jmfangio

Sir, you speak the language of my tribe! ← I just made the aforementioned hot toddy with Peat Monster, and now I'm feeling warm, cozy, and positively bursting with holiday cheer.

Hi Time Wine in Costa Mesa, CA has a large selection of minis. So does Beverage Warehouse in West LA, but they can only ship within California.

First Campari, and now this... I wasn't aware of any change until reading this thread, and haven't seen the new bottles at retail yet. Time for another blind taste test, and to stock up on the old formula if the new one is found to be wanting.

I recently picked up some gum arabic and made a rich demerara gomme syrup, and it's fabulous in a Sazerac (and mighty fine in an Improved Holland's Cocktail as well). It just brings a lovely silkiness and mouth feel to these drinks.

KL Wines has plenty of the Rittenhouse BIB at $19.99. The Hollywood store listed 70 bottles in stock this morning. 69 after I left

Just saw the film, and there was nary a Sazerac to be found. Bond drank two fingers of whiskey, white wine, 6 Vespers, and a bit of beer. That's it. I did see the bit in the Guardian, so I wonder if there's a separate scene in the overseas version, or a scene left on the cutting room floor since earlier previews.

I've been saving my last bottle of Cocchi Aperitivo Americano just for this day. Already bought my tickets for a 4pm screening, then home for Vespers.

Yes, it's called Luxardo Sangue Morlacco, and there's a short thread on it here. If you've ever had the Luxardo cherries in syrup, it tastes like the boozy version of those. I don't have enough experience with Cherry Heering, though, to make a direct comparison.

That sounds brilliant - I'm going to have to give it a try for Thanksgiving. Maybe add a little St. Germain to the mix? I'll bet that it would work nicely in there.

Really?! It's one of Mrs. slkinsey's all-time favorites (although we follow the McElhone formulation). Fresh-squeezed OJ is a must. ← I've always made this with blood oranges, and find that their flavor works particularly well, in addition to the lovely color. This also one of the few pre-Prohibition cocktails that like just as much, and sometimes prefer, with Pernod instead of Absinthe. Or, if going with Absinthe, for my palate the sweeter, more anise forward Kubler works better than the Verte de Fougerolles. Blood oranges should be coming into season soon. Give this another try, perhaps, so all those poor monkeys need not have died in vain?

Man, this thread is just making me sad. I love Plymouth, but now I can't find it anywhere for less than $27, up from an average of $18 when I first started buying it 2-3 years ago. For that money, I can get a 1.75L Beefeater, or start eyeballing the Junipero or No. 209. Unless something changes, I'm afraid that I may have already finished my last bottle of Plymouth.

Interesting...it sounds like the same idea as the Hitachino Kiuchi no Shizuku. Hard to say what to do with it without having seen, smelled, or tasted it, but my first thought would be to play with it as I've been doing with my Nocino. I've been playing around with a mix of scotch, Nocino, St. Germaine, and orange bitters that I think tastes like fruitcake. Swap this stuff for the Nocino, and perhaps there's a Pumpkin Pie cocktail in here?

I just scored a bottle of this from a friend who went to France for a wedding, and can't wait to try it out. Traveler's tip: if you're planning to bring a bottle back, be prepared to deal with airport security. She had a lot of connecting flights to get home, and the shape of that canister with a bottle of liquid within looks VERY suspicious on the airport X-Ray.

Well, this is a subject for another thread, but I just want to know why grappa always comes in such cool bottles.

OK, so I went with an Elephants Sometimes Forget. Same ingredients as the Gilroy, just different proportions - 1 oz Tanquerey, 3/4 oz Santue Morlacco, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1/4 oz Noilly Prat dry, 1 dash Angostura orange. Nice, not mind blowing, but something I'd make again. Sort of like a grown up cherry popsicle. ETA: I was typing while sipping, and suddenly had the idea to add a dash of Maraschino. Now that's MUCH better.

I just picked up a bottle over lunch, and gave it a quick taste. I think Sam got it exactly right above - it tastes just like boozy version of the Luxardo cherries in syrup. I'll definitely give it a try tonight, perhaps first in a Gilroy.

I just saw the Villa de Varda violet grappa today at Du Vin Wine & Spirits. Unfortunately, my lousy camera phone photo does the incredible color no justice. I'm very, very tempted, but the $95 price tag talked me down.

Have you had a chance to try the Sangue Morlacco yet, and how do you think it compares to Cherry Heering? I ask because this weekend is the maiden Singapore Grand Prix, and as a rabid food/cocktails/Formula 1 fan I always try to match a meal and/or beverage to the race venue. A Singapore Sling seems appropriate, especially given that one section of the street course runs right down Raffles Blvd.

Well, this brings new meaning to 'on the rocks.' Nordic Rock Stone Ice Cubes . From the product description: Interesting idea, but definitely not recommended for those who like to chew their ice.

Well, I certainly can't say that I have a perfect recipe, but... I've always used blood oranges. Haven't tried it any other way, so I don't really know if they're better than other types - I just love the color, and I do think their particular flavor works really well in this drink. For me, I think the best combo has been 2 oz Beefeater, 1 oz blood orange juice, 1/4 oz grenadine (homemade, of course) and a dash of Verte de Fougerolles. But, of course, I had to make one when I got my bottle of St. George Absinthe Verte, because it has a monkey on the label.

If you're going with Martinis, I'd recommend a mix of several different kinds of olives marinated in olive oil with some caperberries, lemon zest, garlic cloves, and a pinch of peppercorns and/or dried chilies. Of course, then it would be a sin not to have a crusty baguette to sop up the flavored oil.

I haven't worked with rum as a base spirit, but I've done lots of vodka infusions, and also made my first batch of Nocino this year. Here's a recipe from Saveur for an orange and coffee flavored rum, and there's also this thread on vodka infusions which may give you some tips and ideas.

I suppose one could make a very expensive, historically authentic plate of Oysters Rockefeller. The original dish dates back to 1899, but Pernod (pastis) didn't appear until 1920, and Herbsaint 1935. So, is it fair to assume that the dish was originally made with absinthe?

For my taste, the only old school cocktail that I like equally well with either Pernod or Absinthe is the Corpse Reviver #2. It's a bit of a coin toss - some days I just like the anise note that the Pernod brings, and some days I like the herbal symphony that the Absinthe brings.

I have a batch of Tequila por Mi Amante and made the cocktail above many times - it's great. Now i'm thinking of using Licor 43 instead St. Germain: it should work just fine right? ETA: just maybe orange juice instead of lime? should be a classic combo, of strawberry, vanilla and orange ← I've never had Licor 43, so I can't really say, but it's worth a try! What about grapefruit juice? This summer I played around with adding about 1/4 oz tart grapefruit juice to the above recipe, and it worked really well. (I also tried grapefruit juice alone, but didn't like it as much as lime alone, or the lime/grapefruit combo).