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

also missing a boston shaker!

hahaha yes!

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.)

(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

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, 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.

my microplane grater is on the other side of the country right now, pretty much my favorite kitchen utensil ever

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

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.

yup, it refers to the metal tin + glass combo

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 Tequila
1 oz Cointreau
¾ oz Lime Juice
¼ Simple Syrup

and then made this from upthread and it was fantastic.

RECIPE FORTY-NINE: paris manhattan

2 oz. rye (or bourbon i guess)
1 oz. st germain
.5 oz. dry vermouth
2 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.

wld totally try that paris manhattan

yeah that was a cool one! maybe i will make it tonite.

so maybe i need to get some st. germain.

i want this.

holy shit i actually still have a meyer lemon which means i can make that

do you also have pear brandy on hand?

yeah i have clear creek pear brandy. it's delicious!

awesome!
catoctin is where i'm doing the bottling workshop next weekend.
hope i don't spend $300 before i leave!

have also decided i want everything on this menu.

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.

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.

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.

what are you planning on doing with the whiskey?

Is there something versatile enough for cocktails or straight sipping? I saw Eagle Rare mentioned in the whiskey thread.

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.

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

otm

Eagle Rare was on sale, $10 off. Got that, Jim Beam rye and Mount Gay rum.

which mount gay?

Eclipse (gold)

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.

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.

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.)

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 syrup
1 dash angostura
2 big mint sprigs
more 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!

of=over

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.

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?

dolin!

dolin sweet, noilly praat dry

has anyone tried this - http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/07/gran_classico_an_ancient_lique.php

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.

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?

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.

WTF can I do with Drambuie? Is there a cocktail that this stuff tastes good in?

the rusty nail - 3:1 scotch and drambuie

(nb never tried it but it's the only drambuie cocktail i know of)

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.

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/

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!

also i am completely over the campari aversion i wrote about upthread, love this stuff now