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
otm
― 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 (twelve 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 (twelve years ago) link
Love a good smash.
― tehresa, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 02:37 (twelve 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 (twelve 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 (twelve 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 (twelve 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 (twelve 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 (twelve 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
stir and strain.
― 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