Bricktop

Tonight, a Martinez Cocktail Variation from cocktaildb 1.25 oz Gin (Tanquerey Ten, from a miniature I got for $0.99) 1 oz Dry Vermouth (Vya) 0.25 oz Maraschino (Luxardo) Dash Fee's Orange Bitters. Stir over ice and strain, garnished with a homemade maraschino cherry. Wowie zowie, this is a beaut!. I love the texture that the Luxardo brings to the party. I'm also thinking that a shift to more vermouth in my rarely drunk martinis may move that cocktail to a more prominent spot in the rotation. I've never been below 4:1 but a premium dry vermouth like the Vya tips the balance closer (but not all the way yet) to equilibrium.

We had a Yankee Swap at work today and I ended up with a gift set of Van Gogh Espresso Vodka and 4 espresso cups. I have to say that the vodka was/is mighty tasty, and is getting my cocktailian juices flowing.

OK, now I'm officially scared. I named all 3 in an instant!. What am I turning into???

I very rarely use and even more rarely drink vodka chez Bricktop, so I looked at what I had. Absolut Absolut Mandrin Teton Glacier Potato Vodka (for gluten intolerant friend, but that may be another thread) But just yesterday, the vodka thread inspired me to pick up bottles of each of the Hangar One infused vodkas. I had little sips of each, and the mandarin blossom was my initial favorite. I hadn't seen them under $30 each (usually $32-34) so I went for it. I'll find uses for them I'm sure.

I came across (and bought, natch) a bottle of Aromatic Cocktail Bitters by Forest Floor Foods. "Special blend for an American Palate". Ingredients are angostura bark and spice flavors, citrus oil and gentian in a solution of water, alcohol and glycerine, and caramel color. The bottle gives the website, here. I really need to work on identifying what I am smelling/tasting. These bitters are very nice, though. I tasted them alongside my Angostura's, Peychauds and Fee's Old Fashioned, and they are as good, but different enough to warrant buying.

Chris, I have, and it is really delicious. Certainly makes the best Manhattans and Red Hooks I have had. But I don't have any earlier years to compare it to.

Not remembering my own thoughts on the amount of maraschino (shocking, eh?), I revisited this drink tonight, but this time I used Sazerac 18 YO, and added 4 (yes FOUR) good dashes of Fee's Old Fashioned Bitters. The bitters thread had a post advocating a heavier hand with bitters, so I did. If this isn't the best frigging cocktail I have had to date, I can't think of one better. The Luxardo's viscosity gives a fabulous mouthfeel, and the bitters help balance off the inherent sweetness of maraschino. I'm really proud of this one!

Inspired by the Chartreuse thread, tonight was a San Martin 2 oz Gin (Junipero) 1 oz Sweet Vermouth (M&R) a splash of Yellow Chartreuse Lemon twist garnish. My "splash" was a half capful. A very complex cocktail indeed. A lot going on there, and it was fun to sip and ponder it.

I was just in Baltimore last weekend, and saw, and to my shame passed over the Pikesville rye. As I remember, it was a real bargain price. I will not make that mistake again.

I grabbed up a bottle of the Sazerac 18 year old 2006 edition at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. I also found Peychauds bitters there, the first place I have run across them despite looking for many moons. I picked up 3 bottles, then the very next day I found them in Baltimore. Back on topic, the Sazerac 18 is simply yummy, but at over $50 a bottle, it is not going to be my base rye. I did use it in a kick-ass Manhattan with Vya sweet vermouth though, just for S&G.

A kind of Red Hook tonight, in that I unthinkingly grabbed the Vya rather than the Punt e Mes when compiling it. 2:0.5:0.5 of Jim Beam Rye, Vya Sweet Vermouth and Luxardo Maraschino. Very yummy drink. Elsewhere (Cocktail Chronicles) I read that some had throttled back on the maraschino from 1/2 oz, and I concur. On the subject of the Luxardo, I picked up another bottle when I was down in Baltimore. The first one was already a third low because of my Aviation slurping. EDIT: Clarity

In the "Drinks, what hit the spot today" thread, I reported on a Manhattan which I thought ideal. The Sazerac was the 2006 bottling, by the way. I must admit I am leery of the 1:2 method, but I will make myself a small one using that ratio later today. That Vya vermouth is really delicious solo, so I *can* see the possibilities. I'm just not convinced the result will be a Manhattan AS I KNOW IT. I'll sub in Wild Turkey 101 Rye, for the 80 proof Sazerac as suggested.

To my taste, even a 2:1 of rye to sweet vermouth is unbalanced. 2.5:1 is the ratio that gives me the most pleasure. Beyond that (more rye) it is too "hot" for me. Also, I dig on cherries over the lemon peel. (Homemade from defrosted frozen pitted cherries macerated in Stock Maraschino. See, I found a use for it after I got a bottle of Luxardo. ) Your other adders are interesting. Playtime ahead.

A Manhattan tonight. Upper East Side version . 2.5 Sazerac 18 year old Rye 1 Vya Sweet Vermouth 2 dashes Fee's Old Fashioned Bitters Homemade cherry. Absolutely amazing drink. Too amazing, really.

I will search for the link later, but I think I read somewhere on eGullet that the "Humane Society of the United States" (plaintiff) IS NOT the same group as your local Humane Society that you think of when adopting a pet. It is a fringe nut-job group that grabbed up a name which has a good place in you mind so you erroneously associate them with homeless puppies. Activist Cash A little Truth in Advertising is needed from such "ethical" people.

I could not have said that any better myself. I'll only sub in a homemade cherry for the lemon.

Wow. Three posts in a row. Is everyone else on the wagon? From another thread, I made the Boulevard 2 oz Rye (Wild Turkey 101) 0.5 oz Grand Marnier 0.5 oz dry vermouth (M&R) dash Fee's Orange bitters. stirred over ice, strained into a cocktail glass. Very nice indeed, but that WT 101 packs a punch. PS: On my first attempt, I unscrewed the cap of the bitters, a la Angostura's, and dumped a half bottle in. Good job I bought two bottles when I stumbled across it.

I won't speak for Katie, but I will give it a go in a Pear Martini instead of my usual Belle de Brillet. The latter has a cognac base, and it will be interesting to see the difference, apart from the fact that the MB was at least $10 cheaper a bottle. I love the color of the pear martini made with BdB. That was 2 oz BdB, 1 oz citrus vodka, 1 oz lime juice. (Gary Regan SF Chronicle recipe in a Belle de Brillet thread). It was too much lime for me, but I will use the same ratio with the MB Poire William for starters. I did a quickie side by side of the BdB and PW when I bought it a few weeks ago, and the PW struck me as sweeter, and probably well suited to cocktails where you can add a little lemon or lime.

Another night of Aviation for me. I used the proportions that work best for me, 4:1:1 of gin, lemon juice and maraschino. The change tonight was using Junipero, along the now requisite Luxardo maraschino, but I also put in a small dash of blue curacao (Bols). It gave the drink a very appealing pale sky blue color which harks back to the Creme D'Yvette/Violette versions I read about. Also, it was such a minimal amount it had no effect on the taste of the drink. I think I'll do this from now on.

No. Get them. No CdM = no stingers amongst many other classics. OK I did get the white, but I also just picked up a bottle of Parfait Amour, and am starting to have fun with it. Down the road, add some stuff like Drambuie, Benedictine and Grand Marnier which are useful in cocktails and also pretty darn good solo, One thing that is very clear from eje's superb thread "Stomping through the Savoy" is that different brands of liquor have very different results. There are the obvious ones like types of gin, scotch, bourbon, and rye, but also in the liqueurs you buy. For example, there was an immense difference in my Aviations between Luxardo () and Stock maraschino.

Erik, I really don't consider the Orangerie a liqueur, certainly more of a spirit. The bottle says it is "infused with tiny shavings of fresh orange peel and spices". The orange is VERY subtle straight, and was completely lost in the Affinity. A waste of the Orangerie's attributes to have used it this way, IMO. You live, you learn. A dash of Fee's Orange Bitters livened up the drink, but I think the Affinity in the "traditional" proportions needs a very aggressive scotch to balance the vermouths. My preferred ratio (at least using Chivas) is the 4:1:1 I used for the Perfect Rob Roy.

This is great thread, eje. You write beautifully, and I love your comments on using the different brands of spirits.

I made myself a variation of the Affinity last night, 2 scotch, half each dry and sweet vermouth and some orange bitters, which I thought was more like a perfect Rob Roy. (That's what I called it in fact in the other thread.) I guess I didn't really trust the traditional proportions of a third-third-third, but tonight I will give that a go. I have a bottle of Compass Box Orangerie which might be fun in here, and I will skip the bitters.

It is indeed a liqueur.

Tonight, I made a few variants of the Affinity from cocktaildb.com For me a bit closer to a Perfect Rob Roy than classic Affinity, 2 oz Scotch (Chivas) 1/2 oz sweet vermouth (M&R) 1/2 oz dry vermouth (Noilly Prat) 3 dashes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters. Garnished with a cherry. For my wife, 3/4 oz sweet vermouth (M&R) 3/4 oz dry vermouth (Noilly Prat) 1/2 oz Marie Brizzard Parfait Amour. Garnished with a cherry. Both are keepers.