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Old Tom gin, Q Tonic and a few thin slices of kaffir lime is making the most aromatic gin and tonic I've ever tasted. It's amazing. On the subject of vermouth, I love me a Bamboo. Mix: 1 part sherry 1 part dry vermouth Dash of bitters Dash or 2 orange bitters Candied orange peel Combine vermouth, bitters and sherry over ice, stir, strain and garnish. This is a really good and seldom drank cocktail.
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Nov 21, 2011 03:49
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bolo yeung posted:There are some variations on the paloma. I was really in the mood for a Paloma last night but had no grapefruit soda, so I made these instead. We really liked them. They went perfectly with the spicy pico and guacamole.
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Nov 21, 2011 18:26
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Rainy night inspired me to riff on more scotch-based old fashioned-style drinks. This one turned out well: 2oz scotch (Black Bottle) 1oz Benedictine (yes, a whole ounce) 2 dashes Bittermens xocolatl mole bitters 2 dashes orange bitters (Regan's) Build in an old fashioned glass, stir with ice, no garnish. Really delicious. I'm okay with sweet drinks but this one is not as sweet as you would expect, thanks primarily to the Regan's I think. I was kind of surprised the mole bitters worked as well as it did, I only tried it with scotch because I know it works well with mezcal and thought "Why not?"
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Nov 23, 2011 04:27
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^^^ Thanks for posting, I made this last night. It was nice to dust off the Benedictine. I totally agree with you about the mole bitters really working in it, you are on to something there. I liked it but overall I think it was a little too sweet for my tastes. I enjoyed it more as the ice melted though.
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Nov 23, 2011 21:44
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The Triumphant posted:I really love Hendricks. The Triumphant is a wise, wise man. It's Hendrick's for me.
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Nov 24, 2011 07:41
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Klauser posted:I was really in the mood for a Paloma last night but had no grapefruit soda, so I made these instead. We really liked them. They went perfectly with the spicy pico and guacamole. Cool. I'm really not a fan of tequila and coke, but somehow the addition of salt and lime makes it drinkable. Ended up making this last night. http://historicalfoods.com/hot-gin-punch-recipe All other recipes for hot gin punch look more like mulled fortified wine spiked with gin. I really liked the simplicity of this one. Didn't have lemons so subbed for lime. Still delicious.
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Nov 24, 2011 14:49
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Did you use dutch gin in that punch? Because if not, vaya con dios.
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Nov 24, 2011 15:24
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Vegetable Melange posted:Did you use dutch gin in that punch? Because if not, vaya con dios. Why? Tasted just fine to me. I can't get Dutch gin where I am anyway, so I'm not sweating it.
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Nov 24, 2011 16:24
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i think he was making a poo poo joke about english gin having turpentine in
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Nov 24, 2011 16:33
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theunderwaterbear posted:i think he was making a poo poo joke about english gin having turpentine in Ah ok. I hadn't bothered to read the write-up before the recipe.
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Nov 24, 2011 17:09
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No, the old recipes all call for dutch gin, which is maltier, like a white whisky. London dry is closer to vodka, and I've had hot dry gin, and it is an...acquired taste.
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Nov 24, 2011 17:24
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No, the old recipes all call for dutch gin, which is maltier, like a white whisky. London dry is closer to vodka, and I've had hot dry gin, and it is an...acquired taste.
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Nov 24, 2011 17:25
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Anchor's Genevieve is really good.
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Nov 24, 2011 18:33
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Klauser posted:Building your home bar. I'm just starting to stock my home bar, so it is quite minimal, but I've got the ingredients and materials for a fantastic margarita (if my family has a drink, that's it). A friend of mine turned me onto this tequila:  The reposado is tasty and easy to drink, as well as surprisingly inexpensive. My local Rite-Aid and CVS had it on sale for $14 a bottle. My margarita recipe is pretty standard: 2 oz tequila 1 oz lime juice 1 oz triple sec (I use Hiram Walker most of the time but I don't have as strong feelings about the brand of this ingredient as I do with the tequila) Shaken, on rocks, with salt. And the result is delicious as hell:  Since it's now wintertime in my region, and as I wanted a hot drink that wasn't a hot toddy, I bought myself a bottle of Tuaca and started making apple pies, which are dangerously easy to drink. I am also looking forward to eggnog soon.  Anyone have preferred eggnog ingredients or a favorite recipe?
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Nov 26, 2011 07:33
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How about a refreshing rum punch? .5oz apricot brandy .5oz oregeat syrup 1oz golden rum 1oz dark rum 1oz pineapple juice 3/4oz lime juice shake with plenty of crushed ice into a double old fashioned or hurricane and top with lemon lime soda  deeeeeeeeeeelicious Candleshire fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Nov 28, 2011 |
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Nov 27, 2011 07:18
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I've been meaning to pick up a bottle of this for months, and finally did this past week: Indonesian arrack, not to be confused with the anise-flavoured araks of the Middle East, or Ceylonese palm arrack. Indonesian arrack is based on sugarcane molasses, with cakes of red rice chucked in for fermentation. I'm not totally clear on all the technicals, but it's not a "true rum", though that's the closest major category for it. It mostly reminds me of Brazilian cachaça, similar smoky/olive-y/nutty kind of note, and seems to mix mellower than cachaça. Not that it's its intended purpose, but I don't care for it neat, has a bit of an aftertaste, but it's historically the basis for all kinds of East Indies punches. I haven't tried any of the fancier punches with it yet, but have mostly just been having it over sparkling mineral water with splashes of grape and cherry juice and sometimes some Angostura bitters. It's been awfully good with those, even when mixed pretty strong. I'm not as excited about making the punch/punsch recipes which mix this with multiple other liquours, or large amounts of spices, since I want to get a better feel for the basic spirit, so the plan thus far is to make some into a classic five-ingredient punch (per the old Hindi word itself): liquor, sugar, water, lemon, tea. At least a couple recipes involve macerating the citrus in the liqour, mixing the ingredients together with the water boiling, and then cooling/chilling to serve. I'm fixing to get either some limes or some blood orange and do so. This was apparently a massively popular spirit for centuries, and pretty much dropped off the face of America with prohibition, and decent size importation only resumed in recent years. If you like cachaça, New World aguardientes (not to be confused with Spanish grappa), or are interested in Asian liquors, this is worth a try. In DC they have it in the good shop in Chinatown, and I think in the Nepalese-run shop in Dupont, and I paid $29 for a bottle, which I think is a bit pricey, but it's uncommon and only carried in a few local shops.
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Nov 27, 2011 18:19
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Exi7wound posted:The Triumphant is a wise, wise man. It's Hendrick's for me. Why thank you sir. When my roommate and I first got Hendrick's we made precisely one martini and then said "You know... let's never mix this with anything again."
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Nov 27, 2011 20:47
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Oh yeah, a nice Rack punch is damned tasty. You ought to pick up Wondrich's Punch! if you want some excellent ideas for your arrack. Also you should make some Swedish Punsch with it.
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Nov 28, 2011 01:57
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Or, and I suggest this highly, you can pound the poo poo out of it and take cell phone pictures of everyone's reactions. It's like drinking Orgeat, only no one pukes after three hits.
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Nov 28, 2011 03:52
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Vegetable Melange posted:Or, and I suggest this highly, you can pound the poo poo out of it and take cell phone pictures of everyone's reactions. It's like drinking Orgeat, only no one pukes after three hits. I'm not totally clear how chugging a non-alcoholic sugary mixer compares to chugging a rum-(like) product. What's special about chugging arrack vice any other kind of ethanol?
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Nov 28, 2011 04:42
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It's got that funk. That deep, intoxicating, somewhat sulfurous twang is not for everyone.
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Nov 28, 2011 11:20
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Speaking of orgeat, can anyone recommend a good of-the-shelf one, or perhaps a recipe for making it?
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Nov 28, 2011 18:26
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Van Dis posted:Mind if I ask where you got the citrus squeezer? The kitchen supply shops in my area don't carry that type (lever-based). And tequila is awesome, but I find I like the blanco more than reposado. I don't know why, but reposado tequila gives me a bad headache every time, and it's even 100% de Agave, and everything. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 23:25 on Nov 28, 2011 |
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Nov 28, 2011 23:20
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Mister Macys posted:Mind if I ask where you got the citrus squeezer? The kitchen supply shops in my area don't carry that type (lever-based). I bought it for like $4 at Safeway.  I've heard people say that about tequila, that it's the one alcohol guaranteed to give them a headache or hangover.
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Nov 29, 2011 02:16
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Dude those are everywhere. BevMo has them, Bed, Bath, and Beyond has them, Amazon has them. It makes a big difference too. The amount of juice compared to one of those terrible countertop reamers is not even comparable.
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Nov 29, 2011 04:45
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Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get a little help. I'm hoping to have a tiki themed cocktail night for my upcoming birthday and I'm trying to assemble a drinks menu so that people coming can easily bring a bottle. I was thinking one punch that I could mix up and have in a large bowl so that people who don't want to fiddle around/wait for a cocktail to be mixed for them can grab a drink and then three or so good tiki cocktails. I'm pretty sure that the Zombie is going to be one of the three (I've fallen head over heels in love with it thanks to a wonderful tiki bar where I used to live) but I'd really like to hear some suggestions of tiki or tiki-esque cocktails - my own cocktail knowledge isn't fantastic and I'm looking predominantly for ingedient overlap. Obviously various rums are going to come up a lot.
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Nov 29, 2011 11:59
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Author Jeff "Beachbum" Berry (http://beachbumberry.com/) is probably considered the world's foremost expert on Tiki cocktail history and drinks. The above website isn't super useful, but if you have some spare time or cash, you can order his Tiki books (Beachbum Berry Remixed is the one you want) or a really handy iPhone/iPad reciped database app assuming you have one of the above. 3 other good Tiki-heavy cocktail blogs I would recommend are: http://okolemaluna.com/ (A Portland-based Tiki syrup company), http://www.kaiserpenguin.com/ (just a good all around drink blog), and http://coloneltiki.com/ (great blog by a dude who tends bar at a Portland Tiki Bar). If you have any questions about specific recipes, feel free to PM me, as I've played around with a lot of those drinks and recipes at work.
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Nov 29, 2011 18:23
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Van Dis posted:I bought it for like $4 at Safeway. It's funny, because the Blanco doesn't do it at all. Maybe it's the wood it's aged in... does it add tannins, or something?
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Nov 29, 2011 20:16
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Ethanol is, largely, ethanol. Oh some spirits have more congeners and fusel oils than others, and some claim that those cause a stronger hangover but if it's true it's a minor difference. You get hangovers when you drink too much, period. There's a lot of myth and bullshit about liquor, which is fine for shooting the poo poo, but useless if you're trying to really get to know your spirits.
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Nov 29, 2011 20:44
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I'm doing my annual holiday cocktail party and this year we decided to do some premixed cocktails: Sidecar, Manhattan, and Martini. The plan now is to mix about 30oz or so and put them in carafes that are left in an ice bucket (like chilling champagne). People can pour their own mini cocktail (these little 3oz glasses) or a proper full drink. My question is ... am I missing some major pitfall about doing these premixed? * The carafes will come straight out of the freezer. Drinks will all be stirred with ice in a pitcher so I don't think I will have a problem with temperature or proper dilution. (I don't have a way to chill the glasses though) * The quantities aren't so high that I fear "settling out" or separation of any of the cocktails. * I can easily whip up another batch as these run out. It sounds like it should work out OK. Obviously it would be ideal to mix each drink individually as someone orders it, but I've spent the last few parties behind the bar all night as we have 30+ people, and this year my wife says I need to enjoy the party more (and I agree). These three pre-mixed "classic cocktails" are along with a "champagne cocktail" station where I'll have a carafe of St. Germain and lemon, a small bottle of creme de cassis, and a carafe of peach nectar so people can pour into a flute and top with champagne. Also a "holiday cocktail" station with dark rum to mix with heavily clove spiced cider, a cranberry/orange/spice infusion to top with soda, and some peppermint chocolate cream concoction my wife loves. Little oxo 2oz measuring cups for each item and a small notecard with instructions for each drink. There is also a full bar and people can mix their own x+tonic/soda or other highballs. Plus beer and wine. Also, any recommendations for the brandy component in the sidecar? Don't want to go as high end as I usually make for myself.
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Nov 30, 2011 04:27
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If it were me I'd just toss out the idea of cocktails and have a punch party. I know I talk about it a lot, but Wondrich's Punch! basically changed my life. A big vat of Limmer's Club or Admiral Russel's or USS Richmond punch is amazing for a party. I can provide recipes for my favorite punches if you want. BUT if you're sure you want to run this party on cocktails, keep in mind that Sidecars, like other sours, are meant to be shaken. The aeration gives the drink a lightness which is much to its advantage. Also stuff is gonna settle out of the lemon juice if you just leave it sitting. You can shake it up a little though, should be fine. In terms of brandy for your Sidecars, a VS cognac from any of the major houses will be fine. I wouldn't recommend most Californian brandies, since while a few are very good they're damned hard to find. Stuff like Raynal could work in a pinch, depending on your budget, but the couple times I've used Raynal for punches it felt pretty flat. For real though, consider punch. Punch parties are always great.
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Nov 30, 2011 12:52
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Kenning posted:Anchor's Genevieve is really good. I really love all the breweries that are distilling spirits. Anyone in Michigan ever go to New Holland Brewing? They are worth a visit. Van Dis posted:A friend of mine turned me onto this tequila: I was looking for a new tequila to try and grabbed a bottle of the silver. It's almost gone already, I've really been digging it. TapTheForwardAssist posted:Indonesian arrack Defend Arrack 1.5oz Batavia Arrack .75oz apricot brandy .75oz lime juice dash Allspice dram Orange twist Wompa164 posted:Speaking of orgeat, can anyone recommend a good of-the-shelf one, or perhaps a recipe for making it? I don't think making it is worth the effort. I got a sick deal on a case of Torani from Amazon, so I'm using that and like it just fine. I'm sure there's better stuff out there but it tastes just as good as a fancy bottle I got from my local Italian butcher. KWC posted:I'm doing my annual holiday cocktail party First off this party sounds mint. I love the idea of big batches of pre-mixed drinks so you aren't stuck behind the bar all night, but like Kenning said, punches really can't be beat for that purpose. It sounds like you already have this all planned out though, so you should just do it, and give punches a try next time.
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Nov 30, 2011 16:57
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KWC posted:I'm doing my annual holiday cocktail party and this year we decided to do some premixed cocktails: Sidecar, Manhattan, and Martini. The plan now is to mix about 30oz or so and put them in carafes that are left in an ice bucket (like chilling champagne). People can pour their own mini cocktail (these little 3oz glasses) or a proper full drink. 3oz is a full drink, you lush. So far so good, though. quote:My question is ... am I missing some major pitfall about doing these premixed? Don't store them in the freezer, or you won't get the right amount of dilution without stirring/shaking the poo poo out of them. Dilution happens faster when there's a temperature differential between the ice and room temp liquor. Put the glasses in the freezer, instead, and if you want the batches to stay cold, the fridge is fine (so is a regular old clean wine bottle at room temp, mind). quote:* The quantities aren't so high that I fear "settling out" or separation of any of the cocktails. quote:It sounds like it should work out OK. Obviously it would be ideal to mix each drink individually as someone orders it, but I've spent the last few parties behind the bar all night as we have 30+ people, and this year my wife says I need to enjoy the party more (and I agree). These three pre-mixed "classic cocktails" are along with a "champagne cocktail" station where I'll have a carafe of St. Germain and lemon, a small bottle of creme de cassis, and a carafe of peach nectar so people can pour into a flute and top with champagne. Also a "holiday cocktail" station with dark rum to mix with heavily clove spiced cider, a cranberry/orange/spice infusion to top with soda, and some peppermint chocolate cream concoction my wife loves. Little oxo 2oz measuring cups for each item and a small notecard with instructions for each drink. There is also a full bar and people can mix their own x+tonic/soda or other highballs. Plus beer and wine. You'll need to be more specific about the details of this party, like an address, date, and time. quote:Also, any recommendations for the brandy component in the sidecar? Don't want to go as high end as I usually make for myself.
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Nov 30, 2011 17:29
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Yeah I would def. come to that party.
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Nov 30, 2011 21:43
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Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it. I did a punch a couple of times and really liked it, but this year we're trying something new. I think it would be awesome to do a party with nothing but punches. I hadn't thought about the sidecar being shaken to lighten it up like other sours. I think I will shake that one good before it goes in the carafe to see if it makes a difference. That may help keep the lemon juice suspended properly. And good tip on the dilution happening properly because of temperature. I will store the carafes in the freezer, mix the cocktails with ice in a room temp pitcher till the proper dilution, then transfer to the cold carafes in the ice bath to keep as chilled as possible. Unfortunately not an option to store the glasses cold due to location, but that would be ideal. I'll take some pictures of the drinks stations before they get demolished. I wish I had more friends as into the food and drinks as I am that I could invite to these things! Hooray for the internet to bring us all together. Vegetable Melange posted:3oz is a full drink, you lush. Haha! We got 8 of these tiny cocktail glasses at Pier 1. I just measured and they are two ounces. Picture for reference. 
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Dec 1, 2011 05:13
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The shaking is to introduce air into the sour before drinking. It'll stay in there for a few minutes, but not for the whole party. Maybe give them a little seal-able container to shake their sidecar in before they pour it?
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Dec 1, 2011 05:29
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Kenning posted:It's got that funk. That deep, intoxicating, somewhat sulfurous twang is not for everyone. Ah, right. I agree, that's the "aftertaste" I mention where I tried drinking arrack neat. I'm not a big one for neat drinks, but arrack is a little inaccessible there. Works great with mixers though, I think it's edging out cachaca as my favourite rum-type drink, though I need to get a bottle of rhum agricole to try it against. I'm also filling a small flask with arrack to take to a foodie coworker to get her read on it. I hadn't thought of it as "sulfurous" until you mentioned it, but I can see that now, and "funky" does fit. On the positive side, definitely smokey, I've heard "nutty" and can vaguely concur, and for some reason with both arrack and cachaca I think of olives, maybe a little briny in nose though not salty in taste. Overally, really worth trying out if you're exploring the rum-type family. Next planned drinks: hit up Jack Rose bar in DC which offer micro-servings of 950 whiskeys, and exploit that to figure out what ryes I like. Further, I've only had Alborg aquavit, but at least one local shop has Krogstadt, and I have some friends who have an extra bottle of "Black Death" brännvin they brought back from Iceland. FAKE EDIT: Dammit, I was going to quote that one Simpsons line from the episode where the Scandinavian "illegal immigrants" from Shelbyville take their jobs, but I can't find it quoted anywhere online. There's a scene where Moe's Tavern is overrun by Nordic Shelbyville immigrants, and it's something like: Homer: Moe, I'll have a Duff! Moe: Gee Homer, we don't serve Duff no more. Now we serve aquavit, it's the caraway-flavored liqueur of Sweden! 
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Dec 1, 2011 05:35
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I just got a DrinkUpNY order in, and I got my first bottle of Averna. I really like it. I'm not sure I would sip it neat, as I think if I was in that kind of mood I would just grab the Carpano, but it's a great addition to the bar. Made this and loved it: Island Voodoo 1.5oz rye 1oz Averna .5oz limoncello Stir/Strain/Orange peel garnish I'm really liking drinks that are all booze right now. It's spicy and sweet and has the slightest herbal touch. It's going into the rotation. Any other Averna drinks I should try? Very Strange Things posted:Stuff about twists If you're talking about the Microplane citrus tool:  Be careful, I actually broke 2 of those. The piece with the 2 rings on the side snapped off on both of them. This was years ago so maybe they're made better now? I've actually tried a lot of things for making twists and eventually settled on this:  Honestly I find myself reaching for that less and less and just using my pairing knife though. Klauser fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Dec 2, 2011 |
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Dec 2, 2011 21:19
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I just got into making twists but I don't have a zester so I've just been using a paring knife. I have a coupon to get a microplaner for $6 at a local store. Will that work OK for twists? (I will probably get it, regardless, and I will also very likely get a zester at some point, I'd just rather not get one right now if the planer will work.)
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Dec 2, 2011 21:33
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Klauser posted:Any other Averna drinks I should try? 2 Averna, 1 Stout, 1 whole egg. Garnish with nutmeg. You suggested the Defend Arrack before. It's good, but of everything in Beta, it's a little more unbalanced than the rest. I like making Arrack Caipirinhas with the addition of an ounce or 2 of a hearty IPA.
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Dec 4, 2011 14:38
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