cocktailgeek

I've used hibiscus to make a syrup, then used that in cocktails. I steep the hibiscus in hot water, then strain out the flowers and make a 1:1 syrup with sugar. 1.5 oz gin .75 oz. lemon juice .75 oz hibiscus syrup shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. top with champagne. lemon twist. ← That sounds like another interesting way to use it. I assume that when you steep the flowers, you aren't using sugar since you essentially use that "tea" as the water in a 1:1 simple? You're drink sounds like a interesting twist to the French 75. Do you have a name for it? ← Correct on the sugar. Also on the French 75. That was the inspiration. For some reason, the hibiscus seemed like an asian ingredient, so I called the drink a Tokyo 75. I now know that hibiscus grows from Mexico to Egypt. Ah, well.

I've used hibiscus to make a syrup, then used that in cocktails. I steep the hibiscus in hot water, then strain out the flowers and make a 1:1 syrup with sugar. 1.5 oz gin .75 oz. lemon juice .75 oz hibiscus syrup shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. top with champagne. lemon twist.

"In New York, we’re obsessed with historical drinks and techniques. Out West, they’re shopping the markets. You probably won’t find them reading old cocktail books at home and pondering the difference between a flip and a sling." As a cocktail geek, I find plenty of kindred spirits in SF to discuss historical origins and such, but agree that our access to fresh produce is a key element of the local cocktail scene. What are these "non-spiritous ingredients" of which you speak?

How I wish it were true! Actually it's a trick of a bad photographic angle. In reality what you see are the remnants of 2 sleeves of Malacca nips that are sitting on the bar just behind the mixer. I might have 20 left and I use them (almost) only for Pink Gins. But a floor stack of Malacca cases...now that's the stuff that dreams are made of. myers ← While touring the 209 gin distillery here in SF, I peeked into a side room whose door was ajar and spied dozens of bottles of Malacca...

This is just the thing for those people who circle the parking lot to find the closest possible parking space to the front door... of the gym.

I know you said you knew about PDX places, but Molly @ Roux has a grapefruit bitters, and the guys at Teardrop Lounge make their own as well...

We are splitting hairs. To be technical so is Grand Marnier, but I was really referring to well brand triple secs (Bols, DeKuyper, etc) ← Actually, Grand Marnier isn't a triple sec, it's an orange liqueur with a cognac base. Cointreau is a high-quality triple sec. I think what kills a margarita most of the time is the use of Rose's Lime and Sweet & Sour mix. If you use 100% agave tequila and fresh lime juice, Bols triple sec may be just fine.

A good bartender should know that Cointreau IS a triple sec. I prefer the Negroni as my litmus. If I get a beer ("you DID say Peroni, right?"), I move on. Bonus points for not looking it up in the rolodex. More points for reaching for the orange, not the lemon, for garnish.

When I lived in Oregon, it seemed as if there was never enough of the Clear Creek Pear Eau de Vie with the pear inside. The explanation offered was that the rednecks in eastern Oregon near the orchards thought it great sport to shoot the bottles off the trees from their pickup trucks...

As they state on their website, it's VERY peaty. The peated malt is brought over from Scotland and made into a mash by Widmer. They compare it to Lagavulin, but I think it is more like a young Laphroaig. It IS only 3 years old...

I'm not sure which you are referring to, the Clear Creek Framboise Eau de Vie, or the Clear Creek Raspberry liqueur. On the website, the eau de vie is listed for $24.95 and the liqueur for $21.95 (both for the 375 ml.). http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com Sorry, just figured out your source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/paci...2005/taste.html And I got the price wrong on the eau de vie. It is around $50. I musta been looking at the Kirsch Sorry.

Right, so if I had a beer-and-wine-only liquor license, I could still offer an "Americano" to my guests, even though I can't carry Campari.

The Gancia Americano is likely a reference to the Americano highball (Campari/Sweet Vermouth/Soda). Enrico's had a cocktail on the menu made with Cocchi Americano and Prosecco, but that was almost 10 years ago, and I don't recall the name.

For "is" read "was." In the UK, proof used to be measured as alcohol by weight, not by volume. A proof spirit was 50% alcohol by weight. Since alcohol is lighter than water, this yielded a spirit that was 57 to 58% alcohol by volume. The degrees of proof you saw on those old bottles were the percentage of that 57% by weight that was in the bottle. There are plenty of conversion charts for this on the internet. ← I think UK degrees proof are still measured the same, only now bottles are labeled with ABV instead. For instance, The Plymouth Navy Strength Gin is labeled 100 Proof/57% Vol. but the Plymouth Damson and Sloe Gins are labeled 26% Vol. with no mention of proof.

If someone could take pity on my poor fraction enfeebled brain and explain in simple terms, I would appreciate it! 100 Proof is what ABV? ABW? In the US, my understanding of 100 proof is that it is 50% alcohol. I guess that is by volume? 70 Proof is what ABV? ABW? ← Proof is calculated differently in the US than the UK. In the US, we simply double the ABV and call it proof (100 proof is 50% ABV). In the UK, 100 proof is 57.15% ethanol. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_%28alcohol%29 )

On the Left Coast, most pro bartenders use one of Mr. Mojito's muddlers. http://www.mistermojito.com/

Rouge no. 10 1 3/4 oz. black pepper gin 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup 2-3 small strawberries (or 1 giant one) 1/2 oz. Pastis Muddle 2-3 strawberries with simple syrup. Add gin and lime juice and shake vigorously. Rinse chilled cocktail glass with Pastis. Double strain cocktail into prepared glass. Garnish with a strawberry and fresh ground pepper. (Infuse a bottle of Plymouth with a handful of black peppercorns for no more than 24 hours.) I stole this recipe from Todd Smith of Bourbon & Branch. After I added the Pastis he stole it back.

John Walker on Sutter (www.johnwalker.com) has Pueblo Viejo Blanco for 22.99. BevMo has the Dos Manos 100% Agave Blanco for 19.99. Absinthe I can't help you with.

I think it's a Thomas Waugh original that he first made at Range. I believe he may sometimes work at Bourbon and Branch; but, they have a number of new cocktails created by local and international bartenders on their menu. ← Thomas has never worked at B&B, but you're on the right track. Dominic Venegas works at both B&B and Range as well as John Walker & Co. (one of the best liquor stores in the city). I believe the 1794 is his creation. I'll ask around, and will post a retraction if I'm wrong... ← I was @ b&B tonight, and I stand by my previous post. Dominic was surprised to see orange bitters in the recipe, but endorsed a ratio of 2:1:1.

I think it's a Thomas Waugh original that he first made at Range. I believe he may sometimes work at Bourbon and Branch; but, they have a number of new cocktails created by local and international bartenders on their menu. ← Thomas has never worked at B&B, but you're on the right track. Dominic Venegas works at both B&B and Range as well as John Walker & Co. (one of the best liquor stores in the city). I believe the 1794 is his creation. I'll ask around, and will post a retraction if I'm wrong...

There comes a point where what (presumably) makes the "better" stuff better will be overwhelmed by less expensive ingredients or strongly assertive flavours. ← I think we agree on this point, at least. As far as Sidecars go, I have made one with Louis XIII and it was spectacular. I wouldn't do it again, but then I wouldn't pay the going rate for a glass of the cognac.

No Cointreau? ← No triple sec of any kind. Okay, so it's more a Tequila Daiquiri or Gimlet. The recipe is from Julio Bermejo, Tequila Ambassador to the United States.

There are in my mind two questions here: 1. at what point is is it pointless to use a superior product in a cocktail? 2. When trying an unknown drink, what quality spirit should we use? I work in a tequila bar with over 100 tequilas, all 100% agave. Our Margaritas are made with only tequila, fresh lime juice, & agave nectar. I believe that the flavor of the tequila is not compromised by our recipe. I am asked every day whether it is worth using a better tequila in a margarita, whether you can taste the difference. Using our (Julio's) recipe, the difference between tequilas is noticeable, and this is how I would answer the first question: When the quality of the ingredient used in a cocktail is no longer perceptable, I would substitute a lesser product. The issue then becomes: if I can't taste the quality of the base spirit, the cocktail is unbalanced or poorly made. It is said that you can't make a great cocktail with inferior spirits. Also that you should never cook with any wine you wouldn't drink. Having said that, in some categories of spirits the differences between good and great are nuances that would be lost in a cocktail with strong flavors. When trying a new cocktail, I would use a base spirit I am familiar with, so that my focus is the new combination of ingredients, not a new spirit. The quality of the spirit should be a known quantity. I don't know why you would keep around bottles of spirits you have deemed "lesser ingredients", I use them as drain cleaner.

I don't see why an Oronoco White Russian wouldn't satisfy a vodka drinker. Lots o' vanilla, which would seem to go well with that drink. Tequila or gin will make a better drink than vodka in a Mary, since each will bring something to the table besides strength (hmmm flavor...). I don't hate vodka, just find it boring, since it is almost always mixed into a drink where it can't be tasted. There are certainly situations that call for vodka (usually straight), but if you are mixing cocktails it can certainly be done without.

True, Todd Smith is a partner in Bourbon & Branch with the guys behind Anu and Swig. There is an extensive cocktail menu, with a heavy emphasis on the classics (lots of bourbon & gin). Like Milk & Honey, there are house rules, which include: "Don't even think about ordering a Cosmo".