Alchemist

It is an interesting site, but a place where friend and cocktails come meet and mix, isn't that called a bar?

I was just takling to the keeper of cocktail books for the New York Public Library. She was waxing poetic about watching the taste of America go from dry to sweet, to sweeter, 'til the ugly '70's hit and White zin and goopy drinks reigned supreme. She assured me that we are back on the right path. The cocktails are getting drier, and with the acess to interesting products the golden age of cocktail is in full swing. "Let them drink cosmos" is the cry from the establishment. We are imbibing beter than ever.

Duane Reed?

A trend I would like to see happen is bartenders in good resturants, start creating cocktails that are paired to the food. How cool would it be to have a different (small obvously) cocktail to go with each course of a SEVEN COURSE TASTING MENU? I like this idea because it would be the challange of balancing, and complementing the food, which would mean you might be able to go a little further with strong flavors. You could go sweeter if you knew the food was spicy. You would have to plan for your cocktail to be enjoyed in the same moment as their food. Like the chemistry that happens with a Porterhouse and a big red wine. And another challange is creating non-alcoholic cocktails. Why should mothers to be have to drink soda splash of cran. for nine whole months? It doesn't take that much to make a virgin (no pun in tended) mint rickey. Or muddle a few strawberrys. Then to create a non alcholic tasting menu for a seven course tasting menu, now that's a challange.

Yes, I am severely sober, appalingly under served. It's really a short jump from the hot buttered rum to the back fat martini.

I would use the Antica in conjunction with the Punt Y Mes. I think the gestault of Rye or Gin, Antica, and P.Y.M. is outstanding. Because the Antica is more complex, and more assertive than the usual Sweet Vermouth, you can can hit harder with the bitters. So try Peychaud in a rye Manhattan, and orange bitters in a Valintino.

Wait, stop!!! The bacon grease should be room temp, and floated on top. Otherwise it will congeal, and that won't be pretty.

I Just recivied a bottle of it from one of my favorite cocktail geeks. I have it stashed away from prying eyes, and thirsty tounges, till next summer. This way I have months to figure out what to do with this liquid gold. It's gotta be the paragon of simplicity. Pomagranate Gim Maybe.

Does Dr. cocktail say to shake this cocktail? Because I would stir this cocktail. The Stinger is the The only cocktail with no fruit juice that is shaken that I know of. Why this is the exeption to the rule I know not. Maybe the creme de menth can absorb the effervesence with aplomb. I had a riff on a New Nork flip last night and it was so perfect for a chilly night.R 2 Oz. Cuban style rum (Methuselem is a favorite) .75 Oz Port 1.0 Oz. Demerra syrup 1.0 Oz. Heavy Cream 1 whole egg nutmeg Combine everything but the nutmeg in a shaker. Shake hard and long with large, dry, cold ice. Strain into a large chilled goblet. Grate nutmeg on top.

Oh yeah, gotta love the punt y mes. It's also good in a negoni, try a Juniperio Valintino with a splash of P.Y.M.

Is Stroughten (I suspect you may have meant Stoughton) bitters something you have collected? Or do you have a recipe you're willing to share. I found a couple classic recipes for Stoughton bitters online, and they usually contained at least one ingredient I'm not familiar with or all that keen to experiment with (Colombo, Virginia Snakeroot...) because I'm fairly sure they are somewhat poisonous. ← They are made in Brooklyn, by drunken slovenly elves. I will see if I can get the drunkest, most slovenly to share secret.

For rum, try using it like you would use a pomagranet molassas. A simple Daq. would be good. 2 oz. white rum (Brugal/Monte Cristo/Mnt Gay) .75 Oz Lime .75 Oz. simple syrup cherry to taste. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel floating like a lily pad in a lake mirroring the setting sun. If its really tart back off on the lime, if it has sweet componets back off on the simple.

To make it work with Cacao (Chocolate) , I would use some Bourbon or Applejack, and demerera syrup, A couple of fresh muddled cherries to brighten, and echo the concentrate, and then an acid such as lemon.

Aversion to cranberry coctails understandable. Grandma=Grand Marnier? Sounds like an awesome old-fashioned. ← Yes, GrandMa=Grand Marnier. I won't go off topic and delve into the other innane clubisms. I'm sure that by the time GrandMa is introduced to Rye one can no longer call the concoction an Old Fashioned. But It was tastey non the less. Another unorthodox cocktail that happened on T-Day was, while transfering some bacon fat from pthe pan a wee bit slipped into a Wet Plymouth Martini. WOW!!! Kinda like the Smokey Martini with a peaty scotch but richer. I must wonder if me and my fellow celebrants are a truley depraved lot to have enjoyed that cocktail so much.

Think of it as bitters big bottle. Mess about with Manhattans, Rob Roys, maybe a whisper in an Income Tax? It may have enough sweetness to make it's way into a holiday burbon or rye punch, in small measures.

Do you have a recipe for those? They sound fantastic. ← I'll see if the person who made them will give up the secrets.

Although I presently abhor gin, I'll give it a try. Who knows, maybe I'll become a gin convert? ← If you are a sour fan try the KING SOUR. 2 Oz. Plymouth gin .75 Oz. lemon juice .75 Oz. simple syrup egg white 3 dash orange bitters Shake everything hard in a shaker with dry,cold, large chunks of ice. Strain into a chilled glass. The volume may exclude a cocktail glass unless you have a sidecar with it.

Yes the cherries stay in the shaker. Or you can make a punch, whole bowl so the cherries get to sit and macerate. But they need to not be in the cocktail when poured. Good on the rocks as well. I'm not sure of the name. just came up with it, with the help of a good friend, on Sunday.

I just had some truffles made with Rye, and Peychaud Bitters, Yes they were inspired by a cocktail. And they were fantastic. So I must disagree with Sam on the specialness of Rye not coming through. Bourbon is so much sweeter than Rye. And for Burbon I think something with less medicinal/iodine qualities might hold better with the sweetness of most baked goods. Makers, Old Forrester, MMM can I say Woodford? This is not baking, but I put just a dribble of Apple jack into my thanksgiving day gravey. It turned out wicked.

The Gimelette is another way to bring V-drinkers iinto the light. Start with a mellow gin like plymouth, then toss a few rasberries, or a barspoon of Pomagranet molassas. the first time then give them a classic. They will be won over.

Erik, I had the same reaction when I tried it with Meyer lemon juice -- it really doesn't stand up to the other flavors. The drink is very different with regular lemon juice -- still not one of my favorites, but it's much cleaner tasting. ← Tweaked 20th century 1.5 Oz gin .75 cacao .75 Lillet Blond .75 lemon Shake, strain into a a chilled cocktail glass no garnish. One of my customers said it was drinking Art Deco another said it was like the Crystler building in a glass. Confidential to A&A Looking forward to the 20th century truffles!!! Another use of Cacao, 2 Oz. Rye .75 Lemon .50 demerera syrup .25 cacao cherrys peychaud bitters Muddle cherrys, combine all ingrediants in a shaker, shake, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

I think the Southside cocktail is a really good way to convert. If you tell them it's made with citrus juniper infused vodka, and use a soft gin like Plymouth, they will eschew the tasteless, oderless abomination forevermore. 2 Oz. Plymouth .75 Oz. Lime Juice .75 Oz. Simple Syrup 7 sprigs of mint Bruise 6 sprigs of mint in a shaker. Add gin, juice and simple. Shake hard, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Spank mint above cocktail.

I also think that house made bitters is going to be the new infused booze. Like chefs carry around little pouches of sea salt I think the hard core cocktologists will be making thier own bitters and carrying around little tincture bottles of them. I know how that sounds. Hopefully the practice will be less pretentious than the prediction.

I like mixing ryes, rums, and gins. Charles H. Baker was a fan of mixing up the rums, adding a little dark rum on top of a fizz gives the cocktail such good a nose. In making Martinis, I like mixing the Junipero with something soft and complex like Mercury. The gins complement eachother and make for a bombastic martini. Same with the ryes in a Manhattan. Then throw a little Stroughten and Peychaud bitters instead of Angostura, wow.

Here is the first Our Lady of the Snows that I couldn't remember yesterday. 2 Oz. Rittenhouse .75 Oz. Monte Negro .75 Oz. Vya Dry Vermouth 3 dash Peychaud Barspoon of Punt Y Mes