195 replies to this topic

[Tri2Cook]

Finally - finally - got around to making a Broken Shoe Shiner tonight. Magical drink. Rosewater and pastis... who knew?

That one sounds kinda scary to me... but you've given me some good recommendations so I'm going to give it a try.

[EvergreenDan]

I like the Broken Shoe Shiner, but it can tend to be overly sweet and sweet + anise = candy, an association I don't like. I used absinthe instead of Pernod and that helped. It might need a touch more lemon than the recipe call for. It will also depend upon the sweetness of the pineapple (fresh, or at least something better than those little Dole cans). Let us know what you think, Tri.

[ChrisTaylor]

Book landed on my doorstep this evening and I decided to open with A Moment of Silence. Used Marasaka instead of Marie for the apricot component and Amaro Montenegro instead of the Averna because, well, I don't have Averna.

[ChrisTaylor]

Transatlantic Giant: Buffalo Trace and Inner Circle Green (no S&C) and sloe gin and Cynar and creme de cacao and Angostura. A monster. I like it.

[ChrisTaylor]

The End of the Road--equal parts Laphroaig (I used the 18 instead of the 10, as it's what I had on hand), Chartreuse and Campari. Another monster. Also good.

[sbumgarner]

Had been eyeing the DLB for quite some time, finally got around to it the other night:

1 Barbancourt 8 (I used .5 Barbancourt 4 and .5 ED 12 as I have no 8 on hand, no idea if that approximates the 8 or not)
.5 lemon
.5 fernet
.5 simple
.5 angostura
.25 angostura orange
.25 peychauds

Surprisingly more tart that bitter, the flavors just seemed to pop. Would definitely make this again.

[ChrisTaylor]

Just set up a modified Ashtray Heart. No regular sweet vermouth, so I used Punt. And no grapefruits kicking around, so a gentle dash of grapefruit bitters (Fee's) sounded like the a good option. Could've gone lemon, I guess. Have a tree and everything. But it's out in this cold. Anyway, the drink itself is verging on being a bit of a beast, altho' it's nothing like the Racketeer or Translantic Giant, which are delicious obscenities. This isn't bad. I like it.

Also, because I live in the far east, Inner Circle Green instead of S&C.

Edited by ChrisTaylor, 27 June 2012 - 02:25 AM.

[EvergreenDan]

Just set up a modified Ashtray Heart. No regular sweet vermouth, so I used Punt.

Made this tonight too, and liked it quite a bit. It does call for Punt e Mes, so you didn't deviate there.

[ChrisTaylor]

The Improved Scotch Cocktail linked earlier in the thread. Used Ardbeg Uigeadail, as it's my favourite Islay that I have at the moment. Went a little short on the lemon juice, purely because I don't like it when whisk(e)y-based cocktails--Ward Eights, et al--are knocked around too much by the sourness of lemons.

At the moment I'm sipping on a Trans-European Express. Don't have Macallan so I opted for ... gee, I was looking at what might sound like a sensible choice, say, a Glenfiddich or even the Aberlour but instead I threw caution to the wind and reached for Talisker 10 (which, incidentally, is my go-to scotch for classic scotch-based cocktails such as the Blood and Sand). Nice enough. Better, I think, than the Trans-Atlantic, which was nice enough, too, sure, but maybe wasn't quite that great because of the creme de cacao. I couldn't tell if it was because I bought the Baitz stuff (an Australian liqueur company--their other liqueurs have served me well enough, so I have no reason to be sus about the cacao [of course, you'd think I could buy Marie Brizzard ... and, true, the MB range has started appearing on Australian shelves all over the place, priced on par with Baitz and others, but of course they have like three fucking kinds of curacao and not even one kind of creme de cacao--unless I want to go Nick's and pay literally twice the going rate ... for something I'll probably only use for Trans-Atlantics]) or because creme de cacao just reminds me far too fucking vividly of cheap chocolate, liek all those bad giant-sized Easter eggs you'd get from relatives as a kid and the whole time you're just wishing they'd buy you one small good egg.

But. Yeah. This book. So far everything has been a winner. Haven't tried that pineapple/Pernod/whatever lobster and, to be honest, Mr Wondrich seems to have a very similar palate to me. Mostly. So I guess at some point I will try it, when I remember to buy pineapple juice and all, but I won't be too concerned if it's the very last drink I try. And between now and then I need to make/get kummel (which is fine, as it's great) and some South East Asian rotgutrumstuff. So. It'll be a while yet.

[ChrisTaylor]

Arbitrary Nature of Time. No WT101 so I opted for Booker's.

[tanstaafl2]

Realized I had finally gotten a copy of the book but hadn't delved into it yet. So tonight I went "Under the Volcano". Always a fan of a good tequila cocktail and this did not disappoint.



Anejo tequila (I substituted El Major for Tesoro since both were highland tequilas and I hoped that might make it a decent sub) along with lime juice, yellow chartreuse, cynar and agave nectar. Plenty of agave flavor in this but the cynar seemed to keep it from being too sweet. Definitely one to make again.

This was one of the few recipes to have some quantities listed with a minus sign such as -1/2 oz Cynar. The book notes it uses "industry-standard vernacular" so I hope you will forgive this mere lay persons ignorance but does that just mean a "light pour" of that particular measurement?

Speaking of ignorance the next drink, the Vellocet, instructs one to "blue blazer" green chartreuse on the mint sprig garnish. Now, I am familiar with the Blue Blazer cocktail where one tries to light themselves on fire for no apparent reason by repeatedly pouring flaming scotch back and forth between two glasses. Do they mean to suggest that one annoint the mint with chartreuse and then set it ablaze briefly? That is what the picture suggests since the mint sprig looks a bit worse for wear.

BTW, is there a sound reason for the Blue Blazer cocktail other than to pretend to be Jerry Thomas and put on a show (especially if you end up setting your hair on fire!)? Does it add anything to the drink itself other than to likely burn off the alcohol content?

[sbumgarner]

This was one of the few recipes to have some quantities listed with a minus sign such as -1/2 oz Cynar. The book notes it uses "industry-standard vernacular" so I hope you will forgive this mere lay persons ignorance but does that just mean a "light pour" of that particular measurement?

My lay interpretation of this is that it means approximately 3/8 oz but given no one has that measure it's easier to say a scant half-ounce.

Edited by sbumgarner, 17 July 2012 - 06:55 AM.

[KD1191]

Do they mean to suggest that one annoint the mint with chartreuse and then set it ablaze briefly? That is what the picture suggests since the mint sprig looks a bit worse for wear.

The mint should be singed via flaming chartreuse. Warm the chartreuse and set it aflame, then drizzle it over/down the mint sprig.

Edited by KD1191, 17 July 2012 - 10:32 AM.

[mkayahara]

Do they mean to suggest that one annoint the mint with chartreuse and then set it ablaze briefly? That is what the picture suggests since the mint sprig looks a bit worse for wear.

The mint should be singed via flaming chartreuse. Warm the chartreuse and set it aflame, then drizzle it over/down the mint sprig.

What, you don't flame it out an atomizer like Boudreau does with Angostura?

[EvergreenDan]

I asked Maks if -1/2 really meant 3/8 and as I recall he said that it was intended to indicate a slightly light pour, subject to the bartender's judgment. I interpret it as "just shy of 1/2 and take care to not over pour, you klutz."

[tanstaafl2]

Great! Thanks everyone for the insights. I look forward to continuing to explore the book.

Although that Under the Volcano was pretty darn good!

[KD1191]

Do they mean to suggest that one annoint the mint with chartreuse and then set it ablaze briefly? That is what the picture suggests since the mint sprig looks a bit worse for wear.

The mint should be singed via flaming chartreuse. Warm the chartreuse and set it aflame, then drizzle it over/down the mint sprig.

What, you don't flame it out an atomizer like Boudreau does with Angostura?

Oh, I wouldn't try to stop anyone from doing it that way (good way to lose your eyebrows). But, I've seen it made more than a couple of times, both at The Violet Hour & Cure (it's one of my wife's favorites), and it's generally been more of a slow burn dripping down the sprig than a quick flash fry.

[ChrisTaylor]

Fatigue. Equal parts Jack Daniels (I used the Gentleman variant), maraschino and Angostura bitters with a grapefruit twist. It's okay. Somewhat kind of totally dominated by cinnamon. Drinkable but not repeatable.

[tanstaafl2]

Tonight it was the Transatlantic Giant. I kind of expected it to be unusual given the ingredients, kind of Airbag-ish in that they didn't seem to fit together. Had to sub Elmer T. Lee as I didn't have Buffalo Trace in the house.



But it did all come together very nicely. Not quite as good as an Airbag to me but certainly one I would have again. The Creme de Cacao did give it an interesting sweet finish. Wouldn't think it would stand up to everything else in the drink but it did a pretty good job of holding its own.

[Alchemist]

Fatigue. Equal parts Jack Daniels (I used the Gentleman variant), maraschino and Angostura bitters with a grapefruit twist. It's okay. Somewhat kind of totally dominated by cinnamon. Drinkable but not repeatable.

This drink was created by a bartender for bartenders at the end of shift. It tastes very different after you have straw tasted 150 citrus drinks and 100 brown and stirred. You have serious palate fatigue, thus the name, and you need something with HUGE flavors. Trust me this is really tasty at 2:30am on a Friday night.

[Chris Amirault]

The Arbitrary Nature of Time specifies Wild Turkey 101 -- but not whether it's rye or bourbon. I'll make the latter in a sec, but, meanwhile, does anyone know which it is? Or whether it's... wait for it... arbitrary?!?

ETA: Based entirely on the deliciousness of the libation I'm enjoying, my money is on bourbon.

Edited by Chris Amirault, 30 August 2012 - 06:52 PM.

[KD1191]

The Arbitrary Nature of Time specifies Wild Turkey 101 -- but not whether it's rye or bourbon. I'll make the latter in a sec, but, meanwhile, does anyone know which it is? Or whether it's... wait for it... arbitrary?!?

ETA: Based entirely on the deliciousness of the libation I'm enjoying, my money is on bourbon.

At The Counting Room, Maks makes it with rye.

[Chris Amirault]

Made it again with WT 101 bourbon tonight for a guest -- using up the last ounce of the "natural carmine" Campari as a result! When I restock with non-bug Campari, I'll give it a go with the WT 101 rye.

[ChrisTaylor]

Revisited the Moment w/ Averna. A sexy beast, that one.

[FrogPrincesse]

The Arbitrary Nature of Time (with bourbon). The Campari + cherry liqueur combination is a good one. It's a strong and bitter drink but the cherry liqueur tempers it a bit. The cherry liqueur marries well with the chocolate from the bitters.

[FrogPrincesse]

After the Arsenic and Old Lace from the other night, I was looking for something with a little more … va-va-voom. I looked through my copy of beta cocktails and the All Fair’s caught my eye. Usually the drinks from that book are challenging for my husband, but since this is essentially a Manhattan with rum, I thought I should give it a go. I happened to have the rum that it called for (El Dorado 12 year). The other ingredients are sweet vermouth (I substituted Dolin for Carpano Antica), curaçao (substituted Clement for Marie Brizart), mole bitters, salt “tincture” (aka salt solution), and an orange twist.

The cocktail is the first in a series of three that are meant to depict the evolution of a relationship. This one is clearly the honeymoon phase; you can tell right away by its beautiful smell. It is a very aromatic cocktail with layers of rich flavors highlighted by the mole bitters, and just a hint of salt at the end. Like spending your honeymoon in the Caribbean - it's described as an "Island Manhattan" in the book. It’s very easy to fall in love!



The name and style of the cocktail seemed familiar, but it took me a day to figure out why. The cocktail is clearly based on the Fair and Warmer from the Savoy cocktail book, a cocktail I tried a few months ago which is also a Manhattan variation with rum (the version I had tried was the Bartender's Choice app adaptation of the Savoy creation and has different ratios). The ingredients in the Fair and Warmer are white rum, sweet vermouth, curaçao, and an orange twist. The changes in the beta version are the use of aged rum instead of white, and the addition of bitters and salt. It elevated this already enjoyable drink to something even more memorable.

[tanstaafl2]

Do you find any difference in a drink with Creole Shrub as compared to using Curacao? Seems like the shrub would bring something slightly different the way the brandy based Grand Marnier is a little different from Cointreau/Curacao.

[FrogPrincesse]

Do you find any difference in a drink with Creole Shrub as compared to using Curacao? Seems like the shrub would bring something slightly different the way the brandy based Grand Marnier is a little different from Cointreau/Curacao.

Not a huge difference as far as I can tell. The Clément Créole Shrubb is rum-based and therefore it makes sense to use it in rum cocktails. I prefer it to Cointreau in Mai Tais for example, although the difference is quite subtle. Grand Marnier being cognac-based is not very versatile in cocktails in general and I hardly ever use it (for Crêpes Suzette maybe).

There is an extensive review of orange liqueurs on the Oh Gosh! blog that I found very informative.

Edited by FrogPrincesse, 10 January 2013 - 12:47 PM.

[Adam George]

I've made the Flip and Hotel Room Temperature from that series of drinks and they are both great. I like concept drinks.

[FrogPrincesse]

I've made the Flip and Hotel Room Temperature from that series of drinks and they are both great. I like concept drinks.

These are next on my list... I am just worried about how this affair is going to end!

Out of curiosity, do you remember what rum/sweet vermouth/curaçao you used?