590 replies to this topic

[bostonapothecary]

.75 oz. tanqueray rangpur
.75 oz. plymouth sloe gin
.75 oz. jaggery sweetened formerly green chartreuse
.75 oz. from a very old and tired lemon

this was cute. the gin and sloe gin came from a large bag of "donations". sloe gin is so overshadowing.

.75 oz. plymouth sloe gin
.75 oz. madeira "doux"
.75 oz. medronhos "nova"
.75 oz. lime juice

intent on conquering the sloe gin i pulled out the big guns. first a certain tonal modifier courtesy madeira which also creates a sugar content that can contrast the volume of lime juice. next was the infamous al garve moonshine of the "strawberry tree" called medronhos which has a certain penetrating aroma. this is like tasting iodine in a single malt for the first time. you shouldn't enjoy it but you do. and it is so aromatic that the people sitting next to you are more or less drinking it along with you. people that relish batavia arrack may also enjoy medronhos.

[JAZ]

Couple of things I've been playing with recently, firstly a Clover Club. Following Jeffry Morgenthaler's recipe, I made some grenadine as a test for moving the bar I work at to more homemade products, hopefully orgeat will be th next test. Clover Club is pretty simple, 50ml dry gin, 25ml lemon juice, 12.5ml grenadine (ended up tweaking up to 25 as homemade grenadine had a much darker flavour) and an egg white (about 30-40ml?). Shake hard without ice to emulsify then with ice to chill and dilute a little. Strain into a coupe. Lovely light drink.

Not that this is practical for a bar, but you really should try a Clover Club made with either fresh raspberries muddled, or at least homemade raspberry syrup instead of the grenadine. It's an entirely different drink -- not that the one with grenadine is bad, but raspberry makes the drink, in my opinion.

[Tri2Cook]

Tried the Star Crossed Lovers from the Heering website (the original is 5 oz, I did a 3/4 recipe)...

1 1/2 oz Redbreast 12 yr Irish whiskey
3/4 oz Heering cherry
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/8 oz orgeat
3/8 oz egg white

Dry shake, shake with ice, strain, coupe. Garnish: freshly grated cinnamon, 2 drops Angostura bitters (the recipe says to drag the Angostura to make 2 little hearts on top of the drink, I didn't bother for myself).

[KatieLoeb]

Hosting a Lillet aperitif Happy Hour next Friday at my bar. Borrowed the Fashionably Lillet and Katie-fied it just a bit with some ginger syrup and muddled blood orange slices and brandied cherries and renamed it the Fashionably Lil-Late, so as to distinguish it as a different cocktail. We'll be using Hudson Manhattan Rye with that. It's joining a Fleur de Pomme (my own concoction) made with Stoli Gala Apple, Lillet, St. Germain, spiced simple, fresh lemon and Peychaud bitters and a classic 20th Century made with Hendricks for the specialty cocktail lineup for the night. I'm using these particular spirits as they are all under the same sponsorship umbrella, of course. At least here in PA. But I'm looking forward to showing off my love for Lillet and turning a few folks on to it as well.

[tanstaafl2]

Went fairly simple this evening with a Pompadour.

1.5 Rhum Agricole (Depaz 80 proof because that's what I have handy)
1.5 Pineau des Charentes (Prunier)
0.5 lemon juice



Pleasant enough but not quite what I was hoping for. Maybe I need a different rhum?

In any case I think I would prefer to just drink the Pineau by itself on most occasions.

[tanstaafl2]

1.5 Rhum Agricole (Depaz 80 proof because that's what I have handy)
1.5 Pineau des Charentes (Prunier)
0.5 lemon juice

Getting too old for that fine print on the bottle! Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole is bottled at 90 proof, not 80.

[haresfur]

Limes are apparently in season and cheaper than lemons for a brief period -$1.98/kilo. So I made a Pegu Club with Plymoth gin. Can't say I was impressed with this one. I see more rum in my future.

[FrogPrincesse]

Our drinks a couple of nights ago for the season premiere of Mad Men.

For him, an Old-Fashioned with Bulleit rye and Jerry Thomas own decanter bitters.



For me, a 1:1 Martini with Beefeater gin, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Regan's and Angostura orange bitters.



Both excellent.

[EvergreenDan]

Simple Manhattan-formula: 2oz Germain-Robin fauxognac, 1oz Bonal, stir, strain, down, lemon twist. Lovely. Much lighter than a regular Manhattan, and not quite as sweet. Bonal comes through nicely without overwhelming the brandy. Sort of a Vieux Carre for the simpleminded. Or lazy.

[FrogPrincesse]

Cocktails by the pool at the Pearl hotel.



For him, their twist on the Manhattan with Buffalo Trace bourbon, sweet vermouth, Cointreau, and orange bitters.

For me, the "British Juan" with Ballast Point Old Grove gin (a local gin), muddled lime, cilantro, & mango, and ginger beer. It was quite good and reminded me of a Gin Gin Mule. I think I prefer the original though.

[Tri2Cook]

In honor of the late, great Earl Scruggs, I mixed up the Foggy Mountain Breakdown from the Fogged In Lounge...

2 oz blended scotch
3/4 oz Drambuie
1 oz lime juice
ginger ale or ginger beer to fill

Combine all except ginger ale over ice and stir. Strain into 10 oz tall glass. Add fresh ice and fill with ginger. Stir gently.

Thanks for the music Mr. Scruggs!

[tanstaafl2]

Friday night so I decided to try something new!

Tonight it was a "Scarlet" Rhum Club from the PDT Cocktail book. The book calls for Banks 5 Island rum but I don't have that so I decided to sub The Scarlet Ibis rum instead. At least I have one island covered...



A very nice drink indeed although perhaps not for the Appletini crowd as it is fairly spirit forward from the rum. The Creole Shrubb seems to come through nicely and add a nice undertone to the drink and helps the orange bitters give this an orange/citrus edge to me. Calls for an orange wedge garnish but didn't indicate to put any oil from the peel in the drink. I suppose the shrub and bitters are sufficient.

Has anybody tried the Banks 5 Island rum? Sounds like it might be interesting.

Rum is composed of five different rums from distilleries located on the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, and Java (the largest Indonesian island). Each rum is aged between 3 and 12 years, filtered, and then expertly blended together with just a touch of Batavia Arrack.

Or is it more of an overpriced gimmick? At probably at least $30 or more locally it seems a bit spendy. I will have to check to see if it is even available although I think I have seen it before at H&F.

Seems to get a positive, if brief, endorsement here.

Edited by tanstaafl2, 30 March 2012 - 05:42 PM.

[KD1191]

Has anybody tried the Banks 5 Island rum? Sounds like it might be interesting.

Rum is composed of five different rums from distilleries located on the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, and Java (the largest Indonesian island). Each rum is aged between 3 and 12 years, filtered, and then expertly blended together with just a touch of Batavia Arrack.

Or is it more of an overpriced gimmick? At probably at least $30 or more locally it seems a bit spendy. I will have to check to see if it is even available although I think I have seen it before at H&F.

Seems to get a positive, if brief, endorsement here.

It's pretty tasty, and relatively unique. That said, there certainly comes a point where if you have enough rums on your bar, you can achieve a similar effect, but Banks takes the guesswork out of it. How do you feel about Batavia Arrack? Banks is a nice segue into that milieu without being overly funky.

Edited by KD1191, 30 March 2012 - 06:30 PM.

[tanstaafl2]

Batavia Arrack is already a staple in my liquor cabinet. Not to mention Kronan Swedish Punsch! I particularly enjoy the occasional Airbag and Arrack Attack.

So I suppose Banks would be a nice to have but not need to have.

[ChrisTaylor]

Looked around for my first chance to use orgeat and settled on Wikipedia's recipe (which I think is based on the Trader Vic version) for the Mai Tai. It's not bad. In fact, it's maybe even good.

[ChrisTaylor]

I wanted to try a Zombie but was confused to find three very different versions between my DeGroff and Regan books. I understand why there are different recipes, but it's hard to know where to begin. I settled on a messed up version of Dale's Zombie: instead of orange juice I used pineapple juice, as per Regan's suggestion (not because I have anything against oranges--it's just that I struggled to find straight pineapple juice, so I figured I'd better use it in something other than Mai Tais). The other problem was my lack of Falernum, something that's really obscure in Australia: I used some pimento dram instead.

It's pretty good. Does it taste like what a Zombie should taste like? I have no idea. Maybe that doesn't matter.

[Tri2Cook]

It's pretty good. Does it taste like what a Zombie should taste like? I have no idea. Maybe that doesn't matter.

I've been a bit confused on the Zombie topic as well. I narrowed my research down to the following three and decided to stop there unless I find something that warrants further investigating. I didn't keep in my notes which name goes with which version. Other than the serious rum content, they're not particularly similar in taste. Hopefully somebody that knows more about it will jump on this one because I'm curious too.

1934 Zombie:

1 1/2 oz gold rum
1 1/2 oz aged jamaican rum
1 oz 151 demerara rum
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz don's mix (2 parts grapefruit juice to 1 part cinnamon syrup)
1/2 oz falernum
1 tsp grenadine
1/8 tsp absinthe
1 dash angostura bitters

shake with 6 oz crushed ice, pour into tall glass

1950 Zombie:

1 oz light rum
1 oz gold rum
1 oz 151 demerara rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz passion fruit syrup
1 tsp demerara syrup
1 dash angostura bitters

shake with 6 oz crushed ice, pour into tall glass

1956 Zombie:

1 1/4 oz gold rum
1 oz dark jamaican rum
1 oz 151 demerara rum
1/4 oz falernum
3/4 oz maraschino liqueur (I have it in my notes that it was suggested to lower this to 1/4 oz on the site where I found it)
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/4 tsp grenadine
1/8 tsp absinthe
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

shake with 6 oz crushed ice, pour into tall glass

All three call for a mint garnish.

[ChrisTaylor]

For those who've tasted Falernum before, is it something worth acquiring?

[mkayahara]

It seems to me that Jeff Berry does a pretty good job of untangling the Zombie in "Sippin' Safari," and offers a bunch of interesting variations in "Beachbum Berry Remixed" as well. As far as falernum goes, depending on your local liquor regime, it might be easier to make your own than try and buy a commercial bottle. It's definitely worth it.

it's just that I struggled to find straight pineapple juice, so I figured I'd better use it in something other than Mai Tais

Wait, what? There shouldn't be any pineapple juice in a Mai Tai!

[EvergreenDan]

Are you keen on Tiki / tropical drinks? If so, I'd seek it out. If not, I'd put it in the optional category - worth having if you have room and can find it easily. Similar to Pimento Dram in that regard.

[ChrisTaylor]

Er, odd typo. I glanced at the recipe for the Mai Tai again. Used lime juice in there, not pineapple. Of course. Can't remember why I purchased the pineapple juice then--possibly because it was in a bunch of recipes in the 'tropical' category of both books.

I don't know if I'm interested in tropical drinks. This is a new area for me. Altho' that Falernum recipe is easy enough for me to want to make my own (I admit to cheating with orgeat, purchasing a similar Italian product in its stead).

[Markm]

I've not tended the garden and have mint coming out of my ears. Making mint syrup for mojitos, and muddling up some juleps with Makers Mark and a splash of simple syrup.

We've had some warm weather, so I tried the Reverend Palmer from PDT. Here's my ratios:

1 oz Lemon syrup (2 c sugar, 2c water for syrup. Micro plane zest of 6 med lemons and add to syrup when cool for 15 min, then strain out)
.5 oz water
2.5 oz Black Tea infused Bulleit Bourbon (2tsp loose leaf black tea in 1 cup bourbon for 1 hr)

Shake in an ice filled shaker, and strain over fresh ice. Mint or lemon to garnish.

[ChrisTaylor]

A modified Mojito--a half quantity of pimento dram in place of the simple. Probably went a bit too heavy on the lime, altho' the pimento dram very much has a place in the flavour profile, without pushing aside the citrus or mint.

[KatieLoeb]

A modified Mojito--a half quantity of pimento dram in place of the simple. Probably went a bit too heavy on the lime, altho' the pimento dram very much has a place in the flavour profile, without pushing aside the citrus or mint.

Chris, this sounds very interesting, but I wonder if the pimento dram was sweet enough and not too overwhelming in the spice component. The simple is so much a part of the mojito flavor profile. Perhaps a few dashes of pimento dram or a float on the top of a barspoons' worth might work better?

[TheStarvingArtist]

For those who've tasted Falernum before, is it something worth acquiring?

I'd say it's good enough to take the 30mins to make it yourself. It's not good enough to spend a lot of money in buying it.

[bostonapothecary]

boulevardier template

1.5 o.z bourbon (grand dad)
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. aroma modified cynar**

this is quite lovely. familiar gustatory proportions, exotic & extraordinary aromatic tonality.

**the aroma of cynar is modified by simple dehydration. the soluble solids are reconstituted with kirshwasser (hiram walker!) to a target alcohol content of 20%. the results is really cool and intuitive to use. i aspired to use jalinek slivovitz instead of kirschwasser, but i was out. the original idea was to trade the orange expression of campari or cynar for one from a fruit eau de vie, or dry sherry. besides the olfactory-sweet orange expression in campari and cynar there is also a lot of aroma that converges with bitterness. this technique removes those bitter aromas, but does not replace them. it is interesting to see how the aroma from the bitter botanicals contributes to the over all bitterness. i think all in all the modified product only costs a $1/ounce to produce. aroma could also be replaced non-alcoholically (yerba mate & orange blossom water) so that you could make campari high balls for pregnant women and young children.

[mukki]

The shame - it's a Pink Squirrel! It truly does taste better than it looks.

[bostonapothecary]

inspired by eje's endorsement of re-rendering the old pal

1.5 oz. overproof overholt (55%)
.75 oz. m&r dry vermouth from a magnum (i only buy the magnums now because i love the decadence)
.75 oz. gran classico (i'm pretty sure this is actually gran classico)

about a year ago i was gifted a canning jar and i'm pretty sure inside was a sample of gran classico. it has a translucent tawny color, less dark than many other amaros.

well the drink is quite lovely. its a keeper. i can't imagine using sweet vermouth instead of dry.

i adore semi-dry drinks like the sanru, old pal, sour orange bronx, and the bunch. they have a unique style of being attentional. i reserve them for times of anxiety or deep conversations that can render a drink in hand innocuous. after you start really liking them life gets complicated. most bartenders won't know how to please you because of their inflexible notions of balance and harmony.

[haresfur]

boulevardier template

1.5 o.z bourbon (grand dad)
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. aroma modified cynar**

this is quite lovely. familiar gustatory proportions, exotic & extraordinary aromatic tonality.

**the aroma of cynar is modified by simple dehydration. the soluble solids are reconstituted with kirshwasser (hiram walker!) to a target alcohol content of 20%. the results is really cool and intuitive to use. i aspired to use jalinek slivovitz instead of kirschwasser, but i was out. the original idea was to trade the orange expression of campari or cynar for one from a fruit eau de vie, or dry sherry. besides the olfactory-sweet orange expression in campari and cynar there is also a lot of aroma that converges with bitterness. this technique removes those bitter aromas, but does not replace them. it is interesting to see how the aroma from the bitter botanicals contributes to the over all bitterness. i think all in all the modified product only costs a $1/ounce to produce. aroma could also be replaced non-alcoholically (yerba mate & orange blossom water) so that you could make campari high balls for pregnant women and young children.

... because no child should be left behind when it comes to Campari high balls.

I made a Boulevardier last night, without the genetically modified Cynar. I used Old Crow bourbon and Cinzano bianco vermouth, built on rocks. Started with 1.5 bourbon: 1 vermouth: 1 Campari but found it significantly improved with an extra splash of bourbon and vermouth, keeping in mind this is 40% bourbon. I also found that a wedge of lime significantly improved the gustatory proportions while maintaining the aromatic tonality. . Nice morphing of taste as the ice melted without falling over into too watery. The best use for the lousy bourbon that I've found.

[EvergreenDan]

... because no child should be left behind when it comes to Campari high balls.

I foresee "Infagroni" in the baby aisle.

I tried the Old Pal last night with Gran Classico and Boissiere dry. The Gran Classico flavor really comes through. All three of us really enjoyed it. I then made a small standard Campari Old Pal. I suspect that Gran Classico may indeed be sweeter, because the standard Old Pal seemed a bit more austere. I liked them both, though. I don't think Gran Classico has the legs of Campari. I could drink Campari every day for a loooooong time and not tire of it. I'm not sure I could with Gran Classico.

Your use of the wedge of lime to balance your Cynar Boulevardier shows that the drink is a bit too sweet (at least for you and me). I sometimes use dry vermouth for that, although it is a much weaker acid, of course.