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Just in the past year I've been trying to set up a decent home bar, and the really annoying thing is that here in Virginia, all liquor has to be sold through ABC stores. The selection is not bad except when it comes to liqueurs. For many liqueurs there will only be a couple of options, and often it's bottom-shelf stuff with a lot of artificial flavouring. What brands do you recommend for common liqueurs like creme liqueurs? I'm planning to order some genuine Curacao de Curacao; are there places to buy online that you favour above others? Also, do you have an opinion on Sirops de Monin? I am thinking about ordering several of their bottles so my cabinet can be free of cheap high-fructose corn syrup bullshit. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Dec 9, 2011 |
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Dec 9, 2011 22:34
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 07:09 |
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I was interested in their gomme syrup specifically; do you know a vendor that isn't in the bloody UK? I can find domestic vendors for everything else. Also, can anyone recommend good creme de cacao and creme de cassis?
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Dec 12, 2011 18:13
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Bols is better than DeKuyper, but still so drat artificial-tasting. I hate to use decent liquor, fresh lime, and real sugar and then adulterate them with something that tastes like the blue-flavoured whatever I drank when I was five. Thanks for those suggestions; I'll look into those as well as the Brizards.
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Dec 13, 2011 05:01
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Look, if I wanted to "do tasks which require concentration" when I get home from work, why would I have a liquor cabinet? 
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Dec 14, 2011 03:50
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I am so getting that bottle. I hate vodka.
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Dec 16, 2011 23:16
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There's this Moment of Truth that occurs when you realize all your "juice glasses" came free with liquor bottles.
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Dec 20, 2011 15:13
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Steve Yun posted:Hey, um... does whisky ever go bad? I haven't touched my bourbon in a year and now that I decided to have some again, it's cloudy.
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Jan 21, 2012 21:17
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You can't substitute brandy for cognac?
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Feb 7, 2012 00:50
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Kenning posted:All cognac is brandy, but not vice versa. Using real cognac is pretty important, but you can get away with Raynal (a French brandy that is not Cognac) if you must, but try not to must.
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Feb 7, 2012 01:42
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I would like to back this, but I'm sure I will then find that I can't buy the stuff in VA. What applejacks do you all recommend? I upgraded from Captain Apple Jack to Laird's as suggested by the PDT book, but I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be.
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Feb 27, 2012 13:35
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Vegetable Melange posted:The bonded tastes like a brandy, the blended tastes like brandy mixed with vodka (which is what it is). God loving drat it. I wondered why what was supposed to be a better class of applejack had a strong note of straight-up alcohol lacking any apple flavour. Edit: Laird via Virginia ABC is loving confusing. I can get Captain Apple Jack BIB, but the Laird's is only available in the 80 proof or the 88 proof Rare Apple that runs $60+ a bottle. I don't know how much NGS is mixed into the Captain. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Feb 27, 2012 |
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Feb 27, 2012 18:13
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I didn't realize that vodka was so widely held in low regard. Because by definition it has no character of its own?
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Mar 22, 2012 14:32
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Very Strange Things posted:Yeah bu -- but what about a -- drat, he's right.
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Mar 22, 2012 16:34
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Daeren posted:Speaking of whiskey sours, I'm very, very slowly starting to experiment with alcohol, and the only drink I've found that I actually enjoyed the taste of so far is whiskey sours (haven't tried any with an egg white yet, though, gonna have to do that the next time I have access to booze at home), though I did enjoy a Long Island iced tea the one time i had it. Any suggestions for similar drinks? I'm one of those people who can taste alcohol in drinks people say taste nothing like alcohol, I was the same way. Use quality booze, and as suggested, try highballs and long drinks besides your basic Cuba Libre, like a Dark'n'Stormy. quote:so anything like the sours that undercuts the 'medicinal swab' flavor that a lot of the spirits I've tried have would be good. I have yet to find anything with affordable vodka in it that doesn't taste like someone just dumped rubbing alcohol in the mix,
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Apr 1, 2012 15:52
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Did you drink real tequila, or Jose Cuervo?
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Apr 1, 2012 23:57
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I've been using Sauza Hornitos as it seems to be the standard recommendation for quality cocktail tequila; maybe I'll try Camarena next time. I use agave nectar in place of simple syrup for pretty much everything now. Is that weird?
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Apr 3, 2012 16:24
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I use the Trader Joe's brand and find it's a little like maple, so it pairs well with an aged rum or reposado tequila. The Three Agaves brand (Virginia ABC sells it) is lighter and, granted, dissolves easier without being shaken.
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Apr 3, 2012 17:01
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I was out of limes, so I made a margarita with lemon. It wasn't bad.
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Apr 5, 2012 19:20
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highball Last night it was hot as hell; I'd just got done with the housework and had half a lemon left over from cooking. I also have some samplers from God-knows-where sitting around that I wanted to get rid of, so I squeezed the lemon over ice and added vodka citron, syrup and topped it up with soda. I forgot to pray for forgiveness for having vodka in the house that's not Luksusowa. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 17:27 on Apr 17, 2012 |
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Apr 17, 2012 17:24
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I love a good aged tequila and a good margarita. Can anyone suggest tequila cocktails that aren't kiddie bullshit?
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Apr 19, 2012 14:37
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I like a Paloma for a long drink, but I'm really looking to bring out the flavour of the tequila. I don't understand the preoccupation with mixing tequila and chiles or whatever sort of Mexican hot sauce; I find capsaicin just smothers the tequila.
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Apr 19, 2012 15:51
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Thanks for the suggestions; I like doing things with liqueurs. The only obstacle is that in Virginia it's hard to get a lot of quality liqueurs through ABC. Tell if I'm crazy to consider Galliano and/or Tuaca with tequila--I was thinking the citrus, vanilla, and woodsiness of those liqueurs might pair well with the same traits in a reposado.
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Apr 19, 2012 18:20
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Those are great! I love applejack, and it never occurred to me to mix it with tequila. A funny thing about applejack, though: We have Captain Apple Jack (bottled by Laird's) both 80 proof and BIB, as well as Laird's proper--but for whatever reason, the Laird's Rare Apple Brandy they sell in Virginia ABC is obviously adulterated with NGS. The Captain is actually the better buy in VA if you want your applejack to actually be apple loving brandy.
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Apr 20, 2012 13:57
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Archenteron posted:Ever tried a margarita with reposado tequila, cointreau/gran mariner, fresh citrus juice, and simple syrup? Asked a bartender friend make me one as a joke, it was sublime. (But seriously, pretty much every margarita I make is reposado tequila, Cointreau, juice of half a lime, and a few drops of dark agave syrup to balance the tartness. I have no need of salt.)
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Apr 22, 2012 15:03
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I just had Bulleit for the first time a few days ago, and I don't want to mix the stuff. I did think about making a Perfect Manhattan with it, though.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:42
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Huge_Midget posted:dark rum?
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May 13, 2012 08:13
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Unicorn Sermon 4 oz. Silverado Chardonnay 1/2 oz. yellow chartreuse 1/4 oz. Benedictine 1/4 oz. Frangelico Add the liqueurs to the bottom of a coupe glass, then top up with chilled wine. Stir. Drink while changing the channel between televangelists and My Little Pony.
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May 16, 2012 14:16
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Booties posted:Nothing like a bulleit rye whiskey sour to take the edge off after a blindingly hard and rainy bike ride. For me, the frontline of liqueurs for making cocktails is triple sec/curacao, coffee liqueur, Irish cream, and amaretto. As far as those are concerned, I buy Cointreau and Gran Gala*, Kahlua, Emmet's, and Disaronno. A broad selection of quality liqueurs is difficult to obtain in my state (Virginia) but I'm also fond of Chambord and Tuaca. The vanilla/citrus of Tuaca pairs well with an aged rum or tequila. *Cointreau is the neutral-spirit based triple sec, while Gran Gala is brandy-based. I find Gran Gala a perfectly acceptable substitute for Grand Marnier at half the price, but you can absolutely taste the difference between Cointreau and cheap triple sec. The Cointreau producers distill their own neutral spirits from sugar beets before adding orange flavour, rather than using cheap vodka as a base. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Jun 23, 2012 |
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Jun 23, 2012 02:44
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My party is starting in 2 hours. The theme of the party is "mugshots" but I don't really drink shots so I don't know what to make. Help.
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Jun 23, 2012 21:57
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Although the gimlet is one of the few recipes where sweetened lime juice is actually called for, I'd still much rather use fresh lime and add simple.
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Jul 16, 2012 16:40
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King Hotpants posted:King Hotpants' GinVenture continues:
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Jul 16, 2012 22:03
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I'm on cloud 9 right now. After forever and ever of not being able to get specialty liqueurs in Virginia, one of the ABCs near me started actually keeping two brands of maraschino and both varietals of Chartreuse on the shelf. Now if I could only get decent creme liqueurs in there... ...Speaking of which, the only creme de cassis available in ABC is Hiram Walker, so I'm looking at a pseudo-alternative. Chambord? Chateau de Monet? Pama? Anyone know anything about these or other dark berry liqueurs?
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Aug 12, 2012 17:02
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Can anybody tell me anything about Carriage House Apple Brandy? I "upgraded" from Captain Apple Jack BIB to Laird's, but VA ABC stocks two kinds of Laird's: Halloween Jack posted:I can't believe I shelled out $30 for this I like turtles posted:This is the stuff that is gross: The first is obviously adulterated with vodka, and ILT insists the latter is much the same. I've been sticking with Captain since I managed to use up the Laird's. Also, what do I do with this Heering now that I got it, and how does it compare to Luxardo Maraschino? Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 18:19 on Aug 18, 2012 |
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Aug 18, 2012 18:15
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Vegetable Melange posted:The Bonded is not adulterated, only the second one.
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Aug 18, 2012 20:43
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I'm playing around with the Heering. Last night I tried 1 oz. dark rum 3/4 oz. Heering 1/4 oz. Tuaca 1/2 oz. fresh lime I might would replace the Tuaca with Cointreau and and add a little Peychaud's next time.
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Aug 21, 2012 14:15
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Can someone give a rundown on the differences between Angostura and Peychaud's and a general guideline for when to use one as opposed to the other?
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Sep 16, 2012 00:15
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It seems a lot of people feel the way about orange in an Old-Fashioned that many martini drinkers feel about the vermouth--just pass it over top of the glass and pretend or something.
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Sep 19, 2012 22:24
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Kenning posted:The orange in an Old Fashioned, on the other hand, is an uncouth innovation
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Sep 20, 2012 01:10
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Speaking of ancient cocktails with many different recipes, how do you all make a Planter's Punch?
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Sep 20, 2012 19:01
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 07:09 |
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Being snooty about Old Fashioneds is pretty silly as pretty much every classic cocktail was invented to class up the act of drinking obscene amounts of hard liquor. That being said, while I think that Angostura pairs really well with citrus oils, I don't actually want orange pulp in my glass, nor do I want to detract from the whiskey by mixing maraschino flavour into it, even good genuine maraschino cherries. I also prefer mine with rye in case that's a cardinal sin I need to confess.
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Sep 27, 2012 06:13
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