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Came across this thread three days ago and shotgunned through the whole thing. What an awesome resource. As a result of your enthusiasm, I've already made a few cocktails as a result, including a Ramos gin fizz. drat, twelve minutes is a long time, but my shoulders need the workout. Booze is good for you! I doubt I'll have much to contribute, but I wanted to make it clear that this thread rocks. Keep on keeping on; I'll be lurking and libating.
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Dec 19, 2012 03:45
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Gravity Pike posted:I picked up a bottle of local gin (Big Gin by Captive Spirits, a Seattle distillery) and it tastes far pepper-ier than gins I'm used to. As in peppercorns, not peppers. It's good, but doesn't make a great Gin and Tonic - it doesn't play well with the quinine. I'd want something sweeter, or crisper... I'm not sure. No recipes, but pepper goes well with lemon and orange. A gin sour? I'd also look for drinks with savory herbs, like rosemary or sage. In the spirit of the Gordon's Breakfast, a gin Bloody Mary doesn't seem out of the question.
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Dec 19, 2012 17:44
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Where do you get your hands on bergamot oranges?
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Jan 23, 2013 22:27
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Klauser posted:It's my twitter feed. Every time I make a drink for the first time, I tweet the recipe. I really just use it as a database for myself, but if anyone else wants to check it out, they can. I try to make something new at least 2-3 times a week, and I've been tweeting the recipes for about 3 years now, so it's grown to quite a collection. I checked out the Twitter, then the blog. It's awesome, I hope you guys come back to it.
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Apr 11, 2013 14:25
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Haroshia posted:Edit: Oh yeah, also, any suggestions for what to do with this half bottle of Luxardo I have besides "buy more Chartreuse, make more Last Words." Would be cool. You'll get a dozen good choices just from Kenning, probably, but my knee-jerk reaction is to make Aviations. (Technically, you need Creme de Violette for an Aviation done right, but people started making them without while Creme de Violette wasn't manufactured, and I think they're darned tasty either way. Creme de Violette is darned tasty, pick some up one of these days anyway.) The main ingredients are gin, lemon juice, maraschino, and Creme de Violette (optional, like I said). Much like a Martini, the proportions are subject to some debate; I'd start with 2oz gin, .5oz lemon juice and .75oz Luxardo. Shake, strain, and see where you are.
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May 9, 2013 18:52
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Vegetable Melange posted:Aviation #2s require Creme de violette. In my opinion, it is not optional. 1.5 gin .75 lemon .25 each maraschino and violette. I don't think it's a lost cause without it, but just between you, me and the Internet, I keep Creme de violette in my bar just for Aviations. (And occasionally to spike some champagne.) Duey posted:Creme Yvette works soooo much better if you can find it. I keep looking at it in the state store, but it always seems so much more expensive than the Rothman and Winters. Checks state store website, sees that it's on sale this week for $10 off.... Uh, excuse me, fellas. I got somewhere to be.
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May 10, 2013 01:22
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Someone left some Pernod at my house last week, so I've been playing around with absinthe cocktails. Any suggestions? Anything Pernod-specific I should be considering? I've done an Absinthe cocktail, an Absinthe Flip (tasty) and a Chrysanthemum (good, but better with some orange blossom syrup in it) looking for anything, but especially drinks where the anise taste is an accent, not the main event. As an aside, thanks to Kenning for all the punch love. I made a Limming Club Gin Punch last week. I subbed rum -- 3/4 bottle of 10 Cane -- for gin, to cater to some people who don't drink grain-distilled spirits. It turned out delicious. People kept telling me it was too strong, I kept telling them they were getting too much.  (Its awfully hard to find 4oz cups around here.) Everyone loved it, though, I can't wait to do it again.
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Jun 1, 2013 00:58
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Loving the Blackberry Smash right now. 2oz blanco tequila (I'm using Siembra Azul, and you should too.) 1oz lime juice 1oz simple syrup or agave nectar 2 big blackberries 4-6 mint leaves, plus garnish soda Muddle the blackberries and mint, add non-soda ingredients, shake, double strain into a Collins glass, add ice and splash of soda. Garnish with additional mint. I think this is going to be the Summer of Smashes. So many possibilities.
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Jun 24, 2013 03:50
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I'll echo Klauser's advice to build things out one drink at a time, but if you do end up picking up some tequila, I suggest a blanco. I enjoy añejos and reposados for sipping, but blancos are great for mixing. And sipping, for that matter. A bartender friend told me about an industry event he attended with a distiller. According to him, the best batches as they came out of the still became blancos. If the batch had small problems, it got some time in the barrel to soften the edges and get covered up a bit, so that's your reposado. If the batch had more serious problems, well, that's your añejo. Good blancos are the best buys at the store IMO, because the agave really stands out, is of the highest quality, and it's the cheapest expression! (Use the extra money to buy good tequila.) For the same reason, avoid tequilas that trade on how many times they distill or stuff like that. Who wants to buy agave vodka? Patrón Silver is the worst offender in this regard, IMO. (The same bartender friend is on a jihad against Patrón, on the basis that they are horrible people who make horrible liquor. On Silver, I must agree.) My personal fave right now is Siembra Azul; I'm sure there is no shortage of opinions on others in this thread.
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Aug 13, 2013 18:17
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The Hebug posted:I would dare say that a drink with flavored vodka in it is about as far from a martini as possible. Well technically, isn't gin just flavored vodka? (This is not in any way a defense of the above monstrosity.)
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Aug 15, 2013 16:50
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Vegetable Melange posted:I disagree, strongly. White whiskey is a perfectly acceptable expression of fermented cereals, and some of the ones destined for aging are still pretty nice distillates on their own. I'm on board with this, noting the use of the word some. (Though judging by the distillers I've talked to, Kenning is spot on with the motivation.) I'd say most of the white dog whiskeys (esp. the corn mashes) are trading on their harshness -- "Be macho! Drink moonshine!" -- and taste accordingly bad. The better ones exhibit a simple "pure cereal" note in addition to the booze that's worth mixing with. A bit more like silver rums than, say, vodka. (I'm more likely to sip a silver rum straight, though.) The biggest knock against them is that they're pretty pricey for what they are. Notwithstanding that, I'll recommend Wigle Wheat Whiskey as a better white dog. (They have an unaged rye, too, but that's a bit rough, IMO.)
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Dec 3, 2013 21:28
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Kenning posted:Track down some Dolin and/or some Vya to see what vermouth can really do for a cocktail. It's quite remarkable how good they are. The price premium is absolutely worth it, especially if you can find half bottles. In PA, you can get a small bottle of Martini and Rossi dry vermouth for $5, or a gigantic bottle of Noilly-Prat for $9-10. I always buy the big bottle of NP; what I use before it goes bad is worth more to me than the little bottle of Rossi. Regarding sweet vermouth, is it okay to recommend Carpano Antica Formula, or is it cheating? I don't care, I'll drink it all day. It's great in a vermouth cocktail (4oz sweet vermouth, .5oz maraschino, few dashes orange bitters. Stir with ice and strain into your glass of choice. I think it was in Imbibe!, but I don't remember.) It's also great out of the bottle. Alas, the vermouth options in PA are really limited. Carpano and Noilly Prat and a bunch of cheap crap at the store, Dolin and Vya available exclusively online, and that's it.
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Dec 11, 2013 16:33
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Had a Blood and Sand made with Mezcal last night. (Vida, if anyone cares.) The Mezcal transforms the drink, it's pretty awesome. I thought I was so clever for coming up with that, but Google says the drink (invented to promote the eponymous 1941 movie about bullfighting) originally featured Mezcal, but they switched to scotch because no one could get hold of Mezcal much outside Mexico. Oh well, better (seven decades) late than never.
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Dec 14, 2013 17:46
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^^^ I would consider Zaya. It's more straight-up booze than those rums, but still pretty darn sweet. I also think mixing Zaya and Amrut Old Port results in a Voltron-like superrum that I like to use (50/50) as a single rum. Enjoy experimenting. Speaking of experimenting, the local Whole Foods finally has Seville oranges. I'd love to make Kenning's orange punch, but I don't know that I'll have an excuse to put a bowl together for a little while. In the meantime, what do you guys think of subbing it in for the lime in falernum? (Thinking of using this recipe.) Any words of caution, wisdom or encouragement? pgroce fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Jan 2, 2014 |
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Jan 2, 2014 02:33
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rxcowboy posted:I have children, so something that locks is a must. But how can they mix you drinks if it's locked? "Next time stir it longer. And don't forget the cherry!"
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Jan 3, 2014 16:44
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Kenning, I hope you don't use all your seville oranges on punch. I made a Seville orange daiquiri for myself this evening and it owns bones. I also picked up blood oranges the same time I picked up the sevilles. Man, a Blood and Sand tastes so much better as she was meant to be made. What I'm saying is: It's citrus season, and we should all be making as many tasty drinks out of that poo poo as we can.
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Jan 11, 2014 07:05
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Kenning posted:Martinez Made it straight up like this, because unlike you people I don't hate IMO this drink is the inverse of the Martini, in that it lives and dies on the quality of your vermouth. I feel like you have a little more flexibility with the gin. (Though I will question history a bit: I have a hard time seeing how Old Tom stands up in this drink. I guess they just wanted something to amp the vermouth without getting in the way, and vodka wasn't real big in the States.) Really want to try this with Junipero now.
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Jan 18, 2014 06:55
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I've been seeing a lot of stuff about fixes and daisies lately. It's finally warming up (in North America, anyway), so everyone's going to need long drinks in their repertoire. And there are a lot of possible variations (among them the tequila daisy). Perhaps that would make a good subject for the drink of the month. Or is it too broad?
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Apr 3, 2014 20:46
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Mr. Glass posted:I'm in Pittsburgh, so I would imagine prices here would lag behind, say, CA. Good to know the shortage is over though! I hadn't caught the more recent news. It was over in PGH, too, but seems to be re-asserting itself. (Price-gouging? Dunno.) I was happily buying Cheap Limes a couple weeks ago, but now they're back up to .80-.90 per. FWIW, they're consistently about a dime cheaper each at Whole Foods than Giant Eagle, of all places.
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Jun 2, 2014 02:14
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Comb Your Beard posted:I like Thyme, it's subtle. Whalley posted:I like ginger syrup; it's not at all subtle Had a mocktail with both of these in it the other day, and they work really well together -- the ginger makes the thyme more assertive, if that makes any sense. I'm gonna make a lemon- or pineapple-gin drink with it in the near future, I think.
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Jun 11, 2014 20:03
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Thoht posted:Huh, mostly tasted like campari to me. I felt the same way after my first sip; about halfway through I was tasting the corn and tomato. The second one I made, I dialed back the Campari to 1oz and added .5oz Averna. This one had a lot more tomato and corn flavor. I'm certainly going to be playing with more vegetables in cocktails now.
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Aug 8, 2014 01:37
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It's wine, it goes bad by oxidizing. If you want to extend the shelf life, you can limit its access to oxygen. There are several wine gadgets for this that work by pumping air out of the bottle, etc. They'll be available online or wherever fine hooch is sold. In Craft Cocktails at Home, Kevin Liu recommends buying the wine preservation kits that essentially spray argon into the bottle. (Argon is heavier than air and inert, so it displaces the oxygen from the wine.) The layer of argon has to be reapplied every time you use the bottle, so he pours his fortified wines into smaller bottles (20 oz plastic soda bottles, looks like) which he treats with argon and uses one at a time. (Presumably he uses a whole bottle before it goes bad and doesn't reapply the argon every time.) Personally, that sounds like a lot of effort, so I just try to drink lots of vermouth cocktails when I open a bottle. YMMV.
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Sep 5, 2014 23:30
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Also I've found that the key to a good Old Fashioned is to shake after you add the cherry and orange slice, but before you add the club soda. Pity this is too long for a thread title.
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Sep 6, 2014 12:56
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Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao is a delicious alternative to Cointreau as well. It is also brandy-based, but I don't find it nearly as brandy-forward as Grand Marnier. I get more dry citrus and floral notes from it than Cointreau (which I also like). Anyone else here like Solerno? I wouldn't use it in a White Lady (I would use the PF in a New York minute), but it makes a fine Sidecar.
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Oct 14, 2014 22:23
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New Amsterdam Spirits Company, Modesto California. Cracks me up every time.
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Feb 17, 2015 23:40
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I suspect anchovy paste would be closer. Also, drink bloody marias (tequila and (oh yes) mezcal) and red snappers. The agave spirits make it kind of a different drink; the gin makes it basically the same drink, but with extra awesome.
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May 11, 2015 01:43
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Kenning posted:But it's much less objectionable to me than trying to form a boozy room temperature meringue and splashing yourself with cocktail, only to break down all your hard work by tossing ice onto it. I don't think the idea of the dry shake is to work in bubbles (i.e., "make a meringue") that will hopefully rice the ice shake. The dry shake is supposed to denature the egg proteins so the white mixes smoothly with the rest of the liquids. The result is a more viscous liquid that, when shaken with ice, integrates more air. OTOH, if what you do works, go for it. I'd expect failure to look like chunks of unmixed egg white in your drink, and if you were getting that, you wouldn't be suggesting a one-shake technique. It probably All Works Out if you just shake like hell.
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May 16, 2015 23:09
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Maraschino is made from marasca cherry pits. The flavor is more nutty, and not at all like the fruit. (If you want that, try some Cherry Heering.) You can get real maraschino cherries, too; they're marasca cherries soaked in maraschino. Unsurprisingly, the most commonly-available brand is Luxardo. I don't know if you'll like maraschino or not, but you should definitely give it a try. The odds are good; not liking the red fruitcake cherries already demonstrates good taste.
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Jun 27, 2015 01:48
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To be clear: some people are saying more water, some less, and they're both right. If you're using soda water to make a Scotch and soda, up the soda; to basically drink straight scotch that's toned down a bit, use only a few milliliters of (non-sparkling) water. Everyone's tastes are different and JW Red is one of he most popular scotches in the world, so I won't question your choice there. But if you're new to scotch, you may want to experiment. (And perhaps ask for recs in the whisk(e)y thread.) E: And what you like straight up may also not be what you like in soda.
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Jul 11, 2015 14:38
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Hot water cooks things, and it's not strictly necessary for most syrups. (Maybe all, even rich simple isn't supersaturated AFAIK.) I don't know how much of an issue it is with simple or rich simple. (E: Apparently it's an issue.) I do them at room temp just because I find it less fussy. It's definitely important for many flavored syrups. Ginger, in particular, benefits from cold process. Others don't really extract without some heat though. I'd say it's very situational.
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Jul 28, 2015 01:24
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I have no good recipe for you, but I was just thinking about this thread earlier today and wondered if the guy with the CO2 rig (or anyone, really) had carbonated cold-brewed coffee yet. Add a little honey, and that could get awfully tasty. ....oh, yeah, cocktail thread. Uh, add some bourbon? Or maybe an amaro.
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Aug 11, 2015 01:56
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bunnyofdoom posted:I thought it was the LCBO who essentially buys all the alcohol for Ontario. Bars and home consumers alike. And I thought it was the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which does the same for PA. (Not the beer though, that would make a difference.) I imagine several of these entities had the title at various points. Given how big Costco is, them being on top wouldn't surprise me.
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Nov 8, 2015 18:09
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MC Eating Disorder posted:My girlfriend is going to the country for Christmas and she gave me my present early and it's egg nog soap bless her merry nogmas y'all Got Alton Brown's aged eggnog recipe stewing in the fridge right now. Good eggnog is good stuff. Just got back from a run and wanted something Negroni-ish, but I didn't have any Campari or vermouth. Ended up mixing 1:1:1 Averna, Wray & Nephew and tawny port. Expected a disaster, but it was surprisingly good! A little unsubtle, though. (A problem I have with regular Negronis too.) I was rather pleased with how the sweetness and fruitiness played with the hogo in the rum. Any ideas for how to dress it up for company? I think some people would be fine with nothing more than a lemon peel garnish, but I've already thought about putting it over ice and topping with soda for a Collins treatment, or even adding pineapple juice and going for a swizzle. Or just toning down the Averna to .5, it's probably a bit too assertive for a full ounce. Anyhow, hope everyone is having fun consuming or producing tasty concoctions. Remember the reason for the season! It's citrus.
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Dec 24, 2015 23:35
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All the folks hitting Trader Vic's on their way to the Hukilau must be thrilled that mahalo.com is getting put to such good use.
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Feb 16, 2016 06:55
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Anyone got some recipes for Punt y Mes? It seems closer to Campari than any sweet vermouth, a bit like 2/3 of a Negroni in a bottle. So obviously it goes well with gin, but beyond that, my experimenting has been pretty inconclusive.
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Feb 28, 2016 19:36
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SIr_Lienad posted:Go with a Redhook. Interesting. I made a long drink with Punt and a fair bit of Maraschino in it this evening and it turned out well. Totally different proportions though: 1.5oz gin, 3oz Punt, 1oz Luxardo, then .5oz lemon and some soda. (It made way too much, but I mostly like the proportions. Might cut to 1oz gin, 2oz Punt, .75 Luxardo next time.) I'll grab a new bottle of rye (  Rittenhouse, in PA at least) and report back.
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Feb 29, 2016 02:14
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Meaty Ore posted:It's been a while since I've mixed myself a drink that uses simple syrup, and the jar I have of it in the back of my refrigerator has crystallized into rock candy. Is there a good way to get the sugar to dissolve again, or should I just scrape it out, pitch it and make a fresh batch? You can heat it up gently in a pan of water (assuming this is a glass jar), but there isn't much point. Sugar is cheap, make a new batch. (Don't forget to take a side in the Hot/Cold Process Wars.)
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Jun 11, 2016 01:03
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My in-laws live in DC, I'm down there 4-5 times a year. I hope you get the gig, and thanks for turning me on to a good bar regardless.
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Aug 4, 2016 00:22
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Martini? e: o wait
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Nov 10, 2016 17:13
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This started off as "Jungle Bird, but with Carpano", and kind of went from there. Next step was "Jungle Bird fused with something Continental". Then I added Fee Brothers chocolate bitters; so much for that. Anyway, it feels about 80% of the way to a really cool drink; any thoughts on taking it the rest of the way? .5 oz simple .5 lime 3 pineapple juice 1.5 armagnac 2 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters Shake; strain into DOF, then pour in ice from shaker to fill. Garnishes TBD. If it matters, I'm a sucker for thematic consistency, so even just making the bitters some funky French/Italian thing will be a plus in my book. Your reward will be me making this drink in my kitchen, and maybe posting here with a pic and a shout out. I just figured this would be the sort of thing you folks would have fun with.
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Dec 11, 2016 19:29
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