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

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.

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.

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.

yeah it's gonna be vodka (although my favorite is a place in town that uses chile tequila).

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.

hey, at that price it's nbd if you hate it too!

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

FINALLY got my mitts on laird's bonded and cointreau! whole new worlds

oh youre gonna love laird's bonded

you were OTM upthread about the shitty confusing label

yeah it's so shitty. i've grown to love it.

first order of business: jack rose. this is good! may cut back a bit on the lime next time tho.

finally bought pisco today. so delicious! pisco sours for everyone imo.

otm

the Pisco Sour is a perfect cocktail

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. benedictine
3 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.