cocktailgeek

I'm a big fan of the Diablo and the Chimayo, but think you can do better than 3Gs. I know it's 100% agave, but spend a few more dollars for better tequila: El Tesoro, Gran Centenario, Siete Leguas, Don Julio, Correlejo, Partida, Cazadores, etc.

1/2 oz. velvet falernum

You rAWKK, Audrey!

You know you're a cocktail geek when... ...you don't drink vodka. If the culinary world were parallel to popular tastes in spirits (i.e. vodka), the hottest restaurants would proudly trot out their latest plates of flavorless tofu with much ado. But before eating, most guests would pour fruit syrup over their dishes, then ooh and aah about how good the tofu is.

You might be a cocktail geek if... ...you watch a bartender making a cocktail and know the date the version they make was published. ...the only bottles of liquor in your house are unopened because they're no longer made. ...you know the schedules of the bartenders you trust to make your drinks. ...you're reading this.

You might want to add some extra water. Bottled cocktail recipes often need water to make up for what you don't get from melting ice. ← "then shake and strain over fresh ice" ← Thanks.

Although the original recipe called for 2 different rums, you can substitute one good quality rum. The following recipe is from Dave Wondrich: 1 oz aged Martinique Rhum (J. Bally or St. James Vieux Rhum) 1 oz Jamaican rum (I like Coruba, when I can find it; otherwise, one of the darker Appletons) 1/2 oz orange curacao (Marie Brizard, when I can get it; otherwise I cheat and use Grand Marnier) 1 oz lime juice 1/2 oz Monin orgeat Assuming you need 2 cocktails per person, you will need 2 bottles of each rum and 1 bottle each of orgeat and curacao (Cointreau will work, as well). I'm assuming 750ml bottles. If you decide to go with a single rum, you would need 4 (750 ml) bottles or 3 one-liter bottles. Assume around 1oz of lime juice per lime, add a few more to be safe and for garnishing (a lime wheel and a mint sprig), and buy about 60 or so limes. If you have containers large enough, I would make 2 batches, each making around 25 drinks: 2 (750ml) bottles rum 1/2 (750 ml) bottle orgeat 1/2 (750ml) bottle curacao or Cointreau 25 oz. lime juice (3 cups) juice the limes as close to serving time as possible, then shake and strain over fresh ice, crushed if possible. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel. Smile.

The classic recipe is equal parts, but I prefer a little less vermouth for a sharper cocktail. Orange twist or slice is great, if not, skip the citrus altogether. Don't get lemon anywhere near my Campari... In Italy, the Negroni is almost surely served on the rocks, but in these parts a cocktail glass is more common.

Since the rise in popularity of the Mojito, I am less likely to order one. For this reason, I dread the revival of the Negroni: my favorite cocktail and my litmus test. If a bartender can make a drinkable Negroni, I am much more likely to try the house cocktails. If no, I switch to beer.

As a discerning drinker, you know that a Mojito should never be shaken. If the bartender took time with the muddling, then gave it a vigorous shake, it would be bitter, with torn bits of mint that you could spend the rest of the night picking from your teeth.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit, and though I'm not going to retract my earlier post, I'm going to qualify it a bit. I can understand the analogy of having customers who spend a lot with no work versus those who spend a little who are "high-maintenance", but in a busy bar, when someone orders a "high-maintenance drink", expensive or no, the bar is often full of easy, big-ticket customers. There are some bartenders who enjoy the craft so much that they welcome the break from making $12 Goose & Red Bulls and enjoy making a quality cocktail. Most don't. If I am in a crowded bar and the bartender is slammed, I'm not going to inquire as to the use of egg white in a sour. When it becomes an issue for me is when a bartender makes a scene about making a cocktail on that establishment's drink menu. If you offer Mojito's as the specialty of the house, then cowboy up and muddle. I like Manhattan's, but don't drink them very much, because if the bar's too busy for a conversation about bitters I'd rather have a beer than take my chances. All of this reflects poorly, I suspect, on the quality of bartenders in this day and age. All I can say is frequent the bartenders you find who give a shit. After all, we didn't choose the easy road.

I just noticed this line in the Chronicle article: "To top it off, Mojitos must be shaken." No wonder they take so long to make...

I really don't have a lot of respect for this kind of attitude. I've seen the bartenders at Flatiron Lounge bang out one labor intensive specialty cocktail after another while completely slammed on a weekend night. ← "Go to a restaurant if you want a real Bartender..." This may explain why I don't go to clubs anymore. The one that gets me is the Irish Car Bomb. Besides being a strong contender for "Most Tasteless Drink Name Ever", it leaves the glasses covered in vomit-like slime.

If you are a regular vodka enthusiast, does this have some appeal to you? Does an insect in a bottle of alcohol bother you? Or are you fine with the tequila-worm issue already? ← There is no Tequila with a worm in the bottle. There is a Casta Tequila in a bottle shaped like a worm, but in the bottle, still no worm. If there is a worm in the bottle, it is not tequila. Perhaps you are thinking of Mezcal, which often has an agave larva in the bottle, sometimes even a scorpion...

Oh, perfect! We're going to Canteen tonight. This is right around the corner. Thanks! -Erik PS. As far as I know, Aziza is still open. They were recently featured on "Check Please: Bay Area" and I haven't heard anything about them closing. ← Sorry, my mistake. I was thinking of another place. If you make the trip out Geary that far, Tommy's mexican Restaurant is at 23rd with the largest selection of 100% agave tequila outside Mexico.

Charles has indeed left Tres Agaves, though Jacques is picking up more bar shifts, and I will try not to let you down. David is still at Enrico's for another month (Thurs-Sunday), before leaving to become the mixologist for Southern Wine & Spirits in Northern California. Thomas Waugh is also at Enrico's, and is full of interesting ideas. Absinthe has a great selection of spirits and an extensive cocktail menu. They have started a program of Thursday night "bar school", with experts in the various spirits doing seminars. I have not attended, but there is more information on their website. The Redwood Room is very pricey ($8 Heineken), and their menu is mostly vodka drinks, but the room is worth a look. The Starlight Room is a great place for a cocktail before about 9pm, when the cover charge starts and the throng starts teeming. Great sunset view, and the dance floor looks over Union Square. Swig is often packed and loud, and while the back bar is impressive in its variety, I don't think of it as a cocktail lounge. I too have skipped across the street to Cortez for a cocktail when things look too crazy. Cortez has a great cocktail menu (the Elderflower No. 10 is a favorite, though I prefer it as a Collins). Eastside West gets a little crazy with the Marina crowd on the weekends, but EJ (Eric Johnson) always seems to have to have time to concoct something special for discriminating palates. He mans the mahogany Thurs-Sunday. I recommend naming a base spirit and letting him work his magic. Zuni bugs me because there are no barstools. Orbit Room should be on any cocktail crawl, especially if Alberta is working. Frisson, well, decide for yourself. I feel the bar is shunted to the side, too dark in front, too bright behind, and the cocktails too sweet. I have heard great things about Range, but have not had the time to check it out. Their daily specials include a cocktail of the day. Levende Lounge has a great rum selection and an interesting cocktail menu (or am I prejudiced because they named a cocktail after me?)... Vesuvio and Tosca are great bars, not for the cocktails but for the atmosphere. Don't miss Specs' on the alley next to Tosca. Rye is a new place by the owners of 15 Romolo & Rosewood. Small and comfortable, and close to my house. Yay. Pesce has a good cocktail menu, but is more of an eating bar, but the food is great (Venetian small plates), and there are usually some seasonal fruits in the cocktail mix. As retail shops go, my favorite is John Walker & Co. (Sutter & Kearny). Not the largest selection, but well-chosen. Enjoy, and take a cab. The city's only 7 miles square. Cheers, Marco

I saw the Canadian Hirsch @ John Walker as well, but there was a 13 yr Rye available for a time. I don't know if it is still out there, but it was less expensive than the others, and a damn fine rye to boot.

I saw a bottle of the 16yr today at John Walker & Co. (Sutter & Kearny, San Francisco) for $100.

I believe that the bourbon sold as A.H. Hirsch comes from a distillery (Michter's) in Pennsylvania that closed in the late 80's. The reason the prices keep going up is that when it's gone, it's gone.

I picked up a bottle of sarsaparilla extract in Columbia (CA), and found it worked well with Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum...

Pernod was an Absinthe producer until it was banned in France, then began making a wormwood-free version around 1926. Paul Ricard began producing "pastis" about 10 years later in Marseilles.

Negroni, 2:2:1 Plymouth gin, Campari, Cinzano. Flamed orange twist. Mmmmmm.

Actually, not ALL tequila comes from Jalisco, but most does. The “Denomination of Origin” law has defined the area in which tequila can be made. It includes the state of Jalisco and some regions in the states of Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas. Chinaco, which you mentioned you liked, is made in Tamaulipas. Try to find Tapatio, which is made by El Tesoro but not imported to the US. -Marco