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

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:

Ice
2 1/2 ounces gin, preferably Plymouth brand
1 ounce Barolo Chinato, preferably Marcarini brand
3 dashes Peychaud bitters
Twist of lime peel
1 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.

Sounds awesome

do they still have it at pilar? Or proof? haven't been to either in ages!

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 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

Add a few ice cubes and drink like 15 of them

done and done

And watch this, which features them pretty prominently -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118015/

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.

thx!

these guys have been having some good recipes - http://drinks.seriouseats.com/recipes/?ref=skybox4

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

Good luck bill - http://offthepresses.blogspot.com/2011/09/suze-to-finally-reach-us-shores.html

Luck news

that's super news!

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.

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 FB
1/4 tsp. sugar
Dash 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!

yeah the toronto is a great way to ease into fernet

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

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.

here's a really nice, autumnal, sazerac-like drink that's hitting the spot for me tonite. super aromatics on this one.

applewood
2 oz. applejack
scant .5 oz. rich simple syrup
1 tsp allspice dram
2 dashes angostura
2 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.

Speaking of, making my first real forays into the world of Scotch tonight: Glenfiddich 12-yr and Balvenie 15-yr.

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.

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.

apols if this was asked upthread but is there any appreciable difference taste-wise between applejack and, say, calvados?

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.)

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

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.

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

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.

i made hot buttered rum with sailor jerry's last week

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.

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!

You know, I'm tempted to try that formula with Ransom Old Tom Gin, which I like in theory but have had trouble mixing.

10 drops Angostura is a lot. Does it not end up tasting overly like bitters? Maybe I am thinking dashes and not drops.

you're thinking dashes--i'd say 10 drops is no more than a dash.

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.

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.)

i love that esquire article abt aperol, going to give some drinks a go tonight

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

i like that it also reads as an indictment of cocktail books!

i flipped through that see mix drink book in the store yesterday--i have no idea what problem it thinks it's solving

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

so i flipped through the bitters book yesterday too. it basically breaks down like this:

20 pages of bitters history
16 recipes for bitters
lots and lots of cocktail recipes
a few recipes for cooking with bitters

i was hoping for a little more than another recipe book tbh

if you want history, read this (the only cocktail book i would ever straight up recommend): imbibe!

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?

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.

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 Rye
1tsp Lime juice
1tsp Simple syrup
3ds Hot sauce, Tabasco

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.