spiritchild

I spun this drink from the French 75 strangely! So the original recipe for a French 75 is gin (or brandy depending on who you ask), lemon juice, sugar (simple syrup), and champagne. I wanted to do an Asian themed drink that somehow payed homage to the French 75 and was also suited for the holidays. I decided on this recipe: 2oz cranberry infused sake (instead of the gin) 2oz homemade spiced simple syrup - I spice mine with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise to make it taste like the holidays - (instead of regular simple syrup) 1oz fresh squeezed lemon juice Mix ingredients over ice, pour into a flute and fill with Prosecco. I garnish with a star anise. It sounds a little busy but it's actually quite nice. In terms of infusing other liquors with dried fruit, I infuse bourbon with dried cherries. I use that bourbon with a nice amount of Punt e Mes, a good few dashes of Angostura, and a dash of almond syrup to make an interesting Manhattan. I love the flavors cherry and almond together. I garnish that one with a few blanched almond slices and brandied cherries.

My favorite cocktail of the moment is a variation on a Brown Derby using Rittenhouse. I've tried it with Beam and much prefer the Rittenhouse. 2 oz Rittenhouse 1 oz fresh spqueezed grapefruit juice 1/2 oz maple simple syrup It's a really great drink. The tartness of the grapefruit juice mixes with the full rich qualities of the Rittenhouse and maple syrup perfectly. I've used it as a way to introduce rye to some of my friends who swore they were not rye drinkers.

Try using dried cranberries. I know it's always fun to use ingredients that the seasons give us fresh, but from experience, I can tell you that cranberries, in particular, work best dried for infusions. I use a cranberry infused sake for a holiday drink. After experimenting with a few different methods, I can say that for me, dried cranberries not only produce the cleanest sweet/tart flavor, but they also simplify the process. Simply place dried cranberries and liquid in an air-tight container for about 2-3 days. You know they're done when they've plumped up and most of their color has seeped into the sake (or vodka). Then just strain them out. edited for spelling and clarity

Does anyone know anything about using beer in cocktails as a main ingrediant, a supporting ingredient or even as a topper? I know this is a strange question. I've done some preliminary research and come up with nothing.

A bourbon crusta: Bourbon, maraschino liqueur, Cointreau, lemon juice. Up in a sugar rimmed cocktail glass. Perfectly balanced and perfectly autumn. PS Rye makes a good substitute for the bourbon if you're feeling adventurous!

If these "good bars" that you speak of are making such "good drinks", then I would say that their admiration for pre-prohibition (as I think you mean to say) drinks is not a quality at which to sneer. Also, the drink that you speak of, if made correctly, like all cocktails, is delicious. Furthermore, the reason that pre-Prohibition cocktails are thought of with such high esteem within some circles is that during the years right before Prohibition hit, mainly the 1870's, cocktail culture had reached the height of the golden age. Industrialization fueled its force with things like refrigeration, mechanical ice machines, soda water and an amazing number of bottled spirits, both domestic and imported (not just the "cheap gin" you speak of in your posts). On that note, it is quite apparent from your prior posts about gin that you are not exactly a gin lover, so for you to use the Orange Blossom as a cocktail to prove your point about how dissappointing cocktails of this era are does not quite make sense to me. How is it you can claim that an era that left us with the Martini, the Manhattan, and the old fashioned is not an era to be held in high esteem?

What is Fen Chiew, Blue Mint Wine, Chu Yeh Ching Chiew, and Daqu Liquor? Are there places in the States to find these things?

Will this bible be available in bookstores or just through the website?

I'm interested in finding out the origin of the Harlem Cocktail (yes, I get the obvious comeback here). Was it actually developed in Harlem? And when? And by whom? Any answers to any of my questions would be wholly appreciated as I have made a few attempts to procure info on this cocktail and have come up short-handed. The recipe I know is as follows: 1 1/2 oz gin 3/4 oz pineapple juice 1/4 oz maraschino Cheers!

2 on each bar for a total of four

I'd like to get my hands on some statistical analyses of cocktails consumption in the US. Does anyone know of a website that offers this sort of info? I've done a few searches and come up with nothing!

I was recently asked to incorporate the Starbux liqueur into a drink list I was creating here in NY. The restaurant was French/Vietnamese and the drink needed to reflect that. I am not a fan of coffee liqueurs myself and so immediately thought "Oh great, now I have to grin and bear the shame of making an "Espresso-tini" / TGI Fridays type drink?!" After much thought, I decided to go with the Vietnamese aspect and looked to Vietnamese coffee for inspiration. If I remember correctly, the coffee is dripped into a glass already containng condensed milk, thus producing a layered effect, and the drinker stirs it herself. OK...before I get thrown onto a new thread for Vietnamese coffee: I came up with the following drink for the Starbux stuff: I infused condensed milk with cardamom and orange peel (and a little extra zest). Then I layered the thick condensed milk into the martini glass followed by the Starbux followed by a shot of espresso chilled with Grey Goose Vanilla. It was pretty good...and I don't usually like those types of drinks. I think the orange and the cardamom gave it an edge. I suspect the stuff might marry well with Pisco. ...

I am a huge fan of Campari during all seasons. One of my most recent creations: 2 oz Campari 1 oz fresh blood orange juice plus one muddled slice of blood orange 1/2 oz fresh grapefruit juice splash of simple syrup Shake with ice a strain into cocktail glass. Top with about 1 1/2 oz Moscato d'Asti. The campari is really highlighted here and the dessert wine gives it the effervescence ad sweetness it needs for balance.

In regard to Adria's deconstructed cocktails and in particular to his deconstructed piña colada, I feel that it fails to recognize an important aspect of the cocktail. IMO, a cocktail has two important functions. 1-It whets the appetite and primes the palate for what is to come. (In this way, I think that The Danny Meyers group has hit on an important concept by molding their cocktail programs around their cuisines.) 2- A cocktail provides an experience. It encourages conversation and laughter...in a way it lubricates the mechanics of human interaction. By Adria's placing each of the components side by side and asking the diner to "eat" the components and form the cocktail in the mouth, he reduces the experience to a few seconds' worth of chewing. I'm sure those few seconds are extremely enjoyable to the tastebuds but the whole point of the cocktail, the sipping, the golden color of a sidecar or the icy clarity of a martini, or the sexy line of a martini glass, is lost. While I would give anything (well almost) to experience dinner at el Bulli, I don't think I'm a huge fan of these "inovations" in cocktails. I find them to dehumanize the whole experience.

Hi all. Does anyone have any ideas for cocktails using Asian ingredients? I know thats a pretty broad topic. I'd like to put an Asian twist on some very classic cocktails or come up with some altogether new ones. I used to make a great drink for friends at parties during the summer. I would muddle mint and lemongrass and a piece of lime, add about 1 1/2 oz gin, and a splash of lychee puree. I would shake that with ice and strain over crushed ice and top with champagne. It was kind of an Asian Southside Royale. Any other ideas out there?

One of the first bars I ever tended in a 4-star environment, we made our house cosmo with OP aquavit, cointreau, lemon juice and cran. (Sorry to bring up the deplorable "c drink"!) The aquavit added a depth to the drink that somehow made it ok to serve:) That was the first introduction I had to OP. Years later I used OP in a cocktail with my homemade ginger beer and Canton Ginger Liqueur.

I have usually ordered it through liquor distributors (Paramount) but I remember that once, while bartending, I ran out and couldn't get another delivery till after the weekend. With about 10 minutes to service, I ran to Union Square Liquors with a sickening feeling of unsurity (one of our cocktails was OP based and was quite a big seller). To my surprise (and to the surprise of the gentleman helping me, they had it...it took me awhile to find it though because of the label change. When I bought it, i thought it was a different kind that I would have to use as a substitute. Upon further inspection, however, I saw that it was,in fact, OP Anderson and all the Aquavit drinkers in the land were saved and everyone lived happily ever after! The end. :-)

While I do not have the knowledge to report on packaging changes that occurred anywhere over 25 years ago (as I was but a mere glint of passion in the eyes of my future parents), I can say that withing the last 2 years, OP Aquavit changed their labeling so drastically that I had quite a hard time realizing (or believing for that matter) that the newly labeled bottle was in fact the same I was looking for. Even salespeople in liquor stores didn't know. My liquor reps all new the bottle I was talking about (frosted glass with a yellow and black logo) but no one could seem to find it. I guess the company wanted to change images. Now the label is very intricately designed...almost Victorian looking. Needless to say I have a certain fondness for the stuff!

I often find the connection between cocktails and dessert to be helpful. As a bartender, if I ever need ingredients that I can't find in my local farmer's market or gourmet, I will ask the pastry department for suggestions. They usually can help. I have created a few wonderful drinks using passion fruit puree. It comes frozen and will keep for about a week after being defrosted. If you can't find the puree yourself (ask around in your local gourmet) I'm sure the pastry department of a restaurant near you could help.

Hello, I've just joined. I have just finished my own version of the Pegu. Taking into consideration the sweetness brought by the Rose's to the original recipes, I used Calamansi lime juice, sweeter than regular lime juice. It worked well. At the risk of enraging any purists here, I also added an egg white. I really like the mouthfeel it created. I shook a few extra bitters (aromatic) on top of the foam and swirled them decoratively. The drink is quite pleasant; visually and flavor-wise.

I am new here but often eavesdrop on the goings on of this board and have only recently worked up the courage to participate. I once concocted a drink that was a a distant relative to the French 75. I used cognac, pineapple juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and topped it with champagne. The champagne composed about 1/3 of the drink. I served it on ice. It was quite nice.