ago) link
hey cad, any good simple recipes for campari? I remember having a sprite and campari during a really hot and humid summer evening in beijing, it really /really/ hit the spot and the bitterness kept it from being to sweet (not a mixologist so don't really have any mixers, tbh)
― 99. The Juggalo Teacher (dyao), Wednesday, 10 February 2010 04:49 (fourteen years ago) link
excellent question--campari is an awesome thing imo. the basic campari recipes are pretty much what you'd expect--campari and soda water or campari and orange juice in a 1/3 - 2/3 liquor/mixer ratio. sprite would certainly work like soda water. but for not too much money you can pick up some gin and some sweet (red) vermouth and make a negroni which has to be one of the best rocks cocktails out there and hit the same refreshing vibe with a bit more of a kick.
beyond that, ted haigh's book has the boulevardier which is 1.5 bourbon/1 campri/1 sweet vermouth, stir and strain--i'd consider trying that. lots of other things use campari as their bitters component so they're using about 1/4 oz. of it while gin or whiskey or something is the dominant spirit.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 05:11 (fourteen years ago) link
wow those sound good - the hot and humid season is coming up so I'm definitely thinking of picking up a bottle to help deal - already have a bottle of bourbon too!
― 99. The Juggalo Teacher (dyao), Wednesday, 10 February 2010 05:16 (fourteen years ago) link
some Campari classics:
Negroni is a super classic - equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and campari, served up
Americano - equal parts sweet vermouth and campari, topped w/ club soda and served over ice
there's also the Negroni Sbagliato, the "wrong" negroni, with an ounce each of campari and sweet vermouth and 2oz prosecco, served over ice w/ an orange slice in a balloon glass - delicious!
Pretty much anything w/ campari should be garnished w/ a lemon twist or slice of orange.
― I DIED, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 05:49 (fourteen years ago) link
Aperol is sort of a sweeter lightweight Campari, which can make it easier to mix with. I love it on the rocks w/ 1/4oz orgeat and 1/2oz lemon juice.
― I DIED, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 05:52 (fourteen years ago) link
so my local paper's weekly bars/drinking column had a piece on the 500th anniversary of benedictine, featuring some local concoctions that use it. i had some good luck making a couple of them tonight:
RECIPE EIGHTEEN: king's yellow
(from eastern standard restaurant, a good place imo. i assume the name comes from the color of this one when you mix it up?)
1.5 oz. gin.75 oz. dry vermouth.75 oz. benedictine1 dash orange bittersapricot liqueur for rinsing
combine the gin, vermouth, benedictine, and orange bitters, add ice and stir. then grab a chilled cocktail glass and rinse it with some apricot liqueur, leaving a little pool in the bottom. strain your mixture into the glass. garnish with a generous lemon twist, making sure to get plenty of lemon oil on the surface.
i was never the biggest benedictine fan but this cocktail and the next one both offer pretty interesting uses of it. this is a full-bodied drink with strong fruit notes and good balance.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 February 2010 03:07 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE NINETEEN: the chrysanthemum
this is from an excellent french/cuban restaurant called chez henri
1.5 oz. dry vermouth.75 oz. benedictine3 dashes (abt 3/8 tsp) pastis (i use herbsaint)
stir over ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
surprisingly complex for a drink with three ingredients, this is easy to make, light, and would be perfect before dinner.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 February 2010 03:11 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TWENTY: ride the pink horse
from the same article--only prob is the recipe is incomplete (in that they don't tell you what to do with everything). anyway, they're making it at noir bar, a hotel bar in harvard square. i will reproduce what the paper told me and my subs and interpretations.
1.5 oz. benedictine22 dashes (!) angostura.5 oz. peach brandy (sub apricot liqueur)"2 lemon wedges" (sub .25 oz. fresh lemon juice)"2 cinnamon sticks" (sub a couple shakes from my cinnamon spice jar)"1 dash almond syrup" (sub .25 oz. maraschino)
combine in a rocks glass and stir with ice. the original garnish was a dehydrated orange slice, to which i say "lol"
from the photo accompanying the article we know it's a rocks drink. not clear what happened to the cinnamon sticks or lemon wedges in the original recipe, a problem i solved by liquidating and powdering everything. i'm not necessarily going to endorse this as a brilliant drink, but it is assuredly the most angostura you're going to consume anytime soon, and as i type this i find myself enjoying each sip of what is a truly strange concoction.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 February 2010 03:42 (fourteen years ago) link
next boston fap = cocktai77 party imo
― nagl wayne (J0rdan S.), Monday, 15 February 2010 03:43 (fourteen years ago) link
^^^wld support!
btw there is cause for celebration in the cad residence tonight, because over the weekend i got to purchase some COUPES!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4357751005_63d3d6bc58.jpg
the coupe is appropriate any time a cocktail glass is called for. imo it's more attractive than the regular conical cocktail glass, it's a more manageable size and height, and it's easier to drink out of. <3 coupes.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 February 2010 04:09 (fourteen years ago) link
nice!
― DJ NAIR (tehresa), Monday, 15 February 2010 04:15 (fourteen years ago) link
so tonight i am attending gin cocktail class at the boston shaker. i leave you with these useful words i read recently:
"I like drinking. Not stinking drunk. Not mean drunk. Not out-of-control drunk. Not Mel Gibson, David Hasselhoff or Lindsay Lohan drunk. And certainly not college drunk (fill in your own room spinning, nauseating, swearing you'll never, ever drink again episode here). Unnecessary. Bad form. Mistake.
But how about just a little drunk. Laugh-out-loud-drunk. Who gives a crap? drunk. Let's-get-naked-and-jump-in-the-ocean drunk. Come to think of it, just drunk enough to briefly overlook the mountain of responsibility we face daily. Isn't that what alcohol was intended for?"
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 25 February 2010 23:58 (fourteen years ago) link
do you like rye? have you ever wanted to dress your rye up a bit, but not too much?
RECIPE TWENTY-ONE: the police gazette cocktail
.25 oz. rye (old overholt imo).25 oz. dolin blanc vermouth (sub noilly prat dry).25 oz. senior's orange curacao di curacao (sub cointreau).25 oz. maraschino liquor1 maraschino cherry (uhhhhh optional)1 dash angostura bitters1 dash regans' orange bitters no. 6 (sub fee's orange)
stir the rye, maraschino, vermouth, and cointreau over ice and strain. add the cherry if you are weird, and then dash the bitters on top of the drink.
ok, with a name like that why wouldn't you make it? apparently the police gazette was a magazine with true crime stories, girlie pictures, and cocktail recipes (and quite possibly only those three things). like i said the rye is still at the forefront and the effect of everything else is one of v. subtle modification. still, would make again.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 27 February 2010 02:39 (fourteen years ago) link
SORRY! 2.5 oz. rye
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 27 February 2010 02:40 (fourteen years ago) link
a little serendipity over the past two days--last night, in gin cocktail class, we were talking about flamed citrus zest and the dude who was running the class mentioned a cocktail called the camino, which was created at a restaurant around here called craigie on main. so today i did some idle googling and got the recipe, which is kind of intense:
RECIPE TWENTY-TWO: the camino
1.5 oz. rittenhouse rye (sub old overholt)1 oz. housemade ambre vermouth (sub noilly ambre if you go to france, carpano antica if you have a lot of money, lillet blank if you're me).5 oz. tremontis mirto dell'isola di sardegna myrtle berry liqueur2 dashes angostura2 dashes orange bitters
stir over ice, strain into a chilled rocks glass, garnish with a flamed orange peel.
so anyway, i looked at that recipe and was like "ok, not happening anytime soon." then, on the way home from work, and accident caused me to get off the highway early and pass near a big liquor store i'd be meaning to go to for a while. what is there on a bottom shelf but a single bottle of tremontis mirto? i take it as a sign, spend more money than i intended to, and head home.
mirto is indeed made from myrtle berries--if this bottle is an indication of the overall "thing" it's sweet, dark, and somewhat herbal-y. nice stuff.
GENERAL ASIDE FOR THIS THREAD: in addition to (hopefully) encouraging participation, this thread is basically my personal recipe list (i check it all the time when i'm trying to remember stuff). i don't want to be weird posting a bunch of things that no one can make. that being said, this is a cool drink--sweet with a nice warming alcohol burn, VERY easy going down. if you find yourself in an appropriately equipped bar or just say "damn i should have some myrtle berry liqueur around" i would recommend this up there with anything i have ever made. and i did subs for the two most voluminous ingredients.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 27 February 2010 03:39 (fourteen years ago) link
hey guys, i've been working hard mixing drinks and trying stuff, but wasn't positive anything deserved to be posted here until tonight.
RECIPE TWENTY-THREE: the periodista
1.5 oz. rum (white rum often specified, i got much better results with flor de cana gold rum).5 oz. lime juice.25 oz. apricot liqueuer.25 oz. triple sec
OPTIONAL: .5 tsp superfine sugar
shake all ingredients with ice and strain, garnish with lime.
this is a great drink--amazing how much just that splash of apricot transforms everything. tonight i made two versions back to back, one with no sugar and one with. sugar is usually specified in this recipe but i'd encourage you to try it both ways. i don't like things very sweet and my preference would run to the sugar-free, but i can certainly recognize the validity of the sweet version. may also depend on which apricot product you use; my rothman and winter is quite sweet imo and there could be drier ones out there.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:27 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm going to make this right now!
― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:28 (fourteen years ago) link
Actually, before I start, maybe you can offer advice. Which rum should I use? Here's what I have:
Dark Jamaican (Myers)Light Puerto Rican (Bacardi)Gold Puerto Rican (Bacardi)Appleton JamaicanDemerara (El Dorado 12 year)Barbados (Mount Gay)151 (Bacardi)
― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:30 (fourteen years ago) link
And I'm going to substitute Cointreau for Triple Sec, which I don't have.
― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:31 (fourteen years ago) link
ok well youre in luck on one thing--cointreau technically is triple sec; iirc they removed tripe sec from the label cause too many inferior products were using it
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:33 (fourteen years ago) link
with the caveat that i really know fuck all about rums i'd try your gold bacardi. also which appleton do you have? i didn't get a great drink out of this with white appleton but if you have one of their aged ones that could work.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:34 (fourteen years ago) link
It's not a white. It's just Appleton Estate, and says "V/X Estate Distilled Hand Blended" at the top.
― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:36 (fourteen years ago) link
that might be good! for first attempt i'd prob still say bacardi gold and then experiment from there
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:37 (fourteen years ago) link
fwiw i have been trying to figure out like "what is a sensible selection of rums to own" and it seems totally hopeless (i.e. i'm going to end up owning like 15 bottles)
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:38 (fourteen years ago) link
My rums are completely based off of what I need to make tiki drinks. My gf is obsessed with them and I'm more than willing to oblige, so we always have a variety of rums on hand, along with all sorts of juices. I should post a picture of our tiki mugs here sometime, it's starting to get ridiculous!
*mixing*
― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:42 (fourteen years ago) link
I went with the Gold. This is GOOD!
― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:54 (fourteen years ago) link
glad you like it!
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 02:58 (fourteen years ago) link
i have been trying to figure out like "what is a sensible selection of rums to own"
Pampero AniversarioFlor De Cana at least 7 yearsMatusalen maybe? so much of the better rum is only in other countries. anything from Nicaragua I've had has been good.
stay away from Pyrat unless you like heavy spicing
― sleeve, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 03:24 (fourteen years ago) link
ok so i made the negroni this past weekend as CAD notated it at the top of the thread and thought it tasted horrid when using equal parts of the three liquors but a lot better with less campari/more vermouth. campari is maybe too bitter for my taste but now i have most of a bottle of it left over i'd like to try it in other things
― im armond white btw (donna rouge), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:09 (fourteen years ago) link
i also made the coffee hopper, which calls for equal parts creme de menthe, coffee liqueur (i used kahlua) and cream (i used half and half), shaken w/ ice. imagine a peppermint patty that gets you a little buzzed.
― im armond white btw (donna rouge), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:14 (fourteen years ago) link
campari's definitely an acquired taste, i think the more you have it, the more you like it
― just sayin, Thursday, 11 March 2010 09:54 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, trying this out right now (the 'licia albanese' - build 3 pt gin:1 pt campari) - thinking this may grow on me yet
― all-beef patty hearst (donna rouge), Friday, 12 March 2010 03:35 (fourteen years ago) link
best way to get used to Campari is, I think, in weak Campari & sodas, once you take to it you're hooked but if not, no worries.
― I DIED, Friday, 12 March 2010 08:15 (fourteen years ago) link
I had a good Bronx cocktail tonight, which I have pretty regularly - delicious! Used to be very popular.
2oz gin1oz orange juice1/2oz sweet vermouth1/2oz dry vermouth
Followed it up with the much rarer Brooklyn cocktail:
2oz rye1oz dry vermouthDash of maraschino liqueurDash of Amer Picon
also excellent, thank god Amer Picon is available again
― I DIED, Friday, 12 March 2010 08:19 (fourteen years ago) link
i am actually going on a mission to find amer picon later today.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 12 March 2010 12:34 (fourteen years ago) link
also glad you're sticking with it, donna rouge--you'll be drinking straight fernet branca in no time :)
― call all destroyer, Friday, 12 March 2010 12:35 (fourteen years ago) link
I just came on this thread to post about the negroni but see that it's already been mentioned! Well done, fellows.
― gabourey voltaire (Stevie D), Friday, 12 March 2010 15:00 (fourteen years ago) link
Manhattans have been ruling at my place lately. I went out to a bar in LA - the Edison, for those familiar - a few weeks ago, and they make their Manhattans with some sort of black cherry that was not a maraschino. It was amazing how much the taste changed without that small amount of the red sugar water!
at home, its been 3 parts Bookers (133 proof), 1 part sweet vermouth, three dashes Angostura, and a maraschino over crushed ice. So f-ing good.
― Clerk all KNOWIN (B.L.A.M.), Friday, 12 March 2010 21:03 (fourteen years ago) link
hmm i wonder if it was a "real" maraschino as opposed to those gross mass-produced ones
― call all destroyer, Friday, 12 March 2010 21:08 (fourteen years ago) link
possibly, but it appeared to be a black cherry. I am unaware of the difference b/t real and the mass-pro'd maraschinos.
― Clerk all KNOWIN (B.L.A.M.), Friday, 12 March 2010 21:17 (fourteen years ago) link
a real one would be a cherry soaked in maraschino liqueur--no artificial color or sweetener or whathaveyou.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 12 March 2010 21:25 (fourteen years ago) link
may have been one of these, if not housemade:
http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/15a/4/AAAAAl9BmaMAAAAAAVpKRQ.jpg
― I DIED, Friday, 12 March 2010 21:27 (fourteen years ago) link
the excellent book Raising The Bar by Nick Mautone, published a few years ago, has a great recipe for making maraschino cherries - I make a big batch twice a year or so and keep them in armagnac, it's pretty easy and they last indefinitely.
― I DIED, Friday, 12 March 2010 21:30 (fourteen years ago) link
I had the best Manhattan last night! Neat, half dry half sweet vermouth, with lemon twist instead of cherry.
― sleeve, Friday, 12 March 2010 21:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Those were them! Maybe my Manhattan has been the pretender.
Ah well.
― Clerk all KNOWIN (B.L.A.M.), Friday, 12 March 2010 23:17 (fourteen years ago) link
i have that book, i died. he has a lot of cool recipe-type stuff relating to drinks that i'm going to work on as soon as i have more space and a better kitchen.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 00:29 (fourteen years ago) link
related question for you: do you have any thoughts on the shelf life of homemade syrups and grenadines and stuff? mautone seems really conservative on this--i'm positive most of the stuff lasts longer than two weeks but am nervous about testing the outer limits.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 00:30 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah, I've had stuff last months before w/ no problems - just give everything a taste before you use it. Different ingredients go off at different times, of course. If you plan on having something around longer, adding a little vodka to it is a great way to extend shelf like w/o affecting flavor.
― I DIED, Saturday, 13 March 2010 01:25 (fourteen years ago) link
tonight: fun with CARPANO ANTICA!
http://onthesauce.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/carpano_antica3.jpg
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 03:03 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TWENTY-FOUR: the supernova
an original from drink in boston, this is a hilarious performative recipe that also happens to be awesome.
1.75 oz. laird's bonded apple brandy.75 oz. carpano antica.5 oz. cardamom simple syrup (sub about half that amount agave nectar)1 dash barrel-aged bitters1 dash angostura bitters
stir all this stuff over ice
.25 oz. green chartreuselemon rind
pour the chartreuse into a rocks glass and carefully ignite it. squeeze the lemon peel over it and drop the peel in. after about 15 seconds strain the main mixture into the glass. serve carefully (the glass will cool off where the drink sits, but the whole top will be pretty hot)
i don't really know how to explain this but it's complex and quite good.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 03:08 (fourteen years ago) link
currently i'm taking the advice of numerous carpano antica stans and drinking it over ice with an orange twist. this stuff is completely delicious.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 03:17 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TWENTY-FIVE: creole variation
the creole is an amer picon cocktail, and since it's still unavailable damn near anywhere afaict, we'll make this variation from the cure restaurant in new orleans.
1.5 oz. rye1 oz. sweet vermouth.25 oz. benedictine.25 oz. luxarado amaro abano
stir with ice and strain, garnish w/lemon twist
it's going to be hard to go back to another sweet vermouth after finishing this carpano antica, that's all i can say. this is a very complex drink that i enjoyed a lot.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 March 2010 05:05 (fourteen years ago) link
I know it'll be tough to find another vermouth, but Dolin is fantastic, and somewhat easier than Carpano to mix with as well.
― I DIED, Monday, 15 March 2010 05:13 (fourteen years ago) link
In most cocktails I use about 2/3 the amount of vermouth specified when I'm mixing w/ Carpano, just because it's so intense.
rare daytime cocktal update! didn't want to lose this one from last night.
RECIPE TWENTY-SIX: the casino
2 oz. old tom gin.25 oz. lemon juice.25 oz. maraschino2 dashes orange bitters
stir with ice and strain.
this is a great intro to how old tom gin works--notice there is no added sugar and no sweet liqueurs or vermouth.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 17 March 2010 17:33 (fourteen years ago) link
i cut up a grapefruit tonight and was able to make these. i believe both are originals from cocktail virgin slut
RECIPE TWENTY-SEVEN: cravan
1.5 oz. bourbon.75 oz. grapefruit juice.5 oz. maraschino.25 oz. campari1 dash angostura
shake and strain. garnish with an orange twist or a mint sprig
this is one of those nonintuitive happy mess drinks afaict. i was concerned about that amount of maraschino but it turned out to be fine. a sip of this goes through three distinct phases--bourbon and bitters, bright fruit, weird maraschino/campari bitterness. i used a pretty good bourbon and it wasn't wasted--flavor came through nicely. not sure if angostura is the best play here though.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 March 2010 04:36 (fourteen years ago) link
RECIPE TWENTY-EIGHT: leonid
so named as a variant on something called the star cocktail.
.75 oz. gin.75 oz. apple brandy, applejack, or calvados.75 oz. grapefruit juice.5 oz. dry vermouth.25 oz. cointreau[1 dash angostura]
shake and strain, garnish with grapefruit twist
tbh i forgot the angostura and i think if i remake this i'd be more likely to use orange or grapefruit bitters. it's a dry cocktail that was strongly alcoholic on the first couple sips; thankfully it mellowed out after that. interesting ideas here but i'd consider modifications in the future.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 March 2010 04:40 (fourteen years ago) link
tonight: inverse cocktails
RECIPE TWENTY-NINE: growing hold and dying happy is a hope, not an inevitability
(yes that is the name, from cure in new orleans)
2 oz. cynar1 oz. ryepinch salttwo pieces lemon peelherbsaint for rinsing
combine the cynar and rye, add the salt and stir. twist the lemon peels over the liquor and drop them in. add ice and stir. strain into a glass that has been rinsed with herbsaint. garnish with another lemon twist.
http://www.betacocktails.com might be me new favorite mixology blog. this drink is weird--sweet to start like you'd expect with so much amaro but a much more interesting finish. sort of an inverse of a manhattan variation, in keeping with tonight's theme.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 30 March 2010 03:01 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY: le coquetiez du lion
(from somewhere in germany by way of ohgosh.tv)
50 ml lillet blanc (sorry this is in metric. 50 ml is just about 1.5 oz afaict)30 ml dry gin (just a tiny bit under 1 oz.)2 dashes peychaud's bitters
stir over ice, garnish with a lime twist.
an inverse gin martini with lillet. simple and elegant, this is a grown-up drink.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 30 March 2010 03:26 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-ONE: ruirita
(from the guy at adashofbitters.com)
2 oz. blanco tequila.5 oz. cynar.5 oz. lime juice.25 oz. simple syrup3 dashes fee's rhubarb bitters2 drops orange flower water (for rinsing)
shake and strain all except the o.f.w., which you just used to rinse the glass
too pungent at first; this mellowed out nicely in the glass. will i ever use those rhubarb bitters again?
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 7 April 2010 02:03 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-TWO: the mai tai
but enough of these weirdo drinks, right?
1 oz. aged rum 11 oz. aged rum 2.75 oz. lemon juice.5 oz. triple sec or orange curacao.25 oz. orgeat.25 oz. simple syrup
shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. garnish with a mint sprig and a lime husk.
i'm using cheap orgeat (fee bros because most good liquor stores have it) but pretty good rums. one common rec for mai tais is an aged jamaican rum (easy enough to find an appleton product, i'm using their v/x) and an aged martinique rum (tougher, i've seen saint-james and clement and today shelled out for clement vsop). but i think you can experiment as much as you want. soooooooo good.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 7 April 2010 03:20 (thirteen years ago) link
DAMMIT, lime juice
think i'm over my campari aversion (ie drinking negroni as intended as we speak). that was fast!
― bieber benz or bentley (donna rouge), Wednesday, 7 April 2010 03:29 (thirteen years ago) link
glad 4 u! last time i went out to a mediocre bar i got them to make me americanos the whole night.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 7 April 2010 03:30 (thirteen years ago) link
we're doing manhattan variations until further notice.
RECIPE THIRTY-THREE: manhattan
2 oz. rye1 oz. sweet vermouth2 dashes bitters
stir over ice and strain. some people use cherries but not me. i go with lemon twist.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 10 April 2010 01:28 (thirteen years ago) link
i've been assembling ingredients for manhattan variations for a while, capped off by today, when i finally bought some affordable high-proof rye (wild turkey's 101 proof rye, which is very nice stuff).
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 10 April 2010 01:29 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-FOUR: red hook
2 oz. rye.5 oz. punt e mes.5 oz. maraschino liqueur
stir and stain, garnish w/a cherry
sweeter, more upbeat manhattan. for the uninformed, punt e mes shares the same sweet qualities as my beloved carpano antica, but with a less complex finish. not really like other sweet vermouths at all, a fact which extends to its location in the liquor store: sometimes it's near the vermouths, but today i grabbed it from a shelf it shared with the amaros and other italian specialty liqueurs.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 10 April 2010 03:18 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-FIVE: little italy
2 oz. rye.75 oz. sweet vermouth.5 oz. cynar
stir and strain, garnish with a cherry.
a real winner if you, like me, are an amaro fan.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 12 April 2010 01:30 (thirteen years ago) link
That sounds good.
I am a big amaro fan - I like trying different recipes w/ an amaro subbed for vermouth. Ramazzotti manhattans are great!
Speaking which, the weather's getting warm enough to switch to my simple summer patio standby of last year, Ramazzotti and soda on ice. Tastes like an adult cola, nicely deep and bitter but refreshing and not too boozy.
― I DIED, Monday, 12 April 2010 01:42 (thirteen years ago) link
man that sounds excellent, going to make one of those in a min
― call all destroyer, Monday, 12 April 2010 02:09 (thirteen years ago) link
ramazzotti and soda was an excellent suggestion, i enjoyed those v. much that night.
my life is insane right now and i haven't even been drinking much nevermind making manhattan variations. but i do have a pause for a couple of drinks tonight.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 17 April 2010 00:12 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-SIX: peralta (1)
there's an alternate peralta recipe too, but i'm making the one from drinkboston.com. developed by a bartender at deep ellum, an awesome bar in my nieghborhood that i don't go to nearly enough.
1.5 oz. rye.5 oz. cynar.5 oz. green chartreuse.5 oz. grapefruit juice1 dash grapefruit bitters1 dash orange bitters
shake and strain, garnish with a grapefruit twist.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 17 April 2010 00:15 (thirteen years ago) link
i've never seen ramazzotti in london but it sounds like just the kind of thing i like. enjoying cynar + soda tho
― just sayin, Saturday, 17 April 2010 08:18 (thirteen years ago) link
successfully signed a new lease yesterday, figure i deserved a bottle of st germain for that:
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cocktails/images/bottle-greybackground-300_000.jpg
as you may have noticed this stuff is in a lot of drinks these days. i had never been able to isolate the flavor in cocktails on my own, so being able to take a sip of it is helpful. the trick is that it tastes like fruit, not flowers or anything else. mostly like a mild lychee imo. i'd venture that it's been so successful because the amorphous "fruitiness" it adds is pleasant without evoking any one thing.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 19 April 2010 02:19 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-SEVEN: boutonierre
invinted at rendezvous, central sq, cambridge, ma
2 oz. applejack1 oz. dry vermouth.5 oz. st germain1 dash peychaud's1 dash orange bitters
stir and strain, garnish with orange.
a really good introduction to st germain in a classically-proportioned drink. it's easily detectable here while enhancing some of the other flavors that are going on.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 19 April 2010 02:21 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-EIGHT: shaddock
invented at trina's starlite lounge, also in cambridge
.75 oz. each genever, aperol, st. germain, lemon juice.
shake and strain, no garnish.
another riff on the 4-equal-ingredients formula, this one is pretty smooth and sweet with an awesome orange-pink color. each ingredient pops out at different times.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 19 April 2010 02:23 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE THIRTY-NINE: one-armed french hooker
1.5 oz. genever1 oz. grapefruit juice1 oz. st. germain2 dashes peychaud's
shake and strain, top with sparkling wine (i omitted this).
st. germain and grapefruit seem like a natural combo, so i've been looking all over for recipes that use them both. this is nice, the genever is a supporting player only with the main flavor being sweetened citrus.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 21 April 2010 03:21 (thirteen years ago) link
what is the consistency/color on simple syrup supposed to be
― ibaka flocka flame (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 1 May 2010 01:14 (thirteen years ago) link
simple made w/regular sugar should be clear. consistency will depend on the ratio of sugar to water.
― the unfinest of viking jokes only (call all destroyer), Saturday, 1 May 2010 01:20 (thirteen years ago) link
a 1:1 syrup will be a little thick but not super-thick
― the unfinest of viking jokes only (call all destroyer), Saturday, 1 May 2010 01:21 (thirteen years ago) link
ok, i made 1:! with cane sugar and it's sort of like sugar water? attempting to make mint julep fwiw
― ibaka flocka flame (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 1 May 2010 01:21 (thirteen years ago) link
when i made grenadine with sugar and pom juice i thought it was p. watery at first, it actually thickened up after chillin in the fridge for a bit
― the unfinest of viking jokes only (call all destroyer), Saturday, 1 May 2010 01:23 (thirteen years ago) link
ok, that makes sense
― ibaka flocka flame (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 1 May 2010 01:23 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah you're probably ok
RECIPE FORTY: spiced tea cocktail
2 oz. absolut boston.75 oz. lemon juice.25 oz. simple syrup.25 oz. allspice dram
shake and strain, garnish with a lemon twist.
i guess this is a cad original--the absolut boston (which is tea- and elderflower-infused if u didn't know)/lemon/sugar combination is obvious in a way, but i felt it needed something to take it over the top. the bottle of allspice dram i picked up last week really did the job.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 10 May 2010 03:06 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-ONE: william of orange
1.5 oz. bols genever.5 oz. aperol.5 oz. punt e mes.5 oz. benedictine2 dashes orange bitters (regan's #6)
stir and strain into a chilled rocks glass, garnish w/an orange twist.
no ingredients subs on this one imo--i made a version of this a while ago and it was not good enough to post. but this is.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 10 May 2010 03:55 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-TWO: daiquiri no. 1
2 oz. white rum.75 oz. lime juice1 tsp superfine sugar
shake and strain
nothing need be said.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 20 May 2010 03:49 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-TWO: hemingway daiquiri
2 oz. white rum.75 oz. lime juice.5 oz. grapefruit juice1 tsp superfine sugarscant 1 tsp maraschino liqueur
a smoothed-out sweeter version of no. 1. err on the conservative side with the maraschino.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 20 May 2010 03:50 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-THREE: ramos gin fizz
havin a lazy afternoon atm, so the least i could do was whip up one of these labor-intensive beasts:
2 oz. gin (old tom preferred, or plymouth)1 oz. cream1 tbsp superfine sugar (or 1 oz. simple syrup).5 oz. lime juice.5 oz. lemon juice1 egg white3-5 drops orange flower water
shake the living hell out of this with no ice. then do the same with ice. like, a minute or more for each. shake until your arms hurt and your hands go numb.
strain into a tall glass with a couple ice cubes in it. top with an oz. or less of soda water. give it a quick stir and add a straw. a delightful thick foam will appear on top of the drink.
i forget where i read this but the i like it: the r.g.f. should taste like drinking a flower. in a good way.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 22 May 2010 19:18 (thirteen years ago) link
i had a ginger lime gin fizz the other night and it was freaking amazing. it tasted like lime sorbet.
― mr. milquetoast (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 22 May 2010 19:19 (thirteen years ago) link
also had a gin & tonic with wine soaked strawberries which was also delightful
― mr. milquetoast (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 22 May 2010 19:20 (thirteen years ago) link
fancy!
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 22 May 2010 19:34 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah it was a fancy place that we only went to because it was a special occasion -- bartender was all talking about infusing his own syrups and what not -- one drink on the menu featured "jalapeno simple syrup" which i was curious about bcuz i like spicy drinks, altho at that point you're really stretching the "simple" part of "simple syrup"
― mr. milquetoast (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 22 May 2010 19:37 (thirteen years ago) link
eh not really--just about every infused syrup is the same: 1:1 or 2:1 sugar/water plus a bunch of whatever flavor you want it to have. i made cinnamon syrup last week and except for the annoying and messy filtration process it was no prob.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 22 May 2010 20:11 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-FOUR: the art of choke
from the betacocktails.com ppl
1 oz. cynar1 oz. white rum.25 oz. green chartreuse.125 oz. lime juice.125 oz. 2:1 demerara syrup (or any sugar syrup)fresh mint
muddle all ingredients with a couple mint sprigs, then stir with ice. strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with more mint.
weird and impossible to categorize, i'll leave it to the now unavailable rogue cocktails book:
"Picture yourself in the limestone-walled courtyard of an Italian villa off the coast of the Riviera. You are surrounded by fragrant herbs and flowers, and the sea air is blowing gently. The sun is bright, but it's not hot, and you have nothing to do all day but relax and savor the sensations all around you. Drinking this cocktail is kind of like that if somebody suddenly punched you in the stomach just as you were beginning to doze off in the sun. In a good way."
― call all destroyer, Monday, 24 May 2010 02:27 (thirteen years ago) link
what is cynar?
― Face Book (dyao), Monday, 24 May 2010 02:38 (thirteen years ago) link
it's an amaro (bittersweet italian liqueur) made with a base of artichokes. it's dark and syrupy and <20% alcohol iirc.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 24 May 2010 02:55 (thirteen years ago) link
that sounds v. interesting. I don't think I've ever had an artichoke in my life - only artichoke dip.
― Face Book (dyao), Monday, 24 May 2010 03:07 (thirteen years ago) link
reminds me, I had my first negroni of the summer the other week. I had to teach the bartender how to make it :/
― Face Book (dyao), Monday, 24 May 2010 03:08 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-FIVE: jet pilot
an authentic tiki drink 4 u:
.5 oz. lime juice.5 oz. white grapefruit juice.5 oz. falernum (fee bros. is readily available in liquor stores).5 oz. cinnamon syrup (recipe below).75 oz. gold rum (puerto rico or similar).75 oz. demerara 151 proof rum (lemon hart)1 oz. jamaican dark rum (myers, appleton)6 drops herbsaint, pernod, or absinthe1 dash angostura
technically this is a blender drink, but you can also shake with crushed ice and pour unstrained into a rocks glass or tiki mug. add straws.
cinnamon simple syrup:
3 sticks cinnamon1 cup water1 cup sugar
put the cinnamon sticks in a plastic bag and beat the hell out of them with the kitchen tool of your choice until you have mostly small pieces. bring all ingredients to a simmer over medium heat. cover and simmer for two minutes, then let the mixture rest for about two hours. strain and bottle. keep in the fridge (i added a little 151-proof rum to preserve).
to strain: get a funnel and a bunch of coffee filters. pour a little of the syrup into the filter resting in the funnel, then close the filter over and twist/squeeze the syrup through. this is messy and tedious, but what the hell.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:27 (thirteen years ago) link
hmm for straining the cinnamon syrup perhaps you could try using an aeropress?
http://broadripplecoffee.com/brcc/images/aerobie_aeropress.jpg
― Face Book (dyao), Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:31 (thirteen years ago) link
huh, yeah that would probably work really well
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:33 (thirteen years ago) link
actually fuck it, every mixology straining thing calls for coffee filters or cheesecloth, but why couldn't i use my french press? u r smart dyao.
haha I dunno if I would use a french press - metal filter is not the same as a coffee filter. plus the cinnamon oils would get left on the metal sieve whereas it migth be easier to clean an aeropress.
― Face Book (dyao), Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:35 (thirteen years ago) link
i've never used an aeropress--but you can wash the french press filter so
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:37 (thirteen years ago) link
my french press is old and scummy anyway
hah then clean it pretty well before using it - you might get rancid coffee oils in your syrup...
― Face Book (dyao), Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:38 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah--i think your average flavored syrup is robust enough to hold up to a clean but old metal filter ::shrug emoticon::
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 27 May 2010 02:42 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-SIX: beuser & angus special
this the last word variant is a complete winner
1.75 oz. green chartreuse.75 oz. lime juice.5 oz. maraschino liqueur.5 tsp superfine sugar1 egg white (optional)
shake everything with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. top with five drops of orange flower water and add straws.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 28 May 2010 01:57 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-SEVEN: speaking in tongues
1 oz. mezcal1 oz. luxardo amaro abano (or ramazzotti or equiv.).75 oz. lemon juice.75 oz. simple syrup2 dashes angostura2 dashes peychaud's1 strawberry, quartered
muddle the strawberry in a mixing glass or tin. add the rest of the ingredients and shake with ice. double strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice (crushed or cubed acc. to preference). garnish with another strawberry.
smoky, sweet, v. refreshing.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:35 (thirteen years ago) link
1 oz. luxardo amaro abano (or ramazzotti or equiv.)
if I have to google it, it doesn't count as an ingredient, and I say this as a guy whose liquor cabinet has plenty of awesome stuff in it
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:41 (thirteen years ago) link
lol n/m I see from upthread amaro is something you are way fond of, it just sounds totally "you can only buy it from a one-eyed sailor" to me
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:43 (thirteen years ago) link
one eyed sailor sounds like it would be a pretty great cocktail
― crüt it out (dyao), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:45 (thirteen years ago) link
sailor still has his vision = he must be selling you some weak-ass amaro
― iatee, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:48 (thirteen years ago) link
xxp hate to say it, but at least in my state amaros are pretty readily available, and like bitters, you can never have to many. sounds like you need some more awesome stuff!
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 02:35 (thirteen years ago) link
I am already thinking of what to ask them to make me at Drink on Wednesday.
I am thinking I'm going to ask for something refreshing and floral preferably in a lemon/lavender sort of way.
― o sh!t a ˁ˚ᴥ˚ˀ (ENBB), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 03:32 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-EIGHT: pegu club
huh, i didn't do this yet? well, it's a recognized classic tho you'll have to decide the right proportions for yourself. i think this is a decent jumping-off point:
2 oz. gin.5 oz. lime juice.5 oz. curacao or triple sec1 dash angostura1 dash orange bitters
shake and strain.
this is a relatively dry and tart edition, but i don't think it's out of balance. worth noting, i used a v. light gin (bulldog) and sours like this are extremely delicate and sensitive to ingredient changes.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 29 June 2010 03:32 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FORTY-NINE: paris manhattan
a delectable manhattan variant 4 u
2 oz. rye (or bourbon i guess)1 oz. st germain.5 oz. dry vermouth2 dashes angostura
stir and strain.
this is a FANTASTIC use of st. germain.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 00:44 (thirteen years ago) link
St Germain is a weird thing! French but the passion fruit & papaya character makes it seem so much like it should be a tiki drink staple. Can be used for great good... or evil.
― I DIED, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 00:51 (thirteen years ago) link
the above use does sound delicious, I'll have to try it
I had some interesting things tonight, including:
- Gin/lime soda/salt drink- Quince/paprika/scotch/sherry slushie (omg this was so much better than the ingredient list would indicate)
― I DIED, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 00:54 (thirteen years ago) link
uhhhh do you have a recipe for that second one?
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 00:56 (thirteen years ago) link
st germain is indeed funny--for the longest time i couldn't identify it in drinks i had at bars because who the hell knows what "elderflower" tastes like? then i got a bottle and it was all "oh, it tastes like tropical fruit"
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 00:57 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't have a recipe, it was at a new restaurant - it was such a strangely palatable drink!
― I DIED, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 01:20 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah it's p. unfathomable
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 01:26 (thirteen years ago) link
do you guys not get elderflower cordial?
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 08:02 (thirteen years ago) link
i just brought back a bottle of st g from nyc!
i think this thread is good and i would like to participate.
― coldfrap - foam mountain (s1ocki), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 13:52 (thirteen years ago) link
pls do so!
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:07 (thirteen years ago) link
i never made a lot of cocktails... some mint juleps recently... the occasional g&t or zubrowka + apple j.
i have a bunch of bourbon in my cupboard. and brandy. and pear william haha.
what should i make!
― coldfrap - foam mountain (s1ocki), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:10 (thirteen years ago) link
do you have any vermouth? (sweet or dry)
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:14 (thirteen years ago) link
no, i should prob stock some tho
and get some more hendricks
― coldfrap - foam mountain (s1ocki), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:25 (thirteen years ago) link
you shld do both those things
vermouth is pretty cheap, and v useful
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:34 (thirteen years ago) link
ya i wanted to keep some around the house for cooking purposes anyway
― coldfrap - foam mountain (s1ocki), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:35 (thirteen years ago) link
been having good luck extending the life of my vermouth by keeping it in the fridge and using those little vacuum seal wine caps.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:40 (thirteen years ago) link
how long do you think vermouth lasts? i keep mine in the fridge but i've had it for quite a while
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:45 (thirteen years ago) link
as far as i can tell:
~ 3 weeks at room tempa month plus in fridgei'm at about 2 mos. in fridge and vacuum sealed.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:49 (thirteen years ago) link
that's it? i thought you could keep it around forever ever
― coldfrap - foam mountain (s1ocki), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 14:57 (thirteen years ago) link
nooooooooo. vermouth is not that alcoholic and it will turn. the result is not nec. disgusting, but taste tests i have done between fresh bottles and bottles that were sitting out were very enlightening.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 15:00 (thirteen years ago) link
so last week i infused half a bottle of new amsterdam gin with about 4 sprigs of fresh thai basil for 4 days. the result is interesting--it's got a strong vegetable thing going that could only loosely be id'd as basil. it makes for kind of a nice g+t tho--just made a bunch for my gf's friends who come over to watch true blood.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 20 July 2010 00:26 (thirteen years ago) link
had a basil gimlet yday, would drink
― al-goreda (s1ocki), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 04:46 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FIFTY: gunshop fizz
ok, this is weird and labor intensive but i swear it's worth it
2 oz. peychaud's bitters1 oz. lemon juice1 oz. simply syrup2 strawberries, halved3 slices cucumber3 swaths grapefruit peel3 swaths orange peel
sanbitter*
add everything but the sanbitter to a mixing glass and muddle. leave alone for 2 mins. shake w/ice, double strain over fresh ice into a collins glass. top w/sanbitter and another cucumber slice
*sanbitter is a san pelligrino product--a bright red soda that comes in tiny 50 ml bottles. check yr local italian market.
from the beta cocktails people--as you can see this is an experiment in using "non-potable" bitters as a base liquor. i've been wanting to make it forever and finally stumbled across some sanbitter. it was worth the wait--extremely light and refreshing, with a strong citrus tang and the bitterness from the peychaud's just slightly cutting the finish. awesome stuff.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 1 August 2010 02:29 (thirteen years ago) link
simply syrup?
― LA river flood (lukas), Sunday, 1 August 2010 03:45 (thirteen years ago) link
lol
that drink sounds awesome
― Dan S, Sunday, 1 August 2010 04:05 (thirteen years ago) link
hahah
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 1 August 2010 13:42 (thirteen years ago) link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/dining/20tipsy.html?hp
― buzza, Thursday, 19 August 2010 23:22 (thirteen years ago) link
my friend I am drinkin EL DIABLO and it has quickly become a favorite
1.5 oz good tequila1/2 lime1/4 oz creme de cassisice ginger ale
fill glass with ice; squeeze 1/2 lime over. add liquors, top with ginger ale. IT IS SO GOOD. you can err on the side of "a little more creme de cassis" as I do 'cause that stuff is delish.
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Thursday, 19 August 2010 23:29 (thirteen years ago) link
wd fuck with
― the disappearance of apollo creed (s1ocki), Thursday, 19 August 2010 23:31 (thirteen years ago) link
nice! i just bought a little bottle of cassis last week. is this a silver tequila drink or a reposado tequila drink!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 19 August 2010 23:55 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm using reposado. so drinkable and rad. I left off that when you squeeze the 1/2 lime, you just drop the squoze shell/peel in on top and pour the liquids in over that. lovely lovely drink!
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Friday, 20 August 2010 00:05 (thirteen years ago) link
i'm gonna get some reposado and do that up. here's another cassis drink that i found recently:
RECIPE FIFTY-ONE: gotham
2 oz. vsop cognac1 oz. dry vermouth.5 oz. creme de cassis.5 tsp lemon juice
stir and strain, garnish with a lemon twist.
david wondrich, who is prob my favorite mixo writer guy, invented this as a cosmo alternative. as he says "i wouldn't exactly say i failed, but i'll certainly concede that the schedule has slipped a tad."
― call all destroyer, Friday, 20 August 2010 00:08 (thirteen years ago) link
hmm! I have all those ingredients to hand! really only 1/2 a teaspoon of lemon juice though? that seems homeopathic.
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Friday, 20 August 2010 00:15 (thirteen years ago) link
i agree--i only made this once and i think the other ingredients would be plenty strong to stand up to some more lemon
― call all destroyer, Friday, 20 August 2010 00:16 (thirteen years ago) link
ok so I have made me a GOTHAM and I have to say I like it! though to be honest, given that I have 1) some outstanding vermouth & 2) this amazing creme de cassis, I'd be hard pressed to not like a drink that spotlights both. I basically upped the lemon juice to "1/2 lemon" which was basically "a fat tablespoon," or maybe 1.5 tbsp. pretty damn good!
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Friday, 20 August 2010 00:51 (thirteen years ago) link
glad!!! what is yr vermouth btw?
― call all destroyer, Friday, 20 August 2010 03:48 (thirteen years ago) link
damn that is some fancy looking creme de cassis
― just sayin, Friday, 20 August 2010 07:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Negronis. Wonderful.
― Sauvignon Blanc Mange (B.L.A.M.), Friday, 20 August 2010 16:47 (thirteen years ago) link
Dolin. The wine store down the street sells several different Dolin bottles, all wonderful.
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Friday, 20 August 2010 16:54 (thirteen years ago) link
http://is7.itookthisonmyphone.com/m/00118/14b41af8-7bd9-4bc2-a861-76e40aff70b2/9b897c53-fe74-4f0c-acfa-25215d3d685e_568x426r0.jpg
― Sauvignon Blanc Mange (B.L.A.M.), Friday, 20 August 2010 17:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Last night's bar.
nice bar btw! what's the bottle in front of the cointreau?
― call all destroyer, Monday, 30 August 2010 00:46 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FIFTY-TWO: queen's road variant
the things that happen when you accidentally buy a pink grapefruit and not a white one
1.5 oz. gold puerto rican rum.5 oz. pink grapefruit juice.5 oz. lime juice.5 oz. honey mix (1:1 honey/water combined in microwave).5 tsp domaine de canton ginger liqueur1 dash angostura
the substitutions are pink grapefruit for orange juice and domaine de canton for ginger syrup. an evolving drink with the juices coming out at certain points, and the bite of the ginger and angostura appearing other times.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 30 August 2010 00:49 (thirteen years ago) link
i <3 pink grapefruit
― real s1ock (s1ocki), Monday, 30 August 2010 18:25 (thirteen years ago) link
CAD i was wondering:
if 1/2 lemonade & 1/2 iced tea is an "arnold palmer"
how would you envision an alcoholic "laura palmer" cocktail?
― tangelo amour (elmo argonaut), Monday, 30 August 2010 18:29 (thirteen years ago) link
ideally you would rim the glass with cocaine but let's be reasonable
― tangelo amour (elmo argonaut), Monday, 30 August 2010 18:30 (thirteen years ago) link
good question, lemme think abt it and get back to you.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 30 August 2010 18:42 (thirteen years ago) link
so elmo i would propose making a tall whiskey sour with tea-infused bourbon. get some loose fresh earl grey tea, but it in an infuser or filter bag, and infuse a good bourbon with it for no more than a couple hours (taste every hour so it doesn't get too bitter).
then, in a tall thin glass (this should be a tall drink, conceptually), add:
2 oz. tea-infused bourbon.66 oz. lemon juice (or half of a large lemon)1 tsp superfine sugar.
stir, fill glass with ice, top with seltzer and ice and stir again.
nb i have not made this drink specifically (and have not done a tea infusion but everything online says this takes no more than a couple hours), but with a lack of good tea-related ingredients out there i think making something yourself is the way to go.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 31 August 2010 01:42 (thirteen years ago) link
it appears i never posted the best sidecar recipe i've found:
RECIPE FIFTY-THREE: sidecar
2 oz. vsop cognac.75 oz. lemon juice.5 oz. orange curacao.25 oz. simple syrup
shake and strain! and spend yr money on good cognac cause it's worth it.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 31 August 2010 02:28 (thirteen years ago) link
been working on aerosmith's diablo recipe from upthread. made one with 2 oz. or blanco tequila--definitely too strong and too much. it's funny, this is definitely, definitely a recipe where you need to use an ounce and a half. today i made one with 1.5 oz. reposado, .75 oz lime, .5 oz. cassis. i am also shaking and straining it over fresh rocks before topping with ginger ale. this was a nice drink! i'm really, really curious about the rendition suggested here:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2010/03/bobby_heugels_weekly_cocktail_3.php
he ups the cassis a lot and uses ginger beer instead of ginger ale while reverting to blanco tequila. i will try this once i buy some ginger beer.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 14 September 2010 02:30 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FIFTY-FOUR: east india trading co.
a boozy dark jamaican rum drink:
2 oz. appleton estate reserve.75 oz. aged sherry (using an oloroso here).5 oz. ramazzotti amaro2 dashes chocolate bitters
stir and strain; no garnish
― call all destroyer, Friday, 17 September 2010 01:50 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FIFTY-FIVE: rarely eagle (geddit?)
a warm-weather up drink with bourbon--quite refreshing!
1.5 oz. eagle rare bourbon (or any m.o.r. 90 proof bourbon).75 oz. lemon juice.75 oz. st. germain2 drops orange flower water
shake, strain, garnish with a lemon twist
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 30 September 2010 03:33 (thirteen years ago) link
RECIPE FIFTY-SIX: illuminations
man i've been too busy to blog many cocktails lately. if i make something it's usually a simple classic. but there's always room for new ones:
1.5 oz. reposado tequila1 oz. lemon juice.75 oz. sherry (i used oloroso).5 oz. maple syrup.5 oz. egg white (maybe half an egg white if you don't want to measure)
shake once without ice, and once with ice, and strain.
this comes from a book called left coast libations that i was deciding whether to buy. based on this drink i am buying it. ridiculously balanced and it's hard to say what the star is, though i'm inclined to think it's an entire half ounce of maple syrup adding a really subtle but distinctive sweetness.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
EGG DRINK PRO TIP:
frothing wands like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/316YPD35SFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
cost TWO DOLLARS at ikea. they're meant for espresso drinks but if you want to fuck with eggs in cocktails this strikes me as vastly preferable to the messy dry shake that you're generally told to execute. you'll have a nice froth in a few seconds.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:40 (thirteen years ago) link
what's a good vodka cocktail? i have a bottle of vodka from a party 4 years ago languishing in my kitchen. not super into vodka but would like to try something new. something w/o fruit juice preferably. the vodka is ketel one.
― (name) in (some place i'm not from) (buzza), Monday, 6 December 2010 07:17 (thirteen years ago) link
There aren't many good vodka cocktails, but the Moscow Mule's a classic:
* 1¼ oz vodka * 3 oz ginger beer * 1 tsp sugar syrup * ¼ oz lime juice * 1 sprig mint * 1 slice lime
― I DIED, Monday, 6 December 2010 07:34 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah, that sounds good. thanks!
― (name) in (some place i'm not from) (buzza), Monday, 6 December 2010 07:40 (thirteen years ago) link
hey so i know that vermouth can go off but what abt things like campari/cynar/aperol, they're not super alcoholic so...? cad do you know?
― just sayin, Saturday, 19 February 2011 14:07 (thirteen years ago) link
i have heard anecdotally that aperol will be fine basically forever and ime with all three of the ones you mentioned it seems to be true--i have bottles of each that are between 10-14 months old and they taste good to me.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 19 February 2011 14:22 (thirteen years ago) link
I am learning to make my own too, sick of being forced to drink other people's trendy bar beverages....they don't even bother to ask whether I enjoy their slimy tropical beverages or not.
― Noreen Thinkingfeller (u s steel), Saturday, 19 February 2011 14:40 (thirteen years ago) link
xpost thx dude
― just sayin, Saturday, 19 February 2011 15:33 (thirteen years ago) link
can i make a whiskey sour with scotch instead of bourbon and orange juice instead of lemon juice?
― sonderangerbot, Saturday, 19 February 2011 17:35 (thirteen years ago) link
You can substitute pretty much any alcohol in a sour - that's how we ended up with margaritas and daiquiris! But I wouldn't suggest subbing orange juice, it will be more sweet and won't have the tartness a sour requires.
There is a classic scotch and orange juice drink, though:
Blood & Sand1½ oz Scotch¾ oz Cherry Heering¾ oz sweet vermouth¾ oz fresh blood-orange juice
and a great Felten column on the same:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120069085754201267.html
― I DIED, Saturday, 19 February 2011 18:47 (thirteen years ago) link
WOW i was just coming here to ask what i can make with a blood-orange.
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 19 February 2011 18:51 (thirteen years ago) link
i've been having major revelations w/r/t stirred cocktails recently. it all started when i read some recipes where the bartender actually supplied what the volume of the drink should be post-stir (e.g., ~3 oz. of spirits after stir should result in a 4.5 oz. drink; i don't remember the specifics but post-stir volume added well over an ounce). so i got some room temperature tap water and measuring cups and all that good stuff and employed my normal technique--fill mixing glass generously with ice cubes, stir for a generous 30 seconds.
well damned if my pre- and post-stir volumes weren't extremely similar. i was getting some chill but very little dilution (and since chilling and dilution are interconnected, was I not even getting a proper amount of chill?)
the obvious culprit was ice. i've noticed in some establishments that the bartenders will crack large ice cubes by hand before stirring--this results in a weird in-between ice size, neither full cube (for shaking) or crushed (for various crushed ice drinks). it makes perfect sense of course--more small pieces of ice fill more space with ice surface area, resulting in more dilution and chilling.
i've tried this a couple times and while i haven't measured the results my glasses seem noticeably fuller. so yeah more to come but worth considering for the martini and manhattan makers out there. be curious if i died or just sayin or any of you guys have thoughts.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 7 March 2011 03:22 (thirteen years ago) link
maybe my ice cubes are just lower quality or something (or maybe they're smaller) but i havent had this problem - i can tell that i'm getting some dilution just cuz when i'm stirring i notice the ice:liquid ratio changing. i definitely know what you mean abt getting some water in yr drink being important tho... i used to keep my gin in the freezer but once i stopped doing that it made my martinis taste a lot better, brought the flavours out a lot more.
― just sayin, Monday, 7 March 2011 08:34 (thirteen years ago) link
hey cad if you feel like nerding out abt this - http://www.painkillernyc.com/category/research/experiments
(altho its abt shaken drinks rather than stirred)
― just sayin, Wednesday, 9 March 2011 16:51 (thirteen years ago) link
thanks, that is really interesting and i'm going to need to read it a couple times for it to sink in! he mentions dave arnold and cooking issues in there--they have some fantastic posts on this stuff. i'll put them here when i'm home tonight.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 9 March 2011 18:10 (thirteen years ago) link
att cad - i made this over the wkend + it was awesome -
CHARTREUSE SWIZZLE2 oz green Chartreuse1 ½ oz pineapple juice1 oz fresh lime juice¼ oz falernum
thats the most chartreuse ive ever had in 1 drink but it worked so so well
― just sayin, Monday, 21 March 2011 14:13 (thirteen years ago) link
and after making it i saw that there were some recipes w/ diff proportions but by then i had finished off my bottle of chartreuse so i havent got to try them
oh nice! v. cool-looking recipe.
i'm always hesitant to crack those little 6 oz. cans of pineapple juice because i never use a whole one but this looks like it would be worth it.
i've made this before--it's basically a riff on the last word but it was nice:
beuser & angus special
1.75 oz. green chartreuse1 oz. lime juice.5 oz. maraschino.5 tsp sugar1 small egg white
shake and pour over crushed ice, top w/5 drops orange flower water.
i find crushed ice, egg, and the o.f.w. to be a bit confused-sounding and i think i made it without the egg.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 21 March 2011 20:12 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah i know what you mean, using pineapple juice is kind of awkward. man i need to get more maraschino as well....
― just sayin, Monday, 21 March 2011 21:13 (thirteen years ago) link
don't know if this has been discussed, but i just read in the current issue of bon appetit about how to make SMOKED ICE. their suggestion was to serve a whiskey/sherry/lemon drink over it. i really want to try this but i think it would make my house smell like camp because we have no good way to let out exhaust.
― tehresa, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 23:15 (thirteen years ago) link
Glad just sayin pointed me here. I've been playing around with cocktails a lot in the last six years, and it looks like we've covered a lot of the same ground. I don't have much to add beyond a general "thumbs up, I dig your style," etc., except:
One of my favorite drinks, and the one that made me love genever (though there's nothing wrong with Death in the Gulf Stream either). But I end up making it with slightly different proportions. Sometimes I leave out the St Germain altogether (use twice as much Aperol instead), simply because it's one of the more expensive liqueurs and I don't use it for many drinks, so if I run out I don't always replenish it right away. But even apart from that - I bump the genever up to 1.25, even 1.5. The maltiness really comes forward.
Also a big fan of Gunshop Fizz type drinks - I use the basic blueprint of the Trinidad Sour (1.5 bitters, 1.5 sweet, 1 sour, .5 spirit) for all sorts of things until the Ango runs dry.
Also also - if you love chartreuse like I love chartreuse, Elixir Vegetal is worth having. You may have mentioned it already, I don't know - it's a long thread to take in all at once. It's like a concentrated, bitters-esque form of chartreuse.
― Bill, Thursday, 7 April 2011 21:57 (twelve years ago) link
hey thanks dude! really nice of you to say :D
i had never heard of death in the gulf stream--that's a deadly serious-sounding drink. i am out of genever but that's going to cause me to go buy some for sure.
i don't have elixir vegetal either--i've noticed it on cocktailkingdom but they sell a lot of odd stuff so i never investigated further. what do you find yourself doing with it?
and pls feel free to add recipes and whatnot to this thread if you feel like it btw!
― call all destroyer, Friday, 8 April 2011 03:33 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, a lot of the bitters on Cocktail Kingdom a) aren't even bitters, they're tinctures (no bittering agent involved, but "blueberry flavoring" doesn't sounds as 2k11-sexxy as "blueberry bitters") and b) aren't legal in the first place. They're legal to possess, but most of the small bitters companies haven't gone through the cumbersome process of having their product approved for sale. But that tempts me sometimes, because I think, shit, maybe I should pick up some of the odder ones before they get caught.
So mostly I get celery bitters, chocolate bitters, orange bitters, and Peychaud's, which isn't carried here. I really want to try the Dandelion & Burdock bitters, but keep putting it off.
The Elixir Vegetal I've used in two ways - one, adding a few drops to anything with Chartreuse (a Last Word, etc), to boost the ... chartreusiness. Two, it really adds some complexity to simple drinks that already have a little bit of herbal character, like a gin and tonic, or a Dark and Stormy. And man, it smells good.
― Bill, Friday, 8 April 2011 13:22 (twelve years ago) link
since i just got a new 1L bottle i thought i could use up the rest of the one i had w/ one of my favourite drinks -
intro to aperol2 oz Aperol1 oz gin.75 oz lemon juice.25 oz simple syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters
like bill and i were saying on the other thread, aperol is such a nice drink, really deserves to be more popular imo, esp w/ summer coming
― just sayin, Friday, 8 April 2011 17:47 (twelve years ago) link
it sounds so medicinali like that
― Ralpharina (La Lechera), Friday, 8 April 2011 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
If you want medicinal and Aperol, there's the 2 to 2, too -
1.5 oz Aperol1 oz absinthe 1 oz lemon.25 oz simpledash orange bitters
... which can make that "this will last forever, I just need an occasional rinse for Sazeracs and Corpse Revivers and whatnot" bottle of absinthe go pretty quick.
― Bill, Friday, 8 April 2011 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
that sounds so delicious! man.
― Ralpharina (La Lechera), Friday, 8 April 2011 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
want
― tehresa, Friday, 8 April 2011 18:05 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, both those recipes sound excellent. maybe i need to replenish absinthe too.
bill, i didn't realize the elixir vegetal was actually like a concentrated chartreuse from the same producer! that's really cool. and i'm pretty curious about the dandelion and burdock bitters. i did buy the boker's that that guy makes, and while i obv can't comment on "authenticity" (unlike the smug dudes who make the bitter truth stuff and were happy to do so) it is pretty good stuff--i spent like two weeks just making martinez variations using the boker's/
― call all destroyer, Friday, 8 April 2011 18:12 (twelve years ago) link
Nice! Yeah, what's his name who does the Boker's etc SOUNDS like he knows his stuff. And ultimately, the taste is more important to me than the authenticity - a revival of authentic Roaring Twenties gins and whiskeys is not something anybody really wants to see, after all.
Have you had Dandelion & Burdock soda? (I don't think you're British, but I don't know anybody anymore, so who knows.) It's kind of sort of root-beer-ish, which has me stumped for what I would end up doing with the bitters. I love Root - kind of sort of root-beer-inspired liquor, but it's base liquor strength, not a sweetened liqueur - but it's not very flexible.
― Bill, Friday, 8 April 2011 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
oh wow, no not british and i didn't know it was a soda flavor. i am going to have to seek out a bottle though.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 8 April 2011 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
Along similar lines as Aperol, I think Pimm's is a barely-bitter liqueur that could be played with a lot more. Or I'm talking myself into thinking that, anyway, because I have a few bottled citrus juices (sudachi, yuzu, kabosu) I need to play with for my blog, and since I've got my girlfriend's birthday, visiting friends, and two weeks unpaid vacation all in the near future, I don't really want to go out and buy any liquor right now ... even though I'm out of Aperol, Creole Shrubb, and down to my last shot of maraschino, all of which would make sense to use with citrus.
So I'm looking at the citrus-friendly liqueurs I do have, and the amaros (amari if you're like that) are mostly going to overpower exotic citrus. I mean, even Chartreuse - when you taste the lime in a Last Word or the lemon in a Final Ward, part of that's your mind filling in the blanks because lemon and lime are familiar flavors. But something unfamiliar, especially bottled, so that none of the oil is involved - I don't want to cover it up too much. I want it to be present enough that there's a reason to use sudachi instead of lemon. St Germain will be fine I'm sure, and Canton if I have any, stone pine, creme de cacao, maybe violette (maybe) ... but yeah, I think Pimm's could be interesting.
So that's what I'm drinking this weekend, whatever comes out of that train of thought.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
what's your blog (if you don't mind sharing)?
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 April 2011 16:45 (twelve years ago) link
http://okaycheckitout.blogspot.com
I just didn't want to mention it all over the place and look like I'm plugging. The cocktail content waxes and wanes, there's cooking stuff too.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 16:49 (twelve years ago) link
nice! i am, um, checking it out (first observation--i live relatively close to you)
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 April 2011 16:57 (twelve years ago) link
I'm in Nashua (NH, home of the liquor stores) - my girlfriend lives in Boston so I spend a lot of weekends there. There's so many higher-end cocktail bars in Boston that I keep meaning to check out, but man ... it just always seems cheaper to make drinks at home and spend the money on Korean ingredient shopping or something instead.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:09 (twelve years ago) link
pimms is definitely great! i guess i just dont think of it as being underrated since im living in the uk, altho tbf it does only get used in pimms cups + nothing else + i can see what you mean that it could be used for much more
― just sayin, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:12 (twelve years ago) link
Exactly - I think it could be used in a lot more drinks. I've mostly seen it in Pimm's Cup variants where it's still the main ingredient - I don't know, maybe there's a reason for that and it'll turn out that the flavor disappears if you mix with it in other ways, but it's worth trying.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:14 (twelve years ago) link
do you guys get the pimms winter?
― just sayin, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:21 (twelve years ago) link
Not in NH, and not at the place in New York I mail-order stuff from - I think some states get it, though. How different is the flavor?
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link
i don't think we do, no. if so it's extremely rare.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link
pretty different iirc, i havent had any for quite a while tho, but its brandy based and the spices are just more 'winter-y' (not v helpful i know), at pubs they would serve it warm w/ apple juice
― just sayin, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:30 (twelve years ago) link
its sad they phased out all the other ones
Is the UK having the kind of cocktail revival we've had here? Even here it's not very big - the market for appletinis and jello shots will never dwindle - but it still led to a lot of things like creme de violette, pimento dram, bitters, etc., either being brought back or more widely distributed. (Although I think candy-flavored vodkas and rums are still the biggest-growth categories.)
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:42 (twelve years ago) link
hmmmm i would say no? i mean i'm in london + there are some high end cocktail bars but as far as ingredients go it seems like the US is doing everything. i cant even get hold of this rum - http://www.alpenz.com/images/poftfolio/smithcross114rum.htm which is apparently bottled here
― just sayin, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:47 (twelve years ago) link
and there's only a few liquour stores where i can buy stuff like aperol, despite italy being right there
― just sayin, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:48 (twelve years ago) link
Oh Lord, Smith and Cross is good stuff. Yeah, we benefit from Haus Alpenz working hard to import things here - a lot of the "revival ingredients" have come through them, without having the sameyness of tasting like they all came from the same guy. (Their violette is SO sweet, though.)
Smith and Cross is like ... I don't even know how to describe it. Any time Caitlin and I make something with it, we just sit there going "holy shit, THIS RUM." It's like if other rums are Campari and Aperol, this is the Fernet of rum. ... if bitterness were rumminess. It's not a great analogy.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
haha oh man you've sold me on it. i emailed my liquor store the other week (these guys - http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/) who are pretty good for everything + theyve said they're trying. it still just seems so weird to me that i cant get it.
― just sayin, Saturday, 9 April 2011 18:02 (twelve years ago) link
It IS weird. I'll never understand liquor distribution/availability - it's still bizarre to me that you can get multiple kinds of absinthe in New Hampshire but only one kind of rye whiskey, just for one thing.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 18:38 (twelve years ago) link
First Pimms experiment, built on the Corpse Reviver #2 -
absinthe rinse1 oz yuzu juice1 oz Pimms.75 oz gin.75 oz Cocchi AmericanoAnd a couple Coca-Cola-infused cherries - absinthe-soaked or straight-up candied cherries might make more sense, I just saw these first and realized I hadn't used them in ages.
It's good! It's surprisingly bitter - the yuzu is contributing to that in part, I think. But I have the door to the deck open, I've got my shoes off, I've been alternating between work and the Red Sox - it's working for me.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 19:28 (twelve years ago) link
― Bill, Saturday, April 9, 2011 1:09 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
yeah i am in somerville. does the nh state store system special order stuff? you probably have scouted your fair share of stores in the boston area but let me know if you're looking for anything special--i have a pretty good mental list of what is available where for some weirder stuff.
re: boston cocktail bars--there are only a couple that are worth going out of your way for if you're a prolific amateur (maybe eastern standard, craigie on main, and drink in fort point). a lot of places have some nice drinks on the menu nowadays but by and large it's stuff you can make v. well at home.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 April 2011 21:27 (twelve years ago) link
Have you been to Deep Ellum? We pass it on the bus a lot, so I'm always like - hey, we could go there. But Eastern Standard is supposed to have an excellent burger, so that's also on our list.
New Hampshire won't special order anything unless it's something sold at another NH liquor store, i.e. something already in the system. They require a product-specific permit that has to be approved at a liquor board meeting - so if you're Uncle Ted's Vodkaplex with 32 flavors of vodka from acai-goji to zubrowka, you have to submit 32 different packets of paperwork. I can always tell when a new product has serious marketing money behind it, because that's the only time when something new shows up in NH within a couple months of its release. (Lucid absinthe, for instance, and anything from Captain Morgan.) You also need a special permit to ship liquor to NH, which is only supposed to apply to vendors - most places don't have it, so anything weird and regional is usually something I can't order - but I've actually been scolded even for having free samples shipped to me, which I think is actually legal by the letter of the law.
It's this whole big thing.
The other side of the coin is that domestic product that is carried here is usually pretty cheap! Maker's Mark regularly goes below $15.
My best Boston cocktail-related purchase: Becherovka! At Bazaar, the Russian grocery (which is an amazing place tout court). I haven't actually done much liquor shopping in Boston yet - I love Central Bottle but we were basically there for cheese; I know there's a place called the Cocktail Shaker or something like that but haven't been there yet, I'm afraid of how much I may spend. It's easy to limit how much I spend on bitters when they're mail order and there's no instant gratification, but taking a bag full of bitters home ... oh man.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 22:01 (twelve years ago) link
oh yeah deep ellum is rad! i used to live near it. good food, good beer selection, very nice people, and their cocktails well-made. some different stuff on the list since i was there last. i'm not seeing the 1970s manhattan which, in addition to being funny (it was a canadian club manhattan on the rocks) was really tasty!
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 April 2011 22:12 (twelve years ago) link
Okay cool - Caitlin lives in Allston so it's right nearby.
This isn't a Pimms concoction but I need to test these juices out - kind of a Last Word variation and definitely the best mezcal drink I've made -
1 oz St Germain1 oz kabosu juice3/4 oz black raspberry infused mezcal1/2 oz Chartreusepinch of citric acid
The St Germain pretty much disappears completely - not in a bad way, but between the citrus and the black raspberry, it just blends in. What's nuts is how little the Chartreuse shows up - I didn't want too much of it because I didn't want to overpower the kabosu, but the mezcal plows through everything. It's a really good drink, but the kabosu is probably totally unnecessary - I should probably make a lemon or lime version for comparison.
So you wind up with this smoky tart raspberry drink with some herbaceousness buried in there somewhere. I'm definitely drinking it pretty quick.
― Bill, Saturday, 9 April 2011 23:34 (twelve years ago) link
bill are you using fresh yuzu or out of a bottle? i only have the latter
― just sayin, Sunday, 10 April 2011 00:11 (twelve years ago) link
Bottle - I've used fresh yuzu before and would again, but that's partly because I make marmalade after juicing them. Bottled seems pretty decent so far!
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 00:16 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i have no point of comparison so was just checking
yr cola infused cherries have reminded me - do you think that ramazotti has some sort of cola flavour happening? i havent mixed it w/ rum but am thinking abt it
― just sayin, Sunday, 10 April 2011 00:20 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i def get a cola thing from ramazotti
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 April 2011 01:41 (twelve years ago) link
3/4 oz black raspberry infused mezcal
― coming from me, who has written many bestsellers (tehresa), Sunday, 10 April 2011 02:23 (twelve years ago) link
yeah def curious about how long you infused this
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 April 2011 02:42 (twelve years ago) link
I haven't had Ramazotti! It's on my list of things to buy from DrinkupNY this year - barring financial calamity, my goal is to try all of the amaros they carry that NH doesn't (having already tried the ones carried here, i.e. Campari and Aperol). So I've got Meletti, Cynar, Fernet Branca, Cardamaro, Del Capo, and Rarbarbaro Zucca, and then a bottle of Becherovka at Caitlin's place. Oh, and Averna.
The black raspberry infused mezcal is very cool. I was all excited about mezcal, and then when I finally got a bottle, it was SO smoky. I mean, tequila itself isn't exactly subtle, but have y'all had mezcal? Shit. That smoke eats everything you throw at it. But I had a bunch of frozen black raspberries that I'd ordered because the farm stands here have stopped selling black raspberries, and there's been so much housing development that my mother no longer has a bunch of forest with wild black raspberries behind her house. So I was missing em.
Only it turned out the black raspberries I got weren't the ones I missed. There are two kinds of black raspberries - the little wild ones thimbles could wear as hats, and larger softer darker ones. The little ones are nice and tart; the big ones have no tartness, but a sort of wineyness.
So they didn't fit my craving at all, and they're tricky to use in pie because they're just so sweet. And my freezer is sort of ridiculous even when black raspberries aren't in there. So, two birds - after I'd made a batch of black raspberry bounce (raspberries, whiskey, sugar, couple months infusion) I made black raspberry mezcal (raspberries, mezcal, no sugar, probably about two months). It's very dark and winey looking even after you've mixed it into a drink, and the raspberry definitely comes through.
Please don't be enormous, Flickr -
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5604456083_2d5dd972bc_z.jpg
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 02:56 (twelve years ago) link
nice! i like mezcal but it's easier to use in like half ounce accents than as the actual base of a cocktail.
(meant to say, if you're hanging out in allston you are v. near blanchard's liquors and the only stock of laird's bonded apple brandy i've ever seen)
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:01 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, if you "dilute it" with tequila, you get a whole different thing that's much easier to work with.
It's ridiculous how hard it is to get Laird's bonded in New England, of all places - don't even let me on that soapbox. The blended stuff is so disappointing, I don't even know why it sells - especially since the bonded is not much more expensive and actually tastes like something. I have a bottle right now - from New York! - but I think I've passed by Blanchard's en route somewhere else. Do they have a good selection in general, or do they just happen to be the one Laird's cache?
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:06 (twelve years ago) link
decent selection--kind of hit or miss but they get some odd stuff. they have a big stock of the flor de cana white rum which can be weirdly hard to find and is well-regarded as non-cuban white rums go (i have a bottle but not yet opened). last time i was there i scored some of the 12-year old w.l. weller bourbon (that's the only weller expression still carrying an age statement and it's not common around here). used to have lemon hart 151 but i think that's gone now.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:10 (twelve years ago) link
wow, bill, that sounds great.
i had a mezcal old fashioned a while ago that was really neat, and there's a place here called bourbon that does a nice mezcal drink. but yes, it is a very dominant flavor.
― coming from me, who has written many bestsellers (tehresa), Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:11 (twelve years ago) link
They might have the Lemon Hart again, apparently it's back in stock a lot of places? I don't know if there was an interruption in the supply chain like with Angostura last year or what.
A mezcal old-fashioned worked well the one time I had it, I just kept finding that any time I wanted an old-fashioned, I wanted whiskey - so the bottle kept sitting there. Mezcal's supposed to work well with Cynar but I haven't gotten them to play well - it may depend on the mezcal, of course. I'm using Sombra because it was cheaper than the Del Maguey single villages, and Vida wasn't available.
Speaking of Cynar, though (I'm all over the place - blame the drinks) - Cynar over cubes of frozen melon juice. Or huckleberry juice, but melon juice is probably more realistic, and cheaper. You can add a little gin too, but it really doesn't need it. Something about the Cynar and the melting fruit juice, it's just really good in summer. Ahhh, cocktails are awesome.
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:18 (twelve years ago) link
yeah there are some lemon hart rumblings--the remaining stock was bought and being distributed to like 8 states and then it's being repackaged and reformulated by the current brand owner?
i have a bottle of the 151 with a very, very small dent in it.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:21 (twelve years ago) link
Reformulated, shit. I should really get a bottle while it's around. I mean, I know sometimes a reformulation doesn't mean much - Campari is just fine without insect-based food coloring - but I was like 11 when New Coke happened, so I'm new-and-improved-shy.
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:24 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i can't find where i read that but the brand was purchased by the guy who runs the ministry of rum website so hopefully he gets why it's an important product. per their facebook page they're looking for a new distributor for mass. which means we'll see it here eventually.
anyways, glad it's getting saved--there are enough unavailable products out there already!
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:34 (twelve years ago) link
Oh wow - Ed Hamilton. Well okay, I'm sure it'll be fine. I don't know if I've ever seen someone so fanatical/devoted about a specific spirit who wasn't a brand rep.
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 03:39 (twelve years ago) link
man lemon hart 151 is another one that it seemed i have no hope getting a hold of, but maybe that will change now? i really like the goslings 151 that i have
― just sayin, Sunday, 10 April 2011 09:04 (twelve years ago) link
Oh, on the Smith and Cross topic - and this might apply to all decent overproof rums? but I don't know - one really good drink with it is half S&C, half Bonal Gentiane ... which granted, is one of those things that might not be easy to find in London since it's imported by Haus Alpenz here. On the other hand, even if that's the case, there are probably other French gentian-based aperitifs that would be perfectly good substitutes.
I love this thread, I don't get to geek out about this stuff very much. Wine and beer, I don't know much about except the brands I like - but I'm definitely a geek about cocktails.
― Bill, Sunday, 10 April 2011 14:15 (twelve years ago) link
i took & modified a recipe from the New Brooklyn Cookbook based on what i had at home.
The Brooklyn Rumble
2oz aged rum3/4oz lime juice3/4oz symple syrup* 1/2oz framboise** dash of angostura bitters dash of grapefruit bitters (i added this for the hell of it)
* i had premade a limeade concentrate which is half & half simple syrup to lime juice in the fridge already** i used st george framboise agua perfecta, which is their raspberry eau de vie mixed w/raspberry juice. syrupy and sweet. really good. http://www.stgeorgespirits.com/aqua-perfecta-fruit-liqueurs/
pretty delicious drink. a lil on the sweet side. i'd prob cut the framboise next time.
― jaxon, Monday, 11 April 2011 00:55 (twelve years ago) link
i would cut the simple tbh--that's quite a bit of simple.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:00 (twelve years ago) link
what rum did you use?
i agree about the simple. i don't think i used that much, mostly because the wife can't deal w/citrus juices for fear of acid reflux. but she didn't even have any of the drink, so it prob made the drink better anyways.
i used my good sipping rum. ron zacapa 23. i've got a few other bottles around that aren't that good prob but i've used in drinks and they've been ok. whaler's original dark and sailor jerry spiced.
― jaxon, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:16 (twelve years ago) link
i really want to buy that rum! need to clear some shelf space first tho
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:17 (twelve years ago) link
i know this is a really old post, but i felt like commenting
ok so i made the negroni this past weekend as CAD notated it at the top of the thread and thought it tasted horrid when using equal parts of the three liquors but a lot better with less campari/more vermouth. campari is maybe too bitter for my taste but now i have most of a bottle of it left over i'd like to try it in other things― im armond white btw (donna rouge), Wednesday, March 10, 2010 10:09 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
i've made this w/equal parts gin, vermouth and campari and wasn't the biggest fan, but with a ratio of 4 gin, 2 vermouth, 1 campari, it's pretty excellent.
― jaxon, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:18 (twelve years ago) link
probably said this elsewhere, but i didn't like rum until i tried that ron zacapa
yah i think rum is much harder to "use well" than gin or rye but when you do it's magnificent
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:20 (twelve years ago) link
I think the as-seen-on-television rums are also much worse, for anything other than a rum and Coke or Dark and Stormy (don't sue me, Gosling), than the gins of similar or lesser price points, too. You can make a perfectly good cocktail with Beefeater, Boodles, even Seagrams, but I can't imagine ever buying Bacardi or Captain Morgan again.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:26 (twelve years ago) link
yup--and it's funny because on the balance good rum can prob be had more cheaply than many other "good spirits" (esp. when we get into aged stuff) but a few mediocre or worse brands dominate the market.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:44 (twelve years ago) link
re: Ramazzotti discussion upthread, it definitely has cola flavors and it's my go-to amaro. A few years ago I started drinking Ramazzotti and sodas over ice as a summer drink and it's so great and simple, just a super delicious adult cola.
― I DIED, Monday, 11 April 2011 01:47 (twelve years ago) link
xpost yeah its crazy what a lock bacardi has on the market, i mean over here you can get havana club everywhere + yet still most ppl reach for bacardi.
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 07:47 (twelve years ago) link
and jaxon you should try steadily bumping up the campari level in that negroni, i bet you'll be on board w/ equal parts soon.
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 08:03 (twelve years ago) link
Ultimately the liquor industry is always going to be heavily driven by what 20 year olds use to get their dates drunk, and kids like to draw the Bacardi logo on their notebooks in math class. They also like pirates.
You also see a lot of general meatheadedness - there's a lot of real scorn out there for the idea that a drink is worth enjoying. "It's just supposed to get you drunk," after all. Bacardi's like Bud - safe to drink when giving a shit would mean you're a pussy.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 13:28 (twelve years ago) link
then compare that to ppl spending a lot of money on premium vodka
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:20 (twelve years ago) link
Continuing on the Do Not Drink This theme, Do Not Drink ri(1) or (ri)1 or whatever that shit is called, because the committee of mooks who came up with that one do not deserve your dollar. It's made more annoying by the fact that it's a Beam product and the long-rumored Old Overholt Bonded is still nowhere to be seen.
Rye is a troubled category.
xp; the quadruple-distilled premium vodka nonsense is so frustrating! I have a Facebook friend who is as fanatical about trying different premium vodkas as I am about citrus fruit, and I want to grab him and shake him and tell him the emperor has no clothes.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:23 (twelve years ago) link
I'm going to make a million dollars selling cornstarch-and-water as quadruple-distilled pure premium ketchup.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:24 (twelve years ago) link
rye is getting better! rittenhouse distribution is slowly creeping up--apparently heaven hill is mashing rye once a month instead of four times a year to keep up with demand. hopefully buffalo trace is doing the same for sazerac.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:39 (twelve years ago) link
hopefully that'll make it cheaper over here! it seems like such a reasonably priced spirit over in the US, but here it costs abt as much as a good single malt
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:40 (twelve years ago) link
oh and i just got some battavia arrack in the mail from a friend for my birthday - any ideas of what to make? it seems to be another thing thats made by those alpenz ppl
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:41 (twelve years ago) link
We need more ryes like Rittenhouse. I like a lot of the newer ones - I really like Redemption - and I like that there are more >90% ryes now. But the price point for some of them is nuts. It's one thing to introduce new expensive bourbons, because we have plenty of bourbons to choose from - or gins or rums or etc. But there are only ... what, four? mid-price ryes anywhere, right? Old Overholt, Jim Beam Rye, Wild Turkey rye, and Rittenhouse. Five if the baby Sazerac counts, and maybe it should.
We need more choices in good mixing stuff, not $40-60 bottles I'll feel guilty diluting.
But yeah, it's still a better situation than 5 years ago, or even 2 years ago. I just felt like ri was a step in the wrong direction - higher price, less rye character.
xp - I've never had Batavia Arrack myself! It's been on my wishlist for a while.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:45 (twelve years ago) link
also pikesville
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:47 (twelve years ago) link
I've never seen that! Huh, from Maryland. Maybe they'll send me some.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:53 (twelve years ago) link
― just sayin, Monday, April 11, 2011 10:41 AM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark
i have a very cool arrack sour recipe--i will try to remember to post it when i'm home tonight.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:53 (twelve years ago) link
fyi pikesville is also produced by heaven hill (in kentucky) with the same mashbill as rittenhouse. i believe it's one year younger.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:56 (twelve years ago) link
― just sayin, Monday, 11 April 2011 14:57 (twelve years ago) link
That's probably why I haven't seen it - not much of the Heaven Hill stuff is carried here. I'm surprised I didn't see it when I lived in Indiana, though, but that was right on the cusp of this whole cocktail revival, and maybe it just wasn't carried at my local store.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 15:01 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i've never seen pikesville in a store up here--some bars seem to get it but that's it.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link
Batavia arrack is pretty terrible unless mixed but there are some good classic punch recipes with it
― I DIED, Monday, 11 April 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
what's considered mid range rye? less than $40?
a step above that, i got High West Rendezvous and it's pretty great. i do hide it from the guests tho, ha
― jaxon, Monday, 11 April 2011 18:21 (twelve years ago) link
most ryes seem to be either 15-30 or 50+. i guess i don't know how much redemption is. the high west stuff is all pretty pricey iirc. baby saz can be over 30 at times and it's not really worth that.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 18:30 (twelve years ago) link
Less than $25, I'd say, but I guess it depends in part on where you live. Old Overholt, Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, and Rittenhouse are all under $25 - and are all in about the same price range as other-spirit brands like Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, Bulleit, Plymouth, Bombay/Sapphire, Pampero, Barbancourt ... over $40 and you're in the same price range as the Thomas Handy releases and the Papa Saz.
But there is a weird middle ground too - I think Redemption is $30, Templeton and baby Saz and one or two Michters releases are all more expensive than those but cheaper than the Handys. Maybe that should be the "mid-price" range, but it would feel weird referring to the Rittenhouse group as "cheap ryes" - basically it's a small enough spirit category that there aren't any cheap ones unless you count Old Overholt.
I just realized I forgot to include Bulleit Rye, which might be mid-range too, but Bulleit is already such a high-rye bourbon that, I don't know, I haven't gotten very excited at the prospect of this one.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 18:38 (twelve years ago) link
You basically can't buy a bad rye unless you get confused and buy Canadian. It's the opposite of rum.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 18:39 (twelve years ago) link
oh yeah, forgot michter's. i wonder where that stuff is coming from these days.
the following are all made by lawrenceburg distillers int'l in indiana, for those who like to be up on such things (age difference noted, too lazy to find proof difference):
bulleit rye (4 years)templeton (5 years)redemption (2 years)the young rye in the high west bottlings (2 years)
funny that, in such a small spirit category, going to the source (the distillery) makes it seem that much smaller!
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 19:11 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, I wonder how much of that is because there seems to be even less of a market for white ryes than for white corn whiskeys - a new bourbon distillery can sell its white dog for a while to have a little revenue while waiting for its release to be ready, but it seems much more rare for a distiller to do this with rye. I was thinking Deaths Door did it, but just doublechecked, and no, the bottle I have is malted wheat.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 19:23 (twelve years ago) link
o ya, i'd mentioned in the brown vs white liquor thread that i'd recently tried a white rye and thought it was nasty. i'm having trouble finding out what kind it is though
― jaxon, Monday, 11 April 2011 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
I love white whiskey in general, but don't think I've had a rye one (and realize that despite the media hoopla, I'm in the minority in liking any of them). It's got to be less sweet than the corn, I'd guess?
Oh, here's a bottle of Buffalo Trace white dog that's corn/rye/malted barley, but the 125 proof ends up being its most notable feature, so I have no idea what white-rye-specific characteristics I might pick up on it.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 19:35 (twelve years ago) link
i knew i read recently about rye white dog, and it's coming from our friends at heaven hill:
http://www.drinkhacker.com/2011/04/04/review-heaven-hill-trybox-series-new-make-white-whiskeys/
basically it's white evan williams and white rittenhouse. interesting--you should see if they'll send you a sample!
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 April 2011 20:27 (twelve years ago) link
Shit, I'll have to email them. I've been sitting on a multibrand white whiskey review for a year because all those articles on white whiskey came out, and I just sort of felt like ... I'd be contributing to the hype, without adding anything to the discussion. I mean, even though *I* like it, it's not the next big thing - a lot of the people ordering white Manhattans and whatnot are clearly just trying it out once, it's not becoming a regular order for them.
(I infused some of the BT with huckleberries. Blue Dog!)
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 20:31 (twelve years ago) link
The idea here was to do something gimlet-like with kabosu juice -
1.5 oz gin1 oz kabosu juice.75 oz simple.5 oz douglas fir eau de vie
Definitely good, especially given how warm the afternoon is turning.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 21:00 (twelve years ago) link
holy crap @ douglas fir eau de vie
― jaxon, Monday, 11 April 2011 22:06 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/other.html
It's so good but I'm really torn at whether I'll buy more when I run out. It's not that flexible a cocktail ingredient (the best is I think called a Shiver, with Campari and grapefruit juice), but if you drink it alone, it goes that much quicker, and it's $50/375ml. At that price I could get Chartreuse VEP.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 22:11 (twelve years ago) link
Haus Alpenz imports a pine liqueur that must be somewhat similar. They are truly doing the lord's work.
― I DIED, Monday, 11 April 2011 22:15 (twelve years ago) link
The stone pine stuff - Zirbenz or something like that. It's a different kind of pine flavor, and sweeter, but yeah, each is definitely the thing most like the other.
― Bill, Monday, 11 April 2011 22:17 (twelve years ago) link
clear creek is so cool--i love their pear eau de vie
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 01:21 (twelve years ago) link
yo just sayin:
1.5 oz. batavia arrack.75 oz. lemon juice.5 oz. Maraschino.5 oz. simple syrup.5 oz. egg white2 dashes Peychaud's bitterslemon peel for garnish
follow all standard egg drink protocol
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 01:23 (twelve years ago) link
Ha, right after getting on Bacardi's case, I heard about this: http://talesblog.com/2011/04/12/tales-of-the-cocktail%C2%AE-announces-official-united-states-bartenders-guild-bacardi%C2%AE-pina-colada-competition/
I know Tales has to pay the bills, but a Bacardi-sponsored Pina Colada contest, at the same event that's previously seen the return of Creme de Violette and Creme Yvette, the release of Legendre Herbsaint, etc? It's a couple weeks late for April Fools.
― Bill, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 15:46 (twelve years ago) link
i think plain white bacardi still had its defenders among cocktailians. maybe they're few and far between, but they're out there.
i wonder what these pina coladas are going to look like--wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them included some aged rum along with bacardi.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 16:48 (twelve years ago) link
btw bill do you have thoughts on:
creme yvette vs.haus alpenz creme de violette vs.parfait amour
esp. for use in aviations? i need to suck it up and get one of these because they're vital to that drink, but i've heard conflicting things about all of them.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 16:50 (twelve years ago) link
There will probably be some caramelized pineapple infusions + coconut water and so on.
I haven't picked up Parfait Amour yet because I feel like I don't need it AND creme de violette, and haven't finished the creme de violette. I started drinking Aviations when they were still made just with maraschino, because violette wasn't available yet - the first time I had a Blue Moon, it was with violette from an ancient bottle I bought on eBay.
Parfait Amour also sounds like it has more going on than just the violet, the way Creme Yvette does. And Creme Yvette vs Creme de Violette is weird, because on the one hand I think I like the first more, but on the other, if I could only have one, I think I'd get the Violette. The Yvette is more *interesting*, I guess is what it comes down to - but as limited as they both are, the Yvette is probably even more limited because of those extra flavors. It's delicious, it's just not nearly as flexible as the other Cooper product, St Germain, and it costs an arm and a leg.
I would probably go through both of them faster if I drank less whiskey and less genever - they don't seem to work with either of those spirits, or if they do, they require some other ingredient bridging the gap, which I don't know about. I tried a touch of violette in a whiskey sour and it just didn't work - the combination of flowers and malt isn't a successful one, I think.
The sensible answer here is probably "buy whichever one you can get the cheapest." They're all well-made products - I'm sure that's true for the P.A. - so if they sell minis of any of them, you can probably get by with that. Barring a mini, I think the violette is more than $10 cheaper than the Yvette, and it's not worth paying $10 for some added orange peel and berries. Okay Jesus, I just checked DrinkupNY and they sell Yvette for more than twice what they sell violette for - that is nuts.
― Bill, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 17:09 (twelve years ago) link
Whoa - an equal parts Smith & Cross / Angostura drink: http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2011/04/mentirita.html
Smith & Cross works really well with Bonal in equal parts, so it makes sense. I'm out of Ango or I'd be on this.
― Bill, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 19:44 (twelve years ago) link
topped with coke! that sounds fun. i'll make if i remember to buy coke.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 19:46 (twelve years ago) link
this was my favorite drink to make for a while
Gin Basil SmashOne bunch of fresh basil, save one leaf for garnish1/2 of a lemon2/3 ounce of simple syrup (sweeten to taste)3 ounces of gin
Stuff a bunch of basil & half of a lemon cut into four pieces into a shaker. Add simple syrup and muddle the lemon and the basil, smashing the ingredients and squeezing all of the juice from the the lemon. Shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a basil leaf.
― jaxon, Wednesday, 13 April 2011 05:50 (twelve years ago) link
apparently i accidentally cut the 'add gin to shaker' part
"set shaker aside, drink gin from a shot glass"
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 April 2011 11:02 (twelve years ago) link
i'm going to try that when the farmers market starts back up and there's a lot of nice fresh basil available
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 April 2011 11:03 (twelve years ago) link
hey, so i got a few fee bro bitters for xmas from a friend, but don't quite know what to do w/them. plum, grapefruit and aztec chocolate. i made this once. i thought it was pretty good (i think i went heavy on the bitters to really emphasize the chocolate). i don't think my friends liked it because they thought it was too strong, but they generally drink beer and wine and i like pretty spiritous cocktails and weird bitter flavors (the campari)
Bittersweet Autumn1½ oz bourbon (or Basil Hayden’s)¾ oz sweet vermouth¾ oz Campari2 dashes chocolate bitters1 Drunken Cherry, for garnish
― jaxon, Thursday, 14 April 2011 03:05 (twelve years ago) link
Sounds good - I like bourbon/Campari combos but haven't played with them much.
Caitlin went to a cocktail/science of taste event where they recommended using chocolate bitters with St Germain because of some similar flavor components. I keep forgetting to try it myself.
Have you tried the plum bitters? People have complained about some of the newer Fee's bitters not actually being bitters, but tinctures instead without any bitter components, and I figured the plum and rhubarb seem like the most likely culprits. Not that there's anything actually wrong with tinctures.
Grapefruit bitters, I would think Salty Dogs/Greyhounds, tequila, or those bitters-heavy drinks we were talking about upthread.
I'm getting a 14 pound box of fresh citrus from an orchard in a day or two, to grab the last of the fresh fruit while it's available - it'll be a mixed bag of whatever looked good to pick on Monday, probably a few lemons and a lot of tangerines and oranges, maybe some exotics. Thinking I should probably use some of them in cocktails, maybe freeze-concentrating them first.
― Bill, Thursday, 14 April 2011 03:13 (twelve years ago) link
i really like adding some bitters to g+t's--grapefruit bitters are a good choice for that. definitely tequila as well.
i don't know about the fee's but the bittermens mole bitters are awesome and useful in all sorts of stuff--old fashioneds, stirred drinks with aged tequila, drinks with dark rum, etc. etc.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 14 April 2011 03:18 (twelve years ago) link
o ya, i used the plum w/g+t's for a week when a friend randomly left some tonic at my house. the drinks seriously tasted like bubblegum.
― jaxon, Thursday, 14 April 2011 16:56 (twelve years ago) link
where do i get all this bitters?
that bittersweet autumn sounds amazing today (stormy, rainy). want!
― tehresa, Saturday, 16 April 2011 21:21 (twelve years ago) link
Housemade tonic seems to have become a thing at a few of the fancier local bars lately...anyone have a good recipe, or tried making their own? Kinda curious. Then again not really sure how one even goes about acquiring quinine, so..
― VegemiteGrrl, Saturday, 16 April 2011 22:11 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.feebrothers.com/Product.asp?Category=5
― jaxon, Saturday, 16 April 2011 22:23 (twelve years ago) link
tehresa, as with most questions the answer in our area is Ace Beverage in DC!
― I DIED, Sunday, 17 April 2011 01:14 (twelve years ago) link
between cocktailkingdom.com and thebostonshaker.com you should be able to order any bitters you can't find locally
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 17 April 2011 03:58 (twelve years ago) link
haha i've googled a bunch of stuff and landed on their site a few times. must go at some point.xpost
went to a supermercado catering to the hispanic population of my hood today and they had sugar cane and cheap mint and limes so i made mojitos. now chewing on the limey piece that did all the muddling and it is nom.
― tehresa, Sunday, 17 April 2011 04:24 (twelve years ago) link
need suggestions for what liqueurs/mixers to get next. some things that have distinctive flavors but can also be used in a multiple of drinks.
i've got pimento allspice dram, roses grenadine, cointreau, pear eau de vie, raspberry liqueur, herbsaint, fernet, some coffee liqueurs, martini&rossi sweet vermouth (rosso). and a few bitters (listed above)
i bought a really tiny bottle of st germain. made a drink or 2 w/it but wasn't totally sold on it. a bit too sweet/girly.
should i get some sort of crème (cacao, menth, cassis)? benedictine? maraschino? lillet? a different type of vermouth?
― jaxon, Sunday, 17 April 2011 22:53 (twelve years ago) link
ok this might end up being a couple posts long but to start:
from a classic-leaning perspective, the following will be most useful:
sweet vermouthdry vermouth (buy the smallest bottles you can, seal them with a vacu-vin and keep them in the fridge. i like dolin sweet and noilly prat dry in terms of things you can find in half bottles)
cointreau (you got this covered)maraschino (luxardo)benedictine
grenadine - ditch the roses and seek out one of the many homemade grenadine recipes that exist. the easiest by far is to dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 8 oz. of POM juice over heat.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:02 (twelve years ago) link
liqueurs after that:
chartreuse (both green and yellow tho green is more common and more versatile--the most expensive liqueur that's really in regular rotation but it's worth it)herbsaint (for sazeracs, also as a quick substitute for drinks calling for pernod or even absinthe)allspice dram - v. common in rum drinkscreme de cassis - is pretty great and you can frequently get a good imported one in a half bottleapricot brandy - i like haus alepnzst. germain - overused but works really well with whiskey and tequila in carefully-made recipes. see here: http://stgermaincocktails.wordpress.com/
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:10 (twelve years ago) link
I think the best sweet vermouth option for my palate is Punt e Mes - which is kind of unfair/misleading, because it's more bitter and flavorful than most vermouths, so is maybe more like "its own thing, but something you can substitute for sweet vermouth." I pretty much only use it in Negronis and Manhattans, but there's not much else I do with sweet vermouth anyway.
I would go with Cocchi Americano before Lillet Blanc. It definitely makes a better Corpse Reviver, and it's not expensive, especially for a newly available product.
The cremes can all be fun, but unless there's a specific drink you love - or a specific flavor you love that you want to build drinks around, which happens with me and Starbucks coffee liqueur - they're not essentially, especially since you have three fruit options as it is, so there's not an obvious flavor gap to fill.
Maraschino is probably the most canonical ingredient you're lacking, if only because the Aviation was emblematic of the cocktail revival for so long. I love it, and a drizzle of it can be good in a whole lot of things, but the main drinks that really require it are the Aviation and the Last Word (and its variants) - and for the Last Word you also need green Chartreuse. Cherry season is coming up in a couple months, though, and making your own maraschino cherries is easy enough.
Wait - you don't have Chartreuse? It's one of the most expensive of the bunch, but if you develop a taste for it it becomes essential.
xposts!
― Bill, Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:11 (twelve years ago) link
cosign on punt e mes as another s. vermouth option and on cocchi americano
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:13 (twelve years ago) link
oh bill! i now possess the dandelion/burdock bitters. will report back when i get around to playing with them.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:15 (twelve years ago) link
I like all three of the Dolin vermouths, but really any of the better vermouths should be first on your list, they'll completely change your cocktails. Bitters are good buy beyond Angostura/Peychaud's/orange they're more variations than building blocks.
Maybe you just didn't list having it but Campari is a must of course! If you already have it then Aperol is great, especially with summer on the way. Cosign on Chartreuse, too.
― I DIED, Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:20 (twelve years ago) link
so how do you deal with the fact that good vermouth supposedly does not keep well? i don't think i'd ever use enough of it fast enough to justify spending money. or do you guys think they do keep alright?
― tehresa, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:18 (twelve years ago) link
i think it was a jamie boudreau video i was watching that informed me the shelf life of vermouth is much shorter than i thought.
― tehresa, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:19 (twelve years ago) link
like i said---vacuvin, fridge, 375ml bottle--you will get 4+ weeks out of it. i do dump the last quarter of my share of bottles tho :/
― call all destroyer, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:20 (twelve years ago) link
if you use a vermouth that you also enjoy drinking straight (lookin at you, punt e mes) that helps a lot!
Yeah, vermouth keeps fine in the fridge. The perishability of vermouth has been kind of overemphasized in the last couple years to break people of the habit of leaving it on the back shelf in the pantry for years. It only keeps poorly in comparison to liquor, insofar as liquor can be kept at room temp - and even then, liqueurs have enough sugar and particulate that they're changing and aging too, just slow enough that it's not likely to matter.
It's like with spices. The cinnamon you have in June isn't the cinnamon you bought for those cookies at Christmas. You shouldn't keep it forever or you'll forget what was ever good about it. That isn't a reason to not buy cinnamon.
Oh and yeah, Campari and/or Aperol are musts!
― Bill, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:38 (twelve years ago) link
For that matter, if your vermouth is just about to get some grey in its whiskers and you're really worried about this, premixing a bottle of Negronis or the like will make something more perishable than gin but less perishable than vermouth, and the aging effects aren't totally bad things. Barrel-aging cocktails gets a lot of play lately, but the barrel's not responsible for everything happening there.
― Bill, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:41 (twelve years ago) link
so, any liqours i should refrigerate? i have a wine fridge w/ temp control and the vermouth's already there, but i'm wondering about the anis (peruvian) - it seems sugary -would this be better off in a fridge?
― tehresa, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:45 (twelve years ago) link
i don't refrigerate anything that's not wine or wine-based (vermouth, sherry, etc.)--even things with extremely low alcohol content like cynar and aperol seem to do fine sitting at room temp.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:48 (twelve years ago) link
Probably only anything that was already old when you bought it, although I've been told that Campari, St Germain, and Creme de Violette all lose some color and flavor with age - I have trouble keeping Campari and St Germain from running out, and haven't noticed any problems with the CdV. Practically speaking, I think for most liqueurs the aging is only a concern when you hear something's ending production and you're trying to figure out if it's possible to stockpile it.
(... sadly this is also true for attempting to stockpile Pepsi Blue.)
― Bill, Monday, 18 April 2011 02:50 (twelve years ago) link
if you use a vermouth that you also enjoy drinking straight (lookin at you, punt e mes) that helps a lot!― call all destroyer, Monday, April 18, 2011 2:20 AM (57 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
i had a bottle of this. i pretty much only drank it straighthttp://tastingtable.com/entry_detail/sf/1061/Sutton_Cellars_gives_a_European_tradition_a_West_Coast_spin.htm
― jaxon, Monday, 18 April 2011 03:23 (twelve years ago) link
Generally speaking alcohol content correlates to shelf life, but as Bill mentions, everything ages to some extent (usually for worse). Stuff that's especially prone to oxidization - wine based products - will be a problem so that includes not just vermouths but port, Lilet, etc.
― I DIED, Monday, 18 April 2011 05:57 (twelve years ago) link
hey CAD, do you buy exclusively online or do you have a store you go to? I discovered some tiny specialty bodega in the South End on Shawmut that seemed to have a bazillion different bitters on the shelf and was wondering if you knew about it
― fat fat fat fat Usher (DJP), Monday, 18 April 2011 14:12 (twelve years ago) link
hey i actually buy most stuff in stores (the boston shaker in davis, liquor world in porter) but am always looking for new places--do you know what the store you found was called?
― call all destroyer, Monday, 18 April 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link
I don't think I had been bright enough before to piece together that DJP is probably D@n. (Every time I say something like this I feel like I'll sound like an idiot if it isn't.)
On aging and booze - another factor is whether something is distilled or infused. Like, gin is probably going to age so slowly in the bottle that evaporation actually becomes an issue before oxidation does. But St Germain allegedly ages as fast as it does - losing some of its floral character I'm told, but again I haven't hung onto any St G long enough for this to happen to me - because some of its flavor is infused, so you have solid particulates in there that can precipitate out, things that would be filtered out by distillation. This is definitely true of home infusions since we don't have high-quality filtration systems - I made an old-school punch of mostly rum with tea and lime juice, kept it in the fridge because I forgot about it, and it went from an amber-colored liquid to a completely clear liquid with tea sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Vermouth is wine-based, infused, low-alcohol, and sweetened - a lot of strikes against its shelf-stability.
There is probably something about all this in McGee.
― Bill, Monday, 18 April 2011 14:56 (twelve years ago) link
you are right about djp.
i have heard a lot of aging claims about st germain--my bottle is 8 or 9 months old, and it seems fine. i guess the only thing to do would be to buy a fresh bottle and compare them.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 18 April 2011 15:05 (twelve years ago) link
google is amazing, I would have had to go back and look at the store to find the name without it: http://www.southendformaggio.com/
apparently they have a Cambridge location, too
― fat fat fat fat Usher (DJP), Monday, 18 April 2011 15:11 (twelve years ago) link
Sunlight has a lot to do with oxidation too, right? As pretty as the St Germain bottles are, they also tempt stores that do this kind of thing to display them in bright sunny windows, which can't be good if they sit there a while. Not an issue in NH's purely utilitarian liquor stores.
― Bill, Monday, 18 April 2011 15:17 (twelve years ago) link
(ps: hi dere poster formerly known as Tep!)
― fat fat fat fat Usher (DJP), Monday, 18 April 2011 15:17 (twelve years ago) link
(Hello! Yeah I don't know if I'd said that on this thread yet. Still getting my sea legs.)
― Bill, Monday, 18 April 2011 15:23 (twelve years ago) link
This is making me want to crack the seal on the bottle of mezcal that spent several years in a storage building with no climate control in MS. It and a bottle of cognac came as bonuses tucked down into the boxes in an auction lot of old books I bought. Problem is, I don't know what good mezcal would smell or taste like, compared to messed-up (skunky?) mezcal. Maybe it'll burst into flames on contact with air.
― the wages of sin is about tree fiddy (WmC), Monday, 18 April 2011 15:33 (twelve years ago) link
I remember hearing that the first few batches of St Germain were notorious for shelf life issues but supposedly it's not as much of an issue now.
― I DIED, Monday, 18 April 2011 16:33 (twelve years ago) link
― fat fat fat fat Usher (DJP), Monday, April 18, 2011 11:11 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark
oh yeah i know where the cambridge one is! i should check this out. looks like a cool shop in general.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 18 April 2011 17:07 (twelve years ago) link
wmc you should def crack that mezcal. unless the cork is fucked i'll bet it's ok.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 18 April 2011 17:08 (twelve years ago) link
it was just funny, I was lurking on this thread and watching the fascinating bitters conversation, and then on the way to a dinner party a friend pulled me into this store and the first thing I see is like 5 different bitters I've never before seen
― fat fat fat fat Usher (DJP), Monday, 18 April 2011 17:10 (twelve years ago) link
a rare cad original:
1 oz. blanco tequila1 oz. campari.5-.75 oz. blanc/bianco vermouth1 dash bittermens burlesque bitters (this was prob overkill)1 strawberry, sliced
muddle strawberry with liquids, shake with ice, double strain.
sort of a combination of two things i found--a strawberry negroni and a tequila/blanc/campari thing. it's not the most, uh, refined drink around but i kinda like it.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 22 April 2011 01:51 (twelve years ago) link
Burlesque bitters! I want to hear about these.
― Bill, Friday, 22 April 2011 01:57 (twelve years ago) link
hah i'm still trying to figure out exactly what they're for myself. i think i've tasted them by themselves more than any other bitters i have. they're definitely flowery, and the flavor is brief and kind of sharp. the bottle recommends amari and tequila, among other things, yet the launch cocktail (which can be found on the bittermens site) is an old-fashioned with bourbon, applejack, and grenadine. it's ok but not exactly an approachable cocktail imo.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 22 April 2011 02:34 (twelve years ago) link
It's post-thunderstorm muggy out and surprisingly slightly too warm - I have the door to the deck open and the thermostat says it's 80 degrees - and I am drinking Cardamaro Vino (a wine-based amaro) over cubes of frozen blackberry juice. Not a bad way to clean out the freezer.
― Bill, Thursday, 28 April 2011 22:13 (twelve years ago) link
hey, so if I want to start experimenting with fancy drinkmaking without really following recipes and I have some decent gin in the house and am totally open to pretty much any drink of the spectrum of sweet to bitter, what types of bitters should I start playing around with
― Dreaded Burrito Gang (DJP), Thursday, 28 April 2011 22:17 (twelve years ago) link
(IOW, are there any that are relatively "safe", meaning the resulting drink will likely be potable no matter what I do)
fav bitters with gin: orange, celery, grapefruit. also i basically no longer make gin and tonics without these guys:
http://bittermens.com/products/boston-bittahs/
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 28 April 2011 23:03 (twelve years ago) link
That's a really good question - I'm not sure I have a really good answer. Bitters right now are sort of like ... if Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper had been the only two sodas for the last eighty years after Orange Crush went out of business, and now all of a sudden everybody else has realized they can make soda too, but the market is in total chaos, without firm boundaries ("this is what grapefruit bitters is supposed to taste like") and without the sort of standardized pantheon of flavors.
Other people may have better answers. These are my thoughts -
Angostura bitters - this is the one bottle to always get, unless for some reason you really love Peychaud's more. But even I love Peychaud's more, and I still say go with Ango as #1. It's the Coca-Cola, the Heinz ketchup, the pepperoni pizza, the standard-setter and standard-bearer of bitters. Even though I like the medicinal quality of Peychaud's more than the spiciness of Angostura - I grew up drinking gentian-heavy Moxie! - I think that Angostura is a more balanced and more flexible product. You can use it in just about anything you'd use bitters in and other than in a Sazerac, it's never going to betray you. There's a reason there are half a dozen off-brand duplicates of it, an army of Pepsis.
Peychaud's - but Peychaud's is awesome. You can't make a Sazerac without them, and if you add them along with Angostura to any very simple drink - the classic spirit/sugar/bitters drinks - you get something much more complex. (Sometimes more complex than you want.)
Orange bitters - other than the first two this is really the only "classic bitters." Once in a while you see an old recipe calling for peach bitters, but very rarely, while orange bitters were common enough that they were used in Martinis. One reason for this is probably because citrus rind is so heavy in oil, and the oil has such a pronounced flavor, that orange bitters made with 19th century methods will have a more recognizable flavor than cherry, rhubarb, peach, or other fruit bitters made with those methods.
Anyway, the various brands of orange bitters are pretty different. I like Angostura Orange, but a lot of people don't. Regan's was the only thing available for a long time, and then Fee's was introduced. Of course, they're also the easiest to make at home, though this isn't the time of year for it.
Call those the Big Three. I would say that unless you develop a strong preference for a specific bitters, to the point that you're trying to build drinks around it, those are the three you'll use the most often. Grapefruit bitters might come next, or chocolate bitters - chocolate might not work with gin, I haven't tried it, but is surprisingly flexible by and large. Or maybe Dolfin and Dagoba have just conditioned me to accept any flavor combined with chocolate.
Most bitters are either going to be variants on the herbal/medicinal smorgasbord that is Angostura, or are going to have such a specific flavor that you'll only want to use it in a couple of drinks. Celery bitters definitely fall into that for me - I like them a lot but use them hardly at all, and if you just add a dash of them to some random drink, you aren't going to get the "oh that's kind of cool" transformative effect you can get from the Big Three.
― Bill, Thursday, 28 April 2011 23:22 (twelve years ago) link
That was shorter in my head.
good post. from my experiences of 'what do i do w/that plum bitters??' and you wanting to use gin, i'm sure any fruit flavor you like and a g&t will be cool. you'll only need a dash or 2 to transform your drink.
― jaxon, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:15 (twelve years ago) link
otm
― call all destroyer, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:18 (twelve years ago) link
2 stories i guess: last weekend decided to make real grenadine. had roses on the shelf, but wanted to see the diff. realized the best thing to do w/the roses to get rid of it was make shirley temples. got some 7up and the wife and i were in serious nostalgic heaven. made the grenadine from morganthaler's recipe with orange flower water and realized how amazing it tasted. made a few drinks (jack rose and el presidente), but wasn't too stoked on them. need to do some tweaking.
i went to TJ's today to pick up a lemon or 2 to make drinks w/tonight and noticed there were grapefruits and oranges in stock. said wtf, i've never really experimented w/the beachbum berry tiki drink iphone app i bought, tonight's the night. the most labor intensive and ingredients in a drink i've ever made. realized it's kinda hard to juice a grapefruit (and a rather large orange) if all you've got is a lemon juicer. realized i needed to cut everything in 1/8ths to fit. the first drink i found w/everything i had on stock was actually a punch. split the recipe in thirds.
Blood of the Kapu Tiki1oz fresh lime juice1oz fresh grapefruit juice1oz fresh orange juice1oz grenadine1oz simple syrup3oz rumdash pernod (i used herbsaint)dash angostura
swizzle with crushed ice until frost appears.
my first sip was ridiculously sweet and tart. it made me rethink the fact that i'd spent so much time on this kind of drink. but, luckily i'd just read two amazing articles* on ice and dilution and i realized that i didn't have either crushed ice or enough ice on hand (shitty freezer that doesn't have enough room for much of anything). so i added what ice i had on hand, a tiny bit of water and swizzled the shit out of this drink and gosh darnit, it's pretty fucking tasty.
* this essay on dilution of ice and drink making is so ridiculously nerdy and long, but so worth it. http://www.painkillernyc.com/research* this one's not as informative, but cool about how you can make diff sized ice at homehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703789104576273114034005624.html
― jaxon, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:33 (twelve years ago) link
nice! thrilled you decided to make some grenadine. jack roses are pretty hard to balance so keep trying.
re: ice--i do not regret spending 100 bucks on an electric ice crusher and if you have the kitchen space you should not either. barring that, a canvas bag and mallet will do the job as long as there are no close-by neighbors.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:37 (twelve years ago) link
well, i think first maybe i need an electric ice maker. seriously our freezer is balls. it's bottom loading pull out and half of the space is taken by some ungodly contraption and weird sliding shelves in there. every time we need to take something out or put something new in, it's a crazy hour long puzzle of frustration. i've only got this tiny ice tray in there and if i know i have friends coming over, i have to start making ice a week or 2 in advance to throw in a ziploc.
― jaxon, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:45 (twelve years ago) link
Jack Roses are so frustrating because every time I make homemade grenadine, I feel like the sweet/tart balance is SLIGHTLY different from the last time, and it's really a drink where everything needs to be just right. I mean, you can make a daiquiri with all sorts of proportions and be pretty much fine, but a Jack Rose is more tattoo than tie-dye.
I have the same problems with Monkey Glands - I think I've had two excellent Monkey Glands. One is enough to let you know they're possible, two is enough to make you crave one later. But it's like there's no such thing as a good Monkey Gland, only excellent ones and mediocre ones.
― Bill, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:52 (twelve years ago) link
xp ok that's weird! i will commence being thankful for my regular-ass freezer and ice trays.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 29 April 2011 02:54 (twelve years ago) link
well, i've never had a jack rose made for me, so i actually don't know what it's supposed to taste like. all i know is that the 2 i've made weren't very good. also, have no idea if the calvados we have is any good (Menorval Calvados Prestige). bought it years ago for some dessert, long before i started making drinks. website claims it's best for cooking, so that says something right there.
― jaxon, Friday, 29 April 2011 03:18 (twelve years ago) link
hmmmmmm that could be part of the prob. even the lairds 80 proof could be an improvement.
don't worry too much about what it's supposed to taste like--esp. with a drink with three ingredients, just go with your instincts/gut.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 29 April 2011 03:19 (twelve years ago) link
totally know what yr saying w/the water content of tiki drinks, my gf's a big fan so we make them quite often (and have too many types of rum) and i used to ignore it when some drinks said that you shld blend... this was a mistake, like you said, they were way too sweet. Also we got a cheap hand cranked ice crusher and its worked p well
― just sayin, Friday, 29 April 2011 12:11 (twelve years ago) link
And jaxon i thought the el presidente was really good! I used this recipe from rum dood which i think is a lil different from the traditional ratios - 1.5oz aged rum0.75oz dry vermouth0.25oz curacao0.5tsp grenadineMaybe worth giving a go
― just sayin, Friday, 29 April 2011 12:16 (twelve years ago) link
I know it's a cliche already to find the flaws in mint juleps, but I'm trying to enjoy one right now because the mint in the supermarket was the freshest-looking I've seen (in a supermarket), and it's just ... eh. I think that I really need a cocktail to have either a tart component or a significant bitters presence - I've always liked Manhattans or gin and tonics more than martinis, for instance, even before I knew anything about cocktails.
Okay yeah, I dumped some citrus in and it's great now - the mint just comes alive.
― Bill, Friday, 29 April 2011 18:53 (twelve years ago) link
it just isn't hot enough out yet :)
― call all destroyer, Friday, 29 April 2011 18:57 (twelve years ago) link
Well there's that, too. I try to psych myself into thinking it's summer by drinking summer drinks even though I haven't even planted the garden yet.
― Bill, Friday, 29 April 2011 19:11 (twelve years ago) link
Would a mint daiquiri work, maybe?
― Christine Green Leafy Dragon Indigo, Saturday, 30 April 2011 23:19 (twelve years ago) link
at that point u are basically in mojito territory--not a bad place to be
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 1 May 2011 00:18 (twelve years ago) link
A bartender made me a champagne julep a few nights ago - holy wow.
― I DIED, Sunday, 1 May 2011 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
niiiiice
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 1 May 2011 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
still wondering what my next purchase will be. considering chartreuse, asked bartender to make me a Last Word. gonna be honest. wasn't totally felling it. wife got a Ninth Ward and it was pretty fantastic. making me rethink not wanting to get St Germain.
The Ninth Ward cocktail created by Brother Cleve
1-1/2 oz Bulleit Bourbon1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur3/4 oz Fee Brother's Falernum syrup3/4 oz fresh lime juice2 dahes of Peychaud's bitters
Shake on ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
― jaxon, Monday, 2 May 2011 01:14 (twelve years ago) link
and speaking of ward drinks. this is one i get regularly at the bar around the corner and have made a few times at home
Ward Eight2 ounces rye whisky3/4 ounce lemon juice3/4 ounce orange juice1 teaspoon grenadine
― jaxon, Monday, 2 May 2011 01:17 (twelve years ago) link
Has anyone tried Thatcher's elderflower liqueur? How does it compare to st germain? It's half the price at bevmo.
― jaxon, Monday, 2 May 2011 16:32 (twelve years ago) link
i've seen scattered positive comments online but never tried it.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 2 May 2011 17:07 (twelve years ago) link
went to the alameda flea market this weekend looking for cocktail glasses. found some that i'm pretty stoked on.
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/5153/taill.jpg
made a Rattlesnake for the inaugural cocktail. love this drink.
The Rattlesnake
2 ounces Wild Turkey rye whiskey1 ounce lemon juice1/2 ounce Grade B maple syrup2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters1/2 ounce egg whites-- Lemon twist, for garnish
shake once w/o ice to breakdown egg. shake again with ice to chill. strain
― jaxon, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 05:47 (twelve years ago) link
oh nice--i got a couple antique-looking glasses over the weekend from a friend who is cleaning out a house. they're actually a little big for cocktails but still v. nice looking.
that recipe reminds me of this which i love and had posted previously in this thread:
illuminations
1.5 oz. reposado tequila1 oz. lemon juice.75 oz. dry sherry.5 oz. maple syrup.5 oz. egg white
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 14:01 (twelve years ago) link
shake once w/o ice to breakdown egg.
yeah! The dry shake has helped cocktails immeasurably over the past few years.
― I DIED, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
so once i square off some of the work i have to do over the next couple of weeks i really want to start committing myself to cocktailism. first order of business is actually acquiring barware though - any recs on a good starter set? the oxo 7-piece set looks nice.
― tInA-yOtHeRs (donna rouge), Tuesday, 3 May 2011 16:31 (twelve years ago) link
that set being: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-SteeL-7-Piece-Barware-Set/dp/B0001YH18O/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1304439276&sr=1-7
― tInA-yOtHeRs (donna rouge), Tuesday, 3 May 2011 16:32 (twelve years ago) link
hmmm...obviously the compact storage is nice. the two main probs i see are
1) no muddler--that seems like an obvious add2) the jigger is marked @ .75, 1, 1.5. i don't get that. .5 oz. and .25 oz. are very important measures, esp. if you're mixing one drink at a time.
this guy: http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Grips-Stainless-Angled-Measuring/dp/B000BGW3MQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top is the best but also seems to be unavailable.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 16:56 (twelve years ago) link
also missing a boston shaker!
― I DIED, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:07 (twelve years ago) link
hahaha yes!
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:08 (twelve years ago) link
The only special cocktail equipment I use is a cobbler shaker and a graduated shotglass (I have a jigger, I'm just used to the shotglass). The back of my citrus reamer works well as a muddler, so even though it's a pain to clean, I keep putting off getting an actual muddler.
But things like the bottle opener, citrus knife, bar spoon, those seem like things most people already have in their kitchen. (I mean, not a citrus knife specifically, but you don't need a special knife to cut limes.)
― Bill, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:14 (twelve years ago) link
(xpost) jiggers are great if you need accurate measurements in a fast paced environment (like an actual bar) but at home I use a small graduated glass and it works just fine, similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Harold-21GM-Mini-Measuring-Glass/dp/B0000CFO3W/
I'd also suggest:
- boston shaker (w/ regular strainer, a julep strainer is nice too but not necessary for a basic set)- bar spoon (min 11" w/ twist)- muddler- tray for making big ice cubes, like: http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-80-5521-Jumbo-Size-Silicone-Ice-Cube/dp/B00395FHRO/- zester or microplane for garnishes (citrus and nutmeg)- small paring knife for garshishes (probably already have this)- a set of squeeze bottles for when you make syrups etc. http://www.amazon.com/Squeeze-Bottles-Set-3-8-oz/dp/B0026K7FZK/
probably missing a few things
― I DIED, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, May 3, 2011 12:56 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark
i should note that the plastic version of the above guy is still around and it's not bad, just don't melt it in the dishwasher like i did.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
my microplane grater is on the other side of the country right now, pretty much my favorite kitchen utensil ever
― tInA-yOtHeRs (donna rouge), Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:31 (twelve years ago) link
jaxon's rattlesnake in one of my new glasses (in bad light on a phone camera). this is a lovely drink!
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5685353507_907f833bfb.jpg
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 02:15 (twelve years ago) link
So a boston shaker is one of those lidless cocktail shakers that fits snugly with a bar glass? I never knew the name for that.
― mh, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 02:54 (twelve years ago) link
yup, it refers to the metal tin + glass combo
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 02:58 (twelve years ago) link
wanted to buy some tequila for cinco tonight (pueblo viejo reposado), ended up buying a bunch of things. super stoked. st.germain, dolin dry, a 1/5th of g.chartreuse, lillit blanc
made dale degroff's margarita. one of the best i've had
1½ oz Tequila1 oz Cointreau¾ oz Lime Juice¼ Simple Syrup
and then made this from upthread and it was fantastic.
RECIPE FORTY-NINE: paris manhattan2 oz. rye (or bourbon i guess)1 oz. st germain.5 oz. dry vermouth2 dashes angostura
i guess i didn't like st.germain in the gin drink i made a while back (maybe i'll grow to like it, it's such a big bottle), but i think it goes so well w/whiskeys.
― jaxon, Friday, 6 May 2011 06:05 (twelve years ago) link
wld totally try that paris manhattan
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 00:47 (twelve years ago) link
yeah that was a cool one! maybe i will make it tonite.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 00:51 (twelve years ago) link
so maybe i need to get some st. germain.
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 00:59 (twelve years ago) link
i want this.
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 02:15 (twelve years ago) link
holy shit i actually still have a meyer lemon which means i can make that
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 02:57 (twelve years ago) link
do you also have pear brandy on hand?
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:06 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i have clear creek pear brandy. it's delicious!
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:07 (twelve years ago) link
awesome!catoctin is where i'm doing the bottling workshop next weekend.hope i don't spend $300 before i leave!
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:08 (twelve years ago) link
have also decided i want everything on this menu.
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:13 (twelve years ago) link
oh interesting--catoctin is again their pear brandy, clear creek's is more an eau de vie. recipe should still work tho.
you're going to have a blast and looking at their products i could pretty easily be tempted into coming home with one of everything.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:15 (twelve years ago) link
the fact that they mention non-alcoholic versions on their menu is really rad imo.
mocktails are going to be a thing over the next couple years i think.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:18 (twelve years ago) link
I'm making a small liquor run tomorrow -- checked out the rum poll thread for rum recs; I might get a whiskey as well, but I know zilch about it and don't know what I'd like. Maybe some rye.
― Stomp! in the name of love (WmC), Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:20 (twelve years ago) link
what are you planning on doing with the whiskey?
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:22 (twelve years ago) link
Is there something versatile enough for cocktails or straight sipping? I saw Eagle Rare mentioned in the whiskey thread.
― Stomp! in the name of love (WmC), Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:24 (twelve years ago) link
cocktails AND straight
yeah if you're not super-versed in american whiskey eagle rare would def be a nice choice; knob creek as well.
i use rye in 90% of my whiskey cocktails but i rarely sip rye, so if you're getting one bottle i'd go w/a bourbon.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:27 (twelve years ago) link
i'm realizing that last sentence is sort of illogical; what i'm saying is i'll take bourbon as a mixer over rye as a sipper
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:30 (twelve years ago) link
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 03:39 (twelve years ago) link
Eagle Rare was on sale, $10 off. Got that, Jim Beam rye and Mount Gay rum.
― Stomp! in the name of love (WmC), Saturday, 7 May 2011 16:12 (twelve years ago) link
which mount gay?
― tehresa, Saturday, 7 May 2011 18:37 (twelve years ago) link
Eclipse (gold)
― Stomp! in the name of love (WmC), Saturday, 7 May 2011 19:35 (twelve years ago) link
An emergency rush job and a royalty check landing in the same week mean that I have a little money to play with, so I'm looking at DrinkUpNY for the stuff I can't get in NH. I need to refill maraschino and genever, so there's that...
Does anyone have any thoughts on Barolo Chinato, esp. Cocchi's? I've had a couple glasses of a non-Cocchi BC in the past, but that was 15+ years ago and I was drinking completely different things. $45 seems steep.
Are The Bitter Truth's lemon bitters legitimately *bitter*? Cause if it's just a lemon tincture, I can make that. Shit, I can make that by accident.
Clear Creek cherry liqueur vs Combier Roi Rene Rouge cherry liqueur vs Cherry Heering vs Rothman & Winter cherry? I like Clear Creek in general.
Esprit de June liqueur?
I'm leaning towards preemptively reupping my Smith & Cross and Punt e Mes, but all of the above are alternatives I'm considering.
― Bill, Monday, 9 May 2011 14:04 (twelve years ago) link
no experience with a lot of those items (cherry heering is the only cherry liqueur i've used, and given the rate at which i use it that's not going to change soon), but i have tasted the tbt lemon bitters on their own. they're definitely "bitter" (and tbt is not the type of operation that would make "bitters" without a bittering agent) but i do question their utility--unless you're a hopeless bitters addict there are much better things to do with 20 bucks.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 9 May 2011 14:12 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, that was my impression of TBT based on what I've had. The utility, I don't know. Lemon bitters could be summery, but so is an actual lemon after all.
Cherry liqueur is one of those things that I always think could be amazing if done right, especially if it were bright and tart - but what I've had always goes more towards the cooked cherry flavor.
Man, reading about Barolo Chinato makes it sound like it would go really well with either gin or genever.
(One of these days I need to buy Benedictine again too. I'm watching 10 right now, and the bar has about eight bottles, four of which are Benedictine, Cointreau, Beam, and Cutty Sark. It's like an Iron Chef challenge: go forth and mixologize with these things.)
― Bill, Monday, 9 May 2011 14:23 (twelve years ago) link
ok i've been doing this as a serious hobby for a while, and i have no idea how it took me until last week to encounter the southside:
2 oz. gin.75 oz. lemon or lime juice (lime is the prevalent version but both work).75 oz. simple syrup1 dash angostura2 big mint sprigsmore mint for garnish
lightly bruise mint sprigs in mixing tin, add liquids, shake and double strain. slap spare mint of drink and garnish with a nice-looking mint leaf.
what an approachable, pleasant cocktail!
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 10 May 2011 02:26 (twelve years ago) link
of=over
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 10 May 2011 02:27 (twelve years ago) link
to make good on my earlier promise, i went on a bevmo run today (and btw, OMG BEVMO<333). got some rittenhouse 100, sauza anejo, noilly prat vermouth, angostura and peychaud's. (i still don't have actual mixing equipment, tho.) prolly gonna crack open the rittenhouse for a nightcap later.
― naches supreme (donna rouge), Tuesday, 17 May 2011 03:24 (twelve years ago) link
noticed when I threw a splash of vermouth in tonight's dinner that I'm almost out! This means now I can get a "good" vermouth - which?
― tehresa, Tuesday, 17 May 2011 04:00 (twelve years ago) link
dolin!
― I DIED, Tuesday, 17 May 2011 04:01 (twelve years ago) link
dolin sweet, noilly praat dry
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 17 May 2011 13:02 (twelve years ago) link
has anyone tried this - http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/07/gran_classico_an_ancient_lique.php
― just sayin, Monday, 30 May 2011 19:20 (twelve years ago) link
have not tried it. i see it around a lot and it's good to read a little bit about it (though the line about "small-batch production" is kind of nonsensical). i kind of swore off buying amaros until i finish ones that i have.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 30 May 2011 21:47 (twelve years ago) link
you have some good self control. i havent even seen it here, i just liked the sound of it tasting like campari, but more so. btw in that column they say 'dry vermouth (blanc)' arent they 2 different things? i've seen this in other recipes where they've said dolin blanc and then called it a dry vermouth... dolin blanc is sweet right?
― just sayin, Monday, 30 May 2011 22:35 (twelve years ago) link
I have a bottle of Gran Classico, it's pretty delicious. Deeper and rounder flavor than Campari but with a sharp lift in the finish that's quite drawn out (that's the wormwood, I guess). I haven't really used it in anything yet. Sort of imagine the heft of flavor like Carpano Antica is to a lighter vermouth.
― I DIED, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 01:33 (twelve years ago) link
WTF can I do with Drambuie? Is there a cocktail that this stuff tastes good in?
― unmetalled world (wk), Tuesday, 31 May 2011 02:59 (twelve years ago) link
the rusty nail - 3:1 scotch and drambuie
(nb never tried it but it's the only drambuie cocktail i know of)
― from shmear to eternity (donna rouge), Tuesday, 31 May 2011 03:14 (twelve years ago) link
btw in that column they say 'dry vermouth (blanc)' arent they 2 different things? i've seen this in other recipes where they've said dolin blanc and then called it a dry vermouth... dolin blanc is sweet right?
― just sayin, Monday, May 30, 2011 6:35 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
yup, dolin blanc is sweet. i see that mistake a lot.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 11:37 (twelve years ago) link
the rusty nail is sort of the only "standard" drambuie cocktail. use a blended scotch and i'd start with a 4:1 ratio and add more drambuie if it's not sweet enough for you.
but there are tons of things you could, in theory, do with it. here are some starting points: http://www.drambuie.com/view/the-taste/
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 11:42 (twelve years ago) link
came across a liquor store in silverlake today that had about forty kinds of bitters for sale, all with tasters - tried a memphis bbq flavored one (bet this would go well with whiskey). they also had many, many bottles of dolin and bols genever, both of which i'd been unable to find anywhere else, and an entire shelf of absinthe - definitely making a return trip!
― from shmear to eternity (donna rouge), Sunday, 5 June 2011 09:15 (twelve years ago) link
also i am completely over the campari aversion i wrote about upthread, love this stuff now
― from shmear to eternity (donna rouge), Sunday, 5 June 2011 09:16 (twelve years ago) link
^_^
― just sayin, Sunday, 5 June 2011 09:25 (twelve years ago) link
yep. It's a grower. Negroni has become my drink of choice pretty much. Love the slightly medicinal taste it has.
― kraudive, Sunday, 5 June 2011 12:51 (twelve years ago) link
had last night: plymouth, st. germaine, fresh ginger, twist. SO good.
― tehresa, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:34 (twelve years ago) link
for the first time in my life i own a bottle of angostura bitters. but now.... what do i do with it??
― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Monday, 6 June 2011 16:35 (twelve years ago) link
make a manhattan or old fashioned!!!
― call all destroyer, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:36 (twelve years ago) link
hey tehresa when u say fresh ginger could you elaborate? muddled ginger pieces or something else?
― call all destroyer, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:37 (twelve years ago) link
hmm i guess i will need to also purchase my first ever jar of maraschino cherries
― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Monday, 6 June 2011 16:39 (twelve years ago) link
i may go for a negroni
― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Monday, 6 June 2011 16:40 (twelve years ago) link
rusty nails are p great fwiw
― burberry kush (elmo argonaut), Monday, 6 June 2011 16:47 (twelve years ago) link
i am not 100% sure (it was at a restaurant) but there were definitely a few pieces floating in there... but not enough to give it as much ginger flavor as it had... so i'm wondering if it was juiced/strained/something?
― tehresa, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:48 (twelve years ago) link
i've boiled ginger before to make tea... i imagine if you chilled and strained it you'd get something similar to what was in this cocktail.
― tehresa, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:49 (twelve years ago) link
hmm, interesting. i've never really messed around with muddling it but the fact that there were pieces tells me that might be what they did? you can juice ginger but my understanding is it's a complete pain in the ass. i just made some ginger syrup which i now need find uses for.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:50 (twelve years ago) link
bitters tastes good in nearly anything IMO. I probably overdo it a bit though. I've been drinking old fashioneds with bulleit rye but when that runs out I guess I'll buy some scotch and try a rusty nail. although I've also been planning on making some of my own maraschino cherries so maybe I'll stick to the old fashioned for a while.
― unmetalled world (wk), Monday, 6 June 2011 16:52 (twelve years ago) link
i feel like you wouldn't really get enough flavor out of muddling ginger... that's why i thought it'd been boiled and crudely strained? or maybe a tiny bit muddled in...
― tehresa, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:56 (twelve years ago) link
damn i think i used all the ginger at home or i would work on this tonight
― call all destroyer, Monday, 6 June 2011 16:58 (twelve years ago) link
btw the pieces in the drink were TINY
― tehresa, Monday, 6 June 2011 17:00 (twelve years ago) link
grated?
― unmetalled world (wk), Monday, 6 June 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
almost like teeny tiny dice?
― tehresa, Monday, 6 June 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
if you boil ginger pieces you'll def get little solids that could be missed by a mesh strainer.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 6 June 2011 17:30 (twelve years ago) link
for tehresa, here is an experiment using the pegu club formula:
2 oz. plymouth gin.5 oz. lime juice.25 oz. st. germain.25 oz. ginger syrupdash angosturadash angostura orange
(ginger syrup: bring to a boil 1 cup water, 1 cup water, 2 inches of peeled/sliced ginger root. simmer for 2 mins, steep for 2 hours, strain)
this is pretty good imo!
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 7 June 2011 02:47 (twelve years ago) link
oops one cup water, one cup sugar that is
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 7 June 2011 02:48 (twelve years ago) link
thanks. i think this was my first gin drink in maybe a year? i don't even have any in house. i might start playing with it again, though i think i'd still try for a ginger water over syrup bc the st g is more than enough sweet for my taste. on the other hand, I had a blast making flavored simple syrups 2 summers ago so maybe I'll give it a go again.
― tehresa, Tuesday, 7 June 2011 03:35 (twelve years ago) link
so the liquor store near my workplace sells 750mL bottles of chartreuse for $35, which is about twenty bucks cheaper than i can find elsewhere. they also look like they've been sitting there for years (the bottles are dusty and i can't quite tell if some of them are meant to be yellow or green). should i avoid? i mean it's 80 proof liquor so i can't imagine it goes bad, per se...
― creme de cassie (donna rouge), Wednesday, 8 June 2011 18:38 (twelve years ago) link
i wouldve thought it would be fine... surely
― just sayin, Wednesday, 8 June 2011 18:41 (twelve years ago) link
the green is north of 100 proof, the yellow is 80. so that should help you tell if they have both (the bottles are extremely similar-looking!) that's a pretty amazing price and the stuff should be fine. worth a gamble imo.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 8 June 2011 18:43 (twelve years ago) link
The color might be off, but I'd bet it's fine. I know I'd snatch up a couple!
― Bill, Wednesday, 8 June 2011 18:44 (twelve years ago) link
ok, just wanted to make sure. i probably won't be making another liquor run until my next paycheck but i doubt anyone's gonna snatch 'em up before i do. thx!
― creme de cassie (donna rouge), Wednesday, 8 June 2011 18:51 (twelve years ago) link
...as it turns out, they're all yellow. copped one today, will try later.
i also bought a bottle of fernet-branca and am trying it right now (neat). just had some weird proust/madeleine thing where i could smell my elderly italian relatives' cologne. that being said, i like it!
― badtz-maruizm (donna rouge), Wednesday, 15 June 2011 04:11 (twelve years ago) link
woah! yeah i love fernet branca but usually its not something that ppl are into the first time they have it.
― just sayin, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 09:51 (twelve years ago) link
i just made some ginger syrup which i now need find uses for.
this is one of my friend's fave cocktails
http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2009/01/19/strong-medicine/
― jaxon, Thursday, 16 June 2011 20:14 (twelve years ago) link
that's a Penicillin btw
thank you! i will try that.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 16 June 2011 20:16 (twelve years ago) link
oh! forgot to say, i boiled ginger with water and have so far mixed it with seltzer and a bit of lime juice -- delicious. i think i will use that for any gingery cocktails i want because i just can't handle too much simple syrup in my drinks.
― tehresa, Thursday, 16 June 2011 20:20 (twelve years ago) link
what's a good substitute if a recipe calls for irish whiskey? bourbon? a non peat-y scotch?
― jaxon, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:38 (twelve years ago) link
yeah a non-peaty scotch or makers imo
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:40 (twelve years ago) link
hmm. in the house are a few ryes, a few bourbons, glendronach (kinda gross, we stole it from the inlaws) and hibiki. last one's prob my best bet, huh? even tho the wife saw me looking at it and said (don't u dare touch my whisky, ha)
― jaxon, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:48 (twelve years ago) link
what bourbons?
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:54 (twelve years ago) link
tho i think that most likely the hibiki is your best bet
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:57 (twelve years ago) link
i guess just one. henry mckenna. o, and found a caol isla, but that's like the smokiest whiskey ever (and so damn good)
― jaxon, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:58 (twelve years ago) link
looking for things to use my g. chartreuse in; just made a Jewel Cocktail
2oz gin1.5oz green chartreuse1oz sweet vermouth3 dashes orange bitters marischino cherry (don't have any)
pretty good. think i'd prob use a lil less vermouth next time. i've also seen other recipes for same cocktail that use equal parts gin/chart/verm.
― jaxon, Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:59 (twelve years ago) link
the bijou! one of my local places makes that. i just checked my copy of savoy and it's equal parts in there. never made it at home tho.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 26 June 2011 03:08 (twelve years ago) link
ya, same ingredients as bijou, diff proportions.
what are some cocktails u make that use green charteuse? everywhere i read about it people say how they can't keep a bottle of it at home, but i'm having a hard time finding recipes that call my name.
also, what do you guys do about pineapple juice? make your own from actual pineapple? seems so labor intensive.
― jaxon, Sunday, 26 June 2011 03:13 (twelve years ago) link
did you check this thread? the chartreuse swizzle, the beuser and angus special, and the last word in particular are great drinks that use a good amount of the stuff.
re: pineapple juice there are a few choices. the most commonly-recommended one is to go to the supermarket and pick up some of the dole 6 oz. cans. whole foods also sells a larger bottle of pineapple juice for like 4 bucks if you plan on using more of it or just lie drinking it. i don't think anyone attempts to make it fresh unless you own a pretty serious juicer.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 26 June 2011 03:23 (twelve years ago) link
ah, thought people claimed unless you made your own it was gonna be shit
― jaxon, Sunday, 26 June 2011 03:29 (twelve years ago) link
hahah no they always say that the one juice that is ok out of the can/bottle is pineapple. which may just be an admission that juicing a pineapple is a huge pain in the ass.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 26 June 2011 03:31 (twelve years ago) link
yeah im a big fan of the chartreuse swizzle - you need to use a lot of crushed ice for it, or it wont work properly, but if you get a taste for them then yr chartreuse wont last long
― just sayin, Sunday, 26 June 2011 08:13 (twelve years ago) link
Discovered Maurin Quina this weekend, a cherry brandy-fortified white wine with a lot of quinine - it's like the amaro version of cherry cough syrup, but ... in a good way? I mean, it's definitely more medicinal than most vermouths, maybe comparable to Punt e Mes. I forget the proportions, but we ended up using that, Aperol, lemon juice, Cheribundi tart cherry juice, and Smith & Cross rum to make this cherry rum punch that hit the spot.
re: Chartreuse, I'm a huge fan, it's like comfort food for me - but I nearly always make some variant of the Last Word. You can sub out any base liquor for the gin, and I often sub another liqueur instead of the maraschino.
― Bill, Sunday, 26 June 2011 21:38 (twelve years ago) link
I mentioned curiosity about Barolo Chinato earlier - finally got around to buying and trying some. It's very good, but I don't think I can justify the over $40 - i.e. two Rittenhouses - price again. Maybe if I were less invested in cocktails, I would feel differently, but I think I get more value out of two bottles of liqueur or a bottle of Chartreuse.
Speaking of liqueurs. Also got Rothman and Winter's peach liqueur, which ... is it new? It's not listed in the Haus Alpenz portfolio, but neither are a couple of other recent products - they've gone from having the website list upcoming products a year in advance to lagging behind. Anyway, it's good stuff - recognizably peachy, good for summer.
― Bill, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:16 (twelve years ago) link
the price has definitely scared me off given that i don't know a lot about what i would actually do with it. can you describe a little more what it's like/what it might be good for?
btw, last word variant i made yesterday--chartreuse, lime, smith and cross, r&w apricot.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, I started to describe the Barolo Chinato, backspaced what I'd written, and forgot to write something better! Hm. Well, it's recognizably a fortified red wine. The way Dubonnet Rouge is, for example - the red wine flavor is going to be there in whatever you make, and that limits what I can see doing with it. Like, you can make a Manhattan variant, and make it any of a dozen ways by adding a drizzle of a liqueur or a shake of bitters, and then ... what else is there, really? Dubonnet Rouge lasts a hell of a long time for me because anything you make with it is going to taste like Dubonnet Rouge - moreso than that's true of Cocchi Americano, let's say.
And I suppose that's not a problem if you love the thing in question - maybe I should think of Barolo Chinato (or Dub R) as comparable to Punt e Mes, something that can stand up to the Campari in a Negroni. But it tastes both more subtle and more winey than Punt e Mes. Less bitter/bracing, too. Sweet - maybe not as sweet as a liqueur, but sweeter than I'd want to drink straight.
Before I really *discovered* cocktails, I drank a lot of port, and I think if I had never diverted onto the cocktail road, Barolo Chinato would be right up my alley. It has some complexity, you can sip it, you can have a cigar with it (I have not yet tried it with chocolate, which is supposed to be a good pairing). I've just ended up in a place where I see most bottles of alcohol as ingredients, and this one isn't really best-suited to that.
It is good with rye. Just not good enough to justify the price.
― Bill, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 18:10 (twelve years ago) link
thanks, that helps--the dubonnet comparison in particular because i'm really not a big dubonnet guy.
maybe i can find a bar that's working with it around here but in the meantime it's def a simple value proposition--a bottle of this would be two bottles of punt e mes or cocchi. even carpano is cheaper!
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 19:20 (twelve years ago) link
Do I need to refrigerate velvet falernum? It's only 11%, but made with a rum base.
― jaxon, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 20:54 (twelve years ago) link
i have often wondered this! i have never bought it but the answer to that question would play into my decision to do so.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 22:56 (twelve years ago) link
i have a bottle of this, and i dont put it in the fridge but thats just cuz im running out of room in there... i should prob taste it to see how its going
― just sayin, Thursday, 30 June 2011 08:17 (twelve years ago) link
just made this. it's pretty amazing. way more mellow than i was expecting from the ingredients. i remember you guys mentioning chocolate goes w/chartreuse and tequila, so i added the chocolate bitters and it worked really well.
Kama Sutra
2 ounces añejo Tequila1/4 ounce mescal1/2 ounce green Chartreuse2 dashes Chocolate Bitters1 flamed lemon peel for garnish (this smelled awesome btw)
Instructions: Place Tequila, mescal and green Chartreuse in a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir for 15-20 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass. Add garnish.
there are a couple of other non-citrusy tequila drinks on the second page of this articlehttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/03/FDDT179ORE.DTL
― jaxon, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 03:13 (twelve years ago) link
i had this amazing cocktail the other day - a "ginger long island iced tea" at some fancy schmancy restaurant. it was a revelation, but unfortunately, i do not see the recipe anywhere on the internet so far. and there's not even a recipe for long island iced tea at all on this thread!
it tasted like a regular long island ice-t, but maybe had some actual fresh ginger in it. also it was a hair lighter and tea-y-er than your typical long island, so i wondered if it maybe had a splash of actual iced tea in it? like high quality earl grey or something. seriously, this drink was the bomb. anyone know how to make one?
― messiahwannabe, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 09:53 (twelve years ago) link
there are several possibilities--gin or whiskey infused with tea, ginger syrup, ginger liqueur, muddled or pressed fresh ginger. i'd go ahead and guess that the recipe does not look much like the standard l.i.i.t. recipe at all.
actually, the original long island iced tea is being ceremonially buried at tales of the cocktail this year: http://offbeat.com/2011/07/01/tea-and-tales-of-the-cocktail/
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
ha, the long island iced tea will never die! it's the same price as other cocktails, but has like 2-3 times as much booze in it, and is still pretty tasty to boot, and will thus be the drink of choice for cheapskate alcoholics for all eternity.
i was thinking there may be some infusion going on with the g-liit, they do a couple other infusions at this place for other coctails. and the ginger tasted really fresh and authentic, it was part of what made the cocktail so damn good. do they put vodka in those things as well? vodka's kinda the go-to booze for infusions.
i'd buy the ingredients and try to duplicate it in my home, but knowing myself all to well i'm pretty sure i'd wind up drinking every bottle of liquor in its entirety the night i brought them home, and since there's like 5 different kinds of booze in it i'd probably put myself in a coma
― messiahwannabe, Wednesday, 6 July 2011 04:31 (twelve years ago) link
the long island iced tea is a great choice if you really like getting drunk but really hate cocktails
― I DIED, Wednesday, 6 July 2011 14:13 (twelve years ago) link
love this photo. ran with a writeup on the bartenders at Heaven's Dog (great cocktails, terrible restaurant)http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2011/06/fun_with_cocktails_at_heavens.php
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/sfweeklydion-2.jpg
― jaxon, Thursday, 7 July 2011 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
first home experiment with egg white/dry-shaking: a variant on the hawaiian cocktail that goes like:
1.5 oz gin.5 oz pineapple juicedash orange bittersegg white
creamy, VERY light, i.e. not much of a taste but i'm also realizing i forgot to shake the pineapple juice before pouring
― just JOE looking at a tornado (donna rouge), Sunday, 10 July 2011 05:05 (twelve years ago) link
made this last night. like a mojito, but i don't tend to like drinks w/soda water in them. i served it up and loved it.
The Whiskey Smash2 oz. whiskey1 oz. simple syrup1/2 oz. lemon juiceA handful of mintInstructions:Muddle the mint and lemon juice, then add the syrup and whiskey. Fill your shaker with ice. Shake it hard. Strain. Serve over ice and enjoy!
― jaxon, Wednesday, 13 July 2011 18:34 (twelve years ago) link
mmm
― tehresa, Wednesday, 13 July 2011 22:23 (twelve years ago) link
the double strain is key here but yeah total classique
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 July 2011 22:57 (twelve years ago) link
ya, double strainer is next on my list
― jaxon, Thursday, 14 July 2011 01:50 (twelve years ago) link
http://theideagirlsays.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/lettuce-stuck-on-your-teeth.jpg
― jaxon, Thursday, 14 July 2011 01:51 (twelve years ago) link
does agave nectar have a distinctive enough of a flavor that you can't just use simple syrup?
― jaxon, Friday, 15 July 2011 22:20 (twelve years ago) link
nah. the theory is that it has a nice synergy with tequila, and that may well be true, but at the end of the day you are just trying to sweeten your drink.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 15 July 2011 22:38 (twelve years ago) link
I have a nice synergy with tequila
― mh, Friday, 15 July 2011 23:18 (twelve years ago) link
hah.
i made a manhattan tonight w/ dry vermouth and blood orange bitters and threw in a pitted fresh cherry. it was really nice. and the rye-soaked cherry at the end was delicious! i hate maraschino, but this was good.
also what are those sour maraschini called? i like those just not the waxy bright red sugary ones.
― tehresa, Friday, 15 July 2011 23:30 (twelve years ago) link
just bought some st. germain and a li'l guy of benedictine
― jesus and mary chapin carpenter (donna rouge), Saturday, 16 July 2011 00:17 (twelve years ago) link
Using Luxardo maraschino cherries or making your own (not that difficult!) is such an enormous improvement that the red #5 ones should never be used. Even just simmering cherries in simple syrup an preserving in any kind of alcohol is great for all kinds of things.
― I DIED, Saturday, 16 July 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link
yeah it seems like it's reasonably easy to make your own so i am thinking of maybe making some and preserving in rye or bourbon since the ones soaked in rye last night were so delicious by the end of the drink.
― tehresa, Saturday, 16 July 2011 14:44 (twelve years ago) link
i also read jamie boudreau's make your own bitters post last night and man, i wish i had the time/space/bottles/ingredients but it honestly just seems like a TON of work for something i use so rarely so maybe i'll just buy a few bottles of special flavor bitters.
― tehresa, Saturday, 16 July 2011 14:45 (twelve years ago) link
There are so many great bitters available at retail for pretty cheap now that making your own isn't quite the thing it was a few years ago. Still very impressive though.
There's some Spanish brandy available around $10/bottle that's great for preserving cherries and more. Best thing about cooking fruits in sugar and spices is that you also get a huge excess of flavored syrup to use.
― I DIED, Saturday, 16 July 2011 15:34 (twelve years ago) link
so it's been a fun week as my copy of the newly-released beta cocktails showed up. lots of measurable amounts of bitters, smoke, salt, and room-temperature cocktails--some of which are pretty easy to make with a decent home bar. here are three that i've enjoyed:
defend arrack:
1.5 oz. batavia arrack.75 oz. lime juice.75 oz. apricot liqueur1/8 oz. allspice dram
shake and strain. this doesn't really taste like any of its components--it comes together like a citrus fruit that doesn't exist.
racketeer (not in this book but in their earlier volume, rogue cocktails)
1 oz. rye1 oz. mezcal.5 oz. benedictine.5 oz. carpano antica (or whatever sweet vermouth you have).25 oz. yellow chartreuse3 dashes peychaud's
stir and strain into a glass that you rinsed with islay scotch. this one gets you lots of smoke but it's got all kinds of dimensions.
ashtray heart:
1 oz. smith and cross1 oz. dry vermouth1 oz. punt e mes
stir and strain into a glass that you rinsed with mezcal. grapefruit twist. all i can say about this one is that the name is completely appropriate. smith and cross plays really well with the fruit in the punt e mes.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 03:03 (twelve years ago) link
book looks rad. i notice they have some recipes on the website too. are all of them there? is buying the book necessary?
― jaxon, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 04:00 (twelve years ago) link
i am soooo into smokey cocktails lately. that kama sutra i made upthread w/chartruse, tequila and mezcal was my favorite for a while.
i got some Leopold Brothers Maraschino for my birthday. never had luxardo, so don't know the difference, but damn it's good. been sipping it straight on rocks. it's pretty sweet, kinda fruity, not at all almondy like i thought it would be. made a few cocktails with it, but can't really discern any flavor it adds to the drinks besides a bit of sweetness.
― jaxon, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 04:12 (twelve years ago) link
i just bought some tamarind paste which i plan on using for cocktails soon. really looking forward to making this one. (also recently had one w/tequila, mescal, cumin, black pepper & tamarind that i'm gonna try and recreate. super savory, but super amazing)
Black DaiquiriCrushed ice1 1/2 ounces aged rum3/4 ounce tamarind syrup (see NOTES)3/4 ounce garam masala syrup (see NOTES)Whole cloves, for garnish
NOTES: To make tamarind syrup, combine 3 ounces of tamarind concentrate and 2 ounces of water; stir to mix well. Cover tightly, and refrigerate until chilled through.
To make garam masala syrup, combine 2 cups of brewed garam masala tea and 1 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring just to a slow boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof container and let cool to room temperature. Cover tightly, and refrigerate until chilled through.
― jaxon, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 04:13 (twelve years ago) link
cad in that 'defend arrack' drink, does apricot liqueur = apricot brandy?
― just sayin, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 12:16 (twelve years ago) link
yeah apricot liqueur does = apricot brandy. marie brizard apry, rothman + winter, or whatever.
the site only has a few recipes iirc and the book has maybe 50? i mean i don't want to claim it's something it's not, it's 25 bucks shipped for a very slim volume, and there are lots of things that i can't make (despite being pretty well stocked), but they bring an interesting perspective and putting it together was clearly a labor of love.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 13:49 (twelve years ago) link
can i ask a question about fernet branca? is it supposed to be sipped on the rocks or with a splash of water/soda?
― it was pleasant and delightful, just like (La Lechera), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 13:54 (twelve years ago) link
or in some other way?
i have it on the rocks some times, other times neat. ive never had it w/ water or soda tho
― just sayin, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 14:38 (twelve years ago) link
but some people might! i dont really know.
― just sayin, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 14:39 (twelve years ago) link
a friend said she likes it with coke
― rameau: first blood (donna rouge), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 14:41 (twelve years ago) link
(i like it neat)
yeah my friend was in argentina and said it was super popular there w/ coke! he said there was big supermarket displays of fernet branca :O
― just sayin, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 14:44 (twelve years ago) link
Ok, I'm asking because I tried it a few weeks ago and...I just couldn't like it. I like bitter foods and drinks, I like herbal concoctions of many kinds, but I could not deal with the taste of straight fernet branca. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. More ice, still no. I don't remember the last time I said this about anything, and I thought maybe I was drinking it wrong.
― it was pleasant and delightful, just like (La Lechera), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 14:46 (twelve years ago) link
that menthol quality it has is pretty unique and may just be something you can't get past.
one idea to try--a fernet old-fashioned. 2 oz. fernet, a teaspoon of simple syrup, and a couple dashes of orange bitters stirred and strained over fresh ice.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
That sounds acceptable, would try. It seriously must have been the menthol -- it was kinda like brown liquid vapo-rub.
― it was pleasant and delightful, just like (La Lechera), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 15:13 (twelve years ago) link
made this tonight. pretty awesome
Dusty Road Chelada ½ ounce Tamarind pulp 1 pinch of lime rind ¾ ounce lime juice ¼ ounce agave nectar (optional) pinch salt & pepper
mix everything, then pour 1 bottle Uncommon Brewers Siamese Twin Ale (or Dos Equis) - i used corona, because that's what i drink tsp mezcal float
― jaxon, Monday, 15 August 2011 05:46 (twelve years ago) link
also made this which bill mentioned upthread. heavy on the angosturas. surprisingly great. kinda reminds me of something that uses allspice dram
Trinidad Sour1 oz Angostura bitters1 oz orgeat3/4 oz lemon juice1/2 oz Rittenhouse rye
― jaxon, Monday, 15 August 2011 06:01 (twelve years ago) link
by the way, this thread:
Which Cocteau Twins song titles would best double as the names of cocktails, and what would be in them?
maybe we could come up with some real, drinkable recipes based on same concept? i feel like that could be delicious.
― messiahwannabe, Monday, 15 August 2011 10:35 (twelve years ago) link
Dusty Road Chelada½ ounce Tamarind pulp1 pinch of lime rind¾ ounce lime juice¼ ounce agave nectar (optional)pinch salt & pepper
mix everything, then pour1 bottle Uncommon Brewers Siamese Twin Ale (or Dos Equis) - i used corona, because that's what i drink
tsp mezcal float
― jaxon, Monday, August 15, 2011 1:46 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark
this sounds cool! if i can track down a tamarind.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 August 2011 13:17 (twelve years ago) link
you can usually get the pulp from asian supermarkets
http://www.cookipedia.co.uk/wiki/images/thumb/c/cb/Packet_of_tamarind_pulp.jpg/250px-Packet_of_tamarind_pulp.jpg
― just sayin, Monday, 15 August 2011 13:37 (twelve years ago) link
Has Plymouth gin gone up in price for anyone else? It's gone up $5 since the last time I bought it in NH (six months ago maybe?) It's a good gin, it's a good cocktail gin, but it's not worth $12 more than Bombay, or even $5 more than Magellan.
― Bill, Monday, 15 August 2011 15:03 (twelve years ago) link
In perusing the NH state liquor store price list, though, I also find that they list the Whistle Pig 10 year rye - which probably won't show up until Thanksgiving, they always order some premium ryes and bourbons for the holidays and once they're gone they're gone - and that they're stocking Clement Creole Shrubb again, my favorite orange liqueur. I've probably mentioned it before. It's not an orthodox substitution for Cointreau, since it's rhum agricole based, but man it works well.
― Bill, Monday, 15 August 2011 15:08 (twelve years ago) link
ya, i go this for $2 at the asian market down the st
http://www.ambianceimpex.com/images/products/grocery/tamarind%20concentrate%2015-09-2009%203-31-11%20a.m.%20360x480.jpg
i also used it in that black daiquiri from upthread, but i think i need to dilute it a bit more. it's already pretty liquidy in the plastic container (as opposed to that block ^), but the drink was kinda thick.
― jaxon, Monday, 15 August 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
hmm, i haven't checked plymouth recently but i will scout it out tomorrow at the store. i always thought it was a little pricey so an increase would not be good.
i've started to see whistlepig all over the place recently but someone is going to have to convince me that it's 20 bucks better than rendezvous, or 35 bucks better than the new jefferson's rye which i actually want to try, and which is in all likelihood the same juice as whistlepig.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 August 2011 15:12 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, as it is Plymouth was already a few dollars more than it used to be - not sure if that was stores raising the price, or if Plymouth raised its price in response to being adopted by the cocktail revival. Between this and the price hike of Chartreuse (whenever that was), the cost of a Last Word has gone up a lot since I started making them.
Torn about the Whistlepig. It'll be a tight-budget time of year with the holidays, and I don't think I can justify more than one super-premium whiskey, which will probably be the 18 year Sazerac or a Thomas Handy
― Bill, Monday, 15 August 2011 16:47 (twelve years ago) link
here's a jefferson's rye review--i've seen it for $35 and the major diff from whistlepig is 10 less (fewer?) proof.
http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2011/08/05/review-jeffersons-straight-rye-whiskey/
a 10-year-old canadian 100% unmalted rye whiskey is going to be an idiosyncratic whiskey anyway, and i'm thinking i may enjoy a handy or a fresh sazerac 18 more in general.
bill, do you have any advice on securing items such as buffalo trace antique collection bottles when they're in stock in the new hampshire state liquor system? i will be working up there starting in oct. do you just have to show up and hope? will store managers get/hold things for you?
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 August 2011 17:01 (twelve years ago) link
It's always just been a matter of lucking into it for me - I'll forget all about the expensive whiskeys coming in, and then I'll go into the store (the nearest one is just down the street from me and next to my local supermarket) and there they'll be on display. They've just replaced my store with a new renovated building, so I don't know what effect that'll have on the haphazard appearance of the seasonal displays - they would just sort of put them wherever they happened to fit, before.
That said, I *think* you can just ask the manager to get you a bottle of xyz, if you know it's something in the system. The state liquor store web page tells you how many bottles are at which store, so you may not even have to do that.
― Bill, Monday, 15 August 2011 18:26 (twelve years ago) link
cool--didn't realize they put their inventory online to that level of detail.
here's another product question i need help with--anejo tequila for mixing? preferably under 40 bucks? not really a big tequila sipper but keep seeing cocktails that want an anejo.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 15 August 2011 19:41 (twelve years ago) link
last tequila that i got was Pueblo Viejo Reposado (~$20) and it's great. looks like they have an anjeo for around $30
― jaxon, Monday, 15 August 2011 21:12 (twelve years ago) link
anyone know how distinctive Smith & Cross (pot still, navy strength jamaican rum) is? i've seen it turn up in a few recipes recently. how important is using the particular country's rum a recipe calls for? i don't want to end up needing tons of diff rum bottles. thinking a light, a dark, an aged and maybe an overproof would be max you "need" unless you wanna be a rum dork.
― jaxon, Wednesday, 17 August 2011 20:48 (twelve years ago) link
i know you don't want this to be the answer, but i'm not aware of anything on the market that tastes or functions like smith and cross. maybe sea wynde? maybe those inner circle rums (i'm not even sure if they're around anymore).
my rum collection is way out of control, but i will re-buy smith and cross when i empty it.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 17 August 2011 23:08 (twelve years ago) link
It's definitely distinctive. In this case it's not just that it's Jamaican rum, it's that it's a specific style of rum that's heavier bodied, less "clean" and uber-distilled. If some 21st century Capn Bacardi Twizted Kiwi 2.0, clean as Polar Springs and perfect for mixing with your favorite diet seltzer, is one end of the rum spectrum, Smith and Cross is somewhere over on the other end. It's funky. Even though it's aged, it's got some of the funkiness that unaged spirits like cachaca and white whiskey have. It's still rum, but whatever the outlying distance in the rum category is, it's somewhere over there.
It's also high proof, which isn't part of the distinctiveness but is a factor when using it in cocktails - I've had to adjust things when using it instead of a different rum, so substituting for it would take a similar adjustment.
I don't like stocking a bunch of different bottles of the same type of spirit, which is the barrier to entry for Tiki drinks for me - I understand why that style of drinks needs half a dozen kinds of rum, because if you're painting all in blue, you need different shades. There's an art to it, and I've decided not to spend the money on that learning curve for now. My experience is that, outside of that school of cocktails, a rum drink will always work fine with a rum that you like - it may not be the same if you make it with a dark rum instead of a light, and you may have to adjust because of proof and sweetness differences, but it's still basically going to work.
Die-hard rummies may not agree, though.
― Bill, Wednesday, 17 August 2011 23:16 (twelve years ago) link
jeff berry's rum guide from beachbum berry remixed sort of puts the tiki thing in perspective. he covers all the rums used in all the recipes, but you can sort of whittle it down to these:
amber martiniquedark jamaicandemerara 80 proofdemerara 151 proofgold barbadosgold jamaicangold puerto rican/gold virgin islandswhite puerto rican/white virgin islands (these last two can safely be combined with a brand like cruzan or flor de cana)
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 17 August 2011 23:54 (twelve years ago) link
hah strike at least one "sort of" pls
anyway, it's a lot, especially because most people will also want a good aged rum, and then there's smith & cross which is a more cocktail-focused rum, then there's cruzan blackstrap which is really cheap and fun, and then you're devoting a whole shelf to a spirit you like less than whiskey, and maybe only a little more than tequila or gin.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 17 August 2011 23:56 (twelve years ago) link
And to me whiskey has more variation. I mean, two whiskeys might not even have any ingredients in common, but even apart from that, I taste more difference between an unaged whiskey and a standard aged one than between any two rums I've had.
I guess the more important thing is I'm a lot more likely to have a glass of whiskey than a glass of rum, so it makes sense for me to have more whiskeys on hand.
I do want that book, though. And to go to a good Tiki bar where people who ARE that into rum can make me excellent drinks with it.
― Bill, Thursday, 18 August 2011 01:33 (twelve years ago) link
totally. i'm ok w/having a few bourbon & a few scotches & a few ryes on hand. drink them on their own fairly often, so can pinpoint subtle differences, but not sure putting this rum or that rum w/a few juices is really gonna make that much diff. i dunno. not enough experience w/them yet.
i was pretty hesitant to even get into rum or tiki drinks until recently. i thought they were totally corny, sweet drinks until i went to Smuggler's Cove. amazing amazing place. they have a club where you try each of their >200 rums and you get into some club and get a fez or something. i talked to a guy at the bar who was halfway through last time i was there. definitely some aspie qualities :-/
― jaxon, Thursday, 18 August 2011 03:50 (twelve years ago) link
good tiki drinks shouldn't have any juices imo
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:01 (twelve years ago) link
The Tonga Hut in North Hollywood (oldest extant tiki bar in LA iirc) has a similar deal - I think if you drink all 100 or whatever of their cocktails you get discounts for the rest of your life + your name on a plaque in the bar
― clams cassingle (donna rouge), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:03 (twelve years ago) link
and the range of rums is pretty vast. any random scotch, bourbon and rye seem a lot closer together to me than a flavorless light rum, a really spicy dark rum, and something like a cachaca. although maybe the latter shouldn't be considered a rum.
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:05 (twelve years ago) link
my attempts at tiki drinks have been a mixed bag, at best. part of the problem is sort of a selection bias thing--like, i'm not going to intentionally fuck up the selection of rums in one of berry's recipes so that i can "appreciate" the correct recipe later. that makes it hard to figure out why so many different rums are called for, beyond an abstract understanding that they do in fact taste different.
that said, it's frustrating that the drinks that are really fiddly (calling for a dash of ango and a tsp of grenadine and 6 drops of pernod and exactly 6 oz. of crushed ice) don't taste more complex. maybe i'm just doing things wrong, idk. maybe i just don't like tiki drinks all that much! or maybe the original mai tai recipe is just impossible to top.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:07 (twelve years ago) link
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, August 18, 2011 12:01 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
huh?
wow, I'm drunk. that didnt' make sense did it?
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:10 (twelve years ago) link
lol not really!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:10 (twelve years ago) link
is there a tiki drink without any fruit juices? haha
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:11 (twelve years ago) link
Tiki drinks should just be five kinds of rum in a glass served at room temp imo
― clams cassingle (donna rouge), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:12 (twelve years ago) link
I just hate places that think a mai tai has pineapple or orange juice in it
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:13 (twelve years ago) link
xp as someone who has been creating a spreadsheet of the perishable ingredients in berry's recipes, the answer is not really except for like 3 coffee/dairy drinks.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:13 (twelve years ago) link
I got into drinking pernod because of that book. I picked one of the recipes out and bought a bottle of pernod, not realizing it only called for a dash. So then I just ended up drinking the pernod.
― the wheelie king (wk), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:15 (twelve years ago) link
So I just attempted a drink that Stevie D likes called the Elder Sage, which is made by a vegan restaurant in Philly. I tried:
1.5 oz Hendricks gin.75 oz St GermainDash grapefruit bitters1 sage leaf, muddled
Stir with ice
Not bad, but would use less St G next time methinks
― clams cassingle (donna rouge), Thursday, 18 August 2011 04:28 (twelve years ago) link
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 August 2011 05:07 (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
^^ have been wondering this too
― just sayin, Thursday, 18 August 2011 07:36 (twelve years ago) link
I really think this is an individual palate thing - like, if you drink rums more often than I do, you pick up the differences I don't, and vice versa with whiskey. It's hard for me not to go further and say that whiskey is just "objectively" more diverse - I mean, single-malt Scotch and bourbon don't even have any ingredients in common, vs all rum being derived from sugarcane.
(Including cachaca as a rum definitely expands the distance, though.)
(What we need are some rum-like liquors made from other sugars - coconut syrup, maple syrup, pomegranate molasses, honey, date sugar - but distilled and diluted to the same level of cleanness as rum, not 170 proof firewaters.)
This weekend's cocktails are mostly going to be geared towards using up the last few fingerlimes in my fridge and the last cubes of frozen strawberry juice in my freezer - probably something Pimm's cup-ish and probably something with my barrel-aged gimlet - but I also have a four pack of Fentiman's tonic water to check out, found at a local farmstand of all places. (The supermarket carries the Fentiman's sodas, but not the tonic.)
― Bill, Thursday, 18 August 2011 13:27 (twelve years ago) link
Or milk sugar. I have a vodka made from milk sugar, but what if you treated it like a rum instead of a vodka, and left as much flavor in as possible?
― Bill, Thursday, 18 August 2011 13:29 (twelve years ago) link
― clams cassingle (donna rouge), Thursday, August 18, 2011 12:28 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
yeah i would approach this sort of like the alaska cocktail which is a good starting point for gin/liqueuer/bitters. more like 2 oz/half an ounce/2 dashes of bitters. i like st. g but it will just obliterate other flavors sometimes.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 August 2011 14:27 (twelve years ago) link
i totally agree w/ all of your claims about tiki drinks not being complex enough no matter how many things you add. i have found that i like tiki drinks w/bitters or absinthe or allspice dram added to them. more than just sweet/sour. i've been on the hunt for rum drinks that are pretty low in juice. here's one i saw that looked interesting, but i need to get punt e mes (is that swapable for sweet vermouth in other drinks? just ran out) and smith & cross.
Ashtray Heart1 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican rum1 oz dry vermouth1 oz Punt e Mes vermouth
stir with ice and pour into mezcal coated glass
― jaxon, Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:12 (twelve years ago) link
that's from beta cocktails! i think i posted about it upthread.
you can swap punt e mes for sweet vermouth most of the time but it's got a more pronounced flavor than most s.v.'s so you may want to adjust your base spirit up and your punt e mes down a bit in stuff like manhattans.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link
Crazy, I just read a bit more about that cocktail and the guy that created it tends bar 2 blocks from my house. I should go try one.
― jaxon, Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link
just found this website. super stoked to start exploring it. can search by name or ingredient. background on tons of liquors. can make lists of your faves. can add your own drinks. before this, i just added bookmarks to delicious. and searching on google, oftentimes w/o the greatest luck.
http://www.kindredcocktails.com/
― jaxon, Thursday, 25 August 2011 05:07 (twelve years ago) link
i remade the elder sage tonight with the proportions you suggested, CAD - much better
― zsa zsa and digweed (donna rouge), Thursday, 25 August 2011 06:54 (twelve years ago) link
made this last night. it's supposed to smell/taste like celery. i didn't totally get it, but the wife thought it might. either which way, it was pretty good.
Celery Sour
1 1⁄4 oz Gin1 oz St. Germain3⁄4 oz Lemon juice1⁄4 oz Fernet Branca1⁄4 oz Pastis, Herbsaint2 ds Aromatic Bitters1 Lemon peel (Garnish)
― jaxon, Saturday, 3 September 2011 22:06 (twelve years ago) link
well i was in search of a drink before going out to dinner and lo and behold this popped up. maybe a little celery in the aroma but this is just too much pastis for me--would make again and reduce that shit to like a teaspoon.
this drink cheats in that it actually uses celery bitters (though i think it uncheats by using pineapple juice in this context) and is really good:
celeriac:
2 ounces London dry gin¾ ounce pineapple juice¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice½ ounce simple syrup4 dashes Bitter Truth celery bitters1 egg white
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 3 September 2011 22:32 (twelve years ago) link
Ya, I went a lil easy on the herbsaint. Kinda reminded me of a more complex corpse reviver #2. I liked the floral notes of the st germain and the weirdness of the fernet.
I also tried someone's riff on a sazerac with equal parts herbsaint, peychaud's, rye & simple and it was pretty pointless. All I tasted was the herbsaint. Glad I made it only using 1/4oz of each.
― jaxon, Sunday, 4 September 2011 00:04 (twelve years ago) link
tonight i made
Root of All Evil2 oz Bourbon3⁄4 oz Orange liqueur, Grand Marnier1⁄2 oz Fernet Branca (i'd cut this to 1/4 tbh)1⁄2 oz Maraschino Liqueur2 ds Orange bitters, Regans' orange bitters1 twst Orange peel (as garnish)
this is really good. herbal, aperitif style cocktail, even though it's pretty spirit heavy. this was the "his" cocktail to the next cocktail's "hers". fernet sorta took over and made everything pretty minty, but i def could see drinking this again w/less fernet.
Bourbon Crusta2 oz Bourbon1⁄2 oz Triple sec, Cointreau1⁄2 oz Maraschino Liqueur1⁄2 oz Lemon juice2 ds Orange bitters
nice, sweet, agreeable, "girly" cocktail. in a good way. (i tend not to choose these, but i know what mrs jaxon is into)
Punky Monkey3 pieces Cardamom (pods, muddled)1 oz Añejo rum1 oz Bourbon 1⁄2 oz simple syrup1⁄2 oz Pineapple juice1⁄2 oz Lemon juice1 ds Angostura bitters1 ds Peychaud's Bitters
and after i said that about the last drink, this one is weird and savory and really great and she's loving it.
― jaxon, Monday, 5 September 2011 06:58 (twelve years ago) link
anyone got recipes/pointers re sangria? late summer and i should really be making this.
― buzza, Thursday, 8 September 2011 08:27 (twelve years ago) link
i haven't made this but i would trust this guy to have a good basic recipe: http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2010/sangria/
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 8 September 2011 11:52 (twelve years ago) link
I found this white sangria to be very good:
1 750 ml bottle of white wine 1 medium orange sliced into wedges 1 lemon sliced into wedges 1 fresh pineapple sliced and diced to your preference (may use canned pineapple, substitute two 15.5 oz cans of crushed or sliced pineapple) 1/4 cup of sugar 4 cups of ginger ale 3 shots of coconut rum sprig of mint (optional)
Preparation:Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the white wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, rum and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled white wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.
― nickn, Friday, 9 September 2011 00:29 (twelve years ago) link
And I use a Spanish white from Rene Barbier called Mediteranean White, which I find for $4 - $5 dollars (Cost Plus/World Market).
― nickn, Friday, 9 September 2011 00:34 (twelve years ago) link
Had a great time at jamie boudreau's new bar, canon last night.
First: roulette! Pick your spirit, he does the rest.
I ended up with an old pal (rye, dry vermouth, campari) - perfectlt suited to my taste.
Second round: went for 'the vermouth experiment': a flight of rye manhattans made with dolin, punt e mes, and one other I for got that starts with a c.
― tehresa, Saturday, 10 September 2011 19:59 (twelve years ago) link
I think I am now ready to buy my own bottle of dolin.
― tehresa, Saturday, 10 September 2011 20:02 (twelve years ago) link
Camparo Antica
― jaxon, Saturday, 10 September 2011 20:12 (twelve years ago) link
sorry, Carpano Antica
― jaxon, Saturday, 10 September 2011 20:13 (twelve years ago) link
Punt e Mes is one of my favorite things, period. I kind of marvel at the fact that I drink it so less than I used to - that's just a testament to the fortified wine revival of the last ~2 years, so that I'm not picking between PeM and any-other-vermouth anymore, I've got Cocchi Americano and Bonal hanging around too. It's like the way I no longer drink Campari a few times a week, because I have other options that hit the same bullseye now.
― Bill, Saturday, 10 September 2011 20:25 (twelve years ago) link
Nope. I wanna say cinca or something with a 'ch' sound...
― tehresa, Saturday, 10 September 2011 20:56 (twelve years ago) link
Not quite a vermouth, but maybe Barolo Chinato? Only other one I can think of is Perucchi but I've never seen that in the US.
― I DIED, Saturday, 10 September 2011 21:28 (twelve years ago) link
cinzano??
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 11 September 2011 13:10 (twelve years ago) link
Made a moderately interesting cocktail of two parts Punt e Mes and two parts Jaegermeister to one part creme de menthe yesterday. Herbal but not overpoweringly so and nicely cooling.
― A little bit like Peter Crouch but with more mobility (ShariVari), Sunday, 11 September 2011 13:22 (twelve years ago) link
Maybe chinato - will investigate further when I'm back home.
― tehresa, Monday, 12 September 2011 00:18 (twelve years ago) link
just finished packing to head out to sf for a week which called for a stiff manhattan--2.25 rye/.75 punt e mes + ango.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 02:27 (twelve years ago) link
it's cocktail week here next week. http://sfcocktailweek.com/
but generally that just means really expensive covers, long lines and annoyingness. like i said to a friend recently: i feel the same way about cocktail week as i do about black history month: why not just celebrate year round?
― jaxon, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 03:19 (twelve years ago) link
oh weird--we're going to bourbon and branch on monday but that's at this point the only cocktailian component of our trip.
and i agree w/you--it's hard enough to get into the handful of good cocktail bars around here on normal days.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 03:24 (twelve years ago) link
a little googling of bottle labels (we actually had him show us the bottle) and i'm 90% sure it was barolo chinato.xpost
― tehresa, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 03:38 (twelve years ago) link
yessss
― I DIED, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 04:42 (twelve years ago) link
tehresa, Adam B3rnbach (bar manager at Pr00f) came up with this drink when he was at Pilar and it's an instant classic:
Darkside
Ingredients:
Ice2 1/2 ounces gin, preferably Plymouth brand1 ounce Barolo Chinato, preferably Marcarini brand3 dashes Peychaud bittersTwist of lime peel1 whole star anise (optional)Directions:
Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with ice, then add the gin, Barolo Chinato and bitters. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a cocktail (martini) glass. Twist the lime peel over the drink, then drop it in, along with the star anise, if desired.
― I DIED, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 05:56 (twelve years ago) link
Sounds awesome
― tehresa, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:01 (twelve years ago) link
do they still have it at pilar? Or proof? haven't been to either in ages!
― tehresa, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:02 (twelve years ago) link
I think it might be on the menu at proof - even if not there's a ton of great stuff on their list right now.
― I DIED, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:13 (twelve years ago) link
i just got some suze off a friend - any ideas of what i should make w/ it? ive already tried the white negroni + that was pretty tasty
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:15 (twelve years ago) link
Add a few ice cubes and drink like 15 of them
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:29 (twelve years ago) link
done and done
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 15:39 (twelve years ago) link
And watch this, which features them pretty prominently -
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118015/
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 14 September 2011 16:09 (twelve years ago) link
Man, Suze has been on my want list for years. JS, search Chuck Taggart's blog - http://looka.gumbopages.com/ I know he's a fan, and his blog was my gateway to a lot of cocktail greatness before I discovered cocktail blogs (possibly before there were cocktail blogs).
I was complaining up thread that I couldn't think of much to do with my Barolo Chinato, I'll have to try the Darkside. I've tried it with gin, but not in those proportions.
― Bill, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 16:39 (twelve years ago) link
thx!
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link
these guys have been having some good recipes - http://drinks.seriouseats.com/recipes/?ref=skybox4
― just sayin, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 21:15 (twelve years ago) link
they mention Suze in today's tasting table email. weird write up tho, lillet and campari are completely different beasts.
http://tastingtable.com/entry_detail/nyc/5368/Use_spare_time_at_the_airport_to_hunt_for_your_bar.htm
― jaxon, Friday, 16 September 2011 19:16 (twelve years ago) link
Good luck bill - http://offthepresses.blogspot.com/2011/09/suze-to-finally-reach-us-shores.html
― just sayin, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:37 (twelve years ago) link
Luck news
― just sayin, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:40 (twelve years ago) link
that's super news!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 22:11 (twelve years ago) link
So psyched. Hell, at the rate things are going, I may not even have to mail order it - still can't believe NH has Fernet Branca now.
Meanwhile, started a batch of aged eggnog (http://www.chow.com/recipes/10758-best-eggnog) yesterday, with rye, R&W peach liqueur, and allspice dram.
― Bill, Thursday, 22 September 2011 22:38 (twelve years ago) link
Been wanting to try Fernet in a cocktail for some time now so I made the Toronto:
2 oz. rye (I used Old Overholt).25 oz FB1/4 tsp. sugarDash angostura
Stir with ice, garnish with orange slice.
This is very good! The rye almost masks everything else but there's a nice Fernet bite that sneaks up on you when you swallow it. Would make again!
― queen latifah approximately (donna rouge), Tuesday, 4 October 2011 03:35 (twelve years ago) link
yeah the toronto is a great way to ease into fernet
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 4 October 2011 13:01 (twelve years ago) link
Has anyone made, or had drinks made with shrubs or gastriques? Sweetened vinegar
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/dining/vinegar-cocktails-are-making-the-rounds.html
I've read about and seen them mentioned a ton. I have yet to try, but def interested
― jaxon, Thursday, 13 October 2011 00:36 (twelve years ago) link
i had a shrub-based drink a few months ago at a restaurant. i guess i may not have been ready for the vinegar, and also imo the drink wasn't properly chilled, but i'm not rushing to try more.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 13 October 2011 00:46 (twelve years ago) link
here's a really nice, autumnal, sazerac-like drink that's hitting the spot for me tonite. super aromatics on this one.
applewood2 oz. applejackscant .5 oz. rich simple syrup1 tsp allspice dram2 dashes angostura2 dashes peychaud's
stir all with ice and strain into a chilled old fashioned glass that you've coated with laphroaig or something similar from the scotch shelf. garnish with freshly grated cinnamon.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 01:29 (twelve years ago) link
Speaking of, making my first real forays into the world of Scotch tonight: Glenfiddich 12-yr and Balvenie 15-yr.
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 03:43 (twelve years ago) link
what did you think of them? never had glenfiddich, have had some 12 year balvenie.
i have a soft spot for balvenie because they have a lot of ads in harper's.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 16:35 (twelve years ago) link
well i can't talk scotch talk like pros do, but i enjoyed both. the glenfiddich is crisp and a little fruity, the balvenie is kind of sweet/vanilla-y (but not like, cloyingly so), mellow at first but with a really long and strong finish.
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 16:54 (twelve years ago) link
apols if this was asked upthread but is there any appreciable difference taste-wise between applejack and, say, calvados?
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 16:57 (twelve years ago) link
Applejack is like apple whiskey, Calvados is like apple brandy. Applejack is rougher, and to me more recognizably apple-like.
You can substitute one for the other, in that they won't mess up the proportions of the drink - it'll be a different drink, but one that still works, just like you can make a sidecar with whiskey or an old-fashioned with brandy without much ruckus.
(The comparison works best when we're talking about Laird's bonded, though - Laird's blended is blended with neutral spirits, and has much less apple character. Unfortunately it's the only one carried in NH, but the bonded is only a buck or two more expensive.)
― Bill, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 17:21 (twelve years ago) link
thanks for also the answering the qn i had about blended v. bonded, seemed a bit difficult to find any info about the diff btwn the two
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
yeah laird's is a weird company--despite making a unique and incredibly great product they seem determined to not market it or provide any helpful information online.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
id been wondering abt all that stuff re calvados vs applejack because over here its so hard to get applejack! sounds like i need to keep trying tho
― just sayin, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
finally got some smith + cross & damn that is some nice rum
Smith and Cross is at the top of my refill list when I finally get paid at Thanksgiving. Man, that stuff.
Yeah, Laird's hasn't really jumped on board the cocktail revival train, have they? Hardly anyone else makes an applejack, and I don't think any of those that do have anything close to national distribution. Clear Creek's product is supposed to be good, but it's aiming to be an American Calvados, and it's substantially more expensive. Laird's is like Old Overholt - it's everywhere, it's good, it's a steal, but you have to stumble on it or hear about it.
Last night, one of my favorite things for this time of year - hot cider (of the nonalcoholic, unpasteurized kind) with a shot of rye.
― Bill, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 18:31 (twelve years ago) link
i made hot buttered rum with sailor jerry's last week
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 18:38 (twelve years ago) link
Old Money - http://www.tastingtable.com/multipart_element/national/731
2 oz rye (Redemption)1/2 oz Aperol"3/8 oz" (I'm sure I didn't hit the mark that precisely) Nux Alpina (I substituted homemade nocino)10 drops Angostura (I used Fee's WBA)3 drops allspice dram
This is a really nice autumnal drink. I don't really taste the Aperol at all - the combination of nocino and a hefty hit of Angostura is pretty strong.
― Bill, Thursday, 3 November 2011 00:05 (twelve years ago) link
that does sound nice. interesting that you mention not tasting the aperol--i've been meaning to mess around more with this formula that dave wondrich came up with which argues that aperol is a semi-universal cocktail binding agent: http://www.esquire.com/features/drinking/esquire-cocktail-formula-1110.
i have done the gin and drambuie one he recommends and it's pretty good!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 00:29 (twelve years ago) link
You know, I'm tempted to try that formula with Ransom Old Tom Gin, which I like in theory but have had trouble mixing.
― Bill, Thursday, 3 November 2011 00:31 (twelve years ago) link
10 drops Angostura is a lot. Does it not end up tasting overly like bitters? Maybe I am thinking dashes and not drops.
― mh, Thursday, 3 November 2011 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
you're thinking dashes--i'd say 10 drops is no more than a dash.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 00:48 (twelve years ago) link
and xp i've been reluctant to pick up ransom for the reason you mention--nontraditional gins kind of frighten me. also the same company makes small's gin which is the worst liquor i've ever purchased.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 00:50 (twelve years ago) link
Ransom is so weird and geeky. It's not that it's bad, but I'm not sure the initial premise of "hey, it's a transitional gin, neither this nor that," as appealingly nerdy as it is, lends itself to cocktails. For the price, I doubt I'll buy it again, but now that I have it ... it's certainly not bad, but beyond the basics, everything seems to either clash with or cover up its botanicals.
In other nontraditional gins, I haven't had many of the new modern gins with unusual botanicals like Bluecoat, Floraison, etc. Sort of curious, sort of worried the bottle will sit on the shelf forever. (Although I'm a big fan of Magellan and Citadelle, so it's not like I'm a staunch gin traditionalist either.)
― Bill, Thursday, 3 November 2011 01:36 (twelve years ago) link
i love that esquire article abt aperol, going to give some drinks a go tonight
― just sayin, Thursday, 3 November 2011 16:54 (twelve years ago) link
this slate article about the old-fashioned is a fun read:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drink/2011/11/the_old_fashioned_a_complete_history_and_guide_to_this_classic_c.html
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Thursday, 3 November 2011 17:01 (twelve years ago) link
i like that it also reads as an indictment of cocktail books!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
i flipped through that see mix drink book in the store yesterday--i have no idea what problem it thinks it's solving
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
i have the mr. boston book, which i make frequent use of, but it's the only cocktail-related book i own. i'd like to read more of the historical stuff, like the bitters book
― vitameatawalloginavegamin (donna rouge), Thursday, 3 November 2011 17:54 (twelve years ago) link
so i flipped through the bitters book yesterday too. it basically breaks down like this:
20 pages of bitters history16 recipes for bitterslots and lots of cocktail recipesa few recipes for cooking with bitters
i was hoping for a little more than another recipe book tbh
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 17:57 (twelve years ago) link
if you want history, read this (the only cocktail book i would ever straight up recommend): imbibe!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
Geez, NH just started carrying Branca Menta - they only just added Fernet Branca this summer. Is it worth picking up? Is it still an amaro, or just a creme de menthe?
― Bill, Thursday, 3 November 2011 21:54 (twelve years ago) link
i don't think i've ever had it in anything, but i'm pretty sure it's not just a creme de menthe and includes at least some of the bitter/herbal notes of its bro. maybe a more intense version of fernet branca's menthol blast? i'm not really a big mint guy so i've never been in a rush to check it out.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 November 2011 22:02 (twelve years ago) link
weirdly i'd never had an old fashioned (w/fruit or w/o) until a couple of weeks ago. kinda got me hooked on the whole idea of mixing and matching the spirit, sweetner and bitters. my two favorites are:
rum (2oz)coffee liqueur (1/2 oz)chocolate bitters (4 dashes).
this is in constant rotation (i'm also trying to finish some rums i don't love so i can buy smith and cross and a white rum)
this is kind of an old fashioned. had it a few times. the tabasco doesn't really affect the flavor that much, but it's hot as hell. tried it once w/tapatio and unfortunately it's more flavorful and less spicy, but in a negative way
2oz Rye1tsp Lime juice1tsp Simple syrup3ds Hot sauce, Tabasco
― jaxon, Sunday, 6 November 2011 03:20 (twelve years ago) link
in love with Leopold Brothers Gin (at least the straight taste test i had back to back with plymouth). from costco no less. haven't made any cocktails with it yet. i also got their maraschino for my bday. not sure how it compares to luxardo as i haven't had that, but i think it's pretty great.
― jaxon, Sunday, 6 November 2011 03:22 (twelve years ago) link
ok, who's got the best bloody mary mix recipe? haven't made them at home for a few years, but i'm doing it up on sat for gf's birthday brunch.
― this is unusual for batman. (Jordan), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 18:54 (twelve years ago) link
it's about getting the proportions of the holy trinity - Tabasco, Worcestershire, vodka - right. also: celery salt, horseradish, fresh lemon juice. you have to tinker. Pete Baran claims that gin is better than vodka but I think that may be one of his LIES.
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 18:59 (twelve years ago) link
yeah it's gonna be vodka (although my favorite is a place in town that uses chile tequila).
― this is unusual for batman. (Jordan), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 19:06 (twelve years ago) link
picked up a bottle of Suze on reco from this thread. was in paris duty free shop for $11 for 1 litre. have yet to try it, but was able to smell it at a bar. the young bartender told me how much he hated it. ha.
― jaxon, Wednesday, 16 November 2011 20:55 (twelve years ago) link
hey, at that price it's nbd if you hate it too!
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 17 November 2011 01:51 (twelve years ago) link
so i made this bitters-heavy concoction tonight:
http://www.kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/dons-little-bitter
i just bought some cruzan black strap so i used that instead of the barbancourt and i reduced the simple syrup a little since i figured the rum'd be pretty strong/sweet but drinking it now i realize i probably should've used the whole 1/2 oz, this drink is bitterrrr. but good! but strange! the fernet makes it so i don't know what the hell is going on in my mouth. and the angostura orange is surprisingly pronounced.
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 05:13 (twelve years ago) link
i've been meaning to make that! i have a little barbancourt left. it's a product of laziness since i would have to go retrieve all the bitters bottles from a cabinet to measure those quantities.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 31 January 2012 10:38 (twelve years ago) link
can i just say what a great little drink the monte carlo is? fairly basic as far as these things go but so so satisfying
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Saturday, 4 February 2012 07:22 (twelve years ago) link
In sydney last week at this great bar and had a toronto (rye, fernet, sugar bitters) and a treacle (basically a rum old fashioned w/ a v small float of apple juice)... Gonna be trying these both out at home
― just sayin, Saturday, 4 February 2012 16:38 (twelve years ago) link
made this tonight, subbed in simple syrup for demerara - good tho i have no point of comparison, never tried demerara syrup
http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2010/09/blackstrap-cynar-flip.html
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Saturday, 11 February 2012 06:50 (twelve years ago) link
just think sugar in the raw vs. regular white sugar and imagine a syrup made from both. you're missing a little depth of flavor and like a darker molasses thing but sweet is sweet to an extent.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 11 February 2012 15:25 (twelve years ago) link
I'm at home with my mom and last night I tried to make martinis with Hendricks gin. I measured out the gin and the vermouth, stirred it over ice, then put it in glasse with olives. We thought it tasted a bit strange, but thought maybe it was due to the Hendricks. When I went to make our second glass, I realized I never put in the vermouth. Result: Hendricks tastes quite good neat.
The previous evening I was making our second manhattans and ended up using grenadine instead of vermouth by mistake. And I wasn't even drunk. Tonight my mom is going to introduce me to blended whiskey--either manhattans her way (with Seagrams not rye) or 7 and 7s.
― Virginia Plain, Saturday, 11 February 2012 17:33 (twelve years ago) link
so we have this trader joe's spiced cranberry cider that no one really likes in the fridge. i took a cup of it and made a 1:1 syrup and i think it has some potential. didn't love it in an applejack old fashioned but tonight i made a sour with gin, lemon juice, and orange bitters and i'm enjoying it tbh.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 02:53 (twelve years ago) link
FINALLY got my mitts on laird's bonded and cointreau! whole new worlds
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:36 (twelve years ago) link
oh youre gonna love laird's bonded
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:38 (twelve years ago) link
you were OTM upthread about the shitty confusing label
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:51 (twelve years ago) link
yeah it's so shitty. i've grown to love it.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 16 February 2012 03:10 (twelve years ago) link
first order of business: jack rose. this is good! may cut back a bit on the lime next time tho.
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Thursday, 16 February 2012 04:37 (twelve years ago) link
finally bought pisco today. so delicious! pisco sours for everyone imo.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 21 February 2012 03:55 (twelve years ago) link
― tehresa, Tuesday, 21 February 2012 18:05 (twelve years ago) link
the Pisco Sour is a perfect cocktail
― I DIED, Tuesday, 21 February 2012 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
so warm weather means it's time to buy a fresh bottle of cocchi americano, imo. i wanted to share this really smart cocktail from the pdt cocktail book that doesn't call for anything weirder than fresh cocchi.
nouveau carre
1.5 oz. anejo tequila.75 oz. cocchi americano.25 oz. benedictine3 dashes peychauds
stir, strain, lemon twist
the original recipe uses lillet but i always sub cocchi for lillet these days. i also used reposado tequila and creole bitters (which i almost always sub for peychauds) and it's just a great drink, very harmonious and a bit refreshing while still being somewhat complex.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 01:57 (eleven years ago) link
So how different is cocchi from lillet? I have lillet, but no cocchi.
Got to admit I'm usually a tad suspicious of cocktail that call for anejo tequila, tbh, but I'll give this one a shot (so to speak).
We made whiskey smashes tonight, fwiw. Sort of a prettier mint julep.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 02:22 (eleven years ago) link
Love a good smash.
― tehresa, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 02:37 (eleven years ago) link
josh--re: the tequila, use reposado instead if you're unconvinced (tho i'm not sure why anejo is weird in a cocktail). blanco would prob be too overpowering.
cocchi has a pleasant bitter kick in its finish that is absent in current lillet. apparently cocchi matches very well with how lillet was formulated back in the 50s and 60s.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 02:46 (eleven years ago) link
I like anejo in cocktails! It just depends flavors you're looking for in a beverage.
― tehresa, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 02:52 (eleven years ago) link
I like a good anejo, but it's kind of a pricey spirit to mix. Relatively speaking, of course. I usually like to mix tequila cocktail with reposado, too, unless it's a color concern and silver is the way to go. Or big jugs of margaritas.
I recently made a Morning Glory #2, which was tasty:
1oz rye1 oz. brandy1/4 oz. orange liqueur1/4 oz. dememaradash peychaud'sdash angostura mix over ice for 20 seconds, strain into absinthe rinsed glass
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 12:03 (eleven years ago) link
CAD, I'm just seeing this thread now after all this time, but I know what you did wrong with your homemade grenadine from, um, two years ago. So, in the off chance you never figured it out, the trick is to reduce the pomegranate juice by half first, and then make the grenadine with a further 50% reduced 1:1 syrup:sugar mix. That is, boil the juice down by half to a syrup, double the volume with sugar, then boil down by half again. I made the same mistake you did the first time I did it, which tended to add color to drinks but little in the way of enough sweetness.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 16:11 (eleven years ago) link
i'm going to try that! i don't remember how many batches of grenadine i've made since then but i'm never really happy with it. thanks dude.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 17:13 (eleven years ago) link
what have yall been making?
i've been vibing on beers and wines a lot recently so less time for mixing but the game never ends. tonight, from a local restaurant, this is called fire in the orchard.
1.25 oz. bonded apple brandy.75 oz. cocchi americano.5 oz. pear liqueur.5 oz. lemon juice.25 oz. mezcal.25 oz. agave nectar (cut 1:1 with water, you can safely improvise on the sweetener)
shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:56 (eleven years ago) link
i haven't been making anything :(
― radical ferry (donna rouge), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:56 (eleven years ago) link
we just made a basil gimlet with fresh basil from our garden.
3–4 big leaves of fresh basil1.5 oz ginjuice of 1/2 lime3/4 oz sugar+water mixtureapprox 1 oz club soda
crush basil leaves at bottom of glass. add gin, lime juice. stir awhile. add sugar+water, club soda. shake vigorously. pour strained (somehow this works better). you can garnish with a little basil leaf and/or wedge of lime.
it's really important to crush the basil good, so the basil taste escapes into the drink.
yum.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 04:35 (eleven years ago) link
i'm a basil fan so the 2nd time around i added another 2 basil leaves. but that's just me.
good stuff.
― funny-skrillex-bee_132455836669.gif (s1ocki), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 04:36 (eleven years ago) link
call all destroyer where do you stand on the question of rye vs bourbon in an old fashioned. to put cards on the table I ask because this week I started making 'em with rye and I feel it is superior in this drink
― tallarico dreams (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Thursday, 26 July 2012 23:35 (eleven years ago) link
types of old fashioneds I have fashioned:
bourbonryerummezcaltequilabrandyarmagnac
ALL with delicious results
― I DIED, Thursday, 26 July 2012 23:55 (eleven years ago) link
aerosmith,
it's an excellent question. if i am mixing with american whiskey, it is going to be rye 90% of the time. bourbon manhattans, for example, are just not done around here.
that said, i probably make an even number of bourbon and rye old fashioneds. part of the reason is that an old fashioned is a great way to learn something about a new bottle of whiskey. other part is that a very austere old fashioned recipe can cooperate with even a very complex bourbon.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 27 July 2012 23:56 (eleven years ago) link
i happened upon some good-quality commercial raspberry syrup in the store last week and i've been hooked on this stupid little drink from the savoy cocktail book:
leave it to me (no. 2)
1.5 oz. gin1 tsp raspberry syrup1 tsp lemon juice1/3 tsp maraschino
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 02:21 (eleven years ago) link
Hi, long time thread fan here but I think I only posted once abt rum. I have finally started to stock a home bar, and I am super excited to try some of these recipes. Having experimented a bit now, I am confused by the drinks I've made with fresh squeezed lemon juice - it seems to overshadow everything else. Do I just have exceptionally strong lemons? Am I missing something? Mostly I've tried Manhassets:
1 1/2 oz whiskey1 1/2 tsp sweet vermouth1 1/2 tsp dry vermouth1 tbsp lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
But they are sooo lemony/tart that on my pro bartender friend's advice I have been adding some Harlequin to mellow it out. Are the proportions different when you use fresh?
Anyway, this thread is a great resource, thanks everybody. My tastes seem to run a lot sweeter than most people here, so maybe I will contribute some good dessert drinks soon.
― sleeve, Thursday, 13 December 2012 23:14 (eleven years ago) link
oh, here is another one that people have liked:
INCOME TAX:2 oz gin1/4 oz sweet vermouth1/4 oz dry vermouth1 oz orange juiceAngostura bitters to taste
Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes.Shake well.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.Garnish with the orange twist.
― sleeve, Thursday, 13 December 2012 23:16 (eleven years ago) link
was just thinking about this thread the other day. i've mostly been too broke to buy new bottles of anything so my liquor cabinet is kind of languishing right now
― curly moe shempsen (donna rouge), Thursday, 13 December 2012 23:47 (eleven years ago) link
i've been drinking more beer and doing more cooking, both of which kind of impede my desire to make cocktails. but i've been doing a bunch of recipes from ted haigh's book as a way of keeping in shape, so to speak. the algonquin is kind of amazing:
1.5 oz. rye.75 oz. dry vermouth.75 oz. pineapple juice
it comes out much different than you'd expect.
hi sleeve! glad you enjoy the thread. the proportions in that manhasset receipe are...interesting, and eyeballing it i'm not shocked that it tastes too tart. basically all drink recipes are calibrated for fresh juice, so i'm thinking what you're experiencing is a combination of your personal taste (which might skew a little to the sweet side) and some drinks that are not quite in balance.
have you ever made a really simple sour--like a daiquiri or a whiskey sour--and figured out what proportions you like?
― call all destroyer, Friday, 14 December 2012 05:10 (eleven years ago) link
I've done whiskey and pineapple juice, but not with vermouth! Sounds interesting.
― mh, Friday, 14 December 2012 15:25 (eleven years ago) link
Lemon-phobes should learn how to make the Corpse Reviver #2, the best anytime cocktail, ever.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 December 2012 15:32 (eleven years ago) link
― mh, Friday, December 14, 2012 10:25 AM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
the sweetness of the pineapple juice magically disappears, it's weird
― call all destroyer, Friday, 14 December 2012 15:34 (eleven years ago) link
Hi cad! Yeah, I think the problem is in the Manhasset recipe proportions - I made a Jack Rose last night with the fresh lemon and it was perfect. That's what I get for using some random Mr. Boston's recipe.
I can't make Corpse Revivers yet b/c I don't have Lillet Blanc or absinthe, they are next on the list. Tried to fake it w/anisette and vermouth but it was not that good.
― sleeve, Friday, 14 December 2012 15:47 (eleven years ago) link
You can do it without the absinthe, I think. Usually only calls for a couple of drops. And Lillet Blanc is great for a couple of reasons:
1) cheap2) you can drink it on its own, too
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 December 2012 15:58 (eleven years ago) link
yeah i don't think 4 drops of anisette vs. 4 drops of absinthe would materially harm the drink, you can also omit completely.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 14 December 2012 16:01 (eleven years ago) link
OK, I gotta get to a wine store and find that stuff (Lillet). Oregon has really stupid & tightly controlled state liquor laws, so it's not in the liquor stores.
oh also I got some Noilly Prat sweet yesterday and my regular manhattan was a hell of a lot better, thread delivers the knowledge.
― sleeve, Friday, 14 December 2012 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
Sleeve: If you're in Portland, I've started to see Lillet Blanc showing up at a few liquor stores (along with various other aperitif wines, incl. Cocchi Americano which makes a great Corpse Reviver). I guess OLCC is loosening their restrictions? Have seen it at some Whole Foods too.
― Ari (whenuweremine), Friday, 14 December 2012 16:32 (eleven years ago) link
I'm in Eugene, but that is good news regardless, thanks.
― sleeve, Friday, 14 December 2012 16:41 (eleven years ago) link
hey c.a.d. this one is for you, I saw it at my fave restaurant last night and thought of you.
HIGH-LOW SPLIT1 oz Old Granddad bonded1 oz cynar3/4 oz lemon juice1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
I got the proportions, but forgot to ask about shake vs. stir and garnish. Only one web search result, which doesn't tell me. The search result uses grapefruit bitters instead of lemon juice.
― sleeve, Thursday, 3 January 2013 18:34 (eleven years ago) link
that's gotta be shaken imo.
cool-sounding drink, i think i am out of passion fruit syrup but i really want to get some more to try it.
― an eagle named "small government" (call all destroyer), Friday, 4 January 2013 04:12 (eleven years ago) link
ok I have come up with my own concoction just because we've been mixing drinks for a while now so I thought why not. It probably is already a drink by a different name but maybe not. at any rate we had one earlier, it was delightful, I made another round tonight to check and it's a winner imo. It's called the Red Ghost, red because I expected it to be reddish though it really isn't and ghost because I like ghosts. As you might guess the main inspiration was "I have this pomegranate liqueur that's been in the fridge for a while let me try to make up a drink with it," you could probably substitute any tart liqueur and still get the Red Ghost
1.5 oz rye1.5 oz red vermouth (I used Dolin's, I swear by that stuff)1 oz pomegranate liqueur (this stuff, however nb if you're feeling ridiculously resourceful the #2 hit on "pomegranate liqueur" is a recipe for making it yourself1 oz lemon juice2 dashes bitters
combine all in shaker with ice. shake and strain into very deeply chilled glass and enjoy!
― available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 00:44 (eleven years ago) link
apologies for unclosed parenthesis above, I've been drinking red ghosts
― available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 00:46 (eleven years ago) link
argh you're going to make me go buy pama tomorrow aren't you
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 00:49 (eleven years ago) link
it will sit in your refrigerator for a long time between uses but this is a lovely little drink. like a whiskey sour with more depth. something about how super-cold the glasses were was a big plus too, the red ghost must be cold as the grave
― available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 00:59 (eleven years ago) link
yeah, gotta freeze yr glasses imo
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 02:21 (eleven years ago) link
I actually just discovered last night that PAMA works as an effective substitute for grenadine (for some reason I never knew that grenadine is traditionally made with pomegranate). Made a couple of Ward Eights, which is basically a spin on a whiskey sour:
2 oz. rye (I used Redemption)3/4 oz. lemon juice3/4 oz. orange juice1 tsp. PAMAcherry garnish (these)
― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 02:36 (eleven years ago) link
like a whiskey sour with more depth
Ha, I didn't even read that bit.
Red Ghost sound good -- though I'll have to pick up that vermouth.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 02:37 (eleven years ago) link
My girlfriend made us these tonight. It's not really tropical drink season yet, but we had some pineapple left over from making fruit salad. They was good.
The Pineapple Trainwreck
1 1/2 oz. aged rum1 1/2 oz. fresh pineapple juice3/4 oz. ginger syrup1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice1 dash each Angostura and Peychaud’s bittersShake and strain over fresh ice.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 02:41 (eleven years ago) link
xp Oh, and it looks like jaxon posted about Ward Eights two years ago.
Hi, I have never read this thread before.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 02:42 (eleven years ago) link
We have almost bought PAMA a few times, probably should.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 02:43 (eleven years ago) link
How come there's no thread where people invent cocktails based on/in honor of ILX ppl? Huh? HOW COME????
― dell (del), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 05:09 (eleven years ago) link
Aero's drink is similat to the scofflaw:
http://12bottlebar.com/2010/10/the-scofflaw/
― Sadly, 99.99 percent of sheeple will never wake up (I DIED), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 14:55 (eleven years ago) link
I got a bottle of Ransom Old Tom Gin recently which has more of a spicy flavor than regular gin.
This recipe for a Martinez has a very smooth cinnamon flavor.
2 oz Ransom Old Tom gin3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur1/4 oz Sweet VermouthDash of bittersLemon Twist
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add lemon twist.
― Moodles, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 15:21 (eleven years ago) link
those are interesting martinez proportions--usually iirc it's made with a good slug of vermouth and much less maraschino
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 15:24 (eleven years ago) link
Very happy that they're starting to sell Carpano Antica in small bottles!
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 16:37 (eleven years ago) link
they are?? that's tremendous news.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 16:56 (eleven years ago) link
will buy!
― sleeve, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 17:10 (eleven years ago) link
I have been working through some of the genever recipes in this thread, damn that One-Armed French Hooker is good.
― sleeve, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 17:11 (eleven years ago) link
xpost They are! Bought one at Binny's, maybe ... $16?
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 18:58 (eleven years ago) link
man cad this thread is so good. hope to toast your health someday face to face
― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:21 (eleven years ago) link
i'm glad it's been useful to ppl and likewise on the toast!
totally forgot i have some pretty good grenadine here so i will be doing a red ghost trial run later on.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:30 (eleven years ago) link
update: yeah, i could knock back a few of these. big, bold-flavored drink.
something funny always seems to happen when vermouth (esp. sweet vermouth) and citrus interact. the end result is not always successful (though i think it is here) but it is always memorable. i used a healthy slug of boker's bitters (aka the bitterest of bitters i have) which gave it some nice depth.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 02:48 (eleven years ago) link
I am so pleased! yesterday I brewed a cup of oolong tea and then forgot that I'd done so (this happens a lot in my busy house) and so I put it in the fridge and used it to improvise a drink at dinner time. I don't think the drink is quite ready for prime time yet but it was 1.5 oz gin, 1 oz of this stuff - I think more tea is actually what it needs, that was a delightful flavor, and maybe a rim the glass with a cherry
― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 12:27 (eleven years ago) link
Have any of you actually had vermouth turn? I know it can, esp. since a lot of people don't refrigerate it, but I keep my bottles vacuum sealed and so far seem to be OK, even after a few months. Though per CAD, every once in a while I'll make a drink with vermouth and something seems to be off, but then when I try to replicate the (bad) results, the next drink turns out OK.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 15:50 (eleven years ago) link
old-ish sweet vermouth is not usually that bad. dry vermouth turns amazingly quickly though. usually when i buy a new bottle of either i do a quick taste compare to the old bottle just to remind me of the difference. i don't think either will murder a drink where there are a decent amount of other ingredients (and the vermouth is more of a supporting player), but if you're making martinis or manhattans and have any doubt it's best to buy a fresh bottle.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 15:58 (eleven years ago) link
ok damn I found a bottle of st. germaine and grabbed it and the first thing I mixed was that there Paris Manhattan only I used the only vermouth I had to hand - again, Doulin's red - too sweet. but then I mixed a Jim Rose from that wordpress link. FUCKIN A THAT IS AN A+ DRINK, just beautiful. used Pama instead of the homemade grenadine recipe but man oh man...I will be revisiting this drink. It helps that we have a local applejack that's just a terrific mixer.
― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Saturday, 16 March 2013 02:34 (eleven years ago) link
Imagining a version of the kids in the hall "girl drink drunk" sketch right now, but it's mixologist drinks and this fellow here is someday dodging offstage during a show and yelling questions about whether anyone has orange bitters or the right brand of vermouth from the green room after running off mid-set
― ☠ ☃ ☠ (mh), Saturday, 16 March 2013 05:17 (eleven years ago) link
it's my birthday so I ad-libbed another cocktail and I think it's my best riff yet. I based it on this, but the Amaro I have has been around a while, I'm sure it's ~ok~ but I wanted something really good and I'd made if I do say so myself a spectacular soup for dinner (seriously) so I just went for it
the 3161.5 oz rye plus a tiny bit extra1/4 oz luxardo2 dashes celery bitters
generously rim chilled glass with lime; squeeze remainder into shaker with rye, luxardo and bitters. shake vigorously with ice and strain.
― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Sunday, 17 March 2013 00:53 (eleven years ago) link
i haven't been following this thread as much i should be. i'm always on the lookout for quality cocktails.
― my cat is an eliane radigue (get bent), Sunday, 17 March 2013 00:55 (eleven years ago) link
let it be known that my mom cosigns on the jim rose
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 17 March 2013 23:46 (eleven years ago) link
so inspired by the Jim Rose that I bought pomegranate molasses so I could make the crazy homemade grenadine recipe in the link.
― sleeve, Sunday, 17 March 2013 23:55 (eleven years ago) link
i had to open a bottle of port to make stew tonight, so i set about looking for some port cocktails. this is called elk's own, from the beta cocktails book:
1.5 oz. bourbon.5 oz. ruby port.5 oz. lemon juice.5 oz. simple syrup.25 oz. cynaregg whitenux alpina walnut liqueur rinse
shake and double-strain as appropriate for egg drinks into a rinsed rocks glass. this was really tasty.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 20 March 2013 02:59 (eleven years ago) link
If I wanted to spend, say $100, and get 3-4 bottles of spirits as a gift for a friend who wanted to start in the mixology game...what would you guys recc?? This person always has gin, rum, vodka, etc., on hand. Also, any particular book to recc on the subject?
― I wish every slot machine had EAT THE RICH printed on it (Crabbits), Monday, 29 April 2013 03:22 (ten years ago) link
so you don't need to get them gin, rum, vodka as they have those? I'd almost get them sweet/dry vermouth, a nice tonic water, some uncommon but very mixable juices (pineapple?) and maybe a bitters or two. and some whiskey and maybe a strainer.
― mh, Monday, 29 April 2013 03:40 (ten years ago) link
^^^all good advice.
this site here: http://12bottlebar.com/ is pretty smart about building a small bar. in addition to what mh recommended, the next two most useful things would prob be an orange liqueur and maraschino.
re: books, david wondrich's imbibe! is the most useful book if you want to understand cocktails from the ground up. but it takes some patience since it's more like 40% recipes and 60% amusing history. ted haigh's vintage spirits and forgotten cocktails, gary regan's book, and dale degroff's books are also v. good.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 29 April 2013 11:26 (ten years ago) link
only one mention of the boulevardier itt. for shame
― cozen, Sunday, 17 November 2013 17:55 (ten years ago) link
just had a few of those last night. really good! I need more campari around the house.
― chinavision!, Sunday, 17 November 2013 18:55 (ten years ago) link
Made a boulevardier a couple weeks ago, and the smokiness of it gave me the thought of making a negroni with genever replacing the gin. Worked real well; I used Aperol and Cocchi Americano like I usually do for the negroni family of drinks (Aperol+Cocchi+soda is a great summer drink, I think it's called an Americano). The equal parts ratio tends to be too sweet for my taste, so I generally do 3-2-2 in favor of the spirit.
― Ari (whenuweremine), Sunday, 17 November 2013 19:26 (ten years ago) link
what should I do w/this anejo especial
― cozen, Friday, 22 November 2013 20:27 (ten years ago) link
made an equal-parts boulevardier with nice ingredients tonight (stagg jr., carpano antica, and of course campari). i am pleased.
re: anejo especial, you should prob just do everything with it. i really wish we had havana club here.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 23 November 2013 03:08 (ten years ago) link
Oh man I have made so many cocktails since I last posted itt.
― jaymc, Friday, 27 June 2014 04:07 (nine years ago) link
do tell!
― call all destroyer, Friday, 27 June 2014 13:35 (nine years ago) link
jaymc doesn't cock and tail.
― Jeff, Monday, 28 July 2014 00:25 (nine years ago) link
I made a negroni tonight. I liked it! I drink about 4 cocktails a year.
― Jeff, Monday, 28 July 2014 00:26 (nine years ago) link
not a bad choice for one of the four.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 28 July 2014 00:32 (nine years ago) link
I'd make more, but I need simple simple recipes. Got not time for fussy cocktails. This was pretty easy.
― Jeff, Monday, 28 July 2014 00:39 (nine years ago) link
RANDOM NIP COCKTAIL CHALLENGE #2
(random nip cocktail challenge #1 already happened but i forgot to post live about it. some time ago i received a bunch of random nips, and i am using them in heretofore untested ways).
random nip #2 was smirnoff 100-proof espresso vodka. i have stirred it with some dry vermouth, a dash of peychaud's bitters (actually bitter truth creole bitters but same thing), and some ferrand dry curacao. the undercurrent of mocha (the actual flavor of the nip) is pretty hard to escape. this is not vile but not a very good cocktail.
random nip #1, for the record, was fireball cinnamon whiskey, shaken with lemon juice, some grade b maple syrup, and a dash of angostura orange. that one was pretty good.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 14 November 2014 23:56 (nine years ago) link
Oh man I have made so many cocktails since I last posted itt.― jaymc, Thursday, June 26, 2014 11:07 PM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalinkdo tell!― call all destroyer, Friday, June 27, 2014 8:35 AM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― jaymc, Thursday, June 26, 2014 11:07 PM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― call all destroyer, Friday, June 27, 2014 8:35 AM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
OK, I'll show:http://instagram.com/jk_cocktails/
(Sorry for the dumb Instagram filters.)
― jaymc, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 04:15 (nine years ago) link
very nice! it's an addictive hobby tbh.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 15:58 (nine years ago) link
I want to get this, though I'm pretty sure if I buy a liquid nitrogen dewar I'll wind up killing myself somehow.
http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Intelligence-Science-Perfect-Cocktail-ebook/dp/B00J8R3KOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419436813&sr=8-1&keywords=Liquid+Intelligence
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 16:01 (nine years ago) link
I just bought this: http://thirstyinla.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/death-and-co-book.jpg
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 16:12 (nine years ago) link
I got into this a bit in 2014 - now I have a cupboard full of bottles but have also realised that 90% of the time what I want to make is an Americano.
― ticket to rmde (seandalai), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 16:21 (nine years ago) link
Coffee?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 16:29 (nine years ago) link
It's a proto-Negroni: I use equal parts Campari, Carpano Antica and sparkling water, plus orange bitters and a big ice cube.
― ticket to rmde (seandalai), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 17:17 (nine years ago) link
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/cocktail-recipes/
― Jeff, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 20:23 (nine years ago) link
I've also been getting into Negroni variations, I made this one tonight and it was tasty:
Nerina1¼ ounces Plymouth gin1¼ ounces Meletti amaro1¼ ounces Punt e Mes sweet vermouth1 orange twist, for garnish
― Vote in the ILM EOY Poll! (seandalai), Saturday, 10 January 2015 00:34 (nine years ago) link
That sounds good. I've been wanting Punt e Mes for a long time but am kind of into just having a bottle of Cocchi di Torino around, and the idea of getting a second bottle of sweet vermouth makes me feel a little bit like http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-on-internet-almost-falls-into-world-of-diy-mus,17013/
― Tove Lo Tove You Baby (jaymc), Wednesday, 21 January 2015 05:14 (nine years ago) link
Negroni variations are great, though. Esp. if you keep it to the 1:1:1 proportions. Spirit:amaro:aromatized wine. You can do so much with that combo.
― Tove Lo Tove You Baby (jaymc), Wednesday, 21 January 2015 05:16 (nine years ago) link
I'm starting to feel more comfortable with winging it. Started to make a Ward 8 tonight and realized I was out of lemons, so I just used half-lime/half-grapefruit instead. Also, the orange was a blood orange. Wasn't really a Ward 8, but it was a pretty good drink. Also, now I'm just randomly sipping on 2 parts Cynar, 1 part bourbon.
― Tove Lo Tove You Baby (jaymc), Wednesday, 21 January 2015 05:18 (nine years ago) link
― Tove Lo Tove You Baby (jaymc), Wednesday, January 21, 2015 12:14 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
just go through sweet vermouth fast enough that you can alternate between the two.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 21 January 2015 18:13 (nine years ago) link
This is my second year of making bitters - I mostly drink bitters + soda through the warmer months, and got into it after buying a ton of Regan's Orange and Fee Brothers and Scrappy's to try alongside the standard Angostura. This year I mixed up this super bright pink and sour blend of cranberry, hibiscus/sorrel/flor de Jamaica, and pink grapefruit that is so good on its own - thinking about what liquor to try it with beside vodka. Gin, tequila maybe. I also made up a floral blend of elderflower, jasmine, and lavendar with meyer lemon and green tea to bitter it that is perfect with gin.
― Jaq, Wednesday, 21 January 2015 19:11 (nine years ago) link
Wow sounds awesome! I'm a fan of bitters + soda.
― seandalai, Wednesday, 21 January 2015 22:11 (nine years ago) link
(makes mental note to visit Jaq soon)
― the top 40 is just the sound of autotuned crying (sleeve), Wednesday, 21 January 2015 22:11 (nine years ago) link
Are you coming up for the pop conf, sleeve? An ILX bitters tasting might be in order.
― Jaq, Wednesday, 21 January 2015 23:35 (nine years ago) link
thinking about it!
― the top 40 is just the sound of autotuned crying (sleeve), Thursday, 22 January 2015 00:45 (nine years ago) link
Negroni with Bonal instead of sweet vermouth = fantastic.
― Tove Lo Tove You Baby (jaymc), Saturday, 24 January 2015 04:56 (nine years ago) link
Easy out of the gloom cocktail I made for friends yesterday: The Rumble (devised by Paul McGee, apparently).
1 1/12 white rum3/4 lemon3/4 simple syrupShake with ice and pour over icefloat 1/2 oz creme de cassisgarnish with mint spring (recipe calls for blackberry as well, but nah)
It's really pretty, too. If I were Prince I would call it the Purple Sunset.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 24 January 2015 14:13 (nine years ago) link
I had a craving for drinks with fresh ginger, googled up a few recipes, and had a Southern Baptist (rye, ginger syrup, lime) this afternoon. Started a batch of ginger liqueur (brandy base) and have a lot of ginger syrup available for more experiments now.
― WilliamC, Sunday, 25 January 2015 22:52 (nine years ago) link
Sounds nice, WmC. I'd like to play around with homemade syrups more; so far, I've only bothered with simple syrup and pomegranate syrup (i.e., grenadine). But occasionally I see a cocktail recipe that calls for something like ginger syrup or pineapple syrup, and I skip over it, just because I don't want to spend the time. (Not that those would be especially laborious, but when I'm scanning recipes, it's usually because I want a drink at that moment.)
Btw, I finally did buy Punt e Mes, and it's great.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 11 March 2015 05:57 (nine years ago) link
Got the Death & Co. book for my birthday -- it's excellent. Kind of a How to Cook Everything for cocktails. Even if you don't bother with the specific recipes that call for, like, Suze and cacao-nib-infused Campari, it's a great resource for the home mixologist.
― jaymc, Friday, 10 April 2015 21:08 (eight years ago) link
i agree, really good book. even the dorky parts about running the bar are good.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 10 April 2015 21:12 (eight years ago) link
Ha, yes.
― jaymc, Friday, 10 April 2015 21:24 (eight years ago) link
cacao-nib-infused Campari
totally gonna try this
― sleeve, Friday, 10 April 2015 21:48 (eight years ago) link
so i have a lot of bourbon that has been given to me as gifts over the years and some of it is of varying quality. typically i just like my bourbon neat but the lower quality bottles i've received are not really ideal for that. i don't know shit about cocktails apart from the fact that i enjoy good ones that are made for me. but i'd like to learn how to make a few and i figure that i could use up some of this bourbon i have. i realize that my cocktails are only going to be as good as the bourbon i'm using but i still feel like the shittier bourbon i have would be better off used in a cocktail than sipped neat. what are some good entry-level drinks to start on?
― marcos, Wednesday, 22 July 2015 13:47 (eight years ago) link
old-fashioned and manhattans
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 22 July 2015 13:56 (eight years ago) link
um, revive?
I have:
some OK tequilasome OK bourbonsome OK vodkasome not OK trashy-ass triple secsome ouzo
and:
some sparkling h20 (not as bubbly as soda, but y'know)some DC tap watersome diet coke, which I won't touch so we can ignore thissome, like, jams that I could mix with some h20?some vinegar
also:
some thai basilsome lime leavesa cucumbersome tomatoestarragonthymeuhsome thai peppers (hot hot)some lemongrasssome gingerhang on
some pomegranate molasseswide assortment of spices--reasonable chance I have it if you can name itumcoconut milkcat poopvarious vinegarswait let me do one more check of fridge and pantryrose and orange blossom watervarious dried fruits
various fermented fish things
I do NOT have: citrus, wine, adult supervision
also a little tipsy
but I have no next dring
please help
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 00:54 (eight years ago) link
OH WAIT half a pineapple
vitamix
low self esteem
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 00:56 (eight years ago) link
Really, ilx?
s'cool. I blended up shit from my garden in the vitamix, gonna add some booze and sell it for like 10 bux per 8 oz
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 02:04 (eight years ago) link
aw wish i cd help a tipsy ilxor outbut i'm not much of a cocktail person(& when i go for cocktails tend to be v simple ones)here's one i can't vouch for but found on the web & i think fits yr ingredients: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/08/drinking-in-season-basil-and-lime-cooler-vodka-highball-recipe.html
― drash, Saturday, 1 August 2015 02:19 (eight years ago) link
sorry, i am just seeing this!
uh, vodka, sparkling h2o, lime leaves, muddled ginger, coconut milk, lots of ice?
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 1 August 2015 02:21 (eight years ago) link
OK, thx drash and CAD!
Gonna do this and poorly liveblog
Gotta finish this healthy blood mary first
do I throw lime leaves into blender or should I like make a simple syrup with lime leave and ginger and tha thai basil which I gre myself thankuvery much
answered my q, thanking u, will report back
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 02:51 (eight years ago) link
quick and dirty way wld be muddle grated ginger and leaves with simple syrup, then add vodka and coconut milk (just a bit prob), shake w/ice and fill w/soda.
i have no clue how this would actually taste but seems reasonable enough.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 1 August 2015 02:59 (eight years ago) link
I am a little iffy on the vodka b/c normally I choose anythig BUT vodka--but wtf I go for it
I am so sad no lime b/c this would seem so duh but I no gonn leave my house for lime at this moment
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:17 (eight years ago) link
yeah w/o any citrus i'm reaching a bit
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:18 (eight years ago) link
OK ginger (thin slice and thankfully not inclurig any finger) muddled with lime leaf in simple syrup and taste nice, however I should have said that reqirement is drank served UP ( I DIED knows how I feel about ice in my drank) so I dunno how it will go shaken w/vodka and coconut milk (and maybe some lemograss bc why not I have it) anyway and then served up; worried it will be weak sauce but will report back. Aslo I am going to find a star anice in cubbord bc why not
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:29 (eight years ago) link
but the thing is in the works. Maybe awesome idk
also I was just dancing to courntey luv song in my kigchen so maybe not best drink critique atm
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:31 (eight years ago) link
please report backintrigued by thai ingredients cocktailspeaking of courtney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgOMPVTV0X4
― drash, Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:39 (eight years ago) link
OK i just watched that and now I feel like makig a "coctail" makes no sense because clearly cocktail has not helped a courtney< I dont think
but this shit is middling so it is gonna end up shaken with coconut in fancy glass so sorry courtney, my drank better and sorry u
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:48 (eight years ago) link
6 kaffir lime leaves4x 1/8 inch slices ginger from double thumb size knobscant tsp thin-slice lemongrass1 "arm" from one star anise (no seed, just lil arm)2 Tbs (1:1) simple syrup
muddled, then sitting while I figure out next move
next move will be vodka and coconut milk, proporions tbd, may be a tragic mistake, shaken and served up because I don't do ice in cocktils
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 04:02 (eight years ago) link
To the above, I sloshed in some cocnut milk (the good brand not the knock of chockosn whateves brown an kind) and som vodka (titos), which Inever have because why vodka when good booze available)
shaky shaky shaky with ice then strained into a martin glass.
first sip was like "whoah this is like sauce from third rate thai take out
it tasted like blatant thai flavors
I added some fancy ass bitters that are allspicy and some pepper
Now is OK
G'night
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Saturday, 1 August 2015 04:31 (eight years ago) link
ชนแก้ว
― drash, Saturday, 1 August 2015 05:02 (eight years ago) link
let's try 77 cocktails: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/cocktail-recipes/
― davey, Tuesday, 4 August 2015 08:18 (eight years ago) link
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/dining/sasha-petraske-dies-at-42-bar-owner-milk-and-honey.html
― controversial but fabulous (I DIED), Friday, 21 August 2015 20:34 (eight years ago) link
I searched this thread to share a recipe and feel weird about doing so directly after a link to the obit of the guy who's largely responsible for people thinking about cocktails more than they had prior to the late 90s but, well, lemme raise this outstanding drink to Sasha Petraske. It was a "I want a bourbon drink, what have I got lying around" attempt and it's kind of spectacular imo
1.5 oz + a little of good bourbonjuice of 1/2 lemon2 shakes orange bittersa few drops poured from a bottle of maple syrup
chill glass, shake everything together with ice, strain
I don't have a name for it, it's just really really good
― tremendous crime wave and killing wave (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Sunday, 23 August 2015 22:11 (eight years ago) link
love bourbon and maple, great combo. maple syrup in general is something where i'm always like why don't i use this more
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 23 August 2015 23:17 (eight years ago) link
http://www.theperfectlyhappyman.com/uploads/founders-canadian-breakfast-stout.jpg
― Jeff, Sunday, 23 August 2015 23:41 (eight years ago) link
hey who put beer in the cocktails thread!
― call all destroyer, Monday, 24 August 2015 00:15 (eight years ago) link
yeah, i don't see maple syrup in a whole lot of cocktail recipes, but it does seem like a natural pair with bourbon. last time i used it, i think, was in a riff on the alpine rabbit, which is bourbon, carrot juice, lemon juice, walnut liqueur, and simple syrup. i replaced the last two ingredients with maple syrup, and it worked out pretty well.
― jaymc, Monday, 24 August 2015 00:45 (eight years ago) link
actually, it would probably be really good with applejack/calvados, too.
― jaymc, Monday, 24 August 2015 00:46 (eight years ago) link
I didn't have much around the house this week except bourbon, limes, and soda water (I was drinking a lot of mojitos because it's been so hot but then I ran out of rum) so I've been making bourbon rickeys and they are a tasty and very easy summer drink imo
― marcos, Monday, 24 August 2015 02:08 (eight years ago) link
lol carrot juice, i will have to try that
― call all destroyer, Monday, 24 August 2015 02:13 (eight years ago) link
This sounds like the worst cocktail ever, and I'm not even sure it's intentional:
This is a delicate drink inspired by our generation’s most sensitive poet/rapper/singer.3 oz Moët Rosé Impérial1 oz Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita1 5-Hour Energy (any flavor)5 oz Sprite1. Pour chilled rosé and Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita into a wine glass.2. Add 5-Hour Energy and gently stir.3. Top with Sprite.
3 oz Moët Rosé Impérial1 oz Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita1 5-Hour Energy (any flavor)5 oz Sprite
1. Pour chilled rosé and Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita into a wine glass.2. Add 5-Hour Energy and gently stir.3. Top with Sprite.
http://luckypeach.com/recipes/drake/
― conditional random jepsen (seandalai), Tuesday, 2 February 2016 01:21 (eight years ago) link
― just sayin, Tuesday, 2 February 2016 03:57 (eight years ago) link
you think a drink with Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita in it.... might be accidentally bad?
― just sayin, Tuesday, 2 February 2016 03:58 (eight years ago) link
How hit and miss are your cocktails? How often is something you dream up spot-on and how often are you like, “That’s so disgusting, no one’s going to drink that”?[Laughs] Some time they’re too disgusting, but often—well, I wouldn’t put it in the book if I thought it was too disgusting. Although there are some I haven’t actually tried. There’re a couple that are just for laughs.
― just sayin, Tuesday, 2 February 2016 04:01 (eight years ago) link
From the election thread:
The Short-Fingered Vulgarian:
1 oz Cranberry juice2 oz vodka1/2 oz Bud Lite1/2 oz chocolate syrup 1oz lime juiceshake with crushed ice for 10 seconds, serve unstrained in a rocks glass emblazoned with the words "Who Farted?"garnish with a glow stick
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, March 4, 2016 10:22 AM
― nickn, Friday, 4 March 2016 23:33 (eight years ago) link
I had a Cayo Romano last week (light rum, dark rum, ginger liqueur, fresh orange, fresh lime, angostura bitters, allspice dram, nutmeg grated on top) and it was the best cocktail I've had in forever. The only thing I don't have in the house to make my own is the allspice dram, so I started a batch of that yesterday.
― aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuu (melting robot) (WilliamC), Thursday, 22 December 2016 20:40 (seven years ago) link
oooh that sounds delicious! I'm recently back from Dominica with some local rums; they are not exactly sipping straight stuff, so working them into a nice cocktail will be U&K. How was the drink served--rocks, up?
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Thursday, 22 December 2016 20:52 (seven years ago) link
I'm obsessed with celery/gin and dill/gin cocktails right now. PLZ TO SUGGEST THINGS
― kurt schwitterz, Thursday, 22 December 2016 21:01 (seven years ago) link
xpostUp. The one I had was tiny and gone too fast, but multiples weren't in the budget that night.
1 oz. dark aged rum1 oz. silver rum1 oz. ginger liqueur, such as Canton3⁄4 oz. fresh lime juice3⁄4 oz. fresh orange juice1 dash allspice pimento dram (optional)1 dash Angostura bittersFreshly grated nutmeg and superfine sugar, to taste
No sugar in the one I had, I'm glad to say. Enough sweetness in the OJ and allspice dram.
― aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuu (melting robot) (WilliamC), Thursday, 22 December 2016 21:02 (seven years ago) link
Yeah I feel like most rum reads sweetish to me anyway, no need for additional sugar. I avoid ice in my dranks so up is the best answer, always.
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Thursday, 22 December 2016 21:04 (seven years ago) link
― kurt schwitterz, Thursday, December 22, 2016 4:01 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i remember this being fun:
celeriac2 oz Gin3/4 oz Pineapple Juice3/4 oz Lemon Juice1/2 oz 2:1 Simple Syrup4 dash Celery Bitters1 Egg White
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 December 2016 22:08 (seven years ago) link
xxp hell yeah WmC, that sounds great
― sleeve, Thursday, 22 December 2016 22:16 (seven years ago) link
i picked up the smuggler's cove book more b/c it was cheap on amazon and seemed like an interesting read than b/c i planned on starting to make more tiki drinks, but it's got some really good practical guidance. in addition to the very useful approach to categorizing rum, it's the first book i've read that strongly advocates for the use of a drink mixer/spindle blender as both the original and correct way to make donn and vic drinks. i picked one up for about 25 bucks and it opens a lot of doors that a conventional blender doesn't imo.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 23 January 2017 01:51 (seven years ago) link
oh cool. i have the book and have made a few of the drinks, but i feel like i'm still kind of an amateur when it comes to tiki, and part of that's not having the right equipment. like, with any recipe that calls for crushed ice, i just use mini cubes. glad that you've found the drink mixer to be worthwhile!
― Wozniak on Kimye's Baby (jaymc), Monday, 23 January 2017 02:06 (seven years ago) link
also, the rum categorization is interesting, though some of it feels counterintuitive to me. like, it's odd that appleton estate signature blend is in the same category as plantation 3 year, even if both are technically "blended, lightly aged" rums.
― Wozniak on Kimye's Baby (jaymc), Monday, 23 January 2017 02:11 (seven years ago) link
the idea behind the system seems super-useful, though. i found rum cocktails (not just tiki) kind of hard to get into at first because i never knew how important it was to have the specific rum a recipe called for.
― Wozniak on Kimye's Baby (jaymc), Monday, 23 January 2017 02:13 (seven years ago) link
yeah i feel like that's what they're trying to get around. i'm with you in that some of the rums that share a category don't really seem related (i'd never confuse appleton reserve and el dorado 12), but i do think it gives the knowledgable amateur ammo to go the store and pick a solid mid-priced rum in each category.
disclaimer on crushed ice, i've had and used the waring pro ice crusher the book recommends for years and apparently it's been discontinued which really sucks. for me, sticking the drink mixer right next to the ice crusher lets me handle the whole ice and mixing portion of the recipe in about a minute, and the cleanup is a world away from washing out an entire blender container because you felt like making one or two drinks.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 23 January 2017 02:31 (seven years ago) link
I've held off on all this stuff because I don't love rum enough to buy four different expensive bottles upfront before I make anything
― Headphone Jack (seandalai), Monday, 23 January 2017 11:31 (seven years ago) link
but I do like it when other people make me tiki cocktails :)
i don't make many original recipes since there are lots of great people who are paid to develop cocktails but tonight i did this:
2 oz. spiced rum (chairman's).75 oz. tawny port (warre's otima).25 oz. coffee liqueur (galliano ristretto)dash angostura
stir and strain, orange twist would be the right garnish but i didn't bother.
i'm always looking for stirred rum drinks and uh this is a stirred rum drink.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 24 January 2017 03:58 (seven years ago) link
sounds good!
the drunken dodo in the death & co. book is a pretty solid stirred rum drink. i also like the negroni-like ashtray heart.
― Wozniak on Kimye's Baby (jaymc), Tuesday, 24 January 2017 04:09 (seven years ago) link
yeah i like the drunken dodo a lot
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 24 January 2017 15:15 (seven years ago) link
speaking of which, i made a rhum-agricole-based Manhattan riff last night, which was excellent.
― Wozniak on Kimye's Baby (jaymc), Thursday, 26 January 2017 16:40 (seven years ago) link
i saw that on your instagram! been thinking for a while about rhum agricole's potential in stirred drinks given how delicate and complex it can be.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 26 January 2017 18:29 (seven years ago) link
lactart in the house. functionally it's supposed to be the same as acid phosphate.
i was skeptical but it's pretty cool how a tiny amount of this stuff can lift drinks made with like an ounce of drambuie or drinks made with literally no other sour/bitter components.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 31 May 2017 02:06 (six years ago) link
i've been digging into the dead rabbit drinks manual, which beneath its facade of ridiculously fussy recipes and dry irish humor is one of the few original approaches to mixing drinks in existence. i'm not sure if jack mcgarry qualifies as a genius, but damned if he wasn't way the hell out there. reading the book today comes with a bittersweet tinge as he's a recovering alcoholic and doesn't work behind the bar anymore.
basically the book is a baroque take on the formative years of mixing drinks where herbal flavors are punched up with housemade tinctures, spirits are infused as often as not (usually with teas), and sweeteners are replaced with fruity cordials. the basic approach is why use lemon juice and plain sugar syrup if you can use lemon juice and lemony sugar syrup? similarly soda water is out because flavored soda exists. the result to my palate is drinks that are tighter and more unified than you'd expect given the ingredient lists. there's a lot of flavor bridging at work and i have no idea how he figured some of this stuff out.
anyone who's done some reading on classic cocktails has run into the lion's tail, a humble and random mix of bourbon, lime, and allspice. here's mcgarry's version (this is also one of the easiest 2 or 3 drinks to make in the book):
2 oz. bourbon.75 oz. white creme de cacao.25 oz. allspice dram.25 oz. creme de poire1 oz. lemon juice.75 oz. orange juice3 dashes aromatic bitters (dead rabbit orinoco or angostura)
shake and strain over a small ice cube, garnish with grated nutmeg (oh yeah everything has nutmeg).
it sold me and now i have a bottle of mace tincture and some lemon syrup in the fridge.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 29 July 2017 01:53 (six years ago) link
I've been playing a lot with the gin martini lately, varying from the gin, vermouth and bitters. Best I've come up with lately has been
2 St George Terroir1 yzaguirre white vermouthThese Tasmanian pepperberry bitters in blanking on the name ofThin shave of lemon rind
Herby and delicious, not dry in the slightest but I'm OK with that.
I haven't yet tried paring the St George with Maidenii vermouth - could be great or could tip over into medicinal.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Saturday, 29 July 2017 03:06 (six years ago) link
Non-dry (what's the word? sweet?) vermouth-forward cocktails are basically my favourite drinks.
― Choco Blavatsky (seandalai), Saturday, 29 July 2017 10:44 (six years ago) link
I'm looking more for 'balanced' than sweet but yes vermouth forward is great and it's great that one can lay one's hands on such a diversity of vermouth. .
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Saturday, 29 July 2017 10:51 (six years ago) link
more dead rabbit:
1.5 oz. cognac1 oz. bonal gentiane.5 oz. anisette.25 oz. amaro sibilla4 dashes aromatic bitters (dead rabbit/angostura/boker's/whatever you have)lemon peel
without getting into nonsense superlatives this is an incredible recipe; if you can find the things to make it you should make it.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 5 October 2017 02:35 (six years ago) link
i have a bunch of oranges that have been peeled for garnish and a bottle of famous grouse that i don't really want so i'm amusing myself trying to fix the blood and sand, which famously consists of 4 sweetish ingredients without contrast. neutral cocktail acids (i have lactart) were pretty much invented for doing this, so now it's about fixndng proportions and moving the result from pleasant to interesting. tonight:
1.5 oz. famous grouse.75 oz. oj.5 oz. cherry heering.5 oz. dolin rouge1/2 tsp lactart
this is fine! doesn't suck at all. i think a vermouth with more character, or added bitters, plus a smidge more acid could really work well.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 7 December 2017 04:43 (six years ago) link
What not to do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWeVRxR1qek
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 30 December 2017 20:53 (six years ago) link
I present to you all tales of true disasters
https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/your-saddest-desperation-cocktails-ranked-1825899419
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 11 May 2018 20:32 (five years ago) link
i once did blue gatorade powder and bacardi 151 and just enough water to make it actually stay a mix, needless to say it was a disaster and ended with me pulling a strange couch into my backyard
― challops trap house (Will M.), Friday, 11 May 2018 20:48 (five years ago) link
that’s a great article. i did some stupid shit but probably nothing as creative as any of those.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:28 (five years ago) link
Yuck. Didn't they just recently rank two ingredient cocktails? Along those lines, I picked up Robert Simonson's 3-Ingredient Cocktails book. Some good stuff in there, some twists as well as old standards.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:36 (five years ago) link
friend and i split a bottle of vodka and cherry kool aid once.
but worst drink was probably "turbo diesel"
Tennent's Super lager (9%)Frosty Jack's Cider (7%)BlackcurrantVodka
― ( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) (jim in vancouver), Friday, 11 May 2018 22:43 (five years ago) link
My dad used to make snakebite out of Tennents Super and Ice Dragon. Ice Dragon is one of the most revolting white ciders I've ever drank, although tbh all white ciders are pretty revolting. I used to favour "British fortified wine" i.e. sherry for bargain boozing. I think white cider is the most ABV/£ though.
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:46 (five years ago) link
Happy are the days when I can afford to get pissed on Polish lager instead of that shite
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:47 (five years ago) link
You can't beat a good old 4-pack of Tyskie
― calzino, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:52 (five years ago) link
You can, you can have a 4-pack of Warka Strong, Okocim Mocne or Zubr!
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:52 (five years ago) link
I used to often see groups of Polish workers coming off the nightshift at the britvic factory and supping something looking quite strong at 6am. respect!
― calzino, Friday, 11 May 2018 22:54 (five years ago) link
Xmas presents included Amy Stewart's great The Drunken Botanist and the Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual, and now all I want to do is make tinctures, cordials, liqueurs and such. I barely drink and the bar shelf in my pantry keeps crowding out actual food.
― Juul Haalmeyer Dancers washout (WmC), Monday, 31 December 2018 15:45 (five years ago) link
i've made several of the dead rabbit tinctures. the mace one is pretty cool.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 31 December 2018 16:16 (five years ago) link
I'm getting better at this! Still bad though, especially at stirring. Dilution is hard.
Last night I made a white negroni with 1.5oz gin, 1oz Dolin Blanc, 1oz Suze - promising for a first attempt, I'll keep tinkering with the proportions.
― seandalai, Monday, 31 December 2018 16:45 (five years ago) link
what kind of vessel and ice do u use for stirred?
my basic outline for stirring is: mixing glass chilled in freezer, cracked ice topped off with full cubes, stir for longer than you think.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 31 December 2018 17:03 (five years ago) link
i'm loving this dead rabbit sazerac variation using a split base of good brandy from spain and france (they name specific brands but i'll genericize the ingredients where i can):
1 oz. premium cognac1 oz. long-aged spanish brandy1 tsp pot-still or blackstrap rum1 tsp simple syrup1 tsp creme de cacao1 dash aromatic bitters4 dashes peychaud's bittersoil and peel from two lemon coins
stir all that with ice and strain into an absinthe-rinsed glass
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 03:10 (five years ago) link
A trip to Manhattan in January inspired this marvelous purchase last Friday:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41nl8vrpreL._SY445_.jpg
― Let's have sensible centrist armageddon (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 03:12 (five years ago) link
i just got a bottle of that stuff! i haven't figured out its full implications but as a big fan of floral/herbal modifiers it's really compelling.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 03:15 (five years ago) link
At Dante the bartender added it to a Negroni. Yesterday it substituted for vermouth (a splash) in my martini -- marvelous.
― Let's have sensible centrist armageddon (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 03:32 (five years ago) link
it's definitely a natural partner for gin
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 03:40 (five years ago) link
What a coincidence, I was just messing with fresh bergamot tonight. Dehydrated the peel of 2 fruit and started a tincture on Everclear, and had a drink of 2 parts gin to 1 part fresh bergamot juice, with a bit of Aperol for sweetness. I have about 4 oz. of juice left to play with.
― ILX Moderator: It's Like a Pressure Wash for Your Insides (WmC), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 03:50 (five years ago) link
while this is bumped, anyone got some good recipes for pisco that isn't a pisco sour? I have a bottle of the Peruvian stuff (aged in glass, not oak like the Chilean version) and I am just not a sour fan.
― sold out in presale (sleeve), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 04:00 (five years ago) link
Ha, Alfred, I love that you're into Italicus. I have a bottle myself. Great mixed with prosecco.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 04:52 (five years ago) link
Actually, the main reason I have it is that as soon as it was introduced, my wife fell in love with the Art Deco bottle, and so that was an easy birthday present. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out how best to use it, too.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 04:55 (five years ago) link
Also, the super-crazy thing about this thread revive is that I was just about to post here about how *I'm* enjoying a Dead Rabbit cocktail tonight:
1.25 oz Smith & Cross rum (used Doctor Bird)0.5 oz Zapaca 23 rum (used Plantation 5 Year)0.25 Cruzan blackstrap rum0.25 oz Benedictine0.25 oz PX sherry0.25 oz allspice dram3 dashes Orinoco bitters (used Angostura)3 dashes mole bitters (used 2 dashes Aphrodite bitters + 1 dash chocolate bitters)
― jaymc, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 04:58 (five years ago) link
That sazerac variation sounds good, tho. CAD, what kind of Spanish brandy do you use? Torres? I'm totally unfamiliar with the style.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 05:00 (five years ago) link
they use torres 15 year old but i can’t find that in mass. i’m using cardenal mendoza gran reserva which is really tasty stuff. nothing at all like cognac so it’s a nice blend of flavors.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 11:45 (five years ago) link
― jaymc, Monday, February 25, 2019 11:52 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― jaymc, Monday, February 25, 2019
Yes! I bought Italicus because the bottle was a beautiful blue, then I figured out what I'm supposed to do with it.
― Let's have sensible centrist armageddon (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 12:37 (five years ago) link
italicus experiment:
1.5 oz. plymouth gin1.5 oz. dolin dry vermouth.25 oz. italicusdash bittermens burlesquelemon twist
decent start, i wanted the italicus to be an undertone but still prominent if that makes any sense. needs a little more body, prob a different gin and different proportions.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 27 February 2019 02:26 (five years ago) link
btw sleeve i'm sorry i can't think of a pisco recipe that isn't on some kind of sour template. i scanned the death & co. book index and it seems like your best bet would be to pair it with stuff like blanc vermouth, cocchi americano, and st germain--basically light-colored, herbal, sweet things. i can repost a couple specific recipes but don't want to assume what the rest of your liquor cabinet looks like.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 27 February 2019 02:35 (five years ago) link
thank you! good excuse to get some cocchi americano, I only have dry + sweet vermouth. I could see using a splash of St. Germain and maybe mint? I'll experiment.
― sold out in presale (sleeve), Wednesday, 27 February 2019 02:41 (five years ago) link
what I mixed on Sunday without the lemon -- I figured it was too much?
― Let's have sensible centrist armageddon (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 27 February 2019 02:42 (five years ago) link
Cocchi Americano is a great sub for Lillet Blanc in a Corpse Reviver No. 2.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 27 February 2019 02:43 (five years ago) link
i know some would disagree with this but cocchi renders lillet irrelevant, it's the exact same thing with significantly better depth of flavor.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 27 February 2019 02:57 (five years ago) link
That italiccus bottle is so beautiful.
― Yerac, Wednesday, 27 February 2019 14:27 (five years ago) link
Tried out a manhattan last night that subbed in Cynar 70 for vermouth. Not bad.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 27 February 2019 14:29 (five years ago) link
happy to report that 2 oz Peruvian pisco, 3/4 oz cocchi americano, 1/2 oz St. Germain, and an orange garnish is an excellent combo, thanks cad!
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 7 March 2019 02:52 (five years ago) link
awesome! glad to hear it.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 7 March 2019 03:04 (five years ago) link
Sounds good! I've actually never had Lillet Blanc because I like Cocchi Americano well enough and don't get the impression I'm missing much.
― jaymc, Thursday, 7 March 2019 04:04 (five years ago) link
just tried this out, my kind of cocktail:
the messenger1 1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth1/2 oz Calvados1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
― seandalai, Sunday, 10 March 2019 21:34 (five years ago) link
also one of my favourite labels:
https://alpenz-download-product-bottle.s3.amazonaws.com/bonal.bottle.jpg
"BONAL...Inventé par BONAL" kills me every time for some reason
― seandalai, Sunday, 10 March 2019 21:35 (five years ago) link
Bonal is great. Also, Fred Yarm's blog is a godsend.
― jaymc, Monday, 11 March 2019 00:28 (five years ago) link
i've seen fred around town many times over the years. never figured out how to say "thanks for the blog," he's a pretty quiet and businesslike dude. i give him so much credit for sticking with the project.
love the look of that bonal cocktail. my bottle of calvados is not a brand i've seen recommended and i actually don't like it at all though i enjoy plenty of other apple brandies. maybe i need to just suck it up and buy the brand that death & co. or dead rabbit uses.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 March 2019 01:12 (five years ago) link
I've had American apple brandies (Laird's, Rhine Hall) but not a true calvados, and I've never been totally sure about how it differs.
― jaymc, Monday, 11 March 2019 01:45 (five years ago) link
Like with other wines and spirits from France and other old world countries these things are produced in delimited regions and are more regulated before they can use certain terms on their labels. There are probably some apple brandies in the US produced in a more French calvados style.
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 02:42 (five years ago) link
ugh, not saying though that america doesn't have requirements on spirits or wine before they can use certain terms/categories.
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 02:54 (five years ago) link
laird's bonded is def my basic taste memory of apple brandy. i've recently had the copper & kings unaged which is a great complement to laird's. i think i just need to broaden my calvados sample. the french are fine at distilling grapes so there should be nothing blocking them from distilling apples.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 March 2019 03:00 (five years ago) link
I was just reading up on the AOCs, Calvados Pays d'Auge can also use up to 30% pear and Calvados Domfrontais must use a minimum of 30% pear.
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 03:15 (five years ago) link
There are probably some apple brandies in the US produced in a more French calvados style.
Yeah, I think Rhine Hall says their oak-aged apple brandy is similar to calvados. What's a good affordable French calvados for mixing?
― jaymc, Monday, 11 March 2019 04:04 (five years ago) link
dead rabbit uses montreuil calvados selection, which is classified as a pays d'auge. i believe death & co. uses busnel vsop. looks like they're around $35-$40.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 March 2019 13:08 (five years ago) link
I've only ever had Lemorton and Camut (probably because I see them everywhere). They are fine.
Has anyone ever had the Clear Creek (oregon) eau de vies? I've bene meaning to try them for a long time, but I kind of just want the ones that have a whole pear in the bottle. I've heard very good things about them though.
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 13:46 (five years ago) link
Ah, I see that i see Lemorton and Camut everywhere because they have the same distributor (skurnik).
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 13:53 (five years ago) link
best of both worlds! http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/products/clear-brandies/#pear-in-bottle
the clear creek products i have used have all been great. i have always wanted to try the douglas fir one but i don't see it around much anymore.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 11 March 2019 14:37 (five years ago) link
I was obsessed about how they got that pear in the bottle. I have never seen it in any store ever. I think it has to be ordered?
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 14:40 (five years ago) link
Like, the pics of them growing the pears in the bottles is so trippy.
― Yerac, Monday, 11 March 2019 14:41 (five years ago) link
I have loved every Clear Creek production I've tried, also home state pride
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Tuesday, 12 March 2019 02:19 (five years ago) link
Thx, CAD. Now that you mention it, I do remember Busnel from the Death & Co. book.
Whoa @ the Pear-in-the-Bottle. I have seen Clear Creek in various recipes, but I don't think I have ever noticed it in stores around here. Rhine Hall is a local eau-de-vie distiller, and I like to support them whenever I can. (Recently used the Rhine Hall Plum Brandy in a Pouring Ribbons recipe that calls for Clear Creek.)
― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2019 02:35 (five years ago) link
i wish i could personally vouch for those calvados brands... just as a rule i trust DR and D&C when it comes to products.
i checked my disliked bottle of calvados tonight when making the lovely bonal cocktail seandalai posted and it's still like 2/3 full :(
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 12 March 2019 02:42 (five years ago) link
Cocktail Codex recommends Busnel VSOP and Dupont Reserve. Latter looks more like a $50 bottle.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2019 02:49 (five years ago) link
This was also really good, one of those drinks where mixing 6 different things together makes total sense:
Bitter End1.5oz Dry Gin0.75oz White vermouth0.75oz Orange juice0.5oz Campari0.25oz Amaro Nonino0.25oz Green Chartreuse
(Shake)
― seandalai, Friday, 15 March 2019 23:38 (five years ago) link
I hadn't really thought about it before, but there are very few non-tiki cocktails that use orange juice. Other ones I rate are the Blood and Sand (apparently this one gets mixed reviews?) and the Adriatique. Gonna try this next: http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2016/12/union-club.html
― seandalai, Friday, 15 March 2019 23:42 (five years ago) link
xp mmm time to buy some Amaro Nonino!
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Saturday, 16 March 2019 00:09 (five years ago) link
the bitter end and union club look good! here's a post i did about the blood and sand and having too many unjuiced oranges:
i have a bunch of oranges that have been peeled for garnish and a bottle of famous grouse that i don't really want so i'm amusing myself trying to fix the blood and sand, which famously consists of 4 sweetish ingredients without contrast. neutral cocktail acids (i have lactart) were pretty much invented for doing this, so now it's about fixndng proportions and moving the result from pleasant to interesting. tonight:1.5 oz. famous grouse.75 oz. oj.5 oz. cherry heering.5 oz. dolin rouge1/2 tsp lactartthis is fine! doesn't suck at all. i think a vermouth with more character, or added bitters, plus a smidge more acid could really work well.― call all destroyer, Wednesday, December 6, 2017 11:43 PM (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, December 6, 2017 11:43 PM (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 16 March 2019 00:19 (five years ago) link
Someday I will buy Cherry Heering, if only so I can make the Blood and Sand-ish Cunningham cocktail.
― jaymc, Saturday, 16 March 2019 00:21 (five years ago) link
i bought cherry heering really early on in my booze-collecting tenure and in retrospect i could have allocated that money more effectively
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 16 March 2019 00:24 (five years ago) link
I have a tiny bottle that will last me a while.
― seandalai, Saturday, 16 March 2019 01:25 (five years ago) link
My wife was having a book club and wanted me to batch up some mojitos. I'm not usually a fan of making big batches of cocktails, since it's tough (for me) to get the right amount of ice/water in there, especially if you're making them it advance, but I figured, sure, I've batched mojitos before, that's pretty straightforward (and looks pretty in a nice pitcher). I did a quick search and came across a couple of recipes that called for both lime *and* lemon, which, being a traditionalist, I thought was kind of weird. What's more, I looked in the fridge and only found a couple of limes, and a bunch of lemons, so realized, huh, whatever I make is going to have more lemon than lime, even if this recipe called for juice from four of each. So I make this batch of mojitos with only two limes and four lemons, worried that it's going to turn out funky, but you know what? It worked out ok! Maybe there was just enough lime to impart enough of a lime flavor to complement the lemon?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 March 2019 03:21 (five years ago) link
The best drink I've ever had or made with Cherry Heering, btw, is the Vanilla Sky, which also uses vanilla-bean infused bourbon.
Oh, and Singapore Slings!
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 March 2019 03:31 (five years ago) link
I'm sure there's a better name for this than "beer negroni" but: 2oz red vermouth, 2oz Campari, 500ml pilsner. Recommended!
― seandalai, Monday, 6 May 2019 21:06 (four years ago) link
a beerevardier
― deus ex majima (Will M.), Monday, 6 May 2019 21:59 (four years ago) link
or a pilsnericano
― deus ex majima (Will M.), Monday, 6 May 2019 22:00 (four years ago) link
pilsnegroni rolls off the tongue pretty well
― WmC, Monday, 6 May 2019 23:04 (four years ago) link
A farrago.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 6 May 2019 23:12 (four years ago) link
a baloney
― seandalai, Monday, 6 May 2019 23:26 (four years ago) link
I made a creole Manhattan subbing chicory liqueur for sweet vermouth and using Peychaud's bitters. Pretty good, but I was surprised how overpowered the Hoodoo was. The chicory is strong when drunk neat but the rye steamrolled it.
― Manfred Hemming-Hawing (WmC), Sunday, 7 July 2019 20:16 (four years ago) link
finally figured out something good with the Amaro Ciociaro
2 oz Evan Williams 100 proof bond3/4 oz Cocchi Americano1/2 oz Amaro Ciociarolemon peel garnish, stir well w/rocks
― sleeve, Thursday, 8 August 2019 00:16 (four years ago) link
sounds good to me.
i had been on a bit of a cocktail break but midsummer always inspires me to break out the classic rum drinks. my beloved waring pro professional ice crusher mysteriously stopped working so i needed to spring for a replacement from ebay, but since then it's been plenty of navy grogs and planter's punches.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 8 August 2019 01:19 (four years ago) link
sleeve, that sounds like the bourbon version of the Negroni variant I have been interested in recently - which has gin instead of bourbon, with choice of amaro (suze/gran classico/amaro ciociaro), and apertif (kina l'aero d'or/lillet/cocchi americano)
― Dan S, Thursday, 8 August 2019 01:43 (four years ago) link
The store was having a big sale on spirits so I got a bottle of white rum today to make Hemingways. But I don't have Luxardo so me trying out substitutes might be a bad idea.
― Yerac, Saturday, 24 August 2019 18:50 (four years ago) link
tough to find a sub for luxardo. could just make regular daiquris?
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 24 August 2019 19:19 (four years ago) link
ugh, no that would make too much sense.
― Yerac, Saturday, 24 August 2019 19:55 (four years ago) link
I added some blueberry juice and honey.
― Yerac, Saturday, 24 August 2019 20:41 (four years ago) link
https://punchdrink.com/articles/goodbye-fat-washing-hello-switching-spirit-infusion-cocktail-technique/
Brilliant concept, great potential for silliness.
― WmC, Monday, 23 September 2019 20:40 (four years ago) link
whoa
― sleeve, Monday, 23 September 2019 20:50 (four years ago) link
wow, that is really something.
i could totally sneak a chest freezer into the basement, my wife hates it down there.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 23 September 2019 23:22 (four years ago) link
Preview of a new game where you have to out-drink the Devil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ8qcIVmr1M
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 23 September 2019 23:52 (four years ago) link
This is good. A bunch of vintage cocktail books archived by Exposition Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux, a museum on the island of Bendor (FR) (and most are readable) here:
https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/
― Yerac, Friday, 11 October 2019 17:10 (four years ago) link
There's so many amazing book covers. I have a poster/print of L'Art de Boire le Vin (from a 1920s book) that I still need to get framed.
― Yerac, Friday, 11 October 2019 17:19 (four years ago) link
I've discovered the Toronto.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 11 October 2019 17:36 (four years ago) link
A long standing favorite
― Pauline Male (Eric H.), Friday, 11 October 2019 17:53 (four years ago) link
I got a bottle of genever last month in Atlanta (Boomsma Oude) and erstwhile ILXor Bill/Tep hipped me to the Shaddock -- equal parts genever, Aperol, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice. So many dancing flavors -- I'm sure this will be one of my alltime faves.
― Miami weisse (WmC), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 02:34 (four years ago) link
Nice. I've been curious about genever for a while. I imagine it being somewhat like Old Tom gin?
― jaymc, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 02:42 (four years ago) link
I haven't had Old Tom (only came around to gin recently after a long aversion) but from brief research that seems to be so.
― Miami weisse (WmC), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 02:52 (four years ago) link
it's considerably more malty than old tom....very different animal. more like an unaged whiskey with a hint of gin's botanicals.
here's an absolutely killer cocktail from the first death & co. book:
1 oz. appleton estate signature rum (fka v/x)1 oz. bols genever1 tsp galliano ristrettoo1/2 tsp absinthe.25 oz. simple syrup1 dash aromatic bittersorange twist
stir and strain over 1 large ice cube, garnish with orange twist
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 03:10 (four years ago) link
Okay, the Ristretto in that recipe reminds me: Does anyone have a favorite coffee liqueur? It seems like it would be a nice thing to add to the collection. I'm leaning toward the St. George NOLA.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 03:23 (four years ago) link
i haven't had the st george but dude the ristretto is amazing
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 03:27 (four years ago) link
Yeah? Maybe I'll try it.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 03:44 (four years ago) link
Interestingly we've sold $5,600 worth of Margarita kits from Alinea. We've been doing this all wrong for years...— nick kokonas (@nickkokonas) March 19, 2020
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 19 March 2020 13:22 (four years ago) link
i forget if i've ever talked about it in this thread but one of the products i've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out is italicus, the bergamot liqueur. it tastes amazing but i've been having a hard time finding things that work well with it. having tried about a million variations on gin/vermouth/italicus, it hit me today that the botanicals in most gins are just going to clash and that i should go in a different direction--a mild rye or even an irish whiskey.
so tonight i tried 2 oz. old overholt, half an ounce each of dry vermouth and italicus, and a couple dashes of orange bitters. i think this is the aperitif i've been looking for.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 29 March 2020 23:45 (three years ago) link
didn't alfred buy a bottle of that recently (last year)? I remember because I thought the bottle was beautiful.
― Yerac, Monday, 30 March 2020 00:20 (three years ago) link
yeah i think you're right! it's a nice bottle, very art deco.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 30 March 2020 00:40 (three years ago) link
Yup, I have it, too -- and have barely used it! I will try that concoction.
― jaymc, Monday, 30 March 2020 02:16 (three years ago) link
drinking a Little Italy, thankful for this thread
― sleeve, Monday, 30 March 2020 02:23 (three years ago) link
Made a Campari Americano yesterday, and an Old Fashioned today
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Monday, 30 March 2020 02:38 (three years ago) link
Made my wife a Martinez tonight (I've been cycling through recipes).
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 30 March 2020 03:14 (three years ago) link
The great Chicago tiki bar Lost Lake is doing a twice-weekly newsletter for donors to its (COVID-related) GoFundMe, and each installment has a couple of cocktail recipes. Tonight I made the bar's Something from Nothing, a delightful mix of bourbon, aged rum, lemon juice, coffee *and* coffee syrup, cinnamon syrup, and coconut cream.
― jaymc, Monday, 30 March 2020 03:17 (three years ago) link
re Italicus, I just mix it with Prosecco and squeeze half a lemon into it. 3:1 Prosecco, not 1:1 as the recipe on the bottle suggests.
― Josefa, Monday, 30 March 2020 05:05 (three years ago) link
Great warm weather drink:
Take 32 oz Cynar3⁄4 oz Elderflower liqueur, St. Germain3⁄4 oz Lemon juice2 oz Seltzer water1 wdg Orange (as garnish)InstructionsShake all but seltzer and orange wedge, strain over fresh ice into a highball, top with seltzer, garnish with orange wedge.
It ends up tasting like the coldest, most refreshing Coca Cola on the hottest day of the year (and I don't really like Coke).
― Fetch the Bolt Thrower (PBKR), Friday, 1 May 2020 13:18 (three years ago) link
would tonic water work as a seltzer substitute?
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 May 2020 13:27 (three years ago) link
ooh I love Cynar-based drinks, I'd probably cut the lemon to 1/2 like I usually do
― epicenter of the fieri universe (sleeve), Friday, 1 May 2020 14:15 (three years ago) link
Just got some Cynar last week. No elderflower liqueur though, which is a shame as that sounds good.
― brain (krakow), Friday, 1 May 2020 14:21 (three years ago) link
I often put a drop or two of St. Germain in my martinis.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 May 2020 14:29 (three years ago) link
Gonna try this now! It's Friday, last day of the semestser, 72 degrees, etc.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 May 2020 15:48 (three years ago) link
How was it Alfred? Tonic is not a direct sub for seltzer (club soda better sub), but in this drink might not matter much.
What I like so much about this cocktail is that it doesn't really taste like any of its constituent parts; they combine into a distinctive blend.
― Fetch the Bolt Thrower (PBKR), Saturday, 2 May 2020 14:37 (three years ago) link
yo PBKR I made a Paper Plane (two actually) last night, eternal thanks again!
― epicenter of the fieri universe (sleeve), Saturday, 2 May 2020 14:58 (three years ago) link
I got a sack of lemons the other day. Going to juice a bunch of them for paper planes and shaddocks (genever, aperol, elderflower, lemon) later today.
― herds of unmasked cletuses (WmC), Saturday, 2 May 2020 15:23 (three years ago) link
― Fetch the Bolt Thrower (PBKR),
Fine! I used club soda. I wouldn't mix one late afternoon before dinner, but as a light lunch cocktail it was tasty.
From the taste it looks like I can substitute Fernet-Branca.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 2 May 2020 15:25 (three years ago) link
Made an equal parts Old Pal with Irish whiskey (which probably means it's called something else), definitely one I'll have again: 1oz dry vermouth, 1oz Campari, 1oz whiskey; stir.
― coptic feels (seandalai), Friday, 8 May 2020 23:29 (three years ago) link
Another drink I really love is the Bijou, which is a Negroni variant: 1/1/1 Gin, sweet vermouth, and green chartreuse, with orange bitters, lemon peel and maraschino cherry (if you got them).
― Pissed Jeans Genie C. Riley (PBKR), Saturday, 9 May 2020 01:51 (three years ago) link
i love bijous but for any of the curious i'd recommend trying the dead rabbit modified bijou proportions:
1.5 oz. gin1.5 oz. vermouth.5 oz. chartreuse2 dashes orange bitters2 dashes angostura bitters2 dashes absintheorange peel
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 May 2020 02:06 (three years ago) link
It's been a while since I made a Bijou, but that modification makes sense to me. I love Green Chartreuse, but more than a little can be cloying, especially mixed with another sweet ingredient. (Also reminds me of Dead Rabbit's recipe for the Tipperary, which is Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Green Chartreuse.)
― jaymc, Saturday, 9 May 2020 02:31 (three years ago) link
Today I made an oleo saccharum for the first time, so I could make a Quoit Punch. (I have a bottle of Madeira in the fridge that I don't use enough, and I recently acquired Smith & Cross rum for the first time in a while.)
I started with David Wondrich's recipe, which makes about 24 servings, and scaled it down to 2. That meant 2 oz each of rum, cognac, and Madeira, and 1 1/3 oz each of sugar (to mix with lemon peels) and lemon juice. I think it turned out pretty well, though it was a little sweet, so maybe I'll use less sugar next time. Or else just dilute it more to start (I didn't shake it, just added ice as though my glass were a punch bowl and stirred a bit).
― jaymc, Saturday, 9 May 2020 02:40 (three years ago) link
yeah that modified bijou is a more structured, thought-out drink. i think there's a few equal-parts cocktails that could benefit from not being equal parts but have stayed that way for ease of transmission.
re: green chartreuse, my wife spent a college year in grenoble, france not far from where they make chartreuse. when we went there together 5 years later we met up with one of her friends who met a local guy while in the program and wound up going back and marrying him. we went out with them one night and dude ordered a neat green chartreuse just to sip on. i chalked it up to being a local thing.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 May 2020 02:56 (three years ago) link
A bar I used to live near (now defunct) had a neon Chartreuse sign in the window, which I always liked.
https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10991532_766754133423136_8290960104367919861_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_sid=85a577&_nc_oc=AQlI0V3XvszTI8fmCtoZpdV_Pp0-iT2UtdNTcr_NI6x3dNHOxpYVO0rOMXNBYgiTgBI2sLUGo_1AYrg-txsa0Hhd&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=ffd8fe007fbb1b200a435ac8fe553d3b&oe=5EDC1CFAp
― jaymc, Saturday, 9 May 2020 04:59 (three years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/ZbrpbWX.jpg
― jaymc, Saturday, 9 May 2020 05:01 (three years ago) link
We're very proud of our jeroboam of green chartreuse in my work. Eventually a staff member will win the lottery and buy it.
Here it is standing guard over its 70cl and 5cl wee buddies...
https://i.imgur.com/q34il4P.jpg
― brain (krakow), Saturday, 9 May 2020 10:10 (three years ago) link
I will definitely try that modified Bijou tonight.
Have you ever had a Sixth Borough?
https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/the-sixth-borough
2 oz Rye1 oz Amaro Nonino1⁄2 oz Green Chartreuse1 ds Orange bitters, Regans' orange bitters
Pretty good drink.
― Pissed Jeans Genie C. Riley (PBKR), Saturday, 9 May 2020 13:04 (three years ago) link
I would drink all of these chartreuse variations
― sleeve, Saturday, 9 May 2020 13:37 (three years ago) link
I don't own chartreuse, but I guess I should.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 9 May 2020 14:00 (three years ago) link
I wish my local stores carried 5cl bottles so I could try it before I drop $50.
― herds of unmasked cletuses (WmC), Saturday, 9 May 2020 14:07 (three years ago) link
Yeah, the cost has made me pause. I know it's not a liqueur you just guzzle, though. I've had a bottle of St. Germain almost five years.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 9 May 2020 14:10 (three years ago) link
the big bottles are $65 here in Oregon, I've had a few of the half-size ones but yeah it is an investment
― sleeve, Saturday, 9 May 2020 14:11 (three years ago) link
i'd like to try that 6th borough, but my bottle of nonino is gone and i'm not sure i can replace it easily in lockdown.
you guys should all buy green chartreuse though. you won't regret it.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 May 2020 14:13 (three years ago) link
There's a daiquiri I like (it's from a bar here in Chicago) with 2 oz rhum agricole blanc, 1 oz lime juice, 0.75 oz simple syrup, and 0.25 oz Green Chartreuse.
― jaymc, Saturday, 9 May 2020 17:05 (three years ago) link
that sounds great, may try later
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 9 May 2020 18:04 (three years ago) link
cad and jaymc, you were right upthread: that modified Bijou is better.
― Pissed Jeans Genie C. Riley (PBKR), Saturday, 9 May 2020 21:21 (three years ago) link
glad it worked for you!
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 10 May 2020 03:42 (three years ago) link
I found a case of Irn Bru that my brother sent me as a birthday present years ago. It's gone flat so I plan to boil it down into a syrup. I was hoping one of the many British people on this board might be able to suggest a better use for this than Google, which hasn't turned up anything more exciting than an irn bru flavored aperol spritz.
― Deflatormouse, Saturday, 16 May 2020 02:09 (three years ago) link
i admire the resourcefulness but fear that you've painted yourself into an artificial orange corner
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 16 May 2020 02:13 (three years ago) link
Hot tip: they sell chartreuse bottles in half sizes, 375ml.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 16 May 2020 04:19 (three years ago) link
Not where I live, they don't.
― herds of unmasked cletuses (WmC), Saturday, 16 May 2020 11:14 (three years ago) link
Whack it in with some gin, lemon and bitters and use it like a liqueur.
― Matt DC, Saturday, 16 May 2020 11:18 (three years ago) link
Take it to the gay thread, sailor.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 16 May 2020 12:07 (three years ago) link
Making a liqueur out of IRN BRU cannae be the gayest thing on i love cocktails? To a British person it's about equivalent to making a liqueur out of Mountain Dew.
― Deflatormouse, Monday, 18 May 2020 03:01 (three years ago) link
I did get a 375ml bottle of chartreuse, as well as Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin, so I made a modified Last Word:
https://scontent.ftup1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/121000581_10160141452858709_6347640605481677524_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=-UP6AVOmsOAAX_qAeTd&_nc_ht=scontent.ftup1-1.fna&oh=8c22de6f8765acdfc807788b685fea22&oe=5F9FCE95
I'm calling it a Flag Post.
― (show hidden tics) (WmC), Monday, 5 October 2020 23:03 (three years ago) link
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 6 October 2020 00:07 (three years ago) link
Ran across a simple enough recipe for something called an Italian Gentleman and tried it Friday at home, and again last night at the bar, and it is a treat.
1.5 oz. bourbon1.5 oz. Campari.75 oz. lemon juice.25 oz. simple syrup1 dash orange bitters
Shake, strain, up if you want to go fancy, but I had mine on one large cube and it works very well that way. The combination somehow brings the flavor of vanilla to the front, I assume from the bourbon. This was true both times with 2 different bourbons, so I don't think it was a trick of the light.
― Motoroller Scampotron (WmC), Sunday, 3 January 2021 16:48 (three years ago) link
ooh I can make that, will try
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Sunday, 3 January 2021 16:50 (three years ago) link
That looks like a great one. Orange and bourbon is a good, underrated mix. I used to have a bottle of wild turkey 101 that I infused with orange peel and vanilla bean.
Made a couple of drinks lately that mixed bourbon and apple brandy, one of which also mixed in cinnamon simple syrup (which I fudged by just adding a dash of cinnamon). Not bad! Bourbon I often find a tough spirit to mix with, as is tequila, imo. Perhaps not coincidentally that those are the two spirits best straight (to my taste). So when I find one that works with either (beyond the obvious) I get pretty excited.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 3 January 2021 17:13 (three years ago) link
Drink is good! I might make it with half as much Campari, though.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 4 January 2021 00:49 (three years ago) link
Next time.
i did 2:1 bourbon to campari on the italian gentleman tonight. nice little bracer before dinner.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 5 January 2021 01:45 (three years ago) link
Had no simple syrup ready so used a splash of maraschino cherry liquid, and a capful of Cointreau in place of the bitters. Also now notice I underfunded the bourbon & Campari by .5 oz ea, so mixologist grade = D, but the result was nice.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Tuesday, 5 January 2021 22:27 (three years ago) link
TIL the Rusty Nail variation with rye instead of scotch is called a Donald Sutherland.
― Motoroller Scampotron (WmC), Saturday, 16 January 2021 01:08 (three years ago) link
Attn tipsy mothra, I finally tried the split-sherry sour you recommended to me on Faceache and that is a nice complex drink, thank you! (e.g. a whiskey sour with half the whiskey replaced by a good fino sherry)
I'd been using a 30 oz. shaker tin and a beer glass for shaking at work, but I saw some video of a guy using an adorable little single-drink cobbler shaker and thought I'd get one. It's 17 oz., heavy stainless steel, much heavier than the thin ones we have at work, and it gets drinks much colder much quicker, with less dilution. And it fits my hands better. Best piece of bar gear I've bought, period.
― Motoroller Scampotron (WmC), Monday, 22 February 2021 02:45 (three years ago) link
link to heavy stainless cobbler?
― call all destroyer, Monday, 22 February 2021 03:09 (three years ago) link
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/mercer-culinary-m37038-barfly-17-oz-3-piece-stainless-steel-heavy-weight-shaker-set/470M37038.html
Love this site. I put stuff in my bar's cart and reimburse them, but I don't think you need a business acct?
― Motoroller Scampotron (WmC), Monday, 22 February 2021 03:35 (three years ago) link
cool. there's another item i've been eyeing from this site for a while so maybe that's enough to pull together an order.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 22 February 2021 03:57 (three years ago) link
I found a recipe from Phil Ward of Death & Co. that I'm going to try this evening. I've already done the tequila infusion -- hot but not too hot.
FRESA BRAVA1 strawberry2 oz. jalapeno-infused tequila3/4 oz. yellow chartreuse3/4 oz. lemon juice1/2 oz. simple syrup
Muddle strawberry, shake, double strain, coupe.
― Motoroller Scampotron (WmC), Monday, 15 March 2021 17:59 (three years ago) link
This is the best cocktail I've ever made up (I'm sure it's not original, because I've had variations on scotch plus sherry over the years):
Scotch Solera1.5 oz Laphroaig 10.75 oz Amaro Meletti.75 oz Lustau Amontillado Dry SherryAngostura bittersLemon twist
I am going to try an orange twist next time, as I think that will play even better with these flavors. The play between peaty scotch and the aroma of dry sherry is my favorite thing in cocktails.
― the last unvaccinated motherfucker on earth (PBKR), Monday, 5 April 2021 12:21 (two years ago) link
Never thought about this, don't know what to think about this:
https://chicago.eater.com/2021/9/10/22666750/lost-lake-chicago-bar-tik-tropical-changes-open-logan-square
I also didn't realize this is a thing that's been (er) brewing for a while:
https://punchdrink.com/articles/problem-with-tiki-bars-cultural-appropriation/
https://residentmodernist.com/2020/08/05/tiki-cultural-appropriation/
https://residentmodernist.com/2020/12/29/an-open-reply-to-doom-tiki-invitation/
I've never considered a cocktail could be problematic, let alone an entire style, but once you invoke the specter of cultural appropriation and the legacy of colonialism, ... whither the gin & tonic? Whither rum entirely? Say goodbye to the Margarita? IPAs?
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 12 September 2021 13:54 (two years ago) link
stop it
https://www.britannica.com/topic/slippery-slope-argument
― sleeve, Sunday, 12 September 2021 16:18 (two years ago) link
yeah if you were to take, say, 10 minutes to learn about the history of tiki you would understand that this is a unique case.
honestly the best thing would be for tiki culture/aesthetics to die slowly and gracefully which is probably on its way to happening anyway, like even someone like martin cate who has dedicated his professional life to preserving them is on the wrong side of the generational divide here. also, the drinks themselves need to be separated from the presentation as far as what is appropriative about tiki imo.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 12 September 2021 16:42 (two years ago) link
No, I know the problematic nature of the presentation and decor. But the drinks themselves as "'colonial roleplay' in the way it offers drinkers an escape via a drink made of tropical ingredients without acknowledging the Black Afro-Caribbean and Polynesian peoples responsible." That's not about the mugs, that's about the *ingredients*; the Eater piece makes a distinction between tiki drinks and tropical drinks, with the latter "defined largely by drinks that were developed in the tropics — mojitos and daiquiris in Cuba, and the piña colada in Puerto Rico." Like, a mai tai in a glass, with none of the other tiki trappings, is that still problematic? I love a good mai tai. Does it just need a new name?
And back to the gin and tonic, that drink is *explicitly* linked and connected to colonialism.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 12 September 2021 16:52 (two years ago) link
yeah that distinction does not track to me at all. we can just agree that all sours are colonial products.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 12 September 2021 18:07 (two years ago) link
Would think that sugar is the most “problematic” ingredient in these drinks from a colonialism perspective, but I don’t think we really want to go there.
― Josefa, Sunday, 12 September 2021 19:00 (two years ago) link
in the form of rum, yes, absolutely
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 12 September 2021 19:05 (two years ago) link
need to come up with a mint-forward drink to give the name Bengay Fever
― Profiles in Liquid Courage (WmC), Wednesday, 27 October 2021 19:07 (two years ago) link
Dab the outside of the glass with Vicks VapoRub?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 27 October 2021 21:16 (two years ago) link
fernet menta?
― Communist Hockey Goblin (sleeve), Wednesday, 27 October 2021 21:19 (two years ago) link
Yeah, I have a bottle of Branca Menta -- now to figure out something with balance. Maybe just a daiquiri riff.
― Profiles in Liquid Courage (WmC), Wednesday, 27 October 2021 21:42 (two years ago) link
so... are there ANY cocktails that use root beer? or is it fundamentally incompatible? literally asking for a friend.
― thinkmanship (sleeve), Tuesday, 16 August 2022 02:21 (one year ago) link
Looks like there's something called a Black Cotton, a Dark & Stormy riff with root beer instead of ginger beer. And here's something called a Cuban Sarsaparilla -- https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/4882/cuban-sarsaparilla
― WmC, Tuesday, 16 August 2022 03:36 (one year ago) link
i wonder if one factor behind the lack of root beer in cocktails is that root beer probably has the widest range of flavor profiles among sodas so it's hard to make something that tastes consistent.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 16 August 2022 15:01 (one year ago) link
There is a root beer adjacent spirit called Root I have, but for the life of me I don't know what I used it for. Which might be why I still have it.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 16 August 2022 15:26 (one year ago) link
Bono has recalled waking up in Abraham Lincoln’s former bedroom at the White House after he drank “strong cocktails” with the then-president of the United States, Barack Obama. The U2 frontman had been visiting the Obama family with his wife, Alison Hewson, when Obama made the pair some drinks.“He’s the most extraordinary man and they’re the most extraordinary family,” Bono said in a BBC Radio 2 interview with presenter Zoe Ball.“The 44th president of the United States, he mixes cocktails; he doesn’t have too many, he’s very measured,”Bono explained how he had an allergy to salicylates found in things like red wine, which causes his “head to swell up like a balloon” or prompts him to “fall asleep somewhere”.Describing the “special moment” the couple were invited round, Bono explained how he had snuck off for a nap after drinking the cocktails and wine.“I had them and the wine and the allergy and I ended up slipping out for a kip and the president said to Ali after about 10 minutes, ‘Where’s Bono gone?’“She said, ‘He’s just gone for a sleep.’ (Obama) said, ‘I’m sorry?’,” the frontman recalled.“She said, ‘He has to, he just has to go for these sleeps, he’ll be back in 10 minutes. I’ve been with him for 30 years, don’t you worry a thing about him, Mr President. I’ll go find him’.”But Obama was insistent in coming with Hewson to find her husband, who they discovered asleep in Abraham Lincoln’s bedroom.“He goes, ‘No, no, no.’ And he comes with her and (saying) where can he be…? I know, he was asking me about the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s’.“And there I was in Lincoln’s bedroom, asleep, fallen asleep in the bosom of Abraham himself,” he continued. “He just woke me up and laughed. President laughed his head off.”“But he does tell people that he drinks me under the table, he doesn’t believe the allergy thing,” Bono added. “He does make strong cocktails, though, just saying.”
The U2 frontman had been visiting the Obama family with his wife, Alison Hewson, when Obama made the pair some drinks.
“He’s the most extraordinary man and they’re the most extraordinary family,” Bono said in a BBC Radio 2 interview with presenter Zoe Ball.
“The 44th president of the United States, he mixes cocktails; he doesn’t have too many, he’s very measured,”
Bono explained how he had an allergy to salicylates found in things like red wine, which causes his “head to swell up like a balloon” or prompts him to “fall asleep somewhere”.
Describing the “special moment” the couple were invited round, Bono explained how he had snuck off for a nap after drinking the cocktails and wine.
“I had them and the wine and the allergy and I ended up slipping out for a kip and the president said to Ali after about 10 minutes, ‘Where’s Bono gone?’
“She said, ‘He’s just gone for a sleep.’ (Obama) said, ‘I’m sorry?’,” the frontman recalled.
“She said, ‘He has to, he just has to go for these sleeps, he’ll be back in 10 minutes. I’ve been with him for 30 years, don’t you worry a thing about him, Mr President. I’ll go find him’.”
But Obama was insistent in coming with Hewson to find her husband, who they discovered asleep in Abraham Lincoln’s bedroom.
“He goes, ‘No, no, no.’ And he comes with her and (saying) where can he be…? I know, he was asking me about the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s’.
“And there I was in Lincoln’s bedroom, asleep, fallen asleep in the bosom of Abraham himself,” he continued. “He just woke me up and laughed. President laughed his head off.”
“But he does tell people that he drinks me under the table, he doesn’t believe the allergy thing,” Bono added. “He does make strong cocktails, though, just saying.”
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 15:37 (one year ago) link
cocktailGPT
Me: give me a cocktail recipe containing sherry and cheeseChatGPT: Here is a recipe for a delicious cocktail that combines sherry and cheese:The Sherry Cheese CocktailIngredients:1 1/2 ounces dry sherry1 1/2 ounces gin1/2 ounce orange liqueur1/2 ounce lemon juice1/2 ounce honey syrup1/4 ounce blue cheese-infused simple syrup1/4 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese1/4 teaspoon orange zestIceInstructions:1. To make the blue cheese-infused simple syrup, combine 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.2. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese. Allow to cool completely.3. To make the honey syrup, combine 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.4. To make the cocktail, combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well.5. Strain the cocktail into a chilled glass and garnish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and a strip of orange zest.This Sherry Cheese Cocktail is a unique and tasty drink that combines the rich, nutty flavor of sherry with the tangy, salty notes of blue cheese and Parmesan. The orange liqueur and lemon juice add a bright, citrusy touch, while the honey syrup adds a touch of sweetness. This is a perfect cocktail for sipping on a cold winter night or for enjoying as an aperitif before a special meal.
The Sherry Cheese Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces dry sherry1 1/2 ounces gin1/2 ounce orange liqueur1/2 ounce lemon juice1/2 ounce honey syrup1/4 ounce blue cheese-infused simple syrup1/4 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese1/4 teaspoon orange zestIce
Instructions:
1. To make the blue cheese-infused simple syrup, combine 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.2. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese. Allow to cool completely.3. To make the honey syrup, combine 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.4. To make the cocktail, combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well.5. Strain the cocktail into a chilled glass and garnish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and a strip of orange zest.
This Sherry Cheese Cocktail is a unique and tasty drink that combines the rich, nutty flavor of sherry with the tangy, salty notes of blue cheese and Parmesan. The orange liqueur and lemon juice add a bright, citrusy touch, while the honey syrup adds a touch of sweetness. This is a perfect cocktail for sipping on a cold winter night or for enjoying as an aperitif before a special meal.
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Saturday, 10 December 2022 12:51 (one year ago) link
that thing is freaking me out
― sleeve, Saturday, 10 December 2022 15:35 (one year ago) link
somehow I missed the news about Obama as expert mixologist.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 10 December 2022 15:43 (one year ago) link
Related:
[Michelle] Obama dished on her daughters’ bartending skills while promoting her new book, The Light We Carry, and recounted how Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21, invited their parents over to their shared L.A. apartment for some predinner drinks. “They had prepared a charcuterie tray and tried to make two very weak martinis,” Obama told Robin Roberts in a 20/20 interview. Obama said they realized they didn’t have all the ingredients for martinis but didn’t go into the details. One assumes both she and Barack Obama took some polite sips if nothing else. Michelle then told the story again in an interview with the Today Show’s Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb, saying, “The martinis were a little weak. I don’t think they really knew what it was.”
― jaymc, Saturday, 10 December 2022 19:18 (one year ago) link
well whose fault is that
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Saturday, 10 December 2022 19:41 (one year ago) link
I've made fish sauce caramel to rim a cocktail glass, but I ain't going near blue cheese simple syrup.
― DPRK in Cincinnati (WmC), Saturday, 10 December 2022 19:50 (one year ago) link
I on the other hand can't find that recipe fast enough
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Saturday, 10 December 2022 19:59 (one year ago) link
*reads upthread* oh no
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Saturday, 10 December 2022 20:06 (one year ago) link
more like cocktailGTFO
― Josefa, Saturday, 10 December 2022 20:10 (one year ago) link
Aw, yeah, you all know what time it is
https://i.imgur.com/2Y1HIgn.jpg
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 5 February 2023 00:01 (one year ago) link
I made Penicilins tonight. Such a great tasting and really well thought out cocktail.
― Unfairport Convention (PBKR), Sunday, 5 February 2023 04:22 (one year ago) link
ooh, I had one of those yesterday, it was quite goodd
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Sunday, 5 February 2023 04:32 (one year ago) link
As discussed here (elsewhere?), the only thing that keeps me from making Penicillins, one of my fave cocktails, is rarely having ginger-honey syrup on hand. But I guess it's easy enough to make a small amount. Also probably great for a sore throat.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 5 February 2023 14:17 (one year ago) link
xp I've never made a Penicillin bc I don't want to fuss with making the honey-ginger syrup, as required in Sam Ross's recipe, although I guess some adaptations just call for muddling the ginger. How do you male yours, PBKR?
― jaymc, Sunday, 5 February 2023 14:20 (one year ago) link
Penicillins are delicious — especially if you do a single-malt float on top — and honey-ginger syrup isn't hard to make, you just have to do it ahead of time. We just keep a little jar of it in the fridge, it stays good long enough for us to make several rounds over the course of a few weeks.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 5 February 2023 14:27 (one year ago) link
Yeah, I have a bottle of peaty scotch just for this drink (I'm not a scotch guy).
xpost fwiw I think it's just 1:1 honey and water, steeped with fresh ginger.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 5 February 2023 14:29 (one year ago) link
Yeah, I've made other syrups like honey and cinnamon, but I knew I could use those in more than one drink. But maybe I'll give it a go.
― jaymc, Sunday, 5 February 2023 14:41 (one year ago) link
Honey-ginger you could always add to tea and stuff. My daughter uses regular simple syrup in her coffee.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 5 February 2023 14:57 (one year ago) link
I just make a honey syrup (takes 5 minutes) and muddle the ginger, but maybe I'll try making it a honey-ginger syrup next time.
― Unfairport Convention (PBKR), Sunday, 5 February 2023 15:21 (one year ago) link
What I've learned in the past few years of making bar syrups is that the old way of cooking sugar, water and your target flavor together then straining produces a relatively faint ghost of a flavor; plus sometimes a cooked [whatever] doesn't taste as good as fresh/raw. You get a more intense syrup if you combine the target flavor (ginger, rhubarb, whatever) in a blender with the amount of water you would have used otherwise, strain through cheesecloth, then sweeten the uncooked juice+water, warming it up just enough to dissolve the sugar. Doing ginger this way is especially good; you get a very intensely gingery syrup.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Sunday, 5 February 2023 16:26 (one year ago) link
Might have to try that! I love penicillins so much, I try not to drink them too often so I don’t get burnt out on them, but at this point it’s been several months and I was just thinking it’s time to make some honey-ginger syrup again.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Sunday, 5 February 2023 16:58 (one year ago) link
Now I wonder what effect kinetic energy (extreme blender violence) might have in creating an oleosaccharum. Usually the process is just chemical breakdown of cell walls.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Sunday, 5 February 2023 17:44 (one year ago) link
I've grated raw ginger with a microplane to a similar effect. You just end up with pulp that packs a good punch.
― Unfairport Convention (PBKR), Sunday, 5 February 2023 19:57 (one year ago) link
That sounds like a good syrup approach WmC. We do something like that with mint — mint is tricky, because you have to blanch it to preserve the color or it turns brown. So we blanch it, then blend it with the simple and then strain. Gives a lovely emerald shade and obviously lots of minty flavor. With honey-ginger tho we just make honey syrup and then let a bunch of sliced ginger steep in it while it's warm.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 5 February 2023 23:26 (one year ago) link
Yeah, I have the same system with mint syrup. Frankly I want to drop the Mojito from our menu, it's a money-loser considering how much we spend on mint and how rarely it's ordered.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Monday, 6 February 2023 00:45 (one year ago) link
Yeah I feel like mojitos' moment in the spotlight has ended. I think partly for just what you're saying, lots of bars don't even make it because of having to keep mint around.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 6 February 2023 02:28 (one year ago) link
I had some blood oranges that were starting to shrivel a bit, so I juiced them and pondered what to do with the juice. The Blood and Sand is criticized a lot because OJ is a poor cocktail ingredient so I acid-adjusted the juice (mostly citric, a little malic) and give it a go. Equal parts Scotch, acid-adjusted blood OJ, Sangue Morlacco cherry liqueur (better than Heering, plus it's got blood in the name) and sweet vermouth. Tastes good, man. For now I'm calling it Sandy, Bloody Sandy.
https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/329337067_1594041551038258_3286885234608281867_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=PRVYkXm4AP0AX9pQwSD&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfCtMl4wbJYNIWIGenupxfePbsJF7G3I_les-UiS7AOCCw&oe=63E7043E
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Tuesday, 7 February 2023 22:22 (one year ago) link
Nice. I've made and liked this cocktail with mezcal, blood orange juice, cinnamon syrup, and fernet:https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/3339/sangre-dulce-cocktail
― jaymc, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:20 (one year ago) link
i want to try that william! i love the idea of acid-adjusted orange juice but have only done it a couple of times.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:28 (one year ago) link
I made some acid-adjusted pineapple juice (same recipe as for OJ iirc) and the resulting paste daiquiri was amazing.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:40 (one year ago) link
But pineapple is pretty sweet so drop back the simple a good bit.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:41 (one year ago) link
can u explain to a noob what the deal is with the acid adjustment? is straight orange too sweet?
― sleeve, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:41 (one year ago) link
The sweetness isn't the problem, it's just not tart/sour enough. Add citric acid if you want the sourness profile of lemon juice with the flavor of orange, or a combination of citric and malic acid if you want a lime sourness.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:44 (one year ago) link
mindexplosion.gif
― sleeve, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 23:48 (one year ago) link
500 grams OJ or pineapple juice, 26 grams acid (16 citric and 10 malic, or just 26 citric), awww yeah
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:00 (one year ago) link
that is much more added acid, proportionally, than I would have guessed!
― sleeve, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:01 (one year ago) link
here's my invention:
Nobel Prize
3/4 Aqvavit1/4 Swedish Punschsome blood orange bitters (depending on volume)
carefully peel a lemon so that the entire peel is an unbroken, narrow strip - combine in a jar or bottle with other ingredients and let sit in fridge for at least one week, if not two.. make a whole batch. (The peel should resemble a sunny tapeworm floating in formaldehyde) Serve chilled in small drams after dinner, or can be mixed with ginger beer into a cocktail
(I tried adding a single clove but it was too overpowering.. maybe if you left it in for only a day)
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:36 (one year ago) link
I've never tried Swedish Punsch, that sounds good.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:42 (one year ago) link
it has kind of a toffee/butterscotch flavor, and is very sweet on its own.. that's why you dilute it. 75/25 might actually be a little too sweet, but it's nice when kept in the freezer
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:46 (one year ago) link
I have a lifetime supply because a bar manager buddy bought a case years ago and has never figured out what to do with it.. so he'll sell me a bottle from time to timeIt's not super easy to find
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:48 (one year ago) link
I have a bottle of Swedish Punsch, iirc it tasted kind of ... rummy?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:53 (one year ago) link
one of those things I've always wanted to try but never have found
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:58 (one year ago) link
I've been wary of using OJ as a mixer. Thanks.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 01:04 (one year ago) link
xps yeah it is a rum liqueur, tho made with Batavia Arrack which is kind of its own thing. I feel like I've seen some around but I've never actually shopped for it.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 01:18 (one year ago) link
We made some "mimosa" beer cocktails — with Miller High Life, of course — for some events a few years ago and orange juice is so weak on its own that we had to make orange syrup to boost it or you wouldn't get the flavor at all. There's a reason you only mix orange juice with vodka, anything else will override it.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 01:21 (one year ago) link
kronan swedish punsch is i think the main one you can get in the usa, its base includes both batavia arrack and rum.....it's fine? idk it might be a more interesting historical artifact than actual cocktail ingredient.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 01:49 (one year ago) link
I looked at my state's ABC website and Kronan is available, but as a special order. There's a new-to-me liquor store in Tupelo that I haven't been able to explore fully, but on quick glance they had a ton of stuff from the special order list, maybe they have punsch.
jaymc, didn't want to ignore your post, I'm tempted to make a bit of cinnamon syrup to try that.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Wednesday, 8 February 2023 02:40 (one year ago) link
Had a big party, made a bunch of negroni variants with Aperol, lillet and gin (plus grapefruit wedge). People loved it.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 19 February 2023 04:39 (one year ago) link
Further play with acid-adjusted pineapple -- I made some with a lemon profile instead of lime and tried a whiskey sour, a drink I've always been 'meh' about after my early enthusiasm wore off. Best whiskey sour ever, one I could definitely see prying myself away from rum drinks to order. (2 oz. Rittenhouse Rye, 1 oz. acid-adjusted pineapple, .75 oz. 1:1 simple syrup, 1 egg white; dry shake, shake with ice, double strain, garnish with a few drops of Ango)
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Sunday, 9 April 2023 23:51 (eleven months ago) link
so for the lemon profile it's just citric right? and citric/malic is lime?
― Perverted By Linguiça (sleeve), Sunday, 9 April 2023 23:54 (eleven months ago) link
I would like to try this w/ a pisco sour
― Perverted By Linguiça (sleeve), Sunday, 9 April 2023 23:55 (eleven months ago) link
xp yep
Do it! It's so easy, and the results are a lot of fun.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Sunday, 9 April 2023 23:57 (eleven months ago) link
love that pineapple whiskey sour idea!!
― call all destroyer, Monday, 10 April 2023 00:41 (eleven months ago) link
confession time folks. when I make old fashioneds I use good bourbon. the $50 a bottle stuff people say you should never mix. like whatever, it tastes great with Squirt too. I don't even make them right lol
― frogbs, Sunday, 30 April 2023 03:50 (ten months ago) link
I used to mix drinks with Weller 12, back when it was $25 a bottle and everywhere. How things have changed.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 30 April 2023 13:22 (ten months ago) link
I think old fashioneds are a fine use of good booze — they have a minimal amount of sugar and bitters, mostly what you're tasting is the base spirit. A different thing than dumping it into a whiskey sour e.g. (I love whiskey sours, but Four Roses is perfectly fine for that.)
Tho yeah, if you're putting Squirt in, that's not an old fashioned. I don't know what it is. But enjoy!
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 13:26 (ten months ago) link
Wisconsin is famous for fussing with the Old Fashioned, hence the Brandy Old Fashioned, with this apt detail:
In Wisconsin, the default way to make a Brandy Old Fashioned is with a splash of Sprite or 7-up, making it “sweet.”But, don’t think you have to stop there.You can also make it with sour mix or a sour soda (often Squirt), making it “sour.” You can get fancy, and make it “press,” with a combination of 7-up and seltzer. Or, you can skip all the fanciness and simply add seltzer.
But, don’t think you have to stop there.
You can also make it with sour mix or a sour soda (often Squirt), making it “sour.” You can get fancy, and make it “press,” with a combination of 7-up and seltzer. Or, you can skip all the fanciness and simply add seltzer.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 30 April 2023 13:45 (ten months ago) link
Oh lord, no. That way lies TGIF and the whole fruit-cup-in-a-glass approach.
Fun bit about the "old fashioned," it is as far as anyone knows the single oldest cocktail in the U.S. Also the original "cocktail," when that word first shows up around the beginning of the 1800s, it refers specifically to a mixture of whiskey, sugar and some small amount of bitters. Exactly why it was called a cocktail is disputed, there are (as common with drink history) various theories and claims. But the reason the "old fashioned" is called the old fashioned is that as the word cocktail came to mean mixed drinks in general, people who wanted the O.G. would ask for an "old fashioned cocktail" to specify which one they wanted. Or so the story goes!
Anyway, I think old fashioneds are unfairly maligned but it's mostly because of the ghastly overstuffed concoctions they became during the '70s/'80s Dark Ages. A classic old fashioned — whiskey, a touch of sweet (we use 1/4 oz 2:1 simple, which gives it a little viscosity), and dashes of orange and angostura bitters, stirred with ice — is really good. As are the rum and mezcal variants (with good rum you can dial back the sweet to very little, and with mezcal I like chocolate bitters in place of the ango).
But a properly made old fashioned is a fine showcase for a good liquor.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:13 (ten months ago) link
Per @DavidWondrich, this 1880 Chi Trib article is the earliest-known reference to the Old-Fashioned https://t.co/28d9zidxAX #cocktailsummit pic.twitter.com/eClsPwu3wA— John M. Cunningham (@jmcunning) April 2, 2017
― jaymc, Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:21 (ten months ago) link
Also per David Wondrich:
“If you had an old horse you were trying to sell, you would put some ginger up its butt, and it would cock its tail up and be frisky. That was known as 'cock-tail.' It comes from that. It became this morning thing. Something to cock your tail up, like an eye-opener. I'm almost positive that's where it's from."
― jaymc, Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:27 (ten months ago) link
Louisville claims it too, they both have published recipes from the early 1880s. But the drink was long in circulation by then, it just took a while to move from "an old-fashioned cocktail" as a bar order to "an Old Fashioned."
And yeah that's one of the cocktail theories. There are others: https://tastecocktails.com/word-cocktail-come/
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:30 (ten months ago) link
Yeah, I trust Wondrich, though! If he thinks that's the true origin, I believe him. He's well aware of the other claims.
― jaymc, Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:32 (ten months ago) link
The Old Fashioned is really taking off where I work. We are going through Ango at probably 3x or 4x the rate from when we first opened.
Lately I am trying not to lose my cool at customers who want straws in drinks served up, and even more WTF, a straw in their whiskey sour. Not even getting into the amount of single-use plastic I stick in a landfill every shift, it's just "oh ok, so you don't actually want to taste your drink, you leather-tongued eejit..."
I made some celery syrup a couple of weeks ago because I thought it would play interestingly with gin and lemon. It's pretty weird but not bad, just a matter of getting the specs right.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:34 (ten months ago) link
I was going to say, is the old-fashioned really unfairly maligned? Feel like it's been the default cocktail-bar order for a certain type of guy for at least a decade.
― jaymc, Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:39 (ten months ago) link
xpost Yeah you can kind of pick the version you want, it's just that in drinks history there's rarely really a single point of origin — it's usually something that has developed over time and then either somebody slaps a name on it or is the first one to put it on a bar menu or in a cocktail book. e.g. Jerry Thomas certainly didn't invent all the drinks in his 1862 book, but it's the first printed reference point for a lot of them.
In the 20th century there are more instances where you can specifically identify an origin, because of better documentation. And sometimes, like with the Moscow Mule, the story is well established and was known even at the time of its introduction.
And WmC, interesting to hear that about the OF. I order them out some myself, tho usually only at places that have good mezcal for a Oaxacan variation.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:39 (ten months ago) link
By "unfairly maligned" I mean by drink snobs. Mostly because there are a lot of bad ones out there. (I was just served one the other week, with a big hunk of orange in it — at most, you should have an orange twist, not a whole slice.)
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:40 (ten months ago) link
Chasing cocktail history is super fun and also frustrating in the same way as chasing origin stories of folk songs — past a point you run into oral and regional histories and there's as much folklore as fact.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:42 (ten months ago) link
There is some celery drink precedent! Here's the history of Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda:
https://www.seriouseats.com/dr-browns-cel-ray-celery-soda-history
I love an Old Fashioned. We use a darker simple syrup made from turbinado sugar and generally stick to rye, for tradition's sake. I don't think we mix much with bourbon, which we stick to straight, bar the occasional whiskey smash.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:43 (ten months ago) link
Yeah a rye OF is really nice and the pepperiness plays well with the sweet.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:46 (ten months ago) link
Yeah, when I had the celery syrup idea, I did some googling and found some precedents. Hard to come up with anything truly new in the cocktail world.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Sunday, 30 April 2023 14:56 (ten months ago) link
I had a cocktail last night that either attempted to echo Gochujang paste or perhaps actually incorporated it. Gin, calamansi (I guess a kumquat-like Philippine citrus fruit?), lime, raspberry liqueur, with something providing some heat, or at least the illusion of heat. For sure it was pretty piquant.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 30 April 2023 15:07 (ten months ago) link
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, April 30, 2023 8:26 AM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
Well, it should be 50/50, but the stores I go to stopped selling it, so Squirt will do. I put green olives in it too. Whenever I make these in public people tell me "uhhh that's not really an old fashioned" but whatever it is I dig it. imo as long as it's got the bitters it at least tastes like one.
― frogbs, Sunday, 30 April 2023 16:03 (ten months ago) link
When we teach drink classes, we always tell people it’s good to learn recipes but the most important thing is making something you personally want to drink. So improvise away!
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 17:28 (ten months ago) link
i’m confused about the comment that old fashioneds changed in the 70s and 80s. i thought that people just stopped ordering them for the most part.
― call all destroyer, Sunday, 30 April 2023 17:36 (ten months ago) link
There's a restaurant over here that does smoke-infused old fashioneds that are fantastic
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Sunday, 30 April 2023 17:51 (ten months ago) link
Old fashioneds were a '70s cocktail staple, but that's when they sprouted orange wedges and maraschino cherries and overdid the sugar like they did with everything. They became disreputable like a lot of fern bar stuff.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 18:23 (ten months ago) link
Speaking of which, there's a couple here in Knoxville about to open a fern bar type place, '70s retro and all. I'd be skeptical except that they already run a really good, smart tropical bar and I trust their judgment. Could be fun.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 18:25 (ten months ago) link
Places referencing fern bars have been a thing for almost 10 years I believe.
― This machine bores fascism (PBKR), Sunday, 30 April 2023 18:31 (ten months ago) link
Knoxville being Knoxville we actually have an original one that's still in existence, though it's about to close. Just in time for the revival.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 30 April 2023 18:45 (ten months ago) link
oroboros of fern bars
― This machine bores fascism (PBKR), Sunday, 30 April 2023 18:49 (ten months ago) link
Am I wrong in thinking that the resurgence in popularity of old fashioneds was almost entirely due to Mad Men, and that's when people generally started making them the "right" way again? A little ironic if that's the case, since the one time we see Don Draper make himself an old fashioned, he does it the "wrong" way (muddled cherry, soda, orange wedge). I assumed that was more accurate for the period, but maybe not?
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Monday, 1 May 2023 22:06 (ten months ago) link
They've been back for 20+ years, with the first wave of the cocktail revival.
― This machine bores fascism (PBKR), Monday, 1 May 2023 22:12 (ten months ago) link
yeah if anything mad men was nodding at the cocktail revival already in progress
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 2 May 2023 00:39 (ten months ago) link
ah that makes sense
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Tuesday, 2 May 2023 16:16 (ten months ago) link
I'm a Manhattan guy, and I recently discovered the Sour Cherry Manhattan. Luxardos and other fancy cocktail cherries have always been too sweet for me, and I like the contrast of the sour and sweet. Just get yourself a big jar of sour cherries from your grocery store.2-3 ounces rye1/2 ounce sweet vermouth1/2 ounce dry vermouthDash of orange bittersDash of Angostura bitters1/2 teaspoon sour cherry juiceStir with ice, then top with a sour cherry.
― TO BE A JAZZ SINGER YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCAT (Jazzbo), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 16:27 (ten months ago) link
And regarding Negronis, I prefer Stanley Tucci's method of adding an extra shot of gin.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srjk7qJ4PQ4
― TO BE A JAZZ SINGER YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCAT (Jazzbo), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 16:35 (ten months ago) link
In the interests of full disclosure, for my Old Fashioneds I do put a small piece of orange in the glass and give it a single press with the muddler, mostly on the peel but a little on the pulp as well. I use demerara gum syrup instead of a sugar cube so there's no additional muddling involved. It's how I was taught the drink by a hotshot bar consultant when we were getting ready to open. I'm open to losing the orange piece but the regulars are very accustomed to it now.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 16:46 (ten months ago) link
I love orange with Old Fashioneds and with Manhattans. I use a mix of orange and angostura bitters when I make them at home.
I think the theory with using a sugar cube is that the distribution of sugar is less even, meaning (with a stirrer) the drinker gets to play with the sugar/booze mix as they drink. That could be a bug or a feature depending on your view.
In a bar setting, I can absolutely understand wanting to use simple syrup for the speed factor.
― This machine bores fascism (PBKR), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:26 (ten months ago) link
hi all
― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:29 (ten months ago) link
yeah I love stuff like that. it's why I like to use the one big ice cube, slowly changes/opens up the drink as you sip on it
― frogbs, Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:31 (ten months ago) link
Yeah big cubes are great.
I think an OF with a hunk of orange and even a cherry is drinkable, and I have drunk them including recently. I just think it interferes with the balance of the drink, which is delicate when done well. A small piece may be less intrusive, obviously.
Orange is interesting as a cocktail fruit because orange bitters and peels are important to lots of drinks, but actual orange juice is mostly useless except in glass-of-OJ drinks like screwdrivers. (Or mimosas I suppose, but let's just not talk about those.) It's just too mild, you need the boosted sour blast of lemon or lime to stand up to spirits. Grapefruit can add a nice layer, but it usually needs help — like in the siesta, where the grapefruit sits on top of lime juice.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:36 (ten months ago) link
Even a cynar julep, which is very grapefruit forward, uses an ounce of grapefruit juice revved up with a quarter-ounce of lemon.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:40 (ten months ago) link
Just to be clear, I'm for orange peel, not orange wedges.
― This machine bores fascism (PBKR), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:40 (ten months ago) link
Yeah a nice orange twist is great. I just object to pulp.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:42 (ten months ago) link
Anybody ever do flaming/sparking orange peels? It's fun, adds a little theater and a little caramelized flavor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc6WEdQjZiQ
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:48 (ten months ago) link
Cynar negronis are the best.
― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 18:49 (ten months ago) link
xp yes that technique is delicious, I am usually too lazy but love it in a bar setting
and yes to Cygronis
― Perverted By Linguiça (sleeve), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 21:17 (ten months ago) link
Our little cocktail service worked a corporate thing a few years ago, pre-COVID, and we calculated that the state sales managers would be less impressed by carefully balanced drinks than by burning shit. So we did old fashioneds with the burnt orange, then some drink I don't even remember that we smoked with a cedar chip under a glass bowl, and the best was margaritas with flaming lime halves on top. They loved it.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 2 May 2023 21:24 (ten months ago) link
Fire good.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 2 May 2023 22:32 (ten months ago) link
Until it sets the bar on fire, catching various spilled spirits and menus ablaze - which happened in the presence of a former ILXor a few months back. The Instagram looked intense but apparently the bar and waitstaff got things under control fairly quickly.
― Jaq, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 00:37 (ten months ago) link
We had an incident with Flaming Dr. Pepper shots last year but I put the spill out before the bar top or any people took damage.
― The Terroir of Tiny Town (WmC), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 00:56 (ten months ago) link
Yeah you don't want to accidentally end up in the molotov cocktail thread.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 01:15 (ten months ago) link
OK, I'm back. Sorry for being tetchy the other day. I love reading about cocktails and cocktail history and was excited to share some of what I've come across while waiting for my Sunday morning bagel order to be ready.
I agree that a lot of it is hard to pin down, though I do tend to trust someone like David Wondrich simply because he does so much exhaustive historical research and brings a scholarly skepticism to his work. So if he says that he's "almost positive" about something cocktail-related, I figure that's the closest we're going to the truth. (I think his research on the origin of the word "cocktail" was done in the service of The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, which he compiled and finally published last year. Back in 2017 or so, I'd invited him to write a new "cocktail" article for Encyclopaedia Britannica, and he declined, citing the demands of the Oxford project.) Btw, he also has a fun podcast called "Fix Me a Drink" that delves into some of the mysteries he's investigated.
I guess wasn't aware that drink snobs ever looked down on the old-fashioned, maybe because I didn't get into cocktails until after the 21st-century renaissance was in full swing and it wasn't difficult to find a well-made old-fashioned at a decent bar. It's never been a favorite drink of mine, though I certainly respect it. If I roll my eyes at the dudes who order it as a default, it's only because it seems unadventurous (and boringly gendered). It is, however, a good way to taste liquor in a way that's relatively unadulterated. If I ever bought some really good bourbon (instead of whatever's decent enough to mix with), I'd probably drink them more often.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:20 (ten months ago) link
I had a classic Wisconsin supper club brandy old fashioned the other night and it was excellent.
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:22 (ten months ago) link
xp FWIW, I also quoted Wondrich's "cocktail" definition in an article I wrote a few years ago, so I suppose I'm a little invested in it. :)
― jaymc, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:23 (ten months ago) link
there's no better source on cocktail history than wondrich, idk why that would even be a point of debate.
i guess i'm still looking for a source on who was looking down on old fashioneds? i acknowledge that they went through a fruit-forward phase but it's not as though there were all these other incredible drinks around while that was happening.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:24 (ten months ago) link
That sounds great. Yeah, I think there's a place for the Wisconsin brandy old-fashioned. The NYT drinks writer Robert Simonson, who's originally from Wisconsin, has written approvingly about it. And if you're at a supper club in the state, it seems like a real when-in-Rome situation.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:35 (ten months ago) link
Wondrich is great, I meant no impugnment. I don't feel like he totally cinched the "cocktail" case, but that may be because it's not as fun as other theories. Or maybe it's plenty fun, I don't know. The horse's ass part has resonance at least.
On the old fashioned, I just meant that wherever it was first documented, which Wondrich is probably right about, it was a drink long in circulation. It was a baseline mixed drink.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:52 (ten months ago) link
I was in Mexico and we went to a really nice restaurant that had old fashioneds on the menu. I was pretty astonished by it. Wound up ordering it because, if I didn't, who would? Anyway...it was okay
― frogbs, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 03:55 (ten months ago) link
I actually just had a rum old-fashioned earlier tonight. That's practically dessert, but delicious.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 04:34 (ten months ago) link
OK this is pretty fascinating as the recorded history of angostura predates the Jerry Thomas book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters
― Perverted By Linguiça (sleeve), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 04:56 (ten months ago) link
I mean
Originally used to help with upset stomachs of the soldiers in Simón Bolívar's army,
― Perverted By Linguiça (sleeve), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 04:58 (ten months ago) link
I love how many spirits and the like were issued for "health" reasons, or, at the least, hangover cures. Drinkers must have been drunk all the fucking time, no wonder they outlawed it.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 12:11 (ten months ago) link
The amount that average people drank during the day and often while laboring in the pre-modern era is kind of astonishing.
― This machine bores fascism (PBKR), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 12:17 (ten months ago) link
Before the Second Great Awakening just about every man, woman, and child in America was drunk. Water was uh rather unsafe.
― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 12:22 (ten months ago) link
What was drank so heavily in the old days was usually small beer (near beer, basiclly) or other very low proof alcohols.
― Christine Green Leafy Dragon Indigo, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 12:45 (ten months ago) link
unless you lived in the South
― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 12:53 (ten months ago) link
ok so I'm doing Woodford Reserve + bitters + a little simple syrup + a splash of water + 6 oz Squirt + some green olives and a little bit of the juice from the olive jar. oh and a big ice cube. dunno what it is but its good
― frogbs, Saturday, 6 May 2023 03:42 (ten months ago) link
Godspeed
― jaymc, Saturday, 6 May 2023 03:59 (ten months ago) link
The sugar-free beverages thread gave me an idea for a low-ABV long drink that really has to be called "Safe/Fake Grapefruit Soda" -- Aperol, lemon juice, club soda. Maybe a little simple syrup.
― I Wanna Find an ILXor That'll Flag My Last Post Till I Have To Go (WmC), Friday, 15 September 2023 18:44 (six months ago) link
They say the sbagliato was the drink of the summer, bc apparently some tosser said so on a reality TV show.
I say it's a classic, and shouldn't be linked to a passing trend, like say the cosmopolitan. What do you think about this drink? (Prosecco, sweet vermouth, Campari).
― Josefa, Friday, 15 September 2023 22:27 (six months ago) link
would drink, imo that would be even better subbing Cynar for Campari
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Friday, 15 September 2023 22:31 (six months ago) link
lemon twist either way
It's clearly a Negroni subbing Prosecco for gin, but I think that switch makes it a lot more refreshing and more aperitif-like
― Josefa, Friday, 15 September 2023 22:41 (six months ago) link
Hmm. For a more refreshing take on the Negroni I'd probably just offer Aperol spritz, though I suppose that's just one more step removed/simplified from the sbagliato. And lots of people find Aperol less bitter than Campari.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 15 September 2023 22:52 (six months ago) link
Aperol is definitely less bitter than Campari, but the problem is it's too sweet. There are Aperol substitutes like Select that are slightly less sweet but for me sweet vermouth fixes that problem conclusively.
― Josefa, Friday, 15 September 2023 23:02 (six months ago) link
Or rather the combination of Campari & sweet vermouth
cosmopolitans are classic
― call all destroyer, Friday, 15 September 2023 23:54 (six months ago) link
One of my favorite summer cocktails is similar:
Take 3 by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin2 oz Cynar.75 oz St-Germain.75 oz lemon juiceseltzer to topAdd the Cynar, St-Germain and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange wedge.
Add the Cynar, St-Germain and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange wedge.
It tastes like the best iced coca-cola you have ever had on a hot summer day.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Saturday, 16 September 2023 01:50 (six months ago) link
Love a sbagliato.
My favorite spritz is a half-half combo of Aperol and Campari, cuts the sweetness but not as bitter as a Campari spritz. (I like all these spritzes tho.)
Tonight we made French 75s with cognac, a house favorite.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 16 September 2023 03:45 (six months ago) link
A couple of successes from Punch this week: banana peel "oleosaccharum" subbed in for most of the simple syrup in a Daiquiri. Probably going to have another one later today with all the simple subbed out. The banana peel syrup is banana-y but also tannic, really delicious.
Second was an Alpine Negroni, a riff I prefer over the original. Equal parts standard Negroni ingredients plus Amaro Braulio, plus 1/4 oz. of "champagne acid," a solution of tartaric and lactic acids in water. It really makes the vermouth pop, so use a good one.
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Sunday, 10 December 2023 19:01 (three months ago) link
A friend of mine was looking for a bottle of something I've never encountered: China-China. Is this an amaro? Is it used in any drinks? I'm not even sure where it's made, or why it's called that.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 10 December 2023 19:04 (three months ago) link
Technically, it's an amer (French amaro):https://www.giffard.com/en/bigallet-liqueurs/546-bigallet-china-china.htmlI think it's a common substitute for Amer Picon, which isn't available in the U.S.
― jaymc, Sunday, 10 December 2023 19:21 (three months ago) link
Here are some recipes that use it:https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail?scope=0&index_type=2&output_type=1&ingredient%5B0%5D=Bigallet%20China-China
― jaymc, Sunday, 10 December 2023 19:23 (three months ago) link
I had a Soleggiato last week, which is a spritz with Amaro Angeleno, dry vermouth, Manzanilla sherry, and soda. I love anything with dry sherry in it, but this was one refreshing cocktail. Need to find a bottle of Amaro Angeleno.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Sunday, 10 December 2023 19:49 (three months ago) link
I am very excited that I have gathered all the ingredients to duplicate local foodie bar cocktail "THE BRAIN", the bartender kindly gave me the recipe
1 oz dry gin1 oz Angostura Amaro1/4 oz cocchi di torino1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap rum
stir w/ice in glass
add orange AND lemon peel, float with clear overproof rum (Wray & Sons)
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Friday, 12 January 2024 23:57 (two months ago) link
only one mention of the boulevardier itt. for shame― cozen, Monday, 18 November 2013 03:55 (ten years ago) bookmarkflaglink
― cozen, Monday, 18 November 2013 03:55 (ten years ago) bookmarkflaglink
Bumping those numbers rn. Currently trying everything Negroni adjacent after having a cocktail awakening. Never been a straight spirits guy, never been down for all the fruity nonsense most of those around me drink (just give me beer!). But the Negroni, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Brooklyn and now the Boulevardier have been an awakening. Please recommend more in this category to a mixology novice
― H.P, Friday, 9 February 2024 02:57 (one month ago) link
little italian:
2 oz rye1/2 oz red vermouth1/2 oz cynar (cynar 70 is best but regular will do)
stire w/ice, orange peel garnish
― Surfin' burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (sleeve), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:08 (one month ago) link
not campari-related, but delicious
― Surfin' burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (sleeve), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:09 (one month ago) link
sazerac? vieux carre? martinez?there’s such a deep well of drinks in the space you’re in, possibly only limited by the amount of amari you can acquire.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 9 February 2024 03:11 (one month ago) link
Made a martinez, had a little italian at a pizzeria around the corner but, the other two haven't heard of, cheers!
― H.P, Friday, 9 February 2024 03:45 (one month ago) link
vieux carre is def a go-to of mine
― Surfin' burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (sleeve), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:46 (one month ago) link
One great sub is to mister-potatohead Laird's Straight Apple Brandy (BIB, 100 proof) into any whiskey recipe. Also, every new aged rum I get I try out in a rum Old Fashioned.
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:59 (one month ago) link
I'm looking at two clairins (Haitian rhum agricole) on the shelf and wondering why I haven't subbed those into Negroni versions before. A job for tomorrow or Saturday.
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Friday, 9 February 2024 04:01 (one month ago) link
oh man I never even considered a rum old fashioned
btw WmC, if you really need that Cruzan Black Strap there is tons here and it's like $15 a bottle, you know how to reach me ;)
― Surfin' burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (sleeve), Friday, 9 February 2024 04:01 (one month ago) link
One of my liquor stops* in Memphis has it and I'm going up early next month so I'll grab a bottle then. Thank you though!
*Buster's is legit one of the top 20 liquor stores in the country imo, and they just opened a 2nd, even bigger, location today.
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Friday, 9 February 2024 04:14 (one month ago) link
Love a good stirred rum drink.
― jaymc, Friday, 9 February 2024 04:18 (one month ago) link
A few I like are the 100 Year Old Cigar, Ash Tray Heart, Black Prince, Bye Bye Batista, Desk Job, Drunken Dodo, and Rum River Mystic.
There's also the Kingston Negroni (subbing Smith & Cross for gin), which seems to have become somewhat popular, though it's not one of my favorites.
― jaymc, Friday, 9 February 2024 04:30 (one month ago) link
Oops, messed up one of those links; try Black Prince.
― jaymc, Friday, 9 February 2024 04:32 (one month ago) link
Rebennack variant1.5 oz Rye.75 oz Averna.25 oz Cointreau2 dashes Peychaud's Bittersorange peel for garnish
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Friday, 9 February 2024 13:44 (one month ago) link
Oooh -- Averna and Cointreau!
― poppers fueled buttsex crescendo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 9 February 2024 13:58 (one month ago) link
It's got a really nice orange/chocolate/whiskey thing going on.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Friday, 9 February 2024 14:42 (one month ago) link
ooh gonna get some Averna and try that one
― Surfin' burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (sleeve), Friday, 9 February 2024 15:01 (one month ago) link
xps Love the 100 Year Old Cigar. Gonna have to try an Ash Tray Heart.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Friday, 9 February 2024 15:25 (one month ago) link