marty mccabe

A Philadelphia Filly: 1oz. each Bourbon, creme de cacao, and heavy cream. Shake with ice and strain.

There must be a long tradition of mixing whiskey with maple syrup, because right now, Macallan is test-marketing Amber, their whiskey/maple syrup liqueur in Massachusetts. Haven't tried it, though...

After stumbling on Teresa (2oz. Campari, 1oz fresh lime juice, 3/4oz creme de cassis; shaken, and served up in a cocktail glass) in Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology, I promptly blew through my bottle of Mathilde Cassis. So, before I go out and buy another bottle (and honestly, I really liked Mathilde), is there another brand I should try instead? And another thing: is there any difference between "creme de" and "liqueur"? Cheers!

I've just made my first one in a long while, after reading this thread. 1.5oz Plymouth 1oz Campari 1oz Carpano Antica I really think that the Carpano Antica (the original formula, which is slightly stronger and a bit more expensive than the Punt e Mes) absolutely makes the drink. Excellent balance...

For what it's worth, if you live in Massachusetts, Rittenhouse has a new distributor (M.S. Walker) and they're about a month away from having inventory. Btw, I have no connection to M.S. Walker. In fact, I work for one of their competitors...

Taking a little bit from the Apple Core and the Apple Manhattan, I came up with: 2oz. Makers mark 1oz. Berentzen Apple 1oz. apple cider 2 dashes Angostrura bitters Shake and strain into cocktail glass. It's not done yet (and I don't know what to call it), but not a bad start.

I love Berentzen Apple Schnapps, to an extent that it's almost a guilty pleasure. However, the only way I ever have it is over ice. Searching www.cocktaildb.com, I could only come up with the Apple Martini as a suggested cocktail. While I have no problem with apple martinis (other than that they are usually made with vodka), there has to be more... Any ideas? P.S. Their website is only in German, and I'm monolingual...

Mark, Your formula actually leads me to my next, related question: I crunched the numbers on two examples: Appleton White Rum: $13.50/ltr - $5.00/drink - on a 2oz. pour, 16% pour cost Maker's Mark: $26.99/ltr - $9.00/drink - on a 2oz. pour, 17% pour cost So, my question: in a nicer bar (with a premium well, etc.) is a 20% pour cost (approx) on mixed drinks your target? And what do you do with martinis, given the larger amount of alcohol that usually goes into one? Do you just accept a higher PC? Thanks, Marty

A friend of mine asked me about pricing mixed drinks, cocktails, etc., at his new restaurant. Any guidance or advice? I know about pricing wine (I sell it), but cocktails are a mystery to me. Appreciate it... Marty

In terms of the cocktail I have (and continue to ) consumed the most of, it would have to be a margarita: 2oz El Tesoro Platinum, 1oz fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1oz Citronge, splash of agave nectar. Shaken, on rocks. I do also hold a lot of fascination for the Aviation, in that it's totally more than the sum of its three ingredients. Marty

"* David Wondrich's Killer Cocktails - aside from Dr. Cocktail's book, the best drink-related thing to come out of 2004." I have a near infinite amount of respect for Mr. Wondrich, and I totally agree that the content of "Killer Cocktails" is excellent. I would only urge him to re-consider the format. Marty

Admin: Topics merged My apologies if a similar thread is buried somewhere (I couldn't seem to find it), but the thread on Dr. Cocktail's book started me thinking about my own collection of cocktail books. Here are my favorites; I'm curious as to what I'm missing: ...in no particular order... The Craft of the Cocktail, Dale DeGroff Mixologist: the Journal of the American Cocktail Straight Up or on the Rocks, William Grimes Cocktail, Paul Harrington Esquire Drinks, David Wondrich Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, Ted Haigh Jigger, Beaker and Glass, Charles Baker Jr. I also just purchased: The Stork Club Bar Book, Lucius Beebe The Bartender's Guide, Jerry Thomas The Joy of Mixology, Gary Regan So, what "must haves" are I missing? Marty

It's 44% alc. vol. Crackin' it is a project for this weekend, so I'll report back soon.

Ed, FWIW, the bottle bears the designation, "Martinique Appellation d'Origine" AND the words, "PRODUCT OF FRANCE"...which contributes to a lot of my confusion. Does this help at all? Marty

Picked up a bottle of Rhum Chauvet "Special Cocktail" white rum from a buddy. What am I in for? Thanks in advance! Marty

So far, I've started with Dale DeGroff's recipe: 1 oz. Light Rum 1 oz. your favorite rum 2 oz. pineapple juice 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime juice 1 oz. Simple syrup 1 Small Egg White Dash Peychauds Bitters Dash Angostura bitters Bruise a lime wedge in the bottom of the mixing glass, add the remaining ingredients and shake well with ice. Serve over ice in a tall or Collins glass. Garnish with tropical fruits I've noticed a lot of recipes that call for blackberry and banana liqueur? Looking for some other suggestions, please!

Traditionally, I always went with: 4oz. tequila (El Tesoro blanco, usually) 1.5oz orange liqueur (Citronge from Patron is my favorite) 1.5oz fresh lime juice 1oz simple syrup Shaken with ice and served on the rocks. It's a variation of a recipe Amdrea Immer published in an Esquire article. I doubled it to make mixing easier. I usually end up splitting it with my wife, anyway! Recently, I've been experiementing with the 2:1:1 approach, because my old recipe is a vehicle for tequila, which isn't bad if you really love the flavor. Also, check out Agave nectar as a sweetner, available at health food stores and Wholefoods.

Personally, I'm a blanco fan. No ageing designation (blanco, reposado, anejo) is better than another. It's strictly a metter of how much you like the real agave flavor, as obviously with ageing, the aromas and flavors mellow and take on oak notes. With that in mind, I'm also a fan of the more "boutique" producers. In particular, El Tesoro is outstanding, at every level, but specifically blanco. El Tesoro distills to 80 proof, as opposed to distilling to 120 proof and cutting with water (the more common approach). I think this goes a long way to preserving and even elevating the flavors. As blancos go, Casa Noble is not to be missed, too! It just arrived in Massachusetts, and I was thrilled with the breadth of flavors, the roundness on the palate, and the smooth finish. As a producer, Patron stumbled a bit when they switched from Siete Leguas distillery to a more negociant approach, buying on the open market. They've recently finished their own distillery, so I have high hopes. It's a brand that has done great things for the 100% agave catagory. Other favorite blancos include: Chinaco Hacienda del Cristeros (made by Herradura) Don Julio And when it comes to anejos, I tend to gravitate towards the absolute best, like El Tesoro Paradiso. I'm of the opinion that if you're going to age tequila, don't go half way. Finally, as for "tequila" being made in South Africa, California, etc., I think that the verdict is still out as to whether or not this contributes something different or should be lumped into the "Parmesan cheese from anywhere but Italy" group.