in the 2k10 i am learning to make cocktails. this is my mixology thread

:D

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.

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 whiskey
1 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.

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 honey
dash Angostura bitters
1 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.

(recipe originally developed by the legendary Don the Beachcomber)

http://i50.tinypic.com/2a99r3a.jpg

fuckin' love this guy

z s that sounds excellent. did you just use a microwave to heat up the honey?

Yep, just 20 seconds or so works fine!

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.

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 juice
garnish 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.

LOL .74 ounces. that is .75 but you already knew that.

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.

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.

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 cube
2 oz. rye
.25 oz water
A FEW DASHES angostura
lemon 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.

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.

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!

wow, that's awesome! definitely going to track it down.

<3 fernet branca! i'll try that version of the old fashioned

I had a couple Sidecars last Saturday will watching football. Excellent drink imo.

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

I don't know what kind of brandy! a friend whipped them up. I'm not too picky anyway.

I just made a drink with this:

- fresh squeezed blood orange juice
- gin
- cranberry juice

shaken over ice, lovely

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.

tracer what were your proportions?

no idea - maybe something like:

3-oj
2-gin
1-cranberry

cranberry really just for a little hint of sweet-tartness

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

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

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. rye
1 oz. cognac
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 tsp benedictine
2 dashes angostura
2 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.

RECIPE TEN: the sazerac

the greatest cocktail? according to some, maybe.

2 oz. rye
1 sugar cube
4 dashes peychaud's
1 tsp absinthe or herbsaint
1 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.

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.

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. rye
1 oz. dry vermouth
.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
.75 oz. grenadine.

shake w/ice and pour. garnish w/a lemon twist.

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. grenadine
1-2 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.

Hmm, maybe substitute cherry heering for the grenadine? Looks good though, I might try that tomorrow.

**18 hours later...**

two thumbs up! :)

awesome! did you sub cherry heering in?

RECIPE FOURTEEN: the so-so

1 oz. gin
1 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.

2 that I like:

Moscow Mule - vodka, ginger ale (pref. Vernors), lime juice
Polish Cider - Zubrowka vodka (buffalo grass infused), apple cider, lemon juice

so-so sounds good

but then again i don't know shit about cocktails so

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.

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.

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.

one more for tonight:

RECIPE SIXTEEN: the fluyt (that's "floight" (i think), a type of dutch sailing ship)

2 oz. genever
1 oz. cognac
.5 oz. dry vermouth
5 dashes peychaud's
2 dashes fee whiskey barrel aged
1 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.

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.

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)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. benedictine
1 dash orange bitters
apricot 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.

RECIPE NINETEEN: the chrysanthemum

this is from an excellent french/cuban restaurant called chez henri

1.5 oz. dry vermouth
.75 oz. benedictine
3 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.

cosmopolitans are classic

One of my favorite summer cocktails is similar:

Take 3 by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin
2 oz Cynar
.75 oz St-Germain
.75 oz lemon juice
seltzer to top

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.

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 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.

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.

Technically, it's an amer (French amaro):
https://www.giffard.com/en/bigallet-liqueurs/546-bigallet-china-china.html

I think it's a common substitute for Amer Picon, which isn't available in the U.S.

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

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.

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 gin
1 oz Angostura Amaro
1/4 oz cocchi di torino
1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap rum

stir w/ice in glass

add orange AND lemon peel, float with clear overproof rum (Wray & Sons)

only one mention of the boulevardier itt. for shame

― 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

little italian:

2 oz rye
1/2 oz red vermouth
1/2 oz cynar (cynar 70 is best but regular will do)

stire w/ice, orange peel garnish

not campari-related, but delicious

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.

Made a martinez, had a little italian at a pizzeria around the corner but, the other two haven't heard of, cheers!

vieux carre is def a go-to of mine

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.

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.

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 ;)

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.

Love a good stirred rum drink.

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.

Oops, messed up one of those links; try Black Prince.

Rebennack variant
1.5 oz Rye
.75 oz Averna
.25 oz Cointreau
2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
orange peel for garnish

Oooh -- Averna and Cointreau!

It's got a really nice orange/chocolate/whiskey thing going on.

ooh gonna get some Averna and try that one

xps Love the 100 Year Old Cigar. Gonna have to try an Ash Tray Heart.