[Nathan]

yes. the creators of cocktaildb and the mixilator are egullet posters....and cocktaildb is THE cocktail database. glad you found it...it's highly useful.

[TBoner]

bostonapothecary, on Jul 2 2007, 10:51 AM, said:

all the cocktails i've been drinking in the past couple days have been derived from the vieux carre....

two liquors fighting it out....
a vermouth
a spoonful of something....
two aromatic bitters (peychaud's requisite)
some sort of citrus oil

i usually go classic and only switch up the rye or cognac.

at the beehive scott surprised me and tossed out the cognac and put in an anejo.  i thought he tossed out the rye but i was wrong.... he had no peychauds.... (i guess i will bring them some). results delicous.

i've had way to much fun with this.... if anyone else is into the vieux carre bring forth some good combos so i can imbibe.... never will i drink a simple manhattan or rob roy again....

I tried the variation you discussed above last night. Overholt, 1800 anejo, bitters were Peychaud's and Fee's Whiskey Barrel bitters. Spectacular.

I also made the following variation (which is very far afield, really not the same drink):

3/4 oz. Zwack Barack Palinka
3/4 oz. Sazerac 6-yo rye
3/4 oz. Cinzano Bianco
1 tsp. Maraschino
1 dash Peychaud's
1 dash Fee Bros. Peach
1 dash homemade bitters
flamed lemon twist

This was pretty good (the aroma was spectacular), though I think it needs WT rye to truly balance the barack palinka. The vanilla from the Bianco was just right, though, and I think the funk of the maraschino works well with eau-de-vie. I'll probably play more with it, as it's a very nice, cool summer drink.

This post has been edited by TBoner: 10 August 2007 - 12:57 PM

[bostonapothecary]

sounds pretty cool.
did you like the eau de vie with rye?
i really want to try some eau de vie contrasted against tequila....a reposado perhaps. i will have to pick some up tomarrow....

[TBoner]

I did like the combo, sort of. Intuitively the spiciness of the rye and the fruity aroma and powerful finish of the apricot brandy should play well together, with the vermouth acting as a bridge. However, I found the barack palinka had such a strong aroma and distinctive character that, as I said, a rye with more character would be much better. WT Rye has a much more assertive flavor and, especially, finish than Saz Jr., so it seems the obvious choice.
All of that being said, the drink as described above doesn't have near the finesse of a Vieux Carre (nor was it necessarily meant to). I'll post results after trying out the Wild Turkey version.

[TBoner]

TBoner, on Aug 10 2007, 11:32 AM, said:

3/4 oz. Zwack Barack Palinka
3/4 oz. Sazerac 6-yo rye
3/4 oz. Cinzano Bianco
1 tsp. Maraschino
1 dash Peychaud's
1 dash Fee Bros. Peach
1 dash homemade bitters
flamed lemon twist

This was pretty good (the aroma was spectacular), though I think it needs WT rye to truly balance the barack palinka. The vanilla from the Bianco was just right, though, and I think the funk of the maraschino works well with eau-de-vie. I'll probably play more with it, as it's a very nice, cool summer drink.

Okay, after playing with this, I think I've got something much better:

3/4 oz. barack palinka
3/4 oz. WT Rye or Old Grand Dad 114 (you want something sweeter than Rittenhouse, and also with huge flavor: I prefer OGD because I get apricot notes from it)
3/4 oz. Cinzano Bianco
1 tsp. Amaretto
2 dashes Fee Bros. Peach
2 dashes Fee whiskey-barrel bitters
lemon twist

There's excellent interplay of nuts, spice, and fruit here. I found the maraschino (even at 1 tsp) was interfering with this and weighing down the flavors without contributing much to the drink. I also found eliminating the huge anise of Peychaud's helped. Not even close to a Vieux Carre anymore, but I like it a great deal.

[bostonapothecary]

i'm missing some inegredients to try that myself but it sounds like a really good time....

[bostonapothecary]

inspired by how delicious tboner's last cocktail sounded i put together something of my own....

i really wanted to contrast three star barrelito with clear creak's blue plum eau de vie...intensely cool roasted coffee flavors in the rum against a great expression of late summer fruit.... i probably should have used dry vermouth to really show off the spirits but alas i had none.... (that will never happen again if i'm gonna sacrifice barrelito) i settled for rosso antico and to it added a spoonful of amer picon. (as in a "creole variation" that i really want to try) then one dash of peychaud's bitters....

1 oz. ron del barrelito three star
1 oz. clear creek blue plum
3/4 oz. rosso antico
1/4 oz. amer picon
1 dash peychaud's

integrated and very good but the vermouthy portions steal the show from what i though would be a cool spirits comparison....

life is short and the art is long....

[Travis Jiorle]

Something I came up with as a cold, more alcoholic version of an espresso with sambuca:


ITALIAN FOG

1 oz coffee liqueur (something dry -- NOT Kahlua!)
1 oz anice

Pour the coffee liqueur into an old fashioned glass with ice and float the anice on top. Wait for the anice to cloud over.


For those unfamiliar with anice, it's an Italian, sugarless, anise-flavored neutral spirit. Luxardo makes one called Anice Forte. It's kind of like sambuca without the sugar and other spices. Maybe that makes it closer to ouzo or arak or raki, although it won't strip the lining of the throat like the raki I've tried.

[tkerby]

chuck, on Aug 19 2003, 09:51 PM, said:

I was over at his place the other day and noticed a half filled bottle of cheap merlot.  At least he was trying to like it, I thought.  I complimented him on his breakthrough, but he stopped me right away.  Apparently he had been mixing it with equal parts Coca Cola.  It really sweetened it up, he said.  I'm not calling that guy for a while.

That reminds me of a cocktail popular among the theatre techs at University - The Black Techie. I'm not sure I'd recommend it but it was interesting to try

- Drink half a pint of 80 shilling beer (a dark, strong ale)
- Order a double vodka and coke with ice
- Pour said double vodka and coke into top of pint
- Stir with your Maglite or Leatherman File for a hint of metallic aftertaste
- Drink

Coke and beer probably mix better than coke and wine as it sweetens the bear and the aromatics merge to some extent but even still, it wouldn't be my choice.

On a nicer note, if you have cheap Whisky you want to make better, add 1 drop of high quality vanilla essence to each glass and it makes a huge improvement. Alternatively, a few vanilla pods dropped in the bottle have a similar effect. It's a tip I picked up from Herve This when he was last in Edinburgh and has been proven in a blind taste test with friends. In fact, as long as you weren't comparing to an Islay (with a characteristically different smoky flavour), most friends preferred the cheap whisky + vanilla than some expensive Speysides. None realised it had been tampered with. Apparently Vanilla contains many of the aromatics missing in cheap whisky and acts as a decent substitute. Perhaps liquid smoke + vanilla would turn cheap Speyside into an Islay

Equally, cheap vodka passed through a times gets a lot more palletable. That one is from my student friends....

[eje]

Wife and I thought this pretty good. Kind of a Bloodhound variation.

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1/2 oz French Vermouth
Dash Lemon Juice
Two medium Strawberries

Muddle Strawberries in ingredients, ice, shake, and strain.

[KatieLoeb]

Erik:

I just finally got the St. Germain for my bar and have been tinkering with it this week. My latest variant seems a bit like yours. No proportions yet, as
I'm still tweaking:

Elder Statesman

Plymouth gin
St. Germain
Lillet
D'Arbo Elderberry syrup
fresh lemon juice
Dash of Fee Brothers Grapefruit bitters
Fresh lemon twist

A pretty deep fuschia in the glass. The juniper, botanicals and elderflower play together really well. Elderberry for color and sweetness, lemon and bitters to dial it back. Really nice. I'll have to take a picture when I've got it perfected.

This post has been edited by KatieLoeb: 02 September 2007 - 12:00 AM

[notahumanissue]

Oh St-Germain, how lovely. Here's mine, obviously similar. I've had the following on my menu for the last few months with pretty good response:

<b>The Volstead 18</b>
1 Fresh Strawberry, lightly muddled so as to break up the fruit
2 oz Bombay Dry Gin
0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz St-Germain Elderflower
2 Dashes Luxardo Maraschino
Shaken, strained into a chilled cocktail glass, topped with prosecco (~1.5oz)

It's one of those instances when gin really shows its versatility, effectively being bombarded by the other flavors but still adding something distinct through the mess. It's my "I like cosmos. Make me something" drink.

[jmfangio]

We all seem to be on a St. Germain kick.

I made a batch of Tequila por Mi Amante after reading about it on Cocktail Chronicles, and tried it in a standard 3:2:1 Margarita (delicious), but then decided to give it a try substituting the St. Germain for the Cointreau. Fruity, floral, and dangerously smooth. For the next round I mixed the Amante with a bit of reposado, just to get a bit of peppery tequila bite.

1 oz Tequila por Mi Amante
1/2 Tequila reposado
1 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz lime juice

Shake, strain, sip contentedly.

[Morgan_Weber]

How about this. A buddy of mine came up with it when he had some tarragon left over from dinner. He called it, 'The Licorice Whip'.


2 oz. bourbon (He used Evan Williams Single Barrel)
1 oz. Cointreau
Juice of 1/2 lemon
About 10 tarragon leaves, muddled in 1/2 tbs. superfine sugar

Combine over ice in shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

[Nathan]

notahumanissue, on Sep 2 2007, 01:55 AM, said:

Oh St-Germain, how lovely. Here's mine, obviously similar.  I've had the following on my menu for the last few months with pretty good response:

<b>The Volstead 18</b>
1 Fresh Strawberry, lightly muddled so as to break up the fruit
2 oz Bombay Dry Gin
0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz St-Germain Elderflower
2 Dashes Luxardo Maraschino
Shaken, strained into a chilled cocktail glass, topped with prosecco (~1.5oz)

It's one of those instances when gin really shows its versatility, effectively being bombarded by the other flavors but still adding something distinct through the mess.  It's my "I like cosmos.  Make me something" drink.

this looks amazing...although I might skip the prosecco...might have to try this before Tailor tonight.

[notahumanissue]

Nathan, on Sep 4 2007, 02:48 PM, said:

this looks amazing...although I might skip the prosecco...might have to try this before Tailor tonight.

Ha, fitting!

Regarding prosecco: is there anything a little sparkling wine won't improve? Let's be honest here...

This post has been edited by notahumanissue: 05 September 2007 - 10:26 AM

[eje]

Ha! Great minds and all that. I can't wait to try these other combinations!

I had a cocktail the other day that successfully combined passion fruit, campari, gin, and strawberry juice.

But their preparation was way too much work... Passion fruit foam, juicing strawberries, etc.

Then I was thinking the passion fruit foam had reminded me a lot of the elderflower liqueur.

I did mentally toy with the idea of a foam based on the elderflower liqueur. Still think it might be fun... Maybe a bit more citrus and an egg white wouldn't be out of the question here.

[jmfangio]

eje, on Sep 5 2007, 12:07 PM, said:

Maybe a bit more citrus and an egg white wouldn't be out of the question here.

Hmmm...you could always start with a Ramos Gin Fizz recipe, and swap out the orange flower water for the Elderflower liqueur?

[Mayur]

Two mild-variation cocktails:

-A Brooklyn (standard proportions) with a dash of orange oil

-A white negroni in the following proportions (inspired by phlip):

1.5 gin
1 Noilly Prat ambre
0.75 Suze
2 dashes Bitter Truth lemon bitters

Really heightens the gentian flavors in the Suze (and bitters) without adding orange-y fruitiness.

[EDIT: Removed pompous adjective.]

This post has been edited by Mayur: 05 September 2007 - 08:19 PM

[Katie Meadow]

Cocktails some pages back involving Earl Grey remind me that several years ago, when bergamot citrus fruits suddenly appeared at our favorite store, my husband and I invented a drink we called the Bergamotini. It was fun to say, and I liked it more than he did. If you like Earl Grey w/bergamot rather than lavender it might be up your alley. The drink is really just a minor revision of the Leap Year cocktail from the Savoy with bergamot instead of lemon:

2 oz gin
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz (or to taste--it's pretty potent) bergamot juice
1 bergamot twist

Shake and pour into a chilled martini glass.

You should be able to make this more often than once every four years, since fresh bergamot is available every year, but it seems to have a very short season, at least in CA--like somewhere between 2 hours and 2 weeks--right around Jan 1.

[notahumanissue]

eje, on Sep 5 2007, 02:07 PM, said:

I did mentally toy with the idea of a foam based on the elderflower liqueur.  Still think it might be fun...  Maybe a bit more citrus and an egg white wouldn't be out of the question here.

I actually played around with St-Germain-as-foam not long ago. Didn't have any chemicals on hand, so i just put some of the liqueur, egg white, and a bit of lemon juice (as the acid stabilizer) into a whipper. Pretty tasty, and a great textural addition to cocktails that have worked well the the St-Germain already.

This post has been edited by notahumanissue: 06 September 2007 - 12:04 AM

[Mayur]

Given that this is how "foam" is made by 90% of the "foam"-making populace, I think you're fine with the whipper. Now to buy a new one since my old one has gone MIA...

Next cocktail: More fun and games with the Noilly Ambre

"Rasam cocktail"
1.5 oz Junipero
1 oz tomato water
1 oz Noilly ambre
lightly bruised sprig cilantro + one Serrano pepper
3 pinches cumin-pepper powder (50/50 cumin seed/black pepper, toasted and ground)
1 pinch demerara sugar
2 dashes lime juice

Combine ingredients in mixing glass with crushed ice. Stir 30-60 seconds and strain into cocktail glass rimmed with salt.

Wish I could dispense with the lime juice, since it clouds up the drink, but you really need the citrus tang to make this work. Probably could substitute tamarind water, but then it'd look *really* ugly...

[Nathan]

fiddled around last night with a Manhattan variation:

2 rye (Rittenhouse Bonded)
1 sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
couple dashes of orange bitters

washed a glass with about .25 compass box peat monster. left it in the glass.

terrific.

[eje]

Mayur, on Sep 6 2007, 06:21 PM, said:

Given that this is how "foam" is made by 90% of the "foam"-making populace, I think you're fine with the whipper. Now to buy a new one since my old one has gone MIA...
[...]

I might also add, I recently had a cocktail with a Xanthan (or was it Lecithin?) foam, and while it looked good to start with, it got pretty ugly about the time you get half way through the cocktail. Weird lumps of undefined foam goo floating at various levels in the cocktail. Never really noticed this as much with an egg white foam. Well, at least egg white foams seem to look more "natural" to me.

Egg whites are bad enough; but, I've also read that some of these other products can be a real pain to clean off your equipment.

[notahumanissue]

eje, on Sep 13 2007, 11:56 AM, said:

Mayur, on Sep 6 2007, 06:21 PM, said:

Given that this is how "foam" is made by 90% of the "foam"-making populace, I think you're fine with the whipper. Now to buy a new one since my old one has gone MIA...
[...]

I might also add, I recently had a cocktail with a Xanthan (or was it Lecithin?) foam, and while it looked good to start with, it got pretty ugly about the time you get half way through the cocktail. Weird lumps of undefined foam goo floating at various levels in the cocktail. Never really noticed this as much with an egg white foam. Well, at least egg white foams seem to look more "natural" to me.

Egg whites are bad enough; but, I've also read that some of these other products can be a real pain to clean off your equipment.

I think maybe whoever prepared the foam didn't dissolve the chemicals properly before "foaming," or used far too much of it -- excess creating those unpleasant clumps. Yuck.

Did the foam have an overly bitter taste?

[slkinsey]

eje, on Sep 13 2007, 12:56 PM, said:

...I recently had a cocktail with a Xanthan (or was it Lecithin?) foam, and while it looked good to start with, it got pretty ugly about the time you get half way through the cocktail.  Weird lumps of undefined foam goo floating at various levels in the cocktail.  Never really noticed this as much with an egg white foam.  Well, at least egg white foams seem to look more "natural" to me.

Xanthan gum is a thickener and stabilizer, so it must have been lecithin. Lecithin also stabilizes emulsions, and is a surfactant. But I don't think you can create a stable foam by simply adding lecithin to something that would otherwise not foam (e.g., water and ethanol). Are you sure it wasn't a gelatin foam?

It's unclear to me that there is anything that works better for alcohol foams than egg white.

[eje]

No, I'm pretty sure it was Lecithin, then. I don't know what else might have been in there; but, don't remember any mention of gelatin.

I didn't notice an unpleasant flavor.

Interesting, yeah, I haven't had much urge to play with these sorts of products for cocktails, too much on the plate already, and eggs work perfectly fine for any use I've run across so far.

[KatieLoeb]

Tonight's variant. Perfecting the exact proportions for a drink to match the pork loin course for the Cocktail Dinner we're having at my place of employ on Sunday evening. Chef Jim and I collaborated on this four course/four cocktail pairing, and this was the only drink I had only a conception for, but no actual practice making.

Apple Manhattan

2 oz. Eagle Rare 10 year old bourbon
1 oz. Berentzen's Apfelkorn Apple Schnapps
.5 oz. Punt e Mes
Dash of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters

Shake and strain over fresh ice with a cherry.

The amaro vermouth dials back the sweetness of the bourbon and apple schnapps while still adding the vermouth aromatics that are necessary to call this a proper Manhattan. Very good on the first try. I don't think I'll tweak this any further.

[eje]

Was reading Pynchon's "Against the Day." Contains many references to Absinthe, and in general quite a bit of drinking. Nice descriptions of the Corpse Reviver No. 3 (Death in the Afternoon) etc.

Towards the end a drink is referenced called the "Crocodile". Pynchon describes it as equal parts trois-six, rum, and absinthe.

Trois-six is a name they use for unaged grape brandy in the Normandy region of France. Basically high proof moonshine, making the Crocodile, uh, ridiculously potent.

Anyway, it seemed like a kinder, gentler version of this cocktail might be fun.

Currently experimenting with Barbancourt 5 star rum, Pineau de Charentes, a dash of Absinthe, bitters, and a twist.

Last variation, 1 1/2 Rum, 3/4 Pineau, dash Absinthe, dash angostura, grapefruit twist was interesting. A bit too harmonious and single noted; but, promising. Thought I might call it the "Cayman".

[plattetude]

I had a brainstorm recently to marry Campari and St. Germain, and boy howdy did it work for me. Herewith, my untitled concoction:

2 oz rye (Rittenhouse bonded)
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower
1 tsp Campari
dash lemon bitters (The Bitter Truth)

Stirred and served and enjoyed in chilled cocktail glass.

I'd imagine it would work equally well with a reposado tequila, or gin for that matter.

Christopher